Weekend Recap

We started off our Friday morning with a playdate with my good friend and her daughter. She and Ellie are best friends. They play so well together and are so cute together. Here they are playing dollhouse with Summer trying to squeeze in and play, too. Ellie as Cinderella and Brynlee as a mermaid.

Friday afternoon I went to the mall with Summer. I had a few returns to do and bought a couple things:

This hat that I'm obsessed with. Love the floral print. Perfect for days I go too long without washing or great for after a workout.

Also, this maxi dress. I didn't try it on in the store and am still undecided about the black and white. I may go back and try on another print. Select dresses are currently 40% off.

Saturday I took the girls to a Fair with my parents and we met their cousins there, too. It was cute and a fun afternoon. There were games age appropriate for Ellie and she even went on the fire truck ride, which I was surprised by because she doesn't like the siren. But, her cousins and my Mom were going on so that helped. She loved it! Summer and I hung out on the grass while we waited.

Saturday night we had a family night. We went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. I ate their Mexican salad, then we went to Coldstone for ice cream. We promised Ellie an ice cream date for filling up her "happy jar" (rewarding her for good behavior). She is also getting the Frozen soundtrack.

 Afterwards Ellie played hide n go seek:

Sunday morning I had a good 5.5 mile run, then took the girls home to nap. I did some cleaning and rearranging of furniture before a lacrosse game. I made my favorite Mexican Quinoa for dinner.

Hope everyone had a great weekend! We're headed to the playground to play and have a picnic this afternoon.

Fitness Updates: Week 1

Last week I mentioned I had a 7-week plan to workout more and eat cleaner. Here was my weekly workout schedule:

Sunday, 5/11: 5-mile run

Monday, 5/12: P90x Legs & Abs (5:30am)

Tuesday, 5/13: 1 mile jog (afternoon) (I was so sore I could hardly walk!)

Wednesday, 5/14: 5-mile run (night)

Thursday, 5/15: 2-mile run (afternoon), abs

Friday, 5/16: off, abs

Saturday, 5/17: off

When I put morning/night that's for my reference. I can look back and see how often I was up early, etc. Wednesday I ran after the girls were asleep and my run started out light and ended in the dark. I won't do that again. I couldn't see well and I felt unsafe at times and turned off my music so I could hear around me.

My weakness with snacking is eating the girls snacks (a handful here and there) and night snacking. I don't feel like I eat a lot during the day, but calories from snacking adds up. Plus, I never know how many servings I actually ate. I want to get better about this. For example, I won't be buying chocolate animal crackers and mini peanut butter crackers from Trader Joe's anymore! I think I eat them more than Ellie does.

I really want to keep up my mileage with running because I know how easy it is to get out of shape and how hard it is to get back up there. That's why I will be running 5+ miles on my run if I can. In order to challenge my body I will add jog/sprints on some runs. Usually I will sprint a block, then jog a block and so on. Running is my favorite workout to get my body in shape. I do feel it's harder to tone up after having kids so I'm hoping P90x will help! I also really enjoying running. It is a great stress reliever and it's my time to think.

Yesterday I ran another 5 miles and I plan to take a bootcamp or TRX class this week to switch it up in addition to P90x.

Here are a few eating changes and goal:

• No sugar in my coffee at home (I started doing this last week)
• Limit snacking at night (find a healthier alternative)
• Plan healthy dinners for the week ahead of time

The Luscious List

1) If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen this Mother's Day photo. I captioned it with a quote from one of my favorite books, "Wherever You Are, My Love Will Find You" by Nancy Tillman.

First, I love this picture. The girls look so pretty: Ellie in her sundress and Summer in her ruffled one-piece and floppy hat! This photo was taken before we found out brunch at Cake would be close to a 2 hour wait. And, we had gotten there just 15 minutes after they opened. We were all smiles here, but not for much longer as we were all starving. Even the Starbucks nearby had a line out the door so I couldn't even get a cup of coffee. We ended up going home, I went for a 5-mile run, then we had a delicious dinner at my parent's. My days are so busy that what I really wanted on Mother's Day was just to relax in the afternoon. I was thinking of starting a book and laying out in our backyard under the warm sun. Wishful thinking, ha! I hope everyone else had a wonderful Mother's Day!!

