Shedding habits which no longer serve us.

it’s about to fall…

This originally started as a blog post about the health benefits of raking leaves.

When the idea came to me I grew overly filled with zeal as, back in the ATX, I had no such leaf raking opportunities.

It had been 20+ years  since I’d last scraped up the fall stuffs (LONG before I carved my healthy path) and it kinda rocked!

I raked.

I blogged along in my head.

It would have been an awesome PLAYout post.

Mid-rake, however, I stopped & considered our emerging pile of leaves.  I looked long & hard and pondered how they’d fallen from the trees.

The easy manner in which they’d been shed because they werent necessary in the impending, dormant, winter season.

The leaves served their purpose (they’d nourished the tree) & now it was time for the tree let them go.

It sparked me to reflect on my mission for this year and my recent realization my new “habit” (focusing on never looking back) of no longer worked for me.

Its season had ended and, without realizing, Id shed the habit leaf in order to look back & see what I could learn from ‘chapters previously written.’

leaves no mo’ needed.

Id let go easily—for once as in the old joke I made like a tree—as I knew intuitively holding on to the habit wouldnt serve me.

I may, again, need to instate the only looking forward–but not right now.

This was all in the same way my OAKtown trees will need leaves again next year for food—but dont hold tightly to them *today* just in case.

These looooong internal musings sparked a conversation with the Tornado (after she finished her chorus of MOM! MOM?! WE’RE DONE! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!)

I shared with her how I dont make New Year’s resolutions.

We talked about habits we have & chatted about how good habits which “served” us when we were in Texas may not work as well here in Oakland.

I shared–in a way she could grasp–my thoughts on the leaves & how the tree ‘let go’ so easily.

I asked her if she could think of a good habit which once served helped her a lot yet it might be time to shed stop doing it for a while.

I have lots I want to do, Mama. There is lots of fun stuff in October.  I want to hurry not go slow and focus so I can do everything.

As she shared that I watched more leaves fall from our trees.

Quickly.

Easily.

No paralysis by OVERanalysis.

And with that I toss the question to you and ask you answer without over-analysis & share your immediate response:

What (fingerquote) good (unFQ) habit which once served you is it time to shed this fall?

I cant believe Im the first to make this parallel between leaves and habits.  There’s no citation above as I couldnt find a ‘source’ from googling.

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Jump rope time (*no* pinnable workout inside!).

Recently Ive had reminders how short life is.

If we dont slow down & listen to voices asking us to PLAY & not write about PLAYouts when we’re “ready” it may be too late.

This post isnt about the prolific health benefits of jumping rope (sorry not sorry).

It’s an invitation to join the Tornado & me in JUMPING not READING about said jumpage.

Lets PLAYout!

Portable.

Least expensive workout EVER!

Arain or shine exercise!

Young people in our lives get the chance to play the EXPERT!

Overall/whole body workout.

Underestimated consistently for the FUN and LAUGHTER it provides.

Time for a fast session? ALWAYS!!

(seriously.  GO. thats yer call to action. grab a rope.  git playing. life is too short not to.)

Long for serious musings on the myriad benefits of the rope? Stay tuned. the LEAN GREEN BEAN arrives *friday* to lend a hand.

Tags: jump rope, life is short--jump hard, PLAYout, workthecoreLAUGHING

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24-Rep Biceps Quickie

There’s only 24 reps in this biceps workout to have you feelin’ the burn, and you’re DONE! Unless you go for a second round, that is. You know I’m gonna push you to get in a second round, right? hehehehe

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WORKOUT BREAKDOWN (2 rounds)

Choose a medium weight for this workout — not too light, not too heavy.

8 reps slow & controlled full biceps curls8 reps bicep pulses in the mid-range of the curl movement8 reps slow & controlled full biceps curls20-30 second rest (adjust the weight of the dumbbells, if necessary)Repeat the entire sequence one more time.

