Good morning all. Rainy day here, hopefully it will wash away all the pollen for at least 24 hours or so. Planning on a run this afternoon if it isn't pouring, so lower pollen count would be nice... Got a little snacky with the graham cracker bunnies yesterday afternoon, so went higher than I wanted on calories by about 200, and the scale was down. I hate that - little scale mind games.

Sheila - my ex-husband started drinking when he was 11 and his mom had no idea either. Freaked me out to hear the stories. Glad your son is sober, and happy birthday!

Allison - love Ruth's Chris... Just saw in a trade mag that they are now doing jazz & martini nights at select locations, too.

Dagmar - sorry DH didn't stick to it. Really, until something really pushes him to want to change there isn't much that you can do to make it happen, I don't think. All you can do is keep yourself from going nuts.

to everyone else! Have a good day all!

Jessica~I think my friend went to Harvey Mudd in the 70's or perhaps 80's. He's older than me, so way older than you! I don't know what he studied there but he's now a professional photographer.

Sheila~wow. You think you know your kids and then they hit you with something like that. It was very nice of him to send you the card. It looks like he's turned himself around.

I know I hid a lot from my parents when I was in high school and college. I'm sure my DD is hiding some from me, too, but not nearly as much as I did. She's quite open about things with me. She learned her lesson about all that when she was a senior in HS. She had decided to skip school and called the attendance office to excuse herself (pretending to be me). The attendance officer knew it wasn't me and called to tell me about it. I called my DD (I was out of town), explained that she'd been caught in the lie and was going to have to do a week of detention at school. She also had to tell her dad what she had done (she was afraid he'd yell at her). Neither of us yelled at her. I also said that if she had asked me to do it, I would have called her in sick--she just needs to be truthful with me. Last year she came to me for advice on something that I would never have asked my parents--so I feel like we have a pretty good relationship.

My DH jinxed me! Yesterday I had told him I'd been doing the elliptical every morning and he said don't hurt your knee. I said that my knee felt fine and then an hour later it started hurting again. I took this morning off to rest it.

My DS is quitting Karate. He's been invited (for the 3rd time) to test for his black belt and he absolutely will not take the test. So we told him that if he refuses to take the test there is no reason we should continue paying for classes for him. He has to call the dojo today and make an appointment with the sensei to tell him. The sensei knows he doesn't want to take the test, but he's still trying to convince him. I really wish he'd try this last time but I guess it's such an emotionally draining experience for him that he just can't bear to do it. This time there are 4 others testing, so I think he'd have a much better chance.

Ate the rest of the "Easter" ham last night - whoa, my taste buds do not like salt any more. I had a bag of rice chips on top of dinner later and was again aware of a really salty, false chemical taste.

My body is really trying to tell me to cut out the chips. I think I'm consuming about 500 extra calories 2-3 times a week of this totally "false" food as snacks.

I wish I could snack on only fruit and veggies but I find I don't want them at all in colder weather (Canada 7 months of the year) and have to force myself to eat them.

I think I'm going to try to have shredded wheat as my snack - nothing but wheat in it! And I'll put it into a bowl to have one serving. It's about 220 calories but at least it's real food.

TGIF !!! Have a good one all!

Dagmar

TGIF!

Do you like yogurt, Dagmar? Greek yogurt and fruit is a really filling snack for me. Or string cheese with an apple? I do better when I pair a protein with a fruit or veggie snack, else I end up hungry. My rule of thumb is to eat some kind of protein with every meal/snack (for me, they're the same thing).

Shredded wheat is good too because you get a lot of crunch and the fiber will keep you full.

It's chilly today but we're supposed to have a lovely weekend. DH and I are going to dinner and the theater with another couple tomorrow and they picked the restaurant -- Hungarian! I'm not sure what to expect. Beets? Sour cream? Potatoes? Better drink a protein shake before I go!

Meg, my husband is from Hungary. His parents cook traditional foods for us sometimes. All I can say is, I think the protein shake is a good idea.

Last day of spring break today - we're taking the kids to the zoo.

Dagmar, could you just have a larger portion of your dinner rather than snacking later? Or snack on dinner leftovers? Or have a cup of tea? I know how you feel, I never want to snack on fruit or veggies after dinner. If I can't resist snacking, I will often have oatmeal or oat bran, because I want something warm.

Ward, have fun at the zoo!

Meg, Hungarian food? Mmmm, goulash!

I'm taking the afternoon off today. Taking Carter to the vet for his vaccines, then DH and I (and Carter) are going down to the country for the weekend. We're getting our house painted so we left the painters with the garage door opener (they need to store ladders and such in our garage), so I will have to make sure I lock the door between the house and the garage. Maybe when we get home we will have a freshly painted house!

Good morning everyone!

I got in a nice run at the park last night, sun came out just before I left work and it turned out to be gorgeous. Just as I was finishing mile 4 I felt a shooting pain up the back of my left ankle from the heel of my foot. I had just tightened my shoelace after getting some leaves out, so I stopped and adjusted them again and got back underway. The pain popped up quickly one more time, I took the shoe off and put it back on, no more pain after that. Then last night I took my shoes off and realized that there is some soreness on the outside of my ankle, just between the heel and the ankle bone. That whole area feels a little twingy now I move my foot around. And my knees and calves are more sore than they should be after a 6 mile run. Man, I feel old... Maybe I can blame it on the difference in stride with my new shoes. Well, the same shoes, but in a 1/2 size bigger - feet not going to sleep anymore, but if the knee, ankle and calf pain are the result I'll take the sleepy toes...

DSS is back from his Disney World trip with mommy, will be at our house all weekend. Somewhere in there we are going to the park to fly his Spiderman kite he got last Easter and we never opened.

Jessica - enjoy your off afternoon!

Dagmar - I have a hard time with the snacking, too. Every time I think I can control myself with a crunchy snack I am reminded that I should just not buy them. (ETA - case in point, Publix Dried Veggie Chips... no control...) Shredded wheat sounds like a good idea. DH has been eating the Kashi cinnamon shredded wheat and loves it.

Ward - enjoy the zoo! Beautiful day out there.

Meg - I've heard Hungarian food is fabulous, but starch and carb heavy I think. Protein shake might not be a bad idea.

Allison - sorry about the knee! And about DS quiting karate. That is sad for him, he has invested so much into it. Maybe the sensei can talk him into taking the black belt test again.

Good weekend everyone!

Hi everyone,

I've had another busy week at work and trailering boats all over the place. I couldn't make it to the gym for the last two days because I was working 11-12 hour days, but I really couldn't help that (I mean, working that long, so I can't be upset I couldn't make it to the gym). I don't feel like my weight is down at all but dropping all the boot camp stuff has let me be less stressed out. I'm going to get in good long workouts today and tomorrow. Tomorrow is BF's birthday and he has requested steak for dinner, and I know I've mentioned I'm glad he doesn't like sweets so he doesn't want a cake. Other than that I'll probably do some gardening and work on some lyrics and laying out the program insert for Oklahoma this weekend.

Shannon, be careful with your ankle! I hope it's nothing serious. Maybe you should take it easy for several days?

Dagmar, I also know that I just can't bring crunchy things like chips into the house b/c I will just eat and eat... But, it's not so easy when you live with someone else and they don't want to stop buying them. How about roasted veggies? I roast all kinds of veggies in the wintertime b/c I don't care for raw as much when the weather is cold. A baked sweet potato is sooo satisfying for me. Oatmeal?

Sheila, that is so hard to hear from your son but I'm glad he's doing well now. I often wonder/think about how technology is changing people's interpersonal communication skills! Not to mention their decision making skills, etc. I read a NYT articles several years ago about how college kids aren't as independent anymore b/c they used to have to make decisions for themselves, now they can just call mom & dad immediately on their cell phones. Makes you think...

Jessica, enjoy your weekend away!

Meg, I don't know about Hungarian food but enjoy the night out!

Ward, hope you & the kids enjoy the zoo. Everyone's got fun weekend plans! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

I often have a problem eating salads and cold items during the winter, too, Dagmar. It's really sad because we have a grapefruit tree that is usually ripening at the end of December and early January. I usually eat two or three and then no more because I cannot fathom eating a cold fruit on a cold morning! We give so many away. In fact, this year we sent boxes of grapefruit, lemons, tangelos and tangerines to all of my family in Utah and Texas. They were quite appreciative!

