Couch to 5k - week 8

For the first time in several weeks I'm not hesitant or embarrassed to post my Couch to 5k update for the week. In fact, I am proud of myself.  Granted I am still on week one but I did successfully get 3 week one workouts in this week.

But it went beyond that.  In my three workouts this week I did more than week 1.  It wasn't a week 2 workout as I kept my runs to 1 minute in length, but in all of the workouts I kept walking long past the "official" workout's end.  One the second and third workouts I even kept going to the full 5k distance.  It was slow, almost an hour (57 min and 55 min) but it proved that I could do it.

I can't say that the running is easy, but I knew each time that I could get a minute in.  I knew it so I did it.  This week is that same sort of thing on a larger scale.  I don't know that I can fully "run" a 5k yet but I know that I can do one somehow and that makes the whole thing seem less daunting.

Adding to the victory of the week was the fact that I made it out at all last night.  I had run on Mon and Wed and then Friday found me cleaning in preparation for my SIL and parents to visit.  Saturday was more cleaning and a wedding in the afternoon/evening so I didn't get a run in.  That left Sun.  My family stuck around until 4ish, then I had to run to Target to get needed perscriptions, dinner, and before I knew it it was 9pm.  I was sore from dancing the night before and from doing some bike test rides on Sun (we are looking for new bikes) and really didn't want to go out.

But I did and after I completed the week 1 workout I kept walking.  It helped that the final hour of the 5th Harry Potter movie was on the gym TV but I really felt pretty good for getting out and doing it.  I've been stiff today but I'm looking forward to starting my next week tomorrow as I want to keep the progress of this week going.

So here are some goals for this week:
1.  Go for a run outside at least once with a week 1 workout.
2.  Go to week 2 and try to do it fully several times before without giving it up as too hard.
3.  Workout while I'm visiting my family next weekend.

So that's where I am at.  I'm pretty happy with it, though I am intimated by week 2 still as my foray into it last time was a big struggle.  Still it feels like I should try it. How are things going with you?


Other Couch to 5k relevant posts from this blog:

• Couch to 5k challenge - week 7
• Couch to 5k challenge - week 6
• Couch to 5k challenge - week 5

Halfway There - 50 Book Challenge 2010

I am on a roll here this year.  It is just the end of May and I have reached the halfway point in this year's 50 book challenge.  I am thrilled with this because it means I'm on pace for 60 books this year, which given that I have a toddler, a full time job, a freelance job, a blog and am attempting to train for a 5k, makes me feel pretty darn good.  (Also, it makes me want a nap!).  As always I'm looking for new recommendations.  Feel free to ask me about any of the books here or any of the others from previous years.  They can all be found on my sidebar.  In the meantime, it isn't too late to set a reading goal for yourself.  It helps me relax and keeping it in my life makes me happy.  I'm glad to commit to it each year!

50 Book Challenge 2010

1. Follow the Model: Miss J's Guide to Unleashing Presence, Poise, and Power by J. Alexander
2. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency) by Alexander McCall Smith
3. The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales by The Brothers Grimm, Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm
4. The Other Queen: A Novel by Philippa Gregory
5. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
6. Blue Shoes and Happiness (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 7) by Alexander McCall Smith
7. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 8) by Alexander McCall Smith
8. A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle
9. The Miracle at Speedy Motors (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 9) by Alexander McCall Smith
10. Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer
11. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
12. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson
13. Shanghai Girls: A Novel by Lisa See
14. A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle
15. Missing Mark by Julie Kramer 
16. Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell
17. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Book 10) by Alexander McCall Smith
18. Angry Conversations with God: A Snarky but Authentic Spiritual Memoir by Susan E. Isaacs
19. Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle
20. God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World--and Why Their Differences Matter by Stephen Prothero
21. Best Friends Forever: A Novel by Jennifer Weiner
22. The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen
23. An Acceptable Time by Madeleine L'Engle
24. Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal by Rachel Naomi Remen 
25. Origins of Story: On Writing for Children by Barbara Harrison and Gregory Maguire

This and That

My First Guest post
I am super excited to announce that I am doing my very first guest post today.  I have a blog post up over at Accustomed Chaos where I talk about my journey exclusively pumping.  Please consider going over there and sharing the love and reading my story.  I've told parts of it before but you might enjoy it all in one place.  Pretty please?

