Month: December 2012

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Zero to Hero: A Plan for Getting There

Last month I told you that I finally managed to pull myself together enough to get in a sweaty workout – hurray!  And then I mentioned that I have a few goals now that pregnancy is behind me, Peanut is thriving and I’m over the worst of the C-section recovery.  Here’s my plan for getting to each of my goals.

Short Term: Run the GW Parkway Classic, April 2013

When I trained for the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler and the Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon, I roughly used Hal Higdon’s novice half marathon training plan, but I wasn’t great about sticking to it.  It’s pretty much the perfect plan, though, so I’m going to use it again and try to be better about following the directions this time.  But it’s a 12 week plan and the race isn’t until April, so I have two months to fill before I even start officially “training.”  So here’s how I intend to get there:

  • November: Build up cardio endurance again with circuit training 3x/week, running 2-3x/week, and one “off” day or active recovery (yoga).  Try not to eat too much pie.
  • December: Continue November routine, but increase intensity.  Try not to eat too many Christmas cookies.
  • January: Continue December workouts, end with Hal Higdon week 1.
  • February: Hal Higdon weeks 2-5.
  • March: Hal Higdon weeks 6-9.
  • April: Hal Higdon weeks 10-12, then RACE DAY!

Medium Term: Lose the Baby Weight

  • I like to journal everything, and I’ve always found that I have the most success when I’m keeping track of my meals, snacks and workouts.  I love SparkPeople for this, but I stopped using it when I was pregnant.  I’m going to get back into daily food and exercise journaling on the site.  It keeps me honest, and I like how I get points for entering my meals and workouts and those points add up to little virtual trophies.  Plus, I get a “congratulations!” email with a picture when I win a trophy, and I’m seven years old inside.
  • Food is key – unfortunately.  I wish that we could just eat whatever we wanted and then pay for it in workouts.  I’d much rather enjoy any food I wanted, whenever I wanted it, and then burn it off with a furious tennis game, but sadly life doesn’t work that way.  I’ve noticed that I look and feel my best when I eat a whole foods diet, sticking with foods that are as little altered from their natural state as possible.  My way of eating, when I’m at my best, looks a lot like the Mediterranean Diet – lots of fresh veg and fruits, lots of fish, and healthy fats from nuts and oils, with a bit of wine and cheese tossed in there for good measure.  But that’s just where I naturally fall.  When I’m trying to eat well, those are the foods to which I gravitate.  The thing to remember is, the less processed, the better.
  • I was a strict vegetarian for a year, and a pescetarian (veg + fish) for a year after that.  I had some serious ethical concerns with eating meat.  However, since about midway through my pregnancy I have been thinking about eating poultry again in small quantities.  (I probably would have done it sooner, but I mentioned the possibility to meat-eaters on a couple of occasions, and they were just too happy about it, so I delayed.  I’m cantankerous that way.)  I had reasons for stopping eating poultry, and they still apply.  But now I have other reasons for being open to it again: mainly, I’m not currently up to the extreme amount of work it takes for me to get all the nutrients I need from a vegetarian diet, especially since Peanut’s food is still partially sourced from Mama.  In the event I do eat poultry, I’ll be very choosy about the way that it was raised and treated.  But it’s something I’m open to, in the name of better health.
  • No diet is sustainable if it doesn’t leave room for occasional treats.  For me, that would be dark chocolate and wine.  They’re not an everyday occurrence, but I have no intention of depriving myself completely.  Everything in moderation!
  • Although food is key, activity is important too.  I plan to get in at least 30 minutes of movement most days – less if it’s particularly strenuous or if I’m especially busy and can only fit in a shorter workout (although I’ll do my best to make it count).  My favorite activities are yoga, running, circuit training, cycling and hiking, so that’s how I’ll get most of my sweat in.  I’ll take at least one rest day each week to snuggle with Peanut and recover.  But I like the way I feel when I’m consistently exercising, I missed it when I was pregnant and recovering from my C-section, and I’m excited that I can finally get back into an exercise habit.

