Quick Indoor Workouts

Okay, I mentioned yesterday how difficult I find it to get motivated during these dark, rainy days. And I live in LA, where I'm pretty sure it hasn't dipped below 59 degrees since last winter. So I imagine that wherever you are is a little colder than here, and I have no excuse for blaming the elements for my lack of motivation to work out.

And yet, I do blame the elements. So my workout options dwindle during this time of the year, but I just got back to feeling strong and have a good thing going with regular exercise. I want to keep it going, but I need realistic workouts that I can do at home with minimal time and minimal equipment.

That's what I'm here to share today: workouts that can be done anywhere, with little or no equipment, in 20 minutes or less. No excuses!

Upper Body Supersets (Dumbbells only!)
Complete each set twice, then do 15 pushups before moving on to the next set. Use medium weights.

EMOM Workouts (No equipment needed!)
(Every Minute, On the Minute) These workouts have quickly become a favorite around here, because they're quick and easy to customize. Here are some ideas:

Full Body EMOM:
EMOM 15--Complete 5 Burpees every minute for 15 minutes (Works up a good sweat, full body workout, and super quick!)

EMOM 20--Complete 5 push ups + 10 squats every minute for 20 minutes (Hits major muscle groups in the upper and lower body, and definitely challenging.)

Upper Body EMOM:
EMOM 10 (x2)--I posted two upper body EMOM workouts a while back. These ones alternate even and odd minutes to add variety to the workout.

Lower Body EMOM:
EMOM 20--10 squats + 5 squat jumps every minute on the minute for 20 minutes. Great for toning and getting that heart rate up.

EMOM 15--5 plie squats + 10 walking lunges + 5 calf raises every minute on the minute for 15 minutes. Challenges the entire lower body.



45/15 Cardio/Core (No equipment needed!)
Complete each exercise for 45 seconds, then rest for 15 seconds before moving on to the next.

Mountain Climbers
Squat + Backward Lunge (alternating legs)
Reverse Crunch
Plank Jacks
Walking Lunges (alternating legs)
Bicycle Crunches
Speed Skaters
Plie Squats
Supermans
Air Squats
Glute Bridges
Reverse Plank

Repeat as many times as you would like. :-)


More great workouts for your winter enjoyment:
Stability Ball Core Workout
12-Minute Workout
January Indoor Workout
Winter Core Circuit

You can also follow me on Pinterest to find lots more workouts I like!

12 Weeks Postpartum: How I'm Doing

I think it's time for a little update! My last one about me was at seven weeks postpartum, so I'll follow  some of the same format.

Emotions
I think my emotions have finally leveled out. I'm still a bit more emotional in general than I used to be, but I don't cry at everything the way I did the first two weeks and I don't feel as overwhelmed as I did when Terry first went back to work.

That said, I still have tough days. This week, for example, was very close to hellish. We had a great time at Jenn and Justin's wedding and visiting our friends on the way home, but then we kind of felt like our schedule was off before the week even started. Monday was my birthday, but we kept things mellow because Terry was swamped at work (he ended up pulling an all-nighter that night). Tuesday I woke up all achy and feverish, which turned out to be a bout of mastitis. Thankfully I felt mostly better yesterday, but by then we were both exhausted and had hardly done any housework or unpacking. Today was just blah, and Terry's work doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon. I know, first world problems, but when they all pile up like that I do get a bit down.

Luckily, a lot of my emotions lately are happy ones, because Marshall is so much more interactive, responsive, and fun! I'll write more about that in his three-month post, but a baby who smiles and is getting close to laughing is much more fun than one who just stares at you.

The Hardest Part
So far, I still agree with what I said last time. Being a mom isn't easy!

Exercise
It's slow going, but I'm trying hard to go for a long walk every day at least. Today was by far my most active day. I guess I needed to get some stress out at the end of such a tough week, but I did about 25 minutes of my favorite yoga video (working up to being able to do the full 45 minutes--if Marshall will allow it), 3 sets of 15 reps each of hammer curls and overhead presses, 5 sets of 20 dips, a bunch of calf raises, and a long walk (maybe three miles) with Marshall on the Strand. Now I'm curious to see how sore I'll be tomorrow.

Overall, though, workouts vary daily based on how the day goes and what time Terry gets home. We're trying to meet at the Strand once a week for a long walk and/or run, like we did today, but strength training takes a backseat to other responsibilities more often than not. Still, I find myself throwing in a few push ups or squats here and there, and I know this time is only temporary. Excited as I am to build back up to my intense stuff, as long as I get a walk in I'm happy for now. Hopefully Terry's work will calm down so we can take turns getting more dedicated workout time in, but it'll happen in time.

