Tired Legs and Ice Baths

When we went to Costco last week they had those special spa mats on sale - the memory foam kind that are super comfy and soft.  I decided to buy one for the kitchen so that I had a nice plush mat to stand on while washing dishes.  Evan decided he LOVED the mat and played on it all day.  He'd stand there and stomp his feet a million times, loving the way it felt.  Then he emptied all the plastic lids on top of it.

It was hilarious because normally he throws the lids all over the kitchen but for some reason he decided he wanted them all on top of this kitchen mat.  Along with my water bottle.  What a funny boy.

This morning I finally fully completed my PiYo Sweat workout.  That means I finished the entire thing without having to go into child's pose when no one else was doing it (aka taking a break).  I still have to do all my push-ups on my knees, but I can now do all the push-ups, so hopefully I'll move to my toes eventually.  Oddly enough, my legs are always the most tired after a PiYo workout, even though I feel like my legs are the strongest because of running.  My arms need to become sore because I need to strengthen them the most.  In the videos where we have side plank I can barely get up there because my arms are so weak.  It's surprising I can lift my own son.  Maybe that's why sometimes my arms are sore after running - my water bottle is too heavy for my weak arms.  Today is a rest day, thank goodness, because my legs kinda feel like jello.  I ran 5 miles on Sunday with the jogger and then another 5 yesterday around the mall (National Mall - not shopping mall), so that is more than I usually go.  I am really shocked that I have been running 5 days a week for almost three months.  I usually only do 4 and then eventually move down to 3.  Even when training for a marathon I end up only doing three days a week because I run out of time. 

Here are a few strategies that I have employed to keep my work-outs on track these past few months:

1) I joined a Challenge Group.  My friend from elementary school recently became a Beach Body coach and she started a 100 Mile Challenge Group with the challenge to run 100 miles in 2 months.  That's not really that hard (some people run almost 100 miles in a week), but it still motivates me to get out there so that I can report my miles to the group.  I also joined a Challenge Group for PiYo and that has helped immensely because I definitely don't want to fall behind in that.  It's what I think about when I get up at 4:15am to do yet another PiYo DVD.

2) I made a schedule.  I always had a basic running schedule but now I have a real schedule with the days I'm going to run and how I'm going to fit them in.  Running during my lunch break at work has worked really well and I've been able to keep that up.  Plus, after a while all my co-workers got used to the fact that I ran every lunch and so it helped motivate me to go.  Even the doorman knows my running schedule.  I tend to go four miles during lunch and occasionally I'll put in an extra mile.  On Wednesdays I go in the morning before I start work, on Fridays I go in the afternoon and Evan and I always stop at a random playground, and on Sunday I always go in the morning with Evan and we also stop at a playground.  That's pretty much the schedule and I've been really great at sticking with it.

3) I've incorporated running into other activities.  For example, like I mentioned above, instead of just going to the playground we always run to the playground.  I can do a 3, 4, 5, and 6 mile loop that all have playgrounds on the route.  I tend to run, play for an hour, and then run home.  Yeah, it's not the most effective workout, but it gets me out there, it gets Evan outside, and we both return home happy and tired.  I've also run to my sister's house, run to the farmer's market, run to the doctor's, run to meet friends for coffee, and run to the grocery store.  This way I can still get a run in, even if I have a bunch of errands.  It is really helpful that the doctor's office (both mine and Evan's), grocery store, Farmer's Market, etc. are all really close to our condo...it's not like I am running 10 miles or anything.

Ok, those are the only things I can think of right now.  I feel like this summer has been extra stressful with all the transitions going on and I've really stayed calm through most of it and I think it's because running has given me time to think things through and take time for myself.  I really do love to run and I'm so glad I have gotten into a routine that works for me.  I just hope I can keep it up once school starts!  I am planning on running during the day, just like I do now, but my schedule is less flexible than it is at work - so, we'll see.

In other news, I took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

I am really dramatic - if you actually watch the video you can hear me whine and complain about how cold the water is and how big the bucket is.  You can also see Evan run up to the bucket and say "Ice" and look cute.  Ivan was overly excited about the challenge and had the ice all waiting for me when I got home from work.  How husbandly of him.  I conveniently challenged him so he went right after me.  It was fun though and a good cause.  I hope that the ALS Foundation can use a lot of the money they receive for research and a cure comes out of this.  And I really hope a lot of the money also goes to help families, especially ones that need financial help to take care of their loved one.  I'm still really shocked that the challenge is still going on and that it is raising so much money!

I hope everyone is having a fabulous Tuesday!  Today is my going away party at work and I'm really excited.  I don't particularly enjoy parties thrown for me because it's awkward, but all work parties are fun so I'm excited about that.

************************
Have you done the Ice Bucket Challenge?

What other tips do you have for keeping your sticking to your work-out routines?

I got in my run, but I took no photos

I am a tad bit proud of myself for getting in my run yesterday.  I had a long, two hour phone call in the morning and after that I felt a bit lethargic and unmotivated.  Plus, I felt like I had a lot of work to do.  However, it was 70 degrees out and it seemed almost a crime to not go for a run in such nice weather, especially because the nice weather was only going to last a day.  So, I dragged my unmotivated bum out of my office chair and put my running clothes on.  I figured if I at least had my clothes on I would be a lot more likely to go for a run.  I probably should have drank more than a cup of coffee, but it was too late to down a jug of water.

As I headed out the door I ran into some coworkers who were headed downstairs for flu shots.  I guess they were giving out free flu shots in the building.  I don't normally get a flu shot, the only time I've ever had one was when I was in the Peace Corps and they made us get them.  I just don't think it really works that well and I've never been compelled to get it.  I know the government spouts it's amazingness but a lot of the research I've read does not support that amazingness.  However, I'm not against the flu shot and I don't think it's bad...so I wasn't going to make it a point to refuse a free vaccine with no line that would only take five seconds.  So I got it.

And then I went for a run.  I was going to do six miles but felt that was a bit long, especially since I still had a lot to do that day and I hadn't had much to drink.  So I did 4.5 miles instead.  It's a good thing too because this was not my best run.  I felt really tired and like my legs weighed 50 pounds.  And it was super windy!  I hate wind and for a good 1/3 of the run the wind was in my face forcing me to exert myself even more.  And I think I would have felt better with a bit more to drink and more than 4.5 hours of sleep.  But I finished it and it was good to be done.

Then I ate lunch.  And it was a delicious lunch.  It included my favorite English muffin: cranberry.  It is so yummy, especially with loads of butter and toasted.  It's only seasonal item so I won't get to eat it forever, but for now, I'm on a enjoy it.

Doesn't that look so good!!!  All that yummy butter is making me hungry just looking at it.  Have I mentioned on this blog how much I love butter?

My other favorite part of my lunch is this salad:

What makes that salad so goods??  The dressing!!  It's Brianna's Rich Poppyseed.  It is divine.  I am so excited every day for this salad because the dressing is that good.  It's not exactly "good for me" but then again, neither is all that butter on my English muffin - but sometimes you just have to sacrifice your health for a bit of butter and salad dressing.  I've eaten this lunch every day for three weeks now and I'm not tired of it.  I also have an apple (you can see it in the side of the picture), and if I'm still hungry I also have pretzals and greek yogurt...but the highlights are the English muffin and salad dressing.

I have an exam today in Chemistry so I'm gonna try and stay awake on the bus to study rather than nodding off - but I'm not sure if that will work out.  I am slowly nodding off as I write this already.  I tried to study yesterday evening but there were no lights on the bus and since it's DARK when I leave work already, I was forced to listen to music the entire time.  And you know it's a bad commute day when your playlist ends and you are STILL not home yet.

Ok - happy Tuesday and wish me luck on my last exam before the final.  I can see the end of Chemistry and I think I might make it!

Dog bones and my first race

On Sunday I had my FIRST RACE since the Marine Corps Marathon!  It was only 4.09 miles (it was a race to raise money for some victims of the Boston bombing), but I had to run with the jogging stroller.  I have only run about 2 miles with the stroller and really have only ran about 3 miles without it.  I just haven't found the time to go for long runs these day.  I was a bit nervous about how it would be (there were two hills on the route and we did two loops), but it turned out fine.  I started in the back but then passed a bunch of people (which is HARD when you have a stroller because you really have to weave in and out carefully).  I even passed people going uphill with the wind blowing right in my face. 

