Sorry, this has to be a drive thru visit..had to leave a long uplifting email for Dd at school (she is having big troubles with her softball coach). That leaves little time for hellos here.
I am still alive- my ankle/knee has lasted longer than I thought it would, but did not get nearly as sore as I thought it might. Only had to take advil that day- and was pretty much up to normal stuff after that. I was able to work out- just had to go a wee bit easier.
Had only enough time to skim the posts.....but I will be back later. Hope everyone's Monday is going ok!
Ginny

Ginny,
Glad to hear that you didn't let your knee/ankle injury stand in the way of your working out. Hope all gets better with your dd and her softball coach. Have a nice afternoon. Hope your angels don't give you any problems this afternoon.
Talk to you later.
Kerry

ANGELS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!What ANGELS???????? Aw, the little critters were not all that bad.
But then there must have been some after school activity, as about a third of them were not on.....which was good because we were/are suffering the last laugh of "Rita" here and I did not really want a full load of wound up kids and crummy weather to boot. Kerry,what a sweet idea to bring your 1 mile video to school (hey, can I be in your class, PLEASE). DId you do the video with the class?? How did the rest of your day go?
Well, my parole came thru....I busted my buns today to get my housework done (and did not get it all done but at least the house is presentable) because I thought my MIL was coming over tomorrow (while her car was being repaired). But it sounds as though she will not be here.....which frees up my morning..... and keeps me much more sane (whatever that is). So, tomorrow I will have time to read the past few days and get each of you a proper hello. Note to Robyn- I have lots of lunch ideas- how many points are you willing to use on lunch? Also, I assume, because you mention using the WW frozen lunches (a bit pricey and salty but some of them are great!)that you have access to a microwave. As I said, I have lots of ideas. Also- is the rest of your family eating WW? You might want to invest in a WW cookbook- or go to their web page and get ideas from there freeze portions for your own lunch.
Ok, I will shut up......Dd wants the computer.......see ya tomorrow! I am so glad to be back, I missed you all!
Ginny

Evening everyone,

I got to do the drive thru thing also tonight. My day kind of sucked....PP presention was a waste....no remote for TV so I couldn't switch it to S-video to hook up computer. Chemistry video is MIA, so I had to stretch what I had for the day. No problem for me, I can ramble forever about chemistry.

DH is wonderful though and alway cheerful. I kind of feel bad that I'm so mean sometimes on school days, and he actually understands, or at least pretends to so I don't ignore him later in the evening .

DD has her nerdy guy friend over, I hate to admit it but I like the nerds over much more than the "cool" guys.

DH is watching a new show for him "Arrested Development," and is yelling for me to join him. I guess I can watch anything with an ice cold BudSelect in hand. It's been one of those days.

Take care,

Tammy

Evening Ladies,
My kids were great this morning, but awful this afternoon. I was ready to pull my hair out. I burned through my frustration at Curves tonight though. I put in a really sweaty workout. So it is all right now.
Ginny, I did my walking video with my kids. They wanted to do it again this afternoon, but I just didn't get that squeezed into my afternoon. I will have to open up the day with it again tomorrow. Maybe that will burn off the extra orniness out of them. I might have to also think about doing it right after recess to calm them down for the afternoon.
Well I hope everyone had a great start to their week! I need to go and get ready for school tomorrow. I will talk to you all later.
Kerry

Good morning!!!!
I will stay as long as I can....it is gorgeous out here in NY and as soon as I get this next load of laundry out on the line I am going for a real walk. First real walk in quite awhile, due to crummy, humid, stinky weather.

Ok, Tammy.....so you can watch anything with an ice cold Budselect in hand!!!!!! Had me smiling, girl. Is that what I need to do to watch hour after hour of baseball? Sorry your day stunk. Guess you hit some major roadblocks,but prevailed nicely. I hear ya with liking the nerdy types more, somehow you get the idea that gang rape or severe substance abuse is not their first thought and that somehow, just somehow they might appreciate your Dd for her personality and intelligence, instead of bra size or whatever.
Ah, the joys of parenting teens....... Ya like chemistry, eh??? In a former life, I was a chemical engineer- and confess that chemistry was the first big subject in HS that I fell in love with. So I can appreciate that.....all those little electrons floating around looking for an orbital to play in.......can you tell I am losing it????? Hope today goes well for you.

Kerry- what a scream- using Leslie for your class!! Hey, if it gets the ya-ya's out of their legs and they sit better, I am all for it!! (plus helps with all this darned childhood obesity). Sorry the kids were so bad for you yesterday. But a major Bravo to you for not letting it get to you and burning it off at curves (instead of some chocolate). It would be nice if the kids were good for you today. I know I am starting to see the "novelty" of school wearing off, andtrouble beginning. I am already revising my seating chart (the one that is only a week old). Guess it is a universal problem.

