tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47629301683899492502024-03-05T06:26:05.936-05:00Triple The DadWe tried for one, and we ended up with a bushel of fun.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674338920277176353noreply@blogger.comBlogger193125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-67636533465542577192021-08-19T13:19:00.002-04:002021-08-19T13:23:47.303-04:00My Journey To Headstand<p> Hello and welcome along with me on this journey. Hopefully by the end I'll (we'll) accomplish a handstand. Though, to be honest, I'll be perfectly accepting of a headstand.</p><p>I've already started a little bit with some core strengthening exercises and lots of Pinterest research on the steps needed to get to handstand. The TRX app I use also has a Pathway to Headstand session I've been using pretty much every day. Here I am - after warming up - trying a headstand with the TRX straps: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-MH28bEMdBY" width="320" youtube-src-id="-MH28bEMdBY"></iframe></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>That is assisted by the strap obviously, but I'm pretty proud I got that strap foot to float all by itself there. Getting it all the way vertical is the trick.<div><br /></div><div>I mentioned some of the steps I'm taking to get there. This series of posts will probably be an ongoing update of my progress and how I'm feeling. Plus a little about what I've learned and relied on to get there.</div><div><br /></div><div>Should be a fun ride.<div><br /></div><p></p></div>Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-85479107210570374822019-07-03T15:28:00.001-04:002019-07-03T15:28:08.018-04:00My day in pictures: July 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAC7LJnKj2JPFTKVCkgiu60IVZHK6a7jA39MN-pHEl_rFtTuDw5d4ICHWUIyWdZwujWsCuHm9Rysdh6z8ydn1Nh8Tc8yYmiYciUHYu8jdLHvJTlrxefJxvqaxa6VdXcKP63ZjintMS2l6l/s1600/2E2694E1-5418-4ABA-A7EB-CB8090B97FB6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAC7LJnKj2JPFTKVCkgiu60IVZHK6a7jA39MN-pHEl_rFtTuDw5d4ICHWUIyWdZwujWsCuHm9Rysdh6z8ydn1Nh8Tc8yYmiYciUHYu8jdLHvJTlrxefJxvqaxa6VdXcKP63ZjintMS2l6l/s1600/2E2694E1-5418-4ABA-A7EB-CB8090B97FB6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAC7LJnKj2JPFTKVCkgiu60IVZHK6a7jA39MN-pHEl_rFtTuDw5d4ICHWUIyWdZwujWsCuHm9Rysdh6z8ydn1Nh8Tc8yYmiYciUHYu8jdLHvJTlrxefJxvqaxa6VdXcKP63ZjintMS2l6l/s1600/2E2694E1-5418-4ABA-A7EB-CB8090B97FB6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAC7LJnKj2JPFTKVCkgiu60IVZHK6a7jA39MN-pHEl_rFtTuDw5d4ICHWUIyWdZwujWsCuHm9Rysdh6z8ydn1Nh8Tc8yYmiYciUHYu8jdLHvJTlrxefJxvqaxa6VdXcKP63ZjintMS2l6l/s1600/2E2694E1-5418-4ABA-A7EB-CB8090B97FB6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div>
It’s just a little stormy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0U1c8VdFr-apah3QFG7iw6qsIR_eCuV3mAEZoh0jBmjgHtfmU-FfIggCGXgWltOQUTYvDVTwap3yrTqlNwyYQMzVuvCWpxsmLE5Ftng_JA4s5RGwdoRo6oRP08nNBj3PT3FusE-6-FGpJ/s1600/2E2694E1-5418-4ABA-A7EB-CB8090B97FB6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0U1c8VdFr-apah3QFG7iw6qsIR_eCuV3mAEZoh0jBmjgHtfmU-FfIggCGXgWltOQUTYvDVTwap3yrTqlNwyYQMzVuvCWpxsmLE5Ftng_JA4s5RGwdoRo6oRP08nNBj3PT3FusE-6-FGpJ/s320/2E2694E1-5418-4ABA-A7EB-CB8090B97FB6.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-73820942906551686152019-07-01T17:46:00.003-04:002019-07-01T18:31:19.977-04:00My day in pictures: July 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Gin and soda.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0GQkq2nS3_1ALE-2Wg1fVrPoH6dZDB2QJ1VNoLEfnU0Qfdz6uQgXGOkkMwrDBqaEpdz9THkjuIEEbXOc675mpfNqz-qn9NBoFDlvcectqhr23qbmR0PNuDoT-m7XcrgDLtO-n-6chEzI/s1600/F0E44BB6-BB35-475C-B3E3-3BE69EE182A4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0GQkq2nS3_1ALE-2Wg1fVrPoH6dZDB2QJ1VNoLEfnU0Qfdz6uQgXGOkkMwrDBqaEpdz9THkjuIEEbXOc675mpfNqz-qn9NBoFDlvcectqhr23qbmR0PNuDoT-m7XcrgDLtO-n-6chEzI/s320/F0E44BB6-BB35-475C-B3E3-3BE69EE182A4.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-68320262177121900292019-06-23T11:01:00.002-04:002019-06-23T11:01:30.508-04:00My day in pictures: June 23Almost there! Have collected pretty much every license plate on the East Coast. Missing: Mississippi. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUToB411Y-zVYxXSsR1SlQpPmqJonoyjRhFUyALGu87NLc5VhWiU0-u9gc0OH4nmoVHkYtBMQiIkVfK-wyABYdHg0Q6dTAmEEfygOow2Zlm-YWfp8GxvffhO7xanCCwKB33HqDHiE2eKP/s1600/C9161477-4B53-40E2-9299-C68F4CF71302.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUToB411Y-zVYxXSsR1SlQpPmqJonoyjRhFUyALGu87NLc5VhWiU0-u9gc0OH4nmoVHkYtBMQiIkVfK-wyABYdHg0Q6dTAmEEfygOow2Zlm-YWfp8GxvffhO7xanCCwKB33HqDHiE2eKP/s320/C9161477-4B53-40E2-9299-C68F4CF71302.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-64675678218749508772019-06-22T12:08:00.002-04:002019-06-23T10:58:55.511-04:00My day in pictures: June 22On the road. Virginia. Seen 33 state license plates.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLNPRK4i7kHUy9wOnIbDAWY7fmvy7bQxw2tUA1fFKkZAJkolJJA1_9Trw37gNn-t2dgYkXDBCUo7RqrCTbBqJEymn96YDLPmVILTYE4vQydcfnKjHMtaf93a7aoIPgLWp7LpL3qMpm3Xm/s1600/18E2AF7A-E7DE-46DD-90B0-943833B6D1E8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLNPRK4i7kHUy9wOnIbDAWY7fmvy7bQxw2tUA1fFKkZAJkolJJA1_9Trw37gNn-t2dgYkXDBCUo7RqrCTbBqJEymn96YDLPmVILTYE4vQydcfnKjHMtaf93a7aoIPgLWp7LpL3qMpm3Xm/s320/18E2AF7A-E7DE-46DD-90B0-943833B6D1E8.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-79013830406035032182018-04-26T09:13:00.001-04:002018-04-26T09:29:38.459-04:00MeditationsA couple months ago I posted about a <a href="https://triplethedad.blogspot.com/2018/02/push-up-up-and-away.html">push up challenge</a>, and at the risk of pushing this blog into a self-help section, I'm going to post something else that I really enjoy that I think might help a reader or two (all two of you!).<br />
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<a href="http://lifehacker.com/">Lifehacker.com</a> currently runs what it calls "Mid-Week Meditations," which is a short story on some piece of ancient wisdom. Oooohhhhhhh, its ancient. Just so you know, I'm not one to fall for the whole "ancient" is best meme.<br />
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But this is legit good stuff. They take a quote or concept from a philosopher in the past - think Marcus Aurelius - translate what the sometimes mumbo jumboish phrase means, and then kind of detail how you can apply it.<br />
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This week, its all about how to train your mind for <a href="https://lifehacker.com/train-your-mind-for-constructive-thinking-1825521191">constructive thinking</a>.<br />
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One thing I love about the series is that it doesn't dress up the knowledge too much. It doesn't make it out to be more than it is, or suggest that its great simply because some Greek guy said it 2,000 years ago. Nor does Lifehacker pretend the advice is a cure all - or easy. Instead, it takes what is smart suggestions, and how we can apply it today, in our lives.<br />
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Some others I have enjoyed:<br />
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<a href="https://lifehacker.com/a-long-walk-is-as-good-for-the-mind-as-it-is-for-the-bo-1824148300">On walks and walking.</a><br />
<a href="https://lifehacker.com/change-isnt-good-or-bad-it-just-is-1823399900">On change</a><br />
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Check it out!Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-9819486538480057832018-02-27T10:35:00.001-05:002018-02-27T11:39:35.970-05:00Stop Telling Kids They Are Perfect The Way They AreParenting is super tricky.<br />
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You do a thing you think is great - look, I've set very strict guidelines that will make my kid a super adult and prepare them for the world - and all you do is instill them with the thought that you never let them have fun and kept them from being able to adjust to the world as it is.</div>
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OTOH, you give them no rules and be their friend, and they long for you to have given them direction and guidance and pushed them so that they didn't end up with no skills and a habit of laying around on a couch all day.</div>
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It is really the ultimate no win situation in a game that feels incredibly important to win. As a result, I'm hesitant to give hard and fast advice on how to parent a specific child.</div>
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But there is one piece thing I think we parents need to stop doing across the board: stop telling kids they are "perfect the way they are." </div>
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This is also a tricky, mine filled field to traipse through, because honestly, self esteem requires that we like who we are. I'm not saying otherwise.</div>
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But if you are perfect the way you are, there is no reason to change. The fact is, your kids <i>aren't</i> perfect the way they are. <b>You</b> aren't perfect the way you are.</div>
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You should want to grow and, hypothetically, be someone different 5 years from now. I'm not saying you need a set out five-year plan to be person B. But if you are 35 and the same person you were in high school, or college, that isn't a good look. Heck, if you are 25 and the same person you were in high school or college, shame on you.</div>
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And yet you'll see people mindlessly post things on social media like:</div>
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"My parents taught me to love who I am, and that is why I'm the same person I was in high school."</blockquote>
As with so many things people say, if you think about for like a second, this doesn't reflect well on the author. It is meant as a braggadocios "look at me, I'm an original who stays true to themselves" post (with a touch of "unlike you people" as a side dish).<br />
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In reality, what it says (to me, at any rate) is "I'm not good at introspection and I don't like to grow."<br />
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We should definitely be teaching our kids that they appreciate who they are in the moment. But <b>MORE IMPORTANTLY</b>, we should be teaching them that they need recognize where they can grow and work on things. And not just them. I tell my kids all the time that they need to work on things - that we <b>ALL</b> have things we need to work on. I point out to them places where I need to grow and things I need to work on.<br />
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Life is about growth and learning.<br />
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The important thing for them to know isn't that they are "fine" the way they are; the important thing for them to know is that they can improve from where they are..Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-38251515339388387902018-02-15T00:04:00.000-05:002018-02-15T12:21:25.890-05:00Push Up Up And AwayIf you follow me on Twitter, you know I enjoy a good short workout. I'm all about HIIT workouts. Get in, get out. You can follow @triplethedad over there if you want to see my recommendations and what I use. Or look for the #dadfit tag.<br />
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If you followed the former version of this blog, you know I love push ups. In fact, on at least two or three occasions, I've done the 100 push up challenge. The idea is that if you follow the <a href="http://hundredpushups.com/">six-week program</a>, you'll eventually be able to do 100 push ups (surprise).<br />
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Push ups are awesome and underrated both as a workout and as a health measure. Here are some of things being said about push ups:<br />
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<li>NY Times: the <b>u</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><b>ltimate </b>barometer of fitness.</span></li>
<li>HuffPost: If I could <b>only do one exercise </b>for the rest of my life, it would be the pushup.</li>
<li>LiveStrong: <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Of all the exercises you can do, though, pushups are one of the <b>most effective</b>. They are accessible, scalable to your fitness level and beneficial.</span></li>
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The people over at <a href="https://vitals.lifehacker.com/how-are-you-getting-in-your-daily-push-ups-1822743493">Lifehacker.com </a>are doing push ups every day in February.<br />
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I've never really been able to get above 45, but I've never failed to drastically improve when using the program. One of the great things is the program is scaled based on how many you can do at the start, so I don't really blame the program for my failure. While I'd love to think I could go from doing 20 push ups to 100 in six weeks, the reality is I probably need to do it several times.<br />
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And then my wife got me an Amazon Echo for Christmas. You might wonder how this all ties in. Well, I'm here to tell you! I'll be honest, I was hesitant about it first for lots of reasons. But I've found 100 reasons to love it. Turns out, the Echo has a 100 push up challenge app.<br />
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<b>Bingo.</b><br />
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I started out doing 22 for my initial test last month. After a couple weeks, my second test turned in 32. I'm in week 4 Day 2 as I write this, and I performed 130 push ups over 5 sets with a approximately a minute rest between each set. I had to take some extra rest to get there, sure, but I'm happy with that result. Heck, the fifth set alone was 35 push ups. You read that right: after having already done 90 or so push ups in five minutes, I did my previous <b>max</b> in the last set.<br />
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[UPDATE]: Since I wrote the above, I had another test day, and I'm happy to say I'm up to 40 consecutive push ups. Figuring out just what that means as far as how good I am is somewhat hard, but generally, 40 push ups puts a male well above average, and nearing military acceptance levels. So, yeah me!<br />
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Are you going to jump on the Lifehacker daily push up goal, or maybe take on the 100-push up challenge? How are you getting <i>your</i> exercise this February?<br />
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<br />Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-30416353068052733552018-02-13T12:41:00.000-05:002018-02-13T12:41:00.199-05:00Tea Causes Cancer! (Or Not!)This headline from the *usually* reputable, non-clickbait WebMd had me nearly spitting out my tea:<br />
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Hot Tea Linked To <span style="background-color: white; color: #333132; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.273104px;">Esophageal </span>Cancer Risk</h4>
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I drink between 1-5 cups of tea a day, have a bit of a fascination with health, love to read news, and have <b>never </b>seen a study or article suggesting tea was anything but beneficial to your health, so of course I was clicking on that link.</div>
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Thankfully, the lead gives you the true story right off the bat: </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; letter-spacing: -0.273104px;"> </span><a data-crosslink-type="article" data-metrics-link="" href="https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/health-benefits-of-green-tea" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #187aab; letter-spacing: -0.273104px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 150ms ease;">Tea</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; letter-spacing: -0.273104px;"> lovers who take their daily cup scalding hot are raising their chance of having </span><a data-crosslink-type="article" data-metrics-link="" href="https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/esophageal-cancer" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #187aab; letter-spacing: -0.273104px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 150ms ease;">esophageal cancer</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; letter-spacing: -0.273104px;"> if they also drink </span><a data-crosslink-type="article" data-metrics-link="" href="https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/standard-alcoholic-drink" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #187aab; letter-spacing: -0.273104px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 150ms ease;">alcohol</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; letter-spacing: -0.273104px;"> every day or if they smoke, say researchers.</span></i></span></div>
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Couple things here: the "scalding hot" from the lead and study is not the "hot" the article promises. If you know much about how cancer works, you probably wouldn't be too surprised to find out that repeated scaldings could lead to cancer. Cell damage causes replication and requires repair, and that process could well go awry - leading to cancer. </div>
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But that is a minor quibble compared to what follows. So if you scald yourself every day, and irritate that skin further by introducing alcohol or smoke (already a well-known carcinogen), you could raise your risk of cancer.</div>
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This also appears a ways down in the article:</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; letter-spacing: -0.273104px;">The risk for esophageal cancer was doubled in those who drank piping hot tea each day and smoked </span><a data-crosslink-type="slideshow" data-metrics-link="" href="https://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/stop-smoking-16/break-cigarette-habit/slideshow-tips-quit-smoking" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #187aab; letter-spacing: -0.273104px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 150ms ease;">tobacco</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; letter-spacing: -0.273104px;">, compared with nonsmokers who drank tea only occasionally.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; letter-spacing: -0.273104px;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.273104px;">"Piping hot" doesn't seem like the most scientific term. Regardless, how is tea to blame here? The risk of cancer doubled between those who didn't use a well-known carcinogen and those who did, and also drank tea. But, um, the cause here would more likely seem to be the known cancer agent, wouldn't it? </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.273104px;">If you manage to read to the bottom of the page, and click over to page 2, you see this:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.273104px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.273104px;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.273104px;"><i>Although the study showed no higher odds of esophageal cancer in participants who drank only tea every day -- scalding or not -- the study authors emphasize that "chronic thermal injury to the esophageal mucosa may initiate carcinogenesis," or the change of normal cells to cancer cells.</i></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.273104px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.273104px;">Hey, look, its exactly what I mentioned in my 5th graph! </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.273104px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.273104px;">How could this be better? Well, the headline should probably note that hot tea may further the risk of esophageal cancer posed by alcohol and smoke. At the very least, the later two should probably be mentioned, since they appear to be the causative agent. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.273104px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.273104px;">Something like: </span></span></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; letter-spacing: -0.273104px;">Hot Tea May Up Cancer Risk Posed By Alcohol, Smoke</b><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.273104px;">Also, a doubled risk sounds really scary. But you also have to consider where the risk started. A doubling from .01 to .02 isn't really that big, even if it is double. Here, we are talking about 1,731 cases of esophageal cancer in 456,000+ participants.</span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.273104px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.273104px;">Color me unconcerned.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.273104px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.273104px;">*sips hot green tea</span></span></div>
Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-17795138718444780092018-02-06T11:24:00.001-05:002018-02-06T11:24:08.655-05:00New Year, Old ResolutionsIts January, so it must be time for resolutions. For years I did this process called "Better Bryan" where I would try to come up with resolutions that bettered myself. If you want to make the world, a better place, take a look at yourself, then make that change,* after all.<br />
<br />
So in 2016 I continued with tradition and I set some goals. The following January I would set new goals, and in that post go back and look at the goals for the year. Inevitably I missed on some. But I have to say, somewhat proudly, that I generally keep my improvements going. But 2016 was different.<br />
<br />
I failed. Spectacularly.<br />
<br />
My goals for 2017 were to post every week. <b>Failed</b>.<br />
<br />
Goal 2 was to grow the blog. Despite only posting twice in the first three months, my site visit numbers were awesome. So, thank you Russian crawlers, I guess, for that.. <b>Failed.</b><br />
<br />
The Book Project was #3. I'm going to give myself a pass here. After months of putting out feelers and checking the water, this just wasn't something anyone was interested in. Not entirely my fault.<br />
<br />
Goal 4 was to check in on more blogs and say hi. Yeah<b>, failed.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Goal 5 was to post more pics, which is hard to do when you aren't posting anything. At all. <b>Failed.</b><br />
<br />
So, uh, bad news. What happened? We lost a beloved dog right before 2017. I don't have any illusion that the event didn't effect me well into 2017. We also got a new dog in February. Bad move on our part. Puppies are time sucks and I wasn't ready, but whatever.<br />
<br />
We also bought a house. HUGE time suck.<br />
<br />
All bad excuses, to the one.<br />
<br />
So this year I'm reading David Kadavy's book titled The Heart To Start. Its sorta self help. Which is saying something, because I usually find self-help advice to be overly broad, general recommendations needed only by those that aren't very self aware.<br />
<br />
OH, YOU MEAN I HAVE TO WRITE SOMETHING TO POST IT? Shock. Its also great that many self-help books recommend just upsetting the apple cart that is your life. That is nice and all at 20, or 25, or if you are homeless at the moment. But I kinda like my life, just maybe not this one part of it. So upsetting the 95 percent I like to correct the 5 percent I'm struggling on seems like bad advice.<br />
<br />
But yet, here I am, reading something I would never, ever, suggest to anyone else.<br />
<br />
*Lyrics by Michael Jackson.Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-42859817790983528162018-01-08T13:47:00.000-05:002018-01-08T13:47:11.689-05:00The Dark MonthsThe holidays are over. It only seems like life is over.<br />
<br />
There is a solid three month period where holidays of various degrees are hitting you one-two-three style. You have Halloween, which takes some of the sting out of the cooling temperatures and the disappearance of summer. You have Thanksgiving, with rare foods and the promise of Christmas. <br />
<br />
Then you have a month of prepping and joy for Christmas. You are so busy, you hardly notice how cold it has gotten. And this year it got pretty darn cold. And then Christmas itself. My wife and I take a week off between Christmas and New Years, so we have that. <br />
<br />
Its a period so full of life. And then the aforementioned NYE - when the cold decided to take it up a notch.<br />
<br />
With triplets, its a little like being shot out of a cannon and taking three months to land.<br />
<br />
But when you land, you land firmly in what I call the Dark Months.<br />
<br />
There are no more holidays. Yes, I realize MLK and Presidents Day are in January and February, and yes, I know some people get those days off. But those aren't holidays in the same way the above mentioned ones are.<br />
<br />
Further, its cold now. And dark. While the days are a hair longer than just before Christmas, its still dark by dinner. And have I mentioned its cold. Like 19 as a high cold right now. So, even if you could hypothetically go outside, you don't want to. Even a trip out on the weekend doesn't seem so nice when it requires risking hypothermia.<br />
<br />
So, lets tick off where we are:<br />
1) its dark, like, all the time<br />
2) its cold, and when it isn't, its just really cold<br />
3) there is literally nothing going on<br />
<br />
That is a recipe for bleh. And bleh we have. For, oh, three months until things start to warm up and you can come out from under the rock where you have been residing and go outside.<br />
<br />
This is all made worse when you have kids. The kids can't go out. Not for long periods in this cold. And they pretty much can't go out at all at night, given the, you know, darkness. So its all inside. And it shows.<br />
<br />
The kids are antsy and constantly in the business of the other ones. Conflict is increased. Its a little like a radioactive isotope being kept in a very small box. The particles being thrown off are going to collide and explode, its just a matter of when.<br />
<br />
And as a result, January - March are probably my worst months as a Dad. I'm locked inside. I work from home, I'm home most evenings, I'm home most weekends. It isn't until March when we can get out and play outdoors, stretch our legs a little, and get in a bike ride or walk.<br />
<br />
So, as these next few Dark Months pass, keep me and my miserable self in your thoughts until life can return.<br />
<br />
<br />Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-62756808303660561592017-09-01T16:53:00.001-04:002017-09-01T16:53:52.489-04:00I Really Should...... write an ode to Yunnan jig tea. It's great, honestly. Smooth and delightful with just the right amount of punchy flavor. Not coffee, but nicely caffeinated. If you don't know what I'm talking about, find some loose leaf Yunnan jig and brew away. May I suggest something from www.adagio.com?<br />
<br />
... creatively write more. I have a few story ideas. At least 3, including the one I've already written and desperately need to edit and round out. But its such a ... chore. I really like reading, and I don't mind writing. I actually enjoy writing one-off stuff like I do here. But putting together 75k-100k in a complete order that makes sense and completes a story arc? Ugh. Its all ... so much. Blame my years in journalism, where I write tons of one-off stuff where the narrative is kind of half written for<br />
<br />
(Speaking of this blog and writing)<br />
<br />
... post more here. As with all things, I guess, time is hard to find, whilst being a poor excuse.<br />
<br />
... think before I agree to stuff. I love Nala, and in the last few months she has become a much better dog. But boy how my life would be easier without her. Even though it would be a less full life. Hey - dogs are like kids that way!!<br />
<br />
... figure out what the hell I'm doing with the next 5 years before those years are gone.<br />
<br />
<br />Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-83328448958031030402017-05-24T15:13:00.001-04:002017-05-24T16:00:23.514-04:00Parenting As A Two-Edged SwordA) The other day I took time out of my schedule to play dolls with my daughter.<br />
<br />
B) The other<span style="font-family: inherit;"> day, I took time away from playing do</span>lls with my daughter to cook dinner.<br />
<br />
Which really happened? A, or B?<br />
<br />
From a certain perspective, both are true. As Obi wan Kenobi warned:<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #4c4c4c; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">What I told you was true… from a certain point of view</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I<span style="font-family: inherit;">n the moment, I considered myself a heroic Dad. Here I was, valiantly cooking dinner for the kids and their Mom while <i>also</i> managing to get in some one-on-one time with one of the kids. <b>And</b> playing one of her favorite things, too boot. That is perspective A. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But it occurred to me that from her perspective (B), what I was saying might not be true. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Instead of a Dad demonstrating superpowers of multi-tasking, she might simply be seeing me as too busy to really give her my full attention. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When I look back in 10 years I might well remember the hectic but great times when I played dolls with her while cooking.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And as a teen, she may well look back as at a Dad too consumed with doing other things to give her full attention. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Does that make me a bad Dad? Is there anything I can do about it? To some extent, sure, I guess there is. I could make more time for her. Maybe plan better.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But to some extent there isn't. Because parenting is a two-edged sword where almost every decision subjects you to an alternative interpretation in which you are the bad guy.</span></span></span></div>
Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-69838898749506238762017-03-09T15:43:00.000-05:002017-03-09T15:43:29.815-05:00Saying GoodbyeNo, not to blogging; though you'd be excused for thinking that, based on my posting rate lately.<br />
<br />
Instead, I'm talking about saying goodbye to a long-time friend: our dog Duke. We had known the decision to put him down was coming. It was no surprise. At somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 years, he had already lived a longer life than was probably normal for a dog of his size and assorted minor health issues.<br />
<br />
Add to that the fact that his health slowly faded over the last year, and then took a nose dive over the summer. By the time August rolled around he was not doing well. We managed to make him a little peppier, and more comfortable, but there is only so much you can do for a 15-year-old dog with what I'll paraphrase the vet as describing as "either 1 big problem, or 10 little ones."<br />
<br />
I had honestly hoped I would just walk down one morning and he would be lifeless. As bad as that would suck, at least I wouldn't have to make the call. But no. Man in the sky love him, the dog who was beside me for three-quarters of my adult life and pretty much 90 percent of my time with my wife, the dog who took countless walks with me and played seemingly endless games of fetch (until they ended) was stayed with us right until the end. He wouldn't be the one to abandon us; we would have to let him go.<br />
<br />
So we knew the day was coming. I had already teared up and cried over the decision and situation a couple times. The knowledge was supposed to make it easier. The inevitability supposed to smooth the emotions. At least in my mind. So much for that.<br />
<br />
I'll probably never forget the day for a couple reasons. I woke up to my wife informing me that Donald Trump was our next president. So with that bit a joy already percolating, I headed downstairs to let Duke out. By this point in time he had needed help getting up off the floor for about 6 months, maybe longer. So I went over and hoisted him up. He took two steps, collapsed, and pee ran everywhere. So while half our electorate was mourning the election of Donald Trump, I was mourning a different loss.<br />
<br />
I made the call I dreaded and took him to the vet later that morning. I'm not ashamed to admit I cried a bunch. Heaping bunches of crying occurred. When I brought him in and the receptionist cheerfully greeted me, during the procedure, afterwards, in my truck. Countless times after that.<br />
<br />
The house was quiet for the next month. I'd catch some movement out of the corner of my eye and think it was Duke. I'd watch the yard for him.<br />
<br />
Life was a lot empty.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKcPoQyvQ-vndY6Xv4D9Cv-qEvq_dy7lvKd8uxuH3dVOv9R_KGlr8qQlh3fZuZw-ZWmHAz9cPgE5m6bcOXLe5iF42iZww23hjN8fu6ETk0CcsaFDqH5XLM6n15wr8kNtoBT-CDfFlhFhc/s1600/1208131537c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKcPoQyvQ-vndY6Xv4D9Cv-qEvq_dy7lvKd8uxuH3dVOv9R_KGlr8qQlh3fZuZw-ZWmHAz9cPgE5m6bcOXLe5iF42iZww23hjN8fu6ETk0CcsaFDqH5XLM6n15wr8kNtoBT-CDfFlhFhc/s320/1208131537c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm not saying Duke was a lap dog, but...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The crazy part was I kind of expected it to be rough on the kids. As much as Duke has been a part of my life, he has been around their <i>entire </i>life. And its really their first experience with death or the loss of a beloved living thing. So I kind of expected tears, sadness ... something.<br />
<br />
But nope. They handled with no problems what so ever. Zilch. The kids are amazing. And sometimes they surprise you. Like when they handle something that seems so monstrous and overwhelming to you with the air and ease of a summer breeze.<br />
<br />
I had Duke cremated, because why not? Except it took me approximately two months to even go get his ashes, despite the fact that I was in the area constantly and actually took a couple trips in that direction where the vet was one of my destinations.<br />
<br />
But eventually I made it - cried some more - dumped his ashes at the park he loved so much in his younger years. And I cried some more.<br />
<br />
An aside here: I'm not a huge crier. Never have been. Now I cry at This Is Us and other sappy things. I blame the kids.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I think that is out of my system. I think. Since I teared up writing this damn thing, who knows. But one thing I know: we won't be getting a dog any time soon (<i>or will we?).</i>Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-43630658072269411292017-01-26T16:12:00.000-05:002017-01-26T16:12:11.502-05:00One Thing You Should Stop Doing In 2017Its January, which means we've turned the page on another year. Usually, that means new leaves overturned and resolutions. I did that last year. I <a href="http://triplethedad.blogspot.com/2016/01/better-bryan-xvi-blog-goals.html">did awful.</a> Some of that is events that transpired in November that I think impacted my writing (No, not the election, but its a story for a different time), but honestly, the failing failed fully before that; likely<br />
<br />
*checks stats* Yep; probably before that.<br />
<br />
So this year, I'm not doing Better Bryan. Call it a Better Bryan Break. This year, instead, I'm going to make all of YOU better.<br />
<br />
How, you ask? Good question.<br />
<br />
There is one thing that really bugs as a parent that a LOT of you are doing. And I realize, you are doing this as a kind act. You think this makes you a sweet and nice person and you probably pat yourself on the back a little when it happens. I'm here to tell you, you are secretly impeding the ability to raise safe kids while making my job as parent harder. <br />
<br />
Let me set the scene:<br />
<br />
I'm crossing the street. With my kids. Its hard enough as I have only two hands and three kids. They are fiveish. Them holding each other's hands, while possible, still isn't really a good option. So I'm stuck usually having two on one hand. Luckily, unlike our current president, I have biggish hands. Hypothesize away about what that means.<br />
<br />
So its a journey any way you slice it.<br />
<br />
I get the kids situated around me, which requires some orchestra conductor-like work with the patience of a monk and the foresight of a prophet. Who goes where, are they facing the proper direction (no, one is always facing the opposite direction for some reason), and are they going to trip over each other and fall face down during our trip across 2 lanes.<br />
<br />
We look left, we look right. Oh look kids, a car is close. Do we cross?<br />
<br />
Kids: No Dad.<br />
<br />
Dad: Of course we don't because a car is comi...<br />
<br />
Except thanks to you, you honest, good-intention having loving, doer of good deeds, we do. Because you just waved me past. Which is fine. I get it. You see a Dad with lots of kids trying to cross an otherwise empty parking lot road and you think, "let me do that guy a solid and let him pass."<br />
<br />
I'll ignore/pretend you aren't doing it in a sexist way simply because I'm a Dad and you think I'm overwhelmed. <a href="http://triplethedad.blogspot.com/2014/09/is-my-pediatrician-sexist-is-yours.html">That's a different column.</a><br />
<br />
But what you have done is essentially force me to teach my kids that its OK to cross the street with a car bearing down on them, because it will stop and let them pass. Except they have no idea you waved me on. They don't know to look for that. They can't possibly see it. Or even know to look for it. They don't have the power to look behind you and make sure some idiot isn't going around you.<br />
