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spiralizing!

spiralized zucchini

I love kitchen gadgets.  This is my first time writing about one of my acquired gadgets, but I am sure it won't be my last!

I got a spiralizer from Williams Sonoma just before Christmas.  I was super excited to use it but then of course we went out of town and I was trying to eat all of the perishable food in our fridge before we left and you need fresh veggies for spiralizing so I didn't get to do it last month.

Fast forward to January - hooray!  I got to spiralize.  It was actually fun to do and looks really cool!  It reminds me of my apple peeler, corer, slicer that I have but it comes with different plates that you can attach and make "noodles" of varying width/diameter.

spiralized yellow squash

To make these noodles I used the mid-sized plate and started with the zucchini.  Since the zucchini is generally more straight than the crooked neck yellow squash (hence the name), the zucchini was much easier to spiralize.  I had to hold the yellow squash more carefully and re-adjust it as it spiraled down.

Since I'm a huge food prep fan, I was actually spiralizing my veggies before I needed them during the week (I made it Monday night) on the weekend prior (spiralizing went down Sunday afternoon).  Of course they were placed into my awesome snapware Pyrex glass containers I got from Costco on sale (I don't get commission, but if I did, I would be raking it in!  I have recommended these containers to co-workers, friends and family and have 2 sets myself!  They are excellent and really keep the oxygen out which is what causes browning on lettuce and other food and causes it to go bad.)

I steamed my noodles the next night in pasta sauce with some meat + sausage (I always pre-cook my meats before mixing them into my dishes like chili or pasta/etc.) and threw a little mozzarella cheese on top when it was done.

Here's what we did:
1/2lb ground meat (we usually use venison but you can use any ground meat)
3 yellow squash
2 zucchini
1 12-16oz jar of pasta sauce
1/2 spicy sausage (optional)
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

1) Spiralize the squash and zucchini and place into a pot on low to medium, pour sauce over the top
2) Cut up the sausage into bite size pieces.  Cook ground meat and sausage in a pan, breaking up the ground meat into smaller pieces.  If there is any grease, remove it and pour the meat into the pot with the squash and zucchini.
3) Stir as needed and place a lid over the top to make sure the squash & zucchini are cooked through.  They should be soft, but not squishy.
4) Remove from heat, sprinkle a little of the cheese on top, serve and enjoy!

cooked spiralized zucchini + yellow squash

Both my husband and I liked the vegetable "noodles."  They had a little bit of a crunch to them, but actually tasted like pasta which is pretty cool since they are non-starchy/lower carbohydrate vegetables vs. pasta which has 15 grams of carbohydrate for just 1/3 of a cup cooked.  I definitely would recommend spiralizing for anyone who is trying to get more vegetables in, working on reducing excess carbohydrate or just likes fun food gadgets and trying new things.  Spiralizing is no longer just for football quarter backs throwing the ball.  It's healthy, fun and delicious!  :)

It's not really a word, but they definitely should add it to the dictionary: spiralize on friends!

- run for life

yoga pants

I heard on the radio that sales in jeans were going down.  Of course they made it a cliff hanger and said, ‘after this song we will tell you what is replacing them.’  During the whole song I was wondering, what in the world could be replacing jeans sales?  They came back on and said athletic pants were increasing in sales over the years and decreasing jeans sales.  Of course!  Yoga pants!  They are AMAZING.

You can ask anyone that knows me, I love yoga pants.  Comfort > fashion.  When asked about limited budgets, I told my campers “why buy clothes when you could buy food?”  Even during pregnancy, I didn’t buy many maternity clothes (and boy, are those things expensive!).  I got mostly clothes for work like sweaters, work pants and some shirts.  Honestly, I probably didn’t need to buy even that much.  I ended up wearing yoga pants anytime I wasn’t at work or church.  And really, who doesn’t love yoga pants!?

I just started wearing my normal jeans again this last weekend, not because I couldn’t fit them, but because maternity jeans are so stretchy and comfy (closer in comfort to my beloved yoga pants).  All through pregnancy I could still pull my normal jeans on all the way, but couldn’t button them.  My belly was just too big to zip them up comfortably.  So, I turned to maternity jeans.  They are so comfy and if you remember that episode of Friends when Phoebe calls her maternity/Santa pants her Thanksgiving pants: that’s how I felt about maternity pants.  They were so stretchy and regardless of the bump, I could wear them comfortably.  Even if I did decide to eat a lot during a holiday… they would still fit and I wouldn’t need to loosen my belt or undo a button!

I attribute being able to wear them so long and very shortly after delivery to walking so much during pregnancy.  Exercise is so important!  Even with my feet swelling like crazy my legs were normal size.  Toward the last month of pregnancy I ended up wearing Nathan’s flip flops because my feet were so swollen.  How swollen were they?  Well, I went to the doctor wearing Nathan’s flip flops and mentioned my feet were swollen.  She looked down at my feet and she said, “they don’t look too bad in those shoes.”  I must have made a face because she paused and said, “wait, those are your shoes aren’t they?”  I turned my foot to the side and his feet are at least an inch or two bigger than mine so the back was much longer than my foot but they were so swollen they looked like they fit me from the front.  She laughed at me and said, “okay, you’re feet are really swollen.”  Being the nerd I am, I poked them and exclaimed, “it looks like at least 2+ pitting edema!” when the poke mark stayed indented for a while before filling back out.  I’ve heard of women saying their feet stayed bigger after pregnancy, but luckily for me, my feet returned to normal size so I didn’t have to buy new shoes.

Anyway, swelling feet don’t have much to do with my love of yoga pants other than the fact that yoga pants are awesome and comfy.  Depending on what kind of material and color, you can get away with wearing them with a nice shirt for dressier occasions!  For my yoga pants wearing friends, where do you wear your yoga pants?

