Monday....

...marks the beginning of my half marathon training! I can't wait to hit the starting line again - it's been a long break! I've decided on a race being held on September 8th in the mountains. It will be challenging, but oh so rewarding to cross that finish line! If you're in the mood to kick up your training this summer and cross some mileage and goals off your list, then join in the fun! Here's the training schedule I cooked up for the next 11 weeks:

Half Marathon

Training Plan

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	8x 200m hills w/ jog down recovery	Stretch & Strengthen	3 m run	crossfit	yoga	4 m run	Rest
2	4x 4 min w/ 90 second jog recovery	Stretch & Strengthen	3 m run	crossfit	yoga	4 m run	Rest
3	8x 200m hills w/ jog down recovery	Stretch & Strengthen	3.5 m run	crossfit	yoga	5 m run	Rest
4	4x 5 min w/ 90 second jog recovery	Stretch & Strengthen	3.5 m run	crossfit	yoga	5 m run	Rest
5	8x 200m hills w/ jog down recovery	Stretch & Strengthen	4 m run	crossfit	yoga	10 k race	Rest
6	2.5 m tempo run	Stretch & Strengthen	4.5 m run	crossfit	yoga	7 m run	Rest
7	8x 200m hills w/ jog down recovery	Stretch & Strengthen	4.5 m run	crossfit	yoga	8 m run	Rest
8	16x 1 min w/ 1 min jog recovery	Stretch & Strengthen	5 m run	crossfit	yoga	9 m run	Rest
9	8x 200m hills w/ jog down recovery	Stretch & Strengthen	5 m run	crossfit	yoga	10 m run	Rest
10	4 m tempo run	Stretch & Strengthen	5 m run	crossfit	yoga	8 m run	Rest
11	8x 200m hills w/ jog down recovery	Stretch & Strengthen	4 m run	crossfit	yoga	rest	Half Marathon

Feel free to print off a copy for yourself - success is so much sweeter when there are others to share it with :) But remember, if you haven't been active in a while, build up to this. And as always, check with your doctor first* before starting this or anyother plan.

You'll notice that the long run cps out at 10 miles, and a half marathon is 13.1 miles. Don't worry about those last 3 miles - adrenaline, fitness, and excitement will carry you through! My focus in this training plan is over all fitness, which can be reached better through multiple facets then simply focusing on the long runs.

What races are on your horizon? Have you run a half marathon before? Or a marathon? What's your dream distance?





*that old disclaimer that means, you can't blame me if you hurt yourself following my training plan as I designed it for ME.

HBO:The Weight of a Nation

One of my favorite Mommy Blogs is written by three moms on a mission to feed their kids as healthfully as possible. They adhere to a plant based diet, something that I strive to do with my own children, so I find their blog useful in garnering new ideas on how to make healthy food as appealing to my kiddos as a cheeseburger. Whole Foods Mommies posted a few days back about a documentary that HBO has produced called HBO:The Weight of a Nation. It's fabulous! I have watched a few episodes so far and highly recommend taking the time to do so. Episode three addresses obesity and children, which is what I started with, and recommend all mothers watch. It gets you thinking about what you're exposing your children to in a whole new way - and might just inspire you to try a little harder to push that apple as a snack instead of some of the alternatives that commercials suggest. Take a look - let me know what you think!

Healthy Cookies

An important element in the healing process, whether after having a baby, surgery, or some other life altering event, is to feed your body optimal nutrition. As I've been dealing with sleep deprivation lately, I've noticed a remarkable difference on the days where I eat for health, and exercise for energy - honestly, it's like night and day! The days where I follow a clean diet are smoother because I have even blood sugars, consistent energy, and a steady supply of the nutrients my body needs to continue the healing process. Throw in a heavy lifting session or interval training on the treadmill, and I am smiling! 
In my quest to keep all food healthy and clean [if you're wondering what it means to eat 'clean' foods, here's a handy site to get you started] I've developed a new cookie recipe to satisfy my sweet tooth, and feed my body essential nutrients. Sound too good to be true? It probably is; but either way, these are delicious cookies chock full of goodness, and void of guilt laden ingredients. These cookies are high in protein, have healthy essential fats, and contain enough sweetness to make them absolutely fabulous. And did I mention they won't leave you bloated or craving more like a traditional cookie? Yeah, these are awesome - Enjoy!