<br />
And I can't wave you past, because my hands are currently tied up with fingers and hand holding. Untying three kids and leaving them anchorless near a street doesn't appeal to me. Partly for danger, and partly because somehow, someway, they will end up unable to reattach and one will inevitably be facing backwards. Sometimes I'll jerk my head for you to pass, but mostly I'll go. Because standing there jerking my head while you do whatever the hell it is your doing is mostly not helping me.<br />
<br />
So I beg of you. I know you think you are doing a good thing, but please, just drive past me and let me cross the street after you.Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-47101918863430737402016-12-22T03:02:00.000-05:002016-12-22T03:02:06.078-05:00Pregnancy Changes Your BrainSo says <a href="http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20161219/pregnancy-may-spur-mothering-changes-in-a-womans-brain?src=RSS_PUBLIC">this study </a>mentioned at webmd. Your brain evolves to handle the new threat... er... little one.<br />
<br />
Ho hum, right? I know. But two things kind of caught my eye.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first: </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; letter-spacing: -0.26px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">According to study co-director Oscar Vilarroya: "The findings point to an adaptive process related to the benefits of better detecting the needs of the child, such as identifying the newborn's emotional state.</span></span></blockquote>
It occurs to me, having had triplets, that "detecting the needs of a child" and its "emotional state" are relatively easy. Early on, the child is either hungry, has pooped, is generally angry, or is content. Generally, if the child is screaming its upset. If the child isn't screaming, its content.<br />
<br />
Determining a newborn's emotional state is as simple as reading their face. Is the newborn crying? Its upset. Is it cooing? Newborn is happy. Later, the second one goes away, but the rest generally remain.<br />
<br />
Its about that simple with newborns.<br />
<br />
At least now my theory that <a href="http://triplethedad.blogspot.com/2013/02/how-being-dad-has-made-me-super-hero.html">having kids made me a super hero</a> has some serious scientific backing.<br />
<br />
I noticed one other thing. And I like how they tack this on at the end. Apparently, if you get pregnant through fertility your brain experiences the same changes. Ground breaking, I know. But its right there:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.26px;">The changes were similar whether women got pregnant naturally or through </span><a data-crosslink-type="slideshow" data-metrics-link="" href="http://www.webmd.com/baby/ss/slideshow-understanding-fertility-ovulation" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #187aab; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.26px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 150ms ease;">fertility</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; letter-spacing: -0.26px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> treatments.</span></span></blockquote>
Really?<br />
<br />
I get that its two different methods of conceiving. But this type of thinking is why we parents of multiples get questions about whether we conceived "naturally." Hell yeah it was natural. Why would fertility make one iota of difference? Because the egg and sperm met in a petri dish instead of a Fallopian tube? Because conception was given an scientific assist? Scientists might as well study whether conceiving on a couch, bed, or kitchen counter makes a difference. Honestly.Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-20561153932551124842016-11-21T11:47:00.002-05:002016-11-21T13:26:19.242-05:00How Do You Raise Your Daughter In Trump's United StatesOk.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://triplethedad.blogspot.com/2016/11/how-you-explain-trump-to-your-daughter.html">So we moved on and accepted that Trump is president elect</a> (not king).<br />
<br />
What now? We can't change the election. So what do we do? For this exercise, lets assume Trump's rhetoric stokes the fire of hatred in the country and his policy proposals are to 1) try to build a wall, 2) imprison Hillary Clinton, 3) deport Mexicans and 4) put Muslims internment camps. For the record, I think 1, 2 and 4 are never going to even get proposed, but lets say they do.<br />
<br />
What do we do? We fight those proposals.<br />
<br />
Democrats who have been deporting people at record numbers under Obama are going to have to object. Democrats who hated gridlock are going to have to be that gridlock for 2 years, after which structural realities of our politics mean that that Congress will likely fall to the Dems.<br />
<br />
And they are going to have to work with Trump. Not every policy of his is bad. He was a Democrat for years and diverges from Republicans on a number of issues.<br />
<br />
And we focus on the local. We raise good kids who are nice people. Kids who will grow up to reject this kind of nonesense. Because our future isn't with Trump, its with the kids. Nothing Trump does in his 4 years will have the kind of impact our kids will have.<br />
<br />
Which reminds me of a quote from the movie Bad Moms that I'm going to paraphrase: We should be trying to raise nice kids. Our job as parents isn't to raise math geniuses or science whizzes. The reality is that if you when your kid is born, whether they Albert Einstein or a Rufus Dufus is already set. When you brag on Facebook about how your kid is so talented at math you aren't really saying how great a kid he/she is or how great a parent you are. What you are really saying is something like "we got really lucky with genetics." Or maybe "we got a really lucky roll of the dice."<br />
<br />
Whether your kid can speak, or add, or do complex theoretical physics is a function of genes and luck. Pretty much every kid learns to speak. Whether they are poetic about it or not is a function of genetics. You can practice and practice and practice, drill and drill and drill, but no amount of work will make your kid Stephen Hawking or Robert Frost.<br />
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Nature chooses to bestow those gifts or it doesn't.<br />
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As a parent you can help draw it out, sure. But its not like if my parents had just tried a little harder, pushed me a little more, I could do theoretical physics.<br />
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I'm just not genetically able to.<br />
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But you <i>can</i> make your kid a good person. You can teach them what is right and wrong. To care about people (within reason). You can give them a frame work. You can make sure that the next person with charisma and the ability to impress a crowd with a speech isn't the type of person who makes blanket statements about people who don't look or think like them. The kind of person who won't say insane things simply to get power.<br />
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So what do we do? As adults, we fight the good fight, whatever you think that fight is. And as parents you raise good kids. Ones who are caring and insightful.<br />
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I'm not going to tell you how to do that. I'm not sure I can. I'm not sure <i>anybody</i> can. But I strongly believe that it starts with not being afraid. If we turn the election of a Donald Trump into a parade of hate, if we pretend his idea for a wall at the Mexican border is something odd and racist in and of itself* we only serve to make our kids afraid of different ideas and different people. If we teach our kids to that we should appreciate the unique thoughts and differences in people, but not those deplorable redneck idiots, we aren't doing our jobs. Replacing racism with xenophobia accomplishes nothing in real terms. And indeed, there is evidence that this country is more <a href="http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2016/11/xenophobia_and.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Econlog+%28EconLog+at+Econlib.org%29">xenophobic than racist</a>. Name calling and blanket statements are what must oppose and if that is goal, simply replacing one group with another won't move the ball forward.<br />
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That just replaces one type of fear for another.<br />
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That isn't the way forward.<br />
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* which it isn't, because again, we already have a wall, and a wall for which Hillary Clinton voted in favor. We should be able to have policy discussions about immigration and walls without it being racist.Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-11167353015857548122016-11-10T12:48:00.003-05:002016-11-10T12:58:32.843-05:00How You Explain Trump To Your DaughterI've seen lots of posts about how you explain the election of Donald Trump to your daughter. I'm just not sure what all the anxiety is about.<br />
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I say this as a man who didn't like Trump, who didn't vote for Trump, whose wife probably didn't vote for Trump, and whose daughter cried when told "the girl" didn't win. All three of my kids voted for Hillary Clinton in their class' mock election.<br />
