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What's a Mom to do?

>> Monday, January 23, 2012

So, I've been to a couple of "girls nights out" in the last couple months.  At a couple of these outings, we have played the game, "What's a Dame to Do".  It's a fun game, kinda like "Apples to Apples" except you are given situations pertaining to women and then everyone picks a card from their hand and the person that has the situation gets to pick the card they like the best.

Anyway, I've had a few of these "What's a Mom to Do" situations in the last couple months and thought I would ask our blog readers..."What's a Mom to Do?!"  This is a blog post I would LOVE to get some responses to, because I really want to know what you would do!

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Situation #1:  At a family gathering, an electronic device is stepped on and the screen is cracked.  No one saw what happened, but the logical explanation is that one of your children had something to do with it (probably unknowingly, though).  What's a Mom to do?!

Situation #2:  A friend tells you that they have been avoiding hanging out with you lately because they think your boys are too rough for their little girl.  You didn't even realize there was a problem...What's a Mom to do?!

Situation #3:  Your 4 year old starts acting out and regressing in behavior in an effort to gain attention since you are spending time with the 2 year old potty training and with a baby who needs more attention.  What's a Mom to do?!

Situation #4:  A "friend" that lives near you and you run into around town all the time suddenly "un-friends" you (and a couple others you know) on facebook...you are not really sure why.  Talk about awkward the next time you run into each other.  What's a Mom to do!?

HELP!!  If you've ever faced any of these situations, I want to know what you did (or what you wished you had done)!

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Valentine's Day Printable

>> Sunday, January 22, 2012

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching!  I found a couple cool subway style printables on Pinterest and thought I would share it with you.  Click on the "source" text below the image for a link to the blog where you can download the original, larger file.


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P90X Advice?

>> Saturday, January 21, 2012

So, I heard a lot about P90X last year.  For those of you who haven't heard of it before, it's an intense 90 day workout program where you "confuse" your muscles by doing different exercises every day.  You can find out more details on the website here.

Anyway, a friend of mine had the DVD's and has let me borrow them.  I'm watching one of them right now (yoga) just to see what I might be getting myself into.  Have any of you tried this program before?  Even if you didn't complete it, what did you think?  I'm thinking it can't hurt because it is exercise, but I don't want it to interfere with my training for the 10K run and Little Miami Triathlon in May and June.  Not that it wouldn't be good to do, but I'm not sure that it's the right training for running, canoeing and biking.

There are a couple different ways you can do the DVD's (12 total) to get different results.  I'm considering doing the "Lean" training program.  This program is for people who want weight loss, but it's also for people who want to incorporate cardio into the program.  Check out the schedule I found on p90xmomma.com:  (click on the image to display the full 13-week program)


Intense!  Thoughts?  Advice?  Tips?  HELP!!!


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White Chicken Enchiladas

>> Friday, January 20, 2012


So, this was another recipe I found on Pinterest a while ago (if you are still holding out and haven't checked the site out yet, you really should!  I can send you an invite if you need one!!).  I thought it looked yummy, so I pinned it to make it at a later date.  That later date was this past Tuesday evening.  YUM!


So the recipe was really easy, take 10 tortillas, fill them with a chicken and cheese mixture, roll them up and put them in the baking dish, spoon a sauce over top, spread cheese and then bake.  Except, I didn't have 10 tortillas....I only had 3.  Definitely not enough to feed our family of 4 (Molly doesn't eat this type of stuff yet).  I had about an hour to get dinner done and didn't want to take all three kids out to the grocery store.  So, I had remembered seeing another pin about how to make tortillas, so I looked for that and found it.  It was surprisingly easy and tasted really good!  I'm not sure if you could make a couple batches ahead of time and then put them in the fridge or if you would need to make them fresh for when you wanted to use them.  I'll have to experiment with that and let you know what I find out.  

Also, instead of using shredded chicken, I used some "Fresh Ham Steaks" that were in our freezer from our hog purchase last year.  These are basically pork chops, but ours are bigger than a regular pork chop.  I pan cooked them with a little salt and pepper and then cut it up and measured out 2 cups to use.   Anyway, here are the recipes...enjoy!

