Life Lessons

I am sitting calmly with a cup of coffee and my computer, letting my frantic son figure out how he is going to get to school this morning. It's not as easy as it looks. He missed his bus, something that happens a little too often, and his father and I have agreed to let him work it out for himself. I really just want to drop everything and take him, but that would not be such a great favor to either of us. He needs to put down his ipod and get ready in the morning and I need time to prep things before the other kids wake up. On the days when I rescue him, I neither exercise nor write, having instead to jump right into hungry kids when I get home from the 30 minute ordeal of traffic and (mostly) bad music in the car. 

I love the extra time with him, and even the bad music. Subjecting me to it in the car is his way of sharing with me what he loves most; music, in all its varieties and with all the horrors it can also engender (screamo, anyone?) I love seeing his taste evolve and become more complex with years of listening and playing. 

I also love to be home and ready for the littles, the house straight and school things out and ready. It's nice to have fresh muffins or bread made when they wake up. Life is full of choices, and some of them tear you right in half.

Ah, one down for today; he just went out the door; he found a ride with a friend. Perfect. Now I can make blueberry muffins with Charles, get the paper unrolled for our timeline and even spend a minute on the trampoline. What a great start to the day.

Climbers with Style: V and G

 

Do anything BUT look at your mother: my boys

 

Lucy-bird and Cate

 

Living the Word

Living the Word:

Or lots of words: kind, helpful, generous, creative, active, inspired, polite. I have to take stock once in awhile, and look at how what I am doing and my vision of the world can affect my family. It may not be fair to put so much on one woman, but as mother goes, so goes the household, or; if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. This can be a good reason for everyone else to tiptoe around and appease mom, or it can be a wake-up call for me to be aware of how my mindset influences my children and husband. I can choose to blame their behavior for my bad temper, or work on being at peace within, in order to bring peace without.

Manners is one area in which my kids seem to do well when out in the world, but at home things tend to fall apart.Tone of voice, using polite words, kind words; we leave no room for negociation here. But do I give the right example every single time I speak to my kids or husband? Do I face each new situation with an attitude geared toward a successful outcome? 

I think my work over the next days, months and years, has been cut out for me. Steps to follow:

1) Think; take time to think before speaking

2) Give myself time to relax/knit/exercise/read in order to be able to be available to my family and generous with my time

3) Meditate every day to cultivate inner peace and harmony

Next up: planning our days

One of my Favorite Walks Ever: Rockies

 

Mama Fitness: Time for a Walk

Except that my computer holds so many fascinating tales this Sunday morning. Hard to tear myself away, I want to tell you how much I love my readers and want to encourage them to get up and move too. The dog is moping over in his corner...um, armchair, with his little furry chin reposing sadly on the arm rest.

Why am I still sitting here?

My feet are tender. So what, I'll put on my cushy tennies today. My elbow is not the size it should be, so I'll ice it later. My head is fuzzy; the fresh air will clear it, if I will only get up and go. My hands are killing me, but I have a remedy for that too; a pair of cotton gloves with the fingers cut off under biking gloves to hold the leash...or barbells on alternate days. My running clothes are in the laundry, which is OK, since I will be mostly walking.

I guess that's it then, time for a walk, enjoy yours today!

3 Steps to Craving Fruit for Breakfast

1) Step One: define your parameters

I am up, with 2 hours to go before my workout today. My old routine; make a pot of tea, have a bowl of cereal...write or read while I eat, have another bowl because the box is there, drink my tea, maybe eat a banana or apple too. I used to follow the regime in Fit for Life; nothing but fruit until noon, no mixing of carbs and protein. It shaves off pounds like mad, but I am hungry in the morning!

Even though I am working to lose weight, I had gone back to my breakfast cereal routine, since it was just so simple; bowl of granola and almond milk, saving the morning smoothie for later, when it had defrosted. This morning I came downstairs determined not to have grains today. What options were there? I was out of smoothies and the trainer told me to have protein after working out.

2) Step Two: examine your options

Non-protein (no eggs, protein powder or sardines), non-grain (that left out the granola and the rice cakes), so I was left with fruits or vegetables. 

3) Step Three: enjoy and love what you CAN have; decide to do it and it will be so

The peaches in the bowl suddenly looked absolutely fabulous. While the water boiled for the tea, I rinsed and carefully peeled the peach, putting it on a pretty plate with a fork, to be savored while my tea cooled.

It was a beautiful, juicy, ripe peach with all the best flavors of the summer bursting out of it. I am happy I could call it breakfast.

Quick Remedy for a Yeast Problem

It is summer, and it is hot and humid, and these things will happen. In case everything else has failed, or if you just don't feel like messing around this time, this is a tried and true way to deal with yeast.

Recipe:
Boric acid (keep it in a safe place, it is also, after all, rat poison) (do NOT ingest, ever)
Clear capsules (size 0)

Fill capsule by scooping the powder in. You know where to put it. Twice daily, or just at night, for 3-7 days. 3 days usually does it, but stubborn cases may need 7 days to be sure of resolution.

That's it, these should both be available at a pharmacy, though, like gentian violet, you may get raised eyebrows when you ask for them; you will need to go see the pharmacist and request them, most likely.