I just completed Day 15 of a 30 Day Squat Challenge.
Oh, boy. This is going to kick my butt. Literally.
Today was 140 squats. On Day 30 I'll be doing 250 (ha ha!). I've said that I don't particularly like traditional exercise, but I was challenged to do this by one of my best friends, and I couldn't resist.
It's not so bad. I finish breakfast, and then I start doing them while catching a few minutes of the Today Show. Going upstairs to get the kids and back down is no easy feat after these squats, but I do like that when I exercise first thing in the morning, I feel the effects for the rest of the day. It feels good.
It never hurts to step outside the box. That's what I told myself when I ran for school committee two years ago, and when I inquired about a small part-time job this week. How will I know how far I can go unless I keep stretching myself to do things that I normally wouldn't?
As the Eleanor Roosevelt magnet on my fridge reminds me: "Do one thing every day that scares you".
I will try my best, Eleanor.
If you're interested in joining the 30 Day Squat Challenge, here are one of the many links to it:
http://bellesoffitness.com/2013/04/23/30-day-squat-challenge/
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
It's a Small World
Rosie's imagination has took off in the last few months, so I thought she would get a kick out of six tiny fairies I bought that would fly in to visit her a few days a week. I was right. The first time she saw them, she took them immediately over to the nearest surface and starting acting out scenarios with them. No props were needed. The fairies were having conversations about farms and donuts.
One day last week, I was pushing Buddy on the swing and I noticed a little area by the tree that had some bright green clumps of grass starting to grow, little wildflowers here and there, and a small dirt area. A vision came... it was a fairy village!
I told Rosie my idea and to say she was excited is putting it mildly. We went inside to grab the fairies (and a few trucks for Buddy), and came back outside to set up our village. We decided the clumps of grass were the fairies' houses, and we could make them little pebble walkways. We both loved it, and for once, I felt I could really get into what she was playing.
I am not always good at playing, per se, and it's something a couple of Mom friends and I have discussed. I found it particularly difficult when the kids were newborns. But, this- the fairy village? This was something I could get into! I have loved miniatures of all kinds since I was a kid- dollhouses, trains, etc. This was completely up my alley, and I loved that Rosie was on board, too. I'm looking forward to Buddy joining us when he is ready/ wants to.
It was a particularly good day to be a stay at home mom.
One day last week, I was pushing Buddy on the swing and I noticed a little area by the tree that had some bright green clumps of grass starting to grow, little wildflowers here and there, and a small dirt area. A vision came... it was a fairy village!
I told Rosie my idea and to say she was excited is putting it mildly. We went inside to grab the fairies (and a few trucks for Buddy), and came back outside to set up our village. We decided the clumps of grass were the fairies' houses, and we could make them little pebble walkways. We both loved it, and for once, I felt I could really get into what she was playing.
I am not always good at playing, per se, and it's something a couple of Mom friends and I have discussed. I found it particularly difficult when the kids were newborns. But, this- the fairy village? This was something I could get into! I have loved miniatures of all kinds since I was a kid- dollhouses, trains, etc. This was completely up my alley, and I loved that Rosie was on board, too. I'm looking forward to Buddy joining us when he is ready/ wants to.
It was a particularly good day to be a stay at home mom.
Friday, May 10, 2013
A Change
Something is going on.
More people than I can ever remember are focusing on their health: running 5ks, going to the gym, watching what they eat, losing excess weight.
People are getting active. They're saying goodbye to a lifestyle that wasn't sustainable, and saying hello to a new lifestyle focused on feeling better, physically and emotionally.
I realize that my thinking could be skewed because: A. I have made a lifestyle change and am now probably noticing more that other people are and B. A lot of my friends are around the age of 30. Something about that number just makes you feel it's time for a change.
Regardless, I insist there is something in the air. It feels like an awakening.
I'm hearing more people talk about what's in their food and where it's coming from. I'm hearing a lot about GMOs and the side effects of aspartame. I'm seeing a lot of people stopping the fad diets that have been so popular and I see them thinking about losing weight in a healthier, more sustainable way.
