#thesevens

This morning I did INSANITY (Day 16): Plyometric Cardio Circuit and was brave - I chose to do it with the music turned 'OFF'.  This means, only Shaun T talking/yelling is heard during the workout.

I started with Shaun T's SoundCloud mix and then moved onto the one below.  I got into the grove of it and it worked out well.  I'm so used to the music of the INSANITY discs that this was a nice change.  However, I wish I could make a new INSANITY-specific mix but I'm not DJ.

I basically need a 'balls to the wall' type of mix.  :)  The hubby came down to say 'have a good day' to me before he left for work and got confused as to why my iPhone was jamming out during INSANITY.  DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT - I got this.

I burnt almost 500 calories in 43 minutes - awesome, I'll take it.  You probably cannot see my chalkboard below, it reads:

FOCUS ON FORM (and RARRRR below it - that was added later).  Ha.  This is due to Shaun T's post on Facebook yesterday about stopping to focus on form, rather than speed and incorrect form.  I liked it.... obviously.

As always, click on the photo to see the details at Garmin Connect.

Since it has been over a week - I owe you a SEVENS!  Here you go!

   Lusting After:

Going rock climbing - the real kind.  However, this will do:

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This is the Ibex (indoor) Climbing Gym somewhat close to me and I would like to go!  I am pretty sure I have talked the hubby into going and a few of my friends.  When it does happen, I will be sure to post photos.  It is on my Bucket List so I haaaaaaaaaaaaave to do it.  :)

Reading:

About the best foods for runners to be eating.  Since, as you know, I'm trying to be a 'runner' but really I am a running from zombies wanna-be.  My thought process while running is a lot like this:  'Bird.  It's cold.  I should have worn gloves.  This music is not fast enough.  Hill.  Now I'm sweating.  That car scared the crud out of me.  Stupid stick. We need diapers...'

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Nevertheless, I have the following on my diet list already: almonds, eggs, sweet potatoes, oranges (I am coming around to clemetines), mixed salad greens, whole grain bread, salmon (occasionally), whole grain pasta, chicken and 'frozen' mixed berries (I usually eat fresh)!

Apparently, whole grain cereal (does Crispix count?), canned black beans, frozen stir-fry vegetables, dark chocolate and low-fat yogurt are great as well.

If you are a runner, training to be one, or just want to be healthier - read this article.

Watching:

I have pretty much written about all the things I watch on TV (or have time to watch) so the only thing I can think of is - Nikita.  Yes, I have watched this since the pilot and it shows on Friday nights.  I'm guilty and not ashamed.

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It is about a woman (yes, I like shows with strong female leads) who is a trained assassin and has taken it upon herself to 'go rouge' and turn the agency she worked for (known as Division) upside down.  She also has some prettttttty good looking partners.  :)  Look at them! 

The hubby is not a fan, however, my DVR still records it for me.  :)  I'll admit - it makes me want to be a secret agent with.. my hair down in leather clothing.

Listening to:

Fall Out Boy's new song Phoenix (which is the prequel to their last released video/song My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark).  I have always been a fan of FOB and I am still trying to wrap my head around their new videos.  Their album Save Rock and Roll should be out soon.

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These videos are strange and I'll admit, I have watched them a few times trying to decide what they were aiming at.  Either way, I like their new look and am eager for more songs.

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Toddler-Friendly Restaurant (out of 5 pacifiers):

My mother, daughter and I went to California Pizza Kitchen (CPK for the cool people out there) which is worthy of reporting.  :)  It was a Thursday night so it was not busy at all and they have a kid's menu (with crayons).

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My daughter loved the Fusili olive oil noodles and had a few of the grapes (cut in half, by the way) that I ordered for her.  She also loved the chocolate whole milk; however, the bartender had to make it (and I could see him) and he made it like a martini.  Hmmmm.  It needed stirred, not shaken.  :)

I had half of the Caramelized Peach Salad (yummy - and my daughter liked the peaches) which I decided needed some chicken but was great nevertheless.  I also love (as does my mother) the Thai Chicken Pizza (and I had a piece).

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I give this 4 out of 5 (pacifiers) for toddler friendliness.  The servers are kind, the food is good, the atmosphere is great, and they have highchairs/kid's menus.

Favorite Toddler Item (at the moment):

My daughter's new favorite breakfast is an egg sandwich (and maybe some fruit like a clementine or blueberries).  Since I eat egg whites (scrambled) every morning, I do not mess with whole eggs and it has been a looooooooooong time since I have.

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So, the hubby made her an egg sandwich a few days ago and she loved it with the crust cut off and cut into four squares.  I  tried to make her one this morning and am pretty sure I failed - but she seemed to be okay with it.  She humored me.  :)

It pretty much went like this - 'Crap, I forgot to put  something in the pan to keep this from sticking.  Crap, I have to flip this thing?  This yolk is too round and nasty.  He puts butter on the bread?  Mehhhh, why is this bread not browning?'

The moral here is - my daughter likes egg sandwiches (at the moment and I am sure the phase will end) and my hubby is better at making them.  YEP, I'll give you that one hubby.

Random Thought(s):

I am getting my wisdom teeth removed tomorrow morning, so my plan is to do tomorrow's INSANITY workout (Pure Cardio + Cardio Abs) tonight after work around midnight since I probably will not be allowed to workout for at least 24 hours.  ;)  Wish me luck!

Also, look at this awesome shirt my friend got me:

I thought it was pretty awesome.  I do run from Zombies when I go running.  :)  Perfect.

Lusting After:

Jawbone's 'Up'.  What is this?  Where have I been?  It is not a watch like my FR 70 but it looks like a cute bracelet and does all kinds of fancy things!  AND there's an app for my phone (iPhone) to track everything.  It looks like they just started selling these puppies.

I am going to have to keep an eye on this one.  It looks like a fancy pedometer and has a vibrating alarm (which some of my friends NEED)!  You know who you are.  ;)

" From the app, you can set a silent alarm that vibrates up to 30 minutes ahead of your designated wake up time if it spots an ideal moment for you to get up based on your REM cycles. Pretty neat, eh? There's also a power nap switch that, when activated, looks at your sleep habits to determine whether your best nap would be a 27-minute rest or a 45-minute siesta, or something in between." -Source

However, I still need to track my heart rate.  Until this does that, I'm set on my FR.

Reading:

...that Apple may be designing a watch!  Of course they are a designing a watch.  I am sure they have been doing this for years - holed up in their awesome Apple headquarters (like the Batcave with beanbags) laughing as the competitors release their premature products.  Generated image... not by me:

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These are all rumors, but from what I have read Apple will not comment but it probably has curved glass.  They should call this the 'dongle for your iPhone'.  No, I'm kidding, but seriously.  (Rumors are calling it the 'iWatch').  I am sure it will have Bluetooth and will connect to iPhones for incoming calls/texts/etc (and hey, maybe even the iPad to keep those in circulation).  It sounds a lot like the Pebble but will be made by APPLE!  It doesn't get much better than that.  :)  (AVID APPLE USER - raising my hand!)  I am sure we can count on it to be gorgeous and there to be versions 1, 2, 3, 3s.. no I'm kidding.  Maybe I can be like a spy and take photos using my wrist, call my spy-friends, text my mom, tell time (is this really necessary?), and play music while running... at the same time.

Let's call it the iDoEverything.  

Watching:

 The hubby and I watched a movie last night (we did not go to a theater - don't be silly - we don't have time for that and we'd probably fall asleep) called The Words.  It stars Bradley Cooper (yum), Zoe Saldana (gorgeous), Dennis Quaid (he's still alive?) and Jeremy Irons (good actor).  The hubby was skeptical when I told him we should download watch this movie but he caved in.  (Halfway through the movie he told me 'you were right honey, this movie is good'.)  Duh.

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It is a dramatic romance about a writer (Cooper) who finds an unpublished story written by someone else (Irons) and publishes it as his own.  Get it?  The 'words'.  It plays with the idea of whether or not you can live with the choice you have made.  I give it 3 stars - good enough for renting/watching at home but could potentially put you to sleep because of its lack of action.

