I tracked all my food and drink yesterday and am doing ww points. I haven't been good about keeping track of the drinks, but had my morning coffee with creamer, and had a coffee at work too, so that was 4 extra points, that I will usually not track, so the HH is a good reminder for me.
I'm off to get some laundry done and do some cleaning. It's looking like a showery weekend here, so if I get the house cleaned up this morning, it's much more relaxing just hanging around, rather than hanging around and thinking about all I should be doing.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!
Good job tracking the coffee! Hope your weekend was relaxing!
At 10am on d-cot.com/live they are having the opening ceremonies at DW.
Happy 40th. I am thinking about making some mock Dole Whips for dinner. I will let you know how they come out.
Have a happy and healthy day.
Dang! Wish I had seen that info about the opening cermonies. Think I could find it on
Youtube or something like that??
How were the Dole Whips?
I talked with the family about why the day was special, but it was far too busy for us to do anything special and "Disney" to celebrate.
GOOOOOOD MORNING!!
QOTD: To go along with the Healthy Habit challenge of keeping your mind sharp, What was the last book you read?
Well.... the last book that I finished was Richard Simmon's bio... "Still Hungry". I grabbed it at the used book sale and it was actually pretty good. Easy read.
Over the summer I read books 1-3 of the HP series. I intended to read the entire series this summer, but was slow in getting my hands on the books. Plus I just do NOT have the reading time like I used to! I am most of the way through book #4 right now, but it is my "car" book, so I don't get to read it every day. I never intended to actually read this series, but the kids really wanted me to, so I said I would.
I've got an eclectic mix of stuff in the stack next to my bed to get started on soon.... I'm going to re-read "Lord of the Flies", "Flowers for Algernon", and "The Diary of Anne Franke". I also have "Water for Elephants" (as many of you mentioned). I grabbed it at the book sale because I heard so much chatter about it, so I thought I'd try it. I also have "The Time Traveler's Wife".... saw the movie, thought it was just okay, but many have raved about the book, so I thought I'd try it. And I also picked up "The Secret Life of Bees"....not a clue what it is about, but heard lots of chatter, so I bought it second hand as well.
DQOTD: What is your favorite World Showcase country? Why?
I'll be back later with my own answers and replies.
Hard to say. I do LOVE WS, but rarely spend much time there, as the rest of the family isn't so fond. I am a "wanna-be" world traveler, so I love just wandering through all of the countries. I think that the water falls in Canada are just spectacular. And the exhibits I saw recently in China were so cool (those terracotta warriors). Not a big fan of Germany. Love the show in America.... song gives me CHILLS! And I love that little stone cottage in the garden.... I think it is outside of Le Cellier?? Can't really remember. This one....
I think that DD and I were most taken with this replica of Rapunzel's tower in Germany on our last visit.
I was making my oatmeal this morning, went into the pantry to get my almonds, and saw an outline of a mouse in the snap trap. I said, "aaaah there's a mouse in the trap" and my housemate Wyatt went in with rubber gloves, pronounced it dead, and threw the whole thing in a bag and took it out to the dumpster. Apparently it was a gory death, there's even a drop of blood on the floor. So one mouse dead, possibly more to go, and we're still waiting for the exterminator.
Ewww... did you scream? Glad your housemate is so brave!
So this morning, I got up to say good luck to DS1 as he headed off to take the SAT. Then I went back to bed and woke up at 10 o'clock! How did that happen? DH also woke up and I told him, "It's 10. I'm supposed to be at Costco right now after a run and a shower!"
Yesterday I picked some apples from our tree. I had a box on the ground and as I placed the first couple in, the dog trots on over, sticks his head in the box, and takes one out. Munch Munch Gulp I was laughing as I scolded him. He came over again but only picked up the ones on the ground.
Have a super weekend!
Sorry the day got away from you! What kind of apples do you grow?
