I don't think you needed to apologize, Ginny. We all have our moments (how often have you all watched me call the people I work for everything short of... ) don't we?
I've done a lot already today: I bought italian and breakfast turkey sausage at Giant, fresh made. So I boiled ALL of it. I don't like the skins, and I prefer it boiled to any other cooked style. I figured this way I can put it in sandwich bags and in the freezer for quick dinners. The Italian isn't really strongly flavored, nor is the breakfast, so you can eat either at any time. Plus, taking the skins off lets the fat out when its boiled.
I also made breakfast, washed a load of dishes, remade the bed. I need to put away the laundry I hung to dry, still... and go to Target. I want to try to get to the gym early enough to lift weights and swim. I won't be able to go to the gym Wednesday or Thursday (though, I dont' think its going to matter since I'm going to be CANOEING!!!), and I'll probably be too tired, muddy and just flat out exhausted on Friday.
Though, my plan right now is that if I entice myself to the gym, even if its just to do some running in the therapy pool, that I can go to Fuddruckers for dinner. I can get my ostrich burger without the bun, and bring it home to have with a nice salad. I'll also have to go to WholeFoods because all my veggies will be gone by then.
We'll see what happens! I need to remember the camp pad, a pair of jellies (I can't wear flip flops because of my ankle, and don't want to wear my good sneakers or even my gym shoes in the lake), and a net bag of some type for putting my shampoo and stuff in. Oh, yea... and one of those pill containers so I don't have to take all my bottles with me.

HI Ladies,
Just a quick note to say hi! Guess how we spent my birthday today? We just had to go to the sporting goods store for new bats and batting gloves. Of all days today. But I did make sure that I got a shirt from my dh while we were there. Then we went to Captain D's for lunch. I was hoping for a more semi-casual kind of place for lunch, but this was close to the sporting goods store. I got broiled fish, broccoli, grilled vegetables and a side salad. So after softball practice for my sdd, I am hoping my dh will take me out for ice cream at this really yummy ice cream parlor. If not, I will just go myself. He has a meeting for the recreation board, so I have to sit through my sdd's softball practice. I wanted so bad to call her mom and tell her she had to do it. But I knew she would be witchy about it. So I will just go sit outside and read a book for an hour or so. I plan on watching the movie Shall We Dance? tonight after the kids leave to go home with their mommy. Other than that not a whole lot going on here. I did ask my dh and the kids what is it going to be next year on my birthday that they just have to have. They all thought I was joking and laughed me off. But I was very serious. I don't mind buying them stuff, just not on my birthday.Well I better go and get ready to go to softball practice. Talk to you all later.
I did get to go for a 2 mile walk this morning around town with my sdd. She is so sweet to walk with me. She has been losing weight too. She lost 6 1/4 pounds in a month.
Take care,
Kerry

I got a new Jazzercise DVD in the mail yesterday. I tried it out today. I'm afraid I will be in a lot of pain tomorrow since my calves were burning during the workout. I tried to stretch afterward. Hopefully I won't be waking up with charleyhorses tonite! Meanwhile, I only did half of the workout before being completely wiped out. I am soooooo out of shape. I guess riding a recumbent bike and lifting weights can't compare to an aerobics dance routine. I can't wait for the day I can do it without feeling like I'm gonna die!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KERRY!!! Don't let the turkeys get you down. Do something just for yourself. I've learned that if I rely on DH to make me happy, I'd be sh*t out of luck. Luckily I have a lovely DD who in her 7 year old mind tries to make me feel special. Thank God for her.

Mouse: I'm so happy that your new diet is working so well for you!!! Ditto everything Ginny wrote.

I have a question for everyone: How do you handle the parties at school? We have lots of them. There is always cake plus other sinful things. Sometimes I can be strong, and other times I give in. My kitchen at home is cookie/cake/candy free. But when I go to school, the temptations are overwhelming. HELP!!!

Pam: Congrats on eating so well and doing it with your DH. My DH supports one minute and sabotages the next...then criticizes my failures.

I'd better get busy with my lesson plans. We have 25 more days of school by the way.

