Weekly Chat - September 29th - October 5th
 

Blah..........
 

Today is a bad day for me. I staid home and ate. It's only 11 and already I've stuffed my face and I'm not even going to try to stop. :(

Good Morning,

Its a lovely morning so far, at least there's some blue in the sky.

Sassy ohhh the first day back is a killer..... but once your there it gets better.

Spoz I hate days like that.... do you think TOM is coming and that could be the trigger?

Nothing new from me... just plodding along ;)

Have a great day ladies :hug:

SO SO TIRED...i should stay up but my head is hurting and i really want to lay back down!!! ok lata

Monday *bleh

LOL.. did I mention I don't like weekends ending? I'm sure I'm not the only one.

I spent the entire weekend cooking.. made two kinds of chicken (one in crockpot, one marinated), a huge pot of brown rice, barley-mushroom soup, and then weighed and portioned it all out... all tucked in the freezer now. Got groceries, did all the laundry, cleared out some more clothes that don't fit anymore, watched a movie & played on here a bit. Also heard from a very very dear friend last night... who is not doing so well (been in hospital for 7 weeks with pneumonia - he has pancreatic cancer). I was relieved to hear from him. He had access to a computer & chatted with hub and I for a bit.

Off to work for me. Keep at it, everyone! One day at a time... even one hour at a time, if need be. For an hour we are in control.

*hugs to everyone

I'm still feeling incredibly bad.. I just keep breaking down randomly and usually I dread therapy but today I really think I need it. So I'm off to therapy and I hope I feel even the slightest bit better tonight/tomorrow.. I dont think I can stand it much longer.

Hey Judo :hug: so sorry to hear about your friend :(
Your doing great with your WL WTG!! Cooking ahead of time sure does help, good for you !!

Spoz :hug: hope you have a good session sweetie.

Mom, get some rest :hug:

Off to get my DD to bring her to the doc....cold/allergies??? we'll see.

:hug:

Mornin, chickies!

It was a real downer weekend, with a few bright spots, like going to see our friend Drew and visiting my aunt and uncle. Money is tight this month and we wouldn't have been able to make that trip if Drew hadn't offered to buy gas for us before we made the trip back home.

Anyway, the worry has been making me want food I shouldn't have. And I ran out of some of my supplements and have been forgetting to take others. I really feel the difference. All in all, it's been a struggle. Still, I'm fighting the good fight. I lost 0.5 pounds last week.

Time with Uncle G is getting increasingly stressful as his Alzheimer's progresses. Every conversation is the same. He talks about the techniques he used when he was working in the lab, how he held off retirement until he was 72, that people need to eat more slowly and they'll lose weight. He brings up those topics very single conversation. I can only imagine how my aunt must feel having the same conversations every day.

She seems especially sensitive to the weight loss tip. It doesn't matter that he won't remember, she keeps trying to tell him that eating more slowly is only one tool, for countering one type of eating problem and that not everybody with weight problems has the same issue.

Fortunately, the weekend ended on a real high note. Dinner at Sweet Tomatoes that I didn't over-indulge in and 40 minutes in the pool at Mom's house.

At the end of my workout I realized how much I really did enjoy the mental benefits of exercise. I didn't take any music with me that time, so for the first 20 minutes or so, my brain was centered on the money problems and my fears of the future... that's a-whole-nother story really... but then something clicked and I stopped thinking altogether... I mean, it was a bit like dreaming, where thoughts skimmed over the surface of my mind, snippets of songs, noticing the way the light in the pool looked or the way my body made the water in the whole pool swell and ebb... I came out of it feeling pretty content.

Thank all the powers that payday is not far off. At least rent and power will be covered.

Because you are such wonderful people, I want to share with you what I worry about. Maybe if I give the fears voice, they'll stop bothering me...

I'm afraid that I might not get my four-year degree. The best I could do with my degree at that point would be a job at a day-care or preschool which wouldn't pay enough, I'm afraid.

I'm afraid that if I do get my bachelors, I won't make a good teacher. Mostly, I worry about my temper, even though I rarely lose it, but if I do lose it, I could make some huge mistakes that would be difficult to recover from. (No, I don't think I'd hit a child - I'm more worried about saying something inappropriate.)

I'm afraid that it won't matter what job I have in the future, jobs and pay are both going to be so low and taxes so high that we'll be struggling just to survive. I'm worried about the direction our economy has been going the past 35 years and that the system will have to completely break down before it can be replaced with something more stable.

I'm worried that there are really fundamental needs, like vision correction, clothes, and nutrition that just wouldn't get met without the assistance of my extended family, and at 40, that's a very uncomfortable situation. I'm worried that I will always be needy, and ashamed that I am needy now.

Okay, I've worked myself up quite enough. I feel like crying, so I must have really touched on the issue with me. Thanks everyone for bearing with my while I treat a post on a message board like my blog. :^:

spoz, i've had days like that. it feels awful. I hope your therapy session can help.

sassy, i hope you start to feel better as you get back into the normal routine! I think it's hard to go back even after a weekend, let alone a vacation!

Judo, props on getting so much accomplished this weekend! I tend to get pretty lazy when I know I have larger chunks of free time. Sorry to hear about your friend, but it's nice that you got to chat.

Tera, the economy stinks and it seems like no jobs pay enough. I'm very scared about the direction things are going. I'm sure you can finish your degree, and teachers are in high demand, so try not to worry too much - focus on the here and now.

I overslept this morning, kept hitting the snooze - and yes, I have to physically get out of bed to do that, but I did it anyway. I just couldn't deal with getting up today. Ugh, monday!

Thanks for the kind words ladies.

Terra, I have many of the same worries right now. I hate feeling needy and wonder if I'll ever feel anything but that. I have tax class tomorrow and I'm not prepared, nor do I have the energy to prepare for it. I want to quit b/c I just feel so ran down and lousy all the time, but I hate to give up the opportunity for a part time job during tax season with the economy the way it is. :(

I'm just tired and want to escape.

Hugs to all who are struggling right now, it seems to be several of us. :hug::hug:

Mrs. Lonely............lol.
 

Terra I can so relate. I worry about my Degree, I mean right now I'm only doing a diploma and I'm really trying my best to get back into it and give it my whole and re introduce myself to being around people, but I really worry about what I'll do if I get onto my degree and what happens after. will I ever get a job? Will I cope?

Also my Grandma had very bad Alzheimer's too - it can be very frustrating to see your relations like that, but thankfully it doesn't hurt them :hug:

I'm doing okay today. New project so I've alot of work to do and just don't know where to begin... I'm feeling much much better about my weight loss, I don't care about the scale anymore I just feel so enthusiastic about the gym and getting my body into shape and challenging myself :) I've aso developed a really strange phobia that I'm getting a lazy eye. It's totally stupid and illogic but it's really scaring me.

Sassy here's hoping you have that nice quiet night and your day looks brighter!

Hope big hugs to you, I hope today has been a better one for you too :hug:

And Buddly - where are ya? Hope you're doing good so far this week and I hope you're doing ok.

And Leenie thanks for all of those hugs yesterday! :D You're a star :)

BIG :hug: to my 3FC crew!

Of course I'm not the only one who worries about finances or the future. Thank you, ladies for standing with me, for helping me recognize that these are legitimate fears I'm facing.

Yesterday as I was doing homework it occured to me that I was not making sense worrying about the kind of teacher I'll be. I'm sure to have better days and worse days, just like I do with getting healthier and working through classes. As long as I have many more better days than worse days, things will go fine - I just need to take the work as it comes and not stress about the big picture.

Sassy, sorry things suck at work. Call center employees are often treated like slaves. The corporation does whatever makes a profit and the people who are really in charge seem unknowledgeable and/or uncaring about what goes on in the lower ranks. (This is my experience at least.)

Aren't you glad you're not your manager/supervisor? :)

So... current events. Yesterday, I was on plan all the way. I miss my mom, though. She was supposed to have gotten back from Germany yesterday afternoon, but due to a series of flight connection mishaps, she hasn't returned yet.

Tomorrow's my birthday and I'm breaking with the recent tradition (4 years or so) of a family dinner "out" on the weekend. I'm going to ask for build-your-own-burrito night with strawberry shortcake for dessert!

Happy Tuesday, Chicks! It's a Brand New Day! (Uh oh, flashing back to Dr. Horrible again.)

Good morning everyone :wave:

I'm still around and actually yesterday and today haven't been to bad so far. I just have to get moving and get some housework done as its a bit of a disaster here. At least the sun is out and its beautiful outside, if I had any sense I'd go out for a walk. At least I have a healthy veggie full stir fry planned for dinner. Picked up all the veggies yesterday, looking forward to that.

