Children and obesity

I just watched a clip on the Today Show talking about the increase in obesity in our country. I find this fact rather upsetting especially because the rates of children that are obese is increasing also at a rate that should be disturbing to everyone. Children are at the mercy of their parents for their nutrition for most of their young lives. As parents, we must be concerned at this growing rate of unhealthy children. As many overweight people will tell you, once you are overweight it is very difficult to get the weight off. These children are being set up for a lifestyle that is unhealthy and negatively affects their self esteem. As many parents have busy schedules I know it is easier to pick up take out or buy something from the grocery store that just needs to be heated up. The question is, do you want to do what is easier or do what is right? Yes, taking the time to make a healthy dinner every night can be more time consuming but it just takes a little planning and you are setting the tone for the rest of your child's life. There are plenty of good websites out there now on healthy cooking and quick healthy recipes. Also, don't rely on your school to give your child a healthy hot lunch. Take a look at what they are eating and you may be unpleasantly surprised. Having them take their lunch from home is often the better choice. You can at least control somewhat what they are eating. This responsibility of feeding our children healthy meals must be taken seriously by parents or we are setting our children up for serious health issues and emotional challenges as they head into adult hood.

Summer time, fun or frustrating?

Kids are excited all over the U.S. as school gets out for the summer. They are looking forward to sleeping in, no homework, hanging out with their friends and just having fun! What are you looking forward to this summer? Are you excited or stressed out? For those of you who work outside the home, it means finding someone to watch your kids while you are working. For stay-at-home moms, it means finding ways to keep them entertained all day. Summer is here and your situation, whatever it may be, is what it is. Don't let it stress you out. Instead, decide you are going to enjoy your summer with your family and trust that the right opportunities will be presented to you. If you need someone to help watch your kids, ask friends if they know of anyone. There are certainly people out there looking for a little extra income. If you aren't in a position to pay someone, what can you offer in return? Be creative and brainstorm. If you are just trying to keep them entertained, sit down with your kids and ask them what they want to do. You may be surprised at some of the simple and easy ideas they have. What do you want to do for fun this summer? How about just exploring the city you live in? There are many museums and attractions that are free. Have a garage sale to make a few bucks and spend it on something fun! Create something new out of something old with paint or decoration. Give everyone "their day" a day to do what they want, and that includes you. Decide to have a great, memorable summer and just do it!

Credit card companies out of control!

When will someone step in and start slapping the hands of the credit card companies that have yet to take their hand out of the cookie jar? How can they continue to get away with the ridiculously high interest rates, late fees, annual fees and over the limit fees? Many consumers are in a place right now where they need the credit card companies to act responsibly and start helping consumers get through this economy. I myself have called my credit card companies to ask them to lower my interest rates so I can lower some monthly payments right now. Instead of helping consumers so they can continue to make payments, they punish them by increasing fees and interest rates. How does this make sense? If someone is already having problems making a monthly payment how does it help to do nothing or increase their payment? If credit card companies were smart they would start lowering the interest rates, give consumers a month or two of no payments and work out a payment plan that works for the consumer. Isn't is better to get paid in the long run in full rather than not get paid at all? This is a premium opportunity for a few credit card companies to rise to the occasion and be the hero. It would be nice to see a credit card company separate them selves from the pack and have the guts to step forward and say "We are putting our clients first." Let's see if any of the companies out there have the guts to be innovative and rise above the vulture mentality of most credit card companies!

Are You a Bad Mom?

