Go! Go! Go!

Hi Friends! I've been absent for a few days because, as usual, I've been a busy lady. It is officially three days before The Broad Street Run and the anxiety has set in. I know I can do the ten mile race since I did it two weeks ago on the treadmill, but I have anxiety about all the other logistics... how to get to the expo, taking the subway to the starting line, finding my family and friends that I'll be racing with since they are going to be much faster than I am... lots of logistics.

All that being said, I am super-duper excited! I think back to this time last year when I never would have thought that I would be tackling a 10-mile race! I also think back to the fact that I knew some people who were doing the Broad Street Run and it was a rainy and cold 53 degree day! I felt for them, I really did... well, let's just say I felt for most of them, some of them were the cliquish "mean moms" from the Y so I didn't exactly feel for them. ;) Anyway... the temperature THIS year is supposed to reach 87 degrees! Yeah! I am thrilled by that because I am thinking that it will be a perfect temperature for running in the morning and not 87 until the race is over. Either way, in my mind, 87 is WAY better than 53 and rainy! Go Mother Nature!

The whole weekend proves to be lots of fun, my cousin Chrissy and her friend Cherie are coming from Connecticut tonight and will be racing with me. I have to work on Saturday morning but we are heading into The City immediately after my classes. We will check into our hotel and then head to the "Not for Runners Only" Expo on Saturday afternoon. After that we have a friend who is a former concierge who is making dinner reservations for us somewhere in The City and she's also joining us for dinner. My BIL will be joining us for dinner too, should be LOTS of fun. I'm thinking we'll head back to the hotel to get to bed fairly early... not that I'll be able to sleep very well!

The race starts bright and early on Sunday, in fact, we have been told to board the subway by 6:30 AM to make sure that we reach the start line in time. Ugh... I am SO not a 6:30 AM girl! I think I can handle it this time though. So then, after we join the other 29,997 people who are running in this race, I guess we'll get started! I finished my "Mock Broad St. Run" on the treadmill in just under 2 hours and I have to put it out there, my goal is to finish this race in 1:45 but I think that might be a stretch but I will say that I'll be happy if I finish in less than 1:55. (Hell, I'll just be happy when I finish.)

The Husband and The Son are meeting us in The City at the finish line or somewhere around there but they are not staying in The City on the night of the race... but... we ARE! We've decided to get a room there on the night of the race so that we can go back to the room, swim, relax, NAP, and then go out on the town and celebrate our fantastic finish! I'm hoping to get together with some of my City Friends while there. We'll come home Monday morning and get back to real life...

and possibly...

training for a half marathon? You heard it here first folks... now to find one...

Have a great day everyone! It might be next week until I get back here but I promise lots of pictures and recaps of the race/weekend in The City!

A Longwood Gardens Date with The Son

Back when The Son was a baby and I was solely a Stay at Home Mom, we spent every minute together, playing, hanging out and visiting museums, etc. Now that he's a Big Boy, and in Kindergarten, I'm working more in and out of the home, and I realized that we haven't had any of those "special" Momma/Son moments we used to spend together.

We're fortunate that we live kind of near Longwood Gardens and that we're members there. Longwood Gardens is a wonderful place to visit, it's acres and acres of beautiful horticultural wonderment. (I just made that up) It's beautiful all year round and I know I've mentioned it at Christmas time before. If you're interested in visiting or just checking out the history, just click on my link above.

I decided that The Son and I needed to take a Momma/Son visit to The Gardens and I picked him up from school on Tuesday for us to do just that. We took LOTS and LOTS of pictures. As I told you before, I just got a new camera and I knew that taking The Son there would give me lots of opportunities to test out the new camera. It was a beautiful day so there are many pictures to share with you...

As you can tell, we had a fantastic day, we plan on going back again really soon. Thanks for stopping by my blog today and for leaving a comment of course. Tomorrow we're going to get a little more up close and personal with some of the flowers at Longwood... See you then!

Family Ties!

Don't you just love that picture? Two happy cousins playing together. The Son and The Niece had a great time on The Niece's new swing set last weekend.