For all of those moms-to-be or those who are thinking about getting pregnant, if you are worried about your pregnancy wardrobe or post-pregnancy wardrobe and have yoga pants – don’t.  Save some money and try wearing your athletic pants/yoga pants as long as you can instead of spending tons of money on maternity clothes.

For all of those who just want universal comfortable clothes - look into yoga pants!  You can go from grocery store to working out or running without changing.  Yes, it's true.  I'll say it again, I love yoga pants.

I leave you with this hilarious song: 

   

- - run for life

let it go!

super clean kitchen! (BK - before kid)

If you know me, you know I have a type A personality.  I like to get things done.  I’m pretty driven and focused.  I like to be organized and generally neat (my husband is says I’m not organized but that’s because he organizes differently than me).  I like having my house ready for company.  I like it when the dishes are put away and the floor is vacuumed with no dog hair and the laundry is all folded and neatly put away.

Everyone tells you your house will be messier when you have kids.  I’m here to tell you it’s true. 

These days there are often dishes in my beautiful deep kitchen sink we had redone when we moved into our house.  There is fur in the corner because I did not get to vacuum on an almost daily basis (seriously, if you knew Blitz you would understand!  It’s kind of ridiculous.  You can pet him and he will shed even in the winter.  We thought maybe it was just summer when it was hot.  No.  Year round shedding even when I “de-furminate” him a couple times a week.  I could really write an entire blog just about Blitz and his fur.)

As I wrote in my last post about laundry, I used to put it away right away and now I dump it on the bed and sometimes it lives there for a few days before I need something and dig through the pile and finish putting it away.

Sometimes I get annoyed with myself and think I’m getting lazy or I’m falling behind.  I beat myself up for not being organized.

Then I remember, in the end nobody cares!  No one who comes over cares that I have dishes in my sink.  My salvation does not depend on whether or not my laundry gets put away.  I can just shut the door on that room when I don’t want to see it myself.  What matters is that I spent time with my family and played with my daughter, went on a date with my husband.  It matters that I had those friends over and they enjoyed fellowship (and the homemade ice cream or homemade pizza or other homemade creation I made for dinner).  It matters that I got steps and made healthy choices and tried to be a good example to my family, friends and patients.

Norah helping with recycling

Regardless of whether you have kids or not, in the end, it really comes down to priorities.  There are 24 hours in a day for everyone.  Some people can get it all done from cleaning the entire house, sanitizing everything, cooking, exercising every day, volunteering at church, and hanging out with family.  Good for you!  (Maybe share your secret with me in the comments!)  But then there are newer moms like me that don’t have it all together.  I say “let it go!”  Like the Frozen song I often sing (and my daughter is only about 8 months old, I just like animated features myself ha!).  Obviously, I eventually have to get the dishes into the dishwasher and put the laundry away, but I don’t need to obsess over it or worry about it if my daughter needs something or I have people over.  Live in the moment… and remember it's okay to let it go sometimes!

- run for life

safety pins for pairing

Socks look kind of chaotic

One of my least favorite things to do is laundry.  Not because it’s hard, but it is pretty tedious for me.  BK (before kid) I always was on top of it and did our laundry and put it away right away!  Yay!  Now I often find myself dumping the laundry on our guest bed and sort them into piles for Nathan, Norah and myself and leave them there until I need something from one of the stacks…

That’s my confession of the day.  I definitely try to keep up with household chores and vacuuming since Blitz (our dog) sheds like a maniac.  I would prefer to hang out with my family instead of keeping the house super clean.  It’s generally clean since we have people over all the time.  If they stay downstairs they won’t see my giant pile of laundry sitting on the bed or know it’s there.

My laundry tips are pretty simple and perhaps I should not even be giving any tips since I obviously don’t always put it all away and “doing laundry” includes sorting it, throwing it into the machine as well as well as folding it and putting it away.  That second part is the part that is difficult for me.  L

So, here is my best advice for laundry:

Presort your colors vs. whites/towels (those hampers with separators are helpful for this!).

If you have a stain on something, put a clothespin on the item prior to putting it in the basket to help you remember to treat it when you are actually doing laundry (thanks to my co-worker for this tip).  Otherwise, treat it right away.  (Even though my husband tells me he got a spot on this or that shirt, the clothespin is way more helpful when you have a million things going on in your brain as we all do!)

Yay, Look at my cute matching socks!

Safety pins are glorious things.  I have never bought a safety pin, but if you run any sort of race that requires you to wear a bib they give you at least 4 safety pins!  I have hundreds and I use them all now to pin baby socks together.  That is probably the best tip I can give you.  I keep the socks pinned together when putting them into a drawer also.  For me, I find it helpful to be able to see how big and what color/design is on the socks when choosing socks for Norah to wear.  (I’m a dork and I like her to match!)  So the safety pins work well for that (keeping them in pairs & being able to see them) vs. rolling them into small balls.  I like to pin socks together when I throw them into the hamper or shortly after that to save time when actually doing the laundry.  You can use them for adult socks too if you'd like especially if you have a ton of socks and don't like spending time pairing them.

Safety pins to save the day!

I am not a fan of ironing so I like to layout shirts or hang up shirts and clothes that wrinkle easily so I don’t have to.  :)

Now that I have written this, I need to go put my laundry away!

-run for life

'baby booking'

Norah's baby book

Many people joke that they were the second child and their baby book was never finished.  I vowed not to do that with my kids!  Then I had my own kid… I failed to even get a baby book until a month or two after she was already born.  Wow, was I behind!  I thought all my pictures and my note on my iPhone would help me out when filling it out but there are things in it that I didn’t even think about! 

I picked out a baby book online because it was the only one with turtles and that was the theme I had chosen for Norah’s room.  It was super cute and I was excited when it came!  Then I opened it and started flipping through the pages… I am definitely not up to date with current affairs or headlines and that was an entire page of the book.  Ugh!  Boy, was I in trouble.  (I think I’ll have Nathan fill out that page for me.)

For those new parents or moms/dads-to-be here are some tips for baby booking:

1) If you can, buy your baby book before your baby is born.  It’s important to know what sections there are and what milestones they have to fill in.  You can make your own if you’d like.  I might do that if I have another child and keep track of it in a photo book or something.  (I made a “Welcome Norah!” book of Norah’s first month of life already and plan on making a 1 year book of Norah’s first year also.  They make great presents for grandparents and family!)

2) I heard the joke that once you have a baby your Facebook becomes “baby book.”  Well, there you go - use social media to your advantage!  If you are posting highlights and milestones on Facebook whether it’s public or “only me” under privacy (if I posted every picture I loved of my baby I would be posting every 5 minutes), you have the dates documented of when things happened!  This is also true if you use an iPhone or other phone that records dates and times of when photos were taken, however the nice thing about actually writing a post is that you have a caption to go with the photo (I didn't do this but I kind of wish I did so I'm passing the tip on to you!).  Hooray!  Now you just need to make time to fill out the book…

Perhaps you already had your baby and didn’t get a book yet or maybe you’re pregnant and don’t have one yet or aren’t going to get one until afterward.  Here are some of the things that they ask for in mine so that you can keep track on your phone or on a piece of paper as your baby grows:

3) Fill out as much as you can before they are born/before you get your book so you can just transfer it later when you get one/when you get time:

Current gas/grocery store item prices & current events/famous people: if I were to redo (or have a second child) I would fill out the current events and keep an eye out at grocery stores for prices while I was still pregnant because once your baby is born, it’s a whole new ball game!  For me, I didn’t get enough sleep and still don’t, much less have lots of extra time to put together Norah’s baby book.  (I’m surprised I am awake to write this blog!)  Fill them out before hand if you can to save yourself the trouble of trying to Google them or fill them in later (I definitely googled a few prices of 2014 vehicles since I had no clue and the book asked for it!).

Family: you can fill out your family tree as soon as you get the book since the only new addition should be the baby in the next few weeks!  If you don't know all of your grandparents' names, that's okay! I didn't either (all of my passed before I was born :( ).  I had to ask both my mom and mother-in-law.

Showers/gifts: my awesome friends and family made me lists of which guests brought what gifts so it would be easier for me to write thank you cards.  I wrote them all!  …now getting them to everyone is another topic but I digress.  That same list can be copied into your baby book for the showers and gifts that baby received.  :)

4) Keep notes for the rest of the sections  – About mom/dad: the book I got for Norah has sections to write about myself and my husband.  Mine is filled out but his is not.  Hopefully he will remember what he was thinking before she was born/when she was born! (You could fill out the about yourself stuff prior and then your thoughts about the baby coming but need to fill out what you thought after she/he was born later.)

Norah's 6 month wellness visit

Things to keep: hospital bracelet, copy of birth certificate, birth announcement, a grocery receipt and a copy of the paper with the birth announcements – we don’t get the paper so I had to go to the Knoxville News Sentinel building and get one.  Luckily they print birth announcements at the end of the month (usually Saturday or Sunday depending on your paper) and keep copies of them till the end of the month… and lucky for me since I went in   (I was able to do a search online to find out which dates her name was in the paper before I went.)

June they reprint the May birth announcements the first week of June so I got the June 2 paper with her birth announcement in it even though they had gotten rid of all of the May papers by then.

Milestones to be aware of/write down/post on social media: slept through the night, smiled, found my hands and feet, laughed out loud, clapped my hands, rolled over, sat up alone, crawled, ate solid food, stood by myself, took my first step, waved bye-bye, danced, and spoke my first word.

Other things to write down/keep mementos of: visitors - who visited baby in the hospital and the first few weeks at home.  For doctor’s well check-ups – write down both length, weight and percentiles for both.  If you forget you can always ask your provider to print a beautiful growth chart for you at a later date since we have EMR (electronic medical records) now.  When teeth broke through gums/showed up.  Favorite toys, best friends, colors, songs, stories, etc.  Each month ‘birthday’ write down a few memories of what happened over the last month, baby’s likes, dislikes, etc. Also some books include: first time traveling, holiday celebrations, first hair cut, etc.

Norah's first trip to the zoo! First exhibit: the Red Panda

I’ve talked to friends who wished they wrote more down or kept a journal when their baby was born.  If you would like to do that, great!  If not, you don’t have to.  I figure for me, it’s better to write down more notes than I think I might need because I can always delete it/recycle the paper but that whole “mommy brain” thing people talk about is totally real so you should try to make notes to help yourself remember all of these wonderful times!  I personally have not found time to journal but it sounds like a nifty idea if you can.

The most important thing to remember is that you’re there for your baby and doing your best.  Even if you don't have the most put-together baby book or don't even make one, it's nice to take a few pictures to see how much your baby has grown!

Baby book on friends!

-run for life

flying with your baby

Whether you live across the country from your family and are flying regularly or just going on a trip now and then I hope these tips help on your trip!  I grew up in the Bay Area but live in Knoxville, TN so Norah's first flight was at 3.5 months.  Since then we have gone home 2 more times and have quite a few more flights planned before she turns 2 and has to pay full price!

1) If you are breast feeding I recommend a scarf/wrap type nursing cover that basically encircles both of you. I can post pictures if you would like of the one I made. That way your back is covered and both sides regardless of where you're sitting on the plane.  I honestly still choose the window seat because I like being able to look out the window and have the wall next to me to block one side for the "just in case" wiggles as Norah gets older.

2) Leggings.  Hands down one of the greater travel inventions.  I am so glad my neighbor told me to try leggings when flying.  They keep Norah warm, make it much easier access to the onesie for a diaper change in confined spaces and are super cute!  They come in both boy and girl colors so even if you have a boy, I would recommend having at least one pair for traveling.  You can actually make them from knee length women's or men's socks following directions on some of the Pinterest sites.

3) Wear your baby if you can (I know some people have back problems or other reasons they cannot but I personally love wearing Norah.  Not only does it keep her happy and safe but I am hands free!  I wear her all the time even at home or going to grocery stores.)  I can carry things and do things like put my backpack on or go to the bathroom (yes, I go to the bathroom while wearing my baby.  You do what you gotta do friends & when you travel alone with your baby that's one of those things you gotta do!)  There are groups like Baby Wearing International that can help you learn to wrap or try different carriers you might like if you become a member (they have a lending library for members).  For us, we like the soft sided carrier with buckles to make it quick and easy to take her off and on.

4) Check or gate check your bag (if I don't get a free checked bag I usually gate check since most of the flights I'm on are full and they do it for free, otherwise I just carry).  It is SO much easier to make tight connections across the airport when you don't have to wait for your bag to be brought to you plane side.  This goes along with #3 when you take strollers into account.  Yes, I think it's great to be able to hang a ton of bags and other things on your stroller and I may change my mind when/if we have another kid and I can't wear two plus a backpack when I go home to visit my parents, but when you live at a small airport it is much easier not to wait for the stroller or gate checked bag to be brought up.  We would have missed our flight from Chicago to San Francisco last week if we had to wait!

5) Timing is really everything.  After 3 round trip multiple connection flights across the country (from 2-3  connections per trip) with Norah, I have 100% decided it is much easier to fly with her at night when she will be sleeping most of the way.  It is different for every baby so you may have to try different times to start but for her she sleeps fantastically in her pouch (Ergo Performance currently) and it makes my life so much easier on the plane.

6) My favorite traveling toys are ones with rings or the ability to attach them onto things (taggie toys with ribbons or other loops can totally be hooked onto things).  That way when I am carrying two bags, pulling a suitcase and wearing a baby I'm not dropping her toys (or if they fall they don't fall far!).  We gave out mini carabiners at our wedding and had a ton leftover (it was cheaper per piece to buy 250 instead of just 115 for the number of guests so it ended up being the same price for twice as many... So I have lots and I use them all the time!  The carabiner itself can be used as a simple travel baby toy too.)

And lastly, don't mind the other people around you.  I do my best to entertain her, keep her quiet and not bother other passengers but sometimes she cries. She's a baby!  Babies cry!  Some people may say mean things or judge you but in the end as long as you are doing your best to care for your child, it really doesn't matter what others think.

Fly on friends! 

- run for life

make time, one step at a time

As a dietitian I am always hearing about the latest diets and trends in the food world.  People will ask me questions about them or ask for advice.  Should they take a certain supplement or eat a certain way.  Honestly, not much has changed in the food world.  Granted, I’m not a fan of genetic modification and pesticides, but overall, not much has changed.

I don’t eat perfectly, but I try to make most of what my family eats myself.  I make our dough when we have pizza night (per my husband’s request we have pizza on Fridays but I feel better that I’m making it and we can put more veggies and less greasy meats on it), bread when we want bread and ice cream and waffle cones when we want ice cream.  (I probably eat more ice cream than I should and my excuse is that I am breast feeding right now.)

Often I notice that many people go entire days or even weeks without eating an actual vegetable.  It’s so easy in the American society to eat lots of carbs or meat sandwiched between carbs.  I have people tell me they don’t like vegetables or they don’t have time for them.  I think it’s important to make time.  Whether it’s an hour per week that you get off facebook or another social media site, we have time.  We make time for what is important. 

I am a busy mom myself and food preparation helps me a ton when planning what to eat or if I don’t really plan what we are going to eat, at least I have salads cut up and put into containers and peppers and onions diced for different dishes that I can throw them into.

It takes a little practice and is tough in today’s society to eat well, but it’s definitely possible.  You don’t have to go and buy completely organic or buy all fresh (frozen veggies are awesome and frozen at the peak of ripeness so they have all the nutrients and everything still in them!).  One step at a time, work on making healthier choices for you and your family.

-run for life

work for His glory

Back to the grind stone.  That's what they say when you get back to work, especially after a vacation.  Does it always have to feel like a chore?  I suppose it depends on who you work with and what you do.  One thing I try to remember is that I am working for God.  I happen to love my colleagues and get long with them great, but it doesn't matter unless I am glorifying God with everything I do.  Everything includes my job also!  

Sometimes there are paperwork things or parts I'm not a huge fan of but I am thankful I have a job and that God has allowed me to be able to speak to so many people.  I pray that He is able to show Himself through me to everyone I come in contact with from co-workers to patients and clients.  We aren't allowed to bring up the topic of God or religion but hopefully from my work ethic and the way I do my job everyone knows who I really serve.  It definitely isn't a clock or a grind stone!

I hope that we all can remember that in the end it's about Who we serve and that we do it with joy because others are watching.  They notice when we complain or grumble about our jobs or anything for that matter.  Personally, I am not always amazingly upbeat but I pray that I am a good example of a Christian who is a work in progress-trying to love others like Jesus does instead of judging them or pointing fingers.  One day at a time.  No matter what I'm doing, I choose to praise Him.

