Mardi Gras Chaser 5K/10K: Race No. 4 of 35

I'm horribly behind on my race posts. But with a race-free weekend ahead of me, I'll try to use this time to catch up. So let's rewind three months to Chicago's still-snowy winter (I know, I don't want to go back there either) and revisit my first 10K of the year.

Although I hadn't really trained much for a 10K, The Mardi Gras Chaser was, and still is, one of my favorite races of 2015.

For starters, it was an outdoor race in February, and as I learned during my first race of the year, outdoor winter running rocks — especially when the route is plowed and salted. The high that day (Feb. 21) was 33 degrees, although at race time on Montrose Harbor, it was probably in the teens or 20s.

I ended up running my fastest 10K, and I think the day's cold temps played a big part. Now that I'm running in much warmer spring weather, I've realized how much harder it is to run in the heat. I'd take a race day the 40s over the 60s anytime.

In addition to the weather and distance, this race also had great post-race snacks. Being Mardi Gras-themed, the finish line had cupcakes, snack cakes and sweets galore ... and I ate none of them. Instead, I loaded up a bag of goodies and brought them home for the girls. In fact, since going mostly paleo last year, I rarely eat any post-race freebies, other than the requisite banana, of course. In turn, my kids have developed a Pavlovian response when I come home following a race. "What'd you bring us, Mom?" And this time, they were pretty stoked to find something other than Luna bars.

In addition to the post-race snacks, I also loved the swag. Instead of a shirt (because I really don't need any more of those), the giveaway was a neck warmer. I haven't needed to use it yet, but I'm sure I will next winter.

Race Summary
Race name: Mardi Gras Chaser 5K/10K
2015 Challenge Race No.: 4
Location: Montrose Harbor, Chicago, IL
Organizers/Sponsor: Back on My Feet
Beneficiary: Back on My Feet
Cost: $45
Distance: 10k (6.2 miles)
Best parts of the race:
- February race!
- Post-race snacks
- Swag

Worst parts:
- Despite its name, the race took place after Mardi Gras, so if you're into giving up stuff for Lent, you can't really partake in the post-race sweets or beer.


Following events:

March:
Fight For Air Climb (180 floors stair climb), March 8 @ Presidential Towers, Chicago, IL
Get Lucky 7K, March 14 @ Jackson Park, Chicago, IL
Shamrock Shuffle 8K, March 29 @ Grant Park, Chicago, IL

April:
Be the Match 5K, April 11 @ Montrose Harbor, Chicago, IL
Race to Wrigley 5K, April 25 @ Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
Ravenswood Run 5K, April 26 @ Ravenswood, Chicago, IL

MMM - November 2014

I'm starting to plan the Monthly Maya Mix (MMM) for March 2015, so I thought I'd start recapping some of her MMMs to date.

The first 10-song mix I made for Maya was in November. After listening to her 5th birthday CD for a few weeks leading up to her party in late September, then for a few weeks following, I was ready for some new tunes by late October.

By the way, this is a good time for a little PSA: If you're a parent and you encourage your children to like some of your favorite songs, and they actually do like them, hooray! ... Within 3 weeks, you'll hate those same songs. Because no matter how great the tune is, if you listen to it on repeat for weeks on end, it will become the most annoying sound in the world. So, you know, proceed with caution.

Anyway, the November mix incorporated "mommy/daddy" songs Maya had shown an interest in after hearing them on the radio, plus a few songs I knew were sure-fire kids' hits, plus some songs that had some relevance to the time of year or plans we had for the month:

1. Blister In The Sun - Violent Femmes
This is one Maya has heard me sing along to on the radio, and due to my over-animated sing-alongs, became a quick favorite. The songs gets really quiet, then very loud, à la "Shout." What could be more exciting for a five year old!?

That said, when the same five-year-old sings, "I'm so strung out. I'm high as a kite; I just might stop to check you out," in public, cue the parental embarrassment.

2. How You Like Me Now - The Heavy
I thought this might be upbeat and repetitive enough for preschooler enjoyment, but no dice. Maya's not a fan.

3. Behind Blue Eyes - The Who
By and large, Maya likes any song that include lyrics about blue eyes (because she has blue eyes) or blonde hair (because she had blonde hair). What she doesn't know is that I've secretly been attempting to make her a fan of The Who since Superbowl 2010. This plan has been somewhat successful, although for this particular song, she only likes the first 2 minutes and 19 seconds. So in other words, the boring part. Once it gets good, she loses interest.

