Biggest Loser Alumni Holiday Edition: past, present and future participants welcome!

[Tauwillow]

I've had a difficult couple of days. Its probably due to the holiday aftermath - things are easiest when I have a clear event to focus on, so that I can avoid my inner conflicts. :/ I'm a little better today, and I hope to get in some wii action with my family.

I loved hearing about everyone's Christmas, and the gifts you all received. Holiday stories are so much fun. We watched a lot of movies over the past week. With my son home for break, we're trying to fit in as many 'must see' films we can before he leaves again. So far we've seen Princess Bride, Stranger than Fiction, Wrath of Khan, Requiem for a Dream, Amelie, The entire Harry Potter franchise, Black Swan and Run Lola Run.

Flipflopmom - many hugs for your struggles through the holidays.

Mikamah - I likewise empathize with your loss during a season that highlights time with family. You said, "It must be nice to celebrate earlier in the week without all the craziness you can have on christmas. " One of the biggest perks is being able to make necessary returns BEFORE Christmas, and even get last minute sale prices for exchanges!

Lisah0711 - you said, "Be careful with the Wii and bare feet. I developed a horrible case of plantar fasciitis from doing that. " I think I'm going to try using my fuzzy slippers today. I'm kind of avoiding sneakers, because they just aren't flexible enough for the "walking", and I think blisters would rule the day. Any advice with wii footware?

Tigger813 - You'll have to tell me how you liked EA Sports Active 2. I've eyeballed it a number of times, but haven't made the plunge. My biggest problem is that I hate exercising, so I've avoided things that are more traditional workouts. Instead I've gone more with walking/hiking outside, wii games, and now DH and I are looking at ballroom dance classes.

If you're looking for a good blender, especially if you kill yours off regularly, consider the Vitamix. We make smoothies all the time, and went through 4 blenders before we finally invested in one. (its what most professional places use too - like Smoothie King) Its spendy, but we've had it now for 5 years and its still going strong! You can get a refurb for less money, and they are just as good.

Princess_vija - Welcome! Glad you're here to share with us too.

Keenercam - I don't have a pic handy of this year's tree, but here's one of my mom and daughter in 2007.

QOTD 12/24 - If you could pick one item (it has to be a material thing) that SANTA would bring you what would it be??? no limits....

Ipad! I have been lusting for one of those for a while now! If not that, a tempurpedic mattress. Oh bliss.

Mommyof2pirates - I love love love my iphone, and cannot imagine how I got along without it. I use the maps, weather, tripadvisor & mapquest constantly while we're traveling. I have an app that tracks household chores - an app to count calories - app for movie times & trailers - app for my fav deal sites - bird and plant ID for our summer hiking - and Facebook and games. I use these and more every day!

QOTD 12/2626: Did you receive a "gift" for the holidays this year that will make your "getting fit" journey easier? Maybe it was a new-found motivation or an actual tangible item. Please share!

I got the new NB 850 toning shoes from one of my former Intended Parents! I'm a little afraid to walk in them with the snow and ice, but I look forward to using them this spring.

 

[cclovesdis]

Good Evening!

Hope everyone is having a great, OP day today! I know I cannot wait until all the holiday foods are gone. I need to stop picking at the not-so-OP goodies. We spent some time cleaning today and my bedroom is finally clean. Now, I wonder how long that will last? Otherwise, it's been a pretty lazy day. Definitely what I needed!

It's been snowing since mid-morning. The snow doesn't seem that bad, but it's very windy and cold.

Cam: I will be e-mailed my unofficial test results tomorrow afternoon. I am excited and nervous at the same time. Thanks for the prayers!

QOTD: I got the WW plan kit, wrist/ankle weights, and some new gym clothes. The cash from my grandfather will be for my next pair of sneakers. I'll probably use some of the gift cards from Wal-Mart for some exercise stuff-or maybe another water bottle. My parents also ordered me something from LL Bean that's backordered, but will be great for exercising outside. It's a cross between a hat and earmuffs. I am planning to try C25K outside at some point.

Hope everyone has a great day tomorrow!

CC

 

[dvccruiser76]

Ugh! I just lost my post and couldn't get it back

Anyway I'm almost back to normal. Not 100%, but closer than last night at this time. My DH still has stomach pains. I never got them, but I had other symptoms that he didn't. My MIL has the bug now too, which is another reason why I don't like to travel when one of us is sick, but she insists that we still come.

Aww, bless your heart! Hope that you are feeling better soon.

Thanks

QOTD, Sunday, December 26: Did you receive a "gift" for the holidays this year that will make your "getting fit" journey easier? Maybe it was a new-found motivation or an actual tangible item. Please share!

I think it might have been Tigger813 that mentioned it, but I asked for Leslie Sansone's You Can Do It Pilates and got that for Christmas. I also asked for another DVD that I didn't get, but that's okay. When I was at my doctor's last week I saw 3 other videos that I might check out instead.

I know I mentioned it before about going off my BP meds, but my BP never got down to where it should be so I'm going to start my meds again. I was on 100 mg once a day for a year then when I was in the hospital after having my son it shot up so they put me on 300 mg twice a day. That made me super tired, so we're going to go back to trying 100 mg once a day again. I'm not thrilled to be going back on but it takes the stress off of worrying about it and with tax season around the corner it'll be good to have it back to normal.

Sue- Glad you had a nice christmas and dylan enjoyed opening the presents. Hope you and dh are feeling better soon. Do you have to go out early tomorrow? Hope not, and you can enjoy the snow.

I'm actually off tomorrow. I'm supposed to have a massage at my chiropractor's at 9, but I'm guessing it'll be cancelled. My DH and I were going to go see a movie or two while Dylan was in daycare, but I'm assuming they won't open. We'll have fun anyway. Are you off all week with Michael?

