Given the ever-increasing obesity problem in the U.S., researchers have done many studies on the topic of weight.  Their findings don’t shock me.  “Because our bodies change over time, the brain must constantly adjust its perception. Scientists believe that this internal calibration system can sometimes go haywire, notably for sufferers of anorexia, bulimia and body dysmorphic disorder, and possibly for obese people too.”

A Duke Univeristy study found that 1 in 4 overweight or obese people don’t believe they have a problem.  Dr. Gary Bennett focuses his work on preventing obesity and said, “It’s often said that the first step in improving a problem is believing that you have one. That’s particularly true for obesity.”

Have you ever been shocked by your appearance in a photo?  Perhaps that has motivated your to start your own fitness and diet regimen.  I finally came to the realization that my clothes weren’t shrinking, each photo couldn’t be taken from a bad angle and my thyroid condition wasn’t to blame for everything. Once I got serious about making a change, I dusted off my Insanity DVDs and began the ambitious 60-day workout challenge.  Three weeks into the program I began to really enjoy the intense cardio workouts, but realized exercise wasn’t enough and started to change my eating habits.

I had always balked at the the idea of keeping a food journal because it seemed way too time consuming and unnecessary, but even taking a much more critical look at everything I ate seemed to provide a serious benefit.  While making breakfast for my children, I’d often eat the remaining half bagel my youngest daughter didn’t finish and when my son ate all but the last third of his sausage, egg and cheese biscuit, I’d just finish that too as part of my cleaning up routine.  Now I realize that doesn’t sound like a lot, but then consider the rest of the day.  Preparing their lunches for school, I’d eat a handful of grapes as I was putting it in their lunch bags.  Since several of the Oreo cookies were broken, I’d normally eat those too instead of including them in the lunches.  How many calories had I consumed before 7:30 am and before I even technically ate breakfast? This morning examination was eye-opening for me.  Mindless eating is a big part of my problem, but I’m no longer in denial.

Now I am eating mindfully.  I’m doing a low carb diet, have cut out most sugar and I’m counting my calories.  This is not exactly fun.  In fact, it’s downright difficult.  I know it’ll be worth it, however.

Have you ever been in denial about your weight?  What motivated you to change?  How did you do it?  What helped you the most?

Is stay at home parenting really work?  Can it be considered a career choice?

This is an issue with which I am most personally familiar and I’ve asked myself these questions numerous times.  As a mother of three, I spend the majority of my time caring for my family.  I am also a part time college instructor, freelance writer and host an active Facebook discussion page.  Each year as tax day arrives, I am painfully reminded that most of my work does not pay.  This fact makes me feel inadequate in many ways.  Our society places a huge emphasis on monetary contributions.  Money is evidence of work.  What happens then if the bulk of your work is unpaid?

There is tremendous value in stay at home parenting and it is absolutely work.  Children and the parents benefit from it, but the sacrifice is also huge.  I entered into this with my eyes wide open and waited to have children until my early thirties.  When I became pregnant, I researched daycares and contemplated going back to my full time faculty position.  But I knew I always wanted to be a stay at home mother, so I carefully considered ways to keep myself engaged in the work I love while being able to be at home.  My education and work experience helped afford me opportunities to teach part time in the evenings and online while accepting occasional writing projects to supplement daily parenting life.  This provides me with a way to contribute to our family monetarily and it also gives me some much appreciated intellectual stimulation. The choice to stay home is not one available to all parents and I am grateful that I have the opportunity to do so.  Despite the difficulties and drawbacks, it is my choice and one I continue to think works best for me and my family. I don’t consider it my career, however.  In some ways, using that word seems to cheapen the work in my opinion.

The level of continual self sacrifice it takes to be a stay at home parent is daunting.  It is tough not to be envious of those earning both increasing financial compensation and personal enrichment in their full time careers. The work of a stay at home parent is constant.  There are no evenings off, breaks over the holidays and it can be messy as well as physically and emotionally exhausting.  The joys are tremendous too.  I see all my children’s highs and lows.  I am there to pick them up when there a stomach virus strikes while they are at school and I don’t have to cancel a meeting to do it.  I can and do volunteer in the classroom.  Our family’s schedule is more relaxed than it would be if I worked full time and I appreciate that very much.

