Run DMT

I'm a mom on the run!

Run DMT - I'm a mom on the run!

J&J For All You Love

*Disclaimer: I am participating in the J&J For All You Love campaign and have received compensation for sharing my heartfelt motherhood tribute for Mother’s Day and to promote JOHNSON’S® Baby CARES Care Cards, a digital e-card platform encouraging moms to share positive messages of encouragement with other moms across the country, while simultaneously supporting Save the Children®*

Twelve years ago, I stood in classroom filled with desks and children.  I loved my job and my career choice.  I loved seeing light bulbs shine above my students’ little heads once they finally processed a concept.

Though the paperwork, the parent conferences, the hours spent planning often overshadowed the bright faces that filled my classroom, I loved teaching and I did so for seven years.

Then, I became pregnant and when I heard my little one’s heartbeat in our very first sonogram, I knew my life and my career path would change forever.  That day, I willingly made the choice to be a stay at home mom to raise the baby that grew inside me.

US36weeks1

As my little one grew, I sang songs to my belly.  I read stories to a baby that I hadn’t met yet to ensure my little one would know my voice.  On the day she was born, the moment the nurses placed my newborn baby girl on my chest, I looked into her little swollen eyes and cried.  Though we only just met, I fell in love with my baby girl.

Allana_Day1

Twelve years later that love has grown and multiplied as our family grew and multiplied with the birth of two more babies.  Each time, I instantly fell in love with them all.

2Emma_Day1

I am still at home, raising my children and I often miss my teaching days, but I don’t regret my choice.  I don’t need to ask for a personal day or worry about substitute plans.  Though most days balancing three kids can be tough, for the most part, we have fun.

liam36

The other day, my seven year old completed an “All About Me” poster.  In the “What I want to be when I grow up” section, she wrote “I want to be a mommy.”

I asked, “Why do you want to be a mom when you grow up?  Why not a teacher or a doctor?”

“Because moms have fun.  Moms go on field trips and take their kids places and spend time with them and love their kids.”

Yes, we certainly do.  And I wouldn’t have it any other way.


In celebration of Mother’s Day this year, JOHNSON’S® Baby has established JOHNSON’S® Baby CARES Care Cards, a digital e-card platform encouraging moms to share positive messages of encouragement with other moms across the country, while simultaneously supporting Save the Children®.  You can help, too!

Simply pick and share a card filled with messages of reassurance for a Mom in your life on Facebook at http://www.johnsonsbabycares.com. For every card sent, shared or liked, JOHNSON’S®  Baby will donate $1.00 to Save the Children® (up to $150,000) to benefit early childhood education programs that foster education and reassurance for new moms. These cards will not only spread encouragement to Moms throughout the country but will also provide Moms in need with the skills and knowledge to successfully support their child’s growth.

J&JForAllYouLove

Soup du Jour Vlog Hop: My Mother’s Day Reflection

soupdujour_blogbutton

Earlier this week, the Today Show shared a piece by Today Moms on how parents of three children felt more stress than parents with fewer children or even more children.  According to their survey, parents of three often feel outnumbered, whereas parents of four or more children tend to be more relaxed.

Being a mom of three, I definitely feel outnumbered, over-stressed and have resorted to self medicating with beer or wine.  However, one too many glasses and I could hit the magic number of four children. Of course, I’ll be more relaxed and I’ll drink less due to something called the “Duggar Effect“.  Sure.  I’ll drink to that.

Happy Mother’s Day!

What are you reflecting on this Mother’s Day? Do you have one, two, three or more children? Do you feel stressed or does the idea of more children stress you out?



Thankful for the Kindness of Strangers

This past Sunday, my oldest daughter and I experienced stand up paddle boarding (SUP) together for the first time.  We explored the brackish waters of Crystal River and searched for manatees with our friends.  It was a wonderful day trip and one that deserves a full post review (to follow shortly), however, this post is dedicated to the kind people who helped Allana and me.

Once we reached the springs, Allana and I took the moment to take in gorgeous view and snack on the blueberry Larabars that that I packed which contained cashews.  Unbeknownst to me, Allana is severely allergic to cashews and she immediately went into anaphylactic shock.  Her throat itched; her breathing became labored.  She began to swell and turn beet red with hives all over her body.  After only ingesting one small bite, our fun adventure now turned into an emergency situation.

Due to my walnut allergy and my other daughter’s allergy to bee stings, I normally carry two EpiPens, but I left them back in the car along with allergy medication.  I asked our guide if he had a first aid kit containing Benadryl or an EpiPen, but he did not.  I quickly paddled over to a dive boat within sight and asked for first aid, but they did not have any medication on board either.

