Even Better Than Organic!

To help with my new healthy eating lifestyle, I have found myself spending more and more time in the produce department at the grocery store. I've even forged ahead with buying organic, since it makes sense that less chemicals in the growing process can only mean healthier food. But what has happened is my grocery bill has went through the roof! Big time.

Ahh, but I've found something even better than organic. It's grow-your-own! And it's what's for dinner... and lunch... and even breakfast!

Green beans - on the menu for dinner

I'm thinking Fried Green!

Collard greens - delicious and nutritious

Strawberries with breakfast

It's been a real learning process to grow fruits and vegetables in Texas where the summer sun is truly killer (a veggie killer). We've learned to plant early, in a raised bed, and with good soil. We are reaping the benefits and loving every minute of it.

Getting Fit - The Last 5-10 Pounds

I've been working to get fit for 6+ months now, having started with exercise last fall and adding a healthy diet as a New Year's resolution. To date, I've lost between 15-20 pounds, so I know it's working. But it's working as slow as slow gets. And in everything I've read, they say the last 5-10 pounds are the hardest.

Some people say it's self-sabotage. Or that because you are close to your goal you ease up and become less disciplined. Others simply say the weight loss becomes so slow that you give up.

I'm determined to make it and to keep it off, and wanted to share some of what's worked for me so far and ask for your advice for continued success.

Here's what's worked for me so far.

• Setting the clock weekdays for 1 hour earlier and using the time for a morning workout. I mix up the workouts too, some mornings doing yoga and ab exercises, other mornings cardio or workouts with weights.
• Establishing my daily caloric output. There are a lot of online tools to do this, but my favorite is www.caloriecount.com. This site lets you plug in your body type and activity level, and calculates approximately how many calories you expend in a day. Then it gives you the opportunity to add specific activities, like yoga, bicycling, or cleaning for example. I'm sedentary, having a job where I sit most of the day, but I add in my daily workout and any additional physical activities (like when I spend 4 hours doing intense cleaning).
• Once I know how many calories are being burned in a day, all I have to do is keep my caloric intake less than that number. And calorie count helps you track that as well (along with your nutrient intake).

Sounds simple enough. But it is hard. Hard to get up early in the morning when everyone else is sleeping. Hard to limit my caloric intake when I really would LOVE to have one of those girl scout cookies (actually I would prefer the delicious, best I've ever had in my life, coconut cupcakes that my neighbor baked and brought over recently).

So I guess the main thing is to keep plugging away at it, even after a day of blowing the caloric deficit or omitting the daily workout. The main thing is to get it right on a routine basis, and not sweat the mess ups.

Letting Go - Kids Under Construction

One thing I think everyone can agree on, parenting is hard work. Oh, sometimes you'll see someone who is a natural when it comes to parenting; they seem to always have the right answer to every dilemma that presents itself and the perfect solution for familial harmony. I remember my Aunt soothing my infant baby so effortlessly – a natural if ever I saw one. And some parents know just how to instill responsibility in their children – almost instinctively.

But they are the rarities.

As with many folks, my experience with parenting has been learned on the job, and frankly, I've made some mistakes. Sometimes I come out the wiser, but other times it's a lesson needing relearned. And one of the most difficult aspects of parenting for me is letting go.

Let me explain.

If kids just came with a guarantee, that would be swell. Guaranteed to grow to a ripe old age, stay healthy, with no broken bones and scraped knees, no problems with drug abuse or worries about crime – well, parents would be free to let their kids do and go just about anywhere (they would still need to look out for their spiritual health, but that's for another discussion).

This may sound crazy, but I remember the first time some neighborhood kids came to the door asking if my kids could go outside and play. Up until then, I had scheduled all of their play dates. It threw me for a loop and I believe I even stuttered. My kids go outside and play? With other kids that I didn't know well (we were new to the neighborhood)? Without me? But I did let them go out and play.

I think it's important to let go. Let them live and try not to be too overly protective – you know, swallow that lump of worry and try not to fret. Kids are still under construction, and it's important they have real life experiences.

So I do let my kids go to sleepovers and weekend camping trips. They can walk or ride their bike to school, play outside, and generally do most of the things I did growing up, with some exceptions to accommodate for this different day and age.

