Weekend Snapshots and the Warty Pumpkin

This was one of those weekends that I know I'm going to relish in the upcoming months. Fall typically hits our family at fever pitch with activities, marching band competitions for my son, and accelerates right into Thanksgiving and Christmas. I didn't have a single thing on my calendar through the weekend and into Monday. Heaven! 

I went to Costco on Friday. I try and avoid going on Saturday or Sunday if I can. Sometimes that's unavoidable, but I was able to swing in quickly and do some of our bulk shopping. Of course, all their Christmas lights and candy and gifts are out in full swing. There was even a completely decorated Christmas tree. 😒

But! I did see this:

Wouldn't these three be wonderful to cuddle
on Christmas morning. Maybe not...

Obviously, I immediately texted my best friend and asked her if it was bad that I totally wanted to buy large Star Wars action figure dolls for myself. She gave me permission to buy them…but I didn't. #starwarsnerd

My BFF and I did end up having a text exchange which led to a phone conversation about supporting each other through making healthier food choices. It was just what I needed. It feels so good to not be struggling alone! My poor eating habits feel like my dirty little secret. Today is day three of no sugar. I spent most of Saturday working on meal prep for the week. It makes a huge difference when I have healthy food on hand to reach for instead of losing my mind over a package of cookies. There is an expression that we use in 12-Step meetings which applies to this situation perfectly, "One is too many and a thousand is never enough." There have been times that I have wanted to reach for sweets...but if there are only two or three cookies, I won't even bother. It's not enough. Crazy talk, right??

Here are some mini breakfast (or lunch if I'm so inclined) quiches made from yellow squash zoodles, eggs, and leftover chicken sausage. I baked them in the oven and sprinkled a scant amount of cheese just a few minutes before I pulled them out:

Anything in a cupcake liner = winning

I have a huge sweet tooth. One of the keys to setting myself up for success is having a dessert that I can enjoy. If I feel for a second like I am being deprived, then it's all over. Staying on top of my blood sugar and ahead of my cravings is one of the things that has worked the best in establishing healthy eating habits. I have a recipe for almond bread that is typically made in a loaf pan, but I prefer them in muffin cups. I modified the recipe by adding a date rolled in unsweetened coconut. My teenagers like to call this recipe my 'prison bread'. We have clearly watched too much OITNB. 

These satisfy a sweet tooth. Also, see caption above.

It's hard to tell from this photo -- or maybe it's not -- that the planters in our front yard are old drumheads. My husband dug up our lawn several months ago and created a drought-resistant garden out of old up-cycled drum kits. The garden has really starting to filling out as the plants have begun maturing, and our yard has become a mecca for pollinators: bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, including evening marauders (what did that funny meme with the crazy names for animals call raccoons...trash pandas??) . It is the most unique garden I have ever seen, and we're thrilled with the results! Three cheers for Mr. Doll 🌱

Drums and plumeria

Halloween is probably my favorite holiday. It's not that I go for super scary stuff -- or maybe I do, just a little -- but I love decorating the house and the change of season into cooler weather. Sadly, we will be out of town on Halloween and I won't get to pass out candy. I decided it was pointless to decorate the yard for all those trick-or-treaters we won't be passing candy out to...so I picked out this warty gourd as my consolation prize for missing All Hallows' eve.

My pumpkin has a STD

The last picture is obviously one I didn't take, but a failed gif of Maya Rudolph that I tried to insert into my last blog post. I'm including it in my Weekend Snapshots post because she is that awesome.

Hi Maya!

Thank you to Erin at Her Heartland Soul for hosting a link up. Do you carve pumpkins? When was the last time you visited a pumpkin patch?

TOL #2 Glamorous Life of Running

Hosted by Amanda at Running With Spoons, Thinking Out Loud is a weekly celebration of quirks and randomness! An opportunity to take the pressure and stress out of writing by sharing whatever it is that happens to pop into your mind when you begin to type. A collection of random and disjoined thoughts, just because. Here's mine:

 Dude. Just to get things rolling...and so you know who you're dealing with and where I'm coming from, there is nothing truer than this:

The first comment cracks me up?!

