Then I'm flying off to see my sister perform in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat this weekend!  Woo-hoo! 

(I do have the song going through my head... "Go, go, go Joseph, you know what they say...")

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Well, the American Medical Association (AMA) had quite the opposite view of this film. Their alarm and disagreement with Lake's documentary prompted them to establish a resolution against home births stating, "The safest setting for labor, delivery and the immediate post-partum period is in the hospital or a birthing center."

The AMA also issued another resolution to regulate licensure and scope of practice of nurse midwives and oversee their practice. Not very desirable for nurse midwives who practice outside of the hospital setting.

The Big Push for Midwives, a national campaign organized to advocate for regulation and licensure of Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) throughout the U.S. is appalled. Steff Hedenkamp, Communications Coordinator for the Big Push for Midwives stated:

“Maternity care is a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States. So it’s no surprise to see the AMA join the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in its ongoing fight to corner the market and ensure that the only midwives able to practice legally are hospital-based midwives forced to practice under physician control. I will say, though, that I’m shocked to learn that the AMA is taking this turf battle to the next level by setting the stage for outlawing home birth itself—a direct attack on those families who choose home birth, who could be subject to criminal prosecution if the AMA has its way.”

My opinion? I don't really care for the "thou shalt not" stance the AMA seems to be taking. I think it all boils down to money, control, and lawsuits.

As far as where my thoughts on home births lean, I am not opposed to them. In fact, I believe they can provide a natural, comfortable, and even empowering environment for women to deliver their babies. Home births have been the method of delivering babies far longer than the hospital setting, and I also feel the hospital setting can become too "medical." Pregnancy is treated like a disease instead of a natural process.

I am also of the opinion that women who choose home births have uncomplicated pregnancies for safety purposes. Ideally these women should have received proper prenatal care, have done their research, will be attended by a licensed, certified midwife, and have a well, thought out plan in the event of an emergency. The lines of communication must be open between the mother-to-be, her midwife, and an obstetrician in the hospital in case of an emergent transfer.

I feel that the hospital setting, with an operating room and neonatal intensive care unit, would be more suitable for women and/or their unborn babies with serious medical conditions, such as placenta previa or neural tube defects, among other health issues.

I'm also of the opinion that most women feel more comfortable in the hospital setting because of the usually quicker access to care in the event of an emergency. I support either decision, whether home birth or hospital.

There is also the option of a birth center. It offers more natural birth options, fewer medical interventions (inductions, augmentation of labor with Pitocin, constant external fetal monitoring, episiotomies, or drugs) yet may be connected to a hospital.

The bottom line is, no matter how this debate eventually pans out, I feel all women should know what their options are for their labor and delivery experience. The delivery of one's baby is an amazing, life changing experience. Therefore, it deserves careful consideration on the part of women, their families, and their health care providers to make the experience as positive and safe as possible.

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One of my goals during the vacation was to maintain an exercise schedule, and honestly that was a challenge! I focused more on isometric/strength training exercises in the privacy of the guest bedroom (with the door closed, mind you).

Also, this born and bred Northern girl had the gumption to go for a walk outside in the afternoon... in the sun... in HOUSTON! The crazy thing was I walked for over a half hour, but that was mainly because I couldn't remember exactly how to get back to the house - echem! SO! Needless to say, I returned, red-faced, sweaty, and in need of lots of water. What's crazy is I really enjoyed my walk! (Too much heat affecting the brain, I suppose.)

I did have the opportunity to visit a 24-Hour Fitness Center, which was great! I was able to get in with a guest pass from my mother-in-law (see, they're not all bad!) I had an excellent cardio workout and weight training session, and I loved it! That felt pretty darn good!

Now it's true that when families get together, "interesting" things are bound to be said. And here are a few that I overheard and would like to share with you...

My husband to one of the family:

"I don't eat mayonnaise. I've enjoyed my life without it, so I don't feel I need to start eating it now."

When I overheard this, I paused a moment. What he said stuck with me because I thought of it in terms of sugar. I want to get to the point where I can truly say, "I don't need sugar to enjoy life! I don't need to eat it!"

Two friends of my sister-in-law during her high school graduation party. The two teenagers, a guy and girl, were rummaging through the kitchen in search of a snack. The guy decided on a bowl of strawberries. Upon learning of his choice, the girl stated,

"Strawberries?! That's not real food!"

I was sorely tempted to ask her, "What IS real food, then? A greasy cheeseburger and chips?" (but I remained polite and kept my mouth shut.)

Two guys - again from the graduation party:

Guy 1: "You hear about the tomatoes and salmonella?"