Drooling Over:

 ...these 'double banana chocolate chip breakfast bars'.  I love cookies - I have an obsession with them.  I stay away from them, of course, but when they're around...I'm in trouble.  However, these (cookies) bars are vegan, have banana (yum), and chocolate.  I would probably eat the whole batch.  That's okay since they're vegan, right? :)

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I think I just said, 'I wish I liked baking' out loud.  Can someone make me these?

I am also drooling over these Peanut Butter Cream-Filled Devils Food Cupcakes.  There are too many words in the name, therefore, too difficult for me to make.  However, if Bobby Flay can do it...

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Toddler-Friendly Restaurant Rating (out of 5 pacifiers): 

It is time that I wrote about Jose Peppers since it is one of my mother's favorite restaurants and we go there quite often.  Some locals say it is not 'real Mexican  food (as does the hubby), but that does not mean a whole lot to my mother and I.  The food is good, the margaritas are cheap, and I like the chicken fajitas (my choice at any Mexican restaurant).

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It is a family-friendly restaurant, they have high chairs and balloons for kids and a kid menu with crayons and Teddy Graham's in a bag.  My daughter loves to dip her chips in Espinaca (white cheese) or salsa and lick it.  (She does not really eat any of the chips but she seems to be dipping all the time).  She usually eats scraps of what we are eating (as usual) which includes soft tortilla, peppers, chicken, beans, and onions (ugh):

I give this place 3 pacifiers for toddler-friendliness.  My daughter likes the food, there are babies and kids everywhere for her to watch (she's an avid voyeur), we like the food, but the bathrooms could be improved.

Favorite Toddler Item:

I meant to write about this a long time ago - the Taggies Tag n' Go Cart Cover - Pink Owl is something we have been using at restaurants in high chairs since my daughter could sit in one (and we are still using it).  Luckily the thing is washable (we just lay it out to dry) and my daughter loooooooooves owls (she says 'hoo hoo' when she sees him).

We use it more in high chairs than in shopping carts (now) but we did carry the thing around when she was a baby (and I was afraid of shopping cart germs).  Now, we just wipe the carts with sanitary wipes and plop her in (she's about 17 months).  However, this cover keeps her locked into a high chair better and more comfortably than without it.  Not to mention - it also has 'taggles' that she plays with (more when she was little)!

Napkin not included.

Random Thought(s):

I like this song.  The video is weird - I have not decided on it yet.  I tend to like music with a hard beat (used for running or working out if you have not already noticed).  I think the band Imagine Dragons is going to grow on me.

No more USPS mail on Saturdays?   Woah, what have we come to?  :)  I am pretty sure I only got advertisements and bills anyways.  Take the weekend off mailpeople - we can email now. 

I also want to see Disney's Oz the Great and Powerful when it comes to theaters next month.  Watch the trailer - it looks beautiful and reminds me of the latest Alice in Wonderland.  I'll tell you what though - Kansas looks nothing like that!  ...Okay, maybe the tornadoes.

I’m Lusting After:

...going to the indoor trampoline park that is (literally) down the street from my house.  Sky Zone sounds like a great workout (there are even 'SkyRobics' schedules) and lots of fun.  Floors and walls covered in trampolines?  Sign me up.  Then, I slowly started to get concerned about small children who could get trampled (get it) being on the trampolines at the same time.  It turns out that Saturday nights are 'Sky Jam' nights for 16 and older!  I have no shame trampling 16 year olds!

"Saturday Night SkyJam = unparalleled, unmatched and out-of-this-world FUN! It's exclusively for ages 16 and up and takes place every Saturday night. Zip across the court horizontally...freestyle your latest moves vertically...and test your competitive skill in an awesome game of 3-D Dodgeball! Quite simply, it's some SICK, wall-to-wall action from 10pm-11:30pm, just $18/person!"

I’m Reading:

That there is a Boy Meets World Sequel being made and it is going to be called Girl Meets World and run on the Disney Channel.  What?!  Did I just 90's-date myself?  Danielle Fishel (Topanga) and Ben Savage (Cory Matthews) are apparently signed up to be on the show - yes!

"The story revolves around Riley Matthew, the 13-year-old daughter of Cory (Ben Savage) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel), who also have a 14-year-old son, Elliot." - Source

Am I the only one that watched this show?  It should premier sometime late this year or next.

I’m We Are Watching:

The hubby and I have always been a fan of Face Off - a reality show on SyFy (Tuesday nights) in which contestants compete in prosthetic makeup challenges.

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I have a degree in Film and Video so of course I like to see how characters are made.  Alice in Wonderland gone zombie?  Uh, yes, please.  The finale is my favorite - the models (also actors and dancers - I am in awe of them) have to perform in their character/makeup.

I’m Drooling Over:

The Lava Cakes and Ice Cream from Trader Joe's.  Trader Joe's has several items that I will go out of my way to buy (it is not one of the million closest grocery stores to my house).  I have not tried these (a friend recommended that I do) but they look and sound amazing.  I love the souffle from J Gilbert's and this looks an awful lot like it!

The only bad thing is that I would not be able to stop eating them.  Therefore, I am going to have to either stick to eating it only on Valentine's Day (J Gilbert's date) or try a bite of my friend's one day.  ;)  She did, however, say there are only around 360 or so calories in a cake.

Baby-Friendly Restaurant Rating: 

If you have not figured it out by now, my mom and I are brunch people.  Therefore, since we usually go to Mimi's Cafe a few times a month I decided it was time to report.  We typically go on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon around 11am/12pm (my daughter's lunch time) and order from the breakfast menu.  They also have a huge lunch/dinner menu with things like 'Turkey Dinner' and 'Chicken Pot Pie'.  Yeah, that's right, they're fantastic.

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The muffins are amazing and I pretend to order one for my daughter and end up eating 90% of it myself.  I usually order some kind of special monthly pancakes (pumpkin, cinnamon, etc) which are little (but you get way too many) with egg whites, turkey sausage and sugar-free syrup of course.  HOW AMAZING DO THESE LOOK?  They also come out warm and with butter (I hide the butter).

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The kids menu is pretty great - there are several options.  My daughter loves the slices of apples (if I take the skins off) and the warm cinnamon apples.  There are things like mini corn dogs, chicken fingers, or sliders but my daughter just eats what is on our plates.  My poor mom has to pick the blueberries out of her breakfast and give them to her.  Note: this is after she has eaten a little bowl of blueberries that I asked the waitress to bring her.

I give this restaurant 4 out of 5 pacifiers for toddler friendliness   The staff is nice, the color-able kid's menu has plenty of choices, the highchair is the kind that does not require my cloth insert with straps, and the food is good.  I cannot remember if there is a changing table in the bathroom, but it is a friendly place where the people smile at her high pony tail.

Favorite Toddler Item of the Week:

My mother bought my daughter a Viosonic Toothwand a few weeks ago:

She got the 'ruby' one.  My first thoughts were... I am jealous and does a 16 month old really need an automatic toothbrush?

"Enjoy two brushing speeds for a gentle massage or deep cleaning, a built in LED for low light (plus it's an indicator to let you know when the battery is low), and a two minute timer so you know when your pearly whites are dentist-recommended clean." -Source

My daughter loves it.  We were using an Elmo 'normal' Oral B toothbrush (for toddlers) and she lost interest fast.  Well, this shiny thing came along and she loves the light and vibration (lower speed).  We can get in a good brush pretty fast and then we say 'you do it' and she does pretty well!  She does not quite have the brush up and down technique, but at least it's vibrating where she's chewing on it!

Random Thoughts:

This review of Hansel & Gretel (and Movie 43) is hilarious.  I still want to see Hansel & Gretel.

The SNL Digital Short YOLO had me laughing last Saturday.  Check it out.

Some days I feel like this (except the dog would be my daughter):

This made me laugh... out loud: