Well, Grif is in his high chair eatting fruit cocktail right this moment with the big boys watching him. So, I only have a minute. He is majorly swollen with a low grade fever. Yes, he is on antibiotics and using an antibiotic gel on his face. The cuts say hi if you look at it sideways. It seriously looks as if someone carved it in his face. He is barely sleeping. The doc says it will be a wait and see thing but no tissue was missing and it should only resemble scratches at worst. In a year we can do touch up work but the best results are done by waiting till he is at least 5. He needs to grow into his face. He is clingy, but still wants to love the cats and play with toys. So, I am thankful it is not worse. Once the swelling goes down and he can eat normally and see out of his eye, I think he will do better and we can access the info more. Griffins cuts measure 3 3" long and 2 1" long and some puncture wounds too. Not pretty.

As for the dog, it is way quiet without her here. The other kids accepted it majorly well. They don't doubt my decision at all. (about not letting her return) They wouldn't be able to trust her either. I will check in tomorrow. ~flower

Flower ~ Stay strong... I hope he is feeling better in no time.

Wildfire ~ I have considered that this is were my body is happy at, I have pretty much been maintaining at 144-146 for about 3 months now(which is according to my scales that I don't know if they are right they were weighing about 6 pounds light). I am 5'8 also, I am down into a size 8 pants, medium shirt. I had set a goal for 130 and I still really want to reach that weight. I realize that I am not still really overweight, but I still have some serious fat stores on my hips, thighs and abs. (the typical place for all women) I might not be, being realistic but man it would be nice to get back into a 6....


Gotta run.

Hugs,
Amy

I'm in! I'll be starting Opti Fast on the 29th. I met with the nutritionist last night and she put me on a reduced calorie diet until then! I don't know about that ... I'll try to stick to it but I'm not going to worry too much about it. And I am definitely going out for dinner the night of the 28th -- I invited my friends to come out and have a "last meal" with me ;) . I weighed in at 157 -- in the evening, on their scale -- although I was 152 at home in the morning. At any rate, we decided on a weight loss goal of 50 lbs., but I'm still playing it by ear. If I want to bail sooner, I'll just deal with the remainder of the weight to be lost on my own, which will be a much brighter prospect than trying to lose 50 on my own. Ugh, she took pictures and measurements last night -- that was not pleasant. I hate having my picture taken since I got fat.

*WHOOO HOOO* Yay, Ruthie!!!! Glad you passed all those tests! How long did they estimate that it will take to lose 50 lbs? What do you do when you come off the fast? Do they assist you in some kind of maintenance program? Know what you mean about the pictures...

I've decided that I'm not going out to buy a grocery order filled with Christmas goodies, I'm not baking all kinds of sweets (that I'll end up being the only one eating them), I'm not buying all kinds of alcoholic beverages and mixes. I'm cooking Christmas dinner for us at home, not sure which day, and going to my uncle's on the 25th. Other than those two meals, it's business as usual around here. I plan to LOSE weight this Christmas, not GAIN weight! I have six days off, starting tomorrow, then I work the 27th and 28th, then have a long weekend until the 2nd. Great time to get an exercise program in as part of my plan.

Tomorrow I am venturing into the maddened crowd to do ALL of my shopping. Wish me luck! I have a route mapped out and a list. I am not going back out for anything once I get home.

Flower, how is Grif doing? And the rest of you?

Amyjo, size 8 for your height is probably thin enough! Not telling you what to do, of course. You are the only one who can decide what is right for you. Maybe an increase/change in aerobic exercise would help burn those fat stores? They say you can have a perfect six pack of abs but if you have fat on top you have to burn the fat to see the muscles.

Eydie, are you knee deep in mud baths at your at-home spa? Where are you hiding?

Lamorgan, looks like Winter may be taking hold here Ontario. Boy, was that wind cold today! How was your hunting excursion for warmer clothes?

Thousands of things to do...better get at them.

