i hadnt looked at the topic for this week...so maybe i should start feeling guilty about that pound of strawberries and half a bag of popcorn we ate on saturday for lunch...
some FACTS:
we spend $117 billion for obesity, $66 billion for high blood pressure, $432 billion for heart disease and strokes, $50 billion for weight loss aids
there is a 79% chance that an overweight child will become an overweight adult
75% of adults don't eat the recommended 5 or more servings of fruits and veggies
400,000 people die annually from poor eating habits and laziness
TAKE ACTION!!
eat fewer foods with refined grains and sugars
eat more dark green veggies, legumes, fruits, whole grain and lean meats
drink plenty of water
limit snacking
our family has been making little changes over the years and we make it a point to cut out foods a little at a time, so that we will be more likely to stick with it! we have also started making a lot of the things we used to buy pre-made, which always seems to end up healthier.
my in-laws are super healthy and i remember my father-in-law telling me when bryan and i were first married and i was complaining about adding some "love weight" and needed to go on a diet...he said, "there is no such thing as a diet. its called a lifestyle" i realized how right he was. the more you change your lifestyle the more you make real changes.
we are still a work in progress though...i think my sugar intake is my biggest issue right now. i think because of this challenge i will try my derndest to avoid refined sugars...
Showing posts with label monday matters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label monday matters. Show all posts
Monday, May 31, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Every Monday Matters - Monday #4 - Prepare for an Emergency
See the facts by clicking here
Take Action Today:
1. Develop a Family Communication Plan by selecting a person outside your local area for everyone to call in case of an emergency.
2.Designate a primary and secondary meeting locaton
3. Create an emergency supply kit containing a 3 day supply of the following:
water, food, first aid, towelettes, garbage bags, flashlight, batteries, maps, whistle, dust masks, tools, can opener and cash.
so...i am so so bad at this type of thing. remember Y2K? there was all this hubbub about emergency kits then...i was in college so i was like, who cares? but now that i have children...it seems to matter...i should do this...i am giving myself till the end of the week to do it...
do you already have an emergency kit for your family? what other items do you suggest i put in?
Take Action Today:
1. Develop a Family Communication Plan by selecting a person outside your local area for everyone to call in case of an emergency.
2.Designate a primary and secondary meeting locaton
3. Create an emergency supply kit containing a 3 day supply of the following:
water, food, first aid, towelettes, garbage bags, flashlight, batteries, maps, whistle, dust masks, tools, can opener and cash.
so...i am so so bad at this type of thing. remember Y2K? there was all this hubbub about emergency kits then...i was in college so i was like, who cares? but now that i have children...it seems to matter...i should do this...i am giving myself till the end of the week to do it...
do you already have an emergency kit for your family? what other items do you suggest i put in?
Monday, May 17, 2010
Every Monday Matters - Monday #3 - Have Amber Alerts Sent to You
FACTS
- AMBER stands for “America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response” and was created as a legacy to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, kidnapped while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas, and then brutally murdered.
- 76% of abducted children who are murdered are dead within 3 hours of the abduction, 88.5% are dead within 24 hours, and 99% are dead within 7 days.
- 443 children have been reunited with their families because of AMBER Alerts.
- Nearly 100% of cell phones are eligible to receive Wireless AMBER Alerts as text messages.
- 100% of computers can have the AMBER Alert ticker downloaded onto them.
- AMBER Alerts are active in all 50 states.
TAKE ACTION TODAY
- Pay attention to AMBER Alert signs on the freeway or on TV.
- Sign-up to receive AMBER Alert text messaging on your cell phone.
- Download the AMBER Alert Ticker onto your computer.
- If you see or receive an AMBER Alert, don’t take it lightly. The perpetrator might be closer than you think.
i didnt know that 443 children have been reunited with their families due to amber alerts - even 1 is amazing, but that number is staggering and motivating. so i added a ticker at the bottom of my blog and signed up for the amber alerts. could you imagine if we all had this how hard it would be for a perp to get away with kidnapping? something to think about....
Monday, May 10, 2010
Every Monday Matters - Monday #2 - Turn Off Your TV
(again....here is the link to the website's more thorough explanation)
Turn Off Your TV
1. Turn off your TV today (ummmm....Lakers play-off game 4 is today...maybe tomorrow!)
2. Designate certain TV free times throughout the week to reduce viewing hours
3. Remove TVs from bedrooms, kitchens, etc
4. Make a list of activities beside watching TV...then start doing them!
5. Avoid using TV as a reward - this only increases its power
6. Be more sensitive about programming - choose history, travel, cooking, home repair/design and other educational themes
our relationship with TV i think is very healthy. we typically never turn it on during the day and usually watch recorded shows (most of which are from History or Smithsonian - like Pawn Stars or America the Story of Us or Life or Who Do You Think You Are) bryan's favorite thing to watch is golf and i get my reality fix in with So You Think You Can Dance and Project Runway. But they are all recorded and watched after the kids go to bed.
