Happy Monday & Music Monday

I have two Monday themed posts, and lately I've just been switching off what I'm doing, but today I think I'm going to do both. Partly because I want to, and partly because I don't want to get up and clean my kitchen right now. So this will help me procrastinate!!

Happy Homemaker Monday:

The weather::
It's been cold & windy lately. We've had a bit of sunshine off & on, but it's Summer in England so we have more cold days than warm. I think after the summer solstice we'll be getting a few more warm days, but nothing like that week & a half of crazy heat.

On my reading pile::
I've been on a Midnight in Paris kick. I loved the movie and the books that I've read by the authors featured in the film. So I'm rereading some I haven't picked up since high school as well as some I had never read before.
Right now I'm reading Save Me The Waltz by Zelda Fitgerald. I love it so much. The prose is sloppy, but the imagery is just brilliant. She paints a beautiful scene with her pictures. I'm only about halfway through right now, but I'll be finishing it soon & then I'll move on to Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Zelda's husband) both novels are loosely based on their lives together, so it's interesting to see the same relationship from different points of view.

On my TV::
UEFA Euro 2012 tournament has taken over my television!! I was very happy when Croatia won last night. Since my papa was born there I have a soft spot for them, but I'm also rooting for a few other teams.

On the menu for this week::
I don't have a set day-to-day menu for this week. I've been so busy going to the gym 6 days a week, and on top of that we have Layla's activities. So we've stocked up on chicken breasts and other healthy meal ingredients and just playing it by ear. Jer has a weird week at work this week so he might not even be home for dinner some days.

On my to-do list::
Make a plan for the gym tomorrow- working out my arms!
vaccum
clean the kitchen (it desperately needs some cleaning!!)
Finish items for etsy shop

What I'm creating::
I've been so terrible with my crocheting. I have hardly done anything for my etsy shop! I'm nearly done with my Hunger Games ornaments. I need to make 6 more from pages out of the last book (so I'll have 9 sets to sell) & then I need to embroider 4 more pages to send out with the ornaments. I need to really get started on my crochet items. I want to get some scarves and ear warmers done and ready to list in August. Lately I've been working on a ripple baby blanket I'll be sending to some soon-to-be parents I know, and then after I get the ear warmers and scarves done or nearly done, I might do some blankets to sell as well. We'll see.

Summer Fun::
We've been so busy! On days that there is sunshine we try to get to the park or track to get some energy out, but we go to the gym nearly every day & Layla has gymnastics and ballet classes during the week!

Looking around the house::
My kitchen is a right mess. So is my living room, but Layla is playing in there right now. All of her ballet clothes from this morning are on the floor. I am hating this house less and less the longer we live here, but I still hate the plumbing with a burning passion. I just want to take a decent shower!!

From the camera::

Something fun to share::
I don't really have anything fun, except maybe this picture of a rabbit I made friends with. Her name is Truffles & she likes to eat shoelaces.

Looking forward to this week::
I always look forward to Layla's gymnastics class. I am unable to sit in there & watch, but they have a small video screen we can watch them on & they are just so cute!! Also looking forward to gym time with my friend, Amber on Friday. She met us there today & Layla LOVES playing with her daughter, Isobella. It's always easier when there are other kids there, and since we're usually the only ones there Layla gets bored easily and sometimes I have to cut my workout short or modify it so she can work out with me.


& Music Monday!!

I love love love M. Ward. He is in two bands that I love, and he also has many albums out of his own. I have everything he's ever made. His bands are She & Him (probably the most popular because of Zooey Deschanel) & Monsters of Folk. I looooove MoF. They are brilliant & beautiful & simple.
Here is the music video for The Sandman, the Brakeman, and me Have a listen. love & enjoy them as much as I do!!

Fitness Friday

So I slowly started working my way away from the elliptical & on to the treadmill or road. I started out warming up on the elliptical, moving over to the treadmill for a mile, then finishing up my miles on the elliptical. I was pretty sore, but mostly painfree. Taking it slow was driving me bonkers, but I was getting there. Then last weekend I was asked if I wanted to run the warrior dash 5k in London at the end of the month. It's a 5k race with obstacles throughout. I really wanted to run it, but I needed to test out how far I could run pain free to see if I'd be able to run this. So I went to the gym and hopped on the treadmill. Instead of just running 5k & declaring myself ready I decided to throw in a bit of circuit training.

Run 1/2 mile, strength training, run 1/2 mile, strength training, etc.

I ran 2.5 miles doing pushups, squats, deadlifts, dumbell jerks, and reverse crunches in between each half mile. I didn't want to run any further & push my luck, then end up injured and unable to run for a while. So I hopped off and experienced the best runner's high. I knew that if training continued I'd be able to run the race pain free!

Since then I've not stepped back onto an elliptical! I've been on the treadmill and the road! The other day I set out to run a 3 mile circuit on the treadmill, but ended up running 5!! Five beautiful, pain free miles! Well, mostly pain free. My injuries aren't flaring up, my body is just not used to running so much anymore so I end up more sore than I used to get.

This time around I am also determined not to hit that 5k plateau. I'm a rare fat runner, and I'm tired of going to races or being the only one at the gym that doesn't look cute in exercise clothing. Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour clothes are not made for my body shape. They're the most comfortable fabric to work out in, but they are grossly unflattering on me. 

So instead of just doing around 3 miles on pretty much every run, I am slowly working on building that up & including a long run EVERY WEEK, not just once every month, or whenever I bloody feel like it (which was hardly ever.) I think my problem was running too far for my fitness level & then taking far too long to recover.

My biggest challenge will actually be not stuffing my face after every run with all the foods in my kitchen. 

The past month I've actually been really good about this. I still have days where I am ravenous, and want to eat everything in sight, but I've been able to contain myself. I won't claim that I've had a prefect diet this month, but trying to eat paleo meals & cooking at home instead of going out has helped tremendously. 

I've lost NINE LBS since I started running after my costochondritis injury!! 

I am quite proud of myself.

I just need to keep this up. My hard work & willpower will pay out in the end. I won't just be a runner; I'll actually look like one!

Wish me luck for my Sunday run. I'll be running 6.5 miles around the flight line. It'll be the longest run on the road since I injured my foot when I tried to run that route as my first run back after the costochondritis.

**I wrote this out yesterday, but I just noticed it didn't post. So this is fitness friday a day late!