it has been an insane week and i have not made it to the fitness center since sunday but plan on going tonight. the only thing that is saving me from guilt was the birth i attended two days ago. it was a doula job but a homebirth. it was with a midwife i really like working with and a second time mama.
this mama once she started cookin' was amazing. following her body into some great sweeping movements from dangling to squatting to rocking back and forth. she moaned, she screamed, she growled she let it all go. i was in the role of physical support of which she demanded everything she needed from me. it was one of those moments in this work that she and i were both thankful i am about 6 feet tall and 200 lbs. being a counter weight to a very mobile laboring mom is no easy task. i am happy to say i got out of it with no big back issues but some definitely sore muscles.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
neti pot
i have heard of these strange things for years. i remember the six feet under episode where ruth explains what a neti pot is - i was fascinated but not enough to try one.
since my recent invasion of my person by viruses and bacteria unknown i have had a lingering infection of sorts in my left maxillary sinus. leaving me with mild pain/annoyance of the sinus cavity and the upper left molars and occasional ill tasting snot but no stuffiness fortunately. occasionally i would get the nagging fear of an infection penetrating into my brain like a nasal botfly in a wildebeest.
being at the end of my rope with this "sick" thing i busted out and got a neti pot. i was good and read all the instructions (somewhat unusual for me) since i had a great fear of gagging or choking while attempting to irrigate my sinus cavities. (which i did a bit and donn came in to see if i was ok only to turn and gag himself at my watery snot puddling into the sink) side one was a but clumsy and i kept checking in the mirror to see if i was doing it right, hence the choking from ill head positioning. side two on the other hand you would think i was a master.
when done i did as i was told - "gently blow your nose" and i think i heard the angles sing. my tooth pain had lifted and my sinuses felt good for the first time since 2007!
so i am sold on the neti pot and once i am done with all the "nasal wash" packets from my SinuCleanse kit i will be looking into investing in my own REAL neti pot of my own.
now the question is the next time my kids get snotty will i be able to talk them into trying it???
ok, i had to include the "cool neti pot with hot chick" photo.
off the beaten track. if you want to see a botfly being removed from a human eye click here
Sunday, January 27, 2008
IVF burgers and poop cars
how much meat do you eat?
i figure as a household my family of 4 eats about 120 lbs. of meat a year. that is 30 lbs. per person (although the bean maybe does not count as a whole consumer). After reading this article it is motivating me to purchase more local meat. i have thought about it but when budgeting i do "cut corners" and buy the cheaper product. trader joes 80% 20% ground beef and the cheaper ground turkey (i love ground turkey).
i think that the amount of meat we consume is reasonable. i get very creative with meals - butternut, rice, onion, garlic and kidney bean enchiladas with cumin and chili powder with a side of avocado with red onion and lemon. the monkey loved it.
i was looking into the raw diet a few days ago. i dont think i could ever go raw- i love cheese too much. but i do like the idea of eating raw more. it is an interesting idea. one thing i did find on most of the raw sites was the interest in poop as the detox effects of the raw diet kick in. very interesting photos. i liked the recipes on this site www.goneraw.com
i like food. i like good food. i like meat. i like cheese. we can eat more sustainable for the environment - we can make that investment. but raw is just not our thing nor is being vege. the fact is we are all going to die someday and i am going out eating bacon and stilton.
ohhhhh... bacon and stilton chocolate chip cookies???? there is an experiment for you.
i figure as a household my family of 4 eats about 120 lbs. of meat a year. that is 30 lbs. per person (although the bean maybe does not count as a whole consumer). After reading this article it is motivating me to purchase more local meat. i have thought about it but when budgeting i do "cut corners" and buy the cheaper product. trader joes 80% 20% ground beef and the cheaper ground turkey (i love ground turkey).
i think that the amount of meat we consume is reasonable. i get very creative with meals - butternut, rice, onion, garlic and kidney bean enchiladas with cumin and chili powder with a side of avocado with red onion and lemon. the monkey loved it.
i was looking into the raw diet a few days ago. i dont think i could ever go raw- i love cheese too much. but i do like the idea of eating raw more. it is an interesting idea. one thing i did find on most of the raw sites was the interest in poop as the detox effects of the raw diet kick in. very interesting photos. i liked the recipes on this site www.goneraw.com
i like food. i like good food. i like meat. i like cheese. we can eat more sustainable for the environment - we can make that investment. but raw is just not our thing nor is being vege. the fact is we are all going to die someday and i am going out eating bacon and stilton.
