Hi everyone!! TGIF. Really looking forward to the weekend. Need some time off. Things with me are pretty good. Jacob has been using the potty, which is sooooo exciting. And he has been doing it all on his own, no prompting from us. Work is hectic, but I am thankful that I have a job the way things are going in this world.

Jen, sorry the cold is still hanging on. I just hate to be sick. Working when you have kids is just tough, no matter how it goes. Just hang in there, it'll be good bonding time for Dad.

Snowball, thanks!! I stole it. Now, to live by it...that's the challenge.

Denise, I'm glad you came back. If I've learned anything, it's to keep coming here no matter what. If I'm doing good or bad. I think that may be why I took up the challenges. I have to come in here because people are counting on me. I haven't done good in a while, but I keep starting over. I think that's mainly because I come here and it keeps weight loss in the front of my head. I'll see someone like you who is doing awesome and I'll think...You know, I can do it too. I know you don't feel like you have the drive you had before, but just keep plugging. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

Jessicca, It's hard when the scale doesn't budge. Maybe try journaling for a few weeks. Or maybe spice up your exercise. Just hang in there. Follow your program and ignore the scale!!

Have a Great Weekend everyone!! For those interested, sign up for the next challenge! Starts on Monday. I am thinking that after this one, the next one should start December 30. I know how busy people (including myself) get during the holiday. Do you guys agree?

Denise - I thought of you yesterday in ballet class (I know, a fat girl in ballet IS pretty funny). I've been suffering from achilles tendonitis (from my Morris class, another dance class) and the instructor was giving me advice and she said, "You need to work on your abs."

I was totally shocked. I mean, I NEVER work on my abs, because... well, YOU CAN'T SEE THEM. She told me my whole problem was balance and that my body is not aligned because my abs are not engaged. I never thought I had "bad" posture but now I look at pictures and I throw my shoulders back and my stomach sort of juts out (my whole body in profile is like a backwards C).

Anyway, she told me I had to do crunches everyday because my abs were so out of shape it was causing strain on other parts of me. I instantly thought of you and your crunchs.

So, I'm trying to do crunchs.... everyday..... GROAN!

Well my hubby is back, that is why I haven't checked in for a while. It's great having him back but it is a little stressfull. With him back, school, and 2 jobs now I feel a little weighed down. My clothing are fitting a little looser now. So I wonder if the BCP they put me on is starting to do it's job. The doc said she thought it would help on my wieght loss goals. I hope it is. I did gain a little in the past few weeks. I think I gained about 2lbs. Not bad but not good either.

Today is a good day. I am up early to get ready for a street fair. I'll be selling my Scrap In a Snap with my up line. It should be fun. My husband is taking the girls to his home coming picnic.(he has to go) The girls are excited. But they arn't going to like the long ride. It should give him a taste of what I have been going through for the last year, lol.

Well I am going to get going for now. I want to read some of the other posts before my ride gets here. I'll talk to you all later.

Bella23

Bella - Don't you hate that? He's been gone for HOW MANY months and the damn military makes a stupid "homecoming" picnic MANDATORY? That is one thing I definitely do NOT miss about hubby being in the military. The guys used to call it "mandatory fun."

I don't know what it was...if the shop got together and had a barbeque, we'd go and have a great time. The minute the word "mandatory" came into play, though, it would suck the fun right out of it. For the mandatory stuff, we'd usually end up going, staying for about 15 minutes to be sure we were seen, then leaving.

Well everything this past weekend was not fine. My dh is a complete idiot. He has an amazing wife and a beautiful baby and he is too selfish and childish to appreicate anything. I was working this weekend and he had to look after Drake Saturday and Sunday. He was so petulant about not being able to do the things he wanted to do. He brought home some work he was supposed to do but couldn't because of watching the baby. The thing is that he probably would have only worked a few hours meanwhile I put in 23.5 hours worth of work in those 2 days. Last night I told him he needs to get his priorities straight, that raising his son should be the most important thing in his life and if he didn't want to be a dad to Drake well then he knew what he could do. this was just the first time that he was looking after Drake for a long period of time by himself so I can understand that he isn't used to it and might be discouraged but there is a world of difference between being discouraged and being selfish and angry.

So that was my weekend. Work actually hasn't been too bad but I might have to look into another work area as I'm having to work a lot of nights coming up soon and I can see another run in. I could look into also going part-time and just working weekdays. I'd still work full-time hours because there is tons of hours to be had but this way I could pick and choose a little more. Right now it is impossible to discuss anything with him. He's just all po'd about everything.

I'm looking forward to starting the new challenge today, so far so good.

Jen - it's amazing to me how men can be sometimes. They really have no idea what it takes. {{BIG Hug}} Sorry you had a yucky weekend.

Jennifer - Glad to see you!!

Bella - Glad to hear hubby is home. How is your business going?

Life for me is good, even with my gain. I am moving forward. I started the new challenge today!! And am doing good so far. I also up the stakes a little. Over the weekend I bought a teadmill...got a GREAT deal on it. But hubby isn't very thrilled about it. He thinks I won't use it. So now I HAVE to use it, MUST prove him wrong.

Basically it is my husband just having a hard time transitioning to a new life. He hasn't got his head around that he has to put his son first. If he will ever be able to do that, I don't know. I went and talked to my manager at work, broke down and bawled in front of her, and she is willing to be supportive and work around what is going on at home. So things are up in the air right now until the dh and I can sit down and try and talk this out. I'm wavering between being mad as heck and crying my face off. I just don't get how someone could not fall in love with our little boy and want to be with him all the time. All I"m asking is for every other weekend and a few hours during the week for my dh to look after Drake. Is that asking too much? There are people out there who would kill to have a beautiful baby like ours and my husband seems to think coaching hockey teams and working on his race car are more important.

Anyway, that's enough of that.

It is gorgeous weather out today so I"m taking my beautiful baby out for a walk. Take care.

My husband is great about helping out, but that doesn't mean his priorities are in-line. As great as he is, I still hear about how his life has changed and he doesn't have the freedom and free time that he used to and blah, blah, blah. I'm afraid that he is still getting used to the change in our lives and Jacob is almost 2. But It'll get better.

My husband was the SAME way, Jen, when our kids were young. I was a SAHM for a few years when they were toddlers, and he wouldn't do ANYTHING to help me! He would get pissed off because I would want him to watch them for an hour or two after I'd been with them all day. It changed when I went back to work. I guess he didn't see me raising his children and keeping his house as "real" work. Anyway, he eventually grew out of it.

JacobsMommy - I've been trying to PM you, but I keep getting a message that says your inbox is full and can't take any more messages.

And Jenniffer - I'm glad to see hear that your motivation is returning. Send some my way, okay?

In my own opinion, I refuse to be a married single mom. It is completely impossible for me to take care of Drake or arrange babysitting when I'm at work when he is right there and able if not willing to do it. He wanted this baby as much if not more than I did. Also before I got pregnant we had this big talk about how he would share in all the child care. Now it is time for him to come to grips with all this. If he doesn't want to share in this then he can just get the heck out. His father is exactly the same. Puts his business ahead of family. My husband's parents own a small business and his father and older sister did not attend our wedding because of the business and when she got married last year neither father nor mother attended. there were some other issues but at the heart of it was the business. They didn't want to close down for a day or half day particularly on their busiest day (saturday). well attending the weddings of your children would take priority. I can understand that this is a difficult transition but I"m not going through another weekend where I come home and he's all miserable and po'd. I just don't need it.

Sorry for the rant guys, I just can't understand where he is coming from as much as I try.

Question about the pts challenge??? Can you get one food point for something??? ie today I think I've gone over my points but I did journal all day, I haven't finished dinner's yet, and basically I did eat healthy foods but just ate a bit too much. Can I get one point for that? Can we divy up the food points and give ourselves one if we feel that we deserved something for a true effort? Any thoughts??

Hello all,

I am just checking in. I see some are doing good and others are not so good. For those doing good keep up the good work. For those who aren't doing so good. I will keep you in my prayers.

Now for an update on my family. Starting with the youngest. She is 6 months old now and trying to crawl but rolls all over the place and gets into to much stuff already. Got her a new bed one she can move in and she seems to like it. It's a Graco play crib. One that is easily transported to other places.

The other kids are all in school now. The 3rd grader got her mid-term report and I was glad to say she got all A's. I can't beleive how she grew over the summer. Ray the only boy is doing good in Kindergarten. He can write his name now and has learned alot already.

My dear old husband. He just had knee surgury and is going through the pain. I have been running ragged keeping up with everything he want me to get him. I told him I won't baby him. He needed to use it even if it hurts. I have been working 9-5 straight to get my hours in. I have to take the baby to daycare and the 4 year old to preschool at 8:30am so I have not been able to get to work before 9:00am. I guess it has kept me away from the food. I get home from work and have to make supper and get the kids ready for bed. I feel so tired right now I don't have time for myself. My husband can't go back to work until he is off of the pain killers which means his paycheck is null until the short term disability kicks in. Then it's only 80% of his check. Well I guess that is all for now. I have about 40 minutes of work left and then I will be off and running again. I thank God for my parents. They have helped me get some things done. My dad will come over tonight and help my husband with the kids while I go to my TOPS meeting tonight and weigh in. I will either lose a bunch of weight or gain a bunch of weight tonight I am not even going to guess how I did. Take care all and I will try and check in more often.

Yesterday was going SOOOOO well, then I came home and Jacob was sick and I was trying to page the doctor and worrying about having to miss work today, hubby was crabby because Jacob was sick and the STRESS eating kicked it. It was 5:00 and I had had a "perfect" food day. Well I ended it with pizza, breadsticks and ice cream. Real mature.

But I woke up this morning and decided to make yesteday the past and am having another good day. I am going to have to learn to step back when stress kicks and not eat my way through it.

Sandi - we all have days like that. Oh well that you were didn't make it, but since you are aware that stress caused the slide, you will be better equipt for next time around. I know that you can do this.

Jen - I know what you mean about being a married single mom. I sometimes feel that way. Expecially when my dh is traveling. I try to get the kids where they need to go and sometimes I feel like I have no life of my own, that I'm just Mark and Drew's mom and nothing else. Then I sit back and realize that if I am raising these great kids, even if I feel like it is all by myself, and they are turning out as good as they are, then I am not just a mom, I am a good mom. Make sense? probably not, I can't really explain it.

Right now, I'm doing OK. I did have McDonalds last night, but knew it was coming, so I ate low point foods before dinner so I could have some fries. I just need to STOP going out to eat after soccer practices. I should probably take advantage of the timer on the stove, and have dinner ready when we get home. The DH is out of town for the next week. The kids are off school for that next two weeks, and making me crazy!!!!! I'll get over it though.