[shannonmb]

Hi all,

I'm new to this site, and I LOVE it so far! I posted and read the Friday chat, and everyone was so sweet and welcoming! I also love that you gals talk about other stuff besides this dang battle with weight. I LOVE the support, but there's more to life, am I right???

Anyway, last year around this time, I started to really get into a good mind-set lost some lbs, then when the cold weather hit I sorta lost focus, gained a few back. But it's spring, time to come out of hibernation and get back in the game.

Sooo, I've really been trying to really hard to get more active and enjoy life more, both for myself and for my 7 year old, Lily. I work 12 hour nights, so I have 4 days off a week. I struggle with being tired all the time, but we have been having such fun lately. Wednesday after school and ballet lesson we went to a park with walking trails, Thursday we took our puppy to a dog park for the first time (a blast!), then today we went to the indoor pool at our gym. I've been making healthy and delicious meals for the family every night, and we've actually been sitting down at the table instead of the three of us just going our separate ways. I've been trying hard to be good mommy, no??

So this evening after I cleaned up the dinner dishes, I had a little more energy and decided to put the 2 baskets of clean laundry away that I hadn't gotten around to. It was hot upstairs and I'm up there starting to sweat, which I HATE when I'm not exercising, and Lily starts bawling because she can't find the cover of her Hannah Montana CD. Mind you, she found the CD, just not the cover. As I'm working on the laundry, she comes up at least 6 times to ask me to help her find it, to which I replied, "As soon as I'm done with this I will help you" -- nice and calm. So she goes downstairs and throws herself on the couch crying at the top of her lungs that if she doesn't find the cover she's going to be a loser at school on Monday for treats n tunes. Finally I get the laundry done and go downstairs. The living room TV is blasting, so I YELL "CAN WE PLEASE TURN THE TV DOWN???" Still sobbing, whining, etc. Of course DH is down in the other family room, happily watching a MASH rerun with HIS TV blasting as well. Lily follows me down, as I proceed to yell, "CAN WE TURN this TV DOWN!!!!" Then, bad mommy, I YELL, "IF YOU DON'T STOP WHINING RIGHT NOW I'M NOT HELPING YOU FIND IT!!!!" So she immediately stops whining, I told her we had the whole weekend to find it, and she drops the subject. Then she went to bed.

Now here I am, feeling guilty about losing my temper after we've had such fun days together. Of course between the stress and guilt, I would normally be munching something greasy by now, but I decided to post instead!

Kids! They sure make taking care of YOURSELF hard sometimes. Anyone ever experience this??? Sorry so long!!!!!!!

[luvmyfam]

Yes, yes, yes!

We have a 12 year-old son and a 4 year-old daughter, AND we home-school, so I rarely get a break. I love my kiddos. They are both smart and fun. But they are also both very energetic, mischievous kids. The little one...oy!

I had the worst case of PMS I've had in a long time last week and a week or two before that (I was 10 days late...not pg, but it wreaked havoc on me). I didn't have patience with anyone and 'bout bit dh's head off more than once. UGH. I was so mad at myself, and got so depressed over #1: negative pg. tests, #2: no period coming so I was miserable and #3: the scale not seeming to budge, probably due to water retention.

But AF arrived on the 18th, and interestingly enough, I went and weighed in at the Weight Watchers center that day and I was down 3 lbs from the 8th.

It's been a slower loss this week, all my own fault because I gave in to too many cravings.

But the big area for me where the kidlets kind of hinder things is exercise. I know I should be able to, if nothing else, pop in a DVD and work out here. But I just get distracted. And I can't really do the walking thing dh is doing because I feel like I'm cheating the kids out of the playground if all we're doing is walking, and I'm pushing the 4 y/o in the stroller (I couldn't get ANY worthwhile walking in if I let her walk), so I can't just go for it, kwim?

I feel awful because I've had a short fuse recently. I'm trying hard not to let stress over outside influences get the better of me, but it's hard!

Just wanted to let you know you're not alone here.

Hope tomorrow is a better day for you!

[LBH]

Burhenns, Oh yes...go read the "kids" thread that is stickied up top! I lose my patience on a daily basis with my kids. If not for my daily happy pill, I'd probably of killed them by now! Seriously, if you want to commiserate, go post in that thread and tell us what's happening! If not support, we can at least relate!

[GainingWeightInLa]

I've got another "good" story. Last night (after working a terribly stressful day at work yesterday) my son and DH went to ball practice. I stay home with my 3 yr old to cook. (I work 2 days per week...thur and fri...am home with DD rest of week) I boil my shrimp, bake my potato, fix my salad. She pitches a fit for macaroni and cheese....I fix that too. By this time, I'm STARVING! So I fix her plate, fix my plate, fix our drinks. We sit down at the table to eat (DS and DH still at practice, but DD was hungry, so we go ahead without them....unusual for us...we usually eat together at supper). She starts in first thing asking for my shrimp. I (begrudgingly to myself) give her 3 or 4 of my shrimp....which irritates me (although I don't let her know that) because I'm soo hungry and only fixed enough for DH and myself to eat. Then she asks me if I'll share my drink with her (I had diet coke, she had apple juice, which she told me she wanted, but then changed her mind). I agree, but tell her NOT to spill it because I don't have anymore (I'm a diet coke freak...I'm addicted...literally!!). So she takes a drink and puts it back on the table. Eats a little more. Then goes to take another drink...and spills it ALLLLLLLLLLLLL on the table and floor. Okay, so now not only am I completely out of coke and nothing that I want to drink with my meal, but she's eaten probably 1/4 of my shrimp and I have to stop eating to clean up her mess, which I had JUST told her not to make!! I say (very loudly), "I TOLD YOU NOT TO SPILL IT!!!!!! NOW I HAVE NO COKE LEFT AND I HAVE TO CLEAN UP YOUR MESS!!!!!!" Of course, immediately I feel bad because I know she didn't do it on purpose.......but am still angry. And she never stops jabbering.....just about stuff...nothing in particular....just jabbering and asking TONS of questions about nonsense things. I was glad when she went to bed last night.

[shannonmb]

Ahh, so I'm not the only one who loves DD more than life itself but sometimes drives me out of my mind!!

I think I'll go check out the "kids" thread. I'll probably end up there pretty often!

gainingwtinLA, I am also addicted to diet pop, and am pretty stingy with it! I don't even think MINE would have gotten a sip if it was my last one!