I am so grossed out by this cold, faceless, and voiceless world our children are growing up in. Where did this come from? When did the phone conversation become less desirable than mere words on a screen, devoid of enunciation and emotion? A "smiley emoticon" is NOTHING but a picture, it is not equivalent to the warmth of a smile, LOL, doesn't even compare to the sweet sound of real laughter. In person we can see, feel, appreciate each other. When did we decide to stop feeling?
Another young girl just took her own life because she was bullied over and over. As far as I am concerned, it was the internet that abused her, harassed her, denied her call out for help, and ultimately led her to the dark place where she felt she had no worth. It killed her.
It is my solemn vow, that my children will not own a Facebook account while living under this roof. 13 is the minimum age for opening an account, and that used to be my rule "when you are 13 you can have one", but now they can wait. I don't care how much they cry and beg, or say they hate me for it. I am saving their lives or at least their emotional well being, and allowing their character to develop because of real personal interactions. If some one wants to bully one of my kids, you can do it to their face, where your words have to come out of your mouth, and your eyes see the pain they cause. You will not hide behind your screen. Internet bullying is the lowest form of cowardice, and I will do my best to keep my children from being subjected to it.
When a child dies because of some freak accident, like being strangled by a cord from the blinds, we make new rules, find ways to prevent them from happening again. Remember when you could ride around in the box of a truck? Not anymore, too many injuries/fatalities. How many children have to kill themselves because of internet bullying before rules are changed? Maybe Facebook needs to up the minimum age to 18? Maybe there ought to be a tougher process for creating an account? With all the technology in the world surely that must be possible?
To all you parents who have kids/teens on Facebook, watch them, know their passwords, check their accounts, be nosey. It's your job to keep them safe physically and emotionally. They will thank you for it one day. As the world changes so do our morals and values, rules get bent, and blurred, or forgotten all together. In my world the one constant will be those morals, values, and rules, the changing times can adapt to them.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
The Death of Common Sense.
Are we witnessing the death of common sense in the world? I recently read about two separate child related issues that got my fingers itching, nay, burning to write again.
A letter to the editor was written in to the newspaper I work at, regarding safety issues and concerns with our river channel in town, which is a popular local and tourist attraction. Floating down the channel has been a summer past-time here since long before I was born, there is never a summer where it is not speckled with brightly colored air mattresses, and the faces of happy floaters. This woman/mother wrote in concerned that they were not informed of the speed and depth of the channel this year, that they would have never gone down if they'd have been told, and that they had to ask if their children should wear life jackets. Well, as far as I am concerned, you'd have to have been living under a rock to not know that water levels are at a record high for this time of year, to not have heard of the countless water related incidents have happened in our BC water bodies this year alone. If you have to think about whether your child should be wearing a life jacket then my dear, put one on them. Here's another thought, watch them closely while they are in the water. These are rivers and lakes you are messing with, natures wonders, and as beautiful as they are, they can become deadly in the blink of an eye. So take precautions. It is your job to take the initiative to keep your family safe.
On another note, related but different. Lets talk about The Bumbo. I remember when it first came out, I wanted one. So colorful, fun, and seemingly convenient. I never did bite the bullet and buy one, a combination of cost, and rumors I had heard of it being bad for babies backs, and abdomen. Now it is being recalled, and not to be used without a warning label, and after market restraint strap. Babies can maneuver out of it, and or flip it over. Babies move people, this is not a new scientific discovery! There are reports of babies suffering skull fractures after falling in a Bumbo seat that was used on a high table/counter. The parents placing their wriggling, squirmy, and inquisitive babies in one of these on a high surface (anywhere that is NOT the floor, where it should be) should be the ones equipped with an after market warning label. "Warning: The person you are looking at needs to be reminded that it is unsafe to put a baby on a table unattended."
Common friggin' sense. Have we become so bubble wrapped and sheltered that the real world becomes impossible to navigate safely without the help of notices, warnings, laws that force us to wear safety gear... And do we think that the lack of such things is a guarantee of safety. Use your head, if you have to ask, you probably already know the answer...
A letter to the editor was written in to the newspaper I work at, regarding safety issues and concerns with our river channel in town, which is a popular local and tourist attraction. Floating down the channel has been a summer past-time here since long before I was born, there is never a summer where it is not speckled with brightly colored air mattresses, and the faces of happy floaters. This woman/mother wrote in concerned that they were not informed of the speed and depth of the channel this year, that they would have never gone down if they'd have been told, and that they had to ask if their children should wear life jackets. Well, as far as I am concerned, you'd have to have been living under a rock to not know that water levels are at a record high for this time of year, to not have heard of the countless water related incidents have happened in our BC water bodies this year alone. If you have to think about whether your child should be wearing a life jacket then my dear, put one on them. Here's another thought, watch them closely while they are in the water. These are rivers and lakes you are messing with, natures wonders, and as beautiful as they are, they can become deadly in the blink of an eye. So take precautions. It is your job to take the initiative to keep your family safe.
On another note, related but different. Lets talk about The Bumbo. I remember when it first came out, I wanted one. So colorful, fun, and seemingly convenient. I never did bite the bullet and buy one, a combination of cost, and rumors I had heard of it being bad for babies backs, and abdomen. Now it is being recalled, and not to be used without a warning label, and after market restraint strap. Babies can maneuver out of it, and or flip it over. Babies move people, this is not a new scientific discovery! There are reports of babies suffering skull fractures after falling in a Bumbo seat that was used on a high table/counter. The parents placing their wriggling, squirmy, and inquisitive babies in one of these on a high surface (anywhere that is NOT the floor, where it should be) should be the ones equipped with an after market warning label. "Warning: The person you are looking at needs to be reminded that it is unsafe to put a baby on a table unattended."
Common friggin' sense. Have we become so bubble wrapped and sheltered that the real world becomes impossible to navigate safely without the help of notices, warnings, laws that force us to wear safety gear... And do we think that the lack of such things is a guarantee of safety. Use your head, if you have to ask, you probably already know the answer...
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Let the icing begin.
One week.
I will be THIRTY years old in SEVEN days, am I dreading this seemingly "HUGE" number? Not really. I am damn proud of where I have come from and gone to in the last 30 years. I am the mother of 3 amazing kids, I am a beloved wife who can truly say she loves her husband. Our house is a home. I have found gainful employment that is conducive to being a mom, exactly what I need right now. My friends and family are genuine and amazing people that I know I will be there for a lifetime. There is so much to be thankful for.
30 is a right of passage, whether you took your 20's to have fun, educate yourself and find a career, or made the choice to start your family young, you should stand in the mirror and be amazed with who you see, no matter what you look like, how much money is in your pockets, or what the world looks like around you. You are officially moving into adulthood, as far as I am concerned. It takes at least 30 years to get well enough acquainted with yourself that you know the right road to take from here.
So as I walk through the shadows of the valley of the death of my 20's, I hold my head up high. Looking forward to a world where my dreams and goals make more sense than they did in my 20's, where my life's aspirations mesh with the person I have grown to be. I feel like a cake that's been baked with all the right ingredients in perfect measure, and that the next 30 years are the ones where I get iced.
I will be THIRTY years old in SEVEN days, am I dreading this seemingly "HUGE" number? Not really. I am damn proud of where I have come from and gone to in the last 30 years. I am the mother of 3 amazing kids, I am a beloved wife who can truly say she loves her husband. Our house is a home. I have found gainful employment that is conducive to being a mom, exactly what I need right now. My friends and family are genuine and amazing people that I know I will be there for a lifetime. There is so much to be thankful for.
30 is a right of passage, whether you took your 20's to have fun, educate yourself and find a career, or made the choice to start your family young, you should stand in the mirror and be amazed with who you see, no matter what you look like, how much money is in your pockets, or what the world looks like around you. You are officially moving into adulthood, as far as I am concerned. It takes at least 30 years to get well enough acquainted with yourself that you know the right road to take from here.
So as I walk through the shadows of the valley of the death of my 20's, I hold my head up high. Looking forward to a world where my dreams and goals make more sense than they did in my 20's, where my life's aspirations mesh with the person I have grown to be. I feel like a cake that's been baked with all the right ingredients in perfect measure, and that the next 30 years are the ones where I get iced.
Monday, March 5, 2012
128 Days.
"If you build it they will come..."....or in my case "If you live it...they will go". I am talking about the pounds I have been carrying around with me unnecessarily, the 20 (and after some crazy weeks of recklessness 30) pounds I need to lose to be back to my pre-baby weight. Yes, it has been a long time since pregnancy, but as we Moms know, time flies. Ultimately I'd like to lose 40lbs, but for now, it's time to get back to pre-kids weight, and then decide where to go from there.
Time and time again I have fallen victim to my internal anti-will power, listening to it's promises of... "this one bowl of ice cream, or extra helping of scalloped potatoes won't make or break your waistline". Earth to Shaunna...it was lying, because day in and day out that one (or 5) innocent indulgence(s), are exactly where my weight problem lies. I have tried and failed too many times to count, I have declared my commitment over and over again only to find myself standing still. Feeling guilt and defeat all the time. I do realize that every failure brings me one step closer to the time I succeed. I see that I am learning about myself, my limitations, and my strengths. Which is exactly the experience I need to know what it is have have to do. Time to stop going around in circles, the only way to go is forward.
For those of you wondering what my game plan is....
I will be getting up when my alarm goes off, not hitting snooze 3 times, and talking myself into sleeping longer instead of showering in the morning. I will eat breakfast, a smoothie or oatmeal (I will post recipes). I will drink a lot of water. Lunch will always be light and healthful. Snacking will be cut down to a minimum and only when I am hungry, not because it's been scheduled in. I will choose my meals as they come, dinner being the exception, no more planning the days food out ahead of time. I have learned that does not work out well for me, because then I over think food, I obsess about when and what comes next. It's AWFUL. My dinner portions will be cut in half. My number one worst habit is night time snacking, so I will do my best to stop eating after 7pm.
I will to walk to pick up the kids everyday, weather permitting, and walk/jog/run for an hour 3-4 times a week. I will attempt to do 50 crunches every morning when I wake up, I will have time because I'll be waking up half and hour earlier, right?! I will always clean the house with the music on...for one, house cleaning sucks, and music makes it better. For two, I get inspired to bust a move to certain songs, and that my friends, helps my in my fight to "move more".
This all seems like a lot, but they as a whole are just minor alterations of how I go about my day... things I have been able to do before, and know I can do again. I have a vision... and I am going to start living it now.
I am healthy, I am strong. I eat food for nourishment, to feed my body, and on occasion my soul. I am active, I do crunches, I dance, I run, sometimes I do yoga, I take my dog for daily walks, I play guitar. I feel great, and look amazing. I make my husbands jaw drop. I set a healthy example for my kids, I inspire others to do the same... Watch me prove it.
Time and time again I have fallen victim to my internal anti-will power, listening to it's promises of... "this one bowl of ice cream, or extra helping of scalloped potatoes won't make or break your waistline". Earth to Shaunna...it was lying, because day in and day out that one (or 5) innocent indulgence(s), are exactly where my weight problem lies. I have tried and failed too many times to count, I have declared my commitment over and over again only to find myself standing still. Feeling guilt and defeat all the time. I do realize that every failure brings me one step closer to the time I succeed. I see that I am learning about myself, my limitations, and my strengths. Which is exactly the experience I need to know what it is have have to do. Time to stop going around in circles, the only way to go is forward.
For those of you wondering what my game plan is....
I will be getting up when my alarm goes off, not hitting snooze 3 times, and talking myself into sleeping longer instead of showering in the morning. I will eat breakfast, a smoothie or oatmeal (I will post recipes). I will drink a lot of water. Lunch will always be light and healthful. Snacking will be cut down to a minimum and only when I am hungry, not because it's been scheduled in. I will choose my meals as they come, dinner being the exception, no more planning the days food out ahead of time. I have learned that does not work out well for me, because then I over think food, I obsess about when and what comes next. It's AWFUL. My dinner portions will be cut in half. My number one worst habit is night time snacking, so I will do my best to stop eating after 7pm.
I will to walk to pick up the kids everyday, weather permitting, and walk/jog/run for an hour 3-4 times a week. I will attempt to do 50 crunches every morning when I wake up, I will have time because I'll be waking up half and hour earlier, right?! I will always clean the house with the music on...for one, house cleaning sucks, and music makes it better. For two, I get inspired to bust a move to certain songs, and that my friends, helps my in my fight to "move more".
This all seems like a lot, but they as a whole are just minor alterations of how I go about my day... things I have been able to do before, and know I can do again. I have a vision... and I am going to start living it now.
I am healthy, I am strong. I eat food for nourishment, to feed my body, and on occasion my soul. I am active, I do crunches, I dance, I run, sometimes I do yoga, I take my dog for daily walks, I play guitar. I feel great, and look amazing. I make my husbands jaw drop. I set a healthy example for my kids, I inspire others to do the same... Watch me prove it.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
The BC Government Needs to Sit Down and Watch a Few Episodes of 'Til Debt Do Us Part!
