Why I Hike

     Three years! Three years ago on this day I had my back surgery. It changed my life.

 

      Three years may have passed but I can distinctly remember the pain, the inability to move, curling up in a ball, the attempts at relief, the feelings of isolation, the fear, how the nerves screamed out any time I took a step or tried to move. I remember the hours of physical therapy, traction, my saving grace, the reason I was able to gain the strength to go to work. It was a battle those months leading up to surgery. There were many things I could not do for myself. There were things I could not do for my family. I remember. 

    The decision for surgery did not come easily. While the majority of those months were one step at a time and pain filled, I was seeing improvement at times. My diet changes had improved the inflammation. The therapy had allowed me to get up and go to work. The meds took off the edge, most days. Even so, every day was a struggle and as the days passed it was clear that this was not how I wanted to live my life. 

Some people ask me why I hike. It's complicated. The simplified answer is because I can. After my surgery, I vowed to never take my mobility for granted ever again. I decided to live life to the fullest. When an opportunity arises, I seize it. Europe? Absolutely. Those feelings of being trapped, unable to move. I could barely make it from the bed to the bathroom most days. So when offered to cross the ocean and explore, it was one that I could not turn down. Travel I must. It launched a new kind of exploration for me. When my daughter took a fascination with Broadway and musicals, we had to go. We had to see as many shows as we could. (Glad we did! We miss theatre.) There are things that I have done in the last 3 years that I probably would have found excuses for prior to my surgery. I'm frugal. I'm practical. I am still those things but they will no longer stand in my way of an adventure. Another big contributor to my not taking life for granted, is the loss of my sister in law. Cancer took her far too early, and it solidified in my heart and mind that we are not promised tomorrow. We must live today. So I do. I hike! I get outdoors! I say yes to nature and exploring the world. I seize the day. I marvel at each sunrise for it is a new day. I cherish each setting sun as it is another reminder of a day well lived. I find beauty in the smallest of things, for I don't want to take anything for granted. 

Today marks the anniversary of a surgery. But for me it is far more than that. It is the anniversary of getting my life back and putting me on the path of adventure. For that I am very grateful!

Loss of Consciousness

I am choosing to write the following more for myself than anything else.
I don't care if you read it too.
Some inquiring minds may want to know, but really I need to sort it out and document it for medical sake. Why not here?

