general musings

Fall In Love With Your Skin – Sponsored post

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Thanks to Walgreens for underwriting this post. I was paid as a member of the Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all mine. Visit http://moms.dailybuzz.com/channel/style.

Ahh, fall. The crisp blue skies, the cooler temperatures, the changing leaves. Apple picking, pumpkin patches, cider and doughnuts. I love fall. It’s my favorite season.

But with the change in temperature come the inevitable: the day the furnace kicks on.

I live in Cleveland – land of short summers – and in a 90+ year old house with radiant heat which means no humidifier. This translates to the fact that by Halloween I must have my winter skin arsenal in place or I will end up with lizard skin by Thanksgiving. So when the leaves start turning I head to the drugstore for my cooler weather tried-and-trues. And check out these brilliant leaves I spotted near the pumpkin fest we attended this weekend:

I had to snap this. It’s so rare to get cloudless blue skies here. And those leaves were such a vivid orange.

Looks like it’s time to shop. Here’s my typical shower and bathroom line up come fall:

Eucerin Calming Body Wash Daily Shower Oil. I love this stuff and when I follow my shower with some plain coconut oil my skin is happy. It still flakes some and I get a few itchy spots, but it’s so much better than when I don’t use it.

Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Penetrating Oil. I’ve been a long time devotee of Moroccan Oil and discovered this little drugstore alternative about 6 months ago. I can’t tell the difference but my wallet sure can. I can’t imagine getting through the cooler months without some Argan oil in my hair. (I’m also currently using the Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil shampoo and conditioner and like them a lot.)

Buzz Balm. Made by a little local company and this stuff is amazing! I adore it and get nervous when I’m running low.

Oil Cleansing Method. This is something I learned about last winter and worked very well for me. It’s too much oil for the summer months but now that the air is getting cooler and drier it’s time for me to get another big bottle of castor oil and work on my ratios again.

You’d think I’d leave an oil slick in my wake, but last year it just barely kept me from having the cracked skin and brittle hair that I know from years past. And truthfully, I’m kind of excited to go shopping for new stuff…I love trying new products.

What parts of your routine do you switch when the weather cools down? Any great product that I should try?

Thank you to Walgreens for sponsoring this blog post. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

What We’ve Been Doing (Instead of Blogging)

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Running!

Snuggling

First tube slide

First Chucks

Chalk art

Parks

Baseball

Cloud gazing

NYC in August (Loved!)

But I was so happy to see my city again

I swear he grew 3″ while I was gone

A week at “grandma & grandpa camp” and suddenly she’s this big kid

Watching The Avengers blow up CLE

Pretending she’s a teenager

16 months = endless entertainment

What have you been up to this summer?



Today

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2 months ago I changed my eating.

6 weeks ago I started running
update: I still hate it 75% of the time, but I can run 25 min or about 2.5 miles now

4 weeks ago I started going to a boot camp 3 times a week (using a Groupon I purchased back in February)

Today I weigh 32 lbs less.

Today my hips and waist are both 3 inches smaller than they were a month ago. And each thigh is and 2 inches smaller.

Today my pants are all way too big.

Today my endurance is much higher. I am stronger. I actually crave my workouts.

There’s a lot more to do, but it’s not a bad start.

Skillz

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In recent conversations, both in-person and online I have been amazed at how many people (both men and women, for the record) who don’t know how to do what I would consider “basic skills”. For instance, the amount of people who drive a car daily but don’t know how to change a tire is fascinating.

I learned how to do it in Drivers Ed because, just like putting gas in a car and checking the oil, it’s part of basic maintenance and operation of a vehicle. And yes, I’ve changed a tire more than once. I’ve also called AAA; but I know that there are times and places where I won’t have cell reception and I am going to be responsible for myself.

Anyway all of this got me thinking of what skills I want my children to have by the time they go to college. This is ever-evolving, of course, but here’s what I have so far:

Car care/operation: Change a tire, check tire pressure, check/add oil (and/or whatever new technology brings), how to read a paper map

Clothes: sew a button, fix a hem, iron, operate a washer and dryer without ruining the clothes. Bonus – if either kid wants to, I will teach them to use a sewing machine.

Home & Garden: start and use a lawn mower, paint, plant flowers, operate a drill and other basic tools, how to install new locks.

Cooking: make perfect chocolate chip cookies, cook a variety of proteins, make bread, make our family’s favorite recipes, make a good marinara sauce, cook perfect eggs, how to follow a recipe, starting a charcoal grill, cooking on a grill.

Maybe part of it was being the youngest of 3 and having “tired” parents, but I did all of these things by the time I was in high school. I mowed the grass in late elementary school. By 4th grade I was let lose in the kitchen without supervision and became the chief cookie and zucchini bread maker for the family. The summer between my 8th and 9th grade years I removed wallpaper and painted several rooms in our new house. I learned to sew from my mother and my middle school required Home Economics* so I furthered my skills there.

I remember being dumbfounded by a college classmate who had no idea how to use the dorm washing machines. I don’t want either of my children to be “that kid”. Beyond that I think that most of these things are simply basic parts of being a functioning adult and it’s my responsibility to teach my kids how to do them.

What “basic” skills do you want to teach your kid? As an adult, what skills do you wish you had?

*we were also required to take Shop where I learned things beyond basic tools like a drill press, table saw and metal working tools. Those classes were the best! I wish schools still required this.

From the Basement

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We still have boxes in our basement that haven’t been unpacked. We moved here almost 4 years ago. Our unfinished basement was reaching Hoarders level of STUFF so when my parents were here 2 weeks ago Mark and I tackled the task.

Luckily most of the STUFF could be trashed or donated. Many of the unpacked boxes were of the last-minute variety – those 3-4 boxes of random crap you throw together as the movers are loading the truck. Those were easy to go through. But there were a few treasures to be found. Like the cute baby snowsuit that I searched and searched for this winter, swearing that I would not have given it away. I haden’t but now it’s outgrown so I will.

But the best discovery was a box of my old t-shirts which my parents saved. Behold the beauty of the late ’80s and ’90s:

First up… concert t-shirts from elementary school. We were apparently a patriotic bunch.

I remember most of the songs and dance moves from this concert

When I was in 5th grade I went to Walloon Lake, MI with a friend’s family where we lived like feral children for a week while her parents sat on the dock drinking wine. I remember falling asleep on a raft that was tethered to the that dock. It was the best trip ever:


My grandparents went to Acapulco and brought back this horribly tacky, bright orange fringed shirt. Of course, I wore it nearly every day (4-5th grade):

Hangin’ Tough….mmm, I wonder if anyone going to the New Kids/Back Street Boys concert wants to buy this from me? (6th grade)

Now this is a shirt I was so excited to get. For whatever reason, getting a shirt made when you got braces was a BIG DEAL in our town. And yes, I went to a shop so I could pick out the “perfect” iron-in for my shirt. We went to the iron-on store straight from the orthodontist. I wore this shirt with such pride. I just offered it to my niece who got braces and she declined – I wonder why? (6th grade)

Nerd alert! This one was customised at the iron-on store with my name on the back. Of course it’s spelled KT instead of the much too laborious Katie (8th grade):

I would have never saved these on my own but it is kind of fun that my mom kept them. Matilda loves wearing the smaller ones as night shirts.

Did you or your parents save anything from your childhood that makes you laugh?

The Plunge

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For a very long time I have been reading the tales of others who went sugar-free, grain-free or “primal” with both awe and a feeling that I should also do that. I read a ton; AndreAnna is a big source of info as is Holly. Heidi Robb has given me many pointers and my trainer, Jen Arenschield, has supplied me with many articles about going sugar-free.  I read Mark’s Daily Apple and The Paleo Solution. For years my work email address was somehow subscribed to Dr. Joseph Mercola’s daily newsletter and once I discovered he was legit, I started reading it.

It still took me 5 months to finally take the plunge and cut out processed food, sugar and grains. May 9th was my first day. I promised myself I’d make it 10 days. On May 11th I thought I would die from my withdrawal symptoms (massive headache, extreme fatigue). I went to bed at 8:30 that night and got up the next day feeling a little better. By the end of the first 10 days there were no more headaches and while still tired, I wasn’t as fatigued. I decided I could do it for 30 days.

Now I’m 6 days shy of my 30 day goal and 21 pounds lighter. Other than the first week it wasn’t too bad. Yes, I was grumpy and a few times would have cut you for a baguette. I also had one day that all I could think about was making chocolate chip cookies and falling face first into the bowl of cookie dough. Up until this past week my energy level has been lower than usual (and I’m still up 1-2x a night with the Madman, so “usual” is pretty low), but that is starting to get better.

I’m not following any strict plan, which after years of Weight Watchers, is strange. I’m using loseit.com (and the iphone app) to journal my food; but I think once I get a handle on protein/sugar contents I will be able to back off of this tracking. I aim for 70-100g of protein and try to keep my sugar (from fruit/veggies) to below 20g. I don’t really pay attention to fat or fiber. I usually get about 1200-1500 calories a day.

A few people have asked me what I eat and how it works for the kids. Here’s my basic day:

Breakfast: eggs, smoothie or fasting.
I’ll make scrambled eggs (2 whole, 2 whites) with some veggies – spinach or red/yellow peppers, usually. If I’m on the run I’ll eat 4-6 hard boiled egg whites on the way to work. (The only reason I don’t eat the yolks is because I don’t like egg yolks if they aren’t runny).

Some mornings I’ll have a smoothie with whey protein, chia seeds, spinach and either strawberries or blueberries.  Either way my breakfast clocks in at 20-24g of protein.

If I’m not hungry in the morning I don’t force myself to eat. Often I find that I’m not hungry until 10-11 AM.

Lunch:
I make a huge salad with lettuce, other veggies, cheese and some fruit. I usually use straight balsamic as the dressing. My current favorite combo is strawberries and this amazing grass-fed organic feta from the Farmer’s Market. So delicious! Then I’ll have protein on the side. Yesterday I had 3 chicken legs. Some days it will be tuna salad, egg salad (both made with a little mayo, mustard, celery, chia seeds), or leftover protein from the night before.

Going out with coworkers isn’t that hard, either. Chipotle/Qdoba are easy – meat, veggies, guac and salsa over lettuce. Or I can have a salad with grilled chicken with oil and balsamic dressing. Or a burger without the bun.

Dinner:
This is where I thought things would get tricky and I would be making a separate dinner for myself. But that hasn’t been the case. I usually have a salad (almost always a smaller repeat of what I had for lunch because that’s what I have on-hand). Sometimes Mark will want a salad, other times he won’t. Then, since we almost always have a protein I eat that and just not the starches.

For instance, when we have burgers I have mine either with a knife & fork or wrapped in lettuce. Last night we had spaghetti and meatballs so I sautéed some diced peppers (I keep a big bag of them in the freezer) and had my meatballs covered with marinara and peppers while Matilda and Mark had their’s over pasta. Chicken, steak and pork are easy to eat without a starch. Right now Copper River salmon is in season and I could eat that every night (so could Matilda). The night we had lemon shrimp and pasta I just ate the shrimp. For them stir-fries go over rice while I skip it. Honestly, I usually eat what everyone else is eating but I just don’t eat the grains.

I have a Paleo cookbook that I haven’t even cracked yet. And there are tons of sites for paleo/primal recipes, but so far I haven’t seen the need.

Plus, I’m getting more adventurous with my vegetables. I’m not a huge fan of many of them (I will never, ever willingly eat broccoli) but I’m trying more. After years of not touching asparagus I bought some at the Farmer’s Market for $1 (hooray for being late and catching the end of the day deals) and roasted it. It wasn’t fall of your seat delicious but it wasn’t awful and I ate it without making faces. And Matilda ate a bunch, too.

I’m looking forward to both our CSA season (starts today!!) and more vegetables coming into season at the Farmer’s Market. I think I will be challenged to eat more of the good stuff.

Snacks
Almonds and blueberries are a favorite. Fresh-ground peanut butter or almond butter on celery (or off a spoon!) is another. Strawberries with cream – yum! But after the first 2 weeks my snacking needs went down. I usually have something around 3 PM and then, if I work out, something around 8-9 PM.

Drinks
I haven’t had any alcohol during this 1st 90 days but between being pregnant and nursing for 50 of the last 65 months it’s not like I’ve been drinking much in the last 5 years. I gave up Diet Coke when I got pregnant with the Madman and even though I took it back up at the beginning of the year it wasn’t that hard to quit again. I had been drinking 2 cups of coffee a day but since I can only stomach coffee with cream and lots of sugar I gave that up. Right now I drink mostly water and iced tea, which wasn’t much of a shift for me. I did, however, give up most of my milk (I love milk). But I still do have a glass of Snowville whole milk a few times a week.

