Preserve the Sexy

Have you ever seen the Proactiv commercial with P. Diddy? He says you have to "Preserve the Sexy". I've realized that I have not "Preserved the Sexy" over the past seveal years. Marriage and motherhood has not been good for my figure. Pregnancy really did me in....as has chardonnay. Truth be told, I have gained nearly 30 lbs in the past 8 years. 10 of it from pregnancy, 15 from marriage and the other 5 from the inevitable aging process. Sadly, I have lost sight of what used to be fundamentally important to me, and that is being fit and healthy.

This is my year to regain that part of myself. I am embarking on a journey to make slow, sustainable lifestyle changes to bring the"SexyBack" (How many other pop references can I make here?).

This isn't your typical New Years Resolution where you will listen to me rattle on about how I am going to give up all carbs, wine, pizza and candy and spend countless hours in the gym. Nope. My only goal right now is to run a 5K in early April. We'll see where it goes from there. I hate dieting, I hate counting "Points" and I hate telling myself I can't have something. Overall, I eat pretty healthy (most of the time!). I don't drink soda, I rarely eat fast food and I am careful to avoid processed foods as much as I am able. I believe in the 80/20 rule. Eat well 80% of the time, so you can imbibe 20% of the time. Although sometimes it's 70/30 if we're being honest here.

So, for now, I am going to focus on getting back into shape and we'll tweak the diet later. One thing at a time...........small, sustainable changes.

Today I ran for a combined total of 15 minutes during a 40 min interval training session on the treadmill. It was a hell of a lot easier than when I started last Thursday. I finished up with a 10 min Yoga Abs workout on Exercise TV. Go me!

I've treated myself to a gym membership, new shoes and some shiny new sports bras. I want to be the sexiest bitch on the Richter boat this summer!! I am counting on all blog readers to keep me accountable!

On the Day You Were Born

One year ago today, Declan William arrived in this world and changed our lives forever. After 24 hours of hard labor, Declan made his appearance via an emergency c-section. I remember lying on the table, coming in and out of conciousness when I first heard his cries. Thomas brought him over to me and said "Look babe, you did it!" and I promptly vomited all over myself and passed out again. It wasn't until a few hours later when I was finally able to hold our new arrival. He had big, blue, almond-shaped eyes just like his daddy and his mommy's round belly. Fortunately, round bellies look better on babies than they do mommies, but that's another blog. Along with his blue eyes and buddha belly was a dark mop of hair, directly on the back of his head. Just like Billy Ray Cyrus circa 1993. Fortunately that soon changed to a head of blond hair. He spent most of his hours sleeping soundly, waking up long enough to demand food and gaze around the room.

Finally, after 5 days in the hospital the doctors let us take our new baby home. Thank god for
the grandmas who came out to lend a hand, we couldn't have done it without their help. The next 3 months flew by in a blur of sleepless nights, diaper changes, bottle feedings and navigating the world of parenting. Here are some of the most memorable milestones.

On February 2nd, the Chicago Bears lost the Superbowl but Declan smiled at me for the first time. I knew then that he was destined to cheer for the Minnesota Vikings. Nothing can match the feeling of having your child recognize your face and grinning from ear to ear for the first time. It made the physical pain of labor all worth it!

Right around the 4 month mark was when Declan's personality started to come through. Opinionated, curious, energetic and impatient. Quickly learning to roll from belly to back which eventually led to rolling his way from the living room to the kitchen. It's going to be a long 18 years.

At 6 months he learned to sit up and was crawiling by 8 months. Though it wasn't so much of a crawl as an "Army Crawl". At 9 1/2 months he decided crawling just wasn't going to get him from A to B fast enough so he began walking. And that's when the work really started. Now the challenge is keeping him off the stairs and out of the kitty litter box. This kid was born to move and nothing is going to stop him.

At 10 months Declan began learning his consonants. There is nothing cuter than "Baby Babble". His first words were DaDaDaDaDa............ We are still working on Mama! Declan loves the sound of his voice and he can often be found having "conversations" with any one of the 4-legged critters in the Folger household. In fact, I think it's time to find this kid some real friends.

What a year it's been. None of the baby books I read fully prepared me for being a mom. It's the most work I've ever done, but also the most fulfilling. I never knew how much joy I would get from teaching him to play "Pat-a-Cake", watching him sleep (especially when he sucks on his nuk that's no longer in his mouth) or dancing to Barney. I also never knew how much I would rally care about my child's poop. What color is it? When did he poop last? When will he poop again? When it comes to motherhood, it's the small things that matter.

Happy Birthday Little Monkey! I love you!

Holiday Tipping

To tip, or not to tip? Every holiday season I ask myself this question. Whom, and how much should I tip? The "experts" tell me I should be tipping my hairdresser the cost of one salon visit. Well, I usually get full highlights and a cut at the cost of $125. That's a pretty hefty tip, especially for girl on a budget. Then I am told that I must tip the mailman (or woman), the milkman (yes, we get our milk delivered), the newspaper delivery boy, my garbage man and anybody else that provides us a regular service (the nanny, teacher, UPS driver, my dog groomer, limo driver and our maid). What if I've never even met my mailman (or woman)? We spend a pretty penny on our home delivered, organic and hormone-free milk that supports local farmers. Couldn't I just leave him some cookies? I really can't afford the recommended $30 tip, in addition to my $50 milk bill. And what about our garbage man? Newsweek says I should tip $15-$30 each. That's $60. Yes, we appreciate having our garbage picked up curbside every week, but I can't say that I appreciate having to walk out to the middle of the street and pick up my overturned garbage can that he couldn't be bothered to put back where he found it. Does that rate a tip? And we can't always count on our newspaper to show up. When it does show up, it's launched at our house in the wee hours of the morning. Apparently I am supposed to give him $25-$50.

Call me scrooge, but I think "Holiday Tipping" has gotten out of control. I consider our family the average middle-class American family. We don't make a ton of money, but we live comfortably. This year I quit my job to stay at home with the baby, which leaves a lot less money for Christmas spending. If I were to tip the "expert recommended" amount that doesn't leave much for family and friends. Not to mention the Christmas turkey and mashed potatoes. 

I am the Folger limo driver, maid, laundry attendant, cook, errand-runner, diaper changer, dog-walker, accountant and housekeeper. Can I expect a large sum of money from the Folger moneymaker this year? Probably not. I think we'll spend it on gas to get back to MN for the holidays instead.

Whatever happened to a simple card that says "Thank You, I appreciate what you do for us"? Perhaps a candy cane as a nice added holiday touch. 

For the record, Kami my hairstylist did get a little extra in her tip this year. After all, she's responsible for keeping me beautiful and highlighted. As for the garbage men, they'll have to settle for candy canes.