Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
As My Children Age...
...life gets more complicated.
When your children are very small, you put on their clothes, they don't tell you they don't like the outfit, and you put them in the car. They don't ask who is going to be there, if there are children of the same age, or if they are going to be traveling on a Sunday. They just go.
And sure they cry, sure they don't sleep, they might even have an explosive diaper situation. But they don't tell you "hey you are ruining my life by dragging me around."
Enter adolescence.
My children now insist on picking their own clothing. Don't you think this dress is delightful?
Wouldn't it be cute to see your girls dressed together in this dress?
Well too bad for you. Because they want this one:
Do they care that it is unflattering? Do they care that it is more expensive? Do they? Huh?
No. They do not.
And there are other things they care about now like dinner. Food they have eaten for years and loved they suddenly are suspicious of, like many other things that their parents do.
They want to stay up late.
They want to argue a point for the sake of their point (like their father).
They watch the debates and have an opinion. Nothing of consequence, it might be about an outfit or a funny word that someone says but still it is an opinion in the making.
They stop me every 15 seconds while we are reading a book aloud together and want to make a commentary.
They want to tell each other what to do even when I don't care (things like "mom told you to put that cup back on the counter, do it!!" or "why are you reading such a stupid book? you should read something better." ) Really? Really? Aren't two parents enough? Aren't my rules stringent enough, you are now making new stupid rules?
In short, my children have become people.
And living with more people is always more complicated.
But lest you think this post is a complaint, let me reassure you that there are some side benefits to this.
My children now feed themselves. They even occasionally help me while I make food for them. It has even become a phenomenon for one of my children to look up a recipe, make a dish, and share with others unprompted.
When Steve and I want to go to the movies, we can assign them simple tasks like "keep the house clean and we will pay you an extra dollar."
They defend me against their siblings who may be trying to break my will.
They bring in groceries, do chores, and can once in while, volunteer to help. Once in a long while.
While I may despise their taste in clothing, each of my children is developing their own sense of style and I am starting to see that they are actually better at dressing themselves than I am.
But the single greatest change that has occurred in the chaos of this aging, hormonal, frustrating phase is that I finally feel like I was meant to be a mother.
Some of you out there may like the babies, and I will admit there is a certain yumminess in our house gone forever. But after the dust of infancy and toddlerhood begins to clear, I look at my offspring and I think to myself that it was a truly worthy investment for the joy I will experience for the rest of my life.
When your children are very small, you put on their clothes, they don't tell you they don't like the outfit, and you put them in the car. They don't ask who is going to be there, if there are children of the same age, or if they are going to be traveling on a Sunday. They just go.
And sure they cry, sure they don't sleep, they might even have an explosive diaper situation. But they don't tell you "hey you are ruining my life by dragging me around."
Enter adolescence.
My children now insist on picking their own clothing. Don't you think this dress is delightful?
Wouldn't it be cute to see your girls dressed together in this dress?
Well too bad for you. Because they want this one:
Do they care that it is unflattering? Do they care that it is more expensive? Do they? Huh?
No. They do not.
And there are other things they care about now like dinner. Food they have eaten for years and loved they suddenly are suspicious of, like many other things that their parents do.
They want to stay up late.
They want to argue a point for the sake of their point (like their father).
They watch the debates and have an opinion. Nothing of consequence, it might be about an outfit or a funny word that someone says but still it is an opinion in the making.
They stop me every 15 seconds while we are reading a book aloud together and want to make a commentary.
They want to tell each other what to do even when I don't care (things like "mom told you to put that cup back on the counter, do it!!" or "why are you reading such a stupid book? you should read something better." ) Really? Really? Aren't two parents enough? Aren't my rules stringent enough, you are now making new stupid rules?
In short, my children have become people.
And living with more people is always more complicated.
But lest you think this post is a complaint, let me reassure you that there are some side benefits to this.
My children now feed themselves. They even occasionally help me while I make food for them. It has even become a phenomenon for one of my children to look up a recipe, make a dish, and share with others unprompted.
When Steve and I want to go to the movies, we can assign them simple tasks like "keep the house clean and we will pay you an extra dollar."
They defend me against their siblings who may be trying to break my will.
They bring in groceries, do chores, and can once in while, volunteer to help. Once in a long while.
