Support Groups - Stay at Home Moms #218

Welcome all to a thread full of wonderful women taking on the responsibilty of raising a family and trying to take care of themselves too. Please feel free to jump right in a say hello and to all you regular posters I look forward to another wonderful day with you!

Good morning gals! I've decided I need a fresh start today with the diet . . . I've been way off plan the last two days and as you know, kind of lacking in good choices the past week or so. So, Today I'm back on track. I was thinking about how much weight I've lost and how I truly don't want to gain it all back. DH and I talked and he was first to admit he was being immature and, in his words , should just "get over it." So I'm feeling better about that. I think maybe this afternoon I'll take Liam out to run errands so he has some time to work on editing our home movies (his big project).

Kristin- sorry Sydney was so out of sorts while you were eating out :( And, I totally agree with you about the teething spit up thing. I know docs say it isn't connected, but I'm thinking, "Are you with the baby 24/7?" How can it be just coincidence that when he teeths, his tummy bothers him too?

Spryng- How do you feel? Know what you mean about needing lots of stuff. I know when I get the stuff we desperately need today, I'll blow the remainder of this motnth's budget. Luckily it resets on the 26th :lol: DH is really proud of my weight loss - he announces how many pounds I've lost to friends and family :lol: It's actually quite cute. I love pizza - one of my favorite things to eat! Big Brother was interesting last night, eh?

Geri- thanks for the blessings against TOM :D He'll be here any minute and I kind of can't wait so that I can be remotivated. THose resistance band type things really do work - I've used one before.

Angel- I don't think your wine on the gums suggestion is crazy. We've also been told rub rum or whiskey on his gums . . . well, we were told that by someone from France :lol3: You had lots of cleaning!Bet you were relieved once all that was done.

Crystal - glad the girls enjoyed the movie - I'm sure Andrew will very soon. My godson's first movie was Finding Nemo and he was enthralled with the movie theater, big screen, etc. After it was over, he asked his mother: "Can we get a TV like that at home?" She was like, "Hmm . . . typical boy, right?" :lol: I love that story - it's so cute!

Michelle- glad you got lots of rest - that's always a good thing! Yeah - Flexpoints is a bit different - I guess you could use 2 flexpoints each day to bring you up to 26 points if you wanted to. A Finding Nemo theme is cute! You could have water guns as favors, goldfish crackers, etc.

Mel- I'll let you know when the stuff arrives. Can't wait to see it! Of course, DH is probably going to think I spent more money on clothing for Liam :) With the Tylenol - I had given him some, but he was still really fussy for an hour and a half after that so I'm not sure- but then the fussiness did pass, thankfully. I think if it had been the nanny watching him, I would have felt better because she has lots of experience, but the sitter we were using is a 19-year-old and she seemed frustrated with him when we came home from the movie. So, that made me feel wary about the whole thing, because when he's fussy you need lots of patience with Liam :)

Okay, Liam is waking up - I'll post later . . .

Good Morning!!

I had a horrible nightmare so I'm up already hopefully I can go back to sleep soon :( I hate my over active imagination sometimes. TOM should be here soon I'm not looking forward to it!! My weigh in is today also so we'll see what my friend the scale has to say to me lol. I haven't gotten out of bed to weigh yet, its too warm and cozy here.

Spryng - Hubby was thinking of buying an older house to fix up and then I reminded him that we needed to have the money to fix it up lol so his opinion on that changed quickly lol. So the house that we ended up buying is 50 years old and recently renovated so it doesn't need much work at all just to finish framing up the basement. You'll have to let me know how that enchilada casserole is, I have to go dig out the recipe and copy and paste it.

Leigh - I would have done the same thing if one of my girls was sick. Also I use ibuprofen more than tylenol for the girls when they are in pain it seems to work better for some reason. I'm so confused with some of the WW stuff because the old program says 24 points and the new one says 26 with 35 flexpoints. The info that came with mine said 26 points a day, maybe Spryng can shed some light on this ;) I hope Liam is feeling better today. Let us know :)

Nothing big planned here today but just spending time with the family. Hopefully it will be nice out and we can go for a swim and we are planning on taking the girls to the park to feed the ducks too so that should be fun and I'll take some pics for you guys :)

Well I'm gonna surf the net a little then try and go back to sleep.
Love to all!!
Michelle

Michelle- thanks for posting the new thread alert - I completely forgot! I'm sorry you had a bad dream - that's no fun. Liam seems to be in a much better mood today, so that's good. Yeah, maybe Spryng will have more info on the points differences. Hope you fall back asleep soon!

Good morning all!!

I was in bed by 10:30 last night and up at 7:40 so I feel pretty good today. My cold is dissapating, so I'm happy about that too. What does everyone have planned for today? Well, once again I am going to attempt to clean this house, lol. I only got dishes done yesterday, the kids picked up the living room because they wanted to play my gamecube and that is the condition on them playing it. Oh and before they went to bed we picked up their rooms. So today I need to work on more dishes, counters, floor, table top, laundry and vacuum too. We'll see how much I get done, lol. I'm not sure what I want for dinner tonight. Maybe I'll make one of those casseroles. I froze all the leftover bbq beef yesterday because it was so good and I want to share it with DH out on the road. So that will be 1-2 meals for us.