ohhhhh... bacon and stilton chocolate chip cookies???? there is an experiment for you.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
body issues
i recently took the plunge and joined the washtenaw community college health and fitness center and I LOVE IT! i have been almost every day this week. now i am contemplating spending the money for the unlimited childcare. it is $35 a kid. the alternative is $10 for the first kid and $6 for the second PER VISIT. and if i do the unlimited it can just be part of our morning routine and i can go every day.
one thing that i noticed is that i am a wee bit tweeked by nudity. odd considering what i do for a living. it is no thing for me to see a naked woman in labor. i can support her, get on my knees and towel her off, clean the blood off her inner thighs, hands on help with breastfeeding..... i am all good. even when i give massages no big deal.
i was walking through the locker room at the wcc and i hear someone say "hi kate" i turned it was my neighbor and she was naked. i was taken by surprise- i felt my eye contact with her was like a five ton brick. we briefly chatted and i went around the corner to put things in a locker and walked back by her and she had her under garments on and i stopped to chat further.
every time i have gone to the fitness center i have changed in the one changing room they have there. when i get out of the shower i am ok walking through with the "oversized" towel wrapped around me. mind you this "oversized" towel barely fits around my amazon frame. i have a little peek-a-boo action on the side.
the interesting thing is that we are naked people at home. it has actually been a very conscious decision for me to have my children used to the naked body and not tweeked by nudity. i want them to feel comfortable in their bodies clothed or not. i do not want the naked form to be a mystery to them or to make them uncomfortable. a reaction maybe to my own upbringing.
another player into my reaction is the issues i have with my own body. i was a large kid in school since kindergarten. i was a size 14/16 by the age of 11. my mother and i would shop in the mens section of the gap and then then hemming at home. between that and my glasses that squished into my chubby cheeks, the fact i am a tall gal and my social awkwardness i was not swimming with friends. then i discovered my eating disorder, grew a bit and slimmed out- i was getting compliments left and right. i even had boys hitting on me - which totally freaked me out. (it still does actually - if it ever happened that is).
i have had body issues most of my life and struggled with food and negative body consciousness for 19 years. intellectually i know that it is irrational but the mind is a funny thing. the silly desire for a flat tummy, to be able to find fashionable clothes easily, the thought of not worrying about the belly roll (i do not care if the muffin top is "in" i just cant go there).... i have a friend that has a t-shirt that she got from henrietta farenheit that says "start a revolution stop hating your body" the funny thing about this is they dont make that tshirt big enough for ladies like me. it is american apparel sizing which is small medium and large for third world dwarves. i would like to wear hip t-shirts too (that are not mens tees).
i loved watching the "what not to wear show on tlc when they had a larger framed woman on and the hosts got schooled in the issue with fashion availability for larger women. it was great. and did you know that on average i have to pay $10 more for tall and plus size for clothes than the average jane. take note when you are looking at your next catalog of j. jill, eddie bauer or lands end. and most catalogs only go up to size 12 or 14 anyway.
so, i hope that maybe along with getting healthier and fitter maybe my experiences int he locker room can help me get over my body hangups.
one thing that i noticed is that i am a wee bit tweeked by nudity. odd considering what i do for a living. it is no thing for me to see a naked woman in labor. i can support her, get on my knees and towel her off, clean the blood off her inner thighs, hands on help with breastfeeding..... i am all good. even when i give massages no big deal.
i was walking through the locker room at the wcc and i hear someone say "hi kate" i turned it was my neighbor and she was naked. i was taken by surprise- i felt my eye contact with her was like a five ton brick. we briefly chatted and i went around the corner to put things in a locker and walked back by her and she had her under garments on and i stopped to chat further.
every time i have gone to the fitness center i have changed in the one changing room they have there. when i get out of the shower i am ok walking through with the "oversized" towel wrapped around me. mind you this "oversized" towel barely fits around my amazon frame. i have a little peek-a-boo action on the side.
the interesting thing is that we are naked people at home. it has actually been a very conscious decision for me to have my children used to the naked body and not tweeked by nudity. i want them to feel comfortable in their bodies clothed or not. i do not want the naked form to be a mystery to them or to make them uncomfortable. a reaction maybe to my own upbringing.
