Had fun this weekend going cross country skiing for the first time since before the kids were born! (I’d probably been twice in my life before that.)
There’s a great set of trails in the next town over, and you can rent ski-sleds on harnesses that attach to your waist and pull your kids! It was much easier than I expected, because the trails were in great condition and the sleds just glided along behind us with very little effort.
The only tough part was going up a steep hill – I don’t have the technical skill to keep from sliding backwards down the hill when I have 31 pounds of toddler plus a sled strapped to my waist. No amount of advance speed or angled skis were going to make that one work. Greg and I both had to snap out of our skis and pull the boys up in our boots, then strap back in.
Other than that – it was perfect.
We took someone’s good advice and wore what we would to go running in the same weather, and it was perfect.
One of the best things about running is staying in decent enough shape to enjoy the outdoor activities ever season offers, and not be afraid to try something new. Kayaking in Maine, hiking in Massachusetts, biking through Paris, paddle-boarding in the Caribbean, cross country skiing near home… it’s all good.
The best part was being outside in the sunshine and feeling warm – it’s what I love about winter running, without worrying I was going to sprain an ankle on the icy sidewalks.
The kids had a good time too – and who wouldn’t in a wind-shielded sled with a cozy blanket gazing at the scenery and zooming down the hills!
All the little choices we make add up. It’s been a long, cold, challenging winter here in Massachusetts, and I’ve noticed that when my schedule is crazy and my kids have cabin fever, I start taking short cuts that make things worse. I’m tired, so I order greasy vegan pad-thai for take-out and then I feel even worse.
On tough days, it helps to make choices that will bring us out of the cycle of being tired and overwhelmed, not make it worse.
Here are 5 choices that will make things better – not worse:
1. Hit the salad bar at your grocery store for a convenient meal instead of ordering greasy take-out. (Feed the kids peanut butter and jelly)
2. Relax with a steaming mug of tea instead of an alcoholic beverage
3. Read a book for half an hour and go to bed early instead of watching an hour long t.v. show
4. Prioritize going to bed with a clean house, instead of making a home-cooked meal. Pick up burritos for dinner, salad bar, whatever your healthiest convenience meal is, and fold the laundry and get the toys sorted so you can wake up to a clean house.
5. Eat whole foods for your snacks instead of processed ones. When we’re overwhelmed and busy, it’s easy to grab a sugary granola bar or some cereal for a snack. You’ll have more energy if you reach for a piece of fruit or some nuts, instead. Even dried fruits with their high sugar content are a good choice because they retain the fiber that helps regulate the sugar’s entry into your blood stream and keeps you from crashing. You may not have time to cut up carrots and dish out hummus, but a handful of nuts and raisins is fast and a better choice than processed snack foods.
My own little changes – a Montessori Inspired Bookshelf:
I attended an amazing seminar given by the director of my son’s Montessori Preschool, and it’s inspired me to put more effort into preparing my children’s environment. I resisted the urge to gut my entire living room and furnish it with items from the Montessori catalog. (You’re welcome, Greg.)
Instead I’m trying to take our existing furniture and shift items around to make it more child-accessible.
Yesterday I worked on making the books in our house easier for Will and Andrew to access.
I moved a lot of books they’re too young for into my closet (Harry Potter, The Wizard of Oz series) and used the extra shelf space to display 10 of their favorite books at a time where they can easily see them. Upper shelves have their other books, so I can regularly switch out the titles for them.
Will was the most excited about the transformed bookshelves. Instead of pulling out each book to look at the cover, he can now see ten good options at once. That’s more than enough for a child to view at one time.
I did the same thing to his bookshelf in his room upstairs, displaying a small number of hand-selected books that will be perfect as bedtime stories. His bedroom closet has a large selection of other good bedtime stories to rotate in and out.
I’m hoping this will reduce Andrew’s urge to pull all the books off the shelf so he can look at the covers and choose one, and also inspire them to pick up a book and look through it, because the covers of their favorite titles are so visible.
