when tomboys become mothers

I am not ashamed to admit that I am relatively ambivalent to minor injuries. The only time I've visibly flinched or even let out a small cry of alarm is when I've seen the Little Miss' head come within millimeters of a hard corner. But if I were to react to every time she caught a toe and tripped on the sidewalk or wasn't paying attention and walked into the wall (clearly we share some genes here) then I'd be a blubbering ball of anxiety.

Personally, I don't believe in getting worked up over every bump and bruise. I don't believe in scooping the child up and coddling her over every slight discomfort. It seems cold, I'm sure, when she nearly bites it and I simply tell her to "dust it off," but my child - the ultimate bad ass of toddler bad-asses - gets up and dusts herself off.

Also, I don't remember NOT having skinned knees for longer than four minutes as a child. So as terrible as this may sound, I want her to fall and get bruises and scrapes. I think it's a part of growing up.

Today, however, was the first time (that I am aware of) that I could see and feel the judgment of my non-reaction to my child's injury. We were at Panera getting items for our weekly carbfest. My girl was confused and upset that we weren't staying there to eat and as I held her hand and tried to guide her towards the door, she yanked her arm away from me and in doing so, fell backwards into a cabinet. As her back hit the door it made an awfully loud noise and two ladies jerked there heads to see what had happened. The looks on their faces were something like this:

"look of disapproval" emoticon

As my child sits there and wails, I tell her she's fine. Probably not the best way to react in public but truthfully, she was fine. But these ladies just stared in disgust and one cried out, "What happened?!" I looked at her and said flatly, "I was holding her hand and she yanked away from me." Still, they continued to stare at me as if I had just thrown my child against a wall. As I took her out to the parking lot and calmly explained to her that she got hurt because she didn't hold my hand when I needed her to, and that we couldn't stay because Daddy needed us to bring home his carby goodness, my eyes darted around warily, watching for a cop car to show up and start questioning me about beating my child. Seriously, the way those women looked at me, I thought surely they were about to dial 911.

Now, even when she is having one of her less pleasant toddler moments...

... they are soon balanced out by her doing/saying/looking heart-breakingly sweet:

I am not a perfect mother. Obviously, this blog is more of a self-obsessed fitness diary than an ode to family life, so I don't focus a whole lot on everything parenthood-related when I write. But I LOVE my kid. And just the notion that someone would think for a second that I would hurt her on purpose makes me sick.

So do me a favor, rubber-necking busybodies: Say something to the parent smoking in the car with kids in the back seat. Give dirty looks to the person who yells at her kid, "I TOLD you to SHUT UP." Go bother the person who lets their kids run circles around the restaurant whenever they go out to eat.

It's because I love my kid that I don't protect her from every boo-boo or plead with baby talk to get her to cooperate when she's feeling a bit TOO independent.

I don't know what you think, but I'd say the outcome is good so far.

Anyone ever give you crap for your parenting practices?

How do you (or would you, if kids are in your future) teach your kids to be tough and strong?

stop being a jerk and go for a run

Last night the hubs and I were awoken by some assholes who decided it'd be fun to drive up and down the main road of our development with a gulf club doing a number to some cars. Mine was not harmed, but several neighbor's were and for them I am pissed.

Before relatives read this and get worried, keep in mind these antics happen even in ritzy, shiny Peachtree City and just about every city and town I've lived in. And let it be known that should those ehm-effers return, I am not going to apologize for what will happen when I come sprinting out of the dark with a sword in hand :-D

Don't mess with this big B.
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Aside from the disturbing evidence that evolution is both a blessing and a curse (how else could these idiots still be alive instead of bludgeoned to death by their pack leader, as what I suspect might happen in the wild), I'm mostly angered by the blatant lack of regard for all the hard-working people in our neighborhood.

We are not rich. We are not living in a two-bedroom town home as a guise so people won't catch on to the millions in our bank accounts. We work HARD for our rent, for our vehicles, and for each meal. *Most* of us who live here are responsible (there are a few who drink from 5PM Friday through 10PM Sunday night, but hey, there are a lot of colleges in Atlanta), and even those of us who aren't wouldn't dream of destroying our neighbors' belongings.

