Walking, running, wandering and the art of slowing down!

UPDATE:  This is VERY late posting since our internet was out for 2 weeks….more recent updates and news to come!!!

So we had a pretty productive week last week!  James was cast free (finally) and he has made some great progress so far!  Eric had his 10K race in honor of 9/11- we were there to cheer him on!!  Gavin and I have spent some fun times walking around in this crisp fall weather while we learn the value of just taking things moment by moment, rather than always rushing onto the next ‘thing’ to do!

It was great to be there with James when that cast finally came off!  He was a little apprehensive because he knew his leg was weak and ‘skinny’.  We kept the wheelchair to give him breaks from his journey back to walking. 

He used it when he needed it, and we encouraged him when he could maintain his strength for longer periods of time!  All in all he has done a great job healing and keeping his spirits up through this long ordeal!  He even jumped into a fountain, where we were snacking at a café, so he could enjoy his new found ‘freedom’!!

Eric planned on this 9/11 race as soon as we got orders to Germany.  He had taken up running again when I started my running journey and this was a nice race for him to look forward to, and be a part of!  We were up bright and early in order to cheer him on and pay our respects to all of the lives lost, the lives changed and the lives still affected by 9/11. 

As a military wife, it is an ongoing realization that the freedoms your husband fights for, are the very freedoms that could take him away from us at any moment.  We respect all servicemen and women, their families and the sacrifices we all endure in order to someday end this war.  A 10K race (it was supposed to be a half marathon, but they could not get the route mapped out properly), was Eric’s way of giving a bit more of himself to show his support!

Now for some Gavin time.  We have now been trying to get into a good groove at home while James is at school.  He is trying to stress/scream less, and I am trying to stress/hurry less.  I have been reading a couple books that are meant to help me with the mom-confidence things that constantly plagues me.  Those constant worries about if I am raising good kids, giving them all they need, playing with them enough, giving them enough comfort, all of those things moms worry about 24/7.  The biggest realization I have made is that rather than worrying about all of these things, I should just ask myself what I could be doing in that moment to be sure I squash those insecurities.  Today, that was to let him play with a tupperware container of noodles with little toys mixed in (small motor skills at play) while I baked 2 different batches of cookies.  The best part was having him help me stir, lick the spoon and taste test!  Then we both decided that the best way to just enjoy time without worrying about time was to get outside for some fresh air!

We threw on his hand me down sweater that Grandma Groff made for James when he was 8 months old (I was near tears when I realized Gavin has pretty much outgrown it as well), then we went for a stroll!  He had to stop by to see if our neighbor was home…Gavin was just knocking away on the garage door with no luck…

So it was off to the hills for some flower picking, horse watching, and grass tickling!  He loves to just wander around, taking his time to enjoy the surroundings while teaching me to do the same!  We even had fun chasing his little shadow!

Then it was time to give one more knock on the neighbor’s door….this time we were in luck.  We delivered our banana chocolate chip cookies and our peanut butter blossom cookies that were baked with love before the walk.  After some lovely cappuccino, conversation and German practice, we headed out for another stroll before picking James up from the bus!  We all have been enjoying some great things (walking, running, wandering, slowing down) and it is great to have one another’s support through it all! 

What things have you been learning lately?  Have you found new ways to take a step toward de-stressing or slowing down?

Chicken Penne with Red Pepper/Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

 

We love our pasta in this house!!!  I am still making about 3-5 new recipes each week, and I want to share more of them!  This one was became a quick favorite and I am happy to say we ALL ate our dinner when this was served (hooray)!!

Ingredients:

2-5 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp olive oil

2 tsp dried herbs (poultry blend)

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 1/2 C uncooked whole wheat penne pasta

1 yellow bell pepper, diced (good to purchase organic)

2 T finely chopped fresh basil

Red Pepper Sauce

1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped

2 tomatoes. coarsely chopped

1/4 unsalted raw cashews

1/4 whole fresh basil leaves

1 clove garlic

1 shallot, halved

fresh ground pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Preheat grill to medium -high. Diagonally score (1/4inch deep) chicken breasts and rub with a thin coating of oil, dry rub and black pepper, dividing evenly. Grill chicken for about 7 minutes per side until juices run clear when pierced with a fork (or, roast in oven for about 20 minutes.)

Set aside until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes, then chop. Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions. Rinse in cold water to remove sticky starches; drain well and set aside. Prepare red pepper sauce: In a blender or a food processor, add all sauce ingredients; blend until very smooth. In a large bowl, toss pasta with 1 to 1 1/2 cups red pepper sauce, yellow pepper, chicken and basil.

 

We served this up with some French bread on the side for the boys…YUM!!!  This was so good, I cannot wait to make it again!!  Give a try and let me know what you think!!