But this most recent experience of letting go is harder. One of my kids is going away this summer. To camp, far away, and for two weeks. As the time draws nearer, I can't help but think about how much I will miss her and how much I will worry. I'll worry if she packed everything she needs, if she's feeling OK, and if it's warm enough or too hot. I'll wonder if she's made friends and is having fun. I'll fret about whether she's eating well, if she took enough money, or if she experiences difficulties at the airport.

And I will celebrate when she comes home.

Ultimately, I know this is a good and tremendous growth experience for her and I am delighted she is going. And bottom line – I trust her and I know she has a good head on her shoulders.

I wish her a wonderful time!

A Service Project - Cookies and Goodnight

Like most everyone I know, I've donated items, helped with food drives, and contributed monetarily to worthwhile causes. I've very proudly espoused my daughters' service endeavors too, like Locks of Love ponytail donations and Lake Houston cleanup efforts. But this most recent event gave me a very meaningful one-on-one experience of handing the “gift” directly to the recipient.

Our Brownie Girl Scout troop recently participated in a program called “Cookies and Goodnight” at the Star of Hope in Houston. The Star of Hope is a Christ-centered mission dedicated to the homeless. They offer a comprehensive approach to addressing both immediate (food/shelter) and long-term (education/employment) issues of the homeless. “Cookies and Goodnight” is a program whereby volunteers provide an evening snack for the residents living at their Transitional Living Center.

Because we volunteered and served on a Saturday, there were many residents absent on weekend passes. Others were attending classes, so we didn’t have the expected 250 or so residents show up for the evening snack. What we did have though was a tremendously grateful and appreciative group of mostly mothers and children.

The “thanks” we heard were sincere and plentiful. These people so appreciated our cookies and milk, some of them coming up and asking for a second serving. Something so simple meant so much to them, and it made me mindful of my own abundance and blessings.

As we gather together with family and friends across the country this Thursday to celebrate and give thanks, let us not forget those less fortunate. I’m glad to have participated in this program, particularly that my kids were able to share the experience, and I look forward to my next service opportunity. Happy Thanksgiving! What are some of your most meaningful volunteer experiences?

Family Fun at the Texas Renaissance Festival

This past weekend my family and I attended the Texas Renaissance Festival in Plantersville, TX. According to their website, it is one of the nation's largest and most acclaimed renaissance theme parks. I believe it, although I can only compare it to King Richard's Faire in Carver, MA, as these are the only two renaissance theme parks I have visited. Both are a blast!

Expensive though, the price rivals a Disney park. However, when I asked the kids later which they enjoyed more, the renaissance festival or Disney World, the answer was a resounding, "I don't know."

So, there you have it. The Texas Renaissance Festival offers a fun-filled day of excitement and pretend, royalty and peasants, entertainment and shopping, and more. And it's a day that rivals Disney World in family fun (but not all attractions and shows are necessarily kid-friendly at the festival).

I sure hope we make the Texas Renaissance Festival an annual tradition!

BTW - The crowds were sparse this year compared to prior visits and I wonder if that was due to the weather or the economy?

Disney World Rocks Again!

No doubt about it, Disney World is a great family vacation spot! It rocks and few places compare! We had a great time, but I'm glad to be home because the parks are exhausting!

Every Disney trip has been different for me. As dinks (double-income-no-kids), my husband and I preferred Epcot. As a family with kids, I think we most enjoyed Magic Kingdom.

This trip we tried the optional dining plan for the first time. It's a challenge to eat all the food it includes and lots of fun trying! Don't do Disney without it. Plus it will save you a lot of money if you are eating in the parks.

It was also my first time to Animal Kingdom. My expectations were not high, I didn't expect much. Boy, was I surprised and pleased. My favorites at Animal Kingdom were the Safari, Mount Everest roller coaster, and the Yak and Yeti restaurant.

Highlights of the trip included getting autographs from many characters on the t-shirts my youngest daughter made for everyone. My oldest daughter decorated pouches we were able to use to keep our valuables so that we didn't have to carry pocketbooks.

The picture is of the family in front of a waterfall at Epcot.

Bye Mickey & Minnie, Goofy, and Pinocchio. Hope to see you again soon!

