The Weight That Binds

Oprah struggled with it. So did Jennifer Hudson, Jessica Simpson and Star Jones. Of course you can't forget countless aunts, uncles, and cousin whom seemingly grow heavier and heavier as years go by. I used to pride myself as having my weight under control. One of the proudest moments of my life came when I loss thirty-five pounds and for once in my life I possessed a freedom of going into a store and fitting into anything without worrying if I looked fat. I worked out just about everyday and my meals revolved around fruits and vegetables and water. Treats such as ice-cream and cake were just that treats, nothing else.

But slowly the weight crept on after I got married. Late night conversations over heartily prepared meals and of course desert, my lifelong weakness. I reintroduced myself to foods that were at one time on my forbidden list. Workouts were not as regimented and slowly the weight piled on. I started to get comments such as, "Boy, you have gained a lot of weight!"

I am now where I never thought I would be, but the good aspect is that I'm extremely uncomfortable with this burden of weight, that tends to sap all of your energy. I'm training myself to cut my appetite and to remind myself (constantly) that I am not hungry, despite tempting advertisements and the pizza that the family just ordered. Of course, it smells good, but again I'm really not hungry. Really.

But I'm realizing, healthy living is a mindset. I'll keep you posted about my journey to lose.

The Sacrifice of Healthy Eating

I'm really trying to make sure my daughter has a well-balanced diet, even on days that it is busy. I sometimes cringe to think when I realized she didn't have her quinoa porridge in the morning or at times she may have to eat at her school, in which I have no control over what she eats. I wonder how much processed food she may eat when she's not around me and then ask myself if I'm neurotic or extreme. "So what if she had a goldfish for snack instead of a juicy peach, look at the mystery meat I used to consume in my public school cafeteria." I would say to myself. Then, I look at my constant struggle with weight and hope that if I make wise choices for her today, hopefully she will make wise choices as she grows up and won't associate happy childhood memories with sweets but rather immune boosting smoothies or grilled veggie burgers.

Fighting childhood obesity is like war on drugs in the eighties. Hopefully we'll win it by making a small sacrifice a day in the kitchen.

And Then There Was Silver Sparrow

There comes a time in every person's life when you happen upon a book that you can't seem to put down. That used to happen to me throughout childhood, probably with every book that I picked up. But as you get older and at times have to read for that Public Policy class or loan documents, reading may not be as enthralling as it was before. But somewhere along the sea of books there comes one that brings you right back to your old eleven year old self, when you used to sneak away to the school library to finish just one more page of tale about a young lady in the 1800's who wore muffs as she walked down cobblestone streets.

I recently have a new favorite author, none other than Tayari Jones. I first heard of her through a friend in New York, she kept raving about her first book, Leaving Atlanta. The storyline didn't hold me, but here I am ten years later wishing, oh why did it take me so long to read her work. Very well written with developed rounded characters. She masterfully showed different sides of a character's situation and you walked away from the book understanding the reasons why the characters made the choices they did. Plus, she based her storyline on angle that's not usually represented in literature. It's definitely worth the purchase and a great addition to any home library. Kuddos to my new favorite author!

Summer Sewing

I love shopping for the summer season and recently enjoy sewing for my daughter. I find summer clothes to be so much easier to sew. Don't you? The lazy day skirt has been my go to skirt that I am happy to say I can whip up in less than an hour! I say this as a pat myself on the back, considering just two summers ago I didn't even know how to use a sewing machine. For me, I am obsessed with sewing pencil skirts. I can go out to town with pencil skirts in West African fabric, denim, eyelet, you name it. I can't believe how quickly I can whip these up either and there's a certain level of satisfaction I feel as I wear them. I observe the hem and know that it was thoughtfully stitched. Now I understand why sewing has now become a growing obsession. What started out as a skill I wanted to master, has now become a hobby I carefully carve out time for each week. What shall I make this week? I always think. But with warm summer weather, I feel no inclination to stay glued to a chair for hours on end sewing, rather I desire a quick satisfaction that only comes with a skirt here, or a toy there.

What about you, what's your go-to summer sewing pattern?