Over all it’s working and I can see myself sticking with this way of eating for a long time. I’m not going to lie – on June 10th I plan on having something sweet and/or grain-full. But I can see now that when I do “cheat” it won’t be with junk… it will be with awesome artisan bread or Jeni’s Ice Cream – it will be worth the splurge. I have vague plans to eat pretty clean until our vacation in July, and then I think I’ll aim for 6 days a week with 1 “cheat day” and see how I feel. But other than then 1st 10 or so days, I’m really doing just fine. I’m happy with what I’m eating, I feel better and I don’t feel deprived.

On The Run

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I can’t believe I’m doing this. But I’ve done it 4 times over the last week. Anyone that knows me knows it’s the last thing I would ever want to do.

I’m running*.

Gah! – just typing that makes me cringe. I HATE running. HATE. HATE. HATE. I always have. I think I always will.

At elementary school soccer practice I was always the kid fiddling with her shin guards and cleats so I didn’t have to do the 3-times-around-the-field running warm up. At high school soccer practice I dreaded the “suicide”** sprints our coach made us run after a lousy practice or game.  There is a reason I played fullback or goalie. In college I even took Jogging – an honest to goodness 16-week class that I got credit for – hoping that I’d learn to love running.  I didn’t. I ended up loathing every second of that class.

But, right now I can’t make it to my beloved trainer 3 times a week like I want. The thought of doing another round of 30-Day Shred or listening to Tony Horton’s cheerful encouragement in Power 90 in the unfinished basement is unbearable. So for almost 2 months I did nothing and felt like a slug.

Last week I finally loaded up the Couch to 5k app, tied on my shoes and headed out under the cover of dusk. And I survived. Although I wasn’t sure I would. The next 2 days I was in pain; like can barely walk kind of pain. But I did it 2 more times to finish the first week.

Tonight I started week 2 which, if you’re not familiar, ramps up the running time by 30 seconds each interval. I’m not going to lie – by the second run my inner dialogue went something like this: “You went through 2 labors without so much as a freaking Advil. You can run 20 more seconds, damn it!” And I did.

I’ll do it again on Saturday, then on again on Monday. Who knows – maybe by the fall I’ll sign up to run a 5k, but don’t count on it; I still hate running.

*It’s more of a jog/shuffle, really. I’m not sure anyone who saw me would call it running.
**I’m sure they’ve come up with a different name for those horrid sprints by now

 

Share the Shearer’s

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As I mentioned before – Mark’s race was a weekend-long family affair. We were in Cincinnati for 2 nights/3 days along with my parents and other family. I have 2 rules when traveling with kids: 1) a suite or 2 regular hotel rooms are essential and 2) bring SNACKS. Lots of snacks.

Luckily not long before the race weekend Shearer’s asked me to be part of their Share the Shearer’s and try out their new line of healthier chips (in comparison to their classic Red Bag line). Ever since I learned that Shearer’s was not only a local company but one of the greenest good manufacturing plants in the world, we have made an effort to buy only their chips for parties and home. So accepting their offer was a no-brainer as I already buy their product.

It was perfect – I could stock our hotel room with snacks for us, for my parents and for other family who would be stopping by throughout the weekend. Shearer’s sent me a box of assorted chips – the new potato chips, along with several flavors of Riceworks and Shapers. The day we left I also went and picked up some grocery items like cheese, yogurt, water and fruit to round out the selection we’d have in the hotel room.

Thank goodness for the snacks! First of all, the Black Bean Salsa and Cinnamon Shapers were gone days before we hit the road. Mark and Matilda took care of those in short order. In fact we passed the cinnamon ones off as dessert a couple of times (18 grams of whole grains and low sugar in a dessert – score one for mom!). During our 4-hour drive to Cincinnati we all shared the Sea Salt Riceworks which were NOT what I was expecting from a “brown rice crisp”. They were a little nutty, salty and crunchy and quite delicious; I’m pretty sure I had way more than my share of that bag.

In the hotel room we sampled the chips with visiting family….believe me, people were more than happy to come hang out in our room! The sour cream and onion and the rippled were everyone’s favorite. And no one had any idea they were eating chips without trans fat. In fact, my mom asked for a bag of Rippled to take home – they were as good as her favorite potato chips (and that woman is a potato chip connoisseur). Mark chowed down on the BBQ and Classic flavors post-race… he said the salt was “essential” after running.

I gave the Sweet Chili and Tangy BBQ Riceworks Chips to a co-worker who is gluten-free. Later that day he not only thanked me 3 times he asked to throw one of the bags in my trash. He had eaten both bags and was embarrassed to have 2 “empties” in his own trashcan. Guess that means they were really good!

Chips aren’t a pantry staple in our house, but Shearer’s will always be our go-to when the craving hits. It’s nice to know that you can get the flavor you want without the junk you don’t want. It’s a company I’m more than happy to support.

Disclosure: Shearer’s provided chips to sample and a grocery gift card to supplement our selection for the weekend. The opinions are strictly my own.

The Daughter Project

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There are all kinds of websites out there that advocate going on a shopping diet, simplifying, getting rid of the clutter in your life. But, mostly, they promote the simplicity in the name of calming your own life. Which is, for most, a good goal.

But could you wear the same thing for 180 days? That’s 6 months. One dress. Every day, no exceptions. Every time you want to buy something new, donate that money to others instead. Talk about simplicity…mind-boggling simplicity. My friend Amy is doing just that, and no, she’s not crazy. She is doing to raise awareness, money and hope for the forgotten.

I came to know Amy through her aunt, who is a good friend of mine. We were all in a fabulous book club together back in Toledo. (Those ladies are still going strong after a decade and I miss them dearly). The first thing to know about Amy is that she is a beautiful soul. And I don’t say that lightly. Actually I don’t think I’ve ever said that of anyone before. She has an ease about her that radiates warmth and kindness and is the kind of person you want to get to know.

Anyway, Amy came across this idea of wearing one dress for 6 months around the same time she became aware of The Daughter Project:

The Daughter Project is a non-profit organization in Northwest Ohio that exists to help girls recover from the trauma of sex trafficking and to help prevent others from being trafficked.

An idea to wear the dress to gain awareness for both the horrendous problem of sex trafficking in our state and raise funds for The Daughter Project was born. She slipped on her little gray t-shirt dress in November and hasn’t looked back. In addition to everything else Amy is also crazy creative; if anyone can rock a single dress for 180 days and look amazing it’s Amy.

She’s been able to raise a lot of awareness – she works on the campus of BGSU and lots of college students have been lending her accessories to jazz up her outfits. Friends are joining her for a month at a time in their own dress. Sororities have held yard-sales to raise money for The Daughter Project in Amy’s honor. All the news outlets in NW Ohio have picked up her story and it’s made its way through the wires to CNN.

Some facts to ponder:

– Nationwide as many as 300,000 underage girls are being sold for sex in America.

– The Trafficking Victims Protection Act provides federal money to care for foreign victims of sex trafficking but no federal money has gone to help American girls.

– According to the Ohio Trafficking Commission about 1,000 American-born children and about 800 immigrants are forced into the sex trade in Ohio every year.

– Because of weak state laws in Ohio the state is quick to label child prostitutes as delinquents and to incarcerate them, rarely looking further at the adults involved.

– Due to it’s proximity to Canada (Toronto is an arrival destination for international victims) Toledo ranks fourth in the U.S. in terms of arrests, investigations and rescue of domestic child-sex victims.

This is an issue I knew existed, but not until Amy embarked on her project did I know how dire the problem is. Nor did I understand how big of an issue it is here in Ohio.

I ask you to do 2 things – go give Amy some comment love and encouragement as she heads into the home stretch of her 180 days in her gray dress. And please consider skipping that next self-indulgent purchase at the Gap and instead donate to the Daughter Project (or any of the “kindred organizations” listed on their site).

All photos taken from Amy’s site with her permission

Sleep: I gots (Update)

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I’m such an awful blogger. Almost a month has gone by since that last post. I’ve been busy on twitter but not inspired to post here. Why? Because I’ve been SLEEPING.

Yes, I’m not even kidding you to say that on March 4th – one night after my last post about not having any sleep for 13 months – MAD started sleeping 10-12 hours straight. That, right there, is the power of the internet and universe. Put something “out there” and it will change.

The first night I thought it was a fluke. Then he slept 7:30 PM – 7 AM the next night. And the next. He went 10 days like that. Now he wakes up around 5 for breakfast but then he goes back to sleep until 7-7:30. It. Is. Glorious.

Add to that M sleeping in until 8:30 on some weekends. Plus we have taught her (and she actually complies) that she’s not allowed out of her room in the morning until “7 is the first number on her clock”. Not being able to go downstairs at 6:30 has (for now) stopped the early morning waking.

So, that’s where I’ve been…in bed. And reading a book I bought nearly a year ago and haven’t had the energy to read.

If you’ll excuse me, I might need to do this for another 3 months just to catch up.