Fitnotic is devoted to helping women at all stages of life obtain and, most importantly, maintain their desired level of fitness. Whether you are a pregnant woman trying to stay fit and healthy, a mom looking to improve your figure and increase strength, or a woman interested in exciting workout options, Fitnotic will keep you motivated to live a healthy lifestyle and help you achieve your fitness goals.

If you’re a mom or expectant mom interested in learning how to prevent or eliminate diastasis recti (the separation of the outermost layer of the abdominal muscles that causes the “mummy tummy” post-pregnancy), you won’t want to miss this! On Friday, November 13th at 6:30pm, Sheryl Wilson, a qualified Tupler Technique instructor and NASM-certified personal trainer, will offer her training on diastasis recti at Yummy Mummy (1201 Lexington between 81st and 82nd Street). At this one-to-two hour class (length will depend upon class size), you will learn everything you need to know about diastasis recti, including how to prevent or minimize the occurrence of one, and how to close a diastasis, the first step in achieving your long-desired flat midsection! This special class is being offered at a reduced rate of $40 per person. RSVP in advance as space is limited - sheryl@fitnotic.com or visit www.fitnotic.com for more information.

Please check it out! And let them know Go Baby sent you!!

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Case in point:
1) Yesterday, at school, she and her class went on a nature walk. They are, after all, the Chipmunk class, so of course they must go searching for chipmunk burrows whenever possible. Well, apparently she and a couple of other girls in the class happened upon a bee hive full of some VERY ANGRY BEES. The kind that don’t stop once you turn and run, but actually CHASE AFTER YOU. My little munchkin got stung multiple times, which I didn’t hear about until much later because I never got the voice mails from the school.  She’s fine now, and is still talking about sitting naked on the floor of the bathroom (after they stripped them all down to make sure they got all of the stingers out) eating the ice cubes the teachers had brought to them for their bites. She’s tough, I know.

2) My husband picked her up from school today and brought home not one, but TWO incident reports for us to sign. One, of course, was about the bees. The second, well, apparently she and another friend (the school wouldn’t tell us who but of course Me Too ratted her friend out) were arguing over the steering wheel on the jungle gym. Yelling gave way to pushing, and when that didn’t work, her little friend BIT HER. Now, I know this kid, and I’m sure it was self-defense. I’m sure Me Too was not an innocent victim here. It’s just the two incident reports got to me.

AND, of course, there’s a #3 (don’t these things always happen in threes?) Me Too has insisted that she grow her hair out (like one of the characters on Barney, she wants to have long hair.) Obliging (she really has beautiful golden brown locks) I have stopped cutting her bangs, instead pinning them back with barrettes or headbands. Well, tonight, on the way to C’s therapeutic riding lesson, Me Too decided it was the night to take the barrette out of her hair and put it in her mouth, where she proceeded to choke on it, and then swallow it. I was in the front seat of the moving car, of course, so I didn’t see what happened until she was crying and trying to cough this thing up. Of course, we all FREAKED OUT. She was breathing fine, talking and singing, but of course I called the emergency number at the pediatrician’s. The very kind doctor who called back assured me that Me Too was probably going to be fine, that the fact that she could talk and breathe meant the barrette wasn’t stuck in her trachea, and to just watch her- probably it would just pass or (gross-out alert) be encapsulated in her body somehow. But of course, to watch her and make sure she’s not in any pain in her chest or stomach, and of course, give her fluids and something to eat to push the thing down.

Well, needless to say, it’s been quite a couple of days. I’d like to curl up in bed and drink my anxieties away, but of course that’s counterproductive, especially when I have so much to do (and who knows how alcohol would combine with my new anti-depressant cocktail.) So, I have to just wait, watch and hope everything is better tomorrow. And give my little ones an extra squeeze whenever I can.

Glad to be back, though. I missed this.

