Good morning everyone,
happy holidays to everyone :hug:
I've been too busy with my new job hardly had the time to look at the page. I've been slacking off on exercise, Its been almost a week since I've been to the gym :(
I'm hoping to catch up today, I've been loosing about a pound a week for the past 3 weeks, I really want to keep that steady going and hopfully by end of Feb/ Mid March I'll hit 199 :D

Merry, Merry, Merry,Merry, Merry.......
Happiness and Peace reigns in this house lately. Wishing you the same!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice morning so far. Kids slept in, Hubby snuggled with me, the damn kitten climbed up my back(OUCH). All is well and normal. I actually sat and watched a whole cheesie chirstmas movie last night and didn’t pop up every commercial to clean or do dishes etc. All I asked for Chrsitmas from my family was to keep the house tidy. They are trying hard.
I have some backordered Avon to deliver today and then some goodies to make for my Sisters tomorrow, a bit of wrapping,a bit of cleaning................ maybe some relaxing!!!!!!!

Blessing to the 3fc goddesses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi,
I've been missing all of you. I had another gain at the scales on Thursday night. I've got to get back to the Y this coming week!

I wish you all a Merry Christmas. I'll write more later.

Susie

Gooood morning ladies!

I'm reaaaally tired with this new job, by the time I get home I can hardly stand up, I head straight to bed and nap for 2 hours. I wake up all cranky and tired I don't feel like working out. I don't know what to do, I really need to workout!!. I've gotta find a way to stay energized after work, I probably need to change the food I eat in the morning or add some vitamin supplements. ugh, its soo frustrating!

Michele: We all overate during the holidays, but I'm sure its nothing the treadmill can't fix. You're almost there! 19 lbs to go :D

Susie: Sorry to hear about the gain, I'm sure it'll start coming back off once you go to the gym, good luck! :cheer:

:hug: to everyone!

Hi My name is toni and I would like to know what challenge are all of you doing now. I am 211 and my goal is 135 by the summer months. Can some one tell me how to put all the nice Icons you have on your post. The weight chart and all. Thanks tj:?:

OMG...I ate like a :ink: and laid around like a :moo:
But other than that I had a great christmas. Boy's and dh behaved theirselves.
We had such wonderful weather that we rode the bike to our friends yesterday afternoon.
I'm so afraid to weigh, so I won't. My wi date for curves is 1/7 so maybe by then I'll at least be back where I was...LOL.
I have the first of 3 loads of laundry going. And I don't even wash the boy's clothes. I'm going to call curves and see if they are open today. If not I'm going to get out a watp dvd. I feel like a sloth.

Toni: :welcome3: Glad to have you. To get the weight tracker you can go to the user cp at the top of the page and go to signature and follow the instructions. You are so close to onderland...

Today is the first day.........
you know the cliche.
I am really thinking about my focus.
Lots of other thoughts too. The kids and hubby slept in til 7:45. I lounged in bed.ahhhhhh.I love listening to the sounds of their activities.
Christmas was beautiful in every way.

On the Eve we stayed home and puttered about. I whipped up a delish candle light dinner of a mountain of shrimp and chinese side dishes, wine, pop in wine glasses for the kids in the diningroom.The kids were sweet and excited. We kept checking the Norad site to follow Santa. We watched Franklin’s Christmas and they went to bed at 8. Hubby and I had a cocktail. At 9 when we were sure the little angels were asleep we pulled out all the prezzies and wrapped the rest and placed them under the tree. We have been watching a cheesie movie most evenings.He stayed up and watched Blazing Saddles.
The kids woke at 7:15 AM. I wish I had been quicker with the video camera to record their voices and exclaimations.
They skipped down the stairs and sat giggling in wonder!!!! Can we really open them! Is this for ME??
They LOVED every present. Hubby was surprised and the things I got him.He picked me up new oven mitts and tea towels. Very thoughtful. Mine are ragged and I always burn myself.
Sweet!!!
We had some scrambled eggs and toast and the kids ate chocolate treats. Bella dancerella has been well used. DD knows all the words to the songs already. DS has not taken his hat off and loves the little stuff like his monster truck.
Hubby hasn’t taken his hat off either.
I made peanut brittle and fudge to take to my Sis’s, we all had nice long baths....we had shrimp and veggies for lunch and headed out.
It was a nice time at my Sis’s. To quote Hubby, “That was almost tolerable.” LOL! My Mom was VERY excited but not wiggy. Dad was great. My BIL’s folks were there too and I enjoy them. My Aunt keeps talking to me like we are buddies but I really dont respond. I hate to ruin the happines of my memories with anything negative because it was sooooo wonderful BUT she disowned me , apparently for about 6 months. For me it is forever. I am still very hurt and angry by her 30 years of two facedness and lies. Anyhow, I did let it slide off and I ignored her.
We watched ,"A Christmas Story”. Hilarious. Kids played games. We had a sing a long at the piano. DD did a solo!! She is so brave and really quite talented for a little monkey. She belts the tunes out!! BIL’s Dad is a singer and told me we should offer her music lessons because she has an ear for music/talent.
We had a lovely turkey dinner. My Mom and Sister did all the work ,They have been together there for 3 days getting ready. The old me always wanted to be a part of it all, but I dont fit in ,so I just sat back and visited with my Dad and Grandma and played with the kids. They all drank a lot .I didn’t. We watched video of my kids Christmas concert and then we left. We were home by 8. The kids played a bit with new stuff. DD and I put on our new matching kitten pajamas.DS put on his new goalie pajamas and off to bed. Hubby and I had a drink and relaxed. I dozed off and then went up to bed. Oh, Happy sigh.

Today feels like a new and refreshing start. I will be mindful of my food intake and exercise. I will be careful of my work load. I will take pleasure in small every day miracles.

We can all do this. No waiting til New years. Start this minute!!!

Hello,
Well, the presents are all opened and put away. I spent some time last night cleaning up the extra bedroom; the one that had all the boxes, and wrapping paper and such in it. It felt good to get that all cleaned up.

I had intended to take the tree down but I didn't get around to it. It's ok, I'll get it down sometime this week.

I went through my closet and pulled out some things that I have been holding on to and are really too big for me. I needed to make room for my new things and I thought to myself that I didn't want those "big" clothes around...might be tempted to put them on when I have eaten to much.

We were visting my father-in-law today and he mentioned that my DH's sister is going in tomorrow for her tummy tuck. She had gastric bypass about a year ago. She lost 130 lbs and I am happy for her, but there is the twinge of jealously in me that I can't shake. I usually am very happy with what I have accomplished and what I'm going to continue to do to reach my goal, but I think sometimes about the skin I'll have on my body that I will have to deal with (I can't afford a tummy tuck and it's not covered under my insurance..and besides I don't really want another abdominal surgery...I've had 4 for health reasons!). I already have a bit of a "apron"...is there anything I can do to help that area while I'm losing my weight? I think that is where my jeasoulsy is coming from.

I feel so bad feeling this way. I know it's not nice....
I felt I need to express it though so it wouldn't eat at me and I wouldn't sooth it with food.

Thanks for letting me be real with my feelings...feedback (you can be honest, but please be kind!) is welcome.

Debbie, Holly, Jiggly, Michelle: I think we all feel like we overdid it but you know what...we can move on and down those numbers on the scales. I don't know about you, but I did much better this holiday than I have in past holidays and the fact that we are all getting back on track today is GREAT! We Can DO This...2006 is right around the corner and THIS is the year we get to ONEderland....I know we will...and we aren't waiting for the calendar to pick ouselfs up and get moving.

Toni: It's nice to have you here with us. I'm sure that you will be able to get your tracker started..just follow Debbie's direction on where to go to begin.
You asked what challenge we are doing. Right now we don't have a challenge as in a holiday or a new year or anything like that going on (ladies...should we start one to get us going again?), but we are all trying to get under 200. I hope to see you on the boards.



Susie
__________________

Hey everyone,
I feel so bloated. I don't plan to eat anything else today. I've only snacked but I thinks it's all the food from the last couple of day's catching up.
TOO MUCH SALT AND SUGAR.
I took a short walk today to a friends but it wasn't nearly enough.
I got all the decorations put away. I need to vac and dust and I'm call it a day. Except the clothes to fold, but I'll do that in front of the tv.
Toni asked about a challenge. I think I'll like to try to loose 20 lbs by Easter.
Do ya'll think that will be realistic? INPUT PLEASE

Aim for 1lb a week Debbie. How many weeks til Easter?
I will have to start fresh tomorrow again. Too many good molasses cookies. Did get lots of water in and some veg.
Resting a lot. Tidying has been minimal. Kids have been relaxed and free spirited.

Susie~ i am the queen of putting my thoughts and feeling out here and then letting them go. No matter how big or how small, they are YOUR feelings. I understand them. It is better than not acknowleging them. Then they will fester inside of you and cause alot worse than being overweight( in my opinion). I once had a very very thin pretty roommate who ate total junk all the time and sat on her *** in front of the tv a LOT. I ate healthy and worked out and was biggish and curvy. I resented her for being thin. Dumb but true.I had to talk myself out of negative feelings because I really did like her. We are all individuals on individual journeys. Some of us have parallels which helps the journey along.
Dont be hard on yourself.

Holly: If I counted right it is 16 weeks till Easter, I'm just going to round it to 15 lbs. I think that is doable. :carrot:

Evening Ladies!

Susie: :hug: I really needed that

I stepped on the scale this morning, thinking that there is no way I've lost anything this week. I didn't exercise and I really abused my flex points. But the scales love to dissapoint me and so I found that I lost! I've lost 2.5 lbs since my last weigh-in last week! Thats more that I'd usually loose in 2 weeks! I've hit my 5 pound milestone, I even have that little red star on my online journal :D yay meee :cheer:

Hi all! I am glad to hear that you all had enjoyable holidays. I know it can be stressfull with family parties! I did not gain after the BIG party at my Aunt's house on Sat. but I had my Parents and brothers and sisters here for Christmas day (very relaxed whew) and did not keep a good eye on what I was eating so I gained a pound, but I know I am much better off.

DH hwas home yesterday and he took us out for breakfast, then we went bowling. Then we went back to my parents and fixed my mom's computer. Dad made spagetti (whole wheat) then we went home and put the kiddies to bed. I know I gained hte weight because I did not get enough water in the last two days. So I am going to push the water today and see if I can make up for the gain. Have a great day Ladies! :cp:

Hello,
Wanted to get here and get a quick post in before the day got away from me.
I feel so much more in control now that Christmas is over. I think that I'll have a loss this week at my Thursday weighin.

I went to Pilates last night. I hadn't been there for 2 weeks...sure can tell it this morning!;)

Jiggly: Wow! You did great at the scales. Congrats on the red star! :carrot:

UPS: How did you do with the water?

Debbie: I have no doubt that you will make that 15 lb goal by Easter. I need to come up with one for myself.

I have decided to do a couple of things to motivate me. I would love to wear one of those little cute workout outfits that I see when I go into Finish Line and look at the Women's clothes. I know that some manufacutres make plus size workout clothes, but I've never seen any in the Nike Apperal and I love that line. I'm going to go by it, in a XL and work to get into it this year.

Does that sound crazy?

Well, time to get to work. Have a great day ladies.
Susie

Evening Ladies!

My day was okay, didn't slip up yet! I got one of my colleagues at work to take a look at the ww webbie, she's thinking of joining which would be great, at least I won't be the only crazy lady who refuses to eat those divine chocolate croissants they have at work.

I found out the oddest thing yesterday when trying out a shirt. I realized that one of my bat-wings is bigger than the other, my right upper arm fit perfectly into the shirt while it was too snug around my left one!. And it was really obvious, my sis actually pointed that out without me telling her..lol
I'm really getting sick of them, almost every other part of my upper body is slimmer and a bit toned except for my upper arms! ugh!

Susie: I think that’s a great way to motivate yourself! I personally have my eye on an amazing dress I'm hoping to fit into by Jan *fingers crossed*.

I hope everyone is doing well, keep it up ladies :hug:
emma

Evening everyone!

I just came across this site and think its great! I hope you don't mind me joining you?? I've been in my own little race to 199 now for years and thought that some good company might help!! :)

Hey everyone,
I had a fair day. I ate better for sure. I had points left over today...:carrot:
I hope I get my sugar beast under control. I knew I goofed when I made the 2 cheesecakes. I used a lowerfat recipe but I forgot I was going to use splenda for half the sweetener. OOPS!
I went to curves this am but she wasn't open and wouldn't be open in time for me to get to work.

Missy: :welcome3: We love all the company we can get. Just jump right in.
You'll find lot's of support here.


Emma: :bravo: Great job...losing during the holidays.
Is it really your arms or did they just not sew the shirt right?

Susie: :carrot: My friend gave me a size 20 black dress. I kept trying it on. At first I couldn't pull it over my hips, then I got it down and it was so tight I worried I'd bust a seam. Now I can wear it. So buy the workout suit and keep trying it on till it fits ;)

Holly: :hug: How are you, my busy friend? Destressing from the holidays...:dizzy:

Ups: Thats sure a cute pix of kiddo.

:grouphug:

Debster~ the holidays were stress free, the previous 5 months were not, LOL!!! I am still in holiday mode til Jan 9 when kidlets go back to school.
Welcome to the new chicks. Lets do this!!!!!

Better, not great.
I ate my 4 cups of veg but also had some gingerbread and peanut brittle. Today I will do better again; no sweets!!!
Nice day. Good hockey game .I took 4 kids and my Dad met us there.We had coupons for subway from the rink so I took everyone out for lunch. Kids were wound right up all aft but fun. I got tired and achey(pms and too much sugar). I watched a TV movie, DD played computer learning games , DS watched hockey, hubby slept on the couch. Good nights sleep. DD is still in bed.
6 kids today for parts of the day. DS has hockey at 2 but going with another family. Then he has a Bday party.
It is raining again, warmish,mild, un-wintery weather.Yuck.

Today I MUST: clean up the diningroom and put away Christmas stuff.
-do the darn dishes, hubby slept and didn’t do as promised
-eat 4 c veg
-do 5 rounds of Sun Salutation

Hello,
Tonight is my last weigh-in for 2005. I've worked hard all week to show a loss...I hope the scales show it. I know that I feel much better though since I've not filled up on sugar this week and I've worked out.

It's amazing how our bodies function better when we give it the proper fuel and take it for a spin!

Debbie: I'm going to go and buy it. I can't wait to fit into it...I know I will...keep reminding me of it and ask me about it will you please?

Missy: WELCOME. This is the greatest bunch of ladies I've ever met! They offer a lot of support.

Emma: Are you talking about your tricipes? Do you do exercises for them?

Holly: I took a look at your list. I need to clean up my dining room to and get the Christmas stuff put away as well. Did you eat your veggies and do the sun salutations?

I must get busy at work. Talk to you later.
Susie

:welcome2: Missy~This is a great bunch of ladies!!

Just a short note this AM I am not doing very well. I have not been feeling well and it has been messing with my sleep. IO have not exercised since b4 Christmas and I haven't eaten very well either. I know I will get motivated soon, but it has been hard to just get things done. I will try to do better today, but I am really looking forward to exercising soon! (My body Hurts :( )

Well, I have to go sigh papers for a new car.~our truck died on us this week. DH had the truck since before we started dating. I will miss it so much. See you all later

Thanks for the welcome! I'm really starting "fresh" AGAIN :( But I'm really motivated...which I wasn't before. I'm joining the gym and going to check out a TOPS meeting.

I'm not sure what I've gained over the holidays but I'm sure its something. 2006 WILL be the year of Change for me!

Yay, I madew it through the new car hassles today! After our mechanic checks it out we will be in the clear, and not have to buy again for a Little while(our other car is only 1yr old) Long day but did pretty well witht he food.

B-coffee
s-granola bar(190cal)
l-spinich and lettuce salad with crab meat
d-1/2 (4in) roast beef sub and diet coke(I don't do diets, so this was an accomplishment)

Catch you all later

I did EVERYTHING I planned to today AND relaxed and played with the kiddies!!!

I spent 2 hours today at Flylady.net really reading through the ideas and plans and I did set up a Cleaning Journal for myself. The also have a Body Clutter segment too but 1 thing at a time. The mess in my house has been the bane of my exixtance for several months.
I did mucho better with food today. For supper i whipped up a veggie sauce and WW pasta and told myself of we dont need a salad and then I told myself YES you DO!!!
Welcome Missy!!
HUGS UPS!!!
Well ,Susie was it a loss??

Are we going to do a 15 pounds lost by Easter Challenge?????? HUH??? I will give you permission to holler at me for being lazy!

Morning Ladies :)

Missy-Rose: Welcome aboard, we're always trying to help eachother here. Try not to give up and make this year your weight-loss year. You and people around you will start noticing the difference in the shape of your body and how your clothes fit soon. keep it up!!

Susie: I do exercise them, 3 times a week; I follow a dvd where they use weights in 3 different exercises concentrating on triceps.

Debbie: it is my arm, because the left one "looks" bigger :lol: I guess its beucase I use my right more.

Keep going ladies :cheer:

Good Luck to everyone today. I am staring out better today so hopefully everything else will fall in line.

Hey everyone,
I did fair again today. We were very busy at work so I did lots of walking.
B-oatmeal
L-lean gourmet meal, Mcd side salad
D-Mcd cobb salad w/lite Italian
S-100 cal bag of popcorn
I called curves and they will be open tomorrow. I haven't been in 2 weeks.
I can really feel it. I put in my WATP dvd and pooped out at a 1/2 mile.

Holly::?: Holler at you for what??? You do more in one day than I do in a week. Lazy... My foot...LOL.

Ups: After a while diet drinks will taste right and the others taste strange.

Missy: Stick with us and we'll all win this race. One baby step at a time.
Don't dwell on what you might have gained during the holidays. Just think about the now. You can do this.

Susie: It's a deal.
I was so amazed when I finally got in that dress. That was a real motivator. As silly as it sounds. It is a second hand dress but I liked it.

:newyear: :grouphug:

Good Morning!!! Happy Last day of 2005. I must say it has been a fabulous year for me and my family. As I drove to London yesterday( it was sunny and a beautiful clear blue sky) I cried softly remembering all of those close to us who had died. It started in Sept 2003, my cat Bonnie died and then my maternal Grandmother in October and then a series of beyond imagineable unrelated tragedies killed 3 of our friends and then a child died. I thought of each person and those they left behind. 2004 was an entire year defined by monumental grief and loss and endings. 2005 has been a year of renewal and redefining who we are, picking the few good pieces from the past and letting go of all the rubbish and then adding in the love and caring we have for each other and creating a family of strength and happiness. It has been a beautiful metamorphis.
So, now we are standing on a plateau with a vast future ahead and feel fully empowered to be completely fulfilled.Endless possibilites.

Wishing each of you and rich and blessed year.

Hello,
I wish everyone a Happy New Year! Isn't it exciting to think that we have a whole new 365 days ahead of us to reach our goals, live our dreams and write a new chapter in our lives?

I had a good weigh-in on Thursday, lost 2 lbs. I'm going to work very hard to have no gains from now to Easter. I would like to loose 8-10 lbs by then. In TOPS gains are written in red and my goal is to have a all black weight log when Easter come.

We are celebrating my husbands 50th birthday tonight with a dinner party for 16 people at a swanky resturant. I'm wearing a black velvet gown...I feel like Cinderella in it!
He is aware of the party but what he doesn't know is I have this person coming as the Grim Reaper! It's going to be great!

