Today

Ten years already. I have tried to stay away from cliche posts and wallowing in the significance of today, but, I find I just can't. One reason I can't is because of a status that was pointed out to me earlier today. I keep going back to that and wondering how a person can be so unmoved by something so tragic.

This person intimated that 9/11/2001 didn't change him. That it didn't change anyone and we are all being fake by being affected by the event and the anniversary. I must say, I find that pretty callous. I agree he is entitled to his opinion. We all are. However, my opinion is, he is wrong.

Immediately after the event, I was affected. I had plans to fly from Atlanta to Denver two days following. I didn't know if I would get to go or not. I had serious doubts about bringing another child into the world. My children (three of them at the time) were two, two and seven months. I didn't have a clue what kind of world they would grow up in. I was nervous and scared about what they would have to face growing up. I remember thinking how relieved I was that Daddy had retired from the military and worrying about the ones I knew still doing their duty to country. I worried that Daddy would be called back up, anyway. He wasn't even 50 at the time!

I lost a job due to 9/11. How? Company stock dropped because people were more interested in their safety than the products we sold. Not to mention that we had a business in one of the towers. I was a WELL-paid employee and more recently employed than others. Last in, first out. Unfair? Maybe, but, I ended up going back to school for my Master's in Teaching. However, that is another story...

Today, ten years later, I am still affected. One of the first things I thought of this morning was a dear friend of mine. She missed working in the towers that day. Had she not, I might not have met my dear friend. You see, I didn't know her then. I am so thankful I know her, now. Tried to fly anywhere lately? I have. Before 9/11, nobody would have thought to remove their SHOES to be SCANNED before getting on a plane. All liquids can only be a certain size, you can only carry so many bottles, don't even think about trying to take a razor on the plane.

Do I live every day like it is 9/11? No. Just like I don't live every day as if it is my birthday or anniversary. I don't live every day as if it is the day we lost my Daddy, but, that doesn't stop me from thinking about him often. So, while our day-to-day activities may not have changed drastically, we are all still affected in some way. As it is with my Daddy, there are things that happen that make me think about that tragic day on other days of the year. I will NEVER get some of those images out of my head. And, to be honest, I don't want to.

We, as a nation, had become complacent and cocky. We had an attitude of invincibility that reminds me so much of the teenagers I teach. When you think about world civilizations, we ARE the teenagers. Just as it is always tragic to lose a young person too early in life, it was tragic to have our eyes opened to our own vulnerability. If nothing else, THAT should have affected and changed everyone who saw the events of that day.

Why Back to School is Hard for Me...

There is only one reason why I dislike being a teacher. My children. It is very hard to be a teaching parent, sometimes. I have never taken my children to school on their first day of school and that kind of stinks. It made me really sad this morning when I realized that my baby boy is going into the second grade and the only times I have ever taken him to school or picked him up have been when I was out for a sick day or we had a different Spring Break.

I rarely get to attend parent/teacher conferences. I am usually at work talking to other parents. I get to know my children’s teachers through email. I have met support staff at my kids’ schools in places like Wal-Mart or the pool because I don’t often get to be in their schools. This morning, I was almost in tears wishing I could be home when my kids get there today with some warm chocolate chip cookies and milk waiting for them. That will most likely never be.

Now, don’t get me wrong. ANYONE who knows me KNOWS how much I love being a teacher and how much I love my kids. My kids are a huge reason why I AM a teacher. I do get holidays and most school breaks off with them. We get to hang out and spend time together and do all sorts of fun stuff. However, it can be difficult to be unable to be there with my darlings when they are having their first days. Today, for example, I had to leave before all four children left for school. I also will not be home for several hours after them due to Open House at my school. I will miss hearing how the first day went until this evening and that kind of hurts.

Now, would I change it? No. The kids are used to it and it probably doesn’t bother them as much as it bothers me. They do tend to get upset when I can’t go on field trips. That hurts sometimes. I don’t usually get to help out when they have days for parents to come to school. I send baked goods or money as often as I can, but, sometimes it doesn’t feel like enough. I love my children and I love my job. I guess, in the end, I face the same dilemma as most working moms. It just hits me a little bit more in the face because of my chosen profession. :)

Stumbling Blocks

Ok. This is a HUGE issue for some people in the Christian community. I honestly hadn't really thought anything much about it until recently. There was a furor years ago, it died down, only to be rekindled with the most recent and last movie in the Harry Potter series.

