Let’s make it a Rock Star day.

Having Keeghan was hard on my hair, my feet, and everything in between. So I took things as easy as I could for the first 3 months, and then I started to get serious about putting myself back together. I started gently, with Tai Chi and daily walks. Lately I’ve stepped up my game with resistance training and yoga in addition to Tai Chi and walking.

When I look at how far I’ve come in six months, I feel like a rock star. I mean, I’m down 40 lbs and two pants sizes! I have so much more strength and endurance now! I actually feel like I have a shot at keeping up with two active boys. Like it might not kill me. That’s amazing! I also no longer have to sit down to finish getting dressed, which is good because it made me feel like I was about to be shipped off to assisted living, and I don’t think they’d let me bring the kids.

I try not to look too hard at the flip side, because it makes the formerly fit, trim woman who still lives somewhere in my psyche weep with frustration. 30 more pounds to go. Plus, with 18 years of healthy boys to keep up with, I better start CRUSHING the cardio. But I can do it!! Right? Well, maybe I could use some help. Time to bring on the Workout Program. Fitting that in, for me, means workout videos in my living room. Or, as they call it now, a “virtual trainer.”20111201-113419.jpg

I know that when picking a trainer (virtual or otherwise) some people are motivated by eye candy of their preferred gender. I find myself much more motivated by someone who represents my goals. So I’m all over Chris Freytag. She’s 45. She’s had 3 kids. And she is ROCKING the bare-belly workout gear. She’s amazingly fit.

When I’m working along to her 10 lb Slimdown program I feel more like the Rockstar and less like the poster child for Body Parts That Should Make Young Girls Think Twice About Having Babies. You really can’t put a price tag on that, now, can you?

How about you? What makes today a Rock Star day?

What did we do today?

A better question would be… what DIDN’T we do today?

We blew bubbles at the park

We played peek-a-boo with Jonathan

We experimented with mixing colors

and found out that Tempera paint is apparently closely related to woad, because copious amounts of scrubbing and castile soap were not sufficient to remove it from Ian’s skin completely.

We pulled vines

and made wreaths, which we wore on our heads

We chatted with Sophie the Amazon Princess

We created a masterpiece

We redecorated

We hung the butterfly house

and we got really, really dirty.

Sometimes the surprises are the best part

This morning on our Saturday AM Family Walk, we discovered that the garage/yard sale crowd was out, as well as the dog walking crowd. So we not only got a nice walk and some good playground time, we also saw a lot of our neighbors, and met some new folks. A goal around here is to once again make an AM walk a regular part of the family routine.

Chalk Stencils With Daddy

Look what I got for $3!

Yes, that’s an awful picture, but these three etched glass tumblers and matching decanter are going to make a nice addition to my “dressy” tableware, as they look nice with my great aunt’s etched glasses. And the neighbors who were having the yard sale were sweet enough to tuck some bubbles for Ian into the box before we took it home!

Taking a Walk with My Children

Me and the boys went for a walk this morning. We went early, before the bugs come out and before it gets too hot. Ian asked the name of all the plants we saw, and Mommy told him what she can remember, half of which is probably wrong.

We watched a work crew repairing the neighbor’s roof, and Ian opined that they should spray water down the chimney. When I asked him what he thought would happen if they did that, he said, “Well, Mommy, it will just put the fire out.” I have made a mental note that if I see him headed for the roof with the hose, I need to get on that immediately.

Don’t Go Without Me!

Firemen always travel prepared. There's no way we're running short on matchbox cars on this walk.

Ian insisted he didn’t want to go on a walk until I said I’d go by myself.  “Don’t go without me!” After some elaborate preparations, we were off.  Turns out, a backpack full of matchbox cars makes a really fun noise when you jump over the cracks in the sidewalk.

Quotable Moment: “No Daddy, don’t walk on the grass.  That’s MY job.”

Current Weather Conditions:

Distance traveled: 0.95 miles

Current Total Distance Traveled: 6.55 miles

I owe the babies: $3.28