Author: admin

Half-assed homework meets the Mommy from Heck

This morning, my 1st grader showed me his homework and swore to me that he had checked it twice.

He probably forgot to mention he checked it with his eyes closed and his computer games on. :-/

Now, I’m generally an understanding mommy; I will always give a second chance to re-check work. If there are still unacceptable mistakes (ie, careless idjut mistakes), I’ll rip up the paper and have my kids hand write the assignment out.

This morning, however, was a sheer “let’s test the mommy boundaries!” adventure. My son showed me one lame attempt, went back to fix it, brought it back and acted quite confused when I pointed out the 2 blank spaces and utterly incorrect answers. I refused to check it a third time and told him, he had dishonored his own abilities by trying to pass off half-buttocked work as something worthy of his skills.

Now, this is pretty heavy stuff for a 6 year old to hear, so I had to follow it up with a declaration of my utmost confidence in his abilities and how he can always shine when he puts his mind to it. We then went over the Ling Rules of Academic Success; he asked me for his own special copy so he could keep it with him always. (side note – I had devised the Ling Rules of Academic Success 4 years ago for his sisters). The tears dried, the smile returned, and my boy happily boarded the school bus.

This brings me to my rant of the day. It’s the parent’s responsibility, NOT the teachers, to ensure their kids put out their very best efforts…and hold them to the highest standards possible. Letting your kids slack off at an early age only encourages sub-optimal performances later on in school!

It might be tough, it might be hard, it might be really painful to watch your kid emotionally react to criticism…but done right, you’ve really helped your child reach beyond their personal boundaries and exceed past their own expectations. And that, of course, is always a good thing.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – the homework in question was math. Do you like math? How ’bout:

Pushing past stark fear and expanding your courage

Well! Yesterday was a rather fascinating workout in one of my favorite activities. To make a long story short, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt I’d be utterly decimated, that knowledge caused a massive upwelling of fear, and yet I found it within myself to push past it and challenge my own boundaries of personal courage.

Sounds dramatic, no? :) But wow, once I had recovered, I realized….never before in my life had I had to deal with such a thing. I was shown (blatantly shown!) that even if you want to give up/run away, you CAN muster up the fortitude to continue…and that’s a gift that’s mighty precious indeed.

There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts. — Richard Bach

I think people also seek challenges because they want to test themselves to the utmost; I know that’s one reason why I throw myself whole-heartedly into karate.

This is gold to teach your kids!! On the way home yesterday, my kids commented how I was obviously not myself (they were quite worried actually), so I took advantage of that to explain everything that had happened to me internally (ie, all the internal discussions, the fear, the courage, etc.). That led to a conversation about how you must never give into fear (because you might your own sole survival tool) and how you must always give yourself permission to break your own personal preconceived boundaries of self.

Everything is a teaching moment!! ‘course, I’d much prefer my teaching moments to be when I’m actually alive and coherent…but hey. It made a huge impression on my kids (if my what-used-to-be-big-and-fat mom can do it, I can too!).

I am grateful to the Universe and my guardian angels to give me these experiences in my life.

Time to start the morning,

Barbara

ps – do you like guardian angels? Here are some neat ones:

Why teachers should be worshipped…and why some parents are pathetic

I….am an awesome teacher.

Ego and such aside, truly, I have taught my kids above and beyond in many academic endeavors. I taught my daughter how to read (heck, I even built an entire product around the technique I devised), I taught my kids advanced math, I’ve run the academic and creative Camp Ling now for three years during every summer….my gosh, I even have parents asking ME to help either teach or discipline their own children. And at every single back-to-school night, whenever I chat with other parents about kids and their time scheduling, I’m always asked, how do I get my kids to take care of their responsibilities? How can I trust them when I’m not standing over them? How come they listen to me and always fulfill their responsibilities….without whining or stomping off?

In a word, it’s called ‘respect’. I’m the parent, they’re the kids. My job is NOT to be their friends, my job is NOT to make their lives easier…my job is to raise them to the very best of my abilities and show them:

Life’s tough – deal with it!

The fact is, after kids grow up, they’ll always run into people who possess power over them, such as bosses, political in-fighting, etc.etc.etc. And by that time, crying to mommy or daddy would just be an exercise in stupidity, indeed.

This brings me to my rant of the day – kids taking advantage of teachers..and their spineless parents enabling their lousy behavior. I have several dear friends who are teachers and the stories they tell me about how out of control the kids are …. it’s disgusting.

Teaching is a calling. Teachers automatically deserve respect in the classroom…and any student who acts out should be thrown out of class and into detention. But no oh no, what if the parent calls and complains? How dare a teacher, who has probably spent hours in crafting a lesson for kids less worthy than shower mold, actually expect his or her students to listen?

