Stuffing My Face

Just because the Girl Scouts have removed the trans fats from their cookies does not give me the green light to eat an entire sleeve of Thin Mints in three days. I take full responsibility for my actions.

And for the record, I did not even buy those dang cookies. Someone gave them to the Hubs and he, naturally, brought them home so that I could stuff my face. He doesn't really even like Thin Mints. How wrong is that?

It's Here, It's Really Here!

The Hubs introduced me to baseball when we first met some 12 years ago (holy crap--12 YEARS?!). Being from western New York, he rooted for, naturally, the Yankees. I pretty much went along for the ride and started rooting for them too.

Then I started actually watching and paying attention. And I started to really love the sport. I can't remember what year it was but the Yankees were in the World Series and I was excitedly watching the game ALONE while Hubs was at a meeting. He came home and I started excitedly telling him all about the game, giving him a play by play account. I was hooked.

It is true that I was a fair-weather Yankees fan at first. But the more I watched, the more I loved my boys. My Jeter! My Jorge!

When I'm not rooting for the Yankees these days, I do also cheer for the Seattle Mariners. Really, I would cheer for almost any team. I just love the sport and it doesn't matter who is playing. As long as it isn't the Red Sox (sorry Michelle!). :-)

One of the most awesome things about living in the desert is that Spring Training takes place here. Sadly, the Yankees don't train here. The Mariners train a bit north of us so I don't get to see them often either. But I love Spring Training because of all that it stands for: warm spring days, hot dogs and beer, skipping out from work early (to go to that afternoon meeting, ahem) to enjoy a day at the ballpark. Spring Training means that summer and the official baseball season is just around the corner. Long, lazy hot afternoons and a baseball game. What could be better?

Why wouldn't anyone not love baseball?

Weekly review: Week of Feb 19th

The personal training is going along fantastically. I really, really love it. My trainer often says things like, "Since you're an athlete, I want you to know why we're doing this exercise."

I can't help but snort and chortle just a little bit when he says the word "athlete." I still have a very hard time thinking of myself as a "athlete." I run, sure. I even run really damn long distances once in awhile. But an athlete? Me running does not quite =athlete in my brain.

I am noticing an immediate change in some of the muscles in my body. My hamstrings especially are starting to build up. My biceps have just a little more definition. I love these physical changes and I can't wait to see how that translates into making me a better, stronger runner. For now, I'll just appreciate the approving glances from the Hubs.

So, my week in review? Here goes:

M-3
Tues- 1 hr personal training
Wed-2, cut short by a screaming toddler. That was fun (not!)
Thur-3
Fri-1 hr personal training
Sat-off
Sun-6
Total: 14

Woohoo! I broke the 10 mile barrier. My shins are responding well so, as of today, right now, right this very second, it is a green light for the half marathon on March 18th. Woot!

What's this? A running related post?

My week in review:

Tues-3 miles
Wed-1/2 hr of torture known as getting weighed, measured and fat caliper-ed, 1/2 hr of personal training
Thur-3 miles
Fri-1 hr personal training

Yep, that's right. Not only did I run more than once last week, I also exercised!!! Amazing, isn't it?

I have wanted to hire a personal trainer for a long time. But, hiring a personal trainer is about as cheap as hiring a personal chef or a personal assistant or a live-in housekeeper. I could never afford it. Thanks to a beefy tax return and some serious begging on my part (to my hubby), I finally managed to make it happen.

All the fat calipering was free last week. A fat calipering buffet as it were to try it out and see how I liked it. Truth be known, I loved nearly every free minute of the training. You can guess which minutes I did NOT like. I also did not like discovering my percentage of body fat. OK, so there were some unhappy moments.

But I shared my running injuries and my trainer wants to emphasize a lot of lower body work, lots of stretching and some toning work for on top. He convinces me that I will lose weight and that I will be able to plow up large hills and will become a better and faster runner. See why I liked him? He promises very good things!

We ended Friday's session with some painful stretching. He kept telling me to just breathe into it, let my body do the work and that he wouldn't hurt me. Some of the stretches hurt in a good way--that deep pain where you say, "OW--keep going!! More!" And some of it, I wanted to beg him to stop, even though I knew how much good it was doing. But I trusted him and went with it.

The amazing thing is that later that afternoon, for the first time in weeks, all of my shin pain went away.

And even more amazing, I went on a run alone in some light rain showers and enjoyed the scenery, lost in my thoughts, not paying attention to speed. And when I looked at my Garmin later, I saw that my fastest pace at some point was a 7:22. (Granted, it was probably for a microsecond but the fact that I didn't know it occurred until after the fact says something.)

Something tells me that hiring a trainer for the next 12 weeks is going to be a very good thing.

To My Birthday Girl

One of my fondest memories from my 4 month maternity leave when Natalie was born were the long naps she would take lying on my chest. Not only did it give me time to rest and sleep, but it always felt so warm and cozy.

I loved feeling her snuggle in to me, loved stroking her fine, soft silky hair and inhaling that clean beautiful new baby smell. Her little legs curled up underneath her like a little froggie. That is actually how she often slept while in utero too so having her sleep on me was almost like having us as one again.

She was so tiny and fragile-seeming.

When I went back to work, it rocked my world. And not in a good way. The thing is, that I think working makes me an overall better, happier mommy. I dare not judge any mom who makes the choices she needs or wants to make to stay home or return to work either by choice or because she has no choice, financially. Neither choice makes you a bad or even a good mommy. How you interact and how you treat your child is what defines us as good mothers. having a career or not...who cares?

But I do question any working mom who claims it is easy to just be at work. Those first months back at work were so difficult and filled with much guilt and sadness. I missed my little baby. I missed taking afternoon naps with the sun beaming into the living room, warming us.

When you're expecting a child, especially your first, good intentioned people give you all sorts of advice. "Get your sleep now! "Cuz you ain't getting any when the baby comes!" "You MUST read the XYZ book which will guarantee your child will sleep!" "Buy this or this or this product and your life as a parent will be CHANGED!"

And my least favorite of all? "Enjoy it while they are young. They grow so fast."

Yada, yada, yada.

But, my daughter turned 3 one week ago. And as I watched her giddy excitement over her cake and her gifts, as I watched her close her eyes and make her wishes and blow our her candles on her cake (All by herself!!!), I couldn't help but think, "Where did the time go? Where did my baby go?"

It is just so true. They grow so fast, right before your eyes. Each day with Natalie is a gift that I will always treasure. I just wish the days wouldn't keep passing so quickly.

Any Day

Any day that awakens me with bright sun streaming through my windows is a good day. Any day where it is warm enough in the car to turn on the air conditioner and open the moon roof is a good day. Any day that is warm enough to open the french doors and listen to the wind chimes and feel the fresh breeze come in is a good day. And finally, any day off from work so I can enjoy this weather and plant some early spring pansies and snapdragons outside is absolutely positively a very good day indeed!

Let's hope that Groundhog knows what he is talking about! I really am ready for Spring.