On the Mend

Well, our family appears to be almost well. By the grace of God, I have stayed healthy thus far (I've been eating about 3 oranges a day)! Abby and Emma stayed home from school today even though they have seemed perfectly fine. I do think they needed another day though just to get their energy back, and it has certainly been restored! So, hopefully, we will all be back to our normal routines tomorrow and will stay healthy.

Dropping Like Flies!

Well, a 3rd member of our family is now sick. Emma started running a fever tonight. She played all afternoon and seemed fine, and then it just hit her very suddenly. Brian took her to the same urgent care, and she also tested positive for the flu - ughh! Since I also shared a drink with Emma as well yesterday, I'm sure I'll be next. My house is very quiet and peaceful though (other than the coughing), and I managed to get a lot of work done today. Brian played games with Emma all afternoon, and he has been a huge help. He is still not 100% well but has done most of the care taking of the girls. He's a great guy!

Germs, Germs, Go Away!

My household is sick right now...Brian woke up Thursday morning with aches, pains, a cough, and a fever. I sent him to the dr. thinking he had the flu...the flu test was negative, and he got some antibiotics. Brian rarely ever gets sick, and this really seemed to come out of nowhere. He continued to feel pretty miserable until Saturday, but he is still coughing and says he has a terrible earache. Abby woke me up at 3:00 this morning with this horrible barking cough. She was crying, and her head was burning up. This morning, Emma and I went on to church. Abby was coughing so much that she actually vomited. Brian did 2 breathing treatments with her, but I suggested before leaving to church that he take her to the First Choice Emergency Clinic. We took Emma there when she broke her arm, and they were fantastic. So, she got right in and the flu test was positive. And, yes, the next question everyone asks (even the dr.), "Did she get a flu shot?" Yes, I have always been a firm believer in getting the flu shot, although I haven't gotten one the past few years, my kids always do. Abby and Emma actually did the flu mist this year instead of the shot. The nurse said it was supposed to be even more effective and have a longer lasting immunity than the traditional flu shot, but who knows? So, now she is taking Tamiflu in hopes of a speedier recovery.

I have been going a hundred miles an hour trying to keep our household running. I do seasonal work (Sept. - April) for a high school reunion company. I locate people for their high school reunions and am able to work from home when the kids go to bed at night. It's a lot of internet searching, but it really is easy money. This is my really busy time of year, and the lady I work for needs things done right now. So, I'm hoping and praying I don't get sick since I've got laundry piled up, a dirty house, kids that need to be taxied somewhere, and a work deadline to meet. I did share my drink with Abby yesterday...hmmm....so I'm just waiting and praying!

I also signed up to do this crazy Triclassathon Ironman Team Challenge at Lifetime. There are over 30 teams with 5 people on a team. We have to commit to taking 5 fitness classes per week with the option of doing 6 classes. And, being the type A overachieving person that I am, I got in my 6 classes last week even though I needed to be working and being a wife and mom instead. The challenge just started last week and goes up until Spring Break. My team is in it to win (although no one has told us what the winners get). If I come down with the flu, I'm afraid of letting my team down. So, I will continue to wait....and pray really hard...being sick is the worst.

Stay well and healthy!

Go Bailey Go!

One of the new tricks that we have been working on with Bailey is "dance." It was the trick we called "dance" to get her to jump up and down on her back 2 feet with her front paws going up and down as well which looks like she is dancing. She started doing it a few weeks back, and it kind of stuck. Anyway, tonight I was in with the girls who were dancing to a High School Musical song. I was being silly and started dancing with them, and Bailey walked over, looked at my feet for a couple of seconds, and proceeded to start dancing too. I didn't ask her to dance (or snap my fingers like I normally do to get her to dance)... she just did it all on her own. It was the funniest thing.

Of course, she wouldn't spontaneously dance with the girls or Jen. Just me. Good Girl!

Resolution Costs

I spent a post a couple of weeks ago detailing my journey of "finally" getting in shape. What I soon learned after I started working out was that this was going to be a costly resolution on so many different fronts, including:

• Body Fat - Ok, this is a good cost in that I paid for my blood, sweat and hard work with losing excess pounds. Can't complain with that one.


