While Maria Neider is known for her work as an anchor on KY3, this article explores weight loss strategies, drawing inspiration from real-life stories, practical tips, and recipes shared by mothers and experts. It emphasizes that the information presented here is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet or exercise routine.
The Supermom Balancing Act
Moms are the cornerstone of families, juggling numerous responsibilities while striving to maintain their well-being. They put food on the table, offer comfort and support, and help with education. In many communities, there are countless mothers who manage careers, families, and community involvement.
Maria Neider's decision to work the morning news shift at KY3 was motivated by a desire to be closer to her family. Despite the challenges of coordinating schedules with her husband, Scott, who works the evening news, they found a system that allowed them to prioritize family time. This meant sacrificing personal time and relying on each other for support. "The sacrifice we make for our family is pretty much not seeing each other for a whole week," Neider says. "We leave notes for each other by the coffee pot." They opted for opposite shifts to reduce childcare costs and maximize time with their children.
After years of adjustment, Neider and Scott achieved a balance between work and home life, though it wasn't without difficulties. Neider experienced sleep deprivation after her son, Luke, was born, leading to vertigo. Enrolling him in the Cox South Learning Center’s daycare provided her with crucial rest. "I was paying for five hours of sleep," she says laughing. Those five hours turned out to be Neider’s lifeline. "I used to try to do it all because I thought my mom did," she says. "But now I realize you have to pick your priorities. Sometimes laundry just sits on my couch.
Integrating Fitness into Family Life
Finding ways to stay active while raising children can be challenging, but incorporating fitness into family activities can be a solution. Running together is an excellent way for fitness-minded moms and their children to bond and stay healthy.
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Vicky Hood of Springfield was surprised by a positive pregnancy test on her 40th birthday. Feeling like an older mother, she decided to step up her health routine, engaging in a health kick with her sister, Paula Thompson. Vicky quit smoking and drinking, and they both started running. When her daughter, Jessie Hood, was old enough, Vicky introduced her to running. Now 11, Jessie participates in Girls on the Run of Southwest Missouri, a program that promotes confidence through running for girls in third through eighth grade. "The No. 1 thing for us is mommy-daughter time," Vicky says. "It’s girl time. It’s our time. I’m trying to teach her that we don’t have to have perfect bodies, but everybody needs to do something-some form of exercise-on a regular basis. And it can be fun.
Finding Me-Time
For busy moms, finding time for themselves is often a luxury. However, even small pockets of time can make a significant difference. Many gyms and fitness studios offer childcare services, allowing moms to exercise without worrying about their children. Additionally, local libraries and community centers offer various activities and classes that provide opportunities for personal enrichment.
The Power of Giving Back
Turning personal challenges into opportunities to help others can be a powerful way to cope with adversity and find meaning. Gloria Hereford transformed a family tragedy into her inspiration to give back to her community.
Gloria Hereford has two overwhelming passions in life: her family and her volunteer work. Growing up, Hereford and her mom were inseparable. "We were best friends," Hereford says. "Dad was always there, but we depended on Mom for everything.” When Hereford became a mom herself, Evelyn was there to teach her how to take on her new role. “She taught me to put my kids first and take care of them,” Hereford says. Then suddenly in 2011, her mom had a stroke. After doctors couldn’t find the cause, she was moved to Barnes Hospital in St. Louis where doctors discovered she had cancer. A month later, Evelyn passed away at 57 years old. "It has been a rough two years for me," Hereford says. For years, her mom had volunteered at Victory Mission and led fundraisers for the Springfield chapter of the American Cancer Society and the Springfield chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and now Hereford devotes her time to these same charities. She takes her daughters, Gloria and DeAyra, to serve meals at Victory Mission during Thanksgiving and Christmas. And a year ago, Hereford started The Legacy of Mothers Luncheon. All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society. As the salad bar manager at Dillons and a bartender at Hammons Field, Hereford doesn’t have much free time, but the time she does have is devoted to coming up with new ways to give back. She’s had to grow up a lot these last two years, and her volunteer work has helped her cope with the loss of her mom. Luckily, she has her husband and her two girls to help her keep her head up. “I don’t want them to forget what she did,” Hereford says.
Organization and Well-being
Maintaining a clean and organized home can significantly reduce stress and improve overall well-being. Professional organizers can provide valuable assistance in decluttering and establishing effective organization systems.
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Before meeting Betsy Miller of 2B Organized (417-880-2325, 2b-organized.com), Brandy Hickman says she didn’t know which way was up. “I was overwhelmed by being a caretaker, getting over my own illness and taking care of my kids,” says the mother of two. At the time, she had recently battled colon cancer, her mother was battling breast cancer, she was taking care of her aging in-laws, she recently left a full-time job and she was teaching Jazzercize classes. She also had 3- and 1-year-old daughters, and the 3-year-old had recently been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. That was six years ago. Today, Hickman has completely changed her life. Her home is clean and organized, and so is her mind. She even recently started 2B Well, a company in which she works with nutritionists, fitness gurus and other experts to help her clients live healthy and fulfilled lives. Miller opened 2B Organized in 1997. In her role as a professional organizer, she works with stay-at-home moms, working moms, such as Hickman, plus men and even children.
Miller's tips for organization include:
- “Make a rule that when something comes in, something must go out,” Miller says.
- One of the biggest excuses of people who live jumbled lives is that they don’t have time to organize. “Everyone has 5 to 10 minutes a day,” Miller says.
- Miller says moms need to learn to say no more often. “Two extra activities per week is plenty for your kids,” she says.
- Establish organization systems. While working with Hickman, Miller helped her develop several organization systems. One of the things they did was simple, but very effective: She had Hickman choose one color hanger for each daughter.
- Learn to let go. You know how your kid brings home a new art project from school every day? Well, this is your permission to pitch them. “It doesn’t make you a bad mom if you don’t keep everything your child has ever colored, glued, glittered or cut out,” Miller says. Miller suggested that Hickman create one box for each of her daughters, and Hickman chose which special projects to save. Stacy Jurado-Miller, a mother of three, created a special place for her children’s art to be displayed in the playroom area of their home. “Carla Stine painted the frames on the walls,” Jurado-Miller says.
Travel Tips for Families
Traveling with children requires careful planning and preparation. Mental preparation is key. About 24 hours before go-time, Dave and I have a prep talk where I explain our strategy for maneuvering security checkpoints, how many times we will have to fold up the stroller and how we will probably decide “never again” before we ever get to the gate. To cut down on schlepping, look into rental companies at your destination. Resorts usually have pack and plays and high chairs you can request. You can rent car seats from rental car companies at the airport. When Lucy was an infant, she had to be swaddled or she wouldn’t sleep. When she was 5 months old, we went to Puerto Vallarta and only took one swaddle blanket. After one major blow out on that trip, her swaddle was ruined, and we were panicked. I will never forget my husband saying, “Really, to save space on packing, we only packed one swaddle blanket? One?!” Never again. This goes for anything that makes your life easier. On a recent trip to Disney, it poured All. Day. Long. We were draped in ponchos and had a poncho/umbrella system rigged up over the stroller. Things were getting a little tense, and then Dave looked at me, smiled and said, “We’re good?” And I thought, “Yes, we’re good.
Adoption: A Path to Parenthood
For some couples, adoption is the path to building a family. Megan White and her husband, Nik, decided to adopt after struggling to conceive.
After two miscarriages, I had trouble getting pregnant. I had a variety of tests that kept coming back normal, but I still wasn’t getting pregnant after about a year of trying. I tried acupuncture and things like that, but I started thinking, “Why are we working so hard on this when it’s just not happening? There’s some reason it’s not happening. We’re probably supposed to be doing something else.” Well, we had always talked about adopting early in our marriage, but we always kind of thought we’d have biological children and then we’d adopt later on. But then, at the end of August last year, I said to my husband, Nik, “Can we just adopt a baby? I think that’s what we should do instead. I think we should adopt a baby.” And he was like “Okay. From there, we started researching, and we contacted an adoption consultant. Our agent helped us find someone to do our home study, and our friends from Prixel Creative created our family profile. Our home study was complete on November 5, which was a Tuesday. He had already been born that Sunday. He was in Arizona. His birth mom didn’t have an adoption plan, but because we had the consultant, we found out about him. It was just wild. By 2 o’clock on Tuesday we were going to get him in Arizona. On Wednesday morning we met him. He had to be in the hospital because he had been exposed to some drugs, and he was really little. He wasn’t gaining weight because he wasn’t sleeping well. He was wired, and he needed constant attention. He really just needed parents, and that was really the only way he was going to start progressing. And that’s partially why the adoption agency picked us. In our profile, Nik had written that I was the baby whisperer. They pulled that line out, and they were like, “That’s what he needs. He needs someone who is going to love him and hold him and help him along.” So we got there, and that’s exactly what we did. He was released way sooner than they thought. Miraculously, all of our paperwork to adopt him went through, and all of our financials went through, from Arizona, in a week’s time. And thanks to our lawyer here, Melissa Bade, we were able to take him out of Arizona and bring him to Missouri by that Friday. On Saturday we brought him home…
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Tips for Healthy Eating for Kids
Getting children to eat their vegetables can be a challenge. Jennifer Smith, owner of The Traveling Chef and Muse by The Traveling Chef, offers advice for making mealtimes enjoyable for both parents and children.
