THE break up

If you are looking for the great giveaway, here it is! Don't forget to leave your comments on that post - yeah for contests!

I have been unexpectedly afforded much too much free time this weekend. When it came time to pack up our bags and head on home, Darius opted to stay with his Grandparents, play with cousins, and have an absolute blast. Honestly, I can't blame the kid for choosing to stay when going home meant Dad going back to work, and hanging out with Mama and Eli...really it's no contest. And have found myself with extra time - a precious thing I didn't realize I had lost - that has facilitated great bonding time with my wee little man. Eli and I headed outdoors after his immunization appointment this morning [tell me I'm not the only one extremely behind on these, simply because I hate to hear my baby cry] to go for a fresh air workout. Secure in his BabyBorjn, Eli slept on my chest as I climbed endless flights of stairs, then went for a walk in a beautiful park. Seriously good sweaty workout - and just what I needed this morning.

You see, when my sweet boy decided to stay behind, my anxiety slowly began to build, until it spiked yesterday evening. As I inhaled nibbled on coconut chocolate popcorn, and licorice babies, I realized that all I was trying to do was shove the anxiety back down with sugar, instead of working through my feelings, and resolving the anxiety. Sugar has often been my go to 'shoulder to cry on' so to speak. When something in my life has me feeling out of sorts, chocolate is a great band aid...or so I convince myself as I'm eating it, instead of savoring it.

As I walked I reflected on the night before, the panic that I felt rise in my throat as Darius' bedtime neared, and the numbness and stomach ache that my self soothing technique brought. The anxiety was still there, it was simply waiting for me to lay in bed [with no distraction insight] so it could creep back up on me.

Well, I worked through my anxiety, and then decided 'enough is enough' with my relationship with sugar. We've had a long run sugar and I, and simply this relationship is not giving me what I have been trying to get from it. I wanted comfort, pleasure, or a sweet treat [depending on the moment] - and it gave me stomach aches, sugar crashes, and excess calories. Sugar, you really are a horrible companion. [There are so many more reasons, from a health perspective, to give up my sugar habit that I will delve into in another post.]

And so, in the classic line that many teenage girls have heard at one time or another,

"Sugar, it's not me, it's you. This is just not working. I'm sorry, [not really] but we're through."

Do you have a bad habit you're ready to break?

[twirling] tutus

Darius attended his first non-family birthday party on Saturday [with mom, dad, and Eli towing along for the fun of course!] It was so sweet to listen to him debate about what to give to his little friend Taya, and then to help him bring his idea to fruition. I showed him lots of pictures of items little girls love [Taya was celebrating her first birthday after all] and guess what he picked...

A Tutu!! He specified that it needed to be pink - the prevailing color of the items I showed him during his decision making process - and that we needed to make it now! Yes, we made it together, and yes, Darius is the loveliest little man helper indeed.  So lovely in fact, that when he and Eli slept in one morning, I took the chance to make another one while they were snoozing.

The little white one will fit a newborn, all the way up to six months [elastic waistbands really are a wonderful creation] and the fluffy pink one will go from one to four years old. If you'd like to make you're own, head on over to Ashley's site for instruction.  Since I am blessed with two beautiful boys, I needed a little model to sport one of these cutie pie little dress up/dream making/fairytale come true creations for me.



Look at that delicious little tummy! Love it!

 Tutus belong to the special "make believe" category of children's toys/accessories, that drive the imagination to create bigger, more grandiose games to play. I love toys like this! These are the items that should fill your child's/nieces/grandchild's toy box to keep them moving, and playing long enough to forget about TV, DS, and all the other mind numbing games kids entertain themselves with these days. SOOOO, to help kids everywhere get up and going how about Marathon Mama's FIRST ever giveaway!


Up for grabs: One tutu with matching no-slip hair clips [yeah, I make those too...I'm practicing for when I do have a girl I guess haha] for one lucky little lady!

Here are the rules:

You MUST be a follower of Marathon Mama to enter this contest. If you already follow [yeah for you!] just leave a comment saying you do. And if you do not, simply click that "Follow" button on the right hand side of the page, and join in the fun!

For extra entries, [you must first be a follower of the blog,] you can do one of the following. PLEASE leave separate comments for each of your bonus entries to count.

1) You will receive one extra entry for posting about this give way on your blog.

2) You will receive one extra entry for posting about this on Facebook.

3) You will receive one extra entry for EVERY person you get to follow the blog (make sure they mention you in the comment they leave on this page.)

