The Unwritten Rules of Hot Yoga

I am so very excited for my hot yoga class tomorrow morning and here is why, my husband is going with me! I have been begging and pleading for years to get him to go with me and he has always refused.  I don't know why he finally caved but he did and I will take it! My love for hot yoga started many years ago, before I had children and I still had a paying job and I could waste my entire paycheck on hot yoga with no guilt.  I finally started gettting back into it regularly last summer and my love is still just as strong.  Anyone who knows me in real life knows that I hate to be hot.  I live in the Pacific Northwest for a reason and it's not our sun.  The fact that I love hot yoga is mind boggling but I do love it and I am so excited to introduce my husband the amazing benefits of hot yoga.

Hot yoga is different than regular, room temperature yoga in a couple ways obviously there is the heat, 100+ degrees, but the style and flow is much different.  It's a high intensity yoga for 90 minutes without being so intense you feel like you are going to die but after class you feel like you just ran 10 miles.  The heat is to help you get deep into those tight muscles and let me tell you it works and it feels great.  These unique things warrant unique rules.  Obviously each yoga studio has a list of "rules" but from personal experience I have some suggestions for that list.

My previously unwritten rules for hot yoga.

1. Please shower before class.  It doesn't matter that you are going to get sweaty and nasty during class, if you stink before you get there please be kind and shower.  It's tight quarters, no one wants to smell that. 
2. Apply deodorant.  See rule #1.  No one wants to smell that.
3. If you are a man and insist on wearing spandex short shorts please do not then roll the waste band down so far that the rest of the yogis can almost see your wiener.  Just don't.
4. If you fart in class please laugh at yourself, even just a little giggle.  We know its everyone's worst fear and it's bound to happen to someone so if you just laugh a little it will make everyone else feel a lot more comfortable. 
5. If you are going to get completely nude in the changing room and need to bend over to pick up your pants and root through your bag please bend over with your back side to the wall. It's just the polite thing to do.  
6. Don't wear a white sports bra with no shirt.  Unless of course we are having a wet t-shirt contest that I didn't know about. 
7. The bathroom in the studio is for #1's only!
8. Do not talk, even a very soft whisper, in the studio unless you want to be shushed by the very serious yogis. 
9. Do not eat garlic or onions the day of your class or the night before class.  It will sweat out of you and gag everyone around you. Same goes for booze, unless you want everyone to get drunk off your fumes. 
10. Do a bend over test at home before you decide to wear those pants to class.  If you can see your g-string or even worse your private parts, do not wear those pants. 

Disclaimer: I am not a yoga professional just a practicing patron of the art of hot yoga who has seen things and heard things and learned things over the years. 

Now for some kid cuteness!!  

(12th man marble!)

(just a pretty dress for movie watching, no big deal)

Have you ever tried hot yoga?  No?  You need to try it at least once, especially if you are a runner.  Don't be scared!

Meatless Monday

This weeks meatless recipe was a delicious veggie bean soup packed with so many vegetables I think we could have skipped vegetables all day and still met our daily suggested servings.  It was a very hearty, filling soup and it went so well with cornbread.  The kids weren't crazy about it but they never really like soups unless it's tortellini or tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches.  The husband is trying a new low carb "diet" so I let him cheat and added ground turkey to his bowl for some extra protein. Cheater!  He did pack some for his lunch tomorrow so he must have thought it was pretty good. That's always exciting, he's not big on soup either.  I found the recipe here and it's a great base, the broth was delicious.  As always I tweaked it to my liking and I doubled the recipe so I could put some away in the freezer.  I used 4 cans of beans, kidney, black, cannellini and black eyed peas.   I also left out the sweet potatoes and added eggplant, I was worried the eggplant might get slimy but it stayed nice and firm and delicious.  It's definitely one for the rotation.  I could switch up the veggies and add meat and it work just as well.

