Back to reality August 15, 2012

Keenan this morning: he wanted to take all of his critters in the car!

We are back to our regular routine today… having our “usual” breakfast with Fage 0% Greek yogurt (Mountain High Original whole-fat for Keenan), strawberries, flax seed, chia seeds and Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal and of course, a latte for my husband and me. After a fairly quick breakfast, we headed to Keenan’s swim class at the Y. We actually arrived early for a change (a first for us!). We are usually right on time or a couple of minutes of late, so it was nice to not have to rush. After swim class, we ran a couple of errands before going home for a little play time and lunch.

Keenan and I played a little piano together (I play and he taps, or sometimes bangs the keys!) and then we made all of his favorite critters (aka Baba, Lambie, Elmo and Polar Bear) lunch from his little kitchen. He was adamant on feeding them before we ate our lunch; it was too cute!

Feeding lunch to all of his critters!

For lunch, I made Keenan his favorite, a peanut butter and honey sandwich with some nectarine pieces on the side and a glass of milk. I ate some baby carrots, a nectarine and a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato and avocado on a sandwich thin spread with some new tzatziki sauce that we got at a different Costco. Our regular Costco discontinued the one we usually buy, so we found a different brand at a Costco near my parent’s house. I love Costco, but I get so frustrated when they discontinue an item that you always purchase. What are your favorite items at Costco?

Anyhow, today is all about getting “back to reality.” Last night I made a to-do list with all of the things I need to get done before the end of the month, including a few for Keenan’s birthday. His birthday is next Monday, but we are having his party at my parent’s house the following weekend. It seems aside from Keenan’s birthday, every weekend is booked until the end of September! It is crazy how busy things are going to be for the next month. I guess that is typical after getting back from vacation. I don’t think we have ever come back from a vacation and not had any commitments or things to do…life is just busy in our household!

Though, I’m looking forward to all of the things we have planned for the next month: Keenan’s birthday, our good friend’s birthday, my cousin’s wedding and getting my CrossFit Level 1 Certification, it will be nice when we have a free weekend again! The hustle and bustle of life makes me continue to think of the simplicity in Alaska, and prioritizing what really is important. Instead of racing through life, constantly thinking/worrying of what I have to do next or how I am going to get things done, I am making a vow to slow down, not get stressed out or overwhelmed when I have a lot on my plate. I am committing myself to focus more in the present, cherishing each and every moment and most importantly, appreciate the little things (i.e. kisses and cuddles from Keenan, laughing/playing with him and enjoying time with my husband). Lastly, I am pledging to truly differentiate between our needs vs. wants.  Life is too short and too precious to get caught in the rat race and forget what is really meaningful. How do you stay balanced and sane when life gets busy?

This afternoon, after Keenan wakes-up from his nap, we are heading to his friend’s birthday party and then to CrossFit for another grueling (but awesome!) workout. Yesterday, we found our 1-Rep-Max deadlift, which I PR’d (Personal Record) at 230 lbs and then had to do 150 wall balls in 8 minutes! It was rough, but I was able to complete 107 wall balls (not bad for my first day back)!

On the menu for tonight is a Basil Peach Salad made with arugula, fresh mozzarella cheese and walnuts, that I found in this month’s edition of Women’s Health Magazine. It looks so good; I can’t wait to try it! I’ll take a picture of it and post the recipe tomorrow!

Getting back on track, at least for a little bit… July 3, 2012

Last night’s WOD was awful, to say the least! It kicked my butt (literally!). The workout was “Death by Barbell” (but rather a Death by Barbell challenge, since we had to complete 5 rounds), one of CrossFit’s benchmark WODs:

15 Deadlifts

12 Hanging Cleans

9 Front Squat

6 Push Jerks

*20min Cap

Weights:

Women: BEG: 65,  INT: 75 and ADV: 95

Men: BEG: 95,  INT: 115 and ADV: 135

After a weekend full of rich food, wine and little sleep, it was a struggle to keep-up. For an additional challenge, I decided to do the advanced weight, to see how many rounds I could do (I don’t know what I was thinking!). It was definitely difficult, since the weight is heavy for me, but I wanted to push myself to continue to get stronger. I ended up completing 3 rounds and 18 reps. It wasn’t too bad, but I was hoping to at least complete 4 rounds. The weekend really affected my performance, but it felt great to work out and get back on track. My body needed it (especially after eating plenty of banana bars and rocky road over the weekend)!

After working-out, we headed home and I made HUGE strawberry, walnut, chicken and feta cheese salads for my husband and me. After the weekend at my parents’ house, we needed to have greens! Since Keenan can’t really chew lettuce (he only has 9 teeth in the front and 2 molars barely coming-in), he ate chicken with avocado and strawberries, washing it all down with a glass of milk.

My favorite…salad!

Today, we are back to our normal routine of our “usual” breakfast: Yogurt with berries, flax seed, chia seeds and Kashi Go Lean Cereal (and a latte for me, of course!). Keenan and I have this breakfast pretty much five days a week (weekends are usually special breakfasts of buckwheat pancakes, eggs or scones). I love having our “usual” breakfast, because it is a nice balance of protein, fiber, fruit, dairy and whole grain carbohydrates that satisfies me until lunch time (I even converted my husband, who usually ate cheese and a bagel or eggs, to having this breakfast daily!).

The start of the messiness!

Keenan loves yogurt as much as I do, as you can see from the picture! Yogurt gets everywhere, including his hair! I don’t know how he does it. As far as yogurt goes, I love Fage Greek yogurt (0%) and I buy Mountain High original (3.5% milk fat) plain yogurt for Keenan. I would buy Greek yogurt for him, but I can’t seem to find any that are whole fat. I’m always on the look-out for it, because Greek yogurt contains such a high amount of protein. If you ever see any, please let me know! What is your “usual” breakfast?

This afternoon, we are off to CrossFit again, to have one last workout before we head to my parents’ house for the 4th. Tomorrow will be a fun day with family and friends and of course, lots of good food again! I need to burn as many calories as I can, to make-up for all of the food I’ll be eating! What are your plans for the 4th? Do your plans revolve around food?