Well.
Another weekend on the books. We are in a phase of life where each weekend is a mashup of fuzzy feelings of family togetherness spiked with intermittent bursts of frustration and exhaustion. Josh and I tend to look at each other on Sunday nights and comment (often over a drink): “well, we survived another one!”.
I tend to do a fair amount of weekend planning these days, because there are a lot of moving parts. Call schedules, piano lessons (still in Miami Beach . . . for now), birthday parties, play dates, etc. And because the rest the weekends are quite kid focused, we like to go out (most) Saturday nights when neither of us are on call. I didn’t make a reservation anywhere and we ended up driving around to multiple places trying to figure out where to eat — clearly we are such newbies to the area!
After two false starts (the much-hyped Cooper’s Hawk had a 2 hour wait that I cannot fathom is worth it), we ended up at cinque terre, which was good and had a cozy, casual atmosphere. I am trying to figure out the restaurant scene here, which is less of a scene and more of . . . a smattering of places in random strip malls. I am sure we will uncover some gems, though! (And if you’re a Broward County resident and have suggestions for great dining in suburbia . . . I welcome them!).
The weekend also contained:
- piano lessons for both kids
- a bday party extravaganza (there were PONY RIDES, face paint, balloons, a piñata, popcorn/cotton candy – all at one party! Did I mention pony rides?!?!)
We also took a family trip to IKEA.
I managed to work out both days and sleep in (until . . . 7:30?) Sunday, so I’d deem the weekend a success.
I had yesterday off — and thanks to Dr. Martin Luther King, the kids did too! We went to Young at Art in the afternoon (along with most of the county). Thankfully, there is enough square footage there to accommodate crowds.
I also went on a run in 47 degree weather (!), signed the kids up for camp and did our nanny’s taxes (W-2, W-3). SUCCESS.
On the subject of workouts, I am aiming to continue a mix of running + strength workouts. I have started using Strava — just the free version — to track my consistency, and I do like that you can pull up a week or month’s worth at a time (on the computer interface, not on the phone app).
Last week was a pretty ideal one: 3 runs (3-4 mi each), 3 BB sessions (total body cardio, upper, and dirty 30). I also really really want to try two nearby workout places: Burn Boot Camp and Orange Theory. I feel like one studio workout/week would be a great complement to what I already do on my own, and a good reason to actually leave the house on my days off. I will report back 🙂
Finally — on the subject of pants — I decided to do my own experiment and ordered pairs (on your recommendations) from Banana Republic, J Crew, Betabrand, Everlane, Boden, and also a hideously overpriced pair from Theory. I will obviously NOT be keeping all of these pants, but I am willing to sacrifice shipping costs when necessary to find the perfect pair without an in-person spree. I hope I ordered the right sizes (I used proper size charts & fit guides on each site when possible and went for petites when available). SO: there will be a work pant review to come!!
11 Comments
I highly reccomend Orange theory! You get cardio and strength in one so you could count it as two weekend workouts if you wanted. I also think you’d like the data part of it as well.
I love Orange Theory. It’s super intense and I am not able to do more than 1-2 classes a week, but YMMV. It’a fun and effective way to get in both strength training and hard core cardio.
On Theory pants— I bought my pair 6 years ago and still wear them once a week. I grimaced at the price at the time but now wish I had them in like 5 more colors! They were worth every penny, in this case.
I observe your weekend planning with fascination. My biggest desire on weekends is NOT to plan, to the point that I avoid almost everything except pre-planned kids’ activity classes and birthday parties. I only manage a couple of weekend playdates a year because I have planning burnout I guess. It makes me feel a little guilty, but also – I recognize my limitations!
Looking forward to your Great Work Pants Review.
1. Betabrand pants are all I wear to work now. So glad you’re giving them a try!
2. Do NOT waste your time at Cooper’s Hawk. The food is ok, but pretty standard “nice restaurant” fare. They exclusively carry their own wine, and it’s universally terrible. My husband and I tried 4 different bottles, and the best we came up with was “this one is the most drinkable”. Just a heads-up.
Awesome that you’ve got such good weather for outside running and fitness! The weather’s not as good here (-2 was the low yesterday) but time outside is always worthwhile. Maybe some snowy hikes?!
I would love to hear more about the logistics of your move! Maybe it’s because the house we just moved in to has a lot of (unforeseen) issues, but we are 10ish weeks in and I am still overwhelmed.
can’t wait for the “pant review” 🙂
Re Theory pants: I bought a pair in 2003 and it lasted until… well technically I still have them but they have grown a bit snug. They still look great. I have another pair that I bought in 2014 which still look great and another that I bought last winter which are basically the only work pants I wear October through April. They are expensive, but hold up really well. The key is to buy a neutral color. I also rarely if ever have them cleaned. I have never gotten more than 1-2 years out of Banana Republic or J Crew. A lot of this “investment piece” stuff is kinda BS IMO, but it has actually worked out that way for me with these pants.
I’ve heard good things about Orange Theory! Let us know how it goes.
Your kids are beautiful! I feel like you were just pregnant with A!
As someone who lives in (western)Massachusetts, and grew up here, I still cannot picture you managing through winters while in Williamstown. This past weekend the wind chill was at -30 and it was no joke!
I however could not do the heat of Florida .
Thank you Kay! I am not sure how I survived those winters, either. I recall a lot of coffee, down coats, and cranking my thermostat up to 80. And some vodka at times 🙂
I’ve heard good things about both burn boot camp and OTF…I cannot justify the price of OTF, its way more even than barre (which I do love) and I’ve heard that you have to be regular to really get used to it/get much out of it. I’m super impressed you did 7 workouts last week!I’ve only been managing 3 a week these days, trying SO HARD to get back to adding in some BeachBody, but its soooo cold in the basement in the morning and so warm in bed upstairs… Also looking forward to the Pants Review! I bought a whole bunch of pants a couple years ago that I basically never wear, I wear the same 2-3 skinny black or red pants everyday.