The last book I read was called "Jackie Ethel Joan: The Women of Camelot" It was really good! It was all about the Kennedy wives and their personal struggles within their marriages and personal lives. It really gives light to a lot of what was happening in pop culture at the time. And I loooove me some history books!
Hmmm, my favorite WS country...I would probably have to say France. Something about it always draws me in!
I love history books too! I'll have to look for that one. Did you see the Diane Sawyer special a few weeks ago about the Jackie O. tapes? I didn't catch it all, but what I saw was good.
QOTD: I am currently reading The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King - A Nonfiction Thriller by James Patterson. It's not great but a King Tut exhibit is opening here in 2 weeks and I want to be prepared.
Actually, that book sounds pretty good to me! I'll have to look for it.
A bit embarrassing. The last book I read was The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan. It is actually a book series for young readers. I tend to pick them up since my son reads them. But before that I read a book about mathematics that started out interesting but had me asking my son questions before I was done
. I have been plowing through a bunch of books as best I can - have not bought any new one since our Borders closed, but am trying to read the ones I bought in the last days.
I love youth books.... in my next life I'm going to be a children's librarian!
In Epcot, toss up between Germany and Norway. I am of Germany ancestry and we lived there for a couple years when we first got married. DH is of Norwegian ancestry. He was quite upset when they took down the ship! We have ate at both places and I liked Germany, Norway was just OK, but I was not feeling too good that day. Have not tried the school bread everyone raves about though - it looks way too rich. I like the shopping at Japan, China and the UK though! And we do like eating at the Rose and Crown.
Hard to choose just one thing!
Personally, I didn't care for the School bread. DD and I tried it in May. I had heard SO MUCH about it, but was disappointed. But I don't like donuts and it was very much like a cream-filled donut (the WORST kind of donuts in my book!). It was tasty and all, but just not up my alley. Wished I had chosen something else.
The last book I read was Betty White's book
If You Ask Me...
How was that? I love biographies.
I like England with the cute miniature train and the double decker bus. (do they still have that?) I can't really remember what is in each country other than a restaurant and souvenir shop.
Still have the train.... not sure about the bus. The Rapunzel tower I posted a photo of is near the train.
Had a good day. Lunch with my Mom and my one sister who is still spealng to me
. Went shopping and got a black cocktail dress to wear to a fancy wedding next weekend. Also got 2 pairs of Clark shoes for $100. I can only wear certain kinds of shoes and love my Clarks. Also got some new underwear.
Sexy undies, right???
Grocery shopping and got all the ingredients to make chilli and some soups but ran out of time to do any cooking so will do that tomorrow. Supper was kind of a disaster as we tried to cook flounder on the GF grill. It completely fell apart so we mixed it in chunks into rice and a bag of frozen veggies and ate it that way. It was um, okay. The tillapia did much better on the GF.
We'll have to bake the flounder next time.
We are getting ready to watch the UNC-ECU game here. That's pretty much it for out Anniversay Day. We don't normally do too much to celebrate because we are so cheap
DH did give me a cute card and I forgot to give him one.
It was nice at least that you were together for your anniversary. I'm sure he will forgive you for forgetting the card.
Hi all-- I've been totally MIA this week, and I will go back later tonight and catch up reading all of the posts! I just figured that posting something right now while I'm waiting for dinner will make me more accountable later!!
Last Sun. and Mon. I made two decisions that will have a big impact on this challenge, and I've been trying to catch up, at least, with Decision #1.
