And the rainy season is upon us here in the Northwest. Lucky me, I am chaperoning an outdoor field trip next week. 70% chance of rain, means a high likelihood our trip is going to be soggy. Even a rainy day field trip deserves a great uniform. This time of year it is all about layers. The temperature is not extremely cold, but the damp can cut right through.
The uniform::
A long ribbed tank and a plaid flannel shirt under a rain shell to guarantee staying dry and warm. Mid-rise skinnies with lots of stretch. Lace-up rain boots. I am seriously coveting these beauties. I appreciate that they are low and would be easy to walk in all day. A colorblock wool hat- a necessity for me! Curly haired girls loathe a rainy day. Throw on a hat and tie your hair into a low knot and no one needs to see a big, frizzy head of hair. A backpack to carry all of the essentials. And finally, a bright lip stain. While the day may be dreary and the clothes neutral-your lips can be cherry red!
It’s October 1st. The first official day of hibernation season. If you are like me, fall is the start of a long, slow trip. Destination: Sofa City. In the Spring and Summer, I can bounce out of bed before my kids are awake and go for a run or workout with friends at boot camp. Fall and Winter? Not so much. So in hopes of breaking the vicious cycle, I asked my friend Amy from Orbit Fit for a monthly challenge. I had a few requirements: 1. The challenge will take less than 15 minutes a day. 2. The exercises require little to no equipment. 3. After 1 month there will be noticeable results. If I had my druthers, this month’s challenge would be focused on arms. However, Amy pushed me to chose a challenge that would actually…challenge me. Hmmph.
A message from Amy:
Think you could go do 100 sit ups, 50 oblique twists, 50 Plank leg lifts and 100 leg raises? No? Follow this plan and I guarantee you’ll do all of that and more 30 days from now. Nearly 80% of people will talk to their doctor about low back pain at some point in their lives … prevent this conversation by strengthening your core! Set an intention this month for a strong core. An intention isn’t a goal, it’s a way of being… stand tall with a strong core, sit with good posture, and do the following exercises that take less than 15 minutes per day.
So here it is. The first Where is June? challenge. Start today, tomorrow, or whenever you feel ready for it. Download and print the 30 day challenge here. Need visual aids. I bravely demonstrate the four exercises below.
So there you go! I am starting today. Are you in??
I went to work yesterday. For the first time in almost eight years, I got up {early}, showered, got dressed and worked outside of my home. Here’s the bonus: I made some money! In a former life I was an elementary school teacher and yesterday I spent my day with delightful third graders. I was their substitute. You know what? It was kinda awesome. To be honest, I didn’t know if I would like it. I didn’t really have any expectations. At my first break I sent a text to Aaron: “So far so good! Kids are at recess. It has been a super fun morning.”
For now, I decided to work two days a week. No need to rush anything and I wasn’t sure how my three boys were going to adjust. Specifically, the biggest one. Home is my domain in every sense of the word. Aaron and I have settled into very traditional roles. Remember that modern-day house wife thing? That isn’t just a catchy phrase. I am the real deal baby! In a slow release of control, I simply asked Aaron to get the kids school. He gladly accepted, but shuddered a bit when I told him next week he would also be making lunches.
Wouldn’t you know that on my first day back at work, Little Man would run a fever at school and need to come home. Par for the course around here. Through a comedy of errors, the office was unable to reach me {my phone was on silent} or Aaron {he has a new cell number}. Thankfully a friend on Little Man’s emergency contact list was able to hunt Aaron’s number down, relay it to school, and daddy came to the rescue. The greatest thing? This all happened without me. I didn’t have chance to check my phone until lunch and by then it was all sorted out. My husband totally rocked it today. He put his day on hold, took care of his baby boy, and never once needed my help. Well done, sir. We’ve got this.
“We are all in this together.” If you are long time reader, you will know this as my favorite quote. For the last eight years I have tried to live it. Parenting is truly the hardest job on earth and we all need help every now and then. My time at home has afforded me the luxury of not having to juggle schedules, worry about child care or stress about who will pick up my sick child from school. Lucky for me I have been able to do this for friends from time to time. Being a supportive friend will continue to be a guiding force in my life. Although in the weeks to come, I may be the one who needs to ask for a favor.
So, hats off to the girls who run a household, lovingly raise their children and forge amazing careers outside the home. How about a round of applause for the women who make a home, cherish their kids, volunteer at school, take extras in the carpool, and step up in a time of crisis for a friend? And can I get an AMEN for all the friends who answer the phone and say, “Yep, no problem.”?
Best thing about working part-time? I’m back at home today nursing the little one back to health, packing for a big family weekend away, and updating the emergency contacts at the boys’ school. Love each other today. We all need it! xoxo
Whoa! I was buzzing through Nordstrom yesterday on a mission to get a pair of jeans to alterations. I was literally stopped dead in my tracks by the most gorgeous leather jacket ever! The exposed zippers, the fur collar, the delicious silk floral lining. It is just too much! The sleeves actually zip off and it converts to a vest-to make it even more amazing. I had to try it on and snap a picture. Ted Baker London is 100% outside my price point, but the clothes are magnificent. I now have a major crush on this design house.
This girl is going to concert tomorrow. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I went to a show. Since I am not out partying like a rock star most nights, why not take this chance to dress up a bit? I always love the challenge of finding age appropriate clothes that still maintain just a bit of edge. Girls of a certain age {and yes, I fall into the category} need to be careful. There is an extremely fine line between rocking cool and “trying too hard”.
