The Success of the Komen Race
I can honestly say that I do not know anyone personally who has breast cancer. But every June when I see the tens of thousands of people gathered in downtown, it's hard not to get emotional. My dear friend and colleague, Linda, lost her niece to breast cancer a few years ago. I was fortunate to have met Dawn at a Komen Race not long before she passed. I remember my sister and I walking away after saying our goodbyes, fighting back tears. My emotions hit me like a tidal wave. Seeing all the pink shirts is one of the most moving things I have ever experienced.
To all 64,000 participants, thank you from the bottom of my heart. We all came together to raise $3.3 million and brought awareness to a very important cause. (And we had a great time doing it!) The money raised will stay in St. Louis to fund programs. According to Susan G. Komen's website, breast cancer remains the most common form of cancer among women living in the United States. More than 200,000 individuals will be diagnosed this year and 40,000 will die from the disease.
It doesn't matter what age your kids are, they always need their moms around. Remember to do your monthly breast exams and know and understand your risk factors. Early detection is a key to fighting this disease.
Grant's Farm
Well Summer is here and it's time to get the children outside. I have to admit, I am really enjoying my Summer so far. Presley is getting more aware of her surroundings every day. We took her to Grant's Farm a couple of weeks ago. As soon as we entered the farm, we were seated onto a train. We had two wonderful men give us a tour of the property. We also ran into a lot of different animals. Presley sat on her grandpa's lap and shouted out "
Ooohhh"
every time she laid eyes on an animal.
I couldn't wait to see Presley feed the goats. My parents have great memories of my sister and I feeding the goats. (My poor sister got ambushed and cried the whole time.) I carried Presley in the pen while her daddy handed us bottles. As soon as I put her down, she was surrounded by goats. The poor girl was getting pushed around and chewed on so I tried moving her to where the baby goats stood. No luck there because the big goats just followed us. Presley finally had enough when she got knocked down and a goat began chewing her hair. I was being a bad mommy because I stood there laughing while my helpless child sat there crying. I couldn't help it. You would of stood there laughing with me if you would seen that silly goat. Her overprotective grandpa and daddy had enough and took her out of the pen. They were no fun!
After seeing the animals and watching the bird show, we moved on to the "free beer". My dad and husband enjoyed this part the most. My mom and I walked Presley around the stable to see the horses and a
miniature donkey. I don't know if this is the same donkey we've seen in the commercial. But either way, it was cute!
After the refreshments, we were ready to leave. it was already getting too hot. At the other side of the parking lot, we walked over to the Clydesdale Stables. We even got our picture taken with a Clydesdale. Those animals are so beautiful. Presley kept petting one's nose and I was terrified she was going to get her hand bitten off. There were workers standing there and they didn't seem to mind that she was petting the
Clydesdale. So I stopped worrying about Presley losing a hand.
To sum it up, we had a great time. Just like the zoo, there are fun things you can do with your family. To see your child's eyes light up is priceless. Get out there this summer and enjoy what St. Louis has to offer! Happy Summer Mommies!
Those Darn Gas Prices!
Are the gas prices killing you?? We're all in the same boat. We spend more money going to work in a month than we do on a car payment. But besides the whole money situation, I think there's a bigger problem. You see, money comes and goes, but memories are forever.
Our family fun days are going away. Those days of hopping in the car and driving down Alton's River Bend. Float trips with friends. Weekend getaways to Memphis. A week at the Atlantic Ocean. All of this is gone for my family. We just can't afford to do these activities. Back in the days, it was nothing for us to drive to St. Louis. Now, it's something we ponder over.
Here is my other problem. I am now carpooling to and from work. I ride with my mom and two other wonderful ladies. It is saving all of us tons of money. Unfortunately, I am out the door at 6:15am and not getting home until 6:25pm. I feel like there is not enough time in the day to play with my daughter and talk to my husband. If I stay up past 9pm, it's a miracle. I'm sure a bunch of you moms can relate. By the time you get home and eat dinner, it's time to get the kids ready for bed.
So my solution to my problem is that I am really going to start living for the weekends. I want to spend every waking moment I can with my daughter and husband. I know I don't need to drive off anywhere to make memories. We're hitting the parks, going for walks, and visiting with family.
Hang in there Moms! There has to be an end to this gas nightmare.....right????
American's addiction to soda
I suffer from an addiction. This addiction is toxic, poisonous, and lethal. It will rot my teeth. It will wear away my calcium in my bones. It will eat the lining of my stomach. I will suffer from Type II diabetes, the gout, high blood pressure, cancer and obesity. This addiction is the main reason for most people's health problems. I am talking about soda. Yes, even the diet soda.
I am trying desperately to quit my addiction. So I got online and looked for reason why soda's bad for you. I'm one of those people. I want to see in black and white all the pros and cons. So I stumbled on this webiste
http://www.oleda.com/. This is what I learned and I want to share it with all of you moms.
"Teenagers and children, who many soft drinks are marketed toward, are among the largest consumers. In the past 10 years, soft drink consumption among children has almost doubled in the United States. Teenage boys now drink, on average, three or more cans of soda per day, and 10 percent drink seven or more cans a day. The average for teenage girls is more than two cans a day, and 10 percent drink more than five cans a day. "Now I'm not pointing fingers because sometimes my daughter sneaks in a drink here and there. But I really want us moms to think about what you just read. We wouldn't think twice about giving our children drugs and/or alchohol. But we allow them to drink soda!?! Here's a quote on what aspartame found in diet sodas do to our bodies....
"
This chemical is used as a sugar substitute in diet soda. There are over 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame consumption including brain tumors, birth defects, diabetes, emotional disorders and epilepsy/seizures. Further, when aspartame is stored for long periods of time or kept in warm areas it changes to methanol, an alcohol that converts to formaldehyde and formic acid, which are known carcinogens. "The author made a great point in the article. Children don't think long term. By the time they hit adulthood, it may be too late. The damage could be done. Did you know that caffeine effects kid's developing brains? It makes sense but I never stopped to think about it. I hope you make time to read the rest of the article. Let's teach our children healthy behaviors now. NO MORE SODA MOMS!!!!
http://www.oleda.com/oleda_tips/tips.asp?dept=48
Dinoroarus at The Saint Louis Zoo - This Friday April 18th
My husband and I are huge in supporting the St. Louis Zoo. I remember walking through The Bronx Zoo in New York saying under my breath that it had nothing on St. Louis' Zoo. We took Presley for the first time during Halloween. We started off at "River's Edge". She loved it. Even at her young age, she was mesmorized by the large animals. Me, being an avid ape lover, was so excited to see her reaction to the apes. When we finally walked up to the "Jungle of the Apes", there sat a huge ape. He was right next to the window!! I was ecstatic. I was pushing kids out of the way to get as close as possible to the ape. I picked up Presley and there she stood right next to the ape. The ape turned his head and stared at her. What did my daughter do?? She yawned, turned and walked away. I think everyone around me heard my heart break.
Well we are heading back to the zoo to see Dinoroarus at The Saint Louis Zoo. Near the River's Edge, there will be 16 animatronic dinosaurs. The exhibit will be open April 18th thru September 1st. Admission is $1.50 for members and $3 for non-members (children under 2 are free). There will also be a Fossil Dig for the children, photo ops and a 3-D motion simulator. Please check out the website for more information....
http://www.stlzoo.org/home/featurednews/dinoroarus.htmI love watching Presley's wheels turn in her head. I love that the smallest things amazes her. This is great for any child and fun for the whole family! Josh and I have wonderful memories of Presley at the Zoo. You too, can make wonderful memories. We have a beautiful zoo and we need to support it as much as possible. I truly believe that this is a place that dedicates their all to helping animals.
Of course, after we visit Dinoroarus, I'm heading back to the "Jungle of the Apes". I have been pushing apes down my poor daughter's throat since that October morning. Maybe this time around, she'll be a little bit more excited when an ape appears. I'm not giving up hope that she'll love apes just like her mommy. After all, she is our little monkey!
National President's Challenge
So this morning I'm listening to Joel
Osteen's audio book....
Becoming A Better You. Today he talked about taking care of ourselves. It really made me think about what I don't do for myself. I gained 90lbs during my pregnancy. I found out that I have hypothyroidism and my metabolism went down the drain. My daughter is 19mo old now, and I still have 5
olbs hanging on.
Every Monday rolls around and I'm determine to begin my new life as a healthy person. By the time Saturday rolls around, I'm back to my old ways. My bad habit is drinking soda. I have to have it morning, noon and night. It makes me sick to think about all the calories I drink during the day. Joel
Osteen was saying that it takes 21 days to break a bad habit. He said to go
through the pain, ask for help, if needed, and give up your bad habits.
The employees here at channel 5 will be tackling the National President's challenge March 20
th through May 15
th. This is something you can do as an individual or with a group. I urge you to get healthy with me this year. This is my year, I promise, and it can be yours too! Us, Moms do everything for others and never enough for ourselves. We need to make ourselves the main priority in our lives. If Mom's happy,
everyone's happy. You've heard that before right? But it's so true. When we're happy and healthy, our confidence is through the roof. We're happier with our marriages/relationships. We're more active and energized to run around with the kids. When we're positive and happy, we attract happy and positive people into our lives. Moms, take time for yourself! The bonus is that you will be a great role model for your children. With obesity rising in children, this is a great way to turn that epidemic around.
Check out this website......sign up and get moving!!
http://www.presidentschallenge.org/
Stay At Home Mom
OK.....so I told ya that I would explain why I don't think I could be a stay-at-home mom. I sit at work everyday and daydream about what my husband and daughter are doing. I am so jealous of my husband being home with her every day. But I truly don't think I could stay home.
While on Maternity leave, I truly lost my identity. I didn't have much contact with the outside world. Because of my husband's crazy work hours, I rarely saw him. My friends all had full-time jobs and a family to raise as well. So that left me with only my cats and newborn to talk to. It's not much fun having a one-sided conversation. I felt so distant from the outside world. I felt alone. It's the hardest job out there and yet, I truly felt like I was not leaving my mark on society. That is such a crazy thing to think! I mean, raising good, successful children isn't enough? I guess for me, it wasn't. I was lost during my maternity leave.
Now that my daughter is older, I know that I could be an active mom. We could do one of those playgroups or maybe do outdoor activities. This brings me to my second problem. I am NOT, nor will I ever be your stereotypical "Soccer Moms". No offense Soccer Moms. But I'm not one. I have no interest in being one. My husband and I watch the comedy sitcom "The New Adventures of the Old Christine." There are two moms on that show that make Freddy Krueger look friendly. They're all about gossip, and having the smartest, most popular kids. Come on, you know the type I'm talking about. I fear those moms. I dread the day I have to go on a field trip with those moms. I fear that if I choose to stay home with my kids, my life will be bombarded with "Those Moms."
I have no plans on staying home anytime soon. Once my husband and I have another child, maybe he'll go to work and I'll stay home. Who knows? It will be a hard decision for me to say the least. But no matter what I decide to do, I know that whether I stay home or go back to work, I will love my children more than life itself.
