tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72964523167005111262024-02-21T05:09:18.462-08:00Marathon MamaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.comBlogger266125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-49009529423879681732013-10-22T08:18:00.000-07:002013-10-22T08:18:12.401-07:00Break<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">When thinking in terms of gratitude, the term,"my cup over floweth" often comes to mind. But right now, my plate 'over floweth.' I am currently being pulled in many different directions, between my kiddos <i>[especially with Audrey teething and Eli's freshly broken leg]</i> my calling, house work and projects, and simply taking care of myself, I am feeling a little over whelmed. So, somethings gotta give. And right now, that 'something' is this little blog. I love writing, in fact it's a creative outlet I crave quite often, but I have so little time to sit these days, and when I find a moment to sit I find that my eyes automatically close - cause, well, I'm tired ha! So, for now I'm stepping back from recipe creating, motherhood musing, workout inspirations, and all the rest. I hope to be back sooner than later - but only time will tell :)</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-75362503440230410682013-10-13T07:40:00.000-07:002013-10-13T07:40:52.735-07:00Thanksgiving [gluten free edition]<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Thanksgiving weekend has rolled around once again here in Canada. I am so very grateful for the reminder that holidays, and this one in particular, are to pause and give thanks for all the many blessings in our lives. I am especially grateful for the family I was born into, the family my husband and I have created with one another, and the friends that are family in every sense of the word. I am grateful for health, strength, and a roof over my head that protects my sweet children and I - and my husband whom works tirelessly to keep us safe and sound in this home. I live a very blessed life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The past two years I enjoyed Thanksgiving on a vegan diet, and it was delicious in every way. This year, as I am still nursing [meat and I <a href="http://iammarathonmama.blogspot.ca/2012_12_01_archive.html">became friends again</a> while I was pregnant, and I have continued to eat it to help with my fluctuating milk supply] I made the full on meal, along with wonderful contributions from my step Mom. Turkey, roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, green salad, cranberry chutney, and stuffing and buns for those eating wheat. But seeing as my Step Mom and I are both gluten free, all desserts were made to accommodate this preference. I posted an instagram photo of the dessert spread and immediately received requests for recipes, so here is what I served up this thanksgiving for dessert!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Perfect Pumpkin Pie [<a href="http://iammarathonmama.blogspot.ca/2011/10/perfect-pumpkin-pie.html">recipe here</a>]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie [<a href="http://cherilitchfield.blogspot.ca/2013/10/a-different-pumpkin-pie.html">crust recipe here</a>, and filling was improvised with pudding mix, coconut yogurt, and shredded coconut]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Nutella Fudge with Pistachios [<a href="http://www.jocooks.com/other/sweets/nutella-fudge-with-pistachios-and-sea-salt/">recipe found here</a>]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">and Chocolate dipped Madeleine's [<a href="http://www.bigbearswife.com/2013/04/chocolate-dipped-madeleines-sundaysupper.html">recipe here</a> with the only tweaks being replacing the sugar and flour with coconut sugar and gluten free flour mix]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">EVERYTHING was a hit, and the pies were served with a dollop of whipped cream on top. Have fun whipping these up, devouring them with loved ones, and creating lasting memories. Happy Thanksgiving!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-2301710091486055962013-10-02T08:46:00.000-07:002013-10-02T08:49:07.734-07:00Numbers Game<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">When I was a pre-teen I went on a road trip with my cousins and aunt. We drove down to Montana, shopped, stayed in a hotel, and ate out. To my pre-teen self this was bliss!<strike> Who are we kidding, that is still bliss...other than eating out every meal</strike>. During the trip we made a few stops into Payless Shoes. At this point, Payless wasn't in Canada yet, and was a supreme deal. SO, I shopped to my hearts content getting some shoes for the upcoming school year. Clogs were all the rage, so I acquired a couple pairs of clogs, and some heels to accentuate the fact that I was already towering above not only all the other girls, but every single boy (except one, so naturally I had a crush on him.) Life was good. Until I got home...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Wanting to show off my spoils to my siblings and parents, I promptly paraded around the living room in my new shoes once we arrived home. To my absolute horror, I discovered I had bout TWO PAIRS of the exact.same.clogs. <i>Oh My</i>. My face turned red as my older and younger sister both laughed, grinding my nose in my humiliating oversight. (<i>In my defense, the clogs were bought on separate trips to Payless.</i>) The worst part though was that the sizes of the two pairs were different - one pair being a 9, and the other 11. Yep, 11. I was firmly entrenched in my obsession of being tall and growing up (<i>remember how I also bought heels?</i>) and sometime between my first trip to Payless and the second, I decided to upgrade myself to a larger shoe sizes to allow for all my planned growth. It made sense in my 11 year old brain.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There I was, red in the face, two pairs of brown fake leather clogs, and both pairs sporting wildly different shoe sizes. AND I was out $20 on that pair of size 9's I was never going to wear! My best friends Mom swooped in and bought my size 9's (she wore a size 7 I later found out, but was there for my fashion show and took pity on me) and I clod-hopped around middle school for a full year in over sized clogs before realizing the blisters on my size 9 feet were not worth it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Fast forward to when I was sixteen. Playing volleyball day in and day out, practically living in spandex shorts, I insisting on wearing Small sized t-shirts. I definitely would have rocked a Medium with more style and flair (and less mid-driff exposure on my 5'10" frame) but insisted on the Small because only fat people wore Medium. Yep, that's what I thought. I was literally obsessed with being as thin as possible, while playing competitive sports year round, and yet couldn't see the strong athlete in front of me. My day was made, or fell apart, based on two things: How my size Small shirt was fitting that day (clinging?bunching?stomach showing?) and whether I was able to pinch anything on my hip. Anything to pinch was reason enough, in my mind, to stay home. I was a mess - and it all came down to numbers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Jump on over to being pregnant with Darius. Darius was my first pregnancy that stuck around long enough to let me meet my little one (and I'm one lucky Mama to have Darius with me five years later!) Through my pregnancy I revised how I was eating, exercising, and thinking about my body. My body was capable of so much more than I had previously given it credit for! And then labor opened my eyes even more! If you want to learn how strong you really are, and truly gain great strength from within you, go for a <a href="http://iammarathonmama.blogspot.ca/2013/05/birth-story.html">natural, drug free labor</a>. Wow - I mean honestly. After delivering Darius without any pain med, seeing my body not only grow a human being, but deliver a human being (mind blowing!) I gained respect for my body and started treating it even better, and researching ways in which to improve my health. The scale continued to drop, lower and lower and lower after having Darius, but for the first time in my life I wasn't focused on the scale or what I was wearing. I was focused on nourishing my body so it would have what it needed to nourish Darius's. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">With each subsequent pregnancy my knowledge has grown, as I continue to research on an almost daily basis. Approaching my body from a health and wellness point of view, I now use the numbers on the scale as a gauge. I know that if the scale jumps suddenly that something is out of balance, and simply readjust my diet until I find the culprit (recently being wheat) and restore balance. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The numbers on the scale, stitched into your pants, or embossed in your shoes do not matter. What matters is finding balance, peace and harmony in your body. Loving your body for what it can do, for it's raw power, and for the possibilities it opens up for you is far more important than the size of your shirt (although, for the record, I have embraced Medium, and it feels MUCH more comfortable than Small ever did. And it's long enough!) Embrace the opportunities that are your's for the taking!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i>And while you're at it, do some good for those whom aren't able to harness the power within themselves due to physical and mental disabilities; help find a cure for<a href="http://iammarathonmama.blogspot.ca/2013/09/miss-melias-run-for-rett.html"> Rett Syndrome</a>. To sign up for an awesome 5km run/walk/whatever you want to do to cover the distance, race <a href="http://www.raceit.com/search/event.aspx?id=22853">CLICK HERE</a>. But hurry! Registration closes October 3rd, 2013.</i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-72271724668775589312013-09-28T11:26:00.000-07:002014-01-30T18:26:12.622-08:00Gratitude<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">My teenage years were rough. Not in a rebellious, picked on, or poverty stricken way, but in a hormonal roller coaster sort of way. <strike>Which doesn't sound so bad after the other scenarios, but trust me, it was bad</strike>. I didn't think I had any control over what the day would be like, giving up my power of choice without being aware or conscience of the decision. Slowly over time, I gained a moment of clarity - probably in a counseling session, but I don't remember the location, just the feeling - that I am in complete control of my day <u><b>no matter what</b></u> is going on around me or inside me. It was like a giant light bulb suddenly flooding my whole being with light; an <i>ah ha! </i>moment so huge that it felt like my entire being was energized and redirected. Well, quite frankly it was. From that day forward I <b>chose</b> to look for and focus on the good, to smile and warm my face with the sun, and to use my journal as a sounding board and a place to record all that I'm grateful for - big and small. At first, I struggled to find just five things I was grateful for. As I continued to flex my 'gratitude muscles' finding and focusing on the good and grateful moments in each day became second nature. I was doing what felt right, and following my decision to be happy everyday, which made being grateful second nature.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As it turns out, by following what felt right I may have stumbled upon a great truth ahead of science. This video displays in a brilliantly simple way the power of gratitude. Watch. Learn. And spread the love.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-43826855255397111292013-09-26T11:58:00.001-07:002013-09-26T11:58:18.335-07:00No Poo<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I'm sure you've heard the term "No Poo" by now, and aren't thinking this is a post about constipation. <i>BUT</i> for those that need a bit of an explanation, "No Poo" refers to a hair care method that shuns modern shampoo and condition for ingredients you'll find in your kitchen. After doing some research on the apple cider vinegar and baking soda method, I found that while some swear by these two ingredients, most people were ending up with dry and brittle hair. SO, while I really want to avoid chemicals in my hair, dry and brittle hair just didn't sound worth the swap. Then I found information about using raw honey for hair care! Honey is anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, completely natural and right up my alley! I gave this method a go and wanted to give my feedback to all of you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>The method:</u></span> Mix 1tbsp honey with 3tbsp warm water [add essential oils if you wish] and massage into the scalp. Don't worry about washing the hair strands, just the scalp. After the honey has been distributed evenly and really worked into the hair, wash out with plenty of warm water.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><u><span style="font-size: large;">What I found:</span></u> The first few days of switching to honey were great! My hair was soft, I was able to style it easily, and it held it's shape without product. But then, as expected, my hairs natural oils began to take over. An adjustment period is expected with any new hair care regimen, but when the 'adjustment' means getting used to increasingly greasy locks, I was not willing to go any further. My soft hair turned into slightly sticky hair, and while it still held a style it was due to a build up of oils. All my reading says that three weeks is a good amount of time to give this method the time it needs to work its magic on your hair...but this magic turned out to be more of an illusion in my case. Seriously. Right after washing my hair, it would be a greasy, sticky mess...not the sexy Mama look I'd like to rock when i find a moment to shower hah!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In a nutshell, after three weeks of trial I recommend you save yourself the weeks of tortuously greasy locks, and find a natural shampoo that you love and can stand behind. For me, <a href="http://www.live-clean.com/">live clean*</a> is a brand I can stand behind, and is natural <strike>enough</strike> that I use it on my kiddos as well. It is definitely one of my favorite things!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i>*this is not a paid or sponsored post, simply my own findings and opinions</i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-51073194819600116212013-09-23T08:10:00.003-07:002013-09-23T08:10:49.655-07:00Rancho Vignola<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A quick FYI for those who would like to try something truly delicious! There is a company called <a href="http://ranchovignola.com/">rancho vignola</a> here in Canada (based out of British Columbia) that sources out the freshest nuts, seeds, and dries fruits from the current seasons crops. They then make their delicious finds available to consumers at wholesale costs, which is beautiful music to my ears! Last year was my first time ordering from them, and the whole experience was wonderful - my favorite part being eating said deliciousness. My boys had never enjoyed raisins until trying Rancho's organic Thompson raisins. I purchased a 5lbs bag last year, thinking it would last a year since I would be the only one eating them. <u>The bag lasted a month</u>. The raisins were <b>THAT</b> good. So if you're looking for dried fruit, nuts, and seeds that are so fresh and delicious that you'll be looking forward to the next years crop to try out even more goodness, check out <a href="http://ranchovignola.com/">rancho vignola. </a>But hurry, orders need to be in by September 27th*.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i>*order minimum is $500 so gather up your friends and put an order together! </i></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-73468555777395393652013-09-18T08:37:00.000-07:002013-09-18T08:37:15.376-07:00Birthday<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Back in mid August my sweet little boys planned a pink princess party for my 29th birthday. I knew they were planning something based on all the questions Darius was asking me ["Mom, do you like Star Wars or Princesses?"] but it was still a wonderful surprise! I was sent upstairs when my Handsome Husband arrived home from work, and was told to wait until I was called down. When I was finally invited to join in the fun, I found a table decorated with pink table cloth, plates, napkins, and cups, a crown, and princess party blowers. AND a princess castle pinata sitting on the counter waiting to be smashed after dinner. I felt special, loved, and spoiled by my lovelies. It's always a wonderful surprise to have so much thought and planning put into a celebration! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darius and Eli made me special birthday flowers</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Not only did my boys shower me with all things pink, but they also gave me an iPad as a gift. Now, I'm not knocking iPad's, or my men's choice in gifts, but an iPad is wasted on me. I have a laptop, I have an iPhone, and an iPad just feels like the grey area between the two. So, after giving it a shot for a week [<i>honestly</i> it took me a few days to muster the courage to share my true feeling about the gift. The three of them were so excited to give the iPad to me, that telling them I wasn't digging it was a daunting task.] I decided to return it for something I would truly love and use. Any guesses what that would be?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A pair of bright yellow Merrel barefoot runners to round out my sneaker collection :) Some of you may think my swap out, a pair of shoes instead of an iPad, is crazy <b>BUT</b> these shoes get way more wear, and I LOVE the colour so much I wear them just for fun too! Who doesn't need a pair of yellow runners, or my "happy shoes" as I call them? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">When my knees are healed up I will put these new kicks through the ringer and give a review of them, but for now, I am completely in love with my happy shoes, and the wonderful men in my life that gave them to me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">If you have a new pair of shoes that you're looking to break in with a race, check out this <a href="http://iammarathonmama.blogspot.ca/2013/09/miss-melias-run-for-rett.html">5km run, and worthy cause</a>, happening where you are!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-51055396141601023492013-09-12T06:06:00.000-07:002013-09-12T06:06:13.200-07:00Miss Melia's Run for Rett<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I have this friend who is an incredible mom. Actually I have many friends who are incredible moms, but I want to tell you about one <i>specific</i> incredible mom. I have known Tanis since I was really young; in fact, I thought she was my cousin until I was about 10. <i>No joke</i>. Now that Tanis and I have both grown up <strike>sort of</strike> we've started families of our own and become Mama's to our little "mini-me's." Our stories, while much the same - in that we do school runs, grocery shops, clean house, and drive minivans - differ incredibly. Tanis' oldest, her daughter Melia, has Rett's Syndrome. Now if you're like me, you read that and had no clue what it meant. Cause I didn't when I heard the diagnosis a couple years ago. But I've been learning. And what I've been learning isn't great news. Here's a brief summary, courtesy of<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rett_syndrome"> wikipedia</a>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> <i>"<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">Rett syndrome</b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">, originally termed as </span><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">cerebroatrophic hyperammonemia</b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">,</span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rett_syndrome#cite_note-1" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[1]</a></sup><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> is a neurodevelopmental disorder of the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_matter" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" title="Grey matter">grey matter</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> of the brain</span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rett_syndrome#cite_note-2" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[2]</a></sup><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> that almost exclusively affects females but has also been found in male patients. The clinical features include small hands and feet and a deceleration of the rate of head growth (including </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcephaly" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" title="Microcephaly">microcephaly</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> in some). Repetitive</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotypic_movement_disorder" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" title="Stereotypic movement disorder">stereotyped hand movements</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">, such as wringing and/or repeatedly putting hands into the mouth, are also noted.</span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rett_syndrome#cite_note-3" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[3]</a></sup><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> People with Rett syndrome are prone to gastrointestinal disorders and up to 80% have seizures.</span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rett_syndrome#cite_note-4" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[4]</a></sup><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> They typically have no verbal skills, and about 50% of individuals affected do not walk. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoliosis" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" title="Scoliosis">Scoliosis</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">, growth failure, and constipation are very common and can be problematic."</span></i></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melia and friends at one of the Rett Syndrome conferences this year</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 19.1875px;">Melia is one of many girls facing this condition with no cure. Yet. This is where you come in ;) Being that Melia has an amazing Mama who doesn't take 'no cure' for an answer, Tanis does fundraising year round to help research take place. October is Rett Syndrome awareness month, and in honor of that Tanis has organized a </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 19.1875px;">virtual</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 19.1875px;"> 5 km race called "</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large; line-height: 19.1875px;"><b>Miss Melia's Run for Rett</b></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 19.1875px;">." How this works is you go </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large; line-height: 19.1875px;"><a href="http://www.raceit.com/search/event.aspx?id=22853"><b>HERE</b></a> </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 19.1875px;">and register [</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 19.1875px;">at $25 this is a steal of a deal!</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 19.1875px;">] Then, Tanis sends you a race bib, you run/walk/crawl 5km[</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 19.1875px;">whatever you are able to do to cross off those km's!]</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 19.1875px;"> </span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 19.1875px;">sometime</b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 19.1875px;"> during October and take a picture of yourself in your race bib and gear. Send that awesomely sweaty photo to Tanis, and she'll send you a medal! All the proceeds</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> from "Miss Melia's Run for Rett" will benefit Team Miss Melia - Girl Power 2 Cure <span style="font-size: x-small;">[(www.girlpower2cure.org), a 501c3 nonprofit organization.</span>]</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tanis ran the "Disney Princess Half Marathon" this past February to raise funds and awareness</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: #333333;">One of the best parts of this run is that it can be done ANYWHERE in the world on ANY day in October!<b><span style="font-size: large;"> You</span></b> decide when you race - then do it:) So who wants to do something good for their bodies, while helping find a cure? If there is interest in running as a group, contact me and I'll set something up!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-4470630577025060782013-09-11T09:14:00.000-07:002013-09-11T09:14:42.434-07:00Race Recap [sort of]<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">This past Sunday September 8th was the Canmore half marathon. While I'd love to report that I hit a PB, ran like the wind, and left it all on the course, I can't. In fact, I can't even report that I ran.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Two weeks ago I started noticing pain in both of my knees after I would run. I would stop and walk for a while, then get back at it. Eventually I wasn't able to run at all due to the pain. So I stopped running. Completely. On Friday I headed to my chiropractor to get an assessment and find out if I could run without causing damage. After checking the mobility of the joints, the muscles around them, and the location of the pain, he found that it was a "tracking" issue. In my case this means that my knee caps are pulling up and to the side as I move, instead of the straight up and down that they are suppose to do. This particular problem is being caused by severe tightness in the outside quadriceps muscles.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> And so, instead of running a half marathon, I've been stretching, icing, walking, and resting. No running, no weight lifting, no carrying anything other than Audrey for the next two weeks. As he laid the diagnosis and prescription on me, I knew I had two options: 1) I could take this as a major buzz kill, get super disappointed, and pout about not being able to run my goal race. Or 2) I could take this as a wake up call to put more of a priority on stretching and joint health, and be grateful for all that my body does let me do.<i> I chose the second.</i></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">My knees have visible bruising all around the knee caps, I spend more time icing them than I have ever done with an injury before, and I've been doing targeted stretching, as well as yoga for full body flexibility.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> So yes, I missed my goal race this past weekend, but I am healing instead of hurting my body, which is a big win in my books.