Good morning and happy new week!

It's 37 degrees this morning so probably a good thing I didn't plant my herb garden yet. It's supposed to be cold again tonight, then I think it will be safe. I spent the weekend cleaning instead and feel so much less stressed now that the house isn't so awful. If I only could convince the cats not to shed, the house would stay so much cleaner ...

Speaking of cats, do any of you with cats have a problem with clumps or mats? We have a medium (very dense) hair Manx or American Bobtail who is 1. huge and 2. doesn't do much in the way of grooming. So he's developed dreadlocks all over. I can cut and brush the ones on his back but it's hard to deal with his belly and butt. Cut? Shave? Brush? Any ideas?

Time for another mug of coffee and then it's off to the gym for some thinking time. I need to sort out the upcoming day and what better way? I'll be back in a bit. Check in and say hi and tell us about your weekend.

It's still a holiday here but I never seem to sleep in (we need a sulking smiley). Maybe my body hasn't had enough time away from the diet Pepsi (3rd day of no diet pop for me) to change my sleep pattern yet? I have high hopes for this.

I was in maintaining mode for the weekend and am still at 135 lbs . DH has cut out the sugary snacks and is now eating rice cakes with great abandon . Better for him and me because I really don't like them so am snacking on fruit again.

I'm going back into serious dieting mode today - 1400 calories per day and 1600 every third day. Writing everything down, blah, blah blah.

There will be a lot of BBQ and salad in my future. It's really cold here (I was manning the grill last night wearing a fleece hoodie and a jacket ) but this shouldn't last much longer. I anticipate wearing my shorts next weekend.

Since it's a holiday this morning I get to do my full hour strength workout. Then some much needed gardening (in my fleece hoodie etc. ) as the weeds don't seem to mind the cold!

Have a great week all!

Dagmar but

Good morning! Can I just get a do-over for last week?

Sure, WardHog! We all need one once in a while.

Go, Dagmar! You sound like a woman on a mission. Good luck with your Diet Pepsi experiment. I found -- to my dismay -- that caffeine or lack thereof doesn't affect my sleeping. Hope you get better results!

Home from the gym, cleaners, grocery store, and post office. After I put away groceries, it's phone calls, Round 2 of errands (why doesn't every store open at 7 am?), and then the mountain of bills and papers on my desk.

Meg, I don't have cats, but I would think that brushing your cat regularly would help with the mats. That is what's generally recommended for dogs at least. We had a light freeze the past couple nights too, but luckily the veggies seem to be okay. Our tomatoes have been planted out for nearly two weeks already!

Dagmar, what's up with this weather?? It's supposed to be hot by Memorial Day, but it's in the 40's right now. Good job on cutting out the caffeine!

Okay, so I ate too much at my cooking club. I failed to stick to my one drink plan -- it turned into more like four. Darn them for having six different types of drinks, all of which sounded so good! At least I had a really small glass. I'm proud of myself for giving away the leftovers of the dessert I made though. Yesterday I got a bad case of the munchies too, probably because I didn't really eat lunch. Oops.

However! The good news is I got massive amounts of exercise this weekend (well, massive for me). I ran 5k with the dog on Saturday, spent most of the day on my feet helping DH cook his dish for the cooking club, then Sunday I biked 8.4 miles and the whole family (=me, DH, the dog) went for a 5.4 mile walk.

I'm going to a bridal shower on Thursday. Hopefully there will be healthy choices available and hopefully I'll be able to convince myself not to eat dessert. Luckily my Thursday workout is at lunchtime so I don't have to miss it. Do you guys ever go to bridal showers where you barely know the bride? It's so weird. I've met her maybe two times, once at a family Thanksgiving and once at my wedding. She's a cousin of DH's and MIL is hosting the shower.

Hi everyone,

Cirque du Soleil was SO fun and amazing! It's absolutely incredible what the performers do with their bodies, yet make it look so elegant and easy. (Picturing myself huffing and puffing, red faced, etc. by the time I get off the stairmaster or finish some of my ab exercises, lol). The artistry is equally impressive. The music and costumes tie the whole show together, and they have spotters and safety harnesses for all the acts, yet the spotters stay "in character" and are in costumes so that you might not even realize their true purpose.

Otherwise I had a fun weekend. BF and I hung out with his family, and I didn't drink any alcohol as I had resolved (though was really tempted) so I didn't have any crazy alcohol-induced munchiness. I'm sort of sighing b/c food really could have been better - you know those days when you think you're making pretty decent choices, but get home and write it down and realize that you still had too many calories? No matter, I'm just going to keep going. I leave Thursday morning for my college reunion so I'm just going to try and get some clean eating and really good workouts in the next three days, get enough sleep, and get ready for the trip.

I'm surprised at such cold weather in the north! I think it will be warm by the end of the week when I get there. I hope everyone's gardens up there are ok! I finally caved and used an "organically accepted" solution of spreading BTK on my tomatoes to try and control the armyworm caterpillars that are eating the dickens out of them. It's a bacteria that targets certain species of bugs, which I figure is still better than a pesticide. I know if it doesn't work I'll lose all my tomatoes!

Jessica, alcohol is the devil of weight loss! Some people can drink in moderation and lose, but I'm not one of them. Still it sounds like a great menu. Did you meet any new people at the cooking club this weekend? You know I suggest my sis to join one - she moved last year and still hasn't made a lot of friends, but she loves to cook.

Meg, I agree, life would be much easier if all stores opened early! At least around here you can get gas (for your boat, naturally, or car... ) and bait at 6 AM!

Wardhog, yes, you can have a do-over!

Dagmar, I agree, you sound like you've got a plan! Stay warm.

Off to get some work done... have a great week everyone!

Good morning!

Meg, brushing regularly is always good, but it's often hard to do, especially on the belly. My cat likes to be brushed and spends a lot of time on her back (she looks like a sea otter), but when I had other cats, they didn't. So I vote for shaving. The shelter where I volunteer ends up with a bunch of shaved cats because it's the easiest way to remove mats. I think the cats are a lot more comfortable after being shaved, too.

Dagmar, congrats on three days of being diet Pepsi-free!

Wardhog, sure, why not?

Jessica, wow, you got a lot of exercise in--good for you. My wierdest bridal shower was when I gave one for my soon-to-be daughter-in-law. I did not know her very well, and all the etiquette books said that someone else should give it, but no-one volunteered. She's now my ex-daughter-in-law, which is fine by me. Hope they have some healthy options at the shower.

Megan, sounds like you had a great weekend. Hope the BTK (is that the bacillus thuringesis something or other?) works on the tomatoes. It would stink to lose them.

We had gorgeous weather over the weekend, but today it's supposed to be hot (like 95 degrees hot). We made another raised bed, although we haven't put dirt in it, and got some tomatoes, basil and pepper plants at a church sale. Plus I got some herbs from Freecycle. We also weeded and did a bunch of yard work. It was nice sitting out on our patio, drinking a glass (too big) of wine and looking at what we accomplished. Still have to plant the green beans.

Today is DH's colonoscopy. I wonder if that's what caused my eating to go out of control yesterday. He's got a history of colon cancer so it's always kind of scary. The doctors said he could wait 5 years this time (down from one per year, then every three years) so they must think he won't be making any polyps. Cross your fingers!

Hope it warms up for all of you in the 30s and 40s--and I hope it cools down a bit here.

Good morning!!!

Meg~my in-laws had a Manx but he never got mats, however, they had another with long hair--an outdoor cat--who was always a mess of mats. He wasn't the nicest cat and they couldn't brush him so they'd resort to cutting out the mats. Now they have a Persian who is combed daily (he tolerates it up to a point before running off). They also have him shaved into a lion cut once or twice a year.

Goal~hang in there--there are a lot of us going through the exact same thing.

Megan~I'm so jealous! Cirque de Soleil! I'd love to see them!!!

Michele~I'm glad the doctor's visit went well! I hope your friend is okay.

Sheila~fingers are crossed!

Jessica~one screw up (dinner party) won't completely derail you! Just get right back on track.

Dagmar~caffeine, or lack thereof, doesn't seem to make my sleep any better. I usually stay away from it except for my morning coffee (3 cups daily which is actually 9 cups on my carafe! Yikes!). I was taking Advil PM when I couldn't stay asleep, but I've switched to melatonin. I really can't say that it keeps my asleep, though.

I had an off day yesterday. It started early in the morning with a horrible niacin flush (my doctor says to take a baby aspirin before taking niacin to help stop the flush but it doesn't always work). Anyway, after an hour of horrible flushing I woke up with a queasy tummy. DH and I took the dogs on a 3-4 mile walk (Buddy is getting too old for this--we need to cut it down. We had to stop and let him rest a few times). After the walk I was even more queasy so I made egg salad sandwiches for breakfast. It didn't help much. Lunch helped a little and then we went to see Angels & Demons where I ate a box of Good & Plenty. Yes. A. Whole. Box. It didn't seem to upset my tummy, though. In the evening when fixing a lovely Mongolian Beef recipe for dinner (over rice with steamed snow peas) I got all queasy and shaky. Very weird. Anyway, I decided to allow myself some extra sleep last night and therefore didn't get up to exercise this morning. So far it's working! I feel great! Rested! No niacin flushing, either.

Speaking of niacin flushes--my MIL (who often has very strange ideas) thinks I may have a buildup of niacin and should cut back for a few days. This is due to the fact that I've had flushing two or three times in the past week. I say niacin is a water soluble supplement that shouldn't build up. What do you all think?

And my weight was steady all weekend! Usually my week's worth of losing turns right around with a weekend's worth of not following my plan.

And since tonight's menu includes fish (scallops) which DS doesn't like he's getting a repeat of last night's Mongolian beef. He really liked it and ate two servings. He really needs to eat more--he's so skinny! But I wonder what I'll do when DD gets home. Most of these recipes are to serve 4 which is perfect now with DS eating two servings. Once she's home he won't have any extra. And I can't have snacks around for him as DD will eat them and she doesn't need them. Ugh. What's a mother to do?

Allison, can you make 1 1/2 times the recipes? That way you should get 6 servings, and maybe DS could eat 3 or you'd have a little left over? For DH and I even though there's only two of us I routinely make recipes that make 6-8 servings and then we have leftovers for lunch.

I suppose that would work--but then I'd have to do math all the time!! LOL
I think I'll have to do that or add something that I know he'll eat. For instance, when I do the shrimp with chipotle orange sauce (which he won't eat) I serve it over ww spaghetti--so I just heat up marinara for him and let him have as much pasta as he wants. He usually will eat the sides (which are usually salads with an occasional sauteed veggie instead). It's either that or encouraging him to fix a PB&J afterward which he usually won't do.

Morning! It's another lovely day here. Yesterday was fantastic, esp for so early in our season. (I'm convinced, however, that it'll be cold and rainy when my sister is here 5/26-6/1 )

Allison - licorace is supposed to be good for nausea, likely why the G&P didn't both you. That's one thing I cannot have around - I eat it til it's gone. I don't know anything about niacin, but being subject to hot flashes myself, I sympathize with you.

Meg - I vote for shaving too. After that maybe daily brushing/combing to avoid the problem arising again. We've had 2 longish hair cats, but they seem to have silkier fur and don't mat (though they do shed!). Growing up we had Maine coon cats who needed frequent brushings, and we still cut mats out of their fur.

Had a good weekend, though it was mostly work! Hopefully next weekend, being a long one will allow for something fun. I did grill some small steaks last night, along with a yellow summer squash, and served that with curried cauliflower. Yum. DH was so tired from yard/garden work, he nearly fell asleep during dinner. He and the cats spent the rest of the evening on the couch.

Thanks for the cat fur/matting ideas. I try for daily brushing now, but the tummy and butt areas seem to be off-limits. Charlie is not only enormous but shy and skittish, so I have to be careful with the brushing or else he'll run away. I was thinking shaving too, to at least give him a fresh start. Would I use a dog shaver? Any recommendations as to type or brand? I was looking at the Petco and Petsmart web sites and there were quite a few to choose from.

It's funny because we have a very long-haired cat, Nattie, who does a fine job of grooming himself and staying handsome. Nattie's coat is long and silky though, and Charlie's is dense and almost wiry. It's two colors -- caramel color near the skin and brown/black at the ends. Very odd. DH maintains that Charlie isn't really a cat at all since he doesn't have a tail and has enormous paws and looks somewhat like a furry bowling ball.

Oh, my, look at the size of those paws! He's incredible! His head looks so small compared to the size of his tummy and paws--maybe that's just the way he's laying. Is he mostly fur or is there some substance under there?

DH came through the colonoscopy just fine, although he was sleepier than normal so they kept him a bit longer. No polyps--yeah! Good news for his daughters since the longer he goes without polyps, the longer they can wait before they get their first colonoscopy.

Yay, Sheila!! That's wonderful news.

Meg, I would highly recommend that you not try to shave your cat's belly yourself. If he doesn't like brushing, he is not likely to appreciate if you come at him with a buzzing shaver.

Your vet may be able to help with this or direct you to a groomer that specializes in this.

Once his fur starts to grow in again, it may be easier to give him a little light brush now and then, or at least try it.

His belly doesn't look that bad to me--it must be all clumped, though, huh?

Jay