Hi Everyone,

Hows everyone doing keeping to their list for the new year?

Well at the time I had a long list of things I would like to achieve but to date have only managed very little.

I did promice not to eat chocolate and up to date have kept to that.
I did promice myself to get out more so bought electric buggy to gad about in.
I managed to get to Tunisia to see my grand daughter married so was pleased with that also.
I did enrol at 65 years old into computor class at college and am doing OK I think I take my first city and guilds exam in may.
Weight wise I have to sat its not going too well, I lost 10lbs then stuck have not put any back on but its not going down either.
Well thats as far as I have got to date.
Need to get much trimmer if I can get to fit into a airline seat for a long journey to Canada.
Can anyone explain a bit about the Atkins diet I was told it might help me.

well thats my achievement so far how you others doing?
Vivienne

My main one was too lose weight and like you I have lost a stone and stuck. Not going anywhere - but if I'm honest how hard am I trying - not enough. My big aim was to be 14 stone by the end of June when the schools break up. It just about doable if I really stick to it.

My other big resolution was to get a new job. I have changed jobs tempoarily with the same company. I am working in a project team now doing lots of interesting work instead of running round showing people how to change printers and how to do mail merges and clearing paper jams. So I am happy for the moment. Who knows how I will feel come September or sooner when I go back to my own job.

So in way I've met one aim and can still do the other one if I pull my finger out

Wish I was committed enough not to eat chocolate. Good luck on being comfy in those areoplane seats

I think I am doing fair to middling OK - I sort of made one combined resolution which was to give myself one year to lose weight, keep it off and get fit. I promised myself that I would only do this until next Christmas and whatever I weigh then is where I will stay for life. Well I am losing the weight - the second part is something that I will have to work at - and the getting fit has happened because I have combined diet and exercise to lose the weight.

Apart from that I can remember feeling a restless sort of need to do something with my life and I think I have gone some way towards satisfying that need by training to become a foster carer.

Oh what a wonderful thing to do to become a foster carer I wish I had one when I was little. My mother rejected me all my life but did not give me to anyone who could have loved me. When I was 16 years old I was put on the streets to fend for myself. I will never forget her words. "Birds can make their young leave the nest why cant humans" I was told I was excess baggage she did not need as she was marrying a man 15 years younger and did not want his family to know how old she was. Water under the bridge now of course but, you my dear will help someone like me and they will love you for it. I am very proud of you,
love,
Vivienne

Thank you very much for that, Tizme, I don't think parents truly understand what they do to their kids when they treat them in that way and it happens such a lot. My mum behaved quite a lot like yours and I don't have any contact with her nowadays. I used her as an example as how not to bring up kids and brought up my daughter in the exact opposite way, which is why I am so looking forward to fostering - I always feel that being a Mum was one of the things I did best in my life.

I listen to people's experiences (like yours) and it reinforces my opinion that we're doing the right thing. I still feel very unsure of myself about my ability to help severely traumatised children but I will do my best.