Lauren I'm glad to see you are feeling a little better today :hug:

Tera I have major fears about the future and job security as well (not mine hubby's) I'm finding I can't watch the news anymore as it just upsets me with the what ifs. I do read our local paper and of course there are the headlines on the net so I'm not completely in the dark. But if I get overloaded with the bad outlooks I start to wonder what the point of everything is and I start looking down a very wrong path and I honestly don't want to go there. I'm finding that if I hang on things usually have a way of working themselves out and we weather through.
And Happy Birthday :woo: tomorrow in case I don't get back (I have a dentist appt tomorrow) and that build your own burrito and strawberry shortcake sounds wonderful!

Hope I hope you are feeling better :hug: Sounds like you need a good sleep and a day of nothing. How are your puppies? Bet they miss you being gone all day.

Sassy did you survive the night? I don't know how you can manage doing the graveyard thing long term. I did the 10-6 shift for a bit and found it really hard and that was for only three nights a week!

Judo doing better now that its Tuesday? I woke up thinking it was Thursday what a shock when the reality hit!! And good for you on your planning and pre-cooking. A lot of work but boy I'm sure its a huge help and makes everything easier later on.

Iris hows today going?

Leenie, Cathy, mom and everyone else:wave:

well have a great day everyone and I hope the rest of the week is good to you.
Take care,
K

Hola Amigas!!!
 

Sassy, I don't know you well but I definitely wish you the best of luck in pursuing your future! Definitely take advantage of an opportunity like that! =)

Tera... happy birthday!!!

I can't believe tomorrow is october 1... where is the time going?

Hello Iris and THANK YOU!!! :D :D I know, can't beleive it either and its beginning to feel like fall outside too!!! :brr:

Hope you have a great birthday today Terra!!!!!!!!!!!


:balloons::balloons::bday2you::bday2you::balloons: :balloons:

:thanks: everybody for the birthday wishes! :woo:

Mom got back yesterday afternoon, and I got to visit an hour or so before leaving myself to pick up B and get to school. She had some really nice photos of the castles along the Rhine! If anyone is curious, not only does my mom work for Microsoft on a team that is developing their new professional image gallery program, but she's a talented photographer in her own right. You can see pics from some of her other trips on www.anitaoakley.com.

Anyhoo, today when I finish here, I'll be taking a little walk. First to deliver the rent and ask about the status on our maintenance request (a main pipe burst or something last night and since then the cold water hasn't been able to compete with the hot water, making our shower too hot to handle.) Then it's off to the grocery store to get fresh veggies to throw into my first attempt at home made chicken and rice soup. (singing: Chicken soup, chicken soup with ri-hiiiice! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQMmmTK9ibw)

Home again to get the crock pot going and hopefully make some progress on the house and maybe some homework... and then... I dunno! I definitely plan to do something special for myself before sweet Hubby (who gave me the most wonderful bday card) comes home and whisks me off to Costco for groceries! :yay: ;)

Sassy: Congratulations on finally having the opportunity to assess your career options and make a move toward long term job satisfaction. That's where I was about a year and a half ago, although it was a major disruption of my life, and not added stability that resulted in the change.

For 5 years I worked in an inbound call center - customer service and inbound sales. I kinda snapped rather suddenly after all that time, and my employer put me in the back office doing data entry and word processing to keep me from walking out, even though for a long while I was pretty content taking customer calls.

In my new position, I went above and beyond - writing database programs in MS Access and basically doing everything I could think of to streamline and improve the work processes. I had technical know-how that nobody else seemed to possess there.

Then the entire department was completely overhauled. After 9/11 and Katrina, they decided that having all the work for the entire corporation hubbed at a single location was too risky. They began training another team in a different part of the country, assuring us that they were just there to provide back-up and that nobody's jobs were at risk. Yeah-right.

We got a new department manager and about a month later, they sat us down and told us that about 1/3 of us were being let go. Most of them had the option of staying there and going back on the phones, but few took up the offer. Everything kind of went downhill from there, but I decided to give things a year to stabilize before deciding whether to give notice. Unfortunately, I didn't last a year. I became so stressed out and miserable that it was causing me physical pain. I left on short term disability after 6 months, and when that ran out and doctors hadn't found any physical cause for my pain, I quit. By that time I was almsot ten thousand dollars in debt with medical bills my company-provided insurance hadn't covered.

