It's so hard to believe that two weeks ago I celebrated eating dinner on the patio and another week passes without that happening again. That weather is variable is a truism in many places, including the Boston area, so it's only a surprise that I'm surprised after living here for decades.

Passed the whole week without the unplanned snacks that have been bothering me for the past months. That's good news. Snacks do not decrease the amount I eat at meals. I'm still like the teenage who can eat a bowl of cereal before dinner and not be slowed down. I used to believe that cheese and cracker must not have many calories since I had them for appetizers before dinner without affecting my appetite.

Welcome back, Jessica (paperclippy), it'll be great to catch up with the twins.

Starting day 4 of the pet sit. My own pets survived "guy's weekend" with hubby and his friends. Apparently Trixie is a rock'n'roller.

Good week all!

Dagmar

Our weather is extremely variable here too. The high was in the low 60's, and lows in the 40's this weekend with lots of wind-- way too cold for me. This weekend high 80s and low 90s are predicted. I'm looking forward to that!!

I spent a quiet weekend without hubby. He was very sorry to be gone on Mother's Day but he was very sweet-- and both girls called and sent gifts.... Plus my in-laws called though that seemed more like a punishment. My FIL loves to tease me about my healthy habits-- he asked, "You still eating cardboard and running all the time?!"-- I was so ticked-- I was a little short with him-- I said I don't eat like that and I hate running so I don't know who you're referring to. Inside I was thinking-- I've gained almost 20 pounds-- I'd hardly call that healthy.

I started a new dietbet and hope I can be more focused for this one. I have to lose 5.5 pounds in 4 weeks.

Today will prove to be a tad interesting. I have to leave work to meet an appraiser at the house at lunch time-- we have to get an appraisal for our home equity loan for all of our repairs-- while there I'll see if painters showed to finish up-- if so-- I can let Ellie out of the crate-- then I will hopefully leave work in time to get to the gym before painters show up tonight for final walkthrough and payment....
Not sure how/when I will fit lunch into my scenario. I just hope the appraiser is quick as I'm really not supposed to leave work so I hope I'm not missed!

Hi folks! I had a good weekend, kept calories in check and got some exercise. I went for a short run Sunday morning, then took the girls to yoga with me in the afternoon. My yoga studio has a simultaneous "moderate" yoga and kids yoga, which is a great opportunity for me to give my husband a break from the kids while also getting exercise for myself, and some exercise and relaxation for them. It's funny because they do some really vigorous poses -- this week they did head stands! In any case, I enjoy going to yoga, but it is very hard on my wrist which has a ganglion cyst, so I don't know that I'll be able to go every week.

Today so far, workout done, didn't snack. Tomorrow we're doing a belated Mother's Day and DH has planned a day trip somewhere for us (I don't know where, it's a surprise!).

Hi there maintainers! Long time no see! I'm finishing up my first year of residency in internal medicine and weighing in at... 2 sizes bigger!? Scrubs are VERY forgiving and there's no time to exercise/sleep/eat well for an intern. I'm not actually sure things are going to get a lot easier in terms of time to take care of myself next year (Starting July 1), but I'll have to figure out how to do a better job regardless.

Happy belated mothers day to the moms on here (pet moms included!!).

Nice to see you Iris. Glad to hear your medical career is progressing.

Dagmar

Glad you popped in, Iris. I can only imagine how busy you must be. Hope you find some time to care for yourself.

Welcome back to Jessica and Iris! Bill, I'm like you in that snacks don't seem to decrease what I eat at other times. I'm trying to drink tea (hot or iced depending on the weather and my hot flashes) and chew gum to refrain from snacks. My weight has been steady for the most part.

Nothing much to report from the central valley of California, except that the weather has been unseasonably cool. Hooray! But it will be 20 degrees hotter by the weekend There is a wild black kitty we have been feeding in addition to our 7 cats. I can talk to him through the window now, but he runs if I go outside. A few days a go one of his eyes got hurt, probably in a scuffle with one of the other cats. I can try to trap him but need to get a trap first. In the meantime my plan is to put a dose of Orbax (antibiotic) in the food he eats every night after I turn off the porch light. I'm assuming it is a "him" because there have been no kittens. We certainly don't need another cat but oh well - he's fairly integrated into the "cat pack" already.

My DH is finally committing to a home renovation. We will build a garage first so we can move stuff out there as we renovate the interior of the house. We live in a doublewide mobile home that was new in 1990. We thought about a whole new house on the same site, but the fees and regulations in California make it difficult and costly. It will be much easier to just gut the mobile home, add some square footage and completely re-do the plumbing and interior. Anything's okay with me as long as I get a bigger kitchen with more storage space, and a second refrigerator for the garage to help store all the veggies I buy. We live 25 minutes from the nearest store and I only want to have to shop once a week.

Happy renovation planning, Alice!
I know all about the fees and regulations in California.
We just had our exterior painting done. I have to say the quality of workmanship is much higher than when we lived in Texas, but the price is sooooo much higher as a result. Unfortunately or fortunately, they were so thorough they pointed out that we need new gutters, a new garage door, and to have our roof checked. So..... once our home equity loan funds (didn't realize this was as difficult as getting a home mortgage!!), I'll be looking at a priority list and getting quotes....

My younger dd rarely calls me and she called last night wanting to share BIG NEWS! As a parent, your mind goes many places-- something great happened at work, she has a boyfriend.... nope... She got Harry Styles tickets. I had to chuckle. It was nice chatting with her though....

Hoping for a great Thursday. Weather is gorgeous. Housecleaners are coming today so I'll go home to a nice, clean home. And I'm planning on Hot Pilates. Trying to focus on the positives and not dwelling on the 8 pounds over my redline still.....

Hey, Iris, I've seen recent photos of you in FB and you still look amazing! Congrats on the residency. Perhaps things will slow down a little once you're permanent somewhere.

Jessica, your girls are adorable! Of course, following you on FB as well!

So I'm back from almost 3 weeks of vacation. We celebrated our 29th anniversary while there. We booked our next cruise as well--this one is 18 days long starting May 1 2019, so we'll celebrate our 31st on that cruise. We'll have to plan something for the 30th here at home. Next cruise starts in Miami, goes to Havana, Cuba, through the Caribbean and Panama Canal, with three stops in Costa Rica and then finishing up in San Francisco. Something to look forward to.

I'll work on getting some photos up to share later--too much to do as today is day one of back to work.