Hey, all. Wildfire, to answer your questions...re the amount of time it will take, the program director initially said most women lose about 3 lbs./week, but the nutritionist estimated I will lose 1-2 lbs./week. It had better be more than 1! I could lose 1/week on WW if I just stuck to it! I know that a 800 calories/day, exercise is going to be the key. And when you come off the full fast, they guide you in gradually adding foods (one of the biggest dangers of the fast apparently is if you binge while fasting, which can throw your electrolytes off and actually cause cardiac arrest), and then they offer a full year of maintenance free of charge. However, God willing, I will be out of town by next July, if my plans go as I hope, so I won't be taking advantage of that.

FLOWER! How's Grif? And you? And the family? You're right to be thankful it's not worse...although the scars are an affront to you as his mom, thank God he didn't have nerve damage, or lose vision or hearing. I work with a woman who had the same thing happen to her granddaughter. I think it was more traumatic to the mother and grandmother than to the little girl, who doesn't remember it and whose face is perfect. You are a wonderful mom, Flower, and your babies know it :) .

Amy, I have been thinking about your plateau...maybe a plan would be to just chill for a little bit, maintain, and set a date to start back on a well-planned program. At any rate, this is probably the wrong time of the year to think about losing, and I always feel like a big fat bear ready to hibernate in the winter, no matter how thin I am! You're so busy and so focused on school, it's difficult to also focus on a program. I agree with Wildfire that aerobic exercise might kick you out of your plateau -- maybe you can take some time to think about how you can easily fit exercise into your busy schedule.

Everyone is so busy with Christmas! I admire you all for even thinking about weight loss while you're running around!

Ruthie, I know we're all looking forward to hearing about Optifast. It'll be great to get the info from someone who's actually doing it! Are there any Optifast boards on 3FC?

Wildfire, You're venturing out today to shop? Yikes! I'll light a candle for you! :D I was telling Garry last night that the gift-buying things is the most stressful part of the holidays for me--not the shopping, I finished early, but wanting to get the "right" gift and then second-guessing that choice into the ground. I know people who adore the shopping for gifts aspect of Xmas--wish I was one of them!

I've been doing a bit of baking and It's been biscotti and fat-free brownies and fancy breads--all reasonably healthy stuff--IF you have a reasonable amount! The thing is it's just here in the house and I'm noticing that I keep dipping into it--so I'll be glad when it's all gifted away!

Our
"spa vacation" is great. We get up early in the morning and meditate for 10 minutes first thing--what a great way to start the day. I'm going to try to continue that habit. Yesterday we did facials and today we're doing salt-olive oil body scrubs. You know, I feel lavishly blessed to be married to a guy who appreciates these things too---then again, aromatic body scrubs ususally lead to other things!
:o :D :devil: :lol:

On that note: HAPPY SOLSTICE!!!! :wave:

Happy Solstice
 

A Happy Solstice to you too Eydie! And to everyone else too! The light returns to us!!!! Yeah!!!! Hopefully some good luck too.

I am so freaking overwhelmed this week. Tonight I make the turkey and the fixings. We are opening gifts after dinner. I do not want to hear about them any more from my children. Everyone needs a distraction.
Tomorrow is my nephews first b-day party. (actually it is the 24th)
Sun early is a surprise baby shower for my sis in law. Gotta go, she threw my first shower. That night my sisters and their children and husbands are coming over for finger foods and gifts.
Monday night is at Chris's parents for chicken soup and dumplings and presents.
Xmas morn after the stockings, is my moms and after that is Terry's mom's.
I WANT THIS OVER WITH!!!!

Grif fell on his tummy yesterday right before the docs. Blood, pus, water everywhere. So very gross, like a big pimple. But doc assured me no damage done and it needed to drain. He is a big more hyper, but he doesn't sleep that well. I did go to sleep at 9 only to wake up at 1 to hear all about Chris's night at work. The Marines came in to KB's and bought over 40,000$ of barbies, wrestling figures, finger boards/bikes and various games. They gave them a 8 thousand dollar discount. Chris wants to go in work tonight to restock. But tonight is YULE. But he and I aren't exchanging gifts so I suppose a couple hours won't kill me after the excitement. If he doesn't go in today, it will be tomorrow...

How is my diet. Bah Humbug. I skipped on getting a dessert tonight for our big dinner. Nothing looked good. So, forget it. I am drinking lots of gatorade. I am craving it. Well, after I survive this week, I get get back on track.

Sorry, no personal responces to anyone. I am on overload. ~flower

I'm hoping for a blizzard tonight ~ then we won't have to go to Chatham tomorrow to spend the day with John's family. (BAD LAMORGAN...) They are soooooo Catholic. Ugh. My daughter is going to get 2 more piercings on her right (or left, I'm not sure) ear tonight. It's one of her birthday presents, she has the standard pierced ears now. She's 12 today. It may be worth the trip to see the inlaw's reactios to her getting the double piercing... hmmmmmmmm. John and I went into the city (Hamilton) to do some shopping on Wed night. While we were out the 9 year old threw up all over the bathroom floor.... What a mess. Thankfully John deals with barf, I can't. Yesterday I felt ill, and spent the day on the couch watching tv. Watched many babies being born on "a Baby story" (I cry each time one is born.) I love birth.

Anyway. HAVE A WONDERFUL SOLSTICE!!!! The sun returns!

Lois

Hi girls. I'm taking a breather between our company's children's Xmas party (7am - 2pm today) and that marathon shopping I have to do. I'm sitting here in a nightshirt with my feet in my Dr. Scholl's aerated foot spa. Man, they're killing me! That's what I get for running around in high-heeled boots for 7 hours. Hubby needed a nap to face shopping. Good thing the mall is open until midnight tonight. No Yule-ing for me this year, I guess. Just too much to do! We're heading out at 5pm, and I'm hoping my feet are recovered enough to run around the mall for a few hours. This foot spa is heaven....a gift from last Xmas.

Got a $1000 Christmas bonus from work, so at least it will make shopping a wee bit less stressful. Hubby got one too!

Ruthie...cardiac arrest??? Holy crow! We're going to be keeping tabs on you, girl! (hope you don't mind) The one-year free maintenace is great. You should be able to take advantage of it for a short while before you move and at least get the program down so you can continue on your own. Maybe they can refer you to a clinic where you'll be living after July?

Eydie, glad you're enjoying (in more ways than one ;) ) your spa vacation at home. I have a hard time deciding on gifts, too. I always second-guess what I buy. Maybe that's why I procrastinate so much....no time to return anything!

Flower, take a deep breath and enjoy all the busyness of the season! I know family can be a pain most of the time, but find something to enjoy about each and every one of them. We often forget to do that. What were the Marines buying all the toys for? Poor Grif...glad there was no further damage by his tumble.

Lamorgan, may the Goddess be with you as you venture into the land of Catholicism. Deep breaths for you, too! My 14 year old has piercings, and one of the items she requested for Christmas was permission to get her nose pierced. I'm still thinking about it. She has a few ear piercings and her navel pierced....I'm afraid "what's next?" if I say yes to the nose! *L* I watch TLC, too...baby story, wedding story, makeovers, **Trading Spaces** love it!, Trauma....it just grabs you!

Okay, gotta check those lists twice before we do this. Happy Yule!

Spent a fortune on stocking stuffers at Giant Tiger yesterday... Underware, Socks for 5 (including John). I cannot believe the state of the children's socks. Holes and ragged.

Luckily my mom-in-law is lovely; it's John's siblings who are crazy. Actually, just one of them, but she is a true matriarch-in-training! We didn't speak for 2 years because of my stubborn refusal not to stay in the broom-closet, and I offended her faith, apparently on purpose. But she approached me last April about forgiveness, and we are on fragile new ground.

This year we're quite caught up for Christmas for a change. John and I are even getting presents, and this is nice. Found this beer at the liquor store for John under the tree "Fiddlers Elbow" (he plays the violin), by Wychwood Brewery in the U.K., with a flying witch as a logo ~ so perfect! Fairies on the label too.

Anyway, must go deliver papers. Ugh.

L.

Hey girls.....you know when you go up on the rooftop to see if it is Santa making all that racket....well, you're supposed to come back down!!!! :D

Where is everyone? Lost in the land of sugarplums?

I am cooking our turkey today. Going to stuff him and get him in the oven in a few minutes. Tomorrow we go to my uncle's mid-afternoon.

Lamorgan, "Fiddler's Elbow"...*L*...sounds perfect!

I am still at 176, which is good to me considering the parties and such this last week. If I can maintain or lose until New Year's I'll be happy. Then I'm back at it full time.

Hope you're all well and enjoying yourselves!

Saturday I filled in at a natural foods store, where I used to work regularly. I'd forgotten how crazy working retail could be during the holidays. It was wild!
And then yesterday I was blessed with a Christmas virus. Ick. Hopefully it was just a 24-hour deal cause I'm feeling much better today--still alittle weak. The good news is I'm feeling really delicate, digestion-wise so it's unlikely that I'll indulge in any Xmas goodies!

:)

The only time of year it's great to deliver newspapers is at Christmas-time. But the down side is the boxes of chocolate, yummmmmmmy chocolate hedgehog truffels...... I've made more in tips than I got paid!

We have our Yule feast tonight, ham and all the trimmings. Tomorrow we will walk over to my sister's house for Christmas dinner. The kids are all wild today... it's going to be a long one.

We had a light dusting of snow, hope we get some more.

Have a great time everyone! Need to get this day started, lots of wrapping to do.

L

I am here! I didn't turn on the computer til at least 9 pm last night and I just checked my email and then passed out in bed. I had been cleaning for 48 hours. I had the baby shower for my sis in law yesterday around lunch and then my holiday get together with my sisters at 5. We had way too much junk food. I tried to do the health conscience thing but my sisters brought fudge and tamales, and sweet and sour meatballs, pepermint cake, spinach/artichoke dip, crackers, pigs in blankets, fries, hot wings.... I sampled everything but the tamales...those didn't tempt me in the least. The fudge stayed here and it is such a huge quanity that I am taking most of it to my gathering on Christmas day.

I liked opening gifts on the Winter Solstice. I think we may do this every year. Friends and family think I am insane but I am not getting the amped children and the whineing and the excessive peeking as years gone past because it is over with!!! Yeah!!!!

I am looking forward to tomorrow am. My mom gives me great gifts. She got me a hand held electronic card game that I can't wait to play. Free cell. I know it is on my computer, but this one I can play in bed, at appointments ect... My regular solitare is getting a bit stale and yahtzee was my game the year before that. I know she got me a real pair of hedge trimmers for my yard too. She didn't wrap them. Griffin loves to climb the stairs at her house and they were at the top. She displays the gifts along the steps. It will be insanely crowded there tomorrow. But at least this time I enjoy everyones company...And she'll have a platter of cold shrimp. Yummy!!!!

I am actually looking forward to restarting my diet this next week. I know I could begin now but nah, I am gonna live it up and try to maintain my weight and eat a few unhealthy morsals!!! Happy Holidays and you all mean a great deal to me-thank you for everything! ~flower

Hey guys!!!!!!!!!

Sorry for the lack of participation... I have been having ISP challenges~! We have been down all weekend.

Eydie - sorry your not feeling well being ill on a holiday is just no fun! Hope you are better soon!

WF - Thanks for the insight, DH has made the comment lately that I just haven't been putting my all into my diet and that it is showing. He is my best support and my greatest pain in the butt, the first to say I am doing great and the first to say whoa your regaining! Love him but he is a pain! Hope your Holidays are wonderful!

Ruthie - I am glad everything is working out for you. I know that this is going to work for you!! Hope your Holiday is great!

Flower - Hope all is well and the stress level is better. It is almost over!

Just found out on Friday that my SIL is having Gastric Bypass Surgery on Feb 15. There are so many factors to being approved by a reliable Dr. there are some who will do it and not blink but the ones that are working for the good of the patient. She is 5'4 and about 200 pounds overweight and nothing has worked to get it off. She is 35, and showing signs of major hypertension and blood sugar issues. So she had been turned down before and now she has been approved. Normally I wouldn't suggest that anyone have this procedure to lose weight but I really want to keep this lady around and nothing else has worked. She has been preparing herself mentally for along time and she knows that life is going to be really hard for a while but she is willing.

Got to run, have a full day!


Happy holidays!!!
Hugs
Amy