In other news, everyone is still sick at my house.  We ended up at the pediatricians office today to make sure no one had an ear infection.  No infection just a bunch of fluid.  One thing I love about my pediatrician is that he doesn't just hand out antibiotics at the first sign of snot.  It's so great to find a doctor that shares your ideas and we have found a great one.  We just got some drops for the pain and directions to have lots of snuggles and that is definitely what we did all afternoon. It's back to school for the big tomorrow though, momma needs to go for a run/walk before she turns into Medusa for real.  Adrien compared me to Medusa this morning, he just learned about her in his snake facts book. I'm not sure if it's because I'm mean or because my hair was insane this morning. Either way we really need to get back to our normal routine over here.   

(sick day snuggles)

So Your Mom Is a Creeper, Deal With It

Fact, sleeping children are the best. Another fact, sleeping children are also the cutest.  And mine are no exception to the rule.  I love to watch my kids sleep.  I can't even get in bed until I go peak at them and listen to their soft little snores.  I almost always snap a picture of them too.  I mean do you ever look at them and think "that can't be comfy"?  I have quite a collection of sleeping pictures that will surely come back to haunt them in their dating years. 

During the day, between all the fighting and screaming and tantrums and sassy mouths, I forget how wonderful they really are.  It's so easy for me to just go through the motions of the day without really looking at them. Obviously I see them but I don't really look at them, I don't have time or we are always off to do the next things and I just don't take the minute to really watch them.  Honestly sometimes I will sit down to play with one of them and I look up and I think 'Whoa, where did this real live boy come from?  Where's my baby?'.  Then there are those days, that I'm certain all parents have, where I just can't wait for it to be bedtime so I can have some peace and quiet.  Then after the bedtime battle there is the silence.  The sweet silence but then what? Then I miss them and I can't wait for them to wake up.   This is when I sneak in and just watch them sleep, listen to them breathe and sometimes, very carefully sneak into bed with them for some snuggling.  

I know that all parents think that their kid is the cutest kid that has ever graced the planet but in my case this is the absolute truth.  I'm not at all bias here.  If I could function on only an hour of sleep per day I would stay up and just watch them sleep all night.  Their little red rosy cheeks, the ridiculous ways they get "comfortable', the quiet snores, just all of it but the very best part is they are quiet and not sassing me or hitting each other.  They earned their title of "The Bratlings" for a reason, you know. 

(Maz, the cat, rotates which kid she sleeps with each night and it's always the cutest)

Does this make me weird?  Maybe but I just don't care, they won't be small forever and when they are big I will have to stay up much later to be able to sneak in and snuggle them.  I just can't help myself!  What about you?  I know I'm not the only weirdo. 

Treadmill Tell All

Since we are all so sick this week, and after the late night Claire and I had, we took a much needed day off to stay home and watch movies and snuggle all day long.  It was fantastic!  We even got out in the sunshine to clear up our sinuses for a while and have a impromptu salmon picnic. 

(late, late night with my sick baby girl, pouting, too tired baby girl and my boy chowing down)

I took a little break from swing pushing to catch up on some of my favorite bloggers and I came across a really fun one at Run With Jess.  It struck a chord with me because my stupid beloved treadmill recently died.  I used to HATE running on the treadmill but now I really miss it.  It is almost a necessity if you are a runner mom, especially with more than one kid and one of those being way too heavy for a jogger.  There is really something to be said about hopping on the treadmill for 30 minutes while the kids nap.  SO, here we go my tread mill tell all.

