Thinking Out Loud – Random Things

 

 

1. As freezing as it was last night on the Little League field, and trust me, it was beyond freezing, yesterday morning I woke up to gorgeous sunshine and warmish temperatures….but didn’t run. Any other day and I would have skipped the plan for crosstraining in the gym in favor of running outdoors but I am really serious during a taper week in terms of not running back-to-back days. It isn’t easy for someone as stubborn as me but I know on Sunday I will thank myself.

2.  Remember when the old-fashioned phones would leave you all tangled up in the cord or at the very least the cord would get tangled up in itself? We may not have to deal with that anymore but I find myself having the same issue with the cord from my hair dryer. Anyone else?

3. My favorite three-ingredient pancake is best made with a not-too-ripe banana.

It’s all about the texture. The riper the banana -> the mushier the texture – > the mushier the pancake.

Using a banana which is ripe yet not really getting speckled on the skin will give you a sturdier batter and thicker pancake.

Also, I think the pancake is best when made with only egg whites. My son tends to agree even though he loves regular eggs.

I think egg whites get a bad reputation sometimes, especially in blog world. I tend to notice criticism when people choose egg whites over eggs as if we are avoiding the fat and calories.

Not the case. At least not for me and not for several people I know. Some recipes just work better with egg whites, especially my pancake recipe or when you want to whip up your bowls of oatmeal to a fluffy texture and boost their protein content at the same time.

Egg whites are known to fluff up and that quality alone is the main reason why recipes (including several desserts) call for the white versus the whole egg, regardless of nutritional content.

Amanda’s recipe for her Pumpkin Chili Mexican Scramble is no exception to this rule.

4.  I left out an important taper week essential currently on my list – the daily prayer I have been saying for weeks to ensure that my monthly visitor is late.

I always have this kind of luck. Amazing isn’t it? I went months without having to worry when I went through my time with amenorrhea but as soon as I went back to operating like clockwork? My wedding day, trips to Disney World, cruise vacations and now a race.

It’s just not nice.

Let’s pretend we aren’t grown ups dealing with a 28-day calendar for a minute though…

5. 39 Things That Only Girls Who Grew Up In The 80’s Would Get

Popple? Check. Charm necklaces? I would still wear them.

Poochie? Forget it, my love for her rivaled Hello Kitty for a brief moment.

Rainbow Brite? Halloween when I was nine. Cabbage Patch Kids? Hi, I had about 16 plus the Koosa and pony.

My Little Pony? I would go through a McDonald’s Drive Thru tomorrow if they had them in the happy meal.

Pound Puppies? My first of many puppies was named Brownie.

Lisa Frank? Hello, have you seen my Slam Book page? I may just have the largest Lisa Frank sticker collection in New York.

I had the exact pink boom box, that same caboodle and still listen to Debbie Gibson to feel the Electric Youth.

Should I continue? Because I can. I can tell you that I have Punky Brewster on DVD, still watch The Cosby Show and stop everything and call my cousin if I find out Facts of Life is on television.

And while I am reliving my youth, I just so happened to catch a bit of the original Parent Trap yesterday.

One of my all-time favorite movies, it is fascinating to watch your childhood favorites as an adult and see things in a whole new light. I see The Parent Trap on a whole new level now that I am not only divorced but divorced with a child. Classic.

Make sure you check out what everyone else is thinking about today!

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Favorite childhood movie?

Please tell me you clicked on the link and what you had from the list!

Ever get unlucky and have to deal with your monthly visitor while running a race?

Quick – Whole egg or egg whites?

Adidas Update and New Beauty Finds

 

I request a lot from my shoes. I know what I am looking for, I know what I need and I won’t settle for less.

Here’s the thing – plenty of sneakers are comfortable. That’s what makes this so complicated.

You can try on a ton of running shoes that seem to feel amazing. You can even run a few miles in them and feel terrific. But, those same sneakers may not feel as great at mile 10 as it did at mile 3, and may feel even worse day after day of pounding the pavement.

I consider the running shoe hunt a matter of the survival of the fittest. These Adidas Energy Boosts have survived thus far. We shall see how they handle this weekend’s long run.

So today is the last day of school before the break. Exciting for the kids and teachers…me? As a mom? Not sure yet.

I am excited though to say my moisturizer is just about empty. Normally needing to purchase new beauty products can be annoying because I hate shelling out the money but there is a reason I am excited about this bottle being empty-

As you can see, it is the Whole Foods 365 brand signifying that a visit to Whole Foods is in order. Translate this to read: visit to Whole Foods = excuse for lunch at the food bar.

I haven’t mentioned some new beauty items I have purchased in recent weeks so let’s discuss today, OK?

New Blush from Tart:

I am still a recovering Dior Addict for allergy reasons and while I do like my Clinique products, I felt like I needed a new and cute blush compact in my life.

Tarte is allergy friendly and made without parabens and those icky ingredients we don’t want touching our skin.

This Amazion Clay 12 Hour Blush (Dollface is the color) really gives a nice pop of color and stays on throughout the day rather than becoming absorbed into your tinted moisturizer/foundation which tends to happen with other blushes I have used.

 Eye Shadow palette from Guerlain:

Sometimes you just need to splurge.

Switching from Dior eye shadow has been the hardest part of the shake up in my makeup routine. Finding amazing eye shadows like I used to have has been tough. Guerlain (which is actually in the same family of companies as Dior) makes a terrific variety of palettes while being allergy friendly (at least for me) and free from parabens.

What I haven’t bought but noticed on the shelves in Trader Joe’s are the gift sets for different bath salts, scrubs and hand soaps.

Reasonably priced if you still need a cute gift…or just want to buy something for yourself.

This hand soap set is a great hostess gift when you don’t know what to bring or want to bring something other than cookies. Or in addition to cookies if you are coming to my house.

On my list of things to order at the moment are awesome Active Accessories hair ties:

They are listed for $8 for a pack of six (with free shipping).

Oh, and before I forget, actually how can I forget? This article has shaken my little world a bit.

Click on the image for the link to the article.

I first read this article about my beloved Lisa Frank sticker empire the other day when it was posted as a link over at the blog, How Sweet It Is.

If you have checked out my Slam Book page, you already know I am a huge Lisa Frank fan and avid sticker collector.

Did you used to collect stickers? Do you still have your collection? Can I see it?

If you loved Lisa Frank as a kid (or still do now) it is a must read.

I am off to run outdoors for the first time in several days. The weather is actually warming up a bit! Don’t know how long it will last since winter officially begins tomorrow but I will take what I can get.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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I NEED TO KNOW:

Favorite new make up/beauty product?

Did you collect Lisa Frank stickers?

What do you think of the article?

Have you tried any of those Trader Joe’s soaps out for the holidays?