How are you liking the new plan? I still need to read through the starter kit that my mother got me.

Oh, you poor thing! Are you feeling better now? I hope today sees you all well and healthy and rested.

Thanks

My answert to today’s QUOTD – Howard bought me the Pampered Chef 12 qt stock pot I wanted, when I did a PC book party with Taryn. I have been dying to have it and am happy to know I’ll be cooking in it today. He also bought me an immersion blender that I’ve wanted. And even more exciting – he gave me a very generous gift certificate to William-Sonoma!!!! And there is a “bounce-back” bonus on it so that it is worth even more than the face value. We are going shopping today with that gift card. I am hoping to find all sorts of great tools for this healthy living journey I am on.

I love WS. My DH got me 6 of the slow cooker sauces that I asked for. They are my savior during tax season.

I had so much fun spending my gift certificate and bonus at William-Sonoma. I got LOTS of fun stuff, including a gorgeous bamboo spatula, an apple corer, a fish turner, lots of cooking sauces, new kitchen towels, a 9x13 baking pan, a silicone basting brush, etc. etc. My favorite is a very nice 11 inch All-Clad square griddle pan (without the grilling bumps). This is going to be so wonderful for cooking casseroles, etc. on the stove. I am really looking forward to cooking this afternoon!

I have the pan with the bumps and that darn thing never gets clean I got the LTD All Clad pans when I got married and can't stand them. I think I might have to get one of their non-stick frying pans to see if they work and clean better. Did you try a cooking sauce yet? If so, which one?

 

[tigger813]

Snow's really coming down now! It's blowing pretty hard too! Glad I don't have to go anywhere. Of course I don't know what we will eat special for dinner tomorrow since most places will probably be closed due to the storm.

Toy Story 2 just started on Disney channel. DH went out and moved the snow away from our back deck door. Probably won't shovel tonight as it's really blowing now. I do hear a plow coming through the neighborhood. ALmost coming down sideways.

Just noticed in TS2 that they show a bear similar to Lostso in the Al's Toy Barn commercial!

Guess I'll play some DSi games tonight. I probably won't sleep well. We played a Rudolph DVD game tonight. Not the great but it was only about $6 on Amazon. DD2 got a Rudolph game for her DSi so I may try that out. I also want to play some more Mahjongg tonight.

Stay safe and warm all my East Coast friends! This is going to be a doozy of a storm!

TTFN

 

[keenercam]

Ended up ending the lives of our two blenders that we have. Thank goodness for the Magic Bullet! Guess we'll use part of our BB&B gift certificate for a new one. One started smoking and then our old Kitchen Aid literally fell apart at the blade! Hoping I can find one like they brought to our room at Disney! It was amazing! Crushed the ice really fast. It was a plastic container!

Oh, so sad your blenders died. I love my Magic Bullet too but haven't tried it yet for smoothies. I hope you can find a new one you like. And really glad you are all tucked in. I haven't heard a plow in our neighborhood yet. Howard's office isn't opening until noon tomorrow so I have to figure out logistics of having him drive me to work.

Keenercam - I don't have a pic handy of this year's tree, but here's one of my mom and daughter in 2007.

QOTD 12/24 - If you could pick one item (it has to be a material thing) that SANTA would bring you what would it be??? no limits....

Ipad! I have been lusting for one of those for a while now! If not that, a tempurpedic mattress. Oh bliss.

I got the new NB 850 toning shoes from one of my former Intended Parents! I'm a little afraid to walk in them with the snow and ice, but I look forward to using them this spring.

Your tree is beautiful! LOVE the ornaments and the topper. I'm with you on lusting after an ipad. And I really want one before our cruise so that I can download pix off my card each night. I can't wait to hear what you think of those shoes. DD22 picked a pair for one of her Christmas gifts and I think she is going to be surprised at how sore she gets from walking to and from campus in them.

CC -- I'll be thinking of you tomorrow. Please post as soon as you know. And know that we are all keeping our fingers and toes crossed for you.

Ugh! I just lost my post and couldn't get it back

Anyway I'm almost back to normal. Not 100%, but closer than last night at this time. My DH still has stomach pains. I never got them, but I had other symptoms that he didn't. My MIL has the bug now too, which is another reason why I don't like to travel when one of us is sick, but she insists that we still come. . . .
My DH got me 6 of the slow cooker sauces that I asked for. They are my savior during tax season.

So glad you are feeling better. Sorry MIL is sick too. I have a grill pan and it is okay to clean if I run water in it as soon as I am done cooking. I like this flat one. I can't believe how well it washed up. The WS cooking sauce I tried tonight was the Red Chili Peanut BBQ sauce. I haven't tried it yet, though.

I did a ton of cooking today. I made 4 stuffed peppers (lean ground turkey, onions & panko); a huge pot of hearty turkey chili with choppped carrots, peppers, onions, etc.; and I did 12 chicken breast portions, 4 in each of these three sauces -- mango ginger habanero, raspberry chipotle and the red chili peanut bbq sauce. Now, I have plenty of protein for all week, especially while Howard and Andrew finish the leftover lasagna. I also did a 2 pound bag of Nantucket Blend veggies from Market Day -- orange & yellow carrots, edamame, broccoli & cranberries. It is delicious and makes a nice side for almost any dish.

Well, I am going to say good night. Everyone be safe in the morning if you have to go out to work.

 

[flipflopmom]

I started crying and couldnt stop myself just thinking about how lucky I was to be standing there with my husband and wonderful boys and my parents. God is good. a nike sports band, a nike running shirt for the cold weather, running pants, a running vest, 2 disney shirts, 2 eagles shirts, and a stocking full of goodies. My mom and dad also made me a daughter quilt. My dad cut out the pieces and my mom sewed. The have patches that has quotes about a daughter or a family.

