Challenge

I was so spoiled during the school year while Damon was at school to have at least an hour or two of quiet time all for myself. As I sit here today, trying to write with all three kids demanding some of my attention, I find myself really missing those days. I remember my mom telling us how much she disliked summer when we were younger and I didn't understand why. Now, even though I only have three kids, I understand exactly where she was coming from. It takes so much effort and planning to get out and do something and it seems so much easier to just stay home. But when we stay home the house gets messy, the kids get restless and I feel like poking pencils in my ears so I don't have to hear all the whining. It's always much worse when Allie doesn't take a nap and I bet you can guess whether or not she took one today. :)

Kyla was awake and happy today so I grabbed the camera and had a quick photo shoot with her (and inevitably Damon and Allie, too). I really wish I knew more about taking pictures because I'm sure someone who is a professional could've gotten some really great shots. Instead, this is what we have to show for our efforts.

While the pictures are loading I am going to free write about some of the things I have been thinking about lately. This will probably be very random and hard to follow, but I don't really care. I just feel the need to purge.

So, we watched Shaq's Big Challenge the other night and I have been thinking a lot about it. If you haven't heard about the show, basically Shaquille O'Neal is trying to help some kids who have been diagnosed as being "morbidly obese," which, in essence, means that these kids are

likely to die earlier than they would otherwise because of their weight. He is going to put them through a physical boot camp to help them, and hopefully save their lives in the process. On the first episode they talked about what a problem we have in the United States with obesity, especially among children and teenagers. Out of the six kids on the show, four of them couldn't do a push up (not one) and three of them couldn't do a sit up. It made me very sad, especially when I saw each of them sitting in the doctor's office being told exactly how much trouble they were in, physically speaking. One girl, a 14 year old, was told that she has 50% fat and is over 100 pounds overweight. Amazing and heartbreaking. Another boy disclosed that he had never eaten a baby carrot. Walter, a 14 year old, admitted that he plays five hours of video games a day and never exercises. And even though I know this is becoming far more common in our country, I still found myself shaking my head wondering how it is even possible.

Now, I don't want to put all the blame on the parents, because the kids are making their own decisions and I don't know enough about their lives at home to make any judgments, but as a mom, I started wondering what more I can do to help my kids to be healthy. I'm not really worried about them being overweight (luckily, they have genetics on their side), but I do want them always to be healthy, and I know that that starts with setting a good example for them. I think we do a pretty good job most of the time, but of course, there are always things we can do better. Here are some of the things I have been thinking about. Please feel free to add any of your own suggestions.

• Drink lots of water. This is something I have been trying to do for a couple of years. For me, I would rather drink water with my meals (instead of juice, lemonade or kool-aid), because those are calories I would rather spend somewhere else (like on ice cream). Jeff is always telling me that juice isn't bad, especially if it's 100% juice, and I agree with him. It's not bad and I like to have a glass of juice occasionally, too, but I have noticed that my kids are fine drinking whatever I offer them. And I am constantly telling Damon that water is the very best thing he can put into his body. There is a girl in our ward who is Damon's age that recently had to have a lot of dental work done. Her mom was explaining to me that she is allergic to milk and has mostly only had juice to drink during her five years (apparently, the mom can't get her to drink water). I'm really glad my kids are willing to drink water and I hope this is something I can encourage all their lives.
• Teach them to eat until they are full, not until all the food on their plate is gone. Sometimes I feel like Damon races through dinner so he can have a popsicle (or whatever he has his eye on) and doesn't truly get full. But I think it's the best way for him to figure out for himself just how much food his body needs. Even if I don't think it's enough, if he is willing to have nothing but water until our next meal (or snack) then I don't stress about how much he eats. Going along with that, we've also been pretty strict about not offering choices other than what we are eating. If the kids choose not to eat it, and they're willing to go hungry, then that is their decision to make. There aren't snacks (or worse, dessert) later on and for the most part, our kids are good eaters. Hopefully that is something that will continue, too.
• Serve healthy meals. This is, and probably always will be, one of the challenges facing moms and it is something I know I need to focus on a little more. We have been pretty good about eating whole grains and other foods high in fiber, but we can always do better. We go through phases when we're really good about fresh fruit and vegetables and I know we need to work on that again. Recently, I have been trying to cut down on the amount of red meat that we eat. This is hard, because I grew up eating a lot of beef and there's nothing I like more than a juicy steak (and I don't plan on giving those up any time soon, although I'll only have one every couple of months, so it's not that big of a deal). However, I have found that turkey is a great substitute. Ground turkey is cheaper than ground beef (usually) and there is not enough of a difference to miss the beef. The other day I found turkey breakfast sausage, which isn't exactly good for you, but it does have 30% less fat than regular breakfast sausage. Also, my mom introduced me to turkey pepperoni, which tastes great and has 70% less fat than regular pepperoni (okay, maybe those last two aren't exactly substitutes for red meat, but they are healthier options than some of the things we've been eating).
• Encourage them to be active. I feel strongly that our kids should be involved in physical activities throughout their lives. I'm not picky, and I am willing to let them choose what they want to do. Damon has really been vocal about wanting to do gymnastics and I know that I need to put him in a class, but it's hard when I feel like we just don't have the money(we don't). But I am planning on making this a part of our lives and am really looking forward to the day that we are actually making money, instead of living off of loans. Also, I am still looking for a gymnastics class for Damon that we can afford, and am more motivated to find one now that I have been thinking of ways I can help him develop healthy habits.
• Lead the way. I have noticed that when I am exercising, my kids are excited about joining in. It's hard to feel motivated myself sometimes, but I'm going to do better about exercising here at home (yay for Lifetime workouts that I can record and do later) and my goal is at least four mornings a week. Check back to see if I make it.

Wow, that turned into a lot more than I even planned on. If you're still reading, I applaud you and am somewhat amazed. Like I said earlier, if you have any tips you'd like to share, I welcome them. In the meantime, I'm excited to find out which of the kids on Shaq's show can really make some serious changes that will impact the rest of their lives (hopefully all six of them will be able to). Maybe I'll even do some sit-ups while I'm watching.

p.s. Allie is asleep on my lap, Kyla is asleep on my bed, and Damon is hiding in the tent he created around me with blankets. It may not be what I'm used to, but it is a "little piece of quiet," and I'm going to soak it up for a couple of minutes more before my legs fall asleep and I have to move Allie to the bed.