Week Three- Running thru life while doing Taxes

So I am offically done with our 2010 Federal and State tax returns.  I have been doing my taxes since I was 16 and have become quite efficient in preparing for them and getting them done. 
This is because I have a system. 

Step 1: ORGANIZATION  

I have an accordion plastic folder at home very similar to the one below. 
It has been deemed "Our Tax Folder." 

It actually starts in the back of the folder with our previous taxes- the oldest being the farthest back from the front. Each year gets a slot- so starting from the back we have 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 (closer to the front).  This also makes since because when doing your taxes each year you may need to refer back to the last years taxes  

Then starting at the front I use separate tabs for collecting this years tax information.

The tabs are as followed

1) Income-  W2s, Sold stock, Savings Interest Statement, etc

2) Deductions-  Paid Mortgage Interest, charitable contribution receipt, salvation army deductions, my certifications receipts, etc

3) Joe's school paperwork-  this one is new this year!

You may ask why I do it in this particular order... Answer... this is the way TurboTax guides me thru doing my taxes.  So Joe and I both place receipts or statements in the designated spot when we have deductions thru the year- so they are all in one place. 

So when all the tax forms started rolling in two weeks ago-
I filled them in their section until it was time to do taxes. 

Some people ask how I get my forms so fast- well I am fortunate that ALOT of them you can download off the web- our W2s, Stocks, etc.   In fact- I get emails from my job, and my credit union stating when the online forms are ready for my viewing. 

Also, I like doing ours early, because we are fortunate to get money back (mostly due to our mortgage, and other deductions that we currently have).  I know this might not always be the case.

Step 2:  KEEPING MY HUSBAND AWAY!!!  While my husband thinks he know everything... he does not know taxes.  I have done our taxes for the last four years and I will be the one who continues to do them until they get to complicated for me to handle.  My husband now understands this and has learned to help in other ways- like making me a "Hot Cider" to drink while I was working on them. 

Step 3: BUY TURBOTAX

We are fortunate to have simple taxes with W2, Credit Savings Interest, Mortgage Interest and Stock Interest Deductions.  For this reason, I love turbox tax.  We buy TurboTax Deluxe because it includes 1 free state which is all we need.  I always get it from Costco because they have a $10 coupon for it and then my dad and I split the cost.  (He borrows the CD after I am done- it ends up being around 15 dollars for each of us- what a deal!!!)

Furthermore, each year Turbotax will import the stuff from the previous year (like personal info, previous years taxes, etc)- this saves you time.  TRUST ME. 

So one Sunday at 2pm, I stat down with my folder and proceeded to crunch out our taxes in about 1 1/2 hours.  Not too bad.  I then hit save and stepped away from the computer.

The following weekend- I went thru all the sections again ( I like to double check everything) and filed our federal return electronically and mailed our state it.  (I do not know why but I can not come to paid to file our return electronically.... call me cheap! (Especially since you still have to mail in W2s, etc) 

So glad taxes are done!!!  YEAH!!!!!

Running thru life- Keeping your feet dry

Buying Rain Boots

I have wanted a pair of rain boots forever but have just not found a pair that I loved that was also not an arm and a leg.  While walking our dog after the snow one of our neighbors was wearing her new rain boots.  It made sense because now the snow is more wet than dry.  I loved her boots.  She said she got hers at DSW- so I headed over there the next day.  No luck- the two pairs that they had that I liked were not available in my size.  Story of my life. 

So I started looking on line and just browsing from time to time.  About a week ago, I discovered that I had to order Clemson's (our puppy's) shampoo.  I have started ordering it on-line because there is only one place we can get it near where we live and it is kind of out of the way for one things.  I just ordered it (it also ends up be cheaper on-line)!!!  TIME=MONEY- Right?  So I was looking on AMAZON.COM because that is where I was ordering the shampoo from and I found these rain boots that are exactly what I have been looking for and at a steal of a price.   The reviews were mixed- one girl felt they ran big (so I just ordered a smaller size- which fits perfectly), one girl thought they were heavy (they are rain boots!!!) 

Western Chief Women's Dity Dots Rain Boots

I tried this brand on at DSW but they did not have my size and the colors they had were not attractive so I knew how the shoe looked and felt. 
Originally $59.95 on sale for $36.65 with free shipping.  So I ordered them along with Clemson's Shampoo.
ALL WITH FREE SHIPPING- I do love Amazon.

I received my items yesterday and was so happy.  My feet are happy also. 

Of note my shin splints are improving and stretching and itching has helped a great deal.  I am running anywhere from 4-6 miles during the week at different spends, depending on my workout schedule.  Hopefully, I will get to do my long run tomorrow!!!!  Thanks little Bro...






I wore them last night when walking Clemson and my feet were happy!!!!

Running thru life while having fun....

So my husband and I LOVE WINERIES.

So last weekend when I was forced to take a day or two away from running because of spin splints, we decided to go out to the wineries for the day.  We are fortunate to be very close to Loudoun County where some of the best vineyards are.  We have been to lots of vineyards and have become quite wine and vineyard snobs (especially after our trip to Napa last May). 

So last weekend, we made two stops....

1) Fabbioli Cellars located in Leesburg, Va.  We have been to Fabbioli before and to be honest it is probably one of our favorites because it specializes in only red wines.  My husband loves reds and I have become more of a red wine drinker since going to Napa.  Their wine maker actually trained in Napa. 

http://fabbioliwines.com/

They are considered still a new winery to VA.  The tasting room consists of the bottom of a house.  There were 4 or 5 tasting stations.  Last Saturday it was not very crowed because of the snow.  Each tasting in $5 dollars and we tasted about a total of 7-8 wines.  My favorite is the Raspberry Merlot- combination of raspberries and Merlot- TO DIE FOR.   The ended up waving the tasting fee because we bought a bottle or two...

They have a nice picnic area and had a fire going since it was cold.  We have brought a little pinic basket before to have a glass of wine and snacks but it was just too cold last weekend.... may in the spring.

2) La Grange
While at Fabbioli we were talking with a man who works there about California vs VA wines and he mentioned that he like La Grange winery... so with nothing else to do on a lazy Saturday we decided to head off. 

La Grange winery is located in Haymarket VA.  It is set inside this gorgeous mansion.  It was crowed... probably too crowed for my liking. 
http://www.wineryatlagrange.com/index.html

The had a very good selection of wine- their tastings were $5- 7  depending of which one you did.  We opted to do the full tasting.  The wines were ok... nothing to write home about.   This is a nice place to go spend a cold day because the house is designed with the tasting room down stairs and the rooms upstairs each have fireplaces where you can buy a glass of wine and have a snack.  It was a fun experience but I do not think we will be going back any time soon for the wine.  We have a couple other favorite wineries that surpassed the wine we tried here.

Well Happy Day Off. 
(Of note- I hydrated before and after, and during).

Week Three: Preparing yourself for a 1/2 Marathon

I am fortnate to be surround by runners... my brother, a couple nurses I work with, etc. 
So I have learned from them it is very important to have a training schedule for  running a race.

When I started my goal was to do a 5K.
Here is the training schedule I used:
Couch to 5k
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

Then when I trained for my first 10 miler- The Cherry Blossom 10 miler- I signed up for their email program which emailed each week with a schedule of your workouts.
http://www.cherryblossom.org/theraces/vt.php

So now that I am training for a 1/2 marathon I have been looking for a schedule.  I found one in my Woman's Running Magazine, one in my Women's Running Book (earlier post), but I think I am going to try out the one sent to be by my brother because he was happy with his results.

He used a training plan made by Hal Higon, who has run countless runs before.  It is nice because it has an Novice, Intermediate, and  Advance Training Schedule.  My brother tells me I am in the Intermediate category so here I come.....
http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/inter.htm

So happy training.... remember "It is the price of greatness."

Week Three: Shin Splints

So yesterday, finishing  my week 4 of training for my 1/2 marathon something terrible happened.... SHIN SPLINTS halfway thru my long run.  So I stopped running and proceeded to call my brother because he also had dealt with Shin Splints while tranning for his 1/2 marathon and marathon. 

After a long telephone conversation and a couple emails later... Here is some info on Shin Splits

What are they?

A painful condition that affects the lower leg between the knee and the ankle. It is caused by damage to the muscles, tendons and tissues that attach to the lower leg bones. It may take one to six weeks or longer for your shin splints to go away. 

What causes them?
-  Not stretching and warming up your muscles enough before exercising ( I do this religiously!!!)
-Overpronation-  happens when your foot rolls inward to much when your un
-Over- use or over-training- Probably what is the problem in my case
-Shoes that do not fit or support foot well

 What are the signs and symptoms?
Pain in your inner side or back part of your shin, dull aching, tenderness and swelling 

How are they treated?
-Rest!!!!!!!! This is the most important part.
-Ice-  caused blood vessels to constrict and decrease imflammation (pain, swelling, etc) You can massage your skin with ice.
- NSAIDS like motrin.... 
-Stretching
-Tapping your legs

How can I prevent shin splints?
-Wear good fitting and good supporting shoes
-Stretching before exercising
-Use ice after your workouts

Again, this is just advice, you should always consult with your healthcare professional.

So today I will be resting, stretching, and icing..... =0)

Week 2 Bonus addition- Husband is Back to School

So my husband is now in his second semester of PhD school at George Mason for Electrical and Computer Engineering.  Last semester was interesting!  We both were in graduate school at the same time previously, but we were in different states.  I was in Maryland at the University of Maryland and Joe was down in Clemson.  GO CLEMSON... beat Maryland.  (You can see where my allegiance is).  So when we were in grad school, we did our work and would see each other every month or two so when we saw each other it was like a mini break.  Well now, we are both working full time, have a mortgage/bills, each other, and a puppy to worry about. 

While I was mentally ready for Joe to go back to school because I worked full time while I was in grad school.  (Joe was fortunate to have an teaching assistantship on campus- so he did not have to take on an addition job while in grad school.)  I knew it was going to be hard- and I was ready.

