Biggest Loser 11 Spring Team Challenge--for Losers and Maintainers

[cclovesdis]

Hi Rose! Thanks for checking in!

I'm sorry. I need to vent. I have been stress eating since Saturday (or earlier?). Lots of fat and carbs, and almost no fruit, veggies, dairy, or protein. Even my water is slipping. I'm exhausted and stressed. I worked late yesterday and today and know I will tomorrow as well. I have to leave work on time on Thursday, but because I have plans, so more to do. I went to the gym tonight and cut my workout by 15 minutes because I felt awful. I thought I was going to throw up (sorry if that's TMI) in the shower. In a way, I was hoping I would, because I'm trying to avoid throwing up at work again. I made it to the bathroom, but I'm pretty sure that people could hear me nonetheless.

I had two people startle me at work today so much that I jumped. I am definitely stressed. I thought it was about potentially moving out of my parents' house, but now I'm thinking there's more bugging me. I know I need more sleep than I am getting. I have had some rough nights lately. One night, I woke up after nightmare after nightmare. Another night I could n't fall asleep and then there was the night I woke up too early. I have something I could take, but I'm trying to avoid that.

I'm going to go to bed now and hopefully, I'll wake up well-rested and in a better mood. I feel so sick, which will hopefully help me keep food consumption to a minimum tomorrow. I have to wake up and take my thryoid pill so I can eat before I need to leave for work instead of grabbing McDonald's or Dunkin' Donuts. I also need to start journaling again. I had planned to weigh-in at WW on Friday, but I think it's better if I go tomorrow. I need to know how much I've gained sooner than later. It will all depend on when I leave work, however.

Well, that concludes my vent. I love my job and it's nice to be busy at work, but I do think I need some more "me" time. I'm hoping to spend some time reading tomorrow evening. I'd also like to go to the gym. I can read there as well.

Thanks for all the support!

Tracey: and prayers.

 

[Princess Nancy]

cc !!!!

 

[lovetoscrap]

FINALLY! I only went back to Cinco de Mayo but was able to skim through and get a better idea of how everyone has been doing so I am caught up.

Tracey, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. I am so sorry that you are having to go through this with your mom.

--At my house we say hooray for Pooh a lot. It's not a weight reference, just something we started saying. Don't know why we got stuck on that, but I said it a lot every time I could eek out another painful mile training for this last 1/2. Anyhow, Mike sent me a text at like mile 10 after he was finished that said---keep running Pooh. First I thought it was that a weight reference. Why do I always go there? Then I realized what he was saying and I just started crying. I couldn't text him back cause I thought I would really lose it. Anyhow, if I say hooray for Pooh--it's a good thing. I do love Piglet.

I love this! I call my kids Pooh Bear a lot and they call their Grandpa Piglet because he has a bright pink shirt with black lines around it that looks just like Piglet.

Update on the Summer challenge.

I think we are in pretty good shape for the summer challenge.

Here is where we are at for coaches. If you would like to coach please send me a PM. I don't want to miss a post in the thread.

Please consider coaching this summer. You really will be tired of me if I have to fill in all those holes!

Let me see how things are going this summer and I may be able to jump in towards the end. I am already having a terrible time keeping up here so don't want to commit to it and then be in over my head. I am not sure what to expect this summer.

CAN YOU READ THE NOTE I'M HOLDING? It says "Hi WISHBOARDS BL" I was telling the Fairy GM all about our wishes to be healthier and lose weight! She said she'd see what she could do to help us out!!

That is great! We can use all the pixie dust and Bibbity Bobbity's she can spare!

Hi Rose! Thanks for checking in!

I'm sorry. I need to vent. I have been stress eating since Saturday (or earlier?). Lots of fat and carbs, and almost no fruit, veggies, dairy, or protein. Even my water is slipping. I'm exhausted and stressed.


Well, that concludes my vent. I love my job and it's nice to be busy at work, but I do think I need some more "me" time. I'm hoping to spend some time reading tomorrow evening. I'd also like to go to the gym. I can read there as well.

to you.

And it sounds like there are a few others that need it to so for all of you.

Lots of for everyone's races and accomplishments.

Now I am too tired to stay her much longer but wanted to check in. Not a good day for me. Stress eating. I got the resume and cover letter done and took them in. Now I wait. I really, really, really, really, really want this job! But since it is state testing time here and just a few weeks to the end of the year I am guessing they may not even look at any applications until summer when things slow down a bit. The job doesn't start until August so they have lots of time.

I still need to make a plan for our 20th Anniversary trip to somewhere. DH said last night we should sit down and talk cruise, but that is a bit of a sore subject with me since I wanted to do one last summer and got shot down in a big way.

I think I may go and finish the last 2 pieces of chocolate in the bag so it is gone and out of the house and I can start fresh in the morning.

 

[my3princes]

We travelled to Nick's game tonight. He played very well even though his team lost. WE stayed through the Varisity game and man it rained hard. The field was more of a mud pit and the kids could barely stay on their feet. The opposing team had white uniforms I can't imagine trying to clean those. As it is I have Nick's in the wash now. He seemed to have a major breakthrough with confidence tonight and talked about how well he is playing and how much fun he is having now. This is such a relief to us as parents to see him fit in and excel

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Argh!!! Why are we all stress eating lately??
Is it the weather? The end of the school year stresses?
What the heck?

We need to figure out what is up!! It just seems really weird that a lot of us are on the same page right now.

Mine are from end of the year stresses
uncontrolled messes in the house
sports!!!!
And DH and I haven't been in the same state since the 3rd week in April and we weren't home, we were in FL.

Those are all stressers for me.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

We travelled to Nick's game tonight. He played very well even though his team lost. WE stayed through the Varisity game and man it rained hard. The field was more of a mud pit and the kids could barely stay on their feet. The opposing team had white uniforms I can't imagine trying to clean those. As it is I have Nick's in the wash now. He seemed to have a major breakthrough with confidence tonight and talked about how well he is playing and how much fun he is having now. This is such a relief to us as parents to see him fit in and excel

WAY TO GO NICK!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

QOTD--Tuesday, May 17
Congratulations! You have just about made it through the very long spring challenge! And I believe everyone accomplished something positive this challenge. What are you most proud of?

Completing the princess half marathon. It was the highlight of my life....well next to my wedding day and the birth of my two sons.

Being completely honest here, I wanted to quit soooo many times this challenge. Honestly if I wasn't running things, I really think I might have bailed. Things started off on New Year's Day with Mike's sister's very unexpected death. And they just stayed crazy all spring. The kid has had a very tough time this semester, the g-f stuff has been very challenging, and the injury almost pushed me over the edge. None of it too terribly bad in the big scheme of things, but all of it tiring.

Having said all that I am most proud that I did not quit! Anything. I stuck with the challenge, I stuck with my job (I really just wanted to stay in bed for a while there), I stuck with the g-f diet, I did not disown my kid, and I stuck with the exercise. In the past I would have used any one of those things as an excuse to throw in the towel. And I feel like I have come out the other side in such a better place.

My weight is still at the very high end of maintain, which I am not liking. I am going to have to probably make a decision about whether I want to raise my maintain a pound or two, go back on the loser team, or just keep it the same and know that I might go out of the +/- 2 range occasionally.

Anyhow, I am glad that I stayed on the wagon. I may have been barely hanging on a couple of times, but I stuck it out. It's a huge thing for me.

Thanks for all your support.

You are amazing and so inspiring. You are such a strong women and I really look up to you. Im glad you stayed on here with us and have fought through all that. What doesnt kill us makes us stronger right?

Lisah- Are you coming to historic Salem, and doing the Wicked half with me in september!?!?!?

I googled the race and am now trying to figure out how I could make it a long wkend. My parents visited salem a number of years ago and loved it. I am going to figure out how to get my husband a wkend away so that he then will agree to me taking another mini trip too. See my thinking. I will keep you posted on my master plan. Of course I have to figure out how we would pay for everything too. Somehow that part I always leave out of my master plan.

Rose- I saw you were checking it out too. Any possibilities of a wish meet?

[ That way I won't have any big shocks like I usually do in September. September is always a tough month because I haven't worked all summer and suddenly EVERYTHING is due.... swim season/swim escrow and high school swim, robotics money, back-to-school clothes and supplies, lunch money, field trips, etc. I feel like my wallet is just continually emptied in September.

I thought it was just me but this was the first year of having a school age child. I could not believe how much I had to put out the first month. Supplies, snack money, fundraisers, clothing, etc. it was insane. I will take your tip to think ahead. I havent thought of that. Instead I would have just complained about how much it all is again.

Today I am going to take off work at noon and run 10 miles before picking up DS from school. I should stay at work but I am doing it anyway so I can get my last long run in so I can start my taper for my half. I know I will do fine for the half. This is the fourth race I have done in a little over a year. I can't believe I am even saying that! My goal is just to finish and I have tons of time.

You are so awesome Kathy! You are going to do great and I admire you for keeping up with your training. Great Job and horray for the taper!!!!!!

[Got up a few minutes early to enjoy our Mother's Day breakfast in the room. DD gave me a beautiful card she had made and a lovely paper flower she had made. She carried them around school all day Thursday so that she could sneak them in her carry-on at the last minute!

She is so sweet. The card and flower are lovely. What a great gift and a great way to spend mothers day.