Happy Friday everyone! I'm finishing up a week of being a single-mom. (sort of) The Husband has been in Palm Beach, FL at the Ritz Carlton for a work event. Before you get too jealous, notice the words, "work event." He barely got to enjoy any of the Florida sunshine and was in meetings most of the time. I feel bad for him because to me, that's almost like torture. Take a bunch of employees to a beautiful hotel in a beautiful area let them see the pool but not got to the pool and then schedule meeting after meeting after meeting with no down time until it's finally time to go home and they still never had any time to relax. Torture. Anyway, I'm happy that he'll be coming home this evening and The Son of course, is happy too. We missed him.

I am taking some time today to post a few more pictures of last weekend.

More swing set... leave it to the boy to have to stand on the swing instead of doing it the "right" way.


Time to slide...


Inside the house, The Son entertained The Baby Niece.

...while The Niece practiced for her future career in modeling. Yes, that is totally posed, the girl knows how to work it.


And... we were finally able to get some shots of The Pop-pop with his grandchildren. So cute!


Have a great weekend everyone, we have a busy one ahead of us! Should be fun!

On your mark... get set... GO!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

I had a busy Monday and didn't get a chance to come on and blog but I can update you about my weekend today!

I had a great weekend! After work on Saturday, I headed out to my sister's house, we were doing a race together on Sunday. My sister invited me to come a day early so that we could go to her gym together and work out and so that we could also go out for a bite to eat together sans kids.

We had a nice work out, did 15 minutes on the stairmill and then ran a couple miles before doing our back, triceps and shoulder weights. We decided that we had to do the same work out because we're sisters and we have to do everything the same. ;) We took a few pictures after we got ready to go out.

This little beauty was already sleeping but I can't leave her out can I? The Baby Niece is a very serious girl, can you tell?

We had a nice dinner but knew that we couldn't stay out too late because we had a big race to run in the next day so we headed home and went straight to bed.

The next morning we woke up, and got ready to go. The BIL who is a high-powered, much sought after, renowned, gastroenterologist had to leave the house at 4:15 AM for his rounds. In other words, he's a newer doctor and he's the low man on the totem pole so he was on call and had to go in on a Sunday morning. It was just the girls, basically this meant that my sister got her girls ready and I only had to worry about myself. We headed out around 7:50 AM.

We got there in plenty of time and guess who was there to meet us? These two handsome guys!

I was so happy to see them! They were scheduled to do the one mile walk which meant that The Husband was scheduled to carry The Son on his shoulders for one mile because The Son was feeling particularly lazy this day... good workout Honey!

Here they are lining up at the start line for the walk.



Here's me and The Sissy before we got ready to run... it was a smaller race in a beautiful state park. Only 91 runners participated. The race was to help benefit the computer lab of The Niece's preschool which is also a K-8 school.

Here I am crossing the finish line... I finished in 29:44 which is a personal record! I was SO thrilled and never thought I would finish in less than half an hour. I started off really slowly and was actually the last one in the entire group of runners but I knew that I had to pace myself and not start off too fast. My iPod helped me to stay steady and I picked up my speed as I went along and passed lots and lots of runners. It was a somewhat hilly course and I have trained a lot on hills so I am sure that helped me. I ran the entire thing even up the very last steep, steep hill that I thought was going to kill me! What doesn't kill us makes us stronger though right?

I even slowed down a bit when I was able to see the time clock because I was afraid I'd have no room to grow if I finished too fast and I'd like to be able to do a couple more PRs. Speaking of a PR, The Sissy finished in 27:18 but hated every second of it! I'm still proud of her.

I am still thrilled with my time and feel like I want to run around and tell everyone! Thanks for sticking with me if you read this far. I have some more pictures from our super-fun weekend but tomorrow is a special day for a furry member of my family so I think tomorrow's post will be devoted to him... more pictures on Thursday perhaps?

Have a great day everyone! I am off to get The Son ready for school and myself ready for the gym... weigh in on Thursday you know and I had a decadent weekend. Bye for now!

Happy...