We're finished!! 
(This was taken after we had finished, but we were pretending to run it in.)

I finished in 39.27 which is approximately a 9:38 pace.  I was pretty happy with that - especially since I had started way in the back and it took me a long time to get into a good pace, so I think my last two miles were faster than that.  I will probably not run with the jogger in too many more races since it is really annoying to manuever.  I don't mind pushing it, but there are just too many people and it makes it hard to get around without running over feet.  This was a small, local race so it wasn't a big deal.  We don't have a lot of money for races anyway, so I'm not sure how many more I'll do.  Probably not a lot.  My next big race will most likely be the Disney Princess Half Marathon in Feburary that I am planning on running with my sister.  I really wanted to do the Baltimore Half this year, but it's so expensive that I am pretty sure I'll miss it.

Look at my big arm muscles!  Hahahahaha!

After the race I wanted to go home and sleep but Evan had different plans.  He has a new thing for dog bones.  Every time I closed my eyes he was after it again!

He scoots himself all the way to the dog bone...

He grabs the bone...

And then he tries to eat the bone!  Gross!!

I didn't realize he was going to put it in his mouth so the photo is blurry because I grabbed the bone out of his hand (it might have been two seconds too late).  One day before Evan could scoot around the house I went into the kitchen to grab something and came back and Dolce and Evan were chewing on this bone together - Evan on one side and Dolce on the other.  Yikes!  Evan's new favorite thing is Dolce - he scoots all over the house just to be near the dog.  Dolce finds it very annoying!

For the rest of the afternoon we played around, did laundry, and walked to the library to return a very over-due book.  My family book club is discussing The Roots of the Olive Tree by Courtney Miller Santo on Tuesday.  I finally finished the book but hadn't returned it and it was due last Monday.  Yikes!  I had already renewed it twice so I couldn't renew it again.  The library wasn't too far away and I had to walk the dog anyway - so we just walked up there and back.

How was your weekend?

Do any races??

An Update on Evan’s Eating

I thought it was about time that I posted an update on how Evan’s eating’s been going.  It has definitely been a difficult road.  It is starting to get better though.  When I posted last time we were unsuccessfully trying to get Evan to eat a few purees.  We failed miserably. 

After doing a lot of reading, I decided to skip purees and do baby-led weaning.  Basically, the philosophy is that instead of pureeing food, you just give babies the same food you are eating.  You put a few options in front of them and they pick up things, put it in their mouth, spit it out, gag a bit, and hopefully swallow it eventually.  It was a bit nerve-wracking at the beginning because I was really afraid he’d choke.  He’d put a bunch of stuff in his mouth and start gagging, but he never choked (as of yet).  This wasn’t a 100% turn-around though.  It’s not that Evan started chomping down and eating like a pro.

Not at all.

He played more often than ate and spit out way more than he actually swallowed. 

Evan eating (aka playing) with his dinner of tomato and broccoli.

If he swallowed anything at all.  The books and internet all said that baby-led weaning babies tend not to really eat much until about 8 months and before then they are just learning about food and practicing chewing (but not swallowing).  Since he consistently refused purees, I was thrilled that he actually put food in his mouth from his tray or my plate, even if he wasn’t swallowing it.  Food close to his mouth = progress.

For the most part, he wasn’t eating too much but I cleared it with the pediatrician and she said that babies don’t need too much nutrition-wise, aside from breast milk, until they are 1 year old.  So we persevered and kept putting food on his tray and hoping he’d one day start shoving food into his mouth.

Chomping on some chicken.

To tell you the truth, it is HARD feeding him.  I didn’t realize that I ate so erratically.  During the week I eat breakfast at work because I leave the house at 6:10am and there is no time for breakfast in the morning.  Even when I work from home on Wednesday, Ivan still takes Evan to my sister’s at 6:15am, so there is no breakfast time.  Evan’s lunch is always done at my sister’s house (except Friday), so dinner is pretty much the only meal time I have with him.  And I used to eat dinner after Evan went to bed, but now that he’s suppose to be eating solids, I try to eat with him before bed.  This is hard.  I get home at 6:30pm and I usually like to play with him for a while, walk the dog maybe, and give him a bath between 7pm and 7:30pm.  Well, cooking dinner can take up to an hour.  So, I try to find quick things that we can enjoy together or we munch on left-overs.  But then I also need to try and find something for him to eat for lunch. 

Eating asparagus and strawberries.

These are some of the things I’ve given him:

• Broccoli (roasted if I’m organized or just frozen – thawed of course)
• Asparagus (he loved this for a while)
• Tomatoes
• Romaine lettuce
• Pasta with olive oil (an easy kind to grab, like penne)
• Rice and beans (his new favorite)
• Fruit (oranges, bananas, strawberries)
• Soup (I’ve tried tomato and lentil)
• Bread (his absolute favorite thing – French baguettes, tortillas, bagels)
• Couscous
• Sweet potatoes (roasted)
• Chicken tamales
• Pancakes
• Scrambled eggs
• Salmon
• Picadillo (Cuban ground beef dish)

I’m sure I’ve given him other things, but I can’t think of anything else right now.  He’s also eaten some “processed” foods like Ella’s Yum Yummy bars (loves these), Happy Puffs, Little Duck Tiny Fruits, and Happy Yogis Yogurt Drops.  He likes all of those but has a hard time picking up the dried fruits.  The hardest thing is trying to make sure he doesn’t get a lot of salt – the pediatrician said too much salt in babies can harm their kidneys.  Well, food has a lot of salt in it (soups, bread, tamales) and even though I’m not a big salt person (I never add salt to food), a lot of the food I eat does have salt in it…and sometimes a significant amount.  So, although I feel like I eat fairly healthy, it’s not quite healthy enough for Evan.

Eating some salmon.

That’s pretty much the food update.  Now that he is 8 months old he is starting to eat more and more and that makes me a bit relieved.  The other night he shoved some rice and beans in his mouth and actually swallows the tortillas.  This morning he ate a bunch of tortilla and eggs.  I’m hoping that now that he’s gotten a bit more used to moving food around his mouth, he’ll start eating a bit more.  Baby-led weaning has really worked for us and I’m glad we went that route.  Although it would have been a lot easier to puree a bunch of foods and be done, it’s been a lot more fun seeing him eat “adult” foods.  And supposedly baby-led weaning babies turn into less picky eaters – so we’ll see about that!

Someone in the house LOVES the fact that Evan is starting to eat…

Dolce cleaning the high chair and making sure no food goes to waste!

If you have kids, what foods did you feed them when they were little? 

Do you eat a lot of salt? 

Do you feed your dog “human” food?
Dolce doesn’t usually get any human food, but I do let him clean up some of Evan’s food, if it’s healthy…like broccoli, eggs, tomatoes, oranges, etc.  No grapes, onions, or garlic though – all poison for doggies!

Going for a walk with Bob

Notice how the title of this post says walk and not run.  Yeah, I’m not sure what happened to me and running.  We are apparently not friends anymore.  I was doing really well with running – I ran a few times a week while I was on maternity leave and then I even continued to run during lunch while I was at work.  Then I got really busy and I didn’t have time.  And since laziness begets laziness, I quit running on the weekends too.  I think getting up so early during the week along with being tired from going to work, going to class, and being a mom started catching up to me and I just wanted to be lazy. 

The thing is, I really love running.

I guess I will wait until my motivation returns.  I have a feeling it will return with the warm weather.  We’ll see though.

Even though I haven’t been running, I did get my booty out for a walk or two.  With BOB.  Let me tell you – I love my BOB.  I was a little hesitant spending so much money on a stroller, but I am so happy I did.  Not only is BOB my favorite color, but he is an awesome stroller.  And I finally went out for a decent walk with him.

I don’t know what I was thinking but I had it in my head that Evan had to be 6 months old to ride in the BOB without the car seat.  I must have made this up in my head though, because when I looked at the instruction manual it said 8 weeks.  What was I thinking???  I had been dying to use my weather shield but thought that I had to wait until Evan was 6 months (since the weather shield does not fit over the car seat). 

