9.28.2012

Friday Things - Reunion Edition

Just doing a quick Friday check in while on my little vacay.  So far, so good!  I got myself a real (ie, Vienna Beef) hot dog for dinner last night and I'm spending some quality time with my mom today.  We got done with our pedicures this morning and are relaxing at home in our sweats with celebrity mags and coffee.  Ahhh.

And, not only is it my 20 year high school reunion tomorrow, today is my 10th wedding anniversary.



So, I suppose we're goin' radical with a 10 year gift of a girls weekend trip.  Oh well, we're all messed up anyway because he gave me diamonds (modern 10 year gift) at our eight year anniversary  and I can't fathom what I'd get that's tin or aluminum, which is the traditional 10 year gift...

Moving on, in honor of my high school reunion, I thought I'd add a good early 90s tune to the playlist.  Yes, Chains of Love is a great song and the most memorable Erasure tune, but I have a soft spot for Chorus.  Enjoy, and happy weekend!





Cinema by Benny Benassi (9/21/12)
Take a Walk - Passion Pit (9/14/12)
Starry Eyed Surprise - Paul Oakenfold (9/7/12)
Space Invaders - Mark Norman (8/31/12)
Beautiful People - Chris Brown feat. Benny Benassi (8/23/12)
Ass Back Home - Gym Class Heroes (8/23/12)
The Veldt - Cover Pop tribute to Deadmau5 & Chris James (8/23/12)
Without You - David Guetta feat. Usher (8/23/12)
Good Time - Owl City feat. Carly Rae Jepsen (8/17/12)
Addiction - Medina (8/3/12)
We Run the Night - Havana Brown feat. Pitbull (7/27/12)
The Night Out - Martin Solveig (7/20/12)
Tell 'Em - Sleigh Bells (7/13/12)
Sun is Up - Two Times (7/06/12)
Steam Machine - Daft Punk (6/29/12)
Arguru - Deadmau5 (6/22/12)
Now or Never - Outasight (6/15/12)
Major Tom - Shiny Toy Guns Remix (6/08/12)
Young Blood - The Naked and Famous remixed by Tiesto (5/18/12)
Call me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen (4/6/12) 

9.26.2012

One Word Wednesday - Reunion




20 years - TWENTY since this photo was taken with my besties, my co-maids of honor at our wedding, and my dearest friends.  Can't wait to see 'em this weekend!  Man, I wish I still had those suhweeeet purple Oakleys...


9.25.2012

Mama Needs a Vacation

(alternate title: 'Wherein I get Whiny About How Much Kids Can Suck' please disregard if you'd rather not commiserate while I disregard social media etiquette and vent some frustration.)

It's a rather happy coincidence that I'm getting a vacation from my kids soon, because, man... They are wonderful, sweet, funny, awesome little people that I love with the fire of a thousand suns. BUT, there are times (daily, and sometimes alllll day) that I want to smack them upside the head and run screaming for the hills.  Yesterday, my two year old threw a fit because she decided she wanted to brush her teeth again as we were leaving the house. The HELL? So she throws a full on fit about it and I have to wrangle her into her seat so big brother doesn't miss the bus.

Kind of like 'The Rod' but with more action.
She has random outbursts over God only knows what at least twice a day.  Uh oh, someone breathed on her wrong!  And the five year old is just one big ball of "no!" and "I don't WANT to ___."  You can fill in the blank with pretty much anything: brush my teeth, wash my hands, take a time out, stop grabbing toys from my sister, hand you the remote, DO ANY SIMPLE THING YOU ASK ME TO OMG. Hooo boy! Can you tell I'm feeling a bit at the end of my rope??  I know it doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but doling out consequences (that don't ever seem to sink in) every hour of the day makes me a bit stressed and crazy.

I know that the defiant behavior is a way for kids to assert their independence and that they all do it to some degree.  Er, don't they??  And I'm sure it's due, in large part, to the adjustment to elementary school.  It's a huge adjustment for ME.  The whole Kindergarten thing is a lot more exhausting than I thought it would be.  Sure, it's nice to be back in a school routine and to have some time apart for a few hours a day; he's only in half day K.  But, man, the morning routine is way more stressful than ever.  Not only is it earlier than preschool, but there's the waiting at the busy street for the bus, the need to REALLY be there on time, and the homework!  Not only does he have his fair share for a Kindergartner (and, let's be honest, it's homework for BOTH of us), but I feel like I could build a bonfire with the amount of paperwork that comes home for me on a daily basis.  Fundraising, PTA, conference scheduling, school pictures, forms, forms, forms.   GAH.

To top everything off, I decided to do a co-op preschool with my daughter.  I had a great experience with her in a Toddler Group program, so I thought it'd be fun to give the co-op thing another go.  Aaaaaand, wouldn't ya know, she's just as much of a pain as her brother was on my working day.  Sure, she doesn't throw tantrums as badly and is fine with transitions, but she sure is a stage five clinger which is sort of new territory for me - big brother: not so clingy.  And when I have to do work in the classroom and can't be at her beck and call, she clings to my leg and screams bloody murder to pick her up.  She doesn't sit for snack, doesn't get in line to go outside, etc.  I know that it's only been two weeks and that it's a phase, because everything with kids is totally a phase and she was FINE with detaching herself in toddler group; but while we're adjusting to life with a defiant little Kindergartner, it kinda SUCKS. 

My day goes something like this: rush around all morning while two people under four feet tall fight with me at every turn, rush to co-op after the bus stop to have the two year old cling and screech at me for about two hours, rush home to pick up the five year old from the bus so that he can find something to fight with me about (I'm thirsty mommy, did you bring my water bottle? To the bus stop? Noooo, we can walk 25 feet to the house to get it.  Cue FREAKOUT), after the lunch chaos I attempt to get the girl child to nap (FAIL!) and the boy child to spend time in his room (riiiight), try to sit down and decompress with some coffee for about 20 minutes before the doorbell rings and the neighbor kids start gallivanting around our houses and wake up the girl child (if she wasn't awake already).  Oh and add about two or three fights with the five year old about what he can and can't do with the neighbor kids (no you can't ride your bike down the hill like the seven year old) - lather, rinse, repeat.  Yes, we have some fun and copacetic moments in there around lunchtime when we go out in the backyard to play or color/do homework at the kitchen table.  And, of course, all is well when Daddy is home - because when he uses the techniques from the parenting books, they just work like an effing CHARM.

ANYHOO!  That felt good to get some of this stuff off my chest.  If you're still with me here, I'm presuming you have kids - dealing with the same?  Had wee ones that acted the same and are now PERFECT ANGELS??






9.24.2012

This Week's Eats

Aieeeeee - a short week of meals, 'cause I'm outta here on Thursday for my little Chicago trip

  • Monday - no pizza!  We pushed back taco bowls for tonight/Monday night football viewing and went out for Cheesecake Factory over the weekend - my craving for the Tuna Tataki salad could no longer be ignored.  And pizza will be a nice easy meal for my husband to make with the kids while I'm away.
  • Tuesday - angel hair with pomodoro sauce
  • Wednesday - artichoke chicken (recipe on this post)
  • Thursday - chicken paprikash: my husband is a fan of this one and I got really sick of it a few years ago, so we never make it anymore.  He's taking advantage of my absence to whip it up and I thought I'd share the recipe here, as it's a good chicken recipe from Cooking Light if you're looking for something new and different to try.

I know I'll be eating lots of Italian food this weekend, as my friends and I are doing dinner at one of the Francesca's restaurants on Friday and our reunion on Saturday is at one of the Rosebud restaurants downtown.  Hopefully there'll be some Portillos and Chicago pizza to round out the week for me, I might try and get the gang to hit Xoco on Saturday for lunch if we have time.  Excuse me while I go wipe the drool off of my computer...