Brushing challenge
So I blogged last week about our two minutes, twice a day brushing challenge and encouraged you all to join in.  I hope you are doing better than I am.  As it turns out, when your son has two molars cutting through it is not the best time to introduce a brushing plan.  So our attempts haven't gone too smoothly.

I am trying to brush for two minutes myself though and I realized that I really need to get to a dentist, it has been a year!  I've always been really good about it but somewhere as mom to a toddler it has gotten delayed.  Imagine that, so I'm going to add making an appointment to my own challenge.

But you can still sign up to participate!  Make a comment there or here, or tweet about it and enter to win Twins tickets.  All the details are on my previous post!

Couch to 5k update
I normally leave these updates for Monday but I am so thrilled.  Wednesday night I did a week 1 workout and decided to keep going.  I added a few more minute runs (I did 10 total) and then did a nice paced walk and did a WHOLE 5k distance.  I actually thought a 5k translated into 3.2 miles (rather than 3.1) so I did that in 57:27 min.

It was slow and I walked the vast majority of it, but I was still proud.  I did a 5k.  Suddenly the 5k seems less like a running task and more like a challenge to beat my best time, so if I walk just a *little* less each time I'll get there.  I realize it is the same thing but somehow it makes it seem more attainable.

Creativity Boot Camp
Starting on June 6th the blog and I are going to be participating in a FREE Creativity Boot Camp designed to get my writing flowing.  Each day there is an assignment and you can work in your preferred medium (art, photography, writing, etc).  I'm excited about it because I've been really thinking about my writing again lately and it will be good to try.

I hope I'll manage to find time do write something every day and still do my workouts and regular blog updates but I'm going to try.  The fact that it is a few weeks before VBS at church and I have some other deadlines won't help but I couldn't pass up a chance.  So I hope you'll like those posts as well.

Feel free to join in if you want.  It is free for anyone and there is an awesome group of bloggers already in the list.  Find out more about it here!

Blog Roll Call
I'll be updating me blog roll call hopefully this weekend and I'd like to know if anyone wants on the list?  I have some people who haven't made it one yet but I don't want to forget anyone awesome, particularly if you are a regular here.  So drop me a note.

Finally, please go comment on my guest post?  I want to say I was a good blog visitor!

15 months

It seems like I blinked and another month has past in baby goat's life.  It seems doubly quick since month 14's post got lost to the month of sickness what was March/April.  It makes such a difference in his mood when he is well.  He's always a pretty mellow and happy guy but he is just so much happier when he's healthy.

He's getting to be such a toddler these days, with strong opinions.  We do have our fair share of back arching tantrums when forced to do something he doesn't want to do (or more likely leave something he DOES want to do), but thankfully for us he is ususally easily distracted by something else so they are short lived.

He loves the outdoors and I think would spend the whole day out there if possible.  If the weather is nice, and it usually is now, daycare is outside when it comes to pick up time.  It does not go over well to leave daycare with is wagon, and big wheels, and cars, to go in the car.  But as much as he doesn't really care to see me picking him up I know that he loves daycare.  He also loves doors, cabinets or anything that will open and shut. 

He is walking in full force now.  While he still falls down he gets everywhere he needs to get quickly, and if you aren't watching he can get plenty of places he shouldn't be going too.  He can't stand on his own yet, but he is getting closer to it.  But he can be odd.  Sometimes he is bouncing all over the place and other times he's content to sit with a pile of books flipping through the pages.

He is getting to be more communicative too.  He claps and says "Yay!" when others clap.  He says mama, dada, cat, elaine (daycare person), hi, but still resorts to "eh" and pointing for a lot of things.  I keep meaning to borrow some sign language DVDs to practice that some more as he seems to pick those up quickly.

He still eats well although he is starting to show preferences.  He will pick out all of his favorite first (usually cheese, meat or other protein) before moving on to the "lesser" foods.  He adores lima beans and peas and pops them like they are candy. 


Just on Sunday we had a bit of a scary as we got all red around our mouth from our first try of hummus.  The ER doc thought it was a contact allergy and not a real food reaction allergy but we are keeping an eye out anyway.  My reasearch (aka asking smarter friends than me) puts the top suspects as seasame and/or citric acid.  We'll just have to keep watching.  (We did follow up with our ped who gave us some good info and things to watch for but who wasn't too worried.)

Which reminds me, in the month of illness too we had a strange rash while we were on amoxycillin which the urgent care doc and our ped disagree about whether it was caused by a reaction to the drug.  Either way I'll avoid it for the forseeable future.

We have some travelling coming up in the next month and I wonder how it will go.  You are no longer willing to nap for a 5 hr car drive with one stop so we may be finding creative ways to make the trips go.  If you have tips I'd love to hear them.  He is still rear facing and will be as long as I can keep him that way if that makes a difference.

It has been a challenging couple of months around here.  We've all had illnesses that have put us under the weather and it seems like we are busier than ever but we are all happy.  I wouldn't trade my little goat family for the world, even if I do covet the larger places, backyards and jogging strollers many of my friends have.  We are just who we are meant to be right now and that is a beautiful thing.

Happy 15 months baby goat!  I can't believe how quickly its gone!

We love you!

P.S.  My camera cord is misbehaving so you only get the two photos today.  Hopefully I can get it fixed soon.

Wordless Wednesday - Joy

(Darcie took these photos at the rummage sale this weekend)

A weekend full of do-gooders doing good.

What did you do last weekend? Me? I helped end childhood hunger.  Er, I met with a bunch of other blogger/friends a few times in the last several days which is always fun, but we had a purpose too.  Remember when I told you about Molly and her campaign?  Well this was the big weekend.  It started on Thursday when we all meet up at Nye's.  We collected canned food and we had fun chatting together.  See...

Here I am looking odd between the awesome Trish and the mastermind Molly herself

And here I am with Darcie whose awesome pictures I totally pilfered for this post!

We had a great time chatting, eating and collected over 70 lbs of food too.  I am constantly amazed by the open, caring, awesome women (and a few men) that I have met through blogging.  Really, people may scoff when they find out that you blog but the community is something very special.

Saturday was the main event: The Rummage Sale.  Stuff from nearly 30 households was brought to Highland Park in St. Paul for a HUGE rummage sale with 100% of the profits going to Feeding America and their "End Child Hunger" Campaign.  I packed up our car full of stuff and was thrilled to take it over in the early morning on Saturday.

Baby Goat and I hung out and helped work from the beginning until right up to the end (when baby goat's desire for lunch could not be soothed with cheerios).  We made it through several nasty thunderstorms and baby goat even managed a nap while I helped out.  It was so great to be able to volunteer at the sale as well as donate stuff to the sale.  It was even better to watch my stuff swiftly swept away by the early morning sale die-hards.

Cindy, Suzi and Missy posing with the necessary early morning diet cokes.

 

Volunteers during a necessary Twitter update!

Best of all we raised over $900 to End Childhood Hunger, and thanks to a friend of Darcie's none of the stuff came back to our houses.  We decluttered and helped save the world in one single morning of awesomeness (despite the weather's best attempts to rain us out)

And it was good.

(I stole my photos from Darcie because she is awesome.)

Couch to 5k Challenge - Week 7

I am tentative to post here today.  I didn't get out last week.  Baby goat has been sick and I've been thinking about all the kind things you've said here too.  I'm trying to figure out if this is what I want and if I'm really REALLY willing to make the commitment.

And as I've been mulling it over I found at weird times wishing I could go workout at that moment.  I've been looking at the food I eat and feeling kind of sick about it and my seeming inability to prevent myself from eating it.  I've been meeting with fabulous bloggers, many of whom are in the process of real, lasting, significant, life-changing weight loss.

I've been watching the success, frustration and perseverance of my friends doing this.

And I realized that I do indeed want this.  I really do.  The challenge will be not even the workouts themselves, or the time, but keeping THIS want in the forefront of my mind.  I have food/relaxation ADHD sometimes.  I see something that sounds, tastes, or sights that look good and I forget about my good intentions and my long-term wants.

But increasingly it is clear that I have to take time to be more mindful and choose the real lasting want underneath it.

I'm starting over this week.  Tonight.  As I'm home with baby goat being sick today I will take the time to go out tonight and let Mr. Goat have sick baby bedtime.  I don't have evening meetings this week so I'm going to shoot for 4 workouts - week 1's but workouts the same.

I"m going to try changing other parts too.  Getting my sugar addiction under control.  Reducing my eating out.  Drinking more water.  I don't want to say "I'll do it tomorrow" any more.  I want to do it today.  I want to do it yesterday!

So I'm beginning again.  And I'm beginning again everyday from here on out.  And that is where I am at.  How's it going with you?

P.S.  I should mention that at no time has this been an issue of Mr. Goat not being willing to take the time with baby goat, or me feeling he isn't capable of it.  He is, often more so than me.  It really is all about me and my own hangups.


