by Kelley Lindberg
I didn’t list “learn new things” as one of my New Year’s resolutions. I really didn’t. My brain is full enough as it is, and I worry that if I learn something new, it will shove something old and important out the back door, like my phone number or my son’s name or the words to that old Kansas song.
But here I am, eleven days into the new year, and I’ve managed to learn a whole bunch of new things. For example, my son got a Wii for Christmas, and I got myself the Wii Fit Plus game. So I’ve been learning that my body is in terrible shape. I’ve learned about muscles in strange places that can become sore, even though it doesn’t seem like they’re doing anything. I’ve learned that my right side is way wobblier than my left side. I’ve learned that the animated Wii personal trainer who’s teaching me how to do yoga sports an ugly streak of sarcasm, despite his boyish good looks.
But my physical inadequacies aren’t the only things I’ve learned this year. I’ve learned that the only way I’m going to get my cookbook sold is to send it to publishers who might be interested in publishing it. Hmm. That’s kind of a novel thought. So I’ve started doing just that.
I’ve learned a bunch of new ways to cook things in the last eleven days, because I’m re-energized about my cookbook and about cooking in general now. My family keeps looking shocked as we sit down to the table and they discover yet a new creation. So far, my experiments been turning out really well. So I’m shocked, too.
Speaking of experiments, I’ve learned that nothing ruins a 5th grade science fair experiment measuring which bird feeder the backyard birds prefer than a marauding hawk that attacks and eats a hapless finch on the back fence a few days before the experiment starts, and scares every bird away from the neighborhood for weeks. But because of that, my son and I have learned a few interesting lessons about recovering from experiments gone awry, so that’s been okay, too.
I’ve learned that when all your friends go on diets, it’s hard to go to breakfast with them because they talk about how much weight they’ve lost and they order things like cottage cheese. So then I eat less, too. And that’s a good thing.
I’ve learned that I can prepare a new presentation to give to a group of writers with just a few hours’ notice, and that I no longer get nervous before a presentation. That’s a good thing, because I have several presentations coming up in the next few weeks. And I’ve learned that I’m glad I can be a last-minute “Help! My speaker canceled. What are you doing tonight?” kind of person.
And I’ve learned that the older my son gets, the more loving he gets. I don’t know… maybe he made a New Year’s resolution to hug his mom more, or maybe he’s just delirious with joy over getting a new Wii, but I’ve been adoring the extra attention no matter what the reason.
So here I am, learning new things despite every intention. Enjoying new things. Welcoming new things.
I may be an old dog, but these new tricks aren’t as bad as I thought. And guess what? I still know all the words to that old Kansas song. “Carry on my wayward…” no, wait. How does that go again?
Monday, January 11, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Making a Habit of New Year's Resolutions
by Kelley Lindberg
So, how are those New Year’s resolutions going? Mine are going… um… hang on a minute. I have to go wash the potato chip grease off my fingers… OK, I’m back. Well, my resolution to cut back on potato chips isn’t going too well. And my resolution about keeping the house clean? Yeah, that hasn’t gone very well, either.
The big one, though, is about trying to use my time more efficiently. Right. That’s a bust, too. I’m trying to cram some exercise into my schedule, and it’s taking way too much time away from everything else, so I can tell it’s going to get dropped pretty soon, and I’ll be right back to complaining about my inefficient but familiar routine.
I’m not sure why I bother thinking about resolutions. My habits are old and ingrained, and I don’t change until I absolutely have to. And that generally means lives have to be at stake. I don’t think I’m alone in this.
That’s why changing a family’s eating habits and diet because of newly discovered food allergies is so challenging. But guess what? Most of us successfully do it. Why? Because lives really ARE at stake.
But there’s something good about habits, too. Although it may take a while to establish a new habit, once you have, it becomes just as easy to maintain as the old habit was. It eventually works its way into our routine, and we once again find ourselves on autopilot, flying through our day with the new habit firmly in place.
When we first learn that we have to eliminate something like milk or eggs or wheat from our diet, it feels like an enormous earthquake ripping through the landscape of our lives. But we have no choice but to pick up the pieces and start to rebuild. Soon we’ve found new brands that are safe, new recipes that we like, new ways to add a substitute nutrition source back into our diet. In a month or two, we find that the aftershocks have lessened to the point where we go entire days without noticing them. Another month or two after that, and we’re cruising in the fast lane again, with most of the new detours familiar now and well-marked.
That new eating habit is now a part of us, just like our old ones were. And when we stop to look at how far we’ve come, we take a deep breath and feel pretty good about ourselves. So if you’re just starting out on a new diet, whether it’s because of food allergies or other health goals, take heart. It looks hard at first, but you know deep inside that you’ve created habits before. You can create this one, too.
I keep telling myself that. And you’ll be proud of me – I didn’t eat as many potato chips today as I usually do. Maybe there’s hope for those other New Year’s resolutions, too.
Let me know how your resolutions are going!
So, how are those New Year’s resolutions going? Mine are going… um… hang on a minute. I have to go wash the potato chip grease off my fingers… OK, I’m back. Well, my resolution to cut back on potato chips isn’t going too well. And my resolution about keeping the house clean? Yeah, that hasn’t gone very well, either.
The big one, though, is about trying to use my time more efficiently. Right. That’s a bust, too. I’m trying to cram some exercise into my schedule, and it’s taking way too much time away from everything else, so I can tell it’s going to get dropped pretty soon, and I’ll be right back to complaining about my inefficient but familiar routine.
I’m not sure why I bother thinking about resolutions. My habits are old and ingrained, and I don’t change until I absolutely have to. And that generally means lives have to be at stake. I don’t think I’m alone in this.
That’s why changing a family’s eating habits and diet because of newly discovered food allergies is so challenging. But guess what? Most of us successfully do it. Why? Because lives really ARE at stake.
But there’s something good about habits, too. Although it may take a while to establish a new habit, once you have, it becomes just as easy to maintain as the old habit was. It eventually works its way into our routine, and we once again find ourselves on autopilot, flying through our day with the new habit firmly in place.
When we first learn that we have to eliminate something like milk or eggs or wheat from our diet, it feels like an enormous earthquake ripping through the landscape of our lives. But we have no choice but to pick up the pieces and start to rebuild. Soon we’ve found new brands that are safe, new recipes that we like, new ways to add a substitute nutrition source back into our diet. In a month or two, we find that the aftershocks have lessened to the point where we go entire days without noticing them. Another month or two after that, and we’re cruising in the fast lane again, with most of the new detours familiar now and well-marked.
That new eating habit is now a part of us, just like our old ones were. And when we stop to look at how far we’ve come, we take a deep breath and feel pretty good about ourselves. So if you’re just starting out on a new diet, whether it’s because of food allergies or other health goals, take heart. It looks hard at first, but you know deep inside that you’ve created habits before. You can create this one, too.
I keep telling myself that. And you’ll be proud of me – I didn’t eat as many potato chips today as I usually do. Maybe there’s hope for those other New Year’s resolutions, too.
Let me know how your resolutions are going!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Future Me Says It’s Going to Be Okay
by Kelley Lindberg
2009 is winding down. For that matter, so is the decade.
It’s hard to believe that at the beginning of this decade (and century, and millennium, by the way), I was still feeling like a brand-new mom. My son was a year old, but I was still discovering a million inadequacies in my mothering skills – he was already well-established as the Human Whirlwind, he’d added walking to his repertoire of things that could propel him into disaster, and as the only mid-thirties mom I knew, I was feeling wholly isolated and incompetent.
And just think… I was still about four months away from discovering that he was allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. As overwhelmed as I already was, I was completely unaware that in a few months my “overwhelminess” was going to double.
Whew.
If I could go back in a time machine and sit myself down for a little heart-to-heart chat (okay, we wouldn’t have been able to sit – one of us would have been up walking in circles with him in our arms, or chasing along behind him trying to keep him out of trouble), there are a lot of things I would tell that younger me.
The most important thing I’d say, though, would be that it would all turn out okay eventually. That’s the thing I most needed to hear then, because it was the thing I least believed.
I needed to hear that, as stubborn as he was, he would never surrender to the concept of turning around to crawl down stairs backwards, but that eventually his little legs would be long enough that he could walk down steps forwards without falling. And that would be okay.
I needed to hear that eventually he would sleep all night long, and in his own bed.
I needed to hear that he would always be quickly frustrated, but that eventually he would find ways to solve problems without hitting someone else (at least most of the time).
I needed to hear that I would find wonderful friends who would support me, encourage me, understand me, commiserate with me, and celebrate with me.
I needed to hear that the bundle of energy that seemed so destructive and taxing back then would evolve into a highly intelligent, highly enthusiastic, highly entertaining kid who would make me laugh far more than he would make me growl. Eventually.
And I needed to hear that living with food allergies would add a layer of challenge to our lives, but it certainly wasn’t impossible, and that it would get easier as he got older.
So now he’s eleven years old, I’m a little older and wiser (okay, a lot older and only a little wiser), and a new decade is starting again. This new decade will include his teenage years, dating, driver’s education, high school graduation, and even the beginnings of college, all of it made more complicated by his food allergies.
I have to admit, it looks awfully daunting from this point of view. So I’m going to hope that somewhere in the future, there’s an older me looking back, wishing she could tell me now that it will all turn out okay.
Eventually.
Here’s to you, Future Me. Thanks for the encouragement. I’m going to need it.
Happy New Year, everyone!
2009 is winding down. For that matter, so is the decade.
It’s hard to believe that at the beginning of this decade (and century, and millennium, by the way), I was still feeling like a brand-new mom. My son was a year old, but I was still discovering a million inadequacies in my mothering skills – he was already well-established as the Human Whirlwind, he’d added walking to his repertoire of things that could propel him into disaster, and as the only mid-thirties mom I knew, I was feeling wholly isolated and incompetent.
And just think… I was still about four months away from discovering that he was allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. As overwhelmed as I already was, I was completely unaware that in a few months my “overwhelminess” was going to double.
Whew.
If I could go back in a time machine and sit myself down for a little heart-to-heart chat (okay, we wouldn’t have been able to sit – one of us would have been up walking in circles with him in our arms, or chasing along behind him trying to keep him out of trouble), there are a lot of things I would tell that younger me.
The most important thing I’d say, though, would be that it would all turn out okay eventually. That’s the thing I most needed to hear then, because it was the thing I least believed.
I needed to hear that, as stubborn as he was, he would never surrender to the concept of turning around to crawl down stairs backwards, but that eventually his little legs would be long enough that he could walk down steps forwards without falling. And that would be okay.
I needed to hear that eventually he would sleep all night long, and in his own bed.
I needed to hear that he would always be quickly frustrated, but that eventually he would find ways to solve problems without hitting someone else (at least most of the time).
I needed to hear that I would find wonderful friends who would support me, encourage me, understand me, commiserate with me, and celebrate with me.
I needed to hear that the bundle of energy that seemed so destructive and taxing back then would evolve into a highly intelligent, highly enthusiastic, highly entertaining kid who would make me laugh far more than he would make me growl. Eventually.
And I needed to hear that living with food allergies would add a layer of challenge to our lives, but it certainly wasn’t impossible, and that it would get easier as he got older.
So now he’s eleven years old, I’m a little older and wiser (okay, a lot older and only a little wiser), and a new decade is starting again. This new decade will include his teenage years, dating, driver’s education, high school graduation, and even the beginnings of college, all of it made more complicated by his food allergies.
I have to admit, it looks awfully daunting from this point of view. So I’m going to hope that somewhere in the future, there’s an older me looking back, wishing she could tell me now that it will all turn out okay.
Eventually.
Here’s to you, Future Me. Thanks for the encouragement. I’m going to need it.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Monday, December 21, 2009
More Allergy-Free Holiday Candy Ideas
by Kelley Lindberg
Thanks for the great comments with ideas for safe holiday candy. Here are a couple more hints that I got in emails, and I thought I’d post them here so more people can see them. (But don’t forget to read the “comments” from last week’s post for more great ideas.) While it’s probably too late to order for Christmas (and Hanukkah is over), it’s still good to have some ideas for the next time you need safe treats.
From Debbie B:
“For our holiday candy, we plan to stuff my son's stocking with the same yummy earth suckers and gummy bears we used for Halloween. In my mind, it isn't very Christmassy candy, but I think it is all we have to work with. My son has a corn allergy, so we are very limited in our choices. FYI the Yummy Earth candy is available on Amazon for much less than it is from the Yummy Earth website or from the health food stores. If you go to www.yummyearth.com however you can get extremely detailed allergy information. All of their foods are flavored with natural flavorings. My son is allergic to orange and they even have details on which natural flavorings are used in which products, so we can weed out the ones that are bad for him. I hope this helps everyone. For anyone with a corn allergy, I have discovered that rice syrup works just as well in candy recipes as corn syrup. We even made ‘caramel rice’ using rice syrup for the caramel and puffed rice from the grocery store. It tasted just as good as caramel corn, but didn't have any seeds.”
From Michelle F:
“As always, I LOVE Peanut Free Planet. Click on the Christmas/Hanukkah link or search by ingredients to avoid. They carry great holiday items from numerous allergen free companies and are very fast and easy to order from. One pitfall is the $8.95 flat shipping fee - so if you just want to order $10 worth of candy it can be pricey to spend another 10 on shipping but maybe worth it if you find what you want. I try to order a lot all at once to make it more advantageous-stock up on Sunbutter, snack bars, etc. I saw nut free gingerbread house kits for Christmas (and at Halloween they had nut free candy corn)!”
Michelle also sent a link to Sweet Alexis (Dairy-free, Egg-free, and Nut-free Baked Goods).
Thanks, everyone! Have a wonderful season of light, comfort, hope, peace, and love.
Kelley
Thanks for the great comments with ideas for safe holiday candy. Here are a couple more hints that I got in emails, and I thought I’d post them here so more people can see them. (But don’t forget to read the “comments” from last week’s post for more great ideas.) While it’s probably too late to order for Christmas (and Hanukkah is over), it’s still good to have some ideas for the next time you need safe treats.
From Debbie B:
“For our holiday candy, we plan to stuff my son's stocking with the same yummy earth suckers and gummy bears we used for Halloween. In my mind, it isn't very Christmassy candy, but I think it is all we have to work with. My son has a corn allergy, so we are very limited in our choices. FYI the Yummy Earth candy is available on Amazon for much less than it is from the Yummy Earth website or from the health food stores. If you go to www.yummyearth.com however you can get extremely detailed allergy information. All of their foods are flavored with natural flavorings. My son is allergic to orange and they even have details on which natural flavorings are used in which products, so we can weed out the ones that are bad for him. I hope this helps everyone. For anyone with a corn allergy, I have discovered that rice syrup works just as well in candy recipes as corn syrup. We even made ‘caramel rice’ using rice syrup for the caramel and puffed rice from the grocery store. It tasted just as good as caramel corn, but didn't have any seeds.”
From Michelle F:
“As always, I LOVE Peanut Free Planet. Click on the Christmas/Hanukkah link or search by ingredients to avoid. They carry great holiday items from numerous allergen free companies and are very fast and easy to order from. One pitfall is the $8.95 flat shipping fee - so if you just want to order $10 worth of candy it can be pricey to spend another 10 on shipping but maybe worth it if you find what you want. I try to order a lot all at once to make it more advantageous-stock up on Sunbutter, snack bars, etc. I saw nut free gingerbread house kits for Christmas (and at Halloween they had nut free candy corn)!”
Michelle also sent a link to Sweet Alexis (Dairy-free, Egg-free, and Nut-free Baked Goods).
Thanks, everyone! Have a wonderful season of light, comfort, hope, peace, and love.
Kelley
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