Then, I spotted a boat idling past and I flagged them down to ask for a ride back to the public park where we launched our paddle boards.  With 14 mph winds, I knew I didn’t have the strength nor the time to spare.  Thankfully, they graciously offered assistance.

I share this story hoping someone in the six degrees of separation in this big blogosphere may know Gary and Amy of Crystal River. (Other than they have two children a boy and girl ages 3 and 4, that’s the only information I have.) Please let them know Allana is safe and we are truly grateful for their kindness.

Random Thoughts about National Moms Nite Out, Boxing, a Boston Run, Stepping Up My Sprints and Track Tuesday

Weather wise, it has been a very strange spring weather.  We’ve experienced the usual hot and humid Florida spring days, but over the past few days, the weather cooled down for some strange reason.  We’ll back to our regular warm weather scheduled program soon enough.

Last week, the humidity was off the charts, which like I said, is to be expected this time of year, but I think what makes it worse is when there’s no heat with it.  It throws me off.  I expect heat with humidity.  My body can’t acclimate to the ups and downs.  Due to my asthma, I experienced labored breathing which made running very difficult given the himidtiy. I ran 4 miles but I couldn’t breathe so the run was pathetic.

4 miles
Time 44:32
Ave Pace 11:08
Max Pace 8:41

Wednesday evening, my friends and I tried a boxing class.  It was real boxing with gloves, wraps, bags and all.

The instructor, Tony a Hall of Famer, was like a drill sergeant.  In between hitting the bag, Tony made us do a gazillion squats and plank for what felt like hours.  I loved boxing to his selection of old school music, but he was not impressed with my bouncing while bobbing and weaving.  “That girl is poiiissson…*jab…jab*…. “Never trust a girl with a big butt and smile”…*undercut, jab, jab*… “Bel Biv DeVoe…”*jab, jab*… “Now you know.”

As I bobbed, boxed and bounced, Tony walked over to me with a scowl.  “Did you just come from happy hour because you all over the place?”

“I’m always happy.”

At least, I was happy hitting until Tony told me to pivot my back foot, but that caused some serious pain in my feet.  So, I pivoted when he was looking so he wouldn’t holler at me.

The boxing minus the pivoting was fun until he made us do floor work with a medicine ball.  Ab work with a medicine really hurt my lower back and made me cry, which only caused Tony to holler at me more. “Suck it up, butter cup and sit up!”

“I can’t!”

“There ain’t no can’t in my class!”

“Well, now there is because this hurts and I ain’t doing it!  I physically cannot do it!”

He’s right, though. There is no can’t in fitness.  But there shouldn’t be crying either.  Tony and I kissed and made up after the class. ;-)

The next day, I had planned to run 6 miles with some friends, but my feet were killing me.  I could barely walk from all the pivoting.  So I decided to go for a 10 mile bike ride with Jenny instead, because although I couldn’t walk, I could certainly pedal.  Of course, as slow as I go, pedaling doesn’t seem like the right action verb to call how I ride a bike.

After finishing 15 miles prior, Jenny met me for an easy 10 miles on the trail, which wouldn’t be easy for me.  She even rode “heavy” on the gears to slow down to my speed.  Nice. I went so slow I practically rode backwards and I barely even burned any calories.   I really need to work on my speed in the next few months leading up to Iron Girl.

10 miles
Time 50:03
Ave Speed 12.0
Max Speed 14.9

Speaking of Iron Girl, Jenny and calorie burn, Jenny is hosting an awesome Facebook fitness challenge called the 500 calorie {exercise} burn challenge.  Basically, you have to exercise and burn 500 calories and share photos to prove it.  Of course, I barely hit the mark with that biking adventure, but there’s always next time.

Friday, I chaperoned a field trip to Sweetfield’s Farm Sunflower Maze and attended my moms group pampering event later that afternoon.  My aching feet craved a pedicure.  There was always Saturday to strive for a 500 calorie {exercise} burn.

I ran again on Saturday and once again, the humidity choked me, but at least I burned some calroeis for Jenny.

6.2 miles
Time 1:04:33
Ave Pace 10:25
Max Pace 8:03
630 calories

Monday, I appeared on the Mom Squad on Channel 10 News.  Between hubby’s traveling last month and sick kids, I had to cancel my appearances.  Yesterday, we shared opinions on the appropriate age to leave a child home alone.

