Diet Coaches/Buddies - Happiness was three packages arriving from Amazon containing 'stuff' for amusing the (7 yo) DGD. DW had made a trip to a local craft store, Michael's, but couldn't find a beginner's kit for making embroidery cross stitch patches. Nor from the upscale kids' store. I found just what she wanted on Amazon: contains six small patches; each is super simple; each has its own frame; hole and spacing is large. Would think that such a kit would be on the bottom shelf of every craft store. Arrived being just what was ordered, which is great because surprises come often. And also a beginner's book of origami and 200 sheets of origami paper. Still boggles my mind that we need to get all this stuff online with fast, free shipping when we'd like to buy it locally. I still get my jollies from arriving packages. Even when the contents aren't for me.
Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, with daytime snacks. Got a bunch of reading done for next week's classes. We're braced for a big snowstorm today but it now looks like those of us near the coast will only get a dusting while the inland gets hammered. Yay for the mitigating effects of a local ocean. Today's challenge is to do tax work without eating about it.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Congrats on your plank progress.
Silverbirch - Your celeriac and apple soup does sound brilliant. Don't know if we can buy celeriac (by the name of celery root) around here. I do like the notion that your fiberglass internet lines are strung on "telegraph poles" - Samuel Morse would like that.
maryann - Yep, Kudos, indeed, for your list of food credit. Rice cakes and artichoke bruschetta sounds like a fun snack.
curlyjax - Congrats for returning overdue library books. When I do that, I'm embarrassed that the fines are so small. Hope you're able to pick up your DS in today's storm.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 6Stage 3 - The Challenging Situations Plan
skills for when you are under stress
In addition, you can decide whether you want to stay at your current calorie level or go up to the next level for a predetermined period of time.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 164.
I ate too much yesterday morning including a large chocolate chip muffin, all part of a breakfast for veterans we do once a month. After work I got all my trash to the dump early in anticipation of the storm, and sent off my dad's info to the accountant as well. Off to my haircut, then a quick dinner of salad with leftover salmon, mashed potatoes with cheese added and a few pieces of chocolate, at 5:30 as we were meeting for a 6:15 movie. Big credit for not eating anything the rest of the night, and the scale rewarded me with a tiny dip down today. I am proud of myself for closing the kitchen so early even though I was a bit hungry when I came home.
We don't have a ton of snow yet, maybe 4 inches yay. DS offered to come home Sunday instead of today since its possibly icky on and off all day, so we will do that instead. I have a leisurely day of no plans although there are things I must deal with at some point like collecting my own tax stuff. And figuring out what to serve my hungry 6 footer all week!
The movie I went to see was ridiculous-Magic Mike's Last Dance-about a stripper and I knew it would be bad, but I went with my work buds and we just laughed the whole way through, so it was a very fun time.
Gardenerjoy- that is very impressive progress, good for you!
Silverbirch-good idea to rethink the size of bowl etc. I have a lot of dessert size plates that are handy for small serving portions and I tend to use them for all sorts of things.
Maryann-Yay for all your credits. What a great idea to roast the squash, it sounds delicious, as does artichoke bruschetta.
Good morning! Still eating poorly and it's my week with the kids. They have struggled with the transition but are okay. I try to give them all my attention so it means very little personal time between them and work, but I guess that's how it works. I'll get all my personal time next week.
My little one wants to go to the library today, and let me know I do not have a stapler- something I need to remedy asap. Lol
I need to get my mom's taxes done! Time is slipping away and I don't want to miss it.
Thanks for confirming my thoughts about a smaller bowl. Today’s lunch needed a plate so I used the side plate that I use in the evening. It worked well. If it’s going to be a big salad or lots of veg, I’ll be using a dinner plate. I think that’s where I went adrift with the bowl of (veg) soup: veg=good therefore eat lots. But it still felt like too much as there was protein as well.