Ok, Michelle, you get 26 pts per day plus 35 flexpoints... don't go by the winning pts number. Winning pts went by ranges, you would have 24-29 pts per day with winning pts. Winning pts was all about banking pts. So you culd eat 24 pts and save the rest of those pts for a big meal at the end of the week or whatever, but flexpoints doesn't make you earn those extra pts, that is what the 35 flexpoints are for. I hope that clears things up. So if you are doing flexpoints then you get 26 pts per day and 35 flex for the week. HTH! So sorry you had a bad nightmare. I get those alot too. The other night I woke up in a sweat because aliens (from the movie alien with sigourney weaver) was attacking the earth! LOL. I was running for my life! It's comical in the daytime, lol, but it really had my heart racing that night. And sometimes I have horrible dreams about my family hurting me again or my kids being hurt, etc. So I understand your pain. I'll send you sweet dream vibes for tonight!! And get out of bed! LOL, I want to hear about your WI! Yes, I told dh about that house and he said, you'd really buy it today if we could wouldn't you? And I said I'd love to move in and fix it up, but he had to remind me that it takes time and money (he is the carpenter, electrician, plumber, etc, lol) and he isn't home enough to do anything and I'd be stuck in a very old house with 3 kids that has lots of problems. I know he is right. All I could do is paint and all that. I don't know much about anything else. So I will put that house out of my mind and focus on my house, lol. Someday though, someday....

Leigh, a freash start sounds good! TOM has really messed you up this time huh? And I am feeling good today, thanks for asking! :) That is so great that your dh is proud of you and your weightloss. My dh tells everyone about ww too. He says I need to be a spokes woman, lol. But I told him I never officially joined ww through online or meetings so they wouldn't see me as a real member. But that is ok, I consider myself a lifetime member!! In all rights I am... I got to my goal weight, I've maintained or been below that number for 6 weeks and that makes me a lifetimer!

Well, guess I should get off here and get a shower, then I'll feel much better and able to start cleaning. Have a wonderful day all! Oh, is anyone planning on seeing The Days tonight? It's that new series on abc I think. Comes on at 9 pm central (6 ft under at 8!!) Anyway, I thought I'd check it out and see if it's any good.
TTYL!

Good morning gals. This will be short, I've got to clean the breakfast dishes and give the kids a bath. I had a pretty good night last night, hope everyone else did too. I had to go to Walmart last night and get a birthday present for the little boy's birthday today at Chuck E. Cheese's. So after I get the house in order, do some laundry and get some computer work done, I'll be going to that.
Hope everyone has a good day.
Leigh, I never ever want to leave my kids with anyone when they are being cranky, even my mom or MIL. But the Tylenol thing is a great thing, however, with each child being different, you need to figure out how Tylenol affects Liam. I mean with Alisa, even Tylenol will put her down for the night, she will sleep, sleep, sleep, but Tylenol never seemed to do anything for Ally I had to use children's Motrin or Advil. With Andrew, Tylenol doesn't put him to sleep but does seem to help him feel better. So once you figure out what works for him, there is nothing wrong with giving it to him when he's being so cranky he's being un-normal, obviously they don't feel good when they are cranky. Anyways, that's enough of that.
TTYL

Hey! Sounds like had a full weekend so far!! Mine was ok.. My hubby didn't act like an a**hole, so it made the day go ok! I got everything cleaned but I'm pretty pissed off because now I have to clean the whole house over again after the beach trip tomorrow!! This is the laziest bunch of family members in the world! No one in the house helps! My hubby always say if you want about 5 minutes I will help you... but I did that ONE time... and it never happened! So I won't make that mistake again! The only rooms that were still a mess were our room and our bathroom! But no one went in there... my sister called herself helping... which she did ALOT! But that made my room look horrible! I spent most of the day/night cooking and cleaning. But at about 7 or 8 p.m. they finished barbq'ing and I relaxed. They are really kool people! We all went to the beach yesterday... of course I didn't get to have any fun!! I was watching the baby most of the time... then after that I was tired and I wanted to just lay down and take a nap... but why did it start raining and then pouring!! So we had to go! WHY ME?? So it got sunny again at about 5 so I rushed to go to the pool by myself... I get there ready to take a nap because I figure no one else would be there... and there wasnt at first... and then these 2 guys decided to come over there.. sooo no sleep. I can't sleep while in the middle of no where with 2 dudes! Then... I said forget it and was going to get in the water... IT STARTED RAINING AGAIN!! But oh well as far as today goes… I told my sister that we'll just have to go places that's free, or that she can spend her own money on things that she wants! I don’t have any extra money unless I go on one of my taking back stuff rampages! Does anyone else around here do that?? :lol: I don't want her to leave!! If I could... I'd adopt her and let her go to college out here!! But my parents want her back. My mom is having that surgery for her stomach.. lap-band.. or whatever it is! I hope it goes good! Well I'm back up to 142! But oh well... I lost 1 inch from my waist and 1 inch from my hips since July 2nd, so I'll take that then! I didnt measure my thighs and stuff last time... that's where I want to lose the most! My hubby tried to make me feel better telling me... well muscle weighs more than fat! But I somehow don't believe that no matter how much someone tells me that! I've read different articles... all I know for a fact is that muscle takes up less space.... but no one has proven to me yet that it weighs more. I think that is just a cop out to make people feel better... maybe it's just me! But it pissed me off a little because I was 1 lb behind my sister.. she was 139.. now she is 135. I cant catch up now! I bought me some stacker 2's but they make me sick to my stomach of course.... I took them 2 days ago.. and they still make me sick.. But oh well. I will take them.. I don't have anything else! I've been eating terrible. Either not eating at all, and then eating a big meal at night... or just eating all day.. I havent really journaled in a couple of days. I've been writing down stuff today of what I can remember... but I'm slacking off big time! I ate two burgers for the barbq.. but I added my own wheat buns, fatfree mayo, cheese, etc. I've been craving sweets and chocolate.. that is my problem.. I can't shake it!! I dont know what to do anymore.... I just hope we have enough money next week, because I 'm going to order 2 months supply of those adipex. My hubby doesnt even know I take them.. he would have a fit. Anyways Today... we are going to go somewhere! I don't know where yet... It isnt supposed to rain, but it looks like it is! I have to go exercise before it is too late! I will talk with yaw’l later! Love Jay~~

Hey girls!! Well I did get up to WI lol and it said 217.2 and then I went and laid down for an hour more and then I weighed again because I didn't believe the scale and the second time it said 219.4 AGAIN!!! I really wonder if something isnt up with my scale but it should be fine I mean it is brand new!! But for now I'll take the lower number because It makes me feel better ;) so let me calculate lol That would be Down 2.2 lbs!!! But let me know what you guys think about my scale problems I'm baffled maybe I should get a dial scale just in case I think something is up with my digital.

Spryng - My horrible nightmare was about this crazy girl beheading me with a kitana sword, because she wanted to eat my meat lol, I blame all my recent beheading dreams on the News because they are always talking about that stuff and it scares me to death!! I once had a dream that giant robots were attacking the earth. Its crazy what an imagination will do to ya :) I hate those dreams when something happens to my children or family members I always wake up crying I guess its all part of being a mommy. Thanks so much for the clarification on points!! I was really confused because my pt calculators are both winning points so maybe I need to get a flex calculator, hubby might not like it though, so we'll see.


Ok enough of that :)
I think I'm ready to go back to bed now so I will TTYL!!!
Michelle

Hello again!

Just had a great lunch!! Have you seen those new lean pockets ultra?? They are low carb lean pockets, but I got the supreme pizza one, it's made with a whole wheat crust and it's only 4 pts!! That's the lowest ever for lean pockets. And it really did taste like a supreme pizza, like a calzone. Very good, I had that with some baked lays for a total of 6 pts and I'm full. :) Just wanted to share my find!

Michelle, congrats on the 2 lbs gone!! I would definitely go with the first WI you did too. You know that even if you didn't eat or drink all day your weight will still gradually increase as the day progresses? It's true. Our organs and such build water and extra stuff that effects the scale. So you are no longer in a stall! How exciting! I don't have a pts calculator, I have a winning pts paper slider, maybe you can just try finding one of those on ebay or something, but they are hard to find by themselves. What I would do is keep using your calulator to calulate pts and such but write your totals down in your journal and keep track of your flex points that way.

Jaymi, so sorry you had another rough day. Things do get better. And I do believe with all the exercise you have been doing your weight may be up due to your muscles retaining some water or even muscle gain so don't worry about it. But your clothes should start feeling looser soon. How much younger is your sister than you? I wouldn't try to keep up with her weight loss, younger people lose so much better because their metabolisms haven't been messed up yet with pregnancies and such. And you know you can rant and rave here anytime but every now and then we'd all like a personal thought from you if you wouldn't mind. I mean this is a thread where we give as good as we get and that means getting personal, just a thought :)

Crystal, chuck e cheese sounds like so much fun! I love taking the kids there, they always have a blast! And I like their pizza too :o You always stay so busy, lol. I feel like I'm the only one here without a life, lol. O-well.. I know it won't be like this forever, plus I really like my life! :lol: So I'm not complaining. :cool:

Well I have finished cleaning my kitchen today, the kids re-cleaned the living room so I'll go vacuum it in a sec and laundry is going so so far so good! I have my MP3's blaring in the living room so music always keeps me moving! TTYL!

Spryng way to go on getting so much accomplished!!! I just am so confused over the scale thing sometimes and of course you know I get so discouraged lol. But thanks to you I keep chuggin along like the little engine that could. I think my next docs appt is next friday I hope she's not disappointed EEKS!! I love cleaning to music too!! Do you ever dance with your broom? lol I might be the only dork to do that!! I'm gonna look and see if I can find some of those lean pockets sounds yummy!! Did you see that smart ones by WW has a "smartwich" it is just like a hot pocket! I tried the MSF breaded "chik'n" patty last night YUM!!!!! Sooooo good!! Of course it was 5 points with the patty and the bun and then I put Miracle whip light on so it was a 6 pt sandwich but definately good!! I might try the "burgers" tonight for supper since today is my flex day! We decided the girls need to take naps before we go to the park so Taylor doesnt start throwing a fit in public. Spryng I always come here when I have a break too so don't feel bad at all!! Well I'm gonna go find something to do, I'll TTYL!!
Michelle

Oh Spryng, I love having nothing to do. I mean once in a while enjoying something new with the kids is great but otherwise I love staying home and not doing much of anything. You wait until the winter sets in, there has been a time or two or three that me and the kids haven't left the house for like 2 weeks, I'll send dh to the store on his way home for something. I'm serious, I can't stand getting the kids out when it's cold and when everyone is sick and you just know you'll be next or your kids. See now next weekend my sister is cooking out to celebrate my mom's b-day, my b-day and my dh's b-day, they are all a week apart, so we're gonna celebrate all of them together. The weekend after that my dh's family will probably celebrate our b-days. See I never thought of myself as busy, alot of these women do seem busy but maybe I am. I would enjoy not having much to do and staying home, but the way I look at it is, going to Chuck E. Cheese at 3 pm means I don't have to cook dinner, I'm not gonna pass that up, LOL!!!
Michelle, that dream was terrible. I'm so sorry about that. I don't seem to dream very much or at least I try not to, because no matter how nice my dreams start out they always tend to get bad, so I just don't like to at all. But when you're pregnant you have all kinds of dreams all the time.
Jaymi, the house thing, I understand that. It's never done. Try to relax and enjoy the weekend. See the way I see it is because we stay home during the week, I don't do housework on the weekends, unless it has to be, like maybe one load of laundry or if I'm gonna have company. Other than my cooking and cleaning that mess. Especially Sundays, I don't do like any house work, I save that for the week.
Well girls, I'm gonna get some lunch and then give the kids a bath. I hope you all have a great day.
TTYL

