Acrostic Time

Sinus pressure and foggy head
I'm going to strangle someone if I can't run soon
Can't stop coughing
Kicking myself for waiting until today to finish Christmas shopping

Sunday I woke up with a cold and today I think it may be turning into bronchitis! Ever since I lived in Spain (I got a bad cold and never went to the doctor...which ps they have some kick butt cough medicine there) whenever I get a cold it goes right to my chest. The only problem is that I am a terrible and stubborn sick person. I waited forever to go Christmas shopping and now I'm Mrs. Sicky Pants and want to just curl up in bed! Add to that that I haven't run yet this week and you have a very cranky sad Momma! I am hoping to sneak in a few stores between work and picking up the girl as well as some ondemand exercise tonight. I keep saying to myself that I need to take care of myself so 2011 can start with a bang. I have big plans for this next year!! Now if you will excuse me I have to go blow my nose!!!

Elmo love and the Making of a Monster

This weekend our little lovie turned 2! As much as I am itching to gush about how I can't believe how fast time has gone and how amazing she is, I am going to save that for another post complete with pics from her party. This post is for the party favors and cupcakes I made. Running had to take a back seat this weekend to baking. It was a hard choice but waking up on Saturday feeling like I got hit with the flu across the face made it easier! Today I was going to wake up and go run early but the raging snowstorm had another idea. I am hoping that tomorrow and on I will be able to reset and run.

Ok so I am getting off track...well if you have any holiday parties coming up that involve a cookie swap, you HAVE to try these cookies! They are Paula Deen Monster Cookies and while they may not be so great on the hips, they are oh so tasty on the lips! Click here for the recipe! Well they were perfect for an Elmo party...I mean Cookie Monster...Monster Cookies...well here they are in pics!

I'm sure there are healthier ingredients you could use but then it wouldn't be Paula Deen!

All mixed up andready to go...did I mention you use an entire jar of peanut butter?

They are seriously as big as my hand...each person got one




I also made my own cupcake stand out of boxes and polka-dots! It came out so cute!!! Oh and yes I made Elmo cupcakes...they were so fun!!

This party was so fun to plan! It is such a blessing to have the time to really get my craft on!

Friday Flipout

I can be so predictable sometimes....just ask my hubby! This morning I should have seen coming but for whatever reason it caught me by surprise. I overslept which meant I didn't have time for my early morning run (I have exactly 55 minutes to run at the gym and be home to shower before work...no wiggle room really) which put me in a crabby mood. That snowballed due to the fact that I have gone into full fledged Martha Stewart mode making things for Emma's party on Sunday (which by the way is forecast for snow...of course). I am just pressed for time with only a few days left and all I really want to do is relax...enjoy the tree with my family...and run until I'm no longer stressed and tense. My hubby said sometimes he can almost see my tension...like thorns on a flower! I know it will all get done and I can't wait to post pics after...we're talking Elmo party extravaganza...but right now I'm a little stressed and coffeed out! Actually, though, just venting has felt good!

On a merrier note, we went to Edaville USA yesterday to take Em to see the lights, ride the train, and see the big man. She loved the train and kept saying Choo choo! The big man Santa....not so much! Once I get home I will post pics...very funny!

I hope you are having a great Friday!! Anything fun on tap this weekend?

What's Your Motivation?

Getting out of bed this morning was a toughie! The alarm went off at 4:25am...early enough so I can stay in bed until 4:30. I am doing a double workout today (am and pm) because I was a tired mommy on Monday and didn't go for my run. The hardest move is lifting the covers and putting my feet on the ground. After that I'm ok...not necessarily excited about the prospect of facing the treadmill but ok.

I was talking with a colleague this morning as I weighed in for our school's Biggest Loser Challenge (I am only down 3lbs...I need to restart the motivation after January). She was talking about getting motivated to get up early to workout or even to workout at all. It was that challenge that was her kick in the butt. It made me think about what motivates me. I tend to need a carrot dangling in front of my face...1000 mile challenge...weekly weigh-in. The twisted part is that right when I get to the carrot I pull it further away. I reached the 1000 miles and decided to try for 1100....got to my first goal weight and decided to try for 5 more lbs. Crazy!

A healthier motivation for me is the people around me. I want to be healthy for my family. I want to be a good example for my daughter. All of the above! I addition to all of that, my good friend Jill is the kick in the butt I need! She is always ready for a challenge and has the plan to go with it! I tend to have to watch what I say to her because then its on! I love her for that!!

So what is motivating you? What gets you out of that cozy bed?

This Moment...

{this moment} - A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. Happy Weekend to you! Here is my moment...putting up the tree

You Know It's Friday When...

You know it's Friday when...

you arrive in your parking space at school on two wheels cause you tried to squeeze in one more mile at the gym and left 10 minutes late (no pic...that wouldn't have been very safe!)


you are sad to see the end of the coffee in your travel mug and wish it would magically refill itself

you look down to see black socks in your pair of heels instead of knee highs because it was all that was clean...at least they're black!

your hair needed extra intervention...hair tie and a headband (again probably because I tried to get in an extra mile this morning)


your lunch went from yummy, roasted veggies all week to pb&j and carrot sticks (no pic...it isn't much to show!)


you can't wait for the clock to reach 2pm so you can hightail it home to see your lovies!!! (I get out early on Fridays...yay!)

Three Things Thursday

On my way to work this morning, before my daily call to Mom...yes I call my Mom every morning and love it!...I began to think about what my three things would be about today. Should it be three things I wish I had....or three things that confused me this morning...three things I wish I had done the night before so I wasn't running late...three things that annoy me about cold weather...

Then it hit me...the next few weeks are the last ones of 2010 and though it has been a tough year at times it has been a year of strength and goals. So for the next few weeks I am going to focus on three things each week that I am thankful to have done/accomplished/been blessed by.

1. Goals, goals, and more goals! This year it is safe to say that I have met just about all my running goals and I am so thankful for this!!! 1000 miles, 5k PR, 1/2 marathon PR DONE!!!

2. No injuries please! This year I am so thankful that I stayed injury free. I am not someone who is prone to injury, but as the years tick by and I get further and further from my 20s I know that each year without injury is a good one!

3. Running buddy love! Many years ago when I ran Boston I trained with a very good friend of mine. Let's just say things didn't go so well and I lost a very dear friend. Well this year I was blessed with an amazing running buddy that was not only a kick ass runner but an amazing woman and friend!

What did 2010 bring you?