Time to make the do-nuts....

Now that I've got a few minutes (oops, might have just jinxed myself...) to sit and a) eat lunch, b) figure out what I'm going to write about, and c) try not to melt, I got to thinking...my working hours have drastically changed, and thus my life too.  I quit my 8a-4p, 40 hours-a-week job right after kid #1 came along...and "since I was going to be home anyway", I took over the books for Pro-Activity.  Enter kid #2 and finally kid #3....juggling work, infancy, preschool and finally up through grade school, I managed to get all the billing done, financials and lots of other miscellaneous stuff - all from the comforts of home.

Fast forward to about a month ago...now instead of "on my own time", I'm working a steady 7am to 8pm pace almost every day, the kids are here sometimes, with family others, and also with our awesome babysitter.  Starting this all was incredibly difficult for me - not having my little buddy with me 24/7...not being the one religiously picking the girls up from their various activities...I could completely understand and commiserate with the angst all those other working mom's have leaving their babies the first few times to return to work...only mine weren't infants (which I am forever grateful about).

Fast forward again to now - we're all getting used to the crazy schedule...and there's much less complaining or push-back from kid #2 and kid #1 when they have to get up early to come to work with me (Thank God!). They're having a good time with their cousins, Grammy & seemingly tireless babysitter Anna (who I hope keeps her sanity keeping them busy today when it's 100 degrees outside).  Whew.

So now I have these crazy hours, a husband who works some crazy hours, too...and I still need to train for my marathon in October, play soccer (we're in the quarterfinals!) AND actually spend some time with my family...and this is where I got to thinking...I couldn't do this all without their support, encouragement and understanding.  I could just skip it all - but where would that leave my mental and physical well-being?  I've certainly sacrificed these things before...and what's left is a frumpy-feeling miserable mom...and if "Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"...I'm much better able to be a better wife, mom and all around good person when I've been able to be active and enjoy my "hobbies"...and it's certainly not one sided  - Mike is even more active than I am (see his blog here), but whereas it might mean I won't spend all Saturday with him, I don't mind when he goes on a 60 mile bike ride because I know my turn is coming soon.  We plan ahead and fit the time in for both work and play...and no one ever feels left out or left behind.

I'm certainly not looking to keep this pace forever...in fact, I'd like to work a few less hours!  But I know Mike, my kids, and my extended family have my back...and just knowing that puts me at ease.  I'll be forever grateful to them...and hope I'm always able to support them as wholeheartedly as they do for me.

Soccer, soccer, soccer....

Soccer fever is running high around here - and even more so now that our ladies of red, white & blue are in the World Cup Finals.  Kid #1 and #3 are psyched because I said they could paint their faces for the game...though I think kid #1 will actually watch, while #3 will likely be running around like a lunatic - probably something akin to William Wallace.

So I got to thinking - these American elite...where do they come from and how do they get so good?  Where was soccer when I was a kid?  Surely there were youth programs out there (mumble)-odd years ago?  I play on an adult team with some ladies who have some pretty awesome skills...many played in college - at least one even against a girl on the US team (yeah, Cheryl!).  I've yet to ask them how they got into it, but let me tell you- for a kid to get into competitive soccer now, they have to get in early.  Like 8 years old early.  The travel teams around here take few new players once the teams have been established, unless the team implodes or something else happens.  At least, this is all my perspective...feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!

Anyway, I've really developed an appreciation for the sport and the skill set that goes with it.  From watching my oldest play recreation soccer at the tender age of 5, to following her travel team around the state, to playing on a club team myself - well, let's just say I've got "foot skill" envy.  How I wish I'd have gotten into it earlier in life...I think I would have really enjoyed playing the sport - and, like last night's grown-up league game, might not feel like I've got lead-for-feet going up against some former college players!

Abby Wambach scores the goal which seals the win v. France

LET'S GO USA!  

To anyone in the area - feel free to join us this Sunday, 7/17 at our new location on the corner of Molasses Hill Road and Route 31 N in Lebanon to watch the World Cup Final...we're opening up specifically for the game and hope to get a big crowd to show support for our amazing USA ladies...Kickoff is at 2:45!

Would you do it?

I just don't get it.

Not to sound completely un-American....but what's the deal with the "Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest"?

Ok, so I personally find hot dogs gross.  Gross enough that I've said before I'd rather die than eat a dirty water dog from a street cart in NYC.  I cringe when my kids eat them (but of course, I'm not SO crazy I won't let them ever have any...maybe once a year...)

Yep.  That looks like fun.

Anyway, I just can't imagine cramming in 62 hot dogs with buns (or anything for that matter) and not feeling like I'd want to die...who in their right mind would even consider it?

Apparently back in 1916, a couple immigrants had a contest on Coney Island at Nathan's Famous stand to prove who was more "Patriotic".  So, the more hot dogs you ate, the more you loved your country?  Hot dogs embody the great US of A?  Who knows if this actually happened, or if it's just some good made up-lore to get more publicity for Nathan's...but it worked, and the contest has happened every year since 1972, according to Wikipedia.

Did you know you have to qualify to be able to compete in the annual contest?  I can just see it..."Honey, I think I really have a shot.  I'm going to the Bejing qualifier...I'm gonna do it!"...I wonder if these people "train" for the event?

Ok, all sarcasm aside...I wonder what eating all those dogs does to a person?

Here's what I found:

According to the Code of Federal Regulations, Volume 9, Section 319.180 a hot dog can be:

• Beef or pork
• 15% byproducts; heart, kidney, liver or other organs which must be labeled
• 20% mechanically separated meat; a process whereby bones are forced under pressure through a sieve, removing small amounts of attached meat to create a paste-like product which has qualified as “meat” since 1994 when the definition was officially changed.

Ick. 

Here's a link to nutritional info (if you're interested in looking further) http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sausages-and-luncheon-meats/1338/2

Essentially, one "frankfurter" is 148 calories & 13g fat.  So, not including the bun, the contest winners took in:

Joey Chestnut  at 62 hot dogs:  9176 calories,  806g fat

Sonya Thomas at 40 hot dogs:  5920 calories, 520g fat

Whew.  That HAS to be one helluva bellyache.  

And so, I still don't get it.

Gimme more o' the good stuff...

Well, summer is here...which means longer daylight hours, summer rec for the kids, and the ICC Festival...the latter being the "official" sign of summer for my kids as they count down the months until the Festival arrives from oh, say, about July....

Mmmmm...funnel cake....

So with the arrival of all that is good with summer comes the abundance of food that we otherwise would not eat, let alone have any access to.  I may be tough when it comes to eating well, but about this time of year we slide quite a bit...this past week was no exception.  My kids have been in heaven, but I can say one thing for certain:  I feel like crap.

Could be the long hours I'm logging at the cafe.  Could be that I'm not getting enough sleep at night.  Could also be that I'm feeling a bit 'o stress these days, juggling babysitters, semi pre-cooked dinners at home, and a new business venture...but there's no coincidence that every year at this time I just feel terrible...can anyone say "deep fried everything"?

I always know what the consequences will be...and maybe it's good that each year I prove to myself that eating garbage all day is something that I just don't want to do because I hate the end result (including +2 lbs in a 5 day span...ugh).  So, while I wouldn't recommend anyone go on a "binge junk diet", I believe it's ok to indulge every once in a while...and I just have to  remember next year to indulge in moderation, rather than overdo it!

On another note, this week should be the official start to my training for Marine Corps Marathon.  I've tried to keep up with somewhat of a longer run on the weekend and some shorter runs during the week, but completely fell flat last week.  I'm really hoping to get into more of a routine over the next couple weeks...It would really help if the sun was out until 10pm!  Good thing there's a nice long weekend coming up...I'm looking to get a 10 miler in there somewhere...Happy 4th of July!

The Fuel Good Cafe is finally here!

Well, here I sit on the eve of our official opening day of The Fuel Good Cafe...I'm a bundle of nerves, but feeling excited...the product of nearly three years in the making is here!

My husband (whose brain doesn't ever seem to have a "pause" or "relax" mode) always used to talk about how when he's working at different sites how great it'd be to be able to provide people with "healthier" lunches - or at the very least something that will pack more nutrients and real flavor in a sandwich so people struggling to make better choices actually have a great choice to pick!  How great it would be if we could do that...but kind of hard to do when you don't have a commercial or catering kitchen to speak of...

