Go Colorado!

I don't often think states have the right idea when it comes to stuff. Most things, I believe, should be left to individuals to decide. However, when dealing with health and safety issues, I'm okay with the state stepping in - sometimes. I'm more okay when it comes to the state stepping in when dealing with public goods. For instance - public schools (which is one reason I homeschool).

In public school, in CA, kids are required to be vaccinated. Unless they have a waiver on file. And the waiver can be for a number of reasons including "personal belief." That's dead wrong. The science on vaccinations is amazing. Women in other countries walk miles, sometimes a whole day, to have their children receive vaccinations because the health benefits are so amazing. Yet here, in CA, people just decide not to vaccinate their child.

People who want to slow do the vaccination process are okay - so long as their kid gets vaccinated. People who have children who cannot have vaccines for medical reasons are also okay. I'm not talking about "my child might get autism" medical reasons - since that's not even true. I'm talking about "my child's immune system can't fight off the disease even in vaccine form so she might die" medical reasons. I have a latex allergy, and have an allergic reaction to the flu vaccine every year, but it doesn't stop me from getting it. Why? Because vaccines are important.

Vaccines stop outbreaks of diseases that otherwise cause havoc on a population.

Colorado is voting on a bill that will require parents to complete an online course or have a physician sign off that they've talked to the parents before a parent can claim a personal belief exemption. The state of Colorado is making it harder to get an exemption. And that is so good for the children.

A belief that vaccinations are bad is a belief that harms everyone. Your right to choose - on many issues - stops short of being able to harm others.  This is true across the board in our society. So why is it that we feel vaccines are special? They are scientifically proven to stop diseases that have killed many, many people over the past centuries. They are amazing science. Most of all, they protect society.

If you use a public good - like public school - you have an obligation to make sure you aren't hurting, or potentially hurting, others using the same public good. It's simply being a good citizen. I'm cheering on the Colorado legislature as they vote on this bill. Even though I don't live in Colorado, I wrote emails to their legislative members urging them to vote yes. My letter states my belief that personal belief exemptions are a crock of bull, should be eliminated, and for the safety of all children, the personal belief exemption should be as hard as possible to get. I hope that CA can follow suit - although I'm not hoping too hard since it is CA.

Get your vaccines people!!!!

Workout update #2.

The working out is going better than the weight loss. Which is always how it goes with me. I like working out. I dislike worrying about my weight. Sometimes the two things go hand in hand, but they never seem to with my body. 

I've been doin crossfit workouts three time a week at my gym and running - well mostly walking - 5 miles the other two days. I sti teach karate at night and take class about three times a week. So it's not like I'm slacking on the active side.

The favorite torture instruments for me are the kettle ball, that Bosu ball thing, and a jumping box. Those really kill me. 

On the plus side, I have increased my squats by 40 lbs over the month. For reps. My one time squat max was done at 375 with a trainer spotting me. 

I've knocked 30 seconds off my mile. That mostly has to do with my physical therapist allowing me to run more. 

What's the upside of all this torture? I'm getting new to me clothes! My sister is a fabulous person and has recently dropped two or three sizes. So I get all her old stuff because I've dropped two sizes!

And I'm feeling better all around. I feel better at night. And if I really workout hard during the day, I can sleep very easily at night. 

A good nights sleep is really worth a lot to me. 

So that's my update this month. Stay tuned for next months update. 

New family member!

So we have a new family member. His name is -currently- Dog. The kids chose it. We are attempting to rename him. 

He's super cute and phenomenally good with the kids. He just lets them play with him and ro all over him. He doesn't bark. He's a horrible leash walker right now. But we are tryin to fix that. 

Here's a picture of him: isn't he cute?

Children's Museum and taping for the news.

Sacramento has, every so often, Museum Day. Museums in the area waive admission so everyone can go. The museums are super busy, and I'd rather pay the admission price then try and go with all the crowds, but it's a good option to go places if you have a big family.

 Nicholas had fun playing in the water area. Specifically with the whirl pool. Do you see the Lego wall behind him? He got to build boats out of Lego Duplos. Then he played with the boats in the water. It was a bunch of fun for him.

Nicholas built something. He says it's a boat. I just liked that he built stuff. 

 Abby really liked the art area. Her favorite thing to do was paint on the glass wall. With the amount of fun she had, I'm seriously considering building one for our back yard that she can paint as much as she wants. Why the back yard? Because to clean it I can just spray it down. 

The reporter raced with all the kids while on TV.

One of the pluses of Museum Day is that various museums ask kids - or other patrons - to come and play while the news films a spot for them. The Sacramento Children's Museum put out a call for kids to come play an hour before they opened. Then you could stay as long as you want. Since we didn't renew our membership there, we haven't been in a while. Needless to say, I signed my kids up.

So we showed up at 8a, ready to play. And we played. For a while. They had a bunch of fun.

The reporter even had my kids on TV with her - racing boats. They really liked Abby with her red hair and ponytails. And her super nice smile. The background people who were there took my name and information and added it to their database so they could call me when they need some kids. It was a bunch of fun. I'm glad we went.

I'm also glad we don't have a museum membership there anymore - I think my kids have outgrown it.

How true is this nice little ecard? Anyone who has ever taught kids can claim that the kids get their awesomeness from their instructors. Regardless of what you teach a child, they always look up to you. If you are encouraging to them, they become awesome! I love helping kids reach their full potential. Of course, there are times when you have to be "mean" - make sure they are doing what they are supposed to do, criticize, and punish. But even that helps bring out their awesomeness.

Oh wait - that's exactly what a mom does!!!

There was a recent blog post that went viral on Facebook. It was a letter from a SAHM (stay at home mom) to working moms. It amounted to saying that being a mother is a martyr.

How untrue is that?

Being a mother is a calling and a choice. It might be an unintended choice, but it's a choice. And it's a calling. I feel like this is what I'm supposed to do.

Are there days when I feel worse about it than others? Sure. There are days when my needs are second. There are days when my needs are first. It simply depends on what day it is and how it is going. I feel like we should be on a better schedule, but so it goes. Sometimes I get what I want in, and sometimes I don't. But regardless, I'm not a martyr. I'm a mom. The two are not the same thing.

The happiest moms I know take care of themselves. Whether this means quiet time for an hour, going to the gym, vegging out at night.....there are a million options. But the happiest moms are those what are happy - who have things for themselves and feel whole. Moms who feel like martyrs aren't happy.

So who is going to be in charge of getting my kids their awesomeness?

That would be me. Because I am both a mom and a martial arts instructor (I happen to be both to my kids).