Happy Birthday to Me

Book Club last night was SO MUCH FUN!  Who knew our small little book club could get talked into Tuesday Night Trivia, then convinced to take the karaoke challenge in order to tie for first place and finally end up scoring second place, thus earning us a round of free drinks.  What a riot!  I couldn't have asked for a better way to say goodbye to my 20s.  Thanks for a fun night girls!  This is just a taste of what you missed...oh my!

With that behind me today I entered the 4th decade of my life. Crazy, huh?  I'm really not that bothered by it and feel like maybe now it's less lame for me to want to go to bed by 10 pm, even on the weekends.  Haha  Like my good friend reminded me yesterday...

You are turning 30 with everything you could ever need! Hard to imagine how much better life can get for you!

"Everything I could ever need. "

What a great observation.  Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in wanting more that we lose sight of how much we really have.  I have so much to be thankful for.  Thanks for the reminder, Doreen! Bring on the 30s.

I enjoyed a lazy morning sipping coffee with my husband a whipped up some scrambled eggs with leftover zucchini in them.  When I cracked the eggs, one of them had twins inside.  Cool, huh?  Yep, I ate it!

That double yolk on the right came from one egg.  

The finished product.  A delicious birthday breakfast.  

After Mickey left for work,  I tackled my 5 mile run for today's half marathon training workout.  I am so glad I don't cramp easily and the weather wasn't too hot.  It was kind of silly of me to hit the road with a full belly but I took it nice and easy and ended up having a pretty good run.  Nothing crazy but enough to make me feel alive and exercised.

While running, I  decided to let my mind wander to all of the blessing I can count in my life, and being the teacher that I am, I tried to come up with something for every letter of the alphabet to keep things organized :-)  Silly me!  Let's see how many I remember...

All you need is love

• A- Annie's Buying Club.  What did I do before all this wonderful organic produce came my way.  Now I get to be a coordinator and help others benefit from it as well.  SO COOL!
• B- Boys.  Mason, Colton and Mickey are the BEST THINGS that ever happened to me.  I don't know what I'd do without them.  
• C- Coffee.  Enough said.  Now I just need to find the perfect vegan cream substitute.  
• D - Double shopping carts at Publix.  These things make shopping a breeze.  I actually love taking my boys to the grocery store thanks to the shopping cart that entertains them.  
• E - Eating.  I love food and I'm never lacking for something to eat.  We are blessed beyond measure.  I never go hungry.
• F - Family.  I have an amazing family!  I never thought I'd get married and now I have the best husband I could ever imagine and he gave me two amazing boys.  My sisters are my best friends.  My brother is awesome.  My parents have put their heart and soul into us kids.  My extended family is amazing too.  I could give a whole post just talking about how wonderful my family is.
• G - Grandparents.  I adore my grandparents and am thankful for their strong influence in my life. I am so happy my kids have gotten to meet their great grandparents.  
• H - Home.  We have a great home and my husband does a phenomenal job of maintaining it for us.  
• I - Ice cream.  Hope I save room for my free scoop tonight from Baskin Robbins.
• J - Jogging Stroller.  The best invention ever.  I would not have survived the last 1o months without that thing.
• K - Keurig.  I know I already mentioned coffee, but the single-brew system we have is awesome.  We even got the reusable filter and fill it ourselves so we don't spend any extra but each cup is fresh.  
• L - Life.  Thank you God for every day that I am alive.
• M - Moms.  I have a wonderful mom, a fantastic mother in law, and have made so many other mom friends that help get me through life on a daily basis.  
• N - New friends.  In the last year, I have made LOTS of new friends.  God is really providing me with a support system like I've never had before.
• O - Outside.  I live in Florida and get to enjoy the weather outside almost every day.  My boys love being outside too which just compounds our joy.
• P - Pool.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would have a pool.  I hope I never have to live in a house without one ever again.  
• Q - Questions.  My boys are starting to ask and answer questions.  Their curiosity is so fun to me.  I love experiencing life with them.  
• R - Rogue.  I'd be homebound without my vehicle.  And it's almost paid off.  Woo Hoo!
• S - Story Time at Blue Door.  They provided me with this awesome opportunity and I am loving it even more than I ever thought I would.  
• T - Time.  As a stay at home mom, I have time to do lots of things with my boys that I wouldn't get to do if I was working.  I love lazy weekday mornings and time for play dates and moms groups.
• U - Underwear.  We are starting to potty train the boys and I am looking forward to buying underwear rather than diapers.  Here goes nothing!
• V - Victoria's Secret.  Silly I know, but now that the boys are almost weaned, I can wear normal bras again and I love their bras.
• W - Weight lifting.  I love that I am able to life weights and I love the strength that I have developed thanks to it.  It's empowering!
• X - Xylophone.  Have you seen my boys play that thing?  Makes me smile every time. (X is a hard letter.)
• Y - Youth.  I am 30, but I am only 30.  I still have a lot of living left to do and some kiddos to help keep me young at heart.
• Z - Zillions of other things that I forgot to mention.  