As I've said, I hate that it takes others trials to remind us of our blessings sometimes, but I'm glad you were feeling so blessed! I've been having that feeling when I look at my healthy kids! WHAT GREAT GIFTS! DH was VERY thoughtful, and your parents gift had my crying! Merry Christmas!

We had a fabulous Christmas. The kids were thrilled with their gifts and I think they got everything they wanted.. I was totally blown away that DH had gone shopping on his own and bought me a pair of earrings, tinkerbell throw, tinkerbell christmas decoration, tinkerbell animated statue, purple pjs, a coffee mug, purple scarf...he did very very well. He never ever goes shopping so this is amazing.

WOW! Another thoughtful DH!

It is officially a White Christmas here in Chesapeake.

Has that ever happened before? You guys getting snow is pretty rare, isn't it?

Good morning everyone. We had a lovely day yesterday. The boys loved their stuff. I worked hard to get everything done and the food was great.

So glad you had a great day, and I bet your food was yummy! I know some people think it's impersonal, but I love getting money for Christmas. I tell my MIL she gives the gift of shopping! Stay safe today!

I woke up feeling like a big ball of bloated salt.

sounds like one for the tag fairy!

On the plus side, guess all the junk I eat won't have that bad of an effect on my weight loss

I am so sorry you and your DH got the bug! I do find it amusing that since I've been doing challenges, anytime someone gets a stomach bug they can find the good in it!

Taryn, hope that Sophie is feeling better soon. Do you ever have a night where everyone sleeps through? :

They are rare, and pretty much have been my whole life, I was the same way. I kept a sleeping bag under my parents bed until I got married!

QOTD, Sunday, December 26: Did you receive a "gift" for the holidays this year that will make your "getting fit" journey easier? Maybe it was a new-found motivation or an actual tangible item. Please share!

Well, Dh gave me a shirt and jacket that I can't gain any weight and still wear, and I got several gift cards that I'll actually use to buy clothes that again, I can't gain any weight, so.... inadvertantly, yes!

We had a very nice christmas day. Other than church, we hung out at home and played Life, hexbug nanos, dominoes, and the wimpy kid game til about 3 and then went to a friends and my sisters. My sister gave michael Cuponk which looks like a good practice game for beer pong, so I were teasing her since her son had gotten caught having a beer pong party once. Michael loved his leather jacket that santa brought and was strutting his stuff, so I'll post a pic later. One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly. (Andy Rooney)..

Michael in his leather jacket playing beer pong. What a great Christmas! My family (DH especially, and he passed it on to the girls), loves to leave the mess in the living room, carry everything to the den downstairs, and pile it up to look at it. That mess has to be left until the day after Christmas. He gets angry if I put ANYTHING away Christmas Day! Good luck with the new WW plan!

Taryn – I had to shudder to think of Sophie eating all of that and getting sick. Poor baby. I remember Jenn did that once when she was little. It was Doritos and chocolates. So NOT good. I hope she is feeling better today. I can’t wait to hear all about your trip to HHI! Have fun shopping at Belk. We don’t’ have that here, so whenever we are at Disney’s HH resort, we make it a point to shop there. I want him to get accepted everywhere so that all his options will be open to him, but I get a bit sad every time I think of him probably being more than 10 hours away for college.

After sleeping until noon, she was better! Kids just don't always have that internal shut off! I didn't know there was a Belk at HHI, I might wait until we're down there to go shopping, it's probably bigger than the one I'll have to drive 40 minutes to get to here. I need to google it! Thanks! I can't wait to get there! Has Andrew settled on a school yet?

On Christmas Eve day, Howard and I went grocery shopping and then Andrew and I made spinach balls, Jenn and I worked on lasagna, and then Howard and Andrew baked sugar cookies (from a mix). I stayed in bed until 6:30, showered & dressed, and made cinnamon rolls and the pancake batter. We had lots of fun with our Christmas morning traditions, including phone calls with friends and family. Then, after our breakfast, it’s nap time (Jenn and Andrew watched movies together instead which is so heart-warming to me). My answert to today’s QUOTD – Howard bought me the Pampered Chef 12 qt stock pot I wanted, when I did a PC book party with Taryn. I have been dying to have it and am happy to know I’ll be cooking in it today.

I loved reading all about all your new cooking goodies!!!!!!! Howard is such a thoughtful man! Glad the kids were so good to you, and I love reading all about them hanging out together. I hope my girls will be that way. It's VERY hard for me to believe that in 7 years Sophie will be almost 11 and AK will be in college. I worry about that split, but I hope that they'll stay close!

Dh and ds's went to an early movie and should be back before it gets too bad. They went in dh's truck so no lightweight cars to worry about. My neice (my Goddaughter) gave me a cute set of salt and pepper shakers. Miniie and Mickey dressed as cruise directors. I have been collecting s/p shakers for years (my grnadmother also collected them) Many of mine have been from DW I have cute one shaped like the monorail.

That's such a sweet collection, and how great that you are following in your grandmother's footsteps! I hope they made it home okay! DH gets socks and underwear from his parents EVERY Christmas! I have a pair of wool socks that I LOVE! I hope you enjoy yours as much!

I got a couple of pairs of exercise pants. I also got some new jeans which are a bit tight. I'll have to lose to fit into them comfortably Nick got Just Dance 2 for the Wii. We played that last night and it was quite a workout.

Same motivation here with clothes! I need to check out the playlist for JD2, we love the first one!