I have a lot of work to do on their toys… but this was a step in the right direction, and I did the project start to finish in one afternoon with a babysitter.
E’s Birthday:
In other news – it’s my sister’s birthday! She’s a certified Dance Movement Therapist and Counselor, who has dedicated her professional career to helping others. She’s a great listener, energetic and fun person to hang out with, an enthusiastic and wonderful Aunt to my children, and I’m so lucky to have her in my life. 🙂
Think of the people you know who are a generation older than you are. How have they aged? How healthy are they? How active are they?
The older we get, the bigger the range of experience between the healthiest and the unhealthiest person. Age compounds the choices we’ve made in our lives over time to be healthy… or not. Yes, there’s genetics… but in the words of Dr. Colin Campbell, lifestyle and diet pull the trigger. Are you the healthiest expression of your genetic code? Where do you fall on the range of your own genetic potential, and could you do better, better enough to change your future?
When I look at this photo of my mother, a grandmother of four, surfing in Vieques, all I can think is that she’s my hero. This is what I want to be doing in 30 years. I want to be healthy and active enough to be in the Caribbean in February fearlessly catching waves. My mother is not an experienced surfer – she’s healthy, active, and confident enough to be out there trying something new. She spent two and a half hours out there on the water, and yes, she made it up to a stand. That’s a LOT of paddling!
My mother can easily get down on the floor and play with her grandchildren. She snorkels, walks for hours on the beach, and kayaked all the way across a lake with the boys and I last summer. She did two hours of horseback riding on the same vacation she went surfing. She can shovel when my Dad’s too sick to snow-blow. She can handle two preschool age boys by herself when my Dad returns to work but I’m still having a long weekend in Paris with Greg. It’s not “too much” for her. Very little is. She’s not vegan, but she’s a healthy weight, and eats a lot of whole foods. It’s added up.
I know so many people her age who can’t do any of these things, who struggle with the joint pain and inflammation that comes from decades of being overweight. They have mobility issues. Some of them experience chronic pain. They tire as easily as someone 20 years their senior. They will never surf again.
NOT. ME.
I am going to be like my mother when I get older. I am going to be like the 65 year old I chatted with at the starting line of my 3rd half marathon… who finished before I did. I am going to be like the grandparents I see at our local cycling studio when I go to the 7 a.m. class on Saturday mornings.
There’s a cost. It’s not free.
I prioritize exercise. Make time for it.
I avoid animal products, convenience foods, overly processed foods, limit refined sugar. It’s a pain in the butt sometimes. There are days I wish I felt comfortable calling and ordering takeout once a week… but it’s salty, it’s swimming in oil, and even the vegan options aren’t healthy.
I may be doing more than I “need” to… but there’s no way of knowing how prone I am to cancer, Alzheimer’s, or heart disease based on my genetic code and environmental history. I don’t know how many french fries I can eat, how many cupcakes, or, if I weren’t morally opposed, how many hamburgers it’d take to push things just over the edge and lead to a heart attack or promote the growth of cancer cells. Would I be as lucky as my mother? With an uncle and grandparent who’ve had cancer, I’m not willing to risk it, and I don’t want to teach my children to eat that way either.
Looking at that photo of my mother on the surf-board reminds me to stay strong. I’m not just drastically reducing my risk of heart disease and cancer, I’m drastically increasing my quality of life as I age. I’ll have additional years that I’m well enough to travel. More mobility and energy to play falling down games with my grandchildren. More time on this planet… and greater independence towards the end of my life.
After reading The China Study, there is no doubt in my mind that all the science is leading us in the same direction. A whole foods, plant-based diet combined with regular exercise is my ticket to the Caribbean in 30 years.
I’ll take it.
I did a little of my own “surfing” in Grand Cayman. On a paddleboard. In a skirt. During a wind advisory.It’ll probably take me thirty years to be as good as my mother 🙂
View from our condo balcony at Coral Stone Club on Seven Mile Beach.
