Training for a Marathon equals Child Birth??

For the past 4 months, I have been indulging my Saturdays with group meetings for long runs with Team in Training. Not just because I want to raise funds for a cause, but because I want to accomplish a feat of completing a marathon. I have 26.2 of road ahead of me, and every little mile of practice (up to 30 miles a week) is part my training. Though the mechanics of running have improved over these past 4 months, I must admit I was not aware of other factors that would have entered in, such as my appetite increasing to the size of a nursing mother.

When I was pregnant with my two daughters, I had thought it was great to eat a little extra because I was "eating for two." Now with marathon training, I was thinking my little extra eating would eventually burn off because of all the miles I was running. Finishing my long miles with bagels, bananas and gatorade is pretty much a staple Then I go for a burger and fries because I felt like I could eat a house. Unfortunately, I have gained about 8 pounds, most of it just recently after my 20 miler. I think about half of that weight is the added water needed for me to survive the marathon. Other half could be the added muscle my body had gained during the training. Though my clothes don't feel tighter, they sure don't feel looser! And I thought training for a marathon would help me lose weight!

I do feel like this training is just like waiting for a child to be born. You prepare as much as you can then race day comes, 4 hours plus of it, then it is over once it has been accomplished. Then your body has to recover then go back to normal. In all honesty, it is one of those things I want to get over!

My fundraising page with Team in Training is like my weekly journal of my training. Please feel free to see it and thinking about making a contribution to this wonderful cause of fighting blood cancers. http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/corps09/abreemanrh

Healthcare debate and health based charities, who wins?

Healthcare is such a hot kitchen table issue right now, that people demand changes and action, regardless what side of the political aisle you stand on. Some people want the government to expand the use of Medicare as the only alternate health insurance for people who don't have coverage, and other want the government out of the healthcare business, and only want to reform the way some insurance companies do business, like denying patients coverage for pre-existing conditions. Others, just want out of it all together, no health insurance, then tough cookies and don't want the government to penalize you for not having it. Either way, you look at, it all boils down to the costs of healthcare. It would not be such an issue if the the cost for some of the procedures you get at a hospital from having a child to getting a cyst removed from a breast wouldn't be so much. The stay at a hospital, the medicines, the around the clock care from the nurses and doctors, the electricity to keep the hospital open, the technology needed to detect diseases, all cost money and trickles its way to the bottom line of patients needing the care.

How much does it cost to sustain human life? According to Time Magazine, it is $129,000/year. This study was based out of Stanford's School of Business, using patients of dialysis. Costs like "quality of life" and the amount of time for treatment, value of organs, etc. were all taken into account. I don't know if you can put dollars and cents on human life, but at least you get the picture of incomes versus expenses when it comes to healthcare. If a person makes only $50,000/year and has to get dialysis, imagine the time and cost going into it for that individual! That person would be broke for sure!

And where does all of this lost money go? Back to the taxpayers, the companies producing the healthcare products, and to the insurance companies for increased premiums, among a few. Another avenue of where some of these costs would be coming from would be health based charities. Alot of churches have them, community clinics and even pharmacies are starting to help out those in need of a little help with medic care. I am sure in the case of an individual going through dialysis, research for more efficient and effective methods would be covered under the umbrella of National Kidney Foundation. But with the ailing economy, alot of these necessary non-profits are getting the boot from some people as a place to give donations, and don't see the immediate value that such support of health-based charities could do to the economy down the road.

Maybe I am tooting my own horn here because I am working with Team In Training this year to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and I HAVE to raise money! I think people need to see that donations to an organization means that 1)they have control of where their money is going in supporting a health cause 2) it contributes to the research of that particular organization so the medicine and treatments would be more efficient and effective 3) once the organization is contributing to more efficient and effective ways in finding cures, then it would lower healtcare costs down the road for individuals with that disease, and could mean less of a burden on all people! Makes the healthcare more affordable and available to all with that disease.

I could be too simplistic in my theory of healthcare and health-care charities, but I challenge everyone to give up that 500 calorie daily iced coffee for a week, and give that money to a health cause instead. Better yet, give up on your annual Christmas gift this year and just tell people to donate to your favorite health-based charity instead. Or even participate in a community health walk or 5k run/walk and raise money for a charity that really needs the money. I think it would lower everyone's health costs down the road if we all do it together!

Resting - but I feel so restless!

Last weekend, in my training for a marathon, I had an injury in my foot due to running on an uneven course. I could not walk without being in pain, and my training took a backseat during this recovery. According to my Team in Training schedule, I was supposed to put in a 50 minute run on Sunday, a 60 minute on Tuesday and another 40 on Thursday. So far, this week, I was able to get in about a 20 minute swim on Sunday and a painful 30 minute run on Wednesday. I feel like I could more. I am conditioned to do other things like bike, but I have been occupying my time doing other things right now. After all, I did have a new Kindergartener start school this week, and adjust the family to a new schdule of events.

Though I am doing the right things in letting this injury heel, I just want things to get back to normal and put in my time like I wished I could this week. I realized, after Wednesday, how much I wanted this, and how much I wanted to continue with my goal in completeing a marathon. I have found myself eating more of the unnecessary things like cookies and sweets during my down time, which not good for anyone, even though I think I am a mighty athlete and can burn it right off (which has not been the case this week).

Anyway, at least I am relaxing a bit and enjoying my Kindergartener grow and my youngest adapt to not having her big sister around. So there could be some benefit to not running around right now.

Amy Breeman-Rhodes Fundraising Page

Amy Breeman-Rhodes Fundraising Page

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Virtual Assistants - something Moms and Dads can do

One of the things we all as parents want at the end of the day is more time. Most of us on an average day get up, drive in our cars, go to work our 8 to 5 and drive home, fix dinner get the kids ready for bed, and BAM it is 9 pm! I think if most of us had a choice, we want more flexiblity with our work/personal time. Once such career that can offer that is being a virtual assistant.

A typical work day would be get up in the morning, get your morning coffee, take the kids to school, come back home, drink more coffee, turn your computer, and you are at work. Making phone calls, writing memos, research marketing ideas, web surfing for addresses and phone numbers, do legal research, come up with some spreadsheets, write an article and even write a book. These are just a few things virtual assistants can do, all in their homes.

I am researching on doing this same type of activity on my own. I am scoping out websites like guru.com and elance.com, looking for projects that could be interesting to me. How about working 5 hours a week just doing some web site research for government forms and putting your findings on a spreadsheet? How about writing a blog for someone, or writing an article for a mazagine. And for something more challenging, how about testing products for a cosmetic company. All of these kind of jobs can be found on a virtual basis.

Of course, once you jump into doing project jobs, you first of all, keep up the hours and try to find work week in and week out. After all, you have to still earn money even after one project is over. Second, you are now a sole proprietor and do this work on your own. Being a sole proprietor means paying self-employment tax, keeping financial records like receipts and invoices. Third, you might think about forming a company and operate under that name when dealing with clients. That can be a project in itself in finding out about which business structure is best for you.

So, being flexible with work and personal time is a big motivator for me to look into possible venture. Even if I have a full-time or part-time job, this would be an excellent way to earn some extra money, and possibly fund my children's education. If you happen to have a virtual assistant job, I welcome your experiences working as one, and if there are any pitfalls one needs to be aware.

Stories of Journeys – For Children and Adults

I had recently just read a delightful little book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho about a young man’s journey from Andalusia Spain to the Pyramids of Egypt. It was centered on the mission of this young man’s search for his Personal Legend, or his personal accomplishment,

“Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend.”

How enlightening this can be for us adults, and parents, to see with the eyes of a child. Yet, we reason like a “grown up” when we see our life options as obstacles to our dreams. How many of us have given up on our dreams or accomplishments because of the cards that we are dealt in life. Didn’t finish your degree? Did not take that trip you have always wanted to do? Didn’t make that phone call to that loved one? This is all part of the journey of life, all on the road to accomplishment. Much like the Aesop’s Fable of the fox and grapes, after the effort of trying so hard to obtain those sweet, nurturing grapes, the fox gives up saying that they are sour. But do those dreams go away? We long for those sweet grapes, but because it is so hard to get them, we just give up thinking that they are just a bad idea.

I have read the Wizard of Oz to my daughter (not the red ruby slippers, but the silver shoes). Dorothy had the on-going desire of returning back to Kansas, and along the way made some friends with their own desires, and everyone encounters obstacles along the way, all seeking for the Wizard, who would make their dreams come true. But in the journey itself, they realized, at the end, that they had what they were seeking the whole time. The journey was the confirmation of their desires, and despite the odds and fears, they were able to find out for themselves that anything can be done.

So, we need to think like a child, and take our life’s journey as a child...” "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.,” As Jesus said in Luke, we need to look to God without our pride, fears and “grown up” reasoning and pursue what is pure and just. We all need to pursue our longings and treasures in life, and seeking, God willing, is all part of our journey.

“Follow the Yellow Brick Road!"

Managing insecurities of our children - that's how they grow

On this wonderful 4th of July day, our family had the excellent opportunity to go do what families typically do on 4th of July: We had a picnic and saw fireworks. Of course, this was all done with the permission of our children. They were looking forward to all of the events of the day and were excited to have the option to do those thing. Like always, sometimes this does not always go as planned, at least how we, as parents, think it would.

As our family was wrapping up our exursion to the playgroud and park for a lovely shaded picnic, my oldest was running with excitement to our car and fell and skinned her knee. How typical, I think, but my 5 year-old is crying, making it a huge crisis. "B-B-Blood!!" coming from my wanna be doctor. She was crying all the way to the car, wanting to be carried due to the stinging sensation of her knee. Then she goes on to say "My friends will make fun of me!" and later, "None of the boys will marry me!" She was not only crying because of the knee, but worried how a skinned knee would ruin her young reputation. I then showed her my scars from years of falling off bikes and running into things. Somehow it did not convince her that it was all part of being a human being - that we do get scars. When we got home, she got into bed and we all watched a little bit of Toy Story. I think me being with her in those few minutes calmed her down a bit. Maybe next time she gets a skinned knee, she won't cry as much and see that even her friends, especially those boys, gets them.

And, down to the fireworks we go later in the day. My youngest was so enthusiastic to see the fireworks, perhaps the first real display she has seen in her young 2 year old life. We got to the park in Vienna early enough, about an hour, before the display began. Both girls were so excited. The crowds were coming in, and the girls were nestling in with blankets as the evening got cooler. Then at 9:15 the firworks began. My oldest was sitting on her father's lap, saying "Wow," while my youngest was on my lap cluching onto me for dear life. She was not happy about the experience. She covered her eyes, then shuttered at the sound of the pops. She would not let go of me during the 30 minute show. I was trying to comfort her, but I was thinking she would get used to the sounds and see that the crowds were enjoying the views. But all of this did not convince my youngest at all. She clinged to my neck the whole time in fear. I am hoping that next time, when she is 3, that this would not be such a terrifying experience and see that this is just how fireworks sound and look.

We can all hope, as parents, that every experience our child has, good or bad, and make them see that this is what happens in our lives and we will all have to chuck up the experience as a guide to our next dilemma. These experiences will give us more confidence to deal with next issue we face, and then the insecurity would soon diminish. At least, we hope little by little.