I'm definitely jaded. So, I'm in!

Good Very Early Morning,

Well I managed to get my cleaning and reorganizing done! I have all my laundry done, has to be put away, but its done.

Have a Great Day!

Laundry 'done' is the ultimate oxymoron. That is unless you are standing in front of the washer in your clean nightie! When we moved to Idaho, we traded a large house for a very small house. I don't have porches and so everything is tracked in. Also, picking up and putting away is a constant. Otherwise I feel like I am walking around in a giant box of clutter! I don't have an inside tree because I would weep over a Charlie Brown tree. So instead, I put lights on a 20 foot Spruce outside the livingroom window. I sit on the couch and look at it in the dark.
The older one gets the more Christmas is a time of remembering. We are having a solstice bonfire Thursday and inviting new friends. I plan on making lentil soup, fresh veggies and dip, mulled wine, crackers and cheese and rhubarb pie. Then Christmas Eve we are cooking for all the other souls we know who don't have family here. My 'spousal equivalent' of 15 years has no family that he claims. The children I raised are scattered to the wind, except my one natural child and he lives in Mexico. My sister lives in Florida and my three best friends in Baltimore, Nashville and New Mexico.
Housework does not burn many calories however, so I have joined a gym for the next three months. I also need to start a food diary again and find someone to read it.
I have a new younger friend (50ish) who is tall and slim. She started going to the gym with me and HA! I am much stronger. That made me feel good. If I cannot lose the lbs. I need to, atleast I will be strong.
I never was overweight until my husband (now deceased) was paralyzed in an accident when I was 42. I gained 100 lbs. in one year. I guess I did not even look in the mirror the whole time. I focused on him, survival, the kids, etc.
Never have lost it. I did lose 30 lbs. last year.
I cook and eat healthy and exercise and that is all I can do right now.

Just wanted to put in and say hi to everyone!! Sorry I can't stay longer!!

Good morning, everyone! I'm new and I'm jaded, LOL. I think I'll fit in -- do you have room for one more?

I'm 43 (will be 44 on Christmas Eve). I'm married .... and I have a just-married son (20), and two young dd's, ages 7 and 5. I also have a dog (german shepherd/long-haired collie mix) and 3 cats. I guess you could say I have a large family.

Hey all,

Just jumping in to say a quick hello.

to all the newbies! Well off to go shopping, wish me luck! lol.

Hi ladies,

Welcome to Velveteen (Renee) Bluejay, and all the new Jaded Ladies!

Bluejay - how do you like having your birthday on Christmas Eve? And yes, we always have room for one more. I look forward to knowing you better.

IdahoSenior - the idea of a Christmas tree right outside your window is awesome! You no doubt have real birds nesting there. Like you, I gained a lot of weight during an especially stressful time of my life, and although I lost a good portion of it a couple of years ago, most of that amount found me again. Maybe we can be accountable to the other Jaded Ladies and get the job done once and for all in '07. It sounds like you'e already on the right track. A big welcome to you!

Sassy - thank you for the card and notepaper! How sweet you are. I hope you've survived the shopping trip with no major mishaps. Are things picked over yet?

Miss Marti - thanks to you, too, for the beautiful card and what you wrote inside.

Jules - I'm sorry you can't stay longer, too. But we surely understand how it is this time of year.

Tiffie - hmmm.... I'm curious why your doctor would want to ultrasound your gall bladder if he thinks you've had a miscarriage. Sounds wacky to me. Four pounds! Wow, that's amazing!

Hello to Cristina, Mary Kate, Sue Michelle, and anyone else reading this.

I got some baking done today. And the dough is chilling for the sugar cookies that I'll bake tomorrow. The DGDs will decorate them, with the help of Neal and Katie. I have another lunch out tomorrow. This time with my niece Carol.

Except for the fresh foods, (I think) I've got everything bought that I'll need for our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners. Usually I forget something and Neal has to make a mad dash to town, lol. Wonder what it will be this year.

Hope all is going well for all of you in your neck of the woods.

Hello Ladies.

Well shopping went good, no not everything is picked over yet! So get on out there! lol.

