Hard work and dedication

Back in September, Mike and I purchased a membership to the gym where the boys karate school now resides. We had an option as with the merging of our son's school with the existing one at the club ,karate was no longer included with a general gym membership ( as in the past before the boys went there) but now was thirty dollars extra a month as opposed to the sixty per month for non members. From the get go, we were given multiple discounts for having more than one child enrolled and one being a black belt so we really had a pretty good deal from the merge.Since we were originally promised that we , the parents of minor students, could use the facility during karate hours, for no additional charge other than their tuition, we didn't plan on joining but our deal was rescinded ( another story that will probably never be written without my using bad words :-) so we did join. Because of this Mike and I usually spend the karate hour at least once a week in the pool , hot tub, or steam room. With the exception of a couple times when kids with parents who don't feel the need to teach them to stay out of other's swimming lanes ( yes even when they are at the other end )we usually enjoy ourselves. Usually the pool area is kind of dead at this hour when we go but we have on occasion had conversations with others ( who are not too busy on their cell phones to say Hi or even watch their little brats,ummm I mean kids.) Anyway, a few weeks ago there was a man, and a woman with their son. The man wasn't very friendly but his wife told us how they just joined to put their very overweight son into karate in the hopes that he would get some exercise and loose some weight. The woman was delighted to hear that we could give her some positive feedback about karate ,especially since Michael has been in ShotoKan for ten years now. We talked for awhile of the benefits of a good breathing techniques and how Robby hasn't been in the hospital, for inability to breathe since he started karate. I also mentioned the boost in coordination, not to mention self image for both boys. It was then that the lady asked a question that floored me." Is it fun? My response was that yes my boys had fun with it and loved it. The lady then went on to say that life has too many pressures for children and that they need to have fun time. Hmmmm I thought, does she think that this is a play group ? Does she and her child realize that he will have to practice ? Do they realize that muscles can get sore,especially for a child who is severely overweight and out of shape, as he trains? Now far be it for me to criticize anyone who is overweight as I am as obese as they come, OK they do come bigger but I am by no means NOT seriously overweight myself. But I wonder, how does an eight year old ( I believe that she said he was eight ) get to be so large ? Is it too much fun while setting down playing video games and eating Twinkies ? Honestly, lack of exercise and excessive chocolate is my main reason.
The week after our conversation, true to the Mom's words the child joined. When I asked the boys how he was doing( Michael teaches basics to newcomers a portion of every class and friendly Robby always offers assistance where he can )I was told that he was doing OK but as I knew ,it is tougher for a heavy person. Mike and I also found the opportunity last night to watch the end of class after leaving the pool before I took it upon myself to discipline some children while their father sat in his designer sweat suite bragging about his expensive vacation to someone on his phone. While watching the class I noticed quite a few new students. Many were being watched by parents who were obviously wealthy ( something quite common in this area)One woman looked at me as I walked up to watch the class, and snorted as her nose went up in the air and she walked fifteen feet from me. I guess that the shower that I just took in the locker room didn't make me smell as good as she would have liked.
:-(
Anyway class ended and out came the instructor of the school before the merge, who has basically turned all teaching over to Michael & Robby's instructor but remains the PR of the school. He promptly went to these student's parents and told them how great their children were doing ( His age must be affecting his eye sight.... enough said ) Then he came to Mike and I . Michael is really good, he said. We nodded and said thank you. Really, he went on, he does Black belt Kata with us and he does well. Gee, I thought of course he does he earned his black belt when he was twelve by being tested by the vary man who brought Shoto Kan karate from Japan to the US, breaking the record of the youngest U.S. ISKF member to ever earn a black belt. Yes I would say his skills are fair. Anyway we take the PR crap to keep us paying for what it is, just crap to keep us paying. Anyway most people left as Michael spared with his main sensei as they had been doing in preparation for the up and coming National competition. As I watched them spar and Michael actually make the sensei , who is three ranks ahead of him , struggle my mind wandered. How many of these new students will make it to where Michael is ? OK how many will even earn a black belt ? Furthermore, how many will last the year ? How long can they believe that their kids are doing great when some can't even handle their right from left ? How many will get upset when their child, who is wanting nothing more than fun, doesn't advance in the ranks as fast as someone who puts in nightly effort? How many will bail when the pressure of a test to advance comes along ? How many will realize that training hurts, especially when someone is at least one hundred pounds overweight and not used to using most of their muscles ?
As in life itself, everything worth achieving requires dedication and hard work. Would my marriage be as good as it is if I was just in it for fun ? Would my kids have manners( well most of the time anyway ) If I didn't dedicate myself to teaching them ? Does not everything good require some amount of hard work and dedication ? Will our relationship with God be the same if we only pray when it is convenient? I think not. If anything is worth it's benefits,we must work hard and dedicate ourselves.

