Healthiest Life 4 Me

Since it’s poetry month, I thought I’d post one of my favorite poems of all time.  It is called After Apple Picking by Robert Frost.  I was first introduced to it by my High School IB English teacher. 

AFTER APPLE PICKING

by Robert Frost

My long two-pointed ladder’s sticking through a tree
Toward heaven still,
And there’s a barrel that I didn’t fill
Beside it, and there may be two or three
Apples I didn’t pick upon some bough. 5
But I am done with apple-picking now.
Essence of winter sleep is on the night,
The scent of apples: I am drowsing off.
I cannot rub the strangeness from my sight
I got from looking through a pane of glass 10
I skimmed this morning from the drinking trough
And held against the world of hoary grass.
It melted, and I let it fall and break.
But I was well
Upon my way to sleep before it fell, 15
And I could tell
What form my dreaming was about to take.
Magnified apples appear and disappear,
Stem end and blossom end,
And every fleck of russet showing clear. 20
My instep arch not only keeps the ache,
It keeps the pressure of a ladder-round.
I feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend.
And I keep hearing from the cellar bin
The rumbling sound 25
Of load on load of apples coming in.
For I have had too much
Of apple-picking: I am overtired
Of the great harvest I myself desired.
There were ten thousand thousand fruit to touch, 30
Cherish in hand, lift down, and not let fall.
For all
That struck the earth,
No matter if not bruised or spiked with stubble,
Went surely to the cider-apple heap 35
As of no worth.
One can see what will trouble
This sleep of mine, whatever sleep it is.
Were he not gone,
The woodchuck could say whether it’s like his 40
Long sleep, as I describe its coming on,
Or just some human sleep.

I am so impressed that I am being able to sort of keep up on my blog.  It has been a difficult few weeks and although I would like to mostly blog about nutrition and exercise, I like to use my blog for personal diary type stuff too.  It is a great way to relieve a bit of stress…

Anyhow…here is my Favorite/Not so Favorite for this week!

FAVORITE:

My favorite thing this week is ASPARAGUS!  I am really enjoying eating it.  It has been the highlight of my meals lately.  And did you know it is a natural diuretic?  Yes, that is right ladies…eat it for a bit of help with water loss.  A few days before a big event or a beach trip or pool party, have some asparagus and you’ll shed that bit of water weight.  Now remember, it’s just water weight, so try to steer clear of sodium at the same time and it’ll work even better!!

Not so Favorite:

My not so favorite thing this week is waiting between appointments for additional tests with the doctor to find out if something is wrong.  Especially when it is about your kids.  I wish there was an easier way.  I understand that we are really getting things done pretty quickly, but I just want answers and wish they could be faster!

That’s it for this week.  Stay tuned to see what I will like and dislike next week!!

FAVORITE:

This week my favorite thing is my kids!  After all the stress and worry about my daughter and her throat/ear problems the past few years, we finally got the tonsils and adnoids removed.  It was a rough few weeks, but so necessary.  Now we are dealing with my son and his chest pain/heart.  We have appointments coming next week to find out what is going on.  Until then….WE PRAY!  Through all this I know God is Good!  He gave us these two precious children and he will take care of them.  He’s already taken care of me by only giving me one hurdle at a time knowing that I couldn’t handle it all at once with school and work as well.  I praise God for my loving family and friends who also give me the strength and prayers to get through the bumps in life’s road!

Not So Favorite:

Well, as much as Southern California needs the rain…I HATE IT!  I wouldn’t mind it so much if we could have it spread out a bit more, but an entire week and wind, thunder and lightening as well…I AM NOT A FAN!!  I love my yard, but am totally willing to use rock or spray my dirt green in effort to save water.  So long as CA has enough water for me to shower, do dishes, etc…I am cool with having an ugly yard and having MORE SUNNY DAYS!  LOL 

Yes, I know you all from the other parts of the country and other countries think I sound like a baby…and I am COOL with that!  I live in Southern California, deal with earthquakes, gangs, heat, droughts, a bankrupt state with few jobs and high taxes, all so I don’t have to deal with weather! 

That is my latest installment of Favorite/Not so Favorite Friday!  Hope you enjoyed it!

Today I was able to call the pediatric cardiologist that we were referred to in order to make an appointment for my son.  The first available appointment they had was February 1st.  FEBRUARY 1ST!!! What?? This is my 9 year old and his doctor said his heart had a problem and he can’t play sports.  It sounds too serious to me and scares me to wait that long…I explained to the poor receptionist.  She assured me that the doctor would go over all of my son’s information and they would call me to get me in sooner if he thought it was necessary.  So, I went back to work and tried to keep my mind off of it.  Then my phone rang and about gave me a heart attack since the number was the same as the doctor’s I had just called.   I couldn’t answer because I was teaching, but they left me a message.  They said that the doctor reviewed my son’s information and he would be okay to wait until the 1st to be seen.  I guess that should be good news, but it sure left me unsettled. 

I appreciate all my prayer warriors, GOD IS GOOD!! And he answered my prayer…later this afternoon I got another phone call from the doctor’s office to tell me that they had two cancellations and that they could see my son Monday or Tuesday afternoon.  We took the Tuesday appointment since it’s an early day for the kids and my husband has a game on Monday.  What is one day when I get a week that I didn’t have earlier? 

So, we were told we still have to honor the pediatrician’s recommendations to abstain from athletic activities until we are cleared by the cardiologist.  Otherwise, he should be okay until his appointment on Tuesday. 

Please keep your prayers going.  GOD IS LISTENING and I know he has a plan for my son and our family.  I pray the plan is to see that all our faith can’t be in medicine and must be in him and there be NOTHING at all wrong.  A mom can pray ya know!  AND I PLAN ON DOING MORE OF IT!!  And I hope you will too!

I know I failed miserably at this last year, but i am going to attempt it again this year. 

Favorite:

My favorite thing at the moment is…( insert drum roll)pa rum pa pum pum… (horns) duh da da duh!

I absolutely love playing this game on Facebook…it’s called Wordscrapper!  I have actually met some new people in my area by joining games.  I have enjoyed joining games with people from all over the country and just playing friendly, fun games..  Win or lose I just really enjoy manipulating my letters and words around, especially when I manage to get a small word with big points! =)   Check it out on facebook and feel free to send me a game…I’d love to play Wordscraper with you!

Not so Favorite:

As much as I encourage everyone to get in shape, become healthy and hit the  gym, my least favorite time of the year is the first 3 weeks of each year.  The gym is full of people who don’t know what they are doing, so they just lollygag around and get in the way, they clog up the cardio equipment doing 30 minutes with no resistance and barely move and space themselves out so it’s impossible to find 2 machines together to do cardio with your partner.  I know you all are thinking, “what a biatch!”  But be serious, you know all of you who have been using the gym regularly are thinking the same thing.  It is bad, I know.  But it is frustrating to not be able to do what I have been doing for years for three weeks at the beginning of every year because there are lots of new year’s resolutions ready to be broken!  Now, if these people would take it serious, learn and improve all while sticking with it, then I wouldn’t be so upset…but you know you are just going to falter after a few weeks.  And while saying all this, I have to admit…I do need to appreciate these people.  After all, their year long dues while not using the equipment does help in paying for the upkeep on equipment that my dues do not cover…since I pay a little and use A LOT!!  

And so far my New Year’s goals are in tack…

Catch ya next week…hopefully with more positive Favorite/Not so Favorite’s!

Here is a poem to inspire you to reach your goals in all areas of your life.  I found it online and thought I must share!  Enjoy!

 

 

What Is Success?

It’s doing your work the best your can,
And being just to your fellow man;
It’s making money, but holding friends,
And staying true to your aims and ends;
It’s figuring how and learning why,
And looking forward and thinking high,
And dreaming a little and doing much;
It’s keeping always in closest touch
With what is finest in word and deed;
It’s being thorough, yet making speed;
It’s daring blithely the field of chance
While making labor a brave romance.
It’s going onward despite defeat,
And fighting staunchly, but keeping sweet;
It’s being clean and it’s fighting fair;
It’s laughing lightly at Dame Despair;
It’s looking up to the stars above.
And drinking deeply of life and love;
It’s struggling on with the will to win,
But taking loss with a cheerful grin;
It’s sharing sorrow, and work, and mirth,
And making better this good old earth;
It’s serving, striving, through strain and stress;
It’s doing your noblest…that’s success!
                                             ~Author Unknown

Pleas know that all of us falter at some point in time.  Even the strongest, most dedicated have rough spots.  Polish them up and MOVE ON!!  Dream of heaven and reach for the stars!

As I sat and watched Biggest Loser last night it took me back to the thoughts of starting my journey from the FAT and unhealthy me I was to the much thinner, more muscular, and healthier me I am today.  As much as the starting weights make me want to cry for them, it’s not about the starting weight…it is what it is!  But at some point you have to just DECIDE to TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE!!  There are too many resources out there to use to help you get to the point you want to be at. 

It is encouraging and inspiring to watch these people go through such a real event.  Morbidly obese, bearing their all.  It is sad to see their size and hear their stories.  It is scary to think that it could happen to you…so DON’T LET IT!! 

I know…it is so scary to start out.  You are thinking, “Where do I start?”  “How will I do it?”  “Where do I go for information?” Here are the steps I took to start out:

1)  Firmly decided that I WAS going to lose 30 pounds!  You need to pick a number…it needs to be realistic.  I just set a number, but not an amount of time. You need to tell people and you need to keep it in your mind at all times!

2)  Found a friend that was already working out and had her help me at the gym.  I didn’t pay her, but I went when she was going to go.  I made her schedule my schedule…after all, it was me who needed the help.  Although she was trim and fit, I was help to her to.  Of course, I lost more weight…I had more to lose.  But it encouraged her to work hard.  I can’t stress enough how important it is to have a partner.  It keeps you accountable and encourages you.  It also makes you have to explain to someone else why you are backing out on a particular day…so you really go more often.

3)  I took a look at my diet.  However, I just cut calories at first.  NOT THE RIGHT WAY!!  I wish I knew then what I know now about nutrition.  This is the area I suggest you seek help.  Because if you do it right, you can maximize your workouts and weight loss CAN and WILL be achieved with diet.  After all, it’s 80% of the equation!

4)  I made an effort to do active things with my kids and husband when we had time to do things together.  Instead of going to the movies, we took our bikes to the beach, walked the shore at the tide pools, etc.  We moved and shared our time together.  We even took evening walks together now and then to “get the dog active” was always what I told the kids. 

5) Re-evaluate your goal and make sure you are doing what is necessary to stay on track.  AND don’t be discouraged by a bad day…just wake up the next day and start fresh and new!  Always believe you ARE GOING TO REACH YOUR GOAL!

I didn’t do this, but I do it now and I wish I knew about it then…find an online community of people like you to use as support.  It is truly inspiring and uplifting to discuss goals, obstacles, and everything else you can think of!  My suggestion is to learn to Twitter…it’s a great place to share with like minded people.  There are lots of websites for women exclusively or both sexes to join and gain support.  Just beware on all of these places people can post whatever they want…it doesn’t have to be true.  So build relationships and learn and research for yourself.  It is only YOU that can make it happen for YOU!!

6) Journaling your food and your workouts can help a lot.  Food wise, it’ll help you see what you are putting into your mouth each day and help you decide what can get cut out. Workout journaling will help you become motivated by your progress. 

Over the next few months, I will help you achieve your goals.  Drop me a note and let me know what I can do.  I will do my best, but the work is up to you!!

New Year’s Resolutions are so cliché, so my goal isn’t a resolution.  In fact, it’s the same goal I’ve been striving to reach for over a year now.  Only last year I reached it, didn’t know it and then faltered and have had trouble ever since.

