I turn into quite the homebody when it's this cold. DS said his interview went well. He finds out in January, and if they want him they will do a background check and I think a polygraph. And this might sound funny, but I've been trying to hug more. I am not a big hugger except for DS. I have some major personal space issues.
There has actually been research, Rose, that shows four hugs per day was an antidote for depression, eight hugs per day would achieve mental stability and twelve hugs per day would achieve real psychological growth. I've read this many times over the years, the first one in a child development class in college. Actually, thanks for the reminder. We all need some mental stability in our home right now, so I'm going for the 12 a day for my family. Tally chart in my future! I am lucky that the heathens all give me hugs during the day, so I easily get 12. Another tidbit about hugs - the initiator should always be allowed to be the first one to pull away. This is trying in the classroom sometimes, but I think some of these little guys probably don't get many at home!
I forgot to mention it Monday, but I sent PPD Tom's way. January is a loonnngg way off in some respects, so I see what you mean about keeping on the hunt.
As for how I deal w/ stress - I am learning NOT to turn to food, most of the time. I am pretty good about not having triggers in the house, Mom's house is my weakness! If I can get to it, a nap helps. If not, a few minutes on the computer usually help, as does venting here!
QOTD for Tuesday--What is your favorite holiday treat? How can you enjoy it without going overboard or do you just plan to avoid it completely this year?
That's kinda funny. I'm not sure I have a favorite, since we don't really have anything we do every year. Probably cheese ball and crackers. Like Lisa, I don't really deny myself the treat, I just decide what I'll need to give up to have it (like a meal

). I've learned that denying myself something I am craving just gives it more power over me, and if I go ahead and have a taste or two, I conquer it!
OMG It's cold in Orlando! We all had to buy new sweatshirts today! So freaking cold!!!!! I have no idea how I'm doing. I'm just really enjoying myself. Been eating 2 meals a day and walking a ton. Not drinking enough.
AHH... the WDW bloat! You'll get it right off, I have no worries!

Sorry it's so cold. I want to hear all about Biergarten, Brad wants to go but I'm not sure the girls would eat anything there.
I was hoping to pop on and see a post from Pamela. I haven't heard from here and did leave a voicemail the other day. I'm praying that all is okay and that she is just busy
Please let us know if you do hear from her!
I am way behind on a couple of projects at work. I DO have a stress fracture in my pelvis - no running for at least 4-6 weeks and the orthopaedist will recheck me in January.
Glad you got a diagnosis, sorry it was a nasty one. Hang in there, pop in when you can!
Today was a perfect day. We went to
Disneyland. It was kind of on the way to the jewler, so how could we not stop! A Disney wedding is my dream. I will be calling them tomorrow to see if it will be possible, aka something we can afford. So on to the pictures! I just got them right now and uploaded them!
LOve the pictures!

I am kinda hoping my girls will do Disney weddings, that will help narrow down our guest lists a lot! So very cool that you got to celebrate your engagement at Disney. As for your guest list dilemma, I know the feeling, we had real issues, and ended up inadvertantly making some people upset. FWIW, Brad and I talked many times about how we wish we had done our wedding differently, something EVEN smaller, just parents, best friends, and maybe aunts and uncles, spent less money and stress. When we got to the back of the church after the ceremony, we looked at each other and said "that's it?" We were just so ready to get on our honeymoon!
A former retired teacher sent it to us which was really nice of her. But it was fromthe famous CAKE BOSS. YOu see those shows all the time and you wonder how the cake really tastes. They look so pretty but how do they taste? Let me tell you this was great. The filling was not too sweet and the buttercream (which is my favorite) just right. I can understand why the bakery has been there forever.
YUM! I would have had to have a taste, too, just to say I did! How did the MRI go?
They are calling for snow from Knoxville north next Monday when DS is supposed to drive home, so I'm getting a little stressed, but it's still a week out so it could change.
They changed it here for rain, but the mountains for snow. Not sure what route he'll be taking, but it's looking to be a bit warmer.....
Happy Monday everyone!

