Things You Want Wednesday - Stronger Muscles Edition

Sooooo, I'm combining this week's post with The Mommyologist's Glam Check Wednesday. I don't usually have anything to share, but this week I have a good one. And by good I mean embarrassing. And by embarrassing I mean something that you'll probably laugh at me for. But it's still an important lesson for something that you want. So it fits, right?




P90X includes an exercise video called Plyometrics, which means "jump training." Jump training? Pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Here's a screenshot I found online.

Interestingly enough, this is the P90X kids doing the exact exercise that led to my seriously un-glamorous moment.

All of the already-moms know that there is a certain muscle group that gets weakened during pregnancy and in childbirth (um, snissing anyone?). My pre- and post-natal yoga videos were insistent on working that muscle group, constantly mentioning how important it is in the real world. I must have done that "elevator move" a million times. Consider yourself lucky if you don't know what I'm talking about. I thought I had strengthened them enough, especially considering that I'm now almost 20 months past that delightful modesty-stripping experience called labor and delivery.

Anyway, I'll spare you the full-out intricate details. Just imagine having those muscles being not-quite-as-strong-as-they-apparently-should-be, drinking lots of water all day, and then jumping around wildly like they're doing in that picture up there. Apparently they haven’t gained back as much strength as I thought….

Thank goodness we're doing the program in the comfort of our own basement. That would have been quite the walk of shame.

Deja-vu All Over Again

Toddlers are fickle people. Apparently we're back to hating baths. I mean HATING. The screaming starts as soon as he hears the water running. He scrunches up his face and gives a big "NONONONONO" at just the mention of the word. He started liking baths again back in October. I have proof.



I've tried everything I can think of. Bubble bath, bath toys, cups to pour, a bucket, and getting in the tub with him. Nothing helps, he just shrieks like we're pulling out his toenails.

I just don't know what to do. He obviously needs to be cleaned, so I guess it's just going to be a "suck it up and deal with it" character-building experience. Geez, I sound like Calvin's dad.

It's going to be a looooong, hot summer if we don't get over this quickly.

P90X - Week 4 Complete

Week 4 was our first Recovery Week. It was nice to not have any strenuous lifting days, but I definitely wouldn't say that it was in any way relaxing. It's not supposed to be!

I'm just glad it didn't include any Plyometrics. My knees needed a break. It did include two days of Yoga X, and that sucked. I love yoga, it's one of my favorite activities, but I do NOT love Tony Horton yoga. It's long (really long, 90 minutes!) and boring and doesn't give me that relaxed satisfaction that "real" yoga classes do. I might need to find something else to replace it with. I can only handle so many vinyasas, know what I mean? I think that my irritation was compounded by the fact that we did Cardio X instead of Plyometrics. The first 20 minutes of the routine is straight out of the yoga video.

We started week 5 on Saturday with Core Synergistics, which I love, and then yesterday we were back to Plyometrics. My butt is killing me today! Knees aren't doing so well, either. Tonight is shoulders, triceps, and something else, and after reading the book description of the moves I'm feeling pretty intimidated. I don't know about those push-ups with claps in the middle. We'll see how that goes.

We took our 30 day pictures and Charlie's progress has been absolutely amazing! I'm trying to convince him to let me blog about them, because I'm so proud of how well he's doing. Mine are just "meh," but everything I've read has said that women tend to peak later in the program than men. Tony even suggested that for women it should be called "P120X." I'm definitely getting stronger and leaner, my body fat percentage has gone down to the "lean" range, and I have a lot more endurance (well, except for superman bananas, from which I only have bruised hip bones). I've decided to try upping my daily caloric intake from 1400ish to 1600ish to see if that helps. Sounds counter-intuitive, which is why I'm having a psychological problem with it, but we'll see what happens!

Speaking of food, Coach Lynn is about to start an entire week of eating off just the top two tiers of Michi's Ladder. I can't wait to hear how it goes! She's a great inspiration for fit living.

Here's my Superman Banana!

Friday Fragments

Link up with Mrs4444 to join the fun!