Decision #1: My DBF and I decided on Sunday that we want to go at least mostly vegan. At the time, I knew it would be tricky, but I've done a TON of research this week and have discovered that going vegan will be a LOT more difficult than going vegetarian was, for a variety of reasons. Mostly, it seems that in order to get enough protein and nutrients, the majority of our calories will have to be from whole foods, not only cutting down on sugar and refined carbs but seriously cutting down on them, switching some oils for nut-based sauces, etc. Things I'd never though about before. It is totally going to change the way that we cook, and I have to learn a lot of new techniques and things to make sure we're getting enough protein, calcium, iron, iodine, etc. etc... some things I probably should have been more cognizant of as a vegetarian, too. But I'm REALLY excited. It will force me to eat much more healthfully, just as a matter of course. Has anyone here been vegan and can offer any words of wisdom or favorite recipes? I have to say, one of the things we are most nervous about is "veggies on a plate" syndrome, which is something that we run across a lot in vegetarian recipes--that is recipes that just throw every conceivable vegetable in there without thinking about whether they taste good together, are texturally complementary, etc.. While we like variety, we'd rather eat more of 2-4 vegetables per meal that are really delicious than 7-8 veggies that just kind of taste like we poured the crisper drawer on our plate. So we're trying to find good recipes that show some restraint (we don't like to spend an hour cutting up veggies before we start cooking), are super flavorful, and really high in protein and nutrients.
Oh--and we made the Cuban Rice and Cilantro Lime Rice from Skinny Taste the other night--wow, best vegetarian rice and beans I have had. So good.
Decision #2: I was working on my biography for the fellowship I got, and I realized my hobbies (which they'd asked us to include) were a little lame... so I put "aspiring runner" on there, and then thought, well, duh, most people can run, even for 10 seconds, you don't need to ASPIRE to run. So to look impressive I put "training for my 3rd half marathon" on there. UGH. TALK ABOUT BEING ACCOUNTABLE. Hahahha. So when I meet people at the beginning of Nov., I will have needed to pick out a race, and will need to be training!! Haven't run in yeah... about 10 months. SOOOO.... I gotta start! Yayya!
Anyway, I am going to go and eat dinner now, but I will be back to say hello to individual people and such and respond to some of the QOTDs.
Thanks for listening!!!
WOW.... two big decisions like that in one weekend!
I hope you are able to be a successful vegan. I imagine it will be difficult at times.
Nothing like putting things out there to make them more "real". Now that you've told folks you are doing a race, you MUST, right??
I don't think I have a favorite World Showcase country, I really enjoy visiting most of them. I've recently become partial to the caramel in Germany, and I like the chocolate mousse in France. My favorite "country" ride is in Norway, and I like the Welsh Dragons in the U.K. I just realized most of my favorites in the countries include food or drink
I just had a heck of a week at work, and I've been reading but literally not had a moment to post. I've been working 10 hour days, and then trying to keep things running at home before I collapse each night. Anyway, it's going to be better after this week, and I can't wait to get back to feeling like I can work on me -- not to mention the fun I have chatting with everyone!
I'm going to take my book and head to bed. I'm Tivoing the Dr. Who season finale because my ds was rotten earlier and he lost his tv privileges, and I'm such a sap I'm going to wait for him to watch it.
Everyone have a wonderful night, and Happy October -- It's a new month, who's going to wait for the Great Pumpkin?!
Maria
Busy, busy lady! Nice of you to "hold" the show for DS. We've had discussions around this house in the past about stuff like that and had to decide that if behavior warranted a "no tv" rule, then they could NOT watch anything from that day/time in the future. Tivo/DVR just made the punishment have no significance. Fortunately, other than some homework issues with DS, we RARELY have to even talk about that stuff any more.
We survived the party!!! All went well and there was tons of leftover food which I sent home with guest (yeah me). Now we're watching jeff Dunham and chillin'
Glad the party went well. Isn't it EXHAUSTING to throw a party???
Thanks for the invite, but we'll be at the in-laws in NH. I have tax season every year, so we do Easter here with my mom and Thanksgiving up there since we go for the weekend.
Where in NH are your in-laws?
Ugh, this morning DS woke up a little before 6 and I could have sworn that it was like 3 AM it was so dark out.
Yup.... the lousy weather certainly made the dark morning even darker!!
The last book I enjoyed reading - was Water for Elephants. I just finished reading Cutting for Stone - it was torture to get through and would not recommend it. We listened to a teen series on our ride to WDW this past summer - the Hunger Game, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. I can highly recommend that series. It was on DS 9th grade summer reading list.
How was the "Water for Elephants"? Should I bump it up my list? It is currently about #4 behind some re-reads.
Janis
Today was a bad day with eating. I did go to Yoga and I did track everything, plus I did most of the Healthy Habits for the day as well. I had a friend come over earlier and we kind of watched Bride Wars with Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson-it was really dumb. Then we went to another friend's house and watched a stand up comedian on NetFlix-Gabriel Iglesias. He was quite funny and had a joke about Splash Mountain that will make me forever change the way I view that ride![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
Is that a fairly "family friendly" comedian? We are always looking for something funny to watch as a family. Someone had recommended this guy (name escapes me) who does a comedy act with a bunch of ventriloquist dummies. He started out really funny and all, but the language/content got "R" pretty quickly and we couldn't continue to watch.
QOTD 10/2: In my townhouse, we've instituted Sunday Dinner. We rotate weeks and each person makes a meal of their choosing. Sometimes we invite friends, and it's a chance for us all to be together and discuss our week and bond while enjoying a great (and usually healthy meal). Do you do something like this with your friends and/or family?
Well... we try to eat together as a family as often as possible.... but during the fall swim/robotics/soccer season, it just doesn't always work out. And with DH gone Mon-Fri this fall, it has become even rarer. We almost NEVER have folks over though, aside from an occasional friend of the kids. We have no family close by and honestly don't have any close friends around here either. Kind of pathetic, huh??
One week from today we will hopefully be sleeping!Actually, we'll be spending a second day at Epcot for more Food & Wine Festival, and we'll be watching IllumiNations for the third night in a row.
So exciting and getting so close!!
QOTD 10/2: What is your favorite night time spectacular? It can be from any park and/or any special event.
Unfortunately, as a family, we are divided on this. DS's evening favorite, by far, it Fantasmic.... which I could take or leave.
DD and I are VERY fond of SpectroMagic and Wishes. If I had to pick one I'd probably say Spectro.... very sad it wasn't there for our last visit. Electrical Parade was just "okay".... not as good as I remember it being when we saw it in California in 2005.
DH.... I think he'd rather be in the hotel sleeping.
None of us really care for IllumiNations. I know so many people just LOVE this show.... but I've never been able to really fall for it. HOnestly, I'd rather just visit WS while everyone else is busy watching it!
I also have to go with a friend to the yarn store to get somethings to make crocheted frisbees for our kids for Christmas presents.
Those sound interesting!
Dh and I were just getting ready to go to a big local produce place near us when a friend called and asked us for dinner. We usually do pot luck so she had a main course so I told her I would bring a salad and dessert. So it was perfect that we were just getting ready to go out ot this place since it has a bakery, all sorts of prepared stuff and lots of fruits and veggies. We got a couple of pies to bring, some nachos and salsa and then apples and veggies. They had small honey crisp apples so I got a bag.
MMmm.... apples!
I had two small pieces of pie at dinner last night. We had gotten a pumpkin and a blueberry. I loved the pumpkin but did not like the blueberry because I think it was too sweet. I will send the rest of the blueberry to school with dh tomorrow. I have no desire to eat it which is a big change for me.
Nice job with the pie!!
QOTD to answer.
Last book. I have not picked up my nook in about a week which is strange. I am such a big reader that I could not remember the last book I read until I really thought about it. The last one was Patty Lupone's bio. The school I work with did Evita a few years ago and what Patty went through was very much like what our star went through. I now have to drop it off so that girl's mom could read it.
How was the Patty Lupone book? I do love a good biography.
I just had a fun dinner with another couple last night. About once a month she will call and we will do a pot luck dinner, go hot tubbing and maybe talk about crocheting and knitting.
Sounds like fun!
I love the Main Street Electrical Parade and am hoping it is still playing when we are there next summer. I also light the Electrical Water Pageant.
