Howdy!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful summer! I am still recovering from my rotator cuff surgery. It has been a long road but according to the specialist am I ahead of schedule and have great range of motion. Praise God!

Actually the biggest challenge for me is keeping my children occupied. They have been quite busy this summer but now most activities/programs have ceased in preparation for school to start. The natives are restless and everyone around them suffers. Especially me! I don’t know about anyone else but I have banned the phrase “I’m bored” from my house. The children know if that is spoken to me I will give them something “wonderful and exciting” to do - such as decluttering a drawer or cleaning the bathroom.

My dear friend has a wonderful name for ailment: “Kid Distress -They Need To Be Back In School Syndrome”. I’m sure this has struck most homes and fast reaching epedemic status.
Symptoms include but not limited to:

Constant bickering with siblings
Excessive whining
Heavy sighing when parent enters the room
The need to have a friend come over to play - everyday
Overall grumpiness…

Can you think of others??????

Yesterday, I registered the children for school. The whole process took almost 2 hours to complete and I had filled out the paperwork at home and online!!! The lines were extremely long. While I was completing one checkpoint my oldest daughter would stand in line at the next one so we could move faster through the process. It was a mad house!!!

My youngest who will be in 4th grade was very excited to get her registration packet. She had homework!!!! She immediately sat down and started working on it. God Bless You, Mrs. Kerr!

I think we are all craving routine. Me, I’m craving “quiet” time. I can’t wait to dig into the projects I have on hold until the children are back in school. They have admitted they are ready to go back.

Two weeks and counting….

When I wrote my last entry little did I know my life was going to change drastically.

I had been working a full time “temp” job with the intention of possibly becoming a permanent employee. After about a week I began hearing the words “hiring freeze” whispered in overheard conversations. Things at home were beginning to unravel as well. My youngest really had a difficult time adjusting to me working full time. She was very angry with me and would not talk to me at times.

While attempting to juggle all that was on my plate I reinjured my right shoulder. I was checking my email in my office downstairs and decided to run upstairs to check on my dinner. I missed the second to the last step and fell upward, sliding in the basement entryway, and landed on my right shoulder. I instantly knew I had done some serious damage. I saw my doctor the next day and a MRI later concluded that I had torn my right rotator cuff. The surgeon I was referred to wanted to schedule surgery within days but I put it off as we had a family reunion planned for Memorial Day weekend.

I am now 5 days post surgical. The pain is pretty intense at times but recovery is going good. My arm is in a sling and I have a foam attachment that goes around my sling and torso in order to keep my arm securely imobilized. It will be in place for the next 6 weeks and I am unable to drive. Thank goodness for my wireless keyboard as I have it sitting on my lap.
The mouse I can operate from my lap as well but quite honestly this process tires me out quickly.

Despite all the craziness right now I am blessed to have a loving family who is stepping up make sure necessary things are being done. In addition, my church family has been wonderful as they have been providing meals for the past week. Again, I am so blessed!

As you have probably figured out, I am no longer working. I’m not going to say it was the wrong decision for me to go back to work because had I not I would not have realized some very crucial areas that I need to work on personally and areas that we need to work on as a family. That process is now being carried on in a different way as my family is involved in my recovery. Maybe it’s a “recovery” time for them as well.

I’m just popping in to write a short update on what is going on.

During the last week of April I took on a temp position with a local company in order to help us out financially. It is a full time position which has totally turned life as I knew it upside down. To my Work Outside The Home Sisters - I applaud what you do as I now more than ever understand the challenges you face every day in order contribute financially to your homes and yet be involved parents. It is hard!!!

I will write more about my observations soon.

I have found an excellent online community that is targeted to those of us who are on a weight loss and healthy lifestyle. It’s called Spark People (www.SparkPeople.com) and is full of wonderful articles, recipes, workout plans, & videos to help and encourage us. Here is an excerpt from a recent article.

What to Eat Before You Work Out

Eating Before Exercise for Maximum Results
– By Dean Anderson, Fitness Expert

If you are a moderate exerciser who tends to perform better with a pre-exercise snack, there are two ways to handle your needs:

1. Eat a small (100- to 200-calorie) snack about 30 minutes before you work out. This snack should include fast-digesting (high glycemic index) carbohydrates and very little fat (which digests slowly), so that you digest the meal quickly and the fuel is available during your exercise session. Here are some ideas:

Fruit juice
Fruit smoothie
High-glycemic fruits like pineapple, apricots, banana, mango, and watermelon
Sports drinks
Pretzels or bagels (but not whole grain varieties, which digest slowly)
Energy bars (look for 3-5 grams of protein, at least 15 grams of carbs, and very little fat)

2. Eat a nutritionally balanced meal 1-2 hours before your exercise. This is the best option for many people. The larger the meal, and the more fat and protein it contains, the longer you may need to wait before exercising. Ideally, try to eat enough calories to equal about half the calories you expect to burn during your upcoming workout. So if you burn about 600 calories during your workout, aim for at least 300 calories during this meal — or a little more if your exercise is “high intensity” (over 75% of your maximum heart rate). At least 50-60% of these calories should come from carbohydrates, which should keep your blood sugar and energy levels fairly stable during your exercise session. Include some protein to help prevent the breakdown of muscle for fuel and give your muscles a headstart on recovery after exercise. Some good food choices and combinations for this kind of meal include:

Fruit and yogurt
Nuts
Oatmeal
Cereals (with more than 3 grams of fiber) and milk
Trail mix with nuts and dried fruit
Hummus and raw veggies
Hard boiled eggs (or egg whites)
Cottage cheese and fruit
Half a peanut butter or turkey/chicken sandwich on whole grain bread
Whole grain crackers with nut butter or cheese
Whole grain fig (or fruit) Newton cookies
Milk (especially chocolate milk)
Tomato or vegetable juice
Yogurt smoothie (with added protein powder, if desired)
Most protein/energy bars

As a moderate exerciser, you have a lot of flexibility when it comes to timing your meals and choosing your foods. The most important things are getting to know your body and how it responds to exercise, so that you can give it what it needs to perform at its best. Eating the right foods at the right times before you workout is essential to keeping your energy up, your workout performance high, and your body in fat-burning mode.

From Spark People.com

Sometimes the Littlest People Know the Most

Forget about talk radio, research labs, late night TV, or a magazine rack full of scantily clad cover models. Everything you need to know about fitness and nutrition, you can learn from your kids.

Here are 11 things children can teach you about healthy living:

Everything can be a game. Why slog through the same workout routines in boredom, when you can add a little fun? Make up rules, shoot for personal records, and regain your competitive spirit.

Don’t walk when you can run. Every day is full of opportunities to increase your fitness. This rule is closely related to “don’t drive when you can walk.”

If you don’t like it, don’t eat it. Chances are, your eating habits won’t stick around long if you hate what you’re eating. Healthy eating involves balance and moderation.

Laughter feels good. Kids seem to inherently know that laughter can ease blood pressure, help your brain function, give you energy, and help you reach your goals.

Playtime is important. We get so caught up in work, and “have-to’s” that we forget to take time for ourselves. Not only does relaxing make life worthwhile, it has real health benefits.

The world should be full of color–especially on your dinner plate! Splash it with as many colors as possible; paint it like a rainbow with food. It’s more fun to look at, the most colorful produce options often pack the most nutrients, and chances are you’ll be eating a healthy, balanced meal.

It’s always more fun with friends around. Children tend to gravitate toward other children. It gives them spirit and makes them want to play all day. Working out with other people is almost like having your own little playgroup.

Adventures are found outside, not inside. Every kid knows that the good stuff is in the great outdoors–fresh air, wide open spaces, limitless possibilities. You can’t find those things cooped up in a tiny, stale gym. Open the door and start a new adventure every day.