9.21.2012

Friday Things

I started reading blogs back when a few friends had accounts on Diaryland - anyone remember that site?  Then a few years later, we had a temp in the office who was really cool and shared her blog addy with us.  It was HILARIOUS and I was hooked.  Apparently, lots of people agreed with the hilarity, and Bitter became the New Black.  (BTW, if you ever read the book - I worked for the company that was in the Sears Tower where she freaked out over all of our emergency supplies while we were on a retreat. Hah.)  As a veteran blog-reader, I've kept up with the face of mommy blogging, Dooce, on and off over the years.  I loved following along with her journey to 26.2, with Christy Turlington and Every Mother Counts.  I'm BEYOND excited to (virtually) cheer for Sally in the ING New York City Marathon and that Oiselle has partnered with this very worthwhile cause.  I just love that it all started from an invitation to go for a run, and on Twitter.  You never know.  Take chances. 



emcs.jpg
When these, and other goodies, are for sale on the website - I'll pester y'all and let you know.  40% goes to EMC



Speaking of bloggers, one of my absolute favorites is Sundry.  She shared this on her site the other day, love:





Friday addition to the playlist: this has been on my David Guetta Pandora station for awhile, and I dig it; thought you might, too.  Happy weekend!



Cinema by Benny Benassi


Friday Playlist

Take a Walk - Passion Pit (9/14/12)
Starry Eyed Surprise - Paul Oakenfold (9/7/12)
Space Invaders - Mark Norman (8/31/12)
Beautiful People - Chris Brown feat. Benny Benassi (8/23/12)
Ass Back Home - Gym Class Heroes (8/23/12)
The Veldt - Cover Pop tribute to Deadmau5 & Chris James (8/23/12)
Without You - David Guetta feat. Usher (8/23/12)
Good Time - Owl City feat. Carly Rae Jepsen (8/17/12)
Addiction - Medina (8/3/12)
We Run the Night - Havana Brown feat. Pitbull (7/27/12)
The Night Out - Martin Solveig (7/20/12)
Tell 'Em - Sleigh Bells (7/13/12)
Sun is Up - Two Times (7/06/12)
Steam Machine - Daft Punk (6/29/12)
Arguru - Deadmau5 (6/22/12)
Now or Never - Outasight (6/15/12)
Major Tom - Shiny Toy Guns Remix (6/08/12)
Young Blood - The Naked and Famous remixed by Tiesto (5/18/12)
Call me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen (4/6/12) 

9.20.2012

Ten Running Questions

OK, I'm a sucker for Q&A stuff and, not that Sarah and Dimity said to jump; but if they did, I'd say, "how high?"  Here's Sarah's original post with her ten and here's Dimity's.  Aaaaand, here's mine:

1. Best Run Ever: errrr...  This is almost like a trick question because, to me, the races are never 'the best!' while I'm running them.  It's the training runs that are fun/therapeutic/etc.  Which is good, because that's where we spend the most time running, right?  I love a long slow run along the Sammamish River Trail on a crisp fall morning and when everything clicks and I feel like I could keep running, even when I'm done with double digit miles. 

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source



2. Three words that describe my running: habitual, therapeutic, strong

3. Go to running outfit: duh, Oiselle!  My favorite bottoms are the Bum Wrap or the Long Rogas and if it's warm, my stripey simplicity tank or one of their fabulous tees (long or short sleeve) if it gets chilly.

4. Quirky habit when running: I've thought and thought about this, and I can't really think of anything REALLY quirky - which is weird, because I have some quirky habits in general...  I suppose I get OCD about music - I keep away from my favorite playlists until I really need them for a hard workout like a tempo or progression run, so that I don't get sick of them.  Most of the time I turn on Pandora or Another Mother Runner Podcast to pass the time with an easy/long run.

5. Morning/Midday/Evening: MORNING, it's the only time my schedule allows for me to get to the gym with the kids, etc.  But, thank goodness for that because I get too tired after lunchtime and can't imagine mustering the energy to work out late in the day, or how to eat/fuel for late day running.

6. I won't run outside when: it's snowy/icy - thankfully that doesn't happen too often in Seattle.  The rain doesn't deter me; I sweat pretty profusely, so after awhile, I'm drenched either way. 

7. Worst injury, and how I got over it: Funny you should ask, I think I'm dealing with my worst 'injury' right now.  My left glute, hamstring area started hurting just over two weeks ago - not really sure why.  So, I starting going to PT and I'm doing some deceptively simple exercises for my lumbar/sciatic area and it's starting to feel better after just a week.  I also got the OK to run as long as it doesn't hurt; so, lots of slow going for right now.  But, it's better than being sidelined!

