Mommy on a Mission

Roller Derby: Fresh Meat Week 4

Roller Derby: New Year New Challenges. Fresh Meat. Week 1

Tofu Springrolls: Cooking With The Kids

Posted on March 30, 2017 by melissabirdwell

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I haven’t let the kids help me cook in ages. Well, they help me cook all the time but I haven’t made it an organised event with kid friendly food in ages. I need to start that again. Sheer laziness is probably the reason I stopped. I mean, it’s so much faster to send them outside to play and do it myself. Less mess as well. But they will never learn that way so it’s time to make more of an effort again.

Tonight we made Tofu Spring Rolls

First I cut the tofu into strips and roasted it in a hot oven until it was crispy on the outside, around 20 minutes. In the meantime I gathered and prepped any vegetables that I thought would be good. I chose cucumber, bell pepper, carrots and spinach. I’m sure you can use any vegetables you want.

I got these rice paper wraps. Man they are tricky! The instructions say to soak the sheets in warm water for 30 seconds and then put them on a tea towel. I followed the instructions the first time but it went horribly wrong. They stuck to the towel and I couldn’t get it off! I learned that it’s better to use a plate but it needs to be kept dry.

I let the kids fill them and then I wrapped them (to the best of my ability). They had a great time. My son decided that he loved all the individual ingredients all of a sudden. The kids ate more during the process of making them than they ate the finished product. Including the roasted tofu.

I mixed soy sauce and sweet chilli for a quick sauce.

I thought they were really good (especially for my first attempt). My son decided that he loved them and ate a respectable amount. This was a huge result because I haven’t been able to convince him to touch a vegetable in ages.

My daughter was less impressed. I think she found them difficult to eat.

I will say that they were quit bland. This was perfect for my kids because they tend to prefer their food more on the bland side but I could have done with more seasoning. I tried to drip some soy sauce inside of one before I rolled it but it was a disaster! Next time I will plan ahead better and marinate the tofu overnight.

I’m happy we cooked dinner together. It was fun!

Roller Derby: Fresh Meat, Week 11

Posted on March 28, 2017 by melissabirdwell

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Highlight of this week was a mother and son trip to Den Haag. There was a double header that I really wanted to go to and I decided to take my son. Because it started a little late in the evening (5:30! GASP) I decided that we should get a hotel and make a weekend of it. You see, I try to spend a day one on one with my son every few months. We generally do a fun outing, this is the first time has been an overnight. I loved that I could share my new found excitement of Roller Derby with him and he loved that he did a “grown up” thing with mommy.

We checked into the hotel and eventually made our way to the sport hall. I say eventually because Logan was so excited to be in a hotel room that he didn’t want to leave it “but mommy! You can watch TV while in bed! How great is that!” We walked to the venue and found some seats. He was enthralled for the first 10 minutes or so, then he asked for his tablet. It was actually very cute. He would watch and pay attention until the bout stopped and his head would go back down to his game, as soon as they started skating again his head would pop back up again and he would watch. I told him what was going on and how the ladies scored. He was fascinated by the penalty bench. I told him that it was like at home, when he was fighting with his sister they had to sit on the stairs until they were ready to apologise. He lasted until about 5 minutes till the end before he started to say that he was bored and wanted to go back to the hotel.

I found the bout very interesting. One team completely dominated but the other team kept going. I was able to keep up with the scoring but the penalties threw me off. They happened so fast! I can see why so many officials are needed. I realised how much work I need to do to understand the rules. I have been a total slacker!

Practice:

Welcome back, workout! I thought that we were past the basic fitness tests but they are back with a vengeance. I learned that we will need to pass a set of fitness tests to move on to the next level.

This test consists of:

12 push ups
50 sit ups
20 leg lifts on each side
20 knee bends on each side
45 second plank
30 second side plank on each side
15 “swimmers” back exercise
1 minute squat
balance for 30 seconds on each foot

All of this looks pretty standard and won’t be a problem. EXCEPT: Yep, 50 sit ups. I had a total “WHAT THE HELL!” moment. I thought he said 15 at first. This will be a problem. Why do I suck at sit-ups so badly?