Can I just say how much I love the name "Mrs4444?" 4 is my favorite little number, and there are 4 4s. If you sum them, it equals 16, which is also 4 squared. 16 is my favorite medium number. Yes, I'm weird and I think about numbers too much. In case you're interested, my absolute favorite number is 64, which is also a square, and divisible by both 4 and 16.

There was snow on the ground this morning. WTF? It was 70 degrees the other day!

The parking lot at my office was a giant sheet of ice.

Only 9 days until Yankees opening day! Though you wouldn't guess that if you looked out the window right now.

We're going to the zoo tomorrow! I can't wait to take the new stroller out for a spin. It's supposed to be 60 degrees. I hate Cincinnati weather.

I hate UK, maybe more than I hate OSU, and I wish that they would just lose already.

Charlie has developed an interesting attachment to Byron Barton's Book of Trucks. It goes everywhere with him and I have to pry it out of his hands when we get to "school" every morning.

I'm rather tired of the stupidity posted all over Facebook since the health care vote on Sunday. I get that not everyone agrees with it, but at least find a better argument than crying "socialism!" while insisting that the government keep their hands off of medicare.

I'm feeling mopey again about living so far away from my family.


(a picture can be a fragment, right?)

I'm giving myself a cheat meal tonight so that I can test out one of the new Ben & Jerry's flavors. I don't know how much of a cheat it actually is though, since I managed to build a meal plan for today that almost exactly meets my targets, anyway. Hmm, maybe I should add more ice cream!

The Quinny Zapp

I guess if there had to be a good side to our strollers getting stolen it would be coming upon this super-clearanced Quinny Zapp at Babies R' Us last week.

I'm not one to spend a lot of money on things, which is why I own only two pairs of shoes and not a single purse. We were planning on buying a cheapish umbrella stroller to replace the one that was taken and the Quinny obviously wasn't going to make our short list. I saw the bright yellow clearance tag and just about fell over when I realized that between the clearance price and my 20% off coupon I could get the super stroller for the same price as the graco stroller.

The best thing about this one is that it folds up into the smallest package I've ever seen. It's less than two feet long and one foot wide when you close it all up. Perfect for our family car that's not really a family-sized car. Should make road trips much more comfortable since it won't take up any room in the back seat.

The second best thing? It looks like a spaceship!



Black wouldn't have been my first color choice, but for half off retail price when all is said and done, I'll take what I can get!

Things You Want Wednesday - Consignment Sale Edition

I've posted before about my love for secondhand shopping when it comes to baby clothes and gear. My personal feeling on the issue, especially when it comes to clothes, is why pay $25 for a pair of jeans at The Gap when they're only going to wear them for a short period of time? I can barely justify spending that kind of $$ on pants for myself, and those will last me a lot longer than a pair of 18 month pants are going to last Charlie. So Craigslist and consignment sales have become my secret weapon against overpriced baby stuff.

The biggest scores have come from the huge consignment sales that happen around my area every spring and fall. Most cities have mom groups, and those mom groups have sales. The sales usually start at 8:00, but if you're looking for something big then you need to get there early - people start lining up an hour before the doors open and then it's a mad dash to where the big ticket items are located - the strollers, high chairs, jumperoos, big toys, and furniture. Last year I was after toys - I came away with a push toy and a ride-on toy for $5 each, both in great working condition. This year I was only after clothes. Charlie needed a spring/summer wardrobe.

What did I end up with? This lovely collection.



Four pairs of shorts (1 Jumping Bean, 1 The Gap - new with tags, 2 Old Navy), two pairs of cargo pants (1 Cherokee - new with tags, 1 Old Navy), a bathing suit (Old Navy - new with tags), and a UV protection shirt (Old Navy). None of the used clothes had any stains or tears or marks that indicated that they had been worn before. How much did I pay for all of this? $13.

That's pretty good for a stash of shorts that should last him the whole spring and summer. I might need another pair or two, but there's a calendar full of consignment sales running through the next month.

My extra bonus was this wooden Tonka Truck - it didn't come with the box, but it's in perfect condition. I bought it for $1, and it's going in Charlie's pagan fertility ritual easter basket.

Ben and Jerry, Why Must You Torture Me?

Do you know what today is? I just got an email reminder.

