Monday Wrap-up - Camping

So, first, last week...I managed to get up for Monday and Wednesday runs and Tuesday and Thursday spin classes thanks mostly to my sleeping through the night child.  It feels good to be back on a somewhat consistent exercise routine.

Kindermusik started last week too.  M loved it.  She was so fascinated by all the other babies.  I need to take some pics of her in this class for her book.  

We left for our first camping trip with the little one on Friday night.  Overall I would consider it a success, but we did have some set-backs and learned some things about camping with a baby/toddler:

1)  Camping is pretty weird when there is a burn ban and you can't have a camp fire or cook food (unless you have a propane grill).

2)  Don't get to the campsite at dark when camping with a child in a tent.  They need time to adjust to their surroundings before dark. 

3)  Don't let your child get sick on the first night of the camp trip.  (yeah, I wish it were that easy)

4)  The pack and play won't fit in 4 person tent and really isn't useful for a mobile 15 month old otherwise.

5)  Barriers for the tent to keep little one from wedging themselves in the crevice of the tent are a bonus.

So, as I said, we got there too late to do anything but set up camp before dark.  This made for a scary place for M come bed time and I think it kept her from going to sleep.  Her usual bed time is 9pm, but she didn't really go to sleep until around midnight.  She didn't cry, just didn't want to sleep.  Then, each time she moved she woke herself up and thought she needed to be up.  It wasn't until about 2am that we realized she was getting stuffy and hot and it was 3am before we broke down and gave her some Tylenol.  Shortly after 3am, she went to sleep in between us on the air mattress and slept pretty comfortably until 6:30am.  She woke up happy, but with a cough and nasty stuff coming out of her nose.  Her week of being around other kids had taken its toll.  

On a mission

I hate to throw out food.  First, it's a waste and second we're on a budget due to my new occupation.  So, my dilemma today is what today with leftover blackened tilapia?  There is always fish tacos, but they just don't sound great so I'm going to try for fish cakes.

Here's what ended up happening:

I mixed the fish (2-1/2 large fillets), with a chopped jalapeno and a banana pepper from the garden, chopped parsley, a little chopped onion, about a cup of crushed bread crumbs, the mashed filling out of two baked potatoes, salt, pepper, and 2 eggs. This mix made 4 large patties that I pan fried in a bit of safflower oil over medium heat.
I served them with hot mango chutney, sauteed greens, jalapeno corn muffins, and roasted red pepper and asparagus soup.  The husband liked the meal and the one year old loved the fish cakes (minus the chutney).  So, win-win.  We still have one fish cake left for lunch today then on to the next cooking extravaganza.  Maybe next time I'll remember to take pics!

   

Tuesday Tune up

Getting up at 4:45am to go to spin class is hard on good days.  It is more of a struggle when you have a baby not sleeping all night.  Luckily (knock on wood) my baby has finally started sleeping all night.  It only took about a year to make that happen.  Now, 5 months until we have another little bugger that won't sleep.  The plan is to make it to as many classes as I can until then.  Today was a success!

Now to try to get the little one down for a nap so we can head to the farmer's market for fresh peaches!

Monday Wrap-up - Hiking

The weather has been awesome the last few days - at least comparatively - highs in the 80's (vs. 100's).

Saturday started out with an 8.5 mile run with the father-in-law and the CRC (Carthage Running Club).  It's the longest run I've had in a few weeks and it felt good.  At 17 weeks in my last pregnancy I was still doing 10-12 mile run and 3 hour bike rides.  I have been more tired this go around, possibly due to taking care of a one year old, so I'm going to be happy with 8+ for now.  My current goal is to get in two to three 4-6 mile runs a week, one 6-10 mile run, two 60 minute spin classes, and yoga a couple times a week.

After the run the husband and I left the daughter with the in-laws and went floating with another couple on Spring River.  It ended up being a 14 mile paddle.  We knew the river was low, but it was a bit worse than anticipated.  It was still pretty and fun, just a lot of work.  By lunch it was the longest I had been away from my baby so I was a little anxious, but I know it was good, probably for both of us.  Of course she was just fine when we picked her up, actually asleep.  She had grandparents and great-grandparents at her disposal so I wasn't ever worried, just missed the little monkey.  After a quick freshen up we all went to Instant Karma to eat gourmet dogs and visit then home for some much needed sleep.

Sunday we got up and it was beautiful out again so we decided to head out for a hike.  We ended up at Lincoln Lake near Lincoln, AR.  It was almost a 2 hour drive, but worth it.  We did a 4 mile hike called Piney loop.  We took the wrong way in so it was a little steep and rocky, but we got to see a bunch of climbers.  Once we hit the actual trail we realized it was very well groomed and not too technical (good when you have a kiddo in a backpack and a pregnant momma).  We will definitely be heading back again.

Lincoln Lake in the background

Part of the Piney loop

Mira sharing an apple with Dad post-hike

Today was a good start to the week.  Five mile run at 5:30 with temps in the upper 50's, low 60's.  If the rest of the week goes this well I will be happy!

  

A New Start

I began a running/fitness blog in December 2007 called Back to Running to hold myself accountable to my running/fitness goals, but with the birth of my daughter in July 2011 it slipped off my radar.  Now I want to get back too it, but I have more on my mind than just running/fitness.  Mostly, said daughter and the bun we currently have in the oven.  Then, there is the fact that after 18 years in industry I decided to become a stay at home mom.  :-O
So, I have a whole new set of goals/priorities/opportunities to deal with.  I plan to document my changing and sometimes challenging journey into motherhood, a new 'job', and maintaining a satisfying level of fitness during and after pregnancy - including all the obstacles along the way - the Detours & Speedbumps.