tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74179732242417579992024-03-13T00:49:33.296-04:00Perfection or FailureBeing real is never perfect. Saying this is easy. Realizing it? HARD.P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-4579524707161581162010-07-15T15:17:00.001-04:002010-07-15T15:18:48.734-04:00Goodbye Perfection or FailureI think that it's pretty obvious that I'm not blogging at Perfection or Failure. I hate that the name itself point out the quality in myself that make me dislike myself the most. Just writing a post under that heading felt bad and defeating. I don't need to see one more thing on losing weight or overexercising or body image, and I definitely don't need to add to the chatter. Funny thing is, since I stopped obsessing on body and fitness, things have fallen into place and it turns out that I didn't need to obsess on things that I wanted to change. I just needed to change them.P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-85711609094203869472010-03-11T16:46:00.007-05:002010-03-11T19:09:41.569-05:00Let's All Cheer for Adam, Okay Cheering's Over*We're doing P90X Lean (Week 5, Day 2), and I can't believe that I'm still at it. I am getting to the point where I shout out all of <span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2500397546&topic=2722">Tony H's jokes</a></span> before he says them (which is annoying to my husband); and it's starting to annoy me that I have to warm up for every cardio workout with a little yoga ... <span style="font-style: italic;">and I love Yoga</span>! <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);font-size:180%;" > But not in my workout shoes.</span> My mat looks like my dog used it for a chew toy.<br /><br />I have noticed that my jeans are loose, which is great except for the fact that I have to hitch them up every few minutes so that the crotch isn't riding at my knees. I look like my Dad. He was the real impetus for <span style="font-style: italic;">Pants on the Ground</span>.<br /><br />What's not working for me: reading the recipe for <span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://thegreatfitnessexperiment.blogspot.com/2010/03/two-healthy-faves-book-news-and-vegan.html">vegan chocolate on Charlotte's website</a>. </span>It is so easy to make my four-year-old can do it - by himself. Yes, I made some with toasted coconut today. I don't keep Agave nectar, but I did have Pennsylvania Maple syrup. I only used 2 tsp. though. maple syrup is really sweet. I thought that I didn't have any sweets in the house, but with this recipe I do. Ugh.<br /><br />News on the fridge is weird. We turned it off for a couple of days, but left it plugged in for the water filter. I turned it on for some reason and it works perfectly. So, we're okay for now, Whew! Also good: I still haven't taken the dorm fridge we were using out of the kitchen, so that's 3square feet that I don't have to vacuum every morning. And it looks so pretty sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor. Maybe I'll knit a cozy for it so no one will notice it.<br /><br />*<span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Obscure Tony Horton Reference</span>P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-37908216399304746802010-03-02T14:08:00.003-05:002010-03-02T14:35:51.665-05:002121 days of exercise in a row. So, isn't this the point where it becomes a habit again? I'm still finding it ridiculously hard to wake up at 5am. I cannot fall out of bed and exercise, so by the time I'm up, coffee'd and ready, it's 6. So we hurry through our workout and morning to get a couple of us out of the door by 7:30. I'm trying to get to bed earlier; but Lost is on tonight.<br /><br />This morning was <span style="font-size:130%;">X Stretch</span>. After<span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);font-size:130%;" > P90X</span>ing all week, this is the 'workout' I need most. I was standing in front of the pantry yesterday, willing some chocolate to appear when I pondered the fact that "Legs & Back" means "Buttocks", because I am so sore there. It does make for fun conversation with my husband while waiting for services to begin:<br /><br />"You were so good this morning." <br />"Yeah, but that part against the wall was really hard, my legs were shaking." <br />"That's nothing, I can barely walk. My butt is killing me!" <br /><br />My butt hurt so much last night that hubs volunteered to rub it for me until it felt better. I had to assure him that my bum was fine, yes you can stop rubbing it, and no my chest feels just fine too. With all of this exercise I haven't lost one pound. That's okay, because I have made two batches of rolled butter cookies with buttercream icing and crushed mint candy. I have been pretty good with having at least one fruit/veg with every meal. Now that I'm in a routine with exercise, I need to focus on eating properly. One sweet per day will suffice. It will sure beat the sugar with sugar chaser method I've been treating myself to lately.<br /><br />Bad news: woke up to buzzing fridge this morning. Had a close call in the summer when we needed to replace a switch (for free). The repair guy said that the compressor could go at any time (over $600 repair). Guess what we're looking at? Anyone want a broken Jenn-Aire armoire fridge? I can't justify the expense. I'd like to try to replace the switch again. If that doesn't work, I'll buy a white junker and give the fridge to the repair guy.P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-63059821613210921132010-02-21T19:48:00.004-05:002010-02-21T20:01:55.264-05:00Week 2 - Day 5Of P90X Lean - Legs & Back. I love what working my legs super-hard does to my heart-rate. Never do I get winded from working on my arms, but this leg routine is a huge cardio-vascular workout. I am one of those annoying people who can't keep themselves from chirping out a few 'woots' when I'm having a great workout. Did this a few times today. Tony Horton - you're growing on me.