Family Ties

FAMILY. Commonly thought of as a man, a woman, and their children. At least that's what you normally think of after hearing the word, right?



Family. It's something I have dreamed of and yearned for. After Lanny and I got married, I expected it to happen right away. I was heartbroken when it didn't. Three miscarriages and a year and a half later, I still don't have the babies I have dreamed of.



Family. Lanny reminded me after a recent bout of tears due to my latest miscarriage, that he married me for ME, not because of my ability to have babies. I realized that my husband is my family, even if we don't have the babies we both want yet.



Family. We sang a song in church one Sunday about raising a family in faith. Not only was I reminded to take my fears, doubts, and grief to God but also to lean on him for strength. I was also reminded that my family is more than just Lanny, me and any children we may have. It's our parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and our friends. Heck, it can even mean our cows if that's what we want.



FAMILY. When Lanny's Great Uncle Vern died, I was reminded again that family is what you make it. He didn't have any children of his own, yet he had more family than you can shake a stick at. Whether or not kids are in my future, I will never be without FAMILY.

Food for thought

I read an article in the Fargo paper not that long ago about a former FDA honcho who wrote a book on food addictions and compulsive eating habits. I thought, "That's the book for me." Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the book or the author... It got me thinking, though, that I've slipped back into many of my old ways. I haven't lost any more weight since December and I know I still have lots to lose. I am being brutally honest with myself-I NEED to get healthy. I remember how good I felt when I realized that I was down over 20 pounds from my heaviest weight. I want to reclaim that feeling and earlier this week, I started to do something about it. I've been having back troubles lately so I did yoga stretches for 30 minutes twice this week. I felt so much more limber and I had more energy. I have also made more of an effort to incorporate fruits and veggies into my diet. Both Lanny and I are eating fruit on our way to morning chores. I also made a point of putting out salad fixings with each supper meal we ate last week. It was so easy I actually thought, "Now why didn't I think of this before?"! Starting tomorrow, I am going to keep a notebook on the table and write down everything I eat. Everything that I have read on successful dieting talks about keeping a food diary because it tends to discourage compulsive eating and 'cheating'. I have also discovered that keeping a 'water' chart on the fridge helps, too. I never seem to drink enough water because I forget to drink it. Since this is an issue, I created a chart to show how much liquid I have consumed in one day. At the end of the day, I noticed how proud I was on how many boxes I had checked off. (One box equals one 8 oz glass of liquid) Each day showed an increase in the number of boxes and, after a week, I was up to the amount of water I need each day. I have noticed that if I have reminders like this water chart and the food diary, I hold myself more accountable and I am more aware of what and how much I am eating. One last motivational tool-we just got a really nice WeightWatchers scale. It gives you body weight, %body fat, and %body water. There isn't anything more motivational than seeing that weight number going down and the water number going up.

Little Momma

My dog Mindy Lou, as you know, just had her puppies this last week. She's a pretty good momma to her pups. She chased the cat away and has so thoroughly terrorized him that he won't come near the house even to eat. She is in the straw doghouse 95% of the day doing nothing but feeding her greedy little ones. She is constantly cleaning them, moving them to more comfortable spots, and just generally loving them. However, she also leaves them high and dry at a moments notice if anyone goes outside or comes down the driveway. The other night, Lanny came home from the farm and Mindy jumped up so fast that her nursing puppies all somersaulted sideways. Now, I went outside to feed her and found that she had been laying on top her straw doghouse. However, when she jumped on the straw bale that forms the roof, the twines holding it together snapped and the bale caved in. Somehow, she managed to get one puppy out (or else it crawled out on it's own) before I discovered it. Thankfully, the bale wasn't really heavy and the four puppies remaining inside were unharmed. I suppose she climbed on top the doghouse to get some peace and quiet for a few minutes (what mom wouldn't want that?) and the twines, frayed at the edges, just gave out. It just seems like Mindy is a bit scatterbrained at the moment and I found it humorous enough to write about.

Making it a Good Day

Yesterday was just 'one of those days' and by the time I got home from town, I was in a pretty nasty mood. Here's what went wrong yesterday:
1. The chiropractor's office scheduled me at one time, but told me my appointment was an hour later.
2. I hurt pretty bad after chiropractor appointment.
3. Our 'newer' car started acting up-miscellaneous electrical issues, squealing, stalling, not shifting, speedometer malfunctioning, etc.
4. I realized just how much I need to pay in doctor bills for this past month, got some news I didn't want to hear, and spent way more time in town than I had wanted to.

After spending half the day being upset, I got sick of it. I decided to quit being crabby and MAKE it a good day by focusing on the positives instead of the negatives. It worked! Here's how my day went once I revised my thinking.
1. Despite the appointment mixup, there was another appointment available and I got in 20 minutes earlier than I was expecting. Yay!
2. The pain from being adjusted meant that I no longer had bones out of place. Peaceful night's sleep awaits!
3. Thankfully, the car malfunctioned now instead of on a trip somewhere (I know how much fun car trips are when the car breaks down and you are halfway between point A and point B), now Lanny knows that the alternator is probably shot, and I didn't get stranded in town despite my car troubles. I also got to take the 'scenic route' home from Menahga and got to see some pretty spectacular sights, not to mention some pretty spectacular washed-out roads.
4. I called and set up a payment plan for the bills after resolving (yet again) to not worry about money so much, realized that the news was well-meant but that I don't have to listen to everything everyone else tells me, and actually enjoyed being out of the house on a beautiful day. (Enjoyed it all the more since I wasn't sick anymore!)
5. I fed my dog and watched her care for her five adorable little puppies. (Anyone wanting a mixed breed puppy? If so, let me know. They will be ready early to mid June, I am guessing.)