Unglamorous. Running is the farthest thing from being glamorous, despite the contrary title of my post. One of the reasons I like running is because there is no expensive gym membership or skill set required to become a runner.  

This week I tried getting out for a run with 'just the essentials'. I'm sure this list varies from runner to runner, but mine were: running shorts, sports bra, shirt, compression calf sleeves, anklet socks and shoes. Seems basic enough, right? That's what I thought until my monkey mind started in:

'You better bring some Glide...don't want to chafe...'

'It's 80 degrees and you're already dehydrated. You should grab some coconut water.'

'The dogs need to get out. You should bring them, too. And their leashes, water and bowl...some poop bags...'

I swear that I go through these mental gymnastics over any decision I make, but particularly moreso with running. I feel like if I'm better prepared for any possible scenario, then I'm that much more likely to have an optimum experience. Going for a run with 'just the essentials' was an exercise (if you'll excuse the pun) in letting some of that go. I didn't even bring my phone, which is a huge win in that regard. Since I had errands afterward and the heat was a factor, I left the dogs at home and settled for two out of the three. 

By the end of my run, I was a sweaty mess. I had disgusting gooey strings of saliva on my lips (seriously, what gives with that??), dirt and sunscreen in the creases of my inner arm, and despite the liberal application of Glide, I chafed anyway. ALL THE GLAMOUR. 

All that glamour. All of it.

Food finds. I do most of my shopping at Trader Joe's. Their produce isn't that great, so I usually pick up fresh fruits and veggies during the week. Last week I discovered their dried orange slices. Dude! They have a boatload of sugar, but I don't even care because they taste like my childhood. [I legit went to grade school with a girl named Krishna. Her mom was a beautiful hippy, and she made us candied orange peels almost every time I came over to their tiny house trailer.]    

Look at those shimmery crystals of sugar.
I'm in nostalgia nirvana.

My second find was their sweet pickled jalapenos. The peppers are brined in a sugar and vinegar solution, and I seriously can't get enough of them. TJs has a reputation for suddenly discontinuing items without notice, so I may or may not have bought three jars the last time I was at the store, like some sort of crazy jalapeno hoarder. They're incredible on sandwiches and they were prominently featured last night in a layered taco salad. I'm going to try them on pizza next.

Hello beautiful! The sweetness masks some of the heat
creating a match made in culinary heaven.

Yes please. 

I'll end my post with a small tangent: the BlogGo app totally blows. I typed this post yesterday on my phone through the app, and it lost two-thirds of what I wrote. This is where I'd insert both the streaming tears and angry face emoji...but since I'm not on my phone, I'm severely limited to a colon and parenthesis :(

Do you like spicy food? What are some new food finds you're stoked about?

TOL #1 Snapchat vs Instagram

In an effort to write more frequently, I came across this prompt from blogger Amanda at Running With Spoons. The concept of getting thoughts down isn't a new one but, after reading her post, the notion resonated with me. 

For my first go, it's hardly deep and has already been hashed out to death...but it's been on my mind:

Snapchat. 

I had an account several years ago when it was a newish app, but I felt scummy about it; I read an article that the original intent of the platform was to send nude and lewd photos that supposedly 'disappeared' after the recipient opened them. I was disturbed by this since once a photo is out on the Internet, it's there forever. More recently, I heard a story on NPR about how young girls are bombarded with requests for 'noodz' from male classmates. As a parent of a teenage daughter, this is enormously disturbing. 

While I'm sure a fair amount of that still takes place among consenting adults, it has evolve. It's a medium where I can have a quick interaction with my kids or catch a glimpse of a day in the life of musicians, actors or my fellow social media acquaintances. I freaking love Snapchat. 

It's become my favorite social media platform because it's all the fun with none of the drama (I'm looking at you, Facebook). And the other social media sites (who will remain nameless but the first letter starts with Instagram) keep updating their app to the point where it's killed the fun. 