Carob Chip Banana Bread

A clean eating version of a yummy classic.  I am a fan of anything ‘banana and chocolate chip’, especially cookies that my Nanny always made (and I am still addicted to).  This recipe was in the July 2011 Clean Eating Magazine! 

The Ingredients:

• 1.5 c whole wheat flour
• 1.25 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed (ran out, so I used Wheat Germ)
• Pinch of sea salt
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
• 2 egg whites
• 0.25 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 0.5 cup raw honey
• 0.25 cup flax seed oil (I used EVOO)
• 1/3c chopped dark chocolate (I used carob chips)
• I added 1 tsp of nutmeg

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, flaxseed, salt and nutmeg.

2.  In a large bowl, beat bananas until smooth (I just mashed with a fork and used a whisk).  Add egg whites, and mix.  Gradually add in apple sauce, honey, and oil

3.  Mix dry ingredients into banana mixture, then add chocolate or carob.

4.  Mist a 9×5 loaf pan with cooking spray.  Pour batter into pan and bake for 25 minutes (I baked for 32 minutes), or until cooked all the. way through.

Ta Da!!  There, now you have one might fine tasting loaf to go with your afternoon tea (or coffee)!  Let me know what you think!

ENJOY!!

My hopes for the week ahead…

So we know I had a rough week…a lot of things to change around, adapt to, and understand.  This week I plan on proving to myself I can be productive AND relaxed.  Figure out the best of both so I can meet in the middle and not get burnt out by the end of the week.  How do I plan on doing this?  Starting out slowly and seeing what works!

Today I got a lot of organization done around my house!  I moved James’ stuff back downstairs and de-cluttered his room (he had be practically living upstairs due to the broken leg).  I planned out the week’s dinner menu with all Clean Eating recipes (new recipe to be posted Tomorrow and Thursday).  I made a Household Book that contains: calendars, daily to do lists, menu planners, chore lists, school events, PTO stuff, appointment planning, etc.  This way I have all of my stuff in one organized binder, so when I need to write my daily ‘To Do’ I can go through and see if I need to pick up things for dinner, or calls I need to make for appointments, or even mail that needs to be sent out.  I am keeping it right in my kitchen so I can add to it as needed and stay on top of everything all at one time!  I got a lot of the ideas and printouts from ‘organized home’!!  It is an amazing site, great for any family!!  I also got a great ‘daily docket’ (pre-plan to do page) from this amazing lady!  She has a ton of great ideas as well!!!

The rest of the week I plan to keep up on my binder and daily plans so I can get myself re-accustomed to this routine.  I know if I stick to it (that is always the hard part) we will all be less frazzled and more on target with what needs to get done!  I am also getting back to my workouts this week.  I took last week off (rest week from P90X- and way too  much going on with it being the first week back to school- I was running myself ragged enough as it was)!  The P90X routines have changed up for the next three week cycle, so I am excited for that.  I will do small HIIT bursts on the treadmill for P90X days and then Wed and Fri I am going to take it to the trails with Gavin so I can get some trail walking in….no bike, yet (boo, to an August goal(s) not being met).

I have been loving all the new recipes I have been trying out the last few weeks, and since I ordered some back issues of Oxygen, I have even more new recipes to try out.  This week I am making: Clean Sweet and Sour Chicken (made it tonight- REALLY good), Clean Beef Stew, Clean Cheeseburger Pizza, and Clean Chicken Penne with Sun Dried Tomato sauce!  I will post the recipes for the pizza and Penne!  I have a new appreciation for being in the kitchen since I now make one meal for all of us, rather than 3 separate meals between us!

Another thing I am going to get back on board with this week is writing in my journal…I always manage to get away from this, which is so weird since I love doing it.  I have a beautiful journal sitting nicely on my bedside table, and yet there are huge gaps in time between entries.  My goal is to write in it every night this week (or through out the day).  At least one entry per day…this will help me see the areas that need work in my life and around the house!  You can’t make things better if you don’t get a good look at what needs work!

My last HUGE hope for the week is that Gavin pops out some teeth or at least starts sleeping through the night without fits of screaming.  Poor little guy is either teething or having a growing spurt…with the way he has been acting, I am guessing it is both!  He has been having a rough go this past week(ish) and I know he needs his rest just as much as the rest of us!  I am hoping to move his nap time more toward the afternoon so he isn’t so tired by dinner time.  I think it would make everyone a lot happier and relaxed to see little man cheerful again!!