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-12431096553966968842013-09-05T07:23:00.000-07:002013-09-05T07:23:58.209-07:00Let Them Eat Cake!<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I married into a pretty fabulous family. It's a fact. My husbands maternal grandma was a woman of many talents whom I grew to love quickly as we would sit and talk. She lived at my in-laws for a couple of years before she passed, and during that time she was grieving the loss of her husband, the love of her life. She would talk for hours about the past, recounting details of her time she spent living with her Nanny, her job at the telephone office, and the ins and outs of raising TEN children. Yes, that says ten. I learnt many valuable lessons from Grandma through her stories, and one of them came rushing back to me as I prepared to send my sweet first born off to school this week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Grandma and Grandpa were not wealthy, and to make financial matters even more tight they added ten children to the mix. So while they may have been raising their brood during the dawning of 'convenience' food, Grandma made every meal from scratch. Between caring for the children still at home, cleaning the home, tending the garden, and making supper, Grandma took the time every weekday to prepare an after school snack. Her snack of choice for ten children [plus friends] was usually cake. Grandma had many reasons for the after school cake tradition, from the fact that she knew everyone enjoyed cake, to ensuring that all her children would be making a bee-line for her kitchen after school - and not someone else's. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And so it was a given that today, being Darius' first full day of kindergarten, that I needed cake waiting on the counter for him when he returned home. The sweet aroma of vanilla and butter cream drifted through our home after school as Darius came bursting in the door. His excitement was evident as he recounted his first day of school, and his eyes sparkled as he enjoyed the cupcake in front of him. He sat only long enough to devour his cupcake, then he was off to the backyard, running, laughing and playing with his little brother. And it was in that moment that Grandma's wisdom sunk in. It is that moment of laughing, sharing, and filling me in on his wonderful day while he enjoyed something I had lovingly made him, that makes the cake magical. So while I won't always have cupcakes waiting for him <i>[sorry Grandma, but cake is a special occasion treat in our house]</i>, Darius will always find something delicious to linger over and spend time with him Mama after school. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-26908801226873468372013-09-02T10:17:00.000-07:002013-09-02T10:17:30.434-07:00Enduring Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As a young girl I dreamed of the prince that would sweep me off my feet. I dreamed about Sunday afternoon walks as a family, my prince and I walking hand in hand while the kids laughed and played around us. I dreamed about a real love story, in which my prince and I would have the starring roles. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Now, firmly planted in adulthood, and living my childhood dream, I continue to appreciate the love stories of others. Take a moment and head over to vimeo to watch this video about Fred and his sweet Lorraine. Pure love is something to be celebrated, cherished, and sought after - and these two definitely had it. I hope this inspires you as much as it has inspired me.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-9721224507923918052013-08-29T07:12:00.000-07:002013-08-29T07:14:28.930-07:00Giving the Good<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: #222222;">Earlier I shared my top tips for being a great visitor of a Mama with a new baby; if you missed it you can find it </span><a href="http://iammarathonmama.blogspot.ca/2013/08/four-months-ago.html" style="color: #222222;">here</a><span style="color: #222222;">. If you're looking to arrive bearing gifts here are some things you can do or bring that would be helpful to the new Mama you love so much!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1. Meals for the family - sometimes meal time slips through during the early days of having a new baby at home. Adjusting to the new normal takes time and practice, and helping out with meals really is a great service!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">2. Babysitting/play dates with older kids - this would be best at someone else's house so mom can just sleep when baby sleeps</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">3. A big water bottle - there are no words to express how thirsty a nursing Mama is, but then throw in recovery from birth and you have one parched beauty!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">4. Smoothies - make it green and choke full of healthy goodness! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">5. Chocolate and magazines - recovery takes resting, and resting needs entertainment. And chocolate. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">6. A rice bag for sore muscles - so wonderful!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">7. diapers and wipes - have you ever seen the mountain of diapers a newborn produces? </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">8. baby clothes/items - or better yet, offer to host a baby shower for her at a later date!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Take the time to know what would be most helpful, and do it. But remember to be mindful of the pointers<a href="http://www.birthresourcenetwork.org/resources/109-how-to-be-the-best-post-partum-visitor-in-15-minutes-or-less"> here </a>and<a href="http://iammarathonmama.blogspot.ca/2013/08/four-months-ago.html"> here</a> so that you are being as helpful as possible without holding back Mama from sleeping and recovering.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-34894871723064028612013-08-27T10:44:00.001-07:002013-08-29T07:20:08.147-07:00Four Months Ago...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">...I had a few hours old baby snuggled up next to me. Audrey was born at 6:28am, and laid awake in my arms for a couple of hours soaking in her surroundings before we both went to sleep. Through the first week of Audrey's life I made a list of all the wonderful things people did that made bringing this sweet little girl into the world. I was reminded of this list when I saw <a href="http://www.birthresourcenetwork.org/resources/109-how-to-be-the-best-post-partum-visitor-in-15-minutes-or-less">this article</a> posted by a friend on facebook yesterday. It's so important to celebrate each special spirit joining our lives, but here are some pointers on how to make the celebrations easier on both momma and baby.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">1. When you visit over a meal time, bring the meal to share with the mom and her family. **Update: And, bring the meal in disposable containers so the new Mama isn't trying to figure out whose Tupperware is sitting on her counter a month later. <i>Thanks Tanis for the tip!</i>**</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">2.Don't overstay your welcome. 30 minutes is a long enough visit</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: white;">3.Don't pick up baby without washing your hands and asking mom first</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: white;">4.Ask what needs to be done around the house, then do it</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: white;">5.Pay attention to the older kiddos - the baby only really wants its mother, and the older kids are hurt by the lack of attention</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: white;">6.New moms need rest; if you're monopolizing those helping her, then she's not getting the rest she needs. Pay attention, and again don't stay long</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: white;">7.Call before you head over - it may not be a good time after all, or there may be something that is needed and you could pick it up on the way</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: white;">8.Space out visitors. Even if they're staying for a short amount of time, if mom isn't getting enough time to rest in between its not good</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">9. AND For goodness sakes, don't bounce the baby! They're newborns; snuggle them don't jiggle them</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-86677228898328622032013-08-23T07:51:00.000-07:002013-08-23T07:51:00.407-07:00One to Three<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">When I had one child I was over whelmed. The screaming, the constant demands, the screaming. <i>Oh my the screaming.</i> Darius likes to remind me often that he was my first baby, a badge of honor he wears with pride. His status as first born almost earned him the <span style="font-size: large;">"Only Child"</span> badge as well, but after much thought, prayer, and negotiations we agreed to have a second. Both my Hottie Husband and I knew that if we had another screamer we were done at two. My sanity barely scraped through with Darius, and well, we weren't too sure that either of us could handle a repeat of the screaming we had already endured. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Low and behold, Eli was a golden baby who slept through the night after six weeks, crying really wasn't his thing, and he napped without having to be pushed in a stroller. Eli restored my faith in myself. I believed I could do this motherhood thing again, and when we started thinking about having another baby I was fully on board - in fact I was down right excited! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Audrey is now three months old, closing in on four months if I'm being honest with myself. Having three kiddos is far different than having one, not only in a logistics way, but in a mentality. Logistically I'm out numbered, often pulled in three directions, and have three very different children all with different needs to be met. My attitude as a mother has changed from rigid to more flexible, and go with the flow. We still have a schedule, but I no longer feel like a bad mother when I don't get the kids into bed right at 7pm. We still eat healthy foods, but I no longer cringe if the boys have the infrequent hot dog. <strike>We still have toilets, but I no longer worry when my boys pee on the rocks outside instead.</strike> Somewhere along the way, my kids have taught me to enjoy the moment instead of thinking of how it could be better. They've taught me to slow down, enjoy the sun on my skin and the smiles looking up at me. Somehow, my kids have taught me that being out numbered is a wonderful feeling. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Today was a busy go go go day of cleaning, van shopping [yes, you read that right, <b>VAN </b>shopping]and cousins arriving for a weekend of playing. I've been up since before 4:30 when Eli decided it was time to get up. Scrubbing toilets, stripping beds, vacuuming, all with a baby in tow and little men helpers. All five of us test drove and looked at vans at the dealership. And now, with three sleeping kiddos and myself headed that direction I'm looking forward to seeing three big smiles looking at their cousins across the breakfast table, scrabbling about the beach all day, and running wild in the summer sun. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Life is definitely busier with three kids [especially with cousins in the mix:) ] but I can't imagine life any other way.</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-72464793198707683852013-08-20T09:00:00.002-07:002013-08-20T09:00:39.536-07:00Training update <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Before I dropped off the mystical blogging cliff of busy mama life, I posted the <a href="http://www.iammarathonmama.blogspot.ca/2013/06/monday.html">half marathon training plan</a> I created to prepare to run a half marathon in September. It's been a great plan to follow so far, and with nine weeks behind me and the final three to go I'm feeling back on my feet once again. Getting back into a running groove has been a challenge at times, but focusing on one workout or one week, at a time has really helped me push through the discomfort and lace up my sneakers anyways. One of the most helpful things I've found is looking at my training as a week long endeavor. Looking at training one week at a time allows me to juggle my workouts according to my schedule. Some weeks my long run has been completed on Friday, others Monday, but the point is it always gets done. It's not always easy, but man is it ever worth it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I have trained for and completed many races, and by far this training plan has been the most effective - and yet it has the fewest runs per week. For some this would be a deterrent, but with a small babe on hand I needed to make sure that I was maximizing my training time and keeping my time away from her to a minimum. Between cross fit, strength training, and yoga I gain awesome strength, conditioning and cross training. My running workouts each week consist of one speed or hill training day (it alternates week to week) one mid distance run which caps at 5 miles, and one long run on the weekend. My longest run of the training program is coming up this Saturday, 10 miles. Hitting this week, the week of maximums, is always one of my favorites. Not only do I know I have come A LONG WAY but I know that come Monday it's time to taper off to race day :) Cause in the end, 12 weeks of training is focused and directed towards one end goal - completing the half marathon with a smile on my face and burning legs! "Leave it all on the course" is my motto, and a training principle I rely on to make me stronger, better, and faster. After all 12 weeks will pass anyways, why not discover my potential in the process?</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-4077019265637634732013-08-18T17:54:00.000-07:002013-08-18T17:54:22.419-07:00I'm still here!<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It's been a while. A long two months break if we're being specific, and it's been a crazy busy two months at that! So much has happened that has pushed my blogging to the back burner, from a natural disaster to rival hurricane Katrina in my city, to my hubby being on the front lines of safety during and after said disaster (which rendered me a single parent for a month or so) to many mini vacations since. Throw in soaking up all the summer we can while it lasts and you'll get the idea. It's been busy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Many times over the past while I've written down topics I wanted to tackle in a post, and so now I have a long list of topics that may or may not be addressed based on their relevance moving forward; but we gotta pick up somewhere so here we go!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There is something different about having a daughter. When both of my sons were born, life stood still as I breathed in their very existence. My eyes glistened often with tears of gratitude and joy as I would snuggle them close to my chest and let their sweet baby scent envelope me. I do the same with my daughter, and my heart tugs at the thought of all the roads I have traveled that she will too in the not too distant future. Each time she connects her big blue eyes to mine, smiling her big toothless grin, I pause and soak in the trust and love that she has for me. Right now I am her everything, and I am absolutely loving it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The need to be a stronger role model for my children is very much at the for front of my mind. To walk the road that I tell them they must tread. Living a kind, healthy and generous life has a whole new meaning when I have a princess following my wake, along with my two little princes. Here is my wish for my sweet little Audrey as she sleeps soundly in the room next to me:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I wish that you will see the world full of possibility and light; full of goodness to be gleamed and given, and love to be shared. I wish that you will see the rising of the sun each day as the dawning of possibility, and take a moment at each sunset to focus on all the blessings and gratitude in your life. I wish that you will stand on the strength within you, and look to the Lord for solace and know that you are amazing. I wish that you will know through the look in my eyes that I adore you and know you are the most amazing girl in the world. I wish that you will feel the power God has blessed you with as you run, climb, and conquer each challenge you face; that you will see every mountain as a journey to be enjoyed. I wish that you will see me as a sounding board for ideas, a companion through thick and thin, and a mother whom you wouldn't trade for anything in the world. I wish you a thousand smiles and more, because you are my princess whom I adore.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Life became a little more rosy and pink three months ago - and to say I am loving every minute would be an understatement. </span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-60719599248063933722013-06-14T09:15:00.001-07:002013-06-14T09:15:35.877-07:00Monday....<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">...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 <strike>and cross some mileage</strike> and goals off your list, then join in the fun! Here's the training schedule I cooked up for the next 11 weeks:</span><br />
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</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="background: rgb(0, 153, 204); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 7.96%;" width="7%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">1</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.24%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">8x 200m
hills w/ jog down recovery<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Stretch
&<br />