8. I felt most like a badass mother runner when: hmm, toss up between the day I was accepted as an ambassador for Oiselle and my second half marathon: where I shaved over 10 minutes of my first half with about four months of training.  I felt really good about that race.

9. Next race is: The Snohomish River Run Half Marathon on 10/27 (and I'm still gunning for a sub 2hr PR, despite my injury...)

10. Potential running goal for 2013: well, I DID sign up for my first 26.2 - hopefully I'll stay injury free and not have to switch down to 13.1 for Eugene.  But I also RILLY, RILLY wanna do a relay and run Ragnar or Hood to Coast.

So there's my running life in a nutshell.  What does your running life look like?  Please feel free to play along and leave a link in the comments!

9.19.2012

One Word Wednesday - Archaic

 
Our favorite museum piece when visiting the library


9.18.2012

On School Days & Bullying

It's been almost two weeks since big brother stepped into the world of public education and all seems to be going well.  He's still excited to go every day, has fun stories when he gets home and is enjoying this concept of 'homework.' HA!  I chatted with his teacher the other day and it sounds as if he's as empathetic, entertaining, energetic and outspoken as ever - needing to learn that shouting 'excuse me!' at top volume does not give you a free pass to interrupt.  He's coming home with some great gems about 'respecting others' (slowly learning not to interrupt) and 'zip it, lock it, put it in your pocket' on being quiet.  Subjects I've tried to impress upon him for years and, apparently, it takes the almighty Kindergarten teacher to have those concepts become gospel. 

The one thing that I try my hardest to drill into his psyche is to be KIND.  Being nice to others will get you far, in my opinion.  He's had his ups and downs, being a very SPIRITED and sensitive kid (lots of hitting at three when he didn't get his way, defiance around age four, and that doesn't seem to be losing steam at five).  But, even at just over a year old, I remember him trying to hug and cheer up another toddler who was crying at the park.  Or, at four, introducing himself to the shy new kid at the Y and inviting him to play; my favorite teacher giving me one of the best compliments a mother could receive, "he's got such a big heart." 

In a way, my desire to impress kindness upon him stems from my own need for other's acceptance (which I think he's inherited) and my fears for him and baby girl as they start their school journey.  You just hope that if you are kind unto others, they will be kind unto you (and LIKE you).  I had a very hard time in the Junior High years, as everyone did, I'm sure.  Although, I experienced what a lot of people nowadays would categorize as bullying: being 'de-pants-ed' in the middle of a hallway or even in a soccer game, being called names repeatedly and to the point of distraction in class (specifically 'suey' because, apparently, I have a pig nose), had food thrown at me on the bus, etc.  All the while, I just wanted to fit in and be liked.  Whoo, that's not fun to type and think about...   And I let those people get a rise out of me, would leave school crying most days.  It breaks my heart to think about that girl and my poor mother picking me up from school.  And it KILLS me to even think about anything remotely like that happening to my kids.  Based on my life philosophy, though, everything happens for a reason.  Maybe I'm meant to pass these stories on to my kids because, God forbid, one of them might try to be the bully one day. 

Today one of the girls at the bus stop told me that my son was yelling at some kids on the bus yesterday.  When I asked him about it, he told me that there were older kids that were shouting at him "don't sit there!  I don't like you!" and being mean, so he yelled at them to "Stop that!  I don't like that!"  And the girl's mother confirmed there's a bit of a bully on the bus who's been mean to her child, too.  My first reaction was, seriously?  It's starting already??  And my second reaction was, GOOD FOR YOU.  I wish with all my heart that I'd been able to stand up for myself in my tween years, let alone at five.  When he got off the bus today, I asked how it went in the morning (when he rides with the big kids) and he said fine, because he decided to sit far away from those kids.  I told him that that was a great idea and that he made a smart decision. 

Yes, we all wish we could put them in a bubble until they're out of Junior High, at a minimum - thankfully, all that stuff dissipated for me by the time high school rolled around.  And yet, what a learning opportunity those mean kids have given my five year old.  That which does not kill us...  Of course, if it keeps up for any length of time, I might just have to go all 'Helicopter Parent' and report that shit to the school.  Just keepin' it real here. 