Postpartum Body
I haven't really talked much about it yet, but things are certainly different! I lost almost all the pregnancy weight right away, but I think I've gained some back, so I'm maybe five pounds above where I started pre-pregnancy. That seems about right to me, though, since I'm breastfeeding and need to be able to feed our giant child. I could do MUCH better about my nutrition, though, so that's going to be a goal for next month. More greens, more veggies and fruits, and more water!

As far as how I feel about how I look, I think I have a long way to go before I'm satisfied, but I'm also in no rush. My legs and arms are less toned, my abs are nonexistent, and I definitely have hips now! Things are just kind of squishy in some places. I'm not wearing any maternity clothes anymore, but my pants are all a tiny bit snug. But it all comes with the territory, and I'll get back to a new normal eventually.

Also, my scar has healed, but my entire lower abdomen area is still sore and tingly to the touch. I think that's normal. I hope.

Routines
When I was pregnant and after Marshall was born, I felt anxious about how this baby would disrupt our comfortable routines. And disrupt our lives he did! But in the best possible way. (Hello, mom cliche.)

Now our routines are finally settling back down and look something like this:

• Wake up at least once per night to feed Marshall, burp him, and change his diaper. He puts himself back to sleep almost every time, so this event takes about 30-45 minutes.
• Wake up around 7-8, depending on Marshall. 
• Spend the morning eating, playing, and napping. Play time involves singing, making faces trying to get M to smile, reading books, tummy time, and looking at toys. We run through this pattern of eating, playing, and sleeping about every two hours.

• During Marshall's naps I eat, play with Scout, or tidy up the house. His longest naps are around 45 minutes, so I rarely have time for more than that.
• In the afternoons we get out of the house for our long walk, errands, etc. Marshall tends to sleep.
• Terry usually gets home around 6, at which point he spends time with Marshall or we all play together. If it's a bath night, we give him the bath together and then read a story before putting him to bed around 7-7:30.
• Then I head back out to cook dinner. Terry usually tidies up or helps around the house however he can, and we eat around 8:30. It's been nice to just start eating later, because then we get quiet time just the two of us. When we were trying to eat at 6:30 or 7, the nights felt hectic and we weren't really paying attention to Marshall. This way is more relaxing and fun.
• We watch some TV, relax, chat, and clean up before heading to bed around 10:30.

The weekends are obviously a different story, but the weekdays are nice. I am now part of a MOMS group, and my first outing with them is tomorrow, so I hope that will mix things up a bit. I'm also trying to have one "big" outing per week, like visiting a friend or driving up to UCLA to walk around campus. It will help me stay sane, I think.

So that's where things are now. I feel pretty lucky that I am able to breastfeed and that I'm finding some time to work out. Those are huge gifts to me, and I can start working on better menu planning, more comprehensive workouts, and more "me" time. I know I'll look back at this time eventually and miss it, so I'm trying to soak it all in!

WIAW + Our New Favorite Walking Spot

First of all, thanks so much for all the supportive, positive comments on Marshall's birth story. Sounds like I'm not alone in struggling with my emotions about labor and delivery, and I appreciate hearing from others who have experienced something similar.

If you've been reading for the last few months (thank you!), you've undoubtedly noticed that I'm not exactly loving our new location. I'm trying to be positive about the place (tons of stores nearby to make errands and grocery shopping super quick and easy; a safe, peaceful neighborhood; lots of privacy; plenty of chances to explore new areas), but I do miss our old neighborhood. We could walk any direction for awesome people watching, pedestrian-friendly zones, even cafes and restaurants. I realize it would have been a lot to ask to find the same thing in our new place, but I'm bummed that we really have to drive to find any pedestrian-friendly areas here.

Luckily, once we recognized that our immediate area isn't awesome for walking, we simply decided to make more of an effort to drive the few minutes it takes to get somewhere better. If it gets us out of the house and into the fresh air, it's worth it. So lately I've been on a mission to find places to walk, and I think our new favorite spot is The Strand in Redondo Beach. Actually, we first discovered it (I had heard of it but never dared admit to anyone that I didn't know what it was) when I was super pregnant!

The Strand is a long stretch along the beach spanning a few of the beach cities. Tons of folks are out there any time of day--cyclists, runners, couples walking with strollers, families biking together, girlfriends walking and chatting, you name it--so I feel like I'm in good company. There are designated walking/biking paths, so the stroller has no trouble navigating around. Parking is free, a major bonus in LA.

The whole area is like a walker's dream. Shops and restaurants ("Riviera Village") line the streets one block up from the beach. Another block or two up from that is a Trader Joe's, a Wahoo's, and a few other popular spots. There's even a small farmer's market on Fridays.

The walking paths (there are a few to choose from, all parallel to each other--one right on the sand, one a little elevated, and one at street level) stretch quite far, and yesterday Marshall and I walked 3.5 miles round trip when we visited the Redondo Landing pier.

Terry and I talked last week about how we miss our evening walks and how hard it's been to keep up an exercise schedule since Marshall arrived. It's easier for me, because I can take him walking every day, but I miss running regularly, and he's not ready for jogging in the stroller yet. So we came up with a solution: once a week, we'll meet at The Strand. We'll spend an hour walking and taking turns jogging so the other person can walk with the stroller. Today was our first time out, and it was awesome!

Aside from the perfect weather, Terry got to run (I am super sore from a pretty sad little workout I did yesterday, so I just walked), we got to chat and catch up on each other's days while Marshall hung out happily in his stroller, and we got some fresh air and exercise. I clocked over four miles according to my FitBit (about 10,000 steps), and we simply enjoyed it. It's definitely going to be easy to convince ourselves to make this beach walk a regular thing!

I'm still exploring other walking areas, but another favorite is Terranea, the resort near us. The walking path is just less populated, so the people watching isn't as entertaining when I'm alone with Marshall.

Alright, let's move on to WIAW!

Breakfast: my new go-to--oatmeal with raisins, a splash each of maple syrup and milk, peanut butter, and some granola. Enjoyed atop a Dr. Seuss book with little feet kicking near me.

A snack: yogurt with honey, almonds, and chocolate chips. Someday I'll have to stop using breastfeeding as an excuse to eat chocolate before noon every day.

Scout found my morning dessert less than desirable.

Lunch, which I cooked during Marshall's only nap that was not on me: scrambled eggs with pepperjack cheese, some deli turkey, and half an avocado on a tortilla

Afternoon snack: a peach

Dinner, which I completely forgot to photograph: Thai takeout! Terry had a craving. I didn't love it. I had pad thai. Should I try something else?

Dessert: three of these cookies, which I made over the weekend. Peanut butter cookies with chocolate-peanut butter filling. I love you, Smitten Kitchen.

And here's an upside down photo of Marshall, because I think he looks cute in red stripes. 

Happy Wednesday! Hope it was a great one for you! Check out the other WIAWs!


What's your favorite place to walk or run? Is a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood important to you?

Our New Normal: Weekend

Before Marshall was born, I felt a lot of anxiety about how a baby would change the dynamics of our marriage. Terry and I have always been go-go-go people, packing tons of fun into our weekends. I wondered if we would feel trapped at home or if we would start to become total homebodies.

So far, I think we've found a great balance for this transition into parenthood. We definitely don't pack nearly as much into each weekend, but we also don't want to. We're tired! So each weekend contains one "big" outing or event and then we spend a lot of time trying to sleep in, catching up on chores or errands, and relaxing. It's a new kind of fun, though, because watching our baby do tummy time is suddenly as exhilarating as a trip to wine country! Here's a little glimpse into a typical weekend with baby on board.

On Friday, Terry volunteered to take over baby duties so I could enjoy a little time to myself (my first extended "break" since baby arrived!). So I laced up my shoes and went out for a run.

It was short, but I can tell I'm already improving my endurance and strength. I only moved 1.5 miles, and I definitely walked at least a third, but I'm trying to ease back in to workouts, so it felt fine to limit myself. Also, I'm taking my time on the 100 Push Up Challenge (FYI, I'm using the "Level 1" column for each day...again, we're easing back in here). I started last Monday but felt sore for about three days, so I just completed Week 1 today.

I've also completed a few very mellow lower body strength training workouts. They've been indoors, bodyweight only--squats, plie squats, stationary lunges, glute bridges, etc. It's great to feel a little sore! While I have a LONG way to go before I feel "normal," at least I notice a difference in my mood, outlook, and body image when I do something active daily.

Friday evening we finally got to see Jenn and Justin's new place and had a blast catching up with them. I'm always excited to hear updates about Jenn's wedding planning, especially since the big day is only about three weeks away!

On Saturday, Terry and I took Marshall on his longest drive so far (1.5 hours) to visit our friends for a 30th birthday party. We had a great time catching up, being outside, and relaxing with friends. Marshall and Kayla (Heidi and Ed's daughter, who is three weeks older than our little guy) are a crime-fighting duo now!