Strengthen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.88%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">3 m run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">crossfit<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">yoga<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.9%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">4 m run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.74%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="background: rgb(0, 153, 204); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 7.96%;" width="7%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">2</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.24%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">4x 4
min w/ 90 second jog recovery<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Stretch
&<br />
Strengthen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.88%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">3 m run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" valign="top" width="12%">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>crossfit</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">yoga<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.9%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">4 m run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.74%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="background: rgb(0, 153, 204); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 7.96%;" width="7%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">3</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.24%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">8x 200m
hills w/ jog down recovery<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Stretch
&<br />
Strengthen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.88%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">3.5 m
run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" valign="top" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">crossfit</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" valign="top" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">yoga</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.9%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">5 m run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.74%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="background: rgb(0, 153, 204); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 7.96%;" width="7%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">4</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.24%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">4x 5
min w/ 90 second jog recovery<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Stretch
&<br />
Strengthen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.88%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">3.5 m
run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" valign="top" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">crossfit</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" valign="top" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">yoga</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.9%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">5 m run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.74%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td style="background: rgb(0, 153, 204); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 7.96%;" width="7%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">5</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.24%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">8x 200m
hills w/ jog down recovery<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Stretch
&<br />
Strengthen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.88%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">4 m run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" valign="top" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">crossfit</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" valign="top" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">yoga</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.9%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">10 k race<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.74%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td style="background: rgb(0, 153, 204); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 7.96%;" width="7%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">6</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.24%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">2.5 m
tempo run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Stretch
&<br />
Strengthen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.88%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">4.5 m
run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" valign="top" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">crossfit</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" valign="top" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">yoga</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.9%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">7 m run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.74%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td style="background: rgb(0, 153, 204); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 7.96%;" width="7%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">7</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.24%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">8x 200m
hills w/ jog down recovery<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Stretch
&<br />
Strengthen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.88%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">4.5 m
run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" valign="top" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">crossfit</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" valign="top" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">yoga</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.9%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">8 m run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.74%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td style="background: rgb(0, 153, 204); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 7.96%;" width="7%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">8</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.24%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">16x 1
min w/ 1 min jog recovery<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Stretch
&<br />
Strengthen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.88%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">5 m run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" valign="top" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">crossfit</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" valign="top" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">yoga</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.9%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">9 m run</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.74%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Rest <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td style="background: rgb(0, 153, 204); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 7.96%;" width="7%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">9</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.24%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">8x 200m
hills w/ jog down recovery<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Stretch
&<br />
Strengthen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.88%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">5 m run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" valign="top" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">crossfit</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" valign="top" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">yoga</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.9%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">10 m
run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.74%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 10;">
<td style="background: rgb(0, 153, 204); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 7.96%;" width="7%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">10</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.24%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">4 m
tempo run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Stretch
&<br />