PLEASE remember to leave your email address in each of your comments so that I can contact you if you're the lucky winner!

Ready to win? Get going, cause this giveaway will close when Marathon Mama blog reaches 50 followers! And believe me, there is ANOTHER great giveaway planned for when we hit 75 followers... lets get this party started!

choice

I've been reminded lately how simple things, like the ability to choose, can take us down such a variety of paths. On a much deeper level, choice is the deciding factor in where we end up in life. However, even very simple things, like whether we choose an apple or a handful of jellybeans, is a choice that we carry with us (just in a softer way, such as the spare tire sported by many.) A choice made repeatedly becomes a pattern, which morphs into a habit. We are a sum total of the habits we perpetuate, and so my hot hubby of mine and I are trying to live lives full of healthy and virtuous habits that we would be happy to see emulated in our sweet little boys.

We are currently on vacation, sun shining, wind blowing. and out exploring. Eli straps nicely to my chest, and Darius loves a good stroller to resting when tired, but walked and climbed A LOT today. We are a family full of healthy happy people - and whether that is because we are active, or we are active because we are happy and healthy (another chicken and egg circle) matters not. The simple - and important - thing is we keep the rhythm going.

What habits are you passing on? Are there habits you're ready to shake? Or ones you're ready to commit to?

Summer Salad

Despite my Dad's healthy lifestyle, he recently was diagnosed with high (I mean REALLY high) cholesterol. So, when I was assigned the salad for our recent get together, I scoured the Internet for a recipe that would not only be really tasty, but would make strides towards lowering his cholesterol (and my siblings and my cholesterol since this is a hereditary concern). Enter the Summer Salad. With black beans (fiber is great for lowering cholesterol), quinoa (a whole grain and complete protein), red and orange bell peppers (high in Vitamin C) and many other yummy nutritious ingredients. The version I found had hot peppers, and a heavier dressing than the one I used. My lighter version is delicious, and was such a hit that I'm sharing it with you! Enjoy.





Summer Salad (adapted from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen)

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 bell peppers (I used red and orange), diced

2 1/2 vine ripped tomatoes, diced

1 c. green onions, diced

1/2 c. cilantro chopped

1 c. cooked qunioa

Mix the following dressing in a separate bowl before adding to the salad mix:

1/4 - 1/3c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 -2/3 c. lime juice

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cumin

Let this salad rest in the fridge, covered with saran wrap, to allow the flavors to meld. Even my cilantro knocking hot husband loved this one - so try it out on your tough critics, for a potluck, picnic, or any  occasion really.

What are your favorite summer salads?

Oh My GF Bars!?!

GF (Gluten Free) is a big topic these days, with everyone and their dog being diagnosed with the condition, or trying the diet just for fun. While I'm not in either camp, I know quite a few people whom are celiac - or at least sensitive enough to gluten to steer clear of it - and so when I saw a recipe that I could convert to be GF without sacrificing deliciousness, I couldn't resist making it, then trying it [insert moan here], and loving them. Count yourself lucky if you ever get to try these babies, because they are an instant favorite! Oh, and did I mention that these are "no bake, store in your freezer, good forever [okay, a few months - if you don't eat them that is!], ready for when you have surprise company, or a potluck", bars? Try them. Seriously. Oh, and they have coconut. Yeah, that was my idea.

Oh My GF! Bars

adapted from "Loves Veggies and Yoga"

For the bars:
1 c butter,  melted
1/3 c demerra [brown] sugar
2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c toasted shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 c Nutella
2/3 c natural peanut butter
For the chocolate frosting:
1 1/2 c chocolate chips
1/4 c butter
1/4 c 1% milk
1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1) Toast the coconut in the oven at 500F broil for roughly ten minutes. Stir every three to four minutes, and DON'T FORGET ABOUT IT! You'll smell the deliciousness when it's toasted perfectly! 
2) In a large microwave safe bowl, melt the butter.  Then add the brown sugar, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and stir by hand until combined (will look lumpy and strange).  Then add the toasted coconut and stir until combined.  Finally, add the Nutella and peanut butter and stir until combined.  
3) Press the mixture into a foil lined 9 x 13.  Place in freezer.
4) While the bars are cooling, make the chocolate frosting by melting the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, taking care not to scorch them and checking every 15-30 seconds or so.  
5) After the chocolate chips are melted add in butter and milk and stir to incorporate.  Then add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and stir to incorporate.  If mixture becomes too thick to work with and the chocolate begins to set up, microwaving it again for 15 seconds will soften it.
6) When the frosting is ready, remove the bars from the freezer, frost them, and put bars back into the freezer to set up for a half hour before slicing them.
7) Store sliced bars in the freezer or fridge in an airtight container and take them out about 20 minutes prior to eating.  As they come up to room temperature, the flavor intensifies and they are more delicious and creamy but they will keep for weeks/months in the freezer as a make-ahead dessert.

