Category: Personal Growth

Personal growth, parenting, more

100 karate front kicks, 100 karate round house kicks, 100 karate jump front kicks…..

Morning!

I’ve come to the conclusion that to flow better in karate, it would reeeeealllly help if I practiced at home. Thus, I’m creating my own home-study program of the basics, and so far, it seems to be rather useful indeed.

Let’s take front kicks. The key to getting height, obviously, is to raise your knee high (the crowd goes wild!) and then kick. But what if you’re rather, ahem, a klutz at that?

Simple! Just practice raising your knee…and that’s it. And do it again and again and again and again and …. you get the idea. Eventually, your thighs realize, hey! I can lift high! And once you’re at that point, you can then focus on the actual kick outwards. Do that 100 times on both sides.

Next, tackle the round house kicks. This is the kick I like but am lousy at – it involves pivoting on the left ankle, which is quite difficult for me. However, I’ve learned that even someone as graceless as me can improve – it’s all a matter of staying within your center of gravity. Then do those, 100 times on both sides.

Next, let’s talk jump front kicks! They’re still pretty impossible for me. But! I have managed to break down the moves like I did with the front kicks, and am now practicing them one at a time. It will take time, I know, but every day I can feel myself getting better and better.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in during my life, it’s that you should never accept commonly-held beliefs without testing the boundaries yourself. And if you run into a roadblock, modify! Compensate! Never give up – you’ll almost always discover the one super way that works for you.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – some neat Karate goodies!

Finding out where sex offenders live near you

Morning,

Did you know that you can access online databases of sex offenders who might live nearby you? This is an excellent resource for parents.

Here’s what I’ve found for you:

It’s always a good thing to know who your neighbors are.

Data points,

Barbara

ps – some self-protection items:

Live life without regrets – balance, dream interpretation and more

Morning,

I had the weirdest dream last night – it mushed together the people I know now with the people I know from the past, threw in a bit of Cloverfield movie, and made me think I was 43 without having completed college, gotten married, nor had 4 kids (but still had all the wisdom I currently have in real life today).

Now, I always believe that dreams reveal a bit of your inner self if you’re open enough to listen. When I had awakened, I had such a feeling of loss – I had spent 43 years of my life yet not achieved any of my goals that I had deemed valuable (in my dream, that is).

Obviously in real life, this isn’t true whatsoever. So what does my inner self think I’m missing?

Doing a self-check of my situation, I have a great husband, family, friends, etc. I am protective to those who are good to me, I am the avenging angel to those who hurt people in my world, I teach people who are open, I let go of people who are closed.

I think my dream shows me that if you want something, you have to make it happen. You cannot go thru life hemming and hawing, and thinking someone/something else will do the hard work for you…nor can you throw 110% into something and believe the rest of your life will not suffer from neglect.

You cannot live your life for others, only for yourself. You must wholeheartedly believe in what you do…and then proactively choose to take ownership of any actions you might implement.

You cannot control how others react to your words, to your actions….but you can take ownership of your feelings and reasons. When misunderstandings happen, you must take ownership (if you value the person) of the mistake…and make it right.

What’s clearer than a silver bell to you might be incomprehensible to another person who lacks the experience your life has taught you. Be responsible; everyone failed mind reading 101, take the time to make things right.

If I can teach the above to my kids, I’ll be supermom!

Here are some resources for official dream interpretation:

And so starts the day,

Barbara

PS – some more dream intrepretation resources

Mother knows everything, so don’t lie

Sigh.

You know, it’s quite an experience coming home from Martial Arts and having your child absolutely deny he broke something of his siblings, when 20 seconds prior, he readily admitted to it.

Sigh.

Very frustrating, indeed. I really dislike coming down on my kids, but realize…it just has to be done. Sigh. So I told him, Mom knows everything, it’s not wise to lie. I had him search thru the house to look for the missing piece of the broken thingee; it was very draining.

The good news is, he’s gaining more courage, and will stand straight when being disciplined and not cry/be weak/cower/etc. So I did have to praise him for that. The bad news is, he’s been banished from the computer until he finds it or until tomorrow, whatever comes first.

Being stern and holding the line when raising kids is very much NOT FUN! Necessary, yes, NOT FUN, definitely. But it’s what a mom has to do.

Time to rest,

Barbara

ps – Want some resources for raising kids?

But Mom, I’m tiiiiired!!!! Dealing with whiny children and exercise fitness

Kids. Gotta love ’em, else you’ll implode with grace and joy.

As you probably know if you read my blog, I’m a mom of 4 who lost 45+ pounds and currently is into staying healthy and fit. I do P90x, cardio, workouts, karate, etc.

Speaking of karate, I participate in that with all my kids. We recently received our blue belts (yay!) and generally go for an hour or two every other day or so.

Well, yesterday…one of my charming children whined to me, but Mom, I had gym, and I don’t feel like exercising, and I really want to play on my computer, and and and and and Mom, why are you laughing at me now?

You see, I’m a firm believer in walking the walk I talk to my kids. They have seen me push myself when my get-up-and-go-had-gotten-up-and-went, they saw me modify my workouts after recovering from surgery, etc.

In short, they know that “I’m tired from gym” doesn’t cut it with Mom – it makes her laugh instead.

Which brings me to the next point! Kids being kids, sometimes they’ll choose the easy way out. Why exercise if you can sit in front of the computer and play games?

This is where parents have to stand firm. True, if your child really is sick or really did over-do it etc., you can consider giving a break….but generally, you’ll find that once your child is at the activity, they’ll have a superfun time. I ended up taking all my kids with me to karate yesterday, and they all had a blast.

It was just the ‘getting them there’ that was a chore.

I’m certain, of course, that some year…they’ll internalize within themselves that taking care of their bodies is a Good Thing. Until then, however, it’s Mean Mommy Ling to the rescue! :)

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – here’s some kids fitness goodies:

The secret to round house kicks – balance and center of gravity

Howdy all,

If there’s one thing my surgery and subsequent recovery has taught me, it’s that even if things are quite difficult, you can always find a way around the problem and begin to master your goal.

Take round-house kicks. I’m somewhat decent with them on my right side, but my left side…because my left ankle is missing that 1/2″ of bone, balance is, well, kinda sorta non-existent. So I kept falling over when trying to round-house kick that way.

Needless to say, that just pissed me off. I refuse to accept the fact I’m lousy at it…so while my kids were taking nunchaku during the following hour, I spent that time simply practicing pivoting on my left ankle. And guess what I discovered!

  • If you don’t throw yourself outside your center of gravity, you don’t fall over. Wowsa!

Okay, true, this is kinda sorta common sense….but I never really realized that until today! I have to train myself to recognize when my body is in the optimal position during the technique, and not push it so far that I begin to fall.

Round house kick after round house kick, I did them again and again and again and let me tell you, my left ankle is currently whimpering at me this moment. But! I think (emphasis on the word THINK) I have the concept down…now all I need to do is practice.

Like everything else lately that’s been happening in my life, this experience reinforced the fact that while life happens, it doesn’t mean you have to accept the status quo! Just because the rest of the world might think you’re a tad insane for trying something that logic would decree is impossible for you…doesn’t mean you should listen.

I still can’t get over how much I am enjoying leg techniques and kicks now, even with a bum ankle (you can read about that relavation here) 3 months ago, you’d never have convinced me I’d have progressed to this point.

Dare yourself to break past your own preconceived boundaries! You might be surprised at what you can achieve.

Time to sleep,

Barbara

ps – some great karate kicking resources!

“It smells!” or …. How to tackle unique school backpack odors

Morning,

Sigh, kids are so….kid-like.

One of my kids came to me today and say, Mom, I need a new backpack, mine smells!

So he brought it over, and I checked it out….and then pulled out a fossilized sandwich that looked like it had been residing there since 1723.

  • “Ahem, child of mine, might you explain the meaning of this?” I gently asked.
  • “It smells!” he creatively responded.
  • “Well of course, if something is decaying in your backpack, that’s generally what happens, dear” I reassuringly told him.
  • “It smells!” he repeated, perhaps thinking that my Mom brain had passed over the obvious but would now demonstrate my All-powerful Mother Techniques.

Sigh. ’tis amazing what scientific experiments generally end up generating within a backpack. Anywhos, I doused it with foot powder and added some peppermint essential oils to boot; problem is solved, child is thrilled.

You just can’t get this kind of Real Life experience in corporate land. :)

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – some nice kids backpacks include:

Healing Touch – Important in family and friends

Morning all,

One of the most important things you can give your children (and spouses, and friends, and people who are important to you) is the gift of the healing touch.

What is that, I hear you ask? Well, ask a dozen different folks, and you’ll get a dozen different answers. I myself have my own brand of this, that has grown out of raising my family. My grandmother and parents passed it on to me.

For me, the healing touch encompasses many levels. You can perform it with just touch, or you can let your spirit animate your hands and lend energy and healing to the person you’re touching. The second form is very beneficial for physical and emotional healing; it gives the body focus and energy and rebuilds the person’s inner strength.

Using the healing touch is very different than massage. While you can heal with massage, mind you, I find the healing touch to be far more effective. Instead of using firm strokes, you use only the tips of your fingers and trace over various parts of the body. I tend to follow the energy meridians, and take great care to build upon each prior touch until I’ve reconstructed the entire energy flow.

This is superb for family and friends! I’ve rejuvenated my kids, energized my friends, and helped calm down family who was suffering from various sicknesses and the like. I think it enables both people (the healer and the recipient) to tap into the energies of the universe; I’m always surprised it’s not widely known.

Some resources for massage/healing touch include:

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – some neat Healing Touch Resources include:

Karate kicks, Kendo hits, and bruised elbows oh my!

Howdy all,

Before I give myself permission to collapse in a heap from this evening’s workout, I have to post about:

I can actually do vaguely decent karate kicks now.

Not only that, but I actually like them. Hand techniques were my favorites before…but now that I can actually (gasp!) move! and kick! and almost balance! and … you get the idea…I really like doing kicks now.

This is an unbelievable shock to me, let me tell you. I’ve always been timid about using my legs and always felt like I didn’t have the ability to really use control. But today, I found myself asking for kicks as part of the practice and then mentally slammed myself – is this me? Me, asking to do something I never did well before….and now, actually really like doing today?

I really cannot wrap my mind around this. I honestly cannot. Decades of being totally incompetent with my legs, and now, it’s coming together. Wow.

And in Kendo today, it was the first time in 1.5 months that I did sparring…..and my oh my, you could tell. I’ve gained more confidence but lost whatever skill I might have had…I now have a delightful 3 inch bruise on my right elbow. Ouch! But it was still great fun (so I went a second time!).

I honestly wish I could package the wisdom I’ve been accumulating since July (when I found out about my doorknob on my femur) up until now….and instill it into my kids. But I think it’s something you have to experience and live yourself before you can fully internalize all the gifts it gives to your inner self.

Just had my coffee, and it’s time for sleep. Night night everyone!

Best wishes,

Barbara

ps – great karate stuff!