People are getting off their couches and discovering they are capable of things they never thought possible, like running a marathon. I have quite a few friends who fit that bill, and they motivate me to stretch my boundaries and try new things.
A quote I read recently sums it up well: "Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try". How true is that?
It is inspiring to see so many people trying.
More people than I can ever remember are focusing on their health: running 5ks, going to the gym, watching what they eat, losing excess weight.
People are getting active. They're saying goodbye to a lifestyle that wasn't sustainable, and saying hello to a new lifestyle focused on feeling better, physically and emotionally.
I realize that my thinking could be skewed because: A. I have made a lifestyle change and am now probably noticing more that other people are and B. A lot of my friends are around the age of 30. Something about that number just makes you feel it's time for a change.
Regardless, I insist there is something in the air. It feels like an awakening.
I'm hearing more people talk about what's in their food and where it's coming from. I'm hearing a lot about GMOs and the side effects of aspartame. I'm seeing a lot of people stopping the fad diets that have been so popular and I see them thinking about losing weight in a healthier, more sustainable way.
People are getting off their couches and discovering they are capable of things they never thought possible, like running a marathon. I have quite a few friends who fit that bill, and they motivate me to stretch my boundaries and try new things.
A quote I read recently sums it up well: "Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try". How true is that?
It is inspiring to see so many people trying.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Simple Pleasures
I was going to title this "Guilty Pleasures", until I realized I didn't feel guilty about them.
In Vermont this past weekend, I was able to do something I truly enjoy. I sat in a comfortable chair with my feet up on another, soaked up some rays (responsibly, with SPF 50), ate a small bag of M&M's (compared to the large bag I used to buy), read a tabloid and newspaper front to back, read chapters of my current book: "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand" by Helen Simonson, and dozed.
It was delightful.
Oh yes, and my Cool Gear chiller full of water and the baby monitor were next to me. Have I mentioned how much I love nap time and hydration? Not that the two have anything to do with each other.
As I sat there enjoying every minute, all I could hear was nature- a slight breeze, an occasional bird song, and stray, dry leaves rustling on the ground. We enjoy country living in Goshen, but we also live on busy Route 9. You can almost always hear a car, motorcycle or truck coming down the road. Needless to say, I enjoy when we go to Vermont, and get "more rural", away from the sounds of roads and humanity.
So, I sat there, and read, and ate chocolate, and felt the warm sun on my skin. It was exactly something I would have done 11 years ago on my first trip to Vermont.
When I became a Mom, it became harder to find time to do things like this. What I learned is that I have to make the time, otherwise it'll get swept up in all the have-to's: dish washing, laundry, vacuuming, looking up educational kids activities on Pinterest. If I don't schedule time to relax, or go out with a friend, or have a weekend with my husband, it just won't happen.
Prioritize yourself. You're worth it.
In Vermont this past weekend, I was able to do something I truly enjoy. I sat in a comfortable chair with my feet up on another, soaked up some rays (responsibly, with SPF 50), ate a small bag of M&M's (compared to the large bag I used to buy), read a tabloid and newspaper front to back, read chapters of my current book: "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand" by Helen Simonson, and dozed.
It was delightful.
Oh yes, and my Cool Gear chiller full of water and the baby monitor were next to me. Have I mentioned how much I love nap time and hydration? Not that the two have anything to do with each other.
As I sat there enjoying every minute, all I could hear was nature- a slight breeze, an occasional bird song, and stray, dry leaves rustling on the ground. We enjoy country living in Goshen, but we also live on busy Route 9. You can almost always hear a car, motorcycle or truck coming down the road. Needless to say, I enjoy when we go to Vermont, and get "more rural", away from the sounds of roads and humanity.
So, I sat there, and read, and ate chocolate, and felt the warm sun on my skin. It was exactly something I would have done 11 years ago on my first trip to Vermont.
When I became a Mom, it became harder to find time to do things like this. What I learned is that I have to make the time, otherwise it'll get swept up in all the have-to's: dish washing, laundry, vacuuming, looking up educational kids activities on Pinterest. If I don't schedule time to relax, or go out with a friend, or have a weekend with my husband, it just won't happen.
Prioritize yourself. You're worth it.
Monday, May 6, 2013
I Worry
I worry that I am beginning to forget what my Mom's voice sounded like.
I worry that I'm forgetting my Gram Carpenter's giggle and my Gram Eldred's embrace.
From 2004-2006, I lost these three very important women. It was a dark time. I felt like part of my identity had been taken with them. By the time I turned 23, all of them were gone.
For the first time in my life, I felt the urge to go to Church. I had too many losses and too many questions, and I didn't know where else to turn. We attended a Protestant church in Steve's hometown the Sunday after mom passed, and never looked back. I became a believer in God, and received the spirituality I was looking for.
I hope to be lucky enough to live a long, meaningful life. If so, I already am sensing a small sense of dread- how will I hold onto these memories of my mom and grandmothers throughout all of my years?
Last week, part of that answer came. I was at Look Park with the kids, and a butterfly, the first one we've seen this year, flew up to us, and flew around each of us, as if to say Hello. This is not the first time this has happened.
Since 2006, I have noticed that butterflies simply seem to come around me quite a bit when I'm outside. It usually isn't just one, they usually came in pairs or trios. It happened with such frequency, that I even remarked to Steve about it. One evening when we were sitting out, he noticed it before I did.
Could it just be that they like the same places I do and that's why they come around? Maybe. But I'd like to think they are little gifts from God. Every time I see them, I feel my mom and grandmothers' spirits and I remember things about them that I thought I had forgotten.
I believe they are with me at all times, looking out for me, Steve and the kids. When Rosie fell six feet off of the playground without any injury? I believe it was our Guardian Angels who lessened her fall.
I'm going to try to stop worrying about forgetting things and start concentrating on remembering things:
Like the solid weight of Buddy in my arms,
Like Rosie's singsong voice,
Like the feel of Steve's arms around me when we hug.
I have to live in the moment and be present.
I worry that I'm forgetting my Gram Carpenter's giggle and my Gram Eldred's embrace.
From 2004-2006, I lost these three very important women. It was a dark time. I felt like part of my identity had been taken with them. By the time I turned 23, all of them were gone.
For the first time in my life, I felt the urge to go to Church. I had too many losses and too many questions, and I didn't know where else to turn. We attended a Protestant church in Steve's hometown the Sunday after mom passed, and never looked back. I became a believer in God, and received the spirituality I was looking for.
I hope to be lucky enough to live a long, meaningful life. If so, I already am sensing a small sense of dread- how will I hold onto these memories of my mom and grandmothers throughout all of my years?
Last week, part of that answer came. I was at Look Park with the kids, and a butterfly, the first one we've seen this year, flew up to us, and flew around each of us, as if to say Hello. This is not the first time this has happened.
Since 2006, I have noticed that butterflies simply seem to come around me quite a bit when I'm outside. It usually isn't just one, they usually came in pairs or trios. It happened with such frequency, that I even remarked to Steve about it. One evening when we were sitting out, he noticed it before I did.
Could it just be that they like the same places I do and that's why they come around? Maybe. But I'd like to think they are little gifts from God. Every time I see them, I feel my mom and grandmothers' spirits and I remember things about them that I thought I had forgotten.
I believe they are with me at all times, looking out for me, Steve and the kids. When Rosie fell six feet off of the playground without any injury? I believe it was our Guardian Angels who lessened her fall.
I'm going to try to stop worrying about forgetting things and start concentrating on remembering things:
Like the solid weight of Buddy in my arms,
Like Rosie's singsong voice,
Like the feel of Steve's arms around me when we hug.
I have to live in the moment and be present.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Our Green Mountain Getaway
The first time Steve and I snuck up to his family's camps in Vermont, I was 19 and he was 20.
We didn't turn on the electricity, because someone would know we had been up there. We used the wood stove for heat, got buckets of water from the well and I used an outhouse for the first time. (Things like that don't bother a Goshen Girl).