On another sad note, I have been really thinking about the Princess half and I really wanted to do it in 2012. I don't see that as a reality. I'm having a difficult time running without pain in a 5K so I think I really need to take my time a build up an endurance in order to think about a half (aside from the all the $$$ for the travel). I really want to get into running but I think I need to think about being more of a turtle than a hare.....just like my weight loss. So, I am postponing my princess run....I will do it someday, but only when I am ready and know that I will not hurt myself.
.

that is a hard decision and I think you really made a smart one. No use pushing yourself and doing it in pain. It is something you will want to do while you are 100% healthy. You will get there.

Anyway, he sign a contract and should be home before school starts! Just waiting to get the sign contract back formt he CO and then he will turn in his notice. I feel like I am holding my breath til he gets it all done.

That is exciting and both stressful at the same time. Hang in there, Im sure everything will work out.

Lat night I was a bad mommy. Losing my temper with DD11. She struggles in school, but I swear that she could definitely put in more effort. grrrr. I was wrong to lose it and I feel terrible about it. Hopefully tonight will be better for us.

It is so tough not to loose your cool when you know they can do so much better. I do this with DS and he is only in kindergarten. It is so frustrating when you know they are not giving it their all and add being stressed into the equation and it just makes for a short temper. Dont beat yourself up over it.

Tomorrow night is my Dad's retirement party. I am so thrilled for him and my Mom. They are traveling and enjoying life.

How exciting for them. Congrats to your Dad!

Yesterday I got a call that a childhood friend lost her husband on Sunday. It was sudden and unexpected. Her kids are 18 and 14. He was 45. Here is the unfairness of it all..her Dad died of Cancer when he was 47. I am crying as I write this. It was heartbreaking then as it is now.

Please keep this family in your prayers. I cannot even imagine the road ahead.

Oh gosh that is so sad. Prayers are there for the family.

Even so I am down a pound this week (23 for the challenge!) No way will I lose 2 more by Friday though. My goal for the challenge was 15 I think.

Congrats that is wonderful.

My mom's not having a good day. I just called her and she was crying uncontrollably so she couldn't talk. She said she was going through stuff. I was hoping she wouldn't have these moments but I know it's normal so I just let her go. I made a mistake by asking her what's wrong and she said what isn't wrong!

I ditto what Pam said. Im sure it is all part of grieving the illness and dealing with the shock of it all now becoming reality for her. Just be there to listen when she needs you.

My friend who is 32 has been dealing with a brain tumor for the past few years. She is on her 5th course of chemo and went through radiation. I never knew quite what to say to her but I tried my best to just listen. We spoke recently and I told her how I felt bad because I should have been there for her more over the past few years and I just never knew what was the right thing to say. She said I did the best thing I could for her and I listened. She said it would make her so angry when people tried to tell her how she should feel or deal with things and that everytime we spoke she felt better because I just listened and didnt tell her how to feel or how i would feel if I were her.

I think the most important thing is to let your mom go through the emotions her way. If she wants to be angry with you let her, if she needs you to laugh with her than laugh, and most of all just listen.

Thats the only advice I can give. We are all here to listen to you. Im sure this is so hard for you and especially with you mom being a distance away.

LONNNG day at work. I was going to leave no later than 3:30 and I ended up staying extra. I will never use all my vacation by the end of June at this rate. Anyhow, I am now on vacation! Woohoo. I am so excited.

I will try to check back later. I hope everyone has a great evening!

horray!!!!!

QOTD: I am most proud that I made it to my goal for this challenge. Every year it seems my New Year's resolution is to lose weight - and by the time the holidays roll around, I say, "Well, it will be next year's resolution, too!" But this year it is only May, and I am less than 10 lbs. away from my final goal. I think I am going to make it this year. I'll have to come up with a new resolution for next year. (maybe I'll make DH happy and resolve not to be late for everything!!)

Excellent!!!! Great job on sticking with it.

Did ok for most of the day until I went to school. All heck broke loose when the kitchen freezer died a permanent death. Then the screaming ensued. People in town need to grow the heck up!!!
I was so glad to get out of there.
Got all the kids, got DS9's new glasses, got dinner and came home.
Headed down to the basement to run after we finish watching Castle, it's a real nail biter!!!!!!

Wow you have had quite a busy day. I love Castle....on the edge of my seat every episode. I hope you had a great run.

Hello everyone, so it's decided. We're going to skip going to my friends parents house and instead I booked a second night at the Hyatt. We're going to get into the airport around 9:30, check in and go to bed. Then Saturday we're going to hit up Wolfgang Puck Express in DTD for bfast and do some shopping. Then we'll head back to the hotel, hit the pool and I'll nap with DS while DH hits the gym. After our naps we'll head back to DTD for dinner at T-Rex and walk around. Then we'll return the rental car, head back to our room and get ready for bed. I may hit the gym while DH puts DS to bed and when we wake up it'll be time to head down to the DCL bus

I'm disappointed that we won't be able to see my friend, but glad to save 4 hours of driving and we'll be able to spend more time in DTD since I haven't been in a long time.

sounds like a fun plan.

I'm sorry. I need to vent. I have been stress eating since Saturday (or earlier?).

Sorry to hear you are having a rough week. I hope your belly is feeling better soon and that you can get a good night sleep tonight.

*********************************************************

whew. I didnt realize how behind I got.

oh and I forgot- HAPPY ANNIVERSARY PAM

Today was busy..busy..busy but it made it go really fast. Found out today that we are getting a small bonus in this weeks paycheck. It was totally unexpected. Our network is doing so well this year that they decided to give a spring bonus. Yippee. Its not much but it helps.

I picked Ryan up from school and then voted. This older lady outside of the school asked ryan if he voted with me and he said yes. She then went on and on about how she use to take her daughter with her to vote and that he had a great mommy and he will grow up to be a good citizen. She spoke to him as if he was 1yr in a real baby kind voice and she was a bit odd. Ryan was finishing up his cheetos from lunch so he had "cheesy" fingers. As she was done with her talk she said give me a high five. So he did. As we walked away he said "that was a cheesy high five for the crazy lady". It just cracked me up.

We then stopped at the schools book fair. buy one get one sale. Got 4 books and 2 pencils for $11.

Then we went to the diner for dinner. I had a gyro. Not a good choice. Its to the point that I dont even want to eat anymore because I am tired of food. Thats how I know I have hit a brick wall again. Bad choices, too much food, not enough exercise, not enough water, weight gain. uggggh this is such a struggle. Why does it have to be this hard.

Im not sure what to do with myself to get me motivated again. Ive tried over and over and I just cant get it to click. I tell myself every day Im starting fresh today and at some point every day I blow it and then throw in the towel. Im just really frustrated and I can tell in the mirror that I have put on weight again. I just want to cry.

Ok pity party over. Ive joined your table for the moment buffy....well if your willing to expand it to a table of two.

Im off to bed.

 

[donac]

Good morning teams

I think with everyone struggling I think we need a group hug.

Another rainy day here in jersey. Now they are talking about rain for the weekend. If it rains dh may not go camping. I was hoping for a quiet weekend by myself. Oh well

Pamela Hope you had a great anniversary. After the last 6 months you have had it was a good time to celebrate.

Will be back later to talk to everyone.

Have a happy and healthy day.

 

[Rose&Mike]

Hello everyone, so it's decided. We're going to skip going to my friends parents house and instead I booked a second night at the Hyatt. We're going to get into the airport around 9:30, check in and go to bed. Then Saturday we're going to hit up Wolfgang Puck Express in DTD for bfast and do some shopping. Then we'll head back to the hotel, hit the pool and I'll nap with DS while DH hits the gym. After our naps we'll head back to DTD for dinner at T-Rex and walk around. Then we'll return the rental car, head back to our room and get ready for bed. I may hit the gym while DH puts DS to bed and when we wake up it'll be time to head down to the DCL bus

I'm disappointed that we won't be able to see my friend, but glad to save 4 hours of driving and we'll be able to spend more time in DTD since I haven't been in a long time.

That sounds like a fun plan!

Now I am too tired to stay her much longer but wanted to check in. Not a good day for me. Stress eating. I got the resume and cover letter done and took them in. Now I wait. I really, really, really, really, really want this job! But since it is state testing time here and just a few weeks to the end of the year I am guessing they may not even look at any applications until summer when things slow down a bit. The job doesn't start until August so they have lots of time.

I still need to make a plan for our 20th Anniversary trip to somewhere. DH said last night we should sit down and talk cruise, but that is a bit of a sore subject with me since I wanted to do one last summer and got shot down in a big way.

I think I may go and finish the last 2 pieces of chocolate in the bag so it is gone and out of the house and I can start fresh in the morning.

Good luck with the job stuff! I think you have a good attitude about it--it might take them a little while to get to it.

I've been known to eat the last of something just to get it out of the house at times! Lately I've been trying to wrap it up and have DH take it out to his truck so that he takes it to work the next day. He is pretty good about not eating too much junk and everyone seems to like it when he brings stuff in.

We travelled to Nick's game tonight. He played very well even though his team lost. WE stayed through the Varisity game and man it rained hard. The field was more of a mud pit and the kids could barely stay on their feet. The opposing team had white uniforms I can't imagine trying to clean those. As it is I have Nick's in the wash now. He seemed to have a major breakthrough with confidence tonight and talked about how well he is playing and how much fun he is having now. This is such a relief to us as parents to see him fit in and excel

Hooray for Nick! Sounds like a wet, but fun night! We ran a couple of weeks ago when it was really wet and there were kids practicing soccer. It was so gross. It was a big mud pit--and so bad for the field. One dad was standing by a mercedes and all I could think was--I would not want to put one of those muddy kids in my car!

