georgia vacation - part two

Truthfully, the rest of the vacation was a lot like the beginning of the vacation.  Beach, pool, eat, repeat!  So I'll let the pictures do the talking and add in any details I don't want to forget.

 The curls.  Oh the curls.  I couldn't get enough of them.

 Two ornrey peas in a pod! 

Oh just that morning that Ryann insisted on wearing the headband she fashioned from Auntie Lorin's swimsuit strap to breakfast.

She is obsessed with the Super Man ice cream.  You know, vanilla with food coloring?  Ha ha.

We seriously had such a good time.  Can't wait until the next time we can all get back there!

hills and rain

There are some things that make me want to not go for a run, or stop running while I'm out.  I don't necessarily like running in the dark (though I will), I'm not a fan of temps above 75, snow is pretty much a heck no from me, and temps below 25 definitely make me reconsider.  I hate running hills and despite knowing it's good for me, will usually run my routes so I can avoid them at almost all costs.  But what will certainly keep me from starting a run is rain.  I hate being unnecessarily wet (the reason I despise giving the girls baths, I always manage to get wet!).

Guess what I got for the Hospital Hill Run Saturday?  As if my post title didn't give it away, hills AND rain!  Bah.  I freaking HATE rain.  In my opinion it should only rain between the hours of 2 and 5am.  Get everything a little wet, and then get the heck out of my life.  I don't like rain.  When I checked the radar Friday morning it said there was 70% chance it would be raining at 7am.  By Friday evening that had increased to a 90% chance.  And Saturday morning I woke up to storms, rain, thunder and lightening, and a 100% chance it would be raining through 8am.  BOOOOOO.

I most certainly considered staying in bed and telling Chris to go by himself (he was working the medical tent), but that $60 entry fee was enough to push myself out the door.  I'm not one to be wasteful!  About certain things anyway... So we got ready, and I followed him in my car downtown.  It was windy, tough to see, and yeah, more lightening.  We parked and started walking towards the medical tent, it was about two blocks maybe?  By the time we made it we were absolutely soaked, even though I was wearing a trash bag and Chris was carrying an umbrella for the two of us.  My shoes and socks were completely saturated.  Nothing like starting a race with an extra pound or so of water squishing in your shoes.  Yay.

The race ended up being delayed for 30 minutes because of lightening.  The rain actually let up right around 7:10, and I really wish we could have just jumped out there and started going.  There was a little window of nothing, and then just a sprinkle, but less than two miles in to the race it was definitely raining again.  On the bright side, the miles went by faster than I thought I was running.  Even though I was only running the 10K, I stuck with the 2:05 half pacer for as long as possible before the split.  I made it through the first few hills (SERIOUS HILLS) without too much of a problem, but by the very last two I just couldn't convince myself to run up them all the way.  Thankfully the race finishes with more than a half mile of downhill, so I came in pretty strong.  The volunteers were kind enough to hand us wet towels at the finish line :o).  And I'm not knocking the volunteers, they were standing out there in the rain for us, but come on.  What's the point?

I grabbed a water, my medal and a banana and went to say goodbye to Chris.  He wrapped some dry towels in one of those solar blanket things for me, and I headed back to my car.  Naturally, while getting my key out, I dropped the towels.  #winning  When I crossed the finish line the clock was at 1:01:29, so I had my fingers crossed that my chip time was under an hour.  Got on my computer to check, and 59:19!  That puts me at a 9:33 pace for the race.  The last time I did Hospital Hill I managed to finish in under 54 minutes, but seeing as several of my runs have been averaging 10 minute miles lately, I was very very happy.