I could never be a teacher nor own a karate school nor handle any group of kids other than my own. Many parents nowadays are scared to be authority figures…and as such, enable their disrespectful brats to run roughshod over their teachers and peers. I probably would go bankrupt within 3 minutes by throwing out any disrespectful kid under my responsibility.

Anyone remember this story from 2002?

Flunking Out of School? Get a Lawyer

Teachers, be wary of whom you fail.

Some parents have slapped lawsuits on teachers, saying their kids deserved better marks and should be allowed to graduate from high school despite their grades.

Arizona English teacher Elizabeth Joice got a letter from a lawyer representing one of the students she failed. The letter asked her to take “whatever action is necessary” for the student to graduate or else the family would sue. Joice said the student plagiarized work, failed a paper and did not attend makeup sessions, among other things. School officials caved and the student was able to retake a test five hours before graduation and receive her diploma …… MORE …..

And don’t forget:

L is for lawsuit

One of the students in Elizabeth Joice’s senior English class at Sunrise Mountain High School in Peoria, Ariz., was flirting with failure. In fact, it was much more than a dalliance — she was flunking. The student, whose name Joice wishes to keep private, had plagiarized a test, skipped classes, failed assignments and even missed a make-up session that might have allowed her to raise her grade. Joice had been sending notices to the girl’s parents since April, warning them about the failing grade; and both the girl and her parents had met with assorted district administrators, counselors and Joice herself. But it was all to no avail: It was almost graduation, the girl had blown too many tests, and she wasn’t going to walk.

Imagine Joice’s surprise then, when on May 22, just one day before senior graduation, she received a letter from a lawyer representing the girl’s family….. MORE ….

Amazingly disgraceful.

Personally, I think the majority of teachers should be worshipped upon the ground they walk. When it turns into an utterly thankless job because of lack of appreciation and respect, you have to ask yourself….if they choose to leave teaching your kids, where exactly will your kids be?

It is to wonder. Parents, do the right thing. Support your teachers. And teach your kids respect.

Barbara

ps – need some parenting resources?

One more pound – bye bye! Weight loss/diet going great

Morning all,

Well! After karate kendo yesterday, I weighed myself at home and found I was 133.1 . This means I’ve lost about 2 pounds in the past week….which, given the fact I’ve been at 135 now for more than a month, is absolutely a newsworthy event!!

I broke my plateau by promising myself I’d really eat more than the usual 1,400 or so calories apparently I have been consuming. Since I just don’t scarf down food faster than vacuum cleaner on steroids anymore, it’s actually a bit difficult for me to get my calories up! I added in more fruit and nuts and ate more small meals throughout the day.

Speaking of kendo, as always, it was great fun. Yesterday was mainly kata but today, ah, today, I shall be utterly pummeled by (most likely) a 16 year old with wicked skill without mercy! I have to admit – I really enjoy testing myself out to the farthest reaches of my own abilities. Pretending to be Luke Skywalker is great for fantasies, but let me tell you, in reality, defending AND striking at the same time requires far more coordination than one would imagine.

And so starts the day,

Barbara

ps – What’s that? You want to know about kendo gear? Why of course! Look at:

When fad diets cause heart problems for weight loss

Have you ever heard of the Kimkins diet?

Touted by Women’s World Daily as an awesome way to lose huge amounts of weight, it turns out that this low carb, low calorie “diet” turns out to be the product of a massive amount of, well, untruths. It really brings home how easy it is to be fooled by voices loud enough to drown out sanity.

Do yourself a favor and learn more by reading:

Kimkins ‘Cover Girl’ Passionately Declares Diet ‘Dangerous’ After Health Issues Emerge

Kimkins cover girl: “I was wrong…Kimkins is not the way to lose weight”

It takes a very special person to publicly admit when they were wrong about something even after multiple warnings and concerns shared by those around them. And yet that is exactly what has happened this week when Kimkins Woman’s World cover girl Christin delivered an impassioned video apology at her blog along with a detailed explanation of the health complications she and others have suffered since beginning the risky low-carb imposter diet scheme devised by a morbidly obese woman named Heidi Diaz.

I blogged about my concerns over the Kimkins fiasco that culminated earlier this week when this beautiful young woman had to be rushed to the emergency room because of some pain in her chest and heart complications. When you hear something like this happening that was brought on by such an extreme low-fat/low-calorie diet like Kimkins, it should make you angry. AND I AM ANGRY ABOUT IT!…MORE….

Scary, isn’t it? People are so desperate to lose weight, they’ll risk their health to buy the dreams that the scammers are selling.

Remember! There are no quick fixes to weight loss! Smart, safe get-healthy routines will let you lose between 1/2 a pound to 2 pounds per week (unless you’re on a plateau of course)….it took you years to pile on the weight, and it will require time to shed it all off again.