<br /><br />- Finally got a webcam so that we can Skype with Gran and Pap (hubs used LogMeIn so that he could set up my Dad's computer- another reason he's a keeper), so put up a new profile pic - I HATE pictures of myself, can't help but notice how tired I'm looking today. It's probably a good exercise in just getting over myself. Ugh!P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-56321931264597304922010-02-12T08:07:00.002-05:002010-02-12T08:27:18.960-05:00Out of ShapeThe last time I did P90X was 1 1/2 years ago. Back then, I would get sweaty and it would get my heart rate up, but I really didn't think that the program was challenging enough. Today I completed Day 3 of P90X Lean (Shoulders, Arms, Ab Ripper X). <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-size:130%;" >I'm just going to say, Ab Ripper X is the proof of how out of shape I am</span>. Last go-round, I would finish all of the exercises, even fit in a few extra, and internally scoff at my husband who had to stop and take breaks throughout the workout. I was him today. Although I have to admit, it's a bit hard to get every rep in while holding a conversation about the intricacies of <span style="font-style: italic;">Lego Indiana Jones</span> with my 4 yr old. (Did you know that <span style="font-style: italic;">Lego Harry Potter</span> for Wii is being released in March? I know. All three of my sons are nice enough to remind me of this every. single. day.) I get a gold star on my forehead for not shushing him, or screaming out from the combined torture of Ab Ripping and Lego-obsessed ramblings.<br /><br />If you see me today, I'll be the one who is having a hard time reaching for my seatbelt, or putting on mascara.P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-46387834697789257822010-02-09T10:11:00.004-05:002010-02-09T10:23:21.280-05:00On it's Way:Wide health club step from Amazon. Used my National City points for an Amazon gift certificate. Now I can do Cathe workouts on a step instead of a balance ball (insane).<br /><br />Hubs and I are breaking out the old P90X starting tomorrow. We'll be doing P90X Lean. Not looking forward to Kenpo, it always made my knees hurt - so after a couple of weeks we'll substitute with Cathe and Jillian on Kenpo days. <a href="http://thegreatfitnessexperiment.blogspot.com/2010/02/februarys-great-fitness-experiment-p90x.html"> Charlotte from Great Fitness Experiment</a> (and Pink on Oprah) inspired me to do P90X again. If you're doing P90X, don't forget that yoga is 1 1/2 hours, so plan accordingly.P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-85275507628117390492010-02-04T18:09:00.005-05:002010-02-04T19:43:26.975-05:00Breaking up is hard to do...We found each other in the Pittsburgh Airport almost 10 years ago in March. You were perfect for me: strong, not too clingy. I was so comfortable with you whether we were snuggling in bed or running around town. People would approach me to ask about you, to gush about how good you looked and how they could find another like you. I knew that you were irreplaceable, I tried, but none could measure up to you. I could count on you through thick and through thin, through good times and bad. I should have known that our time together was about to end. I could see the signs. You were tired, stretched thin. I looked at you today I knew it was over. It should have been over long ago. But I held onto you hoping that I could make it work, maybe we could just be together at home until I found another that could compare to you. You've even had work done so that you would look more attractive to me. But when I held you today I saw you as you really are, not as I remember. I noticed the waist-band half hanging out, the frayed holes, and the fact that I could read a newspaper through you in places that I prefer remain opaque.<br /><br />Goodbye Gap yoga pants. I will miss you.P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-21599182594713522812010-01-20T13:22:00.009-05:002010-01-20T13:50:23.257-05:00Hey There Shakey Shakey<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.shopcathe.com/v/vspfiles/photos/646-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 361px; height: 500px;" src="http://www.shopcathe.com/v/vspfiles/photos/646-2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://cathe.com/"><span style="font-size:180%;">Go Here</span></a>. I just finished all 68 minutes of <a href="http://www.shopcathe.com/Hardcore_Series_Muscle_Max_DVD_p/646.htm"><span style="font-size:180%;">Cathe Friedrich's <span style="font-weight: bold;">Muscle Max</span> DVD</span></a>. It's the featured DVD on her site this week, so it's<span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);font-size:130%;" > 30% off until Sunday</span>. I'm having a bit of trouble typing because my arms are still shaking; and I'm a bit worried that my legs will fold underneath me like a newborn foal when I try to stand. Both are good things, because that's what I crave from a workout. Probably part of that no-nonsense Protestant upbringing (thanks Mom!). I love Cathe. Love, love, love.P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-82659098275040496142010-01-14T16:39:00.002-05:002010-01-14T16:41:36.932-05:00We Won't KnowAt least until mid February. I need a Plan B (or C or D . . .) to keep busy.<br /><br />But it will happen. I just know it. And I can't wait.P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-71303901677918510652010-01-10T08:11:00.010-05:002010-01-11T10:59:51.258-05:00Healthy Start 2010 - Give Myself CreditI'm winding up the first week since I started tracking and it's really, really helping me stay accountable. Also helpful: finding out that the slice of Kirkland raisin bread is 3 points (150 cal, 2.5g fat, 3 g fiber). Yikes. Wish I had looked at the label before eating it.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >I definitely would have taken more time to <span style="font-size:180%;">appreciate what I was eating</span>. </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">In fact, I would definitely benefit from more appreciating in general; <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-size:130%;" >even appreciating myself.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">There are times when I have it all together. I'm waking up early, exercising, getting the kids off to school with time to spare, the house is immaculate, Hubs is taken care of, my hair looks good, I'm getting some time to myself. It feels like everything almost takes care of itself, and I don't have to think about how it all comes together. There are other times when it's just the opposite. I resent having to scrub another toilet, I can't figure out how I could possibly fit in exercise or a trip to the grocery store with 3/4 of a dozen hands pulling me in different directions; the house is a mess and I don't even know where to start to get things back in order. When I'm in that place, my eating </span></span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"></span></span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">follows with a similar chaotic quality. All the while I'm telling myself that I'm a sucky mom, wife, and housekeeper. That I'm an insult to the mirror, that I hope no one calls because I really have nothing to say. Usually, like everyone else, I'm somewhere in between.<br /><br />To keep myself closer to the preferred end, I intend to <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >Give Myself Credit</span> where credit is due.<br />Last night, I avoided eating a cookie that I didn't need - something I haven't done in months - because I told myself that I could. We definitely can't control everything in our life, but we can control our response. Just reminding ourselves that we're doing well, looking good, and making our best effort certainly doesn't hurt.<br /><br />So, when I exercise, I'm going to celebrate it. When I eat right, I'm going to notice. <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">I'm going to choose to find something good in the mirror and acknowledge it.</span></span> If I can do it, so can you. <br /><br />What do you like about yourself today?<br /><br /><br /></span></span></span><br /><br /></span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-size:180%;" ></span>P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-74469772124905980102010-01-05T11:31:00.009-05:002010-01-05T12:17:11.019-05:00Healthy Start 2010 - Write It Down<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_p2-j8UblFFU/S0NpLFbouPI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/1Rf5UVNF-Yw/s512/DSC_2471.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 341px; height: 512px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_p2-j8UblFFU/S0NpLFbouPI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/1Rf5UVNF-Yw/s512/DSC_2471.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I have a tendency to be completely useless when it comes to personal responsibility. Unless I write it down. So, for me it's time for baby steps, and the most important one for me is tracking. The picture in the post shows the way that I track. <a href="http://weightwatchers.com/"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-size:130%;" >The best way for me to eat is the old Weight Watchers CORE method</span></a>. Any food that isn't CORE gets counted as points. For me that's usually nuts, peanut butter, a cookie or piece of bread. I get 5 points a day to use as I choose - no more. So if I want a piece of cake, it's the small piece of cake and clean eating for the rest of the day. I can do this, and still cook for my family without a PhD, charts, graphs, and third-year Calculus. Otherwise, I'd be eating frozen dinners while the kids eat pizza or some other crap on a daily basis. That's me.<br /><br />Also really important (possibly more important for me) is exercise. <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"> When I <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >exercise</span>, I put a <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >big star</span> on the top of the page and write in what my activity was (as you can see, no activity yet today)</span></span>. I haven't exercised regularly since the kids started school in the fall and I've been spending 4 hrs/day taking them to their respective destinations. Now that wrestling/skiing has started, my personal time just took another huge hit. That's why the new goal is to be in bed before 10pm nightly so that I can exercise before everyone gets up. I've done it before, and though it's not my preferred time to move, I can do it if it's my only option (and it is right now). Today I'm going to park the 4-y-o in front of Dora the Explorer after lunch so that I can do my workout. We're going sledding after I pick up the boys from school on the great hill near Maltby (in this part of MI, you have to actively find hills big enough to sled on and travel to them).<br /><br />I'll be posting my thought on a <a href="http://perfectionorfailure.blogspot.com/search/label/Healthy%20Start%202010"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Healthy Start to 2010</span></span></a> for the rest of the month. Any thoughts would be really welcome.P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-89039971234065562882010-01-01T23:36:00.011-05:002010-01-02T02:48:12.026-05:00New Year 2010<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_p2-j8UblFFU/Sz7NImt7jOI/AAAAAAAAAZw/VGJWw-Dnitc/s512/DSC_2406.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 340px; height: 512px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_p2-j8UblFFU/Sz7NImt7jOI/AAAAAAAAAZw/VGJWw-Dnitc/s512/DSC_2406.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:78%;">Too lazy to retouch: this year's tree - only spent $13 on decorations for the whole house. $6 of that was spray paint.<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">I can't believe that it's already the New Year. I have to say, in hindsight, 2009 was one of the worst. It was the year that my neighborhood officially died for me. Three couples on the street separated/divorced this year, and I've actually lost count on the total foreclosures/ walk-aways here as well. When we first moved here, the neighborhood was a dream: neighborhood picnics, Sunday activities and crafts for the kids, evening drinks by the pool for the grownups. All of the parents were always outside, always involved, it was an amazing neighborhood. Slowly the homes stopped selling and eventually the builder fled. They left still owing contractors for work on houses they'd sold, and the contractors were placing liens on houses so the new homeowners had to pay once more for work on homes they'd just purchased.</span></span> Right now if I look at Realtytrac, it say that there are 7 houses currently in foreclosure on our street(of 23 houses). The value of our home is 46% of what we originally paid and more than $100,000 less that what we still owe. With the new perks of a stabbing in front of our clubhouse, swastikas burned into a street and sidewalks, and needles found around the south pond - who could resist living here? I keep reading that the economy is going to start to turn around in the US in 2010, but Michigan should expect an improvement in 10 years.