What Ana Does

We're a few weeks away from our long weekend in Barcelona and I'm so excited ... and yet I have so much more planning to do!  😬 One thing I learned from our adventure in Italy is I absolutely need a curated list of restaurants. We're not terribly picky, but we do prefer a particular type of place with a cool ambiance and fresh food. We want to try the local food (tapas in Spain) but the kids can be picky. And -- this is the big one -- we don't make good decisions when we're "hangry." It makes for some bad moments on these kinds of vacations. To whit, I spent several hours in a google/Pinterest/tripadvisor black hole and identified a bunch of restaurants that may fit our criteria. (I'll share the list once we return.) Then, I used my Google Maps account and flagged each restaurant I found with a green "I want to go there" pin. So when we're out and about, I can just pull up Google on my phone and locate the nearest green pin. ...

This week is Semaine du Climat in France ... or a week devoted to learning more about climate change and sustainable development. You know I'm completely on board with this! At the girls school, they're going to be encouraging sustainable practices with a daily theme. In case you're willing to play along, here's the schedule, how they described it and my (snarky) notes: Monday: A day without plastic straws.  They'll "promote reusable metal straws as a substitute to plastic." Or, hey guys, don't use any at all?! It's a straw, humans have been drinking just fine without them for centuries. Tuesday: A day without a plastic bottles. The school will "encourages students and staff to bring a reusable water bottle/flask to school to avoid consuming drinks in plastic bottles." Again, this really should be enforced every day. Wednesday: A day without packaging. They'll "encourages students to bring their own containers when purc...

At the beginning of September, I created a list of goals for our first Fall here in Paris (you know I love a goals list!) and here's the update.  (Post: This Fall in Paris I Will...) I'm happy to report things are really starting to roll. Ballerina Alice First, I got the girls into some (not a lot) after-school activities. Alice joined a French ballet class -- as in not one person, including the teacher, speaks English. She's learning quickly. Leah decided to join the school soccer team, after almost two years off. And now that she's taller and so much more coordinated and confident, she's so good! I'm so happy she was willing to try again -- though, I think it had more to do with the friends who are also playing. For me, I found a yoga class, and friend, to take weekly. And a bootcamp class through another mother at school. Then, I committed to take up a weekly CrossFit class because it's something David loves and I thought we could eventually d...

I've been doing a lot of research on tweaking my diet to promote some weight loss. Now that I've got a weekly exercise routine in motion, it just makes sense to alter my eating so I'm slimming down a bit, too. My big question is this ... how do I introduce this concept of diet change and weight loss to my girls in a healthy way?  The last thing I want to do is put them on a path to yo-yo diets and body issues. But, at the same time, it's healthy to discuss diet and how food that works to feed your body, etc. And we do talk about food, including limiting sweets at night -- they would eat a pound of ice cream if they could -- and why we add a protein or a green with each meal. So, it's not a completely new concept. I just hear stories from other women about how their mothers "obsessed over food and counting calories" and how it really changed their relationship with food and their body image and, boy, does that give me pause. Not what I want at all. ...

I've been practicing yoga for over 20 years. You'd think I'd be awesome at it, but I'm not. Though I can follow verbal prompts without looking at the teacher and make micro-adjustments to get into the positions "correctly." (Subjective.) And every time I start at a new yoga studio, and meet a new yoga instructor, my experience grounds me and gives me confidence. But there's also a few comparisons and critiques in the back of my head. Each instructor brings such a different perspective to the same litany of positions. And after 20 years, there are a few truths that now always occur to me. Such as, Downward Dog is actually a resting position. I used to dread it, all beginners do, but now it's more relaxing than most resting postures. Or, I don't even glance at the other students in the classroom. My world narrows to my practice on my mat -- my body, my breath. And cues from the instructor. A skill honed from very full yoga classes when yo...

On Monday I dropped Leah off at the train station for her first week-long school field trip. This is the longest Leah's been away from me -- without an aunt following her around taking pictures and reporting back to me (which is what happened when she stayed at my sister's summer camp for a week). And while I was walking away from her, doing my best to keep my chin up, I had this nagging feeling that I'd forgotten something. Despite having packed her myself, using a long checklist of items provided by the school. I had forgotten her. In the middle of a huge Paris train station. Though, with her friends and teachers who will supervise the entire trip. It took me a minute to compose myself. It really did. This is her first real adventure away from us, as an independent person in the world. Independence is a trait I always wanted to encourage in my girls. But since I've been home with them, this trait has been tough to grow. When I'm always around, how inde...

This week I went to my first CrossFit class (a topic for another post) and on my way to the gym I listened to an Armchair Expert podcast that made me laugh so hard I had to cover my mouth so as not to get odd looks from passing strangers. But put me in a fantastic mood to start the class. I listen to a lot of podcasts in Paris, from self-help to entertainment, and it's a great alternative to listening to music and I discover something new in each episode. Here's what I'm listening to these days: The Goop Podcast is kind of amazing. I like how the guests can be a little "alternative" or "controversial" and the interviewer (their CCO Elise, usually) really digs into topics and makes them relevant. During or after I listen to episodes, I find myself doing extra research to come up with my own views or thoughts on the subject. My favorite episode (so far):   Is there proof of a spiritual universe?  (Which will probably lead to its own post from me s...