- Have them help cook. Kids aren’t as scared of food if they help make it.
- Have fun with the food. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.
- Pick a theme. We cater a lot of kids’ birthday parties, and we have found that fun shapes work great.
- Cook what they like. I know there are some kids out there who will eat anything, but my son was not one of those kids.
Recipes
Fish Taco Recipe
Ingredients:
- Flounder pieces
- Breading mixture
- Vegetable oil
- Corn tortillas
- Broccoli salad
- Dressing
- Avocado slices
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Dredge the flounder pieces in the breading mixture and place on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 7 minutes or until done.
- While the flounder is baking, heat the vegetable oil in a skillet and begin toasting the corn tortillas until light brown.
- In a large bowl, assemble the broccoli salad and toss in the provided dressing. Reserve some of the dressing for the top of the tacos.
- Place the heated tortillas on a flat surface and top with the baked flounder, broccoli salad, and avocado slices.
Mini Meatloaf Cakes
Ingredients:
- Vegetable oil
- Garlic
- Celery
- Onion
- Carrot
- Ground chuck
- Eggs
- Ketchup
- Peas
- Bread crumbs
- Salt and pepper
- Potatoes
- Butter
- Sour cream
- Milk
- Parsley
- Worcester sauce
- Honey
- Mustard
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan and lightly sauté garlic, celery, onion, and carrot until tender. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, combine the sautéed ingredients with ground chuck, eggs, ketchup, peas, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper.
- Line a regular-size cupcake pan (12 count) with cupcake liners and scoop the mixture into the cupcake pan.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ketchup, Worcester sauce, honey, and mustard to make the glaze. Top each meatloaf cake with the glaze.
- Cook the potatoes in salted water until they are tender. Drain and place in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the butter, salt, pepper, sour cream, milk, and parsley until smooth. Cover and keep warm until the meatloaf cakes are slightly cooled and removed from the pan.
- Place the meatloaf cakes on a flat surface.
Pulled Pork Pretzel Buns
Ingredients:
- Pulled pork
- Vegetable oil
- Barbecue sauce
- Apple cider vinegar
- Chipotle Chopped Salad kit
- Pretzel buns or hoagies
Directions:
- Heat Pulled Pork in a sauté pan with the vegetable oil.
- Slowly stir in the barbecue sauce and the apple cider vinegar.
- While the pulled pork is heating, toss the Chipotle Chopped Salad kit together and set aside.
- Slice the pretzel buns or hoagies and stuff them with the pork mixture.
Chili Cheese Popcorn
Courtesy: Dietitian Lindsay Sparks## Makes about 16 cups## Ingredients
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder
- 2 tablespoons avocado, or olive oil, or unsalted butter
- ½ cup white popcorn kernels
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together nutritional yeast, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and chipotle powder. Set aside.
- Heat oil or butter in a medium stockpot with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn kernels and cover. Shake the pot occasionally to make sure all kernels are covered in oil. Listen for the popping to slow, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. You can also use an air popper or the microwave to pop the popcorn.
- Transfer the warm popcorn to a large bowl. Sprinkle with seasoning. Stir to coat.
Spa Treatments for Skin Firming
Sandalwood Massage & Bodyworks offers a range of spa services in a more intimate atmosphere. "We really wanted it to feel warm, inviting…like your home away from home that's always clean and people to wait on you hand and foot," said Jessi Waite, one of the 2 massage therapists at Sandalwood.
Amber Dunsmuir, who specializes in lypossage-- a message to minimize the appearance of cellulite."It combines 2 techniques. It is for skin firming and inch loss. It's not a weight loss service. But if you've lost some weight and you need to tone-up some, it's excellent for that," says Dunsmuir. "Celulite is when your (sic) and your fat cells stick together. It breaks that up. And when you pump the lymphatic nodes in the hips and armpits, it flushes it out of your system."
By late June, Sandalwood will have a new service called Arthrossage. This technique aims to reduce swelling and improve mobility for those who suffer from RA, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia.