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

[momofdjc]

I wasn't able to respond yesterday - work was crazy and then had the year end baseball party for DS7. Here are the last 2 QOTD.

QOTD, Wednesday 6/22: We all know that BREAKFAST is the most important meal of the day. Do you adhere to that statement? What is your typical breakfast like? Do you keep it light? How soon before waking do you eat? "They" say we should eat within 30 minutes of waking - do you?

I do eat breakfast everyday. Ussually I have a glass of milk within 30 minutes of getting up and then I eat something when I get to work.

DISNEY QOTD Wednesday 6/22: Won't you tell me about your first trip to Disney?? DL or WDW? How old were you? Who were you with? What is your favorite memory from the trip? Were you hooked by trip #1??

I was 15 on my first trip to Disneyworld. I was with my mom, dad, and my 3 sisters. We went 4th of July week in 1985 and stayed off-site at a Day's Inn suite. My favorite memory was of King Louie coming up and giving me a big hug.

I was hooked before that first trip. I had always been the one asking to go. I think I was hooked by my mom and dad going to Disneyland many times while my mom was pregnant. Dad was station in Anaheim and they went anytime people visited. Dad was discharged a few weeks after I was born and they left California to come back to Chicago.

IT'S ANOTHER GREAT DAY TO LOSE!!

QOTD, Thursday 6/23: i have a feeling we've all tried some crazy things to lose weight. what was a crazy diet that you tried? what did you learn from it?

The only crazy diet I tried was the cabbage soup diet. I hated being restricted to certain types of food.



Disney QOTD, Thursday 6/23: do you have a disney family tradition? hit a certain park or ride first? take a picture at a particular spot? eat at a certain place? are you ornament buyers?? share if you would!

We buy an ornament each trip. That's the only real tradition that we have.

 

[Zhoen]

Well, it's official! Ashleigh has a small fracture in her right foot! Could my life get any more interesting??????!!!!!
QUOTE]

Aww... poor kid! A boot would get her huge "cool/interesting points" during the school year, but in the summer??? That just stinks! Hoping and wishing that she'll be better in time for camp!

Bellebookworm9 - Did you see that JK Rowling was making a big announcement at 7am est. I saw that you were a big fan of HP to so I thought I would mention it. I know I am a big geek, but I am so freakin excited!

I have a co-worker who has been briefing me daily on every development and rumor. I really enjoyed the books, but the movies had to cut too much out to make everything fit. I will never forgive them for completely editing out the whole character of Peeves the Poltergeist... he was hilarious. I also was mad that they never explained his back story, but since there's now talk about e-books coming out, maybe they finally will...

Pam I have never tried rhubarb. I know you have to mix it with something like strawberry but I have no desire to try it.

I dare you. I *DARE* you to try a new vegetable. You can't exactly turn down a healthy dare, you know... what kind of lesson would you be teaching the children??? (It really IS good in a compote with strawberries... it's kind of hard to explain, but it's good....)

[QOTD, Thursday 6/23: i have a feeling we've all tried some crazy things to lose weight. what was a crazy diet that you tried? what did you learn from it?

There are plenty of folks who would/would not say it was crazy, but I did the 2 week induction for Atkins, and lost a bunch in that 2 weeks, as promised, but since I had no carbs in my system, I had no power when I ran... like stepping on the gas and nothing happened. So I didn't stick with that.

I think the only "crazy" one I tried was the Mastercleanse diet... My best friend bought-in to the whole uber-hippy herbalist lifestyle about 7 years ago... she had done this, her parents had done it, and they all swore it made them feel great... that wasn't as much about losing any weight as just getting bad stuff out... Needless to say, it tasted terrible... and while I'm not a huge fan of meat or pastas... living off of bad-tasting lemonade, not my idea of fun... I have no idea if it would have worked...


Disney QOTD, Thursday 6/23: do you have a disney family tradition? hit a certain park or ride first? take a picture at a particular spot? eat at a certain place? are you ornament buyers?? share if you would!