For more info: www.stopbullying.gov

9.17.2012

This Week's Eats

So if you follow me on Twitter, you can probably guess how we decided to spend our dinner out for our ten year anniversary. 


We were just craving margaritas and stuff yer face tex-mex food.  BTW, that's a cinnamon sugar rim on my tamarind margarita - drooooooool.  We're huge fans of vacationing in Mexico; we went to Cancun for our engagement, to Cabo on our honeymoon and babymoon.  (Pro tip: eat at Edith's if you go to Cabo. Best meal of my life is the tableside ceasar salad and filet mignon.)  So it kinda made sense for us to chillax and celebrate 10 years this way.  Afterward, we drove over to the new Total Wine store in Bellevue and bought a bunch of alcohol! 



 We'd been wanting to go back there without the kids (don't touch that! get back here! gaaaah!) and just peruse the aisles.  We ended up with a ton of great stuff that's been hard for us to find in Washington over the last eight years: a good selection of Chateauneuf du Pape, Rutherford Hill Cabernet, Hacienda Cabernet (TASTY red for $5!), Sam Adams Cherry Wheat and an old favorite of mine:




We also discovered that our case of Bordeaux, that we bought at about $25 a bottle before leaving Chicago, is now selling for over $100 per bottle.  Soooo, we might just break one of those bad boys open with a nice steak dinner at home in a few weeks to keep the anniversary celebration going...


9.14.2012

Friday Things

Ahhh!  The cat is out of the bag on what we were up to at Oiselle HQ last week and it couldn't be cuter.  I can't stop laughing at the super awesome dance moves - well played ladies.



Song I'm loving lately: 'Take a Walk' by Passion Pit


I got the album Manners last year and love it, so I think I'm gonna have to get this latest one.

Well, I've gotta run: I'm off to take my oldest to his first soccer practice with the local Youth Soccer Association.  Does this mean I'm officially a soccer mom?  Even if I don't drive a minivan?  Wait, don't answer that....

Updated Friday Playlist

Starry Eyed Surprise - Paul Oakenfold (9/7/12)
Space Invaders - Mark Norman (8/31/12)
Beautiful People - Chris Brown feat. Benny Benassi (8/23/12)
Ass Back Home - Gym Class Heroes (8/23/12)
The Veldt - Cover Pop tribute to Deadmau5 & Chris James (8/23/12)
Without You - David Guetta feat. Usher (8/23/12)
Good Time - Owl City feat. Carly Rae Jepsen (8/17/12)
Addiction - Medina (8/3/12)
We Run the Night - Havana Brown feat. Pitbull (7/27/12)
The Night Out - Martin Solveig (7/20/12)
Tell 'Em - Sleigh Bells (7/13/12)
Sun is Up - Two Times (7/06/12)
Steam Machine - Daft Punk (6/29/12)
Arguru - Deadmau5 (6/22/12)
Now or Never - Outasight (6/15/12)
Major Tom - Shiny Toy Guns Remix (6/08/12)
Young Blood - The Naked and Famous remixed by Tiesto (5/18/12)
Call me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen (4/6/12) 

9.13.2012

Labor Day 4 Miler Race Recap

I think this is the longest I've taken to recap a race, but it's kind of nice because now I have extra pictures like these!



That'd be my buddy Mandy; we met through the Y and bootcamp class and ran this race together last year, so it's become a tradition of sorts.  The week before she asked me what I thought my pace might be; since I've been focused on half marathon training for my goal race, I hadn't really thought about it.  Errrr, well I averaged an 8:16 in my last 5K so maybe around an 8:30 average pace?  Four miles is a weird race distance: pace it like a 5K and try not to puke in that last extra mile? I suppose it isn't that weird of a distance, since this was my second one this year (first one being the Iron Heart run). I dunno! Whatevs! Beer! Teammates! Friends!

It was great to see some familiar faces and meet some new ones at this very popular race. Side note, I met Nuun CEO Mason (half in the pic on the far left) and I'm wondering just what he's pointing at here...? "My bet's on her!" Hah.



Bloggy peeps: Dawn, Megan, Lauren, Me, Rebecca

Megan, Me, Bird in Training (Mason's daughter)


I'm glad I was relaxed and really just focused on socializing and beer.  And, lo, it was my fastest race to date.  What the whut?  Yeah, that last 5K was a PR with an 8:16 pace - I ended up with an average pace of 8:09 with an extra mile tacked on: official time 32:09.  Now of COURSE I want to run another 5K to get a 24:xx.

