I'm MIA again. Sorry. I haven't gotten home before 8:00 any night this week. Monday was the endocrinologist appointment: she wants me to see a nutrionist. Insurance doesn't typically cover it. The ones up here want $250+ for a first appointment. The one she's going to refer me to down there is like $150. So, another drive to Northern Virginia. What is it with insurance companies? Why list nutrionists on the plan if you're not going to cover it... or better yet, tell me HOW to get one...????
No surgery. At all. Based on what I told my endocrinologist, who is really a reproductive endocrinologist, and a GYN specialist, she doesn't think the gallbladder surgery is a good idea. She's also a surgeon, so she clearly understood the issues. The surgeons I've seen don't want to do gallbladder surgery because the endocscopy and ultrasounds I've had done were negative. They show no gallbladder disease. Why remove something that isn't bad? The only symptoms I have are nausea and vomiting, and the hida scan I had done in June showed a 12% ejection factor which means my gallbladder only works 1/3 of the time its supposed to. But the test isn't that accurate, I'm told, and there are other symptoms of gallbladder disease that I don't have.
Tuesday was just normal stuff... the gym is doing a "swim around Key West" thing, and I'm sort of unofficially expected to participate since I teach swimming. So I ponied up: I have 26 days to swim 9.9 miles. Of those 26 days, there are 6 that I won't even be in town, and all laps have to be swum at the gym's pool. So even though I'll swim when I go to Philadelphia (in the hotel pool), I can't use those laps.
And tonight was my monthly Red Cross meeting. I'm bushed, its 10:30, and I haven't even eaten dinner yet!
More later.

ok...so. thursday kristie died. tuesday vanessa's (she teaches at the old school with Kristie) son was killed in a motorcycle crash. wednesday a student(from my past) was in a rather serious housefire and was airlifted to a burn hospital. my throat and nose are making me insane. my neck has a "kink" in it and I can't turn my head to the left without serious pain. I feel like crap. my classroom kids are acting wild. my realkids are acting wild. my dh is acting not so DEAR.

tonight i ate Mac and cheese for dinner. i drank real coke.... medicinal of course...
and tomorrow i'm not watching the news or turning on my cell phone.

ya'll take care!
(((hugs)))
meeee

I wanted to post before I spend a 12 hour day at school. Robyn, I'm so sorry about all the sadness and grief surrounding you. Please feel a hug.

I HAVE LOST SEVEN (7) POUNDS IN THREE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!! YOWZA YOWZA YOWZA!!!

Summer-
great to hear from you.....I was starting to worry a bit, but this time of year is so busy. I wish I could send you a hug and take those pinched nerves away...... have you tried massage (as with a chiropractor or massage therapist) for that? Must be so painful.....and with such a busy schedule. And even with feeling like garbage you are getting workouts in! Good for you!!!!!!!! Lots and lots of luck on South Beach. I know only a wee bit about it.....but I think your strategy for Thanksgiving is fine. Just be sure not to overdo it- portion control and only eat those foods that you really think are worth going off plan for. You should come out of the holiday just fine that way.


Well, the stupid cat decided at 4 am to wake me up by jumping on the piano......guess she thought her lazy mama had slept way too long and it WAS time to feed her, right?
So, here I am flying on caffiene......did get my WW video in too. Busy day, payday- then Walmart and WW meeting.......then off for my afternoon monsters.....hope everyone is doing fine. Have a great day!
Ginny

