run, lula, run

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Sat, 05 May 2012 21:59:36 -0400

Please take a short break from reblogging and pray for Korea.

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:17:57 -0400

It reminds me of the floods in Queensland :( I hope no one is hurt.

"Raising children who make right choices is not about telling them what they can and cannot do; it is..."

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 18:08:03 -0400

“Raising children who make right choices is not about telling them what they can and cannot do; it is about training them to make right choices on their own.”

- I don’t have kids…but I think this is something to know when dealing with any child…whether or not in a role as a caregiver…

Who’s the Boss? &

Teaching about Choices:

I talk to my students about choices. They have the power to choose. They have the ability to use SELF control. The more they are expected to use it the more it will develop.

The first step is to explain to the child the difference between self control and mom control.

“You see, when you use self control you are telling your body what to do and making it listen to you. When you do that you get all kinds of privileges because Mom can trust you to make the right choices all by yourself. But if you don’t choose to make the right choices on your own then you are choosing mom control.”

“You are saying to me, ‘Mom I can’t make my body listen to me by myself, I need your help.’ Mom control is not fun because I’m not going to follow you around to make your body do the right thing. When you choose mom control you are choosing consequences. You are choosing to lose the privileges that you earn by being responsible.”

This becomes clear in their mind and real to them. My students can preach it right back to me because it is constantly enforced. When they break a rule or do something that isn’t acceptable, I don’t get angry; there is no scene, no reason to take it on myself. It was their choice and I put the responsibility right back on them.

Oops! Wrong Choice

“Oh no! That was a wrong choice you made wasn’t it? You know what happens when you make wrong choices… You get consequences every time. I’m so sorry that you made that choice. I’ll bet next time you’re going to make the right one.”

No drama… You don’t have to get frazzled and upset. It wasn’t your choice. It was their choice.

This way of thinking is so liberating, not just for us but from them as well. They begin to feel empowered.

“It’s not because mom is mad. It’s because you made a wrong choice. That means next time you have the power to change your outcome.”

I teach them that they choose what kind of day they have, what kind of privileges they are trusted with, and what kind of mom they want me to be. My students often hear me ask them, “Do you want a fun teacher or a strict teacher today? The choice is yours.”

Obviously they still get emotional and angry when they are receiving their consequence. But, I use this as another opportunity to reinforce the power of their choice.

“I can see you are so upset right now. Are, you upset with me or with your choices?”

9.9 times out of 10 the answer, through tears, is, “My Choices!” But even when the answer is, “YOU!” It’s the perfect opportunity to calmly redirect their attention back to their ability to choose.

“I didn’t make the choice to disobey. You made that choice and I feel so sad for you. I’m sure next time you’re going to remember this and choose differently.”

Other times I’ve been feeling frustrated and I’ve said out loud to them, “I am very upset right now and I want to yell, but I am going to choose to walk away and calm down before I talk to you.”

As you model this dialogue for them they begin to identify the power they have over their bodies to choose self control.

We are all making choices every day, all day long. No matter what others do, we all have to choose how we will respond. No one else is responsible for our actions. In the end, we are all accountable for what we do.

Imagine the kind of person your child will grow up to be if they learn to be responsible for their own choices now.

(via tonedandflexible)

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Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:22:10 -0400

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Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:28:03 -0400

laughingsquid: Cat-At Loves You aww! love this!

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:26:26 -0400

laughingsquid:

Cat-At Loves You

aww! love this!

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Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:23:36 -0400

dotherunningman: “Bruce had me up to three miles a day, really...

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 09:45:11 -0400

dotherunningman:

“Bruce had me up to three miles a day, really at a good pace. We’d run the three miles in twenty-one or twenty-two minutes. Just under eight minutes a mile. So this morning he said to me “We’re going to do five.” I said, “Bruce, I can’t go five. I’m a helluva lot older than you are, and I can’t do five.” He said, “When we get to three, we’ll shift gears, and it’s only two more and you’ll do it.” I said, “Okay hell, I’ll go for it.” So we get to three, we go into the fourth mile and I’m okay for three or four minutes, and then I really begin to give out. I’m tired, my heart’s pounding, and I can’t go any more and I say to him, “Bruce, if I run any more,” - and we’re still running - “if I run any more I’m liable to have a heart attack and die.” He said, “Then die.” It made me so mad that I went the full five miles. Afterward I went to the shower and then I wanted to talk to him about it. I said, you know, “Why did you do that?” He said, “Because you may as well be dead. Seriously, if you always put limits on what you can do, physical or anything else, it’ll spread over the rest of your life. It’ll spread into your work, into your morality, into your entire being. There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level.” - taken from Bruce Lee: The Art of Expressing the Human Body by John Little (1998). Bruce Lee (November 27, 1940 - July 20, 1973)

laughingsquid: Man Dressed As Stormtrooper Is Walking Across...

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:31:28 -0400

laughingsquid:

Man Dressed As Stormtrooper Is Walking Across Australia For Charity

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Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:30:03 -0400

The Spartan Warrior: 10 Reasons: Stay Motivated, Never Give Up

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 10:19:14 -0400

The Spartan Warrior: 10 Reasons: Stay Motivated, Never Give Up:

thespartanwarrior:

1. Why? The one-worded question where all of this began. Whenever you lose focus or motivation, always bring yourself back to the very first time you asked this. Whatever reason you have, is great enough for you to keep going. Don’t forget that.

2. You feel you’re setting yourself up for…

thesoulpower: 5.5 in the Love Rain of Bethesda Park (Taken with...

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 09:32:24 -0400

thesoulpower:

5.5 in the Love Rain of Bethesda Park (Taken with instagram)

i’m not far from bethesda and loved the drizzle this am, too, but little man was not a fan - at 18 months old he gets a veto. so we did jumping jacks & jump rope under the carport while he pulled his wagon around.
looking forward to (a) running 5 miles for me and (b) doing it on days like today!

Your Excuses Literally Possess You Like a Demon

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 07:41:23 -0400

Your Excuses Literally Possess You Like a Demon:

sayhellotocindy:

A great guy— a super smart guy— I know is ALWAYS* making excuses. Excuses for smaller things like perpetually being late; for changing plans; for not showing up; for why he can’t run.

Excuses for big things like why he never finished school or got a better job.

Always— ALWAYS apologizing afterwards for not doing what he said he would do.

I know I am not perfect. I make excuses from time to time. But I work on this. He thinks saying “I’m sorry” is the equivalent of getting an absolution for whatever thing he did— or more likely, didn’t— do.

I think he behaves this way b/c he is afraid and that is why I have felt compassion for him for so long. I understand that it can be scary to take responsibility for your actions.

This line in the article: “…excuses turn other people off–so your excuses will repel people from you…” directly describes how I feel about him right now. I give people SO many chances but after awhile (17 yrs? wow), even my patience wears thin.

*i rarely use the terms “always” or “never.” so these are strong statements for me to make.

mangosteele:

Another good excuse to exorcise.

anatwins: its true when they say you are what you eat and...

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:56:33 -0400

anatwins:

its true when they say you are what you eat

and this totally goes along with my thinking of “eat where the skinny people eat”. too often when we’re out i look around and think “damn, i will never get as fat as that woman over there or the woman who just waddled in”. but i’m there, eating what they eat. as long as i keep doing that i am one of them ~ and there will always be someone looking @ me saying “damn, i don’t want to be as fat as her!”

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Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:36:28 -0400

rough morning - went to bed angry & depressed, woke up the...

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:57:34 -0400

rough morning - went to bed angry & depressed, woke up the same, been lost in that until good text convo with hubby. hate having important convos w/him via text but sometimes i need that space to really say what i feel. much, much better now. back on track mentally again.

if pain is weakness leaving the body, then all my...

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 10:11:06 -0400

if pain is weakness leaving the body, then all my “can’t’s” are vacating through the bottom of my right foot.
ok walk - 1 mile with hills in 22 mins. did some sprinting then did not keep up my walking pace. hubby pulled little blue around in the wagon the whole time.

gethealthygetsexy: We make our habits, and our habits make...

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 20:24:31 -0400

gethealthygetsexy:

We make our habits, and our habits make us.

i want to write this on my walls and tattoo it on my arms…

i am so much more than the sum of my failures!

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 20:21:21 -0400

i am so much more than the sum of my failures!

proud of my red face - 1 mile in19 mins @ lunch. sprinted across...

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 11:52:22 -0400

proud of my red face - 1 mile in19 mins @ lunch. sprinted across driveways grinning like a dork thinking “i’m running! i’m actually running!”
i got this. all i gotta do is get up out of my chair, and after that i got this. who knew?