THE NEXT SURVIVOR SERIES
Six married men
will be dropped on an island with one car and
3 kids each for six weeks.
Each kid will play two sports
and take either music or dance classes.
There is no fast food.
Each man must
take care of his 3 kids;
keep his assigned house clean,
correct all homework,
complete science projects,
cook, do laundry,
and pay a list of 'pretend' bills
with not enough money.
In addition, each man
will have to budget in money
for groceries each week.
Each man
must remember the birthdays
of all their friends and relatives,
and send cards out on time--no emailing.
Each man must also take each child
to a doctor's appointment,
a dentist appointment
and a haircut appointment.
He must make one unscheduled and
inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care.
He must also make cookies or cupcakes
for a school event/social function.
Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house,
planting flowers outside, and keeping it
presentable at all times.
The men will only have access to television
when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.
The men must shave their legs,
wear makeup daily,
adorn themselves with jewelry,
wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes,
keep fingernails polished,
and eyebrows groomed.
During one of the six weeks,
the men will have to endure severe
abdominal cramps, back aches,
have extreme, unexplained mood swings
but never once complain or slow down
from other duties.
They must attend weekly school meetings and
church and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting.
They will need to read a book to the kids
each night and feed them,
dress them, brush their teeth and comb their hair
by 7:00 am.
A test
will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be
required to know all of the following information:
each child's
birthday,
height, weight,
shoe size, clothes size,
doctor's name,
the child's weight at birth,
length, time of birth,
and length of labor,
each child's favorite color,
middle name,
favorite snack,
favorite song,
favorite drink,
favorite toy,
biggest fear,
and what they want to be when they grow up.
The kids vote them off the island based on performance.
By Tricia Rzepkowski
Published by Messenger Post Media
YOUR LIFE now (page 3)
Week of August 24, 2009
Everyone loves a good reality show. Whether you Keep Up With the Kardashians, or worship Dancing With the Stars, you’re seeing a “beautiful woman” on TV everyday.
There are many studies on the effects of the media on a girl’s body image, but there is another persuasive reality show that your daughter watches every day. You. If your daughter is an infant, 18 years old, or anywhere in between, she sees you as the model for what a woman should be. Are you being her Next Top Model?
This reality show is tough and many moms aren’t prepared. You may lack self-confidence, have low self-esteem or a distorted perception of your shape and size. You may not be proud of all your choices. Every day, a small part of your behavior is picked up by your daughter. Are you taking your lifestyle seriously enough to get the win? Here are some things to think:
Young daughters: you choose, she builds habits.
If your daughter is a baby, toddler, or a preschooler you have some time to build up your healthy habits. Right now, she’s a little sponge. She doesn’t yet perceive beauty, but she can perceive happiness. Happiness comes from being content with yourself. Take the time now to make small steps toward your nutrition and fitness goals. Take her on a stroller walk. Start to teach her about fruits and vegetables (and eat more of them with her). You will find that her habits develop alongside yours.
Elementary schoolers: you model, she tries it.
Girls as young as five years old are starting to look at TV and media and learning what is “pretty.” To her, you are the most beautiful woman in the world. Girls in this age group will try anything to be like mommy. So, make sure you are modeling a healthy lifestyle. When you count calories in your lunch, have her add up the calories in hers. It’s a fun math game! When you go to the gym, or play sports, teach her too Don’t forget to focus on your spiritual well-being, which shows her that beauty isn’t about physical appearance alone. Let her know when you are happy, and why. Show her how de-stressing and getting enough sleep are important in your day. Try to avoid complaining about your weight. The latest and greatest fad diets, diet pills, or restrictive dieting can all be seen by little eyes and have a lasting impact.
Tweens and teens: you share, and she does, too.
Your tween or teen daughter’s body and mind changes every day. Self-confidence and a healthy body image can make these years a whole lot more comfortable. You need to BE the woman she’s striving to become. By modeling your healthy habits you impart knowledge not by lectures, judgment, or criticism, but by example. Be a good listener, and let your daughter know about your struggles. She needs to know that things are not always easy, but that you dust yourself off
and keep moving. Set goals, make a plan, shop, cook, and eat together. Be workout buddies and accountability partners. Take mental health breaks and reward yourself for a job well-done. Your happiness and behavior are contagious now more than ever. As she’s beginning to make her own decisions, your consistent mentoring and sharing will steer her in the right direction.
You can win!
Becoming your daughter’s Top ROLE Model is a reality show you can win - with just a few simple choices. Your healthy lifestyle will help you be real, available, involved, encouraging, humble, and a good listener for your daughter!
Tricia Rzepkowski is an ACE certified Personal Trainer and degreed Nutritionist who runs an in-home fitness and nutrition consulting practice geared toward women of all ages in the Rochester area. More information is available online at trainingwithtricia.com.
Tricia and Anna Rzepkowski stand ‘Strong & Beautiful’! Anna age five, loves to workout with Mom.
My brother Adam (26yrs old) sent this to my Mom today and she passed it along to me - FUNNY! This is a neat one...Thanx for passing it along!
Maybe, just MAYBE we will have this before the summer is over? Think positive!
This is Uncle Matt & Uncle Adam - 1990
After all the girls were all dressed and fancy - we took a group photo - GORGEOUS! 
Then headed for the table for some lunch and tea. Anna also gave all the girls a lesson in how to hold their tea cup... "Pinky out"
We also fit in a few games - musical dots, pass the tea pot and sugar cube building. Some of the girls even decided to taste a few of these - we had plenty of other sweets - cupcakes and sugar cookies?
We spent some time hangin' out at the campground
Th kids LOVED playing at the pool!
One day we headed into Saratoga. We met up with my Aunt Ginny and toured The Washington Inn - What a neat place. I was so glad we were able to get in a family visit!
After a bit of sightseeing and a tasty dinner at a local find - Mama Mia's, Aunt Ginny, Kris, Mason, Anna, and I headed back to her place on a horse farm to see and feed some horses.
We also took some time to see some Harness Racing - some people even won a few bucks!
Now camping is full of its ups and downs and most of our trips had more ups, than downs. EXCEPT when the RAIN comes down! Wet tent camping is not a whole lot of fun, we did make the best of it!