We are down to 12 days left in our challenge! Here in Southern Germany we are getting so much snow it is now just beyond ridiculous. Snowed all night last night and ever since I got up at 6:30 this morning. It just so happens that Obama is in NC today or tonight at Forsyth County Community College so maybe he is stopping by on his way back to DC, ya never know!
We've had some issues with lying too, with DS lying to us. But if I question him just slightly he admits it right away. He sang "I wanna be a rock star" by Nickleback.....just google the lyrics to that if you don't know it

Yes, he knew every word but didn't quite understand what it meant.
Thank goodness AK doesn't understand what a lot of the words mean to songs! We like a song called Chicken Fried by Zac Brown Band, I'm not a country music person, but it's a feel good song. Not sure I like my 11 year old singing about "cold beer on a Friday night". Reminds me of our family's remix to the Kid Rock remake of All Summer Long. (We were trying different things, we were eating (instead of smokin) funny things, catching rays (instead of making love) out by the lake to our favorite song. Sippin Sun Drop (instead of whiskey) out the bottle, etc. Do you know what Sun Drop is? You might be the only person on here that does! And Katy Perry's hot and cold? Sophie thought it said "you pms like a bench I would know" and "we kiss with makeup". I am such a bad mom!
You really have to take some pics of all that snow. Sounds lovely! We had issues here about school letting out early because it was snowing, and kid drivers not going straight home, one junior actually died in a car wreck. Ever since then, they've been stressing to the parents to talk about those situations! I am trying to stay calm, and teach consequences about lying. A good one just came out to the public, about embezzlement, and it's someone we were VERY close to (our school guidance counselor

and PTO money). I've known since the summer, even though I shouldn't. Now that the grand jury has met, AK and I can have a heart to heart about it. Hopefully, that will impact!
Because I was worrying about the talking thing too since working out with my friend.
I am having the best mental images of you two! I can't wait to hear all about it!!!!!
Have fun staying at AK! I love that resort, I've only toured the grounds when eating at Boma

lovestruc), but I would love to stay there someday.
I would love to stay there, too! Brad says it's too far from the other parks, so I'm trying to talk him into a split stay, with a couple of nights there for us to visit AK, and then move to BLT. We'll see......
Finally I went to see a counselor about 5 months ago b/c I couldn't bear to have all that hatred inside me any more. Long story short, I was facing post traumatic stress from a major life event and I learned after all was said and done, that most of the events that took place where probably not about me at all, their actions were issues that THEY had with themselves. Went to run at lunch and got in 35 minutes. I'm getting closer to my goal every day. I'll probably hold at 35 minutes until Friday to give my legs a chance to get used to it.
I am a HUGE believer in finding the root of people's actions, must be the teacher in me. It's very helpful to be able to understand what's about YOU and what's about THEM. Glad you were able to come to that understanding! I AM SO PROUD OF YOU FOR RUNNING AT LUNCH! I only get 30 minutes, but I could still never pull myself back together after a run enough to be presentable! You are doing great!!!!
I'm doing math, too! And like you, it's not my favorite -- I play mind games to get to certain percentages (or calculate what percentage I'm at), and I try hard not to see three sixes in a row -- it doesn't mean anything, it's just another thing to keep me occupied.
That's so cute! The irony is, my mom grew up in rural Missouri during the Depression -- and one of the things they really looked forward to was an orange in their stocking! It was very "Little House on the Prairie", there were 12 kids and she was the oldest. They only received one present each, and the stocking was a big deal. I bet she might have dreamed about that orange!
Okay, so that whole math thing just gave me a major headache! I STINK with numbers. That's so funny.... My dad had very much the same childhood here in VA. In fact, Mom gave him oranges and those peppermint sticks a lot of years for Christmas because he really looked forward to those. They were LHOTP, too. I might have to get the book out and read it with the girls today. Would be a good lesson!
45 lbs in 4 1/2 months, I never thought I would be strong enough to make these changes.
That is so amazing!!!! You are doing GREAT!!!!!!!! What an awesome motivator you are! AS for the tea, I like hot teas. I tried herba mate, but it made me feel....odd. The biscotti sounds DIVINE!!!!
As to the trip we're taking, it is one big, long trip. WDW - auto train- DC - Williamsburg (starting the drive back home) - and then Hilton Head for a couple of nights.
Cant remember when you are leaving, but if you are at HHI when we are, I'd love to say hi! If it's anything like last year, just listen for the woman yelling "Sophie, come back here!"