We all have those days when we secretly wish we weren't a mom today. It's okay, I just said it for all of us and we all say it and it doesn't mean you're a bad mom. We all have those days when, as a friend of mine says, we want to smack our kids into next week! It doesn't mean you don't love your kids anymore, but it is okay to not like them for the moment. Maybe you are just having a tough day or maybe your kids are just being brats, either way, know it is okay to secretly wish you were not a mom today. I know moms who have a lot of these moments. Some simply seem to be able to cope with more chaos, more messes and more yelling than others. God bless them. I am not in that group. I am the first one to say that I am not a not a multiple child person. I can handle two. I can handle my son and one friend. That is it. If there are more kids, I require more parents. It is just how I am built. I am amazed at my friends that can have a house full of kids running around and not blink an eye. I love them for that as my son is often one of those kids. I do my best to have my share of play dates but I have to work it around my work schedule as I have a home office. I can honestly say that I am not a big fan of play dates either as I have enough things in my life to plan let alone my son's social life. I just like to let things happen naturally like when I was a kid. Back then, a friend stopped by and asked "Do you want to play?" and off we went. What happened to that? I would like to know who started play dates! Oh well, off to run my son to practice as it is now time to put my chauffeur hat on. That is a whole separate blog!

Life is ?????

Life is ???? How would you finish that sentence? Life is hard. Life is fun. Life is not fair. Life is an adventure. How you finish that sentence says quite a bit about your current emotional state. It may also give you a clue as to why you are feeling the way you are right now. If someone asked you to finish that sentence right now what would you say? This could be one of those "aha moments" for you. If your sentence would be "Life is hard" do you think you might be creating a life that is harder than it needs to be? If your sentence is "Life is not fair" do you seem to get into situations where the outcome doesn't seem fair? How about if your sentence is "Life is fun", do you think you might be enjoying your life? Try this, just for fun, say Life is _____. Fill in the blank with a few different words, both positive and negative. How do you feel when you finish the sentence with a positive word versus a negative word? I feel a difference, do you? If you initially finished that sentence with a negative word, come up with a positive word, one that you believe. Write it down and start saying your new "Life is" sentence every day. See if things in your life start to change, especially your outlook on life. If you initially finished that sentence with a positive word than good for you!!! Write it down and start saying it every day. It is a great way to start and finish your day. Have a great day because Life is Amazing!!!

Just Walk Away

As I am now older and wiser I have found great benefit in just "walking away." There are those rare times when I get frustrated with my children, husband or work and I have come to find I can calm myself fairly quickly if I just walk away for a few minutes. I don't walk away in a huff or with an attitude. I simply say " I need to walk away for a moment, but I will be back." I find a place where I can be alone for a few minutes or five minutes if I really need it. I breathe, I talk to myself and I see the situation resolving in a way that is positive for all involved. When I return to my son, husband or work, I find I am in a calm state of mind which is conducive to a positive resolution. Physically walking away from the tense or frustrating situation releases stress for me. Removing myself changes my energy just long enough that I can clear my head. I always go back and my family knows I will come back to talk through a situation or event that was frustrating for all involved. I don't walk away and leave something or someone hanging. My family knows that when mom walks away, they better do some thinking themselves because mom will be coming back and will want some intelligent discussion. I prefer not to react to a situation because I am caught up in the heat of the moment. Walking away has proved to be a stress reducer and creates an opportunity for good communication since everyone has had a few minutes to calm down and think clearly.

Ok ladies, this may not seem very "motherhoody" but really, anything that affects our families concerns us moms. So here are my thoughts on the current leader of our country. I speak my mind about this because, like you, we all want to preserve our American freedoms and want them to be there for our children.

Many people have the idea that Obama just needs time or that he really doesn't know what he's doing. Well of course he needs time (but be wary of what he intends to do with that time) and I think he knows exactly what he's doing. The question is do most Americans know what he's doing? Do they understand what he's actually trying to accomplish with his time? That's the scary part.

It appears as though he is aggressively laying the ground work and taking action that all smell very much like Socialism. Simple as that. So the "let's just give him time" mentality is a dangerous state of mind. Go with your instincts people. That feeling of uncertainty and apprehension about the choices our new leader is making are warning signs. Don't ignore them.

No country has ever risen to the greatness that The United States has, and that didn't happen by allowing the government to dictate how much or little income we make, what kind of health care we want, running the banking systems, penalizing us to death for creating our own success and on and on. We have the freedom here to fail or succeed of our own volition. That's the beauty of America.

