Poor Alli. Having mono sucks. I hope she gets all the rest she needs. V. looks so happy in those pictures and I'm glad her hives are almost gone.
My daughter may have a new job starting the 19th. There was an opening where one of my closest friends and her husband work and they offered it to my daughter. She's waiting for the backround check to come back. It's computer work and no heavy lifting which is perfect for her.
It's been slow at work so we've been replacing labels and resetting everything so it's back to where it was
before we plugged stuff for Christmas.
The co worker that was helping me came from the other mart and works at a motorcycle dealership during the day. He did better on the other movie fixture.
Have a good weekend.
Liz
Yes, it's truly a bummer. Praying she can get enough rest to pull her through.
Yay for a few job for dd - that's awesome! Praying everything goes well and she can "move right in".
Gald to hear work is going well - staying busy in retail is always a good thing!
That is a great picture of Victoria. I can see the similarity to Ali in that picture.
I'm sorry to hear about Ali having mono. Has she had it before?
Yes - they do look a little alike.
No, Alli has never had mono, none of us have. Praying that we all escape it and Alli can pull through like a champ.
Glad to hear V is doing better - Sulfa is one of the drugs I'm allergic to also, mycins, and cyclines are the other types of antibiotics I can no longer take. My reactions though were not nearly as bad as V's.
So sorry to hear Alli has mono - that's really a bummer for her and you too. for all of you.
I wanted to share my news - although I don't want to make you feel badly...
We've been talking about a family reunion trip to Disney for over a year now and I finally got people to commit/not commit to going.
Our huge family trip has been narrowed down to 6 of us - Jim and his gf, Karen, my son & dil and C and me. We're going in September again. Since Jim is retired military, he can get the military discount tickets. I'm going to give him all the details this afternoon when I go over to watch the Ravens game.
We promised my girls we would take them next summer (2016) since they can't commit to September this year because of work/school.
And, since I want to see the Christmas decorations - which I've never seen, C and I are going in December this year. Is this Disney overload? I don't care I'm excited!
I agree - I am so relieved that V is better... I was so nervous for her for a few days there.
And the mono is the pits, for sure. I have a small update about that below!
Congrats on booking so many trips. I don't feel badly at all, I am excited for you! That will be awesome! Some day, I will get to go back.
When you mentioned the swollen neck thing, I had a sinking suspension it was Mono. I had almost mentioned it, but didn't want to bring undo concern. I had it at 16. Good news is that noone else in my family got it. I got it at the end of the school year. Finals week really was not good (mid June). I remember trying to go out to breakfast for Father's Day, but having to be carried out of the restaurant because I didn't have the energy to stand anymore. I had very little energy that entire summer. I lost 20 pounds and often joke that mono is the best diet there is. I heard that stress is a huge factor with mono and the more stressed you are, the better chance to get a relapse. I have been mighty stressed in my life and have never had it since.
She'll get over it, but there are going to be some really rough days.
Congrats on the size 8! That is my ultimate goal as well. I know about the mind thing. When I have been at my smallest, I still look in the mirror and see where every roll is. When I was a size 2 in college, I still thought I was fat and wouldn't wear a swimsuit in public. I think the head issue is what gets me. I can't see the results in the mirror, because my head still focuses on all the "bad", so I give up. This time, it isn't about the scale or the size, but being healthy. I have to keep telling myself that.
Thanks for the story Shannon... We've made some edits to Allison's schedule for the coming weeks, just as a precaution - due in part to your experience with it. It's just better to be safe than sorry. I appreciate you telling me how it was for you, so I can make Alli's life a little easier. I'll talk about that below though - so everyone sees it.
Thanks! I never thought I would get to this size - really. And now that I am here - I think I need to readjust my goal a little bit. I will see where my body takes me, if it doesn't want to get any smaller - I guess I will be OK with that. But I'd definitely like to be FIRMER. LOL Not sure if that will happen either?
