A wonderful weekend

What a Friday. I walked in the front door to find, ALL the laundry done, the dishwasher ran and unloaded, the trash taken out, the bed made, the house vacuumed, and brand new Adidas socks waiting for me on the counter. It didn't end there, we also went to fresh and easy to pick up some groceries and the hubs offered to make chicken tacos for dinner. What you ask is going on? I have no idea. But when I posed the question to the man his response was this. " babe I want to start the weekend off right, and for you to be in a good mood when you got home." That is the sweetest thing that I have heard in while. It took my breath away. I could definitely get used to this kind of treatment, on the other hand it doesn't happen very often and so maybe that is why I was so taken back by it. Oh well, even if it is just a mind game, I'll take it. The weekend is starting off right. The coffee pot is on a timer and my cup is waiting. We even got Brian's mom to babysit tomorrow while we go to the sac state vs. cal game. Yeah baby! I am so psyched for the weekend.

Easter is on Sunday. We bought Averie the coolest toy ever. It might be more for us than her, but oh well I look forward to seeing her face when she plays with it. The funny thing about this toy, is that we bought Grammy one too. Can't wait to see the look on her face either. *giggles*

You have to see these cool socks. I think my pathetic run was in part because I wanted to try out my new socks. I know that is a silly reason to be excited to go for a run, but it works for me. Anything to stay motivated right.

Run baby, run???

It has been a day since I ran, and the guilt is settling in. So I sucked it up and ran after dinner. I am sure I have been told not to run after you eat, but did I listen? Of course not. CRAMP!! I stopped after .73 miles. Can you say wimp? Yep that's me. No shame here. Here are my stats. Oh and a wonderful photo of muah.

Run #7

Good Friday!

There is instant relief in the word Friday. It means, the start of the weekend. A three day weekend at that. It means, the end of Spring Break for Anessa, no more hanging out around the house, making it a mess. It means the start of more spring cleaning, cooking, prepping for the week, and tending my precious garden. Oh, and most important PAYDAY! I always look forward to that.

We also have plans to watch the Sac State vs. CAL game @ Sac State tomorrow. I am on the fence whether or not I should go to that game. I guess I have until tomorrow to decide. I know that there is a lot to do around the house, and prep for Easter. I am one of those rare breeds that likes to clean. You can call my OCD if you have any questions about that. Sunday we plan on going to my parents for Easter brunch and an Easter Egg hunt. It will be so much fun to watch Averie hunt for eggs. I can't wait to see what she does. Last year was kind of boring because she had not learned to walk yet. This year she is a beast.

Update on my Little Miss Averie. She had her two year appointment yesterday and this is where she is at. Head Circumference: 18 1/2" (35% ), Weight: 26 1/4LB (35-40%), Length: 34 3/8" (50%). She is growing so fast. Here are a couple of her favorite things at the moment. It changes daily.

1. Loves to Dance
2. Loves Music
3. Loves to Laugh *giggles*
4. She is a terrific climber, she climbs on something new daily.
5. She loves Pasta!
6. She is a toy fanatic. By that I mean she will play with everything. Even things that aren't toys.
7. We are off of bottles completely. YAY!
8. She is signing a lot (more, all done, eat, and play). I can not wait to teach her more signs.
9. If she could play outside all day she would. (Speaking of which, I need to clean outside for her.)
10. Finally, she loves to give kisses, and get kissed.

I am going to go picture crazy this weekend. Grammy made her an Easter dress, so I can't wait to see her in it.

Yesterday was my break from running. I plan on putting in two miles today. I think I need to get comfortable with the two miles before I tack on another one. I noticed on my Thursday run that I was pretty out of breath and sore. I have also learned that I dislike running with a bottle of water. I guess I need to make pit stops along the way to make sure I stay hydrated. Here is a photo of my ambitious 3.1 mile run, that I am now paying for.

Run #6

Well I hope everyone has a great weekend and an even better EASTER.

Goofiness

Let's end today with a great photo. The day started pretty tough. I got into work this morning, booted up my pc like I do every morning. The only difference with this morning is that a little box popped up saying Trojan virus detected. Oh man, really. So my PC was on lock down all day. No blogging for this one. I had not realized at the time that I downloaded blogger onto my phone. So here I am...

That brings us to right now, and that funny photo. It's been a really great day and I can't wait for tomorrow. It is Friday y'all.

