Running through the May Flowers - Page 4

[kerc]

hey -- one more message to think about:  (it sounds like) the doc wasn't saying she was too heavy to be healthy. Just that she's on the top range of normal. And that one sign of a good doctor is that he/she is willing to talk that tough talk with patients about weight. Catching yourself gaining 5lbs isn't an issue. Until you add 5 lbs annually for 3 years and suddenly you're like, whoa, I used to weigh 15 lbs less and feel better.
 

[MelW]

Not really keeping up, but chiming in agreement on the artificial sweetners. There have definitely been studies linking consumption of artifical sweeteners to increased consumption of other sweets (sweetens the palate and increased cravings hypothesized). We do bubbly water with a small splash of fruit juice for flavour as "pop",

Geo, I'm glad that things are falling into place (ha! I make that sound as if it happens by luck instead of massive amounts of work on your part) for you and your kids. The bully situation sounds horrific.

jo, good luck with the final 19 days! You're almost there!!

real, I hope the revisions get done and the shin smartens up.

Plady, it really sounds like you're on the right path with C. I hope you have a working pump again soon, too.

NRR- Still very much in a life evaluation/re-evaluation headspace. I made an appointment with a counsellor for next week. My husband had an interview today for another job "away" for next academic year. Processing all of this...There are long conversations after the kids go to bed several times a week. I feel like our communication and friendship is good, but finding it hard to chart a path for the future.

RR- Biked to the park yesterday and my shoulder is still a bit achy from gardening over the weekend. There's more yardwork to be done, but most of the heavy lifting is finished.

[Plady]

Nic - Was the CL suggestion a possible remedy for too many calories or too little water?  I wonder if she was thinking about hydration for the bladder thing more than the calorie thing and is of the whatever-works-is-good camp for that?  I agree that CL would not be my go-to for a kid drink, but if there is some sort of chronic dehydration happening leading to bladder trouble maybe that's the ticket.  Just a thought.

Pump's still out, I'm glad I've been getting stronger through boxing because all this carrying water could be an issue otherwise.  Whew.

[sparkletruck]

I'm probably going to step in it here, but I just dont allow food I dont approve of in the house. I do the shopping and cooking and so I buy what I want, and that means whole grain everything, sprouted breads, etc. I hear you Kerc, on being a freak in the food dept (fortunately I'm less of a freak where I live), but my kids eat what I serve and they dont complain, b/c its always been that way. White four is higher on the Glycemic Index than white sugar. Will she eat eggs?
I serve skim milk b/c my kids get fat from other, healthier sources, like nuts, coconut oil, flax seeds, etc. so often when they are having milk, they are getting some good fat with it to help absorb nutrients in milk.
I allow them 8oz o juice per day, and we buy the kind of juice that has as much pureed fruit as possible (its some green juice from TJ's with spirulina, etc). Otherwise they get milk or water. Sometimes emergen-c.
I'm lucky, I guess, in that my kids have never asked for other stuff. They have never asked for a food we dont eat; "why cant we have..." I dont think they know the difference btwn. white and wheat or br. rice pasta. If they are eating a lot of grains in a day (2 of 3 meals, I try to make their snacks and that 3rd meal grain-free). I make a lot of baked goods with flax seeds and garbanzo flour (protein). Ive also used a soy-free protein powder from TJ's for baked goods, just so they are more sated when we do have pancakes and muffins. But that is expensive , so Ive sort of stopped.
I try to have protein and fat with everything they eat....
But, we are also ecto and mesomorphs here. I will say that we also eat treats, like, almost daily, which I am ok with b/c they eat so well in bulk.
I agree with what everyone has said, except I might take a heavier hand. I would buy the whole grain products and say you are doing it b/c it is better for them and you love them so why would you feed them something that is worse? Maybe you could start off mixing in half of the undesired food with half of the usual and slowly fade one out...


NRR: I dont like my ds this week. I dont know what to do. My current strategy is to be in a different room than him I just can be constructive and mature right now, it gets me no where

[Nickarolaberry]

Sparkle, thanks. I also am pretty strong on the keeping better foods in the house. The pasta I buy is either whole wheat or the Barilla Plus (has chickpea flour in it) and the rice I buy is either a nice Jasmine or some such, or whole grain brown. In general they really don't get a lot of drinks other than seltzer or water, one glass of juice as I said and a glass of milk, sometimes that is chocolate milk with breakfast (usually potatoes and eggs and a chosen fruit or veg). They have to have at least one fruit or veg with every meal. 

We did just have a discussion at dinner about what CL is, where it comes from, and why it's not a good choice. As she is really a reader and very thoughtful she got it and isn't interested. I also might have promised her a new cool water bottle and some lime slices for her water every day.  As for myself I drink way more water or seltzer when there's fresh lime slices involved so why not? And she needs a new bottle anyway; her thermos leaks. Only problem is for school it has to have a sport spout or straw top, no screw tops, which sort of eliminates some of the more 'fun' Siggs and stuff. I'm sure we'll find something with a 'cool' factor.

We did try to make smoothies this afternoon with pretty disgusting results. Not sure why but ick. 

I like the idea of the baking with protein flours; I do that anyway when I make my own gluten free stuff and sometimes when I do their school snacks like granola bars but in general for regular baked goods I don't. That's a good idea.

As for your ds...sorry! I am re-reading Neufeld's book "Hold On to Your Kids" and it has some very important ideas about attachment needs at various stages and how it manifests, and the concept of 'collecting' kids. It takes the whole idea of attachment parenting into a much more practical and commonsense level for older kids. Maybe it's something you could pick up at the library (in your spare time! Yeegads). And is it possible that the upcoming move dislocation is affecting his behavior? My ds was on and off really difficult for the past year and it sort of comes and goes. I find that he really needs to be 'collected' frequently and it helps a lot. Just my idea.

Excuse me while I supervise the cleaning up of the brown rice explosion that just occurred at that very ds' seat at the table. Sigh. So sticky...

[JayGee]

Nic ~ I'd nix the Crystal Light idea too.  No artificial sweeteners, period.  They still cause insulin spikes.  Honestly, how many calories are you "saving" by switching from whole to skim?  Not worth it, IMO.  Fat does not make you fat, sugar does.  So go easier on the "whites" (flour, sugar, potatoes).  And I think at her age, she's probably storing a bit of extra fat for puberty.  Very normal.

sparkle ~ sorry you don't like DS right now.  I go through phases like that with my kids too.  Don't know why.  It always passes.  Actually sometimes, I go through that with DH too!  Maybe it's the old "Familiarity breeds contempt" thing.

Plady ~ you've had me thinking all day, not just about what my kids wear but the ethics of what they wear.  Honestly, I haven't thought much about that before, but your thoughtfulness and adherence to a personal code of ethics regarding clothing, etc.  had me doing a bit of reconsidering of my own habits.  Another reason I love the Dingoes .

MelW ~ you're in my thoughts and you and your DH navigate the upcoming year.  Could it be that you are a better couple when you live apart and see each other only occasionally?  I know a few people that this works much better for than the traditional married and living together all the time.

RR ~ cardio circuit this morning, with sprints.  I'm very proud that I kicked the a$$ of every other woman there.  Yes, I'm competitive .

NRR ~ Last PTO meeting of the year tonight.  Thank G-D.

[1jooj]

Nic, I had the same thought about citrus slices in the water bottle.  Maybe a little squirt of agave nectar with it, but my ds (almost 11) recently requested that I buy more lemons (they are my salad dressing) so he can put them in his school water bottle. He also came up with the idea of slicing them and freezing, to act as delicious ice cubes. At my kids' school, if you forget to send a water bottle, you get a note home. Hydration is SO important, for their bodies and brains.

I would stick with whole milk (I still do) and full fat dairy in general. Of course, raw is better, but if you can't get it, you can't. They do FF laban here, too (thick buttermilk). Maybe more talking about how vegetarians really do have to eat a lot and a variety of vegetables will be helpful, too. And on BMI, some of us are our ideal body toward the top of those charts. I am heavy and very muscular, and toward the top of the BMI chart I wear a 4/6 and my BP goes quite low. I can't imagine ever desiring a BMI lower than 23, as that would put me at about 13% BF. Remember that health assessments are a lot like standardized tests. There's a lot they miss. Still, esp as she is moving toward menarche and all, I'd try to cut loose of the "whites."

