Hi, all.

Oh, yes... Summer. I never understood those teachers or how they manage it. I get dirty just THINKING about my students! I've had kids draw on my shirts in permanent marker (at least it matched the color!), spit on me, throw up on me, wipe 'sneeze' on me, etc. And I think I told the Jell-O story here!

As for your class... I think that is the reason that I gave up on Rec Centers and Y's. First off, most of the pools aren't terribly accessible; there are typically loads of kids around... and for the Rec Centers, well, I got tired REALLY FAST of running into the parents of my middle school students when I was wearing a bathing suit (or worse, in the locker room!). I gave up showering at the rec center after doing special olympics swimming when one of the other teachers got cornered in the shower by a parent. NO THANK-YOU! And I need to be able to shower where I am for a couple of reasons: one, I can't go out smelling like chlorine if I'm going to go anywhere after I swim (and yes, although you may not realize it, you DO sweat when you swim, so there is also that lovely exercise odor!). That puts a huge cramp in my life. secondly, I tend to have skin reactions to bleach of any type. Its probably NOT the chlorine, because they don't put chlorine in the color-safe bleaches or the things like OxyClean, but since I don't know, its safer (and less itchy!) for me to shower as soon as I can after swimming. Oh, and finally, I've discovered that as I swim more, my hair is bleaching itself from the chlorine! I have a really good shampoo from Trader Joes that does a great job taking the stuff out of my hair (even the smell... and its not a special shampoo or anything, just an all-natural herbal thing), but every few months the ends of my hair turn blonde and I look goofy with all black hair, and blonde tips!
I will note, Summer, that MOST places have the 'good' water aerobics classes in the morning. It seems that those of us that work don't do water aerobics. I've wanted to try water kickboxing or deep water jogging for years, but the classes are only ever during the middle of the workday.
I might get a chance this year: my new high school (yes! I now know where I'm placed for the next year; its a brand-new, only 3 years old, high school. I found out today) starts at 9:00 a.m. and lets out at 3:48. I'm trying not to wince over the fact that I'm going to hit the principal with the assistive tech camp that I'm working at during the first week staff is back... and missing both the kick-off picnic for the cluster AND the freshman orientation half-day. AND the fact that I'm grad school at Johns Hopkins and that if I leave at 3:48 on days I have class, I'll NEVER get to Columbia Center because of the traffic... and finally, the Jewish holidays. My new employer doesn't close during them. I'm always happy to make up the time, but I don't think its fair that I should have to use the two personal leave days we get just so I can be with my family on my religious holiday. I'm even happy to come in Good Friday, Easter Monday, Christmas Eve, etc ... I want to be able to use my personal leave time the way other staff does. If we earned annual leave, I could see requiring me to use that (at least until I made up the time), but since we do not...
I might go down and see the school on Thursday. I'm going down on July 8th to see my apartment, and could go to the school then too... but I'm not sure I can wait!
The website has ZERO information about special education or the programs at the school. I did find out that the high school has a Head Start special ed program there, and a rather large number of identified students, but not how many are self-contained or what types of programs there are. I really hope they READ the stuff I submitted; I really don't want to be a core-subject LD teacher!
:mouse:

Mouse, congratulations on your new position!!! As far as your religious holidays, they can't say a word about you taking the time off for them. It is your right. I'm shocked by any school system that doesn't honor all religious holidays. In my city, we have not only all Jewish and Christian holidays off, we also have Three Kings Day which is a Catholic holiday that mostly hispanic people celebrate. I like the fact that my city respects all faiths. It should be a nationwide mandate for all public schools.

Well chicadees, it was a rainy day here, so DD begged to go see "Shark Girl & Lava Boy." I told a little white lie to get out of that one. I know, shame on me, but with all the kiddie movies I go to, I'm avoiding that one like the plague. Instead we saw "Bewitched" which was fabulous!!!

I saw the chiropractor about the (ouch!) foot. :yikes: Apparently I jammed the metatarsal bone...the one I broke 2+ years ago. Don't ask me how. He adjusted me and did ultrasound. We will see how it goes.

Just a drive thru visit here......gotta take Ds to his baseball game :dizzy: and it is SO hot and humid out there!! Grrrrrrrrrrrr.........

Glad to see that Barbie has made her appearance at your schools. Just imagine her driving a school bus (where the pretrip is has you tugging at bus parts, playing with air brakes, testing out all the exits and doors...) all dressed to kill. Oh well.....

Mouse congrats on the new gym bag- and hope your visit to the new school is good.
Summer- yup the heat kills.....I hate it too!! How was the movie.

Take me out to the ball game..........gotta go.
Ginny

ding dang...I'm flying in to tell you folks that I've not fallen off the planet...
today marks day 3 of 4 with my inlaws.......the madness ends tomorrow...I hope!
With a church choir and band performance...our oldest is playing in the band.

I've been behaving myself with the eating. No sodas! :)
I tried to walk just a bit...and my left foot began throbbing AND swelling...so I don't know what the heck is up with this...but I'm going to give it another shot tomorrow!

I'm also trying to deJUNK our bedroom...the lost room of Atlantis! ;) What a chore...it has been abused since Spring Break! Once I get it (theoretically) clean in there I will move on to another room! It might be days! Wish me luck..and patience with the old folks... Today is my mil birthday..... so I will be nice! ...I can do it when I have too!

Re: folks who don't teach their children tolerance and acceptace for people who are different...(re: Mouse's earlier posting) SHAME SHAME SHAME! It is natural for children to be curious... but when finger pointing and laughing happens...AND then for the parents to say something to Mouse for her comments.... How sad. Teeny tiny brains breed teeny tiny brains... Isn't this a shame! As the mom of a kid who is different.... this topic breaks my heart on a regular basis! (Sorry... I've yet to find a witty or funny come back to ignorance and straight up meaness! Altho we DO allow Stephen to say, "I've got a birthdefect...what is your excuse?" That slows some of them down sometimes! Sadly it isn't always children who show their ignorance....
(((Mouse))) ::shrug:: MeanTeenyTinyBrainPeopleSUCK!

No, no, no....TeacherBarbie works down here at my old school AND my new school! Don't you love the way they wear silk to school and somehow come home wearing silk?! All I would have to do is LOOK at it...and it would fall apart! The thoughts of BusDriverDivaBarbie jumping out the back emergency exit in little teeny heels is about enough to make me LOL.... When I was in high school, my bus was involved in a bus accident and all SHE was worried about was that she broke one of her huge claws! We backed OVER and ON a car...and SHE was ranting about her nails! REALLY! :)

It is sooooo darn hot....and humid... bleech!

Gotta run... in laws are pulling up AGAIN!
take care,
mee

Well chicadees, it was a rainy day here, so DD begged to go see "Shark Girl & Lava Boy." I told a little white lie to get out of that one. I know, shame on me, but with all the kiddie movies I go to, I'm avoiding that one like the plague. Instead we saw "Bewitched" which was fabulous!!!