Ingredients
·         2  3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus a little extra for rolling the tortillas
·         1/3 cup vegetable shortening
·         3/4 teaspoon salt
·         3/4 cup very warm tap water
Directions
1.           Combine the flour and shortening in a large mixing bowl.  Using a pastry blender or a fork, work the shortening into the flour  until it's mixed well and you can't see the shortening anymore.  
2.          Dissolve the salt in the warm water. Pour about 2/3 cup over the dry ingredients and immediately work it in with a fork.  Scoop the dough onto your work surface and knead until smooth.  It should be a medium-stiff consistency – not firm, but not quite as soft as most bread dough either.
3.          Divide the dough into 12 portions and roll each into a ball.  Set them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for at 20-30 minutes – this makes the dough easier to roll.
4.          Heat an ungreased griddle or heavy skillet over medium to medium-high heat.
5.          Flatten a ball of dough, flour it, then roll forward and back across it; rotate a sixth of a turn and roll forward and back again; continue rotating and rolling until you reach a 7-inch circle, lightly flouring the tortilla and work surface from time to time.
6.          Lay the tortilla on the hot griddle (you should hear a faint sizzle and see an almost immediate bubbling across the surface).  After 30 to 45 seconds, when there are browned splotches underneath, flip it over.  Bake 30 to 45 seconds more, until the other side is browned; don’t overbake the tortilla or it will become crisp.  Remove and wrap in a cloth napkin placed in a tortilla warmer.  Roll and griddle-bake the remaining tortillas in the same manner – stack them one on top of the other in the warmer.

Ingredients
·         10 soft taco shells
·         2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I used fresh ham steaks, or pork chops)
·         2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
·         3 Tbsp. butter
·         3 Tbsp. flour
·         2 cups chicken broth
·         1 cup sour cream (I used plain yogurt)
·         1 (4 oz) can diced green chillies
Directions
1.         Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 pan.
2.        In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute.  Add broth and whisk until smooth.  Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
3.        Stir in sour cream and chilies.  Do not bring to boil, you don't want curdled sour cream.
4.        Mix chicken (or pork) and 1 cup cheese and about ½ cup of the sauce.  Roll up in tortillas and place in pan. 
5.        Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
6.        Bake 22 min and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.

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Moving forward

>> Thursday, January 19, 2012


"It doesn't have to be all or nothing. All or nothing often cripples us."  -Jon Acuff during an interview with Dave Ramsey


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Training Continued...

Ok, so yesterday I posted on how I plan to accomplish my Bible reading goal for this year.  Now, I want to talk about training for my 10K race and a triathlon.  You might be asking why I'm lumping the Bible and my race training together, but for me it's similar.  They are both goals to make myself a healthier person. They both require a lot of time and they both require a PLAN.  For me, that's the biggest part of accomplishing something I set out to do.

My first goal is to participate in the Flying Pig 10K race on Saturday, May 5.  I have never completed a 10K race before, so I'm looking forward to this challenge.  Because the 10K race is similar in distance to the run distance for the triathlon (8.8K), I'm using it as a test to see how I will do for the triathlon.  It's a full month before, so I'm hoping to get a good idea of how fast I can do the triathlon, but also give myself a pace goal that's a little faster!

As I have mentioned before, I have completed the Little Miami Triathlon before in the Spring of 2010.  My partner was my sister and I pretty much twisted her arm into joining me.  She didn't really want to do it, but I begged her enough that she finally caved.  But then she ended up doing more triathlons that year and blowing me out of the water!


The Little Miami Triathlon is a little different than most tri's.  It's similar in distance to a sprint tri, but instead of swimming, the first leg is canoeing (or you can kayak) on the Little Miami river.  It's composed of a 6 mile canoe, 5.5 mile run and 18 mile bike, in that order.  Each individual leg of the race is challenging in itself, but when you add them all together, it's really a great challenge!  Of course, there are longer triathlons out there and even ironman events, but those are way above my level!

I'm still hammering out all the details of my training plan to account for both the 10K race and the triathlon, but the running portion of my training will look something like this:

WeekMonTueWedThuFriSatSun
12rest2rest2rest39 mi total
22rest2rest2rest39 mi total
32rest2rest3rest310 mi total
42rest3rest3rest412 mi total
52rest3rest3rest412 mi total
63rest3rest4rest414 mi total
73rest3rest4rest414 mi total
83rest4rest4rest516 mi total
93rest4rest4rest516 mi total
104rest4rest5rest619 mi total
114rest4rest5rest619 mi total
124rest5rest6rest722 mi total
134rest5rest6rest722 mi total
145rest6rest7rest8.526.5 mi total
156rest4restrestracerest10 mi total

The start date for this training program would be February 20, but I have already started running (on the treadmill in my basement).  My goal at the beginning of the year was just to run a mile without stopping.  Now I can do 2 miles, but I'm working on achieving a faster pace and will then work up to 3 miles.  The program I am using to track my progress (and also keep track of my training plan) is LogYourRun.com.  They have an app for the iPhone/iPod Touch, so I'm able to enter my data and see a big picture.  So far this month, I have run a total of 16.62 miles in 3hours, 10 min and 17 seconds, or an average pace of 11:44minutes/mile. :)  Not awesome, but I'm improving!  My goal for the 10K race is 10 minutes per mile and 9:30/mile for the triathlon.

