Berry Picking With a Toddler in Tow

Pictures of Hencle's Berry Patch are soon to come, but I just wanted to get down some "lessons learned" about berry picking with a toddler - specifically one that will be turning 2 (terrific twos!) at the end of this month.

Lesson #1: Don't assume your toddler will be enthralled by Nature (aka sweeping vistas over a sun-soaked berry farm + ripe, bursting berries + pleasant humming of bees/birds/tractors) just because YOU are.

Lesson #2: Your toddler will turn a G-rated family outing into an R-rated "happening" with her exhibitionist-style rejection of clothing (PG-13 for "partial" nudity only).  (Now, no one is saying nudity on a farm is a bad thing - just be prepared for it to occur.)

Lesson #3: Said naked child will (because, of course, you are in the middle of potty training) insist on "going potty" but will appear appalled when you ask her to squat in the grass.

Lesson #4: Said naked, squatting child will quickly GET OVER her reluctance to squat in a berry patch and will happily get her lady parts RIGHT DOWN IN THERE on top of weeds, bits of grass and bark, hay, bugs, smushed berries, etc.

Lesson #5: Don't expect to pick berries at your usual efficient pace unless you have AT LEAST a 3:1 adult to child ratio.

Lesson #6: You know "the end is near" when your toddler starts REQUESTING a "time out" and "more time out, please" in order to be "all done" with berry picking.

Lesson #7: Fresh U-Pick berries will still taste the best despite (or perhaps because of) all the trials and tribulations you have endured in order to acquire said berries.  And the 2-lb jar of local honey made by bees drunk on berry juice pollen doesn't hurt either.

Fireside Chats with a (student for only another week!) DPT: Running with (Greater) Ease

Hello all!  Caitlin Steeves here.  My recent graduation has been an inspiration to re-start up these physical therapy-related "Fireside Chats" - I wanted to share with you all a recent experience I had.  Now, I have to admit right off the bat, I DO NOT LIKE running.  I did it throughout high school - but just to stay in shape for dance class.  I was the skinny girl huffing and puffing for no apparent reason in the BACK of the pack (I'm pretty sure the 5k personal best that my coached clocked for me at 26:29 was a bit of a stretch).  When done correctly (ie proper form), running can have so many health benefits - yet it always felt like such a battle every time I sneaker-suited-up that I've never been consistent about keeping a jogging schedule.  Plus, many women find it hard to participate in bone-and-joint jarring activities like jogging after having a baby because of all that bouncing around on an already abused bladder.  (Ahem.)

So, the point of this post is to tell you that I recently had the BEST run I've ever had in my life.  It wasn't for very long (3 miles of walking/jogging total) and I was still huffing and puffing, but my body felt pretty awesome.  (And no bladder bouncing up and down!)  And it is because I tried out a few new running tips passed along by one of my last CI's (clinical instructors).  *Disclaimer* I am not affiliated, nor do I have any financial interest in the following website/organization***

If you go to www.goodformrunning.com (**PLEASE see above disclaimer!) you will see on their home page 4 tips for optimal running form.  I can talk about all of them at a later date, but right now I just want to talk about the two tips that I tried out the other day: leaning forward and striking with your midfoot.

First, leaning forward: Sounds kind of obvious, right?  Let gravity pull you forward so you are doing more of a controlled fall rather than fighting against your forward progression with a completely upright body.  Obvious, maybe, but I have ALWAYS run completely upright.  Some sort of misplaced sense of upright being good posture, I guess.  I even have video proof!  In one of my dance pieces in college, we had to run across the stage.  In the video, you see the four other dancers running, really leaning into it - and then there's Caitlin, bouncing along straight up and down, wondering why she can't keep up with everybody else!  So, as soon as I purposefully leaned forward from the waist (and yes, it did feel like I was falling), I felt propelled forward!. 

Second, striking with the midfoot:  This one's a little more tricky, but I truly believe it made a huge difference during my run.  I have always run heel-toe, heel-toe.  When you strike the ground with your midfoot (see the above link to get tips on "finding" your midfoot), you land with a more flat foot, yes, but you also then get onto your toe quicker, and push off quicker, eliminating the loss of energy that happens when you are clunking down on your heel, levering your foot all the way down to flat, and then (finally!) pushing off with your toe.  As I said, it's a tricky thing to try for the first time (and I'm not convinced I was doing it totally right) and I had to think about where I was placing my foot almost the entire time.  But, again, I felt PROPELLED across the ground - I ran at a faster pace than I have ever run before without even trying to increase my speed.  I was convinced that this technique was, indeed, using my legs in a new/different way because the next morning, when I usually get my nice delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in my quads, my quads actually felt fine and my calves were the ones feeling sore!  (For you folks out there with calf issues, this may be reason enough to try these tips on a trial basis at first - no running out there like gangbusters and then blaming Caitlin for your new injuries!!)

After feeling so good just by adding in a forward lean and striking with my midfoot, I tried going back to my old running pattern.  It was familiar, yes, but I immediately felt how jarring and laborious it was to be running heel-toe and totally upright.  I may not have this new form totally down to a science, but for the first time in my puny running career, I'm willing to try to get there.

Take a look over at www.goodformrunning.com, try out the tips, and let me know what you think.  I'm especially interested in what you long-time runners have to say.  Too awkward?  Too late in the game to change up your form?  I'd love your feedback.

Happy running!

Some Routines are Good

Routines can sometimes feel, well, you know - routine.  "THEY" say 'variety is the spice of life' - I have to say I'm about 50/50 on this one.  Yes, it's good to seek out the new, the unfamiliar, to keep yourself open to new experiences, etc.  But for me, rejecting routines all together leads to (my own personal) chaos.  With no routine, my sleep cycle gets out of wack, my teeth get brushed 3 times a week (I'm exaggerating . . . mostly!), our kitchen stays in a state of upheaval, and I find myself rushing out the door to school with my lunch half-packed.  Needless to say, I am the sort of person who benefits from having certain routines. 

Since starting Clinic III, Jess, Eddy and I have started to settle into a few routines like we haven't done in a LONG time.  Jess and I wake up around 6-6:30, we take turns and alternate mornings to get 20 minutes or so of exercise in.  Jesse gets ready for work and makes coffee, breakfast, and lunch for us all while I get The Doodle nursed, changed, and dressed.  Usually by about 7am we are all sitting down to a nice breakfast together at our little kitchen table, NPR murmuring in the background.  We are out the door between 7:30 and 7:45, we drop Jesse off at work, then Eddy at daycare, then I drive to Clinic, usually with a few minutes to spare so I can sip my coffee on a leisurely walk into the hospital.  On days when The Doodle is not cranky/teething/defiant/hungry for "cookies", this routine works well - we're not rushed, we all eat, we all get where we need to be on time.  And there's something really nice about sitting together, eating a small meal together, checking in with each other before the day begins.  In this case, ritual starts to replace routine.  It seems that I may need routine to keep me mentally on track and ritual to sharpen my attention to the here and now.

So routine doesn't have to be a 4-letter word.  It is a structure that can create space for thoughtfulness, for caring, for time spent with family instead of rushing around willy-nilly.  I plan/hope to be expanding both my routines and my rituals this year.  What routines/rituals do YOU have?

(*By the way, this is the Zen rock garden that Jesse built this weekend!  It sits on the window seat in our bedroom.  We've been using a large serving fork until we track down a small wooden rake.)

Welcome 2012

I figured it was time to get in a post on this blog before my Clinic III starts (tomorrow!).  I think of these next two experiences as "the Big Kid Clinicals" - not as much hand-holding by my clinical instructor, more responsibility, higher expectations.  I struggle to lean towards the yay-this-is-a-challenge-and-if-I'm-not-challenging-myself-what-is-the-point side of things rather than the oh-crap-let-me-just-keep-my-head-down-and-not-pull-out-anyone's-catheter.  Yeah - THAT can happen. 

But that is the story of my life - in every personality test/quiz/color analysis I am always "the accommodator", the "peace-maker", "blue." Aka: I don't want to make trouble, can't we all just get along, and WHY DON'T YOU THINK I'M THE ABSOLUTE BEST???  Soooo the real challenge of my life is to face my fear of failure, of "looking bad" and instead forge ahead, live with purpose, and keep my head up so that when I DO make mistakes (what? mistakes? who me?) I make them with full awareness and the ability to LEARN.  So please wish that for me - send your good, fear-less vibes my way these next few weeks!     

Ironically, we did not take a lot of pictures this holiday season - so we are depending on all of YOU fine folks who did :)  Got any pics to share? 
Lotsa love - Happy 2012!

Fastly Fleeting Fall

Hello all - have you missed us?  We've been plodding along, trying to balance school, work, home, relatives, friends - it's been challenge!  Thanks for all your encouragement and help.  This is turning out to be a bit of a stressful fall, but things should calm down after the holidays.  I'll be doing my Clinicals then, keeping a regular schedule, done with academics. 

In the meantime, please indulge in some Eddy candy!

NIce Work if You Can Get It . . .

A few factors have coalesced to make this THE PERFECT STORM of unplanned breaks in blogging: Caitlin's re-introduction to grad school, Eddy's whole-hearted embrace of the new-fangled transportational mode of WALKING, and the dying of Caitlin's laptop :(  Never fear, Caitlin will acclimate, both parents are getting used to running around after a much more mobile munchkin, and there are extra laptops to be used in the meantime! 

We'll have pictures soon - we've had a great start to Fall :)  The rest of August brought Aunt Lauren (Aunt Lau-Lau)'s 30th bday in Cornwall amidst the rages of Irene.  In September we danced at Cousin Matt and Rachel's wedding in Saratoga Springs (rode the Carousel!), dressed up Lebowski-style and munched on Catskill apples at Lew Beach, and met all the neighbors at our first annual "Our Block Rocks" block party.  October is sure to be a good month: we've got Cider Day, a trip for Mommy to the Spa (Thank you Grandpa Goodglass!), and a happy Halloween all on the docket. 

Eddy has been changing so much every day - it seems you can see the gears working and synapses firing in that little brain of hers - so amazing!  She is a master of imitation (something we're going to have to start watching out for!) and is picking up more and more words AND signs every day.  She loves walking up and down the sidewalks outside while simultaneously charming the neighbors.  Let's see . . . books Books BOOKS are her favorite!  Oh, and blocks.  And the spice cabinet.  She's doing SUPER well at daycare - which is a big load off our minds.  It's great to know that she is happy and well taken care of while we are off at school and work.

Hope you are all having a lovely October so far - apples, squash soup (!), sweaters, brisk mornings . . .

Doodle Does . . . Brooklyn!

Yes, folks, she is getting to be SUCH A BIG GIRL!  I'm doing some studying right now (back into classes!) but wanted to get something up for your viewing pleasure :)  This is Eddy (and Daddy) at Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY enjoying the dragon fountain!