Strengthen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.88%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">5 m run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" valign="top" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">crossfit</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" valign="top" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">yoga</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.9%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">8 m run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.74%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Rest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 11; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="background: rgb(0, 153, 204); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 7.96%;" width="7%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">11</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.24%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">8x 200m
hills w/ jog down recovery</span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Stretch
&<br />
Strengthen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.88%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">4 m run<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" valign="top" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">crossfit</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.86%;" valign="top" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">yoga</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.9%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">rest</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(255, 255, 153); border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0.75pt; width: 12.74%;" width="12%">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Half Marathon<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New;">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. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">What races are on your horizon? Have you run a half marathon before? Or a marathon? What's your dream distance?</span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">*that old disclaimer that means, you can't blame me if you hurt yourself following my training plan as I designed it for ME.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-781137345254055572013-06-07T07:00:00.000-07:002013-06-07T07:00:09.062-07:00HBO:The Weight of a Nation<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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. <a href="http://www.wholefoodmommies.com/">Whole Foods Mommies</a> 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!</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-19206158841459023812013-06-03T09:30:00.000-07:002013-06-03T09:30:27.737-07:00Healthy Cookies<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In my quest to keep all food healthy and clean <i>[if you're wondering what it means to eat 'clean' foods,<a href="http://www.eatcleandiet.com/what_is_the_eat-clean_diet.aspx#.UajafkA3uSo"> here's </a>a handy site to get you started] </i>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!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEH8gS_GfYJcJ59ngyLWTR-lcfvScwG6J47JM1TGFJjqt2yJXemliHG_tVJ7oL-OrzNU5ylGLdtfIb_f1cPkt-8G_qy8P2EDYgb1SSKCwPWJyohEPDSj4NUbR4tIvk_Si_4F0kOC_x3T4R/s1600/DSC_0055_edited-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEH8gS_GfYJcJ59ngyLWTR-lcfvScwG6J47JM1TGFJjqt2yJXemliHG_tVJ7oL-OrzNU5ylGLdtfIb_f1cPkt-8G_qy8P2EDYgb1SSKCwPWJyohEPDSj4NUbR4tIvk_Si_4F0kOC_x3T4R/s640/DSC_0055_edited-1.JPG" width="422" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Healthy Cookies</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">an original recipe, developed by me</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2/3 cups water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/3 cup quinoa</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 cup coconut oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 1/3 cup coconut sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">3 large eggs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2 tsp pure vanilla extract</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2 1/4 cups fresh ground quinoa flour*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 1/2 tsp baking powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 tsp baking soda</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 1/2 tsp cinnamon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/4 tsp sea salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 1/4 cups rolled oats</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/3 cup sunflower seeds, unsalted</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/3 cup fresh ground flax seed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/3 cup hemp hearts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 cup unsweetened raisins</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Preheat the oven to 350*</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i>*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.</i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-61016618743495461522013-05-31T09:55:00.000-07:002013-05-31T09:55:15.498-07:00Newborn Photography<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Thank you to Elizabeth Cranmer of <a href="http://pigtailsandsnails.blogspot.ca/">Lizzy Anne Photography</a> 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.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-82812864082982870892013-05-28T08:50:00.003-07:002013-05-28T08:50:21.396-07:00Mind and Body: One Month<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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, <b>Mind and Body One Week After Baby</b>, <a href="http://www.iammarathonmama.blogspot.ca/2013/05/mind-and-body-one-week-after-baby.html">check it out here</a>, and if you missed Audrey's <b>Birth Story</b> it can be <a href="http://www.iammarathonmama.blogspot.ca/2013/05/birth-story.html">found here</a>.] </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This how we spent Audrey's one month 'birthday'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Audrey's favorite activity at the park</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Audrey and I ready to go shopping</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Audrey:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Audrey is an <i>eating machine!</i> 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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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,</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Audrey weights in at 10lbs 12oz which is a nice little gain over her 7lbs 1oz birth weight. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">All in all, I wouldn't give up this challenge for anything in the world - it's been a fabulously overwhelming [and wonderful] month.</span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-81957617628668531412013-05-17T12:17:00.000-07:002013-05-17T12:17:02.665-07:00Postnatal Yoga<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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 <i>can't wait</i> 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. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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 <i>[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.]</i> This yoga routine is not billed as a postpartum routine, however it definitely does the job quite nicely. Enjoy!</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/9z2vSwHE0lI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-57416381887195949792013-05-13T12:50:00.000-07:002013-05-13T12:50:22.946-07:00The Mommy Mark<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">; Darius raised his shirt to look at his own belly button.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> 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. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_umbilical_artery">single vessel cords</a>.] And blessed beyond measure to be Mother. </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-13662220079044565952013-05-10T08:23:00.001-07:002013-05-10T08:24:19.861-07:00Mother's Day Gift Guide [for the fitness minded Mama}<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Mother's Day gifts are funny. While I appreciate that there is a full day set apart to celebrate all the Mamas out there, I think that the spontaneous gifts of appreciation and love that are given through out the year are more meaningful. That being said, when it comes to Mother's Day, it would be a bummer to have no lovin' coming my way...so I guess I'm still trying to find a balance between what I find meaningful, and what society has created as expectations. To make things simple for all those Hubby's and Kiddos whom are looking to spoil their Mama's on Sunday, I've been searching for the perfect [in my eyes] gifts to receive There are many Mother's Day gift guides out there, but when I was looking through some of them over the past week, I noticed a specific trend of focusing on chocolates [don't get me wrong, I love chocolates] and other edible gifts, and not much in the way of long lasting gifts. I'm the kinda girl that has asked for a step for Christmas [my Hottie Husband didn't believe me when I asked for it...multiple times...and got me something else. Needless to say, he made me a step for the following Christmas when I asked for it again haha!] so maybe this gift guide won't suit you perfectly; But if it does, feel free to forward it to your kiddos or Husband to get them thinking about gifts <span style="font-size: large;">YOU</span> would like, instead of gifts <span style="font-size: large;">THEY</span> would enjoy borrowing, or helping to devour.