The Weight Obsession Confession

my friend, Kelli, on the left, me on the right

Side note: I was NOT athletic. I threw shot put.
I didn't qualify for an event ever. You had to
be able to throw the ball a certain number of feet
to qualify and I could never work up enough oomph. 

Tara started the discussion about it with last week's post (read it here) and I'm jumping on her bandwagon because it's a topic I know too well.

The weight-obsession-confession. I admit, I'm guilty. I have spent most of my life worrying about my weight- even when it wasn't a problem. That picture of me on the right? I hated it. My arms were fat, my legs were thick...I looked like a beefalo. Or so I told myself.

Looking back, I'd love to have that body again! What the hell was I thinking? Obviously, I wasn't. I was too obsessed with constant worry to be logical.

This picture was taken my freshman year of high school. At a family reunion that spring, a great-aunt told me she was glad to see I had meat on my bones.

Teen-brain translation...I'm a cow.

After I had my first son, I had an epiphany. My body was more than an image. It created and sustained a life. It was disease free and every part was in reliable working condition.

Some people aren't that blessed, so I decided to stop dogging the blessings and count them instead.

I stopped worrying about weight and the scale stayed steady.

Then life hit me upside the head with a stick. A series of family crises left me off kilter and stressed for time and energy. The abandonment of healthy eating for fast food and easy to grab junk combined with the stress left me feeling double-chinned and miserable.

The obvious solution was to diet, which was the worst choice for me. When I diet, my brain is focused on food and all of the old insecurities come raging back like a beast in search of cookies. I gained more weight.

Add caption

Now, I'm going back to square one. No easy fixes. No quick losses. This is my only body, and I want it to last a while, so I must take care of it.

It's time to readjust my thinking-- again.

How about you? How do you find the healthy balance?

Happy is the First Step to Healthy

Hello again! Thank you all for having me back.

It’s confession time, Ladies. I don’t cook. At all.

Sometimes, I think about learning, watch Giada or the Ranch woman with red hair whose always making something yummy, and I think, I got this. And then reality by the name of the smoke alarm or food poisoning sets in and I go back to remembering that coffee is my one and only culinary quest. The rest, thankfully, is my husband’s.

And to answer your unasked question, yes, I look to the sky and give thanks for this amazing gift of a husband who cooks every day ;) But, while I have no crockpot recipes to give you (another confession? I cried the last time I tried to use my crockpot—I’m that scared of the kitchen), I do happen to have some health tips. Not because I’m a healthy person who has the golden ticket to health and happiness—the direct opposite actually: I understand what it’s like to want to be healthy and stand in my own way. Once I recognized what I was doing, everything changed.

1. Being healthy isn’t attached to a specific weight—it’s attached to how we feel about ourselves. The power of positive thinking is a real thing. Don’t just make goals, make affirmations and read them.
2. Try new things. I am a college athlete who thought running and lifting for hours a day was the only way to exercise. This was false. In fact, the more out-of-my-comfort zone I get, the happier I find myself, and the more charged my body. Right now, I’m doing the BeachBody Country Heat dance videos. I feel like an idiot each time, I still have no idea what a kick-ball-change is, and I often look like an uncoordinated colt learning to walk, but I sweat, and I smile at the end.
3. Do not keep a food diary. This is something a counselor recommended to me a long time ago when I was struggling with my weight—write down everything you eat so you can recognize what’s positive and what’s negative. All it ever did was make me feel like I was heavy, disgusting, a failure. I write nothing down and I do not weigh myself. I set steps, and I make goals: a healthy breakfast, a timed amount of physical activity, replace one meal a day with a salad, and one splurge item a week (it’s almost always pizza).
4. Do not attach your confidence to your image. What we look like is only part of our package; it’s the wrapping paper. We have to love who we are and what we can do more than we love that outer part of us. This takes time—more than dieting and working out does, but those results…they are the game changers.
   
5. Finally, don’t be afraid to find a friend who understands your journey, and ask them to take it with you. I found my supporting cast in an online happiness group—I’m now supported by and supporter to women I’ve never met before, but who understand what I’m doing. This is, perhaps, the greatest tip. Don’t rely on those you’ve always known—sometimes, it takes the support and understanding of a stranger to give you what you need. 

