Late last year, I watched an interview with Michelle Obama and the president where she said she puts herself first on her priority list. Mrs. Obama said it wasn't a selfish thing to do, it was the practical thing to do. She said she wanted to model for her girls, and other moms, that you have to invest in yourself as much as you invest in others, and that includes making time for exercising. And the president chimed in that when his wife does spend time on herself, she's happier, and that makes her a better mom.

True. I mean, it feels pretty amazing to walk out of the hair or nail salon, or yoga class. And I love that feeling of walking back in my front door after a grueling jog. Or since I work at home now, even just fixing my hair and putting on make-up mid-week feels pretty great. I feel whole and like I've got my stuff together, so now I can focus on everything else. The problem now is, I haven't gotten a haircut in six months. And at least up until a few weeks ago, my exercising patterns were inconsistent. It's almost like I'm just waiting for windows of free time or time when I'm not uber-tired to open up during my week and I'll decide last minute to work out.

No more! Every time I feel like not working out or I feel an excuse coming on, I hear Michelle Obama's words in my head. Put myself first. So that's what I did last night as I headed out for a Zumba class -- which is totally up toddler K's alley. It's a late class, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so it's perfect for me because that's when I like to exercise and it's after the toddler has gone to sleep. So no excuses.

It was a pretty great class. And we were women of all ages in the class, from 20-somethings to ladies in their 50's, and black, white and Latina. Oh, and have I mentioned I'm a nerd. I know it. I wore my heart-rate monitor to Zumba class tonight. Why? Because at my age and with my schedule (or the schedule my toddler dictates for me) I need to be efficient with my workouts. I need to make sure I'm getting the most bang for my buck, or burn the most calories in the shortest amount of time.

So here's how my workouts compare:

One hour of jogging: 600 calories

One hour of Zumba: 650 calories

Yup, no excuses to not make this class. It's just a few blocks from my house, too. Doing the merengue dance moves to a crazy-fast song felt like a serious ab workout. And salsa and cumbia and regaeton moves are just fun. And the banter between breathless women trying to keep up. Priceless.

Of course, today I can't walk up and down the stairs. But that's pain that feels good :)

I'm away from home again, this time at a conference for work that is fully across the country -- actually, in the O.C. (Orange County). I always miss my little one terribly when I have to travel for work, but I know I am so, so, so, so, so soooooooo fortunate to have my mother take care of my daughter while the husband and I work, or travel for work.

See, my mom left her own home in South Texas to come stay with us aaaaaaaall the way up in DC when my maternity leave ended last year. I was in a bind -- the waiting lists for daycare in DC were totally insane. Like, I basically had to think about signing up for a daycare before I got pregnant because the waiting lists were over a year long (not to mention the cost that was as much as a mortgage payment). That kind of insanity. So I asked my mom, who is retired, if she could come up and take care of baby K for a few months. She said sure, and a year later and she hasn't left. She's here for good.

I never even followed up/pestered the daycare about where I was on the waiting list. Why? I have no issues with sending babies and kids to daycare when parents have no other choice, but if there's even a chance of having it work out, there's no one like grandma to watch over iddy-biddy-baby when mom isn't around. I was extremely attached to my ama, and I still am very much -- and my grandmother is in her late '80's and I've got my own little one. My ama is like another mother to me. There is just something quite wonderful about the grandmother-grandchild bond and I'm beyond thrilled -- relieved is maybe a better word -- to see my daughter growing up with grandma.

Even though grandma gives her Coke and let's her sip on her cafe con leche.

And gives her Popeye's and KFC fried chicken and french fries.

And McDonald's ice cream cones.

And Cheetos and candy that makes her sticky.

And lets her watch novelas in the afternoon.

Those are grandparent things and I think its just in their DNA to do it, and though I shake my head I'm actually **glad** grandma does it because it makes it easier to stick to my guns about boundaries and all that by-the-book parenting stuff. Even though I own no parenting books and have no time to read books. But I'm still a bit of a nerd so maybe better said, by-the-NYTimes parenting stuff. Yeah, I download waaaaay too much news on a daily basis.

But grandma also teaches her to dance to JLo's 'Let's Get Loud' and carves a pumpkin with her and snuggles with her in the cold morning. And she calls her mi'jita. And she means it.

Sometimes, when there's something going on with the toddler K -- like she's sick or crying or something -- and it's me, the husband, and grandma hovering over her to figure it out I think, she is lucky. We are lucky to have each other to depend on. I still wish we had more family and cousins around, but some family is better than none.

And I haven't even touched on having the other abuelos from Miami around at least a few times a week via Skype (that virtual abuelo relationship is a whole other blog post). They actually just got to my house this evening all the way from Florida and are going to watch the toddler K tomorrow while the husband works. Other grandma gets a day off.

So tonight, I can actually rest well knowing that my little girl is in great hands, her abuelo's hands. I miss her, but I also think that that time she spends with them is so important -- as important as it is spending time with me.

Onesies for Babies