crystal - I totally know what you mean about pregnancy dreams!!! I had some doozies!!!! I had a dream when I was preg with taylor that my mom could take the baby out of me for exactly 6 minutes then we had to put her back in or else...we made it just in time lol. Then when i was preg with teagan I had a dream that I just started pushing but not because i was in labor and I had her prematurely so we rushed her to the hospital and my doctor chewed me out for pushing her out early LOL!! I hope you have a great time at chuck E cheeses!!! I wish we had one here!!

Leigh - I missed your little post the first time around I think lol, I'm so glad that Liam seems to be feeling better today!! I bet that takes a load off your shoulders :) Also I assumed that you just forgot about the new thread alert, I do that sometimes! I just thought I'd put it there for ya ;) We make a good team lol!! Hope you have a nice day!!!

Ok really I'm leaving now....I think lol.
TTYL!!
Michelle

Hey friends!

Hope's party went well yesterday, but I am so tired!

I am doing the fresh start too, Leigh! I sure need it after my week of crappy eating! But amazingly, I didn't gain any this week, I still stayed the same! I am not pushing my luck, though. I know I can't continue to eat this way and stay the same. My clothes continue to get looser, I should take measurements. I am trying to decide if I want to join the gym or not. I just can't exercise here without distractions, problems or just kids getting in my way. My friend wants to pay for it, but I don't want to let her unless I am sure I will use it enough!

Michelle, I always go with my first wieght of the day. I have noticed that if I move my digital and weigh again, it changes, so I still go with the lowest :lol: I'd be a fool not to!

Jaymi, YOu sound a bit stressed. Hope this week goes better for you.

Maybe this week will be more normal and I can post better! School starts in two weeks, so I know I will be back to normal soon!

:D

Hi! Had a very busy day, but also very productive. Most importantly, I'm totally OP today and even did a workout tape :) Liam and DH went to a Braves baseball game (Liam's first) while I went to Target and the grocery store (finally!). I got Liam one of those Bead Chasers for $10, but haven't shown it to him yet - I'm waiting until he gets bored with his current toys. I separate his toys into two groups and rotate them so he doesn't get too bored with them all at once. Now, I watch Liam the rest of the evening so DH can edit his movie, work out, etc. See how well compromise can work :)

Spryng- I'm sorry you often have nightmares - that's awful! I consider you a lifetime WW member too - you certainly earned it! DH and I love Six Feet Under! I'll have to check out the description of The Days. Hey, can your DH watch TV on the road? Ohhh! I must try the new lean cuisine - sounds yummy.

Crystal- Happy almost-Birthday! Thanks for the advice - it's interesting how different each child is! Amazing really.

Jaymi- sounds like your doing well. Is your sister also on a diet? You mentioned her losing weight. I'm sorry you're feeling down about the plateau - it's frustrating. But I think it will pass soon and you'll be losing again.

Michelle- :bravo: on the loss- excellent!!!! That dream sounds awful :( Is there someplace you could weigh yourself so you can compare it to your scale? Or like you said, get another scale so you can compare.

Cindi- I'm glad you maintained too! That's good. We'll start together, then:D Have you thought of joining Curves?

I did a new video today - not the one I ordered, which hasn't arrived, but one I get pretty inexpensively at Target. It's Crunch Cardio Salsa it's fun. About 35 minutes of aerobic and 10 minutes warm up/cool down. Okay, Liam's getting fussy - TTYL!

Hi! No time to get personal...........gee this thread is busy.

I did want to tell you that I made the Wonton Soup recipe from the WW take out tonite cookbook. It was wonderful!!!! I hope to get back here tomorrow to leave the recipe here.
Take care all.
Ginny

Hi Ladies~

I'm new here but not to the site. I haven't really posted here in a long time though. I was happy to come across this board.

Let's see. I'm Cheri (31), married to Donald (35) since January of 1996. We have three boys Nathan (9/11/98) who is 5. Daniel (8/29/00) who is 3, and Elijah (10/16/02) who is 1. We live in South Texas where I'm a stay at home/homeschooling mom. My hubby is a federal agent with the BP.

I'm looking forward to getting to know yall.

Hey Ginny!! That recipe sounds delightful!!! I for one would definately love to try it :)

Cheri Welcome!!! :wave: I'm Michelle SAHM to 2 girls, Taylor age 2 almost 3 on 8-25 and Teagan 9 months 10-13, I live in Montana in the beautiful flathead valley! Me and hubby have been married almost 2 years on sept 7. I hope you like it here, I'm sure you'll find the support you need :) What plan are you on? What is your starting weight? Do you exercise? If so what kind? Sorry just a few questions :)

Cindi so glad hopes party was great!!! I bet you are exhausted!! Here's to a new week and a fresh start!! I'm going to try and exercise like I was when I first started, but then summer came in full swing and I wanted to be outside in the yard lol.

Today I got a 40 minute walk in and 45 minutes mowing the lawn with a push mower. The park was fun I'll post pictures in a little bit! I couldn't get Taylor to look at me though, she was too obsessed with feeding the ducks lol. Poor little Teagan fell asleep right as we got to the park but I got a couple of sleepy pics of her :)

Well we're gonna have some dinner so I'll TTYL!!
Michelle

Heres some pictures from the park today hubby and the two rugrats :) enjoy!!

