Ahh, the first post from a new laptop!
This doesn’t happen very often! Though it would be fun to see a retrospective of all of the laptops I have blogged on over the years, starting in 2004. I’m going to guess this one is #5 or #6? Most (if not all) have been Macs (2006 iBook reference!), though I may have started on a med-school-issued PC.
I have to say, being able to actually feel ALL of the keys press down and actually work is incredibly refreshing (I had one of those ~2019-era MacBook Pros with a very flat keyboard that was prone to sticking and often invited typos that I didn’t deserve!).
Here’s to plenty of typing and a keyboard that continues to behave over the years.
Weekend, continued
Yesterday ended up being pretty relaxed. G and I walked to the playground and C ran with Josh to meet us there (A was sleeping until 11, which is pretty common for her these days). AND, we ended up going to watch A’s friend in a big cheerleading competition nearby! It was fun and reminded me of my own cheer days. It appears that some things have changed, but a lot hasn’t. Then we came home and had sushi delivered after the kids rejected my idea of pizza.
I also booked my flight to Hopkins AND went to Club Pilates for a 30 minute intro/trial. It was . . . good? I think? I am having trouble wrapping my head around the idea that there are types of exercise that can be beneficial even if they don’t feel ‘hard’. But perhaps that is true. (I also know that I was doing it at a VERY low level as a total beginner and I am sure Club Pilates classes can actually be scaled up to be quite hard!).
I am thinking of giving myself 3 months to try it out (they require that at signup anyway . . .) but am not entirely set yet. I have some other things I want to try, PLUS I compiled an awesome list of your recs! I think that building a regular routine with some of these home sessions combined with some in-person things will be really good for my mental health.
TODAY
- Finally finish with camp signups! G & C committed to their choices yesterday after a lot of back and forth, so I’m happy to have that set. As of now, A doesn’t have any day camp scheduled, though she is going to Monday-Friday overnight camp for 3 weeks. She will be going to gymnastics 3 weekdays per week for ~3.5 hours each, so I’m thinking that might be enough? Still a little bit undecided about that. She is in that awkward age where there are not a lot of great options. I think she’d be an awesome CIT (I was a CIT/assistant counselor all through my teen years!) but I think at many places these days you need to be a year older.
- Plan week on our whiteboard (and finish planning it in my planner); grocery list etc.
- Work with A to order stuff / plan for her birthday sleepover next weekend (!) – at least 4 girls will be sleeping over and she has some visions. She will be 13 which feels particularly momentous.
- Clear desk which is a disaster. Oops.
- BOOK CLUB! We are discussing All Fours so I really want to go. I almost bowed out (Sunday night is not my preferred night) but then realized the little kids are off Monday so it’s not really a true school night. Plus, that book was juicy and warrants discussion AND I think being social is probably a good thing right now.
16 Comments
I’m typing this from a pre 2019 Macbook Pro, so I know what you mean. Congrats on the upgrade/yes I had to backspace to edit because one of my keys decided to stick.
Sunday night is an awkward time for a social event, but it’s worth it for All Fours! I think I told you that I didn’t like the book and I ended up skimming a lot of it BUT also I think it would make for a fascinating discussion.
Yes! i’m glad I read it only because I think the discussion will be juicy.
I mostly comment on my phone but when I use a laptop, it’s a giant one I got during grad school, so in 2006! It had a 10 key so that is why it is very very large. I have never had a MacBook – I’ve only used PC, mostly Dell. I love the idea of a MacBook but have stuck with PCs for some reason. If I get a new laptop, I will probably get a Chromebook or something like that.
I can see how Pilates doesn’t feel like a true ‘workout’. It’s very different from running. I did private sessions on the reformer when I was recovering from a stress fracture and admittedly did not love it. But I didn’t have a great frame of mind as I was quite depressed about not being able to run (and had just relocated to Charlotte for work so was generally depressed as I did not want to move). Solid Core might be a good option to try if it doesn’t get your heart rate up too much? That is probably the hardest in person low impact class I’ve done!