My kids like Harry Potter and so do I. I have read all of the books. My oldest two sons have read all of the books. My youngest son is just beginning to read the books. Here is something some people don't think about. They READ the books. They don't BELIEVE the books. Why did I read the books? To protect my children. I knew that they would be exposed in some way. The movies are on TV all the time. What happens if I leave them with a sitter who lets them watch it? Who is to blame when they have questions I can't answer? Me. At least with the way I have done it, I can CONTROL the situation.

I read the books so I could discuss them with my kids. We talked about how fiction and fantasy are different from the real world. We discussed how Christians don't use magic nor do we believe in magic. They also know that going to see a "magician" means sleight of hand and illusions. NOT casting spells and creating potions. They know that there are people who do those things and believe in it. They also know, without a doubt, that to do so is sin. We also discussed that there is no such thing as "white" magic or "good" magic. So, why would I deliberately expose them to this fantasy world? Because it is FANTASY. Plain and simple. It is adventure, it is interesting, it is exciting, and it is fun. I also am quite often liable to read anything that is causing controversy in order to be able to knowledgeably speak from either side of the issue.

I am hearing all kinds of things from people who disagree with this point of view. I am ok with people who disagree. If we all agreed on everything, life would be boring. However, what I am not ok with is people who take things out of context and try to impose their opinions on me and my beliefs. I will listen to anyone's side of an issue presented respectfully and in love. I will not be told that I didn't "find God right the first time so I need to try again" because I have read something I find amusing. I also disagree with people who do not verify their facts before running off at the mouth. I have seen comments such as "drinking blood is an abomination, a sin worthy of hell!" Ummm, does that even APPLY to unicorns? They are fictional, right?

Having said this, I must say, I would never want to be a stumbling block. We are admonished in Philippians 2:12 to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" and in v.13 "For it is GOD who works in you to will and act in order to fulfill his good purpose." My salvation does not depend on someone else's convictions. My salvation depends on MY relationship with God. I HAVE worked this out. I know without a doubt that this issue does not affect my salvation nor my relationship with God, nor my children's. I Corinthians 8:9 says, " Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak." I have two perspectives on this.

The first one that sticks in my head is the way some Christians come across as, "I have all the answers, you are wrong, if you do this, you will go to hell." When you come at an individual, particularly a person who is not strong in such a manner, you can easily cause that person to turn away. By making someone feel as if the only way to God is to give up EVERYTHING that can be enjoyable causes people to not want to have a relationship with God. By the same token, if my watching Harry Potter (or Lord of the Rings, or Bewitched, or Chronicles of Narnia) causes a weak person to stumble, it is my duty to NOT talk about, watch, read, or embrace those things with that person. There again, we lead to working out our own salvations.

Do I expect everyone to agree with me? No. If you are offended or feel that these books, movies, stories are not for you. I am totally ok with that. I would never presume to tell a person that he or she HAD to agree with me because this is the way God and I see it. I would be willing to explain my point of view, however, many people will shut down and shut off their ears. Liking fantasy does not make me a bad person. It makes me different, even interesting to some. I will not apologize for being confident enough in who I am and in my relationship with God that I can and have seen and read something that is a pure work of fiction.

Sports Parents

After last night, I just HAD to make this post. I love being a sports mom. I really enjoy watching my kids play and seeing how they have improved year after year. It is amazing to me to watch them grow and change. Sometimes it is funny because recent growth spurts make them seem awkward until the get used to it.

I am an INTENSE mom. I watch everything my kids do. I offer helpful suggestions. I praise good work. I can whistle (loudly) through my teeth. If I see one of my children goofing off or not paying attention, I whistle. They KNOW that whistle. One can see their heads snap up and look straight at me. I point, they nod, then get into position. Other parents have learned my method and it doesn't even phase them. They do, however, look to see which kid is getting corrected. It is especially useful with my older two. They always play on the same team, so, sometimes, BOTH heads snap up! It also helps when one is hit by a pitch, receives a hard tackle, or fouled in basketball. I whistle, the child looks, I raise an eyebrow or do a thumbs up and the child either gives me a thumbs up, nods, or shakes the head. Silent communication from the playing field. They ALWAYS know Mama is watching and paying attention.

