Mckenna Monday: Back in a Groove

Well it's been awhile since I've written, so I figured I'd chime in and let you know what's been happening with me, now that I'm a big, bad 4.5 month old.

I got into a bit of a rut while daddy was in the hospital. I think I was overstimulated during the day since I was in a fun place with lots of new things to look at and tons of new faces smiling at me, so I didn't nap well, and then at night, sleeping at grandma's, I just couldn't sleep. It was hot, and then cold and then REALLY hot, and then REALLY cold all night. There were different sounds. The pack 'n play just isn't as comfy as my crib at home and my routine all day had been thrown off, so I slept horribly. I was up every hour or so, and would only really sleep if I was in mom's arms. She was nice and let me nurse pretty much all night, which I loved because that was the one thing that felt familiar and comfortable so that's all I wanted all night long. Anywhoo, after dad got out of that fun place with all the cool things, I think they called it a hospital, I was still just out of my groove for another 4 or 5 nights. And then, like magic, I was able to sleep again like before. I swear mom loves me a little more those nights. She doesn't know I can tell, but she sure is happy to see me when I get up in the morning. Now I go to bed between 8:30 and 9, wake up to eat once and then get up for the day between 7:30 and 8:15. Ah I feel good when I sleep well.

And all this sleep is making me one big baby. They were a bit worried at my 4 month checkup that I dropped from between the 25th and 50th percentile to between the 10th to the 25th. Mom wasn't worried. She could see all my rolls and that I was happy, so she brushed it off as if the doctors didn't know what they were talking about (it probably helped ease her mind that I was in the 5th percentile when born, and just happened to shoot up because of her oversupply issue, so she felt like I was finally where I should be). Anyways, to just be sure I didn't keep dropping in percentiles, I went back last Friday for a weight check. Wouldn't you know it, I gained a pound - putting me at 12lbs 11oz like a big girl. They were happy with that and mom said "I told you so" with her eyes...I already recognize her "I told you so" face...which I'm not sure is a good thing because I think I may be in for a lot of those when I hit high school.

Lastly, I want to tell you about all my tricks. I roll tummy to back, sit up when holding myself with my arms for added support, play with toys hanging in front of me while I'm on my belly, skootch around my playmat to get to different toys I want to play with (although sometimes I skootch off the mat so I can get a better view of the TV), and I love talking to my mom and dad! The new trick I'm working on is rolling back to front. I'm getting close, but mom says it'll be another month...I'll show her and then give her MY "I told you so" face!!

That's it from me. Oh, one more thing, I'm still swaddled at night...any tips for how to get my out of it AND me still be able to sleep?

Exercising When You Don't Wanna

Lately, I've found it's harder to be motivated to get into the gym. Being 8 weeks pregnant, I am way more sleepy than usual, and ready for a nap by about 11am every day, so you can imagine, that by the time 5pm rolls around and I'm done working, my energy tank isn't very full. I try to drum up excuses and ways to push off the inevitable. You know what I'm talking about, "hm, maybe I don't have time tonight." or "I won't go today, but I'll go twice as long tomorrow." Those sound familiar?

I have found that if I ask myself these 9 questions (wanted 10 but fell short...suggestions?), I generally end up in the gym with my bum on the treadmill or elliptical.

1. What is my motivation for not wanting to work out today? This one's a toughy, for you actually have to be honest with yourself. I ask myself? Am I really that tired? Am I genuinely sick and not feeling well enough to complete a workout? Am I being lazy? Am I just bored of my workouts? Am I injured? Most the time the answer to this question is found to be inadequate to keep me out of the gym. If you are injured and truly ill (like must be at home in bed the next 3 days) then it may be a legitimate excuse to take a rest day.

2. What will I feel like during my workout? This is an important one. Most days, as soon as you start that workout, you're glad you're there; you're glad you're doing it - at least that's the case for me. Sure, I'm tired or dragging a bit here and there, but when I really assess how I'm feeling, I don't feel bad or in pain (working out will often feel "uncomfortable" if you're doing it right, but it should be overly painful).

3. What will I feel like after my workout? This is one that always helps me get up and go. I know that once I'm done with the workout, I'll be glad that I did it. I rarely finish a workout and think, "man, I really shouldn't have worked out today."

4. If I don't work out, what will I do instead? If the answer isn't lay in bed eating chicken noodle soup, I know I should go to the gym. If my answer is "Go out with friends," "Talk to my mom on the phone," or "Go to the store" I know I should go to the gym. If I have the energy to be social or shop, I have the energy for a work out.

5. Is there a different workout that actually sounds appealing? Sometimes it's just a matter of being bored with the usual workout. I find this is my reason for not wanting to go most times (if I am honest with myself). If there is a workout that sounds better (elliptical vs. running, hiking vs. the gym, going for a walk vs. lifting) than do the thing that sounds more fun. If boredom is keeping you for working out, it's better to switch up the routine (even if it throws you off a bit) to keep your sanity, and to help you keep up your fitness goals long-term.

6. What will it take to get me out the door? Sometimes I find that if I allow myself to rest for 30 minutes between work and the gym, my batteries feel recharged and I'm ready to go. Sometimes I call my mom and say, "Tell me to go to the gym" - just hearing someone else tell you "GO!" will do it. Sometimes it's a matter of waiting for Ronnie to say, "ok, gym time" to make me feel like it's time to move. Sometimes this takes a little trial and error to figure out what will actually make you go. For some, "sitting down for 30 minutes" could mean never getting back up. So find what will get you out the door.

7. How will I reward myself? I do this often. On a day I'm not feeling like working out, I decide how I'll treat myself for a job well done. I try to avoid junk food rewards as much as possible (seems like it's a bit counter-productive) but some days I do bribe myself with the notion of dessert after dinner. More frequently, I like to use things like getting home and sitting on the couch watching TV instead of doing laundry, not making dinner, even just the thought of having an excuse to take a nice long bath (or shower now that I'm pregnant) when it's cold out feels like a good enough reward.

8. Who can keep me company? This generally requires a little advanced planning - at least to develop a group of people that you know will work out with you. I am fortunate enough to have a hubby that works out, so my workout buddy is build in. However, before Ronnie, I had girlfriends in college that I would call to work out with and when home, my mom, dad and brother were all workout buddies.

9. Why should I work out? There are many benefits of exercise, but until we personalize them to us, they don't really help to motivate us. There are a few things on the list that always motivate me. 1. I simply feel better after I work out. 2. It's a good work to unwind from the work day 3. It makes me feel better about my body (it keeps the numbers on the scale down, and even if the numbers rise a bit, I feel better about the rise if I'm working out) 4. If I work out, Ronnie will be motivated to work out (and vice versa). And sometimes it's more specific reasons like I've been more winded going up stairs lately, I'm training for a race, I want to get my butt toned so it looks good in my bathing suit. Come up with your list if you don't have one already, it makes working out on the lazy days way easier.

So that's it, the questions I ask myself when working out just doesn't seem all that appealing. How about you, any questions you ask yourself?

The Secret to a Clean House: The 10-Minute Tidy

(Watch Video First)

Ok, I know there are a few things we're all thinking, so let's get them out of the way: 1) That grown woman pretending to be a giant baby is a little weird. 2) Who can do ANYTHING in 10 seconds? Unfortunately I can't fast forward through chores like that! 3) Why did you have that posted? I can never have those 37 seconds back!

My answers: 1) I agree! 2) No one can - I'll tell you how I've changed it for a real person to do. 3) I'm sorry, at least I didn't post a longer clip!

Well I wanted to share that video to talk about one of my all time favorite tricks that my parents did with us kids, and how it still works to this day. When we were kids (even through high school) my mom or dad (normally my dad) would say, "the house is a mess, let's help mom by all of us picking up for 10 minutes." They would set the timer on the over and we would all take off in different directions running through the house to see how much we could get done during the 10-Minute Tidy. And let me tell you, 4 people can get A LOT done in only 10 minutes (especially if you're running...which of course, being competitors, we did). Now, I will say, maybe it helped that my mom is a neat freak. So the house never got dirty, things would just get out of order - you know, shoes here, a sweatshirt there, toys on the floor, books on the table. But at the end of 10 minutes, the house was back in tip top shape.

To this day, I love a good 10-Minute Tidy, and Ronnie's nice enough to play along! I'm naturally lazy when it comes to cleaning. I can think of a million ways I'd rather spend my time. But 10 minutes is easy to mentally commit to, so it gets me started, and once we're on a roll, we'll usually continue to clean from another 10-20 minutes to complete the job. And man, at the end of those 10-30 minutes, the house looks so much better. We do a 10-Minute Tidy 2-3 nights a week, and it keeps the house from getting very messy.

Here's what we do:

Whole House -

Pick up/put away stuff out (7 minutes)

Swiffer tile/wood floors (3 minutes)

Kitchen -

Clean Dishes (empty/load dishwasher) (3 minutes)

Soft scrub counter tops (2 minutes)

Family Room -

Straighten pillows on sofa (we have a lot of pillows) (1 minute)

Put away remotes (30 seconds)

Bedroom -

Put away shoes/clothes (3 minutes)

Clear night stands (30 seconds)

TOTAL TIME: 20 Minutes (10 minutes per person)

If we get caught up and want to really get the house looking good:

Whole House -

Vacuum (10 minutes)

(Quick) Dust (10 minutes)

TOTAL (extra) TIME: 20 Minutes (10 minutes per person)

Give it a shot! We just did one yesterday, and man the house looks good :)

PS - Pass along any and all cleaning tips you have. I'm still a cleaning newbie (since this is my first home and the first time if I don't clean it, no one will). And, well, let's just say I'm really good at surface cleaning, but the deep cleaning (the kind that actually matters) I need some lessons!