I'll talk to you all tomorrow.

Susie

:newyear: Everyone have a happy and safe New Year.
This is a time of reflections. In our last 2 years our lives have totally changed. We are still adjusting to our new lives. It's mostly been good. Dh lost a sister and brother in 05.

My wishes for all of you is that all your dreams and wishes come true, and you always have someone to share them with.
For me, my wish is that we all reach onderland in 06. My friends, thank ya'll for a wonderful year. :grouphug:

Susie: Your evening sounds lovely. I can't wait to hear about it.


We are leaving for a m/c ride at 11:45 and going to see the New year in that way. Going to be in before the crazies start driving.

Susie&Debbie~Happy New Year!!!!!!! Both of your plans sound fun!!!!! We are just relaxing at home and have some shrimp and wine to get into. People may stop by cause they know we are here. HUGS!!!!!!

All your plans sound so nice! DH and I are staying home this year. It is so nice to enjoy some quiet time together.

Happy New Year all!

Good morning Ladies,
Happy new year everyone! :hug:
Stayed home and watched the fireworks from the rooftop, it was chilly but amazing.
Its a new start, a year where we'll all hopefully adjust to a life that is healthier, reach our goals, and be happy and safe :D
I'm planning to achieve big this year, I hope everyone does :)

Susie: :cheer: for the loss!
Debbie: you're amazing, ditto what you said :D

We're going dune bashing in a couple of hours, and a barbecue lunch in the desert. I'll talk to ya'll when I get back. :)

Getting old really bites, Kids woke dh and I up and sent us to bed. I had been asleep on the couch and he was sleeping in a chair for about 1hr. Needless to say we slept the new year in and the m/c ride will have to wait til this afternoon...LOL

Racers Start Your Engines...........................look Out 199!!!!!!!!!

Holly: I'm ready.
LET'S DO IT!!!! :carrot:

Michelle: Great job on the treadmill. :tread:

I'm so proud of everyone who lost over the holidays.
My next wi is 1/7:crossed:

I've got to get my kitchen clean. Not sure what happened but I only cooked once today but I have every counter filled with dirty dishes.

Later chicks.

Hello,
I'm sitting here laughing out loud reading how most of you spent ringing in the new year! I'm laughing because I'm right there with you. I did make it past midnight but my new year's bashes are much calmer than they were 20 years ago!

The dinner party I had for my DH was great! The Grim Reaper was a huge hit. The whole resturant was peering at our group the whole night. The Reaper came in the resturant and had to be brought to the back where our group was. She had on the Robe, and I sign that said my RIP, John Chaney's Youth, 12-31-55. It was so funny. She had a cd player and it was playing the death march! My DH was totally blown away. We had such a nice time.

I had a good day food wise except for a little bit of nacho chips w/ cheese sauce. My workout partner and I have a date for the Y tomorrow; it's going to be good to get back into a routine.

It's getting late and I'm ready to head to bed. I'll check in with you all tomorrow.

Susie

What are my goals???
 

I have reached a place within myself of relative peace and wellbeing. So, my body needs to reflect that.
During this week off I have focussed on getting our home in shape and creating tasks for kids and hubby and practising them. HUbby works tomorrow. The kids are still off. I am babysitting Tues-Thurs. I have a short list of must do’s.( short for me anyhow). I am trying to decide how best to approach my physical wellness.
I did learn from Painter Woman that I do not “see” myself as any different. A first step will be to visualize the new me.
I will continue with the Flylady site and plan. It is working for me in many ways.
I copied an email from today. You really could apply it to any aspect of your life. About keeping all of our houses tidy, emotional, physical, mental and then the house we live in.

Dear Friends,

Here it is a brand new year with all the promise of a fresh start that
comes with it. At FlyLady we have learned that new beginnings can
happen any time we choose and it doesn’t take a new day, new week, new
month or even a new year to start over. That doesn’t change the fact
that we still love new beginnings and starting fresh.

