One Fab Fit Mom - Weight Loss Success!

It’s been a few days since I’ve last posted here.  Not since I’ve last posted, mind you, as I’ve been posting all over the place at AskOwlbert.com … but since I’ve last posted HERE.

You know, I thought last Friday that I’d actually have time to indulge in my other pastimes.  :)   For 55 utterly blissful minutes, I really thought my life would be returning to normal!  And then inspiration struck…and I’ve haven’t been still since.

I seem to be swept up into a never-ending stream of tying everything together.  I had planned on returning to my beloved Kendo tomorrow and Wednesday, but alas, that’s not to be either.   Sigh.  Part of me really misses my adult self-defense/sparring/etc., and another part of me simply lacks the time/energy to focus on anything except my family/work. 

I do believe everything happens for a reason, and that what I’m currently going thru is meant to be.  What will come out of it….gosh, I really wish I knew!! 

More later,

Barbara

You know

I’m always big on holding strong on boundaries and making kids follow their responsibilities. 

But now that my kids are getting older, they’re realizing there’s one way to compel Mom to soften on her stance. 

It all happened this afternoon.  I was ready to get the kids to karate (advanced and sparring), when one of my kids suggested, hey Mom, let’s do the circle walk instead!

Now, this is a 2.4 mile walk.  It was raining and very windy outside; my kids know I adore walking in such weather.

But no, I was going to be tough with responsibilities!  Until, that is, said kid tickled the back of my neck.

It’s my weak spot!  I just can’t think straight when they do that.  :)   And I figured, okay, well, hmmm, a 2.4 mile circle was IS exercise, and we could always go to karate tomorrow, and and and …. and the end result: we went on the walk. 

Oh that was nice - the wind was fierce and the rains were lashing and my kid and I had a great conversation to boot.

Karate tomorrow - I promise! 

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps - want some nifty umbrellas to boot?

2X New Swivel Flash Mount for Light Stand and Umbrella

Hummel Umbrella Boy Figurine

Lakeside Umbrella Style Rig (Popular in Alabama)

CALIFORNIA BEACH SAN FRANCISCO GIRL UMBRELLA SOUTH VINTAGE POSTER REPRO 12″X16″

NOS Never used with tags Vettriano Butler Micro Umbrella

NOS Never used with tags Golden Pups Micro Umbrella

Stainless Steel 6 Hooks Umbrella Hats Clothes Door Rack

I still

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cannot fathom the following.

I am a logical, calm, dignified, utterly awesome mom with phenomenal musical taste. After all, Barry Manilow rules! Followed closely by, Maynard Ferguson, Chuck Mangione, the track of West Side Story and the like.

But! My utterly brilliant child….loves hard rock.

I have no idea where her genes got so, ahem, screwed up! While I will not allow rap into my house, I can’t find a real reason to forbid rock….and actually, as said kid uses it as a way to express herself, I’m rather proud that she’s forging her own path.

It would be so easy to try and change her…but if there’s one thing my 4 decades have taught me, it’s:

Better a spirit that rebounds….rather than one that breaks.

This is the kid, mind you, who had her hair streaked red on a whim. The kid whose favorite colors are black. The kid who is a straight A student, and the kid who always is open to learning from my experiences. Talk about a unique combination of qualities.

Parenting….it’s a hero’s journey.

Barbara

ps - want Barry Manilow goodies?

4 barry manilow tickets feb 10,2012

8 TRACK TAPE BARRY MANILOW ONE VOICE Dont Want To Walk Without You Sunday Father

2 TIX Barry Manilow: July 4th Fireworks Spectacular 7 4 Hollywood Bowl Sect-GARD

5 cassettes Elton John~Billy Joel~Engelbert Humper~Roger Whittaker~Barry Manilow

BARRY MANILOW-GREATES​T HITS-LP VINYL R​ECORD

BARRY MANILOW~~~18 GREATEST SONGS OF THE 70’s~~NEW CD!!

BARRY MANILOW - Because It’s Christmas (CD 1990) Arista Records ARCD-8644

Ultimate Manilow [Arista] by Barry Manilow (CD, Feb-2002, Arista)

8-Track Tape: FRANKIE MILLARD The Hits Of Barry Manilow STILL SEALED

You know you’re a parent

when your precocious younger child tells you

“Mom, tattling on myself just isn’t cool!”

This conversation happened when my children were debating the merits of being the tale-bearer back to Mom. When I asked him, okay, if you feel an insane urge to tattle, just tattle on yourself, he gave me the above rather cute response.