INSTRUCTIONS, PROPER FORM & MODIFICATIONS

Keep elbows at your side throughout the entire movement. Don’t allow your elbows to jet forward or swing backwards.Keep your wrists firm and strong to support the weight. No bending the wrists. Don’t allow momentum to help you move the weights. Focus on strength of movement coming from your biceps. Also, do not lean back to help you curl the weight up.Remember to breathe. Don’t hold your breath!If you aren’t feeling the burn by the time you get to the mid-range pulses, the weight is probably too light.If you are having extreme difficulty completing the mid-range pulses, the weight is probably too heavy.Adjust your weight at any time during the exercises.Alternatively, instead of dumbbells, you can opt to use a barbell, heavy cans, or a small child. Make it work!

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If we had coffee…

sweet morning liquid-of-life

A little while ago I stumbled upon this blog post.

It resonated with me because it’s precisely how blog reading feels/is to me. I read blogs in the morning with my coffee *before* the zaniness of my day begins.

I also liked the concept because my favorite blogs to *read* are written in that manner.

As if we were just two friends getting together and chatting over coffee.

Ive got lots rolling around in my cranium today and really–if I could–I might not blog at all.

Id just invite you over for a cup.

Id share Im feeling sad & make you listen to a story.

Id tell you how, when I was a trainer, I had a multimillionaire client who led a fear based life. He was terribly frugal because he feared he’d never have an idea as great as his first. He worried if he lost his wealth he’d never re-create it. Im not that man. When people appropriate my ideas I think AWESOME. MUST HAVE BEEN A GOOD ONE! I HAVE MORE! but then Id reveal how seeing “friends” appropriate my ideas has made me sad.

Phil Spector specs.

Then Id grow excited and share how I saw something which increased my faith in humanity & resilience.

Id tell you I was feeling the sad of the above when I saw a woman walking her dog. More aptly put she was helping her dog to walk.

Meet Barkly!

I asked if she’d share the dog’s story & she told me this: Barkly has a disease like Multiple Sclerosis and about six months to live. Right now he’s pain-free so we walk daily. I was amazed by the dog’s joy (I was repeatedly face-licked) & resiliency (the cart was new) *and* by his human’s capacity for kindness. The interaction made me grateful Id slowed, stopped and asked.

Id sit for a moment, absentmindedly twirl my hair and shout: OH! I forgot to tell you…

Recently Id noticed the Tornado’s hair looked nice yet different. I complimented her (to my delight she said THANK YOU!) and asked: Did you cut some bangs?! True to age seven she initially denied the hair cutting. True to being a misfit-mama I laughed & told her Id been 7 once, it was fine, & next time Id happily bring her to a salon. Id tell you about our mother/daughter group at school & how it’s a reminder things are *so* different now than when I was 7 and yet simultaneously entirely the same.

when I was young I did this too!

Id ask how things were with your family & Id share how the longer Im married the more Im realizing it’s just like fitness.

Id talk about weight-loss maintenance & say how, for me, it’s just recommitting to healthy living each morning no matter how the prior day went.  I say Ive realized marriage is the same.  Id yammer about how no one talks candidly about the time and work required *daily* to maintain a healthy union.  How (like weight-loss maintaining) marriage maintenance isnt “sexy” so few people are honest about the effort required.   Id mumble about blogging this, but trail off  knowing Id likely not.

Sadly, at this point our cups would be empty and life would beg to intrude on our time.

We’d separate promising it wouldnt be as long between our coffee talks—yet both of us knowing, as promises were made, it probably would be.

 If we could have a slice of silence, coffee and over-share today—what would you tell me?

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Tips for taking criticism without falling apart.

WriterMisfit (circa 2000) ROCKED the criticism.

As a healthy living community we rarely chat about the skill of taking CRITICISM without falling apart.

We’ve focused on the importance of accepting a compliment gracefully.

I’ve yammered before–and believe it as important as ever–how deflecting or diminishing a nicety denigrates the giver (never our intent).

We infrequently discuss how much better (take my word for it) and easier (yes! yes!) life is when you DON’T amble through it internalizing criticism as life-ending critique.

You didnt like my book? No worries!

For me acquiring the skill has been a lifelong process.

