Racing on Mother's Day?

First day home from hospital

A little over 10 years ago I became a mother to an incredible boy who is growing up all too quickly. Cradling him in my arms has long since passed and holding him in my arms is more of a work-out trying to hold onto an unwieldy item. Luckily he still lets me hug him and tickle him without too many groans. He asks me questions like, "Do I ever have to move out?" which now is endearing but not so much if he's still living with me as an adult. My response is, "Honey, there will come a time that you'll want to move out, to be independent, to have a place of your own." To which he just smiles and hugs me. The thought of him growing up and becoming a man brings so many emotions with it as does any milestones children accomplish. On one hand there is a sense of pride, yup that's MY boy and the other is a sadness that they no longer need your help with something, which honestly hits my self-worth at times. It's only a fleeting moment, but once in awhile I think if I'm not his Mom then who am I? 

I'm sure most parents feel this way from time to time, I'm guessing my Mom did, although she only showed me the proud parent part and that's ok. Kids shouldn't be made to feel guilty about an accomplishment just because the parent's self-worth might take a ding. That's all about the parent and nothing about the child. I also believe it's important for parents to retain their "self" through hobbies, friends, activities, job, whatever it is that makes them feel good about themselves apart from their children. This is something I need to work on and no, I don't consider it selfish, I consider it being a well-balanced parent. My mother had running when I was a child and boy was she good at it! She's done countless 5K & 10K races, triathlons, the Quad Games and marathons like the Boston Marathon, the Pittsburgh Marathon and many others. Not only did she run these races, she kicked butt at them, finishing Boston in a little over three hours, that's about a seven minute mile - 26.2 times. I might be able to run a seven minute mile once or twice, but what she did was inspiring.

Mom and I before our race

That's why when I asked her if she wanted to run the Mother's Day 5K with me, I was nervous. When I was younger she was known in running circles, she had a focus and a drive to compete and do her very best, each and every time. That can be very intimidating to someone who's never done anything longer than a 10K. I'm not sure she knows about the admiration I have for her, the pride I feel knowing all she accomplished with her running, how I brag about her running all those marathons and races. But even knowing all of this, I still asked. I wasn't sure if she would agree, I could tell she was hesitant when I first asked, saying things to the effect of "you have been running" and "she might not be able to keep up with me.". We chatted and I told her that I haven't been running as much as I had been last year and she could determine the pace, we could walk and run as much as she'd like. Eventually she agreed, it was about us running alone together for the first time. Don't get me wrong, we've run together with my dad, but never just us two. I didn't want to disappoint her.

The day of the race my parents arrived around 7:30 AM, ready to head down to Presque Isle. It was cool but thank heavens it wasn't raining... or snowing for that matter. My stomach had butterflies and I kept thinking what if I can't keep up with her, what if I trip on something, what if, what if, what if? We get down there and do a quick jog to warm up. My shins were killing me, I just thought ugh. We lined up and once the horn blew the adrenaline kicked in and we were off. I was thinking how awesome it was to be running next to my Mom, that we were doing something special that day, that sense of pride I've had all these years flooded back to the surface. We chugged along the course at our pace. Neither of us like to talk while we run so it worked out well. I had my music in, the iPod spits out how far you went / how many kilometers left which I would tell my Mom. She would just nod. We walked and ran multiple times, but we finished in a little under 35 minutes, together. Come to find out my Mom took 2nd in her age group, how awesome is that? My Dad and my son were there to see us cross the finish line and capture video of us running by, together.

While this Mother's Day may not have been traditional, I wouldn't change it for the world. I got to run a race with my mother, side-by-side. We kept getting passed by a race-walker which for some reason irritated me, it may have been my competitive nature. Come to find out it irritated my Mom as well, lol. We both thought how can someone walking walk faster than us running? It was a great start to the day and hopefully a new tradition. It's never too late to make memories with your family, even if you're on The Backside of Forty.

