Recipes! Yummy Summer Popstickles

Summer is in full-swing here in God's Country. We love making freezer 'popstickles,' as Darling Son #2 likes to call them. I suppose I can call them 'popstickles' without violating 'popsicles' trademark. I'm sure Popsicles^tm is actually trademarked... right? I mean really trademarked... not like I trademark things.

Anyway, I've tried many, many, many healthy popstickle recipes, but these two are our faves. I've adapted them from an old Clean Eating magazine issue. (And by 'adapted' I mean I made them with more fat and less sugar.) I'd tell you which issue, but I think I recycled it... so here it is from memory.

Cherry Cheescake Popstickles

1 1/2 cups frozen pitted cherries
4 oz. (half a brick) full-fat cream cheese, softened
splash or so of milk (sorry, I'm not really much of a measurer... which is why I'm a better cook than a baker... but basically you can play around with the milk to get a smooth, pourable, but not too runny consistency. I think I use 1/4 cup? Why couldn't I have said that in the first place? I don't know...)
1 tbsp. raw honey, warmed a little (Raw honey is fairly solid. You could use regular honey, too, but raw contains goodies.)
1 tsp. vanilla extract... or more... because it's yummy and smells good. Really, I *never* measure vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, simmer the cherries with a splash of water (here I go again with the splashes) for about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a pourable container.

Next blend the cooled cherries until reasonably smooth. Unless you have a Vitamix, which sadly, I do not, it will still have some chunks of cherries.

Pour about an inch or so of cherry puree into your popstickle molds. Then pour about an inch of the cream cheese mixture and alternate cherry and cream cheese until you reach the top of the mold. This part is a pain and results in some spillage, so be forewarned. Leave a little space for expansion, and insert the sticks.

Freeze until set, which in our freezer is at least 3 hours. I've learned this the hard way.


Next up! Lime Avocado Popstickles

1 lime, zested and juiced
1 ripe avocado, mashed
1 egg white (you could use the pasturized kind, but I usually can't be bothered and like to live dangerously)
A big scoop (maybe 1/4 c.?) plain yogurt, Greek or regular, whatever I have on hand
1 tbsp. raw honey
Almond milk as needed, because the mixture is usually very thick. So really just a... wait for it... splash! Too much and it's crystally.

Blend everything up in the blender. Pour or spoon into molds. *Make sure to tap the molds on the counter to settle the mixture. Otherwise, you'll have air pockets in your popstickles. Freeze until set.

The small people aren't as jazzed about this recipe as they are the cherry cheesecake ones, which means all the more for Mommy!

Lord, all the extraneous commentary... And now you know why I'm not a recipe developer, but I hope you enjoy them anyway!

Reform School: My First Workout with a Pilates Megaformer

I like Groupon. I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I've found some sweet deals on Groupon, and we all know how much I love a deal. Recently I scored one on a series of classes at a local pilates megaformer studio.

I know, that totally sounds like a superhero, doesn't it?! Megaformer! The badass cousin of Optimus Prime. But no, a megaformer is just the most recent model of the pilates reformer--a machine on which you do various exercises. It's quite a behemoth... not something I could ever (or would ever want to) have in my house, but you can buy fold-up varieties for use at home.

A Little Schooling on the Reformer

The machine was invented by founder Joseph Pilates himself. A reformer is a bed-like contraption with a center portion that moves back and forth on wheels. There are handles and pulleys on either end, and resistance is provided by a set of springs underneath. You can adjust the resistance on the carriage by tinkering with the different knobs attached to the springs.

The photo... look Ma, no people!

I've always been a little intrigued/intimidated by reformers. The look like something you might have found in the bowels of the Tower of London... kind of like the infamous rack. But I've read they're very effective and even a little bit fun? So when the Groupon deal was posted and the pot was sweetened by an additional 15% off, I took the plunge.

