Archive for Health
FAQ: Do You Ever Want to Work?
Posted by: | CommentsAs I mentioned in my last post, I am certainly not opposed to working outside of the home. For this season of life, it is not the option we are going with, but that does not mean I am set on staying home for the rest of my days! I am not sure what the future will hold in our family, but if there would come a time where the kids are in school and we are settled in one place, I would certainly be interested in doing work, probably part time.
So the next question people usually ask is “What would you want to do?” I mentioned that I had done some work towards starting my masters in nutrition. I have not ruled out going back and completing that degree at some point. And that may even start before the kids are older. I am interested in not only nutrition, but also fitness. So I have also looked into studying more on personal training and possibly getting a certificate or two there. Both of these areas are subjects that appeal to me for a variety of reasons:
1. I am already interested in these areas and get really excited when I think about helping people with their health.
2. In working in these settings, there is often flexibility to work part time or set more of your own hours. Just because I work outside the home, I still want to be available for Joe and the kids.
3. These are areas where I could serve Joe, as his desire is to coach when he is done playing (more on that in a later post), and also the rest of our family. Being well-informed in the areas of nutrition and fitness is a way I help to better the lives of our kids.
So we will see where the Lord leads us in the coming years. For right now, I am trying to stay on top of the areas of nutrition and fitness in simply reading and learning while Joe trains.
Every Country Has Its Phobia
Posted by: | CommentsLiving overseas has taught me that each culture believes different things about certain issues. One issue that I encounter often is the issue of children’s health. Living in 5 different European countries over the past 5 years has taught me that Europeans strongly believe that children needed to be bundled up at all times. If a child is not dressed warmly enough they are going to get sick (and by warmly enough, I mean that really only their eyes should be showing once the temperature hits 50 degrees)! We tend to go with the American mentality that if we are comfortable dressed in a certain type of clothing, than our children are as well. And if they are a young child (baby-toddler age) and are not crying, than they must be relatively comfortable. I have been scolded in just about every country though for my children not being dressed warmly enough. Thankfully, I have learned to just laugh it off. I do try and prevent Abby from taking her coat off when we are out and she tells me she is hot though. To her 60 degrees feels warm.
It always makes me wonder what we as Americans have a phobia of. I don’t think we think cold water or cold temperatures are going to make children sick (or ourselves), but I am sure we have something else we always blame sickness on. One ex-pat told me that one of his friends visiting the U.S. said that we as Americans seem to think everything is allergies. I could definitely see that one! I can count numerous times I have had a runny nose when another American has wanted to diagnose me with allergies.
For myself, I know any time the kids get sick, I blame it on not enough sleep. That is part of the reason I think you see so many cranky and/or sick kids over here in Europe. I still haven’t figured out how they handle such late bed times!
Any other ideas of what we Americans like to blame bad health on?
Girls in Sports
Posted by: | CommentsMy Dad sent me this article yesterday about the long term effect of girls in high school ports. Title IX has been around for almost 4 decades now, but very few studies have been able to really show the direct relation between sports involvement and benefits to girls’ lives. Being a girl who played high school (and college) sports, I can point to many benefits in my own life. And I will encourage my daughters to be involved in some sort of team activity to promote qualities such as teamwork, diligence, perseverance, and health.
Me as a High School Junior Playing Soccer
