The uncomfortable before picture...yikes!

I’m gonna do it , show you the mortifying before picture (I'm blushing pretty bad right now) This was me when Della was 4months old. I was ready to admit that I was just going to be fat for the rest of my life. That was it, I had 2 kids, I enjoy food, love wine, and HATED to run. Flash forward 2 years there is more than 40 pounds less of me (with more to go) I have become addicted to my runs and my exercise routines. If I had the opportunity to visit my 20 something self I would run up to her and smack her fat face. All that wasted time, and time I spent quite literally wasted. I wish I had known how little time I was going to have. I had all the time in the world to run, paddle board, golf, I rarely got on a bike and took a ride, what I wouldn’t do to have that kind of spare time again. I have very few regrets how I spent my 20s except how I treated my body. I just wish I didn’t have to work so hard now in my 30s to fix the damage of an extremely indulgent lifestyle. Great food, lots of drinking and very little exercise. I worked hard and played hard, and it showed. Now if I have an hour to spare, I run. I dream of triathlons I won’t have time to train for. Races I don’t have money for. All things I had the means for back then, but took for granted. Now if a few days go by and I haven’t sweat I start to go a little crazy. Fortunately I now live in a place where I can exercise outside most of the year, and don’t have to join a dreaded gym. I’m also very lucky that I’m not working full time right now and have made getting back in shape my “job.” I love that I’m also teaching my kids that staying healthy and active are important . Irun Mommies of St.Pete and Baby Boot Camp have been huge springboards for me. I started (then StrollerFit) when Oliver was 8 weeks old. Lots of baby weight in tow and a bad knee I attended class and got a life I almost turned away from. I was new to town and was hating being away from my family and friends,feeling a little depressed and isolated I found Strollerfit and Christie Bruner. I started and stopped a few times before I realized it was the place I needed to be. I’ve met life long friends and I’ve since become a group fitness instructor with Baby Boot Camp (AFFA certification pending in April.) I’m still self conscious about my figure teaching women with MUCH better bodies than mine, but I’m out there almost everyday with the kids (potty training, tantrums and all) and I’m working hard to better myself . It has changed my life! When we started a 5k running program just last summer I would have NEVER guessed that I would love to run, let alone LOVE to race. I had dreams about running but honestly never thought I could. As my first half marathon day quickly approaches I have to remind myself this time last year I couldn't’t even run a mile without stopping, remember thinking 8 minutes of straight running without stopping was too much. Excuses of an arthritic knee, side stitches, shin splints faded away when I realized I COULD do it. I have an amazing support system, and constant encouragement from friends and family. ( and smaller pant sizes are pretty motivating too.)I have to say Thank you to Christie, but I also need to take some of the credit for getting this far and want to share with any of you who think you can’t do it (whatever your goal) it's never too late…and you CAN do it…you can do ANYTHING!!!

My wallet VS. my conscience

I actually had a very pleasant early morning grocery shop with my two year old this past weekend. No tantrums, no little sister to take his spot in the cart, and no Daddy; who lets him run wild in the store making it practically impossible for me to concentrate. My shopping trips have become increasingly more difficult with a larger family and a much smaller budget. While I'm not currently working and all economic things considered we're like any other family in this country, we're feeling the pinch. I know now that eating healthy and budgeting are an extremely difficult balancing act. Kate Gosling is the only person I've ever seen do this flawlessly and she has help in the way of the TLC network. So no extra money or guest chefs appearing at my house anytime soon, I have to think hard and weigh my options. I found myself at the market standing in front of the eggs for a lengthy amount of time. There, was a carton of eggs for 99 cents. Large white generic eggs in a pink Styrofoam carton. In my other hand I had a carton of free range, organically fed, hormone free eggs resting nicely in a recycled cardboard carton. Obviously I would have rather bought the organic eggs,no hormones to make my son develop man boobs, and the cardboard could be flattened out and put in our compost heap. But today the were more than quadruple the price of the eggs in the Styrofoam container. Can you tell by now I have a hatred for Styrofoam. I must of stood there for 5 minutes talking it over with my oblivious toddler. In the end, my husband's voice rung in my ears. I chose money over what felt good to me. I try to be responsible about what goes into my children and my environment, but I can't always choose what is best, if the "best" is always a few bucks more. I already switched Oliver's chicken nuggets from Organic to Tyson. I used to make his baby food myself. Milk, is something I won't budge on. I'm convinced that's why girls are developing at such an alarming young age. I, by no means claim to eat all organic (god, and my ass know that a bag of oreos have nothing good about them!) but I know how important it is to reduce my family's carbon footprint and save my kids from harmful chemicals. So why do companies make it so hard for us to do that. Why can I get a case of Ding Dongs for a buck, but something grown in the ground naturally from a seed is gonna cost me fifteen. I guess clipping my coupons will have to make up the difference in the cost of the eggs. I have thought about those damn things all week. That Styrofoam is haunting me from my fridge!