Off to get dressed for church
Have a happy and healthy day.
You've already gotten some great recommendations, but I would second the recommendation for the Natural History Museum-- it's really unique and fun. I especially love the dinosaur exhibit. And it is RIGHT on Central Park, so you can spend only a bit of time there and go out and explore when you're done. I also would suggest visiting Ellis Island if it's open-- I couldn't find any information about the Statue of Liberty closure on the website, so I imagine it might be? The boat out to Ellis Island usually is shared with the Statue of Liberty, so you get a good view of the Statue of Liberty, Lower Manhattan, and the site itself is incredibly special and might tie in with things that your kids have learned in school. If you do go, consider taking the tour of the Ferry Building with Save Ellis Island-- it's not open to the general public, the only way to get in is on the guided tour. They have an exhibit set up about the unrestored South Side of Ellis Island, where the hospital was. It's a really well-done national heritage site.
All of this talk makes me want to visit NYC again real soon! When we visited as a family several years ago, DD was sick for the entire trip... we actually ended up leaving almost 2 days early and driving straight through to her doctor's office.... and she was in surgery by midnight! So even though she tried to "soldier through" the pain and all and we were able to visit a lot of sights, I (and she) was very distracted by her pain during our trip. Then when we went back in 2009 (just she and I), we only stayed for about 24 hours, saw what we came to see, and then drove home. Wish we had stayed a bit longer.
Wow, what incredibly sweet thing to do. I know you said you were worried about it not being good enough, but I'm sure that it will be so sweet and so appreciated. I haven't seen any updates about it for the past couple of days, I don't think? So I hope you were busy and able to get something done for her. What a tight turn-around, I'm very impressed! Would love to hear how it went.
Thanks for the kind words. I didn't actually have to do the full "100 things".... DSIL wanted me to just get it started and we will build on it over the next few years. DMIL turns 89 today!
I did get about 8 pages done and another family member got about 6 done, so it was a start at least. I wasn't thrilled with my pages, but I don't work well under pressure! I have plenty more pictures ready though, and will work on getting a few more pages done before Christmas.
We also were given a collection of National Geographics that goes back to the 1970s through to last month's issue.
We got a dedicated bookshelf for it from IKEA and I've started chipping away at that!!! Love them!
I got DD the
National Geographic series on DVD last Christmas. It was a bit pricey at $50 or $60, but it is SO NEAT! She hasn't used it a lot, as it is a bit slower and cumbersome to use, but she has found some neat stuff. And we didn't need an entire bookshelf to store it!
Ugh, I wish we did a Sunday Dinner! My family is not very close since my parents divorced, so we never really got a chance to institute traditions like that. I am in the process of making new friends right now though, and hopefully soon I can start something like that with all of them!
My favorite night time show is without a doubt Wishes. Always makes me cry! This time around,
AAA offered a preferred viewing location if you booked your vacation with them. It was so worth it! We walked right up to the location (the little forecourt in front of The Plaza Restaurant) about 20 minutes before it started...and got some dirty looks from people!
I will have to really pay attention to the music in the movie in France next time I go...because I just can't remember it at all!
OOOoooh... didn't know about the AAA/Wishes thing! So wish I knew about that earlier this year!
Anyone have good design taste? I am thinking about going totally wild in my downstairs bathroom and painting it purple! I am pretty conservative most of the time, my couches are dark burgundy/blue/green and I painted a light tanish color. My kitchen is a dark golden yellow and my dining room is a muted green--all very conservative and tasteful. Even my Disney bedroom is done in in taupe and burgundy and is more classic than whimsical. But my downstairs bathroom is set off from the rest of the house through the laundry room and I have a quilted wall hanging of liliacs in all different shades of purple with dark green accents and border that was given to me that doesn't fit anywhere in my house. I am thinking of doing the bathroom around that and hanging it in there-- thus giving me one room to be fun and wild in! I would get purple towels and a purple shower curtain. But my question is do I paint the room with a dark purple or a midtone? The wall hanging is mostly dark but with the green border it would look fine on a dark wall. The room is very small--toilet, sink and small shower with not enough room to change your mind while standing in there, and not actually much wall space. We have dark wood trim and cabinets that I will not paint and the fixtures are like a bone color. I have seen dark colored bathrooms that look great but usually they have white trim and fixtures. There is one window so the room has a lot of light during the day. I have absolutely no eye for design and can not envision how something will look. Anyone have any advice?
Well.... I painted my downstairs half-bath/laundry room mid-tone purple about 5 years ago and I still love it! It is a small room, like yours.... sink toilet, washer/dryer, closet. I do wish it was a slightly lighter shade, as it is a VERY dark room now, but I also painted the ceiling, so that made it a bit darker. Whatever color you pick, I suggest going just a shade lighter because in a small room it will look darker regardless.
My woodwork is also fairly dark and my fixtures are off-white, so it sounds like a very similar set-up.
About time for my nap. My head is still so congested and it is still raining here. Probably going to go see my allergist this week and see if there is anything else I can do. I probably would be down another pound for this week if my head wasn't so full of stuff!!!!
Hope you feel better this week!
Getting my tasks done so I can enjoy the Pats game later. I'm pulling out all the Halloween decorations. I love decorating for holidays!
Maria
Wanna come north and decorate for me?? I HATE holiday decorating of any sort.
i just want to cry right now! My dad called earlier and said that he and my mom are very upset that we are not planning something big for their 50th anniversary this year. I have tried to explain that it is not possible this year but we will do something when they are up next summer. I felt that they put the whole thing on my shoulders to solve. Their anniversary is the day after Thanksgiving which is the first obstacle. We can't go down as Brian's sister is here and we would never leave her for the holiday. Brian can't take any time off. He's already kind of taking off a week when I go down in two weeks. I probably won't see him most of the weekend before I go away as his company is moving that weekend. He has to handle all the stuff with the kids that week by himself. It's not an easy task with all their things going on. We can not afford plane tickets at Thanksgiving as they would be ridiculously priced! Ash is also in the middle school musical the following week. He then made a comment about not having seen the kids this summer. My mom was not in any condition for my children to be around. She was in the hospital most of the summer. And with her mood somedays I didn't want my kids around her. I am taking another week off from work which I can not afford to go down and help them. I'm now worried that I will only hear about how disappointed they are in us for not doing anything. I am beside myself right now. I have my physical in the morning and know my blood pressure will probably be sky high! Before he had called I was looking at flights for them to come up for Christmas for 4-5 weeks. I would even take them to a Christmas Eve service that they like to attend at 11pm. Nothing satisfies my mother. There is ABSOLUTELY nothing I can do to change this situation. My brother pretty much refuses to go down. My sister has gone beyond what she can do. I just want to go to bed and cry right now. Ash is worried about me too. Brian got angry after I got off the phone with my dad as he CAN'T take any time off. I need a miracle right now!
Thanks for letting me vent! I just don't know what to do and this is going to make me miserable until after my trip!
I love my parents but they are putting me in an impossible situation! And I am not looking forward to going down there and be treated like crap the whole time over something that is beyond my control! I hate ultimatums!
Sorry!
Sorry about all of this pressure. Not exactly sure what your dad is thinking.... that is quite a guilt trip to throw on you.
How about doing some sort of "virtual" party? You could send out an email/letter to friends and family all over and ask them to send
you notes, cards, letter, etc of congratulations and stories from over the years (and photos) and put them in a box all together and ship them to your parents with instructions that the box should be opened by the two of them on their actual anniversary. Perhaps you could get your hands on a photo from their wedding day and have it enlarged and framed or something?? Maybe you could even arrange for some sort of dinner to be brought to them that day? (Other than Dominoes!
). And of course, you could send flowers or something like an Edible Arrangement. You could Skype them when they are opening the box and the girls could see it .