Sometimes its worse having off then if I was just there. Anyway thats life. I then came home and got my 5 mile run in. It was COLD and WINDY!!! e rescheduled our trip to our friends house since we are now suppose to get 6-10 inches of snow. So it will be a relaxing day~

That's how I feel about having to write plans for a substitute, which is why I gave about 5 kids mono, I think. I didn't know that's what it was at the time! I am SO proud of you girl for running in this cold and wind! Hope you got your relaxing in! Did the Eagles play?

I am home and relaxing while it snows like mad outside. 9+ inches so far and its not stopping anytime soon. Got into work ok and we closed at 1, I left at 12:30pm. Driving home with DH was most definitely an adventure. And what kills me is that as I was leaving at 12:30 people were STILL coming into the store to shop?!:

That is crazy!!!!!! Were your after Christmas deals that great, or do you think people got surprised by the storm and need essentials?

I've had a difficult couple of days. I got the new NB 850 toning shoes from one of my former Intended Parents!

It's tough to stay motivated amidst all the merriment, I think we all face that a bit! That's so sweet that one of your former Intended Parents gave you a gift!!

Hope everyone is having a great, OP day today! I know I cannot wait until all the holiday foods are gone. I need to stop picking at the not-so-OP goodies. Cam: I will be e-mailed my unofficial test results tomorrow afternoon. I am excited and nervous at the same time. Thanks for the prayers!

Today's the day!!!! I am kinda glad my mom and MIL did all the cooking, so the goodies are at their houses, but then again, I would like to have some of it to eat! I bet that hat from LL Bean will be great!

BRB

 

[flipflopmom]

Yesterday was very frustrating to me! I told DH we had to clean up because Monday is our trash pick up day. We tackled the toy closet and toy box downstairs while the girls were upstairs, really organized, threw out stuff, etc. to make room for some of their new games. Our coat closet doubles as game closet, so I worked in there, too. All that, the kitchen and den took 2+ hours! Then we headed upstairs.

Well, our Christmas tree was DEAD by Christmas. There was water in it, so I'm not sure if the plastic "tree bag" that we bought to go under it kept it from getting water, or if it was the tree. I had read on FB about someone else that got a tree from the same tree farm that died, so I don't know. By the time I got all the ornaments and lights off, there was not any needles left on it. I swept up a trash bag full of them, and we vaccumed, and vaccumed, and vaccumed..... While I was working on that, AK yelled - Mom, Sophie spilled her new red fingernail polish on her carpet. White carpet. That took hours, it's still pink! We read that windex did the best, and we used all we had, so DH will be headed out this am to get some more.

Still need to tackle the upstairs today, laundry, girls rooms, etc. But at least we did get all the trash out. Only to have 40+ MPH winds all night. I'm kinda scared to look at the trash corner!!! The snow was blown up to our back door so badly I could barely open it to take the dogs out this am!

Sophie slept till noon, and seemed better. AK is still puny, I think she may have an ear infection, but we're out of Motrin, now, too. I hope she's feeling better by Thursday, they are calling for temps in the upper 60s and lows in the high 40s, low 50's at HHI!!!! She wants to swim! Their pool is heated, we want to play on the beach! I may take my running shoes and get a few runs in!

I read on my FB news feed from the Dis that someone was hit by a WDW bus and killed yesterday. I immediately thought of Rose, but the name was Robert Krueger, 69, of Yarmouthport, Mass. He was at Port Orleans and stepped out in front of a bus.

More cleaning, I want to be done today so we can have fun tomorrow and pack Wednesday! Might take the girls to mom's and mil's for a while either today or tomorrow.

I'm truly scared to get on the scale!!!!! I did do some arm and ab work yesterday, and moved all day, but my midsection feels large!!!! It's been just over a month since I had mono, so I think I'm okay. The enlarged spleen danger is supposed to keep you away from exercise for a month.....

Be safe if you're getting out today, East Coasters!!!! Have a great one!
Taryn

 

[mikamah]

Good morning everyone. Hope everyone affected by the snow is doing ok and are very careful if you need to go out today.

We stayed at my brothers til around 4 yesterday, and I did not have to go into work at all. It's really blowing, so hard to guess how much, but since i have the day off, I don't need to think about it til later. I have a wonderful next door neighbor who often will snowblow me out when he's out there. Michael's sleeping in today. Almost 7:30 is late for him. He kept going outside last night to fill up a cup with snow to have as a snack. He seemed to enjoy that as much as all the candy and cookies he's eaten all weekend. During our last blizzard a few years ago, my brother and family were here, and we brought snow in for michael and my niece to play with and eat. they were so little then.

I did ok on the new ww yesterday. I put my tracker in my bag and did write everything down at my brothers. I skipped the cake, but had pizza, and 4 hershey's miniatures, and a few nuts. My sil's cousin was there with her 4 month old twins, so I held a baby for much of the party which kept my hands out of the food. I brought most of our leftover cookies to my brothers, so I don't have to much left here. And we're working our way through the rest of the chicken/bro/ziti from christmas eve. I'll go grocery shopping tomorrow. I love the free fruit, and think I had 5 clementines yesterday. I know I would have chosen a gingerbread cookie over fruit several times if it weren't for the 0 point fruit.

Taryn- I hate cleaning up.Hope it goes more smoothly today, and you can enjoy a couple smooth days before the big trip. You must all be getting so excited. Hope the girls aren't sick for your trip. I bet temps in the 60s is pretty exciting for you after all the snow you've had. Talking about when ak goes to college and here keeping close with sophie, my friends 22 yo son is home from school, and last night I read on facebook that he was taking her 16 yo daughter out to teach her how to drive in the snow. I bet they will stay close because of their upbringing and being taught the importance of family and gratitude.

Tracey- Hope dd's rash clears up soon, and glad you're stocked up on benadryl. Love that drug. Hope you were able to sleep with all that wind last night.

