djcbt~ WELCOME!!! Support has been key for me. I go to TOPS In the town where I live and the support here is beyond phenominal!! Keep posting.

Gosh Susie~ you have really had a bout of illness. My head is full today. Dasn kids! You will be in the 230's for Mar 5, you will be in the 230's for Mar 5 ,You WILL!!! Congrats on the loss!

Jodi~ I am looking forward to tommorrow( weekend) too!! I am tired out this week. I am planning on sleeping as long as I want to!! I will skip DS's moring game and stay home and putter. I will go to the afternoon games Sat and Sun.Wishing you a peaceful weekend.

I made spaghetti with WW pasta and sauce with ground turkey,lots of fresh veg and my own canned tomato sauce and roasted tomatoes and garlic. MMMMM!
We had our Book Club meeting lasat night. the book was Fall On Your Knees by Anne Marie MacDonald. The night was WONDERFUL. There were 8 of us( 2 men) the discussion was intelligent and varied and flowed for 2 hours. The "host" made a recipe from the book to try. It felt very good to be a part of it!
I am the next host. The book is The Life Of PI by Yann Martel.Mar 17.
My kids were over tired and crying this morning. I felt like joining them.
The house in monumentally untidy.The toddlers do it and I have been out 2 nights in a row.
ER was awesome last night.
I took the 4 toddlers to Early Years play group and then picked up some whole chickens on for $1 a lb!!!!!!!!!
I am having left over spaghetti for lunch.
I am super tired and a little congested. I will nap at 1 when these kids go far a nap a listen to All My Children. LOL.
Roast chickie for dinner. Take DD to the lake. Stay for a hottub and home to bed, jiggidy jig.

Have a groovy weekend dear Chicks!!!!

Hey there Everyone!!

I started a post and personalized then got zapped. So this is just going to be a general post. Altho Holly, I do have everything crossed for DH getting the new job. Prayers too!! and Susie, please get to feeling better...you sound like you have been thru the sick mill.

I have been doing pretty well with staying OP, excluding this morning, when I broke down and had a donut. Could of kicked myself in the heiny. Wasn't even that good, cept the carmel and nuts on top. LOL

I think I will check into the TOPS program in my area to see if timing would work for me. I need some physical support with this weight loss, someone to be accountable to. I love the WATP CD, finding the time is another thing. I am still working at Kohl's part time, plus my full time job. The extra 100-140 a week can make the difference.

Everyone have a marvelous weekend, and hope to chat next week.

Keep the spirits up!

Annie

Annie~ 2 days ina row woohoooo!! Lol! Happy yo see you!! There is something about going and standing on a scale in front of someone that motivates.Time to exercise is an issue for me too.

Dh is out getting his pay and meeting a new builder. The critters and I are alone. I just laid on the floor with eyes closed, listened to All My Children and did some stretches. Gave the kitty a good brushing. He was my first baby. A gorgeous long haired silver tabby with a snow white mane and tummy. He will be 16 next week. MEOW!!
I keep thinking I want to paint my livingroom a lemon lime green. The previous owners put a deep mauve carpet in the room to sell the house, weird. So I painted the walls the same colour.It has been 5 years with 2 -8 kids all day every day. It is sticky, dinged up and feeling tired. I just recovered the cushions of a golden maplewood sofa and chair with caramel oelifin. So can I have green walls, purple rug and caramel furnitue??? hmmmm. It is big and bright. The toyroom and bathroom are a dijon mustard yellow, the diningroom is pumpkin orange with a burnt orange wash and the kitchen is navy and cherry wood. I am feeling very green.Is green a mood?

Some have asked… I read Fall on Your Knees by Anne Marie MacDonald for the book club. It is a first novel, published in 1996. It takes palce at the turn of the last century in Cape Breton Island , Canada and New York City.It is a epic that follows the lives of a family and some towns folk. It covers a lot of social and racial issues of the times, there is incest, abuse.....It is written in a intriguing style that keeps you thinking all the time.It is a big read with lots of twists and turns. It is a dark story but one with moments of humour, joy and I felt hope at the end. The human journey.
Her newest novel is loosely based on a true story in a small town about 15 min from where we live. I will read that too.

