When Did We Get A Seal?

Being sick is never fun ... but having a severe chest cold is the worst. I'd rather have the stomach flu than a chest cold. Right now, I can't even take a medium deep breathe without resulting in the most painful chest-clutching, deep-throttle barking cough. My throat feels like it is closing in because it's so tired of the coughing.

If I don't breathe, then I am just fine ... but oh, wait ... if I don't breathe I'd have other issues, wouldn't I? So, I've resorted to shallow nose-breathing ... overdosing on Vitamin C drops ... drinking lots of tea ... and a good dose of Nyquil right before I go to bed (it seriously knocks me out, so I can't take it until five minutes before I am ready to go to sleep.)

The lack of oxygen is definitely making more fatigued than normal, which made facilitating a 90-minute stakeholder engagement planning session a lot of fun. Fortunately, I think my business partners found it to be a really valuable session ... or at least I hope they did, even if I was only at about 85%.

Four more minutes until Nyquil time ...

Fourth Times the Charm

The boys started swimming lessons four weeks ago. It's a bit off our normal schedule, usually we have them take them in the fall. But, with K's wrist surgery, we had to delay their session until now. Due to the delay, we were able to sign O up for the class where you don't have to have a parent in the class. (If it had been in the fall, I am sure D and I would have had many convincing conversations about why the other one should be in the pool with him.)

The first week, he was quite hesitant, came back out of the pool a few times and cried and cried. The second week, he really didn't want to go in at all, but through the power of persuasion and lots of toys ... the instructor had him in the pool in a couple of minutes. Last week, he went right to the pool, but didn't want to listen and preferred to do his own thing. This week ... he finally got right in, listened and actually did the back float with ease.

It's amazing how much progress one can make when they put their minds to it. (Or there's toys to play with in the water.)

The End of the Cleanse and Two Cooking Classes

D and I decided to only do three weeks of the cleanse. We're feeling good, and I think the healthy eating approach is pretty much cemented in our household. However, we received a great Christmas gift that made forgoing the fourth "bonus" week a no-brainer.

We received a lovely cooking class called "Minnesota Wine Pairings." It was hosted at the Cooks of Crocus Hills in Stillwater. I didn't take any photos during the class, so all of the photos featured below are courtesy of the Internet. Cooks of Crocus is a lovely little "boutique" style cookware shop. It's one of those places, where if left to my own devices, I would convince myself to buy a plethora of gadgets, I really don't need:

We were treated to a five-course meal with wine pairings from Minnesota grapes. Our chef's name was Jen Antila. She happens to manage the tasting room at Parley Lake Wines whose wines were featured for the evening. And for those who've kept track, D's not much of a wine drinker, so I wasn't sure how he was going to enjoy the evening. 

The first course was a potato and leek vichyssoise soup paired with a Frontenac Gris. The soup was warm (we were anticipated a cold soup) and had a nice earthy flavor. The wine was like a crisp pear that popped in your mouth. I looked sideways at D as he took his first sip. He smiled and whispered, "This is good." I was shocked, but realized that it was a fruity white, so if he was going to like a wine, this was going to be it. 

Next up, we had a quinoa shiitake risotto paired with their Lakeside White (which is mostly La Crescent but with a bit of Brianna grapes). I absolutely love quinoa, and this had a really lovely texture to it. D who is not as big of a fan of quinoa, really liked it to. There was a great subtle layer of cheese in the risotto that made it pop. This wine also was considered a win by both of us. It was a more floral white (so more to my liking) and I could envision drinking it on a hot August day. 

Then it was time to switch to the reds. The first red was called the Marquette. Jen explained how everyone thinks this is the wine that will help Minnesota make its mark in the wine world. She paired it with lamb skewers and a cherry molasses glaze. I watched D take a sip first as I was preparing for a not so subtle reaction. He slowly took a sip. Then looked at me. "Hey, I'm not getting that icky reaction. I like this." (Oh, before you think that he liked it because he was on his third glass of wine, it's probably important for me to note that these were tasting portions ... including the wine that was poured ... so just enough to taste and determine what you think about it.) Knowing that I may finally have a husband who may enjoy some wine with me, I relaxed and took my own sip. It was quite good, similar to a fruity Pinot and a bit jammy. (I don't even think I need to go into detail about the lamb ... it was excellent.)

Our fourth course was a Bleu Cheese Ravioli with the Frontenac Barn Quilt Red. Jen offered me a plate of the cheese filling instead of the ravioli so I could see how the bleu cheese paired with the wine. This wine was a big, bold, sassy red. My favorite wine of the evening by far. Even D liked it ... which really surprised me. I probably didn't need to eat all of the bleu cheese filling she had given me (in retrospect, it was A LOT) but I was enjoying myself and it was the first cheese I've had in three weeks, so I threw caution to the wind.

We ended our meal with the Frontenac Dessert Wine and a piece of salted Vosges chocolate. Frankly, you can't go wrong with Vosges chocolate. I just let it sit and melt on my tongue. The dessert wine was done in the Ruby-style port. I'm not a fan of port, it's just too sweet. So, while the wine wasn't bad ... it's definitely not my style. 

D and I were in good spirits as we left the class (I led the group in applauding Jen and her great tour of the evening.) And we picked up a couple of gourmet chocolate treats to bring home to the boys. It was a truly lovely evening to spend with D and I think now when I open up a bottle of wine ... he's going to be a lot more open to giving it a try. 

Let's Top that With Some More Chocolate

Now ... you'd think one cooking class a weekend would be enough ... but I had registered for a free course at Kitchen Window for creating a flourless chocolate cake. You see, I've made a few in my time, and I always have an issue with how they turn out. When I saw a free class, I knew I had to sign up. My sister C also registered so I knew I'd have a good time. And K decided he wanted to join me (I think chocolate and cake were the key words for him.) So, we got up early to make our way to the class. I learned a lot, especially that the pan and temperature of the ingredients basically determines how your cake is going to turn out. This flourless chocolate cake had a whipped ganache layer and then a ganache glaze to top it off. 

My favorite part of the whole class was when K raised his hand to ask a question. These are the moments where as a parent ... well, let's be honest ... you hold your breathe. I had no idea what he was going to ask. His question: "Can you make the cake creamier?" The rest of the class chuckled at the cute question, but the chef was phenomenal. He took K's question very seriously and explained that yes, you could make the cake creamier. He then proceeded to tell K the two different ways he could do it. Chef Daniel scored major points with this momma.

The cake was amazing, but so rich I could only eat about half of the piece. (K had his whole slice and a bit of mine.) I was amazed at how many of the people could eat the whole slice, but it just goes to show we all have different palettes.

Both my guys are looking forward to our next classes ... now we'll just have to find one that will tolerate a rambunctious three-year-old! And I'd be remiss if I didn't share O's own personal accomplishments, he's successfully gone a week w/o diapers. (Yes there have been a couple accidents ... but it's so exciting to think this will be a completely diaper-less house very soon.)

Reflection on Sundays

Last night was the memorial service for my dear sparkly friend who's life was 32 years short. It was an amazing tribute. Those who spoke told stories that made us laugh and cry. Embraces were provided to help build the strength of the community left behind. It was an emotional Saturday evening. One of the reverends who spoke during the service helped us try to answer the painful questions. His big message was that God helps cause all things to happen to come together for good. He was clear that this didn't mean good comes from everything, but that at some point the actions of this tragic event will come together for good with other things.

It was a very thought-provoking statement. There were lots of old friends gathered together, brought together by this one great person ... and why did we wait for a tragedy to bring us together, to reconnect? We should live more in the present and be grateful for the gifts we get every day from this great people. We should be more forgiving, put things in perspective, and cherish the good that there is in everyone.

Which brings me to Sundays. I love Sundays. There typically low-key. Granted, right now the boys do have swimming lessons in the morning, so it disrupts the sleep-in on Sundays, but that's okay. I enjoy watching my boys work on their skills, perfecting their techniques. We then make a quick trip to Target, because inevitably we just need something. And then we go home. Depending on the mood, we sit and read, watch a movie, play video games, or just enjoy each other's company. (Full disclosure, Sunday is always my laundry day and so it helps make needing to stay at home an easy decision.)

It's the perfect day to just sit back and enjoy all that I've been blessed with. I've tried really hard this year to not work on Sundays. Sure, I'm allowed to look at my calendar for the week ahead, but really focused on not working has made the day that much more precious. I encourage everyone to take that approach if you can.

Here's to more lovely Sundays.

Shaping the Young Leaders of Tomorrow

Since I don't have enough on my plate already ... I decided to coach K's Destination Imagination team. Fortunately, since he's in 1st grade, his team is the entry-level "Rising Stars" which means we have a challenge and will compete, but they don't advance to State. 