I feel a rant coming on...

WTH, Instagram?? First, the site is ruined by a ridiculous algorithm: instead if chronological posts, accounts appear in your feed based on what it 'thinks' you want to see. If that wasn't bad enough, IG created a Snapchat-style 'story' within the platform. Unless it has to do with animals or someone whose content I'm very interested in seeing, it's pretty ridiculous...especially when it comes to oversharers. Anything beyond 5 stories within one account is excessive and I'm skipping past it entirely. The final straw was changing to a GINORMOUS FONT with ads that 'stick' and don't let you easily scroll past. #lamesauce

Besides, who can compete with those filters and stickers? 

What is your favorite social media platform? If you like Instagram, what do you think of the changes?

If Girls Ran The World

Disclaimer: I am partnering with FitApproach and If Girls Ran The World this October for a 'one of a kind adventure to collectively and virtually run around the world to benefit charities that empower girls globally.' 

My daughter played club basketball beginning in 5th grade through junior high and high school, and her team was unable to find a court for their practices. The local Girls, Inc. offered our girls use of their court at their beautiful facility. The impact of providing the facility was far reaching and most of the girls, including my daughter, continued to play basketball throughout high school and several even into college. Working as a part of a team, our girls literally learned to think quickly on their feet and to act selflessly to benefit the team as a whole. It was invaluable life skills that my daughter carries with her today.

I am committing raise $250 and to run 50 miles in October, adding to the global goal of running 24,901 miles equalling the world's circumference. I'm inspired by the work of Girls, Inc. and wanted to support them by raising money as part of my participation in If Girls Ran the World. Please visit my fundraising page and help me support my goal. Any amount is appreciated!

Kauai 2016

I haven't written much. That's probably obvious. I love blogging but it takes so long because I'm such a perfectionist. I decided to get over myself and just write. If you find typos or redundancies here, you can do what I do; choose to see the writer's humanity or feel smug. Either works. 

I thought I would ease back into it by sharing photos of our trip. We are spending our last night on the island, and jump back into our respective lives immediately upon our return. My boy starts his sophomore year of high school (two days late) and my girl moves into her dorm this Saturday. Mr. Doll leaves Thursday to see friends and music for the Labor Day weekend. As for me, this summer flew by. I'm dreading returning to adulthood and responsibility 😒

We have spent 8 days on Kauai. It is truly paradise and my favorite place to be on the planet. It's impossibly beautiful here. 

Plumeria is one of my favorite scents.

Truly paradise

Even the garden snails are beautiful here.

I explored the garden daily at the house we stayed at, looking for
geckos and other island critters. 

Star fruit! It tasted a lot like a cross between a green grape
and a pear, except a little crunchier. 

We have spent our week snorkeling, relaxing and eating. We enjoyed an afternoon on ATVs, seeing the picturesque interior of Kauai where movies such as Jurassic Park, 6 Days and 7 Nights (I adore Anne Heche) and Tropic Thunder were filmed. 

Inside one of the bunkers from WWII

Taking it all in...

Impressive height!

Who is even this photogenic?? 

This will be featured on our Christmas card,
so act surprised when you open yours.

The valley is absolutely breathtaking. 

We came from Poipu to the north side of the island near Princeville three nights into our trip. On our second day snorkeling, my boy took off his booties coming out of the water and cut the bottom of his foot. We spent the afternoon trying to find a clinic and subsequently ended up at a fire station. They wrapped my boy's foot and gave us directions to the closest emergency room. 

Obligatory emergency room visit. Let's not do this again...

He received four stitches that were well-documented by yours truly. My BFF is fascinated by all things medical and she simultaneously sent odd photos and memes to my son during his procedure while intermittently texting me requests for pictures of his cut. I'll spare you the gruesome photos and extensive video that I sent to my best friend. Although it made the time pass, seeing my son writhing in pain during his lidocaine injection was unbearable. If I could have traded places and done the pain for him, I would have in a second. That must be the mark of a being a parent; I never would have considered stepping in and taking one for the team, like some sort of masochistic stunt-double, prior to having children. He dealt with it like a champ. With strict instructions to stay out of the water because of the 'high probability of contracting a staphylococcal infection' and prescriptions for topical and oral antibiotics, we were on our way. 