Bryson watches a movie almost every day. he rarely watches TV live. I sometimes let him watch a show "on demand" but for the most part he watches a movie because that is the only way i can get him to chill the freak out somedays.
in college i was a Communication Studies Major. we had a lot of discussions in my media classes regarding TV and its effect on children/adults. there are so many different studies all contradicting each other and frankly trying to say that Sesame Street is responsible for ADD kids is a little overboard to me. BUT the one thing i did take with me is that the 2 most harmful things on television BY FAR are 1) The Local News and 2) Commercials for Kids.
one of my professors taught his kids at an early age to detect the manipulation in commercials and would quiz them afterward and ask them what that commercial was trying to say, "they are trying to tell you dad that if you eat their cheeseburgers you will be happy and you will make your parents happy - and its not true! youll just get fat and develop heart problems if eaten in excess...." so that was an example, not sure if that is how it went - its how it goes in my head anyway. i think its a good idea anyway - to learn to analyze the messages in advertising. and the news! nothing is worse than the news. i can not stand the news on television. i get my news in the paper, NPR (both the radio station and the iPAD app - amazing!) and other resources, but never the local news. it is so severely skewed and so little of it contains actual useful material and is really meant to scare. anyway - i hope i turn more people off to it - you'll thank me...you'll be less fearful of your neighborhood!
i like this challenge though because i think it is important to have a worked-out boundary for TV - like "no TV on Sundays" which i like (bryan doesnt because golf is on then) and we dont have one...but its good to talk about as a family - with your kids about why we shouldnt watch too much TV.
Do you have set boundaries regarding TV? Do you own a TV? I am curious to see how others have already hashed through this...
Turn Off Your TV
1. Turn off your TV today (ummmm....Lakers play-off game 4 is today...maybe tomorrow!)
2. Designate certain TV free times throughout the week to reduce viewing hours
3. Remove TVs from bedrooms, kitchens, etc
4. Make a list of activities beside watching TV...then start doing them!
5. Avoid using TV as a reward - this only increases its power
6. Be more sensitive about programming - choose history, travel, cooking, home repair/design and other educational themes
our relationship with TV i think is very healthy. we typically never turn it on during the day and usually watch recorded shows (most of which are from History or Smithsonian - like Pawn Stars or America the Story of Us or Life or Who Do You Think You Are) bryan's favorite thing to watch is golf and i get my reality fix in with So You Think You Can Dance and Project Runway. But they are all recorded and watched after the kids go to bed.
Bryson watches a movie almost every day. he rarely watches TV live. I sometimes let him watch a show "on demand" but for the most part he watches a movie because that is the only way i can get him to chill the freak out somedays.
in college i was a Communication Studies Major. we had a lot of discussions in my media classes regarding TV and its effect on children/adults. there are so many different studies all contradicting each other and frankly trying to say that Sesame Street is responsible for ADD kids is a little overboard to me. BUT the one thing i did take with me is that the 2 most harmful things on television BY FAR are 1) The Local News and 2) Commercials for Kids.
one of my professors taught his kids at an early age to detect the manipulation in commercials and would quiz them afterward and ask them what that commercial was trying to say, "they are trying to tell you dad that if you eat their cheeseburgers you will be happy and you will make your parents happy - and its not true! youll just get fat and develop heart problems if eaten in excess...." so that was an example, not sure if that is how it went - its how it goes in my head anyway. i think its a good idea anyway - to learn to analyze the messages in advertising. and the news! nothing is worse than the news. i can not stand the news on television. i get my news in the paper, NPR (both the radio station and the iPAD app - amazing!) and other resources, but never the local news. it is so severely skewed and so little of it contains actual useful material and is really meant to scare. anyway - i hope i turn more people off to it - you'll thank me...you'll be less fearful of your neighborhood!
i like this challenge though because i think it is important to have a worked-out boundary for TV - like "no TV on Sundays" which i like (bryan doesnt because golf is on then) and we dont have one...but its good to talk about as a family - with your kids about why we shouldnt watch too much TV.
Do you have set boundaries regarding TV? Do you own a TV? I am curious to see how others have already hashed through this...
Monday, May 3, 2010
Every Monday Matters -Monday #1 - What Matters Most
i hope i am not taking away from book sales doing this...but he does post this all on his site, so i dont think i am over-stepping? if it wasn't up there i wouldn't be so bold...but i want to journal this little journey, so here we go!
What Matters Most?
(Click above to follow along via the website)
This Monday (today, i guess) I am supposed to make a list of what matters most to me. I am also supposed to think about the time i spend on whatever it is i spend it on and compare it to the list - does it add up?
Also - if you have kids (probably over 3 would make the most sense) start asking them what is important in kid language. if you have kids under 3, or just as a good general practice, make a list of what you WANT to matter as a family - your family motto or big picture statements or mantra.
What Matters Most:
Faith
Family
Friends
Health
Character
its hard to say what matters most to me in a list because i feel like they are all inter-changeable at one time or another and if i were to list out everything that matters most the list would be a mile long...but i do have to say that comparing this list to where i spend my time every week is a reminder that i need to spend more time in the Word....that needs to become a part of my daily rhythm and it hasn't been.
Today, probably in the car since that is the only way to have a conversation with Bryson where he isnt running or shooting something, we will have a conversation about what matters to him...and to our family...a conversation that should probably be ongoing!
so...there you go...an easy week...i peeked and next week is about turning off the TV for a week (why did i pick this book during the play-offs? maybe weeks can be interchangeable here :)
What Matters Most?
(Click above to follow along via the website)
This Monday (today, i guess) I am supposed to make a list of what matters most to me. I am also supposed to think about the time i spend on whatever it is i spend it on and compare it to the list - does it add up?
Also - if you have kids (probably over 3 would make the most sense) start asking them what is important in kid language. if you have kids under 3, or just as a good general practice, make a list of what you WANT to matter as a family - your family motto or big picture statements or mantra.
What Matters Most:
Faith
Family
Friends
Health
Character
its hard to say what matters most to me in a list because i feel like they are all inter-changeable at one time or another and if i were to list out everything that matters most the list would be a mile long...but i do have to say that comparing this list to where i spend my time every week is a reminder that i need to spend more time in the Word....that needs to become a part of my daily rhythm and it hasn't been.
Today, probably in the car since that is the only way to have a conversation with Bryson where he isnt running or shooting something, we will have a conversation about what matters to him...and to our family...a conversation that should probably be ongoing!
so...there you go...an easy week...i peeked and next week is about turning off the TV for a week (why did i pick this book during the play-offs? maybe weeks can be interchangeable here :)
Thursday, April 22, 2010
making it matter...
so yesterday on the way to MOPS Bryson saw a shopping cart full of a homeless person's things. he asked me what a shopping cart was doing there with that stuff in it....which led to a very engaging discussion of homelessness with a 4 year old.
part of why i love living where we live is because there is such a need here - a need for charity and hope and the city is really striving to meet those needs. i love getting to know the people in power here - the people that sit on boards to try the hard way to make a difference - the people who write the grants to get the money to make a difference - the people who attend city council meetings to impact the way the city does things - the people who attend beach clean ups all the time, the people who organize events like the beach clean up, the community here is active folks, and truly making something of this town. i love the sense of community here and what people do to pitch in when tyranny steps up. i am thinking of an example most recently of a kooky Baptist (super funamentalist) church that came specifically to Long Beach to preach their hatred of homosexuals and Jews. i think they hated black people too...not sure. but they got ran out of town, literally - not by crazy gangsters or violence, but mainly by a group of Wilson High School students who peacefully held up signs next to their signs that read things like, "God hates figs" and "God loves toast" and more wonderfully random things as well as pointing out quite peacefully how silly they all seem in a city that boasts of its diversity and loves each other for it...on most days.
so my conversation with Bryson about homelessness went something like this:
"Why is that lady talking to herself"
"Because Bryson a lot of times people who dont have homes also have a sickness in their brain and sometimes that sickness makes them talk to themselves."
"why is she holding cardboard?"
