I'm Back!

I don't know about you, but back-to-school + homework and the restart of extra-curricular activities has made for a very busy two weeks around here. Blogging had to take a back seat while we readjusted and reaquainted ourselves with the fall routines.

So - what have we been up to?

Well, there was the CNE:

View from the top of the Ferris Wheel, taken by my husband. My feet were firmly planted on the ground.

Gym twice a week for circuit + boot camp.  

 

Lots of dog walks, and lots of after-dinner trips to the park. Something about being out in the evening air and seeing the sun start to go down brings me a lot of joy.

 

Running 3x a week. This was hard after taking a few weeks off during vacation and a heat wave. My first run back was an exceptionally miserable 2.7K fiasco, but Stella and I have done runs in the 4.5 to 6K range since then. I'm sticking to 5s/1s and 5s/2s at the moment and focusing on getting the distance up.... 

 

...because the Island Girl run is coming up in a week! It's the last of my Big, Scary Goals for 2012. I'll be running a 10.5K as one leg of a half-marathon relay, and I'm feeling good about it. Don't get me wrong - this is going to be a tough one for me, but I'm no longer feeling sheer terror when I think about it. Something about running 5K+ in training has made 10K less intimidating.

 

Bulb planting in the recently-expanded front garden. 140 crocuses, tulips, daffodils and such are in, and I'm hoping for a colourful spring! NSV: I was expecting to be sore the next day, but my hands and back were A-OK. Core training for the win! 

 

Aaand after my daughter had a rough day yesterday due to a bossy brother, a nasty spider bite, and lots of bumps and bruises (she's particularly clumsy right now...must be a growth spurt), we went on an Emergency Girls' Afternoon Out. I gave her the choice between a bike ride, a craft project or a trip to the salon for her first pedicure. Which one do you think she picked? Here's a hint:

 

Got her fingers done, too - in hot pink. The salon ladies made a fuss over her. Excellent cure for jangled nerves.
And my feet got a badly-need tune-up following a year's worth of running.

Oh! I'm trying to get my kids more involved in meal-planning. Handed them each a cookbook recently and asked them to pick a few things that they'd like to try. My son picked a Curried Pumpkin Soup that was incredibly delicious, nutritious and EASY. Gotta share the recipe!

 

Curried Pumpkin Soup

1 small onion, chopped

Splash of olive oil

2-3 tbsp curry powder

1 can pumpkin puree (~796mL)

1L vegetable stock

2 tbsp maple syrup

salt & pepper to taste

2 cans lite unsweetened coconut milk (~ 400mL/14oz each?)

1 small can chickpeas, rinsed

 

In a large pot over medium heat, saute onion in olive oil and curry powder for several mins, until soft.

Reduce heat slightly; add pumpkin, then whisk in veg stock, salt and pepper, maple syrup. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add coconut milk and chick peas; simmer 5 minutes or until heated through. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Puree with hand blender or in blender/food processor.

 

Top with toasted pecans or pumpkin seeds.

 

The verdict: My son kinda liked it, my daughter refused to try it, and I scarfed down two bowls after my run tonight. Will definitely be making this one again, for my sake at least.

 

How have you been?

Excitingly Busy

Huh - I missed making a post last week.

Things are starting to get back in balance, but it's been "excitingly busy" around here - which is Ali-speak for stressful.

My team at work is running super lean at the moment, so every day has been a hit-the-ground-running-don't-ever-stop kind of day.

I'm putting the finishing touches on one volunteer gig while also putting in the hours to help another one get off the ground. After seven years of producing the monthly newsletter for my daughter's school, I am more than ready to pass it off to someone else - which has involved documenting the processes for the incoming volunteer as well as putting together the June issue.

My new volunteer gig? My neighbours, husband and myself have started a "Friends of" community advocacy group for our local park. It's been a whirlwind two weeks of laying the foundation - research, park audits, maintenance grids, steering committees, social media strategies. Next steps - engage the City Councillor and Parks Supervisor and start with community consultations.

Have been booking summer vacation...day camps...overseeing school projects...supervising piano practice for the end of year recital...

And not sure what possessed me, but I spent the better part of a day cleaning my garage from top to bottom. It's been a couple of years and it was getting scary. Cobwebs, spiders, dirt and old leaves everywhere, as well as a few years' worth of clutter. Yuck. The kids got involved too - they finally realized that they have outgrown many of their old outdoor toys and got rid of about 75% of them. Filled my car to the brim with items to drop off at Goodwill, put a big pile of miscellanous stuff on the front lawn for people to help themselves to (all gone within 24 hours), took a pile of excess sand toys to the sandbox at the park, and filled my garbage can to the top with broken, non-recyclable junk. Swept everything out, hosed things down and then stood back to admire my work. Unbelievable how satisfying that was.

Excitingly busy, indeed!

We also squeezed in a trip out of town to my husband's aunt's new home for a day. That part was more exciting than busy.  Especially because her backyard looks like this:

Tell me again why I live in the city?

Very happy daughter

Son and my sister-in-law

On the exercise front, there have been dog walks, a couple of trips to the gym/bootcamp each week, a run with the dog this week (4.1K), leisure swim and lots of whiffle ball with the kids.

Early Sunday morning at High Park. There are new holes to investigate.

What's up next? Well, a trip to Boston for work for 4 days. Taking my running shoes and swim suit, you can bet on that. Followed by the Spartan Race on 6/24. 

How have you been?  Aside from racing, is June a busy season for you?