That Mom Friday plus: Makeover

No, not for me. Although that would be nice! The blog got a makeover. I'm still not fully satisfied with it. I was trying to make it more "Black and White" (like the cookie theme suggests). I suck at html, meaning I have absolutely NO idea what I'm doing. So I've been relying on the blogger "design" feature. Oh well, I think I'll just keep tweaking it. Anyone have good templates that they like? (Free ones?)

Ok, so now for That Mom Friday. This week, I was "That Mom" who...

-used her "free time" to go to the doctor. What a waste!
-had to quickly hide a clump of pulled-out hair in her pocket when said doctor walked in.
-put her baby in the swing yesterday evening instead of rocking her to sleep, because Derek wasn't home from work yet and she needed to eat dinner before chomping on her own hand.
-rescheduled today's dentist appointment, despite the fact that this one had already been rescheduled from before. Bad, I know, but I'm not feeling great today, and it's snowing.
-didn't actually call the dentist herself, but had her husband do it for her 'cause she's a wuss. (Thanks, honey!)

-made a crock pot cheesecake yesterday (weird, yes, but DELICIOUS! Recipe here) despite her diet. One serving was "only" 12 points! Here's a partially-eaten picture (and yes, Derek ate most of that).
The trick, by the way, is to use a small corningware dish like the one in the picture (mine is 1.5 quarts) and place it inside the crock pot with about a cup of water in the bottom. (I use a 6 quart crock pot.) Let me tell you, this tastes AMAZING!Definitely worth my "treat points." I think I might try it again with
Oreos. Only, not for a while. Ha ha.

Hair Hell

I think I might have uncovered the reasoning behind the "Mom 'Do" (really short hair): THIS!!!!


Gross, huh? This seems to happen to me
each and every time I remove a hair band. It's even worse knowing how great my hair felt and looked during pregnancy. I know this is common, but really!!!

The other option (not wearing a hairband)? Yeah right. Not only does Lorelei constantly pull my hair and wrap it around her little fingers, but it winds up EVERYWHERE!

I have had visions of getting it cut short just to avoid all this.

And then I thought: Oh. My. God. This must be why lots of women get a short haircut when they become moms! Not because they've suddenly morphed into someone uncool, who can't take ten seconds to brush her long hair (although trust me, I've been there). It's because the shorter it is, the less of it there is to appear in your blankets, pillows, coats, sweaters, and baby's diapers.

On a related note, I know it's "That Mom Thursday," but I received a suggestion from Josh (read his blog here, it's good) to keep the name "That Mom Fridays." He said it reminded him of some 1940s comedy. And comedies are always good to be thinking about when you're trying to be funny.

So more on that tomorrow.

For today, I thought I'd mention my progress in Weight Watchers so far. I've been to two meetings, both with this really funny old lady who lost 45 pounds back in 1993 (it says so on her name tag). She's a hoot. The Saturday meetings bring out a whole bunch of different characters, let me tell you. I went to an 11:00 one the first week, and a 9:30 one last week. It's good that they have both (they also have an 8:00 one, in case I am feeling extra crazy one morning). And they have a little play area for kids, but I think Lei is too young for that right now. Anyway, on to the numbers.

Starting Weight: (at home - unofficial): 168.5
Week One at Meeting: 165.2
Week Two at Meeting: 164.2
Weight lost this week: -1.0!

I figure that, until running takes a more consistent place in my life again, slow and steady weight loss is what it's gonna be. And I'm ok with that. (That's what you're supposed to do, anyway...)

Speaking of weight loss...anybody see the Biggest Loser Tuesday? Anybody NOT mind that it was only an hour? Ha ha...Anyway, I could not believe just how much food they wasted! It was criminal! Like they couldn't have just had one or two of the contestant's favorite dishes? Instead of TOWERS of them?! Seriously. I hope they donated that food to a shelter or food bank afterwards. For goodness sake. They must have...right?

Mommy Needs Coffee

...is what my brand-new mug says! Thanks to the Jose family for letting my mug say what I feel pretty much every second of every day!

So anyway.

Sunday night was a great night! A bunch of my Yelp friends got together at Crop Bistro (one of my favorite restaurants in Cleveland) for their Sunday Supper. The concept is pretty awesome. Taken from their website:

Sunday Supper at Crop is a tradition carried over from Chef Steve’s former restaurant in Vermont. After a particularly busy weekend at the Mist Grill, Steve found himself preparing for Sunday service with a partially depleted larder. Rather than frantically trying to convince his purveyors to make special Sunday deliveries, Steve decided to flex his creative muscle and revise his standard menu to incorporate the ingredients he had at hand. The result? A bountiful three-course, family-style dinner that changes from week to week (and sometimes, even during the course of service!).

Relaxed and friendly, we love Sunday Suppers at Crop. Not only are they a great value for our guests, but they allow our staff’s creativity to take flight, resulting in special, one-of-a-kind meals that are as memorable as they are delicious.