The more we follow Obama down HIS chosen path for us, the fewer freedoms we will have to live our lives the way we choose - for those choices will be diminished from infinite to very finite.
I'm sure Obama is a wonderful human being. Not so sure that he's the right person to make America a greater version of itself.

There is a shift occurring - we must pay close attention.

Thanks,
Loree

Laugh Until You Cry

When is the last time you laughed so hard you cried? I just had one of those gut busting laughs a few days ago. It is amazing how good you feel when you just laugh! I have two or three of these "almost pee my pants" laughs every year. It is such a release that all I can do is just sit for a moment before I can even stand up again. I think we all need to laugh more, especially now, to just release the tension. I have a few emails I have kept for a long time that I look at every once in a while because they make me laugh. I have bought a couple of movies that I watch every few months because I know they are going to make me laugh. Just talking about things that have made you laugh in the past, can make you laugh again. I suggest you take some time every weekend to find or do things that make you laugh. I love to make my son laugh because when he laughs hard it makes me laugh, which makes him laugh, which makes me laugh and, you get the idea. As we all know, laughter is contagious so start laughing more - it is free and that is something we can all use right now!

Just Trying to Make a Phone Call

Making a phone call these days to a company to change information or simply ask a question has turned into a 20 minute ordeal. I just cringe every time I have to call a credit card company, insurance company or financial institution. I am sure they have a reason for using all the automated voice commands but it is extremely annoying. First, they keep talking when you just want to give your information, then they don't understand you, then you have to give your information again when you finally do get a live person - what is the point of giving it all in the beginning if you have to repeat your info again? I don't know about you but I am always pleasantly surprised when a real person is my first point of contact. My time is valuable and spending it talking to an automated person is not how I like to spend it. How about when you call and you spend 10 -15 minutes waiting and then you get disconnected? That can send you right into a tail spin! Then the poor person who ends up finally picking up the phone now is the recipient of both your initial problem and your phone call ordeal! Wouldn't it be nice if we could just go back to talking to a live person right off the bat? It would be much more pleasant and I wouldn't feel so much like just a number.

Guard Your Mind

Now more than ever, I think it is imperative to fill your mind with positive stuff. The news talks about how bad the economy is, people talk about how bad the housing market is, newspapers and magazines are flooded with "How to stay afloat" articles. I know you have heard this before but don't fall into the trap of the "self-fulfilling prophecy" and create a negative situation. We need to be diligent about our self talk and consciously fill our minds with positive thoughts. For example, if someone says to me "The economy is horrible and it is only going to get worse." I say "The economy is what it is and I choose to focus on all the wonderful things in my life right now." Stop the negative comments in their tracks so you don't get sucked into them. Read positive books, write down a few positive affirmations and say them every morning and every night. Relish in your family and the little things that bring joy to your life everyday. I am currently re-reading "Think and Grow Rich". This is a fabulous book that talks directly about how you think and how that affects everything in your life. Choose to be positive, choose to focus on the good things in your life right now. The economy, the housing, the job market is what it is - how you choose to be in relation to those things is up to you!!

Sitting in the Dark

I just recently made our move from Spokane to Phoenix. It was a whirlwind the past 3 weeks! Just a couple of days after we moved in, I had had my limit of "where is the..." or "do we have any ..." or "I can't find..."! My head was about to pop off and I just wanted to be left alone and have some quiet time. As it was time for my husband to put my son to bed, I noticed they were glued to the TV and no one was moving towards the bedroom. I decided I was not going to just leave them be and go take a bath. As I started to run the water, I decided I was going to try to be invisible. I was very quiet, shut my door, turned off all the lights in my room and bathroom and climbed into the tub. There I sat, in the dark, in a nice hot bathtub! The light from the stars and the moon gave me just a glimmer of light. It was quiet! I just sat there, not moving and taking deep, relaxing breaths. I don't think I have ever taken a bath in the dark but for some reason it was exactly what I needed to shut everything out and just be. It took my husband and son about 20 minutes to realize I was gone and then I could hear them looking for me. It was actually quite funny because they didn't come into my room as it was dark and I wasn't making a sound. Finally, I decided it was time to get out as I think they were starting to worry that I had wondered off somewhere. It was the most relaxing 20 minutes I have had in a long time.

I Don't Like You Anymore!

Remember when you were 10 years old and if you got upset you could just say "I don't like you anymore" and stomp off? Sometimes I wish I was 10 again when I am having one of those moments with my son. As with most kids, he can have melt downs over the smallest issues. Well, today was one of those days and I was just not in the mood to be "mom". All I wanted to do was turn to him and yell "I don't like you anymore" and stomp off. As I am not 10 anymore, my adult mind chimed in telling me that is really not acceptable since I am the parent. Standing there in my moment of indecision, I finally decided to do nothing. I just turned and walked away without saying a word. I was in the middle of drying his hair and I simply put the brush down, put the blow dryer down and said "I am done, go get your shoes on." I was very proud of myself as he was really pushing my buttons and I was getting very frustrated. There is always that half second when you can go from on the edge to being very upset or you can go to being calm. One of my Intentional Intentions this year is to not get sucked into his meltdowns and get upset but to be calm and find a way to work through these moments. I think the fact that I just walked away confused my son and he wasn't sure what just happened. He changed his attitude and came and told me he was sorry. I took this moment to talk about what happened and how it made both of us feel. We all have patterns of how we act in certain situations and we usually get the same outcome. I have decided to be conscious about my usual pattern when it comes to his meltdowns. Today I responded differently and received a different much better outcome. I might just be on to something here!

What must go?

As I get older, I seem to get more passionate about spending my time wisely. Things that seemed important last year, 5 years ago and even 10 years ago are less important or don't really matter at all anymore. I realize that spending 15 minutes answering my sons never ending questions is how I want to spend my time. Not spending those 15 minutes cleaning up the living room, not so important. I simply seem to truly understand that I get one chance to live every second of my life. I will never get that second back so if I can, I choose what feels best. Yes, sometimes I don't always get to choose what feels best. I do have to spend time paying the bills or working on the budget for a client but I am conscious about when I do those things. I make it a priority to spend time with my family in the evenings and on the weekends and do my best to work when they are not around or at least try to keep it between normal working hours. I am also very clear about things I simply don't like doing. I don't like cleaning my house, I would rather spend my time doing something I enjoy, so I pay someone else to clean my house. I also don't like doing laundry but my husband doesn't mind so he does the laundry. I enjoy keeping family journals, which is also a great way to record our life for my son, so I try to spend time each week writing. I have noticed that just saying "I have one chance to live this moment" makes a difference in the choices I make each day. If you need a powerful reminder of how precious your time is, try incorporating this sentence into your daily life.

Cleaning Out the Clutter

Five days ago I had no idea I would be moving. Now I have about 2 weeks to pack, try to get doctors appointments in, get my son into the new school and change addresses for everything under the sun. Life can certainly change fast. I have come to embrace these unexpected changes and look forward to the new adventures that come with change. Is it going to be a little chaotic the next two weeks? Of course, but everything that needs to get done will get done. One thing about moving is that it forces you to go through what you own and clean out the old stuff. Our first action step was going through the whole house and deciding what we didn't want to take with us. Then we put the items up on Craigslist and they all sold like hotcakes! It was fun to get all this cash within two days. I don't know what it is, but selling stuff is fun. It makes room for new things in your life and clears away the clutter. It is amazing how long we hold on to stuff. It is so much nicer to let go of our stuff and let someone else enjoy it. Almost everyone who came and picked up their new items were excited and thankful for the good deal. For me it is a good reminder to let go of things more often - both physically and emotionally. It is so easy to hold on to the old but holding on keeps the new things from entering your life. If you have a few minutes, look around and see what it is time to let go of and look forward to something new.

Who is my Battery Charger?

My sister has a saying that "As moms, we are the battery chargers". Everyone in the family comes to us to re-charge. We give them pep talks, tell them how wonderful they are, turn a bad mood into a good mood and give a positive spin to less than positive situation. Who, then, is our battery charger? Where do we go to get charged? If you are like me, sometimes it is a friend, your sister, your mom or sometimes it not a person but an activity or place. Once in a while though, I find myself in the position where I am spent. I have given all my good energy to the family and I don't have any left for myself. I don't want to talk to anybody else and I don't want to go anywhere or do anything. These times are particularly difficult as this is when I want to give up, go away for a month and just not be responsible for anyone or anything. I love my family but once in a while I dream of just being alone and irresponsible. These moments may not last very long but I do have them. As a mom, this then brings up feelings of guilt for being selfish. It can be an unpleasant circle. I find as I get older that I can work through these "give up" moments quicker and am not so hard on myself for having these feelings. After talking with friends and family, I have come to learn that I am certainly not alone and that I don't have to feel guilty about just wanting some space from my family sometimes. If you are having these "moments" also, just know you are not alone.

The Downward Spiral

I have to say, I am getting rather tired of hearing how bad things are and that they are going to get worse. Why is it people like to focus on what is wrong rather than what is right? Why can't we, as human beings, simply decide to focus on all the good things that are going on? Actually, we can. We just have to choose to think this way. I, for one, have made it my Intention this year to focus on the positive. I normally try to do this anyway, but now more then ever, I think it is imperative to shield myself from this downward spiral the media is focusing on. Yes, I know the economy is not quite what we would like it to be. Yes, I know the automotive industry is hanging on by its fingernails and yes, I know the housing industry is not the best it has ever been. I recognize and acknowledge these situations and choose to focus on the good in all of it. The down turn in the economy gives us all a chance to support each other however we can. The automotive industry has to take a good hard look at how they have been doing business and start taking responsibility for some bad decisions they have made. The housing industry means some of us simply have to stay put a little longer and those in trouble may need some help from friends and family. We also have to start making the lenders and brokers who were greedy start assisting the people they gave those loans to. I for one plan on having a wonderful, successful, prosperous year. The media doesn't get to decide what type of year I am going to have, I get to decide.

I don't have time to be sick!

I find it interesting that every year my son gets sick and my husband gets sick but I rarely even get the sniffles. I can't remember the last time I was really sick. My son gets sick because he is in school and the kids just keep passing the germs around. My husband on the other hand just hears that someone might be feeling sick and the next thing we know he has what they were talking about. I can still hug and kiss them, drink from the same glass, get breathed on by them and I remain as healthy as can be. I think it has to do with the fact that I am simply too busy to be sick. I also tell myself I feel great, even when I am not quite so great. I truly believe it is mind over matter. My husband is continually amazed that I manage to swim in germs and come out unscathed while someone can say the word "sick" and he comes down with something. It must be another one of my special mom skills. It goes along with being able to do about 5 things at once, know where every single thing has been left when it can't be found and being able to function on 4 hours of sleep. Well, someone is coughing and someone else is moaning so I guess that is my cue to administer the dosages, drug them into sleep and prepare for battle tomorrow.

New Year Transition

The holidays are over and it is time to take down the decorations, get the kids back to school and get back into your regular routine - whatever regular is. Do you feel a sense of relief? A little depressed? Or are you anxious about what this year will bring? I like to take some time during this transition from the old year to the new year to just think. I like to think about last year and write down my most memorable events. I write down a few things I accomplished that I am especially proud of, a few things that made me laugh, how I grew, what I learned and how I made my life and others lives better. I then take some time to think about my intentions for the upcoming year. Are there some specific goals I want to accomplish, some things I want to change about myself or things I am proud of that I don't want to change? I also re-visit goals that I am currently working on and adjust them as necessary. My New Year is a time for me to spend some quiet time with myself and just reflect on my life where it is at this moment. I give thanks for all the blessings in my life and thank God for all the blessings to come. Enjoy your New Year and where you are right now in your life!