The Class

I made a concerted effort to get there 15 minutes early so I could get a tutorial and practice on the machine a little. But when I got to the studio... no one was there. So I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Finally, five minutes before class time, the instructor arrives and lets me in. So no practice time. She was nice, but didn't introduce herself or ask my name, whether or not I had any injuries, etc. She knew I was a first-timer, though, because she gave me a new client form to fill out.

Then she offered to show me how the machine worked. I said I wanted to take a picture for Darling Son #1. Little engineer-in-training was fascinated when I said I was going to workout on a machine! If he had been there, he'd have been under the machine figuring out how it all worked. Instructor says, 'I don't want to be in the picture.' Ok, that's fine. I didn't intend to take a picture of you, but whatever. I tell her I can take it after she shows me the machine.

I'm holding my phone at my side, and mid-machine-presentation, she says, 'You aren't recording this, are you?' Um, NO! She didn't say it in a bitchy way, but it was..weird. So I assured her I wasn't, and she said, 'ok, I'm just really sensitive about that kind of thing.'

Obviously! Made me wonder... is she in the Federal Witness Protection Program?! Did she testify against Whitey Bulger or something?! So then I start spinning quite a yarn in my head about what she might have seen... was she involved with the mob?! Wow! What a story I'm making up out of nowhere!

I struggle to refocus, figure I can handle all the levers and pulleys. I think I'm OK. She tells me class is very intense, but to do my best. 

So we get underway and, quite frankly, class wasn't that intense. I would say it was actually pretty easy. I found the megaformer kind of awkward on some exercises--not because it was unstable, which is the point, I suppose--but the pulley cord got in the way at times and by the time I figured out how to do some exercises, the set was almost over.

And this brings me to my biggest beef: I struggled with set up because while she cued well, she didn't use a mic so it was hard to hear her at times. She was nice and had a good class rapport, but for some reason, she didn't have us do the normal reps. A couple of times she mentioned exercises would normally be done for two minutes, but she only had us do them for one minute. Again, Why?? Was she dumbing down the class for me because it was my first time? I don't know... there were only two other women in the class and I was the only novice. Still, I was doing fine, definitely holding my own.

Anyway, at the end, I told her I didn't find it that intense and was I doing something wrong? She said, 'maybe you need to push yourself more.' That's possible. I was a little tentative on the machine at first, which is why I wish I had been given the opportunity to practice on it beforehand.

She told me to expect to 'feel it' tomorrow. Somehow, I doubt it... especially after what Megan did to me at Pure Barre two days ago, but we'll see. I have two more classes left on my Groupon, so I'll try again with a different instructor and we'll see how it goes.

The Verdict

It was definitely different, which can be fun. I certainly don't feel like I got a better workout than I do just using bodyweight in barre or pilates mat classes. If I didn't have a Groupon, I would likely not go back. But I do suspect there's something of a learning curve on the megaformer. I'm going back next week with a different instructor, and I might try another local studio that's gotten rave reviews. 

The downside of reformer classes is cost--they're pricey. They make barre classes look cheap, and most in my area have very strict cancellation policies. I'm sympatheic--I'm sure megaformers don't come cheap, require maintenance, and your class number is obviously limited by the number of machines available. 

I'm certainly willing to admit my awkward moments with my Johnny-come-lately instructor might have colored my viewpoint, but I'll try it again. Anyone out there have thoughts on the subject? I'm willing to be reformed...

Sustainablility--It's Hot

We just got back from vaca and I'm jet-lagged. Can't you tell? It's... wait for it... 9.23pm! Wow! And I'm still awake. I should really get to bed, but it's been a while and I've missed you all and missed sharing my unsolicited opinions, so here I am, blogging away...

I had lots of interesting conversation with people while I was away, so my wheels have been turning. One was with a friend who was underemployed last year. He spent his ample free time lifting at the gym and getting buff. Really. He looked very buff. He looked good. I'm a happily married woman so I won't say anymore.

A few months ago, he got a job. Yay! So now he's busy and not going to the gym and he's not as buff. And really, he never liked going to the gym and thought lifting was boring. (I'm inclined to agree.) Anyway, the point is, now he's kind of depressed because he's lost some of his buffness.

I could relate to my friend. Rewind about twenty years and I was unemployed and living with my parents after college. I spent my days looking for a job and/or a way to live in Europe, helping with chores, eating lots of vegetables and working out.

For two hours a day.

I like working out, so two hours a day of it was actually fun for me. And let me tell you--I looked good. Really good. I kind of amazed myself by how good I looked. Why didn't I take a picture??? Argh! Didn't I know I was going to be a blogger one day? Oh yeah... blogs didn't exist yet.

Anyway, did I mention I was twenty-two? Did I mention that was a long time ago? I'm sure that helped.

After a couple of months I found a job (yay!) and moved back to New York. I couldn't workout two hours a day anymore. And I had a friend who worked at the Starbucks at 78th and 2nd and he brought me treats at the end of the day. So... um... after a few months of that, I didn't look quite so good anymore. I'm sure I looked fine (remember... twenty-two), but not as good as before.

And I was depressed about it. For a long time. I thought back wistfully to my former hotness, which was no longer attainable now that I had a life. My hotness workout and eating routine was not sustainable.

And that brings me to my point--I know, so early in the post!

Your routines need to be sustainable.

I can't tell you how many women I know get really fired up about looking good for their weddings. Of course, every bride wants to look good for her wedding and this is totally normal, but some women really make a career out of it. Places like Pure Barre even have specials for brides. 'Pure Bride' gives you unlimited classes for a couple of months at a relatively low price, which is super and kind of makes me think the Darling Husband and I should renew our vows so I could take advantage of it.

Highly recommend a-line cut--covers a multitude of pre-wedding indulgences

But a lot of women find these no-holds-barred-on-the-road-to-hotness routines--you guessed it--unsustainable. I know lots of women who look at their wedding pictures for the rest of their lives and feel wistful at how hot they were on their wedding days... and some even feel a little depressed about it. I wasn't uber hot at my wedding and so I can look at the pictures without feeling depressed and boy, am I thankful. Way to look at life as glass-half-full, no?

So I told my friend, 'you need to find something sustainable... something that works for you. Something you like, or at least, don't mind, so you'll DO IT. Regularly.' I preached a little sermon and now I'm sure he feels better. Fer shur.

But really, you can't always workout two hours a day. You can't always afford a gym or classes. Life happens. You get a job. You have a baby. You get injured or sick. You want to eat differently... or more. Or you just don't like that 'really effective workout' that makes you look hot but you dread it and never really want to do it, so eventually you give up because really? Who wants to live like that? I don't.

So here are my tips:

• Find some movement you enjoy, or at least, don't mind. Something you can do everyday. Or at least, most days.

• If you stop liking it, change it up. I really think exercise should be enjoyable... or at least, not dread-worthy. If you're hating your workout, do something else. There's more than one way to workout. Try something new. 

• Follow an 80/20 eating plan. By this I mean eat healthy foods that agree with you 80% of the time. Then loosen up. I just spent some time with some old friends. The husband said, "Everything in moderation... including moderation." Sometimes you go on a bit of a bender. There are feast days. Enjoy them! Then go back to your regular healthy diet.

• Be flexible. Develop a plan for dealing with curve balls. Because mark my words: they're coming. A life without curve balls is not a life worth living. Stuff is going to happen to derail your type-A plans. Keep plan B in your back pocket. 

So that's all I have to say about that. I kind of lost my blogging mojo while I was away, but I realized I just have to get back in the saddle. Blogging. It's like the rest of life--it needs to be sustainable.

Eating to Combat Insomnia

As a person who struggles with insomnia, I generally avoid articles about insomnia. The main reason is that they all typically start with several brutal paragraphs detailing the importance of sleep and all the terrible things that will happen to you if you don't get enough sleep.

Every insomniac knows (better than anyone) how important sleep is, and all those terrible things? We live with them everyday. So yes, sleep is very important, and yes, the lack of it will wreck havoc on your life and cause you to sprout horns and a tail. We know this (and dress to conceal horns and tails.) Reading about it only compounds the anxiety we have about sleep. And usually the recommendations fall into the 'don't drink caffeine after 2pm' category. Duh.

Still, I struggle, and so I periodically brave the insomnia articles in the spirit of surely-there-must-be-something-that-can-help-me?? Hope springs eternal.

My recent focus has been diet. As I mentioned a couple of months ago, I gave up sugar hoping that it might help my sleep. I figured sugar is a stimulant, and less stimulant might translate into more sleep? Initially, my findings were very encouraging. For about two or three weeks after I gave up sugar, I was sleeping quite remarkably well. I tend to fall asleep fine, then wake up 4-5 hours later and am unable to fall back to sleep, but during those few weeks, I was falling right back to sleep! Wow!

Then the other shoe dropped--for some reason, my sleep got worse--way worse. In fact, the past month has been pretty abysmal. So I've been doing some exhaustive internet research. Here are a few things I found:

Eat more protein in the morning, and healthy carbs at night. This runs pretty contrary to what many people do--a bagel, cereal or oatmeal for breakfast and a big piece of meat for dinner. But digesting protein takes a lot of energy and can act as a stimulant, so it makes sense to have a protein-rich meal earlier in the day. There is evidence to suggest that carbohydrate intake can actually reduce the stress hormone cortisol, which is helpful for sleeping. Certainly you want to eat a healthy carb like a sweet (or even a white) potato vs. spongy white bread or sugar. But don't be afraid of high GI foods. Actually, carbs high on the glycemic index were found to shorten the length of time it took people to fall asleep.

I could see how not enough carbohydrate could have contributed to my recent sleep woes. Since I've reduced sugar, I've inadvertently reduced my carb intake, simply because a lot of carbs also contain sugar. In fact, if you're on a very low-carb diet and sleep is a struggle, it might be a good idea to increase carb intake throughout the day, not just at dinner. Yes, you can technically survive without carbohydrates, but if you're not sleeping, why would you want to?

Don't eat right before bedtime. I read that several studies have shown eating in general suppresses the production of melatonin, which is the body's primary sleep hormone. So avoid eating anything for at least two hours before bedtime.

If you're taking vitamin D supplements, do so in the morning rather than evening. In the past I've been vitamin D deficient, so particularly in the winter months, I take vitamin D. I didn't find any hard evidence suggesting that taking it in the evening is problematic, but it makes sense that it might be. Since vitamin D production is stimulated by sun exposure, it doesn't seem far-fetched that it could be sleep-disruptive, right? I'll talk more about vitamin D another time, but for now I'm switching my D to the morning.

Consume bone broth or gelatin powder in the evening to increase glycine, an amino acid found in animal skins or meat from the bone.

I wonder how Fred and Wilma slept??

This is new one for me, but apparently many people are glycine deficient... I'm not sure what I think of this because from what I read elsewhere, glycine is considered a 'non-essential amino acid,' so why is it problematic to be glycine-deficient if it's 'non-essential'? I need to do some more research on this. Am I just not getting it because I'm sleep deprived??

Anyway, I thought I'd just share what I read, in case another insomniac is out there debating whether or not to eat the chicken skin tonight. Go ahead and eat the skin... and let me know how you slept. 

Of course, I also read about eating turkey and drinking tart cherry juice and warm milk. Those all fit in the 'been there/done that/did nothing for me' category, but the above were a few new ones I thought I'd pass along. If you try them and they work, let me know. 

Now I'm going to turn off the blue light of my computer and say night-night. Hopefully this long day will end and tomorrow will not start at 3am. If it does, I'll be doing some gelatin powder shots. Stay tuned...

Pull Up A Chair: How to Create the Barre Studio Experience at Home

Before I launch into (what I hope will be) a very informative post, I would like to mention a few changes to A Mom Walks into a Barre:

We're now on Facebook! 

Yes, faithful readers, you can keep up with the blog and post comments, questions, or vehement (but  respectful) counterpoints on Facebook, and you don't even need to be my friend. Isn't that nice? Click here for the the link to 'like' the page.

