Gardens

This morning we woke up and decided to make the best of an absolutely gorgeous day.  While Jon mowed the lawn, Peanut and I went to a garden place around the corner from us and picked up some stuff for our yard.

Then, while Jon played with Peanut, I tackled the garden.

Here's what we have this year so far:

Let's have a closer look, shall we?

On the left we have some strawberries.  In a couple of weeks these will be taking over majority of the garden.

Oh, and what do we have here? A puppy!  Cailey was enjoying the sunny day as well.  Especially since we threw the tennis ball to her.

Back to business.

Here are some sweet peas.  I seriously can't wait.

A little trick - plant half now and half early in the summer to enjoy them longer!

And some Zucchini.  Because we can make baby food with it.

And yellow squash.  Because we can make baby food with it.

And Spaghetti squash...you know, because we can make baby food.  And spaghetti.

Some spinach.  This one's mostly for me.  Also, it was free because it wasn't looking so hot.

Some watermelon.  Who doesn't love watermelon?  Side note: last year we had 3 come up and they were amazing.  Another side note: I can eat a whole large watermelon in one sitting.  Then I complain non stop about being uncomfortable.

Some scallions.  I love scallions.  A lot.

And here are my two biggest supporters.  They came outside to check out my progress and were very impressed.  Then Travis ran up and licked Peanut's face up and down.  So they went back inside.

And now I'm going to give you an awesome little secret I learned last year.

Did you notice that my garden is covered with grass cuttings?  That's right, peeps, grass cuttings.  We use it instead of mulch in the garden to keep the weeds away, the soil moist and rich with nutrients.  One of Jon's uncles grows a ton of veggies and fruits and he told us this little tid bit.  Let me tell ya, it's amazing.  And the best part - it's free!

So, internet friends, let's hear it.

Do you have a garden?
What are you growing?
Go any cool tips and tricks? 

To-do list

Generally, I am not a lazy person at all.  I am always planning something, doing something.  I'm not the type of person who can spend hours sitting around, doing nothing or just watching TV.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good lazy Sunday, but generally, I am always on the go.

Except lately.  Except since I got pregnant.

My idea of a good day is still a packed afternoon with a run, a clean house, a homemade dinner, and some bonding time with my hubs and the pups.  Yet every evening when I get home, I muster up enough energy to grab the remote, a snack, and plop my lazy butt on the couch.

Here's the thing.  At first I was exhausted.  I still made the effort to run 2-4 times a week, but mostly I could barely keep my eyes open.  Then, by the end of the first trimester, I started regaining my energy.  I went back to a full schedule for a week or two, but then I noticed myself making excuses.  Things like "I really don't have to run.  After all, I'm pregnant" or "Why do I have to get up and make dinner when we can order something? After all, once the baby comes, we'll never eat out again." 

And now I am 12 miles behind my Nike+ goal for this month, barely getting up to 10,000 steps a day for my step program at work, and eating nutrient-less meals.  This is not what I wanted my pregnancy to be like.

I've decided that I've had enough.

I am giving myself a couple more days (we have a very busy work week and I doubt I'll have the energy to do anything by the time we get home), but then I am getting my life back together.

1. Start cooking again.  Choosing healthy recipes like this one

mixed with some delicious like this one from my new cookbook

2. Get back to running at least 3-4 times a week

and get at least 15,000 steps a day (okay...that might not be a realistic one, but I sure as heck will try!).


3. Try to eat more healthy and skip stuffing my face with fried food, take out, or needless snacks.

Okay, 3 is a good number I think.

Do you have any goals that you're trying to accomplish right now?

Working out during pregnancy

Before we found out about Peanut, I was a pretty active.  I loved running.

Let me tell you, it sure is easy to give in to the laziness that comes along with your pregnancy hormones and changing body.  Some days I barely made it through the end of the day without falling asleep at my desk.  By the time I made it home, the only thing that was on my mind is a quick meal and my bed.

Before Peanut, I thought that once I became pregnant I would get to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.  I also thought that I would become a full-blown couch potato and that would be a-okay.  Boy was I wrong!  Apparently, this is the time to increase your well-being by eating extra well, watching every portion and nutrient.  On top of it, most things I've read or heard actually recommend working out at least 30 minutes each day!  This isn't what I thought this whole pregnancy would be like.

I spoke with my doctors to double check that my plans to continue running would be a healthy choice and everyone said that it'd be great for both of us, me and Peanut.  As long as I could still talk while running, I could continue to do what I was doing before I became pregnant.

Onward, then.

Goal #1: 150 miles in 8 weeks (the last two months of my first trimester).

Honestly, this was harder than I thought it was going to be.  Not only am I more tired or prone to more belly aches, the 100 degree weather and extremely busy summer with lots and lots of wedding were not helping me!  But I pushed through, knowing that this goal was important to me and did it!

I think that Nike+ was definitely more than helpful in my goal.  Nothing like seeing "you are 6 miles behind your goal" to get you up and moving!

Goal #2: 60 miles in 4 weeks.

This goal is a bit lower because my ever-growing belly is not loving all the shaking and moving.  I'm also decreasing the number of miles I am running and substituting them with fast-paced walking.

Wish me luck.

Walking challenge

Our company has put together a walking challenge.  In case you don't know me, this is right up my alley!  They went ahead and purchased each participating employee a pedometer and joined an online step tracking community that allows us to compete against one another as well as aim for the same goals.  It's pretty amazing and I applaud my company for doing this.

Our company joined an online community on www.walkingspree.com.  Basically, it's a website that allows you to sync your pedometer and track your steps online.  As a company, we are all in competition with one another as well as in competition with other offices.  Check it out:

Our pedometers

My Walking Clubs

The competition is fierce!

Our challenges

We all just started and everyone got their pedometers at different times, but the challenge began on Friday and you can see that peeps are stepping up!

Top 5 reason this is great (as usual, in no particular order):

1. It promotes health!  We're all aiming for those 10,000 steps a day!
2. Company insurance rates may go down as a result of reason #1.
3. It creates healthy competition in the workplace.  And since our workplace is made up of pretty competitive folks, this works great!
4. It creates a bond among employees.  We are all in the competition and enjoy talking to one another about our steps and activities that promote the extra steps.  It gives everyone who participates a great topic to discuss that does not have a direct tie to our work.
5. Prizes.  Okay, this might be a selfish one, but who doesn't love prizes?!

Does you company have anything like this in place?

Even if your company doesn't do something like this, you can always purchase a pedometer and track your own!


If you want more information regarding the Walking Spree, feel free to leave a comment and I'll e-mail you some info.

Nike+ Challenge update

A while back I wrote about Nike+ here.  Since then, I've recruited some more peeps to join me in my quest for health.  We've all signed up and created some challenges and have been enjoying some teasing here and there.  And boy, has it been an incentive to run!

May distance challenge

 
I am protecting the innocent here but you get it.  I'd like to point out that this challenge started May 1st.  Yes - please do the math to figure out the ridiculous distance these people are running.  My legs hurt just looking at it.

We also have another challenge going - this one's for speed.

3 miles

I'm doing a little better here, but our friend Kari's once again beating us all.  Oh, she won last month too.  I'm starting to wonder if she's secretly running in her sleep.  I'd investigate, but I think they'd find it weird if I was sitting outside their house at all hours of the night.

Now please wish me luck and send some new knees my way.

Nike+ keeps me in shape

Our story is not over yet, but I thought I'd share with you my love: Nike+.

I should clarify that no one asked or paid me to write this - I am THAT obsessed.  I've been recommending this to any friend or stranger within earshot.

I "discovered" Nike+ a couple of years ago and finally bought the shoes last summer.  For my birthday, which is also in the summer, I asked my wonderful husband for a new iPod and the Nike+ sensor.  By the end of July I was ready to go!


These are my shoes:

 

Well, this is a picture of my shoes from Nike's website.  My shoes are actually worn in and kind of dirty, but you get the point.

Here is a picture of my iPod:

And this is what you need for the sensor:

So let's review.

Here is how it basically works: you put the shoe sensor in the shoe (the shoe needs to be a Nike plus shoe, but there are so many choices, you won't feel limited), you put the shoes on your feet, you put the iPod sensor in the iPod, you put the iPod in the arm band that your wonderful husband also bought for you, you put the armband with the iPod with the Nike+ sensor on your arm, and off you go!

I love running outside in the summer, but this setup also works great on the treadmill.  The only annoying part about the whole thing is calibrating your sensor.  We all run a little different and the Nike+ stuff lets you calibrate the distance with your pace, allowing for more accurate readings.  I tend to calibrate mine every time I switch terrains because I run differently, but if you don't mind being a little off, then no need.

And now, for what I think is the best part of the whole Nike+ thing - their website!

After your run, you simply plug your iPod or whatever you are using to your computer and it will sync.  Then you log in to their website and voila!

Here are my runs last month:

 

Here is my goal:

(there are so many different options for goals!)

Here is a challenge I am in:

(ok, so my friend Laura is kicking my butt, but I am trying so hard! I'll tell you some more about Laura and our challenge in a minute). 

Here is a coach-thingy that I don't use yet:

And this is just the tip of the ice-berg.  There are so many things you can do like view every single run and all its gruesome details:

(don't pretend you're not impressed! I told you I was trying hard).

And there's much much much more.

Personally, this Nike+ is just the thing I need to get out there and get going.  Cue Laura.  My friend Laura recently got Nike+ too (I have been raving about it for so long, she really didn't have much choice).  Laura was not a runner and refused to believe that she could ever do more than a mile.  And then she got Nike+.  And then we created our challenge.  Now Laura is kicking my butt.

It works great for both of us, really, because on the nights when I would rather plop my butt on the couch, turn on the Big Bang Theory and eat potato chips, I quickly log on to Nike+ just to make sure that I am the ultimate winner and I notice that Laura tagged a 5 mile run.  I grumble and moan and groan, but I put on my sneakers and I turn on my treadmill that's trying to kill me.

My treadmill is trying to kill me

I'm taking a quick break from "The King and me" posts to tell you about a very serious problem that is happening at my house.

This is my treadmill:

 

We met in 2008 and almost instantly fell in love.  Jon bought it for me for my birthday the summer of 2008 and our love began to grow.

(Yes, my dog is on the treadmill with me. and yes, I am wearing flip-flops.  We just set it up and I was excited, don't judge me.)

We were best friends that became long-term lovers.  Isn't that the story of my life?  Our relationship was blossoming in front of everyone's eyes.  I spent time walking on it while Jon sat on the couch in front of me and cheered me on.

 

It was there when I started running again.  It was there when the dogs were restless and we were too lazy busy to walk them.  And then a couple of months later, we hit a pretty big low.  I stopped running (or even walking), the dogs were older and didn't have as much energy.  So my dear treadmill became a very expensive clothes hanger. 

This, I believe was the turning point.  I could see that my treadmill was NOT happy with me.  I could see the resentment growing.  I tried to talk to it, but it would have nothing to do with me.  The honeymoon was over and we both knew it.

Almost a year went by and we barely noticed each other.  I would walk by and glance in her direction once in a while, but got nothing in return.  Then, just like that, we were back on track.  I decided to start running again and she would be my companion.  I dusted off my iPod and unfolded the treadmill and got on.  Except the iPod control (a really cool feature of the treadmill) wasn't working 100%.  And the user settings wouldn't work.  I called the warranty and hung up after being on hold for 2.5 hours.  Who needs to know the calories they burned?  And I had the TV anyways.  So I turned on the treadmill and started running.

By the summer things really heated up between us.  I got the iPod Nike+ (I'll have to post about this another time because it is THAT awesome).  I was a running machine!  And I thought my treadmill enjoyed the new passion.  But that was not true - there was friction between us and I didn't know it.

I started to notice that something wasn't right a few months back.  I was running on the treadmill and touched the iPod connector and it shocked me!  This was no tiny little shock.  This was painful.  I jumped off the treadmill and stared in disbelief.  This must be some sort of a freak accident.

The next day I touched the iPod connector and got a little shock.  This wasn't right.  I taped the connector so it wouldn't accidentally shock me again.  A few weeks later I was still getting shocked, this time from the treadmill itself.  I figured the iPod connector must be touching the machine, so I found some electrical tape and taped it up.  The shocks continued.  It reached an all-time high (or low, depending on how you look at it) a couple weeks ago when I was running on it again.  I had been avoiding touching the treadmill at all costs because I do not enjoy being shocked while running.  Call me crazy, but it's not my thing.  Jon came down to check on laundry and I grabbed the metal handle of the treadmill.  It gave out a spark, a huge shock, and started making noises.  I jumped off and stared at my treadmill.  It began to re-calibrate and go up-and-down.  I unplugged it and waited.  After sufficient time to calm myself down and convince myself that it was not, indeed, possessed and could not be inhabited by a spirit, I plugged it back in.  It re-calibrated and looked normal again.  I shrugged and jumped back on.

I already sense some skeptics out there thinking that I might have it on carpet or something. But no - the treadmill is safely set on tile.  The connector is safely taped up with electrical tape. 

I haven't stopped running, but I am more cautious now.  I touch the treadmill at least once every 2-3 minutes and receive small shocks, which I prefer to the big shocks if I don't touch it for a while.  I figure, every relationship needs work and includes some pain.  It's what I get for neglecting her for almost a year.

Has anyone ever had this happen to them?  What do you do?