@7am: It is very early on New Years day of 2010 and Isa is giving me the gift of sleeping in (she was up celebrating way into the evening). I spent last night, like most nights, with my daughter. We had Indian inspired food and ice cream (hence the late into the evening celebration), and then we watched lots of movies. Neither one of us made it to midnight but that's just fine with me. To be honest I did have some pangs of longing to be out. There is such a feeling of hope, celebration and "doing over" that comes with New Years. It is also difficult to be inside when you know the city is having a party. It brings me back to High School years when the "cool kids" had a party and I knew it was happening but never go the invite. But I was prepared before hand, and to be honest I don't know if there was any other place I would rather be. I was actually provided with free babysitting, but I embarrassingly had no place to go. The thing about being a Single Mom is that most of the time we have to say "No" to invitations and eventually we stop being asked. Isa and I had a lovely evening, and I am so lucky to have her with me to ring in another year of hope.
@4pm: OK so Isa obviously woke up while I was mid post so here I am during her nap typing away. We had an amazing and surprising day. I am hopeful the rest of the year feels like today. I went on a bit of a cleaning frenzy. I like to start the year fresh (it's a weird thing I do and about the only time you will see me cleaning like a fool). I am giving away my jogging stroller-I put a post up on my Mommy group and think I got a taker. I LOVE this stroller. I think more for sentimental reasons than any other. It is a Mclaren MAC3 and has seen me through some pretty tough times as well as some amazing times. I bought it soon after I broke up with my Ex. I would put Isa in it and she would look like a Princess. When I first got it she was so tiny but as the months past she filled it out. We put miles on it. I gained a lot of my mental and physical strength back with that stroller. I was planning to run the marathon (I didn't get in) and I even took it around Central Park (we lost a shoe and both socks). If you ever need an ass kicking work out jog Central Park -the hills will kill you. God- I will miss that stroller, but the time has come to say, "good-bye". Isa is old enough that she is in Daycare and I jog while she is in school. I don't see her enough throughout the day now and would rather spend that time playing with her. I don't think she would sit in it anyway- she is way too active for it. It is difficult though to see it go. I think I need to let go of a lot of that struggle I had last year. It was hard but I think we are free now. I don't need to hold on to Isa as tightly as I once did. She is so much more independent now and is growing up and I am ok with seeing it happen. I too, need to let go of my own struggle and pain because it is over. I saw it through and I am better now. When I look back on the beginning of it I can't even imagine being there now. I was so protected and tightly wrapped within myself. I picture it like being a tightly wrapped ball of black wire and Isa in the middle (run wild with that Art Therapists), but now we are separate standing tall and walking freely. Such a difference a year makes. I still have daily struggles but they are normal or at least what most people face- it isn't the same as feeling scared all the time. The stroller represents that time for me because with every mile I took I felt freer than before and I re-claimed myself.
After cleaning, Isa and I painted (I know it should have been the other way but thats how it goes). We made a mess. And while I was cleaning one spot she knocked over the jar of water and before I could get mad she looked at me and said, "That's ok Mom." And it was. She is right. It is ok. It's just water and mess happens. We were having fun and I just needed to let it go and go with it. So we cleaned up and bathed and decided to go to the movies. I had been wanting to take her to the Princess and the Frog and she was so excited. AS we were leaving we ran into my neighbor (and Isa's best friend) and decided to go to brunch instead. Then we went to play in the amazing new playground at Union Square. Then decided we should load the kids with sugar if we were going to sit through the movie so stopped at WholeFoods. Then finally went to the movie. We didn't see the entire thing. Isa was tired and needed to go, but it was still an amazing time. Sometimes the best days come out of going with the flow and giving up on plans. So another lesson for the year. Loosen up and go with it.
Pilates on the Jumpboard or Trampoline
Mainly because with both of these pieces of equipment it is difficult to control what happens and in life sometimes it is better to just let things happen as they will and let it go
1. Just jump (use your abdominals with each jump)
2. Continue to jump, add alternating legs like prancing, bring arms over head to ceiling
3. Do the Ab series (on jumboard add the curl forward with arms behind head or reaching by side), with trampoline keep arms over head
a. Single Leg Stretch -alternating legs
b. Double leg stretch - both legs reach and pull in toward chest
Posts
