Strolling Along

Sometimes you just don’t know what you’re missing out on.

I think there are lots of times in life where you can get caught up in your daily routine. Just going about your business, not really realizing things can be different. Things can be better.

I purchased my first jogging stroller when my son, Kaleb, was about a year old. I was just starting to get into running and I thought it would be a great way to multi-task on the mornings I stayed home with him. At the time I could run about two miles on my own. Not knowing how it would work out for the two of us I decided to purchase the “cheapest” jogging stroller I could find. After reading tons of reviews I decided on a Baby Trend Expedition stroller that I purchased at Target.

For the last two years the Baby Trend stroller has worked out just fine. For my purposes it held up rather well, but I do think it depends on how serious you are about running with the stroller and what surfaces you are going to be using it on. We used the stroller once a week to participate in my Strollers in Motion workout class through Mommy Movement Fitness [www.mommymovementfitness.com] Depending on the weather we also run one to two times per week, about three miles each run. We run on the sidewalk along city streets which means tons of bumps and uneven sidewalks. Then for some reason in Wichita the sidewalk mysteriously ends in the middle of the city block and then starts up again. This I will never understand.

We mostly run the same route. So this has resulted in me developing quite the system for making it through our 3 miles. There are several times when I have to lift up the stroller, walk quickly through the grass and duck to avoid low hanging tree branches. It takes quite the concentration. One wrong move and BAM - we hit the sidewalk wrong and everything (including my iPhone) goes flying out onto the sidewalk. Stop, reload and we are off again. Depending on the day we could experience this technical difficulty more than once a stroller run, or not at all.

But again, when you don’t know any different you go about your daily routine doing the same thing. Never realizing things could be so much easier.

Enter BOB Stroller.

I had heard plenty about BOB Strollers and I know tons of Mom’s who own them. I’ve heard nothing but the best about them. The only thing shying me away was the price. It took a little convincing. I can’t say my husband jumped up and down at the idea of spending a good chunk of change on a stroller. But it was worth. every. penny.

I purchased my BOB Revolution SE Single Stroller from the Jogger Mom website www.joggermom.com

Here’s a picture of my new BOB Stroller after I finished putting it together!
The stroller can purchased here http://www.joggermom.com/BOB-Revolution-SE-Single-Stroller-_p_99.html
I also purchased the handle bar console http://www.joggermom.com/BOB-Handlebar-Console-Single_p_82.html

Kaleb testing out his new ride! He told me, “Mom, you ride and I will stroll!”

I could tell from the first moment we headed out with the new stroller that things were going to be different. I can not believe hard I was working before. I’m going to have to find another way to burn off the extra calories I used to push my first stroller. We took our usual route and I could feel the hesitation mounting as we got ready to hit the first uneven part of the sidewalk. It was amazing!! We flew over the bumps without a single problem. (Kaleb didn’t have to hang on for dear life) At that point I was totally hooked. The difference was unbelievable. My run was so relaxing I actually found my mind drifting for a while....

Kaleb says he really likes his new stroller! I used to joke before that running with the stroller was my “make up” run if I missed my run I was supposed to do on my own. Although I love going out with Kaleb, it was sometimes a total hassle to take the stroller out. Now I can really enjoy our runs together! There are so many things I love about my stroller, but a few of my favorites are that the handle bar hits me right at my waist, the handle bar console has cup holders that are so much deeper, the whole inside of the stroller seat is padded and the sun shade is so much bigger! Things have been massively improved for both of us. 

If you are thinking about purchasing a BOB Stroller, I highly recommend using http://www.joggermom.com. I was very impressed with the personal customer service I was provided from Jogger Mom. After purchasing my stroller I received an e-mail from the founder, Kelly Morse, sharing with me her personal story. When you call for assistance with your order you are also connected to Kelly directly and if she is not available you can leave her a voicemail message. When is that ever the case?!I also received a follow up e-mail a week after I received my stroller asking me if I was happy with my purchase and to review my item online.

Owning a jogging stroller has allowed me more flexibility in my routine. When things get crazy and something gets in the way of my regular workout schedule, then it provides a great back up plan. It allows me to do something for myself without having to find a babysitter and I think the fresh air and sightseeing are good for my son. It’s time that we get to spend together discussing what we see. And it always helps to have him telling me to “go faster Mommy!”

As I mentioned earlier, I think it depends on your needs for a jogging stroller and how much you plan on using it. My personal experience is that this is an instance when you get what you pay for. My only regret is that I didn’t purchase a BOB stroller two years ago! I’m happy to hear “I told you so,” from anyone who wants to throw one my way!