I have gotten a photo at Cinderella's fountain a few times... once when I went the first time (don't know where that one is now), once when we went 12 years ago, and the last time when we went about 4 1/2 years ago... This time I want a picture of me and my girls there, and hopefully it will continue over the years. We always do MK first, and we always take the ferry... there's just something about seeing the castle get closer and closer... We're hoping for early breakfast at CRT next year, so I don't know if that will be possible next time, not sure how early the ferry runs... that's really all I can think of...

So, to top that off, it finally tipped the scale in the right direction, and I have officially hit 70 lbs lost! If I can lose 5 more in the next 24 days it will make 75 lbs in a year. So that is my goal.

Wow! That is so wonderful, Congratulations!!!!

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

I committed a cooking sin last night... So we had, like, 2/3rds of a loaf of italian bread in the fridge (it's Maryland, bread molds in about an hour here in the summer if left out...) and I was thinking about what I could do for dinner that wouldn't heat up the kitchen, was adaptable for me and the pixies and the husband...and used what we had... So I remembered seeing a pack of steak somewhere in the freezer, just pound or so, so I thought "giant steak sub!!!" I could make it meatier and cheesier and breadier for everyone else, smaller and lighter for me, and using the griddle doesn't heat up the kitchen... perfect!!!

Yeah, after I got the steak half-thawed I realized it was tenderloin (filet mignon)... Wow was I kicking myself... but it was half-thawed, too late to turn back!!!

So yeah, I made filet mignon steak subs last night... I feel so ritzy!

(But in my defense, I was using up what we had, and I did make it half and half... boring-style for the kids, and awesome style for the grown ups... ) I had bought that tenderloin forever ago to make Boeuf en Croute, which is delicious, but wicked (baked in a puff pastry crust with extra butter)... so I seasoned the meat the same way (mushrooms, thyme, red wine) and put it on the bread, which I'd toasted on the griddle, still tasted awesome. So there's my latest invention... Boeuf en pain...

Now, as if that's not offensive enough... we had plenty of leftover meat, which will either get absorbed ("eating" implies chewing, swallowing, and more than .5 seconds per food item, they don't do that) by the teenagers staying over tonight, or will go into the leftovers bag in the freezer, destined to become chili, meatloaf, or beef stew... now see, THAT's ritzy...

Wait, maybe I'll run them through the grinder and fry it up into a hamburger... I'll serve it on cheap white rolls on a paper plate with baked beans made with Prosciutto de Parma and a spritzer made with kool-aid and Clos du Mesnil champagne... in a plastic fast-food cup!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Bellebookworm9 - Did you see that JK Rowling was making a big announcement at 7am est. I saw that you were a big fan of HP to so I thought I would mention it. I know I am a big geek, but I am so freakin excited!

Oh to my fellow HP fans out there, count me as one of you! I am a huge Harry Potter nerd! (well nerd in general). Im actually working on collecting all the books in different languages. I have pretty much all the UK versions and i have the first three German editions coming to me the end of july! Sooo excited!

Graciesmom77 and Bellebookworm9 count me among the other fans of HP. I have read the books at least 3 times. Ds was given #4 for his birthday one year. I would not let hiim read it. we went to the store and got 1,2 and 3 ans started reading them. The entire family has read them all except dh he didn't read #7. We have seen all the movies several times and are all looking forward to the close. We were talking about this announcement the other day. I didn't realiize that it would be this morning. I will be looking for this.

i just turned on the news and they said something about the announcement. supposedly something about a new website? we shall see! i held off on reading the harry potter books until about 4 years ago and i finally just bit the bullet. glad i did. i enjoyed them. they were great for my commuting downtown. before i knew it i was at work!

I have a co-worker who has been briefing me daily on every development and rumor. I really enjoyed the books, but the movies had to cut too much out to make everything fit. I will never forgive them for completely editing out the whole character of Peeves the Poltergeist... he was hilarious. I also was mad that they never explained his back story, but since there's now talk about e-books coming out, maybe they finally will...

I didn't get up at 7am to watch the announcement, but I did watch it a bit ago. I must admit, I don't entirely understand it. I get that the premise of Pottermore is the "storyline brought to life and more in depth" but I guess I'll have to actually visit the website again in October to really see how it works. And the announcement also stated that Pottermore will be the exclusive home for audiobooks and ebooks-a new form for HP!

ETA: I was referred to Mugglenet.com by a friend, and they explain it a bit more clearly. As you move through the stories, it seems that it will be interactive: you can get sorted into a house, get a wand at Ollivander's, etc. J.K. Rowling has also incorporated extra bits of knowledge that she's been storing about the series into the experience.

Zhoen-I agree, they leave a ton of stuff out in the movies. Watching them with my mom, she keeps asking questions, and I'm finding that they really intend for you to have read the books to know all the backstory. For example, in Goblet of Fire, they left out the whole Winky/Barty Crouch/Jr story, and it was confusing. I think they could have included Winky for that purpose, but still left out the S.P.E.W. plot.

an exercise addict! woot! you go girl!! one day i hope i will become one of "those people" who HAS to get a workout in. i'm so good at making up excuses. my uncle eddie (across the street) is a workout machine. he's 54, looks like he's in this 30s and has biceps that are HUGE! he was a boxer for the FDNY for a long time and i'm hoping he'll teach my little guy a few things! if i see him working out or heading to the gym i have to remind myself to get out and go too!

it's hard when you eat your points in the AM because night is my hardest time not to munch. but you hit it on the head there. snack on fruits and veggies. i need to take a tip from you and hit the store!!

I never used to be one of those people, so there is hope for you too! Between Zumba and C25K, I'm getting in at least 20 minutes of exercise about 6 days a week, which is more than ever before!

I did end up having a fruit salad later, but also some cheese and crackers. Then some pizza rolls. But I was actually hungry. I had eaten a bowl of cereal around 12:30am yesterday in the middle of the night, then another bowl when I woke up around 9:45. Then, when I was out running errands, I stopped at Tim Horton's for a bagel with light cream cheese and a small iced cap. Bam. Only 5 points left. But today is a new day and tomorrow a new week so I'm not going to stress out about it!

QOTD, Thursday 6/23: i have a feeling we've all tried some crazy things to lose weight. what was a crazy diet that you tried? what did you learn from it?

I actually don't think I've done any truly crazy diets. Of course, in 10th grade I tried LA Weight Loss (back then I think it was healthier than it is now), and I lost a little, but I wasn't serious about it, so it didn't help me too much.

Disney QOTD, Thursday 6/23: do you have a disney family tradition? hit a certain park or ride first? take a picture at a particular spot? eat at a certain place? are you ornament buyers?? share if you would!

Well, as of last trip our family tradition was to go to MK on the first full day, but we won't be doing that this trip. I guess an unofficial tradition is just to see IllumiNations as many times as we can! Last trip we had customized shirts made and we want to do that again. And if Mom rides a new "thrill" ride and likes it, we take a picture of her in front of it giving a double thumbs up; so far we have those for Test Track and Big Thunder-hoping she will try Mission: Space this time! A final tradition is to eat at least one meal at Sunshine Seasons, and get the turkey focaccia and a dessert from the bakery-normally Strawberry Shortcake. Yum!

 

[JacksLilWench]

And speaking of dogs and cats, these are my babies

OMG PAPILLONS!!!!! I have wanted a pap since I've seen them, they are SO CUTE!! I'm so jealous right now, they are so precious!

IT'S ANOTHER GREAT DAY TO LOSE!!

QOTD, Thursday 6/23: i have a feeling we've all tried some crazy things to lose weight. what was a crazy diet that you tried? what did you learn from it?


Disney QOTD, Thursday 6/23: do you have a disney family tradition? hit a certain park or ride first? take a picture at a particular spot? eat at a certain place? are you ornament buyers?? share if you would!

i hope everyone has a great OP day! drink your water! get out for a walk if you can!

and because that aunt ann of mine seems to have some good words of wisdom, let's have some more: "You can't lose weight by talking about it. You have to keep your mouth shut."

