Something I figured out...

For the past month I have been "working out" on my treadmill 5 days a week for 45-50 minutes and completing about 3 miles each time. I am actually very proud of myself if I do say so myself. LOL!! But I know I could do better. I've also been trying to get Matt on the treadmill but he says it's boring and he'd rather be hiking, etc. I thought there might be something to this outside so today while the kids were outside I decided I'd do my workout outside. I have a heart rate monitor that I wear while on the treadmill so I thought it would come in handy to let me know how fast I needed to move to keep my heart rate up and comparable to where it's at when I run inside.

So the things I quickly figured out are:

1. While the kids will leave me alone on the treadmill they will NOT continue their normal outside play and take care of themselves if I am within sight.
   
2. They try to "walk" with me and slow me down, hence lowering my heart rate!!
   
3. The great form and speed I thought I had on the treadmill somehow do NOT translate to real ground---I feel like a fat old lady who perceives she is kicking butt when in actuallity is merely a half step faster then a snail and gasping the entire time.
4. I am ABSOULTELY self conscious that the neighbors are looking at me and thinking I'm a lunatic for running around in circles in my yard---even though it is rather large and I did go through the trails in the woods too. I know they are wondering what the hell I'm doing.
   

So what does this experiment prove? Several things!! Running outside is harder then the treadmill and proves a little 5k would KILL me, my children are needy when I'm outside with them and I have issues with people watching me exercise even though they are sitting on their butts inside their houses.
Will I run outside again? Possibly but not if it gets any colder ;)

End of Soccer Season....

at least outdoors ;)

The boys played GREAT and Josh got a goal!!
They ended the season on a win with only 1 loss and 1 tie for the entire season!

YAY FORCE!!!

See ya outside in the spring!!

Rumpledoodles

Ok you may know I love elephants and am very ecstatic that Xia is into the Heffalump movie. So today we discovered that there is an actual recipe for Rumpledoodles, the cookies that Lumpy loves. In true Disney style you can print the recipe straight from the dvd if you put it in your pc.


Maybe it was our substitutions or the Disney "movie-makers" didn't discuss the recipe with Disney "dessert-designers" because they are some of the best in the world and our cookies were not.

They actually tasted better then they look.

In the kitchen with "Little Chef"

While driving in the car today discussing a birthday party we have to attend tomorrow, Xia remembered that Pap Pap didn't get a cake for his birthday last month. She has brought this up several times already, so today I asked her if she wanted to make him a cake. (I had plans to turn the oven on to make lasagna so thought we could toss in a cake too.) Of course she thought it was a great idea and wanted to bake as soon as we got home!!! (see previous post about her love for baking LOL!)

Mixing some chocolate love!!

I think we need matching aprons.
Don't you?
I need to see if any of my crafty sewing friends could hook me up!
I don't think a knitted apron would work.

Licking the beaters is the best part!

After we got the cake in the oven we had to start on the lasagna.
Josh gets his own special dairy free lasgana so Xia helped him work on his.

What is adorable about these two in the kitchen is how they act like real chefs (that they've seen on tv--not Gordon Ramsey though. They know better then to use 4 letter words)
Josh is my sous chef and always calls me Chef --as in Yes, Chef. I can't find it Chef. What do you want me to do next Chef?
It is tooo cute!! And more respect then I get when I'm just "Mom" :P
Xia is called "Little Chef" --as in the rat from the Disney film Ratatouille.


Xia and Pap Pap post chocolate cake!

Mama's Helper

Xia has really been into helping me cook, especially baking and the messier the better. Today we were making dough for fresh burger buns. (We have FINALLY found the perfect bun and it's homemade!!)

Again her new photo smile. LOL!!

Oops I think she dropped a bit of flour there.

No worries she'll just dust herself off with a very floury hand.

So proud of her dough ball---I hesitate to call it a bun because I don't intent to bake it.

What? This is what she looked like when she came into the kitchen right? ;)

I love having my sweet girl in the kitchen with me even if it does make a lot of extra work for me. It's worth every second of the clean-up and that's saying something coming from someone who dreams of having a maid. :)

New Market District Giant Eagle and Ted Allen

A new shopping area opened recently and today Josh, Xia and I went to see Food Network Chef, Ted Allen, cook in the new Market District grocery store.

It was total chaos put totally amazing!

The guy on the left is Ted Allen.
He was somewhat more relaxed in person then you see him on tv but only slightly. ;)

We didn't get to taste anything he made but it was ok because there were TONS of samples around the store IF you could get around people.

Enjoying some sushi in the 2nd floor dining area.
It was so sunny and bright and soon to be our Monday night dining spot.

I found out that Xia LOVES eel.
Who knew?!?


After 4 hours in the grocery store we made it out back outside to look at some other shops that were open.



Xia's plan for the day was to:
1. buy fruit ---check
2. buy a flute (insert "toy recorder")---check
Even Dora and Elmo couldn't distract her from this goal!!

Her telling me she wanted to go in the store to look for a flute and that Elmo and Dora were fine right where they were. LOL!!

It was a great day and I can't wait to return to the grocery store when there are less people in it!!

Pumpkin Day

Every year the kids wait until the night before Halloween to carve pumpkins with Matt. Because he has been working late recently we decided to get a head start by cleaning the pumpkins out---my FAVORITE part :P It was also GORGEOUS here today. I'm talking like short sleeves ride your bike through the leaves gorgeous!! So we took the pumpkins to the front yard.

She was less grossed out by the goop then I am.

He was very helpful getting elbows deep in each pumpkin to mine the seeds for toasting.

He did great this time with only minimal icky-aversion.

Baba's home to help with the carving!!

We tried tracing templates this year and it worked out really well!

Xia is REALLY into cats lately and of course her favorite is Tabby from the Mr. Putter and Tabby books so she named her cat pumpkin Tabby.

Josh carved the scariest pumpkin he's ever created.

3 little pumpkins sitting on a wall.....

Placing the pumpkins outside.
Matt made the decision that the pumpkins should be placed close to the house this year and not on "the stump" by the road because we already had one taken :(

The masterpieces ready to light the way for ghost and goblins!!

The Chess Master is..........

Isaac!

Josh came in 2nd place!!

Bennett Brothers Head to Head

Getting ready for the final game while their teacher looks on.

So the first session is over..YAY!

And next week we start all over again (plus soccer academy) DOUBLE YAY!! ;)

The Fireplace!!

The corner BEFORE

The corner AFTER!!!

Isn't it gorgeous!!

Would you believe it was almost 70 here today so too warm to fire it up!

I'll be sure to post pictures of it actually in use.

And BEFORE you ask NO cats were harmed in the installation of the stove.
He is not still laying under the tiles.
I KNOW my brother is thinking that and would have sent a message instantly to pick on me without this disclaimer ;)