The plight of a chronic dieter

Ok, I think i have made a decision to revive this blog and start sharing again!   Anyone who knows me will testify that I have been on each and every diet under the sun for the last 100 years.  the thought of throwing the towel and accepting my body size has always been scary for me.  Right now, I am at a crossroads and feel very stuck.

But, deep down I think I know what I need; to pinpoint what is it exactly that I want.  Could it be that my hunger is spiritual? I will find out and will blog about it soon.  In the meantime I"ll continue blogging, dust my gym gear and see what exercises I can do.

Till later!

Leaving a life of sacrifice

As a Christian woman, I really subscribe to the idea that we are called to be living sacrifices, and also to consider others. I get very frustrated when people only think of themselves and nobody else. I am also guilty of this in some instances. I am in no way claiming innocence. We live in a democratic society; people have different tastes and preferences. How do we then balance this freedom with considering other people’s needs?  In my office environment, tension has been caused by an issue of people preferring the aircon 24 hrs a day, on the other hand some of us have allergic and health reasons why we do not want an aircon. Whose needs are to be prioritized?  The answer is really not black and white.  All I know is that I am willing to consider the guys with “hot flushes”, but I am also concerned about the medication I have to gulp down almost every day of my life because of my sacrifice. What is it doing to my health?

I hope next time I write I will have answers and hopefully will have resolved this issue.

My typical day with my ADD son

My  son has been without his Ritalin since school started a week ago. Homework has been a struggle and my husband and I are almost in tears. Parenting a child with ADD is really a calling to be embraced instead of fighting it. Thanks to the Lord though as his doctor is back and we have his script for medication, which he will start to take tomorrow. A lot has been written on the net about medicating kids with ADD, but all I can say is that my husband and I made the right choice for our son, we gave him life, a future with possibilities and confidence.  I remember his tears, my tears and my husband trying to mediate. All this was before we decided to seek medical help for him. I wish somehow I could be of help to parents with kids who have this condition. I'll write more about this in another blog. All I can say for now is to seek help from medical professionals as opposed to "hearsay or internet" doctors. None of the scary side effects I read about affected my son.

I found this book on Amazon, we'll probably help a million times



ARE FRIENDSHIPS NECESSARY AT A PARTICULAR AGE?

I am always accused of being anti-people due to my lack of not making an effort to forge friendships. I've always been a person who keeps to herself, but had managed to have friends when still at school as well as varsity. After the birth of my son, i found myself drifting away from already existing friendships. Everything seemed unimportant to me if it did not revolve around me being a parent. I guess my friends at the time could not identify with the new me.  Let me try and unpack my week for you so that you understand why i've become "anti-social".

Sunday - the family goes to church, after church i cook a decent meal for the family. By the time we finish our meal it is like late afternoon. thereafter i prepare my son's lunchbox and make sure there are no outstanding school issues from the previous week.
Monday-Friday-I leave the house at six in the morning, only to arrive back home in the evening. some evenings i have to fetch my son from his extramurals which take place in the evening. My husband drops him at the extra-murals because he works a little bit closer to our home (compared to me anyway). My son has some learning diffiuclties due to ADHD, so we have to actively assist him with his homework. Hubby and I alternate with that. While that is taking place, I have to prepare dinner and tend to my 4 year old daughter at the same time; prepare for the following day and the routine goes on.

This does not exhaust everything that occupies me, but try to imagine where i am supposed to fit time for phone calls to "friends", talking about nothing in particular, or drinks out with the "girls".  The free time we get, my husband and I make sure that we use it for ourselves (go eat, movies or whatever we feel like doing). It really leaves little time for "chommies".

I don't go out  of my way to forge relationships and i honestly do not have time for meaningless friendships either. With my kids at school and at kindergarten, i get much joy befriending their friend's moms who by the way i meet during birthday parties and sleepovers. Childhood friendships have worked out very well for me as i can pick up the phone any time I need to talk, and somehow those are the only friendships that I have experienced not to have any hangups. I come from a big family, so my sisters have really become my friends. My email group of old high school mates proves to be very fullfilling as we laugh about the old days, making fun of some of the teachers, while also talking about our current lives.  The only social commitment i foresee in my immediate future is to join one of the groups at my local church. For me meeting the same group of people weekly, while participating on something meaningful to me  is the best way for me as a working mom and wife to kickstart a social life.  Other than than i am content with the status quo.

My main point is not to bash friendships, but for one to assess their relationships and question the efforts they put into maintaining certain relationships that do not add any value to their lives. I still have people i consider true friends. I don't feel under pressure to talk to them over the phone every other day or visit each other once a week, but i always notice that we always come through for each other and bailing each other out.

Are you busy ferrying kids to and from school while juggling dinner and your laptop? How do you keep yourself connected with the world outside your house?

Maybe you will find the below book from amazon an interesting read;
The Meaning of Friendship

Ten Commandments for working in a hostile environment

I always try to start a new year on a positive note. I love reading as a result you will find me window shopping at a local bookshop instead of a clothing store. It is always through reading that I get my inspiration, be it books or magazines.
I sort of stumbled on a book by Bishop TD Jakes, which covers the above topic. As a Christian I have always been on the lookout for some kind of guidance regarding coping mechanisms at work. I am hoping that this will meet my satisfaction. To be honest, so far I have only read the Foreword and Bishop Jakes reminds us that no matter how hostile your workplace is we must remember a few things:-

1. To always be grateful for the positions we hold, to remember that our ancestors fought with sweat and blood so that we can have the opportunities we have.
2. To not mistake this gratitude with being stuck, understand that wherever you are, you are still on a journey.
3. The environment you work in, no matter how hostile and how horrible your boss is, is actually preparing you for something bigger in your future.

I'll continue to read the book and post those things that have caught my eye. The book made me aware that on the job dissatisfaction is a problem experienced by almost every person who is in the working environment.