Gah!

By all accounts, this should have been an amazing week.
My parents gave me my birthday Garmin on Saturday, and I was all set and scheduled to start rocking my C25K workouts like NObody's business.

(cue violins)

Somehow, while standing and teaching, or walking, or doing something equally NOT STRENUOUS, I wrenched a muscle in my back.

There has been some serious discomfort.

And then, while I know we have nothing to complain about,  the weather has been rainy, rainy, dreary yucky, until this morning.

Well, hello, Mr. Sun!  I had forgotten what you looked like.

Oh, of course there is the cold from h  that has decided that it will NEVER. LEAVE. ME.

Add in leftover desserts, easter candy, and a general feeling of malaise or angst, and you have the recipe for a seriously overwhelmed mama.


Oh.... I forgot to mention that the real root of the STRESS is that I have scheduled the concerts for my school bands and now I am freaking out because...  it's what I do. *shrug*

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I need to do something.

I have been toying with the idea of eliminating sugar from my diet.
I won't lie - that idea scares me to pieces.
(Which is part of the reason that I think I might have to do it.)

It will take planning.

Serious sweet tooth?  check.
Must have an alternative on hand at all times.
Oh goodness.


Hmmm.....

There are other options:

Counting calories at http://www.myfitnesspal.com again.

Eating intuitively.

Portion control. (more like Portion POLICING)

There have to be other options....

Cutting white flour?  (oh no.....  that is one that I SHOULD do, but....  how do I even begin???)

ACK!

-
I have no idea what to do, or where to start.
I have to go organize something.

Birthday Earrings, workout update

One of my seventh grade students, who isn't even in band right now (although is in the instrument selection process for next year) made me a pair of adorable earrings for my birthday.  We were on vacation last week, and I don't remember talking about my birthday, so it was a big surprise. :)

Aren't they adorable?  I love them!! I wish that I had taken a better picture so you could see the details, because they are really lovely.

Yesterday, at the end of the school day, I changed into my workout clothes and headed out.  I was planning to run a C25K week 3 workout, but my friend Lori asked if she could tag along.  It was mostly walking, to be honest, which is really all my lungs could handle.  I am SO TIRED OF HAVING A COLD!!!   But-- I got out there, and I ran when I could, and coughed up a lung when I was done, and have more stats from my beautiful Garmin.  <3    2.5 miles, on a nice brisk day.

What a luxury to have all of the information right there after I connect my Garmin to the computer.  No more trying to remember exactly where I turned back around, or guessing how fast i was going.  I cannot wait to be healthy so that I can really start training for my 5Ks this summer!!

Birthday Garmin!!

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!!

Please, if you must regard the numbers, bear in mind that I am in the middle of cold number 83 this season.  (Actually, it's probably number 4... so that might have been a slight exaggeration!)   The numbers are NOT the point of this post.  The POINT of this post is that I have a Garmin!!  (insert happy crazy dancing.)

I am quite happy!

And......  the best part:

Best Pace:

08:53min/mi

Wooo-hooo!!!


Of course, I probably only sustained it for about 2 seconds. (maybe.)

But, on AVERAGE, my running times were about 11 min/mil!
And no more guessing!
I am just so beyond excited about this.

Now....
Mr. Garmin -- Ms. Garmin?   Needs a name.

Suggestions??

Thanks, Mom and Dad for my birthday present. I love, love, love, love it!!

Ode to DayQuil

Dear DayQuil,

All night long I coughed and coughed.
I tossed and turned,
and groaned and sighed.
I had taken a cough suppressant with codeine prescribed for me,
but sadly it didn't suppress a thing.

I awoke this morning hacking and aching,
and reached for my DayQuil before my coffee.
And here I am, not too long after,
able to think and breathe
and the coughing mostly subsided.

Thank you, DayQuil,
for giving me back the joy of my vacation!

Vacation Plague, Chapter 2

School vacation = SO much extra time to get running and activity things!   Getting sick for the 18th time this year!!!!  :(

Yeah.
Thrilled.  To pieces.

And of course my sons are sick too.  Is it too much to ask that I feel healthy on my birthday (tomorrow)?  Last year, I had just given birth, AND I had the 24 hour flu-- for real- on my birthday.  It was AWFUL.   So I don't think that my request, my petition, my prayer to feel healthy on my birthday is unreasonable.


