Howdy ladies!

Popping in for a quick hello. This may be a very quik one as my keyboard is acting up. I'm still weaning the carbs and it's been working. I finally mustered enough courage to get on the scale and it was not pretty. I got on about a week ago and I had gained 10 pounds (thank you birthday cake and stress!). I just about passed out when I saw that. I got on it this morning and I lost 2 pounds. I think it's mostly water weight but hey, I'll take a loss rather than a gain any day. The other thing that really has helped me is not eating late at night. If I get hungry, I just drink a glass of water. I may be fooling myself but hey, at least the scales are going to right direction. I spoke with my sister (the one that made the rude comment regarding my weight) and she is hounding me to do something about it. I told her I was weaning myself off the carbs and she made some comment ( I really didn't hear what she said cuz Nico was laughing at something then started to cry) and I had to hang up. I don't owe anyone any kind of explanation regarding my eating habits other than myself and my doctor. It ultimately is my choice and I have to live with it and its consequences. You ladies know how long I've been here and how hard I try. I didn't get fat overnight and I KNOW I'm not going to lose it overnight either. I want to be healthy for my baby and to prove to myself that I can do it.

I want to thank all of you for your support and encouragement. You have no idea how much it means to me!

CJ- You never know, we may meet one of these days!

Peggy- You go girl! I love your attitude towards your boss. I hate when people use their size to intimidate others.

Mindee- Glad to hear everything worked out with your husband's job. Sounds like your baby is a great eater. Mine was when he was eating baby food...now that's all out the window. I'm lucky if I can get him to sit long enough to eat. Since your baby likes the keyboard...try this link. It's for peekaboo Elmo. My baby LOVES this thing and he loves Elmo. Just have your baby hit any keyboard key and Elmo pops out and says "Peekaboo". It also includes Zoe and big bird. http://www.sesameworkshop.org/sesame...tentId=4203178

My keyboard is going crazy...I better sign off.

hugs to all of you!

Sylvia

Sylvia~ Thanks for the link. I have it saved in my favorites to show Brandon later. Right now he is spending sometime with daddy.

Well, not a lot to report here. Been busy with working at 2 different jobs all week, and doing some research into child support/custody. Want to make sure I have all my bases covered with that stuff since ex moved back to town.

Mindee: I am NYE_Bride on UW. And, glad to hear about your husband's job!

Peggy: Sounds like you have your hands full. I have worked at places like this. Always makes managements job harder when the boss acts like that.

~Almost labor day... Yay! Camping trip, 2 4 day weeks in a row! Yay!~

Cat~ I was just reading about your custody issues on the other site. I am sorry to hear what you are going through. I hope you can get things worked out soon.

Well, it was a rough night with Brandon last night. He finally fell asleep at about 10:30 or 10:45, and then was up a couple of times at night because he had sneezed and got boogers all over the place. Then he was up at about 4:45am to get fed. He ate, and then thought it was time to play. We finally both fell asleep on the couch at about 6am.

Other then that nothing really new. I have been bad and haven't been on my bike lately, but I can't seem to get myself back on my schedule since Tommy was off work. But now that he is back at work, I am going to have to readjust myself. I also think us watching the Olympics had a doing with that as well.

I haven't weighed myself since the day AF left town......so hopefully the next time I do weigh in, I will notice a change in the numbers!

Well, I have been pretty stressed out with job issues (one job is ending and another is beginning, but the new one isn't the position I wanted... grrr... haven't heard from them about the administrative position yet and they said they would tell me last week!) in addition to dealing with the ex.

I could give you all a summary on this... my ex moved away even before the divorce was final, but he wouldn't sign the divorce with child support in it. Well, after consulting a few professionals (not my lawyer... he sucked... I will use someone else if worst comes to worst) I found out that it doesn't matter what the papers say (joint custody - no support granted) because I have her full time and all I have to do is file a claim for child support after the divorce (and I REALLY wanted the divorce done for financial reasons regarding my credit). So, he has been gone for over 4 years... hasn't paid a dime in support, hasn't taken our daughter for any length of time unless I forced him to (I drop her off and pick her up as well) and even then it was maybe 3 or 4 weekends a YEAR. Well, now he is back in town - for a girl - and he is all of a sudden trying to turn things upside down. So, I am going in today and I am going to get the child support claim filed, and I am also filing to withhold visitation until he pays support... My goal isn't to get this money as I know he doesn't have it because he "can't find a job" and he is in college and "doesn't have much time to work" (yet, I have a college degree, teaching certificate, and teaching experience, and I got a job at a gas station when I needed a job... AND I worked over 30 hours a week during a almost maximum allowed credit year of college.) to get his parental rights relinquished due to failure to support his child in any way (physically, financially, or emotionally) and then after my fiance and I are married in December, he will adopt her.

So, there is the brunt of it... sorry to talk your ears off about it. Since he started stiring things up last week, I have eaten a ton of chocolate, and I actually got a zit! I never get them! Stressed out much??? lol! I have managed to maintain my weight, but I was soooo hoping for a loss... sigh.

Ok, time to get to social services and find a good family law lawyer! Good luck ladies!

Oh Cat...you poor soul. You are right. If you need to work, you do what you need to do to provide for the family. DH and I have always prescribed to the philosophy that, it doesn't matter what the job is, if it pays the bills it is never beneath us to work at it.

When DH was in university, he worked over 30 hours a week to keep bills paid. When we had financial trouble, he took university classes to give him an increase in pay at his full time job, and work part time in an automotive shop (about 20 hours a week). He was surviving on about 3 hours sleep and personal time everyday. BUT it needed to be done.

I think you are wise to push the visitation rights when he has not paid support. After all, he is the father and the separation does not absolve him from the responsibility of supporting his daughter. If he chooses not to contact her, that is a different matter. But making that choice does not give him the right to withhold support payments, regardless of the other choices of lifestyle that he makes. Dig your heals in - you deserve the consideration, and so does your daughter.

Take care.

Cat~ I hope you can get things done for the sake of your daughter! Let us know how things are going!

nothing new on this end to report. I am kind of mad at myself this week. I stepped on the scale the other day, and it told me I gained! But it has made me want to push to get myself back on track to loose this weight by exercising! Oh and I read in one of my newsletters that it is bad to work out before going to bed, which is what I was doing, so I have been getting to bed sooner, and waking up and doing it when i have time during the day.

Hi Mindee. Like you, I am also up a couple of pounds this week. It is soooo frustrating because I have been following the weight loss plan to the T. I did miss one day of exercise last week to take the summer student out for lunch and another day this week when I fogot my gym clothes at home, so that may account for it. However, I am not so sure that I should be gaining just because I am not exercising. I will need to monitor more closely, I guess.

It is really good to know about the exercise thing. At best, I have trouble getting into the exercise mindset and definitely don't want to use what I 'mentally' consider my personal time to exercise. I know that if I booked early morning (when it is my personal time to sleep or relax), or evenings (my personal time to review the day, or watch tv, or read, etc.), I will eventually abandon the exercise - mostly because I would resent doing it when I could be doing something enjoyable. I have always struggled with the mental aspect of exercise because I don't enjoy it in the least.

However, I am hoping that I have found the answer to the dilemma. DH and I used to work at the same company, so would always lunch together. However, DH moved on about a year and a half ago, so I don't have a lunch partner anymore. Consequently, lunch break time for me (in my mind), is an inconvenience to my day. I started using the time this summer to exercise - it not only makes the lunch hour go by quickly, but also gives me the satisfaction that I am accommodating the exercise without giving up something that I would rather be doing. I have been at it just about 3 months now, and have missed very few days. When the weather dips to -44C will be the true test, though. I am not working in one of the main buildings anymore, so have to go outside to get to the exercise facilities...I know that it will be a struggle when I have to get boots and coat on to walk across the alleyway.

Hope everyone has a great day...stay OP and let's get this weight off.

Peggy~ Thanks for the encouragement. Although right now I need encouragement in other ways.....issues with my hubby. But I won't get into that. I just need to keep my mind on other things and wait until he gets home tonight.....at 10pm! (He usually is home at the latest at 5pm.)

Thinking of you Mindee. Take care.

thanks peggy!