Thursday, September 27, 2012

Holy homemade microwave popcorn

Sophia with her special popcorn we made for a reading snack. Our friend Heather introduced us to this cool method of making your own microwave popcorn with only 35 calories (except more because I add butter). She loved it! 

Fill a brown bag with about a cup of corn kernels and add pat of butter and wrap rubber band around a brown bag. Microwave for 3 minutes or until you hear no more popcorn. Cheap and healthy! We love to add salt and parm cheese. 

These are just our favorites. Chocolate milk popsicles with frozen bananas. Soo good. 

Healthy eggplant caprese! I made an eggplant caprese hamburger. Mmm! Slice japanese eggplant in small slices and add olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill eggplant first and then when finished add mozzarella and sliced tom. Cover grill with lid and let melt for one minute. Add basil and enjoy a healthy eggplant parm. 

Ava rocking the towel head look! She feels like a big girl with her towel. 

Long runs are back. Well, sort've. Last Saturday I ran 7.5 for  the first time in awhile.  I did it in 10:08, which is pretty good because I bit it hard at mile six. I had leaves in my hair at the end of the run from falling. I usually do long runs around 9:40, so not running long has made my times slower. My speed sessions are in the 8s min/mile right now.  Hungry runner girl just did a post on increasing mileage.

Workouts
Nursing Ryder has made working out an adjustment because I am always hungry and eating enough calories when I run is not always easy. Also, I am just tired at the end of a long day. So, I am aiming for quality workouts over quantity. This means four workouts at least per week, 1 tempo/speed, hill, 1-2 easy, and 1 long. My favorite workout right now is speed workouts on Tuesday because I see the most progress. Also, I am incorporating swimming laps, which is so good for loosening muscles and working core muscles.

I have to be good with increasing fitness, while not seeing a weight loss since I am "stuck" because of nursing. Those last pounds are holding tight until Ryder starts solids and weans next May. Right now I tell myself that my body is taking care of two people and it makes holding the weight feel better. I am doing workouts where I am burning almost 900 calories (long runs), I eat healthy, and still don't loose it. I have the nursing curse of holding it until I am done.

Future goals
Brandon and I would love to Cap City and then a marathon next year. It would be our first marathon and Brandon wants to do it together. Maybe we could run the "slacker marathon" in Colorado sometime. Have you seen it?

Questions
What's your favorite workout of the week? Speedy Tuesday or Saturday long run days
What's your favorite snack to watch TV with? Mine is hot chocolate or chocolate





















End of summer pics

Celebrating princess Charlotte's 4th birthday at her party. Yum!! We had an awesome taco bake that Kelly made.

Ethan and Ava at Der Dutchman after Blitz fest. 

Ava and our little cousin Garrett at Amber's house. We had a great lunch and Amber is pregnant again. Congrats Amber and Brian!

Ava and her Cinderella doll and her first tooth that she Lost! She is so big! The tooth fairy may have had to covertly slip money under her pillow after forgetting the night before. Hey, it was our first tooth. 

What's a party without a mass handstand with your sister Becca and Luke. 

Luke put in this storm door. This is my joy as it lets in so much light. 

We met Tommy and Ann at Benny's this year. They were the first people to introduce us to Benny's pizza and all of it's glory. The girls danced and had fun and it was great to see my college suitemate! 

Good times. Ann and I met at college and she married one of my good friends and moved back to Ohio. Arkansas' loss is our gain. Now to just get Sarah to move here. :) She is holding Liza.

Lola, Soph and Ava had so much fun dancing even though there were a few bumps. Dancing is dangerous work. 

We traveled to Dayton, Ohio to cheer on our friend Dave at his second marathon. It was hot and he did great! I kept saying to Brandon that he was running for the time it took us to travel to the event, watching it and then traveling to the finish line to watch him. That's just crazy. So many dedicated runners along mile 23, from the 6-minute milers to walkers. Dave did awesome! 

Great job Dave!! 

Little Ryder is almost 4 months. His very favorite things to do are suck on anything, laugh at the girls and put his blanket over his head. When he puts the blanket on his head he flails around like he's suffocating (I kid you not) and this had led to many scary episodes. But, he always laughs when I take the blanket off his face so he enjoys it. He's the Sophia and Brad of swimming. They both like to act like they are "drowning," but they are having a blast. Geesh. It makes my heart jump. 
Ava and her new gymnastics outfit. She loves gymnastics and is in Hotshots. She is working on her cartwheel right now and her favorite apparatus are the uneven bars.

This weeks it has been raining every day. We love to go on rain walks or play with the umbrella outside. Yesterday we got caught in a downpour on the way back from the park. It was pretty fun. :) 

Jess is actually having a girl, but she didn't know before the marathon and loved the sign. 

Molly, Jess and I cheering on Dave at mile 23. 

So...I have decided that french press coffee is just so yum. It's only 20 for the press and makes unbelievable coffee. Our last coffee pot that we got for our wedding was $80. 
Who me? Those blue eyes and cute lips are waiting for us every morning. 

The kids love playing at our church in the arcade since we meet in a movie theater. We brought donuts one Sunday from Der Dutchman that were a big hit. Ava, Sophia were with Georgia, Eli (and Jude), and the Oswald cuties. 


Thursday, September 13, 2012

A picture a day...

Waiting for Ava's school to open the doors. 

Momma Jane and little Ryder sleeping soundly.

Cousins with GG

Monday, September 10, 2012

My two men: Three months and a 100 mile bike ride

Little Ryder is 3 months! Here is his little buddy monkey. 

What you do when you have a housefuls of girls - use barbies as teething toys. 

One of Ryder's fav toys from my mom. 

Everything goes in his little mouth. 


Brandon reached his goal by biking 105 miles in one day. Way to go Brandon! Very proud of you. 


Note the sweet bike jersey I gave him last year for his bday.









Ryder is three months and teething. He is grasping for things, cooing and laughing and sleeping from around 9-5/6 am. His naps are shorter, which can be difficult when the girls are not napping either. Really miss those two hour naps the girls use to take. That's been the roughest thing.

Ryder also is remembering people like his grandma and his sisters. He loves to play with them and I think the girls are realizing better how to interact with him. They like to ask him if he's okay or happy or sad and they love to try to make him take a bottle -- to which he just giggles and bites the bottle tip. He threw up his rotavirus vaccine and seems to have a gag thing so we just gave it to him again. And he has had quite a few blowouts lately that have been very forceful.

He loves to watch plants or tree leaves move and is very content.

We are so proud of Brandon too! He finished his 105 mile bike ride where he started in London, Ohio on the rails to trails bike trail. He took a vacation day and completed it with his friend. Very proud of him! He took cliff bars, 4 water bottles and was exhausted when he came home.

Friday, September 07, 2012

Amish 500


It seems the new hype in running are Amish races, or racing with the Amish like the Bird-in-Hand half marathon in Pennsylvania. Bart Yasso himself is going to be a special speaker.

And since I'm half or 3/4 Amish (both of my grandfathers were old order amish), I feel a strange drawing to the Berlin Amish Country Half Marathon.

Pictured below are some of our family from Ohio (no faces are shown).










However, this does mean one thing when you choose a race in this part of Ohio...

Hills. Big hills. Freakin hills that make your quads want to cry. And oh yeah, it's in the end of November.

Brandon told me, "You know this is going to be a lot different than the hill at the end of the Columbus Marathon going over 70 right?" Yep. You mean that stinkin one that I didn't sign up for in time and it was sold out? Yes. That one.

Here's the elevation chart for the race route.

1/2 Marathon (End)
Updated Mar 15
Hill
Activity type: running



Not sure if I am up for it or not, but it's a fun race to pick if your wanting to run hills in relatively flat Ohio! It's not verboten - that's for sure. 

Labor day weekend


We all went to get our rib eating on at Montgomery Inn last Friday to celebrate Dad's 29th birthday again. He is so young. :)

It was the red carpet treatment with our own private room, loads of chips and balloons. Really nice to celebrate with dad and honor him on his special day. Of course he celebrated by going to Bob Evan's twice within a 24-hour period. And attending the OSU game with mom.

Happy Birthday dad!

After we went out to eat, we hopped in the car and headed to Michigan to see Brandon's family. We had a great weekend and relaxed, ate and had a bonfire with smores. The girls really loved playing with  Cale and he is so big now. The girls loved sleeping in poppa's music room and reading with momma and poppa and eating Uncle Troy's yum bbq.

