Once upon a time, there was me-time. Once upon a time was long, long ago. I love my time with my children, but lately I'm starting to feel like it's time to do something good for myself and in effect, something good for those around me! Otherwise mama may go a little crazy!
My little Emma is still eating from her mama and refuses to take a bottle, even though it offers the exact same thing inside! So although I carried her inside of me for almost nine months, it still seems as though she is pretty attached and doesn't intend to let go anytime soon.
But today I made a decision. I'm going to run a 5k in about three weeks. I used to be quite the runner (I ran track in high school and kept running afterwards) but have never run in a road race. My knees and joints have begun to bother me since having children. But achy joints are the least of my problems now! Ah, time. What I wouldn't give for a little more...and sleep. Time and sleep are probably topping every other mom's wish list right about now, right?
I don't care if I have to run in the middle of the night in order to prepare for this race. I'm going to do it. I feel so much more grounded when my body has its daily workout. I feel renewed, revived, energetic. Plus, this particular race helps a local camp for troubled and high-risk children.
I'll let you all know how training is going (as I poke at the keys with one hand because the baby is in the other....does anyone else ever do this or is it just me?). Let me know how your own workouts are going! Keep up the good work!
Amanda
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Tuesday's Two Cents
I am the firmest believer you could meet who thinks that you really are what you eat. Yesterday I came across an interesting tidbit to confirm this belief of mine even more. As long as you don't laugh I will tell you that it came from the September issue of Good Housekeeping. (I know, I know. But this new house possessed me to buy it.) According to a blurb in the magazine and studies done on children, hyperactivity can be linked to food additives such as food dyes. Lately my son has displayed other-than-normal behavior so I checked the labels on his latest favorite and a treat that I have only recently begun to allow, Goldfish. No food dyes here. Phew. But things like Fruity Pebbles, my husband's grocery store pick, are loaded with about 20 different food dyes.
These days parents and the media blame bad behavior on diagnosed disorders and blah, blah, blah. I don't really buy into much of that. I think that if you're child has some issues (or if YOU have some issues for that matter!) don't be so quick to attach a label and medicate. Look into the problem, change up your diet, try more organic foods, throw in some exercise, get eight hours of sleep, make sure your children take naps, deal with it, and see what happens. If there are still issues, then decide what further steps you need to take. My husband has currently been having problems with his shoulder. His first thought is to go to the doctor and see how the problem can be fixed. I told him, do what you can do first. Strengthen the muscles around the shoulder and in the other areas of your body, do some yoga, and see if there's any improvement. If not, then see a doctor. We all want a quick fix. But sometimes those quick fixes end up being expensive, stressful (as in the case of a child hyped up on Fruity Pebbles every morning), and harmful to our bodies in the long run.
My point: Check your food labels. Eat natural. Do what you can do before paying someone to make you or your child all better. Turn your bad habits into helpful and healthy lifestyle changes.
Feel free to comment and share your own healthy habits.
Have a great day everyone!
Amanda
These days parents and the media blame bad behavior on diagnosed disorders and blah, blah, blah. I don't really buy into much of that. I think that if you're child has some issues (or if YOU have some issues for that matter!) don't be so quick to attach a label and medicate. Look into the problem, change up your diet, try more organic foods, throw in some exercise, get eight hours of sleep, make sure your children take naps, deal with it, and see what happens. If there are still issues, then decide what further steps you need to take. My husband has currently been having problems with his shoulder. His first thought is to go to the doctor and see how the problem can be fixed. I told him, do what you can do first. Strengthen the muscles around the shoulder and in the other areas of your body, do some yoga, and see if there's any improvement. If not, then see a doctor. We all want a quick fix. But sometimes those quick fixes end up being expensive, stressful (as in the case of a child hyped up on Fruity Pebbles every morning), and harmful to our bodies in the long run.
My point: Check your food labels. Eat natural. Do what you can do before paying someone to make you or your child all better. Turn your bad habits into helpful and healthy lifestyle changes.
Feel free to comment and share your own healthy habits.
Have a great day everyone!
Amanda
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
My Superstar
Do you see those? Those are letter A's!
Last week I was trying to show Carver, who won't be three until December, how to write the letter A. He kind of got the idea, but not totally. Yesterday he whipped out his new notebook and pencil and out came these three, nearly perfect A's! I was so proud!
I mean, isn't it obvious? He's going to be a genius! :-)
Sunday, August 17, 2008
No Coke At My Baby Showers
This weekend I am throwing my very first baby shower. My little sister is the mommy-to-be and I'm so excited to host her shower, especially since we are in our new house. I've been busy placing our wall hangings and pictures, cleaning up the flowerbeds, and finalizing the shower details. Yesterday I went shopping for all the things I would need for Saturday and as I reviewed what drinks I would be offering, I doubted myself on whether my decision to not have soda was the right one. I decided that it was. I did the same at my son's first birthday party, and I distinctly remember it because at that party I did offer soda but it was diet. An outspoken friend came up and asked what was up with all the diet soda. "Where's all the regular soda?" she demanded. My reply was this: "I don't believe in it." Kind of funny but also very true. At the time I was okay with diet soda, but I now know that while it doesn't have all the sugar and calories that regular soda has, it still has sugar substitutes and chemicals that, for one thing, can leach calcium from the body, which can promote the development of osteoporosis. My husband drinks diet soda and doesn't understand why I worry. But as a woman, I have good reason to. Particularly as a small-framed woman. I may only be 24-years-old now, but I would like to be able to walk around (and even exercise) in a few decades without worrying about breaking a hip.
So it may sound crazy and overbearing, but why would I feed people something that I know can do so much harm to their bodies, and something they can easily do without for a few hours. I plan to have plenty of options so that they probably won't even miss it!
You will see that as you learn more and more about food and what's good for you and what's not, you will allow certain allowances in your life. Some, in moderation, are worth it. Others, you may feel a stronger conviction against and be willing to give up. You will see the value in some and try to add them into your meals as much as you can (that's tomatoes for me!). Everyone is different and will need to watch out for certain types of food and chemicals, as well as diseases that may be inherited from the family.
My outspoken friend can offer all the soda she wants at her parties, but if you're coming to mine, don't expect it. That is, of course, unless my husband sneaks it in.
So it may sound crazy and overbearing, but why would I feed people something that I know can do so much harm to their bodies, and something they can easily do without for a few hours. I plan to have plenty of options so that they probably won't even miss it!
You will see that as you learn more and more about food and what's good for you and what's not, you will allow certain allowances in your life. Some, in moderation, are worth it. Others, you may feel a stronger conviction against and be willing to give up. You will see the value in some and try to add them into your meals as much as you can (that's tomatoes for me!). Everyone is different and will need to watch out for certain types of food and chemicals, as well as diseases that may be inherited from the family.
My outspoken friend can offer all the soda she wants at her parties, but if you're coming to mine, don't expect it. That is, of course, unless my husband sneaks it in.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Still Sleeping?
Emma, my three-month-old is still asleep at 7:30 in the morning. That is something quite unheard of. She usually wakes between 4:30 and 6 A.M. to eat and then goes back to sleep for another hour or two. But this morning she has yet to get up, a testament to the busy, slightly exhaustive schedule we have had for the past two days. While things at the house are calming down somewhat because the majority of my boxes are unpacked, things in Greenville have come to a climax as my father-in-law was slowly woken up yesterday after being kept asleep for three whole days after his surgery. A portion of his lung was removed, along with the built-up, hardening fluid surrounding and pressing down on it so that he was unable to breath from that particular lung. He is now in ICU. And I must add, the last bed in ICU, so we must walk past every other patient in there, wondering what their story is and if they will be getting better also, like we know and pray my father-in-law should.
We drove to Greenville and back (with the kids and all) yesterday and the day before that. My husband has driven back and forth I don't know how many times now. When I saw my father-in-law in the state in which I saw him, with tubes in and out of his nose and mouth, unable to breath on his own, I realized why there had been so much tension between my husband and I in the past two weeks. Here I was at the house, frustrated because things weren't getting done as quickly as I wanted them to and because my living room has been half painted for about a week, and all the while my husband, who has already lost his mother prematurely, is worried to death that his father will make it through okay. I had no idea of the severity of the situation until I saw him as he was these past two days. It was quite overwhelming and I came to realize that I wasn't being the wife I needed to be for my husband.
So forgive me if my blogs fail to be all about fitness and what we should be eating this week, but sometimes (and yes, I'm saying this) there are things that come before our physical health, because mental and emotional health is just as important. My husband jokes that sometimes my stress levels are so high that while my body may be physically ready to live to see 100, I won't ever because I'll have heart attack way before then!
Stressful and intense situations shouldn't be an excuse to throw all our good habits out the window however. It wasn't for me. I packed fruit, almonds, and sandwiches for our drive and stay yesterday. When everyone else asked what I wanted on my burger I reminded them that I don't typically eat beef and got something else. I sipped on a decaf tea instead of any of the other, more unhealthy options that were available. I wasn't, however, able to get in a typical workout in these past few days. That's okay. The brisk walk from the hotel to the hospital and back every two hours was good aerobic exercise (and we discovered which family member was more out-of-breath and out-of-shape that they would like to be!).
On the drive home last night I commented to my husband, "I wish I didn't need sleep. I'd be able to get a lot more done." But since we all do need sleep and since I cannot make any more hours to add to our days we must do all that we can. We must not make excuses to get ourselves out of exercise or a healthy meal, but we must, with a clear conscience, do all that we can to ensure that our bodies and minds are well taken care of, and then be satisfied. And rest.
We drove to Greenville and back (with the kids and all) yesterday and the day before that. My husband has driven back and forth I don't know how many times now. When I saw my father-in-law in the state in which I saw him, with tubes in and out of his nose and mouth, unable to breath on his own, I realized why there had been so much tension between my husband and I in the past two weeks. Here I was at the house, frustrated because things weren't getting done as quickly as I wanted them to and because my living room has been half painted for about a week, and all the while my husband, who has already lost his mother prematurely, is worried to death that his father will make it through okay. I had no idea of the severity of the situation until I saw him as he was these past two days. It was quite overwhelming and I came to realize that I wasn't being the wife I needed to be for my husband.
So forgive me if my blogs fail to be all about fitness and what we should be eating this week, but sometimes (and yes, I'm saying this) there are things that come before our physical health, because mental and emotional health is just as important. My husband jokes that sometimes my stress levels are so high that while my body may be physically ready to live to see 100, I won't ever because I'll have heart attack way before then!
Stressful and intense situations shouldn't be an excuse to throw all our good habits out the window however. It wasn't for me. I packed fruit, almonds, and sandwiches for our drive and stay yesterday. When everyone else asked what I wanted on my burger I reminded them that I don't typically eat beef and got something else. I sipped on a decaf tea instead of any of the other, more unhealthy options that were available. I wasn't, however, able to get in a typical workout in these past few days. That's okay. The brisk walk from the hotel to the hospital and back every two hours was good aerobic exercise (and we discovered which family member was more out-of-breath and out-of-shape that they would like to be!).
On the drive home last night I commented to my husband, "I wish I didn't need sleep. I'd be able to get a lot more done." But since we all do need sleep and since I cannot make any more hours to add to our days we must do all that we can. We must not make excuses to get ourselves out of exercise or a healthy meal, but we must, with a clear conscience, do all that we can to ensure that our bodies and minds are well taken care of, and then be satisfied. And rest.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
I Don't Wish Moving Upon Anyone!
This moving business pretty much sucks. While preparing to move my landlord's daughter said to me, "I'd rather have a baby than move." Ok, what a little bit of a psycho, I thought. I would rather do anything than have a baby! (The labor process, I mean, not actually having the child!) But now I see what she means. I still would much rather move than have a baby, but the pain level is pretty high up there next to childbirth.
The last time we moved we were still newlyweds and didn't have as many belongings to move. We had one less child to move and there was no painting or preparing the new house before we could settle everything. This time we move with much more baggage. And this is the worst part of it all...there is major painting to be done before we can even think of arranging some rooms. Take, for instance, my poor son's room (or what will hopefully be his room today, finally). It was covered in pink paint and flowery wallpaper. Uughh! My daughter's room is slighly better with flowered wallpaper and beige paint. The living room...oh, let's not talk of it anymore. It's almost complete and is completely refreshing my way.
I believe I already mentioned that my father-in-law (the one who's house we are moving into) went into the hospital after a bad motorcyle accident just before we began moving. He is still in the hospital and one of the actual days of our move my younger sister was sent to a hospital about two hours away because it was thought she would deliver her baby 9 weeks early. Aaggh!! Needless to say, my entire family was a wreck! When it rains, it certainly does pour, doesn't it? But you know what? I'm still waiting for that calm just after the storm, and I know that it's coming. Soon.
The children are just waking up so I must leave you all for now. Be patient with me in my current state of chaos! I'll be back in full action soon! I hope you are all doing well and taking care of yourselves!
Amanda
The last time we moved we were still newlyweds and didn't have as many belongings to move. We had one less child to move and there was no painting or preparing the new house before we could settle everything. This time we move with much more baggage. And this is the worst part of it all...there is major painting to be done before we can even think of arranging some rooms. Take, for instance, my poor son's room (or what will hopefully be his room today, finally). It was covered in pink paint and flowery wallpaper. Uughh! My daughter's room is slighly better with flowered wallpaper and beige paint. The living room...oh, let's not talk of it anymore. It's almost complete and is completely refreshing my way.
I believe I already mentioned that my father-in-law (the one who's house we are moving into) went into the hospital after a bad motorcyle accident just before we began moving. He is still in the hospital and one of the actual days of our move my younger sister was sent to a hospital about two hours away because it was thought she would deliver her baby 9 weeks early. Aaggh!! Needless to say, my entire family was a wreck! When it rains, it certainly does pour, doesn't it? But you know what? I'm still waiting for that calm just after the storm, and I know that it's coming. Soon.
The children are just waking up so I must leave you all for now. Be patient with me in my current state of chaos! I'll be back in full action soon! I hope you are all doing well and taking care of yourselves!
Amanda
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