From the Heart

Did you know that February, among other things, is American Heart Month? Did you also know that heart disease is the number one killer of women? It's a fairly available statistic, but I haven't really thought about it before.

I know that heart disease is present in my family medical history, as is diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, and I should probably be concerned about those things in my own health. I asked my doctor how I can avoid those health problems as I age, and I was a little shocked by his response. I was expecting a laundry list of supplements that I could take or a book I could read, but what he told me was this: Eat right and exercise.

Hm. Well, I knew that already. Thanks for the consultation.

Surely health isn't that simple. I mean, these are things we all do normally anyway, right? Right. I do eat fairly healthy and balanced meals. I also consume quite a bit of sugar and fat in between them. I would like to say that I go to cardio kickboxing class twice a week, walk the other days, and squeeze in a yoga workout every other day to unwind. Reality: These days, even though it is my favorite way to exercise, I make it to cardio maybe once week, and that is after I took a two month break during the holidays. The pace of my walking depends on the pace of my toddler, and well, yoga just isn't as beneficial when a two-year-old is jumping on your back while you're trying to push up into a cobra.

I do think that heart health is attainable, and it's one of those things that I can actually influence if I, well, TRY. There are so many diseases and conditions that just happen (if you want a list, watch House). If heart disease is avoidable by me taking control of my choices, don't I owe it to myself and to my family to not self-destruct? Especially if all that it takes is "eating right and exercising?" It's not always that basic, I know, and genes do play a role, but that seems like a fairly decent place to start.

So, I am happy to say that I started kickboxing again this weekend, and while I am quite sore I can already feel my heart beating with more strength. I have to admit that I was actually afraid to go back to class. Yes, part of that was the fear of passing out on the mat in the middle of the workout, but even more so was the fear that I had failed by missing two months of class. I was afraid to see my instructor, afraid that he might be upset with me for not making time to be there. I was afraid of his disappointment--I felt like I had been doing so well, and then I just stopped cold. When I walked into the studio Friday night, my instructor was sitting behind the desk as the previous class finished.

I swallowed hard, walked up to him, and said, "Can I come back?"

He said, "Sure."

Not, "well, I guess so," or "only if you promise not to fail this time."

Apparently, unlike me, he had spent a considerable amount of time NOT dwelling on my failure. I went to the mat, kicked and punched my way into breathlessness, and then went home. It was completely NOT the big deal I had imagined in the previous weeks, and I feel pretty foolish to have been so worried.

I can't believe that I would let my fear of failure and my totally unwarranted fear of judgment get in the way of my well-being. That's a perfectionist for you.

If you visit the AHA's Go Red for Women website, you will see a window on the right-hand side that says, "The Choice Is Yours." Under it is a list of heart-healthy choices. I've decided that for right now my choice is, "I choose to move, not sit."

What about you? What choices are you making? Is anything standing in the way of you acting on those choices?

I Am Woman, Hear Me...Whimper

I rarely EVER ask for help. That's not a bragging right, it's more a confession. Convincing myself and others that I can do it all is really not good for anyone. Especially me. I am not superwoman. There. I said it.

It's not good for my daughter to see me striving to do all and be all...what kind of precedent am I setting here? I want my kids to know that it's okay to ask for help. Or to accept help when it's offered.

A friend of mine recently offered to take my kids to the park to give me a little break for an hour or so. She had noticed how tired, stressed and generally underwhelmed I have been lately and generously offered her time in order to give me some time for myself. I was extremely reluctant to accept this help. Why? I guess I've fallen under the delusion that I can handle it all, all the time. I'm home with my kids all day and I'm used to doing everything with them in tow.

Everything except taking time for myself. Writing. Reflecting. Relaxing. Praying. Creating. Very little creativity happens for me if my kids are around. I just can't put my thoughts together enough to generate a creative work when I can hear my kids pounding around the house and yelling at each other. Not possible.

So I forced myself to accept my sweet friend's offer (fully intending to reciprocate somehow for her) and I am looking forward to a morning's hour alone. Wow! To be alone in my own home? I don't think that has happened on a weekday in years. I can't decide what to do first: take a quiet shower? A nap? Start working on character and setting for my currently very short work of fiction? Go for a jog? Make a fresh pot of coffee and surf the net? Clean the house? (probably not that one)...but the possibilities are dizzying!

Maybe I'll start with a shower, have a little chat with God, and then go from there...Thank you, God, for friends who help to brush aside the brambles that grow over this little light of mine. Amen.