... Birthday to my Daddy today! It's unfortunate that we didn't take many pictures on Easter because I really would have loved to post a picture of him with his grandchildren but alas, we were slackers and I don't have any. I think we're all getting together on Sunday to celebrate so I will bring my camera and we WILL, I repeat WILL, take pictures.

Happy Birthday Daddy/Pop-Pop! We love you very much!

Speaking of cameras... I got an early Mother's Day present yesterday, a new camera! It's really nice but now I am in the process of learning how to use it and that kind of well... sucks. I hate that electronic equipment no longer comes with a manual, everything is computerized, in this case, it was stored in the camera and we had to upload it to the computer. That's nice in theory but it makes it difficult for those dorks of us who actually like to read the manual and take it with us as we learn how to use our electronic equipment. Yes, I can print the manual and probably will but carrying around a bunch of 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper while trying to learn a camera is kind of irritating.

Anyway, I am also having some challenges learning how to use the software that stores the photos but I suppose it will all come to me in time. At the moment, I cannot seem to locate the photos in the program to upload them to my blog, I had to do a lot of stuff to find them on the computer but I'm hoping The Husband will know what to do later this evening. Anyway, I managed to find them in a roundabout way. Here's a couple pictures I took so far, mind you, I haven't actually gone anywhere great to take pictures to try to learn the camera so there aren't too many.

The Son at Daddy's office... we drove in to see him and to pick up the camera.


Ziggy, looking regal and handsome... as usual.

Two "brothers"

A rare appearance of DaVinci on The Blog. Doesn't he look handsome on that couch?


I got my nails done yesterday and the new camera takes really nice close-ups so I thought I'd show you, I know, not too exciting. ;)

So, there you have it for now, I anticipate a big learning curve ahead of me...

Today is a busy day, volunteering in The Son's classroom, working out, teaching swim lessons tonight... same old Wednesday. Have a great day everyone and again, a special, "Happy Birthday" to my Daddy! Stay healthy everyone!

It's Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! I am hosting Easter dinner at my house this evening and I'm really looking forward to it. I am serving some yummy dishes, some our traditional items such as ham, cole slaw and deviled eggs and others some recipes from my favorite websites/magazines. We're having Lemon-Rosemary Roast Chicken with Potatoes, Broccoli Rabe and Wild Rice (instead of orzo) salad and for dessert... French Silk Pie! I got some fresh rolls from Trader Joe's yesterday and they look delicious! I decided to make the roast chicken in addition to a small ham because I have been trying to stay away from ham and other salty meats. I am excited to try a fresh, roast chicken since I usually just buy the pre-roasted ones at the grocery store. I'll let you know how everything turns out!

The Easter bunny was very generous to The Son, he brought him two baskets with a few yummy treats, a couple books and a couple toys, he was very happy. He has a cute Easter outfit, complete with tie and hat that HE picked out. Momma's little metrosexual! LOL!

Yesterday was a busy day, honestly, I cannot believe how much I got done... want a list?

I got up at 6:30, left the house at 7:45 to teach my nutrition classes at the Y, one class at 8:30 and one at 10:00. I finished up at the Y at about 11:30 and headed out to Sport's Authority to return a running skirt I bought online, unfortunately, they didn't have the skirt in their computer so it looks like I have to return it via mail. After Sport's Authority, I went to The Christmas Tree Shoppe to find a few more things for The Son's Easter basket and a few little odds and ends to decorate for me, after that, I went to TJ Maxx to look for some work out clothes, I ended up getting a couple clearance items. Next, I went to my favorite grocery store, Trader Joe's. Finally, I headed home where The Husband helped me unpack and I ate some much needed "lunch" it was 4:00 PM after all... oops, I hate to wait that long.

