It’s my birthday today, dammit, and I just decided what I want this year.

It’s definitely not flowers. Or chocolate (although there will be some). Or jewelry. Or shoes. None of that, not for me. Not this year, or, if I get what I want, probably any year.

No, what I want goes deeper than that. What I want this year is something I’ll be able to carry with me the rest of my life.

I want to be a broad. Read the rest of this entry »

Last Wednesday night, my 3 year old cried for me not to leave him with his father. “I don’t want you to go to the gym!” he wailed. My heartstrings were pulled so hard I might as well have left my entire heart in his tiny hands. There’s no question that feeling guilty comes naturally with being a mother.

My husband peeled our human fruit roll-up out of my already sweating arms and assured me he would be fine. I gave him the are-you-sure look, and bless his heart, he mouthed back a silent, “Go babe.” I kissed Thomas’ tear-stained cheek and left for another weight training session with my trainer, Homie G.

If there’s one thing I could tell you to take away from this column, it’s to not cave to negative feelings. Laziness, fatigue, being too busy, and putting off exercise due to family demands can all weigh heavily on a Mom’s ability to get her butt out the door to the gym or outside for a run or walk.

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It’s no secret that music has a powerful influence on us. It can set off all manner of emotions, send our thoughts spiraling to dizzying new heights, and allow us to access corners of our creativity that we thought were dusty from disuse.

And powerful lyrics, when combined with music, can be incredibly inspiring.

I like using music as a tool to change my mood or to create one. A while ago I talked about songs that nourish my soul and today I’d like to continue that thought, concentrating on lyrics especially: the ones that create a sense of personal empowerment and expansion. Read the rest of this entry »

This past weekend I went gangbusters on our kitchen cupboards. My “baking” cupboard, stacked high with Tupperware full of white flour, white sugar, shortening, chocolate chips, and white pasta all went to the great trash bin in the sky. (Actually behind the shed, but who’s asking?)

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I am a procrastinator.

Selective procrastinator, I should say. With most things I am totally right on top of them, in fact I am usually the instigator and cheerleader and make-it-happener. I get the kids off to school on time and I hate being late for appointments. If you invite me to your house chances are I’ll show up ten minutes early.

But with other things I drag my heels. It’s painful. I think and think about them, often even losing sleep over the thing that’s hanging over my head undone.

And then when I finally do that thing there’s a certain bliss about the completion of it as the pain of leaving something undone turns into the exquisite ecstasy of finally crossing it off my list.

So I have to ask myself: What’s up with that? Read the rest of this entry »

Karen’s recent column “Live Like a Toddler: Six Ways To Change Your Life” got me thinking about our kids and how they are always moving. A couple of weeks ago, I asked my 9 year old to join me on an outside run in the snow.

One great part about working out with your kid is that you get to talk to them about stuff when their pesky little brother isn’t tugging on you for a peanut butter sandwich. We chatted all the way to the high school and started around the track.

The other great part about working out with a child? Dylan was sprinting around me in circles, inspiring me to keep going. While the ground was soppy with leftover snow and our feet were getting wet, we laughed and ran like little kids and it sure made those 5K go faster than I had anticipated. After running, we played on the monkey bars and held our own mini-competition to see who could stay up there the longest. We stretched, then headed home, doing lunges until our thighs couldn’t take any more. By the time we got back to our block, we both had a second wind and raced “to the next tree!” over and over again. It was so much fun and we were laughing the whole time.

Talk about balance between being a Mom and taking care of myself. Acting like a kid, with my kid, was a great workout!

Other great ways to get yourself and your family moving:
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I’m a planner. Some days it feels like my brain is about to explode because it’s so busy thinking about mundane stuff:

what am I going to make for dinner?

who needs clean clothes today?

what things are we out of…let me make a mental list

And then there’s the not-so-mundane stuff. A couple of nights ago my brain was awake all night going over conversations I might have with people, thinking about colors I might want to redecorate with some day, and planning and imagining stuff that I’m going to do three months from now (that last has something to do with a cat and a car so some advance thought is required, but three months’ worth?).

So the thing about all this planning and thought and imagining is that sometimes it doesn’t happen the way you thought it would.

And then what? Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday I had the unfortunate experience of going to a co-ed version of my gym, as I was out of town and in desperate need of a workout.

(FYI, I never in a million years thought I’d be in desperate need of working out, but there it is. I’m officially addicted to runner’s high and shin splints, holy crap.)

Seeing as I’m still a bit jiggly in spots, I was quite concerned about working out with men around. Being a beautiful spring Sunday, there were less people there but you can bet your sneakers that everyone was checking each other out. At the women’s gym, they don’t do this, but here I’m well aware that some people use the gym as a place to meet others. I was nervous. Yes I’m happily married, but the fact is, working out with boys around is still kind of a nerve-wracking thing. I wasn’t looking to be attractive. Goodness knows my entire head turns shades of purple and red when I run and I look like I’ve been swimming by the time I’m done. For me, it was a matter of keeping up with the boys and looking tough.
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I’ve been watching my younger son for the past hour and it dawned on me just how brilliant he is. He’s parading around the house under his big sister’s umbrella (yeah yeah, umbrellas in the house are bad luck, shut up) like it’s the greatest thing in the world, wearing one of his brother’s mittens. How often do you feel that utter joy about something small like that?

We can take some lessons from our toddlers. I have yet to see a truly stressed two-year-old, so what is it they’re doing right? And why do we give that up as we get older and grow up? Do we truly have to, or can we bring some of the magic of childhood into our adult lives? Here are six ways we can bring toddlerhood into our own lives to cut down on stress; start channeling your toddler today and notice the changes in your life! Read the rest of this entry »