Cold weather foods

While I slept last night, the mercury dipped below freezing. This little dip caused the rain to turn to a few wet snow flakes flying around. Though the ground was too warm for any accumulation, a few wet flakes were found on the cars windshield this morning at three AM when I got up. Though the sun came out a few hours later and warmed things up to hoodie with no jacket weather,I still felt the need to go grocery shopping in preparation of cold weather cooking. I had already made a pot of Chile last week but it seemed to disappear before I even got a second bowl. A couple to go bowls were later found in the fridge but found their way into lunch boxes the next day. So the first ingredients on my shopping list were those needed to make another pot. I also added everything needed to make beef stew, beef stroganoff, black bean and rice soup,chicken dumpling soup, and other cold weather favorites. Unfortunately I took too long grocery shopping and didn't have time to fix any of these for tonight's dinner. That is OK though, as I ended up making baked chicken with baked potatoes and corn. Now as many of you know, I still do a lot of winter grilling of meats and have no problem brushing eight or ten inches of snow off of the grill before lighting it. But we have been eating grilled meats all summer long and it has been so long since the weather has permitted a piping hot bowl of soup. Well except for chicken soup ( noodle, rice, or wedding)that has been made several times this summer when someone had a cold or when Cindy had her wisdom teeth out, or times like that. No, I am not at all happy about the cold weather coming but for right now I will enjoy the cold weather foods that come with it !

My love / hate relationship with Big Lots !

Yesterday I headed to Big lots to purchase a $35 Halloween costume, that I had seen on a previous visit, for Michael. Since Michael is fifteen , I did not originally plan to buy him a costume as, even though some don't realize it around here, fifteen is really too old to trick or treat. Last Sunday, however, Michael sprung on me that he was " Helping " with the children's Halloween party at church. Michael told me that he would buy his costume with Money that he has made through the summer working for his Grandparents ( Mowing lawns, painting, Helping cut down trees, stacking wood, assisting in car repairs, etc) but I wanted to see most of this money put in his bank account. Besides Michael wanted to spend ten to twenty dollars on some novelties and pair them with clothes that he ripped, cut , or otherwise destroyed himself. Since we don't have much room to keep old clothing that is in no shape to wear out in public, Michael really didn't have anything that I wouldn't care if he destroyed, so I made him a deal. I buy the costume and he puts the equivalent amount of money into his bank account. He agreed so i was on my way. Once at Big Lots, I realized that their reduced isle had gone from 70% off ( a real bargain any day ) to 90% off. Though I was pressed for time, I made time to look and buy almost $50 worth of stuff.Among this stuff was photo paper, laminating sheets, OTC Claritin,a back pack with wheels, and other finds. I did end up being late getting home but in the end it all worked out. A few hours later, however I unloaded my car and realized that I had no place to put half of the things that I bought. The night lights that i had bought for nieces and nephews for Christmas weren't the big deal as they will be going to the kids in just a couple months, but where I will put the wheelie back pack, that is too big to fit in Robby's locker at school, or the ten travel tubes of hair gel that was eight cents a tube,that will take us forever to use, or the packages of self laminating sheets. Yes I paid a mint for a couple packages of these a few months ago when I laminated my Grandmother's obituary, but when will I need these ones. Furthermore, where do I put them so that I can find them when I do need them ? In the past,Mike has hinted that it may not be a good idea to buy things, even at such deep discounts,if we don't need them and they will be lost, or worse yet ruined, by the time that we do need them. Of course that is Male logic for you ! As for me, I have to admit that I have an addiction to 9o% off sales but it is an addiction that I refuse to work on giving up. Of course let the record state that, as I search for the perfect spot to store five hundred dollars worth of stuff that I paid fifty for, I Hate Big Lots ! Oh that sounds so harsh.... I'm sorry Big Lots.... You know I love you !

I have a favor to ask, it will only take a minute.....

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Here's the web site! Can you spare a minute to click it ?

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I guess I am addicted

Since I was a teenager, having a cold meant reaching for the box of Contac . Now I am not usually one to take medications of any kind but I can not stand to have my nose run. As a matter of fact I did better with the pain after my c sections than I do with a runny nose. Unfortunately, the cold that I am battling has come with the customary runny nose that has the potential to drive me mad. Because I have a feeling that my doctor , though a personal friend,will not even listen to the pros of putting me into a medically induced coma until my body naturally fights off this cold, which is usually only three or four days max for my super charged immune system, I once again reached for the box of Contac that was in the back of the medicine cupboard . As always I took two tablets and knew that within a few minutes my nose would dry up and I could once again go on. I waited the customary half hour , but my nose still ran. I waited an hour more, still nothing. Four hours later, when it was time for another dose, no change. I figured that maybe I had a bad box so I dug for another. I repeated the process with the same results. By this time I was crawling out of my skin.I found an old box of Tylenol sinus and took a dose. Finally I got some relief.Too bad that there were only a couple doses in the box because when I made a special trip to get more of the same, came home and took it, it didn't work either.Being the brilliant person that i am I read the box. The new Tylenol sinus and the Contac basically contained the same active ingredients. Neither contained psudoephedrine hydrochloride, which the older box of Tylenol sinus contained. As a matter of fact the Contac box and the new Tylenol sinus box both proudly declared in big letters on the front of the box, that it contained none.That must be the problem I thought as my nose ran like a leaky faucet.I headed to Wal Greens, where a friend of mine was working as a Pharmacy assistant. I spent almost an hour reading labels. Most had the "NO Psudoephedrine HCL" markings on the box and even those that didn't "brag" about leaving this out , didn't seem to have it listed in the ingredients. I called upon my friend Jan, to help.Jan looked at a couple boxes and then called the Pharmacist to listen to my pleas for this medicine which I knew would help me. My heart sunk as the Pharmacist told me that these drugs were no longer putting Psudoephedrine HCL, into their OTC medications because drug addicts were buying these drugs and using then to make Crystal meth. He assured me the the new ingredients worked just as well. They don't work just as well, I told him, They really don't ! After looking at me for a minute , as if to deceiver whether I intended to make meth or if I really wasn't getting relief from this new formula, my red runny nose convinced him to tell me that Wal Greens still used Psudoephedrine Hcl to make their Wal- Phed cold and sinus medication. He informed me that I could buy one box at the pharmacy ,without a prescription, if I had two forms of ID on me and was willing to sign that I was not going to make Meth. I agreed.The process of reading the "I will not make meth" paperwork, signing it, giving my two forms of ID to the assistant,( my friend who knows I am not a drug manufacturer)My information being entered into the computer, and so on took about a 1/2 an hour. Finally I paid and was on my way out with one box of Wal Phed and a paper cautioning me to not leave this medication where anyone could get it and stating the date when I could buy another.I got into my car ready to scream. However I calmed down, opened the package took a pill and within fifteen minutes The faucet was off and I could breathe. Oh the whole hassle was worth it ! I guess I am addicted, just not in the way that they are protecting against. Once I got home as suggested I hid my Wal -Phed, where only I can find it !