Other Couch to 5k relevant posts from this blog:

• Couch to 5k challenge - week 6
• Couch to 5k challenge - week 5
• Couch to 5k challenge - week 4

A Hallway and a set of keys

Now that baby goat is really walking I like to let him practice in the hallway of the apartment on the way to the car.  We are all the way at the end and it is a nice stretch for him to walk (and it can be hard to carry all 30 lbs of him and anything else that you need to bring to the car too.)

Lately he has been fascinated with my car keys which I willingly hand over for the walk down the hall.  As we pass each door he toddles up to it and holds up the keys.  He knows that keys open doors and he wants each and every door open.  It is almost as if every door could be our destination and he's eager to check every.single.one.

There is something so hopeful in watching baby goat joyfully try to open every door, even though he can't even reach the door knobs and I've been thinking about this a lot as I try to formulate a response to Monday's Couch to 5k post.

I think I feel like baby goat on this weight loss journey.  I'm just starting down a long hallway of fatness and I have a set of keys.  Some might work along the way, some don't and I tend to pause at each door seeing if is the way out for me.  But I am like a child.  I'm learning slowly that not every door leads me to a place I want to go, and not every key works.

I know a lot of wonderful people urged me to put myself first in this process.  To rely on Mr. Goat's ability to put baby goat to sleep, to choose myself selfishly.  That has been a struggle to think about this week.  On the one hand I agree, and on the other I sometimes feel at odds about what I really want.  I want to be with my son at bedtime as he spends most of the day at daycare.  I want to go workout before 9pm.  I want to lose weight and I want to eat ice cream.

I wonder if the time is an excuse that isn't really apt.  Perhaps it more is way of hiding behind the times I choose a less healthful want.   I do need to evaluate my priorities and how to work out and still be present for my family in a way that is important to me.  I'm going to be working on it.  In the meantime I'm trying to find my key to making this journey a success for me.


And thank you for supporting me, even when it means sending some tough love.

Two Minutes, Twice a Day for Two Weeks Challenge

Baby goat is my first child and I admit there are times when I find myself at a lose with parenting.  Like for example teeth.  It became obvious when baby goat started teething - the drool, the crabbiness, the trouble sleeping.  But then the teething past and we were left with teeth.  What do you do with teeth?!  (I mean besides photograph them and marvel at your baby's cute teeth...see?)

I mean it is obvious that at a certain point you have to start healthy teeth habits with your kids but when, and for how long, and should I start now?  Thankfully the good folks at Metro Dentalcare were there to answer my questions and even gave me a tour of the pediatric dentist in Burnsville.  The answer: start NOW!

But they didn't stop there.  They must have known that I'm having a hard time remembering to brush baby goat's teeth because Metro Dental has come out with there Two Minutes, Twice a Day for Two Weeks Challenge.  Now I am not certain that I can wrangle my 14 month old for two full minutes but we are sure going to try.   I've even got a handy time from Metro Dental to help me.  But even if I don't manage two whole minutes it will jump start the habit of brushing twice a day for baby goat.  (As for me I'm committing to two minutes of brushing myself as I already do brush twice a day already.)

But I don't want to be baby wrangling alone.  Will you try the challenge with me?  I'm sure all our kids could stand to have better brushing habits.  But Metro Dental knows that a little more motivation might be necessary than simply healthy teeth, so in order to increase your motivation they are dangling a proverbial carrot in front of you in the form of MN Twins Tickets!  (I am not eligible so I'll just look on jealously!)

But you are totally eligible.  You must be local of course (or willing to travel) but sign up for the challenge and you could win 4 tickets to the MN Twins for a June game at the new Target Field.  Pretty nice huh?  They are even giving away two sets so that more folks will win.  So how do you enter? It is simple - 2 easy steps.

1.  Sign up here and say that you are participating in the challenge.

2.  Using Facebook, twitter or your own blog share how it's going online.  EVERY time you update your facebook status update (tagging Metro Dentalcare), tweet about it on twitter (using hashtag #twiceaday) or  share a blog post (linking to Metro Dentalcare) you are entered.  So the more updates you do the more often you are entered to win.

And that's it.  Brush your teeth and/or your kids teeth for two minutes, twice a day for two weeks and tell them how it is going.  So simple and so good for you.

Disclosure Statement: I am not being paid to participate in this challenge and am not even a patient at Metro Dental.  The Twins tickets giveaway is hosted by MetroDentalCare and the winner will be selected by and notified by them. I have no involvement in choosing the winner.  A handful of bloggers are participating in this challenge and all of our readers are welcome to participate in this challenge/enter to win the Twins tickets. I am not eligible to win the Twins Tickets, but, Metro Dental Care has invited me to attend a St. Paul Saints game with the other bloggers as their guests.

Wordless Wednesday - Too cute for words

Should it stay or should it go.

Well, I am contemplating some sort of reply/rebuttal/thoughts from yesterday's post but haven't gotten past feeling defensive, having excuses and just general whining "Yoooou don't get ittttt."   (Which admittedly isn't true but it seems easier).  Give me a few days of processing.  I'm slow that way.

In the meantime, have you heard about the MASSIVE blogger rummage sale event this Saturday?  No?  Ok, go here and read this!  I'll wait...  Caught up?  Great!  So there is this huge rummage sale with all proceeds going to charity.  So I'm cleaning up and clearing out.  Or at least a little bit.  So far the lists are in my head and my Friday day off will involve packing them up and loading them in the car.

I have to confess my natural instinct is to hold on to things.  I have yet to go all Hoarders on anyone but I like stuff.  It's true.  So any purge is both desired and feared in my brain.  So I thought we'd play a little game.  Below are three items and I'd like you to decide if they should stay or go. (Mr. Goat does has veto power as I didn't get a chance to ask him about these this morning).

Item 1:  Glass pitcher from my Grandma's house. (excuse the dust)

This was one of the items gathered when my grandma moved out of her house and into a senior living apartment facility two years ago.  Mr. Goat and I loved the shape and while it has a small crack in the handle it is still watertight.  We had visions of a future house with a future deck being all adult-like and sipping fresh lemonade or sangria out in the sun while the kids played on the swing set.  Two years later it still sits on top of our refrigerator collecting dust as it doesn't really fit in our cabinets.  Should it stay or go?

Item 2:  Hand painted fan

This isn't sentimental necessarily, just something I bought that I thought was pretty.  It came from a vendor at the mall in fact.  But I do think it is lovely.  However it hasn't been up since we moved.  It really ended up being a piece that didn't work with most of our other stuff and as wall space is a premium in our apartment it has lived in the closet since then. Should it stay or go?

Item 3: The 2003 Santa Bears from Marshall Fields

It was our first year married and Mr. Goat and I were both working for (different) Marshall Fields at the time (now Macy's).  Each year Marshall Fields put out a Santa bear.  They are pretty collectible and well loved.  That year, for the first time there were children Santa bears too.  The Mr Bear came with a little girl, the Mrs. Bear came with a little boy.  Given my discount and my newly married status I naturally got both thinking it was a wonderful symbol of our life together.

Why? Well...meet Mistletoe. (Mistletoe stays)

Mistletoe was a Santa bear I received when I was 3 from my aunt.  I slept with him almost nightly until I was pregnant with baby goat (yes, this includes married life *blush*).  Now he guards over baby goat.  So you can see why the Santa bears are a nice sentiment of our life together.  Unfortunately they have mostly lived on shelves, getting dusty and taking up space so I am uncertain about whether to keep them or not.  Particularly with space at a premium. Should they stay or go?

So those are my three items.  Help me decide what to keep and get rid of.  Oh and come to the rummage sale on Saturday.  Besides all my stuff there are over 30 people bringing things so you are sure to find something you'll like.

MN Bloggers Rummage Sale

Saturday, May 22, 2010

8:00am - 1:00pm

Highland Park Shelter House

1227 Montreal Ave

West Saint Paul, MN 

I hope we see you there!

Couch to 5k - Week 6

Blogland we have a problem.  Now I will give you at the start that this week wasn't quite as big a fail as last week but it was still a fail.  I ran on Wednesday and did a great workout.  I was running a touch faster than before and while it was a week 1 work out still I even walked longer at the end to build up a little more endurance.  Despite the fact that I hadn't worked out until Wed I was encouraged.

And the rest of the week...nothing.  Well not nothing exactly.  I had meetings until 9:30pm on Thursday.  I sent my hubby to a Saints game Friday night and had some issues that kept me from walking with baby goat before his bedtime.  Then I was stuck at the apartments sans treadmill.  Saturday we walked all around the zoo for 3 hrs.  Often carrying my increasingly heavy toddler.  So I got exercise (and certainly did sweat) but I didn't work out.  Sunday I woke up with a cold.

