Good morning! Anyone do anything exciting last night? We had our typical Friday night here. After Peter got home, we took a family trip to the grocery store for our weekly groceries. Yes, we spent our Friday afternoon together doing errands. Even the most mundane tasks can be special when done with loved ones. #cheesybuttrue

On the way home, we stopped to pick up the standard Friday night dinner.

Many runners fuel up with pasta the night before long runs. I fuel up with Subway. Whenever we don’t have leftovers available for a quick Friday dinner, we rely on Subway.

Last night’s sandwich came with a side of personal training studying before tuning out with some of Chef Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares.

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Have you seen this show? It disturbs me greatly. Some restaurants are just plain nasty. It makes you wonder how certain places keep in business. I also wonder how many of the restaurants that go on the show actually keep up their “new and improved” habits?

All the above is to say I am obviously the epitome of exciting.  

To keep the excitement bubbling, I hit the hay earlier than normal to do the usual Saturday morning thing. Wake up early. Eat some peanut butter and English muffin. Break out the capris for the first chilly long run of the season.

This week was a recovery week so I “only” had to hit 6 miles. <--- I hate saying “only” 6 miles. That’s such a ridiculous statement. But that’s all besides the point…

For my run, I guess those two days of rest left me feeling refreshed. I ran six mile with an average 9:00 minute pace. I even came home and took fifteen minutes to stretch and foam roll. I really want to stay focused on that after the tightness I experienced this week. Then, you can likely guess what followed that.

But of course a big bowl of oatmeal and more pumpkin spiced coffee without a need for Starbucks. This morning’s oatmeal featured a dollop each of cranberry butter and peanut butter, a sprinkle of raisins, and half a crumbled slice of Pumpkin Carrot Cake Bread. I can now face the weekend with a smile on my face. Not that I wouldn’t anyways. I have some fun things coming my way today! You’ll see.  

• Do you ever watch cooking/food challenge or other similar shows? What is your favorite? Back when we had cable, I LOVED the show Chopped.
• Do you like to go out or stay in normally on a Friday night?

If you're looking for a quick and delicious dinner (or lunch) idea, boy do I have a good one for you.

You know me and my special devotion to sandwiches. I think this sandwich blew any other sandwich I have created out of the water. Even my simple hummus and tomato grilled cheese. It may not look like it after the panini press smooshed it down, but that sandwich has goodness packed inside.

I took two pieces of whole wheat bakery bread (love the grainy/seedy crunch on the crust!) and slathered them with pesto. Then, I chopped up some fresh basil and spread it evenly over the bread. Next, I layered on a thick slice of mozzarella cheese followed by a pile of roasted eggplant, zucchini, and squash.

So much flavor!!! And filling too. Even with a belly full of Pumpkin Carrot Cake Bread I made room for this sandwich in my belly last night for dinner. And had take two of it for lunch today. If we had more leftovers I would likely have had it for dinner again tonight. It's just that fabulous. Mmm…mmm!

Am I ready to be a mommy???

A couple days ago, Caitlin posed a question on her blog about how you can know if you’re ready for kids and how much having children can impact your life. Of course, I had to weigh in on the post. I figured I would also share my thoughts here since I have received a similar question from some of you before.

First of all, I believe it is unlikely to EVER feel 100% prepared to have a baby. If you wait for that feeling, you very well could wait forever. There will always be questions if you’re ready, physically able, financially stable enough, etc. to have kids.

Peter and I planned both of our pregnancies, but we never felt completely ready. We decided the time to start our family came when both of us got a deep feeling in our guts that the timing was right. I went off birth control and we figured we would let things happen naturally. With Makenzie, it happened much faster than we anticipated (the first month!). I remember freaking out that I wasn’t actually ready.

Our hearts were right though, and having her brought a new level of happiness to our lives. We found a new normal and adjusted our lives to a family of three instead of two.

Kids do change things in life. You can’t just sleep in until 10 am anymore or pick up and go on a trip at the drop of a hat for instance. But, and this may sound wrong, I also firmly believe in not allowing life to fully revolve around your children. They should be one of the most important parts of life, but not make your life. I try to remember I am still my own person and the marriage partnership is still the foundation of the home.

Peter and I work hard on taking time for ourselves. I still make time to pursue all the things I love and that make me me. My children add to my life. They don’t consume my life. That allows a balance so that parenting doesn’t feel like a sacrifice, as some people can make it appear. It makes parenting a true joy. And it makes me happy I trusted what instinctually felt right in starting our family over 3.5 years ago.

I will never get over the cuteness of this picture!!!

• Are you a mom? What led to you starting your family?
• Not a mom? What do you wonder about most in parenthood?