If my morning isn’t going particularly well (not enough sleep, feeling out of sorts), I sometimes have one or two slices of toast as well as muesli for breakfast. That’s buttered toast with peanut butter or jam or marmalade or honey or Marmite. It’s fair to say that this doesn’t seem to make my morning go that much better, in fact. CREDIT for recognising this. So I’m going to use my cafe hack. That’s the one where I have a spoonful of sugar in my coffee to avoid buying hideous shop cakes etc. I’ll be trying this to avoid toast with all the trimmings. CREDIT for working this out.
maryann, a great list of food credits there. I recognise and applaud the ‘did NOT eat in the car after grocery shopping’. And congrats for being out of the 180s.
gardenerjoy, love the plank work!
Bill, so awful not to be able to buy things locally and to be in the power of Amazon.
curlyjax, you’re very busy with everything but laughing through a terrible movie sounds excellent. Could DS be in charge of making some meals?
Penny, good luck with your week and with finding a stapler! How many children do you have?
I guess I continue to catch up. I woke up at nearly noon today. Part of the reason was I dared myself to go to at Friday evening camp movie just out called Cocaine Bear. Like curleyjax I laughed all the way through it. I saw several of my kids on dates. Cute. Three years ago I could never have done this. Anxiety would have been over the moon. I couldn't watch any gory movies and I dreaded seeing students because I felt like I would have to control them. I also would have not limited myself to diet coke and some popcorn. Life is so much easier for me these days with all the work I have done on myself and my high power's grace.
I went grocery shopping trying to stick to just cash. I want to make it a lean March because of all the travel expenses. I bought an International Coffee 64 ounce Pumpkin Spice to use for the month. Like Silverbirch, a little bit of sweet in my tea and coffee helps me stay away from treats. More importantly, there is no excuse to go to Starbucks for a Chai Latte. Credit for not sacrificing best for better. On my frugal blogs, I saw the USDA says moderate food spending was $600 for two people. We are way over that because of going out to eat ( especially when DS is around.) There is no reason I can't plan a healthier food budget this year that would accomadate eating out with DS. . Goal for this month is to hit the $600.
Credit for yoga last night. Today the two "must dos" are a gym trip and laundry. There is a week of storms that forced DS on to the train from his skiing in Wyoming. Here in Tahoe we expect feets of snow. It is raining now here and hopefully filling up the Shasta Dam for our rice water this summer. DH has already pulled out many walnut trees. Only grain crops will make the farm economically feasible.
Wave to all
I was hungry early, so I ate lunch early. CREDIT for not allowing that to impact the rest of the day. I'm following my plan. I just worked out and that was a big help to distract me until supper time.
I've been doing a bit of research on depression in an attempt to help my Dear Niece. Mostly, what I learned, so far, is that all the things that I want to do to help (advice, suggestions, plans), probably won't help. But continuing to make my presence felt in as many ways as she will tolerate, might help, eventually. I sent a card in the mail today with a cute kitten on the cover, along with the usual daily text check-in.
Sunday - Stapler patented in England by C H Gould (1868)
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Exercise, CREDIT moi, was shoveling the mixture of snow/rain slush. Again, the goal was to get it gone before the overnight temperatures froze it in place. Mission accomplished. (Our sidewalk is dry this morning; one house across the street did nothing and their sidewalk is ice - so my work is justified.) Had to work in the rain wearing rain pants - something I never do. Last year, DW bought us industrial-strength, lined, waterproof gloves. With these I can swipe the slush off the car with my hand and stay both warm and dry. Before these, I've always had to choose between dry or warm and the warm usually went away after getting wet. No complaints, however, when I read about the several feet of snow hitting the California mountain regions.
Eating was on plan, CREDIT moi, but still with daytime snacks. Got a lot of class work done; I'm ready for next week. I fondled the tax papers as a first step to getting them fully organized. Dinner was our go-to 13-bean soup with the dying remnant of a baguette. You'd think we've been around long enough to know that a baguette doesn't last forever. Fortunately, toasting a hard baguette somewhat disguises its age. Somewhat.
Real excitement was installing Google Earth on my laptop. Up to now, I've only played with it on DW's computer; just assumed that it'd be too complicated to want to learn. Good grief! It installed in seconds. I spun the globe and dug right down to the top of Mount Everest. Then to the climbers' camps around Everest. Then to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris - easily finding it by following the Seine. Heartbreaking to view current pictures of partial reconstruction after the fire. Then to our house where DW's rain gauge is visible on the flat section of our roof. A new way to consume time.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Interesting that your research suggests that human contact helps a person fight depression - not words and suggestions. I continue to admire that you're the adult that she can receive support from.
Silverbirch - Using a "side plate" seems like a good idea - thanks for that tip. I feel deprived when I face a small amount of food on a full-sized dinner plate. And thanks for reminding me that I haven't had Marmite in years. Time to fetch a jar for the memories.
maryann - That's harsh news that the farm has to shift from walnut trees to grains; I wish you guys well finding a path since I'm part of the country that absolutely depends on California farmers to survive. And good luck finding sane food prices these days.
curlyjax - Seems like a smart move to avoid driving to get your DS in the snow - even though those six feet would be a big help removing the stuff from your place. Thanks for the warning about Magic Mike's Last Dance; I'll pass.
Penny. - Good news that your kids are handling the transition. No question, they deserve a stapler; you've had 155 years to purchase one, LOL.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 6Stage 3 - The Challenging Situations Plan
skills for when you are under stress
It may be reasonable to add a little more food (especially if you have less control over your food), even if you stay the same weight or gain a little.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 164.
I finally got the FAFSA done yesterday, yay! Exercise was shoveling the slushy snow for about 15 minutes, not bad at all. I ended up making banana oat pancakes with chocolate chips as well as two mini loaves of banana bread with chocolate chips, to use up-well obviously bananas and chocolate chips! Clearly I ate too much of something unhealthy which backfired on me later in the day but I did stop eating at 8. I starting binge watching a British show on Acorn called "Innocent" which is so good.
Next task this week is getting my and the kids tax info collected and to the accountant. Today I'm going to pick up DS around 1 and hit the grocery store on the way home with his help, which will be more fun and easier. It is sunny outside finally and hopefully it will stay that way all day.
Wave to all!
Spent much of the morning wrestling with cardboard boxes and piles of books as we’re selling some of our more obscure unwanted books so they end up with people who will read and love them. The challenge was to fit the pile of books into two cardboard boxes as requested by the buying company. I had a small number of boxes to play with and I couldn’t make two boxes work without cutting one down in size. The SO then produced just the right one from a secret stash (how? It’s a small house) and all went well. We sent them off, went to the fishmonger and got some soup for lunch and smoked haddock for him to make kedgeree tonight. No bread with the soup which maybe backfired later in the afternoon as I ate something else then. Could call it afternoon snack, could say that it might have backfired even had I eaten bread at lunchtime - we just don’t know. More work needed on food in the mid/late afternoon. CREDIT for recognising this (although it’s nothing new).
And a stack of ironing.
maryann, I loved reading about your Cocaine Bear dare to yourself. Wonderful to hear about the effects of all the work you’ve done on yourself. CREDIT CREDIT.
gardenerjoy, workouts are such a good distraction. My research agrees with your research about supporting someone who’s depressed. Good luck.
Bill, Google Earth is extraordinary. Great to hear you’ve installed it. (You know, I’m really not sure about ancient baguettes. I believe the French buy them twice a day to make sure they’re fresh … )
curlyjax, CREDIT for getting the FAFSA done (have just looked it up). And for planning getting the tax stuff together. All this paperwork hanging around is a complete pain.
Silverbirch: I have sold many books as well. There is quite an organizing rush as I create space around me. BBE: If you didn't shovel enough, hop on a plane and help DH dig out Tahoe cabin this week. Yikes! Curley: Credit for closing the kitchen. I just binged watched Season 1 of Slow Horses on Apple. excellent. Also Stonemouth which only has two episodes. Yeah! Britbox. Gardenerjoy: Yes depression is tricky. Any talk of the future brings no relief ( in my experience) because I couldn't ever understand the possibility of anything ever getting better. Medication (lexapro) was critical for me as was self talk learned through therapy and AA. These feelings are not fact. One image that helped was pretending my feelings were children. I would buckle them up with care in the "backseat" and let the rational adult (me) drive while achieving tiny goals. This allowed me to honor the feelings but keep trudging towards a solution.
Food was a success. I also finished laundry and worked out at the gym. I stayed up too late last night. I need to get back on a regular sleep schedule. I know this is critical for keeping to sane eating. Bed at 10:00 tonite, no excuse.
I'm letting an extra snack sneak in, sometimes. I blame it on eating too early in the day so that I can't quite last until supper, especially if it's a little later than I expected, which happens for a variety of reasons.
So, this week's experiment is to see if I can hold out a little longer for the earlier meals and snacks. That will make it easier to skip the extra one.
Exercise +70, 3000/1700 minutes for March
BillBlueEyes: Great to see that your work is justified with a dry sidewalk.
curlyjax: Congrats for completing the FAFSA!
silverbirch: Good for you for sending two boxes of books off to new homes -- and right-sized boxes, at that.
maryann: I love the image of children in the back seat -- thanks. I will share that.
Monday - Dmitri Mendeleev presents 1st periodic table of the elements (1869, Russia)
Diet Coaches/Buddies - Walked, CREDIT moi, around Mount Auburn Cemetery. The place never ceases to amaze. Spent some time just admiring a Black Oak tree - majestic with no leaves, with thick bark. And birds galore, despite feeling like winter in the 40 degree F temperature. Saw two Bald Eagles soaring over our house before we even got started. Looked liked they were hunting for a place to nest. Our specific neighborhood wouldn't do - they tend to nest visibly near water - but there are several ponds nearby that would be suitable. A nesting Bald Eagle near us would be a rare treat. They're common about an hour north of here on the Merrimack River. I remember a snort from a friend from Alaska because they're common as House Sparrows up there.
Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. That was possible because a good chunk of time was spent outside the house. Dinner was grilled pork chops leading to a strange conversation trying to calculate how many pounds of pork we consume a year, including one holiday ham. Turned out to be a small number, a small fraction of a pig. Wouldn't do the calculations for fish and chickens since they're our constant source of protein. The old notion of buying "half a cow" for the freezer just wouldn't fit into our lives these days.
Excitement was the arrival of a book for the DFGD's 3rd birthday coming up: The Very Clumsy Click Beetle by Eric Carle, the author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Only took one reading for me to be tired of the 'click' at the end of the book. Many reviews say that their kids wait with eager anticipation just for that very click. I already know the location of the switch that turns off the battery that drives it. But it won't live at my house; that's a problem for the DS and DIL. Hope they don't grow to hate us, LOL.
Joy (gardenerjoy) - Interesting to see how timing contributes to additional snacks. Might try some juggling to see if that helps me.
Silverbirch - Saving and not saving boxes is a major issue here; each arriving box is examined to determine if its quality is better than one in the stack. Is this recipe similar to how you make kedgeree? Thinking of asking DW to give it a try.
maryann - Love the image of putting the un-useful feelings in the backseat like children. Gotta remember that. I wish your DH well digging out at Tahoe; our newspapers are full of pictures of cabins buried in the deep snow.
curlyjax - Congrats for getting that FAFSA done; what a pain to have hanging over your head. Does sound like you found a way to get rid of the excess chocolate chips and bananas. I so hate having to toss bananas that I've let get over ripe.
Readers -
Quote:
Chapter 6Stage 3 - The Challenging Situations Plan
skills for when you are under stress
You may also need to do some problem solving to reduce your stress. Ask yourself the following questions:
What do I need help with?
When can I ask for help?
Which self-care activities am I neglecting?
Which tasks, responsibilities, or activities do I temporarily need to postpone, do less of, do less well, or delegate to others?
Would anyone be as stressed in this situation as I am? If my negative reaction is greater than other people's reaction would be, maybe I need help to put things in better perspective.
Judith S. Beck, Ph.D., The Complete Beck Diet for Life (Green book), Pg 164.
I picked up DS and went to get groceries as planned. He is happy at school and is planning on stretching his wings and living away from home in the summer; either with a friend or on campus if he gets a job there. I made turkey meatloaf, steamed broccoli and baked sweet potato for dinner which he happily scarfed down; he is pretty easy to feed. I ate too much unhealthy carbs yesterday but did stop eating at 8, my eating window. There are different opinions on whether a little milk in one's coffee is breaking a fast, but there is no way i'm giving that up, and I figure at least I'm not eating food, so it's fasting enough for me.
no exercise really- I need to make a priority of getting into a routine, which will be easier as the weather gets nice.
Maryann-it is bizarre you guys are getting more snow than we are. I love the idea of buckling the feelings in the backseat.
Silverbirch-I had to giggle at the SO having a secret stash of boxes. Yay for sending off well loved books to someone else who will appreciate them. We have a swap shop at my dump and I often deposit books there, and have picked up a few as well.
Gardenerjoy-Good idea to try experiment of holding out on snack.
A day of rafting about and problem-solving or, at least, working on how to solve some problems without actually solving them. The car is the main one. It alerts me intermittently, telling me beep, beep, beep with a red notice saying “STOP braking system fault”. There is no mechanical fault and this alert ruins any quiet journey. I think I’ve worked out where to take the car next but they’re not answering the phone so I may have to go round. But the garage is within spitting distance of the office so that’s a potential plus. The gymn was good but left me starving in a strange unfocused way, as usual after a break (I didn’t go when I had the cough). I forgot this and didn’t take any food with me so I’ve eaten much too much terrible food. I’ve collected the rest of the logs.
maryann, thank you for the “feelings as children strapped safely into the back seat” description. That’s very useful and I’m sure I’m going to mention it. Yes, an early night here too. My problem is reading past lights out time.
gardenerjoy, good idea about holding out longer to make those earlier meals and snacks later. I wonder about this too so I’m interested in hearing about your results.
Bill, I think the recipe you linked fails to understand the simple beauty of kedgeree. It throws in far too many bits and pieces. This is nearer to the one we use. (Delia Smith is very well respected here, approaching sainthood for some, and has taught many people how to cook.) I would add what my recipe calls “a snowstorm of coriander [cilantro]” and offer mango chutney, another idea the British Empire brought from India. We’ve just had it warmed up in the oven for a second night, with boiled Brussels sprouts and sprouting broccoli.
curlyjax, so good to know that DS is happy at school. That’s a real boon.
Silverbirch: I HATE those alarms that at times are more dangerous than what they are signalling. Grrrrrr! That kind of stuff tempts me to justify a few chocolate bars.
Joy: Thanks for reminding me that hunger is not an emergency. I am perfectly capable of waiting until a meal. I have proven it time and again when I am shopping for clothes ( which I love) and forget lunch.
BBE: Firm rule while DS was growing up. No toys that make noise. ( Goes along with the NO Mayonaise in the house.) I know my boundaries in many areas.
Curley: 3 cheers for DS stretching his wings. So many don't these days. My DS has an internship in Engineering. I am so proud of him. That is more than I did when I was his age.
Super excited about this week. My co-teacher (student is not really applicable for a 40 year old professor) is stretching his wings and taking two days teachng this week. This allows me to call in healthy for an assembly on fentanol. I just can't do any more depressing meetings. It also lets me skip an entire day of professional development led by teachers with literally 1/5 my classroom experience. I will actually have to pay difference pay ( between my daily salary and the sub who makes about $170.) It is totally worth it. This kind of preventative thinking keeps me positive for the students without subjecting them to substitutes. If my career is a marathon I am on the "team" marathon section where lots of people share the load and I pick my favorite events.
Food is good. I did yoga yesterday. Cooking a huge batch of sausage lentil soup replacing the sausage part with turkey sausage. I have invested in a four pack of Better than Boullion broth bases. They are suppos to be wonderful. I will report back.
Saturday - Tchaikovsky's ballet "Swan Lake" world premiere (1877, Bolshoi Ballet)
but I did stop eating at 8. I starting binge watching a British show on Acorn called "Innocent" which is so good.