Is it still winter?

Although running in the cold has been much more enjoyable than I had anticipated, I am still anxiously awaiting spring. Living in the country and heating with wood, it is nearly impossible to keep the house clean. And then there are the mounds of coats: light jackets, vests, heavy coats, stylish coats, and working outside coats. Times that by four people, and you can imagine what our entry area looks like!

I am still exercising 5-6 times per week. I am not running quite as many miles, simply because some days it's just too nasty out. Those days I do TurboJam, the Wii Fit, treadmill, or a new Bob Green DVD. I know that I have said this before, but I detest the treadmill. I try, and I get on with a positive attitude (at least on the surface), but it is all I can do to run 2 miles on that machine. I can't really understand how I can rather easily run 6 miles on the streets, but can hardly trudge through 2 miles on the treadmill. It is sooooo boring. Even when I listen to music, I am bored. When I have to resort to indoor exercise, I usually combine my 2 miles with a strength workout. At least it adds up to an hour of exercise.

This morning Jackie and I ran at 5 a.m. for the first time in over a month. It wasn't easy to get out of my warm bed, and I had expected it to be warmer outside, but once we got going, it felt great. I had more energy throughout the day, and after school I got the grocery shopping done, baked a cake, cleaned the kitchen (including cleaning out moldy or stale food), did some laundry, and I am still going. Once I hit the couch, that'll be it for the night. I am really bad about coming home, plopping down in front of Oprah, and then not wanting to do much the rest of the evening. I would like to run at 5 a.m. two-three times a week. I love having my evening free - of course, that won't last long because tennis and track season is just around the corner, and then a free evening will be a luxury.

I have set a new goal of cooking more. I have set this goal many times before, and just manage to come up with many excuses not to cook. Last night I sat down with recipe books, mapped out the week, made the grocery list, and I am ready to roll. I am optimistic, but realistic as well. I will try this, but if it doesn't work out, I won't beat myself up. We don't eat out much, we just get by with grilled cheese, Ravioli (I'm talking out of a can), and other simple meals. Fortunately, my family doesn't seem to be bothered too much by my lack of initiative in the kitchen. Part of my problem is that I am so picky. I look at new recipes, but they have ingredients that I don't like, so we end up eating the same old meals. My poor husband loves a variety of foods, but gets only an occasional bland dinner because the girls and I are all picky. Groceries have gotten so expensive, sometimes I think it is cheaper for us to grab something out.

To those of you reading this...Thanks! I know I really don't have anything amazing to report, so thanks for coming back!