5 Ways To Model A Healthy Lifestyle

Living a healthy lifestyle is important to me for both myself and my children. It is my responsibility to model healthy habits for my family and teach my boys that staying healthy is something we all can do in different ways. A healthy lifestyle goes beyond what we put into our bodies. Here are five ways to model healthy living for your children.

1: You are what you eat: It may not be the only way to model health but it is one of the most important components for our children. It is not easy with toddlers to get them to always eat the things you want them to. My first son Chase, was picky and made mealtime a nightmare around two to three years of age. Now at four and a half he has much better at eating what is put in front of him and even reminded his father the other night that he had forgotten to put vegetables on his plate. I smiled to myself and praised him for remembering that he needed to have veggies. I have been fortunate with my youngest, who is two, that he will pretty much eat whatever I put in front of him. I don't give several choices and I refuse to make separate meals. Do I offer choices sometimes? Of coarse! I typically pick two things (which are healthy) and allow the oldest to decide. It is the same with snacks. They will be offered choices yet if I say you need to pick a healthy snack they know that needs to be a fruit, veggie, granola or yogurt. We talk about different fruits and veggies and how they make you healthy.  Yes, my children get crackers, the occasional cookie or chips (saved for those times when we visit the grandparents) because I do believe in moderation and having a treat. Another thing that helps with getting children to want to eat healthy is involving them in the preparation of their own meals. If my son helps me make a dinner he is more excited about eating it.

 “Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.”  ~John F. Kennedy 

2: A body in motion stays in motion: Exercise!!! I make time to exercise four to five times a week. This is something that I make happen. I either get in my runs or cross train with video's. I tend to go between Youtube and Grokker for my cross training video's. My children watch me, they know it is important to me. The best is when they try to join in and do the exercises. My two year old does a great downward facing dog and the four year old likes to attempt the weights. Besides being absolutely adorable when they do this they are also learning about keeping yourself in shape. My oldest has asked why I exercise and I explain to him that I want to be strong and healthy to take care of them for a long time. I also encourage exercise with them. We like to take a walk to the farm down the road and visit the cows, there and back makes a 1.5 mile walk. It's not real long but doable for my four year old. Hiking is also something I do with the boys that we enjoy. We call it an "adventure". Often times I bring a bag so Chase can collect "treasures" along the way. It gets him active while enjoying the activity. Incorporate things your children enjoy to do in being active. Encourage active play outside along with playing sports.

3: Hygiene: Health goes hand in hand with hygiene in my book. Teaching children about taking care of their bodies also means proper bathing and brushing those teeth. Washing hands is something I am always on my boys about. At their young ages the put their fingers everywhere! They don't think twice about what they touch or if they touch their own faces after or if their fingers are in their mouths. We are also coming up on cold and flu season, germs are everywhere! Proper hand washing and bathing is key to keeping healthy in the fall and winter seasons. 

4: A good belly laugh: Happiness and laughter, let's remember that if we are happy we tend to be healthier. Mental health is just as important as our physical health. It's is so important to laugh, have fun and do things as a family. One of my favorite things to hear is my children laughing. Play games, paint, do puzzles, dance, sing loudly, be goofy, pretend and encourage play. 

5: Choosing safe cleaning products and being aware of your environment: I am a fanatic about a clean house. When choosing products to clean with I am always sure that it is something that will be safe for my children. There are so many products out there which contain things that are unsafe for cleaning our environments. Since my children are always on the floor I want to be sure that what I clean my floors with will be safe for them. Using a steam cleaner eliminates having to use harsh cleaners and it effectively kills germs. It's the same with my counters and table. Little fingers are touching everything and I want to be sure it is not going to harm my children. As always, be sure you lock up any cleaning agents you have in your house! If we strive to have a clean environment this also means being sure there are not harmful carcinogens in our living space such as Asbestos. Asbestos is the cause of mesothelioma which can be hard to diagnose since many live with it undetected for so long. For more information on Mesothelioma please visit http://www.mesothelioma.com/asbestos-cancer/ . 

All of these things require commitment to follow through. We need to be positive role models for our children. We need to show them how to be healthy and teach them what that means. It teaches children to love themselves, respect themselves, and treat their bodies with care. 

“Health is a relationship between you and your body”  ~Terri Guillemets

Surrounded By Clutter And Crumbs

If I could throw away all my kids toys I would. Seriously, I am telling you the truth. Okay, so maybe I would let them have five toys each. But no more than that. If it were up to me the spare room which contains my husbands shit work equipment and (miscellaneous things he has collected) would be blown up. I love throwing things out. De-cluttering and cleaning is a form of therapy for me, second to running of coarse. I like things clean, tidy, organized and if it isn't being used then it should go to a new home, otherwise referred to as the garbage.

The problem is I live in a house of hoarders. So maybe that is exaggerating just a bit, yet if you know me you know I like my space clean! My husband likes to acquire things that he sees for free. He is also a pro at making up the excuse that a purchase was a "good deal". We all know that if it was at a garage sale or had a red clearance sign on it then it has to be a steal right! (Insert sarcasm) 

Let's talk about my four year old who is always bringing home pocket fulls of rocks, sticks or acorns. I can find these all over my house and in my dryer. Both my toddlers are awesome at making it look like a tornado has gone through the house. On top of the natural disasters in the house is the constant crumbs from both my children and husband. Really? Is it so hard to get your food in your mouth?! Just this weekend I vacuumed under the couch cushions and I found enough crumbs and granola  that I could have thrown it back in a bag and offered it as a snack at a later time. I can be mean...but not that mean.

I do hold onto some things myself. I am a sentimental person. I have my children's outfits they came home in. I have tucked away an item or two that I thought maybe they would want later on when they have children of their own. I keep certain cards from friends and family so I can read years later. I keep each bib from the races I do with my times logged on the back. I may have even kept my pregnancy tests from both kids...maybe...

My "treasures" I choose to hold onto fit within my cedar chest that my grandmother gave to me. This is special to me and filling it with sentimental belongings seems appropriate. Everything is tucked away in it's own space. Some things even in boxes. There is order, neatness, and it makes sense to me!

Stock Photo

What does not make sense to me is the man down the street who is an obvious hoarder. His yard is cluttered with miscellaneous belongings. Cars, trailers, extra garbage cans and rusty rakes. I have seen him mid day sleeping in his truck. It makes me wonder if his house it too cluttered to sleep comfortably in and his truck is his own "clean" space. It even makes me want to get a Hazmat suit and go in there and start cleaning for him.

Then there are our previous neighbors who moved down the street. If you walk by their house you cannot see anything in their front porch since they have junk piled to the ceiling. No joke! They can't even enjoy a porch because they have so many things piled everywhere. It's not hidden, they are not ashamed. Maybe they don't give a shit and maybe I shouldn't either. 

I need to have my place clean. Cleaning gives me a sense of control as well as accomplishment. I feel satisfaction to be able to sit down without a pretend fork going up my ass or stepping on a matchbox car  for the tenth time in one day. My children are allowed to play, explore and have fun. I just prefer it if they do it in their own space and not in mine. If my husband has his room, and the children have theirs, is it so much to ask to give me the rest of the house?! Seeing the place in utter dismay makes me feel crazy. By the way, I am “that” mother at birthday parties scurrying around picking up after the children. NO, I don’t need you to help me nor do I want you to. See, I know where everything goes and am just as happy to do it myself so when my kid is crying for his ninja turtle I can retrieve it from the correct place. Yes, each toy should have it’s own special home as well.

Looking at crumbs on the floor, toys scattered throughout the house, or my husband's  hairs from shaving that have been left all over the sink (can you say gross and lazy), those things make me feel batty. I cannot just let it go. I try, believe me, I would love to be one of those mothers who just let’s it go. I would like to be you, the one who says it is more important to sit down and play with their children. The one who can come home and say it can wait another day. I am not like you and I high five you for not being as neurotic as I am. I admire that you can be relaxed enough to look past the dishes in the sink and piles of laundry. To me they are taunting my name as I walk past them and I have to just get rid of them immediately. They are whispering for me to take care of them because no one else in this house will!

A person's hoarding can evolve from a traumatic event that has happened in a person's life. Some people are trying to replace something, fill a void. Others have difficulty letting go of things. Then we have those hoarders who actually think they are doing something good, such as animal hoarders. They believe they are "saving" an animal and it gets way over their head. Soon they have fifty cats living in their house and they can't even feed themselves. 

My husband and children are not one of these people. There has not been any traumatic event that would cause them to collect these things and drive me crazy. There may be a traumatic event that comes from all this junk being brought in my house if Mama has to pick up after any more of it! I love my husband. He is a wonderful man. He is an incredible father and provider for our family. Blah, blah, Blah...(I know that is what you are thinking) Yet he is not what I would call a tidy person. They say opposites attract right?! Apparently so because even though I grumble over the crumbs and paper towels he leaves crumpled in balls all over the damn house I will not be demanding that the three of them leave any time soon. For now they and their sloppy little selves can stay here. Talk to me in eleven years when I have two teenage boys and a messy husband all living under the same roof with me then I might just have to move out! 

I hope that one of my son’s, fingers crossed for both, grasp some of my habits. Being a little neurotic can be a good thing. I am sure my future daughter in laws would appreciate a man who can keep things clean and pick up after themselves. One can hope right?!

As Chase says: "Chase makes a mess, Wesley makes a mess, and daddy makes a mess and Mommy cleans it every time!" 

You down with OCD...Yeah you know me!

I can't stand a mess in my house. I have to make sure things are clean and orderly. I get up each day and cleaning pretty much starts happening. I will throw in a load of laundry, start vacuuming, and the dishes get done. Some mornings I have even gotten most of my house work done by 8am. I like to get it out of the way. I must have things clean!

I hate crumbs! I hate dog hair! But with children and dogs comes both. And since I love my children and my dogs, and am not getting rid of them any time soon, I must clean up after them.

The dog hair, it is everywhere! How dare they shed! There will always be animals in my house so I have to let it go that the inevitable is that there will always be some amount of hair. So this is where I vacuum every single day! Some days twice or do a sweep on the floors.

Crumbs! Ugg, these days they are everywhere. Seriously I think Chase goes out of his way to make a mess when he eats. Jay is not any better (sorry hon if you end up reading this someday, but let's face it, you are not the cleanest person). And now Wes has begun finger foods. Eating becomes a tornado affect with him. It ends up everywhere!

I love these blogs and parenting articles that say to not worry about laundry and cleaning. To focus on spending time with your children. I get it! Really, I do. I feel guilty sometimes that I am scurrying around the house. But who else is gonna do it?! I surely don't have a maid coming in weekly. The housework does not get done by itself. I also think a clean environment is important for my children. I don't want them on a dirty floor and putting things in their mouth that should clearly not be there.

Truthfully,  I enjoy it. I like cleaning. It is gratifying to me to sit back after I have cleaned and not see those damn crumbs!

It's not just cleaning though. It's things like having order. Example: Chase's book shelf. It drives me nutty when the books are not in a neat order or just thrown on the shelf. I have to arrange them weekly. Most of the time knowing it will only be like this for 10 minutes, maybe 20. Another example: Chase's play kitchen set. I like for his play food to be with the other food, dishes with the dishes, and play cookies with the other play cookies... you get what I am saying right? A touch of OCD, maybe a little. But is that such a bad thing? I don't think so.

Maybe just maybe some day some of it will rub off on the boys. At least one of them. Until then I have succumbed to the fact that I will be "forever" cleaning up after them. And I don't even want to think about the teenage years. Messy rooms, smelly clothes, dirty dishes...sounds like a night after a frat party to me, and quite frankly a nightmare!

These are the days of my life! Thank you to Lysol, my vacuum, my Shark steam cleaner and Dawn for getting me through these times.