Yesterday was normal enough. School. Tutoring. Home. The water was heating up on the stove, not yet a boil. I went to the bathroom. As I was leaving the bathroom, I paused and really looked at myself in the mirror. My lips were dry; cracking. I noted that I was probably dehydrated so I picked up the water bottle that was setting on the counter. There was only a couple of ounces left but it sounded like a good idea to finish it off. So I guzzled it down. Mistake number one, instantly I felt this pain in my stomach, it was weird like nothing I have ever felt before. A legitimate pain, for what, from what? From drinking water? It all happened rather quickly as the world blurred and I remember I needed to just brace myself and get through the pain. Kinda like a brain freeze when your drinking a slurpee too fast. The pain hits but it quickly passes. So I braced myself and tried to breathe through it but I felt really dizzy. I must have thought it would be a good idea to go sit down because I took a step, mistake number two.
The next thing I knew I was struggling to open my eyes. My kids were hunched down over me, calling my name. "Mom! Mom!" I caught a glimpse of their faces. "Mom, how many fingers am I holding up?" It was my son and I desperately wanted to respond, but I couldn't put my thoughts together. I would glance but was unable to put together a response. "Mom, how many fingers am I holding up?" I tried to concentrate. I tried to bring the light back into focus. I tried to answer the question. I took a breath and tried to put the pieces together. A few times I tried to say how many fingers there were but it didn't make sense. Why was I on the floor? Oh, yeah the water. The pain in my stomach. "Mom, how many fingers am I holding up?"
Things started clearing up a little. My mind regaining it's senses. "Three." I mumbled.
Relief on their faces. Words expressed I don't remember. I remember feeling like I needed to get up off the floor. To take a look at myself. The desire to put the pieces together. I stood up and stood in front of the mirror. Something was off. What was it? I put my hand to my face and instantly felt the pain. My nose,  ^&*t I must have hit my face as I fell. Then came the blood. Surprisingly, not pouring out of my nose. No not even a dribble. Yet, there it was collecting in the back of my throat. I coughed and spit into the toilet. The brightest red blood. Not good.
I wanted to lie down. I needed to lie down. The kids came and checked on me. What was it? What caused it? Was I hungry? The water was now boiling on the stove, so my daughter said she would make some pasta.
Things seemed so fuzzy. Confusing.
I called my husband, ER would say this was mistake number three as I should have called an ambulance. But in my defense I wasn't really thinking clearly. I remember sounding quiet and weak. He had just arrived back to his warehouse over an hour away after being gone on business for over two weeks. He assured me he was on his way home and asked me to call my mom or dad to have them check on me.
So I called. Dad answered and I tried my best to relay what happened and asked if one of them could come over to check on me because I wasn't sure if I was ok or not. He was sending my mom over. Thankfully they only live a couple miles away.
While I waited for her to arrive I tried to bring things into focus. My bedroom looked blurred around the edges. Like I could focus on one thing but everything around it was gray and black. Not great, I thought. My son has a sign on his door across the hall and I could see it. Even better I could read it. Well, that's good.
More blood. Then I noticed the shaking. Whole body tremors. Was I cold? Not really.
I laid there trying to relax. My daughter brought me a bowl of mac-n-cheese; gluten free. I love that girl. I ate. I winced. The chewing motion made my nose throb. But since I wasn't sure what caused the black out I forced myself to eat. If it was because the water hit my empty stomach then I better get something in my stomach. And my daughter made it. Mom arrived as I ate.
"How are you?" "What happened?" I told her I though I hit my face on the vanity when I passed out. I could see the concern on her face as she tried to figure out what to do. I told her I thought I should maybe get it checked out in case it was a concussion. Out came her phone and my daughters iPod as they google searched concussion. Hit your head. CHECK Do you feel: dizzy, confused, unable to focus? CHECK Any nausea? no Headache? CHECK Then my daughter read a line, if you hit your head and lose consciousness go to the ER immediately to get checked out. Loss of consciousness. CHECK. So it was decided to get checked out.
My daughter not wanting to get left behind, quickly changed. I took the last bit of my mac-n-cheese and prepared myself to stand up.
I still felt a little light headed. Not real steady but steady enough to walk on my own. I asked for my tennis shoes because I did not want to wrestle with the laces on my boots.
As we pulled out the driveway the discussion turned to where they should take me. Urgent Care is only 2 minutes from the house. Could they handle concussion? We decided to send my daughter in with the following statement, which I remember repeating it many times as she wanted to get it just right. "My mom passed out and hit her head. Can she be seen here at Urgent Care or should we take her to the ER?" She barely got it out as the lady quickly insisted I needed to go to the ER. So hospital it was.
By now the head ache was definitely present. It was more evident with each passing pothole.
The ER was empty. My admittance immediate. In the triage, my vitals quickly taken. She asked me a series of questions. Except when she asked for my height, I told her my birth date.  Oops. I know the difference. I was gently chastised for not calling an ambulance.  I remember thinking, hey, at least I didn't drive myself this time. Then the calls came over head, "Neuro to ER. Head trauma." As she took my vitals she explained things were going to happen pretty quick. That I was going to have a cat scan. Then a few other tests. As soon as she got the words out of her mouth, the tech arrived with the wheelchair and I was whisked away.
The CAT scan was pretty uneventful. The took a look in my brain to make sure there was no bleeding on the brain. As for my nose, no scan of that, but maybe I would came back later for one if the doctor or I thought it was necessary.
Wheeled back to ER and I had a bed all ready for me, with my mom and daughter waiting in it.
Then there was the EKG. More vitals.
The gown. The trip to the bathroom to pee in a couple. Except when I got there the seat was covered with blood and I refused to go in it. I was redirected down the hall. I walked. Alone. Slowly but steady. All to pee in a cup. I had my gown and my cords, yet I was still fully dressed from the waist down. It was all rather awkward. The fumbling. The peeing. The washing of my hands. Awkward. Yet there was the reassurance of the pull cord should I need assistance. Thankfully, I did not need assistance.
Back to the bed. More vitals. A visit from the doctor. A full recount of what happened. Apparently, my story jived with a certain medical condition in which the vagus nerve decides to freak out. Sending messages to your brain that causes it to go AWOL. Hence, the loss of consciousness. Most likely caused by dehydration. Then he checked my nose, deciding it wasn't broke because I did not scream in utter agony nor did I punch him in the face when he prodded it asking where the pain was. Instead, I winced and said, there, when he hit the spot. Of course there was a chance I had a small fracture that could be detected by CAT scan if I so chose to go that route. But it did not look serious to him so it was completely my choice on whether or not to proceed with that. Even though honestly, there is not much that would be done, except let time heal it. Hmmm..let me think. Nope. Don't think I want another scan then. The verdict: I am a low risk person, so he did not think it was going to be anything serious. Get rehydrated by IV with a liter of fluids and take a Tylenol.
Tylenol, God bless the Tylenol. They offered something stronger if I thought I would need it but by this point, my mind was functioning again so I kept with the Tylenol.
It felt good to be returning to normal. The blurry vision was gone. The head ache significantly dulled. The nose? Still ouchy but not uncomfortably so.
I took a picture and posted to facebook.

Hubby arrived. WELCOME HOME HUBBY! Not really what I had planned for his homecoming.
Mom and daughter went home.
And we settled in to hurry up and wait.
It took a long time until someone came in to do the IV. When they finally did, my veins were showing signs of the dehydration as they were having a hard time finding a vein. Attempt number one was a fail. Darn it! So my nurse came in and she put the tourniquet on. Why do they have to be so pinchy? She didn't find a vein she felt confident about. Time to call in the vein whisperer. He came in and whispered to my veins, really he did. At first he did not see anything he liked so he switched to the other arm, as the previous ladies had done. He thumped and pumped and finally found one he thought he could work with. He got it! (You should totally read that in the same voice as the announcer for MSU basketball.) Woo hoo! Drip drip drip.
The CAT scan came back good. The blood work came back good. Besides my nose, all was good.
40 minutes later, we were on our way.

When I got home I checked in with my boy. He had been a little shaken by the event and he helped me piece together a few missing pieces. When I did a reenactment for my hubby, my son stopped me. "No! That is not what happened. We heard the huge thump and ran out. You were lying face down!" I had thought I hit my head on the counter and rolled off it to land on my back as my first recollection was face up.  As it turns out I probably did a full frontal face plant. OUCH! No wonder my nose hurts.

 This morning I woke up with lesson plans on my mind. I was having an internal war with myself. Go to work? You probably shouldn't. But I don't want to let my kids down. Your kids deserve the best you, not a tired, confused you. Even though I do feel much better I know my head is still recovering. Do I call in? I probably should. What about....? Ah, the torment. Yet I knew that a day of rest and hydration is really what I needed.
So a day of rest is what I chose. It was the best choice. For me and my students.
I sent off a quick lesson plan for my sub. Checked in with my boss, who was relieved I was staying home to rest. She thought I may try to be stubborn and come in anyways. ME!??

Destined to a day of rest I checked in on facebook and received the well wishes of my friends and loved ones. Thank you everyone for the support!  While the boys slept, I decided to watch The Fault in Our Stars. When I told my girlfriend my plan, she said, "I'm not sure crying will help with the dehydration." Muwahaha. I must still be a little dehydrated because while I cried, I did not have the overwhelming flood one might expect. Time to drink another Gatorade. 




As it stands now, I have a minor black eye.

I have some swelling and a dull head ache. I also have an afternoon appointment with the chiropractor. I felt it was best to get checked out to make sure all was well. I did fall on my face and experience some head trauma after all.

Now, I think it's time for a nap. May sleep be the only loss of consciousness I experience from this day forward.

How Granola Are You?

Many years ago when my children were still babies, I was told I was granola crunchy. Which according to the Urban Dictionary means; crunchy granola Noun. A person who is lives in a healthy, green, vegetarian way. This person often supports Greenpeace and other such environmental and anti-war groups.
Now at the time I was in no way a true granola crunchy, I considered myself more...oatmeal. I had home births, I breast-fed my babies and I was moving in a direction of healthy living for me and my children. But Greenpeace, anti-war...not so much.
This morning I was pondering where I was on the scale; was I moving towards frosted flakes or more toward granola. Since there are no guidelines and the definition of crunchy granola is ever changing, I decided to set up a little survey to gauge us all. Its a simple little test really. With point values...so keep track.
Choose one for each category or skip to the next if it does not apply. Men feel free to count your household choices on the ones that apply to women. If multiple choices are true for you, choose the highest point value for that topic. Here goes...
If you...

Had a natural childbirth in the hospital (+1) gave birth in a birth center (+2) at home (+3)

Breast-fed your baby (+1) 6 months or more (+2) a year or more (+3) a potty trained child (+4)

Used cloth diapers (+1) Until the child was potty trained (+2) Carried around a potty to train your infant (under a year old) (+3)

Carried your babies around with a sling or carrier (+1) toddler (+2)

Co-sleep during infancy (+1) as a toddler (+2) Can't remember the last time you had no children in your bed (+3)

Made your own baby food (+1) Never bought store baby food (+2)

Chose not to circumcise your son (+2)

Use a DO rather than a MD (+1) Chose not to vaccinate (+2)

Use herbals for most medical issues (+1)

Are a Vegetarian (+1) Vegan (+2) Eat only raw uncooked foods (+3)

Garden (+1) Organic gardener (+2) Eat only food that does not come from a super market (+3)

Have a specialized diet for at least one member of your household i.e gluten-free (+1)

Make your own bread (+1) Make your own granola (+2)

Can your own produce (+1) 3 or more varieties (+2)

Buy organic food (+1) Exclusively organic (+2)

Sew or knit clothes for your family (+1)

Recycle (+1) Conscientious cut down on household trash (+2)

Used alternative fuel ie. vegetable oil (+1)

Compost (+1) Vermiculture (+2)

Raise chickens (+1) Free range chickens (+2)

Raise livestock (+1) organically or hormone free (+2)

Have a beehive (+1)

Bring your own bags to the grocery store (+1) Make your own bags to take to the grocery store (+2)

Make your own laundry soap (+1) Make all household cleaning products (+2)

Have participated in an earth day clean-up (+1) Pick-up litter not on earth day (+2)

Are a member of wild life association (+1)

Are a member of La Leche League (+1)

Written your congressman (+1) Attended a Tea Party or other public demonstration (+2)

Home school (+1) Charlotte Mason Sytle (+2) Unschool (+3)

Prefer to be barefoot (+1)

Laughed your way through this survey because it was all to familiar (+1)

So...How granola are you?
Out of possible 61 points
0-5 Fruit Loops
6-10 Frosted Flakes
11-20 Cheerios
21-30 Oatmeal
31-40 Granola
41-50 Granola Crunchy
51+ You are the crunchiest granola ever

HAPPY EARTH DAY EVERY ONE!!!
Post your results in the comments.

A Month in a Moment

Oh. My. Goodness!
I never thought I would see the day that I did not blog for a MONTH. Yet that is precisely what has happened.
So lets see, what have we been up to for a month?

Jan 5- We went back to the books after a nice winter break. I have been absolutely AMAZED at how the kids are thriving in their school work. Little girl went from sounding out simple three letter words to reading 30-60 page books seemingly overnight. Her love of words has paid off as she is able to decode words that have not been introduced and has memorized nearly 100 sight words that don't follow the normal phonics pattern. Amazing I tell ya.
Since the kids are plugging away without too much struggle we will actually finish school EARLY this year. It is rather exciting. Last year I was debating not finishing our curriculum and this year I don't even have to worry about it.