Learning to Be Grateful

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe everyone has been charitable at some point or another. People give to those in need in huge numbers. Perhaps you donate to a favorite cause, or you've prepared a meal for someone who has experienced loss, or you adopt a family over the holidays and buy gifts they otherwise wouldn't have. Or maybe your giving is the gift of time as a volunteer, tithing to the church, preparing food at a soup kitchen, or simply comforting and talking to the lonely. We've all “been there, done that” - just some more than others. But what happens when you are the recipient of all that giving? Have you been?

Blessed with friends and family that are unbelievable at lending support and help, recently, I’ve been heavy on the receiving side. My friend had a household item repaired for me – something she knew wasn’t a priority in my current financial situation, but something she knew I would love to have fixed. The Chevy I am driving belongs to my parents – they loaned it on pretense and immediately began calling it mine. Even businesses I frequent have bartered. And there’s been more. It’s been an incredible journey throughout this period of under- and unemployment.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the barrage of emotion that would go along with these gifts and acts of kindness.

Most obvious, of course, is the direct joy and pleasure resulting from these expressions of love. To know that people care, and care so deeply, is undeniably mind-boggling. It is a true reflection of fellowship and community, and of complete selflessness and generosity.

But on the flip side, and where I’ve been surprised, are my conflicting sentiments. I feel beholden, that I need to repay these offerings, but how? What could I possibly do to repay all this bigheartedness? Am I a charity case, and when did that happen? Do I talk too much about my personal situation? Am I accountable for this assistance? And what about moving forward?

In a nutshell – I’m feeling guilt when I should be feeling gratitude. Which, by the way, makes me feel shame. However, I am truly thankful too. It’s confusing to say the least.

So what about you? Have you received something that has left you with conflicting emotions? How did you work it out?

How to Manage Multiple Social Networking and Communications Accounts

Social networking is all the rage, and if you're like me, you've jumped onto the social networking bandwagon and signed up for sites like Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. You probably have at least one, if not more, IM accounts, and multiple email accounts too for personal use, work, or hobbies. It's fun to be connected and to so easily share information.

But there is a downside, a huge drawback, and that is how overwhelming it is to manage all the conversations. Whew! It's enough to make your head spin.

Well, I'm happy to share with you an excellent tool I found to help manage all the social sites (OK, it was my friend Victor who found the tool, a fellow writer and Producer/Director). The tool is called Digsby and it's great!

No, I'm not being reimbursed or compensated in any way for mentioning Digsby. It just helps me out so much that I have to share it with my readers. (I previously posted on handling twitter tweets, Handling all those Twitter Tweets – TweetDeck versus Seesmic and will try to share more helpful/handy tools as they are discovered).

Digsby very nicely ties everything together for you so that you don't have to spend all your time logging in and out of accounts and checking for updates yourself. It merges various IM accounts into one manager, alerts you of new events in your social networking sites, and manages multiple email accounts as well. And it's free!

With some very handy icons on my bottom right toolbar, I can glance down at any time and see if new mail has arrived or if there are message alerts on my social sites. With a click, I can open an email or delete one, set my facebook status, IM my buddy, and more. You can visit the site and download Digsby here.

Digsby is a great tool that I highly recommend. What are some of the tools you use for handling all your social sites and communications?

A Sense of Accomplishment - One Task at a Time

My mother always told me to make sure I accomplished one thing a day, whatever the task, but usually always something house related. I used to follow her advice. But in recent years, it seems I had forgotten that piece of wisdom.

Recently though, something caused me to conjure back that memory, and I've put it back into practice. It works. I truly do feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in getting just one thing completed each day. I’m not a week into this yet, but so far I've:

• Scoured the bathrooms, including washing the baseboards and woodwork
• Cleaned the stovetop
• Washed the baseboard in the foyer and living room
• Dusted and polished the old piano
• Rotated the mattress on the bed

Back in our DINK days (Double Income No Kids), my husband and I hired a housekeeper to clean our home every two weeks. We got that “whole house clean at one time feeling” and it was great. But with kids, work, and obligations of life, I’ll settle for the one thing a day routine. It works pretty well. Thanks Mom!

What are your tricks and tips on getting things done? What gives you a sense of accomplishment?