On a totally unrelated note, I have another blog that I am writing actively on.  It's where I write about what I am learning in my daily Bible studies, and things that the Lord is doing in our lives.  I have been wrestling toying with the idea of merging the two. Because face it, it's not like I have a huge readership.  I haven't decided if I am going to do it or not.  I feel like they have two different functions.  But as I feel the leading to share more about my daily life on Crying Out to My God, I wonder whether to post the same thing in both places, or just to merge them.  I mean... it's hard to be clever and witty all time.  To try to come up with daily life material that is different for two blogs?  Oy.  I know what would happen.  I would create something so funny, and so relevant (yeah right) that I would want to post it in both places. I mean, good material is too good to waste, right?   So then the one or two people (if there are actually any people that read both of my blogs.... are there?) would be seeing the same content two times.  I did that for my Happy Birthday Cuddle Bug post.   Maybe that is just the way things will stay.

Anyway...
To quote a song that I really don't care for, by an artist that I really DO care for -- it's a tough place to be in, actually:


"This is the stuff that drives me crazy. This is the stuff that's getting to me lately...."
      - -Francesca Batastelli


It's clearly vacation, and I have too much time on my hands (since I can't run because of the plague (see title) ) and can actually type out all of the stuff in head.

Guess I should have warned you at the beginning of the post. :)
Sorry!!

Anyway.
If you have any thoughts about the merging/non-merging, or anything, I would love to hear.

K.
Bye.

3 day weekend love!!

This week is school vacation week. (insert "Hallelujah Chorus") The school that my husband works at had an inservice day, which meant that he went in early and then got out at 2:00pm!! (His regular schedule is 2 - 10:30 pm.) We were so excited! After I got home, we got things ready and went to pick the boys up from daycare. They were pretty excited to see us both at the same time!

We went down to the major metropolis that houses the Target and SuperCuts. I got a new haircut that I love! A stacked bob, in case you are wondering.

We ate dinner at one of the best Chinese buffet places in Maine. Yummmmmmm.

Saturday was all about cleaning, running, and working. Well, my husband had to work. He picked up a few overtime hours. :)

Saturday night, however- not as fun. Soccer Boy (4 year old) had a croup episode complete with wheezing, and basically scaring the life out of his Mommy. Soccer Boy woke up feeling fine, but still had the cold, so we played it safe.  Since the doctor on call said he was most likely still contagious, and since Cuddle Bug (12.5 months) had ANOTHER cold, my husband stayed home with the boys and I set out for church and kids worship ministry practice by myself.

I was lost, lost, lost without having a toddler to chase after or a preschooler to remind not to talk during prayers!

I was in a rush to get home after the kids worhip practice, since we had our monthly prayer meeting that night. Oh my word, what a beautiful time of fellowship we had!! And our friends stayed extra late since Monday was a holiday!

Monday was Cuddle Bug's one year check up. I had figured he wouldn't get shots since he had a cold, but we love our Doctor, so we made an event of it.   Lunch at the restaurant all the Cool Families go to. Seriously. I ran into my friend Cathie while we were there!

Cuddle Bug.

His smile is so contagious!  At least in our house.

I just think his expression in this picture is hilarious. Can't you just hear him saying, "Mama, you're silly. I am so pretending I don't know you when I get the chance."  Just for the record- I get that look a lot, but usually from my high school students when they are trying not to laugh at me trying to make them laugh.

Daddy and Soccer Boy.  He may be the slowest eater on EARTH, but he is an amazing big brother!

And me, a picture that I actually kind of like, with my new haircut.

It was a really good thing that we didn't cancel the Doctors appointment, because little man has a double ear infection! :(  This time around, though, he is taking his antibiotics like a champ.  (insert big sigh of relief.)

Work, busy-ness, sickness and all?  We were together, and it was a great weekend.
(and a wonderful start to my Birthday Week!!)

C25K Week 3 Day 1

Yesterday's run:
28 minutes. 1.7 miles.  9 minutes of running, 19 minutes of walking.

5 minute walk, (90 second run, 90 second walk, 3 minute run, 3 minute walk) repeat, 5 minute cool-down walk.

There are constant little hills on my road.  CONSTANT.  I remember this from the first time I tried to do C25K outside after  completing the first 4 weeks inside on an indoor track.   Between my lungs screaming at me from the extra exertion -

(I never had an issue with my lungs my first time through C25K -- I know now it is because I was not pushing myself for speed.  I am okay with that.  I just was so in awe that I got actually run (jog, shuffle) for increasing lengths of time, that I didn't care that I was about as fast as a tortoise.) --

and my left outer calf tightening up quite painfully, the last 3 minute segment,which happened to be all on an uphill grade, just about did me in.  I couldn't find a breathing rhythm, and I didn't have much left.

I stretched a lot when I got home.  Today, coming down the stairs was predictably painful, but my foot isn't bothering me too badly.

Because I over-pronate, and because essentially, I am doing speed drills, I can expect this type of muscle exhaustion.  But, I was NOT hydrated enough, which was definitely part of the issue.

I think that I am going to have to scout out some nice and FLAT places nearby.  :)