Monday, December 21, 2009

Winter Misery One Miler Virtual Race Report




A big thanks to RunningLaur for hosting the Winter Misery One Miler virtual race today. If it were not for this race, I totally would have skipped out on any form of working out today. I ran 2 miles and did yoga yesterday so I was planning on skipping today but I figured "Hey, it's ONE mile, you can handle that." So I did, and I'm glad it's over but so glad I got out there and ran even for that short amount of time. I didn't even wear the Garmin but I'm guessing it was about an 11:30 mile. I just think virtual races are such a neat idea!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Three Things Thursday

1. Tonight I'm going to my first prenatal yoga class and I am very excited!! I love yoga, but when I'm running a lot it always seems to get dropped so I'm really looking forward to going back. I think it will help to keep everything loose and stretched, plus provide some much needed relaxation time.


2. I had a great 2 mile run last night. It was dark and cold (in the upper 30s) and I did not want to go but I hadn't run in over a week and I'm scared if I skip too long, I'll never get back out there so I made myself go. I bundled up and took Fiona with me and we ran a one mile loop in our neighborhood twice. It turned out to be wonderful. It was quiet and peaceful, and I really enjoyed running by all the houses with Christmas lights. After those 2 miles, I took Tanner for almost a mile walk then I was pooped out and poor Dickson didn't get a walk so he'll be first in line today.


3. I bought the baby this:



It's a cloth diaper. Basically it has this pocket inside that you put a big cotton pad in. When it's dirty you wash the pad, and then after a couple of pad changes you wash the outer cover. We want to use cloth diapers becuase they are much better for the environment and much cheaper in the long run than disposables. We will use mostly cloth, but some disposables for daycare. There are literally endless possibilities of different styles and brands and fabrics. I researched for days and was still completely overwhelmed. I found a company that will let you try a wide variety of cloth diaper styles and brands for 2 weeks for $10, then after the trial period you ship back the ones you don't want to keep. I think we'll go that route so we can see what the differences are see what works best for us. I admit I'm skeptical about how well they are going to work and how easy they are going to be to wash and deal with, but I've read tons of reviews from parents who have used them and loved them so I'm going to give it a try. If it turns out cloth diapering isn't for us, then that's ok but at least we gave it a shot. It's still 5 months away from diaper-changing time but I figure it's never to early to start planning.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

It's a GIRL!!!

Here she is, Baby Girl Morris at 16 weeks. Isn't it just so amazing how much you can see? She actually looks much more like a baby now and less like an alien. I have felt like it was a girl since before I even got confirmation that I was pregnant. About a week before I found out, a ladybug landed on my shirt and at that moment I took it as a good luck charm and just knew that I was going to find out I was pregnant and that it was going to be a little girl. It could just all be coincidence but it makes a good story.

It makes it all SO much more real having a face and a name, yes, she has a name but I'll save that for another post:) Every few minutes I just keep thinking of new things I want to teach her and say to her. I'm thinking about starting a journal for her to document the rest of the pregnancy and to jot down all the things running through my mind that I want to tell her.

I haven't felt all that attached to the baby until now. I mean, I was excited to be pregnant and having a baby but it felt very surreal and almost like it was happening to someone else. Now it feels real, like she's a real person that I already love and want to protect and take care of, instead of just an abstract idea or a theoretical baby. It's a good feeling, and I can't wait to watch the changes in her over the next 5 months and then to meet her and get to see her little face in person next summer!


Look at that sweet face! She was moving all around, but so far I haven't been able to feel anything yet.
I'm pretty sure she's doing crunches in this one trying to work off the lasagne I had for dinner.

Just hanging out in there.

Monday, December 14, 2009

I'm So Excited, I'm so Excited, I'm so Excited


Just channeling my inner Jessie Spano there for a minute. We have a gender-determination ultrasound this afternoon so hopefully by the end of the day we'll know whether we have a baby girl or a baby boy on the way. Send this little peanut some good vibes that it will cooperate and get in a position to give us some good pics so we can know for sure!!! My big scan at the doctor isn't til the end of January and I'm way too impatient to wait that long. This ultrasound place will take you for gender-determination scans starting at 16 weeks. Well guess who just happens to be 16 weeks today? I figure why wait, let's learn what this baby is so we can stop calling it "It" and start calling it by an actual name. Luckily they will bring you back for a second ultrasound if they aren't able to determine the gender at the appointment, but I've got my fingers crossed that it will be obvious today. Pink or blue, either will do just ready to know one way or the other!

Friday, December 11, 2009

Photo Friday

To continue the pet-themed posts of this week:



Tanner was underfoot as I was putting powdered sugar on a pumpkin roll the other day and wound up with it all over his face.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

3 Things Thursday

1.I've been slacking on workouts this week and walking the dogs has just about been the extent of it.

2. I am so stinking glad that tomorrow is Friday and I don't work this weekend!

3. Several of my coworkers and I are going out to dinner tonight to celebrate those of us with Nov/Dec birthdays, so I should have some yummy Italian food for dinner.

Happy Thursday!

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Couldn't resist sharing this pic with you guys



This is Molly, she must have gotten into a scuffle and wound up with a pretty nasty abscess on her back leg. Poor girl, something must have bitten her when she was trying to run away. This cat is crazy, like really mentally unstable, and Rich hates her so I accused him of hiring some stray cats to come beat her up. She had to go to the vet today to get this cleaned and stitched up. She went nuts on them so they had to slip her some sedative and happy gas. Now she is walking around the house hissing at the air and every noise she hears. I told you she was nuts. But I'm glad she's fixed up and should be feeling better soon.
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Wordless-ish Wednesday

Click on the dog to go to The Animal Rescue Site, then click the big purple box that says "Click here to give, it's free" to help provide food for animals in shelters. The site gets paid by ads, so it costs you nothing but a couple seconds to click the mouse. Do it! Get obsessed and click all day if you want, you can click it as many times as you want.



