Category: Weekend
Weekend Recap: Valentine’s and More
| February 18, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Weekend |
Good morning friends! I am getting a late start this morning after a long and glorious weekend. Plus, one of Chris’ friends from college lacrosse came into town yesterday so I have been busy being a hostess 
Before getting to our weekend, I want to announce the winners of the Sparkly Soul and Shabby Apple giveaways!
Sparkly Soul: Susan D.
Shabby Apple: Rachel A: (@chelle493)
Congratulations ladies! Please shoot me an email at foodfitnessandfamily (at) gmail (dot) com to claim your prize!
FRIDAY
Friday Chris and I celebrated a late Valentine’s Day. Our friend Mike watched Em while we headed downtown to the Melting Pot. We have gone to the Melting Pot almost every year for the last 6 years … it’s a tradition that my stomach is happy we keep I also loved having the chance to get dressed up!
Skirt: Forever 21 Tank: Forever 21 Shoes: Steve Madden
And while I love seeing my husband in his Army camo every day (who doesn’t love a man in uniform??), I enjoy seeing him dressed up too
We got downtown and enjoyed a glass of champagne while we waited for our first course. My only dislike about going Valentine’s weekend is that there is always a pre-set menu. Note to self: go the week AFTER Valentine’s in the future!
The cheese was delicious as always. The salad was terrible. Both salad options had nuts in them so I kind of had to customize a salad. The Asian vinaigrette was awful. Neither Chris or I ate the salad. For dinner, we had ours cooked coq a vin style and it came with duck, terriyaki sirloin, herb crusted chicken, pork, shrimp, and pot stickers. We both agreed that the terriyaki sirloin was our favorite!
And of course the REAL reason you go to the melting pot … dessert! We got the traditional milk chocolate fondue and both agreed the graham cracker crusted marshmallows were the bomb. Overall it was a nice night out to celebrate our 7th Valentine’s Day (holy cow).
SATURDAY
Saturday morning I hit up my favorite yoga class for an hour of intermediate vinyasa. The rest of the day was chores and errands. Fun times.
SUNDAY
I don’t know what Savannah was thinking but when my alarm went off at 6AM for my long run it was in the 20′s. Which means it was WAY too cold for an Arizona girl. So I immediately nixed running 12 and decided to run 6-8 later in the morning. When I set out at 10AM it was still in the 30s and I was cold. I managed to get 8 miles in but it was a hard run. I am not used to, nor do I like, running in the cold.
In the afternoon Bryan got into town and we picked up Mike and headed downtown to meet Victoria at Vinnie Van Go Go’s for some pizza and beer.
Luckily for us, Vinnie’s at the heaters on. We had all bundled up too because it was still in the 30s! UGH. Per usual, Vinnie’s was delicious and a good time was had by all. After dinner Victoria introduced us to Lulu’s Chocolate Bar for the first time. Chris and I got a slice of the strawberry suspension cake to share and OMG it’s heaven. Pure sugar heaven.
SO glad I ran 8 miles yesterday to make up for the delicious and indulgent food Why do I run? For pizza and strawberry suspension cake apparently.
Overall we had a great weekend with friends and some quality family time. I have a pretty epic giveaway coming your way tomorrow so make sure to stop by
What did you do this weekend?
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Weekend Recap: Savannah Children’s Museum
| February 11, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Savannah, Weekend |
**The winner of the Little Green Pouch giveaway is Melinda T! Congratulations and email me at foodfitnessandfamily (at) gmail.com to claim your prize!
Happy Monday folks! If you’re catching up from the weekend you can check out my 5 simple tips to live healthy and my week in workouts. We had a crazy busy weekend over here!
SATURDAY
Saturday morning I headed to my weekly yoga class at Awakening Yoga Studio with my friend Leslie Ann. It was a hip-focused class which was a great way to prep for my long day Sunday. After yoga I met Chris and Em at the gym for a little bit on the elliptical and abs. The rest of the day was family time …. a walk with the dogs and the wagon and a trip to the park!
SUNDAY
Sunday morning I met my friends at JF Gregory for an 11 mile run. I kept my pace slow and steady (sticking with McMillan Running) to see how I felt. My last two long runs have been less than stellar. However, I felt great! I noticed that this morning I remembered to drink my coffee unlike the last two weeks. This is also the first time I have gone over 10 miles in half marathon training so we will see how that turns out. We averaged 10:12/mile and finished at a 9:40 pace. I could have easily kept the 9′s for 2 more miles. Bazinga!
I got home and put Em down for an early nap. During her nap I: made breakfast burritos, boiled eggs, put together “smoothies in a bag”, cleaned the bathrooms, and showered. BOOM. As soon as Em woke up, we loaded up the car to head downtown to meet Victoria at the Savannah Children’s Museum. Yesterday was “Super Museum Sunday” where all the museums in Savannah were free for the day. Apparently everybody and their mom decided to go to the children’s museum as they were at full capacity and we were issued a time to enter. Once we got in Em had a blast!
We played hard for an hour. Em loved the giant shapes, chalk, slide, musical instruments, more blocks, balls, and so much more. She was exhausted by the end! Note: The Savannah Children’s Museum is located in the same complex as the railroad museum. It is all outdoors so make sure it’s a nice day out before visiting! I definitely recommend checking it out though if you are in the area 
We tried to grab some food with Victoria but Em wasn’t having it. Homegirl was wiped out. So we said our good-byes and headed home for baked tacos and play time in her room. Overall this was a very family focused weekend and I loved it. It definitely felt good getting Emmie out in the beautiful weather and in stimulating environments
How was your weekend?
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Scenes From The Weekend
| February 4, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Weekend |
Chris is off today so I am just checking in briefly with some scenes from our weekend. We were up past our bedtime last night to watch the Super Bowl. Since the Packers weren’t in the mix, we were rooting for the 49ers. Unfortunately they lost and I have 3 #milseofshame to run this week. Bummer. Other than that, here’s a little preview of our weekend:
Saturday grocery shopping
Chris borrowed Mike’s power washer and sprayed the deck. Pretty sure the owners of this house have never done it. Holy cow the difference.
Baked chicken tacos for the win. Recipe coming and it’s worth the wait.
Nice, slow 10-mile training run with a friend. Only 2 more to go before Augusta!
Taking some “me time” and reading. Finished “The American Heiress” for book club this month! I definitely recommend it.
Chris tore down the play structure in the backyard (we had permission). Emmie figured out how to climb up there and the wood was rotting making it a hazard. We plan on getting her a swing set this summer.
Some tasty Super Bowl eats … part of my 20%
How was your weekend? Did your team win last night?
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Weekend Recap
| January 28, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Weekend |
**Congratulations to Laurie B. for winning my Honest Company diaper giveaway!
How is it Monday already?? This weekend flew by in a blink. Our friend Mike has been staying with us until he can move into his house later this week. We had a great time over here. Friday night I was treated to a site not many people will have.
Yup. That’s Chris doing dishes and Mike making chocolate chip cookies. I had a tough couple of days with Em (she had her 15 month shots and a fever) so I got to sit back, drink a Blue Moon, and watch. #Bliss.
Saturday morning I got up bright and early for the intermediate flow class at Awakening Yoga Studio that I go to every week.
Saturday’s class was totally focused on hamstrings. I got super excited since I figured that this would be perfect the day before my long run. Ha. Ya right. My legs were shaking most of the class and while my hammys felt nice and stretched, I was left with legs that were smoked. We spent the rest of the day hanging around the house until it was time to head downtown for the evening. I love the nights where I get to put on “real” clothes and not some compression leggings.
