[geneve]

Getting hotter.....will it be shorts or kaftans this summer?

[Jen]

Hi all. Just thought I would let you know that I bought a very expensive pair of running shoes yesterday. Between the shoes and the stroller I have spent over $500 on this latest quest to lose weight. I have been walking/jogging these past few days, gradually working up to it. I"ll get there eventually!!

Happy Easter everyone, stay away from the chocolate!

[bc]

Jen, with that investment YOU WILL DO IT! I have faith, good to know at least one of us will be wearing shorts this summer......showing off those runners thighs

Geneve, I bet you will make it too. That walk sounds wonderful. I would love to be able to walk like that along the water....even if I was some distance away a sporadic glimps would be good enough for me.

I won't even talk about my status. At least my kids are cute I am trying to make better choices and what sweets I have had have been much less than if I was totally bounding out of control. I just need to find a way and I suspect it won't entail sitting in front of the computer.



Barb

[Jen]

barb, there is nothing wrong with being on the computer now and then. I try to limit my time on the computer too but still sometimes you need some time to yourself do to something that is relaxing and fun. You'll get there, don't worry about it. I know you are thinking a lot about what you need to do and I've seen plenty of studies on how people make big changes in their life and you are in the complentative stage. Eventually you'll move on to the planning and action stage when you are ready.

Went to see the grandmother's yesterday. Talk about a study in contrasts. My husband's mother is the guilt trip artist. I suspect she doesn't even know she is doing it anymore. My mother plays more with the baby but she is so critical of everything I do. Also she is trying to tell me that me and my brothers were content babies who never cried. What a crock! I come away from her place feeling like I am the worst mother in the world but I know that I'm not. One of these days I'm going to ask her if she enjoys making me feel like doggy doo.

Haven't got out with the new shoes yet. Gonna try this morning. Been drinking lots of water and the diet hasn't been too bad. How is everyone else doing?

[geneve]

WHO INVENTED EASTER EGGS THEN?WHAT WAS WRONG WITH CHICKEN'S EGGS? WHY CHOCOLATE?
No, I'm not sitting here feeling sick from eating too much chocolate, really I'm not
I would have been OK as I only got one, BUT my 7 month old got as many as the 4 year old. By Sunday afternnon, Ted was trying to give his away....we took a load of little ones we were given to friends we knew had kids staying, I hid them in the garden and they had an egg hunt...so we got some back again THEN they gave us a load more. And it's PMT time for me. We still have loads of the damn things left. I never want to look at choclate again.
AND it's the start of the school Easter holidays so almost impossible to get to tthe gym.
SSSO NOW I have to pick myself up, and start all over again,.
I WANT TO BE THIN. I WANT TO BE THIN. I WANT TO BE THIN MORETHAN I WANT TO EAT CHOCOLATE EGGS SO WHY AM I STILL EATING THE EGGS?????????????

Jen....your folks sound sooo sweet. You and me should get ourselves adopted

[Jen]

I want to be thin too!!! Hey we'll get there. Just think how long it took to gain all this weight...if we lose the weight in a year or 2 we should be laughing.

Throw those blasted eggs in the garbage!! If people want to give you presents why don't they give your kids a toy or something useful like clothes. Nobody needs that much chocolate, not you or your kids.

Went out jogging/walking today. I'm doing it according to this program in Runner's World. One week you do this, the next you do this and so on. In 10 weeks or so I should be mostly jogging. Today was not too bad though I was beet red for about an hour afterwards. I did a lot better than I thought I would.

Take care all.

[bc]

I confess I have eaten some of those chocolate eggs. at least I made a vow to only buy the good stuff and buy much less of it. My children are much older and they keep me from eating very much. They even raided out Easter basket and claimed the candy as their own. I have to admit I was ok with that.

I did the Precor today for half an hour. I also went on a walk with Isabelle to the coffee shop where my friend works. She wasn't working so I just had a cup of coffee and left. It is much more fun going there when she is working.

I also watched what I ate today. I am sure I was well within my points range.

I have a splitting headache and he is about 6feet tall. Seriously my husband is going through some midlife crisis and he keeps laying it on me. I wonder if I will be able to have my own midlife crisis or if I will be too busy deflecting his.

Did I tell you about my lotions? They are thick as cream and satisfy my urge to use fat. I have added them to my soapmaking and lip balms. My skin should be very pampered. I guess putting the oils outside of my body is better than inside.

