Oh carol, thank you! I don't think I could handle 10 (would have been up for the challenge if I'd started 10 years ago), but would like 4 or 5. I've always wanted a house full of kiddos!

Patty, thank you for the wise advice. We started out praying that someone would come along who would love the house just as much as we do, but somewhere along the way, we started thinking, "someone just buy our house! Investors welcome!" We're kidding of course (sort of). We have been praying and praying for someone to buy, and I am just trusting God's timing. We put down earnest money on a spec house we love, and if we don't sell within the next week, we'll probably lose that money and that house. I am just trusting God's hand in all of this that He knows where He wants us and it's His money anyway.

Doing okay on eating lately. DH wanted to eat junk last night, but it didn't agree with me the morning after LOL.

I just love new years and early mornings, because to me they represent new beginnings and so much potential for improving and becoming more of who we want to be. Definitely looking forward to what God has in store for us this coming year.

Missing you Obi. I notice you haven't been here in a couple of months. Hope all is ok.

Hi Everyone.

CONGRATULATIONS Mommie2Mollie!!! I am happy for you. Ipray your house sales really soon. I too always like the feeling of a new year. Always feels like a new beginning. We didn't didn't anything for New Year's just relaxed and enjoyed sitting around watching tv and reading. I hear you about the Windex. DH cleans everything with it. I had something (can't remember what it was) that I kept trying to get clean and DD and I got tickled because he got the windex out and used it and got it clean. Go figure. I hope the green tea does as well. It is supposed to be good for losing weight to so I hope it do that for me as well.

Carol you have a nice big family. It makes it really nice for holidays.

I did end the year and started the new with another 1.5 lb loss making 4 lbs total since I started IE. So I am really thrilled with that. Now just to keep it going.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!

I'm using my son's laptop and it is awkward for me. I've been having a few problems with lots of company and getaways waiting to long to eat and eating things I don't like. I'm afraid I'm eating too much so not losing. All should be back to normal next week with the kids back in school, etc.

Hi, had a good christmas and new years. but i fell down flight of stairs at kids christmas day. so lucky gal no broken nothing. just swollen and sore. but thankful. i am with my eating right now. and more exercise. good luck to all a a good 2008 year. LaDean

I thought this article was interesting.

7 STEPS TO MEANINGFUL, MAGNETIC NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

By Michelle May, M.D.

Your New Years Resolutions should be like powerful magnets
that draw you toward them. The following seven steps will
help you create inspiring goals and a blueprint for
reaching them.

1. Create Space. Invest time this week to think about your
present life and set goals that will bring you greater
health, happiness and fulfillment. As part of your
resolution-making process, decide how you will carve out
space daily to accomplish your goals. Most of us can easily
find the time in the wasted minutes we spend on
unproductive activities like watching TV or surfing the
internet. Some of us will need to get up a few minutes
earlier or say no to joining another committee.

2. Consider Your Values. What is truly important to
you--family, health, career, achievement, contribution,
spiritual growth? When you are clear on what really
matters, you'll willingly invest your valuable time and
energy pursuing meaningful goals that are congruent with
your principles and values.

3. Be Inspired. Your goals should act like a magnet that
draws you toward them. (Hint: If you are repelled by the
thought of working toward a particular resolution, start
over with a new goal that excites and challenges you.) Go
for the shiver-factor: If the thought of achieving your
goal gives you a little shiver of excitement, you're on the
right track.

4. Predict Your Future. Close your eyes and project
yourself into the future. Imagine what it's like as you
achieve your goal. Picture how you feel, think, look, and
act--as though it's happening this very moment. Create a
vivid, exciting image of yourself living it out then return
to this vision frequently to maintain the pull your goal
has on you.

5. Set Mini-Goals. A magnet cannot attract an object that's
too far away to feel its pull. Goals that feel too far from
where you are now quickly lose their attraction. Therefore,
create achievable mini-goals that are within reach but
challenging enough to pull you forward toward your larger
goals.

6. Give your brain a map to follow. Write your goals and
mini-goals in positive, present terms using detailed words
and/or pictures. For example, instead of "I won't eat
sweets anymore," try "I enjoy eating fresh fruits and
vegetables at each meal to support my energy, health and
ideal weight." Put your goals in a place where you will see
them often--you'll be amazed at how these concrete words or
images begin to manifest themselves in your life.

7. Be flexible and creative. Use your map to chart your
course but be open to new paths to your goals. Obstacles
and detours are a natural part of change and provide
important learning opportunities. When you are patient and
gentle with yourself, you'll discover creative solutions
that help you grow beyond anything you could have imagined.

As you become more clear about your goals and mindful in
the process, you'll see that you are not only drawn toward
your goals but your goals are drawn toward you

In Health, Enjoy!
Michelle May, M.D.

This is strange. When I click on "last page" of IE it only takes me to page 19. I noticed that the pages under the topics are mixed up also. I couldn't find the maintainers thread for this week until I checked posts from one of the girls that post there and found it that way. I'm sure it will clear up in a few days.

I had a hard time even getting on the main 3 Fat chicks site last night. I kept getting a message saying the site was busy and to try again later. I've never seen that here until then. Maybe they were having trouble. I do remember reading on another thread that someone had problems reading previous messages.

Hello IE-ers. The website seems to be working okay tonight. Haven't tried to log on in a while.
We sold our house today! They want to close Jan 25, which is really close, but will fit in with the other place where we want to move in! So yay! Thanks be to God! We've been on the market less than 30 days, with two huge holidays thrown in there!

Doing pretty well with IE here. I fall into bad habits every once in a while. I was on bedrest for my 1st pregnancy, and gained and gained. For this one, I am just paranoid, because I didn't lose all of my 1st pregnancy weight. So I find myself counting up my calories at the end of the day, which is okay I guess. But when I get hungry AGAIN in the middle of the day, I kind of have to coerce myself to eat and remind myself that I'm eating for THREE (still nursing). Not that I'm pigging out. Trying to do healthy snacks and meals.

But I find that I really am retraining my mind and stomach to work together. It's so easy to eat a lot during this cooler weather (yes, it's a little cooler here in SA, but probably nothing compared to what some of you are experiencing). I've just been overloading on tea, tea, and more tea-- yum!

Blessings to all!

So good to hear about your house selling. It kind of reminds me of my life 30 yr. ago. We moved from Boston to WI when my 3rd child was 2 weeks old. When my 6th child was 4mo. we moved into our new house on the farm and have been here for 26 yr. We actually lived in San Antonio for a month one summer while my DH was in officer training. We couldn't believe how hot it was. I've been really hungry again lately but eating smaller meals more often We'll see how that goes. I was never a night eater but last night I had soup at 9pm.

Mom2Mollie - Congratulations. I am so happy for you. I have a 2 1/2 yr. old little girl and a 7 month old little boy. I deal with Depression a lot and so two children may have to be where we stop.

I keep trying to get myself on the right track. I haven't been feeling well due to changing my depression medication and so i tend to eat to help myself feel better. I am trying to really think about it before i put things in my mouth though.

Cherry Autumn, you might enjoy a book called Hunger Free Forever. It is about blood sugar levels and all the problems it can cause, even depression. If you go to Amazon and type in the title, you can get more info. Hope you are feeling better.

Hello, fellow IEer's! I'm back with another drive-by posting, LOL!

It seems like it takes me longer and longer every time to go back through everything that's been posted since I was here last. Anyway, some of the posts I'm answering are very old, so please forgive my tardiness. The boss at work is still keeping me really busy, but he gave me another raise recently, so it's not all bad

CherryAutumn, I hope that you are feeling better. I used to have problems with self-esteem many years ago too. For me the trick was to find things I was good at and maximize the time I spent doing things I was good at, rather than things that made me feel like a failure. I'm sure there are lots of things you are good at. Are you doing them? Are you making other people aware of them? There's nothing wrong with fishing for compliments now and then.

Carol, fiber is a wonderful thing. I don't know if you're familiar with the Volumetrics weightloss plan (I think they have a thread on it somewhere here) but the basis of that plan is to eat foods that are nutrient-dense but calorie-sparse. Fiber falls into that category as do soups and things with high water content like soups. Here is a good article on the different kinds of fiber and what they do: http://www.springboard4health.com/no...nts_fiber.html

For those of you who said you liked green tea, I recently discovered a green tea that I consider the best tea I have ever tasted (and I am a BIG fan of tea). It's Stassen Jasmine Green Tea (You can buy it here: http://www.pacificeastwest.com/4791003460149.html). I like jasmine teas but I find they rarely taste or smell much like jasmine. This one has a very pronounced jasmine aroma and taste--like you're drinking flowers. I have a jasmine vine growing outside my kitchen window, and drinking this tea always makes me feel like it is summer and the jasmine vine is blooming.

Spinymouse and I went out for New Year's Eve and had a wonderful time. Rented a nice hotel room with a fireplace so we wouldn't have to drive home, went out for a nice dinner and drinks, and treated ourselves to a mini "vacation." I wish all the rest of you didn't live so far away, it would have been nice to have you there.

'Bye until next time....

Jo, It's so good to "see" you!!!!!!!!! Wish you could come by more often. I recently had to up my prednisone dose so I'm hungry again. I mentioned the book Hunger Free Forever which is something like Volumetrics. I wrote to the authors on their site to see if they had any recommendations for people on long term prednisone. I wonder if they will really write back.

Thanks ladies for all the Encouragement. Thanks for recommending the book i will check into it. I decided to get my haircut. Just a little something to help me feel pretty and to boost my self esteem a little bit.