Michelle

Heres a pic of Teagan in the pool a few days ago, for some reason I didn't take one of Taylor :( Heres one of bathtime for my girlies you can tell they need it!
And I added one of my adorable little nephew too just cuz I think he is so gorgeous!!
Ok thats it I won't bore you with any more pictures today.

Michelle

Hello to all of you wonderful ladies!

First I want to Welcome, Cheri! Hi, I am Melissa, a stay at home mom of 2. Ages 4...Abigail and 21m...Patrick. Enjoy this thread.

Michelle, YIPPIE on the 2 lb weight loss. That's wonderful. I also have a digital scale and if I get on it more than once, I go crazy. Try doing this first. Tap it to reset it, then get back on. Only way first thing in the morning...with nothing on. Just remember if you get back on later, you have eating or have had something to drink and remember too a gallon of water is 8lbs, so every 8oz glass of water is about a half a lb. Glad you had fun at the park with the kids and DH. Pictures of them were great and so were the ones in the bath and pool. You little nephew is adorable too.

Leigh, glad Liam is feeling a bit better today. Great job on staying OP. Rotating toys is great, I do the same. I keep some in the basement. When they get bored of the ones out, I switch. Abigail always says, mommy, I was looking for that wow! Of course, she wasn't really looking for it. LOL That salsa cardio tape sounds fun!

Hey Ladies, Maybe we could swap VIDEOS!!! Even swaps of ones we don't use anymore or are bored of. JUst a though

Spryng, I am so glad you are feeling better. those Lean pockets sound tasty. I'll have to give 'em a try. Hope you got all that house cleaning done. We've been moving stuff around ..around here. Trying to make it better for the kids to play and not be in the middle of things.

Cindi, I know what you mean about distractions, and I only have 2 kids!!! It's so hard. Many gyms will give a week or two free trial to see how you like it. What would you do with the kids when you go? Many have nursery/childcare, but you may have to pay something for it. I'm glad Hope's party went well.

Ginny, thanks for checking in. Your Wonton soup sound good!

Crystal, hope you had fun at ChuckECheese and hope you got your house work done too.

Jay, Hang in there. Try to focus on some positive and except somethings for what they are. Going with the flow is just less stressful. Believe me, I went through a terrible year of depression and it is now fun. You are going to burn out if you dont' get some rest and have some mellowing time. You might even want to talk to a counselor, they have ways of helping you deal with the stress. It has worked for me.

Anyway, All, we had a nice weekend. The kids have been great. We have limited the TV and they have adjusted well. 2 shows a day. WE have gone through all the toys and moved many into the family room, which is where the computer is. Now we can all be together and they dont' seem to need the tv to keep them occupied. My DH is leaving Tuesday for business to Denver for 5 nights..:( I will miss him soo much. BUT, my brother and I are taking the kids to the beach for 3 nights to keep them and us busy. SO, You won't hear much from me Tuesday -Friday.

Mel

Michelle, .....only weigh. no way...you know what I mean.

Hi, Ginny! The recipe sounds great - I love just about anything Asian.

Welcome, Cheri! I'm Leigh, SAHM to one 9-month-old named Liam and happily married for 2 years. I'm in the middle of losing post-pregnancy weight - I'm on Weight Watchers. What diet/plan are you using? I know you'll find these women as wonderful and supportive as I do :)

Michelle- great job with all the exercise! What a beautiful family you have :) I love the pictures!

Well, we had whole grain pasta; garlic marinara; whole wheat bread; and salad for dinner . . . and I have 2 points left a skinny cow ice creamm sandwhich during 6 feet under tonight! TTYL.

For the warm welcome. :)

I see someone went to a Braves game today. I'm originally from GA, a bit South of Atlanta. We moved here to TX in November with Donald's job. We took Nathan to a Braves game when he was wee little...fun fun memories ;)

Lets see. I haven't weighed but will weigh in tomorrow and get some kind of thing going on with that in my signature line. I plan to go with low carb (Susane Sommers ) I like her because you do eat fruits and whole grains. I've done it with success in the past so I know it ''works'' for me. I also feel 100% better when I low carb. I plan to start exercising too. And that is where you girls are going to come in, I need the accountabliity, because I hate to exercise. I have 3 Walk Away The Pounds videos, Tae Bo, Pilates and a Susan Powter step aerobics video (anyone remember her?) I used to do her all the time and really enjoy her workout. I plan to mix it up with all the aforementioned videos and try to get in some walks here at the track (our apt complex has a track) too.

Michelle--Montana, huh? My dad goes hunting up there every year in the Havre/Great Falls area.

Anyway, thanks again for the warm welcome. I'm looking forward to this. :)

Mel and Cheri - somehow ya'll slipped in on me!

Mel- I'm glad you guys are enjoying being in the same room more! I know- it's hard when DH is out of town :( Well, I hope those days pass quickly! The beach trip sounds fun :)

Cheri- you sound very motivated - I bet we can keep you exercising :lol: I just started a reward system that Spryng (another member of the group) suggested to me - for every five workouts I complete, I buy myself a gift card to a store I like. When I reach my goal weight, I'll have a bunch of cards and a shopping spree.

Well, Liam's almost asleep which means I can go organize our utility closet :)

Busy thread.............Welcome Cheri!!!!!!!!