Argh!!! Why are we all stress eating lately??
Is it the weather? The end of the school year stresses?
What the heck?

I think some of it is end of the year, some of it may be end of a really long challenge, and some of it is just bad habits creeping back in. I know when I eat off plan for a few days it's hard to get myself turned around. For me it has been too much convenience foods--even it's convenience foods I've been eating at home. So what if I'm eating at home--it's still not the best choice. Time to turn it around.

Completing the princess half marathon. It was the highlight of my life....well next to my wedding day and the birth of my two sons.
You made me smile Lindsay.

Then we went to the diner for dinner. I had a gyro. Not a good choice. Its to the point that I dont even want to eat anymore because I am tired of food. Thats how I know I have hit a brick wall again. Bad choices, too much food, not enough exercise, not enough water, weight gain. uggggh this is such a struggle. Why does it have to be this hard.

Im not sure what to do with myself to get me motivated again. Ive tried over and over and I just cant get it to click. I tell myself every day Im starting fresh today and at some point every day I blow it and then throw in the towel. Im just really frustrated and I can tell in the mirror that I have put on weight again. I just want to cry.

Ok pity party over. Ive joined your table for the moment buffy....well if your willing to expand it to a table of two.

Im off to bed.

I don't think I can commit to a half in September. I'm just hoping I am able to do w&d in October. Silly knee is driving me crazy!

As for the food stuff, I think maybe we are all needing a good dose of HH when the new challenge starts.

And I have been trying really hard to just delay gratification for a few minutes and that seems to be helping. Last night I wanted a third (yes I said third!) piece of pizza. But Mike put it in the fridge. And once it was put away I was able to let it go. Just because it's g-f does NOT mean it's low cal!

Don't beat yourself up over past choices--it really doesn't do any good. You made the choice, you know it wasn't the best choice, but don't let it effect the next choice you make. Time for some positive self talk!

CC--hang in there!

Pamela--did you talk about good, better, best choices in the past? Could you visit that topic again if you get a minute? I think a lot of folks would benefit from it right now.

 

[Rose&Mike]

QOTD--Wednesday, May 18th
Take the Spark Quiz--What is normal eating? What did you think?
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=600
I will comment more later, but I want to encourage everyone to take a few minutes to look at this. It's 6 t/f questions. It really put things in perspective for me!

I have also been wanting to post this for a few days. It's been sitting in my in box. It's a blog post called The Whisper. I think I might print it out. Again, I hope you can take a sec to read it. It was just what I needed.
http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/community_highlight_detail.asp?hid=136

 

[mikamah]

"Yeah, but you should see us at home!" OMG so funny!!!

I love this.

Sunny and 80 on Sunday

Sunny and 80 on Sunday.


It's the only thing getting me through the week

I'm counting on it!!!

I Oh yes..... 19 years ago today, on a BEAUTIFUL sunny warm spring day, I put on a pink (yes, pink!) gown and walked down the aisle in a lovely old-fashioned New England church and vowed to love a man for the rest of my life. Anyone wanna guess what today is?? Yup, my wedding anniversary. (Glad we didn't have weather like this that day.... I would have cried!). I think DH and I will have a (healthy, OP) dinner out tonight to celebrate. (He brought me pink roses over the weekend) We will probably leave DS home and go out after we drop DD at the pool.....which means I need to get in my workout at home today! So I guess I had better get moving! TTYL....................P

Happy belated Anniversary Pamela!! Sounds like it was a beautiful wedding.
I am loving your trip report, and the pic of dd with the princesses waiting for Rapunzel is priceless. Even though she's growing up way too fast, she's still a little girl at heart, and always a disney princess. Love the CM dessert pics, looked like my plate in february. Amazing we can put in so many miles and still come home with a gain.

Kathy, here is a big some and for you. Sorry that you are feeling cranky. I wish I could run the Wicked Half with you!

Today I am going to take off work at noon and run 10 miles before picking up DS from school. I should stay at work but I am doing it anyway so I can get my last long run in so I can start my taper for my half. I know I will do fine for the half. This is the fourth race I have done in a little over a year. I can't believe I am even saying that! My goal is just to finish and I have tons of time. I'll save my speed improvement for the September half which is in Sandpoint, Idaho about 45 miles north of Coeur d'Alene and the home world of Coldwater Creek for you Coldwater Creek fans.
I'm kind of running away from my problems today but that's okay because they'll still be there when I'm done.

Thanks for the good wishes. I'm better today, and didn't yell at all before ds left. Though, I am trying to encourage him to do the sulk in his room when he's not happy, I think that will help us both.
Hope you had a good run yesterday. I know you will do fine for this half, and I am so impressed with you and how you are focused and getting the training in. The half I had thought about doing was last weekend, and some other people i know did it, and I know I would not have been in any shape to finish. I just hope to get the focus back for sept like you have for your half next week.
Is the sun shining out your way? I hope so!!

On another sad note, I have been really thinking about the Princess half and I really wanted to do it in 2012. I don't see that as a reality. I'm having a difficult time running without pain in a 5K so I think I really need to take my time a build up an endurance in order to think about a half (aside from the all the $$$ for the travel). I really want to get into running but I think I need to think about being more of a turtle than a hare.....just like my weight loss. So, I am postponing my princess run....I will do it someday, but only when I am ready and know that I will not hurt myself.

I am sure that was a tough decision, but you know your body best, and it is wise to listen to our bodies. The race will be there when you are ready for it. Hope you had a nice night out last night.

Lat night I was a bad mommy. Losing my temper with DD11. She struggles in school, but I swear that she could definitely put in more effort. grrrr. I was wrong to lose it and I feel terrible about it. Hopefully tonight will be better for us.

Tomorrow night is my Dad's retirement party. I am so thrilled for him and my Mom. They are traveling and enjoying life.

Yesterday I got a call that a childhood friend lost her husband on Sunday. It was sudden and unexpected. Her kids are 18 and 14. He was 45. Here is the unfairness of it all..her Dad died of Cancer when he was 47. I am crying as I write this. It was heartbreaking then as it is now.

We are not close anymore, but Definitely see each other occasionally and I will be attending the funeral as the visitation is the EXACT same time as the retirement party.

Even so I am down a pound this week (23 for the challenge!) No way will I lose 2 more by Friday though. My goal for the challenge was 15 I think.

So sorry to hear about your friend. So sad for all she's been through, and now to have her kids lose their dad so young like she did is heartbreaking. You've done amazing to lose 23 pounds this challenge!!

My mom's not having a good day. I just called her and she was crying uncontrollably so she couldn't talk. She said she was going through stuff. I was hoping she wouldn't have these moments but I know it's normal so I just let her go. I made a mistake by asking her what's wrong and she said what isn't wrong!

So sorry your Mom is having a tough time. It will be an emotional roller coaster and you might be her sounding board, and take the brunt of her anger at times because she knows you are her daughter, and will always love her and support her no matter what. It's so hard on you all, but we are always here to listen, and help you work through your emotions too, so you can be there for her. One day at a time, you will get through these days one day at a time. Pamela's advice for trying to keep your eating and exercise in control as you can is right on. Hang in there, tracey.

-I absolutely loved the note for "my" Fairy Godmother. That's what we call her at my house. I just adore her. She always throws me a kiss when we watch the parade and she spent what I thought was an extra long time talking to me when I met her at the Princess half. I don't know why I'm tearing up here, but you know I had such a cruddy Mom, and I love thinking there is someone out there maybe just looking out for me a teeny bit. Anyhow, thanks for sharing. I LOVED it that you wore pink for your wedding!******
LONNNG day at work. I was going to leave no later than 3:30 and I ended up staying extra. I will never use all my vacation by the end of June at this rate. Anyhow, I am now on vacation! Woohoo. I am so excited.

Love your relationship with the fairy godmother. I don't think I had met her before the princess, and it was very cool, and I loved meeting her as we went into the expo.
Yay for vacation!!! If I'm not back tonight, have a wonderful, magical, fabulous, sun-filled vacation!!!!!!

QOTD: I am most proud that I made it to my goal for this challenge. Every year it seems my New Year's resolution is to lose weight - and by the time the holidays roll around, I say, "Well, it will be next year's resolution, too!" But this year it is only May, and I am less than 10 lbs. away from my final goal. I think I am going to make it this year. I'll have to come up with a new resolution for next year. (maybe I'll make DH happy and resolve not to be late for everything!!)

Congratulations!!!!

Hello everyone, so it's decided. We're going to skip going to my friends parents house and instead I booked a second night at the Hyatt. We're going to get into the airport around 9:30, check in and go to bed. Then Saturday we're going to hit up Wolfgang Puck Express in DTD for bfast and do some shopping. Then we'll head back to the hotel, hit the pool and I'll nap with DS while DH hits the gym. After our naps we'll head back to DTD for dinner at T-Rex and walk around. Then we'll return the rental car, head back to our room and get ready for bed. I may hit the gym while DH puts DS to bed and when we wake up it'll be time to head down to the DCL bus

I'm disappointed that we won't be able to see my friend, but glad to save 4 hours of driving and we'll be able to spend more time in DTD since I haven't been in a long time.

That sounds like a wonderful plan, and it will be nice for ds to have a relaxing day before the cruise. I'm so excited for you!!! I hope you have an absolutely amazing time.

