Diabeating your children

"When parents feed their young children, who do not know better or aren't given any healthy options, pure crap, resulting in juvenile onset diabetes. This should be considered child abuse." - Urban Dictionary

I subscribe to Urban Dictionary's "Urban Word Of the Day", and that little gem was waiting for me when I logged in to my computer at work this morning. Glaring grammatical errors aside, I find myself in agreement with this particular definition.

Maybe it has something to do with remembering a part of my own early childhood; my mother would pick me up from daycare after working graveyard and take me straight to the AM/PM down the block. I could (and did) load up on whatever I wanted, and would have most of it finished off by the time we got home, a mere three miles away.

Maybe it has something to do with the way I felt when, at age 21, I saw in the endocrinologist's lobby and just knew what the test results were going to say. I remember Anne calling me back to a room, and then breaking nurse protocol by holding my hand as she set my chart down and confirming my fears: adult onset diabetes, Hashimoto's, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and poly-cystic ovarian syndrome.

At 392 lbs, it wasn't exactly a shock.

Now, seven years and 180+ lbs later, I can see the unhealthy relationship that we introduce our children to out of convenience, fear and, at time, laziness. Why else would my mother take me to a gas station convenience store at midnight? (Don't answer that.)

All of this to say, I believe I am justifiably paranoid regarding what food my children are presented. Whether it's mealtime at our house, a dinner out or the ladies at church offering them candy whenever my back is turned, I have a vested interest in what my kids ingest. Go figure.

Lord knows the Man-Mate and I are not perfect in this regard. The Bruiser is currently obsessed with chicken nuggets, pizza and GoGurts... and the Dominatorinator has, well, that kid will eat anything you set before him (including your purse, ladies, so watch it). However, I am cognizant of how easy it is to fall into the "zap-a-meal" trap, and strive to make what I call "Sneaky-Mom Additions" to their meals - basically, finding a way to hide super-foods like spinach or blueberries or fish in their preferred meals. It's... difficult. It's worth it.

Lest I turn into one of the outspoken, uber-crunchy moms that I truly cannot stand, I will end on this note:
All it takes is thought.
A thought towards your child's future; what do you want it to look like for them? What kind of experiences do you want them to have? What adventures would you love to see them take? Who do you want them to become?
Food plays a vital, inescapable role in how we turn out (there are reasons entire cultures are based around the many aspects of 'food'). Too much, too little... both can, and do, shape the way we view the world and how we are viewed by it.

Perks of Working Downtown - The Series

If you have met me, you will have undoubtedly been presented with my love of all things Seattle. I have, on occasion, made such proclamations as "I'd marry it if I could", "Is it possible to make love to a city?", and "Mmm, Seattle". It's safe to say that I, Krystal Bishop, am a Seattlephile.

On my way back from lunch a scant four minutes ago, my nutrient-starved brain started making a list of all the things I love about working downtown. Oh, sure... there are pages and lists galore online touting the many amazing reasons why one should visit downtown Seattle (most not moving past Pike Place Market, the Space Needle/Seattle Center/EMP, and the Ducks)... but where's the love for Seattle's faithful proletariat?

It's here.

Perks of Working Downtown - #1:
This one may/should be obvious, but the close proximity to and and everything is kind of key here. Whether it's food you need or errands that won't wait, the convenience factor is HIGH.

Maybe it's the nice li'l flood of endorphins talking (hello... desk job!), but I am one happy girl.

I mean, come on, we have our own VILLAIN.

Year of the GETOFFYOURASS

... or, as I have come to call it, "Let's not get fat again, m'kay?"

I sort-of feel sorry for whoever is reading this blog - if anyone - because, really, this first post is bound to be the single most confusing/off-putting mental diarrhea I have ever put out there. I promise that the posts will get better (more composed, a large serving of humor, etc.), but now? My brain has been constipated and needs a little relief.

Still interested?
Read on!

I am officially sick of hearing myself talk about getting in shape and improving my diet. These little 'catchphrases' are of particular annoyance:
"I'm just stuck in a rut right now..."
"I'd exercise if I could find the time..."
"Well, I tried that, but..."
"If healthy food wasn't so expensive..."

Really?
I'm allowing my health and well-being to be stopped by a mental block, time constraints, past effort and money?
It would be one thing if I didn't already spend money on groceries... but I do. Or if I couldn't find a source of inspiration... but I can. Or if I couldn't learn from past experiences... but I have. Or if I didn't have friends to kick my ass whenever I threw out some lame excuse... but they can (and will).

Enter "Year of the GETOFFYOURASS", or what I will be referring to as GOYA.

Unless you and a calendar have not made contact in a while, you will have undoubtedly noticed that it is not January 1st... rendering this either an extremely tardy New Years resolution, or me a highly accomplished procrastinator - only one of those is correct (the latter), but that doesn't matter. This is all about G-ingOYA, after all, and I fully intend to flip-off any guilt and G my A in gear.

Categories I'm focusing on:

1. Bachelor's Degree
2. Exercise
3. Voice-Overs
4. Food

5. Writing

What that entails:

1. Enroll in an online bachelor's program.

a. As-of last week, I have; I'm starting at WSU Online on May 7th, taking two classes for summer semester. 

b. Look into increasing my course load for fall semester; with only 43 credits needed to graduate, it's tantalizingly close.
c. Carve out (and, really, it will be a viciously bloody carving) the much-needed time to study - nights, weekends, days-as-of-yet-invented.

2. Um... exercise.
a. Something. Everyday. Not hard to do...
b. Zumba? Kickboxing? Dance? Swimming? Running (ohdearlordno)?

3. Training... and then getting out there.
a. As-of 5/20, I will; I've enrolled in a 4-week course/workshop with a local expert... and might do another one.
b. Get a demo together (WHERE? MONEY?)
c. Head shots (WHERE? MONEY?)

4. Don't be stupid about food choices.
a. Candy is not a meal.
b. Smoothies are.
c. If it's highly processed, it's probably a "stupid".

5. Put pen to paper. Repeat. Bask in the glow of accomplishment.
a. As-of June, 2012, I am published; Cascadia Community College's annual magazine is publishing two pieces of mine - a flash fiction and a poem.
b. Make time once a week to write (SET A PAGE GOAL?).
c. Keep a notebook on myself at all time, and become that creepy girl taking notes on seemingly random things.

See? Mental diarrhea.
I suggest washing your hands.

More (better-ly constructed word-things) next time...

Krystal