1. What is your favorite workout on the treadmill?  Running on the treadmill is pretty boring, obviously, so I love to do interval work on the mill.  It's fun to do a 20 second sprint and see how far I can push it. And also if I'm looking for an "easy" run, the treadmill is my friend.
2. How many miles, on average, do you run on the treadmill each week?  Right now, zero.  It's not ideal timing for your treadmill to die either.  It's cold outside! Before it died I was probably doing 10-15 miles inside. 
3. What was the most mileage you've ever completed on the mill in one workout? When? Why? 5 long miles! I did it sometime during the summer, go figure, out in the garage with my husband while he was working out.  I think I just went as long as I could while I was kind of hanging out with the husband. Just for fun, I guess. 
4. Do you mill at home, the gym or both?  At home.  My dead treadmill is currently in the garage.  I used to do the treadmill at the gym and I just don't like it.  I like the people watching but then I assume someone is "people watching" me. 
5. What distractions or entertainment (if any) do you use to help pass the time? Music! Always music.  I even sing and dance a little bit.  
6. If you have a treadmill at home, what kind is it? How old is it? I have a pro-form something or other.  I bought it YEARS ago but never used it regularly until last year.  I on't even know what model it is.  I bought it because it was cheap and I didn't want to commit too much. 
7. Do you fuel any differently for a treadmill workout than an outside one?  I don't really think so.  Maybe I drink more water just because I can. 
8. Any treadmill mishaps to report? None for me but my Claire did fall off the back one day when her brother helped her turn it on.  What can I say?  They love to run just like mom. 
9. Do you mill at incline to compensate for not being outside?  I do.  I read that it's most like running outside if you run at an incline of 1-2%.  I usually set it at 2-3% for good measure. It actually feels easier for me if it's at an incline.
10. Describe your perfect (if there is such an animal) treadmill conditions: Right now the perfect conditions would just be a working treadmill.  In a perfect world though I would have a pretty little room that opened up and looked out into the yard so I could see my kids play out in the sun or close up and turn up the tunes in when it's nasty outside.  This room would also probably have to be equipped with a TV, toys and probably snacks so the kids would tolerate me being on the treadmill instead of them. 

(today's blogging spot, the plate of rocks is my "breakfast")

Meatless Monday on Friday

Well this week has been a little rough at our house, all four of us are down and out with a terrible case of the snots. Which is why I am so super behind here.  Oops.  I also finally saw my physical therapist this week and got some not awesome news but not news that I wasn't expecting.  My dreams of running a sub 65 10k by March 15th have been crushed.  Boo hoo! I may still run it but it won't be fast and I won't run the whole thing. I'm looking at the bigger picture though and refocusing my "training" to that first half in September.  Gotta put in the work now, even if that means I basically have to start from scratch. 

(my first walk on the road to healed and Claire helping me out with my ice massage)

Now on to Meatless Monday! It was actually meatless Tuesday, i was completely unprepared this week.

Lasagna Roll-Ups

This weeks recipe is not new to me, it's actually a favorite at our house.  I really just kind of wing it on all of my recipes, and this one is super easy so you can just play with it and I will give you the basic idea.  I really like to hide vegetables in my recipes as well and this would be a perfect recipe to do that.  I didn't have any veggie purees on hand this time but next time I will plan ahead. Cauliflower would be perfect, it would blend right in with that ricotta texture, or squash, butternut would probably be amazing!

• 1 box of lasagna noodles (or giant shells)
• Marinara sauce
• Shredded Mozzarella
• 3 cups of ricotta cheese
• 1 box of frozen chopped spinach 
• Shredded parmesan
• garlic powder
• salt
• pepper
• a dash or 2 of nutmeg 
• and a cute little helper

• Boil noodles as the box indicates, rinse them and let them cool
• Mix everything else together in a big bowl, seasoning to taste. 
• Spoon a little marinara into the bottom of your baking dish
• Spread a couple spoon fulls of cheese mix onto each noodle, roll them up and line them up in the dish
• Spoon more marina over the top of the lasagna rolls and sprinkle mozzarella on top
• Bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes or until hot all the way through. 

(this is where the cute helpers really have fun)

(Yummy!)

If you like ricotta you definitely have to try these, I'm sure they will be a hit at your house too.  If it's not Meatless Monday at your house that night you could probably even add a little Italian sausage to the cheese mix. I bet Kyle would love that.