Sue- I am off today too. bummer you'll probably miss your massage and movie, but it is so nice not to have to leave the house this morning. I'm working wed and thurs, and on call friday days, so not too bad. Glad you're feeling better.

CC- fingers crossed for you today. I'm sure the waiting isn't easy. Good luck.

Tauwillow- Your tree is so pretty, and i love the topper. Hope you are doing better every day. Holidays are such an emotional time and I am sure it's hard to think back on the past year too. Like lisa, I have found it's better for me to were shoes for the wii fit. I just wear my running sneakers. They definitely give me more support.

Maureen- glad Target closed early yesterday. My sister was supposed to be at K-mart this am at 6 so I'll call her in a bit to see if they delayed their opening. Crazy they hardly ever close. Poor onslow with the snow.

Lindsay- Whoo hoo for getting out there and doing 5 miles. It was cold yesterday. I haven't run since wed, and am feeling a little nervous about it, but it was Christmas, so I'll cut myself a little slack. I guess with the snow it's time for me to make an alternative plan. Today's the 27th, 2 months!! Ok, we're going to be just fine.

Deb- I love just dance 1, and my friends kids were playing 2 on christmas, and it looked better because they were interacting with each other more. It is a great workout. enjoy.

Dona- Love the sock story. Enjoy those nice warm socks while you're clearing out of all that snow.

Cam- Your Christmas sounds perfect. So sweet Jenn was so thoughtful and took over bringing down the presents for you. I think I'm going to like the ww program. It's good that some points have changes so I'll look everything up and really start fresh rather than going on memory of the old plan. I'm so glad it's working so well for you.

We watched toy story 1 yesterfay and are going to watch 2 now, and 3 later. We're supposed to get together with friends tonight for Christmas, so I hope they'll come here, so I don't have to go out. It's definitely feeling like a pajama day here.

Stay safe everyone.

 

[dvccruiser76]

Good morning fellow losers and maintainers I will be your coach today. This is new for me, so I apologize in advance if I do something wrong. Let's start off the morning.


QOTD, Monday, December 27: With New Year's right around the corner, do you have a resolution that you'd like to share and if so, does it involve the next BL challenge?

 

[lisah0711]

Thanks, Cam, for being our coach yesterday!

QOTD, Sunday, December 26: Did you receive a "gift" for the holidays this year that will make your "getting fit" journey easier? Maybe it was a new-found motivation or an actual tangible item. Please share!

My "gift" for the holidays this year that will make my getting fit journey easier is the desire and will to continue with my training for the Princess. I actually look forward to my training because it makes me feel strong -- probably because I've never done anything like it in my life (or had any desire to! )

One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly. (Andy Rooney).
so I took it to heart, and the house is still a mess.

Love this, Kathy! Told DH last night that you said we can't clean up the house yet. He thought it was a great idea!

Lisa – You are truly amazing. Thank you so much for the gift you give us your creativity and support and encouragement. I have LOVED your 12 days of WISH holiday challenge posts. Your posts never fail to make me smile.

Awww, Cam, you're so sweet!

DS and I saw Tron this week, too. I loved the Tron Disney castle. Sounds like you had a wonderful. relaxing Christmas.

I got a couple of pairs of exercise pants. I also got some new jeans which are a bit tight. I'll have to lose to fit into them comfortably Nick got Just Dance 2 for the Wii. We played that last night and it was quite a workout. I plan to hit weight watcher's this Wednesday night. Gotta get back before the prices go back up in January. I actually wonder if I need a points calculator or if there is an app for my Droid

Deb, I know you'll be fitting in those new jeans in no time!

I know there is a WW app for the iPhone -- surely there must be one for the Droid, too.

I think I'm going to have to go to a meeting this week to get the materials. I've never been to a meeting -- should be interesting. I'm kind of exploring and getting the feel of things this week and will start in earnest next week. I've figured out that if I'm not set up, I won't be successful, then I'll get frustrated and stuck in maintain, which I can't afford to do with Princess coming fast!

I got some awesome running gear for the cold weather which I love and tried out today and it was very comfortable. My dh got me the nike +sports band and I tried that today to and loved it! I think this has given me a boost of energy...who doesnt like to try out new things.

You'll run faster in your snazzy new things, no doubt, Lindsay! Can you warm up in the shower after an outside run? Just think of all the calories your body is burning trying to warm up!

Afternoon everybody

I am home and relaxing while it snows like mad outside. 9+ inches so far and its not stopping anytime soon. Got into work ok and we closed at 1, I left at 12:30pm. Driving home with DH was most definitely an adventure. And what kills me is that as I was leaving at 12:30 people were STILL coming into the store to shop?!

Wow! Big storm! Glad that you got to stay home. Deep snow is tough on dog's with short legs! I remember sometimes I couldn't see anything on
our dog except his tail!

Tracey, be careful in all that snow!

Lisah0711 - you said, "Be careful with the Wii and bare feet. I developed a horrible case of plantar fasciitis from doing that. " I think I'm going to try using my fuzzy slippers today. I'm kind of avoiding sneakers, because they just aren't flexible enough for the "walking", and I think blisters would rule the day. Any advice with wii footware?

Sorry that you've had a rough could of days, Tauwillow. Honestly, my PF was so bad that I gave up the Wii Fit and did other exercise with my tennis shoes. I would wear any walking shoe or cross training as they are more flexible that a running shoe. Experiment around with what works for you and if your foot starts hurting, stop. Funny thing is now I can run 6 miles and not have any problems but that is probably thanks to my orthotics and running shoes.

Cam: I will be e-mailed my unofficial test results tomorrow afternoon. I am excited and nervous at the same time. Thanks for the prayers!

Sending lots of for good results today, CC!

