Hi Ladies~

I'm new here but not to the site. I haven't really posted here in a long time though. I was happy to come across this board.

Let's see. I'm Cheri (31), married to Donald (35) since January of 1996. We have three boys Nathan (9/11/98) who is 5. Daniel (8/29/00) who is 3, and Elijah (10/16/02) who is 1. We live in South Texas where I'm a stay at home/homeschooling mom. My hubby is a federal agent with the BP.

I'm looking forward to getting to know yall.

Hey Ginny!! That recipe sounds delightful!!! I for one would definately love to try it

Cheri Welcome!!! I'm Michelle SAHM to 2 girls, Taylor age 2 almost 3 on 8-25 and Teagan 9 months 10-13, I live in Montana in the beautiful flathead valley! Me and hubby have been married almost 2 years on sept 7. I hope you like it here, I'm sure you'll find the support you need What plan are you on? What is your starting weight? Do you exercise? If so what kind? Sorry just a few questions

Cindi so glad hopes party was great!!! I bet you are exhausted!! Here's to a new week and a fresh start!! I'm going to try and exercise like I was when I first started, but then summer came in full swing and I wanted to be outside in the yard lol.

Today I got a 40 minute walk in and 45 minutes mowing the lawn with a push mower. The park was fun I'll post pictures in a little bit! I couldn't get Taylor to look at me though, she was too obsessed with feeding the ducks lol. Poor little Teagan fell asleep right as we got to the park but I got a couple of sleepy pics of her

Well we're gonna have some dinner so I'll TTYL!!
Michelle

Heres some pictures from the park today hubby and the two rugrats enjoy!!

Michelle

Heres a pic of Teagan in the pool a few days ago, for some reason I didn't take one of Taylor Heres one of bathtime for my girlies you can tell they need it!
And I added one of my adorable little nephew too just cuz I think he is so gorgeous!!
Ok thats it I won't bore you with any more pictures today.

Michelle

Hello to all of you wonderful ladies!

First I want to Welcome, Cheri! Hi, I am Melissa, a stay at home mom of 2. Ages 4...Abigail and 21m...Patrick. Enjoy this thread.

Michelle, YIPPIE on the 2 lb weight loss. That's wonderful. I also have a digital scale and if I get on it more than once, I go crazy. Try doing this first. Tap it to reset it, then get back on. Only way first thing in the morning...with nothing on. Just remember if you get back on later, you have eating or have had something to drink and remember too a gallon of water is 8lbs, so every 8oz glass of water is about a half a lb. Glad you had fun at the park with the kids and DH. Pictures of them were great and so were the ones in the bath and pool. You little nephew is adorable too.

Leigh, glad Liam is feeling a bit better today. Great job on staying OP. Rotating toys is great, I do the same. I keep some in the basement. When they get bored of the ones out, I switch. Abigail always says, mommy, I was looking for that wow! Of course, she wasn't really looking for it. LOL That salsa cardio tape sounds fun!

Hey Ladies, Maybe we could swap VIDEOS!!! Even swaps of ones we don't use anymore or are bored of. JUst a though

Spryng, I am so glad you are feeling better. those Lean pockets sound tasty. I'll have to give 'em a try. Hope you got all that house cleaning done. We've been moving stuff around ..around here. Trying to make it better for the kids to play and not be in the middle of things.

Cindi, I know what you mean about distractions, and I only have 2 kids!!! It's so hard. Many gyms will give a week or two free trial to see how you like it. What would you do with the kids when you go? Many have nursery/childcare, but you may have to pay something for it. I'm glad Hope's party went well.

Ginny, thanks for checking in. Your Wonton soup sound good!

Crystal, hope you had fun at ChuckECheese and hope you got your house work done too.

Jay, Hang in there. Try to focus on some positive and except somethings for what they are. Going with the flow is just less stressful. Believe me, I went through a terrible year of depression and it is now fun. You are going to burn out if you dont' get some rest and have some mellowing time. You might even want to talk to a counselor, they have ways of helping you deal with the stress. It has worked for me.

Anyway, All, we had a nice weekend. The kids have been great. We have limited the TV and they have adjusted well. 2 shows a day. WE have gone through all the toys and moved many into the family room, which is where the computer is. Now we can all be together and they dont' seem to need the tv to keep them occupied. My DH is leaving Tuesday for business to Denver for 5 nights.. I will miss him soo much. BUT, my brother and I are taking the kids to the beach for 3 nights to keep them and us busy. SO, You won't hear much from me Tuesday -Friday.

Mel

Michelle, .....only weigh. no way...you know what I mean.

Hi, Ginny! The recipe sounds great - I love just about anything Asian.

Welcome, Cheri! I'm Leigh, SAHM to one 9-month-old named Liam and happily married for 2 years. I'm in the middle of losing post-pregnancy weight - I'm on Weight Watchers. What diet/plan are you using? I know you'll find these women as wonderful and supportive as I do

Michelle- great job with all the exercise! What a beautiful family you have I love the pictures!

Well, we had whole grain pasta; garlic marinara; whole wheat bread; and salad for dinner . . . and I have 2 points left a skinny cow ice creamm sandwhich during 6 feet under tonight! TTYL.

For the warm welcome.

I see someone went to a Braves game today. I'm originally from GA, a bit South of Atlanta. We moved here to TX in November with Donald's job. We took Nathan to a Braves game when he was wee little...fun fun memories

Lets see. I haven't weighed but will weigh in tomorrow and get some kind of thing going on with that in my signature line. I plan to go with low carb (Susane Sommers ) I like her because you do eat fruits and whole grains. I've done it with success in the past so I know it ''works'' for me. I also feel 100% better when I low carb. I plan to start exercising too. And that is where you girls are going to come in, I need the accountabliity, because I hate to exercise. I have 3 Walk Away The Pounds videos, Tae Bo, Pilates and a Susan Powter step aerobics video (anyone remember her?) I used to do her all the time and really enjoy her workout. I plan to mix it up with all the aforementioned videos and try to get in some walks here at the track (our apt complex has a track) too.

Michelle--Montana, huh? My dad goes hunting up there every year in the Havre/Great Falls area.

Anyway, thanks again for the warm welcome. I'm looking forward to this.

Mel and Cheri - somehow ya'll slipped in on me!

Mel- I'm glad you guys are enjoying being in the same room more! I know- it's hard when DH is out of town Well, I hope those days pass quickly! The beach trip sounds fun

Cheri- you sound very motivated - I bet we can keep you exercising I just started a reward system that Spryng (another member of the group) suggested to me - for every five workouts I complete, I buy myself a gift card to a store I like. When I reach my goal weight, I'll have a bunch of cards and a shopping spree.

Well, Liam's almost asleep which means I can go organize our utility closet

Busy thread.............Welcome Cheri!!!!!!!!

Michele- love the pictures!!!!!!!!!!!
Leigh- sounds like you had a good OP day. Get your utility closet done?
Mel- enjoy your trip. That is the only way to get thru one of those times when Dh is not home.....keep the kids (and yourself!) busy! A safe trip for all!
I am going to see if I can sneak back in a minute and leave that recipe...... if not have a great nite!
Ginny

Wonton Soup
¼ pound ground chicken breast
2 scallions finely chopped
1 tsp minced, peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
¼ tsp asian (dark) sesame oil
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper (I left both the salt and the pepper out, did not miss them a bit!)
16, 3 inch square wonton wrappers

Soup
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 tbs reduced sodium soy sauce (try using a bit less at first, you can always add more)
½ pound bok choy ( I did not have this and left this out)
4 scallions cut into ½ inch pieces

1. To prepare the wontons, combine the chicken, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, cornstarch, oil and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Arrange 8 wonton wrappers on a work surface. Place 1 tsp of the chicken mixture in the center of each wrapper. Moisten the edges of a wrapper with water and pull the corners diagonally over the filling to make a triangle. Press the edges firmly to seal. Bring left and right corners together above the filling. Overlap the tips of these corners and press together. Place the completed wontons on a baking sheet lightly dusted with cornstarch and cover with damp paper towels. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers to make 16 wontons.
3. To prepare the soup, bring the broth and soy sauce to boil in a large sauce pan. Reduce the heat to low, and add the bok choy and the wontons. Stir and simmer (stirring occasionally) until the wontons are cooked and the bok choy is tender (about 10 minutes). Sprinkle with scallions and serve.
Makes 4 servings, 3 points per serving.

One piece of advice.....the recipe was great- but seemed a bit salty, especially the soup. Go sparingly with the soy sauce in the broth- but the wontons themselves seemed right. Enjoy!

Good evening all!

Welcome Cheri, I'm Geri mom to 2 boys, Will (3) and Tony (1). This is a great place to be. I do the WATP and I LOVE Leslie!!

BTW, TOPS has state and international conventions every year. Leslie is leading some kind of walk at the intl this year (or I should say she did last Thursday). Wish I could have went just to meet her!

Anyway...Michelle, yaaaaa hooo on the loss! Your girls are beautiful and your nephew has gorgeous eyes! He must get them from your side of the family .

Spryng, glad you're feeling better!!

Ginny...hey lady! Nice to hear from you. Thanks for the recipe.

Jaymi...you need to destress girl!! Find some time everyday just for you...even 5 minutes! I try not to clean on the weekends either...but it doesn't always work

Crystal...did you get those kiddies in the bath? Two of your posts talked about it so I had to chuckle!! Happy pre-birthday!

Leigh...did TOM show up? You sound very motivated again.

Cindy...let's hear it for maintaining!! Have you been doing at least 15 minutes of exercise? I can't join a gym 'cause I just can't get out of the house enough alone to use it!

