Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Worn out Wednesday

I am so tired today. I think I am still recovering from the weekend. I also wonder if my "two a day" workouts are wearing me out. The kids and I got up early this morning to get ready for another day of Vacation Bible School. Our church has over 2,000 kids attending, so you can imagine how crazy drop off is. I made my usual Rye, steel cut oats and Fage bowl this morning.
All mixed up. I was hoping that would fuel me through my S.E.T class at the gym today, but I was dragging. I made it through (barely) and headed back to pick up the kids.
When we got home I made them change out of their VBS shirts so I could wash them for tomorrow. I really wish they weren't white as that means they are already stained and I have to wash them every day.
I dug into my freezer for lunch and pulled out Meatless Meatballs from TJ's. I put them on a La Tortilla Low Carb Tortilla with provolone, tomatoes and romaine. Super tasty.


Alongside my wrap I had my usual broccoli and brussel sprouts.


Last night's dinner was a new one, but nothing fancy. I bought this bag of stir-fry veggies from TJ's.




I just microwaved two cups in a bowl with a little water on the bottom.



I put them on top of this rice and added a little pepper and soy sauce.








It was a pretty good dinner.




I am off to do dishes, laundry and to try to keep the children from destroying the house. Have a great afternoon!





Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Vegas Weekend




What a fun, exhausting weekend. Jeff and I headed to Vegas Friday afternoon to attend his sister's wedding. I was overwhelmed because it was the last day of school for Jake and Ryan and I had to get them packed to spend the weekend at my mom's. I ended up waking up early that morning, going to a 6:00am spin class and then coming home and packing. It all worked out and we were on the road by noon.


We stayed at the Paris Hotel for the weekend.This is probably the closest I will ever get to the Eiffel Tower after paying three sets of college tuition, so I just pretended I was in France. C'est La Vie!

The hotel was nice, but I thought it was a little pricey for what you got. The rooms were nothing exceptional. The restaurants were very expensive and just breakfast alone was $10 for oatmeal.

When we got to the hotel room we had a couple of hours to kill before heading out to Toby Keith's Bar and Grill for dinner with the family and friends of the bride and groom. Jeff and I had a few beers and just enjoyed being with adults.

The bar was fun, but it was incredibly noisy and hard to talk to anyone at the table. That is the groom I am sitting next to and next to him is his Great Grandma who just turned 104! We stayed at the bar pretty late and got back to our room at about 2am. Jeff and I stopped for another drink and desserts at the cafe in the hotel before heading back to the room. I had big plans to work-out in the hotel gym the next morning, but they wanted $25 to use it. I decided to run the strip instead. Poor Jeff agreed to go with me, but he is not a runner, it was HOT, and I think the smoke from the casinos was stuck in our lungs. I can't believe I was running by 8am, but I ended up running about 45min. Jeff went back to the hotel after about 20min and I continued on. I was amazed by how many runners were out running the strip. I probably passed 10-15. One thing that was cool is there were lots of stairs so I would run ahead of Jeff, do stairs, then run and meet him again.


We just hung out on the rest of Saturday. We went to the pool for a little bit, but I didn't want to get burnt and it was pretty hot. The ceremony was that evening at the hotel. After the ceremony the bride and groom rented a big Limo bus for the "under 40" crowd. It was really fun. We drank and stopped at the Welcome to Las Vegas sign for pictures.





You can tell I had been drinking quite a bit at this point.





I had never seen the Vegas sign, so I was pretty excited to stop.




We all went to a German restaurant for dinner. I wish I had a picture of the giant homemade pretzel I ate. It came with a brie cheese spread, sweet mustard and spicy mustard. So, so good.
After dinner we went to the casinos to gamble. I only had $5 to gamble with ( big spender), but thanks to the Roulette table I walked away with $65.00. You would have thought I won thousands with how excited I was.

I went to bed about 3:30am and I slept the entire drive home. We had to pick the kids up at my mom's on the way home and then I had to get them unpacked and ready for Vacation Bible School this week.
I am trying to get back to normal now, but I still feel tired. I did do a 9mile run yesterday and felt all the alcohol sweating out. Jeff and I went back to the YMCA that night and I did arms, shoulders and back. After I dropped the kids off at VBS this morning I did an ab class and ran 5.5miles. We went to the Y again tonight and I rode the bike for an hour and did 19miles. I love the Y because there are TV's on each piece of equipment. I am still getting used to running with a TV in front of me, but I really like it for biking.
I am off to eat dinner and then go to bed. I am hoping one more night of good sleep and I will be all caught up.
I can't believe it is Wednesday tomorrow! This Summer is already flying by.

Congratulations Kristen and Mike and many happy years together!











Back from Vegas

I am back from Vegas and still recovering. We had a great time. I will give a full recap this evening, but I have to go pick up the kids from VBS right now. Here are a few pictures until then.





Thursday, June 24, 2010

One More Day

Pack, pack, pack. Those are my plans for today. I have to get myself and three little ones packed and ready to go. Jeff and I are leaving tomorrow for Vegas at 11:15. I am actually looking forward to just sitting in the car and doing nothing for the drive. I am going to hit up at 6:00am spin class in the morning, so I want to get everything done early tonight so I can go to bed at a reasonable hour. It is Jake and Ryan's last day of school tomorrow too. Next week is VBS and they are very excited.
I woke up today and had a filling breakfast. Cream of rye, steel cut oats, almond milk, sf jam and Fage 0%.
I love this combo and by putting the cooked oatmeal in the fridge overnight, it really expands and makes for a huge bowl.
Conner and I are going to try and tackle our to-do list today. I make lists because it is the only way I can feel sane. It also feels great to check off things that get done. We are going to hit up a strength class at the gym at noon and then it is back to packing. I hope you all have a great Thursday.
PS. Last night's dinner was a sweet potato burrito and salad. You've seen the pics so I thought I would spare you some more.




Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Sing it Loud, Sing it Proud!

The show today was absolutely adorable. I will be honest and say that generally I don't enjoy these things. Yes, it is my child and I feel blessed that I am able to attend these events, but sometimes I wish I was at home doing laundry instead. Today though, I laughed the entire time. So very cute!
I was rushed to get there, so unfortunately I was unable to sit in the front, but Ryan could still see me so she was happy. Before the show I went to the gym and did 60min on the Elliptical. My gym has a different kind of elliptical that simulates running. My leg was bothering me, so I decided to do that instead of the treadmill. I did 60min at level 16-20. It actually felt pretty easy, but I had a good sweat going, so it must have been doing something. I rushed home, washed my face, put on all my make-up (all being mascara) and cut up oranges for the party at the park afterwards. They did sack races, relays and played on the jungle gym. All and all, a great afternoon.
Jeff got home early from work so we decided to hit up the local YMCA. We really want to join, but I am not sure we can swing the monthly family membership. It is great because kids club is free and Summer is coming. They also have great programs for the kids. I ended up running 5.5 easy miles on the treadmill while we were there. I kept the incline at a 2% and ran at about and 8:37mile. They have televisions attached to each treadmill and I am not sure I like that. It kind of made me dizzy, but it did make time fly.
Here are some photos of my food over the last day and a half. Pretty typical.
Broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and carrots (this pic is before I learned how to work my camera).


Ezekiel Pita Pocket (100cal, 1pt) with Laughing Cow Light Swiss Wedge (35cal, 1pt)



A big juicy peach (~50cal, 1pt).





Fiber One Yogurt (50cal, 0pt) with 1/3 Cup TJ's High Fiber Cereal (40cal, 0pt) plus a little Reddi Whip (15cal, 0pt)





My favorite breakfast. 36g of Rye (110cal, 1pt), 20g Steel Cut oats (75cal, 1pt), 1/4 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond milk (10cal, 0pt) and cinnamon. I topped it with 34g SF Strawberry Jam (20cal, 0pt).



To get some protein in I added 1/2cup Fage 0% (60cal, 1pt).
This is just some of the food I have had over the last day and a half. Some have escaped my camera due to how hungry I might have been :).
Tomorrow is Thursday! Two more days until school is out and Jeff and I are off to Vegas.
Have a great night!