(Thanks for the onesie and the photo, Heidi!)

Terry joined in with his Captain America shirt, too.

Yesterday was a wonderfully mellow day. Terry let me sleep in a bit after a rough night with Marshall, and then we took a family walk to our new favorite bakery for pastries. We also took advantage of a free afternoon to do some laundry and chores, and the house feels cleaner than it has in weeks.

My spectacular chef of a husband grilled some chicken for dinner--a perfect end to the weekend, along with some Cribbage and Parks and Recreation after Marshall went to bed.

Today's outing was a fun meet-up with my friend and her toddler. We checked out a new-to-us park in the area. Marshall and I arrived about a half hour early and took a lovely walk. It feels so great to be outside now that the weather isn't sweltering!

My parents are coming into town tomorrow, and I can't wait. I know they were just here a few weeks ago, but already Marshall has grown so much. I wish they could see him more, but I know I'm lucky that they've already visited three times since he was born. I'm thankful that we already have plans to see them twice in August!


And here's a random photo from a few weeks ago. :-)

He's just so serious.

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Low Impact Leg Workout

This weekend (today counted as part of the weekend, because Terry and I attended a graduation ceremony) absolutely wore me out. I've noticed a little dip in my energy level these last two weeks, but I think now I'm at a point where one or two short, close outings should be my limit!

As I mentioned yesterday, we had the pleasure of visiting some of our best friends on Saturday, and we also spent a few hours at UCLA, mingling with other alumni and enjoying the big campaign kickoff event. I'm finding myself less and less excited about being social, but I think it's mostly how tired I feel. After Sunday's graduation party and today's graduation ceremony, I am totally beat. I could have fallen asleep at the restaurant after the ceremony today (and I did fall asleep on the way home!).

And now...we wait!

I thought I'd share a little workout I did last week, when I wasn't terrified that any sort of movement would put me into labor (we're really hoping for one more week to rest). I hadn't worked my legs in a while, so I did the following:

Twenty minutes, no equipment, and you're done! Here are some notes:

Squats: While you don't need equipment for squats to be effective, you can certainly add weights or mix it up with one-legged squats.

Plie Squats: These guys are just the best. Again, you can add weights for more challenge.

Clamshells: Here's a visual of the exercise. You should feel it in your glutes and outer hip.

Hip Abductors: You have lots of options for this one! I did them on the ground, lying on my side, but you can also do them on a ball, standing (<--In my professional opinion, this demonstration illustrates the range of motion a bit too high), or with a band.


Hope you enjoy that one! Great for travel or a quick workout at home. Happy Tuesday!

EMOM Upper Body Workouts

Well, I guess this week slipped away from me a bit! We celebrated Jenn's birthday on Wednesday night and attended the school play last night, so it's been a bit busy around here! This weekend we have some fun plans, though.

Tonight we're tidying up the house and then cooking a simple meal at home, something that seriously got away from me this week. I failed to menu plan and never made time to go to the grocery store, so we ended up eating out for several meals. I'm eager to get back to our usual homemade routine.

Tomorrow Terry and I are driving down to San Diego for a two-birds-with-one-stone kind of trip. First, we're picking up baby's crib from Buy Buy Baby (the crib was extremely difficult to find and only available down in San Diego!), and then we're hitting up a few breweries as part of a very belated birthday celebration for Terry. It's also our last trip to one of our favorite places before baby arrives, so we're excited to spend a little quality time together!

Sunday is Mother's Day, of course, but we celebrated with our moms while they were both in town--a first! Though we don't actually have the baby yet, Terry has insisted that we celebrate this year, and I won't argue with that. :-) But when he asked me what I wanted to do, I really only had one request: finish the nursery and other baby prep stuff. By "finish", I mean set up the crib and start making the room livable. We're getting down to the wire here, and I think I'm a little anxious, so I hope this weekend's work will make me feel a lot more relaxed and prepared for this kid to arrive.

And now...

I have a workout for you today! Whaaaat?? I know, they've become rare in recent months as I've become less and less capable of my normal routines. That's not to say I haven't been active; today I proctored AP tests at the high school and earned 6,000 steps by noon! Not bad for just walking around a library.

Anyway, on Tuesday evening Terry and I agreed to tackle a strength workout together, and it just so happened that Tina posted a workout that inspired me that morning. Hers is Crossfit-style (she's pregnant and due the same week I am but still doing Crossfit!), and I definitely don't do the Crossfit thing, but I liked the idea of "every minute on the minute" and modeled this upper body strength workout after hers.

