Week in Review 9.29.18

It is hard to believe we are days away from the end of September and already three weeks into school. We are slowly getting into our routine which means some days are fantastic and other days are full of tears. 

Exercise

I had a pretty good workout week. I got in three boot camps and three City Cycle classes. I accidentally missed my last assessment for my Transformation program but while I miss knowing how I did, I am glad I didn't have to run up the hill three times again. 

Food

I met with my doctor on Monday and she suggested I try intermittent fasting for a month. I started on Monday since I met with her before I had breakfast and so far, so good. I am struggling with what to eat when because I have a strong need to name my meals. 

I kept up my meal prep and plan to talk about how I do it soon. I also joined Sprouted Kitchen's Cooking Club and I am so excited about the meals she's been sharing. 

The Girls

The girls had a good week of the usual to-do. Maggie almost made a few goals at soccer practice which was awesome. Her team is really starting to improve. She LOVES playing soccer which is pretty much all I wanted from her time in this sport. 

I was able to observe Molly in dance class and it was fun to see her doing something different. She's trying out Jazz/Hip Hop this year. Maggie also switched from ballet to Hip Hop. It's fun to have them try out different dance styles. 

Other Goings On

I tried to hang the wallpaper this week and I think I need a new plan. I didn't realize how tall the ceilings were. Oops! I'm also working hard on my TKGA Master Knitting but having to really push myself to do it. This is the last year I'll be trying to do it so I need to just do it. 

Week in Review 9.22.18

This week started out strong with the return of Scott from Indonesia and the kids enjoying school. I also went for my first run in a very long time and it wasn't too bad. Unfortunately Friday morning found me exceptionally sick so I had to miss boot camp. I was in no state. I barely got Molly's lunch made (the kid won't buy hot lunch) and drove the one block to school where I convinced her to hop out at the drop off line. It was a rough morning. Scott got everyone dressed and fed before heading out to work. What a morning but we did it! 

Exercise

I was a cycling fiend this week to keep going on my 100 Rides with City Cycle by June 2019 challenge. I got in one boot camp, two City Cycle classes, a BurnCycle class and went running! on my own. My new workout from my program includes 15 minutes of running for the start of the workout. I did not want to do it but I went out and it was not bad. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my lungs were totally on board with the program but my legs were like, ummm we haven't done this in awhile, we feel weird! It was amazing. I read this post after running and felt like it was something I could have written. So much truth. 

Food

I had some amazing salads this week from Acme Food and Farms. I just love their delivery service and feel like it is the best around. I also did some major food prep on Sunday and made freezer meals on Thursday. Woot! Woot! 

I kept up with the snack trays for my kids this week and it has really helped the grazing. They are also eating way better. I put out a variety of food and they get so excited. They don't necessarily eat everything but I know they are eating "growing" food instead of 100 granola bars. 

The Girls

Molly started a new Girl Scout troop this week and she is loving it! I'm loving the relaxed attitude which is different from our previous troop. Maggie's school had their fall BBQ and Scott captured the photo of Mags above. She is a huge goof ball and is loving her longer days at school. 

Other Goings On

My most exciting news this week is I finished my puzzle! I'm ready to start another one but I'm not sure where to do it. I'm not ready to move my other puzzle along just yet. 

I also attended a reading with KJ Dell'Antonia and Bonnie Rough at Phinney Books which was amazing. KJ's book is just what I need at this point in my parenting life. I need to remember that I am happy and that I wanted to be a parent. 

Fall Freezer Meals

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Marie McGinnis about her new Freezer Meals book, A Busy Mom's Simple Guide to Freezer Meals: How to Get 20 Healthy Dinners Ready in Just a Few Hours. Since I love simple, efficiency and freezer meals, I decided to try it out.

She has bundled the recipes into two easy groups. I decided to make meals from bundle A but in the interest of time and family tastes, omitted a few recipes. I ended up making the Slow Cooker Chicken and Sausage Stew, Pulled Chicken BBQ Sandwiches, Salsa Verde Steak Tacos, Slow Cooker Cuban Pork. I spent about 15 minutes gathering the ingredients and got to work. Twenty minutes later, I had put together 4 meals for future dinners. I like that kind of math!

