Reading, Listening, Watching and Making

Reading

The children who NEVER watch TV: And why not having a screen in the house has become the latest status symbol for pushy, middle class parents 

How to Nurture Adult Friendships

Listening

The Lie: I'm better than you

The Daily

Baby Shark

Watching

This is where I note that I watched nothing this week. Nothing! 

Making

Milk Bar’s Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies

The Big Lie

We've all been sold a big, fat lie.

If you exercise intensely and eat right, you too can be thin.  But this is the lie. This is the truth for some people but not for everyone.

I workout 5 to 6 times a week. I eat a fairly healthy diet and I am, unfortunately, far from thin. I am strong though. This used to upset me and I have done every workout and diet under the sun to lose weight. But here is the kicker, I come from a long line of people who could (and probably did) survive a great famine. Our bodies latch onto calories and store them away for lean times. There haven't been any lean times in my life. My body does not need to convert food to fat. I mean my body didn't even do things the right way when I was pregnant. Most people gain 25-30 lbs when pregnant. I gained 8, which I quickly lost once the baby and all the water I retained was released.

Since the birth of Maggie and the loss of my father, I've been working hard to lose what I call, Grief Weight.  I didn't gain weight while I was pregnant and left the hospital after having Maggie at my lowest weight in a long time. But then I gained weight sitting on the couch trying to get Maggie to latch and pumping for hours. Then I gained more weight while eating my feelings when my Dad got sick and died. A few years into that, I finally decided to get healthy again. I started working out. I started slowly and built up to 5-6 times a week. I did two Whole30s. I logged my food. I ate only salads for lunch. I made Scott enjoy zoodles for dinner instead of proper pasta (probably a good nutritional choice over all). I worked my butt off and while I lost some weight, I was still at an unhealthy weight.

This year when I headed in for my physical, I knew my doctor would have "the weight" talk with me again but I had already decided to not care. I know, I eat well. I know, I exercise enough. I also know that my body doesn't always respond. Instead she surprised me. She congratulated me on my A1C numbers which I had progressively lowered over the past year. She also said she could tell that I was working out and eating well. Then she suggested that I try a weight loss drug. I think I was shocked. First of all, a doctor suggesting a weight loss drug? Aren't those the drugs you buy on street corners that cause heart attacks and rage but help you drop massive amounts of weight in too short of a time? Second of all, THERE IS A WEIGHT LOSS DRUG? WHY AREN'T PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT THIS?

I did some research and talked to my best friend (a nurse practitioner) about the drug. I talked to Scott about it. I questioned if I was trying to find a short cut until Scott pointed out that I had already tried all the conventional ways to get to a healthy weight. In February, I began taking Victoza and now Saxenda (basically the same drug, just different dose levels). There are some side effects (mostly gastrointestinal) but overall they weren't too bad. I have lost weight since I started the drug without drastically changing my diet or exercise plan. I have gotten back to logging my food which is always a good check-in for myself. I mean if you don't want to log that you've had ice cream, maybe you shouldn't have the ice cream! But I've lost almost 20 pounds while just continuing on with my usual eating patterns. At first I decided not to track my food and just see what happened. I lost 6 lbs the first two weeks and that confirmed for me that I needed extra help to rebalance my hormones. For me, eating less calories than you put out does not mean I'll lose weight. That is not how my body works. Watching my calories and choosing healthy food over unhealthy food is of course best for me (and well everyone).

I've also had an epiphany. I often sit at the swimming pool watching lots of kids at swim lessons. They come in all different shapes and sizes. Some are lanky and long. Some are deliciously chubby. They all have different shapes. This is how their bodies are made. The long and lanky ones will be applauded for being thin but they may not be in shape later in life. The chubby ones will always fight their shape but they may end up to be the strongest ones, the ones in the best shape. We are all born with a particular build, shaped by our genetics and family history. Yes, we all need to eat healthy, fresh food and move our bodies to be in the best shape but you know what, I'm never going to have a flat six-pack. I could do 1,000 crunches a day and only eat lettuce and I'd still have a pooch. That is how my body is made. I do, however have extremely muscular legs. They get strong quickly when I workout. It is not hard for me to find definition there. Others have flat stomachs and cut shoulders but thick thighs because we are all built differently.

Week in Review 8.25.18

This week was a slog of smoke. The girls had a half day gymnastics camp which saved us from craziness but otherwise we were stuck inside due to extremely poor air quality. It literally stank. We did find creative ways to entertain ourselves which was important since we are still without a tv. I let the girls watch Netflix on my iPad but that is severely limited. It has actually been a great thing for us even if it has meant more intense kid time for me. 

Exercise

I made workouts work with the smoke this week. I definitely didn't workout at my peak which was frustrating since I started a new program with my gym and wanted to push it. I did get in three boot camps, two Barre3 classes and two workouts on my own. My gym owner has given me a personal workout to complete and my goal is to get it done two-three times a week on my own. This may mean doing double workouts some days which I actually like.  I re-did my assessment (a few days early due to a scheduling conflict) and here are my new measurements with my baseline ones in parentheses. I'm pretty happy with my improvement! 

My new measurements are:

Pushups in 60 seconds (I did these on my knees): 24 (16)
Step Ups in 60 seconds: 24 (24)
Inverted Rows: 7 (5)
Plank (for time)(full plank on my forearms): 1:08 (57 seconds) 
3 Hill Runs: 7:31 (7:45)

Food

There was some overindulgence this week as I was working on a story about cookies. (Get yourself to Hood Famous Bakery for their Ube Cookie, it is sooooo good!) I mean they needed to be taste tested and I am the gal to do this! The smoke also just made me lethargic and wanting to eat more. This is something I'll need to address as Fall is coming and I always feel lethargic and with a desire to eat more in my favorite season. 

I'm thinking ahead to school lunches and how in just 10 days, I'll be back to packing them. The girls and I need a Costco trip before then! I need to stock up on all the foods and now that I have my basement and garage back, I can totally do it. I'm excited about having some order back in our food lives. 

The Girls

Both girls went to half-day gymnastics camp this week and LOVED it. I'm so glad they were able to go together (but were in different classes) and I'm 100% sure we will be doing this one again next year. It was so much fun to watch them really enjoy themselves. 

I realized we had not visited the library in quite some time and took them to a new one this week. My favorite moment was when Molly begged to read her new books on the way home and said, "I just love books!" My heart seriously swelled. And in my house, you can pretty much read books anytime, anytime! Even if it means you stay up late. Go ahead! READ! 

The girls also did a MOMA Jackson Pollack art kit which was seriously stressful for me but turned out so well. My mom got Maggie this kit for Christmas and we just never broke it out. With the poor air quality and needing something to entertain these kids, it was perfect and messy. 

Other Goings On

Maggie swallowed a penny on Sunday night which was super annoying for me. I was trying so hard to be a caring person but was also annoyed because it meant we had to go to the ER for an x-ray. It was luckily very quick and the penny was securely in her tummy. Maggie has excitedly been going poop all week, looking for her penny. Geez!

Other than exciting penny news, I've been busy trying to purge clutter out of our house and moving stuff from the upstairs back down to the basement. I spent three hours on Sunday cleaning the girls closet and purging three garage bags of clothing. My friend was grateful for the new clothing for her girls and I was happy to pass it along! 

Stories Published

Seattle Refined: The best tide pools to explore near Seattle
Seattle Refined: 5 Amazing hot springs in Washington

Reading, Listening, Watching

Reading

The challenge of modeling shared household duties when Mom works at home

Mothers as Makers of Death

Am I a Bad Parent, or Just Tired?

You can find my most current reads on Instagram using the hashtag #reebeckireads

Listening

Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me

Watching

Rachel + Dave Hollis Instagram/Facebook Live Videos 

The Rain (wanting to watch)

Week in Review 8.18.18

There are two and half weeks left until school starts again. I'm obsessively counting down the days as my children obsessively fight the coming change. We've had a great summer but the lack of routine and intense kid time has been wearing on me. I also find fall to be a quasi time of rebirth. I revamp my goals, I tighten up my schedule and get back to all the things that make me happy. So I'm counting down the days until school starts again with its early mornings, lunch-making time and sweet glorious routine! 

Exercise

I worked out a lot this week but I don't necessarily feel like I worked hard. Seattle has been super smoky with poor air quality. We've been told to stay inside and my air purifier has been running 24/7. Because of that, my workouts have been less intense. I went to three boot camps, a CityCycle class and a Barre3 class this week. It felt good to start getting back on track but my lungs are going to need clearer skies in order to really get back into it. I also started a 6 week transformation program with my gym this week. We did our baseline assessments on Wednesday and I was pretty happy with my results. I have decided I want to work on my cardiovascular fitness since that was the one result I wasn't thrilled about. We'll be testing every two weeks or so and I'll share my improvements here. 

My baseline measurements were:

Pushups in 60 seconds (I did these on my knees): 16
Step Ups in 60 seconds: 24
Inverted Rows: 5
Plank (for time): 57 seconds (full plank on my forearms) 
3 Hill Runs: 7:45

Food

Scott and I had date night last night and headed to Cap Hill to check out Little Uncle. It was super fresh Thai food and so good! It was a bit of a drive though so not something we will necessarily go to often but if we are in the neighborhood, we'd be there in a flash! 

I'm in a cooking rut but I did force myself to do some real cooking this week and it was good! I made brined pork chops from Butcher Box and they were so good! The salad was amazing and the kids gobbled down the mashed potatoes I added. I'm forcing myself back into cooking and meal prep because I honestly love it. 

