A Reminder To Give Thanks

I'm always saddened when I hear of a death. I have an especially hard time when those deaths are senseless, involve children, or involve parents of young children. Yesterday I read of Mike Tyson's four year old daughter essentially being strangled by a cord on a treadmill machine, necessitating her being placed on life support. I knew then she would die and today she did. Maybe it is because I have an almost four year old daughter, but the incredible sadness I felt when reading this brought me to tears. As I type this I am looking at my daughter, so full of life. To think, as the result of some freak accident, that her life could be taken is overwhelming and suffocating.

Then this afternoon I read that the wife of Arizona's Treasurer died shortly after giving birth to their first child and that the child is in "grave condition." I think about how much joy surrounded both of my pregnancies and how excited we were for the new arrivals. To have that result in the death of the mother and possibly the death of the son is tragic.

When I think about all that could go wrong each day I thank my lucky stars that despite anything else that may be going on my family has its health. It should not take tragedies like this to make me appreciate all I have, but sometimes it does. When I think about all the material things I'd like to have, or the places I'd like to go, I really should just be thankful that I have people in my life who love me and support me and who aren't facing some life-threatening situation.

When I read stories like this I hug my children extra tight. So, that is what I am going to go and do right now.

We the People....

I think I am going to start a petition to outlaw the wearing of spandex in public. I don't know if the fact that Tucson is a cycling town has anything to do with it, but the amount of the general population who feels it is appropriate to leave the house in spandex is downright frightening.

I am going to give the cyclists a pass because in most circumstances that is proper cycling attire. (Although everyone in Tucson who rides a bike views him/herself as a cyclist and decks him/herself out in head to toe gear). However, when people enter grocery stores, doctor's offices, restaurants, and banks in spandex I have to draw the line. Most recently I have seen a slew of old men in spandex at the gym. One could make the argument that spandex are proper workout attire. To that I say poppycock. While there are some incredibly fit women who can pull the look off, 99 percent of the population should run from spandex like they are laced with anthrax. Furthermore, there are some things on a male's body that are simply better left to the imagination and not just hanging out for the world to see. And in many cases things (mainly bellies) are hanging out and over giving a whole new meaning to the term muffin top.

Two days ago at the gym a man in his fifties to sixties wore full length spandex which his belly almost swallowed. To make matters worse he was wearing an old dress shirt with the sleeves cut off and only the middle two buttons buttoned. There was nothing about this look that was appropriate and I was almost waiting for a camera crew to come through the door screaming we were on some hidden camera show. Then today, a different man also in his fifties or sixties wore incredibly short spandex (think speedo) and a tight, short tank top. There is no way he could have looked in the mirror and honestly thought that was a good idea. Additionally, there is no way that the outfit he had one could be comfortable enough to work out in. But work out he did. Right in front of me.

So, for the sake of humanity I am calling on the general public to restore some sense of decency and modesty to civilization. We all have to live together and get along. That might be much easier to do if going out in public wasn't a constant test of my self-control. I feel like I am constantly fighting the urge to say something rude which I would regret later, throw up a little in my mouth, or laughing out loud before I realize they aren't wearing spandex to be funny. They really think they look good. That may be the saddest part.

On that note, what is a "look" that you think should be banned from public view?

What Happens When There Is No Filter

We take safety pretty seriously in our house and I use any opportunity that I can to teach these lessons to our kids. It is the way it was for me growing up and so it is for my children. For example, my husband and I and anyone else who rides in our car always wears a seat belt. Our children ride in the appropriate car seats/boosters for their height and weight. When I ride my bike I always wear a helmet, even if it is just down the street or around the block as does my husband. Likewise we make our kids wear their helmets even if just riding their scooters or bikes in our driveway or along the sidewalk in front of our house. It is habit and both know it is an expectation, a non-negotiable. They know no other option will fly. We don't let our kids play in the street but apparently we are one of the few as it seems most of our neighbors view the street as their personal playground that does not require caution or supervision. I also know that others don't take the same precautions when it comes to safety and while I cringe at what I perceive to be their irresponsibility it is not my place to interfere in other people's parenting, or lack thereof.

