Cellos at the Gym

Today during my run at the gym on the treadmill, I saw something that made me smile on the Today Show---Two Cellos!

They were playing a song from their new album Celloverse. I haven't listened to the album and I could not hear what they played (the captions just had music notes), but it was fun to see some cello rocking during my really hard run!

Be A Better Musician Mom

El is definitely musical. It's early with J, but he does like when I sing to him.

What I should do to encourage musicality is sing, clap rhythms, play with instruments, sit down at the piano with them, dance, listen to many kinds of music, practice my own instruments. And I should do them often.

Well, we sing daily and listen to music during playtime. Those other things happen, just not every day.

I don't expect my kids to be Mozart or Josh Groban. I do hope they will love and appreciate music.

How do I make sure they love it? By showing that I love music and making it fun.

We sing songs, and El fills in the blanks when I pause.

We sing LDS primary songs before bed.

We listen to classical music during playtime and work time.

They see me playing the organ and get to "help" after church if they were good.

We have impromptu "ballets" that are mostly running in circles and giggling.

We clap our hands.

We pound on the piano. And we cuddle while we do it!

Not each thing each day. But a bit every day. That makes music part of your daily life. It becomes the norm. And everyone is lifted and drawn closer by music together.

Swim the mile: check check

Yesterday, I wrote about my awesome 2-mile run. It was a good week for me. On Thursday, I got in a great swim.

I got a kickboard and pull buoy for Christmas and had yet to use them. After I got the kids to bed, I headed to the pool.

Here's my workout:
Warmup 100 yards
Ladder--- 100, 200, 300, 400 free
100 each kick, pull, swim free
100 each kick, pull, swim back
Cool down 100

Pretty simple, ending at 36 laps.

I was pumped. I worked hard and killed my goal (1 hour, I swam it in 50 minutes). I haven't swam a mile in a long time, and doing it in 50 minutes was awesome because I wasn't pushing my speed. I know I'll get faster, and it's a great place to start.

Now to get a regular swim schedule in place.

5 months postpartum

It seems like all the mommy running bloggers get up 6 weeks postpartum and run and dive right in. Good for them.

But let me just say

Running is hard after having a baby.

It's hard to find time, it's hard to get people out the door to the gym or the trail,  it's hard to push that stroller. It's impossible to go early after a rough night or a good night but you're too full of milk. It's hard to build your mileage up, it's hard to not compare, and it is hard on your lady parts and core.

I'm pleased to say that on Saturday, I ran two miles continuously. No stopping to walk. No stopping at all. It was hard. I was ready to stop at the end. Later on, my core was sore.

But i felt amazing. I did it. It was the first time in 5 months that I felt happy while running. And that was a pretty good feeling.

Dive Right In and Go!

I actually can't dive, so, ha ha.

I am trying to swim once a week. Yesterday I went swimming. Getting two kids out the door and to the gym is an ordeal, especially early in the morning. I wanted to swim before the 9 a.m. Water aerobics class so I could run other errands later, and we were rushing. I got into the pool at 8:35, yikes. Should I have just done a different workout? Oh well. I decided to swim as long as I could until the old people kicked me out. I pushed myself, I didn't stop to rest.

And I swam a half mile in 25 minutes.

That is not super fast, and I want to get faster, but for me,

It was fast.

I'm getting faster! I know I will continue to improve as I swim consistently, focus on technique, and get stronger.

It comes back

I'm definitely not where I was musically when I graduated high school, but it's nice to know that your fingers wake up and remember when the old cello comes out.

Last Sunday, I played on my cello an arrangement of "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful." Next Sunday, I'm playing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel." I'm also singing alto in our choir for the Christmas program.

I can tell I'm rusty and have lost skill, but my fingers still know how to play. I wish I could practice more (and regularly), but I am just grateful that I can still play fairly well.

A Post for December

So not only have I been lousy as blogging, I have been lousy at running. Having two kids is hard. Getting out the door with two kids is hard. Motivating myself to run when I either have to push two kids or get them to the gym is hard. But I have been running at least once a week, so that is good.

To help get me moving, I'm joining Mommy Run Fast's challenge to Run 5 by the 5th. You are supposed to run a 5k or a 5-miler by the 5th of each month through May. I'll be starting with 5ks and hopefully move up to the 5-milers by the end. This is pretty much the only running goal I have made for the new year. I will be looking for some races and other goals in the next few weeks.

I'm doing another healthy eating challenge for twelve weeks with some friends. Overall it is going well. The last few days have not gone well in the sugar category. I can definitely say that I'm making better choices during the holiday season because of the challenge than I would have done otherwise.

I am making it to the gym about two or three times a week. I usually swim once and run once. Yesterday, I ran a mile and headed to the weight machines. A personal trainer approached me, offered to workout with me, gave me a great workout, and tried to sell personal training to me. I wish I could afford it. I pushed myself hard and felt good during it. I'm sore now and still feel good about it. Oh well, money doesn't grow on trees.

What are your goals for the holidays?
I'm going to try to limit my sweet intake! And do something active each day.