Speaking of moms, this Thursday, May 9 is National Moms Nite Out and the Tampa Bay Bloggers are hosting a local event at Prime Bar at the Shops at Wiregrass.  All the moms that attend can expect lots of fun, food and prizes!  I can’t wait!  If you want to join us, RSVP via the Facebook event.

National Mom's Nite Out 2012

Tomorrow is Tampa Bay for Boston Run.  It’s in the evening and it’s been a while since I ran in the evening without my children.  Thank goodness it’s just a run and the last run along the St. Pete Pier before they tear it down.   No matter how fast or slow I run, I will be Boston Strong and there to cheer my friend, Marcia.  If you want to join me or run virtually with me, register here.  At least $20 per athlete will be donated to One Fund Boston.

BostonRun_MemorialRun

After tomorrow’s memorial run, I’ll add another 2.62 miles towards my Joggermom Marathon total, but I’ll have to figure out some way to add another 300 calories in for Jenny’s challenge.  My friends, Heather and Jen, are running 5 miles in the early morning.  Should I run with them or conserve energy?

Today, I met my friends, Heather and Larisa, for sprints.  With Heather’s guidance and encouragement, I have stepped up my sprints to 4 x 800m with 0.25 resting/walking laps in between.  Heather normally jogs those resting laps, but she went easy on Larisa and I today.  The jump to half mile sprints was tough but I felt great.  We celebrated with a mile lap victory lap for our cool down.

Total Distance 5.15 miles (with 0.25 walking breaks between each lap)

1.01 mile warm up, Time 10:19

Lap 1 – Ave Pace 7:59, Best Pace 5:48

Lap 2 – Ave Pace 8:04, Best Pace 5:28

Lap 3 – Ave Pace 8:28, Best Pace 6:49

Lap 4 – Ave Pace 8:11, Best Pace 6:34

Cool Down – 1.14 mile Ave Pace 10:13, Best Pace7:46

And even with stepping up my sprints, I still am 9 calories short for the 500 calories {exercise} burn challenge. Bleh.  But at least I only 12 miles left to complete the Joggermom Marathon!

500 calorie burn 5-7-13

Can you hit 500 calories in a workout? Did you step up your speedwork this week?



*Also submitted at*

Stacy

Random Thoughts about Some Rain Delays, Another Boston Run, a Joggermom Marathon and an UnTrack Tuesday

When it rains, it pours. Boy, does that expression have some irony to it this week.  My kids were sick last week and I thought Little Lion Man was feeling better, but now he has this nasty cough.  I think it may be allergies, but I may take him to the doctor tomorrow if it doesn’t clear up.

Then, this morning a violent thunderstorm rolled through, so no speedwork.  I attempted some slow and heavy weight-lifting instead.  I really miss Body Pump and I can’t wait to join the YMCA to participate in that class again.

I guess it’s good that the rain made me miss my speedwork, because I feel like I’m stagnating with my sprints.  Since I’m not getting any faster, I think I need to kick it up a notch with 4 x 800m sprints.  Maybe I’ll try again tomorrow.

I’ve been doing well with my running, but I’ve really slacked off with my triathlon training.  The weather has been all over the place with hot and cool days, so our community pool hasn’t had a chance to really warm up.  I can’t remember the last time I rode my bike, so that’s never good.  If the weather cooperates, I plan to ride 10 miles Thursday morning.  I really need to get back into the swing of tri training because participating in Iron Girl Clermont in September, which will be here before I know it.

Iron Girl in Training_badge

Tomorrow starts the Joggermom Marathon.  This will be my third year participating in the month long virtual marathon.  Each week, there will be lots of prizes and weekly drawings, so if you want to join me, sign up here  and 10% of your entry will go to the American Heart Association Heart, because as you know, heart disease is the number one killer in women.

JoggermomMarathonbanner

Next week, the Florida Gulf Beaches Road Races added another race to their lineup to support the One Boston fund.  The 2.62 Tampa Bay for Boston Memorial Run will happen on Wednesday, May 8.  Chris Lauber organized an amazing Boston Run event and requested my friend, Marcia, to share her Boston Marathon experience.  I can’t miss this one!  I have to show my support my Marcia and Boston.

And speaking of races, registration for the Best Damn Race opens tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. and I’m hoping to score a dollar entry again.  It’s like the NYC marathon slogan says, “a dollar and a dream.”

Last Thursday, I met some friends to run a 6 mile tempo run.  With all my PF issues, it hurts to run fast or maintain a race pace for too long.  Since Heather and Jennifer G only wanted to run 4 miles, I ran one warm-up mile to the clubhouse, ran a good 4 miles tempo with them and then I ran one mile home.  I guess the combination worked because I shave about 30 seconds off my 10K time, which is a good start.  Hopefully, in time, my 10K will be under an hour again.  I would love that!

6.2 miles
Time 10:01:55
Ave Pace 10:00
Max Pace 7:32

While playing nursemaid to my sick kids, I didn’t have the strength to run on Friday.  Then, Saturday Allana and I volunteered at her Girl Scout Troop’s Run 4 Respect, so once again no running happened.  I couldn’t let Sunday slip by without a run, but I was seriously exhausted.  I wanted to run further than I did and ride my bike, but I only ran 3 miles and it wasn’t a great run.  But then, at least I ran!

3.1 miles
Time 30:38
Ave Pace 9:58
Max Pace 7:27

Looks like my speedwork will be scrapped this week, because I’d like to attempt another tempo run on Thursday with my friends and then ride my bike later that morning after I drop Liam off at daycare.  As for the rest of my workout plans this week, I will be trying out a new Kickboxing class with my friends tomorrow night.  Hopefully, I won’t be too sore for a tempo run the next morning.

So, what’s your workout plan this week?  Did the weather force you to skip speedwork this week too?

Psst…even if you miss your workouts, don’t miss out on this FRS giveaway.



Stacy

Pinning and Planning – April 29 (and giveaway)

What’s that quote about “the best-laid plans”?  That was me last week.  I was so excited about the Yelptucky Derby , attending my first Yelp event and having excuse to get all dressed up to wear a fancy hat.  Then my kids got sick.

Our parents have comprised immune systems so we can’t have them babysit when the kids are sick and run the risk of exposing them to whatever our kids caught.  Instead, I sadly hung up my fancy hat to play nursemaid.  Of course, that also meant the meals I planned had to be postponed as my kids only wanted toast and cuddles from mama.

Thankfully, everyone felt better by Saturday so Allana and I could attend her Girl Scout Troop’s Run 4 Respect and the Keel and Curley Blueberry Festival.  We picked berries and enjoyed some wine.  Stay tuned for photos and blueberry themed recipes!

M – Pasta Shells with Tomatoes and Mozzerella Cheese

T – Sautéed Tilapia with Lemon-Peppercorn Pan Sauce on Couscous with Roasted Asparagus

W – Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

Th – Pulled BBQ Pork Sandwiches and Low Fat Classic Coleslaw

F - Pizza

What’s on your dinner menu plan this week?



And to help with menu planning, portion control and tracking it all, I’m giveaway a FitBit Zip, fitbook, a sleek red digital glass scale and a red and white polka dot reisenthel tote. Enter to below! Giveaway ends 5/6/13 at midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Random Thoughts about Stroller Strides, Being Boston Strong and Track Tuesday

My husband’s American Airlines flight was canceled due to some IT difficulties and he was unable to book another because everyone was trying to do the same, which limited the number of available flights.  While still on edge from the Boston marathon bombing, I was so relieved to have him home.

Between FCAT, my youngest daughter behaving poorly at school and my husband’s traveling, the past few weeks have been so stressful and I so glad to have it all behind us now.  Throw the Boston bombings on top and I felt so riddled with anxiety, which only a good night sleep or a good run could fix.

Since I knew I would be running with my kids’ running club and also participating in a trial Stroller Strides class with my moms group, I decided to sleep in on Wednesday morning.  It seemed that the stress was draining me and I needed the rest.

The Stroller Strides class led by Regina, a sweet little pregnant instructor, was fun.  Even Liam enjoyed it!  I wasn’t sure how he would do sitting in a stroller watching Mommy work-out, but he seemed to like it or perhaps he liked making faces at me.  I enjoyed soaking in the sun while exercising.

We met at the trail and after an introductions and a warm-up, we did a short jog.  We stopped between runs for intervals, like lunges and squats singing toddler songs like “The Ants Go Marching” or bandwork singing ABC’s  or “Hurry, Hurry! Drive the Fire Truck!” (Liam’s favorite)   I appreciated all the strengthening exercises, but I thought they were a bit easy.  Or at least I thought they were a bit easy until the next day.  Man, my legs were sore for two days. I guess I could use a bit more toddler song lunges.  Expect a vlog post about that soon!

Later that afternoon, I ran a couple miles with my girls at running club.  It was crazy hot, but I encouraged the kids to keep running Boston Strong.

Thursday, I ran 6 miles. I tried to do a tempo run but my PF heels couldn’t handle it or maybe my heart wasn’t it to it, because I still had Boston on the brain.  Whatever was going on in my brain (Boston bombings and bad behavior) had me deep in thought, however, that concentration quickly broke when a poodle came charging at me. I jumped back into a body combat stance and nearly kicked the mutt in the head. The flat of my foot was inches away from that poor pooch’s snout before he whimpered off back to his house and all I could think was “Chamber your knee!”  But it’s like I always say, all dogs look like Cujo when they come charging at you and a kickboxing Kung Fu kick is literally my knee-jerk reaction.

6 miles
Time 1:02:19
Ave Pace 10:03
Max Pace 7:52

Saturday and Sunday, I slept in. Again, I just wasn’t on my game.  But Monday, I needed to shake off whatever funk I was feeling and get my head back into running along with the rest of the country.  All across the nation, runners met to run #BostonStrong and Fitniche Running Stores hosted our local #BostonStrongTampa.  Proudly wearing blue and yellow (Boston colors), my girls and I joined the run at the Shops of Wiregrass location along with over 400 other runners.  It was truly a tear-jerking sight.

*Photo credit to Fitniche*

We ran along the main boulevard of the mall and exited out onto a road for the long mile stretch. I let my girls set the pace along the 3.1 mile course but encouraged them to stay with it.

My girls wanted to walk more than I would have liked to, but I was just so proud of them for even wanting to be part of this moment.  It was so wonderful to see runners of all abilities out there showing love for Boston.

I even saw a few Striders (Kim, Rachel and Christina) out there.  I loved bumping into them during the run.  Of course, they passed me and my junior running group.

At the mile and a half point, we stopped for water provided by Fitniche and the girls ran the second half even stronger.  Once we reached the entrance to the mall, I told them they had to run back to the running store without stopping, which they did.

Surprisingly, Emmalynn snuck a sprint in the last tenth of mile (just like her mama).  When we reached the finish line she said, “I finished STRONG, mama!”

“You mean you finished BOSTON STRONG!”  It was a true proud mama moment.

3.2 miles
Time 47:56
Ave Pace 15:05
Max Pace 7:17
(Emmalynn’s sprint)

This morning, I ran sprints.  Funny thing with my speedwork, I’m not showing any progress.  I think it may be time to bump it up to 6 x 400 sprints and to push myself a bit more.

1 mile warm up
Time 9:57

Lap 1 – 0.25 mile
Time 1:55
Ave Pace 7:44

Lap 2 – 0.25 mile
Time 1:55
Ave Pace 7:44

Lap 3 – 0.25 mile
Time 1:54
Ave Pace 7:34

Lap 4 – 0.25 mile
Time 1:52
Ave Pace 7:34

1.1 mile cool down
Time 10:36
Ave Pace 9:41

Total Time 28:13
Total Distance 3.1
Ave Pace 9:07

Is Boston on your brain these days or are you staying Boston Strong?



*Also linking up at*

Stacy

Soup du Jour Vlog: Dollar Tree Budget Shopping Trip

soupdujour_blogbuttonI had such eye-opening experience during the Food Bloggers Against Hunger campaign.  Having participated in several food drives, I understood the number of Americans living with food insecurities, however, I had no idea how difficult it is to feed a family with only $4 per meal per person to spend.  The difficult really hit home for me when trying to planning a $4 meal.

If I ran out of my favorite spices like cumin and oregano, would I be able to restock my pantry with those items with only $4 per meal?  A bottle of olive oil would blow that budget.  I realize the price per use for these items is minimal but the upfront cost is significant.  I only buy it once and it lasts a long time.  But what if I ran out of olive oil or my favorite spices?  Could I afford to replace those items with only $4 per meal to give?

Obviously, Target and Walmart wouldn’t be the best place to restock those items.  Even the cheaper bulk bottles of Badia brand spices costs about $4 at most grocery store.  Again, that’s the cost of an entire meal.  Save-A-Lot didn’t leave up it its name for low prices for food.

So, I arranged a budget shopping trip to the Dollar Tree and investigated the cost of spices and other essential meal planning ingredients there.  Although the quality may not be the same as the Badia or Organic Archer Farms Spices that I normally use, some spice sacrifices would need to be made with only $4 per meal.

To my surprise, I found Dollar Tree to be a treasure trove of spices to fill your pantry.   I also discovered some other great deals.


