Issues & decisions » Hip to be Mom

The girls and I stopped by the candy store at the mall. Okay, this is rare, very rare! But there is a good reason for that. We’d had another one of those bad lunches which seem to have become the norm rather than the exception for us these days. Drat! Anyone have any idea how we can break this pattern?

Anyhoo, the quickest way to sweeten the deal was to dart into the nearby candy store where they have like a gazillion types of candies with samples that you can pinch and pop right into your mouth.

Skye’s favorite soft chewy candy.

Gummy bears which my kids have loved since they were little.

Sugar-coated rubber bands that look like they could wrap themselves around your waistline and never leave.

Let’s just say there was enough food coloring and sugar in there to send half the kiddy population to Hyper City for a month! I popped a candied ginger, Raine didn’t touch a single thing and Skye – well, I looked at her face as we were leaving the store and she had these puffed-up cheeks.

Me: OMG, you didn’t!!

She nodded sheepishly, lightly tapping her cheeks crammed full of the soft chewy candy she loves so-oo much but which she knows I will not buy.

My kids grew up deprived of sweets, candies and chocolates. I almost never had any in my fridge. Practically the only way they could get their hands on this stuff was when we visited friends and relatives who all seem to think I’m a bad parent for denying my kids the sweeter things in life. Baffling!

Back to my story…

Me (in a moment of weakness): You want me to get you some?

She shook her head.

Me: You sure?

She shook her head again.

Me: Why not? Come on, it’s okay, just this one time.

Skye: It’s very fattening.

What can I say? She sure knows what she’s talking about !

What have I been up to? Glued to the ongoing Japan disaster coverage hoping for good news. It’s been a week and I’m still here. I can’t help it. Disasters, pain and suffering have a deep effect on me and I can’t help getting all worked up.

I’ve been chasing down whatever I can learn about nuclear reactors and what makes them tick (literally!). The idea of a nuclear meltdown sounds very alarming. I mean it’s not like you hear those words every day. Me being me, I just have to find out more so I can fully understand what’s going.

A little knowledge is dangerous, I know, and reading a few articles doesn’t make me a nuclear scientist by any means. But after wading through hours of technical mumbo-jumbo, I now know there are many differences between Chernobyl and Fukushima in terms of the reactor design, technology and events leading up to the incidents.

So what happened in Chernobyl and Three Mile Island aren’t necessarily going to repeat themselves in Fukushima. Now that’s a bit of a relief! I think the fact that the Fukushima plant withstood the double whammy of deadly earthquake and tsunami all in one says a lot about its solid structure and design. But what do I know?

Frankly it’s hard to imagine being prepared for something as hugely devastating as this and I can only imagine what a big crisis management nightmare it must be. There’s no saying how this will all pan out but I’m confident the world isn’t going to vanish in a puff of radioactive smoke, Supermoon and 2012 notwithstanding.

Meantime, all we can do is hope and pray for those who’re risking their lives daily in that crippled nuclear environment for this nightmare to be over soon and they can be back with their families. Pray for those who have lost everything, whose who are in need of medical help, basic necessities, food, water and warmth and for this suffering to end. This is when compassion is most needed and certainly not the time for insensitive and uncalled for rants and jokes.

It’s scary to think a crisis like this could happen any time anywhere to anyone. If you’re feeling restless and want to help, here are some easy ways you can chip in for as little as $5.

Laura of I’m Not A Trophy Wife has been actively promoting opportunities for bloggers to contribute to the Japan relief effort, among them the American Red Cross and Dog Bless Japan to donate to the search and rescue of dogs.

I also understand that you can donate directly from Paypal. They’ve apparently partnered with MissionFish to accept donations and provide tax donation receipts.

Tara of Graphic Design of Tara is celebrating her birthday with a promotion by her Etsy friends who are donating proceeds of their sales to help Japan. Click on the button below to shop for a good cause.

