Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to my dad, my husband, and my father-in-law. Brian may have the trophy, but I'm going to call it a three way tie.

My Little Experiment

June is half over which means my month-long experiment is half over. I decided to commit myself to a month-long exercise regimen to see if I felt and looked better afterwards. I don't know if four weeks is enough time to even get results, but that's how much time I had before vacation. Thankfully my father works at the Y so I'll still be able to workout while away. The emphasis is on be able to. We'll see if I do.

If I don't count sleeping better, then I have no results to report after just two weeks. But sleep was definitely something my body needed more of so let's say I'm noticing a difference. I hope it's not from exhaustion, though.

Here's my plan for the 4 weeks of June. The runs and walks follow Hal Higdon's spring training plan. Lately it's been two or three miles, though I did one four mile run and I have a 4.5 (new personal record!) coming up this Sunday.

Sunday--Run & Body Flow (yoga class)
Monday--Body Pump (awesome strength training class)
Tuesday--Run
Wednesday--Run & Body Pump
Thursday--Run
Friday--Rest
Saturday--Walk & Body Pump

Mmmm. Crafts.

For those of you who haven't heard, I made a promise to my kids that we'd do a craft each day this summer. Well, at least Monday through Friday. So far I've been true to my word, but my ambition is definitely flagging. I do this all the time; as if I don't have enough on my plate, I find one more thing I have to do. I soon realized that all crafts don't have to include paint, glue sticks, markers, and glitter. What am I saying? We don't do glitter here. Anyway, I told the kids that baking is a craft and the kids have fallen for it. They love mixing and plopping batter in muffin tins. This I can handle! So while we're still doing regular crafts, I've already taken the easy way out a few times.

Some of my friends have asked me if I'm still doing the 'craft thing.' Yes I am and yes I will continue. Here's proof if you need that kind of thing.

Day One -- Caterpillars
Day Two -- Free Craft Day at Udder Delights ice cream shopDay Three -- Jello JigglersDay Four -- Countdown to Vacation Calendar

Some advice: Don't do this activity unless your vacation is less than two weeks away. Our calendar is 24 days long. It probably wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't committed to writing a fun fact about Pittsburgh or Pennsylvania on the back of each card. (I have to do one a night or else Elizabeth would read them all at once and ruin the surprise.) Did you know the city of Pittsburgh has 446 bridges?
Day 5 -- Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

Day Six -- Okay, there wasn't a craft. But we had friends and some of Elizabeth's friends from school over for a backyard summer fun party with the little pool and sprinklers. Good enough.

Day Seven -- Painting with Apples

Admittedly this didn't go as well as I thought it would, but they didn't care.

This afternoon, I think I'm going to take the easy way out again. We're going to make cookies.

Yes I Can

I told you I could. Just not on race day, apparently. Why can't they schedule charity 5Ks on Wednesday mornings at 6:00?

It's Peach Season!

After the race the other day, we visited a local farm to pick our own peaches. The kids loved it. Matthew enjoyed eating a peach right in the middle of the orchard. Neither of them could stop picking once they started. We brought home 11 pounds of peaches. They're so sweet and juicy that we each eat at least two a day.

On the home front, here's a photo I took this morning of our garden.

Obviously, I still have to shop for produce. The cilantro is dying out for the summer, but we're still getting maybe a strawberry a week. The zucchini has bloomed so hopefully those will turn into something soon. We have two green tomatoes, but the peppers are slow-growin'. Finally the basil is taking off! Well, at least one plant, anyway. Maybe all the cat poop helped. Thank you, neighborhood feral cats.