I'm sorry. I need to vent. I have been stress eating since Saturday (or earlier?). Lots of fat and carbs, and almost no fruit, veggies, dairy, or protein. Even my water is slipping. I'm exhausted and stressed. I worked late yesterday and today and know I will tomorrow as well. I have to leave work on time on Thursday, but because I have plans, so more to do. I went to the gym tonight and cut my workout by 15 minutes because I felt awful. I thought I was going to throw up (sorry if that's TMI) in the shower. In a way, I was hoping I would, because I'm trying to avoid throwing up at work again. I made it to the bathroom, but I'm pretty sure that people could hear me nonetheless.

I had two people startle me at work today so much that I jumped. I am definitely stressed. I thought it was about potentially moving out of my parents' house, but now I'm thinking there's more bugging me. I know I need more sleep than I am getting. I have had some rough nights lately. One night, I woke up after nightmare after nightmare. Another night I could n't fall asleep and then there was the night I woke up too early. I have something I could take, but I'm trying to avoid that.

I'm going to go to bed now and hopefully, I'll wake up well-rested and in a better mood. I feel so sick, which will hopefully help me keep food consumption to a minimum tomorrow. I have to wake up and take my thryoid pill so I can eat before I need to leave for work instead of grabbing McDonald's or Dunkin' Donuts. I also need to start journaling again. I had planned to weigh-in at WW on Friday, but I think it's better if I go tomorrow. I need to know how much I've gained sooner than later. It will all depend on when I leave work, however.

So sorry you've had a rough week. I hope you can get your focus back soon, and are feeling better soon, CC. I know you can do it. You have done it before, and it's been a tough week all around, but the sun will come out soon, and we will get back on our healthy wagons. Hang in there, never give up.

Now I am too tired to stay her much longer but wanted to check in. Not a good day for me. Stress eating. I got the resume and cover letter done and took them in. Now I wait. I really, really, really, really, really want this job! But since it is state testing time here and just a few weeks to the end of the year I am guessing they may not even look at any applications until summer when things slow down a bit. The job doesn't start until August so they have lots of time.

Hope you get this job. hang in there.

We travelled to Nick's game tonight. He played very well even though his team lost. WE stayed through the Varisity game and man it rained hard. The field was more of a mud pit and the kids could barely stay on their feet. The opposing team had white uniforms I can't imagine trying to clean those. As it is I have Nick's in the wash now. He seemed to have a major breakthrough with confidence tonight and talked about how well he is playing and how much fun he is having now. This is such a relief to us as parents to see him fit in and excel

Yay for Nick!! So happy he's doing so well.

Argh!!! Why are we all stress eating lately??
Is it the weather? The end of the school year stresses?
What the heck?

We need to figure out what is up!! It just seems really weird that a lot of us are on the same page right now.

Mine are from end of the year stresses
uncontrolled messes in the house
sports!!!!
And DH and I haven't been in the same state since the 3rd week in April and we weren't home, we were in FL.

Weather definitely not helping here. Lots of little stresses do add up, but really does the chocolate chip cookies and chips really help? No, I don't think so. What am I doing.

I did make a big pot of chili last night, so I have the good stuff available, it's just followign through and eating that that is the hard thing now.

I googled the race and am now trying to figure out how I could make it a long wkend. My parents visited salem a number of years ago and loved it. I am going to figure out how to get my husband a wkend away so that he then will agree to me taking another mini trip too. See my thinking. I will keep you posted on my master plan. Of course I have to figure out how we would pay for everything too. Somehow that part I always leave out of my master plan.

Today was busy..busy..busy but it made it go really fast. Found out today that we are getting a small bonus in this weeks paycheck. It was totally unexpected. Our network is doing so well this year that they decided to give a spring bonus. Yippee. Its not much but it helps.

I picked Ryan up from school and then voted. This older lady outside of the school asked ryan if he voted with me and he said yes. She then went on and on about how she use to take her daughter with her to vote and that he had a great mommy and he will grow up to be a good citizen. She spoke to him as if he was 1yr in a real baby kind voice and she was a bit odd. Ryan was finishing up his cheetos from lunch so he had "cheesy" fingers. As she was done with her talk she said give me a high five. So he did. As we walked away he said "that was a cheesy high five for the crazy lady". It just cracked me up.
Im not sure what to do with myself to get me motivated again. Ive tried over and over and I just cant get it to click. I tell myself every day Im starting fresh today and at some point every day I blow it and then throw in the towel. Im just really frustrated and I can tell in the mirror that I have put on weight again. I just want to cry.

That would be so cool if you came out this way for a race. We're in the next town over, and you're welcome to stay here.
Love Ryan's comment on the cheesy high five. Isn't it amazing how they see and read people so well at such a young age.
I am in the same boat, every day starting fresh, and going to bed everynight not being successful. I do think as long as we keep trying, we are better off than if we give up. Do not ever give up. One day at a time, it will click again, we will get our focus back, and keep it. It's a roller coaster, and unfortunately we can't be on the biggest loser, and spend all the time focusing on just us. We have lots of other things to balance in our lives, and we do the best we can, and never, never, give up. You can do it, Lindsay. Hang in there.

Good morning teams
I think with everyone struggling I think we need a group hug.

Another rainy day here in jersey. Now they are talking about rain for the weekend. If it rains dh may not go camping. I was hoping for a quiet weekend by myself. Oh well

Pamela Hope you had a great anniversary. After the last 6 months you have had it was a good time to celebrate.

Will be back later to talk to everyone.

Have a happy and healthy day.

Hi Dona. Hope it doesn't rain too much and you get your quiet weekend alone.

We ran a couple of weeks ago when it was really wet and there were kids practicing soccer. It was so gross. It was a big mud pit--and so bad for the field. One dad was standing by a mercedes and all I could think was--I would not want to put one of those muddy kids in my car!

We've had bb cancelled sun and tuesday. I'm happy our rec dept is really into keeping the fields in good shape, since I don't feel like sitting down there watching a game in the drizzle for 2 hours. Looks like we might have a game tomorrow. We might have a little clearing in the afternoon.

Not much new here. I made the chili, and thus have no excuse to snack my way through the evening. I should just have chili if i'm hungry. And if i'm not hungry, then food is not the answer. I did make congo bars to bring to my friends family. Her dad passed yesterday, so michael and I will go visit her kids this afternoon for a bit. With most of the congo bars. Though, I can hear Pamela's internet voice, bring them all, bring them all.

Guess I need to go to work now. Have a great day. Make good choices!! Every little positive thing we do does make a difference.

 

[lisah0711]

Quick post thought that we might be able to find something in this sparkpeople article to help us:

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_articles.asp?id=1062

25 Ways to Get Back on Track Today
Don't Give Up on Your Goals!

Not long ago, you were energetic and determined to start your healthy lifestyle. Starting with enthusiasm and hope, you watched your food intake diligently, exercised like it was going out of style, and even avoided the temptation that seemed to lurk around every corner. You were confident that you were going to reach your goals once and for all!

Then certain tragedy struck! You ate an extra piece of birthday cake. Realizing you had “blown” your diet, you ate another and another and couldn’t get it together the next day either. Or worse, you missed one workout, and that turned into a whole week away from the gym. After that, your momentum to start over again was gone, and your gym bag hasn’t left the closet since.

Every time you misstep on your healthy journey, you have two choices: to keep walking backwards, which will surely take you even further away from your goals; or to accept your lack of perfection as normal and forgivable, and take not one, but two positive steps down the path that brings your closer to the future you want.

If you’re reading this, you might have been walking backwards for a while. But instead of waiting for the next day, week, month or even year to overhaul your habits, start TODAY. And start small. You can’t go from the recliner to running or from burgers to Brussels sprouts in an afternoon. But you can do one, two or even a handful of small things that will help you regain your momentum for healthy living.

The article has a whole list of things to try. Here are a few of them -- even if you only just try one today that can help!

1. Try a short workout. Even five minutes is better than nothing. For ideas browse our video library or workout generator.

2. Try a new recipe. Cooking healthy foods can be fun and it never has to be bland.

3. Eat a healthy breakfast. Your morning meal sets the stage for the rest of your day, so start if off right! Get lots of breakfast ideas here.

4. Drink your water. Try to aim for 8 cups each day and you’ll feel the difference!

5. Look at Motivational SparkPages. Seeing how others overcome similar struggles and obstacles can be a great source of motivation.

6. Track your food today. No matter how it adds up, you’ll learn from it.

7. Update your SparkPage. It’s a visual way to track your ups and downs, but also your progress.

8. Share your goals. Whether you post them on the Message Boards or share them with a friend, you’ll be more accountable.

9. Exercise for 10 minutes. Jump rope, march in place, or do some crunches. Small amounts do add up to something big!

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

I think some of it is end of the year, some of it may be end of a really long challenge, and some of it is just bad habits creeping back in. I know when I eat off plan for a few days it's hard to get myself turned around. For me it has been too much convenience foods--even it's convenience foods I've been eating at home. So what if I'm eating at home--it's still not the best choice. Time to turn it around.

I hear you on the convenience food!!
I'm so mad right now because I had a decent dinner planned out, but now Im taking all the kids to the Dr and we have our final PTO meeting tonight (Pray I'm voted out!), so now I'm not sure what to do.
The meal was for the crock pot but I'm so deathly afraid of leaving it on when I leave the house.
And I don't know if we will have enough time to get home and eat before the meeting. (Dr is an hour away)

QOTD--Wednesday, May 18th
Take the Spark Quiz--What is normal eating? What did you think? http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=600

Can't get the link to work.