If you someone looking to speed up the time you spend making food, save money and still serve healthy meals, A Busy Mom's Simple Guide to Freezer Meals: How to Get 20 Healthy Dinners Ready in Just a Few Hours is for you!

Reading, Listening, Watching and Making

Reading

Everything you know about obesity is wrong “We all have to do our best with the body that we have. And leave everyone else’s alone.” This quote is everything. Do the best with the body you have and don't worry about other's bodies (unless they are your children and then only worry if their bodies are broken). 

The Story of Baby Shark "The catchy children’s song has gone explosively viral, saturating the Internet and the neural circuitry of toddlers the world over. It’s the latest pop-culture trend to captivate a young audience — perhaps the youngest ever — fueled by animated, K-pop-style YouTube music videos that have racked up more than 3 billion views."

Listening

Baby Shark This horrible ear burn is Maggie's favorite song. It is on repeat around here. 

Perfect When the kids are gone, I play this on repeat because I just figured out who Ed Sheeran is. I'm slow on the uptake!

Watching

Next Gen This is on our list for Family Movie Night! 

Making

Sprouted Kitchen Cooking Club I'm in a serious season of cooking and baking. This cooking club is helping me fulfill my soulful need to make food. 

Crispy Apple & Raclette Pastries I'm planning on making these to use up our apple surplus! 

Week in Review 9.1518

We finished up our second week of school! We're gently sliding into our new routine and so far, so good. I've tried to build a lot of free play into Molly's after school schedule. Scott left of Jakarta on Monday so we've been on Mongrain Girl Adventure all week. I kept dinners simple, planned babysitting and had dinner with a friend. 

Exercise

I tackled my workouts this week even if they were few! I got in two boot camps and a City Cycle class. My friend, Shelley and I decided to challenge ourselves to 100 Rides with City Cycle by June 2019. I have 17 rides under my belt which means I need to get in 83 more rides. I also re-did my Transformation program assessments and was happily surprised at my improvements. 

My new measurements are:

Pushups in 60 seconds (I did these on my toes instead of my knees): 10 (24) (16)
Step Ups in 60 seconds: 30 (24) (24)
Inverted Rows: 8 (7) (5)
Plank (for time)(full plank on forearms with one leg up, previously full plank on forearms): 58 seconds(1:08) (57 seconds) 
3 Hill Runs: 7:08 (7:31) (7:45)

Food

The girls have been grazing like mad which drives me nuts because they leave wrappers about and don't always choose the best growing food. I got a new tray that I've dubbed the snack tray and have been putting together better food choices for when they get home from school. They usually gobble it right up which is A+ in my book and they don't leave wrappers all over the house. 

I keep our dinners super simple this week. There is no need to make a full dinner for two kids who won't appreciate the effort. The best dinner was the one we had with my friend at MOD Pizza. The kids were insane, her parents were awesome and we had a great time. 

The Girls

Maggie is loving soccer and hip-hop dance class. She is really just thriving. She keeps saying the funniest things. She told her preschool teacher that her favorite thing to do in class is, "stare at her". She also asked her speech therapist if she wanted kids and then said, "I'm still deciding if I want kids." I swear, she is full of thoughts and interesting conversations. 

Molly started dance class this week and seemed to like it. She's taking Jazz/Hip-Hop this year but once again it is later in the evening which is hard for her as she starts to fade. She also started swim lessons again at the indoor pool and was excited to go with just me as Maggie has her long day at school then. 

Other Goings On

I have a strong puzzle addiction going on right now which I'm not mad about. I've been spending my evenings with the kids just working on my puzzle. We've really cut down on screentime and it has been amazing. The kids play with Legos while I work on my puzzle and we play music. Such a relaxing way to unwind from the day. 

Week in Review 9.8.18

SCHOOL STARTED THIS WEEK!!!! It was the most fantastic thing to have happened in awhile. We had a quiet start to the week and I'm planning to keep things low-key this weekend. The start of school can be so busy and getting back into a good routine, exhausting. 