another player into my reaction is the issues i have with my own body. i was a large kid in school since kindergarten. i was a size 14/16 by the age of 11. my mother and i would shop in the mens section of the gap and then then hemming at home. between that and my glasses that squished into my chubby cheeks, the fact i am a tall gal and my social awkwardness i was not swimming with friends. then i discovered my eating disorder, grew a bit and slimmed out- i was getting compliments left and right. i even had boys hitting on me - which totally freaked me out. (it still does actually - if it ever happened that is).
i have had body issues most of my life and struggled with food and negative body consciousness for 19 years. intellectually i know that it is irrational but the mind is a funny thing. the silly desire for a flat tummy, to be able to find fashionable clothes easily, the thought of not worrying about the belly roll (i do not care if the muffin top is "in" i just cant go there).... i have a friend that has a t-shirt that she got from henrietta farenheit that says "start a revolution stop hating your body" the funny thing about this is they dont make that tshirt big enough for ladies like me. it is american apparel sizing which is small medium and large for third world dwarves. i would like to wear hip t-shirts too (that are not mens tees).
i loved watching the "what not to wear show on tlc when they had a larger framed woman on and the hosts got schooled in the issue with fashion availability for larger women. it was great. and did you know that on average i have to pay $10 more for tall and plus size for clothes than the average jane. take note when you are looking at your next catalog of j. jill, eddie bauer or lands end. and most catalogs only go up to size 12 or 14 anyway.
so, i hope that maybe along with getting healthier and fitter maybe my experiences int he locker room can help me get over my body hangups.
Friday, January 25, 2008
I HATE TOILETS
ok, it is not really that i hate toilets, i hate cleaning toilets. i would much rather dig a hole in the yard and stick a box with a hole over it. when it starts to funk fill it in and dig another.
yes i admit in the winter it may be a little drafty on the bits but i am ok with that if i do not have to clean the porcelain crusted with dried urine from my ill-aimed boy child and dried poop splatters from the intestinal explosions that occasionally visit our family members.
but the birthday party is coming and clean toilets must be had so i get on my knees and bow down to the porcelain thrown and do my duty as a good house wife, scruba-scrub-scrub. (i really have to laugh at calling myself a house wife- it just does not fit. how about house diva. i like that. i do sing my songs of hatred while i clean so it would fit. or house goddess. or house master. or she who do-ith all. or mama on the edge!)
yes i admit in the winter it may be a little drafty on the bits but i am ok with that if i do not have to clean the porcelain crusted with dried urine from my ill-aimed boy child and dried poop splatters from the intestinal explosions that occasionally visit our family members.
but the birthday party is coming and clean toilets must be had so i get on my knees and bow down to the porcelain thrown and do my duty as a good house wife, scruba-scrub-scrub. (i really have to laugh at calling myself a house wife- it just does not fit. how about house diva. i like that. i do sing my songs of hatred while i clean so it would fit. or house goddess. or house master. or she who do-ith all. or mama on the edge!)
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
air of authority
tonight i taught my cbe class. i am loving it more and more as i go on and getting more comfortable to boot. now this can be a good thing and a not so good thing. getting more comfortable makes the class more interesting and even more informational for the couples but then i teeter the line of casual liberties.
when i was getting "trained" in teaching i was told to hold an air of authority in my teaching which usually that may be a good thing but when trying to educate and instill confidence in mothers and couples to trust their bodies and the process of birth i say pppfffttt-shaw to holding an air of "authoritative knowledge". i think if you try to present that to your listeners than what is your message? i offer what i know and they can take it as they will. some will embrace it, some will be upset by what i say and some will just be plain offended and think i am full of shit. so be it. i offer no false pretenses and i am not trying to convince anyone of anything.
when one talks about sex, vaginal fluids, pooping, vomiting, moaning, diarrhea, circumcision, vaccinations, placentas, hemorrhage, gonorrhea, death, life, and birth for a living there a a point were you just need to let loose. it is what it is people- just get down and have a baby.
when i was getting "trained" in teaching i was told to hold an air of authority in my teaching which usually that may be a good thing but when trying to educate and instill confidence in mothers and couples to trust their bodies and the process of birth i say pppfffttt-shaw to holding an air of "authoritative knowledge". i think if you try to present that to your listeners than what is your message? i offer what i know and they can take it as they will. some will embrace it, some will be upset by what i say and some will just be plain offended and think i am full of shit. so be it. i offer no false pretenses and i am not trying to convince anyone of anything.