In any home there are expenses. I'm going to put them into two simple categories. There are other expenses as well, but for the sake of my argument today I am just going to focus on needs and wants. We have necessary services and items that are integral to our survival, mortgage/rent, food, heat, power, the needs or things we must have. Wants are the things we don't need, but like to have, they make life more comfortable and easy, cable TV, internet service, gym passes... how much do you use it anyway right? When times are tough, like now, we as heads of our household, need to cut back on the wants, so we can focus on the needs. We find a way to make it work, we pick up extra shifts or work late, we drop the gym pass, and quit eatting out... Life gets a little harder, but you learn to live without the extras. You learn what is truly important in life. When there are extra funds you can take back a few of those luxuries
Dear Government of British Columbia... Education is a need, and you are treating it as though it is a luxury item. I know there are places you could be cutting back spending to make up for the lack of funding in our public school system. I have seen some government programs that are completely superfluous and in my opinion an outright squandering of tax payers money. I don't claim to have all the answers, I know it is no easy task balancing the needs and wants of an entire province. Sorry, but if we little guys can get it done in our homes, why can't you? You may think large class sizes and composition of classes do not have a big impact on each child individually, and may be they don't. But as a whole you are making the choice to hold back entire generations of children for what....money. Cut the fat, look at your budget again, find a way to make it work. The children of today and tomorrow deserve the best chance they can get. Closing schools and cramming our children into classrooms like sardines is not the answer, and should have never been an option. Start acting like the head of the household and make it work!
As British Columbians, we are walking a very thin line on a twisted kind of dictatorship here, last I remember we live in a world where we can speak up, be heard, and make a difference. Where our opinions matter. Where change is meant to be for the better, not taking a step backwards. Please support our teachers and their mission to make the future brighter. To those in opposition of the BCTF's actions, take off your rose colored glasses and think for a minute about what is really happening here. If the government bullies the BCTF to give up, refuses to make any changes, and continues to bulldoze the foundation of our education system, what's next? Don't knock the teacher's for fighting for these changes, they are fighting for something we should have never lost in the first place...
Dear Government of British Columbia... Education is a need, and you are treating it as though it is a luxury item. I know there are places you could be cutting back spending to make up for the lack of funding in our public school system. I have seen some government programs that are completely superfluous and in my opinion an outright squandering of tax payers money. I don't claim to have all the answers, I know it is no easy task balancing the needs and wants of an entire province. Sorry, but if we little guys can get it done in our homes, why can't you? You may think large class sizes and composition of classes do not have a big impact on each child individually, and may be they don't. But as a whole you are making the choice to hold back entire generations of children for what....money. Cut the fat, look at your budget again, find a way to make it work. The children of today and tomorrow deserve the best chance they can get. Closing schools and cramming our children into classrooms like sardines is not the answer, and should have never been an option. Start acting like the head of the household and make it work!
As British Columbians, we are walking a very thin line on a twisted kind of dictatorship here, last I remember we live in a world where we can speak up, be heard, and make a difference. Where our opinions matter. Where change is meant to be for the better, not taking a step backwards. Please support our teachers and their mission to make the future brighter. To those in opposition of the BCTF's actions, take off your rose colored glasses and think for a minute about what is really happening here. If the government bullies the BCTF to give up, refuses to make any changes, and continues to bulldoze the foundation of our education system, what's next? Don't knock the teacher's for fighting for these changes, they are fighting for something we should have never lost in the first place...
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Hits of my Heart
I have a "bucket list".
These men wrote the music of my childhood. They are not just songs, but moments in time, real feelings, and true emotions. Music that someone wrote with pencil on paper... for a reason other than making money. Written and played by the hands of men and women who were taught or inspired by even greater musicians than themselves, who worked at their craft until their fingers bled. I just love it, I totally get it, I feel it, I can't get enough...
It's not a complete version, but it is a work in progress. For now it is mostly musical, people I need to see live before I die...Dwight Yoakam, Bob Seger, Steve Earle... these boys are getting older and I feel like my window of opportunity, to be right there in the same room as them pouring their heart out on stage, is closing.
These men wrote the music of my childhood. They are not just songs, but moments in time, real feelings, and true emotions. Music that someone wrote with pencil on paper... for a reason other than making money. Written and played by the hands of men and women who were taught or inspired by even greater musicians than themselves, who worked at their craft until their fingers bled. I just love it, I totally get it, I feel it, I can't get enough...
Don't get me wrong I enjoy and am "entertained" by modern music.... but I LOVE me some oldies, they get to me in a way the so-called hits of this day and age never will. I love the way good music makes me feel, I want to feel that way all day long... I hope my kids feel this way about music, that they don't fall for the "disposable" music that comes and goes, but they feel their way to the hits of their heart, whatever they may be. While we're at it, add that to my bucket list... teaching my kids to know the difference!