4. Touch the Sky - Julie Fowlis (from the "Brave" soundtrack)
This is my favorite of the recent Disney movies, so Maya pretends to likes this song for that reason. Otherwise, I don't think it's her favorite.

5. Changes - David Bowie
Another excellent song I can attribute to the Shrek franchise. A cover of this plays during one scene of Shrek 2, and that's enough to capture Maya's attention. Thank you, DreamWorks!

6. Nasty Dan - Johnny Cash
I gotta give props to Melinda for introducing this gem to our repertoire, back when Maya was born. We're now fans of the whole Johnny Cash Children's Album.

7. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - The Beatles
My first of many attempts to get the girls to like The Beatles. I mean, c'mon, it was the theme song to "Life Goes On." What's not to like!? Apparently all of it, say the girls.

8. When the World - Lea Michele (from the "Legends of Oz" soundtrack)
A cartoon sequel to "The Wizard of Oz" came out a while back starring Lea Michele of "Glee" fame. I actually always liked Lea Michele, so I gave this cartoon a chance on Red Box one night. The verdict: It's one of the worst movies ever made. I honestly could not watch this movie from beginning to end without getting up and pacing angrily around the house for the Wizard-of-Oz blasphemy taking place before me. For a sample of this horror, let me offer this clip from the movie:



If you couldn't sit through that clip (and I don't blame you) let me give you the abbreviated version: a soldier made out of marshmallows brings his miniature porcelain doll love interest back to life by removing parts of his marshmallow body, melting them in a fire, and using those melted body parts to glue her broken body back together.

OK, first of all? Ew. And second of all? Eeeeewwwww.

Still, I'm a parent. And like most parents, I'm a pushover and will do things that go against all my moral fibers just to see my children smile. So I put a different song from this movie on Maya's November mix to make her happy. And it did, immensely. What can I say? I'm a big meltable, marshmallow softie at heart.

9. Oh My Sweet Carolina - Ryan Adams
Every year, we head to North Carolina to visit my in-laws for Thanksgiving, so I thought this was an appropriate choice for Maya's November mix. I suspected this song might be too slow and quiet for her tastes, which was a correct assumption. But at least I tried.

10. Mexico Lindo (Pretty Mexico) - Nati Cano's Mariachi Los Camperos
In November, we started talking to the girls about our upcoming January trip to Mexico. So in an attempt to get Maya in the Mayan spirit, I added some mariachi to the mix. She was mildly intrigued, but mostly chose to skip this tune. Once again, at least I tried.

You can also listen to the mix here.

Paradise Coast Marathon Half & 5K - Race No. 3 of 35

After some internal debate, I decided not to do the Cupid's Undies undies run, mostly because it wasn't timed and was only a mile. That just didn't feel like a real race to me. But that left me needing to do another race in February just to keep pace for my 3.

Fortunately, a planned family trip to Ft. Myers, Fla. happened to coincide with a race in Naples, so I got to stay on track.

The race was a marathon, half and 5k, and because I'm nowhere near able to do a marathon or half, I opted for the 5k. Although this race took place in Florida, and the highs that day were in the mid-70s, at the 7 a.m. start time, the temps were in the 40s, so it was a little chilly before the race. While running, though, those chilly temps were perfect. That, plus the location — a swamp buggy race course — made this my favorite race of the year.

I also clocked one of my best 5k times, so this race will be tough to beat. Here's to Race No. 3!

Race Summary:
Race name: Paradise Coast Marathon Half & 5K
2015 Challenge Race No.: 3
Location: Florida Sports Park, Naples, Fla.
Organizers/Sponsor: Elite events
Beneficiary: None (from what I can tell)
Cost: $35
Distance: 5k (3.1 miles)
Best parts of the race:
- Location!

Worst parts:
- Early start time

Upcoming events:

Next race: Mardi Gras Chaser 10K, TODAY @ Montrose Harbor, Chicago, IL

March:

• Fight For Air Climb (180 floors stair climb), March 8 @ Presidential Towers, Chicago, IL - I need some donations for this one, so if you can spare a few bucks, please donate! Full disclosure: This is probably not the last time I'll hit you up for donations this year, so you know, keep that in mind when choosing how much to donate. Seriously, even $5 helps.
• Get Lucky 7K, March 14 @ Jackson Park, Chicago, IL
• Shamrock Shuffle 8K, March 29 @ Grant Park, Chicago, IL

A Playlist for the Ages

When you're a parent, you hear numerous children's songs on repeat. Constantly. They all get irritating. Even the good stuff, like Yo Gabba Gabba! and the They Might Be Giants kids CDs, get annoyingly repetitive after a while.

