I set my alarm for half an hour earlier than usual this morning so that I'd have plenty of time to get ready and eat breakfast before the school run. An unpictured skimmed latte plus a bowl of granola, yoghurt and strawberries:
 |
| This bowl looks a lot smaller than it was - there was more granola & yoghurt hidden under the strawberries! |
After we took Izzy to school, Toby and I picked up my sister, Sarah, and drove to a sports centre about half an hour away from us. Me driving in itself was a big deal as I don't drive very often and don't have a lot of confidence. Sarah parked for me when we got to the sports centre as the car park was really busy, but apart from that the drive went fine. More important than that though...when we got there Toby went for his first ever childcare session!!
The gym/swimming pool in the town I live in don't have a creche which is a shame, but this sports centre is also included in my gym membership and for only £1.20 for a 2 hour session, Toby can be looked after while I exercise. Brilliant! As soon as we arrived at the creche, Toby ran straight in and immediately started playing, so when he still hadn't looked my way once in the 10 minutes I spent filling in forms and chatting to the staff, I made the decision to leave without saying goodbye (sob!) so as not to upset him. I was definitely way more emotional about our "first proper separation" than he was!!!!
Happy that he was being well looked after and that they would put a call out for me if there were any problems, Sarah and I headed to the gym. I did 20 minutes on the cross trainer and then spent about 20 minutes on the different weight machines before finishing off with some ab exercises and stretching. We then headed over to the swimming pool and swam 30 lengths (half breast stroke, half front crawl) in just under 25 minutes. We had to cut our swim slightly short as it was time to go and pick up this little guy...
 |
| Trying to smile whilst actually munching on a piece of bread - he's not actually worried as he looks! |
I was so pleased/relieved to hear that he'd had a great time. Lots of playing, no crying, apparently he'd asked "where's mama?" a few times but had been happy with the response that I was swimming. Asking where people are is his current "thing" anyway - I spend most of that day telling him where Izzy & Liam are! The creche seemed really nice - there were three other little boys there while Toby was there, and two staff members. My sister is off work again next week (before starting a new job the following week) so we are going to go over again one day next week and then after that I will have to drive over on my own (eek!). It is great for Toby to have a chance to spend some time away from me, and also nice for me to be able to exercise during the day - win win!
By the time I got home I was absolutely starving! I quickly gave Toby some lunch and put him down for a nap, and then I made myself a bagel with mashed (very ripe) avocado and Munchy seeds:
This was amazing! I inhaled the first half because I was so hungry, and then slowed down to appreciate the second half. Such a great combination. I love it when an avocado is perfectly ripe, and the fluffy bagel and savoury seeds went perfectly with it! Yum.
You'd think that a 530 calorie lunch would satisfy me, but I was still feeling a little hungry. I had some water and waited half an hour, and then had "dessert" of Total 0% Greek yoghurt mixed with cocoa powder and agave nectar:
 |
| Please excuse the messy mixed-in bowl! |
I love this for a quick sweet treat - almost like eating a light version of chocolate frosting! I have such a sweet tooth that my mind often doesn't think a meal is complete until I've eaten something sweet, so things like this are a good solution.
And now there is only half an hour left until we need to go pick Izzy up from school. Toby is still fast asleep so I'm going to have to wake him in a bit - all that playing tired him out! Today has gone really quickly, but in a good way - it's been fun! :)
Those of you have children, can you remember when you first took them to childcare? Did you feel emotional?? Izzy went to nursery from when she was 6 weeks old, and then a childminder from when she was 2, before going to pre-school aged 3.5. I remember feeling a bit anxious/tearful each time, but I soon realised that she was happy and let her get on with it. She's always been used to being around lots of different people, so is very confident in that respect. Toby, on the other hand, hardly ever leaves my side! He was 2 back in January and I think the only time we've left him is for one night for our birthday last May, and then for our honeymoon last July. Both times were with family though so I was a bit worried how he was going to react being left with people he didn't know today. He did great though, and I now feeling much happier taking him there again. Phew! :)
Do you prefer exercising in the daytime or the evening? Which do you do most often? I definitely prefer exercising in the daytime, but unfortunately this isn't usually possible. Our local gym and swimming pool don't open until 7am, and Liam leaves for work at 7.15am so that's no good. He then doesn't get home until 6.30pm so if I want to exercise it has to be in the cold, dark (!) evenings. I'm hoping it will be easier in the summer, but for now exercising once or twice a week - either at the weekends or by putting Toby in creche once a week - is a good compromise. Then I'll see if I can muster up extra motivation for an evening workout or two!