Kids. Gotta love raisin’ em.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps- some great parenting resources include:

Baby Bistro Cookbook - HB - Healthy Cooking-Parenti​ng

Lot of 20 Parenting Baby’s First Year, Preschool, Toddler, Healthy Family Books

NEW Real Parents, Real Children ; Parenting the Adopted

Parenting Teenagers: Systematic Training for Effecti…

Parenting Guide to Your Baby’s First Year by Anne Krueger

Parenting Skills: Based on The Qur’an and Sunnah

NO WHINING! Parenting Sign Kids School Classroom Decor Plaque U Pick Color Wood

Murphy’s Laws of Parenting by Steve Dennie, Rob Suggs

Morning,

Gotta love the superb how-to lessons you can find online!

I came home from karate yesterday, all ready to fire up my software and start hacking, when I discovered the following on my screen, courtesy of my kids.

How to Be A NERD!

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps - other nerd-worthy goodies are:

Nerd Necklace, Geek Pride Jewelry, Silver Dog Tag Pendant, Made in USA, New

MEN WOMEN TEACHER CLUBMASTER DORK NERD CLEAR WAYFARER T

Clip on Bow Tie Doctor Who Cosplay Dress Up Professor Nerd

NWT NEW GIRLS HARAJUKU LOVERS BABY PINK SKATE NERD SHIRT 6

JLM New Unisex Fashion Eyeglasses Frame Clear Lens Nerd Geek #7

BAZINGA the big bang theory T-Shirt new tee geek RED shirt nerd funny

SEXY HOT NERD POLITE CLEAR LENS GLASSES BLACK ACADEMIC

Morning,

Today as I dropped off my kid at the gym’s child watch, I heard something that made my heart smile.

My kid had forgotten to bring in his toy car in with him, and realized that after we entered the child watch place. Now, it was about a bazillion degrees below zero outside, so when said kid asked me to go back and retrieve the car, I say, alas, no, it’s too cold, but you can have it when we leave the gym.

The instant response was, no no no, I want it now! I listened for 13 seconds, and then simply held out my hand and said,

“One.“

That’s a cue that Mommy has started counting, and life will be most unpleasant if she reaches “3.” My kid looked at me, sighed, and went off to play.

But the cool thing was, the teacher who was watching said to her colleague, how on earth does she DO that? Every single time he listens when his parents say

“One.“

It’s called

Setting Expectations!

My children know what’s expected, and they also know what constitutes good behavior. 2 minutes after this, my kid was happily playing with everyone else, his anger forgotten.

Raise your children with boundaries, and they will respond!

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps - want some good child-rearing guides? Consider:

Baby Bistro Cookbook - HB - Healthy Cooking-Parenti​ng

Lot of 20 Parenting Baby’s First Year, Preschool, Toddler, Healthy Family Books

NEW Real Parents, Real Children ; Parenting the Adopted

Parenting Teenagers: Systematic Training for Effecti…

Parenting Guide to Your Baby’s First Year by Anne Krueger

Parenting Skills: Based on The Qur’an and Sunnah

NO WHINING! Parenting Sign Kids School Classroom Decor Plaque U Pick Color Wood

Murphy’s Laws of Parenting by Steve Dennie, Rob Suggs

Morning,

Are you fed up, like me, with kids who can only speak or write in chatspeak?

Kids whose grammar consists of 99% “like you know” and 1 percent…actual intelligent conversation?

I know I am! Chatspeak is utterly banned in my household. In many cases, today’s generation writes on a level that wouldn’t be accepted in the Kindergarten of my youth, let alone grown-up adult conversation.

I’m not the only parent who hates chatspeak - other discussions about it include:

• Why Internet Slang Is a Huge Problem
• Scottish Girl Writes Whole Essay In Chatspeak
• English, Chatspeak, Newspeak
• Deterioration of the English Language

Personally, I think chatspeak by itself encourages your brain cells to die. Why should they be active if they’re only used to communicate on a level that would make a fossilized clam laugh? You can see chatspeak examples for yourself at:

• IMglish
• Wiki Chatspeak
• Guide to chatspeak

Utterly dismal it is.

Anywhos, let’s get to the topic of this post - if you want your children to learn creative writing that actually is capable of influencing one’s emotions, here are some great sites:

• About.com Creative Writing
• Web English Teacher - Creative Writing
• Writing.com
• Kids on the Net Creative Writing
• Let’s Get Creative
• DMoz Creative Writing
• 10 Tips for Novice Creative Writers

The ability to communicate clearly and coherently is a skill that will be valuable long past your child has graduated! Do your kids a favor and ban chatspeak - it will only drag them down into the gutter where they truly DON’T belong.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps - some neat creative writing goodies are:

Portable MFA in Creative Writing (New York Writers Work

The Everything Creative Writing Book: All You Need to K

Rip the Page!: Adventures in Creative Writing NEW

The Creative Writing Handbook (2nd Revised edition)

NEW - Portable MFA in Creative Writing

Vintage,Creativ​e Writing,Mickeys Practice Book,Disney

New Beginnings: A Creative Writing Guide for Women Who

2 SUBLIMINAL CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS- STOP END CURE OVERCOME WRITER’S BLOCK AID

SUBLIMINAL CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS-STOP WRITER’S BLOCK-BRAINWAVE MIND TECHNOLOGY

Omigosh, what a day.