During Joe's first semester, we learned a lot about the way we communicate and how to communicate better and make more of our time together.  Below are a couple things that we found helped us as a couple:

1)  Set schedule- by this I mean....Ok every Sunday is Joe's studying day so we never ever plan anything for Sunday unless it is something really important.  Every Sunday night we have an early dinner at home so Joe can get back to studying/homework.  At Sunday dinners we take that time to discuss up coming things for next week.  Joe always takes Saturday nights off and Friday nights (unless studying for midterm/final).

2) Making a dinner menu for the week.  We started doing this on Sundays to help plan on grocery store trips (to help decrease them) and also for the person who arrives home first to start working on dinner.  Also in our endeavors to help decrease the number of times we eat out. 

This weeks included:
Sunday - Mini Sliders with Green Beans
Monday  Homemade Left Over Soup and Bread
Tuesday   Breakfast for dinner- Grits, Eggs, and Toast
Wednesday-  Pizza 
Thursday-  Scallops and Coucous. 
Friday -  ????  
Saturday- Date Night

Joe actually loves making the menu with me.  When he is in school we have nights that say "On your Own," which will be Monday and Wednesday because those are the nights he has classes.  He usually comes home early (before I get home to eat) or eats after class.    We also have a date night each week when we normally eat out- this can be anything from a little meal at Chiptole to eating out at a nice restaurant. 

Sample of our menu next week:
Sunday:  Salmon with Couscous and Broccoli
Monday:  On Your Own
Tuesday:  Chicken and Rice
Wednesday:  On Your Own
Thursday:  Pesto Pasta with veggie
Friday:  Date Night
Saturday:  Scallops with Risotto and Green Beans (We are having company over)

3) The third thing we found helpful as a couple is for me each week to take 5 minutes and email Joe at work our weekly schedule.  I often leave for work at 5 in the morning before he gets up, and he takes night classes so I am in bed by the time he gets home.  We found that this is a good way to communicate when we can not talk or see each other.  (Especially since Joe does not have access to gmail calendar at work, a cell phone available at work, etc....)

It helps remind us what each of us is in-charge of, what we need to get done this week, etc. 
So a sample of next week:  (Very mild week)

1/31  Monday-  I am working.  Class for Joe 7:30-10
2/2  Wednesday  Class for Joe 4:30-7:30
2/3  Thursday   Trash/Recycling out
2/4  Friday   Take Clemson to Puppy Camp
2/5  Saturday  Spinning Class for Laura at 10:30 am,  Company over for dinner at 6pm
2/6  Sunday   Superbowl Party with A& A  - Need to bring something.

 I also normally include in the email any financial stuff, or up coming things that I am dealing with, or when I am doing laundry (so he knows his clothes need to be downstairs), etc.  This weeks including scheduling appointments for my tires to be changed and Taxes related info. 
Some weeks we have more, some weeks we have less. 

4) Not planning to many events.  So before Joe went back to school we did something normally Friday night, Saturday night, and also Sundays with friends or family.  We found we should only plan 1 to possibly 2 small things each week to give Joe more time to study/homework and also give us time for us.  I often go do things with my girlfriends or family or run while Joe is studying.   

Like this upcoming weekend-  We are having dinner with Family at our House on Saturday and then going to a Superbowl party with friends on Sunday evening- giving Joe all day Saturday and Sunday to study if need be.

5) Dividing up tasks-  so this is not only important because Joe is in school but also important in a marriage.  I think it is important not to get stuck in gender roles in a marriage... ie  Women do womens work and Men do Mens work.   So below are our task and how they are divided (these are things we do each week or every other week).

Me                                                                    
Sweeping the floors (every Sunday)                   
Wipedown Kitchen                                              
Paying Bills/Finances                                           
Dusting (ever two weeks)                                   
Grocery Shopping                                               

Husband
Vacuum Carpet (every Sunday)
Trash/Recycling (Sunday & Wednesday nights)
Bathrooms ( Once a month)
Waling Clemson
Emptying Dishwasher

This is just to give you an idea....

Any other suggestions....

Week 2: Running Equipment- Entertainment

Running equipment continued....

Today I will focus on running entertainment... aka MY RUNNING SPACE.

My Treadmill... the picture is sideways and my computer at work is not smart enought to handle flipping a picture. 

So now that it is cold and snowing- I do most of my running on a treadmill.  This is also do to the fact that where I live you can not run more than 1/2 a mile without hitting some major road (which is not ideal for long workouts.)  So two years ago my mother-in-law gave my son an awesome gift- her old treadmill.  Little did my husband know that it would become MINE!!!! HAHA.     

My treadmill is set up in my basement now in front of my big screen TV, it has shelves on the walls (which my husband installed) for me to place my water, and my ipod docking station. 

 My running TV- was a gift to my hubby when I got my engagement ring. 

However, I use it more than him.

My self to put water on while I run or my ipod. 

My biggest problem with running- is staying entertained- I often get bored.  But I just pop in a Sex and City Movie or watch Bravo Top Chef or listen to my Ipod instead.  

While the treadmill I have is not the most up-to-date or in-style treadmill- it works and it was free!!!! 

Happy Running.....