Playground DIY Crossfit

So I ran 11 miles last Saturday.  And burned over 1000 calories.  And felt like doing absolutely nothing for the next 5 days!!

The actual run occurred in the early morning hours and felt fantastic.  We averaged about a 10 minute mile - which is faster than my best half marathon time from before - much better.  Took the Eric's Sport Shot before and then the Eric's Sport Ade half through.  Some of the run was following the path of the Edmonds half marathon which I am planning to run 1 week from Sunday gah!

But for the next couple days I was pretty sore, and worn out and just did not feel like working out at all.  I remained somewhat mindful of what I was eating but couldn't even get a push up in.  In my defense, the older two boys started school this week and it was mighty hectic around here.  But I have always found a way to make time in the past.  Oh another excuse is the YMCA was closed.  And we have a giant project that we are working on (details coming soon!) Oh and I just remembered we did a crazy arse workout the day before the 11 mile run.  The Chelsea (go ahead google it!!)
But still, the more you don't work out, the more you don't want to work out!  Which is why I had to call my best workout buddy for a workout today.  Plus I knew she would be up for combining it with a park play date too!

Our workout (courtesy of a quick Google search for "toes to bar WOD") was:
wait, first Eric's SPORT SHOT to get me going!!
then
4 rounds
20 burpees
15 toes to bar
10 handstand push ups

Now my dear friend has had crossfit memberships in the past so she has showed me toes to bar but I have yet to try.  Here is what it is supposed to look like when you are amazingly strong:

And I tried to do one... or two... but then headed to modification time, knees to chest!  It still worked me crazy but I'd like to get them toes to the bar sometime!  We did these on the monkey bars at the park.  Eric gave me some pointers after - to gather strength from all the muscles in your back and your arms.   And to believe you can do it!

Photo cred to my 4 year old - pretty good yah!?

So we did 20 burpees on the grass near the playground, 15 toes to bar (really knees to chest for me) and then 10 pushups with our feet on a bench and we did this 4 times.  The kids were running around the playground or us or both and sometimes joined in on the fun.  I did bribe my 4 year old with candy and money for staying right close to my little guy so that helped.  But we got the workout in and it felt good to be back at it.  It really helps to have support, which is why I am so thankful for the great friends I have around me - but I will save that for another post!

DIY WOD with kids!

Tonight I had the two little guys with me while I was trying to get my workout on - they don't make it easy!  We have four boys and our littlest is 19 months old and our third son just turned four.  They like attention, at all times.

Here's the workout I was working with (after taking Eric's Sport Shot of course!):

Farmers Walk 200m with two 45/35 lb Dumbbells

70 Kettlebell Swings 24/16 kg 

30 Burpees

70 Ring Rows

30 Weighted Push-ups 35/15lbs

Walking Lunge to Stop sign

I got the workout out from reading the Edmonds Crossfit WOD and seeing farmers walk and wanting to try it and then googling farmers walk WOD and finding this workout from a Crossfit gym in Tallahassee (http://www.cftally.com/blog/tag/farmers-walk).  Isn't the internet amazing!?  

So the farmers walk was not 200m.  It was however, as many times up and down the hall I could walk with Eric's two 35lb giant dumbells in my hand.  And the Kettlebell Swings were just with a 12 lb dumbell I've had for years.  I hold one end of the dumbell and swing out with the other.  But I did 70, all while trying to make sure I didn't smack my Maddox upside the head with it.  I tried to make him a little dumbbell out of train tracks but he wanted the real deal. I did 30 burpees, pausing about every 5 or 10 to get something or other for the kids.  And then all three of us hung off the kitchen table for the 70 "Ring Rows" or I should call them Kitchen Table Rows.  I had Braedon sit on my back for the Weighted pushups - he's over 30 lbs! I did the walking lunge until the kids stopped me (think I made it two time around the couch) and realizing I had no idea how far it was from the crossfit gym in Tallahassee to the stop sign. And then started on the squats and by number 30 Maddox had had enough - so I did the rest with him.  My new back squat technique:

So with the kids we added some modifications to the workout but I was still feeling pretty shaky and sweaty by the end.  And I promise Maddox was much happier than he looks in the picture!

A five in the morning kind of blog

On vacation and DS2 (age 6) pees the bed.  We are at my parents house - where you can't just throw a towel over it and say go change and get back to bed (I'm not the only one who does that right?!)  So after 40 minutes of stripping the bed and hand washing the down comforter and sponge bathing my son and silently finding new linens in the linen closet right next to sleeping DS4, and remaking the bed I glance over at the clock, 5:00.  And then I lay in bed, eyes open and here I am.

The most frustrating part is before they scooted off to bed, my mom asked them if they used the bathroom and they said yes.  And now with a pee filled pile of sheets in my arms when I ask DS2 if he actually did use the bathroom before bed he says no.  Just like that, just no.  Like earlier when DS1 comes over yelling his brother just punched him in the cheek and so I ask him, 

did you punch him in the cheek?

NO, I didn't do that. 

So what happened?

Well, I punched him the cheek.

These boys left last saturday to hang with the grandparents.  And after 10 days of life without me, I am amazed at who they have become, and not in a good way.  Am convinced we would have an all out Lord of the Flies kind of situation given a complete lack of authority.

My parents have done an amazing job, but these two have been largely left to their own devices.  And literally their own devices, as in watching TV and playing DS at every unsupervised moment.  Am sure this whole experience has been good in many ways for them - like their independence and their friendship as brothers, and their relationship with their grandparents.  But it has enlightened me to the delusions that I hold my kids to! It will just take a little reprogramming to get them from the back talking, lying, manipulative kids they have become to the polite, good decision making, kind hearted, truth telling boys I imagine them to be. 

OK am off back to bed.  My left eye is leaking and I only got 3 hours of sleep the night before.  I think I mistyped earlier by calling this vacation.  I have three of the four kids, including our mr. mayhem, 18 month old DS4 and no real help. Meaning my mom and dad are all - so we are sleeping in in the morning and I am like, well ok.  Too bad DS4 can't play DS or I'd give into it all and let the unsupervising begin.

by the way did get a quick workout in the yard with the kids playing around me:

30 air squats, 15 pushups

30 box jumps, 15 pushups

30 split squats, 15 pushups

30 squats, 15 pushups

did the split squats and the box jumps off the back deck.

Anything for a three year old

Did I just spend an hour of my life cutting slices of string cheese into little heart shapes for my sons snack at his preschool tomorrow? Why yes, yes I did. And only after remembering we were responsible for snack at 11:30pm. This after placing rubber bands around 52 valentines with Starbursts attached to them because the little flaps wouldn't hold them down. This after cutting out lines and curves of sticky labels to place on Marcus' basketball themed valentines box. This after cutting out hoops for said valentines box. After cutting out letters that he can put on in the morning so he doesnt have to say his mom did it all. After cutting a curly cue out of Eric's valentines box in attempt to emulate his much more elaborate chutes idea and finding name and heart stickers so he too does not have to lie when bringing his box to school as his own. This after wrangling four kids through a Dairy Queen drive thru dinner (including a trip back to get the cheeseburger they forgot) because we had spent so much time on just printing out the class rosters and labeling the valentines. And I know... I know I shouldn't have let them eat the chocolate bars that we couldn't include because they had peanuts in them. Or the dilly bar dessert either. And that perhaps bedtime would have included a lot less crazy without the sugar and the last minute franticness of it all. 
But I was looking for easy. Easy after a day that included a trip to the library where I had to drag Braedon out while he tried to hold onto everything we went by and yelling, "NOOOOO, YOU A BAD MOM... NO PRESENTS FOR YOU" all while holding Maddox. And this after 10 minutes of embarrassing mommy tactics including, but not limited to bribing with a lollipop, bribing with iPhone time, threatening with sending into calm down corner, counting to random numbers, lying about closing time and threatening to leave without him (which he said was a good idea, he will wait there and play computers). And the more I craved the easy, the crazier it got. My self inflicted ailments of overmommying have got me to this place. This place of typing one handed while comforting my coughing Braedon and just hoping these words can help bring resolve. There is no restart button.

Btw, can I also tell you that my snack plans for our "friendship" gathering tomorrow includes a mixed race grouping of Annie's bunnies and smiley face pears. I would pat myself on the back except it is 2 in the morning and I would score this day as anything but a win.  Happy Valentines Day!

Running on Eric's Sport Shot

I run on Eric's Sport Shot!!
So yesterday morning I literally ran 8 miles on Eric's SPORT SHOT with an Eric's SPORT ADE boost at mile 4. I've been training for the Seattle half marathon and have been running on a schedule where 8 miles is the farthest I've run yet. Like farthest in my lifetime. As in I am so not a runner and never thought I would be but when taking the Eric's Sport Shot you get excited to do all kinds of things... Like sign up for marathons and run 8 miles on a Sunday morning!
But even when not logging miles, I'm running on Eric's. Wake up to the morning madness, stumble around to find that Eric's Sport Shot, take it down and am ready for the day! From running the home to running this business, I am running on Eric's! Not sure there would be any other way to balancing the demands of motherhood and the demands of Eric's Energy Co.
So, for those of you running... running a marathon, running your home, your job, your business, running your LIFE, you can do it all with Eric's!

The opposite of energy shot

Enjoying a nice glass of red with 2 babybels. Am trying to relax and not get too upset with the exercise regimen my 7 year old son came up with for me. As he says, he wants me to be happy and lose weight! Yay! I guess this is a great lesson in how kids are much more aware then you could ever imagine. And with that thought I vow to love myself more, compliment myself more and believe in myself more. And maybe with that Eric's Sport shot we got coming out, I'll start in on that exercise plan! I'll have to post a copy of it later. It includes jumping jacks, a 2 mile run and some eye tests. Love it.