It’s important to use your imagination. You can be Major Fantasia or Stupendous Woman any time you want. Give yourself permission to believe in your own super powers and let your mind take you wherever it wants to go.

Anything is possible. No fear, no self-doubts, no negative self talk, no self-criticism, no worries, no destructive anxieties or thoughts of failure. To a child, he/she can do anything. And do you know what? They’re right.

You have your whole life ahead of you. Here’s your chance to do it right.

Right before Spring Break, my sixteen year old daughter and her friend went shopping at a local mall. My daughter loves the typical teen stores: Aer*******e, Hol*****r, Ame*****Ea**e. You know the ones. (I’m not going to spell them out for liability reasons.) Without bias, my daughter is very beautiful and has a sense of fashion. She is also biracial.

When she walked in to one store in particular she noticed the sales people instantly key in on her and whisper while looking her direction. As she continued shopping she became aware of a sales person following her. She braced herself for a confrontation as she figured they were thinking she was shoplifting.

What happened next took my daughter by surprise. The sales person asked my daughter if she wanted to work at the store!!! They wanted to hire her on the spot!! No application, no interview. They asked her how old she was and she told them 16. She was advised they normally only hire those 17 & up but wanted her to fill out an application to keep on file. Mind you, we live 25 miles from this mall but she filled it out anyway.

Two days later my daughter was at the salon getting her hair done. Her cell phone rang and it was the store asking if she could come in for an interview. My daughter reminded them she was 16. The manager hemmed and hawed around for a minute and decided that they would have to stick with policy but again told her they would keep her information on file.

Our stylist could not believe this was happening. She commented that her children were having difficulting finding summer jobs and my daughter has a major retail store chasing her down.

What is sooo troubling to me is she was sought after strictly based on her looks. She could have been dumber than a box of rocks (which she not - she is at the top of her class) but she had the right “image” for their company. My husband and I both had a long discussion about this as we probably would NOT allow her to work for a company who thought so little of their employees.

Scary, isn’t it?

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend. I wish I could I say I did. Unfortunately, my son fell ill with the stomach flu on Wednesday and by Thursday night I was down for the count. I actually had a scheduled appointment with my doctor for my shoulder so I kept the appointment. Even with mega doses of tylenol & ibuprophen my temperature was 100.6 and my pulse rate was 120. My doctor could not believe I was functioning.

After x-raying my shoulder it was determined that I had injured my rotator cuff and would required physical therapy. Saturday morning my fever broke and I attempted to attend a seminar 30 miles away. So, I drugged myself up and by 11:00am was completely miserable. By the time I arrived home I decided that once again Superwoman Was Dead.

I spent Easter Sunday on the couch and in the bathroom. I spoke to my doctor’s nurse this morning who thought that I should come back in. The doctor looked at me with such pity in her eyes and told me that I not only have the stomach flu but also the beginning of the respiratory flu as well. I had been double whammied!!! URG! I had blood drawn and sent home with a stool sample kit. (Don’t ask.)

The clinic just called back. It appears I’m severely anemic. Do you think God is trying to tell me something?

I’ll probably won’t post until next Monday unless I’m feeling better.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008. This date changed the life of my sister and her family forever. You see, that is date my sister husband received the gift of life - a new kidney!

My brother-in-law who had been a vibrant, energetic man for the past had been on dialysis for over 2 years. Kidney disease was robbing him of the life and ministry he and my sister had built together. Their 2 teenage children lived with the fact their father could die at any time as he constantly dealt with staff infections and scar tissue from the access sites that sometimes made dialysis almost impossible.

On February 4, 2008, he was placed on the transplant list pending weight loss and dental work. They were told that the approximate wait time for a kidney was 6 months to a year. One week before the transplant call my husband and I were having lunch with my sister. I asked if she had her suitcase packed. She told me “no”. I chastised her and stated that she had better be prepared. Did she listen? NO. You see, I KNEW by faith they would not be waiting long.

I could go on and on about the miracles that occured that enabled them to receive that kidney - and it was a miracle! The surgery began around 6:30pm and took only 2 1/2 hrs. When my sister called at 10:45pm my brother-in-law was conversing normally with staff and at 2:30am Wednesday morning was up and walking. Just Amazing!

About 16 years ago, my nephew at 18 years old also had a kidney transplant. We as a family so appreciate the families who allowed a part of their loved ones to live on through the donor program. I have signed the back of my driver’s license indicating that I would like to be a donor. In addition, I have made my desire known to my husband and children as in many States the final decision is still up to the family.

We never know when we may depart this life. Let one of your final good deeds include giving the gift of life. Be an organ donor.

This past summer I made a commitment to take better care of myself which included a consistant exercise routine. I have lost about 20 pounds but I became totally bored with my treadmill workout. In the January 2008 issue of Family Circle magazine I discovered an excellent routine. The article is written by Berit Thorkelson. It combines bursts of intensity with slow recovery intervals which aids in faster calorie burning. I am definitely seeing and feeling the results!! I highly recommend trying this one.

Walk It Off – Treadmill Workout

Beginner’s Routine

Time (Minutes), Incline, Speed
0:00-5:00 1% 3.0 mph
5:00-7:00 2.5% 3.3 mph
7:00-8:00 2% 2.7 mph
8:00-11:00 4% 3.3 mph
11:00-12:00 3% 2.7 mph
12:00-16:00 4% 3.5 mph
16:00-17:00 3% 3.0 mph
17:00-21:00 4% 3.5 mph
21:00-23:00 3% 3.0 mph
23:00-25:00 3% 3.3 mph
25:00-30:00 1% 3.0 mph

Advanced Routine

Time, Incline, Speed

0:00-5:00, 2%, 3.3 mph
5:00-8:00 4% 3.7 mph
8:00-9:00 3% 3.4 mph
9:00-13:00 5% 3.3 mph
13:00-14:00 3% 3.5 mph
14:00-19:00 6% 4 mph
19:00-20:00 3% 3.5 mph
20:00-24:00 6% 4.3 mph
24:00-25:00 4% 3.6 mph
25:00-30:00 2% 3.3 mph

It is recommended that you do this workout at least 3 times a week. The beginner’s routine burns about 155 calories. The advanced routine burns about 203 calories and should be done 1x per week and then 2x the following week.

As with any exercise routine make sure you visit your doctor before starting a new routine.

Well, I’m REALLY back! Many times before I tried to write but I was soooo tired that I just could not do it. I had articles ready but felt so overwhelmed that the thought of putting them all together drove me over the edge.

My dear husband is slowly recovering. He is in physical therapy 3 times a week. I am presently the only licensed driver in the house so I’m pretty much running a taxi service between therapy, school, sports, lessons, etc. In the middle of all this, I am trying to work on my other businesses. I have not put time in them because I just don’t have it. A little here and there to keep them going.

I am also contemplating a transition back into the traditional workforce. With hubby out on disability it has strained us financially. So far it has been challenging. Who wants to hire a 40 plus woman who has been out of corporate america for 13 years? So what if she has acquired even more marketable skills since her last traditional job? I had a phone interview and the interviewer asked me “Why do you want to work” and not in a nice way - as if I was some bored housewife. It so reminded me WHY I left.

Oh well, while life definitely has become more complicated it has become clearer to me what is important. I enjoy having my husband home with me. His job keeps him away from home and I love having a cup of coffee with him or just watching the news. It has been an adjustment for the children, however, they LOVE that Daddy can come to more of their events or just watch TV. More important, our family spends more time doing simple things together such as board games & reading aloud.

I must confess - today I did “run away from home” for a few hours. While I love my family dearly, I have not had any “me” time for almost 3 weeks. At least once a week, I have lunch with a friend. Today was rather stressful, so I engaged in some “retail therapy”. I must say I do feel much better - especially since I bought a new red soft sided briefcase! What makes it better is that it was on sale.

Until next time…..