Let me premise this post by saying before I had kids, I never struggled with my weight. I was one of those girls that could eat whatever I wanted and not gain anything. This was all before kids. Post kids, I was 5′ tall and weighed 155lbs. I am not pleased to admit this, and I find it embarrassing.
But after some hard work in the diet area and getting off my big booty and running three days a week and walking and some strength training, I have shed some of this weight! I went into the Guess outlet, here at the outlet mall by my house while waiting for a friend to get off of work, and I decided to try some of their skinny jeans on. I grabbed a size 32 and headed to the dressing room. I put the pants on and promptly fell to the floor! I was flabbergasted! So, I grabbed a size 30 and size 29. The size 29 was totally for fun, I never expected them to EVER fit, however they did! They fit well! I did a quick happy dance there in the dressing room and promptly bought them. I asked the sales gal and she told me that the size conversion was a size 8. I haven’t worn a size 8 in a long time, so to be able to fit into this size was a HUGE deal for me and did wonders for my self esteem!
As a nerdy girl, it’s important to show my girls and fellow nerds that while gaming is awesome, we have to take care of our bodies! A great program to follow is the Couch to 5 k or C25K app for Blackberry, iPhone and Android phones. This is a great way to ease into running and the timer on the app is perfect. You push the button and do what it says. This app is a great way to use your nerdy tech and get fit at the same time. There are also the Adidas Mi Coach and the Nike Plus, which will track your performance as well.
So get your nerdy butts off the couch and get up and get moving. Remember, don’t make resolutions, make reality happen! Need some good tunes to run to? Check out my playlist!
Struggling for some good tunes to run to? What does this nerd girl run to you ask?
Here’s a sample of my playlist:
Around My Head by Cage the Elephant
Sail by AWOLNATION
Howlin’ For You by The Black Keys
Move Like Jagger by Maroon 5
Helena Beat by Foster the People
Pocketful of Sunshine by Natasha Bedingfield
Right As Rain by Adele
Jump Around by House of Pain
With You in My Head by UNKLE
Technologic by Daft Punk
Crazy by Gnarls Barkley
Dragula by Rob Zombie
Last Friday Night by Katy Perry
Misery by Maroon 5
Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People
Your Love is My Drug by Kesha
Sabotage by The Beastie Boys
Feel So Close by Calvin Harris
S&M by Rihanna
So that is a pretty good sampling of my playlist, as you can see I have a pretty good mix of music and I love it all. It makes me run faster and be stronger during my runs. So, I hope this inspires you as well!
So earlier, I posted about Eddie Vedder’s Ukulele Songs and how much I liked it. Well, an awesome commentor on that post reccomended a band called Beirut. So I bought the Lon Gisland EP and let’s just say that the only time it left my CD player was to put in Eddie Vedder. Beirut’s Lon Gisland EP is awesome! I can’t really describe the sound, but it’s peppy and ethnic and fun. My kids love to dance to it as well!
My favorite son on this EP has to be Elephant Gun, which is a crazy title, but it’s a great song! Don’t believe me, listen for yourselves! Thank a BIG thank you to Hankisanerd for suggesting them!
I just ran across (pun intended) a really cool jogging website! Jog Fm is a great site that allows you to put in your jogging (or running) mile time and it will pick songs to match your jogging cadence! What a cool way to run! I really like this site. It gives you the option to buy the playlist or you can keep your list if you already have the songs. Here’s my list for 10:00 mile:
Today we (the family and I) spent the day at Emerald City Comicon. We had a great time! I took a lot of great cosplay photos and the costumes were amazing! I also got some great interviews with some really awesome people!
So, as I am now dead on my feet, I will be showcasing the videos and cosplay photos throughout the rest of the weekend and the week!
Some of the people that I interviewed were Adam WarRock, a comic book based hip hop artist! His music rocks! I’m not normally a big hip hop listener, but Adam, I am a HUGE fan now!!!
I also spoke with the guys at Comic Geek Speak, they were friendly, funny and just plain fun! They guys at Comic Geek Speak run a daily podcast about comics and all things comic related. I consider them an authority on all things comic!