Anyway I'm almost back to normal. Not 100%, but closer than last night at this time. My DH still has stomach pains. I never got them, but I had other symptoms that he didn't. My MIL has the bug now too, which is another reason why I don't like to travel when one of us is sick, but she insists that we still come.

Glad that you are feeling better, dvccruiser. I'll be thinking of you this busy week with year-end stuff.

Howard's office isn't opening until noon tomorrow so I have to figure out logistics of having him drive me to work.

You too, Cam!

I'll be doing my year-end stuff, too. Today is billing. Tomorrow payroll. :

Can you share some of those recipes on BL recipe thread sometime? They sound delicious!

Be back with the rest of the replies.

 

[dvccruiser76]

QOTD, Monday, December 27: With New Year's right around the corner, do you have a resolution that you'd like to share and if so, does it involve the next BL challenge?

To start off by answering my own QOTD, I have a couple of resolutions. The first, which is related to the challenge will be to try and become happy/comfortable with my weight. I used 145 the last challenge for a goal and reached it and decided to wait and see how I felt. Since I'm not 100% happy I'm going to try for 140 next challenge. I once got down to 134 and everyone said I was too thin, though to be honest I felt good, so that's probably an issue right there. So, I'm hoping that I can just tone at 145 and that by doing so I'll get down to 140 and it'll be a healthy 140 that I'm comfortable with.

My other goal will be to let go of work a bit. I'm an accountant so anal by nature and I have trouble leaving work at work. I also check the boards and email a lot during the day and guilt myself into making up for the time at night even though I know I don't use my whole lunch time even though I don't get paid for the hour and I end up doing more work at home than the time missed during the day. So, maybe my goal is to not spend as much time on email and the boards Nah, that's not happening. Just another reason why I don't dare sign up for Facebook.

 

[pjlla]

Good morning, everyone! I am back to post the QOTD then I am looking forward to responding to posts.

QOTD, Sunday, December 26: Did you receive a "gift" for the holidays this year that will make your "getting fit" journey easier? Maybe it was a new-found motivation or an actual tangible item. Please share!

I got new Aasics and a new warm-up suit from DH (he had some help from my Mom!). The Aasics feel great.

I got a couple of pairs of exercise pants. I also got some new jeans which are a bit tight. I'll have to lose to fit into them comfortably Nick got Just Dance 2 for the Wii. We played that last night and it was quite a workout. I plan to hit weight watcher's this Wednesday night. Gotta get back before the prices go back up in January. I actually wonder if I need a points calculator or if there is an app for my Droid

I'll PM you the link to the WW email I got about free sign-up, just in case it is a better deal than what you are looking at. I think I'm going to sign-up for the online program because I might have to lie a bit about my weight... I don't think I have enough to lose for them to take me. But I'm anxious to get the new information.


Happy Monday everyone! I have taken some time to skim through the last few pages, but I haven't had a lot of time to "talk". I've been trying to give myself a bit of a break and take some time to just really RELAX.

It appears that you all had a good Christmas holiday (except for those who got sick or had sick kiddos ). I'm glad so many of you stuck around here as much as you did.... it will definitely help keep your head in the "eating healthy" mode! And congrats to those of you who have been keeping up with regular exercise. I ran on Thursday at the Y, but haven't done anything since then (other than clean like a maniac, carry gifts up and down stairs, etc).

I will, of course, be shoveling/blowing 12+ inches of snow later today. We have at least 8 inches already and it is still coming down hard. But we are all here, safe and sound.... the snow blower and generators are ready to roll (thanks to my Dad!) and there is 10 gallons of gas waiting for them. We have plenty of food in the house and we still have power... so its all good for now! DD has invited some swim friends over tomorrow, but not sure how it will work out if this snow doesn't stop.

We had a great Christmas here with my parents. It was a rather low-key day with no traveling and no other company. It was super relaxing and I stayed in my pajamas all day!! We had a nice breakfast together, but mid-day food was kind of a "help yourself" (we had a nice Christmas eve sit-down dinner, thanks to my Mom).

Well.... I've still got two more presents to finish before Wednesday! Guess I had better get moving on them! If I don't get back here, happy new year!.....P

 

[lisah0711]

More cleaning, I want to be done today so we can have fun tomorrow and pack Wednesday! Might take the girls to mom's and mil's for a while either today or tomorrow.

I'm truly scared to get on the scale!!!!! I did do some arm and ab work yesterday, and moved all day, but my midsection feels large!!!! It's been just over a month since I had mono, so I think I'm okay. The enlarged spleen danger is supposed to keep you away from exercise for a month.....

Be safe if you're getting out today, East Coasters!!!! Have a great one!
Taryn

Wow! Great job getting everything cleaned up so you can come home to a clean place! Can't wait to hear about all the fun that you have at HHI!

I'll go grocery shopping tomorrow. I love the free fruit, and think I had 5 clementines yesterday. I know I would have chosen a gingerbread cookie over fruit several times if it weren't for the 0 point fruit.

Great job getting into the new WW right after Christmas!

Good morning fellow losers and maintainers I will be your coach today. This is new for me, so I apologize in advance if I do something wrong. Let's start off the morning.


QOTD, Monday, December 27: With New Year's right around the corner, do you have a resolution that you'd like to share and if so, does it involve the next BL challenge?

Thanks for being our coach today, Sue! I'm sure that you'll do a great job!

I'm not a big fan of New Year's Resolutions, probably because like many people, I have little success with them. But I do have better success with goals -- which may be more of a semantics thing but doesn't necessarily depend on a date as long as I progress, even s-l-o-w-l-y.

I have two goals right now: one, train for the Princess on 2/27 so I can see my BL friends who will be there! and two, be in ONE-derland when I get there! I can do it but I have to really stick to it!

Today I have a six mile run -- on the TM -- and billing to do.

Have a great day all!

 

[lisah0711]

pjlla, glad that you had a good Christmas and good luck with all that snow! You really are so fortunate! How is your DH doing?

Were you the one whose tree fell over so many times last year? Someone's tree fell down a lot last year but I can't remember whose.

You have a happy New Year, too if we don't see you before then.

 

[dvccruiser76]

I am so sorry you and your DH got the bug! I do find it amusing that since I've been doing challenges, anytime someone gets a stomach bug they can find the good in it!

Yeah I think the boards have a nice effect on people

While I was working on that, AK yelled - Mom, Sophie spilled her new red fingernail polish on her carpet. White carpet. That took hours, it's still pink! We read that windex did the best, and we used all we had, so DH will be headed out this am to get some more.

Sophie slept till noon, and seemed better. AK is still puny, I think she may have an ear infection, but we're out of Motrin, now, too. I hope she's feeling better by Thursday, they are calling for temps in the upper 60s and lows in the high 40s, low 50's at HHI!!!! She wants to swim! Their pool is heated, we want to play on the beach! I may take my running shoes and get a few runs in!

I read on my FB news feed from the Dis that someone was hit by a WDW bus and killed yesterday. I immediately thought of Rose, but the name was Robert Krueger, 69, of Yarmouthport, Mass. He was at Port Orleans and stepped out in front of a bus.

Yikes, sorry to hear about the rug

But Glad that Sophie is feeling better. Hopefully AK doesn't have an ear infection.

Poor Mr. Krueger Something like that would probably ruin Disney for me if I was there to see it or if it happened to someone I knew. The poor bus driver too

Michael's sleeping in today. Almost 7:30 is late for him.

I did ok on the new ww yesterday. I put my tracker in my bag and did write everything down at my brothers. I skipped the cake, but had pizza, and 4 hershey's miniatures, and a few nuts.

Sue- I am off today too. bummer you'll probably miss your massage and movie, but it is so nice not to have to leave the house this morning. I'm working wed and thurs, and on call friday days, so not too bad. Glad you're feeling better.

We watched toy story 1 yesterfay and are going to watch 2 now, and 3 later. We're supposed to get together with friends tonight for Christmas, so I hope they'll come here, so I don't have to go out. It's definitely feeling like a pajama day here.

Yay for Michael sleeping in Dylan slept until 8:30 which is not like him either.

Good job with the new WW yesterday, especially during the holidays.

Thanks, it was nice to not have to go anywhere. Daycare and the chiropractor are both closed. So is the mall until noon it looks like.

Pajama day it is!


Safe travels to everyone hit by the storm today. Drive carefully if you have to go out

 

[Octoberbride03]

Has that ever happened before? You guys getting snow is pretty rare, isn't it?

That is crazy!!!!!! Were your after Christmas deals that great, or do you think people got surprised by the storm and need essentials?

We got snow last Jan, but its usually just flurries or a snow squall with a dusting. Got a dusting a couple of weeks ago, but Dh can't remember ever having this much snow here and he's lived in the area since he got out of the Navy 20+ years ago.

And NO, the deals were just the usual 50% off like every year, and we have even less left over than we usually do And i can tell you that NOBODY was making the "French toast run" at my store though we have all that. They were grabbing the wrapping paper and plastic storage bins etc. nothing that couldn't have waited. I know with most everything being closed on Christmas people must get cabin fever but you're traveling in occassional Whiteout conditions here. Seriously; What is WRONG with people

Good morning everyone. Hope everyone affected by the snow is doing ok and are very careful if you need to go out today.

Maureen- glad Target closed early yesterday. My sister was supposed to be at K-mart this am at 6 so I'll call her in a bit to see if they delayed their opening. Crazy they hardly ever close. Poor onslow with the snow.

I was suppossed to be in at 6:30am this morning and called in to the team member hotline to get the latest this morning. I have no idea if we opened, though my opinion is that we shouldn't have. Latest recording just dealt with 1pm closing and overnight/remodel teams. NObody had made it into the store as of 5:30am so i left a message on the hotline stating that I was staying home and if they want me to come in tomorrow to make up for it then to give me a ring. Roads will be much better by then.

Snow like this actually makes me nostalgic for PennDot believe it or not They may not be good for much but they KNOW how to clear the roads. If I'd still lived there, I could have gone to work this morning no problem.

Wow! Big storm! Glad that you got to stay home. Deep snow is tough on dog's with short legs! I remember sometimes I couldn't see anything on
our dog except his tail!

Yes it really was. It basically sat on us for longer than anyone figured so the 4-10 inches prediction, turned into 8-12. And while the prediction didn't change, outside my house there is about 14-16 inches of snow right now. Even the weather channel was off with the accumulation predictions

Poor Onslow whines about going out, you can just see his head above the wall of snow We take him but then he can't find anyplace to go I think its because he can't find a proper scent to help him pick his place. So much snow covers it all. I'll have to post pics here. We took some yesterday. He loves eating snow though he is a goofy doggie

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

That's how I feel about having to write plans for a substitute, which is why I gave about 5 kids mono, I think. I didn't know that's what it was at the time! I am SO proud of you girl for running in this cold and wind! Hope you got your relaxing in! Did the Eagles play?

just some advice from a healthcare worker....you can still exercise with mono just no contact sports for about a month. So you are good to go if you feel up to it. The eagles game ended up getting rescheduled until tues. We were laughing cause the patriots play even if there is a blizzard. I think they were just afraid philly fans would throw snowballs at the players or opposing fans. It gets a bit nasty there.

, they are calling for temps in the upper 60s and lows in the high 40s, low 50's at HHI!!!!

