Biggest Loser--SUMMER 2011 Challenge for Losers & Maintainers!

[cclovesdis]

Today was an okay day. I have no idea how many points I ate, but I think I'm okay. I did well at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but made a poor choice for snack. I just had some strawberries too. I also went to the gym. I am probably going to weigh-in at WW tomorrow night. I may or may not peek at the scale in the morning.

P: I have been using Hungry Girl's website. Actually, I learned from her that a recipe can have entirely whole wheat flour and not 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white flour. So, my pancakes ended up being:
1/4 cup of whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons of egg whites (from a carton)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla (might skip that next time)
1 tablespoon Splenda (might want to use less)
1/2 cup of blueberries
enough water so that it is to your desired consistency

I was very happy with how they turned out, although you could taste the vanilla. Dinner last night turned out great too. My parents really liked it. I'll definitely make it again. I'm planning to play around with the veggies and maybe use ground turkey instead of chicken so it's more like a meat sauce. I think this could become a regular meal around our house. (I'm not complaining...I cannot seem to forget about those 4 days in a row of red meat. Too bad I wasn't there for at least one of those dinners. I probably had leftovers of a 2nd one, so I didn't have 4 dinners in a row of red meat, but still more that one needs to eat. )

I am off to bed. I slept better last night and am hoping for an even more restful night tonight.

CC

 

[Disneywedding2010]

WOOHOO!!

My Bachelors degree came in the mail today

32 months of pure hell at times but it was worth it in the end.

 

[liesel]

Congrats to Kristina! I went to culinary school and have an AAS (associate of applied science) but have often thought about getting a bachelor's in the field (I also have a bachelor's in psychology-lots of schooling!).

Well, 10 days, lots of miles over 2 states (Colorado and New Mexico), 4 stops (Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, Santa Fe, and Carlsbad), and 3.1 pounds gained! I'm a daily weigher which helps me keep on top of things and it was hard not having a scale for 10 days. I did have lots of fun and I'll try to post a couple of pictures soon.

Wow, over 20 pages while I was gone, you all have been busy! I've skimmed a little and will try to catch up, but I have to say my favorite thing so far is definitely the cat pictures. So cute! I still have some unpacking to do and a ton of laundry. We got back last night and DH already left for a business trip this morning so its me and the kids this week and I need to figure out a way to get in some exercise and get rid of this nasty 3.1 pounds.

 

[liesel]

Here are a couple of pics from the Sand Dunes. This is Great Sand Dunes National Park in southern Colorado. The sand has collected at the base of the sangre de cristo mountains and it is a pretty neat place. There is some water runoff from the mountain snow this time of year which creates a little river along the bottom of the dunes.

There was a pretty steep climb up the side of the dunes, which reminded me of this past season's biggest loser, when they climbed up a sand dune during that 5K in New Zealand. Its very difficult work. Here is my DS, Luke, climbing it. I was already part way up when I took this picture.

I was having a hard time climbing and felt like giving up. Then I remembered that that was "old me" thinking, not "new me." My son was cheering me the whole way and I managed to make that climb. It was a great NSV and I was just as proud as I was after the 5K last month. DH took a picture of Luke and I at the top. Its not the most flattering picture, but I'm proud of what I did.

 

[Zoesmama03]

Hi again. Just got to PMing my late "start" weight for the Summer challenge. As I mentioned in previous "I'm back" post I was hoping for a new full time job option but got email today that I didn't get it. I was heartbroken, frustrated and just plain sad. My friend applied too and got hired. Oh how I hate my job history. UGH!

So will work on this exercise routine again since I seem to have acquired more time because my part time job was just making me physically sick from horrible anxiety attacks I'd get almost daily, so bad timing on the hopeful FT job prospect falling through but not keeping the part time. Nothing beats stress and frustrating like that exercise right?

Maybe with out the drama and anxiety that leads me to retreat into doing nothing but total relaxation I will keep up with tracking food on myfitnesspal again.


Poor dd, Zoe, had a mysterious allergic reaction to something woke up with traveling hives. My only guess is dairy. She has been lactose intolerant since birth but alst night after having a couple scoops of Blue Bell chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream she had got a rock hard tummy from bloating and horrible gas pains that included some weirdness in her throat. She said it was like something was coming up but didn't need to throw up. Oh please let it not be severe reactions starting up. Before with mild intolerance we just limited cheese, yogurt and ice cream and she drinks soy milk already has since she weaned. I sure hope maybe her Dr will now get serious about ordering some allergy testing. If not I may change her primary to my family physician that I see when she gets back from maternity leave in August. I know Zoe likes her and has met her via an appointment visit with me.

 

[Zoesmama03]

WOOHOO!!

My Bachelors degree came in the mail today

32 months of pure hell at times but it was worth it in the end.

Congrats. I'm considering the nursing program at UofP. They supposedly give credit for the Medical Assisting schooling I've done at a vocational school plus I have some credits from community college too and could probably shorten it out some. Just scared of getting MORE student loans when I can't pay on the ones I have already yet. I wish I could contact the classmate that was going to do the the credit transfers. Her and I had the same internship location but I never exchanged numbers with her as fate would have it. I want nothing more than to get my bachelor's degree. For me, for my dd's and my future and this crazy reason of my ex saying that I'd(or neither of us actually) would ever have one. And he thought I wasn't the most positive thinking person. I grew up in a toxic negativity and its take a long time to break away from it but am far better at positive thinking now.

 

[pjlla]

Good morning all! Sorry I didn't make it back on here yesterday. It ended up being a busier day than I thought!

Here is today's QOTD:

If you could have a personal chef who took care of one meal a day, which meal would it be and why?

Maybe breakfast, because it is hard to get moving that early in the day?
Maybe lunch, because brown-bagging it is getting old?
Maybe dinner, because you hate the rush at the end of the day?

BONUS.... if you could trade the personal chef for one hour of maid service every day, would you??

Be back in a bit.......................P

 

[dumbo_buddy]

Good morning everyone! Of course as soon as I sit down to DIS my son decides to wake up! Gah! I will have to come back on later to catch up more.


Congrats Kristina on your BA! Very exciting! You must be thrilled it's over. What now? Masters? Hehe

We had a nice day for Thomas's birthday. Wound up having to watch my friend's daughter all day which was a little annoying but she was an angel so it wasn't too big of a deal. I did have two slices of pizza and a piece of ice cream cake last night but I paid for it all night with a belly ache.

Ok kid is really top-lunging in there I have to get him.

Have a great day everyone!!

 

[KristiMc]

Good morning!

I have my WW weigh-in today - should be a good week.

QOTD: I would choose dinner -because I then I wouldn't have to come up with ideas. Bonus: I would give up the chef for a house cleaner any day. I hate cleaning!

 

[mikamah]

If you could have a personal chef who took care of one meal a day, which meal would it be and why?

Maybe breakfast, because it is hard to get moving that early in the day?
Maybe lunch, because brown-bagging it is getting old?
Maybe dinner, because you hate the rush at the end of the day?

BONUS.... if you could trade the personal chef for one hour of maid service every day, would you??

Definitely dinner. Most nights I work til 5:30, and it's a pain to cook so late, so I usually try to have lots of leftovers for my late days, but I would trade my personal chef in for maid service in a heartbeat!!

Fun question.

Yesterday's qotd, got me thinking. Definitely my pictures and scrapbooks, and other than that, my mother's santa claus, and michael has a baby blanket my mom crocheted that he started sleeping with again when she died, and his snuffy-stuffed dog he got for christmas when he was 3 weeks old. I know there's more, but I hope if anything ever happened like that, I would just be happy to have my family.

Melissa- I'm sorry the ft job didn't work out this time. It's great to see you back, and you are right, the exercise helps with stress so much, and I remember how you were rocking the exercise in the spring challenge. I hope zoe's ok after her allergic reaction. Poor baby. Hang in there.

LIsa-leisel-Awesome pics, and great job getting to the top of that dune. It looks hard, but ds must have loved it. I think only gaining 3 pounds on a 10 day vacation is a big success. I know from experience that getting back on track right away is key to seeing that number gone quickly.

Shawn-You must be getting so excited to get home now that it's so soon. I hope everyone comes and gets their things soon and the rest of the move goes smoothly

Sue-Well, I don't think you can leave danvers now, since the town puts on such a big celebration for Dylan's birthday. What a fun day for him to have a birthday. When he gets older, you can take advantage of the family festival events for his birthday parties.

Pamela-Happy summer vacation!! Nice to be done, we have one more week. I'll let michael buy his lunch all week since I'll have to make lunch every day for camp this summer. That's the worst part of summer for me, making lunch.

I'm feeling grateful I don't have a cat to sabotage me. My guinea pig is a very good influence, and loves lettuce as much as I love chocolate.

Well, good morning everyone. I was just watching the today show about that woman in NY who sent threatening letters to the little league officials and has been arrested, and just want to reassure you all that when I hear about our tournament team, if michael isn't on it, I promise you will not hear about me on the news.

Ate a little too much last night but I wrote it all down, so I'm taking a note from connie, and as long as it's written down, it's ok. I've used my weekly points, and am going to try and keep in control and earn activity points if I need more.

Have a great day everyone!!

 

[pjlla]

A quick hello this morning. I just sort of realized that with school ending next tuesday, I only have a few days to get out and run/walk alone, so I took advantage of the morning. Thought a lot of my journey along the way, and about how successful so many of you here have been, and really think I can do it this time. I've done it before, and I know what to do. I did great at the grocery store, but let michael buy some mini powder donuts, ate 2, but had him pack them up in baggies for his school snack and told him if I ate any, I'd give him 10 dollars. That's going to keep me away from them.

Hugs to those in need today. Have a marvelous monday. The sun is shining again. Hope it's shining wherever you are too.

Kathy.... I know it is hard at the grocery store and we want the kids to have treats for their snacks and such, but have you ever considered just NOT buying any of those things? Let's face it, they aren't doing you any good and they aren't healthy for Michael either. Help him find a healthier alternative that is still a treat (and hopefully something that you don't care for). How about real fruit leathers (usually organic type is available in the natural foods aisle) or baked taco chips and salsa (DS's current favorite snack)? Or you could make something together.... like whole wheat banana muffins?

When DS begs for something I don't want him to have (like a trip through the drive-thru or a root beer or sour gummy worms ) I remind him that I love him TOO MUCH to let him have that kind of junk. I let him know that I am worried about his future health and the habits he is developing as he becomes an adult. He doesn't always care much for my "tough love" lectures.... and he is constantly reminding me that he isn't overweight. But I tell him that it isn't all about WEIGHT... it is about INTERNAL HEALTH too... and that now he is at a time in his life where he is developing habits that could stick with him forever... and I want those habits to be GOOD ONES!

Sure, there will always be a place in his life for junk.... the occasional birthday party or holiday weekend.... but we can't let it become part of our daily lives.

Someone asked me once if I was being "too healthy" and "not fair" to my kids by not allowing them to eat this stuff. I think that they thought that I was being selfish.... that I didn't want to kids to have it because I couldn't have it. But my only selfishness (IMHO) is that I want my kids to lead long, strong, HEALTHY lives! And they can't do that if they are eating garbage.

Sorry if I'm out of line here.... but I know you struggle SO MUCH will some of the treats that you bring into the house for Michael.... maybe it is time to just bite the bullet and stop buying them.

Love you.......

Morning, Losers!

Well, apparently my pattern is to be very very good all week, do ok on Friday weigh-ins (take that as a compliment, you guys matter!) then go berserk on the weekends... My WW weigh-in this morning was still a loss from last weeks WW and BL weigh ins, but higher than the BL weigh in 3 days ago, if that makes any sense... I had a terrible weekend. Anyone who is beating themselves up over this weekend, I *PROMISE* you did better than me!!!