What I don't like about being a sports parent is other sports parents. I don't mean the ones like me. I mean the ones who have to coach EVERY child on the team from their camp chairs or the bleachers. I mean the ones who scream at their kids for a bad play or striking out. I am talking about the ones who will stretch or break rules just to WIN. The ones who try to live vicariously through their children. THOSE parents make angry. You cannot expect a 12-year-old boy to hit like Babe Ruth! A ten-year-old girl is NOT normally going to hit a home run. A seven-year-old boy is NOT going to catch every fly ball hit near him.

The kids need to have fun. Intensity and competitiveness comes later. I will admit that there is quite a big difference watching my older two compared to my younger two. They are reaching an age where they are hard on themselves and want to win every game. That is ok with me. I want them to WANT to be good at what they do. I don't want them to think that they have to do it for me or for their daddy.

Last night was a prime example of why I don't like other sports parents. Many of these people coach. I am glad for that. I don't think I could do it. I truly don't think I have the skill to do it. However, the cocky, cheating coaches are the ones that irritate me. At my daughter's game, the other team came out with attitude. I know that may sound silly to some, but, it is true. You can see it in the arrogance of the coach and the way he talks to his team. It was also in the way he showed his team how to rejoice over the missteps of ours. He also started off the game in my bad graces by saying his team hadn't lost a game. Which was not true. They lost to us. Our girls were the only undefeated team this season. Why did he say this? So they could be the home team and have last at bat.

I watched the girls on the other team. They were so VERY hard on themselves. One of their pitchers was in tears because of the runs she had allowed. I lay all of this on her parents and her coach. I was turned off immediately because of how he questioned the rules. He then argued with a run that we got because our girl was hit by the ball thanks to one of his girls. There was no one keeping the scoreboard. I heard him say to the umpire at the end of one inning, "I don't know, we have eight or NINE, I think." The score was 8-5. He knew this, he was just trying to pad his lead. Our girls scored two and held them in the bottom of the next inning.

The top of the last inning comes up. I leaned over to Chris and said, "Watch, he's going to try to call time on the game." Sure enough. He got his girls in the dugout and had them start lining up like they were going to shake hands. Thankfully, the umpire, though he was but a 14-year-old kid, told him there was one inning to go after he said, "Isn't that time?" Happily, our girls came back, scored 9 runs and won the game 16-8 by holding the other team in the bottom of the last inning. I am VERY proud of how gracious our girls were. They cheered for the other girls, they clapped for them as they were handed their medals for second place, and showed NO attitude.

These types of coaches are the ones who ruin sports for kids. By not teaching them to be gracious, good sports, the kids learn ugliness. They feel at an early age that they must win at all costs or they feel like failures. They don't learn to ENJOY what they are doing for fear of some type of retribution for failure, whether it be verbal or in the form of extra practices, running, etc. We have been fairly lucky with our kids coaches. So far, there has only been ONE I have come close to having words with and it was a good thing I missed one game, in particular! However, should the day come where I see a coach causing my kids to cry, hate what they are doing, or learn to cheat, you better believe MAMA will make sure Coach is informed...

What Are You Doing? Part II

I was asked yesterday to explain a little bit about how I used what I know of science to help myself lose weight. Once again, I have to say, I am by no means an expert. I probably know just enough to get myself into trouble :) However, I will endeavor to explain some here.

First of all, I will address calories. Calories are basically a unit of energy. Certain foods contain more calories than others. EVERYTHING you eat has calories. Of course, your higher in sugar and higher in fat foods have more calories than your fruits and vegetables. The key is to get calories from foods that are good for you while not feeling deprived or hungry.

