Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Fitness Orb: Not Just Another Silly Idea

A friend posted this NPR story on Facebook, and I just wanted to share it here, particularly as I have blogged about the effects of living a sedentary lifestyle before. The connections between inactivity and a whole host of health issues isn't new to me, but reading this story made me realize that I'm not doing enough after all. The article's target audience is people who have office jobs, and spend several hours per week sitting in front of a computer. Ideally it seems, if I'm understanding things correctly, your hours of physical activity should counterbalance your hours of sedentary activity. But considering most people sleep an average of eight hours a night, you're already lagging behind the moment you wake up. Add to that the time you spend commuting to and from work (assuming you either drive or take public transportation), and another eight hours or so at the office, and you're lagging way behind.

The article suggests taking frequent breaks at the office to stand, move around, stretch your legs, etc.--all practical ideas. Per the article, Dr. Toni Yancey, co-director of the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity in the University of California, suggests, among other things, sitting on an exercise ball instead of a regular office chair.

"...adding that it helps strengthen the core while improving balance and flexibility. It also requires more energy, so a few calories will be burned."

Sounds like fun, if not more than a little distracting. I can probably manage to use it during our homeschooling, but I can imagine the kids begging me for balls of their own. Then before you know it, one or more of them will topple over and bang their head(s).

Seems like Dwight Schrute had the right idea after all.


GIFSoup>

Monday, April 25, 2011

Our Holy Week and Easter

Holy Week was beautiful, as it always is. My 14yo daughter mentioned how she wished that mass was always the way it is during Holy Week. What she meant of course, was that she wished that mass was always as reverent. I can't blame her. The music was lovely (of the goosebump variety), and I caught glimpses of cassocks being worn under the priests' vestments. Then there were the processions--one following Holy Thursday mass with the the Blessed Sacrament, and another after the Good Friday service, with a lovely statue of the Pietà. We belong to a nice, welcoming Italian parish, and before becoming parishioners there, we hadn't really taken part in many processions. Our church loves its processions, and we often get the opportunity to join in. What a lovely practice that is, particularly the candle-lit ones, with everyone either praying or singing a hymn. We're not super traditionalists or anything, but we are fairly traditional, and it just felt good to see that everyone, including the parishioners, had put so much time and attention to every detail--from what they were wearing, to their general behavior at mass. You could have heard a pin drop at the Good Friday service. It was solemn and beautiful. The entire week actually, was beautiful, and spiritually edifying. While I know that Jesus is still present in the Tabernacle even on weeks when less of a "fuss" is made, it still makes me sad to sometimes see the "business as usual" attitude that pervades churches everywhere, at other times of the year.

We attended Easter vigil mass on Saturday night, and it was lovely, too. A bit crazier than the preceding nights, as there were tons of people there for baptisms and confirmations. It's always so nice to see new people just entering the Church. Their enthusiasm reawakens my own. It was a very late night so I didn't make it home early enough to get a head start on cooking for Easter, but I had plenty of time to catch up on Easter morning. We went to visit my Mother and sister for Easter later in the day. My Mom made a delicious ham, a salad, and my son's favorite--rice pudding for dessert. I made roasted vegetables, scalloped potatoes au gratin, pineapple bread pudding (for those of us not eating a gluten-free diet), and mashed potatoes. Yes, I served mashed potatoes AND scalloped potatoes. Starch and more starch. I gave in to my 12yo daughter for whom mashed potatoes in a lifeline. Now I have tons of leftovers, and I couldn't be happier about that! We seldom have leftovers anymore, what with the kids eating us out of house and home. I can never count on leftovers for lunch the next day, so I made sure to make plenty this time. I'm looking forward to a day off from cooking! I try to find joy in the little things. :)

Anyway, here's a not-so-clear picture of the Easter spread. It was kind of muggy and overcast yesterday, and lack of light is not my friend when it comes to photo-taking.



Happy Easter, everyone! I'm technically still on time as Easter is not just one day, but rather, an entire season. :)

Still in the Throes of Planning...

Okay, so I was all set to go with the Well Trained Mind recommendations for Biology this year, and now I'm not so sure. I'm still planning on incorporating the general source reading material the book suggests (i.e., Euclid's Elements, Aristotle's Physics, and Hippocrates' Aphorisms), but I'm not feeling all too confident about the Self Teaching Guide recommendation.

I wish it was easier to just throw out into the universe what it is that I want out of a Biology curriculum, and have it just magically appear on my doorstep, with teacher helps and all. Seriously, what to do with Biology is driving me nuts.

Here's what I want.

A text that...

- is user friendly
- uses clear language (this is for a non-science major after all)
- is thorough, but not so broad that it is superficial in depth
- is not dry
- provides thoughtful end-of-chapter discussion topics and questions
- has a helpful teacher's manual (with clear objectives and lesson plans) and an answer guide
- has uncluttered pages and detailed diagrams


I've almost decided to go with Exploring Life, a Campbell text. The reviews I read were favorable, but sigh...it's a standard textbook. Now, don't get me wrong, I do believe that textbooks do have their place. I'm just hoping it isn't too dry (see my list of wants above). And then there's the issue of there being like a gazillion editions of the book, not to mention all of its supplements, including an interactive CD, which I assume correlates with specific editions. The existence of a CD is not in itself off-putting. It's just that I'd like to know when I can schedule it, and if I can use it with any edition of the book.

E is not all too thrilled about the lab portion of our future Biology studies, either. Her issue is with the dissection labs. Now, I'm sure we can bypass doing actual dissections in favor of virtual ones, but I wonder how that would look on her transcript. As for me, I'm not squeamish at all, but the thought of doing home dissection is not all that pleasant. The odor alone is enough to deter me. My husband has already suggested we take the dissection out into the yard. Not a bad idea, but I wonder how that will go over with the neighbors. I guess we'll find out eventually!

As for labs, I've narrowed it down to two kits--one put out by Quality Science Labs, and the other from Labpaq. Both seem thorough, but the former one is *very* heavy on dissections. I'm not quite sure about the other. It seems like it's professionally put together, but the details on the specific labs are scant. I'll have to call for further information. Having to call for details is a major pet peeve of mine, too. I like the convenience of having things clearly listed on a web site.

Another thing I'm contemplating is perhaps altering our schedule for next year. I was thinking we could divide the school year into two semesters, and follow sort of a college schedule. For example, instead of doing US History II all year long, along with Biology, we could focus on History the first semester, and Biology the second. It would be similar to block scheduling, allowing us time to get fully immersed in specific subjects, without having to juggle too much. I don't fare too well with tight 30-45 minute scheduling blocks for each subject, so the thought of being more generous with our time allotments is a much less stressful prospect.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Black and Blue

No, I didn't fall down the stairs. Yes, I'm looking all battered, but I bruise like a peach anyway.

All of the contact stuff in Kung Fu and Kali, etc. pretty much ensures that I'm forever sporting huge black and blue eyesores. Thankfully, it's still too chilly around here to go out in short sleeves. I don't think I'll be wearing many of those anyway this year if my arms don't develop a tolerance to the strikes. I read that Dit Da Jow, a Chinese liniment, is supposed to work wonders on bruises, so I'll have to give that a try. Despite the pain, there is value in training this way. After all, it's not like a potential aggressor is going to take it easy on me just because I'm a woman. If you don't train hard, or "with intent," as our Sifu says, then you're not preparing yourself properly for when you may need to use what you've learned for legitimate self-defense purposes. Not to mention that training with intent, and in earnest, is all so cool! And fun!

I'm really excited, too, because we just started learning Long Fist, a Northern form. The name is very appropriate, as the motions are long and extended. Most Northern forms involve long, extended motions, as the region to the north of China offered lots of wide open spaces. In contrast, the Southern forms are more grounded, and involve shorter extensions, presumably because these styles were practiced in more densely populated areas. Long Fist One, the form we're learning now looks so graceful and fluid, yet the hidden self-defense applications in the form are direct and effective. It's amazing to me how with Kung Fu, a smaller, lighter person, can gain advantage over a larger and stronger attacker. It's all about not meeting force with force, but rather "going with it" and using an attacker's momentum against them. It makes sense, and it works.

