36
Nice going on the loss.

Tech
I shop on Christmas eve for odds and ends. I have a ball with all the people and the music and the hussle and bussel. Last couple years haven't been as fun. The stores aren't decorated like they use to be. The music isn't as nice and the sales aren't as good lol.

I also never have bills from Christmas because of waiting until the last min lol. I save I buy, I save I buy. When the kids believed in Santa Christmas was a huge thing. Dozens of presents and the whole bit. When they stopped believing in Santa it became a couple of gifts a piece and the rest of the money going to the soup kitchen, and picking a family from the neighborhood that is going through hard times and buying Christmas for them. We are so busy in December with all the church activities and my son and his friends trying to finish up the last of the bikes they rebuild for the kids in the neighborhood. The last thing I have time for is shopping.

Starting the day after Thanksgiving we start to bake bread and pies and cookies. We bake everyday and aren't done usually until a couple of days before Christmas. We give these to the old darlings in the neighborhood, people at church and those living in nursing homes and retirement homes. We love doing this but every year it costs more and more for the supplies. This year we are going to have to cut back and not give out as much as we use to.

I am always so glad my shopping is done months ago lol. My sons birthday in Jan. If I waited longer in the year to get chrismas gifts bought I wouldn't have time to save money for all the other things that come up at the end and beginning of the year. There is no way I could come up with 180 dollars for rock band for my sons birthday in Jan if I was still spending money on Christmas gifts in November and December.

Good luck on the exam. I read some social theory for my MA, and it does tend to muddle the mind!! VERY tough reading. You'll do fine. Just be sure to be well rested.

Keep us posted on Walter. I am curious as to how he'll react to the dogs!!

hopefuldreamer

Tech--talking about furballs, omg, I just got done with a marathon vacuuming session, b/c my 3 are shedding like crazy! The end-of-summer molt, I guess. It's a chore to keep up, probably the 3rd time this week for doing at least some vacuuming, and I keep taking off the sheets/comforter to toss in the dryer to get off the hair! (Yes, bad habit, they all get on our king-size bed!)

At least only 3, not 7 like 36paws--where do they sleep, 36? My three are medium sized, 25 lbs, 35 lbs, and 45 lbs. 2 mutts and a Shiba Inu.

Slash, don't worry about your son. If he really wants to play, i think he will be motivated to improve. I just hope the coach is a positive one, not one of those win-at-all-costs one.

Shy--I am in total awe of you. No way can I wrap my head around Christmas until at least November. It's after Thanksgiving for me, usually into December, all the way up to Dec. 24th at times!

Hi guys

Mod- time?? time for what??? well there is always time for dogs, hardly ever any time for me.... oh well ..... we are having two litters of pups this year so by next summer we will be up to 9 dogs and that is my limit.... absolutely my limit.....

Hermit - not sure where those tickers come from.... perhaps the ticker factory.... I am going to go and check those out as soon as I reach my 20 days and am allowed to have a signature....

as for me... went out to dinner last night.... and did pretty good, didn't go over... so that was good.... walter came home on friday night and in our drive to RI we stopped at taco bell and KFC on the way home... it was not good but hey its not the end of the world and we have moved on.... but the kitty is adorable and he and janet are getting along great so thats all I can ask for....

going to head to the farm stand today to get some fresh fruits.....

and then hitting the theory again today..... I have decided to once again change the way I study and start just reviewing notes until thursday....

so thats my tale for today
ttyl
s

Good morning,

My daughter starts school day after tomarrow. I still haven't bought her supplies yet. I developed an infection on my leg while I was at my dad's and with all the grandma stress didn't care for it properly so now I'm on antibiotics and can't walk, can't excercise, very annoying. Anyway DH will have to do the shopping which is fine, I just really want to get out.

Shy- I'm going to try to focus our Christmas outside ourselves this year, those are great ideas! thanks


36- Congratulations on the loss! I love Labs our dog has a Lab head and a Corgie body, my dad found him on the interstate. I wish he had a Lab personality, he's very agressive and herds my 8 year old and her friends when they run outside, lol. Good Luck with your exam.

Tech- Your story sounds like mine, just keep working at it. I've been craving comfort food because I'm not excercising, when I work-out I eat better.