The “Mandatory” Rest Week

Who loves a “mandatory” rest week?! I do! I do!

I believe in rest. Yes, this is coming from a lady who goes to bed every night at 9:30 pm and would nap every day if I could. But, I also love it from a workout perspective. I’ve trained for four half marathons while running only three times a week and cross training two days. It works well for my body to rest in between my running days. And I am convinced that I need to just sit on the couch every few days. That’s not only good for my body but my sanity as well.

After running my farthest distance in my running career I decided I need to make myself rest from running for the entire week. I still participated in my regular Mommy Movement Fitness activities (www.mommymovementfitness.com) so Kaleb and I went to Strollers in Motion the day after the race and then I have been attending Core Fusion on Thursday nights.

The rest of the time I’ve been doing whatever I want! As someone who constantly has a list of projects to start and in the works I was really looking forward to this week to tackle some things. This week I’m going to share with you the “mashup” of things I’ve been doing recently and during my rest week.

Lunchtime Vegetarian

My friend Emily turned me on to a vegetarian blog called Cookie and Kate (www.cookieandkate.com) and of course, I’m addicted to it! The recipes are fantastic and the pictures are beautiful. I highly recommend checking it out!

I’m not a vegetarian, but I started eating vegetarian recipes for lunch as a way to incorporate more vegetables into my diet. I’ve been doing this for about three weeks now and it’s been really fun! Are you thinking, she’s got to be kidding? Who calls eating vegetables FUN?! But it’s been a great experience because it’s broadened my horizons. So far I’ve branched out to try brussel sprouts, butternut squash and quinoa and I’ve been baking with whole wheat flour. It’s been a great learning experience! I’m not gonna lie, I am kinda of enjoying hunting things down in the grocery store that I’ve never bought before.

Before you think I’m completely crazy, for me, having a healthy lunch with a 3 year old can be difficult because things get rushed and crazy and I tend to forget about myself. My system for awhile now has been to choose two recipes, make them both on Sunday and then alternate eating them throughout the week. There’s usually a day or two in there where I can mix it up with leftovers. But I’ve found it’s easy to make good choices when the food is already prepared and all I have to do is scoop it out and heat it up!

For the past couple of weeks I’ve picked two recipes from Cookie and Kate and also baked one item as well which I have used either as a side to my lunch or as an afternoon snack. From Cookie and Kate I have tried:

Honey Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread
Apple Oatmeal Muffins
Butternut Squash Vegetarian Chili
Green Bean Quinoa Salad with Feta Spicy
Sun Dried Tomato and Broccoli Pasta
Strawberry, Basil and Goat Cheese Panini
Baked Chiocciole with Brussel Sprouts, Apples and Blue Cheese
Sesame Soba Noodles
Pear, Raspberry and Goat Cheese Crostini

My favorite so far was the Butternut Squash Chili! I ended up eating half of the chili for two meals and then freezing the other half of the recipe. It froze nicely and then I ended up reheating it another week and finishing it off! Although next time I will be research how to take on a butternut squash cause tackling that thing was the hardest part of the recipe!

I also tried a great recipe for Slow Cooker Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos. Delicious and super easy!  http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2012/03/slow-cooker-recipe-for-sweet-potato-and.html

Time to Get Crafty

I got out my crochet needles for someone special….and whipped up this newsboy hat!

Turns out I haven’t crocheted anything in a year! I learned my lesson about cleaning up after myself because all of my crochet stuff was a total mess. But it was fun to get out a pattern and make something again. Thank you to my dear friend Shalyn for asking me to get back in the saddle. Turns out getting back into crocheting really was just like riding a bicycle (or a horse?!)

My next project was making a dinosaur costume for my little one!!  This is something that was near and dear to my heart because I have very fond memories of my Mom making all of my Halloween costumes. I loved going to the fabric store with her to pick out the pattern and fabric. My Mom is a fantastic seamstress and I was spoiled by her skills!

Here’s my Snow White costume my Mom made me when I was little. I told you she was fantastic!

My sewing skills are minimal, so I was ridiculously excited when I was able to create this for Kaleb! And I did immediately call my Mom to make her FaceTime with me so I could show her!  Yes, I was photographing a moving target aka Dino…  

Thank you Just Sew Sassy for this fantastic tutorial! http://justsewsassy.com/2011/01/11/tuesday-tutorial-dinosaur-hoodie/

What Next?

I also spent part of this week thinking about what I want to do next. I love a routine. In fact I had a minor freak out the Monday after my race. I normally run on Tuesday morning so before bed I was talking to my husband about the morning routine. I just couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that I wasn’t going to run in the morning and it completely threw me!