Starting before age 2, Maya often wanted to hear the same song over and over again. Many times, she'd insist we start a song over again only 15 or 20 seconds into it. As she got older and started talking — and singing — more, we realized she was committing every verse to memory. She needed to know every word and sing along.

So, although we indulged this request, hearing one song everyday on repeat for the 30-40 minute commute into to the work, then again for the drive home, was insufferable. So we made a deal where Chris and I listen to the radio (almost exclusively WXRT) for at least half the commute, then Maya gets to pick her song(s).

Over the years, she has started to like some of the songs on the radio, and — being a child of the modern era with no concept of a live, non-DVR'd broadcast — would ask us to play them again or restart them halfway through.

That interest in our music, plus the frustrating task of navigating between her two favorite kids songs of the moment, which were often located on different CDs, led me to start making her mixes. This also gave me the opportunity to expose her to different music, even though some of my choices may be questionable for her age.

Many she deemed "too long" or "boring," but some stuck. And I now have a 5 year old who knows all the words to "Brass Monkey" and "Blister in the Sun."

Starting with her 4th birthday, I started making a mix of her favorite songs as a goodie bag giveaway for her friends. Full disclosure: I straight up stole this idea from my cousin who does the same thing for her daughter.

In addition, I also started making Maya a monthly mix of just 10 songs. Each is a mix of stuff I know she'll love (Disney, mostly) and stuff I want her to like. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. A few themes have emerged: She does NOT like The Beatles (sniff), but one Paul McCartney song has won her over ("New"), simply because it was on the soundtrack for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. Same goes for any song even remotely associated with the Shrek/Puss in Boots franchise. Hence, Maya now likes Rodrigo y Gabriela.

I'll write more about the monthly mixes in the future, but for now, here are her last two birthday mixes:

Maya's Favorite Songs - 2013 (age 4) edition

1. Pool Party - Aquabats (Yo Gabba Gabba! Music is Awesome! Vol. 1)
2. When Will My Life Begin - Mandy Moore (Tangled soundtrack)
3. These Boots Are Made For Walkin' - Nancy Sinatra
4. Wombo Lombo - Angelique Kidjo
5. Sing After Me - Madeline Kahn & Grover
6. I Can Add - They Might Be Giants
7. I Love Bugs - Yo Gabba Gabba!
8. What I Like About You - ROMANTICS
9. Pirate Girls Nine - They Might Be Giants
10. Sisters and Brothers - Free to Be...You And Me
11. Hold Still - Yo Gabba Gabba!
12. Hot Dog! - They Might Be Giants
13. Baby Beluga - Raffi
14. Baa Baa Blacksheep - Patti Dallas and Alura Baron
15. Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67 - Sergei Prokofiev - Leonard Bernstein/New York Philharmonic

Maya's Favorite Songs - 2014 (age 5) edition

1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme song - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
2. Hey Ya! - Outkast
3. Americano - Lady Gaga
4. La Seine and I - Vanessa Paradis & Sean Lennon (A Monster in Paris soundtrack)
5. Let It Go - Idina Menzel (Frozen soundtrack)
6. Blond Hair And Blue Eyes - moe.
7. Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard - Paul Simon
8. I Love Rock N' Roll - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
9. Diablo Rojo - Rodrigo y Gabriela
10. Papa Paris - Vanessa Paradis (A Monster in Paris soundtrack)
11. For the First Time in Forever - Kristin Bell & Idina Menzel (Frozen soundtrack)
12. Brass Monkey - Beastie Boys
13. Sweet Adeline - Elliott Smith
14. Poor Unfortunate Souls - Pat Carroll (A Little Mermaid soundtrack)
15. Get Off Of My Cloud - The Rolling Stone
16. Everything is AWESOME!!! - Tegan and Sara (The Lego Movie soundtrack)
17. Tick Tick Boom - The Hives
18. A Monster in Paris - Sean Lennon (A Monster in Paris soundtrack)
19. Lovely, Love My Family - The Roots (Yo Gabba Gabba! Music is Awesome! Vol. 1)
20. Ladies First - Marlo Thomas (Free To Be...You And Me soundtrack)
21. Power Puff Girls End Title - The Hit Crew (The Power Puff Girls Theme Song)

Step Up for Kids - Race No. 2 of 35

Among the many perks of living in Chicago (six major league sports teams, endless free family activities, one of the highest bars-per-capita rates in the U.S., to name a few), are the abundant skyscrapers. Chicago is all about its architecture, and as a result, we've got tons of stair climb events.