Our only scoop shop closed two years ago while I was pregnant, right before free cone day. Just thinking about it makes me sad all over again. It was such a dark time in my life, knowing that the only way I was going to get Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz was by driving 90 minutes north to a Dayton suburb. No more free cones for me. I still haven't gotten my hands on last year's flavor Orange and Cream, and now there's an even newer flavor called Milk and Cookies. I'm really slacking, here!

OMFG! I just went to look at the Milk and Cookies page, and there's also a BOSTON CREAM PIE ice cream! And Mud Pie! Oh my god. I should have never looked at that link.

P90X - Week 3 Complete

Technically it's been complete since Friday, but I took a vacation day and didn't feel like sitting in front of a computer to blog when it was 70 degrees and sunny outside!

Right now we're in the recovery week of phase one. When they say "recovery" they definitely don't mean "rest," as Saturday was 90 minutes of Yoga, Sunday was Core Synergistics (possibly my least favorite because it hurts so good), and last night was Kenpo. I know most people LOVE Kenpo, but I'm just not feeling it. It's not bad, but it's all about kicking and punching and maybe I need to get a punching bag to use as a target because I just get frustrated that I'm not actually kicking or punching anything. That might be a better way to work out some irritations.

Last weekend I finally crashed on the 50/30/20 diet. We were doing Core Synergistics and it got to the point where I just couldn't physically move anymore. I guess that's what Tony refers to as "bonking." I moved up to the 40% protein / 40% carbs / 20% fat phase and things are better. It's more manageable from an energy standpoint and from a food standpoint, since I can choose from a wider variety. Still eating a lot of ground turkey and chicken breasts. I guess that was the point, though, to show you what different food types do for your body. Last night I had pasta for the first time in a month. I measured out my 56 grams and thought that it didn't really look like very much on the plate, but once I sat down to dinner I could barely even finish it.

We get to take our 30 day pictures on Sunday! I'm more excited for C than I am for myself. I think he's made great progress so far.

Friday Fragments

I love that we're having warm weather right now. Unfortunately it's going to turn rainy just in time for the weekend.

I'm taking the day off from work to go shopping for pants and a new stroller. Can't wait!

I hate clothes shopping, it always makes me feel lumpy and unstylish. I need to get someone to take along with me next time and steer me out of my comfort zone.

Tomorrow I'm going to hit up one of our area's biggest consignment sales with my BFF who's expecting twins. I hope I get some good loot.

I love thrift shopping.

I wish I was more crafty so I could re-purpose old t-shirts and other odds and ends. I have the perfect idea for a gift for my sister but don't have the skillz to make it come to life.

Charlie won't wear his Yankees baseball cap :( He wears the knit hat for winter but isn't a fan of the cap style. I only have 16 days to turn this trend around before Opening Day!

Charlie bit me in the leg the other night while I was cooking. He doesn't bite other kids, only me, and I'm not really sure why or how to stop it.

His latest obsession is hanging out in the pantry with the door shut. How random is that?

I have plans to see a friend tonight and watch the movie Kids.



I'm afraid the movie is going to suck horribly and I'll be left with yet another reminder about how questionable my judgment was as a teenager.

The thing that sucks the most about P90X is that I haven't had time to devote to any of my other hobbies - reading and photography. That's why I'm awake at 6:00 in the morning on my day off - to get some pictures uploaded before the rest of the house wakes up.

The Immortal Burger

Really, I never post things like this because I don't like to push my views on other people, but that Consumerist story has just spawned a ton of different interesting things to look at.

Check out The Immortal Burger. Ew.

And This is What People Eat

I don't usually re-post news stories or blog links in place of my own posts, but this one deserves to be here since I spend so much mental energy considering the food that my family eats.

As if I needed another reason to not eat fast food, ever, The Consumerist posted this article yesterday.

Have you ever wondered what a McDonald's Happy Meal looks like after it's sat on a shelf (not in a freezer) for a year? This seems like one of those things I would learn accidentally, but writer Nonna Joann Bruso decided to find out on purpose.

The results? Not as disgusting as you might think, which itself is sort of disgusting.