Really quick. I ran 2.1 miles yesterday and walked 1. Bringing my total to 3.1. I have to ease into that last mile. My legs are super sore today.

Pushing past 2.1

The plan for today is to work, obviously. Make a couple of appointments for myself and the boo boo. She has lots of little teeth and is 2 now, so "Q" the Dentist. This is going to be bunches of fun. I can just see it now.

Then, a run. Shelly and I are running together today, and she said that when her husband ran last time he clocked it for us, and 3 laps around her neighborhood is a mile. I like having start and end points, it makes it  rewarding to run, knowing that there is a visual goal in mind. I also mapped the distance from my house to hers, and it is exactly 2.1 miles. So, here is what I am thinking. I know I can run 2.1 miles. I am going to run to Shelly's house (2.1 miles), and really push myself to run a mile with her (1 mile), and then run/walk home (2.1 miles). I will need a cool down anyways. If I end up walking, oh well. I know that the run to her house is going to be stop and go, since there are a bunch of stop signs. I am looking forward to this run big time. I wasn't planning on hitting my 3.1 mile, milestone this week. Now I am looking at a total of 5.2. I know that is a lot and I am still committed to being injury free. I will only do what I can. However, this will give me more time to get comfortable with it before my big 5K on April 7th.

Last night I ended up making sloppy joe's, and homemade potato wedges. They came out really well. My best friend makes them a lot and they always look so tasty. I figured I would give them a try. After dinner we went out for frozen yogurt. Averie loves yogurt, all kinds. This is just what she needed too. She did not get a nap in the afternoon. Can you say grumpy pants?! Not a happy toddler at all, but the frozen yogurt did the trick for a moment.

This morning I am trying a couple of new things that I picked up at the store yesterday. Bolthouse Farms Chocolate Protein Plus. It is a protein shake, and has 30 grams. That is awesome. I don't eat a lot of meat so I need to supplement with a shake or legumes, something. I just cracked this baby open and I like it. I prefer  the Odwalla brand protein shake if you gave me an option. This one is not chalky at all and tastes like chocolate milk. I would buy it again if it were on sale. The second thing I am going to try is BelVita Breakfast biscuits. I bought blueberry this time. I am going to finish my shake and break into these. Look how adventurous I am being. Normally I just stick to foods I know and don't move out of my comfort zone. World here I come. *laughing* I really have been trying hard to eat better. I know that I get out of my body what I put in, and if I want to push past 2.1 miles, I better fuel up!

After my run tonight, I am going to break into my crock pot for some yummolicious garlic lemon chicken with wild rice, and a side of asparagus. Buyah! I started it this morning and it smells so good. Amber, I think this one you are going to love.

A day worth talking about

Aside from being SUPER tired yesterday, it was a fantastic day. No really, it was pretty great. It contained a lot of this....

Then when the work day ended, I got to go home to my beautiful little girl, I mean family. When I arrived home, I found Brian and Luke in the front yard playing ball, and Averie, Grammy, and Heidi (Her PT), also playing on the lawn with balls. Averie always cheers right up when she sees me, it is one of the best feelings in the whole world.

After a little lovin'. I went and changed into.....that's right my running clothes. I was stoked to get home and go for a run. My goal was 2 miles, straight through. I have to start preparing for this like a serious person. I want to remain injury free. Luke insisted that he go with me. I told him how far I would be running, and he made it very clear that he could do it. We totaled 2.13 miles. He did a great job for the first mile, but the second was kind of rocky. He was fading out for sure. He still did a great job. I even got him to run the last 500 feet. Here is some proof. This was after the run when we were all tired, and giddy.

Run #5

Then there was dinner. Man I rock! I made Tony's Flank Steak, a recipe from one of my favorite blogs on the planet, Dinner a Love Story. She also has a book out, life would not be the same if this book was not in my kitchen. Side-note: I am not tracking everything I eat. It is just too much work, and I forget to take pictures, and then get irritated at myself. It is just a vicious cycle. I am thinking that life is just too short. You know? We had Tony's steak, mashed potatoes w/gravy, and fresh green beans with lemon. This dinner was DELISH!

I am excited for what tonight will bring. I would love to do another run, and then maybe make spaghetti with meat sauce, or sloppy joes? I have not decided yet. The great weather is really helping my state of mind. Now, I have to work, and catch up on some emails. I have not emailed my cousin in forever, and I have been meaning to. Sorry Cuz!

Why does it have to end?

Why does the weekend have to end? Especially good ones like this past weekend. I woke up this morning, not feeling like going to work, so I stayed in bed just a little longer. This made me roughly 45 minutes late for work. I would have only been 30 minutes late, but I had to stop and pick up this baby. How would I get through a Monday otherwise.

This weekend was a lot of fun. Friday was pretty relaxed. My memory is pretty shot I am not sure what we did on Friday. Saturday we woke up bright and early and headed out to watch San Jose State play Utah State. San Jose swept the series. I love watching college softball. The games move so fast, and are always very entertaining. I didn't take any pictures of the game because I was chasing a two year old around. She is not much for sitting for an hour and a half straight.

When we got home from the game I found this beauty. I love getting packages. Especially Bluum boxes.

This one had the following:

• Happy Family -  HappyYogis
• Happy Family - Happy Munchies Rice Cake Apple
• Make Believe Ideas - Opposites (Mix and Match) book
• Babybug book
• Burts Bee's lip shimmer
• Boiron - Oscillo
• Melissa and Doug - M&D Birthday Bear Press and Spin Game
• Happy Family Coupon

I fit a lot into my weekends. You can't say that they are wasted. That's for sure. 

Next up,

Sunday, I helped clean the cars, mine was especially dirty. It needed some love. It is sparkling clean now, and I am not embarrassed to drive it. I love when the inside smells like cleaning products. It is just refreshing. I also did a lot of cleaning in the house. I am going to have to do all that cleaning again when I get home. We picked up Brian's nephew on Sunday as well, and this little kid is messy. I already have Averie helping me dust and vacuum. She loves watching and following me as I navigate through the house. Brian and I had to make some stops last night on the way home, one of them was Fedex. Look at my guy trying to figure out the machines.

Next was home. I was up really late trying to get my things together for work the next day, and plan the meals for the week. I made BLT's last night. (No pic sorry) I was trying to do a million and one things all at the same time. I also made the marinade for the flank steak for tonight's dinner and cut the potatoes. Tomorrow is going to be a crock pot meal. I am thinking lemon garlic chicken. I am on a mission now to find a recipe. Until then.... Here is a pic of my baby girl with her patch on.

It looks like we are up to something right?!

Get up the Gusto!

I have an addiction. Hello my name is Tricia and I am addicted to running. I could not bring myself to rest yesterday, so I ran. It was a short run, only 1.39 miles. That is what my app friend told me. The plan was to run on the track at the High school, but it was closed. Sucks lollipops for sure. Instead I ran to the school, through the school, and back home. I have another run planned today with Shelly, this one will be on the track. Fingers crossed that it is open. I am hoping for 2 miles on the track this time. We will see if she has the gusto to do it. It feels so good to run, that sometimes I just don't want to stop. I want to push myself harder. This runs photo is pretty funny. I was trying my best not to look too goofy on the side of the road snapping photos.

Run #4

Status on the Sheldon vs. PG game: We lost, 1 to 4. We had the lead for the first 4 innings and then all of a sudden PG had our number. They had a few good hits off of our pitcher, and that was that. Too bad this was not the turning point for getting our groove back. Kind of makes me not want to watch them. It is so sad to see all of the dropped faces at the end of the game. I did have fun getting my spirit wear on, and getting snacks.

  

The plan for this weekend is this....

1. San Jose State Softball game on Saturday(there is a lot of prep for Averie that goes into leaving for even one day), and "Girls Night In". 

2. Relaxing and gardening on Sunday, oh and I have to get a run in. 

I am going to apologize in advance for yesterday's meals. I think you are all really going to laugh at me. 

Yes that is a trash picture. I had a Subway sandwich, and taking a picture was an after thought. That is better then not taking a picture at all, cue dinner. I had a slice of pizza and a couple of crazy bread sticks. I guess that means that tonight we have to eat better. Usually we reserve Friday's for pizza. 

****edited to include the most important meal of the day.****

Happy World Down Syndrome Day

Today is a very special day, it is World Down Syndrome Day. I am a proud mommy of a beautiful little girl with DS. You know what is ironic about her having DS. I don't think about it until I see other fellow bloggers, blogging about it. She is developing quite nicely, and does not have even one major medical condition. She has a lazy left eye, but other than that her health is perfect. I have said in previous posts that I have a lazy eye too, so the kid was destined to have something wrong with her eyes.

