The Active Family

It must be the rain, but I am on a morbid streak. This weekend was filled with nonstop news of Micheal Jackson’s untimely death, and it has been hard to avoid it. My interest, however, has stayed with those poor kids. MJ was the only parent they have known, which is hard enough to understand.

I read (taken with a grain of salt) that they are searching for his will, to see what his wishes were regarding his children. It highlighted the fact that many people die suddenly and they never had a legal will made up, or they didn’t have life insurance. The kids left behind are dealing not only with losing a beloved parent, but with the possiblity of living in poverty, or struggling financially for the rest of thier childhood. My husband and I fall into that group, but this weekend we made the vow to write our wills and to get life insurance for me. He has a policy, but I don’t. Thinking that our children could be left with little scared the hell out of us! We requested a quote for me, and looked into a better policy for him. We don’t have to worry about home insurance just yet, but when we buy you can be sure we will get that enough to cover our mortgage. If you have children, you should have a will. Do you really want to leave it up to some lawyers to determine where and with whom your children live with? I sure don’t!

It can be the most heart wrenching, trying time of your life. For young people especially who may not have dealt with a death before, losing a friend or close family member can be more than devastating. Sometimes its hard to understand that life will move on, and the pain will eventually fade.

I was talking with my best friend this weekend, and we were remenising about a mutual friend of ours that was killed this winter in a car accident.  Neither of us have reached the point where we can talk about Nikki without getting choked up, but we noticed that the tears turned to laughter much faster than before. Perhaps we are finding that zone where you begin to move on, remembering your friend fondly, and the great memories, and not focus on the circumstances around the death, and that they aren’t there any more.

My friend also has been dealing with the devastating loss of another very good friend. Her best friend from high school was killed in a horrific motorcycle accident. She still struggles with the loss, upset that her friend died in such a violent way, alone. The family was a mess, there was no one to place blame, there were no witnesses. The police say he crawled to the side of the road and sat against a telephone pole, which was ultimately where he passed. In cases like him, and our friend Nikki, it can be harder for those left behind to cope. I still have her last text message to me on my phone. She still has a voicemail saved.

There were no goodbyes, plans previously made were kept, but turned into memorials. Girls Night was a strange one, we were celebrating Nikki’s life, and saying goodbye at the same time. His birthday rolls around, and there is no need to plan a party. That loss alone is tough to watch. Day by day it gets a little better. The memories flood back at random times, sometimes we even forget they are gone. The effort to remember and honor Nikki by petitioning the town to place street lights at the intersection she died at gives us all a measure of peace.  So day by day, we move on, someday the sorrow will be replaced with fondness.

Remember if you lose a loved one, honor their memories. Do what you can to protect the families involved. Help those who are affected. I don’t know of anyone in my area that specifically deals with these cases, save the “ambulance chasers” from tv, but those in southern california might benefit from the information found with this Oakland motorcycle accident lawyer. There is wonderful motorcycle safety tips on the site, as well as steps that can help save a life should you come across a motorcycle accident. As always, help your fellow man, don’t pass by and leave it to someone else.

I’m not a doctor, but I look like one. I pull on scrubs every day and I wear a nifty white coat. So while I don’t command the salary of a doctor, I do most of the “dirty work”. I’m also in charge of sanitizing the op room in between patients, as well as sterilizing everything in site that can be!

Needless to say, I come in just as much, if not more contact with “ick” than the good doc does. As such I’ve been extra vigilant about my cleaning and preventative measures than I think I have ever been. With the H1N1 Flu being highly prevalent in the Boston Area, our office has been proactive, asking patients to cancel if they have any flu like symptoms, upping our top to bottom cleaning schedules, and being ever vigilant about the sacred hand washing. Anyone with jobs in health care should be doing these things as a matter of course but if we as a community are going to get control of the situation, we need to stay on our toes.

Can you even imagine what would happen if the doctors and nurses in a major metropolitan city begin spreading this flu? We all work in close proximity to each other, spreading the flu would be devastating. Luckily for us, the oldest advise works the best. When people ask me how they can best protect their families, I tell them to wash their hands, often and thoroughly. I get a few odd looks. I hear the echos of “DUH” in their minds. Let me tell you how many people don’t wash their hands. I wash so often I have to resort to alternating washing in water and using purell. My nail beds are prone to infection if I wash too frequently. The purell works well enough, but I hate when doctors rely solely on that to keep germs at bay. I like seeing my doc come into the room and head to the sink!

My long and rambling post today heads to just one thing. Promote hand washing in your family. Stay home from work and school if the flu symptoms present, and call your doctor for advice if you don’t feel well. Stay Healthy!

Look, I know eBay is still huge. I know a ton of people still make good money selling things. Maybe it is the only source of income for a select few.

I just don’t think eBay is really where it’s at anymore. With sites like etsy and craigslist people can actually keep most or all of the money they make. I get that eBay has some really great features that the other sites don’t offer, but I am just so tired of being nickle and dimed just to make a buck. Honestly I think eBay has turned into a money maker for those who buy and sell large lots of items.

Just the other day I closed my eBay store, as I haven’t really been putting anything up, certainly not enough to cover my monthly costs. I was losing money, dealing with jerks for buyers, and unfairly recieved a negative feedback that was really uncalled for. I thought briefly about buying some wholesale ipods and cameras just to recoup some of the past few months, but honestly I just don’t have the time I once did. I’d have to stock up on all my shipping supplies again…ugh. I’m just so over it.

Oh well. It was a nice period in my life of eBaying. Like all good things…..

Go now. Get this game. I completed my second day of the 30 day challenge yesterday and I’m hooked. This game makes me feel like I have a personal trainer coming to my home every day.

I didn’t have trouble with the leg strap, since I had learned the first day how snug it needs to be. The only thing I am wrestling with now is if I should keep my sneaks on while using the balance board, as it is a huge PITA to kick them off, then put them back on multiple times throughout the workout. Since the workout is set up like a circuit, you go through the activities once with thorough instruction from the trainer, and the second time you do it without the extra instruction, though you can watch the video again if you need to.

Each day includes something a little different, starting with a little cardio (walking and running in place-feels a little silly, but manageable) and alternating between balance exercises, toning exercises with the band, lower body work and alternate cardio like boxing. I liked how the exercises that were done the day before were included, as well as a couple new ones. The program automatically changes the part of the body it focuses on just like you would normally going to the gym.

Something I didn’t include in my first review was that it asks you during the profile set up what your fitness goals are. Depending on if you are looking at weight management, overall toning, abs, ect. the routines would be tailored to your needs.

Can you tell I’m excited about this product yet? EA Sports Active is one of the best fitness games out there, and it sure isn’t the first one I’ve tried!

As my five readers know, I recently went through a rough patch with my weight loss. I hit a nasty plateau and lost all motivation to do the right things. I started eating poorly and pretty much stopped all exercise. I knew I had to get back on track and there were a couple of things I did to help get there.

First I made a vow to turn around my eating habits. I did a cleanse for a weekend, which I always find makes me feel a lot better if I haven’t been making good eating choices. A good cleanse can be expensive, but worth it. I always lose a couple pounds, feel more energized, and it gets me in the mood to make good choices.

I also joined one of those email subscriptions to an exercise group. I like the beach body ready ones from Fitness magazine. They deliver one workout email every day, I do the exercises, and tailor the diet to my vegetarian needs. The new workouts give me something to look forward to every day, and by the end of the group I’ve made progress and feel like I am back in the swing of things.

Here is a short list of things that I do when I’ve lost my workout mojo:

• Start off right with a good colon cleanse. Research ones that have been around for awhile, and stay faaaarrrrr away from the ones offering a free trial! Total scam artists. A money back guarantee is fine, but those free trials are bogus.
• Join a group that offers a fitness challenge. Fitness magazine offers a bunch, as does Sparkpeople.
• Change a few menus a week. Try a rainbow night, where you have something from every color of the rainbow. You will give yourself a vitamin powershot.
• Substitute a few vegetarian meals a week. And just because you aren’t eating meat doesn’t mean get the pizza with extra cheese! Make it a good choice!

I hope these ideas help you, they helped me bust out of my rut, and now I’m back on track!

I recieved this fitness game in the mail the other day after ordering it through eb games. Today was the first day I had a chance to actually use it, and I hopped right on here to tell you all about it!

First off, the bundle includes the game, a neoprene thigh band, and a rubbery resistence band with handles. You put the thigh band on before you start the game, as you will be using it regularly throughout the exercises. I highly recommend you tighten that sucker as tight as you can without cutting off circulation, as it will fall around your ankles if you don’t. I had it over a pair of workout pants, so I don’t know if it would stay put better on bare skin. You have to place pretty high up, so the shorts would have to be more like underwear to make it work. That sounds like a negative, but it was very comfortable and didn’t interfere at all with any of the movements I had to do.

To start, the game has you fill out a profile. It guides you through each step, and all you do is answer the questions such as gender, height, weight, body type, age. You also get to design your own “self” onscreen. This part is different to the WiiFit version as the “self” is a whole lot more normal looking! See my old post about having a fat mii and you’ll see what I mean!

I enjoyed being able to pick out a cute combination of outfits, even picking out a sweet pair of sneaks. Call me shallow, but it was fun!

After filling out the profile, you can choose to take a daily survey on food and activity levels, start the 30 day challenge, or set up your own workouts. I highly recommend starting with the 30 day challenge, as the “trainer” takes you through each activity step by step, adding different ones very day to mix it up.

One note  here: although the “self” on screen followed my own movements pretty closely, there were a few moments of lag here and there. These lag moments would cause the “trainer” to think I wasn’t doing something or that I had stopped. She would then have me go back to the previous position and try again. It was only slightly irritating. I’m going o experiment with batteries and position of the sensor bar and see if that may help.