Good thing I had the sense to look at the manual.  The second I discovered Evan was old enough for a walk in the BOB, out we went.  The first two times it snowed.  No worries though, Evan stayed nice and toasty and dry inside his plastic igloo.

He seems to always fall asleep when we go for a walk. 

Dolce and I got wet though.  It’s too bad there isn’t a weather shield for Dolce.  Or a dog raincoat that would fit him.  Along with doggie booties.

I love going on walks with Dolce and Evan (and BOB). 

The only problem is getting BOB in and out of the apartment.  First, the BOB stroller is a bit heavy.  And large.  And I live on the third floor of a walk-up condo.  At first I was carrying the BOB downstairs, then running back up and getting Evan and Dolce.  But then I had to strap Evan into the stroller outside and then put the weather shield on.  So, instead I decided to get him all set in the house and then go down the stairs with him in the stroller.  This has worked but it can be tricky trying to get the stroller down the stairs with one hand and making sure Dolce doesn’t bolt off with the other hand.  Going back up the stairs is just as fun.  We are getting better – and my arm and back muscles are slowly getting stronger.

Dolce is a great walker with the stroller.  He sometimes walks too close and gets run over (see picture below), but for the most part he walks right next to me and doesn’t act like a maniac.

Notice all the dog fur stuck to the wheel.  He hasn’t quite learned that he needs to give the stroller some space.  He’s working on it though.

I can’t wait for my walks to turn into runs.  I really can’t wait to go running with Evan.  It is the whole reason I bought the BOB – so we could spend quality time on runs.  So far he seems to enjoy the stroller, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed he stays content in there.  It’s too bad I can’t take Dolce for runs with us – we could have a fun family outing.  However, Dolce is getting old and has some leg problems so running isn’t the best for him.  Also, if he could run, winter would be the best time.  When it gets warmer it’s not the best idea for him to exercise too much.  He’s really an artic dog – so the summers are a bit too hot for him.  I feel bad leaving him at home though.

For now, we’ll keep taking him on long walks.

And I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a few good runs coming my way!

Fitting in a Run

It is a bit hard finding time to run when I have a newborn four-month old at home (how long is a newborn called a newborn???).  By the time I get home from work it is 6:30pm and I have too much to do.  Plus, when I get home I want to see my baby and tickle him and make him smile and catch up with my husband.  Not lace up my shoes and go for a solo run.  It is also dark and freezing by the time I get home – a huge deterrent.

When I work from home, I could go for a run but I am more excited to be done work early and spend time with the baby and husband.  So I usually don’t.  I am “supposed” to do strength training on work-from-home days but I haven’t gotten myself organized to do that yet.  One day it will happen.

So, the only other option I have left is to run during my lunch hour at work.  This works for now because it is freezing outside and I don’t sweat too much.  We don’t have showers in our office building so I pretty much have to change back into my work clothes after going for a run.  I usually cool off while I eat my lunch and then change.  If I am a bit sweaty, I wipe off with Ponds Wet Cleansing Towelettes.  It’s not the same as a shower, but it works just fine. 

                        ^^After getting my run on^^

It is nice running during lunch because it gets me away from my computer and recharges my brain.  I get tired of running around the White House and National Mall over and over and over again, but I’ll live.  It is the best option because it has the least number of streets to cross.  City running annoys me because I have to stop for so many lights that I feel like I don’t go anywhere.  People walking catch up to me every block.  Once I get to the mall area in DC there aren’t any lights and I can run a bit easier.

Sometimes I am too busy to run during lunch though, so that is annoying.  Plus, I sometimes get passive aggressive remarks from coworkers about how I don’t have enough work if I have enough time to run and get my work done.  First, I try to be as efficient as possible.  Second, I work really long days.  I am in the office from 7:30am until 4:50pm – that’s almost a 9.5 hour day.  So, I don’t feel too guilty getting a run in when I have the time.  I am not running 10 miles during lunch or anything.  The most I do is 4 miles but that is rare.  I usually only have time to squeeze in a 3 mile run.  Obviously, if I have to choose between meeting a deadline or going for I run, I meet my deadline. 

And if it is below 20*F outside, I don’t run.  I don’t really have clothes for that temperature, so I skip it.  If we had a gym at work I could run on a treadmill, but we do not. 

After having a baby and having way less time, I find that I am much more motivated to go for a run at lunch.  I know that if I don’t get my run in that day at that specific time, I won’t have a chance to make it up.  I can’t just go another day because there aren’t many other options.  So, unless it’s impossible to squeeze in, I am usually out there running around the monument during lunch.

                       ^^Back in my work clothes, after a good run^^

See, you can hardly tell I went for a run.  Just my hair is a bit ugly since I had it in a ponytail for the run and then tried to shake it out afterwards.  Now, once summer comes and it’s 95*F outside, I’m not sure what I’ll do.  Maybe I’ll take a short lunch and then run after work before getting on the bus.  We’ll see what happens when the time comes.

When do you get a run in?

Anyone else run during lunch?

Organizing my Life

Remember how I said that one of my New Year’s resolutions commitments was to be more organized?  Well, I tried it for an entire week, so I thought I’d report back to you.  I was quite happy with how it went and it definitely made my life a LOT easier.

Last Saturday I made a list of all the recipes I was going to cook during the week.  Then I looked at each recipe and assigned days to cook them based on time and simplicity.  Then I wrote down how I could “prep” the recipe to make it even quicker.

On Sunday I prepped pork for the week (Tuesday’s dinner) and made a crock pot meal (Monday’s meal).   Here is all the stuff sitting in the crock pot, waiting to be cooked.  In case you’re interested, this was Crock Pot Picadillo from Gina over at Gina’s Skinny Recipes.  It was yummy and Ivan loved it too.

Here I am prepping the pork with Evan in the Ergo.  Try not to be too jealous of my beautiful kitchen and lovely profile.

This helped out immensely.  I knew what we were having each day and I usually just had to boil rice or mix a sauce really quickly.  It was so nice being organized and having food choices be fairly easy.

During the week, I mapped out all the things I needed to do when I got home from work.  And I wasn’t allowed to relax until I did them.  Here is the long list of things:

1. Cuddle with Evan
2. Start laundry – diapers
3. Start dinner
4. Give Evan a bath
5. Feed Evan
6. Put Evan to bed
7. Finish dinner
8. Eat
9. Wash up dishes
10. Prepare/pack lunch for the next day
11. Wash bottles/pump
12. Stuff diapers for tomorrow
13. Pack diaper bag
14. Hang wet diapers up to dry
15. Get ready for bed
16. Go to sleep

Yes – it is SO much stuff to do.  And it pretty much takes me from the time I get home (6:30pm) until the time I go to bed (10pm) to finish it all.  Sometimes I just want to sit down and watch TV, but I know if I don’t get it done I’ll be up all night.  And sometimes at 10pm, I want to crawl into bed and read part of my book.  However, then I remember how tired I’m going to be at 4:30am and I decide that I can survive reading on the bus instead.  I am not sure what I’m going to do once classes start.  I’m not sure where I’ll fit studying in, in my busy schedule.

However, it has really helped having the list of things to do and just getting them done.  I haven’t assigned my weekend cleaning detail yet, so I have to work on that.  Although I did take my Christmas stuff down (finally) and emptied a box in the living room that I hadn’t unpacked yet. 

Also, my husband would prefer we eat before 8:30pm every night so I might try and make the food a day early (i.e. make Tuesday’s dinner on Monday).  I’m not sure if I can do that, but I’ll try and see what happens.  It is definitely much healthier to eat at 7pm than at 9pm!

I also need to fit blogging in there too – since I didn’t get to do that all week.  We’ll see!  This past weekend my parents were visiting so I didn’t put much on the schedule.  Part of being organized is being flexible, right???

How do you get it all done?

What do you do to get organized every day?

New Year, New You

Or new me actually.  Ok, so not a completely new me since I am pretty happy with the old me.  I admit, it would be nice to fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes one day, but what can I say.  I haven’t really been running much these days and I haven’t found the motivation to do the strength training I had been working on – and I ate about 3000 cookies while in Vermont.  Once I head back to work I think I will get back on track. 