Yet, now that I possess it (for the most part. Im human), I can see how it’s equally as pivotal for life success & life-happiness as as being able to take a compliment.

The ability to hear, accept, and not grow defensive as a result of constructive criticism has helped me grow (as a writer. as a sister, mother, wife, friend.) and deepened bonds of trust in my relationships.

You think my tattoos an unsightly mistake? That’s ok!

The ability to assimilate criticism well is not something we’re born with— it’s a learned skill.

I’d never considered this until it came time to teach an uber-sensitive seven year old about graciously accepting thoughts/ideas she may *not* wish to hear.

Only in attempting to explain the concept to her did I realize it’s like a muscle. 

Taking criticism with aplomb is a trait we need to build & keep strengthened in order to maintain (OOOH fitness tie-in!).

Before I share my tips it bears clarifying I’m operating on the assumption our criticism-profferer is someone whose opinion we value/are compelled to value.  A loved-one, family member, friend, boss etc.

4 Tips For Taking Criticism Without Breaking a Sweat:

1. Dont be a seven year old. This is the most basic of tips and yet the most commonly done. Dont lash back at the criticizer. As we’ve talked about with compliments sit with the words for a moment.  Do not reflexively reciprocate with criticism of your own.

2. Listen. Internalize. Do a body-check. Ask yourself where you feel the *stress* of the critical words? Neck? Pit-of-stomach? Shoulders? Work the mind/muscle connection & focus on relaxing those areas both during & after the criticism-experience.  Physical relaxation serves to lessen the mental-stress of the critique.

3. “If this weren’t ME…” Step back & ask yourself what youd think if the words were *not* directed toward you. I frequently do this with criticism of my writing.  I pause, read critiques through lens of Reader NOT Writer & gauge my reaction. Often if not always my response becomes one of Oh yes! That does improve upon my message.

4. Remind yourself imperfections do *not* make you a failure. Life *is* our healthy living mantra of progress not perfection. No one is perfect & none arrive here with the ability to receive criticism without breaking a sweat stride. Each time I offer Tornado constructive criticism she & I also chat about how my parents “helped” me in this fashion.  We discuss how striving to smooth some of our rough edges or imperfections does NOT make us failures.

learning to take criticism is a process…

I cannot emphasize enough how the life-skill of taking constructive criticism & integrating without ‘anger’ has helped me grow as a person.

And, if said growth/accompanying pain-at-times isnt enough for you freelance writer types, editors adore working with me because they know I welcome rewrite-suggestions without doing number one above.

Never a bad thing.

And you?

When you’re on the receiving end of constructive criticism how do YOU respond?

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You Need to Know About This: Grocery Shelves With Cameras Will Spy On You, the H7N9 Avian Flu Outbreak

You ready to be shocked, enraged, and totally weirded out? Then let’s get it started…

COMING SOON: High Tech Grocery Shelves With Built-in Cameras Will Spy on You, Store Info into Database: Well ya, we’re already being spied on at the grocery store when making a purchase, but you can blame companies like Chips Ahoy, Nabisco and Ritz for this newest method of spy-foolery. The surveillance, coming as soon as 2015, is described as “high tech shelves with built in cameras”, as reported by a Fox affiliate. Those nosy bastards want to acquire knowledge about you at the shelf-level, and store it into their database. They want to know who you are (your age, gender and other personal information) so they can better market their crappy products.

“But Josie, I don’t eat those bullcrap Chips Ahoy. I don’t even go down the junk food aisle, so this won’t affect me.” 

Well sure, but I don’t think the spying will stop at the cookie aisle. It’s not the style of greedy corporations to merely take an inch. They want the entire mile.

BIRD-TO-HUMAN Transmission of H7N9 Avian Bird Flu Virus: There are now over 130 laboratory confirmed cases in China. This is a fact. But with China being so far way, should we really be concerned? Based on July 2013 data reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus has a 32% death rate. That’s pretty high. There have been additional confirmed cases since this WHO data was released.