Exercise

I got in some good workouts this week. I did three boot camps, a Barre3 session, a City Cycle class and one workout on my own. My timing was all over the place due to school starting but I'm glad I decided to just go when I could. I may have possibly pulled a stomach muscle this week which is amazing as I didn't know, I had stomach muscles. There is something hiding under there! I'm taking today off to let my muscles heal up. 

Food

I made some amazing corn chowder this week and will post the recipe next week. It was so good that I was extremely excited about leftovers. I'm still drinking my Fab4 Smoothies and loving the routine. It was especially helpful this week as we slid into our early morning school routine. I was able to fill up without much effort which is key in our quick turn around mornings. 

On Friday, Molly had a birthday party to attend so Scott and I went on a date with Maggie. She decided she wanted to go to Katsu Burger since they had sushi and burgers. Thankfully they have an amazing happy hour menu because I ordered a load of sushi for Maggie without breaking the bank. 

The Girls

The girls both started school on Wednesday - Molly to First Grade and Maggie to Pre-K. I was more excited than them but they were still pretty excited. So far they are loving school and their teachers. 

They had their last outdoor swim class for the season on Thursday. I was sad to say goodbye to warm summer days but excited to not have to drive over the bridge twice a week. We'll be moving our swimming escapades inside for the fall. We also started Hip Hop class and soccer this week, both of which went over stellar! 

Other Goings On

I started a writing workshop this week and I am really excited about it. It's a storytelling workshop which is something I really want to improve in my writing. I have stories within me, I just want to tell them better. 

Reading, Listening, Watching and Making

Reading

Honey, I Swept the Floor! - "Another friend said: “After my husband cleans the garage or the pool, he makes each person in the family come for a separate ‘viewing’ so he can solicit praise and bask in his accomplishment.” (Hint: I might be the husband here. I actually do this. I need praise!) 

6 Steps to Becoming a Better Writer

Reinvent the Granny Square

Listening

Happier Labor Day I'm thinking hard on this as I pivot my pitching and writing game. September is all about finding new publications to pitch. 

Watching

Annihilation - Meh! I loved the book but the movie was meh! They tried to cram to much in which meant they left way too much unexplained. 

The Great British Baking Show I'm late to this but I love it! I also love that when I went searching for a description of a drizzle cake that my friend, Paola's recipe showed up first on The Kitchn! 

Making

Roasted Tomatoes

Apple Butter

August Goals

August goals were a bit hit and miss. I felt the whole weight of having kids home for the summer and it took a lot out of me. I've never been so happy to see September coming around the corner as I have this year. 

Here is how I did on my August Goals:

1. Exercise 20 times - I got in 24 workouts! 
2. Catch up on my Bible reading - I worked on this and am not caught up but I worked on it. 
3. Finish Book Bingo - DONE! I loved almost all the books I read and am so happy I did this. 
4. Knit on Nanoo - I found a huge mistake so I'm behind but I did work on Nanoo. I just had to rip, rip, rip. 
5. Knit my August Hats for charity - DONE! 
6. Knit 9 miter squares for my blanket - I did none of these. 
7. Clean out the garage - I got a really good start but the smoky air waylaided me. However, I have most of it cleaned out and am ready to start my re-org. 
8. Clean out the Girl's Closet - I sent Scott out with the kids one morning and dove into this project. I got it done! 
9. Start purging stuff from storage - Purge! Purge! Purge! 
10. Follow the Clean Mama cleaning schedule to see if I prefer this method. - I love this method and am now cleaning the house this way. Woot! 

Here are my goals for September! These include some 2018 goals and some specific goals for September. With school starting, I'll have more time to work on goals so I've choosen some harder ones. 