- run for life

3 reasons to cut back on technology

I have a love-hate relationship with technology.  I love that I can FaceTime my family across the nation and keep in touch and actually see them when we are talking now!  If you have family that lives far away you understand my joy in seeing everyone’s faces.  I grew up in the Bay Area and live in Tennessee now with no move in sight so I try my best to visit and make sure my baby knows her grandparents and my side of the family.

That’s the good side about technology – that you can keep in touch through video calls, phone calls, emails and texts.  I prefer talking but sometimes emails or text messages have to do.

The bad – well let’s just say there are quite a few reasons I don’t like technology.

1)      Technology can get in the way of actual face-to-face relationships.  Now when I go to restaurants or out in public I like to look around at other diners and see who is actually engaging and talking with their companions and who is sitting on their phone.  I have seen people who have 4-5 people at one table eating “together” and everyone will be on their phone not even talking to each other!  In this way, I think technology is a barrier to relationships and we need to put the phones or tablets down and learn to talk with one another without multitasking.  I’ve read multiple studies stating that America is one of the loneliest nations and I think technology contributes.

2)      I feel like technology has aided in my mental laziness.  Remember when we were kids and had to memorize our friend’s phone numbers?  I actually still have them all memorized!  I can tell you at least a dozen phone numbers from friends in high school before I got a cell phone in college.  I don’t even know my parent’s cell phone numbers because I just push the button.  That’s sad.  I still have a good memory, but definitely not as good as I did.  Whether that’s from getting older or from not using it as much (we can google everything now if we don’t know the answer), I couldn’t tell you, but I know it’s true.

3)      People pay less attention when they drive making the roads more frightening than ever.  I never liked driving to begin with.  I think it was mostly because there was always traffic at home, but now all of the people on their phones while driving scare me.  I have Bluetooth in my car so I’ll talk on the phone while driving but I don’t text and drive.  I put the phone across the car in my bag and it syncs with the Bluetooth automatically so I never have to touch my phone to answer it when someone calls or I want to call someone.  There are thousands of car accidents every day and the stats are astounding for the amount of people who still text and drive even though research and life show that it’s super unsafe.  I do use my phone for GPS and directions when going to a new place and unfortunately that has made it so I don’t learn the directions to get places as well.  I am working on trying to figure out how to get there before I go when I am driving so that I don’t have to look down at my phone for directions and don’t get lost as often.  I made it across the nation with a paper AAA map when I first moved out to Virginia back in 2007.  People were surprised to find out I didn’t have a GPS while I road tripped across the nation and again to the Mid West ball parks in 2008 (though they really shouldn’t have been surprised since I didn’t get texting until May 2010).

I think the take home story here is to use technology to your advantage.  When you can save time with it or money like coupons or an app (like CartWheel at Target!), do it.  Use it to stay in contact with your family and friends who are far away.  However, we need to put the phone down when we are with people in person and spend time with those we love when we can because they won’t always be there.  Those little moments are what I live for – playing with the baby and seeing her delight and excitement when she discovers something for the first time (like my nose!).  Hanging out with friends and actually talking to them without distractions from phones or what not.  Use them for emergencies.  Honestly, I’m no doctor on call whom people need to access 24/7, so I can leave my phone in my bedroom all night and nobody will know I didn’t have it in my hand.  I want to be a good example to my daughter that people are more important and it’s okay to be ‘bored’ sometimes and not constantly have our minds stimulated by a little colorful screen.

Who’s with me?

-run for life

quality time

Today we did some crafts.  Wow, crafts are way more difficult with a baby!  I have done crafts all my life and I must say I have had quite a few masterpieces in my day!  (Well, I thought they were and my mom probably said they were.)  It takes more than one try to get a baby hand print or footprint for our family.  Babies love to make little fists and curl their toes, which is not optimal for prints.

However, the main thing to remember is that we had fun and made more memories.  Regardless of how a project or craft turns out, it’s more important that we hung out and had quality time.  When I say quality time, I mean face to face interaction – not sitting next to each other watching television or checking your phone.  I honestly don’t understand how that can be quality time.  Sadly, I am guilty of using my phone in the company of others but I am trying harder not to use it when playing with the baby or eating meals with family or friends.  In general, I am using my phone a lot less than I had been though I don’t know if it will be what it was before I met my husband!  I did not use to have texting capability on my phone until after we met.  (It saved minutes to shoot a text to see if they were available or if we could use a land line to talk since we had different cell phone carriers and we still do!)  Now I have a "smart" phone - which sometimes I think makes me dumber, but that'll be another post for another day.

So, this is just a short post – go spend quality time with your loved ones!  Get off your phone and look each other in the face!  Play a game!  Do some crafts!  Go for a walk!  It may seem small, but in the end it’s worth it to actually SEE each other and spend time together instead of looking at your phone or the television.

- run for life

just keep swimming

I feel like I am dragging some day since I get up at least twice a night to feed our beautiful baby.  I try not to complain and just continue to work on getting things done, one at a time.  Yesterday I hurriedly got up and put milk into bottles and put her stuff together so my husband could drop her off at the neighbor’s while I was at work since his mom who has been watching her had a doctor’s appointment.  I double checked all of her stuff and made sure she had everything, even her bottle warmer and put the car seat out on the counter next to all of her stuff.

I was so proud of myself for making a crock pot of cranberry oatmeal (cranberries were super cheap this season, I heard there was an overabundance grown this year up north and I got 2lbs for $2.99 at Costco).  I spent some time putting most of it into a container to save for future breakfasts and threw some into a bowl for breakfast this morning.  I had laid out my clothes to wear this morning even with my socks and shoes.  (If you haven’t noticed, I like to prepare things in advance.)

