Hi everyone!

Happy April and Happy April Fools day!

I hope everyone had an excellent weekend doing what ever pleased them.

We had pretty good weather here in the Emerald City. We managed to unearth plants hiding underneath leaves, mow the lawn and run lots of errands. The lawn mowing was definitely the most satisfying garden chore.

We also had 15 around our dinner table last night - after a easter egg hunt . I am happy to say that all the devilish foods are gone and we are left with some leftover veggies.

This month is wacky, lots of work to finish up and getting ready for a month of May away from home. Yikes.

I know posting here helps me stay accountable - other than this, journaling with youse guys and exercise, nothing else seems to be consistent for me. This happended last year and I had a weight gain. I am determined not to have it happen again.

lala

Another week to dread my WI. Sigh! I can't wait for this project to be over, things to be more settled with DH's new work endeavors, tooth pain to be in the past. Hopefully I will have a maintain instead of a gain Wed. Cross your fingers for me.

Lala: Thanks for getting the thread going today! Can't do a whole lot of yard work yet here it's still pretty chilly out. My mini daffodils are blooming and the regular ones should be popping out later this week as long as the temps don't plummet down again.

Myra: Hang in there--the end has to be near

The weather yesterday was nice for the most part. Didn't do a whole lot. Our big meal was breakfast and after that it was every man for himself whenever they were hungry.

I'm off today and tackled the spare room where all the kids' old toys are...made a dent but need to spend more time in there without anyone under foot. My 10-year-old was pulling stuff out of the bags declaring that it shouldn't be tossed. All in all though I feel good about what I've gotten done. I also took some of the old clothes to the Salvation Army so that's another thing out of the way.

Being off work is tough for me on the eating front...I'm trying to keep my hands out of the Easter baskets but it's been hard...the crazy part is that I'm not even hungry and I'm picking at the chocolate.

Hope everyone had a nice holiday!

Melissa, not many people have to actually be *hungry* to eat chocolate, I suspect! I'll bet it felt good to get rid of those old toys and clothes, huh?

Myra, maybe taking mini-breaks, like to listen to music, read a magazine article, take a short walk, or rest with a cool cloth on your forehead, would help you get through this huge project? Can you spare a minute here and there for yourself?

Lala, wow, you had a busy weekend! I know what you mean about consistency; it's when I get away from routine that I tend to have problems.

Had a lovely Easter in Laredo w/dh, dd, and ds. Did lots of walking, only one margarita, as I promised myself, and not too bad on points, considering. But must stay OP all this week to balance things out! Will try to post in the journal thread now; haven't done that before, but like Lala says, it's a great way to stay accountable.

Regards,
Jan

Hi everyone. I'm dusting off the remains of chocolate, turkey, ham, etc. and anxious to get back on track. Had a good weekend visiting with my family - one of those rare times when all of us - nine kids, two parents, spouses, kids, etc. are home at the same time. 23 people for Easter dinner - chaotic and not exactly amenable to quiet conversation but fun all the same.

It's a beautiful day here. Windy but sunny and the temps are supposed to get up into the double digits (celsius). I'm hitting the trail after work for a run.

Janet: You are so in control! You must feel great about sticking to your plan.

Melissa: Don't fret too much about the extras. It's just really hard at those special times during the year when routines are replaced by traditionally high-calorie meals and treats.

lala: I am envious - not that I want to mow the lawn but it would sure be nice to have had the conditions whereby grass would have actually grown. Actually, our front lawn is rife with crocus this morning. The blooms weren't open when we left but I expect they will be by the time we return home tonite. Glorious time of year, isn't it?

kt: I so appreciated your words on last week's thread with regard to your Dad. It sounds like he was a lot like mine. It is so hard to see a once-strong person in a state of befuddlement and embarrassment due to declining cognitive ability.

Have a good Tuesday everyone.

Susan

Hello everyone. It sounds like everyone is as happy as I am that the official Chocolate holiday is over. I do love Easter but, oh, the endless food.

We had a wonderful few days away from reality at the lake. Lots of exercise but also lots of much needed rest. I'm soooooo glad to be getting back to my routine as of today.

Guess what the weather is doing today? Nope, not melting! It's snowing!!!! Spring? Are you out there?

I planted my tomato seeds yesterday. Seven weeks to hopefully the last frost! Bet you're glad you don't live in this part of the world.

Have a great week everyone!

Kena

Hi you guys,

I just got into work and I suppose most of you are eating lunch. Yikes.

kena- We had a frost last night. Funny, we are really going right to April 16 this year. I hope the little brussel sprout seedlings were hardened off.

Seesaw- I had to mow around our crocus patches in the lawn. They are completely done, but we leave green until about May to die back naturally. Makes for interesting lawn morphology. We have narcissus and crocuses in the back lawn, but that is bigger.

melissa- I'm doing a bit of clean up too. I am attached to my childhood bears, but other things can go away. I just discovered the flylady and though slightly amused by some of her ideas, some of the stuff works.

janet- oooh, laredo, sounds like you had a nice weekend. I'm all for margaritas , on the rocks, light on the salt.

everyone else, hiya! Nothing more to report, went back to yoga intensive this am- boy I am sore, liked it though.

lala

Janet: It sure did feel good to get rid of some stuff. I still have more to do but at least it was a start.