Emotional health is just as important as your physical health. Do something for you, without strings or expectations of weight loss or image building, and find the happy that will make your healthy. If you need a friend for your journey, find me on Facebook at Author Kristen Kehoe I would love to support you.

Until next time, here’s to finding happy.
xo

Kristen Kehoe is a wife, mother to a four-year-old girl and four-month-old puppy, teacher, romance author, and captain of the crazy train. Nice to meet you ;-)

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Keeping the weight off

I’m going to do a brave thing with this post. I’m going to talk about my weight.

I’ve been metabolically challenged since I was about ten. Over the years, I’ve probably done about 80% of all the eating programs out there, with varying degrees of success—usually slow with such plans as Weight Watchers. 

I’ve been quite successful with some programs—How to Lower Your Fat Thermostat (Neuropsychology of Weight Control), South Beach, The Fast Metabolism Diet, and most recently Take Shape for Life.

The odds are not in our favor as far as keeping weight off. I've lost enough weight in big batches to build a large adult male. If I added up all my smaller stints, I'll bet it's equivalent to a small woman.

What makes it come back?

It can be temptations (we eat what we eat because we like the food), or lack of support at home (sabotage by loved ones). Sometimes our bodies even fight us. For example, have you read that New York Times article about the weight regain by The Biggest Loser contestants?

It’s not just discouraging, it’s plain depressing. I have wondered many time why I keep trying. I’m active. I work out. I try to eat right. Why can't I be smaller?

So, I decided to take the plunge and try Take Shape for Life. The thing that encourages me that this time could be THE time is that I have a health coach. She and her husband (a fellow writer), together, lost about 200 pounds on this program, and they’re keeping it off.

The key is the support. I’ve never had much with other programs I’ve tried.

*takes a deep breath*

Last April 20^th, I weighed 241.8 pounds (I’m 5’9”). *cringes* And that's not the most I've ever weighed--that was 249 pounds (without being pregnant). 

As of last Monday, I weighed 191.6. 

**begins rant** Can you believe my stupid body wouldn’t give up that lousy .2 pounds so I could say I’d lost 50!!??! **endrant**

Here’s my before picture next to my current picture.

And believe it or not, I was sucking that gut in on the left.
I wish the one on the right showed my waist (which is smaller than my abdomen--much smaller).

Do I worry that people who know me say are thinking things like:

There goes Donna again. How long will she keep it off this time?

 Heck, I have my own little demon sitting on my shoulder asking me this very question. So, do I fret?

Oh, yeah.

Am I hopeful?

Heck yes! My freaking slip fell off walking to my office last week!

I want good health. I want to be here for my grandkids for a long time. 

Dang it, I’ve got a lot more books to write.

Donna K. Weaver is an award-winning author, wife, mother, grandmother, Harry Potter geek, Army veteran, karate black belt, and online gamer.

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Did I feel a drop?

I'm always trying to improve my health habits. You know the big 4...

1. Eat better
2. Sleep more
3. Exercise
4. Drink water

Most of them come and go, though I do try to be aware and I come up with great strategies to help myself toward these goals of a healthier lifestyle.

Lately, I've been focusing on drinking more water. Here's my plan:

• no coffee after lunch
• only 1 diet soda a day, if any
• the rest is water

But plain old water is plain old boring! So I decided to try some add-ins, or squirt-ins! And they are really helping me enjoy drinking water, a lot!

Do you have any tips for healthier living? I could use all the help I can get!

Essential Oils for soothing start to your week!

This week we have a fabulous guest. Jessie Andersen is a fellow housewife with a special talent for sniffing out the right essential oil for whatever ails you! Take it away, Jessie!


I’m so excited to be a part of the REALLY Real Housewives blog this week. My life is filled with being a mom, writing, and a small essential oil business. I thought I’d mix them up this week and share some of my favorite activities to do with oils.

If you have never heard of essential oils, they are plant oils used for all sorts of health purposes. Today I’m going to highlight a few oils that are essential for any mom’s “awesome mommy” repertoire. Keeping my family healthy is one of my main focuses. I do this with essential oils.