I am enjoying the quiet right now. I am doing DD’s laundry for her weekend away.
We will have my fav meal with roasted carrots, celery, onion and potato for DH. Got some more ww pasta for a buck a box too.

I had a nice visit with some Moms at the play group. We are going a a field trip on Wed to the sugar bush. I LOVE that.

I didn’t snack last night and I have eaten OP today!
I am chatty today!

Have a nice weekend.

Wow, am I looking forward to going home this evening! This has been a long week for me. But I'm picking up a little momentum again, and have been more focused on my plan than I have been in weeks. It shows--I finally got back down to where I was a few weeks ago, and have even lost a little more, yaay!

Jodi--congrats on kickin' butt this week! If you keep putting weeks like this together, pretty soon you'll have a great year before you know it.

Susie--Good work on losing despite feeling so crummy! When I'm sick I just want to lay around and eat macaroni and cheese and ice cream! We're right around the same weight. I hope to join you next week in 230s, but don't wait up for me

Holly--I love reading your posts. You make me feel so lazy.

Annie, Anne, Spores, Girlie, djcbt, everybody--have a wonderful weekend! Keep losing!

Hi all. Last two days have been insane. Things still crazy, but I wanted to check in. Anne, nice to meet you; glad you're here! Djcbt, welcome, hop on in! Holly, thinking good thoughts for you and your fam and DH; good luck with job and all. Mychoice, you changed your avatar! Hope you're better soon; sending feel-good thoughts. Judy&Mychoice, thanks for the gym encouragement. Any gym ettiquette tips I should know about before plunging in? Something about towels? Everybody else/anyone I missed, hope you're well and having great weeks. Hope everyone's weekend starts out wonderfully!

Just a few days of insanity left ebfore a brief breather. My last day with the high school kids was good -- they were very sweet. A few told me it was the best class they'd ever had, made me feel nice. One girl, who has had many troubles at home, gave me the sweetest card saying how I had touched her life. Sniff, sniff. I got so choked up. Meant a lot to me. So now I am buried under grading, since their final grades are due on Monday morning, and I have about 350 pages of essays to grade by then. Plus my magazine and other work and general life stuff. But despite it all, I've had a decent week. Was great on food and exercise until today. Was sad/overwhelmed/etc and skipped treadmill, ate fast food. Planning to get back ont eh horse tomorrow; maybe walking will be my relaxing break from grading. This is the true test for me: I can manage to do all right when things are normal and hunkey-dory, but when there's too much to do and I'm stressed and sad, that's when everything falls apart and I just eat and eat and eat. So that's my challenge this weekend: keep the eating under control, get at least a bit of exercise in, and don't let the avalanche bury me.

I hope to check in over the next few days; you guys keep me motivated!

happy weekend everyone,
i had a nice relaxing evening last night, i went shopping and bought myself 3 new pairs of jeans and some spring tops. all in my current size. i have been holding out wearing the same 2 pairs of pants to work everyday not wanting to spend the money on clothes i won't wear forever. it felt great to just go shop! i did good all week, had pizza for dinner last night but didn't over do it. today i will plan for next week, putter, cook and clean. not much else going on.

judy- thanks! glad you are feeling so focused!! stay with it girl!!

holly- not sure if green is a mood but your colors sound great! i love bold colors on walls. good luck with the painting!

mychoice- thanks, i'll let you know if there is anything i don't quite get after the appointment. great job on the loss!! keep pushing forward!!

spores- hope you get a minute of me time this weekend! glad the rush will be over soon hang in there!!

annie- grab up all the support you can! TOPS is great from what i hear. good luck!!

djcbt- welcome !!! hop right in!!
enjoy your weekend ladies!!

Blatant Decadence!!!!
I slept in till 10am. Weeeeeeeeheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! My face is all puffy and sleep creased.The house is quiet.I even let the fire go out. I am sitting in the quiet drinking coffee #2. Oh what to do ,what to do.
My freedom is limited. I will leave at 2pm for the hockey tournament. The boys are spending the whole day there to watch all the other games. DH laughed at my lack of tournament ettiquette. *giggle* Who knew you were supposed to stay and watch. I saw it as time wasted. *more giggles*

There is a TON of tidying and cleaning to do from all the kids this week and post flu bug. I have been very tired in the eves and have not gotten much done. I was smart enough to know my body needed the rest so that is what I did. I have also been snacking a bit a night but i am wondering if my body needed that too. My snacks have been healthy. I have maintained my loss, so this week I will focus more on the not snacking and exercise, although i did put in several hours of shovelling this week!! I love exercise with an obvious purpose. As opposed to just bettering my health. LOL!
DH is starting with a new builder on Monday! We are still hoping for a call about the church job. It was still listed today and it is going to a committee, it may be a while.
DH is very keen for it. He was silly and lighthearted last night. We laughed a lot!!!
I had a hottub at the folks after dropping DD off,mmmmm. I chanted ohm while in there. It “scares” my Mom, seriously freaks her out. My Dad laughs his *** off. I enjoy that too. Rotten kid.ROFL!!!!!!! My Mom thinks I have all kinds of harrassment coming from my 2. My Dad thinks they are screwed because I have tried or done everything imaginable at least once and they dont stand a chance. It will be fun to see how it plays out.ROFL again!!!
I should look and see what I am teaching at SS tomorrow and then tidy up, dust vacuum, scrub a couple of toilets.Hmmmmmm , what tunes shall I listen to.......70’s mis, 80’s heavy metal, Rod the Bod, Kalan has been sold out in the stores here for weeks, I refuse to pat $45 online. My life is just so complicated* giggle*. Gawd I am hilarious today.

Spores~ I have missed you this week. It is wonderful to be valued and to know you have touched someones life!!! Cherish the praise!!!!! You deserve it!!! Hope you make it to next week unscathed!!! HUGS!!

Jodi~ the shopping sounds fun, good for you!!!!! Have awonderful relaxing weekend!

Judy~ditto, have a wonderful weekend!!! Congrats on the positive momentum!!!

Susie?? Girlie?? How are you gals doing??

BTW on the John Tesh radio show last night he talk about Emotional Inteligence. It was interesting. There is a link at Tesh.com.

See ya Later!

Good morning Ladies,
I missed you all yesterday. I had a lot to do around the house and with this cold it took me longer than usual, and I didn't have time to get online. I'm starting to feel better with the cold. I woke up this morning and I'm able to breathe out of my nose.....hey..got to celebrate the little things!

Last night DH and I went to dinner at Red Robin (great hamburgers!) and then to see "Wedding Date". It's a very cute movie....such a chick flick.

I'm doing ok with my food. Got to get back to exercising. Trying to decided if I'm going for a walk today at the Y. I feel like I don't want to overdo, but I need to start moving again. I think I will go for a walk.

I got some new spring catalogues in the mail, and I'm going through them and cutting out things that I would like to buy for this summer. I picked out one outfit that I'm going to buy when I lose 10 lbs, one for 20, and one for 30. I know they might not be available but it's the idea that I have a picture in my head of how I'll look in them when I get to that weight and I can always find something similiar. It's just a new motivating tool for me. Got to keep that motivation fresh.

Holly: I think I would love to live in your house with all those bright colors! No wonder you have so much energy. It sounds like things are going ok with DH and the job hunt. I've still got my fingers crossed.

Spores: Good to see you back. What type of magazine are you publishing? You asked about a towel at the gym. I would have one to put down on the machines and benchs. Some people don't wipe them down with the cleaners and that protects you from what they didn't clean up.

Judy: Come on lady...let's get moving and get in those 230's and get moving out of them.

Jodi: I'm so glad that you went out and bought some new things. I know it seems like a waste sometimes to buy something that we don't plan on wearing for a long time, but you need a few things that fit now. Sounds like you are really focused.

Anne: It's nice to see you here. Did you get a chance to check out a TOPS group. I know that it really helps me to have a weekly weighin where it's being kept tracked of by someone other than myseld. TOPS provides that for me and it's not expensive.

Have a great day ladies. Rest, relax, rejuvinate and get plan for a successful week. We can all do this! We are doing it!