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Things I recommend when traveling with children:

1) Rent an apartment- we rented a furnished apartment through a service (google them) and it made all the difference. We had a home base, we could shop for breakfast foods and snacks and so didn’t have to go to a restaurant all the time.

2) Plan only one or two outings a day, and have lots of play time in between. We visited playgrounds in both places, and it made all the difference for their attention.

3) Pack lots of snacks. Sometimes the service is just slow (as in Paris- oh, and you can’t get a highchair anywhere in Paris. Brussels was great about that) and the kids need to snack. No big deal. A great opportunity to try out what local kids eat for snacks (no fishie crackers anywhere, but we found these neat pretzel-like sticks that came with cream cheese for a dip.)

4) Try to keep to routine if you can, but be willing to throw it out the window. On our trip, the sun didn’t set until almost 11 pm, which meant when we tried to put the kids down at 8:00 we were met with serious objections. So we just let them stay up until 10 or so, or until we were about to collapse ourselves, and then let them sleep in if necessary.

5) Secure a babysitter for at least one night- we didn’t do this, and regretted it. We really could have used some “grownup time,” if nothing but to sit at a cafe and have a drink without worrying a kid was going to run into the middle of the street.

All in all, an amazing trip. We are glad to be home, but are already planning our trip for next year!

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The season of Family Travel is approaching. And while you may dream of smiling faces at theme parks, family sing a-longs in the car, and warm get-togethers at the homes of loved-ones, think again. Family trips have the uncanny way of becoming so exhausting that you wonder why you bothered to venture beyond a five block radius of your house. But never fear: here are a few tips, things learned from some trial and mostly error that will help keep the Travail out of Travel.

1) Clear Your Camera
Make sure to download all the pictures from your digital camera before you bring it on your trip. Even though the memory card holds 1846 pictures, it’s probably full. That’s because you have not erased it since two Halloweens ago. (That was the year your daughter wanted to be a chicken and you spent hours with a glue gun and white feathers. There’s still a feather stuck to the kitchen table; it will never come off.)
As you download the pictures, you will quickly discover that your nine-year-old had taken approximately two hundred and twelve pictures of his Lego structures. Some of them are quite good: maybe a burgeoning architect? Now you have a decision to make. You can: A) Delete all of the Lego pictures; surely he has forgotten about them by now. But of course you risk that in a month from now he will ask about the photos and when he finds out they are gone, he will scream that he hates you and will never forgive you and then he’ll run upstairs and slam the door to his room. Twice. Or you can: B) Recognize all the hard work he put into the Lego creations and spend all night printing out the pictures onto expensive quality photo paper, organize them in a scrap book and present it to him. At which point he will casually accept it and say “Oh yeah, I was just messing around.”
Don’t worry: either way, you’ll forget to pack your camera.

2) Dealing with your Bed-Wetter.
You will explain that you will be visiting friends and staying at a hotel, so you will not have access to a washing machine, nor do you want to replace a hotel mattress. She will nod with sage-like understanding. You will go on to explain that you will be packing Pull-ups, and she must wear them. “Of course” she answers. Go on to clarify that the pull-ups must be worn for the entire night and not to be removed when the mood strikes, at say 2:00 AM, about 15 minutes before she wets the bed.
Remember to bring duct tape.

3) Pack Snacks
Before you leave, set aside plenty of time to prepare healthy snacks: cut-up vegetables, fruit and sandwiches on whole-grain bread. Of course, these will not be eaten. Instead, when you stop for gas and a potty break at one of the many inviting rest stops that adorn our great highways, the smell of trans-fat, sugar and food dyes will stimulate your olfactory bulb. This will cause an involuntary reflex in your arm which will make you reach for your wallet and spend large amounts of money buying junk food.
After eating your fast food in the car, be sure hide the wrappers, because the friend you are visiting is a vegan, volunteers at an organic farm and only bakes carob and wheat germ cookies.
Make sure you pack baby-wipes so you can make a vain attempt to wipe the blue food-coloring from your children’s faces, though it will linger for days.

4) To DVD or Not to DVD?
A portable DVD player can provide hours of anesthesia to juvenile passengers in the back seat, if dosed correctly. Here are some guidelines:
-Choose movies everyone likes (which means no one likes them).
-Bring educational DVD’s, especially one about the place you are visiting. This one will end up on the floor scratched/cracked or covered in sticky goo.
-Forbid movies with any violence (even the Tom and Jerry ones you love).
-Forbid movies with squeaky songs that make you want to stick pins in your ears.
-Deal with any disagreements about the DVD player (whose side is it on, that it’s too loud/too quiet etc) by stating “When I was young we played the license plate game or just stared out the window” Then threaten to take it away.
-Hide it when you get to your friend’s house because her children only play with toys hand-made of natural materials and she doesn’t own a television.

5) A House Guest and a Fish
We all remember Ben Franklin’s warning about overstaying your welcome. Here are some steps to prevent your welcome from being even more shortened by following this advice:
-Instruct your children not to make gagging noises when served a meal by your host.
-Don’t turn the shower on until you are sure the shower curtain is tucked into the tub, the bath mat is in place, and you know how to turn it off (but that’s a story for a different time).
-Be sure to bring a gift, something that you can claim is unique to your hometown. Your host will accept it graciously, and then you’ll find one just like it sitting in her living room.

6) Staying at a Hotel
When you go to check in your room will not be ready. Stand at the reception desk with your tired, dirty, hungry, whiney children for about three minutes. Your room will now be ready.
When you enter the room, remind your children that they may not pull on the drapes, the floor lamps, or the artwork. Make sure they understand may not have races in the bathroom to see who can fill his/her double sink up first. They may not order room service, valet service or pay-per-view movies. They will of course ignore you and attempt to do all of these things.
There will be two “double beds,” which are really only the size of two singles. Glancing at your spouse, quickly call sharing with the younger child. When you win, gloat about how much more room you will have and how comfortable you will be. Be happy and comfortable, until about 2:00 AM, when she wets the bed.

Vow that next time you go on vacation, you will leave the kids home with your parents.

Enjoy your trip!

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http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2j570l8fvv332zz/start

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So no posts for a while. I’ve kind of promised myself and my husband that I won’t be tied to the computer for hours a day. We’ll see how long that lasts, but I’m going to give it the ‘old college try. So don’t miss me too much, and I’m sure to have lots of juicy fabulous stories to relate when we get back!

Or, they’ll have to take me back in a straight jacket and put me in the rubber room for thinking 10 days in Europe with a 5 and 2 year old would be a good idea. Only time will tell.

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So no posts for a while. I’ve kind of promised myself and my husband that I won’t be tied to the computer for hours a day. We’ll see how long that lasts, but I’m going to give it the ‘old college try. So don’t miss me too much, and I’m sure to have lots of juicy fabulous stories to relate when we get back!

Or, they’ll have to take me back in a straight jacket and put me in the rubber room for thinking 10 days in Europe with a 5 and 2 year old would be a good idea. Only time will tell.

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C with her class at the Spring Pageant

Today is C’s last day of Pre-K. I know people say it all the time, but I HONESTLY remember the first day we met her teacher- we took her in for a mini-conference so she could see her classroom and meet her teachers. It really feels like it was yesterday (ok, last week.) We had just moved to the area, having left our friends and comfortable New York City life. I was so nervous about her starting a new school, dealing with a new classroom with a much larger campus (how would she walk such long distances?) and how would she handle an 8 hour-day. Well, here we are, 9 months later, and she’s a superstar- all of the worries I had have magically faded into a comfort level I could have only dreamed about. So thank you Paula and Emily, and all of the wonderful teachers at AFS. We will see you in the Fall, a little more rested, a little more sun-kissed, and ready to start a new school year at a place that already feels like home.

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