Thinking Out Loud #2 (and I've Been Published!)

Oh Hiiiiiiiiiiii!  Two posts in two days this week?  Lucky lucky you.  Or maybe not.  This is going to be a whole bunch of random rambling!  So many things on my mind.

So, I'm linking up with Amanda at Running With Spoons for my 2nd Thinking Out Loud post today.  Let's commence.

1.  If you have a moment, check out my VERY FIRST EVER PUBLISHED ARTICLE over on Nannymag.com!  And please share it with every single human you know! HA  Of course I'm incredibly excited to finally be published somewhere (I was literally on cloud 9 yesterday when this went live!), but even more than that, the content of what I wrote about is something I'm incredibly passionate about.  The US trails all other developed nations in our support for families and young children and something needs to change.  This should not be happening in one of the richest nations on earth.  If you're so inclined, check it out and spread the word.  And hopefully you can catch the incredibly well done documentary on your local PBS station this month (check out www.raisingofamerica.org for more info).  And hey, I'm now one step closer to my dream of becoming a REAL LIVE WRITER!  In the words of the one and only Jerry Seinfeld, the wheels are in motion, my friends.

2.  In regards to #1 up there, I think I forgot to share on here that I'm an editor at Nanny Magazine!  I've been doing it for a few months now (virtually) and really enjoying it.  More wheels, more motion.

3.  I was home this past weekend for my nephew's Christening and had the chance to reconnect with so many friends and family members.  I spent some time visiting with my grandparents who gave me some concord grapes from their grapevine, which were SO sweet this year!  Then, I spent a couple hours helping my aunt weed her garden.  I know nothing about gardening so I pulled a few plants up by mistake but she didn't seem to mind :)  I visited my friend the night before she ran her very FIRST half marathon ever!  I had planned to be at the finish line the next morning but the time coincided with the Christening so I gave her a pep talk the night before.  I'm happy to report she finished!!!  I also got to reconnect with another friend who I hadn't seen in ages and was missing so much.  Andddddd I got to see a bunch of my favorite little people too (some in their Halloween costumes)!

4.  Also, my sister in ATL sent me this pic of my niece in her Halloween costume and I've been looking at it at least 3x/day since she sent it to me!  I can't handle it.

5.  I tried this Larabar flavor last week.  Sadly, I would not recommend.  Super dry and I couldn't even taste the coconut in it?!

If you're looking for a really good vegan chocolate coconut bar, I'd recommend the Chocolate Coconut Bliss from Raw Revolution.  They're my favorite:

6.  Started this post on a positive note and ending on one too.  I saw both of these graphics on social media recently and absolutely loved the words.  I hope one day goodness and kindness rule the earth.  Is that too much to ask?

Go be the change you wish to see in the world, good people.  Happy Thursday!



If you read my article, what do you think about the state of family and early childhood support in the US?

What were the best Halloween costumes you saw over the weekend?

Have you seen any inspiring images online lately, as opposed to the bad news that usually inundates our feed?!

Thinking Out Loud #1

After publishing so many random posts over the years on so many random days, I FINALLY decided to link up with Amanda at Running With Spoons for her infamous TOL Thursday post.  I am just all over the place with everything going on in my life currently and felt like I needed to add a little structure to my madness.  I have no idea if I will continue to do this weekly or if I can commit to this week only.  I'm a little delirious this week.  So here we go:

1.  I worked nearly 60 CONSECUTIVE hours over Labor Day weekend starting at 3am Sat morning.  Which means I slept for 2 hours that night.  Ohhhhhhhhhh I'm not kidding.  While everyone was picnicking, beaching, or just sleeping in, I was working.  I'm going on Day 11 of work here without a break.  Obviously if I didn't believe 100% in my work and care so much about it, I would not have made it through.  But having said that, vacation cannot come fast enough!