Quick post thought that we might be able to find something in this sparkpeople article to help us:

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_articles.asp?id=1062

25 Ways to Get Back on Track Today
Don't Give Up on Your Goals!

Great article Lisa!!!!!! I need to print and read that again.


******************
OK, even though all the kids are home I'm determined to have a good day.
Had a decent breakfast, cleaned up all the water that poured through the ceiling, put 2 loads of laundry away, and now I'm headed down to run.

I will have a good day!!!!!!

 

[pjlla]

Thanks! I do remember that story. DD just got home and I was huggging her and saying I was sorry. She said it was all right Mommy! We both just needed a little perspective. It certainly helps to read about others struggles doesn't it? Even though I am "the WORST mom in the world" many days, I know that it is okay!!

Nancy

Make sure you let me know which days you pick to abe the "WORST mom in the world" so that we don't overlap!!

Ok, first I thought what your DS said was too cute! And you are right, I forgot the organization challenge--what does that say about my abilities to help run it! I'm glad you are still here, too!

I'd love to help with this challenge! I love organizing!

As for feeling bad about your vent. Long story short, DS has a genetic disorder which is a royal pain, but as far as disorders go there are a lot worse. Anyhow, what we taught him growing up is that everyone has to have a pity party sometimes--feel bad, let people help you, and then move on. Life is hard sometimes, and we all need a hug every once in a while. Of course there will ALWAYS be someone going through something worse. But there are tons and tons of hugs and kind words to go around. So let other people pick you up when you need a pick up day. You would do the same for them in a heartbeat.

Well said!

Pamela--I absolutely loved the note for "my" Fairy Godmother. That's what we call her at my house. I just adore her. She always throws me a kiss when we watch the parade and she spent what I thought was an extra long time talking to me when I met her at the Princess half. I don't know why I'm tearing up here, but you know I had such a cruddy Mom, and I love thinking there is someone out there maybe just looking out for me a teeny bit. Anyhow, thanks for sharing. I LOVED it that you wore pink for your wedding! If I ever do a vow renewal I am wearing pink! Happy anninversary! And I totally get the being proud of giving up running. I worry sometimes that people feel pressured that they need to be a runner in order to be successful at this weight loss stuff. What we all really need to do is find something we enjoy doing that we will stick with!

Thanks for all of this and for sharing your own feelings.
LONNNG day at work. I was going to leave no later than 3:30 and I ended up staying extra. I will never use all my vacation by the end of June at this rate. Anyhow, I am now on vacation! Woohoo. I am so excited.

I will try to check back later. I hope everyone has a great evening!

Happy VACATION!!

QOTD: I am most proud that I made it to my goal for this challenge. Every year it seems my New Year's resolution is to lose weight - and by the time the holidays roll around, I say, "Well, it will be next year's resolution, too!" But this year it is only May, and I am less than 10 lbs. away from my final goal. I think I am going to make it this year. I'll have to come up with a new resolution for next year. (maybe I'll make DH happy and resolve not to be late for everything!!)

Imagine HOW GREAT you will feel next New Year's Eve when your resolution can be to MAINTAIN! Honestly....I can't begin to tell you how different New Year's feels, not having to make that same resolution to lose weight for what seems like the 10,000th time!!

Don't say "I thinK..." say " I WILL..." POSITIVE THINKING!

Still plenty of time to send in those weigh ins!!! We only have 16 TOTAL!!!! 5 from Donald and 11 from Mickey! Come on everybody!

Going to be an interesting night trying to watch BL, the Bruins game and participating in a chat! Good thing I'm a multi-tasker!

Brian just left to get Ash and the other girl at dancing. Izzie is playing LEGO Star Wars on the PS3. I got the dining room table ready for tomorrow! I will need to dust and vacuum in the morning before having lunch with a friend and before the kids get here at noon. Izzie is going to a playdate right after lunch.

Psyched that I have another Herbalife customer! I was able to get stuff too as I'm running low on a few things.

Well I need to make some chocolate chip muffins for breakfast tomorrow morning for Izzie. I don't have to make any lunches tomorrow either. I'm going to order the pizza online and have it delivered at noontime so it will be here right around when the girls get off the bus. Ash and I are also going ot decorate the cupcakes and round cake tonight. Probably save the round cake for when Auntie comes over on Thursday night. She's at the Red Sox game tonight!

Gotta make my list of everything that I'm bringing to the Relay for Life on Friday. Our group is planning on grilling burgers at midnight which is my hour to walk though I'm going to walk as much as I can. I'll make sure my ipod is totally charged too!

Time to sign off until later!

TTFN

oooopss... my bad. Never got my weight in. So sorry.

You are lucky you can grill at Relay. Our rules state NO GRILLS and we won't have electricity unless we bring a generator.... that really limits what we can cook and what we can sell!

Oh Tracey, hugs to you and mom. When my friend was going through cancer treatments she allowed herself 15 minutes every day to cry, vent, why me, everything. Sometimes she needed it but sometimes she didn't. The biggest thing was trying to stay positive as much as she could.

What a great idea.... to allow yourself a set time to cry and grieve. I did something similar when DH was in the hospital last November. I had held it together for so many days and finally one morning I was feeling overwhelmed(I think it was T.giving morning). I gave myself "permission" to cry for a few minutes and get over it. I felt better after I had that release and I felt stronger and ready to take on what was to come. I guess it just comes down to that important word of "CONTROL" of our lives.


**************
Well my day was a little better.
Went to bed pretty early and slept pretty well.
DS14 missed the bus, DS10 and DD stayed home sick, so I took DS14 to school late and got DS9 to school on time. Even made it a little early. Glad I caught up time wise early in the day, if I'm running behind there are times when I never catch up.

Got back home, got DS10 and DD dressed. Went to Target, etc.
Had to put out one fire with the Field day t-shirts (hey, do y'all know what your school mascot is? Apparently all the new parents at our school have no idea that ours is a Patriot)

Did ok for most of the day until I went to school. All heck broke loose when the kitchen freezer died a permanent death. Then the screaming ensued. People in town need to grow the heck up!!!
I was so glad to get out of there.
Got all the kids, got DS9's new glasses, got dinner and came home.
Headed down to the basement to run after we finish watching Castle, it's a real nail biter!!!!!!

Sounds like a crazy, busy, fun life to me!

What did they think your mascot was??

How was the run on the TM? My TM time wasn't too bad yesterday. I put a movie on Netflix and tried to just get distracted.

Hello everyone, so it's decided. We're going to skip going to my friends parents house and instead I booked a second night at the Hyatt. We're going to get into the airport around 9:30, check in and go to bed. Then Saturday we're going to hit up Wolfgang Puck Express in DTD for bfast and do some shopping. Then we'll head back to the hotel, hit the pool and I'll nap with DS while DH hits the gym. After our naps we'll head back to DTD for dinner at T-Rex and walk around. Then we'll return the rental car, head back to our room and get ready for bed. I may hit the gym while DH puts DS to bed and when we wake up it'll be time to head down to the DCL bus

I'm disappointed that we won't be able to see my friend, but glad to save 4 hours of driving and we'll be able to spend more time in DTD since I haven't been in a long time.

Enjoy your time at DTD. Last two trips were so crazy and rushed, we haven't taken the time to visit DTD. Kind of wishing that is what DD and I had done instead of our trip to Chef Mickey's since it was such a disappointment. Live and learn I suppose. ANYHOW, draw up the Disney excitement and energy at DTD and enjoy your cruise!

Happy Anniversary

Thank you!

Hi Rose! Thanks for checking in!

I'm sorry. I need to vent. I have been stress eating since Saturday (or earlier?). Lots of fat and carbs, and almost no fruit, veggies, dairy, or protein. Even my water is slipping. I'm exhausted and stressed. I worked late yesterday and today and know I will tomorrow as well. I have to leave work on time on Thursday, but because I have plans, so more to do. I went to the gym tonight and cut my workout by 15 minutes because I felt awful. I thought I was going to throw up (sorry if that's TMI) in the shower. In a way, I was hoping I would, because I'm trying to avoid throwing up at work again. I made it to the bathroom, but I'm pretty sure that people could hear me nonetheless.

I had two people startle me at work today so much that I jumped. I am definitely stressed. I thought it was about potentially moving out of my parents' house, but now I'm thinking there's more bugging me. I know I need more sleep than I am getting. I have had some rough nights lately. One night, I woke up after nightmare after nightmare. Another night I could n't fall asleep and then there was the night I woke up too early. I have something I could take, but I'm trying to avoid that.

I'm going to go to bed now and hopefully, I'll wake up well-rested and in a better mood. I feel so sick, which will hopefully help me keep food consumption to a minimum tomorrow. I have to wake up and take my thryoid pill so I can eat before I need to leave for work instead of grabbing McDonald's or Dunkin' Donuts. I also need to start journaling again. I had planned to weigh-in at WW on Friday, but I think it's better if I go tomorrow. I need to know how much I've gained sooner than later. It will all depend on when I leave work, however.

Well, that concludes my vent. I love my job and it's nice to be busy at work, but I do think I need some more "me" time. I'm hoping to spend some time reading tomorrow evening. I'd also like to go to the gym. I can read there as well.

Thanks for all the support

Sounds like you've got a LOT of stress weighing down on you right now. I'm proud of you for heading to WW sooner rather than later and facing the music on the scale. Not knowing doesn't make it go away.... it just makes it worse (IMHO anyhow).