Sounds like a GREAT vacation!
I don't know why it was so bad Saturday, but I have scabs all over the inside of my legs. I think you can get an amazing workout on the elliptical. I don't know how it would be on your ankle.
OMGosh Rose, that's sooo awful!! I can't imagine how you ran on the treadmill with that! You are a MACHINE!!!! I think I'm going to have to try out the elliptical, at least once!
Nothing new to report there, but since I had a fever on Friday night, it's possible that it wasn't just milk. And of course, there's always that infamous word...S-T-R-E-S-S.
AMEN!!!!! Hope you are feeling better! Glad there was nothing new to report on the dr. front!
I'm about to run out of battery power, so this will be very quick.
Computer, mental, or physical?
And that if it is in the house I need to throw it out or eat it until it's gone. Is this how it's always going to be? It's interesting, because if we are out I have little trouble not taking sweets or chips or whatever, or just taking one, but at home it's a different story.
For me, when I'm out, I think a lot about appearances. Since I've lost and gained before (not to the point I am now, though), I have fears that someone will think I am going to put it all back on. At home, I don't worry about the appearances. I think it's all just part of the mental adjustments were are making at maintaining our loss. We're still pretty new to this lifestyle, in the long run, give yourself some time. Plus, I wonder if it's because there's just two of you in the house. Here, there are 4 of us to help consume treats when they are here, so my part of that is smaller, if that makes sense?
The hugging can be such a big stress reliever. I am a hugger, and a cryer. I definitely can relieve some huge stress with a good cry. And when I'm with other people, and start crying, they always hug me, and that helps too. Wish I could say it will stop, but I don't think it ever will. They are definintely not as frequent as with my mom now and with my mom, it's a loss for michael too, and that makes it harder, or more emotional, i guess. Hang in there. I know having those times definitely means we were blessed with a good relationship and that makes them such a big loss.
Well, that took an hour to get used to the mouse thing on this laptop. If i post this and it disappears I'll be so mad. I also hope I didn't delete anyone I wasnted to respond to.
That's true. I was very blessed! I never got used to the mouse on my laptop, I bought a wireless one. Never got used to where to put it, though. LOL! Sometimes the punishment is as hard on the parents, hang in there!!! Thinking of you tonight, I know it will be emotional!
I set a PR on my elliptical this morning, stayed on for 35 minutes and went 2.8 kilometers. I guess I will have to go for an hour to do a 5K on it ?? I have been completely slack with eating and snacking since Saturday and today I am determined to turn it around. Still trying to lose 2.5 before the end of the challenge and yes I put on 1.5 over the weekend so now I am looking at 4 lbs to lose. Chugging water and have planned what I am eating for the rest of the day and no MandM's are included!!! Magic Bars or seven layer bars. I can not have them in my house. If I'm with others I can eat 1 or 2 and walk away but if they are in my house, forget it they are all getting eaten
I love magic cookie bars! We went through a time when I was in high school of making a batch every weekend! Haven't had them in FOREVER!!!!!
OMG, I must have an iPad! I am typing this on my asst. Mgr's brand new iPad and I am in love! Forget what I said about wanting a new laptop, I must have one of these!! Hint, hint if my DH is reading this!
DH wants one, too! It's funny, one of the volunteers at school is getting one for her 4 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER for Christmas!!!!!!!!
Edited to add - Oh and I got to use my new George Foreman grill last night! It was awesome! Much better than the suggestion by my brother, the sous chef, to just tilt the pan while I cook
We used to use ours a lot, haven't lately! It's great to cook some bbq chicken breasts for the girls quickly if they don't like what we are having. Glad you are enjoying!
I have a tendency to let myself just have the treat rather than eating five
OOPS! Deleted part of it! I had to come to that realization, too. In the long run, it's better for caloric intake, I firmly believe! How are your classes going? Haven't heard you mention it in a while?
Tomorrow is my day off and I'm getting a haircut and the gray hairs covered!
Enjoy your day!
[Collectively, over the past 12 weeks, we have:
- Lost a total of 95 6/7 inches
- Lost an average of 5 1/3 inches
- Lost an average of 3.27%
[/SIZE]
That's so awesome - WAY TO GO ON THOSE THAT WERE BRAVE ENOUGH TO MEASURE AFTER THANKSGIVING! GREAT JOB!
I think tomorrow will show me reaching my BL goal of 127. I am still in disbelief of my weight. I didnt think it was possible, but thankfully Ive proven myself wrong
What a wonderful feeling of not having to stress about losing weight for the wedding! You should be sooo very proud of yourself, I know I am!
Good morning from FREEZING Orlando!
Sorry it's so cold! Thanks for checking in!
BRB