First Entry

I am inspired to write.  Lately I act on my inspiration late at night..tonight it's 10:30. Michael and Aven are both sleeping and it seems to be the best time for me to do what I need/want to do uninterrupted. If Aven's schedule holds up tonight, the way it has been the last 2 months, I have an hour and a half to do what I want to do before she wakes up and wants to eat.  That means going to bed late and waking up at 7ish, but its worth it.  The dishes are done, fresh pumpkin puree is in the fridge to bake my first homemade pumpkin pie tomorrow, coffee is ground and in the press, laundry is folded and I've even brushed my teeth.

I am excited about this blog.  I would like it to be a space for me to hold myself accountable for goals I have. My largest goal at this time is weight loss. Yes, I would like to loose weight.  Right now I am 150 pounds; 20 more than what I was before pregnancy and I bet that there is an extra weight of 4 lbs in my, well, unmentionables... so I have to remember to take that into account. I gained 40 lbs during pregnancy and I think the majority of it came in the last trimester when all I did was eat.  I was so hungry, unlike the first trimester where I was never sick, but everything sounded like it would make me sick, so I didn't eat...except for cheerios.

To begin this weight loss thing I need to talk about what I am doing wrong. I try everyday to maintain a healthy diet, but there are some nights where I just don't want to cook and Michael is exhausted too, so we put a frozen pizza in the oven. Sometimes we'll put veggies on it, but tonight it was good ol' pepperoni and cheese.  And then there's the sugar.  I have cut back dramatically on my sugar intake the last two weeks, but I still crave it and have a bit of it each day.  I'm hoping to move away from the refined sugar, it really helps me to have apples in the house. 

And there is staying active. I love to run. It has been a sanity saver since Aven was born, and now she is old enough that I can take her with me. She loves her jogging stroller and I love to see her little legs and feet kicking in delight while we cruise along the trail. Right now our favorite is the Willow Lake trail.  There's a 6 mile and a 3 mile, hilly and with free parking. I just do not get out enough though. Some days getting into my running clothes, making sure Aven is fed, getting her into a clean diaper and warm gear, getting the stroller in the car (sometimes the dog too), the baby into the car and me into the car without forgetting anything is just to damn hard.  Plus I have guilt of going running if the house is a wreck and I need to do laundry.

I've been spending a lot of time pondering the balance between taking care of myself and taking care of my home.  I think that it is pretty simple. If I don't take care of my need for fresh air and an active lifestyle, then my mood and my overall state of being are effected in a not so positive way. I am "my best self" when I'm active and healthy, and I'm Aven's best mom and Michael's best partner.

Running melts away any stresses.  It is rare that I go out for a run and come back without a smile on my face and a new perspective. Climbing is that way for me too, but I have not been on a rope since October of 2009.  Yikes.  Writing that sends a pang through my heart.  Letting climbing go away from me was a fight, and not an easy one. I know and knew that it will/would come back, but I just could not find any acceptance for the distance in that age-old relationship.  Acceptance has been found and now I feel and see climbing slowly coming back into my life, making itself present in the subtlest ways.

Anyways, back to weight loss.  I think I am going to do a detox. I have a wonderful book called Super Detox, by Michael van Straten. The book contains quizes to evaluate your health, weight, energy, radiance and is stocked with recipes too.  There is a 10 day weight loss detox that I am pondering, but I would like to look over the others and see what fits me best for right now. 
Heres some recent photos of the family from the last week or so.

Acker Music Night, downtown Prescott

Sunset from our back deck 3 nights ago

Aven getting the hang of sitting up by herself, while her buddy, Phoenix, plays with her shoe.

Acker Music Night

These last two are from our Christmas shopping extravaganza last weekend

Michael is doing good.  He just got done with one of the phases of restoration out at Watson Woods.  Its a project he's been working on for about 15 years.  Here's a link to the website of his non-profit organiztation, Prescott Creeks: www.PrescottCreeks.org.  We are looking forward to our first Christmas with Aven.