My Fitness Routine

I've been walking every day with Toby along the river.

We go walking during his snack time. I bring lots of snacks, at least three for Toby to choose from, apple juice for Toby and water and apples, or carrots, for me to snack on when we get to the park. He munches away happily and I walk as fast and as far as his patience will allow. When I told Oliver about my new fitness plan, he jokingly referred to it as, "meals on wheels" - but it allows me to get a little exercise in each day without having to worry about child care, membership fees, or anything like that. We stop along the way to check out birds - and Toby puts the sun shade up, and then down, and then up, and then down. etc.

I've been walking about 3 - 5 miles a day now, as per Google Maps. All this walking, and eating fresh fruit and vegetables, has given me a lot more energy - and almost the energy I need to keep up with Toby. Oh to have his energy! Today, for example, he crashed the home schooled Christian Jedis' party at the park, and took off with one of their lightsabers.

I've lost 17 pounds in two months.

I wore a size 20 belt and drilled several extra holes in it. I bought a size 16 belt and it was too big for me. Then, last week, I bought a non-plus-sized unisex belt which I haven't been able to do since before I started law school and was normal sized.

I can only wear it on the last hole and I think it looks very silly like that, but I figured I'll be growing into it soon, or shrinking into it soon, as the case may be. My wedding ring is getting to be really loose now too. I may have to have it resized if I keep this up.

I'm at my pre-pregnancy weight again, but I'm really looking forward to being back to my pre-law school size.

17 pounds down. 60 to go.

Fruit and Vegetable Fridays Week #3

Another week, another box of awesome organic fruit and vegetables.

It's Oliver's last day working for the law firm, and we were thinking we'd all go out for dinner to celebrate - but now that the box has come, and I'm thinking of all the great things I could make with it's contents, I'm thinking we may want to stay home! Yummy.

We are eating all the fruit and veggies each week, even running out on Wednesdays. I'm thinking we may want to increase our delivery from the regular box of fruit and veggies to a slightly bigger box. Or, I could plan on doing the weekly shopping on Wednesdays - picking up extra fruit and veggies, as needed, from the store. Ideally though, I'd like to just go to the store for bulk items like rice and pasta, and "think inside the box". It's pretty much all I eat these days and it rocks.

The Yarn I Bought at Stitches

A break between rain storms

It was an obscenely gorgeous day today.

I packed a bunch of snacks for Toby and we went to the park.

He fell asleep in the stroller.

So, I just kept walking - for over an hour.

I walked about 4 miles total today.

It was just beautiful every step of the way!

It felt so good to be out in the fresh air again.

Almost Vegan

My dad has been bugging me to read this book called, "The China Study" for almost a year now. A few months ago he went beyond recommending it and gave me a copy.

I read it in two days.

It's somewhat dry, but pretty compelling stuff. It was hard not to make some serious dietary changes after being hit with all those graphs and tables.

Two months later, I am losing weight like crazy and feel better than I have, maybe ever. I still get tired. I still get grumpy, and things still stress me out - but I have a lot more energy and I feel sooo much better!

When I was in high school I tried on my friend's glasses just for fun and was amazed by how clear everything was! I went to the eye doctor and my vision was something like 20-400 - but that was just what I had always known. I got my first pair of glasses and the world was beautiful. Then I had lasic surgery, which corrected my vision even better than the glasses ever did and, for the first time ever, I could see individual leaves on the trees. Going off dairy has been like trying on my friend's glasses. Oh look, I must have been lactose intolerant (like my mom) all this time and didn't know! I think I am both lactose intolerant and addicted to cheese. I love it - I crave it -It's not my friend.

I signed up for the organic fruit and vegetable delivery and have been learning a lot more about nutrition and vegan cooking.

I'm trying to get Oliver and Toby to eat more fruits and vegetables too. I've been making a lot less progress in that area; but, small, healthy changes are taking place over time. Oliver tried soy and rice milk. Toby likes to drink rice milk with chocolate, and he loves fruit - but like me he is very addicted to cheese, and, although I think they are much tastier than the originals, he doesn't like the soy mac 'n cheese, or soy yogurt.

Becoming vegan, (I'm still not vegan as I'm still wearing leather shoes, knitting with wool, etc., but I'm almost vegan) has been a lot like becoming a born again Christian - I want to share "the good news" with the world, and, yet, almost no one wants to hear about it. The nice thing about living in a new city, though, is that I don't have any friends to alienate. I'm starting from scratch and doing things for myself, the way I think I should. It's liberating, in a way - and I hope to continue my vegan journey - even though I know a lot of you will think I'm nuts.

A Good Day for Making Blanket Forts and Tea

Tan sedan spotted in Sacramento; panic ensues

A recent article in the Sacramento Bee claims that you are twice as likely to be the victim of a violent crime in Sacramento than you are in LA. The article came out a month after we moved here. If I had seen the article before we moved, we may have made a different choice - but what's done is done, and there are so many things about Sacramento that I have come to really love.

But, when I think about the crime, I start to panic a little. Turns out, I'm in good company... of a sorts. The local response to the crime, frightens me too. I'm not sure which is worse actually.

Since I'm new to Sacramento, I joined a local mom's group so I could meet new people. One of the moms posted this on a message board last week:

"Yesterday I was washing my car and a tan older model sedan "cruised" by me, stopped a couple of houses away, then did a u-turn at the end of the street and came back. I rushed my 3-year old into the garage and grabbed my cell phone and walked to the entrance of the garage behind where my car was in the driveway. I held my phone up so if they were looking at me, they didn't know if I was calling 911 or photographing their car as they "cruised" by me again, with dark tinted windows, I could see 2 African American males, but could not get a photo of the car quickly enough. I remember seeing a posting about a man being robbed while washing his car, so that is why I am posting this, to help keep us all safe and aware of our surroundings!!!"

Followed by several responses from other moms in the area telling her that she should report "the incident" to the police. Two mom's said she should call 911!

911!

Can you imagine that phone call?! It makes me laugh just thinking about it.

So, let me get this strait: you were washing your car and observed a driver making a u-turn? Was he driving recklessly? No? Okay. And it wasn't an illegal u-turn? And they weren't speeding? And there's a house for sale two doors down from you? And it's not a thru street? Did you realize you called 911? Several moms in the area told you you should?! Unbelievable.

We are thinking about moving to Elk Grove - a suburb twenty minutes south of Sacramento between Sacramento and Stockton, with a considerably lower crime rate. Higher than Santa Barbara, but not by a whole lot.

I'm also hoping that I will meet more reasonable people here. There's a lot more diversity in a big city, so there's bound to be some reasonable people living here too, right?

I'll keep you posted.