My daughter, on the other hand, has no qualms about pointing out the error of other's ways. She has not quite mastered the filter yet between what she thinks and what she says. We have a lot of kids who ride their bikes in the late afternoon and early evenings, usually at the same time I am outside with my children. Each time a child, usually helmet-less, rides by my daughter says in an extremely loud voice, "He should not be riding in the street." Or, "She should be wearing a helmet. She could fall and be dead." And she's relentless. She says it over and over and over again until I agree and repeat verbatim what she has just said. A simple, "Okay baby" will not suffice. She wants me to make sure that I know she knows that what they are doing is not what I allow. For that I am proud. However, I also don't want her to be the kid that no one will play with because she tattles on everyone.

So, we are working on that balance. When she asks why those kids don't wear helmets and those kids play in the street it takes every ounce of self-restraint to not answer with, "Because sweetheart their parents are idiots and don't care enough to take proper precautions. These are the same parents that then freak out and sue everyone and their mother when their child does get hurt when really it is their own fault. That is why." However, I instead give her some version of "Each family has different rules and mommy and daddy make rules for you and your brother that we think will help keep you safe because we love you." Isn't that big of me? :)

Knees, Don't Fail Me Now

I have a history of knee problems, primarily from overuse and playing through years of injuries. My sophomore year of college after tearing cartilege and ligaments in a basketball game I underwent surgery and minus occassional pain and stiffening when the weather gets cold it has been fine since.

Last year I tore the miniscus in my right knee and since I was no longer a "competative athlete" the doctor said it could heal itself if I stayed off it, which I did, and avoid surgery.

When I started my return to exercise last April I started off slow, knowing I am not as young as I used to be. My knees did pretty well. I took a 5 month hiatus and recently returned a couple weeks ago. I didn't ease back into as I should have, but instead started interval training at high speed and incline on the treadmill. Not my smartest decision. I felt something pop last Thursday, had quite a bit of pain, and while I quit sprinting I did finish my remaining time on a bike in pain, stupidly trying to push through it. By that evening I was in horrible pain and by Friday I could hardly move.

I was given an array of pain meds until I can get in this week to see the surgeon and they alleviated enough pain this weekend that I was walking around pretty well. I was even able to do "light" gardening. The problem is that the meds make me so tired and groggy and mess with my vision quite a bit. Fine if my husband is home to help with the kids as he was all weekend, but not so fine now that it is Monday and he is back at work.

So, now my choices have become a)take the meds and possibly lose, hurt, scare, or pass out on my children leaving them to fend for themselves because I'm royally doped up or b)be in near excruciating pain but completely sober. I have chosen b for obvious reasons, but let me tell ya, it was not a fun day. Worse yet, I am dreading the possibility that the doctor will recommend surgery which is a real likelihood for this type of injury. My grandma is 80 with severe back problems, my mother is in a cast recovering from foot surgery, my father is in DC, and my husband has to work. Who the heck will take care of my kids if I can't walk for weeks?

So, I ask you to send good vibes my way and hope that surgery can somehow be avoided or postponed to a more convenient time. Like when my children are grown.

Why I Need to Watch What I Say

Yesterday afternoon we were pulling out of our neighborhood. In front of me a boy about 5 or 6 years of age was riding his bike in the street sans helmet. He was oblivious to the fact that a car was behind him as he swerved all over the place. His sister was standing on the sidewalk motioning to him to move. He finally realizes and hops up on the sidewalk and we pass.

My 3 year old daughter says, "Mommy that boy should not be riding his bike in the street without a helmet." I replied by saying, "No, he shouldn't be." She then says, "He should be riding on the sidewalk with a helmet on." I said I agreed.

Then my daughter says, "I bet his mommy and daddy aren't very smart."