It's good to remind yourself every so often just how good you really have it.  As Americans, we are blessed more than we realize.  Don't ever forget it.  And don't forget the people who fight so that you can keep those freedoms and luxuries.

After I got cleaned up, it was time to head to the Potty Party at the library.  I was skeptical going into it but am so glad we went.  Let the potty training begin!  What an informative event.

They were super excited to play with the potty.

We bought froggy potties on the way home.  Our first mission, according to the class, is to let them play with the potties for a week.  This is what they'll be playing with this week...

After the potty purchase, we also stopped by PetSmart for some cat food and small animal fun.

Chirp Chirp Chirp

He wanted to pet that frog so badly.

We have a pretty low key evening planned tonight.  I am excited to get to use my free $30 gift certificate to Benihana tonight.  (All you have to do to get one is go on their website and register for their birthday club and they'll e-mail you a free gift certificate every year.  Love it!  I've racked up all kinds of free birthday loot--bang bang shrimp at Bonefish, ice cream at Baskin Robbins, a drink at Starbucks, an entree at Brio, a drink at Dunkin Donuts, an entree at Moes.   Get out there and sign up for those birthday clubs if you haven't already.  I love September, thanks in part to all these deals.)

I'm hoping to get home in time to enjoy a movie curled up on the couch with my husband.  This one came in the mail yesterday...

Hope it keeps my attention and makes me laugh as much as this little guy did walking all around the house with a monkey attached to him.

Before I forget, thanks to our friends who gave us more pieces for our "fort."  This thing has been a lifesaver for me and the boys.  It's so big they don't realize they're closed in and it allows me to take a shower without worrying or torturing them.  What a godsend!  I hope they never get sick of it.

Running Errands

I am so lucky to live in a small town where many of the places I frequent are within 3 miles of my house.   I am also very blessed to live in the sunshine state which makes getting out for walks and runs with my kiddos a daily activity on a year-round basis.  Thankfully, my kids LOVE to be outside and LOVE riding in their stroller which makes getting out a breeze!  As my boys have gotten more active, so have I, and it has been fun coming up with creative ways to multitask and keep up their growing interests and my evolving fitness.  One of my latest tricks is to literally RUN errands. I put the boys in the stroller and run to the bank, then run accross the street to the drugstore.  I can pop in the grocery store if needed and even hit up the park for the boys to run off some of their own steam along the way.  The post office and downtown are all within running distance as well.  The other day, I got in a 5 mile run, playtime at the park, a letter to the post office, a deposit to the bank, and a prescription picked up all in the same outing.  Oh, and did I mention the boys nap fantastically in the stroller?  It kept us all engaged as we hopped from one place to another, seeing lots of different things, gave me a workout and the boys some rest which left us all ready to conquer the rest of our day.  If it's feasible for you, especially with springtime in the air and most of the country experiencing some better weather, I encourage you to load up the stroller (if you've got kids) and lace up your running shoes rather than hop in the car to run your errands.  Let me know what you think...

