SHE'S NOT AS DEFORMED AS WE THOUGHT

When we were in Whitehorse I took Naomi to the chiropractor. She is still having headaches every single day and the doctors had not been able to find any cause for them. She was getting pretty discouraged about it. Sometimes her headaches were so bad she just stayed in bed for the day. It was determined they weren't migraines. So, I thought it certainly can't hurt to go to the chiropractor. What I didn't expect was the relatively good news we received. She was able to determine that Naomi's scoliosis is not due to bone deformity, but rather to muscle tension. I guess when she was ready to start puberty, which brings about a huge growth spurt, the muscles on one side of her back were really tight. They stayed tight and as she grew it forced the spine to curve. The chiropractor was encouraged because when Naomi stands up her spine looks straight, it is only when she bends over that it becomes quite noticeable. Anyways, she thinks that with treatment we should be able to change her curvature from 19 degrees to 4 degrees or so. Naomi has to really work on posture and she shouldn't sit for extended periods of time. That is a much better option than a back brace. Hope it works. As for her headaches, apparently her upper spine between her shoulders and her neck is all tightened up. She thinks this would definitely cause the headaches. We are not sure what set it off. It was something in the summer - I am thinking the trampoline was the evil culprit. So, that is the news on my "not-so-deformed" daughter.
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LEARNING AS I GO

Lately we have come across a problem with our kids. Naomi seems to be exempt from this dilemma. However, the other 2 are usually in a huge hurry when it comes to writing tests. Especially math! So, Brian and I came up with a great plan. We figure that if they are fully prepared for a test they should earn a minimum of 80%. The plan was that if they came home with less than that they would be spending some quality with us every evening - to the tune of 1 hour studying the offending subject. We also thought it would be enough motivation to get them to slow down and reread their tests. Well, guess what? We have been spending quality time with Hannah. But the best news of all is that I was actually able to help her today. She is working on polynomials. At first glance I was just going to pass it off to Brian, but upon closer inspection I realized that it was something I could do. I guess I know more than I thought.So, now the girls and I are off to Whitehorse. Hannah is going to the orthodontist and Naomi is going to see the chiropractor. Plus, we must shop - our shelves and freezers are just about empty. So, I will be out of commission for a couple days. Have a great weekend.
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IT'S COMING OFF!!!

After many, many years of trying maybe this is it. At the beginning of January I started a new fitness and healthy eating regime. I have set a very realistic goal of 2 years to meet my target weight and measurements. Brian and I have talked about it extensively, and I want to make sure that I lose weight while staying healthy. Today I woke up and decided to take my weight and measurements even though it is a week earlier than I had planned. I was ecstatic when I found that I have lost 8 pounds! I also lost 5 3/4" off my measurements. Let me just say that it has been a hard fought battle, but these results definitely give me motivation to keep going. I also watch "X-weighted" when I need a boost of motivation. Another goal I had was to be jogging 2 miles by the end of the month. Last Saturday I achieved this goal - almost 2 weeks early. I will keep on with this and work at increasing my speed and distance. I am battling knee problems too, so things are never as easy as one might expect. I guess when you look at it realistically, I didn't put the weight on overnight, I can't expect to lose it overnight either. (Although that would be great.) Here's to looking fantastic!
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BLOOD TESTS AND MORE

Well, I got the results of my blood tests back. I was elated because my blood sugar levels are great! However, I was not so elated that my cholesterol levels are elevated. The nurse, Lynn, was great. She did a complete diabetes work-up on me. There are about 8-10 risk factors - of which I have about half. These include immediate family members with diabetes, being overweight, having gestational diabetes and slow healing of sores on hands and feet. If that isn't enough motivation to lose weight and remain active, nothing is. She was very happy because I am doing everything I should be to manage my health. Now for the weight loss regimen to finally kick in and start working!
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LOWERING MY CHOLESTEROL

On my last blog entry Sonya asked what I need to do to lower my cholesterol. This question led me to do some much needed research. After a very quick look here is what I have discovered:- I have to be careful which foods I eat because I don't want to lower my good cholesterol. - Extra virgin olive oil is a great choice. (At least I already have that one under control)- Lots of garlic is also great.- A tablespoon of organic flax seed oil every day provides Omega 3 fatty acids.- Reduce intake of refined and processed foods (Yay! Another one that shouldn't be too much of a change for me.)- These tidbits of food advice should also help:
Soluable fiber which is in oatmeal and other whole grain type cereals is good.Don’t get too fancy, just eat right: grains, vegs, fruits, etc.
Avoid cheese, fatty meats, dairy high in fat, etc.Also, niacin (non-flush), cinnamon, red wine/concord grape juice and olive oil are believed to help.
(http://www.43things.com/entries/view/496859)
Here is my question - can the cinnamon be that found in things like french toast??? LOL! Just joking - I cut those things out of my diet a while back. Seriously I have a lot more to learn about cholesterol reduction. I guess it will all come in time. I will be speaking to the nurse again on Monday and hopefully learn more.
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A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS

O.K., so maybe not a few of my favourite things - just one! I absolutely love the auditions for American Idol. Naomi and I sit on the couch and howl with laughter. We had a few favourites so far. These include the woman that kept adding a lion roar into the song, the urban-amish man,
and the woman with blond hair who brought her Mom and sang "Don't Cha" by Pussy Cat Dolls. Now, don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like her? (Try singing that in a monotone!)
Do these people honestly think they can sing????? Brian thinks they just want their two minutes of fame. O.K. I admit that I can sing, but by no means do I even begin to think I am the next American (or Canadian) Idol.
The best part is the look on the judges faces. Half the time Paula is turned around in her chair trying very hard not to laugh. Here are a few pictures to bring back the memories - I was laughing (again) as I looked through the photos. You can check them all out yourself at American Idol.
This is the "Man of many talents". Apparently these include stick twirling and dancing, although one is left hoping he didn't spend too much on lessons because they weren't too helpful.
One of the best is this Taylor Hicks look alike. He is a hair dresser who couldn't sing a note, but he was priceless when after his performance he brought a jar of pomade out of his pocket and headed towards Simon. I guess he figured Simon needed some help with his 'do. Needless to say, the body guards were on him like butter on toast! No one was going to mess with Simon's hair!
This is one of my favourites - she is seriously good! I think she is only 16. I can't wait to see how she fares in the competition.
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THE LANGUAGE OF TEENAGERS