Also, blog posts now have labels! You can search topics that interest you, or you can pop some popcorn, sit back and read your favorite rants. 

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Ok, back to the topic at hand. Several readers have written asking about barre workouts at home, which workouts I like, what do I use for a ball or a barre, etc. Until very recently, I've exclusively been a home exerciser. While I still recommend taking some live classes with a good, trained instructor, nothing beats the convenience and cost-effectiveness of getting your lalas in the comfort of your own home. I love my classes, but they can be pricey and time-consuming, so I supplement with workouts at home. Here's how you can, too.

The Workout

A few months ago, I compiled a list of my favorite barre DVDs. Several readers added their faves in the comments section, so check out this link for the skinny on DVDs.

If you prefer online streaming workouts, Suzanne Bowen Fitness and Barre3 offer large libraries of workouts at very reasonable monthly rates. Both have free trials, too. The Bar Method has launched a streaming service with a variety of subscription options. Jessica Smith also has a wide selection of FREE workouts on Youtube, some of which are barre-focused.

If you need a book workout, The Physique 57 Solution is great, and the paperback edition comes with a 30-minute compilation DVD. I used the book when that mean girl storm Sandy knocked out our power for days. It gives detailed instructions of different exercises and suggested sequencing. The Bar Method blog recently posted these suggestions for making your own music playlist.

The Barre

In a class, participants use a wall-mounted barre. It provides light stability for some moves, or you can pull off the barre for certain exercises. Home workouts do not require a super-stable type barre, because obviously most people don't have one. They all say, 'you can just use a chair!' and often show someone doing the workout with a regular dining room chair.

I don't like using a chair.Your support should ideally be hip-height and most chairs are not high enough for me. They're also not very sturdy. You can put weights on the seat to stabilize it, but I'd suggest using something else. A counter top can work nicely, as well as a stair railing. That's what I usually use here at home:

My railing can support my weight AND Darling Son #2's. This is definitely an advanced variation.

If you don't have any suitable surface, you might want to invest in a barre. Here are a few options:

• The best barre I can recommend is Fluidity.

Yes, it's that's sturdy, though anyone over 30lbs. should not try this move. 

Like other barre brands, Fluidity is based on Lotte Berk's original method. Creator Michelle Austin launched a set of DVDs and this barre for home use in 2006. The workouts are dull as dry toast, with mind-numbing music on loop, but the barre is a tank. It was designed by MIT engineers and simulates a wall-mounted barre.

Pros: It's VERY sturdy. If set up properly, you can do all the same moves you'd do in a class with a wall-mounted barre--chair, waterski, flat- and round-back abs, you name it. You can adjust the height, and it folds up for storage. The whole set comes with other toys--a ball, attached mat, resistance bands, and the boring DVDs.

Cons: It's expensive. The whole set is almost $500 retail. I got mine on Craig's List for a lot less. There's one for sale right now in my area for only $50. It's also wicked heavy, so even though it folds up and has wheels to maneuver it around, it's a pain to set up and take down everyday. Mine lives under the guest bed because I just don't have room to leave it up. But if you have the space for it, it's awesome.

• The Portable Ballet Barre is also a good option. It's priced around $100. There are a number of different types. I found a whole website devoted to portable barres, www.balletbarrestore.com.

Pros: Adjustable height, pretty stable and easy to move around. This is the barre you see used most often in  videos.

Cons: I don't have one, but it doesn't look like it folds up or comes apart very easily, so you'd need to have space to leave it up. You also can't do moves that involve pulling off the barre, but again, those are not usually included in home workouts.

• I've also heard good things about the Cardio Barre. I'm not a fan of the workouts, but I'm told the barre is good.

Pros: It's lightweight, comes apart easily for storage, and it's priced around $90.

Cons: Maybe $90 is still more than you'd like to spend?

In which case, you can always go the DIY route:

• You can make a barre using PVC piping. Here's a link for instructions.

Pros: CHEAP. Really, the materials would cost just a few dollars. It's also very lightweight and easy to move around.

Cons: It's very lightweight and easy to move around. I used one in a community class I took and the instructors used sandbags to stabilize the base for us. That may not be entirely necessary, but you might find it not quite sturdy enough on it's own. FIY. Also, you need space to leave it up because it wouldn't come apart after using the sealant.

Now moving on to BALLS.

Most barre workouts use a ball. A ball can recruit more muscles in an exercise and can help stabilize your joints in certain moves.

A ball between the inner thighs uses more lower body muscles and recruits the core.

Instructors typically refer to them as 'playground balls' because they're just like the balls small people use in gym class. Most big name studios have balls for sale with their logo printed on it, but you can skip the high-price studio balls and just buy one at any toy shop or general merchandise retailer like Target.

Here are a few from my collection:

My fave is my Physique 57 ball... and not just because it's Physique 57. It's about 27" in circumference, the size used in most workouts. The material is not as thick as other ones I've used, and it has some springyness to it (I'm sure that's a real word.) If you order a Physique 57 DVD set, however, this is not the ball that comes with it anymore (though you can still buy the original in the NYC studios.) The new balls they use are more like the one on the left.

The advantage is that it's easy to inflate with a straw, rather than having to use a needle pump. You can inflate it easily with the straw, and it packs well for travel. This ball was a gift, so I don't know exactly where to buy it, but I believe it's similar to this one.

You can use a ball between the knees in c-curve abs and another behind the lower back for support.
Six-year-old under the knees is optional.

The smallest ball (16" in circumference) is closer to the size that's used at Pure Barre studios. It can be handy for certain exercises in other videos, too. For example, it's easier to keep behind your knee in certain seat exercises:

The last thing I'll say about balls is that you don't need to inflate them a whole lot. Ideally, you want your ball to have some give to it.

WEIGHTS

Most barre workouts use light dumbbells--and by 'light' I mean 2-5lbs. Physique 57 workouts go slightly heavier (8-10lbs.) but that's about as heavy as you'll need. Before you get all smug and think you're going to be such a badass, let me take a moment to warn you that barre people can seriously hurt you with those little weights, so pace yourself.

You can find very cheap light weights all over the place. I see them for a very little at discount shops, so you don't need to pay much. Honestly, my weights are the best fitness investment I have ever made. I've had my 5 and 8 pounders for over 20 years and have gotten more use out of them than any other piece of equipment I own.

SUNDRIES

Depending on the workout and your environment, you might need a few other odds and ends. A mat is useful, unless you have very cushy carpeting. Some workouts employ a strap for stretching (you can just use a bathrobe tie), thick cushions (I use patio furniture pads) or pillows. But really, that's about it. One of the reasons barre is such a great home workout is how little stuff you really need. Barre mostly uses your body weight for resistance, so it's also great for travel.

Lastly, I'm going to suggest a full-length mirror. Oh, a mirror... so helpful. In class, I try to get a spot in the corner with two mirrors, so I can check my form from more than one angle. Sometimes I think my posture is good, but a glance in the mirror tells me otherwise. You can find really cheap full-length mirrors at Target. A mirror will change your life. Get a mirror.

As you see, it's very easy to set up for barre at home. Have fun! (And by 'fun' I mean burning, shaking, lalas, etc.)

Judge Not: Why We Need to Get Over What Other People Are Eating

I got a little fiesty this week. A fitness person I just started following on social media (not anyone I've blogged about) posted the following:

I know it's "easy" to feed kids French fries but I am gonna go out on a limb and say if you put poor effort in helping your kids eat healthy you're gonna get undesired results. We are away and almost without fail every kid is eating fries and burgers or pizza at every meal. Not because their parents don't believe in feeding them spinach but because it's too easy to give them the crap and too much effort to teach them how to enjoy a piece of grilled chicken and vegetables. Invest in long term health for your kids for the sake of their future!

I was irritated.

Do I disagree that kids should eat healthy food? Of course not.

Do I think we parents need to resist the urge to take the path of least resistance? Do we need to teach our children to cultivate a taste for things like 'grilled chicken and vegetables'? Sure.

Do I think the state of 'kids meals' in restaurants is generally lamentable? Absolutely.

Am I just a grammar snob who's annoyed when people write 'gonna' instead of 'going to?' Fer shur.

But what really ticked me off is the idea that this person is looking over at other people's plates and making sweeping generalizations about their parenting based on what their kids are eating at one meal. The assumption that if you're letting your child eat French fries and pizza, you must just be too lazy to bother exposing them to other foods.

Treat Exhibit A: Light saber popsicles made with the dreaded juice.

For some reason when you have a child, everyone seems to feel the right to judge what you're doing. I live in a glass house (or at least, I did before I had kids), so I'm not throwing any stones, but really, why do we do this? Why do we think we can form negative opinions about total strangers from a brief snapshot in time?

The last time I got my knickers in a twist about this was after reading an article about parents needing to be more present with their children. The author walked past a playground and saw a few mothers talking on their phones while their children played. How awful that these mothers should be attached to their phones while their precious treasures are socializing with other children or learning to amuse themselves! The author felt it was a missed opportunity to bond.

Please. We don't know ANYTHING about these allegedly opportunity-missing mothers. Maybe they're stay-at-home moms who are with their children all. day. long and were using the twenty minutes available to them to return a few phone calls or check email.

Am I projecting here? YES. I am.

Bonding with the Darling Son #1 while making cupcakes. At least I wasn't on the phone...

Now of course, many of us spend too much time buried in our screens. And many children are not eating balanced diets. But let's not sit around like Judgey McJudgersons and make assumptions about people we don't even know.

Honestly, I really don't care. At least, not that much. This is one of the nice things about being in my 40's. I get much less worked up about what other people think. So why am I ranting? Because I think parents get dumped on way too much. People probably judged just as much years ago, but at least then they had the decency to talk about you behind your back after you left the school bus stop. Now it's plastered all over the internet. It adds to the parenting anxiety with which so many people struggle.

If the fitness person who posted the above went on a little rant about kids meals in restaurants and how vegetable-deficient they are, I'd say a hearty amen. I usually have to negotiate a veg for my kids, and if I can't (and I almost always can), then I order for them from the regular menu. As I've mentioned before, my kids are fabulous eaters. We eat the vast majority of our meals at home, so when we go out, it's a TREAT. Yes, I make them eat a veg, but I also let them eat burgers and French fries and sometimes even--wait for it--sugary desserts!

Which brings me to my main point. (I know, sometimes it takes me a while to get there, but I always do in the end.) I was going to update you on my sugar fast.

I'm pretty much done with it. After about three weeks with absolutely no sugar (not even fruit), I started reintroducing sugars into my diet. I'm eating fruit and drizzling a little bit of maple syrup on my yogurt. The great thing is that I'm satisfied with far less sweet than I used to have. If I have too much, I feel AWFUL. I mean, seriously awful, so I'm careful to limit my sugar. And I'm tasting sweetness in things I never thought of as particularly sweet, which is delightful.

I'm back to enjoying sweets, but in much greater moderation than I did before. The other night we had company and enjoyed delicious grilled burgers on sprouted wheat buns, homemade mango salsa and chips, sweet potato fries, green salad with beets and chevre, beer and a divine chocolate peanut butter gelato. It was wicked good. The food police could look at that meal and lament the omega-6 fatty acids, the carbs, the presence of wheat and too much fructose. Whatever. It was yummy and festive and summery.

Anyone want to judge? GO AHEAD.

Keeping the Sabbath: Resting in our Restless Culture

During my recent foray into the world of sugar-free living, I happened upon a memior entitled Year of No Sugar.

The author is a Vermonter who loves maple syrup as much as I, and actually convinced her entire family (consisting of a husband and two daughters old enough to count the cost) to abstain from added fructose for an entire year.