This workout only requires a stability ball, so it's great at home!

Here's what Terry did (focus on core with lots of other muscles incorporated):

The exercises:

• Push ups: Ideally on your toes, but keep your form. If you need to drop to your knees, do it.
• Ball crunches
• Plank: Try a variety of planks (something different for each round), like side planks, elbow planks, feet on a stability ball, elbows or hands on a stability ball, reverse plank, etc.
• Ball lowers: Hold the ball between your ankles and lie on your back. With straight legs, lower the ball slooooowly almost to the ground, then lift the ball and repeat.
• If the reps listed above are too many or too few for you, increase or decrease to fit your fitness level. At the end of each set of reps, you should feel lightly fatigued but not at exhaustion (perhaps toward the end you'll feel more exhausted!).

And here's what I did (completely different because I am omitting core exercises from my routine):

The exercises:

• Push ups on my knees (my belly hits the floor!) for the first few sets, then on my knees plus my hands elevated onto the couch for the last few sets. Also good for pregnancy: push ups with hands on a wall.
• Dips: Bench dips using a chair.
• Biceps curls
• Upright rows
• Overhead press
• Lateral raises
• Bent rows 

I felt delightfully fatigued by the end and even called it before time was up because I didn't want to overdo it. 

Instructions:

The idea is to set a timer for 10 minutes for each set. Then, beginning at 0, complete the exercises indicated for the even minutes (0, 2, 4, etc.) and the exercises indicated for the odd minutes (1, 3, 5, etc.). If you finish the required reps early, you get to rest!

At the end of 10 minutes, you can jump right into the next set or take a short break before beginning the timer again.

The best part of this workout is that it's done in about 20 minutes (maybe 22 if you take a break between sets). But it'll also leave you nice and sore for a few days!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Tired Tuesday

Thanks for all the sweet comments on yesterday's post about our baby shower! We are currently in the midst of unpacking, organizing, arranging, and deciding where everything is going to go.

Terry is currently building a bookcase, a gift from Terry's aunt, that will house baby's books (and likely a few other items). We have another shower this weekend, plus my dad is driving down to LA with a dresser/changing table for us, and next weekend we'll be picking up our crib. Then we can finally put everything together!

I'm not in the official "nesting" phase yet, but I've definitely put a lot of thought into how to make the nursery come together. I like a few ideas in this post from Young House Love, especially the laundry hamper (although I would want a cover or lid). Looks like more trips to HomeGoods are in my future! Five weeks to go...

Notice how Scout is always nearby to lend a helping hand?

Today felt a little rough, mostly because I slept terribly last night. I woke up around 1:45 am and then could not fall back to sleep for over an hour. My friend Katie has told me before that she struggled with sleep the last few weeks of pregnancy, but she is convinced that it helped prepare her for the strange sleep schedules that come with parenting. So today I felt like a zombie, despite my attempts to nap until the absolute last minute this morning.

This evening, thanks to the crazy heat wave running through LA right now, Terry and I headed down to the pool for a quick swim. We each just took a few laps, but it felt pretty good to get my heart rate up a bit while staying off my feet. I have read that swimming helps with swelling, and I'm not completely convinced, but it still felt decent compared to walking in the heat. (Terry, by the way, added in some strength exercises for his workout.)

For dinner, we're keeping this week's meals pretty simple. I have a feeling simple will be the name of the game a LOT over the next several weeks--er, months? Today we opted for slow cooker refried beans wrapped up into tortillas with cheese. It doesn't get easier than that.

And with that, I'm off to bed in hopes of a better night of sleep. Wish me luck!

Do you have any fun house projects on the horizon? 

Creative Solutions for Working Out at Home

Yesterday was a bit of a whirlwind, and today is a marathon day (5 am wake up call, and I'll be on campus until 8:30 pm!), so I'm squeezing in a short post while I can.

I've mentioned it before, but I think I've reached a stage of not sleeping as well throughout the night. Even when I'm exhausted, I wake up a couple of times to go to the bathroom, and sometimes it takes me a while to fall asleep again. Terry and I have switched sides of the bed so I have easier access to the bathroom, which is helpful. Those extra ten steps really do make a difference.

Yesterday (around 4 in the morning) I also experienced my first pregnancy leg cramp. I've had a charlie horse or two in the past, but somehow this one felt more intense. Luckily, Terry used to be a swimmer and is what I would consider an expert in treating leg cramps. I woke him up (rather frantically--the poor guy), and he massaged the muscles until they relaxed. It was nice practice for labor; apparently I will panic, and Terry will calm me down and know exactly what to do.