Some of the more popular ones, like Hustle Up the Hancock and the SkyRise Chicago (at the Sears, er Willis, Tower) apparently sell out in minutes, at least for the full climbs. So, for people like me who aren't so quick to pull the trigger, I'm fortunate to have plenty of other tall buildings to climb.

Last week I did Step Up for Kids at the Aon Center, an 80-floor climb. This was my first stair climb event, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Overall, I did OK, finishing the climb in about 24 minutes. The winner did it in 9:57, which I can't even begin to understand.

Surprisingly, the climbing part wasn't very difficult. I didn't really get short of breath or feel the burn in my legs. Instead, I was slowed down by dizziness. Doing a climb like this means you're turning 180 degrees every 5 seconds or so. That was the hard part for me.

Part of the appeal of doing an stair climb is the view you get from the top. Unfortunately, this January day featured rain and fog, so here's the spectacular view of the city from 80 floors up:

Aside from the climb itself, this event didn't seem particularly well-organized. Chris and the girls came with me, but the area where spectators were permitted to hang out lacked amenities. The area was on the lower level of the Aon Center, and it was also where they had packet pick-up and bag check. So, lots of people were down there. Yet, there was only one bathroom with three stalls in the women's room. The lines were insane.

In addition, there wasn't any water, snacks, water fountains or anything for spectators, not even for purchase. The one plus was a kids craft zone, which worked out well for Chris and the girls. At the finish line, which only climbers could access, they had lots of kid-friendly snacks and drinks, so I loaded up and brought them down to the girls.

But otherwise, I wasn't super impressed with the organization. It's possible that all indoor events are like this, and I'm just spoiled by large outdoor events. I'll find out in a few weeks at the Fight For Air Climb. It's a climb at the Presidential Towers — there are four towers with 45 floors each. I'm doing all four, so it's a total of 180 floors. Hopefully I'll figure out to combat the dizziness between now and then. Got any suggestions?


Race Summary:
Race name: Step Up for Kids
2015 Challenge Race No.: 2
Location: Aon Center, Chicago, IL
Organizers/Sponsor: KPMG
Beneficiary: Lurie Children's Hospital
Cost: $150 ($50 registration + $100 fundraising)
Distance: 80 floors
Best parts of the race:
- Indoor race in January

Worst parts:
- Lack of bathrooms in general area
- Lack of water, snacks, anything for supporters in general area
- Waiting for the elevators to get back down, which took longer than the climb up. I honestly would have taken the stairs down to avoid waiting in that line, but it wasn't an option.

Upcoming events:

• Next race: Possibly Cupid’s Undies @ John Barleycorn, Chicago, IL – Feb. 7. Still trying to decide if I'm going to do this one. I would love to run it with Chris, but the childcare situation makes it hard. Anyone wanna run in your undies with me?
• February:
• Mardi Gras Chaser 7K, Feb. 21 @ Montrose Harbor, Chicago, IL
• March:
• Fight For Air Climb (180 floors stair climb), March 8 @ Presidential Towers, Chicago, IL - I need some donations for this one, so if you can spare a few bucks, please donate! Full disclosure: This is probably not the last time I'll hit you up for donations this year, so you know, keep that in mind when choosing how much to donate. Seriously, even $5 helps.
• Get Lucky 7K, March 14 @ Jackson Park, Chicago, IL
• Shamrock Shuffle 8K, March 29 @ Grant Park, Chicago, IL

35 for my 35th: No. 1

I turned 35 on Jan. 1, 2015. In honor of my 35 years on Earth, I decided to give myself a little challenge: within the year 2015, I will complete 35 official races. The races can be of any kind: running, biking, stair climbs, triathlons, mud runs, obstacles courses, etc. But they all must be official races, with entry fees and bibs numbers and the like.

