Hey Joe! Why are you so sloppy?!

Just a quick blog update. Dinner last night the whole family loved! Sloppy Joes...With a healthy twist!!
I like to take things we all love to eat and make them a little bit better. Firstly 99% of the meats we eat are lean meats. This recipe is made with 97% fat free ground turkey. You also can pick your favorite barbecue sauce too. (Mine is Sweet Baby Rays) But I think I will be making my own for the summer to get it a little bit healthier.For the bun (when I do rarely eat bread)I use the Sara Lee's 100% Multi-Grain Thin Bakery Bread. Here is how to make your quick delicious dinner.  

Turkey Sloppy Joe's

1Lb Lean ground turkey.

1/2 Red Bell pepper

1/2 Green pepper

1 Small purple onion

2 tbs Extra Virgin Olive oil

1 cup of Barbecue Sauce

4 buns

6oz Tomato paste

Chop peppers and onions, add to frying pan with olive oil cook until tender(about 5 min). Add Turkey to pan and cook until brown.(about 8-10 min)Add Tomato paste and Barbecue sauce. Heat until warmed through. Serve warm!

So happy to have something wrong.

Me and my soon to be 6 year old!

This is going to be a crazy busy week so I figure I will update the 3 of you who want to know whats going on in my life. Tayler turns 6 in a few days. Though I LOVE Pintrest, and use ideas off of it almost daily (Sewing, Crochet,Cooking,Crafting). Does anyone else feel the pressure that Pintrest puts on you? I am doing my son's birthday party Nerf themed. This is not really a theme I can go and buy at Party City.

Pintrest Inspired Invitations.

 So what do I do? I Pintrest! Now I have 6 days before the birthday party and have a list longer then my arm of crafts and ideas I need to put together. I am the over doer birthday mom, so this is kinda of normal. Every year  I would be able to complete last minute NO PROBLEM with my usual 4 to 5 hours of sleep. I feel at the moment I am being tested. My patience, My sanity and, My pain threshold. I provide in home child care 7 days a week, and for the past 2 months I have has "Something wrong" with me. I went to the Dr no less then 10 times in the past 8 weeks. Had dozens of test done and FINALLY they find out my Gallbladder is not working properly(I diagnosed my self with WebMD Weeks ago they should just listen to me). It doesn't contract like it should so it basically over flows. When we got the last set of test back my Dr called me litteraly the second she got them in, I had just walked in the door from the hour drive to Seattle to get the test done. She said "Amanda! You will be happy to know there IS something wrong with you! You are not crazy!" So I get to have it out (Thank God) on the 24th. SO Besides being in pain everyday, this is actually a blessing. See being in pain is a huge damper on my positiveness. (is that a word?) Therefor I have made an effort every day to find a positive thing in my day. It really is quite easy, It helps a ton, and I feel better about all the bad stuff. Yes my back, shoulders, neck, side and stomach hurt..but only really bad when I eat anything fatty. So what do I do? I eat low low fat. Which helps in my healthy eating! Guess who is down 30 lbs NOW!! Woot! It also makes me super tired. This may seem bad but I sleep at night. That is rare. The other night I fell asleep at 10 pm and my handsome, harry, husband woke me up at 8a.m. To tell me one of my babies I watch just rolled over! My first thoughts are OMG I didn't move? How did I miss my alarm?KIDS...SCHOOL!

Handsome, Harry, Husband.

Sean see's my panic and tells me our kids are at school, and the other kids are already dropped off here and fed(me staring wide eyed) ......whaa...no..words. It really made me appreciate him that much more. That is not his job, that is my job, but he said he never sees me sleep like that so he let me be. I need it. (Swoon) Weird how that is what is romantic now, after only 8 years of marriage, it use to be bed and breakfasts and nights out..now its sleeping in. Now I am thinking, what if my faulty gallbladder is a good thing? Can I leave it? No I think its my crutch (or slap in the face) Stay positive, appreciate more, eat healthy, be a good example. So i will take it for that instead of a faulty organ and in a few weeks after its gone I hope to keep it up.

"The test we must set for ourselves is not a march alone but to march in such a way that others wish to join us." -Hubert Humphrey

A little less padding makes a fat girl happy!

Motivation from Pintrest!

Well Hello procrastination. I would be lying if I said "I just forgot" to update my blog, or "I didn't have time." After I hurt my knee running and let it heal, I started riding  my awesome pink bike, as my last Debby Downer of a blog (4 months ago) told you. Well I fell in to the same routine of life that seems to happen after a few weeks of "Diet" or "Exercising" goes, and life went on. I felt so bad about my epic fail that was my personal motivational blog I would not even look at all the blogs I love to read so much. So what changed?

My Zumba friend!

I had a sweet friend who needed to stay with me a few months, as her family was moving to Alaska and she needed to tie up some loose ends here in Olympia. She told me that she was going to lose a bunch of weight. She would be away from her husband for this time and wanted to knock him off of his feet when she saw him again. She is an in shape woman, and a runner lucky for me she decided to get her Zumba instructor certification. We would wake up early in the mornings around 5:30-6 am and would go on a long walks around the lake. The city was dark and quiet it never seemed like a "workout" at all. I did it just because I got out of the house, got coffee and to relax. I know your thinking WHAT THE HELL AMANDA?! 5:30!?!  Really my Mother told me this a few years back and its so true (GASP!! MY MOTHER WAS RIGHT?!) "The hardest part of getting up early is physically getting out of bed after that its done and your up." So really the hard part is..what..5 seconds? Anyways.. We did that for a few weeks and played the Zumba Wii game every evening. She also introduced me to the WONDERFUL world of Protein shakes!  I felt great after a few weeks, never thought about loosing any weight it just felt good to have a healthy routine. Then one day I did the UNTHINKABLE...I stepped on the scale. I always assumed it was bigger then I thought but gah! That day it clicked for me. I don't want to loose weight. I want to be healthy. I wan't my whole family to be healthy. Where do I start? Well first I joined Weight Watchers online, I use it as a way to track what I have eaten, it also has THOUSANDS of recipies. Then I got rid of all the crap in the house. Then I did what I never though was possible. I started cooking 6 sometimes 7 nights a week (GASP!!). Mostly cooking with Lean Turkey, Chicken, Seafood, and VEGGIES! We all love them so we may go to the grocery store every day, or every other day but we eat lots of fresh veggies. Anytime we would go out to a restaurant I would look online and find things to eat before going. So I could make the best decision, and not be overwhelmed in to an unhealthy one. Long story short I started logging my food and tracking my weight 8 weeks ago today. I lost 25lbs and am ecstatic! I don't see much of a difference on myself yet, but other people are noticing so that give me hope! I think with my renewed motivation I will try C25K again. Running sounds daunting but summer is coming and the weather can only get better from the weeks of cold wet we have had the past few months! It has helped having friends who are also doing Weight Watchers little things like "Oh man how many points do you have left today?" Or "Wow that walk added enough points for me to have some of that pie tonight!" Helps so much. My next goal is another 25 lbs, then I am conquering the world!

Me 25lbs Less!!

Pink up the good work!

My sad sad knees.

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome...I.Hate.You. At least I know I am not doing anything wrong and i'm not "TO FAT TO RUN" as I have been telling myself for the past few days. It is also called Runners Knee. I have done some research and found out that Couch 2 5k people have been having the same issue around the same week.(week 2-3) So I have to take some time off, ice my lower knee every few hours, and take some ibuprofen. This was quite a blow to me. I have so much forward momentum in my running. I look forward to it, and don't want to quit.(yet.)

My pink bike Lulu

 My husband is also proud of the runs I have been completing so last week I showed y'all the super awesome pink running shoes he bought me, well this week after I finished week 2.. He bought me a PINK BIKE! I love it. Its my "Pink up the good work" gift. So in my time off running I can ride my bike, I am hoping I only need a week off, and the bike riding doesn't hurt my knee at all, so a little silver lining. All the positive feedback and cheering is really helping me with my running so thank you ALL I appreciate everyone of you!

Fall leaves/Fall love

   Up here in the Pacific Northwest it is that time of year, the salmon are making there long journey up the river to spawn, the leaves are turning there beautiful colors, and the mornings are getting brisk. I went out to Tumwater falls Park about a mile from my house to see the Salmon, it was amazing! Tumwater Falls Park has beautfull waterfalls year round, its small so I can take the kids and not be afraid they will run off, and this time of year the AMAZING salmon run! They were jumping UP huge waterfalls. I am not to proud to say that one one jumped a foot in front of my face, up to eye level..I screamed like a little girl. My son said "its just a fish mom.." Yeah just a fish that can jump over 5 feet high and swim up a river I get queasy just thinking about swimming in..I think this but I tell my son..ahh your right just a fish.

Salmon at Tumwater Falls Park (Can't take credit for the photo)

Burgers, and Doughnuts, and Whales OH MY!

Little Big Burger. YUM!

Hello Friends!! It has been a great/LONG weekend! I had so much fun in my attempt to fit the entire Pacific Northwest experience into one weekend! I also finished Week 2 of Couch to 5K!! Not without difficulty, but I did finish it!. So like I said GREAT and LONG were my weekend. My run's were well..they.were.rough. My bloody heels had no time to heal and were KILLING me, so I was running on my toes because of this. The toe running caused shin splints and calf cramps. I ran (very slowly) though it. I feel like I didn't get the the full work out I should have though. I think I am going  to repeat this week just to feel like I am ready for week 3. I feel like I am failing and my body is a trader but, I have to remember if I have patients and stick with it, it will work. Right? RIGHT?! Its the end result of running a 5k I wan't not the time line I am after. My weekend was amazing! My sweet friend Ashley came up with her little bun in the oven/baby bump, Aviana. Friday we went to Portland we shopped, ate A LOT!! If your ever in Portland eat at Little Big Burger and get the truffle fries..mmm..

Driving in to Vancouver B.C.

Voodoo Doughnuts!

