Banana "Pancakes"

I woke up extra early today, and my kids slept way, way in, so I was able to experiment with my breakfast a little bit.  I decided to try the banana/ egg "pancakes" that have been all over Pinterest and Facebook.  

Ingredients: 1 banana, 1 egg. 

And I added some cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little salt for flavor.  

Mix, and cook like a regular pancake. 

Except longer.  You really have to let it set up before attempting to flip them, otherwise you end up with this: 

With a little bit of this, too:

I finally got it figured out with my 3rd attempt.

Instead of syrup, I mixed up a little PB2 (with chocolate, of course), and drizzled it over the top. 

Verdict: Tasty!  Pancake-esque, without the guilt or the desire for a nap after breakfast. Next time I think I'll add a few pieces of bacon on the side.  At 200 calories for 3 pancakes, it also fits into a healthy lifestyle.  Try it!

U6 Soccer

J has been SO EXCITED to start soccer this Spring.  After accompanying us to Spring and Fall soccer for his big sister, he was more than ready to have his own turn.  Due to some schedule changes, last Saturday brought a practice instead of his first game.  Despite the 26 degree temperatures, he was a trooper!

His first game FINALLY arrived yesterday.  They played 4-on-4, with 4, 8 minute quarters.  Or something close to that.  

The Orange Warriors started with a team cheer. 

It was a little warmer last night, but not by much (37 degrees).

Despite being the littlest guy on the team, he was a fast runner, and not afraid to get after the ball. 

And he scored 2 goals!

The Warriors prevailed with a score of 15-3.  

Go Soccer!

Crazy Hair Day

Big Sis was SO EXCITED when her school announced they were going to have a Crazy Hair Day.  For a $1 donation, the students could participate.  

A grooming challenge?  Right up her alley. 

So I hopped on Pinterest, and showed her a picture I had pinned months ago.  She was game, and supplies were gathered.  And then we had a Snow Day!   

She was bummed, but then relieved when CHD was re-scheduled.  

We woke up early and made the magic happen.

Supplies:

• Styrofoam cones (Dollar Tree)
• Hair elastics
• Ribbon
• Pink spray-on hair color (Sally Beauty)
• Hair pins/ bobby pins

If I had to rate the results, I'd give myself a 6/10.  But from the reactions she got at school, I feel like I earned a gold star and a chocolate cupcake.  She even had her picture taken with the principal!  His long blonde wig had nothin' on this pink confection.  Now to plan for next year.....

5!

My baby boy is 5!  

He had a big birthday to celebrate, and we started at 6 am to open presents before Daddy headed to work.  

After school, a nap, first day of soccer practice, and dinner at Panera, we headed home to FINALLY have cake.  

Yep, he's 5!

Saturday brought his PARTY.  He's been talking about it for 2 months.  

Of course it was a MARIO theme.  

Thank you Pinterest, for giving me lots of fun ideas. 

I made Mario "hats" with red foam visors and a sheet of white foam. 

They also decorated wooden race cars. 

Went home with a Mystery Box filled with stickers, Mario fruit snacks, a kazoo, and a gold coin. 

And enjoyed Mario cupcakes! 

They did a little coloring.....

The #1 party request was for a pinata.  

Amazingly, it took about 20 minutes to beat it open.  

Diving for candy...

One of his pals brought chocolate moustaches for everyone - so cool!

The boys played "Pin the Moustache on Mario" (and their interest lasted exactly 1.5 seconds). 

We ended the day with "Stomp the Chomps".

The balloons were crazy strong, and it took them ages to pop!

Happy Birthday J!

Health & Wellness, Part II

On to part II...

And the ankle?  After waiting for weeks, and calling multiple times to see if I could move up my appointment (persistence pays off) I visited a local podiatrist in February.  I had X-rays and an MRI, then I was referred to a surgeon in Columbus.  Apparently my old injury has developed into an Os Trigonum.... sort of a bony protuberance that was grinding between my joint.

(image from lowerextremityreview.com)

I went to see the surgeon this week, and it looks like I'm headed for a surgical repair in April.  You know it's not going to end easily or painlessly when your doctor looks at your X-rays and says "Wow".  Other than removing the Os Trigonum, he plans to drain fluid, remove scar tissue, and tighten up ligaments.