when one talks about sex, vaginal fluids, pooping, vomiting, moaning, diarrhea, circumcision, vaccinations, placentas, hemorrhage, gonorrhea, death, life, and birth for a living there a a point were you just need to let loose. it is what it is people- just get down and have a baby.
its been awhile.
happy new year.
our family rung in the new year with some wicked viruses. big daddy was under the weather the kids got the sniffles and i got knocked on my ass the day i put my ALACE exam in the mail. i was sick for about 12 days 7 of which were really bad and 5of that 7 i could not get out of bed. some would say i should have gone to the dr. but my body just needed to ride it out. theories of why i got it so hard was that i have been burning the stick at both ends for too long (about two years) and i needed to slow down. big daddy thinks that i got two illnesses at the same time. i think the universe and my body was say "enough already lady".
whatever it was there was definite good that came out of the misery. (there were times i was weeping i was so miserable and tired of being sick). i had some absolutely lovely people step up to help with remedy suggestions (homeopathics) and followed up with me every day, folks brought by some great food (there was a point where the kids were on their own and scavaging crackers and peanuts for food), my husband stepped up like superman, i got really motivated to organize and simplify the house once i was better, i got over my apprehension to cancel appointments and i missed my first birth.
That last one was painful but a good lesson. i cannot do everything all the time perfect and make everyone happy. something about service work like i do you have a nurturing nature that can borderline doormat if left unattended. i have left my nurture nature unattended. boundaries are the theme for 2007 and being ok where i am and with what i am doing in the now. there are things i want to do but circumstances are not favorable and i am ok with that. i kick ass at what i do and i love it so that is where i am now.
not to be too stewart smiley. i love who i am and what i do and where i live and i would not change a damn thing about my life. i am so proud of my kids who are totally awesome and so cool to be around, i am very proud of my husband and am thankful for being married to my best friend who i can share everything with (i just dont see him enough but that will come). ok, done with the sappy stuff. it is my positive step into this new year. it all good.
today is catch up day and the kids are throwing down for my attention as i type away. so enjoy the snow and enjoy today because you could get hit by a bus tomorrow. ;)
our family rung in the new year with some wicked viruses. big daddy was under the weather the kids got the sniffles and i got knocked on my ass the day i put my ALACE exam in the mail. i was sick for about 12 days 7 of which were really bad and 5of that 7 i could not get out of bed. some would say i should have gone to the dr. but my body just needed to ride it out. theories of why i got it so hard was that i have been burning the stick at both ends for too long (about two years) and i needed to slow down. big daddy thinks that i got two illnesses at the same time. i think the universe and my body was say "enough already lady".
whatever it was there was definite good that came out of the misery. (there were times i was weeping i was so miserable and tired of being sick). i had some absolutely lovely people step up to help with remedy suggestions (homeopathics) and followed up with me every day, folks brought by some great food (there was a point where the kids were on their own and scavaging crackers and peanuts for food), my husband stepped up like superman, i got really motivated to organize and simplify the house once i was better, i got over my apprehension to cancel appointments and i missed my first birth.
That last one was painful but a good lesson. i cannot do everything all the time perfect and make everyone happy. something about service work like i do you have a nurturing nature that can borderline doormat if left unattended. i have left my nurture nature unattended. boundaries are the theme for 2007 and being ok where i am and with what i am doing in the now. there are things i want to do but circumstances are not favorable and i am ok with that. i kick ass at what i do and i love it so that is where i am now.
not to be too stewart smiley. i love who i am and what i do and where i live and i would not change a damn thing about my life. i am so proud of my kids who are totally awesome and so cool to be around, i am very proud of my husband and am thankful for being married to my best friend who i can share everything with (i just dont see him enough but that will come). ok, done with the sappy stuff. it is my positive step into this new year. it all good.
today is catch up day and the kids are throwing down for my attention as i type away. so enjoy the snow and enjoy today because you could get hit by a bus tomorrow. ;)
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
THIS IS MADDNESS!
i am so heated by this that i am almost in tears. i really thought we were beyond this.
but it did say that the makers of a prostaglandin compound funded the study, and would be helping fund the next one, along with NIH.
but it did say that the makers of a prostaglandin compound funded the study, and would be helping fund the next one, along with NIH.
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