Makeup-free and letting my hair do its own flippy thing
Spring is for walks.
Look at these sexy beasts! I guess I'm on a weird nerdy old music kick right now. Go ahead & mock if you must.
Getting ready for the Flyers game
At the Flyers game. This kid is a hockey fan like his Uncle Danny.
I hope you’re having a fun week, too!
Photo credit: kkinjo on Flickr
It’s the time of year again when I want to crawl out from under my thick sweaters and sneakers, toss on some flip flops, and lay on a blanket in the sun all day long. Job? What job?
This early spring (seriously–it started in January) has me excited for some events and plans we have scheduled through the start of summer.
I just said the S word. Can you believe it?!
Let’s not jump the gun. In many ways, I prefer spring to summer. For starters, often summer is too hot to enjoy. I’m not one of the fortunate ones who own a pool or a bank account with enough in it to buy a pool. Sigh. Maybe someday.
For now, though, instead of fantastizing about my dream house (which obviously would include a heated, inground pool), I’ll daydream about our spring bucket/to do list:
This month, Jax will attend his second ice hockey game. I can already hear his little chants in my head: “Let’s Go, Flyers!”
Other big events this spring include our first family road trip in April, which will be to Washington, DC. In particular, we are taking Jax to the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum. My kid is obsessed with space shuttles and all things that fly, my husband loves museums, and I love getting away, so this trip sounds like a win-win-win. Our weekend is smack in the middle of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, so I expect it to be gorgeous there.
Another big event for us is the Italian Market Festival in Philadelphia. The festival spans 2 days in May. There, we eat as many Italian delicacies as we can and pretend we’re Italian, not Irish, for a day or two. An ex-friend introduced us to the festival 5 or 6 years ago, and it has been our tradition ever since. Gelato? Yes, please. Red wine while I walk along a street lined with artists? Sure! Cannolis and fresh mozzarella and pasta and sambuca? Why not!
Then, in June, we will watch our good friends get married. So excited for this, because they’re the kind of people you just know will have a really fun wedding. I’ve even already lined up a sleepover at my mom’s for Jax. I’ve missed a few weddings over the years due to lack of a sitter or Jax having a meltdown or whatever the case may have been. No chance in hell I’m missing this one.
Not-so-big (yet-also-really-fun) events include:
Playdates! Lots and lots of them. Just not at Barnes & Noble on a Tuesday night.
Renewing our zoo membership so we can spend warm days visiting our favorite animals (goats for Jax; orangutans for me).
More girls’ nights out! Ok, so this one is for me, not really for the family. Unless you consider my going out and having fun–and releasing stress–as a positive thing for everyone, which it truly is.
Baseball is back! Note to self: Must score some Phillies tickets ASAP.
Making good use of the jogging stroller. So far, we’re off to a good start, now that the flat has been fixed. Jax and I have spent evenings outside every night this week and have used the jogging stroller nearly every night. Last night, when I wasn’t feeling like a run, I took Jax on a spontaneous trip to a big park a town over. I threw him in the car at 6:30, not even knowing where we were going. I headed in a direction and we ended up at that park. Jax collected rocks for 45 minutes, and then we went home. Easy, yet fun.
What are your spring plans?
It’s the story of my life: I get super excited about an endeavor, and then my hopes are deflated (in this case, literally).
If you recall, I’m on a mission to drop the last few stubborn pounds of baby weight. At my friend’s suggestion, I decided to start running with Jax. I borrowed a jogging stroller from a friend and got all excited about the idea. I busted that monstrous thing out the other night, ready to clean it and put it to use after dinner, and whaddyaknow–my husband pointed out, “You know it has a flat tire, right?”
Gah! No, I did not know this!
It’ll probably take me a month just to find the time to remove the tire and get my busy butt to a gas station to pump it up. Worse yet, what if it can’t be pumped full of air and requires a bike shop to replace the tire or inner tube? In that case, I will probably never get around to using it.
Until then, at least Jax can burn some calories using it as a jungle gym:
New living room furniture/jungle gym
With pillows!
Jax, modeling our flat (while I cry onto my iphone)
Yesterday, I started jonesing on my lunchbreak for some magazines. Since I had to stop at the grocery store for some dinner ingredients, I peeked at their selection of magazines, hoping to find some related to health, fitness, and general well-being that I haven’t already read–given that I’m a magazine junkie.
I was surprised by the selection. They had Mother Earth News, Vegetarian Times, and a few others I don’t subscribe to but have always kind of liked. I dropped ten bucks on two magazines, figuring maybe I’ll be able to actually read with Jax running around. With a toddler on the loose, it’s impossible to read a book; magazines, however, I can usually thumb through while he’s occupied with something else (you know, for a whole 5 minutes).
The first magazine I plan on devouring (food pun intended) is the current issue of Vegetarian Times. The recipe for the cover photo totally hooked me–black bean & sweet potato burritos, and, inside, vegetarian Wellington. I’m probably not ambitious enough to make it–I’ve never worked with pastry puff before. I’m scared!
And the second magazine I’ll snuggle up with this weekend is Fitness. I already cracked it open in the store, and from flipping through, I’m not really sure this one’s a good fit with my ideals and goals related to wellness. I mean, there are a few mentions of Crystal Light (ew, chemicals) and other nonhealthy foods/drinks in there, a woman the mag raves about for having lost so much weight that she is now a size 2 (and looks anorexic, if you ask me), and tons and tons of ad pages. But I’m giving it a try because it was the only health& fitness magazine at the grocery store, and I am trying to drop 5-10 lbs and could really use the motivation.
As quickly as I mutter the phrase, “I need to lose 5 pounds,” I can fire off any number of excuses why I don’t work out–I’m a working mom, I’m too tired, my toddler keeps me too busy, I don’t have extra money to spend on a gym…you get the point. It’s hard to find time to work out when I’m rarely ever alone in my home. At a minimum, it’s me & the dog. And my dog hates to see me work out.
No, really, I swear. Ask my husband. Rooney bites my ass when I try to work out. And not just once! That little mutt will do anything he can to stop me from doing Pilates, lifting weights, riding a stationary bike–you name it!
And when Jax is home, forget it. The two of them, Jax & Rooney, are an exercise-hating force to be reckoned with! With Rooney biting my ass and Jax climbing on top of me, it’s an injury (the dog’s, the kid’s, or mine) waiting to happen. The last time I tried to do mat pilates at home, Jax sat on top of me while I got into plank position. A second later, we fell–I nearly crushed Jax, and he nearly crushed Rooney. While the added 24 pounds of resistance is a nice thought, bruises & broken bones are not. And I’m pretty sure I’d never live it down if I injured my child with my exercising!
Last night, I gave in to peer pressure & attended a Zumba class. In case you live under a rock, Zumba is a Latin-inspired dance/fitness craze–or as my husband told me, “a cult.” Women just love it. So I figured I’d give it a shot, despite my severe uncoordination.
Whaddya know, I had a blast. And I’m not even that sore! Add those two facts together and what do you have? A motivated me!
While I do not think Zumba is my thing, I do think that maybe it was the kick in the pants I needed to get my butt moving on the reg. So today I’m googling fitness classes and gyms in my area, and I’m hoping to burn a few calories at the park with Jax. Tomorrow, I’m heading to the track for a long walk. Next week, I’m stashing my sneakers in my car and spending my half hour lunches at the local park, walking (or, if I’m feeling ambitious, jogging) around the track. (Note to Mother Nature: You better cooperate, biatch!)
The holiday season is upon us (scary, I know). I’d have a much hollier, jollier Christmas if I weighed 5 pounds less!
