A week in phone photos

Last Sunday morning I ran the Hypothermic Half Marathon.  I felt really lucky to have my family and one of my closest friends come out to cheer me across the finish line.  Do you notice the comical thing about this photo?  When I put it up to post it made me chuckle.

Pretty sweet medal (the snowflake turns), but that's about the only good thing about this race.  Race review post to come.

The race had a morning and an afternoon run. My brother ran in the afternoon and my kiddos wanted to wait around to cheer him on.  I had so much fun (as did they).  I need more opportunities to be the one cheering.  The little two kept themselves entertained making snow angels :)

Valentines!  My son had two parties this week, my eldest one.  We had a total of 61 cards to make - phew!  I also volunteered to make cookies for the preschool class.  Had the dough going and realized I was out of eggs.  Went to our neighbours house who only had one and I needed to.  Thanks to Google I added the egg and half a banana.  Turned out great with very little banana taste.

Thank you Pinterest!  Last minute Teachers Valentines!

I took on a new project yesterday.  I'm pretty excited about it and hope it works out as well as Pinterest would have me believe - ha ha!

Beautiful sunny day today and the kids had a close up view of a Gorilla at the local zoo.

How was your week?

A week in phone photos

After my short long run of 14K this past weekend, I met up with a good friend for lunch (er breakfast because the kind cafe was willing to make me french toast).  Such a tasty way to end a run.  And check out that mochachino!

I expected french toast but got so much more.  All that fruit was delicious!

Once home my middle dressed up in all my running clothes (including my compression socks).

Not to be unincluded, my littlest found my new runners and got in on the dress up action.

I started the sleeves to my Icelandic sweater.  I did the cuffs seperately on double pointed needles, then once past the colorwork joined them for two at a time on two circulars.

Our Golden Retriever affectionately called Red (or Clifford, or Cliff, or with his middle name Clifford Rufus).  He requires so much more than a caption.  He hasn't been well and we are preparing to say goodbye.

A swap!  A Rav member sent me a message about a skein I was willing to part with.  She made me these two awesome bags as an exchange.  I've already put my sweater sleeves into one of them!

I retired these shoes this week.  They ran a total of 403K.  Wow!

What's on your phone this past week?

When Winter brings you Summer

As I write this, I have three kids wrapped behind me in blankets eating popcorn, and a slurpee sitting beside me.  Yes, a slurpee, on January 25th.  Summer arrived today in the middle of Winter.  It's an amazing 14C outside.  A record high for the day.  And oh have I (we) soaked it in.

There was a 21K run today.

Then home for some trampoline jumping and strawberry eating (prepared by my 7 year old.  Time moves fast.  She can now cut up and serve us strawberries).

In shirts (and one in shorts) we headed off to the playground.  The littlest one potty training and out without a diaper.  Not only that but she walked the whole way there and I pulled an empty wagon.  Times are sure changing and moving out of babydom is in full force.

A solid hour spent on the playground, slurpees picked up across the street, and back at home.

Those kids (and I!) have earned the appropriate January blanket snuggling and popcorn eating.

What a treasure today was.  Supposedly Wednesday will be 16C.  I hope you are all getting outside to enjoy it too!

'Stache with Stash!

I recently did some stash busting, to create this adorable 'stache for my eldest daughter.

We had a week of incredible cold (temps in the negative teens), and she asked to wear her scarf to school.  A fleece scarf that came free with her snowsuit, when I think she was 2.  A knitting Mom can do better than that!  Plus she was using it as a balaclava and was always having to ask someone to tie it behind her head.

I turned to an online group of friends on Ravelry who suggested Incognito.  Seriously, how fun!

This knits up in no time flat, and there are about six possible 'staches to choose from.

I first knit poirot, which unfortunately was too wide and narrow and didn't look like a moustache at all when my daughter wore it.

This one is just perfect and was an alternate moustache a Ravelry user created.

Bonus is I didn't have to buy any yarn for this project.  All stash I had tucked away.  The pink and purple are Cascade 220 and from a ballet bag I knit for my daughter 4 years ago.  The 'stache is created from a hat I made for her I believe when she was 2!

The weather has warmed up, but we are all ready for the cold when it hits again now :)

Man Colds and Running

I've come down with a man cold.  I explained this to my husband last night who looked at me and questioned what exactly that is.  I chuckled to myself that a man doesn't know the term 'man cold'.

My head feels like it is in a bit of a vice, I'm cold, congested, having trouble sleeping, and generally would like to crawl into bed and stay there for a long time.  Amazingly Wednesday night I did go to bed at 7:30pm. I usually think I'm pretty good about having a cold, but this one, despite that I would consider it mild, is doing me in.

There are some positives with having a man cold.  We are hunkering down at home, I'm casting on some new knits (can't show you though, top secret for Christmas!), and drinking lots of tea.  The kiddos are probably happy too as they are getting a bit more run of the house ha ha.

