Good morning, ladies. It's been a busy week in my neck of the woods and I've been slacking as far as checking in here goes. Hope everyone has been doing well.

My full schedule of Christmas events began yesterday and continues all the way through the month. I'm not complaining, though. Last night's party hostess scheduled her party during the SEC Championship game, but she was a good enough hostess to put the game on and let us all finish watching. Unfortunately the bulldogs didn't really show up for the second half of the game and we lost. Oh well...we were ranked #14 playing a team ranked #1...didn't really expect to win, but it would have been nice, LOL

Plans for today are sleep sleep and more sleep...how about you ladies???

Good Morning, Happy Monday.

Back to work. My main plan for this week is to get our Christmas cards made and mailed. That should take up most of my free time, plus I have appts three days this week. Time sure flies.

We got a dusting and I mean dusting of snow last night, I am sure it will melt at the first sign of the sun. Get to stop at the dentist after work today, oh boy, lucky me!

Natasha, enjoy your sleep, rest up for your busy month ago.

Hope everyone has a great Monday.

Hi everyone,
Coming off a very off plan weekend. I felt gross last night. Anyway, onward and upward. This week my goal is to figure out my exercise plan. I walk approximately 2 miles a day back and forth bringing my son to school/picking him up (.5 mile there from home, .5 mile from school to work, .5 mile from work to school, .5 mile from school to home) and I tend to think that takes care of my exercise needs, but it really doesn't. I'm someone who needs quite a bit of aerobic exercise to really feel my best. The problem is that it is so hard for me to motivate to get out of bed early in the am to exercise when it is still dark.

This week I also want to mail my Xmas cards, wrap the gifts, and basically finish up all that cr*p so I can enjoy the rest of the season. My house feels a mess which always makes me crazy. We're in town this weekend coming up which helps. Hope everyone has a great, on plan day today!

Sleep well today, Natasha!

Chickadeee, how is your thumb doing?

Matilda, I got all my cards done over the weekend, but silly me forgot to get stamps. That's another thing added to my to-do list for today.

Monday's are always especially busy for me at the farm, but at least it makes the day fly by. If Richard got the livingroom painted over the weekend (like he was supposed to do), I'll lug the tree down from the attic and set it up, then the girls can start decorating it after school. We did set up their tree in the playroom, and we made all handmade decorations for it. It looks great!

Well, my tummy is grumbling for breakfast. Steel-cut oats cooked in almond milk with cranberries and apricots are on the menu this morning. Mmmmmmmm!

Happy Monday, maybe.

Nathasha, I watched that game, too. If GA had kept up their steam of the first half, they would have kicked some booty!

Chickadeee, I ordered picture cards for my mom, my MIL and me this weekend. They all make me smile.

Mathilda, I wish I could walk somewhere. We live in rural Alabama. As my friend says, "Your mailbox is a long way from your house!"

Linda, Auston and I put up our tree last night. Fun, fun!

I'm having a guilty-mom moment. Yesterday an old man who hadn't seen Auston in a while called him fat -- in front of him. In my passive-aggressive way, I let him know how inappropriate that was. Anyway, last night I figured his BMI. According to that chart, Auston is obese. My perfect son is obese! During the spring and summer, he gets lots of exercise. Not so much in the fall and winter. Jeff and I both struggle with weight -- and I don't want that for Auston. We have to make changes as a family, without 'punishing' Auston. I feel so awful about this. Any suggestions?

Good morning Wow, you're all up and at it pretty early for a Monday morning

Natasha - Enjoy your catch up on sleep day.

Chickadee - thanks for the card reminder. I should get ours out today too.

Matilda - I am so not a morning exerciser either. Good luck with your plan

Cottage - how fun! Seems like that's one of the perks of your job - getting to enjoy those things we did with our kids when they were little.

Chel - First, slap that guy. Then once your righteous Mom indignation is satisfied, pat yourself on the back for making changes now, while he is still young enough to learn healthier habits. South Beach is a healthy meal plan for kids too. Maybe the two of you could find some fun and active video games to play together? I know my nieces love to play the dance games with their Mom. The more he sees you and Jeff making healthy choices the better. He may still go off the rails in a few years but he will know the way back.

DW is officially back to work this week. She is going in 4 days, probably just 15 hours or so. Tomorrow we have the appt. with the surgeon to see how things are going. I'm still the driver at least for the beginning of the week so my days will be a bit disjointed. That means getting lots of work done before noon today (she is working the afternoon). Time for another cup of coffee and the work computer.

Chelby, that comment to Auston was very rude and thoughtless! He sure doesn't look fat to me in that picture. But we all want our children to develop healthy eating habits that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Some of my suggestions would be to replace juice with water. Even the unsweetened juices increase the cravings for sugary things. Don't buy anything that's presweetened, so you can control how much sugar you add. Limit sweets, such as only allowing 2 cookies. Offer fruit for dessert and snacks. Except for toast or sandwiches, don't serve bread or rolls with your meals.
That's about all I can think of for now, and I hope it helps!

Good morning. Slept until after 7 again. This is getting to be a habit. Now if I could just get rid of the 3 a.m. potty run or do it with my brain still in the jar on the dresser.

Nice to "see" you, Natasha, and I hope you have a good solid sleep today. Your mention of bulldogs threw me for a bit, as usual, until I figured it out.

Chickadee, I guess you're glad it was just a dusting. Good luck at the dentist today. You reminded me that I have my periodontist recheck tomorrow.

Mathilda, I want to get my **** over with too and start to enjoy the season. I've invited neighbours for dinner on Thursday which should motivate me. My package to mail is all wrapped, packed and ready to go to the post office. Every little task relieves some of the pressure.

Cottage, I wish I could be there to help you and the girls with the tree. I did not see them long enough this past visit although I did get some hugs when they were loading the van.

Michelle! How dare that silly old fart criticize my cyber-grandson! I think I would have decked him. I'm sure you are a dedicated mother and will get the problem solved soon.

Cyndi, great to hear Julie is getting back in the groove. I'm sure you are anxious to meet with the doc tomorrow. Is Vermont all Christmas cardish yet?

The first official Christmas party happens today - the Quilting Biddies luncheon. (I wonder how they'd feel if they knew I called them biddies.) There will be a pot luck lunch and I have my fingers crossed that there will be something I can eat. My contribution is dessert - I was last to get to sign the list and had planned to bring Taco Bake but ... I made the infamous rum cake last week and took it out of the freezer just now.

Tomorrow I go to the city (Kingston) for a re-check at the dentist and plan to do a bit of shopping before my 1:30 appointment. The office in in the west end of the city which is just loaded with big box stores. I plan to hit Home Sense and Michaels which will finish the gift list, I hope. I am planning to make goodie baskets and need some trims, etc.

Now to have another coffee, breakfast and plan what Christmassy thing I can work in today. A lunch party sure grabs a hunk out of the day.

I was only going to lurk, until I saw Chelby's post!

I think one thing I really try to work on with my kids (who so far are skinny like their father)...is to not make them eat if they're not hungry. Although I hate to leave food on their plates, if they're not hungry...I try not to force them. Yesterday, they didn't even want lunch (prob b/c they ate breakfast late). I think we're taught so much to eat breakfast, lunch, and supper, esp. at certain times, and really...we should listen to ourselves.

I do also go by the no juice, rarely soda, blah, blah blah. We actually had to throw out some of last year's halloween and easter candy to make room for this year's!

Also - BMI is somewhat worthless! My husband would be considered obese, since he works out and is pretty muscular. Step back, and be honest with yourself of his body condition!

Morning ladies,

I have no advice Chelby other than to slowly ease him into it. I think we're d!mned if we do and d!mned if we don't either way. I grew up with crap in the house. When I "came of age" at the tender age of 10, I started gaining. Then it was all off limits so I binged in private...

