Summer is here. It is very hot in Mississippi right now. All is well around this joint. I feel like all I have done this summer is work. Go to work to work, come home to work, spend the weekend working. It is too hot to have fun outside unless you are surrounded by water. We bought a tent thinking we might go camping but I don't think the 2 year old can take the heat.
I really want to go to the beach and do nothing for vacation. Tar balls don't really fit into that plan. My oldest daughter just got back from Panama City Beach, FL. She saw some tar balls but not really any oil sheens. She was able to swim so maybe a beach vacay would be possible. I am sad about all the oil in the beautiful Gulf of Mexico. I have spent some time in the Florida sand and sun and it is the best. My children will grow up to a polluted gulf.
I have not been running in any form lately, except for when I run from horse flies. I have been sweating it out in the yard chasing kids and getting things done. The summer in Mississippi is serious business. The grass grows an inch each day, bugs will take over if you don't spray, dogs dig holes in the flower beds to stay cool, and there are more cherry tomatoes on my two bushes than I have containers for.
On a lighter note, we did take a trip to the creek today. The 2 year old loves it. The water is hot, but hey at least we are not sitting in front of the T.V. I got my computer back today. It was sick with a virus.
If my mom is reading I love you.

Random Summer

Long weekend ahead. The school year has ended and now planning can begin for next year. I love the summers. Even though they are not exactly the same now that I work for the most of the summer, they just seem so relaxed. I am ready for vacation(s). I am ready for swimming. I am ready for all things summer.

Caroline has been playing softball and that is fun and summery too. Gardens have been planted and we are just now begining to pick squash. I believe that my father may have 5 gardens. I have a container garden that is begining to look like a jungle. I should have enough eggplant for the whole community.

Tomorrow my new baby chicks should be in at the feed store. So excited. It does not take much. I am very simple.

My sister called me today because she was going to Baton Rouge (where there is the only Whole Foods near) to ask if I needed any almond butter. She is a good big sis. I grew up calling her mom in the summer months. She would then yell, "I am not your mother. Quit calling me that!"
Tomorrow is Friday. If I were 6 again and out of school I would be walking up the road to my grandparents house to eat their Friday fish lunch. I do not know where they would get fish. I don't remember them fishing but it was always fish for lunch on Friday. I also remember playing with catfish in the bathtub. If you have never brought a live fish and put it in the bathtub for your grandchildren to play with they are missing out on a good memory. I highly recommend this recreational activity.

Back to the Begining

Having a good lazy Sunday here at my most favorite place, my home. I seem to be doing better with the healthy eating this weekend. Being healthy is a journey not a destination. I believe Denise Austin says that in her countless exercise tapes.

My garden has really started to grow. My tomatoes and peppers look good. The hens have had some trouble this week with the gnats. My sister told me that vanilla extract will keep the gnats away. So I went out and sprayed them today. I don't think they really appreciated me doing this but they will thank me later.

Sydney is such a fun 2 year old. She helped me pot some flowers and herbs this afternoon. She really enjoyed digging in the dirt. She also may have gotten a sip or two of the water from the watering can. When we came inside she had granny beads.

I went out this morning for a walk and I did a small amount of running. I think I am now at peace with the fact that for now I have lost all interest in running. Guilt is a bummer. I was feeling guilty that I am wimping out on all my good intentions, but no more. My family needs me healthy but they also need me here, not running down the road for an hour a day. Exercise will have to come from playing, gardening, and taking care of all critters. This is what I love, staying grounded at home.

Confessions
I have not ran in a while...
Healthy eating is not really happening this month
Sydney is a little grouchy tonight
Greg has a stomach virus

So feeling kind of bummed out tonight. What happens when you loose your steam? How do you loose interest in things that were so important to you a month ago? What is next? I have figured out that I thrive from having something to look forward to or something to plan. As of now I can't say that I have any of those things. Knowing that God answers prayers in His time and in His way is comforting. Just gotta keep going til the time and way present themselves. I guess everyone goes through a bummed out time every now and then.
Possible solutions:
Run and sweat it out-take running clothes to work and put them on before I leave
Stop eating cafeteria food
Get myself out of bed earlier so I can make my lunch (it does not happen the night before anymore)
Enjoy the blessings of today, they really are all we have got, the future only exists inside my pea brain
Call my brother and sister more often, I have not seen the bro since Christmas.
I know I am rambling tonight, but this is what was needed.

Thursday already? This is a good thing because I have a fun weekend ahead. Sydney will be two years old on Sunday. We are celebrating with a Barney birthday! I am blogging on the bathroom floor right now trying to convince Sydney that bathtub water is not for her to drink.
This has been a very busy Spring. Before Easter we were looking at rabbits outside of the feed store when a young guy walked up with a rabbit in a box that he told me I could have and about 10 seconds later he was gone. He was determined to ditch that Easter bunny. So total count now 1 husband, 2 kids, 3 dogs, 4 chickens, and 1 "stray" rabbit. I also saw a very cute young goat the other day...hummm, NO, just kidding. Good Friday is the day that people in the south plant their gardens. In keeping with that tradition I now have planted, peppers of all kinds, eggplants, cucumbers and a few tomatoes. I am waiting on the right kind of tomato plant. See when almost everyone you know plants a garden the actual plants can be hard to find.
I am slowly getting back in the running habit. There is a 10k in May close to my home. I am hoping to be able to run that one. When there is a race in my area I really want to try and run in it since co many of them are more than an hour away from my house. I am going to try and work on my speed and slowly build up to running 6.2 miles again. The 10k back in Feb. was a trial to see if I could go the distance. Now that I know I can I would like to be able to finish with a little better time. Time to go. I think that Sydney has turned in to a prune.

Back in the Shoes

So I laced up the Asics this morning to run in the Dilla Dash. Dilla is short for armadillo. You should have seen the golden dilla on the top of the trophies. This is a picture of my friend and I. This was my friends first 5k. She did awesome. I finished this 5k in 32:49. Two minutes better than the last 5k I ran in October. I have been on a break from running lately. The weather has been gorgeous here lately and I have been playing in the yard with kids, dogs, and chickens. Yes, I have four chickens added to the mix. Chickens are funny. Sydney loves to feed them grass. Greg is fishing in a tournament today with a partner and they came in 3rd place. 3rd place was also where I placed in my age group this morning in the run. Right now both of my children are asleep. It is very quiet here. I am going to rustle up some food of some sort. I am on grocery store strike this weekene. Our freezer is full of stuff that I do not want to waste. Later.

Long time no post. Well the 10k has came and gone. I ran it in 65:55. I was close to my hour goal. It felt good knowing that I can make it at that distance. I don't think that I will ever be a speedy runner. My dad and my oldest daughter went with me. I just enjoy being there doing something positive with my time, instead of shopping or spending all my free time cleaning my house. It is fun to be around different people. You see all kinds at race events.

Since then I ran in a 2 mile fun run at 20:06 and I have managed to take on a full blown sinus infection. Friday night I was very tired and Saturday morning I felt icky. Two ibuprofen later I was lining up for the 2 miles. I knew I could make it for 2 miles and then Saturday night I definitly knew something was not right with my ole self. The doc prescribed shots. One today, one tomorrow, and one Wednesday. At least I am starting to feel better.

More Dust

Well this was the week when the tile repair men came. Dust storm number 2 was a doozy. I have finally recovered and moved back into my house. I know my parents are glad to have us out of their house.

10k day is fast appraoching. Feb. 27th. I am worried that since I have not been keeping up with my running as well as needed that I may officially stink next Saturday. I am really going to focus on good nutrition and some easy runs this week to remind my legs what they can do.

I posted this picture just cause it is cute. You may notice a little mess of tile. This is our dog Max sleeping in a flower pot. I took the picture through the window.

