Yoga, run, repeat

You all know I've got a thing for working out. A good workout can clear my head, take me on foot to roads and paths I'd never see otherwise, and it's a damn good way to break up the day. I love feeling sore the day after a good workout. It's like I've woken up muscles I didn't even know I had.

Running is getting harder to squeeze in with our schedules and the sun's early departure. However, in addition to some pocket-size cardio sessions at the company gym, I've been hitting up two local yoga studios for my workouts du jour.

I've embraced yoga on and off over the years. I first encountered sun salutations while at a high school arts program at Bennington College in VT. The instructor was a willowy blonde named Willa, and she also served as the art department's nude model. She was a few years older than us, and I thought she was pretty artsy-cool. I then went on to explore yoga in a sweaty basement of UConn (with 150 other co-eds: next!), power yoga at Gold's Gym in Boston (hard core workout), and a prenatal class in Seattle (love you, Yoga Mama!)

I tagged along with a co-worker to the lunchtime class at Downtown Yoga a few months ago and have been going once or twice a week since. The studio isn't any great shakes, although it's nicely perched atop charismatic Pratt Street, with old school floor-to-ceiling windows (read: cold in winter, sweltering in summer). I found a teacher there whom I really like. Her class was gentle yoga, or as I like to call it, Granny yoga. It's more of a massage than a workout, but I don't care, it feels awesome (especially while training for the Hartford Marathon relay - do you know how tight runners get?) She was so calming and gentle, I basically melted into the floor by the the time we did Savasana. As with all teacher-student relationships, some teachers just speak to you.

You can imagine my disappointment when she was scrapped from the schedule without warning. Apparently there was some very un-yogi fall out between her and the owner. Her noon slot was switched to YogaFlow, which was an unexpected sweat fest that made me long for a towel, personal fan, and hair elastic. Part of the reason I like mid-day yoga is because I can de-stress without returning to the office with beads of sweat on my brow.

Fortunately, I've found another couple teachers there that I like. One swears that yoga and music go together "like chocolate and peanut butter", and we rock out to some decent tunes while we go through our vinyasa. We recently did a workout to a mix I swear I created in 11th grade. It was a lovely walk down Tori Amos/Sarah McLachlan/Rusted Root lane.

Well my favorite teacher now subs at West Hartford Yoga (aka WHY), where they also host a pre-natal class (yep, I qualify!) I bought a monthlong trial pass, and have not gone as much as I'd like, but still. I like that they have classes later at night. I went to one class that focused on meditation and began with some low humming, taught by an middle-age hippie spririt named Shankara. Do you think that's his birth name?

I want to get my mom into yoga, and I mentioned bringing her to a WHY class soon. We Leonard ladies are a high-strung, adrenaline-seeking, type-A bunch. The focused breathing and mindfulness of yoga is something I really have to concentrate on, but it is so damn rejuvenating. We could all use the mental and physical unwind that yoga provides. And have you seen any yoga teachers' bodies lately? They are pretty much ripped. I'm trying to get my arm muscles back via chaturangas.

One pretty kitty

Edie really loves our cat. Anyone who knows me or Dave knows that we were not historically cat people. When we moved into our house, Edie would search for cats on our neighborhood walks, so we decided a cat might be a nice, low maintenance addition to our family.

Enter Catsby. (I was reading 'The Great Gatsby' at the time of adoption. And I absolutely love naming stuff).

We all fell in love with Catsby pretty quickly. She's a young curious girl and she loves being outside. She stalks through our lawn as if she's a panther. And yes, she's brought us home a couple birds and a dead mole. Yum!

When we ask Edie what she dreamed about the night before, she says Catsby. When we inquire about what she's drawing, it's Catsby. Apparently all of her teachers know about Catsby too. Based on her love affair, it was pretty obvious Edie should be a cat for Halloween.

I just had to buy these shoes. I wish they came in adult sizes. Edie refuses to wear any other shoes since they arrived.

I picked up a black ballerina dress and a leopard-print sweater, as well as some ears. I drew whiskers with eyeliner and a nose with lipstick for 'catface'. Edie started meowing as soon as the outfit was complete. She had a parade at school, and we took her trick or treating on our street and my parents' neighborhood for her first real Halloween (last year was cancelled because of Frankenstorm, the year before she was only a few months old).

When we returned from my parents', our street was absolutely crawling with children. I've never lived in a place with such a vibrant Halloween street. There were tons of cars parked too, which meant people flocked here from other 'hoods.

Edie loved handing out candy to all the kids. She just waited at the door, candy in hand, and shrieked with delight when they approached, "More peoples! More peoples!" She gave each princess, goblin, and ghoul a hand-picked candy. It was the cutest thing, and I just had to write it down before I forgot.

p.s. I was really proud of her costume last year, and hardly anyone got to see it. She was a garden gnome, and I may recreate it next year. I better hurry before she insists on picking her own costume.

Happy Halloween peoples!

Ode to the Cheapskate

Some people are good a being cheap.

Am I saying that right? Some people just know how to pinch a penny. They eat, pickle, or trade all the food that grows in their gardens. They set a grocery budget and honestly stick to it, and when they decide not to use their credit cards, they forget those evil plastics even exist.

This may seem like a quaint, old-timey scene, back when many women owned one dress and baked bread from scratch. But some modern day folks are budget mavens, and they're great about spending less. I have a girlfriend who would go on haitus from

buying clothes for 6 months or so. By the end of that time, even I got sick of her wardrobe. She rarely bought coffee, and religiously brought her lunch to work. But she bought a beautiful home with some of the money she'd saved. Another family member will wring his hands, heavily debating before buying an album on iTunes.

Honestly, I'm not stellar at sticking to the family budget. I'm not terrible, but it's hard when two adults are sharing an account and able to make spending decisions. Life is expensive. Dave is not a big spender. He shops for clothes about once per year (last week in August), he buys decent beer, and extended cable t.v. is non-negotiable. On the other hand, he recently asked me if I'm single-handedly keeping Zappos in business. Yes I bought a few shoes last month, but they are replacing ones that I've rocked for years. I swear.

There are a few tips I've encountered to cut spending, none of which seem to fit into our lifestyle: carpool ("Anyone else want to swing by daycare for 15 minutes on our commute?"), eat less meat (Dave looks crestfallen if there's no animal on the dinner plate), color your own hair (done with that adventure at age 22), and clip coupons (ugh).

I do succeed in a couple cheapskate ways. I am an avid library book borrower, I get 80% of Edie's clothes at the local consignment shop, I am not too proud to pick up side-of-the-road toys, and I always turn off lights when I leave a room. The most old-ladyish money-saving thing I do? Recycle plastic baggies and aluminum foil.

I like using Peapod for groceries to stick to the budget. Sometimes my strategy to trim costs works, and I spend time deciding which items to put back on the virtual shelf when I've gone over my limit. This is a bit harder to do in a brick n' mortar store. Other times I stick to my budget, and the quantity of food that arrives is so paltry I rush to review the receipt to make sure Peapod didn't leave one of our bags in the truck.

Mint is an online resource that is great for budgeting and tracking spending. Again, sometimes I am right on target, and I spend my set amount on gas, entertainment, or clothing. Other times I blow the budget out of the water and feel guilty and anxious about it until the next month when the numbers reset.

While I will likely never be known as the lady who stretches a dollar, I am also not getting my nails done or driving a car I can't afford. Our laptop is five years old, and our couches are hand-me-downs. It's all about balance. I just need to find that happy money medium.

32 things in 32 years

As I near my 32nd birthday, I thought I'd round up some random things that I've learned over the years. Some of these things were instilled in me from a young age, while others I've picked up along the way. Some are just my opinion, others are life's great discoveries or pieces of advice I try to follow. I had a hard time editing this list, which is good, because if I only had 32 guiding thoughts in my back pocket, I'd be pretty lame.

1. A good mom goes a long way.

2. Everything is better with cheese on it.

3. Saturday morning is the best time of the week.

4. Trust your gut, even when it tells you something you don’t want to hear.

5. My happiness is directly impacted by how much I’m working out (or not). Even a 10 minute run improves my outlook on life.

6. Sometimes, things can be just good enough. It’s okay if the pillowcases don’t match the sheets, or if you use bottled curry sauce rather than make your own.

7. Be a good parent, but don’t forget to be a good spouse.

8. Owning a house is a huge amount of work. Which is why I’ve let our garden go “back to nature” and we have a cleaning lady.

9. Once in a while, consciously be grateful for your health.

10. Don’t buy faux-Tupperware from IKEA.

11. Whether you are looking to buy a mid-century modern coffee table, find a roommate, or unload some extra mulch, Craigslist is an amazing resource.

12. Let your kids eat breakfast for dinner once in a while.

13. Guacamole is probably my greatest adult discovery.

14. If you're not into a book, put it down and move on to the next one.

15. If you get a chunk of money (bonus, tax refund, whatever), spend it like this: half to pay off debt, a quarter to savings, and the remaining quarter on a treat such as a golf trip (Dave’s choice) or leather boots (my choice).

16. Skype narrows the distance.

17. Write and send thank you notes.

18. Take risks big and small. This goes from trying a new recipe to making hard decisions that will significantly change your life, like moving to a new city. You will fail, but you will also grow and learn, and sometimes succeed.

19. Holding a sleeping baby on your chest is the best feeling.

20. If your husband likes spaghetti and you don’t, make him spaghetti once in a while.

21. Contribute money to your employer-sponsored retirement account. On top of getting the free employer match, it is money you won’t even miss from your paycheck.

22. Look people in the eye when talking, and when toasting.

23. Car camping counts as camping.

24. Dunkin’ Donuts isn’t that good and Starbucks is a total rip-off. Make coffee at home, but treat yourself once in a while.

25. If you are over the age of five, don’t ever wear your pajamas in public. Even on exam day. This goes for sweatpants too.

26. Know when to put down your iPhone.

27. In a pinch, it’s okay to distract your kids with iPhone apps when you are trying to complete a task or visit a friend in public.

28. You don’t have to go to college as soon as you graduate high school. Figure out what direction you want to go, at least somewhat, before racking up enormous student loan debt, or depleting your parents’ life savings, on tuition.

29. Exercise is the fountain of youth. Walking counts.

30. Don’t pay a contractor without a contract, and definitely don’t pay them up front.

31. Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. People will assume you know what you're talking about if you wear a suit, or the suit coat alone.

32. Do one thing at a time.

Working Mom's Lament

I'm going to say what I've been thinking for a while now: I don't want to work full-time. I have always been a worker, starting with canvassing Ledgewood Road for babysitting gigs as a tween, then serving meals at the Holy Family Monastery, then slinging coffees and jelly donuts at the Elmwood Bakery. I worked while in high school and throughout college, and secured a full-time job right out of school, and have been employed pretty much ever since.

I pride myself on being a dedicated, creative, and goal-oriented employee (except while working jobs that were so deadly boring that I wrote short stories and long emails while on the clock). I hustled my buns off to get a job here in CT, doing long-distance informational interviews, real interviews, and I even hit the pavement once or twice with my portfolio and good attitude all polished up.

But something got me in the way of going to get 'em, and she's about 25 lbs of pure toddler. It's not that I don't want to work at all. I really do enjoy making coffee and getting dressed, and having a clear purpose to my day. I like socializing with colleagues, throwing new ideas into the mix, and trying to squeeze in a work-out at lunch (too rare these days, if I'm honest). But I miss my girl, and feel that our time together during the week is rushed (mornings) or a cling-fest while she vies for my attention, as I try to make some reasonably satisfying dinner (evenings). Weekends are good, but we are also seeing friends and family, doing yard work (sometimes), and before you know it, getting ready for the week ahead.

Many working moms will agree: it's hard to feel that you're good at either job.

I want to watch her grow and reason and learn how to interact. The closest I got to this recently is our time together while on vacation this summer. She was about 75% less whiny because she wasn't threatened by the thought of me leaving. It was amazing, and I wish I could've bottled it. Furthermore, most parents will confirm, this era goes by fast.

I know Edie is happy at her day care. But I want to have more influence over her, and to do the things we did while in Seattle, like bake banana bread or go on a long walk on a Tuesday afternoon. On the flip side, I don't want to be a full-time stay at home mom. I don't think I'd be fully satisfied with that lifestyle. But the gears are turning, and have been for some time, on how to pay the bills and spend more time with my girl, while keeping a foot in the workforce.

Perhaps I painted myself into a corner when we bought a house, and a second car, and we secured all those expenses that go with modern day home-ownership. But I love our home and our neighborhood, and believe we made the right move. Of the moms I know who are raising young kids, there are many common themes. Those of us working full-time (especially those with more than one in daycare) pretty much sign our paychecks over in tuition, and those with one on the way are in denial about what to do when maternity leave ends. Those who stay home are prepared to eat Ramen three times a week to balance the budget of a single income. And a few of my girlfriends have amazing jobs and bosses, and they are more or less happy working and have found the right balance. My hat goes off to them, for sure.

I look at my dad or my uncles who are very talented workers, who run their own businesses and call the shots. I envy their freedom and authority, and wonder how I can establish a sustainable business of my own. I have lots of great ideas and I do have talent, but I can get distracted, or just overwhelmed by the demands of day-to-day, and my great ideas fall aside.

It's a puzzle I try to solve every day.

A real smorgasbord

I've been requested to hop to bloggin' by one of my faithful readers, so I'm dusting off this keyboard to update the world on Chezmoni status. I don't have anything eloquent to say, so this might be a potpourri of random thoughts. A smorgasbord, a mixed bag. Call it what you will.

Top Five Things I'm Excited About:

1. The Bashan Lake Amateur Triathlon (formerly known as the "Fake Tri"), my mom has organized a ladies' triathlon for friends, with a 1/8 mile swim, 5k run, and 10 mile bike ride in September. I've got the running part down, I've done a few (very non-Olympic calibur) laps of freestyle, and my bike is in ship-shape and ready to ride 10 miles. Interestingly, this is my first triathlon, and upon completion I will feel qualified to put a bumper sticker on my car that says 'I Tri'.

2. Edie's new daycare. I'm loving the activities they do, the walks they take to Bushnell park, the daily reports, and the diversity of kids and staff. Her daycare is in the heart of Hartford, and so far it's been great. True to form, she's just warming up this week. They say her silliness is shining through, and I know she'll feel at home there.

3. Ashley's 30th birthday. My baby sis, all grown up this week. She always had the worst birthday time of year as a kid: end of summer, not yet in school to share cupcakes with the class, and it unfailingly rained on every pool party. However, we're grown-ups now and we throw a mean party no matter what the occasion.

4. Lots of ideas are percolating right now. My sister and I have a business idea, I have a t-shirt design idea, and it feels like we're in some kind of renaissance. It's hard to embrace the renaissance with a job, a kid, a house, and a requisite 8 hours of sleep per night, but I'm jazzed about some promising prospects.

5. Baby Boy Edmands, due in late September!

Top Three Things I'm Over:

1. Humidity of summer. Next season, please!

2. My car. Ok, we've had a great run. Over the past 11 year (6 with me) we've clocked a healthy 143,000 miles on the odometer. It's a fantastically reliable car, a real workhorse, but I am frankly over it and ready for a Toyota Highlander or Nissan Murano. Therefore, I bought a Mega Millions ticket today for the first time ever.

3. My clothes. Again, we've really had some good times together. True fact: I wore a shirt the other day from 2003. It's of the Anthropologie vintage so it's held up well, but c'mon. I bought it with prize money in an art show upon graduation. Furthermore, the temp that works with me lives at home in Fairfield County and wears a different Marc Jacobs watch every day of the week, cute flats to match a library of dresses, and generally has a killer sense of style. I might as well wear a muu-muu and Crocs next to her, I feel that lame. Definitely time for a wardrobe refresher.

Top Three All-Time Favorite Vegetables

1. Zucchini

2. Kale

3. Sweet Potatoes

Top Four Favorite Recent Out-Of-Town Visitors:

1. Jake

2. Becky/Vince (they should probably count as one because they're lovebirds)

3. Adrian

Favorite Summertime Pic of Dave:

The hardest job is the best job

Does it seem like I have every other week off? Because I just read my last blog post, which was a summary of my July vacation, and I was all set to write about my most recent vacation. I had a few days off last week. We went nowhere. It was awesome.

We took a couple family bike rides (one a success by Edie's standards, the other a rainy failure), danced and colored, finally did some back-breaking, sweaty yard work, saw a visually and audibly impressive Wilco show, and watched ample Olympics.

Of course I love watching the standard events, and I don't mind the eye candy in a swim suit (I'm lookin at you, Lochte), but I also love watching the parents of the Olympians. I get choked up whenever the camera cuts to them. They are usually decked to the gills in Americana (flags, pins, anything red, white and blue). Are most of them from middle America? A lot of them have that Glamour Shots look, but I appreciate. Their emotions are usually spilling forth. I can empathize with their agony watching their kids, who happen to be the most elite athlethes, perform on a world stage. So of course, I love all the P&G ads dedicated to the Olympic moms.

This, from the P&G web site: Because moms give everything to make their kids′ dreams happen. They carry us for nine months and then keep on carrying us. Through countless sacrifices, they are not only loving nurturers and selfless prodders and motivators, but also alarm-clock setters, chauffeurs, doers of laundry and dishes and makers of breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

I didn't intend for this post to veer into cheese-dome, and I'm a far cry from Olympic calibur, but my mom attended every swim meet, softball, and field hockey game, packed sandwiches and hand-me-down snowpants into our trusty Volvo for many afternoons at Ski Sundown (yes, after work), and was a dogged supporter of any sport my sister and I ever caught wiff of.

After quitting t-ball (I was 7), quitting swimming (age 14) and quitting field hockey (16), it turns out I'm not the best team player, but I've really embraced being an athlete as an adult. So I raise my glass of chocolate milk to my mom!