That's kind of where I am too - I am really focused on the overall health of my body and eating food that makes me healthier, rather than food that is bad for me... Kind of like in the book "It Starts with Food" - there is no food Switzerland - all of it either makes you healthier or is bad for you, there is no neutral ground. That really resonated with me - it's so true. So, I am doing my best to continue on with my good food choices. I am considering sticking with the Whole30 for some additional time, especially as I get down to the size I settle on... I may add in a few small things after I finish the 30? I am not sure yet, I will see when I get there. I do know, in these few short days I've been doing the Whole30 - I have definitely lost size, which is a good thing.
Glad to hear Victoria is better. She looks so happy in the pictures.
Poor Alli, I hope she gets better soon. Crossing my fingers that nobody else gets sick.
Congratulations being a size 8 I'm glad to hear that you like the new lifestyle. It will make it a lot easier not gaining weight when you like the new lifestyle
Yes - she has been so happy these last days, even when she was miserable. I guess I didn't realize how much her acne was affecting her... We really need to stay on top of it now that it's gone.
Thank you - us too. It's going to be a rough few weeks here for her. Just praying she is able to get enough rest to let her body heal.
Thanks! I am pleased about it, even if it is hard for me to see.
How could I have forgotten to mention that. I have been following since the beginning and the results are just beyond words. You are really an inspiration.
OH boy I had thought they were both doing better. Thank god the hives are getting better/gone and she certainly looks radiant
Mono - dear lord. Hope she gets better quickly. Have a nice weekend!
Jane
Thanks Jane... It's been a long road, hasn't it? For the most part it's been easy though - I've been able to keep my focus on my health, and the rest has fallen in to place. The hardest part for me is to watch my peers hop on diets, only to hop off again a few months/weeks down the road and see them fail... I pray that everyone is able to find a way to take control of their health that is a true to their way of life - it's the best way to make this work. After all, I am coming up on 3 years now of working at this, and trying to make it work for me - lots of trial and error for sure. Every day, every meal is a new beginning for me.
Yes, well V is doing so much better... She is back to herself with a new bounce for life - it's great to see her like this! Praying it continues for her!
And Allison, well, she is tired - very tired. I will talk about that a little bit below.
PLEASE call me Bitsy - Mary is just my stuffy work name!!
Ugh....Mono - SUCH a hard thing I hear..but I'm hoping that A pulls through it quickly!!
and V looks so happy in all of those pictures - I just love in your TRs when you talk about her moods!! I have 2 boys (15 1/2 and almost 13) so even though I don't have "girl moods" do deal with, "boy moods" aren't a walk in the park either!!
You LOOK FABULOUS in your size 8s!! I'm not basing my weight loss goal on a size yet - I have one of those bodies where I have a flat butt, carry my weight in my tummy and then top it off with a large chest, so while most of my loss is in the tummy area, my pants size has shrunk more than my top size..
My plan is to lose the 75lbs, BUT, I will see where this weight loss road takes me...maybe I will need a few more than that, or maybe a few less..
I've honestly been heavy for such a long time, I don't remember what its like to be smaller but I am enjoying buying the smaller sizes!!
Keep up with the pictures for the motivation!!
You're doing great!
OK - so Bitsy it is.
Thank you - I am so worried about her... Trying to do our best to make sure she is resting as much as possible.
Hahaha... Yes, V definitely has her "moods" - but it's part of her charm. Alli and I are pretty good at diffusing it/ignoring it. LOL I wish I could say that it's due to her being a teen and hormone stuff - but I have pictures of her from our first Disney trip, and she had a frownie face... So, it's just how V is. We love her though.
Yes, when I first started this journey - I didn't really have a size goal in mind... I knew I wanted to eventually get into my old clothes, but even that was a distant dream. More than anything, I just wanted to recapture my health - and to be honest, I had no idea when I started this, that a change in my diet could accomplish that... I just really thought "I am getting older - this is inevitable"... It's not. I know I have turned time back, and it has been a wonderful experience. I seriously had someone send me a picture of me holding V when she was a baby - and I look older in my 20's than I do now at almost 40 - it's crazy!