We skated more with the “Smokies” (the awesome ladies who have advanced to the next level of training) than we have in past practices. We all skated in a line with no more than an arm length in between us and handed a ball to the person in front of us. Then when the ball reaches the front of the line the person holding it has to skate around the track to the back of the line and the precess starts over. Believe me, this is more tricky than it sounds. As I was looking over my shoulder waiting on the ball, then reaching to my side with both hands to grab it, while I’m trying not to fall or skate into the person in front of me.

Then, in typical Derby fashion, the crazy level went up a notch.

We practices “pack skating”. There were around 12 of us and we all skated together in a group with no more than an arms length in between. Fine, right? But everyone was assigned a number 1, 2 or 3. So the drill would go something like this: “number 1 drop to all 4s” (so everyone who was assigned to be a “number 1” must fall to the ground on their knees and elbows and curl up in a little ball). All while everyone else must skate around the little heap on the floor while maintaining the “pack”. It continued in this fashion for a while . “Number 2 go to the front” “number 3 stop” and such.

As far as Im concerned this is crazy X10. Important, crucial stuff in training but still crazy. I played basketball and soccer in school and we never had this level of nuts. I never once stopped and thought “I’m sorry, you want me to do what now? Well, that just seems crazy”

Don’t get me wrong, after watching more and more bouts I understand the importance of all of these training drills. I may find them nuts but they all make up critical parts of game play and we need to be ready for them.

Maybe thats why I am enjoying this so much. I’m a big fan of pushing things a bit farther than I really need to.

27 in 5:

I skated 24. WHOOHOO!!!

I’m still getting better every time! After I was done I wanted to do a little dance! But I sat down and panted instead. It just felt right .

Our final skills test is quickly approaching. I am still unsure on my skates and at this moment I don’t feel ready to move on. We have some time, but I would rather be safe than in a hurry.

Don’t mind the manic smile.

Roller Derby: Fresh Meat Week 10

Roller Derby: Fresh Meat, Weeks 8 & 9

Roller Derby: Fresh Meat, Week 7

Roller Derby: Fresh Meat,Week 6

Roller Derby: Fresh Meat Week 4

Roller Derby: New Year New Challenges. Fresh Meat. Week 1

Roller Derby: Fresh Meat Week 10

Posted on March 21, 2017 by melissabirdwell

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We got back from Spain and it was a struggle to get back into a routine this week. I was at the gym a few days but after so many weeks of a severely limited workout I really struggled. I was so sore after every single workout. At first I was really annoyed about it but I quickly realised that it had been over a month since I had fractured my finger so I hadn’t lifted weights or really worked out since then. After that I cut myself some slack.

Saturday was a very fun day. A friend of mine found a pair of vintage roller skates at the resale shop. She had bought them for her son but he was used to the inline skates so they ended up with me. I was excited to have skates for my son and he was excited to have skates like mommies. Saturday morning we went to the sports shop and bought all the pads he would need and a skating helmet for him. I actually didn’t realise that skating helmets were very different from biking helmets until I was in the shop. I knew that my derby helmet was different but apparently all skaters should wear a special helmet that covers more of the sides of the head. Luckily my son is fine with wearing the pads. I think it will be a problem when it starts to get hot outside, though. My daughter even got some skates! We got here the adjustable plastic kind that goes over her shoes. When her feet grow 2 more sized she will get her own real pair.

Saturday wasn’t a particularly beautiful day so no one was very excited about going outside. So in true “fun mom” fashion, I moved all the furniture from the living room into the kitchen and we made our own roller rink.

It was a great time. I was just focused on teaching their balance and how to get around. I really loved seeing my kids on skates! I see many summer days skating around the neighbourhood in our future.

Practice:

So happy to be back after a 2 week break! I got there early so I could have some extra skate time before we got going. We didn’t do our standard workout this week (push ups, sit ups, etc). I supposed that after 10 weeks they just assume we have a basic fitness level, or maybe they forgot. The new skills we learned this week were mostly whips. They are going to be hard to describe. Red skater and blue skater. Red skater needs to go really fast, she skates from behind and to the side of blue skater. Blue skater holds out her arm and red skater reaches forward and grabs her arm. At this point blue skater swings her arm forward and when red skater lets go she is propelled forward.

Let me tell you, this is difficult. I knew that I was lacking in the upper body strength but this really synched it! I was super sore through my arm pits and into my chest the next day. I didn’t even know it was possible to be sore in my arm pits!

We also practiced jumping. Literally skating and then jumping over an obstacle, in this case a series of cones stacked about 5 or 6 inches high. After I got past the initial “hell no, I can’t do that. You are all crazy people. What the hell am I doing here” thoughts (I would never say those things out loud because I’m pretty sure they would make me do pushups or something) I did pretty well. I fell on my bottom a few times but managed not to injure myself. Its like psychotic box jumps. Unfortunately, I hate normal box jumps. So there is that.

We skated the “27 in 5” at the end of practice. I was able to skate 23 laps. Again, I’m super proud of myself. I get a little better every time. I also found out that for Fresh Meat we only have to skate 23 laps and that its 27 for the Smokey Bacon level. This released a lot of pressure, I know know that if I keep practicing and improving at this rate I will be able to get my minimum laps in during the skills test. Passing the rest of the test is a different thing, but I’ll leap that bridge later.

After practice we had another “theory” lesson. I have only been to 1 and I’m feeling remarkably unprepared for a rules test. I asked the instructor what language the test would been and she said that she could print out an English version for me. I was really relieved to hear that. I did learn that I am out of town during the final rules test and thats a little annoying.

So, another week in the books. Can’t wait to see what happens next!

My “Little 5k’s” and No I Don’t Intend to Run Farther

Posted on March 14, 2017 by melissabirdwell

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My weight loss journey started years ago, about 5 years in fact. I knew that I needed to loose weight but didn’t really know how. You see, my husband and I decided to have a child I read that it was easier to be pregnant and give birth if you are fit, so the decision was made to start trying to get healthy. So I started running. It was a great choice. I wasn’t emotionally or mentally ready to join a gym because that felt very permanent but running I could just do without any real pressure or commitment. So I started a “couch to 5K” training program and got my butt outside. I would run two or three times a week after the kids went to bed (depending on weather, I’m a bit of a baby about rain). Slowly I got more and more comfortable and a bit faster.

I ran my first “real 5k” (meaning a timed, paid for event) just before I got pregnant with my first child. It was a ladies run in Utrecht. My time was 47 minutes. I can’t tell you how proud of myself I was. I didn’t stop running. Sure that is, in reality, an unbelievably slow pace as far as running goes (it’s very nearly walking) but I was bursting!

Me after my first 5K.

A lot has happened since the day I decided to strap on some running shoes almost 6 years ago ( 2 kids up and over 25 kilos down for starters) but I still love running my 5k’s.

You see, I have a great many friends who run 10k’s, half marathons and full marathons. Before the start of every running season I start getting asked to run farther. My friends don’t mean is to be insulting or demeaning (and I’m not taking it that way), I think it’s more like they want me to run with them. Or that 5k’s are for beginners and at this point in my fitness journey I am capable of doing more or running farther. I understand that, I am fully capable.

But I’m not going to run farther. I like running my little 5K’s. I’m happy there.

I like the fact that I can leave my house and make it back for a shower in under 40 minutes. That means that I can get my kids to bed and decide to run. I don’t have to plan it or prep for it. Start to finish, I use 1 hour of my evening. Including a shower. Pretty evening? Kids in bed on time? I tell my hubby that I’m going for a run and by the time he gets done playing on his phone, I’m back.

I like that I don’t really have to train anymore for a 5k. I may be crying and panting by the time that I finish, but I will finish. I can’t say that about the longer runs. They take a dedication that I simply don’t have.

Well, I have dedication by the tons. But I need to spread it around a bit. I love going to the gym. I have learned that this is my happy place. Lifting weights, yoga, zumba and all the crazy classes that I love so much. At home I love knitting, baking, reading and watching horror movies. Lets not forget Roller Derby, my newest obsession. Oh and family time, lets not forget that, either. Thats kinda a big one. I only have so much time and energy!

And the reality is, is there any health benefits to running farther. Seriously?

So, to my friends: I love that you run farther than me. I love that you love it and want to share your excitement with me. I love that you want me to be the best that I can be.

But, I’m good. Thanks. I will continue to run my little 5k’s and that will free me up to cheer for you when you cross your finish line.

Colour runs, zombie runs and ladies runs. 5k’s rock!!

Roller Derby: Fresh Meat, Weeks 8 & 9

Posted on March 11, 2017 by melissabirdwell

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So little happened in the world of Roller Derby the last 2 weeks that I couldn’t even justify 2 separate blog posts.

I went back to follow up with the surgeon about my finger at the beginning of week 8. It was still hurting a lot and I was under the impression that it should have been mostly better by then. It was a very frustrating appointment, honestly. He said that it could take up to a month to heal properly and that I should excessive it but if it starts to hurt I should stop what I was doing. It reminded me of that joke: The person (insert preferred stereotype) goes into the Dr. and said “it hurts when I do this”and the Dr said “well don’t do that”. you know the one. On one hand I was relieved that he didn’t put me in a new cast but on the other hand I would have liked a new x-ray. I think the appointment lasted a grand total of 30 seconds. Anyway, we will see how it goes.

By the end of week 9 it was still throbbing and my knuckle is now popping when i bend my finger. This is a bit worrying. It’s affecting my knitting and thats not ok. 🙂

Beyond that, nothing really.

We watched Whip It. A cute Roller Derby movie from 2009. It’s less about Roller Derby and more about a misfit who is able to gain independence and self confidence by playing the sport. I enjoyed it.

Doesn’t really count as training, though, does it?

Practice:

Why no practice for 2 whole weeks?

The first week was cancelled because of carnival. Carnival is kinda a religious holiday. You can read about carnival in the Netherlands here: Carnival in The Netherlands

I am not a fan of carnival and my son had a week off school. So the natural thing to do is run away to Spain. Sounds reasonable, right?

So thats why I missed the next week.

We did have an amazing vacation in the South of Spain. And I will be back next week and skate harder than ever!

Roller Derby: Fresh Meat, Week 7

Posted on February 24, 2017 by melissabirdwell

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Not to much happened with Roller Derby through out the week, actually. My finger is still giving me trouble so my gym time was limited. I did go back to Power Yoga on Monday night. The instructor was able to show me some modifications that made me able to participate but there were things I couldn’t do. I am happy to be back at yoga, though. I truly believe that it has made all the difference with my skating. Yoga has really improved my balance and good balance is really important for Derby.

My husband and I watched a “bout”on YouTube one night. Honestly it was the first I have every watched. It really made me conscious of how little I actually understand the rules. We have “theory” meeting every other week but I have missed 2 of the 3 and the one I went to wasn’t terribly helpful. It’s in Dutch, so I have trouble keeping up. I printed out the official rules and I started reading them. Honestly, I find them a bit confusing but I will get it.

Practice:

Another great night. We practiced skating backwards for what felt like forever. Concentrating on balance, skating and not running into people is exhausting. We also practiced grabbing someone in front of you by the hips and pulling them backward as you skate by. We learned this last week but this week we did it while skating around in circles. This definitely added a new element of crazy that I wasn’t expecting. I am having real trouble grabbing because of my finger still. I kept hearing “pull harder, as hard as you can” (in English and Dutch interchangeably) and I started to get really frustrated. Supid finger.

We also practiced crossovers and once again attempted to get our 27 laps in 5 minutes. I skated 21 (very nearly 22 but almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, right) which is a great improvement from last week at 18. I am very pleased with that level of progress. If I keep it up I shouldn’t have any problem with 27 by the end of training. The girl I was counting for (I skate and she counts and then we switch) skated 26 laps! Was so impressed! I was worried about participating in a group sport because I get really competitive but (although a little jealous) I just admired how she did it. It was great. Maybe I’m growing as a person. Who knows?

I did realise that my finger isn’t getting much better and thats a problem. I was told that it was supposed to be back to normal in two weeks and it isn’t. I will make a follow up apointment with the surgeon first half of the week.

I also realised that I am never going to make any Roller Derby Team without my Dutch being better. I can generally keep up if I can watch what the others are doing and I can understand most things, but we were running (or skating) a drill and he had to switch to English to tell me where I was supposed to be. I found this extremely frustrating. So Dutch has to be at the top on my important list.

So that’s it for week 7.

Next week practice is cancelled for carnival and I will be on holiday the next week so I will miss 2 weeks of skating!! But stay tuned for more Roller Derby adventure.

Roller Derby: Fresh Meat,Week 6

Roller Derby: Fresh Meat Week 4

Roller Derby: New Year New Challenges. Fresh Meat. Week 1

Roller Derby: Fresh Meat,Week 6

Posted on February 16, 2017 by melissabirdwell

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I’m back!

Last week I was forced to take a break from Roller Derby (and just about everything else) because of an injury. It was a rough week, I’m generally a very active person and I had a hard time at the sudden stillness. I was bracing for a few more weeks of this.

I went in for my follow up appointment with a surgeon on Tuesday morning expecting the worst. I had decided after a very wine filled Sunday night (it was a great time, don’t get me wrong but I was suffering a bit on Monday) that I was through feeling sorry for myself and that I needed to find a more productive way to deal with the fact that my entire arm would be completely immobile forever and I would eventually have to live a life of complete inactivity. I was in a pretty dark place mentally, as I’m sure you can tell.

I was so happy leaving my appointment with only my 2 fingers wrapped together! I was a little surprised that my hand wasn’t x-rayed or anything but whatever the cast was off!

I do have to be careful with my finger, though. I had to alter my gym time because I can’t lift weights for a few weeks but thats ok. I put together a 30 minute HIIT training workout focusing on balance and derby skills. Im really happy with it.

My HIIT Training with the BOSUball:

1 minute running in place
1 minute side lunges: starting in the bosu then stepping off to one side and into a deep squat, then both feet back on the bosu and then on the other side.
1 minute: jumping on the bosu: stand on the bosu and jump as high as you can and then land balancing on the bosu
1 minute:of situps while laying on the bosu
1 minute: jumping forward and landing on one foot on the bosu
1 minute laying on my side with the bosu at my waist raising my upper body. Like a situp for the side
1 minute: of the same on the other side
1 minute of the standing jumps (the 3rd one) again
1 minute: laying on my tummy with the ball under my mid section with my arms straight out and raising my arms and head to one side and then the other
1 minute: same position and raising my right arm and left leg then my left arm and right leg
5 minutes: stand on the ball and hold “derby pose” pretty much squat position
Then I did the whole thing again.

I put this together after watching different videos and reading some Derby training programs. My legs were shaking after this 30 minutes! There was no way I was going to hold that last “derby pose”for the full 5 minutes. I felt like it was pretty well rounded and focused on a lot of the important things in Derby like balance and stamina.

Please keep in mind that I am not a personal trainer and although I really recommend giving the baseball a try you can find a lot of professional training plans on pinterest.

Practice:

So great. I had to be careful and I sucked at a few things because of my finger but I really loved it. We are starting to feel more like a team now. The more experienced skaters are giving me tips and I am struggling with the other “freshies”. I have never really been part of a team before and I am loving the experience (even though we aren’t really a team yet, just in training).

We learned some things about actual Derby tonight. We have been focused on skating and thats really important but I was happy to actually practice something that would be used during actually game play. As you are skating, you grab a person in front of you by the hips and pull them backward at your side. Thus moving them from your path and stopping their momentum. We spent a lot of time doing drills to practice this. I had a problem because of my finger. When I tried to hold on to someone my finger really started to hurt. I just explained that I was having trouble to the trainer and I pulled back a bit. For now I felt it was important to practice the movement of it so I just touched the other persons hips without trying to pull. Very unsatisfying but it worked out well.

We practiced standard skating stuff like stopping and going from skating forwards to skating backwards in one fluid motion. We also played “Simon Says” (Simon says touch the ground, simon says touch you left knee to the ground, etc…) That was super fun. I really enjoy the games we play at practice.

At the end we did a trial run of the “27 in 5”. I had read about this on Pinterest (man, how I love Pinterest) so I was familiar with the concept. As part of our “Fresh Meat” final exam we have to skate 27 laps in 5 minutes. On our trial run tonight I managed 18 laps. I was so proud of myself! I felt like lightening! I was told by one of the trainers that on the straight bits I stand up and loose my speed. Great tip and something for me to work on. I was nervous going in but I loved it. Just skating at full speed, feeling the wind on your head through the little gaps in the helmet. It was AWESOME! And the crossovers. Oh, the crossovers. I need all the practice I can get on those things!

And I found out that the super cool Derby folk go to the local skate perk on Thursday nights. The trainer said that he would post the details on out fb group page so us “Freshies” could come skate. So awesome! I’m wicked excited about some extra skating practice.

Post Derby smiles and roses cheeks !

Oh, and notice anything different? I got my nose pierced on Friday. I’m really loving it so far. Hurts like a bitch but thats normal.

OK.

See you next week for more super exciting Derby Adventure!