Anagram, I was thinking about trying it this week, seeing how everyone felt about it. Every day might be pushing it, but maybe a bunch of us could manage once a week. So, if that time works for most people, I would suggest either Tuesday or Thursday evening -- maybe Tuesday, if enough people can do it then. I would try again Thurs otherwise.

Congrats on losing that weight, Kaylets and Anagram--and reminding us that we really can do this!!!

Welcome to Hottie and wsw--I think I've seen those names as I've visited around.

Arabella, sorry to hear about your mother-in-law. What does your husband think of where to go with it all? It's so hard to know what to do. If they say that they want to live in their own homes you can only take them at their word until you notice things really changing for the worse, I guess.
Thanks for setting us up for our group meditation. I'm really looking forward to it!

Amarantha, I have a question. At Curves, does someone always walk you thru your workout or can you set up your own program? [Still love their 'sisterhood' commercials!]

Punkin, you crafty thing! Thanks for sharing your weekend projects. We'll have to exchange house photos sometime--I'd love to see your place!

Hi Flower and Wildfire and Scooby and Ceara!

I'm going to call this day a splendid success because I stepped out of my comfort zone and did something new. I did a bellydancing video....Gawd knows I have the belly for it! It was fun and a really good workout! I'll keep doing it until I get better at it---I felt like I did more flailing around than anything else--not very seductive!

Way to go, Eydie - that's a real new start! Belly dancing is really good exercise. I took lessons at one time just for the exercise. But then they started pushing everyone to "perform" and that wasn't my goal. I can still "isolate" some muscles fairly well but never got good at moving and clicking my zills at the same time.

Arabella, sounds like your ex will have a real problem. My MIL insisted on staying in her own home though it was an incredible burden for many and was certainly not in her own interests. But she was a determined person and told dh to get the h... out when he tried to talk to her about anything but what she wanted. Very stressful all around. Finally she had had a series of strokes, could move only eyelids and one foot. The doctor said she could leave the hospital only to go to a nursing home, the arrangements were made and she died a few hours before she was to go. And I know that somewhere she was happy and saying I told you I wouldn't go. Her body failed her but never her determination.

Had a good Fresh Start day today. Really up and happy about it. Hope I can sustain for a few in a row at least. Tied our record for lowest high temp for the day today. Chasing the record for the low tonight. But SPRING IS COMING! It just may be a little late.

+ + =

-W-

Hello all!!


Arabella-- This Tuesday at 7pm EST?? Ok-- I 'm ready! Quiet 5 minutes to review, reflect, revive!!

Many coworkers and friends have similiar family issues. Frightening how so many of each family imeadiately go to opposite sides of the camp. Its very difficult to see our "elders" detiorate even if their health if pretty good. My DMIL fought lymphona for 1.5 yrs longer then predicted and one of the hardest things was realizing which family members were NOT what we had thought. Plenty of criticism w/ no regard to her wishes but if we needed something-- never available. On the upside, we were gratified by those who did step up to the plate and became stronger by doing so. Again, she never wanted to be anywhere but home and up until the last few months, we were able to do that.

I look forward to this evening at 7pm! I'll be checking in to make sure its this Tuesday!


Miss W- Good going! Wish my math classes had been that visual!

Eydie- Now that must have been a real shock to the muscle memory! I can imagine all your muscles "On alert- Unplanned Energy Expenditure" ---

Anagram- Now, why am I not suprised you know all belly dancing!
But what's a zill ladies??

Punkinseed!! glad you found your way ! And thanks ! Aren't foals a sure sign of Spring!! Tell us more -- how many horses do you have? Or is that Mom has them? I don't remember. And how about the ones you helped rescue- how are they doing? You're decorating sounds great! Yes, visuals would be great!

Empress- how goes it kemo sabe? Is Tuesday a newspaper "layout " day again? Are you having fewer computer problems? Still breaking weather records out there for the unusual amount of rain??

Hottie-Too bad the lunch bunch won't join you at Wendy's-- It be great if you could combine both-- I need to conciously get up and away from my desk at lunch- It's best to take the break but I tend to get lost. And I LOVE the Chicken Teriakyi at Subway. DH loves just tons of vegs on the roll.

I'm starting to run late or else I'd still post away--

SCOOBY-- are you out there??

Today's thought is:
"To live, let live, and help live" --- Ralph Waldo Emerson


To today's best choices!



PS- Guess who didnt come to work again !!!

I'm back on track -- didn't do badly over the weekend, but it was a case of grabbing whatever was easiest. Which meant eating the donuts my ex brought for breakfast Calorically, I think I was fine but nutrition not the greatest.

I'm going to start using my journal here again today, inst. the Self Challenge. I don't like it when they tell me my exercise is "too much!" I know it's not!

I just realized that I didn't specify 7 or 7:30 for tonight, and thought that some people might not get a chance to check in. So I'm going to aim for 7:30 Thursday, but also do it tonight.


Anagram, your MIL sounds a lot like my exMIL. I honestly and truly have never met a more difficult person in my life. She was a holy terror when she had her strength! I suspect that the situation may work out similarly too; she'll succumb to either a nursing home or death only when she's totally incapacitated. She had Meals on Wheels for a while but cancelled because she decided they didn't cook their cauliflower to suit her.

Anyway, there's nothing much I can do about it. I thought of offering to go stay with her for a bit if she had a hip replacement, because both her kids work and since I work from home I could work anywhere I can get an Internet connection. I guess we'll see.

Eydie, it's my ex-MIL. My ex is beside himself over the situation but has no idea of what he can do about it. She wants him to move back home and care for her, but he lives and works in another town and the prospects of work in his home town are limited. Plus, they've always had a very turbulent relationship and I can just about see it coming to murder if he lived with her. It would be nightmarish.

My husband, on the other hand, thinks I'm incredibly dutiful to even go see her.

Good for you with the bellydancing tape! I know what you mean about the flailing around. I started doing a beginner's step tape lately and I can hardly believe how uncoordinated I am. DH says he'd pay money to watch, but no way!

Punkin, when's your trip? I know it's soon, but can't remember when exactly.

Amarantha, hope your reporting trip was good last night. I often think of you rocketing around the roads in your desert home at all hours of the day and night, covering this and that. It seems somewhat adventurous to me!

Kaylets, Woo-hooooo for you, breaking into the 160s!!!! Just goes to show that if you keep on working towards it you'll get there. What a nice way to start off spring! I am especially impressed because you started off just a bit above where I am and are now --- YES!!! -- in the "decade" I'm aiming for. I'm gonna follow you!


To all chickies mentioned and unmentioned: Let's take this day and make it count! I'm going to meditate on our collective health and well-being this evening, and again on Thursday, at 7:30 Eastern (6:30 Central, 5:30 Mountain, 4:30 Pacific --- I think!) Love to all!

Well ladies Im back. Hopefully I will have some more time now so I can hang around here a bit more. I love all this talk of spring because I could sure use a good dose of it right about now. Im fed up with all the snow and the -24 C temps that we keep getting up here. Yesterday even though it was bitter cold the sun was shinning bright so I opened all the blinds in the house and let the sun warm the rooms sure felt good.
Well I have been staying on track and have now lost 87.2 lbs. Im so close to my goal I can taste it. So Im in for your challenge I will let you know what I hope to lose in the six weeks after I go to weigh in tonight. Glad to see everyone and I look forward to catching up with you all. sorry got to run Im going shopping with my kids. See ya.

Ok, three in a row ... forgot to answer the ? about Curves showing me the workout ... yes, they did do that twice and stuck right with me while also noting and commmenting on other people's forms, progress, etc. On the one hand I found that motivating, but on the other hand it was annoying because of things like insisting I do hammer curls on the bicep/tricep machine when I told them I couldn't feel my biceps working that way (whereas turning palms up really worked them) ... and I am very proud of my biceps already as they are quite wonderful and I wanted to do what I know works ... and as mentioned, in the counting your pulse sections (which they kept insisting on even though I didn't care) they insisted I had to get it lower when I KNOW I didn't ... and in their thinking that you burn more fat in a lower heart rate zone ... well, you do, but overall the latest thinking is that overall you lose more weight and get more fit if you get more intense ... and in their telling me to straighten my legs when they don't straighten because of old injuries (I found that annoying in tai chi, also) ... but still I like the place and will continue for awhile anyway!! Bye! Again!

Empress O' Mine, I think you would have to be intentional if you want to offend me, because I do not offend very easily. Truly, people have to be pretty nasty to make me made I know what you mean about this not being my problem, and it really isn't likely to end up that I do much to deal with it, esp. because DH would likely think I should be here rather than there. However, I think I might be inclined to go over to help otherwise. I just feel like there's no one else who could do it as easily as I could. Overdeveloped sense of responsibility, I guess from being the eldest of 8 kids. Just now, I've got a number of people close to me that have problems -- I have to frequently remind myself not to worry about them. I literally say to myself: I refuse to worry about that. And it really works. I can think about various situations to try to come up with solutions, but just absolutely won't waste my energy fretting over these things.

Thanks for the info about where you'll be at 5:30 -- it will help me focus during meditation. I'm going to try to focus on each of us individually and also collectively, and I think specifics help.

Kaylets, I apologize for my abundance of conflicting info -- I had said 7 or 7:30 Eastern, and then copied the little chart. And then this morning, you and I must have been posting simultaneously so I didn't see your post until after mine was online. So -- I'm going to be doing my meditation at 7:30 Eastern tonight, and then will do it again Thursday night.

Hope lots of us can make the meditation time! My idea, for anyone who missed it, was just to take 5 minutes where we could simultaneously meditate on our collective health and well-being and weight-loss efforts.

Kaylets, zills are the little clickie things you wear on your fingers to make music while you dance.

