My Metabolic Makeover

I actually bit the bullet and signed up for a local gym makeover program.  Me...the girl who has never set foot in a gym.  My friend belongs to the same one and loves it there.  We had talked for years about weight struggles.  Well, how self-conscience do I feel when she starts dropping dress sizes and for some reason I keep going up.  She set up a walk through with the coordinator for me and came with.  Way too expensive for me was my first thought.  Then, they went over a six week program that lets you have full gym access for that time, a personal trainer, and a custom made makeover based on how many calories I burn while doing nothing.  The price wasn't as bad as signing up for a regular membership so I went in this week.

I remember this same time last year I was about to turn 30.  I didn't like the weight I was at then and vowed to lose at least a little by my birthday.  I did exercise videos a few times a week, but that was it.  I think being a stay at home mom makes it harder to lose weight.  You have access to a kitchen 24-7.  Also, I discovered the wonder of velor pant suits, so I could be comfortable all hours of the day and not feel my skinny jeans getting tighter.  So, here I am approaching 31 and am in a better position to lose weight with being accountable to a trainer.

I never understood how lifting weights could make a person lose weight.  I just thought vigorous exercise a few times a week would help.  I am getting educated times two because of my trainer and a good friend training to be one.  I'm not that literate in explaining the ins and outs of it, but know now it's important.  Perhaps you'll see a comment explaining it, if my friend is up to it. This is how my ideal workout looks:

1. Warm up with light cardio 5-10 minutes.

2.  Strength training on 6 different machines, starting out with 4 reps on each and eventually increasing.

3. Followed by cardio for 30-45 minutes.

So there you have it.  I'm making it a goal to do this three times a week to get the most of paying for this. Also, I'm trying my best to cut calories but that will be the hardest challenge.  One thing I have learned is to drink cold water and lots of it.  Why?  Because you actually burn calories by drinking it.  You use up calories by your body warming the water up.  I'm sure I'll be sharing more tips while I am going through this.

This gym offers daycare which is the only way I could do this.  There are days my daughter is tired of staying home with me, so this gives us both a little break.  Our computer was down for over a week so I was not able to post.  Don't give up on me, new posts will soon follow.

My Poetry Door...

You've spoken and I've listened.  This is the post that you may leave comments on my poetry.  I have made it as easy as possible to leave comments, all you do is type in an e-mail address. The poems I have posted are a sample of hundreds of poems I have written over seventeen years.  Share your favorite one with me, or even a favorite line.  Maybe there is one you can relate to.  Or maybe you're not a big poetry buff.  Yet to know me, is to know my poetry.

The Book Whore

I have a confession.  I have not been reading Persuasion for the past three months.  My ADHD kicks in when there are a plethora of good books before me.  I was about to read Persuasion when I see the newly purchased Bell Jar in Julio's collection.  It looked like somewhat of a short read, so I started flipping through it one night and couldn't put it down.  The first half of the book was the best descriptive literature I've ever read.  It got a little too dark for me from there, but does deal with the important topic of mental health.  Of course from past posts, you know how I feel about a writer putting themself in the story.  So, I was hooked.  Then for 50 cents each, Julio gets me the poetry of Baudelaire and a bio of Barbra Striesand.  Beautiful poetry and and an interesting life story.  Good stuff.  What does a couple in their thirties do with kids that is cost effective?  Go to used book stores of course.  Everyone gets something they want.  So, I have been very fortunate to add some much searched for books to my collection.  In the same day, I got a book about L.M. Montgomery and Madeleine L'Engle's first two Crosswicks Journals:  A Circle of Quiet and The Summer of the Great-Grandmother.  I finished the L.M. Montgomery book in one night, and started A Circle of Quiet.  I can tell I'm going to like it.  Then the biggest treat I discovered two weeks ago.  In a used book store we frequent, I stumbled upon The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery Volume I edited by Mary Rueben and Elizabeth Waterson.  I had the honor of having the same Mary Rueben post on my site a few months ago.  The reason this one is so special is because I never thought I'd find it used at an affordable price.  On Amazon, the least expensive used copy was $35.  I got this for $5 in excellent condition.  So I read a few chapters that night.  There is not more extensive information on her life than what are contained in these volumes.  The additional maps and pictures enhance the book so beautifully. 

So should I say I'm in the middle of reading three books?  The Montgomery journal might have to go in the front of the line.  I have to thank the editors for leaving in all the details Montgomery wanted taken out.  I love her secrets and all.  And as for Persuasion, PBS is featuring Jane Austen movies all month.  The movie might be seen before I get around to the book.  I think Jane would understand.  It's because of her I have an appetite for classic novels. 

Living in the Moment

Almost a year ago, my husband started to ask about my dad's time in the navy.  I remembered as a child watching footage he took during that time of 1967-1971.  He had toured Europe and had himself a good time.   He took videos with his Super 8 movie camera that does not record sound.  Talking about it, made me remember he had family movies too.  It became a goal to get my family together and view them.  It finally happened a few weeks ago and was a dream come true.  None of the footage had been viewed for almost thirty years, some of it only filmed and never seen. 

 I saw my grandparents in a whole new light.  By the time I was five, their lives had drastically changed.  In the film, I saw them vibrant and happy...and dancing?  My family doesn't dance...does it?  They were cutting a rug quite enthusiastically and then...my parents join in?  What parallel universe is this?  Perhaps your relatives are the same people they were thirty years ago.  Perhaps it's easy for you to imagine your mom at Woodstock because she still has her love beads.  Well, people in my family have changed or changed then passed away.  I was living in their moment of happiness.  Seeing their familiar faces on video made me feel like I was there with them, in the house I remember visiting as a child.  Then when the reel would end, and the lights go on, reality set in.  It made me feel robbed of them, of not knowing them at a time they were happy.

My family actually came a second time this week to view what we thought were the navy videos.  None of them are labeled,  so we never knew what was coming next.  Here, they were more family videos my parents don't even remember taking.  What a treat!  They featured a trip to Canada, our family going to Strasburg Railroad, Dutch Wonderland, and my cousins when Sean was a toddler and Kim and I as babies.  What was the best was seeing my parents wedding.  To see relatives I loved so much on either side of the family talking outside after the ceremony was very surreal. 

We'll have to wait till next time to see those Navy videos.  One thing I wish was on those reels was my dad meeting Jackie Kennedy and her children.  They came on board the day of the christening of the ship because it was named in honor of JFK.  I'm just so thrilled these films have withstood the test of time and were kept safe from harm.  Seeing these videos has been a bonding experience for us I never thought would happen.  Do you know of any old videos of your family?  Grab a relative and a movie projector (or buy one on eBay) and watch one.  You might learn something about yourself in the process.

A night at the Hampton Inn

I look forward to this time of year for a different reason many of you do.  This is the time of year we go to a spiritual assembly in the middle of nowhere Grantville, PA (15 minutes from Hershey Park).  We turn it into a mini-vacation and it has become a treasured event that the kids look forward to.  We've been doing this for eight years and have gone back and forth with the Comfort Inn, the Comfort Inn Suites, and the Hampton Inn.  I have to say the Hampton Inn is my favorite for many reasons. 

They have come along way since we were first here in 1999.  They now offer waffles and sausage with their breakfast selections.  The best the Comfort Inn can do is bagels.  It might sound weird, but I love that the Hampton Inn offers 24 hour access to coffee, tea and hot chocolate.  Julio loves the fact that they have free wireless internet (which is how I'm writing this).  But the number one reason I love the Hampton Inn is the indoor pool.  Since we first stayed here, we have tried many indoor pools that claim to be "heated."  What the hotel does is heat the air in the room, and the pool is freezing.  The Hampton Inn does both. 

The only thing better than a warm indoor pool, is an indoor pool devoid of people.  There's always an awkwardness when two or more strangers have to share a pool.  Or even worse, the pool is overloaded with people and you just stand there getting splashed to death.  So imagine my delight when we open the door and the room is empty.  Our family had a great time having swimming races and playing shark.  Madeleine refuses to get in the water and is quite content to sit on the steps.  So to interact with us, she starts directing.  Of course, isn't that what you would do?  She wants me to act like I'm drowning and Daddy comes to the rescue.  Then Daddy plays the mean guy who has Julian in his clutches.  She will distract him with a snack and I rescue Julian.  I could see how delighted she was to see the stories in her head come to life with the water as a new setting.  I felt like we were the only people in the world, even as we could see the trucks pass by on the interstate.  Then people finally showed up and it was time to go.  I mean, do you want someone staring at you while you're playing with your family?  So it was back to the room for free hot chocolate.  I feel relaxed and at peace.  Life is good.

A Medical Necessity

I'm not going to complain about my health insurance, because it wasn't that long ago when our family didn't have one at all.  I'm quite grateful to have one, and from what I hear Blue Cross Blue Shield Personal Choice is one of the best.  I guess our prescription plan is a separate entity from our health insurance. I can't help but complain about them.  They have tried to put up a red light at every opportunity to question if what a doctor prescribed is medically necessary.  Oh, okay.  Is the doctor wondering if it's medically necessary?  No, it's the greedy people at the top that we pay every month.  Do you know what I think is a medical necessity?  For those suits to lessen the weight in their pockets and go get their heads checked.  Then, they can be denied a prescription. Oh, but that wouldn't happen would it?

The Highlight of My Year

Looking back, it was a good year.  If I had to pick the one thing that blew me away or made an impression on me it had be the Decemberists in concert.  This was quite unexpected on my part, because I didn't know much of them. But when tickets became available, Julio insisted we must see them.  He tried to play me one of their songs before the concert, but I wasn't very interested in his song choice.  I was unaware of how diverse their music really is.  It turns out our favorite Decemberists songs are very different.  I had no time to blog when I did see them in July, so I'm finally able to share with you an awesome experience.

It was warm summer night at the Mann Music Center in Philly.  It's nice to think of that weather now being in December.  We had great seats.  The band had recently begun having a full orchestra behind them, since their budget increased with their popularity.  They are described as folk rock which does them justice somewhat.   Sometimes, they are very folk sounding.  Other times, their songs resemble folk only because of their storytelling nature.   I like how Stephen Colbert describes them as "hyper-literate prog rock."  This is because they make (sometimes obscure) historical or literary references in a lot of their songs.  Mostly, their music is touching, sometimes funny, and beautifully arranged. 

After the show, I was happy to have a husband who already had most of their music.  So when we got home, he could immediately download it in my music player.  The newest album the Crane Wife and Picaresque are my favorite albums.  There is no way to stay in a bad mood when listening to "the Sporting Life. " "The Crane Wife (part one)"  comes in a close second.  Even my daughter has come to love that song and we sing it together.  It is the Japanese story of a man who mends a crane's wing.  The next day, she returns as a woman and they marry.  You'll have to Wikipedia the rest.

It's worth taking a minute and listening to a live version of "the Crane Wife"  I have hand selected from YouTube for your listening pleasure.  The singer talks for a little bit and then the song begins. If you don't like this song, I'll bet there is a Decemberists song out there for everyone.  Don't be like me and judge the band based on one song.