Some of this stuff was known, some was last minute plans but I'm really disappointed that I haven't been able to get this going.  I've done a week 2 workout once! once!  Fellow challenge members are on weeks 4 or 5 or even just 2 but they seem to be breezing by me on the way to this 5k goal.  On the other hand I feel like I'm stuck.  I so want to do this, an I want to do it now, at this time of conviction and belief that I can.  I don't want to put it off until life calms down.  But life makes it so hard.

It seemed like an impossible goal from the start.  6 weeks in and virtually no progress to show for it makes it seem even more impossible.  I'm not giving up but I'm just frustrated.  Every workout must be timed between work, daycare, baby's bedtime, my own bedtime, housework and everything else.  I try to be respectful of Mr. Goat's time.  I don't want to make him put the baby to bed each night so I can go run, but it means squeezing things in when I can.  It often means feeling guilty when I am working out and when I'm not.

It is frustrating because I've been trying so hard to give myself attainable goals.  I know my own tendencies to give up when the health journey becomes too overwhelming, but lately it seems as though I simply fail at the easy health goals too.

There must be a balance somewhere but today at this point, I don't see it.  I do have a cold, complete with cough and lung issues but I'm hoping to walk tonight and give it a go.  Maybe if this week can get a good jump start I'll be able to get 3 workouts in.  I hope.

Anyone have any advice or support?  How do you balance it all?

Also, please link up to a post if you are still doing this and add your info to this post here - I'm still working on the little list of those us doing this challenge and hope to get it up this week.


Other Couch to 5k relevant posts from this blog:

• Couch to 5k challenge - week 5
• Couch to 5k challenge - week 4
• Couch to 5k challenge - week 3

Random Thoughts

* I am tired and have a cold. It is making me cranky. I feel badly about it, I don't really like my cranky self so I'm struggling against the cranky thoughts. I've been feeling blue that I haven't accomplished anything tonight so I'm going to blog quickly and accomplish something.

* The light clicked in baby goat this weekend and I think it is safe to say that we have a walker now. While he can't actually stand up without something to pull up on he can now toddle pretty much at will. He gets tired and still falls quite often but it has gotten to the point where counting steps is futile, mostly because most of my time is spent trying to distract him away from the most "fun" areas of the apartment. Thankfully he's shown no interest in the cat box so far but we are keeping a close eye on things. Thank goodness for gates.

* Baby goat is also teething some molars with at least one looking like it will be making an appearance any moment. The combination of corralling and teething has made him quite crabby today too.

* I'm behind on all sorts of things I want to do and it is frustrating me. The time has gone to real productive and unexpected things so I should try to let it go and get productive on the things that need doing. Easier said than done.

* I owe a HUGE thank you to MetroDentalCare for giving me a pair of St. Paul Saints tickets for this past Friday night.  I was able to let Mr. Goat and a friend go and have a much deserved boys night out.  I've been working weird, long and odd hours in the last two weeks so it is nice to be able to let him have some fun.  So thanks MetroDental.  Thanks a lot!


* I'm still thinking about our zoo trip yesterday. Sometimes I feel like I really don't fit in with the parent crowd. We both work and haven't really done playdates with anyone. I don't know if that many of our friends don't have kids or if our work schedule really make things difficult or that people don't like us but it seems isolating sometimes. I'm glad to have the blog and lots of mommy blogger friends online but sometimes I wonder if I'm missing a "real life" experience. But we did the zoo like seemingly all other families in the metro area. It felt good, just to be out as a family watching the boy walk and play and point. That probably makes little sense.

* Next week on Saturday is a blogger rummage sale to benefit Feeding America. All the proceeds go to help the Child Hunger Ends Here Campaign. And with 20+ people bringing stuff how can you really go wrong? Check it out!

* I still feel like I need meal options for the family.  We too often throw things together or worse, grab something on the run.  Please share your go to recipe if you have one.

* Would anyone like to be a guest blogger here.  I'm looking for a few for a few of my crazy days in the next month.  Particularly when I'm knee deep in VBS.  You can write about anything really, I just want to keep some posts up when my life ramps up.  Rest assured I'm still here and plan on getting my blogging groove back, but I don't want to force it either.

* I am honored to have 69 followers here on the blog but I have to say the odd number is bugging me.  Anyone willing to follow me and make it an even 70? :)

* Mr. Goat is starting the dishes, I better go help and get my cold and me to bed.  I hope you all had lovely weekends.  I really did even though I'm struggling against a pity party at the moment.  But it is hard to go wrong with some of the fun I did have this weekend.