Top: Forever 21 (old), Sweater: Target, Leggings: Lululemon Wunder Unders, Boots: Nine West
We ended up meeting some of our friends from college at Wild Wing Cafe down in City Market. I have made it pretty clear here on the blog that I love all things buffalo flavored so I was pretty excited. There is always a live band on the weekends outside of Wild Wings so that made our hour wait for a table tolerable. Emmalyne got down with her bad self and made the people near us laugh. We ended up getting an awesome table in front of the TV projector and sweet talked our way to having the Arizona basketball game put on. As an appetizer, we got 2 of the 3 dip platters so we could try all 6 dips. The buffalo chicken dip was unreal. I ordered medium wings for dinner and the verdict? Meh. I was pretty disappointed but some of the other flavors were pretty good.
You know what buffalo wings and beer doesn’t make? A good meal the night before a long run haha. Sunday morning we all loaded up the car and the BOB to hit up J.F. Gregory for a long run. I ran with my friend Leslie Ann who is a fantastic running buddy. Unfortunately my hamstrings were on strike from yoga and made the run pretty difficult. Endurance wise I felt great but my legs weren’t having it. Multiple stretches of walking left us with averaging 10:49/mile which is still on par with my McMillan pace for long runs but kind of disappointing.
What wasn’t disappointing though was the brunch we had planned for after the run. We came home and whipped up waffles, eggs scrambled with tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach, fruit, and some bacon. I was in post-run heaven.
And what brunch is complete without mimosas? Not ours.
Overall it was a perfect weekend. Having Mike around reminds me of all the great times we had when we lived at Fort Hood and also reminds me that the Army is a small world and our Army friends are here forever. We are pretty lucky to have him stationed with us again!
What’s your favorite brunch item? Did anyone race this weekend?
Like what you see? Make sure to subscribe to my feed! I would love to hear from you on Facebook or Twitter! Need a daily dose of Emmalyne? Find us on Instagram!
Weekend Recap + Children’s Museum of Phoenix
| January 14, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Weekend |
Happy Monday friends! We had an awesome, albeit chilly, weekend here in Phoenix. It’s been awhile since I did a weekend recap and I figured what better time than the present since Em and I are on vacation SATURDAY Saturday morning started bright, early, and cold. I headed to Tempe Town Lake to meet my college friend Kaitlyn for a long run. Sbe brought her 2-year-old son with her and is a bad a** mother runner. It was 35 degrees when we started out which is COLD for Phoenix. This was my first time running Tempe Town Lake and I am in love.
The route along the lake is amazingly well-kept with beautiful views. It takes you right passed Arizona State University (booo!!). There are bathrooms along the way which is a nice touch. We saw people fishing, tons of runners, and a cycling group of sorts. I even got some hill training in because there were some steep inclines to go up/down to the path along the water. Kay stuck with me for 7 miles before the toddler-blues hit. I finished my last 2 miles alone to reach my distance goal and an average of 9:59/mile.
I felt great after my run. I wore my PRO Compression socks during it which helped my legs for sure. After the run I headed home to shower before my step-brother Tony came over. My mom and step-dad were taking Tony shopping as a belated Christmas gift for some professional wear (he is in his last semester of law school) so Em and I decided to tag along. We headed down to the Phoenix Biltmore and while they hit up Macy’s, I hit up the mother ship.
Yup … Lululemon. While I always love me some Lulu, I ended up buying another pair of compression capris from the Active by Old Navy line instead. I loved my first pair so much I had to take advantage of the sale (up to 40% off until the 16th!) and snagged an additional pair for $15. We ended our day by grabbing sandwiches at Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop.
Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop is new to Phoenix but is a long-standing chain. I had the grilled Italian which was delicious. All of us got different sandwiches and all of them were tasty.
SUNDAY
Sunday morning my sister and her kids met us at my mom’s house before we all headed downtown to the Phoenix Children’s Museum for a morning of fun and exploring. Tickets are $11/person over the age of one but they do offer a military discount of $1 off/ticket. The museum is three floors of fun. Emmalyne LOVED it.
1. Emmalyne with her cousins
2. Painting with water on stone
3. Shopping in the market
There was a specific area for children under the age of three that Em checked out. There was a slide, a kitchen, a doll room, balls, and so much more. The last picture is of her playing a giant xylophone type thing.
1. Thomas was playing in the noodle forrest.
2. Playing the xylophone
3. The ball tube thingy-ma-jig
We spent about 2 hours at the museum before Emmalyne hit the wall and needed to head up for some lunch and a nap. While she slept, my mom and I hit up my other favorite place:
I have to enjoy me some TJ’s while I have a chance … Savannah doesn’t have a Trader Joe’s (BUT SHOULD). We got stuff for dinner and I grabbed some salted caramel peanut butter truffles and smashing s’mores
If you’ve survived the photo bomb to this point, congrats! We had a fantastic weekend with our family and made some amazing memories Hope your weekend was great and that your Monday is happy!
What did you do this weekend?
Like what you see? Make sure to subscribe to my feed! I would love to hear from you on Facebook or Twitter! Need a daily dose of Emmalyne? Find us on Instagram!
Happy Monday friends! We had an awesome, albeit chilly, weekend here in Phoenix. It’s been awhile since I did a weekend recap and I figured what better time than the present since Em and I are on vacation SATURDAY Saturday morning started bright, early, and cold. I headed to Tempe Town Lake to meet my college friend Kaitlyn for a long run. Sbe brought her 2-year-old son with her and is a bad a** mother runner. It was 35 degrees when we started out which is COLD for Phoenix. This was my first time running Tempe Town Lake and I am in love.
The route along the lake is amazingly well-kept with beautiful views. It takes you right passed Arizona State University (booo!!). There are bathrooms along the way which is a nice touch. We saw people fishing, tons of runners, and a cycling group of sorts. I even got some hill training in because there were some steep inclines to go up/down to the path along the water. Kay stuck with me for 7 miles before the toddler-blues hit. I finished my last 2 miles alone to reach my distance goal and an average of 9:59/mile.
I felt great after my run. I wore my PRO Compression socks during it which helped my legs for sure. After the run I headed home to shower before my step-brother Tony came over. My mom and step-dad were taking Tony shopping as a belated Christmas gift for some professional wear (he is in his last semester of law school) so Em and I decided to tag along. We headed down to the Phoenix Biltmore and while they hit up Macy’s, I hit up the mother ship.
Yup … Lululemon. While I always love me some Lulu, I ended up buying another pair of compression capris from the Active by Old Navy line instead. I loved my first pair so much I had to take advantage of the sale (up to 40% off until the 16th!) and snagged an additional pair for $15. We ended our day by grabbing sandwiches at Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop.
Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop is new to Phoenix but is a long-standing chain. I had the grilled Italian which was delicious. All of us got different sandwiches and all of them were tasty.
SUNDAY
Sunday morning my sister and her kids met us at my mom’s house before we all headed downtown to the Phoenix Children’s Museum for a morning of fun and exploring. Tickets are $11/person over the age of one but they do offer a military discount of $1 off/ticket. The museum is three floors of fun. Emmalyne LOVED it.
1. Emmalyne with her cousins
2. Painting with water on stone
3. Shopping in the market
There was a specific area for children under the age of three that Em checked out. There was a slide, a kitchen, a doll room, balls, and so much more. The last picture is of her playing a giant xylophone type thing.
1. Thomas was playing in the noodle forrest.
2. Playing the xylophone
3. The ball tube thingy-ma-jig
We spent about 2 hours at the museum before Emmalyne hit the wall and needed to head up for some lunch and a nap. While she slept, my mom and I hit up my other favorite place:
I have to enjoy me some TJ’s while I have a chance … Savannah doesn’t have a Trader Joe’s (BUT SHOULD). We got stuff for dinner and I grabbed some salted caramel peanut butter truffles and smashing s’mores
If you’ve survived the photo bomb to this point, congrats! We had a fantastic weekend with our family and made some amazing memories Hope your weekend was great and that your Monday is happy!
What did you do this weekend?
Like what you see? Make sure to subscribe to my feed! I would love to hear from you on Facebook or Twitter! Need a daily dose of Emmalyne? Find us on Instagram!
