Good morning, sleepy Beachies. I know I'm not the first one up. Anybody can start the Daily, you know. Hint! Hint!

Cold here but I did stroll the deck with my coffee while The Girls did potty. It's cloudy but is supposed to clear up - we've had rain every day except one since April 22! The daffies in the field behind the barn are finally in bloom - later than usual this year. The goldfinches are in full spring plumage and look like little daffies as they hang out at the feeder.

Sarah comes to work for me this afternoon. There is still lots of raking cleanup and I do think it's time to take the Christmas lights off the pergola! If there is time, I'll have her clean off the front porch and get The Lads to get my wicker furniture down from the barn loft.

Once I have the porch set up, it will really be Spring!

What's happening with you? Grab a mug and set a spell.

Mornin' Ruth! Sounds like your up and goin!

I'm draggin in this morning. It seems my sinuses want to go haywire on my right side. I have a really bad earache, my throat hurts, & my gums are swollen on that side! Not what I need this week! Hopefully it will go away soon. I think I'll go rest with a good movie.

Have a good day all!

Good morning Ruth and Bamiegurl!
~Ruth~ You sound like you're on a roll! I enjoy spring also! Not sure what the weather is suppossed to do here today. Right now it looks pretty cloudy. I hope the sun comes out!

~Bamiegurl~I hope you get to feeling better! Being sick is definitely no fun!!! Enjoy your rest and movie!

As for me........I'm just waiting for the kids to arrive. Both boys had a game yesterday (they do every tues. & wed.) Austin's team won again!!(4-0) I really think this is helping his self-esteem. Tonight he has guitar lessons. He really seems to like music so who knows....maybe this will lead him somewhere. His karate has fallen to the wayside because his baseball games are the same days and hours that karate is. Aaron (my 5 year old) has really become hyper lately! I swear he acts as if he's been on a non-stop candy binge!! As for Saralyn (the 16 month old) well, she's into EVERYTHING!
Dh is up to his eyeballs in work right now so I had to take all three kids to the games last night! OH BOY, was that fun!

Well, I'm back on ph 1 again! If I could just get through it without cheating I think I'd be okay. Once I get to ph2 there's so many more options. My will power really sucks here lately! I definitely need lots of support right now. Well, to any chickies I may have missed while posting, have a spectacular day!!! I'll try to chime in later! ~Tara~

Hey - it's Wednesday!

I tried to reply to the post that Jenn posted looking for me, but it was closed, weird!

So - I'm only 2 days back on plan (no I didn't stay OP for birthdays - someone thought that I had from my previous post. Just was saying that Monday I was OP!)

I'm only 1 lb away from where I was before I fell!!! I've lost 3 lbs so far this week. My body is like "thank you!" It really likes it when I eat right and drink water!

I had a revelation about what I want from myself, and it really helps. Thanks for being there everyone and caring about me, even though we just met a few weeks back!

I'll chat more later

Good morning, darlings!

Ruth, we don't have goldfinches, but our lovely little red-breasted finches are back. They are SO sweet.

Bamie, you sound terrible! Get better soon, sweetie. I'll be saying prayers tomorrow that your surgery goes well.

Oh, Tara... shudder. I can just imagine you with your kids at the games. I know it well, hon. Isn't it wonderful when you see your child's self-esteem go up! It's SO important.
Sending you good Phase I vibes, sweetie... you know you can do this!!

Sarah, welcome to the Beach!

Wanda, I'm so glad you're back! Doing Phase II is a great idea. It's not too stifling, and it's certainly much better than eating the way we normally do.
Try not to worry about your daughter. You know from experience that she has to be willing to lose weight "in her own time". Just being there for her and loving her is the best thing you can do.

PHinsUP!, congratulations on the six pounds!! That's HUGE, girl!!

BB, I use Foxfire, and I've never had any problems. What's going on with your browser?

Aimee, I love your idea of the West Coast Diet.

CJ, I hope the weekend goes well with your family. Keep us posted on your sister... very exciting! I'm going to be an aunt soon for the first (and last, I believe. heh heh) time, and I can't WAIT!!

PEGGY!! How did I miss that you were going back into the hospital! I thought you were just dealing your Mom right now! I'm so sorry, hon... but very glad that things went well.
The weight loss thing is worrysome. Why don't you get a case of Ensure or something similar. You can't afford to be dropping weight like that (god knows some of the rest of here could, though), sweetie.
Sending you lots of love and hugs and prayers...

Barb, that is SO cool that your son is in gymnastics!! I hope his competition goes well next week!!

SoCal... Passover! Are you Jewish? I'm a Christian (although I'm totally cool with all religions, and tend to mix and match. heh heh), but I've always envied people of the Jewish faith for their traditions. The more traditions, the better. They're like a constant reminder of God (whatever God may mean to us as individuals), and I don't have enough reminders in my life.

Soon2bfit, 5 days off!! That's wonderful!! You enjoy them, sweetie... you deserve them!!

Laurie, I'm so glad the scale is moving down again! (that doesn't make sense, but you know what I mean)
No, I haven't been to WW for a couple of weeks. Because I've been doing badly, and a bad weigh-in just makes me feel crappy. I am thinking of going back to OA, though.

Amy, I LOVE hearing your "men stories". You kill me, hon.
Hey, you're exercising again!! Good going, girl!!

Sassy, how was your sleep last night? Do you think you may be having a lot of dreams, and not remembering them? Sometimes that can be really exhausting. I hope you get it sorted out soon, hon. Ruth will suggest a shot of whisky just before you turn in.

Gina, good advice yesterday. Sometimes it's "if I can just make it through 5 MINUTES!!"

Christy, congratulations on the three pounds!! Sometimes Ruth randomly closes threads in an effort to "clean up around here". I'm the expert on deleting rude posts. Although we VERY seldom see those here on South Beach. Everyone is lovely and nurturing.

My cold has hit full force. It's possible I'm being melodramatic here, but I feel like I have pneumonia.
I have a meeting tonight, and I think I may spend the day in bed. Okay, and on the computer.
Have a great day, girls... hugs for all!

Good morning! It's a rainy, dreary day here but it is supposed to be nicer and warmer tomorrow.

Ruth - those goldfinches sound beautiful! We don't have any here but I have seen some robins.

Bamie - So sorry to hear you are sick. If you don't start feeling better, you might need to see the doctor. Try to get some rest.

Tara - You definitely sound like a busy mom. We've put a limit on the number of things that Brian is in since it is easy to get overwhelmed. Currently he is in Scouts and gymnastics but he is going to an orientation today so he can volunteer at the animal shelter. He LOVES animals and this will be one way he can help out without trying to take every animal home. Please try hard to make it through phase 1 and move on. Phase 2 is so much easier and you might want to move on even if you have had a few cheats as long as you have no cravings. It really isn't healthy to be on phase 1 for too long.

Sassy - Try different ways of eating the vegetables and see what you like. I don't care for cooked cauliflower but I like it raw. I love the Sesame Ginger Asparagus recipe from the cookbook and make it often with either asparagus or fresh green beans. I have found that I enjoy fresh vegetables so much more than frozen. The Simple Eggplant casserole is a wonderful way to eat eggplant without tasting it so much. I add so many other vegetables to it (zucchini, mushrooms, a can of Rotel) that it all blends in together wonderfully.

Hottie - Welcome back. Congrats on the weight loss.

Ellis - Please take care. I have seem more friends with pneumonia this year than ever before. I think it was because many could not get the flu shot and the flu went into pneumonia. Mine almost did but the doc got me on an inhalor and some other meds really quickly. Hope you feel better soon!

Me - I'm down a couple of pounds this morning even though I had a brownie at the den meeting last night. My den leader made them and no one wanted to take them home since they were afraid they would eat them all so I brought the leftovers to work today. They are far away in the breakroom and I keep telling people they are there. Hopefully they will be gone by the next time I need to go get more water or tea. It was our last den meeting of the school year last night. The boys were given their books for Bear and told which achievements we will do as a den next year so they can work on things over the summer. They are all excited about graduating from Wolf to Bear at the next pack meeting in a few weeks. We have lots of great summer activities planned so they will still be together at least four or five times.