In an effort to try to wear more skirts and dresses, let’s start with a brown leather skirt. {While the one pictured above is breathtakingly beautiful, REDValentino is not in my budget. I would go with this skirt instead. I love the rough edges and flirty length-which isn’t too short when you are 5’0″!} Pair it with a simple, black silk tank. The accessories add the edge. An awesome pair of black heels, a snake clutch, and over-the-top wing ear cuffs!
I can’t wait to see Katy Perry’s amazing costumes and her sets. OH, and the music too, of course!
Brooks Running Company is turning 100 and they are celebrating with a collection of fantastic throw back sneakers! It is hard to resist these retro cool styles in bright fun colors. Check out the entire Heritage Collection.
Which is your favorite?
I actually loved the colors from the Men’s collection but my feet are too small. My top pick would be the Women’s Vantage in green.
Wow! Our week was non-stop! When the weather is beautiful, you just can’t help but get up with sun and wait for the stars. A few nights we didn’t leave the lake until well after 9pm. The benefits of lots of light and warm evenings are hard to measure.
A few scenes from our week:
1. We joined a kayak gang! My boys used their own money and purchased kayaks on Monday. {We were lucky and found them on sale at Sports Authority.} They paddled everyday. We work as a team to get them to and fro, but they are quite light and fit perfectly in the back of my car.
2. Chilled Rose is quite possible the perfect summer wine. I am sipping it every night. Miradou is a good wine a great price!
3. Summer. Friends. That’s all.
4. We discovered saki slushies at Tom Douglass’ Tanaka San. Hmmm, grown up slurpees? Yes, please.
Today is Day 1 of a ten-day boot camp. My workout this morning totally made my day. Not because of the physical exercise, but because it reminded me of how much I love being physically active! I had a particularly hard winter, not for any reason in particular. I found it VERY hard to motivate myself to do anything active. That was not a good feeling. As summer approaches I feel ready to be healthy, strong and committed once again.
I did this same boot camp last year. I pushed myself too hard, often doing 2 workouts a day. Combined with all the exercise, I also did a cleanse and cut out all dairy, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol. I was crazed. At the end of two weeks, I had gained 2 pounds and lost no inches. Total astonishment! On the last day I found myself in tears. Later, upon reflection, I realized that I missed the point…entirely! I was stronger, faster and I had spent 10 days working out with an amazing group of women. AMAZING women.
This year, my focus is entirely different. One of my goals is to be supportive. There are many women who are stepping outside their comfort zone, pulling on those workout pants and showing up. I was so proud of them today. It isn’t easy to start and the key is to just keeping going. One more lap, one more push up, one more minute, one more day. Those women inspire me to push a little harder. I hope I can inspire them in some small way.
Here are my four goals for boot camp. They are simple and focused on overall health.
1. Drink water. {Goodness, when will this NOT have to be one of my goals. I am so bad at it!!}
2. Complete my training runs. {I am running a half marathon in August so I have training runs I need to complete. This means an extra workout four of the ten days.}
3. Plan to eat every 2-3 hours. {No cleanse for me this year. I am planning out meals and working to eat BEFORE I am starving.}
4. Be supportive and have fun! {I totally missed the fun last year.}
Everyone’s goals are different. If you took on a challenge like boot camp, what would your goals be?
The only person you need to be better than…is who you were yesterday. Stronger than yesterday.
Years ago, long before I was married myself, my grandmother gave me her engagement ring. I had asked her for it when I was a young girl {please excuse my lack of tact} and she didn’t forget. It was wearing thin and she decided to stop wearing so it would be preserved for me. Crazy, right? She truly was a one-of-a-kind. I have kept it safe, but tucked away. Months ago I came it across it when I was moving accessories into my closet. I decided it shouldn’t be tucked away. I wanted to wear it. However, I have freakishly small hands and it was too large for my finger. After checking with my mom, I had the ring resized.
When we travel to Italy next month, I will be wearing my grandmother’s ring with two whisper thin gold bands from Catbird. {That makes my heart happy.} I have been stalking Catbird for quite sometime, so when I decided to resize the ring I was thrilled to be able to buy simple bands to wear with it. The bands I ordered are stacking rings, meant to be worn together in multiples. The Mignon Memory Ring and the Twisted Stacker Ring are perfect compliments to my grandmother’s delicate diamond and gold ring. When I slip this special stack on my finger, I smile. If she were still here, she would give me a big hug and tell me a story about her ring or my grandfather. I treasure my memories of her and I treasure her ring.
Do you have jewelry tucked away from someone dear to you? I urge you to take it out. Make it part of your life. Wear it and love it!
One of my greatest joys in life is being physically active. It saves my sanity. I run, attend boot camp, love barre class, and ride a spin bike occasionally. In the past, I have trained for road races {including a marathon} and triathlons. I find that although recovery may take a bit longer, I am still doing pretty well with endurance, strength, and balance. However, my flexibility needs a ton of work and it only seems to be getting worse. Growing up as a gymnast, I suppose I have taken flexibility for granted. My hamstrings and hips are so tight I cannot do a static stretch without my legs quivering. Not good.
I recently read that flexibility can help your body reach its optimum fitness level, may play a role in injury prevention, and can even contribute to staving off conditions like arthritis and more serious illnesses. Ok, time to take my flexibility more seriously.
I am committing to add stretching into my life {somehow}! I would like to a yoga class {or DVD} at least once a week and stretch 10 minutes a day. I can do that, right?
Do you find you are struggling with flexibility?
Here are a few resources I found interesting/helpful:
