Check it out, man.
Esmerelda held a 70's themed holiday dinner party on Saturday night. There were four couples, 5 kids, a baby and a dog. That's actually not important so forget I mentioned it.
We had a friend of mine show up dressed like Santa just before dinner. He told us he had been mapping out his run prior to the big night (don't want to get lost on Christmas Eve you know) and needed a few directions. He'd been at the mall, you see, and swerved left when he should have swerved right on his way back to the North Pole.
Showing posts with label Home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Home. Show all posts
Monday, December 19, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Holiday Fitness Challenge - Update
Well, it's been over a week since I promised myself that I would not gain any weight over the holidays and it's time for an update.
If you missed my post outlining the challenge, you can find it here.
Food
My son used to attend an all-day daycare where his lunch was provided and I also had 4 extra hours in my day to take care of all the things on my to-do lists. Yes, lists is plural. Yes I have multiple lists. I am a lister. Shut up!
Anyhoo - I guess 4 extra hours alone gave me the time to make myself a good healthy breakfast and lunch without really thinking about it. Because now that E is home by 12:30 every day I find I am rushing through meals, ie grabbing a cereal bar for breakfast (horrible for you) or making a peanut butter sandwich for lunch (bread makes you fat, mkay?).
E also takes a home-packed lunch to school now and I make sure he has a good, healthy variety of lunch foods each day. One of the best things I did was get him a Planet Box. It's the coolest, most useful lunch kit I've ever seen. The plastic or tupperware ones are fine but the metal Planet Box is a step above. It's also a higher price tag, but worth it, in my opinion.
As I was packing his box the other morning with blackberries, greek yogurt, carrot sticks and bunny grahams I thought to myself, "Self - you're a complete idiot. You take the time to shop for and pack a healthy lunch for E and then you eat like shit because you're in a hurry. PACK TWO LUNCHES, BRAINIAC."
Yep. That's how I'm going to provide myself with good midday food - packing two lunches instead of one. That way when it comes time to eat it will all be ready and laid out and actually a time-saver.
Exercise
How do you fit in a workout when you are slammed with preparing for the holidays? Here is my pro tip for those of you in warm climates with a park nearby: Go there. I know right? I'm brilliant. Look - getting to the park once every day or two has a multitude of benefits.
You get fresh air, you get a break from the tedium of whatever else you were doing and your kids will love it. You can get exercise by climbing, sliding and pushing the swings along with the little ones. Sure it's not an epic workout, but it's better than sitting on the couch eating Santa chocolates.
If you are really into it there are lots of exercises that you can do while your kids are playing in the playground.
1. Park benches are usually the ideal height for doing squats. Tap your butt, don't sit.
2. Do walking lunges around the play area.
3. Do incline pushups on the benches.
4. Do dips on the benches.
5. If there is an appropriately clean spot, you can do crunches on the ground.
6. Do a standing ab workout.
6. Sit on the bench and do your kegels, ladies.
7. Plank. Your kids will think it's hilarious.
If you are saying to yourself, 'But my kids are 4-legged and hairy!' try doing most of this stuff at the doggy park.
Pop in a workout DVD or find one on Netflix. Even Hulu has some yoga and whatnot. Or just go for a walk. If it's cold, bundle up and cruise through your neighborhood (on foot!) with the kids to check out some holiday lights.
Cheats - The Holidays Made Me Do It
Results
Actually dropped a couple of pounds since the beginning of the month but that was likely due to having 'lady bloat' then. So basically I've had some cheat foods but I'm maintaining the status quo.
How are you doing? Are you keeping your journal? Getting exercise? Anyone have good quick exercise tips for those of you covered in winter snow (besides shoveling the driveway, heh heh)?
If you missed my post outlining the challenge, you can find it here.
Food
My son used to attend an all-day daycare where his lunch was provided and I also had 4 extra hours in my day to take care of all the things on my to-do lists. Yes, lists is plural. Yes I have multiple lists. I am a lister. Shut up!
