I won't give up. -- #TOLT

Hiiiiiiiiiii!  I figured seven random things might be a nice change of pace around here, ya' know? 

Because this blog isn't random enough.

1.  I'm always amazed at what my students can do.  They are MACHINES!  We have regular fitness testing (you may remember it, depending on what state you're from!), where our students are asked to do as many push-ups, curl-ups, PACER test laps, and sit and reach as far as they can.  By testing four out the five fitness components (muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, and flexibility), we can better ensure their physical literacy learning.:)

(I love my job.)

2.  Day three of enjoying the mac and tomato soup for lunch this week.  I won't give up.  Ever.

P.S. I wonder if I'm just randomly obsessed with Apple products...?  Those are two different keyboards to two different Apple computers in the background.  

3.  A little snack and some good reading later during my prep at work.  Three Cuties = a full serving.  I cut back a little.

4.  Teaching Badminton to my sixth graders has been my most favorite unit so far this year.  We set up the volleyball net yesterday so they could play "Ultimate Badminton"; when it was time to tear down and get ready to leave, they threw an absolute hissy fit because they didn't want to stop playing.

(Have I mentioned that I love my job?)

They wanted to play "Boys Vs. Girls", which I am usually fundamentally against.  Buuuuuuut, I want them to be happy, so... ¯\_(😄)_/¯

5.  Um.  Windy sleeping while hugging her back legs is probably my most favorite thing of all time.

6.  I absolutely adore that I can mention one small *need* for chocolate to my husband, and HE IS ON IT.  LIKE IT IS HIS PURPOSE IN LIFE, *ON IT*.

7.  I started using essential oils (Young Living) almost a year ago.  I do not use them every day, and I'm pretty sure that this is the first time I've mentioned it on the blog.  I'm a casual oiler.:)  ANYWAY, I absolutely love this diffuser.  It turns pretty colors and it will last about 24 hours if you fill it up all the way.

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This randomness is brought to you by our lovely Amanda!

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IT IS THURSDAY -- what's your workout for today?


Do you have any weekend plans coming up?  A race?  Travel?  Nothing at all (for once)?


RANDOM (because, why not?) -- What was the last movie you saw in the theater?

There's a burrito under that salad.

I might as well come back to blogging with a random post, right?

And random things definitely need to happen on Thursdays, right?

:)

1.  I'm going to open with something that's not-so-random:  Meet our new fam member, Windy!

We adopted Windy (aka "Fuli") from a local Siberian Husky rescue (Raven's Husky Haven and Rescue), and she has fit right in to our home.  She's so sweet, curious, chill, fun, very athletic, easy going, and loves everyone.

Everyone, and especially Sophia.

It was love at first sight for them!

So now Sophia has a new partner-in-crime.

And I have a new running buddy.  Don't worry:  I'm very cognizant of weather/heat of the sidewalk, and would never put her or her paws in danger.  We've had mild mornings here in Chicago, and she has done very well with three-milers with me.  I'm not sure that I'll ask her to come with me much further than that, but we know she can definitely hit the 5K mark!:)  She handles perfectly on the leash -- I'm REALLY impressed!

2.  Second most important thing to me right now:  School's out for summer.<3<3<3

3.   Which means that many wonderful/hilarious things happened over the past two days.  Field Day being a coordinator for our district's sports administration, and the end of our Jump Rope for Heart event kept me very, very busy.  That included getting pied int he face by our top donator (the top six individual donators got to choose myself, work husband, our Principal or Assistant Principal, our Technology Coordinator, or our Dean of Students -- I was so happy that everyone was on board!).

She's lucky that she's one of my favorite students.:P

4.  I have to "trick myself" to eat salads.  I don't really appreciate the texture of leaves, so I'll mix salad stuffs in with whatever I'm having for lunch.  Case in point:  There's a burrito under that salad.  I'm one of those people that can mix food together, so every bite included a bit of a Southwest Amy's Burrito, and a bite of salad.  I get what I want, and what I need.

Side note:  Windy crosses her paws like a lady. 😂

5.   First #NetflixBinge of the summer break for me = The Biggest Loser on Hulu.  Talk about a throwback!  I started with season six; it was one of my faves back in the day.