Susie

Susie~ you sound much brighter today. Glad you are on the mend!!!! We have 6ftX6ft picture wondows in most rooms too. Very cheery. I am not a fan of beige or grey. I usually wear red or orange or bright green and blue. I like colour!! Go and have a nice gentle walk and ease into it!!!

My 3X tops are baggy, almost getting sloppy. I am not quite a 2X though. Mom bought me a 2X t shirt and it fits but is a little too clingy for me. I have very broad shoulders and big(DD) boobs. I like things to flow smoothly.The size 20 pants I just put on are generous. They were tight in Sept!
Gotta love NSV's.
Yesterday was fantastic. I took advantage of the fire being out and cleaned the woodstove out and then vacuumed down the ceiling and walls and and all the brick. Then i dusted and did the rugs too. It feels fresh!!
I did the upstairs floors and bath last night!
Hockey was good. The boys lost but my little guy really hustled. He has improved so much. He beams with angelic joy after each game. Brings tears to my eyes.
No news from DD . I am assuming all is well. She has my folks pretty much figured out and batts her eyes and is spoiled!!
Right after church I scheduled appts. for photos for the church directory. Cool, we are due for a family portrait.
Watched bits of Cool Hand Luke last night ( MMMM Paul Newman, YUM) and printed off some of LindaT's recipes to try(YUM) LOL.
Went to bed at 10:30, slept til 7. Yippee.
Hockey at 1 today then we are all going to the Lake for a hottub and pizza!!

Life is just peachy!!!!!!!!!

Jodi: Hooray for the new clothes. That’s such a fun feeling. Congrats on a great week.

Holly: Glad you got some relaxing time in Good for you, listening to what your body needs. I know I don’t do that enough; it’s hard!

Mychoice: Your catalogue idea is great! I might give it a try. It is always so depressing when catalogs come that don’t have my size...that would be a way to make it fun! Thanks for the towel tip. I am nervous about gym stuff, but I get a bonus check next week, and am thinking I will spend it on a membership and just see how I like it. I had a membership for six months last year and didn’t use it much—just for some classes, but I didn’t like the teacher much, so stopped showing. But I really would like to try the weights. I think it would be fun and empowering. Oh, my magazine: it’s an independent journal of literary humor. My passion. I publish it with my bf. Such fun, but so much work, and at this point it is a money black hole. But maybe someday we’ll see some profit!

Well, I had a decent week. Planned to workout 3x and eat out 2x, and those numbers were reversed...but still, not bad. I haven’t weighed in ages because my scale went bad, but think I will buy one soon. Having a solid number might give me some motivation. I am finally past the insane busyness of end-of-term! Hooray! Celebrated last night with Indian food (overdid it, but mmmmmm) and a movie. Going to watch the Oscars tonight and relax a bit. And then, March begins! My March goals: exercise minimum 3x a week and eat out maximum 3x a week. I think that’s doable. I would like to do more, but I need to set realistic goals. There was an alpaca show in town this weekend, so we went this morning and walked around looking at the adorable animals...makes me want to move to the country and buy a farm. Alpacas are so darn cute! Got to pet one (they’re skittish, so not usually up for petting) and it was SO soft and sweet. Maybe someday.

Hope everyone is having a lovely wekend and has a great start to the week. What are everyone’s goals for March? Let’s keep each other going through the month!

I am a little stressed right now. I will post ,shower and hopefully switch gears.

The weekend was really quite nice. I have been fighting off a cold though so I was tired out easily. The boys won their last game. It was a high for them. We went to the folks and I soaked in the hottub. My Dad made homemade pizza. It was irresistable. I ate too much. The rest of the day was bang on. I was a little disappointed in myself. We got home early. the kids were off to bed early. I watched the Oscars and cleaned on the commercials and boring bits. Yesterday was super busy. I feel tired out today.
DS was irritable and emotional this morning. he is worn out too. I had another 6 year old this morning. They were butting heads. Both at fault. It was stressful for me.
I have 4 kids right now and 2 more coming.

