Don't read this

Each night, I'm bombarded with shop talk when my husband gets home. I decided that if I have to suffer through it, I am going to share. Keep in mind, this is just a taste. It goes on for hours. And then I get to hear it all again when he gets together with friends and family.

Dear hubby: I am here for you and happy to be a sounding board. But I need to be able to laugh about it or you're going to make my hair fall out. xoxo

Fitness, the Easy Way

Lately, I've been obsessed with fitness. I've made a commitment to work out every day, even if just a little, and I've found it surprisingly easy to keep to it (dieting, however, is another beast entirely). Not everyone has the drive/determination/freedom to set aside time to exercise though, and I get that. But exercise doesn't mean only lunges and push ups... I'll bet if you're a mother of young kids you can find ample opportunities for a great work out! For instance, just going shopping is a fantastic one:

Warm Up:
Running all over the house trying to find the keys.
Add a boost: squeeze your tush as you climb those stairs!

Arms:

Carrying a young child in one arm and a diaper bag on the other.
Add a boost: try to keep the kid at eye level, and stuff the diaper bag with water bottles and snacks!


Legs:
Bending down to pick up the groceries your child has tossed out of the cart.
Add a boost: do deep lunges or squats when picking up!

Abs:
Coughing fit ensues as you look at the price of old cheddar. Dang, that stuff's expensive!

Add a boost: Laugh heartily when your child asks if she can have the chocolate frosted sugar bombs.

Cardio:

Easy - walking around the store. No one said you have to be huffing and puffing for the benefits.

Add a boost: let your kid out of the cart. See kid run. See mom run. Run, mom, run!

If you consider getting home and putting away the groceries a cooldown/stretch, voila! Your workout is complete!

Can you think of other daily activities that double as workouts? I'd love to hear them!

A Punch in the Face

The time I have always dreaded has finally come - some kid has started to bully D1. She has been mentioning this "mean boy" at school for a while now, but last week alarm bells rang when she confided in me that he threatened to punch her in the face if she didn't get out of his way.

Now my first instinct was to find the kid and clock him. Clearly I was overreacting, because, after all, the boy is only 6. But saying out loud to yourself that someone, anyone, has threatened to hurt your child is enough to make any parent's blood boil, especially when she is afraid to do something as simple as go to her cubby.

I went through all the appropriate steps: I talked to the teacher and made sure she took the situation seriously. She moved the kid's cubby away from D1's (and her friend's, who was afflicted with the same problem). She promised to talk to the students about telling a trusted adult when they are frightened or uncomfortable. I was happy about those solutions.

... but I have to admit that I told D1 that if that kid ever threatened her again, she is allowed to punch him, right in the face.

How a Man Helps

Punchline

I always seem to walk into a room right at the punchline of a joke. People start laughing loudly at it, but it makes no sense to me! What a weird situation to be in. Do you laugh along with everyone? Do you pretend you didn't hear the punchline at all? What if you are the first to laugh, after just having walked in?

Merry Christmas!

Okay, so I'm not the best at thinking on the fly...

Not a great post - my mind's on food.

I've been on "vacation" (read: holiday lay-off) since the 18th, and I decided that this year I will do my best to lose 7 lbs. in 14 days. It's now the 22nd and I realize how impossible that is for me. However, I think I might be able to get through the holidays without gaining the 12 lbs. Dr. Phil says most of us will pack on. How, you ask?

My plan:
Work out for 20 minutes every day
Take measurements every day
Weigh myself every day

Why am I doing these things every day? Although I was told that it is terrible to measure your progress every day because of the natural fluctuations in your body, I want to measure every day as a reminder of my goal! Ahem, my new goal of not gaining weight. So far, I think I've done well enough. I've learned a couple of things already:

• I do have time to work out, as long as I don't expect more than 15 minutes at a time, ever. I've been doing it during the kids' bathtime.
• My measurements are all over the place - the fluctuations are funny. Either I'm doing it wrong or I gain/lose a quarter inch each day, not to mention a few pounds at a time!
• Working out makes me ravenous. I could eat all. the. time.

Speaking of which, I'm hungry. But it's bedtime. Aw, heck, I'll work it off tomorrow. Time for a bedtime snack!