P.S. I love Jillian.  I have always loved her, and will always love her.  She can do no wrong.

Have an awesome Thursday, y'all!  I'm off to stalk all of you like a mad woman.

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Tell me what you're workout is today!
-MUAY THAI for me!  Yaaaay!

RANDOM:  What's your fave breakfast item?
-Eggs ---> sunny side-up for me, kthnx.


Do you run with your pup?  If so, how far do y'all go together?

The most important things in my life at the moment

This has been a long week!  Therefore, I'm just going to highlight some random things in my life that are getting the most attention from me.

P.S.  That's not any different from any other TOLT -- just sayin'.

Spoiler alert:  Food, training, and teaching P.E.  That's basically it.😂

1.  Can we talk about overnight oats for just a second?  Healthy Diva Katie makes them so often, I decided to give it a try.  It's pretty darn good!

Also?  I'd do just about anything Katie does.  I'm not ashamed to say that.

2.  These shooooooooooes feel like pillows on my feet!  They're my new solemate shoes!  Running in these babies make me feel very efficient with my gait and form.  PT Ed gave me some drills to do in the first mile of every run, and I'll go over those tomorrow; but these shoes really make everything feel right.  Even the drills.

3.  I'm just gonna throw this out there into the universe:  Soup and salad on a cold, rainy day is the cat's pajamas.  I had basically a repeat salad from Monday, and threw in some of my fave tomato soup.

4.  Sometimes you gotta play an enormous game of Frogger with your first and second graders to make life awesome for everybody.  (My students were waiting for me to take this picture on the side, practically frothing at the mouth.)

5.  For every bone-chilling minute I was out in the rain and storms yesterday heading up a track meet, I had to remind myself that it was worth it not to work for money (but maybe for boredom) over the summer.  It really started to downpour during the last 400 of the boys medley at the end of the event.  I ran to the car without saying goodbye to any of the coaches. *blush*  I got home and took the longest shower of my life (to where the hot water nearly went out!  Sorry, Earth!).

I hope you have a wonderful Thursday!  I know it's been a long week for a lot of people, especially Teachers!  We're almost there, guys! <3

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It's only Thursday, but I really love food -- What was your fave meal this week so far?


WEEKEND PLANS!  Tell me what's goin' on!


What was the last movie you watched?  How'd you like it?

What are you listening to?

HI, GUYS!  Are you ready for 10 random things that I've been thinking about as of late? 

Good.  Herewego.:)

1.  So, I'm officially obsessed with story/fiction Podcasts.  There is something so romantic (like old-timey) about listening to stories, like how we used to with radios (think "War of the Worlds").  Do you listen to any Podcasts like these?  I've listening to "Limetown", and just started with this one (it started in 2009, for crying out loud!).

2.  Here's how my day started:  45 sleepy minutes on the trainer.  Do you like to train in the morning, or in the afternoon?  Both?  You animal.:)

3.  I was out the door by 6:50am, and after yesterday's fiasco 

()

I was excited to see traffic moving like a boss.

4.  LOOK AT HOW EXCITED I AM TO EAT!(One pouch of Trader Joe's Apple Cinnamon oatmeal, 1 TBSP Coconut Cashew butter, 1/2 TBSP Chia seeds)

I<3 you, oatmeal.

5.  I saw PT Ed last night, and it went REALLY well.

I GOT TO RUN FOR A MINUTE.:)  Ed gave me more exercises to do, then checked my running gait/biomechanics.  He said that I have great form (!!!!!!!), with a couple of things to work on when I get back to regularly running (i.e. turnover).

(Source)

And speaking of which, it's going to be pretty tough when I get back to running.  I basically have to start over.  All over.  As in, when I first started running in 2008.  But I'm viewing this as a "I wish that I knew what I know now" situation.  I'm not 100% newb like I was nine years ago, and that'll make running life a little easier.