• Gym fees - As I mentioned in my previous post, we gave a go at using the workout equipment at our local neighborhood clubhouse, but with both Jen and I working out and only being able to do it during nights / weekends, it meant that we would hardly see each other. So, we had to find a gym (Lifetime Fitness) that had child care that our kids liked going to and would allow Jen to go during the day


• Food costs - You would think if you are eating less to reduce the number of calories you intake to help lose weight that you might be able to save a few bucks on food & groceries. Think again. Part of losing weight is learning how to read nutrition labels, find the foods high in fiber and protein, and read the ingredients for what really makes the food tick. It's no wonder we are an 'overweight' society when all the cheap stuff at the store is non-nutritious. If lawmakers want to truly fight our nations growing waistlines, they should subsidize healthy foods.


• Time - One of the 'costs' that kept me from getting in shape over the years is how much time it takes (and continues to take). Luckily, Jen and I each year seem to knock off a favorite TV show or two giving us less time staring at the Tube and more time to do exercise and stuff with the girls. I've never been one to workout early in the morning (I don't mind getting to work early, but just don't have the strength to workout before 8a)... If I could just find a job that I could get to work at 10a and leave at 4p.


• Wardrobe - On the surface, one might be excited to get to go shopping, buy new clothes, etc. However, if you change your body shape, weight, etc enough (I dropped 5 inches on my waist), then nearly all of your old clothes will no longer fit. Basically being an 'XL' guy for so long, I had my favorite collection of t-shirts, work shirts, etc. However, I quickly realized that I started looking almost 'sickly' because of how big some of my shirts would look. Sure it nice to go down a few inches on pants, but having to replace every long sleeve/short sleeve/work shirt/tee shirt/sweatshirt/jacket that I owned was painful mentally as well as financially. Add to it that since the majority of American males are not the same body type as me, I found myself trying on Large and sometimes Medium shirts that would be too short... or too wide around the waist.. and I would have to go to 2-3 different stores to find even a single pair of pants in my size in stock. After 2 years, I'm finally close to replenishing my wardrobe.


• Guilty pleasures - I'm sure everyone struggles with this. There were soo many yummy foods that I had to leave by the wayside... my once a week fastfood breakfast, pretty much all scrambled eggs (dang cholesterol), cool ranch doritos, my daily pepsi, Chili's Chicken Crispers, Too much candy/sweets, I could go on and on.

For all the costs that I pay, I remember that I'm doing this for the betterment of my family by living a healthier life for them... and treating my body as what it is, a temple for worshiping God. If He could just impress on a believer the ability to create a machine / pill / process that could take the place of all this hard work and sweating, life could be just that much greater.

Then again, we tend to appreciate more those things that we really work hard to get.

As for a goal this year, I'm going to resolve to run the Rock in November. The half-marathon that is. Of course, I probably should resolve to just start with a 5k before tackling 13.1 miles... but I think it can be done. So, if anyone has any secrets on how to totally beat up your body by running great distances in preparation for a really long jog, I'm all ears..

Happy Workouts!

How the cookie crumbles

One of the big reasons that Abigail wanted to do Brownies was to be able sell cookies. Well, the day has come. Friday was the first day that she could start to take orders for Girl Scout cookies from non-family members. That afternoon, we went down our street and had some pretty good success finding people home (and selling a few boxes). Of course, there were girl scouts out selling everywhere... but we got really lucky in that none had gone down our street. She did a good job of answering everyone's questions.

So, if you haven't filled your secret inside craving for a box or 4 of girl scout cookies, feel free to send us an email with your order. They are $3.50 a box and will be ready for pickup at the end of February (payment is needed upon delivery). For a list of cookies, check out this link. Do note that 2 of the cookies listed on this website are not on our list for cookies for sale (the Thanks-A-Lot and Cinna-Spins).

Oh my...

What a game... The Cowboys really gave up on this game. Way too many dropped passes. Terrible defense, especially at the end of the first half. Too many penalties. Too many 'slightly short, slightly behind, way short' passes. I could go on and on.

