Silicon Valley Moms Blog

How to be a Mommy AND a Yogi

I used to do yoga several times a week. I loved it.  I haven’t done it since I was 7 months pregnant, which was a good 16 months ago.  Today I decided to get back into my yoga groove.  My 1-year-old was down for a nap, and I figured my 4-year-old would have fun trying to do yoga with me. So I got dressed, pulled out the mat and turned on one of my yoga videos.

As soon as I sat down, the 1-year-old woke up from her nap.  Of course.  I got her out of bed and thought, “Yoga is about focus.  I’ll just focus on my practice.  Pretend the 1-year-old is a little fly in the room that I need to ignore.”  I hit play on the video once again.  As soon as I closed my eyes to center myself, the “fly” was climbing on my lap and playing with the little sequins on my super-cute yoga shirt. At this point I’m still thinking I can just ignore her.  And my 4-year-old was still in it with me, breathing deeply, which was completely adorable.

Then it was time to get on my back and do some stomach exercises.

Hey Summer Camp Directors, You Owe Me Interest!

Just crossed-off from my to do list: Christmas thank you notes. Next on the list: summer camp sign-ups.

It will be eight months before my almost seven-year old twins enjoy their camps. I think summer camps should pay us interest on these big fat loans - some of these programs cost upwards of $400 per week per camper. I'm keeping those to a minimum, but still, camp will cost our family at least $2,000 per month this summer.

I wish I could sign my kids up for a general camp that would run the whole summer, but my kids' favorites don't run all summer. My kids complained about some of the general camps but have raved all year about "topic camps" like Camp Kinetic and Pirate Camp. These favorites only run for a week, so all other camps need to be scheduled around them.

Scheduling eleven weeks of summer for two children is more difficult than solving an advanced Sudoku puzzle. Summer camp sign-ups have forced this electronic calendar mom to go back to paper. I mapped out which camp runs in which week, noted start and end times, and tripled-checked camp locations so I wouldn't be commuting thirty minutes between camp pick-ups. After a few days of research and charting, I'm gleeful to have an idea of which weeks my children will be where, assuming we can actually get into the camps we want.

These boots were made for walkin'

I’m always astonished at the amount of energy my children have. From the moment they rolled over for the first time, it seems, each began a journey of perpetual motion which has, well, never stopped. My husband and I learned early on -- I think it was the day my son learned to pull himself up and unlock the front door -- that the only way to ensure peace in our household was to engage in a head-to-head game of “last man standing” and physically wear the children out.

Slowing down as we head back to (co-op) school

Often I hear about summer ending, school starting again and moms having more time to themselves as a result, since their kids having been home all summer long. Well...that isn't going to be the case for our family. For us, it is kind of the opposite situation. This summer, the kids have been home all summer long. But, while they have gone to the beach with their grandparents and to the park with their babysitter, I have been working. While I don't work full-time (I own a business and try to work part-time only...*try* being the operative word here!), I still feel like I have missed out on summer. Sure, we have taken some fun weekend vacations and we were gone for a week to Washington DC for a family wedding, but I usually end up taking my laptop with me (ugh). My part-time work has become more and more full-time. I am not complaining about the work, because I love what I do. But...the long days of summer just feel...well, long. Instead of long, I could use a little *lazy* right about now. I long for those long, lazy days of summer everyone talks about and that I remember having once upon a time - you know, reading a book in the hammock. Or heading to the beach for the day. Or just hanging out with the kids at home, playing, cooking, whatever. Or...how about...doing nothing!

Thanks goodness, I have school to look forward to. You see, my kids......

Living Strong

Yesterday, the Silicon Valley Moms team (consisting of myself, Ana and Courtney) from the Silicon Valley Moms Blog met up for the Livestrong Challenge 5K Walk/Run in San Jose. No, it was not 2000 miles, like our fellow Silicon Valley Moms Group bloggers and road trippers...it was only a 5K (about 3 miles). We may not be getting interviewed by the morning news, taking hilarious videos or logging miles with cool technology, but we were doing something important. We were picking a fight. Oh, and we "met" Lance Armstrong. Check out Courtney's story here (did I mention she raised $1,500? Go Courtney!). Ana is showing her support here. For Linsey's story, read on...

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I send a text to about 6:50 am to let Ana and Courtney know that I am standing by bag check and next to a sign that says "Starbucks -->" (tempting...). Ana originally organized us Silicon Valley Moms as a team and here we are. I see a cute girl who has a "I'm a Survivor - 11 YEARS!" and I ask her where she got it. She points and I head that direction, feeling a bit lame because......

Moms With Rock Hard Abs, Not Including Me....

Of all the things I learned to juggle as a work at home mom, working out did not make the "to-do" list.. Exercise was always important to me before kids, but working and managing three kids made it hard to find the time. I fit in a workout here, a workout there - but that was not enough when it came to fitting into my summer clothes. After attempting to squeeze into my shorts and bathing suit, I decided quick action was needed. So I started a light diet - which worked great. Then I thought I would sign up for a few personal training sessions - and wellla - I would be back in shape. After the first personal training session I could not walk for a week, then after the next I was sore but making progress. Session number three, that focused on my abdominal muscles, exposed news that brings chills down the spine of moms. At the end of that session my personal trainer delivered the bad news: You have NO abdominal strength (emphasis on the "no").

"What, noooo, what does that mean? Doesn't that happen to all moms with three kids, two of which are twins?" I said.

"You have lots of work ahead if you want to build up your abdominal strength again. You have been using other muscles to do your sit-ups - so we need to focus on developing your abdominal muscles" said the personal trainer.

I tried to block the conversation out of my mind, but the next day I happened to see a picture of an Olympian mom in the New York times who seemed to have no trouble with her abdominal strength.

The toughest way to lose 3 pounds

Have you ever been in an exercise rut?  That's where I was until the beginning of June.  After months of halfhearted, half-hour shuffling sessions on the treadmill, I knew I had to shake up my exercise routine.  I bit the bullet, suspended my gym membership for the summer, and joined Bootcamp class.  Tough, old-fashioned exercises.  Circuit training on steroids.  Starting at 6AM at the Stanford University Track.  Every weekday. For a month.   Yikes! I joined, but I didn't seriously consider attending every single class of the session until I found out they give you a tshirt if you do.  There's nothing like a freebie to get me motivated.  I decided to go for it.  I would not only shake up my routine, but stir it up and swing it around for good measure.

Four weeks, one tshirt and many aching muscles later, I've survived.  For anyone considering a bootcamp class, I've put together a list of tips and tricks.  If you want to try one but are nervous because you don't know what to expect, here's my little Know Before You Go guide.  This is what I learned from my quest for a new workout, a new body and a new tshirt:

Turbo Kick Boxing

I’m fairly certain that women were not the creative genius behind many things.

Two that come to mind are the public bathrooms and Turbo Kick Boxing.

I mean, seriously!  Bathrooms for women should always have more than 2 stalls and lots of space for waiting.  Need I say anymore on this subject?

Didn't think so.

Issue #2 Turbo Kick Boxing:

Well, I should clarify.  It's not that I don't think a woman created this exercise class.  Frankly I don't know.  I just don't think that a woman who gave birth vaginally, and then nursed a child created Turbo Kick Boxing.