2) I am still dreaming of an afternoon of relaxation or a pedicure sometime in the near future as my 3 year old has had some major temper tantrums lately. I really just ignore it, but usually I do a reverse tactic and tickle her or give her a hug. Or, just let her know I am there for a hug when she is ready. It usually works, but it is still exhausting especially when I have another child in my arms. I recently read this article and it has some helpful points.

3) Above I am wearing a new tank by Victoria's Secret and I love it. It's so comfortable, lightweight, and I love the color. I want these other items by VS:

Sweatshirt

Flare-Back Tank

Sandals

I wanted the sweatshirt in the mint color shown, but it's sold out in a small. I also like the pink and yellow. I am always looking for new white tanks and I like the lace and flare. My favorite sandals are my Steve Madden ones I'm wearing above. Even though they are a buckle I can still slide my feet in and out. And they are so lightweight. That's what I like about the ones above. I like the leopard print!

4) Starting this past Sunday, May 11th, I am on a 7-week eat clean/workout schedule. Who is with me?! There are 7 weeks till the beginning of July. I plan to post weekly my workout schedule. I started P90x on Monday morning. I woke up at 5:15 and did an hour of legs/back. I literally had trouble walking on Tuesday and I have done bootcamp before, but this was more intense. I did not have a pull-up bar so I substituted push-ups. The seated wall squats are brutal. I will talk more about my eating/fitness plan in another post.

 5) Our garden is looking so pretty and colorful these days!

Broad Street Run Results

I was so happy with my Broad Street Run results. I finished in 1:35. I was even happier with my pace throughout the race. I kept a 9:35 pace pretty much the entire 10 miles. I started out strong and just kept going. I took a cup of water at every table (every few miles) and drank a couple sips to prevent cramping and dehydration. The weather was perfect and I ran with my new playlist I created the night before. That night I made a pasta and red sauce with shrimp dish for dinner. Carbo loading! And lots of water. This was my pre-race ritual: I had to be at my Mom's at 7:00- the race started at 8:30 and we wanted to make sure we got a parking spot, used the bathroom, and had time to spare. We need it would be crowded (40,000 people were running). I woke at 5:30 so I had enough time to nurse Summer. I ate a little bit of oatmeal and made a peanut butter and honey sandwich on a whole wheat bagel to eat on the drive. I drank two cups of water and brought water with me. I stopped at Dunkin Donuts for my usual medium iced coffee/cream/sugar. I think they added something in that coffee that made me run so well!

The lines for the bathroom (porta-potty) were so long. My Mom and I used it once before the race, then got in our starting spots (based on our estimated time/mile). I had drank all that water and coffee so at 8:00 I decided to go again. The lines for the bathroom were even longer and I was so nervous I wouldn't make it back in time to start the race with my Mom. That was important to me. Since there were so many people it took a while to get to the starting line so I was still able to meet back with my Mom. We hugged and wished each other luck and actually ran the first few miles together before splitting up. We ended up finishing about a minute within each other and I saw her at the finish line among the crowds (we had planned a meeting spot just in case).

I was really proud of myself because 1) I hadn't run 10 miles since before I had the girls (when I ran a half marathon) and 2) I had missed 3 weeks of training due to being sick.

Here is a picture of my Mom and I when we got back to her house. She looks like she hadn't even run while my hair is a sweaty mess. I also got a picture with the girls.

Nick was able to track me during my race and see where I was and my time. Such a cool feature! He sent me this picture and some encouraging words, which I saw when we got back to the car.

My goal was to run the race in 10 minute miles. I'm so happy with my results and look forward to training for another one! I wore my husband's Garmin watch again and it was great to be able to see how far I had gone and what my time was at each mile. You can read more about my 10 mile training here and here.

Summer's First Birthday!

Summer turned ONE on Monday, the 5th. My husband took a personal day from teaching to spend the day with us. We wanted to do something special so we packed the girls bikes and a picnic lunch and headed down to the River. The Schukill River runs along Kelly Drive in Philadelphia and there is a running/biking path and pretty scenery. Ellie rode her tricycle (she can now pedal all by herself) and we pushed Summer in her bike, the ra-ra. Somehow Ellie came up with the name, "ra ra", for the bike when she was around Summer's age so it has stuck. Summer loves this bike. She always has the biggest smile on her face when she is in it. We love it because the handle makes it easy to push. We brought Summer's quilt that was made by my Aunt in Sweden- a perfect picnic blanket. The weather was perfect- sunny and in the 70s.

Summer is dressed in a birthday tutu outfit. Love the skirt! Of course, Ellie wanted to wear a tutu, too. Summer waved to everyone who passed by and pointed and smiled at the dogs. She will stand by herself and sometimes takes a few steps before falling down. Last Thursday, May 1st, she walked 6 steps! Then today she took another 5. When Ellie took her first steps she didn't walk again until two weeks later. I'm guessing Summer will be the same way. I'm not pushing it- she will do it when she is ready. For now, she gets around the house by pushing the shopping cart or turtle- some of her favorite toys.

We went to Whole Foods for dinner in the evening (turkey burger, butternut squash, and banana for Summer), then got frozen yogurt for Summer's first sweet on her first birthday. We did the same with Ellie on her first birthday. Ellie's first sweet was my favorite- black raspberry ice cream- and she was not impressed. Summer's first was chocolate frozen yogurt and she liked it a lot! I'm wondering if she will feel the same about her first bite of cake at her party (Ellie didn't like her cake either).

Summer also got her first tooth for her first birthday- on the bottom front. I wish the bottom two came in together because there were some rough, non-sleeping nights for a while. I'm sure that will happen again soon. Her only words are still "mama" and "dada." It will be interesting to see what she will call Ellie because the "l's" are so hard to pronunciate.  

I can't believe I now have a one year old and a three year old. I just cannot describe in words how amazing they are and how much I love them. Summer's party theme is "our little sunshine." She has always been such a happy baby and is always smiling. Her party is Saturday at a local park/playground. It will be a wonderful day celebrating her with family and friends.

Here are pictures from her birthday (lots of them)!

Singing Happy Birthday at breakfast to our girl with a candle in her waffle:

The girls got a kick out of the balloon "1" I made on the door. I put balloons in the crib when Summer woke up. She loves playing with them- it is hilarious.

As we were sitting and eating a butterfly landed on Summer's hat. It stayed for a few minutes and it was such a cool moment! Summer had no idea and continued to eat her mum-mum.

I forgot Summer does not like to sit in grass so this was the best we could get of the girls. I should have pulled the blanket over, but it's a funny memory. I love their matching tutus.

Ellie had such a fun time playing with Summer, throwing sticks in the river, running and twirling!

 Summer's first sweet!

Happy First Birthday, Sweet Summer!

Summer is ONE!

Happy First Birthday to our sweet, beautiful baby girl! We love you so much, Summer. You are "our little sunshine!"

The Luscious List

1) Happy May! Hopefully this month brings warmer temps here. I want to wear shorts and sandals everyday. I really need a new pair of wedges and I'm leaning towards these. I'm hoping to get to the store this weekend to try them on. Plus, they are 30% with code "brsplurge" through 5/4.

2) I have a few projects I plan to do and will share in another post, but the one on my mind is painting our downstairs full bathroom. Initially, I had planned to paint the walls, but after seeing this photo on Pinterest I may just paint the vanity instead:

via

My Bathroom (the lighting is not the best in here):

3) World Market is having their friends & family sale this weekend. Use code "fnfsave" to save 25% on your purchase. I love this hammock and outdoor rug. I've been shopping for a rug for our patio so Summer can sit and play. Love this pattern:

4) I saw this photo on Pinterest via Pottery Barn Kids and love how the dress up outfits are displayed. Would love to do this in the girls playroom. I need to do something now that Ellie loves to wear either a tutu or princess costume everyday.

5) The Broad Street Run is on Sunday! It's supposed to be perfect weather- in the 60s. I ran 7 miles last night and won't run again till the race. I have to make a new playlist tomorrow, which I plan to share. I definitely need high-energy music for this run to help keep me going. Tonight my hubby and I have a dinner date (my parents are babysitting), tomorrow morning I have lacrosse, then Ellie has her friend's birthday party. Sunday after the race we are going to a spring festival and on Monday Summer turns the big 1! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

May 1st, 2014