In addition to the running part of the triathlon, there are obviously 2 other events to train for...canoeing and biking!  For the canoeing, my plan is to do some weight training at the local Y in order to build up my shoulder muscles a little more.  I also plan on doing a "trial run" of the canoe a few weeks before the event (maybe as a recovery event the week after the 10K).

As for the biking portion, I plan on taking a spinning class at the Y before the weather is nice enough to get outside to bike.  My training last time consisted of me hooking up the bike trailer and pulling 2 kids around in it behind me.  I'm not exactly sure how that is going to work this year since I now have 3 kids (and they won't all fit in the bike trailer!), but it was great training because the extra weight during my training rides helped me to have a better completion time.  Plus, my boys love going for bike rides!

As you can tell, the Bible reading, 10K and Triathlon all take up a lot of time and require a commitment, but I'm hoping that by putting it all out on this blog, it will help keep me motivated, on track and accountable!  My main goal is just to finish what I have started!

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Training!

>> Wednesday, January 18, 2012

So, as I mentioned in my post about setting goals for the new year, two of my biggest goals for the year are to 1) read the entire Bible in 90 days and 2) train for a 10k and a triathlon.  These are pretty big goals for me, especially considering that I have 3 little ones 4 and under running around the house!  So, I wanted to share how I plan to accomplish these two goals.



First, for the Bible in 90 days, I have a plan.  This is not the first time I have done this, either.   I completed it in July-September 2010 through the momstoolbox.com website.  I was at the point in my life where I needed to have a challenge and do something I had never done before.  I had tried to read the Bible in a year before, but I always lost steam and stopped before I actually completed the goal (or usually before I hit the half-way mark).  For me, a year is just too long.  The 90 days is challenging, but I feel like you really get to retain the information and see the "entire picture" by reading it in a shorter time-frame.

So, what's the key to actually completing this goal?  For each person, it's different, but for me there are a couple key elements.  First is the reading plan.  It's important to have a plan on how you are going to accomplish something, and the biggest thing for me is having something where I can see if I am on track, if I am behind, and how much I've accomplished!  It's gratifying to see all of the check marks build up and to see your book mark move through the Bible!

This time around, I am using the YouVersion.com Bible app for my iPod touch.  It actually has the B90 reading plan in it already and as you read through, it checks off each chapter for you.  But the last time I read, I just used a small Bible that I had kept on my desk when I worked.  It's just a small, pocket-sized Bible and I didn't use it anymore, so I went ahead and marked up the days in it so I knew when to stop each day.  I think it was really helpful for me to mark it up because then I didn't spend the time reading and looking for the end of the reading for the day.  Does that make sense?  I felt like I could focus more on the words rather than on making sure I read just what we were supposed to for the day.

The second part of reading is to have time set aside to do it.  With having kids, I have to be somewhat flexible, but my main reading time is at night after the kids are in bed.  I would love to be able to read with them in the room so they could see me reading it or I could even read it to them, but at this age there's no way I could focus.  I have read while feeding Molly or while the kids are watching a video, but my normal time is before I go to bed in the evening.  It takes me right about an hour to do each day's reading, so I can kind of budget my time accordingly.  Another thing that I plan on while doing the B90 plan, is to not watch any tv.  I'm not huge on any tv series or anything anyway, but I love to watch the DIY network and HGTV and all of the cupcake/cake shows on TV.  But while I'm doing this program, I don't usually get to watch anything.  My time is valuable, and when I have more important things to do, it really seems more like a wast of time anyway.  Who really cares who survives the island, who the Bachelor chooses, or what the Office or Glee has on anyway?   Can you tell which shows are NOT my favorite! :)

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Anyway, as of right now, I am one day behind in my reading.  I was planning on doing it last night, but Molly decided she was going to cry and needed to be held until like 1am.  Every time I kept trying to put her down, she just started crying again.  So by that point, I knew I wouldn't remember what I read anyway, so I will spend the next couple days catching up again so I can finish on time (March 31 for me!).

More to come on training for the 10k and triathlon...


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