Jan 8- After a few days of getting back into the gym to workout I had a heart episode. I was getting off the treadmill when my heart started acting crazy, I felt light headed and like I was going to pass out or throw up. I got to my husbands treadmill; leaning against it for about 10-15 minutes until I felt better. It was all very odd. I did not think too much of it , mostly that I had overdid the workout. That was until a family member also had heart issues and urged me to get mine checked out. After an EKG, stress test and echo, I am assured that all is well with my heart. I can workout but must watch my heart rate not letting it get over 160.

Jan-16 The kids and I went to Twistars gymnastics for an open gym. It was a blast. I was flipping on the trampoline. The kids loved jumping into the pit of foam. The boy was able to finally take his grandpas challenge of climbing a rope all the way to the top. I would venture to guess it was about 30ft up and HE DID IT! He also learned a few moves of the bars and rings.

Jan 18- My husband, son and I took place in the Greater Lansing Church of Christ food drop. Beginning this fall church leaders from 30 of our area met together with Mayor Virg Benero regarding Lansing's needs. With economy of the decline and area food banks shelves dwindling the leaders decided it was time to take action. On Christmas Eve the churches took up an offering that was 100% for the food banks, raising $111,000, far exceeding the original goal of $40,000. On the 18th all the churches met together, celebrated with a rally, praise and prayer. Then went out into the community delivering 2,000 food boxes. Feeding the hungry. The boy and I were part of unloading the big moving trucks full of boxes of food. Hubby helped direct traffic to keep the cars coming for boxes moving smoothly. After our truck was unloaded, Two friends, the boy and I went out into the community and delivered 4 boxes ourselves. An incredible moment. Churches of every race and denomination coming TOGETHER. Beautiful.

Jan 20- We took the day off of school and camped ourselves out in front of the TV to watch Inauguration 2009. What a historic day! I was moved by President Obamas speech and look forward with great expectation to the positive change that can happen. And while we still have farther to go as a nation, seeing our first African American president did my heart good. "The God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."

Jan 23- Netflix met Xbox Liv. Since we dropped our cable a few months back it has been wonderful having so many movies and TV shows for instant viewing. :)

Jan 30- Enrichment Day is back. For the next 10 weeks we will be meeting with 15 other homeschooling families in a co-op focusing on Character, Art and Literature and Gym. I am once again teh gym teacher and am super excited about so new games I have learned. Paramedic. Treasure. Four Corners. Soup. It is going to be so much fun these next 8 weeks that remain.

Feb 3- I hid the video game remotes in our house as I (and the kids) were spending entire too much time playing games. And not enough time cleaning the house and focusing on my responsibilities. I am slowly getting back into a place of obedience and discipline. If that means hidding the remotes, so be it.

Feb 5- For the last couple of weeks we have been studying birds. Beaks, flight, feathers, migration, different species, etc. On the 5th I got together the book called Beaks and various kitchen tools that represent beaks in nature. Pecking,(fingers) stabbing, (skewers) hooked, (can opener) crushing, (nut cracker)and others. We met up with another family and had an impromptu discussion on beaks at Fenner Nature center. Where we read the book, did hands-on with the different tools and observed birds at the bird feeder. Cool stuff. Then as we were discussing crossbills(knife sharpener) the director came out all excited as we currently have crossbills in our area when we never have before. Apparently Canada is having a shortage of pine cones this year so the birds have come down to munch on ours. With that knowledge we went out on a hike in search of the white winged crossbill. Then went driving through Mt Hope Cemetery where they have been spotted. We did not see any but it sparked something in each of us. a new love and respect for birds.
In the evening we went to our first ever Audubon Society meeting and ended up joining. While the topic was some what depressing; Botulism in Great Lake Birds. It was rather fascinating.
As I have mentioned in the past my love for nature. I have a passion for seeing others out and enjoying it. I sense that we will be getting more heavily involved as well as encouraging others to join us.

Feb 7- I have started a new resolve to lose weight. As I have been exploring my heath and issues I am having it appears that my thyroid is out of whack due to gaining weight. So if it means losing 15-20 pounds to be healthy. This is what I am doing. Eating right, exercise and refocusing my relationship with Christ. It should be an interesting journey.

Today- Today is a new day. The blog is up to date and perhaps I will be more diligent in the coming days.

God bless!

The Effects of Nature

As a kid I lived outside. I could orient myself and tell time by the sun. My favorite place to be was up in a tree. I felt safe, secure and happy in a tree. The higher the better as I could see more of our world from the perch in my back yard. I am extremely fortunate in the fact that I was born into a family that frequently appreciated the outdoors. We camped at state parks, hiked trails at nature centers and explored different environments on a regular basis. I know I am a richer person because of it.
On my date with my Dad last night we went to see a lecture by Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder. I am so glad we went.
Our nation is in desperate need of reconnecting with nature. Obesity is on the rise(even with organized sports) more kids than ever are on antidepressants and there is an alarming amount of kids that have been diagnosed with ADHD. I am talking about our children here. We live in a generation that would rather watch a program on TV about nature rather than be in nature experiencing it for themselves. We live in a generation that believes they know more than those who came before, yet they do not know true real life experiences. We are loosing our kids to technology and I think unless some very intentional things happen, nature will be lost to this generation and the ones that follow.
During the lecture the phrase 'in our schools' kept surfacing and research that had shown the effect on our kids when they encountered nature. . There have been studies that show kids who learn by natural light perform better than those who use artificial light. There have been studies that show kids who had one week of outdoor nature experiences scored better on tests. Those who walked in parks; were more relaxed, better focused and performed better on tests. Nature has had huge calming affect on those with ADHD and some studies show it should be included in ADHD therapy. To sum up the research, Kids are happier, healthier and smarter when they experience nature.
The phrase 'in our schools' stuck out to me for many reasons.
1. The schools are under restrictions and pressure. They often do not get the opportunity to get their kids truly outdoors as field trips require planning and funding. Their schedules are restricted to make more time prepping for standardized testing, meaning shorter recesses.
2. I see the effects in my nieces and nephews who are in the school.
3. I am not nor our my kids in the public school. So everything mentioned on the school front I automatically process through the mentality of how can this information be altered to benefit my homeschool.