Little man Ryder did not sleep. At all...So continues the Sophia trend of never sleeping away from home. Doh! Brandon was a huge help and took turns rocking him and letting me sleep in.

Great to see family and relax!

Sophia on the princess bike. 

Momma Shmidt with little Ry Ry. 

Cale on his bike. 

Sweet nephew Cale with Ava, who got a bite on her forehead. Her poor eye swelled shut. 

note to self: fix the A/C. 



Wednesday, September 05, 2012

Read okra about it.


Okra-amazing
Here in Ohio we have loads of okra in my mom and dad's garden. So these little guys are free, which equals awesome. You think you don't like this "slimy" hard to cook veggie? Think it's only good in gumbos or fried?

Mmm. I loved this recipe!

I made this after looking at Kath from Kath Eats. She makes okra fries. So, I just made these crispy in an oven on bake 400 for about 20 minutes. Immediately after removing I added more kosher salt, dash of olive oil and parm reg. on top. I still have a big chunk of this cheese in my fridge.

I could not get over how amazing and crispy they were! Make sure you turn them so that each side has a chance to get crispy and that there's enough olive oil to coat it.

And that you eat them before your husband gets to them. Wink. wink.

Okra-amazing 
Preheat oven to bake 400

Slice tops off okra and slice lengthwise.
Add glug of olive oil and make sure every slice is coated.
Using baking sheet (I like half sheet pans from William's Sonoma ) arrange okra so that they have maximum surface space for browning.
Add kosher salt and bake for around 20 min or until crispy.
Remove and add splash of olive oil and fresh grated parm or parm reg. cheese.

Enjoy!

Back to School cuties


My two girls are now full-fledged students. Ava had her first day of school at Marysville Mill Valley Elementary on Aug. 24 and loved it. She had so much fun and loved the bear hunt around her classroom. We walked her to school, which is about 10 minutes, and then she picked that she was packing her lunch.

After I picked her up she was tired, but really excited. She packs lunch except for pizza fridays when she likes to buy and buys her milk. Buying is a really big deal and although I want her to pack her lunch, I know that pizza is pretty much a fun thing to buy. :) Her teacher is Mrs. Bowsher.

Sophia had her first day of preschool today! She was so big and so excited to go that she rushed into her class without even giving Brandon a hug. Brandon said he's never seen her so excited. We decided to add an extra year of preschool because she was ready and we felt like it was a great fit for her. Her teachers are Mrs. Mary and Mrs. Janet and she's a honeybee. Our friend, Lisa, saved the day by helping Brandon find Soph's classroom.:)

beautiful morning

Ava handing me some water after the beautiful morning run. 

Brandon and I at the finish line-what a cutie. 

Sophia and Ava - these girls are so sweet. 



Sean and Christa after the race did great! Good luck at the Cbus Marathon! 

 My sleepy little Ryder with Brandon while we were waiting to cheer for Glenda who was doing the half marathon. 

Ava and Soph watching the race.






My first race went really well! I was almost puking from nervousness at the start (truth), but as soon as I got started I felt better. I ran into Christa and Sean, friends from church, and we decided to try to run together. I told them to go faster whenever they felt like it because I was still getting my speed back from post-baby.

The plan was to do 9:30s and then go faster if I could. My goal was just to keep it under 10 min/miles and to try to go by exertion, rather than pace. My secret goal was one hour (but I missed it by 1:30). My  pr is 55:02. Someday...Someday I would love to get it under 50.

The Emerald City race was a beautiful run through Glacier Ridge Park. It was beautiful, the morning was crisp and they had a great cheering section.

Anyways, I took one gel and a baggie of sour patch kids and ate one at every mile or so. Nursing makes me so hungry. I was starving by mile 4. However, Christa and Sean were great friends to run with. We didn't stop except for one water break and they went ahead and the end and did awesome. I was just wanting to finish until people kept passing me and then I thought, I am going to kick it in. I finished in 9:24 and 257 out of 899, which I was proud of since I had just started running five miles in mid-July!

So if your deciding when or how to run a race after baby I would say take it easy on yourself - don't go for time - just for completion!


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105349-146-030


And give yourself a pat on the back for even getting to the start. It takes a lot of work to balance running and baby, but it's possible!