Sports Sports Sports

Both of my two oldest kids play sports. My son plays football, and my daughter cheers. Because of this, our schedule is really hectic. This week alone either my wife or I will be taking my son to three practices, and a game this weekend. My daughter cheers at two games, and a Super Bowl on Sunday. After this week is over my son's football team will participate in a Tournament.

Well, that's all the time I have to write. See you next time.

Back on the Wagon - A Dieter's lament

Well, I'm trying out a new diet today. Since my son is playing football, my daughters are dancing and cheering, I'm feeling a little bit tired. The few extra "vacation" pounds, and lack of exercise are to blame.... sort of. As Jimmy Buffet wrote in his song "Margaritaville", it's my own damn fault.

With full-time work, three kids, a wife, and all the fixin's such as house, lawn, cars, driving, etc... I am just about out of time for exercise. By the time I wake up to the time I return home after sports and extracurricular school activities, I'm beat. With the little energy my wife and I have at the end of the day, it's a wonder the kids are in their pajamas, teeth brushed, and prayers said before I hit the sack myself about midnight.

So, why do I want to overload myself with "30 to 60 minutes" of exercise a day? For starters, my son has an opportunity to play defensive end, center, and kicker on his team. But, only if he remains below 101 lbs (yes, he is a 3rd grader) and retains a single-striper status. Now, what does that mean to everyone reading this? It means that if he exceeds a certain weight-class, then he will NOT be able to kick or play exciting blocking positions. He will instead be a human wall that is not give the opportunity so really smash other players in various ways.

In order to keep his weight down my son has stopped snacking, and stopped eating in general. While independently cutting back on sugary snacks has been a godsend for us, his "not eating in general" is a problem. So, I am searching for resources to help my wife and I configure an eating plan that is founded on common sense and reasonable authority.

Weightwatchers is a program that has helped my wife and I lose weight, but their plan isn't applicable to 8 year olds. Sure, we can probably adjust it so he can lose some weight, but I think the program is not conducive to this situation. So, in my search I found the Federal Government "My Pyramid" website. On this site there is a tool called "My Pyramid Menu Planner".

The "My Pyramid Menu Planner" (http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov) lets you create a profile for each member of the family based on their age or age and height. The menu planner is geared for children ages 2-8 and preteens, teenagers, and adults alike. The site contains a search field in which you build a menu. The menu shows a graph of the meats, veggies, fruits, milk, and grains associated with a particular daily meal plan. It also shows the amount of "extras" such as fats and salts. I think this is a wonderful tool.

This online tool makes it easy to build a meal plan for an entire family. It presents the data in a visual format that, for a computer savvy 6 and 8 year old, is easy to digest (pun intended) and understand. But, you might be wondering where my exercise plan comes in this story. As it turns out, the number of available calories is based on the amount of exercise you get. Since my son practices football for about two hours a day, and then plays games on the weekend, he burns a lot of calories. He also gets a lot of exercise and therefore needs to eat about 2000 calories a day (and cut back on fats/salts).

I figure if he is exercising, and eating right, I should set a good example too. So, by getting exercise and using this online tool to direct some of our food choices, I can set an example for my kids to follow. This is how a leader does it, and this is what I plan to teach my children. I'll keep you all updated as I can on the progress.

All in a Dad's work

My oldest daughter has not been sleeping well the past two days because of pain in her throat and right ear. Last night my wife and I discussed who's turn it was to stay home with the sick kid. I lost. So, after a restless night Sandra went to her office this morning and I took care of the kids.

A little after 7 AM my oldest son woke up and dressed himself. Thank goodness for small blessings. So, I woke and dressed the three-year-old as Bailey (the sick one) wandered into my bedroom. When Sandra got to her office she called the Pediatrician to make an appointment. As I was setting out breakfast of cereal I noticed we were out of milk. So, I started making toast with honey and peanut butter when the phone rang. Sandra called to let me know the Pediatrician appointment was at 10:15 AM.

That should allow me time to get the three-year-old to daycare and Spencer to the bus stop. After hanging up the phone I turned on the T.V. to some cartoons. Then I continued to make breakfast. Spencer, hungry as usual, took the first two slices of toast and PB/Honey. I made four more slices, two for the girls and two for me. We sat and ate breakfast. Soon it was time to get out the door.

We searched for shoes, coats, backpacks, snugglies, etc. for a few minutes. Spencer, who rarely feels cold weather, insisted on not wearing a coat. I checked the thermometer. It read 26-degrees Fahrenheit. I told him to wear a coat. He just looked at me, so I asked if he left it in his mom's car. He nodded yes, and swore that he doesn't need one. Ha! I grabbed my running jacket out of the front closet and put it on him. He frowned and gave me an evil look, but kept the coat on and went outside with his backpack.

That left me with the two girls. Bailey put her coat and shoes on readily, probably because she knew she wasn't going to school this morning. Bridget whined about her shoes, snugglies, unfinished breakfast, and her coat. I bundled her up and made sure she was dressed completely. I left her hair undone because I knew I had rubber bands in the car. We shuffled out the garage door to the car. The kids climbed in and got ready to leave.

That was when I noticed Trevor (the neighborhood kid) was waiting on the doorstep of our next-door neighbors house. I rolled down the window, to the protests of Spencer, and asked him if he wanted a ride to the bus stop. He jogged over to the car and climbed in the passenger side. We were on our way. As we rode Spencer grilled Trevor about racing to the bus stop. Spencer was upset that Trevor ran to be the first in line to the bus stop yesterda. Trevor replied that he was first because he tried to get to the bus stop first by running faster. Spencer grumbled.

I stopped the truck at the bus stop, Spencer and Trevor got out and Bailey and Bridget stayed in the car. I waited until the bus arrived, then I drove Bailey and Bridget to the day care. On the way I stopped to fill up the tank with gas from the 100% gas store. When we arrived at the day care Bailey went inside with me and Bridget. I put Bridget's hair up in pony tails with some of the rubber bands I found in her cubby hole. Then Bailey and I left the classroom to our next destination.

I called Sandra to let her know that all the kids got off to school. She suggested I go to the bank near the Pediatrician. Since I was concerned I would not be able to find it easily. I insisted that I should go to the bank near the house first.

Have you ever tried to plot out the logistics of daily errands? You know, plotting out the best path to arrive at each location not only at the best time possible, but within certain time constraints. In my case I crafted two plans; plan A and plan B.

Plan A: I would visit the bank first, then return the item to the store and get credit, then pay for the kids' spring break day-camp, then go to the Pediatrician, then pick up the Rx (if necessary) then take Bailey to school (if she wasn't contagious), and finally go to my office to perform my daily job. It gets tricky, all this planning out plan A and then plan B.

Plan B: stay home the rest of the day with Bailey, and I would call in sick myself. I didn't like Plan B.

The trip to the bank was uneventful. I filled out the deposit slip and put the check and slip in the tube. Then pressed the button. After a few minutes the teller sent back a receipt. Voila. Instant deposit. Next, to the store.

Again, an uneventful trip. Bailey and I parked the car and walked into the store. I was second in line to return the iron. I presented the iron and receipt to the customer service rep. She entered some numbers to credit my VISA. Then, she handed me a receipt. Voila. Instant return. Next, to the school services center.

We hopped into the car and drove to the school services center. I found a parking spot near the front entrance. Bailey and I walked inside. I signed in and picked up a guest badge. Bailey admired the water fountain in the front entrance. Then we walked upstairs to the clerk. I wrote a check to enroll Spencer and Bailey in the spring camp. I handed the check and enrollment form to the clerk, and she accepted it. Next, to the Pediatrician.

We hopped in the car with 30 minutes to get to the Peditrician's office. Time to spare. We drove "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" style on the expressway, then exited on the small two-lane city street. We drove through the parking garage to the third floor and parked the car. We entered the Doctor office and signed in. I paid our insurance co-pay while Bailey played on the little playground (an elderly woman told her to be careful). After about 15 minutes of waiting we were taken into the room. The nurse swabbed Bailey's throat for strep (results were negative) and then the Dr. came in. She visited with Bailey and checked her out, then diagnosed an ear infection. The Doctor wrote a Rx and we left. Next, to the Pharmacist.

After another "Mr. Toad's Wile Ride" to the pharmacy, which happens to be in the same Target where I returned the iron earlier, we parked the car. We walked inside and handed the Rx to the pharmacist. He asked his usual questions about "would you like generic" and "do you want this to be flavored 'bubble-gum' or 'grape'?". Bailey chose grape since bubble-gum flavor makes her throw up. We then walked around the store looking at toys and candy (I bought a small pack of jelly beans) before returning to the pharmacy. I signed and paid for the Rx and we left to get something to eat.

We arrived at the Wendy's, drove through the drive through, and picked up our food. We then went home to let the dog inside for a while, and we ate our lunch. Bailey played with her "prize" toy from her lunch bag. Then she took her medicine (no throw up) and I cleaned up while she grabbed her backpack. I let the dog outside and we locked up the house, climbed in the car, and drove to her school. I walked her inside and checked her in with the receptionist. After I kissed her head and said "have a great day" I left.

Plan A was coming to an end. I drove to my office and started my work day by checking mail, listening to voice mail, and responding to incoming customer calls/e-mails. The day went by as usual. We have gymnastics tonight, and the kids have baths. I am hoping to play catch with Spencer before the sun sets. But, I see that the sun is now setting.

So much for plans.