My best friend is helping in the motivation part. She has recently lost 40 lbs and very soon will be losing more. She just had surgery so she lost another 6 lbs (from a breast reduction) but she will be getting back on track shortly to lose more. She is helping a lot.

My biggest hurdle is planning. I have to get my lunches ready the night before or at least get veggies and fruit cut up and such and put into containers or baggies. I just won't do it in the morning the way I should so starting when I go back to work next week it is getting done every night after supper. Also I need to try and preplan some meals although thats hard because being by myself now I get so tired of cooking for just me. I tend to use my slowcooker every sunday as that will give me stuff for a few meals. Usually its chicken or something. This sunday its chicken chili. But I did this before and I know I can do it again. I may not be able to control a lot in life right now but the one thing I can is what and how much I eat and its time I stopped making excuses for myself and realized I am only hurting myself.

But for the first little while the only ones knowing what I am doing are my two closest friends. Others tend to sabatage too much and question everything I eat. Also its just a lot less hassle. I work in a call center environment with over 400 people. Trust me - nothing stays private for long. I figure once I lose a bit they will notice and I can go from there. By then I will have got back on track and made some new habits.

Nicole - I know you will do it...you are a real trooper and a great motivator in your own right.

Jillian - you are doing great. I know you struggle at times as well but you really are someone to look up to!!

Have a great night everyone...

:carrot:Whooohoooo, Alannah! You took the words right out of my mouth!!!!

Ok, guys, please tell me my kids aren't going to remember me as a witch doctor. A couple of them have some nasty bug that is giving them a runny nose, eye infection, and ear ache. Well.......after doing daycare for many years, and dealing with my own children's previous illnesses, I have become quite conservative with medicines. I am not against medication in general.........I think it is WONDERFUL for the most part........I am, however, very concerned about the over use of antibiotics. My oldest DD was sick soo much when she was little, and they gave her antibiotic after antibiotic, and she just always got sick......no matter what I did. Well, that was in the early 90's.......and now docs are giving kids fewer antibiotics, and even saying kids' cold meds are not really all that great for them, and don't actually do what they were intended to do........so...........the day before yesterday, I began treating 5 yo DS's eye infection with diluted baby shampoo drops. In two day.........his eye infection was completely gone. I had read about that a long time ago when I did daycare and they always passed around infections like that.........and then I would get it.....and I wear contacts......so I tried it on myself a few times, and it always worked for me. My sis has done it too.......so I was not worried about that treatment. But tonight, I took it to a new level. 3 yo. started complaining about his ear hurting......and a doctor from Wisconsin once told my girlfriend to take a spoonful of sweet oil.....mince a peice of fresh garlic into it......heat it over the burner until it bubbled.......cool it until it was barely warm, and then drop it into the affected ear. Garlic is supposed to have antiseptic agents and beable to ward off infection, and it is supposed to reduce inflamation also. Tonight is the first time I have tried it. Do you think I am nuts? :lol:. I mean, we all know the truth about my mental status.....but is this too tree huggerish? I just really feel like Emily's (17 yo DD) immune system was really compromised when she was young cuz she never fought anything on her own. Most of the time, that was not an option for her, as she had severe asthma and got pnemonia all the time........but the other kids fight things sooo well. I make them comfortable as I can with pain relievers......vicks.......heating pads.........cool washcloths....and the regular mom stuff......I am just really leary of antibiotics. So, the reason I am doubting myself is cuz my 12 yo DD just came and asked me if I would take her to the doc tomorrow if she wasn't better yet.......and her reason was she feels like she needs a doctor's excuse for school because she has missed two days in a row. WTF????? That is a whole new issue I have.....but we can save that for another day.......:lol:. Ok, DH is back from the store, and it is time for me to sit on my butt and watch some must see t.v. Hey, anyone watching AI this year? I was kind of sad to see Jason go........he has a certain charm about him.

Also.......I did attempt to ride my bike again tonight.............and I didn't go very long.........TOO FLIPPIN HILLY...........and I am sooo out of shape. I may just have to find a different work out....and that is not making me very happy......but we'll see.....maybe I'll just keep trying for short little bits and eventually I will get stronger.......right???

Ok, have a good night all :)
XOXO

Good Evening everyone.

