Happy Halloween!

Molly and Maggie are really into Halloween this year and love their costumes! I sense they'll be wearing them for months to come. We have big plans for Trick or Treating tonight and I'm hoping the rain stays away.

Week in Review - 10.30.16

Sometimes you look back on a week and totally realize why you are exhausted! This was one of those weeks. It was crazy good but I could really use a good nap. 

Exercise

Scott went out of town this week so I missed my usual Monday bootcamp but I made up for it with a pilates class on Sunday and barre3 on Tuesday. Wednesday I was back to boot camp and made it again on Thursday. Friday I was ready to go when I learned that our trainer was down for the count with a migraine. When you workout at 6 a.m., substitute teachers can be hard to find. Due to the aforementioned exhaustion, I took the opportunity to go back to bed. And this weekend was way too crazy with Halloween activities to get a workout in. However, I did get four awesome workouts in and I feel pretty good about that!

Food

It is all about squash around here! I made a delicious Stuffed Acorn Squash dish and shared it earlier this week on the blog. I expected Halloween candy to be a struggle but I decided to just accept it. I let myself have a few mini bars of candy and really enjoyed them. It was totally worth it. 

The Girls

The girls had a busy week. Maggie was asked to not come back to ballet class for awhile so that was exciting. Maggie's class also went on a really fun field trip to Swansons where they got to go on a hay ride. On Friday we headed over to Scott's work for some office trick-o-treating where they raked in the candy loot. We followed up with a visit to my Mom's place where they scored more candy and finished our night at the elementary Harvest Festival. It was a crazy day. Their costumes are on point this year and I'm pretty proud of the job I've done with Molly's make-up. She wanted to be a scary vampire so I made it happen. 

Other Goings On

I started and finished Maria Semple's "Today Will Be Different". I started a Unicorn Scarf for Molly's birthday present and have spent a lot of time planning for NaNoWriMo. I'm attempting to write a 50,000 word novel in November which is kinda insane since this is a busy month for me. I have the girl's birthday party, Molly's birthday, Thanksgiving and a house to prep for guests. 

Stories Published 

Is 6 a.m. too early for a yoga/dance party? We think not

Project 52 - Week 33

Halloween festivities started early this weekend with a visit to Scott's work and my Mom's place. I got the girls to pose for some photos in the ravine near our house. I've convinced them that the chicken that was living there is now a ghost who we cleverly call, "Ghost Chicken". Maggie was searching for it the entire time I took photos so I made it work. Molly was a very scary vampire! 

Stuffed Acorn Squash

This past weekend, I picked up a 40 lb box of winter squash. I started dreaming of all the dishes I could make with the squash. I have squash bread, squash soup and squash muffins on the list but I knew I wanted to start with my favorite way to serve squash, Stuffed Squash. I am a true squash lover even if the rest of my family is not.

Last night I decided to make something to convince them that squash is the best food. I took two acorn squash and stuffed them with sausage, onions, apples, mushrooms and dried tart cherries. The filling reminded me of a good stuffing without the bread which means this is a great dish for those who are gluten-free or doing a Whole30 (leave out the cheese if you are Whole30ing). 

I wish I could report back that the family gobbled up the squash and said I had convinced them but their distain for squash runs deep. They did however love the stuffing and asked for more. The chickens loved the left-over squash and I loved the entire package. If you have a deep love for squash, this is the dish for you! 

Stuffed Acorn Squash



by Rebecca Mongrain

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes




6080030



Ingredients (4 servings)

2 large acorn squash
1 large onion, diced
1 large apple, diced
1/4 cup dried tart cherries
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
14 oz sweet Italian chicken sausage
4 oz chopped fresh shiitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
6 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper, to taste




Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray the cut sides of the squash with oil and sprinkle with salt. Place face down on a large baking sheet. Bake until tender and browned on the edges, about 40 minutes.

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil before adding onion and cooking over medium heat until brown, about 10-15 minutes. Remove onion and place aside.

Place sausage in saute pan and brown before adding cooked onion, apple, mushrooms and dried cherries and cooking over medium low heat for about 10 minutes.

Once the squash is cooked, fill them with the sausage mixture. Make cure to pack the filling in tight. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 10 additional minutes until the cheese is melted and the squash are golden.


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Unicorn Moms, Halloween Photos and NaNoWriMo Are This Week's Links From Around the Web

Be a Unicorn Mom, Not a Mom Shamer I've been working really hard at lifting other Mom's up when I can. Giving them the knowing nod, offering help when I can and smiling at everyone. And selfishly, I'm LOVING it. I feel better about my parenting and I love building others up especially Moms when they are in the midst of tantrums. 

Halloween Dinners Halloween is on Monday so I'm scanning this list for dinner ideas! 

How to Take Awesome Halloween Photos Very Timely!

What Knitting Can Teach Us About Parenthood

How to Survive NaNoWriMo I'm doing NaNoWriMo in November so I've been reading this article, over and over. I'm ReeBecki on the NaNoWriMo boards. 

Week in Review - 10.22.16

It was a busy and yet not so busy week! I think the end of the week, ramped itself right up. 

Exercise

I did 5 workouts this week which was awesome! I went to barre3 twice and boot camp three times. I was going to do boot camp this morning but could not get myself to go. I think I needed a morning off from exercise. I'm considering dumping my Class Pass and just buying classes at barre3 since I still love going there BUT I also love classes at community fitness and Inspire so I'm having to think hard about this plan.

My Transformation Program had a talk on Tuesday night which got me pumped for the week! I'm really grateful for Sync Fitness and this program because it is giving me back the spark and energy that I so love.

Food

I these pre-roasted sweet potatoes at Trader Joe's and was super excited about them. They were sadly ok and I think I'd rather take the time to roast my own sweet potatoes.

On Thursday, I finally had the chance to try out Seattle Salads. I had a Lime Peanut salad and it was really good. It was nice to be able to pick up a healthy salad lunch and I wish we had one in my neighborhood.

I also got our organics box but I'm thinking of putting a hold on that too. It's great but you have to eat all the stuff within a few days or it starts to go bad. It's hard to eat that much fruit and veg in such a short time. Ideally that box would last the week but the food goes bad before then so I'm not sure what to do.

I also received my second subscription order of Puget Sound Kombucha! I love getting an assorted box of flavors every other week. Highlight of my week! 

The Girls

The girls were a handful this week. Last weekend was incredibly rainy and windy so we stayed inside and they watched way too much tv. This week we cut it way down and that helped with nighttime sleep a lot. I was telling Scott that our first defense when they get hard to handle might need to be cutting down their screen time. We're pretty good about limiting it but as with everything else in life, sometimes things start to slide and then they are watching too much tv.

Molly's class went to the pumpkin patch on Thursday and at first I was sad that I couldn't go too but it was pouring when they left so I felt a bit better. Maggie stayed late at preschool on Thursday and LOVED it. I think taking a nap at preschool was the highlight of her week!

Other Goings On

Yesterday I was asked to appear on the Seattle Refined show to talk about some of my hottest stories for the week. I loved hanging out in the control room and watching them work. One of the producers is a long-time friend and former co-worker so it was nice seeing her again. I'm in the last few minutes of the show and I had to talk fast! http://seattlerefined.com/the-show/live-show-the-weekend-report-and-getting-to-know-ryan-yamamoto

Project 52 - Week 32

Sometimes when you have kids, you hear noises coming from various rooms in your house and when you go to investigate, you find your kids doing things they shouldn't be doing. A few days ago, I heard the girls and found them in the kitchen eating all the cookies left over from a Mom's group I hosted. 

Week in Review - 10.15.16

I started my Sync Transformation Program this week and it has been awesome so far. I also attended my first Board of Directors meeting for the girl's preschool and did not expect it to go on for so long. We were at the school until almost 10:30 p.m. which is way past my bedtime. 

Exercise

I had a strong week of exercise. I did three boot camps and one yoga sculpt session at Core Power Yoga. I had planned to do a barre3 workout but had to skip it due to the late night BOD meeting. I'm hoping to get in one more workout later today but we shall see if I do. PT has great this week and I was sent home with homework which I've been diligently doing.

Food

I've been obsessed with lox on toast with cream cheese and cucumber all week. I didn't have it for breakfast today and I'm so sad! It's the perfect breakfast for me right now and I totally stocked up on smoked salmon when I was at Costco earlier this week. 

I tried a new coffee drink this week too. My friend suggested that I get a Disco Pony at the local coffee shop and let's just say between the lox and this drink, I'm obsessed! A Disco Pony is an americano with sparkling water, lemon zest and cream. It's utterly fantastic.

The Girls

The girls had a pretty regular week. We had a crazy storm system start up on Friday morning so I took them to Elevate Sports to get their energy out. Their cousin came along to join us and I had a great time catching up with my SIL. The kids had a great time and zonked out on the way home. Normally I freak out if they nap because it means they won't go to bed on time but last night they had Parent's Night Out at the school and don't get picked up until 10 p.m. (they won't let us come a minute sooner) so I decided the car nap was a great idea. 

I've also decided to stop doing the Simply Learning Preschool. The girls are no longer interested and she changed her format to a more Pinterest-y concept which means a lot more prep time. The girls are still doing their workbooks though as they each have 45 minutes of waiting at ballet so it gives us something fun to do. 

Other Goings On

Scott and I started watching Westworld and it is so good. I actually want to re-watch the first two episodes again to see what I missed. I highly suggest this show if you get a chance. I also admitted to myself that I have WAY too many books in my To Be Read pile and buckled down on my reading. This stormy weather is helping me out with lots of reading. 

Stories Published

Seattle Refined: 5 Splendid Fall Foliage Hikes
 Seattle Refined: Prepare yourself and build a 72-hour disaster emergency survival kit (repost)

Project 52 - Week 31

Maggie and I headed to the beach this week. She dug in the sand while I watched the waves hit the beach.

Fear, Risotto and When Things Can't Wait are This Week's Links From Around The Web

Hilary's Leaked Risotto Tips and they are spot on!

10 Insights of Remarkable Parents from a Family Therapist Such good stuff here

Fear is boring Go out and be creative

It can't wait

A Fall Manifesto I love this concept

10 on 10 (October)

I went to Click Away 2016 over the weekend and really awakened my creative juices. I had so many ideas for this month's 10 on 10 but I'll admit that I was also sidetracked halfway through the day with tasks that were just not photogenic (preschool board of director's meeting, anyone?) I had fun with this though and am looking forward to doing it again next month. Until then, here are my 10 (photos) on (the) 10th (of October).

Monthly Goal Check-In (September)

September touched down in a flurry of activity and routines. Both girls started preschool which leaves me three glorious mornings a week to get sh*t done! Before I knew it our swimming days were gone and we were bundling up into sweaters. 

1.  Workout 4 times a week - September was a hard workout month. I strained my hips and ended up with bursitis so I ended up bumping some of my workouts down to 3 times a week to give my body a rest. I still consider this good as I was listening to my body and not pushing myself into a deeper injury. 

2. Complete Whole30 in January 

3. Keep purging the house with the Bowl Full of Lemons 14 Week Plan - I've started this over and it is glorious! The car has been cleaned. The pantry tidied and most of the kitchen done. The dining room was tackled and I'm moving onto other rooms. I'm purging, purging, purging! 

4. Complete Four (4) Day in the Life Challenges and participate in at least ten 10 on 10's - I'm planning on doing a Day in the Life Challenge this month and am doing a 10 on 10 today! 

5. Complete TKGA Master Knitting Level I - I barely worked on this goal but I have grand plans. 

6. Grow a kick-ass Garden! 

7. Read for 15 minutes a day- I'm still doing this and am so glad that I got back into reading this year. I was even on the Seattle Refined Book Club TV Discussion! It was a lot of fun. 

8. Volunteer with two organizations and include the girls.

9. Catch up on my yearly photo books of the girls - So yeah, still haven't done this. I plan to collect the photos this month so I can get these DONE! 

10. Get back to Blogging on a more regular basis and focus more on my writing.

Week in Review - 10.8.2016

It's been a pretty uninspired week around here. I barely took any photos and feel like I barely did anything. I'm hoping this coming week will change that! I did attend Click Away 2016 which was here in Seattle and came back from Summer Murdock's class super inspired. If you've never heard of her, check out her work! It is seriously amazing!

Exercise

I did three boot camp classes this week and one cycling class. I had to leave cycling halfway through though as it was not working out for my hip. I also (hooray!) started PT this week for my hips and it is already AMAZING! I could feel relief and know that I'm going to get my hips in better shape. Turns out there are some lazy muscles slacking off and we need to get them working again.

Food

Next week I start my Transformation program with Sync Fitness so this week was filled with sugar, sugar and some caffeine. I won't apologize for my poor eating but I do know that Monday and Tuesday are going to be a wee bit difficult for me.

The Girls

The girls had a pretty normal week. They had a babysitter all day on Friday and told me that they had a great time. I used back-up care through Scott's work and feel so grateful for that option. It allows me to attend conferences or do NICU photoshoots when the girls aren't in preschool without hunting for a sitter. 

Other Goings On

My friend, Meg LOVES The Gilmore Girls and wanted to check out the Luke's Cafe promotion when it came to town. I agreed to meet her even though I had not seen a single episode before Wednesday. The line was insane! We got there at 6:50 and the place opened at 7 a.m. The line was around the block so we bailed and had a nice coffee date at Starbucks. I started watching The Gilmore Girls on Wednesday afternoon and am now a bit obsessed.

Stories Published

5 Easy Ways to Spruce Up Your Home for Fall

10 Best Pumpkin Patches to Explore this Fall

30 Fantastically Fall Things to Do This Season

Seattle's Child: Make Your Mark!