The book is entertaining and interesting. I'm not finished with it yet, and I don't know if I could give it the two-thumbs-up simply because the author seems to have a lot of anxiety about giving up sugar. (I fear some might read it and say, 'this giving up sugar thing is just too hard so I might as well have a cookie.') So the jury's out on the book, but the author is witty and insightful, and for my part, I'm enjoying it. Author Eve Schaub thinks about things. I like people who think about things.

In particular, I'm really enjoying how she details the experience of being counter-cultural. This is probably the main reason I was unwilling to give up something like sugar in the past--simply because sugar is such a huge part of our society. To completely abstain means disconnecting from people on some level. Yes, health is important, but we're all going to die someday (shocking, but true.) I can't see myself, or my children, being the odd-man-out at birthday parties or other opportunities to connect with people in our community simply because sugar is bad for us. When I die, I would rather have people say, 'she engaged with people and loved them well.' Not 'she was really healthy. And now she's dead.'

Swimming against the cultural stream is difficult, and one area where we have struggled is Sabbath-keeping. We are Christians, and as such are called to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. Not because it's the law, from which we have been freed, but it's meant for worship, as well as for our blessing and rejuvenation. When I was a child growing up in a blue-law state, nothing was open on Sundays. So we went to church, unlike many (most?) of our neighbors in secular New England, and then we had a nice dinner. And then we hung out.

Over the last 30 years or so, something changed. Now everything's open on Sunday. Everything... but in Massachusetts you still can't buy alcohol on Sundays--which many describe as being a 'wicked pissah.' And somehow I just went with the flow. On the way home from church, I'd stop at the market or pick up the dry cleaning.

That is, until I moved to France.

Oh, the French.... how ironic that the righteously secular, nearly universally unchurched French would be so incredibly good at Sabbath-keeping! It's very easy to take a day of rest on Sundays in France. The boulanger and florist are open for a few hours in the morning so you can get your bread and flowers to take to grandmother's house for the leisurely, three-hour dejuener you will enjoy. But apart from that nothing is open except restaurants. In fact, it is the law in France that nothing else is open on Sundays. It is the national day of rest. Everyone takes naps in the afternoons and goes for walks. It's delightful, and I grew to love it.

Darling Son #1, in the bum-up napping position. 

I don't know how they sleep that way, but they do.

When I returned to America, home of the restless, I tried to recreate that Sabbath experience, but it's been hard. Very hard. Especially since having children. How can you rest as a mother when small children still need to be fed and minded? How do you keep the Sabbath holy when you live in a very secular Boston suburb, when sports games and birthday parties on Sundays are the norm? Do we totally opt out? Do we become so strict that we're weird? Do I mind being weird?

I don't know. But I still try. And this is how:

• Sabbath keeping requires planning. Years ago I read a wonderful book called The Ladies' Auxiliary, about an orthodox Jewish community. The author detailed all that was required of the women to prepare for the Sabbath, a furious effort that had to be completed by sundown on Friday. 
• To keep a Sabbath, you need to work the other six days. I try to avoid non-essential chores on Sundays. Shopping and laundry are done beforehand, unless there is some dire emergency for milk or clean clothes.
• Meals are simple. In nicer weather, the Darling Husband will grill something, or I'll make something the day before that we can just heat up.
• If we have company, we like to do it on Sundays. Saturdays are for errands and chores. Sundays are for fellowship. Cooking an elaborate dinner and the clean-up it requires is not restful (to me), so we keep it simple. It's about hospitality, visiting, sharing what we have.
• One person's rest can be another's work. Personally, I will exercise on the Sabbath, because for me, that is joy, rejuvenation and worship. Not that I worship the exercise, but I always find myself thanking my Creator in my lalala bliss that I can move and sweat and breathe. For me, it's restful. It might not be for someone else. 

Rest is important. It's how we are healed. It's when muscles repair and minds wind down. It's when we reconnect with our people. We're still working out how to keep the Sabbath in our non-restful culture. As the small people get a little older, new challenges present themselves. Some Sundays feel anything but restful, but we keep trying. We need rest and fellowship. They are as important for health as exercise and, well, rationing maple syrup.