Most foods are made up of calories from three sources, protein, carbohydrates, and fat. It is always better to get your calories from protein and carbs than from fat. However, you do need a certain amount if fat for your body. There are some vitamins that are only fat-soluble and your body can only absorb them in the presence of fat. One still needs to be careful with fat. Gram for gram, fat packs more than twice the calories of protein and carbs. I try to avoid foods that get more than half of their calories from fat. Basically, how I figure that is if a serving is 1 cup, the calories is 100, and the fat grams is 5.5, I multiply the grams of fat by 10, which gives me 55. If that number is more than half of the calories, I avoid it, unless I am just CRAVING it :) You should always listen to your body. Sometimes a craving is something you actually need.

Protein is found in all of your meats. However, there are other sources of protein that many don't realize are there. Diary products contain protein. Cheese, milk, ice cream, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc all have protein. Eggs are a good source of protein. Eggs are controversial to many people because of the cholesterol. However, the body also needs some cholesterol to function. Other sources of protein include beans, nuts, and legumes. Protein is very important when exercising because it helps your body build muscle. My protein intake is pretty high right now and I am building muscle. I can see it and feel it. I have to remind myself not to get frustrated when that number on the scale doesn't go down because muscle does weigh more than fat.

Carbohydrates are probably the most difficult thing to cut back on because they are found in practically EVERYTHING you eat except some of your meats. Carbohydrates are essentially sugars in various forms. Anything you eat that has sugar has carbohydrates. By sugar, I don't mean just sucrose (table sugar). I also mean fructose (fruit sugar), lactose (milk sugar), maltose (grain sugar), and various other sources. Basically, if it ends in "-ose", it is a type of sugar. These sugars come mainly from plant products. Once again, you MUST have some of these sugars daily in order for your body to function. I am currently trying to get less than half of my energy from carbs because of how easily they can turn into fat.

Taking in too many carbohydrates can cause weight gain. When carbohydrates are not burned, they turn into sugars and get stored in the body as fat. An excess of 3,500 calories can turn into 1 lb. of fat. Conversely, burning an extra 3,500 calories will reduce your fat or weight by 1 lb. The difficulty here is figuring out if you are actually burning extra calories. Most people don't realize that your body needs a certain amount of calories just to function normally in an average day. It takes calories to breathe, have your heart beat, your kidneys function, and digest food. So, anything you burn over that amount can burn off fat and lead to weight loss. That amount is called your BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate. It is the bottom line number of calories your body needs in order to function. There is a formula used for calculating this number.

• Adult male: 66 + (6.3 x body weight in lbs.) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

• Adult female: 655 + (4.3 x weight in lbs.) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

However, if you take in fewer than that amount of calories, your body will burn stored fat to continue functioning. While it is possible to lose weight by taking in less than your BMR recommends, it is a slower process than it would be if you were to add exercise. My BMR is a little over 1,500. I am averaging around 1,200 calories per day consumed. Keeping in mind the 3,500 rule, it would take nearly two weeks to lose one pound. As it is, I am averaging burning around 1,000 calories a day more than I take in. This is the reason why I have been averaging around a 2 lb. per week weight loss.

I really recommend a person add a good multi-vitamin when embarking on a weight loss routine. It is important to ensure your body is still getting the nutrition you need. If you start without one and add it later, you will notice a difference in how you feel. Cutting down on food also cuts down on some essential nutrients, so, a vitamin is very important. Be sure to listen to your body. If it says "enough" let that be enough. I have made it as much as five miles running, and then had to cut down to three the next day. It really makes a difference when you let your body tell you what it needs.

I hope this helps. I will be happy to answer any more questions anyone has. However, my experience and advice are not to be taken in the place of a licensed nutritionist or physician. These are just the things that I have learned personally. :D Happy weight loss!

What Are You Doing?

That has been the question "du jour" for me lately. I have to admit, I am very proud of my weight loss. It hasn't been easy and it actually gets harder. Harder? Yep. The more weight I lose, the fewer calories are burned with the same activities. That REALLY sucks! However, the cool thing is, I can now run for FIVE miles!

Now to the question. I am the last person to be giving advice. I am just as lazy as the next couch potato. However, I had reached a point in my life where it was, lose the weight or keep getting bigger. I certainly wasn't losing much by not changing anything I was doing except eating salads for lunch! I knew that if I were going to do it, it would HAVE to be a lifestyle change. Not just a diet.

I couldn't fathom the thought of joining a group, a club, a gym, or a diet plan. Those things cost money! Money I don't have to blow on special things like that. Not with four children. So, I decided to take my degree in biology and my knowledge of human anatomy and put it to use.

I am using www.livestrong.com to track things. I track the foods I eat and the activities I do. I noticed that half of my food lately is made up of carbs, so, I am trying to cut down on that. It is HARD to do. I usually go over on my daily recommended protein, but, that's ok because I can SEE that I am building muscle.

The most important thing I have done for myself is NOT deprive myself. I have cut down on sweets and empty calorie foods. I rarely eat things like chips or cookies, but, I DO allow myself to have them. I try to eat a good breakfast every day. I make sure I have a good protein source, usually an egg. Lunch is usually very light. Maybe a salad or some raw veggies. For dinner, I eat what the rest of the family is eating, only a smaller portion than I used to eat. I even allow myself NOT to clean my plate :)

Working out is NOT easy, but, I have made it bearable for myself. I use our Wii Fit. When I started, I would do one round of Advanced Step Aerobics, then, try to run, and another round of aerobics. The aerobics I would use for warm up and cool down. I have reached the point now where I can do ten minutes of aerobics and five miles of running followed by another ten of aerobics. Some days are harder than others, trust me!

I was not able to do this until I wanted to do it for myself. I have dieted before, but, I tried to do it just by food. That really doesn't help. I felt deprived and hungry. Now, I am truly trying to make it a part of my life. The rewards are great! My daughter put her arms around me a few days ago. She said, "Mama, I used to only be able to get my arms around you like this" and held her arms out further, grabbing her wrists, "now, I can do this!" and she hugged me tightly grabbing her elbows. That felt so good! The kids are noticing, too! The best part, has been getting to shop in the LADIES section! When I started this journey, I was wearing a 20-22 or XXL in Women's clothing. I am now buying shirts in a 12-14 or a Large. I did get to buy my first shirt in a MEDIUM a few days ago! The first time I tried on a shirt from the Ladies section, I stood in the dressing room and cried. Trust me, if I can do it, so can you :)

Middle Schoolers are Fun!

Teaching middle school is full of challenges. The students will try your patience. They will be forgetful. They will not have homework when it is asked for. They get temperamental and moody. They have a new boyfriend and new best friend every week. Drama abounds.

I still love teaching middle school. The kids are pretty open for the most part. You know rather quickly whether they love you, tolerate you, or downright hate you. I enjoy hearing, “Mrs. Lumley! You are my favorite teacher!” It is cute when they randomly yell in the hall or cafeteria, “Mrs. Lumley! I love you!” Those things can really brighten one’s day.

This past week was a difficult one for me, and the kids could tell. They didn’t really know why, but they knew I “wasn’t right”. One afternoon, I had one student bring me a Hershey bar. Very sweet. (No pun intended). One morning, I had a student show up with a gorgeous, freshly picked flower, because I might like it. I had the students do an assignment where they made a little booklet to explain a concept. There were two blank pages left at the back. One student decided to use these for a purpose other than leaving it blank. Here is what was written:

Mrs. Lumley Jokes

Mrs. Lumley sucked the poison from a rattle snake and poisoned the rattle snake with it.

Prior to contrary belief, Mrs. Lumley told the master sense what to do.

Mrs. Lumley died as a child, death just hasn’t built up the courage to tell her yet.

Mrs. Lumley once ran a marathon backwards just to see what second place looked like.

Some magicians can walk on water, Mrs. Lumley can swim through land.

Mrs. Lumley has already been to Mars, that’s why there are no signs of life.

Mrs. Lumley can cut through a knife with hot butter.

Mrs Lumley won American Idol using sign language.

Ghosts sit around the campfire and tell Mrs. Lumley stories.

Mrs. Lumley uses grizzly bears for pillow pets.

When Mrs. Lumley wants ice cream, she eats Antarctica. Fear if spiders is Arachnophobia, Fear of tight spaces is Claustrophobia. Fear of Mrs. Lumley is called logic…