6.   And for real, on that note, life (in general) would be way more simple if we all took this picture seriously.  

7.  Back to food:  Ever get really proud of yourself over a great food idea?  Yes.  Me.  Always.

8.  Ummmm, I let this happen yesterday.

(Turn down the volume -- I got really loud with all of the excitement, lol)

9.  I'm SUPER EXCITED BECAUSE I GET TO SEE MY SUZ tomorrow night!  She has such a beautiful soul, has a wonderful talent for encouraging and lifting other up, is a fantastic athlete and trainer, and is extremely dedicated to the art of food porn:

10.  This weekend is mine and Sophia's FRIEND-IVERSARY!  We're celebrating, BIG TIME.

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RECAP QUESTIONS:

What Podcasts are you listening to?


Latest food hack that you're especially proud of?


What was the last fun thing you celebrated?

An "off" then "on" day!

Hey, y'all!  HAPPY DECEMBER!

Let's talk about my weird day yesterday.  I know that everyone has their *off day*, but this one was pretty goofy.  Don't worry!  Somehow, everything ended up "on" again.


1.  My Wednesday started out much like my Monday ----> 45 minutes Spin class with my fave instructor, and 20 minutes of rowing.  I've never been one to jump on the rowing machine, but I'm kind of digging it.  I'm not confident about swimming (flip turn + wall push-off hurts my heel), so this is a great way to work endurance with my arms.

2.   Fantastic workout aside, this was me yesterday morning: 

 3.    Me, in "winging it" mode.  Note:  Not from yesterday.  Just a random pic.

4.  On my way to work, my car decided to set the theme for the day. 

4.  I stopped by the store, completely ignoring the low fuel warning (I had plenty of gas to get to work, my car is just really dramatic), after realizing that I had forgotten my lunch bag at home.  REALLY.  How on earth would I ever forget FOOD?  I grabbed up some items that would be easy to make without a dish or bowl.  I somehow ended up with a craving for Vitamin C.

5.  And speaking of which, let's take a break from my goof-ups of the day to reflect on my new vitamins -- ahhhh, now I feel like a real adult.  It helps that they're delicious...I get excited about eating, and I don't care if that's kind of sad.:P

6.  BACK TO IT:  I was totally underdressed to go out for recess duty, so I had to borrow the Chicago Fire scarf that my President Obama (cutout) wears.  At this point, I really knew I was having a total OFF day.

7.  Lunch was just silly.  I had planned on hitting up Subway, but I no longer felt like being outside.  It was cold and cloudy out.  I'm still wearing Das Boot/Herman Munster boot to work, and didn't feel like walking four blocks for food.  I didn't have any dishes around, so I made some oatmeal in my coffee mug (that I had drank coffee out of prior to...see the coffee grounds on the side?), and nom'd with a plastic spoon.  At least it had peanut butter in it.

8.  Let's switch gears with this particular message.  "Off" days are good for us.  Challenges are great for us.  They're all there for wonderful reasons.  And as jokey as I can be about an awkward day brought on by procrastination and forgetfulness, it just goes to show that the spectrum of "difficult" can have a pretty large range!

9.  Something did end up turning my day around, though.  And I'll tell you what -- I'm not even ashamed that it was something yummy.  Around 1:00pm, after watching the sky gloom over even further and the temps drop even more, I randomly remembered that I had pouches of hot chocolate mix in my desk drawer.

I couldn't tell you if I was happier that I got to have a warm treat, or that I remembered something.

Probably the former; I always remember that I have sweet things and where I put them.  Always.

So there I was, suddenly enjoying an 'on" day.  Sometimes all it takes is something small to put life into perspective.  And that something small for me was hot chocolate.  Bless.

10.  And seriously, I'm way ahead of the game when it comes to other things.  Like decorating for Christmas.  I'm REALLY excited for Christmas this year.  Soph nails putting the star on the tree every year!

Also?  Home isn't the only place where I decorate for the holidays.  I can't help myself...I look forward to doing my bulletin board each month.  After putting up the decorations around the house the other day, Sophia and I realized that we had some light strands leftover with nowhere to go.

Until now.<3

AND?  The lights twinkle.  

Thanks for the linkup, Amanda!

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When was your last "off" day?  Did you turn it around at some point?



What was your last workout where you surprised yourself?  Tell me about it!



Favorite way to WARM UP from being outside in the cold?  Is it a beverage, a blankie, a snuggle...?