 We shopped in the Pearl District, got lost in Powell's Books store, and waited in line for some oh so yummy and sugary doughnuts at Voodoo Doughnuts. Bacon Maple Bar. I need say no more.   The next day we got up early went downtown Seattle, to the flying fish market in  Pikes Place, got some coffee at the first Starbucks, watched the ferrys come in and then headed up to Canada. We went to the aquarium in Vancouver, did a little shopping and drving around. Ate some AMAZING sea food  at The boat house, and slept in our "heavenly beds" at The Westin..

Our Whale watching boat!

The next day it was up-and-at-um' early and we went on a 8 hour whale watching trip. We didn't see any Orca's be we did see lots of other marine life. Some whales, dolphins, Seals, Sea Lions..it was great. We ended the weekend with a table full of sea food at the Crab Pot on the piers in Seattle. My weekend was full of great company, great experiences and GREAT FOOD!

It doesn’t have to be pretty is just has to be done..RUN RUN!

Why Hello friend! I am going to be blunt about my first day of week two with the Couch to 5K program. It sucked, I got a side stitch for the first time, (Is that what you call it when your side hurts?) it was one of the hottest days of the year, AND I had a SUPER long/fun day. It was not impossible. It was doable and I always feel better about myself when I push though, so I am glad I did. I did have a few obstacles in my way this run but I managed to get around them all, I was up early (5am) so some kid-o's could be dropped off, then I was out the door early for a day of antiquing. It was quite a successful trip if I say so myself. I found the cutest owl lamp, I love owls..and Peacocks...and penguins..I think I love birds? Great price, Great shape, Great find! I also bought a red metal bread box, some Star Wars action figures still in the boxes for Christmas, some beautiful red whine glasses, and a few books. Then the whole family went to dinner with my in-laws. We had a few glasses of whine, some yummy carbs, and great conversation, and got home at 9pm. I wanted to go to bed but I KNEW if I skipped a run you would catch me. So I put the boy to bed and put on my new awesome pink running shoes, and went for a night run. So everyone in the world knows you have to break shoes in before you wear them. Right? Why do I never ever ever remember to do this? My poor feet are cover in scars from forgetting such things. Well 2 miles later when I got home, I threw my bloody socks away and FELT GREAT! Nothing two smiling Shrek band-aid's can't fix!

To all my friends who are also trying to get back/start running I have gotten your letter, comments, and texts. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! If this fat girl can run for a week, y’all can do ANYTHING! Just remember when your running..Amanda did this, and that girl runs like a Moose (or something that is not an elegant runner) so I know I can. I talk to myself when I am running you know make lists of things that need to be done, encourage myself to keep going, and yesterday I kept saying “It doesn’t have to be pretty is just has to be done.”  It was not pretty, but it was DONE! Big WOOT to me!

Extra! Extra! Fat girls can run for at least a week!!

Hola' Friends!

Well I did it! I completed the first week of Couch 2 5K! When I was on my final run of this week about half way through I realized “Holy Crap I’m running and not counting the seconds in my head till I stop!” I really looked crazy running around the neighborhood with a big ol' grin on my face. Week one in the books..now one to Week 2..Dun Dun DUNNN... I am nervous, but excited at the progress I have made. To commemorate my first week running my husband bought me some AMAZING running shoes. They are the most expensive pair of shoes I have ever owned. I love them. They are light weight, the soles of me feet aren’t screaming at me, and the best part..they are pink.

That being said, I have had an overwhelming response to my Blog, so many people encourging me, and running along side me with Couch25K. Keep the e-mails, comments, and blog shares coming! I love to keep up with you as I hope you like keeping up with me! This week has so many exciting things going on! I am glad I have my runs to distract me. Sunday I went antiquing and found some awesome stuff. Every time I go antiquing I start reminiscing about my grandma. She has some really cool things that I never took time to appreciate as a kid. I think one day soon I should tell y’all all about my grandma. She really is one of the most interesting, creative people I know, we made butter one summer with a churn, and hand churned ice cream was a staple by her pool in the summer. She also says very old fashioned things that I want to start writing down. Like “That boy eats and eats like he has hollow legs!” Yes, I think I will tell y'all about my grandma one day.

 If you haven’t noticed I chase rabbits a lot. I distract myself with other story’s in the middle of another story...well WELCOME TO MY WORLD! I talk exactly as I am typing to you now. My poor poor friends and family. It must be hard to keep up with my train of though. Any who back to my exciting week. Thursday my friend who was sitting on my Kindergarten teachers lap crying with me (see previous blog) Ashley is coming up to Washington for a visit! She live in Colorado now and is expecting so this is more then likely the last time to hang out before the baby is born. We are going to Portland for a day trip, then 2 hours up to Canada staying at an awesome hotel, then WHALE WATCHING! I have lived in Washington for 3 and a half years and never really played tourist. Now I get to play tourist with my oldest friend! ::happy dance, happy dance:: Well once again thank you all for reading, I really appreciate every single one of you. I love all your feedback and encouragement. Here is to WEEK 2 of running!