I saw the chiropractor about the (ouch!) foot. Apparently I jammed the metatarsal bone...the one I broke 2+ years ago. Don't ask me how. He adjusted me and did ultrasound. We will see how it goes.

Hey Rob, an idea to try for your foot. When I saw my chiropractor today, he told me how he ices his foot...he fills a clean bucket or clean small garbage can up with cold water, adds ice, and soaks the foot for 20 minutes. You just have to be careful that it isn't too icey. Doesn't that sound cool? I'm gonna give it a try. Today I had ultrasound as my foot soaked in hot water. It was a bizarre and sometimes painful sensation.

Also, when you talk about soda, do you mean you can't drink diet soda either? And if so, why?

cool? Sounds down right bone chilling.... but I'll keep this method in mind... for my left foot and for those I dislike! hehehehe

No soda.... at all... NADA..... nobody's rule but my own.....

Evening all!!

Robyn: Don't forget to answer the message. :) I gave you some ideas for AT.
And I love your son's come back! I have a collection of buttons that have various smart-aleck sayings on them. One of them says, "I think, therefore I am. What's your excuse?" And of course, my favorite: "If at first you don't succeed, become a school administrator!" I wore that one at the last SF convention I went to, and got lots of laughs. I'd never dared wear it before because you never know when one of your principals might show up... especially since I worked in a place that had more administration than... well... it was a very extensive ratio! 1 dean of students, 2 assistant principals, 2 curriculum supervisors (both of whom supervised staff as well), 2 directors, one vice-president (okay, she worked for the overall hospital, but was in our building), plus 1 lead teacher for each program (5), and 1 compliance director for the admissions and IEP office. By my count, that is 14 administrators. We only have 180 kids!
Summer: I want to see Shark Boy & Lava Girl. I am, however, content to wait till it comes out on DVD. Interesting about your foot... But did they do ULTRASOUND in the water, or electrotherapy? The latter is more typically done in water. Ultrasound requires a gel and applicator. I get both on my foot. I hate the electrotherapy... you can do it in the water or not. My current PT and the last one do it without, but my family doctor growing up (a sports medicine specialist as well as GP) did it with the bucket. Oh, and I LOVE my new gym bag. My other bag always seemed so heavy, but this one was way easier to carry. The handles are 'bolted' to the bag instead of just sewn on, and it has a grab handle on one end which makes it way easier for clumsy me to get out of the car. I have the same amount of junk in the bag now that I have always had, with the addition of my new little shower kit... which MATCHES the bag. Aren't I sad? And the water bottle, yet the whole thing seemed lighter!
It was allegedly 94 degrees here today, and I made it home just before the MASSIVE thunderstorms hit. Good thing that I had to go out early this morning and then went to the gym right after or I wouldn't have been able to swim. It stormed from like 3:30 until 8:00. I'm sure they just closed the pool and gave it up for the night.
Oh... and the holidays, Summer... I often have issues with principals over my holidays. Fairfax County doesn't do any religious holidays except Christian which really annoys their HUGE Muslim population. They are very mixed ethnically and religiously, and they say they'd be closed all the time. Not true, because really the only Jewish holidays that the majority of Jews want off are Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Passover. Some would like Simacht Torah or Sukkot (especially those with younger children), but that's it. Hanukkah isn't a major holiday for us, and most Jews don't take off. Now, the Orthodox are way different... and living in Baltimore, that's obvious. The Jewish Community Center here is closed FOR EVERY Jewish holiday... and there are LOTS of them! I have them all in my PDA's calendar. Anyway... as I said, I'm more than willing to make up the time, and its not like I don't do lots of stuff with the kids anyway.
Oh... and I just can't even go into the whole diet thing. I'm eating WAY less food than I was before, way less carbs... and haven't lost ANY WEIGHT. The scale hasn't changed an ounce. I mean, some of my clothes fit differently, and I have more muscles... but the SCALE has not changed.
:mouse:

user name/password bullsh*t
 

So, did you all enjoy trying to remember your password? Why do they do this to us every so often? :p :p :p :p :p

Oh my goodness is it HOT! PLEASE send us some of your rain! We just got back from a camping trip and it was almost too hot for a camp fire! We had to wait until after 8 before we could even think of lighting one! Thank God my camper has central air or I wouldn't have been able to stay. To think I use to love this heat!

One nice thing about being in a country school, we don't have many Barbie teachers let alone bus drivers! Teaching high school, I can dress up a bit more than those of you who teach the wee ones but it still has to be a material that red ink and overhead projector pen will come out of!

Thanks for the suggestions for books. I have my list ready. Unfortunately we do library on Wednesdays and we went before I got on line. Hopefully I won't lose my list before next week.

I did pretty well with the healthy eating while camping except those darn SMores. I just can't stop at one. I guess that's how they got their name!

I am with Summer. Brad should have never left Jennifer. They were just too cute together! I can't remember the last time my Dh and I went to a "grownup" movie. We use to go every other week when my children went with their biological father but he has only shown once in the last 10 months!

Sue

Evening...
More thunderstorms tonight, but I did get a little bit of swimming in. I also did some cooking... baked eggplant with fat-free mozzarella, to go with the pork chops or steak (I usually broil everything, so I take two out at a time so I only have to do it once or twice a week.) I think, however, that I overestimated this time... the pork chops were thicker than I thought, and the steak is absolutely HUGE. Hmph.
I just watched the re-done version of The Lion in Winter. I should remember it, I am sure we watched the original when I took AP European history, but I thought it was about Thomas Beckett... and it wasn't! Its about Eleanor of Acquitane and King Henry II. Patrick Stewart did a decent job as Henry, but I kept waiting for him to order his sons 'ahead Warp Factor 8!'.
I also saw my orthpedist today. Per usual, he blew off anything having to do with the concept of nerve damage in my ankle. He's blaming the tightness in my calf and the constant cramping on the injury from 6 weeks ago, and any problems with the ankle itself on the arthritis I've apparently developed from the repeated injuries. Oh well! I told him I was moving to Virginia, and he told me that HE was moving to New York! I guess its a good thing that I'm moving! The last time one of my doctor's affiliated with the University of Maryland moved, it took the University 6 months to find another physician and send out notices. We briefly considered an ankle brace, but the only thing he had was the same thing that I have had for the last 5 years. It doesn't fit with any shoes except cheap cloth sneakers (which I can't really wear to work... we're not supposed to wear sneaker-looking shoes), or my sandles. And, you know, the first few years when we had no snow in the winter, it worked okay. But the last 3 winters when we've had all this snow and rain, its been bad. Plus, principals really don't like their teaching staff (especially the staff that has to chase kids!) wearing sandles.
So, instead, they're going to do custom-molded orthotics for my shoes. I'm sure that will be loads of fun! He was able to give me a place to look for an orthopedist who doesn't necessarily do surgery first. The orthopedist I first saw that the school district sent me to after the initial injury in 1999 (way too late, but oh well!) was very interested in surgery. I'm not: they want to fuse my ankle so that I can't lose my balance. The guy I'm seeing now said that might be necessary later, but not at the moment. Which is good: Fusing the ankle means the joint doesn't move. The orthopedist said that I'd be able to 'function', but he agreed that I wouldn't be able to teach the kids I teach now. I'd have to teach calmer kids who stay in their seats when they are supposed to. Or not be in the classroom at all. And I'm not interested in either option at the moment.
:mouse:

Today I had a play date combined with exercise gentle on my knees and foot. Can you beat that? My friend (teaches at my school) brought me to the Y as her guest to swim laps. They had free childcare! I haven't swum laps in YEARS. Anyway, I did two laps then needed to catch my breath. I ended up doing 20 laps with rest in between. I am too out of shape to swim continuously. But, it was better than sitting on my a*s doing nothing. After showering, we took the kids to Burger King. I got a double cheeseburger and tossed the roll, and had a diet coke. Then we took the kids to see "Herbie..." It was fun. DD didn't want the fun to end, but my friend had stuff to do, so that was that. DD and I are so alike...when we are having fun, we don't want it to end. We could go all night!

I have stalled on my weight loss, but that could be because I have my period. So, we will see how I am in a couple of days. In the meantime, I'm sticking to the program and exercising.

Non-stop thunderstorms all week :p . Tomorrow the "tricklets" (triplets) are coming over for a play date. I'll be wiped out tomorrow night. :yawn:

Where is everyone? I hope this means everyone is doing something fun. It is another thunderstormy day here. I have a set of triplets over to play with DD today. It is really quiet upstairs right now. I'm afraid to call them for lunch, because God only knows what they are doing that is soooo quiet. :?:

Summer, I'll keep you company!!! We too have non stop thunderstorms here.....and it is miserably humid.b Hope the triplets did not self destruct too much..you are a brave woman!

Sue- so you too suffer from no adult movies???? My Dh will only go see violent stuff....and I am looking for something a wee bit kinder and gentler than that. He does want to see Cinderella Man (some blood and guts in that of course!).

Mouse- custom orthotics should not be too big an ordeal.....had a pair once and they did help me. Fusing your ankle does not sound like a good option....glad you let that go!

Robyn- glad you made it thru the inlaw visit ! Do you deserve sainthood for this? Congrats on the no soda! And happy cleaning....mine was in the same state, having not been really deep cleaned since spring break. Don't ask how many swiffer cloths I went thru......

Me, I am in diet lemonade and sugar free jello today....tomorrow is the colonoscopy and that is about all I can have. Tea without milk STINKS! :mad: Aw, in 24 hours it will all be over and I will be able to eat :lol: once more. At least today I do not have to count any points.
Be back later.....
Ginny

Oh Ginny! I feel for you. I've had EVERY upper and lower GI test ever made during the last 20 years. It is not fun. I assume you will be doing suppositories or enemas? Oh boy, been there, done that. Phew! People that purposely have colonics really make me wonder. Good luck with the liquid fasting. Hey, you'll probably drop a pound or two. I truly hope that it all goes smoothly for you. Enjoy the general anesthesia.

Right now the triplets and DD are dancing and singing to Ashlee Simpson in her playroom. One of them is dressed as Ariel, DD as Tinkerbell, and the triplet tomboy girl is in her normal clothing as well as the triplet boy. The triplet tomboy keeps coming downstairs asking for help with stuff and drew me a picture. She's driving me nuts. They have pretty much torn DD's bedroom and playroom apart. Their mother is supposed to pick them up at 4:30 which means she probably won't arrive till 5:00 because she is always late.

Good news: I made them macaroni & cheese for lunch...one of my major weaknesses. It is the first time I've made it since 6/20 because I was afraid I would really want to eat it. Well, I tasted it, and I wasn't impressed!!! Yippee!!! This South Beach Diet really does take away carb cravings!!!

We had a very brief spout of rain this morning. Just enough to make it even hotter! It was suppose to rain again around 1 this afternoon with a cool front to follow. So far nothing but hazy sunshine! I may have to break down and water my plants!

Today I have been playing catch up from being gone camping all week. How does a house get so dirty when you aren't even here? I guess it was actually the mass caos that surrounding the departure!

Fusing bones doesn't sound like a good option unless there are no other options.

I am hoping to drive up and check out a new campground tonight or tomorrow. This one has a pool for lounging plus a river where you can rent canoes. My Dh is pretty picky. He had never been camping before he met me. Actually I go to set everything up while he is at work. I also break camp when he is at work. In between I am the one who does the cooking and cleaning. I don't mind as I actually like to camp but one time we were sitting around the fire and he said, "I don't know why everyone thinks camping is so hard?" I almost had to beat him over the head with my camp cooker! LOL So any way he wants to camp where there is a pool, so we are checking out some new sites. I don't want to go too far until I am sure of the new camper.

I got an email from my principal (sent to all staff) that he wanted us to start thinking about grants for the fall. I emailed back and said I would love to as soon as he lets me know what I am teaching and whether or not I have a room to teach in. He replied that he was hoping to know by the end of July. I guess that is better than the middle of August!

Ginny - actually we eventually get to see the movies as my DH will usually rent one on Fridays but it has been forever since we had a grown up date night out!

Summer - so did you make the box stuff or real mac and cheese? I find that a lot of stuff I use to really love (french fries for one) now make me feel ill when I splurge on them. It is funny how adaptable your body can be.

Sue

Hey! (and Mouse...I HAD forgotten your PM... I will work on it tonight after dinner!) Spent the day at WaterCountryUSA...part of the parks that we have seasons passes to. I am exhausted.... Spent ALL of my time in the windy pool with the hard and fast current! I don't know exactly what kind of exercise to call it...cause I was running, swimming, floating with and against the current! I'm exhausted...and grinning! My foot does hurt...but we had such a fun time. Today was the first day with sun since Saturday... and so I got a sunburn. I wore 40 and applied it twice... I'm thinking I've got to find a bottle of "virtual shade" somewhere.... I've got to get them something for dinner.... OH and I thought of you guys today .... I was feeling icky due to too much sun and nothing in my belly...and drank part of a soda! You know the sugar trick...and it worked...and I told my ds that I had to confess my sin when I got home... He looked at me like I had lost my mind! ;) The sugar kept me on my feet long enough to get to the car and get home...to get some proper food. Gin, Tea is for Sugar, honey. Not milk! :) Hope your test goes ok! I'll be back after dinner... Mousie, I promise to address your PM tonight! :)

take care,
meee

Evening Ladies,
Every time I went to type you a post, the computer shuts down on me. So that is why I haven't been on here for a couple of days. I have been busy cleaning house, since we had an appraisial done for our home improvement loan. I am hoping to hear back something soon on it. Plus I am having a yard sale tomorrow and Saturday. So I have been busy gathering up stuff for it. My dh and I had a disagreement on Sunday about the way I clean house. He claims that he has to beg or tell me to do it. So now I go out of my way to do something around the house and than I point it out to him. I think I am proving my point but also driving him nuts. Oh well, he deserves it! :)
Sounds like you all are having a good week. I got to spend the day with my dh's niece and two little ones. I loved getting to hold her 8 month old little boy. He is such a cutie pie.
Mouse glad that you know where you are teaching at. Where are you going to be moving?
Summer, sounds like you had a fun playdate with the triplets today. So did their mom come pick them up yet or are they still at your house?
Robyn sounds like you need some aloe on you sweetie! I know that I have to layer the sunblock on me or I get fried. Glad you had a fun day at the waterpark.
Sue, your dh sounds like mine. When we get ready to go somewhere I am the one who has to get all the stuff ready and go to the bank and to the gas station, before we leave. So I know what you mean! :)
Ginny, I will say my prayers that your test goes smoothly for you tomorrow. Like Summer said this way you might lose a pound or two.
Pam, how are you doing?
I am reading The Broker by John Grisham right now. I just started it the other day. So far it is good. But I just haven't found the time to sit and read for a long period of times. Maybe tomorrow and Saturday, well I am waiting on customers I can get some reading done.
Well I better go and get this posted before the computer shuts down on me. Talk to you all later.
Kerry

Kerry, you made me laugh. The triplets' mom picked them up 45 minutes late, and then it took her another 30 minutes to get them out of the house. :p There are certain people who just can't get it together. I may as well accept it since DD loves the "tricklets" as she calls them. (When she first met them in kindergarten, she called them "chicklets!")

Ginny, I hope you are feeling okay and get rest tonite. I already prayed that your colonoscopy is stress-free, pain-free, and over before you know it. I know God heard me because He has been in extra close contact with me today. You know how you have days where you are kind of psychic? Well, today that kept happening to me. I think that is God talking to us and letting us know He is nearby. He will be close by you tomorrow. :angel:

Robyn, you poor thing! :cool: Ouch! I'm blonde, blue-eyed, and fair-skinned, so you know I've been there, done that more times than I can count. Especially since when I was a toe-headed child, there was no such thing as SPF. My mom had beautiful bronzed summer skin with loads of melanin and thought nothing of how my skin needed protection. We used baby oil, and eventually Coppertone, but there was no real protection. I'm sorry your skin is on fire. Take some aspirin if you have any...otherwise ibuprofen. Yes, you want aloe, but do you remember Solarcaine? That stuff really cooled me off. You can also take a luke-warm bath in baking soda. It is very soothing. Feel better. Take care of your boo boo foot.

Sue, I made the box stuff, which normally I love. There is nothing more junky than that orange powder cheese mixed with real butter and milk. I still can't believe that it didn't taste good to me!!! :?: :dizzy: Wild.

Mouse, say, "No!" to fusing your ankle. That sounds frighteningly limiting and awfully permanent. I have orthotics that I can only wear in loafers. They don't fit in my sneakers and certainly not in sandals which limits me in the summer. I'M NOT WEARING LOAFERS IN THE SUMMER! I hope solutions are found for you. Tomorrow I will get more therapy on my foot. Yes, it is ultrasound under water. At least that is what the doctor called it. It is a strange sensation. I kept thinking I was gonna get electrocuted! The best part is the adjustment when he almost pulls my foot right off my leg! It actually feels good. How weird. I like all of it except for the neck cracking. I always tense up.

G'evening all.

Kerry: I bought the Broker on audio CD, so I could give it to my mom when I was done. She's an avid reader like I am, but since the botched surgery 15 years ago, her eyes are too dry for her to read comfortably... so she listens. It was AWESOME. I'll buy it to read when it comes out in paperback. And a different scene than his usual, which was a nice change. I'm moving back to Northern Virginia. I guess I'm okay with it, but I really would like to go HOME to Pennsylvania... instead, I keep winding up outside of the state. And really, I didn't want to move at all to be honest.
Summer: I love Macaroni and cheese... and I hate to say it, but I've had MORE cravings since they started trying this diet. I don't keep anything in the apartment that might have me eat it, but I'd love some macaroni and cheese... or actually, just the damn macaroni! I can have the cheese. I don't understand why people say that South Beach or Atkins makes them crave foods less. I haven't had over 60 carbs of any type (and most of those are dairy products or vegetable/berry carbs; I haven't had refined carbs the whole month) in more than a month. And I haven't lost any weight either! :mad: The only benefit I see from this diet is that I don't throw-up anymore...
Sue: I'll volunteer your husband for the last camping trip I went on. 55 kids with special needs, pit latrines, and my ex-supervisor... BEFORE he's had coffee and AFTER he's had campfire duty for 2.5 hours in the middle of the night. At the end of May, in northern Maryland. I've been camping before and slept in tents before, but those pit latrines were something I'll gladly NEVER experience again!
Robyn: I'll await your reply. I love water parks, by the way... If I could work outside, I might consider working at one during the summers.
I spent this evening trying to find clothes. I hate shopping of any type, but clothing shopping is the worst. I can't ever find anything decent to wear. I tried EVERYWHERE... Lane Bryant, Sillouhettes, Roaman's, Popken. It all looks horrendous.
:mouse:

Good evening!!!!!
Well, got a few minutes to stop in and say hello before the next round of medication kicks in. I actually got a walk in today too......so I am in negative points land somewhere.....can't wait for a real cup of tea tomorrow (with milk, sorry Robyn).

Kerry-rule #1....housework just does not get done during the school year, or at least not in great quantity. rule #2.....if you are going to belly ache about housework not getting done then you should be doing it yourself. rule #3...if rule #2 does not apply then go back to rule #1 and hire a maid and quit bellyaching! Sounds as though you had a nice day with Dh's niece and her babies. And I hope you can get some quality time in with John Grisham.

Robyn- ouch!!!! Sorry about the sunburn, but it does sound as though you had a fun day. Watercountry is a fun place- we went there about 6 years ago and had a great time.

Sue- yup mass chaos while leaving sure sounds like the culprit!!!! Sounds as though you got some encouragment from that email.....yup, knowing your fate would sure be better to do so sooner as opposed to later! As for us with movies, we usually see them at home too. And I hear ya with the grown up date.....Did you find a campground with a pool yet?

