[justjodi]

good for you ellis!!! you got to be feeling it to look it (well at least that's what i think) sorry the kids are making you crazy, i'm in the same boat as soon as i get home from work they all have their bulletins to shoot at me and they continue well into the evening most days. as far as camping we have a trailer not a 40 foot one but we have all the essentials beds, tv, and a/c. honestly it is better than being at home.

[ellis]

Ah... Jodi, that sounds delightful. I'm glad you'll be comfortable. I hate to think of any of us lying on the ground on one of those wobbly air mattresses.

Laurie, the prize for verbosity today goes to me.

I'm about to share one of my deepest, darkest secrets with you. I like to read the tabloids.
Ruth thinks I'm a snob, and she's absolutely right. Until a few months ago, it was physically impossible for me to pick one of those mags up and place it on the conveyor belt.
During the past few years, my parents have been picking up the tabloids for their trips up to the cottage. It was a real shock to me when I discovered this. I'd get to the cottage, and there would be these magazines lying around LUSH with photographs and every kind of gossip imaginable. It took SECONDS to hook me on them. Seconds.
Well, a few months ago I thought, "This is ridiculous. Other reasonably intelligent people buy these things. Why shouldn't I?!" (did I also mention that I can't buy lottery tickets?)
So I started slipping the occasional tabloid in amongst my groceries. The first time I did it... no, that's a lie. The first several times I did it, I felt obliged to apologize, not only to the cashier, but to the person behind me. Ellis: "I'm just buying this for my Dad. He's in the hospital." Or, "I don't usually buy these things. They're really trashy, aren't they?"
So now I've pretty much reached the point where I can put it on the counter (face down, of course) without any exchange of words with the cashier. I mean, that's her job, right? Just to punch in my items and not comment on my mental abilities.
I'm still TERRIBLY embarrassed. I check out the line-ups before joining one, hoping that some science professor won't join the queue behind me. My shoulders tense up. My eyes are darting all over the place. And my face is pretty much beet-red.

So, I'm at the grocery store a couple of minutes ago. I'm very excited because I see that the latest Star is out. I quickly grab it, plus a copy of US and In Touch. (****, if you're gonna embarrass yourself, you may as well do it in one fell swoop instead of three times)
I cleverly conceal the magazines in a large tin tub I've picked up (ice/beer/garden?). No one can see those magazines but the cashier. Well, isn't one of the freakin' things on sale! 25 cents! The cashier is completely stymied. First she says to me, "Do you read these?" I give a light laugh, and say, "Oh, it's just a little bit of trash to cheer me up."
Then she holds the damned thing up so that every damned customer in the bloody store can see it, and starts calling all the way across the store for a price check! In the meantime, an incredibly intelligent and attractive looking man has joined the queue behind me.
That's it. Except that I almost waited outside the store so that I could explain to the man that while I don't normally buy these things, my father is dying of cancer, and while most often I would read a classic for some light entertainment, today I need a tabloid.
Fortunately I pulled myself together before he exited the store, and I slunk off down the street. With my trashy mags.

That's all. I'm going to read my tabloids. And I'm going to enjoy every trashy word.

[Ruthxxx]

That's it, ellis! You have blown it bigtime! I am going back to read my New Yorker, Harpers and Walrus and completely ignore you!

Hey, chickies, all the schoolwork was ready for me to pick up! A frassing miracle! Of course there will be a phone call from some poor teacher tonight who has just cleaned out his/her classroom and found a stack of kiddies' entries! I'll wait until next week to start the next step in the process just in case. It was a busy day and I have a meeting of the Fair Board tonight but I am amazed that it went so well. As well as the roadrunner stuff, I got some groceries (again!), got my haircut and booked a perm for later in July.

AND I STAYED OP! It's a miracle!

Have a fun evening except for chick on the beach who is already on her TGIF!

[beachgal]

Ack, I lost my message by trying to copy using a Mac...sheesh.

Anyways, LC, I LOVE your idea! We always make way too much for dinner, have a lovely guest room always available, and would love to have anyone over who wants to love up the dog and bunnies, eat the extra food, and keep the pesky neighboor kids from tearing the garden to shreds (by sitting in it with a book)! Kiko, you come too!

I'm glad you're making neat stuff for dinner, Kiko! I think making interesting things to eat that are worth looking forward to are the key to making this major eating lifestyle change! At least, that's true for me. That and eating a pickle/PB treat now and again. I wish you much joy in sneaking off to the beach with your DH! May the sand be soft and the night be lovely! I must say I'm envious, even with all the visitors in the house. But I hope to be at that point around this time next year...or sometime near that.

Ellis, I'm so glad that you had a nice time at lunch. I totally know how you feel! I bought $600 worth of new clothes at Lane Bryant (which are now, two months later, falling off of me) before going to our family reunion because I was so insecure about meeting up with my perfect cousin. She is skinny, gorgeous, fashionable, has a wonderful marriage to a doctor, tons of money, a beautiful child (the first great grandchild on either side), and such a seemingly idyllic life. Everything I would like to have...especially the baby. We went to the reunion, where I was reminded that my cousin is a terrific person, so sweet, kind, and caring, not mentioning a thing about my weight or even giving me a strange look. Her FIL was currently dying from Parkinson's, and her in laws were pissed about her and DH being at our reunion instead of at his bedside. Her DD fell and shattered her two front teeth two days before flying...she had to get them fixed and then persuade DD to only eat soft food during the vacation. She had a lot on her plate that I did not know about. I felt like this... *sigh* I definitely get how you feel.

I'm glad you are having a "yay for me" day, Ellis! Though I agree with Jodi, still there are just days when you wake up and you look so fantastic, regardless of your mood...those are special days. : Still, since I started SBD, I find that I actually look in the mirror *gasp* AND like what I see! I hope that as you become more and more OP, you'll feel this way more often, Ellis! I am certain that you *are* that beautiful!

Sorry the kids are making you crazy! They aren't supposed to start bothering you until they get bored...sometime next week. Here's hoping that they realize, and soon, that Mommy has a life and it does not center around entertaining them 24/7. (no, I'm not that harsh, but I believe in bounderies and in peace and quiet. )

Jenn, I know you can do this! (BTW, how was that carb karma ice cream? It seems like more and more SBDers are eating low carb ice cream...I must resist the dark side.... ) Don't use going away as an excuse to eat off plan...instead, use it as a challenge to stay as OP as you can!!! I'm sending some extra mojo your way. I won't need it until the sugar hangover leaves me! Have a good, and safe, trip!

Jodi, your poor kidlet! What a trooper to have that cast on for five weeks! Good thing it is off just in time to jump in the pool! You do make that candy bar sound good...but I'm still leary of all that grease. Maybe a slightly microwaved candy bar would be better. Hmmm... The camping sound delicious! I love camping, but the darn bugs love me, so I can't do it in this area. We did camp in CT by the beach a couple years ago, and that was awesome!