13 years

Mike and I attended our thirteenth Heal ( Helping each other after loss)memorial service at St. Elizabeth's Hospital today. We were obviously invited to our first thirteen years and two months ago when we attended a support group meeting after our third child( second daughter) Caitlyn Lee, was delivered still born.There is a kind of funny story behind how we actually came to agree to attending any support group meeting let alone this one( St. Elizabeth's is not the hospital which I delivered Caitlyn ) but that is another story that I may share another day. Anyway, we did go and though we didn't attend many support group monthly sessions ( I quit going because I was pregnant with Robby, four months later, and was terrified that we would end up loosing him too (because hearing of everything that could and did happen ( to others)was not helping me keep the positive attitude and faith that my high risk pregnancy required. )We have since attended all but one yearly memorial service (the one following Robby's premature birth when he was too sick to take or leave with someone else)
I have made friends through this group and actually look forward to the yearly service when I can honor my baby who resides with Jesus. I have met some who's loss was long ago and some whose loss was very recent. I have met those who have gone on to have healthy children ,some who have experienced loss after loss,some who have adopted, and some who's lives have taken on different roles. Thirteen years ago if anyone would have told me that there would be positive things to come from the pain of losing a child, I would have never believed you.However, thirteen years later, I do see some positive. I would still give everything to have my baby ,Caitlyn, alive and well, but I have accepted God's will to take her home and though I look forward to seeing her again someday, I go on doing the best that I can in the roles that God has called me to.

Happy sweetest day!

Because I am battling a cold that just won't quit,I returned to bed this morning as soon as Mike left for work.Too bad that two short hours later I was awakened by what sounded like a knock at the door. I got up to check but seen no car in the drive so I went back to bed.A little over an hour later the door bell awakened me. I wasn't even in the mood, however Michael called up the stairs " Mom, two men with badges are at the door"I knew that Mike had called and was already at work and all three kids were home so i didn't go too deep into hysterics as I told Michael to open the door and tell them just a minute then let the dogs out back and I would be down to let them in. Michael hollered back that they left, but he proceeded to put the dogs out. I grabbed my robe and headed down. As I opened the door two Police men were at the neighbors. Hmmmm I thought as I seen the vote yes on the Police levy literature on the door knob. As I grabbed it and crumpled it in my hand getting angry that I was awoken for a political thing, when one police officer seen me and came over. "I see you found our literature" he said. Great, I thought ! He gave me another with an apology for waking me, followed by information on how badly we need this levy passed.It took all I had but I said that I would consider voting for the levy before shutting the door. Now it was too late to go back to bed as the boys would need to get ready for karate in an hour. They did and I took them, ran some errands, picked them up and ran a couple more errands . Finally I was home and Mike called to say he had just left work. He told me that he wanted to go out and asked if I wanted him to pick up fast food for the kids. I honestly didn't feel like going out but he was adamant so I agreed. We talked until he abruptly said that he had to go and that he would be home in a few minutes. As I hung up I wondered what was up. Did he get pulled over ? He seemed too cheerful for that to have been the case. Was his car acting up ? Again too cheerful. I wondered what was up. About fifteen minutes later, Mike was home. He had stopped for roses. Happy Sweetest Day, he said as he handed me the wrapped flowers. Awwwwww Sweetest day ! I had no idea ! He actually remembered and I didn't,wow that was a switch.That is also why he wanted to take me to dinner.Thankfully we decided to eat at a place that isn't very fancy ,though the food is always great, so jeans and a T shirt were perfect. We ate and headed home for my next dose of cold medicine. We then cuddled up and watched Sex and The City on DVD. Do I have the life or what ?