The passing of politics

I can't recall at what age I worked my first political campaign but I do distinctly remember sitting on my dads shoulders as we waved Dutch Dabbs signs on election day with my entire family and most of our closest friends. That was in the early 90s and Dabbs lost that race as well as the following one but as the years have passed I look back on that time as a huge victory for my siblings and I. Since the Dabbs campaign we've worked on many more. Some won, some lost, some ran again another day and some went home. I have never regretted the decision to help with an election or the time spent on one no matter what the votes said at the end of the day.

Reagan may never have a personal interested in politics or continue her involvement in the process once she leaves our home but I was proud to take her on the campaign trail with me this morning for the first time. I hope our candidate, Chris McDaniels, wins the elected for U.S. Senate. Our state needs him as well as the party. However, what happens in June and November aside, today was a success in my book.

 

Weighing in on the weight issue

Some of you may not be aware, but there is a very upsetting weight issue going on in our generation and that of our children. 

Woman have no clue how to be healthy, look healthy, or eat healthy.

 The media is flooded with  skin and bones models and ways to drop pounds regardless of health. I'm sure its not exclusive to the feminine gender but working at a gym specially designed for woman I can only speak from experience, so for the purposes of this of this blog I am only referencing woman. 

Who said skinny is better then healthy?

 Why is it that a healthy body is less desirable then a low number on a dress tag. Day after day I meet women, at my work, who come in for help in their fight against weight issues. 9 times out of 10 when I ask them what it is that they hope to achieve at Curves they say  they want to " look better and feel better." (I get this answer so often, in fact, I don't even accept it as a suitable answer anymore. Regardless, this is still the robot answer I get from nearly every woman that walks in my door.) HOWEVER, when it comes working towards these goals day in and day out ,(and that is exactly what it takes) more often then not the truth comes out. They are not actually interested in feeling better and looking better, goals that can be achieved by a healthy lifestyle. They are more interested in the scale saying 115lb or being able to wear a size 2 pair of pants. 

 THE WORST PART IS THEY HAVE NO CLUE THIS IS NOT HEALTHY!!!

Very few woman can hit either of those goals and still be considered healthy, and if your over 5 feet tall you shouldn't even think of those as a realistic or desirable goals. When you see numbers on a scale or pair of pants as the ultimate goal what happens (and I've seen it many many times in the 9 years I have had the job) woman starve themselves, causing long term issues that usually lead to a lesser quality of life, shorter life expectancy, and OBESITY. Isn't that ironic?

The number one factor in your metabolic rate( how fast your body turns food into fuel and burns fat) is MUSCLE and that the more muscle you have the more you will weight on a scale? 

Obesity is serious and dangerous, but not more so than  being under weight.

You will never have abs and be toned  like the diet-pill ad's models, if you simple take a diet pill in place of a healthy meal plan and working out. As with everything good in the world there is no way to "luck" into health. Yes, you can be born with genes that make it easier (You have been Blessed it's still not luck) but unless you eat healthy and get some sort of exercise you will still not be healthy

Did you know when a woman's body fat percentage reaches numbers low enough she will stop having a monthly cycle rendering her unable to bear children which is exactly what God created our bodies to do? 

Why is that desirable? 

Dressing up a plate of cookie

You know what fits perfectly in a Pringles tube? One pack of frozen cookie dough (if you can control yourself better then I did). If you're careful enough with the size of each cookie one pack with fill that tube with just enough room for the lid. Then wrap one piece of scrapbook paper , something else that fits perfect with one tube of Pringles. Sharpie a sweet note on the lid or slap a bow on it and you just turned a $2.50 pack of frozen cookies into a respectable gift cute enough for a hostess gift, thinking of you happy, or in the case a traveling gift for our church's missions team.

Growing like a weed!

Our little angel is growing like a weed but we are not currently living in our "forever" home. Solution: making her a growth chart we can take with us. Once I decided what I wanted it to look like I dug through some old wood in storage behind curves, sanded it down, and asked David help me cut it down to an exact 6 ft so that we can keep her  measurements as long as she will allow me the memories:)

 

Then, on my lunch break I painted it a neutral color I had left over at Curves and would go with any future bedroom color.  