A Bunch of Stuff I Have Learned Since I Became a Runner

As you know by now I am still pretty new to this whole running scene, before I was a runner I was a shopper and an eater. I could tell you all the best places to shop and where to eat while you were out blowing your whole paycheck. My favorite thing to do when the kids napped was to sit my butt in front of the TV and eat.  I despised any form of exercise!  Sure there were little spurts of "let's get fit and skinny" along the way but they all fizzled out. But when I finally made it past those first 3 weeks of the C25K program, what do you know, I kind of liked it. I have to give some credit to my VBFF for getting me through that program, she had recently done the same one and turned herself into a runner and she was my greatest inspiration. My husband was so supportive and excited, it seemed, that I was finally getting some motivation to get healthy.  It never started out as an "I want to be skinny" thing, that was just a bonus.  It started as a "I need to be able to chase my kids without having a heart attack" thing.  And I have learned a lot in this first year, let me tell you!

I have learned...

• Not to drink too much water before you go for a run but don't not drink any
• Do not skip stretching!!
• That I am a lot stronger than I ever gave myself credit for
• It hurts
• That it's very important to me to set a good example for my Bratlings
• That shoes need to be comfortable and fit right more than they need to be pretty
• That my husband is an excellent cheerleader
• To wear pants that come up, way up over my hips
• That races are so much fun
• Where all the bathrooms within a 10 mile radius from my house are
• That there is a huge running community and it's a great thing to be a part of
• All the routes that have fabulous views
• That a torn hamstrings sucks big time
• Not to run a  race with a torn hamstring
• That I would actually love to run and look forward to it as my "me time"
• That running in a group with a bunch of mom and our strollers is super fun
• It's very hard
• Running is a very expensive hobby
• That running can be a hobby
• That competing against myself is the greatest challenge
• Core strength is very important
• That my pretty jewelry holder would make a perfect hanger/charging spot for my headphones
• To not run through pain
• That early race registration is key 
• Good socks make a big difference
• That I could inspire someone else to make a change in their life
• That I could be inspired by someone else to make a change in my life

(working on that core strength!)

(headphone hanger)

I have certainly learned a lot about myself and this sport, hobby, exercise, whatever you want to call it in this first year. I can only imagine what else I will learn as my mileage increases.  My first 10k is in 52 days!!

Do you run?  If not you should give it a try, you never know you might like it. 

Random Kid Cuteness

(my boy, the cool one with the sword, at 1 of 2 parties this weekend)

Run, They Say, It Will Make You Feel Better

You know how people say exercise will make you feel better, give you more energy and bla bla bla?  Well I never believed any of that.  Never.  How can exercise give me energy, I would ask.  I am way more tired after a workout than before.  Exercise will never boost my mood, I would say.  I hate it, that doesn't seem happy. Well after starting and giving up 3 times I finally followed through and finished my first training app and my first 5k.  After about 30 days my running routine seemed more like a habit, a hobby than a chore or an exercise.  It became my "me time", a time that I looked forward to every other day.  It was hard and painful but I felt amazing.  I was competing with myself and winning.

"Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started.  It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement."  - Prefontaine

I have not been for a run in a whole week and I am starting to go a little crazy, probably the reason for my absence.  I have been benched again by the sports med doctor this time.  I got a diagnosis of a possible stress fracture/shin splints, I didn't feel like racking up more bills on x-rays since he said he would treat them both the same.  The injury likely stems from my torn hamstring injury in April, I never quite got my strength back to normal, and I over pronate putting more stress on the inner shin bone and calf muscles.  Basically I need to cut my mileage back drastically, add in some more cross training, sub my runs with longer walks and 6 weeks of physical therapy twice a week, I just laughed at that.  Do you know how hard it is for a SAHM (stay at home mom) to arrange appointments for herself?  Nearly impossible.  Needless to say I am not happy about this, but it is what it is.  I am going to do everything I can to speed this up though.  More yoga classes, more core work at home and earth moving to make these PT appointments work.

I am still going for my 10 miles a week challenge and my 1000 miles in 2014 challenge but it's just going to be at a slower pace, I suppose.  Looks like I will have more time for my other hobbies.  Hello my beautiful sewing machine, how have you been?  Last weekend was perfect for crafting with the stormy weather and that is exactly what I did between ice breaks.
             