So far I really like this program waaaaay better than the WiiFit. It is challenging enough to get my heart rate up, and where the WiiFit is more about fitness games, the Active is all about the exercising. It is fun, but serious at the same time. I could see using this program every morning, and tossing in the WiiFit a few nights a week to add some entertainment while still burning calories.

If you want to order, I got the EA Sports Active from EB Games for a good price, and fast shipping.

I have more to tell you about this program, but I have to run! Check in later for more!

Sing with me now… I have found something that ACTUALLY works. Since I started taking Alli a few weeks ago, I have lost 6 pounds!

FOR REAL!

I haven’t changed a whole lot about how I eat, since I’ve always strived to eat in a healthy way. I have increased my activity level, barely. I am loving that I finally found a fat burner that is safe, works, and actually requires me to DO something! Sure, it isn’t cheap, but at least I am seeing results instead of throwing money away on crap.

In addition to this lovely update, I also wanted to share a new recipe that is just fabulous. Low calorie, low fat, high fiber, and delish. I made it last night and am looking sooo forward to lunch when I can dig in!

I KNOW it sounds like a strange combination, and you will probably think it is just another crazy vegetarian recipe and that we will eat anything. I promise you the flavors work well together, and if you get past the idea of it, you will make this soup/stew a regular on the menu. I changed quite a bit from the original recipe, which can be found on allrecipes but this is my vegetarian version.

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup (Stew)

2-3 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can pureed pumpkin
1 can diced tomatoes
4 cups vegetable broth
1 1/4 cups chopped onion
4 cloves minced garlic
3 tablespoons sherry or apple cider vineger
1 Tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
salt and pepper to taste
dash of liquid smoke (optional)

Saute onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil in a soup pot until onions are softened. Add remaining ingredients to pot. Bring to simmer and let cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove a few cups of soup and blend until smooth. Return blended soup to pot. If you want a thicker, stew like mixture, simmer until desired texture, careful not to let burn (almost happened to me last night)

This soup turns a strange color, but don’t let that turn you off. It is good the first night, waaaaay better the next day with a dollop of lite sour cream or greek yogurt on top. Enjoy!

This weekend was a busy one for the active family. Aside from Mother’s Day yesterday, we alternated between driving around to the various scheduled activities, food shopping, and one doctor visit! When I was able to dig a few hours out, I began to organize for my yard sale, coming up in June.

My first step for organizing is to go through the clothes. UGH. I’ve found that clothing doesn’t sell very well at all around here, so we donate it instead and take the tax deduction. I am only halfway through the house and we already sent 6 trash bags FULL to the donation center. Sweet mary we have a lot of clothes.

This year I’ll have a few pieces of furniture in the sale. I have a twin size bed frame with headboard, a tv stands, and a pair of wicker patio seats that I’m tired of. I’m hoping these will all go so I don’t have to think about getting them into the truck for the center. That, by the way is one of my hardfast yard sale rules. Once it leaves the house, it doesn’t go back in. Anything that doesn’t sell is donated. If I didn’t stick to that rule…I don’t even want to THINK about what my house would look like.

This year I am also going to let the kids do a drink stand. They asked me if they could keep what ever they sell, and I said they could keep whatever they sell after they pay for the supplies. I’m not a meanie, I just want them to learn how the whole idea of profit actually works! I’m pretty sure they are going to sell canned drinks, but the age old lemonade stand could work out also.

I’m aiming for a couple of hundred, I cleared a bunch of stuff out last year so this one won’t be so large. A few hundred would make me very happy!

I know, you’ve heard it all before. Don’t throw away anything that can be reused or recycled. Apparently, my son and husband need another reminder though. This weekend I caught them both red handed.

My son was in the process of throwing away a set of batteries he thought were dead. First crime? Thinking that throwing batteries in the trash would fly. Second crime? They were rechargeables!! ARGH! He got an earful for that one, let me tell you. They all roll their eyes at me, and I don’t care. It’s my “thing” and they all have to live with me.

My husband….sheesh. Here’s a good one for you. One of the CFL light bulbs in our bedroom had finally kicked the bucket, and he though NOTHING of throwing it in the trash!!! Hooo boy. My neighbor said she heard me from her kitchen lol.

He didn’t think a thing of it. His argument was that since these bulbs are so much better for the environment he thought it was okay to throw them in the trash. I probably sounded like the teacher from Charlie Brown when I explained to him that the CFL’s are more energy efficient, but they contain mercury, which is a huge no-no in the landfills.  Luckily there are plenty of places that recycle these bulbs, so bring any used, unbroken cfl bulbs to places like Home Depot, Lowes, and Ikea the next time you go shopping. It won’t cost you anything, and the bulbs will be disposed of properly!

Ha! See if they make THAT mistake again….