Five things Friday.

1. First and foremost: This is peak week and I love it. My three mid-week runs have been a mix -- a nice easy run on Tuesday, a great speed workout on Wednesday, and a meh kinda crappy run yesterday. I am not worried about the meh run because it happens every once in a while and I'd rather it happen on an easy Thursday run than an important long run. Which is what I have on Sunday -- an important 22 miler! I'm running with Tami and Melissa. 22 miles. I. Can. Not. Wait.

2. Speaking of which, is it slightly nutso to be consistently excited about my 20 milers (and now this 22)?

3. The Boston Marathon is on Monday! I love following the race, tracking runners I know (mostly just virtually), and getting all teary when the winners cross the finish line. This year, the race takes place on Day 1 of this runner's taper. I know it will charge me up and be an energy booster to help get me through the next three weeks.

4. And . . . speaking of the taper . . . I'm not ready! I already feel like I miss my training and I still have my longest run yet to do. What the heck am I going to do once the marathon is over?

5. This just cracks me up:

http://pinterest.com/pin/177821885257202195/

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend.

~ Felice

Five things Friday.

1. After a full week of discomfort and pain -- grrr to the back/neck/nerve pain! -- today I feel much, much better. YAY!


2. On the Boo! side of things: My poor little toddler caught a nasty case of Coxsackie virus. If you don't know of it, you don't want to. It is just yuck. No fun at all. I really, really hope that he's better for Sunday because we're supposed to host my whole big family (30 people!) for Easter dinner. I sure don't want to have to cancel.


3. My long run is just 14 miles tomorrow. Just 14! Easy-peasy. I'm running with Melissa and we're hitting a flat route so we should fly through those miles. Let's hope!


4. ONE MONTH TO MARATHON DAY! Egad! Really? One month? On one hand, I feel like I still have so much training to do. On the other hand, I feel prepared. I do wish that my crummy neck/back/nerve stuff hadn't caused me to miss runs this week and last but there's nothing I can do about that now. Just move on.


5. I failed to write up my March recap. So, here it is:


March stats:

Running (miles): 146
Racing: 1 -- Runnin' of the Green 4-miler (29:05 - PR!!)
Cross training: Uh . . . very little


Another all-time high! Not bad.


Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a great weekend!


~ Felice

Five things Friday.

1. My post-20 miler recovery has been perfect. In fact, I've felt great ever since finishing the run. I kept thinking some DOMS would sneak up on me at some point during the week but, nope, that never happened. I got in three good runs this week -- all on the treadmill, unfortunately, even though the weather was great. A 6.5-mile tempo run on Tuesday, 5.1 easy miles with the last mile at marathon goal pace on Wednesday, 4.1 easy miles yesterday.

2. Tomorrow is all about speed! I'm running a 4-mile race, the Runnin' of the Green, and I'm hoping for a speedy time. I have a time goal that I would really like to hit and if I do I'll feel like my legs still have the speed they need to break 3:45 in the marathon. I'm hoping I'll have the luck of the Irish on my side tomorrow!

3. Since I'm racing on Saturday, I don't have a long run on my schedule this week. It feels weird not to be gearing up for 16, 18 or 20 miles. Instead, I will race tomorrow morning, go for a recovery run in the afternoon (for a total of 9-10 miles tomorrow) and then run an easy, short run on Sunday. Nothing crazy.

4. Wowza:

I needed new running shoes -- my current ones have about 400 miles on them. I love the Nikes that I've been wearing but when I went in to Fleet Feet on Monday to buy the same pair, they didn't have my size. So they ordered a pair for me and -- GULP! -- they are bright pink.

Bright. Pink.

Holy cow. Think they'll work with my green compression socks? We'll see . . . I might have to splurge on some new coordinating gear, though. Pink top. Pink shorts? Maybe I should stick with pink lip gloss.

5. Do you like Larabars? Want to get some for free? Check out my giveaway HERE.

Have a great weekend, everyone!


~ Felice

Five things Friday.

1. This was supposed to be a week of monster mileage. Instead, it was a week of skipped runs. A crummy illness landed in Chez Happy Runner and I ended up too sick to run on Tuesday and Wednesday. Well, I ran a wimpy little 1.5 miles on Tuesday, ending the run when my light-headedness got the best of me. But Wednesday? Nope, no running. This body just wasn't having it.

2. After taking the sick days, I came back yesterday with some stellar speedwork. I warmed up for a mile then ran 4 mile repeats -- 3 at a little faster than marathon goal pace and 1 at 5K pace -- and cooled down for a half mile, making the total run 6.5 miles. It felt great to run fast!

3. MY FIRST 20-MILER IS SUNDAY! OK, it is not technically my first, since I did run that marathon waaay back in 2004. But it is my first one of this training cycle and it pretty much feels like my first ever. And, oddly, I am So FLIPPING EXCITED. I honestly can't wait!

4. The weather is supposed to be perfect on Sunday. I'm running with Tami and Melissa and we're going to run a hilly 10 mile loop, twice. Let's hope everything goes well!

5. I don't even have a #5. I guess my mind is just focused on that 20-miler!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

~ Felice

Five things Friday.

1. I've gotten a lot of questions along the way about running while pregnant. No, I am not pregnant now, I just ran through my last pregnancy. So, I decided to put together a page of information on my experience. You can find that page by clicking on the Pregnant Running link in my header, or HERE.

I would love your feedback on this page! I think that sharing information is helpful for those moms and moms-to-be who want to continue to run while pregnant!

2. Thanks for all of your comments on my running tights post! Man, you all love the Under Armour. And Target.

3. I'm giving away cereal over HERE.

4. This week's runs haven't been the best. My recovery run after the marathon relay was fine but my next two runs kinda rotted. I felt flat and was never able to find my groove. I'm not going to let it get me down but I'd be a liar if I said it didn't bother me a little. Easy 5-milers shouldn't be so tough!

5. Fortunately, today is a rest day in advance of tomorrow's 18-miler. 18 miles?!?! Yup, 18 miles. I'm meeting my pal, Melissa, for this Big Run. The weather is supposed to be much better than it was when I ran my 17-miler two weeks ago so I figure the 18 miles should go well. Melissa and I run well together so I'm looking forward to the almost 3 hours of her company!

So, that's the big plan for the weekend: 18 miles tomorrow morning. After that, who knows? Maybe a nap? Only if I'm lucky . . .

Have a great weekend, everyone!


~ Felice

Five things Friday.

1. Two days until Christmas! Exciting times -- Conal has never been as in to the whole season as he has been this year. He's anxious for Sunday, but he's enjoying all the build up as he waits. He loves wrapping presents, helping me bake cookies and other goodies, and decorating. The season has been lots of fun this year.

2. Unfortunately, it has also been plagued by some illness and injury. (Not me this time!) Conal came down with strep throat last week (yuck!), a painful rash this week (double yuck!), and then he fell off his new big boy bed last night and smacked his nose on the sharp corner of a wooden chair (I'm going to jump right to quadruple yuck for that one).

Today, my little guy has a badly bruised, slightly swollen, potentially broken nose.

Yeah . . . 


3. Although he had to miss a few days of pre-school last week, including caroling day, Conal was well enough to enjoy his breakfast with Santa on Monday:

and take part in the class play on Wednesday. It was cute. Trust me.

4. My Christmas shopping is officially done! As of yesterday.


I know . . . slacker . . . I know.


5. My power of praise will be tested out in tomorrow's 10-miler. There are 9 of us heading out tomorrow morning and I can't wait to run with such a great group of wonderful women!!


Merry Christmas, everyone. Thanks for stopping by!


~ Felice


PS: I have a quickie little giveaway going on over HERE.

Five things Friday.

1. I am ready for the weekend. The weather has been weird this week and, as a result, I've been all headache-y so I think I need to kick back. I'm not going to get much of a chance to do that, however, because we're having friends over for dinner on Saturday and then my whole family over on Sunday. I'm looking forward to it!

2. Since I seem to be in complaining mode . . . I've got a BIG one: My left hamstring has gone wonky. I believe that I strained it when running while pushing my (heavy) toddler in the jogging stroller. I think I was pulling back, or braking, when running downhill and that strained the hammie. For a while my hamstring was just a little sore. After my race last Saturday, the medial side of both my hamstring and my knee hurt.

Based on my research (go, Dr. Google!), I am diagnosing myself with a strained hamstring/potential muscle imbalance. I do not think that I have anything worse than that. If it was a true knee problem, I think my pain would be in a different area and would not have started out as hamstring pain.

So, my plan is to not run for a few days, do some strengthening exercises for my hamstring, and then run the Turkey Trot 5K on Thursday and see how I feel (I'm already signed up). After the race, I will probably continue to rest and strengthen and then get fully back to running at the end of December, in time to start marathon training in January.