Anyhoo - I guess 4 extra hours alone gave me the time to make myself a good healthy breakfast and lunch without really thinking about it. Because now that E is home by 12:30 every day I find I am rushing through meals, ie grabbing a cereal bar for breakfast (horrible for you) or making a peanut butter sandwich for lunch (bread makes you fat, mkay?).
E also takes a home-packed lunch to school now and I make sure he has a good, healthy variety of lunch foods each day. One of the best things I did was get him a Planet Box. It's the coolest, most useful lunch kit I've ever seen. The plastic or tupperware ones are fine but the metal Planet Box is a step above. It's also a higher price tag, but worth it, in my opinion.
As I was packing his box the other morning with blackberries, greek yogurt, carrot sticks and bunny grahams I thought to myself, "Self - you're a complete idiot. You take the time to shop for and pack a healthy lunch for E and then you eat like shit because you're in a hurry. PACK TWO LUNCHES, BRAINIAC."
Yep. That's how I'm going to provide myself with good midday food - packing two lunches instead of one. That way when it comes time to eat it will all be ready and laid out and actually a time-saver.
Exercise
How do you fit in a workout when you are slammed with preparing for the holidays? Here is my pro tip for those of you in warm climates with a park nearby: Go there. I know right? I'm brilliant. Look - getting to the park once every day or two has a multitude of benefits.
You get fresh air, you get a break from the tedium of whatever else you were doing and your kids will love it. You can get exercise by climbing, sliding and pushing the swings along with the little ones. Sure it's not an epic workout, but it's better than sitting on the couch eating Santa chocolates.
If you are really into it there are lots of exercises that you can do while your kids are playing in the playground.
1. Park benches are usually the ideal height for doing squats. Tap your butt, don't sit.
2. Do walking lunges around the play area.
3. Do incline pushups on the benches.
4. Do dips on the benches.
5. If there is an appropriately clean spot, you can do crunches on the ground.
6. Do a standing ab workout.
6. Sit on the bench and do your kegels, ladies.
7. Plank. Your kids will think it's hilarious.
If you are saying to yourself, 'But my kids are 4-legged and hairy!' try doing most of this stuff at the doggy park.
Pop in a workout DVD or find one on Netflix. Even Hulu has some yoga and whatnot. Or just go for a walk. If it's cold, bundle up and cruise through your neighborhood (on foot!) with the kids to check out some holiday lights.
Cheats - The Holidays Made Me Do It
- two Oreo cookies
- a bar of dark chocolate
- a gingerbread latte
- two home-made gingerbread cookies
- half a churro
Results
Actually dropped a couple of pounds since the beginning of the month but that was likely due to having 'lady bloat' then. So basically I've had some cheat foods but I'm maintaining the status quo.
How are you doing? Are you keeping your journal? Getting exercise? Anyone have good quick exercise tips for those of you covered in winter snow (besides shoveling the driveway, heh heh)?
Saturday, December 10, 2011
You ate the LAST Oreo? Choose your weapon, Sir!
My husband (R) has been working a ton lately including a lot of late nights or heading out of town on business. My son, E, has been very sensitive to the Daddy-absences over the past few weeks.
The little guy is normally not much of a stickler for protocol, so a five minute warning is enough to ease his transitions (moving from one activity to another) but when he gets into a funk over Daddy being away or hits a developmental milestone he does a complete about face and routine becomes all important.
During these crunch times when I'm already at the end of my single-parenting, work-widowed rope, if you screw with our plans and upset our boat you will likely be staring at the business end of a 3 year old's hissy fit and then I have to kill you. I'm not kidding, I will cut you.
Part of said routine is that E and I have a little cookie and milk snack every day when he comes home from preschool. So when one day this week we came home to find that someone (not me!) had eaten the last Oreo, the proverbial shit hit the fan.
Too tired to deal with a spazzing kid, I ended up baking gingerbread cookies which was really fun aside from the little beads of sweat popping out of my forehead at the possibility of E remembering he wanted Oreos. Please Flying Spaghetti Monster, let the gingerbread be enough!
Before you raise an eyebrow at my fear of a three year old child, you Judgey Judgersons, let me say that I don't usually feel that vulnerable to his demands. However, this day I was super tired, worn out and looking to avoid any hassle altogether, from anyone.