Hi All,
Weekend is over and now I have to crack down and get to work.....

Clayr actually the blondes are goldens and the black dogs are Flat Coated Retrievers... they are wonderful.... but I adore Corgi's there is nothing cuter than a Pembroke Corgi Butt and Cardigan ears.... i actually love Cardigans....

Mod, we have a rule that states.... dogs are allowed on the bed until the lights are turned off and then everyone must be off the bed. Our largest is about 68 lbs and the smallest is probably shalva who is around 50 give or take... and they spread themselves out on the bedroom floor and the hallway... Emmett prefers to sleep in the bathroom. Just don't have to get up in the middle of the night its like an obstacle course.... but to be honest... the cat takes up more room on the bed....

As for me.... We have a new family member.... he came home on Friday night late... so Walter came home.... he is a Ragdoll cat, a Seal Bi-color..... and he is adorable... loud.... but adorable and our other Ragdoll Janet loves him. I have to say Ragdolls are like chips, can't have just one.....

I totally blew it on Friday night on the way to RI to get Walter.... but got right back on the wagon on Saturday even going out to dinner so that was good... and Sunday was great... so not to worried about it....

This is my last week of summer vacation.... I have to go to the U. on Thursday then friday through Tuesday off, I start my class on Wednesday and then I start teaching on Thursday..... so I am basking in relaxation right now but it won't be so starting next week....

so thats all my news
hope you guys have a good day.
s

Hi everyone, long time no chat. I have been on vacation - out at the beach. We had the most flawless weather I have ever experienced. I so adore the ocean, I can't imagine not living near it.

Anyway, amazingly I somehow lost weight on vacation. Do not ask how because for the life of me, I could not tell you. But now that I think about it, we were in that ocean several hours a day, body surfing and leaping over waves and the like. Plus, we really only ate 3 times a day - no snacks at all, and fairly controlled portions. So, I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth.

Today's my first day back at work and oh boy...over 250 emails waiting - a ton of mail piled up. I can either laugh or cry!

I've briefly skimmed over the past page or two...I'll chime in about the engagement ring...I think that was one of the first lessons learned in the first week of law school, if I remember correctly from first year Contracts class. It is not really a gift, but is conditional. However, most people either don't know that or choose not to do anything about it. My sister in law was once engaged and she called it off about 10 days before the wedding. She kept the ring, hocked it, and bought herself a Rolex watch. A co-worker of mine also hocked her ring after being dumped. So, although neither of these gals really should have done that...their respective former fiances never followed up, so that's the way the cookie crumbled.

While on vacation, my book about insulin resistance dieting arrived (I'd ordered it right before we left). I have not had the chance to sit down with it yet, what with getting my son ready for school (starts tomorrow) and getting back to work. I'm hoping it will provide some help, although of course, it's really up to me to make it work.

I'd better get back to work. My post-vacation buzz is quickly fading!!

LetsGo: Welcome back. Glad you had a good vacation. It's always so hard to get back to work after a nice vacation, though.

Clayr: Sorry to hear about the infection in your leg. Sounds painful!!

36: I have a ragdoll, she's the one that was saved by a cat rescue. She can't see very well, but she's sweet. I also have some retrievers, Chesapeake Bay retrievers. They are outside dogs, though. Roughly 90 pound dogs.

Mod: Thanks for the kind words. Sometimes I get way over worried. I think that at 44, I might be beyond hope for curing that flaw!

But, football has been going well for my son. He still hates running, but they played their first game on Saturday and won 52-0. Wow. He played well and had a great time. I was talking to the coach after the game to see if he wanted my daughter to be the water girl since no one else was doing it (her hidden agenda is to be closer to the older boys on the team), and he mentioned that he was pleased with how well my son did and that we just needed to get him in good shape and try to keep him there in the off season. I agreed. He thinks that my boy has a lot of potential, so that was nice to hear. I told my son about that and he understands that we have to keep working hard.

Volleyball is going on for my daughter. I'm not sure what team she will be on yet, but she's having fun.

Well, better go. Sure wish we could hear from some of our more quiet members!! LOVNMOM!!!!

