Thursday, February 26, 2009

The pursuit of...

I think that everyone, their dog and their grandma's dog has seen this video.

The thing is that this guy is SO right! When we lost power recently, we were out of our house for 7 days. Thankfully we were able to stay at my parent's house and be safe. We were reminded of how very spoiled we are and it was a little embarrassing! We couldn't stay in the house because it was cold! And there was no running water! And what would we do all day? And what would we eat? And we would have to keep the fire going all night! whah!

I love the opportunities we have in this part of history. I love computers, the internet, gaming, cars and my Wii. I really don't want to take them for granted but I really, REALLY don't want my kids to be those "noncontributing zeros" of the world. Who think they deserve something because it exists.

My goal is to remember where we came from and why right here, right now is so special - then pass it on.

Friday, February 20, 2009

One size fits all

One year ago I was very sick and lost a ridiculous amount of weight, making me look like the undead. I lost so much muscle that I couldn't go grocery shopping and I began to change Brea's diapers on the floor so that I wouldn't have to lift her to the changing table. As time went on, I gained some weight and muscle mass but not in the way I would have liked. So, in November I began to go to an Ashtanga Yoga class at the gym. This class has changed everything about my body and I LOVE it! But (you saw this coming) I am building muscle and keeping the fat.

No, I am not saying I am fat. I am saying that I don't fit into my jeans right now and it really sucks. I don't have money to get a new wardrobe while my body gains muscle and starts to reduce the fat. So I have been thinking I will help it along. In a healthy way.

I am taking a good hard look at what I eat and what I feed the fam. Ironically I am the fruit/veggie Nazi. I refuse to serve a meal without either present but that doesn't mean that I eat enough of them. I don't practice what I preach. Some would call this hypocritical and I am inclined to agree.

We don't eat out more than the average American but more than I would like. Mostly
we like to meet Dustin in town for lunch because, if I had my way, I would get him home all day. Therefore, if we are in the vicinity of his workplace and it is time for lunch, why not? We do try to choose healthier options for all of us but every now and again all I want is fried fattiness, topped with fat sauce and a side of fat fries. By every now and again, I mean about once a week. I also suffer from dehydration in the winter with the symptoms ranging from swollen legs to kidney stones. With all of this in mind, salt and fat is not the best thing for me to be consuming with such regularity.

The tried and true, scientific things that work and are good for you include: eating whole foods, eating multiple small meals and tracking food intake. Also exercising, which I am doing but could be a little more regular about. I have signed up for FitDay, a free online food and exercise tracker.

My goal is to remain within my budget and be common sense about this health thing. And of course, fit into my jeans again. That would be super!

Interested in peeking? Go for it!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Addicted to Elimination

My daughter, Brea, is going to be 3 in April. That is very close, you know. She and I do a "Mommy and Me" gymnastics class once a week, however, when she turns 3 she will be able to move up to the Big Girl Class. Where they begin to learn actual gymnastics stuff! The only clincher is that the kids have to be potty trained to attend. Huh. That is a problem since she refuses to do the potty thing. We have tried bribing (with money, candy, toys), we have tried practicing and we have tried letting her do it in her time (which was looking like 15 years old).

So we decided to try the "One Day Potty Training" technique. I hyped it up as the ALL DAY POTTY PARTY!!!! w00t!! We did decide to give her a full weekend of family attention, in the hope that she would get 'er done. We had some party paraphernalia (including bazooka things, special cups and a medal for her). Every time she successfully used the potty she got a sticker on the chart (special stickers for poop because it is, you know, special) and we all blew our bazooka things. When she got ten stickers (total, not in one day) she earned a toy (read: educational game) I bought for the very purpose of "Potty Encouragement".

It really did take the whole family, since she is a little attention whore (she gets that from her mommy) and a few accidents to prove that we knew what we were talking about. But really? She is golden! We have just celebrated 2 weeks diaper free and we love it!

The other day she was sitting on the pot and she looked up at me all happy, full of little person life and proclaimed, "Pooping is fun!"

These are the milestones of motherhood.