She wrote:

“
It smelled delicious for a few days. I’d get a whiff of those yummy French fries every time I walked into my office. After a week or so, you could hardly smell it. My husband worried that when the food began to decompose, there would be a terrible odor in our home. He also worried the food would attract ants and mice. He questioned my sanity.

NOPE, no worries at all. My Happy Meal is one year old today and it looks pretty good. It NEVER smelled bad. The food did NOT decompose. It did NOT get moldy, at all.
”

The pitiful, slightly pained expression on the Littlest Pet Shop dog included with the meal says it all.

One of the commenters references Michael Pollan, my personal favorite food philosopher. One of his cardinal rules of eating is that you shouldn't eat anything that won't eventually decompose (honey excluded). Click over here for an even better experiment - a 12 year old hamburger.

Things You Want Wednesday - Baby Swing Edition

I was initially swayed against the baby swing by the masses of random peeps who referred to them as "Neglect-O-Matics." I thought "Hey, I can just be a babywearer and wear the baby all day and keep him close to me for bonding and warmth and all that jazz and it will be all fantastic and pleasant and puppies and rainbows. I don't need to stick MY child in a swing. LOLZ." Then I got my outside baby and realized that things weren't as simple as they sounded.

First of all, the original baby carrier I had just wasn't going to cut it as a long-term solution. It was one of those sling pouches and it wasn't comfortable for me and didn't look very comfortable to him, either (I later found a Baby K'Tan carrier, but that's for another post). Second of all, there's the actual act of wearing an infant all day long. It gets tiring. I know they aren't that heavy, but after a few hours those 8 pounds start to wear on you. That and it's hard to do things that you need to do, like hook up to the pump, go to the bathroom, shower, eat, all those tasks that make it necessary to, you know, live and all.

When I got tired of having cold dinners we went to Target and bought a swing. We didn't get one of the big ones, just the portable swing that runs on batteries. It served its purpose well. The random-internet-peeps-induced-guilt I felt when I stuck him in it completely disappeared when I was able to sit down and enjoy a piping hot piece of lasagna.

I think he looked rather happy to be there.



It doubles as an argument warder-offer so that when your in-laws campaigners for the other guy come around during election season it's clear where your allegiances lie. Who's going to argue with a little baby?



You can also use it to show off your baby on Halloween so that your hands are free to eat hand out candy to the kids.

Gender Stereotypes

Someone asked me on Friday if I thought that it was appropriate to worry about a 2 year old boy who likes to wear high heels and play with barbies.

Um, no. He's TWO. Not TWENTY TWO.

But that's all he ever wants to play with! Not regular shoes, just high heels!

Has it ever occurred to you that maybe high heels are more fun? I wouldn't know, seeing as how I don't even own a pair, but I can easily see how a kid would prefer shoes that make him feel taller over flats. Dramatic play is an important part of child development, and it's sad that people feel that they need to stifle a child's creativity just because it doesn't meet their criteria of "acceptable."

One of Charlie's favorite books is called "Ten Tiny Fairies." It was a hand-me-down from someone at work. Why does he like it so much? Could be a number of things, really - the colors are vibrant, the pages have raised Fairies with sparkly colored dresses to touch and feel, and the last page has flashing lights. It's a pretty book to look at. Should I be concerned that my child is exhibiting questionable tendencies? Do I have a problem with him liking a "girl's book?" Absofreakinglutely not. Get your heads out of your asses, people. This is 20 freaking 10!

I guess it should have come as no surprise, since this is the same person who at one time told me that she believes women were just genetically inferior to men when it comes to intelligence, and that's why they're not as good at "math and sciency things." Excuse me, lady, but speak for yourself and consider who you're talking to. I'm a freaking statistician. I make my living doing math things.

I can only hope that I'm more conscious of how I'm raising Charlie and any future child that we might have. It saddens me that kids are still being exposed to this kind of thinking. The damage that could be done to a little girl hearing this garbage is just unbelievable.

Geek in Training

It's every parent's hope that their child will inherit some of their traits, and I guess Charlie is shaping up to be a Geek, just like his parents. 99% of the time, this boy will NOT watch TV, no matter what is on. No Sesame Street, no Blue's Clues, no Dora the Explorer, no Wiggles, no nothing. But Star Wars? You put Star Wars on and he's absolutely enthralled.



Now his favorite activity is buzzing around the room like a spaceship.

P90X - Week 2 Completed!

I know there are some people who are reeeeeeeeally tired of hearing people talk about P90X and how hurty it is and how great it is and all that, so I'm going to limit myself to one P90X-related post per week, at the completion of each week. Today is our "off day," and marks our completion of week 2 of 12. I'm so proud of myself for suffering through every last rep I've encountered.

The diet has been the hardest part by far, but even that is getting more manageable. I'm pretty much right on my 50/30/20 targets. If anything, I'm struggling to get enough calories - I'm fuller faster and I stay full longer. It's really amazing how much more you need to eat to reach a reasonable calorie goal when you're eating the "right" foods. We're not talking about extreme calories here, either, I'm struggling to come up with 1400-1600. I'm also getting used to the protein shakes.

I definitely need to change up my lunch option - the easiest and most protein-efficient thing I could come up with was tuna salad, so that's what I've been eating for lunch Monday through Friday. I'm about over it.

Once I hit Phase 2 of the diet I'm going to incorporate a weekly cheat meal. This kind of deprivation isn't really sustainable for me, and every so often I'd like to have a nice bowl of tortilla soup from Apple Spice or a cookie. Nothing too crazy. I don't want to do it yet, because I know that I'm learning from the suffering :)

C and I were talking about the 90 days last night and realized that 90 days is pretty much 25% of a year. That's a very "well, duh" thing to say, but when you start out saying you're going to do something "just for 90 days" you don't really appreciate that it's more a long-term lifestyle change than a temporary commitment. I don't think I'll look at what I'm eating the same way again.

Also have to say another big thank you to Coach Lynn for her support and tips and recipes and awesome food tracker tool. It's always helpful to have someone on your side.

Friday Fragments

Someone stole our two strollers right out of our garage. It's always closed at night, which means it was sometime during the day while C was home. I'm SO PISSED OFF. It's so weird, because they didn't take the wagon or the trike, just the strollers. So now we need to find a new umbrella stroller. Any recommendations?

Got to hold a 3-week-old baby yesterday. I forgot how cute those little newborn gurgles and yawns are.

Got to hold a 3-week-old baby yesterday. I forgot how grating a newborn's cry is, and how it makes every muscle in your body tense up and your hair stand on end.

Ear infections suck. Double ear infections suck times two. Doubleplus Ungood.

Jon Stewart is awesome. I wish he was my friend.

I'm dying for some M&Ms after watching The Office last night.

Wasn't really a fan of the working parent guilt trip that Dwight gave Jim. Hit just a little too close to home.

I've noticed that I've started referring to the bathroom as "the potty." Even in adult company. As in, at work, "Let me run to the potty, and then we can talk about this analysis" WTF?

Final Fantasy XIII, the only reason we bought the PS3 over the XBOX a million years ago, is FINALLY here, and I don't have time to play it because of P90X. I guess we'll buy it in May and play the heck out of it when we're finished.

24 days until baseball season officially starts! I'm wearing my Posada shirt today to celebrate.

Three Words

While I was waiting for my photography class to start last night I decided to head up to the 10th floor to visit the Sociology department and see if there was anything interesting going on. I got off the elevator and started looking at the list of new publications and presentations, and then as I was walking over to check out the other bulletin board the photo board caught my eye. The photo board has pictures of all currently enrolled graduate students. Mine was still up there, but it had been moved to a new section. The "Not in Residence" section.



See? There I am, right in the middle. Look how happy and excited and hopeful I was when this picture was taken - fall of 2004, MA student orientation. I knew I was going to be kind of a big deal. I had goals, and I was going to be the best and make a difference and help change people's lives through important research and policy recommendations.



Sigh. I did meet my first goal, which was to finish my MA in two years, a rare accomplishment. I took extra courses, wrote tons of papers, and developed a love and appreciation for statistics and research methods. I found a thesis topic that was dear to my heart and could be spun into a million different dissertations. I presented at conferences, co-authored papers, and defended my thesis in front of some pretty tough critics.