This has been a super long weekend. We are out of school today for President's Day. I had a good trip to Wal-Mart Saturday. I bought a lot of organic produce. I bought organic oranges, apples, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes. I also found some other goodies. I have yet to see organic grapes in any store close to me. Maybe one day.

I ran Saturday and Sunday and I was super sore and stiff. I seemed to get the kinks worked out and felt better about halfway through each run. I think I am going to take a bike ride today to change up things a bit.

I am loving watching the Olympic games. I like it when they show an athlete's mini biography. Well I better go. My dad bought me two blueberry bushes and it is time to get them planted.

The little one loved playing in the snow. We built a snowman and she was giving it hugs and kisses. Lunch was a healthy grilled chicken wrap with salsa and cheese. Here is a picture from today.

Snow Day

No school, Greg is off work today. What a lazy day. I went out about 30 minutes ago and measured around 3-4 inches. Greg is out right now sweeping off the Directv satellite so we can watch tv. The tree limbs are starting to sag. Hopefully, we will keep our electricity.

This will be day two of controlling mindless eating. We are about to go and take some pictures. I will post again later in the day.

Just Saying No

Today I have been practicing on my self control over my habit of mindless eating. I seem to have some really bad habits to overcome. I have done pretty well today, only a few slips. The weather and children have made running impossible this week. I am either going to be well rested or out of shape for the 10k on the 27th.

South Mississippi is expecting 5 or more inches of snow. This is unheard of in my lifetime. If it snows that much that will be the most snow I will have ever seen.
Schools are closing for tomorrow and children are super excited. I am worried about our electricity.

We hosted our church youth group tonight for a progressive dinner. I was responsible for appetizers. I served cheese sticks and quesidlla rolls because that is what teenagers like. It was nice to have visitors at the house.

So there are Mardi Gras parades in the area this weekend but I think the cold weather is going to keep us at home. We'll see. Enjoy the snow.

Bowl Day

Super Bowl Sunday. I can feel Ro-Tel dip in my near future. Maybe I can muster up a healthier alternative. Ro-Tel always makes me feel very sleepy. Someone told me that Velveeta cheese has almost the same composition as plastic. I wonder if that is true? The sun is on strike. It would be a lot easier to run today if the sun would shine.

Yesterday I got lots of play time in. I like playing with the toddler, she is so funny. I did not run but I did do Shred and some yoga. 10k race day is getting closer. I am starting to realize that I really do not have the time to devote to be a good runner. I am not giving up just recognizing my limits, full time job, baby, almost teenager, and house to run.

I have been eating the most delicious oatmeal for breakfast this week. Oatmeal, almond butter, milk, and heated frozen berries. It tastes amazing.

Have a great Sunday. Who Dat!!!

Finding Amy

Today was a productive day at work and a good food day. I was super excited on my latest trip to Wal-Mart when I saw they had stocked a frozen food shelf with Amy's. I enjoyed the enchilada meal for lunch at my desk. I can't wait til breakfast in the morning when I can eat some oatmeal with almond butter.

Rainy, cold weather canceled out a run for the day but I did crank out some Shred on the DVD and I even caught half of Namaste Yoga on the Fit channel. My arms turned in to jello somewhere during all of that.

For supper I dined on a veggie burger, cole slaw, and leftover baked beans. I am trying to make a huge effort to not waste any food. I spend quite a lot of money at the grocery store every Saturday and I stay out of the store until the next Saturday. Some days I have to stop for milk but that is all I usually buy midweek. The toddler does love her moke. Have a great Tuesday.

Dusted off the Shoes

So, after spending my Friday and Saturday morning in the dust bowl cleaning so I could move back in to my house I dusted off my running shoes today for a 5 mile run. Felt great. I am excited to report that I have 2 friends at work that are becoming motivated to start running. It is nice to have somebodies to help motivate you and hold you accountable.