I guess I jinxed the cowboys a little bit. First, I rooted for them. Second, I said Go Pokes in my previous blog post and an OSU alum (R.W. McQuarters) intercepted the final pass.

Guess I don't have to worry about hosting a Cowboys Superbowl party at my house.

Go Bengals!

Warming Up

Its about time for some football. All the players are on the field warming up (TO was the first player out there practicing), the weather is a good fall football temp, and we had a plane fly over with a sign that said: 'Good Luck Tony.. Love Jessica'. I guess she is trying to make her presence felt?

Go Mavs (oops)... I mean Gig'Em (oops)... Go Pokes!

New Years "Revolutions"

Editor's NOTE: I got a bit long winded... sorry.

My daughter came home from school and said, 'Dad, what is your New Year's Revolution'? She had said the same thing to Jen earlier in the evening and we got a good giggle out of it. As I've seen other posts, I like to think of it as more of a 'goal' then a new resolution, since those resolutions never seem to pan out.

For example, take the typical resolution that I had for years... get in shape. As most of you don't know, I was a scrawny 6 ft 145 lbs kid heading into college. I easily gained the 'freshman 15' between meals of cheap Pizza Shuttle pizza and bags of Dorrito's. Anyway, I left my 4 year journey around 170 lbs. Then over the next few years I slowly added on the weight. Continued bad eating habits (Hot Pockets Rock) along with many more bags of cool ranch dorito's and pepsi's galore.

Marriage didn't change me much, even when we spent the first six months eating really cheaply (hence not eating as much; splitting meals if we did go out to eat) so we could save up money for a down payment on our first house. As most husbands do, I joined my wife in gaining some pregnancy weight. Each year during these first few years of marriage I made the resolution to 'lose a few pounds' and 'get in better shape'... but I could easily come up with the usual excuses. Not enough time (what was I thinking, we didn't even have any kids yet!), my eyes just aren't awake enough to put in my contacts that early, what's the point... I tried walking / jogging around our neighborhood a few times, but it never caught on.

After our first child was born, I got to experience the awesome power that is lasik eye surgery. This was going to be my turning point. I could work out and not worry about dried out contacts (or tired eyes)... and it just didn't happen. I tried some of the pill diets (Metabolife lasting the longest), but it never stuck. But I kept making the same resolution. I'd get frustrated with my weight, how holding my young Abby would make my belly pretty darn obvious, etc. Of course, to each their own on what they feel is 'too much weight'.

According to the government (or whomever came up with it), my BMI indicated that I was close to obese. First, let me say that 6'1" and 225 lbs is not even close to obese. Nevertheless, I was not happy with my weight. But with any free time left taken up with a new child in our lives, getting in shape just didn't take a priority. Besides the usual excuses, our nation just doesn't make it easy to get in shape. It does cost more to eat food that is good for you. Between the healthy selections at the grocery store and every restaurant slowly rolling out healthy items (but at a higher cost), it was just such a big step to take. And, with us starting to save up money for our second house, it just didn't happen.

As you can tell from all of this, I'm not one for change. Also, I am a professional procrastinator. If you give me an opening and its something I don't care much about, I can find a million things to keep me from doing it.

Moving along... we move into our new house in early 2004 and a bit after doing so, I had this strange coughing fit. It ended up causing me really bad back and neck spasms, even limiting the range that I could turn my head. I remember going to the dr. and seeing my weight on the scale around 230 lbs. It had been a while since I had weighed myself and was just kind've a shock to me. I worked my way through that fun (muscle relaxers really are amazing in how fast they work... but I made sure to only take like 3-4 of them) and got back to health.

After that I was determined to try and get into better shape. And I went about it slowly... limiting the number of Pepsi's I would drink (i've never developed the taste for diet drinks), started bringing my lunch to work more often, and every once in a while I would order a chicken sandwich instead of a burger. At the beginning of 2005 I had made it down to 215lbs. Jen was spending a couple nights a week working out at our 'clubhouse' in our subdivision, doing a great job of getting back into shape after our second child was born, but I rarely went. It was just not easy for both of use to go up there... we would never see each other.

