No is Easier than Not Anymore

Recently my wife and I had a discussion about appropriate swimwear for our daughters. We aren't afraid of either of them "looking too sexy" or anything; they are just 2 and 4. What we are doing is looking toward their future and what we think is appropriate as a teenager. Is it too early to worry about that? Nope. In fact, I think that decisions we make today will strongly impact our daughters when we need it the most.

Just today I watched this video about a young lady who is making a line of modest swimsuits. You should give it a watch and then come back and read the rest.




In our conversation, my wife brought up something I didn't even know: in her elementary school there are two dress codes. Younger students, and girls more than boys, have different dress rules than older students. She indicated that there is often difficulty getting the girls to comply after they have had a few years with more relaxed standards.

So that is it, in a nutshell: why say yes now to something I know for a fact I will say no to later? I understand that it is different for a 4-year old to wear a bikini than a 14-year old. If I don't want my 14-year old wearing one, it's easier to tell her a decade ahead of time than trying to reverse a decade of opposite standards.

Here's an example. My wife gets really frustrated that our 2-year old daughter pulls everything out of her hair if it is put up. Barrettes, hairbands, bobby pins, bows- she pulls them all out. Allison sees the hair in Gwen's eyes and thinks it must be bothersome. Gwen doesn't know any other way. Her hair has always (at least in her memory I would guess) been that way. If they only know one-piece swimsuits, we won't have to change it.

This isn't just about swimsuits, either. Let's talk about shorts for a minute. A while back I used to play a game when I was shopping with Allison where I would see if I could find shorts smaller than the distance from the tip of my thumb to the tip of my pinky. At the time, it was rare to find one, although many were close. These days I don't even play that game because most of the shorts are smaller than that distance, and these are for adults! (Which, FYI is about 9") Shopping for shorts for the girls has proven difficult, but we found some that are really cute and the girls feel comfortable wearing.

Pretty much everything looks cute on little kids!

I want my daughters to be modest. I want them to only know modesty. It starts right now.
 

Day Thirty! (Four)

As you may have read before, I'm doing a 90-day resolution that includes eating well, reading the bible in 90 days, doing P90X, and not spending money at restaurants. I was supposed to update at day 30 but it's now day 34. Close enough!

Bible: Failure. I was falling asleep and unable to read and have officially given up on this one. I'll try again someday.

Eating well: Pretty good! I have been best at eating more small meals throughout the day and have only eaten poorly a couple of times. I'm fine with this- I wasn't going for perfection, just dramatic improvement.

P90X: So far so good! Here are some stats for proof: Not including the weekly basketball I play, I have had 26 workout sessions totaling 19 hours 36 minutes and have burnt 14,605 calories! While I feel stronger and have more endurance (MUCH more endurance) the 30-day pictures that P90X ask for certainly demonstrated that I have work left. I might show those at the end, we'll see. That being said I have lost about 10 pounds, 2% body fat, 1.5 inches off my waist, and gained 1/2 inch on my biceps. I haven't missed a session yet (I trade the yoga on Thursdays with basketball) and honestly refuse to because I know I'll get off the whole program, much like I did with reading!

Spending money at restaurants: I have done well here too! As a family we cut our spending at restaurants by over 75% in January when compared to normal. Huge! I spent money twice, once to have dinner with tech people from around the state (I considered it an investment in networking for a future job, perhaps) and again at Chick-fil-a with my family for a fundraiser night for my wife's school.

I'm over a third of the way there and am feeling pretty successful. I knew my endeavor was going to be tough so I'm not worried about a little bit of failure. Now, time for dinner and some P90X Kenpo X!

90-Day Resolution: Day 10 Update

Day 10.

So far, I'm pretty pleased with what I've been able to accomplish. Here's a look at what I've done in the first ten days.

Exercise: I have now worked out every day since NYE. Including the 31st (which is when I actually started) I have worked out 10 times for a total of 7:05:51 and have burned 5688 calories.

Bible Reading: This is my worst area. Turns out it takes a long time to read each day's readings. I'm pretty busy with coaching and working out and I don't have a ton of time left over. I am struggling to stay awake throughout the readings. I had a bit of a head start and am currently on "Day 12" and finishing up Numbers. I am considering a holiday from social media to focus on this task.

Eating: Two thumbs up here! I've been using the MyFitnessPal app again (thanks for the reminder Seth Ponder!) and keeping to my calorie intake each day. I haven't had any pop or even sweet tea, just milk and water and one margarita! No desserts so far, but I did have some chicken wings and chips and queso for the BCS national championship game.

Spending money: I haven't spent a dime outside of necessities like gas, groceries, and bills. I did have to pony up for a couple of humidifiers for my girls. Turns out, Gwen REALLY needs the humidity in her room or she wakes up like this:

I'll keep you updated on my progress, but I can tell you that I feel great! I'm already able to work out harder and longer than just a few weeks ago. The bathroom scale has shown evidence of my work and eating habits improving.

How are your goals going???