And then I left. I left to take a paying job in the corporate world. I left to have affordable health insurance and a real paycheck and a 401(k) and paid sick time and vacation. But I was still going to finish my PhD, that was for sure. And I was going to finish it by 2010.

It's 2010 now. I had forgotten about that self-imposed deadline until I saw that picture last night. Life got in the way. Some of that was Good Life, and I wouldn't trade it for all the PhDs in the world. But then there's that piece of me (growing larger by the day) that completely regrets leaving the academic community. You see, to them, I committed a serious affront. I sold my soul, dug up my roots, and there's no going back. It's kind of a big deal. And now the research I do makes a difference only to the bottom line of companies, rather than to the population that needs help the most.

Things You Want Wednesday - Sophie Edition

This is Sophie. Sophie La Giraffe.

At first glance, Sophie appears to be just another rubber toy. Maybe something you might consider buying for a dog. You look further, and balk at the $19 price tag. "WTF?" you exclaim. "$19 for a freaking dog chew toy?! No way! Not now, not never."

But then you start noticing that all the babies in the pictures on your parenting message boards have Sophies. You start hearing stories about Sophie La MIRACLE Giraffe, who cures teething spells and fussiness with the chomp of an ear. And you start considering ordering one of your own. And you get all excited when the box finally arrives, and you open it up and oooh and aaah over the cuteness that is the Sophie packaging alone, and then you take out the miracle worker herself and hand it over to your infant. And you get this:












And then for the next hour, no, make that the next few months, this is all you hear:




And a lasting friendship has been made.

Happy Crappy Monday!

Springlike weather has finally returned, and with it came either a cold or allergies for Charlie. Poor kid has a nose like a faucet right now and just would not go to sleep yesterday. No afternoon nap, and no sleep until 1:30 this morning. Around 11:00 last night I gave up on the trips down the hall and moved to the chair in his room. Tried to sleep sitting up, but that was rather uncomfortable, so I put him back in the crib and tried to sleep on the floor next to him. I had to keep one hand stuck through the crib slats, since he was only quiet when I had a hand on him. That worked for a few, but he kept popping up to make sure I was there and my arm started to go numb from being up in the air, so I moved him down on the floor with me. That was a bad idea, because there are books and toys within reach, so everything else became more exciting than sleep.

I picked him up and moved us both across the hall to the spare room and tried getting comfy on the bed. I'm lazy and only the fitted sheet made it back on the bed after our last house-guests left AT THANKSGIVING, so it was rather uncomfortable. There's something pleasant about a nice, neat, tucked in blanket, and I wasn't getting any of that. On top of all that, the heating vent was closed since we're never in there so it was pretty chilly, and since Charlie has never really slept in a bed he wanted nothing to do with the pillows and just wanted to lay on me. 22 pounds of wriggly, snotty toddler right on top of your chest does not make for a good night's sleep.

He finally started to sleep consistently around 1:30, so I decided to try putting him back in his crib. Success! And then my alarm went off four hours later. So here I am, wishing for an IV drip of Dunkin. I could sure use a donut right now. Or 10.

Friday Fragments

I'm kicking myself for not buying a box of Thin Mints before I started the P90X diet. I should have given in to temptation when I had the chance.

I went to an event last night to see Bobby Richardson speak. There was a table full of dessert and I didn't touch a single thing, not even the chocolate-mousse-topped brownies. I had a single, solitary, marble-sized piece of chocolate as I walked out. I felt like a junkie struggling with the wrapper on the way to my car. It was the best chocolate ever.

I think I might puke if I have to even look at another chicken breast. I'm not having any today to give myself a break.

I get to have some cereal as a snack today and I'm very excited. Overall, the carb cravings have toned down a bit.

My legs and butt are so sore that it hurt to sit down to pee this morning.

I think Yoga pants and a hoodie would make a fantastic official uniform for life.

I'm really bad at getting pictures printed. I don't have any more recent than Baby C's one-year pics.

Mike and Mike are doing a book tour this spring and I've got my fingers and toes crossed that they stop over here.

