Jam, Jammin', Jammies

So I decided I wanted some homemade jam. We used to make strawberry freezer jam all the time when I was younger. I hadn't had it in years so I decided that just had to change. Got the strawberries, pectin, jars, etc. Freezer jam is easy. No cooking involved. Still took me a couple of hours to get it done, but nothing bad. Ended up with 15 yummy pints of freezer jam. Then I decided to make regular cooked jam. That took a little longer, but still wasn't too bad. I did it in three double batches and was able to get it all done in less than three hours. Don't tell my feet that it wasn't bad though. They were not happy. And my knees were protesting, too. But now we have 26 yummy pints of strawberry jam...and I'm happy to report I had a 100% seal-rate on the jars. Of the canning I've done so far, only one or two jars (both pears) didn't seal. That's not too shabby.

I've really been trying to get into a routine for working out. It's not easy with two small children and a hubby who is crazy busy with work and school. The last couple of days have been great though. I'm walking hill intervals on our treadmill. Burning more fat and calories. And I can't run. I sometimes wish I could, but the longest I've ever been able to run without stopping in my life is about 8 minutes. Even in elementary and junior high when I was in pretty good shape, I couldn't run distance. I could outrun most of the boys in the 100 yard dash, but much farther than that and I would get light-headed, dizzy and have problems breathing. High school PE just about did me in. So, I walk. Maybe in a couple of months when I get some pounds off and I'm in a little better shape I will tackle the running thing. But for now...it's walking hills. It's actually good though. Clayton and I would love to do more hiking and we love to go camping so our goal is to get to the point where maybe next summer or fall we can hike the Grand Canyon. I'm up to a max speed of 3.1 and a max incline of 6.0. Not bad considering a few weeks ago, the most exercise I had done in a year was giving birth to my son. :o) I'm down a total of 4.6 pounds since I started two weeks ago. I'll take it!

I have to admit I thought the end of the world was coming last night. Andrew fights us every night when it comes to bed time. We have a pretty good routine, but he still just pitches a major fit. Clayton had class last night so I was on my own. I was preparing for a real rip-snorter! But alas, it was not to be. The only protest he put us was when I told him I had to brush his teeth after he finished to make sure his teeth were really clean. He said his prayers and climbed into bed without so much as a, "Mommy, I don't want to go to bed" or "Mommy, I can't sleep". And on more nights than not, he wanders out at least once. Not last night. Nothing. It was SOOOO nice! I thought for sure I was going to get to bed early. Luke killed that. He decided not to go to sleep until midnight. *sigh* I was tired this morning, that's for sure!