Guy 2: "Dude, what's salmonella?"

I laughed out loud at this, but I was in a different room, so no egos were damaged during the outburst.

And the one that got the best laugh out of all the family members was from my 6-year old nephew explaining why Aunt Susan didn't want to go outside and have a water gun fight:

"She's afraid of water. Cause if she gets wet she'll melt."

The response was an explosion of laughter and a certain aunt who was regretting telling a precocious boy those very words earlier in the day.

Be careful what you say to children because they WILL repeat it!

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• Breaking the Sugar Addiction - Step 3 If you've just arrived, or you'd like a review, check out my posts about sugar addiction and the solution to sugar addiction. I'm following the 7 steps outlined in Potatoes, Not Prozac. I feel it's time for me to officially start the next step in breaking the sugar addiction, and......
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Yesterday, I did something I can cross off the proverbial list, something I never thought I'd actually do. I went skydiving!

All I can say is WOW! Crazy, scary, thrilling, amazing kind of wow!

Honestly I was scared, and I even had second thoughts I as read through page after page of release and consent forms that noted in bold, capital letters: SKYDIVING CAN RESULT IN DEATH! My husband and his brother laughed, but I said, "This is serious stuff! I feel like I'm signing my life away!" It also didn't help that they were singing "Bodies" by Drowning Pool. 'Boys!'

I thought to myself, "And why am I doing this?" But then another part of me countered that thought with, "Face your fears! Do something crazy and fun! Expand your limits!" That crazy/fun side of me won.

We all jumped in tandem, which means each of us were attached to an experienced skydiver, who had the parachute. However, my biggest fear was not necessarily the falling, but that the parachute would fail to open! My instructor was really cool, though and calmed my fears. He helped me get in the harness properly and double checked everything, letting me know safety was paramount for him.

I wore a blue suit that reminded me of the Fantastic Four characters. After secured tightly in our gear and practicing the proper jump moves, we ambled out to the propeller plane and sat cramped, in a line, one in front of the other. I was reminded of the movie, Band of Brothers, as they sat in the plane heading off towards Normandy on D-Day. Only in this instance, we weren't being shot at!

At 14,000 feet the plane door opened and one by one we jumped off of a perfectly good and working airplane. I was towards the end of the line and slowly scooted along the narrow bench closer and closer to the opened door, watching those before me make their jumps.

The scariest part for me was seeing my husband tumble away from the plane as my instructor and I positioned ourselves for our jump. "Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed. "I'm scared!" But before I had time to analyze the situation, my instructor, to whom I was attached, was shouting, "Ready! Set!..." And out we jumped.

I screamed, but I couldn't hear my voice because a blast of cool air hit my face and roared in my ears. I arched my back like we practiced on the solid ground and opened my eyes. We were falling through a cloud. I saw the earth below.

Surprisingly, the free fall didn't feel like a roller coaster, where your stomach is slow to catch up with the rest of your body. No, the free fall really did feel like flying. It was loud, the air was cool, and my ears popped a little, but once you get over the fear factor, it's actually a really amazing experience.

After a minute of falling to the earth at 120 mph, we were at the right altitude to pull the parachute lever. And it opened without a hitch - Praise God!

This was my favorite part of the whole adventure - gliding to the ground via a parachute. Suddenly the roaring wind was replaced by silence. I laughed and could hear my laughter. My instructor showed me how to steer the parachute as we glided over farm land, ponds and even a road. The view was amazing! Think of looking out the window of an airplane, only you're not in the airplane!

All too soon it was over, and we landed perfectly on our feet. My instructor and I hugged. "Awesome job!" Then, after getting detached and out of the harness, I went in search of my husband who was beaming. He gave me a hug and kiss. "You did it!" he exclaimed.

Yes, I did do it, and even had the matted, windblown hair to prove it.

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We had a blizzard here with continuous snow fall from early early morning until late afternoon. My husband and I didn't  even consider venturing outside! The roads were way too slick, and the snow plows couldn't keep up with the snow. No sooner had they finished clearing the road then snow piled up over their work.

I didn't mind staying in, though.  I exercised to an aerobics DVD, which was a fun change of pace from my usual elliptical workout. And I admit, I enjoyed watching big, white flakes of snow falling to the ground en masse, being blow around by gusts of wind. It was kind of exciting, in a way!

View from my "backyard."

When the all-day snow storm had passed, I went outside to take some pictures. I loved how the world looked fresh and untarnished with a layer of untrodden, white snow. When I stepped onto our front walkway, my foot sank into the snow deeper than I had anticipated. I felt cold, wet snow up to my calves, but I just giggled like a little kid. Here I was, outside in 18-degree weather with the wind whipping around my hair, no jacket or gloves, ankle-deep in snow, and a camera around my neck! I imagine I was a curious sight!

I discovered this interesting snow formation from the roof. The picture is through the upstairs window (best way to see it), so it isn't the clearest. Hopefully you get the idea, though. It reminded me of white bed sheets; really it did! It also looked like frosting on a cake.

This is what I saw when I opened the back door. The snow had blown up against the house and still remained in its position without the door supporting it. I thought it was rather amusing (I seem to be amused by little things, don't I)!

I hope you had a drier (and SAFE) weekend. Hopefully winter got the cold and snow out of its system and will make way for gentler weather. March came in like a lion and will go out like a lamb - isn't that how the saying goes? 

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"Huh," I thought, "A month devoted to nutrition sounds good, especially if it could help folks learn about healthy food choices and portions and motivate them to apply what they've learned."

Then I thought, "Well, but how does all this get carried out anyway? What exactly is on the agenda for National Nutrition Month?"

After a quick Google search, I learned that National Nutrition Month, or NNM, was started by the American Dietetic Association (ADA) with the purpose of focusing:

attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.

The ADA's website lists articles and ideas with the purpose of educating individuals about proper nutrition. Families, schools, businesses, and other organizations would need to take it upon themselves to employ some of the NNM suggestions. "Ah, hah!" I thought, "That is the bottom line."

Actually, I could take this a step further. Improving one's diet and securing lifelong healthy eating habits ultimately rests with the individual. Sure, someone can enforce a healthy diet on an individual, but if that individual doesn't want to change, he/she is bound to "rebel" in time.

You have to want to change in order for that change to take place.

So, I'm on the fence with how I feel about NNM. As I previously mentioned, I think this is a worthwhile observance if it will educate and motivate individuals to adopt healthier eating habits. Yet at the same time, I feel a focus on proper nutrition should be a year-round type of deal. Why do we need a one-month campaign for it? Does it really make a difference? Maybe it does, but shouldn't we (ideally) be making an effort to eat healthy every day of our lives?

The ADA website does offer some fun and useful ideas for improving nutrition; for instance:

• Invite your kids to choose foods that match the colors of the rainbow.
• Sponsor a food drive, giving donations to a homeless shelter.
• Have an ethnic food day at school or at work.
• Use household items to show how big portions are to family members.

So, at the very least, you can check out their site to get your creative juices flowing.

What do you think about a national nutrition month? Is your child's school or your place of work doing anything special? What ideas do you have for improving your family's eating habits?

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• Solution to Sugar Addiction I've talked about the possibility of being addicted to sugar and more of the specifics on how sugar acts like a drug in some individuals. This post will cover the solution to kicking the sugar addiction, according to the book, Potatoes, Not Prozac. I think the following best sums up......
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For this wacky "holiday", people are to wave their hands over their head and shout, "Hoodie hoo!"  It's supposed to chase away the winter doledrums and usher in Springtime. 

The silliness is to be performed specifically at noon, but I imagine any time would work just as well. 

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I tend to think of massages as the occasional luxury.  I love lying underneath layers of warm, soft blankets with a few candles flickering on a nearby table. An herbal scent and the sound of ocean waves mixed with a piano subtly fill the room.  No phones, no computers, no meetings, no demands - just relaxation.   Ahhhhh...

My massage was very refreshing and seemed to melt away the tension.  Well, the knots in my shoulders did give the massage therapist's hands a workout as she pressed, rubbed, and worked her thumbs and fingers into them! By the end of the session, those stinkin' knots in were much much better, although still not 100% gone - that's how bad they are, I'm afraid. Afterwards the masseuse told me, "Gee, you're really tight in your shoulders."  "Yeah, no kidding!"  I wanted to say.

Well, I guess that just means I'll have to go back for another massage, oh darn the luck!   

But I have learned that massages more than just for pampering.  Check it out:

The Benefits of a Massage:

• Decreases stress
• Promotes relaxation
• Improves sleep
• Relieves muscle tension
• Decreases pain
• Alleviates discomfort with pregnancy
• Helps improve range of motion/flexibility
• Improves posture
• Improves circulation
• Decreases blood pressure
• Enhances concentration
• Boosts immunity

Those are some really great benefits from doing something I usually think of as a rare treat.    ...You know, now that I think of it, I believe I should get massages more often!  I mean, after all, they're good for you!  And we all should be doing things that are healthy and good for us, right? 

Well, yes, too bad they are a bit pricey!  That is an unfortunate circumstance.

Hmmm, now if only my husband were as enthusiastic about giving massages as I am about receiving them, I'd have it made!

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Sometimes when I have a task to accomplish, I will bury myself in the project until it’s done.

I say this is good and bad.

The good is obvious: I will get the task done! The bad, however: I will work through lunch hours which leaves me wide open to a sweet tooth attack later in the day. I will sit (although fidgeting constantly!) for long periods of time in front of a computer screen which leads to the Heavy Eyes Numb Bum Syndrome.

And like the Law of Diminishing Returns from Economics 101, the longer I sit, the less productive I am.

I have recently started realizing the power of “The Break.”

In some respects I don't think I've been used to taking breaks on the job! Kind of funny, isn't it? I used to work on an inpatient unit for many years where "The Break" was a fantasy, like Santa Claus! (You... all... don't still believe in Santa... right???)

Now I’m in a completely different work environment where "The Break" is real, available, and plentiful! Yet I almost feel guilty if I stop working for a while to enjoy it!

This week I’ve started making myself take breaks throughout the day. I even - heaven forbid - leave the hospital during my lunch break! And I like it! What a rebel I am!

I find that my total productivity increases with breaks, even though technically I'm working less. Plus, breaks seem to make the work day go by quicker (big, cheesy grin)!

You may be thinking, "Yeah, I already knew all of this!" But apparently I have not been well versed in the power of "The Break."

I have every confidence, though, that I'll be quite a master of it... and very soon!

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We make resolutions because we want to move forward; we want to improve ourselves, our lives. And what I've realized about resolutions is that the degree of success in accomplishing those resolutions is directly related to one's level of commitment to them. If your resolution is a priority and one you're absolutely committed to, I'm willing to say you'll probably stick with it.

That doesn't mean achieving your goal will be easy. I, for one, am open to helpful suggestions and motivational tips to keep me focused on my goal!

Therefore, if you’re one who is determined to follow your resolutions this year, here are a handful of my suggestions to help you stick with your goals. Use them, leave them, or add your own ideas.

Write it down!

You’re more apt to achieve a goal if you write it down, especially in a place where you can view it often, such as a daily planner or stuck to the refrigerator or bathroom mirror.
Also, write down WHY you want/need to meet your goal. I’ll use exercise/weight loss in my example (as weight loss is a top new year’s resolution).

Make it a SMART goal.

Your goal(s) for 2008 should be:

1. Specific – “I’m going to exercise more” is too general. Make your goal very specific. Write out your long term goal and the short term goals to meet along the way.
2. Measurable – Obtaining your goal should be measurable in numeric terms, i.e. lost 5% body fat, exercise for 30 minutes 5 times a week, run a 7-minute mile, etc…
3. Attainable – Make sure you should have the means and motivation to achieve your goal.
4. Realistic – Aim high, but not to the point where you can’t reach them.
5. Timely - put a time frame on when you want your goal to be achieved.

Track your progress

Keep a journal of what you eat, your calories, your emotions, your exercises, your weight, etc. Free online journals exist too, such as Fit Day. View your progress from time to time to get motivated as well as learn about you.

Keep yourself accountable

Enlisted a trusted family member or friend to check up on you, or better yet, workout with you.

Join or form a group with those who have similar goals as you. Meet regularly to encourage and motivate.

Create an official looking “Commitment Form.” Write your goal on it and sign and date it. Put a special seal or stamp on it to make it even more official – whatever you have to do!

Reward yourself

I’m in favor of positive reinforcement. Reward yourself as you achieve your short term goals, or whatever milestones you set for yourself, such as exercising 3 times a week for 30 minutes for 30 days, or dropping a dress size in 2 months.

Reward yourself with a massage, new workout shoes, a day off work to sleep in and taking a bubble bath, a new movie or book, tickets to a concert, a new piece of exercise equipment, etc… Try to keep the reward something other than food!

Here’s an interesting idea: Put a predetermined amount of money in a jar or some sort of piggy bank every time you do something towards meeting your goal, i.e. 1 dollar every time you exercise for 30 minutes. See how much money you “earned” whenever you meet a short term goal and feel free to use it how you like. Better yet, if you have the patience, wait until the end of 2008 to tally the amount! Invest it or spend it on something that is important to you.

These are just some of the ideas I personally find helpful. I’d love to hear what you do to stay on track and meet your goals!

Photo credit: xlucas

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