At the risk of sounding anti-social, Summer, one way I handle it is to just not go. My school is getting WAY better about healthy stuff though. 2 weeks ago, they bought ice cream for the staff during Teacher Appreciation week, and they had fruit bars for the lactose intolerant, and also TCBY Sorbet/Fat-Free Yogurt bars for those of us with other issues (I have the whole milk fat thing, plus the chocolate allergy!). Othertimes, I'll bake something myself and bring it. I'm a pretty decent plain cook, and everybody likes my brownies. I'll have to experiment with my recipe though, becuase right now I can't even eat those as modified as I make them. I can't see myself using the low-carb mix, but I may have to... I don't usually use a mix at all! :grump: Its flour, cocoa, egg whites, water, no-fat plain yogurt. Then I add mint extract to one batch, and peanut-butter chips to the other.
However, I got to swim tonight: 3/4 of a mile, and then we had lessons. Ineed to go eat dinner. Later!

Hi everyone,
My birthday finally ended on a happy note. I told my dh that I wanted to go out for ice cream for dinner. So he took me to the ice cream palor and ordered me a large sundae with chocolate syrup, marshmallow creme, and fresh grouned peanuts. It was very yummy! Then we went home and watched the first hour of Shall We Dance. We are going to finish it tonight when we get home from work and ball practice. Thank you for all your birthday wishes and encouraging words.
Summer, I end up either taking my own healthy snack with me, eating just a little bit to be social or just not attending so I wouldn't be tempted to go hog wild and eat everything in sight. Hope that helps somewhat. Most everyone I work with is trying to watch their diets and they try to have healthy foods for us to eat.
Mouse sounds like your new diet is working well for you. Glad to hear that you haven't gotten sick since Thursday morning. I hope things keep going well with you. So when are you going camping with your school?
Pam, so you only have 7 days left to go? I have 9 more days, 8 with my kids and 1 a teacher workday. I am looking forward to having time off,even though I have to take classes this summer to become Highly Qualified to teach my Special Ed. students. But I figure it shouldn't be that hard. So what is the status of your son's job searching?
Ginny, hope you had a nice weekend, even though your life is a little hetic right now. I will keep saying my prayers for your dm. Have you been able to get in any walking?
Robyn and Pasiley hope all is well with you. Did you have a wonderful weekend?
Well I better go and get my kids to there next activity. I have to work another 1 1/2 hours and than off to Curves I go. I only have 3 more days of working the afterschool program for this year. I am hoping to find some other way to make a few extra dollars to help pay off some bills without having to stay afterschool and work long hours.
Take care,
Kerry

:nod: Kerry, taking or making your own stuff works too. I'm going to be doing that a lot. We had a working lunch today, and so I sat there with my tuna fish and cottage cheese. People were more surprised to see me eating than to see WHAT I was eating!
We leave for camping on Wednesday morning and come back Friday afternoon. I think I have everything I need except the flashlight. Somehow, I did a mind-blank yesterday at Target and forgot flip flops (for the nasty shower the kids have warned me about). I couldn't find the bugspray yesterday, but found it today... over in Automotive of all the strange places! And then drew a blank again because I forgot the flashlight!
I still need to pack, too. :sigh: The gym won out today, I'm afraid... since its been so long, its felt really good to swim these last 3 nights. I lost some of my endurance... 45 minutes just about wipes me out... but I didn't lose any speed.
I have to give the one district my decision tomorrow, and I haven't heard from their educational director. However, it may be a moot point: the HR department wants to meet with me again over my "allegation of the school being a hostile workplace". Geez... you guys have read what I've posted. Of course, its only my side, but do you think I could make it all up?
Depending on what he says, it will make me more likely to bail.

Mouse & Ginny: I appreciate your advice...however, it is not a matter of attending or not attending. The food is in my room. The parents bring in cupcakes, candy, and other crap for all the birthdays and holidays. When I try to put limits on what they send in, they still send in whatever they want in large amounts. They are loving the class with food. I need a way to deal with learning how to tell myself and others, "NO!" when my favorite treats in the world are dangled right at my face. This really and truly is a matter of WILLPOWER which I've never had much of. I make sure my kitchen at home has NO TEMPTATIONS. I know how to stay out of the teachers' lounge. I just have trouble saying, "No" when the food is in my room. Tomorrow I am hosting a parent breakfast for them to fill out parent surveys. That is the next temptation on my list. Many more to come. HELP!!!

I just returned home from an exhausting field trip to the zoo with my DD's class. Yeesh!!! Her class is filled with nuckleheads, and her teacher is clueless on how to discipline them. They can't even walk in a line. My group of six was kept on a VERY SHORT LEASH, but it wore me out. I'm gonna chill out for an hour then head out to grocery shop all by myself. PEACE.

This is the last post until Saturday (maybe Friday) for this mouse. We leave for the camping trip tomorrow morning. At least there are some good people that I like in staff going along.
Today was just an awful day with my 4th period boys. They were absolutely OFF THE CHAIN! It was utterly ridiculous. We went to the computer lab, and I will NEVER NEVER take them there again. They will do the info tech unit information in worksheets and textbooks. What a damn shame.
And although I was told repeatedly by my TA that I was not in trouble, I still keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, that somehow I'll get in trouble for this. That, coupled with the HR guy first thing this morning is enough to make anyone crazy. At least I don't have to include nausea in this mess.
I absolutely CANNOT decide if I should go or if I should stay. I don't really want to leave, but I feel like I'm in a completely untenable position. I'm still very confused. I love the things I can do for the kids. I know I can't do a lot of what I do now in a public school: I've tried. Transportation is always a huge issue for community activities, especially weekends or after school. The kinds of kids I teach rarely have parents that have the ability to transport. And there is definitely nothing like comp time to reward me for going above and beyond. The public schools do pay more, for less months. If I went to one of the Nothern VA school,s I wouldn't have to work during the summer unless I want to... I'd probably want to do something out of sheer boredom, but it wouldn't be necessary.
And I really like the kids, except for that 4th period class. I even like them, despite their behavior, but I sure am glad when the bell rings.
By the time I come back from the camping trip, I expect to be heartily sick of tuna fish. I got the menu from one of the head guys... tomorrow is bag lunch from the cafeteria, and spaghetti with meat sauce for dinner. I did pack my own lunch, so I've got that. I'll be having tuna for dinner. I can do breakfast on Thursday, since they'll have eggs. I'll be having tuna for lunch, becuase I doubt the cold cut sandwiches will be anything I can eat. Dinner is okay, providing I can get a burger off the bun. Friday I'll be having tuna for breakfast and lunch.
I have packed my tuna, some canned olives, my ginger ale and my water (since plain water is one of the things that triggers the nausea. It makes sense ot my doctors but not to me!). I'm hoping for some type of fruit I can eat....
Wish me luck, guys.
Summer: AHHH!! I misunderstood your quandry! When I had a self-contained class, I literally sent home lists of things that were allowed to be provided for cooking, snack or parties. I NEVER let the parents bring the baked goods, I always did that myself. I explained to the parents that one of the things we taught in life-skills was healthy cooking, shopping and eating habits. This meant that we tried to limit the junk food and encourage healthy choices. The parents mostly got it; it also helped that we frequently had the kids shop for their own cooking and holiday things as part of the curriculum.

Hey!
Down to four full days and two half days! I'M LOSING MY MIND!!!!!!!!!!
We have been retesting all the people that didn't pass the test. So, in the past two days, I have not had my classroom. Monday, I was supposed to take my morning group to the computer lab, well we had a big electrical storm on Sunday night, and the server was down, so no computers. I HAD TO KEEP MY KIDS FOR FOUR HOURS AND COULDN'T EVEN DO THE LESSON I HAD PLANNED!
Today, I was only supposed to lose my classroom for the morning. They were supposed to be finished with testing after lunch. So, I went to go into my room after lunch, to get things done for fourth period, and guess what? THEY WEREN'T THROUGH. So, all my plans, paper, pencil, etc.....were in my room with the testing people, and I couldn't go in and get them. So, I had to grab my kids before they went into the room, I took them to the computer lab, and they got to surf the net. What a wasted day.
Not to mention the fact that I was leaving early, and the people were supposed to leave my room as soon as they finished. Well, they decided to stay and code the answer sheets. Since I was supposed to be leaving early to go to a Countywide Math Leadership Meeting, I had to go back to my room and the kids had to go their lockers etc. They acted right pissy about it. I'm over it. I had a huge fight break out between a boy and a girl who I had to get in between..........
I have not lost a single pound in three weeks! GOD! Haven't lost inches, haven't lost pounds. This is getting on my nerves! Since my meeting lasted until five, and my hubby was being taken out to dinner by his employer, I picked my son up and went to the Chinese Buffet............Blah! So, maybe I will get a better attitude. I didn't even walk to day. I really needed to excercise to get rid of this built up pressure, but I'm too tired. It was just a generally yucky day. I kept hitting the snooze until I finally figured out it was six thirty three. I got dressed, threw my hair up in a ponytail, threw on some make up and then remembered that I hadn't packed my lunch. Couldn't find my keys...........I left the house at three minutes til seven, and got to work three minutes before the bell.....
YESTERDAY......................... After keeping the angelic babes for four hours, we were getting ready to walk to the cafeteria, and there was a little frog just hopping across the sidewalk, this boy picked him up, so I asked him to put him into the grass so that he didn't get stepped on. HE THREW IT AS HARD AS HE COULD INTO THE WALL! It made me so mad. That frog wasn't hurting anybody. I was about to cry. Yes, it was a frog, but still........So, Iwas just pissed, and talked to the principal about it at lunch, he laughed and went on to tell me that he used to shoot the eyes out of frogs when he was a boy........I said please, that's awful, you know all I asked him to do was put the frog in the grass.....He said, hmmmmmm, is there a page in the agenda about frog killing? I said UGHHHHHH. He laughed again, and said, are you planning on having a funeral for the frog? I think you need to have a closed casket since it went through a traumatic event. Maybe the boy could say some words...........It pissed me off. Cause it just had upset me that somebody could just be so cruel !I then went on to tell him that he had the makings of a serial killer.
Ok, well I have already gotten my final evaluation with all above standards..........I'M PUTTING A CERMIC FROG IN HIS MAILBOX TOMORROW.
I know it's all stupid, but then after talking to my husband and the things he used to do to frogs, I have decided that men are just pig beasts!

MY SON???????????/ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I am not even going to go there. Yes, he has a job! However...............

Thanks for letting me vent. Sorry to not get personal with everyone. Gotta make sure I iron my stuff, and pack my lunch.
Take care!
Pam

Afternoon Ladies,
Mouse, hope you have a wonderful time on your camping trip. I am glad that you are feeling better with your new diet. I hope that you are not sick of tuna fish by the end of the trip.
Pam, hugs are going out to you. I felt soo bad for you after reading your post. Sounds like you had a very stressful day yesterday. I hope today goes better for you. We all have those days when we don't feel like excersing or eating healthy. I hope after the stress of the end of the year activities settles down, you will be able to lose some more weight.
Summer, hope your breakfast went well this morning. I have the same problem you do with snack food in my room. I got to the point where I end up bringing in fruit or veggies and I eat them when my kids have their snack. That way I am still having snack with them, but I am eating healthy. Hope that helps. Did you recover from your trip to the zoo?
Robyn, Ginny, and Paisley are you keeping yourself afloat this week with school and family life? Hope all is going well with everyone.
I went to TOPS last night and lost 4 1/4 pounds. I was the weekly winner. I really need that after my crappy birthday weekend. So that was enough motivation needed to push myself forward. I am going to get to 150 by Christmas, so my dh will buy me my leather coat. Believe me he is going to buy me my leather coat before than.
Well I better go. My kids came back in from recess. Time to do math class. Talk to you all later. Have a softball game to go to tonight after work and than hopefully I can check back in with you all.
Have a wonderful afternoon.
Take care,
Kerry

Hi!
Hope everyone is doing ok today. I am just bushed. Kerry what in the world are you doing to lose weight? Maybe I am at a plateau. I'm ready to get over this hump! I went back to eating the way I am supposed to today and have been on track. Dinner's coming! Ha! Wow, we have so many work days at the end of school. I have a luncheon on the thirtyfirst, and then a seminar this summer called Child Attuned. It's supposed to be excellent. I'm really looking forward to it. My last day is the third of June. But, that's ok, there is so much stuff for me to do, that I have not had time to do. (File.....) I had made a promise to myself to file properly this year. I was doing good until this six weeks. I have a stack of worksheets now. It's ok though. It's not too bad once the kids are gone. Just found out that all of the EC kids and 504's don't have to retest again. So, that only leaves two of mine who will have to pass this durn test. AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
I went swimming in the pool for the first time this past weekend. Ewww...Talk about cold water. It reminded of swimming in the glacier lakes in Vermont. The water temp was up to about 74 degrees. I need it to be a little warmer than that. Seems like our temps have been colder than usual. This time last year I had been swimming for a couple of weeks. Hopefully it will be warm enough by Memorial Day.
Hey to all: Ginny, Kerry, Summer, Mouse, Paisley, Robin.
Pam

FIVE MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok...you know my motto....when the going gets tough...I don't post.
I've had 3 days of being RElocated...out of my room due to the SOL testing that is going on around my classroom. In those 3 days, we've had to stay with our kids through lunch (complete with me stacking trays and rolling the trash around the room...) AND due to the luck (or lack of it...) of the draw, I've had NO resource time all week. That means that I've had the last 3 days non stop with my cherubs...OUT of our element...right through lunch without even getting a pee break.... sorry to be vile...but darnnnn what other job doesn't even let you empty your bladder???

I've been on the go EVERY night for the last 4 weeks....I'm about to lose my mind!
........while my kiddos have been SOOOOOO much easier than they would have been had I still been at my old school......Gees Louise, I'm about SICK of being with them EVERY single minute of the day.....away from all our stuff and out of our routine...AND I'm sick of BEGGING someone to come to my room long enough for me to literally RUN to the restroom....Today I actually used my cell phone to call the office and lured the secretary down with the promise of Hershey kisses! (It was a small price to pay for not wetting my pants in FRONT of my students...)

Sorry to vent and run....but I have paperwork that MUST be done before I sleep...AND of course we were at baseball until 9:10 tonight!

Hope Mousie enjoys (?) her camping.

Summer, (((hugs)))

Kerry, :bighigh5: way to go with that loss!

Ginny, Baseball was dreamy tonight....the gnats arrived about 20 minutes before the game began. I'm STILL digging at my head.... How's mom?

Pam, I am NOT an animal lover; however, just cause "boys" have a history of killing and torturing frogs doesn't make that kid who threw the frog up against the school OK. Flat out defiance....and a beast, IMO. And...your principal, IMO, could have used a bit more tact or whatever to tell you that he didn't support your horror and concern. EW!

Paisley...Hope all is well!

gotta run.. paperwork! yippeee...
take care,
meeee

Hello Ladies,
I am so happy! I only have 6 more days with my lovely little angels. Then I don't have to see them for 2 1/2 to 3 months. I am getting so sick on the hands-on behavior, attitude and mouth coming from 4 of them. I decided that next week I am going to make them help me pack up my classroom and clean it out in the mornings and in the afternoons we will watch movies. They are so ready for school to be out right along with me and my aides.
Pam I don't know what I did to lose the weight last week. It was that TOM this weekend and had really bad cramps so I didn't feel like eating. I guess I started to watch what I was eating a bit closer and drink enough water and didn't even realize it. Plus I want to prove my dh wrong. He thinks that I will cave and not reach my goal weight by the end of this year, but I have good feelings about it. I have told him for the last two years that I was going to be at my goal weight and never got even close. But now that I am the co-leader of my TOPS group, I feel that I have to lead by example. Glad to hear that your eating was back to normal yesterday. How did you do at dinner?
Robyn, you poor lady. Sounds like you have had some really rough days this past week. Hope you were able to get back into your normal schedule with your students today. I would have cried if I was not allowed to be in my classroom or get anything out of it for the kids to work on. I need my restroom breaks. That is the only time during my day at school that I can have to myself to regroup.
Ginny, how is your mom? I have been thinking about the two of you. Hope things are going well for you both. Did you make it WW this week? If so, how did you do? I think of you every morning when I am doing my walking videos at 5:30. My sister in sweat.
Summer how is your week going? Hope everything went fine yesterday for your breakfast with your parents. Are you still going to the gym?
Paisley how are you? Hope all is going well for you. My kids were talking yesterday about wanting to go to Hawaii and they said that we go could there on a fieldtrip sometime. I just laughed and told them I don't think so. I won't mind going to Hawaii sometime, but I don't want to take my students along with me. That would not be a vacation at all.
Went to my sdd's softball game last night. Sat out there until dark. I don't know how they were able to see the ball after the sun went down and it was dusk out. My sdd cried again. She got struck out. She has become very emotional here lately and it concerns me. I am just wondering if she is starting puberty early. Her mom and I talked last night at the game, since she sat right beside me. She said that my sdd told her the other day she has hair down there and after her mommy looked, she sure does. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to reassure her after getting struck out for her not to cry?
Well my kiddos are going to be coming in from recess here in a few minutes. I better go run to the office and the bathroom before they come back in. Talk to you all later. Tonight is the last night I have to stay afterschool for the afterschool program. I am sure going to miss the extra money but not the long hours spend at school.
Take care,
Kerry