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.girlfriendfitnessgetaways.com/images/OxygenMagazineCoverJuly2009_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.girlfriendfitnessgetaways.com/images/OxygenMagazineCoverJuly2009_001.jpg" width="233" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.oxygenmag.com/"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Oxygen Magazine Subscription</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> <a href="http://www.harvesthalfmarathon.com/">Race Entry to her Favorite Race</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.rundisney.com/princess-half-marathon/">Race Weekend Girlfriend Getaway</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.mdrunandwalk.com/uploads/images/Calgary-Home.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://www.mdrunandwalk.com/uploads/images/Calgary-Home.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://www.mdrunandwalk.com/">Family Participation in a Mother's Day Run/Walk</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A Pedicure [as a fit gal, your feet take a beating!]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Personal Training Session[s]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Enjoy <i>Freely</i> Gifts</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Time away to hike with a girlfriend </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">family walk along the river or through a city park</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Last but not least, these two will always be winners in my books</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Family Photo Session</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">my favorite photographers in the Calgary area are <a href="http://pmgimage.com/">PMG Image</a>, <a href="http://www.edenlangpictures.com/index2.php">Eden Lang Pictures</a>, and <a href="http://pigtailsandsnails.blogspot.ca/">Lizzy Anne Photography</a>. Or, you can get the amateur shutterbug in the family to snap one for you, like I did for my sister in law's family above.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">[this pic is actually of my sister who isn't a Mama, but she's just so pretty I had to share it as inspiration for others to go get dolled up and let a <a href="http://pigtailsandsails.blogspot.com/">photographer </a>capture your beauty!]</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">No matter what you give your Mama, make sure the kiddos fill out a <a href="http://www.cupcakediariesblog.com/2013/05/mothers-day-questionnaire-free.html">Mother's Day questionnaire</a>. These things are priceless - and are a great milestone marker for Mama to save and reflect on. My Hottie Husband and I still laugh whenever we read one Darius filled out for Father's Day two years ago!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7296452316700511126.post-63870359664616737512013-05-07T10:17:00.000-07:002013-05-07T10:17:02.931-07:00Mind and Body One Week After Baby<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I can not believe it's been a full week since Audrey joined our crazy household! She has added so much life, love, and tenderness to our daily routine, and we truly feel blessed to have a little girl in the mix. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Here is how both Audrey and I are doing, one week after our official 'meet and greet:'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><u><b><span style="font-size: large;">First Audrey:</span></b></u> She is a sleeping, eating, and pooping champ! Eli very clearly enunciates 'puke' now as he watches his sister puke <span style="font-size: large;">ALL.DAY.LONG.</span> She eats so incredibly much that she simply explodes from both ends on a regular basis. <i>Too graphic?</i> While she doesn't seem to mind, it sure has made an impression on Eli ha! Audrey wakes once or twice a night to eat, has two long stretches of being awake in the day, one in the morning and one in the evening, and then sleeps the rest of the time. During the day she wakes to eat every three to four hours between her two alert times. When Audrey is alert she is ALERT! She will stay awake for over an hour, looking around, making faces, and cuddling. She has been able to pick her head up since she was born, and makes full use of this skill during her awake time. The boys love to hold her when she's awake, as she will just stare up at them and make funny faces. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Audrey's umbilical cord fell off Sunday morning, leaving a bloody, oozy mess. With both boys it took two weeks or more for the cord to fall off, so seeing the umbilical site before it is fully healed is a new sight for me. Needless to say it worried me, but after waking my mom, <strike>texting my Hottie Husband whose out of town, and calling my midwife,</strike> it turns out this is normal, and we just need to wait and watch to see how it heals up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Audrey is a happy, sweet, and patient little babe. We've heard her cry only a handful of times, and each time for good reason - she really doesn't like being cold. As she snores peacefully next to me in her bassinet, I can't help but feel incredibly blessed to have another sweet little angel to care for and love. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><u><b><span style="font-size: large;">How I'm Healing Up:</span></b></u> Because la</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">bor and delivery was so incredibly fast, I sometimes forget that my body still did all the same steps as it did with the boys, and needs the same rest afterwards to recover. Friday I was feeling fantastic when I woke up, and so I jumped back into normal routine. But, by the end of the day I was exhausted, felt heavy, and just needed to sleep <i>or I was going to burst into tears</i>. Saturday [which was exactly one week postpartum] Audrey and I were on our own, so we slept - A LOT. When we weren't sleeping, we were resting and snuggling. I went up and down the stairs four times total on Saturday, and made it outside for a </span><strike style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">extremely</strike><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> short walk around the block. Water continues to be an integral part of my daily routine, as Audrey nurses very efficiently already and leaves me feeling dehydrated. My milk came in on day two [last Sunday night] and I never got fully engorged as Audrey has kept up with supply since day one - which is completely shocking to me. She is by far my best eater, and my boys were no slouches in this department! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I'm closing in on my pre-pregnancy weight already, which is a little too fast. While it's wonderful to have the option to wear something other than stretchy pants, I worry about my body being able to keep up the milk supply Audrey needs if I continue to lose weight at this rate. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Emotionally, I'm on a bit of a roller coaster. I know my hormones are reeling, so I've been cutting myself slack. I cry, often for very little reason, and then it stops just as suddenly as it started. I'm much more easily offended, but am able to talk reason into myself afterwards so there's no lasting resentment. I'm looking forward to my hormones settling back down, but in the mean time here's what I've been doing to help keep a genuine smile on my face: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">sitting in the sun</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">eating [<i>and drinking</i>] lots of fresh veggies</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>and</i> drinking copious amounts of water</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">and</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">getting dressed everyday</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> Having my sweet boys running around smiling and laughing is a huge pick me up, just as snuggling my sweet girl is too. I've been consciously focusing on the good - because when it comes down to it, I know the choices I make are main contributors to how I feel. <i>I can not wait</i> to be cleared for exercise, as exercise has always been very emotionally therapeutic for me; I can't help but be happy when I have endorphin's flooding my body!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">All in all, week one with three kiddos has been enormously rewarding. I love my sweet children, and can think of no better way to spend my day than teaching, caring for, and loving these tender little spirits. Everyday is a gift - and I intend to relish in it!</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12237594552587244303noreply@blogger.com0