Michele- did you get that walk in?? Even 15 minutes is great- a good start! Try not to overwhelm yourself into thinking that if you do not workout for hours it does not count. A WW leader once told us that 3, 15 minute walks were just as good as one 45 minute one. Don't give up!

Pam- oh brother......now you are scaring me!!! How did the hair come out- and how did you survive it??? What is scaring me is that I am planning on saving a few $$$ next week and touching up my own, now I wonder if that is such a good idea. Let us know how things turned out for you. Congrats on the weight loss........great to hear that!!!!!

Summer- hope you get a wee bit of time to stop and say hello....We miss you but know you are busy!

Robyn- yup I am gonna keep on bugging you about lunches.....yesterday coming home from my HS run I was all full of wonderful ideas. I will throw a few your way- w/o points or close guesses on points for you.
Try a WW bagel (2pts) with a slice of fatfree cheese(0pts) and a slice of ham.
Melted in the micro......I love it. Total of 4 pts(depending on how much ham).
Then there is the tuna salad sandwich- ff mayo, 3 oz tuna, 2 slices of WW bread.....that goes for around4-5 points depending on how much mayo you like. Or- make some of the WW week 1 soup-the recipe is in the Starting out book- and add a sandwich (even using full point bread and some turkey).
The soup has 0 points- the sandwich about 6. Or a "subway" sandwich- either buy theirs or make your own- the turkey one(no cheese, no oilor mayo) is only 6 points and very filling. Or some bean soup (again filling!) and WW low fat triscuits.....total of 4 points...Or a bean burrito with a wee bit of low fat cheddar....5pts....some WW chili (I can give you the recipe, I love the stuff) 4 points a serving. Or some sf yogurt- add some fresh fruit and crackers- again 5 or 6 points depending on which crackers. I can go on and on and this is just off the top of my head. Experiment!!! treat yourself. Let me know what kind of stuff you like to eat (pm me if you like) I have lots of recipes. This is NOT boring stuff!!!!!

Okie dokie- a dear friend called me last nite (you lurking out there, Jackie, my dear!!!!! ) to tell me to watch Wife swap- a baseball family wife swapped with a tatooed family. Pretty funny. Dh found NO humor in it (you mean not everyone loves baseball!????HUH??????? ) Well I got a laugh out of it- even if Dh did not see the humor.

Lets see, who else did I miss.......Sue, Mouse....Hi to each of you! Out to hang out the laundry and get my walk in. Before this cold (yup I am getting one) sets in and makes me feel like garbage)
Enjoy your day!!!!!!!!!
Ginny

Oh, and today's moron feline move goes to the "mature" (ha!) one in my house who at 4 am (what is it with these jerks and 4 am!!!!!!!!) decided it was time to land on the piano keys.........gimme a break.
Ginny

Good Morning Ladies,
It is a chilly but sunny day here. So I am hoping to get a real walk in this evening after my TOPS meeting and a phone call meeting for my business. I wanted to go for one last night, but I was just too tired after getting my stuff ready for today.
I have to remember to set the VCR for the Biggest Loser. It is on tonight when I have my phone call meeting, so I might be able to muster up some courage to watch it before going to bed. I did get on the scales this morning and I am down two pounds from last week. But I won't use that as my actual weight until I go to TOPS tonight and get on their scales. I will let you know tonight.
Ginny, hope you enjoyed your walk. It is a beautiful day out there today! Your lunch ideas sound so yummy. I might have to think about doing them on the nights that I work late. They sound so quick and easy.
Pam, how did you hair turn out? Hope you don't have to wear a hat all the time this week. How was the company picnic?
Michele, hope you are not beating yourself up too much over your lack of excerising. It is so easy to fall out of habit of doing it and than ten times harder getting started again. But if you just take baby steps, you will build yourself into a routine again. Keep up the faith! You will get there.
Mouse how was your trip home this weekend? Did you get any gym time in? Hope your kids are doing great this week for you.
Sue, where are you? We miss you. Hope all is well with you and your family.
Summer, hope all is well with you. We know that you are very busy with school, your graduate class and your family. Hope all is going well for you this week.
Robyn, how is your class this week? Any nekkid kids lately?
Well my kids are in gym class,so I have a few free minutes. Need to make a quick trip to the bathroom and get ready to go to the lunchroom with them. Talk to you all later. Have a wonderful afternoon !
Kerry

Survived this afternoon. Once again, there must have been some program after school this afternoon and the ride home was a bit less populated than normal.
Poor babies, I had time during Dd's piano lesson to finish the 2nd revision of the seating chart.....and will introduce it tomorrow. I did get a walk in, and by the time I was at the end of the 2nd mile (with about 3/4 left to go) I was tired. Can't figure out if it was because it has been so long since I really walked, or the darned cold that I know is lurking in my system. I had to take 2 cold capsules midday (non drowsy, of course) as my head was pounding and sinuses starting so stuff up. The thought of starting my afternoon feeling that way and facing the masses overwhelmed me totally- unless I was able to ditch the headache. At least by the time I got to the HS I was feeling pretty decent. Then I had a student (I used to drive her home last year, she is on another route this year)- whom I have not seen since last June run to me and give me a huge hug. (I do miss her). She had a really rough spring last year....her bf moved to Texas and then 2 friends lost parents, in a very short time (about 5 weeks) she faced a lot of loss. Most days she cried her way home, and I did a ton of listening and some cheering up. It was great to see her-and see that she is doing ok. I am just a mush bag, get attached to these kids depsite all my bellyachin'.

Kerry-I do the same thing with the scale. I will weigh myself here, but go by the WW scale for the real #. Hope the TOPS scale shows a loss.....that 2# loss at home must make you feel good!! You have been working hard...and it shows! Let us know how the WI went. Hope you got the walk in too. Got a funny story from last weeks WI- and a good indicator of my mental state. Went to WW, weighed in and had gained 1.2#. I was kind of surprised, thought that I "felt" and clothes fit lighter. Then I went to the ladies room......was shocked silly to see that it seemed as though TOM had started, and in my stupor I was not "due" till this week. So, I thought that something was wrong- perhaps something serious. Then after some regrouping and straighteining out of my mental calendar I realized that TOM was on time....my mental calendar was all messed up (ok, everyone stop laughing......it ain't the only part of me that is messed up!). Who knows how this weeks WI will be. I think I am going to WW Thursday. Oh, BTW, anyone looking for meal ideas, that is one thing that WW does really well- teaching you how to adapt/cook eat with great variety. I have some magazines of theirs and a cookbook and am happy to look up stuff for anyone.
Ok, I am pooped and you all must be sick of my nonsense. Have a great nite!!!!!!!!
Ginny

Evening Ladies,
I went to TOPS and weighed in with a 2 1/2 pound loss. So I became this week's weekly best loser for my group. I was so happy to see that much of a loss. I should have realized today when I kept having to pull up my pants and tie they tighter that I had lost more weight. One lady informed me that I excerise too much and need to slow down a little bit. Mind you she is a bit overweight herself and not a excerise person at all. I did get my walk in with my boys after recess. They begged to do it again. So I hope this keeps up.
Ginny, I hope you are feeling better. That is funny about your TOM story. I have had that happen to me too before. So I can totally relate. Wishing you well with your WI on Thursday.
Hello to everyone else. Hope you have a wonderful evening and a wonderful Wednesday.

Take care,
Kerry

Good morning!
Well, at least for this am I am home bound, Dd woke up with a stomach bug, so I called in for sick this am. I will have to see how she fares for this afternoon- she seems a bit more stable now and the color has returned to her face a wee bit. Now lets just hope she is not generous and does not share this wonderful bug with her mother. I got little sleep last nite in addition, Dh was up coughing and blowing his nose a good part of the night. And he refused to take something for it- mind you I have plenty of cold remedies in the house.....would it have been too much for him to find something for himself? Finally I conceeded defeat and got offered him something for his sniffles....again, I hope I can manage to stay away from whatever he has (but I think I have a mild case of it already). So, no walk this am....can't walk now as half of the world would see me out walking- and I did call in sick (my supervisor knows that it is Dd who is sick, however). So, as soon as I finish my computer business I will do my WW tape.

Kerry- you big loser!!! Congrats on being the biggest loser at TOPS! I am so happy for you!!! As far as the excercise thing goes....I can offer this guideline. WW (and I have never heard anyone, doctors included, trash their program as being unhealthy, so I would think that their guidelines are pretty accurate) recommends a total of 3-4 activity points per day. Four activity points for you would equate to 53-75 minutes of a moderate activity, once which would probably make you break a sweat. Or 78-100 minutes of a light activity (leisurely activity). (I have sort of rounded off some of the numbers). So you figure it out......but gee, if you are feeling good and like that much activity, can it hurt??? I am one to talk, on a good day I would walk for hours, if I had the time to do so. Keep on shrinking there!!! How great to have to tighten up those pants.
Better go......got lots to do this am being that I have the morning off. Well, sort of off....Dd kept the tea down so I might drive this afternoon. (my route takes me right past my house, I bring my next door neighbors son home so I could do a quick check in on her). Gotta save the sick time for when she needs it- as she will most likely need surgery for the bladder condition.
See ya later.
Ginny

Running in...and running out!

