Good to hear from everyone. Lots of good advice. Still struggling here. It's amazing how easy it is to back track. I'll move forward again though - hopefully soon. Take care.

Very quickly: I'm home sick for the second day with something very like the flu: dizzy, sore throat and inner ears. I've had somelow-lying sinus headache for several days, so maybe it's turning into a sinus infection. But I'm doing a fair amount of work, and on the phone a lot, between naps.

I have to get on a conference call in a few minutes, so I'll back for personals later on. But Carol, I did want to say that I was at the protest, too. Maybe your daughter snapped a picture of me! :lol:

judy

Hi. Judy I hope you'll go to a doctor if you continue to feel bad - sinus infections can be bad news and meds clear them up quickly.

October 1 is a good day to start fresh. It's supposed to be a low key weekend here so I hope to get organized. Take care all.

Judy, I hope you feel better. Seems like a lot of people I know are getting colds/flu already this year. Take it easy and don't work too hard.

Tired, good luck on getting a fresh start. Enjoy the relaxed weekend.

Carol, good for you standing up well in the meeting. Those types of things can be very intimidating. Sounds like you did great.

Well today we're going into town to buy supplies for the shed. All of the stuff in the front garage (kid's addition) is stuffed into DH's workshop/garage so we're going to build a shed. Oh, what fun. So we're going to go shopping at Home Depot. I swear we're they're best customers. I need to stop at Walmart since last month I ran out of TOM supplies and forgot about it. Guess who's visiting...

Work was okay on Thursday and Friday. Today is better since I don't have to work at all. :rofl:

Other than that, I'm just plugging along. TTYL.
Marie

Feeling a little better today, thanks. I lingered in bed, dozing and finishing "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" until almost noon. I'm not as dizzy as I have been, but the vague ache in my sinuses is still there, and maybe a bit of post-nasal drip. I keep threatening to go to the clinic, but I don't feel quite sick enough to go...but since I have to fly to Seattle on Friday, I do need to for whatever this is to be gone.

Carol, the Pilates class is only one day a week. I'm not sure that it's enough for me to really learn to do the moves on my own. Plus I haven't worked out at all since Tuesday. The class is fine, the other ladies are nice and the instructor keeps things moving. I love stuffed cabbage, by the way. My mom used to make it when I was a kid. I've been thinking about buying a crockpot. I love things like beef stew when the weather turns chill.

Marie, I love pasta, too, but I rarely eat it now, since I can consume mass quantities of it and not feel full. I figured out that one of the reasons I love pasta is that I love tomato sauce. Last night I made "meatball surprise"--precooked turkey meatballs I simmered in a rich sauce and served over spaghetti squash--and that does the trick for me.

Yeah, Tired, it's a new month, a great way to start anew. My weight loss is stuck again, so I'm not going to reach my Columbus Day mini-goal of 222. So I'll focus on a new "micro-goal" of 225 by October 16. Have you thought about what you want to accomplish this month?

I hope everyone is having a positive weekend. Stay centered!

judy

Hi all. I'm resisting my urge to dig into a bag of peanuts right now. Instead I'm writing to you. Last year this really helped - writing instead of binging.

Marie, good luck with the shed. You and your dh are always project oriented - that's great. I too have noticed many people with illness this year. My husband has a nasty strep throat right now.

Judy, I hope you get some meds if the sinuses continue to hurt. One time when I was at a wedding in Annapolis I ended up in the emergency room with a sinus infection - only time in my life I thought "this is what it feels like to die," that's how bad it was. Thanks for asking about goals. I really need to focus. I've let a lot slide in the last month. My big focus is to fit into all those clothes I bought last year which are tight now. I can do it, I can do it.

Today's menu
- breakfast - banana bread (healthy recipe)
- lunch - roast beef sandwich, 2 apples, carrots
- diner - chicken, sweet potatoes (I love sweet potatoes), beans, 1 glass of wine
No in between - that's good
No after dinner eating - that's good
Time to really get psyched to reach my goal of 150. I really want to be slim for my Brazil trip. I know I'll enjoy it more if I feel good and can wear nice clothes. 7 months to do it. I don't even want to weigh in until I can get a couple of good dieting weeks under my belt.

What a day--it's been like several Mondays all rolled up into one! I don't mind having lots to do, but I really don't like feeling being disorganized or scattered. Oh, well, I'll try again tomorrow.

Tired, I'm so glad that you stepped away from the peanuts! I have to put nuts into little snack baggies and freeze them so that I don't munch right through them.

Marie, how was your shopping trip? I bet your family would have been a good candidate for one of those reality TV shows on the HGTV--"Remodeling with Marie." :lol:

Carol, I hope that you are doing alright. I'm feeling much better, but my headache is pretty much the same. No Pilates today, boo!

judy

just checking to see if this works I have had problems getting on.

Hi all. Carol, can't wait to hear about your trip. You've had so many great getaways. I love reading all about it.

Marie, hope you're doing well.

Judy, thanks for the "peanut" idea.

Good eating day for the most part.
breakfast - coffee, yogurt
lunch - salad
dinner - chicken, sweet potatoes, pasta (a little) and a bit of apple dessert - my dh cooked it and I couldn't resist.

That's it for tonight. I already feel better now that I'm getting on track.

Hello everyone I really missed getting on the sites. It was awful not being in contact but I kept it together. This weekend was a busy one. On saturday I went to an estate sale cool stuff. I plan on going again this saturday with a friend. Maybe pick up some nice gift ideas. Then I helped with the PTA for the grandkids school fall festival. It never ends once yah have kids its an on going process. Then sunday we went apple picking and then to the pumpkin farm. We picked 30 pumpkins my daughters darango was packed. The kids smashed in with all the pumpkins all on our laps under our seats on the floor etc.. Really funny time. One of the grandboys is having a party and needed 20 pumpkins for it. I wish you could of been there.I burned a few calories with just pushing the wheel barrow up the hill and then helping load the car. Never needed the gym..... We then stopped at McDonalds I got only a drink and yogurt. OH those aren't so good I haven't missed a thing! I attended a birthday party only dabbed into the salads etc.. Didn't over eat. Today I did okay not really crazy did have a BLT for dinner but added my calories up 1300 calorie day and I'm going to have an apple. 1380 Sounds like everyone else is doin good keep it up. Brazil sounds wonderful and a skinner you will be even feeling like having more fun. I am looking forward to Hawaii in maybe March that is whale time. Judy hope your feeling better sinus not fun. I am fighting a bit of that myself.... Marie hope your doing well.
Keep in touch! Tired better to have a little of something and be satisfied than not have it and binge on something else. Never go without but eat with in your calorie limit guidelines...

Hi all.

Carol You Live Life to the Fullest - a good model for all of us. Your weekend was wonderful. I can imagine you pushing the wheelbarrow full of pumpkins with a big smile on your face and your grandkids proud as ever!

Took another great hike up a nearby mountain with two other women and 12 children who were all terrific. For many it was there first mountain hike so that made it more fun.

Eating ok today. Not lots in between. I've been doing well with that. Now I just have to make sure that my meals are full of lots and lots of healthy choices.

Have a good evening!

Tired thank you for your warm thoughts. I had an okay day but let some chicken wings slide onto my plate. The hubby and I went out for dinner. I had a rough day at work with having a guy hit my car and run away with his. That started my day then the problem to my car damage is small only about 200.00 but it was having him just take off after he hit me. We talked he backed up and speed away. Most likely didn't have a license or insurance. The police were just not even helpful thank god I wasn't in real danger. Its not a good neighborhood that I work in. guess I should be lucky he didn't get scared and shoot me or something like that. Oh well I will live but stress always leads to a bad food choice. The rest of the day was good.
B=bagel w/light c.c.
L=1/2 OF A DELI SANDWICH made w/ dk. rye and roastbeef, little mayo and veggies
S= Apple
Dinner out= a veggies calzone w/ sauce 1/2 saved the other side for lunch on wed.
6 chicken wings and some salad
1/2 of a carm. candy apple. I at least shared the calories with the hubby
That was it oh 1 small glass of red wine.

Carol, I'm sorry about the start of your day. Did you get the guy's plate number? It's amazing how when things go wrong that food is our comfort. Since I struggle with bipolar, when I'm on the depressive side, I definitely struggle (As I am now). Looks like you pulled your day out though wiht other good choices.

Tired, your hike sounds fun. Right now it's hunting season so we can't take the puppies on hikes, so we're not going. Exercise is hit and miss with me. I did get my pilates machine and used it yesterday. It's a 3 time a week thing so I should be riding the exercycle tonight. But I don't want to. I'm surfing and knitting. Oh well. I will do the Pilates tomorrow.

Work is okay. I'm trying to have a better attitude, but it's hard. I'd rather not work at all. :)

Well, I'll talk to you all later.
Marie

Marie what yah knitting? I knit too! I have a sweater in the works right now. I am making a crop sweater with a bulky charcoal color yarn. It was a bit expensive in the end I could of bought a sweater. Hah Hah! Knitting helps keep my hands from getting into food in the evening hours. The weather has been so beautiful its hard to get into the knitting but on the cooler days I did. The back and front are done and I went out to buy one more skein as it might not of been enough. After this I am going to work on a sweater for my youngest grandson for school. It will be Thomas the train with the train running along the bottom of the sweater area. A lady from the net sent me the design. That will be a project to sit by the fire with. I can only knit for awhile and then have to stop I had carpal tunnel surgery and it can flare up at work and home everything in moderation like our eatting! Life! But I will not let it control my life or the way I live it. Thank God I am a determined individual huh?
Anyways I plan on having a good intake day. I am preplanning my day w/ the following.
B=cereal 150 apple a bit later in the morning 80
s=kashi bar peanut=130
L=1/2 veggie calzone w/sauce ? not much cheese 350
S=apple80
D=Tuna salad w/tomatoe and lettuce bed and a bit of dressing olive oil and vingar.250?
coffee w/ the girls and some dessert I should still be okay as I tried to be careful the rest of the day. I am trying to make sure I get more fiber in my diet too. That is something I used to figure in fats and fibers before my calorie counting days. I am on the low end today of fibers not even 20 should be 30. I will work on this the rest of the week. They help to keep you full and burn more fat off of your body. Check yours girls and see where you are its hard to get them in there. One good way is a fiber cereal. I gotta get a grip on this it would help I am sure of it. Share your intakes if you don't mind this may be a good stragie.

Hi all. Enjoy knitting. Wish I liked it because I love to see the beautiful sweaters. Also, it is a good way to keep your hands busy.

Carol, I'm so sorry about the car accident. Awful!!!!! I would be very upset too. I'm so glad the price wasn't too high.

I'm on the upswing. Hope it stays. I've got back some of that feeling from last year when I lost the bulk of my weight. I've got a couple of meaningful projects going on at work which helps a lot. I've had a bit of positive feedback which really helps too. I'll have to remember that when working with my students - a compliment here and there can go a long way.

today's intake
breakfast - cereal and yogurt
lunch - veggie salad
snack - 3-4 hard candies, carrots
dinner???? haven't got there yet.

Take care and thanks for being here.

Carol, I cheat. Really I do, I have a knitting machine. I'm not patient enough for real knitting, not when my machine can make a back of a sweater in an hour. I would really love to make a fancy, cable sweater, but that's too much fro my machine. I made a green sweater this summer that was made of chunky yarn and I love it. Right now I'm making a white cardigan with a hood. It's made of Lion Brand's Wool Ease. It should be warm. I love sweaters - in the winter I'm always freezing.

Tired, good for you in getting the feeling back at what makes you successful. I hope it sticks. I'm still struggling but today wasn't bad. I didn't cheat and I'm actually hungry for dinner. I'm been munching so much that I skipped dinner last night.

Work was terrible today. My co-worker and I rebuilt our webserver yesterday and screwed it up. Not to mention we lost some parts of the website. Tomorrow we're rebuilding it and I have to recreate the webpages that interact with our databases. Yuck. I guess all I can say is I haven't been bored...

I did come home to the sweetest puppies in the world so life is good. Work is just 8-9 hours of my day. I'm getting better at putting that into perspective. I'm sure my dogs don't like when I come home cranky so I'm really trying to leave it at work.

TTYL.
Marie

Hi, ladies--

Carol, I'm sorry you got stuck with the bill for your car. This is one of those times that a camera phone might come in handy, just snap a picture of the jerk speeding away! At least you weren't hurt in any way (besides your wallet).

Marie, puppies are so sweet! And I'm not particularly fond of animals....I hope that the puppies and your knitting are helping you regain your balance this evening.

Tired, you sound great! It's so nice to hear from you more often like we used to.

I am feeling a little better. I'm taking these hugely expensive antibiotics and juggling nasal spray, Allegra and positive thinking to banish this sinus pain before Friday. I haven't worked out since early last week, and my eating has been slightly off kilter. Feeling stressed because I'm behind at work, and crummy because of the constant headache, makes me want to eat--eat chocolate, to be specific. I wolfed down some M&Ms today, but generally I'm not eating bad food, just too many calories total, and burning fewer off. Life is this way sometimes, I guess. I will try to keep this in perspective and let it turn into a relapse.

Thanks for sharing your ups and downs! It reminds me that I haven't invented any of these problems, and they can all be addressed.

hugs--judy

Judy that type of phone would of been great. Hopefully I won't need it again but that is a thought I will keep in mind. Some of the group homes use them when a client has been injured or there is some type of problem others need to view. Boy when we get sick it takes a lot out of us that we normally take for granted. Just doing regular stuff wears yah down. Take it slow so you don't have a relapse. Also if you eat peanut mm there not so bad at least yah get some protein. I had a brownie 1/2 but it was big so the size I ate was big. Just got Tom and needed some choc...... I won't do the scale til he has gone away! I wish he would take a hike permanently.
Judy glad your knitting something you will enjoy. Yes you are cheating but if yah can't do it the old fashioned way and have the means to make it still good for you. I have never used a machine. I have a few sewing machines and quilt. I have a couple of quits I should be working on. I also have a chair which is 1/2 done which stares at me while I am on the computer some day they will all be done! I can do lots of things just need time and when I have time I find other things to do. Too many interest I guess. Never bored though. The puppies sound cute and loveable. But they can be a lot of work too. Must keep you busy. What kind are they?
Tired I am so happy for you. In your journal if you have one write how you feel right now. And every day reflect on it when your starting to feel down. I just read you should keep vivid memories of a day that was going great, exercise, eating intake was good, and you were having an upswing day. This will help you stay focused on reaching your ideal goal. Track your food, stay positive and do cardio even if its 10 min. thats better than none. These are tips from the biggest losers. Makes sense to me! What do you all think?
Have a great day. I am off to open house at the grandaughters school tonight. They split the district and she goes to a different school than her 11 month older sister and her 4 year older brother crazy huh?

Greetings from a hotel business center near the Seattle airport. I'm waiting for the shuttle up to Skagit Valley, and avoiding the snacks in the hospitality suite. Today wasn't a good eating day--I didn't do my mental work and think through strategies for making good choices. But now that the traveling is mostly over, I will focus on getting back on program for the remainder of the trip. I will check back in if I can, otherwise I'll see you all on Wednesday. Have a wonderful weekend, and start the new week with your best foot forward!

judy

Judy I loved my visit to Seattle last year actually almost to the date. I found it to be a lovely city with so much to do. I especially enjoyed Pikes Market. I know you will get back on track.It is so hard when your away and so many different types of foods and get togethers are available. Hang in there you'll do it!
I haven't been to bad but have had chinese food 2 times this week. But inbetween meals and snacking at night haven't been bad. I had the two little girls stay overnight. Then pops watching them this a.m. I am off to an estate sale and garage sales to shop. I just love it. Then I am coming home and baking apple pies with the girls and applesauce. I am going to prepare the pies and then wrap them tight and in the freezer to bake at a later date. I think I am going to send my son and his wife some fresh apples. Before the postage go up any higher. I am worried my Hawaii trip will be quiet expensive with fares going up. I would book my flight now for March but a friend of mine will be going to hopefully and she hasn't the funds yet. I will keep my fingers crossed it stays under 1,000.
I started my morning at 6:00 and finished cleaning my closet and drawers out for fall clothes. That is an accomplishment for sure. Putting away summer stuff is a bit depressing though. Well hope everyone is ready to enjoy their weekend mine is a longer one with monday off. I am wallpapering my daughters bathroom that day.

Hi everyone. Good to hear from you. Judy, sounds like you're feeling a bit better, Carol, thanks for the good ideas.

I'm really beat today. Thurs. and Friday were ever so busy. Thursday I went straight from 7am to 10 pm on task working, driving, picking-up, attending a meeting and eating fast and lousy in between. On Friday similarly I went straight from 7am to 8pm, then dropped into bed and to sleep. No me time on either of those days. Could I have fit it in? I've got to rethink my schedule. My dh has been very busy with our ill relatives (now two - husband and wife). He's been spending about one-two days a week plus many phone hours managing their care. That's time he used to be spending helping out around here. Our schedules are simply too full and something has to go - any ideas?

Here are mine:
children - lots of activities, all very positive, in general they are happy kids. I really don't want to change things in this arena.

marriage - generally good - enjoy each other's company

house - a mess! When is there time to clean. Maybe I need some help here.

work - very busy, but I'm good at it and I like it. I guess I'd rather work full time and hire some help for the house and maybe some of the driving and picking up - a thought

exercise - it's a must that I haven't been fitting in. I have to get to bed earlier so I have the energy to exercise in the am.

TV - I don't watch much, but basically I can let most of it go

Food - simple meals, simple shopping. This week we were caught without healthy food - have to do that shopping weekly.

Me time - have to find time for it or I crack.

Thanks for being here everyone. When I told a very close relative about my frustration this morning she went on to recite every horrid situation in the world news to make me realize that I had too much self pity. I appreciate you all letting me vent once in a while as I figure this all out without reciting the world's problems. Take care.

Hello all. Hope you're having a good day. Hoping it will be a good day here too. I had a good night's rest which really helps. Hopefully I'll get some exercise too. Take care.

Hi everyone, just a quick note to say everything is fine. I've had a nice weekend. Not too much planned. We went across the mountain to shop yesterday and that was fun. Tomorrow is work again and I'm never looking forward to that.

I did a first today. I overate on healthy food. I ate so many grapes that I'm physically sick. Yuck! I hope I never do that again.

I've been exercising. DS's GF and I have been walking. That's been nice.

Well, got to go.
Marie

Well this weekend I kind of went off a bit needless to say. I baked lots of apple pies with the grandgirls and applesauce. We put some little pies in the freezer to bake at a later date. Something new we are exploring this year. The taste of pie season in the winter months. I made spaghetti for the whole crew yesterday as they are all remodeling their homes. One is doing her bathroom and I wallpapered most of it at 10;30 last night. Then the other one just finshing her flood mess from last year. They remodeled a whole downstairs. It looks great hopefully that never happens again. I can relate to some others with floods but not to their extent. Thank goodness. It was bad enough. I went to some sales and had a fun time with that not any huge goodies though few small finds.
Gotta get on track today and I am going to the gym no excuses I have today off. I am finishing the wallpaper and then doing something for me.
Tired yah gotta find some wiggle time for yourself even if its 15min. then make it 20 etc. You won't be any good to others if you wear yourself down. Are there any relatives that your husband could delegate some responsability to? Sometimes its easier to handle it yourself I know I have been there. As far as the house goes your not the only one living there. My friend and I had a long talk about this the other day. Well saturday she got everyone moving and things look great. Now she has made everyone have some chores and if they don't do them right she makes them do it over. She is in hopes that this will be easier in the end and she will have a more organized home and cleaner with out total responsibility. Good luck its not easy. I am tackling my computer / sewing room today. Before going out of this house. It is a mess and I need to clean it up its my room can't even blame anyone else. I need to get organized with this room. Lots of storage not used correctly so that is my plan to reorganize. On friday and saturday I took all the summer clothes went through them and put them away and fall came out and I cleaned and organized my work clothes. So I need a few new things but not much. I have some things that will fit better this year and I look forward to buying a couple of new things as some pants are to baggy.
They won't be if I EAT PIE! Thank goodness the hubby ate the last piece of ours and my daughter took hers home.
Talk to you all soon Marie better to od on healthy then non healthy. You could of shared my apple pie it was so good but not low in calories.
Judy hope you doing well?

Hi all,

Marie, glad to hear that you're doing well. Any chance you could switch jobs or positions within your system? I know it's difficult to have everything just the way you like it and we all have to put up with some things we don't llike. Sometimes though there is a positive change out there waiting to happen.

Carol, I appreciate your thoughts. Hopefully I'll find some "wiggle room" today. You are so right about cleaning the house. Actually when I lost it on Sat. night everyone started cleaning and the house looks much better. Unfortunately there's little to no help as far as relatives go (long story). My dh is a great help.

Better go now. The boys are acting up. Started out on a healthy note, let's hope it stays that way.

Tired good luck with all your juggling. I know your going to be fine but when there are so many extra's going on in your life sometimes just venting helps. We all need an outlet. Glad the family is helping with the house it makes a big difference. I told my daughter to hand out little chores no matter how small they all make a difference.
I have gone back to carrying my intake journal (small) in my purse as it will make me more accountable. I have had added in a few extras over the long weekend. Better to catch it now before it gets out of hand. I would have a fit if my new clothes were to tight. They are a good source of measurement along with that scale. I noticed with being home I drank less water this weekend. I am charting that as well for a few days til I get back on track. Charting is my reinforcement to get on track and fast. So today is like a monday for me as I had yesterday off. I have my computer/sewing room half done. I decided to move my sewing machine and that will take some bull work its an industrial machine heavy! I really want to start my grandaughters quilts. If I am to get them done by christmas which is only about 11 weeks away I better get it going soon. Anyways my sweater is 2/3rds done. I have to get that finished but it works up pretty fast bulky yarn.
Hope everyone else is doing fine. Lets kick butt girls we can do this we seem to be all at a little low spot! Come on lets eat healthy and move more!

Hi Tired and Carol. I'm glad that you're both doing okay. Good luck with the journal book, Carol. I think that should help a lot.

I'm at work (no opportunity for changes in the near future) and it's okay. Personally I'm starting to hate computers. Okay, I have started to hate them for some time. I'm trying to burn a DVD of our website to move it from one computer to another and the DVD burner doesn't seem to want to finish the job. It's irritating.

I've been walking a lot lately with DH or DS's GF. That's been good. Eating wise, I've been so-so. I could do a lot better. I'm just not in to it at the moment. I wish that the determination that I usually feel was more constant. I hit a plateau and my determination goes out the window.

Well, back to work. Talk to you later.
Marie

Good evening! Hope you're all doing well. It's been another crazy day, but I've been calm all day. Yeah!

I see 15 more years in my position and I don't want to wish the years away. I want to find a balance and harmony in my work as a classroom teacher. I have a great class this year so it's a good time to start.

At home our ill relatives continue to consume many hours each day with phone calls and troubleshooting. There's no clear answer. I just want to make sure we're doing our part to make these days more comfortable for them. I think that part of my challenge is realizing how fast the world is moving and wanting things to slow down enough to care for the young and elderly.

Carol and Marie you both seem to be the kind of woman who are making fine choices as mothers. Choices to keep the connections strong. I want to be like you as my children grow older.

Eating wise - not bad. At school I'm doing great for the most part. It's the late night nned for comfort that's doing me in a bit (not totally). Watching our relatives' illness though reminds me how important it is to stay thin and healthy. Good eating and health habits really pave the way for a healthier old age. Take care. Thanks for being here.

Today
breakfast: cereal and milk
lunch: soup and salad
dinner: 1/2 sandwich, carrots w/little dip
snacks: pears, a few candies, cheese stick
Not that bad - no more candy though. I don't need it!

Oh Tired your so right when it comes to growing older at least a bit healthier we can all look forward to living a fuller life. My mom is 83 and still very active she has slowed down a bit and I look at her sometimes and think she really is aging. But that just started recently. I think because she stays involved with her family, trying to eat healthy and her beliefs in God help her daily. She is a wonderful mom and I had good examples with her and my grandparents. They were always active and gram used to be up at 5 every morning working out. I used to go spend the nights once in awhile she would be on the floor with this black board mat and exercising to Jack Lalane. Grandpa on his exercise bike. They were so wonderful and I miss them but i have good memories. I hope my grandkids will always have good memories and pass things on to their children. Your doing a wonderful thing for the ill folks and teaching your children a great lesson to take care of the older family members in need. Sometimes people just take life for granted and we need to all slow down a bit and enjoy it a bit more. Good luck and feel free to vent anytime. We took care of my inlaws for as long as possible, so I have been there. You do what you can , push in some services if possible ck out your resources, Office of the Aging for info. if you haven't yet. I am doing a lot of future planning for my clients parents currently as in the future placement for the kids is needed when the parents have always done it. I have 3 on my case load currently in the stages.
I didn't do to bad with the intake yesterday I did manage to eat a handful of chips. A coworker brought them in. But when everyone else took a choc. break I had an apple. I took a few to keep in my drawer at work. I still need to get my exercise up there again. These dark mornings are killing me and I don't get out the door. 1400 cal. day monday. I will shoot for another today.

Marie try to shake up your calories a bit maybe add more fiber or protien or both? Sometimes we get stuck and just need to shake things up a bit. Our bodies get to a point of being used to one way we need to show them something new to make them start the process of losing once again. Good luck and just a thought. That is why I tried to change my calories from 1500 to 1400 and change a few foods around. Gotta fool the body a bit! Good luck at least your increasing your walking I need to.

Morning Carol and Tired, just a quick note since I'm at work and have an appointment in a couple minutes. Sounds like you're both doing pretty good. Carol, my mom is 76 YO and started exercising regularly. Since the first of the year, she's lost 22 pounds. She wasn't overweight to begin with, just a little plump. She is so proud of herself - she's been doing water aerobics and her clothes are getting loose. So definitely it's never too late to get into the healthy lifestyle.

GF and I went walking last night. I decided it was the last time the dogs went on expandable leashes. They drove me nuts, so tomorrow they go on leather leashes. We had a good time and I was exhausted last night.

Tonight I start the drawing class. I hate to not go home after work, but I live 30 minutes from town, so I can't. The puppies have to wait until late in the evening for dinner. I really feel a bit guilty about that. But I am looking forward to the class. It should be fun.

Well, off to work. TTYL.
Marie

Hi all.

Carol, thanks for the nice stories about your mother and grandparents. I do believe in family and the need to support one another. Your example is a strong one for me.

Marie, the drawing class sounds wonderful. I'm looking forward to hearing about it. I love to draw.

Judy, hope you're doing well.

Good teaching day - lots of creativity and enthusiasm amongst the children. I love a day like that. Good day overall. Reaquainted with an old friend after many years, events - a mutual respect and caring feeling. Very nice. Tough eating day but tomorrow will be better.

Take care and thanks for being here.

Marie keep up that walking and the drawing class sounds like fun. I can draw but not very good really. Now my son he has done some creative drawing and some tatoo work. He is of course the contractor whom uses his work of art on a daily basis. I am artistic in other ways decorating, knitting, quilting etc. Let me know how it goes.
Tired glad to hear you have a great class this year. Maybe this will be one of those years where you'll enjoy teaching so much you won't want it to end? When I worked at the school for 10 years I viewed a lot of different teaching ways. I must say the teachers can really keep the kids attention span when they are creative and are able to reach the kids. Keep up the good work and it will pay off in the end for sure. Their lucky to have such a caring teacher. Hows the snacks in your desk working out? I took apples in the other day two coworkers asked to have one now I have none. Glad their eating healthy but my drawer is empty. Oh! I will be taking a healthy lunch today I haven't been as good with packing it this week. I guess its time to go shopping the pantry is full but not with what I want. Gotta go put some dinner in the crock pot. The hubby wants scalloped potatoes hopefully they come out okay.

Hi all, hope you are all doing well. I haven't even thought about eating today as I've been so busy. I just ate breakfast and lunch - no snacks.

I spent the day cleaning and organizing the house. My dh and I bought a couple of items that really spruced the place up. We bought some colorful pillows for the couch, a plant stand and a coffee table. It feels warm and cozy. I like that. I have apple crisp in the oven and made beef stew for this wet, rainy weather so the house smells good too.

Rough day at work yesterday. It's so difficult finding your place in the world when you're a working mom. It's so busy and there's so much care taking time. I probably would be better off in a position that wasn't as taxing as teaching - a position where I could use my brain and where I didn't have a job to do every single second (parenting and teaching - makes for long days). Anyways something to think about.

Carol, I've been bringing healthy snacks to work and that's helped a lot. I also have lots of healthy food at home so I'm finding that this week is going well with eating.

Take care all. Have a good day.

Hi Tired and Carol, I hope things are still going good. Tired the apple crisp sounds divine. I love apples in the fall. I brought one to work and had it as a snack this morning. It was great. And Tired, I think most jobs are taxing if you care about your work. That's just how it goes. I had a good day at work. The webserver is finally up and running. After we rebuilt it for the 3rd time, we found that the new memory that we put in it was bad and it corrupted some files. We were able to fix it but it was touchy.

Carol, I found out last night that I can draw but not very good either. I'm creative with stained glass and knitting but I have trouble putting down on paper what I see. I'm hoping a class and practice will make me improve. I don't think I can get a lot worse. :rofl:

GF wasn't home this afternoon and I took the dogs for the walk by myself. It's quite a hike and it would have been easy to talk myself out of it, but I didn't. I did my vacuuming while I waited for her, then I went by myself. Yeah!!!

I guess that's about it. I'm really learning to leave work at work. I promised my beloved puppy that I would stop coming home in a cranky mood (about a month ago) and I'm keeping my promise. It is making life a lot more fun. Well, I'll talk with you all tomorrow.
Marie

Tired oh apple crisp sounds great and will make your house warm and cozy feeling all by itself. That is a fall favorite. I a baked cookies last night as I am taking them to the 4 year olds birthday party this sunday. It is his first friend party my daughter has been planning for weeks. It should be fun we are having a harvest party and fall activities.
Marie your still way better than me with drawing. It will be fun for you to see the changes in your drawing skills. I think its great your doing it. My new interest is making soap with a friend. We currently are gathering the stuff and then some cold evening we'll start it. We thought it might make some interesting gifts this christmas. We'll see how it goes. It isn't cheap but thank goodness for a few coupons. We will do a variety of kinds. Then wrap them up pretty.
Well I did the white scale thing sometimes yah just have to. I am up a bit but figured I would be I kind of forced myself to get on. I needed a reality check. I have been sneaking things in and with the weather change we eat differently. So now I know I need to make some quick changes or what I have worked so hard for will be gone. I am grocery shopping after work for some veggies, fruits, lean meats..... That will get me motivated. I am also going to the gym this afternoon if it kills me to get there. Once I do it will become a routine again. Thats the problem we get out of our routine and it can mess everything up. I knew that it would be a miracle if I hadn't gained at all. Maybe even when I have Tom I should weigh in? Cause that is where I didn't and then waited and it was almost 2 weeks... and then I let things slip in just a little at a time but before you know it the numbers go up. I will get back down I know cause its so important to me. Today will be my wakeup call to start being serious about what goes into my mouth. Not saying I will not have some good things to eat just healthier.
Thanks for listening!

Hi all,

Carol I'm going to heed your wake up call today. My clothes are so tight and I really like the clothes I bought last winter. My work event really helped me turn a corner. I hand a good day in the classroom today and I'm not starving for comfort food - a good sign. Like Marie said, leaving work at work is a good idea! Building my healthy, active outside life will be a good goal. I've been doing a lot of writing too which really helps me to see straight.

Have a good day.

Hi Carol and Tired,

Good news on the work front. The @#$@#$ webserver is actually up and working. I have PHP installed on it and I installed MySQL. I know the PHP works and am a little nervous about testing the MySQL since I'm so HAPPY right now. :) for now I'm working on other things and am waiting for the Dept of Ed to finish processing my data file. So here I am.

Tired, I'm glad you had a good day at work. And now it's weekend. It's amazing how that helps in the eating department. I wish I wasn't such an emotional eater, but I am. So I'm trying to control the emotions rather than the eating. Interesting, huh?

Carol good luck at the gym. I know once I start I'm good to go. But one little slip and I get out of the routine pretty easy. Go for it - I know you can do it.

Well, back to work...
Marie

Well yesterday went quite well. I was suppose to go to lunch with a clients mom. But that got canceled and of course I hadn't brought anything. So we all got together and ordered out. I was good though I ordered a house salad w/ cajun chicken breast and honey mustard dressing . I guess another dressing would of been better but oh well.It was good. Then after work I did shop for groceries bought some good stuff. I did manage to eat 3 little york peppermint patties. There not as bad as some choices could have been. The hubby and I had burgers for dinner. I then add some jalpeno hummus with celery sticks for a snack. It was so good. This a.m. I got on that white thing again down 1lb. most likely was some of the saltly stuff the day I was up but not totally. I feel better at any rate. It made me really look at what I have been letting slip in my intake. And we all know where that gets us. So yes Tired lets get on track and Marie good idea to try and leave work at work. Its not always easy though and sometimes venting helps relieve the stress. So if you need to vent do so! Find something that comforts you other than food a good book, knitting or your writing. Well I am up dressed and ate a healthy breakfast of shredded Kashia wheat cereal and 1/2 of a banana, coffee. The girl friends and I are off to a estate sale and then a few garage sales won't be too many more weeks of this. Because of camping we didn't do as many this summer. We will go into the 200,00- 350,000 neighborhoods. Their junk is always some kind of treasure. Better they pay high prices than me. I bought a cool mood band ring with silver edging for one dollar last week. Yah just never know what you'll find.

Carol, good for you in getting back on the scale. I've avoided mine like the plague. I'm figuring that all the walking I'm doing will help me from gaining. I really need to want to get back on track food wise. So far, just eating in moderation is all I'm gungho on. Have fun at the garage sales. I used to love to do that. Now it just takes too much time that I'd rather spend doing other things.

I plan on knitting and drawing today. I need to pull out the drawing stuff and work on my homework. I admit that it's hard to get motivated to do it when I'm so lousy at it, but I'm not giving up, so I'll do it. I'm hoping to finish my white sweater this weekend. I have the second sleeve hanging on the machine, half done. So I'll have left is the front facings and the hood, then sew it all together. I'd really like to get it done and start on another color - pink.

Things went great at work yesterday. I got the webserver all done and it's working great. I solved a PHP webpage problem without knowing PHP so I was pretty happy about that. Next week I'm going to work on getting the MySQL to work with the PHP so that I can install a forums board on it. That should keep me busy. Also I've created a new webpage to totally replace the current one and so I'm going to work on that. I only have a few pages done and wanted feedback of whether or not we're going to use it before spending more time on it. This week my boss said that the superintendent liked it so it's a go.

I guess that's about it. I will check back later. Have a great day, ladies.
Marie