What’s interesting is that the United States CDC has been quietly preparing for a potential avian bird flu pandemic. I say “quietly”, because it’s not being reported by mainstream media. You have to dig for the information. With the existence of no safe vaccine currently available, the CDC has recently awarded a contract for the implementation of a National Nurse Triage Hotline During a Severe Influenza Pandemic. Interesting, huh? There are also plans for the Emergency Alert System (EAS) to be activated during such a time.

EAS is a national public warning system that requires broadcasters (radio, cable, satellite and wireless) to provide their communications capabilities to the President to address the American public during a national emergency. ~ source

This info isn’t meant to incite fear-mongering or running wild through the streets half-naked screaming, “PANDEMIC!!!” (but wouldn’t that be fun?). Please, just be informed. It’s important that you read the entirety of information as reported by POTRblog.com to understand the full scope of infection in China, including latest developments, and what our CDC is doing to prepare for a potential H7N9 outbreak here in the States. The preparations are extensive. Many thanks to POTRblog for his well-researched, continuing coverage.

Alrightie then. Carry on now. Don’t you need to be doing some squats or pushups or something? O_O

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Weekend Quote: Life is an Experience

Recently I’ve been trying to rediscover my passion for trying new things. I’m not sure about you, but for me it takes a deliberate and conscious effort to do so. If I don’t I fall into the rut of my routine. I get lazy, complacent, bored, uninspired, and that’s when a funk normally sets in.

A few days ago you may have noticed I shared my first experience with sorghum on GreenLiteBites, and today I posted a completely new way to prepare spaghetti squash.

Could I have easily slapped some ham between two slices of bread or just picked something up from the convenience store? Sure, and there’s nothing wrong with that when you are in a pinch, but I think so many of us simply don’t make the effort when we can. It’s not a priority to try new foods and take the time to learn how to cook them. We’re scared. What if I don’t like it? What if the kids don’t like it? What if I mess it up?

I’m using food and cooking as an example here, but this same concept applies to everything in life.

Trying a new class at the gym. I won’t know anyone. What if I mess up, or worse can’t keep up?

Reaching out to new friends. They already have a group. What if they don’t like me? What if I don’t fit in?

Planning a weekend away with your significant other. We can’t afford it. I’d have to ask something to watch the kids. It’s just so much work.

I can go on and on … Signing up for a running event, applying for a new job, taking a class in something that interests you, etc., etc., etc.

Making an effort to DO is scary.

“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experience.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

And the older I get, the more I realize life really is all about the experience.

The more we try, the more we do, the more we live.

The more we live, the less we worry about trivial things like how we look in a bathing suit or what the scale told us this morning.

So what do you think? Try something new with me this weekend? Go ahead, push yourself out of your comfort zone. Find something to experience not in your typical routine. 

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Wednesday Weigh In: Glimpse of a Scale-Less LIfe

My poor baby was up all last night. Is there anything worse than a sick 2-year-old? Poor little guy didn’t even know what hit him. He was up almost every 2 hours on the dot, 10, midnight, 2, 4, 6. I felt so bad for him.

He’s doing much better now. This stupid stomach virus started with the 8-year-old, then me and now him. I can only guess The Husband is next, but for as uninterested as he is in healthy living, he somehow dodges most bullets. It’s like he has some superhuman immune system.

Anyway, I realized something after all the sick toddler hoopla: I have been truly living in the moment the past 24 hours. You have to with a sick child. You just tend to them and everything else seems pretty insignificant.

When I finally got a moment to sit at my desk to write today’s weigh-in post I realized I didn’t even occur to me to hop on the scale once this week.

Some weeks I look forward to the scale ritual and some I dread. There are times I argue with myself whether I should hop on at all. Is it a good idea to be accountable? Or does it do more harm than good? Does it even matter in the grand scheme of things what the stupid scale says anyway?

You guys know all this because I blog about it. Weekly.

But today was different. Today it didn’t occur to me nor did it matter. I didn’t have time to overanalyze my petty and ridiculous relationship with the scale. Life was happening. Things needed to get done. People needed to be taken care of.

I think I just had a glimpse of a scale-less life and I liked it.

Of course now I’m curious what the stupid thing says, but I think I resist this week. :)

How is everything going with you guys?

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Sensational Sunday Shots

It’s been a pretty low-key weekend, which is exactly what I needed. Friday night I had dinner plans with a friend. Saturday I had an at-home date night with The Husband since the 8-year-old was invited to a sleep over. And today? Well, I did what I could with a hangover and a stomach virus.

The 2-year-old awoke ready to play.

He’s obsessed with this Cube Puzzle by Melissa and Doug. 

First we did the sheep.

Then the duck.

Then the chicken, which ended the way things normally end with toddler boys.

Then the cow.

Then Mom had enough and I shuffled him down to the messy kitchen.

And the cook-fest began.

I didn’t join the CSA this year as I knew I’d be traveling a lot but a friend asked if I wanted her share this week. I happily accepted the 4 bags of farm-fresh produce.

I decided to make an Indian-inspired roasted eggplant soup and it came out phenomenal. I hope to get the recipe up on GreenLiteBites tomorrow.

In addition to the soup, I hard boiled eggs for the week and made these two a bacon and egg breakfast.

It was so weird without the 8-year-old but we still had fun cleaning and getting ready for the week.

I started a project that I’ve been wanted to do for months.

My clothes were in desperate need of organizing. I went through every darn drawer and my closet.

I broke from the crazy clothes purge and we picked up the other kid.

*sigh*

The rest of the day I finished my clothes and took a nap. Then the husband left for tennis and I had dinner with these two.

Why, yes, he is putting spaghetti in his milk.

Anyway, no yoga, no run, nothing today. I needed a break.

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Kentucky Tough Mudder Here I Come!

Tomorrow I’m heading to Kentucky!

I’ve never been and I have NO idea what to expect except horses, and horse racing and, umm horses. Oh! and Jim Bean! Isn’t whiskey big in Kentucky?

Anyway, I digress.

I’m going to run in my 7th –oh crap I’ve run SIX TOUGH MUDDERS — Tough Mudder.

Remember when I ran my first one last year? Look how young and naive I was …

That’s Carrie, Jimmy and I in our post-Mudder glow.

I really thought I’d never, ever, do it again.

But just 7 months later we were back at it and this time we brought Bobby.

Then Carrie decided she needed a THIRD baby so she temporarily left the team but that didn’t stop Jimmy, Bobby and me. We decided to see how Mudders were done on the West Coast.

Then Jimmy had the great idea to try 2 mudders back-to-back and I insanely agreed to give it a shot.

That, I can HONESTLY say, I  will never, EVER do again.

Then I jetted off to St. Louis to run with Kim and her team.

 At each and every one of these events I’ve learned something about myself. I’ve met amazing people, overcame challenges, and had fun — like LOADS of fun.

I know lots of people don’t get it. Why would you sign up and PAY to run 12 miles, crawl in the mud and torture yourself? What do you have to prove?

Nothing.

Sure, the first time I did it I wanted to prove to myself I could, but now?

Now I do it because I can.

Plus I just LOVE being around supportive, active people. It’s energizing.

This time I’ll be wearing the goPro on my chest –I got the new Hero3 and it’s much thinner so I think I can manage it there — to capture what I can.

Jimmy is joining me again along with Tiger, Megan, Ann and Alan. It’s going to be awesome! I can’t wait to see everyone!

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Hungry vs. Greedy: how my stomachs do battle in the quest to make good food choices

Hey ya’ll. Welcome to the very real world of my stomachs. If you frequently loiter around this place, you know it’s been a little since I talked about that deep, dark realm where the battle to make good food choices is waged daily.

What better way to show you how I do battle on The Field of Stomachs than by giving you some real life examples of a day in the life:

Say what now? I ate breakfast 2 hours ago, but now I’m hungry again? I do my best eat well in the morning to combat unscheduled hunger. But there goes a stomach for ya — always begging like a banshee for more food when it’s not time yet.

