Fed Up!

That's it! I'm fed up with the fat!

It's true, I'm officially chubby. Between working on two businesses and having a family, I have found myself unfortunately frumpy. Last Saturday I could take no more so I decided to try Take Shape For Life with Jenny Berg as my coach. Lucky for me, merely a week earlier, Jenny and her husband Steve decided to take an ad out in True North and thus I was introduced to the program.

Jenny is so positive and genuine that my interest was snagged right away. As someone who has had to learn a bit about sales, it takes more than ever these days to be convinced that a product or service is worth investing in. But talking to Jenny gave me just a little hope that the extra 30 pounds, that I have slowly gained ever since I had my first daughter, could potentially be shed in a doable amount of time.

It's not that I haven't already tried. I have. And I have lost weight. But it always comes back on when I miss an hour long workout and then fall into a bitter state of hopelessness because I realize I can't keep up the pace. Anyways, I'm sure you've heard this sad old story over and over so I will spare you the details. Let's just say that Take Shape for Life looked like a great option when I heard that all of the meals are provided (except 1) and that it didn't require hours in the gym. Even better, the weight comes off relatively fast.

So here is the low-down on Take Shape for Life. When you sign up you receive 5 weeks’ worth of food (approx $280). The food includes 5 medifast meals per day. You have to addone lean and green meal of your own (the rules for this meal are clearly outlined). You eat/drink every 2 to 3 hours and if you follow the rules you should lose 2 to 6 lbs a week.

This diet essentially depletes your body of simple carbs and forces it into a constant fat burning state. The first 3 to 4 days are supposed to be the hardest causing symptoms such as: fatigue, hunger, flatulence, irritability... I was definitely a bit nasty for those first few. And I have to admit, I had several moments when I wondered if I could handle it. But.....

I have lost 5.5 lbs in 5 days...so needless to say, I am happy.

Yesterday (day 4) I started to feel better and stabilize on the program. Today I am feeling great! My mornings seem to be the toughest times with moments of feeling "low blood sugary" and hungry. But in the afternoon I have found that I actually have a hard time remembering that it's time to eat...which is so very cool.
So now you are probably wondering "How does the food taste?" right? Well, I love the peanut butter bars but you can only have one a day. I also like the eggs...I think they taste pretty much like the real thing. The shakes are ok but a little grainy, and the pudding is pretty good too but it definitely tastes "healthy". So I guess what I'm trying to say is don't expect fine dining.

Look getting chubby took a long time and a lot of poor choices so to think that you can get thin by eating fabulous food every 2 hours is absurd. But so far this is doable.

I am a busy woman so I like "meals" that only require adding water and shaking or adding water and heating...very cool. I like that I know exactly what I need to eat for my lean and green...quick and easy. And I love seeing the difference every day! Every Flipping Day!
So I guess tomorrow will be a new day, and maybe I'll feel different but as for now I am just stoked that I only have to lose 24.5 pounds to be back to my pre-baby/pre-marriage weight! Now I can do that.

The Village Preschool Expands

The Village Preschool is opening a second site in mid-November. The program will serve 2-6 year olds an offer the same great program including yoga for children. If you or someone you know is interested in finding out more about our program or reserving their child(ren) a spot, you can contact us by calling 541.306.3042 or dropping us a line at thevillagepreschool2@gmail.com.

Visit us online at www.thevillagepreschool.org!

Sincerely,

Annette Benedetti
Director
The Village Preschool

Voting for Maren

I have been privileged enough to actually meet with one of the candidates running for State Senator 27th District and I have to say “I am impressed”. Maren Lundgren has been out hitting the streets and promoting her campaign over this last summer and fall, and we have crossed path several times. She manned a booth in the sweltering heat at Fiesta Del Sol, and got to know our communities children and their families at The Children’s Festival. Maybe this is one of the many reasons I like her. I believe that it is important to “show up”, support, and take part in your communities important events even if it is tough, tiring, or doesn’t yield the response you had hoped for. It was refreshing to see that someone who is asking for my vote actually “showed up” and ask for it in person..even in the sweltering heat.

And while I am impressed with her hard work and campaign efforts what really won me over is who she is and what she supports. After my talks with her I asked her to sum up the things we talked about. So here’s the run down on Maren and if this isn’t enough to win you over..well I don’t know what is:

Who is Maren?

As a mother and an advocate for children in my job as public defender (Juvenile Justice), I am frustrated when I find myself facing the same problems and fighting the same fight time and time again. What I have come to realize is that our system is broken. Whether we are talking about criminal justice, education, the environment, or public transportation, we have difficult choices to make. We have to change the way we think about the urgent problems we are facing and stop throwing increasingly larger piles of money at the same broken systems. Now is the time to collaborate and form a shared vision of the Oregon we want our children and grandchildren to inherit and set a strategic plan to reach that vision.

Prioritizing Education:

I am committed to increasing access to early childhood education so all our children arrive at school ready to learn. We need to reduce class sizes, and expand teacher mentoring programs, while keeping art, music, and PE in all of our schools so our children get the diverse education they need to excel in a global marketplace.

Lack of financial resources should not be a barrier to a student who wants to learn. We must work to ensure that all Oregonians have access to higher education and vocational programs to build a brighter future for our state.

Achieving Energy Independence:

As Oregonians we have the pioneering spirit to build on our renewable energy infrastructure. By expanding the use of existing wind, solar, wave and geothermal technology we can become the blueprint for the nation in achieving energy independence.

Expanding Public Transportation:

In these difficult economic times, with fuel prices rising and no end in sight, we must increase access to public transportation and ensure working families don’t have to choose between buying fuel and putting food on the table.

Improving Access to Healthcare:

Healthcare is a basic human right, not a privilege. No one should have to choose between paying for medical treatment and paying their bills, or have their conditions worsen because they lack access to affordable treatment. As a mother, I understand the urgency of this issue and I will fight to ensure every Oregonian has access to basic healthcare.

Protecting Our Natural Resources:

As a fourth generation Oregonian, I have long been an advocate of protecting our natural resources. Bio-diversity is essential to our farms, forests and fisheries and must be preserved for the future. I recognize the vital role the environment plays in the long term sustainability of our economy and recreation and will continue to dedicate myself to protecting the things we love about our great state.

This is just a quick synopsis of her passions and goals for Oregon and its residents, and clearly her stance speaks to me personally as a mother and early education provider. If you would like to find out more about Maren before filling out your ballot and sending it in, check out http://www.lundgrenforsenate.org/. I believe you will be inspired.

Now for my most important message… Vote! If you are like me, you have received your ballot and are ready to go.. So what are you waiting for? I am doing it. Right now..see?

Miss Carry

What the hell is that supposed to mean anyways?

Mis Carry…mis carriage.

The words..the word made no sense to me. It wasn’t like I was carrying anything wrong, holding it upside down or backwards. It wasn’t like there were instructions I didn’t follow. In fact, I had been far more careful and deliberate about everything that went into my body during this pregnancy than I had during my past pregnancies with my daughters. This time I wanted to do everything perfectly as it would probably be the last time I would have the chance to. I went for a walk every day, I ate organic, no sugar, no caffeine, yoga almost every day.

I followed the flipping instructions!

I conceived on March 1st (I am fairly sure). 10 weeks later, while napping with my youngest I started to miscarry. I knew what it was the second I felt the twinge. All along I had felt like something was not quite right. I had told everyone, including my midwife, over and over. Everyone dismissed my concerns as paranoia.

During yoga I would chant “stay with me, please stay with me” in my mind. My own little mantra. But it did no good.

I wasn’t prepared. It happened on a Saturday, so I called the on-call doc and told him what was going on. He told me I could either go to the hospital or wait until Monday. It was up to me.

It was up to me….What the???

I went to the hospital.

After hours of waiting the doc came in and attempted to do a pelvic. He couldn’t find my cervix. The blood made everything difficult. Well, he didn’t tell me that but women know when the clamp is clamped.. and well, let’s just say “he failed to clamp.” Instead of telling me that he was unable to do what he had to do, he told me that my cervix was closed and all was probably ok. This was followed by a gush of blood that he tried to brush off as “nothing to worry about.”

The ultrasound disagreed with the doctor.

I went home with nothing and was told I could call my doctor on Monday and “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

No instructions, no insight into what was to come. I figured it would be like a heavy period that would last a couple of days.

Sunday I bled but felt ok until it was time for bed. That’s when it got rough. It reminded me of contractions. I cried, took lots of Ibuprophen, and eventually fell asleep. When I woke up the next morning I had officially “miscarried”. I guess that is what you would call it. No one had told me what it would be like. If I had known, I would have not gone to the bathroom.

I would have had something to bury, or burn. Something to say goodbye to. I needed to say goodbye to that little piece of me that I would never know.

We don’t talk about these things.

I don’t talk about it anymore. Now that the anguish is subsiding and the blame game has failed. I don’t talk about it anymore.

I don’t want have a baby and I don’t talk about it anymore.