Good morning ladies, hope it's ok for a newbie to pop into your conversation. I’m 47 yrs old, married for almost 21 years, with two children (son, 19 & daughter, 16). I’ve struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember, sometimes winning the battle, sometimes not. I lost quite a bit of weight right after turning 40, but have yo-yo’d since and am now heavier than ever. I’m back in the groove, and determined to get fit and healthy and STAY THERE! And I know, for me, getting motivation and inspiration from places like this is key. So, I hope you won't mind me joining in here.

LetsGoMets, though you and I clearly have some fundamental differences in some philosophies (Go Yanks! ), I'm very jealous of your vacation. We have family in Spring Lake and also go to the Delaware shore on occassion, but weren't able to get down there this year. Glad you had such a good time.

Morning, First day of school, the house is quieter. I went back to the doctor's yesterday and was put on a stronger anti-biotic it seems to be working better already.


Welcome rmc

LetsGoMets- Having fun losing weight and not even trying must feel great!

Slash- Very encouraging words from the coach, nice motivation for your son.

Hi all. Still trying to get back on track at work after vacation...although I was much more productive today! Yesterday I ran out of gas by mid afternoon...I just felt overwhelmed by everything.

Diane, wow, 52-0!! Last year, a new scoring rule was instituted in our neck of the woods, in that one team cannot be more than 50 points ahead of the other team. I can't recall what happens, i.e., if the game is stopped once one team is 50 points ahead or what. Needless to say, this new rule was not warmly received.

Rmc, we are hard core Mets fans in this household (sorry!). My husband & son have season tix, that is, for every Sunday home game. Way back in the day, I actually was a Yanks fan, back in 70's, when things were wild = the Billy Martin/Reggie Jackson era, etc., when Steinbrenner was really totally NUTS! But that was then...my husband can barely stay in the same room when I talk about my "sordid past"!!

So Day One of middle school went pretty well for my kid. He is really, really tired right now, though, no surprise there! I think we'll shoot for a nice early bedtime tonight for sure.

Just checking in before leaving to Vegas tomorrow. I had a pretty good day--did spin class (that really kicks my butt) and ate OP for the day. Trying to be really good before the next 5 days.

My challenges are to not drink alcohol during the day, only at dinner. To make very healthy breakfast and lunch choices so I can enjoy a great dinner at the nice restaurants we've planned, and to visit (actually use) the gym every morning.

I know I can do it--I'm feeling more disciplined every day. Oh I still have my weak moments but fewer of them I think.

On Labor day, I plan on running (jogging) a 5K for the Labor Day 5K here at 3FC. I can do it!

And sorry, all you Mets and Yanks fans--the Cubbies are the ones to beat, and the White Sox are strong, as well! How about a World Series with the Cubs and the White Sox? No one will care except the middle of the country, but Whooee!!

LetsGo: I can see why you might want to limit the score somewhat. I was on the other side of the field last year, when we only won one game (not to mention our baseball team this last season). While I loved that our guys were so well prepared and had great ability (thanks to the new level of coaching), I could feel for the other side! In another division, I saw a score of 62-0, so that was even worse. The team we play this Saturday won't be so easy to beat, so they'll have more of a challenge. **** By the way, sorry about your Mets slipping out of 1st. ****

Clayr - Maybe the quiet house will help with healing, too!!

Modcat - Have fun in Vegas! It sounds like you have a good plan, so you'll do great.

RMC - Welcome! Glad you could join us. We have a lot of sports minded people here. Go Rockies!

Sorry I haven't been around much lately everyone. Hope everyone is doing pretty good. The knee is pretty bad right now so it takes me 2 and 3 times as long to get anything done. I never give up lol I am getting everything done just takes me all day and I am exhausted by the end of the day. Just about have everything ready for the camping trip too.

Welcome to all the new 3FC chatters...

My apologies to all the "regulars" for skipping out for so long. I went on some unplanned trips with my children and my SIL's and just plain had some "poor me" days so to speak...I'll be catching up again with all of you cuz I found out I just missed you all when I didn't stop in...

school starts next Tues here, but FB's been going for almost 3 wks already.

Diane, I'm sincerely hoping practice is going better for your son now. You sound like me...I should've done. It's not your fault...he'll do what he must. Just support him like you do!!

Have a great day!

Kristi