And even though we don’t like New Year’s resolutions we still make
goals for ourselves. This is a healthy thing to do. The other night at
the bowling alley a dear friend ask me if there was anything I had not
done in my life that I really wanted to do. This was a very tough
question for me. I am a very happy person and I get to do every day
what God put me on this earth to do. There is not much better than
that! So I thought about it for about ten minutes and came up with
something that seemed very strange to my friend.

I told her I wanted to see a volcano, a glacier and the Grand Canyon
up close one day. That was all I could think of at the time. One day I
will see them but if my life were to end today; I would not feel sorry
for myself because I had not seen them. I have no regrets about
anything. Every decision I have made in my life has ended up being a
good one even if at the time it was not. I learned from my mistakes
and did not pine away my future by beating myself up over past
mistakes. None of us are perfect and the sooner we understand this and
quit punishing ourselves for this lack of perfection the better off we
will all be.

Perfectionism keeps us stuck in the past so we are unable to function
in the present. Let’s take that perfectionism bat your are beating
yourself up with on a daily basis and use it to hit home runs. Each
time you see perfectionism throwing you a curve ball; turn it around
and hit it back to where it belongs; Out of sight and out of mind!
Perfectionism is the Body Clutter we all have to face.

Last night we watched a movie; Batman Begins. Yesterday I told you all
to do the Body Clutter Mission in chapter 13. Batman and the mission
were both about facing our fears head on and using those fears to
propel us to a new level of understanding about ourselves and the
world around us.

Fear is the opposite of love! In fact I believe that it is worse than
hate. It is hate disguised as something else. When we uncover our
fears and bring them into the light of day; we are acknowledging that
we don’t have to be perfect and that our fears do not make us less
than. Fear of failure is nothing more than a lack of love for you and
your abilities.

I got excited about my New Year message to you and called my sister
Paddi to read it to her, I had gotten to the last sentence and she
said you have to hear what I am reading. Now let me tell you God is
working overtime! Talk about a God Breeze! Here is the email that she
was reading while I was writing.

Dear FlyLady,

I have subscribed to your website for several years now. I have
purchased most of your supplies and read the reminders, emails, etc.,
daily. I have actually shined my sink a few times but have never
progressed. Do you think I might have a serious problem with
procrastination?

However, as I was reading chapter 3 in the Body Clutter book, (you
guessed it, I have about 150 lbs of body clutter to lose) I had an
ah-ha moment. On the question regarding do you feel pretty; I realized
that my thinking is that if your weight is as out of control as mine,
there is nothing you could do to feel pretty. So I quit even trying.
But being overweight does not mean that I couldn’t find something to
wear that looks nicer than baggy slob clothes, it does not mean I
couldn’t polish my nails, actually use the tooth-whitening kit I
purchased in Sept. 05, I could apply all my make up and style my hair,
I could carry a nice purse. In conclusion, I had a false belief that
nothing would make me attractive if I had any weight on me. Talk about
self hate!

Also, I think you will find humor in this one. In chapter 4, excuses,
I realized that I am actually using the excuse that I must have some
unknown medical condition unknown to mankind (as well as my doctor’s)
that is causing my obesity. Never mind I am a RN and know better.

I hope this year is a better year for me, as my one and only
resolution is to love myself. I seem to be stuck with this problem and
I think it is keeping me from following your program.

Thanks for all you do,
figuring thinks out in GA

FlyLady here again: Now I can’t stop crying. She is not the only one
who is stuck! This is why we are going back to basics. Last year we
took one habit a month and practiced that habit till it became
automatic. This year we are going to continue doing the same thing,
but we are going to build upon that habit with a FLY-1-2-3 Step Dance.

Our minds love repetition. It frees us up to not have to think we can
just do! So let’s think of our routines as this FLY Dance. 1-2-3 and a
1-2-3!

Let’s begin with our Before Bed Routine. Here is how we can condition
ourselves to think about things.