Summer - did your house survive triple trouble??? Hope the mess was not too bad....and that the terminally tardy mom was not excessively late. (Murphy's law for parenting, the parents of the kid you love to have around always collect him/her early....the wacko kids parents always show up late).
That is such great news about the mac and cheese!!!!! What a major accomplishment to have power over a trigger food!! BTW, I am suffering thru the effects of phospho soda- an oral liquid that you take 2 rounds to clean out your system. And it works amazingly fast...can't wait till this is all over.....I go in tomorrow at 7 am, test at 8 and hope to be home drinking my real tea by 10. Not sure if the anethesia is called general, although it is not local. I will be somewhere in twinkie land....awake but not caring about what my surroundings are and what is happening to me. SOunds like good stuff for driving a school bus...... :lol:

Dh has been his usual wacko self with regards to this....think I am going to ask him to just show up when I am ready to come home (he mentioned seeing me in recovery but then had a snide comment about that..I need this ??) Anyway, my friends, thanks to each of you for your support......can't say I am enthusiastic about this but I do not want to do to my family what happened with my mother.

Oh, and does anyone want a totally wacko kitten????? No excuses the full moon is over and this cat is off the wall!!!!
Gotta go....see ya tomorrow!
Ginny

Well, I can't say that this was the most wonderful experience in the world, but I have survived the colonoscopy. No problems found......thank the Lord and now I can have milk in my tea!!!!!! :D See ya later and thanks for all the kind thoughts.....
Ginny

Mouse, my guess about the cravings is that during the two weeks of phase 1, I have not had 1 carb...zero (0), zilch, nada. I can't have any now, not even from certain vegetables like carrots. Maybe it takes a total absence of carbs...almost like detox...to take away the cravings. My fear is what will happen in phase 2 when I begin to introduce fruit and high fiber carbs gradually. No joke, I'm definitely concerned.

Ginny, I'm so glad the ordeal is over. ;)

The day that was supposed to be rainy isn't. However, the pool is in bad shape after 5 days of torrential rain. So, DD is entertaining herself in the A/C while I take care of the pool.

Be back later.

Summer, great minds think alike, as I just finished cleaning up our pool. (of course stupid me got chlorine on my favorite capris....aw they were a bit worn still looked good). Your fears about reintroducing carbs are not odd or unfounded. Just last week at WW a member reached goal and the leader discussed the stress and fears about reintroducing certain foods and how tough that can be. In a nutshell her take on it was to do things slowly.....and of course the ever present portion control. Slowly work on those carbs-and wait a week....keep close tabs on the scale. Sounds like you are doing great!!! Not that we want to lose you here (I will personally harrass you to death if you do!) but maybe at one of the SB threads there is someone who can also add some wisdom to the topic of reintroducing carbs.

I rested while watching a movie with Dd....and now I feel pretty much back to normal. Dh seems to think I can take on Mt Everest today. But that is him. (can't wait till it is his turn for a colonoscopy! if i can ever get him there for one).
Nuff from me for now.....
Ginny

Hi, all.
Ginny: Great news about the colonscopy. I will probably wind up having one in a few years; my enocrinologist/GYN promised. :snork: She has a way of making me do things I don't want to do at all. I figure it can't be worse than the endoscopy was... my biggest problem will be finding a driver, because I'll probably want my gastroenterologist that I have here in Baltimore to do it. The office she's with has locations in Southern Maryland, so its not far...
Summer: I guess so... but my diet was already so limited that I couldn't also give up cheese and the few other vegetables I could eat (there are carbs in bok choy, celery, lettuce, and cucumbers), along with the ONLY fruit I can eat (berries, which have carbs). I can't have chicken, either. So, basically, it comes down to lean protein, celery, cucumbers, romaine lettuce, bok choy, celery, onions & peppers. I don't like onions very much, and don't eat peppers at all unless they're mixed in something. I can't have any kind of whole milk or most reduced fat milk products because of a milk fat allergy... there are more carbs in the fat-free dairy products. Asking me to give up cheese or berries after all I've already given up (pasta, bread, tomatoes, carrots, yogurt (frozen and regular), oatmeal, chicken, chocolate, rice, soup, pizza, popcorn, potatoes) is just carrying things too damn far. The list of stuff I can't eat is way longer than the list of stuff I can eat... I'm not even allowed to have most of the low-carb substitute things like the South Beach products or the Atkins branded stuff. Before they put me on the diet, I was already eating whole wheat pasta and other whole wheat products.
Like I said, I've seriously reduced the need for the anti-nausea drug ... and its pretty clear that the food was what was causing it, because if I break it at all (even by accident: tonight I had beef with broccoli and no rice... but I forgot to ask them to leave out the corn starch, the carrots, the baby corn, and the snow peas... and I wound up dumping the rest of my dinner because I got sick), I'm sick. It sucks though, that I'm not really losing any weight despite eating an average of 1100 calories a day over the last month; also seriously lowered carbs. Before this, I averaged somewhere between 150-200 carbs daily. I'm right about 50 most days now. Not Atkins (which is what, 20?), but definitely LOW!
I do need to find a way to add some fiber to the diet... Any ideas for that? The vegetables and fruit aren't enough. Maybe I should borrow some of Ginny's phosphate soda (which, I've had before... for a CT scan, because the barium made me seriously sick... I actually threw up in the office).
For movie lovers, although this is definitely an adult or late teen (14+) film: Coach Carter. I went to Blockbuster that was next to the Chinese place...

:mouse:

Mouse, sorry you got sick. That just sucks. :p I am not a veggie lover at all. So, to avoid getting constipated, I picked up fiber pills at the health food store which I made sure had no ingredients that I didn't want in them. I take them at my noon meal with tons of water just to make sure that I'm getting fiber. With all of your limitations, have you checked out any supplements in a health food store? If you are eating whole wheat pasta, you probably have. It is just a thought.

Ginny, thanks for the love.

Rob, where are you lobster girl? :cool: Has your skin cooled off yet? :smug: I shouldn't tease you since I'm going to the beach this weekend, and I tend to burn there no matter how much sunscreen I apply. :cool:

Kerry, how's it hangin?

We have a kid's birthday party tomorrow. Oh goodie goodie gumdrops!!! I guess I'd better eat a big breakfast since there won't be one item there that I will be able to eat. I have to say, my appetite has lessened. Some mornings, I have to make myself eat. Then, of course, once I start, it is hard to stop. But I used to wake up ravenous. Now I actually get some chores out of the way first. Weird, huh? :?:

I am doing a lot better dealing with getting sick since its happening so much less often now. And, really, it is almost worth it. I'm just so tired of not losing any weight. Everybody else that I see on South Beach and/or Atkins loses tons of weight quickly... I haven't, despite the diet and exercise. I'm doing more exercise now than I was over the spring, and my weight is the same. I have more muscle, some of my clothes fit better. I averaged about 35 minutes of exercise every day for 30 days in June, which is pretty good. And, I came in 4th overall at the gym's 9-mile swim for June. I was the 2nd women's finisher---not a big deal because of the 5 women who registered, they were only 2 others that I KNEW were way better swimmers than I was--- I would've been 3rd but I had a touch more time than the other woman (my friend who does the children's lessons). She has 2 kids; I just have a cat. :meow:
Oh... and I found WATERPROOF CASES BY THE DOZEN for the iPod! With headphones!!!!!! Do you have any idea how excited that makes me? Especially since I 'm down to one CD player again (I killed another one). I'd planned to buy one with my bonus from the gym (for going to 15 out of 16 swim lessons across 10 weeks... most of the other staff can't boast that)... but because of the move and not working this summer, I used the money to make my car payment. :shrug: I'll definitely live, but I am now seriously pricing iPods. I would only need one device at the gym, because the iPod cases don't depend on the complicated gasket system that the waterproof bags use for CD Players... and since the iPod is so much smaller, it'd work nicely.
:mouse:

Mouse- I do the same thing as Summer and take a fiber substitute (my Dr recommended Fibercon, but then I am taking it for irritable bowel syndrome)
Congrats on finding the waterproof Ipod case.