Rewind to almost 3 years ago...on the way to my mom's birthday celebration, we drove by one of the most familiar restaurant buildings on Route 31...which has been turned over a multitude of times...and saw an Auction notice - there went that brain again - low and behold in a whirlwind amount of time, I'm informed "we got the bid" and we, along with my extended family and a group of investors now had what seemed like an incredibly daunting task ahead...turn the building located on the corner of 31 and Molasses Hill Road into that "Third Place" - in addition to our current Physical Therapy services and Personal Training...we'd be adding a "hang out" element to it all...with really great, flavorful and healthier-than-the-regular-alternative food.

So, after many months of literally blood (ask Mike about why lefties and sharp tools don't mix), sweat (heavy lifting and scrubbing, much?) and tears (when my kids were just D.O.N.E.)...we're ready to throw open the doors and welcome our friends - those we already know and love, and those we don't even know yet.

I hope everyone reading this will find some time to stop in - see what we've done with the place, and hang out for a while...

It can be more than just a race...

This past weekend, I ran a 5k for the first time in 2 years.  I used to love to do them at least 2 - 3 times a year, but have fallen away now that I'm focused on longer distance.  I thought I was going to hate it, because there's really no "pacing yourself" in a 5k if you want a great finish time, or at least, that's my take on it.  So basically you try to sprint the entire distance without keeling over, passing out, or throwing up.  My sister-in-law narrowly missed being hit by a puker at the finish line, but thanks to her ever-quick reflexes, managed to avoid being hit...good job, Aim (first place in her age group, by the way)!

Anyway, the main reason for participating in this 5k was that it was in support of a good friend who has become an advocate of the Sharing Network due to tragic circumstances within her own family.  The Sharing Network is an organization dedicated to facilitating the "gift of life" through organ donation.  They are a support network for both those who have lost a loved one and also for those who have received an organ or tissue transplant.

So often we may not really know how to help our friends in circumstances such as my own friend's loss.  Everyone deals with it differently, and we certainly don't want to push or be viewed as intrusive.  But we yearn to help, even if in the smallest of ways.  Races like the 5k this past weekend give us the perfect solution- not only are we giving a bit of ourselves by either walking or running, but by also becoming part of the community and showing our support for an organization such as this that gives us a chance to celebrate and remember those who have given the ultimate gift.  It was by far one of the best race experiences I've ever had and am grateful I was able to take part.  This is a yearly event that will be on my calendar permanently.

Aging is all in your head...until you try to act like a kid again.

So the spring/summer grown-up soccer league has finally started up again (yahoo!), and with all the observing I've done of the kids' training and games, I felt like I could march right onto the field and tear it up.  Learning by osmosis!  Works every time, right?


Let's just say I tore it up alright.  Only it's my hip flexor/groin area that's feeling the pain...another not-so-subtle reminder that I'm not a kid anymore (boo) and need to take better steps to keeping myself healthy.


It seems that we take what we've got for granted, or at least I'm guilty as charged on that account - I used to go from one thing to another, play as hard as I wanted, and have not one iota of a problem.  Now, one funny step, and it seems as if there'll be some muscle screaming at me to stop...my Physical Therapist husband has lectured me many times on the importance of warming up and stretching...and I know I'd be extremely irritated if I saw my kid start a game not having done something prior...so from now on, even if I'm the only one, I'm getting in at least 10 minutes of warm-up before games!  (I guess I got too caught up talking with my teammates and also making sure all 3 kids were situated on the sidelines so I wouldn't have to worry about them while I was in the game...)


I also believe that having a strong core (abdominal and back muscles both deep and closer to the surface) is key in helping to prevent injury...it keeps everything in line better, and this is sadly something I've neglected lately.  So, these next few weeks will be focused on strengthening my core, icing pulled muscles, and re-introducing strength training to my fitness regimen...and almost officially time to start training for the BIG RACE!

                                                          

Looking for a great side-dish for your next BBQ or potluck?  I found the following recipe on FoodNetwork.com, just eliminate the mozzarella to make it vegan:

Aida's Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad

 

For the dressing:

• 1 1/2 cups packed fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the salad:

• 4 ears corn, kernels removed (about 3 cups)
• 1 1/2 pounds grape tomatoes, halved (about 3 cups)
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, diced
• 2 medium avocados, diced

Directions:

Combine the dressing ingredients in a blender, using 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste; process until smooth. Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Let sit at least 15 minutes before serving, or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.