I went out pretty fast: a mile that started with a number 7 is a bit crazaay for me, so I tried to back off it a bit.  But I just have a hard time in a race not going full throttle; I just have to wait for my body to tire out and slow down naturally.  As evidenced by the fact that I very rarely have a negative split in a race.  Speaking of splits:




The first two miles flew by and there was a nice out and back where I got lots of cheers from fellow friends on the course and a side five from Mandy.  Love mid-race out and backs; ones at the end, not as much.  The course was nice and flat as well.  The third mile was starting to wear on me (obviously my slowest) and by the last mile, I knew I was putting it all out there because, yep, I felt the need to vomit.  I managed not to, and had a strong finish with a mile that was probably faster than the first (taking into account that I need to add 7 seconds on to my GPS time vs. chip time, that last one is still faster than the others).  I'm really proud of that mile.

The goodies this year were above and beyond.  (I almost felt a little guilty that I wasn't a half marathon runner at this event.  But it seems like all my half mary peeps had plenty of goodies at the end as well.)  After grabbing my requisite banana and water (and Nuun, of course) there were samples galore: Power Bar energy bites, Think Thin bars, Orchard bars, and Naked juice/smoothies.  PLUS, they were giving away free tee shirts from Naked with your choice of three iron on symbols.  This is my new sleep tee, soft and cozy.  WIN. 

'Love' 'Family' 'Explore' (they were already out of 'Runner' symbols, obvs)


After gathering up all my loot and checking the results, I hung out with teammate Arielle for a bit to watch the half marathon finishers.  She was there to cheer on her husband who ran the 4 miler in 24.44!  She wasn't up for racing as she'd just finished IRONMAN Canada the weekend prior.  Talking to her is rather awe inspiring.  We watched Megan rocked her 13.1 with a PR and she joined us to have a few cold ones in the Mac and Jacks beer garden and then we all resumed our socializing with some other Nuun-ies (oh, yeah, Arielle also works for Nuun) at Redhook.  I was glad to keep Redhook as part of the tradition for this race; the course and Marymoor worked fine as a fix while the trail is closed, but there's just something more festive about being at Redhook for a race.  I look forward to doing it there again next year!  Big thumbs up all around for Super Jock n' Jill for putting on a great race.

9.12.2012

One Word Wednesday - Preschool


9.11.2012

On September 11, 2001

I was getting ready for work, watching the Today show.  The clips of Matt and Katie that have been replayed ad nauseam since that day were happening in real time.  I just started freaking out and yelling 'Oh My God' at the TV all by myself in my little one bedroom apartment on Halsted.  I called my husband (then boyfriend) and jarred him and his roommates from bed.  At that point, everyone thought it was an accident, so pried myself away from the TV and  headed to work.

On the EL, it was all people were talking about and as we chugged towards the Loop.  The smattering of people with cell phones (yes, not everyone had a cell back then) were getting more and more grim information: it wasn't an accident, there's a second plane, they were commercial jets, something happened at the Pentagon.  When I overheard that last bit, I thought people were starting crazy rumors.  How I wish that was the case.  I got to work just in time to be turned around and sent back home.  Being right next to the tallest building in the US and in one of the largest cities in the world, we were all frightened.  Back home, I just sat and cleaned my apartment all day - crying and watching tv.  My hands are shaking right now, thinking about that time. 

So many things have changed since that day and so many lives, really ALL of our lives, have been shaped by what happened.  By no means am I saying that there was a reason for any of it to happen; and I really have no forgiveness in my heart for the people that committed those crimes. But, to make sense of the horrific and bad in my life, I have to believe that this is the life I was meant to live.  This is the road I'm supposed to go down.

Pretty soon after, my boyfriend of barely eight months proposed.  Many people came out of that time with a feeling of carpe diem, and that's not a bad thing, right?  The day after I got engaged, in late October, I was laid off from the job I loved, at the company I loved with a great salary.  After a few months of unemployment, I ended up working at company that I really rather hated.  Which led to an easy separation when we had the opportunity to move to Seattle.  And what an opportunity it has been.  So many little things I'm thankful for that spiraled from those horrible events that put us where we are now.  

It's been 11 years, but I can so easily transport myself back to that time and those feelings.  The memories are so fresh, not only because of the horror, but because it was during some of the best times of my life.  We were all in our late 20s: friends were getting married, we still went OUT all the time, it was the last gasp of the dot com days (we even had a friend with a boat named Dot Yacht) and we were all DINKS with money to spend and time on our hands.  It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times.  For better or worse, I'll never forget.

smjonstewart0911.jpg
I'll also never forget watching this show and it's worth revisiting - "the recovery is a dream realized."  Pic and video here.

9.10.2012

This Week's Eats

I apologize in advance, but I must gloat today because I saved $55 on my trip to the Safeway this week!  Or more importantly, 32% of my bill.  I always try to get near 20% if I can and that's been pretty easy with the new Safeway Just for U program (where you log on and add coupons right on to your card).  I'm not a total crazy couponing lady or anything, but I always go through the Red Plum flyer that comes in the mail every week and the online Safeway ones - even if I only save a few bucks, it's like earning a free latte, right? 

Anyways, the new Safeway program not only has the coupons that regularly come in the mail and special Just for U ones that you can only use with the program, they do specialized coupons tailored to your shopping habits.  Example: my daughter eats the Hormel Natural Choice deli turkey nearly every day; nope, not on a sandwich...  juuuust plain old turkey.  The stuff can get expensive and the program must've picked up on the fact that I stock up when it's on sale, so today I got a 'personalized deal' on top of the online only coupon.  A package of turkey that normally costs me $5 cost $1.  I picked up three.  Plus they have coupons for a free product now and again.  I tried the latest offering from Planters for free:




I'm a huge fan of nut butters and this was pretty tasty!  So, if you ever shop at Safeway (or, Dominick's for those back home) I'd highly recommend checking out this program.  Oh, and for the record, no one from Safeway asked me to write anything - just wanted to share in the excitement.

  • Monday - Pizza!
  • Tuesday - basil pesto tilapia filets from Costco with twice baked cauliflower
  • Wednesday - baked chicken taquitos
  • Thursday - alpine chicken casserole (chicken breasts topped with swiss cheese, cream of mushroom soup thinned out with water/a little white wine if ya want and topped with cubed stuffing that's been tossed with a little butter. Bake at 350 for an hour, covered with foil for the first half hour. mmmm, cheesy baked goodness.)
  • Friday - penne with vodka sauce
  • Saturday - Anniversary dinner *
  • Sunday - risotto with sausage and spinach (gonna try a recipe I found on pinterest)
* We're celebrating 10 years a few weeks early because of my girls trip for my 20 year high school reunion being the actual weekend of our anniversary and the babysitter's schedule.  We have reservations for a fancier place, but we're actually toying with the idea of going out for Tex-Mex and margaritas because that just really sounds the most fun to us right now...  Hmmmm.  Decisions, decisions....

9.07.2012

Friday Things

I've been a little bit behind on getting my Labor Day 4 Miler recap done (spoiler: my time was 32:09), and blogging in general, but it's been a crazy week.  Monday was the race, Tuesday was 'meet the teacher and ice cream social' day at big brother's elementary school, Wednesday was the first day of Kindergarten, and last night was a fun little Oiselle get together:

 
Pic stolen from @Oiselle_Sally's Twitter Feed
 
 
I am overwhelmed with gratitude and awe for all of these women, near and far that I call teammates.  It was SO wonderful to get to spend more time with them and get to know them better, especially whilst drinking beers.  I am also enjoying Christmas in September because I picked up my fall team kit:
 
 


Jacket, long sleeve 'big run' tee (with thumb holes!) and Lesley knickers in indigo!