So how can I take what was discussed and apply it to our home school? I believe I need to get back to nature. I no longer want to be content reading about it in a book. I want to go, explore and see if we can see it live. I want to include at least one half day a week of nature study. Going to different parks; watching the leaves change color and fall to the ground. Hiking trails. Getting knee deep in a pond with a skimming net. Tracking animals. Laying out under the stars. Seeking out different habitats and ecosystems. I want my kids to know how to fish. I want my kids to know how to hunt. I want them to know how to survive in the wild. And I truly believe to do this it will have to be intentional.

Yesterday before the lecture I was having a discussion with my son, age 7. He was asking where I was going to go with my dad. I told him about the author, the book and the authors views. We talked about our families take on TV, computer, books, education, exercise and nature. Then we discussed how other families do not get outside, that their kids are content to watch TV all day. It was about this point that he exclaimed "cool." I mean really doesn't it sound great to watch TV all day. So being ever wise, he proposed a social experiment. He would stay in his room for a week, not talk to anyone, nor go outside or interact with anything living. We talked about what variables would be part of "the experiment." Would my fish stay in my room? No, that would be considered nature. Oh and we should probably cover the window so you can't see outside. And your books, those should probably go to. And if we wanted to make this truly a technology verses nature experiment we should get rid of your toys for the week too. Just you, the TV and video games. Food would be delivered to your room and you could come out only to go to the bathroom.
Sound like a good plan....not to me! But he was all over it. He was ready to start that moment. But rather than a week he quickly decided that a day would be good. Somewhere in his brain he was already counting the cost and isolation for an extended period of time did not sound so pleasent. But a day off of school with the TV, this he thinks he could handle. All in the name of a social experiment.
We called dad for approval and it got pushed to the needs further discussion plate. After further discussion we stil don't know if we are going to let him try it. On one hand what damage could be done in 24 hours? What could be learned? Is it worth it?
Personally, I think he would happily kiss us good-bye. Shut the door and escape into TV oblivion. For about 2-3 hours, then I think he would venture out, just to see what we were doing. Or he would convince his siter to join him. I think he would grasp the concepts of isolation and the effects it has on a person. I think he may also try to play up the fun that video games and TV can offer. I think he would experience lonliness. I think he would want to be outside, especially if he could here others playing outside. I think the experiment has merit but can we achieve the same observations without having to experience it? What do you think?

There is definitely an interesting current and discussion of all things nature in our home this week. One I am glad to be reminded of. I homeschool for a reason. I am not stuck to a desk or a set format for the education of my children. Sometimes I need to be reminded that seat work is not were true education happens.

As Louv said, "Kids in nature are happier, healthier and smarter." Isn't that what every parent wants for our kids? If you do, get your kids outside today. A sense of wonder awaits them.

Oh and one last thing, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU READ LOUV'S BOOK. Last Child in the Woods.

Kids Triathlon 2008

The kids both decided to participate in the kid's triathlon not far from our house.
This is the start of the 7-10 year olds. My boy is red shirt, black pants with white stripe. He was the one of the youngest in this age group.

Running, .6 mile, he never gave up.

Starting off on the 2 mile bike ride.

Finishing the 75 yd swim. I love the smile on his face.

Little girl running...

Biking

And swimming.

Yeah!!! She did it!

Both kids with their medals.
The boy got a third place medal for his time of 23.41

Way to go kiddos. I am very proud of both of you!

Daily Plate

After being SO diligent during the month of January, I slowly stopped tracking on My Daily Plate. In February, I did track half-heartedly. Then I got bronchitis and workouts were more sporadic. ARGH! I have been floating around the same weight all of Feb and March. Give or take a pound, I have been at the same weight.
So Daily Plate, I am back. I am going to be as diligent during the month of April as I was during the beginning of the year. I have to be, the triathlon is 2 months from today.

OH YEAH...my sister won the weight loss challenge at her work yesterday. She has lost over 30 pounds since the beginning of the year. Conrats, sis! You rock.

Follow-up

Today the little girl and I go to see the Pediatric Urologist. Things seem to be back to normal but I want answers and knowledge should it ever happen again. In light of our day, today's quote of the day, fits perfectly.

Alfred Hitchcock

"The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder."

I do agree.

Update:
It appears little girls condition may have been a viral infection. Which is why meds did not help and nothing showed up on the ultrasound. She has fully recovered and chances of a reoccurance are slim. Very thankful for everyone's prayers.