I've never tried anything really crazy for weight loss...I've never been able to keep it up! I tend to burn out on stuff pretty quickly and give up. It's only been recently that I've said "I'm NOT going to just let this be, and I WILL get rid of this weight Come Hell or High Water." And so far so good! It does help to have an awesome support group behind you

As for the Disney QOTD, we definitely visit MK first and get the picture of the castle. This time we're driving in from Charlotte NC and checking in and heading right to MK because they have EMH that night until 1am!! I can't wait!!

************
I feel like I've been struggling this week, but I know what it's from. I haven't been doing very good at recording all my food and I haven't been getting near the amount of water I'm supposed to be drinking. I have lost a little bit though, so I'm happy about that. I am really looking forward to a few weeks from now when I'm settled in my new job and have the time and energy to work out like I know I can. It's proving to be a little bit harder to get motivated than I thought! I am doing more walking/moving than I was before and that makes me feel better.

I just feel better in general since starting this challenge. Little stuff that used to bother me doesn't anymore. I have more love for myself, and the ability to say "That was good, but you can do better" and use that as fuel for the next week instead of using it as a reason for why I can't do this in the first place. I've upped the ante on myself and it feels good to be able to get my life into some semblance, haha. I always knew what you were supposed to do and how to do it, I just never felt like I could apply it to myself. And now I do And it makes me feel really good. So if you ladies (and gentlemen!) ever wonder if you do good, you do. Trust me

 

[trinaweena]

OMG PAPILLONS!!!!! I have wanted a pap since I've seen them, they are SO CUTE!! I'm so jealous right now, they are so precious!

They are wonderful dogs, I would recomend them to anyone. They are extremely active though, and very intelligent so they can be quite the handful. My cat is like my third papillon haha, he grew up with them and thinks he's a dog! He walks on a leash and does tricks and everything. He's such a handful though! I've never had such a smart cat (amazing since someone just dropped him off in a box where i worked and said I dont want these kittens. Which happened the same day that i had just told my friend "I think i want a kitten" funny how life works that way)

Funny story about how I got my cat. I knew my parents would never let me bring another animal into the house, we had 2 dogs and a cat already, but I really wanted a kitten. So i told my parents an eloborate story about how this box of kittens was left out in the cold in front of our store and the mom got hit by a car (all false) and i just needed to keep the kitten for a few days and we would find him a home...they bought it and a year later he still lives here! kind of got out second dog the same way, we were only supposed to keep her till she found a home, 5 years later she's still here! Maybe my parents do have a soft spot? (Doubt it!)

 

[Worfiedoodles]

QOTD, Thursday 6/23: i have a feeling we've all tried some crazy things to lose weight. what was a crazy diet that you tried? what did you learn from it?

Well, it was crazy for me. I tried the Curves diet, and it wasn't good for me. Eating a ton of protein and no carbs made me miserable and cranky


Disney QOTD, Thursday 6/23: do you have a disney family tradition? hit a certain park or ride first? take a picture at a particular spot? eat at a certain place? are you ornament buyers?? share if you would!

I am an ornament buyer, I get a Belle one each year. I also always have a stop at Goofy's Candy Co. for a carrot cake cookie (best ever!), and I usually leave with some kind of Mickey jewelry from the World of Disney -- but not the stuff in cases!

Maria

 

[pjlla]

Dinosaur! You mean mommy. The worst I did was winnie the pooh the first year. Next trip bribed him with 20 dollars to do splash which he loved, and the following trip, just the 2 of us, 20 dollars to do TOT, and completely horrified him. Ah, the memories.

I KNOW! I had never been on it myself (it was our first time at AK) and DS was at that age where they love dinosaurs (nearly 4). Even I was horrified at how scary it was! DD somehow knew better.... even before we rode it she flat out REFUSED to ride, so she stayed behind with DH.

