Urban Mamas

A sponsor offered a free spot in a mama boot camp class in exchange for periodic posts on the process. Christine is now in her second week; this is her second update. Find the first here.

I'm full steam ahead on this Recess Health Immersion Bootcamp and can I just say I'm loving it. It's true I may be an easy sell, because if we're being honest, this is the first thing I've done for myself since my daughter was born. I even loved getting my BMI measured. Three weeks into the program and my body information has been entered, calculated, given a sprinkle of Internet-magic and voila: I'm armed with information, and lots of it. I know how many calories I burn on any given day, my lean body mass percentage, BMI, percentage of body fat, blood pressure, current weight, and other scientific data that my brain is forgetting at the moment. Based on my test results, I have been given a personalized workout regiment to follow 7 days a week. I've also been given an outline of some healthy food choices. I'm telling you people, if being informed is any part of this battle, I'm well on my way.

Our workouts thus far have been yoga, pilates, weight training with resistance bands, and my personal favorite, Hoopnotica (which is basically hoop-dancing).

A sponsor offered a free spot in a mama boot camp class in exchange for periodic posts on the process. Christine is now in her second week; she has been sending in updates on her progress and you'll see the first two over the next two days.

Fitness has been a regular part of my life for the last 10 years.  I discovered it when I was in a rather dark place back in my early 20's, trying to navigate my way though a divorce. I was depressed, lonely and scared. I had moved to Portland to be with my boyfriend (now ex-husband) and while I had a small handful of friends, I was lacking what I needed most -- the close support of family.  I ended up finding solace in exercise and before long I was hooked. I had a five-year love affair with Billy Blanks, of Tae-Bo. I wore those VHS tapes to the bone. Around that same time, my company relocated buildings and our new building (the Fox Tower) had a fitness center that was free to tenants. On the days that I wasn't Tae-Bo'ing, I had the convenience of working out at my lunch hour which was so, so wonderful and easy. For many years I was happy with my fitness level and relatively comfortable with my body.

Fast-forward to today. I'm now a SAHM, with a 16-month-old daughter.

Many of us splurge on different things, but nothing like a great haircut to add some freshness and spring in our steps.  We're reviving this old thread at the request of Kathryn who's stylist is on a well-deserved maternity leave.  She emails:

I was wondering if you could post a thread and help me find a new hair stylist.  Mine is on maternity leave, and I would love to find someone who can do a cut/color (preferably on the East side) for under $100, but not a Supercuts kind of place....I know there was a thread a few years ago about hair stylist recommendations, but it may be outdated.  I would venture to guess that there are other mamas out there who would love some great recommendations. 

And for those on a budget or open to being a subject of an up and coming stylist as well a fan of Aveda, they've opened up a new Institute in the NW.  Haircuts are $13!

Our original question was posed by Melia awhile back:

Anyone have any recommendations on a decent place to get a hip haircut? I'm looking for edgy riot grrl kinda do. I went to bishops for my first try but would like to find something a little more permanent and well established.

Sara's got a unique question for our urbanMamas community, and we are certain some of you can pass along some recommendations for tattoo artiste extraordinaire.  She writes: 

I am a regular mama with a professional job (before I became a SAHM) who has a question about tattoos. I, myself was a reluctant tattoo recipient five years ago. I finally got a permanent tattoo, my first and only tattoo, when I was 28, on a trip home to visit family in California. That particular tattoo parlor and the artist did and excellent job on my tattoo. The artist was himself an illustrator from the "Art Center" School in California.  I had to think long an hard about what I wanted to permanently inscribe on my body. After years of introspection and careful thought, I decided to have the "Fleur-De-Lis" tattooed on my lower back as a tribute to my family's French heritage. My husband who happens to be part Native American and part French Canadian has also dreamed of getting a tattoo, a band around his upper arm. He has yet to make the leap because he was waiting until he had child, and a reason to make a permanent mark on his skin.

Here's our dilemma: We are both artists in our 30's, we both graduated from an art school and both majored in illustration. We are both fine artists even-though we carry-on different day jobs. We moved to Portland 6 years ago, and since then haven't found the urgency to get any tattoos until now. One year ago we gave birth to our first child and are now fantasizing about getting tattoos commemorating his birth. With that said, it's a tough situation for us, as we are artists ourselves, we are picky and will not settle for the mere ready-for-hire bugs-bunny tattoos on the wall that you find in most shops. We are looking for true artisan talent.  We'd like to put something onto our skin for the rest of our lives, that represents our son, with the quality lines of a true artist.  My question for you is, are there any other Urban Mama's out there that can recommend a quality tattoo parlor, rather than the run of the mill color-by-number place so commonly found in major cities? I would really appreciate the name of the tattoo artist as well, in order to make an appointment. Think fine art.... Fine art tattooing...

Now that the hard part of the move is over, Sophia is looking to dive into the creative and fun part of decorating a new home.  She writes:

We have finally unpacked the last few boxes at our new home and are ready to start decorating.  Part of this plan is to have a mural painted on the walls of our five-year old son’s bedroom.  Do any Urban Mamas out there know of a wonderful, yet affordable, children’s muralist?

The potential loss of a keepsake?  We hope not.  Let's see if we can help Shari find a trustworthy seamstress.  She writes:

I bought an antique child's blanket before my children were born, and one of my boys has latched onto it as his own. He's four now, and he LOVES this thing, sleeps with it every night. It has been getting worse for the wear. But last night -- the top layer tore right down the middle. Help! I've had seamstress/repair work (hemming, darning holes, etc.) done in town before, but not by anyplace good enough that I'd trust my son's precious baby blanket to them! Can anyone recommend a good seamstress/repair shop, where they do great work?