Summer- simple answer is that before you were eating all the wrong stuff. We all do.....all that refined carb stuff that flies thru a system and does not keep hunger at bay. Hope you made it thru the party ok!

Major rejoicing here.....Ds passed all his regents!!!!! :D Even did well on 2 of them!!!! :D Ok, it fries his sister's hyde...as she did really well on them and actually got into the negative curve on a few, so when she finds her mother ecstatic over a 72 she is seething!!! But let me explain....this is the kid who started out the 1rst quarter with a 65 in a class.....went up to a whopping 69 second quarter.....then turned up the heat in the 3rd (85) and a 90 in the 4th. Why?????? Huh???????NOTHING his mother said about his grades mattered....or his father......just that he knew he had to get his grades up or he would be thrown off the baseball team. :lol: Guess baseball is good for something, eh??? And we were worried about summer school for him, seriously.
Well, gotta go......see ya later.
Ginny

Well, I didn't get to Trader Joes: the parking lot was super crowded, so I just gave up. I bought some prunes (which have an AWFUL LOT OF CARBS, but I was careful to buy ones that had no added sugar) at Aldi's. Yea, that makes sense: I can't get in Trader Joes, but I can get in the cheap-o discount store that is their parent company! I don't understand the carb thing, really: the carbs in prunes are almost all fiber, and not sugar. Does that mean they don't count as badly? The prunes certainly didn't make me sick; but neither did oranges, apples and pears or tomatoes and carrots, and I'm not allowed to have those because of the impact on blood sugar/amount of carbs. Of course, I can't guarantee that oranges, apples, etc didn't make me sick, and I did get sick a lot even when I only ate salad (lettuce, cucumber, celery, tomatoes and fat-free feta cheese). :shrug: Its a mystery to me, frankly.
Anyway... I not only found the waterproof case, but I now own one. I walked into BestBuy with the best intentions of buying a new Sony water resistant sport CD player. It was $90... but $25 for the new headphones from the other company. And sitting right next to the CD players was... the iPod mini. For $169. I'd done my CD order via the Internet, so I got $20 off the original order (which I wound up not getting , and getting the iPod instead), so... all told, with the 3-year-warranty the iPod was $183. The case and headphones for it are being shipped from NY, and I bought an arm-band for the pool too. I am, however, glad I didn't buy it last year, because they are now saying that the Lillipod and the oPod cases are only water resistant. Both companies SAY you can take the device swimming with them, but the reviews say otherwise. I started to "save money" by buying one of those, but research showed me the light. ;) I can't WAIT to use it in the pool... but for now I'll satisfy myself by doing some weights tomorrow before I swim.
It was a bit tricky to figure out... the controls are NOT intuitive! It was dead easy to put music on it though, since I already use iTunes. And yea, I shouldn't have spent the money... really...
Ginny: Congrats on both children's scoring on the Regents. I'm pretty familiar with the tests because I did my undergraduate degree in New York.
:mouse:

hello. sorry to be sort of missing. we've had a major shock. my husband's brother's 21 year old stepson killed himself. they are local...so there is much going on.
without sounding cold, the deceased became a member of our family as a 18 year old with many problems. we didn't know him well at all.... with all this said... his death is quite a shock and very sad event. our nephew who is 11 thought the world of his stepbrother and was, unfortunately, right in the middle of all the tragic chaos. we will get thru the "holiday weekend" and the service is waiting until Tuesday.

gotta run...the phone is ringing again!

i'm drinking soda like it is going out of style.....so much for my "wagon"...

Oh, Robyn... my thoughts are with you & your family. It doesn't matter how long the person was a member of the family... its still not any fun. And yea... we all fall off the wagon during times of stress. Remember me? I hardly went to the gym at all when things were going to **** at work. I knew I'd feel better if I did, but I just couldn't get myself there more than twice a week... and that was mostly because I HAD to be there for work 1 of those days! You'll get back up and go again...

And... not to sound callous... I hope this okay... I actually came back tonight to find a recipe.
Aldi's had an awesome deal on bagged sauerkraut... which I like. I have turkey sausage in the freezer. I KNOW there is a recipe for crockpot sausage with sauerkraut, but I can't find ANY that don't also have chicken broth and/or alcohol and/or potatoes... anybody more familiar with the recipe than I am? Can I leave that stuff out and use water with herbs to replace the broth ??
:mouse:

thanks Mouse...

Um... I found this recipe ...I don't know what you're looking for really....but it doesn't call for chicken broth OR alcohol (which I am nearly certain is just and option!) OR potatoes!
It does call for other "odd" stuff....
I googled sauerkraut sausage crockpot....and this was one of the first 4 links... I think it was dianaskitchendotcom or something like that... I have NEVER made or eaten this recipie...so this is really NOT an endorsement! ;) How do you like THAT disclaimer?



Sauerkraut and Sausage

* 2 bags sauerkraut, drained
* 1 (32 oz.) can stewed tomatoes
* 1 lg. onion, chopped
* 1/2 green pepper, chopped
* Pepper to taste
* Garlic powder to taste
* 1 pkg. smoked sausage, sliced
* 1 pkg. spicy hot sausage, sliced


Preparation : Mix first 6 ingredients together in a crockpot. Cook on slow for 4 hours. Spoon out 3/4 of liquid. Add sausage and cook for 2 more hours.

God Robyn. Even if you didn't know the boy well, times like this are so hard because you have to watch those you care about go through ****. Suicide does horrible things to a family, and not to be morbid, but they'd better watch that 11 year old and get him counseling. My great-grandparents were essentially raising my mother while my grandmother (who was divorced in the 1920's) worked as a musician out of town. When my great-grandfather, who was a doctor, found out his wife was dying of cancer, they both committed suicide by turning on the gas oven. My mother, at the age of 10, discovered them. I can't begin to tell you how this affected her for the rest of her life. Her perspective of death was much different than others. She actually thought she wouldn't live to be 20. When she did die of cancer at 62, she gave in without much fight. Other members of the family were affected by the double suicide. My mother's uncle committed suicide shortly after them. It is a horrible way to die because the pain just ripples out to family and friends in cruel ways. I am really sorry that you have to be a part of such a horrible tragedy.

On a lighter note...

Yesterday was DD's best friend's birthday party. They live 40 minutes away, and the party was at a place called "Planet Play" an hour plus away. The directions from Mapquest were a little confusing, and the place was not well-marked. Needless to say, we were a little late. The funny thing were the people who live locally that were late. What was their excuse?! :dizzy: The kids climbed, ran, slid, and nearly killed each other...thankfully, DD survived without injury, unlike many others. Then came the CHALLENGE OF THE DAY...out came boxes upon boxes of the best smelling, cheesiest, most delectable looking pizza ever (or at least that is how it seemed having been denied pizza for two weeks...the longest I've ever gone in my 40 years of life.) DH and I happened to be standing in between two tables where the pies were stacked, and quickly emptied onto "Bratz" plates. The aroma went directly up our noses, and we became dizzy :dizzy: simultaneously. We stood there drinking bottled water (there was no diet soda to be found) and said, "No thankyou" to the countless offers, and even urges to have "just one slice." Then the cakes, yes I said cakesssss...plural. Chocolate with chocolate frosting with rainbow sprinkles..."No thankyou." :dizzy: My head was swimming and my stomach was growling...it had forgotten about the ham and cheese omelet I had eaten two hours prior. When we were finally dismissed from this **** on earth torture chamber, we hightailed it to Applebees and ordered two Weight Watcher shrimp meals and diet cokes. DD watched her insane parents scarf down their meals while she drank chocolate milk and colored her unread menu. Take two. The after party for close friends was going on, and we HAD to make an appearance. There was a 6 foot sub my DH ate without the bread, kolbasa, hot dogs without bread, and more diet coke for us to eat. Everyone else, many quite thin I might add, chowed down on the carbs we avoided like the plague. Its okay that their genetics are superior and allow them to do whatever the heck they want to their bodies...we are willing to work for the results. My previously unsupportive DH is in the throws of cravings just like me, and for once, we are on even footing. Today, we have a picnic at my family's cottage on Fairfield beach. We will eat those hamburgers and hot dogs without buns. I'm bringing baked beans which are on phase 2. Yes, I made it two weeks on phase 1 for the first time ever, and have graduated to phase 2!!! Woo hoo!!!

Thank you for your support Summer! I can not imagine what **** your mother must have been put through.... While our families were not close, it is very sad to be a part of...even on the fringes! I thank you for your insight and support!

...............
Congratualtions ...for not only LOCATING the birthday party location...BUT of course, for NOT killing anyone over the pizzas! ;) You're doing great...and are on your way! I am very impressed that your dh is doing this with you. I don't know how I missed that earlier! I am thinking that my dh would do well with such a MEATY diet! ...and lorrrd knows he needs to lose a ton as much as I do. Perhaps when all the drama has passed, I'll look into what you are having success with! I might kill someone tho...I've got quite a CarbMonkey on my back! or gut...which ever direction I turn!

Everyone being home 24/7 is causing me to be nuts! I sound like mother of the year when I say that the boys are climbing the walls.... we CAN and do get out... we've got great passes to Busch Gardens and Water Country... we even live within 3 minutes of the river/beach.... BUT...there is only so much time you can do out in the heat and humidity....AND I'm fresh out of great ideas that don't include needing $$$$ (which is definately lacking!) Sorry...I'm listening to them "mess" with each other while I type... yet again.... Don't fret...I'm not searching for summer school jobs... however, that would have been $$$......

Ok...enough from me...
take care,
Robyn

Afternoon, all.
I could only wish I were as good as Summer. Okay, I ate the hamburger and hot dog without the bun, which is actually rather typical of me. But I fear I fell prey to some fresh cut not deep fried potatoes. The place does something different to them, so they look and taste like fries... not sure what. And they cut them in front of you.
Okay... that was AFTER 2 hours at the gym (I was there for 3 hours, but I spent 40 minutes of the 3 hours talking to another lifeguard on duty about teaching swimming... he's a music teacher year-round, and works Sundays at the gym). Maybe that isn't too bad. The hot dogs were all beef and low fat (I checked... some of the hot dogs use chicken in them), and the burgers were 93% lean beef... All told, I'm still negative calories (if I finish the french fries, which is doubtful, I'm stuffed)... the stuff I ate was 745 calories; I burned over 1000 calories at the gym. :shrug:
I'm going to go hide now, because I really do feel guilty over those potatoes. I shouldn't, because its not like I gorged or binged... or even that I do this often. But I do. Oh well.
And Robyn: I think I'm just going to put the sausage and the kraut in the pot with some water and seasoning... salt and pepper, really...and go to town. I normally cook this sausage by boiling it, so I can't see the point of browning it first. I don't like this kind of sausage browned or broiled... I only like it boiled.
Hope things are calming a little for your family, and things continue in a better fashion!
:mouse:

Robyn: Oh I feel so sorry for you and your family. Suicide is always so difficult because the person made the choice to die. People are not only grieving but feel angry and guilt (thinking they should have known and been able to do something). My best friend's husband committed suicide eight years ago and it is still hard to deal with. I will be sending good vibes to give you strenth to get through this.

Ginny - So glad your test came out well. I haven't experienced that joy yet but I am sure it is just a matter of time!

Mouse: Do you think you are not losing because you aren't eating enough food? You are so limited, I can't imagin that you get enough of what you need. Maybe your body is going into starvation mode and trying to convert everything to fat to substain you. I don't do the no carb thing but I think when they figure out the carbs in something they take the amount of sugar and subtract the amount of fiber in it. That is why low carb bread and pasta has so much fiber. I think as far as the sugar buzz, you need to worry about the glycemic index. I don't know what prunes are but raisins are 64 and I would think they were similar. I think that is pretty middle of the road.

Summer - It is funny that you use to wake up hungry and now you don't. I never use to be able to eat food in the morning. The thought of it would just about gag me. Then I read that if you wanted to lose weight you should eat within one hour of waking to kick start your matabalism. It about killed me at first but now I am starving if I don't eat breakfast fairly soon after waking. I can't believe your dm had to deal with that when she was 10! That is the age of my dd and it breaks my heart to think of her discovering one person hurt let alone two dead. That was a terrible thing for her to have to deal with.

