Time Flies

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Coco

I had to go into total denial mode to stop myself from freaking out yesterday.

Only 10 days until Christmas!

And now it’s only nine!

I have done only the slightest bit of shopping and don’t even know what I want to buy for my mom, my husband or my kids. If you find me wandering dazed and confused at the mall, please give me a tall-skinny-one-pump-peppermint-mocha and point me to the massage chair at Brookstone.

I really can’t believe how fast this year has gone by.

And how is it that my baby boy

 is all grown up

and looking forward to going to college?

He got his early decision acceptance letter yesterday. Of course that’s good news, but I was almost happier to find out that the college bookstore has an on-line portal and still promises to be able to ship in time for Christmas. That’s one thing crossed off my list.

Are you ready for Christmas?

Posted in Life | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Three Things Thursday (The Half-Baked Edition)

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Coco

Questions About Baked Lays Nutrition

Last weekend there was enough of a break in my son’s wrestling tournament for us to go out for lunch. My husband had noticed a Subway near the venue, and I was happy to have a healthier option than the pizza slices they were serving at the concessions stand.

I ordered a 6-inch Turkey sub and added a drink and chips to make a “meal.” (We still had a few hours of wrestling to get through–I needed fortification!)

As I was nibbling on my chips, three things on the Baked Lays package annoyed me.

  1. “We start with all natural ingredients . . . .”
    Everything starts with all natural ingredients. The real question is what do you end up with?
  2. Ingredients: . . . Corn Sugar.
    Is that the “new” name for high-fructose corn syrup?
  3. “Happiness In Every Bite.”
    Look no further–all we need is highly processed snack foods!

I also was amazed at how much “marketing” was squeezed onto this small package!

Do you think any of these things crossed the line?

Posted in Food, Venting | 7 Comments

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday (The Hill-Hater Edition)

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Coco

My reaction to the finish line hill at the Hot Chocolate 15K!

Don’t I look miserable?

(Sorry MarathonFoto®, I’m not paying for that one!
What happened to the ones where I was smiling?)

Have you entered my Waterlogged App giveaway?

Posted in Fitness | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The Twelfth Annual Christmas Cookie Bake-A-Thon

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Coco

This post was originally published December 9, 2010. This weekend I participated in the Thirteenth Annual Christmas Cookie Bake-A-Thon. Same friends, some of the same and some new cookies, definitely the same fun tradition! Did you see yesterday’s post with a Waterlogged App giveaway?

6 friends + 7 hours = 13 different types of Christmas cookies 

I’m sure it started innocently enough.  Twelve years ago, three of us decided to get together to bake Christmas cookies. We each planned to make a few recipes, and brought our own ingredients and equipment to work side-by-side in my kitchen. It’s  a busy time of year, but it was nice to carve out some solid girlfriend time to relax, catch up, and get one big holiday “to do” done. Our families didn’t complain because we came home with a variety of gorgeous, delicious cookies. 

Somehow, despite job changes, family changes, and local moves, we’ve managed to keep this tradition going for 12 years! Our group has grown, but we all are lawyers who worked at the same firm at one time or another. Although work brought us together, it is friendship that has made this event such a priority that we set aside a weekend day in December to get together.

This year all six of us were able to make the appointed date.  We each made two different types of cookies (double or triple batches to have enough to divide by six) and one of us had pre-made cut-out cookies (a huge time saver we finally adopted a few years ago!) that we decorated while other cookies were baking.

Which ones look best to you?

 

Posted in Food, Life | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Measuring Up

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Coco

One part of my three-part damage control plan to get me through December without collecting too many extra pounds along the way is to drink more water.

For a while I was easily drinking at least 64 ounces of water a day, but I think I’m drinking more coffee lately, and sometimes I don’t drink any water at all once I get home from work. When I am serious about getting my water in, I track my water consumption with my Waterlogged App.

Waterlogged Version 1.3.5 IPA App iPod Touch iPhone iPad

 

~What gets measured gets done!~

This is a well-known business management principle, but it’s true for other types of goals as well. I certainly have noticed that the simple act of tracking my water consumption is helping me reach my goal, just like keeping a food journal may help me resist the pastries at Starbucks.

With the Waterlogged App, you can set reminder alarms with a customized message and keep track of exactly how much you drink and when. You can enter consumption as a portion of a specific glass or bottle, or you can just enter how many ounces you drank. You can even add a picture of your favorite glass or water bottle!

Here’s my data from last week:

You can see what my favorite water bottle looks like!

You also can see that the delays around the Hot Chocolate 15K really cut into my water consupmtion for the day!

**Waterlogged App Giveaway**

I’ve been using the free version of the Waterlogged App, but when I reached out to Waterlogged they agreed to give me a premium version to help me with my December #Back2Basics goals. They also gave me two coupon codes to offer to thirsty readers! So, if you have an iPhone and are ready, willing and able to download an app and start drinking water, here’s how you can enter:

  1. Leave a comment and let me know how much water you usually drink each day, and how you space it out.
  2. Send this Tweet and leave a comment saying that you did:

Stay hydrated with the Waterlogged App giveaway from @Got2Run4Me http://wp.me/p131gw-VH

One comment per entry, up to two entries per person.

I will select two winners from entries received by midnight east coast time on Friday, December 16. Make sure your comment includes an email address where I can reach you!

**FTC Notice** I reached out to Waterlogged and they provided coupon codes with no influence over the content of this review or the one I wrote previously. The review here reflects my own personal opinion of this product.

Posted in Fitness, Product Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments