Why I Watch the Olympics

My husband and boys were not very interested in watching the Olympics this year. They don't get my obssession with watching the games. They sat and watched a few events, like Phelps racing Lochte or a few gymnastics events, but by and large, they didn't pay too much attention to the whole Olympic thing.

I, on the other hand, LOVE watching the Olympics.  At least I used to, before NBC's crappy coverage this year.  Back in the day they used to show as many of the sports as possible.  Now they only show the few they think will give them the best ratings.  Which is sad.  Because we miss out on some really compelling and moving stories and competitions from lesser known sports and athletes.  I get that shooting and fencing might not make for the most interesting TV, but the athletes have unique and inspiring stories and their struggle for gold is no less real or difficult than the athletes who play basketball or swim.  I'm just saying, it would be nice to get a greater cross section of coverage for the games that showcase the best of the best.  Okay...enough of my rant.  I actually have a point to be made here.

Part of the draw of the Olympics, for me anyway, is the chance to see people who have overcome the odds just to participate in the games.  For them, win or lose, it's all about the journey.  I am always so impressed and amazed by people who have the discipline and determination needed to push themselves beyond the challenges and obstacles that might keep them from becoming world class athletes.  I think I admire them because I struggle with those characteristics.  Discipline does not come naturally for me.  So I love watching athletes who have given all they have, both physically and mentally, for a shot at being the best in their field. 

 

It gives me hope I suppose, to see Kieran Behan,  the gymnast from Ireland, the guy who was told he would never walk again, step onto the mat and do an amazing floor routine.  Did he win a medal?  Nope.  Not even close.  But he won my heart.  Because he proved that the human spirit is always stronger than we think. 

Kieran Behan - Photo credit: Ian Walton/Getty

 

A tumor, broken bones, torn ligaments and a traumatic brain injury threatened not only his athletic career, but his very existence on more than one occasion.  You can read more details about him here and here.  Somehow Kieran pushed through the pain and obstacles and in 2011, his perseverance finally paid off.  He won three World Cup medals, becoming Ireland's first World Cup gold medalist in the floor exercise.  Then he won a spot in the Olympics.   And he did all this with no sponsors!  There were no corporate conglomerates like Guiness or some sports drink to back him.  His mom and dad held bake sales and fundraisers and he worked to earn the money he needed to compete and travel.  All of this sacrifice and effort...because the boy who saw his first Olympics when he was maybe 6 years old wanted to be an Olympic gymanst himself.  In my eyes, he was a winner before he ever stepped into the Olympic Stadium. And I wish I had his courage.        

Stories like this are why I look forward to the Olympics.  I wanna hear about the kid from nowhere who bursts onto the scene and makes a name for herself.  Or the 71 year old Japanese equestrian who competed in dressage this year.  I get caught up in the drama as the competition unfolds and I have to decide whether to root for the underdog or the defending champion.

But my enthusiasm for the games is also emotional and sometimes brings on a bout of depression.  Because I want to me more like the Olympians I watch.   I want to be better about developing characteristics that propel me forward in life, rather than wallowing in the emotional baggage that keeps me trapped. I want to be better at facing and overcoming challenge and adversity.  I want to believe in myself to the point that I am willing to push beyond my preconcieved notions of my own capabilities.

This year as I sat and watched the gymnast from Ireland, I wondered out loud what has to happen in my life to motivate me enough to set some clearly defined goals and pursue them with Olympian style passion?  Why is there nothing in me that screams so loud that it forces me off of the couch and out of the house toward the successful completeion of something great?  Where is that drive?

I am 48 years old and the mother of 2 boys who rely on me to instill in them the qualities and characteristics they will need to be happy, successful, functional adults.  I want them to have the kind of determination and discipline required to overcome setbacks and succeed in life.  How can I teach them what I don't have?

 

So I decided to have my own closing ceremony this year when the Olympics ended.  I want to close the door on my past.  I wanna quit wondering and analyzing how I got so screwed up and walk away from my insecurities and self doubt.   I want to find my path and walk it, regardless of the challenges that are presented along the way.  So I wrote down a list of things I want to work on for the rest of the year.  Then I created an Olympic torch that looked a lot like my backyard BBQ, ran a really lame lap around my tiny backyard and then dropped some little pieces of paper with fears and doubts written on them into the fire and watched them burn.  Then I cried.  A lot.  I don't know why.  I wish Kieran Behan was here so I could ask him what to do next. 

Like Mother, Like Son...

Remember the Toe post?  I do.  Because it was my toe.  You should take a minute to read it.  It is absolutely hilarious.  Despite the fact that it happened to me.

Why do I bring this up?  Because my little guy recently suffered a like injury.

Only unlike his numbskull father, I did not run boiling hot lava water over his toe in an attempt to cauterize the wound.  I calmly cut away the torn skin and remnants of his toenail while he flailed and screamed and acted as if I were amputating his entire leg.  All this from my normally tough guy who takes injuries with a grain of salt and moves on to the next challenge.  Seriously?  You would have thought I was using a rusty saw to remove his last limb the way he went on and on and on.  I have no doubt it hurt, but the reaction was waaaaay over the top, even for a drama prone kid, which Little Man is NOT!

When I finally asked him what all the drama was for?  He stopped crying for a moment, looked at me with his huge brown, tear-filled eyes and said..."I was afraid you wouldn't be here and I didn't know who would take care of my toe."  Ouch.  I know!  Dagger through the heart moment, right?

What I can't figure out is why he thought I wouldn't be here for him.  I was home when he left to go outside to play, did he think I would get in the car and leave while he was gone?  Does he not know that I spend every waking hour worrying and thinking about him and praying for his well-being and happiness?  Does he not realize that the worst nightmares I have involve me not being able to get to my children to help them when they are in the most desperate of circumstances?   How could he think I would just go away? 

I guess he had an irrational moment.  Just like his mama does when, on occasion, out of the blue I imagine something horrific happening to my family.  Have you ever had that happen?  I hate that!     

Now, there might come a day when he hopes I'm not home when he walks in the door.  And if he hopes that because he is being accompanied by the police for some idiotic prank he pulled,  then I would say for his sake he'd better hope pretty dang hard that his father answers the door.  But until that day comes, I hope he knows that there is nothing that would get in the way of making sure I am here for my boys whenever they need me.  Why?  I Am Boymom.  It's what I do.  

Are Your Kids Covered?

In the middle of what could perhaps be the most controversial discussion our country has ever had regarding healthcare, I find myself and my family uninsured.

I have been in an uninsured position before. When Little Man was 3 he fell and landed on the glass jar in which he was carrying recently caught lizards. The jar broke and sliced his finger open and blood spurted EVERYWHERE! While he bemoaned the fact that the lizards got cut and died, I was wrapping a towel around his hand and hollering for my husnband to go pull the car around so we could get to the hospital. 4 hours, 4 stitches, one rude ER doctor and one bill for $678 later, we returned home and realized this would probably not be the last time we found ourselves seeking medical help for our kids. That realization has proven correct many times since.

So it is a bit ironic that at a time when my kids are most vulnerable to complications from illness or injury, I was approached to share information about United Healthcare's Student Resources, an insurance program designed specifically for K-12 students and offered only through participating schools.

The student healthplan they offer "helps protect kids while they are being kids," which mine do often. The plan's key benefits include the following:

• The health plan offers protection/coverage for injury AND sickness, 24/7/365.
• UHCSR's program is only available through many participating school districts and participating private schools. Nationally available through schools that belong to the Association of Christian Schools International.
• The Health Plan is available to K12 students from ages 5 - 18 (ages 4-18 in Texas
• While the K12 Health Plan can provide a level of protection for uninsured children, it is also being purchased by families who have a high deductible on their employer coverage. The K12 Health Plan can reimburse them for their children’s eligible medical expenses while they are working toward meeting their deductible on their employer's plan.
• Designed to be affordable at $588 per policy year or $98 every two months. Parents can enroll their student at any point in the school year.

There's a lot of other information that you should check out to see if this coverage is right for you and your family. You can do that by visiting their website - https://www.k12studentinsurance.com/. You'll find lots of details and answers to your questions and you can even enroll right there on the site by follwing these steps:

1. Click on Plans & Pricing tab and enter school or district name and select the child’s school when it appears.
2. Click View Plan Materials which will allow you to review the plan brochure and Student Health Plan Coverage page regarding Benefits.
3. To enroll, click the Enroll Now button on the Plans & Pricing tab (or from the Home page).
4. Enter required information about your child, select the plan you want, create an account, and make a payment.
5. Breathe easier knowing your kid will be covered when he/she is out being a kid.

While we struggle financially, we also struggle emotionally with how to best care for our boys and provide for their needs. United Healthcare Student Resources offers a very affordable plan that will allow us to address some of those needs and worry just a little bit less. And we can all use less worry in our lives, yes?

**This is a sponsored post for which I was compensated, but it is an honest review of United Healthcare's K12 plan, which I believe to be an affordable coverage option for school age kids.

This Little Piggy Went...Nowhere, Which Created a Problem.

WARNING!! The following picture is graphic in nature. It may make some people queasy. It made me queasy and it also made me cry. Because it HURT! Like Hades!! It made me cuss in front of God and my kids. Wanna see it? I don't know, it's pretty bad. Seriously...it's nasty. I just want to prepare ya'll.

Maybe this is bad blog protocol. Do people post pics of their injuries? Well, in the interest of completely candid and honest blogging, I will test the waters with my photo. Then you can all blast me and I will know not to ever do it again. That's me, always pushing the envelope...then cutting my tongue on it.

First, let me explain how it came to be that I no longer have a toenail on my big toe. It's my husband's fault. Seriously. I remind him of that several times a day when I wince with pain every time someone comes near my foot.

Okay, really it was my fault. I have this issue with shoes. I don't like them. So I wear sandals. All of the time. Everywhere. I own tennis shoes, I just don't wear them often. By the way, they are the slide on type too - mules. I also live in the desert, so sandals work, like 360 days out of the year.

What do shoes and my toe have to do with each other? I'm getting to that in a really round-about way.

My husband asked me to help him move this really heavy fiberglass tub thing. It was hot and we were grumpy and not working together in sync. And I was wearing sandals. He said Go! and pushed before I was ready and the tub caught my sloth-like foot, specifically my big toe. And ripped the toenail right off. Can you say $%#@%*+! and *^@#$%$!#@ ? That's what I said. Then I cried. Then I did that pain dance thing that everybody does when they kill their toe. Then I got myself under control.

Then my husband turned the hose on it and I said something like "OOWWWWW! Turn that @$#%@ thing off! Owwweee!" Not only was my toe bleeding and raw, the water was boiling lava hot! Hello, Lab Partner!!! It's like 115 degrees outside...no such thing as cool water here! Then I cried again for a minute and finally sat down to look at it.

Not as bad as I thought. At least it was a clean sweep, only one little place where the skin was ripped. No stitches, I didn't go the ER, just slathered it up with Neosporin and a Bandaid. It hurts, but not as bad as I thought it would. So, I did get to take a break the rest of the day. I sat with my foot up and played UNO with the kids. It was actually kind of nice. I think if I paint the rest of my nails red no one will even notice.

By the way, I know what some of you are thinking. Her foot looks kind of fat. It is. It's also swollen from retaining water, which I do every summer, but it's a fat foot. Because I'm fat. That's kind of how it works. I think my feet will look fat even when I'm thin (no specific date on when that will take place...I'll get back to you on that). I don't have sexy feet. I have big, fat, sturdy, pioneer stock feet that will offer me great strength and balance if I ever have to pull a handcart. Not sexy, but very practical. And now mangled.