The downside, other than all the symptoms listed above, is I'm not getting my runs in.  I was determined to try and run at least 3 or 4 times a week this month, and for various reasons am still only fitting in 2.  Shoot!

One switch is my youngest is no longer napping, which made fitting in a run tricky during the day, as her naptime used to be my treadmill time.  I've started running while she is awake.  I haven't attempted more than 5K.  That seems like a healthy amount of time for toddler freedom ha ha.

Here are some snapshots of her antics (which are actually really fantastically well behaved).  My hope is as I do this weekly, it will become part of hers (and mine) normal routine, and I won't need to worry about why it's so quiet when she leaves the front room where the treadmill is.  (Can I also say I think it's incredibly cute that 'treadmill' is part of her regular vocabulary?  Or that at class yesterday she recognized I was wearing 'running socks!').  Training them early ;)

I need to keep working at getting more running time per week, and making that a priority in my schedule.  Toddler Freedom treadmill runs are helping, but I need to fit in a couple more.  First I need to get over this cold (and get some more sleep!), then will work on getting my feet out there more often!

Now to go drink some more tea, and find those needles :)

In Recovery

Two weeks ago my littlest came down with a cough, that at night was much more like croup.  For two nights I had Buckleys rub on her chest, a humidifier going beside her, head propped up, and tylenol administered.  The croup passed, we had a few illness free days, and then she got hit with a bad bout of diarrhea.  That was 10 days ago.  We have been to the Dr twice, have had tests done, and the good news, it isn't bacterial. The bad/sad news is it is taking her a long time to beat it.  I'm also thankful my other kiddos are doing well.  My middle was hit with it for one day, then bounced back quickly with just a lingering head cold.  Needless to say, this past week has seen alot of couch cuddling, quite a few tears and requests of being held, so much less posting, and much less doing.  Which is also ok.  Less can sometimes be more, especially when trying to heal a little person.

Here's what this past week looked like from my phone photo roll:

A morning of treats.  Mac Nut Latte and Applesauce pancakes.

Laundry, so many loads of laundry were done to clean and sanitize.  Getting to actually putting the laundry away though is a task I failed at.  

This was taken on the worst day where peanut wouldn't leave my lap.  I put the littles into the car and got a latte in a drive thru.  The 20 minute drive there, and back, was worth it.

All is not dire in the land of the sick.  There are some sweet snuggles to be had.

Sweet freedom.  Managed to get out for a 12K run this weekend.  A much needed escape.

 I'm hopeful this week will bring some much needed healing to the littlest of our crew.

Sweet Sugar

My older brother is a vegetarian turned vegan.  He is also an ultra runner and triathlete.  He's hardcore about his body and his health, and as he has made these amazing changes, I've been turning to him for nutritional advice when stuck with a question for the kids, and now, myself.

He texted me yesterday saying he wanted to "talk about sugar".  I responded that I knew it wasn't good for us (refined), but that I had to pick my battles and sugar wasn't one of them.  We chatted a bit more back and forth, and I went about doing tasks in the house.  As I picked up toys and put away laundry I got to thinking.  Why was I so quick to say I couldn't do without sugar?  And perhaps, if it was my first instinct to say no, I really should say yes.

So I said yes.  And committed it to Facebook (heck, share the accountability and get some others on this band wagon).  So I'm going 30 days sugar free.  Yesterday at 4pm when I decided to do this, I was taking the easy sugarless train.  I was saying no to obvious sugars - candy, syrups in my lattes, things of that sort.  And I wasn't going to check labels.  But I got curious.  I was told no more than 24g of sugar a day, fruit not being counted as it is natural and has fiber.

I started looking at labels.  Curry paste last night had 1g.  Today looking at our Peanut Butter it had ICING SUGAR in it.  Seriously.  Icing sugar.  The soy version had CANE SUGAR.

And the more I delve, the more I see a real change is needed.  I could list here all the scary things about sugar, but you can quickly dig them up with a simple Google search.  I'll get you started with this link my cousin posted yesterday.

I truly thought the kids and I didn't consume much sugar.  But it appears we consume more than we even realize.  I'm not going all crazy, but I am going to start looking for alternatives in our baking, and in the products we use.  Something so prevalent in our diet that can cause heart disease and cancer?  Why would I say yes to that???

Today I've eaten a kiwi and a nectarine I know yesterday I would have passed up.  I'm already grabbing more whole food, and plan tonight to pull out my yogourt maker and get a batch started.

What are your thoughts?  Would you ever think about going sugar free?

Playground Snacks

It's back to school again, and with it comes the struggle for my eldest of getting enough time to eat.  She's a grazer, and (rightly so) she also wants time to play.  Recess is only 15 minutes to do both, so over the past couple of years, we have tried to come up with quick snacks that can fill her up, but are also portable.  Here is one of our favorites.

