Kristy Maute

Getting out the door…

Thursday nights have routinely been my night to attend yoga classes. The past few weeks I’ve missed out on my yoga bliss due to scheduling issues. Last week I shed more than one pregnant tear when I found out my Thursday nights would no longer be the norm due to many reasons – Christian’s holiday work schedule, Cole needing a sitter, and already being away from the house on Wednesday night’s for birthing classes. This week my mom came to my rescue. She picked up Cole from school, took him to the pumpkin patch, feed him dinner, supervised his homework, and even managed to work grandma magic to have Cole’s tooth fall out during dinner.

Christian got to surf.

I got to enjoy my yoga bliss.

When I discovered that I was able to attend yoga, I instantly sent my friend Morgan a message asking if she would be there. She’s 16 weeks pregnant (I think!) – she is my friend who made our Maute Moo reveal cupcakes! I also invited my friend Rachael to join me. She is 22 weeks pregnant. Both said yes!

Thursday afternoon snuck up on me. As I rushed home from work and quickly ate a late lunch/early dinner I started to bond with my couch. The house was quiet. I was watching Project Runway on demand. My comfy clothes were calling my name. I was so tempted to stay on my couch and call it an evening. I had to tell myself (out loud) to get off the couch.

Instead of going upstairs to put on my comfy clothes, I went upstairs to put on my yoga outfit. I filled up my water bottle. I grabbed my yoga mat. I had not only committed myself to going, but I had committed myself to seeing two of my friends. If I was going to enjoy my moment of laziness, I would have had to call Rachael and tell her I wasn’t going to pick her up. I’d have to tell Morgan I was sorry I missed her, again!

Thank goodness for commitments. Although the couch would have felt great for that 1 hour, it was nowhere near as great as attending my yoga class. I left class feeling more open, more relaxed, and rejuvenated. In fact, my body felt so good I slept through the night last night. Not once did I wake up with hip pain. That hasn’t happened since before my half-marathon.

The hardest part is showing up. It’s easy to fall into the trap of my cozy couch after work or a inbox of unreturned emails or a dozen games on Words with Friends begging to be played. If there is something that you want and you love, make yourself accountable. Tell a friend you will pick them up on the way to yoga. I would have never gone last night if I wasn’t picking up Rachael along the way. I would have missed out on something I truly love. I would have missed out on the opportunity to focus on my breath

Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. ~Thich Nhat Hanh

My love for Blissology

Sometimes in life you find something that connects with every aspect of who you are as a person. It feels like home. When I found Eoin Finn and Blissology, I was in love immediately. In the beginning of my pregnancy, I was able to practice yoga at home with the Blissology DVDs by simply modifying a few poses. It is not that simple anymore. I miss the practice and can’t wait to start a 30 day Blissology project post-baby.

Eoin Finn has also outlined his Happiness Map through his Blissology project. It is currently laminated and hanging beside my desk. Here are a few that I love and a few that I needed to be reminded of daily:

Deep Nature Appreciation is the best fuel

Harmonize your life with the ways of Nature

All actions are motivated by love of some kind

Every culture has a current in it that will pull you into a life of uninspired mediocrity. Follow your Bliss.

Let awe flow through you. Don’t let even the smallest things be taken for granted or grow stale.

The secret to Happiness is to not get stuck on oneself but to see the process of countless forms of life ceaselessly coming, interacting and going.

Cultivate a “What’s in it of us?” mentality.

To only be attracted to sweet forms of happiness is a trap.

It’s never to late to keep growing.

Love is the Ultimate Renewable Resource.

And my favorite

You are about to become all you are thinking.

I hope everyone finds their bliss in life.

You can follow this link to stream 4 of Eoin’s yoga videos for $10.

(And no…no one put me up to write this post! I just love Blissology so much that when I saw this deal, I had to share it with anyone who reads my blog).

Maute Moo Update – Week 29

Hiking on my 29th birthday - Forget how young I look! Look how young Cole looks! That was only 2 1/2 years ago!

This week feels like I’m celebrating my 29th birthday all over again. One more week until 30! 29 feels like a nice comfortable number to me. I’m still sitting pretty at week 29. Week 30 feels more like, “oh crap! we are really having a baby soon!”

I am very happy to report that this week has been much more gentle on my emotions and my ego. The pregnant tears seem to be under control (this week). My anxiety has calmed down. I don’t have that panic feeling of “must accomplish everything right now” weighing on my shoulders.

I’ve had two great stress relievers this week.

#1 – my run on Saturday. It feels so good to move, breath and sweat.

#2 – my mother-in-law kidnapped Cole and Christian for a few hours on Sunday. She took them both to lunch and shopping at Toys R Us. It was nice to have a mommy break from Cole for a few hours, and it was nice to be home by myself. I honestly can’t remember the last time I had a few hours to myself in our house. Cole got spoiled! My mother-in-law brought me over two new pairs of shoes for the fall! Poor Christian came home empty-handed. I contemplated knocking a few things off my check list while the were gone, but decide to watch some football and read my book, The Husband-Coached Child Birth.

Think he knew he'd be coaching me through child-birth on my 29th Birthday?

After my overwhelming meltdown last week, I’ve been focusing on the 5 mood boosters from class plus nutrition and water consumption. I’m a big fan of holistic health. My go-to drug is always water. Have a headache? Drink more water. Feeling stuffy? Drink more water. Feeling off? Drink more water. Another great book for your bookshelf is You’re not Sick, You’re Thirsty. What we eat also contains a lot of hormones. I’ll spare you from getting on my soap-box about eating balanced, but if you want to read more there is a great post on Smile with your Heart that will get you thinking. Morning smoothies are back in full swing. This morning Christian made me a kale, mixed berry, grape, vanilla yogurt, and flax-seed smoothie. YUM!

Speaking of foods, I’m still drooling over french fries (not exactly healthy or organic). It’s all about balance! I don’t feel so guilty giving in to a craving when I know I’ve supported my body with mostly nutritious whole foods all day long. I’ve also been enjoy my slice of Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cake at night!

29th Birthday Present - new bike! 31st Birthday Present - Go off Birth Control!

Maute Moo is definitely growing. All the weekly pregnancy emails I get have told me that this week is a big week for growth. From here on out he will triple his current size. My belly is definitely keeping up with his growth. Today was the first day I ran into something with my stomach. I’m not as narrow as I thought I was. I ran right into to restroom door. Oops! Chet has also become much more active. I thought he moved a lot in the past few weeks. I was wrong! I can’t even tell you how many times it caught me off guard last night.

Looking back at all these photos from my 29th birthday seems like a lifetime ago. My oh my – A LOT can change in 2 1/2 years………..Moving in together, Engaged, Married, Bought a House, Got a Dog…………

77 more days until Maute Moo’s due date.

I can only imagine where we will be 2 1/2 years from now (but don’t worry! I have a plan!)

Cheers!

We’ve got a motto here-you’re tougher than you think you are, and you can do more than you think you can. ~ Christopher McDougall, Born to Run

As a pregnant woman and a runner, I can’t but be inspired by the story I’ve seen floating around the news world today. A woman, nearly 39 weeks pregnant, finished the Chicago Marathon this weekend. Seven hours later she gave birth to her daughter. (You can read the full article here).

I’m sure reactions to this story are all over the spectrum. I want to call this woman up personally and say “thank you”. I want to give her a hug, kiss her sweet baby on the head, and celebrate with her family. I want to thank her for believing in herself, knowing and trusting her body, and for embracing what it means to be a human. I’d also love to hug her husband and her doctor.

How did we get to a point in society when pregnant woman are thought of and allowed to think of themselves as incapable? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought to myself during this pregnant “I’m pregnant not broken.” Our bodies are made to be pregnant. As woman, we are designed to have children. The human body isn’t designed for sitting on a couch with feet propped up for 10 months. Although I agree with taking certain precautions while pregnant and consulting with a doctor before taking certain risks, I think active pregnancy should be celebrated in the same way that an active lifestyle should be celebrated.

