The Virtual Mom Blogs

The Virtual Mom Visits Another World...

Tue, 2 Nov 2010 13:55:01 -0500

Number 37 on my bucket list is officially crossed off. I went to a NASCAR race. Actually, I went to Talladega, the largest and fastest track in NASCAR. It’s nestled in a pretty little section of Alabama just east of Birmingham. My husband Kye scored the tickets from the Ford Motor Company, in appreciation for using Ford SUV’s and trucks in his company’s fleet. We said thank you and made plans for a fun day trip. We woke up @ 2:30 a.m. (yes, you read that correctly) for our 4.5 hour drive to the track. The race wasn’t until 12 noon, but seasoned Talladega fan Jimmy R. told my husband, “if you ain’t in the track before 7 am, you’ll be stuck in traffic for four hours!” We’d rather not be stuck with the other 140,000+ fans, so we heeded Jimmy’s warning. We drove in and parked with the greatest of ease. Every county sheriff, Alabama Highway Patrol Officer as well as local policemen and security guards lined the drive in. There were hundreds of them, on motorcycles, cars, and foot. As soon as we pulled into the grass parking lot and found a space, I looked up to see a woman in her late 50’s get out of this truck and head for the excitement. (mind you, the race didn’t even start for five more hours!)

The bumper stickers said it all...drive like you stole it, I (heart) country music, honk if you honky tonk, among many colorful others. Next to her truck was this car, which I think references Ricky Rudd when he drove the #21 Motorcraft Geniune Parts Ford Taurus. ;-)

I enjoyed the sights and sounds...this was the parking lot around 8:30 am. Notice the haze in the background? That is smoke from all the overnight campfires. I’m not kidding...

Yes ladies, the official attire...Size L. Doesn’t really matter, because no one’s smaller than a 10 and size 16 can wear this just fine! And lots of porta-potties...maybe because people were drinking coors light at 8:30 am and tailgating with the biggest brats I’ve ever seen!

These folks were in line to catch a ride in a real race car...green or red, you pick!

So, here we are, pre-race, in our seats...(thanks again Ford Motor Company) right across from pit row...see the black and lime green car??? That’s Dale, Jr., my friends...
Now, I do not mean to be disrespectful, lewd or crude but seriously, would you have believed me otherwise?
Right in front of me...folks...Talladega Nights is true!! Ricky Bobby lives!!!
Oh, and of course, that’s Dale, Jr.’s daddy, Dale Sr., on the back of this feller’s shirt...God rest his soul... Quite a NASCAR dynasty...

A beautiful flag...even a prayer before the race asking God to watch over and keep every racer and participant in the day’s event safe from harm...The raceway chaplain even asked God for every person who didn’t know Jesus as
their Lord and Savior come to Him. Hmmm... Wow, folks...that’s NASCAR....

And the race began...loud and proud...All 135,000 fans cheering for their favorite drivers. Dale Jr. tried to bump draft with Jeff Burton on lap 134 and it didn’t work out. Both came out of the race and the crowd was noticeably disappointed that their “favorite son Jr.”
was no longer in the hunt. Clint Bowyer took his 2nd victory of the season and his 1st at Talladega in a wild ride at the end which left race fans and drivers alike wondering just who won in the end...I never thought I’d say it, but the NASCAR day trip was fun. I know a lot more about the sport and “get” what all the hoop-la is about. And remember,
this isn’t just a race...This is Talladega!!!!

“Wii are” getting fit!!!

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:47:59 -0500

This past Saturday was more fun than a 75% off, + an extra 40% sale....Thanks to my uber-fun blogger friend Tori Taff, (www.babybloomr.com) I was invited, along with a guest (my daughter Aubrey, also uber-fun) to attend an event in mid-town Nashville aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle through video games. An oxymoron, you say? Well, think again...I actually had sore arms after playing the canoe racing game!
Nintendo (Wii Fit Games) and the American Heart Association have teamed up to promote physically active play as part of a healthy heart lifestyle. They encourage old and young alike to get moving and eat healthy!

A roomful of Nintendo Games from Wii Fit and Wii Sports Resort were available to all of us to try out and see if we could rate the experience as a beneficial alternative to a walk around the block, gym membership or DVD workout program.

After playing several rounds of the various Wii Sports like yoga, kung fu, jogging through a park, and motion coordination, we were treated to a “heart healthy” lunch. No stale boxed sandwich lunch for us. We had roasted chicken breast, steamed broccoli, kale, mushroom and onion medley and a whole wheat roll. Several guest panelists, as well as our featured speaker Hank Wasiak challenged us to encourage ourselves, our families and our world to a healthier lifestyle.

The P.M. session included more Wii-Fit play, fruit smoothies and a cool goodie bag including Wii Fit Resort, a Nintendo hoodie, and the book, “Change the Way You See Things” (clever cover art, huh?)

Here’s a cute picture of Aubrey and me
with our goodie bag contents...

My new friends, Rolanda and Lori Anne were kind enough to pose for a picture with me. Guess which one of them has had a heart attack? BOTH of them! Now they are part of the National Go Red for Women Movement with the American Heart Association. They encourage women to take care of themselves, get in tune with their bodies, recognize the symptoms of a heart attack and get help immediately.

All in all, “Wii” both had a terrific day! The encouragement has also moved me to change... I walked this morning and did a stretching workout. I had oatmeal for breakfast, a guacomole/lettuce sandwich for lunch and plan to grill salmon and steam broccoli for dinner. :-) I can just feel my heart smiling already!!!!

Thanks Tori, Nintendo, and American Heart for a wonderful Saturday!

Don’t Tolerate Rudeness!!!

Wed, 6 Oct 2010 12:11:08 -0500

I watched a friend’s 8-year old daughter last week. The rambunctious little girl kept me busy with talking, playing, and making fruit smoothies. We went swimming as well; actually she swam and I watched. When she got out of the pool to dry off, I noticed she was holding her mouth funny. I asked, “Are you okay? Your mouth looks weird.” I realized she was holding water in her mouth. I could almost see her mind cycling through the options of what to do with the water. This observation caused me to quickly cycle through my options if she did the unthinkable and spewed the water out on me. Our guessing game was finished when she did the unthinkable. Water came out of her little mouth in a perfect stream and landed right on my shirt.
My face mirrored a combination of shock, surprise and disappointment. Her face had a combination of remorse and defiance. I pulled her close to me and whispered in her ear, “I’m sorry you did that. It hurts Miss Julie’s feelings and shows disrespect. Did you want to be unkind to me?”
“No, she whispered softly. I didn’t. I’m sorry.”
“I accept your apology. Now that you know how that makes me feel, I expect that you’ll never do it again, will you?”
“No, I won’t to it again,” she said regretfully.
And that was that. I had a choice: blow up in anger or find the teachable moment. I’m glad to say, I chose wisely. What are the take-aways from a moment like this?
• Think ahead- What would you have done if my little friend had dumped a mouth-load of water on you? Would you have blown up in her face, been so appalled you couldn’t have done anything, gotten angry or laughed it off? I’m not sure how I would’ve reacted if I hadn’t thought through my response before the incident happened.
• Reaction in check- Hold your anger but don’t ignore the offense. Explain how it made you feel when the offense occurred. For example, “I felt hurt, angry, disrespected, confused when you called me a name, disobeyed me, pulled the chair out from under me. etc”
• Be an example- Model respectful behavior. Little jabs of sarcasm or jokes may seem funny, but in hindsight, most of it is in bad taste. If adults let sarcasm, back talk or course joking continue, it blurs the lines of correct behavior.

Good kids aren’t raised by accident. Adults must be willing to get messy, even wet, when correcting inappropriate behavior when witnessed. While the task is unpleasant for some time, it has the ability to become a genuine teachable moment.
© the virtual mom 2010

Family Meal Time...Too Good to be True?

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 08:56:30 -0500

Why is it when our family sits down together for mealtime, I have a great feeling of achievement? I feel like I’m doing motherhood right, and June Cleaver is smiling down on me, nodding her head in approval. At the conclusion of the meal I say things like, “Gee, this was fun, we should eat dinner together tomorrow night, too.” Before I know it, four nights have passed, and I wonder where everyone’s been and have they all had dinner? My mother and grandmother accomplished it. They served a home-cooked meal every evening for decades. With all my good intentions, I still have trouble pulling off family mealtime. I know it’s important when the kids are little, but it’s so hard when they are teen-agers. After all, is it really that big a deal?
According to the experts at the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, it is a big deal. So much a big deal they have designated the last Monday of September as “Eat with Your Children Day.” Why? Because their research consistently finds that the more often children eat dinner with their families, the less likely the kids are to smoke, drink, or use drugs.
"The conversations that go hand-in-hand with dinner help parents learn more about their children's lives and better understand the challenges they face,” says Lauren Duran, Director of Communications.

I know being involved in my child’s life is important. Whether I read to him, have family mealtime, or watch him play sports, spending time with him makes a difference in our relationship. What I hadn’t realized is the value of mealtime in his teen years, which provides two kinds of nourishment: physical-- food for energy-- and emotional-- conversation that builds family connections.
“If you make it a point to communicate with your kids early on, they will be more inclined to turn to you later when they feel the pressure from peers to smoke, drink, or use drugs," Duran adds.
Meals together give children and parents a chance to talk about their day in a relaxed, non-threatening environment. Parents get a peek into their child’s world and children are provided a safe place to discuss difficult topics. Starting the habit when your kids are young and continuing it through the teen years is a gift you give to your children as well as yourself. Mom, Grandma, and June Cleaver were right. It’s a good idea to continue the good habit of family mealtimes and what better encouragement? Hmm…now off to meal plan with some easy recipes!
© the virtual mom 2010

The VM visits football land...Sweet Suite!!!!

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:34:04 -0500

I was thrilled beyond belief when my husband announced that we had tickets to the Titans-Steelers Football game, but we didn’t just have tickets... We had a parking pass next to the stadium and tickets in an executive suite!!!! Wowsers! I’ve never done that before. I’ve heard about it, but never invited to do it myself! Questions flooded my mind...How early should we leave, do we take binoculars, do we need $$, and what should I wear???? I decided to focus on the last question, since it was obviously the most important one. :-)
I talked to “my fashionista” who has, not only been to several Titans games, but has also had a ticket to “sit in a box”, as she informed me of the lingo. “Wear anything you’re comfortable in. Since it’s still hot, anything from cute capris to jeans will be fine. Where Titans colors if you want or go with something totally opposite. I’d suggest a cute blouse that you feel comfortable in, yet sassy! Finish it off with some awesome jewelry, cute sandals, and sunglasses.”
Lucky for me, I had it all covered. Since I’m usually the one in team colors from head to toe, border lining “totally obnoxious” fan, I decided to go with cute and sassy. :-)

So here’s the picture of the sweet suite...Food lined 3 of the 4 walls in the room. We had sliders, chicken tenders, or super nachos...we had onion rings and fried pickles. We had three different kinds of hummus with pita chips. We had cookies, popcorn, any kind of soft drink, beer, wine or liquor you’d like...

The suite hosts is a law firm that my husband’s company uses. All together around 18-20 of us gathered to watch the game...did I mention that a football game was going on as well???

The other highlight? Call me a weirdo but I found this simply fascinating!!! Check out the soap dispenser in the restroom!

Brings a whole new meaning to the Team Titan
Marketing slogan.... CODE BLUE!!!!