I know it's not ideal, but under the circumstances it is probably the best that could be done.
We did something similar for my Mom's 60th birthday and it worked out just fine. I KNOW it would have been great to have all of the friends and family nearby, but under the circumstances it was the best that could be worked out.
Kathy, I have both read and watched Time Traveler's Wife and I preferred the book a lot more. They're both still kind of confusing to me, and I can't actually think about the time travel too much because then I just get all mixed up in my head.
Oh my gosh, me too!!
I just got back from the gym. Did 25 minutes on the elliptical and 3 reps on the ab machine. I was going to do some arm work, but just as I was about to go over to those machines two guys sat down at them and I didn't want to wait.
It was my housemate Emily's turn to make dinner, but she needed a little assistance, so together we made Quiche Lorraine and Baklava, plus a salad. It was all very good. I did go over points again because I was snacking on other stuff while we were cooking.
I started studying for my Sociolinguistics midterm today and did my laundry, but did not finalize any touring plans or start packing. Will have to do another batch of laundry on Wednesday, most likely.
It's still raining here, but it's gross and cold too. Any time it wants to go away, that's fine with me! Tomorrow's my really long day, so I'm going to shower, do a teeny bit more studying and head to bed.
The dinner sounds delightful! Good luck with your busy day.
Yesterday was a pretty big milestone. Well firday was i guess. I actually fit into a pair of skinny jeans that i have not fit into in months. I very much hate jeans because i am always so uncomfortable in them and think i look fat and terrible in them. Friday I not only fir into a pair of jeans, but they were skinny jeans, they were not tight at all, i had no stomach pouring over the top, and i wore them all day long! Saturday we went to American Eagle (my boyfriend works there) and i tried on all the styles of jeans and found the most comfortable pair of skinny jeans ever! I also fit into jeggings which surprised me since they are so tight and form fitting but i couldnt afford them. I have to say im really happy about this, and if i do say so myself i looked fantastic!
GREAT!!!
Having a bit of an odd wk. We had the A/C go out-was a quick fix only 2 days but still it was 83 in the house! The bluray died- Dh is in the custum A/V bus so brought another one home. The washer is shaking like crazy-need to call repair tomarrow. And the worst...my TM is broken! The belt or something is messed up-DH is going to get something to try an easy fix tomarrow. If that fails, he'll try a replacement belt,he seems to think thats the trouble. I am freaking out. I rely on it. I feel like I am going to gain weight if I can't go on. I know I don't feel as good the days I am not on it, less energy and all. I also don't feel like I get in the same kind of work out outside, maybe because it still feels to hot and humid for me? I just don't go as fast. Neighbors always want to chat. Ugh.
On a good note-I walked the outlet mall quite a bit and got some new t's for the boys at Oakly and ***********-what deals!
Oh mygosh.... you must have a dark cloud hanging over your house that is killing everything electric! That seems to happen at our house sometimes. My Mother swears that my house is the blackhole of electronics.... computers, cameras, cell phones... we go through them like water sometimes!! And vacuum cleaners?? Don't even TALK to me about them!
I
I have a purple bathroom. It is our masterbath and since I'm the only girl in the house I painted it purple (my favorite color) and decorated with Tinkerbell. I love it!!!
How did I KNOW this about you??
QOTD: On busy days like today, how do you go about keeping your eating and exercise on track? What are some ways you could incorporate healthy strategies in, if you don't already?
I pack/plan EVERYTHING I'm going to eat on those types of days. Otherwise I end up hungry and in a bad situation where I don't have good choices. I squeeze in exercise where ever I can (like taking stairs instead of elevator, walking around during recess duty, etc).... or, best case scenario, I get up extra early and get in a solid 30 minutes of cardio before the day even begins. Makes me feel good all day!
What are you most and/or least excited for that is coming with the new Fantasyland Expansion?