But-- it's totally not my fault-- it was the cats!!! Wasn't there someone on here that was blaming her cats??? Well, her cats (not mine, mine are sweethearts) came over and FORCED me to eat all kinds of terrible things!!! The worst (best tasting) part was when they handed me the jar of Nutella... if you've ever seen "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"... it was like Augustus Gloop, chocolatey goodness everywhere, but with me and two cats instead!!! I tried to take a picture for the cheezbergers website, but the nutella from my hands got on the lens and it didn't come out... She wasn't kidding, those cats are TOTAL enablers!!! They even convinced my husband that he needed to go to Outback for Father's Day and order the cheesie fries. Beware the evil cats of fatness, they are coming for you!!!

I laughed so hard I snorted!!

Actually, speaking of cats, one of mine is LOVING the organizational challenge. Every morning after I make the bed, you can find him snuggled up on it... I tried to get a picture of him this morning, because, I SWEAR, he was SMILING in his sleep all sprawled out on the nice, neat bed... plus someone asked what he looked like after DD7 gave him a haircut (it's pretty funny)... but just as I came back with my camera, the *@(#@ dog pounced and woke him up... so no picture... shame, it was cute... and who couldn't use a little more cuteness in their lives???

DON'T GIVE UP!!!! One of my favorite quotes is "you can't start over, but you can always start again." So start again this morning, or whenever you read this... and if you have a bad day, start again, and again, and again...

WOW! I guess I'm lucky that my cat hasn't gotten the memo yet! Sure, she is adorable and gets into stuff that she shouldn't.... and she gets blamed for the occasional "noxious emission" that no one wants to admit to ... but she has YET to lure me with Nutella! I'm keeping her faaaar away from your kitties!!

WOW... okay I am finally caught up. Took me 3 hours this AM but so worth it.

First off hugs to so many people dealing with so many things.

I just downloaded the c25k lite on my phone and I cant wait to do it.

I have had the zumba for wii for 2 weeks now and only been able to do it once because every time I turn it on my kids start fighting over who gets to go first. It is very cool thou.

My heel spur is getting worse rather then better. I now walk on my tip toes and I know I am going to hurt my hips doing this. I bought the expensive New Balance shoes but I am wishing I would have just bought new Merrel's.

I work retail and we are super busy with our annual sale so I am up and down the ladder all day long. I am hoping to interview this week for my own store. I am proud to say I am still regular coke free and I have avoided all the food temptations at the mall.

well I am off to have some lunch and then head into work.

Have an awesome day!!

Be sure to get those feet checked! That sounds really painful. And avoiding the food court at the mall is a a big accomplishment!!!

Whoops-I should probably back up my photos somewhere; I want to get an external hard drive at some point...

If you don't want to spend the $$ for the hard drive, you could at least back them up someplace like Shutterfly. It is free and really easy to use.

So, I think I would try to save that blanket and my Disney scrapbook/photo album. Possibly also my computer and/or iPod. I have so much music that it would be very difficult to replace it all!

I wasn't thinking about other stuff on the cpu... just photos. Guess I forget that some folks have lots of music!


I now have a very strong urge to go and sing the song of that name from Wicked!

I didn't realize it was a song! It was just something my Mom always tells me when I get royally SCREWED when trying to do a good deed! I'll have to look up the song!

Last night I planned out all my meals for today. This morning I had pancakes with strawberries, bananas, and a little bit of syrup on top, plus a light nonfat yogurt and some water. The rest of the day should be pretty healthy. Planning to start Week 3 of C25K today, plus I'm getting a haircut and kicking the GRE studying into high gear (AAAHHH the test is in 16 days-where has the time gone?!). Still waiting on those new glasses...

The pancakes sound delicious. I had pancakes for my birthday treat breakfast last Friday and enjoyed every single delicious bite!

Now get studying young lady!!

Hmm, that one is a little tough. I would have to say the small stuff, especially my Dug dog (from Up). My mom got it for me after my first week of CNA school. During that week, I went to school from 9am to 1:30, then worked in a local hospital from 2:30 to 8p, and a couple times till 11p. It wore me out so bad, and I was so exhausted. So my mom got me my Dug as a little token from her to let me know how hard she knew I was working and how I was doing everything I could to better myself in life. So Dug reminds me of how hard I worked. The other thing I would miss would be my Ariel lamp. I've always had an obsession with Ariel ever since I was three, and a few years ago, my mom got me this really gorgeous lamp from the Disney store with Ariel on it. I'll have to post a picture, it's so pretty!

I'd love to see a picture! Ariel is my favorite!

That was me.

I'm telling you - they use their vacant, laser beam eyes to hypnotize you into eating everything in sight ...
- Laura

I would probably be the oil painting/portrait of my late cat Mackey that I won in a "Cutest Pet" contest.

BUT, if the question was re-worded and you asked what one or two items I would grab if I had to leave the house before it disappeared, in addition to the portrait, I would also grab my pocketbook. That way I would have ID, my debit card, my phone, car keys and a little cash.

- Laura

I was trying to think in terms of sentimental items, not practical items. But you are right.... practically speaking we should all think about grabbing ID, cash, etc.

After 9/11 when the world was kind of crazy and you never knew what was coming, I was advised to keep a list handy of things to grab in case we had to evacuate and all of the things you listed were on it. But I'm afraid I'd think too much about the sentimental things and end up in a shelter somewhere carrying a big box of scrapbooks, but have no change of clothes, no ID, no cash, and no food! I'm a dingbat!

Great question, Pamela! Thanks for being our coach today.

We've thought about this quite a bit over the years as we are very close to a national forest -- like it's at the end of the street -- lots of potential for being evacuated due to fire. My photos and computer documents are all backed up offsite -- thank you Carbonite -- so that isn't a worry! (If you don't have this, consider it, for $59 per computer per year you can back up everything online, offsite and it does work when you need to restore it. We use it for home and work and sleep much better at night!) I would miss things like some of the antique items that we have from our families -- a real Tiffany light that was used for the front porch of DH's family farm and the lantern that belonged to my great-grandparents.

The one thing that I need to do still is take a detailed DVD of everything in the house -- including in the drawers -- so we would have a good record for our insurance claim if everything did go. Buffy, that would be a good item for the organizational challenge when we get everything cleaned up!

I haven't done that in YEARS! I did it a few times after we first moved here, but probably haven't done it in 10+ years. Should do it again SOON! We had friends lose everything in a house fire just about a year ago and it certainly made us stop and think. We did improve our homeowner's insurance, but still haven't done EVERYTHING we should, obviously.

Sounds pretty! I have a very nice Disney torchiere and Mickey porch light that I have in my office. As you can see by my tag, I have a nice Disney office. :mickey:

PIctures??

Today is another new start for me. I really need to pull herself together this week, especially if I don't want to post a gain three weeks into this new challenge. Being off plan really isn't as fun or satisfying as I remember it being. More like watching something bad happen that you can't seem to stop.

Excellent description.

So I have my newly minted training plan ready and a brand new page in my journal. I hope by this time next week I will be patting myself on the back and seeing nothing but blue skies and clear roads ahead. I've tracked all my food, including planning for tonight and I am totally OP -- it's about time!

Have a great day all!

Glad to hear you feeling positive about a fresh start! I could use a little of that mojo myself. Food has been just okay and exercise.... well, WHAT EXERCISE!!?

QOTD: What is the one or two items that you would miss the MOST if your entire home disappeared today? (Assume that all of your family and pets were safe and healthy and that all of your photos were safely backed up off-site somewhere.... cause they should be!!)

Josh's flag case that contains the flag off his coffin and the flag case that contains the flag that his command had given me. They flew it the day of his funeral. Yes, most material things are replacable, however those even though yeah I could go buy a flag and put it in a case its not the same.

Definitely irreplaceable.

We had fun at our 2 parties yesterday and I was better than the old me would have been but I still made some bad choices. I think part of my problem is when I get around some foods that have come from the commissary that we can't normally get in the German stores. I mean I see 7 layer dip and Tostito's and I'm supposed to walk on by??? Everyone was telling me not to eat any Tostitos since I'll be back in the US next week and can have all I want! Guess I should have listened to them. Anyway, I am WAY UP this morning! Like .4 over my starting weight for the challenge. Today is a new day and a new week and I will do better

YES YOU WILL!!

Today was a busy day. I did 45 mins on my elliptical and showered, did 4 loads of laundry, marinated some chicken, met a friend for coffee (tea for me), met another friend for lunch and went shopping at a cool tapestry place. I bought a large tapestry, table runner and 2 pillows. This shop buys the tapestries in Belgium and then puts borders on them, makes them into other things. Very very lovely. DH still wants to get a cuckoo clock before he leaves. We are trying to think about what we want to get to take home that we don't have yet.

We had a "Middle Eastern" dinner of leftover cous cous salad - dish I took to both parties yesterday-chicken w/zaziki sauce and pita bread halves. Delicious!

I am starting to go through my list of things I've sold and force people to pay me and come get their items!!! Yikes, it's been kind of a pain to sell to friends. Most people here will travel or go home for a good deal of July and August so that gives me only this week and next to get this done. I don't think people remember I'm selling this stuff because I'm LEAVING !

Don't have much on the calendar tomorrow so I will take it easy. We are having cool rainy weather here so it is a perfect day to stay home. Athletic banquet at school tomorrow night so no dinner to cook

My realtor is meeting the listing agent for the rental house tomorrow and we are going to be on the phone with her at the same time they are on the phone with the landlord in Calif. It sounds like we have the place although nothing signed yet and no $ has changed hands. I won't relax until we have a signed lease agreement and then I will

Shawn

Be sure to buy all of the special things you want before you go! It will always remind you of your time there!

The Middle Eastern dinner sounds delicious

GOod luck with the house situation!

Well, I know one thing is for sure: I'm going to sleep like a rock tonight. I've been the Energizer bunny all day and this bunny is getting tired. My list so far of things I've accomplished:

Wiped kitchen counters down
Scowered kitchen sink
Wiped down stove top
Unloaded dishwasher
Cleaned toilet, sink, and mirror in half bath

I still need to:

Clean fridge out (something died in there I swear, lol)
Load dishwasher
Clean our shower out
Clean our toilet
Finish cleaning off dining room table
Finish putting laundry away
Make my bed (lol)

Alan has already said, 'Don't worry about the vacuuming. I'll do it." Thank goodness I hate vaccuming!

Oh and in about an hour I need to start dinner.

Tomorrow I'm not doing ANYTHING, .

No! Tomorrow you are coming to do MY HOUSE!!

Actually, DD says you can stay home and sing The Lazy song (Bruno Mars)!!

Hey all! I had every intention of doing C25K when we came home from our errands, but a terrible sinus headache derailed that plan. I did okay with food, ate my 5 servings of fruit & veggies! Did go a little off plan, but will figure that out points wise tomorrow.

Now I'm off to watch Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Side note: For YEARS I've been trying to get Mom to read/watch Harry Potter. She had no interest. Saturday night I basically forced her to watch Sorcerer's Stone-and she actually liked it! So last night we watched Chamber of Secrets and we're slowly continuing on-she's even coming to the midnight premiere of Deathly Hallows Part 2 with me and my BFF. Yay for small victories!

Sounds like my non-existent run last night. Fully planned and had my stuff ready, but my belly ended up feeling really funky, so I skipped it. Not sure why the belly was acting up. Probably too many strawberries, as DD and I went strawberry picking yesterday.

I didn't let my kids read/watch HP when it was first popular, but DD read the series last summer and DS read it this school year and they both loved it. Now DS is trying to talk me into reading it. I might give it a try this summer.

Today was an okay day. I have no idea how many points I ate, but I think I'm okay. I did well at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but made a poor choice for snack. I just had some strawberries too. I also went to the gym. I am probably going to weigh-in at WW tomorrow night. I may or may not peek at the scale in the morning.