Try to find the time to pop in here with us at least once a day.... maybe that could help keep you on track and relieve some stress!

That is great! We can use all the pixie dust and Bibbity Bobbity's she can spare!

Glad you liked it. I had planned to bring along a printed sign to hold up, but of course, it got forgotten in the last minute excitement so I had to quickly make a sign from a piece of paper from FGM's CM helper. oh well.


Now I am too tired to stay her much longer but wanted to check in. Not a good day for me. Stress eating. I got the resume and cover letter done and took them in. Now I wait.I really, really, really, really, really want this job! But since it is state testing time here and just a few weeks to the end of the year I am guessing they may not even look at any applications until summer when things slow down a bit. The job doesn't start until August so they have lots of time.

I still need to make a plan for our 20th Anniversary trip to somewhere. DH said last night we should sit down and talk cruise, but that is a bit of a sore subject with me since I wanted to do one last summer and got shot down in a big way.

I think I may go and finish the last 2 pieces of chocolate in the bag so it is gone and out of the house and I can start fresh in the morning.

Hopefully they won't wait too long to decide about the job. I would imagine that some of the folks who are applying need a decision sooner rather than later.

DH and I celebrate 20 years next year, but so far we haven't even talked about doing anything special. I think if we do anything it will be a house project rather than a trip. If we are traveling now, I'd like to have the kids along.... plus with college expenses looming on the horizon, there won't be much extra $$ around anyhow.

Is that chocolate gone? I hope so. Fresh start TODAY! You have inspired me to continue on this trip to the "beach" so I need you to be along for the ride! Gotta lose my Mickey bar weight!!

We travelled to Nick's game tonight. He played very well even though his team lost. WE stayed through the Varisity game and man it rained hard. The field was more of a mud pit and the kids could barely stay on their feet. The opposing team had white uniforms I can't imagine trying to clean those. As it is I have Nick's in the wash now. He seemed to have a major breakthrough with confidence tonight and talked about how well he is playing and how much fun he is having now. This is such a relief to us as parents to see him fit in and excel

I love to hear how well Nick is doing. DS has had some confidence issues in the past (especially with sports) and it is tough (especially for boys I think). But when they find something, anything, that they can do well at, enjoy and feel confident in, that is SPECIAL! For DS it is robotics, for DD it is swim. And I'm so glad that Nick seems to have found his niche!

Argh!!! Why are we all stress eating lately??
Is it the weather? The end of the school year stresses?
What the heck?

We need to figure out what is up!! It just seems really weird that a lot of us are on the same page right now.

Mine are from end of the year stresses
uncontrolled messes in the house
sports!!!!
And DH and I haven't been in the same state since the 3rd week in April and we weren't home, we were in FL.

Those are all stressers for me.

You certainly have enough stress for two grown adults!

I agree that many of us seem to be balancing precariously on the edge of "the wagon" right now. Spring fever? Bad weather? Not sure why. for us all right now!!

I thought it was just me but this was the first year of having a school age child. I could not believe how much I had to put out the first month. Supplies, snack money, fundraisers, clothing, etc. it was insane. I will take your tip to think ahead. I havent thought of that. Instead I would have just complained about how much it all is again.

September was always tough, but once DD started swim and then DS got involved in Robotics, the money going OUT, got out of control! I went through my "secret" stash of cash and such yesterday and set aside $300 for fall swim (should end up costing $575 plus escrow of $200 and new suit for about $65). Y membership is paid monthly from the checking account, so I won't do anything special for that. And the other coaches and I are brainstorming fundraising ideas for the summer for Robotics. We are currently looking at this fall costing about $200 per child without any fundraising.

And like I mentioned, there is always new shoes, clothes, backpacks, school supplies (usually about $200 per kid).

I know I probably should keep my cash in the bank, but I like my modified "envelope" system. If the money is out of the normal "flow" of things, it doesn't get "accidentally" spent on other things. I will be setting up an auto deposit to my "spare" checking account to start saving for DD's Costa Rica trip too. Looks like a LEAN summer here!


She is so sweet. The card and flower are lovely. What a great gift and a great way to spend mothers day.


She is SUPER sweet and thoughtful..... especially about things like Mother's Day and my birthday. Last year I was in Disney with DS on Mother's day.... so she picked a bouquet from the yard, put it in a pretty vase, took a picture and sent it to my phone with the "Happy Mother's Day" text!

My friend who is 32 has been dealing with a brain tumor for the past few years. She is on her 5th course of chemo and went through radiation. I never knew quite what to say to her but I tried my best to just listen. We spoke recently and I told her how I felt bad because I should have been there for her more over the past few years and I just never knew what was the right thing to say. She said I did the best thing I could for her and I listened. She said it would make her so angry when people tried to tell her how she should feel or deal with things and that everytime we spoke she felt better because I just listened and didnt tell her how to feel or how i would feel if I were her.


What a great testament to you! Being a good listener is an amazing SKILL!

oh and I forgot- HAPPY ANNIVERSARY PAM

Thank you!

Today was busy..busy..busy but it made it go really fast. Found out today that we are getting a small bonus in this weeks paycheck. It was totally unexpected. Our network is doing so well this year that they decided to give a spring bonus. Yippee. Its not much but it helps.

Save it for September!

I picked Ryan up from school and then voted. This older lady outside of the school asked ryan if he voted with me and he said yes. She then went on and on about how she use to take her daughter with her to vote and that he had a great mommy and he will grow up to be a good citizen. She spoke to him as if he was 1yr in a real baby kind voice and she was a bit odd. Ryan was finishing up his cheetos from lunch so he had "cheesy" fingers. As she was done with her talk she said give me a high five. So he did. As we walked away he said "that was a cheesy high five for the crazy lady". It just cracked me up.

Love it!

Then we went to the diner for dinner. I had a gyro. Not a good choice. Its to the point that I dont even want to eat anymore because I am tired of food. Thats how I know I have hit a brick wall again. Bad choices, too much food, not enough exercise, not enough water, weight gain. uggggh this is such a struggle. Why does it have to be this hard.

Im not sure what to do with myself to get me motivated again. Ive tried over and over and I just cant get it to click. I tell myself every day Im starting fresh today and at some point every day I blow it and then throw in the towel. Im just really frustrated and I can tell in the mirror that I have put on weight again. I just want to cry.

Ok pity party over. Ive joined your table for the moment buffy....well if your willing to expand it to a table of two.

Im off to bed.

I'm sure that Buffy would appreciate the company! Wish I had some magic words for you.

How about planning your next few days? Check the fridge and freezer and pantry and plan EVERY MEAL and EVERY SNACK for the next few days. Preplan, premeasure, pre-journal every bite! If it isn't written down, you don't get to eat it!

Then plan some exercise. If you are afraid you will skip it, make plans with a friend or call a personal trainer.

Post this plan (written in INK) on the fridge or cupboard door. Use it as a check list.... when it is eaten, check it off. Then nothing more to eat until the next scheduled meal or snack. Kind of a "no brainer" plan. Even write down your water and such!

If you would like to try this and would like some help, let me know!

Good morning teams

I think with everyone struggling I think we need a group hug.

Another rainy day here in jersey. Now they are talking about rain for the weekend. If it rains dh may not go camping. I was hoping for a quiet weekend by myself. Oh well

Pamela Hope you had a great anniversary. After the last 6 months you have had it was a good time to celebrate.

Will be back later to talk to everyone.

Have a happy and healthy day.

Thanks! It ended up being a quick dinner out because DD needed to shorten her swim practice due to overload of homework, but at least we got out alone together and were able to chat a bit. Last year we ended up with whiny kids who didn't want us to leave, so we went out all together. What a difference a year makes! DS was happy to have the house to himself for a few hours!

And I have been trying really hard to just delay gratification for a few minutes and that seems to be helping. Last night I wanted a third (yes I said third!) piece of pizza. But Mike put it in the fridge. And once it was put away I was able to let it go. Just because it's g-f does NOT mean it's low cal!

I think that people fall into this pitfall with low carb and low fat foods too. I know that DH is falling back into his past Atkins habits, despite my strong encouragement that he try South Beach rather than Atkins this time. He seems to have NO regard for the fat content or portion size. Plus he hasn't developed the right mind set of moderation. He is very much into an "all or nothing" mindset. I wish I could "coach" him into a different direction. I am providing healthy SB type meals when he is home, but his snacking and eating away from home is out of my control and away from my "influence". Guess we will just have to see what happens.


Don't beat yourself up over past choices--it really doesn't do any good. You made the choice, you know it wasn't the best choice, but don't let it effect the next choice you make. Time for some positive self talk!

Excellent thinking!!


Pamela--did you talk about good, better, best choices in the past? Could you visit that topic again if you get a minute? I think a lot of folks would benefit from it right now.

Wow... you have a great memory. I have talked about this in the past. I will dig up some of my journaling and see what I can find. I'll post about it later.

QOTD--Wednesday, May 18th
Take the Spark Quiz--What is normal eating? What did you think? http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=600

I will comment more later, but I want to encourage everyone to take a few minutes to look at this. It's 6 t/f questions. It really put things in perspective for me!

I have also been wanting to post this for a few days. It's been sitting in my in box. It's a blog post called The Whisper. I think I might print it out. Again, I hope you can take a sec to read it. It was just what I needed.
http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/community_highlight_detail.asp?hid=136

Will look at both of these in a few minutes.

