Welcome Back

Well, hello there!

I've taken a shamefully long hiatus from blogging, although I've been thinking about it a lot lately. Lots of stuff going on with work, vacations, Swine Flu (John, not me), and kiddos. FYI--if you are a healthy adult who is not pregnant, you'll feel pretty bad with Swine Flu for a couple of days, but it doesn't last nearly as long as the regular flu, and from what I hear it isn't quite as rough as the regular flu. I was taking care of John for a week, and I never caught it.

Also, kids will be kids, and they will get hurt, no matter what you do. It's impossible to watch them all the time, especially on small indoor playgrounds where there is no room for parents to sit in there and supervise. That being said, it is a terrifying and sad thing to see someone so tiny be in pain. It is also very cute to see a tiny little person with a giant cast dancing. I'm glad she isn't hurting anymore, and that she will have the cast off within a couple of weeks.

I've had a couple of modeling gigs recently, and am really excited to be doing plus-sized modeling. I was in two ads in the paper locally, which was really exciting. I feel like I'm getting more and more comfortable with it each time, and hope to have many more experiences with it. I always wanted to be a plus-sized model. Scout's honor--I always thought that would be really cool. And since the average American woman is a size 14 these days, I may have more and more work. That doesn't mean that I am going to stop trying to lose weight and be healthy. And that doesn't mean I am not concerned that America is suffering from an obesity epidemic. Sure, everyone has the right to eat what they like and be as sedentary as they choose. That doesn't mean that I have to follow the crowd.

I recently re-read "Skinny Bitch", which always makes me laugh and makes me think. The last time I read it, I decided to try my hand at veganism, but that was a little bit of a stretch for me. Plus, it makes grocery shopping inconvenient when you're married to someone and have a couple of stepchildren who love their cheese and meat and such.

So, I'm attempting to take smaller steps to feel better about what I eat--for my conscience as well as for my well being.

First, (and this has nothing to do with animal cruelty or slaughterhouses but everything to do with being bloated and jittery and being vain about my tooth enamel) I have given up sodas and caffeine. This was extremely hard to do, since I lurrrrrrve Coke Zero. Plus, the headaches were terrible for a week. However, after about two and a half weeks, it is not as big of a deal now. My main concern at first was drink mixers...which lets you know how skewed my priorities can be sometimes. Hello Bloody Mary.

Actually, if I was being really strict about it from a health perspective, I wouldn't drink any beer or hard liquor, and would limit myself to organic, sulfite-free wine. I did get a sulfite free bottle of Syrah from Whole Foods the other night for (brace yourselves) $5.90 AFTER tax. The first glass was a little astringent-tasting. After the first glass, I really enjoyed myself with it and sang its praises. Although, I should stick to one glass...maybe two...to enjoy its health privileges.

I also did some hard thinking about the issue of meat, and where it comes from. I've often checked our local Whole Foods market for grass-fed beef, but they never have any. I read about the terrible conditions that animals are kept in, the hormones and antibiotics used to keep them alive and jumbo sized, the things they eat (calves eat feed with cow's blood in it--gross), and the way they are killed and prepared for consumption. Now, don't get me wrong--I REALLY enjoy a nice filet mignon, lamb, or a big ole greasy hamburger. I even like hot dogs and sausages. I've never been a fan of chicken, but I do enjoy turkey once or twice a year at holiday time. But could I live without meat? It will be hard, but I think for the most part, yes. However, there is no way in hell that I could live without seafood. I grew up on the coast, after all. I'm still trying to figure out how I could live without Barq's rootbeer. At least it is caffeine free, if I indulge once or twice a year.

Being a Pesco vegetarian means that you eat fish, eggs, milk, honey...it's less strict than just plain vegetarianism, and much less strict than veganism. But, hey, it's a start. I've not eaten meat on purpose for about two weeks. I ate part a croissant that had swiss cheese in it, and then realized towards the end that it had a little ham in it. Whoops. And in the first couple of days I ate a whole bowl of chicken soup out of sheer forgetfulness. But, all in all, not bad. I'm eating a lot more vegetables right now, and am really in love with winter vegetables like squashes right now. I made a really awesome butternut squash soup, using applesauce and curry rather than heavy cream. Delicious, and John LOVED it. John roasted some corn on the grill, and I don't think I want to have it any other way now. When he grills a steak or hamburger, he grills me a big ole portabello mushroom.

And that's another thing. I'm not going to be all "holier than thou" about my food choices. Most of the vegetarians I know I really respect, because they never bring it up. John wants to eat meat, and that's fine. I never asked him not to. If I eat at someone's house, I won't make a big deal about it. I'll just eat what I can and keep it a non-issue. I remember a dinner long ago with vegan acquaintances who refused to eat anything and looked at the rest of us with haughty disgust all night. It really turned me off to the word "vegan" for a long time. I'm not doing this to make other people have to listen to me preach...I'm doing this for me. Already, my stomach feels better, and my face is thinner. So, maybe it's half conceit, half concern...but I don't feel too bad about my reasons.

Oh, and I got my "Shake Weight" from the infomercial. It is just as hilarious as you think it would be. To "up the ridiculous ante", it even makes a funny "whiff whiff whiff" sound when you shake it, like it has gas. But I stop giggling and really feel the burn during the 6 minute work out DVD that came with it...especially in my shoulders. I don't think I'm doing it quite right yet, but as my wrists get stronger, I'm sure I will get better at it.

My gym closed last week...I'm waiting to see if another one opens in its place. But not too long. I can go from month to month at another gym nearby. So, we'll see how that goes.

I'm feeling kind of puny today, and am enjoying the sunbeam I am sitting in quite a lot. I think some butternut squash soup will really hit the spot right now.

Until next time...