I spent all of yesterday glued to my PC watching the events unfold around the deadly mega earthquake and tsunami in Japan. It’s hard to believe that a little over 6 months ago, I was in Tokyo’s Narita Airport waiting for my flight to San Francisco, and now this! How do you even begin to make sense of something this big and this devastating?

When the alerts started coming in for Hawaii and the west coast of the US to be on the lookout for the tsunami heading for them across the Pacific at 600mph, I got really worried. My son Steev, as you all know, is in university in Cali and although he isn’t living right by the coast, I was still alarmed.

Quite frankly, which mom isn’t a worrywart when it comes to her kids? Steev’s my eldest and he’s never been this far away from me before, ever! And that was reason enough for me to be glued to Yahoo, CNN, BBC, Twitter, you name it, trying to track the latest on what’s going on.

Anyhow as soon as he came online, I felt much better. Yet immediately afterwards, my thoughts turned back to those affected by this disaster – the victims, their families and friends, the lost and injured. All that suffering, my gosh, my heart really goes out to them.

Watching the videos and pictures made me realize how fragile life is. And yet in other news, I see greed, fighting and needless killing. Isn’t it bad enough that one natural disaster can wipe out so many of our fellow humans? Why don’t we channel our energy into praying for the victims of natural disasters and for world peace instead?

Say a prayer too for the brave and tireless rescue teams and their dogs. On a brighter note, I heard this morning that one of my cousins who works in Tokyo is safe.

19 going on 30

Posted by Clairity 4 Responses »

Mar 102011

So Steev was just talking to me about signing up for some online business degree classes and working part-time in the summer. Summer school has always been in his plans. We’ve talked about it at length and it’s something he really wants to do.

Yeah Mom, he goes, gotta get through this and get out there and starting making some serious money! You know what, it doesn’t surprise me at all, this wanting to get out there to the real world sooner. Steev’s my 19 year old going on 30 and I think that’s really cute .

Raine and I are driving home from the gym after our workout and we’re talking and snacking in the car. As usual. And you know, the thing about doing, or starting, a workout routine is that you must first have an objective or a goal in mind.

Obviously different people exercise for different reasons. I exercise to stay fit and toned. I wear sleeveless all the time so for me, the last thing I need are arms that will have me airborne when I lift them up . Some of my gym buddies exercise so they won’t feel guilty about binge-ing, others obviously to lose weight.

So it’s good to have your goals in mind when you’re setting out to exercise. First off, it helps you plan the workout routine that will help you reach those goals like frequency and types of exercises, diet, stuff like that.

Also if and when you do plateau out and start wondering why you’re not seeing the kind of results you’re expecting, it’s much easier to get back on track if you have those goals to fall back on, to remind you and to motivate you to keep going.

The biggest shame, I think, is giving up too soon. Results take time and consistency, and if you feel like throwing in the towel, tell yourself to give it just a couple more weeks and then really work at it, give it your best shot. Those 1 or 2 weeks might just be the vital time needed for you to start seeing results. So don’t give up!

Back on the road to independence

Posted by Clairity Comments Off

Jan 192011

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of NMEDA. All opinions are 100% mine.

When we were traveling up and down the coast these past few weeks, I couldn’t help but notice how well some disabled people cope. Nothing seems to stop them. They’re at Disneyland, Sea World, practically everywhere we’ve been!

It’s really great that they have the independence and the means to move around on their own. Taking care of a disabled person is no easy task and it sure helps if they can have the means to help themselves and to get around.

I hear that NMEDA is a non-profit association that promotes safe driving and equipment for disabled people. They have a team of dealers who can consult with you individually to evaluate your specific needs for adapted wheelchair vehicles and equipment.

They also have Quality Assurance Program (QAP) dealers who are part of the only nationally recognized accreditation program for the Adaptive Mobility Equipment Industry. Theirs is a systematic and documented approach to providing quality service to customers.

I think it’s important to go to a trusted source such as NMEDA seeing as how many internet sources may well turn out to be scams to take advantage of unsuspecting folks. Go to their site to find the qualified dealer nearest you. Let me know how it goes .