                               

(My crafty creation for my girls big girl room and my little "helper" Maz)

Moral of the story? The next time someone give you the dreaded exercise advice, just do it.  It will be hard and you will want to quit, and you might, but you will never feel better than when you reach that first goal.  I know this now from experience.

And of course some cute kids....

(a boy and his piggy)

(ultimate princess party)

Meatless Monday

Week 2 of "Meatless Monday", I know it's Tuesday but we'll get to that later, we had a pretty delicious, if I do say so myself, tofu stir-fry.  Surprisingly my boy loved the tofu so much he gobbled up all of his tofu bites before I even sat down to eat my dinner. Claire on the other hand? Well she ate her rice. I think this week probably wasn't as satisfying or exciting for Kyle as last week but I thought it was delicious and plan to eat some more for lunch today. 

(food can be so pretty)

 

I don't really have a recipe for this week because I usually just wing it when I do a stir fry. But here are my tips for a delicious tofu stir fry.

 

1. Use extra firm tofu and cut it in about 1" cubes, this way when you stir it around it won't crumble as much and make a mess.

 

2. I also start with my onions and garlic to infuse the flavor into the oil then add the peppers followed by carrots and broccoli. 

 

3. Always put your tofu in last!  The less you have to stir it around the better.

 

4.  Ginger! I love ginger! Ginger and a little sesame oil makes any stir fry amazing if you ask me.

 

5. Find a good low sodium stir fry sauce or teriyaki sauce to throw in to make it that much easier.  (For this one I took the short cut and used the Kikkoman low sodium teriyaki sauce/marinade)  Just a little goes a long way.

 

(Yummo!)

 

 

We had ours over white rice but any type would be delicious, even just by itself it's delicious.

 

 

I can't say if my husband enjoys meatless Mondays or not but I am liking them so far.  It's making me think outside of my recipe box (haha) and, in future recipes, try things we've never done/had.  On the menu for next week?  Lasagna roll ups, I know that was supposed to be this week but I switched it up a little.

 

What is your favorite meatless recipe?  I will accept any and all suggestions.   



 



Meatless Monday

This is my first installment of our new adventure in "meatless Mondays", Kyle was pretty against this idea but after tonight I think he's not so scared anymore.  He's such a carnivore.  I am trying this out for our family as a way to break up my regular, tried and true, recipes and add some new proteins and veggies to our regular diet.  Plus beans are cheaper than beef and chicken anyway.

On the menu tonight were black bean enchiladas and homemade Spanish rice.  I got the enchilada recipe from allrecipes.com but I had to modify a little based on the time I had tonight. I did not plan ahead today!  It was delicious anyway though. The cream cheese!  I am kind of known for hiding pureed vegetables in my recipes and I think this is definitely one that would work very well in, I'm going to try some cauliflower or squash next time around.

(I forgot the avocados but it was still yummy!)

My rice recipe is pretty great too, I stole it from my mom who I believe stole it from someone else, but I take some short cuts.  Here is how it's done.

Spanish Rice

1 cup white rice

1 tbs butter

Minced garlic (to preference)

1/2 onion chopped

1/2 green pepper chopped

1 can diced tomatoes (I really like to use the ones with green chilies but my boy does not like spicy)

1 cup chicken broth (or vegetable or you can just do both liquid cups as water)

Cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper to taste (I have just been using a few sprinkles of a taco seasoning packet because my boy HATES spicy and I tend to be a little heavy handed when seasoning)

• In a large pan brown your rice in melted butter.  
• Add garlic and saute for about 1 minute and add onions, saute until fragrant and add your green peppers.
• Open your tomatoes and drain into your 1 cup measuring cup.  Add water to fill to 1 cup and pour it in the pan.  This is where you can choose to use the broth or another cup of water. So you will have 2 cups of liquid total. 
• Add the tomatoes and seasonings.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender.  

Voila! Super easy and super delicious!  You could even make it a whole meal by adding in some beans and corn and topping with cheese.  Yum!

Keep an eye out for next weeks Meatless Monday post, we are having lasagna roll ups!  I may need some inspiration after these first few weeks.  What are you favorite meatless meals? 

  

2014 Is Off To a Running Start

The first week of the year has started off with a bang!  I've run, I've yoga'd, we've skated and Monster Jammed, I've organised my life, I have signed up for multiple challenges (see the 2014 Challenges tab) and there was even an epic Disney Scene It showdown with the husband.

(The epic blowout!  If my husband would quit falling asleep during family movie nights he might stand a chance against me.)

My first couple of runs this year have brought me a couple firsts as well, my best ever mile at 9 minutes 59 seconds (told you I'm not fast) and a run with frost on the ground and sunglasses on my face, those were two pretty great runs.  I was also finally able to bust out all my new Christmas presents, aka running gear, after a 2 week hiatus to nurse some sore muscles.  Nothing says you're a runner like getting, and being excited about, a tiny pink can of mace and some Star Trek headphones. I was also able to sneak in a great hot yoga session thanks to my wonderful hubby for watching The Bratlings.

 

(Careful the track is very slippery when frosty)

This week my big kiddo also went back to school and boy were we ready!  Well he was ready to show off his new hat and I was ready for a little bit of quiet around the house.

  

My boy also got to have a special mom & dad date night, with no sister!  We went to dinner, where he promptly told the hostess that he wanted fruit salad with a grilled cheese and orange juice and then we were off to see the monster trucks.  My boy is a huge fan of monster trucks!  What boy isn't, right?  But mine is especially obsessed.  We have rallies in the living room where he makes me introduce each and every truck before they race, God forbid I don't know their names. We had a great night out, it's always fun to have a special one on one date.

We also celebrated a very special little ladies 5th birthday this weekend, at the roller rink.  Our little friend Sofia is such an amazing, beautiful and clever little girl, I can't even believe that she is already 5!  She is also an incredible roller skater!  Seriously impressed by those skills.  Claire is also a natural roller skater, not like her mom at all, she took to the floor like a professional.  She went half way around using her dad's hands and then moved to a little trainer and told us "yee me yone! Don't touch me!", finished her lap and ditched the trainer as well.  I couldn't believe how quickly she got the hang of it!  Adrien on the other hand hated it!  He was much more interested in the race car games, of course. Oh well, maybe he will be a race car driver and Claire will be my little roller derby queen. 

Yes, I'd say this year is off to a great start. I will keep my fingers crossed that the next 51 weeks are just as great.  Remember to "follow me" so you don't miss out!  Now I am off to run 6 miles.

Aspirations Not Resolutions

 

 

What is a resolution anyway?  It's a firm decision to do something or the process of solving a problem.   Well I can't make long term "firm" decisions and I have no problems to solve so for 2014 I have a list of aspirations.  Aspiration = ambition = a desire to achieve something.   I have a lot of things I want to achieve this year so on the first day of the new year I will share them with you and you can follow along on my journey.  I may fall off the wagon at times and I may not complete them all but I have big plans for this year.  In no particular order here are my 2014 aspirations.

 

• Finish my first 10k (http://stpaddyruntacoma.com/)
• Start a blog (check)  
• Craft more
• Get more sleep (this will be hard due to the previous aspiration)
• Get my little side business back up and running
• Lose 20 pounds
• Be a better mom (there is always room for improvement) 
• Do a 30 day fitness challenge at least every other month
• Finally meet my VBFF (virtual best friend forever) in real life
• Make more time for the husband
• Run a race a month throughout the spring/summer season
• Eat more fruits and veggies
• Trail run!
• Take more family trips
• Spend less time plugged in and more time on the floor playing with the kids
• Meatless Mondays
• Paint Claire's dresser
• Run a half marathon
• Spend more time with my girlfriends
• Read a real book (not electronically and not about child behavior, diets or running)
• Keep up on my new blog
• Take more pictures with my real camera
• Find a balance between chores, time with the kids, working out and "mommy time"

Let's get this party started! 

 

“Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.”
― Louisa May Alcott