Side note:  I first talked to the Fellow, who chatted me up about the problems I was having.  When he left the room, Husband looked at me and asked what I was doing.

I was puzzled... I was telling the doctor about my ankle.  According to Husband, if I was his patient, he would have been ready to send me home.  Apparently I was minimizing the issues, and making it seem like 'nothing'.  Perception is a funny thing, isn't it?

After thinking about it, I realized I probably was minimizing the problem. To me, if it was bad enough to finally be seeing a doctor, it was very bad.  But that was not what I was saying.  So when the surgeon came in, I was more descriptive and open about the pain and the problems.   On another tangent, I recently listened to a podcast about women's health issues, and apparently it is more common than not for women to brush off signs and symptoms of larger medical issues.... good to know that I am not the only one trying to be a stoic.....

And the procedure is scheduled!

I am completely freaked out, especially when I think of 4 weeks in a cast with crutches, 2 weeks of a walking cast, 2 weeks of a boot, and a final 6 weeks of physical therapy.  Good thing I didn't sign up for that 5K at the beginning of June!

I'm trying not to think of the hours of boredom, the healing, the lack of activity, or the loss of muscle tone, and instead focus on the hope that by my birthday I should be released for full activity.  And that the end of November may bring a 3 mile run without pain.  Plus, I plan to catch up on some of the reading I haven't been doing in the last 6 months.  I spent my morning adding 15 books to my library "want-to-read" list.

I AM looking for suggestions on shows to stream on Netflix, any good books, and yummy freezer meals.  Oh, and if you've got an automatic vehicle I could borrow for 6 weeks, could you give me a call?

Health & Wellness

Ok, this is probably going to be a crazy long & super boring post.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

Back in December I blogged about how I've been on a fitness kick & lost 25 lbs.  Yes, I am keeping them off, and working to continue to increase my fitness.  A big part of that was doing the Chalean Extreme program.  Although it's billed as Circuit Training, it's really Strength Training.  And it's about lifting heavy weights for just one set of 8-12 reps.  I felt like I needed a new challenge after completing 2 months of Jillian DVD's, so I started it at the beginning of December.

At this point, let me add my disclaimer: I did not follow the full program.  It's a 5-day-a-week schedule, with 3 days of lifting, and 2 days of circuits + abs.  The first 10 days or so I was exhausted from adjusting to lifting to such heavy weights.  I continued to walk and do some light abs on the non-weight days, but did not do the circuit workouts more than a few times.  In January I added in biking.

After 3 weeks, I started having lots of problems with my ankle.  This was an old, chronic injury flaring up and it was very painful. In fact, I woke up on New Year's barely able to walk at all.  I continued to lift, but moved from walking outside to biking inside.  I wanted something that was almost no-impact, and with the icy weather we were having, it was the perfect time to start light Spinning.

My ankle continued to bother me, and nothing helped - Motrin, ice, heat, stretching, strengthening - nothing.  I had to modify some of the squats and lunges, and yes, it finally bothered me enough that I made an appointment with a podiatrist.

I completed all 12 weeks of Chalean Extreme, and I don't think I've ever been so happy to finish something.  Results?  Well, I won't lie.... after plateauing for 3 months, I had no interest in taking my measurement.  I was just..... done.  That last month really kicked my tail.  My impressions are that my strength improved, and I think I lost a bit in inches.  The work pants that were tight in the Fall, are comfortable in the waist, and baggy in the thighs.  I WILL do it again in the future.    

Part II.... coming soon.  (See, told ya it was long.)

Valentine's Day

What's that?  Do I know it's almost a month past Valentine's Day?  

Yes.  And your point is?

This year we did glow stick Valentines for #1. 

(Thank you Dollar Store)

#2 was over the moon about Batman Valentines.

I did very few treats, but I managed to pull together s'mores with heart shaped marshmallows. 

Not quite as delicious when prepared under the broiler, but it worked.  

For "dinner" I made french toast with sliced strawberries, fresh whipped cream, and bacon. 

Then we all had a brief, sugar-coma nap, and watched a movie.  

It was a great day!