One of the reasons I don’t consider stay at home parenting to be a career is that it seems to have a natural expiration date.  I don’t intend to be a stay at home mother forever and as much as I enjoy this time in my life, I look forward to the next chapter when I do pursue full time employment again. When I do go back to work full time, I will have more skills.  In addition to becoming a better teacher and writer, I’ve learned how to be an excellent multitasker and negotiator.  I am more patient too.  That is all because of the work I do as a stay at home mother.

Critical thinkers know that stay at home parenting is a valuable, it is work and we should never marginalize anyone who embraces this job.

For the first time since 1976, the Republican presidential nominee might be decided at the national convention rather than on the campaign trail. A contested convention occurs when no candidate has the required 1,444 delegates to win the nomination. The Associated Press keeps a running tally of the current delegate count and here’s where it stands now:

Mitt Romney has 563

Rick Santorum has 263

Newt Gingrich has 135

Ron Paul has 50

When the GOP convention is held this August in Tampa, it is possible that no candidate will have the clear majority and then the delegates (people chosen to represent each state at the convention) will vote again.  This is when a convention is considered to be contested. The delegates vote on the convention floor.  It may take a ballot or two to determine a majority and then the convention would proceed as normal with the nominee for president.

The last GOP contested convention was in 1976 when Ronald Reagan challenged the incumbent President Gerald Ford.

That is not the only scenario, however.  If the delegates can’t agree, someone new could be brought into the field.  Some possible names being discussed include New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and even Former Governor of Florida Jeb Bush.  This would be a brokered convention.  Brokered conventions are rare and only occur when no candidate has a pre-existing majority at its nominating convention.  The last winning presidential nominee from a brokered convention was Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democrat) in 1932.

A brokered convention in 2012 would certainly be exciting.

The gruesome images are designed to shock and then change behavior.  The images will succeed in shocking, but they are not likely to have a significant impact on whether someone decides to have an abortion.

Consider the violent images of mangled cars and horrific accidents shown at high school assemblies throughout the country prior to homecoming dances and proms.  Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) created assemblies like these to prevent reckless driving and driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.  The theory is that by showing the tragic stories, teenagers will make better choices and drive safely. Do they work?  We still see a rise in drunk driving accidents following school campaigns despite more than a 20 year tradition of them. Similarly, have violent images of the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq or any war prevented loss of life?

Many will be outraged by what will surely be perceived as an assault on the senses.  The Super Bowl audience is a diverse one.  Many small children watch along with their families.  These ads will anger many parents and that will not lend itself to people embracing the pro-life movement.  Instead it will only add fodder to those in the pro-choice movement who choose to vilify pro-life activists as extremists.

The argument that legalized abortion creates such a crisis that subjecting families to extremely gruesome images like the ones in this commercial are justified is a faulty one.  Valuing human life and family values requires taking a higher road.  The merit of the argument is cheapened when disturbing imagery is used. Sanctity of life should be preserved in all areas. We don’t want to see dead babies, accident victims or soldiers.

Instead, pro-life activists should take a different approach entirely and many are doing just that.  Consider the Time magazine cover story from 2007.  Providing medical information and assistance in a calm and kind manner is a far more effective way to positively influence behavior.  Visual arguments can still to used to persuade people to reconsider abortion, however.  Isn’t the use of ultrasounds a far better way to view a baby?

The new English translation of the Roman Missal recited by the priest and congregants dates back to Vatican II, but was only announced by Pope John Paul II in 2000.  Just the mention of the beloved pope’s name in association with these changes makes them more palatable for some.  If he thought it was better for Catholics, then more are willing to embrace these changes.

So what exactly has changed?   While the changes for the congregants are minimal, it will require a more close focus on the words and that will in turn cause us to think more about them. Here are some of the changes:

Greeting: “The Lord be with you.”

Old Response: “And also with you.”

New Response: “And with your spirit.”