I finished "lunch" and then headed out to the Y to work out, I did my triceps, back and legs and then ran 3.5 miles on the treadmill. Following the Y, I had to head to the regular grocery store to buy the rest of my groceries for today's dinner. It took a while since I had a run in with hydrogenated fat in the cookies I needed to make the crust for my French Silk Pie. I think I won the battle though, I'll let you know for sure after I make my pie. I finally made it home around 8:30 and again, The Husband helped me unpack everything. I got a shower and showered up The Son and got him ready for bed. The Husband made me a delicious dinner of Bison Burgers, baked chips and broccoli while I got my cookies ready for the pie crust. At that point, I felt as if my limit had been reached and as I looked back over all that had been done, I didn't wonder why! Phew... what a day!

Today there is lots more to do so I must sign off for the time being. I hope you all have a wonderful Easter and enjoy spending time with family and friends.... I know I will! Stay healthy!

Traveling to Washington, DC

Did you realize we were gone? Probably not. I haven't been getting much in the way of comments recently although that I will say I am definitely more of a "quality vs. quantity" type gal and the comments I HAVE received have been just lovely, thank you all so much for your kind thoughts.

It's Spring Break for The Son so we decided to take a couple days away and head to Washington, DC. I didn't post about it before because I'm now paranoid to be specific about when we're going to be away because of recent robberies to people's homes that have been linked to Facebook. Of course, I still posted that I was a way on Facebook but I just tried not to be totally specific. I'd also like to think that my FB friends wouldn't rob me but I'm sure that's what the people who were robbed thought too.

I started the planning for this little trip on Priceline.com. I'd never used Priceline before but decided to do a "name your own price" deal and ended up with a room in DuPont Circle for $69 a night! SWEET! It was at the Marriott and it I was thrilled with what we got for the price, the room was small and The Son kept commenting on that but the child is used to full, two-bedroom suites at Disney with full kitchens because we're Disney Vacation Club Members so he has no concept. It was a nice, clean comfortable room with great Marriott service, I'd stay there again for sure, especially for $69 a night! I also recently used Priceline to get a great room in Philly for the night before the Broad St. Run, also at a Marriott (Residence Inn) also, for $69 a night which I'll be splitting with friends so, another great deal!

We had a really nice time, lots of tips and things I can tell you about but I am going to sign off for now and try to get a few things done around the house before we head out to the Y for working out/teaching swimming this evening. I indulged a bit too much while in DC and need to get myself on that treadmill ASAP!

Have a great day everyone!

Risotto... Make it for the one you LOVE!

Hello Everyone! Happy belated Valentine's Day! I had a wonderful day with my guys yesterday, The Son gave me a beautiful potted red tulip plant and The Husband gave me a book on "SuperFoods." We had a low-key day as far as gifts are concerned but Valentine's Day isn't about gifts, is it? I should add that it was the 17th anniversary of my engagement to The Husband... can you believe he kept me that long? Through thick and through thin... literally!

I have been INTO making risotto lately, I think it's because of the cold weather and snow we've been experiencing as well as the fact that risotto is delicious! DELICIOUS! Now, as a nutritionist, I will admit that risotto isn't the most healthy thing you can eat but there are plenty of ways to work it into your diet (diet meaning the food you eat, not a plan you can't live with) and the fact that if you make it at home, with out a pre-packaged mix, it's all natural, not processed and it tastes so fresh! It also takes a bit of time to make so that helps me limit it to once per week, therefore, we're not eating too much of it.

I really enjoy the process of making risotto, it's soothing, stirring in cup after cup of broth as the smells of garlic or shallots or mushrooms waft up and as your hearty, delicious dish thickens and gets tastier by the minute. I always tell The Husband that it's a dish you make for the one you love because it takes time and dedication to do it right... just like marriage!

I've been scoping my favorite recipe Internet sites for various risotto recipes and of course, the best ones I find are on Cooking Light and Eating Well, two of my favorites. I had a guest photographer yesterday who took pictures of me as I cooked, The guest photographer is also known as The Son and I think he did a pretty good job!

Here is a cooking tip for you and yes, I am totally and completely serious... I wear swim goggles when I cut onions, or in this case shallots. I know it helps that I am a swim instructor so of course I have goggles but you can buy a cheap pair at any Wal-Mart or Target as soon as summer gets here if you don't already have some. My eyes are sensitive and I cannot stand the way they feel when the fumes burn them. I know I look ridiculous but honestly, it's the only thing that works...