Let’s start with Peppermint:
This is one of my all-time favorites. I use this to ease the occasional headache or stomach upset. *

Lavender is another must have especially for kids. We use it for its calming benefits and to promote a restful night’s sleep.

We also use it for skin health, including soothing skin irritations. And when I’ve sat in front of the computer too long and my muscles are all tense… lavender does the trick to ease that tension. *

If I had to choose one oil above all else, it would be Melaleuca. Known for its antiviral properties, it’s a must-have to promote healthy immune function. I also use it for healthy skin.

Since I’m a writer, I have one more favorite: The focus blend. It enhances and sustains focus, which is a must when writing with a two-legged distraction constantly chattering in my ear.






*These statements have not been evaluated by the Federal Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.


I could go on and on about oils and what they’ve done for my family, but that would take way too long! So, I’ll leave you with this: If you have never tried a form of alternative medicine, step out of the box and give it a shot. I never thought I’d be an “Oil freak” but now, they are our first go-to. You might find they work well for you too. You can find them at www.mydoterra.com/jessieandersen

There’s not much to do growing up in a small town in Western, NY, so J. Andersen wrote stories and won high school writing contests. But in college her writing was limited to term papers. While teaching middle school she began to read young adult books and got serious about writing. J now writes full time, volunteers at the town library, helps to run a School of the Arts at her church, and sings in the church band. She enjoys good coffee—read: home roasted by her husband—crafts, baking, running a small essential oil business, and chasing after her children. You’ll rarely see J without a book in her hands, and that’s the way she’d like to keep it.

(author of THE BREEDING TREE)

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Carpal Tunnel and Other Wine-Related Injuries

Happy Wellness Wednesday!

With so many of us gearing up for the April A-Z Blog Challenge I thought today's wellness post should get us ready for the hours and hours of typing ahead of us. As much as the idea of injuring myself while I'm sitting on my spreading butt makes me giggle, Repetitive Strain Injuries are actually pretty serious.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, "repetitive strain injuries are the nation's most common and costly occupational health problem, affecting hundreds of thousands of American workers, and costing more than $20 billion a year in workers compensation." In case you're not keeping up, that's a 20 with nine big fat zeroes behind it.

Worse, they are so common and misunderstood that many people end up with carpal tunnel or tendonitis and have no idea that A) they've been causing their own pain, or B) they can put a stop to it.

So to help get us through April without ending up like the spray bottle lady below, check out these 10 Simple Tips from RSIPrevention.com . This list includes:

• Keyboard/Hand Positions
• Posture Advice
• Checklists to Ensure the Comfort of Your Work Area, and
• When to Call a Doctor.

via GIPHY

Now... who wants to talk about what people are starting to call "scrolling thumb?"

Remember - keep those keyboards straight and your wrists flexing! I'd personally suggest lifting as many glasses of wine between now and your next long computer session just to make sure your wrists are in shape ;-)

Bless Your Heart... For Real!

All Customer Service Employees need this book

Yes, I'm trying to stir the pot again.

I once had an interesting conversation that started with this prompt: “There is a vast difference between being 'nice' and being 'polite.’” A few people, and I have to believe that they are among those rarities who are actually nice all of the time (yes, they do exist but I am unfortunately not one of them), argued that there is no difference between the two words. For most of the discussion, however, I found that people do tend to notice distinct differences between these two words and what they meant to them.

I bring this up for two reasons:

1.  Being a word nerd, I’m fascinated by how two words meaning essentially the same thing conversationally (despite specific definitions) and used interchangeably so often can evolve to conjure such specific reactions, and 
2. I had a long phone call where I realized that the ‘polite’ person that I was talking to on the phone was not a ‘nice’ person at all. In fact, I was pretty sure that she was giving me the finger while she was saying, “Bless your heart,” safely from her end of the phone line. I got off the phone with this "customer service rep" feeling hollow, irritated, and condescended to, and eventually just angry. NOT good for the old mental/emotional well-being.

You probably grew up across the street from this lady

For those not familiar with southern sarcasm, ‘Bless your heart’ can sometimes be a meaningful expression of sympathy, but more often than not it’s a southern lady’s socially acceptable way of saying “Why the hell do you think I care?”

Now it's got me wondering about my own responses to people and feeling slightly guilty. You know what I mean... The phone rings at work and, blast that caller ID, it’s one of those people you'd rather give extraneous body parts than have to deal with. But, since you have a job to do for which you are being paid, on goes that plasticine smile with the glazed eyes as you say, “No, you’re no problem at all, really, how can I help you?” All the while your imagination is dreaming up scenarios in which it would be acceptable for you to scream “Go away already you horrible person!”

See? Polite, but not nice, and certainly not in keeping with my goal to remain positive. On Monday I talked about faking it til we make it as a way to trick ourselves into being more naturally optimistic. When I let myself hide behind the polite mask I'm doing the opposite - I'm allowing myself to be negative by justifying to myself that it's not *my* fault that so-and-so is a pain to deal with instead of just putting my big girl pants on and take some pride in a job well done even if it means a momentary irritation.

Now that I’ve given you the set up, what do you think? What do these two words mean to you, and do you feel affected differently by them?

Good Habits - #Tips for Taking care of your pearly whites

An apple a day... helps clean your teeth!

Here are some do's and don't's for keeping your mouth clean and happy and your dentist at arm's length...

WEBMD says DON'T use your teeth for:

• Pliers
• Coat hangers
• Ice crushers
• Potato chip bag openers
• Knot looseners
• Fork tine straighteners
• Chomping frozen candy bars full of caramel or frozen nuts

Here's the healthy, white teeth diet (from Reader's Digest)

DON'T: drink red wine, colas, dark juices, and black tea (probably coffee too, because bottom line - if it's dark before you put it in your mouth, it will probably stain your teeth.)

DON'T: smoke (duh!)

DO: brush immediately after eating or drinking foods that stain teeth

DO: eat an apple! it's a natural "detergent" food, as well as raw carrots, celery, and popcorn

DO: get a new toothbrush every 2-3 months

More healthy teeth tips:

• Brush gently and at a 45 degree angle - teeth have no feeling, you're hurting your gums and making them recede when you brush too roughly.
• Floss!
• Use sugar-free mints and alcohol-free mouthwash 
• Brush teeth first thing in morning and last thing at night

And on the beauty side, darker lipstick makes teeth look whiter.

Do you have any toothy grin-worthy habits to share? Spit em out!

Avoid Doggone Sickness

Why are people sick as dogs?
 Fido can eat trash int he wag of a tail without any side-effects.
Wouldn't we want to be as healthy as a dog?

I'm going to tell you a really gross story. The worst part is, it's totally true.

Last winter, I was walking into a department store and one of their employees was walking in with me. As we approached the door, the worker sneezed- one of those snotty winter sneezes that require several tissues to contain the flow.

Problem was, she didn't have a tissue. Instead, she used her hand. A wad of snot filled her palm. Without missing a beat, she flicked the mess on the side walk and walked right into the store.

She touched the door handle. Shoved a cart out of her way. Straightened a display case of holiday cookies...all on her way to the cash register, where she rang up items, touching each and every one with her snotty hand.

It was soo gross. And I realized...this probably wasn't a rarity. People sneeze in their hands all the time, and then touch all the stuff everyone else is touching.

The problem is- what to do?

Become a germ hermit afraid to go out into world?

No, that's no fun, especially during the holidays. We busy housewives have gifts to buy and dinners to prep. We can't avoid the public and their grossness, but we can minimize the spread for their germs.

Just follow my grandma's hand washing rules.

Always wash your hands before you eat and after returning from a public place. I'd get less frowns from kissing a dog on the head than if I sat down at the table without dirty paws. My grandma always said, "Soap is cheap...use it."

Good hand washing can be as good as a flu shot. 

What Not to Do for Your Health

Yikes! Who Knew? When I was thinking about what to post on Wellness Wednesday I did a little research. I thought I'd find a healthy exercise routine to share. Instead, I found some things Not To Do if you're concerned with your health, and who isn't? So I'm sharing two things I learned from my little excursion into the Internet world of health. We're into the winter months and most of us have closed our windows and turned on the heat. If you're like me, you miss that fresh air of summer. Do you reach for the aerosol? Light one of those delicious smelling sandalwood candles or find the incense?   Don't.  John Naish of the British Daily Mail has written that some of these products are making us sick. He even says that incense, such as agarwood and sandalwood, are more toxic than tobacco smoke.   But wait! There's more. In a recent study, 79 percent of mascara tubes were plagued with staph bacteria and 86 percent of women in the study admitted to using mascara past its prime. One very helpful hint I gleaned from the article is this: set up a calendar alert for dumping your mascara 3 months from purchase even if it's still moist.  Now here's something healthy to DO.  I tested it and it's actually pretty good.  I'm not glowing yet, but I'll let you know if that happens. Glowing Skin Smoothie

It's packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that infuse new life into your skin. (I can use some new life infused into my skin.)

Here's how to make it...

Ingredients (for 2 servings)

• 2/3 c. of almond milk
• 1 cup of Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup of your favorite berries (blueberries are best!)
• 1/2 of an avocado
• Handful of spinach or kale
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

Generous drizzle of organic honey

1 small banana

A few ice cubes (more for a frostier smoothie, fewer for a creamier one)

Put all of the ingredients into a blender and pulse until no lumps are visible. Serve immediately. Drink as often as you like... of course, every day is best!

If you're not a berry-lover, pineapple is a GREAT choice to get an extra dose of collagen-boosting Vitamin C... and it tastes like a tropical vacation in a glass!

C. Lee McKenzie

In Lee's writing, she takes on modern issues that today's teens face in their daily lives. Her first young adult novel, Sliding on the Edge, which dealt with cutting and suicide was published in 2009. Her second, titled The Princess of Las Pulgas, dealing with a family who loses everything and must rebuild their lives came out in 2010. Double Negative (2014) was her third young adult novel. Researching it turned her into a literacy advocate. Her fourth YA, Sudden Secrets came out in December 2014.

When she really wants to have fun, she writes middle grade books. Alligators Overhead was her first published book for readers age 8-12, and the sequel, The Great Time Lock Disaster, is now out.

Lee's website

Wonders of Water

Water really is wonderful.

It's cheap.

It's easy.

It's essential.

The only thing more important to survival is oxygen.

When the body is dehydrated, it often confuses thirst with hunger causing people to over eat. A dehydrated body is also more prone to muscle pain, fatigue, head aches, depression, constipation, wrinkles. and illness.

A well-hydrated body is like a well-oiled machine. The water circulates all the organs and muscles detoxing the body. If the body is running short on fluids, the detox cycle suffers. Just like a car that's short on oil, the body's systems will function at a lower level. The muscles and brain will ache. The body will feel sluggish and slow, leading to feeling blah which can lead to depression. Even the eyes, when lacking proper hydration, will burn and feel fatigued.

Keeping the body tissue supple causes the skin to be smoother, younger looking. And it also keeps the mucus membranes more pliable and resistant to germs. Not to mention it keeps the bowels moving, which possibly cuts down on the risk of colon cancer.

There really are no arguments against drinking water...unless you're planning to drink it from a puddle.

So come on! Drink some water!!!

*If you find the flavor boring, add some lemon. Or lime. I've often heard people like it with cucumber, but I've never tried that.

*Want to save some money? When eating at a restaurant, order water with your dinner. It will save you at least $2.00 per diner.

*Carry your own water bottle and fill it with tap water. When it's time to clean it, soak it in vinegar water over night.

Most places recommend shooting for eight, eight ounce glasses per day. To make sure I stay hydrated, I used to keep eight pennies in my kitchen window and move them from one side to another. It always amazes me how much better I feel when I drink my water.

Fruitalicious Dried Snacks

Happy Wednesday, peeps! If you were hanging out with me Monday, you might have picked up on the fact that I’m kind of a fiend for saving cash. I’m a DIY-er driven by an obsession with not paying for anything I might be able to do on my own. Or possibly trade pizza and a 6-pack for.

So sticking with that theme – let’s talk about fruit! Dried fruit, that is...

C'mon, don't act like you haven't seen this in your crisper.

In my 2-person household, we have the bad habit of buying fruit and then forgetting about it in the mysterious depths of the crisper drawer until it sprouts a carpet and/or terrible smell. Out of sight, out of mind, you know. We WANT to eat healthy, but in our busy lives snacks that come pre-packaged and non-sticky tend to be the first thing we grab. Anyone who's ever tried to eat a plum on the drive to work knows exactly what I mean. And has a sticky steering wheel.

After we threw away another package of spoiled apple slices, my wonderfully brilliant husband decided that we should try our hand at drying it and making fruit snacks and trail mixes. If you buy trail mix or dried fruit for your family, you know how pricey it can be in the store for the natural products, and the cheaper ones end up being mostly sugar and preservatives.

So yes, what I’m saying is this is totally a win-win.

Being the thorough engineer that he is, he did the research on what kind of dehydrator would be the best for us and we settled on this one for us based on the size, ratings, temperature settings and price. There are so many options out there and you can spend anywhere from $20 - $200 on a dehydrator, but even some of the higher end ones had terrible reviews. 

Lesson: Unless you like throwing money away for fun, do the research!

After lots of trial and error and some rather interesting experiments, we discovered that our favorites are thinly sliced dried pineapple chips, cantaloupe/honeydew, cinnamon apple slices and watermelon chips.

That’s right... Dried WATERmelon. Counter-intuitive, isn’t it? But O....M....G.... Dried watermelon ultimately tastes like watermelon candy and has a taffy-like texture that will become your favorite sweet snack. And getting healthy snacks in the house that your family WANTS to eat (and quite possibly fights over) is its own reward!

Left to right: Dried Watermelon, zucchini chips, fig slices, sliced/seasoned tomatoes,
honeydew, trail mix, and cinnamon apple slices. One giant pile of YUM.

The snackalicious possibilities are endless with a dehydrator and there are resources a-plenty on the web to give you great ideas to try. Here’s a few to get you started:

Fruit leather guide: These are basically homemade fruit roll-ups with any fruits you choose. It’s the perfect solution for those overripe fruits you don’t want to just throw away. Not to mention delish!

Kale Chips: My favorite is garlic and cashew

36 Foolproof Recipes: This’ll get you started, and then some!

Now that your mouth is watering and your pocketbook is ready for a refill, go salvage your fruit drawer!

Need Better Sleep?

While Tara is busy launching her newest book, Simulation, and I'm busy trying to catch up on the laundry pile, we asked the marvelous Annalisa Crawford to do our work visit! Annalisa is a trainer and physical fitness buff from the United Kingdom. To get her here, all we had to do was float a trail of biscuits (AKA cookies) across the Atlantic. 

Welcome Annalisa!!

How to get a good night’s sleep  by Annalisa Crawford

Hey, it’s Monday. Are you up and raring to go? Or feeling a bit groggy, like you didn’t get quite enough sleep? Did you lie there last night, tossing and turning, getting more and more frustrated? Did you watch the sun rise and realise your quest for sleep was in vain yet again?

Never fear, I’ve got a few tips that might help if you have the odd few days of sleeplessness.

1.       Massage your feet. Find a really thick, aromatic foot balm and spend a few minutes rubbing it in - run your thumbs directly up the middle of your foot, make deep circles just beneath the balls and into the arches, sweep your fingers along your toes and pull. As an added benefit, your feet will be beautifully soft in the morning!

2.       Keep a notebook beside your bed and write your thoughts down. Write down any worries, important to-dos, the name of that actor from that film you were talking about and just remembered. Get it all down, and your mind will be freed up.

3.       Just lie there. Get comfortable—perhaps in a position you wouldn’t normally sleep in—and just enjoy the fact that you are resting and you don’t have a hundred different tasks to complete. Just rest. Allow your mind to wander into daydream territory:

a.       What would you do with a million dollars?

b.       What award are you up on stage receiving?

c.       Imagine you’re lying on a beach, in a mountain cabin, in Paris or Milan or Venice, rather than in your own bed.