Over it

First of all, let me say thank you so much to a reader who gave me a tip on my camera. It works and from here on out my pictures looks great! I will post yesterday's eat and this morning's later today, but right now I have to go to an Earth Day performance at Ryan's school. Well, actually I have to drop them off, go to the gym, buy oranges for party after said performance, and be at school by 10:30. I am ready for the end of the year festivities to be over. Jake had his graduation and play yesterday, Ryan has Earth Day concert and her party today and then I need to start packing the kids for Grammie's this weekend so Jeff and I can go to a wedding in Vegas on Friday. I need a drink already.

I know my neighbors will be glad to have Earth Day performance over too! Ryan spends hours swinging outside and practicing. One more rendition of "What a Wonderful World" sung by a tone deaf, hearing impaired (therefore incredibly loud) Ryan is starting to wear on all.
I am off to make breakfast (and take a good picture of it). Have a great morning!

Remember, as I am told by my kindergartner, Every day is Earth day!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Caution, crummy photos!

Happy Tuesday Morning. I need to apologize for the pictures you are about to see. They are not well shot. I am still figuring out this new camera and cannot find the manual, so it is practice and learn.
After I picked up Ryan from school yesterday I had a Fiber One Strawberry Yogurt (50cal,opt) with 1/3 cup Trader Joe's High Fiber Cereal (40cal,0pt). I then made a veggie wrap for lunch. La Tortilla Whole Wheat Tortilla (100cal,1pt) with TJ's Light String Cheese (60cal,1pt), carrots, romaine and sprouts. I added a little Annie's Horseradish mustard (10cal).


I also had a bowl of broccoil and snow peas, but I was so hungry that by the time I sat down to take a picture, the snow peas had been consumed.
Dinner last night was simple. I had a La Tortilla Low Carb Tortilla (80cal,1pt) with Light Provolone (50cal,1pt) and a Tbsp SF strawberry jam (10cal).





I also had a big salad with mixed greens, tomatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, sprouts, 14g goat cheese (40cal, 1pt) and Whole Foods Balsamic (20cal,0pt).


Dessert looks really gross, but it is my new favorite. 36g Cream of Rye (110cal,1pt) with 16g Better N' PB from TJ's (50cal,1pt) and a Kozy Shack No Sugar Added Chocolate Pudding (60cal,1pt). I also added a little Reddi Whip (15cal,0pt). It tastes like a chocolate cream pie. The picture is horrible (sorry) and the bowl had much more in it, but dessert doesn't last long in front of me.




I am off to take the kids to school, and then Conner and I are heading to the gym for a Strength Class. After that Jake has a Charlotte's Web play at his school, followed by 3rd grade graduation.
I will see you all sometime this evening. Have a great Tuesday!



Monday, June 21, 2010

Manic Monday Morning

It has been a crazy morning...It's already 1pm and I have not had lunch or a snack. I just wanted to share with you a few pictures from our Father's Day. Last night my Dad came over. He lives in San Diego and they stopped by on their way home from a party up north. Ryan and the kids adore their Grandpa Kim and Grandma Ruth.
We all went out to dinner to my favorite Mexican Restaurant, Caliente. I had chips, guacamole, a HUGE veggie burrito and sweet corn cake (the best). I polished it all off. We walked down to get ice cream cones afterwards. I ate mine and some of Conner's. At this point I am stuffed, but my dad brought carrot cake so I had a big piece of that too. Not the finest weekend for eating. Oh well, back to the grind today.

After dinner we came back and did Wii dance. I had to work off some of the food I just consumed. Ryan and I showed the boys how it is done. This has to be the worst picture of me ever, but it does clearly demonstrate how serious I am when I am competing with my 6yr old daughter. I show no mercy :)

I went to bed in a food coma last night. When I got up this morning I just wanted oats.