Look for a report tomorrow. I want to do the Precor again!



Barb

PS also took my vitamins

[geneve]

Souns like you two are doing really well. I am inspired.
Slim fast fro breakfast and everything back to normal. I am going to put all the eggs left into one box and stick them in my sons room. He can eat them, as he is nice and slim and has lovely teeth (Fathers genes) , he doesn't care for sweets that much, so I expect they will get thrown away when he's not looking. i iwll not be eating any more of them.
Am going to go to the gym after DH finishes work.
My friend had a baby last night...4 weeks early!She won't be joining us though...she's very slim, but it will be nice to have some baby company.
must go kids fighting.
I love shcool holidays.
geneve

[Jen]

Hi all. Well a lot has happened since I last posted. The hubby got fired last week. It wasn't a big surprise or anything and frankly I think it is something of a relief. I'm hoping that some of the stress induced headaches he has been having for the past year will now be relieved. We aren't in a bind financially as he got several weeks of severance plus he has 2 weeks of vacation owing so we are good for a couple of months. Also he has been working on the side for this other company that will hire him outright when they have got enough business to keep him employed. Between that and a couple of other freelance things he has picked up we should be okay til I go back to work. By then he should have this other job so everything should be fine. The big issue is whether or not we will kill each other after spending so much time together!

I started my run/walking last week. I ran on Monday, ran 1 min. walked 3 minutes and did this 7 times. Wednesday I started out and my knees were just killing me. I figured I went too fast on Monday. I managed to get through it though. I rested on Thursday, no exercise at all, then Friday I went for a walk, the knees were still sore. I ran Saturday, knees were not too bad. Today I went for a walk, halfway through the knees were ready to give out. I'm not sure what to do now. I'll see how they are tomorrow. Basically I'm taking it day by day though I'm thinking I might have to just take a week off with no exercise altogether to get my knees back to normal. I think I could probably ride my exercise bike. That's not weight bearing so it should be okay for my knees.

Drake has been in one of those whiny/crying moods these past 2 days. It is driving me nuts! I'm about ready to throw myself on the bed and have a tantrum out of frustration. It doesn't seem to matter what I do, I just can't get him to calm down sometimes. He isn't hungry, his diaper is fine, he won't go to sleep, I move him around from room to room, in his exerciser, in his stroller, in his crib. He's in his crib right now watching his mobile. At least he is being quiet (for now, knock on wood). I know it will pass but does it drive me nuts.

Well take care all, hope things are better with everyone than here!

[geneve]

Jen,Much as I generally disaprove of people who do this I am sending you a hug.....cannot think of anything else to do. Please take care of yourself.
As you may rememebr Andrew was off work 8 months last year, and I do have a handy hint. Get HIM to look after Drake, you'll find he's back in employument as soon as he can!Seriously, I know your husband has been very unhappy and it's good he has somewhere he can work but i do hope all the stress doesn't get passed on to you.
Running is very hard on your knees and shins if you are overweight especially if you run on a hard surface like tarmac. Be careful, fast walking is almost as good for you and much less impact. Enzo Ferrari of the car farme said that a good engineer should always wear shoes with think soles to protect his precious brain from imapct!You need to treat your knees with equal care.
Drake sounds like he's teething, which as I'mSUR you know can drag on forever without anmy actual signs of teeth.
Leo now has 6 and more on the way. He also has conjunctivitis for the second timein his life. Ted has one of those almost colds.
We were going out today but I will make him stay in and watch the Queen Mother's funeral. I am not a great one for the royals but this country does excel at these events. I watched her grandsons mounting vigil by the coffin last night and was moved to tears....msut be my hormones!!!!!!
Look once agin No mention of a diet. I have renewed confidence, the scales are creeping VERY slowly down and people are starting to notice I look thinner, I am going to carry on exercising and try to eat healthily without counting calories, that way I might actually enjoy it. Did I tell you about my brother? He was very big, changed jobs from teacher to postman and has lost it all over 2 years without dieting (so he says ) he never weighs himself (these things seem so much easier for the men) but he was v.fat now looks normal, and he never runs, just walks.
Good luck all of you, if you want my e-mail jen let me know.
Geneve

[bc]

Jen, I don't know what to say....... I know you will do just fine. I second Geneve's suggestion you get your husband to watch over Drake, not only will it give him a taste of what it is really like, but it will give you a much needed break too.