As you may have picked up in my previous post I was a bit distressed over the state of my house. I literally CANNOT function if the home is not in order. The scary thing is, that in a week and a half the tile workers will return to finish. I am going to remain calm and be better prepared for the next mess.

This is going to be a jammed packed full work week. State testing is coming soon and there is lots to do. If you work in a school system in Mississippi you know, boy oh boy, do you know.

The toddler is learning new words each and every day. She is amazing. She is putting words together and I might have heard her complete a short sentence, something like, "I wanna see!" The older girl was actually home all weekend. Speaking of children the toddler is waking up from her nap. Bye.

Dust Bath

So the tile man showed up at my house today while I was working and set off a dust bomb. My tiles are being replaced in my house and you would not believe the layer of dust that is covering EVERYTING I own. We have evacuated for the night and I am prepared to spend my whole day tomorrow trying to get the dust out and the family back in. I started to take a picture but it is not something that I really want to remember. You may want to purchase stock in the owners of Pledge and Swiffer dusters. I have resorted to my OCD ways and I now feel lost without my house. I tried to pack a bag for our overnight stay at my parents but I could barely do that. I could not seem to remember what one needs to pack for an overnight stay.

Needless to say I won't be running anytime soon. I may run to the nut house. Any house cleaning tips??

Why do I always feel so yucky on Saturdays. I am usually running around like a crazed person trying to straighten my house. I gave up real cleaning months ago. It is amazing how much junk can accumulate in 6 days, especially when we are only at home in the evenings. What's with that?? No running in my future today. The little one is very grouchy. I think she is getting sick. I can just feel it coming... I wish I could just turn my mind off of all the "have to's" of life and just enjoy today. I will work on that. Usually sitting down for 10 minutes and typing it all out helps. I went to my meeting yesterday and on the way witnessed a terrifying wreck. A truck ran a stop sign and was hit by an 18 wheeler. It was SCARY. The man that was hit walked away without a scratch on him. The 18 wheeler driver was fine as well. The two drivers knew each other. What a coincidence.

I am starting better eating week today. Breakfast was scrambled eggs and toast, lunch was a turkey sandwich, a pear, and a piece of cheese. I also snacked on a bag of Sun Chips.

Enjoy your day.

Busy, busy day. Ran 4.2 today at a pretty decent pace. I have a play date on the floor with the little one and some blocks. Dinners have been boring this week. I have a meeting tomorrow so I will be home late. That means no running and take-out food. Have a great Friday. Spend some time with your family and kiddos this weekend. Time for blocks.

Real Photo

So I grabbed the girls and we took a drive to snap this photo. This is some of the scenery that I have grown up with. Also my running route. The bird was an added bonus. I believe a young hawk mouse hunting. I also took a photo of the cows.

Well Done Day

I have had a really enjoyable day off work. Got a 5.2 run done in around 55 mins. The weather has been beautiful today so the girls and I spent a lot of time outside playing. I even took a mile walk with my mom pushing the stroller. My legs are kinda tired, not sore, just tired. I am currently watching Barefoot Contessa on Food Network. Days just don't get any better my friends. If there are any friends reading. The picture I have behind my blog title is so from the pictures that came with my camera. I live in Mississippi and there are not that many hilly locations with views like that. I will try to get a photo that represents my area. Maybe I will photo my running cheerleaders (cows). I just snacked on a cup of cereal but I am still hungry... I believe that dinner is going to be leftover tortilla soup. Tortilla soup and a coconut pie was the answer to my antsy feeling yesterday. Cooking sure does cure boredom. Have a great night.

Ants

I tried the new Domino's pizza today. Pretty good, definitely better than the old one. I am antsy again. Running is not an option today. Must find something productive to do today. Later

Running or Not

My running regimen has fallen apart this week. Having a job and two kiddos is tough stuff. In the grand scheme of things that is no biggie. I am thankful to have all of my family members safe and sound. There are many people today that are suffering. I can't imagine going through such a horrendous natural disaster that occurred this week in Haiti. My prayers go out to all.