Thankfully, it didn't happen at the beginning of the trip and it forced us to slow everything down and totally decompress. I may not be psychically ready the school year to start, but at least I'll be well-rested. 

I love you Kauai!

Smarty Pants Review

Back at it again, Daniel! Yup. I was selected as a reviewer for Smartypants Vitamins. 

His and Her gummies. Happily ever after...

First, the pitch: The website calls their product the 'galaxies best tasting gummy vitamin.' They provide an excellent source of vitamins A, C, D (D3 instead of D2, btw...which is the form your skin produces when it's exposed to light), E, B6 and B12, plus zinc and folic acid. It contains no high fructose corn syrup or synthetic colors, flavors or preservatives. Non-GMO, too!

****

Most multivitamins are the size of a horse pill in order to 'squeeze' all the nutrients inside them, which are too big for me to swallow. Even after purchasing a pill cutter -- I don't play when it comes to my gag reflex, y'all -- I still was unable to swallow my multivites.

Okay. I don't look like this in any way, but you get the point.

So, yeah. I pretty much have to rely on a gummy vitamin if I'm going to take any kind of multivitamin. Besides, why do kids get to have all the fun? These gummies are REALLY GOOD. They have a multivitamin for both men and women (prenatal and kids, too). I was sent several samples of both -- and despite the fact that I'm not a guy -- I broke all the rules and tried the men's multivitamin; I really liked the sugary coating. They are just like tasty gumdrops! The women's version are more along the lines of Jujubes, but just as yummy as the boy version.

I asked my son to try the men's vitamin as well, and he liked them. Here's his contemplative pose:

Blueberry pancakes, milk and #smartypantsvitamins
Start yer day right!

This blogger's review is two thumbs up! They taste delicious and are a great way to make sure you get your daily vitamins. You can track them down on Amazon's link: http://amzn.to/1SWPLKx 

Manitoba Hemp Heart Bar Review

As an ambassador for Fit Approach, I was recently selected to do a product review of Manitoba Hemp Heart bars. As an expert snacker, I'm well-qualified and equal to the task. #allthesnacks 

First, the pitch: Hemp is considered a 'super plant', and every part of the plant can be harvested for a multitude of uses ranging from clothing, paper, rope...and food. Manitoba Harvest is passionate about their products, which are all non-GMO project verified and they are the largest hemp food manufacturer in the world. Each 45 gram Hemp Heart bar contains 10 grams of plant-based protein and 10 grams of omegas. 

Other fun facts about hemp: although untrue, the Declaration of Independence was rumored to be written on hemp paper, which is sturdier than tree-based paper.

Fun mail days are the best! 

I received two flavors of Hemp Heart bars to try: apple cinnamon and chocolate. The seeds of the hemp plant have a slightly nutty flavor is similar to pine nuts or sunflower seeds. I thought it would be fun to bring samples to my spin class for the members to try. 

This product tester came prepared,
including toothpicks for samples.

Apple cinnamon (top left) and chocolate (bottom right)

I'm a pretty adventurous eater; I likened the nutty flavor of hemp to sesame, similar to a Middle Eastern confection called Halvah that I used to enjoy when I was a little girl - although these bars are not as sweet. Unfortunately, most of the members in my class didn't care for the bars. Many people struggled with the soft consistency of the apple cinnamon bars, but everyone preferred its
sweetness over the chocolate hemp bar.

Want to see what all the fuss is about and judge for yourself? Use code hhbarlaunch1015 for 15% off your order (expires 4/31/16). 

Join the conversation: If you're photographically inclined, you can also post a photo on social media for a chance to win your favorite Manitoba food product. Tag @manitobaharvest and use the hashtag #fueledbyhemp with a photo of your favorite hemp product. No purchase necessary!