In addition to the Bad Sleep phase I mentioned earlier this week, Elizabeth is also going through a Hitting People In The Face stage. Fortunately for her, she is ALSO-also going through a Pink Cowgirl Boot phase.
Today I tried making the Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies as brownies. Cookies involve a lot of cycling pans in and out of the oven, not to mention a lot of manufacturing of little lumps of dough that keep accidentally detouring to the mouth. So I dumped the whole batch of dough into a greased square brownie pan and cooked it for 38 minutes at 325 degrees F, and let’s just say the whole pan of them is gone already. I need to tinker with the recipe (it should be moister), but there is potential here for greatness.
Third day of Week Three. I couldn’t finish the second 3-minute jogging segment: after 2 minutes I’d stopped thinking I was going to die and started hoping. I think this means I’ll repeat Week Three next week, since this time it isn’t just “I don’t see how I can possibly do more,” it’s “I didn’t successfully complete this week’s assignment and need an extension.”
By the way, I have a genius idea to share. I’ve been struggling with the timing of these jog-walks, since I have to do it when Paul is home–which is when the weather is hottest and the traffic near our house is bad. That is not the genius idea. THIS is the genius idea: this morning when it was cooler, Rob and William and I did laps around our house. I put the twins in their playpen, and Henry was napping. Every time we were in one of the walking segments, either Rob or William walked inside to check on the babies. Also, I had the baby monitor clipped to my waistband–though I realized after we came in that since the other end of the monitor was in Elizabeth’s bedroom, it wasn’t doing me much good monitoring the twins in the living room.
Regardless of the genius factor (and the word “genius” sticks in the throat after relating that little tidbit about thinking the baby monitor would magically monitor the babies wherever they were), it is utterly discouraging to do laps around your house. Well, around my house, anyway–maybe your house is exciting to run laps around. Mine made me feel like a hamster in a wheel, only less fun than that. More like running around and around a house for no reason.
She’s so cute!! Love the boots. The brownies – YUM!!I’m a sucker for brownies.
As for the running, I considered running around my house today, because it wasn’t ideal to do anywhere else, but didn’t do it.
I’m doing it tomorrow though.
First of all, love.the.pink.
Second of all, I admire your dedication. Running around your house, you are really going after this!
Thirdly, is the jogging/walking/running/sweating affecting your pregnancy lbs in a good way yet???
I’m still impressed that you are on week three, though. We’ve had all these family people in town and so I haven’t made it to the gym as much, so I’ve been repeating week two because I’ve noticed that if I go too long between workouts, I lose some of the stamina that I had built up, so I didn’t feel ready to move on to the next workout yet.
But this weekend–week three!
I would love to be doing this program with you. But, and you kinda knew there was one coming, I can’t. My knee is way too effed up for that. Or pretty much anything.
The brownies? Dear God, let me know how that turns out!
Pink? Is my favorite color! Still lovin’ the boots!
Cowboy boots…awesome, potential for brownies…awesome.
I’m in the same boat with timing the running. I have to wait until almost 8 pm and it’s dark and it gives me the willies running after dark in my neighborhood. We have bears. And loose dogs.
I sort of LOVE the idea of runnng around your house. Make it work, man! It reminds me of when my dad taught me to drive by making me drive the 1979 Buick around his farmhouse (there was a “parallel park” station set up in the backyard).
I am going to be brainstorming all weekend on this cookies to brownies thing. Maybe some chocolate syrup or something is called for here?
I have to tell you I am smiling at the image of you and the boys running purposefully around and around your house. I like to get my exercise the old-fashioned way- strolling Target! Although amazingly it hasn’t seemed to do much for my thighs… But I will not cave to running yet!
Also, I enjoy the boots. Immensely.
I also love the pink boots — she looks like one happy cowgirl!
Your running story reminds me of how I used to run laps in my basement when I was in high school. It was winter. In Wisconsin. Sadly, I don’t think running in all those little circles did my knees any favors, even at that young age!
Ha! I can just imagine a you burning a little path-like moat around your house due to all the lapping. I might like that idea if one side of our house didn’t end in a deadly slope to water. I do not care to cross train by swimming.
Good idea though.
That’s awesome. J told me a long time ago his parents used to make him run laps around the house when he was a kid to wear him out, which still makes me laugh. Keep up the good work, Swistle!
Also, boots=cute. And the brownie idea sounds awesome.
Oh my god. I just did the first week three workout, and I am now dead. I am typing this from beyond the grave.
The boots are so cute. I’d like a grown-up pair!
Swistle, that is awesome that you are finding ways to make the running work. Maybe a variation on running around the house will work. I just love the resourcefulness of that idea!
I still haven’t worked in time to EVEN START WEEK ONE. Between working 50+ hours a week and CONSTANT COMPANY FOR OVER A MONTH, I am losing this battle. Oh, the constant cycling in and out of company…
Maybe this week I’ll finally start Week One? Get on my case, would ya?! (All of you who are dutifully on weeks two, three and even four!)
“.. after 2 minutes I’d stopped thinking I was going to die and started hoping.”
Laughing at this…I’ve been there my friend, doing the same program. Unfortunately, I just quit when I became pregnant (high-risk, blah, blah). I’ve been meaning to go back to it for 2 years now…
Omaha Mama– That would be a big NEGATORY. Post-pregnancy weight has persisted, and has in fact ADDED TO ITS NUMBERS. I’m sure this is because jogging is futile, not because of my pan-a-day brownie situation.
Tessie– I sure don’t think chocolate syrup is ever NOT called for. I’m going to compare the recipe to some of my brownie recipes and see what’s different.
Jess– Doesn’t this SUCK???
Artemisia– Week One! NOW! Get to it, girl! Just think how much fun it will be to join us in the bitching and moaning!
Boots! Oh Yes! So cute!
Wish I had a pair in my size. Would match my pink sweater perfectly.
Oh my god yes it does SUCK. Torsten and I just walked around downtown for three hours and after my miserable experience at the gym this morning (which I compounded by also doing a half hour of training on the weight machine), by the end of the afternoon I was begging to go home so I could collapse on the couch, never to move again.
But on the plus side, I have lost 20 pounds over the last two months. This is more due to the Weight Watchers diet I have been following rigorously since June than to the running, I think. But I’m trying to convince myself otherwise as motivation to continue the torture.
love the pink cowboy boots!!! so cute. My daughter loves hitting in the face too. Keep up with running. It was the only thing that worked for me to get my prego weight off…65lbs of it!
Oh those pink cowboy boots. Sooo cute! My six year old went through a whole year when she was two years old of wearing only rubber boots… everywhere and with everything! I had to hide the new black boots from the little one. She was starting to look like a hooker with her tall black boots and short shorts!
When I first read this, I thought you were saying you ran laps around the INSIDE of your house. Which was very impressive on several levels. But now I get it. Good job on week 3!! They say it takes three weeks to form a new habit. Do you feel like the running is becoming more of a habit?
If you’re going to get hit in the face by someone, you at least want them to be adorable in their pink cowboy boots.
Maddie’s going through a Scream Shrill Terrible Scream at the top of her lungs phase. She does not have pink cowboy boots.
I just started reading your blog when the baby was born. You were getting me motivated to start running again, and then I tried the chocolate mint cookie recipe and they were gone in two days so now I really need to start running again. I love mint chocolate. Be sure to post if you figure out a way to make the brownies moister (or is it more moist?).
My daughter had what I think are the same pink boots. Very cute. Very popular.