The Bar...ouch!

If you recall, a week or two ago I had meant to try The Bar Method Body dvd from the library.  I never got around to it until today.  I did my own warm-up with my "morning moves", the basic exercises on the pilates chair and some 2lb arm weight work.  I started the dvd with the arm work which started right after the warm-up.  I liked it.  There's nothing special about arm work.  It's pretty much the same on every dvd that has you work your arms.  You work the shoulders, the triceps, biceps and back.  I normally use 2lb weights for lots of reps but since she did one set of 10 and then a second set of 20 I figured I could deal with using 5lb weights.  KILLED but in a good way.  I want to feel my arms get tired.  Then we moved on to thigh work.  I liked that part too.  Inner/outer thighs holding on to the back of a chair and I could definitely feel it.  After that she did some stretching and yoga type moves to stretch out the legs but I was wearing 3lb ankle weights on both legs so I did some leg presses while sitting on my chair while she did the leg stretches.  I stretched my legs on my own.  Then she went into a "pretzel" pose to work the outer thigh/butt area.  The way I had to lean on the floor hurt my rest thigh/butt so I managed to get through one side only.  Too bad I worked the butt cheek that doesn't need work. lol  I'm majorly right-side dominant so my right butt cheek is more round than my other side.  I also stand on my right leg more which means I'm flexing leg and butt muscles more.  ANYway...lol

On to a different topic....parenting decisions seem to be irking me a lot lately.  I have strong opinions and I can be pretty judgemental.  For the most part however, I conclude any thought with, "Well, whatever works for them as long as it has nothing to do with me..."  I also feel strongly about giving new parents advice.  If they ask or they are consumed with doubt, I'm honest but I'm also available to give them peace of mind.  I don't agree with placing fear after fear on their shoulders because of a personal circumstance that happened to someone (either yourself or someone you know).  That doesn't help anyone.  It's not "educating" them.  Something horrific or crappy happened to you or your kid and you need to point the finger at someone or something.  There's no need to make a new parent question what they otherwise would have been fine with just because you had a bad experience.  I know several parents that have medical issues with their children.  I wouldn't wish that on anyone.  We all want our children to be happy and healthy and issue-free.  I respect a fellow mom a lot when she knows maybe there were things she could have done differently to change the outcome but she doesn't beat herself up about it.  "It is what it is, now let's do what we need to do to show our child we can live a happy and full life regardless of the circumstances thrown our way."  From the food we eat to the containers it comes in to the cars we drive to the medical care we choose for our families, EVERYTHING is a variable that can lead to good or bad.  I strive for better each and every day and that's all we can do.  Make better choices tomorrow, smile more and love more. 

AND...I have something else.  Yesterday my parents were over and we were all outside.  My dad was blowing leaves and the kids and my mom were playing in their car so I came in to check my email while I had a free minute.  Next thing I know my dad's coming in to get Gino's scooter and says "Come and look, Gino's in love."  So I go out with him and see Gino talking to two little hispanic girls from 4 or 5 houses down from us.  One was probably about 4 and the older one (the one Gino liked) was probably closer to 7 or 8.  She was riding one of those metal scooters that goes faster and Gino has a red plastic red scooter so he was trailing behind trying to catch up to his beloved. lol  He was trying to talk to them, asking them if they wanted to go for a walk or ride bikes some time.  It was really cute.  He was also shy and embarassed and my parents kept interfering, telling him what to say.  (SO annoying by the way.  Sometimes I wish I could push the mute button on both of them.)  Anyway, they went back and forth from our house to theirs riding their scooters for a bit and then they came back to our house with their little brother following behind.  Now, a couple things:  1.  The older girl was wearing a spaghetti strapped black dress.  It's almost November and we're all wearing long sleeves and pants.  2.  The little boy was dressed appropriately for the weather but he couldn't have been more than 2 yrs old. 

So they came with the brother and then the girls went back to their house and Gino and the little boy stayed with us.  So right away I'm thinking, "Uh, HELLO...they just left the kid here??"  He didn't talk.  He just stood there staring at us.  So my dad lets him play with the bubble mower we have.  Then he offered the boy the little bicycle we have and helped him get on it.  Meanwhile I look down to where the boy's family lives and I see a couple men standing by their cars and a female in the car and they're talking and hanging out.  The men would look over periodically so I figured they had seen the boy.  I sent Gino a few times to tell the girls to come get their brother and he did, poor thing.  He'd run down there and then try to talk but wouldn't know what to say and got all flustered and would run back.  Torn between his embarassing crush and Mommy's orders. lol  Poor thing.  So finally I'm like, "This is ridiculous, we're ready to go inside and this kid is just standing here."  So I took the bikes and put them in the shed and the kid starts crying.  My mom tries showing him to walk and saying "Follow, follow" and pointing towards his house but nothing.  The kid just stood there.  My dad and Gino wanted to take the car to Costco to get gas so you know, show's over, go home kid. lol  My dad took Gino's hand and the boy's hand and walked him down to his family.  The mom runs out of the car and picks him up and apparently she thought he was in the house.  What the hell??  This whole thing probably last 15 or 20 minutes.  The whole time I'm thinking, "There's relaxed and then there's stupid.  These are the same types of people that will cry over their missing kid tomorrow on the news." 

We've got psychos in this world raping small children and almost every day I read an article but a missing child.  I'm all for these relaxed parents that want their kids to be free to run around but unfortunately this ain't that kind of world anymore.  Alrighty, got that off my chest.  I still can't believe it.  I think of my children at 2 yrs old....at someone's house with a family I don't know...I just can't even imagine how people can be that clueless as to their kids' whereabouts.