As I write this I’m feeling something less than the perfect picture of health and fitness: I’m traveling for work, and nothing does in a diet quite like 24/7 access to room service. After a long day of standing around a tradeshow booth smiling vacantly at people, the notion of chocolate cake being delivered to my king-sized bed at 10 PM is just too tempting to resist.

As soon as I get home, though, I plan to get back in the swing of things diet-and-exercise-wise, and since January is traditionally the time of year when most of us re-visit our health goals, I thought I’d share my favorite workout DVDs with you guys. I prefer the accountability and challenge of an exercise class, but it can definitely be challenging to find the time to get out of the house and to a gym. Sometimes it’s all about jumping around the living room like a dork in order to work up a sweat, and for those times, here are my go-to videos:
Read the rest of this entry

I am so tired of having to talk about balance, think about balance, read about balance, re-evaluate balance. It never settles into “Ah ha! THIS is the right balance for us!”—or if it does, it gets knocked out of there by the next change that comes along: The kids get a little older and make different kinds of demands on your time than you’re used to. The job that was so satisfying asks you to work more hours, or different hours, or it gets boring. The other adult in your household leaves, or gets a different job, or feels dissatisfied with some aspect of the household. Your parents get older and need more help from you.

You don’t have to be a “working mom” (sigh) to have trouble balancing, and you don’t have to be a mom. Did you notice I didn’t say “You don’t even have to be a woman”? I’ll bet men struggle for balance sometimes, too, but I don’t notice it as much with them. I don’t notice Paul, for example, wondering if he’s doing the right thing by going to work. I don’t notice him suffering because his in-laws think he should cook more often or keep a cleaner house and he secretly wonders if that’s true, or if his wife might agree.  I don’t notice him worrying that his clothes are out of style, or that his hairstyle is looking daddish, or that the living room could really stand to be painted if we’re ever going to have anyone over.
Read the rest of this entry

For those of you who like tangible organization tools (as opposed to software), and you’re tired of the same old Day Runners, Day-Timers, Franklin Coveys, etc, this post’s for you. I’ve been looking at day planners recently, both because of a request to cover them here and the growing realization that the combination of two small children, a part-time office job, ongoing freelance assignments, and a swirling maelstrom of doctor’s appointments/errands/grocery lists/home and garden projects/ET-BLEEPING-CETERA is resulting in what you might call a need for improved personal productivity on my end.

Ahem. So, planners! Preferably interesting and/or unique ones! Let’s check them out:
Read the rest of this entry

After my first son was born I remember reading a parenting book that was supposed to be a collection of tips and tricks from Real Parents Just Like You, except the advice it contained had a real pod-person feel to it and I questioned the legitimacy of contributors like “Anne, mother of 7″ who suggested that dry oatmeal was a fun sensory stimulator for young children. “Just fill a box or plastic tub, and let the good times roll!” Sure, maybe a mother of seven has nothing better to do than vacuum a metric crapload of oatmeal out of every crevice in her house, but somehow I doubt it.

I’d rather read a collection of suggestions that address real-world issues, and “My children do not have nearly enough Quaker products crammed in their bodily cavities” isn’t really a concern I’ve experienced. I still consider myself a mouth-breathing amateur at this motherhood business, but here are a few of the tips I’ve learned over the last couple years, should anyone be in the market for creating a new oatmeal-free book:

Read the rest of this entry

I think the best investment I’ve made towards my work/life balance has to be the laptop I bought last year. Now instead of being tied to a desktop, I can quickly get some work done from wherever I need to be, whether that’s the living room sofa during naptime, the kitchen counter while I’m cooking dinner and jiggling a baby in the front carrier, or the local Starbucks (a lifesaver since being home on maternity leave; sometimes a person just needs to get the HELL out of Dodge, even if it’s just to get more work done).

Although I mostly use my MacBook around the house, for the times I do take my computer on the road I think I’d like a more travel-friendly bag that what I currently have. I’m pretty sure I’m going to upgrade to a current MacBook Pro this year, and I definitely want to make sure I keep it in good shape while still being able to comfortably tote it from Point A to Point B.

Laptop bags are sort of fun to shop for, like diaper bags they can run the spectrum from utilitarian to fancy purselike options. With my own personal criteria of wanting something at least somewhat rugged, comfortable, and sporty/funky in design, here’s a few I’ve been looking at lately:

Read the rest of this entry

Housework, huh yeah! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing! Say it again, y’all!

(This blog intro apologizes profusely to Edwin Starr, and promises not to describe some of the dance moves that accompanied the author’s off-key singing.)

I have a cleaning service come to my house every two weeks and it is the best investment on EARTH. They stay on top of the maintenance cleaning like toilets, tubs, floors, and dusting, which is an incredible help. Of course, with a husband, toddler, and constantly-shedding dog rampaging through the house every day, nothing stays clean for very long.

I like a non-filthy house, but the never-ending process of trying to keep it decent is about the most unsatisfying activity I engage in on a regular basis, even more so than wiping a poopy butt that isn’t even mine. Whatever you do, no matter how great it looks, it’s going to go to hell in a matter of hours and you’ll have to do it all over again. O Sisyphean Tragedy!