I have recently contacted a few other mothers that have children with DS, and it is really great to have someone to talk to. My husband is so busy that I have to keep up on the latest developments myself. How to get her into the best preschool, what therapies are available. You know all that good stuff. I want her to be one of the popular kids with DS. *smiles* I actually have my first event this weekend. It is called, "Girls Night In." It is this Saturday and I am so excited to go. We leave the kiddos at home for this one, so the mommies can get in some much needed me time.

If anyone out there even has any questions or just needs someone to talk to. I am here. I know in the beginning it was difficult to wrap my head around having a child with DS. In the end, I would not have it any other way. She is truly the love of my life. I would give the world for her. Feel free to pick my brain. Here is a picture of my Love bug, just because it is my blog and I can.

Running.... Oh my new love! I ran yesterday at the track with Shelly. We ran a mile on the track, and I ran there so I totaled 2.05 miles. I was not even out of breath at the end. I will admit it is much easier to run on the track than it is on pavement. I felt like I was able to breath more consistently. Here is what my run looked like. Courtesy of my new app. If I haven't mentioned how much I love it, let me say it again. I love this app. Can you tell where the track is on the GPS?

A very attractive Run #3

In addition to being excited about my app, there is also something else new in my life that I am excited about.

Wait for it.......

My new Camelbak and Gatorade.Why would anyone buy any other water bottle, you know this has a lifetime warranty right. I bought the Gatorade because the bottles are WAY too sweet. This way I can make it as sweet as I want. Ready for some randomness. Yes maam, I just made that word up. (I think).

Nessa has a game today, take a look at her team! They look sharp right. Here is hoping they play sharp today. They have been struggling to find their groove the last few games.

Last but not least, this is what yesterday's meals looked like. I am seeing a trend in my eating habits. I don't eat meals, I eat a lot of snacks. They are healthy snacks but snacks none the less.

Missing is dinner, I am having some memory issues with the dinner photo. I had rice and ginger sesame chicken. I think Averie ate most of my chicken, but I got a few bites in there. I also had a glass of Sangria. I thought I deserved it.

Getting my RUN ON!

Okay Peeps, I have a change of plans. The Mud Run that I wanted to do in Lathrop is the same weekend that my Step-daughter has a softball tourney. So I went online and looked for races in my area that are on that Sunday. I found this, and I have officially registered. I am ready to kill it. In a nice, loving kind of way. I cannot believe that I just registered for my first race. Man I have some training to do. I think I might be a little over zealous, but worst case scenario. I WALK. No biggee.

All good days ahead....

It is raining here today, have I mentioned that I love the rain. Love it! I just hope that it stops by 7pm so I can go on my run, and use my cool new app. I am thinking that I might just go running in the rain. We will see I guess. My best friend Amber is coming down in May to visit, and I tried to talk her into doing a race with me. But the booger would rather relax on her vacation. Can't blame her I guess. I would want to relax as well. Maybe I am psycho for thinking that running is so much fun. I look forward to the days where I can RUN!

Me and her text a lot. I mean A LOT, A LOT. Yesterday she text me a picture of her work out. Tuesday was my day off from exercise. I needed to give the ole shins and calves some time to recoup. She likes to run too, but mixes in a little Pilate's here and there. Probably a good idea, keeps you nice and limber. She actually turned me onto the 10 minute workout DVD that you see here. It is cool because you can select a bunch of individual 10 minute workouts, up to an hour. So if you only have time to do the buns and thighs, it is only 10 minutes. Super handy for the girl on the go. She is addicted to working out, the gym, running, and Pilates. I am sure there will be more on her workout routine in future posts. I am always interested to see what she is up to, it doesn't matter what it is.

She also sent me a picture of their dinner.

Delish Right?

I told you that we text a lot. She lives in North Carolina, so we try our best to keep in touch, share recipes, text shop (that is exactly what it sounds like), send care packages (these are my fav), and try on outfits. A girl needs to make sure she looks good when she goes to work. She works at the Museum of Natural Sciences, so her job is a little more upscale then mine. I wear jeans daily. Needless to say her outfits are better than mine. *smiles*

Well a rainy day, means that the day is going to be involving a lot of this. Hum dinging around. I am thinking breakfast, then stamps, then some envelope stuffing, then maybe some blog stalking, oh and then maybe a little of my actual job. To think I have to train again today. I am not prepared at all.