It means I get to try my hand on coaching 6 and 7 year-olds and try to have them understand team work, critical thinking, team work, creative thinking, team work ... oh and did I mention team work? Yes, that will be the biggest challenge. My one 2nd grade boy is an absolute handful. He's clearly smart, but he is also clearly starving for attention or something, because he wants to disrupt, disrupt, disrupt. It takes all my patience to remain calm and conduct the team. 

Oh, and did I mention, I can't tell them what to do? It's all about them determining what they should do. I get to coach them along by asking probing questions and getting them to think about the solutions they create, but I can't give them hints. Yesterday, they had to use paper to build a tall tower. I watched them try to figure it out for a few minutes ... and clearly they were struggling. I am hoping that this only means we have that much more room to grow. 

I will say, K definitely has some lovely leadership skills that he let shine yesterday. I was tickled to watch him. Definitely I was a proud mama. Now, I just have to hope this all comes together in time for competition at the end of March. 

Crazy Cravings

Okay, I'm halfway through week two and for the first time I have had a weird food craving. I want pizza. Of course, I don't eat pizza that often when I'm not doing a cleanse (very few great gluten-free pizza options out there.) So, when tonight at the PTO meeting they start talking about the spring fundraising plan and it's pizzas ... well, my mouth began to salivate. Granted, I hadn't eaten dinner yet, so I am going to attribute it to that.

Of course next week is D and my "date night" cooking class in Stillwater, so it's our cheat night. I'm looking forward to seeing how D feels about a cooking class. (And then to top it off, I am going to go to a flourless chocolate cake class the next morning with my sister in hopes to mastering how to make this crazy confection. Unfortunately I won't be able to taste it, but I'll rely on my sister to tell me how delicious it is.)

Oh well, I'm loving how I'm feeling and my have to seriously commit to limiting my sugar and dairy intakes going forward ... but  I do love cheese, so we'll see how serious I can be.

Here's to health!

When Overpriced Cable Gives You a Gift

The cost of entertainment these days is ... well, simply put: ridiculous. Taking a family of four to the movie theaters costs almost as much as a date for two at a nice restaurant. The cost of cable ... well, with the exception of our gas bill in the winter, I think it may be the most expensive bill I pay each month. Yes, it's that ridiculous. Full disclosure, we have a "triple-play" package where it's our cable, phone and internet ... but it's still ridiculous. And it just went up this past month, which made me groan.

However, this weekend we have a free preview to Showtime. That means D and I get to catch up on the shows that we normally have to watch via Netflix discs. It's a yay for the snuggling weekend I wanted. So, thank you cable for giving me a little something extra this weekend for the very over-priced service you provide me during all my other days.

The only thing that would make the weekend perfect would be some chocolate and wine. But we've felt so great this week on the cleanse that I think we'll be making some other permanent food changes in the household. Tomorrow starts week 2 which means we add fish, beans, lentil and non-gmo tofu to our meal plan. (D is very excited for these additions ... I'm only moderately excited about the lentil soup I will need to make tomorrow.)

Now ... back to my free Showtime.

Ups and Downs

This has been one trying week.

Monday was a typical day, nothing too exciting. Cleanse was in full swing, and I was feeling good this go round. D even admitted he was feeling good. I had to attend a school district meeting for a committee I'm on and didn't prepare myself with snacks (they serve dinner) so I frantically hunted down a vending machine for a small bag of almonds to satiate my hunger until I returned home.

I knew Tuesday that I was going to be spending my whole day at work at a very intense and involved all-day meeting. On the way to the meeting, my team and I ran into one of our partners who was also supposed to attend the meeting with us. She was walking the wrong way. That's when the horror began. She informed us that a colleague had been found dead. A colleague I've known for almost ten years. A bright, shiny, happy, sparkly, smart and wonderful person. I was in shock. In fact, it rocked everyone's world. Throughout the day my mind would wonder. I had just seen this person the Friday before ... I couldn't believe it. That evening I had another meeting at school to learn about a coaching opportunity for an enrichment program for K. It was exciting and exhilarating, and I wanted to make sure I could help lead my son's team. But it would require some flexibility once a week from work.

Wednesday the gruesome details of my colleague's murder was released. And they were brutal. Sorrow, anger, frustration. So many questions. I couldn't believe the inherent evil of her husband. I wanted to understand why should would have married a man like him. I wept for the little boy who will never know his mommy and who has a monster for a father. I wanted answers that I'll never get and I reflected on how life is short, we don't have all the answers and we must make sure we appreciate the good things in our life.