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So I write this not from the Trump Train in some gloating fashion but with honest and open eyes.<br />
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How do you explain this to your daughter? First, it might help if we stopped defining every single life event as if it was the apocalypse. Not every election is the "most important one of our generation," even though someone inevitably trots that out <i>ever stinking year</i>. How am I explaining it? Like I would any election. As this post from Popehat.com suggests: W<a href="https://popehat.com/2016/11/09/getting-back-to-work-the-day-after/">e move on.</a> (Seriously, read the l<a href="https://popehat.com/2016/11/09/getting-back-to-work-the-day-after/">inked article</a>, its awesome).<br />
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Elections are won and lost for lots of reasons. I'm firmly in the camp that believes this election was lost when Clinton put half of Trump's voters in a "basket of deplorables." You can argue the truth there. Some of his supporters are certainly racist. He appears to be a misogynist. No matter. You aren't likely to rally voters to your cause by calling his names. And worst, and what I think happened, is that she gave them a badge of honor and fired them up. Its why you see the high rural area turnout. The left prides itself on empathy, but all too often its an in-group empathy. One that feels only for certain poor people, focusing on inner-city poor while mocking the rural poor. Its how you get people who would never permit name calling in other situations referring to a group as "uneducated red necks." <br />
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Coupled with low turnout for her and there you have it folks: President-Elect Trump.<br />
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That is a lot for a five-year-old to take in. I realize that. But its reality. Sometimes good people do bad things with the best intentions. Sometimes bad people do good things. Electing Hillary Clinton, who appears in her actions and need for secrecy to share lots with another former president: Richard Nixon, was no promise things would be delightful. Thomas Jefferson, arguably one of the greatest thinkers and founding fathers (and my favorite) held slaves while arguing passionately about the immorality of that practice. The same Dems who loved Bill Clinton now often blame many of his policies for the economic collapse.<br />
<br />
But this isn't bad policy. We are talking illegal and immoral here, aren't we. Well, arguably, at best, only two of our last 5 presidents hasn't done something pretty awful on that point either. Bush II arguably lied about the need to invade Iraq. Clinton had his assorted scandals, assaults and alleged rape. Reagan had the Iran-Contra issue. Bush I comes off relatively clean, I suppose. He did have Dan Quale as VP. Obama has Syria and Lybia. You can put them in the "pretty awful" category, and they both are, but I'm not sure they rise to the level of the other scandals; all those are borderline illegal or violate the constitutional. It wasn't so long ago that we were locking up U.S. citizens in concentration camps based on their nationality during WWII.<br />
<br />
So yes, we elected Trump; Trump the Democrat who was friends with the Clintons until he was a Republican nominee who wanted to lock her up, until he was President-Elect Trump who said we owed her a great debt for her service. Maybe he will work out, maybe he won't. Personally I think its 60-40 that he won't. But we have had awful people do awful things as president before and survived. You don't have to like the president the person. You don't even have to like him to recognize the good things he or (someday soon) she, does. We are still the country that elected Barak Obama not once but twice.<br />
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On last note that might help you explain: We have a very strong system. A system designed to weather these storms and one that has weathered worst in the past. If you think the country or life is over because we elected Trump Tuesday, then you really don't believe in that system, you believe in the cult of personality of the presidency.<br />
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So, dear Sadie, or Judy, or Emily, I may think Trump is not a nice man, but that doesn't mean he won't be a good president, or do good things. He won't do anything to you. And I know its confusing, but sometimes good people do bad things and bad people do good things. Its one reason why you can't be quick to judge people.<br />
<br />
You celebrate the good and you fight the bad and that doesn't change regardless of who we elect. And always remember, <a href="http://triplethedad.blogspot.com/p/the-good-old-days-werent-always-good.html">the good old days weren't always good, and tomorrow isn't as bad as it seems</a>.Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-5885372412533683182016-10-06T11:16:00.003-04:002016-10-06T11:16:42.795-04:00I Sent My Kids To Get SickSomething pretty amazing happens every year at this time.<div>
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<div>
Back to school pics.</div>
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Facebook is absolutely flooded with them. At least it is if you are of a certain child-bearing age. Its pretty much a right of passage. First day of Kindergarten, first bus ride (EVER!), first day of high school, college drop off, first job, first day on the job wearing a blue shirt, etc. If you send kids to school, you almost have to take a pic at this point and post it on Facebook, complete with Pinterest-cutesy sign, or it didn't happen.</div>
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Que the 100 likes you'll inevitably receive on that pic. If you aren't posting these, you might as well not have kids. Pics or it didn't happen. </div>
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Or maybe you just really care about your kids.</div>
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Because think about what those pictures really are.Those cutesy "first day of school" pictures are really "I sent my kid to go get sick" pictures.</div>
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After we sent our kids off to school this year (obligatory pics take and posted!), it took them all of a week and a scant few days to come down with some unnamed illness. They passed that around to each other over the subsequent days, and then shared with Mom and Dad.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
In their defense, we do emphasis the need to share things you don't want or aren't using any longer.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
What all those pictures are really celebrating is a Hunger Games-style test of your child's immune system. You might as well write "First Day Of Immune System Training" on that Pinterest-cutesy sign. Because that is what it is.</div>
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<br /></div>
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People (some, not all) are scared to give their kids vaccines or sugar or chemicals, but will gladly and compliantly send their kids into a sickness battleground, knowingly and willingly giving their kids ailments that will transfer to the entire household.</div>
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<br /></div>
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That is some messed up thing to celebrate.</div>
Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-8089163715202252702016-09-15T12:02:00.001-04:002016-09-15T12:02:11.850-04:00The 5 Things Every New Parent MUST KNOW1) Babies are essentially fool proof. They will feed when they want, walk when they want, talk when they want. Almost nothing you do will change that. You can worry endlessly over this and that and the other, but relax and you'll have a better time.<br />
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2) Who you are, genetically speaking, probably matters a lot more than what you do. At conception your kid has the genes to have a certain IQ. You can nurture that or degrade it, but otherwise, its fairly set. Your kid's genes also affect whether he will be driven or lack focus. Twin studies confirm this. So you if your genes connect in the right way and you get a smart, driven kid out of the dice roll, pretty much nothing you can do will change that.<br />
<br />
3) Your kid faces more of a risk of injury from being a passenger in a car than from vaccines. Vaccinate your kids.<br />
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4) You'll get an amazing amount of advice. Notice I didn't say amazing advice. Pretty much everyone who is anyone, especially if they have or ever had kids, will give your their thoughts. Feel free to ignore them. Each kids is different and pretty much no strategy works on every kid. There are a few broad strokes you can paint, but the nitty gritty specifics are unique to each kid. Get a routine, stick to it. It helps you. Set a bed time and keep to it. It helps both you and baby.<br />
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5) Parenting is hard. Its unlike anything you've ever done, so you are completely unprepared for it. Thankfully, as I've said above, its also somewhat hard to mess up. You'll have days when pretty much everything goes wrong and you feel like a complete failure. Welcome to the club.<br />
<br />Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-8639801101538227932016-09-01T12:55:00.000-04:002016-09-01T12:55:02.110-04:00Daddy Monster, No Good At TeachingLet me kick this off by saying my kids are normal, well adjusted children who are awesome as well as being great learners. They are some of the most polite kids you will ever meet.<br />
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Literally, people come up to us on almost every adventure out and compliment us on how well behaved our children are. Honestly, I think some of it is lowered expectations. I think most of them just expect triplets to behave like little monsters running around tasting other people's food at eateries and wildly running down the aisles of grocery stores knocking stuff off the shelves. So when ours behave like perfect little people, they are shocked. It is a point of pride among my wife and I.<br />
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But sometimes, you can't win for trying.<br />
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For instance. Each of our kids are a Kindle Fire they can play on (before you go to comment about screen time, they use them during "quiet time"). They are magicians on them. They teach themselves how to play games; they research new games; they have learned how to find the videos they want to watch on YouTube. Its amazing, really, how quickly they pick up all this stuff. I swear sometimes I could give them a motor and in an hour they could break it down and explain to me how it works.<br />
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Their minds really are sponges that just absorb and absorb. Sort like these Sham Wow <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwRISkyV_B8">towels</a>.<br />
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So why is it that they can't (won't?) say "please" when they need something? Despite my daily lessons and constant harping on it.<br />
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WHY?<br />
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And take this example: My kids and I play this game where I, the Daddy Monster, chase them and when I catch them, I throw them in the Bum Cake. The game consists of them running from our bedroom to theirs and back, and then me throwing them on our bed, which is the Bum Cake. Through out the game there have been various "safes." The beds are the latest, but my wife has been one, Grandmom has been one, etc.<br />
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The game is all good fun and gives them a good 10 or 15 minutes to run out that last bit of energy before the real bed time routine gets underway. <br />
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In a fit of "if its not broke, fix it," I tried to inject a little learning into the game. As I said, the game consists of chasing and "safes." For some reason, I thought it might be cool if the new "safe" was that the kids had to say the number that came after the number Daddy Monster yelled out.<br />
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Daddy Monster: "Three"<br />
Triplet: "Four"<br />
Daddy Monster: "You safe."<br />
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That type of thing.<br />
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Now, you may already see where this going, but I did not. Though in hindsight it seems pretty obvious: the kids all thought saying the wrong number was where the fun was at.<br />
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I'm now actively making my kids less smart.<br />
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Sometimes I think I could home school our kids. Some times I am an idiot.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674338920277176353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-71150811589652016662016-08-25T03:42:00.000-04:002016-08-25T03:42:08.154-04:00Kids And ChemicalsThis is going to be a short one. Partly because its hot as I write this - like 95 and humid hot - and partly because there isn't much more to say than what I'm going to say.<br />
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If you've been following along with me, you know that as a good parent, I have certain opinions on education I question whether <a href="http://triplethedad.blogspot.com/2012/04/another-pointless-education-debate.html">rote memorization is a good thing</a>, I appreciate a good reality-based <a href="http://triplethedad.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-bottles-and-cans-approach-to-child.html">education</a>, and as a result I really don't care if <a href="http://triplethedad.blogspot.com/2015/10/this-dad-doesnt-care-if-cursive-kicks-it.html">cursive d</a>ies a quick painful death.<br />
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What does that have with today's post? It has to do with the kind of education <b>I want</b> my kids to get in school rather than pointlessly memorizing the presidents in order.<br />
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I recently saw the following headline on WebMd: <a class="read" href="http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/food-poisoning/news/20160809/6-million-americans-drink-water-tainted-with-toxic-chemicals-report?src=RSS_PUBLIC#rssowlmlink" id="titleLink168640">6M
Drink Water Containing Toxic Chemicals: Report</a><br />
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Which admittedly sounds scary. I mean, just look at that headline. Six million! That is a lot of people. And they are drinking water- such a basic necessity! - full of toxic chemicals. Toxic ones. Its right there in the headline. Chemicals too! All the headline is missing is scare capitalization. CHEMICALS!<br />
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But lets break it down a little.<br />
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First, water <b>is itself </b>a chemical. Secondly, so are lots of things that are beneficial.<br />
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But, I hear you saying, it says <i>toxic</i> right there in the headline. Yep, it does. Water is also toxic. In fact, its one of the leading killers of children under 5. But, you say, that is drowning, not from ingesting it intentionally. Right you are. But water <b>is also toxic </b>if you drink too much of it.<br />
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Drink that in: water itself is a toxic chemical.<br />
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And therein is the important point: toxicity is a function of dose. Almost anything is toxic insufficient doses and almost anything is safe below certain levels.<br />
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If you read the article it becomes clear that those 6 million individuals are actually being exposed to excessive levels of two chemicals that cause real health problems. But that doesn't excuse the headline, which should have read something like 6M Drink Water With Dangerous Amounts Of Chemicals. Again, all water contains chemicals. Water is a chemical.<br />
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What I want my kids to get out of school - or my parenting - is to look at this type of headline critically. That doesn't mean they need to know water is a chemical - I Googled it to make sure - but to see the holes or potential holes in headlines like this.<br />
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To think critically about what nuances might be lurking in what is unsaid.Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-50427752072766718492016-08-23T01:27:00.000-04:002016-08-23T01:27:04.892-04:00Tuesday Trip Tip!If you are like me, you really enjoying working out.<br />
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But lets face it, almost none of you are like me. You likely aren't 6'2"; you almost certainly don't have triplets; and most importantly, you probably don't like working out.<br />
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Approximately 140% of <i>everyone </i>made some kind health/workout related New Year resolution we have since forgotten.<br />
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I'm no personal trainer, and I'm not a licensed physician or anesthesiologist, But if you want to get in the best shape possible in the shortest amount of time possible - a must for triplet parents - try <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi76efA1dXOAhUDpZQKHRz0D00QFggeMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fkeelo.com%2F&usg=AFQjCNGCKurIaUpPpt_yy9K1_R9pdZI9RQ&sig2=ene0-dVnOmhOgtMx2NFWTw">Keelo</a>.<br />
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What I like:<br />
<b>Quick routines</b>: sometimes as short as 9 minutes, but as many as 20. It is, as you may have guessed, HIIT (high intensity interval training). The "quick" is important when you have a full-time job and triplets.<br />
<b>Customization</b>: tell the app what you have available; it tailors your workout. Have dumbbells and jump rope? It will push exercise routines featuring that equipment. Having nothing? Fear not, the app will create body-weight workouts for you.<br />
<b>Variety: </b>This isn't the same 4 workouts again and again. Even if you have nothing at hand, there are enough body weight workouts to keep you interested.<br />
<b>Challenge:</b> I've tried something like 4 workout apps out of the 12 dozen available. One thing I like about Keelo is the challenge. It appears to ramp up your suggested workout based on how you rated the workouts before. I'm probably fitter than average, and the workouts are a challenge. It also offers scaled-down exercises for almost every routine so beginners won't be scared off.<br />
<b>Reminders:</b> The app will prompt you at a set time if you haven't worked out yet, and while you can select any workout, it recommends one and gives you an alternative.<br />
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What I don't:<br />
<b>Nothing.</b> It isn't free, which I guess is something to complain about in a world of free apps. But you can try it free, and after the first six or so workouts it provides a discount on the app. I forget the price, but it was small and well worth it. Also, the name. Keelo. What the hell is that supposed to mean?<br />
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Runner up: Sworkit.<br />
What I like:<br />
<b>Quick routines:</b> Pick your total time working out, the amount you spend on each exercise and how much rest in between. This is great when you have only a little time during nap. And the "Fit in Five" minutes feature is nice.<br />
<b>Customization:</b> You can pick how long you work out, rest, etc. etc. but not which exercises and you can't add weights - its all body weight. Which is fine as far as it goes, but you might find yourself undermatched if you are relatively fit.<br />
<b>Variety:</b> Fairly decent amount of exercises.<br />
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Why its a runner up:<br />
<b>Challenge</b>: 30 seconds of jumping jacks with 15 seconds rest is still just 30 seconds of jumping jacks. A mere warm up exercise for most people even if it is followed by 30 seconds of T-push ups. The difficulty is just a little all over the place.<br />
<b>Variety:</b> There is a fair mix here, but some of the exercises - jumping jacks for instance - are too simple to really be effective, IMO.<br />
<br />Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-90110604145872863912016-08-18T04:41:00.000-04:002016-08-18T04:41:00.193-04:00You Can't Hate The Pretty GirlI hate the Olympics for all the reasons I stated <a href="http://triplethedad.blogspot.com/2016/08/why-i-hate-olympics-or-did.html">here</a>. I'm just not sure you can be a good person and root for such an awful occasion.<br />
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Still, I find myself recording events, skipping past the awful commentary to get to the races, explaining to kids that they <i>have</i> watch Michael Phelps because he is the greatest swimmer they will ever see, and rooting along with my kids for the "pretty girl" - gymnast Laurie Hernandez. Before you jump all over me, we don't emphasis looks. I'll mention that a particular act seems hard, or that the athlete must have practiced a lot and worked really hard to accomplish something. That is my parenting style: I compliment the work, effort and time it took to do something. I didn't come up with the nickname.<br />
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We were watching gymnastics and one of the kids said "she is pretty." It was probably my daughter, because she is always noticing people's eyes and marking them as "pretty." And as kids will do, that comment morphed into Hernandez being "the pretty girl." Even though I'm fairly sure they called all of the gymnasts on the United States team "pretty" at one point.<br />
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Rampant sexism and body image/definition of beauty concerns. Chalk that up to another reason to hate the Olympics, I suppose. I won't judge.<br />
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At least Hernandez wins the gold in the pretty girl olympics, I guess. She also managed to avoid being trashed for not showing the appropriate amount of respect during the medal ceremony and wasn't called the <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/fivering_circus/2016/08/why_gabby_douglas_has_been_the_target_of_so_much_unfair_petty_criticism.html">saddest gold medalist in Rio, </a>so there is that.<br />
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<br /></div>
The Olympics have almost run their course, and I really hoped to have come up with a smart sounding reason for my change of heart. Maybe it was the kids. Maybe it was perspective. Maybe it was the changes in the socio-economic interplay between Russia and the United States?<br />
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Something.<br />
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Nothing.<br />
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That is what I can tell you. Truth be told, we watched gymnastics and some swimming and a little tiny bit of diving and ... that was it. So I can't even blame the kids. They almost don't care what is happening at the Olympics.<br />
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Except for the pretty girl.Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762930168389949250.post-14973708856967346232016-08-11T10:07:00.003-04:002016-08-11T10:12:45.929-04:00Why I Hate The Olympics (Or Did)I hate the Olympics.<br />
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I'm not sure exactly when it started. I remember loving them at one point. My parents absolutely adore them, so the love affair probably sprouted in my childhood. Back then the Berlin Wall stood tall and Soviet Russia was a very real threat. We were not long removed from school children hiding under desks to avoid nuclear holocaust. Rooting for the U.S. bordered on a moral duty. I can recall checking the morning's papers to see the medal count.<br />
<br />
But at some point it all became too much. Too much gross nationalism; too much overhyped hoopla; too much doping; too much controversy; too much rewarding hosting duties to cities clearly incapable of the job; <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2016/08/07/how-to-put-an-end-to-the-dark-side-of-the-olympics/">too much displacing poor people so that relatively rich people can participate in a sport</a>; just too much. I see people on FB who post constantly about the plight of the poor in this country and who have been on humanitarian missions expressing glee and delight in the Olympics. I'm not sure you can be a moral crusader and enjoy an event that resulted in thousands of poor people losing their homes and livelihoods. I'm not saying you can't enjoy the Olympics, and I'm not saying you can be a moral crusader for the poor. Just that you can't do both.<br />
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And take this line from a <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/fivering_circus/2016/08/measuring_the_sappiness_of_nbc_s_olympics_coverage.html">story on the Olympics in Slate.com</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Everyone knows that the Olympics, as broadcast on NBC and its sister channels,
are less an athletic spectacle than a biennial soap opera in lycra and spandex.</blockquote>
Not so much a sports spectacular than a soap opera.* That kind of describes my feelings. Anyway, that It probably didn't help that for the last couple Olympics I've been bone tired raising triplets.<br />
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But this year something is different.<br />
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This year I'm sitting on the couch with the kids watching gymnastics and swimming. I'm looking forward to watching diving. <i>Diving</i>. Which while really cool and a feat that certainly takes lots of strength and control, barely qualifies as a sport.**<br />
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These things are <b>all</b> true. Except for that last opinion about what constitutes a sport, I'm not even sure you can argue them. So what changed?<br />
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Maybe its because I'm 40 now. Perspective and all that. Maybe its because I've got kids. Maybe its something else? A return to roots I abandoned as I formed by own identity?<br />
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Who knows.<br />
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Kids do weird things to you. And sometimes the universe drops things in your lap that can't really be explained and you just have to roll with them.<br />
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*Personally, I think NBC should probably do something like ESPN does with RedZone. Divide the screen into six small ones, each featuring a different event. When an especially notable event or participant comes up, it could emphasize that box by giving it half a screen.<br />
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** I'm not convinced something that relies entirely on a judge's eye for scores counts as a sport. Making award winning gin is really hard and takes lots of practice too, for instance. If "winning" comes down to the eye of the beholder, its art, not sport. That isn't to take away anything from the divers or gymnasts. Gymnasts especially are probably the strongest, most athletic people on the planet. They compete in an athletic event, but I'm not sure they are doing sport. Maybe. But take to the comments section to tell me why I'm wrong.<br />
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<br />Triplethedadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03100297654782210578noreply@blogger.com0