We played Chinese Checkers by kerosene lamps and drank bottles of Arbor Mist wine. We ate cheese, crackers and chocolate and talked about life between naps and games.
It was at the cabin that Steve first told me he wanted to marry me. My 19 year old self swooned, my current 30 year old self still gets butterflies at the memory.
Two kids and 11 years later, we're heading up to Vermont this weekend for the first time this year. It is our little getaway that we look forward to all winter long. Once the kids go to bed, I know we'll have a campfire the first night there, no matter how cold it is, because it will be the first one of the season. We've decided Coronas will be our adult beverage of choice to enjoy by said campfire, and we're looking forward to picnicking with the kids at the local state park on Saturday. It's free and has a great playground.
How we spend our time in Vermont has changed since we had kids, but one thing remains the same. We still eat cheese, crackers and chocolate. I kid. We do that, but the main thing that hasn't changed is that it is a TV and Internet free zone, and it is a chance to unwind, unplug and reconnect.
It's our Green Mountain Getaway- nothing fancy, and not on a lake, but it means so much to us. Year by year we are building memories there with our family.
We didn't turn on the electricity, because someone would know we had been up there. We used the wood stove for heat, got buckets of water from the well and I used an outhouse for the first time. (Things like that don't bother a Goshen Girl).
We played Chinese Checkers by kerosene lamps and drank bottles of Arbor Mist wine. We ate cheese, crackers and chocolate and talked about life between naps and games.
It was at the cabin that Steve first told me he wanted to marry me. My 19 year old self swooned, my current 30 year old self still gets butterflies at the memory.
Two kids and 11 years later, we're heading up to Vermont this weekend for the first time this year. It is our little getaway that we look forward to all winter long. Once the kids go to bed, I know we'll have a campfire the first night there, no matter how cold it is, because it will be the first one of the season. We've decided Coronas will be our adult beverage of choice to enjoy by said campfire, and we're looking forward to picnicking with the kids at the local state park on Saturday. It's free and has a great playground.
How we spend our time in Vermont has changed since we had kids, but one thing remains the same. We still eat cheese, crackers and chocolate. I kid. We do that, but the main thing that hasn't changed is that it is a TV and Internet free zone, and it is a chance to unwind, unplug and reconnect.
It's our Green Mountain Getaway- nothing fancy, and not on a lake, but it means so much to us. Year by year we are building memories there with our family.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
My Son's World
In Buddy's world, he is the leader of the dogs and he laughs merrily as they follow the trail of crumbs he scatters from his snack cup. "Aggie" he says, and buries his face in Maggie, our golden retriever's fur.
Soup cans, unopened sampler candles and applesauce containers are all prime candidates for being made into towers. "Uh-oh", he says, as the leaning towers fall over.
It's a world where batteries, rocks and dog food are thought of as acceptable objects to be chewed on, and it's quite maddening when Mom tries to put an end to it.
Words can be few and far between, but random kisses are frequent and shows of affection happen often, especially to the ladies.
Giggles abound when Rosie plays peekaboo with him in the backseat of the car. No one makes him smile and laugh like his sister!
At 15 months old, Buddy's world is changing by the day. Every day he is becoming more of a toddler than a baby. Seeing the world through my kids' eyes reminds me that the best things in life are simple, and that it's the simple times that I will remember and treasure the most.
Soup cans, unopened sampler candles and applesauce containers are all prime candidates for being made into towers. "Uh-oh", he says, as the leaning towers fall over.
It's a world where batteries, rocks and dog food are thought of as acceptable objects to be chewed on, and it's quite maddening when Mom tries to put an end to it.
Words can be few and far between, but random kisses are frequent and shows of affection happen often, especially to the ladies.
Giggles abound when Rosie plays peekaboo with him in the backseat of the car. No one makes him smile and laugh like his sister!
At 15 months old, Buddy's world is changing by the day. Every day he is becoming more of a toddler than a baby. Seeing the world through my kids' eyes reminds me that the best things in life are simple, and that it's the simple times that I will remember and treasure the most.
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