Michele- love the pictures!!!!!!!!!!!
Leigh- sounds like you had a good OP day. Get your utility closet done?
Mel- enjoy your trip. That is the only way to get thru one of those times when Dh is not home.....keep the kids (and yourself!) busy! A safe trip for all!
I am going to see if I can sneak back in a minute and leave that recipe...... if not have a great nite!
Ginny

Wonton Soup
¼ pound ground chicken breast
2 scallions finely chopped
1 tsp minced, peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
¼ tsp asian (dark) sesame oil
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper (I left both the salt and the pepper out, did not miss them a bit!)
16, 3 inch square wonton wrappers

Soup
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 tbs reduced sodium soy sauce (try using a bit less at first, you can always add more)
½ pound bok choy ( I did not have this and left this out)
4 scallions cut into ½ inch pieces

1. To prepare the wontons, combine the chicken, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, cornstarch, oil and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Arrange 8 wonton wrappers on a work surface. Place 1 tsp of the chicken mixture in the center of each wrapper. Moisten the edges of a wrapper with water and pull the corners diagonally over the filling to make a triangle. Press the edges firmly to seal. Bring left and right corners together above the filling. Overlap the tips of these corners and press together. Place the completed wontons on a baking sheet lightly dusted with cornstarch and cover with damp paper towels. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers to make 16 wontons.
3. To prepare the soup, bring the broth and soy sauce to boil in a large sauce pan. Reduce the heat to low, and add the bok choy and the wontons. Stir and simmer (stirring occasionally) until the wontons are cooked and the bok choy is tender (about 10 minutes). Sprinkle with scallions and serve.
Makes 4 servings, 3 points per serving.

One piece of advice.....the recipe was great- but seemed a bit salty, especially the soup. Go sparingly with the soy sauce in the broth- but the wontons themselves seemed right. Enjoy!

Good evening all!

Welcome Cheri, I'm Geri mom to 2 boys, Will (3) and Tony (1). This is a great place to be. I do the WATP and I LOVE Leslie!!

BTW, TOPS has state and international conventions every year. Leslie is leading some kind of walk at the intl this year (or I should say she did last Thursday). Wish I could have went just to meet her!

Anyway...Michelle, yaaaaa hooo on the loss! Your girls are beautiful and your nephew has gorgeous eyes! He must get them from your side of the family :).

Spryng, glad you're feeling better!!

Ginny...hey lady! Nice to hear from you. Thanks for the recipe.

Jaymi...you need to destress girl!! Find some time everyday just for you...even 5 minutes! I try not to clean on the weekends either...but it doesn't always work ;)

Crystal...did you get those kiddies in the bath? Two of your posts talked about it so I had to chuckle!! Happy pre-birthday!

Leigh...did TOM show up? You sound very motivated again. :)

Cindy...let's hear it for maintaining!! Have you been doing at least 15 minutes of exercise? I can't join a gym 'cause I just can't get out of the house enough alone to use it!

Hope I didn't miss anyone! I tried to take the kids for a bike ride today but Tony fell asleep after about 2 miles so I had to bring them home. Poor kid was just kind of flopping around in the little carrier/cart thingy. :( Of course he woke up when we got home! I did get him down for a nap and then Will and I spent some quality time in the pool together. Then we all went to MIL's for dinner and to see BIL & SIL in from Florida. Nice time for all. Both boys fell asleep on the way home so they were in bed by like 8 pm. I went outside and lit a fire in the pit and burned some branches and stuff that have been piling up. I love a good fire. Unfortunately Dh's allergies get affected by the smoke so I was out there by that nice romantic fire all by myself....sigh. Oh well!

I think I'll head on out to bed myself. Probably won't hear from me til after WI tomorrow night. Oh...tried the resistance tube today..yikes! I'm so weak. I'll have to modify the exercises until I build up my strength or get a lighter tube to start with!

Have a great night all. TTYL!

Good evening all!
Boy the thread got busy all of a sudden!!! LOL...
6 ft under was a doozy tonight! I was shocked! And then I saw The Day's and it looks like it can be interesting. Mom and daughter pregnant at the same time, dad quit his job, youngest son suffers from panic attacks and oldest son is a blacksheep. Hmmm... sounds like any family in america! LOL. I also got alot of crocheting it. I went back to another afghan I started a couple months ago, lol. But it's coming along quickly now and looking so pretty. Oh and I took some pictures of that first blanket I made today (finally) and I'll post them tomorrow after I upload them.
Dinner was cashew chicken and it was wonderful!!! Tasted just like chinese but better! My dd raved about it and my ds ate every bite without a word :) I thought it was great. I'll post the recipe if anyone wants it.

Geri, are you using those tubes with a workout tape or just solo? I love a good bon fire too! Smores!! LOL. I can't wait to hear about your WI!

Ginny thanks so much for posting that wonton soup recipe! I've never ate it before, I like egg drop soup, it's only 1 pt per serving too.

Leigh, how is that utility closet coming? What did you think of 6 ft under?! And thank you so much for thinking of me as a lifetime member of ww, lol. I think I earned it. And yes, my dh does have a tv and watches movies and such out on the road, but only videos he takes or occasionally he can pull in a local station. I tape 6 ft under for him (and the sopranos and deadwood when they are on) so he stays caught up.

Cheri, WELCOME!! I am spryng, mother of 3, Ava-4, Bubba (aka Joseph) 3, and Tanner just turned 1. I always thought suzanne somers was a food combining diet. But if low carb is for you then that's great! That is what we all need, to find a diet that matches out lifestyle so we can incorporate permanent changes. And I do remember Suzan Powters!! I read her book a couple years ago, Stop the Insanity! lol. Have you ever tried her program? I got as far as reading her book, lol. But welcome to our thread and I look forward to getting to know you better!