I'm still trucking along with Whole30.  The last few days I have been a little overwhelmed trying to coming up with different things to eat.  I know there are TONS of recipes out there, but I haven't yet ventured in to making my own broth or mayo or all that jazz, so that limits stuff a bit.  Not to mention we were at my parents a bit this weekend, and there was artichoke dip and chocolate chip pancakes and bacon (with added sugar in the ingredients) that I couldn't have.  That I really wanted to eat.  But I stayed strong.  On Friday I picked up some dried pineapple and plantain chips from Trader Joe's.  It is crazy how not having added sugar or really any snacks for 10 days can change your perspective.  The pineapple tasted like candy to me.  Hence the reason I probably won't be buying any more of that until after my Whole30.  I hit that bag HARD.

I haven't been taking photos of all of my meals, I figured chicken + veggie + fruit on repeat would get pretty boring.  But here are a few of my favorites lately.

Scrambled eggs with sweet potatoes and Aidells chicken apple sausage.  I love this breakfast.  Especially the sweet potato sausage part.  Very filling, I definitely don't feel the need to eat between breakfast and lunch anymore because my meals are so satisfying.  We also had Chipolte (twice now! I get tired of cooking...).  The only meat that is Whole30 compliant is the carnitas, so I got a bowl with carnitas, lettuce, fresh tomato salsa and guac.  Not too shabby of a meal.  Steer clear of the fajita vegetables even though they seem like a good idea.  They are cooked in a non-compliant oil.

And then there is the steak.  Because Chris was working the race and I was running, my parents opted to take the girls Friday and have us come to Topeka to get them Saturday.  Therefore we were left without the children overnight for the first time since Elsie was born (only the second time I've been childless overnight since Ryann was born!).  Unfortunately we spent a good chunk of the evening driving downtown to pick up my race packet, but when we got back Chris grilled up some delicious steaks.  Honestly I'm not 100% sure what was on them, but I know it included garlic and cilantro, just because we had it and why not?  I cooked the asparagus and onions in ghee, and honestly couldn't really taste the difference from butter.  It was a great meal and a very nice night.

This week I'll be on my own for dinner, but I'm still hoping to try out some actual recipes to switch things up a bit.  I know some of you are jumping on the Whole30 train, so excited to have other people on this journey with me.  Good luck!

georgia vacation

After I finally finished editing my photos I uploaded them to flickr, and realized I had 44.  Ummm, a lot for one blog post, so I guess I'll break it in two.

We were all very anxious for this vacation.  Life has been busy.  Chris has been working hard.  We were ready for some days of just having fun.  And that is exactly what we got.  We spent time at the beach, in the pool, hanging out with family and eating good food.  Definitely a great vacation in my books.

Shortly after arriving on our first day we headed out for dinner at The Half Shell.  Dinner was great, and the calamari is tasty.  After dinner Ryann requested a visit to Moo Cow, and I have a really hard time turning down ice cream.  Elsie was pretty darn pleased with the situation as well.  Before heading back home for bath and bed we took a sunset walk on the beach.  After traveling for much of the day it was a great end to the evening.

Day two started back at the beach.  Somewhere in there we made a grocery store run.  We walked around in the village a bit, and ended up at Iguana's for dinner.  Definitely some of the best fried shrimp on the island, and they have free soft serve ice cream.  Win win!  After a walk by the water and on the pier, it was time to get the girls to bed.

Another morning, another trip to the beach!  We only got Elsie to wear her sun hat for maybe 10 minutes?  When Ryann was Elsie's age we told her she couldn't play outside without wearing a hat, and after that she kept it on.  Elsie didn't care what we said and totally called our bluff, throwing off her hat and running back to the house.  So the kid was greased up with sunscreen from head to toe for the rest of the week.

We went out for lunch that day, at Bubba Garcias.  I really like the shrimp and pineapple tacos, my mom loves the shrimp quesadilla.  And the margaritas aren't too shabby either.  Ryann loves to over salt the chips as much as possible.  Elsie just enjoyed eating in general.  As usual.