NO BAKE GRANOLA BITES

YIELD: MAKES ABOUT 30 BITES

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups quick oats
• 1 cup crispy rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup ground flaxseed
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup honey or agave nectar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all the ingredients together in a large bowl, mixing gently so the crispy rice cereal doesn't get crushed. Mix until well-combined.
2. Using a cookie scoop (or roll small amounts in your hands), drop rounded tablespoonful-sized portions onto a parchment or wax paper lined cooking sheeet. I used my cookie scoop and then rolled the scooped portion out between my palms.
3. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. At this point you can serve them or combine the chilled granola bites in a large tupperware-type container or ziploc bags to freeze or refrigerate. They will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to a week or for a few months in the freezer.

I'm not a big fan of pre-packaged granola bars, especially the no nut ones as they seem loaded with sugar.  I will say that this one is also quite sweet, but I prefer it as it is made from scratch.  I minimize some of the sweetness by cutting the chocolate chips in half, and I add in raisins or craisins.

The whole batch makes a cookie sheet full that I immediately toss in the freezer.  When they are all frozen I transfer them to sandwich bags, and back into the freezer they go.  While I'm making lunch in the morning I'll put a couple into her lunchkit for snacktime, and by the time snack rolls around they are good to eat (I have eaten them frozen though and they are just as tasty).

Summer Cycling

This past Spring my eldest turned 7, and she was still only cycling a few hundred meters on a bike, in a field, before falling over.  We have enrolled her in Pedalheads (awesome program), but I realized a change wasn't going to happen unless we actively cycled with her.

Summer memories usually encompass a whole bunch of different things - but this Summer I can easily say, we cycled.  July saw me at first working with my eldest in the field, getting her comfortable going longer distances.  Still having to give her a push to get started.  My middle quickly wanted to join in, and we had him on a bike with training wheels for the first time.

My eldest got more confidant.  We moved from the field to the sidewalk (which terrified her but she did it!).  The middle joined in, and we spent most of that first Summer month, cycling in the cul-d-sac (a 800m loop), over and over.  My middle still went at a slow enough pace I would walk behind him with the littlest in a push trike.

Then end of July, I found I occasionally would have to run to keep up to him!  We were ready.  A friend let me borrow her trailer, and we were off!  I got on an old bike we had here at home, hitched up the trailer, and I cycled with them in the loop.  August hit, confidance was building, my eldest was no going downhill and making it up hills (!), and we started venturing out.

We went from a Summer of splash parks and playgrounds in July, to the kids only wanting to cycle in August.  We've been for donuts, for ice cream, for slushies, and to all sorts of neighborhood parks.  We even rode to a Drs appointment one morning! (the little two in the trailer, and the big one rode 9K!).

For our wedding Anniversary my hubby bought me a brand new bike, and we invested in a trailer of our own.  My eldest goes back to school next week, and we have created some really special memories.  I can't wait for the Spring, when the middle might get the training wheels off, and our cycling adventures can continue.  Until then, we have a few more weeks into the Fall, after school, when we can still get out.

Cycling our Summer away has been so much fun.

Happily Ever After Mitts

I didn't realize how fitting the pattern name of  these mitts would be to the owner!

My eldest turned 7 on Monday, and Sunday night found me frantically tucked away in our bedroom finishing up some fingerless mitts for her.

When she entered Grade 1, I knit her this hat - Happily Ever After by Susan Anderson using Studio Avenue Six Bellwater Sock yarn in the colorway Cheshire.  If I recall correctly I received it in a yarn kit, and it was perfect for my girl who loves purple and pink.  The hat only used a portion of the skein, so I figured accessories to match with the rest she would just love.

And she did!

From the moment she unwrapped the mitts, they only occasionally came off.  She wore them at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

She wore them to the play center (she skipped school on her birthday).

She even wore them to bed.  On her birthday, and last night.

And they are being worn to school today.

These mitts are LOVED.

And I'm so so pleased :)

Robots!

Can you believe that as I type this it is SNOWING?  We have lived in our city for 11 years now, and I'm starting to agree with my husband.  Why do we live here?  The grass is starting to turn green though, so Spring is on the horizon.  It just has to be!

Despite my April blog silence, there has been some baking going on (of course there is what with it being my middle's favorite activity!).

My eldest turns seven in one weeks time (holy cripes!), and a few weeks ago I got busy planning for her birthday cake.  She is on a princess tangent.  It started at her 5th birthday (Ariel), her 6th (Cinderella), and this year she has asked for Snow White.  I have a few awesome cupcake books, and decided to check there knowing that there was one to make a red apple.  (I will share more on her cake next week after it's come to fruition!).  In the cupcake book, my middle spotted a robot cupcake.  And boy does he love his robots.  I decided that what the heck, why do we need an occasion to make a cake?  To make it faster (and for him to be more involved), after preschool one day, we stopped at the Wal-mart and picked up a box cake mix, and frosting.  On a side note, frostings have gotten fancy.  I usually make them from scratch, but I guess when you buy them now you also buy flavoring?  Who knew.  Not me, so no flavoring was added to ours, but trust me, "plain" store bought icing is plenty sweet.

We set to work.

What do you think?  I think ours/his turned out much better than the one in the book ;)  And my son was SO excited to show it to his sisters and his Dad.  They were also more than happy to indulge :)

Her big move!

Did you have a good Easter weekend?  Ours was full, but also quiet which was really nice.  Since coming home from our holidays, it has felt "go, go go" for us.  Other than a few outings, our Easter weekend was spent primarily around the house.

It's been a little while since I posted here, and still alot I haven't shared about our trip to the US.  Twice while in the US, our littlest climbed out of her playpen.  I thought it was just that she was using the mesh to push into with her toes.  But last weekend while I was away for my first night away from her, she climbed OUT of the crib.  My husband thankfully caught her before she fell out head first.  A move was in order.

Our littlest has slept with, or beside me in her crib since she was born.  We have a three bedroom home, and the big two don't sleep well together.  This meant when the littlest was ready to move, she would be moving in with her big sister.  This past week I purchased a bunk bed and a second mattress.  The bed building happened on Friday, with the mattress arriving yesterday.  It was a big weekend for my kids!

Our littlest is only 20 months so I wasn't sure how the move would go.  My other two didn't move to a big bed until they were over 2.  Friday and Saturday night she slept in the playpen in her new bedroom and did great (even sleeping through the night the second night!).  Yesterday was the big move and she did AMAZING.  Looks like she is ready to show me she is just like her brother and sister.  As I type this she is having a successful first nap in her new bunk.  (Don't get me wrong... she hasn't realized yet she can leave the bed.  Once this happens - say in two or three days - sleeping may get harder).  But for now, I'm really impressed.

And the new found freedom for me of having the master bedroom back.  It's little things like being able to go into the room after she's in bed, and clean, organize (there has been a baby in the room for almost two years.  Things need to be re-arranged).  But knitting or watching a show in bed before going to bed - what a luxury!  I also just finished folding and sorting laundry upstairs during her nap.  Bliss!  No longer does laundry need to cover our couch in the front room.  I thought I would miss her, but it's actually been quite nice for her and I to both have some space back.

Today is the running of the Boston Marathon.  I'm excited for the US that an American has won the race!  I got out with the kids this morning for a nice 4K walk with my Mom while the race was on, a recovery from the 23K I ran yesterday.  The Calgary Marathon is happening in just over 40 days from now.  My last big run (36K I hope), will happen on Mothers Day weekend.  Not long now!

Sweet Valentine Delights

Thursday mornings after dropping my big two at school, I've been taking the littlest and meeting up with a friend to visit.  It was at our visit last week that she mentioned she was making a Pinterest treat for Valentines.  I have a Pinterest account, but don't use it frequently.  The treat involved chocolate and pretzels.  With a weakness for the combination of salty and sweet, I asked her to send me the 'pin'.

These are so good I can't properly describe them.  I do know almost everytime I walk by the fridge I pop one into my mouth.  (I found at room temperature they tend to stay too soft).

To make:

First, get some little people to do the legwork for you of taking off all the wrappers from the Hershey Hugs.

While they were doing that (with their Dad's help), I assembled the pretzels on a cookie sheet lined with parchment, and heated the oven to 200F.

Put a Hugs in the center of each pretzel, bake in the oven for 3 minutes, then press a smartie down onto the centre.

I let ours sit for a couple minutes, then placed the cookie sheet into the freezer to set them.  Once set, I've stored ours in a tupperware in the fridge.

Yum and enjoy!

Stay in Friday Activity

My eldest had a day off of school on Friday, and with a busy Saturday and Sunday ahead, it was a great excuse to stay at home.  It was also -14C outside.  Brrrr!

As the kids were watching cartoons, I logged on and saw this post.  Ice, candles?  My kids (and I!) would love this.  We quickly set to work doing the first layer of ice.  I used three different sizes of tupperware bowls, and used Ikea shot containers (not sure if this is their technical name... I use them for espresso shots ;), to weight down the water.

 We waited a few hours, then did the second layer.  The first layer wasn't completely frozen but was good enough to continue on.  The kids had great fun pouring in the water, and swirling in the food coloring with a toothpick.

We were partway through dinner when I remembered our ice candle holders outside.  They weren't completely frozen yet, but were good enough :)  I think if/when we do this again, the freezer is probably a better way to go, but the kids enjoyed being able to look out the window to see their creations.

If  you're looking for a great snow day activity, this one is alot of fun :)