Oh, Robyn.... Your turn for brownies. In fact, in between all the other stuff I have to do this weekend, I somehow have to find time to make brownies. I'll explain as I go along:
Friday: Off-Campus trip to the movies; I'm using some comp time to leave early. I'm feeling guilty about leaving at 11:30, so if I remember, I'm going to grab the slip from my supervisor and change it to 1:30.
Saturday: Thanksgiving Parade. Minimum of 5 students, 4 staff. And then we have to take one of the kids back to respite, because the respite person won't come pick her up after the parade. It may be a case of "can't", I'm not really sure. I know the respite person because that used to be her regular foster mom, and she was always very involved with her foster daughter's life. So I got another staff member to agree to go with me to drop her off.
Then, off to swim lessons, and I think a friend's houseparty is this Saturday.
Sunday: Swimming. Grocery shopping, brownie baking.
Monday: My TA is gone with the Young Marines. Its 2.5 days before Thanksgiving. We're watching a freaking movie.
Tuesday: I'm off campus with FIFTEEN STUDENTS to help set up for our parent hospital's major fund-raising event. Its called the Festival of Trees, and various groups donate pre-decorated trees, wreathes, gingerbread houses, and other sundry holiday paraphenalia that are then sold. Items are themed. Our school tree last year had dog houses hanging off it, dog and cat treats, bird treats, and came with a "pet starter kit" of food dish (hand painted by a student), leash, collar, etc. We didn't do one this year. I was volunteered to take the kids for set-up, and since the Development/PR department gets us money, I wasn't allowed to say no. They told me at 11:30 today that I was going.
Tuesday is also the day of our annual Thanksgiving luncheon. This is why I'm baking brownies. My TA is assigned to help with that, so we don't know who is covering our classes that day. I'm scared. Another good reason for a movie on Monday.
Wednesday: Only 2 classes, thank goodness, and a half day... my TA is again reassigned to either Young Marines or the clean-up from the Thanksgiving lunch.
Wednesday evening: Swimming, corral cat into carry case and drive to Lancaster.
Thursday morning: Stop my cat and my mother's kitten from killing each other while we eat our traditional lox, bagels and cream-cheese breakfast and watch the Macy's Day Parade.
Friday: Drive back to Baltimore with the cat, because I have to teach swimming Saturday!?
Sunday: Collapse!
Oh yea, and if that weren't enough: my father called me last night with the news that he was back in the hospital because he fell. You may remember that he is incredibly overweight. A stupid surgeon did knee replacement surgery on him in September. Can any of you tell me WHY I can't get a surgeon to touch me, but they'll operate on him without any issues? He has high blood pressure, type II diabetes, wound issues extremely overweight, possible cardiac issues, etc. Anyway, he fell at home on Monday, and had to call 911. They operated on his knee again yesterday, and he called me last night. I'm hoping they discharge him to a nursing home/rehab hospital.
I certainly can't go to Lancaster to take care of him. Actually, as bad as this sounds, I don't think I would go take care of him. He & I haven't really gotten along very well the last 15 years.

Oh man Mouse.......you are in it up to your eyeballs. Glad you got a chance to stop in and say hello. You are one busy lady. There is probably a part of you somewhere that cannot wait until Sunday......the one after Thanksgiving, cause at least then it is all over!!! Sorry about your dad- did he actually break anything? Hugs to you.....and maybe I should bake you some cyber brownies! Hang in there.

Gotta go......Dd might be getting a stomach bug.......better go do the dishes.....have a good nite.
Ginny

Ok, someone please explain to parents/guardians etc......who like to pick up their kids in their personal vehicles that traffic rules/traffic flow patterns etc....are NOT designed to make them happy, or even be convienient all the time. They are designed for the safety of the kids.......is that too much to ask!!!!!!! Had one chicken little who parked in such a way that she blocked my entrance into the designated bus pickup area...the numbskull would have had to back into oncoming automobile traffic to get out....she could not for all the tea in China, figure out why I might be upset- accused me of being inflexible. Perhaps Mrs Perfect wanted me to board my kids from where she obstructed my access- so that they could be runover by nut cases like her and the other traffic that was attempting to exit the school in a hurry, because it was, after all, Friday. Sorry for ranting and raving.....and without a schematic to show you how nasty this was it just sounds like I am a b****.
Is there a full moon or something? From the radio chatter on the bus, 2 other routes had their "reds run" by a car, we had one attempted abduction (golly, and I live in a rural town!). Thank goodness it is Friday!!!!!! And my luxury 65 passenger vehicle is locked up without me. (think they should lock me up and not the bus). My kids were pretty good, just all the other stuff that got to me today.
We made it to Friday, Kerry, Summer, Mouse, Robyn and Kim!!!! You mean we actually get 2 days off for good behavior??? For me, it is the beginning of set up for Thanksgiving- we will be feeding 12 here.
Sorry for being so flippant today.....it has been a long week.
Have a great weekend.
Ginny

Hi everyone,
Sorry I have been mia for the last week. It has been a long and rough one. My kids are driving me crazy. My ankle is better. It still hurts a little bit. But I haven't chanced it and went to Curves yet or did any of my walking videos. I will start back to working out on Monday. I am starting to stress out about going home next weekend for my grandma's 90th birthday party. This is the first time we have taken the kids on a major road trip. Even though it is only 4 hours to my parents, I am nervous of how they will handle the trip and then will they behave in front of all my family. Plus I have to get my van fixed before we go. So my dh's friend is going to fix it tomorrow and Sunday. So I am without a vechile for the weekend. Not a fun feeling. But I am not going to let myself get too stressed that I turn to food for comfort. Sorry to not get too personal tonight with anyone. I will check back tomorrow when I am not so tired and want to ripe people's heads off.
Take care,
Kerry

Well... The parade is tomorrow. Its supposed to RAIN! And a fellow staff member reminded me that I'd better leave earlier than I thought: I live, literally, 4 blocks from the start of the parade route. I've set my alarm for 6:10. Maybe I'll go out for breakfast. I don't need to be at the school until 8:00, but if I wait till 7:30, I might get caught by road closures? Ick.
My friend's party IS tomorrow, but I don't think he sent me directions or anything. I haven't checked my school email since I left this afternoon.
Ginny: I really don't understand people and what they do... I got honked at this afternoon because a lost driver asked for direcitons, and then eneded to make a right hand-turn. I let him go in front of me, and the 10-second delay between the light turning to green angered him. I'm sorry: there is veyr little in this world that would make me react in such a fashion.
My team-leader sent out a message to the whole high school yesterday about my winning this award from the Red Cross. A whole bunch of other Emergency Services volunteers got it too... So, and this is funny, one of the staff that was going to go with us to the parade found out she'd need to leave early so she was going to drive to the Red Cross on her own. So I gave her directions, and she says, "Wow! You must really go over there a lot to give directions that well!" ROFL! Uh, yea... I spend A LOT of time over there.

tomorrow is almost a mirror of last Saturday....
Boy Scouts(Service Project that begins at 7 a.m...)
and then a funeral...... ain't we got fun?!

will check in after .......

Well, aren't we all busy and overwhelmed...definitely time for a break. I wish it was a week, but I will take what I can get.

Mousie, you've got quite a schedule to deal with. I hope things with your dad improve.

Robyn, I'm so sorry that the black cloud hanging over your head hasn't moved on yet. But, it will eventually...and the sun will shine again.

Ginny, there are a lot of wackos on the road, and unfortunately they have children and like to drive them to school. At DD's school, there is NO PARKING in front of the building. At normal arrival/dismissal times we are basically expected to park on a side street and walk since the parking spots are taken up by staff. When we pick up from the after school program, there are available parking spots in front of the building to use, but obviously we may not park in the fire lane. Everybody does it anyway, and last year there were a couple of car accidents because there isn't room to back out of a legal space if someone is parked in the fire lane. Cops gave out tickets last year, and a memo was sent out this year telling people to comply with the rules. I park in the legal spots. But there is always some a**hole who thinks they are above the law who park in the fire lane. I've almost run over or hit a car a few times, and I'm the one abiding with the law. Nobody is doing anything to stop them. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At my school, a**holes constantly park where the buses are supposed to drop off kids. It is a daily battle. I know how you feel.

Kerry, try not to let the long drive worry you. Provide the kids with activities to keep them busy, and offer a reward for good behavior during the visit. Positive reinforcement (bribery) can be very powerful at home as well as in the classroom!

Hi Kim. Let us know how you are doing.

Today is errand day and cleaning day. Tomorrow I am hosting a Longaberger party. I only have 5 people coming, but they are all people I like, so it should be fun no matter what.

It is nice to be almost completely finished with parent/teacher conferences. I wasn't given enough time on the half days to fit everyone in, so now I'm using free periods and after school time to get it all done.

I'm on the School Leadership Team, and was put on ALL of the committees for the holidays...decorating, ornament making, planning the pageant, and planning the visit from our corporate sponsor who provides gifts and a Santa. I love the holidays, so if I'm going to be assigned a major project, this is at least a fun one for me to do. So, basically, I AM THE HOLIDAYS at my school.

I am still down 7 pounds. I have lost 2 inches off of my waist!

I love the South Beach Diet!!!

Have a great weekend!!!

Afternoon Ladies,
I am in a much better mood today. I got up this morning and was able to ride my excerise bike for 15 minutes and then used my gazelle for 15 minutes. So I was in a much better mood today and feel better. I went to a workshop today for TOPS. I bought a book there called The Choice is Yours, so I am hoping that it movitates me to start losing again.
Summer hope you can atleast try to enjoy the holidays. Knowing you, you and your friends will have a great time at your party tomorrow. Congrats on your weight loss and inches lost. Keep up the great work!!!
Ginny I hope your day is going better today. At my school people park in the fire lane and in the middle of the parking lot blocking people in. I got to the point were I back in my parking spots anymore so that I can get out. How did you do at your WW's meeting on Thursday? We are having my dh's family over for Thanksgiving. I don't plan on going out of my way to clean the house. Since they never seem to appreciate it. I will sweep the floor and dust but that is about it. I didn't want to have dinner at our house since we are going away the next day and have a big weekend planned. I wanted to be able to relax for a day because I knew the next three days are going to be busy. But no one seems to understand that in my dh's family. They don't know what all I have to do at school and think that I can just leave it at school and take care of my home responsibilites without a problem. Since they are allowed to do that with their jobs.
Mouse so how did the parade go today? Were you able to get directions to your friend's party? Sounds like you have a lot of stress in your life right now. Hugs to you. Hope your dad is feeling better. Don't let it get to you too much.
Robyn, I am soo sorry to hear that you have another funeral to attend. This black cloud that is hanging over you will lift soon. Then there will be lots of sunshine in your life again. Don't let it get you down. Keep your chin up!
Hi Kim. Hope all is going well with you. Please come back to chat with us soon.
Well I better go and get started on the laundry. Talk to you all later.
Take care,
Kerry

Sorry not to get personal- been one ofthose days. BTW- with regard to the bus incident, the moron was in a bus only area. Duh. Dd just got in a car accident, she is fine.....the car drivable but has a boo boo....she says it is her fault. And to top it off Dh got mouthy with me (he has been a crumb all day) so I bit his head off. Told him to shut up (he made fun of my salad for dinner.....told him that if he WANTS me to put back on the 30# I have kept off for over a year, then I can go ahead and eat like him). I never ever tell him off.......he deserved it......don't feel bad at all......ain't I a crumb. Thanks for letting me vent. Gotta go
Ginny

Way to go Ginny! Stand up for yourself! There was nothing wrong in what you said to your dh. Sorry to hear that your dd got in a car accident. Hope everything goes okay for you.
Check in with everyone later.
Kerry

Oh by the way, the real reason I came on to post was to tell everyone that I bought a pair of jeans and a sweater for my grandma's party next Saturday. The jeans are a size smaller than I current wear and they fit. Yeah! Now let's hope that I don't eat too much on Thanksgiving that they won't fit two days after Thanksgiving.