I had 36g of Rye (110cal, 1pt), 20g of Steel Cut Oats (75cal,1pt), 1/4 cup Almond Milk (10cal) and then I added 113g of Fage 0% for some protein (60cal, 1pt). I drizzled it all with some SF syrup (10cal) and cinnamon. It was quite good.
I went to the gym and did sprint repeats. I ended up doing 6.25miles on the treadmill and went to pilates.
I just got home, started a load of laundry and decided to write this quickly. I am starving, but it is just going to have to wait. I have to pick up Ryan in 10min at school. Last week of school!
I will be back with pictures of whatever I decide on for lunch. Have a good afternoon!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

I'm back!

Yesterday I ate a hamburger.

OK, not that kind, but the kind that tastes like a chocolate cake.
I am sorry this is the only picture I have of the "hamburger cake" Jake requested for his family party. I did not make this myself, but thank the lovely bakery section of Ralph's. This cake was so cute and it tasted great.

I also tried this new ice cream. Here are the stats.



Not too bad. If you are counting WW points it is only 2pt per serving. I ended up eating way more than a few servings and my belly is paying for it today.
I finally got my new camera so I am trying to figure out how it works. That is why some of the pictures below are blurry, some are dark and some are just right. I am learning, so bear with me. I will be taking pictures of all my eats from here on out, so I should catch on pretty quick.

A little blurry...

Breakfast today was the usual 36g Rye (110cal, 1pt), 20g Steel Cut Oats (75cal, 1pt), 1/4 cup Almond Milk (10cal), cinnamon and a TBSP SF strawberry jam (10cal).
A little dark...




Along side it I had a Van's Light Whole Wheat Waffle (70cal, 1pt), 113g Fage 0% (60cal, 1pt) and 10g of Redi Whipp (10cal). I ran out of jam so I used whip cream to sweeten it instead.
Since it is Father's Day we made daddy breakfast in bed (I did, they played Nintendo) and went to the mall. By the time we got home I was starving so I made my favorite quick meal.


Just right....
A Whole Wheat Tortilla (100cal, 1pt), 19g Light Provolone (50cal, 1pt), 4oz Sweet Potato (103cal,1pt) and Romaine.



A little blurry again...




With a bowl of broccoli on the side.
Today is a rest day from exercise, so I am going to go get my haircut for Vegas next weekend. This week is the last week of school for my kids, so it is crazy and I think this is the only day I have free. I would get a pedicure, but my toes are thrashed from running and it seems like a waste.
My dad is coming for dinner tonight to celebrate Father's Day so I am taking him to my favorite Mexican restaurant. The kids are going to try and talk him into Rite Aid ice cream for dessert.
I hope you all had a great weekend and Happy Father's Day to everyone!





Friday, June 18, 2010

Fun Friday

Hi everyone,
My new camera come tomorrow! So until then I will save you more camera phone pics and give you something funny to watch. A friend sent this to me and I thought it was cute. Sums up my life now. Have a great day!!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql-N3F1FhW4

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Edamame Ice Pack

Yesterday I decided to take advantage of Jeff being home and decided to go for an outdoor run. I know that I can wait until Jeff gets home from work to run outdoors, but by that time I am tired so I prefer my morning workouts. I ended up running 9.7miles. The "June gloom" has hit our area so it stays overcast until noon now. Perfect running weather. When I got home I made sure to ice my legs. While I was training for a full marathon after an 18mile run I started to get pain in my leg from my ankle to my knee. I had an x-ray and although nothing showed up, they said it could have been a stress fracture. Needless to say, I did not run that marathon. Now my leg is starting to hurt again in the same place, so I am really trying to take care of it. That is where my frozen veggies and fruit come in. I stretched, iced, then made lunch.

An Ezekiel Pita Pocket with tomatoes and melted provolone.


I cooked some fresh broccoli and brussel sprouts to go with it. I was watching the news while stretching and I saw a story about how broccoli and brussel sprouts are two of the foods people dislike the most. Not this girl. I could eat them all day long.


Dinner was not new.




A whole-wheat tortilla, string cheese and sweet potato.



With a huge salad. This time I added some artichoke hearts to it. Very, very good.




I really wish that this picture had turned out. Conner completely passed out reading his book last night. He is fast asleep in this picture. Conner goes and goes all day and then crashes.




I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday! I have plans for a noon strength class at the gym and then laundry. Fun, fun.