The minister and 4 others are coming here for a meeting about the photo directory. It was the only way everyone could get together. I am not worried about the minister being here ,he is pleasantly flakey. I am sure a lot of the towns folk are intching to see what we have done in here. It was a local eyesore before we bought the joint. And a land mark in the history books as it was a diner and gas station in the 60’s and 70’s.
I am a little bold in my design ideas. I dont really care about what others think but i would like it to be tidy.
2 kids go home at noon and 2 nap at 1. That gives me an hour to do a mad tidy up!!

I NEED TO CENTRE MYSELF.

OOOOOH! This is exciting. I just did my measurments. Looky here....
Measurements
July 12 2004
WAIST-41
HIP-52
THIGH-26.6
UPPER ARM-15
NECK–14
CHEST-47.5


Aug 5 2004
W-41
H-50
T-26.5
UA-14.5
N-14
C-46.5


Feb 28 2005
W-40
H-49
T-25.5
UA-14
N–13.5
C-45

Morning all. The weekend went by so fast. Had a great time in Chicago...gosh, ate some YUMMY food. Thai, Japanese and Spanish. Had fun with my sister in law too. We took a cab from where we parked at the Spanish cafe to the concert - it was two miles in between. After the show around 11pm we decided to walk back to the car and save the car fare. We also got lost, so I got more than two miles in, walking down LaSalle street. It's cool to walk in the city because you're busy looking at things.

Stopped at Trader Joe's for groceries and picked up a lot of nice things you can't get around here. I just love that market! mostly organic/healthier foods at much lower prices.

Gonna go make a cup of tea and start work.

PS - my interview on Friday went very well. They'll be bringing in the qualified candidates for 2nd interviews this week...hope I get a call!

Girlie

Holly: Wow, your measurements are so inspiring! What a great accomplishment. Hope your meeting goes well and you have a less stressful afternoon!

Girlie: Glad to hear you had a great weekend! Sounds like loads of fun. Glad the interview went well; hope the phone rings soon!

I am pleased with myself for getting in my treadmill today -- and early, which is difficult for me. Looks like I am not going to have time for lunch, so will try to find a healthy snack. Cupboards are bare, as tonight is grocery store time, but hopefully I can find something decent to eat on the road.

Spores--I like your idea of sharing our goals for the month. I will be down to at least 235 by Easter, that's my primary goal. A secondary goal is to bump up my formal workouts, and to meditate more often. More Miss Manners for the gym: keep your cell phone in your bag (other people's conversations are annoying, and some people are freaked out by the camera capabilities in the locker room, yikes!); swipe away the sweat when you move away from the machines, even if you don't feel sweaty. I'm still too big to wrap those gym towels snugly around myself, so I take an oversized spa wrap with me. You can also Velcro a big white towel and make your own wrap. Since my adolescence, I've been tremendously embarassed to flit around the locker room in my birthday suit, but the last gym I joined helped me get over it. I had every intention of enjoying myself in the steam room and hot tub, so after a while I stopped worrying about it and just relaxed!

Jodi--Yaay for completing a great week! Where do you buy jeans? I have a hard time finding ones that aren't too short, or that don't fit weirdly.

Oh, Susie...I've been 240 for a couple of days now....I know that you'll be in the '30s by your weigh-in

Holly, congrats on your progress so far! It's exciting to see the numbers. I'm terrible at measuring myself. I was measured at the doctor's office in November, I'll ask them to do it again in May.

Girlie--I'm so jealous that you got to hang out in Chicago. Last week a co-worker asked me what to do there when she goes in a few weeks, and the first thing that came out of my mouth was, "Get Garrett's carmel corn." Chicago is a food paradise for me, right up there with New Orleans Good luck with the interview process. You can give our names as references!

Back out into the snow. Have a great evening, ladies.

judy

Judy: Thanks for the etiquitte tips. I never really change in the locker room -- I just head home in my sweaty clothes and shower there. I hate changing in front of others. And cell-phone cameras...scary! Your goals are awesome. I too have a hard time measuring myself -- I'm never sure if I'm doing it right. I just measure by what fits. I didn't know the doctor would do measurements. Maybe I will ask next time I go. I wish there were faster ways to measure results tangibly. Ideas, anyone?