3. I have a Yoplait yogurt smoothie giveaway going on HERE. Check it out!

4. Now reading:

Yup, planning the plan!

5. Good luck to all the Philly racers this weekend -- and everyone else who is racing or running, too! Have a great weekend, everyone!

~ Felice

Five things Friday.

1. The snow hit us early this year. This is the scene from my front door this morning:

And here's my little goofball, getting in on the photo action:

We got about TWO INCHES of snow. Wet, heavy snow. Conal is excited. Me? Not so much. But if there is one thing I've learned in all my years, it's that complaining about the weather is not only boooooooring, it is fruitless. You simply cannot control or change the weather. So, snow it is. Too early, but it is what we have. Let's hope it melts quickly!

2. I was not up for running in the snow last night so I hit the treadmill and ran some repeats. 6 x 400 at 7:12 pace. And I only had to hop off twice to console my crying toddler! Win!

3. Yesterday, I had a GREAT doctor's appointment. I am trying out a holistic practice and so far, so good. The nurse I met with yesterday was considerate, took her time with me, asked lots of questions, and seemed very understanding and knowledgeable. I'm hopeful!

4. I'm running a 10K in two weeks so I need to break out of my 4-5 mile rut. That's about all I've been doing since the half marathon. Pick it up, Happy Runner!

5. If you haven't entered my Rudi's Organic Bakery giveaway yet, please do! You can check it out HERE.

I hope you all have a great weekend! I have another giveaway coming up this weekend so be sure to check back.

~ Felice

Five things Friday.

1. My baby turns 1 this weekend! Wowzer. Where did that year go?

Aww . . . li'l guy . . . 

My big almost-one-year-old!

2. Ugh. I have not run all week. Thanks, Lyme disease! I'm trying not to think about it but the problem with my Lyme disease is that it is causing major fatigue, joint soreness (hips, knees, fingers), and extremely odd and uncomfortable numbness, tingling and restless legs syndrome-esque feelings in my legs, arms and face.

I will go for a run this weekend. A full week off is more than enough. At least I hope it is.

3. If you have not entered my Go Bands giveaway, you really should!

4. We're having an early fall heat wave here. The forecast for Sunday is sunny with a high of 80 -- great for a backyard birthday party, not so great for all of my marathoning and half-marathoning friends. I'll be thinking cool thoughts for all of you!!

5. Boo! Hiss! I'm bummed that the Yankees couldn't pull it together and win Game 5. They're out. Baseball season, for this happy runner, is over. Oh, well!

I hope you all have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by.

~ Felice

Five things Friday.

1. Lightening running and all, I'm full-on into Boilermaker training. It actually started with my recovery run an hour after my PR race at the Freihofer's Run for Women on Saturday. I'm kinda psyched to be training for a longer race again.

2. For this race I'm adding in more cross training than I did for the FRW. Since I focused on distance for the half marathon and then speed for the FRW, I think that continuing to maintain those bases and adding in the cross-training will help me best prepare for the Boilermaker. I've had a few sessions with Jillian and her Shred and my butt has been kicked!

3. I recently started writing book reviews for the BlogHer Book Club and I have a few that are up, including this one for Jean Kwok's Girl in Translation and this one for Deborah Harkness' A Discovery of Witches. No, the books aren't about running but they have been interesting and being part of this program has given me the opportunity to learn about and read books that I otherwise wouldn't have picked up. If you're interested in either book, go check out my reviews!

4. I am once again having daydreams of training for another marathon. And once again plugging race times into that oh-so-addictive McMillan calculator. Must stop . . .

5. We're catching a break from the really hot weather of earlier this week. The weekend should be really nice, which is good because I have an easy run on the schedule for this evening and then an 8-miler either Saturday or Sunday.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

~ Felice

Five things Friday.

1. My review and giveaway of Running on Empty seems to have disappeared in the big Blogger outage. Yikes. I'm going to wait a bit and see if it reappears. If not, I'll have to re-do the post so I can get the giveaway going again. What a drag . . .

2. Wednesday's speedwork was my first fast run since Sunday's (not quite) 5K race. I ran pick-ups of about a quarter mile at 6:30 pace. I got smart this time and ran them on the mostly flat portions of my route and they felt good. Of course, I only ran 5 of them this time but I was still pleased with how they felt, given that I was just coming off a race.

3. Thanks to whomever nominated my as one of the Top 25 Health & Fitness Mom Blogs on Circle of Moms! Now I just need to beg you all to vote for me so I can stay on the list. Consider yourself begged. Please? It's really easy. Pop over here:

 
Then just click to vote. Easy-peasy. I appreciate your support!

4. We have a busy weekend ahead, most of it centered on the preschooler's social and athletic schedule. Ha! It's true, though, we're in soccer season now so he has a game and a birthday party to go to. I've got some easy runs and a long run on tap. And, if we're lucky, we'll get to squeeze in a family visit to see my sister who will be home from college.

Look at my little soccer guy . . .

5. I am going to be reviewing Phenom Coconut Water soon. In the meantime, they have a promotion going on right now (through May 15th -- so you've got to hurry!) where you can get a sample. Head over to their web site HERE and download your free sample coupon. I'm excited to try out the coconut water!

Have a great weekend, everyone! Good luck to everyone racing!

~ Felice

Five things Friday.

1. I went to our local Fleet Feet's Diva Night last night and met up with two friends, Darlene and Suzy. It was great to spend some time with them not all hot and sweaty from running! We enjoyed a little Prosecco, a lot of cheese and did some shopping. I also did a little winning, scoring a cute Brooks t-shirt!

I got to choose between the tee and the shorts and went for the t-shirt. I already had my eyes on a pair of black and gingham Nike shorts so I didn't need the aqua pair. Plus, they wouldn't really go with the rest of my running apparel. Ha!

2. I'm excited to run my first 5K since waaaaay back in December on Sunday. It's the Mother's Day 5K -- I ran it last year when it was a 3.5-miler. They've changed it up a bit this year but it will still be fun. It's a nice way to celebrate Mother's Day.

3. Since I can't go into a race without some goals, I have a few for Sunday. I ran my first post baby 5K (the one in December) in 25:50 so you can be sure that I want to beat that time. Truthfully, I'd like to do more than just beat it. So, here are my goals:

C Goal: 25:49 or better (to beat my December time)

B Goal: 24:20 or better (a 7:50 pace)

A Goal: 23:59 or better (to get back to the 23s, putting me in good shape for my race on June 4th)

4. My little guy is still sick, but he's getting better. I'm hoping to get him outside in the sunshine and nice weather today to kick this thing totally out. We're sick and tired of him being sick and me being tired. And, you know, I need something new to talk about. 

5. Don't forget to enter my USA Fit Albany giveaway -- you can win a free membership to the USA Fit Albany training program! Yes, it is for Albany-area runners. But, it's an awesome program so spread the word!

OK, folks. Have a great weekend. And happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! 

~ Felice

Five things Friday.

1. Last night's scheduled speedwork became last night's cross training. Again.

Let me explain: Owen had a meeting last night. So, with the way things worked out, I needed to run on the treadmill after the boys went to bed. I don't mind doing intervals on the treadmill and, in fact, I prefer speedwork on the 'mill to steady state runs. Anyway, I turned on the monitor and hopped on the 'mill and started my run. Only to have to pop off a minute later when I heard the baby stirring. But it was nothing. Back on the 'mill, more stirring, back off the 'mill. Nothing. Repeat. And repeat again.

Too frustrating. I couldn't run like that, thinking that every little noise was something. So, I bagged the run in favor of weights. I need to do them more often anyway. My arms will, eventually, thank me. Today, they just feel tired.

2. Conal's first soccer practice/game that was scheduled for tomorrow has been canceled, because the fields are too wet. Woo hoo! This gives me way more time to get my long run in. I had been worried about how I would fit it in and now, with soccer out of the picture. I'm free!

3. I watched the Royal Wedding. Sorry, I had to. I mean, I just couldn't resist. No, I did not get up early to watch it, but I did record it. And I did sit on the sofa with me 3-year old and we did discuss which hats we did and did not like. He was most fond of this little number:

He goes for blue.

4. The Barney Butter giveaway is on through May 13th. Remember to visit the site HERE to enter to win a box of Barney Butter!

5. April is almost over and out. And I'm ready for it to take its showers with it and leave some May flowers behind. Seriously, I'm really over all of this rain.

With that, I'm over and out, too. Have a great weekend, everyone. Good luck to everyone racing!

~ Felice

Five things Friday.

Thank whatever that it is Friday.

1. Owen and I are going out to dinner and then to see Lion King tomorrow night with some good friends. This will be our first night out since the baby was born 5 months ago! Needless to say, I cannot wait! My parents are coming over to watch the boys so everything should be fine on the home-front. Yes, I'm nervous about how Niall will do (he only recently started taking a bottle without putting up an enormous fight) but I'm going to expect that it will all be good. Hope so!

