November Running Mom Challenge

I'm hoping most of you remember my postings about the amazing group of women I've found that share my passion/insanity/love/hate for running. In September, I challenged our group of over 100 mothers to run 343 miles for the 343 fallen firefighters in 2001. We surpassed that goal within a few days and ran over 3,000 miles that month to honor each life lost on September 11, 2001.

In November, we are running to Afghanistan. 6,751 miles from the East Coast of the USA to Afghanistan, in honor of Veterans everywhere. Watch our journey here on my blog, and you can also view the progress on Daily Mile: http://www.dailymile.com/challenges/4124-running-moms-to-afghanistan?cr_id=OkNoYWxsZW5nZTo0MTI0&ur_id=MjI5MzQ0.

Feel free to leave us encouragement! I will update as we continue through November.

Today's Naptime Project

I realized that we were without treat bags for the upcoming Halloween festivities. And we're going to Trunk or Treat at Church this afternoon. Panic? No way. Sew one! Or two, in our case.

Halloween 5k Race Report

Cold, windy, raining, yuck! Not a bad run for me, of course the rain tampered with the big clock, so I'll have to wait until Wednesday to see what time I had, but I'm thinking between 40 and 42 minutes. I did reasonably well with my 5:1 running/walking interval. I hit mile 1 at 12 minutes (my goal pace) and then slowed down with cold and fatigue. Finished strong thanks to my dear friend Jennifer (she comes back for me after she finishes!) and ran the last .6 of a mile and sprinted a tad at the end to keep someone from passing me.

Fall Cookies

Baking cookies used to be really easy. I'd make the dough, bake the cookies, and be done with it. Obviously that was before I decided to attempt "Super Mom" status. Yesterday we made cookies. It was an all day affair. In the morning, we ran to the commissary for the extra flour I'd need (of course I pick a recipe that calls for 6 cups of flour!). Then I made the batter while the kids had naps (in between hemming clothes and working on Halloween costumes). After lunch we started rolling out the dough and using cookie cutters. Here's where the real fun began!

Declan and Abi wanted to help, but really, this was not a job for "helping." I sent the to their play kitchen, complete with a bowl, a spatula, and some cookie cutters. They made their own cookies, for about 10 minutes. I completed all the cookies and then decorated some of the little ones with the Spray Frosting for snacks. We'll finish decorating the rest this weekend.

Its starting to smell like crock pot season!

Tonight was crock pot meal number one for the week. I think this is a Kate recipe, but I can't be sure.

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken


Toss 8 small, boneless, skinless chicken thighs in 3 tablespoons of flour and place in the crock pot.
In a small bowl, combine:
1/3 cup orange marmalade (I used some made by Kate)
1/3 cup BBQ sauce
2 T soy sauce
1 T grated fresh gingerroot
Poor the liquid mixture on top and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours. Do not over cook, it will dry out the kitchen.

I served mine with brown rice. Yum!

Pumpkin Patch Take Two

Our playgroup on base (well, one of them) went to Summer's Farm in Frederick to explore the Pumpkin Patch this week. To put this in perspective ... Six vehicles filled with 10 moms, 1 grandma, and 24 kids!

This Farm was full of activities for us. A hay ride, corn filled sandboxes, several big slides, mazes, animals, and a giant inflatable pillow for jumping. That's where our adventure started.

The kids and I had a blast on the slide. Declan adventured first, then I sent Abigail down. The best part was watching them try to climb the hill holding hands. At one point, they came tumbling down together. Then, I took Abigail down, it was so much fun!

Then we threw the kids into the corn filled sand-box. Of course, the day would not be complete without some adorable pictures. 

I made this little dress for Abi to wear on this trip. I really wanted to find Declan's Halloween shirt, but ended up dressing him in a green polo, which was wonderful, because in the sea of orange girls, I could find him very easily.

Crockpot Oatmeal

My kids and DH love oatmeal. So much so that when I sent DH to the store for oatmeal, he bought a big container of oatmeal so he could supplement his Quaker Flavored packets. Unfortunately, he bought Steel Cut Oats. The kind that takes over 30 minutes to make in the morning. Well, I love my family, but getting up 45 minutes before everyone else to make them breakfast? Eh. Off to google......

