I really want to get into triathlons. I wanted to do a sprint tri last year and wasn't able to since I didn't have a road bike. I actually still don't have a road bike but I'm hoping to complete my first indoor tri within the next couple of months actually. Fingers crossed I feel well enough and baby cooporates.
While I plan to start off with a sprint tri because the distances are all relatively low and I feel it's a great way to get my feet wet with this sport I have to admit that to one day even train for an Ironman is a dream of mine. I mean, I have to like tri's first, so doing a couple sprint tri's will let me know if I want to continue with this pipe dream. But if I do find that I like them I plan to do an Olympic distance and possibly a half-ironman once baby girl is bigger.
A full ironman, most days that seems like a pipe dream. It seems like something I could NEVER do. These athletes are crazy! Ok..actually I don't think they are crazy, I think they are AMAZING. Anybody wyo can swim 2.4 miles, then bike 112 miles, then run 26.2 miles is amazing. Shoot, anybody who trains to do that and goes for it is worthy in my opinion.
The below video is very motivating for me. It's people who are at their breaking point but they keep trying. They Try to finish something they started. I think we can all learn from that. I also have a feeling if I ever compete in an ironman I'll make it on a video like this one. haha
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
How do you get your point across?
One of the book blogs I follow, Kittling: Books, posts these quizes and it's always fun to see what others get and how many of us are similar or how many different answers there are. I thought I might start posting them on this blog. Many times these answers are actually spot on, other times I just don't see it.
This one, I'm not so sure about. Some things I know are correct though.
This one, I'm not so sure about. Some things I know are correct though.
| You Get Your Point Across by Discussing |
 You prefer to open things up for discussion and see where the brainstorming takes you. You don't have expectations. You are open-minded and flexible. You don't see things as set in stone, and you like to leave yourself open. You are a good listener, and you think that you can learn from everyone. You know you're not always right. |
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Another year bites the dust
2011 was an interesting year. Interesting good, interesting bad.
I started off the year in high hopes because I had finally begun seeing a fertility specialist (unless you've had diagnosed issues in the past you normally have to wait 1 year before a specialist will see you) and felt that things were finally moving forward. Only to go through tests and surgery and find that nothing was wrong, the body was just broken. Then of course incredibly happy when I found out that the drugs finally worked and I was pregnant. The only issue is that this happened when Husband I were going through some issues. So in my mind that puts a dent in the happiness factor.
I started off the year training for a 15k trail run and a half marathon. Training on my own. I did awesome, for me, at the 15k trail run and had a very disapointing half marathon. I then met some local runners and started to run with them and things picked up. I ended up hitting my time goal for the fall half marathon and being incredibly happy with my training for the year.
I had started eating healthier in 2010 and continued doing that in 2011. I slowly started to get more organic and all-natural items into our diet. This is still a struggle with Husband as he looks at cost and nothing else. So it depends on who does the grocery shopping.
I really started to make changes to make our life more eco-friendly. It's something I had always been interested in and I started doing it in 2010 but 2011 saw me making some major strides. I have indoor laundry lines, I haven't bought cleaning supplies all year, instead I make my own. I tried my hand at growing tomatoes and was happy with the result, although the lettuce didn't work out. I cleared land for a vegetable garden for this coming Spring. I even have a compost area now.
The year was full of ups and downs for me. For some reason the end of the year seemed to be the hardest for me and while I want to blame it on the hormones I'm not sure that's actually what's going on. I found myself doing a lot of searching inside on what I want and what makes me happy and I'm not sure a conclusion has been made yet. I suppose this is probably normal for a lot of people while awaiting their first child.
I can't say 2012 has been off to a great start, heck we're only 4 days into it. However some major changes are coming and while I'm paranoid about the main one, I'm also looking forward to it and feel I'm ready. You don't deal with the ups and downs of infertility just to not feel ready when the time approaches.
Here's hoping we all have a great 2012.
I started off the year in high hopes because I had finally begun seeing a fertility specialist (unless you've had diagnosed issues in the past you normally have to wait 1 year before a specialist will see you) and felt that things were finally moving forward. Only to go through tests and surgery and find that nothing was wrong, the body was just broken. Then of course incredibly happy when I found out that the drugs finally worked and I was pregnant. The only issue is that this happened when Husband I were going through some issues. So in my mind that puts a dent in the happiness factor.
I started off the year training for a 15k trail run and a half marathon. Training on my own. I did awesome, for me, at the 15k trail run and had a very disapointing half marathon. I then met some local runners and started to run with them and things picked up. I ended up hitting my time goal for the fall half marathon and being incredibly happy with my training for the year.
