Springing It Up

Now that they are back to school, I can write about all the fun we had last week on Spring Break.  The girls did really well understanding that mommy still had to do her own schoolwork, even though they didn't have any to do.  We also got to fit some fun in. 

Monday, we headed for the Tacoma Children's Museum.  To my surprise, it was a rather nice day (forecast called for overcast and drizzly).  Monday's are member only days at the museum and after we waded through the sea of toddlers, the girls settled in to the "big kid" activities.  At lunch time we decided to walk down to the market and grab a sandwich -- it was too nice outside to not walk you know...   All in all, we had a great time playing. 

Tuesday, the girls let me get some homework done in the morning, followed by an afternoon of planting.  We picked up some tulips at the store and put them out on our porch to enjoy.  What's not to love about a splash of color?   Wednesday, we headed to the movies and saw The Lorax in 3D, their reward for letting me get some homework done in the morning. Our local movie theater does free 3D showings during the week and we took full advantage of it.  

Thursday was more homework for me and then we packed up to headed to my Grandma's house.  The other half of our spring break will be in another post, but suffice to say we had a great break and got to enjoy a lot of fun activities. 

Photo Friday

** Every Friday, I will post a picture from our life.... enjoy! **

Getting a free cookie at Publix, Jacksonville, Florida, July 2011

One of life's simplest pleasures is getting something for absolutely free.  Especially if that something is a cookie of your choice.  Publix always gives a free cookie to good boys and girls if you go over and ask nicely.  I introduced my girls to this small pleasure this past summer, but a funny thing happened: Holly didn't believe me.  Here's the conversation:

Me: Girls, I bet if you go over to the bakery and ask for a cookie with your best manners, they'll give you one. 

Sarah: SWEET!

Holly: No they won't.  Why would they do that?

M: Because, Holly, they reward manners that they see in good girls and boys. 

S: Yes they do Holly.  And I'm getting a cookie.

H: They Do NOT have FREE cookies just for asking nicely, mom. 

M: Fine, when you ask nicely for one and they give it to you, then you have to give it to me. 

H: Deal!  Because they don't do it. 

Of course, we go up to the bakery and they give the girls free cookies.  This picture was taken while Holly was saying "Mommy is right, Holly is wrong." 

52-Week Challenge: Week 14

Go Green!  No that's not a cheer for a team...  it's the theme for this week's healthy living challenge.   But first, how was last week for everyone?  Did you get your Wheaties in?  I did a pretty decent job at it.  I still can't eat as soon as I get out of bed -- momma NEEDS coffee first.  But I did get breakfast in by 9 am every morning.  Except for one... that was the one that Ronnie let me sleep in :)  So this week I will still be working on it.  I want to want to eat, but just don't know if I can be that person.  We shall see.  

This week the focus is on using greener products in our homes and lives.  The research is out there, so I'm not going to get all preachy on you here.  I'm just going to say there is a LOT of information available in my area because of our proximity to salmon breeding grounds and wetlands.  We have taken some steps to be greener, but mostly because they are also more cost effective than their chemical brothers.  Here is what we do:

Laundry:  I started using vinegar as a odor neutralizer a LONG time ago (anyone at Osan can attest to how strong the chlorine is at the pool).  But the great thing is vinegar is also a fantastic fabric softener.  Go figure!  Personally, I could never use normal fabric softeners because I'm allergic to the scent of the traditional ones and Holly is just plain allergic to it and their dryer sheet cousins.  So, fabric softeners have been out of our lives for many many years. Until I found the vinegar trick.  Next time you go to the store, go ahead and price out a gallon of vinegar versus a gallon of fabric softener. 

I also was inspired to make my own laundry soap.  Seemed pretty easy and very very cost effective.  Again, the green offshoot here is washing soda and Borax are very eco-friendly.  And I'm getting laundry soap at 10% of my original cost. 

Kitchen:  I switched to a earth friendly dish soap to replace my Dawn a few weeks ago.  I picked up a bottle from our local co-op for $2 (25 ounce bottle).  Big thing: I haven't noticed a HUGE difference between the two, plus my earth friendly one is lavender scented (heavenly!).   I did put it in my Dawn foaming bottle because I like the foam :) 

Now, I also changed out my dishwasher powder to a homemade version.  Again, it's all about economics for me: you mix Borax and washing soda with citric acid (ie unflavored lemonade).  My new powder does a FANTASTIC job and I use vinegar as a rinse aid.  

So those are a few of the things we are doing.  What can you do to go greener in your home?  Below, I'll post some more info where you can find more information. 


Other resources:

Make your own Homemade Solutions:  http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/homemade-solutions


The book we're following: http://www.amazon.com/52-Small-Changes-Healthier-ebook/dp/B0056J4ER0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1325722556&sr=1-1

Jenn's blog: http://thewoogies.blogspot.com/search/label/52%20Small%20Changes

Photo Friday

** Every Friday, I will post a picture from our life.... enjoy! **

Lounging on a Saturday morning with my Sarah, Wichita Falls, Texas, January 2007

Is there anything better than being lazy on a Saturday morning, staying in your jammies and watching cartoons?  Yes, it's when you get to pass on the tradition to your kids.

52-Week Challenge: Week 13

A quarter of the way through the year.  Can you believe it?  I can't believe it'll be April on Sunday.  Wow! 

This week's challenge is "Eat Your Wheaties."  I promise the whole thing about eating a healthy breakfast in the morning is not underwritten by the egg producers.  There is actual science that backs up the importance of eating breakfast in the morning.   Studies show that people who eat breakfast have more energy, better cognitive function and memory, and a lower BMI than those who skip breakfast.  Eating breakfast increases your metabolic speed.  Further, eating a well-balanced breakfast is instrumental in stabilizing blood sugar and combating fatigue.  More importantly, individuals who regularly skip breakfast have 4.5 times greater risk of becoming obese.  *shudder*.