Mom, I love you with all my heart and want to thank you for sharing that very special day with me. I am so proud of everything you've accomplished, I am proud to call you mother.

Us passing by on our way to the finish line

Mom & I after the race

The Lost Art of Cooking Eggs

Confession...I'm an egg cooking snob! Whenever, wherever I go to eat eggs I critique what I receive. How they look, how they taste, were they made to order, you name it, I talk...well usually complain about it. Most (98%) of the time I'm disappointed and upset. To me cooking eggs is a no-brainer, it doesn't take a lot of talent to cook an egg to order. I'm not quite sure when we lost the ability to cook an egg but we did and society is no better for it. Ok...I may be exaggerating a tad, but there are A LOT of talents our parents, grandparents and so on had that we no longer do. Cooking an egg correctly is just one of many. Sense of community and neighborhoods is also going by the wayside. Yes, there are cities and neighborhoods where everyone knows each other and you can borrow that proverbial cup of sugar, but in many neighborhoods I've lived over the years it's simply not present. Kids aren't out of their houses playing at the crack of dawn and parents have to yell to get them to come back in. They are not in large packs playing football or Dodge Ball all hours of the day during summer breaks. This is just another symptom of how our society is changing and not necessarily for the better. But let's get back to my first soapbox, cooking eggs.

Eggs are a wonderfully simple form of food with a large egg being only about 70 calories and 6 grams of protein and almost no sugar. Plus they are filled with vitamins and minerals our bodies need: 

And what other food has so many ways to cook it? ~ maybe potatoes. There's a way to cook eggs to almost everyone's liking and herein lies the problem, even cooking the basics are messed up in today's restaurants. The waitress asks me, "How would you like your eggs cooked?" My response is usually, "Over-medium, please." She writes it down, gives the order to the cook, I wait patiently, out comes my order and what I get is over-easy which is NOT over-medium. Depending on how incorrectly cooked the eggs are and how much time I have, I will either send them back or just deal with the mess on my plate staring up at me. My son knows me well and asks, "Well, how'd they do Mom?" which I reply with a look of disgust and a, "What do you think?" We have a chuckle and eat our food. The waitress checks in on us but I rarely say a word. I just ask myself why would I bother? I understand that may be part of the issue too, just accepting sub-par results and not doing anything about it, not trying to make it better. But I have no desire to go on an egg cooking road show, no desire to make cooking eggs better one egg at a time. My apathy grows with each shell that's cracked.

With all this being said, I thought I'd share with you the basic styles of cooking eggs and just maybe you too will realize that as I society, we just can't cook eggs worth a darn anymore.

Sunny Side Up: The egg is cooked on the bottom side only, but long enough where the whites firm up. How they usually come out...with the whites still being clear and the yolks cold OR the backside burned and the whites are still clear. Don't get me wrong, I like to dip my toast sometimes, but if the white isn't white, I should have just cracked a raw egg directly into my mouth. To cook properly use medium heat and cover while cooking.







Over Easy: Very similar to Sunny Side Up except you cook 
both sides of the egg. These eggs are also great for dipping toast and no matter how I order my eggs in a restaurant, this is the preferred method for most of today's cooks. I'm thinking because it's easy, they don't have to pay attention during cooking and no one complains forcing them to actually pay attention in the kitchen. Medium-low heat for a couple minutes each side is best and a delicate flip so you don't break the yolk, gives you the results you want.

Over Medium: This is slightly more complex than the eggs above but it's not rocket science. This is what I attempt to order in restaurants, the words come out of my mouth, but I still get something other than Over Medium. Simply cook both sides a bit longer to allow the yolk to firm up with just a bit of liquid. If I can successfully do this at home, there is no reason a cook can't do it, heck they have a lot more practice that I do.

Over Well: You can also ask for Over Hard, the waitress should respond to both equally. Cook both sides of the egg, yolk will be completely firm, not runny, definitely not for dipping. Cook longer each side, they edges may be a bit crispy. For those of you afraid of salmonella, this is the egg for you. Folks this is NOT a Fried Egg, which is a style unto its own. Frying an egg and a Fried Egg are different.

Fried: Also known as Over Well Break the Yolk or more times than not Oops, My Bad. This is also another great way to eat an egg if you're afraid of dying from consumption of and these eggs are great for sandwiches. When you take a chomp, yolk won't ooze down your face like the Salvatore Brothers out for a midnight snack. The breaking of the yolk during cooking is usually caused by a bad flip, but if you're great at flipping, you'll need to poke open the yolk right before your first flip. Just be careful the yolk doesn't go all over if you're a zealous egg flipper.

Poached: There are multiple ways to poach an egg, but the basic idea is to cook the eggs with hot water out of the shell. This keeps the whites (albumin) in pristine condition. Poached eggs can be used in a variety of dishes, the most commonly known is Eggs Benedict, an unhealthy but yummy dish that takes advantage of hollandaise sauce and English muffins. I can honestly say I've never order this style in a restaurant, I've been too afraid of the results.





There are other ways to cook eggs, Scrambled, Hard Boiled & Soft Boiled (just a couple). Scrambled is a staple with my son mainly because they are hard to mess up and he can cook them himself (the hard to mess up part :-). If you want to ruin any health value of Scrambled eggs, order up cheesy eggs at any Waffle House restaurant and your arteries will clog just looking at the plate, but boy are they good. Darn, I'm getting hungry.

So next time you're out, take a look at your order, did the cook get it eggactly right? Probably not, they didn't bother to think about the request and how it wouldn't take them any longer to cook them to order, they simply cracked two eggs on the grill and a few seconds later, slapped them on your plate. Now your armed and dangerous with your egg knowledge, don't let this become The Forgotten Art of Cooking Eggs, bring that expertise back to the modern world, it'll be a better place because of it. I will now step down from my egg carton. Thank you.

Wantable v. Stitch Fix - Installment 2: The Clothes

Last blog I introduced you to clothing services for those that hate to shop and have no fashion sense: Stitch Fix & Wantable. Both services send clothing directly to your house, no traffic, no people, no endless hours of going from store to store. We discussed setting up your style profiles, styling and referral fees. Now I'll share with you what each service sent, cost of each piece, whether I kept anything, the check out and return processes. Without further ado, let's get to it.

I received my Stitch Fix box first. One thing I like about this service is the flexibility around how frequently you want to receive "Fixes" which range from every 2 - 3 weeks to every three months. This helps with budgeting. If you don't usually or can't afford buying things frequently, select every three months (once a quarter) so you aren't breaking the bank. My Wantable order arrived a couple weeks later. As you can see, both are packaged nicely. 

The Stitch Fix package which comes with return bag (free returns), cards for each item that show you possible outfits, including shoes and accessories and the purchase order with prices including application of your $20 styling fee and a 25% discount off your entire order if you keep all five pieces. The Wantable package which comes with return bag (free returns) and your order with a quick note from your stylist. Below are pictures of the actual pieces in each shipment. No, I'm not modeling any of them. Just like being stylish, I'm horrible at selfies.

Up first Stitch Fix:

SF Piece 1

SF Piece 2

SF Piece 5

SF Piece 4

                       