<br /><br />I know that we're still doing okay, and I should be grateful that Hubs still has a decent job, and that the kids love school; but it's been hard for me to keep being positive when the view out my living room window includes a house that's been vacant for two years and an army of for sale signs standing vigilant along a street lined with bank-owned lots. I've learned that a house is not a home, especially when it feels at times like a prison. I try not to sit with my worry for long because it is burns heavy and hot in the pit of my stomach, but I sit with it each day. I worry about us, I worry about the kids who've moved away, I worry that all of my sons' best friends are gone; one most recently when a rental truck showed up in the driveway. The kids speculated that maybe they rented the truck to get a new washer or some furniture; but I knew what it meant, and the family left in the middle of the night with no goodbyes. Boy1 mourns the loss of the friend that shared more than a temperament and name with him. He says, "Maybe they'll be back, maybe they just went to stay with their Dad for a while," almost half-convincing himself as he talks.<br /><br />I remember being about the same age as him, growing up outside of Pittsburgh in a community supported by the steel mills that once dominated Western Pennsylvania when they layoffs started. Our family was lucky that my Dad worked for the newspaper, so his job was safe (ah, 1981). I remember lots of friends' parents divorcing, and friends moving away, and friends' parents being scary and weird when they were drinking - and they seemed to be drinking way more than they used to (which was already more than enough). I remember coming home from school early with a stomach-ache nearly every day in third grade. I thought it was a strange little footnote to my early years, but it's that same feeling that wells up now, I can feel it rising in my throat and between my shoulders as I'm typing this. But I'm not the type to sit on my hands and think that it will all work out in the end without a little pain and a little difficulty. We've pursued advice from friends, mentors, and professionals. We've looked at our options, and are pursuing them. We've been given an opportunity that we're going to approach with faith and optimism and a level head, and can't wait until we can let it unfold.<br /><br />Here's to 2010. And looking forward.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);"></span></div></div>P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-75937367552942582152009-12-01T19:34:00.006-05:002009-12-01T19:59:52.944-05:00Warm and FuzzyI spend every afternoon from 3:15 until 4:05 killing time with my oldest (<span style="font-style: italic;">E</span>) and youngest (<span style="font-style: italic;">G</span>) sons waiting for their brother get out of school. Sometimes we race around the soccer field, or go to the playground (along with a group of high-schoolers who aren't exactly 'high on life'), sometimes we go to the store or run an errand, and sometimes we just sit in the car and talk or read.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">G</span>'s favorite reading lately isn't a book, but any toy catalog that winds up in the mailbox or the newspaper (he keeps a folder of them in his room and pours over every page for hours). <span style="font-style: italic;">E</span> will read anything that's in front of him. Books, manuals, yogurt containers, anything to possibly quench his insatiable thirst for more information. Today I had a stack of ads that came in the mail from Costco, REI, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Puff's tissues.<br /><br />After talking about his day for a while, <span style="font-style: italic;">E</span> piped up, "Mom, I want to look at dicks," then laughing, "The ad for Dick's."P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-85393328261230223692009-11-25T11:11:00.003-05:002009-11-29T21:30:51.938-05:00Late to the PartyI finally got around to reading Michael Pollan's <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">In Defense of Food: an Eater's Manifesto</span>; and I have to say that this book is seriously one of the best books I've read in an incredibly long time. I always try to read with some skepticism; but if it's possible, I agree with every word written in this book.<br /><br />Anyone who knows the book knows the short version of the Eater's Manifesto which is: <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The book outlines the theory that since people have studied nutrition and tried to extract the specific components in food that are conducive to our health and survival- we have actually become less healthy with more of what he describes as the Western Diseases: Heart Disease, Diabetes, and Cancer among others. Over time, we've tried to find the 'magic bullet' of nutrition; protein,oat bran, antioxidants, pomegranates, flaxseed, or some single food (or supplement) that will take care of all our ills. As we ping-pong around following a current health fad, avoiding fat, or carbs, or meat, or dairy - we allow ourselves to push the common sense of eating in moderation foods that were raised healthfully and ethically away.<br /><br />By studying what's 'healthy' in foods lets us create food products that do a much better job of supporting the economy with mass commercial farming, trucking, and commerce in selling the foods in a way that is shelf stable so that people can buy more food without the worry that the food will go bad. It's funny that in even my refrigerator, it's only the vegetables that hang around long enough to go bad, when the processed snacks (that could probably last for 100 years) are eaten within a few days of being purchased. By being so cheap and easy to consume, we don't appreciate the food we're eating - so people are more likely to 'feed' instead of 'dine' on our food. I would wager that most of the money put into the study of nutrition was put there by food corporations looking for ways to add another health claim to their package.<br /><br />After talking about the problems caused by Nutritionism and the Western Diet, Pollan offers a solution in following the Manifesto: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. He gives us a blueprint to follow in making more positive choices that could benefit our lives.<br /><br />I'm putting this down, not so much for any reader who happens by, but to remember more of what I've read and put it into practice for myself.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">EAT FOOD</span><br /></div><br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Don't eat anything your Great Grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.</span> He uses the example of GoGurt (a far cry from yogurt that includes only milk and bacterial culture) .</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Avoid food products containing ingredients that are: A) Unfamiliar; B) Unpronounceable; C) More than 5 in number, or That include; D) High-Fructose Corn Syrup.