Grandma and Grandpa's Playground gets a new addition

Ok so this was definitely the highlight of the day, so I will just start here.  Friday nights are playground nights for our family, and today Grandma and Grandpa's playground got a new addition.



My dad started the base of a new sandbox last week, and this week we have SAND.  Super exciting.  He also found a few brand new-to-us sand toys to play with in the new sandbox.  The kids were entertained by this all evening.  Honestly, I had fun playing in it too. 



Is it too dark to go running when I cannot even see my face? Or my Garmin?



Weekend plans include: cooking, cleaning, organizing, weeding + running, skating & playing outside.  Max picked up a little bit of a cold at school, so we probably will stay even more at home than normal, so he can get rid of it fast.

I am officially ready for the weekend when I can run in the daylight!

Freshly vacuumed stairs & pizza. It must have been a successful day!

After school creativity session.



Pizza!  A new quick non-sourdough recipe to try tonight - plain old cheese for the kids & Jason cooked our pizzas on the grill (on stones) like always.



Before bedtime, I decided I needed to vacuum our stairs.  I do not think I have vacuumed them in at least two months, and I am not even exaggerating.  They were bad.  However it made them look even more amazing afterward because it was such a beautiful difference!  Yep, I even took a picture of them.



It was worth these two running around like bedtime-maniacs upstairs, while I was quickly vacuuming.



I also accomplished the meal-planning in order to do my grocery run tomorrow.

Saturday:
lunch: granola, yogurt and fruit
evening: enchiladas + kale
Sunday:
brunch: french toast/pancakes and fruit
evening: tofu, creamy noodles, broccoli
*treat: either choc cookies or choc-date cupcakes

Monday-leftovers/veggie burgers, apples + peas
Tuesday-sandwiches + zucchini
Wednesday-cashew-sauce penne, broccoli
Thursday-beans & rice + quesadillas + kale
Friday-easy stuff at mom & dad's

The End!

Weekend Adventures

I got off to an early start again on Saturday for just about 11 miles skating (10.75). It was definitely not quite as hot, but still nice to get out early.  There are less people on the trails, which means it's easier to skate freely - not worry as much about who might be up around the next corner to have to clear, or potential dog walkers with long leashes, or young kids mingling in the middle of trails.  Early is good!



I felt so much stronger this week, but still not ready to push it the full extent of my 6 mile out/6 mile back stretch - at least I think it's a 6 mile stretch. I will try to be ready to find out and try that next week.  And then we'll start working on picking up the pace.



The kids wanted to go for a ride around the neighborhood with me afterward, but they had quite the to-do list to accomplish first.  So by the time they got in the trailer, it was almost lunch/nap time and they were not interested in a very long loop.  We got fun crackers though (they always get a special snack in the bike trailer/stroller).



After nap, I really really was overdue for cleaning up their rooms - they help with the toys and clothes, and then I tackle the vacuuming, and washing blankets and things like that.  Jason was busy so I had to get our current babysitter, the laptop, out for a couple of videos to keep them occupied for a little longer.



Ultimately we did another "campout" in the basement! We watched Frozen on DisneyPlus, stayed up a little late, and then we all slept on the floor downstairs.  Eleanor did go up to her bed after the movie, because she just sleeps so fantastic that way.



Sunday, after church, we had another adventure planned.  Jason really wanted to go see this Prince statue down in Henderson, MN.  He said it was in a garden area, so we could probably explore there too - which made it sound good enough to me!  So after church we fueled up with extra cheerios and packed up the car.



And we drove over an hour to see this...



Also, it was not really in a garden...



So we went off to plan B: a little nature center not even 5 miles away.



We took a long walk through a really cool trail. It wove us back through some soybean and corn fields, to a big pond that was really pretty because it was in the middle of nowhere & usually our walks involve houses at some point.



They wore themselves out for a short nap & then were off and running again when we got back for some visits with grandmas and grandpas.



It turned out to be a successful adventure after all!



Whew we did a lot this weekend..

A new addition to my morning routine

I've been visiting this giant weed every morning. Because for whatever reason the Japanese beetles that have decided to join our flower beds find it really tasty. Every morning now, I go spray them down with a soap-water mix. It's only been a couple of days, so we will find out if it actually works! Fortunately the beetles have not destroyed any other plants like this.