That summer, we decided to go up to the annual Wellington Health Fair. We wanted to check things out and heard they would have a bounce house for the kids. It was the event that changed us all. They had someone there from a local hospital doing free BP and Cholestoral checking. I gave it a whirl... and was shocked. I had a high BP (of course I had just finished a cup or two of coffee) but my cholesterol was 252. That sent me off to my PCP, where a real blood test showed it a 237 with nearly a 5:1 ration of LDL to HDL (with thankfully a very normal BP). Sure, these numbers were a surprise to me, especially since I had worked myself down to 203 lbs... but it was the look in my wife's eyes that put me over the edge. You could see the concern in her eyes... the worry. I spent the next Friday, Saturday and Sunday up at our clubhouse learning how to use an elliptical and working out.

The next week we went in and joined Lifetime Fitness. Sure it was a bit pricey, but the selling point for us was the child care. My wife tried a free pass to Health and Athletic, and the child care wasn't as fun as Lifetime. Our girls actually love going there... there is so much for them to do. And having happy kids makes it much easier for the parents to go. Jen would go during the day and I'd go a couple of evenings a week plus the weekends.

Not really being a person that has worked out much before, I once again started cautiously but knew I needed to get not just my body but my heart into shape. I did mostly the elliptical machines for 25-35 minutes. Then, I slowly tried out the treadmills... I couldn't run for very long (I never have been much of a runner) but I slowly built up the ability to jog. It's funny to hear 'runners' who say they can't stand to run on treadmills. Since I have no foundation of outside running, I'm the opposite as the treadmill gives me a nice pace to keep vs. running outside where I can't run a good pace and end up having to stop every so often.

Anyway, every once in a while, I'd venture over to do some weight machines (those free weights were WAY too intimidating). Then, I discovered one of the best things about the gym... my own free personal trainer. Yes, Free! Ok, its not one on one training, but a group fitness class that was all weightlifting (no silly step/aerobic stuff, etc.). I was fortunate to get a great instructor who taught on Monday nights and I was really able to learn a lot about how to do weight lifting. At this time (around October), I had my follow-up check and my LDL to HDL ratio had gone way down to 2.5 to 1 (total of 188) and my weight was at 185.

But as my instructor kept telling us, if you want to change the way you look, then you need to build muscle... and you do that by working your muscles to failure at least twice a week. The other thing I learned in all my weight loss was in the end, losing weight is really simple math; you eat less calories then you burn. And the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn each day while just sitting around (each lb of muscle burns between 35-50 calories... by just living). You can see some comparison's of my look in various Family pictures.

My weight has remained about the same (I went down as far as 178, but I'm fairly steady at 190). And I still go every week to the same class with the same instructor. She moved to Monday's at 11a, so I now have an excuse to work from home one day a week and take a long lunch (with my boss' blessing). Back to that BMI discussion... 6'1", 190lbs is considered Overweight!! So, every time I hear the stat that 60% of the US (or more) is overweight, I laugh and look the other way... what crazy scientist came up with this formula!!

Wishing you a Healthy New Year!

Inspiring Blogs

I (Jennifer) have come across 2 very inspiring blogs that I read often. Although I don't know these 2 ladies (I just happened upon their blogs from the http://www.5minutesformom.com/ website - also a great website - especially the "Faith Lifts" link), I have been amazed at their faith. Both of these moms are battling brain cancer; one of the moms also has a daughter who has had numerous health issues throughout her short life. They are in the same season of life as myself and are also around the same age as me. It definitely puts life into perspective and makes me realize even when I have a bad day, God has poured out his blessings on my family. I have so much in life to be thankful for!

Check out their blogs if you enjoy "blog hopping"(I don't know the correct technological term, so that's my own made up phrase), and I hope you will be as encouraged as I am by their amazing, uplifting stories. I continue to keep these incredible ladies and their families in my prayers.

http://especiallyheather.com/ and her daughter's blog http://www.especiallyheather.com/emma/

http://katesnodgrass.blogspot.com/