Nicole... I am the Dr in our family also,I have done candling the ear.
My husband almost burned me :) :dizzy: :dizzy:
I think Vick's is so good when your sick.Anyway NO you are not crazy.:D

Well the GS is not with us anymore. Picked him up at the hospital. He started giving us guff,DH called the cops,he was a mean one and really laid into him. Long story short he's gone.
Didn't sleep real well last night,but I know its worrying about him. I hope it gets better. :?: :?: :?:
Enough said , I m going to enjoy some t.v. and crochet awhile

Nicole- Well, you know that I would not think you are crazy at all. In fact, I made some garlic ear drops for my DD a couple of months ago, and they did a great job. My kids stay really healthy. When anyone has a cough, I put eucalyptus oil into my oil diffuser and it really helps. Also, rubbing vicks on your feet then putting on socks before bed really helps colds. I make home made cough syrup with lemon, honey, sage, ginger, and thyme. It does a great job, and no crappy stuff! If DH or I have a sore throat we take a shot of firewater before bed. Hurts like ****, but the sore throat is gone by morning. I just bought a book off of Amazon called Mother Nature's Herbs. It has tons of herbal remedies. For instance, did you know that rubbing radish juice onto bunions for a few days will make them go away? Anyways, keep at what you are doing. I believe that we are often over medicated.

Gramabear- Sorry that you have had such a tough time with GS.

Good morning everyone,

I had two bad days. I got on the scale this morning and I am up 4lbs. I think most of it is water. So, I am going to do lemon water and green tea today. I have not felt well for the past two days and have been eating the wrong foods. My MIL and FIL came over last night and brought us milk shakes and Arby sandwiches and fries. I ate it knowing I shouldn't. However, I didn't feel like cooking. So, I promise myself that I am going to be POP today.

I hope everyone else has a POP day.

Katie- What is the firewater shot? I have a sore throat right now and a mild cold.

Gramabear- Sorry about your GS.

Have a great day.

I am just doing a quick stop in before leaving for awhile. Even though I am off this week it is our team lunch today for work so I am going to meet them. We get to go out once a month on management's dollar. They chose Pizza Hut this time so likely a salad it will be for me. I haven't been there in years so I have no idea what I will get.

After that I am taking my friend that just had surgery out so she can get something for her mom for sunday. She can't drive and shes moving kinda slow so she needs someone that will be patient and sit down if she needs it. So me it is.

I will check in after I get back...have a great day!!!;)

Hey all...

Just saying hi.. Made it back from Gallup in one piece, but really tired from the trip...

As always when I go out of town, I end up with "plumbing" problems... So I'll be upping my fiber intake for a couple of days.. Nice conversation topic, I know... :lol:

DD's 11th birthday party is tomorrow, so we'll have a house full of squealing, giggling girls.. I had planned to take Danny to see Speed Racer, but Alexandra wants to go too, so I guess "so much for boy's night out"...

Anyway.. busy day ahead.. We're having a goodbye lunch for a co-worker at Olive Garden.. I'm planning on a chicken ceasar, but the five cheese rigatoni is REALLY calling my name thanks to the commercials I've been seeing on TV.. Wish me strength!!!!

PAula - how scary for you and DH! Thankfully he went to the Dr. I hope he is well on the road to recovery now.

Nicole - Mama Nicole, Medicine Woman! Actually - I think that it is best to let things be, just like you are doing. We need to get sick so that we can build up immunities in our bodies, or else we are in for some deep Sh** if a pandemic hits. I've never heard of the baby shampoo thing - how much do you dilute it?

Alannah - welcome back on the wagon with us all. Glad you got Chancey for an extended time.

Dan - I'm sure that the rigatoni is NOWHERE as good as it looks. None of that stuff ever is.

I forgot to weigh in this morning.... that floors me! (I am in a 12 step program for scale abuse) so, tomorrow it is. Yesterday was not a POP day, but it was mostly OP. DH and I were in a golf tournament and then we had our last night of bowling and the banquet after. Quite the sporty day. Came away from the bowling banq with over $200! Woo hoo!

Hi to everyone and be good this weekend.

Good morning :) Gee, it's almost afternoon.........

Paula.....I know you are busy......any word on DH?

Anyway.....the baby shampoo thing..........funny you should ask......the first time I did it, it was to myself......and I put a drop of straight baby shampoo in my eye......and let me tell you.......IT IS NOT TEARFREE!!!! I think maybe years ago, it was. It used to be really runny, but now it is thick like maple syrup. Anyway.......I don't measure it, I just put a couple of tablespoons of warm water in a clean glass cup and then squeeze, oh, about 1/2 to 1 tsp of baby wash or shampoo, whichever I have in the house. Then I use a spoon and pour a little bit into the eye. When I use it on myself, I use a tiny glass (I sure wish I had an eyewash glass).....and give my eyeball a drink with it. Looks ridiculous, but it is easier than trying to spoon it into my own eyes. Sometimes it smarts for a second or two, but even my kids barely wince at it. If you eye is itchy, it actually hurts so good, cuz that eye itching can be unbearable. I do it just before bed, and in the a.m. For the kids, I usually do it three times a day, and the infection is often gone within 24 hours. My rule of thumb is, if it doens't stay the same or get better within 24 hours....it's off to the doc we go. So far.......so good :)

What are everyone's plans for the weekend? We have Emily's childbirth classes all day saturday, and I am hoping we are just going to laze around on Sunday....but we'll see. If the weather cooperates, we will probably take the kids to the park. I have found that to be one of my favorite places to go on a halmark holiday. People tend to under utilize the parks and go to brunch instead. I like peacefulness..........so I opt for the park :) Plus.......the kids always behave at the park, and that makes it a fun day for everyone.

Ok, I so have to go see what my darling little boys are up to. I think they are straight off the set of the little rascals..........

Have a great day eveyrone :)
XOXO

hey everyone. home from work now..over an hour later than i planned. ugh! i'm so happy that this week is over. it's been a horrible one!
i plan on chillin' with the kids this afternoon and all evening, then i have a few errands to run tomorrow morning, then the kids are coming over later and then sunday i'm by myself. i won't get to see the kids on mother's day, but we're celebrating tonight and tomorrow. julia made me something at school yesterday and then i got a 30min massage and pedicure gift certificate at a classy upscale place from the kids also (former dh really since the kids are too young to buy stuff!) so that was a really nice surprise! :)

oh and today is military spouse appreciation day, so if you know any military spouses--make sure to thank them and give them a smile or hug today. :)

hope everyone has a good rest of the day!

Thanks so much for the well wishes, thoughts, and prayers.

So far, everything seems to be going well. This morning the Dr. said he is going to order another ultrasound of his leg to see if there is any change after being on the Heparin for two days. He is telling us to expect at least another 3-4 days in the hospital. Poor DH is going stir crazy. As long as he is on the Heparin they do not want him out of bed...at all. He did convince the nurse to let him wash his hair in the shower real quick this morning.

Well, that's all for now, I'm on my way to get more DVDs so I can keep him still. I'll check in when I can to let you know how the ultrasound goes.

Hi all! Things have been crazy busy around here.... I'll try to catch up later. How was your week? Any exciting plans for the weekend? Stay POPing! *hugs*:hug:

Jillian, We all appreciate the big sacrifice that you are making! I know it has been hard to let your spouse be gone to the military, and it will likely be even harder to let him go overseas into combat zones, but really without sacrifices like yours, we would all lose our freedoms, so thank you, and thanks to your DH also. Did they give that poor boy his cell phone back again? Are you hearing from him more regularly? Hopefully SD will be easier to deal with now that it is not winter. I don't know where I would do all that well in someplace that sounded so cold. Heck I didn't do so well in Spokane, WA, too snowy for me. I always say, at least you don't have to shovel the rain! Today is nice though.

Paula, I hope you are not stressing out too much with DH in the hospital. If he is anything like my DH, keeping him in bed would require a rope and some sedatives... LOL... Good luck, and just do you best to make the best choices that you can. You are worth taking care of too.

Allannah, Good to see you posting again! I didn't share that I was dieting with people that I work with for a long time, since you are right. Everyone has an opinion... Including those who decide when you've "lost enough" and then want to feed you back up to your previous weight for some reason. You are totally worth taking care of! So be good to yourself. Going to the gym is excellent not just for weight loss, but for relieving the job stress! I always feel so much better after I go (although before I go I never seem to think it will help).



Nicole, Who knows how the boy friend will deal with the very real birth process... As a lot of guys don't do well with needles and blood and all. I don't think you are crazy at all to try other alternatives to antibiotics. They are not really good for you, and have been totally overused. Even very scientific medical doctors think so. It is only bad if what you are doing is not working and I'm sure you would not risk your children's eye sight or hearing. My Mother In Law always used to pour olive oil in my DH ears when he was small, some old italian remedy (I would not at all be surprised if there was garlic involved).

Dan, Welcome back. I looked at the olive garden menu and Venetian Apricot Chicken looks like one of their lowest fat/calorie choices. You don't always have to have the salad! Many restaurant salads are not the lowest calorie choices anyway. Branch out and try something new. The minnestroni soup is only 164 calories... although I'm not sure the salt police would approve.

barbara--thanks! yeah, dh has had his cell back since march and we get to talk pretty much every night for at least 2hrs..so that is wonderful! :)
he should be getting his laptop back sometime next week, so we can then do some webcamming, so that will be nice to at least see his face while we're talking. we're down to about 3 months until he'll be back home, so i'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel! :)

hi everyone,

i introduced myself in another thread. I'm Michelle and just about to start the program again after having to stop about 6 months ago. I've gained back most of what i lost and have to say i'm feeling pretty bad about that, but hey, time to pick myself back up and get back at it. looking forward to getting to know you guys. I'm doing the program on my own this time, can't afford to go to the center. i asked mama nicole for deb's cookbook, but seems i'm not allowed to pm until after 10 posts so i will pm you my email addy when i'm able to mama nicole. thanks so much.