In case you’re doing the math very slowly, 35 races equates to about 3 races per month. So, it’s not exactly an easy challenge. I mean, how many races can you do in January?

So far, one.

I completed the Polar Dash (5K) in Chicago on Jan. 10. It was 16 degrees outside at the time, and I attended my company’s holiday party the night before. And by “attended,” I mean, the libations were flowing, there may have been some G n R karaoke and head-banging on my part, and I got home after 2 am. But the next day, ran I did—nursing a moderate hangover.

Surprisingly, despite the chilly temps and bitter winds off the lake, I managed to overdress. I wore two pairs of pants, three long-sleeve shirts, two pairs of gloves and a knit hat. Most of me was sweating. The only part that got cold was my nose, which lost some feeling part way through the race. But otherwise, it was a great run. I had a blast, and although my time wasn’t great, sweating out the previous night’s vodka was a win in my book.

Race Summary:

Race name: Polar Dash

2015 Challenge Race No.: 1

Location: Grant Park, Chicago, IL

Organizers/Sponsor: Team Ortho

Beneficiary: Shriners Hospitals for Children - Chicago 

Cost: $50

Distance: 5K (3.1 miles)

Best parts of the race:
- The swag—a cozy zip-up fleece and an adorable penguin hat
- Time of year and location—proved to myself that an outdoor run in January in Chicago isn't just doable, but better than I expected and fun

Worst parts:
- Crowded start—Everyone lined up by their expected minute-per-mile, but once the starting bell went off, everyone just started moving forward, slowly. Although I lined up at a pace that required running, the race didn't clear out enough to do much actual "running" until about a mile into the race. Staggered start times, even by 45-90 second each, would have been much better.
- Frozen water at the water stations—I had to pick up a few cups before finding one that had actual liquid water inside. But I guess that’s one of those January outdoor race hazards.

As for races No. 2 and beyond, here’s my plan for the next few weeks, although I may add more if I can:

• Next race: Step Up for Kids (80-story stair climb) @ Aon Center, Chicago, IL – Jan. 25 (tomorrow)
• February: Possibly Cupid’s Undies @ John Barleycorn, Chicago, IL – Feb. 7 (Trying to find a way to do this one with Chris, while securing a few hours of babysitting for the kiddos, in between Jane's swim lessons in the morning and Maya's gymnastics in the afternoon. So we'll see.)
• March:
• Get Lucky 7K, March 14 @ Jackson Park, Chicago, IL
• Shamrock Shuffle 8K, March 29 @ Grant Park, Chicago, IL

Baby Maker

A little belated, but thought I'd post the video I made for Chris' 5th Father's Day here.

Side note: I've wanted to set this song, "Promise," by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, to music for years. It's the best.

Flashback Friday

I read recently that your can give new life to old content by reposting something with a new twist. I love how this is totally effortless and also gives me an excuse to browse through the archives.

So, in celebration of today's date, 8/8 — the anniversary of Wrigley Field getting lights (8/8/88) — I thought I'd bring up any other posts I did on Aug. 8 over the years:

2008: Sweaty Elvis
That time I ran a 5K is an inflatable Elvis costume. Much like the Cubs' first night game, I finished the post the next day.

2006: Enclosed in a Veil
Back when I blogged frequently, was prepping for my wedding, and I participated in the now-defunct photo blog Self-portrait Challenge.


Man, life pre-kids was different.

Point of Contention

As an editor who straddles journalism and marketing, nothing exposes a writer's background to me as quickly as the exclamation point. If you write in your copy: "The company reduced turnover by 50 percent," there is a chance you have a journalism background. If you write, "The company reduced turnover by 50 percent!" I'm fairly certain that you do not. It's right up there with Random Capitalization and "utilize."

Yet, for all my exclamation-point snobbery, my emails to co-workers and clients look something like this:

"Hi Emily!

I know you're super busy, but I just wanted to check in on that TPS report again? Sorry to be a pest! If you need anything from me to pull that together, just let me know!! :)

Thanks!
Sarah"

So, why the absence of all basic writing skills in my electronic communication? Because after more than 10 years in a female-dominated industry, I've learned that if I don't use them, I will be perceived as a bitch. Or, as The Onion wisely put it, a stone-hearted ice witch.

This is definitely a double-standard: Most of the men I work with don't use the superfluous exclamation point. And I suspect it's more common in certain industries — Chris is a lawyer and says that no one uses them. In fact, he said he once received an email from a co-worker that included an exclamation point, and he wrote back asking him why he used it.