I bribed DS with any Imaginext set he wanted if he would ride Space Mountain in CA. We got chosen to be part of the official grand re-opening ceremony and after watching speeches and ribbon cuttings, etc, we got to ride.... only DS was scared... and I KNEW if he didn't agree to ride, I probably wouldn't get to either! PLUS I knew he'd love it if he did ride! He agreed, rode it, loved it, and I never did end up buying the toy!!

We do a lot of travelling with this brother and sil because of it. It's so nice since ds and dniece are both only's they have each other when we are away, and I get along great with sil too, so it's fun for everyone.
Have fun camping. I'll do the sun dance for you.

We're very lucky that my kids have cousins close in age (both my cousins' kids and my brother's boys) and they all get along great. We all go on vacation together every year and there is never ANY fighting (except among siblings). And I LOVE my cousins, their husbands, and my SIL! We are all so lucky!!


I have tried lots of different diets, but none too crazy. I did one that had a lot of hard boiled eggs and saltines, very limited, but I can't remember what else.

Did they call it the egg salad diet?? Sounds yummy to me!

Good morning everyone. It's almost friday!! Looking forward to the weekend, and just relaxing a bit. I hope to get the inside of the house cleaned, and won't be able to clean outside til they're done with the water main work.

Have a great, healthy day.

Good excuse to skip the outside jobs! I'm using today's rain as an excuse to not mow, weed, mulch, etc!!

Hello! Just checking in, it's been awhile and you guys are moving so fast, lol! I spent all day yesterday cleaning my house and really didn't feel like going out for my walk/run, but I did (my DH made me!) and on my third run just kept going. My longest run so far has been 3 minutes, and only if I feel great. Well last night I was in shock, I ran for 8 minutes! I had no idea I could do that, especially on a night when I didn't even feel like exercising!

So, to top that off, it finally tipped the scale in the right direction, and I have officially hit 70 lbs lost! If I can lose 5 more in the next 24 days it will make 75 lbs in a year. So that is my goal.

We just booked our January cruise the other night, and I made a deal with the dev- oops, typo, I mean my husband. If I can make up the extra money at a 2nd job I will be doing, we will stay 2 nights before the cruise at WDW and do 1 day in the parks. If we get a 40% pin code, then maybe a deluxe hotel. Unfortunately, the dates didn't work out and we won't be doing either of the 5ks this year.

You are just full of good news today! Congrats on the excellent running and the 70 pounds! That is quite an accomplishment.

[I dare you. I *DARE* you to try a new vegetable. You can't exactly turn down a healthy dare, you know... what kind of lesson would you be teaching the children??? (It really IS good in a compote with strawberries... it's kind of hard to explain, but it's good....)

I agree.... it is good. I'm really looking forward to Saturday's FiberOne pancakes with strawberry rhubard syrup. If I had any greek yogurt in the house I would have tried it in that today. Alas, the fridge is pretty bare.


I committed a cooking sin last night... So we had, like, 2/3rds of a loaf of italian bread in the fridge (it's Maryland, bread molds in about an hour here in the summer if left out...) and I was thinking about what I could do for dinner that wouldn't heat up the kitchen, was adaptable for me and the pixies and the husband...and used what we had... So I remembered seeing a pack of steak somewhere in the freezer, just pound or so, so I thought "giant steak sub!!!" I could make it meatier and cheesier and breadier for everyone else, smaller and lighter for me, and using the griddle doesn't heat up the kitchen... perfect!!!

Yeah, after I got the steak half-thawed I realized it was tenderloin (filet mignon)... Wow was I kicking myself... but it was half-thawed, too late to turn back!!!

So yeah, I made filet mignon steak subs last night... I feel so ritzy!

(But in my defense, I was using up what we had, and I did make it half and half... boring-style for the kids, and awesome style for the grown ups... ) I had bought that tenderloin forever ago to make Boeuf en Croute, which is delicious, but wicked (baked in a puff pastry crust with extra butter)... so I seasoned the meat the same way (mushrooms, thyme, red wine) and put it on the bread, which I'd toasted on the griddle, still tasted awesome. So there's my latest invention... Boeuf en pain...

