Disney on Ice and Me

I'm just going to be up front about this. Yes, I was a Disney fan as a kid. Sunday night family movies from Disney made me excited beyond belief. I could not contain my face-cracking smiles and hysteria over meeting the big mouse himself on our family trip to Disney World when I was five.I even had a Mickey Mouse watch in high school. It was leather with a gold on gold face. Subtle, you know? I once ate at Burger King every week for a month just to score all the Jack Skellington 'Nightmare Before Christmas' watches.When I got into my angsty young adulthood Disney, it's corporations and princesses smacked of everything I was against. "No rescue!" I would yell at the princesses that glossed the movie and television screens only to have them stare back at me blankly as they multiplied like … [Read more...]

Overheards- The Earth Doctor

Scene: TD and I are headed out the door. As we climb into the car TD spies a displaced plastic container lying in the grass nearby. It is filled with trash despite being casserole size. TD: "Momma? Why is that plastic container lying over there? What is it doing? Is it trash?" She says as she climbs into her car seat.V: "Yes, it is trash. I don't know why it's there, but it shouldn't be." I say, reaching for her safety belts and fastening them.TD: "Why? Because it will hurt the earth?" She looks perplexed. V: "Yes, trash does hurt the earth. Very good!" I am a bit stunned but beaming and proud.TD: "Momma, when I grow up I am going to be a trash doctor so that the earth won't be hurt." She sits back in her car seat, satisfied with this proclamation.Ugh. My heart seized then … [Read more...]

Fat Camps and Obesogens and Greening- Oh My!

Remember when you were growing up and there was just one overweight kid in your class? Yeah, that's right I'm going to talk about childhood obesity today and more. Why? Because it bothers the heck out of me. That's why. Gone is the one child with a weight problem and now we have classrooms full of them.When I'm at the gym and I see the British governments initiative being pooh poohed (OH NO! The government is trying to think healthy! They want kids to have a longer, healthier life! Back off you meddling government! How dare you!) because it wants to create "fat camps" as Fox News called them (Don't get me started on that network.) and people are up in arms. You know what? Maybe we need those camps because so many schools no longer have the funds for gym classes anymore. Recesses are not as … [Read more...]

I’m Getting All Schmaltzy About My Friends

Along with all the other things you are thinking about this month- heading back to school, stocking up on the latest fall fashions, closing down that summer house (heh), you can now add in that September is NATIONAL FEMALE FRIENDSHIP MONTH.According to a 2009 University of Michigan study women with close female friends have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. I fully agree with this statement because I know it isn't just the wine on girls night that makes me relaxed. It is the sharing of our week's stories, the cackling laughter, encouragement and support that we give each other weekly that keeps me going and it is better than any magic pill in a bottle.I feel truly blessed to have as many friends in my life as I do. It is a lot of work to keep some of those contacts going through … [Read more...]

I’m at Your Service. If You Want.

Last week I cried 'do over!' and I kept my promise. I met my goal. I worked out five times last week. It is the same bat time, same bat channel again this week. Five times. Yes, my knees are popping more than a box of cereal and I a bit more exhausted than I normally would be, but I'm not bloated anymore either. I've de-puffed myself and already my arms are looking a bit more toned. It's not going to be an over night transformation. Ah, to be 17 again... It's going to be a tad more of a long haul getting myself back to where I want to be, but I'm willing to do the work.Are you?Here's the thing. Since I began Shredding and hitting the gym again, a few months ago, I have had quite a few friends ask me all about this power-packed DVD. They have heard me talk about how great it is, how hard it … [Read more...]

Mummy Needs A Do Over

Oh my. Let's just put it all out there for a minute, shall we? Since Blogher I have been the most ridiculous glutton. I can't pass up a cookie, cupcake, candy, plate of fries or Eggs Benedict even if it doesn't have my name on it. I'll feel guilty for eating badly a few days in a row. My body screams for veggies and I ply it with carbs and then I resolve to be better. Suddenly I'm chowing on chicken strips and more french fries. Egads! It's like the last supper at every. freakin'. meal.No more.I simply have to cut back. I did not Shred and train for that 5k to just end up back where I was before and in less than two months time. That's quite simply insane, disheartening, and sad. I have to be better so that my poor liver, thighs and butt can get back into shape.I am not saying I'm going to … [Read more...]

Flying Deodorant Will Not Break Me

The morning started off well enough. I got TD off to Bubble Camp (best idea ever!) and took myself and The Comedian to the gym. I got in a nice run and worked up quite a sweat and was sufficiently pleased with myself. I walked into that bizarre TV/ironing room in the women's locker room and things went down hill from there.-As I went into Warrior pose I somehow lost my balance and fell over face first. I iz wicked graceful. My face? It hit the arm rest on a chair placed in that room for optimal TV viewing. -Next, I opened my gym bag to hit the shower and realized that I forgot my shower shoes. My feet itch just thinking about it. The entire time I was standing in the shower I could think of only two things. One, Madonna telling Letterman that she pees in the shower to kill Athletes … [Read more...]

Working with Kids. The Unsolvable Equation.

I woke up late today. So much for Body Pump. I fear I will never see streamlined thighs again. I find myself running around today trying to catch falling yogurt cups before they hit the floor with a splat. Racing down the stairs with the dog who can't keep up and ends up tumbling to the landing in a yelping heap. There I am again on a work phone call, scooping cheerios off a high chair tray as I try to sound coherent and intelligent while TD yells in the background. That's just a fellow co-worker about to go postal over a PowerPoint presentation, right? Five seconds later I'm emailing Gymboree about Bubble Camp and settling TD into a good hour of Sesame Street. Meanwhile The Comedian tries to rewire our entertainment system. I swear that child will know how to hot wire a car by age … [Read more...]

Blogher 2010, I’m Talking to You!

Blogher 2009 had the theme of "Blogher09 is People". Every time I heard that phrase all I could think of was a quote from the Muppets Take Manhattan, "is frogs, is pigs, is chickens and stuff... is New York!" Oddly, Blogher 2010 is New York. Now that I am home, sticky with teething biscuit crumbs and out of the bubble that is every Blogher conference (I swear the world could implode on itself and the only way we would know is if it was on Twitter.) I can see beyond "BlogHer is going to hell in a swag bag..." and the bad and the ugly that happened. I see the mistakes that were made and all I want to do now is to fix them. I want to help in any way that I can. I want to make Blogher 2010 even better than it has been in year previous. If all I contribute is the much-needed start to this … [Read more...]