On this particular day, my stomachs tried to claim hungry, but I was skeptical about the validity of that claim. Instead of shoving 2nd breakfast into my jaws, I grabbed a fancy flower cup and began to gulp waters. PADDOW!! The hunger disappeared right away. I was able to carry on until lunch without any unnecessary snacking. Conclusion: Either the water did the trick or the flowered cup is real magical ‘n stuff. Haven’t figured it out yet.

Yup. You know how people are. You’re on a roll with good food choices, but here they come bringing you muffins and other high calorie foodstuffs. This situation was a blind-sider. Totally caught me off guard. As you can see from the pic, I did start eating the muffin. But two bites in, I decided the muffin just wasn’t worth it. I’d rather postpone my greediness to gnaw on whole pumpkin pies or an entire sheet cake eaten at the perfectly appointed time.

Instead of muffins and foods of that sort, my current go-to snack to manage the afternoon sweet tooth is a lightly toasted Eggo smathered in local raw honey. Instant satisfaction, baby! This snack is so tasty. It gives the illusion of being greedy but you’re really not. The treat also doubles as a sophisticated evening snack to bring about the same wonderful bliss without bamboozling your fitness.

Honey is so dang good for you. The Eggo merely serves as a low-calorie vehicle by which to ingest the sweetness.

Nothing makes me more irritable than going to bed hungry or waking up in the middle of the night with a growling stomach. No longer will I force the hubs to cook me a 3-course meal at 11pm. That’s why I keep emergency foodstuffs at the bedside. A little nibbling on some crackers with a gulp of water is pretty handy for telling the stomach to SHUT THE HELL UP! Crackers are ideal because they’re a direct threat to your bed/covers if you eat too many. With every bite you take, it increases the chance you’ll be sleeping in a pile of crumbs. This is my motivation for keeping the cracker nibbling to a minimum. ((snore))

These are just few of the ways I do warfare. I don’t win every single battle, but I’ve trained myself to be on helluva warrior anyway. I don’t get down on myself about the defeats, because seriously: Can anyone ever win ‘em all? All the time?

Disclaimer: I ate ice cream during the writing of this blog post.  O_o

If you’re my fellow warrior, give me a shout out in the comments. BOOM!

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What EGGSactly does organic & cagefree mean?

I am the Eggland’s Best brand ambassador and the below is a sponsored post. The topic, opinions, & fact I badgered the owner of my FAVE Oakland coffee shop to carry them are all my own.

He’s EGGLAND’S BEST!

Weve chatted before about how careful I am with regards to brands I’ll partner with.

We’ve dialogued at length the fact I must *already* use a product daily before I’ll reach out to them about mingling our reputations.

(Hence the photo above.  I yammered at him about Eggland’s Best eggs long before I worked with the brand.)

That said, I knew I preferred Eggland’s Best over other eggs—-but until I became an official EGGvangelist I didnt know the WHY behind my preference.

I also didnt understand the difference between all the Eggland’s options and what differentiates the eggs from one another.

Thankfully, judging by your comments, emails & tweets, you didnt either.

You asked.  I asked.  The coffee-shop ownerman asked.  They answered.  Ive gots info.

These 2 contain EGGy wisdom.

Im confused.  Whats the basic difference between regular white eggs & organic?

Organic eggs are fed an organic version of our Eggland’s Best feed. All of the feed—no matter the kind—comes from natural sources.

Yep.  Still a little muddled.  Define for me the ones I tend to buy (regular white)?

These are the classic Eggland’s Best eggs. They’re from  vegetarian fed hens, healthy grains, no antibiotics, no hormones.

I love my classics.  Many of my readers prefer Eggland’s Best cage free eggs.  Whats the difference?

The cage free eggs are from vegetarian fed hens, healthy grains, no antibiotics, no hormones *and* the hens are free to roam. They are provided with sunlight, shade, shelter, exercise space, fresh air, and are protected from predators.  This protection is how we keep our hens safe from predatory animals that could harm them or potentially pass on disease.

OK you may have me switching with the mere thought of the HENS EXERCISING! Are organic eggs produced by *exercising* hens, too?