Despite the less than stellar nights of sleep and a sore calf muscle, yesterday morning started on a wonderful note: At our doctor's appointment, we learned that baby has flipped! He or she is now head down, which is the appropriate position for birth. We still have several more weeks, but it's nice to have one fewer thing to worry about.

With that news in my pocket, I enjoyed the rest of my day of errands and chores. I had a big list to tackle, but I'm also trying to remind myself that when things don't get done "on time" it's not the end of the world. Rest and keeping stress to a minimum are far more of a priority.

This week is what I would consider our first routine week in our new place. Terry isn't traveling for work; we're both going to work regularly; we're cooking dinners each night; and we're finally getting back to our workouts. On Monday we did some upper body action in our new gym, which, unfortunately, is even smaller and more crowded (equipment-wise) than our old complex's gym. We're trying to think of some creative solutions.

Of course, cardio is pretty simple: we love running, hiking, and walking. Right now I'm officially down to just walking, but Terry and I have talked about finding a 10K that we can train for together to get me back in shape after baby arrives. We're thinking maybe November or December; I think a few months will be enough time to work back up to six miles.

While the area where we live now isn't fantastic for our usual evening walks (too much traffic immediately outside of our complex), we are a very short car ride away from some awesome trails and beautiful hikes, so we'll take advantage of those before and with baby.

For strength and/or variety workouts, we have a few options. I love bodyweight training, as you know, so sticking to the basics like squats, burpees, push ups, lunges, etc., will be an automatic part of our routine. But we can also add in more comprehensive at-home options, like yoga videos and boot camp-style videos.

We're also strongly considering purchasing a nice set of adjustable dumbbells like these that we can use at home.

I have always loved at-home workouts, so it'll be an easy adjustment for me, and Terry says he's totally willing to try it out. I expect that the next few months (for me) and baby's arrival (for both of us) will throw us off track quite a bit in terms of our "usual" workouts, but I'm excited about the changes. We've done a good job keeping up our walking and pregnancy-friendly exercises, so I'm sure postpartum exercises will be another adventure we enjoy just as much. Hopefully we can combine all those options to stay fit while we transition into parenthood!

Any tips for staying healthy as a new parent? Do you prefer gym or home workouts?

Decorating, Bump Twins, and Tasty Meals

We had a wonderful weekend! So wonderful that I chose to get to sleep as soon as possible last night instead of writing a blog post. But now we'll catch up on our fun and productive couple of days.

We finally started hanging our artwork on the walls! This task might be Terry's absolute least favorite task, so we spread it out over three days and are now taking a break before we tackle the other rooms. For now, I'm thrilled to have our living room all decorated!

(We hung up that last frame tonight.)

And we finally cleaned out the den area, too!

 Saturday night, Terry grilled tri tip so we could make some phenomenal sandwiches--cambozola cheese (a brie/blue cheese blend), greens, and onion jam.

I took advantage of Scout's cuddles with the bump.

We used the leftover tri tip to create a Southwestern salad with corn, black beans, avocado, pepper jack cheese, and Greek yogurt with BBQ sauce as a dressing. YUM.

 Saturday was also our hospital tour! We learned all about the facility where we hope to deliver our little one, and we could not be happier with our choice. Thankfully, LA seems to have quite a lot of excellent options for great facilities that respect families' wishes. But we think we'll be in great hands at the UCLA Medical Center!

On Sunday, Heidi and Ed were in the area because they needed to grab a few more registry items for their baby girl, who is due in two weeks! Terry and I tagged along to Buy Buy Baby and tried not to feel overwhelmed by the endless options. It's so exciting to see Heidi so close to her due date!

Our last twin bump pic? 

 Last night was our final birth class, where we focused on newborn procedures at the hospital and learned about postpartum care for mom and baby. I'm a little sad our class is over! Our teacher was awesome, but she has encouraged us to keep in touch and to ask questions as needed. We're even supposed to call her when we're in labor, and she can help us with those questions, too!

I'll write up a more thorough review of our birth class soon (or maybe after delivery, so I can tell you if it helped!).

Today was a normal day--early work, carpooling, and a workout!

Upper body day! It had been awhile! 

And Terry grilled up some chicken for dinner. I made a little brown rice stir fry with eggplant, asparagus, bell pepper, and onion.

A wonderful few days! Tomorrow we have a doctor's appointment (keeping our fingers crossed that baby has flipped out of breech position), and the rest of the week looks fairly mellow.