</span> This answers the question that, yeah, Great-Grandma may recognize bread, but not the stuff on the shelves with added softeners and sweeteners because it's imperative that bread be eaten with no texture or inherent flavor. Also, to make lowfat milk more creamy they add powdered milk which contains oxidized cholesterol (which may be worse than regular cholesterol). Removing the fat also makes it harder for you to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins that made milk healthy to drink in the first place.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Avoid food products that make health claims.</span> Do we really need to talk about the sugar cereals that now trumpet the existence of whole grains along with the tablespoons of sugar in each serving? Also, think about what the package isn't saying.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle.</span> That's where real food lives.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Get out of the supermarket whenever possible.</span>Farmers' Markets, CSAs, independent meat/dairy producers. Find sources that rely less on chemicals, grain, and hormones. Shorten the food chain.</li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">MOSTLY PLANTS<br /></span><div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"><ul><li>Eat mostly plants, especially leaves. <span style="font-weight: normal;">We need the omega-3s,vitamins, and antioxidants from plants because our bodies don't produce these. Sticking to a diet that relies mostly on plants helps protect us from Western Diseases, and uses less energy and resources than needed in the production of meat.</span><br /></li><li style="text-align: left;">You are what *what you eat* eats too. <span style="font-weight: normal;">Eat meat, dairy, and eggs from pastured animals.</span></li><li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">If you have the space, buy a freezer. </span>Get healthy foods in quantity when they're at their peak, freezing has less of an impact on the nutritional impact of the food than canning does.</span></li><li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eat like an omnivore. </span>More species of everything, more covered nutritionally.</span></li><li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eat well-grown food from healthy soils. </span>Lots of farmers grow/raise food without the use of chemicals, hormones so the label 'certified organic' doesn't necessarily guarantee that the food is the healthiest option. Know who grows your food.</span></li><li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eat wild foods when you can. </span>Wild greens have super-high levels of phytochemicals, higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Wild animals eat a diverse diet, wild fish have higher levels of omega-3 because they aren't fed grain. Higher levels of omega-3 can ward off depression. Abundant wildlife: deer, sardines, anchovies, salmon.</span></li><li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Be the kind of person who takes supplements. </span>Be more health conscious, more educated, and more affluent. Could take a multi, and if you don't eat enough fish, a fish oil supplement.</span></li><li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eat more like the French. Or the Italians. Or the Japanese. Or the Indians. Or the Greeks. </span>Eating foods in the way they're eaten in a culture makes up for nutritional deficiencies, dangers that may come from eating a food in other ways. In mexico corn and beans together, corn was ground with limestone. In Asia, they developed the best way to eat soy: in tofu.</span></li><li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Regard nontraditional foods with skepticism. </span>Be wary of new permutations of soy.</span></li><li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Don't look for the magic bullet in the traditional diet.</span> Mostly when we study aspects of diet, we aren't able to account for all factors in the success of a diet.<br /></span></li><li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Have a glass of wine with dinner.</span> Men can have two. Drinking alcohol in moderation seems to promote health - or help us enjoy it.</span></li></ul><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">NOT TOO MUCH<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pay more, eat less. </span>Better foods cost more. If you spend more, you may take more time over it, appreciate it, and consequently eat less of it. Americans eat by visual cue (unlike French who ea 'til they're full). Put a smaller portion on the plate, and we'll learn to be satisfied by that. We'll do less snacking, especially if we have to put effort in preparing what we eat. "In 1960 Americans spent 17.5 % of their income on food and 5.2 % on health care." Now, "spending on food has dropped to 9.9 %, while spending on health care has climbed to 16%." The numbers have flipped. Choose quality over quantity.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eat meals. </span>Together as a family, at the table, eating the same food. Turn off the TV and talk to each other. Do you really need to snack, or eat in the car? Are you going to starve otherwise. (Although I have to admit that a small latte before class (the mixture of protein, carbs and caffeine) was the key to getting A's in my Calculus classes.)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Do all of your eating at a table. </span>No variations.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Don't get your fuel from the same place your car does. </span>Duh. Corn syrup.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Try not to eat alone. </span>You'll enjoy the company, take longer to eat because you're less likely to scarf your food in front of an audience. Use tricks to make you think you're eating more than you are. Look at the book <span style="font-style: italic;">Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think</span>.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eat Slowly. </span>Eat deliberately ("from freedom") instead of compulsively. Learn about the Slow Food Movement. Think about what happens when we put success at the center of life. Our whole life diminishes, family, friends, leisure all take a hit. So does our health. Appreciate the food you're eating. Make eating a ritual, offer a blessing before eating. From Wendell Berry: <blockquote>Eating with the fullest pleasure - pleasure, that is, that does not depend on ignorance - is perhaps the profoundest enactment of our connection with the world. In this pleasure we experience and celebrate our dependence and our gratitude, for we are living from mystery, from creatures we did not make and powers we cannot comprehend.</blockquote></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: normal;"> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Cook and, if you can, plant a garden. </span>We'll know, learn, and appreciate more about what we're eating.<br /></span></li></ul></div></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-7501025848502331632009-11-10T12:30:00.004-05:002009-11-10T12:47:19.521-05:00The List<ol><li>Portland, Oregon</li><li>Madison, Wisconsin<br /></li><li>Burlington, Vermont</li><li>Ann Arbor, MI</li></ol>I wanted to put Pittsburgh, PA on the list; I love the city and it has the lowest cost of living of the entire group. I couldn't do it because I just don't see a big focus on health/fitness overall. Otherwise it would be at the top of the list.P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-83090214678280952792009-11-04T12:28:00.002-05:002009-11-04T12:32:11.520-05:00On Change<span class="body">All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.</span><br /><br />- Anatole France<br /><span class="bodybold"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span> </span>P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-41093704277850436492009-11-03T09:21:00.007-05:002009-11-03T22:52:27.703-05:00Three ThingsOkay, I went to Weight Watchers a couple of weeks ago and the leader for that particular group is some kind of Weight Watchers Rockstar or something. She's a total pistol and I can completely relate to her 'frugal' perspective on everything. Anyway, she had a really good tip that I'm totally up for doing this week.<br /><br />Here's the tip:<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Make a List of Three Things</span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />So, if you're a list maker who (like me) makes a list of things to do, then gets totally demotivated by the looming number of unfinished things on the list, make a list of ONLY three items to complete. My list for today is:<br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 255);font-size:130%;" ><br /></span></span></span><ol style="color: rgb(153, 153, 255);"><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><strike>Take down all of the Halloween decorations and put them away.<br /></strike></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><strike>Clean the three bathrooms.</strike></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><strike>Take Grey to the park (temps in the 30's make me feel less and less like going outside lately).</strike></span></li></ol>That's it. I know that I have lots of other things to do, but I will definitely complete these items. The list could be for a week, or a day, or home projects that never seem to get done. I'll be back to mark them off as I go.<br /><br />*Edited to add - finished everything on the list today. It really helped writing down the bathrooms because with three boys, cleaning toilets is something I try to put off as much as I can.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span>P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-76891082582886310242009-11-02T12:55:00.003-05:002009-11-02T13:24:00.718-05:00November already?So, since I was last here, the whole family (except for husband) managed to get over their bout of H1N1 with variable speed.<br /><br />Kids had a great Halloween, managed to give away candy to a few hundred kids before running out just before Trick-Or-Treating was over. As we're one of the only subdivisions in an otherwise pretty rural area, people come for miles with vanloads of kids for trick-or treating. I like seeing all of the kids, but it would be nice if maybe some of the teenagers could actually dress up for the occasion. <br /><br />Husband's car died over the weekend, so I had to take all of the kids for oldest son's checkup this morning - not that any of them minded being late for school - while Hubs bummed a ride into work with a friend. So, with over 220,000 miles, is this it for the old Passat?P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-63026678199722207652009-10-16T10:09:00.004-04:002009-10-16T10:49:27.873-04:00Being GratefulI'm just really tired of looking at the same page. Instead of writing about how I feel, which would be somwhat negative (hello early winter) and not constructive, I'm going to be thankful because I know that lots of things in life are more about how we frame them.<br /><br />Saying that I'm grateful for all of the really big things makes me worry that I'll jinx myself, so maybe I'll acknowledge mostly the things that aren't so big.<br /><br />I'm glad that of the 23 houses on my street, 13 haven't gone into foreclosure, and more than half of the couples are still married to each other. I'm glad that a few of my kids' best friends are still able to spend half of their time with the parents that still live in the neighborhood.<br /><br />Because the kids are LOVING school, I don't mind spending 3-4 hours taking them there and back (I'm serious - it is worth EVERY minute).<br /><br />All three kids (and hubs) sick in the last week means that I get to mommy them a little bit more. Sometimes it's nice for mom when everyone wants to cuddle.<br /><br />Husband working 76-80 hrs/week means that business is doing well enough to keep on going in this crazy Michigan economy. Also, I get to spend a bit more time talking to kids, helping with homework, teaching them to cook. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Even though he is the busiest man alive, hubs is really the most caring person I have ever known -his ability to see the positive in everything is the reason why I knew he was the one for me - and his friends are wrong, <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">I</span> am the lucky one.<br /><br /></div>Hubs might be home this weekend - fingers crossed. I may be able to get that armoire downstairs, and take a walk by myself. <br /><br />The 50% off coupon at Michaels? Awesome. Making cheap, fake art for bedroom out of canvas and scrapbook paper is a fun distraction. Also learning that my house needs more glitter.P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-47588429601816949832009-10-04T20:08:00.008-04:002009-10-10T07:02:48.788-04:00Livestrong Failure<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_p2-j8UblFFU/Ssk3y9gRoCI/AAAAAAAAAXY/Qt_VbLsfo8w/DSC_2367.