Workin' on My Fitness

There comes a point when you realize that you can no longer eat half a pizza without consequence. Your jeans are getting tighter, and suddenly, there are lines around your eyes that weren't there last night. The years are no longer plodding along until your sixteenth birthday (which passed long ago); the years are zipping by with such ferocity that you wish your smart phone had a "Pause" button alongside the "Snooze" button.

I used to be able to swim a thousand yards with little exertion and even less thought. Fitness wasn't something I did, it was part of who I was. And then I got busy. My body carried two babies for each of their nine months and nourished them for far longer than that. It was exhausting. A one mile walk was simply too much. Too much effort. Too much time.

I lost part of me for a few years. My sneakers deteriorated in my closet, and I don't even want to try and explain how stuck together my swim cap and goggles became in the bottom of a gym bag.

About a year ago, a friend started running, and every now and again, she'd send me a text message encouraging me to try the same. I've always respected her opinion, and I admire her more than she knows. So, I tried to run.

A mile nearly killed me. But it didn't. So, I kept running. The miles accumulated slowly, and my speed started accelerating. I found myself at the gym two afternoons a week, then three, then more. My children personally know the caregivers in the kid room at our local YMCA now, and the caregivers know my children. Dare I say, we're "regulars?"

Somewhere in the midst of finding that part of me that had been missing, I noticed a change in my general trajectory. I surfaced from what felt like crushing depths of despair and gasped for air. My body felt stronger and my mind along with it. Some days, I ran in silence, other days with my music at full volume. I spent much needed hours inside my own thoughts, and I escaped from those same thoughts. Fitness, I learned, is so much more than physical.

I've been working on my fitness the past year or so, and in doing so, I'm getting stronger. I have goals again (some that I'll share soon, and some that I won't--not just yet anyway--they're just too lofty). I've reconnected with old friends and made some new ones. My state of mind, for the first time in a while, is  sunshiney.

This weekend, I ran a 10K. That's over six miles. And I did it! I really did! If I say it enough, at some point I'll start to believe it myself. I wasn't the fastest, but I wasn't the slowest. And next time, I'll be faster with a new goal.

My bestie ran it with me--she's pretty much a rock star in my eyes:

This was before we started--when we looked all shiny and new at 7 a.m.

I've also found my way back to the pool, which was tougher than starting to run. I was a good swimmer, and I swam the hard events. I'm an okay swimmer now, and I can't swim the hard events. It's easier to take on something new than to fight the realization that I'm not quite what I used to be. But it still feels good to be back. And, of course, swimming isn't much fun without a little competition every now and then. Last week, I got to swim with some old friends in an alumni swim meet. 

We totally rocked it (we're the ones in the back row--the front row kids just graduated last year. They don't really count as alumni until they're at least 20, right?)

I had the best cheering team ever. (The photographer is only 5. Let's cut him some slack, shall we? Oh, and if you could totally pretend that Gigi's finger isn't up her nose, that would be awesome too.).

He looks good next to a pool. I hope someday he finds the sport that will become part of him too. 

I started working on my fitness a little less than a year ago. I've come a long way. I've found a part of me that had been missing for a long time. The best part? I think so. 

Timeout, Arena Rock, and Popcorn: Family Entertainment at Its Finest

The search for family entertainment these days is getting tougher. Even G-rated movies have scary bears, and tonight, Gigi cried during America's Funniest Videos because, "The dog took the baby's dumpy!" (She wouldn't be a fan of the old Coppertone puppy either.)

So, when we stumble onto something that works, we go back, again, and again, and again. The Hubby's firm has great hockey seats, and when we're lucky, we stumble into a ticket or two. I don't know how to read the scoreboard (it's true--I really, very very briefly, thought the shot count was 3, 232 not 32 versus 32, which makes far more sense). But, scoreboards be darned,  we're Baron's fans.

Big time. 

Most of the time, Daddy gets to take RJ to the games. This weekend, however, RJ is having a mommy moment and requested me (yay!). He wasn't too sure I could find the parking garage, or the arena, or our seats. But once we found our seats and the most important element, popcorn, he settled in with a smile. Date night!

Hockey games really are family entertainment at its finest. There's dinner: 

RJ loves popcorn. He loves popcorn. It is his Hershey's chocolate bar. His fine wine. His just dessert. 

There are teaching moments. As it turns out, some things really are true about hockey: there are a lot of fights. And if you're at the game with a five-year old boy, you have lots of teaching moments. "Uh-oh! He's gonna get in timeout again!" RJ loves to see big boys get sent to timeout for fighting. Although, my little man has been to enough games to know, "They weren't really much fighting, because no helmets came off." 

There's humor. The whole shebang is sponsored by a dentist (get it? ha!).

There's sport.  The thing about a small(er) time hockey league?  They get really, really excited about goals. Sirens go off for about five minutes. The whole arena erupts in, well, arena rock. And through it all, RJ is in it. 