2. I have an easy 4-5 miles on the schedule for tonight and 9-10 on Sunday. The weather is going to be good for running; partly cloudy with highs in the 40s. I can practically feel spring popping up!

3. DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME!! Oh, man. DST rocks for runners like me. Running after Owen gets home from work will become all kinds of easier with daylight savings time. Yay!

4. I'm troubled by my running shoe situation. I fell in love -- head over heels -- with my Somnio shoes after reviewing them last year. I wore them and my Brooks while I was pregnant but since giving birth I've had a hard time with the Brooks. So, I switched to the Somnios completely and couldn't be happier.

The only problem is that my shoes now have over 350 miles on them and they are out of stock. Because they are semi-custom I can't just pop to my local running goods store and pick up a pair (plus my local store doesn't sell them -- but they should!). I have to order the shoes and wait for them to be delivered. The company expects that they'll be in stock in about a week. So, if that happens there is a chance I could get my shoes a week before the race. But there's always a chance that they won't be in stock or delivery will take longer and I'll end up wearing old shoes. Just another thing to obsess and stress over . . .

5.  I'm giving away compression socks. Here. What are you waiting for?

Have a great weekend, everyone. Good luck to all the racers!

~ Felice

Five Things Friday, ep. 27.

1. As quickly as the flies descended, they disappeared. I have no idea what happened to them, where they went, why there were so many and now there are none. And, I don't care. I'm just glad they are gone. Yuck-o!

2. I had another really good run yesterday evening. Pretty much the same as Tuesday's run: 3.1 miles, about .5 of that walking, the rest running. Thankfully, my calves did not hurt. Unthankfully (?), my shins did. I am clearly altering my stride because of this baby belly and the effect is sore lower legs.

They aren't painful, painful and I don't believe I'll cause myself any injuries. They're just sore and feel heavy. Which, when I think about it, makes sense considering all the extra weight I'm carrying!

3. After a mostly rainy week, yesterday was clear and today is beautiful! Conal and I headed to a local playground this morning, where we ran into a neighbor and her 3-year old daughter. So, she and Conal had some fun together and I got to feel more of a part of my community.

4. I can't not write about how cool I think it is that Deena Kastor is preggo. Paula Radcliffe, Kara Goucher, now Deena. Go elite mamas! I love reading and hearing about their pregnancy running and I know that once I am on the road back after giving birth I'll be very, very interested in their routines. Not that I think mine will in any way be on the same level but I'm sure they'll help inspire me and maybe I can pick up a tip or two.

5. Something sinister has gotten into me and all I can think of are cupcakes and doughnuts and the like. So, today, post playground, Conal and I made a batch of doughnuts. Full-on, deep-fried, rolled in cinnamon and sugar doughnuts.

And, boy howdy, are they good!

Pile o' doughnuts!

Sure, I splattered some hot oil on my thumb and now have a big ol' burn on it but, what the heck? Those goodies are worth the burn! It will heal . . .

And on that fatty, carbo note I wish you all an awesome weekend!

~ Felice

Five Things Friday, ep. 26.

1. I am taking a quick break from my current project -- writing sample analogies for a test prep book -- to write this post. Big whoop, right? Yeah, I know. But, I'm sitting at my computer in full-on running gear. As soon as Owen walks through the door this evening I plan to head out. Will I walk? Will I run? Will I walk/run? Shuffle? Who knows! But I'll do something. And then I will enjoy my cooked-by-someone-else pizza. Woo hoo!

2. I need to give a big shout of "good luck, go get 'em, run hard!" to my runners Bridget, Janis and Jen. They are all running a 5K together tomorrow. For Jen, this will be her second race; it will be Bridget's and Janis' third. Oh, how I wish I could be out there with them . . .

Have fun, mamas!

3. I have TWO giveaways going on over here. One is for some awesome maternity active wear and the other is for free dinner. Check them out!

4. At 33.5 weeks preggo, I've now gained about 25 lbs. The scale is creeping up there!

5. I finally re-installed a sound card in my computer after I had to rebuild it after my virus fiasco. It's like I've rejoined the world. Music! While working! It's the best.

Have a great weekend, everyone! And thanks for stopping by.

~ Felice

Five Things Friday, ep. 25.

1. I hit 30 weeks this week. 30 weeks pregnant! That's a long time, no? I could have trained for two marathons in that time. Instead, I'm making a human. Nice trade-off.

2. My MIL, BIL and niece are visiting this weekend so we're taking them to the Saratoga Race Track. Fortunately, the extended heat wave has broken and we're supposed to have highs of only 80* this weekend. Such a nice treat after weeks and weeks of high heat and humidity.

3. I hosted a gold party earlier this week because my friend just became a gold specialist. People bring their gold to the party, she checks it out, weighs it and then writes a check. A few people went away from the party with $500+! It was kinda exciting, actually. The upside for me is, having had the party, I now have a little extra money that I can bring with me to the race track for betting. I hope I don't blow it all . . .

4. My new giveaway is up over here. Shoes, shoes, shoes!

5. And you have until 8/1 to enter to win the $100 Visa gift card here.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

~ Felice

Five Things Friday, ep. 25.

1. Gloating, gloating: I was completely honored to be this week's Follow This Mother! on the Run Like A Mother site. (Check out the book-- it's great!) Welcome, welcome to all of you who found my blog through RLAM! I've gotten several really kind comments and emails based on that post and I do appreciate them :-)

2. Went for a great run last night with a friend. We started out around 8:2o because it has just been so hot during the day. And, of course, it was still hot when we were out there but at least it had cooled a little. We managed 3.1 hot, sweaty, chatty miles before calling it a run.

3. I seem to still be in vacation mode because when I went to get my hair cut and highlighted on Wednesday, I had my hairdresser turn up the blonde. Who do I think I am? A sun-kissed blondie, apparently. But, honestly, I love it. I feel all kinds of summery and bright and, who knows, maybe it distracts from my expanding girth.

4. I posted a review of Somnio running shoes over at my other site.

5. This weekend looks to be another hot one. We have a busy day planned for today and then a family birthday party tomorrow (at a house with a pool!) and a baseball game with friends on Sunday. And I'm hoping for another run tonight and Sunday.

Hope you all have a great weekend! And if you are racing -- good luck!

~ Felice

Five Things Friday, ep. 24.

1. 6.5 months pregnant + 98* temperatures = cankles. No getting around it.

2. I gave the blog a face-lift! Well, more like a shot of Restylane and a smidge of Botox but you get the idea. It looks more up-to-date, no?

3. Yesterday, I ran at 9pm. It was no longer too hot and there was a nice breeze. There were also tons of bugs and my legs are now all chewed up. No real complaints, though, because I didn't think I was going to be able to run so my night-time 2-miler was a treat.

4. About two months ago I had major computer problems with viruses and malware and blah, blah, blah. I had to completely rebuild the computer and since then it had been working fine. Until now. Apparently, I have been infected. Again. Argh! So, looks like I'll be in disinfection mode for a bit. Such a drag . . .

5. Heading to the beach again this weekend! We have a family graduation party to go to on Long Island so we're going to sneak in some beach time while we're there. My cankles are looking forward to it :-)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

~ Felice

Five Things Friday, ep. 23.

1. Today = sunny. NICE change after so many clouds this week. It's been rainy on and off all week (and the weekend was a wash-out) but things are looking sun-ny for this weekend! Yay!

2. Speaking of the weekend, I have a good one on tap. A few runs, a party with some good girlfriends, Father's Day, dinner with the family and then a whole family trip to the Valleycats. The 'Cats are our local minor league baseball team. They're affiliated with the Houston Astros. Funny, since we're in upstate New York. But, it's always a fun time going there.

3. I'm in total vacation-prep mode. It's nuts. No one should get so nutty about things like that.

4. I'm looking for something new to add to my daily smoothie. I currently make my smoothie with a banana, some frozen strawberries or blueberries (or both), plain low-fat yogurt and ground flax seeds. Should I try chia seeds? Wheatgrass? Whey protein? Something else to give my go-to breakfast a boost? Have you tried any of these? Do you like or dislike them?

5. This baby is shifting around like mad. It's a real change from a week ago when the movements were many but comfortable. Now, it seems that he's deliberately sticking his foot or arm exactly where he knows it will be the most uncomfortable. The stretching and pressure -- whoo ha! It's been something else. Yesterday it started to go away a bit and I haven't felt it as much today so I'm thinking that it was just a phase this week, just the baby finding a new place to settle. That would be nice because it has been such smooth sailing this pregnancy and I want to keep that going!

Well, I hope you all have a great weekend! And don't forget to enter my giveaways over here :-)

~ Felice