Memories Captured - Fountains

Little boys and fountains - they seem to be drawn to each other like moths to a flame. Jasper is definitely the instigator. Ever since he was little, he has loved the water. When we traveled to Italy with him when he was two and a half years old, we literally had to stop and visit with every fountain we saw. And if you've ever been to Italy, you know that there are a lot of fountains.

Everett, on the other hand, is a little more cautious in some respects. He doesn't like running through sprinklers but give him a bucket and he's happy as a clam filling up and emptying his bucket all day long.

However, put Jasper and Everett together and it's a totally different story. Maybe it's the brother thing but they seem to egg each other on. On July 4th, we found ourselves at Flushing Meadows Corona Park where there is the famous Unisphere and...fountains. This is what ensued...

Not surprising, I know, but the expressions and reactions on their faces were truly priceless. Both covering their mouths with their hands in excitement as they slowly inched further and further into the spray of the fountains and then quickly dashed out. At other times, linking hands to run through the water together, the little one always looking to his big brother. At one point, Jasper mustered up the courage to sprint through the sprays to the other side and to the base of the Unisphere.

Pure bliss. When was the last time you remember experiencing bliss like this? 

{Linking up with Alison from Mama Wants This and Galit from These Little Waves 

for Memories Captured}

Conquering Fears in the Pool

My older son Jasper has always loved the water and swimming. While he would hesitate and show some apprehension when trying activities like soccer or tumbling, he would dive feet-first into the pool without a trace of fear. We signed him up for swim classes when he was about 18 months old. He's been taking classes ever since and is starting to swim on his own. The first time that he put his head in the water, pushed off the wall and swam to his teacher, my heart swelled.

Jasper at 2.5 years old

So, when he started protesting going to his swim class a few months ago, I wasn't sure what to do. When he started screaming and crying on the pool deck, I was at a loss. I expected this kind of reaction when we introduced him to skiing in February. But with swimming? No way.

He gave a number of reasons for why he didn't want to swim but I knew that something had spooked him and had started to erode his confidence. I knew that he didn't like using the kick board but the barbells were OK. He didn't like swimming to the deep-end but jumping off the diving platform into the deep-end was OK. He tried to coax and encourage him. We tried to bribe him. We tried everything that we could think of.

As a parent, it's hard to watch your child lose their confidence, especially when it's something that you know brings your child so much joy. As a parent, it's also hard to be that parent at the pool / birthday party / playground with the screaming, kicking, whining child. My husband and I were so ready to throw in the towel, to give up and to let Jasper win this battle. I was so frustrated. I could feel the frustration pouring out of my pores. In part, it was because I love swimming and want to share that with my children.

But, since we had already committed to lessons for the summer, we decided to switch him to private lessons with his favorite swim teacher - his first teacher who he loves and practically would do anything for. If this didn't work out, we'd give swimming a rest for a while. Since then, it's been a slow process of rebuilding his confidence as a swimmer and making it fun again. By the second lesson, he was laughing and smiling. By the third lesson, he was using the kick board and learning to do the backstroke. I started to breathe a sigh of relief. 

This experience reminded me of a few things:

• Don't push but don't give up. For me, I felt that it was important that Jasper keep trying. In life, he's going to encounter many situations that he doesn't like and that are hard but he needs to learn the skills to face those situations. Maybe that's the Tiger Mom in me coming out but I do feel that it's an important skill to learn. If he refused to swim and wasn't having fun, we would have stopped the lessons and taken a break from swimming.
• Don't underestimate the power of being silly. I swear that the reason that Jasper got back in the water and was willing to continue with his swim lessons was because his teacher is hilarious. He makes jokes and makes Jasper feel like he's the funniest kid ever. 
• It's a big deal to conquer your fears. Celebrate the small accomplishments along the way to help to build confidence. It's important to recognize the progress that our kids make. I know that it was a big deal that Jasper swam in the pool by himself without his teacher in the water with him and we celebrated that.

I am hopeful that this is a turning point for him. Our mantra through these last few swim lessons has been Brave and Calm. Yes, both Jasper and Mommy have to be brave and calm - the latter more so for Mommy.

How do you encourage your children when they are scared or lose their confidence? How do you build resiliency in yourself and in your kids?

{Linking up with Pour Your Heart Out at Things I Can't Say}

Scenes from my weekend - Cousins, Heat and Water

Oh my gosh this weekend was HOT! Was it hot where you are too? With my sister and niece visiting, there was no lounging around in an air conditioned house watching Wimbledon. There were three children to entertain (and to wear out by the end of the day) which meant lots of time at the playground and splashing in the sprinklers. It was fun to have the kids together. I grew up with my cousins. We saw each other practically every weekend. Now, it's fun to watch my sons' relationships with their cousins develop and evolve as they get older. 

Monday morning also means that it's time for The Weekly Chase. Last week, I set 4 goals to focus on:
1. Swim 1-2 times. Done! I swam 2 times last week and had good swims, the kind where it felt effortless in the water. Each swim was about 2500 yards and 40-45 minutes. I really love being in the water and find that swimming is one of the rare times that I manage to quiet my mind and slow things down.
2. Go to bed before midnight. Still working on this one but this is better than normal! I managed to get to bed before midnight 4 of 7 days last week. Two of those late nights were due to work. I really do need to work on this because I know that everyone is happier when I get more sleep :-)
3. Cook a real dinner at least 2 nights this week. Does it count if my husband cooked dinner?? This was a total fail. Honestly, I don't know what we (my husband and I) eat for dinner. The kids are fed three square meals every day. Why is it so hard to feed the parents?
4. Do physical therapy exercises every day + plank. Better than last week. I managed to remember to do my PT exercises 5 out of 7 days. Again, the two days that I missed were due to work. But, I have a renewed commitment to physical therapy. I decided to switch physical therapists this week and am so glad that I did. More on that later. I also did my plant-a-day thanks to Ilene's plank challenge.
For this week, I've decided to focus on 1 goal. I find that it can be hard to focus on more than 2 goals during the span of a week. I'm a perfectionist at heart and I don't want to do a half-hearted job. Plus, I don't know if I'm giving myself enough time to achieve my goals. Changing habits takes time. It can often take more than a week to recognize patterns behavior and then consciously make decisions to change that behavior. 
My goal for the week is to get more SLEEP. That's where everything starts, right? When you are well-rested, you are able to make better decisions about work, food, exercise, etc. Plus, I'm a much nicer, more patient and well-behaved person when I have gotten adequate sleep. I've been sacrificing my sleep for too long now and it's wearing on me. I'm tired!!
Help me - What are some of your tips for getting a good night's sleep? How can I make myself go to bed earlier? P.S. How was your weekend?

Preschool Graduate

 

I now am the mother of a Kindergartner. How in the world did that happen??

Jasper graduated from preschool last week. He and his classmates have been working very hard over the last month to prepare for their graduation ceremony. They made all the decorations - from body drawings for each student to tissue paper flowers that covered the railings to a quilt with their own personalized square. Jasper would come home from school and tell me about all the elaborate preparations. Then I was instructed to promptly forget what he told me because he wanted it to be a surprise.

He would wander around the house practicing the songs they were going to perform. He had the lyrics printed out on paper so that he could learn the words. While he might be a little pitchy, he poured his heart out as he practiced. In the end, they performed several songs including Lean on Me, That's What Friends are For, Three Little Birds, Itsy-Bitsy Spider, The Wise Old Man, and The Dinosaur Song. Quite a medley.

You could tell that he was really proud of himself and his friends. And rightly so. They've all come a long way and learned a lot. Plastered along the walls of the courtyard were posters proclaiming fun facts about each child and what they learned at school. 

When asked what was one thing he liked to do at school and one thing he liked to do at home, Jasper answered "Sleep" for both questions. That's my boy. When asked why he is special, he answered, "Because I love my family."

I'm not sure that the kids realize the significance of this day and their graduation. Next year, they will be off to new schools in different parts of the neighborhood. To them, it was a big party and a chance to have cake before lunch. But, it was bittersweet for me as I remembered my goodbyes and transitions to new schools and places. Plus, I'm not sure if I'm ready for my boys to grow up.

{Linking up with Alison and Galit for Memories Captured}

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there and especially to Ed!

It's been incredible to watch your relationship with the boys. The three of you are three peas in a pod. Thank you for getting up in the morning with the kids, making them breakfast, playing trains/cars/airplanes, taking them on endless adventures around the city, being silly with them, giving them baths and just being there for them. Thank you.

Also, in honor of Father's Day, here's a post I wrote about my Dad back in January. I miss you every day.

Summer Memories

How is it June already? I don't really know where the year has gone. I feel like I say this every year but every year, I seem to find myself thinking the same thing - it's summer already?!?!

I think that I feel most like a parent when it comes to summertime. It's funny to think back on my memories of summer and to see the shift from enjoying carefree summer days to being responsible for planning those carefree summer days for my little people.

Summer is definitely on my mind and I wanted to share some of my favorite memories.

1. Summers = pool. Growing up, we had a pool in the backyard and I pretty much spent every day swimming in the pool with my brother and sister. That Wonder Woman bathing suit? I LOVED it. That bowl cut? Not so much. The funny thing is that every summer I would "forget" how to swim and my Dad would have to teach me all over again.

2. Snake. One time, I remember running up from the pool to find my Mom because my swimmies/arm floats needed some air. As I got to the deck, she was coming out of the sliding door with a bowl of watermelon. As she stepped on the door mat, a snake slithered out from underneath. I turned right around and ran back to the pool.

3. Watermelon. Summer was all about watermelon. It still is. I've been known to hoard watermelon. Now, I have to share since my oldest son also loves it too.

4. Summer in Montana. I spent a month during the summer after Junior year in high school building a playground on the Northern Cheyenne reservation. It was also the first time I went backpacking, spending three days in the Bighorn National Forest. I formed some amazing friendships that summer.

5. Day trip to the Grand Canyon. Sometime during my freshman year in college, I became obsessed with the idea of visiting the Grand Canyon. That summer, I took a rode trip with two of my friends. We drove straight through from the Bay Area. We spent the night, hiked the next morning and then drove home.

6. Summer in Paraguay. I spent a summer in college working on a public health project in rural Paraguay. I credit that summer for changing my mind about going to Med School. However, the hardest part was that I was vegetarian at the time and in Paraguay, beef is a staple. There was meat at every meal, culminating in a huge asado dinner every Sunday.

7. Summer before graduate school. Ed and I traveled in Europe for three weeks and visited his family in Poland where I was forced to drink more vodka than I thought was humanly possible, all starting at 10am.

8. Running through Europe.  That same summer, Ed and I were training for our first marathon - the Chicago Marathon. We ran our way through Warsaw, Krakow, Vienna, Venice, and Florence. It was an incredible way to see the different cities, early in the morning and away from all the tourists.

9. Cousins. I have a lot of cousins. Growing up, I spent a lot of time with them. I feel badly that my kids don't get to spend as much time with their cousins since most of them live in California. However, last summer, for my Mom's 70th birthday, we all went on a cruise together. While it was mass chaos for a week, the kids had such a great time hanging out together and playing. I can't wait to watch their relationships continue to grow as they do.

10. Summer with the boys. Since the boys were born, our summers have focused on spending quality time together as a family. We try to spend a week or two outside of NYC so that the boys have a chance to run around in the woods and breath fresh air.

Tell me, what do you associate summer with? What are some of your favorite summer memories? Do you hoard watermelon like I do?

{Linking up with Stasha and Monday Listicles}

Finding Time for Fitness - Part 2

A few weeks ago, I shared some tips on how I manage to find time to fit in fitness during my busy days as a working parent. It was nice to hear that many of you use similar tactics to sneak in some sweat time during the day like working out during nap time or including your kids in exercise through walks, hikes, Zumba - you name it. Many of you work out first thing in the morning either before your kids are awake or right after dropping them off at school in order to get it done before the day has a chance to get away from you. I think my favorite comment was from Tracy at Sellabit Mum who said, "Does it suck getting up at 4:30? OMGYES. But totally worth it by the time I'm hitting the pavement."

Luci Gabel left one of the best tips - just don't think about it. "Too many people think they need to 'feel' like exercising or be 'in the mood' to exercise first. Which is not the case at all." I completely agree. I know that if I think about something too long, I can come up with every excuse in the book and rationalize my ways out of it in about 5 minutes flat. Now, if I have the opportunity to go work out on a day which I hadn't previously planned on going to a spin/yoga/TRX class, I just do it. I may not want to go down to the gym or for a run right at that moment but I make it count and I know that I will feel better afterwards.

In reading through all your comments, the biggest thing that came across to me was the fact that it all starts with not only making fitness a priority but making ourselves a priority. If fitness isn't a priority, it's so easy to put off working out in favor of doing other things like the dishes or laundry or cleaning which may seem more "important" to do when we plan out our schedules for the day or week or when we find ourselves with a bit of free time. If we don't make ourselves a priority, we are much more susceptible to feeling guilty about taking time away from others, from work and from household chores or asking for help so that we can work out. We may feel that we need to put everyone else's needs before our own.

But this isn't about focusing on ourselves in a superficial way. It's about focusing on our health - physical, mental and emotional health. When we are healthy, we are able to be the best partner/spouse, parent, friend, daughter/son, sibling, employer/employee, etc. that we can be. As a parent, I believe that it's one of the most responsible things that I can do, not only to set a positive example for my kids and help them develop good habits, but because I'm investing in my health to ensure that I'm around to raise my kids and watch them grow up.

What do you think? Do you find it hard to make yourself a priority? Do you get push-back from family and friends about working out?

Scenes from my weekend - Memorial Day

I hope that you all are enjoying a nice long weekend. I don't know about where you are but it's been downright HOT over here. I think that it was hovering around 90 degrees today? Hazy, hot and humid for sure. It felt more like August than the end of May. By the way, I cannot even believe that it's the end of May already. How did that happen?

My sense of time has also been a little messed up all weekend. I kept thinking that it was Saturday when it was really Sunday. It has been a really busy week and when you freelance, your days kind of run into each other. I often feel like there are no real weekends - any time that I have free I feel like I should be working because that's time that I could be billing. For once though, I have taken the weekend completely off. I've also taken a step back from social media save for a few pictures to Instagram. OK and maybe occasionally checking Twitter but it's not the same compulsive twitch that I normally experience (Hi, my name is Christine and I'm a Twitter addict).

This weekend has been made up of lots of little moments. A belated Mother's Day celebration at a local restaurant. While the boys enjoyed french fries, which Everett couldn't seem to stuff in his face fast enough, Ed and I shared a delicious kale salad that was crispy and spicy, flecked with red pepper flakes and grated parmesan. This was followed by mini tuna sliders which were de-li-cious.  Then, a quick trip to visit my in-laws so that the boys could spend some time splashing around in the kiddie pool which, incidentally, seems to get bigger and bigger each year. I think that my Father-in-Law relishes the opportunity to go out and buy a new pool to delight the kids.

Tell me, how did you spend your holiday weekend? Big plans or hanging out at home and grilling? What are some of your favorite summer eats?

Speaking of summer, did you happen to catch my guest post over on Lindsay's List last week about getting started surfing? If not, head on over there and check it out!

Scene from my weekend - Mother's Day

Everett as the Statue of Liberty. Can't you see it in the background?

It was a gorgeous, warm and sunny day here in New York City. I was woken up bright and early at 6:30am when Jasper and Everett burst into the room to wish me a Happy Mother's Day. I was happy that they were so excited but I could barely open my eyes. I tried to smile and act like I was awake but all I could think of was, "Just a half hour more sleep!!"

Jasper, in particular, was bursting to give me all the cards and presents that he had made for me over the week. The cards and artwork were very sweet. Everett made me a jewelry box and both boys made me plates at school. Funny thing is that after giving me my presents, they both re-claimed the plates for themselves. Oh well. I honestly really just treasure their art and their drawings in Mommy's Special Book.

We spent as much of the day as possible outside and enjoying the weather, wandering around waterside parks picking flowers and pretending to be the Statue of Liberty, exploring the newly renovated playground in the neighborhood and, of course, eating ice cream. Brothers holding hands and watching out for each other. But also brothers running away from each other.

With this Mother's Day, I realized that it wasn't just about me. I didn't really care about gifts, special meals or anything like that. It was more about making the day special for the boys - letting them celebrate in their cute little ways and showing them that they are loved.

{Linking this post up with Galit and Alison for Memories Captured}

Finding Time for Fitness

I'm often asked how I manage to fit in my workouts during the day as a working parent. Frankly, it's hard. Before kids, I worked out in the morning before work. Once I got into that routine, it was easy for me. Now, with kids, it's a crap shoot what the mornings will be like. It's usually rush rush rush to get everyone dressed, fed and out the door.

Over the past few years, I've had to be flexible with my fitness routine, depending on both the age of my children and my work situation. When the boys were babies and I was a stay-at-home mom, I would sneak in workouts between feedings (I was breastfeeding at the time) or during naps. I was lucky that my husband worked from home and was able to watch the kids while I was gone.

When I returned to work full-time, I worked crazy hours. I barely had time to shower and get myself dressed in the morning. Since pre-work workouts were out of the question, I began to work out at night after the boys were asleep. Now, both of my kids are in preschool and I work from home as a freelance consultant. Because I have a flexible schedule, I choose to hit the gym in the mornings after the kids are at school but before I start working. I find that it helps clear my head and sets the tone for my day.

Through it all, I've realized that there's no one way to fit fitness into your life but I've learned a few lessons about what works for me.

1. Make fitness a priority. Don't get me wrong. I know it's not easy. However, I do know that for me, being active is an integral part of my life. I feel better both physically and mentally, have more energy and make better food choices when I get my sweat on. I've made it a priority to fit in my workouts and I have a supportive husband who helps me make that happen.

2. Schedule your workouts. If it's in my schedule, I will do it. It keeps me accountable. It also lets my husband and others know my plans so that something else isn't scheduled during that time.

3. Put your workout clothes on. OK, so this might go against all the style advice I received from Style for Hire, but as soon as I think I have a chance to workout, I put my workout clothes on. Once I do, I'm much more likely to go to the gym because it seems like a waste of energy to change out of those clothes when I haven't gotten them sweaty.

4. Make use of nap time. My boys (luckily) love to nap. In fact, I think that I have the only 5 year old on the planet who still takes a nap every day. I count on this as one of the times that I can go to the gym or for a run. If your kids nap and you can get to the gym, great. Even if you can't, you can do exercises or workout videos at home during naps.

5. Find 15-30 minutes. I used to think that I needed at least an hour to get a good workout in. That was before I was introduced to High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and tabata workouts. With these, I can squeeze in a good workout within a short period of time. Even if HIIT and tabata workouts aren't your style, getting out for a walk, jog or bike ride or taking the stairs all count.

6. Exercise with kids. Now that my boys are older, we love to take them on walks and hikes when we can. We love to run around the park with them. My niece loves hula-hooping which is one heck of a workout! Exercising with my kids also sets a good example by showing that exercise is an important part of daily life and that it's a priority for our family.

How do you fit in fitness in your busy life whether or not you are a parent? Do you have any other tips or tricks to share?

Scenes from my weekend - Las Vegas

Quick tabata circuit

The Space Shuttle Enterprise arrived in NYC on Friday and is hanging out in a hangar at JFK

A quick 36 hour trip to Las Vegas for much needed girls' weekend with my sister, cousin and good friend. The other reason we traveled to Vegas - to see Jon Bon Jovi play Tiger Jams, a benefit for the Tiger Woods Foundation.

We arrived Saturday morning. The sun was warm and skies blue. We lunched by the pool and had a massage. We watched movies in our room and chatted, catching up on life. My sister insisted on working out so we came up with a quick tabata circuit to spike her heart rate. It was kind of fun sitting on the couch yelling out the time intervals while she sweated her way through the exercises.

I have mentioned before that I have been a Bon Jovi fan for pretty much my entire life. His music and songs bring back memories of fifth grade field trips and dances in the school cafeteria when Slippery When Wet topped the charts. His music appears again in my life's soundtrack during high school and a summer spent doing a community service project far from home. While the concert wasn't a typical Bon Jovi show (it was just Jon and a back-up band), it was great fun to rock out and watch Jon dance around on stage and do what he does best.

No, we didn't leave the hotel during the 36 hours that we were there. There was no gambling or over-indulging in food and drink. There really wasn't any reason too. It was perfect just to spend time in the company of these women in my life.