I had started eating healthier in 2010 and continued doing that in 2011. I slowly started to get more organic and all-natural items into our diet. This is still a struggle with Husband as he looks at cost and nothing else. So it depends on who does the grocery shopping.
I really started to make changes to make our life more eco-friendly. It's something I had always been interested in and I started doing it in 2010 but 2011 saw me making some major strides. I have indoor laundry lines, I haven't bought cleaning supplies all year, instead I make my own. I tried my hand at growing tomatoes and was happy with the result, although the lettuce didn't work out. I cleared land for a vegetable garden for this coming Spring. I even have a compost area now.
The year was full of ups and downs for me. For some reason the end of the year seemed to be the hardest for me and while I want to blame it on the hormones I'm not sure that's actually what's going on. I found myself doing a lot of searching inside on what I want and what makes me happy and I'm not sure a conclusion has been made yet. I suppose this is probably normal for a lot of people while awaiting their first child.
I can't say 2012 has been off to a great start, heck we're only 4 days into it. However some major changes are coming and while I'm paranoid about the main one, I'm also looking forward to it and feel I'm ready. You don't deal with the ups and downs of infertility just to not feel ready when the time approaches.
Here's hoping we all have a great 2012.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Happy Holidays
I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday and you get to spend time with loved ones and friends.
Monday, December 19, 2011
The Diaper Debate
I'm determined to use cloth diapers once Squirt arrives. So this debate isn't even whether I use cloth or disposables. The issue is do I use a diaper service or buy them ourselves.
At first I was set on using the all-in-one kind and getting enough that we would only have to wash every 2 or 3 days. Then I talked to a friend who used a diaper service and she recommended it. Even though she is a stay-at-home Mom she was happy not to have to actually clean the diapers off and wash them herself. Knowing that Husband was going along with the cloth diaper idea but not looking forward to cleaning the diapers I looked into a diaper service.
We compared the cost of the all-in-ones and the cost of the diaper service. We factored in both of us working 40 hours per week and needing to find time to do all this laundry. We factored in the cost of running our washing machine and dryer every couple of days. We went away leaning towards the diaper service. Since Husband only wants one kid, we wouldn't get as much use out of the diapers as other parents who re-use them for multiple children. So it came down to the cost not being that much different. We leaned towards the diaper service so that I wouldn't be stuck doing the extra loads of laundry and we wouldn't have to clean the diapers before putting them in the laundry.
Then I did some more reading and saw that the diaper services use pre-folds. First off, we already have the day-care reserved and we'll be using in-home daycare. The lady we decided to go with is perfectly ok with cloth diapering and says she did it with her kids. So I actually think she'll be ok with pre-folds. However, if we ended up not being happy with her and wanted to put Squirt in a daycare center, they would require the all-in-ones. So that could be an issue. The other thing is that I wasn't too happy with the pre-fold idea.
This past weekend we went to a store called Cotton Babies. I'm pretty sure they're my only option for a store that I can go into and buy cloth diapers instead of using the internet. They have several different kinds so we tested them all out on a doll. We came up with a way to do the pre-folds that makes me happy. I walked out saying ok, let's do this diaper service.
Later that night Husband brought up the cloth diapering and mentioned that if we're doing pre-folds we should look into buying everything and doing it ourselves instead of using a diaper service. He thought the pre-folds were pretty inexpensive and it would be a lot cheaper. So I ran numbers again. Even though he insists on only one child, so knowing we'll only use these diapers for one kid, it's still a heck of a lot cheaper for us to purchase the pre-folds and covers than to use the diaper service.
Here's what is holding me back. Again, we both work 40 hour weeks. Doing it all ourselves just means we'll have to do more laundry. We'll be exhausted. We'll want to spend time with Squirt and not doing laundry. Plus I had gotten really happy about the fact that I could just put soiled, poopy diapers in a bag and put it on my porch once a week and they magically get replaced with clean ones.
So here's my question to all you Mom's out there who used cloth diapers. You have experience, what can you suggest? Was doing a load of diapers every 2 days a big pain in the butt and you wish you used a service or was it something you got used to pretty quickly and it wasn't an issue. Is cleaning the diapers a pain, to the point that the idea of just throwing soiled diapers into a bag and forgetting about it would be heaven? Or is that something you quickly get used it?