More Telecommuting Benefits

Do you dread yet another morning sitting in the stalled commuter traffic on Interstate Highway (IH)10? Or is US-59 or US-290 where your stoppage occurs? Whatever your commuter nightmare, perhaps telecommuting is the answer.

Today more and more companies are offering telecommuting options to their employees, and for several good reasons. Telecommuting can be good for the employee, but equally beneficial to the employer. Previously I posted Nine Reasons I Love to Work From Home. Here are a few company benefits to telecommuting.

Most employees like the option to work from home. If even just one day a week, most workers enjoy the break from commuter traffic and the autonomy of working from home. They appreciate the cost savings in gas, wear and tear on their vehicle, and a day in which they don’t have to wear their “work” attire, saving on associated wardrobe costs. This makes for happier and more satisfied employees.

Offering work at home options also enables companies to boast “green.” By reducing the number of staff commuting into the office on a daily basis, the company is helping the environment by reducing auto emissions. Since auto emissions are a major contributor to ground level ozone, this also helps reduce the likelihood of high ozone days, which is a danger to people with asthma or compromised lung functionality.

While not all jobs can be performed on a telecommuting basis, many can, and it’s worth your while to approach your employer about working from home. Do your homework first, and be able to provide your boss with all the benefits to the arrangement. You never know, perhaps the next major bottleneck on IH-10 will be one vehicle less – yours!

Keeping Cool When the Temperature Soars

What do you do when average daily temperatures are in the upper 90's, high humidity makes those temperatures feel even higher, and your central air conditioner breaks? I recently experienced just that, and here's what I learned are the best ways to stay cool when the A/C is broke and the temperature's sizzling.

• Under no circumstances should you use the oven
• Close the blinds to reflect the sun away
• Open all your windows
  
• Use your ceiling fans and get the air moving
• Keep oscillating fans on you in the room you are in
• Dress skimpily
  
• Take cool showers
• Rinse the dishes in cool water
• Take the kids to the swimming pool (this one gives you great brownie points with the kids)
• Go shopping - your A/C may be broke but it isn't broke at the mall
• Run errands - any excuse to get into the air conditioned car
• Keep the lights turned off as much as possible
• Hair up or in a ponytail
• Light, cool meals are best - simple sandwiches, fresh fruit, cucumbers in olive oil & vinegar
• Better yet - eat out!

Any other ideas or suggestions? These helped for me, but I'm sure there are more great ideas out there.

Another Good Deed

Look who is stunning in her new haircut!



My youngest daughter donated a 10-inch ponytail to Locks of Love.
From their site: Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.

My daughter is a beautiful girl - on the inside as well as the outside.

Holiday Memories 2008

Special memories!

Time to get working on this year's birthday party

A Citizens Responsibility and the Impeachment Survey Results

The Impeachment survey is closed, and following are the results. With just 15 people taking part in the poll, 73% voted yes, 20% voted undecided, and 7% voted no. Here's a snapshot (reduced in size to fit this page, hopefully you will be able to read it).

Of the biggest concern to me is the 20% that voted undecided. As citizens of this great country we have a responsibility to care about matters that effect our democracy. That's what a democracy is all about – government of, by, and for the people.

I recently read a fantastic article written for Livingston Weekly by Reilly Neill. He talks about our constitution and the intent of its framers. Following are some excerpts that really stood out to me.

…no commander in chief would ever be "above the law." The framers …may have failed to envision a future where the public cared little about their responsibility to contribute to a functioning democracy…

… our government has been hijacked, and someone (most likely the American people) will have to take it back with a fight.

…The founding fathers believed in us, and left us a rich and dynamic legacy in the Constitution of the United States…each citizen must fight to keep our democracy alive in Washington by holding our representatives accountable to governing with integrity.

…we must become the fail-safe the founders of this country intended us to be.

…we are our only hope…

Enough said, but read the whole article if you get a chance and as always, please feel free to share your comments.

Impeach the President, An Informal Survey

Three times a charm, and I promised in my last blog post that it would be my final "impeachment" series post. Here is the survey - please vote your opinion.

Impeach the President, Part III

This may not be the wisest subject matter for me to blog about since I reside in the midst of “Bush country,” but what the heck, and here goes more. There has been a lot of talk for some time now on impeaching President George W. Bush. But what exactly does it mean to “impeach” a President, and what would be the reasons for doing it?

According to dictionary.com, impeach is a verb that means
1. to accuse (a public official) before an appropriate tribunal of misconduct in office.
2. Chiefly Law. to challenge the credibility of: to impeach a witness.
3. to bring an accusation against.
4. to call in question; cast an imputation upon: to impeach a person's motives.
5. to call to account.

Grounds for impeachment are treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. A trial and conviction must follow the formal impeachment for a President’s removal from office.

To date, there have been two Presidents impeached, but neither were convicted. They are Andrew Johnson, 17^th President of the United States, and Bill Clinton, our 42^nd President. In summary, Andrew Johnson (Democrat) was impeached for attempting to oust the Secretary of War without Senate approval, which was a violation of the Tenure of Office Act. Bill Clinton (Democrat) was impeached on grounds of perjury and obstruction to justice relating to his testimony of conduct with intern Monica Lewinsky.

Richard Nixon (Republican), our 37^th President, resigned office while impeachment voting was in process for charges surrounding the Watergate scandal and break-in of the Democratic National Committee offices.

There’s the history, now for the future. Are there grounds for impeaching President George W. Bush?

I have no doubt that every President has made mistakes. For the most part though, Presidents tend to have the American public at heart. After all, they want to get re-elected or at least keep their party in office. But some of the charges against Bush seem rather… well, large. Bush seems to make BIG mistakes that have a very negative impact on us Americans.

Some of the reasons cited for impeachment are:

• illegal spying in violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the Fourth Amendment
• illegal detentions and conspiring to commit torture of prisoners violating the Bill of Rights, the Federal Torture Act, the UN Torture Convention, and the Geneva Convention
• illegal war that was launched based on misleading Congress and the American public and in violation of the False Statements Accountability Act and the federal anti-conspiracy statue; potential violations also of the US Constitution, which says Congress must declare war

I’ll list a few resource links as follows. Blogs and websites abound on the subject. This will be my final (I think) post on Impeaching President Bush, but I’ll be following up in a few days with a survey. As always, I appreciate your thoughts and comments.

Web Sites and blogs:
Wikipedia - contains information about some of the background and reasons for the movement to impeach Bush, as well as criticism to the movement - information resources are cited for further research
ImpeachBush - this site is a movement or campaign to impeach President Bush
ImpeachBush.tv - editorials and information on how to impeach Bush & Cheney
Let's Try Democracy - be sure to look at the right side-bar for a listing of books on the topic
National Impeachment Resource Center
Impeachforpeace -grassroots nonpartisan efforts to impeach Bush & Cheney
Impeachpac.com - supports Democratic candidates for Congress who support the immediate and simultaneous impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney for their Iraq War lies

Articles containing current impeachment effort status:
CNNPolitics.com- Kucinich effort to impeach Bush kicked into limbo
Boston.com article - Democrats scuttle proposal to impeach Bush
Chicago Tribune - Kucinich: Impeach Bush

Impeach the President, Part II

I've found yet another video I really like, and this one too is about impeaching our fearless leader, President George W. Bush. I promise not to make this too much a recurring theme, but these are good. Turn up the volume and enjoy!



I like the "flip," "flop" part of the video - what about you? Thank goodness we live in a country with free speech where I can post these videos without worrying about repercussions.

knock knock knock
What's that? A knock at the door? A matter of national security?

Impeach the President?

This YouTube video was sent to me by my sister. I wanted to share it. Thanks, Sis!

Return of the FreewayBlogger ver 2.0



Hmmm, very interesting. How effective are we as a society in voicing our concerns? Is the Freeway Blogger on to something? I'll be posting a survey in the next few days to gauge your thoughts on the President and the job he is doing, or feel free to post your comments now.

Life Lessons

I received the following through email and loved it so much I wanted to share it with everyone! I relate to so many of these, but right now number 18 is pulling at me in a very strong way. What one speaks to you?

Imagine how much further ahead of the game of life we would be if we had thought of these when we were 25!

These are good. Just passing them on. . .

By Regina Brett The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It's the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now.
Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful,
or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.