If we were told at the age of 16 that we would get only one car our entire life, we would do everything in our power to make it last. Why do we treat our bodies different? We would only put the proper fuel in the car. We would keep the engine running. We would maintain the vehicle. Why don’t we do this with our body? We get one body for our entire life, and yet we abuse it. We fuel our bodies with horrible foods (if they can be considered food). We sit stagnate in life. We don’t practice preventive medicine.

Way before we were scratching pictures on caves or beating rhythms on hollow trees we were perfecting the art of combining our breath and mind and muscles into fluid self-propulsion over wild terrain. ~Christopher McDougall, Born to Run

The human body is meant to be active. We are born to run. Just because society and technology have advanced to allow us to sit all day long, our bodies are begging to move. Being pregnant is no different.

Perhaps all our troubles – all the violence, obesity, illness, depression, and greed we can’t overcome – began when we stopped living as Running People. Deny your nature, and it will erupt in some other, uglier way. ~ Christopher McDougall, Born to Run

Cheers to the mom who finished the Chicago Marathon pregnant. Cheers to everyone who crossed the finish line at any race this weekend. Cheers to those individuals who embrace their bodies, fuel their bodies with proper nutrients, and cherish activity. If we all took the time to listen to our bodies, we would hear them begging for activity and a healthy life. How did it become the norm to live a life dehydrated, malnourished, and inactive?

While I can’t speak for the Marathoning Mama, I can speak for myself. I run (or walk) while pregnant (and not pregnant) because it’s the one time during my day where there is a rhythm to everything I do. My body, my breathing, and my mind are working together to create a peaceful place. This has to be good for my baby.

Soup-er Sunday (of sorts)

After last weeks not so soup-er sunday, I knew I need to get to work cooking with my tomatoes. I had 3 lbs of tomatoes in my fridge waiting to go bad. I decided to attempt homemade tomato sauce. After googling for hours, I settled on a recipe that seemed simple and would also allow me to use up a few other veggies I had in fridge that were also waiting to go bad. I found the recipe at allrecipes.com.

10 ripe tomatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 carrots, minced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped basil

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 cup Burgundy wine (I left this out)

1 bay leaf

2 stalks of celery

2 tbsp tomato paste

The best part of the entire recipe was boiling the tomatoes, peeling them, and squeezing out the seeds. It had me laughing. There is something entertaining about squeezing seeds out of a tomato. Don’t ask! I’m not sure. It was just fun. I then blended up the tomatoes in the blender, add the tomatoes to the sautéed veggies, and cooked it for hours. My 10 tomatoes didn’t make nearly as much tomato sauce as I was expecting. I ended up adding a can of crushed tomatoes (blended) to the pot so there was enough to make sauce.

The jury is still out on the final verdict. Christian had some tonight over his chicken breast. I’m avoiding it 🙂 Christian did enjoy his dinner. One night this week, we will have spaghetti (with a back up plan) for dinner.

In addition to my ~~soup~~ sauce, I also made double chocolate pumpkin cake with pumpkin butter cream frosting. The jury is in on this recipe. YUM! I’d highly recommend making this cake this fall.

Chocolate-Pumpkin-Cookies-Final-083sm — Yum!

Although my cake does look identical to the picture, I was tired by the time I got around to frosting my cake. My version isn’t pretty, but it tastes good!

Although this post sounds like I had a productive Sunday, I’ve actually been quite lazy all day. I got very little sleep last night (maybe 3 hours total). The hubby went out last night, and I never sleep good when he’s gone. He also biked to his friend’s house, so I worry about him being on his bike during the dark. I managed to fall asleep for about an hour before he got home, but I was wide awake from 1:30 until around 4:00. YUCK! To top off the very little amount of sleep, I’ve also had an upset stomach today. I’m actually quite surprised I managed to cook anything at all. (I cheated and made the spaghetti sauce last night, thank goodness.)

It was another beautiful day in Virginia Beach. I couldn’t say no to a quick trip to Mt. Trashmore (again!). This time I left the running shoes at home and was joined by Christian and Cole. It was a great day to fly a kite and watch the boys run around outside!