Life in Chicago Reviews

Staying Motivated...to Stay Fit

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Crystal Light Pure Fitness.

By far, one of the hardest things about trying to stay fit is doing it consistently. Throw a baby into the mix and well, good luck.

Lately I've had to get a little crafty without my fitness regime. On days when it's hard to get to the gym or yoga class I do a little mat routine with my daughter. I figured that since I spend a good hour every morning lounging around on the playmat in the front of the house with Veronica, I may as well get a little exercise while I'm at it.

I worried, at first, that I was being selfish and that trying to incorporate some kind of workout into my playtime with my daughter would detract from the time I was spending with her, but the first time I tried it I discovered just the opposite.

Veronica loves my mat routine more than I do!

The routine is this: Each morning I spend about 25 minutes doing a series of sit-ups, push-ups and yoga stretches on Veronica's playmat. And I was delighted to discover that she finds this wildly entertaining and hilarious.

I usually start the routine while she's pushing around a shopping cart or putting blocks in a plastic cookie jar, but the moment she sees me holding plank she drops whatever she's doing and comes right over. She tries to crawl up on my back while I'm doing push ups, crawls under me when I'm in downward dog and loves to try to sit on my lap while I'm doing sit ups. Sometimes she even sits next to me and tries to imitate me.

Granted this doesn't make for a lot of good straight sets since I'm interrupted so often, but I still manage to get a surprisingly good little workout in each time. The best part? Since Veronica likes it so much it's become a great motivator to actually do it.

Needless to say I follow up each workout with something replenishing like Crystal Light Pure Fitness.

Anyway, let's do this, Internet. How do you stay motivated? Leave me a comment telling me how YOU work to stay motivated to work out and you'll be entered to win a $100 Visa Gift Card.

Here are some rules:

• No duplicate comments. (In other words: NO CHEATING)
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on Twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older.
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
• You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
• Contest ends 7/4/2010

You can read the official rules here. There are also 4 other bloggers giving away $100 and as well as a $1,000 sweepstakes on the round-up page!

So let's do this! Let's win some free money! Tell me: How do you stay motivated to work out?

A Classic Symbol of Parenthood: A BabyBjorn Review & Give-Away

FYI: I was not paid to write this review. This is my honest-to-golly opinion. Oh, and you should also know that at the end of this review is an opportunity for you to win a free BabyBjorn Organic Original baby carrier, so you can form your own opinion and see if it matches mine. (And if it doesn't you can be all like, "Um, that Claire Bidwell Smith is soo crazy," and I won't mind at all.)

So, we've long established that this mama is a baby-wearer. I can't get enough of wearing my little girl with me everywhere I go. She likes it, I like it, it works out all the way around. Wearing babies is by far the easiest way to be out and about with them, and it's a fantastic means of getting them to fall asleep.

Now, onto the Bjorn. I saw my first BabyBjorn carrier several years ago when my friends first started getting pregnant and I began attending baby showers for the first time. I remember my friend Abby receiving one as a gift and her husband snatching it out her hands to strap it on right then and there. He's a rock climber and he was thrilled with the idea of his kid being so portable (note: I don't think the BabyBjorn carrier is recommended for rock climbing).

Anyway, the BjornBaby Carrier just became a classic symbol of parenthood to me. It was one of the first gifts we received in the mail when we found out I was pregnant. And like my friend's husband, Greg strapped it on immediately, just to try it out.

No, this is not Greg, nor is it my friend's husband. But he is kinda cute, isn't he?

Let's Eat Out: A Square One Organics Baby Food Review & Give Away

FYI: I was not paid to write this review. This is my honest-to-golly opinion. Oh, and you should also know that at the end of this review is an opportunity for you to win a free package of Square One Organic Baby Food, so you can form your own opinion and see if it matches mine. (And if it doesn't you can be all like, "Um, that Claire Bidwell Smith is soo crazy," and I won't mind at all.)

Although my mom was a serious cook, always making everything from scratch and refusing to allow me much coveted treats like Kraft singles and fruit roll-ups, she couldn't cook ALL the time. Case in point: on our refrigerator hung a big sign that read LET'S EAT OUT! and once a week or so my mother would throw up her hands in exasperation, point to the sign and declare that my father take us out to dinner.

My point is that while I'm committed to making most of my baby food, I just can't do it all the time. Even the most determined of us moms need a break now and then, right?

Enter Square One Organics Baby Food. There are tons of baby food brands out there, and tons of good-sounding organic stuff, but there are several reasons why I particularly like Square One Organics.

First, it's made right here in Chicago by an actual mom. Second, all the ingredients are simple and whole and made from only organic fruits, vegetables and grains. And third (and this is a good one), Square One Foods are organized into a color-coded system so that you can ease your baby into solids in a safe and nutritious way. This is seriously helpful when you've got a million other things to do as a mom and you just don't have time to read all the books about integrating food into your baby's life.

Square One is organized into three categories of food, 6 Months & Up, 8 Months & Up and 10 Months & Up. Since Veronica is still in the first category we tried peas, papaya and pumpkin, all of which she liked, especially the peas. I love that I don't have to think about what kinds of food to try and can just give her the stuff in her category.

