First days of school!

We have made it through the first days of school!  Today actually started the first full week for both children.  I think we are getting the hang of it.  Nicholas started 5th grade and Wesley started Kindergarten...I know, my baby is a kindergartner.

                                                      

                                                                  

Aren't they just the cutest things ever??

Couch to 5K

This is me.  

Ok, not really.  For one, my arms aren't that hairy!  But I don't get enough exercise at all.  I will park as close as I can to the store, I will ride an elevator instead of taking the stairs...you get the idea.  

I am 35 years old, but I have trouble with my knees and hips and shoulders.  I ache on a regular basis.  I feel much older than I am.  I have 2 very active boys, one with special needs.  They need a mom who can keep up with them and be around for a long time.  That was not the direction that I was heading in.  I needed a life change.

I had heard of other people doing this program called Couch to 5K or C25K, but I am not a runner (see above) so it was passing information for me.  Good for them.  I have NEVER had aspirations to be a runner.  I had shin splints in high school.  I hate being hot...again, you get the picture.  A few weeks ago, a friend of ours, Alise, decided that she was going to start the C25K program.  Something was different this time.  I KNOW this girl and I wouldn't have thought that she would be a runner.  So, I'm not sure what came over me, but I thought, "What the heck?  I'm going to do it too!"  

Ok, the decision is made.  What do I do next?  I guess I get out there and do it, huh?  I went to the gym, strapped on my old tennis shoes and away I went.  The neat thing about C25K is that it's a 9 week program taking you literally from the couch to running a 5K...but, I made this decision with NO intention of EVER running a 5K.  The first week, you walk a 5 minute warm-up then alternate between running for 1 minute and walking for 1 1/2 minutes.  For a total running time of 8 minutes.  Seems doable, I thought.  I was right.  I was sweating my tail off by the time I was done, but I did it!  Wow!  What a rush!  Ok, this might be doable!  I was pretty darn sore the next day, which was entirely expected.  But 2 days later, I was on that treadmill again.  Ok, little harder this time with the soreness and I was feeling those shins act up again.  I didn't think there was much I could do about it though, so I just soldiered on.  For the 3rd run of the first week, I learned a valuable lesson.  If you aren't hydrated and don't stretch enough, you are going to get some horribly painful cramps!  Ouch!  I didn't finish that run at all.  Really, ouch.

Remember those old tennis shoes?  Well, I had several people telling me that I needed to get some new shoes, specifically running shoes.  I was terrified to go into a shoe store and tell them that I needed some running shoes just to be laughed back out the door.  I gathered up the courage and went to a local shoe store, told the guy that I had no idea what I was doing and that I was looking for running shoes.  He said, "They start here, wrap around and end here." Then started to walk away.  I really did not know what I was looking for, so I asked...is there anything I need to look for?  No, just try some on, pick what feels comfortable.  Really?  That's it?  What about these fittings that I had heard about?  I ended up going to Morgantown Running.  But was really terrified, this was a SERIOUS runners store!  What a difference!  I told him that I had just started C25K and instead of laughing at me he congratulated me!  The first thing he did was to put me on a treadmill to actually see my gait.  Then he went about explaining the difference in each type of running shoe.  Then he told me which type I needed and went about helping me pick a pair.  I made one comment about how cute one pair was and he was quick to tell me NOT to pick shoes by how they look.  But luckily, the shoes I ended up with a really cute anyway!  :-)  He was a fount of information too.  I asked about shin splints and he gave me some advice and gave me information for some 5Ks in the area.  This was a really amazing experience and it really inspired me.  

I have started the second week now after hurting my back and redoing the first week.  It is going much better than I ever expected.  I am now considering doing a 5K, even though, I am sure it would be a walk/run kind of thing.  I have now ran on a treadmill, on the Rail Trail and on WVU's track.  So far, I am liking the rail trail best.  I don't know if it's because I am running on dirt, but my shins seem to feel better there.  I have also purchased a Nike+ sensor because I am a geek and want to know how far and how fast I am going.  :-)  I have also started counting calories and logging my food at My Fitness Pal.  So far, I have lost 4 pounds!  I am not on a diet, this is a lifestyle change.

So, wish me luck and cheer me on because I know I can do this!  It's not the easiest thing I have ever done, but God willing, I will continue to work at this and make my life better for myself and my kids!  And let's not forget getting all sexy looking for the hubby either!  ;-)

Chili Cook-Off results!

Rich and I participated in a chili cook-off fundraiser for a dear family, who happen to be great friends!  They are battling Mitochondrial Disease...here's more about their fight: Laurie Family.  Anyway, they need to go to a specialist and it's going to cost a lot of money.  So, another great friend, Jenny Susa, organized this awesome fundraiser for them!  I was blessed to be able to help out and be part of it!  

Anyway, Rich and I decided to both enter chilis into the competition and go head to head.  I used my ol' standby chili that I make for family meals.  Rich is a little more gourmet minded and headed straight for Food Network to find a recipe for his chili.  They both smelled awesome as they were cooking.  Yummy!

At the cook-off, things went wonderfully!  There were lots of chilis to try out and several people showed up to do just that!  There were some great cookies and brownies.  And to top it all off, there were some great things being raffled off!  Children's books, Mary Kay products, dinners to Cheddar's and Boston Beanery, pies, a 3 month gym membership...and more!  Wow!

I know you are just chomping at the bit for the results and the only thing I can say is that there is finally a reason that I can't lose any weight!  We just cook such great food!  Rich's chili won first place and mine got second!  :-)  Mike Susa's chili won third and Andi Bassett's won People's Choice, they were both wonderful! Yum!  We had several different chilis and I don't envy the judges...it had to be a hard job!  Everyone made such awesome dishes!

Thanks to everyone who made this a fabulous event for the Lauries!

Summer time!

Wow!  Summer time is full of sun and fun!  But it's the crazy schedule that blindsided me!  I realized that my days were no longer going to be my own when school let out, but this is ridiculous!  Nick is on the MUAC swim team, so he's swimming 4 days a week.  We signed Wesley up for Miracle League baseball and that's two nights a week.  Between all that, I haven't got a second to think!  Ok, now that I have complained about how busy I am, let me tell you what's going on with us in more detail.

Nick decided to try the swim team.  Last year was his first official swim lessons, so he had no idea what freestyle was when it came to swimming.  MUAC, or also known as Morgantown United Aquatic Club, is a fantastic club!  They are a casual swim team that is only active for the first part of summer.  He only has three weeks left!  But it's pretty intense while they are doing it.  At the last meet, he got to swim the long and the short freestyle, and the backstroke.  He did have a problem with his goggles though, we will have to try and fix that.  He's doing fairly well and has expressed an interest in swimming year round...not sure if we will go that route this year or let him swim with MUAC again next year.

Wesley was signed up for Miracle League baseball.  This is a fantastic thing through Stepping Stones.  They allow kids with disabilities to play baseball!  They have buddies for the kids that need them and two teams of kids.  They play against each other each week.  They each get a turn to bat and there are no outs.  If they can't hit a pitched ball, they can hit it off the tee.  You should see how proud those kids are when they hit that ball!  You should hear the parents cheering for all the kids!  It doesn't matter which team they are on, we cheer for them all!  :-)  Wesley is NOT impressed with baseball...in fact, he will say, without fail, "No hit the ball."  He wants no part of it...well, except for the snack part!  Anyway, the last game was the parents vs the kids and we just let Wesley sit on the sidelines instead of fighting with him.  He did a fantastic job sitting and Rich and I had a blast playing!  The parents had to have a disadvantage when it came to their turn to bat, so we picked out of a hat as to if you were to bat blindfolded, with one arm tied behind your back, or with your shoe laces tied together.  It was a blast, seriously!  I think we are going to continue to take Wesley and let him watch the games and see if he ever decides to play.  I'm not holding my breath though!

Rich and I will be participating in a Chili Cook-Off this Friday at our church.  It's a fundraiser for some awesome friends of ours that are battling Mitochondrial Disease, the mom and all 5 children.  They need to see a specialist in Georgia and need to raise $4000 for the trip.  We need some more entries if you have a great chili recipe!  Here's a page to explain a little more of their battle: Laurie Family Trip to Georgia  I hope to see many people there!  You can also help them out even if you can't come to the cook-off.  Thanks for anything you can do!

Sodastream Fountain Jet Soda Maker review

We love soda here.  We are fiends for Coke Zero.  It's nothing for us to buy a 24pk of cans twice a week for our family of 4.  There are some major problems with this though.  First of all...it's not cheap!  Second, all those cans really pile up!  Yes, we recycle them, but you have to crush them and haul them away! (We don't have curbside recycle here.)


I happened upon the SodaStream...I fell in love!  Wanted one for ages!  I didn't know anyone who had one though, so I didn't know if it was an acceptable replacement for our beloved Coke Zero.  Then, I got one to review!  How awesome is that?
  

Let's start from getting the box.  I was worried that it would take an engineering degree to put this together.  Not at all!  You only have to screw in the carbonator canister and pop the back on it and it's ready to go!  How easy!  Wash the 1 liter bottle (these are NOT dishwasher safe), fill with cold water (the colder, the better!), screw it into the machine and push the button!  Could it have been any easier??  You push the button in small bursts until you get a loud buzz about 3 times.  And if you like your soda fizzier, push it a few more times!  That's the beauty of this...my husband and I like different levels of fizz, this accommodates us both!  Unscrew the bottle and add the soda mix.  Gently mix the syrup in and you have a great soda!


I received 6 different soda mixes to try and we loved them all, including the Zero Cola (except the energy, but I don't like Red Bull at all, and it tasted just like it.)  There are lots of different mixes to choose from, and they have diet versions of almost everything!  My son's favorite is root beer.  He especially loves it because he can make his own soda, all by himself!  He's 10, it's that easy.  


I received MyWater Essence flavors to try out as well.  We didn't like them that well, but we tend to go for more bolder flavors.  If you enjoy a touch of flavor in your water then this would be great for you! 


We found a local store that stocks SodaStreams and will switch out the carbonator canister, so we have never had to send the canister through the mail.  This store doesn't stock all the flavors of mix, so we have purchased other flavors online with great results.  


It really is simple.  We keep the bottles full of water in the fridge, so we just have to grab one, buzz it, add the mix, and enjoy!  It is that easy.  Not only does this save us money, but it saves us from crushing and hauling cans to be recycled.  All this has to be better for the environment!  Win-win!


So, what are you waiting for?  Go buy one today!    


Disclosure: I received a SodaStream Fountain Jet Soda Maker for the purpose of review, however my opinions are 100% my own.  To read my full disclosure, go here.

Food Friday

This is my husband's absolute, very favorite dessert...EVAH!!  It's actually his mom's recipe, but I think I do it justice.  There is one currently in the oven as I type this.  :-)  Thought I would share!

Momma's Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS:

Crust: 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs 3 tbsp sugar 1/3 cup butter Filling: 5 eggs, separated 1 cup sugar 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese 1 cup sour cream 2 tbsp flour 1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Mix ingredients for crust and press into bottom and sides of a 9" spring-form pan.
2.	Beat egg yolks until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually beat in sugar. Break up cream cheese; add to eggmixture beating until smooth. Add sour cream, flour, and vanilla; continue beating until smooth. Beat egg whites in separate container until stiff but not dry. Gently fold into cheese mixture.
3.	Heat oven to 275 degrees. Pour filling into prepared pan. Bake for 70 minutes. Turn off oven and leave in for 1 hour without opening the oven door. Remove from oven and cool. Top with your choice of fruit. Remove cheesecake from pan just before serving. Enjoy!

Follow through...

I have trouble with this.  It's not too obvious, is it?  :-)  Ok, I am making an effort here, people!  I get all gung ho about something and throw myself into it head first...only to come sputtering out the other side.  I have no follow through.  I do not know moderation.  How do you learn moderation??

So, here I am back here on my blog.  I am going to try for something other than an "all or nothing" kind of thing here.  Think I can do it?

We will see.  :-)