Monthly Archives: July 2012

Run Run Mom Heads to NYC

This weekend I am heading off to New York City for the Great Urban Race.  I am used to regular road races and even some dirty ones…but one that I don’t follow people around in a very organized line from start to finish?!  Dear god this could be a disaster.

For those of you who don’t know about the Great Urban Race.  Great Urban Race describes itself as a wild urban adventure!  Teams of two—four solve twelve clues and participate in exciting mental and physical challenges while discovering the city in a fresh way.  It is basically the amazing race limited to one city.  They say if you want to win you better be ready to run the whole thing.  The running is no problem, BUT the public transit, solving clues, and just general spacial awareness could be my downfall.  I am glad my teammate, Erin is a much more organized person than myself.

We decided months ago we were not going for fun.  We were going to WIN!   I want my team Sugar Free to win the whole thing.  We want $300, a medal, and an invitation to the National Championship in Las Vegas.  This not only would give us to bragging rights, but it would also make us the coolest teachers at our school.

If this didn’t already… (middle schoolers are REALLY hard to impress)

Team Sugar Free Rocks Warrior Dash

Unfortunately, even though we have been planning this for months we made one major misstep.  Our costumes.  We were really gung ho at the beginning and ordered our Bondi bands to represent the “Sugar Free” part of our Sugar Free Red Bull costumes.  We got matching shorts, sports bras, and Reebok CrossFit socks.  What did we forget?!  OUR SHIRTS!!!  We ordered them last week and they are still not in.  The panic is setting in.  We have until Friday around noon for these bad boys to show up or we are screwed.  We are going to have to scramble to get something together.  I am half tempted to go dig out my old bedazzler and get down to bizznassss.

This headband would look alot better with a costume to go with it!

If we are not bedazzling all day Friday and Saturday morning these are some of our NYC goals:

  • Run in central park
  • Shop!  Athleta in person?  Yes please!!
  • Eat EVERYTHING at the Peanut Butter Company
  • Go to the Protein Bakery (and get my pic on their blog)
  • Get “fancy” drinks
  • Hit up some reality TV hot spots: DASH, the Gansevoort, Rosie Pope, Georgetown Cupcake, and anywhere a Housewife has been filmed…or  even more importantly get a glimpse of a housewife, or their main man Mr. Andy Cohen

Me fan-girling Ramona but DEF. not eating at her recommended restaurant Catch…a little (lot) over budget..

  • Finally take first place at the Great Urban Race

Questions:

Are any of you competing this weekend?  

 More importantly anyone from NYC or frequent visitors know some must hit eateries or fun places to go??

Mommy Mondays: Separation Anxiety

I squeeze too tight!

I have a confession.  I have a Super Cooper addiction. I am the kind of who mom misses her kid when he goes down for bed for the night because it is a really long time and sometimes I just want to play with him.  How am I supposed to leave him for two full nights?!

Now, I am not trying to sound holier than thou.  Let us be clear – I am a mom who cherishes naptime.  I can clean, sleep, watch Bravo TV, and even throw back a diet Coke without little fingers in my glass.  I NEED nap time.

In a single day there are only so many times I can stand having Cooper chase me around with the remote going “LA-LA?! LA-LA?!” (Elmo) before I feel like throwing that remote into the garbage disposal.  If by chance Sesame Street is even on and even if Elmo happens to be in the scene, if he is not singing “Elmo’s Song” at the given moment it is completely unacceptable. And the “La-La?!” will continue, FOREVER.  But with just a short two hour nap we both (mostly me) are happy and recharged to face the Elmo monster.

Since, I am a teacher I work full time during the school year.  I first dealt with separation anxiety when I put Cooper in daycare after my maternity leave was over.   While it was hard at first to leave him in the care of others, I am really happy with it and I know he gets the social interaction and “sibling” experience he needs and deserves. Plus, I get to pick him up at 3:30 every day and give him a great big hug!  I know he is happy and safe and now I think even if I did stay at home full time with him, I would want put him in daycare twice a week to help build up his social skills, since he is an only child and building up his immune system doesn’t hurt either.

However, even though I am over the daycare hurdle, I find I have a new fear to face.  I am going to be leaving Cooper for two nights this weekend to travel to NYC for the Great Urban Race.  I am so excited for the race, but it will be only the second time I have ever left him overnight.  This is also the first time I have left him for two nights in a row and the first time Brian will be in charge for longer than like 6 hours.  I am nervous.

Brian is a great Dad, but he is not me.  What is that you say?  Eww, this girl thinks she is awesome? She think she is the best mom ever?  Yes, I do.  If I don’t who will, well clearly besides Cooper, I read it in his diary?  Is it true?  No, I’m sure it isn’t, but isn’t everyone entitled to tell themselves white lies to make them feel good once in a while?  I think every mother should think they are the best moms!  They work hard for it!

What I like to believe Cooper feels like when I leave him:

Nooo Mommy….I LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH!

How he really feels when I leave him:

Please..Get over yourself woman

Oh well.  But seriously, it is not that I do not trust others with him, it is the nagging feeling of “what if”.   What if he needs me?  What if he chokes or falls down the stairs?  What if someone lets him watch TV, on top of the counter, next to the knives while I am not there?

I couldn’t make this stuff up. Note: knives to the right

These are things that a crazy person like me OBSESS about.  I would NEVER allow Cooper on that counter and I almost choked to death at the gym when I got this text.  However, I am sure more balanced people realize that 99 percent of the things I obsess about are over the top. Some may even say taking a picture like this is just funny and cute, completely harmless. (Aka Brian in defense).  I am skeptical.  Now, why is she even going you ask?