It continually amazes me how kids change when they hit their teenage years. Suddenly responses that used to be even something as mundane as "yes" or "good" become grunts like "uh". You may ask them something like "Did you have a good day at school?" Inevitably the answer is "uh" as they walk past you to their room. Josh has now hit this stage. Let's just say conversations in our house tend to be short and a little one sided at this point. I think Naomi has now come out on the other side of this, so I guess there is hope for all of them. If this has not yet become a phenomena in your family just wait - it's on its way.
Incidently, I just came across this picture of Oscar celebrating New Year's. I think he overdid it a little - maybe he overdid the present opening!

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SHOWERING MYSELF WITH PRESENTS

I decided that it was time to give myself a present. So, since my set of pots is really showing wear and tear (you know how it is - broken lid handles, loose handles, missing lids) I ordered myself a new set. I love Lagostina, so I picked the ones I wanted. Also Sears is having a half-price sale so I couldn't resist.
They should be here this week. How lame is my life that I am so excited about this????
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WAITING FOR MORE RESULTS

Naomi finally got back to see the doctor today. We went in mid-November because she has been getting headaches every day. While he was examining her he discovered that her spine was curved and he ordered a scoliosis series of x-rays, but he never found a cause for her headaches. So, today we went to see him again. It turns out she does have scoliosis. She has about a 19% curvature of her spine. He said it is not too serious, but to keep an eye on it because it can quickly move to about 30% which is a problem. He will send her x-rays to BC Children's Hospital and a specialist will have a look at it. The doctor here thinks they will probably order another x-ray to see if her curvature has gotten worse and then go from there. He also said not to expect to hear from them before late spring. In the meantime there is nothing to worry about. However, we still have no cause for her headaches. He did another complete physical and said there is no inter cranial pressure - what a relief! She will have some blood work done next week and we will see if that shows anything. He is reluctant to order a CT scan because of the level of radiation. Brian and I have the final say in the CT scan. I am kind of unsure about exposing her to that. At this point he is putting it down to stress, even though she leads a fairly stress-free life. Sometimes being a parent certainly can cause a lot of worry.
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WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR

How is it that my dreams aren't coming true. We have a lot of darkness up here right now and many chances to see stars. However, all my wishes are not coming true. We have no winter vacations planned. I guess I will just have to be satisfied with relatively short working days, weekends off and a paycheck every 2 weeks. At the present time we have hit another cold snap (-42) while Brian's parents are relaxing down in Mexico, Gary & Sonya are planning a trip to Mexico, Darlene & Garry are planning a trip to Mexico, a couple of co-workers are planning a vacation at spring break, and I just heard from Sharon and Pat that they went on a 2 week Caribbean cruise. Now, I ask you where is the justice in all this????? Actually I am not too jealous, just the thought of relaxing on a beach in winter is very tempting. Only 4 1/2 more years and all our kids will have graduated, then we will have the freedom to take vacations at spring break. That gives me 4 1/2 years to get this body into shape. In the meantime I will have to content myself with fabulous summer vacations - even if we don't go anywhere special we still get 12 weeks off work. Who could ask for anything more?
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HOLDING IT TOGETHER

Here we are 1 week into the new year and I am still managing to hold to my resolution. Not bad, eh? I have been exercising and watching what I eat and I feel absolutely wonderful. I've starting tracking what I eat on a on-line food diary. It keeps track of my caloric intake and exercise. This is really helping me to stay focused and keep my calorie intake down. I need every tool and motivation I can get. I will weigh and measure myself again at the start of February. I am looking forward to some great results.
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WHEW, I MADE IT!

I made it through the first week back at school. It ended up being harder than I anticipated because the teacher was away all week so I had the class by myself. Let me just say - after 3 days with 13 grade 1 and 2 students I am exhausted. But on the plus side - the count down is on. Only 6 1/2 weeks until spring break. The year is almost over. I love my job, but I am feeling kind of tired right now. Maybe I just need another vacation! LOL!
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SURVIVING THE NEW YEAR

Well, our New Year's Eve celebration went well. At 8:00 I thought maybe it would just be us, but never fear by 8:30 our house was host to 9 teenagers. They all seemed to have a good time and ate copious quantities of food. I think we went through 3 batches of punch (all non-alcoholic of course). We only had an extra 3 stay over for the night - but believe me this was enough. We set off fire works at midnight. This was our first time with fireworks, so we were a little bit nervous. Now that we are pros we will have to plan something bigger and better for next year. Of course I headed off to bed asap, but the kids were pretty loud so it was hard to get any sleep. But I seem to be recovered now, so all is well. Tomorrow we have to head back to work again so no more relaxing for me.
New Year's Resolution - it is the same every year - I resolve to lose weight! On new year's day I watched an episode of "X-Weighted" and got totally motivated. So yesterday afternoon I got on the treadmill and started out on another journey of health. I just keep telling myself that I can do this. I only hope I will get fairly quick results to keep my motivation. I guess I will just have to picture myself looking extremely hot (not sweaty hot either) on the beaches of California this summer.
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