My best craigslist deal... ever?

Baby stuff is like wedding stuff. Insanely marked up and you only use it for a short period of time. Both industries make you feel like you absolutely need certain things. Magazines, internet ads, TV shows, celebrities... they mentally gang up on you until you buy that $18 Sophie the Giraffe Teether.

Wait a tick, eighteen bucks for something my kid is going to gnaw on? But, it's from France! That doesn't sound right, but it's currently the #1 best seller in baby products on Amazon.com. So popular that there are knock-offs being sold. (Note: I will be depriving my child of Sophie the Giraffe. I know, I'm a terrible parent.)

So now onto what you really want to read about. My greatest craigslist conquest thus far.

I knew from the get-go that I wanted a jogging stroller. I'm not a hardcore runner, but I like to get out there a few times a week and do a few miles, and it's a nice way to get out of the house with the baby. A regular stroller with tiny wheels wasn't going to cut it. However, there was NO WAY I was going to pay full price for one of these things. Have you seen what they retail for new? Anywhere from $150 to $500. Madness. I know for a fact that women buy/register for one thinking "I'm gonna get back in shape after baby!" and then use it 5 times. Where do all of these pricey, barely-used jogging strollers end up? Parked in the garage or basement until the husband finally says, "Why do we still have this if you never use it?" So it ends up on craigslist, and that's where I come in.

My list of criteria for a used jogging stroller:
- $50 or less
- In the general vacinity of where we live (I'm willing to drive 20-30 minutes to get a big ticket item)
- Fixed front wheel
- No alignment/mechanical issues
- No stains or rips in the fabric seat
- Storage
- Neutral colors

The key is patience. Never jump on the first deal you find unless it fits all of your criteria. I saw some really nice joggers for $60, $50 and even $40, but I wasn't completely sold. Sometimes, you just know, and none of these joggers were giving me that "BUY THIS NOW" feeling.

My patience paid off big time and I ended up scoring a 2-year-old Baby Trend Expedition jogging stroller for 80% off the retail price in GREAT condition. Believe me, I KNOW.

This brand has models starting at $140 and going up to around $200. I paid $30. I drove 26 miles round trip, so to be fair, factor in another $5 for gas. After a predictably awkward pick-up from a family moving back to Turkey (so House Hunters International, right?), it was mine and I returned home to celebrate my victory!

Multiple storage baskets & pouches and a nice grippy handle.



I used a solution of vinegar & water to clean up the plastic & metal parts, which were a little dusty from being stored in their basement. I called it, right?

 

I vacuumed the seat and on the next sunny day, I'm going to spray it down outside with vinegar & water to freshen up the fabric. Vinegar is great for neutralizing odors & killing germs!
Plus, it's non-toxic.



Cupholders & a handy storage compartment for phone, keys, chapstick, etc.

Peek-a-boo!

Folds up  for storage or transporting in a car.

So pumped about my deal!

Would it be weird if I practiced jogging with it before the baby's born?

Yes, yes it would.

To: Meg, From: Meg

As you probably know, I referee girls' lacrosse and I love it. I basically get paid to watch lax and exercise. About a week before I found out I was pregnant, I started to get in shape for the upcoming season by running (like I always do) and continuing to run and referee through the Spring helped with my nausea tremendously. I've been reading about all the benefits of running for mom & baby, and it's something I want to continue doing through my ninth month. Sounds crazy and I'm not even sure how I'm going to haul around a giant belly, but I'm putting my mind to it in the hopes that my labor, delivery & recovery will be a breeze. Or at least a small tornado...

I'm refereeing in an upcoming tournament and I won't lie, I'm gonna be making some major bucks. Half of it will go towards the iPhone 4 I was "forced" to buy this past weekend (dropped my other one on grass?! yes, grass, and the screen shattered). The other half of my earnings are going towards some new running gear to keep me motivated. Also because my feet flattened out due to pregnancy hormones and my running shoes barely fit. I'm talking toes rubbing up against the front. Not cool.

Here is what I'm gifting to myself for a job well done.

(Yep, I already know I'm gonna rock that tournament... and if not, well, I get paid regardless.)

[Nike LunarFly's from Zappos.com]

[For Two Fitness]

[Nike running shorts]



I may be running slow towards the end, but at least I'll look good doing it.

Not handicapped... just pregnant

My biggest pregnancy pet peeve so far has been people asking,

"Are you still allowed to referee lacrosse now that your pregnant?"

I know they mean well and they're (hopefully) just looking out for my health and welfare. But really, why is that any of their business? Clearly I'm not going to purposely do something to harm my baby. A few have even gone so far as to ask what my doctor says about it. Uh, yes, I have talked to my midwife about it and that's between she and I, thanks. I didn't ask when your last colonoscopy was, did I?

Our society has this mentality that once you become pregnant, you are this fraile creature that needs extra protection (and closer parking spaces at the grocery store). It's pretty common sense, to me at least, that this is not true. There are pregnant marathon runners for goodness sake. 

Think back to the pioneer woman. Was she just lounging around in the cabin for 9 months while her husband did all the work? No way, jose! She was up doing chores until sundown. Laundry, cooking, cleaning, gardening, skinning animals & walking everywhere imagineable. Riding in a bumpy wagon to town to get calico cloth for Laura & Mary's Sunday dresses. Okay, I read the whole Laura Ingalls Wilder series when I was little. Pa's coon-skin cap didn't make itself! (They also got oranges in their Christmas stockings. Oh, the simplicity of it all!)

I wish I had the time to explain to every one of my uber-personal-question-askers that exercise is perfectly safe for healthy, pregnant women.. Generally the rule of thumb is, whatever you were doing BEFORE you got pregnant, you can continue doing throughout your pregnancy. In my case, this means sprinting up & down a lacrosse field 50+ times per game. Maybe this rule doesn't apply to downhill skiiers or cliff divers, but you get the idea.

I credit running for reducing my nausea & giving me lots of energy, when typically, the first trimester leaves you drained of energy. I would mainly feel tired on days I wasn't exercising. On a few occassions when I felt a bout of nausea coming on (usually right after work), I would quick lace up my running shoes & crank up the iPod tunes. Nausea gone!
It was pretty amazing.

[For some reason, I always think to take a belly pic before I go running.]

If people are questioning my exercise habits at 3 months when I'm not even showing, I can't wait to see the reactions I'll get this summer when I'm doing tournaments and going for jogs at the park at 5-6 months pregnant.

"Why don't ya take a picture, it'll last longer!"

(Pee Wee Herman)

Yogi Bear

Bethenny Frankel's yoga workout on Exercise TV kicked my out-of-shape booty.

And I didn't even do the last 20 minutes of weights.

My husband snapped this pic and I love it because I look like an actual yogi (one who practices yoga). Rather than an amateur who can barely touch her toes...

Glad he didn't take a picture when I was in the star pose.

If you saw me, you would have thought I was doing the "dilapidated scarecrow" pose.

Yes, Tim watches me do yoga sometimes. Probably so he can look at my bum in spandex.

He's welcome.

My first yoga experience was taking a hardcore class with my friend Devon, taught by this British lady, Sue. In the middle, we looked at each other like, "What the hell are we doing... this is torture!" but right after the class we had this feeling of overwhelming giddyness - like we were on drugs or something! A total natural high. It was insane.

Doing yoga at home in front of my TV is nothing like Sue's class...
but it's fo' sho' better than paying $25!

My whole body is feeling the burn today.

Thanks, quasi-celebrity from Real Housewives of NYC.