SF Piece 3

SF Piece 1 is a light, greenish-blueish top with pretty cut-outs on the arms and bottom of the shirt. It's made by Skies are Blue. It was a softer cotton-like material, loose fitting. The cost is $54. I didn't purchase the top, it made me feel frumpy and boring. SF Piece 2 is a navy, blue lace fitted skirt by Brixon Ivy. The cost for it is $74. I was torn regarding this skirt but ended up not purchasing it. For me $74 is a lot of money for just a skirt that had limited options for tops. SF Piece 5 is a black dress with floral pattern by London Times. This dress fit well, was an appropriate length for work and would look good with either a sweater or blazer. The cost for it is $68 and due to it's versatility I ended up purchasing this. SF Piece 4 is a silk-like red flowing shirt by Papermoon. I like the color and the potential of it being used for work or play. The cost for it is $44. The only thing wrong with this top was it was to wide and very flowy at the bottom. I felt like a maternity top and not flattering on me so I didn't purchase it. In this Fix they sent a necklace (Piece 3). Usually, they send five articles of clothing. The cost for the necklace is $32. I didn't purchase the necklace because I have similar items in my jewelry box and I could go to Kohl's and pick up something similar for half the price. Out of the five items, I purchased one. Stitch Fix applies your $20 styling fee you already paid against what you purchase. $48 was applied to my credit card. If I had purchased all five items, a "buy five" discount which would have saved $68 off the entire order. It's a great deal IF you like everything they send.

Let's take a look at my Wantable order now. As you can see above, very similar packaging.

Wantable Piece 5

Wantable Piece 4 

Wantable Piece 1

Wantable Piece 2

Wantable Piece 3

W Piece 1 is a black and white sweater from JOA with a cost of $48 (reduced from $64). It is cute to look at, but on it was short. If I lifted my arms it pulled up exposing areas that haven't been seen in public since before my son was born. No wonder it was reduced. Definitely and no. W Piece 2 is a casual, cotton shirt the kind you see in family pictures at the beach. Designed by Beach Lunch Lounge at a cost of $58, was also a no. It was too short to be a dress, too long and casual to tuck in and wear at work, it would serve no practical purpose in my wardrobe. W Piece 4 is a long top by Mod Ref for $48. It was cute, but see through. My philosophy is if I have to spend additional money to wear clothes from these services, it doesn't make sense to buy them in the first place. A no-go. W Piece 4 is the best of the lot, a layered salmon/pink top by Olive & Oak for $55 that would have looked great by itself, under a blazer or sweater. Unfortunately it had a stain right in the middle of it. Another rule of thumb, if there's a stain or tears, etc...I don't purchase the item. Give me something great that's not stained and we can talk. And finally W Piece 3, a printed romper by Kut for $48 (reduced from $78). I'm not a fan of one-piece outfits, the thought of having to go to the bathroom and taking off all my clothes just doesn't do it for me. What if it's an emergency or freezing? But, as I always do, I tried it on, I've been surprised by things before. It was a no, the shorts were way too short and the top just hung there. Every time I raised my arms the shorts rode up even farther...I have no desire to share my booty with the world. Overall, disappointed with this style edit plus, they offer a 20% discount if you wanted to purchase all five items. In this case it would have been $51.40 is savings.

The check out process varies slightly between the two services. Both ask you to select if you want to keep or return each item and asks you to click on reasons why you like or dislike the item. However Stitch Fix allows you to type in a review of each item during your check out process and leave a note for your stylist. Wantable doesn't allow you to leave notes on each piece during checkout, you have to go to a separate review section to leave written information about each piece,why it may or may not work for you. That's an extra step I'll probably never get back to, just being honest. Both companies provide a postage paid return bag, simply place the items in you're not keeping in, seal it up and drop it in your mailbox or your local USPS. Both send you an electronic receipt of what you purchased or email that you checked out. Overall the return process is simple and my mail person has never grumped about my return packages yet.

Both services allowed me to write a note to my stylist letting them know what I was looking for. In this case, I'm looking for mostly business casual items that I can wear to work and maybe a piece or two for casual. I've shared with them My Style board on Pinterest to give the a lot of ideas of colors, patterns, styles and fit that I like. As mentioned above Stitch Fix sends you cards for each piece, giving you ideas on how to wear that item, which I'm ALWAYS in need of. Included with those cards is a note from the stylist that put together my Fix. Regardless of who put the box together, they always mention having reviewed My Style board on Pinterest and also mention how to put together items in the box if possible. Wantable doesn't provide this, they simply give you a one-liner about what other items might be able to pair with the piece. They do have a Stream feature that shows other pieces which I say I like them and they'll try and include it in my next shipment. I'll be looking into this feature to see if it will allow the stylist to put together an edit that's more suited to my style.