Arabella, what a sweetie you are to offer to take care of xmil but I guess I'm a bit with hubbie. Although if she were always kindly to you, I can see it. Kaylets, you're right about seeing people behave differently in that kind of situation. In our case, dh's younger bro, whose earlier life had lots of wastrel aspects, turned out to do more than I ever would have expected to try to give his mother what she wanted. we were 200 miles away and while we contributed, it was the other 2 brothers and their wives who carried the day-to-day. And carry it they did. It was just in the last few months that she REALLY needed nursing home care and was still so vocally against it. To the point where one nurse threatened to turn the family in for neglect or something like that. Unfortunately, there were then problems between the wives, etc. and to this day while the brothers speak when they happen to be at the same place, mostly they do not. Each will ask dh if he's heard from the other (and he does) but they have almost no contact. We were also often in the middle during that difficult time as well (including other family members, the caretakers MIL fired regularly, etc.) but that was still the least of it. While I did offer (for dh's sake) to have her move in with us, he felt since she didn't want to leave her own home she certainly would not want to move 200 miles away. If she were or had ever been a pleasant person, I'm sure even that most difficult time would have been somewhat easier. And I don't mean just for the caregivers. I think a lot would have been better for her if she had been more flexible. Her own sister later had a situation where she needed nursing home care and came to feel much better there though she, too, had fought it earlier. She didn't enjoy her health situation but did appreciate the care and entertaining distractions, etc. that she had.

I guess what I'm trying to do is remember for when I need it what I've learned from these experiences. I know everyone likes to have some control in their lives but I've already talked to my kids about all this stuff so they need never feel guilty if the time comes when I need more care than they can reasonably give me.

Anyway, I'm really more up today than the above sounds like. Am somehow feeling better on this challenge than I was on the last week or so of the last one. Probably nothing to do with s - probably more the thought of the 60 degree weather we've been promised for Saturday.

Will do the five minute mental hugathon this evening. Will see what impact we have on one another that way.

I guess there were two posts while I was posting as well because there they were when mine came up. Almost missed them.

Anyway, Wood Nymph, I too am the oldest of eight and it has been a lifelong battle not to think I can take care of everyone. Kaylets and I had this conversation back when I first hooked up with this interesting group. For years, Dh was very accustomed to coming home and finding a note that I was hither or yon trying to solve problems for this one or that one. I have always appreciated his patience and support. There were so many of us and so many varying problems. I think I've sort of retired now though but it's hard to realize they mostly do just as well without me.

hi all!

arabella-great idea for the meditation. i will be doing this too this evening.
i am having an ok day food-wise; could be better though. oh well, it's better than it was last week, so i'll take it. i'm going to do my exercise shortly. hope everyone has a good afternoon. take care, all.

wsw

Ok, let's try this again - I was 3/4 the way through my post early this morning when my PC-cillin captured a virus and hung up my system. Granted, it didn't infect me, but I ended up loosing everything I was working on...

Eydie - Bellydancing! What a great idea! I bet it'll trim your waistline like crazy.

Arabella - Offering up support with your exMIL is wonderful. Personally, I don't think I could be in the same room with my exMIL without wanting to strangle her.

The trip, aka "Terri - the West Coast Tour '03" - I leave on Friday of this week 3/14 for CA, fly to Yuma AZ on 3/15, fly to L.A. on 3/18, back to Sacramento the same night and drive back to Oregon on 3/19. Back to work on 3/20. With the 1,000 mile round trip drive, 4 planes, 3 states in 5 days - anyone else wanna go???? The weekend following will be spent in my pj's, watching movies, and....not....going....ANYWHERE!

Kaylets - I don't have horses, my Mom has 3. We never ended up with any rescues. The idiots that had them gave up custody so they could be adopted out and on March 1st, 125 horses were adopted - only 15 didn't find homes and they're being placed in temporary homes for now. The colt was aDORable! So soft and little! The 180 pound English Bull Mastiff that lives there (and of course that I had to love on) was bigger than him! Lots of babies coming now - I've seen some calves and kids around.

Dollar - What an inspiration you are! You are SO close to goal and I bet you *can* taste it! Wow.... I guess I should get to work - being envious isn't going to make me loose 90 pounds!

Amarantha - Ohhh, extra money is always nice!
Curves instructors - oh, don't get me started. I took phys ed and nutrition in college and was (am) a certified massage therapist (CA requires anatomy classes) and one of the things my "instructors" at Curves were trying to show me was plain *dangerous* and I told them so (sitting funny in the oblique machine). Do what makes you feel good - smile and nod at them if you know better. To work at Curves you need no physical ed training or anything, so I take what they say with a large grain of salt...

Anagram - Thank you! Zills.... I'm playing on online Scrabble game with a friend and needed a "Z" word! Hehehehehehehe

Lastly, had quite the little bargain day yesterday. Found an outfit to wear to my business meeting in L.A. next week. The Coldwater Creek outlet store was having a huge sale and I got a $129 jacket for $38 and a $45 pair of slacks for $9. All I need now is a top to go under it (found one at WalMart I think...). Now all I need is a birthday prezzie for Pops and I'm set!

Ok, time to 'save' and 'send' before something happens to THIS post!

Toodles,
Terri