Life is too short!

Things could be a lot worse, the stress of the situation always could be worse, but I am alive and I have a lot to be thankful for - so I shall not waste my days with stress and frustrations - Life is too short! ~Catherine Pulsifer

The past few weeks have been some of the most stressful in my life. We have had a lot of drama in my life. Things that were out of my control. They have unfortunately had a negative impact on me. They have put my stress level so high that I cannot function. I have been getting stress headaches..they suck! The slightest thing I am taking wrong. I promise that I am not normally this bad.

I am trying to remember how to relax. I am trying to remember to take some time for myself. I get up in the mornings now to have some me time while the kids are still asleep. It seems to be helping. I starting working out again today. Of course, I was sooo tired from my 20 minute workout that I took a 20 minute nap! But that is OK. I plan on working out everyday so that I can hopefully relieve some of this stress.

Weight Loss

I need to loose weight. I know that it is something that everyone hears all the time. This time is different. My blood pressure is getting our of control. I am getting a little bit worried. My biological grandmother died from heart disease when I was in 6th grade..so I was 11. That was 23yrs ago. I am afraid that I am following in her footsteps. I do not want that to happen. I am going to make the change starting tomorrow. It will be a rough couple of days, but I am giving up sodas(yes again) and I am going to start working out again. I am going to start slow tomorrow. I will do 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the afternoon. I do not want to start off too gung-ho. I am still not feeling my best from the upper respiratory infection. I know that by just losing 10% of my weight that will help a lot. Losing just 10% of my weight will be huge. That is my goal..just 10% before we go to Disney World in December. If I am lucky enough to loose more..great!

So here is to starting off Monday on a much better note.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Yesterday we were watching Wild Pacific. The show was discussing how 60% of the world's fishing is done in the Pacific Ocean. My son, Tracker, had a really strong response to this. He said that it was too much. The video showed fisherman stunning sharks and then cutting off their fins (DO NOT click on that link with kids around). Then they throw the fin-less shark back into the water. The shark cannot survive. It will sink to the bottom of the ocean and die a slow and painful death. Tracker was almost in tears. He could not understand why someone would do something so cruel. He could not understand why they did not use all the meat. I tried to explain that all they cared about was the $300/lb price tag. He said that they were nothing but selfish, greedy bullies. I was not sure what to say. I could not understand it myself. Why would someone be so cruel?? How do you answer that question?

The show goes on to discuss seine tuna fishing. I don't think that I have ever seen anything like this. The goal is to catch big tuna, but the other fish that are being caught and killed are unbelievable. The fisherman do not care that they are getting juvenile tuna, sharks, dolphins, sea turtles and who knows what other type of fish. They use scare tactics to keep the tuna in the net. Tuna must constantly swim to keep oxygen moving through their bodies. When the 'purse' is closed the tuna cannot swim and they panic. They release an acid that makes their meat not so good. So the goal is to get them out as fast as they can. The fish on the bottom of the net never had a chance..so they are killed for no reason.This had the biggest reaction from all of my children.

My children could not understand why they were allowed to fish this way. Why someone is not trying to stop them. Why there are not international fishing regulations that protect all marine life. Why are some not as treasured as others? I had no answers to all these questions for my kids. Tracker is an avid fisherman, but he said that you have a responsibility to treat the environment with respect. That you must fish responsibly. This came from a 10 yr old.

What can you do?

~Go to Seafood Watch and eat responsibly.
~Join the End of the Line Campaign.
~Go to Tread Lightly and learn how to be a responsible fisherman.

Menu until Sunday ****Updated****

Tuesday:
Breakfast: cereal, toast
Lunch: Tuna salad sandwiches My kids are giving up tuna due to the commercial fishing. They believe that there should be more uniform regulations.
dinner: BBQ Tofu, roasted potatoes & onions, salad Fried tofu, peppers, red onions & black olives over orzo

Wednesday:
Breakfast: pancakes, veggie sausage
lunch: homemade pizzas, salad
dinner: spaghetti, garlic bread, green beans & salad

Thursday: HARRY POTTER Movie Day!!!
Breakfast: veggie sausage biscuits, fruit cocktail
lunch: boys: packed lunches @ art class
squirrel, dh & I : picnic @ park
dinner: tortilla stack pie, mexican rice

Friday:
Breakfast: baked oatmeal
Lunch: corn dogs, homemade mac & cheese
dinner: C.O.T.F.N. (clean out the fridge night.)

Saturday: Farmer's Market Day!!
Breakfast: pancakes, veggie sausage
lunch: salads
dinner: Farmer's Market finds

Sunday:
Breakfast: hard boiled eggs, fresh fruit, ham steak
Lunch: Out..in laws in town
dinner: tacos