Long Term: Be a Healthy Mom

I don’t know that I have a specific plan for this.  Bottom line, I just want to live a healthy lifestyle in ways that include Peanut and teach her that eating well and being active can be fun.  In my hazy view of Peanut’s childhood, that looks something like this:

  • Continue to set and pursue my own active goals, whether that means more running races, getting into triathlons, a regular yoga practice, the 100 pushup challenge, or something else.  Talk to Peanut about goal-setting and how good it feels to pick a goal, work for it and achieve it (or at least, to try your very best).  Include her in the races I run (many of them have kids’ fun runs) when she’s a bit older.
  • Teach Peanut to cook and include her in meal preparations.  Before I got pregnant – even before I was at the point where I felt at all ready to have a baby – I loved looking at the kids’ cooking tools and child-sized aprons at Williams-Sonoma, and used to imagine my kid someday using that stuff to have fun in the kitchen.  It’s a well-known fact that it’s healthier (and cheaper, and usually tastier!) to cook for yourself rather than to rely on takeout or restaurant meals.  I’d like Peanut to have the skills to cook for herself – to know what to choose and how to prepare it – and for her to know that the kitchen can be a place for us to have fun together.
  • Encourage Peanut to participate in sports – whatever she wants (except for volleyball; I’m afraid of the ball).  There’s a sport for every kid.  When I was a little girl, I danced and it was never my cup of tea.  I was terrible at remembering the routines and I always felt like I was the worst one in the class.  Later I tried soccer before finally settling on tennis, and tennis ended up being my sweet spot; I played varsity for two years.  Peanut will have the chance to experiment with different sports and find the ways that she likes to be active.  And whether that’s track and field, softball, soccer, you name it, I’ll be at her games (matches, meets…) to cheer her on.
  • Keep finding ways to be active as a family, and include Peanut.  Hubby and I love to hike and before I got pregnant we would hike most weekends.  (We hiked a few times when I was pregnant but between first trimester fatigue and later activity restrictions, I wasn’t up for very much.)  I’m really looking forward to getting back out on the trails, this time with a baby.  Hubby and I also love to kayak and sail, and someday when Peanut is an older preschooler or young school-age kid, I’ll start getting her out on the water too.  I grew up in a family that made outdoor activity a way of life, whether that was sailing in the summer, skiing in the winter, or hiking in the fall and spring, and I want Peanut to enjoy lots of outdoor family fun and activity.

That’s my plan!  I’ll be sharing regular updates on here, especially as I prepare for the Parkway Classic, so check back!

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Holiday Hits: Mama Must-Haves

Do you have a new (or not-so-new) mom on your holiday shopping list?  Oh, man, then do I have some ideas for you!  Listen, the best thing you could get the moms in your life is the gift that keeps on giving: a clown to entertain them during those 3:00 a.m. feedings.  Hear me?

I kid, I kid.  I meant a magician.

Okay, but seriously.  If you are shopping for a mom, especially a new mom, here are some of the things that have made my life better, easier, or just plain nicer in the months since Peanut was born:

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Yoga pants.  For the mom who is afraid to try on her pre-pregnancy jeans.  (Holla back, ladies.)  I’ve been rocking the sweats from Target most days, but there are some days when I just want to look nice, dangit.  Like those days when I was just plain burnt out on the NICU, and I wanted to appear somewhat polished if only to make myself feel a wee bit better.  (Pretty scarves are good for that too.)  Or just days when I feel like looking pretty and I think nice yoga pants will distract from the bags under my eyes after a night of rocking and shushing (Peanut, not me).  Every mom will have her own preference; personally, my go-to is the Perfect Core Pant from Lucy Activewear.  It’s like wearing a hug.

Lavender Moisturizing Hand Lotion(Image Source)

Hand lotion.  With all the scrubbing I do to keep the ugly germs away from Peanut (especially now that flu season is underway) my hands are permanently reptilian.  I’ve taken to keeping lotion in strategic places throughout the house – I have a tube in the family room, one in the diaper bag, one in my bedroom, and one in the master bathroom – and I am constantly applying it.  Now, hand lotion doesn’t have to be fancy; it just has to work.  I learned that when I became addicted to the stuff that Peanut’s hospital stocked all over the NICU.  But nice, scented lotion in a pretty container makes me feel a little less like a zombie and a little more like a lady.  My favorites are the Organic Hand Cream from Oliviers & Co. (a gift from R) and Aveda Hand Relief (my sister-in-law turned me on to this stuff last year), or anything lavender scented.  Bonus points for would-be Santas if you can find a lotion in Mom’s favorite scent.

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Food!  My in-laws had a catering service deliver meals to us after Peanut came home from the hospital, and it was in.cred.i.ble.  If you like to cook or bake, moms love home-cooked food (this is something I generally do for my new mom friends as part of their baby shower gifts), but catered meals are just as amazing.  I can’t tell you how nice it was to have several days where I didn’t have to think about what to make for dinner because there were fresh, healthy meals already prepared in my freezer.  I’ve gotten into the swing of motherhood now and have made the time to prepare some freezer meals, and I am generally more organized and more able to put meals together than I was in those early days.  But darnit, that catering delivery sure was appreciated that first week.

i is babysitting ok(Image Source)

Babysitting services.  Here’s a great, FREE gift that I guarantee a mom will appreciate!  (And more than a lot of expensive items you might be thinking of getting, probably.)  Don’t get me wrong, we love those kiddos to pieces.  But any mom would appreciate a night out with her guy, or even just an afternoon “off” to go to yoga, read, or do whatever she likes (nap!) without worrying about the wee ones.  Especially for moms of young ‘uns, the idea of trusting the offspring to the neighborhood teenagers might not be the most appealing.  (And I say this as someone who spent almost every weekend of my teenaged years babysitting, and made a ton of money that way – there actually are responsible teenagers out there who will play with the kids instead of letting them watch TV and then clean the house after putting their charges to bed.  I was a very in-demand sitter.  And also a super cool person with tons of friends, okay???)  But most moms would probably be a bit more comfortable leaving the baby to a family member or trusted friend.  My Peanut is a little young to be left at all right now, but for moms of older babies, toddlers or school-aged kids, I would think this would be a great gift.

Sterling Silver Name Necklace. AzizaJewelry(Image Source)

Sentimental Jewelry.  It’s no secret – we moms are a sentimental bunch.  (Well, most of us are, anyway.  I think.  We’re also a diverse bunch, so I’m sure there are plenty of non-sentimental moms out there too.)  But for those moms who get all giddy over any mention of their kids – guilty, although I hear the infatuation drops off sharply after they hit age 13 or so – cute sentimental jewelry can make a great gift.  I have the above necklace with Peanut’s name (her actual name, not “Peanut”) in sterling silver, although it’s also available in 14k gold.  There are thousands of cute name necklaces out there – pick the style that most appeals to the recipient.  Or you could go with an initial necklace (not gonna lie, I’m in the market for a gold “E” pendant – still looking for the perfect one) or a picture locket (hey, they’re not all frumpy).  For moms with multiple kiddos, there are necklaces that can be customized with more than one name or initial.  I love Etsy for cute, personalized jewelry, but there are plenty of other options too.

I’m a lawyer and we like to wreck everything, so I’m just going to unnecessarily remind you that this post wasn’t paid for or perked.  I’m recommending the above items because I honestly have found them useful or nice, and everything on this list I bought with my own money, or received as a personal gift from someone else who bought the item with their own money.  If I fulfilled my long-held dream of moving to Canada tomorrow, not one of these companies or sellers would care.  Peace.

Friends, what are you buying for the mamas on your shopping list?  (Not me, I like to be surprised.)  Mamas, what items can’t you live without?

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Of Lavender and Friendship

Some of my favorite things in life are things I used to hate.  Peanut butter.  Stand-up comedy.  Ricotta cheese.

Lavender.

I used to hate all floral aromas.  I have allergies, so when I step outside and smell springy flowers everywhere, that’s a big gigantic red flag to me.  Hello, hay fever.  Goodbye, nose breathing.  In high school and college, I was into perfumes, but I was strictly a citrus fruits and herbals kind of girl.  Floral scents just screamed “grandma” to me.  I had a few friends who went for more traditional perfumes and I just didn’t get it.  The scent I hated more than any other?  Rose.  A close second?  Lavender.  Give me a bright grapefruit or a fresh grass aroma any day.  Florals?  Ick.