Also, while out spraying I stumbled across this random pretty blue flower.  Pretty sure this one is technically a weed too - I didn't plan it.  That makes it a weed, right?  It's a very pretty weed.



Do you think if I put marshmallows into my superfoods, it still counts as a superfood snack?  It was not quite as good as my choco-chip/caco nib additions, though still a fun addition with the coconut flakes too.



My mom brought over some of her amazing fresh salsa for us the other night.  So today my lunch was covered in it - plus leftover black beans, corn, and I topped it with walnuts.  Which, I know sounds weird, but it adds a nice crunch, and I am into walnuts right now.



Fresh salsa is beautiful.



After picking up the kiddos, we headed to my parents', per our usual Friday night fun plans!  My dad has a sandbox in the works, so that's what the frame is under the swingset.  My brother even stopped by too - hooray!



Good thing these kids have both school & grandparents' houses for playing on some sort of playgrounds during this pandemic!

I start my days in style

The best way to start a meeting-packed Thursday is clearly a comfy  hoody and zero makeup. I am all set to take on my first call of the day.



After 2 hours of meeting, who wouldn't need a snack?  I am mixing things up with CHOCOLATE today.  Plus walnuts.  Because I am definitely on a walnut kick the last few days.



Taco night tonight!! Seasoned ground turkey for Jason, plus black beans, sliced peppers, hard shells, tomatoes, salsa, etc.  Max has been looking forward to this taco night all week - he prefers his taco with just cheese + some meatless crumbles.

I stumbled across this gem on my evening run. an entire field of sunflowers! I feel so lucky to have this nearby and for sure will need to remember stop back with the kids soon.



It is so fun to run around exploring all the things I wouldn't otherwise know about my city!

Trying new things isn't always hard?

Wednesdays are for soccer!



Another fun, fun day of soccer during the school-day for Max.  He has been thoroughly enjoying the weekly soccer practice with his friends.

On the way home lately, Eleanor has been trying out sticking pretzels in her shoes (I give them a few to snack on the ride home).  Then she realizes it doesn't feel that great, and whines the rest of the way.  We had a little chat about how that's not the greatest idea.



While Jason was getting started on our cauliflower gnocchi supper (good old Trader Joe's), I thought I would try out the hiking pack with Eleanor.  Last time we tried this she did not like it at all - it was like she was afraid to be up so high.  This time, I got up with her in it more slowly and that made all the difference.  She loved it!  And then Max really wanted to try it too, so he got a turn too - and loved it as well.  So now apparently we need two packs.  Hmm.. my goal was to get one kiddo to like them, so we could go hiking.  I suppose trying new things isn't always as hard as we think it will be?!



No run photo today - just a nice, easy 3 mile loop around the neighborhoods.  However I also forgot to start my Garmin so basically it's like it never even happened. 

I should start up an old-fashioned notepad of my workouts like I used to do, after tracking the distance with my car.

Special after-school adventure

I thought I would display my beverage selections for the morning. :)  Yep, still on that caffeine.  But this week is primarily decaf - not even half-caf - 3 parts decaf: 1 part regular.  Plus some good old fashioned water.


We also did something super special today - the kids (Max mainly) have been asking for us to bike to their school some day.  Well we finally did.  It's not all that far away, but just requires the coordination of leaving work at a specific time & also making sure to pick a day where the kids do not have a ton of stuff (Fridays...).



Jason gets to do the hard work.  I have a hard time keeping up with him normally, so this evens the playing field quite nicely.  60 lbs of kids or so..   10 miles there, about 7 on the way back (my Garmin died) because we went a different way that was apparently quicker.



The kids get plenty hot in the trailer too, so they came inside pretty quickly to cool down and play.  Today's activity: fire fighters cruising in "boats"!



And finally, my evening run after bedtime.  I checked out a new area of my city that I have been trying to figure out how to get to without crossing this busy road.  I found a good crosswalk spot, so even though I did cross it, I felt a bit safer.  It's an area that has some fun windy roads in neighborhoods, so it could be a great wintertime run!



I also found a spot to recycle the pots from the plants you get at nurseries [to bring home] and made a mental note to return with our stack of plastic pots!