Ruthxxx, I'll take you up on your offer of sitting down with a cup of coffee!!! I don't think I could take that much rain/clouds! The weather here this week so far has been incredible(a little cool for this time of year). It makes it easy for me to get out and walk. I've never visited Canada, but I would imagine that your spring comes just a bit later than ours!!(alabama) my arms are already tanned from working in my yard!!

{{{{Bamiegirl}}}} that's no way to feel...I'm sooo sorry you feel crappy!
I hope you get to feeling much better as the day wears on!!!

tar675 been there done that!! I was so grateful when my kids were done with rec sports!! My youngest daughter was in gymnastics for 7 years...she "retired" a year ago as a level 7 state champ! she won 1st on balance beam in the state championships...but geez at the running around we had to do with that...I remember one year that was so stressful between soccer/baseball/swim/gymnastics, that I ended up with Bell's Palsey!
My two oldest daughters were both playing soccer and on swim team(practicing everyday)
my son was playing soccer and fall baseball
and the other was just spending 4 hrs a day at the gym!! WHEW. makes me tired just remembering that!!
now most of their activities are in school so they practice there THANK GOD!
I still have a busy fall tho...I have a dtr that's a cheerleader, and one on the danceline(the gymnast) and my son has just tried out for marching band! I know it's not forever! and we really have fun watching it all!!!

Sassygal WTG 2 pounds down with TOM in town!! I feel your pain on the veggies, but you can do it!!

HottieInHiding welcome back, and GOOD LUCK on meeting your goals!!

ellis thanks for the congrats..it means a lot! I hope your cold hits the road soon! GET BETTER!!!!

I woke up with a terrible back ache this morning, I have got to get a new mattress soon!!! But, I'm not gonna let it get me down...the fitness evaluation I had yesterday was mostly bad! my blood pressure was a bit high, I had crappy flexibility, and it gave me a body age that's 11 years older than I really am!!! that would've usually gotten me really down, but the 6 lb weight loss got me so excited I could care less about the other results, cuz I know that I am doing what I need to be doing to fix them all! My BP was most likely elevated due to the fact that this really nice looking well built trainer was PINCHING MY FAT with calipers, I was really dreading that!!!
It's another gorgeous day here in North Alabama, but I can't get out and go walking, cuz my mom called and said she was coming over! that was a couple of hours ago, and I'm still waiting!!!
Yesterday after my walk I was drivin home and noticed that the city park that is usually closed was open, so I drove down there to see if they were working on the renovations, and ran across a film crew!!! We have a local production company that's making a movie called "When I Find the Ocean" And they were filming back there! (whoops..didn't mean to crash their party!!) LOL
but that was cool!
I had a great time at water aerobics last night, even tho the water was cold I felt very energized afterward.

Well, I hope everyone is having a GREAT day, I'm gonna see if I can get my stretching in before my mom gets here

{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}} to EVERYONE

Morning Chicks!

Everyone is chatty today. I had running to do this am before work and I just settled in today. So far so OP. I even went to starbucks and got just a regular coffee - no latte's or frappachino's. Tonight is my "every other day" workout. I'm trying to stay motivated! I was pretty stinking sore last night in my ab area. I was going to try to do light exercise on my off days but that may be too much for me right now. I need to focus on smaller accomplishments. Like doing a real sit up without having my feet under a dresser!

Bami girl - You may not be able to have your surgery if you have an ear infection. You should call your doc. By the way I had the knee surgery done and it is a piece of cake. You'll be up and around in no time. Any questions just ask me. The only problem I had was they gave me Darvasett for pain on an empty stomach, I barfed and popped a stitch. I still have that little scar.

