April 16, 2015 by Stephanie

I Must Confess

In an effort to show the realness of my life and let others share in my not-so-perfectness, there are just a few things I must confess.

I must confess that I buy XL Kids jackets and fleeces from Northface. I can get fleeces for half the price by buying in the kid’s section. And props that there is a place designated for me to write my name inside the jacket–in case I loose it before recess.

I must confess that I still wear the pregnancy belly band when I wear a certain pair of dress pants. (George is almost 8 months old.) I really should just buy a new pair of pants that fit. All the rest have transferred well to my post-pregnancy hips, but just this last pair is being stubborn and refusing to button. And I refuse to buy a new pair at this point because everything else about these pants are perfect (pocket placement and size, leg width, etc.), and I hate having to look for a new pair that fits all my specifications. Anyone with me?

I must confess that I have TWO food drawers at work. I am seriously hungry all the time. There is a little bit of healthy like nuts and granola, but a whole lot of not healthy like donuts and airheads. Maybe this is why that black pair of pants eludes me and not my birthing hips…

I must confess that when I wear a skirt or a dress it is pretty much a guarantee at this stage of my momhood that I am going to flash someone with my undies. George doesn’t wait for ladylike behavior.

I must confess that I have a five minute video of George staring at me because I was convinced that he was going to start crawling. He didn’t.

But I do have this gem.

I must confess that some nights I let Grace or Crosby help “clean” (lick) George after he eats because it suppresses the meltdown that ensues when I try to wipe his face with a baby wipe and signal that meal time is over. So instead of screaming at me, he is laughing at the dogs. Judge away if you must, but everyone in our house is happy. You may think #momfail but I think #momwin.

I must confess that our kitchen looks like this 6 days out of the week. Ok I must confess, it looks like this every day of the week. It only gets clean when we know people are coming over.

But my office looks like this every day of the week. And no I didn’t straighten this up, I promise. I clean up after every appointment, and this was right before I headed out one day. Everything has it’s place and stays in it’s place. I don’t like students coming into my clutter.

I am not really sure why we can’t keep a handle on things cleaning wise at home. I am in constant shock on how fast dishes, clothes, and mail pile up in places. I digress though. I would much rather sit on the floor (which probably needs to be vacuumed) playing with my kid or catch up on Ellen than spend an hour cleaning every day. But just know that if you make a surprise visit, my house will not be clean, and I will be mortified.

What are your confessions? How do you keep your house clean? (It’s by magic isn’t it?)

April 15, 2015 by Stephanie

Fit For Me 15/52

Just a recap since I am 15 weeks in. I started this journey of documenting my weekly workouts to keep myself accountable to being healthy for myself. After giving birth to George in August, I really wanted my workouts to be a time to refocus on myself and be healthy for me. In turn, I am hoping that it creates balance in other areas of my life.

I do feel stronger and better about myself just after a few months. I may not be where I want to be physically but I am definitely better than I was when I started. This has also been a process of giving myself grace as well and remembering this is an adventure to be healthy for me and not healthy for some athlete model.

What I did last week:

Thursday-30 minutes on the treadmill. This one was a real struggle. I ended up doing a walking hill climb because I couldn’t catch my breath running.

Saturday-30 minutes walking with the family. Pushing a stroller is a surprisingly good workout.

Sunday-30 minutes run/walk with the dogs. We managed to get it in before the downpour that day! (Hence the running part…)

Monday-20 minute ab workout.

Tuesday-30 minutes on a bike.

Impressed by:

I started thinking about it on our walk in the sprinkle on Sunday that I am pretty proud of myself for being able to walk two 75lb dogs simultaneously while alone. We have a pretty good rhythm as a trio, and I can get them to follow my lead 95% of the time while we are on our walks. Professional dog walker is in my future! (Only if I have a professional poop picker upper tagging along.)

Struggled with:

I was really upset with myself that I couldn’t run on the treadmill on Thursday. It’s not like I can blame the changing weather for my breathing issues because I was inside. But instead of quitting like I have been known to do before when my breathing becomes an issue, I kept myself going on a moderate level doing a hill workout instead. I still managed to get my legs working without compromising my lungs.

Did I meet my goal from last week?

So my goal was to walk at least 10,000 steps each day, again. After epically failing the week before, I really tried to make a better effort of getting off my tush more at work. I was about 50/50 on it, which is a vast improvement over my one day last week. Either I completely sailed it out of the park exceeding my goal by a thousand or more, or I missed it by a couple thousand. Monday was my worst day missing it by 3…whoops. Parking farther away and making more trips around my office when my alarm went off every half hour definitely helped. I need one of those treadmill desks I have decided.

What is my goal for next week?

Doing that hill workout manually on the treadmill this week made me realize that I have never done one of those preset workouts on the treadmill. I want to try one of those this week.

Fitness Thoughts:

I try to cover up my workouts stats when I am on the treadmill because it can be really distracting to just watch the minutes not go by. I think you also start to dread the workout when you are just watching it there on the screen. I really need to invest in some new headphones so I can watch the TV. I would love to walk the dogs everyday, but that isn’t always feasible with Tom’s schedule. Either all five of us go or someone has to stay at home with George. While I may feel confident walking both dogs at the same time, I do not feel comfortable with a baby and two dogs by myself. So to the gym on the treadmill I go since there is a daycare there for when Tom isn’t home. Oh those treadmill minutes…

12f63a6a81cb8d8074dc6ee5b7f2ad47 image via

Have you ever done one of the preset workouts on a treadmill?

April 14, 2015 by Stephanie

What Do You Want To Know?

I have pondered doing a Q&A post for a while now, but I have always chickened out scared that no one would actually ask any questions.

Awkward.

But I am in a lull with getting some quality posts out (#workingmomprobs), so I figured this was as good a time as ever.

If you have any questions for me or for Tom (or for George), feel free to ask them! I try to be fairly transparent here on the blog, so ask away.

So what would you like to know?

Questions about working in Higher Education, being a new mom, being married to a cop, the dogs, blogging, crafts, my love for the Royals, to how I take my coffee are all fair game. If you need any Netflix recommendations, I can answer that too!

Please ask away so this isn’t as embarrassing as I think it will be.

Seriously.

So if you have never commented before why not make this your first with a question!

I plan to post the answers in the upcoming weeks as I wait for questions…

April 9, 2015 by Stephanie

35 Before 35 March Update

Let’s see how I did this past month. Next month I will be 30 when I update!

1. Crochet something else besides blankets or scarves at least once a year (~~2013~~, ~~2014~~, ~~2015~~, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)

2. Do a photography challenge

This is the one thing I am most proud of completing each month. Some weeks it is a struggle to remember to get out the camera and find something new to capture or way to capture it. But when I do, I am always grateful for the moments I get with George. I am also glad that I am not just doing “studio shots.” While these are nice to have, some of my favorites have been the every day things. These moments go by so fast, and I love looking at this timeline of his growth.
Here are some of my favorites from the past month. The first one is my new all time favorite picture of him.

3. ~~Visit 5 cities I have never been to before~~ (6/5)

Greensboro, NC for my friends wedding. (I could count the cities we stopped in, but considering I pretty much only saw the hotels I think I will leave them off.)

4. Tour at least one a winery, brewery, or distillery

If I had not been driving myself to North Carolina, I would have totally stopped at one of the dozen that we passed. However, I don’t think I would have won Mommy of the Year for taking George by myself to a distillery in the middle of Kentucky.

5. Send at least 5 snail mail a month

6. Become a “professional” photographer

Some things are in the works!

7. Run at least 10 races (any distance) (1/10)

I have signed up for some. Speaking of if you would like to help sponsor my walk in March of Dimes this month, please go here. I would greatly appreciate the support especially after my experience with George in the NICU.

8. Go camping with Tom

9. Pay for the car behind me in a drive through

10. See Tyrone Wells live as many times as possible

Why does he have to be playing so far away for this tour!?!?

11. ~~Tour Fort Defiance here in Clarksville~~

12. Water ski with my dad

13. Do a 5K with my mom

14. Take a swing dance class with Tom

15. Read at least one fun book a month and one professional development book every three months

16. Take a pottery or stained glass class

17. Do one new recipe each month

18. See both a Clemson and UCM football game live

19. Find a place to volunteer on a regular basis

20. Go hiking

21. Ride in a hot air balloon

22. ~~Go to at least 20 “new to me” restaurants.~~ (23/20)

We went to Bandanas with my in-laws. It is a chain BBQ place, and it wasn’t all that bad.
We went to Babbo’s Spaghetteria last night for a friend’s birthday. The food was great (probably some of the best lasagna I have ever had), but the wait for the food was awful.

23. Stay at a bed and breakfast

24. Spend a day without electronics (phone, t.v. and computer)

25. Have a Kentucky Derby themed 30th birthday party.

Since we have not been here long, I haven’t really created a solid group of friends yet. My birthday also falls on Mother’s Day weekend as well as the last week of most academic years (to which many of my friends are working in college settings). That being said, it would be asking a lot to have people come in for a party then. And my one stipulation is that we actually celebrate my 30th on the actual day since it is a Saturday. It just doesn’t seem worth the effort for a small group of people that may be able to attend. I have put some ideas in Tom’s head for alternatives so we will see what he surprises me with. No pressure! But I am completely ok with not having a big Kentucky Derby to do for my birthday. So I am going to just change this to enjoy welcoming 30!

26. ~~Explore Nashville while we live here~~

27. Watch at least 10 movies that I have not seen before that won Best Picture at the Oscars and at least 20 documentaries (not necessarily Oscar winning) Movies (2/10); Documentaries (7/20)

28. Sew an item of clothing from scratch

29. Do a personal devotional/bible study on my own

30. Be a mascot for an event

31. Go on our honeymoon (preferably somewhere tropical)

32. Host an annual NCAA Basketball Tournament Championship game party

I am ashamed to admit that I didn’t even remember the game was on this past Monday. I was crying buckets of tears for “the most memorable year” night on Dancing With the Stars. Also after Iowa State lost in the first round, I sort of stopped caring for the rest of the bracket.

33. Go on a mission trip

34. Be on a recreation volleyball team

I have found a group to play some pick up games with, and I am just waiting for a night to start. Wahoo!

35. ~~Become a mom~~

I can’t believe little man is rounding around 8 months soon!

April 8, 2015 by Stephanie

Fit for Me 14/52

What I did last week:

Thursday-45 minute walk with the dogs.

Tuesday-30 minutes on the treadmill.

Impressed by:

There really wasn’t anything that stood out as impressive. But I held things together, so I guess there is that.

Struggled with:

I seem to have one good week followed by one bad week. Last week was obviously a bad week…Although Saturday and Sunday I fell into bed feeling like I worked out from the holidays. Does that count? As my husband says, workouts always get put to the back burner when push comes to shove. That was definitely the case with traveling to KC and to my in-laws all weekend.

Did I meet my goal from last week?

So my goal was to walk at least 10,000 steps each day. This only happened one day. Most days I was at least 2,000 steps away. The one day that I got over it was because I had to park in a different parking lot far away from my office because the one right outside my building was full. Plus it was the day that I ran, so that definitely helped. I really need to pick up my activity levels at work. No wonder my back hurts all the time.

What is my goal for next week?

Ok seriously, I am going to work on this 10,000 step thing. So I am going to commit to parking farther away every day. I also have an alarm set on my phone to remind me to get up every so often. In my head I think I could wake up early to walk the dogs every morning, but I know that isn’t realistic. Maybe the only time for me to work out some days is to get up earlier, but to be honest sleep is not something I want to sacrifice at this point. That would be a detriment to my health in other ways. Anyway, I am going to try again to walk a little more each day.

Fitness Thoughts:

I got some new running pants, and I LOVE them. I have hesitated getting “other than black” pants for a long time because many I have tried on make me feel gross or they become see through once you put them on. I am a firm believer in wearing underwear but also that other people don’t need to see that. Also I am one of those people that is pretty anal about my tops matching my bottoms, even when working out. So having colored pants is sometimes difficult for me. I don’t want a pair that I can only wear with one shirt because running pants are always pricey. Then I saw these, and I have many t-shirts that would fit. They needed to be mine. Now I want all the patterns! Having new workout gear always motivates me to work out more.