Sue

Evening Ladies,
Not much to report here. Just other Sunday that my dumb dh decided to pick a fight with me over my weight and working out. All of this before I went to church this morning. He has since said he was sorry, but the wounds have been opened again and probably wouldn't close for a couple days about his comments to me. So Summer I am glad that your dh is being supportive and eating the same foods as you are and helping you lose your weight. Give me a hug for me, I wish my dh would be a little more supportive. Congrats on not giving in to the pizza and birthday cake yesterday. Hope you enjoyed your family cookout today!
Robyn, hugs and loving thoughts and prayers are being sent your way. It is always hard when you lose a loved one. But it is harder when there is a lot of unanswered questions surrounding their passing. I know what you mean about the lack of $$$$'s. We are feeling it this summer too. I think that is what was wrong with my dh this morning, so he lashed out at me. Hope your boys and dh aren't driving you too crazy today.
Mouse, don't beat yourself up over the potatoes. You need to splurge a little bit every once in awhile. You have been doing so good watching your food intake, that little bit of potatoes isn't going to hurt you, is it?
Sue, how was the campground you checked out? My stepkids want to start going camping. But with little extra cash, this is not the summer we are going to be able to buy the gear to take them. Since I didn't work the summer school, there went my little bit of extra cash.
Ginny, glad that your test went fine. I bet that makes you feel better. I will have to go through that in 8 more years, thanks to my dear old dad. I have to confess here lately I haven't been doing my walking videos since the vcr/dvd player in the living room is broke at the moment. But I have been taking walks around town. My dh seems to think that those don't really count as excerise like my walking videos.
Well I better go and either take a bike ride or go for a long walk.
By the way, I think my dh earned the loser award for the day. After listening to him moan and hollar about my weight this morning, were does he take me for lunch today? He took me to Taco Bell. I got two spicy chicken soft tacos and a bowl of pinto beans to eat. Needless to say, I got a spoon and just eat what was inside the tacos and left the soft taco shell. Then he had the nerve to ask me why I wasn't eating much today. Men are such friggin' idiots.
Hope you all have a safe 4th of July!
Take care,
Kerry

Hi, again.
Kerry: Thanks. You're probably right. I went back through the 6 weeks of food logs, and except for one day (I think it was my birthday, too... I got taken to lunch AND dinner that day, even though I was very good both times calorically, the carb count was high...about 170), I've been 110 or less. The RDA for carbs is 200, so I'm definitely under that. My average across the month is 70 carbs per day (my goal was 65, so that isn't bad). Like I said, definitely not Atkins, but some of the stuff is hard to figure because very few of the carbs are from sugar, refined grain (or any grain) products, potatoes, carrots, or other high glycemic foods.
And its weird, too: I can have tomato juice and low-fat dairy, both of which are verboten on Atkins.
Sue: I'm not sure. That was a theory that was floated in November and why I initially went to see a nutrionist. She was very nice, but not a whole lot of help... She told me to do more whole grains, more protein, less refined carbs. I did that... but it didn't help much with weight loss and my nausea really got bad again in January/February... by April I was having real issues with it again, which is why they put me on this diet.
I take a multi-vitamin daily. Strangely enough, its actually a pre-natal vitamin because the contraceptives I take to balance some of the hormones, plus the other medication remove some nutrients from your body, and these were the only pills that had enough to replace that...
Its also possible that some of the "lack of weight loss" is because I really do have more muscle. People are commenting on it, and I know clothing that I wouldn't typically wear is now fitting better... But I wish I could get the scale to move!!!!! Its not like I'm not working: I was really sweating upstairs today when I was lifting!!!
I hope there is a good person teaching the water aerobics class tomorrow morning. I'd like to go lift weights, do the class, and maybe swim a bit... I won't have time to lift on Tuesday because I have to get fitted for the orthotics.
All: Money is a definite issue. I'm working, but not as much as normal so the salary isn't there. By the same token, I would go stir crazy if I sat in the house all day long and did nothing. So, I go to the gym which uses gas... and the library or the bookstore, sometimes go out with friends for food... I can't NOT do these things or I'll be seriously depressed. I'm really watching what I spend though.
:mouse:

Rob, how is everything? I know it won't be easy for a long time. Just don't forget to take care of yourself in the midst of everything.

Robyn cont., My plan for the cheapest way to spend the summer is to park it in my backyard. DD has her 15 foot ring pool to swim in alone or with friends. I put out bubbles and sidewalk chalk. We've got a basketball hoop, wiffle ball, and croquet. The rest is up to her and her friends. I either garden or read a book. Some days we go to the beach which also has a playground, mini golf, basketball courts, and tennis courts. None of this costs a penny except to feed lunch to our guests. So far this summer, we've been in our backyard, someone else's backyard, or the movies. The days that cost me money are those nasty rainy days. They should be outlawed during summer vacation! When things do calm down for your family, you may want to consider visiting Southbeachdiet.com. I don't know if it is necessary to join. I did because I wanted access to recipes and other stuff. We also have South Beach threads right here with support and ideas that I use.

Mouse, I tend to agree with Sue. My DS needs to lose over 100 pounds, has been eating less calories than me for years, and exercises (not as much as you though). She makes very little progress, and I think her body has gone into starvation mode. Your food issues are so unique. You really can't compare yourself to anyone else. All you can do is your best to follow the plan recommended for you. After that, I don't know the answer.

Kerry, I'm sorry your DH isn't making things easier or more pleasant for you. My DH may be on this diet with me, but he can still be a jerk. Just this morning when I told him I had lost another pound, his answer was, "Yeh, so what?" I wanted to punch him in the stomach. I just keep telling myself that when I'm skinny and hot, he might want to think twice about treating me like crap. :p Sometimes I really hate men. As my DD says, "Girls rule, boys drool."

Sue, I have always craved breakfast. I have a variety of different stomach problems, and when my stomach is empty, all the acids churn away at it. It just plain hurts when it is empty. During my pregnancy, even though I puked for 5 months, I still gained 30 pounds because I couldn't stand to have an empty stomach. So I'd puke then eat lots of carbs to keep the acids at bay.

:) We did great at the cookout at the beach. I spent the majority of the afternoon in Long Island Sound floating on my shell raft while the kids went crabbing. When dragged back to the beach house to eat, I did as I said I would. I had a hot dog and cheeseburger without buns with my baked beans and diet 7up. My DH and I were elected to make s'mores for the kids by the family matriarch even though we wouldn't be able to eat them. This ranked #1 in difficulty compared with the pizza/birthday cake temptation because he had to toast the marshmallows, and I had to assemble the chocolate and graham crackers. I HANDLED CHOCOLATE IN MY HANDS FOR 30 MINUTES WITHOUT EATING ANY. Another first in my 40 years of life. :smug: We socialized with everyone while all the kids played and stayed for fireworks. Fairfield's fireworks are tonite. But last night we could see Bridgeport's, Stratford's, Long Island's, and Norwalk's. DH lit some small ones on the beach, but the jaded children were nonplussed. DD and I watched in amazement however. Today, DD is swimming at her friend's new pool, and they will all probably end up at our house later and tonite.

One small announcement: Instead of pigging out yesterday, I was a good girl and lost one pound!!!

:) HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!! :)