Hi there from the land of boxes!

This looks so familiar. It seems like just yesterday, we were doing the same thing.

Oh, right, thas because last week, we were doing this.

That would be, unpacking all the boxes. And then we found our new house, and are packing up again. Tough life, I know.

In all seriousness, while I feel so blessed both for Ant’s mum putting us up, and our ability to move to our new house, moving is really hard. It brings up all sorts of stuff for everyone, from having to get rid of things to leaving homes they’ve known and loved to just change. So, I’m being really gentle with myself this week.

Breakfast (from tupperware, naturally) was leftover tuna and bean salad from Anthony’s mum. She is being an angel, and not only housing us, but feeding us this week and helping us with our budget. Wowza.

Because Ant’s work schedule is insane this week (5am to 7pm, anyone?) we are only doing our runs and putting our weights on hold until we’re in the new place. So, we have a four mile run tonight, and our first 10k this weekend!

Whew! Today’s been flying by faster than I could have imagined.

First, breakfast was smallish, as I knew I had my first hot yoga class midday, and I wanted to make sure my tummy was safe.

So, I had berries, yogurt, almond milk, with a few tablespoons of my homemade muesli, plus half a can of tuna fish.

The tuna was kept separate, just to be clear.

After teaching my first hot yoga class on Friday, I couldn’t wait to take one for myself.

In short, I found it really challenging. I didn’t know my eyeballs could sweat. I absolutely enjoyed myself and had a great time, but I was also exhausted when it was done. Love that.

Puppy Love

I’ve been reading a bunch of stellar puppy books lately, to learn more about Chewbacca and how to bring her home safely, sanely and with grace. I’ve never had a puppy of my own, nor has Anthony, so we have our research ahead of us.

Here are five tips that I’ve come across that were interesting, a-ha moments, that I thought I’d share.

1. Puppies love their crates. According to Cesar Milan, to puppies, when introduced the right way, puppies find the crate to be den like and cozy, not cages. Introducing them the right way means never forcing them into the crate, but instead enticing them in with treats and toys. Also, only spend a few minutes each time in the crate when they are first introduced. Finally, have them crated while you are home with them, so they don’t associate crating with separation from you.

2. Calming them while they whine only encourages whining. When puppies howl or cry or growl, when you pet them or say “oh, it’s ok, puppy….it’s ok” you’re actually telling them that they are correct in that behavior. The best way to deal with it is ignore them, give them a quick leash correction, or a gruff “no.”

3. Walk around on the leash with them for the first two weeks. According to Julie Bjelland, the best way to establish your relationship with your puppy is to have them attached to you whenever you are home for the first few weeks. They learn that you set the rules of where to go, not them, and it deeply encourages bonding. Just introduce the leash slowly and allow them to play with it first.

That's Chewbacca's mamma and brother!

4. The are smart enough to be trained from day one. One of the biggest mistakes you can make, according to the Cesar again, is to wait until your puppy is “old enough” to be trained. Eight week old puppies are already two year old in human years, and imagine if you waited until your kid was two to teach them appropriate boundaries! Teaching them to sit, heel, and be gentle, attentive, non-jumping or mouthing dogs starts from day one.

5. Puppies like to be trained, and love you to be in charge. From birth, puppies are establishing pack order and rank. According to the Monks of New Skete, disciplining your dog is not mean to them, nor will it get them to resent you. In fact, done the right way, it will make them love and respect you even more than you ever thought possible.

I hope these are helpful!

Here’s a list of the books I’ve been reading. If you have any recommendations, please send them my way!

1. The Art of Raising a Puppy – The Monks of New Skete
2. How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend – The Monks of New Skete
3. How To Raise the Perfect Dog – Cesar Milan
4. Imagine Life with a Well-Behaved Dog – Julie A Bjelland

QOTD: Do you have a dog? How about tips for raising them?

Today, Ant and I took a “lazy” (read: non-workout) day to go out and try to stock our new home before we take over the lease.

Before we headed out, I had my favorite old-school breakfast – 1/3 cup quinoa with 1 egg and 1 egg white, mixed with a teaspoon of almond butter and soy sauce. Delicious!

After breakfast, we headed out to the first of what felt like thousands of home goods stores.

As a New York City girl, appliances are a foreign wilderness to me. Fridges come with rental apartments, laundromats are for doing laundry, and a pressure/slow/rice cooker combination would be a laughable joke, as who would have the space to put it anywhere?

Now, I am renting a house for the first time, with a front yard and a lawn and three bedrooms to fill. It’s quite overwhelming and exciting and tiring all rolled into one.

I think home supply stores should be renamed “The Lands of Shiny.” Everything is glowing and alluring in the fancy lights, with demos of blenders and coffee makers and fridges. It’s hard to focus in on what’s a “need” (a fridge that keeps food cold) versus a “want” (a fridge that’s stainless steel and has a water tap in the door – how cool is that?!)

I wish this was our fridge. It's not.

Anthony and I did what Anthony does really well – shopped around for a good deal. We went to four shops, wheeled and dealed until we got everything we wanted for $400 less than any ticketed sale price. He’s good that way. Now, I’m the proud owner of a fridge, a washing machine, a blender, food processor, electric fry-pan and the aforementioned combination cooker (Which is admittedly incredibly cool.)

All the purchases make sense as I cook every day, and I’m really excited to have a food processor and blender again. (In a moment of weakness and abject silliness, Anthony and I packed our food processor and blender to be taken on the boat to Australia. Of course, they don’t work in Australia and to get a converter that would make them work would cost drastically more than the blender and food processor combined. So, back to New York on our next trip they will go!)

However, one of the most satisfying parts of leaving New York was to let go of “stuff.” We sold everything, except for the most precious of books, art, and the aforementioned cookware. It’s really freeing to not have so much stuff around, so I really want to try to maintain having as few unnecessary things as possible.

Worthy goal, I think?

QOTD: Do you live in a house, or apartment, or other? How long did shopping take you?

Breakfast today was a big bowl of organic green veggies, topped with an organic egg, with a side of a rice cake with organic almond butter.

I love having green bowls for Breakfast. They taste delicious and make me feel radically full.

They also are an excellent source of iron, potation, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium and magnesium.

Not to mention, they make me feel super healthy…and morally superior?

My mother sent me an article the other day about if organic food makes you a jerk. I found it funny, but also quite possibly truthful. I do feel a bit better about myself when I eat organic food, as I know I’m doing my part to improve the environment and my body. I don’t believe I’ve used that as an excuse not to volunteer, but it’s a really interesting point, and worth reading.

In other news, Hell has frozen over…as tomorrow, I’m teaching my first Hot Yoga Class!

I’m actually really excited. I’ve always resisted hot classes because of my own fear of overheating (I get dizzy at the drop of the hat in normal temperatures, so hot rooms freak me out a bit) but the opportunity came up to teach, and I didn’t want to turn it down.

Today has been spent studying, coming up with a sequence, putting together an appropriate playlist, and meeting a potential vet.

Whew!

Have a great day!
QOTD: Have you ever taken a hot yoga class? What did you think?