I asked a buddy what she was going to be for Halloween. "Same as every year, Shakespeare!" Seems that she dresses as Shakespeare and her classes all day long try to get her out of character by asking trick questions. Makes an active learning experience for all.

So I'm trying to think of a costume that would make people NOT want to feed me mediocre candy, LOL.

Halloween is on this Friday night around here. Wishing good resistance to us all.

I am going to be a sort of Viking type lady this Halloween. I will put the costume together today as I'm home, taking a rare day off to be with my new dog. So far she's really bonded to DH (5 1/2 hours in a car together will do that) but not so much to me. I'm the one enforcing the rules. But I'm also handing out treats and meals so she's not sure what to think of me. it'll take some time for Trixie to adjust to having owners who have some boundaries and rules. She is a very quiet and compliant dog so far and I suspect DH's brother-in-law did train her when she was younger.

She's absolutely fine with Natalie. I think Nat is still trying to figure out how to eat Trixie. Trixie only kinda quickly gets in between DH and Natalie when Nat goes to DH for cuddles. Dh is amused that the girly animals are fighting for his affections.

I'm taking Trix to the vet this morning for a meet and greet. First we'll walk through the park - she loves walking - and then we'll drop in and make the appointment that starts all the expensive stuff. I'm hoping all she will need is flea treatment (which the vet will not sell over the counter ) and to be spayed. Her heat is almost over - she's snarling at the males that are sniffing her bum - and I'm going to keep her on leash and pretty much in out of the way places until she is totally done.

Dagmar

Good morning!

I'm wrestling with some research here. Can I ask you who provides your corporate wellness program? (Dagmar, you're exempted here as I've already got you pencilled in for Bigs Dogs and Small Dogs Inc.)

Any other ideas about big corporate wellness/safety programs would be very much appreciated.

Thank you very much, everyone. I'll be in your debt.

Good morning!

No real Halloween celebration here. I've really always hated dressing up and we get no trick or treaters so it's all good.

My vegetable garden is doing spectacular! All the plants (except the Rosemary) have tripled in size and several have blossoms! I hope to have a big crop of tomatoes, peppers, squash and cucumbers in a couple of months! I will have to keep my eyes open for the frost warning that always comes for a few days in either November or December, but we're prepared with visqueen and duct tape (the garden is up against our house on the south side so a sheet of visqueen, a few rocks to hold it down and some duct tape to adhere it to the house to keep the frost out should do the trick.

I planted a flat of geraniums and a new palm tree yesterday. I'll need another flat to complete the job. DH and DS spent the morning moving furniture out of DS's and DD's rooms and into the garage for a pending garage sale. We have a new queen sized sleeper sofa on order for DS's room. Once that is in we'll assess to see what other furniture we'll need to make it a nice guest room. DD's room continues to be the exercise/cat room with an assortment of cat trees and toys as well as my treadmill and DH's elliptical.

Sorry, birchy, no corporate program here. We do have a safety program with twice monthly safety meetings but those things are geared more to job safety as we're in construction.

No corporate wellness program for me either....

I'm going to dress the same as I did last year-- I was the Library Dragon (it's a children's book) so I need to read the book to some of the classes this week so they have a clue who I am. We are having our Halloween parade/parties at school on Thursday and the kids don't have school Friday. Staff has a development day. I'm so excited not to have the kids at school on actual Halloween. They are always crazy.

I'm still sick and exhausted. I guess I'm marginally better and there's no symptom prompting a doctor visit, but I just want it to be done. I'm starting carb cycling today and today is a low carb day which would probably zap my energy anyway, so it will be hard to tell the main reason I want to curl up on the floor and nap.

I did a fair amount of food prepping last night but it took longer than I thought it would. So, I have my meals for today (and a couple more low carb days) ready, but I need to work on high carb meals later today. Hope my coffee kicks in soon.

Silver, my company's program is through Blue Care Network; we are currently on year 3 I think of a neat program called Connect2BFit. Everyone was given a pedometer and part of the "flexible credits" we get for our insurance depends on completing 2 of 6 challenges through the year. I remember seeing something on their website that collectively, the company has walked to the moon and back 4 times,

No Halloween celebrations here, but we did go to a pumpkin-carving party on Saturday. I do expect DH to pick up some marked-down candy shortly after.

Somewhat more attention will be paid to tomorrow, which is our 25th anniversary. Man, did that go fast! We will find a superior bottle of 25 year old single malt, and will go out to dinner on Friday. Other than that, I think it will be next spring before we do something appropriately celebratory, since we're in a cash crunch at the moment. Not even an anniversary will get us to rack up credit cards!

Silver, we have a complex wellness program that involves earning "berries" (credits) in a variety of healthy-living modalities that can be credited toward a discount in insurance costs. We're not corporate but here's the link if you want to learn more: https://bewell.stanford.edu/

Happy Hallo-week! I'm still not sure if I'll be celebrating/doing the costume thing this year or not. Yesterday I went to a hard cider tasting event and also had a piece of apple pear rose pie... very interesting and delicious.

I've been having issue with my sweet tooth and binge eating again, which is really frustrating. My mother still sends me "care packages" which is very sweet and I really appreciate it, but we've talked before about sending less in the way of sugary treats, and it always seems to gravitate back to that.

Happy anniversary, ICUwishing!

Birchie - our corporate wellness program is also through our healthcare provider, which I think is the most common delivery method here in the states. There are outside vendors who provide wellness programs, but not a lot.

Thank you, everyone, for your input. Most interesting. Yes, Shannon, I've *just* managed to work that out. The vendors who aren't the healthcare provider seem to be quite small by comparison and usually private/not listed. I really don't know how you people manage to navigate it all. Doing this little bit of research puts some of things you say into context. Thanks again.

Michele - hope you feel better soon. That seems like it is really dragging. That's what happens when we work with kids! I teach in a computer lab and I have become very paranoid about touching the students keyboards or mice! I keep 3 bottles of antibacterial sanitizers on my desk and am constantly using them!
I have noticed that when a student is sick, the students who sit at that same computer other periods will be out the next day or 2 days later! If I see someone is coughing or not feeling well I will spray down the keyboard/mouse but I don't always know.

Iris - oops! Your post made me realize that I should probably not have just mailed what I did to my DD. I sent her some Halloween candy and other foods. She has never had a weight problem, only 21 and been an athlete for many years. The thing that is really silly is she goes to school in NYC so it's not like everything I mail her isn't available! But she doesn't have much time with school and work and has no money. Also she graduates in May so I feel like anything I send that isn't edible is going to have to be packed or tossed in May. She wants to work up there a few years after she graduates, but it will all depend upon where she gets a job.

Still haven't figured out anything to dress up for Halloween. It is Homecoming week so everyday we dress up in silly outfits - today is neon day. Friday is just a spirit/school color day so I'll probably just wear that.

I can't say I'm feeling great, but I do feel like I'm hopefully over the hump. I only catch one or two colds a year which I figure is minimal considering I'm exposed to them daily.

I wouldn't worry about sending your dd treats. If I was a 21 y/o athlete who had never had a weight problem, I'd want the occasional treat. I don't send them to my dd's anymore-- oldest dd is battling her own battle with obesity, and younger dd was always thin but is now bordering on overweight (at 19, so I know she'll struggle too).

I made it through day one of carb cycling. My weight is unchanged. Shouldn't your body know when you stick to a new plan for one day and magically drop a ton of weight?! Today is a higher carb day so I'm a little more excited for my meals!

((sitting here feeling guilty that I didn't send a Halloween care package to my son in college--you know, the super skinny one))

Wishing it were Friday already. Michele, did I see you say (somewhere) yesterday that you were so busy you thought it was Tuesday already? I woke up thinking it was Wednesday. I'm kind of sad about that.

I desperately need a mani/pedi but don't have time to go get one. I may have to fit it in on the weekend but my FIL asked me for an "appointment" for he and MIL to talk to CH and myself about their "life plans." IDK what that all entails, but I wonder if they plan on getting rid of their RV and moving into an apartment/condo or something. While that would be okay as we could sell the RV lot I don't know how easy that will be to sell. And I don't know how set they are financially to get a condo. Selling their RV would be harder than selling the lot and I know they have a lot of money tied up in that. I guess I shouldn't speculate and I should just wait to see what they have to talk about.

Making plans right now to bring my Dad down for Thanksgiving for a week or so. He needs to see his brother who has been in the hospital (out now) for about a month with pneumonia. My Dad is the oldest and while not entirely healthy, he seems to be the healthiest of the three boys (men). The other brother recently had a massive hospitalization but he lives back east and I seriously doubt either will travel that far to visit him.

Yes, Allison-- that was me on Facebook. Yesterday was LONG.

That meeting sounds a little ominous, Allison. At least they're thinking about it. I don't think my inlaws have done any real planning and I can't get dh (or his brothers) to talk to them. My FIL is still working full time though he should be thinking about retiring. I'm pretty sure they've saved nothing and they spend like crazy so it will be interesting to see what happens down the road.

Natalie ran away yesterday morning. We are still hoping to get her back but it's starting to look less and less likely. We put up flyers all over and posted on facebook and on a lost pets site. I also put up flyers at local vets and pet stores. And alerted all the neighbours.

I am very sad.

Dagmar