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 426px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_p2-j8UblFFU/Ssk3y9gRoCI/AAAAAAAAAXY/Qt_VbLsfo8w/DSC_2367.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Usually when I screw something up, I feel like I should do something about it, but don't. I don't know how many times I buy a card for someone, then neglect to send it and feel bad about it - but not bad enough to send it late, or let the person know I was thinking about them. Even though it's not Friday, I'm still putting this up:<br /><br />So, my favorite blogger <a href="http://janell-sufferingsuccotash.blogspot.com/">POD</a> had this great idea to <a href="http://janell-sufferingsuccotash.blogspot.com/2009/10/livestrong-2009-see-you-in-morning.html">write a post to support Livestrong Day</a> on Friday, October 2. Sounded good to me, count me in. So this particular date coincides with Boy1's 10th birthday, and grandparents called to let me know that they'll be showing up too. Which is great news, but makes things just a bit crazier with cleaning, stocking, decorating, baking, preparing Sunday school class, dog obedience school, <strike>garage sale</strike> (some thing's got to give), etc.<br /><br />So, I was running around all day Friday with last-minute preparations for the birthday and grandparents' surprise visit. I left my car keys in the garage when the neighbor's dog ran over earlier in the day, so when it was time to pick up birthday boy, I had no idea where I had put them and could not find them (no, we do not have a spare car key). I was late to pick him up for the first time this year ON HIS BIRTHDAY! Happy Birthday E! We then rushed over to pickup Boy2 from school and he came out of his class 20 minutes after school was over - the first time he was late leaving from class <strike>this year</strike> ever. He wasn't able to find a folder that he needed and his teacher was ignoring him when he tried to talk to her about it. I was trying to beat my parents home, but got a call from them needing our garage code so that they could get into the house. As we pulled into the driveway, one kid thought it was funny that there was a car in our driveway with a Union Jack license plate like Grandma's at the same time another realized what that actually meant. I barely had the car in park as they jumped out and bounded up the stairs to greet their grandparents.<br /><br />We had Evan's favorite pizza and yellow frosted cupcakes to celebrate the big day. My Dad and I talked about Michael Moore's movies. Anyone not from the rust belt may not understand how real and true all of his movies are, but now even conservative are getting behind Moore with his latest two films, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386032/">Sicko</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhydyxRjujU">Capitalism, A Love Story</a>.<br /><br />It is pretty funny that people complain about the notion that healthcare would make our nation a socialist country when we embrace our military, police, and firefighters for keeping us safe at taxpayer's expense. I don't want to go without their services any more than I think that the current healthcare system is working even for those with excellent coverage. What happens to your great coverage if your job is downsized, or your care is deemed too expensive? In Moore's <span style="font-style: italic;">Sicko</span>, many of those charged with providing care to us are encouraged, rewarded, and forced to make the decision to deny policy holders with needed health care coverage. A husband with leukemia with a brother who's a match is first told that he's been approved for a bone-marrow transplant, then told that the operation will not be covered and he will die. A doctor charged with making decisions that favor the bottom line over human life was told, to assuage her guilt, that you're not denying medical treatment, you're just denying payment.<br /><br />In this country, we stay in jobs that make us miserable because we fear the loss of health insurance, especially those of us who've had any medical problems. A boy I went to high school with died at the age of 32, a few months before the birth of his second child. He was in remission from melanoma and having severe stomach pain. At his checkups, they didn't find the reason for this pain, missed the elevated levels on renal function. He had just moved back to Pgh. from CA, and was waiting for the health insurance to kick in from his new job in January because his cobra insurance wouldn't cover tests to confirm what was gnawing at the back of his mind. He was treated like a hypochondriac for months (his doctor gave him Cipro, telling him that it would make him feel better) until just before Christmas of that year when he wound up in the emergency room. They gave him the tests he had been asking for and he found out that the melanoma had returned with a vengeance. Just before treatment was about to begin, he became too ill and the disease took him from his pregnant wife and daughter in January . Maybe an earlier diagnosis wouldn't have saved his life, but he might have met his son or given his loved ones some time to digest what was happening.<br /><br />Our worth as a person and our right to good medical coverage should not be tied to what job we have. Want to help small businesses flourish? Take the responsibility of health insurance out of small business owner's hands - they can't afford it - so either they don't provide it, or they provide sub-par policies because it's the best they can do, or they don't go into business at all. Without the ability to negotiate for better health care costs, people with pre-existing medical concerns cannot afford healthcare when insurance corporations take it away from them, and people without health insurance have to decide whether they are sick enough to warrant the cost of medical care.<br /><br />Caring for the health of our citizens shouldn't be consumed by profit, and by making it a cash cow for some attracts precisely the wrong people to those positions. Making profit the goal is the reason that our top scientists aren't paid to cure diseases, but to find ways to 'treat' them with pharmaceuticals. Please let's take our health back into our own hands and return this country into a Democracy where the people decide what is best for our citizens rather than a few executives with a vested interest in keeping us sick.