Honestly, I would have been LESS pissed if someone were breaking into cars to steal shit. Then, they'd at least have been driven by a motive, regardless if it were mere greed or desperate poverty.

I wish I could take our vandals on a run - a run where they would have to keep up or I'd beat THEM with a golf club. I have a theory that if everyone ran, from the brightest of space brain surgeons to the most dim-witted, spit-ball throwing delinquents, would become a better person. That, and surely most people who are wiped out from a tough run or workout don't have the energy to bust up the hoods of random cars afterwards.

*insert ornery old person grumble*

Would you straighten anyone out with a good run? 

How has running or fitness kept you out of trouble?
There have been many days that if it weren't for a solid run or workout, I might have alienated myself from my loved ones or punched someone in line at Target for reconsidering half their purchases while AT the checkout. (True story -- not the punching, but the person with the sudden buyer's remorse before actually buying anything. Fortunately, I had just finished a spin class so this person was safe.)

Three Things

1. miles

It's been a pretty solid workout week so far. With my sights set on a marathon in the fall (still have yet to choose) and maybe even a triathlon, I've been approaching my workouts with a new fervor and enthusiasm. I know normal people do things like pick an actual event and a deadline to train toward but prospect alone is enough for me to start working harder and focusing my workouts. One huge plus to spending equal amounts of time running and cycling is that my foot has stopped hurting (as much, for now). *knocks on wood*

Mon - 6.5 @ tempo w/ hills and fartleks
Tues - spin
Wed - off / work
Thurs - 4mi playground run
Friday -run or bike + weights
Sat/Sun - long run and/or long ride

2. munchies

I already shared my recipe of the week so I'm gonna take a moment to bitch about diets.

Ladies, stop ordering plain salads. If you're a guy and are offended that I didn't address you in this statement, then I'll tell you to stop it, too. Most fad diets that focus on restricting calories and deprivation only train the body live on fewer calories instead of training it to burn more. I mean, if you really want 1200 calories a day, be my guest. But if you want to have more energy to do more - maybe run a little faster or farther, or simply just to enjoy your workouts more - then you need to eat more.

Many nutrients work syngeristically: that is, in order for the body to get one nutrient, it must often be consumed with another. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble vitamins that are best consumed with healthy fats such as fish or nuts. Your body needs vitamin C for calcium absorption. The lycopene and lutein are two powerful antioxidants found in spinach and tomatoes, which is why eating both together packs a healthy one-two punch. So if you decide to cut out an entire food group you are missing out on key nutrients your body needs that can not be simply replaced with vitamins in pill form. So when you order a salad, no grapes, no nuts, no egg, no bleu cheese, no dressing and a wedge of lemon on the side, I'm going to roll my eyes at you. Not because you're being annoying and 10 of your friends ordered the same salad with an equal number of variations and special requests, but because you're not doing yourself any favors by eating just a plain head of lettuce! When you find yourself crashing at 4:00PM and running to the vending machine for a pick-me-up, you have only your salad to thank.

This is about as happy as my guest looked eating her dry salad.
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 3. motivation

I can't claim I'm the only person who has ever said or thought this, but I tell my class to ask themselves every week, just as I ask myself during each workout or run...

Each time you get out there, make sure you are doing just ONE thing different. Maybe you can decide to get completely out of breath for 30 seconds when you've always run along at a conversational pace. Maybe you can go tackle that big hill you've always avoided in your routes. Maybe when the instructor tells you to add one gear for resistance, you go ahead and add two.

I think training plans are great, but as I consider buckling down and getting serious about eventually doing a triathlon, if I follow the simple philosophy of working a little harder each time I get moving, I'm sure to get where I need to go.

Are you a salad eater? How do you dress it up so you don't feel like you're eating rabbit food?
I like whipping up some dijon mustard with olive oil and honey for a quick dressing and putting everything I can find in my salad: nuts, raisins or craisins, carrots, celery, tomato, cheese, goldfish...

Do you have a big workout goal you've struggled to attain? What do you tell yourself to push toward it?