hey! what a flippin week! one was moved out of my room yesterday...you'd think that i'd notice... I did...however, he had classmates nearly as, um, needy...so i blinked and moved on to the next need! anywhooo.... i'm trying not to eat the paint off the walls and the table cloth off the kitchen table ....stress makes me fill my mouth with bad things!

gin...have you seen the new WW chicken cookbook? i saw many wonderful things in there...i'm considering buying it! i use the recipies from cooking light often....however, they shorrre do use some freaky ingredients...AND pine nuts and capers are NOT daily staples in my part of eastern (banjo playing) mongolia!

darn. someone is at my door. i hate hate hate drop in company...especially after 3 full school days... no one EVER visits on Sunday afternoon when the place is less filthy than during the week....sigh! gotta go... friend with new baby from across the street... hope she doesn't want to sit down! hehe

take care,
meeee

Evening all,

It's been a crazy week. I've been waking up at 3:30 - 4:30 and not being able to go back to sleep,so I just get up and enjoy the quiet. Anyways, I'm so tired, I'm going to bed. I didn't even do a walk or bike ride tonight.

Kerry, congrats on being the biggest loser!

All you other great "losers," sounds like everyone else's week is a bit wacko, too! Two more days. Talk to you later,

Tammy

Morning, everybody.
I can't even begin to catch up on what's been happening, so I won't try. Things have slowed down here with Red Cross. I went home to my mom's house last weekend, though, after I finished at our service center so I could take her out for lunch for her birthday. And then we went to the local library's used book sale. Its huge, and on the last day they sell you a bag for $4, and you get to fill it. I should've stopped to get cash: as it was, my mom and I filled 2 bags for $8, and I now have a lovely classroom library that has everything from Babysitter's Little Sister books to The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. And last night, the librarian at my school (I think I told you all how cool she is!) kept her promise: she used some of her budget to buy books so my kids can come check out FICTION books too! I got to pick them out; I went over to the larger Border's bookstore where we have a corporate account and shopped to my heart's content: spent $175 of her money. Not bad considering what I came away with: the entire Ramona series, Little House series, Judy Blume's Fudge, some Captain Underpants books, the entire Shadow Children books from Haddix, the first two books in "Support Your Local Wizard" by Diane Duane, etc. Its just lovely! I wanted some of the Dear America books, but they are only available in hardcover, and at $11/each, too pricey. The two most popular Cricket in Times Square books (for my one kid who will ONLY read books about dogs or mowing the lawn... if I can get him to read the first 2 books, I'll let him borrow my copy of the 3rd one: Harry Cat's Pet Puppy). I think I also picked up a couple of the Henry & Ribsy books from Cleary.
I did get to the gym and swim on Saturday on my way to my mom's house, and plan to do it this Saturday as well. I need to find a gym down here... I'm kind of holding my breath because I had a small issue with the credit card that the other gym was billing and it doesn't exist anymore. So, the automatic charge should be refused. We'll see. Because I surely can't get their attention any other way: I emailed them a month ago, and have had no response. I just want to cancel my membership at this point so I can join a better gym. They have a nice gym, its just not nice for me! Just like Kerry loves Curves, and so do bunches of other people that I know, I don't go there because I can't do most of the equipment because of my ankle. I don't understand why they are so insistant that their gym is the only one that will be good for me, because its not true! The other gym isn't perfect (its farther from where I live, its huge, for example, and lots of people...), but I can at least get to the equipment!
I also met my new primary care doctor on Tuesday... she's pretty good. Running late, just like my endo, but that's okay becuase it means she takes the time to listen to the patients. She gave me a referral to find an orthopedist down here, and had no problems giving me one for my endo.
Okay... going to work.

Okie dokie.....just a short hello! Decided to sleep in a bit, but snuck in my Power walk tape after Dh and Ds left. This am I am going to WW and have promised myself that I will stay for the whole meeting (so many times I sneak out to save a few minutes) and then pick up my new glasses enroute home.
(so now you all know that I have "4" eyes- I usually wear contacts, but one of the few benefits I get with my job is free eye care and glasses, guess the figure I need to be able to see or something like that!) So I am going to take a few rare minutes for myself this am.

Tammy-sorry you are so pooped.....that stinks that you are waking up at such a miserable hour! (that happens to me a lot too). Nothing like a good nites sleep...I hope you got your rest last nite.

Robyn- nope, have not checked out the WW chicken book yet, but today I will be at an actual WW center, so there is a good chance they will have it there. Me too with the pine nuts and capers not in my usual repetoire- if I buy stuff like that I use it once and then it dies in my cabinets.....so I don't.
Good for you on the PB&J. Find some variety!!!! You can eat anything on WW- just gotta count the points. Walk that stress out, girl.......hope today is better for you.


Ugh.....off to face the monsters.. Have a great day everyone!
GInny