A Little Knitty

Jumping is simple to do. My son jumps constantly and sometimes I check his feet for springs because it just doesn't seem possible to jump allllll the time. But since starting xfit I have learned that jumping is a lot harder than it looks. My goal is to be able to jump up onto this... It seriously comes up to my knees! I see other people do it and it is humanly possible, but I'm not 100% convinced my clumsy butt can do it. I should video it just in case it's worth something on youtube! ;) I think I'll start by jumping up onto the curb outside.

I need to write out my goals for xfit (the brutal cross training gym I joined for the next 11 weeks). I was going to write them out and give them to the instructor, but I thought I would share them here for the ultimate in accountability. Ya know, cuz if you publish something on the internet....it hasta happen! Goal #1: Get through a full xfit workout without cheating or modifying. How I'm Going to Get to the Goal: Really push myself at each workout, trying everything at least once before I modify it. Prize: A morning babysitter and I can go read or shop or do anything I want. Punishment: 50 push ups at the last class Goal #2: Complete the 24 day Advocare Challenge (I'm on day 2) How I'm Going to Get to the Goal: Focus each day on what I put in my mouth and log it on myfitnesspal.com. Prize: Girl's Night Out Punishment: I think failing is punishment enough....but pulling weeds!! Goal #3: Run a 5K in under 30 minutes How I'm Going to Get to the Goal: walk/jog on days...

I am a failure! I planned today as Meat Free Monday. I planned to make potato, zucchini and cilantro soup. I collected all my veggies then got down to the veggie broth part...um....veggie broth. Darnit! I knew I forgot something!!!! So it said I could substitute chicken stock....so I did. *hangs head in shame* I bet the soup will be good though....even if it isn't meat free! :)

In an effort to eat healthier, I got rid of the white rice in the house and replaced it with brown rice. I enjoy the taste of brown rice, but it seems like it takes more effort to cook it, and have it come out yummy. I've tried cooking it like white rice, that didn't work. I've checked out a few different methods online and none of them really floated my boat....until I found this page:  http://pinchmysalt.com/how-to-cook-perfect-brown-rice/ mmmmm....rice The recipe is pretty simple. Take rice, a pinch of salt and some water. I use the 4 to 1 ratio, get the water boiling, rinse off the rice and throw it in the pot then leave it alone for 30 minutes or so (today it went a bit longer, shhhhhhh.....don't tell anyone!) Strain out the water and let the rice chill for a little bit and you are done! I have been making pretty large batches so that I can have leftovers for a late night snack or with sliced almonds, apple chunks and cinnamon for breakfast. 

There is a local gal who is referred to as the Super Nanny of Whatcom County. She is fantastic! This year she came to MOPS as a speaker and I can honestly say she changed my parenting style in around an hour. She began by playing a game with some moms. She didn't explain the game, didn't talk about the purpose of the game or how to win....she just started playing. At first it was just plain confusing, but soon we "got" it. It is NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE to play a game when you don't understand what is going on. How frequently do we do this with our children? I was great at saying "No" but not great at explaining what I expected of my son. How can I expect him to do things as expected when he doesn't even know the expectations? The Super Nanny gave us rules to use with our kids. They are VERY simple, just 6 easy words: -BE SAFE -SHOW RESPECT -USE ETIQUETTE (we changed this to manners) At first it felt strange to say "That's not safe" instead of...

I think this little quote might actually be to blame for this blog. When I was in college, my husband (then fiancée) and I bought a little 750 square foot manufactured home. I'm pretty sure about a month before we bought the house I was instructing my husband to shoot me if I ever had to live in a trailer park. It's so funny how life works out sometimes. When I saw the photos of the house, I just fell in love. It was sweet, it was cute, it was cheap (I WAS a student after all).  Now, almost 9 years later, I look at the house and see the kitchen we flooded on our first night of home ownership (and our first "do it yourself" project....that was a huge failure). It is the place we came home to after getting married. It is the first and only home our children know. It is the home we have poured many hours and days into fixing just how we want it. It is honestly our pride and joy. 750 square feet in the middle of a trailer park is our diamond in the rough. We love this hou...

Hold on to your britches....this is gonna blow em off! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/baja-fish-tacos-recipe/index.html Ingredients Vegetable oil , for frying 1/4 red cabbage , thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups) 1/2 cup fresh  cilantro , roughly chopped Juice of 1 lime, plus wedges for serving 2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar 1/2 cup  mayonnaise Kosher salt 12 corn tortillas 3/4 cup  all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon chili powder Freshly ground pepper 1 1/4 pounds skinless  halibut fillet , cut into 2-by-1/2-inch pieces 1 Hass avocado 1/2 cup fresh salsa Directions Heat about 3 inches vegetable oil in a medium pot over medium-low heat until a  deep-fry  thermometer registers 375 degrees F. Meanwhile, toss the cabbage, cilantro, lime juice, honey and mayonnaise in a bowl. Season the slaw with salt. Warm the tortillas in a skillet over medium-low heat or wrap in a damp cloth and microwave 25 seconds. Wrap in a towel to keep warm. Mix the flour,  chili ...

Yesterday I was driving down the road and spied a highschool aged girl walking with her friend. The girl was decked out in a flannel and Nirvana t-shirt. She looked a bit like this: I was instantly transported out of my mommy van and back to Jr. High. Awe....memories. When I snapped back to reality, I did a little quick math and realized this girl wasn't even BORN in the early 90's. *sigh* It's one thing to have an outfit let you take a little nostalgic jaunt back to the 90's....it's quite another to realize that is now "retro" *SOBS*

I wear shoes like the ones above. These aren't my actual shoes, that would take finding the camera, finding the memory card, finding the shoes, etc. It is much easier to google "frumpy, boring black flats" and ....wammo....there are my shoes! :) I'm not fancy, I'm frugal. I would rather have boring black shoes that go with half my wardrobe and a boring brown pair that go with the other half of my wardrobe, than a pair of shoes that can only be worn with one outfit.  But sometimes, when I'm sitting around in my mom jeans, crazy hair and grown out pedicure....I come across something I want for no reason at all.... These shoes are so not me. I'm pretty sure I don't own a single thing that would "go" with these shoes. But wouldn't it be fun for one day to not think about a budget...not care about automobile safety because OBVIOUSLY this person is not wearing a seatbelt...throw caution to the wind and wear absurdly expensive shoes you might ne...

While on a pinning spree I came across this adorable play kitchen. I did what every good Pinterest addict does...ripped off the idea and ran to the store for supplies. So today, our family went on a little treasure hunt. I excitedly told our 4 year old that we were going on a treasure hunt at the Re-store....imagine how upset he was when we got there and the place was just full of cabinets, chairs and random doorknobs. I have to say, I could have spent a lot more time in there, but with two children in tow, we had to move fast.  I came across this beauty and fell in love, but the pricetag said $70 and there was NOOOOOOOOOOOO way I was spending $70 on a cabinet to drill holes in it and turn it into a play kitchen. But upon further inspection (and a second opinion from the hubster) it was actually $20! MUCH more reasonable given the fact that we had a store credit for $13 from last summer when we gave them our toilet (we totally thought we would have to PAY to get rid of that toilet ...