I think Drake is teething too. They really do fuss and you have no idea why and then a week or two later the teeth make a showing. You know it IS ok to leave him to cry when you are at your wits end. Just make sure he is in a safe place (like the crib) and you aren't too far away (like visiting Geneve ). We all know these things pass with babies, but when we are in the thick of things we can't imagine it any different.

Geneve, sounds like you are doing well! Good.

My kids are off next week, as is my husband. I hope we all survive.


Barb

[Jen]

Hi all. Thanks for your words of encouragement. So far things are okay with the hubby being home. Actually he is keeping busy doing freelance work so we are getting on fine.

Drake was better yesterday. Oh believe me I have left him in his crib for a few minutes on several occasions while I sit and take some deep breaths. I'm sure he's got some more teeth coming in, once they do break the gum he is usually better. That's what happened with the first 2 anyway.

I did go and buy a good pair of running shoes and I'm running on ashphalt not concrete so I don't think it is that. I really do think that I just overdid it the first day. Went for a walk Monday and yesterday and my knees are still very sore. I've decided just to take a whole week off and not do any walking or running. I will go on my exercise bike though, that is not weight bearing so my knees shouldn't get worse from that. So I'll see next week how my knees are and have another go at running but much, much slower this time.

Barb - I know exactly what you mean about not making it through spending so much time with the family. The hubby and I fight a lot if we spend so much time together. I hope he gets this job soon.

Geneve - I watched some of the Queen Mother's funeral. It was quite moving really. Good to hear that the scales are creeping downwards, sounds like you are doing very well. Keep it up!

[geneve]

Hi Barb, wouldn't it be nice if we could visit? Long trip for me though!
I have family in New Jersey and Toronto, but no prospect of a trip over the pond this year, I need a bigger car (current model is the VW Polo my Dad gave me when I had Ted, to replace my beloved sports) and as they cost much more over here I suspect all my holidays will be within driving distance.
I have a VERY odd request fro you here Barb, but I'm at my wits end. Do you ever go to, or know anyone who goes to the Crayola Factory in Pennsylvania? Told you it was an odd request, but if you do then can I request a bit of shopping? My son has a T-shirt I bought him there last year and he will not be parted from it, it usually gets washed and dried while he is at school but the holidays have been a bit fraught. I looked on the website to buy another one but they only seem to have adults. I am going to write to them anyway,they were very sweet there (strongly recommend it, Ted thought it was much better than Disney!!!)and I'm sure if I sent them the money and postage they would help me. I think I should buy one every size to adult! I wouldn't mind but it's a really loud tie dye number, all colours...at least I can't lose him in a crowd.
On the other hand, I could carry on with the 2 door polo and go to New York again....would be the most expensive t-shirt in history!!!
Good luck with the holidays, I have my nephew coming to stay from today, so expect to be totally certifiable by the weekend. Have promised London on Saturday and booked a trip to Lego land (UGH! )for later in the month. It will al end in tears. Probably mine.
I want to open a Crayola factory here, or even better one of those climbing exercise things they have for kids (bouncey castles and all that) scaled up for adult use...you could get fit and have fun at the same time!
Baby asleep, i have been rocking him in his pram. He fell off the bed this morning in one of those 'I only turned my back for a minute' moments. They have beoth been really grizzly today, went to see my friend who has had the hysterectomy, not sure who looked more bedraggled, or felt more jealous...she wants kids, I fancy a few weeks peace in a plush hospital full of drugs!

[geneve]

Hi Jen if you're still on line!

[bc]

Geneve, I have been to the Crayola factory about three or four years ago. It is fun and the kids were entertianed. It is about two or three hours for us, something I am sure you would make in a heartbeat........however I haven't got artists for kids and they end up watching me happily do all of the crafts. I bet if they have the t-shirts they will be happy to send you one.

The town I live in is a bit of a hippy town and tie dye shirts abound, even when they aren't the trend. If you want a tye dyed shirt I can oblige..... we could get it VERY colorful.

Jen, what does your husband do? Could he work full time freelancing? It might be good for him to be his own boss, or it might drive you crazy!

The house is quiet right now. I got the kids off to school and Isabelle is still sleeping. I haven't had any coffee and yet, cause of the quiet, I feel all things are possible. Have a good day ladies.



Barb