Overview of these orders:

Stitch Fix	Wantable
- Five piece cost: $272	- Five piece cost: $257
- 25% discount: $68	- 20% discount: $51.40
- Total: $184	- Total: $185.60
- Kept 1 items	- Kept 0 items

At this time I'm favoring Stitch Fix, it feels like they offer a bit more service and ease of use. However, I haven't had an issues or had to work with customer service on anything. I'm going to give both a second order, see if either can get closer to my style. Fingers crossed.

I'll follow up with your regarding what they send in the next month or so. Until then, if anyone has used either service or a similar service not mentioned here, I'd love to hear from you and try the service giving you credit. If you want to try either service for yourself, click on the links above and sign up. Until next time, have a wonderful day!

Wantable v. Stitch Fix - Installment 1

There's a couple things that I've learned about myself in my 40+ years, first - I have horrible fashion sense, second - I hate to shop for clothes. I can put outfits together that match, but are they stylish and trendy, probably not. To understand what's "in" right now, I'd have to flip through magazines, read articles and watch what "the stars" are wearing. Honestly, I don't have the time or desire. That doesn't mean I don't want to look good at work or elsewhere. Next, I hate shopping, probably because I don't know how to put outfits together and because trying to find pieces that fit and are comfortable is painful. I know what you're thinking, I'm a female that doesn't like to shop, what's wrong with me? Nothing! I simply haven't prioritized it high in my I've Gotta Get Stuff Accomplished pile. I'd rather pull on a pair of jeans and shirt then go watch my son play whatever sport is current for the season.

The dilemma I've run into is work. Rule of thumb is dress for the position you want. Ugh...which means that I need to step it up a bit. I'm in IT middle management currently and would like to go a couple steps more on the proverbial corporate ladder. Which means I need to dress a bit nicer. Don't get me wrong, I don't go to work looking like a slob, but I tend to be a bit more business casual than I should. But I really don't want to be in boring suits and blouses all the time, I've gotta have color and pattern mixed in with the straight business look, again, I'm horrible at putting it all together. Which has lead me to check out two services: Stitch Fix & Wantable. Both will put together a shipment of five items for you to review in the privacy of your own home for a $20 charge that can be applied to your purchases for that shipment. Once you get your package, you have five days to try on the items and decide if you want to keep or return them. The items you don't want can be returned free of charge.

The stylist fee, amount of time to try on the items and free returns is the same for both companies. Wantable also offers this service for cosmetics, intimates, accessories and fitness, they took my shoe size but it wasn't clear if shoes could be included. Stitch Fix only offers clothing and shoes at this time; however Stitch Fix has a referral bonus of $25 for each friend that signs up under you once they place their first order, Wantable has $10 for referrals. In addition, Stitch Fix allows you to pick different frequencies for your deliveries from every two to three weeks to every other month; Wantable only has monthly at this time.

"How will the stylist know what I like and don't like?" you may ask. Each service takes you through a survey where you list your sizes, how you like things to fit, what styles and colors you like and don't like, both are similar in what they ask which gets you the end result of providing some information to the person putting your box together. 

Screen from Stitch Fix style profile

Screen from Wantable style profile

Screen from Wantable style profile

As you can see from the screen shots, the questions are similar just the mechanism to select what you like and dislike are slightly different. I suppose some folks have their preferences, personally I found both sites easy to use and easy to complete the questionnaires. 

In the next installment, I will show you pictures of the items each sends, prices and how closely it matches my style profile. I'll share with you the return process and my overall feelings about each service once they deliver.

If you have experience, good or bad, with either service, I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to share pictures of the items you receive, prices, issues, etc. 

Until then, have a great day!

Review: Hot & Sour Soup Recipe

Hot & Sour Soup along with General Tso's Chicken are the two recipes that I judge all Chinese restaurants by. Yes, I understand that the General's chicken is not true Chinese food, but when I want deep-fried chicken pieces in a savory sauce over rice, all of which I try not to eat, this is my go-to dish. Hot & Sour Soup on the other hand, isn't that bad, just don't look at the milligrams of salt. Luckily at this point in my life, the only reason I watch my salt intake is so I don't feel puffy the next day.

I ran across this recipe from Wegman's for Hot & Sour Soup, and thought I'd give it a whirl. If it's easy AND good, I could skip the restaurant version and simply whip it up at home. I cooked it yesterday and it is YUMMY, but took a bit more prep time and dirty dishes than I had hoped. I'll share some time cutting tips below, keep in mind I'm just too cheap sometimes to buy pre-minced, diced and cut products. In this case, it worked out well, my son wanted to help, so I put him to work. My counters and stove top were messier than usual, I really need to work with him on his stirring and measuring skills, but it was quality time spent with him. He even said it smelled great, but wouldn't try it because of the mushrooms. I told him that someday, he'll like them, lol.

Ingredients:

1 tbs Vegetable Oil (I actually used flavorless coconut oil) 
1 lb Ground Pork 
2 tbs minced Garlic (time saver = purchase a jar of pre-minced garlic)
2 tbs peeled, minced fresh ginger (time saver = purchase pre-minced ginger)
2 pkgs (5 oz each) Sliced Shiitake Mushrooms (I used baby 'Bellas)
64 oz Chicken Broth (time saver = purchase pre-made)
3 tbs Cornstarch 
4 tbs water 
1/2 cup  Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce 
2 tsp ground white pepper 
1 tsp salt 
1/2 cup Rice Vinegar 
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil 
1 Large Egg, beaten 
3-4  green onions, thinly sliced on bias, for garnish

Directions:

Prep first - got out everything needed ingredients, knife, mincer, grater, cutting board, large spoon, stockpot, 2 small bowls, measuring cups and spoons.

Cleaned and minced the garlic. Cleaning is the most time consuming part. First I smash the clove a bit to crack the outside, then I peel, then mince. Peeled the ginger (BIG pain), then minced. If you've ever minced ginger, it's a stringy root that takes a bit of muscle. Plus it gets juicy, making it hard to hold. I managed to snag my fingertips a couple times. In the famous words of Monty Python's the Black Knight, "It's just a flesh wound." 

Beating the egg (easiest part of the whole prep).

1. Heat oil in stockpot on MED-HIGH. Add pork; cook, stirring to break up large pieces, 2-3 min, until browned. Add garlic, ginger, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring, 3-4 min.

2. Add broth; bring to simmer. Cook 10 min. Add cornstarch and water to small bowl; stir to combine. Set aside.

3. Add soy sauce, pepper, salt, rice vinegar, and sesame oil to pot; stir to combine. Add cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly. Drizzle egg into soup, stirring constantly. Garnish soup with green onions before serving.

I ended up letting it simmer for about 15 min while I cleaned up. Once the prep is done, the cooking is really easy. Ladled the soup into the bowl then sat down to watch some Hawaii 5-0. The soup has great flavor, I'm going to add a bit more pepper next time to increase the heat a tad and the baby 'Bellas didn't change the flavor. I would have liked a bit more pork, so I'll probably bump the quantity up to 1.5 lbs. Also, if you don't want pork, tofu could be added, bits of chicken or other protein, just as easily. As you can tell from the recipe, it makes a lot of soup. I'm planning on freezing part for future eating.

Bottom line, I'll be making this again. Nothing beats a good cup of soup, especially on a cold winter's day. Enjoy!

Snap, Crackle & Pop in the Morning

Old TV Commercial

For those of you in your 40s and older, I'm sure you remember these guys from Saturday morning cartoons and the commercials companies played aimed directly at us. Yes, at one point cartoons were only on Saturdays and right after school. Now I enjoy these sounds every morning walking down the stairs for the first time and throughout the day, as I traverse the many stairwells at work. Many of you know what I'm talking about and if you don't yet, it's coming. It's the sounds your various joints make when being used the first time that day. For me, it's my knees that ring out in alarm saying, "Lady, what the heck are you thinking moving us like that? Are you an idiot? We're not warmed up yet!" And as the years pass, my knees become more and more vocal AND they like to get their friends, my hips, ankles and elbows, to sing along. While it may be music to them, anyone that has the pleasure of walking along side me when they start their chorus always asks, "What was that?! Are you ok?" I just chuckle and keep moving, they pipe down shortly anyway.

So anyone who has joints that Snap, Crackle & Pop...welcome to the Backside of Forty!

Is Cam Newton an A$$ or Just Young?

Folks, I'm not a sports enthusiast, although I do like a good game regardless of the sport, nor am I a football aficionado, but I'm a mother raising a son and know good and bad behavior when I see it. And no I don't consider farting and fart noises bad behavior, annoying...yes, in church...embarrassing. Cam Newton's recent behavior after the Super Bowl and all the hype from the harpies that call themselves reporters, has me thinking about this topic. It's actually not just Cam we should be talking about, it's all childish behavior displayed by purported adults, especially those who are public figures and role models. But that topic would go on endlessly.

My immediate reaction to Cam's behavior was, "What a childish a-hole he is, how embarrassing for the Panthers." It was a knee-jerk reaction that many of us felt. The reaction he had to losing the Super Bowl is along the same lines as my son losing at a game of Life or Monopoly. And no, I don't let my son win anymore just to let him, if he beats me it's fair and square. Then I stopped to think about things. Cam Newton is 26 years old and a QB for an NFL team, that's the top of the heap, the elite, the best football has to offer (we won't get into the college versus pro debate). At 26, I was working and going out drinking and partying every night. He's only been in the NFL since 2011 (I believe, don't quote me), five teeny, tiny years. I've been working in the IT industry for over 15 years and I'm still learning to be a leader and a manager, plus I'm in my late 40's, I've had more life experience than he has. As much as I try, I still get passionate from time to time, my humanness gets the best of me. With all that said, is Cam really the a$$hole he's made out to be?

Honestly after looking at my life, where I was at that age and the fact he just lost the Super Bowl, the BIGGEST game of the year for football, I think I'd be upset too and I sure as heck wouldn't want to talk about the details of how I lost ad nauseum to news vultures, asking the same question a different way, over and over. I did see that he went over to Peyton Manning and congratulated him I also saw a grown man cry from the Panthers. Winning or losing is a big deal to these guys, it's their job to be passionate about their work. With that being said though...when my son pouts and acts like a sore loser after a game, I work on correcting his behavior, because no one likes being around someone who can't lose gracefully and for that matter, I don't let him be a gloating jerk when he wins. For some it takes years to master the art of winning and losing with grace. Cam Newton isn't there yet. I'm not sure if he's close to his mom, but I would hope she would tell him not to display that kind of behavior, he's better than that. Explain to him how to be a leader to his team, and leading by example when losing, will be something that he'll have to learn.

Cam is definitely a talented ball player, he couldn't have gotten where he is at age 26 if he wasn't. And in professional sports, there's nothing wrong with confidence in yourself and your team, you have to have that. If I was part of the Panther's organization, I'd hire a coach to help teach Cam leadership, how to put on a "game face" even after you lost the big game, how to answer the myriad of questions being fired at you to elicit a reaction, to teach him to be a graceful winner and loser. If the Panther's won't do it for him, he should consider doing it for himself. He's a public figure and role model to many aspiring athletes. They will be looking to him at critical points in his career and want to emulate his behavior on and off the field. Do the right thing Cam and let this be an exception and not a rule. We are human and make mistakes, let it be a one-time thing and move on. Be everything you can be...and more.