While I may despise their taste in clothing, each of my children is developing their own sense of style and I am starting to see that they are actually better at dressing themselves than I am.
But the single greatest change that has occurred in the chaos of this aging, hormonal, frustrating phase is that I finally feel like I was meant to be a mother.
Some of you out there may like the babies, and I will admit there is a certain yumminess in our house gone forever. But after the dust of infancy and toddlerhood begins to clear, I look at my offspring and I think to myself that it was a truly worthy investment for the joy I will experience for the rest of my life.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
In Preparation for Gratitude
In general, I feel like I am a person who feels thankful for things. I am not always positive, optimistic and happy but in general I do feel like I have some predisposition towards gratitude.
I have heard that it is a good practice to periodically pray JUST in gratitude instead of always asking--for me, that is my default prayer. I remember to pray when I am thankful more than when I need things (this is related to an area I do struggle with, humility).
I think one explanation for my particular penchant towards the proverbial thank you is that I have been surrounded my entire life by amazing people. I know that all my personal strengths, gifts, and confidence come from a charmed life.
This year I can only say, if you are reading this blog, I am thankful for you. I hope that you have a phenomenal Thanksgiving and please, for the love of all that is holy, do not eat canned cranberry sauce.
I have heard that it is a good practice to periodically pray JUST in gratitude instead of always asking--for me, that is my default prayer. I remember to pray when I am thankful more than when I need things (this is related to an area I do struggle with, humility).
I think one explanation for my particular penchant towards the proverbial thank you is that I have been surrounded my entire life by amazing people. I know that all my personal strengths, gifts, and confidence come from a charmed life.
This year I can only say, if you are reading this blog, I am thankful for you. I hope that you have a phenomenal Thanksgiving and please, for the love of all that is holy, do not eat canned cranberry sauce.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
How to Stay Healthy on the Road
I was home for fewer than 24 hours before traipsing across the country and I have a lot of crap to do to catch up with both my home and work lives.
So rather than catch up on said work, I am going to do a quick blog to record this moment of my life and the energy I spend trying to be healthy. I hope I stick with these practices, it has been months so I am thinking they should be habits, no?
A couple of shoutouts first:
1) To Amanda for sending me a link to greensmoothiegirl.
2) To my co-worker Jude who has made needing to eat healthy a group event
3) To my friend Tiff for mocking the sprout sandwich I pinned. And other yummy treats on my pinterest boards.
Here are my current practices, I would love for feedback if you think these are bad things:
1) NO SUGAR. Seriously. If I pick up a bag of almonds and it has sugar, corn syrup, or aspartame, I skip it. This is the top one because I notice that after awhile, I no longer crave it. One bite and all the memories of desserts on the road come flooding into my brain and I can. Not. Resist. So sadly and tragically, no sugar.
2) No refined flour. This one is almost moot because hardly any flour-based products are sugar free. However, pasta and other non-complex flour items are on my no-no list.
3) Get Naked at Starbucks. Naked Juice makes some incredible smoothies that are comprised of healthy ingredients, they have a variety of flavors at almost every Starbucks. I probably eat 2 green smoothies a day while traveling, sometimes I get stuck with the fruit-only ones which are highly tasty. They are $4.31 each, but if you compare that with an average breakfast, lunch, or dinner price, that is pretty steenking cheap. I should buy stock in Naked Juice. PS Berry Veggie is gross, all other flavors are rockin.
4) Take the stairs. Everywhere. If there are one hundred stairs in the subway right next to an extremely steep escalator, I take them anyway. There are so few opportunities to take stairs that you should do it when you can. I sometimes request a high floor in a hotel if I know I have a few extra minutes to get out the door and back in at night and then I take the stairs. Not convenient for 6 hour hotel stays. Alternatively this section could be entitled "Dance as long as you can" but not everyone likes dancing and it may disturb you to know I dance in the bathroom, in front of the TV, and out with colleagues a few times a year if possible. It is way more fun than stairs.
5) Preparation for potential exercise. I always pack a sports bra and an extra pair of workout underwear. Then if an opportunity presents itself, I put in a DVD or youtube vids and get jiggy with zumba or Tracy. I have found that packing tennis shoes takes up space and then makes me regret that I couldn't commit to leaving my room. But in my room if I say "okay just five minutes" then even while exhausted I can come up with something in my stockinged feet.