But, back to New Year resolutions.  Or commitments, as Meghan calls them.  I kind of rather like the term commitments, since there is no pass/fail.  And I’d like these changes to stick.   I don’t really have too many changes I want to make, but I’ll review a few of them below.


Commitment 1

Be more organized.  This is pretty much the main commitment I’d like to make.  I used to be completely organized all the time.  At one time I was very Type A.  Then I went to Honduras, learned to relax, and can’t go back.  I don’t actually want to go completely back, because it’s so much better being a Type A-.  However, my life could use an organization make-over.  Mainly because I am SOOOO busy and there really is barely enough time to get things done.  Here are things I plan on organizing:

     a) My Apartment: Yes, things are still in boxes and bags and hidden in closets.  I just never got unpacked all the way because I had to go to Vegas for a week right after moving and then was too pregnant-tired, and then the baby came, etc.  Yeah, so many excuses.  However, I am done.  Things have to find a home in this apartment and that’s the end of the story.  How am I going to do this?  I have this plan of assigning weekends to rooms.  For example, this weekend coming up will be the dining room.  There is one big box left in the dining room and I’d like to unpack it.  The following weekend I will do the kitchen, etc.  When I’ve finished each room, then each weekend I will clean/straighten each room.

     b) My Time: I waste a ton of time just thinking about things and not actually doing them.  And let’s face it, I don’t have much time.  When I work, I get home at 6:30pm, the baby gets a bath at 7pm, and goes to bed by 8pm.  And somewhere in there I have to cook dinner, prepare lunch for the next day, wash diapers, stuff diapers, fold clothes, do laundry, wash/disinfect pump parts, etc.  Thankfully I can work from home two days so on those days I finish at 4pm – but somehow I always find it to be 6pm and I haven’t done anything.  Plus, the end of this month I am starting classes again so I’ll have class on Mondays and Wednesdays.  Even less time!  So, I really need to organize my meals far in advance – and prepare as much as I can on the weekends (cook chicken, cut veggies, etc.).  And I need a system so each day I’m doing something but not everything – Mondays fold laundry, Tuesdays wash diapers, etc.

    c) Money: This is a big one.  It is hard to organize something you don’t have.  Or don’t have enough of – we are super short on money these days and it’s about time I organized a budget.  Now that we have to pay for daycare, any extra money we had is gone, gone, gone.  If we want to still buy gifts for people, get the dog groomed, etc. we’ll have to put money away each paycheck.  I am determined to get our finances in order and not spend above our means.  I knew having a baby was going to be hard financially but the cuts we’ll have to make are totally worth it.  At least our car already broke and cost us a fortune!  One less thing to worry about!  Plus, golf starts up the end of April so I can build our small savings account back up to where it was…before maternity leave, the car, and Christmas depleted it!


Commitment 2

Be healthier.  I am a pretty healthy person, I admit.  I have a small sugar addiction, but so far a decent metabolism that allows me to eat lots and lots of candy without too many repercussions (although I’m getting old so that may change).  However, I am trying to make a few changes to improve my health.

     a) Eat a fruit or veggie with every meal.  This is hard because I pretty much hate vegetables.  I love fruit, but really need to work on the veggie side.  Yesterday night I had broccoli with dinner.  Yes, it is practically a miracle because I HATE broccoli, but I did it anyway.  Now I have a son and I need to be a good example to him – and eating vegetables is good for you.

     b) Have snacks on hand.  One of my main problems is being hungry all the time.  When I get home from work at 6:30pm, I shove a ton of food into my mouth because I’m so hungry.  I can’t wait to prepare dinner – I have to eat something right away.  This usually means a bunch of chips.  If I had something already prepared to munch on when I came home, maybe I could skip the five servings of tortilla chips.  Or maybe I will eat the prepared snack AND the chips.  It’s worth a try though.

     c) Floss my teeth.  More often.  No explanation needed.

I think those are pretty much it.  Nothing too crazy or ridiculous.  Nothing I can’t possibly achieve.  Just a few things that will make my life easier and happier and more relaxed.  Right?

What resolutions or commitments are you making for 2013?