So there we have it, my first “Post-ADD/ADHD Diagnosis” Weekly Goal list.  I decided to not beat myself up too much about the goal fails of August….I made too many of them rely on getting a bicycle.  Well, I put my birthday money to school stuff for James and a few things for Gavin instead….the bike will have to wait.  Instead of biking in trails, I went apple & plum picking up in the hills.  Instead of getting re-certified in Yoga, I started going to the gym twice a week with my neighbor for some good ‘ol butt kicking support.  I did lose inches (4), but I am not sure about body fat % since the base gym we go to doesn’t have a trainer that can do this for me correctly.  I am still hoping to get that all figured out!  Either way, instead of not meeting certain goals, I ended up meeting some new ones along the way instead of just giving up on the ones I couldn’t get.  Nothing wrong with that 🙂  Have a happy first full week in September!!!

 

Any goals you want to share???

Gaining Some Focus…

So I have not posted for a little bit…with reason. There were a few things going on around here to keep me on my toes…James going back to school, me driving the 25 minutes each way to drop him off and pick him up, all kinds of appointments, errands, new forms of planning, blah, blah, blah. This is something I was not sure I would write about, but since this ends up being a journal of sorts, I figured it would let it all out.

I have started typing this numerous times, not quite sure how to start, or how to just get right to the main point.  I guess the best way is just to say what this is about and then go from there.  Well, just over a week ago (after much screening, appointments and paperwork) I was diagnosed with combined ADD/ADHD.  This should not be embarrassing or something I am ashamed to talk about, but it just feels…weird to talk about it.  I feel like it makes me seem a bit crazy or something.  However, I know that this is something that is going to help me in the long run because I am now able to pin point the reasons I struggle in certain areas of my life.

Do my constant obsessions and inabilities to ‘just let it’ seem familiar?  How about my worries and intense stresses when it comes to what I am eating or doing for exercise?  My need to change things up so much if I don’t get the results I want a.s.a.p., instead of just riding it out and seeing the overall improvements.  I cannot do just one thing at once. Not kidding.  If I am watching TV, I will have a near fidget attack if I cannot be making a ‘to do’ list, reading a magazine, planning meals or errands, etc.  If I start something (a small task, for example) I will get halfway through it and then just abruptly start on something else…this means I have tons of half finished projects and paper filing because I just cannot seem to finish it at one time.  Now my ‘to do’ lists have a best friend….daily checklists!

When filling out some of the paperwork I actually had to laugh out loud a few times because I felt like I was reading someone’s description of me!  These characteristics are nothing to be embarrassed about because they are characteristics everyone already knows about: excessive talking, easily distracted, impulsive, hyper focused, anxious, restless, etc.  Yes, I talk a lot.  Yes, I make rash decisions sometimes.  Yes, I can zone in on something with great focus and zone out everything else.  Yes, I get anxious when things are out of my control.  Yes, I get restless if I have to sit for a while or not move around.  The fact is, these are the same characteristics that have always benefited me when it comes to being a teacher!

 

I love to talk, to explain, to reason and to inform.  I can get stuck teaching a boring topic and I often get an impulsive idea about how to make it fun or turn it into an interactive project.  I am able to zone in on my lesson planning, my curriculums, my grading, my focus on my students while they need help.  I use the fact that I have anxiety to my advantage: by always staying organized, over-prepared, and ready to just sit with my students and talk things out. They know I worry, they know I worry about them, they know that it means I care a great deal about them and my teaching.  My students have always loved that I am restless.  I love to be energetic in the classroom, I love to take little dance breaks in the morning and before we go home (being silly is a great start and end to any school day), I love to go outside and run around, I love to be theatrical in my teaching and over-the-top with my explanations of things.  That has always been one of the things that always wins students over.

So while these things sometimes make home-life hard: stressed out with toys lying around, clothes not where I want them, feeling overwhelmed by people’s things that pile up, dishes not cleaned…I have realized I can take a note from my teaching successes.  Think of my home like a classroom.  Lead by example, use these characteristics to my advantage with my kids, my planning and my organization.  Get everyone involved in the planning and organizing so we ALL know how to make things run smoothly….together!

The fact is, I always have a full plate.  If I don’t, I quickly fill it up and overwhelm myself.  It is not always a bad thing, I like getting a lot done and being an ‘involved’ mom.  I like having different roles and achievements.  As long as I look at this diagnosis as a POSITIVE, I think I am okay.  I have ways of staying organized (which I am usually VERY good at….perhaps a touch of OCD in that area), I have ways to keep things under control, I have ways to re-focus when I feel anxious and I have also found ways to avoid zoning out on the wrong things (I limit the computer to 3 fifteen minute sessions a day).  I have also found a way to do something productive during those moments I want to relax with my family, without being the fidget queen…I am hand making pillows, a pillow case, a quilt and stuffed owls for Gavin’s room.  I started off with two stuffed owls for a good friend’s daughters!

So there we go….cat is out of the bag, and now I can go back to blogging without feeling like I am leaving out something important!!