I hope to have some pictures to post soon. I also posted some of my favorite blogs to read. Have a safe night.

Frozen

Oddly enough freezing weather is not all that is making its appearance at my house. All I can seem to make to feed the family is frozen food. I love to cook and it really bugs me that I can't get it together. The toddler and I must have a talk. Chicken strips tonight and corn dogs last night. I did manage to add in some carrots tonight, points for trying right??

I ran 3 miles yesterday. I am so slow. I may need to change my goal for the 10k to finishing period. I just don't want everyone else running passed me.

I really can't believe that tomorrow is Thursday. I am still trying to accomplish what I needed to get done on Monday. Have a good night.

Brrrr

Cold. Cloudy. Lazy. That is pretty much it for Saturday. I am starting to get scared that I won't be able to finish the 10k in less than an hour if these lazy habits of mine continue. My goal for a healthy eating day is going well. I am just lacking motivation to exercise or "train" today. I just want to sit and watch movies. My crazy husband went hunting this morning. I guess he enioys sitting for hours in cold weather. I enjoy a little cold weather (I like wearing sweats) but to sit still in the cold is not my thing. Well thats all for now have a good Saturday.

Two Days

Sooo, for two days now I have been eating everything in sight. I believe I am acting like squirrels that store for the winter. The temp. has dropped and my mind says eat. Anyway I am tired of mindless eating. For example, eating from your toddler's plate. Did I really want those cold green beans????

Tomorrow I will do better. No processed foods, just the real stuff. I don't have a lot of time to cook anymore. Well I have the same amount of time I have always had, we all do, I just have a little one at my feet and she is trying to sabotage my healthy eating efforts, Yeah right. But it is hard to prepare food when there is a little one around. So my tomorrow will start with better planning and hopefully I will be able to execute those plans.

One healthy food that I LOVE is almond butter. I should say that they do not sell almond butter in my area. I have looked in every grocery store that I have been in and the closest I can get is 120 miles. I am not kidding 120 miles. I buy several jars at a time. If you have never tried it don't do it unless you can find it at a store near you because you will want to eat it every day.
I read several food blogs and I will try taking some pictures of photogenic foods when the cross my plate and I will post them.

Just Some Thoughts

Wednesday already. I have not really told you a lot about myself yet. I work at a school in Mississippi. I have two children, a 12 year old and a 20 month old. They give me unspeakable joy. I enjoy writing about everyday things and I hope to be able to share them with you.

This has been a fast week so far. We are having really cold weather here. Mississippi has already had snow once this year and we may see some more tomorrow. Of course all of the school kids are asking,"Are we coming tomorrow?", and I always say yes we will be at school. Secretly, who doesn't want a snow day every now and then.

I did manage to get a run in today, somewhere around 4 miles. I am going to run in a 10k soon. I would just like to finish in under an hour. 59.9 would be ok. Exercise really helps with my mood. I am usually happy when I get to run or pop in a DVD. I have some really good fitness DVD's that make you sweat.

I cooked supper tonight with toddler under foot. That is always fun. I am scared I am going to drop something on her.

Hope you had a good Wednesday.

Learning How

Just checking to see if I can put a picture up. Ok that was easy. Last day of Christmas break. Back to work tomorrow. Today I ran 4.4 miles. That is the length of my road going and coming. The cows on my route were not mad at me today. Yesterday, they were upset with me for some reason. Lots of mooing and stampede like behavior. I trusted the fence that separated me from the herd of cattle. I did not cook anything interesting today but I am having a peanut butter banana smoothie. It is tasty. I have put out bird feeders but I have not had any customers yet. I like to see what kind of birds show up. I hope everyone has a good Monday and I wish all a happy New Year.

Grounded at home is going to be my attempt to stay grounded in 2010. This was one of my goals for this year so here I go. I love being at home with my family. I love to exercise and cook good food. My goal is to post once a week for now until I get the hang of this. Stay tuned.