Susan: I'm trying not to dwell on the extra chocolate and other stuff I indulged in. I think the hardest part is that I had a plan but didn't stick to it at all. I began a clean page in my journal this morning and I'm moving forward.

Kena: We're supposed to get snow on Wednesday night into Thursday as well *sigh* My daffodils are blooming and I'm hoping that the snow won't last.

Lala: I still have things from my childhood that I won't let go of...I still have my girl scout sash with all my badges. Who is the "flylady"???

I think it's everyone's consensus that we're glad the holiday is over...I don't do well when I'm off my regular routine and being off of work for 5 days really sends me into a tailspin as far as maintaining my points and journal. I have lots of blanks over the past 5 days. I did manage to get outside of the office at noon and do a little walking.

Hope everyone is doing well

melissa-

the flylady is a cleaning/organization phenom, more mom than martha stewart

www.flylady.net

her stuff works well for me, just getting my lunch, clothes and stuff together before getting to bed at night is doing wonders for my mornings.

lala

Lala: Thanks for the info! Her suggestions make a lot of sense...have you read her book? The web site offers a lot of information and it's definitely something that could help me out Mornings are hectic with getting myself and the kids out the door.

Melissa

Thanks lala for the tip about the flylady. Timely for me - I've been trying to find a way to start spring housecleaning and this may do the trick. My problem isn't so much clutter - just doing that general cleaning that should be done on a regular basis to keep things fresh. It's never been done in my house (since I've lived here, that is).

Kena: Keep your chin up. It can't snow forever, altho I'm sure it seems that way. Northern NB still has lots of snow compared to here; I forget just how long winter can be in that part of the country. On the other hand, they get real spring, something that Halifax never sees. I kinda miss spring.

Is anyone else finding it a challenge to get the eating back to normal? Potato chips and peanut butter cookies last nite. What the heck is that about?

Hi everyone.

Again its a bright and sunny day here and we're stuck inside.

We spent last night looking for tax stuff and I'm leaving soon to drop it off at the accountant. I'm going to stop at home on the way back and pick up mr.jacques so DP can take him for a walk at work. He walks/runs here and putters at home, so it'll be nice.

I am sore from my yoga class. The real instructor showed up today and boy oh boy, he is sort of different. I guess others consider him to be too brash, but I think I'll like the outcome.

I flyladyed my back office yesterday in the vain attempt to find tax receipts. I have bags of papers and junk that need a good going through. I think that is my next chore, either that or the plastics drawer. That is scarey. Why do we keep rubbermaid containers that no longer have lids?

Okay, enough of this, have a great day!

lala

Susan: I find it difficult to get back on track after eating things that I normally don't...like sweets. Once I get back to the "healthy" eating I'm okay and I don't seem to crave them as much. It's just getting back on that is hard.

Lala: You make me jealous! It's cold and dreary here. Last evening we had a lot of rain and today has been cold (only 36 F). The forecast is calling for more snow. The sun is peeking out a little but for the most part the day has been drab.

Myra: Hope things are settling down for you!

On the upside, I went to my meeting at noon and was down .2 from last week. I'm happy with that. Now to get rid of the other .4 I put on the week before

Have a great evening everyone!

Actually I am blowing off my meeting tonight and going to a kickboxing class instead. It was an absolutely awful week and I just can't face the scale. I will definitely go next week. No excuses, whether or not I get back OP this week. Plus the kickboxing will be great for working off all the frustrations that have accumulated this week. BTW things won't slacken until the beginning of May, at least not work-wise.

Hello to all,
Thought I'd check in quick. I've had a busy week so far. I (drum roll) had one interview last week and this week have had three so far, plus a "group" interview on Friday. I think that means it is mostly informational - don't know how much more in-depth they could get with all interested candidates there at the same time. Anyone else heard of this? Anyway, I had a phone interview on Monday afternoon (don't think that went too well, don't like doing those - I think I make a better impression in person), had a second interview on Tuesday from the company I saw last week, and two more interviews today. They seemed to go well (except maybe for the phone interview), so we will see. Good practice at least. I am doing two WW meetings during the week (Wed & Fri), plus starting another noon at-work meeting on Tuesday. I figure I'll fill up my days & I am sure to get a job offer then! .

It's snowed here everyday since Easter Sunday - not a whole lot, but I am so not into having snow in April. It's supposed to warm up into the 60s by the end of the weekend.

I am with all of you trying to get back on track after the holidays - those dam*ed Hershey candy-coated chocolate eggs (in the light blue package) are my absolute favorites! So what do I do - buy a bunch of packages at the half price after Easter sale. Talk about self-sabotage....

Myra - probably a good idea to take a week off from the scale. At least you're doing something good and physical in its place.

Melissa - congrats on the loss - how does it feel to be in the 130s??

Hello to Seasaw, lala, JanetMae, kena & all. I'll try to check in on Thursday when I have a little more time. Thanks for listening.

Later,