My title for this post makes me think of that Counting Crows song Round Here, which probably gives away my age in a big way.
But there’s quite a bit going on around here. So here’s a little life update. Neil will probably put out a post about his first race of the season at Gateway sometime in the near future, but here are some other things…
We’ve managed to secure a spot for 6 home visits a year with Parents as Teachers! These spots are coveted and hard to come by here in Columbia, but we’re excited to see where this takes us.
I won’t lie, I’m overwhelmed by the speed and sheer diversity of development in this 18-22 month range in toddlers. Don’t get me wrong, it’s exciting and a lot of fun too, but I know I would feel better if I could wrap my arms around it a little more.
I really want to be sure we’re providing all the opportunity for growth and learning to her as possible, but in the right way. She shows interest in so many things, I just like the idea of having a little guidance.
We (and by we I mean Neil) has been cooking up a storm lately. We’ve hit a really good place with food lately. Everything is really healthy, but fun. It’s fun to both cook and eat, and KK pacifies herself enough now to where it isn’t survival mode in the kitchen for the most part anyway. Above is the awesome meatloaf we made that lasted us 4 days! It was so good too, and got better after day 1.
And the beginnings of a cajun dirty rice with shrimp…
And the finished product…
So yummy!
I’ve also been in the kitchen, which has been a really nice development. I typically was just cleaning the kitchen after meals, but now that KK needs food and snax for daycare that hold her interest, I’ve kind of taken up the challenge and run with it. Thankfully she’ll eat nearly everything and is very forgiving of my less-successful kitchen experiments. So far we’ve done three-ingredient muffins, oatmeal raisin cookies, blueberry muffins and vanilla wafers.
Normal training is back and I am SO happy! I love accessory and range of motion work and that’s what I’ve been adding into my routine, both in the gym and at home. Tis’ the season for all the movements! My favorite right now are Bulgarian split squats, Single-leg RDLs and pause squats. These are all movements you can do from home with just your body weight, or add something you find around the house! Embrace the booty burn and try them out!
Also some gymnastics, care of Mitch (who was missing in action that day).
I’ve also been doing a lot of binge podcast/YouTube listening. I highly recommend checking out Julien Pineau’s StrongFit YouTube channel, as well as the new episdoes of Barbell Shrugged and Barbell Buddha, they are EPIC. I wish I could work for those guys. In particular, the one’s I ‘ve loved lately are:
- Chat with Strength Coach Julien Pineau – #100 (sense a theme here? Haha!)
- Nutrition for Aesthetics vs Performance vs. Health – #203
- Coming Back From Injury: How to Ease Back Into Training and Get Back on the Wagon – #205
In addition to listening to fun things, I have been reading a TON lately. I’ve almost fully moved over to reading on my Kindle Fire. It’s just easier, and it may be negligible, but I feel like I cover a lot more pages quickly. I’m also addicted to highlighting and taking notes.
The Dorothy Must Die Series by Danielle Paige is ADDICTIVE. I loved the Wicked Years Series by Gregory Maguire, so this new twist on Oz is fun to compare it to.
Between the World and Me by Ta-Hehisi Coates is probably one of the most intense books I’ve ever read. I was in tears nearly the entire time I read it, which never happens. It gives you such a different perspective on the racial and socio-economic tension, both recent and historically. Additionally, and it was probably unintended by the author, but I feel like his fears for his child growing up in this world are in many ways what we all feel for our children, race aside.
So that’s the fun around here lately? What’s going on in your neck of the woods?
