Has anyone everyone paid attention to Fly's new plan to de-junk ourselves? You print out this piece of paper (one per day) and color in the spaces when you eat well, exercise, sleep, etc. It's worth a look. Do a search on Flylady. It's dot net. (But WARNING WARNING WARNING. She will tell you to clean your house!!!! So if it's clean, don't be shocked.)

I am only going to "work" at one thing at a time. right now it is revving up motivation to move away from FAT (Zaftig and Rubenesque are euphemisms for me...) and get to, um, ambulatory, flexible and fit.

My post-cancer meds arrived in the mail today. I realized I am fearful of what they will do to me. The doc says they're "like" chemo but without the side effects... BUT THAT ISN'T WHAT THE LABEL SAYS. Yuck. I don't want to be fatigued or have my digestive system in a knot any more. But I can't do anything about that... and I do want the possiblly preventive benefits of the meds.

So, exercise and more vegetable matter.

Cowie, your story wins for today.
I'm planning to post more often, but that probably means shorter.

Stay warm, yall.

aw Painty.. I hope that the meds sit well with you.. just think though, you are through it and this is POST tx... :hug:

Cowie: I went to this Fly Lady site.. methinks the fly lady needs to declutter her bad self.. she's a might chubby... and she must declutter that website..Jeez, it was making me feel a might jittery lookin at all the crap on that site...MEOW..I think I will try System Goddess instead...does System Goddess have something like Turn yerself into a Goddess program? Where do I sign up.

Wabby: I know this hair straighter thingie is strange, since I got a perm to PUT body into my hair..It's just that when I try it it looks a tad frizzy, so I like to curl it to smooth it out but get the body that a perm gives me.. "Mr Lyn" used a straightner on me, and I loved the look, so I put it on my Xmas list.. Thankfully DH did all his Xmas shopping in 1 area..so I won't have to run hither dither..

Must g.e.t CAWFEE! and do my daily crossword puzzle... then I will brave the stores and do massive returns.

The form I was talking bout on Fly's page is called Body Clutter Investigator.

I wish I could return. I've been wearing an LL Bean robe for years. After a while you just get tired of these things but anyway I recently spilled bleach on it. So I told my friend in Cal who exchanges gifts with me and she sent me a cute pink terrycloth one with rubber duckies on it. It's only knee length. If I don't adjust it right, it's above the knees in the back and not what I need at all. Whaaaa.

:bravo: I salute you for taking a deep breath and rewriting your post. Because I know how frustrating it can be.

What a great story! I can't imagine an occasion when I will get to use that line, but I will look for one.

Here's how lucky I am: DDsBF came over yesterday to see her new violin; then they went to his house to work on show choir music; before dinnertime DD called to see what we were doing for dinner (I was making pesto) and she brought him home for dinner again. He brought us a basket of grapefruit. Then we all watched a movie (The Interpreter). I feel very lucky, because I honestly pictured her first boyfriend as a nightmare of worry and curfews and sneakiness ("I'm spending the night at SusieQ's house...").

That's not a funny story, but I seem to be fresh out.

I got a new desk chair for Christmas from DD. I haven't put it together yet. DH got me dog toys and photo supplies just like I asked. I think there was a big present too which I can't think of.

We have to go to the inlaws this afternoon for dinner at 4:30 and a scotch auction where we're not allowed to bring our own presents because MIL is providing them for us. :rolleyes: Really not fair, what if I want to get rid of my stuff? Because that's what it really is, a re-gifting event. Fun to do, but the result is we come home with more junk than we left with. Maybe I'll wrap something up and sneak it into the pile and swear on my life that I didn't bring anything.

Kiwi

Durn doctors. I hope he's right, though.

Good grief, Wabbit, I just looked at my post number and I'm way over 2000! How the heck did that happen? Oh yeah, you don't post on weekends. That must be it. :eek:

I agree with you about Flylady, Schatzi. I haven't subscribed to her in a long time, because frankly she clutters up your inbox with crap!! And if you complain, she tells you to delete it. Now that would work for organized people -- you delete the ones you don't need, just like you toss out the junk you don't need. So what about disorganized people, for chrissakes? I just went to website and I didn't see anything I wanted to follow. You can sign up for System Goddess if you want. There is in fact a system, but you have to come up with your own to-do list. And there's almost no activity on the mailing list. There's another one that might be more useful -- Motivated Moms. I'll PM you with the links in a minute.

Y'know, LLBean might just replace your old robe for you, Peachie, since you spilled bleach on it. DD had an LLBean backpack that she loved, but one of the zippers broke. It was grimy looking, but they replaced it anyway. I suppose a bleach spilled isn't exactly the same thing :dunno:

Kiwi

Kiwi, count your blessings, dearie. I still have nightmares over those teenage years w/ my kids. Would you pm me w/ the motivated moms address? I could use a little motivation these days. I'm working on cleaning up this mess of an office this week. Time to clean out files and start fresh.

Painty, I'm sorry you have to start up w/ a new round of meds. It does seem to go on doesn't it? I hope your Doc is right about not making you feel icky. Now this is it, right?

I don't have a single return to make. All my presents were one size fits all. A new watch from DH, wine glasses and a beautiful fruit bowl from DD, a fancy bar set from DS & DIL. All one size fits all. This morning one of our customers dropped off a Starbucks gift of assorted coffee and chocolate and also a coffee card. I find myself eating chocolates once again. So much for my willpower. They're chocolate covered cherries. I promised myself I'd eat more fruits and vegetables.

So far, post tx tx is OK. Nothing overt. Thanks for y'all's kind concern.

I am discouraged... even with visualization and hope/determination to a) lose weight b) grow business c) be more diligent re house/home work it seems like TOO MUCH TO ASK of myself. You know... like going up one of those hills in a VW when you needed 18 gears and a brand new clutch.

I don't want to defeat myself right off the bad. I guess if the "problem" is self-defeating behavior, I am the only one who could fix it. Jeez. But if you were a self-defeating person and are now past it, clues would be welcome.

I think I'm thirsty... and then off to a big salad.
More veggies. More veggies. More veggies.

I know what you mean, Painty-- I'm "self-defeating" and I don't know why. I want to overcome that-- to make my health more important than how good something tastes.

I am not past it. Any clues welcome.

WARNING: INLAW RANT::present:
Good grief, I picked #1 in the scotch auction, which in this family meant that I got pick of all the gifts at the very end of the thing. I hate that. I don't want to have pick of the gifts, I just want to disappear into the crowd. My MIL traded with what I had, which was pretty bad, and gave me a very coveted gift (she always does this, and I really don't want the "wonderful" item). But her sister was agitating behind me about how much she wanted it, so I made her trade with me when it was her turn. Unfortunately that left me with a light-up, singing nativity scene. I kid you not. I was not planning to bring that horror home, so I traded for a vase and kitchen towel. I hope the woman I did that to isn't mad at me. DD kept the gift she opened -- a tape measure with a level in it. She actually thought it was just great. Then we found out it wouldn't retract. Um...thanks a bunch whoever...

Oh yeah, we were delayed a few minutes getting there because of a traffic tieup where someone had gone off the road into a ravine, and everyone had started eating already. And the dinner wasn't where they had said it was :rolleyes: -- it was supposed to be at the MIL's, but no one was there, so we went to the SIL's. And the garlic bread we were instructed to bring was entirely unnecessary, and it was too late to heat it anyway. 4:30. Too late. Now I'm starving.

I LOVE MY INLAWS I LOVE MY INLAWS.....:rollpin:

Sugar I was going to put a comment in your blog this afternoon, but my keyboard crapped out. So sorry that your father's health is so worrisome. I sure hope things get better.

Kiwi

Kiwi, these were ALL family members? They were bringing cheap gifts. Too cheap. Non working tape. Singing nativity. I went to one of those at work once and the people all wanted and mostly brought singing/lighting up junk. There was this hateful woman who really wanted a lighting up village house so I got it and kept it and never used it. It sounds horrible. My advice in the future is to buy those lighting up/singing things and and, if you win one, bring it back next year. Poor Kiwi. I don't know what to say about the dinner being moved and not waiting for you. You wouldn't want to show up early just to be sure. Maybe you could forget to bring a gift and not take part in that exchange? Anyway ... during the upcoming year, look for the perfect gift. One of those singing reindeer heads would be great, I think.

Kiwi; That is just sooooo wrong!! The whole thing is WRONG! From the change in locations without notification, to not holding dinner, to having you bring unnecessary bread, to that hideous trashy junk pollyanna!!!! I Protest this TREATMENT!!!!:tantrum: :censored: :censored: I know that you were gracious and bit yer tongue... BUT the crap endured by Kiwi and the Kiwi Klan is NOT RIGHT!!!! I wouldn't partake of that crappy crap christmas exchange..Jeez Louise, put a $10.00 limit on something !!! or even 5.. Dollar stores are great fer that kind a stuff!!! I'm incensed by this travesty.

Does pumpkin pie count as a vegetable serving?

Is this scotch auction thing like a white elephant exchange? I'd suggest everyone switch to bringing a bottle of scotch, then you could exchange and everyone would be happy. I've noticed that some ppl have no problem w/ being rude and disrespectful of other's feelings. Family. gotta love 'em.

Painty - I'm not past it either. no advice regarding changing self defeating behavior here. Why do I lose and gain the same 30 lbs. every couple of years? don't know. Why do I spend so much time being p*ssed at my dad? don't know. sigh.

Schatzi - of course pumpkin pie counts as a veggie.... and the whipped cream counts as a dairy serving. good girl. :cp:

My exterminator hero is coming today to pick up his traps. Mission accomplished. Extermination complete.

I found one pair of shorts in the store yesterday. They were Ralph Lauren and they cost $58. crazy. I just couldn't bring myself to buy them. I guess I'll just have to wear mumus on the cruise. I have 2 pair of shorts that I can barely squeeze into.... and yet I continue to dig goodies out of the freezer that I put in there so I wouldn't keep eating them.... toffee butter cake tastes good frozen... now what were we saying about self defeating behavior?????:sorry:

Oh yes, all family members, all 16 of them. Representing only a portion of the actual relatives on DH's side of the family. Can't forget to bring a gift: I'm not allowed to bring our own gifts to exchange!!! My MIL insists on wrapping up enough for all of us, she won't let me bring any! (Apparently it's okay for me to bring food they don't need...)
Oh my god, I wish. Teetotallers, almost all of them. DH's parents and sister especially (which is where these are held). I guess exchanging junk is an alcohol substitute... :devil:

Don't feel too sorry for me, I'm used to this stuff. I just have to rant about it sometimes. They love to do this amongst the older generation (there were 13 siblings in MIL's family and many of them are right in this area). I would rather not be included, but DH has a big bug up his arse about participating in family activities when we stay home for Christmas (probably in retaliation for the other years when I drag him to my family's stuff in NC). I have to admit I would rather spend time with my family -- I'm used to the traditions there and they make sense to me. But I like the in-laws in general; they're good people -- I would rather hang out with them than deal with my late father's clan -- They do everything perfectly and beautifully but manage to make you feel unwelcome anyway. I haven't bothered to visit them on a holiday in years; it just makes me feel horrible, so what's the point?

Families. Can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em.

Kiwi

Everyone needs to read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. It's my new favorite book. really, really good book. really.

Word on the family, Kiwi. We gave Grandpa Jim a box of all kinds of fancy schmancy food that he loves but is very expensive. Smoked fish, fancy garlic stuffed olives.... stuff like that. I included a hard salami that he always has loved. He gave it back to DH, insisting that it was past the pull date... the pull date was 2006, but he kept insisting it said 2005 on it. At the same time, he went on and on about the Christmas card he got from DH's flaky brother who disappears for years at a time and takes absolutely no responsibility for Grandpa Jim...... really ticked DH off..... and that's our crazy family. :dizzy: