Enjoying the Spring Weather

Saturday was a rare day of absolutely no obligations to be at various places at various times throughout the day.

So I took advantage of that fact and left the kiddos home with their daddy and went for a run.

It's been awhile since I've run by myself (other than in a race) outside. The few times I've managed to run outside recently, TLM was riding along in Bob.

It was so nice, glorious, refreshing, relaxing, rejuvenating... what other superlatives can I come up with?

The only thing I took with me was my Garmin- no keys, no cell phone, not even my pepper spray (ok, that was because I couldn't remember where I put it, but still...). It was quite liberating to run without a lot of stuff.

As I ran, I remembered that there's 4 or 5 good hills in the neighborhoods around us that I can use to train for my half in September. The net gain during the race isn't a lot, but it's enough to have me a little worried about making sure I train properly.

It was a good run and I can't wait for a repeat. Which won't be for a few weeks, but it's something to look forward to. In the meantime, it's back to the treadmill.

Yesterday I was feeling motivated (for the first time in a long time) and actually managed to hop on the treadmill, which turned out to not be quite as soul-sucking as I'd been remembering it to be. Apparently I was feeling really motivated, because I even did some hill work. It was tough, but it felt good and didn't leave me too sore.

I mentioned last week that I'd changed my vitamins and I think it's definitely helped my energy levels, which has made these workouts a reality. I think next week I'll do a post on what I've changed. It's nice to be physically able to exercise again and feel good. And spring time is such a nice time of year to get out and run.

Have you gone for a run outdoors lately?

Sunday Funny

Mr M was having fun with our new camera while LMS had fun posing

A couple weeks ago I had a rare migraine and was telling LMS that I couldn't do what she wanted because I had a really bad headache and nausea.

LMS' response: "Maybe you're pregnant, mommy."

Me: "Um, no."

Apparently she remembers the constant nausea I had the first trimester when I was pregnant with TLM, and all nausea is now associated with pregnancy :)

Boston Area Junior Ranger Programs

We try to find National Park Junior Ranger programs whenever we travel because we all learn so much from them. And LMS gets to collect cool little pins :) Our trip to Boston was no exception. While we were in Boston we helped LMS complete three more Junior Ranger programs. There's more available, but we didn't have time to hit them all. You can see more pictures and links taken at each site in this post.

The first one was at Minuteman National Historic Park. This one was pretty easy and didn't take too long to complete, and we learned a lot.

The second Junior Ranger program was in Salem. This was a little more difficult to finish since not everything was open because it was the off-season, but we were able to figure out all the answers. This one focused on the shipping history of Salem (not the witches!), so it's too bad the Friendship wasn't open for tours, though we still learned a lot.

The final Junior Ranger program was actually a two-in-one: one pamphlet for Boston (the Freedom Trail) and one for Bunker Hill/Charlestown Naval Yard/USS Constitution. We completed the pamphlets for each, and I think they were both a bit more detailed than the previous two we did. So they took a bit more thought and exploration to complete. That's not a bad thing, but by that point we were starting to run a bit low on time. They only have one Junior Ranger pin for Boston, so because she did both programs she also received a Junior Ranger patch.

She's up to 11 pins now (starting top left and moving clockwise):

Canyonlands, Zion, Wright Brothers

Arches, Grand Teton, Grand Canyon

Boston, Shipmate (Salem), Yellowstone

Minute Man, Mount Rushmore

Thoughts on My Ongoing Food Issues

Random Cuteness: He's going to be pulling himself up on furniture soon!

I've been trying to figure out why I'm struggling so much with my food issues.

I persist in thinking it's cut and dried and since I've been gluten free for more than five years now I'm "better", even when the evidence says otherwise.

But I managed to get (and stay) pregnant, so doesn't that mean I'm OK now?

* The weight piling on, the dismal energy levels, and the mental mind games say I'm not OK.

Yes, I lost all the baby weight right away, but it has since come back.

* How I ate while pregnant is definitely not working for my postpartum body.

I want to exercise more, but am too tired to wake up early enough to exercise in the morning. I haven't been able to fit in afternoon workouts because there's always something else that needs to be done in town during that time. 

* Regular exercise would help me lose weight again and feel better physically and mentally.

Not eating right makes me feel crummy physically and also makes it harder for me to deal with things mentally and emotionally. I get stressed and overwhelmed very easily, which makes me frustrated and also causes increased anxiety levels. 

* Feeling stressed makes it even harder to eat right because it becomes so much more difficult to think things through and plan and prepare nutritious meals that won't adversely affect me.

So how to fix this never-ending loop of frustration? I know and accept that it won't be a quick and easy fix. None of the steps I've made along the way so far have been quick and easy. They've involved time, preparation, thought, and changing deeply ingrained habits. I have to remember that I'm still on the journey and have not yet reached the end, and must continue changing and learning new things. 

I read a good discussion here about the connection between our gut and our mental health. It resonated with me and spelled things out that I've known for awhile but haven't been able to articulate nearly as well.

The bottom line is that I have to continue moving towards a better place with my health. I can't afford to allow myself to stagnate.

Changes:
I've recently switched up my vitamin regimen and that seems to be helping my energy levels, though there's still a ways to go.

I've tightened up my diet a bit and am working back towards being grain free. I eat mostly a paleo diet, but with some dairy and very little nuts and coconut. I'm strongly considering the autoimmune protocol, but I'm not looking forward to it since it's even more restrictive (short-term to enable the body to heal itself) and I'm not sure how it would work with my current energy demands:

breastfeeding

running

homeschooling

taking care of my family's needs

church responsibilities

projects around the house, which is my creative outlet and something that I need

Sunday morning session of General Conference Pres. Uchtdorf  gave a talk about having gratitude in our circumstances. That got me thinking and I realized that despite my current frustration with how I'm feeling, I really am so much healthier than I was in the past. I've managed to give birth to two miracle babies and I have an understanding hubby who puts up with a lot while I try to get to a point where I feel good and can do all the different things I need (and want) to do.

Little Miss Sunshine turned 8!

Crappy lighting because we were in the hotel room after a day of sightseeing. It was way past TLM's bedtime, so we couldn't go anywhere else for a better picture.

While we were in Boston, LMS turned 8. When we realized that Mr M would be gone for her birthday, we decided that the kids' and my trip would be timed to make sure we were there on her birthday so Mr M could be a part of it.

A few days earlier we'd found a locally-made gluten free cake in the freezer section at Whole Foods. We stuck it in our mini-frig and purchased some candles and some icing in a tube to write "Happy Birthday". The icing was a bust (see above blobs of pink), but the cake and candles were fine, so 2 out of 3 isn't bad :)

Interestingly enough, this isn't the first time LMS' birthday has coincided with a trip to see Daddy. When she turned 2, Mr M was getting to ready to deploy and was doing some training out of state in preparation for heading out. They had a few days free in between finishing their training and actually leaving, so LMS and I flew up there and we did some sightseeing around Seattle, Mt Ranier, and the Washington coast with Mr M (pre-blog, so no pics to link to).

We came back from our little road trip, found an 1/8th size sheet cake and a candle at the Commissary and had a little birthday party at a pizza place right before Mr M had to report back (hence being in uniform).

I had to scan these from a photo book because all my old photos are on a hard drive that isn't playing nicely with my macbook. Still need to get that taken care of.....

May 5k Results

Saturday I ran my May race. It was a small fundraiser 5k for a local elementary school and was held just down the street from our house. If I hadn't had TLM in the jogger, I would have walked there. I don't like taking the jogger out on the main road, though, since it's narrow and there's no shoulder. So I decided to be safe and drive.

Mr M was still out of town on business, so I dropped LMS off at a friend's house and pushed TLM in the jogger. He was traumatized last time I left him at someone's house for a dental appointment so I decided to keep him with me and spare our friends a couple hours of screaming.

I ended up finishing in 39:23, about 2 minutes slower than the last two 5ks I've run. But since I was pushing TLM in the jogger, I'm completely ok with that. I really haven't run much (though I did walk all over Boston) since last month's 5k, so that makes me even happier with my time :)

I've run this course before, since it's in our neighborhood, so I knew to expect the several hills that we encountered. I managed to run up the first fairly steep one, but ended up walking up most of the later, less steep ones. I definitely need to get some hill work in. Despite the inability to run up all the hills, I felt good and wasn't too sore afterwards, so that's a win. I felt a lot better running this race than I did the last couple races, which is encouraging.

We were the second jogger to cross the finish line, but I claim first place since I ran the entire race pushing the jogger, and the lady who finished before us didn't. She left her kiddo with one of the race volunteers at the beginning of a mile long loop and picked her up at the end of the loop. So yeah, I won. Too bad they didn't have a stroller category....

I thought TLM would fall asleep while I was running, but he stayed awake the whole time, just to fall asleep after I finished.

The race organizers arranged for some skydivers to jump and land right next to the race staging area. That was pretty cool, though I honestly don't know why anyone would want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. I'm not sure if this race will be put on next year, but if they do, I'll definitely run it again.

2014 Races:
May 5k: 39:23          Ran with jogger
April 5k: 37:40         Color Run
March 5k: 37:33  
February 4.5 miles: 1:49:55  Mud Run
January: ---

7 Months

The Little Mister is still not crawling, but he does scoot around quite well. He started face-planting forward from a kneeling position and has now evolved into chest-planting forward. This makes kind of an inch-worm movement that is faster than you'd think.

We came back from the trip to Boston and realized we had to get the baby gates up asap- he's mobile enough that we have to get the house baby-proofed. We never worried about baby gates with LMS because we lived in a small one-story house- there just wasn't the safety concerns that are present in this larger house with multiple staircases.

He's sleeping through the night much better. At first I thought it was because we moved him into his crib in his and LMS' room (where I don't hear every grunt and moan), but then I realized it probably also has something to do with starting him on solids.

We're slowly adding more foods. He likes liver, eggs, avocados, and homemade applesauce. He does not like butternut squash, and cauliflower and sweet potatoes are meh. He doesn't love food and still really likes nursing, so I'm letting him go at his own pace. This is another instance of different children/different progression. LMS loved food from the beginning.

the hotel sink works reasonably well in the absence of a high chair :)

I know I keep saying it, but TLM really is a smiley, happy baby. He loves smiling at people. I kept catching him smiling at random people on our trip. People can't resist smiling back since he's so cute :)

I was apprehensive about our road trip to Boston given his past reactions to being in his car seat (he usually cries, sometimes screams), but he did really well both ways. I think he did a lot of sleeping. He's still not on a set nap schedule (his fault, not mine), so he's usually pretty sleep deprived. I think he managed to catch up on a lot of sleep on the trip- in the car and while strapped to me in the carrier.

I heard him squeaking his pacifier on his gums and thought he was doing it on purpose. Then I looked down and saw that he had fallen asleep while holding it and it was moving every time I walked.

~ and check out those eyelashes! ~

TLM had been pushing himself almost into a sitting position for a couple weeks, so I knew it wouldn't be long before he could sit up on his own. The afternoon we returned home from our trip I laid TLM on his tummy while I was bringing suitcases in. I went back in the room a couple minutes later, and he was sitting up! and looking pleased with himself :)

TLM has started showing a preference for the muslin swaddle blankets when he's tired. I have other blankets I wrap him in, but he prefers the soft muslin and will calm down if I hand one to him. LMS prefers her soft and fuzzy blankets, but that preference didn't manifest till she was a bit older.

And as you can see above, he still likes his thumb and will wiggle out of his swaddling to get his thumb in his mouth. He'll still take the pacifier though, so it's not a complete lost cause. And he only wants either when he's tired and ready for bed, so at least he's not going around with one of them shoved in his mouth all day. Hopefully we can keep it that way....

On our trip I discovered that the muslin swaddle blankets can be worn as a scarf. See that gray scarf I'm wearing in the picture below? Not actually a scarf, but a gray swaddle blanket. It was cold and raining and I wasn't feeling good and TLM had another blanket to wrap around him, so I borrowed it.

I bought a 3-pack back before I got pregnant, when I was gathering a few items to have on hand if we got a last-minute adoption call. That never happened, but I had them on hand when TLM came along. They're pricey, but I really like them. Especially as it warms up- I don't feel like he's sweltering, but he's still securely swaddled. And they're much bigger than those little flannel receiving blankets that really aren't even big enough to swaddle a newborn.

When I was taking his 7 month pictures, I caught a couple cute shots of him trying to eat his toes.

And here's the big comparison collage:

New Life for a Neglected Sideboard

I found this sideboard on craigslist awhile ago. It was dirty, covered in cobwebs, missing some veneer, and showing years of neglect. But it was sturdy and a good price, so I decided to see if I could breathe new life into it.

The first thing I did was wipe it inside and out with white vinegar and leave it outside for awhile in hopes that the musty smell would mitigate. Most of the smell did dissipate over time and the rest was covered by paint.

After it aired out, I started prepping the wood to paint it. The top was in pretty rough shape: water stains, stuck on paper, water damaged (rippled) veneer, and chipping veneer. Since it was too far gone to stain (what I really would have liked to do), I sanded it down.

The front surfaces were missing strips of veneer in spots. I thought about using edge banding to build up those spots, but decided to just paint over it all and see if turned out ok. Yes, slightly lazy of me, but I wasn't sure that I could get the edge banding to really blend in and I'm short enough on free time that I didn't want to waste time scraping it off and redoing it if it didn't work.

I did like the pattern of the wood grain on the doors and drawers, but the wood just wasn't in good enough shape to leave unpainted.

Before lightly sanding all over, I removed the handles and knobs. I cleaned and painted the hardware with ORB spray paint.

After sanding, I painted a coat of light gray primer, followed by a coat of Old Violet Annie Sloan chalk paint.

after the primer coat

Then we hauled it upstairs because Mr M was going out of town for work and I wanted to finish it while he was gone. I got busy doing other projects and forgot about it until after we got back from Boston. Because of the delay I ended up doing things a little differently than I had originally planned. I think I wanted to lightly sand it before I waxed it, but I didn't remember about that until I had put most of the first layer of wax on. Oh well. I still like how it turned out :)

Before I started waxing it though, I did remember to do one of the things I'd thought of. I like how the lines in the original finish were darker than the rest of the wood, so I watered down some black paint and painted the lines and some of the edges, wiping off the extra as I went. It added some dimension to the finish, but it was still missing something, so I finished off with two coats of Minwax dark paste wax. The dark wax darkened the paint quite a bit and left a weathered, old appearance, which I quite like.

Most of the chipped veneer is no longer very noticeable, and what you do see right off blends in with the aged appearance of the finish- adding, rather than detracting.

The Old Violet is kind of a blue/purple/gray color. The dark wax toned down the purple and now it seems more blue-gray with slight brown tones from the wax. I like the color both ways, so next time I use the Old Violet paint I will probably use the clear paste wax on top so the color doesn't change so much.

I thought about using this in the bathroom instead of the current boring vanity, but then when we eventually move, we'd have to leave it there. I like this piece enough that I'm not sure I'm willing to do that :)

We put the sideboard along the wall where the bench used to be. I like the bench, but it just isn't as useful as I had hoped it would be, and tended to attract piles of stuff. I put the changing pad on it, but it was awkwardly short for me and impossibly short for Mr M. So we moved the bench into the kids' room, where it's having a much more useful life as a window seat.

Here it is in our room, ready to have some clothes moved into it and the changing pad put on top. We've been moving furniture between our room and the kids' room and once I'm sure I like the arrangement (and get some curtains hung finally), I'll be able to show some pictures that show more of the room.

And here's a final before and after shot. I love how it turned out and I'm glad I was able to look past the neglected exterior and help it shine again.

Sunday Funny

the three little people in question (Nanny's getting squished under LMS' cheek)

love the hand-holding!

While we were in Boston, we spent some time in the car driving to some of the historical spots we wanted to see. LMS decided she wanted to go back to the hotel so she could watch tv. We don't have tv or cable, so it was quite the novelty for her to be a able to watch something other than Netflix.

LMS: "Let's vote on what to do. Each of the little people get a vote, not just you guys. I say we go back. TLM says we should go back too. And so does Nanny. So that's three votes to go back, and only two votes to keep going."

Mr M and I: "You wish."

Boston Historical Tour

Earlier this week the kids and I returned from a road trip to Boston. Mr M had some training in the Boston area and we realized it was the perfect opportunity for some sightseeing. That's part of why we homeschool: so we can take off and have fun field trips :) Mr M was able to accompany us part of the time, but was in class the rest of the time.

We're in the second year of "Story of the World", which doesn't quite make it to the Revolutionary War, so awhile ago I purchased the cds for the third year and we listened to it in the car so we'd have an idea of what had happened back then. When we discuss it more in-depth next year, we'll be able to look back at the pictures we took when we visited the locations of so many historical events. I think that makes things so much more interesting and real.

The Boston area is swimming in historical sites. Even with a week and a half we didn't have time to see everything, though we had fun trying :) This is a long post with lots of pictures that covers most of the historical sites we visited in and around Boston. I have several more posts planned around some of the other things we did while there.

Our first stop was Minute Man National Park, which covers the Lexington and Concord areas. Think Paul Revere's ride. Did you know he wasn't the only one riding, and he actually got captured at one point, though was let go when the British soldiers decided to turn back?

Monument at one end of North Bridge

North Bridge- the British were on one side and the colonists on the other when they exchanged shots

LMS playing dress up

LMS "cooking"

We went to the town of Salem, which is known for the witch trials, but also has a significant shipping history.

Since we went in the off-season, the Friendship (a replica tall-ship) was closed. Check out the size of that rope behind LMS

The dinky lighthouse at the end of the pier

Having fun with an anchor behind the Old Custom House

We walked most of the Freedom Trail in Boston, starting at the Old North Church (one if by land, two if by sea), Paul Revere's house, Faneuil Hall, the Old State House, Old South Meeting House, the Irish Famine Memorial (ok, so it's more recent than the Revolutionary War, but still represents a significant event in history), Boston Common, and the Public Garden.

Old North Church in the background, statue of Paul Revere in the foreground 

Paul Revere's house (the dark wood sided building).

Feneuil Hall, a market and meeting place. Samuel Adams and others gave speeches protesting the tax acts and encouraging separation from Britain.

The Old State House, dwarfed by the modern buildings around it. This was the site of the Boston Massacre, when British soldiers fired on a group of colonists and killed 5 of them.

Old South Meeting House. Colonists gathered here to protest tax acts and other actions of the British government. The Boston tea party occurred after a meeting that was held here.

Irish Famine Memorial

Crappy pic of Boston Common sign

Carousel next to the Frog Pond in Boston Common

Public Garden

The Swan boats- have you read Trumpet of the Swan? If you have, these are a larger version of the boats described in the book. They've been run by the same family for 130 years.

Riding the Swan boat; TLM slept through it all

Inspecting the Make Way for Ducklings' Easter hats and marathon bibs (we missed the marathon by a week)

Mama Duck was kind enough to give LMS a ride

Park Ranger on a horse! LMS went up and talked to her after we took the pic and got to pet the horse. She was in heaven :)

We explored the New England Aquarium (not as good as the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but pretty good) and checked out Harvard.

A friendly harbor seal

Petting a ray. They're surprisingly smooth and slimy (yes, I touched them too)

Touching a starfish

TLM wanted to climb into the Giant Ocean Tank

Posing with a bronze tortoise (snapping turtle?)

"Running" from the giant snake hanging out on the balcony

Harvard

We walked more of the Freedom Trail, this time starting with Bunker Hill Monument and preceding on to the USS Constitution in Charlestown Naval Yard.

Bunker Hill Monument, which looks very similar to the Washington Monument in D.C.

Walking on the Freedom Trail- just follow the red brick line all around Boston

Freedom Trail heading down the hill, eventually angling toward the Charlestown Naval Yard

The USS Constitution, commissioned in 1797, which makes it the oldest commissioned warship in the world. 

Though it hasn't been involved in a war for years, it is still taken out of its dock once or twice a year. Though apparently it's pulled by a tugboat- they don't raise the sails anymore since they're afraid of damaging the masts/rigging/ship.

Who can resist a photo on a giant anchor? There wasn't a sign, so I don't know what ship the anchor came from. You can see "Old Ironsides" in the background.

 A really nice Navy crew member let LMS ring the 2:30 bell: two pulls, rest, two pulls, rest, one pull

Who knows?

Cool bridge shot

We went to Plimouth Plantation, saw Plymouth Rock, and explored the Mayflower II.

Trying out the canoe (they're working on another one in the background)

Helping saw wood

LMS insisted on sweeping the floor in each house we went into

Plimouth village, which is a re-creation of the original Plymouth settlement. It was only intended as a short term settlement till everyone could move out to their farms. The houses were an interesting juxtaposition of dirt floors, stick-and-mud walls, thatched roofs, primitive beds and tables and elaborately carved chairs, chests and dressers brought over by the colonists. Plymouth was historically spelled several ways because people tended to spell phonetically. When Plimouth Plantation was established, they chose the "i" spelling to separate it from the existing town of Plymouth.

Mayflower II, built in the 1950's and sailed across the Atlantic

Airing out some clothes in a trunk below deck :) I didn't take a picture, but the space each family had for the entire trip was about the size of a queen bed, maybe even a little smaller. The colonists weren't allowed on deck most of the time, so they spent the majority of their time in bed, in the dark, damp, smelly hold. Makes you appreciate the discomforts of modern air travel a bit more. 

Impromptu "cooking" session in the captain's quarters

TLM woke up from his nap and was happy :)

Plymouth Rock- apparently quite a bit smaller than it used to be. Though there's some debate about whether the rock was actually significant or not at the time of landing.

Mr M was going to take LMS (along with some others from his class) to a Red Sox game, but they were sold out, so they took a Duck tour instead. TLM and I stayed in the hotel and rested- he wasn't happy about the irregular nap schedule and needed some quiet time. I'll post those pics later- gotta get them from whoever was taking pictures that day.

Our last stop was Cape Cod. It was a bit of a drive, but quite cool. We visited Sandy Neck Beach, Chatham light house, and drove around looking at all the cool houses.

LMS and Mr M walking on the beach

TLM and I snuggling up- it was quite windy, though not super cold

Definitely not a sandy beach

Chatham lighthouse 

There's a lot more we could have seen and done, if we'd had more time and money. A lot of the historical sites are privately run and charge entrance fees, some of which are reasonable, some are not. Despite that, we had a good time and learned a lot.

Have you been to Boston?