Yeah, I don't even know why I'm posting that whole story, but since I've actually written it, I'm going to post it anyway.

What I really wanted to tell you is that when I was ready to really evaluate what I wanted to do for the next 20-40 years, I decided to take an aptitude test online. That's how I came to decide to pursue my teaching degree. I don't remember which one it was, but I did find this one:

http://www.careerexplorer.net/aptitude.asp

I hope you find it helpful. :)

I don't know Sassy, I just moved from the northeast US to southwest, and I have to say it still feels like summer here! I'm in shock that it's oct. first and still over 90 degrees!! I'm usually always cold, though, so honestly I don't mind. The only thing that bothers me is how high all the buildings blast their AC!

Enjoy your b-day, Tera! Make sure you fit in the relaxation time for yourself before grocery shopping. =)

Thanks, Iris! I always spend a few pleasant moments on 3FC to start my day. Helps me stay motivated the rest of the day. :hug:

I have been stressed out a lot over the last two weeks but today is the first that I felt like just staying in bed...no really cause i am tired just cause I dont want to deal with the world today. Like seriously I dont know if I can handle much more screaming kids and everything else. my dh went on a rave last night about hes the one that gets the least amount of sleep...and is always commenting that hes "off the clock" now. He still does what I say but he makes those comments...I started looking for jobs last night because i can get help for access for child care...i dont know I am just SICK of being here and going crazy. he doesnt get it Yes he has a job and has to come home and help take care of his family but he has a change in scenery. When he was laid off a few years back and was hope he was going crazy and that was only 6 months I have been at home for 2 years. I try to treat this like it is a job but it doesnt change...I feel like I am locked in a prison!! I deal with temper tantrums 24/7...like he even will joke and be like I think I have to go to work now...because it gets crazy around here. I need an out!!
I am tired of when I make food someone complains ( I am not a bad cook either) But with 7 people someone is not going to like it but if I have to hear anymore, this smells bad, I dont like this, I dont like onions, why did you have to make this, Is that all your making....I am so sick of it I just wont cook....they can eat pb & J for all I care...I actually eat the less of all of them and even cook stuff I dont really care for....If anyone even tells me "every mother deals with this" I will probably flippin scream because EVERY mother isnt helping me from going crazy....well i gotta tend to the kids...if I could just go to bed or just lay around and do nothing that would be wonderful!

Hello all!

Is this the "daily thread" that we post in? I filled out the bio and it said to post in the "daily thread". :)

Anyway - I have depression. I've actually been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. AND I just started the South Beach Diet. I've lost 8 pounds since Monday...water weight, I know.

Mo4, I'm really worried about you! It sounds like you need help - maybe a job would help, but I also think it would add more stress, and it really wouldn't address some of the fundamental problems that you're describing to me.

For one, it sounds like your husband doesn't appreciate what you do for your family. It sounds like he's centered on himself, the way my dad was. My mom finally got divorced from him, because he couldn't see past his own issues into other peoples' points of view. Getting a job isn't going to make your husband more sensitive to your needs.

Have you told him what you're feeling, just like you posted above? Does he know how much work it is, caring for him and the kids and the house and how you need some relief now and then? Maybe he should have realized on his own, but it really isn't fair to expect him to respond to needs you haven't told him about.

If you have tried to tell him how your feeling, maybe it's time to seek outside help. Yes, I'm talking family counseling. It might take a while to find the right counselor, not every therapist is well suited to every family. It's also an expense, and I do know that things are tight. But there are usually resources for getting assistance for mental health, either through your husband's employment or through county or city services.

:hug: I just wish I had more help to offer you than all this advice. You've probably heard all of it before.

Hey, don't knock it. If you had that much water retained, you've already improved your health by getting a better water balance in your body!

Yes, I believe this is the "daily thread" mentioned in the bio sticky. At least, this is the one we use to check in and give updates - kind of a "general chat" for those of us who share the challenge of fighting clinical depression along with ridding ourselves of extra weight.

:welcome: to 3FC! Are you taking medication for bipolar or are you on any other therapies? Oh, wait... :zipping off to check out your bio:

I'm on Abilify for the bipolar, and Cymbalta for the depression.

I might ask my doctor to take me off of the Cymbalta soon.

Good morning everyone!:wave:

Just popping in to say Hello!

Welcome tmignemi2! and yes this is the daily thread. Congrats on the weight loss!! Looking forward to getting to know you better.

Momof4::hug: I'm so sorry to hear that you are having such a tough time right now. I don't have any advice, but I sure hope you husband steps up to the plate to help as this is his family as well and there is more to being a father and husband than a paycheque (oh and I know what you mean with the cooking thing. I get to the point where I'd like to throw the food, but then that would be another mess to clean up as well. Thankfully my group is old enough that I can bail and say its a "fend for yourself night" now if I could get them to clean the kitchen when they were done.)

tera, hope, Iris, leenie, sassy, lauren and everyone else hope you are all doing well (good? I never know which one it is :dunno:)

Went to the dentist yesterday and was pleasantly surprised when he was able to fix my tooth with a filling and not a crown! Then I picked up my mom and we went shopping and out for lunch. We haven't gotten together for what feels like ages.
Other than that nothing new here. We've been having beautiful fall weather, its been so lovely especially with all the colourful trees. Unfortunatly they say it will start to change today as they are forcasting rain for tonight. Oh well, it was good while it lasted.

I should get going, take care everyone and try to have a wonderful day,
K

Hola
 

tmignemi2:Are you on any kind of exercise schedule? I find that with a good vitamin/mineral supplement and enough exercise, I don't miss meds. Go three days without the supplements or a week without the exercise and I'm down in the dumps again!

OTOH, one of my mom's girlfriends wouldn't give up meds for anything. :shrug:

K: I'm glad that the trip to the dentist wasn't as severe as you feared. Yes, I love fall colors! Autumn in my part of Texas isn't very colorful at all, but I greet it gladly since the 100F days stop and I can go back outside. :D For color down here, I look forward to spring wildflowers!

Sassy: Good for you for recognizing "the beginning of the end." I totally did not see it coming for me and thought (until I came to work weeping uncontrollably) that I was relatively happy in my job. I wish you fantastic fortune in your career search!

Everyone in general: It occured to me that I forgot to give a general update for today. Yesterday was mostly yummy. Sunny and cool and I walked to the store and got my veggies, came home and started filling the house with delicious aromas. I haven't tasted it yet, though. I've got too many leftovers yet to finish off, so I'll probably get my first taste tomorrow. (Much of what I made is to be frozen for future meals.)

I was evacuated from my apartment shortly after that and spent an hour or so with other tenants at the apartment complex next door. A water main burst the other day and the guys who were fixing it busted a gas pipe. We had the fire department out and the police were blocking off traffic and everything! I even saw news helicopters. :o

When they let us back, I put on a Harry Potter movie and worked on my Li'l T doll. This is a doll made to look like me... well close anyway... when I was little. (My therapist gave me the idea to get a doll to represent my inner child, and I wanted it to look like I did, but no dolls do.) The idea (and I may have mentioned it before) is to direct positive self talk and caring responses to the doll, which represents me.

I think it adds something special that I completed her on my birthday! :D

Ok, time for lunch, then more homework. (Biology, yay. :halfempty:)

I just started walking today. I walked briskly for 25 minutes - i'll gradually increase that over the next few weeks and then it's time to head back to the gym.

:yay: for you getting out on that walk! :D

momof4- i dont' know what to tell you but i really hope things get better!

tmignemi - welcome!

buddly - glad the dentist went well and you got to spend time with your mom. I'm excited for the holidays when I'll get to have some "girl time" with my mom!

sassy - yey, i love your new avatar!

tera - what are you studying? I was a biology major.

i'm heavily caffeinated this morning so I think i'll be good at least for a few hours. I'm feeling pretty positive despite the stress that is looming. I hope I cna keep my cool as deadlines get closer!

Hey, Iris. This week is on photosynthesis. My brain locks up when I'm introduced to a lot of terms, and this is one of those.

That and the labs are all "virtual" working through a book with a slideshow presentation for the experiments. They can be hard to follow at times, considering I'm not a big science/math type.

I got through my textbook ok. Found a movie on google that helped, but now I'm on blackman's experiments and not sure what answers my lab is looking for... but that might be just me over-thinking it.

Hi Girls :wave:

.

:wave: Hi, Leenie!

*lurking

Tera - I just noticed that your location says that you're from Dallas/Fort Worth...my parents live in Arlington and my sister lives in Mansfield. :)

Hey, then we're practically neighbors! How is it that you're all the way up in the frozen north? ;)