My BFF, R, was one of those girls who has loved a good floral perfume as long as I’ve known her.  R and I have a lot in common – we both love tea, yoga, miso soup, France…  But there are some things that R likes that I just can’t quite wrap my mind around.  Zucchini.  Snoop Dogg.  Shooting ranges.  Butterflies.  And for awhile, lavender was on that list.  R loved it, but the very idea made me gag.  I often gave her lavender-scented lotions, scrubs or bath salts as a gift.  She was thrilled to get them, and I’d just ask her not to open them up too close to me… because yech.  (In return, she’d gift me with products scented with orange, grapefruit, ginger.)

After college, R and I went our separate ways, and I mean we really went our separate ways.  I moved to Washington, D.C., for law school.  R joined the Peace Corps and jetted off to Africa.  We kept in touch via letters (hers left her village on the back of a camel) but it wasn’t the same.  I had a very full life: a cute fiance, a wedding to plan, great new law school friends and a full schedule of 1L classes… but without R, I felt like a piece of myself was missing.  The day we met up again after almost two years, shortly after she returned from Africa (she came home early to be in my wedding) was one of the happiest days of my life.  After my wedding, R moved to Florida for law school and while it wasn’t the same as college (when we were basically inseparable), at least I could call her on the phone whenever I wanted – and I did.  We talked almost every day.  I visited her in Florida and later in New York, and she visited me in Virginia.  We cooked together again – sometimes in person, more often on the phone – and I was so happy to have my friend back.

After a few years, R’s life again took her overseas, this time for a new job.  Before she left, we had a blissful summer while she trained in D.C.  On one of her last nights in the country, hubby and I spent the evening helping her pack.  R couldn’t take much with her, and she had to get rid of most of her teas and skincare products.  I promised to take what I could (including most of the tea) and enjoy it on her behalf.  That night, a few lavender body cremes ended up riding home with me in my shoulder bag.

Fortunately, I’d made my peace with lavender.  In fact, I rather liked it.  The smooth-yet-spicy scent didn’t bother me anymore; over the years I’d started to associate it with R and I’d amassed a growing lavender collection of my own.  A bouquet of dried lavender in my front hall.  Some lavender sachets that I brought home from the Arles Market in Provence.  A tube of lavender apple hand creme from Sabon in NYC, purchased while visiting R (who else?).  Lavender essential oil, a tiny vial of roll-on perfume, and a refreshing lavender facial spray.  Yes, I rather liked the stuff.

Over the year that R was gone, I sent her care packages filled with tea sachets, gourmet chocolate bars, and skincare products in her favorite scents, including lavender.  Meanwhile, I sipped her lavender black tea and smoothed her lavender shea butter over my hands and arms, and thought of her.  Technology being far better than it was when R was in the Peace Corps, we were able to keep in touch without resorting to camels.  We exchanged daily emails, chatted via Yahoo messenger, and even talked on the phone, so although she was on the other side of the world I didn’t feel as though she was far away – indeed, I was able to tell her that I was pregnant about an hour after taking the test (she was the first person to hear the news after hubby).

Then R came home, and now she lives closer to me (geographically speaking) than she has at any time since college.  We still chat on the phone almost daily.  And while we still have many things in common, it’s the scent of lavender that reminds me of her more than anything else.  Which means I think of her multiple times every day – when I use my lavender wash or face spray, when I sip my lavender tea or smell my lavender sachets or gaze at my lavender bouquet, I’m always thinking of R.  These days I enjoy the scent in its own right, but more because it reminds me so vividly of my friend.

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Holiday Hits: Baby Buys

It’s no secret that I love the holiday season.  Decorating the house, baking Christmas cookies, and picking out just the right gifts for my loved ones – that stuff really revs my engine.  This year I’m more excited than ever before to celebrate, because I’ve got a little Peanut who will be experiencing all the joys of her very first holiday season!  And even though she’s too young to remember any of it, I’m still pumped beyond belief.  So it probably comes as no surprise at all that I’ve been shopping for Peanut’s first Christmas gifts pretty much since September.  What can I say?  It’s fun to buy for baby!  If you have a baby coming to your celebrations, and you’re looking for some good ideas too, here are some things that Peanut has that we’ve really enjoyed, or that I’m planning to get for her this year:

Art cards.  Very young babies don’t see too well, but they LOVE looking at bold, high-contrast patterns and designs since those are the easiest for their little eyes to focus on.  The art cards from Wee Gallery feature bold, graphic designs for the babies, but they’re cool enough that mamas will enjoy the pictures too!  Peanut has a set of the Sea Collection cards and they’re so fun and funky that I’m considering framing them when she’s done with them.  (My favorite is the octopus, but Peanut especially loves staring at the stingray.)