For now, I have a batch of brownies in the oven that I need to enjoy before we stay up for the blood moon. (There's a chance I may just fall asleep instead of watching.)

Have a wonderful day!

What's the best meal you've had recently? We've had some tasty ones, but that tri tip sandwich was probably the highlight.

Starting the To-Do List

Yesterday I stumbled upon Tina's baby to-do list and Lindsay's to-do list and promptly scrambled to make one of my own. (Thankfully my husband does not find this behavior at all irrational.) While I don't think you would be all that interested in it, I felt better just writing out what we need to get done in the next several weeks.

Today I started tackling some of those (baby-related and non-baby-related) tasks. Our glider was delivered (a gift from my in-laws), and Terry set it up in the corner of our den area.

I think we'll probably take the plastic off eventually. 

It's going to look great, but I think we'll need a rug eventually. I've been searching on Overstock.com for rugs, and we've narrowed it down to a few options within our budget. I hope to order one tomorrow and see how it looks.

Terry also helped with setting up the stroller and infant car seat! I can't believe how tiny that car seat is, and I can't wait to try out that stroller on a walk in a few months.

Speaking of which, Terry and I took our second walk around the new neighborhood today. We tried a different path and ended up on a 2.5 mile loop. Unfortunately, the street traffic is pretty bad--lots of cars in a 45-mph zone, and the sidewalks aren't very far removed from the road. It won't be safe enough to bring the baby out with us, so we'll need to keep searching for family-friendly routes around here. It made us miss our old neighborhood's lovely walking routes.

But on the other hand, the loop crosses multiple equestrian centers, and we saw four horses at different points! One came right over to us and walked along his pen (is that what you call it?) as we walked by. I feel bad that the horses are so close to the busy road, but it was cool to see nonetheless.

So obviously we're still adjusting to our new place and figuring out this whole about-to-be-parents thing. But I feel good about even tiny improvements and having just a few things off our list! For the rest of the week I have 6:30 am sub jobs, so I'm off to bed.

Hope you're having a great week so far!

Do you have a favorite running/walking/hiking trail near you? I know there are some amazing hikes and walking paths within a short drive of our new place, but I am a little disappointed that the street traffic near us is so intense.

Savoring the Weekend

Today marks the end of my spring break, to which I didn't feel especially entitled since I'm not teaching full time, but I still feel like it flew. We spent the first weekend up north visiting my parents; then Terry had to spend a few nights in San Diego for work. I visited him one night (honestly, it was so I could sleep better; I'm just not quite comfortable alone in our new place yet), and then my mom drove down to visit Wednesday through Friday!

When my parents visit, I usually insist on treating them like guests, at least when we hang out at home. I prefer to do most of the cooking and dishes so they can relax on "vacation." But this time, I was glad to let Mom take over. She let me rest while she cooked dinner, and she did most of the cleaning up, too. As I get further along in this pregnancy, I feel more and more inclined to allow others to do things for me, and I'm trying not to feel bad about it. My body needs the rest, and I know I'll need to get used to asking for help when baby's here!

Mom and I also ate out a few times--lunch at Lazy Dog Cafe (her burger was soooo good), dinner at a local Italian place (good not great), and an almond croissant at a nearby bakery, which might be my new favorite walking-distance spot in our neighborhood. French-style pastries just make my taste buds dance, and the mile walk each way is perfect for some exercise.

Friday, Mom left and Terry had a short day of work, but we still kept the evening very mellow with some more unpacking around the house. I was so thankful for leftovers this weekend--I love heating up a pre-made meal and having dinner ready in 10 minutes!

Saturday Terry and I headed out to a baby shower for our friends Heidi and Ed. Baby Kayla will be here within a month! We had a wonderful time catching up with Heidi, Ed, Katie, and Corey (and their almost-one-year-old Ainsley!), plus it was so fun to see Ed's family and meet some new people.

31 weeks

It was a coed shower (Terry's first), and he dove in for all the games!

Heidi looks amazing! She's about 37 weeks and so adorable!

Today we took it super easy. We slept in a little, walked to the store for some staples, made waffles, and hung out on the couch for a couple hours before our birth class. Next week is our last one!

And with that, a new week begins. On the plan for the week:

Workouts:

• Sunday: 2-mile brisk walk
• Monday: Upper body strength
• Tuesday: 2-3 miles
• Wednesday: Lower body strength
• Thursday: Easy walk/Rest
• Friday: Prenatal yoga videos
• Saturday: Rest
• Sunday: Hike or long walk

Meals and snacks:

• Broccoli cheese soup leftovers with sandwiches
• Veggie omelets
• Banana bread
• Homemade Lara bars
• Spaghetti with meatballs + salad
• Tuna sandwiches or melts

Annnnnd it's bedtime. Have a great week!