Oh and the stew I made in the crock pot came out great, well that is what the family said. Like I said before, I cook for them mostly. I had a bowl of pasta, with butter, Parmesan, and salt. This is my favorite meal ever. This is what I ate yesterday, minus a dark chocolate hershey bar, and a glass of milk. I can see pretty clearly right now, and know that there are only good days ahead.

The blurry one is Pirates Booty. Yummo!

My body is adjusting to my new found love, running. I have noticed that my shins and calves are sore. I have also noticed that I am hungry more often. I think it would be safe to say that my body is slowly starting to adjust. Any idea how long this adjustment period might take? My body feels a little off. I have also noticed that at night I am not tired. I am pretty restless. I am not a huge advocate for taking meds to sleep better, but I did find some chewable Melatonin at Trader Joe's that I am going to try. I need something to calm this over active brain  of mine down.

Can't contain my excitement

I am so excited right now. I have bought a few things in the last couple of days that I am uber excited about. The first thing is this IPHONE case. It is probably too soon to say this, but I think I love it.

I also bought this app. I am so excited to run tomorrow and try it out. I am such a dork. I was playing with it at work, entering in all of my info. I pressed "Start Run", just because I was curious what it would do, and this woman comes on, Starting run. Super loud. I am pretty sure my whole floor heard it. Oh well, they better get ready to run, you heard the lady.

Last thing I bought. I hate plastic water bottles. I would much rather use a reusable one. This one is 32 ounces. I bought a Brita one a while back, but I am finding that replacing the filter in them is way too much work, and is going to get costly. This I will fill up with the filtered water at my house. No filter buying required. It is big enough that I fill will get me through work. I can fill it again when I get home for my run.

Ready, set, go.

Another run in the books. There were lots of people at the track, so I felt a little embarrassed running in from of a bunch of other people. Students to be specific. I know it's foolish, and nobody really cares. I was a little intimidated for some reason. I plan on resting today and going back to the track tomorrow. I will suck it up, and be a big girl about it. Shelly is suppose to run with me tomorrow, I think that will help.

Run #2

My running trail

I am experiencing some shin, and calf pain. Hopefully a day break will help. I am also eating better. Lots of protein and potassium. I need to make sure that I am taking in enough calories to sustain my new found hobby. I have noticed some fatigue already so I know I need to eat more. Speaking of eating, this is what I had yesterday. I also had some Gatorade energy chews, and a protein shake. (made with love by Nessa)

Not pictured is dinner, homemade Buffalo chicken pizza, and a bunch of water and lemonade.

I prepped a beef roast for the crock pot last night, so when we get home from Nessa's softball game dinner will be all ready to go. Here is the recipe. I substituted the mushroom soup for celery, and the onion for onion powder. Only because I did not have an onion.

http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-beef-roast-384905

I will let you know how it turns out. Should be yummy in the tummy. You will notice that I did not say, "in my tummy" I am not a huge fan of beef. I usually eat just the veggies. I make a lot of food just for my family. I am happy with a simple salad, or some pasta. Especially now that I am running, the carbs are a must.

Averie had an eye appointment yesterday, and everything looks good. We noticed that her left eye is pretty
lazy so the ophthalmologist suggested patching it for three hours a day starting this weekend. Hopefully this will make it stronger. I have a lazy right eye so the kid was doomed from the start. Oh and on another note. Averie was hating, I mean kicking and screaming hating aqua therapy. Then, something happened. Grammy said that she went willingly to her teacher. No clue why or how, but she was having fun and excited to swim. Thank goodness. I know the therapy is good for her, so I am glad we reached a point where she is not tormenting anyone.

Let's see.... what else is going on. I need stamps. *smiles* That is not really all that exciting. I do have a few things to do when I get home.

1. Throw in some laundry
2. Prep dinner for Wednesday
3. Get the Boo Boo fed and put in Pajamas
4. Buy Stamps
5. Balance the Sheldon Softball Board budget (Fun times(sarcasm at its finest))
6. Make the bed, yes people I make the bed at 5:30pm. I makes my room feel and look cleaner. I said I was OCD. 

Lots of this stuff will get done fast, so I am not too overwhelmed. What are your plans for the day? Are you busy, busy?