Hope I didn't miss anyone! I tried to take the kids for a bike ride today but Tony fell asleep after about 2 miles so I had to bring them home. Poor kid was just kind of flopping around in the little carrier/cart thingy. Of course he woke up when we got home! I did get him down for a nap and then Will and I spent some quality time in the pool together. Then we all went to MIL's for dinner and to see BIL & SIL in from Florida. Nice time for all. Both boys fell asleep on the way home so they were in bed by like 8 pm. I went outside and lit a fire in the pit and burned some branches and stuff that have been piling up. I love a good fire. Unfortunately Dh's allergies get affected by the smoke so I was out there by that nice romantic fire all by myself....sigh. Oh well!

I think I'll head on out to bed myself. Probably won't hear from me til after WI tomorrow night. Oh...tried the resistance tube today..yikes! I'm so weak. I'll have to modify the exercises until I build up my strength or get a lighter tube to start with!

Have a great night all. TTYL!

Good evening all!
Boy the thread got busy all of a sudden!!! LOL...
6 ft under was a doozy tonight! I was shocked! And then I saw The Day's and it looks like it can be interesting. Mom and daughter pregnant at the same time, dad quit his job, youngest son suffers from panic attacks and oldest son is a blacksheep. Hmmm... sounds like any family in america! LOL. I also got alot of crocheting it. I went back to another afghan I started a couple months ago, lol. But it's coming along quickly now and looking so pretty. Oh and I took some pictures of that first blanket I made today (finally) and I'll post them tomorrow after I upload them.
Dinner was cashew chicken and it was wonderful!!! Tasted just like chinese but better! My dd raved about it and my ds ate every bite without a word I thought it was great. I'll post the recipe if anyone wants it.

Geri, are you using those tubes with a workout tape or just solo? I love a good bon fire too! Smores!! LOL. I can't wait to hear about your WI!

Ginny thanks so much for posting that wonton soup recipe! I've never ate it before, I like egg drop soup, it's only 1 pt per serving too.

Leigh, how is that utility closet coming? What did you think of 6 ft under?! And thank you so much for thinking of me as a lifetime member of ww, lol. I think I earned it. And yes, my dh does have a tv and watches movies and such out on the road, but only videos he takes or occasionally he can pull in a local station. I tape 6 ft under for him (and the sopranos and deadwood when they are on) so he stays caught up.

Cheri, WELCOME!! I am spryng, mother of 3, Ava-4, Bubba (aka Joseph) 3, and Tanner just turned 1. I always thought suzanne somers was a food combining diet. But if low carb is for you then that's great! That is what we all need, to find a diet that matches out lifestyle so we can incorporate permanent changes. And I do remember Suzan Powters!! I read her book a couple years ago, Stop the Insanity! lol. Have you ever tried her program? I got as far as reading her book, lol. But welcome to our thread and I look forward to getting to know you better!

Melissa, I'm so jealous you get to go to the beach!! Sounds like fun! I should probably cut back on how much tv my kids get a day too, any even myself, lol. On the weekends though I turn on the stereo and we listen to music but during the week it's show after show after show. So I think alot of you for being able to do that!

Michelle, your girls are so cute! Thanks for the pics and your dh is good looking too! What a nice family.

Cindi, that is so great that you maintained your weight this week! And I think joining a gym is a great idea. If there was one here that offered childcare I would be all over it, lol. But there isn't.

Well I hope I addressed everyone. When was Di going to be back? And hello Ricci too!
I'm off to bed so have a great night all!

Spryng~

Yes, Susane Sommers does involve food combining...but I dont' watch that so much as the sugar. I basically just got to 100% whole wheat breads and pastas ( cutting out whilte flour) and load up on lots of veggies and fruit and lean meats. And water...and water and water. I've lost weight before, and the thing that I'm learning is not so much how you lose it, *but* how you keep it off.

Thanks for your warm welcome. I lived in Kansas for 2 years. My hubby was stationed at Ft. Riley.

Good morning gals I'm doing well. The scale looks like it's back in the right direction, but I think that's because of TOM. We'll see on my official WI on Friday I had a good night - stayed OP yesterday and all.I'm debating whether or not to eat breakfast before our morning walk or after. A lot of times I just have coffee (and water too) then walk and eat when I get back. I'm not overly hungry in the morning when I first wake up.

Cindi- thanks for the recipe! I got some of the utility closet done (of course) That will take me doing one small portion at a time for however long I can distract Liam.

Geri- you're so funny! TOM arrives today, so yes, my motivation returns with that Relatives from FL? Cool - I remember you said you visit Florida frequently. Around what area do you visit? I've lived all over the state, and my family in in the Ft. Lauderdale area; DH's family is in the Tampa Bay area.

Spryng- we haven't finished watching 6 feet under yet - we watched 1/2 and then got a call from family and were too tired to finish it after that. So, we'll watch the second 1/2 tonight. I'm a TV addict during the week as well, so I also think it's great that Melissa has limited TV time.

Cheri- the diet sounds like a healthy one!

Okay, I'm off to get ready for our walk. TTYL.