Before Bed Routine:

1. House- 1-Shine Sink, 2-Pick up-Put away Hot Spots, 3-Run Dishwasher

2. Tomorrow- 1-Check Calendar, 2- Lay Out Clothes, 3- Put items to
take with you on your launch pad!

3. ME- 1- Get ready for bed- wash face, floss teeth, brush hair, 2-
Reflect on your day(Go ME!),celebrate and be thankful, 3- Go to bed at
a decent hour.

Are you beginning to see how this can help us to do our FLY Dance in
Three babysteps? It is as easy as 1-2-3!

Now for the Morning Routine!

1. Rise and Shine- 1- Make bed, 2- Get dressed; shower, face & hair,
clothes and shoes, 3-Swish and Swipe the bathroom.
(http://flylady.net/pages/FLYFaq.asp#swish

2. Today – 1-Check Calendar, 2-What’s for Dinner, 3- Where is my Laundry

3. ME- 1- Eat and Drink water, 2-Take medication, 3-Take a break for
your morning meditation.

Is it beginning to make some fun sense? Or shall I say FLY Sense! We
are going to dance through our day with a 3 step routine of 1-2-3!
When you find our website you have usually been searching for magic
way to get your home in order. There are no magic pills to any of
this. If we can make it fun; it will all get done. We are going to
find ourselves dancing through our day to the beat of FLY drummer.

The funny part about all of this is you did not ever dream that taking
care of yourself had anything to do with your home. Well it seems that
you are the foundation to your home. When you feel good and are happy
the rest of the house follows your lead. Imagine that! You set the
tone for your home. If you are fussy the family will be fussy! If you
are relaxed this will trickle down to the family too! If you are
loving yourself you are setting the example for your children to live by.

Taking care of yourself so you can take care of the world will change
your life and the lives of generations to follow. Because Finally
Loving Yourself is all about your self-esteem! You can’t teach what
you don’t know. If you want more love in your life; you must start by
loving yourself and that cup will overflow with love for others and it
will come back to you. We get to plant the seed and it will take root
in everything around us. We will be the shining sink of our homes and
because of this unconditional love we have for ourselves, it will
beget that love in our children. This may actually be the key to
solving many of the problems of society.

I have said many times that if I can teach you to FLY (Finally Love
Yourself); then your home will come together and the clutter and CHAOS
will leave! I don’t know what it is that God has in store for you, but
I do know that it will be made clear to you if you will only open your
heart to the love that you deserve and it comes from yourself. Think
of it in threes; God loves you unconditionally, You love yourself and
that love continues to bless the world through the people you touch
with your life!

There is no greater gift to the world than taking the love God gives
and loving yourself so that you can fully love others! It is as simple
as 1-2-3!

In this brand New Year let’s let’s take our mottos from the previous
years and put them into practice.

Be nice to me in 2003
Less is more in 2004
FLY to Thrive in 2005

and for this New Year’s Motto;

Simple Routines are the trick in 2006.

I chose this motto because I do not want you to make your routine so
big that they are not doable and you allow your prefectionism to cause
you do nothing. Keep them simple and they will be easy for you.

The word trick can be fun! In the dictionary I found a meaning that
seems to fit my idea. #5 A special skill; a knack: Is there a trick to
getting this window to stay up? I want you to find that loving
yourself by using simple routines is a special skill that can change
your world. It is just this easy! By doing simple routines to relieve
the pressure we put on ourselves; we are FLYing!

Don’t wait another day! You can do this. I am also getting back to
basics too by grabbing a pad of Post-It notes and putting them along
the dance steps of my day. Think of them as the foot prints on the
floor to learning a new dance. I am posting them on my bathroom mirror
and on the window above my coffee pot. One color for my morning
routine and another color for my before bed routine. This is exactly
how I started building my habits in 1999. It worked for me and it can
be the trick for you too!

Let’s have some fun in the new year! Get out your calendars and every
night celebrate by giving yourself a sticker for doing your Simple
Routines each morning and evening!

Are you ready to FLY?

FlyLady