·:[ The Healthy Mom ]:·
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I had my first appt by myself with Dr. Daugherty today. No kids crawling on me or being loud. It was quite nice. Today’s vials revealed a sensitivity to beer and American cheese. He did some traditional adjustments and some acupressure point shocks, too. It was all very relaxing.

I picked the boys up from my parents afterwards, which immediately tensed me back up. crap.

We headed over to Poor Richard’s to meet with Shanyn and her kids for lunch, and I was very happy to see that Candy & Misha were there, too. We had the place to ourselves for a good part of the meal, which was great. Then other families started to flood in, and all of a sudden felt overcrowded. I suggested that everyone come over for an impromptu playdate.

A quick stop in the Poor Richard’s Toy Store - where I’m sorry to say i won’t be able to buy any Rokenbok stuff from because it is all at FULL retail prices - and then we all headed over to our house.

We hung out for the afternoon, until the kids started to get ornery, and Shanyn mentioned that she was going to Par Avion to pick stuff up for their New Year’s Eve dinner. Candy said she was going there, too. They both looked at me. “Well, I want to go!, ” I said. So we did.

I don’t know WHAT we were thinking. The kids were already ornery and tired. It was all we could do to shop and keep track of them. But I did get 2 kinds of salami, a loaf of ciabatta, Fontina, a Spanish cheese (which I thought was Manchego but when I got home it was Iberico?), 2 KinderEier for the kids and some Stroopwaffel for me. YUM!

On the way home, I let the boys sample the Stroopwaffel. Zander’s reaction - “Whoa! This is so awesome.” LOL!

So now I’m boiling water for mac & cheese for their dinner - by request - and waiting for Doug to come home so we can eat our yummy food!

Well, that was a cozy, lazy day.

I started with a late morning easy 2 mi run on Mesa Road.

My sister and her family came down from Lakewood, and we met at my parents house for lunch, and to give Anderson the rest of his presents (that my parents forgot to bring on Christmas Eve).

We had take out from Yakitori and a Vietnamese restaurant. Candy came by and joined us for lunch and a visit.

I coddled and cuddled Anderson. Oh, he is SO dang cute! I just love that little guy!

After my sister and her family left, the boys and I hung out there the rest of the day.

I took Zevan down for a little rest. After a while, he said, “I’m done resting” and got up. I stayed, and fell asleep. For like an hour.

Around 5 PM, we left there, stopped at the grocery store, and then headed home for dinner.

The boys went to bed. Doug and I talked about the plans for Disney, and then had some alone time

Now I’m online researching the nearest grocery store and rental car rates… FUN!

Well, I survived - 3 layers of top, two on bottom, Thorlo socks and…  toe warmers.  Yes, you stick them to your socks, put on your shoes and they keep your toes warm.

I originally stuck them to the bottom of my feet and they got too warm, and potential blister creating (the friction, not heat kind).  So I stopped after 2.7 miles and move them to the top of my socks.  Voila!  Warm toes!  Seriously!  I have to buy more of these so I can use them for stuff like the Boo at the Zoo, Parade of Lights and Electric Safari (although it’s looking doubtful that we’ll make it this year).  I got them at REI, with the GC that Megan C gave me  I also bought Body Glide with SPF, 3 packs of Clif Blok Shots, Recovery drink and bar - and a bar of Dark Chocolate Toblerone as a treat.

I was actually quite warm.  On my head, a hat with built in balaclava covering my face and neck.  On top, over my jogbra, I had a long sleeve wicking shirt, another long sleeve thicker wicking shirt over that, and a nice fleece top over that.  I actually think I could have gone with just the two top layers and been fine.  On the bottom, I had my running shorts under a pair of running pants.   Nice cushiony, thick Thorlo socks with the toe warmers

I left my iPod at my parents house on Wednesday, and when I picked it up this morning, the charge was out.  I plugged it into my car charger for 15 minutes.  When I unplugged it, it showed that it was about 2/3 charged.  Good enough.  After the first mile, it was back down to the danger red zone.  I had no idea what would happen if the iPod shut down in the middle of my workout, so I did an experiment.  First I shut off the music and only used the iPod to record the workout.  7.11 miles into the run, I ended the workout and started a new workout.  That way I would at least have a partial run recorded, rather than risk none at all.  It took a few minutes for it to let me start another workout for the remaining 6 miles, all the time letting me know that it was out of battery power.  It finally accepted the workout, and actually recorded my mileage until… about 0.72 miles before the workout was supposed to end, the iPod finally gave out.  Then I thought, I probably could have recorded my entire workout if I hadn’t wasted the energy on ending the first one and starting the second one.  But I still didn’t know if the second one would be in the iPod.