Melissa, I'm so jealous you get to go to the beach!! Sounds like fun! I should probably cut back on how much tv my kids get a day too, any even myself, lol. On the weekends though I turn on the stereo and we listen to music but during the week it's show after show after show. So I think alot of you for being able to do that! :)

Michelle, your girls are so cute! Thanks for the pics and your dh is good looking too! What a nice family. :)

Cindi, that is so great that you maintained your weight this week! And I think joining a gym is a great idea. If there was one here that offered childcare I would be all over it, lol. But there isn't.

Well I hope I addressed everyone. When was Di going to be back? And hello Ricci too!
I'm off to bed so have a great night all! :)

Spryng~

Yes, Susane Sommers does involve food combining...but I dont' watch that so much as the sugar. I basically just got to 100% whole wheat breads and pastas ( cutting out whilte flour) and load up on lots of veggies and fruit and lean meats. And water...and water and water. I've lost weight before, and the thing that I'm learning is not so much how you lose it, *but* how you keep it off.

Thanks for your warm welcome. I lived in Kansas for 2 years. My hubby was stationed at Ft. Riley.

Good morning gals :) I'm doing well. The scale looks like it's back in the right direction, but I think that's because of TOM. We'll see on my official WI on Friday :D I had a good night - stayed OP yesterday and all.I'm debating whether or not to eat breakfast before our morning walk or after. A lot of times I just have coffee (and water too) then walk and eat when I get back. I'm not overly hungry in the morning when I first wake up.

Cindi- thanks for the recipe! I got some of the utility closet done (of course) :lol: That will take me doing one small portion at a time for however long I can distract Liam.

Geri- :lol3: you're so funny! TOM arrives today, so yes, my motivation returns with that :) Relatives from FL? Cool - I remember you said you visit Florida frequently. Around what area do you visit? I've lived all over the state, and my family in in the Ft. Lauderdale area; DH's family is in the Tampa Bay area.

Spryng- we haven't finished watching 6 feet under yet - we watched 1/2 and then got a call from family and were too tired to finish it after that. So, we'll watch the second 1/2 tonight. I'm a TV addict during the week as well, so I also think it's great that Melissa has limited TV time.

Cheri- the diet sounds like a healthy one!

Okay, I'm off to get ready for our walk. TTYL.

Good Morning Ladies.
First of all I must welcome Cheri. You and I are alike, I have a 5 yo; (10-09-98), 3 yo; (06-09-01), and a 19 month old; (12-01-02); I'm also due Feb. 1st with #4. I live in Texas, about 30 miles East of Dallas. I also homeschool. Alisa, my oldest will be in 1st grade. We need to chat about that. I'm also a representative for Watkins and Avon. I tried Suzanne Somers years ago and love her method but I'm just not one to follow a plan, I have much better luck just counting calories and exercising. I'm trying to make this pregnancy the best one I can and healthiest one. Where exactly do you live in Texas? I'm also trying to do some interior decorating, I completed a home study course but am just doing some work for my mom and hopefully myself soon. Welcome aboard, I'm so glad you found us. Hope you stick around and maybe we can chat alittle.

Spryng, I wanted to watch The Days because it's from the same people that make Smallville which we watch, but we had to see The 4400 and The Dead Zone.

Geri, I did get the kids a bath, I waited until after lunch so they were good and fresh.

Michelle, those dreams were some crazy ones. One of weirdest with this one so far was that I was married to Arnold Swarzneggar but he was actually my now dh, I don't know if that even makes since. Anyways.

Well, Hi to everyone else. Hope you all had a good night. We had fun at Chuck E. Cheese, the kids loved it and even Andrew was really good but loved it so much. Well, I'm staying home today, I think, I need some groceries but I don't want to go yet. My kids have ALL been awake since 630 this morning, I can't believe that, we WILL have a nap today. I've got to make breakfast now, I'll check in later.

Good Morning To all of you! ;)

I haven't checked in since Friday I think...busy weekend with a cousins wedding, bbq at the in-law's and just stuff around the house! I have resolved that weekends will not be my best at posting! With DH home, he likes to keep busy! Oh we also went to the Wildlife Safari that is out by a huge state park. It was pretty cool, nothing extravigant, but some bears came right up to the window..sydney was so excited !

Anyway - not a lot of time to post, as we are dog sitting for 3 months for my parents German Shepard. THey are moving and need Kasey gone so they can show the house without dog hair ! So she camr this morning...yeah, I'm so excited, NOT! however, it should be olay..the 2 dos are ignoring each other t the moment. DD wants breakfast, so, talk to you all later! :) Many hugs to you all! :D

Hey everyone!

Spryng~ How many calories are those lean pockets? (if you remember! :) ) My days were going better for a while… but somewhere I’ve forgotten how to manage my stress! But I’ll get it! My sister is 17 almost 18... But she started gaining weight all of a sudden, so it seemed to me that her metabolism was slowing down. She was always smaller than me… but when she got my weight… I don’t know. It wasn’t a REAL competition or anything.. Because we are shaped completely different! But I figured since she had pretty much stopped journaling and exercising, plus she had 1800 calories that I would go faster and lose that 1 lb! I just wanted to show here that what I try to do works… but so far I’ve been a bad example of that! :lol:

Michelle~ Congrats on your 2 lbs!! I would say the first would also. I tend to gain weight throughout the day.. For no reasons! So most women probably do the same! That’s why you should only weigh in once a week… because doesn’t that just tick you off! It gets you in a bad mood for nothing! You are doing great, and it’s always best to weigh in the mornings anyway …or when you wake up~~ :lol: OH I haven’t had any nightmares in a couple of weeks, but I had them all the time every night!! So I know how you feel!! I don’t have any remedy for getting rid of them either! Except for try to pray, or put a bible under your pillow… that one sounds dumb… but it really works… or used to when I was younger!!