BabyLit Board Books.  I first saw these books on the Quirky Bookworm blog when I was newly pregnant and filed the idea away for when Peanut’s arrival got closer.  I ended up going a little crazy and bought her Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre and Romeo + Juliet before she was born, and Alice in Wonderland shortly after she arrived.  She got Dracula as a Halloween present, and I’m planning to give her A Christmas Carol for Christmas, which will complete her collection.  These books are fun counting and color primers and make adorable introductions to classic literature.  Plus, I can’t get enough of the bold illustrations.  (The illustrations in Pride and Prejudice are my favorites.  I love the trees.)  If there’s a baby in your life who happens to hail from a bookworm family, these would be a huge hit.

In My… Board Books.  These board books feature finger puppets!  Let the wilding begin!  The illustrations in these books, which describe the cozy habitats of various animals (In My Tree, In My Pond, In My Meadow etc.), are really unique.  And the finger puppets are too cute.  Santa will be bringing a couple of these to Peanut this year.  Peanut will enjoy the pictures, and Mommy will have fun with the puppet.  Don’t judge.

Sophie the Giraffe.  Okay, you might feel a little silly buying baby an expensive status teether.  In fact, you might feel silly just for knowing that there is such a thing as a status teether.  And yes, I feel like an indescribably ridiculous yuppie when I hand Peanut her Sophie and wheel her around in her BOB stroller.  But… whatever, Sophie is magnifique.  This is one of the few toys that is appropriate for brand-new infants as well as older babies.  Peanut isn’t teething yet, but she likes to practice her grip on Sophie’s neck (poor Sophie), and Mommy encourages strangling Sophie instead of the alternative (generally, pulling Mommy’s hair).  And, bonus, when Peanut does start to teethe I can feel good about Sophie going in her mouth, because she’s made with food-safe dyes.  C’est delicieux.

Fabric ball.  Another gift that’s appropriate for tiny newborns on up, fabric balls are fab.  Babies love the different textures and colors (and some balls come with tags to grab too – fun!), and moms can feel okay knowing that if baby uses this to smack herself in the face (just my kid?) she won’t get hurt.  I like this one from Haba, because the bright colors are baby-friendly but the rainbow design is also kind of sophisticated.

Clutching toys.  Young babies love to clutch and grab things, and it’s good for them to practice their fine motor skills.  But if you’re like most moms, you’d rather baby clutched and grabbed at an age appropriate toy, instead of your hair or your jewelry.  Peanut has a few clutching toys from Haba (can you tell I like this company? they use food-safe dyes and earth-friendly materials; good for baby and good for the planet!) and I think this one is particularly cute.

Plan Toys.  Okay, most of the toys from this company are a little too advanced and not really appropriate for Peanut yet, but if you’re looking to shop for an older baby or young toddler, I’m obsessed with the Earth-friendly wooden toys from Plan Toys.  I love the green Stacking Tree, and I’m planning to get it for Peanut this Christmas and just play with it myself until she’s ready.  (What?  It’s cute!)  She already has the Lacing Sheep, another toy which is rather beyond her at the moment, and we just look at it together – she’ll take it apart and put it together under my watchful eye when she’s a bit bigger.  (Parents, note: there are some small parts to these toys.  They’re super cute and hard to resist, but if you do buy them for a younger baby, make sure you supervise baby’s play.  I’m sure you would anyway, but I’m a lawyer and we like to state the obvious.)

(All images sourced from Google Images.)

By the way, I should mention that this post isn’t paid for or perked.  Everything that I mentioned Peanut owns was bought for her by hubby and me or by our family and friends.  None of these companies has any idea who I am.  Nor, for that matter, do most of my neighbors.  Ten-four.

Are there any babies on your holiday shopping list?  What are you planning to get for them?  Share in the comments so I can shamelessly steal your ideas.