Snakes? Good Lord. I'd have a heart attack. When we were in Mexico, we'd encounter IGUANAS strolling across the roads, on some of our little excursions. (Why did the iguana cross the road?) They do NOT look friendly...but somehow not as scary as a snake! Spiders skeeve me too....shudder.
Okay, back to work for me. Concentrating on one of today's hurdles...actually cleaning out my multiple "hot spots," hutch, countertop, coffee table. Literal magnets for papers, magazines, mail, more papers, and even more papers. I swear they're reproducing as I speak! That and exercise of some sort.
Food is good. i went to WW yesterday and was up three lbs! They're gone today. That's okay, I'm just staying the course. Loaded up on lots of fruits and veggies yesterday. I bought couscous. Does anybody make this? Any ideas for me?
Just a quick note. I'm off to Curves! I walked 3/4 of a mile last night as well, so I'm feeling pretty good about my exercise. Now, to pull out my PDA and log my food and water...
The real hurdle today seems to be getting up and doing it. Everything in this house feels so overwhelming, and I am spinning around in circles instead of picking a place and just going for it. Thus, the heading out for a head break and a body workout. I'll put myself first and the rest will follow!
Gloria, your turtle story reminded me that I took Jake and Addie to the park the other day. There is a big duck pond there. Let's just say that love was in the air and the ducks were having trouble controling themselves. You should have seen the faces of all the mothers trying to explain to there 4 and 5 year olds why the ducks were "fighting." I usually try and answer those kinds of questions as honestly as I can but the mom sitting next to obviously doesn't. I didn't want her child to hear my explanation so I went with the fighting story too. It was all pretty funny.
The kids were very good and patient at my eye doctor appointment so I treated them to lunch at McDonald's. Now, usually, I don't care for their hamburgers but I do love their fries. For some reason I was really, really, craving both. I was so close to ordering a Quarter lb with cheese meal. But, I got a hold on myself and opted for a grilled chicken salad. I did, however, eat the fries that were at the bottom of Jake's kids meal bag. YUCK! I can't believe I am saying this but even those 4-5 fries made my stomach feel queasy. I could actually feel a film of oil left in my mouth. I am so glad I didn't get that value meal. But, I am glad I tasted the fries. I've been having fast food urges here and there and that was enough to help me realize that if I gave in I would be sorry. Those fries were a reminder that fast food isn't as good as I remember it - and I used to be a drive through junkie!
We are off to buy shoes for the kids. I should probably bring a loan application with me. Have you ever had to buy three pairs of kids' shoes at once? It aint' cheap. And to top it off, I need to buy them each a pair of sandles as well as tennis shoes. Sadly, Will and Jake have odd shaped feet and I haven't found any off brands that fit them properly. The Stride Rite brand is the only one we've tried that didn't cause blisters. Thank goodness for Addie - she can wear anything from anywhere. Of course, she'll make up the difference once she becomes a fashion conscious pre-teen.
Ok, exercise (X), food journal (X)!
So far, so good today!
I even took a bit of a break for myself and stopped at the nursery on the way home and bought beautiful flowers. I bought a mix of portulacas, some sedum, a gorgeous, deep blue lobelia, evening primrose that has a lemon yellow flower, and... ummm, something else, but I can't remember this second. Oh yeah, some wave petunias in a deep, rich purple. Now, I'm just going to have to wait until this storm front moves on so I can plant them all. The wind is blowing so hard, and it is bitter cold. This morning it was short sleeves weather and now I'm ready to pull out my fleece again. Ah well. I'll miss it when the heat is on.
The turtle and snake stories have me cracking up. Because we live so close to all sorts of fields, we get mice in the house occasionally. Evidently, getting mice can mean snakes following along after them. Yikes! One came crawling up through a hole mice had dug beneath our TV stand. There happened to be about 6 females standing in the room at the time, all ranging in age from 2-38, and you should have heard the screams! The poor snake was probably more terrified than we were. It paused and then went right back where it came from. Yes, that hole was plugged up fast and hard, and we ripped apart the living room looking for any other potential entrances. I had the willies for weeks after!
Got to go. My hurdle for the day was to attack a room for spring cleaning. It isn't going to get done if I sit here on my backside, huh.
I know what your talking about Kat, when you said the papers are reproducing. Two years ago we remodeled are kitchen so everything had to come out (Dishes, pots, pans....). Before i put everything away after the remodeling, i went through it with a fine tooth comb. Its amazing how much stuff you can collect after 25 years in the same house. I worked for Goodwill when i was able to work so you can just imagine the stuff i had and still do. When putting everything back, i even had a couple of drawers empty for a while, then the papers started reproducing on my dining room table. Sooo, don't know what to do with the papers, in the empty drawer they go. Out of sight, out of mind. Now that we're in the process of moving a lot of our stuff into the Ga. home, i need to get into my kitchen again and just take everything out and only keep what i need now. There's just the two of us, so what am i going to do with a five gallon pot? Also, don't remember the last time i made my own pasta. But then, just as soon as i get rid of the excess stuff, don't you just know that thats when I'll need it. Maybe that could be my next hurdles challenge.
Don't know why the iguana crossed the road, also don't know what came first. The iguana or the egg.
Andria, i have had more days like that than i can count, so your not alone. I try to keep in mind the people who are in the olympics when it looks like I'm starting to go around in circles. You know the athletes that run and jump over the hurdles? I don't remember the name for the event. Anyway, when those athletes jump over those hurdles, they only jump one at a time. So, thats what i try to do, one at a time.
I want to go to a water aerobics class tonight so better get supper going now.
Have a great night.
Gloria
Gloria, I am a full blown pack rat. Within a week of throwing something out I find myself needing it. I get it honestly. My grandmother was notorious for never throwing anything out. When she and my grandfather passed away we were absolutley amazed at the wonderful things we found - and soooo many of them!
It is raining buckets outside! Too bad I didn't get those flowers in the ground yesterday. It never did warm up enough to go play in the dirt. We did do some serious damage to a room though as far as cleaning goes. I'm ready to hit another one today, but we'll see if I can scrounge up enough cooperation to do so. We did decide that the girls don't really need the last of the toys we have been keeping back, so we'll be keeping a few for the little nieces and nephews, but most of those will be donated. Also there will be a ton of clothes. My girls both sprouted again over the winter, and even though the shorts will fit around my little one's waist, they are so high up on her thighs as to be about embarrassing!
It felt really good getting past those hurdles yesterday. Gloria is right, they have to be taken one at a time to finish the course. Also, speed isn't as much of the essence as accuracy. Blazing through the course and knocking over all the hurdles in the process doesn't work. You have to use grace and style and your skills. The speed will come in time.
I have work to do! I'm making pumpkin chocolate cookies (Splenda and applesauce variation) for Tony and jetting them off in a care package. He has two huge weeks of exams starting Monday, and the boy is going to need to feel the love! The week after exams are over he is moving, but I get to be there that week with him. Can't let myself think too much on that, because I get all twitterpated when I do.
On the subject of packrat-itis, I have been fighting that one for years! My mom used to save everything, and I mean everything. Growing up, one of my sisters and I were cleaning cupboards out and found an entire one full of old butter tubs and deli containers. Some were cracked and useless, so we just tossed them all. My mom went nuts! She made us empty them all out of the trash, wash them and put them back in the cupboard. I swore I would never fall into that trap, but it creeps up on you. When we were military it was easy because you moved often enough to keep things pared down. We haven't moved in about 5 years, and things are building up, despite spring and fall cleanings!
Ok, back to the kitchen with me. I decided to come back and write some more to keep myself out of those cookies.
My hurdle yesterday was to ride my bike to the Y and attend a water aerobics class but am sorry to report that i never made it there. Don't know why I'm having such a hard time getting to the Y. That will definitely have to be a hurdle i will have to work on. I did ride to the produce stand this morning where tomatoes are on sale for 49 cents a pound. I'm going to make more sauce for spaghetti and pizza. Last time i made homemade tomato sauce i cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast in it and was amazed how tender and juicy it was.
I feel very disoriented today. Carl always comes home for lunch around 12 o'clock but now, because he started a new route today he is unable to come home. Just in case your wondering where Carl works, he's a U.P.S. driver. He's had the same route for the past twelve years and everyday about the same time the dogs would get very excited, even before i could hear the roar of his diesel package truck. It was becoming a ritual in my house. Dogs barking, Carl pulls up and everyone goes out to greet him. We would have lunch together and watch the first half of Star Track. I know he'll be home tonight for supper but today i miss not being able to eat lunch with me.
Have lots of things i want to get done today so best get to them.
Gloria
Yesterday's hurdle shifted dramatically. I've been wanting to get up to the cemetery and do some major work there, and on a bit of a whim, had purchased some new flowers to plant. My ex and I went up there yesterday, and found the entire cemetery grown over with weeds because of the massive amount of rain we have received. You couldn't see the top of our grave! It has been less than a month since I was there doing maintenance, so you can imagine how surprised I was. Anyway, we spent the next hour and a half pullling weeds and trying to miss the desert flowers. The rain we had received was just enough to loosen the soil and not make everything muddy, so the weeding was much easier than usual, and I was so excited to find that I could actually squat a little instead of just bending at the waist. Kneeling down is still too painful, plus you often find nasty, stickery things around there. Anyway, it was an unexpected hurdle to jump, but I felt so good getting past it. This is something I have wanted to do for a very long time! We had a beautiful garden spot planted there, but about 4 years ago gophers went nuts up at the cemetery and ate almost all the plants. The entire plot had been covered in California poppies, blue flax, evening primrose, baby's breath and hens and chicks. It was so beautiful and really helped to heal my heart at the time. When it was all gone, I was devastated and have struggled since with doing anything more than weeding there. This is a really cool, old pioneer cemetery, if you are wondering about having to do weeding and maintenance and all.
My oldest is out of school today and tomorrow, and we are planning on going to Curves together this morning! She is trying to talk me into shopping with her afterwards. I do have a $50 Bath and Body gift certificate to spend, so maybe shopping isn't such a bad idea. I really need to journal my food today. For some reason that is being a tough hurdle to jump and keep jumping. If I don't keep tight track though, I let too much slide in and all my other hard work is for nothing.
Everyone else in the house is up and zooming around now, so I'd better get outta here. Have great mornings!
Lucky, congratulations on the new job! I am so excited for you!
Gloria, I almost forgot to give you my favorite suggestion for keeping tomato worms away. Plant basil in the middle of your tomatoes. It is easy, and if you are making homemade sauces, you will use plenty of basil anyway. I don't know why it works, but ever since I started doing it, I've only seen 3 tomato worms over 2 years. The basil is easy enough to care for, just when you see it beginning to flower, nip the buds off and let it continue to grow. Good luck with getting to the Y. I know how hard it is to make something habit again, even if you know it is good for you and you love how you feel afterwards. And *hugs* for you with your DH's new schedule. I can imagine it would leave you feeling quite lost.
Unfortunately, my hurdle goals were a little too ambitious for this week. I haven't exercised in two days and, although my eating has been fine, it hasn't been as low as 1200 calories every day either. I hate to make excuses for myself but I have really been busier than I thought trying to get everything ready for our trip and get the house ready for my inlaws. It has been so long since Greg and I have taken a vacation without the kids that I had forgotten all of the preparation involved. So, I haven't managed the intense workouts I planned but I have scrubbed the deck, kitchen floors, cleaned cabinets, etc. I suppose I can give myself a pat on the back for not sitting on the couch, eating ice cream, and feeling overwhelmed. Which, by the way, is my natural instict to do.
And, hey, more GREAT news. We leave in one day and I started my period this morning. Why? First of all, what pain when your vacation is focused on the pool and the beach. Second of all, it is not a good thing to have cravings while on vacation. At home that isn't a big deal. I don't have too much crap in the house so even if I give in to those urges I can't do too much damage. But on vacation? I don't know. It will be a little extra work stayng in line. We've collected menus from all of the restaraunts in the area and keep them at the condo. So, I will plan to make my selections, including drinks and dessert, before we leave. I know that the longer I read all of the food descriptions once we are there the more likely it is that I will make a poor choice.
I'm off to finish up all of my clean up projects. My inlaws aren't supposed to be here until after 7:00 tomorrow night but I don't want to plan on having tomorrow as a work day just in case they make it in earlier than that.
In case I don't get to post again before we leave I hope everyone has a GREAT week!
Congrats on the new job Lucky. I hope your new job means more money and less time at work so you can post more often. I know a new job can be stressful but exciting all at the same time.
Thanks for the tip, Andria. I have my tomato plant in a VERY large pot now which is almost root bound. I think i am growing the tomato plant from ****. I keep cutting it back and within a few days there are more and more tomato blossoms coming out. I don't know what I'm going to do with all those tomatoes.
Did you go shopping with your daughter? Man what i wouldn't give to be able to go shopping and maybe lunch with my daughter right now. Sometimes its hard for me to cut the apron strings but i guess you just have to let them fly sometime.
How long are you going to be on vacation, Tricia? Carl and i are heading on up to Ga. next weekend and will be gone a week. If your not back by then, let me say now "Welcome back.
Yesterday i put my swimsuit and was almost out the door heading for the Y when the phone rang. My neighbor who's very sick and unable to even get out of a chair by himself called and was in need of my help. Okay, being a little late for my water aerobics class is'ent so bad. So, after helping him, just as I'm leaving his house, Carl pulls up in his package truck. He was all chatty about his new route so there goes my class. Today as I'm sitting here typing away, i have my suit on and am ready to go. Still have to feed the dogs and maybe eat something because i cant exercise on an empty stomach.
Sorry I have not posted in awhile. I'm still battling with my health. I do not seem to be getting much better. But I thought I'd pop in here and let you all know I am still in existence, and I miss reading the posts on here. I'm going to go lie down again and try to get more rest.
I sure would, Lucky. I have painted my living room so many times in the past 25 years i swear its half its size now from so much paint on the walls. So what color are you painting your ceiling? Down here just about all the houses have popcorn ceilings and its impossible to paint them. Just in case anyone doesn't know what popcorn ceilings are, its white stuff they spray on the ceiling thats all bumpy and looks just like popcorn. If you were to try and paint it, it would come off and fall on your head.
I did make it to the Y yesterday for a water aerobics class and the water felt soooo good i didn't want to get out. I even rode my bike there. The weather has been cool in the evenings and the breeze felt good on my face as i was peddling away.
Okay Chelsea, one more time. I really, really am worried about you. Its been three weeks and your still not getting any better. I don't want to sound like a mother hen and tell you what to do, but, cluck, cluck, maybe if you try a different doctor he/she might be able to help you get well.
So where is everyone? I know its friday and people do fun things on the weekend, but it sure would be nice to hear how everyone is doing.
Still have supper dishes to do so better go.
Take care.
Gloria
Oh yeah, some wave petunias in a deep, rich purple. Now, I'm just going to have to wait until this storm front moves on so I can plant them all. The wind is blowing so hard, and it is bitter cold. This morning it was short sleeves weather and now I'm ready to pull out my fleece again. Ah well. I'll miss it when the heat is on. 