Crystal~ I try to take my days off on the weekend… but then Mondays… I get way behind…. And it gets annoying because no one else helps around here! So… I just clean up a little bit on the weekends.

Leigh~ Plateaus suck! But oh well.. I’m not the only one… so no reason to whine about it… every single day right!! When my sister came here we started dieting together. She had a journal and everything.. But she hasn’t journaled in forever.. And I never see her exercise! But she says she does! I guess that’s what she does in the middle of the night! :lol: I hide my daughters toys or put them up in a box for about a week or two… then I take them out again… She forgets all about them! But she still only plays with them for a minute. She seems to like blocks the most!

Mel~ You are sooo right! Thanks… can you be my counselor!! :rofl: Nah honestly, coming here has helped me out a lot! Before I kept it all in! I tried writing in a journal… but I didn’t feel comfortable, plus I never really let loose because I had a feeling my hubby would read it behind my back… soo…

Cheri~ Welcome!! What part of TX are you in?? I’m from Port Arthur… although you might not have ever heard of it!! :lol3: It’s about 2 hrs or so from Houston.

Geri~ De-stress!?!? What’s that?!? :dunno: :rofl: I WISH! I think I need everyday to myself sometimes! I take time out for myself.. But when I get back home… it’s like it never happened! I don’t get it.. But I do take time out… exercising is my time.. But I guess lately I haven’t been able to do it as much.. And that is my problem.

Well today I got in 45 minutes of Denise Austin.. But I didn’t even work up a sweat.. So I’m about to go and do some more! My husband has started reading my emails and stuff so… the copy and paste thing isn’t going to work. I left a page up here so that I can leave my email… (I always type on Microsoft word so that I. When my AOL freezes up for the 50’Th time, I don’t lose my email, and 2. It seems quicker… ) But yesterday I forgot to take it off and then my hubby went on to read it and my emails…. Now he wants to start this psycho stuff again! I HATE that! Well he knows about the adipex now!! :lol: Before he used to be sooo jealous and read all my stuff and look on my computer.. Etc. etc But since I had gained weight and only sit here in the house… he had gotten off that kick.. But since I‘ve been going places he‘s started that up again… He has some nerve.. But anyway we aren’t gonna get on him today!! :lol: I might forget to leave this on again! :rofl: :lol3: Anyways I know I probably missed someone, but I’ll get back to ya! I want to go to the zoo and do some other stuff today. Since my sis will only be here for a couple of days… I got a million things to do! Yesterday I pigged out a Ryan’s!!! I didn‘t really eat any fattening things.. But I ate a lot! Then I had these cinnamon roasted pecan things at the mall… yummmmm!!! Then I had a snickers and a burger! So I sucked… plus no exercise…. So I gotta get on the ball. Things will get better when my sis leave.. But I don‘t want her to! Anyways I gotta go. Will try to update later!!!

Good Morning Ladies!

I just realized that I haven't posted since Thursday........ :(

I finally got caught up with all the posts! Ewww :) I was at VBS from 7:30 am to 7:45pm and then went from there to the river for the weekend. Time we got down there it was 9:15pm. Hubby caught me off guard with it and I did not have much time to pack. I usually have to plan things like that.... LOL Oh BTW, 30 minutes before the big parents night performance Friday evening..... Both of the boys fell alseep. So after all that, they didn't even perform.... LOL

Welcome Cheri :wave: I'm Penny :) Mom to three boys Hunter almost 5, Nicholas almost 4 and Andrew 13 months. Boy are my boys growing up :(

Congrats to Michelle :cheer: on the loss! Yah!

Melissa,
I try to limit the kids tv time also. We do a daily school section for about 15-30 minutes or so. Every time the kids complete a page, whether it is coloring, learning, painting or if they do something nice for someone else or do what I tell them to w/out the hassle..... they get a gold star by their name..... when they have 10 gold stars, they get to pick out a new toy at the store next time we go. It is usually a dollar toy but they don't care ;)
I think the video swap is a great idea! I will see what I have! We can swap monthly if we all get tired of them...... :)

Ginny,
Thanks for the recipe! :)

Cindi,
Congrats on maintaining :cheer: That is great!

Geri,
I hope you enjoyed your bon fire last night! Has mom been coming over?

Crystal,
Glad you and the kids had such a great time at Chuck e Cheese!

Ricci,
Where are you woman??

Michelle,
Those pics are just the best! Tell dh I think he does look like Vin ;) :lol:

Jaymi,
Hang in there. You are a strong person!

Leigh,
Have fun walking! Congrats :cheer: to you on the maintenance! You will lose this week for sure! How is the book club going?

Spryng,
I was gonna ask you.... Do you do side dishes with your meals or just the main dish? Just curious...

Di,
Where are you?

Melinda,
How are the bday plans coming for JW? I know it's soon!

Kristin,
It sounds like your weekend was very full! Hope you are not wore out... :)

I have to run and get groceries. I am going to try and run to the mall for a new pair of shoes. (the kids will let me know.... :lol: if we make it or not)

I sure hope I didn't miss anyone! If I did I am truely sorry! I luv you all :) Ok, I gotta get going! I will see you all later :)

OH BTW, Kirsten

I love the quote in your siggy line!!!! :lol: TOO FUNNY!!!!!! :lol3:

Starting a new thread!! see you at 219!!