Big Events

The past two weeks have been pretty exciting 'round here at the ol' Sebring domicile. Last week I decided that by God, Ethan was getting potty trained. I literally dragged him into the bathroom kicking and screaming several times. And I've read all the books and I know you're supposed to let them do it when they're ready and not punish them, blah blah blah, but my kid is stubborn. Obstinate to the core. So I had to punish him. I had to force the issue. I had to give him time-outs and pops on the hiney for not cooperating. When he did actually go pee in the potty, I made a huge deal. We did the dance of joy down the hallway. I gave him M&M's. I gave him stickers - one on each hand. I told everyone I've ever met. He is now going pretty regularly and even went in a PUBLIC RESTROOM at Animal Kingdom on Saturday. It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen. It's such a freeing feeling. Now, if I could just get him to stop pooping in his Pull-Ups...

Micah also had a big week. He walked! He had taken a couple of little steps, but last week he started taking 5-6 steps at a time. It helped to have his Grandma's cane to lure him. For some reason he loves that cane. He would rather walk to it than to his own mother. 

This week is birthday week. No, I did not intend to have 2 children within the same week (2 years apart, of course), but my anniversary is the end of May. Do the math. Micah's birthday was Tuesday. The whole fam-damily and some close friends came over for supper and cupcakes. Yesterday some friends met us at the train park for a picnic and more cupcakes. Today I'm taking in a special snack (Lightning McQueen fruit snacks, apple juice, and cookies) for Ethan's preschool class, and tomorrow night we are having another dinner with the family and close friends because it's Ethan's birthday. I am going to attempt to make Ethan a Thomas the Train cake. I will probably post pictures of this "cake wreck" next week. I am not crafty AT ALL (a quick confession: sometimes when I go to MOPS and I see the table set up for crafts, I break into a cold sweat and want to run away), but I'm going to try my best for my lil guy. I can't believe I planned all this partying so close together. This is compounded by the fact that Todd and I spent Sunday puking our guts up and then Monday recovering. I'm still not totally well, evidenced by the fact that I have had not one single cupcake. 

I realize that I'm rambling. That's probably because I made the coffee this morning and I always make it a little too strong. I just wanted to share with you the big events that have happened in my kids' lives since I last wrote. I can't believe that as of tomorrow, I have a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old. And that one of them is walking and one of them is going pee in the potty. Time sure does fly. Now, if any of you have any suggestions for getting them to poop in the potty...

City Slickers

Have you ever seen the movie City Slickers? It's an oldie with Billy Crystal in it from 1991. I love that movie. First of all, he is hilarious and the theme has recently struck a cord in me.

In a nut-shell, the movie is about a "mid-life crisis plagued man and his friends find renewal and purpose on a cattle driving vacation". When I first saw this movie, I was about 21 years old. It was kind of like I was watching a movie like Grumpy Old Men. These people were OLD and yet so funny still. Ha!

Now the joke is on me. I watched it recently for nostalgia's stake and lo and behold..... the main character turns..........

39
in the movie. Wait a minute. 39? That can't be.

I'M 39!

Oh, well. That's life. It's funny. You just think you'll never get old. But you do eventually if your blessed to. Well, I'm embracing my age/experience best I can. It's fun to talk about.

Have you ever watched a movie and felt old? Tell me about it....

Cake Wrecks....Motley Moms Style

Okay, so I don't really think these cakes are cake wrecks. I actually think they are pretty awesome, considering that middle and high school kids made them. I really love seeing stuff like this in real life, it inspires me to be more creative.

Last Friday, I took a 44 of my high school students to the Youth Fair to participate in Working Booths. While they were working away, I walked around and looked at the entries. The following cakes were made my middle and high school students. There were some pretty cute ones...take a look!

This was one of my very favorites, the Ferris Wheel Cake! You could even make the kids on the ferris wheel look like the ones you are serving.

A sunflower cake made with twinkies. Cute!

Probably not the colors I would choose but wow, working with fondant is hard!

This one won a tri-color (judge's choice) and how cute. Again, the fondant is pretty impressive.

Any ideas on what the theme is? Polka Dots? Targets? Circles? Modern Art?

How cute is this Pond cake? How did they ever think of this? It would be great for someone who loves fishing. You have to look closely, these are little moose. I like their hooves! And it was made by a boy and won a tri-color!

This one is just plain hilarious. The Mudding Cake. I think if you live around here you know (or know of) and adult who would like this cake. And, what dirt loving kid wouldn't love it? Heck, I love it. (For the record, I don't mud, either.)

And that just covers a few of the cakes that were entered. They have tons of categories for sewing, canning, crafts, and animals. I could have spent an hour in the rabbit barn, some of those were just too adorable!

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!

Alex loves Santa. When we were home for Christmas, we took him to see Santa at the Bass Pro shop three different times. We have three different photos from three different days with three different Santas. I think by next year he might pick up on that. Almost daily he is still asking me, where Santa is? What is Santa doing? Yesterday alone, we pretended to be helping Santa at the North Pole for over an hour. After thinking about Santa so much in January, I can't help but think of my friend Heather. She doesn't ever want to lie to her kids, so she has told them the truth about Santa. Then I began to realize how often I lie to my child.

Example One - the circle of life: I don't really want Alex to know that some animals eat other animals to survive. In fact, I try to gloss over the fact that we eat animals to survive. I'm happy that he hasn't realized that the chicken we eat is the same as chickens with feathers. I was raised on a farm, and my family hunts. I should be better at handling this. I just love animals so much that I don't like to think about it myself. I know that this is a very important concept in science, so I do want him to learn it, just not yet.

Example two - death and dying: For a long time, when we would see a dead little animal on the side of the road, I would say it was sleeping. He now knows that those animals are dead because it is a very bad idea to play in the street. I think I had to come clean on this issue when Tasha, his pet goldfish, bit the dust. Of course, Alex thinks she is in heaven with God. And why is Disney so set on showing this to our kids? Alex has never seen the beginning of Finding Nemo. At some point, he will be old enough to watch all of it, but then I am going to have to explain why his version was so different. Did you see the Friends when Phoebe saw the end of Old Yeller? It will probably be like that.

Example three - birds and bees: Picture us at the zoo. Mommy, why is the daddy panther being mean to the mommy panther? Sure, I could use this as a teachable moment, but he is four! Can't we put this talk off a little while longer?

Example four - childhood fears: Alex is afraid of Kermit the frog, and I don't know why. For several months, I have tried telling him that Kermit is a nice frog, but it is so sad that he can't ever visit us because he lives far, far away. This fear of Kermit keeps us up at night and causes all of us to loose sleep. I finally gave up and told him that Kermit won't go into his room because Kermit is afraid of Alex's nightlight. Would you believe it worked? Maybe it isn't technically a lie since Kermit may really be afraid of nightlights.

I would say I am an honest person, but maybe I am not. Do these things count as lies? I do try to tell him the truth whenever I can, but it is tricky. Where do you draw the line between pretending and imagination and false truths? Will he understand that I was trying to protect his innocence? Will he use this against me and lie all the time? Will all of this lying put me on the naughty list? I am sure the answers are not easy, so in the meantime, if you see me hanging from a telephone wire, would you please get me a ladder?

So I married a football fan...

Thanks to my Sunday post day here at Motley Moms I have the privilege of covering two very important days: Time Change Day and Superbowl Day. Well, it's not the day we change our clocks, so it must be game day! Yeah.

For those of you who might have missed it, I am from Kentucky. In case you didn't know, in Kentucky we are partial to a little game called "basketball." Traditionally, we're pretty darn good at it, too. Even during the years that our stats are a little low, we're still good at it, we're just having a re-organizing year. Now, some of you are thinking, she must be talking about the University of Kentucky, so why is she saying "we?" Well, basketball is such an institution in the Bluegrass State that our middle school and high school tournaments generate as much excitement as does March Madness. I was shocked when I moved to Florida and saw a high school "gym" for the first time--My elementary school court was bigger! Our high school gyms rival small universities here, and for important games they are probably better attended. To make a long point a little shorter, I grew up with basketball, and in my lifetime I have never really cared much for football.

So, I married a guy from Pittsburgh. They do like football there. Some people like it so much that they paint their team's insignia on the side of their houses. Today, the people of Pittsburgh are beside themselves with excitement, like true fans should be, as they wait to see if their beloved Steelers will bring home another championship. And tonight, the Superbowl will grace our television screen.

You're probably thinking that I'm going to say that since my husband and I got married over six years ago I have become a huge fan of football. Well, no, I have to admit that I still could care less about the sport (I can practically smell the rotten tomatoes some of you are getting ready to throw!) I'm still loyal to basketball, I have become a pretty big fan of curling over the years, and I love soccer, but football still escapes me. I don't get it, and really I don't feel like I need to. I wish the Steelers and their fans luck, I am happy for them, and I will watch them play, but honestly, I'm just not that into it.

So, in order to keep the peace in our household, I've had to come up with some reasons to get excited about game day. Here' s my list of things I think are "super" today:

1. Velveeta in its natural state kind of scares me, but when it's mixed with some Ro-Tel tomatoes it makes a yummy once-a-year dip.

2. Wilton makes cute little football sprinkles now. What's a football game without cute little cupcakes, right? ;)

3. We're all expected to eat a lot during the game, so any calories I consume probably don't count.

4. Two words: Puppy Bowl. My husband lets me flip to Animal Planet during the pre-game shows.

5. We get to watch the game with friends this year, and that makes anything more fun!

Have a happy game day, and do something you think is fun!