Also, my salad contribution went over well - here's the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 3/4 C. dry quinoa
  • 1 1/2 C. vegetable broth
  • 1 can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
  • 1 c. cherry tomatoes cut in half
  • 2 avocados diced
  • 2 C. spinach
  • 1 bunch cilantro
  • 1/4 C. onion
  • 2 small cloves garlic
  • For the dressing:
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 tsp. dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. honey
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • dash of salt and pepper

  • Directions

    Make quinoa according to package directions with vegetable broth in lieu of water. You don't want it completely dried out, so when there is just a TINY amount of liquid left in the pot, remove it from heat and put a lid on it. Set it aside, and make the rest of the salad by chopping up the rest of the veggies ( finely chop the spinach/cilantro/onion/garlic in a food processor) and combing dressing ingredients.

    I wasn't particularly inspired by any song this week, so I'll break out a favorite oldie to add to the list.  Happy weekend!


    Paul Oakenfold, Starry Eyed Surprise

     

    Space Invaders by Mark Norman (8/31/12)
    Beautiful People - Chris Brown feat. Benny Benassi (8/23/12)
    Ass Back Home - Gym Class Heroes (8/23/12)
    The Veldt - Cover Pop tribute to Deadmau5 & Chris James (8/23/12)
    Without You - David Guetta feat. Usher (8/23/12)
    Good Time - Owl City feat. Carly Rae Jepsen (8/17/12)
    Addiction - Medina (8/3/12)
    We Run the Night - Havana Brown feat. Pitbull (7/27/12)
    The Night Out - Martin Solveig (7/20/12)
    Tell 'Em - Sleigh Bells (7/13/12)
    Sun is Up - Two Times (7/06/12)
    Steam Machine - Daft Punk (6/29/12)
    Arguru - Deadmau5 (6/22/12)
    Now or Never - Outasight (6/15/12)
    Major Tom - Shiny Toy Guns Remix (6/08/12)
    Young Blood - The Naked and Famous remixed by Tiesto (5/18/12)
    Call me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen (4/6/12) 

    9.06.2012

    Books I read in August

    August was spent watching waaaay too much Olympic coverage and also following the goings-on of Walter White: the most masterful character ever written and acted on television.  Hands down.  No question. OMG.  Bryan Cranston should just take his Emmy right now.  Just... Damn.  And Aaron Paul is nuthin' to sneeze at, making me ADORE Jesse Pinkman: drug dealer.  Consider that my mini review of Breaking Bad and if you haven't been sucked in, well, you should.

    OK, on to the books:

    Between the Lines by Samantha VanLeer (with her MOTHER, Jodi Picoult)

    It was fun to read a totally different style of book from Jodi Picoult, well, I suppose it was written by her daughter.  I can't help think that in doing so, she was indulging her a wee bit... It was on the cheesy and predictable side. It's not a 'crossover' kind of novel, I'd put it firmly in the YA category.  Good for 12 year olds, truly, and not really for adults that love YA fiction.

    The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

    I always enjoy a good coming of age story and Julia's awkward junior high narrative was heartbreaking and identifiable to me. And the setting of the book, during a time when the earth literally begins to stop spinning, was really intriguing. I like a good sci-fi yarn, but I feel like she was just setting a scene (with some really creative and beautiful details of the most mundane, yet fascinating things that might happen if the world would cease to spin) and never brought any plot points to a conclusion.  I don't enjoy that. 

    Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

    OK, so everyone has already been told to read this book, yes?  If not, I will tell you now: READ THIS BOOK.  Definitely on my best of the year list.  Wow. Just, wow. I haven't been riveted by a book like this in awhile. I'm not really a fan of thrillers, but this is not like any I've ever read before. It reminded me of when I was reading Room, by Emma Donoghue. It gave me that same 'oh my God, I have to know what happens next' syndrome.  I love when an author uses more than one character's voice to tell the story, and the way this unfolded was jaw dropping, literally, for me.  The suspense just builds and builds.  Gillian Flynn is a genius at crafting a thriller and I've added Dark Places to my reading list.

    Delirium by Lauren Oliver

    Yes, I like to read a LOT of YA dystopian literature.  This was on a lot of 'best of' lists and I enjoyed the story and the question of whether love could be considered a disease.  Although, maybe I've read too much of this genre, because I saw a LOT of Matched, Divergent, Across the Universe, and of course The Giver in the themes of the book.  But, she gave it a different spin and I hate not know how something ends (OF COURSE it ends on a cliffhanger),  so I've put the second book on hold in what is probably going to be a trilogy.  Sigh.