Confession time.  I think everyone realizes that I am NOT a morning person.  I go straight for the coffee and don't think about eating breakfast until the fog lifts, which is normally around 9:30 or later.   I have an early morning exercise class twice a week and I do eat on those days before I leave the house.  But other days, like this morning, it didn't occur to me to eat until 10:15.  I have been trying to do better, so this challenge couldn't come at a better time. 

The key to a good breakfast is that it is well rounded; I don't have any problems there.  Ideally, you would like a lean protein coupled with high-fiber carbs.  My exercise morning breakfast is a piece of whole wheat toast topped with 1 Tbsp. natural peanut butter and banana slices, then I eat the rest of the banana on the side.  My non-exercise days, I normally go for Greek yogurt and a piece of fruit.  I also stock eggs, grits, oatmeal, and lots of fresh fruit.

Yes, Greek yogurt - it's all kinds of yumminess.  I prefer the Chobani brand and my favorite flavors are mango, pineapple, pomegranate, and lemon (try the lemon with some graham crackers - YUM MO!)  I also have the plain fat-free Greek yogurt in my fridge and I just found out that you can add one of those on-the-go flavorings for water to 3/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt (or plain regular) and you have insta-flavor!   

Obviously my problem isn't having something to eat, it's the remembering to eat it.  This week, I will focus on eating my breakfast at the same time that I eat on my workout days (around 8am).  It's going to be tough, but I'm putting a sticky note by the coffee cups to remind me ;)

So, eat your breakfast - get a great start to the day!

Other resources:

Healthy breakfast ideas: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/healthy-meals/breakfast-to-go-10000001047596/index.html

And another: http://www.cookinglight.com/food/quick-healthy/quick-breakfast-recipes-00412000070253/

Make-ahead frozen breakfast recipes: http://busycooks.about.com/od/breakfastmenus/a/Make-Ahead-Frozen-Breakfast-Recipes.htm
The book we're following: http://www.amazon.com/52-Small-Changes-Healthier-ebook/dp/B0056J4ER0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1325722556&sr=1-1

Jenn's blog: http://thewoogies.blogspot.com/search/label/52%20Small%20Changes

Photo Friday

** Every Friday, I will post a picture from our life.... enjoy! **

 

The girls at Everland, South Korea, April 2010

Korea is lovingly referred to as the land of the not quite right.  Everland is the largest theme park in South Korea and, conveniently for us, it was about an hour's drive from us. They have a little bit of everything that you need/want in a theme park - zoo, roller coasters, kid rides, and the best caramel popcorn!  Of course, they also had things that would make you turn your head and go "huh? Lost in translation..." 

The girls were out for Spring Break, so we went Everland for the day. From the blog:  "It was a beautiful day and the park wasn't that crowded, which was really nice. The tulips and other spring flowers are starting to pop up and most of the flowering trees were in bloom. I discovered they had a times guide in English printed up, so we were able to hit a few shows. The girls really enjoyed the seal show and they have a new festival square show complete with some magic tricks. Mostly we just walked around, enjoyed the flowers, and played until the sun went down."

Looking back now, it was a really nice day... as summed up by the cheeky expression they gave me on the way out of the park (the picture above) :)

XX

I can't watch the news anymore... or at least I can't watch what passes for news by American standards.  I can't read the newspaper.  I can't visit Google news.  I am completely and utterly fed up with what I am seeing.  And I am angry.
 
I am a woman.  I'm a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a relative, a coworker, a student, a neighbor, and an aquaintance.  I could be any woman in America with how plain Jane I am.  I'm not a powerful politician, an influential lobbyest, or a scholar.  However, I am a woman with a voice, and as a woman I am fed up!

I am fed up being told that I am inferior because I am a woman who can birth babies and because of that fact I should do certain things.  I am fed up with the pandering I see in the current election campaigns.  I am fed up with "news organizations" who feel they need to spin everything.  I am fed up with personhood laws restricting the rights of my fellow women. I am fed up with the restrictions I am seeing being placed on access to women's health.  More importantly, I am fed up with other people thinking that they can make the "best" decision for ME! 

I must need to check my passport and be sure that I reentered the United States back in October. I thought this was America... and I thought we were over this.

Where you stand on abortion or contraception shouldn't matter right now.  What matters is the general trend of what we are seeing - women's rights being eroded left and right.  What matters is what is going on in our legislatures.  According to a recent FoxNews report (yeah, I know, but still it's a source plus they were quoting The Atlantic), there have been over 80 new pieces of legislation introduced in the past year that place restrictions on abortion.  First it's mandatory transvaginal ultrasounds (way to go Texas!), then it's opt-out rights for companies to provide contraception coverage.  Somehow, those states feel that they shouldn't "force" a company to provide coverage on something that they feel is morally wrong.  Really - because we've all seen our companies make the right decisions lately haven't we?   Seriously, what's next?    

What matters is how we as women treat other women whose views differ from ours.  I see some of the harshest criticism coming from women on staying at home versus going to work, breastfeeding versus bottle feeding, and now women's access to abortion and contraception.   

Here's the thing...  at my core, I don't believe in abortion.  It's against every grain of consciousness that is in my body.  However, that does not give me the right to dictate what is right or wrong for someone else.  That is their decision to make and to come to terms with.  And I support their right to make it, just as I support the stay at home moms and the working moms; the breastfeeding moms and the bottle feeding moms.

I'll leave you with this to ponder on your own. 

"First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me."
~ Martin Niemöller