<br /><br />Even though I was a jackass and missed Livestrong Day, don't let it stop you from visiting <a href="http://livestrong.org/">Livestrong.org</a> and offering your support. Or <a href="http://www.livestrongaction.org/campaigns/healthcare">Stand Up for Healthcare Reform.</a><br /><br />By the way, these are my opinions, and not necessarily the opinions of anyone I've linked to in this post.P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-76998256703006569292009-09-30T23:37:00.005-04:002009-10-01T18:10:12.982-04:00Parenting 101Not a good idea to buy 2 kids a cupcake to kill time between school pick-ups even if you tell them that they should probably keep that information to themselves.<br /><br />Because when we pick up the third kid, it will be the first thing G mentions to him.<br /><br />*<span style="font-style: italic;">edited to add: Also, don't take G with you to buy your 10-year-old a birthday present unless you want G to tell 10-year-old about the Lego Starwars ship he'll be getting.</span><br /><br /><br /><br />Also today: Jillian's 30 Day Shred and Gilad.P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-39105930360948635772009-09-29T11:25:00.005-04:002009-09-29T21:06:37.840-04:00Making it Your Own<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_p2-j8UblFFU/SsIl6cGM7JI/AAAAAAAAAV8/8dJKp7rjMyY/s512/DSC_2299.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 340px; height: 512px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_p2-j8UblFFU/SsIl6cGM7JI/AAAAAAAAAV8/8dJKp7rjMyY/s512/DSC_2299.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>So, G had a big birthday over the weekend. He was excited about the Lego Space Police, and even more excited about the crazy straws (only one milk spill all weekend!). Instead of buying cards, each family member has to make a card (use some effort!) for the birthday boy (or girl). Since G's favorite animal is a lion, mommy felt that this was the obvious choice. After he fawned over the card for a bit, I put it up on the counter with the rest of the birthday wishes. A few minutes later, I returned to the kitchen to find this improvement:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_p2-j8UblFFU/SsImcKkqs5I/AAAAAAAAAWA/uvIjQ2bHNFo/s512/DSC_2296.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_p2-j8UblFFU/SsImcKkqs5I/AAAAAAAAAWA/uvIjQ2bHNFo/s512/DSC_2296.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Much better.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">*edited to add: Total Body Sculpt w/ Gilad, and Level 1 of Jillian. Go me!</span>P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-47531952071798201212009-09-28T17:24:00.007-04:002009-09-28T17:45:03.574-04:00Gilad and Jillian to the Rescue<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cdn-0.nflximg.com/us/boxshots/large/70056920.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 110px; height: 150px;" src="http://cdn-0.nflximg.com/us/boxshots/large/70056920.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I haven't worked out in ages. Old habits that I knew were ingrained have just fallen by the wayside. Among other excuses, I haven't been able to figure out exactly where I can fit exercise into our new schedule.<br /><br />Today, I decided to put my preschooler in front of NickJr (when did it stop being Noggin?) for a bit while I worked out to my hero Gilad, and I squeezed in a level of 30-Day Shred before having to basically run through the shower on my way to pick up Son1 from school. I feel great about not making excuses today.<br /><br />And I'm calling myself out to keep it going.<br /><br />I'm making it a habit. Especially because there was cake on Fri for G's birthday, and there'll be cake again for E's big day.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">image from <a href="http://www.netflix.com/RoleDisplay/Gilad_Janklowicz/30057328">Netflix</a></span>P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-75481311982384146972009-09-14T11:09:00.005-04:002009-09-14T11:17:11.081-04:00The SparkWhy is it so much easier to find when you step on the scale and realize that you've lost 4 lbs. since the last time you weighed? I'm feeling totally motivated and getting ready for Jillian Michaels' right now.<br /><br />*<span style="font-style: italic;">edited to add:</span> better not find out that someone was fiddling with the scale and I've actually <span style="font-style: italic;">gained</span> weight.P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417973224241757999.post-35987516368502628342009-09-11T12:26:00.003-04:002009-09-11T13:03:47.600-04:00Back to SchoolThis week has been completely amazing. I've forgotten how much easier it is to get everything done around here without an 8-y-o and a 9-y-o hanging around to remind me of how boring everything is. And how hot it is outside, and how I'm mean because I don't allow video games every day. Also, 3-y-o isn't missing the older kids half as much as I'd thought he would.<br /><br />The thing that's not so great: the sixty miles of driving them back and forth to school everyday. Which amounts to 3hours in driving and waiting around for their respective school day(s) to begin and end. So, how do I still have all of this extra time? Is it because I'm back to waking at 6am? Should I get up at 5 so that my workouts can be done before the rest of the house so much as *thinks* about waking?<br /><br />Everything about this week has been beautiful, including the weather: lows in the high 50's and highs in the upper 70s-low-80's. The kids haven't been weighed down with homework, so we've had time for art projects, some studying on the computer, and for running around the neighborhood with friends. I just want to freeze this week in time so that I can pull it out whenever things aren't so smooth or easy. When there's so much homework that there aren't enough minutes in the day to get everything done, when the weather keeps the kids inside, or when friends aren't around because so many of them have to go their other parent's house tonight.<br /><br />Tonight we'll be together, toasting marshmallows and enjoying each other's company. And I'll also be thinking about the perfect day 8 years ago when the world seemed to change. The day when I worried about what kind of world I had just brought my new baby into. And I'll think about the families that were not so fortunate on that day.<br /><br />Today I'm thankful that our family is whole, and loves each other; and that our kids have us to lean on when everything isn't so great.P/Fhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07011597977129472269noreply@blogger.com3