We got the "goods" for our little Christmas Dinner we are having at our place Tuesday with my mom. I'm not saying what we got either. Its for Christmas so I can be bad! lol. Hey after New Years, I am being good, so may as well enjoy it now!

We took the presents over to our friends & their children. All the presents were a hit. I love watching kids opening presents, that is the best! Then we ate some cheesecake (I only had a very very small slice!!!!!)

After that we went to Wal-Mart and got some shopping done, nothing really for anybody other than my mom, I bought her a pair of comfy and warm slippers.

Jane - YW for the card and little note pad. I saw those and thought they were cute! And I was right! I figured you would be the 1st to get your card! Psychic aren't I?

Well that is about it from my end. Exciting I know! lol.

Have a Good Day and pls no lectures about the cheesecake!

Hi everyone and thanks for the welcome

What can I say about me... hmmmm...

I'm 38, originally from the States, live in the Netherlands since 1994. Am a Lifetime WW'er; actually lost 62lbs and kept it off a good couple of years. Then my life fell apart and I gained it all back. Plus.

I have to say the last few years has been the hardest of my whole life. I don't have kids, but I been married and divorced twice. I shouldn't say I don't have kids, because my partner, my love, has two kids from his previous relationship, so I'm a step-mom. Few years ago I got married when I knew in my heart I shouldn't have and that was the end of a "normal" seeming life for me. Split up, had a nervous breakdown, lost my job, stayed unemployed for 6 months, lost my house, gained a whole lotta financial debts and pretty much had to start ALL over again with everything.


So here I am at "now". Now I'm working towards getting life to be "normal" again. Slowly losing weight, working (for slave wages; that has to change), going to therapy...

I'm doing weight watchers again and while I'm not quite 100% (kickiing it into high gear after the holidays) I'm not sure my anti-depressant is helping me as far as getting the weight off is concerned. We shall see. I want to go off of it anyway (maybe "baby"??? )!

I'm probably the most jaded person I know... maybe I will be proven wrong here!!

What sort of plan is everyone on?

hey all, got a rare opportunity to check in without the kids screaming so I thought I'd say hi. it's that TOM, so I'm working on finishing up You On A Diet so I'll be ready to be totally immersed when AF is gone on her not so merry way. Hubby is totally on board this time. My dad had a heart attack this weekend, and that scared us both good. Add to that that hubby's "other" FIL {late wife's father} is in a different hospital in the same city on life support and you can see why he's decided it might be time to cut the empty promises and actually get on board with getting in shape...

Hi ladies,

Marti - I'm glad you've got some time off to look forward to. Will James have a break as well?

Sassy - children really do make Christmas more magic. All 5 of my DGDs are trying their best to be sooooo good, lol, for fear being on the Naughty List. What I like is how all of them can tell you how Christmas is Jesus's birthday, and they know all about the trip to Bethlehem. So sweet.

Velveteen - aww, sounds like you needed a soft place to land, and this is it. We'll help you as you reconstruct your life. What plan am I on? Well, the Plan I Will Be Doing Better On after the new year is partially Dr. Oz's "You on a Diet", and partially calorie counting. I did his plan in November, and know that I cannot follow it entirely as written, but will use his basic ideas and mold them into something doable for me while staying within a certain calorie limit. I want to step up my exercise, too. I lost a lot of weight on WW, but just don't want to do the points anymore. Core was totally out of the question! Anyway, we can do this as a group and I'm very glad you're a part of it.

mkat - so I take it your dad is going to be ok? I lost both of my parents to heart disease, so like you, it makes me want to do better with my own health.

Note to all new Jaded Ladies: It would be very helpful for us if any of you would want to put your names in your signature or under your avatar. It's getting difficult to remember who's who. Hey, I'm old.... gimme a break, tee hee.

Well, I had a wonderful lunch with niece Carol. She is such a caring, sweet person, and I'm proud to be her aunt. After that, I popped into Kmart for a tiny tree for next year. It's a 4 1/2 foot one, and I think I'll like it. It was 33% off, so if I don't like it, I'm not out much. Then I went to Walmart and braved the crowds for some waxed paper and coffee.

Phone..... bbl.....