I grabbed all my stuff including my breakfast and hopped into the car.  On my way to the office I ate my delicious crock pot oatmeal (I can post a recipe if you like, I didn’t really follow one and threw stuff into the crock pot but I know what I put into it and approximately how much!)  Upon my arrival my heart sank a bit.  I had forgotten to grab my lunch: a delicious salad I had prepared the other day in a lovely glass Pyrex container that seals well to keep the lettuce from browning.  I was going to have to eat the dehydrated overly processed food I kept at the office for emergencies.  I was disappointed in myself for forgetting it.  It was as if all of the preparation and everything I had done didn’t matter. 

Then 11 o’clock rolled around and the door opened, a catering person arrived!  I had been told there was no lunch today and wasn’t expecting anyone to come.  Last minute someone must have filled the slot!  Jesus provided me with lunch!  Thanks Jesus!  Our Father provides even for little needs.  I had food, it just wasn’t very healthy or tasty and He provided something better for me.

But let’s get back to the heart of the matter, why was I so hard on myself?  Why are we so hard on ourselves when we don’t do everything perfectly, get everything right or doesn’t look like a picture in a magazine or Pintrest?  I think that Satan is trying to attack us and make us feel inadequate.  I actually accomplished quite a bit!  Forgetting one thing doesn’t negate everything else I did.  (Mommy brain is real by the way!  There is a lot to remember and we are constantly multitasking.)

So friends, just remember, don’t get down on yourself if you mess up (or think you messed up, lots of times others don’t even notice and it’s just us beating ourselves up!).  We just need to dust ourselves off and try again or go onto the next task, next meal, or next day.  Or as Dori sings in Finding Nemo (I love Pixar), "just keep swimming" (and it's fun to sing too!).

- run for life

perception

We all have our appointments we don’t look forward to.  Oddly enough, I love going to the dentist!  I found out that they have cookie dough flavored tooth polish and request it every time now.  J  I love the squeaky clean feeling of my teeth after I’ve gone and try to keep it that way as long as possible.  The hygienist laughed when I told her how much I loved going to the dentist and mentioned that I didn’t understand when people didn’t like to brush their teeth more often.  She said for those who don’t brush their teeth multiple times a day there is a saying “brush your teeth in the morning to keep your friends, brush your teeth before bed to keep your teeth.”  Sounds good to me, I love brushing my teeth and flossing!

Today, however, I had that appointment that I don’t look forward to.  The OB/GYN.  It actually wasn’t as bad as I was anticipating since they didn’t do a pap smear this time.  Whew.  I have that to look forward to next year!  I love getting to appointments early on the way to work to get it out of the way and not worry about traffic or stress of getting there on time after work.  (Well, let’s be real, I live in Knoxville, TN and there isn’t really any traffic unless there is an accident.  When you grew up in the Bay Area of California, other places that aren’t big cities can’t really boast about the traffic.)

This all just made me think of my attitude toward things I’m not necessarily looking forward to.  Often we need to do things that we don’t like or don’t enjoy – for me that would be putting away laundry and dishes.  I don’t mind doing the laundry (all you do is throw it into the washing machine and then move it to the dryer making sure to pull out the clothes that need to hang to dry) or the dishes.  Or coming across a person who isn’t in the holiday spirit and cross or cranky.  I try to remind myself that they may have had a bad day (or month, year or life) and try to be extra nice to those people.  At another job one of my co-workers said something that stuck with me: “when people are mean or angry, it’s good to remember we only have to deal with them for 5 minutes/an hour/a day, but they have to deal with themselves 24/7.”

It’s also good to remind myself that God loves everyone and everything.  Whether I’m doing dishes, laundry, working, playing with my baby or cooking for my family I need to do it with joy.  I don’t always have to be smiling but I should be thankful I can do them.  I talk to patients every day that have issues and pain and I am blessed to not have too many problems pain wise.  I am a work in progress and working on my attitude and how I perceive things.  I am always blessed and doing better than I deserve thanks to God and His sacrifice for my sins.  I just hope others can see that I’m trying!

-run for life

what is important

I was thinking about priorities and importance since I wrote about it yesterday.  I ask patient's what their goals are when they come to see me. I think any goal is good whether you want to run a 5k, walk to the mailbox or play with grandchildren.  My goal for all my patients is that they are able to do what they want to do and don't have to give excuses for why they can't play with their kids or grandchildren or go for a hike or walk with their friends.

I mentioned that my priorities were God first then family and then others when it came to people in my life.  I thought that was pretty vague so I wanted to be a little more thorough today.

As a Christian my first priority is to glorify God.  That means in what ever I am doing whether it's cleaning the kitchen, making dinner, working or hanging out with friends I want to do my best to be a good example of a Christian - a follower of Christ. I hope others know I love them, I try not to judge others and I try to pray for everyone regardless of how they treat me.  I think those who seem to be mean or angry on the outside are usually hurting the most on the inside.  They probably need the most prayer.

My family: husband, daughter, parents, sister, cousins, in-laws, etc. are also very important to me.  However I know many who make the mistake of neglecting themselves and say they are taking care of everyone else and don't have time to take care of themselves.  I believe it is important to also take care of yourself too. Now I'm not saying leave your children alone to go exercise or do quiet time when your baby needs you, but I am saying its important to do those things.  I often remind patients that I understand they want to take care of others but they also have to take care of themselves so they will be able to care for others more effectively and for a longer duration.

Everyone is different. I personally fit those things in usually by multitasking.  Exercise usually consists of baby lifts (Norah loves being lifted in the air so I do sets of baby reps), walking or jogging with my BOB stroller my sister got us when Norah was born, jogging in place while cooking or walking around the house while wearing Norah in her Ergo pouch.  My workouts aren't are intense as they used to be, but I am still getting my 30+ minutes of exercise a day and aiming for at least 10,000 steps/day.  (As a bonus our dog Blitz appreciates going for walks with us too!)