Next month we'll try mango, broccoli, butternut squash and quinoa. And until then all the cute little packages of Square One will wait in the freezer. Square One is available via their website, PeaPod and select stores in Chicago. If you order it directly from the website it comes in a handy, little cooling box to keep everything fresh until you have time to get the mail. Because seriously, sometimes as a mom there isn't even time to get the MAIL.

Square One Organics are also organized into nutrition categories, like if they're a good source of green (which V's doctor keeps saying she needs more of) they're in a green package. Or if they're a good source of Vitamin A then they're in an orange pack, and so on. If this sounds confusing then you can relax because Square One also has Food Journals and a Superfood Guide to help you figure it out.

Other things I like about Square One Organics:

• All of the purees cost under $2
• Like I said, the company offers food journals and advice for how to integrate solids
• The purees were created by a mom with twins who have food allergies so she's extra-diligent about helping you introduce safe foods to your baby
• They're made right here in Chicago!
• One of the company's main goals is to make the food affordable
• Each pack has two cups, the perfect amount every time
• All the purees are developed with the help of a registered pediatric dietitian to ensure appropriate nutrition for each age group
• Even if you do make your own baby food, a few packs of these are great to have on hand for those nights when all you can say, "Let's Eat Out!"

Anyway, I'm really glad to have come across this company and would highly recommend this product!

 

Giveaway Details: Square One Organics would like to offer one of my lucky readers a Square One gift set including 16 packs of food, a cd and 30 food journals for a $50 value.

To win simply leave a comment below telling me which Square One puree sounds the yummiest.

Here are some rules:

• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on Twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to US Residents.
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
• You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
• Contest ends January 29, 2010 at 8AM, CST.

Good luck!

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Are you new to Life in Chicago? Find out more!

Also, check out the main page on Life in Chicago Reviews for more give-aways.

Adventures in Baby Food

FYI: I was not paid to write this review. This is my honest-to-golly opinion. Oh, and you should also know that at the end of this review is an opportunity for you to win a free Beaba Babycook, so you can form your own opinion and see if it matches mine. (And if it doesn't you can be all like, "Um, that Claire Bidwell Smith is soo crazy," and I won't mind at all.)

Lately I've been giving a lot of thought to the kind of mom I am. I've quickly realized that, with each choice I make about how to parent, another set of choices blooms. Being a modern, urban mom, the kind of mom with a faded Obama bumper sticker and tattoos (also faded), who leans towards baby-wearing and insisted on a natural birth, pretty much means that I HAVE to make my own baby food, right?

Seeing as friends began sending me baby food cookbooks before Veronica was even born probably answers that question. But the thing is that even if I weren't the kind of mom I described above I'd still probably attempt to cook most of my baby's meals, if only because I love cooking and baby food presents a whole new culinary adventure.

How Baby-Wearing Saved My Marriage: ERGObaby Carrier Review & Give-Away

Hands Free Baby? Yes, Please.

FYI: I was not compensated for this review. This is my honest-to-golly opinion. Oh, and you should also know that at the end of this review is an opportunity for you to win a free ERGObaby Carrier System, so you can form your own opinion and see if it matches mine. (And if it doesn't you can be all like, "Um, that Claire Bidwell Smith is soo crazy," and I won't mind at all.)

Anyway, let's talk about baby-wearing.

Now that we're six months in, it's pretty funny to look back on those first few weeks of parenting. Greg and I just didn't get it. She wants to be held ALL the time? Surely not. Here, change her diaper. No, stick this pacifier in the mouth. She spit it out? Is she hungry? I thought she just ate. Try just putting her down in the bassinet. Ohhh no, that doesn't work.

The only thing that kept Veronica happy was if we just held her in our arms and walked around the house. Seriously. I know you people without kids out there are thinking we must have been doing something wrong. But you people with kids are totally nodding your heads. You know. The girl would not let us sit down. We had to be walking. It was like some new-fangled form of Chinese water torture; all we wanted to do was sleep and all she wanted us to do was walk.

When she was about 6 weeks old we discovered that the only way to get her to fall asleep at night was for one of us to slowly walk around the darkened house with her in our arms. At first she would look every which way, turning her head to take in the shadows around her. And then little by little her body would grow heavier, her arms slack at her sides and then eventually her head would nod, her breathing slowly evening out.

We had to take turns at this walking around thing because she's kind of heavy. You might not think 10 or 15 pounds is a lot to carry around, but try doing it for 30 minutes when you're SLEEP DEPRIVED. It's like you're moving into your first post-college apartment all over again and you're too cheap to hire movers so you totally assumed you would be fine carrying the futon up 5 flights of stairs, but now you're stuck on the third floor with that thing, trying to maneuver it around the bend in the stairs, and all you can think is man, one day I'm going to be like an adult and I'll pay people to do this for me. Yup, just like that.

So anyway, we had to take turns because she was so heavy. And maybe we got a little resentful of each other in the process since whoever wasn't doing the baby carrying got to lay in bed with a book, looking up every 5 minutes or so as the baby-carrying parent walked slowly past the door with Veronica. Usually whoever was carrying the baby would try to catch your eye as they walked past, shooting you a death stare that loosely translated as, Yeah, you enjoy that book for like 5 more minutes and then this is ALL you. Oh, those were the days.