I "know" about the expansion, but not in detail. I was LEAST excited about the loss of Mickey and Minnie's houses. We had a tradition of taking DD's picture in Minnie's chair and that will no longer happen. But I'm sure that the new area will be beautiful. I'm going to check out your link later.
Well, we have completed our first measure-in for the WIN! Challenge.
YAY!
I know that some people were feeling a little discouraged at their numbers, but really, any progress is GREAT! Feel free to join at any time, whether it is a WIN week or not. Our next WIN! measure-in will be Friday, October 21st.
Please remember to send in the TOTAL of your measurements rather than the five individual measurements. Thank you!
And our top ten list:
#10- glass1/2full with 1.02%
#9- audisneydad (wife) with 1.12%
#8- mackeysmom with 1.16%
#7- mom of djc with 1.24%
#6- desiree with 1.43%
#5- buzz5985 with 1.54%
#4- 4holidays with 1.6%
#3- kollerbear with 2.49%
#2- audiodisneydad with 2.53%
and the winner.............................
aamama with 2.66% lost!!!!!
Great job to all of you "WIN-ners!"
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Happy Monday everyone! Today was supposed to be cloudy and rainy, but the sun is shining here right now! 
Wish I had saved that load of laundry to hang out!
Had a nice day with DMIL and the family to celebrate DMIL's birthday. Of course, I indulged in birthday cake, but not feeling terrible about it. Ate fairly well otherwise all day.
Tonight is a bit crazy....after our 2-4:30 robotics meeting, DS has a soccer game here in town at 5:30 that will end about 6:40..... but DD has a swim meet at the Y (next town over.... 30 minutes away) and she and I have to be there are 5pm and not scheduled to end until at least 8pm. DH will be able to drop DS at his game on time (on his way to the airport), but I need to find a family to bring DS home later. I do have the cell phone number of another family nearby and will be texting them later to ask the favor. I hate to do it, but I'm desperate. I'm not saying that DD's swim meet is more important than the soccer game, but I help run the computer system for the swim meet and really MUST be there tonight, as we are training new parents.
Dinner will be some sort of sandwiches and fruit, packed and carried along.
I absolutely MUST hit the TM for 30 minutes today, as I got no "real" exercise done all weekend (unless scrapbooking, driving, or housework counts! ).
Off to make beds and get on the TM before lunch!......................P
Please don't let your parents guilt you. You are a grown up with your own family, responsibilities and life. Just like our parents wouldn't let us have a pony when we were children because it wasn't practical, this is just not practical and you have to say no. Don't let them make you miserable. Have you ever been to the website Etiquette Hell? 
love
, heading over the Wilderness Lodge for lunch at Whispering Canyon Cafe, and then spending the late afternoon through midnight at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. I hear the party is super crowded lately due to the Fantasyland expansion taking up a lot of walking space, so:
Feel free to join at any time, whether it is a WIN week or not. 
I think I need to get something for hairballs for her. She is mad at me now because I have locked her in the laundry room. For some reason both cats like to be in my scrapbook room when the urge to "urp" happens. 
One of their other mantras is "NO is a complete sentence." and I have been using that one A LOT for PTA and Band. It took me a long time to get comfortable saying No but I am getting pretty good at it now!
He has been sending what I consider to be excessive homework. DD already struggles in math and several nights she has had 50-100 problems to do. Today it was about 75 simplifying fractions, something she really has problems with. She can do it but is very very slow. In an hour she was able to do about half of it and I said that is enough. This is the 3rd time I have had to send him a note that she worked that long and we aren't spending more homework time than that on one subject. (nicely!) And the worst part is that apparently they were only supposed to have one worksheet but he added 2 more because some of the kids were talking. 
. Busy days actually make it easier for me to stay on track in terms of eating - I have been known to get so busy, I forget to eat
, but have not had the patience to want to wait in line, but it is an iconic ride that I want to have my picture taken on! With two Dumbo's, I might have a better chance!
, is it over near the model train? I don't quite recognize the wooded area. The last time we went was before Rapunzel.