Not having fun here......sorry not to leave a real post. Dm is doing ok- although this has escalated to a gyno also doing some surgery to remove her fibroid. Guess it will interfere with her ability to have kids at the age of 79!!!!!!! (morons)
Getting some walks in.....need a libodomy (sp) myself. Talk to you later.
Ginny

Hello, all.
Camping was... well... good. I actually did enjoy it. Although, I got sent home Thursday morning. I tripped and fell Thursday around 3:00 a.m. (damn pit latrines!), but didn't think I hurt anything. Later that morning ... probably around 7:00 a.m. or so, I was sitting around the campfire with some other staff and my whole left leg cramped up so bad you could see the muscle knotted. And it WOULD NOT go away. It wasn't water, because I drank nearly 72 ounces of fluid on Wednesday/Thursday morning, its not potassium because the spironolactone raises your potassium levels, and I take a multi-vitamin too. I've had issues with that leg cramping badly since I first fell in 1999... but usually it only happens if I stretch too hard/too far, and I have some warning so I can stand up and make it stop. If it gets started without warning, I have to actually THINK of what I want to do to make my foot move into a better position to cut the cramp... motor-planning. But I had trouble doing it yesterday. It took more than an hour and a half before I could get up and then I had trouble walking, so they sent me home.
I guess its a good thing, because I'm also SICK again! I was FREEZING while we were camping, and couldn't get warm no matter what I wore or where I sat (I sat right in front of the campfire with a blanket and was still freezing!). Get home, and couldn't warm up here either... so I took my temperature. I don't have allergies, I have another bloody cold! So I have an orthopedists appointment this afternoon, and I'm going to try and get a regular doctor's appointment this morning.
On other news: Pit Latrines need to be banned from the face of the earth. Seriously, I've NEVER smelled something so bad in my life. I used the Soviet idea of a bathroom (a slab of wood with a small hole covering a larger hole in the ground) in July in both the Ukraine and the Czech border. Those didn't smell that bad... neither did the horrendous bathroom in Poland. I threw up for the first time in a week, but it was DEFINITELY triggered by the pit latrines and not diet.
The kids had an awesome time, and a whole bunch of them helped me put up most of my tent... and hammer in the stakes. And it didn't rain until today. I taught one of our kids how to play Battleship and he ALMOST beat me. Okay, I way extended the game because I found his ships in the first 10 minutes of the game, but that's okay.
I did tuna on Wednesday for dinner--they had spaghetti and salad... so I had lettuce from the salad with dressing and my tuna and some olives.
And, although I was sent home, they said I could go again if I want to. I think that next time, though, I'll sleep in the lodge... nothing to trip over, and real bathrooms!
My supervisor was, IMO, very nice to me. He came over after the decision was made to send me home and told me not to stress over this, because I'd made a good decision. One person said that he wasn't being nice, that this is what he wanted me to do because he didn't want me there anyway. I dunno... I'm TRYING to give him the benefit for the doubt!
I've been playing serious phone tag with the people from the NOrthern VA district, and the MD district keeps trying to schedule me for an interview in the morning on June 9, which isn't possible. I took part of the day off, but I'm not leaving until like 10. She can only meet between 9-11.
Ginny: Hope your mom keeps pulling!!!!! I'm thinking about both of you!
Kerry: AWESOME weight loss!
Pam: I'm still jealous, but ... I'll live. We will only have 20 days left.