Rant Wednesday: How Old is Too Old to Kiss your Child on the Lips?

This week I heard a conversation on a local radio station where there was a major debate on parents kissing their children on the lips.

There were parents on both sides of the argument calling in. While I did not grow up with parents who kissed me on the lips, and I have never kissed my own children on the lips, I will admit it strikes me as odd when the kids are a certain age.

The conversation seemed quite emotional for the parents calling in on each side of this argument. While this is not a personal rant of mine, the ranting from both sides compelled me to discuss it and see what everyone else thinks.

I have seen pictures of parents kissing their children and they seem super sweet when they are very small but I will admit I have seen other pictures or even TV shows where the parent kisses an older child on the lips and it seems inappropriate.

Now granted, I have no basis for this because my family never did it so I am not claiming to be any type of authority on the situation.

As I listened to the argument, I could see points on both sides.

So, what say you on this topic? Is it appropriate to kiss your child on the lips? Is it not? Is there a threshold?

Sound off in the comments section.

Have something you want to rant about in a future edition of Rant Wednesday? Email me at michaidanawrites@gmail.com

Monday Fitness: Public Weightloss Journal - Entry #13

Happy Monday, Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

I will get right to it. My weight is the same this week....159.4. The great news, however, is that I wore a pair of pants this week that I haven't been able to get in to for a couple of years!!!

Man, that felt great. I only kept two pairs of pants after I gained a lot of weight, hoping that I would get back into them. I know that is not always realistic but I gave away everything except for just those two pairs of pants.

I can't tell you how amazing it felt to put those pants on this weekend and be able to button them without cutting off my circulation...LOL

As far as exercise, I got in some good cardio at least 4 out of 7 days. I will admit that my eating was not the best this past week. I didn't eat terrible every day, but my focus was not there. I had pizza one day and french fries another day.

This week, I will be back on track without fail. The good news is since I have been so focused on eating healthy, those few days that I had an unhealthy meal, did not derail my progress.

The Slight Edge is real so I have to make sure the majority of my eating decisions give me a slight edge towards the right direction.

What are your goals this week? Have any updates to share? Post below.

Have an amazing week!!

Rant Thursday: When does it stop?

I had to talk about this somewhere. These stories hurt so bad. I saw this when scrolling through my Facebook timeline today and my heart dropped just as it has when anyone has been hurt in all of this senseless violence.

Here is a link to the story.

From what I read, a therapist was helping a patient who was sitting in the street. The patient was holding a toy truck. When the police arrived, the therapist told them neither of them were armed and he laid on the ground with his hands up.

He was not resisting. Not arguing. But, he was shot 3 times in the leg.

How does this happen?!

The article goes on to state that when the therapist asked the officer why he shot him that the officer responded that he didn't know.

I have seen so many posts about these shootings saying that we, as black people, need to learn how to deal with officers and these shootings wouldn't happen if we were respectful. However, if that were in any way true, then what happened here?!

The response to that could be an entirely different article.

My heart bleeds for all of these stories of hatred. There have been so many senseless killings of people of all walks of life, not just in our country but in other countries as well.

All we can do is continue in prayer and continue to spread love to as many people as possible and never differentiate because of race, profession, or any other outer differences.

Monday Fitness: Public Weightloss Journal - Entry #12

Good Morning and Happy Monday, Everyone! I will get right to it.

My weigh-in this morning is 159.4! I am excited to be holding steady at just below 160. I am looking forward to progressing toward my next goal of under 150.

A little bit at a time is what has been working for me for the past 3 months so I will continue with that plan.

The biggest thing I am excited to report this morning is that I kept my goal of exercising for a minimum of 30 minutes, every single day this past week!!

This is the first time I accomplished that since I started my weightloss journey. For the most part, I have only exercised here and there and have never been consistent.

That has now changed. I have the same exercise goal for this week. The type of exercise will change up, to keep it engaging. Last week, I was on the treadmill for 3 days, walked outside 1 day, did Zumba at the gym 1 day, exercised at home 1 day, and a lower body workout 1 day.

The lower body workout was this past Saturday so I plan to do that again today and try to maintain that every 2 to 3 days.

Now, that I am back to regular exercise, what advice do you have for me on how to continue to progress with my weightloss goal but also begin to tone?

Rant Wednesday: The Two Sides of Pokemon Go

While driving today I saw a sign on the freeway that said Pokemon Go is a No-Go While Driving.

This is a great way to get people's attention, which is a part of what I want to discuss regarding the two sides of the game.

First, I downloaded the game when I heard about it and I think it is a fun game. The awesome part of it is there are people out walking and getting miles of exercise in that may have never happened.

Parents are outside with kids again and couples are out for walks. It is also fun for those who grew up watching Pokemon and are now reliving those great memories.

It is a very creative game and I have never seen anything like it that encourages exercise. A friend even told me about how people gathering at the park has caused people who have never met to get to know one another and there is a sense of community around this common interest.

Those are the great things. The other side of this game is all of the things I am hearing where gamers are standing in someone's lawn, hopping fences to go into someone's backyard, knocking on someone's door and asking them to come inside, and trying to catch Pokemon while driving.

Needless to say, these things are disturbing and are the extreme side. Not everyone that is playing the game is being irresponsible. Like everything else, there are extreme gamers who will do irresponsible things to catch the Pokemon they want to catch.

My last comment on this is that I have seen a lot of social media postings from others who are very judgmental of the fact that someone would play Pokemon Go. My thought on this is look at both sides of it and understand it is promoting health for those who play responsibly. My second thought on this is it is easy to judge when someone's habit is different than your habit.

Thoughts on this? Sound off in the comments.

Monday Fitness: Public Weightloss Journal - Entry #11

Happy Monday, Everyone! Needless to say it has been a very trying week in our world. I pray that wherever you are, you are surrounded with peace, love, and unity.

Be love, give love, and share love.

My weigh-in for today is 159.6! Yes, I am excited about this. It is a new milestone. I got a couple of days worth of exercise in last week but if I am being honest this portion of the plan is still not up to standard. The steady weight loss success I am having so far can solely be attributed to eating habits.

The plan this week is to walk a minimum of 30 minutes every single day. Yes, it is hot here in Arizona but I can use the treadmill at work or walk in the evenings.

Not much else to report this week. I am excited to continue these weekly updates until I reach my goal. Thank you, as always, for your prayers and support!

We are in this thing together.

Rant Wednesday: Kevin Durant is a Warrior now.....and that is okay.

Happy Hump Day, Everyone!

I am having a bit of deja vu on this one. Seems like we were just here and listening to the ranting and raving of upset fans. Now, were are here again.

The difference on this one is the object of all of the comments is Kevin Durant. The first thing I want to say about this is that I love this guy. He is great to watch and also great to listen to in interviews. His heart speaks for itself.

I am sure you all know the story so I will try to keep this one short and sweet. The arguments I have heard range from people believing it was wrong for him to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder to become a member of the Golden State Warriors, to others believing a super star should not be allowed to move to an already great team because it "waters down" the NBA's product.

While I understand the varying opinions on the matter, I cannot understand how so much extreme emotion goes into some of these reactions. From Twitter rants to burning jerseys, how is any of that called for?

If you were offered the opportunity to go outside of your comfort zone but for a substantial amount of money and the best opportunity to meet your goals....and by the way it is only for two years.....wouldn't you do it?

Kevin Durant's decision is not about you......the same as Lebron's decision was not about you..... Buying tickets and being an NBA fan does not give anyone the right to spew hate towards someone because they make a decision, for themselves, that disappoints you.

I am not sure what else to say on the matter so I will open it up to you. What have you heard? What have you seen? What are your thoughts on Kevin Durant taking his talents to Golden State? 

Monday Fitness: Public Weightloss Journal - Entry #10

OMG, Guys! We are to my 10th weekly update already :)

There is quite a bit to tell you today. First, I will start with my weigh-in.....drum roll...............its 160.0!!!

I couple of days ago is was just under at 159.8. I haven't seen the scale at 150-anything in a very long time. Next goal is under 150.

Last Monday evening I had a bit of a scare when I was in very intense abdominal pain and unsure why. This had been going on for a couple of days.

I decided to go to the Emergency Room last Monday, after work, in case there was something serious going on that needed to be addressed immediately.

Thanks be to God, all of my scans came back great and it turned out to be an issue with my digestion. The doctor gave me some medicine that I needed to take to improve it.

I did not see this coming because I have been eating better in the last few months than I have in the last few years. I have been making healthy food choices and making sure to eat regularly.

What I didn't realize is that I was not taking in enough fiber in my nutrition plan. Between the doctor and my dad, I got the information needed to make the necessary changes.

For those of you who have gone on nutrition plans before or changed your eating habits in any way, how did you go about making sure your diet was balanced? What advice do you have for us?

Please post below. And thank you, as always, for the encouragement and support.

I pray everyone has a safe and happy holiday today and remember to pray for our soldiers and first responders!!