I almost think it's best that people don't choose a size goal - or a weight goal... Going into this, just trying to find better health is what is truly important. After all, a person can lose size and they can lose weight - but that doesn't make them "healthy", because it can be done in ways that are more detrimental... I look back on my life, and the countless times I have "lost weight" - and quite honestly - I looked like death... I did NOT gain any health by doing it, I just got smaller... So focusing on health and the well being of your body should be a priority, by doing that - the rest of it will fall into place. It may take years - honestly - it may... but what do you really have to lose if it takes years? Just time - nothing else is lost - time is going to pass anyways.
So, make good choices... It doesn't always have to be perfect - this is NOT about perfection - It's just about doing the best you can in every situation - every situation - and finding ways to LOVE the things that make you healthier. Me, I hate raw veggies - I really don't like them much at all... So I rarely have them... But sauteed or roasted - YUMMY - so I eat them that way... I don't force myself to eat things I don't like just because they are good for me.
Phew... And I keep rambling...
I understand the size thing too well, I think. I am the same as you - I am honestly smaller now than I was in 7th grade, and I wasn't huge then by any means... but I have never been this small - not as an adult and not as a teen (OK there was a short time I was smaller, but that's another story)... What I am trying to get at, is even though I know I am smaller now, I don't see it. I've been big my entire life, so I just can't see myself in any other way. Pictures do help, and it helps when people tell me that I am making progress - I don't do that for vanity reasons, I honestly do it, because I can't see it any other way.
Mentally - it's so hard sometimes... Praying that one day, our minds will see what others see.
You are doing great - I know you are... And enjoy every moment of your journey - there are things to be learned at every turn.
***************************************************************
Ok... So, the closet and the kitchen did not get touched at all yesterday...
Slackers...
I was lazy all morning - I let the family sleep.
Surprisingly, Alli was the first up - she was very sore... So, I made her eat something so she could take some Tylenol - I was hoping that would help her. I forsee lots of smoothies in her future, since it's difficult for her to swallow much else, and the cold feels good on her throat. She was only up for a short while, then she went back to bed.
Josh and V were up a short time later...
We all hung out on our devices, drinking coffee and being lazy. It was nice.
Of course - I got restless... So I decided to embroider Josh's Pheasants Forever jacket that I got him for Christmas... That was no small job - it was acutally quite annoying...
It took me almost 2 hours to get one little name embroidered... It was a pain to transfer the file - had to do it several times... Then it was a pain to get the jacket lined up on the hoop... Then it kept slipping, because the jacket is layered slippery fabric... But - finally, I was able to get it done, and he likes it. Today - he wants me to do the back.
Allison woke up in time to get ready for work. After reading Shannon's story above, Josh and I talked about it yesterday afternoon and decided we should ask Allison to take a Leave of Absence from work for a few weeks. We feel that it's going to be all she can do to go to school, and she is going to need that time to rest... Finals week is coming up next week, and it's just going to be a hard time for her. Surprisingly, when we approached her with the idea - she completely agreed with us. So, I took her in to work last night, we talked to her LoD about her LoA (hahaha... acronyms....) - last night was her last night of work, and I made sure they put a 10 lb lifting restriction on her too - they wouldn't want her spleen to rupture on the clock. She barely made it through last night... Poor kid. She looked like she was going to drop when I left. But she made it.
Gus picked her up - and when she got home, I really expected her to drop the moment she walked in the door, but she looked really good. So, I felt much better. He got her a card and a few small gifts to make her feel better... Gus is such a nice and thoughtful guy - he really is. The fastest way to a Mom's heart is to treat her daughters with caring, concern and respect - and he does all 3 on a consistant basis.
We are all lucky to have him around.
Josh and V went to Matt's game again last night - Matt scored 2 goals! I guess I missed an awesome game. Bummer...
I sat around all night, surfing Pinterest... Looking for ideas for a Valentine's mantel display... I have some great ideas that are pretty cheap... I worked on some of them last night, and I'll work on them a little more today. Hopefully it turns out cute.
I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend! Prayers and Pixie Dust to all!!
D~
That seems to be going around everywhere right now. 
They have had chick-fil-a twice when traveling. I'm wondering if we'll be making more food changes sooner rather than later. Our 8 year old daughter is currently beginning the process of being checked for Crohn's as well 
Oh and if you haven't checked out Against All Grain, google it. She has great grain free/paleo recipes. We have made quite a few that we all love!