Grand Cayman is a fantastic island for vegan vacationers. We found great options for casual as well as fine dining. It was so relaxing to be able to pick up a quick, healthy, vegan breakfast, lunch or dinner from Island Naturals in a biodegradable to-go container. Hands down our best vacation in terms of vegan dining!
A vegan & vegetarian cafe right near our condo, Island Naturals sells delicious plant-based soups, salads and wraps. The boys loved their berry loaded oatmeal topped with coconut flakes, and I had a gorgeous spinach and kale salad topped with goji berries, strawberries, cashew ricotta, chickpeas and red peppers. Greg ordered a green curry comprised of vegetables and served over spinach leaves. The flavors were fresh, delicious, filling, and such a nice diversion from the normal vacation food which tends to be greasy or heavy. (French fries… I love you . I do not love how you make me feel after a long day of traveling.)
Breakfast from Island Naturals Cafe.Super Acai bowl.Half a green curry dish and half a spinach and kale salad.
The cafe delivers (although we always picked ours up). Everything we tried from their menu was delicious, including the acai berry bowl, all three breakfast wraps (not listed on their website – call for details), their pumpkin coconut soup, meatless burrito, and curry dishes. I probably would have eaten every single meal from Island Naturals if I’d been visiting alone.
This entirely vegan cafe boasts a decadent and delicious vegan brunch menu, as well as some fantastic lunch options. We were sad that we didn’t make it back to try their beet burger for lunch! Their chocolate hazelnut banana stuffed French Toast and sunrise pancakes were huge hits with our boys, while Greg and I enjoyed their breakfast tacos with homemade guacamole and just the right amount of crunch and spice. The local buses made it inexpensive to get there from our condo, and we were glad we made the trip to Georgetown for that breakfast!
breakfast tacoschocolate hazelnut banana stuffed french toast
Interior of Bread and Chocolate, view from our booth.
Agua is an upscale restaurant with a separate vegan menu. On our last trip to Grand Cayman, we had the most delicious vegan paella. Extensive wine list, better for couples than families. Gorgeous outdoor patio dining, not on the ocean, but enclosed with a garden-like feel.
Ranked the #1 restaurant in Georgetown on Trip Advisor, Brasserie emphasizes locally grown and seasonal produce with an ever-changing menu based on the freshest ingredients. Their vibrant cocktails feature in-house made liquor infusions, bitters and syrups, and the mint in their juleps and mojitos is garden fresh. While they don’t offer a separate vegan or vegetarian menu, they earn a spot on this review because they’ll prepare a special vegan tasting menu for diners with advance notice. For $60 cayman each, we enjoyed an exquisite 5 course tasting menu, one of the best vegan fine dining experiences I’ve ever had. For a true splurge, add the $50 each for a wine pairing and enjoy 2-3 ounce pours of perfectly matched wines for each course. It was out of this world.
Our decadent vegan dessert course with a perfectly paired dessert wine.
Taikun is an upscale sushi restaurant located in the Ritz Carlton on Seven Mile Beach. (Hillside entrance, not beachfront.) While not exclusively vegan or vegetarian, there were enough options on the menu for us to order with only slight modifications. We asked them to omit the wasabi mayo from some of the vegetarian rolls, and were able to order 7 different menu items without making any further requests. They grind fresh wasabi root at the table to go with your sushi, which is a very different experience from regular wasabi paste (which has dijon mustard and horseradish added). It had all the wasabi flavor with a little less bite… hard to explain, but worth trying for yourself! Service is as Ritz-y as you might expect, so sit back and relax while servers greet you by your last name, offer you warm hand towels, and meticulously refill your water glass. Reservations highly recommended.
Honorable Mentions:
Al La Kebabhas vegetarian felafel and delicious hummus and pita breads – call to confirm before assuming their sauces and pita are vegan. Burger Shack has well rated veggie burgers and tasty fries and they deliver. Again, call to confirm that they’re vegan and not just vegetarian.
A few more tips for eating well in Grand Cayman:
Cayman Good Taste is a website with a very comprehensive listing of restaurants and menus. It has an easily searchable interface, menus you can view without leaving the site, and interactive maps. It’s the best way to find a restaurant in Grand Cayman.
finedinein.com is a delivery service in Grand Cayman that delivers dinner from various restaurants for $6 per restaurant. If you’re traveling with kids, this can be a lifesaver, because for less than $15 you can have someone picking up your dinner from two different restaurants to accommodate everyone’s taste buds while you scrub sunscreen off the kids. We loved having family dinners on the condo balcony overlooking the ocean rather than chasing overtired kids around a restaurant.
Grocery Delivery: We had groceries delivered to the condo on the day of or arrival from Kirk market. For a $15 fee, they took our grocery list and credit card info and we could spend our first hours on the beach and not at the store. (Grocery stores are closed Sundays, as well as liquor stores.)
Alcohol Delivery: We ordered alcohol for delivery from Jacques Scott, and champagne was chilling in the fridge when we showed up. Their website is very comprehensive and includes all prices so you won’t get any surprises.
I’m having a little too much fun right now. I’m reading old blog posts and laughing.
Reading the writing of my former self, I can truly see how far I’ve come. It feels great.
I’ve run 5 half marathons, my most recent at 10:01 minute pace. I go to spin class. I can shovel snow for an hour and feel nothing besides a pleasant muscle awareness that evening. I could run 10 miles on any given day if I needed to.
I’ve started to forget that I wasn’t always like this. I’ve started to take my ability to run 6 miles at the drop of a hat for granted. I’ve run 10 miles the morning after drinking tequila with my girlfriends. That’s insane.
My blog archives are such a gift, because they remind me of my journey. They are as humbling as they are inspiring. I am a stronger runner than the woman who wrote them, but she was a stronger person, because she believed in her ability to get to where I am today. She made it happen.
She was afraid she wouldn’t complete her training and run her first half marathon. She did.
She ran exclusively on sidewalks… until she started training for her second half marathon and realized how boring it is if you don’t learn to run in the breakdown lane.
It took all her effort just to jog for 6.2 continuous miles at over 11 minute pace. I could run that over a minute per mile faster now…. and keep going over twice as long.
I wrote a funny post about the stress of figuring out what foods are healthy. Now I’m a nutrition enthusiast who loves hearing about the latest in nutrition research from nutritionfacts.org and who benefits daily from the results of eating a whole foods, plant-based diet.
I uploaded old videos from our family camcorder today. There were some from over two years ago. In a few of them, you could tell I was trying to capture a particular moment. Andrew putting his cup back in the cupholder of his high chair, a new skill at the time. Will describing the train on his sweater. I’m coaching the kids, hoping they’ll repeat the behavior so I can capture it. When it didn’t happen, I stopped the camera.
I didn’t realize at the time that when I watched the film now, a few years later, I wouldn’t care about the cup going in the cupholder. All I want is to see Andrew’s face as a baby for a few minutes longer. What was cute wasn’t Will talking about his sweater, it was Will being Will, examining the shadow in the corner, smiling mischeviously.
I was trying to capture the wrong thing. I should have just let the camera roll.
Andrew is about to turn 3, and I wish I could reach into that film footage and pick up his 6 month old self and hold him close.
I can’t.
But I can hold my still two year old close tomorrow, and I can turn the camera on and capture him being him, and watch it later.
Hindsight – it’s a funny thing. We don’t always know the significance (or attach the significance) of things while they’re happening.
I’m grateful for the thoughts I’ve captured on this blog, it’s taught me about growth and perseverance and our ability to change.
I’m grateful for those old videos, and for watching them now, when my kids are so young, and I still have time to capture many moments going forward.
Hindsight. It’s not 20/20, but it’s pretty awesome nonetheless.
Interior of Bread and Chocolate, view from our booth.