I skipped my workout again this morning, but will do at least an hour tomorrow or perhaps take the dog for a long walk. My knee is on again/off again bothering me.

I have to give a lot of credit to my DS. Because he's quitting Karate, we decided that he can't just quit, but he has to go and tell the Senseis that he is quitting. He's supposed to do the black belt pretest tonight at 7 PM but he called and made an appointment to meet with them at 6 PM where he'll inform them of his decision. I'm sure they'll try to talk him out of it but he's had his mind made up since the last test a year ago. It's a huge emotionally draining experience and I don't think 15 year old boys really like to cry--especially in front of their friends. Anyway, his calling to make the appointment and then going to talk to them is, to me, a very grown up thing for him to do and I have to give him kudos.

Hungarian food reminds me of the Kinsey Milhone books--you know A is for Alibi, etc. None of what she describes sounds very appetizing. You'll have to let us know what it's like, Meg.

Jessica~I spent a little time looking at the Harvey Mudd website. It does sound like a great school for DS--and less expensive than Cal Tech, but I think I've been really spoiled by DD going to a Cal State school--they are SO much less expensive! And if he can't get a scholarship because of our FAFSA then I'd hope he picks a cheaper school.

Shannon~take care of your ankle! I wouldn't want you to have ankle problems like I have knee problems!

Dagmar, how about a baked (i.e. microwaved ) apple with some yogurt on it. You could sprinkle some cinnamon into the yogurt. I'm with you on eating something cold after dinner in the winter.

Allison - I could soooo eat a fresh grapefruit for breakfast any time of year. My folks had grapefruit and orange trees at their house in Florida, but it was a hassle for them to ship fruit to me. I sure enjoyed it when I was there though.

Spent the morning going to the eye doctor, buying cat food (prescription from the vet), cat litter and meeting with our housesitter. DH leaves a week from tonight, and I leave the Wed night after that. We're visiting our families in Massachusetts and Maine, and then he comes home and I'm spending a long weekend in Florida with a GF. Can't wait, though I'm not excited about the nearly 16 hours traveling

Well.... I think I said something about coming back but where have I been?? Thanks for all the welcome back messages, just checked back on the previous thread. =)

I'll be finishing my master's degree in August - I have one class and research this semester and the research will be continuing into the summer - probably finished in June.

I spent Easter and the weekend until Tuesday with some of my boyfriend's family. They're all really nice, but they are from Quebec and they speak mostly French to one another so I was a little lost at dinner. Food there was good - meals were typical holiday indulgence, but I didn't overstuff and we didn't do any snacking. Only problem was it was a little road trip for us, complete with fast food stops... and I did NOT go for healthy items like salad or grilled chicken.

Sheila, I really do think about the reduction in face to face interaction. I see it in myself and pretty much everyone I work with... it's so much easier to just send an e-mail, but I think we're really missing out by doing everything this way!

Pat, next year I'll ask you to PM me your address and I'll send you a box of fresh citrus!!!

How does one go about microwaving an apple or a potato? Do you poke holes in it? And how long do you nuke them?

Thanks!

Dagmar

Good morning! I took yesterday off from exercise and there is no ankle pain at all today. Unusual knee pain, which I don't understand, but no ankle pain. Whew.

Pat - enjoy your trip and be safe in your travels!

Allison - when I was a kid my dad used to work for a company that built machines that sorted fruit by color, size and quality so he was always travelling to fruit packers for repair. Used to bring home boxe and boxes of fresh grapefruit and oranges from Florida and California. Wow, I miss that! I would eat a grapefruit every day if I had a tree out back.

Iris - hey there! Sounds like a fun Easter trip, other than the language gap.

Megan - glad you are past the long days and getting some rest time this weekend. Or as close to rest as you ever do! you always seem to be moving. Enjoy BF's birthday!

Dagmar - I poke holes in my potato because I hve blown one up before. Microwave it 5-9 mins depending on size of potato and strength of oven. I always do 3 Mina and flip to try to keep from Gavin a hard spot on the bottom. Never microwaved an apple.

Good weekend all!

I can't scroll through the text window to edit the above message on the iPhone - it autocorrected a word I intentionally spelled wrong.

Dagmar - I meant 'minutes' not Mina in the above post.