Monday, January 16, 2012
What goes in is what you get out...
I have been giving it about 70% effort on my resolution to lose weight. I was trying to create a photo diary of my eating habits, I am so absentminded and for the most part forgot to take the photos, but here is what I did get, and basically this is how my diet has been going this week.
For breakfast I have been having smoothies I change up the ingredients a bit day to day, but these things are a constant. Vanilla yogurt, frozen blueberries, chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp hearts, pineapple juice. Sometimes with spinach leaves, banana, frozen mango.... I really like the smoothies, and find it easier to drink my breakfast than to eat it.
Lunch has been home made salad rolls, made with rice paper, Cole slaw mix, green onion, radishes, chopped roasted peanuts, imitation crab, and prawns, the sauce is hoisin sauce, sweet and sour sauce, honey, sesame oil, and a few of the chopped nuts. I love these, and have had them almost everyday for lunch...to the point where I need to take a wee break so I can loop around to loving them as much as I did the first day I made them!
For dinner, I eat what I make for everyone else, except I try to portion mine out differently, less starch more veg! I am trying to cut starchy carb foods out of my snacks, I can't live without them, but I can cut back, and only eat the ones I truly love. So a small portion of protein and veggies or fruit have been my snacks...most of the time ; ) I also ate pop corn, a few candies/chocolates, a bacon and egg bagel, had some wine, cheese and bacon mashed potatoes... I am sure there is more my mind is omitting, but I am trying to keep myself honest.
Now if I can say this is how I ate all week long religiously, I would most likely be reporting a weight loss for the week. But I am still hovering around 183 depending on the time of day. But I feel better, and have been fighting of most of my junk food cravings, I made a healthier pear crisp as a sweet snack for the times I am really dying of a sweet treat, but in all honesty it wasn't very good, and didn't satisfy my sweet tooth, but I did manage to use a tiny bit of inner strength to avoid eating something else to please it. I also realize that I'd be better off having a small portion of the not so good choices I love, than a larger portion of the things I wouldn't even feed to my dog...
Anyway that's where I am at. One decision at a time...Trying to ramp up to 80% effort this week....wish me luck!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Feeding my Soul
The crazy holidays have come and gone, and with them a few rounds of the stomach flu and awful long lasting colds... that part I will try to mentally omit from my memories of Christmas 2011. I had a really great time, but I am glad it's over!
Moving into the year 2012, I see a clean slate, a year full of empty pages to fill. My list of resolutions is long, and really seems to be just a renewal of all the things I have always wanted to be or do, lose weight, be more organized, be a better mother, live greener... starting a new year just helps me to see the big picture more clearly. Every moment of this life counts, from the ordinary to the extraordinary, so I am planning to soak them all up accordingly.
I am all about saving money and conserving our funds this year, coupons and discount days are my new best friends, also shopping where the best prices are, as opposed to one stop shopping. I have the time and energy while the kids are in school, so might as well do it, no more laziness driven overpaying!
I am going to focus a little time on posting photo food logs for the week on here, as another form of accountability and motivation, I'll be able to make a connection between what I am eating and how I feel, and I think that might help me in the long run, and if the weight comes off like I hope, I can look back and see what I did right! So I am starting out at 183 lbs today Jan. 4, 2012. See you in a week!
Moving into the year 2012, I see a clean slate, a year full of empty pages to fill. My list of resolutions is long, and really seems to be just a renewal of all the things I have always wanted to be or do, lose weight, be more organized, be a better mother, live greener... starting a new year just helps me to see the big picture more clearly. Every moment of this life counts, from the ordinary to the extraordinary, so I am planning to soak them all up accordingly.
I received a beautiful little guitar for Christmas from Mike, and it is proving to be the best thing he could have ever given me. My calloused fingers are proof that I whole heartedly love "playing" it, or rather learning to play it at this point. It is feeding my soul... and I can't get enough. I hope I never lose that enthusiasm for it, and don't plan on it.
I am all about saving money and conserving our funds this year, coupons and discount days are my new best friends, also shopping where the best prices are, as opposed to one stop shopping. I have the time and energy while the kids are in school, so might as well do it, no more laziness driven overpaying!
I am going to focus a little time on posting photo food logs for the week on here, as another form of accountability and motivation, I'll be able to make a connection between what I am eating and how I feel, and I think that might help me in the long run, and if the weight comes off like I hope, I can look back and see what I did right! So I am starting out at 183 lbs today Jan. 4, 2012. See you in a week!
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