Reclaiming Your Exercise Routine With a Toddler in Tow

This week, I've been trying to reclaim my running routine. As anyone who exercises knows, motivation is key to getting in a workout. Having a toddler to take care of is often my motivation for NOT exercising. Now that the weather is getting nicer, I'm trying new ways to spend time with her, and exercise at the same time. So far, it's gone better than expected.

In order to get my priorities back in order, I had to start with my head instead of my body. Yeah, it's hard to take care of a baby and work out, but then I started thinking about the future. I owe it to Norah to exercise. Exercising leads to a healthier me. A healthier me means I will live longer and be able to be there for her.

Then she starts screaming and all those flowery thoughts go out the window. She gets upset when I'm out of the room or if I put her in a playpen, so using the treadmill is out. She can't stand it when I'm in the room but not paying attention to her, so even using hand weights or bands is hard.

Now that the daylight is lasting longer, I've found that the only thing I can do with this little bugger is take her out with me on a jog. The first thing we do when we get home is have play time. That seems to satiate her need for "mommy time". After about fifteen minutes, I strap her into the stroller and we're off. Usually she has a terrible time in the stroller because she hates being strapped in, but the faster movement must be soothing to her because she tends to doze off. Once that happens, I can really focus on the run.

Sure, it may be hard to get in a work out EVERY day, but right now I'm settling on three times a week. Norah is a bad napper, so this new technique works for both of us. She gets her cranks out, and I get my exercise on.

Any other tips on how to get a workout in would be appreciated!

In case anyone is interested, to get back into running, I'm using the Couch to 5k plan. I'm also planning on running this at the end of the summer so that I have some sort of goal to work towards!

September 22 - Run the Cape May Vineyard!

Milestone Alert: 12 months

Well, we did it! Our baby survived an entire year without us royally screwing her up! Time to celebrate! Let's have some cake.

This month, we took Norah for professional pictures instead of taking one on our living room chair. They turned out really well and of course they suckered us into the ultra deluxe package.

Here are some more shots from the session:

 As far as Norah's schedule goes, it hasn't really changed too much.

Breakfast at 7:30 am 
4 ounces whole milk
Whole wheat pancakes or french toast
fruit (ex. cut up bananas)

Nap for about a half hour around 9:30 am
4 ounces milk when she wakes up
small snack like yogurt or crackers

Lunch at 12:30 pm
4 ounces whole milk
1 package of Gerber Graduates toddler food (Example: Gerber Graduates, Mac & Cheese with Chicken & Vegetables )
a vegetable or fruit (whatever daycare is serving that day - the last few days it's been corn or green beans)

Nap around 2 pm (sometimes this one doesn't happen and she sleeps for about 20 minutes when we get home from daycare)
4 ounces whole milk when she wakes up
another snack like the one above

Dinner at 6 pm
4 ounces formula
Whatever we are eating for dinner cut up into small pieces (Example: Last night we had tortellini and meatballs so I just cut them up and let her eat while we ate)
Fruit Yogurt melts

Sleep at 7:30 pm

As you can see, we've cut out formula for good. YAY! We've also made the switch to straw cups instead of bottles. DOUBLE YAY!

Happy Birthday, Norah!!

Milestone Alert: Eleven Months

Man oh man is time flying by! Norah is 11 months old today!


Now that we're fast approaching the one year mark, we're integrating more food and less formula into Norah's diet. This past weekend she drank all her four ounce bottles out of a sippy cup, too! That was huge since she she's been struggling with the straw. Now we just have to get bigger ones so she can drink more than four ounces at a time!

This is her basic routine right now:

Wake up at 6:30 am

Breakfast at 7:30 am
4 ounces formula
1 package of Gerber Graduates Breakfast Buddies - Apple Cinnamon Cereal

Nap for about a half hour around 9:30 am

6 ounces formula when she wakes up

Lunch at 12:30 pm
4 ounces formula
1/2 package of Gerber Graduates toddler food (Example: Gerber Graduates, Mac & Cheese with Chicken & Vegetables )
handful of puffs or Yogurt Melts

Nap around 2 pm

6 ounces formula when she wakes up

Dinner at 6 pm
4 ounces formula
Whatever we are eating for dinner cut up into small pieces (Example: Last night we had tortellini and meatballs so I just cut them up and let her eat while we ate)
Fruit Yogurt melts

Sleep at 7:30 pm

We can't wait to see what the next month has in store for us!

Keeping Up With Baby: A Sample Routine at 10 Months

We all know that expression, "New Year, New You". Well, lately I've been feeling like it's more "New Day, New Obstacles" around here. I'm really enjoying all the fun changes that Norah is experiencing, but every once in a while, I just feel really overwhelmed.

At this point, Norah needs constant attention. So from the time I pick her up from daycare, until she goes to bed, me or my husband are with her. This makes it hard to make dinner, clean the house, exercise and do laundry (and keep up with all our TV shows - the DVR is just about to explode). I'm willing to forgo the cleaning, but this family does have to eat and leave the house with clean clothes.

Over the past few weeks, I've developed a routine that seems to be working somewhat (or at least until Norah decides to change her bedtime unexpectedly). I thought I'd share in case there are any other new moms out there struggling with this.

5:15 am - wake up before baby, brush teeth, change into workout gear
5:20 am - grab clothes from bedrooms and throw in a load of wash
5:25 am - feed cats, start workout dvd
5:50 am - switch clothes to dryer, eat breakfast
6:00 am - shower, dress and dry hair
6:45 am - dress Norah, pack bottles, take out clothes from the dryer so they don't wrinkle
7:20 am - drop Norah off at daycare, go to work
5:30 pm - pick Norah up from daycare
6:00 pm - let Norah play independently while I throw all the bottle parts and dishes into soapy water
6:10 pm - play with Norah until dad comes home
7:15 pm - cook dinner
7:45 pm - bottle, bath and bed for Norah
8:15 pm - put away laundry from the morning, clean for 15 minutes, prep bottles for next day
9:30 pm - read for at least 15 minutes, or until I fall asleep

It's a totally exhausting day from start to finish, but when the weekend comes, most of my cleaning and laundry is done, so it frees me up to spend some quality time with Norah and her dad. Here are a few tools I have found helpful in keeping to this schedule:

1. Libman Freedom Spray Mop - this mop is a total time saver. There is basically a spray bottle that you can fill with any solution attached. When you want to mop, you just hit the sprayer and the solution squirts out onto the floor. The cloth is machine washable, so when you're done mopping for the day, you can just toss it in the wash.
   
2. Rocktivity Music Skool Table - this is one of Norah's favorite toys. It keep her busy for ten minutes while I do some quick chores when we get home.
3. Elfa Closet Organizers - We have an elfa closet in my room and Norah's. It makes picking out clothes in the morning really easy.