I am at work today. My boss and I are supposed to have a retreat to plan our work for 2012. I still feel like crud though. Luckily, I *just* looked at the labels in my cough meds and it has SUGAR! It tastes like crud so how can it have sugar??? luckily, no cravings but still. I guess I will have to buy the stuff from the diabetic isle?

Happy Monday

Chelby, I second the calls for eliminating juice (it is a special treat at our house) and certainly soda, if Auston ever drinks that at all. My son is allowed dessert each night, of his choosing. My son eats school lunch each day and my feeling is "what happens in the lunchroom, stays in the lunchroom" in that he makes his own decisions about what he eats at lunch and what he does not eat. I control breakfast, dinner and any snacks that occur in my sight. As an example, for breakfast each day he has one or two scrambled eggs, 1/2 an apple, sometimes some avocado, milk with ovaltine and 2 wasa crackers, which he loves. For dinner he might have a hot dog or chicken nuggets with broccoli and carrots and perhaps some edamame. Then he has dessert. Water is the beverage available at our house except for breakfast.

Auston never never has juice. When he was a toddler, people thought I was insane and mean that I wouldn't give him juice, but I knew he had my genes. His worst eating habit, which I know is my fault, is his eating after dinner. He generally doesn't want what we have for dinner, and I don't 'short order' cook for him. So he eats what he HAS to for dinner, then he eats popcorn, cereal, ice cream sandwich, fruit after dinner -- because he's STARVING. I'm going to monitor and limit that.

When I look at him, I truly think he's perfect. He's thick and stocky -- like his daddy and me. We have a Kinect. He and I need to play together. It will do us both good. Thank you all for feeling my 'mommy ire/guilt' with me.

Hi everyone! I've been here every day for a week. I have two books, one just recipe's, and one that is I guess the basic. I have to say that this place has been a life saver. I haven't used one recipe from the books, and had I just went according to those books, I don't think I would have made it this far. Reading how people feel during the first 2 weeks has meant a lot too. Instead of thinking there is something wrong with me, and that the diet is just not for me, I realize that what I feel is perfectly okay. So, thank you all that came before for posting every single thing that you have.

Good to read all these posts about Auston. I dont think that dude had any right to say anything about him, or anyone as a matter of fact, but it's good that you told him off.. in a nice way. I wouldve gone OFF haha! I have a 4 month old son, and I didnt realize how much stuff juice has in it, although I did see the other day on the news something about alot of juices having a very high amount of arsenic in them! yikes. anyway, happy monday! I have a final this weekend, wish me luck!

Hey ladies, I haven't pulled another disappearing act, just trying to keep up here. I was in VA last week for meetings, and back to Quantico tomorrow, won't be home until Wednesday PM. I'm trying to accomplish one Christmas thing every day, even if it's just wrapping one present, and I'm doing pretty well, at least it won't be last minute insanity this year, and my MIL should actually get her picture calendar, maybe even before January! I've been craving pork bbq, the NC kind with vinegar and red pepper flakes, so I'm making a batch with pork tenderloin, smells yummy and completely legal! Can't wait for dinner.

Michelle, what a jerk. My DS has weight issues now that he's a teen (didn't really start gaining until about 12/13), and I'm just careful to never make it seem like I'm putting him on a diet. I made a list of all his favorite healthy foods and make those often, made sure they were available and try not to keep the other stuff around. At least that way if he has a snack it's cereal and milk or a banana. He still has plenty of bad habits, and I would like to see him slim down some, but it's a slow process. At least he's eating things now he wouldn't have touched a few years ago.

Stillcool, the first time I did SB from the book (before I found this forum), and I followed the book exactly. I didn't stay on the plan long. When I tried again I'd found this place and realized I could make my own menus following the guidelines and eat what I like, which made a world of difference! Welcome!