That change is tough enough and expect to hear people stumble over that for quite a while.  The toughest for me is “Consubstantial.” This word replaces the term “one in being.” Consubstantial is more accurate, church authorities say since it means of the same substance.

The other one that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue quite yet is the change to the invitation to communion.

Old Response: “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.”

New Response: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

It’s always a challenge to embrace change and is especially so when the words seem imprinted on your very DNA, but I am determined to give it my very best. What do you think of the changes?

The guilt factor is huge and, really, how many times can you hit up the grandparents, neighbors and family friends before they start to cringe? (Many employers are banning solicitations of all types from the workplace, including fundraisers, so co-workers are no longer easy-target buyers.)

A version of this piece originally appeared on Politics Daily’s Woman Up.

Today was the type of day I’d like to remember forever because it really was about as close to perfect barring a lottery win.

The day began when my husband left for work at Harley-Davidson and since the traffic is so light (read nonexistent compared to what I’m used to having lived in the Washington, DC area for most of my life) his trip to the Milwaukee office takes between 10 to 15 minutes.  That’s a pretty nice commute.

My two older children began a week of morning camp offered through our the Whitefish Bay Recreation Department called Secret Agent Lab conducted by the Mad Science staff.  It’s held in the Lydell Community Center and that is just a few blocks from our home.  This afternoon, my children (all three this time) set off on our daily walk.  I often think that we look a bit like a small parade since two of my children ride their scooters and the other rides in the stroller, but there are so many children in our neighborhood that this is a familiar sight.  Today’s destination was the library and then a stop at the Whitefish Bay High School for a few laps around the track.

This evening we’ll stop by Dan Fitzgerald’s Pharmacy for candy on our way home from Klode Park.  I’d love to pick up dinner from the new City Market which just opened up, but I’ll be happy with the fresh ground beef, green beans and corn on the cob we bought at Sendik’s.  My husband is going to see a movie with my mom tonight at Fox-Bay Cinema Grill.  I’d go too but I have no desire to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  Fox-Bay is a great place and the owner is also a Whitefish Bay resident.  I may have to speak to him about his poor decision not to show The Help, however.

Whitefish Bay is a great place to live and I am happy that Money Magazine highlighted it in the recent issue.

While it may seem complex at first, the issue concerns raising the federal government’s borrowing authority so it can pay its bills on time to avoid a default. Failing to resolve this issue by the August 2 deadline could result in downgrade in our nation’s credit rating.  As most adults know, credit rating or credit scores are extremely important for individuals and are for the nation as well.  A downgrade could raise borrowing costs for consumers, businesses and government agencies.

Debating how to resolve the issue is a healthy part of democracy.  Using social media to express frustration is just one benefit of our precious freedom of speech.  Twitter is filled with hashtags boasting #GOPisEvil or #DebtofDuh and they do nothing to facilitate consensus.

Why aren’t more people making the connection between hate filled comments and our elected officials’ inability to compromise?  Critical thinkers must use restraint before taking to social media to vent frustration.

Unfortunately, we found out when our daughter had a premolar cavity filled by a dentist specializing in pediatrics on April 11, 2011.  Within hours of the appointment, our daughter’s cheek swelled and it began to look as if she had a golf ball in her mouth.  I placed a phone call to the dentist and she assured me that some swelling is normal and it would go away.  I went to teach a class that night and the dentist spoke with my husband.  The dentist again assured him that this was normal and that if we were very concerned in the morning, I should bring our daughter in first thing in the morning.  She was unable to sleep due to the pain and was up most of the night.  That morning, our daughter’s swelling had increased, her cheek was red, hot to the touch and she was unable to eat or speak clearly.

When we entered at the dentist’s office, the staff was shocked by our daughter’s appearance.  The dentist was so alarmed that she called in her husband, an oral surgeon, to consult because “he knows more about this type of thing.”  He too was surprised by just how swollen our daughter was.  He tried to look inside her mouth, but the area was so tender and the swelling was so severe, he decided not to aggravate things further by an invasive exam.  Instead both dentists struggled to get an accurate read of our daughter’s temperature.  After a few minutes, they determined that she did have a fever of 101.