Baby Goat meets goats - and a few other farm animals too

It was a beautiful Saturday.  Baby goat napped well in the morning and we had a nice family lunch so we decided to pack up and head to the zoo.  We hadn't been to the zoo in a while so it was a fun trip.  It was also the first time we headed out to the farm at the zoo.  We missed zoo babies by a few weeks but we got to accomplish the main goal of the trip.  Baby goat met the goats.  He was shy at first but warmed up to them and then didn't want to leave them to go look at the other animals.  I wish I had more pictures of his face as he was perplexed and fascinated by the goats.  We had a great time at the zoo but man we are all pooped out tonight.

Horizons

The blog has been quiet lately.  A bit more sparse than usual.  Not so my brain.  My brain churns and whirls and goes a mile a minute.  The difficulty lies in stopping, focusing and landing on words, bloggable words, that can make sense of the cacophony.

I find myself looking into the distance a lot these days.  Losing myself in clouds and skylines and sunsets (if the sun was ever out).  I am behind about things I mean to blog about.  Baby goat turned 14 months old and I still haven't sat and focused my words to tell you all about this little perfect boy who holds my heart.

He woke up a bit early this morning and I took him back to bed with us.  We cuddled and he used us as a play gym and we rested a bit more too.  At one point I found myself with his foot in my hand and I was struck by the mystery of it all.

How are those 5 perfect little toes and that round fat foot growing so big, so fast?  How is it that someday he might be in size 12 shoes stomping about when for now he is limited to flinging himself at things walking fast so he doesn't fall down like some tiny drunken elf?

The future is on my mind.  The immediate and the far away futures.  The problem with looking at horizons though is that the possibilities are too great.  There are so many places to look and it can be a challenge to take it all in at once.  Looking at the future is the same.  The possibilities of our lives spiral out exponentially.  A single crossroads become 2, become 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, etc.

So I look at the horizon and squint and try to make out the best path.  Is it the roundabout path with lots of scenery?  The straight and narrow path?  What about the bumps?  Because there will be bumps.

And so I'm left with swirling, spiraling thoughts and a blog post that says almost nothing. 

I get this way some times.  Too much sci fi maybe, or too much theology.  Either way my brain struggles to contain and order the infinite.  I imagine that must be why there are constellations in the sky.  The vast diamond studded heavens had to be named and contained in something we could fully grasp.  Millions of stars are too vast; they are overwhelmingly beautiful when taken as one.  It is easier to say there is the great bear, the dragon, the little dipper.  These are the markers that order the stars.

I'm in need of a few markers in my head, to order the flood, to define the landscape.  Late last night I got out to run and today I am more focused for it.  The 30 minutes of focusing on simply placing one foot in front of the other made the spirals straighten a bit.  I need more of that.

They say when you are motion sick you should focus on one spot in the horizon and simply look toward that.  Maybe I just need to choose my spot.

Video Wordless Wednesday - Walking!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing




Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Please ignore any high pitched baby talk or heavy breathing from me. I need to learn to be quiet in videos!  Also a real video camera wouldn't hurt. :)

Couch to 5k - Week 5

Boy guys.  I'm just going to be honest here.  Last week was a big 'ol FAIL from my end.  I can have a whole list of excuses but the fact of the matter is that I got busy, I allowed myself to take out my workout to try to get everything done and now a week later I have one pseudo week 1 workout to count in the last week.  I say pseudo because I couldn't actually finish all the running from that workout due to my knee.

The rest of the week? nothing. NOTH-THING.  And while it is not part of this particular challenge - my eating? Yeah, not so good.  So there's that to.

The irony is that some of the excuses are valid ones.  They were real, time sensitive things that kept me out of the gym, but I didn't get up early to do it while the boys were sleeping.  I didn't sneak time on the weekend when I could have found it.

I didn't.  My choices.  In this case a bad ones.

But I refuse to take this bad week and let it rule me.  Instead I'll be back out tonight - starting week 1 again.  Pushing through.

I WILL get three run/walks in this week.  In fact I'm aiming for 4.

I WILL run outside (weather permitting) at least once and find a route that works for me.

I WILL forgive myself for the last week, forget it and start over.

Those are my goals this week.  I'm sure most of you are doing much better than I but I'm trying and I'm going to keep trying.  I hope you keep it up too. 

Other Couch to 5k relevant posts from this blog:

• Couch to 5k challenge - week 4
• Couch to 5k challenge - week 3
• Couch to 5k challenge - week 2

Wordless Wednesday - Caffeine Addiction - the Early Years

* No Diet Coke was actually drunk by baby goat, despite his best attempts to open the can.

But I didn't...

I wanted to quit before I started.

But I didn't.

I wanted to quit when I got delayed until after 9pm due to a long birthday call to my MIL.

I wanted to quit.

But I didn't.

I wanted to quit when I got to the gym and the TV couldn't get a signal.

I wanted to quit.

But I didn't.

I wanted to quit when halfway through a Couch to 5k week 1 workout my knees reminded that I shouldn't be running just yet.

I wanted to quit.

But I didn't.

I wanted to quit when two hot hispanic women came in, glared at me on one of the two working treadmills, insulted me in spanish (at least in parts that I could understand), and left.

I wanted to quit.

But I didn't.

I wanted to quit the third time the creepy looking guy passed with the shopping cart.

I wanted to quit.

But I didn't.

I wanted to quit when the two hispanic women came back, glared at me some more, stole a few free weights and left again. (I presume they were bringing them back and just using them in their apartment).

I wanted to quit.

But I didn't.

I wanted to quit up until the very moment I finished.

37 minutes, 1.87 miles

I wanted to quit.

But I didn't.

And I won't.

Couch to 5k - Week 4

Thanks to the month of illness in March/April this was my second full week with the Couch to 5k training.  As you will recall my goals for last week were:

1. Do the program 3 days this week with at least one day being an attempt at Week 2 workout.
2. Research stretching, warm-up and cool down things to help with soreness and safety. (Please share what works for you).
3. Figure out the best solution to the podcast issues and get some downloaded for workouts.
4. Work out with another program (or even just go walking) once this week.

And I did make some progress.  Day 1 (Monday) I got to the closet apartment gym and did a Week 2 work out.  I did the entire thing though the 90 second runs often had me holding on to the treadmill for life.  On the way back I was walking down the stairs however and my knee suddenly did a little giveaway and twisted a bit.  It didn't hurt but it got quite stiff.  I nursed it for a few days and went back to do another workout on Thursday.  That day I did a week 1 workout and tried to increase some speed and distance without much luck.  I was much happier at the minute runs again though.  Still my knee felt off (while I still didn't really hurt).

Saturday I intended to workout and napped instead so I found myself doing my third workout of the week last night.  My knee still feels weird.  It doesn't hurt but it feels like it will buckle when I run.  I compromised last night.  I walked the average distance that the Week 1 workout would typically give me...so I walked for almost 40 minutes instead.  I kept up a good pace and did work up quite a sweat.  My knee feels a bit better for it too so I'm glad I didn't do the running yesterday.

I'm still researching some stretches and finding what works for me.  Clearly I need some that work the knees and hips so I can get back on the real program.  I found a cheap Mp3 player that should be here any day and I look forward to getting out to run instead of using the apartment closet gym.  I hope it will make a difference in my motivation.  No extra workout this week but I did do a marathon shopping trip on Friday where I worked up a sweat.  Does that count?

More than my knee I struggled with the sanity of this program.  If just two weeks make my knees crabby is running a smart thing for my XXX lb frame?  I don't know, but I'm committed to seeing this through.  I'll just have to keep my body in mind and do things purposefully.  There are days when I am doing this just because I know I have all of you out there holding me accountable, but I figure that's ok.  In the last two weeks I've worked out more than since baby goat was born so it isn't a bad thing!

This weeks goals:

1. Work out with the Couch to 5k plan at least 3 times, alternating week 1 and week 2 as able.
2. After a workout continue to walk until I reach the distance of a 5k so I have a base line for this process.
3. Stretch!!
4. Try working out outside at least once and see if it is different.
5. Continue taking note of steps forward and don' let delays or setbacks throw me off track.

So that was my week.  Did you guys do anything?  I hope so.  I'd really love to hear from you about how it is going.  You can link to the MckLinky or simply leave a comment.  And if you haven't added your name to my list yet leave a comment here so I don't miss anyone when I finally get that complied.  Thanks everyone and
"Happy" Running.

Other Couch to 5k relevant posts from this blog:

• Couch to 5k challenge - week 3
• Couch to 5k challenge - week 2
• Couch to 5k challenge - week 1
• Couch to 5k challenge kickoff