Monday, October 15, 2012

Oh hai, blog. Sorry, didn't see you there.

I don't want to be the kind of person who thinks to herself, and is told by strangers/friends/family, "But you look good for just having a baby." Well, for one, he's 7 months old now, and two, I don't want to settle. I have given myself a break long enough and my body craves more activity. I'm not saying it isn't hard, because it is. Heck, I barely give this blog the time and attention it deserves and all I have to do is sit on my rump and type.

As cliche as it may be, I'm going to (have started) Couch to 5K. I actually attempted it a couple years ago, got fairly far into the program, then got a nasty illness that kicked my butt for a few weeks. I ended up stopping because I felt like I had to start over and well, I just didn't want to.

This time, instead of having to write out the walking and jogging intervals on a scrap of paper and paying close attention to the clock, there is a beautiful iPhone app that I can use. I can listen to my music and it gently prompts me to run or walk. Fabulous. Of course, I'm already feeling somewhat discouraged because the very next day after completing Week 1, Day 1, I got sick. But, I'm not going to let that deter me this time. I felt so much better after that first day alone, and I think I can truly commit to three days a week. I also have a great group of gals who are going to keep me accountable, and even if I don't lose a pound, I know I'm better off for doing it.


Monday, October 8, 2012

Boundaries!

Being a new mom in the age of social media is definitely interesting. It's a sort of struggle to not completely saturate my friends' news feeds with photos of my son. Admittedly, I still do from time to time, but I've been trying to cut back. One thing I've always liked about Facebook was how easy it is to share pictures with my family, especially since they are all over the U.S. When Canon was born, and with the aid of my trusty iPhone, it was even easier to show them pictures of how he was growing and what he was getting into each day. Sometimes, I need a reality check, because as beautiful and wonderful as my child is, it doesn't mean everyone on Facebook wants or needs to see pictures of him constantly. They don't need me to update on poop and gas and feedings and how horrible it is when you have a bad night's sleep.

There is a really funny and popular blog called, STFU Parents that helps me keep things in perspective. I am not at all offended by this as a parent. I don't remember there being any contract that I signed where I had to become an overindulgent, over-sharing, boundary-less person once my child was born. Of course, I have my moments, but I really try not to post the running internal dialogue that goes through my head every moment of each day.

So, dear parents, please know that your child is indeed special, but on Facebook and other similar sites, we don't need to know what is happening with your child's every waking moment. The best thing to do, is to find other parents in the same boat, and share these thoughts together. Get them off your chest and keep them off of Facebook.