Last year I came up with a goal of going 30  days sugar free and to reach the  weight it said on my driver’s license.  Well, I made it to day 26 of the sugar free attempt  and I actually got to my weight on my driver’s license, but didn’t know it because I thought it said something different.  LOL  What a dork I am.  Dork or not, my goals are very similar again.  Starting today I am attempting another 30 days sugar free and shooting for a goal of that driver’s license weight again but I want to get to 18% body fat and find my abs as well.

So I’d like to set my other goals for this year that are not just fitness for me related…I am hoping that among all the things I have going on that I will find the time to post at least once a week about something health and fitness related.  In addition, I am going to try to blog about my progress weekly.  Instead of becoming overwhelmed and ignoring my blog, I am hoping to use it to relieve some of my stress from school (7 classes and student teaching, and a test away from having my credential and master’s), working, training, carpool/taxi, etc.  However, some weeks are crazier than most and I want to find quality information, so only 1 wellness blog a week, the rest are bonus blogs and about my life and struggles! 

In addition, this year’s main goal is to complete my teaching credential, pass my CSET in English (and maybe PE too), and complete my master’s degree.  I’d like to land the PERFECT teaching job for next school year, but with the budget the way it is in CA, that is more of a hope than a goal since I have no control over it.  Hopefully the doors will open in the right places. 

If I falter from this goal (and it is possible), please shoot me a note on Twitter @survival and remind me to stick to my goal! It’s not nagging…it truly is help and encouragement!

Wahoo!  Here I am again.  Haven’t missed in a few weeks and here I am making it again!  I am thoroughly impressed and I hope you are too!! HAHA!!!

Anyhow.it has been one heck of a week around here and our vacation was not so relaxing with all the excitement it had.  So hoping that a little post may bring back the good karma and bring back some relaxing enjoyment to my summer vacation! 

Favorite:

This week my favorite thing is going to be FOOD.or a certain food at least!  I have not bought whole trout from the store in some time, but I did buy a package at Costco last week and finally made all 5 of them and boy oh boy were they yummy!!  Now I am looking forward to our trip to Havasu so much more in hopes that my hubby and son will catch us some fish that we can cook up!!  I LOVE FISH!! So my favorite thing this week is SEAFOOD.but mostly TROUT!!!  And whitefish is a great lunch time food!! And for those of you who are interested.I cook them in a foil bag with a tsp of butter per fish and parsley on the BBQ!  Fast, Easy, and little clean up!!  Beware of bones though!

Not So Favorite:

Again, my not so favorite thing is fixing little things on the house or in the house when it isn’t a really good time.  Doesn’t it always seem to happen that when money is tightest something breaks.  Well, money is always tight in the summer for us and we do our best to make sure we have enough to not only pay our bills for the two months that my husband doesn’t have a paycheck, but also a little fun money for a few trips to the lake with the boat and a little extra fun.  I thought we did a good job this year until we took the boat out and it needed a new battery and someone hit our trailer in our lot making us have to do unexpected repairs.  Then we come back from our first lake trip (where we were very good not to spend unnecessary money) and the spring on the garage door broke.  The first company I called gave me a quote over the phone that wasn’t too bad, but when the guy showed up they of course needed to do so much more and the price was double.so we sent them away.  And anyhow, we ended up with a wonderful repair guy over (who owns his own small biz and in this economy I am more than happy to help him stay afloat) who not only did a wonderful job, but was friendly and the least expensive of all the quotes we got.  If you are in the Riverside, CA area and need garage work done call Chuck’s Garage Doors at (951) 681-0489!! They are GREAT!!! 

And although it turned out fine, I hate things that break and need costly repairs at the most inopportune times! 

So folks, there you have it.  Trout Good.repairs that cost $$ BAD!!  Have a great weekend!!

My husband, children, my parents, my in-laws and I spent the day on Lake Mohave yesterday.just like we have every year for the past few years.  But nothing about yesterday turned out like ever before (nor would I ever like to see anything like it again).

 It was about 1-ish and we’d just finished lunch and the grandpa’s, my hubby and son wanted to go find a cove to fish in, but my daughter and the grandma’s just wanted to relax.  So, I went with the boys to lay on the back of the boat and tan!  We were out for about a half hour when all the sudden this big cloud was above us and we decided that we should head back.  Just as the guys pulled their lines out of the water, the wind picked up a bit.  I was worried because my mom’s back is in such bad shape and the e-z-up would be needing some attention so it wouldn’t break.  As we came around the bend into the main part of the lake the white caps were about 2 feet high.  The wind really picked up and boy was I scared for us, but more for my daughter and mom.  I knew my mother-in-law would be ok, but my mom’s back couldn’t handle all the moving of things to keep them in place nor would she be able to deal with it all and my daughter’s nerves.  By the time we got back to the cove they were in, the wind was so bad that it was blowing sand and it stung when it hit you, so my mom was hunching over my daughter to block the wind.they both had something covering their heads and were holding onto the side of the easy up.  But somehow they had the intuition to take the cover off the easy up before the wind picked up too badly.

When we got the boat closer to shore we realized that this was going to be a big problem.  The boat was being forced ashore sideways (which is bad) and all the sea-do’s and boats in the cove were all being pushed inward too.which was at us!  I had to get my son off the boat and to my mom, cover them with some towels and then start helping the group by us get their sea-do’s ashore so they didn’t start hitting our boat or get in the way of the boats needing out of the cove.  Once the craziness started, my husband, dad, and father-in-law were taking care of the boat with the help of some other men and eventually my father-in-law was able to get into the boat and with the help of the other men, get it back out to the middle of the lake. It was scary to watch him out there.at one point the waves were bouncing our little 18′ Bayliner so hard that we saw the whole bottom of the boat out of the water, but THANK GOD.the boat was unscathed.  After about a half hour of getting things organized in the craziness, my husband swam (against my better judgment) out to the boat WITHOUT a lifejacket!  He got on fine, but boy was I nervous.  Oh, yes.during the craziness, lightening started and I had to move my mom and kids away from the e-z up and away from anything that could be hit.  With the lightening getting worse, my husband and father-in-law decide that they need to get the kids, mother-in-law and my mom off the lake since the storm isn’t letting up and the kids were so scared.  Since they can’t get the boat too close to shore so it doesn’t end up beached, they throw off all the lifejackets and tell me the kids and both grandmas are going to have to swim out in the huge waves and get on board.OMG you should have seen my face.  I was not really happy about it, but really not sure that there was another option.  So I watched as my mom and son first swam out in the rough waters to the boat. Thank goodness my son is light enough that my husband was able to pick him up out of the water by the lifejacket and get him safely into the boat. Then watching my poor mom struggle to get up the ladder with her sore back and rough water bouncing her and the boat around.but she did get up safely. Then the boat headed out to reposition itself so it didn’t get stuck too close to shore. Next, it was my mother in law and daughter’s turn to swim out to the boat. I was more comfortable this time until my father in law was yelling at my daughter to grab the rope since she was having trouble getting close enough to get the ladder.but she couldn’t grab the rope because her flip flops were on her hands so she had shoes to wear when they got to the docks. She did finally get up and so did my mother in law. They got them back to the docks (where apparently the wind and waves were mild since it was protected by the angle of the mountain around it. The kids and both moms went back to my in-laws to clean up and rest. Then the boat came back for me and my dad. We just had to leave all of our stuff on the shore and get to safety. The rain was starting to come down and there was still lightening all around. It was very hard to want to leave our e-z up and barbecue, but they were things and could be replaced. Once back to the marina, we were able to tie the boat up with no problems. The dad’s went to my in-laws to get everybody situated and then my hubby and I had dinner in the restaurant in the marina and wait for the storm to pass to go get all of our stuff. After we finished eating, we were able to go get everything picked up and get off the water safely.

I can seriously say it was an experience I’d never like to be able to have again! The kids are not scared to go out on the boat again (which is good since we have a trip to Havasu planned in a week) and understand that sometimes weird things happen that are out of our control. We told them that we were thankful that they stayed calm and listened to directions so well. And thanks to everyone around, nothing bad was seen by my kids! =)