Here's a video of a woman doing the form I mention above.



There are only very slight differences in the way we do it. This is something I've noticed since we started Kung Fu. There are so very many variations, often depending on lineage, or varying from school to school. The methods and applications however, are all sound, so the variances aren't a major issue.

Every day our Kung Fu / Martial Arts repertoire keeps growing. We've learned so much in the short time we've been training. It's hard to believe that we only just started in June of last year. So far, we've touched upon a number of styles, forms, methods, weapons, etc. These are Spring Legs (or Tan Tui with applications), basic blocks and self-defense, Ba Bu Chuan, a monk's morning energy drill, stances (horse, empty, crane, drop, sitting, dragon, etc.), Chin Na (a method of subduing your opponent via joint/muscle locks), Wing Chun (Sal Lim Tao - a Southern style, with applications), Kickboxing, Tai Chi, Qigong, Kali (a stick-fighting Filipino martial art I've posted about before--so far we've learned some drills, disarms, applications, w/ and without knives), straight sword (Jian form and applications), and we've only just started learning Long Fist and Xing Yi with the three quarter staff and empty hand. Xing Yi, along with BaGua (which unfortunately, I do not take, but my husband does) and Tai Chi, make up the three internal Chinese martial arts--all focused around the spirit, mind, and energy (qi or chi). Of these, Xing Yi is the hardest hitting, and it's also the most linear. BaGua is more circular, and Tai Chi is more meditative in nature, although it is a martial art, and as such has countless self-defense applications as well.

We're having so much fun with this, it's crazy. Just over a year ago, I never thought we'd all be taking up martial arts. And just this past Saturday, we were all promoted to our green sashes. A sash or belt system is not common to Kung Fu. Traditionally, there is no ranking system in Kung Fu, but more and more schools seem to have adopted this system. It does make it easier to see at a glance where everyone stands in terms of ability.

Spring Planning

First a quick update.

My daughter's blood tests turned up no problems! Deo gratias! A follow-up appointment with her eye doctor turned up that whatever she had in her eye, at least this last time, was possibly viral. She was prescribed a combination anti-inflammatory / antibiotic drop, and we saw a big improvement right away. Go figure. She had been prescribed an anti-inflammatory drop one other time, and then an antibiotic drop another time, but what she apparently needed all along was a combination of the two. The doctor still believes what she had the first time was episcleritis, but this last episode was different. As part of her 2nd follow-up visit (there were 3 total), she had her vision re-checked, and was taken through various eye testing stations. The verdict? Her eyes grew and her vision worsened. She needed new lenses for her glasses, and all in less than five months' time! She's over the moon with her new lenses though. Apparently, it's made quite a difference for her.

So, things are finally getting back to normal. School is coming along fine, but I've completely neglected to do all of my school planning for next year. I was so exhausted over worrying about everyone, and getting used to the increased exercise, that I just didn't get to it earlier. So today, I've been hitting the catalogs and message boards, seeking suggestions. The kids have expressed a desire to learn Korean, so my current task is finding adequate resources for that. I'm hoping for something they can use independently, as I cannot fathom my learning another language right now. Knowing myself however, I will no doubt partake, but possibly not regularly.

My son (10), has been really eager to learn Algebra lately. He's very driven and interested, so we're having lots of success with it. I started to use some of the Key to Algebra workbooks with him, but he's starting to get a bit impatient. He just wants to jump in whole hog. Thankfully, we already use Singapore Math, so what I've been doing is having him do his word problems twice--once using the Singapore method of drawing models, and once using Algebra. So far so good. Hindsight is 20/20. I should have done the same with my 14yo when she was using Singapore. I do often resort back to the pictorial method even now with her, particularly when faced with an especially difficult or confusing word problem. That usually does the trick in helping her understand. Now more than ever, I'm really and truly appreciating Singapore Math's methods. I'm seeing the big picture, and it makes sense. Better yet, it sticks.

I think the big challenges for me this coming year, will be how to handle the sciences, particularly for my high schooler, and find the right fit for Geometry. I did find that David Chandler, the man who put out the companion CD for Foerster's Algebra, also has a CD for Geometry. I haven't heard much about the main text he recommends, i.e., Geometry: A Guided Inquiry, by G.D. Chakerian, but I'm pretty much sold on this option based on the availability of Mr. Chandler's CD alone. The sciences are always challenging for me, especially at this level. I'm not convinced that we can get away with doing just paper labs. I noticed that some correspondence schools offer these "paper labs" in lieu of the more traditional labs most of us went through in high school, but I'm still not convinced they'd be adequate enough, even though my daughter doesn't plan on majoring in any of the sciences. We've done Chemistry this year, and bought a decent home lab kit for that. Next year however, I plan on Biology, and those labs, at least to my memory, were much more complex, particular in terms of supplies and specimen. My daughter is not exactly looking forward to having to do dissections, but I'm assuming these are still required, or at least encouraged, in most high schools. While our chosen order of science topics may seem odd to some, it made sense to me to start with Chemistry. I figured it would help in the understanding of Biochemistry later. I still believe this to be true, but I guess I'll know for sure when I get there.

Also on our list of supplies this year--a globe. Our old globe, at least a gazillion years old, was barely legible, and had already fallen off its base. It badly needs replacing. Also, the atlas and Google maps just aren't cutting it. I wanted a more tactile option, and it's my one back-to-basics purchase for this next year. It feels good to have a non-techy, basic, classic item on our list. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I'm still coming up with our literature selections, and I'm still on the fence over one elective. My daughter most certainly has a choice, but she's as indecisive as I am. I'm also looking into the Didache series for religion for next year, but we didn't start the series this year, and I wonder if it's something best done in order. It makes me all anxious to think that we will not be able to complete all four volumes.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

We've Gone Gluten-Free

Obviously, I'm not doing too well with the blogging. I had all of these high hopes involving my posting with regularity. No matter. I have an excuse.

After my last post, in which I detailed how I aim to remain productive while sick, I found that I just didn't get better. After more than ten days of being sick, I started to cough up blood, and I finally decided to go to a doctor. Thankfully, it wasn't anything too serious. I just had been coughing for so long, that my throat was irritated. In any case, I went to see the doctor, who kindheartedly chided me for not having come in earlier, and I went on my way with a diagnosis of bronchitis, a throat infection, and an eye infection. After about three days, I started to feel human again.

Then, if that wasn't enough to deal with, I've been fairly concerned over my 14yo daughter, E. She was diagnosed with episcleritis several months ago. This is a fancy name for eye redness and inflammation. It only seems to effect her right eye. Well, we took her to the eye doctor a while ago, and he wasn't too concerned about it. He prescribed anti-inflammatory eye drops and it cleared up, but then he told us that if it came back again, to make sure that she gets checked to rule out any underlying issues. Well, it came back. Twice. And for the last few weeks, the redness has been a constant, sometimes getting better or worse at varying times of the day. I still wasn't worrying, but decided to call her pediatrician to ask if he could take a look at her. He suggested we take her to a pediatric rheumatologist instead, as there was only so much he could do before sending me to a specialist anyway. He figured he'd save us time, and he referred us to a pediatric rheumatology group in a nearby town. Imagine my surprise when I found out that there are only seven pediatric rheumatologists in our whole state, and four of them work together so close to us. In any case, having to see a specialist for something I had initially thought would be innocuous, was a bit frightening. Strike that, I'm lying. It was more than a bit frightening. And of course, it didn't help that I spent countless hours reading stuff online that did little to temper my anxiety. But the rheumatology appointment came and went without a hitch. The doctor, who we loved, told us that there was no outward, physical sign of systemic disease, and I felt like I could draw breath again. Of course, to be completely certain that my daughter didn't have any of the auto-immune disease markers, we'd have to take her to Labcorp for bloodwork. We did that last week, and I still don't have the results. And yeah, I'm frustrated with the wait, and am still anxious about all of this.

Well, I was getting increasingly frustrated with feeling completely impotent with regard to all of this, so I continued to research auto-immune issues, and how diet, particularly a gluten-free diet, can help in some cases. I figured it wouldn't hurt to be proactive, and just make some adjustments. Tangentially related, my son, age 10, has had ongoing (more like on and off) intestinal/bowel issues over the years. I had discussed this with his doctor, but he didn't feel it was a serious issue, as my son seemed well overall. He was thriving it seemed. In any case, the more I read about the gluten-free diet, the more I wanted to try it. I figured I could put the family on an elimination diet, and then after a while, reintroduce gluten and see what happens. I wrote out a detailed menu, made a few trips to the store and farmer's market, and we were set.

Immediately, I saw a difference in myself (no more bloating!) and in my son. I didn't see a difference at all with my husband or my daughters. But the changes, particularly for my son, were eye-opening. I noticed that my son was much more relaxed. He's a very restless sleeper, and in fact, just getting him to bed is difficult. It's like he has difficulty winding down. I think I may have written before how he is very active during our homeschooling. He gets up, walks around, sits down, gets up again, etc. I just assumed that this was the normal state of things for him. I just felt that he needed to move to think. But immediately after putting him on the gluten free diet, he was much less fidgety, and far more focused. Yes, it was *that* noticeable. He was also happier, and just generally more pleasant to be around. I figured his increasing testiness was just due to his age. But apparently it wasn't! More startling yet, was that his intestinal/bowel issues were no more. This was very encouraging, if not overwhelming in a way. This was really just an experiment of sorts, and here I was, faced with the very real possibility that this may be how we'll have to eat from now on. I didn't bristle at this fact for me, but rather for my son. He loves his bread, cakes, and pizzas, and I want to make sure he still has access to safe variations of these. But I'm not a baker, nor am I especially gifted in the kitchen, so I have a lot of learning to do.

Despite all of the changes I saw with the elimination of gluten, I still felt it necessary to reintroduce it. I figured it would provide me with the proof that we were going about things the right way. Thankfully, my family is very good about trying out new things, so I was met with absolutely no argument. This past Saturday, we were going to the grand opening celebration of our Kung Fu school's sister school, and I knew that there would be food there. I figured that I wouldn't make a big deal about it, and let the kids have some of the food there. Again, I saw no difference in my daughters or in my husband. I immediately felt "off." I don't know how else to describe it. I didn't have too much, but what I did have just felt heavy, and made me feel sluggish. My son's reaction was much more startling. By the time we left the celebration, he was very testy and argumentative. He also seemed a bit jittery and even twitchy to me. By the time we got home, it only got worse, and then came the intestinal/bowel issue again, after over a week of no problems. He had a terrible time settling to sleep that night as well. There was a lot of fidgeting, and even a twinge of anxiety. As I said, it was startling.

So now we're eating gluten-free. I don't know whether my son has a sensitivity or an allergy to wheat or gluten, but I know that not having him deal with the restlessness, anxiety, and bowel issues is infinitely better than the alternative. I don't even know if it's worth seeking a firm diagnosis, or if I'm just better off moving forward without a diagnosis. I do find that I'm hyper-focused on food now, more than I ever have been. My 14yo daughter has had food allergies her whole life (peanuts and nuts primarily, with very mild sensitivities to eggs and dairy), but gluten is a different beast altogether. It's everywhere.

In closing, for any of you out there that may be reading this, we'd appreciate your prayers. Really, I'm very concerned over my daughter and her eye issue. My husband thinks there's nothing to worry about, and I certainly hope he's right. Things have been so screwy lately, and there have been a lot of changes in our home. I don't fare too well with change, so a prayer for my peace of mind wouldn't hurt either. Thanks!