Monday, December 7, 2009

Cookware

I thought about posting this one over on the other blog, Adventures in our Kitchen, but I wanted more answers so I'm bringing it here to all of you. So here's some basic info on a few of the types of cookware I'm familiar with:


1. Enameled cast iron-these two pieces are by Le Creuset and I love them, especially the dutch oven. It is cast iron coated in a glass enamel so you don't have to deal with seasoning the cast iron or the few cooking restrictions of unenameled cast iron (can't cook acidic foods, can't store food in them, etc). They heat evenly, and you can store food in them after it's cooked. They can go from stove to oven to table. I use the dutch oven for roasts and soups mostly, and to be honest I don't really use the skillet all that often because it's heavy and I just don't think to reach for it.


2. Nonstick- this is Teflon coated nonstick by Pampered Chef that my mother-in-law gave us soon after we got married. While I absolutely love how fast it heats up, that it's a snap to clean, and really is completely nonstick even if you burn food in it, I do have some health concerns over the use of nonstick at high heat. It can cause the coating to break down and release harmful fumes, even though you can't smell them. Also you can't use metal instruments or diswash them, but that's no big deal because they wipe clean so easily you don't need the dishwasher. Unbeatable for cooking eggs because they stick in everything else I try to cook them. Not the best choice for slow-cooking or browning meat.


3. Stainless Steel- this is Calphalon stainless from a set I got at Bed Bath and Beyond shortly before I got the Pampered Chef nonstick. I struggled with it from the beginning. You can't use high heat on stainless or your food will stick and the pan will scorch, and it was hard for me to get used to keeping it at medium or lower on the stovetop. I had a hard time cleaning it. I could get the big stuff off but there always seems to be spots or residue in the bottom no matter how much I scrub. I recently learned a trick about using Barkeepers friend (a cleaner) and scrubbing with a ball of aluminum foil and that has worked wonderfully. Stainless is pretty versatile, do-anything cookwear that can go in the dishwasher. If you're willing to do your homework about the best way to use it and clean it, it's a great choice.


4. Cast Iron- this is a skillet given to me by my grandmother and there's no telling how old it is. Older than me for sure if I had to guess. Cast iron is iron that over time and use acquires it's shiny black color. It takes some work to initially season it and get it cleaned up if it's gunky or rusty from neglect, but once you get it in good shape it should last a lifetime if cared for properly. Cast iron is great for frying bacon, baking cornbread, and searing meat. It retains heat well and therefore isn't great for anything delicate that you might need to adjust the heat on. It can go on the grill, in the oven, on a campfire, or on the stove. I have not done much cooking with cast iron but just dug my 3 skillets out and am in the process of trying to get them sanded and seasoned. This one in the pic is in good shape and is ready to go without any prep work.

What do you guys use? A mix of several different kinds? Whatever is leftover from college? Is there any particular kind you love or hate or could you really care less? Do you have any certain pieces that you reach for over and over? Have you splurged on a nice set? Happy eating!

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Saturday, December 5, 2009

Rainy day run-walk

Charleston has been pretty dreary this last week, almost makes me think I'm in the pacific northwest with the constant not-quite-rain dampness we've had going on. This week has been excellent in that I've worked out at least half an hour every day except Monday. After getting on the scale at the OB's office Monday and seeing that I'd gained 8lbs in the last month I had some serious motivation. Well, first off I truly didn't gain 8lbs in a month. I've gained about 7lbs in the last 3 months since getting pregnant based on my home scale which I use almost daily. The first weigh-in at the doctor was in gym shorts and flip flops, the 2nd was after a gluttonous Thanksgiving week and 18 straight hours in the car...can you say water retention?? Plus I had on jeans and size 11 Nikes which aren't exactly light as feathers. So even as she cautioned me "Well, we don't want to gain 8lbs every month" I just took it with a grain of salt knowing that it wasn't an accurate reflection of the weight I've actually gained. Especially as a few lbs came off over the next few days. I started this pregnancy at 160lbs, about 10 higher than my happy weight, and am now around 167...I'm cool with that.

This morning was our local Reindeer Run, and last year we ran it and had a blast. Rich and I were both off work, both got PRs, then fully enjoyed the free beer at the local brewery afterwards. Fastfoward to today....it's rainy, I have to work in the afternoon, I obviously can't make use of the free beer nor get a PR...so the Reindeer Run really didn't appeal to me, at least not enough to fork over the race fee. Instead we went for a 5 mile walk/jog over the Cooper River Bridge. It was pretty cold and windy on the bridge, but it was still a really enjoyable workout. I walked over half of it (the uphills) but still managed to feel like I was working hard by walking pretty fast. It was the longest distance I've covered in a few months, and I'm grateful to have some energy back to get some good workouts in.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

3 Things Thursday

So I love that Shannon and Brandi do a "Three Things Thursday" so I'm going to give it a shot myself.

1. Working out has been going great this week. Tuesday we ran 3 miles, Wednesday I went to the gym and did 30 min on the elliptical and 15 on the bike. Today I just walked the dogs 2 miles.

2. I'm now 14 and a half weeks pregnant! I still have a long way to go but it's going by quickly and I know the next 6 months will probably fly by.

3. I am way behind on Christmas shopping. I have some ideas of gifts but have not actually purchased but maybe one or two. Also, I'm going to be a scrooge and not decorate this year. I just can't stand the thought of unboxing all those decorations. Terrible I know, but I also know that after this little one is hear we will be in full-on holiday mode every Christmas from here til the end of time so I'm not going to feel bad about slacking on it this year.