madameblogalot

In just a little under a month, my son will be leaving for college. It is a bittersweet time in our house. One good thing that is happening is that some reality is dawning and setting in for him. For example, this weekend he has cleaned out a living room shelf where he has kept “stuff” all school year. He cleaned out his room a bit more as well. He is finishing up little tasks, applied for a couple of on campus jobs, and even got his class schedule done! Today at lunch he told me how much he appreciates me waking him up for events like church and other things. But, now he wants me NOT to do that. He needs to learn on his own to start making sure his alarm is set and that he gets up to it, especially on weekends. I could only laugh and tell him that I think this is a great idea and a perfect time to start!

Do you ever walk into a room and forget why you came in there in the first place? I had seen it happen with my grandparents and parents but was not ready for it to happen to me (at such a young age!) It actually has been happening for years now, but it’s not altogether uncommon anymore! And I have even had moments where my brain is completely blank when thinking of a name or trying to remember some fact. I had never had that experience until recently. I know that I am getting to be middle aged, but I was not prepared for my brain to start slipping so soon!

And now more than ever, people are needing better brain fitness and longevity. It is not only frustrating in day to day living, but it is imperative now that people are working til older ages. As folks live longer and the economy cannot sustain their lifestyle, people are choosing to stay in the work force for more years. This makes brain acumen a must, especially as the older generation finds themselves competing for their jobs with ever younger colleagues.

There are numerous ways to keep your brain in shape. I have always heard that reading and doing puzzles like crosswords or sudoku are helpful. Getting together with others and talking about things, staying up on current events and learning something new can all be good ways to keep a brain in shape. I have even heard about some online programs that can help keep the brain fit by training cognitive skills. Looks like I better get to training!

I guess most parents feel a sense of failure sometimes. I found an interesting quote about it in a Michael Crichton novel, of all places. One of the characters, a psychiatrist, states that another character, a teen aged rebel “…presented her parents with their own neuroses. In a sense she acted out their fantasies.” (Crichton, A Case of Need, p266)

Also in regard to the young girl “There is a cycle here, a pattern….A rebellious child chooses the weak point of its parent-with unfailing, uncanny accuracy-and proceeds to exploit it. ” (Crichton, A Case of Need, p267)

I won’t pretend to completely understand this, but it really hit me when I read it. While it’s not very comforting, it gave me a lot to think about.

In using the heart rate monitor, I have to conduct some personal “time trials” to see my time over a given distance and the average heart rate during the exercise. After conducting my first series of time trials this week (two weeks ago by time of posting!), I can see that I have already gained some strength and speed over the past year or so. I am hopeful that in using the monitor, I will be able to continue to increase both my strength and speed in each event. It is helpful in having already watched my husband learn through using his. He is careful to stay within his heart rate zone, even if it means slowing down or even walking. Over the past six months his times have decreased while his strength has increased. He is able to monitor his heart rate and work more efficiently during each workout.

First time trial times:

800 meter (yard) swim (actually 720m/16 laps) 18:58

15 mile bike: 52:21; average heart rate=146

5k run: 28:09; AHR=160

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: When I saw this book for $2 at Barnes and Noble I thought I’d pick it up for a Christmas present. And since my sister has read (and I think liked the book) I decided why not read it in the meantime. I have to say that while not quite a complete MISS (there is enough humor there) it is the weirdest book I’ve ever read!

Field of Vision: This made for TV family movie was one that was a little more on the “cheesy” side where everything turned out all right in the end. I understand the message and could enjoy a movie with no “bad” stuff in it, but it was not very realistic. And was also a platform to advertise products within the movie. At any rate, I will call this one neither a HIT nor a MISS.

June looks like a short reading month, but I’ve been working on one book most of the month. Almost done with it, so will post it for July….

I have never used a heart monitor in my training or exercise. I have been told that it is very helpful in monitoring your output, making sure you are doing the right amount of work as well as training your heart to do a maximum amount of work at a minimum output (heart rate.) So I just invested in my own heart monitor. I am hopeful that it will help me to continue to build my strength and stamina as I have seen other athletes able to build theirs simply by training with a heart rate monitor.

We are just about to enter our first experience with Obamacare-like required health insurance. As my husband is a full time minister, it has been extremely difficult and unaffordable for our family to find health insurance. We know it’s a risk. And have been in the situation of having to pay medical bills, though thankfully nothing catastrophic. And yet, there has been nothing we could do to find affordable insurance for a single family not part of a group.

So we were quite shocked to find out through a letter received by our son’s college of choice that health insurance coverage is a requirement for all full time students. In our college search, at none of the colleges we visited did this ever come up even once in any of the parent meetings or any of the parent literature.

Upon doing a quick search, I found that as early as 2007 that one quarter of public schools and as many as 90% of private universities require health insurance for their students. (“Health Care Insurance Required by More Colleges”, Buffalo Business First, Aug. 6, 2007) In reading the report I can see that colleges are trying to help students but I also see that it is a huge burden to those who are unaware and already unable to afford insurance, now having to pay for college and adding the insurance coverage on top of that. Not to mention how guilty parents can end up feeling about insuring only that one family member while all the rest are going without coverage.

While it is the family’s own risk that is at stake here and many families have to live day to day without the benefit of health insurance coverage, parents need to be aware that more and more colleges and universities are now making this a requirement. If students do not meet the requirement they will be automatically enrolled in the school’s heath insurance plan and billed accordingly. I am not sure if the payments are lumped together as part of the tuition or if the bill will be paid to a third party (the insurance company) and could possibly vary from school to school. It is worth considering and finding out from your child’s college of choice.

It has been HOT here! We are setting records nearly every week for high temperatures. When we dumped out some coolers of ice, our poor old dog just went and stood in the ice to cool off. So when I saw a blog post about a blogger who had 25 tons of wood to heat his home for three years, I must admit I was not thinking ahead of the heating bills to come next winter! I know when it cools off around here (which may not even be til after the first of the year if this summer heat wave and drought does not pass on by) then I will be wanting a nice warm house.

Since I do not like either extreme-being too hot or too cold-I like to keep things at an even temperature. That can mean too high or too low on our thermostat. But things like ceiling fans and storage heaters can help keep things more evenly cooled and warmed.

I guess my blog friend is like the ant who prepared for winter (or three!) while I am like the grasshopper who is wondering when the summer heat will pass on by!

Life has a way of giving us lessons that are sometimes hard to swallow. And when you are watching your kids learn them, it can be even harder to let them learn on their own and not bail them out. Because sometimes it’s no fault of their own, not really bad choices or immature thinking, just some of the things life hands out to everyone. And it can be so easy to “help out” and make the way a little easier so they don’t have to suffer. But…then they will likely miss the lesson and not grow from the experience. So life lessons can be times of learning for kids and parents alike.

I am frugal. Ok, I do admit, cheap. So when I found a sale at Barnes and Noble I went ahead and started picking up Christmas gifts. But in the meantime, I wanted to go ahead and read the books I am giving. I think that’s smart! At least I did not open and listen to the CD I bought as a gift!