Get One Of These If You Can!

We just bought a Wii and a Wii Fit (it was our one big splurge after selling the rental building I told you about). I'll tell ya...it's changed my life! Well, okay, that might be a little dramatic.

But I went from talking about exercise and it's benefits (not to mention the ever expanding size of my rear)...to actually doing exercise about 5 times a week. I'm boxing. I'm running. I'm doing yoga and strength exercises. I'm improving my balance, my posture...and yes, my weight.

And it's actually FUN. Most days, I stop the sweating and heavy breathing after 45 minutes or so only because mommyhood demands my attention, not because I'm exhausted or bored. It's revolutionary, I'm telling you!

The hardest and most painful part of the Wii Fit was actually finding one for sale! The buggers were selling out withing half an hour of being put on the shelves, and I had a heck of a time getting there in time.

Give it a try! And when you do, let me know how you do on the Super Hula, okay? I rock at the Super Hula!! (if you can push past the exploding heart and burning thighs, it's lots of competitive fun) :)

On My Mind...

I've been feeling dismayed and discouraged by my, ahem, extra padding lately. For some reason, eating M&Ms, chips and salsa, and ice cream just isn't helping the situation.

I've been blogging on my fitness blog lately. Come pay me a visit (and give me some encouragement, please!).

Headed Back Home

We should be on the road again today...headed back to Idaho with much weeping and gnashing of teeth. Sometimes it's nice to be back home, but it is ALWAYS, no matter how long we've been there, really hard to leave the bliss that is my parents' lakeside cottage.

I'm not blogging while I'm away (what's the point of a lakeside cottage if I sit on the computer all the time?)...but I did learn a thing or two about healthy eating before I left.

I blogged about it here, if you're interested.

I'll be back to real-time blogging tomorrow...with all kinds of beautiful summertime vacation pictures to share :) And I can't wait to get caught up on all of my blog reading!

A New Blog

Well, I've started a new blog. There. I've told you. It's called "Call Her Skinny", and it's where I'm going to keep track of what I'm doing to try and get this old bod of mine back into shape. Come visit me if you'd like...and leave a comment when you do so I know you've been there.

Today's Workout Sponsored By The Following Adrenaline Boosters:

At first, I didn't need any adrenaline boosters. The sun was shining, the breeze on my face, my legs were strong, and it felt great to just get out of the house. Even the dog seemed excited to be going for a jog. Bring it on!

But then, after I'd ran for...oh...50 yards at least...my legs started to give out and my heart was threatening to leap out of my chest. OK, now I could use some adrenaline.

My iPod delivered. Thank you very much, Toby Mac!

After a while though, it was the simple fact that I was running in my own neighborhood that kept me going. I have to face these people every day...get a move on it, legs!

Made my way out of my immediate neighborhood, and into an adjacent neighborhood. It's so beautiful with big trees, horses, singing birds, sweeping views of the mountains. Gorgeous. But not exactly energizing enough to get my legs moving at the rate I wanted them to move. Until...

Along comes giant Dalmatian - sprinting from it's owner's open garage door. Yep, that did it. I picked up the pace for a couple of blocks at least.

Starting to slow again. Uh oh. No adrenaline boosters in sight. OK...I guess if I'm going to be honest this is where I admit it...I walked for about a quarter mile. I had no choice. It was to the point where my body was doing the ..."choose: breathe or have your heart continue to beat" thing. I decided I'd better walk and choose both.

But then there was that creepy guy in the van who drove by...reaalllyyy sloooowly. Yep, there's that good old adrenaline again. Let's go girl, we're a-runnin' again.

Am I almost home yet? Oh, I know! Those chocolate chip cookies sitting on the kitchen counter. I'm having one when I get home. That will be my reward.

How am I possibly going to run all the rest of the way back? Leave it to my very own body to give me the answer...get home or pee your pants. Ya know, after 4 kids...the old bladder just isn't what it used to be.

Uh oh. Slowing down again.

But then I notice my dog. She seems to have slowed significantly. All this while, I'd been telling myself that she was slowing down because I was just working her too hard. You know...with all the Olympic speed running we'd been doing. But then my eyes were opened to the truth: the dog wasn't running at all. She'd adjusted her pace, and was actually just walking very quickly.

So I was killing myself, and my dog wasn't even trotting. Yep, that made me mad. I ran at least fast enough to make her pick up her pace a little. That's better. Her tongue is hanging out and she's panting. NOW we look like a matched pair.

Oh, Lord. I can do everything through you who strengthens me? Are you sure? Are you sure you meant to include jogging?

I'm almost back to my neighborhood. I want to make it home at a run...both because I want this dang run to be over with already...and because I'm sure my face is beet-red by now and I'd rather not display it in my own neighborhood for longer than necessary.

Oh. Thank you Black Eyed Peas and your wonderful song, "Pump It". I don't really approve of some of the language, but hey, these are desperate times. It's perfect. I make it all the way home still running at a decent pace.

"Hi Ben."
"Hi Mom...Hey Mom! You need some sun screen! Your face is REALLY sun burned! It's bright...like glowing...red!"
"Um, yeah. Hey, you're standing in the path to the bathroom. Outa my way."

I'm having TWO cookies.

National Health Care...

(Yes, that's 8 POUNDS 7 OUNCES...my "little" Thomas owes me, big time!)

Uh oh. Did I open a can of worms with my comments about national health care? I sure didn't mean to offend anyone. But it's true - I think nationalized health care would be a mess for the US.

In my humble (and admittedly ignorant) opinion on this topic, we only need to look at our public school systems to see how national health care would work out for us.

Namely, everyone would have access to care...but what quality of care? Our kids all get to go to school, but our teachers are terribly underpaid considering their responsibility...and therefore it's tough to attract serious talent (please, teachers, don't write to chew me out...I know that there are some excellent teachers out there...but you're not in it for the money, right?).

And there are pockets of schools in every state in the nation that just plain stink. They are typically in the neighborhoods where there are low incomes...a shame, since those folks can not afford to send their kids to private schools for a better education.

Now translate all of that into health care.

We want the best and the brightest doctors? Well, we'd better motivate the best and the brightest to become doctors then. Money motivates.

We want cutting edge medicines...again, we'd better motivate drug companies to do the research.

Bottom line...competition is healthy. The "losers" drop out, and the "winners" go on to provide great products.

And if there was a national health care system, does that mean that private systems couldn't continue to operate? Nope (remember private schools?). There would be plenty of outstanding options for those who could pay for it with their own money...and there would be minimal care for those who have less.

Is our system perfect? No way. It really bothers me when I hear stories of people who can't get treatment because their insurance doesn't cover it for one reason or another. Do I know how to fix it? Nope. Believe me, if I did, I'd be out there trying to do just that!

Changes do need to happen. I don't know what they are, but a national health care system (at

least as I envision NHC) isn't it.

I'd love to hear from people who know more about this than I do...What do you think of the idea of NHC? How do you envision it working/not working? What are some other options for fixing or improving the system we have?

Nothin' Good For You Today

Sorry for my absence today...I'm sure y'all missed me terribly ;)

My two little ones had to get shots today...terribly traumatic! I'm thankful that Hubby was able to take the morning off of work and go with us. Sammy started whimpering and trying to get away the moment she realized that we were at the doctor's office - poor kiddo. And my little Thomas - what a sport. All smiles and giggles...until the big stick.

I'm feeling a bit neglectful, actually. My Thomas is 5 months old, and he had is 2-month shots today. To be perfectly honest, I've been procrastinating because I'm so afraid of autism! Dang media.

I talked to the doc about it though, and he reassured me that there is absolutely NO scientific correlation between immunizations and autism. He even cited some data from European countries with national health care systems...he said their data was even better than ours since they have data on nearly 100% of their population (given the national health care system and all). I guess there (maybe) is one good thing about national health care. No, I will not be voting for Hillary.

So I let them stick my babies with all kinds of scary stuff. Ahhh...what to do though? It's a statistics game, really. It's statistically more dangerous for them to not have the immunizations. Maybe it's the engineer in me...I like data. And I guess it's the Mommy in me...I cry about it anyway.