Both dentists were visibly and admittedly at a loss as to what the next course of action should be given that our daughter was allergic to traditional antibiotics and neither was sure what to prescribe.  When they told me this, I suggested that  we go right to her pediatrician for proper treatment.  Both expressed their concern verbally for the severity of the infection and they readily agreed that the pediatrician should be our next stop.  The oral surgeon wrote out a detailed note for our pediatrician explaining that this swelling was a result of the previous day’s dental procedure and gave us his personal cell phone number in case we or the pediatrician needed additional information from him.

Our daughter’s pediatrician was extremely concerned by her condition when we arrived.  The pediatrician said she’d never seen such a fast moving infection.  After careful consideration and collaboration with her colleagues, the pediatrician prescribed oral Cleocin.  She advised us to give her a call that evening to let her know how our daughter was tolerating the medicine and to let her know about the swelling.  That night, we spoke with the pediatrician and let her know that our daughter was taking the medication, was still in pain and we hadn’t noticed any change in the swelling.  We continued to monitor her closely. The dentist called our home that evening to check on our daughter and offered to see her again.  My husband and I updated her on the treatment prescribed by the pediatrician and declined another visit to her office since our daughter was now having an extremely difficult time opening her mouth.  The situation had clearly escalated and was beyond the dentists’ capabilities.

The next morning, our daughter’s swelling had progressed to include her neck and just under her eye.  This was so serious that the pediatrician asked us to bring her in immediately.  We did and she advised us that if she should run a fever, we were to take her directly to the emergency room.  When our daughter’s fever reached 101, we went to Children’s Hospital.  She was admitted, given IV morphine for the pain, IV fluids (since she was unable to eat or drink due to the swelling) and a stronger dose of antibiotics via IV.

The swelling was so severe that even the doctor’s ultrasound of daughter’s cheek and neck was difficult to read.  Our daughter was checked hourly by Children’s Hospital doctors and nurses throughout our time there and was diagnosed with Cellulitis.  Each physician and nurse we met asked the same question: “What happened at that dentist’s office?” When the dentist’s assistant called to ask if we would be bringing our daughter in for a check, I returned the call told the receptionist we would not since our daughter had been admitted to Children’s Hospital.  Slowly, she began to respond to the medication and the swelling began to decrease gradually while her speech remained impaired. The morphine helped with the pain and she began to be able to drink and eat small amounts of juice and pudding.

After more than two days of hospitalization at Children’s Hospital and the careful hourly monitoring of her condition by a team of doctors and experts in pediatric infections, our daughter was released and advised to take a new dosage of oral antibiotics.  Children’s Hospital’s pediatrician advised us not to return to the dentist’s office upon release since our daughter’s visit there was the cause of Cellulitis.  Cellulitis is a dangerous life threatening infection.  Instead, she told us to follow up with our pediatrician in two days.  We did so and our daughter continued to respond to the antibiotics.  It took nearly a full month for her swelling to go away completely.

The quantifiable damages resulting in the work done by the dentist exceeded our insurance coverage and we are unwilling to absorb the costs.  Our daughter endured great pain from this traumatic experience.  Our entire family was impacted.  The time and stress associated with our attempts to settle this matter with the dentist continue to build.  At the very least, the dentist must pay the expenses not covered by our insurance which exceed $3,000.

Our attempts to resolve this matter directly with the dentist have proved unsuccessful.  How unrealistic is it that I expect the dentist to do the right thing without being forced to by a legal team?

Then I got a message saying that there was a problem and that audience was full, but I was offered another option.  I picked the May 6 taping.  Three days later I got an email saying this was Oprah’s Last Ever Makeover Extravaganza  and that each audience member was getting $100 gift card to buy a new outfit at Old Navy to wear to the show. That made it even more cool. Then a producer called and said that since we were only 90 miles from Chicago they would like to invite my mom and I to shop at Old Navy’s big store on camera. I was so excited. I told the producer yes, but I had to figure our who could pick up the kids from school. She said that they were thinking of doing a children’s segment, so bring them. This was so great and I could hardly wait. The only drawback was that I had to come without my hair or makeup done because the producer said, “We want your before and after pictures to be really good.”

The kids were amazing the whole three hour experience on Tuesday, May 3. It was crazy and chaotic. The producers, Oprah’s fashion people and tailors had the kids and I in one big dressing room while another stylist worked with my mom in a different room. The kids went off with a producer and the camera crew and they were filmed for at least an hour. The kids loved every minute of it and were perfectly behaved. Of course they all melted down in the car ride home, but I was fine with that.

We left Old Navy with $400 worth of stuff, plus the entire outfit the fashion team picked and was tailoring just for me. At first I felt bad since the rule was $100 for just my mom and I, but then I snapped back into reality. Oprah can afford it. I wasn’t really thrilled with the outfit they picked for me, but I was determined to embrace the experience and the tailors were going to alter it all for me.

Remember this is all prep for the show taping Friday, May 6 at 11 am. We were filmed for hours but I explained to the kids that the footage was just pre-show work and we would have no idea how much, if any appeared int he actual show.

Later that night at 7:30 pm, I got a call from the producer. She invited my mother and I to come back to Chicago tonight so that I could get my hair cut and colored. That freaked me out a bit, but it was Oprah and several friends assured me that they’ve never seen a bad makeover on the show. In addition to all that, Oprah was paying for us to stay at a hotel near the studio.

We entered the HARPO Studio and walked past the editing room where the producers were editing that day’s show with Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks.  We joined a group of 20 other people and entered a studio that had been completely transformed into a salon.  HARPO had flown in from a dream team from NYC.  Frédéric Fekkai who owns a salon and a product line cut my hair.  Orlando Pita did the color.  The two of them collaborated while speaking French.  Frédéric’s assistants handed him scissors like they were surgical scalpels.  Cameras filmed it all. There was so much going on at once that it was difficult to take it all in.  There was one staffer who spent hours steaming what seemed like hundreds of blue oxfords.  No one was telling anyone details about everything so there was this secretive buzz everywhere.  We spoke with some of the other lucky 20 and no one had any clues as to why we were selected, what would happen next and what role we’d play in the show. Every single member of the HARPO staff was fantastic.  They were all kind and professional.  We left HARPO at 9:30 pm and went right to the JW Marriott.   The person at the front desk congratulated us for being on the Oprah show and told us we could spend up to $75 on room service.  Our hotel room was amazing. We ordered an indulgent breakfast (with wine for me) at 10:30 pm when we finally settled into our hotel room. 

Friday, May 6 was the show taping and it was filled with another flurry of activities.  We arrived at 7:30 am along with the other lucky 20. We were taken through the garage into the HARPO studios.  An assistant escorted us back to the studio transformed into a salon and there were about 100 assistants all dressed in blue oxford shirts along with the dream team which now included Bobbi Brown and several of her makeup artists.   When they were finished with us, we were taken to a plush screening room with the 20 other Old Navy makeover people.  This room was just 500 feet away from Oprah’s office and Oprah’s dog Sadie kept rooming the halls.  It was a fun and exciting experience. We were all nervous and excited.  There was a great deal of down time, so we spent it nibbling on all the catered food that was brought in for us, speculating about what would come next and just sharing the surreal experience of being in HARPO’s inner sanctum. 

Makeup artists, stylists and the steamer lady joined us for a quick check before the show taping began.  We were led through the HARPO hallway maze, past the walls decorated with what seemed like thousands of photos of Oprah and celebrities from past shows.  We were taken into the studio where all other audience members were seated and led to the front two rows. 

During the show we got a gift bag including an expensive leather Michael Kors bag, a pair of Tory Burch sunglasses, a Diane von Furstenberg silk scarf and Andre Walker hair products. The show aired on May 12 and if you looked very closely, you would see a couple seconds of my mother and I getting our hair and make-up done. They also included a few seconds of footage shot of my kids at Old Navy.

The experience is one I’ll never forget.