Italian Burgers

Thanks so much for the encouraging and helpful responses on Monday's budget post! I'm feeling super motivated to be creative with our budget right now, but we'll see how long that lasts.

Yesterday slipped away from me a bit once the evening rolled around. I spent the afternoon tidying up and washing the previous day's dishes (oops), and then I did a little prenatal yoga while Terry jogged around the nearby park. When he got back, we took a lovely, long walk through our neighborhood (and passed right by Matthew Broderick! There was eye contact. It was cool)--but didn't get home until almost 8 pm! That time change totally threw me off, I guess, because I thought it was much earlier when we left for our walk. Sunshine at 6:30 pm is so deceiving.

Anyway, thank goodness we had some delicious and easy leftovers for dinner, so it was on the table in about 12 minutes (and devoured about three minutes after that). Here's what we made on Monday:

- Ground beef (~20 ounces, because the package was from Costco) mixed with 1 sweet Italian sausage (casing removed), 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and some salt and pepper
- I mixed up the meat and spices, created 6 (!) patties, and grilled them on our indoor grill pan (we didn't think the smoky flavor of the BBQ would work with these flavors)
- To assemble: I topped the burgers with mozzarella cheese (on Monday we had leftover Burrata...yummmm), heated up some store-bought marinara sauce to slather all over, and used whole wheat toast as buns

I have a few thoughts about these "Italian burgers" that I think I should share with you: 1) They are incredibly tender, and the flavors are like a meatball sub; 2) I'm SO glad we used a little extra meat to make 6 patties instead of 4, because now we scored three meals instead of just two; and 3) While I recognize and appreciate the need for variety in our diets, I wish I could eat one of these every day for the next month.

To sum up: I was a fan.

So after those spectacular burgers, cleaning up, and our pregnancy exercises, I was beat! We staggered off to bed for another 5 am wake up call today.

And that's where we'll pick up this WIAW. The major "event" going on around our house this week is our new emphasis on a mindful budget, but we still stocked up with some awesome foods for the week. Here's what we had today:

Breakfast: 

1 fried egg (oh, yeah, I dropped a carton of eggs on yesterday and broke several, so we already only had two left this morning) + one piece of whole wheat toast with smashed avocado and cottage cheese and a sprinkling of pepper

My parents actually introduced me to this toast-avocado-cottage cheese combo, and I LOVE it. It's high in protein and hits three food groups, which is unusual for me for breakfast!

Snacks eaten throughout the morning:

Banana with sunflower seeds and two Mandarin oranges and more sunflower seeds

Lunch:

Terry found this recipe for tuna salad with white beans (we used Great Northern instead of cannellini), and I added it to a giant handful of mixed greens. Unfortunately, I forgot the lemon wedge AND the dressing that are supposed to go with the salad, but it still worked, and I added cucumbers (not pictured above). (By the way, this salad took me about 5 minutes to make yesterday morning! SO easy!)

Dinner:

Leftover burgers (described above). I used one piece of toast and made an open-faced sandwich, and we had some greens on the side mixed with oil, balsamic, salt, and pepper (the eggplant pictured was devoured Monday night with no leftovers). I'm just so sad those burgers are gone now.

Dessert:

Food Babe's almond butter brownies (I added 1 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the batter this time to give them more of a brownie color, and I actually love the flavor even more, so I recommend it!) with a glass of milk


And here's a new triceps and chest workout for your Wednesday enjoyment. I made it for Terry and completed a very toned-down pregnancy version (below) myself. As always, be sure to warm up properly before you get started! This one would be perfect to add on to a Tabata workout or other short, intense cardio.

Notes:

• The idea here is to complete each superset twice (the cable triceps pulldowns, cable chest press, and plank knee-to-elbows are the first superset, so do that twice through), then complete an exercise (dips or push ups, respectively) to fatigue (and only once). Then you're done!
• It's short, so aim for moderately heavy weights to challenge yourself. The last few reps should feel difficult, but save your energy and good form for those fatigue sets.

My pregnancy version:

• Completed three sets of each superset
• No skullcrushers for me (since I can't lay flat on my back), so I did overhead tricep press instead
• Omitted the core exercises
• Skipped the fatigue sets

Be sure to check out the other WIAWs!

I'm hoping to get some extra sleep tonight since this time change has been killer. So with that, I'm off to bed!