They were troopers though. Hey, here's a tip for those of you with little ones...I brought a Life Saver for Samantha. I broke pieces off for her to suck on (trying to make the thing last - shoulda brought more than one silly little Life Saver!). It really helped calm her down for the doctor to look at her, and even helped while she was getting her shots. I'm definitely going to try and remember that for next time!

I'll write more tomorrow. I'm getting in to chapter 3 of the book I've been telling you about. Although chapter 2 was pretty good, chapter 3 is looking like it'll be even more of a disaster than chapter 1. I'll elaborate more tomorrow.

Have a great night everyone.

Oh, and by the way...please...if you have a horror story about immunizations and autism...forgive me for being so insensitive as to not let you share, but please do not tell me about it! With little ones who still need regular shots, I have to be able to sleep at night!

Thanks For Your Input

Thank you to all of you who commented on my post about letting the kids watch Biggest Loser. And a special thanks to "Anonymous" who said I'm beautiful inside and out ;)

After thinking about it some more, I think I'm going to take BL off of my list of shows that are OK for my kiddos. At their young age...I don't want them mulling over the idea of people winning a bunch of money because they lost the most weight.

Is anyone else out there terrified that they're just going to completely screw their kids up forever?! Whew...sure glad we have someone watching over us!

Thanks A Bunch, Biggest Loser!

We like to watch a little TV before bed at night. We all snuggle in, have a snack, and watch some family friendly TV.

Lately, we've been enjoying "Biggest Loser". I figure it's good for my kids to see people working hard to have a healthy body. The only part I don't really like is the commercials! Man, it's incredible...what they can put on TV at 7 in the evening!

Well, I might be rethinking the idea that BL is good family TV.

Tonight Clara turned to me and said, "Mom, you should exercise more."

"What? Why?"

"You just should."

"Well, why do you think I should?"

"So you can get skinnier."

"Why do you think I need to lose weight?"

"I don't know. You should just be skinnier, that's all."

"Well. I think I'm pretty good, actually. I'd rather be healthy and strong than skinny. How about you? Which do you think is better, being healthy and strong or being skinny?"

"Healthy and strong."

"Yeah, I think that's a good choice. Pass the popcorn, please."

Now, I'm not what I used to be. Truth be told, I'd like to lose at least 10 pounds...15 would be even better. But from the time that Clara was toddling around, sat on our bathroom scale, and saw numbers flashing, she heard the words "You weigh (insert #)...Just right for a healthy and strong Clara!"

And then it would be my turn. I'd step on the scale, and read the number to her. Then I'd say, "Just right for a healthy and strong Mommy!"

And I do not obsess about my weight. I weigh myself MAYBE once per week, and it's almost always in private. I've been very careful to try and instill the "healthy and strong" mantra into my kids' heads! My goal is for them to look at whatever their number is when they're adults and automatically think "Just. Right. Healthy. Strong." I want them to focus on the blessings of their body and all that they can do in this life with the incredible gift of their body...not always be focusing on "better, more, exercise, not good enough, should be..."

So needless to say, I was pretty surprised to hear Clara saying that I should be "skinnier".

I don't know...I guess it was a good teachable moment for Clara tonight (and for me too!). But what do you think? Do you think "Biggest Loser" is a good show for kids to be watching?

Quick Tip: "Green" & Frugal Cleaning

This is my bathroom. Don't be jealous...it's rarely this clean, just ask my husband! After I unearthed the counter top this afternoon, I realized that I needed to clean the counters, mirror, and sink. I had Sammy "helping" and Thomas chattering to me in his "I'm getting bored and irritated" voice. I was trying to be quick.

I went to the cabinet under the sink where I keep my cleaning supplies for that bathroom. I found paper towel and sink cleaner...but no glass cleaner (Windex, Glass Plus, Perfect Glass, whatever). I didn't feel like I had time to go out to where I store stuff in the garage to find some. So I just wet the paper towel with water and got to work.

It was then that I realized just how brainwashed I'd become! I usually douse the counter, sinks, and mirror with the blue stuff and then scrub 'till it sparkles. I thought I needed it to really get things clean. But as I cleaned today, I realized that the reason that the blue stuff works is just that it's...wet! Well guess what else is really wet? WATER!

I'd been spending money that I didn't need to spend. I had been spraying chemicals in my house that were unnecessary. You can't get much more "green" than good ol' water!

Now, I should be honest. When I had time later in the day I did use a tiny sprits of the blue stuff on the mirror and chrome. And I did sprinkle some sink cleaner in to really get the gunk out. But I used far less of the chemicals than I normally do. And I have a new mind set now: wipe things down with a damp towel FIRST, and then use the chemicals only if necessary. I'll save money and it will be healthier for my family. Give it a try!

Quick Tip: Keeping Kids Safe With Medicine

With the nasty cold that we've been fighting around here, I was reminded of a simple tip I thought might be helpful to you.

With two adults giving cold medicines, prescriptions, and pain relievers to 4 different children, it can get complicated! There are different medicines, different dosing, different times they're supposed to take them...sometimes in the dead of night. It's easy to forget if you've given the medicine (especially with both mom and dad doing it). That's downright unsafe for the kids!

So every time we start with an illness (even if it's only one child), I grab a piece of paper out of the recycling bin and write the child's/children's name at the top. I then write what meds they're taking, at what time intervals, and at what dosage. Then, every time I give them their medicine, I write down what time I gave it to them and which medicine it was.

It's also really helpful if we need to take the kiddo to the doctor. I grab the paper on the way out the door because I know they'll want to know what sorts of medicines we've been giving them and when they had their last dose.

This method has been a life-saver for our sanity. Give it a try, maybe it will help you too!

Post Partum Depression

~Safe In Daddy's Arms~

Wooohoo! Aren't you thrilled and excited to read a post with a title like that?! Ha! The reason I titled it so bluntly and simply is because I want it to be easy for people to find if they're searching for the topic. It's a topic that's tough to "pretty up" anyway.


Why on earth am I talking about such a thing, you ask?


Well, in an effort to be honest in this blog about who I am, I think it's only fair to be honest about this too ("keepin' it real" as some would say). I struggle with depression.


I wanted to do a post about this for 3 reasons. First, the reason I just stated...to keep things real around here. Second, I know I'm not alone. When I was first struggling, I was hurting and confused and didn't know what to do. I would have loved to talk to someone who had been there. I'm hoping to be a help to other moms out there. And third, as a Christian, I feel a duty to tell everyone who will listen about God and what He's done in my life. In my times of great pain, God's grace has been made clear to me.


This is a good place for a disclaimer: I AM NOT A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. My goal here is to share my experience. I do not claim to be an expert about depression. I write this post as a friend and fellow woman only. If you are struggling, PLEASE talk to your doctor. If your doctor doesn't take you seriously, then find a different doctor. If that doctor doesn't take you seriously, then find another. Keep finding another until you find one who will listen to you and will help you. You are not crazy. You are not defective. You are not a bad mom or wife. You do not somehow deserve this. You can not reason or sleep or exercise or eat or otherwise convince yourself to get better. This is a real illness, and you need help. There are tons of online resources like this, this, this, this, and this. But there's no substitute for a real, flesh and blood doctor.


OK, back to my story.


I call it post-partum depression because it started when I was post-partum...after the birth of my second child. I had a brief window of relief just before I got pregnant with my 3rd baby, but there's something about pregnancy and breast feeding hormones that really affect me in a nasty way. And I've been either pregnant or nursing a baby for the past...holy cow...did I do the math right?...6 1/2 YEARS! I just gave birth to my 4th child about 3 months ago, and am nursing him now.


How did I know that I was depressed? I didn't. All I knew was that I cried a LOT. I was angry a LOT. And I was overwhelmed a LOT. I also didn't feel like doing much of anything, even the stuff that I used to really enjoy. I spent much of my time just walking around the house weeping. I could not, for the life of me, do the dishes or laundry or any other housework. It was almost physically painful to even think about doing housework, and having such a messy house made me feel like I was failing somehow. All I really wanted to do was to crawl under my covers and sleep...for the rest of my life.


It was finally a comment from one of my sisters (who is a registered nurse), that woke me up to the possibility that this could be depression. But I still didn't truly take it seriously. Me? Depressed? I don't think so! I thought that all I needed was some "me time"...some more sleep...some more exercise. So my dear hubby did all he could to make those things happen. He let me sleep in. He got me a gym membership, and he gladly watched the kids as I went to the gym for 3 hours, 3 days a week. I had great legs...but was still not "right". I finally went to my doctor for help.


I wish I could say that going to the doctor was my first step in getting better. In fact, I felt very patronized by my doctor. They had me take a depression screening test that had questions like "Do you always feel sad?", "Do you never feel like doing things that you once enjoyed?" I didn't feel always or never about anything, so I scored very low on their dumb test. The nurse looked over my test, said something like "Oh, you've just got the blues, honey." She sort of patted me on the shoulder, gave me a sample packet of antidepressants, and said "Take these if you think you need to. Bye now!"


Months went by without me doing anything more. I thought I could simply fight the depression, and it would go away. I thought I just needed to be stronger. I thought I just needed to pray more and have more faith.


So I prayed. I prayed and prayed and prayed. I cried out to God from the very depths of my heart, and begged him to heal me. I begged for a miracle. There were many nights that I snuck off to the bathroom that was farthest away from the bedrooms (so my family wouldn't hear me) and just laid on the floor and cried and prayed. Then I got angry...why was He not answering me? Was He real at all? If He was real, then what was the problem? Did He not care? Oh, what a terrible time!


I finally realized that I was not getting better. Even worse, I was missing my daughter's babyhood. I still grieve that lost time to this day.


I went to our family doctor (it was my OB/GYN that I went to first). That wonderful man sat and talked with me for over an hour! I can only imagine how furious the rest of his patients were! But he talked through everything with me. I finally decided to start taking the antidepressant he recommended. What relief!


I felt "superficial" results within days (the anxiety and impatience). It took several more weeks to feel the "deeper" results (that gut wrenching pain and apathy). But those too went away.


There is one day, in particular, that I remember very clearly. It was a sunny day, and I remember thinking that it was the first bright day that I'd seen in months. The truth was that the greyness...the gloominess that had been covering me was finally lifted. And on that day, my son did something silly an I laughed. The sound of my own laugh startled me so much that I jumped and looked behind me to see what was making the sound! It had been a while since I had really laughed.


But I still had to make peace with the fact that I felt abandoned by God. Where was He in my time of suffering? I finally came to the realization that, simply put, everyone suffers. Even Christians. I am a precious child of God, but I am also a member of this fallen world. God doesn't promise a pain free life. I will feel pain in this lifetime, but I am not alone in my suffering. Jesus himself was sitting there with me as I lay crying on my bathroom floor. And I have hope that my suffering is not for nothing. God will bring good out of my suffering. And the truth is that I felt the Lord's presence so clearly during some of those rough times that it seemed that if I could just look quickly enough over my right shoulder, that I'd be able to see Him. His presence was that real. In a strange way, I miss those time for how close He felt.


I still take medication for depression. I still wish I didn't have to, but mostly I'm just thankful that the stuff is available! Maybe, after I wean my son, I'll work with my doctor to also wean myself off the meds. Maybe I won't . Maybe I'll be on them for the rest of my life, just as a diabetic has to take medication for their illness. I should say this too...I feel like ME on this medication. I don't feel numb or happy all the time. I feel like me. I still cry and get frustrated and angry...it's just not debilitating anymore.


So, that's my story. If you're reading this sentence, then I assume that you've actually read this excruciatingly loooong post! You must have read it because you can relate (in which case, I hope this was a help to you), or it's because you have someone in your life that this post reminds you of (again, I hope this helped), or it's because you must care about me (in which case...thank you!).

Quick Tip

Every now and then I hear/read/get/come up with something that I find useful or helpful in some way. I'll try to post them here. Maybe you'll find them helpful too.

My quick tip for today:

My family doctor once told me that the best thing I can do to prevent back pain is to keep my stomach muscles strong. I don't get a chance to get to the gym as often as I'd like, but lately I've been taking 5 minutes before I take a shower...I do sit ups, push ups (girl push ups), and some simple stretches. I feel stronger and like I'm standing straighter all day long. Give it a try!