Prayer for Little Girl

It's been a bit of a stressful week. I have not been blogging much lately and trust me it is not because there is not anything to talk about.
On Saturday we took little girl to Urgent Care and were told she had a UTI (urinary tract infection) We went to the pharmacy and started her on a course of antibiotic.
Tuesday there was no change in the frequency of her bathroom needs so we stopped in quick to the Urgent Care to see if the culture report came back. The doctor had said he was sending it in and they should know something Monday or Tuesday at the latest. The culture came back as no growth. Odd but ok. The doctor was curious about her blood sugar so they pricked her finger and the number was in the normal range.
Today I took her into the family doctor as there has been no change and was feeling concerned. The news NOT GOOD.
They decided that it was NOT a UTI. What it is? There are no definite answers yet. The top 4 things on their list:
1 Kidney Malformation or abnormality
2 Diabetes
3 Inappropriate touch
4 Brain Tumor

Let's just say any and all of these things make me shudder. To think that there is something wrong that will not be fixed with a simple prescription is frightening. I was ok with UTI, taking a 10 course of antibiotic and being all better. Thinking that it is more, makes me want to cry. I haven't yet, simply because I am trying to keep a clear mind and wait for true answers. And at the same time none of the 4 options given really make sense. How do any of these things just randomly show up? Her issue is frequent urination (every 3-10 minutes) She is in no pain. Anywhere, not her abdomen, not her head, nor her kidney region. She does not have a long list of symptoms, just one. Frequent urination. And now that we are just over a week of dealing with it she is emotionally frustrated. Who wouldn't be. We can not go anywhere without having to use their facilities (many times.) She says no one has touched her and I completely believe her. She hasn't been in any situations in the last 2 months were I could even concieve something happening to her. But she says no one has touched her and I have to believe her. After the stink she raised about getting her finger pricked the doctor said she was not the typical victim. She is one to speak her mind, LOUDLY, if necessary and would not let it go unnoticed. She communicates effectively and is private about private parts. She doesn't even like her brother to see her in her underwear. Having someone get close enough to even consider harming her, highly unlikely. And again the thought makes me shudder.

I really need prayers for little girl. We have a renal ultrasound on Monday to take a look at her kidneys. Pray that we find out what the issue is.

I am off now to Google frequent urination. There has to be other options to consider.

Secrets From My Food Diary

It's official, I have successfully logged every bite of food I have eaten for 31 days. The entire month of January. I started out writing in my notebook and tracking the basics, then on the 7th I found The Daily Plate(TDP) and kept at it electronically. At first I thought I would do it occasionally on TDP but found it rewarding and meaningful to keep at it. There are a lot of things you can tell about a person by reading their food diary. And lucky for you mine is public so you could read it for yourself if you so desired.
Here are a few secrets from January:
Guilty pleasure- Right Bites Chocolate Chip cookies (Keeblers 100 calorie snack packs)
I love the Hibachi Grill, we ate there twice. I had to enter it under a different restaurant to get it as close to possible.
I also ate at Subway 3 times. I don't consider this fast food. I did not eat what I would consider fast food (McDs or BK) at all. Yeah!
I have found I can eat the blandest of breakfast food with a glass of orange juice. I completely switched to healthy cereal (Go Lean by Kashi) and homemade oatmeal. I actually find them flavorful now at the end of the month. At the beginning, not so much.
I have reconnected with salads. Salad bags used to go bad before I even opened them. (Good intentions.) Now, I find I enjoy a salad every day or every other. I played around with making my own salad dressing but finally settled with Newmans Light honey mustard. Yum! I top my salads with a variety of things including, red peppers, carrots, almonds and rice noodles.
I get plenty of protein.
I get plenty of fiber.
Yogurt is a good safe snack. I stock my fridge with lots of different flavors. We try to have one a day. It has become the kids favorite snack.
I LOVE orange chicken. The sauce I make from scratch and it still has a lot of sodium. BUT my recipe is 2/3 less calories than my favorite at Applebees.
I have greatly improved by water intake but I still have some low intake days.
It also tells you about my fitness. What exercise I did for the day and how many calories I burned. Sometimes I remember to include the mileage. As for accurate swim, bike and run mileage check out the side bar.

• Swim- 3.13 miles
• Bike- 43.75 miles
• Run- 14.75 miles

Yesterday I swam half a mile. I believe this is my furthest distance during a workout to date. It felt really great. I see a much improved swim year for me this year. I also think I need to up my bike miles. I got the application in the mail for the family bike tour I want to do this summer. The first day is over 50 miles. So one day of biking is greater than my whole months total. I have to start somewhere.

There you have it some secrets from my food diary. There are many more I am sure but you will have to go discover them for yourself.

Health Challenge- Week Two

The Health Challenge is in full effect. With week one being drink 20 oz of water. The kids carried their water bottles with them and successfully drank their required amount on 6 out of the 7 days. One day of travel without their bottles meant unmeasured water consumption. I am really proud of them. They are really trying hard to meet the goals of each new challenge.
I am still stumped on rewards. But after reading the Reader's Digest article about bottled water, I think I am going to search out stainless steel water bottles (canteens.) This may be the small prize for week one. I am still debating, should it be one small prize each week or accumulate points towards a huge prize at the end? Care to share your thoughts?
This week's Health Challenge is Brush Brush Floss Wash.
The kids and myself will be required to brush teeth after breakfast and before bed. This will include flossing once daily. Right now brushing is sporadic. Some weeks they brush each night, then the next week brush only a couple times. And flossing is rare. I plan on making some posters during our school time to put up around the house to remind them to brush. After brushing and flossing, the kids are then required to wash their face. Simple enough. It is a task they both dislike and baulk at doing. They can go around with the dirtiest of faces and not care a bit. I am hoping to change this. By focusing on hygiene, I am hoping they will make the connection that proper hygiene is an important part of a healthy body and life.

Week One- Drink 20 oz of water
Week Two- Brush Brush Floss Wash

Return of the Puke Machine.

Friday night we went to the YMCA with our friends. The pool had an accident hours earlier so it was just coming off of a major chemical shock when we arrived. We swam for over an hour and then came home. Not long after returning home little girl was curled up in my lap as I talked to her dad on the phone. When I hung up the phone little girl says to me "My tunny doesn't feel good." One look at her face and we rushed to the bathroom. We made it to the bathroom but not quite the toilet. After, she felt much better, making me believe it might have been the chemicals in the pool as she did drink some of the water. We went to bed with little girl in my bed and the puke bowl next to the bed. Good thing, as it was used many , many times throughout the night. No fever, no diarrhea. By 3am she was done puking. She continued to wake up every few hours asking for a drink of water.
When we woke up I was faced with a dilemma, what to do with little girl. In fact I probably dreamed about the predicament for most of the night. You see, I had plans. The kids were to go to my SIL's while I went with my friend to meet her biological family for the first time. I knew my friend was counting on me to go with her as support. I also knew I did not want to take a sick kid to my SILs as she has a kid and is expecting. So (enter hero music) my parents agreed to take her. She laid low at their house while I did go with my friend. Which was a cool experience.
Afterward, the boy decided to spend the night with his cousin. Which I quickly agreed to, the less exposure to possible virus, the better. This also meant I could focus on little girl for the rest of the day. We read books, watched Noggin without interruptions, painted piggly wigglies, played the Care Bear board game and invited Grandma and Grandpa over for dinner. I tried to get her to take a nap in the afternoon but that never really happened. She did end up getting a low grade fever. It never went above 100.3. I am thankful the puking has ended. Still not sure if it was a bug or the effects of major chemical shock from the pool. Just glad things seem to be on the up.

Oh, and in other news I lost another 2 pounds. Which makes me half-way to my goal. If you scroll all the way to the bottom of the blog page it shows you where I am at in my weight loss goal. Woohoo!

Health Challenge- Week One

The health of my kids are important to me. I want them to know how to make good food choices. I want the to stay active and fit. I want them to live life hydrated, contrary to my perpetual state of dehydration. I want them to enjoy foods, love their fruits and vegetables and know the difference between foods that help them grow and those that don't. Beyond knowing that sugar is bad and avoid fast food. I want to them to understand and embrace what it means to live and be healthy in all their lifestyle choices. This is why I am starting a 8 week Health Challenge.
I have been reading, yet again, The Family Nutrition Book by William Sears. I first borrowed this book from the library when I was pregnant with my first, 7 years ago. I insisted I own it and received it for a Christmas present during my second trimester. I devoured it then and made some great early childhood choices for my kids and their nutrition. As time has passed, fast food and many processed foods have crept into our diets. Candies and sugar, convenience foods high in fats and hydrogenated oils. I know that I can make the change in our families eating habits. Already in the last 3 weeks we have improved so much. Thankfully the kids are embracing it.
So the Health Challenge. Each week I will choose and area of our health or fitness that we can improve. Something very specific. This week it is drinking water. My kids like water. Most of the time it is what they ask for but I am never sure if they are drinking enough. As I was reading about it I came across a couple guidelines. Infants should be drinking, 1 and a half ounces per pound of their body weight. A 20 pound baby should be drinking 30 ounces of fluids. Breast milk, water, up to 4 oz of 100% juice. Adults should drink half an ounce per pound of body weight. So a 150lb adult should drink around 75 ounces per day. This includes liquid in soups, fruits, beverages and of course the preferred WATER.
So the challenge to my kids this week is to drink a 20oz bottle of water every day. They have the entire day to drink it. Each day they if they complete the challenge they get a sticker. Seven stickers at the end of the week and they earn a prize. Yesterday they each drank their bottle with no problem. Ideally their water intake would be a little more than the 20 ounces but I felt this was a good start and know that they get other fluids by fruit, soups and some juice.

So there you have it. Week One's challenge- Drink 20 ounces of water each day.

Stay tuned to see how it goes and what's next in our families health challenge. Oh yeah, one more thing, if you don't already own the above mentioned book. You should! It is an excellent resource. At the very least go out to the library and borrow it, to see for yourself.

Children's Body Mass Index

Age: 6 years 9 months Sex: Boy Birth Date: April, 2001 Height: 4 feet 0 inch(es) Date of Measurement: January 16, 2008 Weight: 50 pounds Results Based on the height and weight entered, the BMI is 15.3, placing the BMI-for-age at the 44th percentile for boys aged 6 years 9 months. This child has a healthy weight. Age: 4 years 3 months Sex: Girl Birth Date: October, 2003 Height: 3 feet 6 inch(es) Date of Measurement: January 16, 2008 Weight: 37 pounds

Results Based on the height and weight entered, the BMI is 14.7, placing the BMI-for-age at the 32nd percentile for girls aged 4 years 3 months. This child has a healthy weight. I found this interesting site that figures out the Body Mass Index for children. Check it out! It also has helpful hints for encouraging health and fitness with our kids. http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/Calculator.aspx

My Daily Plate

This site requires a post of its own.
http://www.thedailyplate.com/

I am thoroughly enjoying this free site. It has such a large database for foods and their nutritional facts. Not only that but if you find they do not have a food that you eat, you can enter it in. Meaning, the data base is getting bigger everyday.
Already a couple of my friends have joined. If you do, please add me to your friends list. My user name is(bet you can guess) momteacherfriend.

