New Communities

President Obama's speech today made me think a lot about "community." We have our world community, the "community feeling" reported in the congress and senate, the call to help others in our community, and of course the many communities who gathered together to watch the inaugural festivities today in churches and schools across the country. And yet this year I have discovered a whole new sense of community. I have found thousands of mothers, like myself, who have a passion for writing and exploring family life. I have found, and joined a growing number of mother bloggers.

Through networks like the Mom Bloggers Club, Cafe Mom, and Moms in a Blog, I've received everything from writing advice to crock pot recipes. These are smart and interesting women across the globe who have come together to create a new sense of community and caring. I'm enjoying my new friends, and learning a lot in this maternal cyber world. My sense of community keeps expanding and evolving. And. I'm so very pleased to have added a new dimension of community to my life this year!

Lose Weight - Tips and Tricks

If you’re not trying to lose weight, don’t bother reading this.

If you are trying to lose weight, you may find this info interesting, or even helpful. Personally, I’ve always been a “tips and tricks” type of person. For any hobby, like cooking or knitting, and even for the important stuff in life, like raising kids, I’ve always found I can take a little something away from a list of helpful tips and tricks. So, here are some of my weight loss tips and tricks, and I hope you find something useful.

Tip #1: Roast a bunch of veggies and keep them in your fridge. When everyone sits down for dinner and wolfs down a plate of pasta or tacos, you can join them by creating your own variation of the dish. I like roasted squash, onion, mushrooms, and maybe even some eggplant. You can add these veggies to your plate with some meat (turkey meatballs, chicken) or put them in a whole wheat tortilla with some salsa and fat free sour cream. The veggies last a long time and you can change the flavor depending on what you’re making for the rest of your gang.

Tip #2: Soup du jour/soup galore! The Weight Watchers veggie soup is so good and, again, you can add whatever protein you like. At Trader Joe’s I buy the pre-cut carrot, onion and celery soup starter and then add a pack of cole slaw and whatever I have around – like zucchini and garbanzo beans. Of course, I eat a lot of lentil soup, too. Soup is filling and usually low fat and low calorie. If you open a can, have ½ and then eat the other ½ as a snack or mid-afternoon meal.

Tip #3: Going out to dinner? This may seem tortuous, but save 500-600 calories for going out. Yes, you may be ravenous. Fill up on V8, or instant miso soup (unless you have high blood pressure.) Drink tea or have some low-cal snack like grapefruit or celery. Go online and look at the menu of the restaurant. Get excited about a nice piece of grilled fish, or whatever healthy entree you can find.

Tip #4: Keep an online food journal. There are a bunch of them, but I like Fitday. Yes, it takes some time to keep track of your food, but the more you do, the more you know what foods are filling, healthy and low cal.

Hope these little tricks help you, and please let me know about YOUR tips and tricks.

Fresh Starts

There were some wonderful holiday moments -- skiing with the kids, meals with extended family, not to mention my brand new laptop computer! But, when I dragged the tree out of the house yesterday, I admit, I felt relieved. Finally, I'm home alone and getting things organized. The boxes of decorations are returned to their perch on a shelf in the basement, and I have some big ideas for some redecorating touches around the house. The post-holiday, New Year energy is inspiring me and motivating me to make changes big and small.

For example, I love make-up. In fact, I think I should have gone into cosmetics and hair as an occupation. After dropping some hints to my trusty 11-year-old daughter, I found a cosmetic kit under the tree. Last night I dug through that old, crusty, make-up drawer. You know, the one with the three bottles of old foundation that never quite matched my skin tone? That drawer in which the blush broke and dusted the corners and crevices? I cleared out all of that old junk and kept only the basics -- the stuff I really use. It is such a pleasure to open that drawer now.

My schedule was also in dire need of an overhaul. I'm setting time aside not only for writing, but also for more reading. And, I signed on to take a course on writing Children's books! I'm excited for mental stimulation in 2009.

And, of course, I know I need to take better care of my body. The way I see it, I'm about half way through my life. So, I went to the gym today. I plan to attend the Body Conditioning Class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. And, when I went to the grocery store, I stocked up on tons of fruits and veggies. I also signed on to FitDay, which allows me to keep an online food journal so I can actually pay attention to what I'm eating (or what I'm not.) I know, I probably do these things every year, but still, I like fresh starts. I like the possibilities and hope they provide.

I recently read an essay by Andrew Sullivan, in the collection of essays, This I Believe. In describing the United States, and our lofty goals like liberty and the pursuit of happiness, he writes, "In the constant failure to arrive...lies the possibility of a permanent fresh start."

I realize that my house will be a mess again, as will my make-up drawer. I know that I will never be as fit as I was in my twenties. And, my writing and mental growth will suffer from the usual ebbs and flows. But the goal is secondary to the journey. As Sullivan says, " I believe in the pursuit of happiness. Not its attainment, nor its final destination, but its pursuit." For me, I believe in fresh starts, and I'm excited for 2009.