I am embarking on the post-baby body makeover. Part of that is kicking some embarrassingly bad eating habits, which have included:
I have begun to work with Laura Geraty, Registered Dietitian and Licensed Nutritionist who has just started What We Eat. While the surface goal is to lose weight, in my case the deeper long term goal is about changing the sugar-focused (and by sugar, I mean literal sugar – none of this starchy-carb-as-sugar bullshit) bad eating habits that I’ve had for literally over a decade.
So far, so good! Laura is incredibly knowledgeable and as knowledgable as she is about eating healthy, she’s equally brilliant at setting reasonable goals to change behavior. She uses “Smart Goals” to help me make behavioral changes every 2 weeks. My first smart goal: NO SODA, NO LEMONADE.
I’ve replaced the ritual of sprite and coca cola with flavored seltzer waters (and the occasional diet soda if I just have to have one – only at restaurants in lieu of alcohol), and just not drinking that damn delicious Newman’s Own Lemonade. I’ve probably cut a legitimate 500 calories a day out of my diet so far, but the real success is that I’ve done it consistently and created new habits successfully.
STAY TUNED for week 2!
p.s. did I mention that Laura was one of my most favorite brides ever? Could she be more beautiful?? I mean, really! ;)
Two weeks after Marin and Avery arrived, I booked a newborn/family portrait session with Tara Renaud.
Recommended by a friend, Tara was wonderful with my babies (and me, as the uptight, overbearing mother of infants – one of whom was still weighing less than 5 lbs) and was able to capture some incredible shots of my family. She is patient, and having three children of her own, she knows that it takes time to capture those special moments.
Her packages are reasonable and she emailed me a selection of her favorite photos from the session within 48 hours. I definitely recommend her if you are in the greater Boston area.
Courtesy of Amesalu, a personal gift shopping service, take 20% off any purchase from Maya Brenner Jewelry by entering code Amesalu20.
This past November, my husband and I took our last “babymoon” – but this time we made it a family affair. We decided to take Sloane to Disney World (at age 2.5). We knew this was risky, but we were willing to take our chances.
Our motto was “expect the worst, hope for the best,” and I think this served us well. To quote my cynical husband at the end of our trip, “I would come back here every year.” Now, while we had a fantastic time, I’m not sure I personally would go back annually. However, our trip to Disney was beyond successful and we had an incredible time together – it really was magical. BUT, it wasn’t magical on its own. The best advice and resources I got that made the trip as successful as it was are as follows:
1. Do not go to Disney unless YOU want to go to Disney. Parents of young children who don’t have a desire to go to Disney World shouldn’t. Only go if you personally would find it fun.
2. Hire a VIP Tour Guide. This was key. We hired a tour guide from Fairytale Tours for the Magic Kingdom, and it made all of the difference. The Disney VIP Package is $310/hr with a 6 hour minimum. Insane if you ask me. Fairytale Tours is 1/4 of the price per hour for essentially the same access, and will book for a minimum of three hours. We never waited in line – EVER – got VIP access to Mickey and other characters, and maximized our time there to the fullest. The access was great, but also their knowledge of the different parks, and what to do when and for what age – it helped to have a “plan of attack”. Otherwise, I think I would have stood paralyzed looking at the map all morning.
3. Make dining reservations well in advance. Dinner reservations should be made at the same time your travel reservations are made. Especially if you want to book a meal with the characters. These things sell out months in advance, and not even AmEx Concierge had pull here. Our best dinner (as in something adults will enjoy) was at Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge. The food was excellent. Other signature restaurants are the way to go, and while they are “fine dining”, they are obviously all kid friendly without being too kid centric.
4. Schedule a taxi for the ride back to the airport. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for busses on a schedule, and while you were excited to get on the Magic Express when you arrived, like Vegas, when its time to go – you want to get the F out of there as quickly as possible.
5. Expect that your kids will have a Disney hangover. The week after Disney will be a little challenging. The kids have gotten used to constant stimulation and fun and everything revolving around them. The reality is that it will take them a few days to decompress from the whole experience.
I wanted to share with my fellow parents this great blog from the Globe that details unique weekly events and activities for families with children in Boston. Many times, this is how I plan what we’re going to do with Sloane over the weekend, and it also allows us to take advantage of everything this city has to offer for young children without visiting the same places over and over again (sometimes we all get stuck in our go-to activities right?).
http://boston.com/community/moms/blogs/parent_buzz/