2.  I'm almost done booking my rooms on Airbnb.  I know what you're thinking.  My trip is less than a week away and I still don't have places to stay?!  See #1 for reference.  I literally have had no down time.  Plus, I am good at rolling last minute.  It's how I thrive.  I've booked a few rooms so far and the hosts I've been in contact with seem really inviting and genuine.  And then I read articles like this:

Ahhhhhhh!  Honestly, stuff like this does not freak me out, but please don't share this with my mother.  Because she will without a doubt book a flight to CA and follow me there! Ha

3.  On the workout front, I'm still not running and my leg is still bothering me :(  I took an entire week of rest, which did absolutely nothing!  So I started back up walking, lifting, biking, rowing and HIIT/strength exercises.  I'm kind of at a loss as to what to do.  I've been trying to ice it when I remember and foam roll more but MAN do I miss running :(

4.  I made these Chocolate Chip Zucchini Banana Bread muffins from My Inner Shakti and they were pretty good!  (I cooked.  I know.  Blame it on the stress/sleep deprivation.)  The only thing I didn't particularly care for was the taste of the whole wheat flour.  I've never baked with it before but it made the muffins a bit denser and drier than I think they would have otherwise been.  So I'd prob use regular flour next time.  And maybe a bit more coconut oil to make them moister.

 

 



5.  I am currently addicted to this delicious coconut concoction:

6.  My work can be exhausting at times, but I love it and put my whole heart into it.  And then I get days like this.  I am outside, standing in the middle of a perfect living landscape, playing with a child, and I think DOES IT GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS?!

7.  I have a fortune-telling app on my phone in which I crack a little cookie and get some wise little words each morning.  It's stupendous.  This was one I got a couple days ago.  YES PLEASE

6 MORE DAYS!  I should probably finish booking my rooms and start thinking about what I need to pack?!  I have 1 day off this weekend.  My first in 14 days.  I plan on running around like a chicken with my head cut off accomplishing everything that needs to be done in 24 hours. 

And that's all I have for my very first Thinking Out Loud post. I hope your weeks are a bit calmer than mine!  Go forth and conquer my friends :)


Tell me something RANDOM!

What was the last recipe you made?  How'd it turn out?

Do you enjoy fortune cookies?!

Just a lot of Thoughts...

This post is probably/definitely going to be all over the place.  My blogging over the past few weeks has been somewhat spotty.  I blame it on summer.  And sometimes I feel like what I'm thinking or what I have to say is not even worth typing out in a full post.  However, the posts I often love reading most from other people are the random stream-of-consciousness posts.  I just like to know the everyday things going on in other people's lives.  Is that weird?!  It sounds pretty creepy.  I think the internet has made all of us voyeurs of some sort even if we hate to admit it.

So to that end, here are some things I've been thinking/random pieces of my life lately, in no particular order, and probably of no particular importance to anyone but me.  And perhaps my cats!

I got a new fridge in my apartment last week.  Honestly new appliances/electronics/etc are not my thing but I had been functioning for months over here with a freezer that didn't actually freeze food.  I'm guessing here, but my old fridge was probably manufactured in or around 1989.  Pretty sure this says something about my approach to certain situations in life. I tend to make do with less-than-ideal situations for much longer than I should.  Anyway, I finally complained that my vegan ice cream was consistently melting and wa-la.  Just like that I got a brand new fridge.  Why didn't I do this sooner?  Life is good over here.

The injury/thing behind my knee has been feeling ok lately, but not really much better.  The pain now feels like it goes up the back of my leg and down my calf a little. I haven't run in almost 2 weeks, but I'm not exactly taking it 'easy' on the workout front.  I've still been going on long walks, hiking, biking, rowing, lifting, planking and taking Body Combat once a week.  I'm thinking that Body Combat may be where I pulled something though so that's probably not my wisest decision. 

My work schedule has changed a bit so I spent not one, but TWO mornings last week at the library hanging out with the senior citizens and the more academic of children on their summer breaks.  I checked out these books - do you see a theme?!

Two of them are first-hand accounts of hiking famed trails.  I am enjoying "A Walk in the Woods" immensely.  IMMENSELY.  This author is hilarious and now has me putting the Appalachian Trail on my bucket list as well.  All I want to do while reading this book is to be out in the woods somewhere. (In fact, that is exactly what I did yesterday afternoon.)

When I came out of the library last week, there was a truck parked outside selling fruits and vegetables from a local farm.  So I stopped and bought some corn and peaches.  I've been eating them all week.  Why does corn on the cob taste so different from canned corn?  I don't know, but anyone in my family can tell you I won't touch canned corn with a 10 foot pole. I despise it.  But give me corn on the cob and I'll eat it all summer long.

I spent almost 2 hours yesterday morning watching "Dating Naked" on VH1 and then hated myself.  Did I just mention voyeurism up there?! Andddddddd it's time for me to get rid of cable.

I was out running errands last week, missed lunch and was starving.  I usually have some kind of protein bar in my bag at all times for just such occasions but for some reason I did not.  So I ran into GNC to grab something.  They only had 2 vegan options so I settled on this one, and it was not the greatest.  I didn't even finish all of it :(  Super disappointing because it costs $3.99?! WHAT?!  I like Vega's protein but this just did not do it for me.

It's been awhile since I've done happy hour, and even longer since I had been down to Fell's Point, once my favorite neighborhood in the city.  I still love the area, but every time I go back, I see my old workplace and get really negative vibes. I don't know if there's a bad energy surrounding that place or if just brings back unpleasant memories for me, but nonetheless it's there.  Anywayyyyyy, I had a good time with friends on Friday and met some new people so I'd like to think that my influx of GOOD vibes helped to counteract those negative ones.

Sliders and Strawberry Soda (which was pretty much a strawberry flavored mojito.  I had 3.  Don't judge.)

 

 

As I was driving downtown Friday, sun out, windows open and radio up, on the most perfect of summer afternoons, the DJ on the radio took that moment to inform us all that there are only 7 weekends left of summer.  WTH dude?!  He also made it a point to repeat this statement.  Why are people trying to kill off summer already.  I've heard tons of people say summer is half over.  Can we please just enjoy the greatest season on earth without constantly reminding each other of its eventual and impending end?

All I can think about lately is planning my trip to CA in Sept!  I've been researching hostels and Airbnb and daydreaming about dipping my toes in the Pacific Ocean for the first time EVER!  My plans are to fly into San Diego and spend a few days there (either in a hostel or in a room in someone's home from Airbnb), then rent a car and drive up Hwy 1 to experience the coastal scenery.  I plan on stopping for a day or two at beach near LA (Long Beach? Venice? Santa Monica?) before continuing up Hwy 1 to San Francisco where I hope to meet up with a friend I used to work with many years ago.  From there, I'll grab my sister and our friend from SFO airport and make another 2 hour drive north to our cabin and wedding site!  I CAN"T WAIT!  I feel like something life-changing may happen on this trip.  And that's all I'm going to say.  I don't want to jinx it!

Is anyone even still reading this?!  I think I've blabbered on enough for this post.  But that's what's been happening lately.  Fill me on the little or big things you've been thinking about lately. I love to hear them.  Really.

Also, anyone out there have experience using Airbnb?

A Few Things Friday...

Happy Friday everyone!  Today's post is going to be a bit short and random.  I have a busy couple days ahead of me and not enough time to organize all of these thoughts into a more coherent package, so I'm going with a list. 

1.  I am working 14.5 hours today and 15 on Saturday.  If I make it to Sunday, it will be a miracle.  If not, well, it was nice knowing all of you!

2.  I've already planned out the 3 things I will be doing Sunday:  Sleeping.  Running.  Going back to sleep.  If possible, I'll try to fit some eating and showering in there.  No promises on the last one.

3.  The hours can be rough sometimes, but my "office" kinda rocks, especially in weather like this:

4.  I am addicted to this kombucha soda now.  I grab a couple bottles every time I'm in Target, which let's be honest, is often.  The root beer flavor is my favorite.

5.  One of my charges got a new book today and I could not believe my eyes! I loved this book when I was little (even though it scared me):

 

6.  I get teary-eyed every single time I read this book:

 



7.  I have been loving this massage stick that I got at Target for like $10.  It hurts so good.  I've been using it on my lower legs and the results are similar to the ART (active release technique)/Graston that I got during physical therapy a few years ago.  My shins have been a little testy the last few weeks so I've been massaging with this thing, icing, and wearing compression sleeves on long runs. 

8. One week until the St. Luke's Half. I can't wait! This is me running it 3 years ago!



I'm off to do some baby whispering.  I hope you all have a more relaxing weekend planned than I do!


Favorite children's books?
- I have too many to list!

Do you use foam rollers/massage sticks/etc as part of your running recovery routine?

What are you up to this weekend?

Rambling Food Thoughts: Raw garlic, Baby kale, Eggnog tea, and Cashew milk

I should probably link up to one of those Thinking Out Loud posts sometime, but alas, it's not Thursday and so this post is just going to be a stand-alone bunch of my random thoughts, mostly about food.  Let's begin!

1.  Came across this quote in an email I received this week and LOVE it to start of the year:

For last year's words belong to last year's language

And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.

— T.S. Eliot, "Little Gidding"

  

2.  I forgot to mention the home remedies I implemented when I was attempting to overcome the flu over Christmas.  Before being diagnosed with the flu, and feeling like I just had a really really bad cold, I Googled something along the lines of "cold and flu home remedies"and overwhelmingly came across 2 main methods.  So for days (even after I got the diagnosis) I attempted to cure myself of influenza by chewing and eating entire RAW cloves of garlic and drinking straight apple cider vinegar cider.  Pretty sure I gave myself an ulcer and just FYI, it did not cure the flu.  HAHA.  However, the next time I feel like I'm coming down with a cold from one of the kids, I'm going to give these self torture methods another go and see if they work on colds.  Consider me your human guinea pig as I sacrifice my breath and esophageal lining for your benefit.  I'll report back.

 

3.  Finally took a picture of Wegmans sushi for you:

 

Mmmmmmmmm  The best supermarket sushi

 

 

4.  My sister made me an ENTIRE pan of vegan fudge over the holidays.  I've been slowly chipping away at it every day (I know, tough job) and it's almost done.  Whyyyyyyyyyyy?!  I keep wishing it was magic fudge that would regenerate itself every time I cut it, like a starfish, but that hasn't happened yet.  Not looking forward to the day when it's all gone.  How will I live?!

 

5.  I tried a salad mix with baby kale in it for the first time this week and was pleasantly surprised.  Unlike it's parents, the baby kale was delicate and mild and required no marinating before eating raw.  I do enjoy eating kale salads from time to time, but the secret there is you need to let the adult (?) kale soak in oil/vinaigrette for awhile to soften it up and make it more palatable.  So if that has turned you off in the past, see if you can find some sweet baby kale in your produce section.

 

6.  This tea is SO GOOD.  I don't even know what actual Eggnog tastes like (cough, cough, dairy) but this tea is scrumptious.  Get some before it's gone!

 

 

 

7.  While babysitting this weekend I realized the progression of songs I sing while trying to put a child to bed are directly related to how tired both the child/I am and go something like this: 

Various lullabies --> Random children's songs --> Show tunes --> Pop songs with borderline inappropriate lyrics sung like lullabies --> Repeat entire cycle!

 

8.  I finally found cashew milk at the store!  Verdict:  It tastes very similar to almond milk, but a bit less sweet and more nutty.  At this point, are there any nuts we can't make into milk?!  Don't answer that.  Have you tried cashew milk yet?

 

 

 

9.  It was 38 degrees on Sunday!! Warmest its been in days.  I took the opportunity to run outside and it felt like spring.  I kid.  But doing a couple runs a week on the treadmill is already killing me.  Perhaps I need to finally start listening to this Serial all the kids are talking about.

 

10.  I am looking for a spring Half, ideally in the month of April.  Right now, I'm thinking of doing a race I ran in 2012 back home - the St. Luke's Half Marathon, but am open to suggestions!  Preferably in the PA/DE/MD/DC/VA area so it wouldn't involve excessive travel.  What races are you all doing in the spring?

 

 

Anddddd, I think that's about it.  Apologies for the lack of cohesion in this post.  I've been kind of all over the place and super busy since I got back from the holidays.  I think it's setting the tone for what my 2015 is going to be like!

 

Tell me some randomness from your life or just what you're eating/drinking lately!