I tell you ladies, reading along has me (and my kids) so excited for such delights as public libraries and thrift stores and rummage sales. OMG, we are going to have no end of adventures this summer.

JayGee, I know what you've suggested for MelW holds true for me and my dh. I don't know why it is, probably it's me , but we have such better family harmony when I am able to run the show with the kids for extended periods, and he can come home and enjoy his family a while, and then head back out. He claims to hate being away, but he has friends all over the world as a result, so I am not sure how much of that is his attempt to not sound too enthusiastic about his outside life.

Kids and I met two Abu Dhabi moms and their kids for lunch yesterday, and it was just great. So easy to talk to, so normal! And the kids just immediately all got to know one another, and my kids want to see the others again before we leave for summer (probably not possible). There were boys AND a girl, and they were normal and kind, and engaged with each other, and it made me feel really hopeful. (They're also MDC mamas, so, you know...) And I am leaning heavily toward enrolling the kids in k12, and stateside rather than locally, for a few reasons. And I think I can relax about it now.

And can I just say I hate my whole luteal phase? There has GOT to be a remedy.

RR for today = none planned. I am meeting a mom for coffee, running errands at the ski hill mall, and then probably cleaning this house. Maybe I'll manage to throw in some burpees and chair dips. My arms have really begun to transform back to their former selves, which makes me so thankful.

One more thing: please keep Reb (creb) in your thoughts. She's got some major tumult in her life, mostly having to do with her epilepsy. She's made some real strides in health choices to improve the condition, but could definitely use the vibes. Thanks, ladies.

[bec]

I am hopelessly behind.  I want to say things to everyone, but it took me most of the evening just to have the time to catch up!

So, forgive me, those I miss!

Plady - This sounds like growing pains, followed by a not fabulous teacher, in a tough year for your DD.  It sounds like you are handling it well, and I think that this is a teachable opportunity.  She is really going to learn about trust, and what it means when trust is violated.  Your farrier sounds awesome.  On coolness, for me, it was the guess jeans, and the Reebok princess sneakers.  I would ask for them for Christmas and birthdays.  I only ever got one pair of the jeans, but I wore them until they split at the seems!  I can't abide by Justice, either.  I love buying used when I can.  One of the upsides of living in a working class town surrounded by a lot of very, very wealthy towns (we are only a few miles from Lake Forest, which is where all the Chicago Bears or Chicago Bulls live), is that there are a lot of great garage sales, resale shops and the Goodwill has some great things!  I am able to outfit the kids pretty fashionably there.  I do still, occasionally buy clothes at Target, but that is usually in desperation and when I am in between garage sale season!

Geo - No worries at all about the timing of the SS!  You have had A LOT on your plate!  I am simply heart broken for your DD with her class.  Honestly, it really sounds like her teacher so totally dropped the ball and poor K got the brunt of that!  It does sound like you have gotten some good answers and some good pieces to the puzzle, though, and hopefully, that means a better year for her next year.  Socially, academically, and emotionally. 

Nic - As a member of the Polish/Russian Jewish peasant stock body type, I can certainly feel with those weight struggles.  More body image struggles, and with no parental support to help figure out how to navigate nutrition positively, made for an obese young adult.  My goal has been to not pass my own weight issues, and relationship with food struggles onto my kids.  I don't want them to have the baggage I had.  Rather than focusing on food and the need to reduce calories or even a food impacting weight (and I would not be happy at the CL suggestion, either), I try to take it as a we feel better when we eat these kinds of foods.  We are healthier and our bodies work better and give us enough energy when we do XYZ.  When we do ABC, we feel kind of yucky, etc.  I also try to make exercise, activity, sports, whatever as just something we do.  Because we feel better when we do it.  We like playing, so we do that.  Riding bikes is fun, so we do.  Running as a family brings us together, so we do.  It's what we were born to do, so we do it.  So far, so good with that.  The oldest wants to do cross country in the fall, the middle was talking about a kids' triathlon, and the youngest wants to do soccer.  These are all unprompted by me, so I'm guessing the philosophy is sinking in.  I like the idea of making it a science project.  That's the sort of thing that my kids totally dig when I get the energy to really get into it with them!  I do have more thoughts about body image, and the impact that telling a kid she needs to watch her weight as she's about to enter puberty can have.  But, it is really late! 

RR: 1700 yards in the pool.  I have a bike/run brick tomorrow, and I think I'm going to take a rest day on Thursday!  It's been a while!

[sparkletruck]

Bec - Yes about the explanation of diet. Never mention weight here. Funny thing, today in the car DS was explaining how his friend at school gets not one, but two, slim jims in his lunch, and I said gross, and he said 'well Kelsey says its just meat', and I said yeah, but its the kind of cheap meat you get at McDonalds, and he says, what is that, so I go into the whole knee-deep in their own waste, corn-stuffed, antibiotic pumped explanation and he says "I want to be a vegetarian!' Then we get home and Im making quesadillas with some left-over meat-loaf (grass fed, local, bla bla) and he says "Uh-Oh.... I think Ill start tomorrow"

[Shantimama]

No time to read or post more now but I am posting this from my new computer and it WORKS!!!

[Plady]

Yay Shanti!  So happy you've got that!

RR: Nope.  We're hoping to get the well pump reinstalled today, it turned out it was the wiring not the pump that was the problem but it's still going to take a while.  Hopefully we'll have water back by this evening!

NRR: I just booked flights for 4 at iFly (Jo, I see they have not one but two in Dubai!) to do some indoor skydiving with the fam for my 40th.  Some of you may recall that I sent dh and his friends to Las Vegas for his 40th to lay the groundwork for something fun for mine (okay, also because I love him and knew he'd like to go).  However, he didn't seem to have anything up his sleeve and I could just hear him telling me the well working was my gift so I went ahead and set it up.  I'm psyched!  I have such incredibly vivid dreams about flying I'm really curious if the sensation is at all similar.  And, because I checked it now, we got their buy three get one free deal!  Woot woot!

Sparkle - Tomorrow sounds like when I'll go vegetarian too.

We also keep mainly healthy food in the house, I never buy much processed stuff unless I happen to hit a sale on a particular day of the month and both girls are good about eating whatever I serve but C has asked me (more often this year) why it is that her skinny friends can bring all these sweet junky snacks to school and they never gain weight or seem unhealthy.  I tell her that I suppose it is a question of metabolism and genetic luck but I remember that being so frustrating as a kid.  I tended toward softer and rounder and my best friend was thin as a rail and ate nothing but junk food.  I don't wish anyone ill but I do wish that it was more obvious to kids how a healthy diet is a good thing.

Jo - So glad that you've found some like-minded moms and kids for next year!  That will be something to truly look forward to!

MelW - Thinking of you as you and your dh try to figure things out.  Whatever happens it is a blessing that you are friends, I wouldn't imagine that that is always the case as a partnership becomes something different than expected/hoped for.

Bec - You are inspiring me to find my way back into the pool.  I took a 10 minute dip yesterday after boxing and was astounded at how tired my shoulders were (duh) but maybe if I go on an alternate day I could recapture the mojo.

[sparkletruck]

The cultural predisposition toward thin, or ectomorphic women really hit home for me as an adult. I spent a good # of years caring about everything I ate as it related to weight, and then performance, and then eventually just stopped and began eating all the taboo foods (fat in all its glorious forms for the main one) in my late thirties. Guess what, I look better now! Turns out A. body shape is genetic, and ALL shapes have their benefits and drawbacks, and B. nit-picking about what I ate only disconnected me from what my body was telling me it really wanted and needed. It just breaks my heart to see young girls of any age going through the same b.s.

As a grown woman entering mid-life, my 'thin' body is saggin like nobodies business. As it turns out, I inherited moms shape, and her Sharpei skin. I would have liked to have more of an ass and some slightly bigger boobs, but in the end, it is just so nice to have a body that works well!!!

Plady - that does suck about the sweets. Fortunately, my kids' school has a no sweets policy, so even when I send a bar, I get a scolding from the principal. Nice to have a bad cop other than me for a change Birthday sounds amazing!!!!

Shanti -

RR: Bwa

NRR: woke at 2a, with food poisoning. Spent the rest of the night writhing in pain (hello interferon) or making trips to the bathroom. Dh finally arrives this morning at 8am after working all night to 3 unfed, undressed kids who need to leave for school NOW. He frighteningly drove them, on no sleep (he has been known to nod off at stop signs post night-shift), and then it was a 1 hour nap for us before we went to sign papers on the new house. I drove to that one, and brought my BUCKET into the office and had it on the table while I signed. Back home and in bed. Just have to make it to bedtime...

[bec]

Reading along and nodding a lot at the nutrition/activity/weight discussion.  I think that pubescent kids (girls especially) are handed such a heavy load.  They are told that they need to be thin in order to be healthy and beautiful on the one hand.  And, on the other, they are faced overwhelmingly with unhealthy, processed foods that are served and presented in crazy portions and unrealistic proportions.  Negotiating that kind of conflicting societal and peer pressure is very difficult!  Especially at a time of their life that they are desperate to fit in.  Add to that the fact that a lot of this processed food is developed to tap into those ancient parts of our brain that signify something tasty (sweet calories, succulent fats, hearty protein) and it is no wonder that we have an obesity epidemic among our young people.  When you couple this with the fact that these young people really and truly have very little control over what they eat (if mom is getting pizza because she worked a full day and is exhausted and that is the cheapest, easiest meal she can think of to feed her family, not much that teeny-bopper Sally is going to be able to do about it), it is just another nail into the coffin of our kids' health (collective our, I believe that the Dingo kids are probably among the best fed group of kids around).  The genetically skinny kid that eats junk all the time is likely not as healthy as she may seem.  A lot of these things don't surface until much later (explaining long term consequences to kids can be tough, because they can't fathom that much time), or they manifest in ways like behavior or low energy. 

RR: Weather was iffy, so I abandoned the planned bike ride today, and rode on the trainer for an hour.

[tjsmama]

Done working for the week, 6 days off, and I have strep throat. Yippee. To run or not to run tomorrow? I'm thinking probably not, huh?

[bec]

Running with strep sucks.  Really.  I ran a 5k once with what turned out to be strep.  Seriously, stay in bed!  I ended up in the urgent care as a result. 

[1jooj]

Shanti  for the new computer! I have been thinking about you and your ds. Been talking with Reb about her epilepsy, and I think I just might have her convinced to try a total elimination diet. If it means I subsidize her groceries for a month to try it, I want her to explore a) gluten intolerance; b) dairy intolerance; and c) a ketogenic diet. Seems it's been used in kids with epilepsy with some success. Also seems celiac causes seizures in some people?  Anyway, I lost an uncle a week and a half ago. He had epilepsy since his teens (I think?) and had had brain surgery, vagus nerve stim, but I don't think dietary evaluations were ever approached, his whole life. Anyway, I really want my dear friend to find health, and I want the same for you and your sweet boy.

sparkle, I hope you've finished eliminating the offenders. Food poisoning sucks. I wish you a speedy recovery.

Gaye, you too. Sorry your days off are marred by strep, but hopefully within 24 hours of abx you'll be back at it.

Plady, yeah. The indictment was all me, my guilty self and I. That's all. It does make me sad, even though we really have a tiny footprint compared to our expat cohort. Just going one-car, using a bike for other than fitness cycling, walking for transportation and monitoring our AC and water use already make us oddities. Now, opting out of the private school industrial complex seems to be the final straw. So thankful for a few other IRL moms making conscious choices.

Nic, an awesome article on Jezebel this week about Hillary Clinton appearing in public without makeup pretty much sums up my feelings on weight, and looks, and all that hoo-ha. I'd link but there are some F-bombs in the piece and I don't want to be in violation of the UA.  Anyway, I was just telling a friend yesterday how I am looking forward to the crone days, when no one will expect me to care. I don't care to be told I am pretty or not; or "looking thin" or not, or what all. How I want my daughter to have superimmunity to the stupidity of the whole stupid looks standard garbage. I realize that some of the people I consider most beautiful are unconventionally so, and it is all over the place. And the people I love most called me beautiful when I was 100 pounds overweight and don't call me "more beautiful" now. That said, the feeling of being flushed free of stress, of having ample energy, a low heart rate, all that, really is pretty beautiful, and it really does start with food. Dr. Mercola says obese people are starving--for the right balance of nutrients for their bodies. In truth, we don't all need the same kind of diet, but finding the one that works for you is a little like a religious conversion. 

Speaking of, I am hanging in and occasionally testing my reactions to foods. As I related, rice made me feel fatigued. Well, some deli turkey gave me a rumbly stomachache. And that's as far as I have gone. Mostly just sticking with my fresh, whole vegetables plus meat and eggs, coconut milk and oil, and olive oil, and I feel so much less inflamed than ever. And the pharm gave me terbinafine instead of nystatin. I know it can cause problems in some people, but I've used it before without issue. I'd been so excited when the tinea started receding, but now it seems back with a vengeance. So I am glad to take the stupid pills and use an antifungal body wash and see if I can stop looking like a reverse leopard.

Hub comes back tomorrow. Can't wait to see the snaps of him and the king. Yep, I said king.

[Nickarolaberry]

Shanti, yay on the new computer!

Jo, a general  to everything you said. And sending healing vibes for a complete and speedy recovery to Reb. 

Mamas I am pretty sick with a bad sore throat and headache, fever. I really, really hope it lets up enough before sunday for me to have a good race. I've been looking forward to this for so long...

and every time I get a cough I get frantic I'm going to have pneumonia again. That was awful and set me back a full year, fitness wise. It doesn't feel like it's in my chest though, it feels like it is in the base of my throat with a large collection of phlegm that won't come out and a sore throat. 

Had another model lesson yesterday at the high school. I think it went well but who knows. 

RR: Nope, none since my really great intervals on Tues. I think I'm done til Sunday's race for now.

[sparkletruck]

Re: Epilepsy and Diet - Jo reminded me of this article!:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/magazine/21Epilepsy-t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Nic - for healing. you dont have pneumonia

jo - and and to your manifesto! It should be framed

NRR: seems like everyone is goin' down: I have the stomach flu. I think Im through the worst but yesterday was grim...

[JayGee]

Sparkle, Nic, and Gaye - I hope you all feel better very, very soon.

Jo - I agree with you 100% about how we eat can become almost a religion, and you just want everyone to know!

RR - cardio circuit today and a run with DS tonight. He and I are going to run a 5K on May 20. He has been running during recess (they have a 1/3 mile loop on the playground) and he has already run 2.5. I think the boy is going to kick his Mama's behind!

So, can you put DS and me on the race list for the O'Fallon Downhill 5K on 5/20?

NRR - off to school to start library inventory and to the 2nd grade spring party. Must remember sunscreen, since I fried myself at the 4th grade luau yesterday.

[MelW]

jo, I love the idea of diet as religious converstion. Because both diet and religion have degrees of observance, and finding the one that "works" for oneself as an individual is so powerful. (And because some folks become evangelists, and sometimes have a hard time separating their own needs and successes from the differing needs of others). I'm a big fan of the "different biologies" theories of diet. Some folks thrive as raw food vegans. Others as paleo. Different strokes...

JayGee, so cool that you're doing a 5k with DS. Have fun!

Nic, here's to a speedy recovery before your race.

And Gaye, healing vibes to you, too.

NRR- I had a dream last week that I was 42 weeks pregnant, and going for a walk with my husband to discuss the pros/cons of induction vs. waiting. Symbolic, much?

RR- Trail running group tonight, in an area I don't often run. I like new trails!