There are many people I interviewed at Emerald City Comicon, so make sure to tune in!
I have moms ask me if I take my two daughters to comic book, gaming and sci-fi conventions. I always tell them yes, I do! Nerdcore newb moms usually do one of two things at this point: 1. they look at me funny or 2. they ask me questions about how we do it as a family.
So, here’s my answer as to making conventions a family affair. First off, know what your kids can handle. If they don’t do well in crowded spaces with lots of people dressed up in cosplay (in character), a convention is probably not the best idea for them. I started my kids off young. Sarah was a baby (and almost born at Emerald City Comicon 2009) and Sophia was two when they attended their first cons (conventions). I choose to use cons as teachable moments. Sophia (6) can’t get enough of Penny Arcade Expo (PAX, for short), she loves playing the games and talking to the people who made the games. At PAX Prime, she played Epic Mickey and loved it! So much, that she was telling her friends at school that they needed the game and it wasn’t set to release until four months after the con! Most con people love seeing kids at the con. In fact, I can tell you that Sophia has gotten up on stage every year at the Harmonix booth at PAX and they remember her and love her to death! She gets up to sing and rock it out and they eat it up! Sophia has actually been featured on the Harmonix website. (Not bad for a 6 year old!)
What moms also ask me a lot is what do I do about my kids and scary cosplay costumes. As I have a theater background, I am really big on turning these types of moments into teachable moments. For example, Sophia was terrified of people in masks at previous cons, but all it took was one guy dressed up (in amazing) Master Chief (Halo) armor to take off his mask and get down on her level for her to stop being scared. Once Sophia saw that it was a real person inside, she was just fine. Most cosplay people are really cool about things like that. At PAX last year, there was a guy promoting a zombie fest or something like that. His makeup was amazing, but scary! It scared the poo out of Sophia, but I nicely asked the guy if I could borrow him for a moment and he got down on her level and told her all about the makeup he was wearing and that it was just makeup. She then thought that was the coolest thing EVER and she gave the zombie a hug, because zombie need love too! Sarah was a HUGE hit with the Frag Dolls and as you can see from the video, they loved her!
Now for the essentials to have at a con with kids:
Baby backpack! Strollers are really not practical, because you spend most of the time fighting the crowd and hitting peoples ankles. Totally not worth it if you have small kids!
Snacks (if allowed). Snacks are always good to have on hand as cons are typically all day events.
Knowing what the event staff shirts look like. This is important! Make sure that your kids know what the event staff shirts look like, in case God forbid they get separated from you, they know who to go to. (As a former event staffer, it happens and we are all prepared for it)
Knowing the layout of the con. Again, really important, especially for knowing where all the bathrooms are. If it’s emergency, you don’t want to have to consult the guide for 5 minutes while your kid is trying not to have an accident, which brings me to…
Extra clothes. Accidents happen and not just the potty kind. I got drenched one year as a staffer by someone who bumped into me with a full soda. Luckily, I had an extra staff shirt.
Bring a camera! I have some of the best photos
Lastly, remember to have fun! This is a chance for kids to explore, learn and understand the world around them! Sophia has comics this year that she wants signed at Emerald City Comicon and again, she is ready to go when PAX comes around. Go to the booths and let the kids talk to the people, who knows they might learn something new. Sophia learned about roller derby one year and she loves seeing the gals at Rat City Rollergirls now!
Here’s a video showcasing our family experience at PAX Prime last year! And a big shout out to my friend, Jessica, who inspired this post!
Here is the video showing all the great sci-fi icons in the video. Did you get them all? I did! Make sure to check out TheGameStation, these guys are funny, nerdy-cute and smart! (Your mom would be proud!)
This video is awesome! I laughed so hard, plus it’s kind of a puzzle as to how many sci-fi figures are in this video! Think you know them all? Tune in tomorrow for the answers!
My friends at Kirby Krackle wrote this great song a few years ago, but with the great Zombie Apocalypse coming up in a little over a year, I thought this one was all too appropriate!
