"C" is for C25K

Guess who is back on the Couch to 5K (C25K) bandwagon? This girl!  Here we are ready to walk run.

I started C25K when I was pregnant with Tully in 2010 and made it through Week 6 of the program.  When I stopped jogging at seven months pregnant it was a decent accomplishment.  My goal this time is to run in the Head for the Cure 5K North Texas for my friend, Stevie, on May 12.   I have eight weeks to get ready.  Each workout starts with a brisk 5 minute warmup walk.  Here's the plan:

Week	Workout 1	Workout 2	Workout 3
1	Alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
2	Alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
3	Two repetitions of the following: Jog 90 seconds Walk 90 seconds Jog 3 minutes Walk 3 minutes	Two repetitions of the following: Jog 90 seconds Walk 90 seconds Jog 3 minutes Walk 3 minutes	Two repetitions of the following: Jog 90 seconds Walk 90 seconds Jog 3 minutes Walk 3 minutes
4	Jog 3 minutes Walk 90 seconds Jog 5 minutes Walk 2.5 minutes Jog 3 minutes Walk 90 seconds Jog 5 minutes	Jog 3 minutes Walk 90 seconds Jog 5 minutes Walk 2.5 minutes Jog 3 minutes Walk 90 seconds Jog 5 minutes	Jog 3 minutes Walk 90 seconds Jog 5 minutes Walk 2.5 minutes Jog 3 minutes Walk 90 seconds Jog 5 minutes
5	Jog 5 minutes Walk 3 minutes Jog 5 minutes Walk 3 minutes Jog 5 minutes	Jog 8 minutes Walk 5 minutes Jog 8 minutes	Jog 2 miles (or 20 minutes).
6	Jog 5 minutes Walk 3 minutes Jog 8 minutes Walk 3 minutes Jog 5 minutes	Jog 10 minutes Walk 3 minutes Jog 10 minutes	Jog 2.25 miles (or 22 minutes).
7	Jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).	Jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).	Jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).
8	Jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).	Jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).	Jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).
9	Jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).	Jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).	Jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).

I've completed week 1 of training with no problems thanks to my super supportive husband.  He tells terrible jokes and pushes my buttons in general to keep my mind off the running.  Our dog, Zach, tags along too, and I usually don't mind when he stops for a potty break, so I can rest.  Tully has been a trooper so far and seems to be enjoying his morning outing, and I'm burning some extra calories pushing him along in the stroller.  Thank goodness for the BOB--it's a great jogging stroller!

I use RunKeeper on my iPhone to track our runs, and it gives cues for when to walk or jog.  When we first started C25K in 2010 I had to check my watch every minute or so, which was really annoying.  It's nice now for the little computer lady to tell me when to get my butt in gear.

The other benefit is that my sleep schedule is getting back on track.  Tully sleeps through the night, but I've really struggled going to bed at a decent hour.  We run in the mornings, and 6:30 AM comes waaaaaay too early, if I don't get my sleep.  I have to say going to bed on time is actually a lot harder than the running itself right now.  Hopefully in another week or two my body will get the message that sleep between the hours of 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM is important.

Wish us luck on our journey, and if you're in the Dallas area looking for a quick weekend workout, sign up for the 5K on May 12 to support Stevie in her fight against brain cancer by clicking the Head for the Cure image below!

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"C" is for Cupid

I had to work in DC the week of Valentine's Day, so I enlisted some help from Nanna to make sure John knew he was very, very loved while Tully and I were on the east coast.  I wrapped up four gifts for him and left "themed" notes with each one.  Then I put sticky notes with a designated day on it and asked Nanna to stop by the house to put the right one out.  I wish I would have taken photos of the finished products, but this should give you an idea of what I did.

Notes, gift sacks, and a couple of the gifts

Tuesday (Feb 14): Valentine's Day card with a gift certificate for a massage at SCI.
Theme: RELAX - "Enjoy your time and relax while we're gone..."

Wednesday (Feb 15): Lean Production book.
Theme: LEAN - "You can lean on me..."

Thursday (Feb 16): Box of Hot Tamales candy.
Theme: HOT (Um...my parents read this...)

Friday (Feb 17): Rokinon fisheye lens for Canon T2i.
Theme: EYE - "I've got an eye for you..."

I have to admit I was quite proud of myself and couldn't wait to hear from him when he got his gift each evening.  I feel like it's twice as exciting to give a gift as it is to receive one.  Even writing this a month later makes me all happy inside!  All I can hope is that I did so well Valentine's week that John will forgive me for forgetting our anniversary two weeks later.  Oopsie!  Happy three years and counting, sweetie.  I love you!

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"C" is for Climbing

My little monkey learned to climb up on his stroller.  He nearly gave Grammy a heart attack in DC when she turned around for two seconds and then found him standing!  The next time he ventured up on the stroller, she had her camera ready.

Read more about Tully's adventures in DC on Grammy's blog, Tales from the Tull's:

Tully's on the Plane Again
Valentines Day in DC
Monkey Climber
Tully's Metro Train Ride
Fun in Bethesda

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"C" is for Child (cont.)

11 months

 Tully is almost a year old!  Lots of exciting things have happened during the past couple months:

• exploring
• taking steps
• giving kisses
• pushing a ball
• dancing to music
• pointing at EVERYTHING
• consistently waving bye bye 
• still sleeping through the night
• being ornery and testing limits
• saying "mama" lots and babbling
• loving books and turning the pages
• looking out window when people leave
• voicing his wants and dislikes (whining!)
• giggling and squealing when daddy chases him
• staying on a consistent nap schedule (10 and 3)
• eating just about anything we put in front of him
• signing for dog when he sees a real dog or a picture of one
• loving his cozy coupe and outdoor swing we snagged for cheap at JBF

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"C" is for Cooking - February Edition

We loved Rocco's recipes so much in January that tried a few more in February, along with some Rachael Ray favorites.  I went to DC (Week 2), and Tully traveled with me, so Nanna was mostly off work that week.  She was awesome to stop in to make a couple meals for John though.  And the ribs on the menu this month were so delicious we ate them twice!!

Week 1:

Panera (my night to pick take-out!)

General Tso's chicken (Rocco)

BBQ Ribs & twice baked potatoes (Rocco)

Hungarian beef goulash (Rocco)

Week 2:

Crock pot chicken & rice

(Leftover) chicken & rice

Nanna's Spaghetti

(Leftover) spaghetti

Week 3:

Fettuccine alfredo with shrimp (Rocco)

Steak, onion, and potato salad (Rachael Ray)

Chicken burritos with corn & black beans (Rocco)

Week 4:

Chicken parmigiano (Rocco)

Shrimp & asparagus stir fry (Rocco)

Pork chops & spinach-artichoke cheese tortellini (Rachael Ray)

BBQ ribs & sweet potato fries (Rocco)

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"C" is for Cinema

A friend of John's recommended we watch a documentary.  Let me just say that we NEVER watch documentaries.  We rarely watch box office top picks, much less documentaries.  John was so determined that we watch this documentary that when the nearby Blockbuster store didn't have it, he drove half way across town to rent it at another store.  Now before you laugh at us for getting movies at Blockbuster, consider that we rent maybe one movie a moth.  Netflix just isn't justified in our entertainment budget.  And usually we hit up RedBox, if we really think we need a movie night.

Back to the documentary--

"Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son about His Father" is a story about a filmmaker, Kurt Kuenne, who decides to memorialize his friend, Dr. Andrew Bagby.  Bagby was murdered by his ex-girlfriend, Dr. Shirley Jane Turner.  Turner flees to Canada where she is later arrested.  Shortly after she is arrested, she announces she is pregnant with Bagby's child, a boy she named Zachary.  Kuenne interviews numerous relatives, friends, and associates of Bagby and incorporates their loving remembrances into a film for the son who never knew him.

I watched the movie on Friday night and still feel the devastation on Sunday.  This movie was infuriating to watch, but the story is so compelling I couldn't stop.  It's not your typical award-winning Hollywood production with fancy special effects and celebrity superstars.  But I can say that John and I both stayed awake during the entire thing, and I highly, highly recommend watching it.  Just be prepared to cry.

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"C" is for Crazy

Last year I was walking Tully and Zach at the park, and a lady from our neighborhood stopped in the middle of the street while driving by.  She rolled her window down, screamed that something was killing the ducks, and said my dog was responsible.  What?!  Because he's off leash, Zach is a duck killer?   I kindly informed her that the park rules allow for dogs to be off-leash as long as they are under the owner's control on a heel.  Zach regularly walks with us without a leash, and we laugh at our neighbors who have a death grips on their leashes while they walk the path.  The other dogs regularly pull, lunge, and bark when we pass, and Zach ignores them completely.  He really is a good boy on our walks.

So anyway, enough about my model dog.  When the lady yelled at me last year, I made a mental note that she drove a black Lexus.  Our neighborhood is fairly small, so we see some of the same cars over and over.  Earlier this year I saw her pull into a driveway adjacent to the park.  The childish side of me immediately had visions that involved eggs, toilet paper, and shoe polish, but we're all adults here, right?  Just because she screams at young moms with babies in strollers out walking dogs doesn't mean I have to stoop to her level.

A few weeks later I saw her come out of her house and cross the street with a bucket.  Next thing I know she's calling the ducks over by name to feed them.  The park rules CLEARLY state that feeding the ducks is not allowed.  Feeding them actually disrupts their ecosystem or something.  Talk about breaking the park rules, lady.   I told John about it that evening, and, of course, he only wanted to know what the ducks names were.  Typical.

So this past weekend we were out enjoying a family stroll in the nice weather.  We see the duck lady walk out and start calling for "Whitey" and Bridget" to come get dinner.  As we made the loop towards her, John said if she was still out there when we got to that area he was going to ask her what their names were.  I was mortified of the thought of stopping to talk to her.  Luckily, she had gone back home before we got there, so disaster was avoided.

We had a good laugh about her naming the ducks and thought up all sorts of devious plots during the rest of our walk.  Our ideas involved standing on the other side of the pond and feeding the ducks at the same time or even setting up a table with a sign that says we're offering organic, whole-grain, sulfate-free duck food with no preservatives.  We also discussed building a duck blind at the park and hiding in it.  Our best idea though was to say that we've been seeing dead ducks around and accuse her of poisoning them.  I'm sure she'd totally flip out on us.  She IS one crazy, duck lady.

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"C" is for Cherry Pies

My inner Martha Stewart came out this week.  She used frozen pie crust and canned cherry filling though.  We had some pie crusts left in the freezer from Thanksgiving (don't judge!), and I was brainstorming ways to use them.  I love pie crust, and there's never enough in a pie.  I wish regular cherry pies had like five layers of pie crust instead of one, so these are my ultra-thick mini cherry pies.  Click image to enlarge.  Enjoy!

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"C" is for Canine Cuisine

On the weekends, John and I usually take one day each getting up early with Tully while the other one sleeps in.  I know 7:30 isn't really that early, but we are NOT morning people.  I hope Tully learns the art of sleeping in someday...

Anywho, John had Saturday morning duty this past weekend, and when I got up, he told me he took some really great photos.

It seems our dog, Zach, was the only one who managed to behave himself while mommy got some much needed sleep.  Oh, well, at least Tully ate that morning, right?

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