Seriously, if you have made any sort of health goal for yourself this site will help you.
Let me know what you think.

Taking My Pulse

One full week! This week has flown by.
I weighed in this morning and... will keep reading and I will tell you later in the post how much I have lost.
I love having my water consumption and exercise miles on my side bar. It is very rewarding seeing them add up. 576 ounces of water in one week. I bet this is more than a months worth maybe even two months worth previously. So this is a HUGE improvement.
I made it into the gym 4 out of the 7 days. My first day back in the pool I was wearing my kids goggles. I had a goal of half a mile and I made it. But was constantly adjusting the goggles. Last night I borrowed my nephews goggles and swam the first 10 lengths without stopping. A huge improvement on last year. And made my goal of 1/4 mile. Running and biking have been good too.
The food journal: I have tracked every morsel that has entered my mouth. And since I am writing it down I have been thinking twice about what I let enter. Earlier in the week I was having a hard time finding nutrition facts on some things . So I ordered the Biggest Loser calorie counter book. Since then I have found a GREAT site. My Daily Plate at http://www.thedailyplate.com/
You can track your weight, find your caloric needs, journal foods and find nutrition facts for just about everything. And it's free. It also has a exercise section for figuring out calories burned. I am going to stick to my written journal for now and occasionally enter a day in on the daily plate.
One thing I AM going to do is keep journaling. I read an article about the number one indicator of weight loss. It is not food or exercise it is whether or not you keep a food dairy. I know it is keeping me accountable. That and it is helping me to see what I am not getting. Like enough red or green vegetables. I am able to clearly see how much of each food group I have eaten and because of it my diet is more well rounded. Whatever it is I am doing it is working. I have lost 9 pounds this week. One or two of this may be clothing as I was wearing a thick fleece at initial weigh in. But this morning I used what I will wear each time so that it will be consistent.
Oh, for those of you wondering about my kids and how they are taking the change. They are doing fabulously. They are at such a fun age of understanding. They want to eat healthy. They want to eat their fruits and vegetables. They are always asking if something is healthy. Yesterday they made their own fruit smoothies and loved them.They declared that they need to eat them more often. Still little girl will ask when we get to goto Mc Donalds. And I tell her not until February. Maybe by February it will not even sound good to me.If this is the case I will let her go with grandma.
Thanks Wendy for encouraging me to put my totals on the sidebar, it was a great idea.
Happy and Healthy week to all of you.

rav·en·ous

very eager or greedy for food, satisfaction, or gratification

I have a ravenous appetite tonight after working out. I had a 8 oz protein shake, a banana and raisin bread with butter. I feel like I could eat the whole pantry.

I have kept under 2000mg of sodium today. I am really surprised how much salt is in my food. 2 Tablespoons of Italian dressing has 525mg. The salad however had only 8mg. This is something I learned today; fruits and vegetables have little to no salt. Go figure.

Did You Know...

that if you put baby or mineral oil over a band-aid a few minutes prior to removing it will make it pain-free?

It really works I just tried it. No more ouchy removal.

Water Challenge

Remember 52 and 53 from this post?
I don't think I have learned my lesson.
When I workout I usually have a 32oz water bottle that I finish off before the end of my work out. Then the rest of the day I may consume 8oz, maybe. The reality I am still living life dehydrated. The sad thing is my body is so used to it, it thinks this is the way it is suppose to be. One reality for me is the fact that I rarely sweat. I am not saying this for the girl factor that "we don't sweat, we glisten." No I don't sweat. This is not good. As I have been training I am working out HARD. My body is heating up and not having a sufficient way to cool itself. I occasionally get a little sweaty, I have concluded that my body can only produce minimal amounts so it does so late in the workout to try and cool the brain and the heart. Enough about sweat.
The fact is I need to up my water intake. Previous attempts at this have failed. I fill up a glass and let it sit there, all day. My girlfriend shared with me what she has done in the past and it is totally working for me. The water challenge. To drink four 32oz containers of water a day. That is a gallon of water. Mind you I was previously drinking less than 40. How I do it. I set the timer on my watch to 2 hours and fill up one 32oz bottle. I have that two hour period to finish of the bottle. At the end of the two hours I fill it up again. And again. And again.
I am on day 4 of the water challenge. The previous three have been a complete success. What usually happens is I sip on it here and there and then about 15 minutes before the time is up I realize I have the whole thing to drink so I start chugging. The kids think it is hilarious and have taken to asking me how much time I have left and then tell me to "chug a lug." Yesterday it was even affective in getting the boy to complete a school assignment.
Now I am finding myself hydrated. I am also finding myself in the bathroom. I actually answered the phone yesterday and they asked "How are you doing?" general life question. My reply, "About to pee my pants." I better get used to it.

Real Age Update

On January 12th of this year I took the real age test and got a result of 24.6.
100 days later I took it again and found that although I am 3 months older, my real age has gone down to 24.2. A difference of -5.4 years.

How about you? Find out by taking the test here.