6) Drink herbal tea Hardly any hotels carry them in the room so if I do find one, I raid the supply and take it with me. I like a peppermint for the morning and a chamomile for evening. These energize and relax me alternatively and fill me up with necessary liquids. Plus I can hang out at the coffee/dessert crowd and feel like I am partaking without filling my body with sugars and well, you already know I don't do coffee.
5) Scout out room service healthy options immediately. When I get into my hotel room, I look at all the options and tell myself how unhealthy they are and then pick something relatively harmless. Then, if I do get a temptation to eat, I have already selected the healthiest item and don't slip back to a bad choice. Most hotels have some kind of yogurt thing or a tomato salad. I don't usually order them, but it is a safe guard to pick right away and then be prepared if you give in to the call of the brownie with ice cream and chocolate sauce.
These may seem like simple things or maybe stuff you have always done, but I have struggled with weight gain and I finally, finally have brought myself to a place where not only do I not gain, but I often lose a pound or two if I am away for a long time.
If I had better self-control I would add one more thing to my repetoire:
Eat alone. When I eat alone, I eat less and I pick healthier items. However, since the purpose of life is to be good and right and to simultaneously find joy, I would find eating alone sad and a waste of an opportunity so I sacrifice a few extra calories in order to spend time with people I enjoy.
Don't worry, if you ever want to join me on one of my trips, you will find there are plenty of yummy foods out there that are not on my taboo list.
So rather than catch up on said work, I am going to do a quick blog to record this moment of my life and the energy I spend trying to be healthy. I hope I stick with these practices, it has been months so I am thinking they should be habits, no?
A couple of shoutouts first:
1) To Amanda for sending me a link to greensmoothiegirl.
2) To my co-worker Jude who has made needing to eat healthy a group event
3) To my friend Tiff for mocking the sprout sandwich I pinned. And other yummy treats on my pinterest boards.
Here are my current practices, I would love for feedback if you think these are bad things:
1) NO SUGAR. Seriously. If I pick up a bag of almonds and it has sugar, corn syrup, or aspartame, I skip it. This is the top one because I notice that after awhile, I no longer crave it. One bite and all the memories of desserts on the road come flooding into my brain and I can. Not. Resist. So sadly and tragically, no sugar.
2) No refined flour. This one is almost moot because hardly any flour-based products are sugar free. However, pasta and other non-complex flour items are on my no-no list.
3) Get Naked at Starbucks. Naked Juice makes some incredible smoothies that are comprised of healthy ingredients, they have a variety of flavors at almost every Starbucks. I probably eat 2 green smoothies a day while traveling, sometimes I get stuck with the fruit-only ones which are highly tasty. They are $4.31 each, but if you compare that with an average breakfast, lunch, or dinner price, that is pretty steenking cheap. I should buy stock in Naked Juice. PS Berry Veggie is gross, all other flavors are rockin.
4) Take the stairs. Everywhere. If there are one hundred stairs in the subway right next to an extremely steep escalator, I take them anyway. There are so few opportunities to take stairs that you should do it when you can. I sometimes request a high floor in a hotel if I know I have a few extra minutes to get out the door and back in at night and then I take the stairs. Not convenient for 6 hour hotel stays. Alternatively this section could be entitled "Dance as long as you can" but not everyone likes dancing and it may disturb you to know I dance in the bathroom, in front of the TV, and out with colleagues a few times a year if possible. It is way more fun than stairs.
5) Preparation for potential exercise. I always pack a sports bra and an extra pair of workout underwear. Then if an opportunity presents itself, I put in a DVD or youtube vids and get jiggy with zumba or Tracy. I have found that packing tennis shoes takes up space and then makes me regret that I couldn't commit to leaving my room. But in my room if I say "okay just five minutes" then even while exhausted I can come up with something in my stockinged feet.
6) Drink herbal tea Hardly any hotels carry them in the room so if I do find one, I raid the supply and take it with me. I like a peppermint for the morning and a chamomile for evening. These energize and relax me alternatively and fill me up with necessary liquids. Plus I can hang out at the coffee/dessert crowd and feel like I am partaking without filling my body with sugars and well, you already know I don't do coffee.