So let’s talk about cleaning-related products that make the entire process marginally less sucky, okay? I know, I know: cleaning products? Sorry, we’ll do something more fun next time, I promise.

My personal picks:

Read the rest of this entry

On the days when my husband and I both work, our schedules go something like this:

1. Take Riley to daycare. Depart for our respective offices, re-convening at the house with child in tow around 5:30 PM.

2. Dinner: sometimes all of us together, sometimes Riley eats first then runs off to play while JB and I eat our own dinners.

3. Playtime with Riley, reading books, taking baths, etc, before his 7:30 bedtime.

4. 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM: JB watches the news, works in his shop, and catches up on work email. I write blog entries, work on freelance projects, and if it’s a good day, follow an exercise DVD.

5. 9:30 - 11 PM: FREE TIME.

Man oh man do I ever relish that free time, where I’ve got no obligations hanging over my head and I can just sit back and relax. Preferably with a giant bowl of ice cream.

While I’m sure we could be engaged with more worthy pursuits, such as playing chess or learning French or, ha ha haaaaaaa, cleaning the house, both JB and I like to veg out in front of the TV during our free time. This is when we watch our Netflix’d movies and recorded TV shows, and I think it’s just one of those homey domestic rituals that helps us stay marginally sane and balanced in the midst of working parenthood.

(I’ve informed our unborn child that upon his arrival he will need to immediately adopt the same sleeping schedule as his older brother. Hey, I can dream, right?)

Here’s what we’ve been watching lately:

Read the rest of this entry

The silver lining in my fairly long work commute is the fact that I have a solid chunk of time when it’s just me and my iPod, and I can listen to whatever I want at whatever volume I want, without worrying about destroying/sullying my son’s ears—or more annoyingly, having him tell me “No SINGING wight now, Mommy!”.

Of course, this isn’t time spent in a zenlike spa environment with restful water fountains burbling in the background and ivory-robed masseuses descending upon me with hot stones and various pleasant-smelling unguents; rather, I’m typically crawling along in a sea of red lights with fifteen thousand different hair-raising merge scenarios to contend with. But whatever, music soothes the savage beast! Even if the beast is a cross-Seattle rush hour battlezone.

Here’s a sampling what I’ve been listening to lately:

Read the rest of this entry

I feel like a broken record lately, because all I can talk about/think about is the upcoming addition to our family who is scheduled to make his arrival on Feb 4. Yes, I’m finally getting a manny, his name is Alejandro and he’s moving here from Ecuador where he’s been wrapping up his studies in deep tissue massage and skincare regimens as well as early child development, and—

Oh, not really. My husband won’t let me have a manny, because he’s a GREAT BIG WHINER.

No, I’m talking about the baby who’s currently ensconced in my belly, methodically reducing my internal organs to mush with his various well-aimed kicks. According to various “medical theories”, he’s going to actually be on the outside of my body soon? And I’ll have to, like, take care of him and stuff? While simultaneously parenting a 2-year-old and doing freelance jobs and not allowing the house to collapse under the weight of its own filth?

The whole idea is kind of blowing my mind and making all other achievements seem wussy in comparison. Oh, you climbed Everest? Whatever dude, at least you had Sherpas.

Anyway, I thought we could talk about some must-have baby items today. Not that I don’t have a metric crapload of baby stuff already, but maybe I’m missing some critical product that will ensure Baby #2’s comfort, angelic behavior, and tendency to sleep through the night starting at 6 weeks of age.

The theme here is not necessities—not diapers, clothes, etc—but extra luxuries that you’d recommend to any new parent. Hey, ho. Let’s go!

Read the rest of this entry

Happy New Year! Not that you’re even reading, because surely you’re all recovering from your various thrilling New Year’s Eve festivities, which probably included bubbly beverages and steamy midnight kisses.

My own evening featured an illicit 5 PM Red Bull, so I’d have a fighting chance at staying awake to watch the Space Needle fireworks at 12 AM, at which point I kissed my bottle of Tums for helping to keep the worst of my pregnancy-induced acid reflux at bay.

Yeah, don’t try and tell me I don’t know how to party.

Anyway, I have been thinking vaguely about New Year’s resolutions, and how being a giant third-trimester whale on January 1st really goes a long way towards getting you off the hook on those damn things. My resolution for 2008: have healthy child, maintain sanity afterwards.

I know there will come a time, though, when my thoughts will turn from the daily chaos of newborn + toddler to the state of my body. While I have no plans to make life even more stressful by fretting over the inevitable postpartum disrepair, I know from experience that getting back in shape will make a huge difference in my emotional well-being and overall productivity.

With that in mind, and the fact that most New Year’s goals tend to involve dealing with our waistlines, forgive me for going the predictable route on this post and recommending some fitness products. Earlier in 2007 (before I got knocked up and everything went to hell) I was in a really good exercise groove, and I’d like to share the things that worked excellently for me—as a busy mom with not a lot of time to invest in gym visits. If working out is the last thing you want to be thinking about right now, please enjoy this great forum thread instead.

Read the rest of this entry