What is your advice for non-experienced pickle ballers to get started. I want to try it, but nervous because I have no clue how to start. Do I go to a public court? Take a lesson?
Alix: It can be really intimidating to get started, but once you do you’ll be mad it took you so long to start! If you can find somewhere that has pickleball courts and has times for beginners to play is ideal. A lot of places have beginner courts/open play time slots. Another idea is if you have friends who play and are willing to take you out with a group and help you learn the rules and get comfortable, so that you can start showing up to the public courts and do the open play. There are SO many different levels at open play and most have a challenge court, so if someone advanced doesn’t want to play with beginners they can go there. Honestly you can even start by YouTubing the rules and watch people play so you get an understanding of the game more. Lessons are probably better once you start playing a little more then have certain things you want to work on.
Heather: I will echo everything Alix said and say try and find a local tennis center or a public park with pickleball courts and ask around about open play! It’s so popular that someone you know has to know SOMEWHERE to get started. And just go for it! Everyone I’ve ever played with has always been nothing but friendly and welcoming.
How did you meet your husbands?
Alix: We both went to college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, but didn’t know each other. We met through mutual college friends at a party in San Francisco. I had just moved to SF after my dietetic internship in WA state (which I hated being a so. cal girl) and he told me he was from WA and I gave him a lot of crap for that. But the jokes on me because now we live here 😉
Heather: We met through work in Southern California. He was in the LA office and I was in OC and we meet at a mutual meeting and when he walked in I just knew 🙂 But it wasn’t until a few months later that I sent him a friend request on Facebook, sent him a message and shot my shot! We went on a date 5 days later and have been together ever since. Good ol Facebook messanger…
How do you have tough conversations with your kids around guns, abuse, safety, bullying etc? When do you start?
I have already started having these conversations with my boys (mostly the 7 and 9 year old) since they have safety drills at school that specifically discuss active shooters, etc. Their school is really good at having tough conversations around safety and bullying (aka zero tolerance for it) but I reiterate it at home. I never try to fear mongor them or instill any sort of anxiety. I just have very blunt and honest conversations about the world we live in, there are bad people who want to hurt innocent people and how to handle it/survive it. Unfortunately we live in a really messed up world and I think the more prepared our kids are, the better. We don’t live in a bubble and bad things happen every day and the sooner they learn that, the better off they’ll be. Sadly, they need to know how to survive a shooter in their school, predators online and in the community, and mean kids at school. I’m hopeful that I am raising some nice boys who are kind to others but also don’t take anyone’s BS.. ya know?! Not sure I answered the question and think I just rambled on but this is a hard one.
Where do you buy kids sports stuff and how do you keep it clean and organized?
I buy most of my boy’s sports stuff through the organizations that they’re playing for (lacrosse, baseball, soccer, basektball) but then I buy the rest via Nike, Target and Dicks Sporting Goods. Most of the organizations get discount codes when the season starts so I try and utilize those as much as I can as it gets so expensive especially with all three of them in sports now. As for organizing their sh*t, they have a bag for each sport (lacrosse backback, baseball backpack) and they get hung in the garage with their gear. All of their cleats are organized neatly by boy/size in our garage. And lastly, I have a drawer in each of their rooms for each sport. There’s a baseball drawer with pants/belts/socks, soccer drawer with shin guards/socks, and so on. Obviously things can get unorganized quickly but I just take ownership of always putting stuff away in the designated spot after each practice or game. Mom mode activated.
What do you eat in a day and what is your current workout routine?
We never really like to do what I eat in a day posts because it changes every single day. However, I (Heather) generally eat the same few things during the week.
Breakfast: either 2 eggs, toast, avocado, berries or Culina yogurt with Be Well unflavored protein powder and granola/berries/nuts
Lunch: Typically a loaded protein salad from Evergreens, Sweetgreen, or Whole Foods buffet bar with a green juice or I’ll make a tuna sandwich at home with cottage cheese on the side
Snacks: hummus/veggies, Chomp bars, Nekter smoothie, cheese/salami, chicken bites from Costco, anything with protein to hold me over until dinner
Dinner: always a protein (steak, chicken or fish), rice, veggies.. nothing fancy here which is why I never document it 😉
As for workouts, I walk at least 3 miles a day (12K steps is my daily goal), weight training 3x a week, yoga or pilates 1x a week
I had a friend who just had her first baby and is struggling with the transition. How can I help support her and show up for her as a friend?
I think the best way is to reach out often and just offer words of support, encouragement and comfort. Being a first time mom is so isolating and lonely and every mom needs something different during that time. Some don’t want visitors while others want someone there every day holding their baby. Dropping an iced coffee on the porch, offering to pick up groceries, cooking them dinner, or suggesting a walk outside together with the baby to get her out of the house are the easy ones. Every mom just wants to hear that they aren’t alone in those first few, terrifying months and their feelings are normal and valid. And maybe a coffee or wine dropped on the porch every now and then.
How do you navigate friendships that change/growing apart and how do you make new friends as an adult?
Alix wrote a post about making new mom friends and about maintaining friendships through life transitions.
How do you stay motivated to workout everyday? I’m in a slump and just find it hard in the cold winter months to stay motivated.
I have to get it done first thing in the morning or I’ll come up with a million excuses not to. I also like to plan my workouts ahead of time so I know exactly what I’m doing and can’t talk myself out of it. I think it can also be helpful to go to classes if you need the motivation. Nothing motivates me more than not paying for a late cancel fee. Invite friends to join or plan friend catch ups while going for a walk or hike. Lastly, cute workout clothes always help and laying them out the night before.
xx, A & H