4.       Breathe. Properly. A lot of people don’t—we’re shallow-breathers (using only 50% of our lungs) or we manage to bypass our lungs and fill our stomachs with air instead!

a.       First, picture your lungs like the branches of a tree. The trunk (your trachea), the branches, the twigs, the buds.

b.       Breathe in. Focus on getting your breath as far up the tree as possible. When you’ve breathed in a much as you can, pause for a second, then breathe in a little more. Let the breath out very slowly. It takes practise to get enough air to reach the very tips of the ‘branches’, but—hey!—you can’t sleep, you’ve got the time.

c.       Make sure you aren’t breathing into your stomach. If you can see your stomach rising, then you need more focus.

Do you have any tried-and-tested methods? I’d love to hear from you.

Besides being a pro at getting healthy, Annalisa Crawford is a multi-published author of literary fiction and dark, psychological suspense. She lives near the beach in Cornwall, UK with her musician husband, her two boys, and some furry critters. Check out Annalisa's work HERE.

Survive Labor Day

No one loves a Monday holiday more than me. Of course, that means Tuesday is the new Monday. And nobody wants that.

Here is how you're going to survive Labor Day though. Buy a bag of precooked lean hamburger patties from your local grocery store. I'm in Texas, so HEB has these for about $6/bag and 1 patty is 130 calories. Grab whole wheat buns and microwavable popcorn. (Popcorn has less calories than potato chips. It's just as cheap and other than the 2 minutes in a microwave doesn't take any longer to toss into a bowl than any other snack. Besides, that gives you two minutes to find and wash a bowl). If you really want to be a great hostess, shuck some corn on the cob, sprinkle salt, wrap in aluminum foil and bake. Clean the kitchen while the corn bakes, and if a kid or husband crosses your path, set them to work. The mode is survival. No one escapes today. If you're up to it, toss a salad. (Chopping your own veggis is cheaper, but how much is your time worth? I use the bagged stuff). Voila. You have a labor day meal. And it's semi-healthy.

How to Mold a Mouthpiece

As the mother of four boys (well, two are technically men now, but since they still don't know where to find their own clothes, I feel comfortable calling them boys), I have clocked A LOT of hours at ball fields. My boys' sport of choice was football.

Football is a very gear intensive sport. From cleats to helmets and everything in between, it's a bag full of stuff. And with football, you do need to sweat the small stuff- like the mouth piece. It protects not only the teeth, but it also reduces the risk of concussion. So, a good fitting mouth piece (or mouth guard) is essential.

And it's relatively easy!

(I can say that now because my husband has been doing them for twenty years. Some of those early attempts looked like Picasso masterpieces- especially when the kids were young and not so eager to stick something in their mouths that was freshly pulled out of boiling water!)

So, here are some tips for easy mouth piece creation and care:

In the beginning...

We always start with two or three mouth pieces, so we have a back-up if they are messed up or aren't a good fit. If they're all good, we keep them. My sons always carry at least one reserve mouthpiece in their travel bag. It's a violation to play without one (not to mention not smart!) and the last thing we want is for our kids to have to "borrow" one from a sideline player because theirs was lost in the mud after breaking off the helmet.

The creation...

1. Boil a pot of water on the stove.
2. Have a cup of cold water and a timer ready. Once the water is at full boil, drop the mouth piece in, holding it by its stem. Make sure to have a butter knife handy. The plastic piece is buoyant, so you may need to hold it under.
3. Boil mouthpiece for 30 seconds.
4. Quickly remove mouthpiece and dip in the cold water for just a second. The butter knife comes in handy here too. It helps stabilize the now soft piece.
5. Pull out of the water and quickly put it in the mouth:
      - Bite down gently, yet firmly on the mouth piece, so not to put holes in it.
      - While biting down, have your player suck in on the mouthpiece and press the top of it against the roof of his mouth. At the same time, you should press the mouthpiece into his teeth with your thumbs to get the best fit.

In the End...

Best way to keep a mouth piece clean and fresh? Soak it in Listerine when not in use. Not only will this reduce bacteria, but it will be much tastier than a soap and water wash.