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Couch to 5K Week 7

December 31, 2010 by 1 Comment

It took forever but I finally completed week 7 of the couch to 5k program.

2 more weeks to go.

On this New Year’s Eve, I’m disappointed that I didn’t meet my goal of finishing the program by year end and I’m disappointed that I didn’t run a complete 5K in 2010 (by that I mean running it from start to finish without walking).

I ran out of time.

I blame it on a late start to training this go around. I blame it on the weather – I don’t run in rain, snow, wind or extreme temps. I blame it on the mojo I lost when I no longer had a race to train for. I blame it on me.

The training has gotten harder. The intervals are gone, replaced by a brief warm-up walk and then all run. Sometimes I can do it. Sometimes I have to walk. Sometimes its a mental challenge. Sometimes its a physical challenge. Sometimes its both.

But in my disappointments and challenges, there are also accomplishments that I didn’t imagine this time last year. I set out to run one race and I participated in four. And my times got better with each race. When I first started this program in January, I could barely run for 60 seconds. Today, I can easily run one mile and, on a good day, I can manage two miles in 25-30 minutes. And I fell in love with this sport, which is saying a lot coming from this non-athlete.

So, for 2011, I resolve to finish this program. And I will run a complete 5K. My goal is to run the Turkey Trot in under 40 minutes (35 would be great but I’ll settle for somewhere in the 30s). And I’m making my family participate with me (but shhh, they don’t know that yet).

How’s your running going? What races are you training for?

Filed Under: Healthy Living Tagged With: , ,

How to Make Pumpkin Soup

December 30, 2010 by 4 Comments

I love soup, especially in the winter, but I stopped buying it when my son was diagnosed with food allergies. I couldn’t find a soup that did not contain a milk product.

It was probably for the best given the amount of sodium in most soups.

I never thought about making soup myself until this fall when a plethora of butternut squash from the CSA begged to be pureed into a hearty soup.

Making the soup was easier than I imagined and the end product was delicious. I was hooked!

So when I checked out Kitchen Play’s progressive menu for December, sponsored by My Spice Sage, I knew right away I was going to give the Spicy Pumpkin Soup Shooters a try.

I, of course, had to put my own twist on it. (Translation: adjust the recipe to accommodate the ingredients I did and did not have).

I used less than a full can of pumpkin puree (hubby had used some for a cheesecake); I substituted soy milk for 2% because we don’t have cow’s milk in our house due to allergies; I added a little bit of sugar to sweeten it up; I opted out of the bacon garnish; and I made it all for myself, i.e. served sans shooters; hubby doesn’t like soup anyways.

Now, maybe it was because I used less pumpkin, or maybe its the combination of spices, but the pumpkin flavor was not nearly as strong as I was expecting – a pleasant surprise actually. Instead of tasting like a warm harvest soup, it tasted like a fiery Indian appetizer. And I liked it!

Here’s a link to the original recipe. If you give it a try, let me know what you think.

Filed Under: Food (Allergy), My Life in Words, Reviews Tagged With: , , ,

On Becoming THAT Mom

December 21, 2010 by 1 Comment

It started with a Facebook question from Scary Mommy about being THAT mom.

Then Theta Mom shared her experience being THAT mom.

And then last night, I caught a post from the Food Allergy Mama about a thirteen year old girl who died last week following an allergic reaction at a school holiday party and I could ignore it no more. I am becoming THAT mom.

What do I mean?

I am referring to the mom that other moms dislike because she makes things complicated. The mom who takes the food fun out of school parties. The mom whose one child determines that the rest shall go without.

Food allergy moms have to be THAT mom. We have no choice. We don’t want to make things complicated or a pain in the you-know-what. We just want to keep our kids safe.

I’m not quite THAT mom, not yet. But I will be and probably sooner than I think. My son will be school-age soon enough.

I don’t like becoming THAT mom; its not really in my nature to request special treatment. But is advocating for a safe, non-life threatening learning environment (i.e. a school) really such a special request? Shouldn’t it be a given?

Filed Under: Food (Allergy) Tagged With: , , ,

My New E-Writing Goals

December 6, 2010 by Leave a Comment

I fell in love with writing stories in the third grade when (probably thanks to my mom) my short story was published in the PTA newsletter. I didn’t particularly enjoy the taunting I got on the bus ride home that day but I didn’t let it get me down. I was a published writer at the age of eight!

Since then, I’ve dreamed of writing a published novel. I made a few attempts, mostly within the safety net of a classroom, but I haven’t pursued this dream in earnest.

Maybe I’m afraid I won’t achieve it.

Or maybe I’m afraid I will.

The fact of the matter is that if I don’t try, I never will. And if I learned anything from NaNoWriMo is that I have to put forth the effort (duh) to make this happen.

So I’m rethinking my goals, slightly.

My goal used to be seeing my book on the front table at Barnes & Noble. My ultimate goal was the New York Times Bestseller list (a girl can dream, right?). Those are still my dreams but now I also have the New York Times E-Book Bestseller list to add to the mix.

I’ll admit, when I first heard about e-books about a decade ago, I brushed off the idea. And, until recently, didn’t take seriously any of the e-books being hawked around the Internet.

Many of my friends in the publishing industry are scared apprehensive of e-books and how they are changing the marketplace. I’m actually excited (gasp!) about the possibilities. I don’t believe that e-books will completely eradicate the paper book (audio books didn’t) but they are definitely changing the game and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I think it opens up more doors.

So I’m opening my mind to achieving my goal in a way that I didn’t originally envision. I guess it doesn’t matter how I get there, as long as I do.

What do you think of e-books? Ever considered writing one?

Filed Under: Follow the Novel Tagged With: ,

Mama Kat Wants to Know Why I Write

December 2, 2010 by 4 Comments

More specifically, she wants to know what inspires me to write. That’s one of the prompts for this week’s writing workshop.
Mama's Losin' It
Both are easy – and hard – questions to answer.

I write because I love it, even though it’s painful at times .

I write because its part of my being. Sometimes I need to write like I need to breathe.

I write because I enjoy the creative process.

I write because sometimes its easier to say what I mean on paper than out loud.

I write because its who I am and who I’ve been since the age of eight.

I’m inspired by stories, mine and others.

I’m inspired by events and experiences.

I’m inspired by issues that are important to me.

I’m inspired by beauty in the world around me.

I’m inspired by each and every friend and family member who cheers me on and asks, “So when are you going to write the next great American novel?”

Why do you write? What inspires you?

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