Park Life - I love weekends!

As a stay at home I wasn't sure if I'd really notice weekends versus weekdays but I seriously love the weekends! I over them for a few reasons:

1. Matt is home!
2. We get to do things as a family
3. We often head out to parks and Rylet loves it
4. I have someone to help me
5. I often get to work on other projects, like sewing
6. Matt usually makes delicious 

This weekend was fun! We got to see our friends new house, have lunch at our favorite deli (which is La Villa in Willow Glen, if you haven't bwen there you must go!), had lunch outside and went to a new park. 

This week we went to Chynoweth park. It's the closest park with baby swings, it was just about a mile. We took to doggies and headed out. Ryley did great on the walk too. As usual here is the standard swing picture

Grumpy baby - she was smiling two seconds earlier I swear 

Toddler playground

This park actually only had a toddler (2-5) play area. It was small but totally functional and cute. There were only 2 baby swings but even on a weekend it wasn't very busy. The biggest con was that it is right on a busy strret which can be dangerous with little ones. Edenvale Garden Park isn't much farther but is a bit nicer so I think I'd rather go there. Still overall I'm glad we enjoyed some time there.

I love the weekends :)

Park Life - Parks, parks and more parks!

One of the greatest things about living in Silicon Valley is the weather. It is January and we are still able to go to the park! There is this great blog called Silicon Valley Toddler and she does awesome reviews of various parks. So I often check out her site for fun ideas for the weekend.

The first park we went to was Silver Leaf Park in South San Jose. It wasn't too far from us which was wonderful. The park had a large green open space, which we didn't make use of but would be great for the older children. The toddler area was nice as well. They had the rubber squishy stuff, 4 baby swings and it was all gated. Our little girl doesn't really care about anything but the swings but I know she will in just a short while. As a momma I love the squishy rubber stuff too, much easier for my bum than tan bark :)

There were a couple cons - there wasn't much shade, no bathroom and the park was a bit run down. There was some graffiti as well but overall we enjoyed ourselves.


The second park we went to, also recommended by Silicon Valley Toddler, was Edenvale Garden Park. This one was even closer to our house and if I was really pushing I might even be able to walk to (Google maps says its 1.2 miles which doesn't seem far but I'm never sure how long Ryley will last in the stroller). The park was great! I loved the very "nature" feel, the walking paths and the play area was adorable. Here are a few pictures from our day:

We had so much fun! The train look of the park is super cute too. There was some tan bark but also the squishy stuff. We will absolutely be going back here!

Baby Life - Glorious Food

Food has been so much fun with Ryley. We are doing Baby Led Weaning - the basic concept is that Ryley gets to eat what we eat. This isn't always possible but I feed her whole foods instead of purees. If you are interested in this idea make sure to read the book, lots of good information there and it will help you be less nervous about the idea.

So far Ryley has had:

• Broccoli
• Red Pepper
• Asparagus
• Pasta
• Chicken
• Carrots
• Banana
• Avocado
• Sweet Potato
• Cucumber

I think that's everything. Tomorrow I think we are going to try pears. Here are a few pictures of her eating

Broccoli at Christmas

Hard to see but she is enjoying herself a couple of carrots

She doesn't actually eat much, most of it ends up in lap or on the floor but she really loves the experience. It's actually pretty adorable, if she is sitting in that chair eating we also have to be eating or she gets upset. Apparently she doesn't like to eat alone.

I'm still a little bit nervous about the whole thing with baby led weaning but I love the idea that she gets to figure out food on her own.

Thanks!

Fit Life - Barre3 Challenege

Today marks the first day of the Barre3 Challenge. I'm excited to get going! What is the Barre3 Challenge you ask? I'm going to be doing 4 barre classes per week, doing an additional 10 minutes workout at home and making the weekly barre3 recipe.

I even WON this barre3 challenge kit. I never win anything!

I've been doing Barre3 for a few months now. I started with just once per week, then twice, and now I'm doing 3 or 4 times per week. It's kind of crazy, I've never found a workout I've actually really liked. I had 2 weeks off, one because Ryley was sick and the other because of being in Ohio, and I couldn't WAIT to get back to class. I felt so right with the world after I did class on Monday.

If you've never tried barre classes I highly recommend them. It's yoga, pilates and a bit of ballet. It's a great strength workout including awesome core work and making this butt look good! ;)

One of my goals for this year is to lose the rest of my baby weight and these classes are SO going to help :)

What are you doing this year to get in shape?