I love The Office for the comedy, but I've never emphasized more with a character than I did last night while Pam struggled with her "latch issues."

30 days until Yankees opening day!

Things You Want Wednesday - Baby Wipes in the Car Edition

C is usually ready for a snack when I pick him up from daycare. He usually gets whatever parts of his waffle that went unfinished at breakfast. Leftover waffles don't go bad and don't start to smell funny by the end of the day. They also don't get very crumby, which makes them an ok car snack.

We had to stop at the grocery store on the way home, and we were almost there after our 15 minute commute. I thought the 1/4 waffle he was munching on was long gone. Then he sneezed the biggest sneeze I've ever heard from him. As he sneezed, something hit me in the back of my neck. A waffle particle. A rather large waffle particle, complete with spitty slime and ooze.

When we got to the store I pulled him out of his seat and discovered that the entire seat back was sprayed with chewed up waffles. He had squirreled the whole thing. What was he doing, saving it for dessert? I'm rather particular about my car and was panicking because I didn't have the diaper bag with me (it doesn't go in the car for daycare trips) and if I didn't clean the goop off it would stick and then dry and harden and it would be impossible to get off.

Then I remembered the small pack of baby wipes I had handed back to C to get him to stop screaming the weekend before. He had thrown them under the seat and I hadn't retrieved them yet. Success!

From now on I will always carry baby wipes in the glove box. I'm sure most moms do that anyway, but just in case.

Pure Torture

I want pasta. And pizza. And bread. Lots of fresh Italian bread with butter. I want carbs, period. It's only been three days. How am I going to last an entire four weeks?

Last night I made Baby C his dinner of ravioli, grated cheese, and broccoli, then sat down to this:



When he told us that he was ready to get down from the table there were still a few pieces of ravioli left on his plate. Glorious, cheesy ravioli, just waiting to be nibbled up. It was all I could do not to eat his leftovers, but I persevered. My will-power prevailed.

Today was even worse. Tuesdays are Donut Days. I was able to ignore the fact that there were two dozen donuts sitting in the cafeteria for most of the morning. Then 10:00 rolled around and I had to go to the kitchen to mix my protein shake. I stood RIGHT NEXT TO the donuts while I mixed the chocolate brown, sweetish-flavored powder with some cold water. I looked at them longingly but did not touch.

It will be ok.

P90X - Week 1

Well here we are, with 2 1/2 days under our P90X belts. So far we've done Core Synergistics and Cardio X, and both of them have been delightfully painful.

I've also taken a big gulp of the P90X kool-aid and agreed to go ahead and follow the diet plan, too. In this phase of the program that means a low-carb/low-fat/high-protein mix. We've planned out our meals for the next week to make sure that we're able to get the right proportions of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

I'm struggling with this one already because I don't really like most proteins. I'm not a big fan of meat, and the tofu preparations that I enjoy would have a negative impact on the carbohydrate ratio, so I have a lot of chicken breast and ground turkey on the menu. I think that I'll probably eat more meat in the next four weeks than I have in the last three months. It kind of goes against my food philosophy somewhat, but at least we can keep it to morally(ish) raised. That makes me feel a little better about it.

I also have to include protein powder in my diet to make up for the meat protein that I'm not willing/able to eat. We bought a tub of chocolate-flavored powder and I thought I was going to puke when I took the first sip of my first shake yesterday afternoon. Big thanks to Coach Lynn, who graciously offered me a sampling of her myriad flavors and varieties of powders. The one I enjoyed for my morning snack was pretty palatable.

I'm a big carb junkie, and I make no secret of that. Normally my diet is very carbohydrate-focused. I love pasta and potatoes, corn, bread, all that good stuff. Few things are more satisfying than kneading a home-baked loaf of soft Italian bread and then enjoying a slice still warm from the oven. I'm definitely going to miss that. Later on in the program there will be room to enjoy things like that, but right now we're focused on fat burning.

Right now all I can think about is freaking pasta salad and the macaroni and cheese we made a few weeks ago. I'm hoping that things work the way everyone says they do - that once I get used to the new way of eating my body won't crave those things anymore and I'll be able to eat a more balanced diet going forward.