Of course others are also a priority and I do my best to cook healthy food when we have guests, invite friends for walks and be open with others so they feel welcomed and hopefully loved.  I may not always say Jesus loves you every time but I am sure those who know me know Jesus is the most important person in my life and I need grace just as much as the next person.

Well, I'm sure I could say more but the baby is sleeping and it's time to get some cleaning done (and more steps!).

- run for life

Priorities

I have all these fabulous ideas and this blog was one of them.  Of course when you tack on being a mom, a wife and working full time while helping at church and all that... Other things go by the wayside... Like this blog.

How do people get everything done?  It comes down to importance.  If it's important to you it will get done.  I'm standing in my kitchen right now wearing my baby as I type this on my phone.  My priorities are God, family and then others so I'll do my best to update a few times a week and I hope that will be enough to encourage you from day to day.  Know that sometimes even those moms who look like they have it all together don't (don't worry I definitely don't look like I do).  No one is perfect.  That's the beauty of life.  We have grace and God to guide us.

It's getting cold outside so I am getting steps downstairs in the kitchen while typing this and wearing my sleeping baby.  (She likes to be held and sometimes I need to be hands free so my ergo has been a huge blessing.). I can't do all of the workouts I would like to do when wearing a baby but I can still get 10,000 steps a day!  I'd love to be using my TRX and running to prepare for my next marathon but it's worth it to me to be able to keep my baby close while I still can.  Soon she will be walking and won't need to be close to fall asleep.  It's all about those priorities and what is important to us.  

What's most important to you?

new direction

So, it appears that life has completely taken over and I haven't been able to write/haven't made time to write since 2012.  It's almost 2015!  If I make a real effort to write I can do it.

Let's catch you all up over the past 2 years of my life.  I had some amazing adventures last year in 2013.  Nathan and I traveled to Alaska in July.  It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to!  We did it all - explored Matanuska Glacier (with no cramp-ons, I highly recommend those!), flew over Denali and took a tour bus into the park, went deep sea fishing on a little charter boat (take motion sickness medicine if it's storming because the boat will rock - it was rough - literally), etc.  I found out I was pregnant at the end of August and in September we went to Glacier National Park in Montana and did my 48th state marathon just outside the park.  The following weekend I went to Nebraska and did my 49th state (it was getting more difficult to breathe even in the beginning for the Montana and Nebraska marathons).

In January of this year I finished my 50 states on Maui (about 5.5-6 months pregnant).  Nathan was right there by my side when we crossed the finish line - my slowest marathon ever but I didn't care.  I finished under the time limit and waddled my way there at almost 30 pounds over my normal weight.  Some people say if you have been running before pregnancy you will still be able to run... that was definitely not my case.  I could walk and that was about it.  I walked 4-5 miles a day since I couldn't run up until I found out I had gestational hypertension at 37.5 weeks and they told me to be on modified bed rest.

In May and we were celebrating the birth of our first child.  I can't even describe how amazing being a mother is.  I have never known any love like the love I have for my baby.  It just gives me a little glimpse into how our Heavenly Father feels about us - His children.

Fast forward to today - basically I wanted to write this post to let you know that I am going to try to make a better effort to write and I hope this blog helps to inspire other women, mothers and people to work on being healthier one step at a time.  You don't have to run or walk or even take actual steps with your feet.  The most important thing is to try to take steps to improve your health one step at a time, one day at a time.  Incremental changes add up over time.

So cheers friends (you can clink your water bottle with me - insert clinking sound here), here's to a new direction!

goodness me!

Okay, okay.  Apologies again.  It's been another 2 months since I've written and I'm SO behind.  A lot has happened folks!  Basically July-August was a rough time for my family with the robbery, my aunt's passing among other things.  My husband and I bought our first house on the 22nd of August and began a frantic painting and fixing of things so that it would be more 'homey' and contemporary since that's our style.  It's getting there, I'm waiting on my cabinets.  I can't wait to get them in and done.  That will be fantastic!  That painting and fixing and cleaning and everything with the house kept me busy, busy until the second week of September when I was wisked off to Rochester, Minnesota (who knew there was a Rochester Minnesota?  I have only heard of the one in NY though that doesn't say much since I had never even heard of Knoxville and now I live here).  I was there for a full week for Tobacco Treatment Specialist training at the Mayo Clinic which was pretty awesome!  I was in charge of choosing restaurants and I have to agree with my colleagues... I did a good job!  haha.  :) 

Friday after we took our test I flew out to Chicago and again (this is where the story actually starts I guess) was getting ready to run a double - in Wisconsin and Illinois this time.  My flight was delayed a couple hours and I didn't get to Chicago until 5 and then I had to rent a car and head out to Wisconsin... far far away.  As I was driving the check engine light came on and I called the rental car people... they said keep driving and they couldn't help me.  So I'm over an hour away from any major city with any other rental cars in the dark by myself.  Fun times.  I got to the Richardson's house and we all hung out for a little while eating ice cream and then I stayed up and talked with Kelly for awhile before finally falling asleep around 2AM.  I got up early to head to the start of the race since it said it was about an hour away and I hadn't picked up my packet yet I wanted to get there early... and I did.  I was 2 hours early and took a nap in the car before the race started... of course I was in the bathroom going potty as the gun was going off so I popped out and was the very last soul across the startinging line.

I started at the very back and was talking with a guy who was injured but just out with a friend from a Chicago suburb.  We ran together for the first 5 miles before he said 'good luck' and went on his way.  He was very nice and I was sad to see him go especially since there were few people running this trail marathon.  Oh, speaking of trail marathons... remember to bring a water bottle.  Brilliant me did not and there were probably 6 water stops total... by the time I got to mile 11 I thought I was seeing an oasis when I saw a blue tent appear in the distance, but by golly it turned out to be a water stop - just what I needed!  "Praise the Lord!" I cried as I reached the stop and chugged 3-4 small dixie cups of water before asking around for a water bottle.  God provided by having a firefighter on the course who just happened to have a 16oz cheap plastic bottle of water that was unopened and I thankfully took that with me for the remainder of the course. 

A couple of ladies and I hung out while we passed a few miles and we saw some horses on the trails we were on, which indeed were horse trails, so we took a picture with the horses of course of course!  I was trying to figure out where we were on our 26.2 mile journey but I was only guessing since there were 0 mile markers and I had not looked up to see how far apart the water stations were.  Super preparation I know!  I just sign up for these things and put the start time and location in my phone so I can find it on GPS... Maybe I should start training and mentally prepare for the course or something like the old days??  Yeah, yeah I know, especially if I'm doing them back to back that might be useful.

I started using my running buddy app or whatever it's called that tracks your distance and time so I could have a better idea of how far I had to go between stops so I could ration my water from my small small 16oz bottle.  I've always thought those bottles were tiny, but when you have 5 or more miles to run in powdery dirt that some how finds it's way to your throat... it seems like it's made for one of the Little family or is just a sip.

I hit mile 17 when my countdown begins and started to feel better... still dehydrated of course due to my earlier brilliance that I mentioned, but I knew I was going to get there and finish.  I talked to a guy who had picked up a feather for his daughter and was carrying it to the finish.  I had yet to see one and when I did at mile 22 or so, I was excited.  I saw some of the relay runners... and wish I had friends who wanted to do a relay... haha.  No, I really just wish I always could find someone to run with since it's way more fun to run with others.  It's nice when Nathan can come too, I wish it wasn't so expensive!

I cheered people along to the finish as I rolled to the line.  I grabbed a bunch of food... my eyes are always bigger than my stomach when I run.  I just can't eat a huge amount right when I'm finished.  Got my shirt and my arm warmers (thanks North Face Endurance Challenge in Eagle, Wisconsin) which I was excited to find that they were black since I already have a pair of white ones I got off my wedding registry (yes, of course I registered online at my favoritest store ever - REI).

I headed out to St. Charles to pick up my packet... but I was just over 2 hours away and I drive slow... and had to be there in 2 hours so luckily the other Jill was able to pick up my stuff since they didn't have packet pick up the morning of the run.  I headed straight down to their house in Wheaton and bought gas along the way.  I learned that my gas tank was on the right side (passenger side) after I had already parked at the pump.  Thankfully I looked busted and a nice man on a motorcycle who was in line next to me waved off some people who were trying to take my spot since I had to pull out and then turn around (there were long lines for some reason at this particular station... maybe because gas was way cheaper in Wisconsin than Illinois).  I have decided that Asian vehicles have the gas tank on the driver's side (my other cars - Jon Sampson and Lazarus were Acuras and they did, Gallileo who is a Toyota does, Hondas do... etc.) and the American cars like Chevys, Fords (like Nathan's Mustang Cobra), etc have them on the passenger side.  I learned that the hard way.  Oh and my rental car was a Chevrolet Impala which I would never normally drive.  I like small cars - Asian cars.

I wasn't as worried about jumping pictuers since I already have them in Wisconsin and Illinois but I did take a bunch of good pictures while running.  When I got there I took a shower and had dinner with the family.  It was really nice to see everyone again!  I'm glad it was on a weekend so Patrick was there too.  We played 'Sorry' after dinner before bedtime and I was off again...  Got a good parking spot since I was early and went to the bathroom before the run started... (hold that thought in the back of your mind for more on that later - pleasant yes??  You're welcome).

I wasn't feeling too hot since I was already dehydrated from the day before so I decided to power walk.  I saw a lady who was walking faster than some of the people were running/jogging and decided that I would do that.  She was from Chicago.  We walked and talked for awhile until I got a phone call... of course I was only walking a marathon so I took it and we chatted/caught up for about 2.5 miles and when I hit mile 13.1... I kept walking... haha.  Did you think I was going to run?  Please.  I decided I would walk until I hit mile 16 and had 10 to go... but they had already picked up some of the mile markers so I ended up starting to speed up at mile 17 and was able to sub my first walking half (which was a 3:05) and finish in 5:57.  Not fast, but not bad for a double, not training and being dehydrated I thought.  And the most important thing - I finished another state.  Wisconsin was state 32 and Illinois was state 33.  Getting closer.

I was kind of messed up at the end and hobbling around so a lady took me to the medical tent and they tried to work on my legs a bit.  Still sore.  Good job lack of fluids.  Another nice lady kindly offered to drive me to my rental car so I could make it to the airport on time since it was about an hour away depending on traffic.  I thanked her as I hobbled out and changed into cleaner clothes and went to the airport - bought more gas along the way to fill the tank and dropped off the car.

Now back to that thought I told you to hold on to before the race started.  Remember?  No?  Well I went potty before the run.  Okay, that's great you say.  Well yeah, that wasa before 7AM Central.  It's now after 3PM and I still haven't gone to the bathroom.  By now I've got to go so I waddled over to the rental car spot and went potty there.  That's the longest I've been awake and haven't peed!  I mean I can sleep like a rock and not go potty for hours but I literally drank 2-3 cups of water or Gatorade at each water stop during the Fox Valley Marathon which thankfully had stops at least every 2 miles if not a few more and STILL didn't go potty for over 8 hours!  And that's after I drank 2 bottles of water when I finished and was driving to the airport.  Man, talk about dehydration.  No fun.

I silently apologized to all around me on the plane for not having time to take a shower but I got back to Knoxville safely!  Thanks Jesus!

- run for life.