 I found a cute font on my word document at work, typed out Reagan's name, and printed it. It actually took two times before I got the size just right.

 Then I cut it down and taped it onto the board exactly how I wanted it to look. I outlined the words with a pin and pushed down as hard as I could without breaking through the paper but hard enough that once I removed the paper there are a good indention outline left in its place.

Then painted in the perfectly outlined name and then added ruler lines and numbers with the same paint I painted all the rest of Reagan's bedroom furniture.

 Reagan's measuring stick matches the whole bedroom set now

 (hope she doesn't end up being taller than 6ft)

 I love her new growth chart and can't wait to transfer her first year's measurement and then continue to add to it through the years.The whole thing took less then a week, a few minutes here and a few minutes there, and cost me a grand total of

 $0.00.

Sooner then I Thought

I just posted about Reagan's scrapbook. Saying how I hope one day in the future she will enjoy looking at it.

Then again that day may come sooner then I thought:)

Reagan's Scrapbook.

When I was pregnant, much to big to go anywhere but bored to death, I started a scrapbook for Reagan about her father and I getting ready for her arrival. In my mind, one day my little angel would curl up in my lap and we would thumb through the book together and I would say things like "look how excited we were that you were coming" and "look how big mommy's belly was with you inside" " that was the very first pictures of you inside mommy's belly." In my mind this book would be something my little girl would treasure always. Those days may come, when she's a bit older, but since her arrival  a year and a half ago I have pulled it out and reminisced quite a few times. I would highly recommend expectant mother to do the same. Even if you don't scrapbook. Take a few pictures, keep cute wrapping paper and shower invites then throw it all in a book and add your thoughts and feelings.

 You won't be sorry! 

Its super fun seeing how excited everyone was when we surprised then with an ultrasound

The Great Grand page is extra special to me. The year Reagan was born Papa tragically died and this is one of two photos we have of the both of them:)

 Although I was very selfconcience of my growing body and hated taking pictures after I got big.

I love looking back at them now.

Lo came and took some great pictures right before our angel's arrival.

I hope one day this book will be as special to her as it is to me.

Pandora Secret Weapon

Whether were going to and from the airport with brad's work, heading to laurel to see family, or on our 40 minute daily commute to and from work Reagan and I spend a good amount of time in the car. Anyone with children knows that even the best children travelers have "enough" every now and then and pull an hour long protest sob. One such situation presented itself last night as Reagan and I headed home after an exhausting 3-flight-changes-for-daddy-in-2-days weekend from Jackson. Reagan pitiful cries were getting close to the 20-minutes marker, completely untouched by any attempt to cheer her up, when I stumbled upon 

THE SECRET WEAPON...

THE WALT DISNEY PANDORA STATION

As a last resort I turned Pandora on to the Walt Disney channel hoping something....anything would get her attention off the fact that she was still locked into her car seat, as she had been almost all weekend. The Little Mermaid's "under the sea" came on and little bit stopped crying and started bobbing her head to the beat.

One song after another came and Reagan and I danced the road trip minutes away.

I laughed when Mulan's " A Girl Worth Fighting For" came on. I remember Andrew doing a very entertaining version of this song but it was completely eclipsed by Poppy who busted in with a solo of  " I wouldn't care about what she looks like, all that matters is what she cooks like." I remember Anna and I rolling on the floor laughing when he did that. 

Then came Beauty and the Beast's " Be Our Guest", Aladdin's "One Jump Ahead", and Cinderella's "bibbidi bobbidi boo." Song after song came and mile after mile passed.

The highlight of the entire ride was when "Can You Feel The Love" from The Lion King came on and the car faded away, I was 16 and at the Callen house living room performing Timon and and pumbaa.

Anna as Timon: I can see what's happening?

Me as Pumbaa: What?

Anna: And they don't have a clue.

Me: Who?

Anna: They'll call in love and here's the bottom line. Our trio's down to two.

Me: Oh!

Anna: The sweet caress of twilight. There's magic in the air. With all this romantic atmosphere disasters in the air.....

TOGETHER: CAAAAAAAAN YOU FEEL THE LOOOOOOOOOVE TONIGHT?????

Thanks Pandora radio for turning a miserable road trip into a fun dance party with my girl!!!! We will be using you again very soon.