But the good news is, you CAN do it. I’m living proof. :)

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – low carb can actually work rather well; that’s been my general plan of health for the past many months. Here are some low carb goodies:

Happy happy joy joy! I’m buff, I’m buff, I’m mega, I’m buff!

Oh wow oh wow oh wow!

I lift weights and become one with the iron 2-3 times a week. Last Sunday, I was inspired to be quite meticulous about my weight-lifting routine (having had my rear neatly handed to me in various self-defense moves the day before).

Well, this morning when I exited the shower, I could see the actual delineations in my biceps, deltoids, triceps, lats, etc. Not only that, but I could even see the shadows created by said muscles!

There’s no denying it – I’m one hot mom! I had my husband take pictures which I’ll put up on my site.

You know, it’s all part of giving yourself permission to reach for the stars and witness the magic. I’m beyond words with regards to how grateful I am to have been given this chance of crafting the ME that’s always been inside of me.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – Buff people can wear designer jeans like!

Exercises to get rid of a double chin

Alas, but it’s true. There is no such thing as ‘spot-reducing’. Heck, if there was, all of my weight would have first disappeared off my tummy, leaving me a robustly Rubenesque wench of wonder!

I actually have a fondness for double-chins, much like people have a fondness for an accident that force them to take better care of themselves. My double-chin was very much part of the catalyst that got me on my get-healthy kick; I simply could not stand the physical feeling of them flapping about.

But I digress. :)

So! Over my 35+ pound weight loss, I witnessed my double chin going bye bye (and you have NO idea how utterly wonderful that is!!). It did take time….probably about 6 months or so, I reckon, for me really to see a difference. Nowadays, dare I say it, when standing up straight I actually have a rather neat jaw line (and chin bones! They emerged! I haven’t seen those since the last Ice Age!).

But what if you are like I used to be, and confident you CAN spot reduce your chin? If so, please do enjoy the following resources I’ve uncovered for you.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – did you know some makeup supposedly can help?

The mysteries of the Incredible Shrinking Gym Towel

I just returned from 50+ minutes on the treadmill at my local gym. Generally my workout is a nice simple:

  • 1 minute at 3 mph
  • Put ramp to level 10, increase speed to 3.5 mph. 9 minutes or so of that.
  • Put ramp on highest level (level 15), keep speed at 3.5 mph. 30 minutes of that.
  • Decrease ramp gradually to level 2 and increase speed to 4.5 mph – finish the last 15 seconds at 5 mph.

It’s a rather challenging workout that keeps my heartrate between 140 and 178, depending upon what I’m doing. I end up drenched in sweat, mind you, and red as a tomato, but hey…I feel quite buff when I’m done.

Anywhos, I noticed something in the locker room today. When I first started back in 12/2006, I could barely cover my middle with the towel. But nowadays, there’s at least a 10 inch overlap whenever I wrap myself in said towel!

I’m also noticing that there are far more clothing choices for me at the department stores as well. No longer do I have to browse in the Big and Hefty Wench area – I can actually wear average to small sized clothing and don’t have to look like a full ship at sea when trying on different outfits!

Reality. It can really be a super thing to experience. :-)

Barbara

ps – and for those folks who love gym towels, consider:

A super side benefit to dieting and losing weight

You know, I never knew the following would happen until I peered in the mirror last night and realized it!!

One of the great benefits to losing unhealthy weight is your proportions generally start to look, well, proportional!! While my measurements have decreased from a 42-41-42 to a 36-29-35.5, my chest has (dare I say it) become far more, ahem, perky than it’s been in years! :)

That makes sense, I suppose – all that weight does tend to become one with gravity. But wow, it’s nice to look at my figure and say, you go girl! :)

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – and when proportions finally stabilize, look at all the goodies awaiting you!

Household chore, mopping the floor…the calorie-burning way!

I will confess – I always like trying to add some sort of exertion in any household chore that needs to be done.

Like most of humanity, we have a linoleum floor in our kitchen. And apparently evolution has progressed to the point that dirt from as far away as Outer Mongolia manages to flock to said kitchen floor during the most inopportune times.

Well! I could use (get this) a mop to clean it up. But hey, where’s the ice-skating in that?

Instead, I’ll wet up two household rags with soap and water, put them on the floor, step on them and then skate across the kitchen with the greatest of ease (okay, I shuffle, but hey, it still works). The benefits to this are:

  • It’s super-easy to hit all the trouble spots in one pass
  • I get a good workout on my legs/thighs/calfs as well!

The kids love getting into the action as well. ‘course, should that happen, I do generally end up with the Pacific Ocean on my floor…but hey. At least it’s clean once it dries.

Whatever works. :-)

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – Need some mops? Enjoy!