Yes! The same free roaming living with the only difference being the addition of all-natural, all-vegetarian Eggland’s Best hen feed.  This special feed contains no added hormones, antibiotics or steroids, and no animal by-products, recycled or processed foods.

I kid about the hens doing PLAYouts! (sort of) but it sounds as though they’re treated better than other places.

Yes.  In fact the farms that produce our Cage Free & Organic eggs are certified humane by the American Humane Society.

Im frequently asked by friends & readers if Eggland’s eggs really taste better (they do!) and why?

 Two key words: fresh and natural.  We consistently test from feed to farm to store and do 30-40,ooo quality tests in those areas combined *yearly.*  Also what the hen is eating is natural so we produce a tastier egg.

I immediately re-named my eggs.

I jokingly refer to my Eggland’s Best Egg addiction as LOVING THE TATTOO’ED EGGS.  Which sparked readers to ask if the ‘tattoo ink’ is safe?

We love that you call it a tattoo and yes it is completely safe.  The stamp ink on our egg shell is FDA-approved, food safe ink that is acceptable as a food additive.

3 cheers for tattooed eggs!

 There you go. 

All our queries answered….and then some!

Tune in next time when I share what I uncovered on my own about HEN’S EARLOBES!

Any lingering questions about Egglands Best in general or eggs specifically?Do you already know the hen/EARLOBE story?

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A Tough Mudder Weekend, Sensational Sunday and Unmotivated Monday All in One

I don’t even know where to begin. I finally have a moment to sit at my desk and my head is spinning. The past 3 days have been insane.

Let’s see … Friday I left bright and early for Lexington, KY. It was finally time to run a Tough Mudder with Ann and Megan, the winners of my Tough Mudder Madness contest. But first I got to spend the day with these amazing people.

From left to right that’s Jimmy, Tiger, me, Emmie, and Alan.

Emmie was our gracious host, acting as Lexington tour guide and letting us all crash at her house. She took us to the racetrack and a fabulous restaurant, but I’ll share that all on TheUnworldlyTravelers when I get a chance. If I go into too many details this post will be a novel. Plus I’m on the clock as Little Bean is napping.

Anyway, the next day the Tough Mudder team was ready. Well, as ready as you can be on a cold October day facing 12 miles and 21 obstacles.

I was REALLY cold but super excited to be doing my seventh Mudder.

The course was tough and the weather wasn’t helping but we gave it our all.

Not everyone was able to finish the course but I don’t want to focus on that. Everyone on this Mudder team did their absolute best. We all faced fears, took on the challenge and worked together as a team.

It was an AMAZING experience and I’m SO proud of everyone.

The next day (Sunday) I woke up bright and early for my 7 a.m. flight making it home in time to take this guy to his best friend’s birthday bowling party.

Then we went grocery shopping for the week.

The rest of Sunday we just chilled as a family. It was so nice to make dinner and eat with the family. The Husband left for tennis practice afterwards  and The 8-year-old and I fell asleep on the couch watching the Food Network.

That’s why I didn’t blog last night.

I was exhausted.

This morning I had to take the 2-year-old to the doctor for what we thought was a crazy allergic reaction but what may have been the first stage of another nasty stomach bug. The poor little guy has been camping out all morning with his water, animal crackers and Thomas on the iPad.

Me? Well I’m in my typical post-event funk. I feel like I have a million things to do and no time (or motivation) to do them. So I decided to cook something creative for lunch to cheer myself up.

That’s a kabocha squash chili I made this morning. I’m hoping to get the recipe up on GreenLiteBites sometimes in the next two days but with a doctor appointment tomorrow and speaking engagement, I’m not so sure.

Oh! and I lost my damn Fitbit! I don’t know how. The last time I saw it it was clipped to my bra and when I went to check my steps last night it was gone. It can be anywhere between Lexington and here so I really have no hope of finding it. I’m wondering if it fell off while sleeping in the plane all crunched over. Who knows.

OK, I’m going to run. Miraculously the 2-year-old is still sleeping so I’ll start prepping some kabocha chili photos now. Maybe I can squish that one in too! :)

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