ReadySetMom

And the winner is...pilates!

Was it just last week that I was trying to figure out how to best get in shape? Mind you, it's only been a week, but dang if it hasn't been a busy one. Renee and I (a phrase that I say far more often than 'my husband and I' -- hmm) started taking a pilates mat class over at Moving Moxie, a new pilates studio in Hillsdale. Love it! While I've done pilates via DVD before, this is a full hour of coaching in a studio that is not littered with unfolded laundry, empty glasses and bits of child-related detritus. It's heaven. Seriously. What's not to love? You do most of these exercises lying down, and you only do a few reps of each exercise which is perfect for us ADD types. Hooray for pilates! If you buy a pack of 10 classes, they are only $8 each. I'm thinking that once I get more comfortable with the moves and the breathing I *might* try working on those crazy pilates machines, which is supposed to provide more resistance. It's more expensive BUT I just canceled cable and Netflix, so I figure I've got money to SPEND now. That's how it works, right? Hmm, just think what canceling electricity would net me.

The big question: Have you tried pilates and did you get results? I should say, desired results? Tell me about the tightening, the toning, the improved posture...

Best Web sites for workout routines?

Yep. This is the year, people. This is the year I'm finally getting in the best shape of my life. Really. Really! Even though I've resolved to do this for the past 20 years, this is the one. I just turned 39 and I figure that if it ain't gonna happen this year, it ain't gonna happen ever. And even though I just resolved to slow down over on EnviroMom, I feel like exercise will help me clear my head and give me the energy to slow down. Strangely that makes sense to me.

Walking and biking will figure prominently. What I need are some weight-lifting routines, like dumbbell moves and exercises that will work all of the muscle groups (whatever those are). I'm thinking I'll be heading back to the SW Community Center gym for some of this and can use the big honkin' machines, but I've got some dumbbells at home, so I'd also like the option to say put some days. Should I give the ol' Winsor Pilates DVD another shot? Doesn't really excite me, but everyone tells me that pilates is the only way to firm up the beer belly. (And I'd really like to find my ass. I know I've got one somewhere.)

Are there Web sites you like for exercise routines and motivation?

Insurance for children: what's your policy?

As we try to buckle down and decrease our spending, I am always on the lookout for a better deal. Recently I read somewhere that you can generally insure your children for less money if you buy individual medical policies rather than use an employer-sponsored policy, which we've always done. This surprised me, but apparently since kids are usually pretty healthy they are cheap to insure. So I hopped on to eHealthInsurance and plugged in our data and got some decent results. However, you can't just compare them across the board, because each policy offers different benefits: co-pays, prescription drugs, hospital stays, etc. You really have to sit down and estimate how often your kids go to the doctor each year and how often you get prescriptions filled for them. You have to find out whether vaccinations are covered and if your pediatrician is a preferred provider. There are a lot of things to consider, lots of research. But if my quick calculations are any indicator, we could save over $500 a year buying individual insurance for the kids. Seems like the way to go.

I also want to look into dental insurance. My kids visit Dr. Pike twice a year for cleaning and exams, and our ODS insurance covers those visits 100 percent. However, we pay $40 a month for the kids' dental insurance through my husband's employer. I KNOW -- that's the gamble with insurance. You pay to offset a potential incident between a mouth and a baseball that requires major work.

Then there are these HSA accounts and insurance policies -- and again, I need to do some research to understand them better, but I know people use them. It sounds like they are a good option if you are healthy, because the deductibles are quite high. But God forbid you get in a serious accident. I wonder if you can have these just for kids.

Verdict? Saving money is a lot of work. How do you insure your kids? Do you think one way is better -- financially AND medically -- than another?

Unwelcome visitors at the bird feeder

A while back, I wrote about all of the action at our bird feeder .

Then came the mice.

We'd see them poking out of holes in the ground underneath the feeder, where there was no shortage of bird seed scattered about. At first we thought it was cute how we'd see them scamper in and out.

Then came the mice droppings. In the house.

We called the pest control company, which set traps under the house and closed up the clandestine openings into the crawl space. When the pest control worker saw the bird feeder out in the backyard, he shook his head and said we might want to get rid of it. It's still there, but we're not filling it with seed.

My husband keeps giving me this sad look and remarking on how much he misses the bird show. I miss the birds, too, but our pet hamster is absolutely, positively the only rodent I want in or near the house.

Does your bird feeder attract mice? Is there a way to put out the welcome mat for the birds but not for the rodents?

How to treat colds naturally: discussion on EnviroMom

Drug manufacturers recently declared that children under 4 should not take over-the-counter cold medications. We're talking about natural ways of treating coughs and colds over at EnviroMom. Please join the discussion!

Do your kids take one a day?

I remember begging my mom to buy Flintstones chewable vitamins. The little pastel Freds and Dinos looked so fun and sweet and cute. Just like candy. But they were vitamins, so they were supposed to be good for you, I thought at the time. But mom never bought them for my brothers and I.

Maybe she felt as I do today, that my kids really don't need to take a multivitamin and that vitamin makers are like cereal companies when it comes to marketing to kids. Make the products fun, colorful and super sweet and the kids will beg their parents to buy them.

But just yesterday, I read that the American Academy of Pediatrics is doubling its recommended dosage of Vitamin D for kids, saying most children are not getting enough of it. And because most kids (and adults) don't eat enough Vitamin-D-rich foods, doctors will be recommending that children be given -- a multivitamin.

In my medicine cabinet, I have a Costco-sized bottle of Gummy Vites, which look and apparently taste just like gummi bear candies. My kids must have been with me at Costco that day, because I don't know what would possess me to buy them. No pediatrician has ever recommended that my kids take vitamin supplements, and they both eat pretty well-rounded diets. (Ketchup is a vegetable, right?) The kids had one a night for a while, but then we kind of forgot about them.

Not only am I generally dubious of the need for the extra vitamins and minerals in the Gummy Vites, I'm positive that my kids do not need the glucose corn syrup, sucrose, fractionated coconut oil and beeswax listed in the ingredients.

Do you give your kids vitamin supplements?

Will your pediatrician split up the MMR vaccine?

Beth is moving to Portland and wonders:

I wanted to ask you if you know whether the MMR vaccine is available as 3 separate shots in Portland. I realize that the parents in Portland are very liberal on topics of this nature, but I wanted to check and see your opinion on the ease of finding a pediatrician who will give this shot divided up. I have the opportunity to do so here, but only have 1 month to give all 3 shots, so it pretty much defeats the purpose...

The Measels/Mumps/Rubella vaccine is pretty controversial. Many believe that it is the cause of autism in some children, though most in the medical community say there is no connection. My understanding is that separating out the MMR vaccine and giving three shots instead of one enables parents to note any reactions to each individual vaccine, though I am unclear as to how this actually prevents autism. I, obviously, did not choose the three-shot option for my kids, but it seems like it is becoming more common.

Can you recommend a pediatrician in the Portland area who will offer three shots instead of one? Did you choose to go this route?

A month of awareness, a month of fear

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

And all the attention on this horrible disease is freaking me out.

Don't get me wrong. I want to help find a cure. I want everyone to know how to perform self exams and to have access to mammograms. I cheer for survivors and mourn for those who have died and for those who have lost loved ones.

I understand. I get mammograms. I am aware. But I'm also scared.

It scares me to hear the statistics about the unending rise in cases of breast cancer. It scares me to hear that my chances of getting breast cancer are not lower because there is no history of it in my family. It scares me to hear that mammograms are not always reliable in detecting cancer, and that insurance doesn't usually cover MRIs, which can be more conclusive.

It scares me to think that my next mammogram could come back positive.

I watched an episode of "Oprah" the other day that hammered home all of the above points, and afterward I thought I might dissolve into a puddle of tears. The point of Breast Cancer Awareness Month is to make people more aware, not more afraid, right?

Maybe when this month is over, I will regain the feeling of hope that drives Race for the Cure and other efforts to fight breast cancer. Amid all of the scary information that is finding its way into my brain are the uplifting stories of successful treatments and fighters and survivors.

But for now, I'm going to wait for this storm of fear to subside.

Showers or baths?

About a year ago, maybe longer, we stopped giving our kids baths. My daughter was five and our son just about three at the time. Bath time had become the same maddening routine: fill up the tub with toys, toss in both kids, they'd fight for three minutes and then want to get out. They were ornery bathers, and it got to the point where I would delay and delay and delay bath time until they were rank and un-huggable. Finally we said ENOUGH! and started giving them showers. I'd put one kid in the shower, use the hand-held shower head to quickly wet them down. Then I'd turn off the water, get them lathered head to toe, quickly rinse and we'd be done in three minutes. On to the next kid. They haven't missed the bath, and we've saved a ton of water.

Having the hand-held shower head is key here. You can control the water so that shampoo suds flow down the back of the head, not in the eyes. Plus you can quickly access all the nooks and crannies of their little bodies. My daughter, now almost seven, does her own body washing, though I still wash her hair. My four year old son still gets the full body treatment.

We've talked here before about how often we bathe our kids (twice weekly for me), but how do you wash your kids? Baths or showers?

It's time to start thinking about flu shots

Flu season is just around the corner, and this year the Centers for Disease Control is recommending flu shots for all kids six months and older. Not just young children who are considered high-risk or who have weakened immune systems. But all children, healthy or otherwise.

Apparently, last season was an especially bad one for the flu, because the vaccine that was being given didn't protect against most of the viruses that were swirling about. When it comes to developing the flu vaccine, it's pretty much a guessing game trying to figure out which strains of virus to attack. The experts guessed wrong last year, and lots more people got sick. The FDA has come up with a new vaccine for this season and let's hope it's more effective.

(Some kids -- including those who are allergic to chicken eggs -- should not be given a flu shot. Check the CDC website for more information.)

So now's the time to consider taking your kids in for flu shots, or the alternative nasal-spray vaccine, also known as FluMist. The latter is great if you have a kid like my son who practically faints at the mention of a shot. My daughter, however, didn't like the sensation of spray up her nose and given a choice, she might just opt for the shot. Go figure.

Do your kids get vaccinated for the flu?