Monday, January 13, 2014

So far... So okay

We're almost two weeks into the new year and I'm doing OK on my resolutions. I have not had a single soda since New Years Eve. The first three days were extremely difficult. I was exhausted, had a major head ache and struggled not to give in. The temptation is still there of course, but I find it much easier to gulp a glass of water and be satisfied. I have had  a few cups of juice which I think helped with the sugar cravings a bit.

I haven't been to the gym yet, I feel like I'm in repair mode from the holidays and I haven't figured out how to snap out of it quite yet. My major goal this week is to hit the gym at least twice and to get back in contact with my trainer.

We are starting a 100-day challenge for your family. For 100 days we are not going to eat out. At all. I saw this video and thought, we could do something for 100 days. So no eating out for us. As relatively frequent visitors of McDonalds and Dominos it is going to be difficult. Our oldest (Emmy, 7) is totally on board. Our youngest (Liz, 5) is not so much. She got this terribly sad look on her face, which upset me until I realized it was my fault, so then I got mad at myself. She shouldn't be upset because we shouldn't have been eating out that often. The frown lifted a little when I told her we were trying to save for a Disneyland trip. Not only will we cut calories, we'll save quite a bit of money in the meantime.

I'm still awaiting my new hair style, but I'll get it done- (hopefully this week, and I'll add a photo of the new look). I've been trying to read more nonfiction books and spend time with my kids. The year has gotten off to a slow start but I'm more determined than ever to get us to Disneyland, happier, skinnier and with more life experience under my belt.

How are your New Year's resolutions going?

Thursday, January 2, 2014

In my Humble Opinion

After we were married my husband admitted that he initially thought that I was opinionated and it was intimidating to him.  I laughed it off for a while, me... opinionated?! Hah. Well, he was right. I have very strong opinions and I like sharing them. I have this habit of getting involved in debates because it's entertaining to me. I like having intelligent discussions, especially when I don't agree with what the other person thinks. It isn't about being right or even contention. I feel energized when I am having an intelligent exchange of ideas and I love when I can keep up.

Now, Facebook presents a huge problem for me. People are ALWAYS giving their opinion on something. It's fodder for debate junkies like me. After many unsuccessful attempts to stay out of debates with people online, I've come to the conclusion that I'm pretty much hopeless.

I have also discovered that there are people in these online debates (on Facebook or other news or entertainment websites) that take away from the enjoyable experience of sharing opinions. Now, this may be my opinionated side coming out, but there are a few groups of people I've noticed that wheedle their way in and ruin (or at least attempt to ruin) a good debate.

The keep-your-mouth-shut's:

These people attempt to kill a debate by arguing that "if you don't like something you should look away or ignore the issue." These type of people should just move into the book 1984, where a differing opinion is discouraged, and even punished.

This doesn't work for me. I am grateful to live in a country where I am allowed to speak my mind, even if I'm wrong. If there is one thing that I support to the death it is that everyone has the right to choose. That includes what they think and what they say. I may not like it and I may not agree with it, but that doesn't give me the right to tell you that you aren't allowed to express your opinion.



The kill-joys, also known as the guilt-trippers

 These type of debaters drive me INSANE. They jump into debates with comments such as "My neighbor's, cousin's friend was squished by a meteor the other day. You should just be grateful for what you have instead of wasting your time talking about this." There are also the "do you know how many cops/firefighters/soldiers died.... why should we care about this."

Guilt-tripping is a low blow and bad form. It's the easy way out of a debate and it's also a little mean. I mean, how can someone disagree that whatever tragedy is slapped in their face isn't sad or more important to someone? Bad things happen every day to very good people. It's nothing to make light of and it certainly should never be used to guilt people out of a perfectly legitimate discussion.

The mud-slingers

Nothing ruins a good discussion better than someone who doesn't know anything intelligent about the topic so they start insulting everyone involved. These peeps are often referred to as trolls with good reason. They lurk in the ether waiting for the chance to taunt for pure entertainment sake. Not only are they typically extremely mean and hurtful, they distract from the actual debate and that's annoying.

I should point out that while I do agree with everyone having the right to express their opinion, I don't necessarily enjoy or support certain ways people choose to portray that opinion. There are ways to express your opinion without insulting someone's family all the way back to Adam.


I enjoy a good debate and I am more than willing to conceded a point or even my entire position, if I find that the other person has an intelligent case. It's a great way to learn more about topics and look at things from a different perspective, it's also fun to sound intelligent. It isn't fun or entertaining trying to navigate a debate while dodging lobs of guilt, mud and keep-it-to-yourselves, so play fair!

Do you enjoy debating online? What type of comments drive you crazy?