Hi everyone, today will be a busy day for me. At noon I'm taking Lacy for her prom hairdo and to have her nails done. At 4PM a friend is coming over to do Lacy's make-up. At 5:30 she gets picked up for the prom. Once she leaves, I plan to start laying the ceramic tile on my kitchen floor.

Last night I sat down and made up a chore list for the girls to start helping me with some of the housework and the dog walking. We'll see how this goes. They both agreed that the list is very fair. I was beginning to feel very overwhelmed with all the routine housework and the remodeling work at the same time.

I'm feeling even better today and so is Lacy. My only problem right now is the liver rash has came back with a vengeance. My body's routine way of showing how crappy my immune system is. I called my Dr. and have to double my prednisone for the next 10 days.

The latest news about my oldest SD's custody battle for her 3 yr. old and 20 month old is that she has given up. She has agreed to have the father keep full custody of the 2 children and her to keep custody only of the 8 month old. I have mixed feelings about this as I know the kids love and miss their mother, but I think he'll make a more responsible parent for them. Of course, DH and I will continue to get the kids as often as possible as they absolutely love being over here.

robin, thanks for posting that recipe, I need to give it a try. I usually use whole wheat pancake mix.

Pat, I feel your pain. With all the melting snow, my yard and driveway is a marsh.

Hi all! I lost internet yesterday when I swept behind the computer desk and disconnected the modem by accident. Whoops! Tom's step-mom and I figured it out this afternoon, though, so here I am again!

Glad to hear that the sickies are on the mend and that everyone's excited about upcoming trips!

I'm down another pound since last week. I've resigned myself to this slow but steady pace. It would be nice to lose fifty-nine pounds a week like they do on TV, but I do know that that's not realistic or feasible for me. I am very happily wearing a pair of size six North Face pants today that were quite tight a couple months ago and look pretty darn good today, if I do say so myself.

Gotta stay on track this week as next weekend is The Test of All Will Power. Tom leaves Korea in about twelve hours! He's got three days in California and then will be home on Thursday. I am beyond excited!

Kara

Yay Kara!!! On the pound lost and on Tom arriving.

Lily, those kids are so fortunate to have you in their lives.

I am at my RED LINE!!! And boy does it feel good! Now, I am not at ticker weight - yet, but when I do get there and I am getting there, no splurge meals until I do, I am lowering my red line. I've got to. I know me and I know what I need to do. But for now, I am THRILLED to be at my original red line. So yeah, got through Saturday/Saturday night with flying colors. Keeping that color "red" in mind.

It's amazing to me how much better I feel being those few pounds lighter. Amazing. How come 160 plus pounds didn't bother me as much as these few pounds did? My pants are fitting better and everything. It's great!

Congrats Robin! That's great!!!
You too, Kara. You must be thrilled that Tom is coming home so soon!

I'm still struggling with my food. I'm still really craving cigarettes and so I eat. We're going away this week and when I get back I'm putting a stop to this. I hate feeling as though my eating is out of control. Grrrrr.

Baff, don't be so hard on yourself. I can't imagine what it would be like to rid oneself of the cigarettes AND try to keep ones eating in check. You WILL get through this difficult period. It's going to get easier. Hang tough. You CAN do this. :hug:

Robin, I'm SO excited for you! Keep up the great work!

Baffled, look! It's almost been a month since you quit! That is incredible. Tackle it one issue at a time. Maybe for a week, concentrate on getting all your water in. Then for another week, focus on meeting your water and exercise goals. Then, the next week, no eating after eight at night or something. Trying to do a full-blown eating renovation project all at once is way too overwhelming for me. I have to do it in stages. Then, if I screw up, I only lost one week's worth of goals instead of throwing the whole thing to the wind.

I've had a string of several good days in a row and am feeling top-notch. I cannot wait to see my husband! He should've landed in L.A. about a half hour ago but I haven't heard from him yet. I'm sure he's in line at customs or something. I was able to chat with him over the computer while he sat at the terminal waiting for his flight in Seoul, and it was so much fun. I love that boy so much.

Kara

Kara, I just had to smile when I read your post about DH. He's lucky to have you! :hug: And how exciting to see him again after so long! Have a wonderful reunion.:)

Thank you, Meg. I'm sure it will be fun. :devil: He sent me a love letter the other day. It's the second letter he's ever sent me ever. We started dating in 1992, mind you, and he spent 1996-1997 in Korea as well. So I will treasure this forever! (I framed the last one. Seriously!)

Kara

Kara, that is so sweet and I'm glad you get to see your DH soon.

robin, WTG on getting back to your red line. I'm still 3 lbs. over my red line! But , with being ill I have been able to lose a couple lbs.

Lacy had a great time at the the prom last night. She and BF looked so cute. He even wore a hot pink vest and tie with his tux to match her hot pink dress. LOL. Not many guys would have done that. I'll try to post a pic of them when I can.

Yesterday I got about half the tile layed in my kitchen. I wanted to do more today but was not feeling well enough to do more. I think tomorrow I will go see my Dr. for some antibiotics. It seems all the sinus drainage and junk has moved into my upper chest. I spent most of my day today in bed.

As for our new chore chart, Lacy is griping about having to do her own laundry. But, I'm sticking to my guns and not backing down. Both girls think I'm mean for making them straighten up their bedrooms on Saturday. They don't think I should care how messy their rooms are. I do care! It's part of MY house. I'm hoping that staying consistent and not listening to excuses will eventually pay off.

Good morning all, :coffee2::tired::coffee:

My parents got on the road this morning. Meg, that is a great idea to get Mom NRLW for mother's day. I also gave the protein pancake recipe to my sister.

I did get a little frustrated with everyone by Sat/Sun and gave into some stress eating, which then stressed me out more. At least I did maintain my workout schedule. They kept complaining and being surprised Florida might be chilly (I felt bad, but really can't do anything about that!), along a few small arguments that we have every time we see each other about where I'm going with my life... I need to learn not to let it upset me. Stress + me being tired (I was sleeping in the living room and my roommates kept coming in late, then trying to do things in the living room, then parents would get up early) was not a good combo. I can never tell if they've had a good time (and then feel guilty to think they haven't), but I always end up very stressed by the end of a parents' visit. I have also come to realize I'm more stressed by my living situation (2 roommates is too much for me) than I had realized, too, and I need to reevaluate that soon. Or maybe I need to learn to be a less stressed hostess? I don't know, but something needs to be changed in there. It's probably me, I can be a bit prickly!

Ok enough therapy session. BF and I are going to go hide at his house tonight and I can get some sleep and the world will be better.

Lily, way to make those girls do some chores! I'm always amazed by how much you do. Your SD's kids are verylucky to have you!

Kara, how exciting!!!

Baffled, I agree with what's been said already. Quitting smoking is extremely tough. Hang in there, and take it step by step. Don't get overwhelmed. :hug:

Robin, way to reach that red line! Great job! :carrot:

Oh I need more coffee now... :tired: I hope everyone is having a well-rested start to the week!

Thanks for all the encouragement everyone. I guess I'm just upset with myself because it is has been a month and I'm STILL not back in control. I thought the food thing would be fixed after a week or two. In fact, I seem to have underestimated how long all the traumas associated with quitting smoking would last. The good news is that I still have not had so much as a single puff of a cigarette, despite hanging out and drinking excessively with people who smoke on the weekends. So that's something...

We're off on our trip today! I'm going to relax for the week and tackle my life anew when I get back. Have a great week everyone. :hug: