• Family Fun,  Food

    Salsa-Off!

    We had a very important competition in our house this week, something that was a long time coming: a Salsa-off. No, not this kind of salsa: I’m talking about the kind that goes well with tortilla chips. We over-planted tomatoes this year, and there has been much trash-talking between Jim and the younger boy about who could possibly make the very best salsa with our abundance of tomatoes (and jalapenos, which are also in the garden). Finally, it happened. Of course I documented it. Innnnn the red cornerrrrr…the Younger Boy!!(The crowd goes wild!) Innnnn the blue cornerrrr…his Dad!!(The crowd goes equally as wild!) Gentleman, start your engines… As you can…

  • Working On My Fitness

    Hitting A Wall Really Hurts.

    As you are more than aware by now, I am nearly finished with the Couch To 5K program, and will do the BlogHer 5K in Central Park next Friday (one week from today!). I did my Week 9, Day 1 run today (well, if you can call it that), which is supposed to be thirty minutes long, and crumbled. I ran for the first eighteen or so minutes, then completed the rest of the time alternating walking and running. My legs felt like lead. I was discouraged. I couldn’t get rid of the “I can’t do this” thoughts. I came home and cried. I’m frustrated because last week, I felt…

  • Music,  Working On My Fitness

    Couch To 5K Update: See Ya, Week 8! Bring On Week 9!

    Shortest update so far! I don’t even remember what I said…but I am runningrunningrunning today and wanted to get this posted, so totally don’t make fun of me, K? The playlist I used this week can be found on last week’s update post: Click here. And here is the version of “Defying Gravity” that I TOTALLY ADORE! (You’re welcome!) ©2010 Suburban Scrawl

  • Food,  Friends,  Fun in Chicago,  Music,  Spreading the Bloggie Love

    Tin Roof! Rusted.

    I had the pleasure of revisiting the 80’s personally last week when I went to see the B-52s play at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, a northern suburb of Chicago. My “date”? None other than my friend and virtual training partner for the BlogHer 5K, Michelle from Honest and Truly. Ravinia is a Chicago-area tradition. All summer long, a wide variety of musical and dance groups perform there, from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (every year!) to acts like (this year!) Rodrigo y Gabriela, The Four Tops, The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo Yo Ma, Counting Crows, Crosby Stills & Nash, The Beach Boys, Nelly Furtado, Vince Gill, Jethro Tull, Sheryl…

  • Fun in Chicago

    Still Too Young To Be Fearful.

    As we squeezed into the crowded elevator that would take us up 103 floors to the Skydeck of the Sears “I’ll never call it Willis” Tower, Kate looked at me and said, “I’ve had anxiety about this all week.” I had no idea. I told her that the gift shop is away from the windows, in the center of the floor, so if she wanted to hang out there, I’d take Bean over by the windows so we could look outside. Oh, and to the Ledge. Remember how I said that you’d never, in a million years, get me to go out on that thing? Well, here’s the thing. I…

  • Fun in Chicago

    Bean’s Chicago Tour 2010

    I just returned home from a jam-packed weekend in the city with Kate and Bean. You would think, being downtown with a girl of almost-six, that we wouldn’t see very much. Well, you’d be wrong! It’s actually faster to see certain things with a young kid, if you just relax and let them “drive”. In two days, we went to Millennium Park, the Adler Planetarium, the Shedd Aquarium, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Field Museum, and the Sears “I’ll never call it Willis” Tower. We also spent a bunch of time watching scenes from “Transformers 3” being shot right outside our hotel. One of the things that was…

  • Review

    Proud.

    This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Crystal Light Pure Fitness. Have you ever tried to do something that you thought you’d never be able to do because it was too hard? I have. Er, I mean, I AM. If you follow along on my personal blog, Suburban Scrawl, you know that I have been in training for the past eight weeks to do my first 5K, which will be at the BlogHer conference in New York City, in less than two weeks. I don’t consider myself a runner. In fact, before I started this training, I hated running. Truth be told, I still don’t like it very much. However,…

  • Friends

    A Different Lens

    This weekend I’m in the city, which you know I’m giddy about. I took the train. Naturally, I brought the camera that Olympus was kind enough to loan me, and I’m experimenting with some of the art lenses. I’m with two of my favorite people in the whole wide world, Kate and Bean. Seeing Chicago through the eyes of a child is an exciting experience. I have already pointed out Marina City as the “corn cob buildings”, and she shouts it out each time she looks at it. (“Corn in the cob buildings!!!) She’s at the age where she’ll probably be able to remember things like this when she grows…

  • Amazing People,  Friends,  Spreading the Bloggie Love

    Going to #Blogher10? Meet Some of My Friends!

    Though I know that many people do a pre-conference post which is meant to introduce themselves to readers ahead of IRL meetings, I figured that, well, you people know me already. I thought my time would be better spent (and I would keep myself more highly entertained) if I introduce you to just four of my good friends who I plan to spend some great quality time with in Manhattan, at BlogHer. That way, if you happen to catch a glimpse of them at the Hilton or elsewhere, you can feel comfortable running up to them and tackling them to the ground, just like I intend to do! In no…

  • Music,  Working On My Fitness

    Couch to 5K Update: Almost There!

    New playlist for Week 8:Give It To Me (Madonna—Paul Oakenfold Remix)Defying Gravity (Idina Menzel—Funky Junction Remix) (no link: this mix isn’t on youtube!)Teeth (Lady Gaga)Sorry (Madonna—Paul Oakenfold Remix)What You Waiting For? (Gwen Stefani)Junebug (B-52’s)Everytime We Touch (Cascada)Don’t Stop Believin’ (Rosetta Stone Remix) ©2010 Suburban Scrawl