March update
I feel like a March update is easier if I break this down into sections, so...
Shopping/Parenting (which don't go together at all, but roll with it, ok?)Sunday felt like spring. The air was all sunshine, soft breezes and bird songs. Also, we were home, doing nothing because Sweet Pea was sick. Puking, avoiding the birthday party and the get-together with friends we were supposed to attend sick. I did sneak out to Pearl Street in the afternoon with Lady Bug to enjoy some fresh air and hit a couple of errands. I was going to return a pair of leggings at Athleta, but Lady Bug fell asleep in her stroller so I couldn't resist the chance to try on a few things while I had the chance. I picked up this skort and this top,which I did not intend to do.
In my defense, my fitness professional discount (I teach spin class every Monday!) makes it hard to resist.I also picked up a copy of It's Not the Stork: A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families and Friends (The Family Library) by Robbie Harris's for Sweet Pea, who just turned five, at the Boulder Bookstore. I love this book. I wish there'd been a book like this in my house when I was a kid. Not that my parents (ok, my mom), weren't available for questions (she was). I just think this book is an awesome resource, not just for kids, but for parents too, as far as including useful pictures and being a good jumping-off point for a conversation.
Sweet Pea wanted me to read some of it to her, and then asked to read more on her own. Later, I was curious about what she thought. We'd talked previously about how babies are made, and once we accidentally picked a library book that was about how babies are made (I really had no idea what it was about until we cracked it open) but I honestly couldn't remember exactly how much detail we'd covered. Robbie Harris's book includes lots of (age appropriate) details."Anything in there you thought was cool, interesting, weird? Do you have any questions?" I asked. My attempt at breezy failed miserably."One thing was really weird!" she said."What was that?" I asked."The part where the bird says that babies come from a stork!" she said, giggling at the preposterousness of such an idea.I don't feel bad about saying I am rocking this part of parenting, considering I cry at least once a week about most of the other parts and how shitty I'm doing at them.WritingThe past couple of months have been busy for me, as far as churning out the words (which is a good thing).I wrote The Secret (=Formula) for a Healthy Relationship for Parent.co, which has gotten a lot of engagement on Facebook. I'm not sure if it's because I revealed the full extent of my inner dork, complete with a hand-made graph, the fact that I got real about some of the struggles Dan and I face in our marriage, or my true, occasional murderous feelings. I actually adapted this one from a talk I gave at Toastmasters.Other articles I wrote for Parent.co:What Breastfeeding Moms Should Know Before Smoking Pot , for which I pored over research, talked to experts, and fell way, way down the rabbit hole.Try This at Home: 8 Date Night Ideas for Exhausted Parents in which I decided screw the experts and their recommendations that couples do something novel together to spice up the relationship. COUPLES WITH KIDS ARE TIRED AND WE DON'T ALWAYS HAVE ACCESS TO CHILDCARE. We are not going to googly eye bomb stuff (seriously, this article suggested that as a date night activity). We need date nights we can stay up for after our kids fall asleep.How to Show Your Kids You Love Them on Valentine’s Day. You probably know you and your spouse's love languages, but do you know which one your kid most identifies with?I Don’t Mind That My Toddler Has No Interest in Potty Training. Ok, I kind of do. But not enough to actually do anything about it. I'm free range lazy.I also wrote for Mazel Together, a website for Jewish families in the Denver area...Six Things I've Learned Over Six Years in an Interfaith Relationship... Which they actually published on our meet-a-versay (does anyone else celebrate that date?). Ours happens to be Valentine's Day.Five Reasons Purim Kicks Halloween's Butt. Jewish people (ok, parents) will totally feel me on this one. Gentiles will learn about a holiday you've probably never heard of. Believe me, you want to know about this one. Adults are supposed to get rancorously intoxicated on this holiday. 'And I got to do some content marketing writing, which was awesome because I got to write about one of my favorite topics (fitness!!)Achieve Your Fitness Goals in Three Easy Steps Let's be honest here, they're not easy. But they're worthwhile, and they need to happen before you even lace up your sneakers (or put on your speedo, or clip into your pedals, or join a gym, or whatever, you get the idea).Reading2017 has been a slow year for me, as far as reading, thus far. I am woefully behind on my Goodreads challenge of reading 45 books this year. I blame it partly on Crazy Rich Asians, which I didn't love, yet devoted much of January to, breaking my personal rule of quitting a book I'm not thrilled with. (My friend Nina lists avoiding books you don't love among a bunch of other great tips in her recent blog post "How to Read More Books This Year." Nina is a turbo charged reading machine.) Also disappointing: Today Will be Different. At 70 pages in and I could not bring myself to like or care about the protagonist. I had to peace this one out, upcoming book club (aka friends who felt like/were roped into reading the same book) discussion notwithstanding.There were a few books I have loved this year, including:Commonwealth by Ann Patchett. My Goodreads Review: Beautiful writing, compelling characters, a story of family, secrets, truth, and reconciliation... What else could you ask for? (Not part of my Goodreads Review: This is one of those books that stays with you long after you've put it down).Grit by Angela Duckworth: Ok, I am about a chapter away from the end, but loving it. It presents the idea that tenacity, or grit, is a more accurate predictor of success than talent is, and the science behind this theory in a funny, interesting, thought-provoking way. There's even a chapter just for parents on how to raise gritty kids.Sole Sisters edited by Jennifer Lin and Susan Warner- A heartwarming collection of essays on the friendships and confidence women forge through running. It is the perfect gift for any female runner.Also, I read a fascinating profile on Pamela Colloff, the executive editor of the Texas Monthly. titled "The Best Damn Writer in Texas." I dare you to read that article and not feel compelled to read everything Colloff has ever written. I couldn't help myself. I subscribed the Texas Monthly. I am excited to get some mail that's not the Athleta catalog or a bill.RunningI almost left this post without a word on running. Gah! It sustains me. Treadmill, roads, trails, I don't care. I'm still planning on the Horsetooth Half Marathon in late April. Here's a shot from my Instagram taken during a recent 10 mile run. Also, if you were wondering how I got that action shot... because I wondered about that quite a bit when I joined Instagram... Do runners bring photographers on their runs? Is there an Instagram fairy I don't know about? I did some googling and figured out that it's a matter of using whatever you find in nature as a tripod, making a short video, then taking a screen shot of whatever frame you like best and using that for Instagram. It's annoying and it feels phony. Stopping to Instagram feels to me, in a lot of ways, like the anti-running. But it makes for a pretty feed. So I do it once in a while, but not on every run.How's your March? Are you also tired of asking kids whether they want to wear their coat or carry their coat, watching while the drag said coat on the freezing ground, and then howl because they're cold. Or maybe that's just me...