The agony. 

The thrill. 

And the madness in between. At this precise moment, he was yowling like a cat. I'm so proud. 

He's a trash talker like no one else. "Hey Checkers! I'm not cheering for you; I cheer for the Barons!" "Come on guys, how about some turbo boost!" "You win, I win!"

The Ice Girls chatted him up and made him blush. We learned a little about love and life from Derrick (the mascot) and his chick magnet. "But mom, what is a chick magnet?" I have a feeling he'll find out soon enough, through personal experience. The boy has fabulous hair and a more fabulous personality.

Ladies, beware. 

Family entertainment at its finest.  And don't worry, Gigi had her own best date night ever: 

When asked by her daddy what she wanted for dinner, her reply? "I want chips." So, chips were had along with a night cap at Braum's.  

We've got this family entertainment thing down. But the next date night will Mommy and Daddy's. 

Little Realities

Yesterday, I went to grab a pair of shoes from my shoe rack. On the shelf, beside my peep-toe pumps was a tiny, shiny pair of mary janes with sparkle bows on the toes. Beside my slip-on sneakers? A tiny pair of purple Crocs. Gigi had been shopping for shoes again, leaving hers behind for me to wear.

It made me smile. And then I almost wanted to cry. My baby is two-years old. She believes she can be Cinderella, that her brother will grow up to be Prince Charming, and in her eyes, there's no one prettier than her mommy. Soon enough that will change. She'll develop her own style (she already has her own opinions about it). She'll figure out that some days, she'll be Cinderella before her fairy godmother visits--wearing ratty sweatpants and scrubbing floors. One of these days, she'll realize that mommy really isn't the model in the magazine picture (Thank you, Gigi, for that boost of confidence). Reality will set in.

And I hate that it will.

So, for now, I'm basking Gigi's reality (and RJ's too--because he's a pretty funny kid). These are their realities and little moments that I just don't want to forget:

• If you really, really want something fun or tasty, ask for it twice. Gigi asks us, "Can I watch the tv tv?" "Can I have some candy candy?" Because two times is twice as nice. 

• Lucifer (the cat in Cinderella) is seriously scary. While watching the movie in the carpool line, I noticed Gigi gripping her car seat. When I asked her if she was okay, she responded by reaching for my hand. She held it until Lucifer was relaxed by the fire, and Gus (the mouse) was safely out of harm's way. 

• Cinderella is the best movie ever. Even for little boys. RJ's favorite part? When Cinderella gets her princess gown. (He is going to make some lucky girl an amazing husband someday.) "Wait, mom! Don't turn it off! This is the best part of the movie!" And so we sat in the parking lot (we spend a lot of time in the car), awaiting the creation of the glass slippers. He also tried to convince his bestie--also a five-year old boy--that this was the best part of the movie. His bestie wasn't buying it. 

• Gigi really wants a carriage. "I wish I could ride in the carriage. I want a big one!" (Note to daddy: better start saving now, I hear the insurance premiums on those can run pretty high.)

• The only thing better than Cinderella? Curious George. "George [pause for reflection] is a little bit funny and a little bit calm. That's why it's so good," at least, according to RJ. 

• Even if RJ likes George because it's a little bit calm, he's still a little boy. He's a little boy who wants to take violin lessons, until he thought better of it. "Wait! I have an idea!" he told me. "Do they teach drum lessons?" (For the record, no, no they do not teach drum lessons.)

I can't keep my kids from growing up. But I can enjoy their reality right now. And next week, I hope I find a tiny pair of sequined Hello Kitty flats in my shoe rack.

The Top Ten of 2013

2013 was a big year for us--exciting, exhausting, and exasperating all at the same time.  We worked hard, made some big decisions, and tried to have a little fun. My top 10?

1. This game of peek-a-boo: 

It was an incredible game of peek-a-boo. Many giggles were had. 

2.     The hours we spent in our backyard. We moved to this house almost solely because of the yard. We've made it count: 

Just a few weeks ago. 

Almost a year ago!

Gigi's first snow. 

Gigi's second snow. She's still not amused. 

3.     These ice cream cones. They were delicious: 

4.    The entire summer at the pool: 

5.     This little moment of sibling love: 

6.     Donut Saturdays: 

7.     Realizing that running a mile (or two or three) won't actually kill me: 

8.     Finding the toddler in the dryer before I turned it on: 

9.     Our mini vacations: 

Grandma's house totally counts as a mini-vacation, particularly when the entertainment is second to none.

10.     My top moment of 2013? Leaving the firm, private practice, and the pulsing vein in my forehead far behind me: 

2013 wasn't an easy year. I don't expect 2014 to be easy either. I do expect 2014 to be a year that's more exciting than exhausting (Gigi is finally sleeping through the night!) or exasperating. Cheers to a happy, productive, and blessed new year!