Plus, it makes The Son laugh...

I also like making risotto because usually it calls for a half a cup of wine or so and that means that I can have a little glass of wine while I'm cooking, it makes the stirring and stirring and stirring just a bit more entertaining.

So, I am not going to post the recipes here that I've tried, I'll supply you with a link and my opinion and you can give it a try yourself if you want to make them.

The first one I tried was from Cooking Light and was Porcini Mushroom Risotto with Marscarpone cheese . This one was by far, my favorite. I cut a little bit of the fat by using half the olive oil and replacing it with non-stick spray which is something I do with just about every recipe I ever make. At times, I don't even use the olive oil but in this case, I want a bit of that EVOO flavor. I made this recipe twice and the second time my grocery store was out of dried porcini mushrooms, I used oyster mushrooms and the were not as flavorful but still quite good, if you don't like a really strong mushroom flavor, they would be a good option for you. I preferred the porcinis as did The Husband.

Last night, I made Eating Well's Winter Squash Risotto, the nice thing about this one was that by adding the Butternut squash, you lower the calories per 1 cup serving. The Husband had requested this one and it too was very yummy. My tip for this one is, if you can, buy the squash already peeled and seeded. Doing that saved me loads of time, this recipe calls for optional saffron which I was unfortunately unable to find at my grocery store. It was good without the saffron but I think it would have been even better with. I added a few fresh enoki mushrooms along with the fresh shitakes that this recipe called for just because I think they're cute and yummy. Here's the risotto in the pot...


And, on the plate with some roasted asparagus and a petite filet... a yummy, hearty, healthy meal for just a bit more than 500 calories!


And see... he loves me!


And... so does he! I'm a lucky girl!


Thanks to The Son for taking most of these pictures, please don't mind the few dark spots on some of them, that's where his finger was over a portion of the flash, he tries so hard, I don't have the heart to correct him.

Have a great President's Day, we're meeting friends at the Y which I'm really looking forward to. They're calling for more snow tonight and I'm hoping it's just a dusting and won't affect whether or not The Son has school tomorrow the child needs to go back... Bye for now!

Writer's Workshop: A List of Do's and Don'ts

I haven't blogged in a few days because I've been busy and preoccupied with snow so today, when I realized it was Thursday, I hopped on over to Mama's Losin' It to see if there was a writing prompt that I could use to participate in her always fun Writer's Workshop. I've elected to do the Do's and Don'ts list and with help from The Husband and The Son, we've composed...

The Do's and Don'ts of how to Survive Two Major Snowstorms
Within a Week of Each Other!

Do...
Plan on spending lots of time indoors watching some favorite TV shows and playing Wii with your family.
Don't...
Expect anything you have planned to tape on your DVR to actually be the scheduled program, it will inevitably be "LATE BREAKING COVERAGE OF THE NOR'EASTER OF 2010" for hours on end.

Do...
take photographs of the storm in progress.
Don't...
call them "snowtographs."

Do...
let your dog out to play and frolic in the wintry wonderland as the snow accumulates.
Don't...
step in the "presents" he leaves WAY too close to your front step when you open the door.

Do...
make sure you have plenty of bread, milk and eggs in case you need lots and lots of french toast during the storm.
Don't...
forget you also need to make sure you have plenty of toilet paper.

Do...
Spend lots of time working on the computer and by working I mean facebooking and playing hidden object games.
Don't...
prevent The Husband from using the computer for two minutes to check if he actually has to go to work.

Do...
Take the time to make homemade whole wheat bread and delicious homemade Wheat Thins.
Don't...
eat them all in one day.

Do...
Pay $30 to have someone shovel and plow your driveway and front walk.
Don't...
hesitate to tell everyone you did it yourself "for exercise."

Do...
Enjoy being able to have snow days off from work and school and the gym...
Don't...
forget to spend the time with your family, playing in the snow, laughing and making great memories.

Happy Snow day to everyone who's having one! Stay warm! Have fun! Stay Healthy!