Its so simple! Here are the basic steps:

1. Line your crock pot bottom with some Aluminum Foil
2. Find an oven proof bowl that will fit all the liquid you will need AND will fit in the crock with the top on(4 cups for 4 servings) - I used my Pampered Chef Pour-able 8 cup Batter Bowl
3. Pour in the oats, then add the water and milk. We like our oatmeal creamy, so I did half milk and half water.
4. Add water to the crock, at least enough to cover half of the oatmeal bowl.
5. Put the top on, turn on low, and go to sleep.

I made mine with peaches, so I put the them into the bowl before cooking them. The peach flavor was everywhere! After it was done, I added some extra milk, a little brown sugar, and Yum!

Double Baptisms

October 9th, at our "home" church in Harrisonburg, Virginia we celebrated the Baptism of both of our children. It was so nice to have our families with us and to do it in such a welcoming and sentimental place. DH and I were married there almost 5 years ago, and the kids have frequently visited that church. Pastor Dave, who helped us start our lives together, officiated.

Abigail's sponsors are my sister Maggie, and our dear friends (who we met while in AZ in 2007) Andrew and Kate. Declan's are my best friend from college Rachel, and his Uncle David and Aunt Carrie. We are so happy that everyone could make the trip for their special day.

 

After the service, we gathered downstairs for some lunch and, of course, cake. Here is one of my favorite pictures from the day, a family picture!

31 Days to an Organized Home

My friend Kate turned me onto this blog in an attempt to calm me down after one of my weekly freak outs. (I can't help but do this weekly when I feel my house/life is out of control.) Most of you are probably thinking, yeah right, Rebecca has it all under control. I normally feel this way too, but sometimes I just get behind in housework and life in general. I quickly read Day 1 and realized that clutter is bad! Especially when you move frequently. So, I skipped ahead to Day 2 and redid my closet!

What I changed:

• shoe bins for the kids on the shoe shelf by the front door
• condensed all paper products and put them in the storage unit in the garage, freeing up shelf space
• stacked two bins of winter clothes to create more floor space
• put all "running gear" in a basket, condensing clutter on the shelf
• created a dry erase calendar to keep my daily packing list so I don't forget to put anything in the car

What I have left to do:

• gradually replace mismatched hangars so everything looks uniform
• remove puzzles and games from the shelf, when I have a designated place
• move shoe shelf into closet? 
• add some hooks for umbrellas, hats, leashes, etc.

This is the blog, and I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Shenandoah Valley Pumpkin Patch

A few weekends ago, we hit the road and headed southwest to the Shenandoah Valley. While visiting with our families and baptizing the kids, we also visited the local pumpkin patch. (The same one Declan and I went to in 2009.) Here are some pictures!

 

 

Catching up on Life

I can't believe how fast this year is flying by. We're already halfway through October. Christmas is about 10 weeks away. Wow. Last year at this time, we were awaiting our visitors in Germany and preparing for trips to Munich and Nuremburg. This year, we're settling into fall with pumpkin patch trips and afternoons playing outside. Declan and Abigail are growing and learning new things at an alarming rate, its really quite scary. But one thing that hasn't changed over the last year is how much they love to play together.

October 2010

October 2011

Declan's Photo Shoot

My dear friend Kate took some amazing photos of Declan. Here are some more of them!

Own Your Stuff!

This morning's sermon was spot on, yet again. I love that each and every week is exactly what I need to hear at that time! Today the pastor spoke about self-control. About owning your own stuff and letting other's stuff go. I really do need to remember to focus on me and not on anyone else. ("Me" includes my husband and my children, just so we're clear.) I do not need to worry or let anyone else's problems affect me. This is very hard for me to do, I always feel the need to fix situations. And I often worry about my friends and anything that may be bothering them.

This week I am focusing on letting everyone else's "stuff" go. Please keep this in mind as we talk this week. I am, of course, always willing to help out my friends, but I really need to stop stressing about it. I need to focus on what is mine. I need to Own My Stuff.

This Running Mom

Logged 19 miles of running in September.
Ran one 5k.
Contributed those September miles to help the Running Moms run a mile for every life lost on 9/11. (And we did!) Collectively we ran 3165.5 miles in September. Amazing!

WILL
  Run at least 1 mile, or log 30 minutes of exercise, each day of October.
  Run 50 miles in October.
  Run a 5k in under 40 minutes in October.
  And do it all with a smile!