  1. I think every mom or parent should do something fun for themselves once in awhile
  2. Moms should have friends too
  3. I really REALLY want to add some new bling to my 2012 medal collection. (You have to be top 25 to medal)
  4. I really do trust Brian…mostly

So how am I going to cope?

  1. Keep a positive attitude (he will be fine…he will be fine)
  2. Not feel guilty!  Everyone needs a little me time!
  3. Realize maybe I am not that more awesome than everyone else (I say that ONLY for the benefit of others..)
  4. Facetime with the Super Cooper (he loves to watch himself in the corner)
  5. If all else fails call incessantly and demand continuous photos to ensure safety
  6. Pray every night I don’t come home to this

Cooper turned Caveman

Question: How do you feel about leaving your little one? How do you cope? 

DaSilva Family Olympics!

Hey guys!

I am so excited to share the first ever DaSilva/Coyne Family Olympics with you guys!  We had so much fun making the video and hopefully you guys will like it too!

If any of you are ever in the Chatham, MA area, you should definitely check out their trampoline center.  At first we felt a little creepy since there were just tons of kids and we came with only adults (Cooper would have been TERRIFIED), but it wore off as soon as we were jumping on those bad boys!   It was seriously the most fun you could ever have working up a serious sweat.  Loved it!

Are you guys doing anything fun with your family for the Olympics?

50 Shades of Torture: Saturday Sweat Sesh

A Different Type of Red Room of Pain

Well another Saturday workout complete.  I find it hard to understand how each week seems to get harder than the last and that I have to fight to keep my breakfast down each week.  By the end of this workout today, my whole body was shaking with the satisfactory feeling that I couldn’t do another set of ANYTHING.  I worked it hard.

In reaching my goals I find it definitely helps that I have a workout buddy to race and help keep motivated with.  As Mr. Fong tells us:  ”It is easy to quit on a workout program, it is hard to quit on friends.”  As cheesy as it is, it is definitely true.  There are MANY days I would have not gone to kickboxing or cancelled a Saturday training session if I wasn’t going with a friend.  I think this is an aspect of fitness that can be looked over, but I find for me especially it is important in reaching my goals and having fun while doing it.

If you are feeling ambitious today have a go at this:

Equipment: Ladder (shown above), Pull up bar, Beast Ropes  (shown above), Kettlebells, medicine balls, a hill

Warm Up

2 Minutes of Jump Rope

Set 1

2 Feet ladder Hops (1 min)

Chest to Floor Push Ups (1 min)

10lb Kettle bell squats  (1 min)

Pull ups until failure

Rope throws   (1 min)

Hill interval (30 sec uphill, and quick downs. x10)

Medicine Ball throw down with squat and catch   (1 min)

 

Set 2

In and out ladder fast feet  (1 min)

Chest to Floor Push Ups (1 min)

10lb Kettlebell squats with overhead press  (1 min)

Pull ups until failure

Rope throws   (1 min)

Medicine Ball toss and squat (1 min) (against wall or w/ partner)

20 second Mountain Climbers into a Sprint Hill interval (30 sec uphill, and quick downs. x10)

 

Set 3

Push ups: up and down ladder (1 min)

10lb Kettlebell squats with overhead press  (1 min)

Pull ups (upper half burners) until failure

Rope throws   (1 min)

Medicine Ball toss and squat (1 min) (against wall or w/ partner)

Burpees into overhead kettlebell press (1 min)

 

Cool Down

1/4 mile jog

 

Now I am off to the Cape for the DaSilva Family Olympics!  Hope everyone has a great Saturday!  :)

Tonight Is the Night! Opening Ceremony!

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I can’t believe the opening ceremonies for the Olympics tonight.  It is honestly one of the most exciting things for me!  I remember at my cousin’s wedding four years ago most of the guests quickly went into into the other room to watch Phelps dominate for those seconds of glory!  I even considered an Olympics vanity license plate but I was made fun of so bad I had to concede.

As much as I love the athleticism, I love the stories and people that make up the games.  I cry at pretty much every event and cannot rip myself away from the TV.  Sometimes I base my favorites off of their pure talent but usually it is because of inspiring stories or are just so fun to watch (i.e. Shawn Johnson)

Before the games have started I already and rooting for my favorites. Right now (sure I’ll add more soon) are:

Gabby-Douglas-Team-USA-Gymnastics.jpg (2735×2735)  Gabby Douglas: Gymnastics: Because she’s super duper cute and can dougie (and isn’t afraid to do it on national tv live)

fbdc666a9241ed90800cc56825bc315782fdf867-U.S-Mens-Gymnastics-Team-2012-Olympics-03-2012-07-01.jpg (600×357)John Orozco: Gymnastics: I love his story and everything that is pretty much in this article 

Ryan-Lochte-008.jpg (460×276)Ryan Lochte: Swimming: because it sucks to always be number two…and because he looks like this

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Lolo Jones: Hurdles: She is so fast and so amazing.  It is crazy how much power she packs into her tiny frame. I like her rags to riches story and wish I had her arms. Plus her twitter is funny.

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Kara Goucher: Marathon:  Kara is my favorite Olympian.  I can’t even imagine the pain and endurance it takes to compete and train for competitive marathon running.  Plus her son Colton is super cute and I love how he narrates her Road to London site. :)

And finally… the number one person I cannot wait to see at the Olympics and should have air time at EVERY single event.  My dream man.

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Prince Harry:  Royal Hotness: Gold medal winner in my eyes<3

Tomorrow we are having our own DaSilva family Olympics down the Cape.  The favorite is Cooper but I think that is kind of biased.  I will provide footage as soon as it is covered on national news  (no spoilers).

Who are your favorite athletes?  Seriously, don’t pick Harry, he’s mine.