Wait you have a working laptop from 2006?!?!?
Now I am 2nd guessing myself and wondering if I got a new one in 2010 or so? It’s definitely 10+ years old, though! It is massive and so dang heavy. And has not been used consistently. I think prior to pulling it out this winter, I hadn’t really used it since 2018!
That is IMPRESSIVE 🙂 I feel like tech has come a really long way over those years (decades)!
Enjoy the new laptop! I’m a lifelong Apple fan, but the keyboards from that era were just awful.
I kind of get that they were going for streamlined but . . . it didn’t work.
Congrats on the new laptop! I bought a refurbished MacBook Pro last year and only later figured out that a new Macbook Air would’ve been a better choice for almost the same sum 🤦♀️
Also, 13 😍 My daughter and A have the same birthday, I think. (Maybe +- a day)
aww happy birthday to your daughter!!!!
I just got the same laptop as you .. to replace my 2015 MacBook Pro!! So yes definitely 10 years old. It’s a revelation- the first time I carried it anywhere I had to check I had it about 5 times as my bag was so light in comparison to before!
That’s funny – I was actually a little bit disappointed, as it’s about the same weight as my 2019 Pro! (same size). But it’s not really that heavy. I carry mine back and forth to work all the time and it doesn’t bother me!!
First time for me to comment! I’ve been reading your blog and following your podcast for nearly two years, and so enjoy following your journey. (I think we also met in person at the Healthy Living Summit in Philly years ago.) 🙂
Anyway! Commenting to share that I love Yoga with Adriene and use her monthly calendar to guide my practice. I love waking up early and not having to choose a practice since I can do whatever that day’s class is. I also love to highlight each class I do and list them in my planner. https://yogawithadriene.com/calendar/
I did Club Pilates for about 1.5 years pre-covid to help with my diastasis recti and if you are doing it correctly (keeping your core pulled in all the way through your pelvic floor muscles) and doing all the movements from your core it is very hard. Club Pilates has different levels you can work up through so once you master the basics you can be in a much harder class. I had finally gotten up to the hardest level when I got pregnant again and had to drop back down. It can also be a really good arm and leg workout depending on what you do. I’m a runner now so I understand how it’s not hard in the same way, but you definitely can be sore and shaky from Pilates! If you use your legs/arms for the movements it won’t be as hard. I think a good instructor is key to a challenging class. They also had a class that was just stretching and was really lovely and meditative, so I would recommend that as well. Mine also offered TRX which gave you a more traditional strength workout. One just opened a few blocks from my house and I’m very tempted to rejoin because my core is definitely not as strong as it was!
HMM! I know when I did pilates, it was HARD! But I don’t know about this particular program, and maybe you start at an easier level and build up. It’s always worth trying a bunch of different things though.
A is going to be a teenager! Sleeping till 11 and not wanting to go to camp for the entire summer sounds about right. Good luck with the party!
I hope you make it to book club- I haven’t read that book (should I???)
There was a Mom and Dad Were Fighting podcast from years ago (Dan Kois was on it) about what to do about kids who are in that awkward middle and I thought it was really helpful. He basically assigned his girls different genres of tasks each day, so listen to a full album, read, go outside, etc. Might be worth a search.
We normally host on Sundays, but I am explicit that I want you to get there early and leave early. T has a much earlier bedtime than most of his pals (he goes to breakfast club as we start work early ish) and sometimes people do linger. So I kindly boot them out the door at 730.
We had a busy weekend – T and I booked last minute theatre tickets in the city – so we took the train in, spent a book voucher, went to sushi lunch and the theatre. And clocks changed this AM, and it’s Mother’s Day. So we went to brunch at the beach and into the city, went to the charity shops, had coffee, and I went to yoga. My husband and T ran into some old friends and joined them. Now I’m knackered and I’ve got an absurd week ahead.