With the exception of my beloved p90x, I worked straight for hours and hours. I’m currently building a community site that’s written in PHP (I know nothing about PHP) and I had to integrate PHP modules in specific formats.

In other words, I had to:

• Configure the site
• Figure out what needed to be done
• Research how to do it
• Research how to program the how-to-do-it
• Implement the idea
• Research why it didn’t work

The above steps were rinsed and repeated for…. gosh, I have not a clue, how many times.

BUT! I didn’t give up!

I found forums where experts resided, asked for help, received it, tried it, DIDN’T GIVE UP, tried other things, DIDN’T GIVE UP, and finally….right before beginners karate arrived, I solved the problem.

Drained I was, utterly drained. So much so I didn’t have the energy to do my beloved adult self-defense either. Wah.

But! I’m rather humbled by the fact…no matter what life hands me, I don’t give up. I choose to succeed and when I do fail, I learn from it….and use that as a stepping stone to the future success.

My gosh, I have to teach this to the kids.

When things don’t work out, don’t wait for others to rescue you - make it happen yourself.

I think I will call it a night now, I’ve earned it.

Night night,

Mama Bear

ps - want some great Mama Bear goodies?

The Berenstain Bears Mama Bear Plush Doll Toy

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Berenstain Bears Mama Bear Plush Applause 1989 10″

It’s always ‘way smart

when one listens to their bodies…and takes it easy to the xtreme.

Okay, true, I did get my P90x workout in, but besides that, I gave myself permission to take a nap in the morning, nix going to the gym, and enjoy some nice calm work online.

But the thing that really made an impression on me today was at karate. I normally do not take beginners anymore, as I’m ‘way past that, but my daughter’s friend participated so I joined in again. And I was able to watch my kids practice, and then see my husband arrive with the other kids, and watch how content they were….and I realized that now, in my 40s, life is really darned good.

I think that the true secret to happiness is appreciating the good times, loving your family, laughing with your friends, realizing the bad times - they do indeed pass, and witnessing how your actions can give joy to the lives of those important to you.

Work - it’s transient.

Shallow friendships - they’re beyond transient.

Angsting over the small stuff - a waste of time beyond belief.

Teaching the above to your kids and letting them internalize what’s really important to them - now that’s an incredible gift to give.

So! If you have folks you love and people you cherish and family members who mean the world to you - take the time and let them know how special they are. I did today, and it really made their day. So often, we just don’t take the time to let people know their importance in our lives.

I am one lucky woman indeed, I am.

Time to call it a night,

Barbara

ps - Valentine’s day is coming up!

Anne Geddes Protect Nurture Love Plush Christmas Baby Brand New. Very Cute!

NEW! #13755 SINGING SEAL OF LOVE PLUSH

OPAL…THE BEAR OF LOVE… PLUSH BEAR FROM BRASS BUTTON BEARS

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Boppy Pillow Baby Love Plush Sage Green Off white velvety soft Nursing Aid

Bearington Tons of Love Plush Elephant

JOE PERKINS 45 - WRAPPED UP IN YOUR LOVE - PLUSH - SOUL

It never fails, you know.

Get a brilliant idea, implement it…and then realize, you forgot some of the Golden Rules of Website Design:

* Sites look different on different browsers

* Font sizes can be set by viewers

* Cascading menus can cascade off the screen if they’re deep enough

Ah well, these things happen. Today will be another 18 hour day, methinks.

But! The good news is that the new enhanced design is much easier to navigate…so in hindsight, it’s a good thing I ran into this opportunity to experience great frustration.

Every happens for a reason, you know.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps - are you frustrated? If so, get these great frustration toys!

Doctor Who Adipose Stress Toy

Pocket Mini Etch A Sketch drawing fidget stress toy

Casino red SLOT MACHINE 1 arm bandit foam STRESS Toy 3″

Actos Brand Hungry Muscle Stress Toy! NEW in Bag! Collectors Item.

RUBBERBAND BALL 250 COLORED RUBBER BANDS STRESS TOY

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Yellow LIGHT BULB advertising foam STRESS Toy

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