Two little time...

You all know I have had a baby, you have face book. Della, she's beautiful..blah blah. Welcome back to my blog.
I’ve entered the full on balancing act that is parenting two under two. When I have a few good minutes, I have this book that I’m reading called Beyond Two; Growing a family and getting a life. The Growing a family I have managed to do quite well, it’s the getting a life part I’m having a hard time with these days. Most of my outings consists of trips to Target. Not terribly stimulating for me. It can be hard when you sacrifice yourself to the motherhood. Putting your career and social life on hold to have babies and raise them yourself at home. Staying at home with the two is great but can also be lonely and excruciatingly redundant. Being a parent of one you still have mobility, limited, but it’s there. You can venture out while they quietly sleep in the car seat, or snuggled up in a carrier. When it’s you against two, you don’t take trips that aren’t 100% necessary. Unless your prepared to be ambushed by the unthinkable dual meltdown. I’ve spent plenty of time driving in my car just to avoid it. Burning more gas than I care to think about just to get them to sleep at the same time. When you and your husband are parents for the first time you become a couple with a child. When you find your self with two or more it becomes a tag team partnership. Doing the not always graceful dance of putting out fires in tandem. One night Scott was in the bedroom dealing with our screaming toddler not wanting to get his diaper changed, as if we don’t do this to him several times daily for the last two years of his life. I had come out of the bathroom with a whaling newborn fresh from a bath she hated every blood curdling second of. We looked at each other and laughed. I yelled out “I love you!” over the two hysterical children and that’s one of those moments ,always have burned into your brain, when you realize… we have kids! You have to laugh, if you don’t you’ll drowned in a puddle of your own sweat and tears. Don’t get me wrong if you have ever had a phone conversation with me you know there have been tears. It’s gotten better, everyday gets a little easier. I’ve found somewhat of a good routine with the kidsI get days like this once a week when my Mother in Law takes Oliver for the day and I get to be a mother of one again for a day. It is a nice relaxing day usually spent running errands and sometimes I get a nap in! Plus I get to Blog again. I need something to keep my brain from turning any further into pudding.

Attack of the Blahg

So I realized something today. I'm really having a hard time taping in to my creative side, something that in the past has never been much of an issue. I can't ever seem to find something to Blog about. I've hit a mental bock on what to do for Christmas gifts this year. What is wrong with me??? Ah yes. I'm Pregnant. No longer is my capability to think clearly or stay focused. I no longer have quick wit or much of a sense of humor. I miss the old me. When Oliver was a baby and I started this whole blog thing and I had the time (and the mental capacity) to write creatively and cynically about, well just about anything. I look back on Blogs past and...(I don't know what.. I just drew a complete blank. I can't even finish this sentence..URG!!)
SO, I pledge to my self and for any of you who actually read this or give a rats behind (wow, I am a mom, I'm even watching my language here too) That come February when my daughter gives me back the legal rights to my brain and what's left of my body, I will write..I will write again someday, and it will be entertaining! I can't promise it won't be about pottys or nursing but I will guarantee some content!
Hang in there loyal Fans.(Kristi and Lauren) I will return!

Dueling bellies

Kristi and I swear we didn't plan it but we both seemed to get knocked up around the same time! A dream we always thought about but never thought we could ever actually pull off. Well Kris God heard us and thought it would be cute! So here's to us and our ever expanding bellies (and for all the right reasons!)

well we did it again...

Baby Fader #2 is on it's way in Febraury. I woud love to write more but my first born is being impossible right now.

I've seen it all

Is that all there is? Yes, That's all there is.(Quick Lauren..which episode?) The official end of Sex and the City. I now have seen all there is to see Sex and the City related. I. am. sad! As many of you know I have a slight obsession with the four ladies from Manhattan. Not like I had anything to relate to or had any similarities to any them, but for some reason (and judging by the past weekend I'm not the only one) I had a connection to this show. My friend Lauren is the only other women I know who was just as crazed as me. We stayed up one night (drunk of course) reading the trivia game and actually found mistakes!
The movie was good- Just don't get me(or my sister) started about the ending.
I bid A Du to my dear foursome. And it is truly the end of an Era..It's so over we need new word for over...(LA?)