In my Food Blogger Against Hunger aha moment, I made a promise to donate spices, olive oil, chicken stock and other non-perishable food items that are necessary to prepare flavorful foods, but are too pricey for families dealing with food insecurities.

I encourage you to donate some too.

What aha moments have you had lately?



Food Bloggers Against Hunger – Penne and Asparagus {Friday Food Fight}

FBAH LogoOn Monday, I will join over 200 food bloggers to bring attention to the 50 million Americans who go hungry every day.  This call to action was prompted by by The Giving Table and the documentary A Place at the Table, playing in theaters now and also available for download from iTunes and Amazon.

One in six Americans face food insecurity and “it is the highest recorded percentage of food insecure people since the USDA began tracking in 1995”. – Mazon

As part of my Food Blogger Against Hunger call to action, I went on a shopping trip to see what meals I could feed my family if we lived on government subsidies.  In my investigation, I learned that some healthy items are WIC, such as dried beans, tomatoes and brown rice.  I also realized the importance of really shopping around for the best deals on food, couponing and price matching.  Given that, here are some meals that could be prepared for under $4.

Black Beans and Rice

Mojo Marinade – Use frozen chicken breast shared in vlog.  Thaw chicken and pound out to ½inch thickness before marinating.

Lentils and Pasta

Linguini with Roasted Tomatoes and Arugula

Roasted Vegetables

In addition to this call to action, I’m sharing a new recipe for under $4 for this week’s Friday Food Fight.  In my investigative shopping adventure, I spotted deals to make this healthy meal affordable.  This penne and asparagus recipe consists of five main ingredients, including garlic not pictured.

Regular Barilla pasta was a Buy One, Get One Free deal at Publix this week.  Therefore, you could get two boxes of regular semolina pasta for $1.27 instead of box whole wheat for $1.19, if you wanted to stretch your dollar.

The eggs are a WIC item but if not purchased on WIC, you could buy the half dozen for $1.

Those ingredient would produce a similar healthy Penne and Asparagus dish for about $4.

Food Bloggers Against Hunger and Friday Food Fight
Print

Recipe type: Italian, Vegetarian
Cuisine: Pasta
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
Adapted from Skinnytaste, penne and asparagus smothered in a creamy cheesy pasta sauce.
Ingredients
  • 1 lb thin asparagus
  • 1 lb Barilla Whole Grain Penne
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • Salt and fresh ground pepper
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 cup pasta water
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
  1. Rinse asparagus. Trim ends of asparagus and then cut into 2” pieces. Bring 4 cups salted water to boil. Add asparagus and cook 3 minutes, until tender crisp. Drain asparagus.
  2. Cook penne as directed on box for al dente only a minute less. Reserve one cup of pasta water.
  3. As pasta boils, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook until golden. Add asparagus, salt and pepper and sauté about 1-2 minutes, tossing with oil and garlic.
  4. In a small bowl, combine egg yolk, parmesan cheese, 1 cup reserved pasta water, salt and pepper. Whisk well.
  5. Drain penne and return to pot. Lower heat to a low heat and pour egg-cheese egg mixture over penne. Stir continuously to thicken sauce, about 2 minutes.
  6. Add asparagus and toss through penne. Add crushed red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Serve with additional grated parmesan.

Thank you for joining our Food Bloggers Against Hunger campaign and for linking up for this week’s Friday Food Fight.

PhotobucketFBAH Logo

*Also submitted at*

Music Monday: Catch My Breath

This weekend, I had back to back races with a 5K on Saturday and a half marathon on Sunday.  But then I don’t know what’s worth back to back races or two half marathons less than a week apart.

With little rest for the weary after the half marathon, I spent the afternoon with my family and Thomas the Tank Engine at Day out with Thomas: The Go Go Tour.  Then, very early this morning, I appeared on the Mom Squad on WTSP 10 News. Mind you, this was all after a very busy blogging week and never recovering from the clocks moving forward.

Again not back to back marathons, but it was almost as exhausting.  Now, this week I just need a moment to catch my breath.

With Spring Break and Easter next week, rest is now or never because my kids and I have compiled a list of fun things for our Spring Break staycation such strawberry picking, a visit to Airheads, a trip to the beach, canoeing and Busch Gardens.

Will you be resting and catching your breath over Spring Break or do you have lots of fun adventures planned too?

For Music Mondays, I’m now teaming up with my good friend and fellow Marathon Mama, Chrissy.




Visit Xmas Dolly and Jade Louise Designs for more Music Monday.

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox

Join other followers

Switch to our mobile site