Healthy Cookies

an original recipe, developed by me

2/3 cups water
1/3 cup quinoa
1 cup coconut oil
1 1/3 cup coconut sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups fresh ground quinoa flour*
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/3 cup sunflower seeds, unsalted
1/3 cup fresh ground flax seed
1/3 cup hemp hearts
1 cup unsweetened raisins

Bring the water and quinoa to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the covered pot on the stove for an additional 6 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork, then set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350*

Cream the coconut oil in a mixer, then add sugar and continue to mix until fluffy and fully incorporated. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, combine the quinoa flour down through to the hemp hearts and mix well. Once fully blended, add to the coconut oil mixture and blend well. The mixture will pull away from the sides of the bowl when it's ready for the next step. Add in all the raisins and mix until incorporated.

Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Flatten slightly, then bake in the oven for 7-10 minutes until the bottom of cookies are golden brown [my dark pans took 7 minutes, while my light pans took 8. Every oven and pan is different, so watch your first batch of cookies closely.] Let cool on pan before transferring to a cookie rack. These store best in the fridge, or if you want them to last even longer go for the freezer. 

Since the recipe yielded about 5 dozen cookies, I put half in the freezer, and the other half in the fridge. Both Darius and Eli LOVE these, and will eat a few at a time for a snack, or as an addition to breakfast [these definitely fit the bill of a breakfast cookie!] I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

*I ground my quinoa flour in a coffee grinder, but it can also be ground in a blender or grain grinder. I also grind my own flax in a coffee grinder - it's a really handy tool! Just remember that if you do drink coffee, don't grind your grains and seeds on the same grinder as your coffee - you need separate grinders for these.

Newborn Photography

Some moments need never be forgotten. Those first few days after Audrey joined our family were sweet, peaceful, and full of snuggles and love. Every time I look at these pictures I am reminded to slow down, pick up my babes and give them the love they crave and deserve. My family, my children, are my focus right now - and will be for quite some time to come. Being a mother is not a sometimes deal; from the moment you know your baby will soon be in your arms, your responsibilities increase, and your desire to be better is cemented. I strive everyday to become more, to learn and grow emotionally, physically, spiritually so that I can imbue that wisdom on the sweet souls in my care. 
Thank you to Elizabeth Cranmer of Lizzy Anne Photography for capturing this special time for us. I love all the images - so much so that narrowing it down to the above photos was no easy task.

Mind and Body: One Month

I can't believe Audrey is a month old today! It's been a whirlwind of a month, yet at the same time it feels like she's been in the mix forever - confusing I know. Here's the next installment of our little progress reports [if you missed the first installent, Mind and Body One Week After Baby, check it out here, and if you missed Audrey's Birth Story it can be found here.] 

This how we spent Audrey's one month 'birthday'

Audrey's favorite activity at the park

Audrey and I ready to go shopping

Audrey:

Audrey is an eating machine! She loves to nurse, and does so frequently - day or night. We're working on getting the night time routine sorted out, and so far she'll sleep about four hours her first stretch, then it becomes a feeding frenzy. Last night for example, Audrey awoke at 2:15am, and nursed off and on until 4:45am...where upon Eli woke up and was miserable for a while before heading back to bed. Eli then can crashing into bed with me at 6, and Audrey woke up at 6:15 to eat again...night time is not my favorite time right now haha.
Audrey is very alert, looks around and makes eye contact easily. She tracks my voice and movements, and smiles at me as we talk. While she doesn't enjoy bath time or diaper changes, Audrey LOVES to be snuggled and so I enjoy baby snuggles as often as I can get them! Having two busy boys underfoot means that this sweet baby is also very patient, and often takes a break from nursing when Eli is needing help RIGHT NOW, as she is currently the more patient of the two of them. Audrey is a very calm and even tempered little angel, and I simply adore her!
This first month has brought a world of new experiences  and 'firsts' for Audrey, including 'first cold'. Being the lucky little sister of two doting older brothers, Audrey is in contact with germs on a daily basis. Darius and Eli have both had colds, the 24 flu, and random coughs in the past month, so Audrey has fared pretty well with only contracting congestion. Shes doing a really good job at clearing the mucous herself, and it hasn't held her back much at all. Night times are a bit rougher with her congestion as she needs to be propped a certain way to be able to breath...which means I usually end up with her in bed with me, with her propped against my body, and me stiff as a board by morning. Despite being a little under the weather,Audrey weights in at 10lbs 12oz which is a nice little gain over her 7lbs 1oz birth weight. 


Me:

My body continues to heal and return to its active self. I ran my first 5 km this past week, have been hefting weights, and continue to do stretching and yoga. The standard advice is to not to return to full activity until after six weeks postpartum, however I needed to have the mental lift that being active gives me. I listen to my body and only push as far as my body is able to comfortably. Returning to exercise has been a fabulous help for me to push through the day after my extremely short nights. 
My Mom was here for the first two weeks after Audrey arrived, which allowed me to sleep, eat, and snuggle Audrey all day long. It was heaven! After she left, getting back into the swing of maintaining a household, running after two busy boys, and caring for a newborn has been a challenge for me. Some days I end the day with a smile on my face, feeling like a million dollars! Other days I cry myself to sleep because I am overwhelmed and exhausted. It's been a bit of a roller coaster of emotions but my Handsome Hubby has been a great strength and help to me along the way. If he weren't such a hands on Dad things would be down right crazy around here haha! The reason blog posts have been rather sporadic/non-existent as of late, is simply because when I have a moment to sit down I fall asleep - which is probably the best use of my time right now haha!
I have been dealing with major 'mommy guilt' over the past month in connection to Darius and Elias. They've lost a lot of the one on one time that we enjoyed prior to Audrey's arrival. Darius has expressed his feeling about this, and is obviously working through our new normal. Eli is having a bit of a tougher time, and has taken to waking up extra early as a result. 
I also feel guilty for how much has slipped through my fingers in the past month as far as maintaining our home and feeding my family. I prepared really well, or so I thought, but it still is hard to get healthy meals on the table when my kiddos are hungry. We've eaten out more than I care to admit, and there have been more treats than is healthy for anyone - let alone kids that aren't used to having treats so often. All of our belly's are suffering from sugar overload, and it definitely contributes to the lower mental state I've been exhibiting.
Heading out of the house on my own with three kids is such a daunting thought that it actually hasn't happened yet, other than going to the beach. Darius is really great at listening, and Audrey is pretty low maintenance, but Eli is a busy body with limited communication abilities and a stubborn streak a mile long. I had Eli and Audrey with me in a store on Saturday, and I ended up with Eli in the baby stroller, Audrey in my arms, and leaving the store as quickly as my one arm could maneuver the stroller through the isles. It's a whole new workout haha! 
All in all, I wouldn't give up this challenge for anything in the world - it's been a fabulously overwhelming [and wonderful] month.

Postnatal Yoga

We've passed the two week postpartum mark, and so I've been slowly incorporating gentle exercise back into my day. By gentle I don't mean a slow jog - although, I can't wait to hit the treadmill again! - I mean stretching, yoga, and walking. Through it all, it's important to listen to your body and stop or modify the routine as needed. And you need to have clearance from your practitioner before you embark on any exercise routine. 

Today, I found a wonderful yoga routine which relieved the 'nursing shoulders' I've been battling in the past few days. For all those whom have nursed, you most likely know what I'm talking about, but for those whom haven't, nursing shoulders develop from the less than stellar posture one uses when nursing a baby [which can be alleviated by propping the baby up with a pillow, or holding the baby up higher yourself...neither of which I do consistently... especially when nursing in the night.] This yoga routine is not billed as a postpartum routine, however it definitely does the job quite nicely. Enjoy!

The Mommy Mark

Darius is a precocious, inquisitive five year old. Having him along for the ride through pregnancy, delivery, and the newborn stage this time around has been an adventure all in itself. He questions everything that goes on, wants to know how and why everything works, and makes me think good and hard about the miracle of life through it all. One thing that has captured his attention from day one of pregnancy is,"but how does baby eat when she's in your tummy?" We discussed his question and I explained what an umbilical cord is and how it takes food from Mama and puts it straight into baby's tummy. I told him that after a baby is born and can eat with it's mouth, the umbilical cord falls off and the mark left behind is called a belly button; Darius raised his shirt to look at his own belly button. Darius thinks this is awesome - and for good reason! We each have a reminder, a very real part of us, of the miracle of life and the gift from our Mother's as they sustained us in the womb. Belly button is synonymous with "Mommy Mark" in our house now, as this is the very real physical connection we all had with our Moms. 
As we cuddle in bed in the morning the boys will examine their belly buttons, check out Daddy's belly button, and stare at their sisters healing belly button. And through it all I feel incredibly blessed. Blessed that my body allowed me to be apart of the miracle of life. Blessed that these three wonderful little souls could survive on the less than stellar umbilical cords my body makes [all three of my kiddos had single vessel cords.] And blessed beyond measure to be Mother.  

Happy [belated] Mother's Day