5) Scout out room service healthy options immediately. When I get into my hotel room, I look at all the options and tell myself how unhealthy they are and then pick something relatively harmless. Then, if I do get a temptation to eat, I have already selected the healthiest item and don't slip back to a bad choice. Most hotels have some kind of yogurt thing or a tomato salad. I don't usually order them, but it is a safe guard to pick right away and then be prepared if you give in to the call of the brownie with ice cream and chocolate sauce.
These may seem like simple things or maybe stuff you have always done, but I have struggled with weight gain and I finally, finally have brought myself to a place where not only do I not gain, but I often lose a pound or two if I am away for a long time.
If I had better self-control I would add one more thing to my repetoire:
Eat alone. When I eat alone, I eat less and I pick healthier items. However, since the purpose of life is to be good and right and to simultaneously find joy, I would find eating alone sad and a waste of an opportunity so I sacrifice a few extra calories in order to spend time with people I enjoy.
Don't worry, if you ever want to join me on one of my trips, you will find there are plenty of yummy foods out there that are not on my taboo list.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Why I Love Halloween
I never was allowed to Trick-or-Treat as a kid. My parents did not like the concept of sugar, I grew up in a small mountain town where it was a pain to go house-to-house, and I think my parents used the excuse that people were tampering with candy and putting razor blades in apples. Considering I was highly unmonitored as a child, the last excuse seems particularly flimsy.
Regardless of the reason, I have never actually gone door-to-door as a kid and as a result saw no point in dressing up and someone sadly, I do not recall a single costume I wore as a child. Not one.
As a teacher I did dress in various historical costumes to play along. I dressed as Rosie the Riveter, Lara Croft, Marie Antoinette, and a handful of others but I just never really liked dressing up.
My children have changed my mind on Halloween for the following reasons:
1) Bridget has alerted me to the joy that can be had in costume construction and the fun in planning elaborate schemes for dressing up. Each year we go to the fabric store, look over the patterns, check out beautiful fabrics, and spend way too much money sewing something that a small child in Asia could make for 1/18th the price. But we have such a fun time with the project, sitting together in the living room and talking while measuring, stitching and then using the seam ripper because I sewed something backwards, and then restitching. This year it was the Red Queen:
2) Trick-or-Treat? FUN. It isn't about candy for me, it is about walking around your neighborhood and seeing people you love! Gillian took Meg's hand and "trained" her on how to Trick-or-Treat. They held hands, they ran together, and in general there was glee abounding.
3) Even my son, who like his mother does not enjoy dressing up, gets into the craftiness of it all and we were able to construct a hat together. Great geometric thinking came with it, we talked through the two dimension turning into the 3, we calculated diameter, and problem-solved together in generating this velvet top hat. He of course refused to turn it to the side so the ribbon would be properly viewed.
I never wanted to have a bunch of kids, but days like Halloween I reflect and wonder how sad it would be to live a life childless. The wonders of surburbia could never be unearthed.
4.
Regardless of the reason, I have never actually gone door-to-door as a kid and as a result saw no point in dressing up and someone sadly, I do not recall a single costume I wore as a child. Not one.
As a teacher I did dress in various historical costumes to play along. I dressed as Rosie the Riveter, Lara Croft, Marie Antoinette, and a handful of others but I just never really liked dressing up.
My children have changed my mind on Halloween for the following reasons:
1) Bridget has alerted me to the joy that can be had in costume construction and the fun in planning elaborate schemes for dressing up. Each year we go to the fabric store, look over the patterns, check out beautiful fabrics, and spend way too much money sewing something that a small child in Asia could make for 1/18th the price. But we have such a fun time with the project, sitting together in the living room and talking while measuring, stitching and then using the seam ripper because I sewed something backwards, and then restitching. This year it was the Red Queen:
2) Trick-or-Treat? FUN. It isn't about candy for me, it is about walking around your neighborhood and seeing people you love! Gillian took Meg's hand and "trained" her on how to Trick-or-Treat. They held hands, they ran together, and in general there was glee abounding.
3) Even my son, who like his mother does not enjoy dressing up, gets into the craftiness of it all and we were able to construct a hat together. Great geometric thinking came with it, we talked through the two dimension turning into the 3, we calculated diameter, and problem-solved together in generating this velvet top hat. He of course refused to turn it to the side so the ribbon would be properly viewed.
I never wanted to have a bunch of kids, but days like Halloween I reflect and wonder how sad it would be to live a life childless. The wonders of surburbia could never be unearthed.
4.
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