:Happy belated Anniversary Pamela!! Sounds like it was a beautiful wedding.
I am loving your trip report, and the pic of dd with the princesses waiting for Rapunzel is priceless. Even though she's growing up way too fast, she's still a little girl at heart, and always a disney princess. Love the CM dessert pics, looked like my plate in february. Amazing we can put in so many miles and still come home with a gain.

DD was SO cute..... when they lined up the "grown ups" and the "little Princesses" she didn't know where to go! The CM's encouraged her to stay with the little Princesses! She felt really special, I'm sure.


Not much new here. I made the chili, and thus have no excuse to snack my way through the evening. I should just have chili if i'm hungry. And if i'm not hungry, then food is not the answer. I did make congo bars to bring to my friends family. Her dad passed yesterday, so michael and I will go visit her kids this afternoon for a bit. With most of the congo bars. Though, I can hear Pamela's internet voice, bring them all, bring them all.

Guess I need to go to work now. Have a great day. Make good choices!! Every little positive thing we do does make a difference.

How did the chili come out? Do you have a special recipe? I just use the McCormick's seasoning packet recipe.... nothing special but we all enjoy it.

YES, bring them all!! I made some squares last Thursday for DD's Rainbow Girls bake sale. I actually did "NEED" to eat a small piece of one to check for doneness (and it was yummy)....but the rest got labeled and packed up as soon as they were cooled! It helped that I made one kind that DS was allergic to and one kind that I knew the kids wouldn't like.... so no one was begging for a piece or asking me to keep any. Plus it was the day before weigh-in! I usually have unusually strong willpower on Thursdays!

Quick post thought that we might be able to find something in this sparkpeople article to help us:

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_articles.asp?id=1062

25 Ways to Get Back on Track Today
Don't Give Up on Your Goals!

Not long ago, you were energetic and determined to start your healthy lifestyle. Starting with enthusiasm and hope, you watched your food intake diligently, exercised like it was going out of style, and even avoided the temptation that seemed to lurk around every corner. You were confident that you were going to reach your goals once and for all!

Then certain tragedy struck! You ate an extra piece of birthday cake. Realizing you had “blown” your diet, you ate another and another and couldn’t get it together the next day either. Or worse, you missed one workout, and that turned into a whole week away from the gym. After that, your momentum to start over again was gone, and your gym bag hasn’t left the closet since.

Every time you misstep on your healthy journey, you have two choices: to keep walking backwards, which will surely take you even further away from your goals; or to accept your lack of perfection as normal and forgivable, and take not one, but two positive steps down the path that brings your closer to the future you want.

If you’re reading this, you might have been walking backwards for a while. But instead of waiting for the next day, week, month or even year to overhaul your habits, start TODAY. And start small. You can’t go from the recliner to running or from burgers to Brussels sprouts in an afternoon. But you can do one, two or even a handful of small things that will help you regain your momentum for healthy living.

AMEN TO THIS!

The article has a whole list of things to try. Here are a few of them -- even if you only just try one today that can help!

1. Try a short workout. Even five minutes is better than nothing. For ideas browse our video library or workout generator.

2. Try a new recipe. Cooking healthy foods can be fun and it never has to be bland.

3. Eat a healthy breakfast. Your morning meal sets the stage for the rest of your day, so start if off right! Get lots of breakfast ideas here.

4. Drink your water. Try to aim for 8 cups each day and you’ll feel the difference!

5. Look at Motivational SparkPages. Seeing how others overcome similar struggles and obstacles can be a great source of motivation.

6. Track your food today. No matter how it adds up, you’ll learn from it.

I think that this should be NUMBER ONE!

7. Update your SparkPage. It’s a visual way to track your ups and downs, but also your progress.

8. Share your goals. Whether you post them on the Message Boards or share them with a friend, you’ll be more accountable.

9. Exercise for 10 minutes. Jump rope, march in place, or do some crunches. Small amounts do add up to something big!

This is a GREAT article for everyone to read, but most especially for those of us who are struggling these days! I encourage EVERYONE to read and re-read this article.... and perhaps print it out for future reference. Thanks Lisa!!

******Well...once again I've managed to squander the entire morning here at the computer!! How does that happen?

I promised myself some scrapping time today, since I am not working again and so I will be brief here!

I had a nice healthy dinner at Ruby Tuesday's last night with DH. Salad bar plus mini turkey sliders without the bread, grilled zucchini in place of french fries. I wasn't stuffed but I was pleasantly full (mostly from the salad). Wish we could have relaxed and talked a bit more, but that's what happens with a mid-week celebration.

I was looking back at my journal from last year when I took DS to Disney. In my head I was CONVINCED that I had gained 5 pounds last year.... but in reviewing my journal I noticed that I had only gained ONE! That is super....why didn't I do that this year? I think because in my mind I was convinced I was going to gain 5 pounds and that is EXACTLY what I did!! DD is more of a "foodie" than DS so I knew that I would be doing more eating and eating more interesting stuff....but instead of convincing myself that I could stay as close to plan as possible and still enjoy the foods, I let myself go a little hog wild... and I have the pounds back on to prove it.

I think if I had looked back and realized that I enjoyed 4 days at Disney with DS and only gained ONE pound, I would have realized that I could enjoy this time with DD without gaining FIVE pounds. It is so much of MIND over MATTER!

That said, I'm trying to concentrate on the good choices I made. To start with, I stayed on plan right up until our airplane snack on Thursday night (peanut butter M&Ms and a beer ).

I started EVERY DAY of the trip with a healthy breakfast of instant oatmeal, fruit, and coffee.

We shared snacks and such where we could (school bread, pot stickers, pretzels, desserts) and we didn't eat in the room at night (except arrival night). We drank plenty of water, kept moving and only ate when hungry. If it wasn't great, we didn't eat it. I ate low carb and/or low fat when possible. I kept up with my fiber intake. I didn't eat "junk" just cause it was "Disney junk" (fries come to mind). When I had a treat, I limited it (most of the time) to that one treat (one piece of pizza instead of half a pie!).

Most importantly...... I got right back OP, just like I planned, on Wednesday morning.... no excuses, no "I'll start on Monday", no cheats.... just back OP.

Not sure how long it will take me to take off those 5 pounds.... but I will just keep plugging along until I do.

All of that said, I also was 5 pounds heavier last year when I went to Disney than I was this year.... another thought I was wrong about. I thought I was about 130 when I went to Disney last year, but it was closer to 134. So returning to Disney this year at 129 isn't so bad!

Hopefully a few faithful weeks of my combined SB/Ww plan will see those 5 pounds gone by my birthday in June.

Time to move along here! I'll be back at lunch time to chat again!.......P

 

[Rose&Mike]

Can't get the link to work.

I think I fixed it. Try it again.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

All fixed!! thanks Rose!!

Pamela never hit the treadmill last night. I decided my time would be better spent cleaning the kitchen and getting all the dishes done. Which I did, and felt great coming down to a clean sink this morning!!

Off to hit the TM now!!

 

[pjlla]

Just got a phone call from DH. He just heard from his sister in New Mexico. She is an 11 year breast cancer survivor and they just found out she has cancer in her bone. Probably not the primary tumor, but we won't know more for a while. Prayers please...................P

 

[lovetoscrap]

Trying to get on here early today so I can start my day off right. I had a terrible night last night, no idea why, so I slept until about 9:30.

and we have our final PTO meeting tonight (Pray I'm voted out!),

You sound like me! I have tried to quit the pool board probably 4-5 times but they always convince me to stay. I keep hoping I will get voted out but since we usually only have just enough or even not enough people to fill the ballot, and no one bothers to vote but the board I keep making it back in! I did manage to tick someone off enough the last election cycle that she actually sent in a ballot and intentionally didn't mark my name, which I thought was quite funny. I told you I sent a tentative resignation last week and I am still on the fence about staying on. It is going to depend on a decision they make. (they want to show a movie without getting a public performance license and I don't like the idea of violating federal law. So not worth it in my opinion and I don't want to be on a board that knowingly violates the law-- yeah, I am a goody two shoes.)

So last weekend we had to go and buy DH new jeans. He has lost so much weight that it was funny to see the extra fabric gathered at the waist with his belt. And he has decided to run a local 5K Memorial Day weekend. They have a "Fun Run" for families and children, mostly intended for the kids, that I am going to see if my kids want to do. It is only 1/2 mile and I think that even I can walk that so hopefully they will want to be involved too.

I am thinking I should start a journal (again) here and see if that helps me any. Not doing great at my paper journal. I need to make my plan ahead of time so I can follow it. I am also kicking myself for making bad choices when I need a snack or something else at mealtime. I am going to make a list of snacks and hang it on the front of the refrigerator so I can remind myself of the good options I have. I always forget that just a cup of diet hot chocolate made with skim milk really fills me up and satisfies that need for sweet and chocolate-- with only 25 calories in the hot choc mix and the milk is a healthy dairy serving.

Going to try get my house cleaned up today. I have been distracted by other things and it is out of control. For a control freak I am really bad about letting that happen!

 

[pjlla]

“Leaving the Beasts behind in the castle”.....
aka Mother/Daughter weekend at Walt Disney World, 2011


Electrical Parade seemed shorter than I remembered it being in the past (saw it in CA in 2005), but of course, Wishes was beautiful.

We powered our way into Tomorrowland after Wishes to use our FP for Space Mountain. We had time for one more thing before park closing so we went to see Mickey's Philharmagic.

Shopped a bit on our way back down Main Street. In our car in the TTC lot at 12:01 am. In room, showered, and started packing..... lights out at 1:15 am. Walked 12.8 miles today.

 

[RemembertheMagic98]

My mom's not having a good day. I just called her and she was crying uncontrollably so she couldn't talk. She said she was going through stuff. I was hoping she wouldn't have these moments but I know it's normal so I just let her go. I made a mistake by asking her what's wrong and she said what isn't wrong!
TTFN

Sending you and your mom

QOTD: I am most proud that I made it to my goal for this challenge. Every year it seems my New Year's resolution is to lose weight - and by the time the holidays roll around, I say, "Well, it will be next year's resolution, too!" But this year it is only May, and I am less than 10 lbs. away from my final goal. I think I am going to make it this year. I'll have to come up with a new resolution for next year. (maybe I'll make DH happy and resolve not to be late for everything!!)

AWESOME job!! Getting that close to goal is so inspiring!!

**************
Well my day was a little better.
Went to bed pretty early and slept pretty well.
DS14 missed the bus, DS10 and DD stayed home sick, so I took DS14 to school late and got DS9 to school on time. Even made it a little early. Glad I caught up time wise early in the day, if I'm running behind there are times when I never catch up.

Got back home, got DS10 and DD dressed. Went to Target, etc.
Had to put out one fire with the Field day t-shirts (hey, do y'all know what your school mascot is? Apparently all the new parents at our school have no idea that ours is a Patriot)

Did ok for most of the day until I went to school. All heck broke loose when the kitchen freezer died a permanent death. Then the screaming ensued. People in town need to grow the heck up!!!
I was so glad to get out of there.
Got all the kids, got DS9's new glasses, got dinner and came home.
Headed down to the basement to run after we finish watching Castle, it's a real nail biter!!!!!!

Crazy day huh? I love how you can keep it all together with such a crazy schedule! Rock on Buffy!

Hi Rose! Thanks for checking in!

I'm sorry. I need to vent. I have been stress eating since Saturday (or earlier?). Lots of fat and carbs, and almost no fruit, veggies, dairy, or protein. Even my water is slipping. I'm exhausted and stressed. I worked late yesterday and today and know I will tomorrow as well. I have to leave work on time on Thursday, but because I have plans, so more to do. I went to the gym tonight and cut my workout by 15 minutes because I felt awful. I thought I was going to throw up (sorry if that's TMI) in the shower. In a way, I was hoping I would, because I'm trying to avoid throwing up at work again. I made it to the bathroom, but I'm pretty sure that people could hear me nonetheless.

I had two people startle me at work today so much that I jumped. I am definitely stressed. I thought it was about potentially moving out of my parents' house, but now I'm thinking there's more bugging me. I know I need more sleep than I am getting. I have had some rough nights lately. One night, I woke up after nightmare after nightmare. Another night I could n't fall asleep and then there was the night I woke up too early. I have something I could take, but I'm trying to avoid that.

I'm going to go to bed now and hopefully, I'll wake up well-rested and in a better mood. I feel so sick, which will hopefully help me keep food consumption to a minimum tomorrow. I have to wake up and take my thryoid pill so I can eat before I need to leave for work instead of grabbing McDonald's or Dunkin' Donuts. I also need to start journaling again. I had planned to weigh-in at WW on Friday, but I think it's better if I go tomorrow. I need to know how much I've gained sooner than later. It will all depend on when I leave work, however.

Well, that concludes my vent. I love my job and it's nice to be busy at work, but I do think I need some more "me" time. I'm hoping to spend some time reading tomorrow evening. I'd also like to go to the gym. I can read there as well.

Thanks for all the support!

Tracey: and prayers.

CC, hang in there!! I know the feeling of stress (unemployed for a while last spring with a mortgage to pay!!). I've learned the "me" time is essential to my well being and no matter how much I like my job, I need to come first. Wishing you Hoping things will calm and you will be feeling better soon!

FINALLY! I only went back to Cinco de Mayo but was able to skim through and get a better idea of how everyone has been doing so I am caught up.

Now I am too tired to stay her much longer but wanted to check in. Not a good day for me. Stress eating. I got the resume and cover letter done and took them in. Now I wait. I really, really, really, really, really want this job! But since it is state testing time here and just a few weeks to the end of the year I am guessing they may not even look at any applications until summer when things slow down a bit. The job doesn't start until August so they have lots of time.

I still need to make a plan for our 20th Anniversary trip to somewhere. DH said last night we should sit down and talk cruise, but that is a bit of a sore subject with me since I wanted to do one last summer and got shot down in a big way.

I think I may go and finish the last 2 pieces of chocolate in the bag so it is gone and out of the house and I can start fresh in the morning.

Keeping my fingers and toes crossed for you that the job works out! You deserve it!!

We travelled to Nick's game tonight. He played very well even though his team lost. WE stayed through the Varisity game and man it rained hard. The field was more of a mud pit and the kids could barely stay on their feet. The opposing team had white uniforms I can't imagine trying to clean those. As it is I have Nick's in the wash now. He seemed to have a major breakthrough with confidence tonight and talked about how well he is playing and how much fun he is having now. This is such a relief to us as parents to see him fit in and excel

Way to go Nick!!! Fitting in can be so tough (I watch it here at school every day!!) so I am glad he's feeling good about things!

Completing the princess half marathon. It was the highlight of my life....well next to my wedding day and the birth of my two sons.

I'm hoping that the half will be my highlight too (when I run it)

whew. I didnt realize how behind I got.

oh and I forgot- HAPPY ANNIVERSARY PAM

Today was busy..busy..busy but it made it go really fast. Found out today that we are getting a small bonus in this weeks paycheck. It was totally unexpected. Our network is doing so well this year that they decided to give a spring bonus. Yippee. Its not much but it helps.

I picked Ryan up from school and then voted. This older lady outside of the school asked ryan if he voted with me and he said yes. She then went on and on about how she use to take her daughter with her to vote and that he had a great mommy and he will grow up to be a good citizen. She spoke to him as if he was 1yr in a real baby kind voice and she was a bit odd. Ryan was finishing up his cheetos from lunch so he had "cheesy" fingers. As she was done with her talk she said give me a high five. So he did. As we walked away he said "that was a cheesy high five for the crazy lady". It just cracked me up.

I love how some people talk to kids like they are ignorant..my nephew is a very observant 4 year old and doesn't miss a trick! This is totally something he would say.

We then stopped at the schools book fair. buy one get one sale. Got 4 books and 2 pencils for $11.

Then we went to the diner for dinner. I had a gyro. Not a good choice. Its to the point that I dont even want to eat anymore because I am tired of food. Thats how I know I have hit a brick wall again. Bad choices, too much food, not enough exercise, not enough water, weight gain. uggggh this is such a struggle. Why does it have to be this hard.

Im not sure what to do with myself to get me motivated again. Ive tried over and over and I just cant get it to click. I tell myself every day Im starting fresh today and at some point every day I blow it and then throw in the towel. Im just really frustrated and I can tell in the mirror that I have put on weight again. I just want to cry.

Ok pity party over. Ive joined your table for the moment buffy....well if your willing to expand it to a table of two.

Im off to bed.

Lindsay, you have inspired me since DAY 1 of this challenge. Your determination to do the princess half and your upbeat comments always make me smile! Sometimes you need to cry in order to renew your commitment to yourself. Let it out girl! And then climb back on the wagon...I have done it a million times and I know I will do it a million times more. Hang in there!!

Not much new here. I made the chili, and thus have no excuse to snack my way through the evening. I should just have chili if i'm hungry. And if i'm not hungry, then food is not the answer. I did make congo bars to bring to my friends family. Her dad passed yesterday, so michael and I will go visit her kids this afternoon for a bit. With most of the congo bars. Though, I can hear Pamela's internet voice, bring them all, bring them all.

Guess I need to go to work now. Have a great day. Make good choices!! Every little positive thing we do does make a difference.

Kathy, I now want some chili and congo bars (not that I know exactly what they are but they sound yummy!) So sorry to hear about your friends father. I'm sure she is comforted by just having your support Making a difference is never something I plan, but it just happens when I least expect it..kindness is contagious!!

Quick post thought that we might be able to find something in this sparkpeople article to help us:

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_articles.asp?id=1062

Thanks Lisa!! It's been a tough week for me and these are some super tips!! I really needed to read these...

OK, even though all the kids are home I'm determined to have a good day.
Had a decent breakfast, cleaned up all the water that poured through the ceiling, put 2 loads of laundry away, and now I'm headed down to run.

I will have a good day!!!!!!

Sending you for a super productive day!!!

*********************
UGH! Raining is killing my spirit! My boss called out sick today so I am on my own with the kiddies! Only one student meeting at 11:30 and then we have a really cool panel discussion at 1:30. The History Department brought in three ladies who are survivors of genocide (2 Holocaust and 1 Rwanda). I just finished the book Strength in What Remains last night which is all about a male survivor of the Burundi genocides (close to Rwanda situation). I was supposed to have book club tonight but the leader canceled. Yet another book club with cancellations!!! I joined 2 others today through meetup.com so I will see what they are reading as well as how often they meet.

Tonight I have my trainer and then I am going to spin (since book club is canceled), but I do not like the spin instructor on Wednesdays. He brings in these strobe lights, plays crappy music and really spins for his own exercise instead of for the benefit of the students Normally I skip him but I have not been in the gym or doing any exercising for the past 3 days....GUILT! Getting back on track after a derailment is tough!

Well, my student should be here any minute. Make great choice today and hey, if you have sunshine today, send it to New Jersey!!