September Goals

1. Exercise 20 times  
2. Catch up on my Bible reading
3. Hang Wallpaper in the Basement stairwell. 
4. Plant a new shrub outside the house. 
5. Knit my September hat for charity 
6. Knit 5 miter squares for my blanket
7. Paint and Organize the garage
8. Paint the bathroom
9. Start TKGA Master Knitting Level I
10. Continue purging the stuff from storage

Monthly Goal Check-in (August)

2018 Goals

1. Workout 218 times in 2018 - I worked out 24 times in August. My goal was 20 times. I'm at 173 workouts for the year with 42 to go!
2. Go Skiing 
3. Complete "The Artist's Way"
4. Learn Hand Lettering - I'm not feeling the passion for this goal. I've done some of it but I'm not loving it. I may abandon this goal or maybe when Fall arrives, I'll pick it back up. 
5. Paint the Bathroom - This will be happening in September! 
6. Find a picture for the oval frame in my bedroom 
7. Replace the sad Rhododendron plant with a Dwarf Japanese Maple (or another plant) - I'll be buying a new plant in September and taking care of this goal. 
8. Build (or buy) a trellis for my vegetable garden 
9. Buy a new dishwasher 
10. Embrace Minimalism by doing the Minimalist Game for an entire month 
11. Reduce our food bill and food waste - I've been doing pretty good about reducing our food waste but our food bill is not so reduced. It's actually fine with me. I just don't want to waste food. 
12. Read War and Peace, Moby Dick, A Tale of Two Cities and The Grapes of Wrath -  I didn't do any reading on these books this month though I did do a lot of reading otherwise for Book Bingo.
13. Read the Bible - I'm not quite caught up but I'm working hard on it. 
14. Knit Nanoo - Nanoo! I'm still working on this. Working, working and finding mistakes and rip, rip, ripping! 
15. Knit 12 hats for charity - I got my August Hat knit up even though it felt like a slog! I have 4 more hats to knit. 
16. Repeat Goal: Complete TKGA Master Knitting Level I - I plan to complete this in the Fall. 
17. Repeat Goal: Finish my Miter Square Blanket  - My goal for August was to knit 9 miters and I knit nothing! Oops! 
18. Repeat Goal: Catch up on my yearly photo books of the girls - This is a goal that is dragging on me but I want to get done. I need to figure out how to buckle down and do it.  

Week in Review 9.1.18

I can feel it. I'm in the home stretch. School is supposed to start on Wednesday (barring a teacher strike) and I can do this! I'm actually now starting to feel sad about summer ending and the end of leisurely mornings. However, soon I'll have solid blocks of time to tackle the many projects around my house. And there are so many projects around this house. 

Exercise

Workouts were great this week! I did three boot camps, a Barre3 class, a Burn Cycle class and one workout on my own. My personal workouts this week start and end with a 5 minute run. I thought it would be fun to have the kids ride bikes for me on both ends. That was a BIG mistake. They almost hit or were almost hit by one million cars. By the end of the 6 minutes it took us to go around the block, my heart rate was up not because of the run but because I feared for my children. 

Food

Molly and I got in a HUGE Costco run on Sunday which meant our house has been packed to the gills with food. I feel ready to tackle school lunches though and if you need snacks, we have snacks! 

I have been straying from my morning smoothies so this week, I made up some smoothie packs and got back on the smoothie train. I feel better when I drink them in the morning and with coming onslaught of busy mornings, I'm going to be grateful for them soon. 

Most of our meals came from our local milk delivery farm this week. They sent out a brochure with Five Easy Weekday Meals and I loved how easy they were. Maggie inhaled the Baked Gnocchi and Meatballs. INHALED! 

The Girls

The girls and I had a low-key week but we also went to Bainbridge Island for an adventure. I love riding the ferry and the girls had a fantastic time at the Kid's Museum. 

Otherwise they played and made messes and prepared for school. This summer has been intense and I am so ready for them to have a solid routine. 

Other Goings On

Scott and I were able to get two dates in this week which was gang busters! I scheduled a babysitter to watch the kids while we attended a preschool orientation and then I had her stay a bit longer so we could go out to dinner. Then on Friday friends asked us to go out and I was able to get another sitter to watch the kids. Then their sitter canceled on them but we made lemonade and had a great night while rescheduling with our friends. I've been trying to get more date nights in with Scott because it helps remind us why we like each other. We had a great time on Friday night just roaming around and talking about nothing. 

Stories Published

Seattle Refined: Cookies, cookies, cookies! We found the best in Seattle