Once I had him settled in with some cars to play with, you know what happened next! Using the most powerful means available to a nagging wife - text and email - I took all my frustration out on R, who was probably sitting in a meeting blissfully ignorant of just how shit things had turned at home because he ate the last freaking Oreo!!! Blarg! Eventually (in an attempt to stop the barrage) he wisely suggested that he would, late at night and on his way home, stop at the store to pick up more Oreos.
Since he was stopping anyways I asked him to pick up some dark chocolate for making 'Healthy Fudge' this weekend. (Look for a post on Sunday with the recipe, it's really good.) He usually picks up anything else we need while he's at it.
The next morning I woke up and stumbled into the kitchen to put on some coffee before my boys got up. On the counter was placed a single bag from the grocery store. As I peered inside I saw two packs of Oreos - double-stuffed - and four bars of dark chocolate. That's it. Nothing else.
So naturally, when my husband sauntered out of the bedroom and flopped onto the couch, I pointed at the bag of cookies and chocolate and asked, "Did the cashier ask if you were on your period? Seriously, this looks like a PMS supply kit. Is there something about you I should know?"
He laughed, snorting a little. Which I LOVE. I really do, I'm not even being sarcastic. R has the best over-tired laugh of anyone I've ever met, bar none.
And then in reply he said, "I just figured you'd need it soon...."
Well played, sir.
Do you have little rituals that you do with your child? Or with your husband? Do you use routine to save yourself if your husband travels or works long hours? What happens when your routine gets shot to hell?
The little guy is normally not much of a stickler for protocol, so a five minute warning is enough to ease his transitions (moving from one activity to another) but when he gets into a funk over Daddy being away or hits a developmental milestone he does a complete about face and routine becomes all important.
During these crunch times when I'm already at the end of my single-parenting, work-widowed rope, if you screw with our plans and upset our boat you will likely be staring at the business end of a 3 year old's hissy fit and then I have to kill you. I'm not kidding, I will cut you.
 |
| Image via Wikipedia |
Too tired to deal with a spazzing kid, I ended up baking gingerbread cookies which was really fun aside from the little beads of sweat popping out of my forehead at the possibility of E remembering he wanted Oreos. Please Flying Spaghetti Monster, let the gingerbread be enough!
Before you raise an eyebrow at my fear of a three year old child, you Judgey Judgersons, let me say that I don't usually feel that vulnerable to his demands. However, this day I was super tired, worn out and looking to avoid any hassle altogether, from anyone.
Once I had him settled in with some cars to play with, you know what happened next! Using the most powerful means available to a nagging wife - text and email - I took all my frustration out on R, who was probably sitting in a meeting blissfully ignorant of just how shit things had turned at home because he ate the last freaking Oreo!!! Blarg! Eventually (in an attempt to stop the barrage) he wisely suggested that he would, late at night and on his way home, stop at the store to pick up more Oreos.
Since he was stopping anyways I asked him to pick up some dark chocolate for making 'Healthy Fudge' this weekend. (Look for a post on Sunday with the recipe, it's really good.) He usually picks up anything else we need while he's at it.
The next morning I woke up and stumbled into the kitchen to put on some coffee before my boys got up. On the counter was placed a single bag from the grocery store. As I peered inside I saw two packs of Oreos - double-stuffed - and four bars of dark chocolate. That's it. Nothing else.
So naturally, when my husband sauntered out of the bedroom and flopped onto the couch, I pointed at the bag of cookies and chocolate and asked, "Did the cashier ask if you were on your period? Seriously, this looks like a PMS supply kit. Is there something about you I should know?"
He laughed, snorting a little. Which I LOVE. I really do, I'm not even being sarcastic. R has the best over-tired laugh of anyone I've ever met, bar none.
And then in reply he said, "I just figured you'd need it soon...."
Well played, sir.
Do you have little rituals that you do with your child? Or with your husband? Do you use routine to save yourself if your husband travels or works long hours? What happens when your routine gets shot to hell?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
