Setting an Example

Do you ever stop to think who's watching? Who's listening? And who's mimicking your every move? If you are a parent, I feel confident in saying that your children are paying more attention than you may think. 

This past Saturday, I participated in a small local 5K, along with many of my Get Movin'! Fitness class participants. A couple days before the race, my 7 year old daughter, Elle, informed me that she wanted to run the race too. Concerned that 3.1 miles would be a bit much for her first race, I did everything BUT tell her no. I explained that if she did it, she would have to do it by herself because I was running my own race. I told her it was going to rain. I told her she would have to get up so early. I told her it was far. Still, she wanted to do it. 

Friday evening we drove the course to prepare her for each turn. I explained that the course wasn't closed and that there would still be cars on the road so she would need to stay as close to the edge of the road as possible and that there would be times that she would have to cross traffic , therefore, she needed to make sure the crossing guards knew (1) she was racing and (2) she was coming across! After all that, still, she wanted to do it. Hesitantly, I agreed.

Saturday morning, she was ready! She got up, got dressed, and still, she wanted to do it. When it came time to line up, she was right there near me. The horn blew......"see yeah later" I said, and off I went.

The next 37 minutes, was filled in by my husband, who drive to various spots in the race to make sure she was fine. His first encounter with her was just a few tenths into the race, the movie theater. She ran up to him, with tears in her eyes, and said she wasn't sure she wanted to run the race! After a couple minutes of "inspiring wisdom" from daddy and Elle seeing a friendly face heading her way, she decided to get back at it. My husband continued to follow her throughout the course, having to give her water several times along the way. Finally, when she made her second to last turn, my husband returned to the finish line to allow her to finish it out on her own. I had just finished, and actually, the way the course is laid out, Elle, was right across the creek. 

The next 12 minutes seemed like an eternity. The big question of whether she would finish or not was just eating at me. Then someone screamed, "Here she comes"! Bless her heart! When she made it to the finish line there were tears in her eyes. She's was overwhelmed with the crowd cheering and her first words were "I am never doing this again"! 

It was a great race. Elle's official time was 37:39 and mine was 25:23, my personal best! At first I was surprised that Elle wanted to run the race, but then, it came to me, of course she would. Our children are a product of what we teach them. I may make many mistakes in parenting, but when it comes to a healthy, active lifestyle, I must be doing something right! 

Oh, and by the way, the little girl that NEVER wants to do it again, can't wait until next year...

Breakfast Wrap: Turkey Sausage and Veggies

I am home this morning with an ill little girl so I had some extra time in creating my breakfast wrap. This one turned out to be one of my favorites: 

I started with by chopping up 2 of my favorite turkey sausage links.

To the chopped sausage I added: onion, green pepper, fresh mushrooms and spinach. I heated all of that in a skillet.

I then added 1 egg scrambled with some almond milk. 

Once that is cooked, I wrapped it, along with some diced tomatoes and some feta cheese (small amount gives great flavor) in a Flatout flatbread.

I then put it on my panini press and bam, deliciousness!!!

Hope you enjoy! Let me know...

A Sam's great buy!

As always, I look for a great buy on everything. I wanted to share this one:

This is the organic Mac n Cheese that I recently found at Sams in Louisville, Ky. The part I love:

And the best part, less than $1 a box!!!

It comes 9 boxes for $8.78. Let's face it, we all need those easy to make items for those late, hectic nights. I'm satisfied knowing that this is a decent alternative for my daughter. And, she likes it! 

A "meaty" side...stuffed mushrooms!

Served as a side or like tonight, a meal, this is sure to fill you up!

Portabella mushrooms stuffed with thin onion slices, turkey sausage, small amounts of feta and parmasean cheese and filled with balsamic vinegar. I prefer this in the summer on the grill, but baked in the oven worked great! 

Final results:

Delicious and extremely filling!

Looking for a good deal!

I don't have time in my life to blog multiple times a day. Heck, I don't have time to blog multiple times a week! However, tonight's late night trip to Walmart to pick up Valentines has inspired this post. 

Growing up as a child, I was raised in a low-middle or high-lower (depending on how you look at it) income family. I had very hard working parents but there were several times throughout my childhood that money was tight. My mother was always looking for a good deal, a way to save money. She always checked the sales ads, clipped coupons, hit the sales rack, etc. I knew no other way. These are traits to still possess today. In fact, I didn't know that not everyone grew up hitting Krogers after the laundromat on a Friday night, making the most on double coupons. In my adult years, the realization that some people have no financial common sense, one area being grocery shopping, has really surprised me. 

For a family of three, we spend a lot of money at the grocery store. At this point in our lives, I cook nearly all food we consume, unless we are out of town. Fresh, natural, organic foods contribute to our large bill. However, in a quest to serve my family healthy meals, these costly items are a priority to me. Like all middle income families, there has to be a limit, a budget, to how much is spent weekly. Let's face it, money doesn't grow on trees and I am not independently wealthy due to winning Powerball, so I have to find ways to stretch the dollar.

Back to tonight's Walmart trip. I never, ever, ever go to Walmart without a perimeter check; zoning in on meat and produce. The deals that can be found in these sections are amazing and I am a huge fan of the yellow tags! Tonight score: 93/7 lean ground beef!!!! Four pound packs marked down to $16.08, making it roughly $4 a pound. The savings per four pound pack was $6.89.  I bought three of these packs for a total savings of $20.67!!!! 

Who doesn't want $20 worth of meat for free?!? This meat was marked for use or to freeze by 2/11 and looked perfect. SCORE! Needless to say, my freezer is full of beef! 

Simple things like this add up to hundreds and even thousands of dollars a year. It's all about sensible decisions!

38 Flights of Stairs: Part 2 - The After

Well, I made it...

Let me begin by saying The American Lung Association's Fight for Air Climb was absolutely amazing! What an experience!

Like I said in the last post, I have never participated in an event like this. The object: get from the bottom to the top, via 38 flights of stairs, as quickly as possible. I had no expectation, no real time set in my head. My only goal was to finish and not die! When you are surrounded by nothing but concrete walls and steps, in a small enclosed space, with no where to go but up, your mind can play tricks on you. I was so driven to get to the top that I lost track of what floor I was on and actually had to be told I was done! I have never felt the burning my my chest and lungs like that before. It is truly indescribable. As I gasped for air at the top, I thought about people who feel like that all the time. I thought about the reason we were there......The American Lung Association. Whether self inflicted (smoking, etc), health related or like my neighbor/friend, work related, the inability to take in air needed is scary. Awareness is key. Awareness brought forth by ACTION is so much more effective. I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT BURNING, GASPING FEELING!

In the end, surprisingly, I did really well! Prior to the Firefighter Climb (actual firefighters in full gear), I was 34th out of 183. After they climbed, I finished 37th out of 222! My official time was 7:47. I was shocked. Sometimes, we just don't realize what we are capable of accomplishing. I encourage women all the time to test limits. Do things you could have never imagined yourself doing. With each experience, I continue to grow. I continue to realize all the goals I have are obtainable. Do not be afraid. A great motto I live by is: Do something everyday that gets you closer to your goals.

38 Flights of Stairs: Part 1- The Before

As I sit here, just checked into my hotel, thinking about the morning ahead, I am worried. At 9:10 AM, along with a diverse team, I will begin the journey of climbing 38 flights of stairs in the American Lung Association's Fight for Air Climb at the National City Tower in Louisville, Kentucky.  I mean, let's face it, 38 flights of stairs is a lot. Climbing 38 flights for "fun" does seems slightly insane. I once climbed down 50+ flights of stairs (prior to checking on whether the elevator was still operating) during a tornado in Atlanta. That was rough, and it was DOWN!

I have been preparing for the climb by practicing with my teammates on the weekends I am in town. Practices have, ironically, been located at the hotel we regularly stay at, so I felt it must have been a sign that practicing was a must for me.

Let me say, stair climbing is much different than running and Zumba! It works muscles that I never knew were there. The "practice hotel" is 19 floors. For those not mathematically inclined, that's half! And I have a good feeling that although I complete those 19 floors multiple times each practice, climbing 38 consecutive will be challenging.

I am worried. But, I am excited. I love new adventures. Like I say during my Zumba classes, YOU DON'T KNOW YOU CAN'T DO SOMETHING UNLESS YOU TRY IT! So try.....

For now, I am off to bed. Once again, I will be missing my Zumba girls in the morning. If you are reading this before class, shake it hard for me.

To be continued................