Sunday, February 27, 2011

Working Out - Daddy Style


I try to work out.  I really do.  I’ve tried to stay on a schedule, but, well, that seems fruitless.  So I squeeze it in when I can.  Here is a recent episode.

Day:
Saturday.  It’s my day off, so hey, plenty of time, right?

Scene:
Prepping for dinner.  My wife and I are doing dinner alone so I’m heating up food for the kids.  I decide I’ll throw on some shorts, put on a Billy Blanks workout video, and work out while the foods heating up.

Act 1:
Dad gets on his “workout clothes” (i.e. a pair of shorts).  The two year old, realizing what is going on, gets his dress shoes out.  He stutters.  “Daddy, I-I-I-I-I-I got my workout shoos.  Can you-you-you-you-you put them on.”

Daddy puts on shoes.

The nine year old, hearing of the coming events, comes out of his room in a pair of swim shorts…and that’s it. The two year old, somehow feeling like he’s going to be left out, strips off his shirt.  “Daddy, can you-you-you-you-you take off my shoos.  I-I-I-I-I-I-I need to get on my swim short.”  Daddy assures the two year old that he can just workout like this without a problem.

The nine year old disappears for some reason and reappears fully dressed.  Umm.....

The seven year old lays on the floor in the middle of the living room (a.k.a the workout area) facing the screen and ready to watch the show.  Daddy, attempting to remain calm, explains that the seven year old needs to move before I kick him out of the way bodily injury occurs. 

The video does not want to start.  Despite the fact that it’s worked hundreds of times (or maybe twice) before this.  Minor technical difficulty.  Daddy fixes.

Finally the video begins. 

The five and seven year old attempt to point out people in the video that they “like”.  Daddy, attempting to remain calm keeps pushing gently moving them out of the way.

30 minutes, and 5 “pauses” into the video, a fight breaks out at the dinner table. 

Thus ends Act 1....along with the entire workout.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Depending on Food


I’m not one to really get into conspiracy theories.  I enjoy them as much as the next guy I suppose, but I’ve never been able to buy the story that something like three people control events of the entire world.  It’s certainly possible.  Yet as I look at history in an objective light, it looks to me like you have groups of people all trying to do what’s best for themselves.  This all converges to create the impression that world events are being tightly controlled. 

A classic example for those of us in America is our dependence on foreign food. 

This issue has been taking center stage of late as legal mandates require that produce distributors label their goods with the country of origin.  My family recently devoured a small crate of Clementine’s from Spain.  Those Spanish folks grow some tasty citrus.  Importing produce has been going on in America for centuries now.  It’s not new.  But in the past it was special.  It was a treat.  Chocolate from Spain, citrus from South America, Banana’s from Brazil, and Pistachio’s from the Middle East were special items purchased by those who could afford them for special occasions.  Today, in our global marketplace, these items are part of our every day diet.  They are expected in large quantities on our store shelves.  And when we go to someone else's home, we instinctively expect that those items will be present.

But it doesn’t end there.

No longer do we purchase specialty items from overseas producers, we now get our standard fair across our borders.  I submit, by way of example, the infamous corn.  While we produce tons of corn domestically every year, it has become law that grains producers set aside a percentage of that corn for ethanol.  Fuel refiners are offered incentives for mixing ethanol in their gasoline.  So the government subsidized corn production and then subsidizes the use of ethanol in gasoline.  Thus the American tax payer (that means you and me y’all) is paying for corn and gasoline over and above what we pay at the cash register.

 
Now, with all this corn being set aside for fuel, we have a hard time finding enough corn to make feed for our livestock (not to mention human consumption).  So, we supplement by purchasing corn in bulk from foreign countries.  One such country is Mexico.  While I am not against the Mexicans growing corn and supplying a demand, I have a hard time swallowing that I am now subsidizing corn, paying for corn, subsidizing fuel, paying for fuel, and paying import tax on corn brought in to feed myself.

Is it just me or does that seem like it’s asking a lot?

I know I’m simple minded.  Maybe that’s why I keep envisioning a Simple Life.  But why can we not just grow crops?  Let the farmers charge a reasonable price (including profit) and let the people buy them.  Let the government pay the same price.  I know…crazy talk.  But it’s a bit like a home budget.  If disaster strikes, I know where all the money is going and I can divert it to meet the immediate need.  If I’m dependent on others for my money, I may not know exactly what they can and will provide.

So you see that I don’t think that taking away food independence from the American people is a grand scheme of communism or something similar.  Rather it is people fighting for their own agenda rather than the good of all.  This can be seen in a very recent predicament we now find ourselves in. 

Still using Mexico as our example, we import a lot of produce from them.  Produce, in many cases that we could grow on our own soil.  But like us, they are working through unusual weather patterns.  A cold snap has been disastrous on their crops.  Thus, we pay the price with them.  Since we can’t divert our own corn to meet the crisis (since must be used for ethanol) we will start seeing food prices increase for our meat.  Why?  Because our feedlot system is based on corn.  We will now pay big money for corn.  And we will pay big money for meat.  If we could freely produce our own corn, we could meet this crisis head on and divert the corn from green fuel to meat. 


This is what it means to be food dependent.  We do not rely on ourselves to meet our needs, but rather we depended on other governments and economies to do our thinking for us.  Shame on us. 

So what can you and I do?  Grow our own food, even if it’s just tomatoes in a bucket on the back patio.  Support local farmers through farm markets and co-ops.  Think locally, buy locally, and support your local businesses.  This is the key to gaining back our food dependence. 


"If people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as the souls who live under tyranny."
Thomas Jefferson (1778)

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Purposeful Parenting

I had an opportunity to take my family to the Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, OH.  It's an expensive weekend, but we had family give us money as a gift and my wife, whose spiritual gift if discount shopping, found a discount package on-line.  We had a blast!

If you don't know what the GWL is, it's an indoor waterpark resort.  They have restaurants, a spa, pool side bars, an arcade, etc. It's all available for an outrageous price.  But if you're like us, you take your own food and try not to spend a dime while you're there. 

In the water park, there are places that each family member will like.  Slow floating down a canal, high speeding up a roller coaster, and everything in between.  As we walked from section to section it struck me how many people were sitting on the pool side chairs, lounging, reading, drinking beer and such.  They were adults without any kids.

Or were they?

Further observation lead me to realize that they did in fact have children in the park...but the kids were playing by themselves.

How odd...

It never occurred to me to sit on the sidelines while the kids have fun.  I kept wondering what their kids would remember when they got older.  Would the kids remember a weekend away where they entertained themselves?  Would they remember a mom and/or dad who was present, but not engaged in the vacation?  In either case, what you have is two separate individuals entertaining themselves separately.  In many cases that I watched, the only interaction between parent and child was when the kids came up to "shore" to eat.  That was it.

As I thought about my own kids, screaming, splashing, laughing, and having the time of their lives, I knew right then that I would not be a sideline parent.  I made it my personal goal to ride every ride, swim in every pool, float in every canal, and do all of these with someone at my side.  And I did.  And then passed out after putting the kids to bed that night.

I think we've built into our culture the perceived need of having "me" time.  I'm sure you've heard that term, and maybe even used it.  But what is "me" time?  Is there a time when we should care for our needs to the exclusion of others?  Oh, I know (believe me, I know) you need some quiet time to yourself.  I know you need to relax every now and again.  I'm the same way.  Yet as I journey down this path of parenthood, I realize that if I am not purposeful in my parenting my children will be out of the house before I can blink.  Then it will be too late.

I have no idea who you are or what your circumstances are, but I know that you can be purposeful parent.  I know that you make choices that will impact your children in a positive way.  Don't just sit on the sidelines and let other people guide your children.  Don't be content to let your children experience life without you.  Purpose now that you will live life with them, not in spite of them. 

Make a plan.  If you haven't already done so, sit down and find the time in your schedule that can devote to engaging your children.  Find their interests and get them involved.  Give them opportunity to experience those things you want them to experience...just do it with them. 

Your time with your children it like the morning mist.  Soon it will be gone.  What can you do to let them know they are loved?