That afternoon we decided to try a spin in Papa's boat.  I was a little leary of taking a smallish boat out on the ocean, but my Dad assured me we could go slow and stay back where the water was calm.  We didn't think Elsie would love the boat, but man, she HATED it.  HATED IT.  She couldn't really move or sit in her life jacket and I'm pretty sure she overheated.  So that boat ride lasted all of like 15 minutes.  Maybe 20.

After dinner my mom busted out a couple of bomb pops.  Ryann was thrilled.  Elsie attempted to bite it and freaked out because it was so cold.  Then she acted like we were torturing her, trying to get her to lick it.  She finally realized that they were tasty, and ended up looking like a baby vampire with all the red juice running from her mouth.

Annd now I'm ready to go back.  Can it be vacation time again??  I'll post the rest of my photos sometime this week!

Whole30 Eating

Those who follow me on instagram know that I have recently started a Whole30.  What's Whole30 you ask?  The short version?  Eating whole foods for 30 days to heal your insides and create a better relationship with food.  No sugar, alcohol, grains, dairy, legumes and a few other things for a month.  For the entire breakdown on the program you need to visit The Whole30, or buy the book It Starts With Food.

I first heard of Whole30 from Kristal a little over a year ago.  She took on the challenge and had some great results.  But at the time I was like oh hell no.  I am not giving up all that stuff.  Not even for a month.  Nope, no way in hell, can't do it.  It popped up on a variety of my social media outlets here and there in the last year, and finally I decided why the hell not.

I was eating like crap (way too much sugar for no good reason) and feeling like crap.  And not liking what I was seeing in the mirror.  For a while I went back and forth, thinking I didn't want to do it, and being really driven to change my eating habits.  But a 30 day period where I didn't have any real big commitments or holidays or birthdays or anything of that nature scheduled showed up on my calendar, so I decided to go big or go home.

Though the program is not designed as a weight loss program, I'd be lying if I didn't say that was probably my biggest motivator.  All of the other benefits are great too, I'm already capitalizing on not having a headache in the afternoon from eating junk, but truthfully the hopes of looking a little better in a swimsuit the rest of the summer is what really got me going.  We're also getting to that point where another baby might be on the horizon, and I want to start a pregnancy as fit as I can be.

Why did I think a Whole30 was a good fit for me now?  Well we've done a pretty good job of cleaning up our diets in the sense that we've cut a lot of grains, rarely eat out, usually eat meals of protein and veggies.  I don't have a soda or coffee habit that I need to break.  I don't drink milk or eat a lot of yogurt or anything.  My only vice is sweets.  And I'd done a month without sweets in January, so I knew I could pull that off if I really tried.  So at this point, a Whole30 didn't seem as daunting.  Don't get me wrong, right now I'd probably kill for a chocolate bar.  Today (Day 6) is the worst it has been for me.  The first couple of days were a breeze in terms of cravings.  It has gotten progressively worse as my storage of extra sugars has been depleted.  I'm hoping that my body will soon figure out how to function without it.

Aside from the sugar cravings today, the hardest part so far has been having to cook nearly every meal.  Part of that is because I didn't really plan ahead, and decided I would start the day after we got back from vacation.  So I've just been kind of winging it.  And I still have yet to completely finish It Starts With Food, so I'm regularly having to flip through the book to make sure I'm doing it all 'right'.  Trying to come up with meals that only contain compliant ingredients has been somewhat stressful.  Thankfully, even though he isn't fully participating, Chris is supporting my little adventure and eating the same stuff I am at home.  I think the longer I stick with it, the more second nature the cooking will become, and the more products I'll discover that are compliant.

I've posted a few of my meals on instagram, but some people requested all my meals.  So here is what I've been eating the last six days.  Before you get all excited, remember I'm not all that creative with food and I am absolutely NOT a food photographer in my horribly lit dining room with my scratched up table.  Ok?  Ok.

DAY ONE

My first meal was an egg scramble with spinach and mushrooms, blueberries and grapes on the side.  Meal number two was hot dogs (don't laugh!) baby spinach with berries and some watermelon.  Applegate makes hot dogs that are compliant and they are good for something quick and easy.  Plus it would be a good way to help your kids participate in a Whole30 with you.  If they ate hot dogs of course.  Ryann, naturally, does not.  My third meal of the day was grilled chicken with sweet potatoes and steamed green beans.  The potatoes ended up being really good.  I just roasted them in the oven with a little olive oil and Trader Joe's garlic salt.

DAY TWO

Day two started off with another egg scramble, this time adding onion and red bell pepper to the mix, with a side of berries.  Meal two was leftover chicken and green beans with some cherry tomatoes.  Because I planned to do my long run the next morning, I figured I should throw in a snack?  I have no idea, but I ate a banana around 3:00.  And for meal three Chris grill up some Trader Joe's 100% Grass Fed Beef burgers and I made some veggies in the wok.

DAY THREE

I woke up early and set out for a seven mile run.  Oh my word, one of my worst runs EVER.  The book says the first week you will have less energy while your body learns to fuel itself with fat instead of sugar.  I couldn't believe how terrible I felt running.  I was exhausted and felt completely out of sorts.  It turned in to a four mile run, and another 2.4 mile struggle to walk/jog the rest of the way back to my house.  I had to sit for a long time before I felt up to getting myself water and a banana.  A little later I was feeling a bit more perky and attempted to make an omelet.  I always fail at that.  So egg scramble it was (with some spinach) and some berries.  For my second meal it was more hot dogs, leftover veggies, tomatoes and cantaloupe.  Meal three was grilled salmon, steamed asparagus and cauliflower rice.  Which tastes almost nothing like rice, but I do like it!

DAY FOUR

For my first meal I attempted to make sweet potato hashbrowns.  Ha, egg scramble with a side of sweet potatoes and onions.  Sunday was Ryann's first dance recital and I was a little anxious about getting her ready to go, so I wasn't in the mood to eat.  Therefore meal two consisted of leftovers and an apple.  After the recital I was feeling hungry so I ate a Larabar.  Chris grilled us some pork loins for the third meal of the day, and we topped it with guac, because guac makes everything better.  Threw in some broccoli and bell peppers as well.

DAY FIVE

Meal one, a huge surprise I'm sure.  Another poor attempt at an omelete with some berries, and a banna because I was extra hungry.  Meal two was leftovers.  Meal three was spaghetti squash topped with ground turkey and mushrooms in Classico's tomato basil sauce.  Oh and for the record, my run this day was four miles of no fun as well.

DAY SIX

After yet another not so wonderful run (but maybe slightly better than the last two?) the thought of cooking eggs made me want to vomit.  So I attempt sweet potato hashbrowns again (fail) with some Aidells chicken & apple sausage and berries.  I found my sausage at HyVee, I know other people have picked it up at Costco.  Meal two I threw a lot of random stuff in a bowl and called it a salad.  Chicken, avocado, apples and yellow bell pepper.  I have yet to make my own dressing so I just drizzled it with a little olive oil and called it a day.  I really loved the apple in there.  The sugar monster hit hard and I may have snagged a couple handfuls of raisins this afternoon.  For meal three we had grilled chicken, sauted veggies and cauliflower rice.

People on instagram are making all sorts of interesting and delicious looking recipes, and hopefully I'll get brave enough to attempt making them, but for now this works.  Prep is definitely key and I feel a lot more confident about getting through the day when I know I have compliant food in the fridge ready to go.  Having all sorts of Whole30 photos pop in my instagram feed also helps.  The one that really inspired me to get started was @jennaskitchen.  If you have any questions feel free to ask, I'm no expert but I'll do my best!

Only 24 more days to go...

doctors appointments

Starting the end of April, we had a lovely two weeks with multiple doctor visits and a surgery.  We kicked off the fun by finally taking Elsie in for her one year blood work.  I had been dreading this like crazy.  Ryann's one year blood work was seriously one of the most terrible experiences of parenting for me (it took them FOREVER to get a vein and she was SCREAMING), so I just didn't want to do it.  Thankfully the lady was great, and even though Elsie screamed (duh, she hates everyone, double hate for people with needles) it was over quick and E perked right up with a few chocolate chips.  Food for the win!  The even bigger bonus is that all her labs came back normal, including allergy checks for rice and oats.  We have introduced oats without any issue and I'm assuming rice will be the same.  Yay!

Elsie's right tear duct never opened up, so we set the surgery date for May 15th.  They needed a physical form turned in at the hospital at least one week prior to surgery, so despite having a well check scheduled for the 14th, we got to make a separate pre-op visit for the 1st.  E screamed through the whole appointment.  Man I love taking her to the doctor.

Both Ryann and Elsie had well checks on the 14th of May.  They ended up going surprisingly well (thanks mostly to my mom being along to help!).  Elsie didn't cry near as much, and both girls earned themselves a clean bill of health.  Ryann weighed in at 36 pounds (59%) and was 39.37 inches tall (35%).  Elsie weighed 21 pounds 6 ounces (26%), and was 30.5 inches long (52%).  Her growth curve is interesting, it is always going up, but rises in waves, if that makes sense.  You can certainly see the growth spurts and then she stalls for a bit.  Kind of funny.  But she's growing!  And her head is in the 80% so there's that.

On May 15th was the dreaded surgery day.  I was a hot freaking mess about it.  I mean, I kept it together, but on the inside I was losing it.  We got to the hospital at 6:50am and got all check-ed in, had her vitals checked, signed all the papers, etc.  E surprised me and was a pretty happy camper, only whining a little bit right at the beginning.  After that she was throwing out lots of waves and hellos to nurses and doctors passing by our area.

I thought for sure she would freak the heck out when they took her away from us and back to surgery, but again to my surprise, we never saw or heard her cry.  We gave her a hug, and then a nurse just wheeled her back on her little bed.  Her surgery really only lasted maybe 30 minutes?  Tops?  After that we had to wait until she woke up in recovery before we could go see her.  That killed me.  I wanted to be there when she woke up.  I understand why they do what they do, but I wanted to be with her so badly.

After another half hour or so we were able to go be with her.  As I walked down the hall I could hear her crying and my heart was breaking.  I can't imagine being the parent of a child who has to deal with medical issues on a regular basis.  My heart goes out to you.  Elsie's nose was bleeding a bit from the surgery, so she was mad that we kept wiping her nose, and she didn't really calm down until they took the IV out.  She kept pointing at her leg and saying ow.  But once the IV was gone and she got of a steady stream of goldfish we were pretty much good to go.  Not long after the nurse came over, had us sign some papers and we were on our way.  We were home by 10am.  I'm so thankful everything went well, and quickly.  And her eye has been goop free ever since!  It is kind of crazy, I got so used to having to clean her eye and face all the time, now it is weird to have it be fine.

The doctor opted to place a stent, because the success rate of surgery is greater with it.  So unfortunately we will have to make at least one more trip back to the hospital to have it removed.  But she said it is quick and easy and a clinic procedure so hopefully it isn't an issue.

Aside from well checks, I'm hoping we can avoid the pediatrician for a little while now!

school's out.

Ryann's last day of preschool in the 3's room was actually May 13th.  Thankfully we had a trip to Georgia right after, prolonging the true beginning of summer break.  Leaving me with zero alone time during the week.  Wah wah.

Anway... here is a comparison of Miss Ryann on the first day and last day of school.

She doesn't look that much different, but so much more grown up at the same time.

Ryann absolutely loves going to school.  She always asks me why every day can't be a school day.  Her teachers said she was such a joy to have in class.  I'm pretty sure she is going to be thrilled when she finally gets to kindergarten, but for next year, on to Pre-K!