P: I have been using Hungry Girl's website. Actually, I learned from her that a recipe can have entirely whole wheat flour and not 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white flour. So, my pancakes ended up being:
1/4 cup of whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons of egg whites (from a carton)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla (might skip that next time)
1 tablespoon Splenda (might want to use less)
1/2 cup of blueberries
enough water so that it is to your desired consistency

I was very happy with how they turned out, although you could taste the vanilla. Dinner last night turned out great too. My parents really liked it. I'll definitely make it again. I'm planning to play around with the veggies and maybe use ground turkey instead of chicken so it's more like a meat sauce. I think this could become a regular meal around our house. (I'm not complaining...I cannot seem to forget about those 4 days in a row of red meat. Too bad I wasn't there for at least one of those dinners. I probably had leftovers of a 2nd one, so I didn't have 4 dinners in a row of red meat, but still more that one needs to eat.

I am off to bed. I slept better last night and am hoping for an even more restful night tonight.

CC

The pancakes sound good.... not sure why the vanilla would be a problem.... I put vanilla in my pancakes all the time. Maybe a full tsp was too much for that small a portion of batter.

Glad your dinner came out good!

WOOHOO!!

My Bachelors degree came in the mail today

32 months of pure hell at times but it was worth it in the end.

A HUGE congratulations! Great accomplishment!!!!

Congrats to Kristina! I went to culinary school and have an AAS (associate of applied science) but have often thought about getting a bachelor's in the field (I also have a bachelor's in psychology-lots of schooling!).

Well, 10 days, lots of miles over 2 states (Colorado and New Mexico), 4 stops (Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, Santa Fe, and Carlsbad), and 3.1 pounds gained! I'm a daily weigher which helps me keep on top of things and it was hard not having a scale for 10 days. I did have lots of fun and I'll try to post a couple of pictures soon.

Wow, over 20 pages while I was gone, you all have been busy! I've skimmed a little and will try to catch up, but I have to say my favorite thing so far is definitely the cat pictures. So cute! I still have some unpacking to do and a ton of laundry. We got back last night and DH already left for a business trip this morning so its me and the kids this week and I need to figure out a way to get in some exercise and get rid of this nasty 3.1 pounds.

What a great trip! And the pictures are cool! I love the angle of the photo of DS and yourself!

Don't stress about catching up.... just jump in here!

Hi again. Just got to PMing my late "start" weight for the Summer challenge. As I mentioned in previous "I'm back" post I was hoping for a new full time job option but got email today that I didn't get it. I was heartbroken, frustrated and just plain sad. My friend applied too and got hired. Oh how I hate my job history. UGH!

So will work on this exercise routine again since I seem to have acquired more time because my part time job was just making me physically sick from horrible anxiety attacks I'd get almost daily, so bad timing on the hopeful FT job prospect falling through but not keeping the part time. Nothing beats stress and frustrating like that exercise right?

Maybe with out the drama and anxiety that leads me to retreat into doing nothing but total relaxation I will keep up with tracking food on myfitnesspal again.

Poor dd, Zoe, had a mysterious allergic reaction to something woke up with traveling hives. My only guess is dairy. She has been lactose intolerant since birth but alst night after having a couple scoops of Blue Bell chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream she had got a rock hard tummy from bloating and horrible gas pains that included some weirdness in her throat. She said it was like something was coming up but didn't need to throw up. Oh please let it not be severe reactions starting up. Before with mild intolerance we just limited cheese, yogurt and ice cream and she drinks soy milk already has since she weaned. I sure hope maybe her Dr will now get serious about ordering some allergy testing. If not I may change her primary to my family physician that I see when she gets back from maternity leave in August. I know Zoe likes her and has met her via an appointment visit with me.

Sorry about the job.

I would definitely get Zoe tested... especially if she said it felt weird in her throat last night. DS has never had a full-blown anaphylactic reaction, but he always gets an itchy throat/mouth/tongue when exposed to his allergens.... that is scary enough for us to have an Epi-pen. Better safe than sorry, of course.

Glad you are back!


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

Happy TUESDAY everyone!

Yesterday I went strawberry picking with DD, ran a few errands, had a nice healthy lunch at Boloco (kind of like a Chipotle), helped with robotics (last meeting of the school year), drove DD to the Y for an extra workout (for her, not me ) ran more errands, drove her to Rainbow Girls, home for a late dinner. It ended up being a MUCH busier day than I had anticipated.

Today I need to go to the transfer station (there's that glamorous life I lead again! ) and mow and get some cleaning done around the house.

I'm so hungry! I need breakfast! I'll be back later today to chat!.............P

 

[pjlla]

Definitely dinner. Most nights I work til 5:30, and it's a pain to cook so late, so I usually try to have lots of leftovers for my late days, but I would trade my personal chef in for maid service in a heartbeat!!

Fun question.

Yesterday's qotd, got me thinking. Definitely my pictures and scrapbooks, and other than that, my mother's santa claus, and michael has a baby blanket my mom crocheted that he started sleeping with again when she died, and his snuffy-stuffed dog he got for christmas when he was 3 weeks old. I know there's more, but I hope if anything ever happened like that, I would just be happy to have my family.

Pamela-Happy summer vacation!! Nice to be done, we have one more week. I'll let michael buy his lunch all week since I'll have to make lunch every day for camp this summer. That's the worst part of summer for me, making lunch.

Do you pack it at night? I find that if I make the lunches when the kids are doing dinner clean-up, it isn't a big deal. And depending on what it is, sometimes I can make a few lunches at once.

I'm feeling grateful I don't have a cat to sabotage me. My guinea pig is a very good influence, and loves lettuce as much as I love chocolate.

I forgot you have a GP (Fredward, right?)! DD really misses hers, but I don't miss the mess! I do miss the "garbage disposal" factor though! I always think of them when I'm throwing away apple peels and such!

Well, good morning everyone. I was just watching the today show about that woman in NY who sent threatening letters to the little league officials and has been arrested, and just want to reassure you all that when I hear about our tournament team, if michael isn't on it, I promise you will not hear about me on the news.

Ate a little too much last night but I wrote it all down, so I'm taking a note from connie, and as long as it's written down, it's ok. I've used my weekly points, and am going to try and keep in control and earn activity points if I need more. Have a great day everyone!!

Good job writing it all down. I didn't follow my own rules last night and ate a handful of nuts BEFORE figuring out if I had enough points left for them... and of course, I didn't... So in addition to NO RUN yesterday, I ended up over my points. Today is a new day, right??....................P

 

[SettinSail]

Hello to all the beautiful losers today I hope you are all having a great day. Ugh, I've been so lazy today! It's what I planned to do but it somehow does not feel as enjoyable as I thought it would. Of course I've still done 3 loads of and unloaded the dishwasher. I don't think a Mom ever truly gets a whole day off. 2 more loads and I'm done for the week I may go for a walk this afternoon and then tonight we have the athletic banquet at school. We will have to leave early to make the conference call about the rental house at 8:00 (2:00 EST) That's it for me today!

Here is today's QOTD:

If you could have a personal chef who took care of one meal a day, which meal would it be and why?

Maybe breakfast, because it is hard to get moving that early in the day?
Maybe lunch, because brown-bagging it is getting old?
Maybe dinner, because you hate the rush at the end of the day?

BONUS.... if you could trade the personal chef for one hour of maid service every day, would you??

Be back in a bit.......................P

I would definitely pick dinner assuming he/she would cook for the whole family! The other meals are a breeze because I just have to prepare them for myself alone except for weekends. I would definitely trade this in for an hour of maid service everyday

Kristina - Congrats on your BS degree

Liesel - What a cool picture! Sounds like a great vacation. I hope the 3 pounds goes away quickly. I usually find that just going back to eating at home helps tremendously after vacay.

Melissa - sorry about the FT job I am hoping and praying that something else is on the horizon for you.

I hope you all have a great day. I want to thank whoever mentioned Wasa crackers as a snack last week. I've really been enjoying them with different toppings. I usually have 1 savory (maybe light cream cheese and olives) and 1 sweet (maybe Nutella) together for a snack.

Shawn

 

[lisah0711]

Good morning all!

If you could have a personal chef who took care of one meal a day, which meal would it be and why?

Maybe breakfast, because it is hard to get moving that early in the day?
Maybe lunch, because brown-bagging it is getting old?
Maybe dinner, because you hate the rush at the end of the day?

BONUS.... if you could trade the personal chef for one hour of maid service every day, would you??

Love this question, Pamela! I would definately pick dinner. It would be so nice to have dinner taken care of at the end of the work day. But, I have to admit the maid service sounds pretty darn tempting, too!

Shawn, I know what you mean by having things seem not as fun when you actually do them! I think you can take it easy on yourself though because you have a lot going on with the big move home next week!

Pamela, good reminder that we need to stick to our guns with our kids and ourselves!

And since you asked here is a picture of my Mickey torchiere in my office, next to the print DVC gave me for spending lots of money for my VGC DVC.

And my Mickey porch light above a print of Cinderella's castle decked out for Christmas.

I do have prints of Cinderella's Castle as well as Sleeping Beauty's Castle and VWL in my office, too. And my Disney stock certificate. My dream is to have a picture of each Disney castle from a trip to each but it will be awhile before that dream comes true.

It really does help me get through my crazy busy work days to be surrounded by Disney stuff!

Melissa, nice to see you!

KristiMc, good luck with your weigh in today!

Nancy, your guy is getting big so quickly so it's okay to enjoy his birthday!

CC, glad that you got some rest!

bellebookworm9, sorry about the sinus headache.

Lisa, welcome back! Love your pics!

Sue, Cars would be a good pick for Dylan's birthday because there will be a ton of stuff out with the new movie. I know what you mean about it changing. I think I used to wait for about a week before because you never knew what would be wanted. Last year I got off easy because he wanted a home made funfetti cake. DS' birthday is in July, too. So is mine. Lots of July birthdays.

Wow the moon and stars are aligned today. I woke up early, got my run in already, got to work and at my desk before 7:30 a.m. All groceries are purchased, healthy meals ready and I'm on track for a good work day. I should be so happy but feel kind of -- what am I forgetting?

Hello to everyone that I missed! Have a great day!

 

[Disneywedding2010]

dumbo_buddy: Thanks for the congratulations. I've thought on and off about going back for my Masters. UCF has a masters program in hospitality management, another plus to moving to FL .

QOTD: I would do breakfast because I am so bad about remembering to eat it. I think if I had someone cooking it for me I'd do a much better job.

pjlla - Thanks for the congratulations and I like your daughter's idea . However, I'm going to take advantage of the fact that the cats are not here (at the vet getting groomed) and get the rest of this list done.

----------------------------------------------------------------

I hope everyone has a great OP day! I was exhausted from doing so much yesterday that I crashed at 1am, only to be woke back up an hour later by some crazy thunderstorms that had hail along with them. I swear at one point it sounded like people were up walking on our roof it was hailing so hard. Looks like I need to have the roofing company come back out and look at the roof again. It has survived all these other storms but they told us one more really bad storm and it may need to be replaced. OYE! the joys of being a homeowner.

Nothing really planned today other then I need to get some breakfast in me, get dressed, and get started on finishing my to do list. I've got chicken in the fridge that I need to get cooked up and I may just throw it in the crockpot and make homemade chicken noodle soup. Yes, it may be 100+ degrees today but I would much rather use the crockpot then turning on the oven.

I'll be back later...

 

[bellebookworm9]

If you could have a personal chef who took care of one meal a day, which meal would it be and why?

Maybe breakfast, because it is hard to get moving that early in the day?
Maybe lunch, because brown-bagging it is getting old?
Maybe dinner, because you hate the rush at the end of the day?

BONUS.... if you could trade the personal chef for one hour of maid service every day, would you??

Hmmm this is a tough one. Not breakfast, because I eat that every day anyway. Probably lunch because I get bored with basic lunch foods. Dinner might be nice though, because although I like to cook, it's normally for one since my mom works the late shift. And no, I wouldn't trade for maid service because I don't really mind cleaning-now a gardener and handyman I'd trade for with no problem!

I didn't let my kids read/watch HP when it was first popular, but DD read the series last summer and DS read it this school year and they both loved it. Now DS is trying to talk me into reading it. I might give it a try this summer.

