Wordless Wednesday...featuring chicken and the glass harp

Dinner...

Source: Uploaded by user via Sergio on Pinterest

And a serenade over drinks... that you'd better not be sippin'...



I found both amazing...for entirely different reasons...obviously.

Twosday

In the past two days I've done two things that two years ago I couldn't do.

First thing:  Last night I ran a total of about two miles with two of my kids.

To start, I went out with my big girl for her debut run in real running shoes. She was super jazzed. And she ran a strong and fairly steady 0.83 miles. This kid is no complainer...a trooper through and through.

Then I ran with G. We ran 1.25 somewhat steadily-paced miles fraught with huffing and puffing and intermittent naysaying...but he persevered and even picked things up considerably for the last quarter-mile. And once the kids were done, I ran a mile on my own and felt great. I think these slow, happy miles with the kids are doing wonders for me :)

Second thing:  Today I walked alone with my two boys and my two-year old...pain-free.

One of the saddest things about my injury has been my lack of availability to my family. My mobility being hindered by pain meant that I could last for about 30 minutes before I needed to shut down and go inward to cope...even when out for a simple stroll. If a kid took off (as toddlers are wont to do) I was screwed. So we didn't go for manyany walks without daddy...even though we live in such a fabulous area for walking.

It was glorious here today. I headed out with Q and G and little Miss C to our usual Bay Trail path. Even though I've shown you this place before and talked about walking or running or biking here before, today was really the first time I can claim 'pain-free.' Okay... I had a little tightness and stiffness...but no pain. We went slowly and everyone was fairly cooperative, which I am sure helped a ton :)

One super awesome thing about not being in constant pain is that I get to enjoy and appreciate the discoveries and ramblings of my kids instead of wondering when the #*@% we can head home so I can sit and ice and stretch...alone.

finding daisies ...

"Look, mommy...bird poop!"

"It's hard to walk on these big, sharp rocks..."

"I know G says I should appreciate this hard-packed clay surface with its light gravel dusting, 

but can we go home now?"

And so we did.

What I'm Loving Right Now...

It's been a rough four days. After that jaw-dropping elephant sighting, we made our way home whereupon I retreated from life with a massive headache. My headaches usually only last 48 hours, but this time was different. Now that the hell is over, I am focusing on what is working...or at least what I'm loving.

This...

Greens are sooooooo good for you. 

Spinach is a superfood and I eat a ton of it, but this greens blend makes for a nice variation.

Heat up 2 tbs olive oil and 1 cup broth in large pan, dump contents into pan, 

cover and cook...stirring occasionally... until greens are the softness you desire.

Miss C likes it, too.

And this...

Organic blueberries are a nutritional powerhouse...

High in anti-oxidants (all that Anthocyanin, dontcha know)...

again, I need to battle The Hand to get my fair share.

And this...

Xymogen ProbioMax Plus DF...

smells like really, really bad breath combined with stinky feet and dirty underwear.

But it's supposed to help digestion and intestinal health like nobody's biz.

The idea is that one of the ingredients (IgG 2000) helps not only break down difficult stuff 

but also helps mobilize it. After that soy stuff that wracked my system, 

we are looking at this product as a huge part of our plan to get back to feeling good.

And this...

Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Having about a million polyphenols (well, lots anyway),

this particular olive oil from Amphora Nueva is supposed to be the health bomb.com...

since I need all the help I can get, I'm trying it out.

Click here to see what polyphenols can do for you!

and this...

My Bed...

...or The Nest, as Miss C likes to call it.

The past several days, this place has been a haven...a refuge...from the nastiness of a wicked and cruel migraine that stole the weekend from me and my family.

And I can never leave out these...

the best five things in my world :)

What are you loving right now?