Aren't Kids Sneaky Inspirations?

A great weekend for my wife & I. We went to see Ashley at college & got there just in time for her soccer game. They won, but she did not play. Being one of two freshman on the team playing time has to be earned. She played in their first two games. Go figure that the game she gets zip time is the game we drive 4 hours to go see. Oh well, we went to see her much more than we went to see her play.

After the game we went back to her dorm room; not as neat as it was when we dropped her off there a month ago. We met some of her new friends who were on their way out to go bowling. We took her to dinner somewhere she loves to go; Olive Garden- yuck! There we chit chatted for a couple of hours and just hung out. All seems to be going well with her at school. She adjusted much quicker than we expected. Not that we expected her to have any serious issues with the transition. It is very pleasing to know that your kid was able to leave home and take flight in a big way. Oh she has a long flight ahead of her, but so far she is soaring.

Here is a fun picture I snapped on the way home yesterday...

A tanker truck filled with coffee; wonder how many cups that equals?

We didn't take too  many photos on the trip, and I don't have anymore to share here right now; but there is one photo that I wish I had taken but didn't.

When we were in Ashley's dorm I was reading what she had scribbled on her white board. Allow me to note here that her white board looks marvelous as it was expertly hung by a master of stuff hanging a month ago. Ok, the hanging bit was not really the marvelous part. What was marvelous was what she had scribbled. Any guesses what she had written there?

Nope, not how much she misses us.
Nope, not when she is coming home next.
Nope, not even what she is going to buy us for Christmas.

She had goals writing on her board. Those objectives she considers so important that she wanted daily reminder of them. Huh, what a novel idea...

Decide what is important to achieve, commit it to writing, and display it in a place that when you wake everyday, you remind yourself of what is important to you.

Aren't kids sneaky inspirations? 

I'll be buying a white board today after work.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 168 - October Challenge: OCTGTD

To date I have not joined any challenges because, well, because it has been challenge enough to do just what I am doing. But yesterday I joined one simply because it fell in line with what I am hoping to improve upon this month as it is. It is the October: Going the Distance Challenge being sponsored by Fat Girl vs. World.


Even if you are not interested in the challenge itself check out her post and blog if not familiar with her; not likely as she is quite popular not to mention cool. As for myself,  as I replied to her after submitting myself for the challenge I am just progressing from walking to a combo of walking & jogging so that is how I will be meeting the challenge. Just 25 miles, which I bet I complete easily to be honest. My inner side-challenge to seriously attack this will be to see at least half of that be jogging vs. walking. So there you go, challenge on!


Busy weekend planned here. Soccer games for two of the boys. Getting the hunting gear ready and zeroing in the rifles at the range with all of the boys. Daughter will be off doing home coming stuff so we wont see much of her. And between all of that the usual errands, exercise and healthy eating.

What about you?

Plans for the weekend?

Taking it easy?

Both?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 115 - Happy Meal Hornets

Is feeding kids fast food child abuse? Is over feeding kids abuse?

Good morning everyone, some heavy questions huh. I suppose you could say my day started out heavy, at least mentally. On the drive into work I heard a radio commentary where consideration ought to be given to legislating that smoking around kids is a form of child abuse. Now, let's hit the brakes for a moment. It is not my intent to debate smoking as a topic. Certainly if you'd like we can dabble in that direction, go for it. However hearing this commentary gave me cause to wonder similarly about how we feed our kids.

Let me spit ball some thoughts at this blog page, I used to be the champion spit-baller in the 3rd grade, you've been warned.

Parents/Guardians are responsible for feeding their kids...

Not everyone is in an economic situation which allows them to feed their kids perfectly balanced/portioned meals daily...

So is it ok for those with less economic means to feed their kids lesser food while holding those with greater economic means to a different standard of care for feeding their kids?...

Not everyone accepts the notion that fast food is as absolutely unhealthy as many would have us think...

Fast food is unhealthy, my opinion, there just is no way to consider the core menus of the most popular fast food joints as healthy; but some do try...

Leave Ronald McDonald's clown alone, he is not a pusher akin to the dope dealer, is he?...

Abuse is to treat in a harmful, injurious, or offensive way according to the dictionary...

But legally, what constitutes abuse?...

How can feeding your kids be considered abuse?...

Feeding your kids is smart, feeding them well balanced/portioned meals is preferred...

Feeding your kids fast food is certainly choosing to feed them lesser quality of food, but isn't it just that, a lesser choice made?...

Over feeding kids into obesity, say 6,781 calories a day diet; is that abuse?...

If not that amount, what amount of over-feeding is where it becomes abuse?...

Addicting, by feeding our kids fast food are we providing them with an addiction that they will have to live with or break someday?...

If exposing kids to over feeding, or fast food, is equal to pushing them into addictions; then what about video games, violence on screens, and sunshine?...

And I can go on...

So, there is a big hairy dose of fried fury for thought.

Myself, I don't think there are easily definable boundaries for abuse when it comes to feeding our kids. Beating our kids, surely that is more easily definable as to what is abuse.

Feed your kids, start with that; get them fed any way you can. Then if you can feed them healthier choices you should. But mandating via legislation that you have to feed them as healthy as you can or else you are abusive; I am not ready to go there.

It is a blurry set of lines that separates what we as parents/guardians of kids have to do and what we should do. In general where it is blurry, I tend to want to leave it up to the parent to make the decision, not a legislative body whose purpose is too often blurred by interests that are far from the point of the matter being legislated.

Ok, enough from me. If I go any further this will become all too political and I try to not get into political debates here. Why I deviated on that guideline today I do not know.

Feed your kids, love your kids, laugh with your kids, and buy them Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup Championship t-shirts for crying out loud!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 90 - Versatile Blogger Award

Good morning everyone. Let's see if I can pull this post together quickly. I've been pushed by Jody to go tackle Stanton Hill often and this morning she is getting her wish; this one's for you Jody! Many of you may know Jody, but some may not. She is a very popular and accomplished blogger and I highly recommend reading what she has to say. Actually, I would suggest you start with her post HERE from yesterday re: The 2010 Team Sarcoma Initiative. Great cause and amazing job she is doing in leading the fight on this rare form of the beast. But I don't recommend her post from today, oh no. It is about pancakes,yes PANCAKES! The pictures she has there; amazingly! Be warned, they are so inviting - you don't want to be like me and actually start sniffing the pc screen in hopes for just a small whiff. I said sniff people, not lick or nibble! What do you think I am goofy? Seriously, check out all of her posts, sniff the screen, and join her cause if you can,and say Hi.



Thank you to my friend at First Steps for honoring me with this Versatile Blogger Award!

Rules, the rules for the award are as follows:
1. Thank the person giving the award
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Nominate 15 newly discovered blogs.
4. Let your nominees know about the award.

So let me play by the rules now...

1. THANK YOU once again! If you are not following First Steps, you should!

2. Seven things huh. So far I have shared 17 unknown facts with you with past awards, and I don't want to give you any duplicates; thinking... Ok, here are my 7 for this award...

1. I have dyed my hair light brown for about 8 or so years now. If I didn't I would be all grey. I don't mind grey hair, but I went grey in my late 20's and that was just too young for me. So in my mid-thirties I learned to dye in and do so once a month.
2. My wife does most of the work on the bills. She is an accountant/financial management type and it all comes natural to her. Oh how I love my wife!
3. My favorite band is Chevelle, hands down! 
4. I believe what comes out of Hollywood has never been as anywhere near as good as it was when John Wayne was alive. 
5. I grill our dinners outside 80% of the time; cooking indoors pales to cooking outdoors. 
6. I have stared down the barrel of a gun and into the eyes of the man willing to pull the trigger and talked my way out of a bad ending.  
7. I bond with my kids while playing darts; the more we play the more talk. The more we talk the more I am involved, I know, I understand and thus the more I can influence their making better choices.

3. For nominating 15 newly discovered blogs, I am not sure 'what newly discovered' means really. Newly discovered by me I suppose, not new to blogging necessarily. That's my interpretation. My 15 here are mostly newly discovered by me, some not as new as others but hey I have only been here 90 days now - In no order of anything here they are...

1. Kristen-Conversations With My Inner Skinny Chick
2. Luke-The Super Fatlete
3. Christine-Phoenix Revolution
4. Michelle-The Garlic Chronicles
5. Seth-Fit WIth A Purpose
6. Dan-At Darwin's Table
7. Going For 96
8. Lisa-In Weigh Over My Head
9. Allan-Almost Gastric Bypass
10. Debbie-Weigh Down
11. Michael-Free The Wolf
12. Vickie-Vickie's Voice
13. Rick-Fat Bastard
14. Lynda-Taking Less Space
15. Grace-Grace's Fat Chance

 4. On my way to do that now... enjoy the award folks, my pleasure to honor you. I could have honored so many many more too!

Go gett'em this Friday!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 50 - 22% Progress

Good Morning - Let's get Sunday underway! Before getting too far into my morning, it is weigh in day. Anyone else weighing in today?

This past week I've exercised and ate smart. Or is it 'eaten smart'? Either way I didn't have an optimistic vibe going into this weigh in.

Perhaps I just wasn't fully awake. Or perhaps the rainy night had dampened my oomph. Now, fully awake, and draped in oomph, I am feeling a vibe; an Oh Yeah vibe!

Today I check in at 22% of the way to my goal, I've lost 27 pounds in SEVEN weeks; 4 of them this past week.
Today I weighed in at 293 pounds.

Oh Yeah - Liking that weigh in!

Now, what else to share? I know, Who is in the mood for some indulgence? Sorry, that is a terrible question to ask folks who are trying to get their healthy on. But I have a little story to share...

Title: 'She Wants What?'

Prologue: This past Friday some indulgence was asked for in our home. Inspired by my daughter who brought back from Spain a love for Paella.

Crisis: A bit odd considering she dislikes almost all fish & seafood, ho hum to that I say. She swears they had a version without the shrimp & mussels on the menu, so a chicken & chorizo only version would be needed.

Tension: Paella is not a dish you can really adjust to make healthy. Well, yes you could, but it should NOT be messed with in my opinion. Leave it alone, it's bounty of flavors should be enjoyed just as it is.

Climax: HERE is the recipe which we found & used as a guideline. I hardly ever follow a recipe letter for letter but I did follow this one closely. My deviations were replacing the seafood with more chicken and replacing the wine with more stock. My words cannot give this indulgence sufficient justice so here are some pictures...

<--- Ashley has to help with food prep if she wants paella...





<--- Chorizo sausage {mmm}, onions & garlic getting to know each other...





<--- Basmati rice gets warmed up before adding the chicken stock it'll soak up...





<--- Ashley measures out a bit of that precious saffron...





<--- Finally, the chicken goes in for a simmering swim...





<--- Victory! The finished product. Well this is what was left after everyone had their fill...




Epilogue: True, I couldn't have lost the weight I did this week by indulging in temptation, and certainly not by eating much of the sinful deliciousness seen above. Simply I did not over-indulge. Just about one-half of a single serving was all I claimed for myself while enjoying watching the rest of the family dig into the indulgence they desired.

The End

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 33 - Lasagna In Da House

Yesterday my son & I walked around Lake Andrea (2.25 miles) in 44:40, that's two full minutes better than the last time we walked it. The walk sure felt good, and we sweated good too as it was sunny & in the 70s. The new PR (personal record) or not it was a genuinely great time burning calories!

What exercise have you enjoyed recently?

School is ending in the next couple of weeks for our kids. The summer break is all but here. We have no firm/set 'big' vacation plans this year. Just a week trip to a few colleges in Illinois, Iowa & Wisconsin. Our oldest (girl) is a senior next year and the three boys are close behind her. Part of me is glad we don't have an extravagant vacation planned; too much temptation & opportunity to fall off our healthy mission. Don't get me wrong, I love me a nice vacation, but it is not what I need this year. And I don't need a super~duper vacation to have a blast with the family.

Who has vacation plans for the summer?

Tonight is lasagna night! Or better explained by being lasagna night it also means my wife is cooking. She is a good cook, but she doesn't like to cook & therefore doesn't cook much. She gets an urge to whip up her amazing lasagna 2-3 times a year. The kids wish it would happen 2-3 times a week ;-) This lasagna has not been modified in any way to be healthier than usual. So we can't pretend it is anything but what it is, an indulgence and a gift. So I'll enjoy me a savory portion tonight, just one, and no more. Which also means my exercise before dinner needs to be savory as well. Yeah, the words savory & exercise, they don't seem to go together do they? Nor do scrumptious, delectable or ambrosial; all of which also describe said lasagna. How about I just exercise my tail off without an adjective to describe it…

Go get yourself some Thursday...

Responsibility 199... Gotta Do It!!