I refused to read it when it first came out, simply because it was so popular. But eventually someone talked me into it, and I fell in love. I'm not a truly crazy fan who goes to every midnight movie/book release, dressed up in full costume though. You should read them! I really can't think of anyone who has read them and not liked them.

I would definitely get Zoe tested... especially if she said it felt weird in her throat last night. DS has never had a full-blown anaphylactic reaction, but he always gets an itchy throat/mouth/tongue when exposed to his allergens.... that is scary enough for us to have an Epi-pen. Better safe than sorry, of course.

That definitely sounds like the beginnings of a serious allergic reaction and I agree that Zoe should get tested. I've seen allergic reactions that lead almost to death, and it's no fun.

And since you asked here is a picture of my Mickey torchiere in my office, next to the print DVC gave me for spending lots of money for my VGC DVC.

bellebookworm9, sorry about the sinus headache.

Thanks, after some motrin and sudafed it went away, but I was still really dizzy for the rest of the evening.

I love your office decorations-I want my house to look like that someday, just some simple Disney touches that are obvious but not over the top.

dumbo_buddy: Thanks for the congratulations. I've thought on and off about going back for my Masters. UCF has a masters program in hospitality management, another plus to moving to FL .

I'm adding to the congrats! I really wanted to go to UCF for my masters in Speech Path, until I decided I liked Audiology better...and found that they don't have a program for that! So now I'm looking at UF and USF, with UF being my number one choice right now (I'm also looking at Kent State, UNC Chapel Hill, and University at Buffalo-my last choice- I want to get out of here!) and we're going to visit the Florida schools in January.

 

[dumbo_buddy]

Gretchen just wanted to say that I spent some time reading your
Trip report from your siggie! Very fun

Liesel that is such an amazing picture!! Nature is so beautiful sometimes it definitely convinces me that someone made that all happen!! What a neat memory!

Lisa I love the Mickey porch light. As in I LOVE LOVE LOVE it and I want it want it want it!! Really fun way to decorate an office!

Sue happy almost birthday to Dylan! Cars is a good choice. Disney store is having a sale of 2 for $28 on medium plush and the cars ones are really cute!!!

Kathy I'm having issues with what to buy at the grocery store. My guy is already picky and I can't eat the nuggets and things that he likes. I'm going to have to put my foot down though and start early with healthy habits!

QOTD let's see, can my personal chef also come with Kung Fu abilities? I ask this because in my perfect world (we are talking about ME right ) my chef would make dinner at night and then close the kitchen. And then an hour later when I wanted to go in and snack my personal chef would do some Kung Fu moves to scare me out of touching the fridge!

 

[momofdjc]

Here is today's QOTD:

If you could have a personal chef who took care of one meal a day, which meal would it be and why?

Maybe breakfast, because it is hard to get moving that early in the day?
Maybe lunch, because brown-bagging it is getting old?
Maybe dinner, because you hate the rush at the end of the day?

BONUS.... if you could trade the personal chef for one hour of maid service every day, would you??

I would have the chef prepare dinner. The end of the day is so crazy at our house.

BONUS: During the school year I would trade the chef for maid service. This summer my DD12 has helping out around the house so it is easier during the summer.


I've been MIA for the last week or so. We spent Thursday - Sunday in Omaha, Nebraska for a baseball tournament. DS15's baseball team lost in the semi-finals in their tournament. It was a great time while we were there. The boys got to meet some of the teams in the college world series. During the fan appretiation day, they were talking with the Texas A&M team and watching other teams practice. They had a great time. I even managed to lose while we were there.

 

[bellebookworm9]

Gretchen just wanted to say that I spent some time reading your
Trip report from your siggie! Very fun

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'm hoping our upcoming trip will be just as fun! And I just went and read your TR-Thomas really is possibly the cutest baby ever. Did you end up buying DVC? I think I missed the outcome of that.

 

[pjlla]

Hello to all the beautiful losers today. I hope you are all having a great day. Ugh, I've been so lazy today! It's what I planned to do but it somehow does not feel as enjoyable as I thought it would. Of course I've still done 3 loads of and unloaded the dishwasher. I don't think a Mom ever truly gets a whole day off. 2 more loads and I'm done for the week I may go for a walk this afternoon and then tonight we have the athletic banquet at school. We will have to leave early to make the conference call about the rental house at 8:00 (2:00 EST) That's it for me today!

WITHOUT a doubt.... Mom NEVER has a day off! No matter how hard I plan it or do stuff in advance, unless I am GONE, I don't get the day off... and let's face it, if I'm gone, chances are I did plenty of "get ahead" work so that I could leave without a guilty conscience and when I get back there will be "catch up" work to do!

I'm with you on the laundry today. After my b.day Friday and the busy weekend, I was waaaay behind. Two loads on the clothes line, one in the dryer (I REFUSE to hang every little sock outside, so sock and underwear white load goes in the dryer, no matter what the weather!), one in the washer ready to hang out, and two loads on my bed waiting to be folded!


I hope you all have a great day. I want to thank whoever mentioned Wasa crackers as a snack last week. I've really been enjoying them with different toppings. I usually have 1 savory (maybe light cream cheese and olives) and 1 sweet (maybe Nutella) together for a snack.

Shawn

Yummm... Nutella. I think that is what DD misses the most since dropping most of the white sugar/white flour carbs from our menu. DO NOT go looking at the Pesto/Nutella thread over on the Budget board!!

Pamela, good reminder that we need to stick to our guns with our kids and ourselves!

Hope Kathy isn't offended by my frankness.

And since you asked here is a picture of my Mickey torchiere in my office, next to the print DVC gave me for spending lots of money for my VGC DVC.

And my Mickey porch light above a print of Cinderella's castle decked out for Christmas.

I do have prints of Cinderella's Castle as well as Sleeping Beauty's Castle and VWL in my office, too. And my Disney stock certificate. My dream is to have a picture of each Disney castle from a trip to each but it will be awhile before that dream comes true.

It really does help me get through my crazy busy work days to be surrounded by Disney stuff!

I especially love the porch lamp! I would SO have those on my house!!
'
Wow the moon and stars are aligned today. I woke up early, got my run in already, got to work and at my desk before 7:30 a.m. All groceries are purchased, healthy meals ready and I'm on track for a good work day. I should be so happy but feel kind of -- what am I forgetting?

Hello to everyone that I missed! Have a great day!

Don't you LOVE days like that!? I haven't had one in a while though. Constantly feeling behind schedule lately.

QOTD: I would do breakfast because I am so bad about remembering to eat it. I think if I had someone cooking it for me I'd do a much better job.

How do you FORGET to eat breakfast? Don't you wake up hungry?? If I don't eat by 9 am, I'm pretty unhappy!

pjlla - Thanks for the congratulations and I like your daughter's idea . However, I'm going to take advantage of the fact that the cats are not here (at the vet getting groomed) and get the rest of this list done.

----------------------------------------------------------------

I hope everyone has a great OP day! I was exhausted from doing so much yesterday that I crashed at 1am, only to be woke back up an hour later by some crazy thunderstorms that had hail along with them. I swear at one point it sounded like people were up walking on our roof it was hailing so hard. Looks like I need to have the roofing company come back out and look at the roof again. It has survived all these other storms but they told us one more really bad storm and it may need to be replaced. OYE! the joys of being a homeowner.

Nothing really planned today other then I need to get some breakfast in me, get dressed, and get started on finishing my to do list. I've got chicken in the fridge that I need to get cooked up and I may just throw it in the crockpot and make homemade chicken noodle soup. Yes, it may be 100+ degrees today but I would much rather use the crockpot then turning on the oven.

I'll be back later...

I SO agree with the crockpot! In fact, my family is eating a crockpot meal tomorrow even if it is 100 degrees out here! (Actually, I think it is supposed to rain.) Love, love, love my crockpot!

Hmmm this is a tough one. Not breakfast, because I eat that every day anyway. Probably lunch because I get bored with basic lunch foods. Dinner might be nice though, because although I like to cook, it's normally for one since my mom works the late shift. And no, I wouldn't trade for maid service because I don't really mind cleaning-now a gardener and handyman I'd trade for with no problem!

OOOoohhh.. gardener and handyman! I'd love me some of that!! Plus a pool man!! (And get your minds out of the gutter ladies.... I only need this cause I have a large property to take care of!! )

I refused to read it when it first came out, simply because it was so popular. But eventually someone talked me into it, and I fell in love. I'm not a truly crazy fan who goes to every midnight movie/book release, dressed up in full costume though. You should read them! I really can't think of anyone who has read them and not liked them.

I try to read a "classic" every summer. DD is reading Little Women this summer, so I thought I'd read it (again) too.... but that won't take me long, so I'm thinking of starting the HP series. I've been picking up the books as I see them at yard sales and the Goodwill, but we don't have #1 yet, so I guess I'd have to hit the library.

I love your office decorations-I want my house to look like that someday, just some simple Disney touches that are obvious but not over the top.

ME too! I tried to do an Alice in Wonderland theme in my kitchen last year, but I'm not at all happy with the results, so I've stripped most of it out of the room. Not sure what to do now.

I'm adding to the congrats! I really wanted to go to UCF for my masters in Speech Path, until I decided I liked Audiology better...and found that they don't have a program for that! So now I'm looking at UF and USF, with UF being my number one choice right now (I'm also looking at Kent State, UNC Chapel Hill, and University at Buffalo-my last choice- I want to get out of here!) and we're going to visit the Florida schools in January.

Good luck finding a school! It must be so exciting to be looking around.

Kathy I'm having issues with what to buy at the grocery store. My guy is already picky and I can't eat the nuggets and things that he likes. I'm going to have to put my foot down though and start early with healthy habits!

Nancy.... PLEASE start with healthy habits now! It just gets harder as they get older. And I PROMISE, he won't starve to death if you don't give in to the requests for nuggets! STart trying a new food every week.... even more "exotic" stuff that maybe you don't eat... he might surprise you! My DS is very picky, but he also likes odd things that most kids don't like, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and refried beans. But he would run naked through the streets before eating most fruit. Go figure.

Be sure to start him on whole grain/whole wheat pastas and breads... it is hard to switch off of white later.

QOTD let's see, can my personal chef also come with Kung Fu abilities? I ask this because in my perfect world (we are talking about ME right ) my chef would make dinner at night and then close the kitchen. And then an hour later when I wanted to go in and snack my personal chef would do some Kung Fu moves to scare me out of touching the fridge!

Hey.... your chef will probably be an IRON CHEF.... so of COURSE he would have Kung Fu powers!!

I would have the chef prepare dinner. The end of the day is so crazy at our house.

BONUS: During the school year I would trade the chef for maid service. This summer my DD12 has helping out around the house so it is easier during the summer.


I've been MIA for the last week or so. We spent Thursday - Sunday in Omaha, Nebraska for a baseball tournament. DS15's baseball team lost in the semi-finals in their tournament. It was a great time while we were there. The boys got to meet some of the teams in the college world series. During the fan appretiation day, they were talking with the Texas A&M team and watching other teams practice. They had a great time. I even managed to lose while we were there.

How neat that the boys got to meet some college players. It sounds like you had a great time. And losing....WOOHOO!

YOu have a DD who actually HELPS? How did you manage that?!

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

Well friends, as usual, I didn't get nearly as much accomplished as I had planned. How does that ALWAYS happen? But laundry is moving along nicely.... and I keep forgetting that summer vacation has started, so I don't always have to be on "alert" that I might be working the next few days. If something doesn't get done today, I will probably have time tomorrow! What a GREAT feeling!!

I'm trying to plan that we have our "big" family meal at noon during the summer, whenever possible. DH works at home a great deal, so he is here to eat with us and it will make our crazy evenings with swim practice a bit easier. So we started that today.... teriyaki pork tenderloin, roasted cauliflower, and stir-fried veggies (garlic, celery, mushroom, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, and spinach) for lunch. So now I'm kind of "free" for the evening! ("Free" being a relative term, of course, since I still have to drive DD to swim, take laundry off the line, fold all of the clean/dry laundry, etc, etc, etc!! )

I'm gonna go check on the laundry.........................P