Ellis - You rest! Sometimes I feel like a bumbling idiot when it comes to dating and flirting. I can tell you this - things have changed in 17 years. The rules are all different and there are a lot of "easy" girls who sleep around on the first date. I can't compete with that. However I get stronger every encounter I have with someone. Like the cutie fireman I kissed. He could not figure out why I wouldn't go home with him. I had just met him 4 hours before. I thought I was being pretty forward by smooching. Imagine a puppy with his head cocked, He kept saying "why do you keep saying that?" I said "saying what?" He said "saying no" Like he had never heard that before. I said - I know your a fireman and you guys have groupies that throw themselves at you but as a good Christian Reformed man I would hope that at least SOMEONE in your life has said no to you. He hasn't called for a date wonder why. I should have more good stories after the 13th. I have a Friday the 13th party to go to and there should be at least 2 good prospects there for me. Keep ya posted.

Everyone else - Have a great day! Stay OP - Stay Strong - and about 5 pm EST send motivation vibes to me so I exercise!

Holy lengthy posts, Batman (as if I should talk... )! I knew I should have posted earlier when there were only two posts...but I got distracted.

Ruth, a porch and a deck? You decadent girl! I must come for visit! I love the way you describe the goldfinches. They sound amazing! Our daffies are starting to die off, but the tulips aren't quite up yet, as it's hovering around 30's/40's here and lots of hail. Yuck! Don't feel bad about the X-Mas lights...we have a Christmas wreath up on our chimney...it's still there!

Hey, Bamie! You poor girl! I'm sorry about the sinuses. My right side is my trouble side too. I've had several surgeries and lots of work done on them, but they still trouble me. I've found some great remedies that ease the problem: Neti pots (or other irrigation systems), saline spray (especially one called "Simply Saline"), and drinking hot mugs of tea...make it as hot as you can stand, and hold it against the roof of your mouth with your tongue for as long as you can. It seems to "melt" the junk and send it running out of there. Nasty, but if it works... Don't hesitate to see the doc if it doesn't get better soon...those things can really be trouble if you wait too long to hit them with antibiotics and such. Two sickos on the beach...we better ask the cabana boys to stock beach blankets, flasks of whisky, and a humidifier!

Tara, your kids sound wonderful! How fun! I'm so glad they are enjoying their activties. I know you can do this, girl, and we're all here to support you through it. Just keep making foods you enjoy in Phase 1, and take it one step at a time, okay? Think about how much you want to be in good health for a long time so you can see those darling babies' babies one day!

Sassy, I'm so glad that helped! It helped me too...this morning I almost waited to start breakfast until I got some things done, but I thought, No...need to eat it now so there's time for a snack. Thank you! I know what you mean about veggies. I took it really slowly as I was a confirmed veggie hater. I wouldn't touch cauliflower in any form with 20 foot pole! Eventually, I tried the mashed cauli at a restaurant. Then I made my own. I tried it in a casserole with tons of cheese and yummy things. Then I tried it just with cheese. Eventually I got to the point where I could eat it just with smart balance or with curry powder. A miracle, I tell you, but it took about 6 months! For a while, I was literally holding my nose while I ate my veggies! But now I really have come to like them. I honestly think that my tastebuds were completely out of whack from all the sugar and that made veggies taste bad. Now I actually find many of them sweet! In the summer, I love cold veggie salads. There are tons of them out there...just look around. 3 Bean salad and Broccoli, Cheese, and Bacon salad come to mind (both in the recipe forums). I also saw a carrot and raisin salad made with Splenda in the "Fabulous Foods made with Splenda" cookbook. If you can stomach tons of green salads, do it, just add things like broccoli, cabbage, green beans, pepeprs, onions, tomatoes, carrots (Phase 2), edamame, radishes, mushrooms, etc. You can do this, girl!

Christy, you can always send a PM to Jenn, or open a new thread if there's something specific you want to talk about. I'm so glad to see you in the daily! Your revelation sounds great, and I agree with you about our bodies loving it when we eat right. : It's such a great feeling!

Ellis, you poor girl! I'm so sorry that you're still feeling sick. I believe in female intuition, especially regarding our bodies...and I think that we often ignore that intuition, telling ourselves that we are hypochondriacs, etc. Call your doctor and go see him/her just to be sure, okay? Pneumonia is nothing to mess with! Your post made me laugh quite a bit. You ought to be a humor writer, girl.

I love all your work with the scouts, Barb! I think it can be such a positive experience for boys, even though their views on gays really make me sad. I was wearing my girl scout t-shirt at the gym this morning and it made me smile and miss working with the girls. I think it's great that Brian is going to volunteer at the animal shelter! I must say though, that my one experience volunteering made me really want to take about five animals home! Hope he has a blast! Sorry about that brownie, but congrats on the weight loss and on your willpower staying away from the pan in the break room! I think stopping a binge is much harder than keeping from one...I always crack once I have even a little taste of something. You are much stronger!


Phins, don't you just love water aerobics? I think it is so much fun! I hate super warm water, especially since it warms up a lot as you work out, but getting in cold at first is a shock, isn't it? Hope your back feels better soon! I loved what you wrote here: So true! You can do this girl...you are already in the right direction...just keep heading that way, full sail ahead!

Amy, I love your boy stories too! I think it's great that you say no...I still believe that a guy that's worth waiting for won't mind waiting. My guy did, and it was worth the wait! (did I say that out loud? ) I know you'll get that exercising done...just keep at it, okay? I know what you mean about your abs...but they are the easiest muscle to strengthen...they'll come around.

Me:
Well, I gained a pound this morning. I think it's because I ate dinner around 9:30 last night. Couldn't be helped, as I had class until 9:10. Hopefully I'll see some reduction after today (day 3 of Phase 1, and lots of exercise). It's only 12 and I'm out of water. Not going home until 1, so I'm going to be plenty thirsty by then...

Wrapped a bunch of stuff last night to send out...gift for my mother-in-law, baby gifts for my aunt-in-law's newest, little treats for my grandmother, and sending a bunch of bras I can't wear anymore to my mom. I'll need to run by the post office at lunch to mail them.

Weather is cold here, but as long as it doesn't hail, I'm okay (can you tell that my expectations have been lowered? ). I have balance ball class tonight and I did 20 minutes on the elliptical this morning.

Have a great day, chickies!!!

Good morning/afternoon. I am starting my "vacation" away from work - hurray! My boss is angry with me because I am taking time off & I make her look bad, but really that's not hard to do. DBF & I went to Trader Joes this morning before he went to work. It was ok...I couldn't find the lettuce wraps, I did find nuts, EVOO, sweet potatoe chips and that lotion you were talking about Laurie - love that stuff. DBF was not very patience, I wanted to smack him with a wet noodle. He did find some vitamins so that kept him busy for a while.
I went to work with DBF for about a hour. I played the new Sopranos pinball machine for about a hour. DBF beat me terribly - ugh! But it was fun, especially if you're a fan of the show. DBF has decided to look at bikes for us....oh goody excercise, I'm thrilled!
Laurie - you're very busy this morning...sending out bras huh? So now it's Laurie's secret? bad joke!
Anchor - great job staying motivated...pass some my way!
Phins - cold water....hmmm no way, sorry! doesn't sound like fun to me!
Barb - congrats on the lost pounds!
Ellis - feel better soon!!
Hottie - welcome back!
Sassy - good job on the 2lbs!! woohoo!
Bamie - feel better soon!!!
Ruth - maybe your weather is like mine....it started out cold, but now it's warming up!!
Well ladies, I have some cleaning & packing to do. I have to find some cute pj's for mom for mother's day. I won't be here for a few days, so ladies have a great week, for the moms/grandmothers....have a wonderful mother's day!!

Good morning!

What a crappy way to start the morning....I woke up with the worst sore throat! I thought about sleeping for another hour but decided to get up and get through my exercise. I started getting that hot/cold feeling throughout the exercise and didn't think I was going to make it but I did. Hopefully I sweated some of this nasty cold away!

Good news.....cabinets are in the kitchen!!! They just have to come back and put the mouldings on as well as a few minor adjustments! I'm so happy with the cabinets and the color is awesome! We even got as far as hanging our microwave back up last night!

