For the Love of Bean

This is the podcast.

Tue, 15 May 2012 15:25:14 -0400

This is the podcast.

This happened! I texted Leif right after I heard it.

Tue, 15 May 2012 15:24:07 -0400

This happened! I texted Leif right after I heard it.

Running, an ongoing struggle...

Sat, 12 May 2012 13:05:49 -0400

With every new phase of life I’ve had to adjust how fitness fits into my life. I’ve always been what most would probably consider an active person, but I have most definitely had highs and lows when it comes to maintaining a regular fitness routine. I’ve had times when exercise all but disappeared from my life (primarily during my early teaching years) and times when it was literally my livelihood. I’ve taught a variety of group exercise classes, including several that were primarily cardio based. A constant however, through all phases of my life, has been my struggle with running.

It seems like no matter how fit I am I’ve always had a hard time finding my stride. There have been times in my life when I’ve been able to literally summit mountain tops, but struggled to run even a mile without walking. Even when I was instructing hour long spin classes on a weekly bases I still dreaded running so much as a 5k. Despite my long legs, and my lifelong love of walking and hiking, I am just not good at running. Even when I’ve been forced to integrate it into my regular routines, I’ve always had a big problem with finding consistency in my running.

Now however, I’m a mom, and my chances of getting a workout in are pretty tough to come by without some seriouse organization. I’ve never been a big gym person, even when I worked in one, but relying on nap times to fit in some yoga or a workout video is a hard way to build a consistant routine. Nap times change, rapidly and drastically with a young child, and I found that squizing in a workout on top of everything else during those spare moments to be very frustrating.

So now I find myself facing the realization that if I want to get in a regular, sweaty, heart pounding, mind clearing workout, it’s going to have to be a run. I have a good jogging stroller, a great pair of shoes, and unfortunately, no more excuses.

I have now been running regularly (about five days a week) for three weeks. We usually do a route that’s just under four miles of hilly, winding country road. Truth be told, between walking my warm-up, cool-down, and at the turnaround point, I probably only run three miles in total. I’m still incredibly inconsistent. Some days are a constant mental battle, bargaining with myself the entire way, the whole time feeling like I’m moving through quicksand. Other days are better, I go into a comfy pace that I’m able to maintain, and feel pretty good at the end. I feel it changing my body already, but I still have a long way to go before I would consider myself a solid “runner”. I’m still very fair-weather, any distraction at all becomes a reason to stop and walk, but I’m gradually getting better about running through these moments.

In that spirit however, I’ve decided to list a few tips of come up with. I have always believed that it’s those who aren’t very good at something that come up with the best advice. The more you struggle through something the more you learn. And since I’m still really struggling through running, here are some things that have helped me:

- Get a good bra, if you only spend money on one thing, spend it on a good bra! You have no idea, no idea, what a difference this will make. Before having a child I had never spend much on sports bras, they all seem pretty straight forward. However, after listening to a podcast on the topic, I realized that boobs are super complicated and that a lot of research and advances in technology have dramatically changed the landscape of sports bras. I went big, bought one very expensive ($50!) bra, and it changed my life. When the girls are under control, running gets much easier. Even if you are a small chested lady, but especially if you are nursing, go and get yourself a really nice bra!

- Find shoes that work for you. I like minamalist shoes that I don’t wear socks with, they work for me, but find what works for you. Try a few kinds even, but once you get some shoes that work with your style of running, invest in a few nice pairs and stick with them. Good shoes are like good friends, you must have them!

- Finally, and here’s the best piece of advice I can offer, just keep running. No matter how long you run for, there will be days that suck and days that are great. Just keep getting out there. Give yourself a day off when you need it, but then go back out and do it again. The only way to improve your fitness is to keep moving. It’s simple, and a lot of people spend a lot of time and money trying to improve themselves in other ways, but the only thing that’s really going to help is actually getting out there and doing it. It kinda sucks, but it’s true.

So there you go, some advice from a reluctant, not very good runner. Have a good run!

Pillow Dome: one baby enters and one baby leaves.

Fri, 11 May 2012 15:50:18 -0400

Pillow Dome: one baby enters and one baby leaves.

npr: nprfreshair: hwentworth: Internet’s over, people....

Wed, 09 May 2012 08:24:02 -0400

npr:

nprfreshair:

hwentworth:

Internet’s over, people. Maurice Sendak just won.

Fresh Air remembers Maurice Sendak

Higher praise there could not be. —Wright

Oh man, so great.

Daddy plays for Libby.

Fri, 04 May 2012 16:50:47 -0400

Daddy plays for Libby.

At least one of us likes grocery shopping!

Wed, 02 May 2012 17:55:14 -0400

At least one of us likes grocery shopping!

Reflections on a year

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 12:48:24 -0400

I saw a similar post on another favorite blog and thought I would spend a little time doing some reflecting myself.

Today I turn 29 years old. This time last year I was pregnant and about to move from Okinawa to San Antonio. When I think about all that has happened in the tiny space of time, from then until now, all I can say is “emotional”. If you used a different color for every emotion I’ve felt this last year and drew a timeline with them, I’m sure you would see every color in the rainbow crammed together in the tightest spaces.

Love is probably the bigest emotion I’ve felt this year. Love, most obviously, for my daughter, a love that I have never felt before with debthes that I’ve never fathomed before. Love for my husband as I’ve watched him becoming a father. Love for my parents, both as Grandparents to my baby, and a new appreciation for them now that I’m also a parent. Love for my friends that have hung on during this wirlwind time in our lives. Love for our animals that have dealt with all kinds of change with grace, even that fucking cat of ours has really impressed me.