The Girls

We worked hard on Molly's temper tantrums and bedtime stalling this week using the Kazdin Method. It's been a challenge to remain super positive while doling out rewards with a smile BUT we have already started to see an improvement in her behavior which is such a wonderful thing. Supposedly we should be able to phase out of the rewards in a month or so. Until then, Molly is busy earning points to change into Shopkins. They are her current currency. 

Otherwise Maggie went to Peddleheads (bike) camp and loved it! Molly took a gymnastics camp with a friend which was awesome but too short. I'm trying to remember that they will be back in school soon and lazy summer days will be a distant memory. I might miss them. 

Other Goings On

I was lucky enough to be invited to the Brooks Run Happy Fall event which is always amazing. I love connecting with all the bloggers and runners. AND I got a new pair of Levitate 2 in this amazing bright color. At first I was unsure about the color but now I'm like, yeah! The fall line is amazing and I've already ordered apparel from it. I'll talk more about them in a future post. 

I also finished Book Bingo which was amazing! I read some great books this year and really got myself on a reading streak. I've been spending less time on social media and more time with my nose in a book. 

Stories Published

Seattle Refined: Enjoy ultimate Summer fun with a float down the Wenatchee River

Reading, Listening, Watching

Reading


Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be

The Heart's Invisible Furies: A Novel

The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child

You can find my most current reads on Instagram using the hashtag #reebeckireads

Listening

Practice Reverse Gossip

Welcome Fall

How to Plan Out Your Life as a Couple

Watching

Embroidery Sampler with Rebecca Ringquist

Song of the Sea

California Dreaming

Just over three weeks ago, we packed up the trusty Subaru and headed south to California for a road trip. For the past few summers, Scott has had a week long work summit in San Jose and we've tagged along to take advantage of the hotel and pool. Because there is nothing the Mongrain girls like more than a nice free hotel and a pool. This year we decided to add on a few stops and extend our fun.

We started out by heading to Portland for a quick stopover on our way to Crater Lake. Crater Lake is about an 8 hour drive from Seattle so we decided to break up the drive and also because Portland has some amazing food choices. Scott has been talking about this one sushi restaurant for years with HUGE rolls. We decided this was the trip to try this spot out, especially since the girls eat sushi about twice a week.

The rolls were giant and we ordered way too much food. The kids took a fall for the team and ate until their bellies hurt. Then they asked for fro-yo for dessert. I'm pretty sure they have hollow legs. 

The next morning, we got up early and hit the road to Crater Lake! Scott and I went a long time ago on another road trip. We really wanted to show the girls how beautiful the lake is. The girls wanted to show us what our poor parents must have experienced when we were kids. Molly refused to get out of the car to view the lake and screamed that she was NOT GOING TO HIKE! Maggie asked how long until we'd be at the crappy hotel we were staying in Medford, Ore. Scott and I, however, saw the lake and all its beauty even if said lake was a wee bit hazy due to nearby forest fires. I also wrote about Crater Lake for Seattle Refined. 

After spending the night in Medford, Ore. at seriously not a great hotel, we got in the car for the longest day of our trip. We headed down to Hearst Castle which was a planned 9 hour journey but turned into a 14 hour extravaganza due to a big rig fire on Hwy 101. We were beat by the time we arrived. 

We did stop in Vacaville and discovered an awesome carousel and mini train ride at Nut Tree Plaza which gave the kids a chance to get some wiggles out. We also loaded up on Jelly Belly candies at the Jelly Belly store. 

The next morning after sleeping in a bit, we headed to the Hearst Castle. You arrive at the visitor's center and take a bus to the actual house. I had been once before when I was 16 but this was Scott and the girls first visit. Scott loved the architecture and design. 

After touring Hearst Castle, we headed down to check out the Elephant Seals. There were so many of them and they are so loud! It was really fun to check them out and learning more about these creatures. San Simeon doesn't have much in the way of other sights and restaurants but we made do. Our hotel had a great pool which the girls swam in for over 4 hours while I read and knitted. 

 

Our next stop was Yosemite where we explored the Pioneer Village, gazed at the Sequoias in Mariposa Grove and checked out Half Dome. There were so many amazing sights. The girls were getting tired at this point in the trip though so there were also some temper tantrums and tears. 

We were lucky to visit before the forest fires closed the park. They started a few days after we left. 

After Yosemite, we headed to San Francisco! Scott had never really explored the city so we decided to have a tourist weekend in the city. It was a grand adventure with a visit to Coit Tower, The Palace of Fine Arts, Dim Sum, Cable Car rides and my favorite, a trip to the Museum of Ice Cream. The museum might have been our favorite part of the trip! We were also able to have brunch with some friends which was nice. 

After an exhausting weekend in San Francisco, it was time to head to Palo Alto where the girls and I relaxed and Scott headed to work. We did also make time for visits to the Monterey Aquarium and Santa Cruz. 

After a long 18 days away from home, we headed back to Seattle. We were tired of each other, had spent way too many hours on our devices and longed for home. It was an amazing trip and we can't wait for our next adventure!