Today is our day of cleaning. Spent 2 hrs on the boys rooms/closets and the LR. Now I still have the kitchen and laundry. Sorry to hear about your poor tree. and the carpet Our weather forecast is also the mid 40's for thur-sun. I never have been so excited for 40 degree weather. I hope you have some warm days for your trip too. A run along the beach sounds lovely.

Lindsay- Whoo hoo for getting out there and doing 5 miles. It was cold yesterday. I haven't run since wed, and am feeling a little nervous about it, but it was Christmas, so I'll cut myself a little slack. I guess with the snow it's time for me to make an alternative plan. Today's the 27th, 2 months!! Ok, we're going to be just fine.

I was looking at my training plan yesterday and realized we only have 9 more weeks to go. My runs start increasing now so i am getting a bit nervous. I know I can do 7 since I did that over the summer but Im nervous for the 8 and 10 mile runs. I think once I accomplish 10 I know I can do another 3. Good luck with the rest of your training. We will be there before we know it. A pj day sounds good to me too. Enjoy your day.

QOTD, Monday, December 27: With New Year's right around the corner, do you have a resolution that you'd like to share and if so, does it involve the next BL challenge?

I always say I am going to eat better, exercise more, spend wisely, etc. Its usually the same thing every year. This year I think I stuck to it better than previous years and 2011 should be no different. I really want to rock the next challenge so I am as fit as can be for the princess.

we had a great christmas with my parents. It was a rather low-key day with no traveling and no other company. It was super relaxing and I stayed in my pajamas all day!! We had a nice breakfast together, but mid-day food was kind of a "help yourself" (we had a nice Christmas eve sit-down dinner, thanks to my Mom).

So glad you had a great day with your family. You all have a lot to be merry about this year. I hope you have a very happy and healthy new year.

Today I have a six mile run -- on the TM -- and billing to do.

Have a great day all!

Lisa I hope your run goes well. You know I despise the tm and now I dont even have to worry because ours broke. So I really need to force myself to continue to run outside...no other choice.

Snow like this actually makes me nostalgic for PennDot believe it or not They may not be good for much but they KNOW how to clear the roads. If I'd still lived there, I could have gone to work this morning no problem.

You use to live in pa??? Thats funny we complain about penndot all the time. I guess you dont realize how good you have it until you go elsewhere and see how bad it is.

My dog loves the snow. We can never get him in. My moms dog is a lhasa apso and he hates it to....just takes one step in it and freezed like a statue.

I was up bright and early today. Only delayed patients for a 1/2 hour and staff had to report as scheduled. I called to check in on them and they said the roads were tough. We only got about 3-4 inches but it was very windy and lots of snow drifts. I felt bad but hey its healthcare and we need to be open for our patients.

We got a bunch of cleaning done and dh snowblowed our property. We can finally see out living room carpet. I am now off to clean the kitchen. My kids want to play out in the snow and I told them I would bundle them up and watch them from inside the door. There mad and want me to go out with them so I guess I need to just suck it up and get out there. I just cant bear the cold like I use to.

Otherwise its a pj day for us!!!!!

 

[mikamah]

Hey there. I just saw this post on the budget board, and entered the contest and got a code for calendar. It says the first 100,000 to enter get the free calendar, and after that you get a code for 9.99, which is still a good deal. Thought you might be interested.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2618562

Today's qotd- I'm not big on resolutions either, but this year with the princess looming, I am making one. One is to stick with ww and track my food, and in doing so I know I can lose 10 pounds by the princess which will bring me back to One-derland, so that is my resolution. Also, I will continue with my training so I will be able to walk after the princess. Gotta get back to epcot for that margarita. It's a little more real now that Christmas is over, that is the next big thing. I started to peruse the planning board, and since it's vacation week, looks like it will be busier than we're used to, so we should make some more plans. We don't usually park hop, but think it might be a good idea. We'll see.

Sue- I was showing my sil this thread the other day, and hope she may join us for the spring challenge, but what she said was, " oh, so this is like your facebook." and I think that is true. It's nice to have a place to come and visit and socialize every day, isn't it?

Gotta run, michael needs help to get ready to go out in the snow right this minute. Have a great day.

 

[tigger813]

QOTD: My resolution is to maintain! Of course I have to get back to my low weight after the holidays. Hoping to start the EASA2 today. I will get some exercise shoveling in a bit. Very congested this morning! DD1's cough is horrible Still got the rash but not as bad. We'll just keep her on the benadryl. Wind is still blowing and it's still snowing. Not getting as much as originally expected but that's fine with us. We're hoping the wind dies down so we can get out the snow blower. Not worth it to do it when it's so windy.

Just got the menu for the restaurant we order from for NYE! Chinese food! YUMMY! Last I will have until I reach my goal again and maintain for several months! We have to order the food on Thursday! It's more of a set menu for NYE since they are so busy. DH and his BFF will go pick it up and while they're waiting they will have a Mai Tai!

Going to try and drink extra water today. I made a ham and cheese omelet for b'fast and then had 2 oreo truffles! Not good but OOHHHH so GOOD!!!!

TTFN

 

[Octoberbride03]

Lindsay: I am from Havertown, and yes we did used to always complain about PennDot After 7 years of living in VA I can safely say that VDOT is so much MORE worse than PennDot, that they make them look brilliant in comparison

Our Onslow is a Lhasa mix, and he actually loved the snow we had a couple of weeks ago, but that was just a little over an inch. If this weren't so tall I think he'd romp and play in it all day long. He truly loves cold weather. Meanwhile when his mommy takes him out for a walk she looks like Nanook of the North all bundled up.

Kathy: thanks for the link. Got on the site and have my code for a free calendar Since we have to make it by the end of Feb. it looks like I'll be using my last cruise to put on it.

QOTD: No resolution from me. Never stick with em anyhow. Just try to the best I can in all areas of my life and that's it.