Until now.  And it is!  So I have a 7.11 mile run and a 5.28 mi run recorded, and I just missed out on recording the last 0.72 miles of the workout.  Not bad for a 15 minute charge in the car.

As a side note, I tried the Pina Colada flavor of the Clif Blok Shots I’ve been using for nutrition. Yum!

Oh! And for kicks, I tried a little bit of Chi running, and it actually made me faster - I was impressed. Now I don’t want to go and make a big change before the race at this late stage, but I am definitely going to give it a try for a few miles here and there.

Okay, I need to get to bed. I did go climbing tonight - which felt pretty good, except that my bouldering wasn’t as good as it was last week. Not sure what was up with that. I kept falling off where I normally wouldn’t. I don’t know if it was because I was distracted or what?

I climbed for about 40 minutes. Then I just drove around trying to figure out what to do. I ended up at REI, and used the gift certificate that Megan C gave me for my birthday. I got some nutrition and Body Glide for the marathon. They had Pina Colada flavored Clif Blok Shots, which I am going to try out tomorrow for my half marathon run. I also picked up a bar of dark chocolate Toblerone AND some toe warmers to wear in my shoes for my run tomorrow. It’s going to be COLD! I have not been able to stay warm for the past 2 days, and I’m nervous about my run tomorrow, but I MUST do it.

Well, crap.  I didn’t run my workout yesterday.    I ran out of time before our appt with Dr. Daugherty to do the whole workout, so I told myself I would do it at 3 PM instead, and it was too cold, and I was doing other things, and I didn’t get my ass out there.

I’ve got a 11-14 miler tomorrow - I’m thinking MAYBE I’ll do a half marathon distance tomorrow 13.1 mi.  So I’m trying not to sweat the fact that I missed one run in my first taper week.

And trying not to panic that I have 17 days until the marathon.   

I’ve been eating pasta with meat sauce every night since Sunday.  And eating the desserts that my sister sent home with me.  Coconut cake - gone.  Flan - only one piece left.  I read that people often gain up to 5 lbs during the taper because we cut down running drastically to rest before the race, but still eat as though we were running longer distances.   

My focus is the marathon.  THEN I will focus on losing weight.  AFTER we get back from Disney.

I’m going to go climbing tonight, which I love, so I hope that will give me a pick me up.

So we had our 3rd NAET treatment with Dr. Daugherty today. I mentioned that I had a sinus issue, and he tested me, and sure enough, the sinusitis vial was a trigger for me. He said, “I love it when my patients are right.”

Zevan was clean today - he didn’t need to be treated for additional allergens/sensitivities. Zander only had 2 today - some obscure spores. I had the sinusitus, even more obscure spores, plus a few other items to be treated for. He also gave me an adjustment to help with the headaches, and I have to say that I feel MUCH better than I have felt since Friday.

So the boys are off the hook until spring for allergy treatments. I have one more appt in 2007 - on Monday - and it will be just me.

I gained one pound since I last mentioned weighing myself, so that’s just fine for now, particularly after all the dessert I’ve been eating.  My sister made this UNBELIEVABLY yummy Alton Brown coconut cake with 7 minute frosting  , and flan - which she sent home with us, and I can’t stop eating.  I guess I should consider that my Christmas present from her.

I’m trying to get out the door for a run…  I hope my dad doesn’t mind me dumping the kids on him for 90 minutes.

I’m so glad to be in my taper time for the race.  That last 21.83 mi workout nearly did me in!

I stayed up late doing all sorts of little things last night, none of which I can recall.

I slept with Zevan in Zander’s bed, and I heard Zander wake up. I had a horrible sinus headache again when I awoke, so I was trying to get a few more minutes shuteye. I called him into their room, and he snuggled with us a bit. Then I finally said, “ o you know what today is?”

“Christmas!” yelled Zander, all bright eyed and smiling.

Doug was up, and so we all headed downstairs.

The first thing they saw was the Rokenbok. “It’s what I’ve ALWAYS wanted,” beamed Zander. It was so precious.

Before we started playing with it, we reminded them that they had lots of gifts to open. Each one was greeted with a lot of enthusiasm - it was so sweet. In Zander’s excitement, he accidentally opened one of Dad’s gifts. Then Zander started handing us our gifts. Zevan just quietly and methodically opened each one of his gifts - just as enthusiastic as Zander, but not quite as loud. they each got Leapster chargers and cartridge cases. Zander finally got his long requested Lucario Pokemon Cards, and Zevan got a Chutes and Ladders game. Zander got a Teen Titans plate/bowl/cup set and Zevan got a Superman set.

Doug is not a fan of getting gifts, so I just go practical most of the time - 2 packs of underwear (because he NEVER shops for himself), a brand new body showerhead for his shower (because I took a shower in his bathroom the other day and was like, eww, he so needs a better showerhead!) and a gift certificate to Jun. His favorite gift? A mixed media art piece from Zander (magic marker and foam stickers).

From the boys (via Doug), each gave me a $50 GC to Tuscany Day Spa. Doug got me a GC for a facial at Imaage. yes! I cannot wait to use those!

In all my preparation the night before, I forgot to charge the batteries for the digital camera. But by turning off the LCD screen, I was able to get a decent amount of pictures taken on the last charge.

Lastly, we had them check their stockings. They each got a new PC game (Stanley for Zander, Lego for Zevan) and a Pokeball that you can throw and a Pokemon comes out (Starly for Zander, Buneary for Zevan). They had a lot of fun playing with the Pokeballs. Zander figured it out right away, but Zevan kept throwing the ball with the Pokemon. Which was a tad dangerous.

For breakfast we made pancakes.

And we stayed in our pajamas the entire day. All of us.

We snuggled on the sofa and watched a Christmas episode of the Justice League, and then a Holiday House of Mouse. (I slept through most of that - I got another sinus headache). When I woke up, Doug had made the boys lunch.

Doug actually said this year, after it was all said and done, that he would really like to be more involved in the gift giving next year    I said, “But you don’t like shopping.  Or the whole gift giving process.”  He said that he wanted to be more involved in the gifts *for the boys*.  I shop all year around and mostly on eBay for their Christmas and birthday gifts, and I don’t know how to fit him into my buying schemes.  I really wish he would get more involved in the gifts for his family, but that’s not what he wants to help with. 

I have to say it was really a perfect Christmas day - just the four of us, all low key and relaxed. We played games, played Rokenbok, watched TV, and also had time to do our own thing. In fact, I finished The Subtle Knife today.

At the risk of sounding totally cheesy, my best gift today is the sound of the guys cracking up downstairs while playing with their gifts. 

Today, after a quickie easy run, we headed up to Lakewood to have the Carpio Family Christmas.

I’m sure some would cringe at the thought, but I have to say that I just *love* the built in DVD player in the Montana - for trips an hour or more, it’s a sanity saver for me.

I admit I was less than happy about having to drive up there, but I guess in all fairness we need to take turns hosting.

So… we got there right around noon, and the boys sat in the car finishing up their movie while we unloaded. My parents were already there. Anderson was just as cute as ever. I’m sure he’s super friendly with everyone, but I just love how he smiles and looks at me - like I’m his favorite Aunt in the whole world.

We waited for Lester to arrive before we started eating, although Berni made siopao which we snacked on as we waited. Lester called again to say that he was going to be even later than “Filipino late” so we decided to go ahead and eat. They made macaroni & cheese for the boys. Zevan also ate rice. Zander ate eggrolls and rice, too.

Berni made sinigang that was delicious. She also made pancit. Of course, I was saving room for her leche flan - which she made for me. She also made an Alton Brown coconut cake with 7 minute frosting, which was awesome, too. Reminded me a lot of the almond butter cake at Shuga’s.

After we finished up, Lester, his girlfriend and her brother arrived. We sat around the table and talked while they ate. Samantha’s brother looked remarkably like Keanu Reeves.

Turns out Lester and Samantha will be in Florida, around the same time as the marathon, because she has an interview in Tampa the day after the race. So Lester may be able to hang out with Doug and the boys to see me finish! That would be pretty cool.

After that we did the gift opening. The night before, I asked my mom to wrap up the stuff at her house for Anderson’s gift. Well, she forgot to do that. Luckily, I had wrapped up a side gift for him. I knew that he was totally into Thomas the Tank Engine, and that he was at the perfect age for lift the flap books and board books. Turns out to be all he really needed anyway.

The boys were thrilled with the gifts from my parents (I did the shopping)- they each got a little art tray/desk and Transformers flannel sheet sets. Zander got a Pokemon Card Set and Zevan got a Spiderman outfit. Berni split a four pack of pen toys from Costco between the two of them - Zevan got Nerf gun and Play Doh, Zander got Operation and a SpongeBob Etch a Sketch. Zander was hoping to get the same ones as Zevan, which were age appropriate for both of them. Zander was visibly disappointed with the ones he got. They were a little old for him, so I could understand. When I asked him to be gracious, it was hard for me to explain that in a way that he could comprehend. I ended up distracting him with the fact that we were going to open more gifts the next day at home.

We got Berni a GC for Target and Andy a GC for the comic store. We meant to get him the contents of his hold file as a gift, but when we tried to pick them up from the store before we left, his hold file was messed up. I picked up a Marvel pint glass for Lester. I wish I thought of something to get Samantha. They got us a bottle of Merlot.

I got my mom a Tupperware lunch set, and my dad a 3 month subscription to www.filipinomovierentals.com

My parents gave Doug and I money, which is always nice to have.

We all hung out and talked until it was time for the evening mass where Anderson was going to dress as a sheep in the manger. We bowed out of the service and headed home.

The boys went to bed pretty early and I started on the task of setting up Santa’s gift under the tree. Doug and I set up the Rokenbok and played with a bit to make sure it all worked.

I filled their stockings, and realized I didn’t have anything for Doug’s or my stocking, so I just put stuff in there that we had around so that when the boys - ie Zander - inevitably asked what was in our stockings, we could show him something.

I can’t wait to see their faces in the morning! I’m so looking forward to just the four of us together for Christmas day.

After my long run on Friday, I felt terrible, tired and achy, with a headache. I thought it was just from the long run.

Nope. I am pretty sure I have a sinus infection. I’ve been taking Excedrin sinus, which works well for the headaches, but I am wiped out. I didn’t make it out for my easy run today.

Greg and Joshua came over this afternoon. I made meat sauce and pasta (ravioli and angel hair) for dinner. Afterwards, the boys played Godzilla. And Zevan and I played Yoshi until he decided to join the Godzilla game, too.

Tomorrow we are going to Lakewood, for the Carpio Christmas at Berni’s…

What a nice day. I got to bring the boys over there early so they could hang out with Joshua, their cousin and hero.

I finished up my last minute shopping by myself, which was really nice to do.

Doug and I drove over there together for dinnertime. The table was set with the 12 days of Christmas glasses. Last year, mom broke one of the glasses, and I found her another whole set on eBay.

Jessica arrived shortly after we did. I can’t believe what a young woman she is now. It’s so odd to think of her as an adult. I love how well she and Greg get along. They really seem to enjoy each other. And of course, she and Joshua. So sweet.

Georgiana and Tom arrived with the food from Silver Pond. The crab wontons were yummy, and so was the wonton soup. The mongolian beef was good, but nothing like PF Chang’s…

After dinner, it was present opening time. Josh played Santa and handed out all the gifts. It was so fun. All the kids were so cute. Although we agreed that we would only get presents for the kids, Doug and I received gift certificates for massages from Tom & Georgiana.

The boys loved their gifts - Road Rippers? I never heard of them, but apparently Grandma & Grandpa knew that the boys wanted these things. I did see Zander envying the Lucario Pokemon Card Pack that Joshua got and made a mental note to pick one up for him. They got some really cool books from Georgiana and Tom. They both got Superhero sticker books and Zevan got an Eric Carle bug board book set. The firefly one was really neat with lights in it. They also each got superhero microbead pillows. I love those things.

What I love about the Scott family Christmas is that it is always low key and, since we spend a lot of time with them outside of holidays, it seems so natural.

I just finished my hot shower after my cold bath (also no ice) after my long run.

I set out today to run 20 miles and do a 1 mi recovery walk.  Through a slight miscalculation on my out and back (because there is a loop involved), I ended up running (mostly) 21 miles and finishing up with an .83 recovery walk.

Yowza.

Today was BRUTAL. 

First of all, to pass the time, I was playing a little memory game with myself. It was pretty cold, and not a lot of people out on the trail, so I was memorizing the people I saw in the order that I saw them. It went like this:

Sewer guy, runner dude, runner dude (that looked like John Kerry), backhoe guy, 2 grouchy women, truck dudes, Pomeranian dog walker lady (she was WEARING one and the other was on leash), friendly stray dog, dog walker guy, John Kerry running dude again, two college gals… then

the bright spot of my run was that a running angel was sent to me in the form of running mom from the www.disneyrunning.com forum!  At about 2.7 mi, she appeared, recognized me, introduced herself and ran with me for about 3 miles.  Before that I was destined to a long and lonely 20 mile workout, and she helped those 3 miles go by much faster than they would have on my own.  THANK YOU running mom!

It took me 4:08:12 to do 21.02 miles.  That includes about 2-3 minutes of walk breaks.

I’m so done.  I’m starting my taper early.  I was going to do one more long run, but after today, I definitely need more time to recover. 

I am sore, sore, sore.  I just sat in that cold bath for 10 minutes, nearly double the time from my first attempt.

Last week, after my 18 mi run, I felt really good.  Today I am achy and sore and stiff.

But I was on my feet for nearly 22 miles, so I know I can finish the marathon even if I have to walk those last 4 miles!

It does get boring by myself.  I have been lucky with other long runs, because May has often accompanied me for at least 80% of the miles.  When we chat, chat, chat, it goes by much faster.  Of course, near the end we both get tired and don’t talk as much, but are still there to encourage each other.

I do have my iPod and I need to get some interesting podcasts to listen to. 

Of course, after this marathon, I am not training for another one (unless a friend needs my support to reach her goal), so I may never need them for this purpose.

Now I need to get myself something yummy for lunch.  I might have to go get me some french onion soup…

So we got the teppan hibachi table for dinner - I just love that. It’s kind of a thing that my dad and I both enjoy.

But Zander, not so much. He didn’t like the flames at all. Zevan found it fascinating, and Zander kept covering his eyes… he was kind of crabby throughout dinner, probably a side effect from the shots he got earlier. Poor guy.

Doug got sushi, which he shared with my mom. My mom shared her hibachi steak with him. The boys had miso soup, rice… but for some reason didn’t eat the edamame that they usually love. Zander did eat an entire yakitori stick, though.

The dinner was AWESOME, I have to say. We had our usual Filipino chef, Joe. He also recently celebrated his 40th birthday, just last week.

I love that place. The wait staff is always iffy, but the food and atmosphere can’t be beat. A nice way to finish up the birthday meals

I procrastinated my run today - a tempo workout. I had to cut it short by 10 minutes… but I did it and it felt good!

After school today, we went to Mr. Biggs. May met up with us for lunch - D20 is out of school already, and she took her kids and 2 more friends. The boys and I had lunch, then played video games. We bowled one game. I’m a terrible bowler. Lots of gutter balls (the boys get bumpers in the gutters and use the stand). I got one strike midgame, and then more gutter balls. The boys did pretty good and were close for most of the game. Zander got a few strikes near the end and pulled the win. I was the last to bowl, and on my very last frame, got a turkey - THREE STRIKES IN A ROW. Unbelievable! I still didn’t break 100, though. Then Zevan wanted to go to Little Biggtown and Zander wanted to play more games. *This* is why I don’t like to take them on my own.

We left Mr. Biggs and headed to Zander’s well check - two months late. That’s when we found out, to my surprise, that Zander would have to get 4 vaccinations! A new chicken pox booster, Hepatitis A, Polio, and a flu shot. I nearly changed my stance on vaccinations before I told him about the shots. Oh, neither of us were happy about that. Poor Zander. He cried and screamed when he got the shots in his thighs. So much worse when they are older. I felt TERRIBLE, and kept apologizing. He did calm down fairly quickly (10 minutes?) and he was feeling better, although a bit sore in the injections spots.

We came home, and I gave him Ibuprofen, and a popsicle. Then we were off to ArtSports, which made him happy. He’s doing really well, I think. Zevan is, too. They both really get into it now. I’m glad we started this, and that the grandparents will be contribution for their next session there.

Today I recieved a very touching card - and pictures! - from our adopted family (The Solis Family)

I’m such a sentimental sap - the photos just did me in  - particularly the oldest boy, because his school photo is the exact same background as Zander’s last year.

http://www.westsidemoms.org/news/200712adoptafamily/index.htm

I started to open it when I took the boys to Art Sports today, and had to put it away or I would have been sobbing right there.

Now, we’re headed out for my birthday dinner with my parents at Jun - can’t wait!

After school today, we had to meet up with Doug to pick him up after the sale of his car.

Bye Spyder!

That was interesting. We met him at the loan place, and it turned out that he had to accompany the buyer to the bank to get his money. I tried to stop for lunch at Burger King near the loan place, but it was closed! So we followed him over to the bank, and the boys were actually very good for having to sit in the car for so long. After it was all said and done, we found another, open, Burger King and grabbed a late lunch.

Later that afternoon, we had a NAET treatment session with Dr. John. The boys were in rare form - very cute and animated - and they really enjoyed the treatment session. It was actually fun - and funny. And I think it’s really working for us all.

And then I made this Scott Family holiday greeting HILARIOUS!

We just finished a dinner at Red Lobster with Mom and Dad Scott, Tom, Georgiana and Jesse.

Yum! And I got gift cards to both Ross and Macy’s. Score!

Poor Zevan wasn’t feeling well, and I spent a good chunk of time with him in the bathroom, but other than that, it was a lovely dinner.

And then I made this holiday greeting of May, Candy and me.

And now it’s time for some birthday fun with my husband

Well, that was fun!

May and Brad were the first to arrive, a few minutes before 7 PM - neither Doug and I were dressed yet. Our friends are usually late

May looked AWESOME in her dress from the annual party her neighbor throws each year. I was wearing my Cache top from Eve’s Revolution. I had originally planned to wear pants, but since May was so fancy, I was happy to join her frockery.

Jeff and Johanna arrived shortly afterwards. During a discussion of James Bourne vs. James Bond, she gave me a very timely James Bond themed birthday card.

The Jacksons, Schwartzes, Haubers arrived within 30 minutes of each other. Then Megan and Joe came. Good times! Lots of laughing, eating, standing, drinking…

I had such a good time! This was my 2nd annual grown-up birthday party, where I pretty much remove anything child-related from the main level, bring out the candles, booze and nice dishes/glasses for a cocktail party.

Between 11 and midnight, we all started tiring out. Shortly after the last guests left, Doug and I were nearly asleep in the living room. We put away a few key things, and left the rest until the morning.

The boys were at my parents house, so we slept in! That was great. I got up first, feeling pretty good for a night of debauchery. 9 empty wine bottles, 4 empty beer bottles, plus the apple martinis I made.

I started the cleaning, and Doug came down shortly afterwards to help out.

About 10:30 AM, I figured I should go get the boys. I had a nice little breakfast at my moms and came home.

After a while, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my workout was a 2 mi easy run - nice.

And tomorrow is my actual day of birth… sometime after 10 PM, according to my parents today.

Well, I was supposed to have a facial and massage today, but the aesthetician has strep throat, so it was *just* a massage today

Lori is awesome. She just dug right in - where I hold all my tension - neck/shoulders/trapezoid. Then my legs…

When she said, “Wow, your calves are tight.” I had to laugh and say, “Well, I guess running 18+ miles will do that.”

So what I needed.

Then the rest of the day was party prep. Some cleaning, buying food - particularly the dessert - Triple Chocolate Mousse cake from Marigold’s.

In fact, I had a nice little lunch by myself at Marigold’s when I picked up the cake. It was quiet and peaceful and a nice way to have a little time to myself.

Can’t wait for tonight!