Oh, and let me add in that we've run the numbers and we've erred on the side of things being more expensive and the cost of the diaper service is very management for us. So while keeping cost down is important, it's not a deal breaker (if that makes sense). I've also had people tell me that they were going to use cloth and lasted 2 weeks or a month, and switched to disposables because it was a pain (all these people have older children, so they weren't using the clothe options available these days). I don't see us doing that. Not just because I think it's the best option for my child and for the environment. But also because I'm pretty stubborn and since everyone is telling me I won't last and I won't like it, I'm determined to prove them wrong. haha
At first I was set on using the all-in-one kind and getting enough that we would only have to wash every 2 or 3 days. Then I talked to a friend who used a diaper service and she recommended it. Even though she is a stay-at-home Mom she was happy not to have to actually clean the diapers off and wash them herself. Knowing that Husband was going along with the cloth diaper idea but not looking forward to cleaning the diapers I looked into a diaper service.
We compared the cost of the all-in-ones and the cost of the diaper service. We factored in both of us working 40 hours per week and needing to find time to do all this laundry. We factored in the cost of running our washing machine and dryer every couple of days. We went away leaning towards the diaper service. Since Husband only wants one kid, we wouldn't get as much use out of the diapers as other parents who re-use them for multiple children. So it came down to the cost not being that much different. We leaned towards the diaper service so that I wouldn't be stuck doing the extra loads of laundry and we wouldn't have to clean the diapers before putting them in the laundry.
Then I did some more reading and saw that the diaper services use pre-folds. First off, we already have the day-care reserved and we'll be using in-home daycare. The lady we decided to go with is perfectly ok with cloth diapering and says she did it with her kids. So I actually think she'll be ok with pre-folds. However, if we ended up not being happy with her and wanted to put Squirt in a daycare center, they would require the all-in-ones. So that could be an issue. The other thing is that I wasn't too happy with the pre-fold idea.
This past weekend we went to a store called Cotton Babies. I'm pretty sure they're my only option for a store that I can go into and buy cloth diapers instead of using the internet. They have several different kinds so we tested them all out on a doll. We came up with a way to do the pre-folds that makes me happy. I walked out saying ok, let's do this diaper service.
Later that night Husband brought up the cloth diapering and mentioned that if we're doing pre-folds we should look into buying everything and doing it ourselves instead of using a diaper service. He thought the pre-folds were pretty inexpensive and it would be a lot cheaper. So I ran numbers again. Even though he insists on only one child, so knowing we'll only use these diapers for one kid, it's still a heck of a lot cheaper for us to purchase the pre-folds and covers than to use the diaper service.
Here's what is holding me back. Again, we both work 40 hour weeks. Doing it all ourselves just means we'll have to do more laundry. We'll be exhausted. We'll want to spend time with Squirt and not doing laundry. Plus I had gotten really happy about the fact that I could just put soiled, poopy diapers in a bag and put it on my porch once a week and they magically get replaced with clean ones.
So here's my question to all you Mom's out there who used cloth diapers. You have experience, what can you suggest? Was doing a load of diapers every 2 days a big pain in the butt and you wish you used a service or was it something you got used to pretty quickly and it wasn't an issue. Is cleaning the diapers a pain, to the point that the idea of just throwing soiled diapers into a bag and forgetting about it would be heaven? Or is that something you quickly get used it?
Oh, and let me add in that we've run the numbers and we've erred on the side of things being more expensive and the cost of the diaper service is very management for us. So while keeping cost down is important, it's not a deal breaker (if that makes sense). I've also had people tell me that they were going to use cloth and lasted 2 weeks or a month, and switched to disposables because it was a pain (all these people have older children, so they weren't using the clothe options available these days). I don't see us doing that. Not just because I think it's the best option for my child and for the environment. But also because I'm pretty stubborn and since everyone is telling me I won't last and I won't like it, I'm determined to prove them wrong. haha
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Mastercard + cloth diapers?
I don't normally watch commercials. I'm one of the millions in love with their DVR because I can record all my programs and watch them later, when I can skip adds. However dealing with insomnia often finds me watching tv when most people are asleep. This means I'm watching, or listening, to a lot of commercials.
I just happened to catch a MasterCard commercial and I was just staring at the screen, not really paying attention, when I noticed something. The toddler in the commercial is wearing a cloth diaper. At least I assume it's a cloth diaper. It certainly looks like the toddler is probably in a pre-folder with a cover. I was surprised and then excited. It's so nice to see a commercial for a major company showing this. I don't know how many will notice that it's not a disposable. I don't know how many who do notice will bother thinking "hmm..that's not a disposable. It's cloth. Let me look into this." However, it's a start. Even if the commercial gets one person to think about cloth and make the switch to cloth, it's worth it. I can only hope this will be a trend and we'll see this more often.
Here's the commercial in case you haven't seen it yet. Not that I'm promoting the company, they aren't paying me for this, but it sure would be nice if they did.
I just happened to catch a MasterCard commercial and I was just staring at the screen, not really paying attention, when I noticed something. The toddler in the commercial is wearing a cloth diaper. At least I assume it's a cloth diaper. It certainly looks like the toddler is probably in a pre-folder with a cover. I was surprised and then excited. It's so nice to see a commercial for a major company showing this. I don't know how many will notice that it's not a disposable. I don't know how many who do notice will bother thinking "hmm..that's not a disposable. It's cloth. Let me look into this." However, it's a start. Even if the commercial gets one person to think about cloth and make the switch to cloth, it's worth it. I can only hope this will be a trend and we'll see this more often.
Here's the commercial in case you haven't seen it yet. Not that I'm promoting the company, they aren't paying me for this, but it sure would be nice if they did.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Frustration
I don't think it will come as a surprise to any of you when I mention how much I like to workout. Even a bad workout is preferred over no workout. It's not that I'm that vain and want to keep my body in the shape that it is, it's more that it's a huge stress reliever for me. I don't usually have a lot of stress, but a workout can still be very calming.
So that's why I'm struggling with working out while pregnant. It's not that I can't workout, because I'm still working out roughly 5 days a week. The issue is that I can't do the intensity that I need. As luck would have it, my relatively stress free life is currently very stressful (both home and work). I'm nursing an injury so I'm not able to run, but I'm able to do a lot of cross training. I'm spending my time riding a bike, swimming, and doing strength training. All are great workouts. It's not the same as running. It doesn't calm me the same way. To make matters worse, I have to keep my heart rate at 155 or below, which means I can't get in as tough of a workout as I would like. I think this adds in a bit of stress.
To add to this, trail running is a huge passion of mine. I had 3 trail races planned for this winter. Due to being a huge klutz and tripping every time I trail run and falling a lot, I'm currently not trail running while pregnant. I realize that this is all for the best, seriously I do. It's still hard to not be able to do something you love so much. I live 5 min from the park I prefer to run at, so it's not even like I can avoid it.
Yes, I realize I need to watch my hear rate. Yes, I realize it's best to avoid situations that I know would be harmful to my body. Yes I'm still stressed out about it. Yes I do realize how that sounds. Husband and I dealt with infertility and it took 20 months for my body to actually work properly. So feeling upset because I can't do the races I wanted to do and feeling upset because I can't trail run or workout to the intensity that I want is also causing a lot of guilt. I shouldn't be stressed about it, I should be happy about it because of the reason why. Yet, it's hard on me. I wish it wasn't. I kinda hope this is a normal reaction that people have, just being a tad upset but I feel like I'm alone in this. Which causes more guilt. Which stresses me out. This is a viscous cycle.
So that's why I'm struggling with working out while pregnant. It's not that I can't workout, because I'm still working out roughly 5 days a week. The issue is that I can't do the intensity that I need. As luck would have it, my relatively stress free life is currently very stressful (both home and work). I'm nursing an injury so I'm not able to run, but I'm able to do a lot of cross training. I'm spending my time riding a bike, swimming, and doing strength training. All are great workouts. It's not the same as running. It doesn't calm me the same way. To make matters worse, I have to keep my heart rate at 155 or below, which means I can't get in as tough of a workout as I would like. I think this adds in a bit of stress.
To add to this, trail running is a huge passion of mine. I had 3 trail races planned for this winter. Due to being a huge klutz and tripping every time I trail run and falling a lot, I'm currently not trail running while pregnant. I realize that this is all for the best, seriously I do. It's still hard to not be able to do something you love so much. I live 5 min from the park I prefer to run at, so it's not even like I can avoid it.
Yes, I realize I need to watch my hear rate. Yes, I realize it's best to avoid situations that I know would be harmful to my body. Yes I'm still stressed out about it. Yes I do realize how that sounds. Husband and I dealt with infertility and it took 20 months for my body to actually work properly. So feeling upset because I can't do the races I wanted to do and feeling upset because I can't trail run or workout to the intensity that I want is also causing a lot of guilt. I shouldn't be stressed about it, I should be happy about it because of the reason why. Yet, it's hard on me. I wish it wasn't. I kinda hope this is a normal reaction that people have, just being a tad upset but I feel like I'm alone in this. Which causes more guilt. Which stresses me out. This is a viscous cycle.
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