Getting Back to Running After BABIES

I LOVE to run and missed it so much while I was pregnant. I had always envisioned myself as that fit, pregnant momma but God had a different plan in mind when he surprised us with twins and thus a high risk pregnancy. My normally active lifestyle took quick turn towards a very sedentary lifestyle. I was able to walk a couple of miles a day early on in the pregnancy, but as things progressed, walking got more and more difficult as just trying to work my full-time job was work-out enough. My exercising came to a screeching halt at 30 1/2 weeks when I went into pre-term labor and was put on bedrest. It was definitely the right thing for me and the babies, since we were able to make it to 37 weeks. The boys were born at term and were VERY healthy- 7 lb 5 oz and 6 lb 15 oz. They didn't spend a minute in the NICU and I was breastfeeding them 40 minutes after they were delivered via c-section, an operation that took my phenomenal doctor only 22 minutes from incision to me being wheeled back into the recovery room. As you can guess, I was chomping at the bit to get back to exercising as soon as I was given the green light.

I had a follow-up visit with my dr. at 2 1/2 weeks postpartum and he cleared me for any physical activity. I was shocked at how quickly I recovered from the surgery and was surprised to be given the all clear so soon. Since I had read so much while I was pregnant about waiting 6 weeks after a c-section delivery before resuming any hard-core exercising, I decided to err on the side of caution and make myself wait the fully 6 weeks postpartum before I did any exercising besides walking and kegals. I gradually worked my way up from a half mile walk to about 4 miles in this time period and walked every day.

At 6 weeks postpartum, I began the Couch Potato to 5k running program since I figured my body was like that of a couch potato after close to a year of no exercise other than walking. The first days out were HARD! The first day out I hardly made it a block because of the discomfort of the newfound weight on the front of my body. I hadn't even considered how different it would be to run with size D breasts instead of my previous barely-A-sized breasts. Ouch! I went out to Target and bought Champion High Impact sports bras which are made to your bra size. They even clip in the back. I cannot express to you how much this helped. I also was somewhat disgusted by the jiggle of my waist with each step I took. I had never had any jiggle there before but after twins, I had significant jiggle and still do at 11 1/2 weeks postpartum. My other newfound discomfort was in my knees. I had never had any trouble with my joints but each step was excruciating. My joints must have really changed as a result of pregnancy. I have no medical explanation from a doctor, but I figure it was a combination of needing to buy new shoes, loose ligaments from the hormone relaxin that pregnant women produce, and a new shape in my hip region as a result of carrying two babies. I headed straight to Fleet Feet that weekend and bought new shoes which I think have helped tremendously. I also realized I would have to take things very slowly if I didn't want to end up injured. I was determined not to give up though.

I followed the Couch Potato to 5k running plan for the first 3 weeks. I ran/walked the prescribed 3 days a week. Even the warm-up walk was a bit painful for a couple of weeks but I just took things slowly and really followed the plan. I highly recommend this plan to anyone new to running or getting back to running after a significant hiatus. I would always come home and stretch thoroughly, take ibuprofen, and ice my knees, and drink TONS of water. Slowly but surely, running got more and more comfortable and at 9 weeks postpartum, I made it 2 miles with little discomfort. I guess my body just had to adjust to its new design.

I am now 11 1/2 weeks postpartum and am still only running 3 times a week but have worked my way up to 1 four mile run and 2 three mile runs each week. My muscle memory is starting to click in I think. I am no longer following the couch-potato to 5k plan but am working on just trying to build my running endurance again without really watching my time too much. I know I'm slow, but I'm out there and getting stronger. I actually am trying not to go any faster than 9 minute miles because I don't want to end up injured and I'd rather get the distance under my legs than work on speed at this point. I take things one day at a time and love each minute I get to be back out on the road. I appreciate this time so much more at this stage in my life than I ever have before. It's good for me physically, physcologically, and spiritually. It really gives me time to reflect on all of my blessings.

One blessing that often occurs to me is how amazing my body is. Trust me, I don't mean the shape of it. My belly still disgusts me and will be hidden by a one-piece swimsuit this summer. The amazing thing I am talking about is the fact that my body was able to grow and support the development of 2 BEAUTIFUL baby boys and now is able to feed 2 HEALTHY growing boys. I have not had to supplement my breast milk at all. I feel so blessed that I can give them the best nutrition available, not that I'm knocking people who have to feed them children formula, but I love that I am ABLE to feed them breast milk. I love the time it allows me to snuggle with both of them as well. It is the most peaceful time of my day and I get to do it 8 times a day. Breastfeeding is such a blessing.

The reason I bring up breastfeeding is that when I started to get back into running, I had several people warn me that it would hurt my milk supply or cause me to have plugged ducts, etc. I have not had any trouble at all with my supply and have been very active in my opinion. In addition to running 3 days a week, I take my boys for walks every day, usually for an hour or so, and I am also spinning 1-2 times a week and lifting weights 3 times a week. Keep in mind that everyone is different and what works for me may not work for you. I am by no means an expert in this area so I recommend talking to your doctor if you are unsure of whether it is safe for you or not to exercise while you are breastfeeding. Here are some things that I think have helped me to be successful at balancing it all so far.

1. I drink a TON of water. I have a 24 oz cup that I drink and drain at least 6 times a day. That's 144 ounces of water a day. 24 oz of those are downed right after I get back from my run.

2. I keep track of my calories at livestrong.com and make sure I don't let them fall below what is recommended for me. It is not a dieting tool for me like it was prior to getting pregnant. At this point, I'd rather be physically fit and breastfeeding my babies that worry about losing weight. I can worry more about my weight when they are weaned and not depending on me to feed them. I DO NOT DIET. I eat at least 6 times a day and make sure to include protein at every meal. I also eat plenty of carbohydrates, i.e. whole grains, fruits, and veggies. I do not restrict anything. I even eat sweets like ice cream and cupcakes.

3. Since I feed both of them at the same time, I stimulate both breasts every time I feed. I have read that you can pump one breast while feeding your single baby to get the same effect. The more you stimulate your breasts, the more milk you will produce, so if I notice my milk supply dropping, I will first of all drink even more water and pump after each feeding to increase my supply. (I haven't had to do this yet but it will be the plan if I run into problems.)

4. I still feed my boys every 2-3 hours or more often if they want it. We do not stick to a schedule. If they're hungry, they eat. Again, the more time they spend at the breast, the better the milk supply will be.

5. I run immediately following a feeding and use a VERY supportive sports bra. I also take the bra off immediately after I return home to avoid compressing my breasts for any longer than necessary. I am hoping this helps me avoid plugged ducts or mastitis.

6. I take things one day at a time. If I notice my supply dropping, I will address it IMMEDIATELY. I will continue to be proactive. I will not do anything to jeopardize my supply so if I notice problems, I will do whatever it takes to get things back on track, even if that means taking another break from running.

7. I keep in touch with other fit moms. My favorite spin teacher at the Y has a 7 month old and is still breastfeeding her daughter and maintaining a very fit lifestyle. In fact, she is training for a marathon right now. She gave me some of the tips you see above. If she can do it, so can I. :-) I'm competitive like that.

Some people look for excuses to get out of exercising. I'm the opposite. I look for ways to "do it all." I love the way I feel and know I am a better mother as a result of it. I hope I don't end up eating my words but I don't think that will be a problem as long as I continue to be proactive. Again, these are only my very biased personal opinions. I am by no means a lactation consultant or breastfeeding pro. I'm new to this world of parenting.

Happy running to all you breastfeeding moms. As always, I'd love to hear what works or doesn't work for you. Feel free to comment.

Cutting to the Postnatal Core

My babies are already 10 weeks old and the belly that I ridiculously thought would disappear moments after giving birth to them is still hanging on for its dear life. It doesn't seem to understand that I'm slowly kicking it to the curb. I finally understand why so many women say getting their bodies back after pregnancy is SOOO hard. Firming my middle back up may be one of the hardest fitness challenges I have taken on, especially after almost a year of little exercise other than walking, and a VERY stretched out stomach due to a full term twin pregnancy. Since I hate crunches, and have both read and heard that they can make the stomach bulge even more after pregnancy, especially if the stomach muscles have split, I'm working hard on targeting my whole core, especially the transverse abdominal muscles. Since I really hate working my core, I'm having to find creative ways to tackle it by sneaking in core work with the exercises I enjoy more as I try to shape it back to some semblance of its former self while continuing to improve the fitness of the rest of my body as well. Here are 6 of the exercises I'm finding to be most helpful...be sure to keep your navel pulled to the spine in ALL of these exercises to really keep things from pooching out more. Slowly and carefully is key!

1. The Plank. There are many variations of this exercise that thoroughly engages the core. I started out with just a basic plank, holding it as long as I could, which was usually about 30 seconds. I would try to complete this exercise about 5 times with short bouts of rest in between. I worked my way up to being able to hold the plank for a minute before changing it up to keep my core challenged. Some of the variations I have used involve doing the plank on one leg at a time, the side plank, and alternating arm punches directly out in front of me while holding the plank position. Alternate arm and leg raises are good too. The plank is also VERY challenging on a stability ball. I have noticed significant improvement in my ab strength from this exercise.

2.Plank Pose Twist. Start in plank pose position. Lifting your right leg and bending at the knee, twist slightly at the trunk and reach your knee towards your hip. Return to plank pose position and repeat with your other leg. Repeat this move on your left side. I tried to do 3 set of 12-15 repetitions. You can do this abdominal exercise by repeating all on one side and then switching or alternating sides each time. This actually works the obliques (muscles on the sides of your abs) as well.

3. Back Extensions. These work both the back and the front of your core. Some people call them the superman exercise. Lie on your stomach with your arms straight out in front of you palms facing down. Lift your upper body stretching your transverse abdominis muscle and your back muscles while lifting your lower body as high off the ground as possible at the same time. You want to have as little of your belly touch the floor as possible. This is a tricky one! Hold, then return to the ground. Do 10-15 repetitions. For added intensity, something I'm not very good at with this one yet, put one weight in both of your outstretched superman hands and lift the weight as you lift your upper body.

4. Woodchop exercise. This one really gets my abdominals burning. (I actually do it in a squat to engage my legs and my core even more. I like trying to make many of my moves multimuscle exercises, actually, so I can work as much of my body as possible at once, shortening the amount of time I have to spend working out.) Either in a squat or standing, hold a weight in both hands above your right shoulder. Rotate your torso and carefully swing the weight down to the middle of your left outer shin. Return to start. Really focus on engaging your core muscles. I try to repeat this exercise doing 3 sets of 12 on each side. You can do it without a weight if the weight is too difficult.

5. Pelvic tilt. This one works your back and legs as well. Try moving your legs closer to your butt, farther away, close together and apart to target different angles. You should be able to get your core and legs burning pretty quickly with these.

6. I have no idea what it's called but I saw another exercise on Dr. Oz where you get down on your hands and knees and extend your opposite arm and opposite leg, hold for 5 counts, return to start, then switch to the other side. Continue rotating until you've done 12-15 reps on each side. I can really feel this one working when I do it right after the plank exercise. It's a good one!

You can also google transverse abdominal exercises or core exercises to get all kinds of other great tips and exercises. Targeting your core from as many different angles as possible using a variety of exercises keeps your muscles guessing and your muscle tone improving. Also, just like any other muscle, rest is important too. You don't want to do all of theses exercises every day or you risk not only injuring yourself but impairing your progress. Take a day off of training your abs at least twice a week. If using weights, you should allow at least 48 hours in between sessions.

I'm by no means to my goal yet, but I know I am making progress and I credit these exercises with helping me. I'm also making sure I do cardio at least 5 days a week which is helping too. A clean diet is important as well but more on that later...If you've recovered from pregnancy and got your fit body back, I'd love to hear your secrets. Is there an exercise you found to be particularly helpful in tightening back up your middle? If so, please share. Us moms need all the help we can get.