It's not just the exclamation point that I've fully adopted; it's also the apologetic, trying-not-to-be-too-demanding tone I've incorporated into my communications. I take steps to make sure I don't come across as bossy or demanding or short (figuratively, of course. Literally, there's nothing I can do about it.)

And part of me, a big part of me, gets angry about this double standard. Why, as a woman, should I have to communicate this way? Men don't have to communicate this way. Men don't feel the need to apologize for expecting people to do their jobs. Men are applauded for being "bossy" and "demanding" and "short" — or, as they would most likely be described, "managerial" and "driven" and "to the point."

If a man were to write my email above, it would probably read something like:

"Emily,

I haven't heard back from you about the TPS report. Please let me know when to expect it.

Thanks,
Bob"

When Bob writes that email, he's just a co-worker inquiring about a missing report. If I were to write it as Bob did above? Major bitchtown.

But the thing is, I don't really care if my co-workers think I'm a bitch. So why do I continue to communicate this way, with emails replete with exclamation points, apologies and smily faces? I've never in my life been passive. The reason I push "Free To Be You And Me," on my daughters definitely isn't so they'll grow up to be demure and submissive.

So why don't I follow my own lead? Because sometimes, all I care about is getting shit done.

I have a lot of work on my plate everyday, and most of what I need to do requires getting other people to complete things for me. However, all of those people also have a lot of work on their plates. So if I want them to put my shit ahead of other people's shit, I need to be saccharine sweet and all puppy dogs, rainbows and ice cream.

In other words, I need to be a girl. A girls who gets shit done.

Maybe it's because I have two kids, a mortgage, a leaky basement and a healthy drinking habit to support that I'm just too tired to fight the good fight. Maybe someday I'll quit being so self-centered with my own life that I'll stop and think about how my actions could make a bigger difference in the workforce.

But for now, I'm just a girl who gets shit done, and I'm OK with that!

:)

Freezer Adventures

Every once in a while, I get so overwhelmed with the fullness of our freezers that I declare a moratorium on most food purchases. So we take stock of what's in there and figure out how to make meals out of it.

We've been in the process of a freezer purge over the past few weeks, which has led to some interesting dinners, like venison stew, Sunday gravy, tamales surprise and mini tacos.

We've reached the point where our freezers are getting down to a few random items, like half a bag of raspberries, a quarter pint of ice cream, diced ham, and bags of chicken, turkey and beef bones we saved for making stock.

Along with these randoms, we also have a handful of mystery bags.

After some close inspection and inquisitive whiffs, we hypothesized that we have black bean empanadas filling,

sauerkraut and something still to be determined,

and something that smelled like barbecue.

For the latter, we heated up the mystery contents in the oven and finally determined that we had homemade barbecue sauce. Chris recalled bringing a chicken and barbecue dish to our friends' potluck, before these friends moved back to Italy. Then I remembered that the potluck was on Easter, and that I let on while there that I was pregnant. With Maya. Who is now 3 1/2. Which would make this particular sauce close to 4 years old.

Yeah, we ate it anyway. We combined it with the aforementioned diced ham and enjoyed the classic dish barbecue ham- and-cheddar omelets.

In addition to these culinary adventures, we decided we didn't want to be those people who keep animal bones in their freezer. So we also finally got around to making stock -- both poultry and vegetable varieties. However, making stock doesn't help our over-stuffed freezer situation. We've made stock many times before, and usually we freeze it in Ziploc bags of varying sizes. But since we don't own a microwave, using the frozen stock resulted in a slow thawing process before we can even get the stuff out of the bags. So, in need of a space-conscious way to store stock, preferably without plastic bags, naturally, I turned to Pinterest.

That's where I found the solution that's so often the solution for all kinds of food and space dilemmas: muffin tins. A muffin tin is like Pinterest's duct tape; it can be used for EVERYTHING. Martha Stewart's suggestion to freeze stock in 1-cup muffin tins was frequently pinned. Unfortunately, I don't own any of those massive tins; mine are only 1/3 cup each. Still, the idea worked well.

In addition to muffin tins, a few people also suggested yogurt containers, which also proved successful. We go through tons of Oberweis yogurt, which comes in the 8-oz containers -- a perfect size for stock.

On tap for next weekend: figuring out what's up with that sauerkraut.