All you need to do is choose your entree from the day’s choices, and we’ll take care of the rest — starting with a family style salad bowl over-flowing with seasonal ingredients, proceeding to your entree with sides, and finishing with dessert.

Our goal is to make you feel relaxed and at-home. As Steve likes to say, “Your grandma had it right: With little fuss and no menu, she created the most memorable meals of our childhoods!” We hope you’ll join us soon to enjoy Sunday Supper at Crop.

Cool, right? They give you three courses for only $25! Yelper Pam took some great pictures, including this nice one of us (Lorelei was blurry in all of them - she doesn't stop squirming!)



It was great to bring Lorelei out, which I am always worried about, but according to the description of the dinner, things are really relaxed. Plus, other yelpers brought their kids too.

So yesterday I finally bit the bullet and joined Weight Watchers again. I'm actually really excited. Because I've had success on the program in the past, and because I really don't have a ton of weight to lose, I am hoping that I can just nip this "spare tire syndrome" in the bud and feel happy in my clothes again. I do NOT want to go buy a bunch of new clothes! (Well, maybe an outfit or two when I lose the weight as a present to myself... ;)

I was thinking that Tuesdays were going to be my weigh-in/meeting day. But last week was hectic, and I didn't get there. And yesterday, Lei had a doctor's appointment which went over, so, no meeting (plus it's sort of hard to coordinate with Derek - he said he could watch her during my meeting, but I'd have to pump or feed her right before..) So I was looking online for other meeting options and there are actually two meetings on Saturday mornings, which would be so much better because then I can just get up, feed Lei, and then leave her with Derek instead of having to drop her off at his office. So, yay! I can't wait for my first meeting on Saturday.

Because I'm nursing, I actually get a bunch more points. There's also a new system (Points Plus), which incorporates more than just calories, fat, and fiber to determine values...so it'll be a bit of an adjustment. Actually, though, most of what I normally eat on WW (i.e., not a ton of processed food) have equal values to the old points. Plus, fruit is now free! HOLLA! And you get more points daily and for your weekly extra points too. So we'll see how this pans out. Yesterday I ate mostly normally, except I made an effort to do the following things:

• choose a salad for lunch instead of a burger
• have only one serving of my meal at dinner instead of going back for seconds
• choose EITHER dessert OR wine (Um, I chose wine!)

Other than that, I ate normally. I think this will be good, as long as I plan a bit, and make sure to stock the fridge/pantry with TONS of fruit and other healthy snacks. Of course, going to the supermarket is impossible today, because we have another lovely snowstorm on our hands..but I'll go tomorrow. 

Not sure exactly what my "starting weight" is...it fluctuates a ton depending on the time of day I weigh myself and what I've eaten that day. But I'll use the weight I got yesterday on my scale and then possibly update if it is very different at my first meeting.

Current Weight: 168.5

Goal Weight: 150

Mini-goal: 5% (8 lbs) = 160.5

So...here we go!

Weight Watching

Hmmm...I'm sitting here trying to decide whether or not to re-join Weight Watchers again.

This would be the third time, and I've had major success with the program the two other times I've been on it. Both times, thankfully, it didn't take me too long to get to a "Good weight" (i.e., the point where I feel like I like the way I look; I fit into my "goal jeans;" and the scale just....stops going down. Ha ha.) The first time it took about six months, the second, three (but I had significantly more weight to lose the first time).

The last time I did WW was from March-June(ish) of 2009.

This time, just like the last, I am just looking to lose about 10% of my body weight.

And there's a meeting today, somewhat nearby (or at least, close to Derek's office, so I can probably drop Lorelei off with him for the meeting).

The reservations?
1 - I am not sure if I have enough pumped for today, so I might have to take Lorelei to the meeting (not really wanting to do that). But that's just one day.
2 - I am not sure that I am "ready" to start a diet yet...well, I shouldn't say "diet," because it really isn't about depriving yourself, just restricting amounts and becoming more aware of things...I do know that I get a bunch more points because of breastfeeding. Hooray! But still, I can't even deal with getting dressed these days. Can I deal with making sure I'll have healthful meals each day?
3 - I don't really want to spend lots of money.

Well, I guess I can make this decision when it feels right. There's a 12:15 meeting each Tuesday, so if not today, then maybe next week?

The thing is, I KNOW I'll feel better if I lose some extra weight. But it's just hard to take that step right now. It really is a good time, because Derek just recently started a diet too...arg! Why am I arguing with myself over this? Ha ha. I think partially, it's because I'm sort of a slave right now to Lorelei's schedule. She is napping right now (thank god), so everything depends on when she gets up and when she eats, etc. etc. ARG!

Ok, I need to think about myself here too.

Any moms out there join (or re-join) WW post-partum? How did it go? I'd love to hear how the program works with breastfeeding and/or just raising a newborn. :)

How it all began

I've been doing a lot of blog reading lately (specifically, blogs about running and/or about people who are using running as a way to maintain/lose weight).  I have been noticing on many of these blogs that their creators have something along the lines of an "extended bio" in which they explain their reason for what they do.  Whether it's the reason they started running, or the reason they started writing about running, it's still interesting to read all these people's stories.

So I'll do the same, to the best of my ability.  But I am gonna cheat just a smidge, and cut and paste from an email exchange with a friend of mine, E.  But of course, I'll add more as I go along...here we go.

I'm going to need the story about the running. How did you start and how did you keep going?

Oh my god. I don't know.

I had just ended a relationship, I was overweight [180 pounds at 5'3"], working a really difficult and mentally taxing job, smoking more often than just socially, and...ugh. Just unhappy.  It was the fall of 2005.

I decided to join the gym first, and, then a month later, Weight Watchers. I stuck with both and saw a lot of success. Mostly at the gym I was doing the elliptical or the stair master, but occasionally going on the treadmill for a walk/attempt at running/heaving and walking again. In the late winter/early spring of 2006, I was doing the treadmill more often, mostly because I was getting bored with the elliptical, but also because I had always had a curiosity about running and never thought I could actually do it.  At first I would be like "who am I kidding?" and would have to stop after less than 5 minutes.   After a little bit of time (maybe a month?) I was able to run for about 10 minutes without stopping. I was flabbergasted because I had NEVER done that before...well, maybe in high school for that fitness test, but even then you could take walking breaks as long as you completed a mile in a certain amount of time.

It became sort of a way to prove to myself that I could do it. My next hurdle was a full mile. Then two.  And so on. I think that what a lot of people think is that in order to run you have to run fast the entire time. That kind of thinking is what made me fail at first. When I slowed down to a comfortable pace, it was then I realized I could run longer without hyperventilating or cursing myself for getting too tired. And every day did get easier. And, weirdly enough, you kind of become addicted to it.

I continued this into the summer of 2006, when I discovered I could run 3 or 4 miles - it was a total breakthrough and I was so proud of myself. I was like, "who am I?" A year earlier, I told my roommate, cigarette in hand, that I'd rather jump out the window than go on a run. Now I was running for 40 minutes. Unbelievable.

Fast forward a bit to early 2007. Had started dating Derek [now my husband] and did my first 5k race in March. I decided that sort of made me an actual runner, being that I spent money on  the race, put on the outfit, showed up at the start, and finished the whole thing, even though I had to take one walking break.  I had no idea what racing meant at that point, but was so proud of myself and felt such a sense of accomplishment. I finished the race in 35:13.

It only made sense to focus on moving forward with this new healthy discovery and to rid myself of lifestyle choices that did not support my best interest health-wise.  I had started eating healthily and exercising, but there was one demon left.  I quit smoking cold turkey March 22, 2007!

Then, after doing more races in Central Park that spring and early summer, I decided I liked racing because the excitement of the crowds gives you a surge of energy and adrenaline and makes you feel part of something cool. On a whim, I entered the lottery with my friend Heather (lifelong runner) for entry into the NYC Half-Marathon that August. She didn't get in, but I did. I was acually on my way back from the AHA Start Wall Street Run when she called me and told me the news as she read it off the computer.  I was like, "Oh crap, well, here we go...!"

Training in the summer was hardcore, but after that race, I knew there was no turning back (damn that sounds cheesy & awful, but it's true). I finished my first half-marathon in 2 hours and 35 minutes.  It was brutal and hot, but representing the city like that felt amazing.  That fall I joined Team in Training, a health organization associated with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society whose volunteers run distance events while raising money for cancer research. I ran my first marathon on January 13, 2008 in Phoenix, AZ in just under six hours.

Again, who in the world have I become?

Now I'm training for the NYC marathon! I can't wait.

So the moral of the story is...even if you think you can't run...you can. Anyone can. So give it a try!!!!!! And be crazy like me!

 Follow-up note: I have always called myself a "slow" runner.  Because I am, at least in comparison to so many bloggers out there!  It sorta makes me feel bad sometimes, but not when I consider my own progress. This is what I have to remember.  Since that first 5k, I have lowered my time to 28:43.  My best half is now 2:17:12.  And, after training hard for the NYC Marathon and actually trying some strategy in running it, I lowered my marathon time by almost a full hour.

I have a bunch of high hopes and expectations for myself.  I would like to get faster at every distance.  But right now the most important thing is that I just keep running.  It keeps me grounded.  It will always be there through the times when I need to think through something, or when I just don't want to think at all.  It allows me to experience the seasons in a visceral way, through my lungs, heart, breath, and skin.  And--we've all felt this one--sometimes the best runs are ones you didn't really want to take in the first place.  You make yourself get out there, time and time again, and you surprise yourself at who you've become in the process.  And we find serenity, inner beauty, and mental toughness.

Don't you non-runners want to start now? :)