"Because she is sick she can't work like mommy or daddy and so she asks other people for money and food. that is what her sign says"
"oh."
i also explained to him that this is why mommy goes to all her meetings...to try to help people like that lady.
its not a simple conversation, but its a conversation. i am always plagued with questions about how early to expose children to things - how early to start on social awareness - at what level should a child be involved and know where to begin to carve out their space in community and begin to be impacting. i would typically bring Bryson along to my events with the Jr League - he helped put the garden in at the PATH house in Long Beach - he has been to the Villages at Cabrillo probably more than a dozen times, but never realized the kids he played soccer with are homeless. i just didnt know how early to start this conversation. i think preserving innocence is part of my job as a mama...but where is the line between innocence and ignorance? this brings me to the speaker i heard last night.
last night i had a Jr. League meeting and sometimes during our general meetings we have guest speakers - not always, but they are usually pretty good. i think the speaker last night was pretty positive and deserved a shout out. we heard from Matthew Emerzian of Every Monday Matters. he has kind of a cool story - he was a very successful music manager working under Robert Kardashian and after a few panic attacks and a visit to a very wise therapist who gave him a book called "Its not about you" he had a change of career and set off to write a book and start a campaign to make a difference every Monday.
his book is Every Monday Matters and it is 52 ways to make a difference. some of the days are very active - like to volunteer somewhere, or pick up trash that isn't yours. some mondays are inward changes - like meditate or be active today, but every Monday is a chance to make an active difference. They are working on curriculum for schools, prisons and corporations to include this concept in a practical hands-on way.
i ordered the book and i think it is a great way to incorporate social awareness with kids in a practical way. sometimes we need a guide...this is a great way to get started. if anyone wants to do this along with us - awesome! we can start a little monday matters group of our own!
once i get the book and depending on how much i need to tailor it to fit our family, i want to start a series here on my little space every monday with perhaps a challenge from the book and maybe pics from how we have made Mondays matter. i would love to share in this with a group of people - let me know if you are interested and get the book! here (or here for way cheap)!
part of why i love living where we live is because there is such a need here - a need for charity and hope and the city is really striving to meet those needs. i love getting to know the people in power here - the people that sit on boards to try the hard way to make a difference - the people who write the grants to get the money to make a difference - the people who attend city council meetings to impact the way the city does things - the people who attend beach clean ups all the time, the people who organize events like the beach clean up, the community here is active folks, and truly making something of this town. i love the sense of community here and what people do to pitch in when tyranny steps up. i am thinking of an example most recently of a kooky Baptist (super funamentalist) church that came specifically to Long Beach to preach their hatred of homosexuals and Jews. i think they hated black people too...not sure. but they got ran out of town, literally - not by crazy gangsters or violence, but mainly by a group of Wilson High School students who peacefully held up signs next to their signs that read things like, "God hates figs" and "God loves toast" and more wonderfully random things as well as pointing out quite peacefully how silly they all seem in a city that boasts of its diversity and loves each other for it...on most days.
so my conversation with Bryson about homelessness went something like this:
"Why is that lady talking to herself"
"Because Bryson a lot of times people who dont have homes also have a sickness in their brain and sometimes that sickness makes them talk to themselves."
"why is she holding cardboard?"
"Because she is sick she can't work like mommy or daddy and so she asks other people for money and food. that is what her sign says"
"oh."
i also explained to him that this is why mommy goes to all her meetings...to try to help people like that lady.
its not a simple conversation, but its a conversation. i am always plagued with questions about how early to expose children to things - how early to start on social awareness - at what level should a child be involved and know where to begin to carve out their space in community and begin to be impacting. i would typically bring Bryson along to my events with the Jr League - he helped put the garden in at the PATH house in Long Beach - he has been to the Villages at Cabrillo probably more than a dozen times, but never realized the kids he played soccer with are homeless. i just didnt know how early to start this conversation. i think preserving innocence is part of my job as a mama...but where is the line between innocence and ignorance? this brings me to the speaker i heard last night.
last night i had a Jr. League meeting and sometimes during our general meetings we have guest speakers - not always, but they are usually pretty good. i think the speaker last night was pretty positive and deserved a shout out. we heard from Matthew Emerzian of Every Monday Matters. he has kind of a cool story - he was a very successful music manager working under Robert Kardashian and after a few panic attacks and a visit to a very wise therapist who gave him a book called "Its not about you" he had a change of career and set off to write a book and start a campaign to make a difference every Monday.
his book is Every Monday Matters and it is 52 ways to make a difference. some of the days are very active - like to volunteer somewhere, or pick up trash that isn't yours. some mondays are inward changes - like meditate or be active today, but every Monday is a chance to make an active difference. They are working on curriculum for schools, prisons and corporations to include this concept in a practical hands-on way.
i ordered the book and i think it is a great way to incorporate social awareness with kids in a practical way. sometimes we need a guide...this is a great way to get started. if anyone wants to do this along with us - awesome! we can start a little monday matters group of our own!
once i get the book and depending on how much i need to tailor it to fit our family, i want to start a series here on my little space every monday with perhaps a challenge from the book and maybe pics from how we have made Mondays matter. i would love to share in this with a group of people - let me know if you are interested and get the book! here (or here for way cheap)!
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