Doing the Johnston’s Half Marathon in April is already on my radar, but I don’t usually start training for that until February. I did my first triathlon this summer and there’s an indoor tri coming up at the YMCA in December. So I think I’m going to give another go! 

It’s time to shift gears and get going again! I hope you spent your week doing something you love and possibly even trying something new!   

The 3/4 Marathon

I guess in the back of my mind I kind of suspected this was going to happen.

The plan was to run my half marathon in the middle of my friend Amee’s full marathon OR miles 7-20 of the full Prairie Fire Marathon. I even went so far as to tell Amee’s Mom she needed to make me get into the car at mile 20. I might have gotten more suspicious of myself then.

So yes, race day I ran 19.25 miles. Or, as it’s now been dubbed, 3/4 of a marathon. 

But let me back up a bit.

This is Amee, my running partner.


For those of you who have serious running partners, you know exactly what I mean when you read the words running partner. For those of you who don’t know, it’s an irreplaceable bond. A true running partner is hard to come by. Someone you spend hours with, sweat with and discuss the good and bad (and really disgusting) things about running with. And mine’s the greatest!

I’ve had several people try to talk me into running a marathon. It’s just not for me at this point in my life. I’m a half marathon runner and that is just fine by me. For the last two years I’ve run one half in the spring and one half in the fall. It works out perfectly. By the time I’m finished training I’m over it and need a break. And when it’s time to start training again I’m more than ready. It’s been a happy cycle in my life. So when Amee thought about doing the full marathon, being the good friend that I am, I did my best to help talk her into it!

Thus began what I like to call “half-sies” training. The decision being that I would run half of all of her long runs with her. If she went 10, I went 5. If she went 20, I went 10 and so on and so forth. First, this was fine by me! I was coming off completing my first triathlon and was no way looking to get back in to regimented training schedule. So I really enjoyed saying “what are we running this week” for a change. Second, this also meant I could never complain. And if it crossed my mind at any time I reminded myself that Amee had already run twice as far as me that day so I better shut my mouth. 

All that training, talking about it and the day was FINALLY here!

Here we go!

Picking Amee up at the full marathon mile 7. That’s my little one, Kaleb, who wanted to be a part of the race so badly!


Being the official pacer. Thanks Candice for the Garmin!


These are the cute shirts I had made for us! Thank you Great Image Designs! Mine says “support crew” and Amee’s says, “Don’t mess with a girl who runs 26.2 miles for fun.” Amen.
Yep, there’s Kaleb again….


So, back to the beginning of the story. After some discussion around her mile 15, Amee thought leaving her at mile 20 with 6 more to go (or another hour of running alone) sounded like a long time. I agreed I would stay to mile 23 because that was still a convenient time to get picked up and make it to the end to see her finish.

But I just couldn’t leave her.

Several times she told me she was fine so I didn’t do it because she asked me to. There was something about me feeling like I belonged with her. All those countless hours of training together, talking about this day, planning the route….the outfits. I just wanted to stay with her.

Then at mile 23 that crazy runner inside of me took over and I wanted to make it to the finish line!!

What I did for her is something I simply chose to do to be a good friend. Yes, it’s the farthest I’ve ever run (and plan to run), but it compares in no way to the four months of training she did or her deep commitment to eating Chipotle once a week before each of her long runs. I consider myself lucky to have run 19.25 miles with her. I never heard her complain. She smiled the WHOLE TIME. I kept telling people during the week leading up to the race, “she’s a really tough cookie.” And while that makes me sound like an old lady, I really meant it. I knew she could do it. I never doubted her, even for a second. To say that I am proud is not even close.

Thank you for letting me be a part of your crazy adventure and congratulations to you, Amee! You are an amazing woman, strong person and someone I am not only able to call my very good friend, but my running partner!



The entire support crew!


My little finisher….

Festive Fall

Cue the sappy love song. I am in LOVE with my convection oven…

After putting it to good use the past two weeks, I’ve realized that I could never go back. The results are fantastic. All of my baked good have come out so much more moist and cooked more even. And let’s talk about the multi-tasking…I can cook multiple things on different racks at the same time. It’s heavenly.

Let me also tell you I was really glad that this was my longest training week for my upcoming half marathon. After having to taste test everything I was making (cue sad love song…you feel so bad for me, right?) I was happy to be running off the extra calories and also checking off the long miles.

It’s officially the day that Autumn begins AND my parents are coming to visit! So I decided to be a “Pintester” this week and try out some of the ideas I’ve pinned lately to serve to my “guests” and to celebrate fall. Here we go….

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I kept seeing this recipe for pumpkin cupcakes floating around on Pinterest. The recipe called for a box of yellow cake mix and 1 15 oz can of pumpkin. That’s it. Then a Facebook friend posted that she made the same thing using a box of spice cake mix instead of the yellow cake mix and a can of pumpkin. I was intrigued and for me, that’s usually all it takes to send me off on a mission.

Last week I tried a recipe for Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins that was just mediocre. If I’m going to bake, go to all that effort, make a big mess and consume the calories, it better be delicious. I wasn’t jumping up and down over it, however the frosting was fantastic! So I decided to combine the Pinterest recipe, the frosting from the Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins AND some mini chocolate chips because they just make everything better. These muffins are AMAZING! I finished making them, taste tested and texted my friend to tell her I was dying in delicious-ness. It’s so simple there’s no way you can’t try it.

No joke in the original recipe there are two ingredients.


1 box spice cake mix
1 15oz can of pumpkin

Then I decided to doctor it up a bit by adding...
⅛ tsp each of Cinnamon, All Spice and Cloves
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix together until all ingredients are combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes. Or follow cake box directions as if you are baking cupcakes. This recipe made 18 muffins.

On to the frosting. The frosting recipe I tried last week was a cream cheese frosting made from scratch. It was delicious, however I struggled with getting the consistency right. So instead of going to all that effort again, I decided to purchase store bought cream cheese frosting and doctor it up the way it was in the original recipe. I kept the same idea which was adding vanilla and maple flavoring to your cream cheese frosting. YUM. I would definitely do this again instead of messing around with making my own frosting.

Vanilla Maple Frosting
1 can store bought cream cheese frosting
1 T Vanilla extract
½ T Maple flavoring

Although I lack a food stylist (yes, I learned last week there is such a thing), I still thought they turned out pretty enough I could post a picture!

I decided to make this next recipe because my e-mail inbox was filling up with notifications that someone had “repinned” my pin. So I thought a lot of you might be curious about this one as well!

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Streusel Coffee Cake


The recipe comes from the Pine Cones and Acorns blog. Everything on this blog looks yummy and is photographed beautifully! You can find the recipe here: http://pineconesandacorn.blogspot.com/2012/05/mothers-day-breakfast-ideas-cinnamon.html
The original recipe calls for baking this cake in a 6 inch spring form pan. I didn’t have one so I lined a 6 inch Corningware dish with wax paper and baked in that. I left enough of an edge of wax paper sticking out of the pan that I could grab it and lift the coffee cake out once it cooled.

In all honesty the recipe is a little labor intensive. I like my baking quick and fabulous. So make sure you have time if you’re going to tackle this one. The inside of the coffee cake is delicious! The spice in the cake is just right and the cream cheese mixture is yummy! However, I thought the topping left much to be desired. If anyone else wants to test out this recipe and offer suggestions for improvement I’d love to hear them! I think the topping needs something to truly kick this recipe out of the park.

Are you beginning to see why all the running this week was necessary?! Two more delicious treats…

Pumpkin Hot Chocolate

1 1/2 cups skim milk
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 tablespoon hot chocolate mix (I used chocolate and french vanilla cocoa mix)
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (to taste)

Whisk together the ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat.

{My Mom and I are also on a mission to perfect a Pumpkin Latte recipe while she is here! If we create the perfect concoction I’ll be sure to share!}
 
Caramel Apple Salad

I’ve had this recipe for some time and love to make it every fall when my parents visit! It feeds an army so make sure you invite your friends over!

4 red apples
4 green apples
1 8oz container Cool Whip (I use fat free Cool Whip)
1 15oz container pineapple tidbits, do not drain the juice
1 6oz package butterscotch pudding (I use sugar free pudding)

Chop the apples into pieces. Mix together Cool Whip, pineapple tidbits with the juice and pudding mix. Fold in apples. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Fall Decorations

Where are we going to eat all of this delicious food?? I couldn’t prepare all of these yummy recipes without creating a festive fall table for us to sit at. It all started with these cute, retro owl plates I saw in our local grocery store ad. I couldn’t pass them up as I thought they would add a whimsical touch to my table this fall. I was super excited to get them on sale and had an addition 20% off coupon. Deal alert!

How cute are these guys?!


I used this picture I pinned on Pinterest as inspiration for the rest of my table decorations!


I purchased 3 yards of burlap fabric at Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon for my table. I bought the decorative pumpkins, leaves and moss to fill the wooden box at the Dollar Store for $1 for each item. I used battery operated candles instead of real candles, which if you don’t own any, I highly recommend!

Add the owl plates and VOILA!


I can’t wait for my parents to arrive to enjoy the comfort of family as our festive fall begins!