good cop

this made me happy.  have you seen it yet?

just like new!

i love tackling a big project and feeling the satisfaction of completing it, but sometimes, a small task (in this case, restoring my eight-year-old wellies) can yield the same results.

 before:

after:

 

aren't they pretty?!

janu-barre3

i love my little sticker chart!

january has been a busy month for me- i've been playing post-holiday catchup, hosting house guests, and taking children across the city for swimming, ballet and other adventures.  also (and maybe most importantly) i've been spending a lot of time working out and focusing on my health, and i love how i feel.
i'm actually surprised that i haven't blogged about barre3 yet, because i love it SO much.  i've loosely known about it for a while now, but when a studio opened just minutes away from my house last year, i knew that i was going to give it a try. 
when i started working out last spring, i was at a fitness low-point (traslation: i was completely out of shape).  i bought an inexpensive subscription to the online workouts that i could do in the privacy of my bedroom.  at that time, even the 10 minute workouts kicked my ass!  but i loved the combination of yoga, ballet and pilates, and i related to the instructors who seemed cool and fun- like ladies i would want to hang out with.  once i was confidently doing the 30 and 40 minute workouts, i finally got up the courage to go with a friend to a studio class.  i was delighted that one of my favorite instructors from the online videos was the teacher that day!  the class was hard, but really great.  i was hooked.
i have been going to hour long studio classes pretty regularly since last fall, and i feel and look better already.  when i heard about the january challenge, i wasn't sure it was going to be my thing.  i'm not really a "joiner," but i also wanted to push myself further, and i thought that the collective energy of so many other people with the same goal could help.  funny thing- it has!
i'm already so excited for mountain bike season, and i'm toying with the idea of running again.  i'm ready to layer on and get even stronger!
happy janubarre3!

2015!

holy smokes, december went by at light speed! 
here's hoping everyone had a lovely holiday, and has begun their year with the optimism and energy that a fresh start deserves.
happy new year to you!