Have you found any moan-worth recipes lately? Do your kids love them just as much? Darius thought this one was a DEFINITE keeper!

Oh, and here's a little picture for Grandma Juli to enjoy on her travels...

post bath Eli was playing with his toys happily. When my camera came out, he paused to pose -  what a sweetie!



PoppaSeed 'Cupcakes'

How was your Father's Day? Mine was great, spent with wonderful men, including my awesome hubby, and my very own dad aka PapaAquaman. Darius made both of them a little something special (which I forgot to get photos of! Oh the shame!) that you may remember from Mother's Day. The directions can be found here, and here's a little looky look at the final project:

cute huh? Darius customized the tags, with the one for his Daddy reading: "You're Cray!" and for PapaAquaman it read,"I'm funny about you", both followed up by the sweetest little "Happy Father's Day" any Dad could ask for.

I made the supper, keeping Dad's high cholesterol in mind, and created a delicious chicken coconut curry. Adding in a variety of vegetables, cooking the chicken in coconut oil, and serving it over brown rice, made this traditional dish much more health conscious, without sacrificing taste! Not a bad creation. However, that is not the recipe I'm sharing with you today. [Yes, I know it's been a while since I've given you a new workout to try, but seeing as I have a wicked cold, I am just working on breathing, and being able to make it through the night without a coughing fit right now. Sorry. Back to workouts when I can breath freely - I promise.] Do you want to see the recipe?

             PoppaSeed* 'Cupcakes'
                         created by me!

1 tbsp 1% milk
1 tbsp water
1/4 cup grape seed oil
2/3 cup Greek yogurt mixed with 1tsp-1tbsp lemon juice
1 egg
1/4 cup honey

1 3/4 cup flour
2 tbsp poppyseed
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp lemon extract
2 1/2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1/2 salt
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 1/2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 24 mini muffin tin,
2. beat milk, oil, lemony yogurt, egg, and honey together. Stir in flour, poppyseeds, lemon zest, lemon extract, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined. Spoon into muffin tins, filling roughly 3/4 of the way.
3. In  a separate bowl, mix together fresh lemon juice and confectioners sugar. This is your glaze.
3. Bake at 375F for 8 minutes, or until just golden. Drizzle with glaze immediately and let cool on rack.

These are soooo good! Very lemony, so if you like your poppyseed with only a hint of lemon adjust accordingly. I call them 'cupcake' because really they're muffins, but the glaze makes them taste like dessert. Definitely a plus! The amazing thing is, with honey instead of white sugar, and no butter, these muffins are great if you're on a cholesterol lowering diet, and you won't feel deprived!

*if you're wondering about the alternate spelling for poppyseed, it comes from my sweet Darius, who had a Poppa that LOVES poppyseed muffins.

Have you been cooking it up lately? Are there any health concerns you want to address in the kitchen?

Milestones

Two nights ago I laid my little Sweet Cheeks Eli down in his crib to sleep for the first time. I've been super resistant to the idea of moving him out of my bedroom, and in with his super big brother Darius - even though I knew it was a good idea. Does that make sense? Anyways, it seems that a little distance from the parentals was all this baby needed to start sleeping through the night again! Who knew besides all the baby experts, my doctor, and my mom in law ?!? The first night I was awake off and on from 3am on, but last night was only interrupted by Darius' screams oh the joys of night terrors! but that was short lived. The funny thing is, now that my nights are sorting out, and no longer sprinkled with interruptions, my days are MORE hectic and crazy. It could be that there is just too much to be done these days, but either way, I'm looking forward to our family vacation in July even more now!

Today's workout has started, but in no way has it been completed. I'm 10 minutes into interval training, which I plan to follow up with a run. I may be breaking this up into many 10 minute segments - but I really hope I am granted a chunk of time to get it all done at once during afternoon naps that is if the boys decide sleeping is a good idea today.

Do you have the time to fit in a workout today? Or are you finding chunks of time to be active like me? Oh, and how are your Father's Day gifts/crafts coming along? Darius finished his up this morning - just wait until you see what hes decided to give his Daddy - it's hilarious and soooo cute!