DH was not very nice last night....he came home with fish and chips which he knows I love! I was good and didn't eat it. I had a nice grilled chicken breast and green beans.

I've got to get going for the moment because my phone is ringing off the hook!

Wow y'all are busy this mornin! I took a nap but still feel like crap! My doc is not in on Wed. and I don't care for the other guy. Besides I prefer shots and I would not want anything to get in the way of the knee scop tomorrow med wise. Maybe I should go work in the yard or something and get some fresh air. There are a lot of weeds that need to be pulled and some I need to get DH out there to spray.

Phins... I am in the process of looking for a new mattress myself. Sam's has what looks to be a real nice Serta with the memory foam but it is in the plastic standing up! I have tried to find a store with that one in it to try it out but so far no luck! It is only 532 dollars. Top only I think the box springs is like 100 more if that much. Good luck!

Well I better get off here and start chug n' down some H2O! lol

beachgal
thanks for the word of encouragement...I do love water aerobics!!
and my back is already feeling better! I stretched with my balance ball and then went for a 30 min walk at a track alongside the river, and my back feels tons better!
Keep up the good work, don't fret 1 lb!! you right it probably was just from eating late!

soon2Bfab
I say cold water it's in a southern accent!! It's actually most likely warmer than water up there in the middle of summer! Cold to me is if the temperature is below 65 deg outside!!!
After jumping in and facing the initial shock it actually feels incredible!
and I feel soooo invigorated afterwards!

kissyjoy
curses on the DH for bringing home FISH AND CHIPS!!
praises on you for resisting!!!!!!!

anchor_weight
"You Can DO eet" rob snieder(sp?)

Goodmorning! I am definitely having a late start to the morning.. I was up early, just didn't come online as quickly as normal. I made myself a healthy breakfast, took my multi vitamin, and my fish oil pill.. and I guess I hadn't eaten enough, because the multivitamin makes me wanna barf! So I'm drinking some peppermint tea in hopes of not actually losing my breakfast. icky!

ellis - I think the west coast diet could work... it's not all that healthy, but it could work. The fruit would be the fibre, and the coffee, well that would just be for pleasure. My coffee has milk in it.. 1% of course.. so I guess there is some dairy. Alrighty, I am putting too much thought into this... heh

Tara - it's definitely important to get your children's self esteem up. My mom pulled me out of school in grade 2 to try and help me with that, I didn't go back to school until grade 8, and was able to develop a sense of myself. I never ended up giving into any peer pressure, never smoked, drank (until I was legal), and didn't touch any drugs. I think it's such a powerful thing to be a parent.. one day I hope to be mature enough to handle it.

Sassygal - I get that same thing in the summer... I find I end up living off of BBQ chicken breasts and greek salad.. it feels light, and summery. I love the summer, I really hope we can get a BBQ this year, although we might be moving in July-August. The bf is in the process of moving up with his work, which means we have to move. I'd think it would be interesting to move to Vancouver island.. right by the ocean.. I'm a water baby.. can you tell?

Bambiegurl - feel better soon.. I'm SO horrible at being sick.. hehe.. very whiney!

PHinsUP - the fitness tests sound kinda interesting.. I've never done one before.. but am curious to see what I'd end up with. I know I'm pretty flexible for a person of my size.. when I stand with my feet shoulder width apart and bend at the waist and hang down, I can sometimes get my elbows to touch the floor. I say it's from years and years of gymnatics. With a nice looking, well built trainer using those calipers on me? I'd be having a heart attack.. lol.

Alright, so the tea is making me feel a little better.. but it's COLD here! So I'm going to go have a really hot shower, and then do the dreaded bathingsuit shopping. The only reason I'm daring to go is because my friend is going to get me the suit at 50% off, I think they might be really cute. She promised me that when I shrink before my vacation she'll take it in for me. (I had to go back and change the "if" to a "when", gotta be positive!!). And Ihave to go call the phone company... again. This is day 2 of waiting for them to get here. It's SO aggrivating! I've taken a day off of work, and they don't bother to call? grrRRrrRRR!! I am off, have a good ON PLAN day And drink that water!

-Aimee