I’ve felt the darker emotions as well: fear, frustration, sadness, desperation, lonliness, whatever the opposite of lonliness is when you need space, boredom, business, overwelmed. With all the joy and happyness of parenting also comes a constant strain, a feeling of always trying to push or pull in order to make your child’s life the best it can be. These emotions are just shadows around the love, but I don’t think they can ever truly be avoided.

I’ve also found strength in our little family that I never knew existed. My husband, daughter, dogs and cat, parents, siblings, friends, have all shown themselves to be pillars holding me up, sometimes in spite of my best efforts. When they say it takes a village to raise a child, I think what they really mean is it takes a village to keep a mommy on her feet.

More surprising however, is the ease and happyness I’ve found in being a mom. It’s amazing how much louder the little voice of intuition becomes when you are parenting. Many things just feel right, and you know to follow your instincts, to trust yourself in knowing what to do for your child. And most surprisingly, being a parent is much more fun than anyone can ever explain to you. I’ve never smilled, giggled, or just watched as much as I have this last year. A child is more than just the light of your life, they are the spice (to quote my husband) as well. Even a boring day can be made into a whole new experience when you have a little one around. On a daily basis I feel my heart swell to the point of almost bursting with delight over my little Bean.

I know that I will never have another year like this one, and although it’s been a little more eventfull than I would have liked, it’s been a learning and growing experience that I wouldn’t change if I could. My husband and I firmly believe that you should always be living in a state of “this is the best year of my life” and this year has not disapointed.

Thank you to everyone in my life, for making this year yet another great one!

Love,

Kate

This is for my mommy!

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 22:21:34 -0400

kellyoxford:

ADDENDUM: Jennifer Lawrence’s friend sent this to her and Jennifer said, “I’VE MADE IT!”

Here’s the song I was referencing in the tittle of the...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:25:26 -0400

Here’s the song I was referencing in the tittle of the last post, if you aren’t familiar, please get so!

I should not have been gone for so long...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:21:34 -0400

OK, I’ve been more than negligent with this blog, among other things in my life, so I’ve created a series of picture posts summing up the last month or so. I know that most of you tune in for the pictures anyway, so it seemed like a good way to make up for being gone for so long. I’m back now though, so consider these posts like a really good chat over coffee and we’ll promise not to wait so long before meeting up again.

After this I’m going to try to get back to business as usual, both with this blog and life in general… or until the next big thing happens anyway ;)

Once again, we got up before dawn to start the long journey...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:09:00 -0400

Once again, we got up before dawn to start the long journey home. We had a fantastic time in NYC but we were all looking forward to staying in one place for a while.

So that brings us up to today! Libby is now seven months old,...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:09:00 -0400

So that brings us up to today! Libby is now seven months old, eating solids and still breastfeeding, can sit, crawl, and pull herself to standing, all things she’s accomplished during our crazy comings and goings of the last month.

Man, it feels good to be back in our own beds!

Just after the dust settled in our new place we headed out to...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:08:00 -0400

Just after the dust settled in our new place we headed out to NYC for an extended weekend in honor of an old friends wedding. We just happened to also get to visit the Explorers Club. Yes, such a thing exists, it is exactly what it sounds like, a very historic building on the Upper East Side where explorers, real ones, mingle with rich people. There are artifacts, paintings, dead animals, etc. all collected by notable explorers over the last hundred or so years. Most of the animals in this room were killed by non other than Teddy Rosevelt, although I’m sure about this guy specifically.

I also nursed Libby in this room, in front of a stuffed Cheetah. I’m not sure if it’s true, but I’m going to claim she’s the only baby to have been breastfed in the Explorers Club.

We spend one of our days at the zoo with Justin and the girls,...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:07:00 -0400

We spend one of our days at the zoo with Justin and the girls, this picture was taken shortly after Libby had one of the largest poops in the history of poops. Look forward to a blog about starting solids and it’s various effects in the future!

As soon as we got back to Del Rio we started the moving process....

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:07:00 -0400

As soon as we got back to Del Rio we started the moving process. Leif and I moved our entire house in less than a week, almost entirely without any help! How my husband managed to load half of what he did in a friends truck I will never know! We moved just down the road, but the great thing is, it’s a rental and we are no longer tied to Del Rio, so if an opportunity arises in another location we can leave at a moments notice! This is a picture not of our new house but of a neighbors. We are now located out by the lake and I felt this picture summed up the spirit of our new place. It’s nice to be away from town and feel a little more free!

We then drove down to Albuquerque to see Leif’s brother...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:06:00 -0400

We then drove down to Albuquerque to see Leif’s brother and his fantastic family. I’ve included this picture of my two loves to show just how great they still look after nine hours of driving! Libby has become an expert traveler and I think Leif and I could write a book on ways to travel with an infant and not loose your mind.

Libby got to spend some quality time with Grandma in Highlands...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:05:00 -0400

Libby got to spend some quality time with Grandma in Highlands Ranch, as well as receiving some great Easter gifts (including the bunny pictured here.)

We then drove to my parents, this was taken in Silverthorn after...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:04:00 -0400

We then drove to my parents, this was taken in Silverthorn after some serious shopping at the outlets! I would like to point out that my jeans are Levis, super cheap, super fantastic, super tailored to whatever you want! The bag was only $75 and is so durable it’s become my new light weight diaper bag for small trips.

We took a huge two week road trip up Colorado by way of New...

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:16:00 -0400

We took a huge two week road trip up Colorado by way of New Mexico. It was fantastic, family filled! It was a series of before dawn pack-ups and endless stretches of highway leading from one loving household to the next, it left us eager for more family time in the future and without any energy left for the next big journey we were about to take!

This was taken once The Bean finally decided to nap while in the ski lodge. Leif and I both snuck in a few runs while visiting the in-laws in Winter Park.