Thursday I got the news that my flexible schedule was approved so that I could coach my son's team. I was elated (and now nervous because I need to prepare for the team's first meeting!) Food-wise, I was feeling good, D and I were eating lots of great vegetables, enjoying nuts and I was feeling revived and delightful. I love the cleanse - and it's probably why I incorporate many of the meals throughout the year.

Friday the emotional exhaustion of the week just hit me. I got through work, smiled appropriately, worked hard, but I couldn't stop watching the clock for it to be time to return home and snuggle with my guys. Now, we're snuggling watching Frankenweenie (because D really does have to buy every single children's movie that comes out, I swear.) And I'm so happy and content. The only thing that would make this better would be if I could enjoy a nice class of red wine ... but I'll have to wait to do that for another three weeks!

Cleaning it Out

Today embarks the first day of my 28 day cleanse. It's the same cleanse I did last year, where basically you focus on just eating whole foods. In fact the only strict rules are that you cannot eat the following: gluten, dairy, caffeine, alcohol, added sugar and processed foods. Pretty easy right?

Since I did this last January, I am familiar with the pain and pounding headache the first few days may bring on. However, this time I prepared and weaned myself off caffeine gradually. And I am planning on drinking lots of water and herbal tea. I'm hoping that at the end I'll feel light, healthy and refreshed. Especially since D and I are planning on running another 5K in five weeks.

D is joining me on the cleanse. He joined me last year ... and lasted about a week. I'm hoping he'll be able to sustain this time with me. True, we'll have a cheat day in a few weeks because we have a wine pairing dinner that we received as Christmas gift. When I reminded D of the cheat day ... his eyes lit up so big. So, yes, here's to cleansing the inside and the outside and starting 2013 off right (just maybe a little crabby :))

When A Gimmick is Okay

For Christmas, my boys decided to gift me with an item that promises me eternal comfort and warmth. The slanket:

While I am not one for gimmicks normally - this one speaks to me. You see, I struggle to get through January and February ... really struggle. The cold eats away at the very inner core of my soul and starts to turn me number and raw. It takes extra effort to function properly. My usual ability to wake up early and embrace the day are severely harbored. I don't think it's the SAD seasonal disorder because I think that centers around sunlight ... and my issue is purely about the cold. If it is sunny and I can bask in the warmth of the sun, I'm okay ... or if it's cloudy and warm, I'm good. but too cold and seriously I become the tin man who ran out of oil.

This Sunday will mark the beginning of my annual cleanse ... and while that helps a little bit with my great hurt of the season ... because it gives me something else to focus on ... and first week withdrawals give me a different pain to focus on ... and D and I have already picked our next 5K ... the next two months you're going to have to bear me with.

Starting the Year off with a Little Crazy

I always look at New Year's Day as being a tone-setter for the year. Spend it with a headache ... it might be a rough year. Spend it surrounded by loved ones ... you're going to have lots of love throughout the year. So, how did I decided to spend my first day of 2013?

With a little crazy. Yes, I convinced D that we should run the Life Time Commitment Day 5K. I run on a regular basis, with the ultimate goal of being able to run a 5K with great ease. (Unfortunately with the short days and winter ... my "regular" run means Saturdays only right now.) My sis also works at Life Time, and bless her, but she'd been on me to run this since I think October. I told D I was going to do it ... and he said he'd love to do it with me. I looked at him like he might already be crazy (while I run at least once a week ... he hasn't run since we've been together which is 12 years.)

Which brings me to this morning ... with sub-zero temps, lots of layers and thousands of other crazy people ... we started off together on a very brisk run. 

(P.S. note to self: go get your own puffer vest, D's does nothing for your shape!)

In full disclosure, I fully expected I'd have to walk some ... because currently in my training plan I am still doing intervals. I was proud of what I did though ... I think if there hadn't been the handful of inclines that kicked my arse, I may have been able to run the whole thing. (positive thinking, people, positive thinking) I also expected that D (his non-running-training-self) to totally beat me. He did run cross-country when he was younger, and frankly he doesn't have the extra layer of padding that my body seems to want to hold on to. He was only ten minutes ahead of me at the finish line, so that made me feel somewhat better. 

I'm glad I did it, and plan to have it lead to many more over the course of the year. It felt good to push myself. It felt great to do it with a wonderful partner. I loved that we set a good example for our boys. Now, I'm warming up by the fireplace, finishing up updating my goodreads list and then I plan to just sit and read and relax with my boys. 

I couldn't have asked to start out the year any better: pushing myself to prove I can do what I set out to do, surrounded by those I love, enjoying life. If 2013 can deliver that throughout the year ... than it's going to be a good year!