Now, as if that's not offensive enough... we had plenty of leftover meat, which will either get absorbed ("eating" implies chewing, swallowing, and more than .5 seconds per food item, they don't do that) by the teenagers staying over tonight, or will go into the leftovers bag in the freezer, destined to become chili, meatloaf, or beef stew... now see, THAT's ritzy...

Wait, maybe I'll run them through the grinder and fry it up into a hamburger... I'll serve it on cheap white rolls on a paper plate with baked beans made with Prosciutto de Parma and a spritzer made with kool-aid and Clos du Mesnil champagne... in a plastic fast-food cup!

Sounds like you are quite a cook. I don't even know the names of the stuff you were talking about.... and I never, ever, ever, ever buy any kind of steak. I never know what to buy and it is always too expensive and I'm a terrible cook so I"m afraid to ruin a pricey piece of beef. THe closest my famiy gets are steak tips.... and I will only buy them when they are on sale for $3.99/lb or less. Sure, they are fatty, but I know how to marinate them and cook them without ruining them. That and hamburg are about the only kinds of red meat I buy.

But really, the Kool-aid with champagne? DId you make that up or do people really do that?? ewwww.

I didn't get up at 7am to watch the announcement, but I did watch it a bit ago. I must admit, I don't entirely understand it. I get that the premise of Pottermore is the "storyline brought to life and more in depth" but I guess I'll have to actually visit the website again in October to really see how it works. And the announcement also stated that Pottermore will be the exclusive home for audiobooks and ebooks-a new form for HP!

ETA: I was referred to Mugglenet.com by a friend, and they explain it a bit more clearly. As you move through the stories, it seems that it will be interactive: you can get sorted into a house, get a wand at Ollivander's, etc. J.K. Rowling has also incorporated extra bits of knowledge that she's been storing about the series into the experience.

Zhoen-I agree, they leave a ton of stuff out in the movies. Watching them with my mom, she keeps asking questions, and I'm finding that they really intend for you to have read the books to know all the backstory. For example, in Goblet of Fire, they left out the whole Winky/Barty Crouch/Jr story, and it was confusing. I think they could have included Winky for that purpose, but still left out the S.P.E.W. plot.


Sounds like I really should start the books this summer, so I know what is going on in the movies.



Well, as of last trip our family tradition was to go to MK on the first full day, but we won't be doing that this trip. I guess an unofficial tradition is just to see IllumiNations as many times as we can! Last trip we had customized shirts made and we want to do that again. And if Mom rides a new "thrill" ride and likes it, we take a picture of her in front of it giving a double thumbs up; so far we have those for Test Track and Big Thunder-hoping she will try Mission: Space this time! A final tradition is to eat at least one meal at Sunshine Seasons, and get the turkey focaccia and a dessert from the bakery-normally Strawberry Shortcake. Yum!

Our only food traditions are turkey legs (for DD and myself) and Mickey bars.

They are wonderful dogs, I would recomend them to anyone. They are extremely active though, and very intelligent so they can be quite the handful. My cat is like my third papillon haha, he grew up with them and thinks he's a dog! He walks on a leash and does tricks and everything. He's such a handful though! I've never had such a smart cat (amazing since someone just dropped him off in a box where i worked and said I dont want these kittens. Which happened the same day that i had just told my friend "I think i want a kitten" funny how life works that way)

Funny story about how I got my cat. I knew my parents would never let me bring another animal into the house, we had 2 dogs and a cat already, but I really wanted a kitten. So i told my parents an eloborate story about how this box of kittens was left out in the cold in front of our store and the mom got hit by a car (all false) and i just needed to keep the kitten for a few days and we would find him a home...they bought it and a year later he still lives here! kind of got out second dog the same way, we were only supposed to keep her till she found a home, 5 years later she's still here! Maybe my parents do have a soft spot? (Doubt it!)

Come on.... your parents are NOT dumb.... I imagine they KNOW you are trying to ease them into the idea of another pet. If they weren't agreeable I'm sure that the kitten and the dog would no longer be there. I absolutely refuse to own a dog and I can assure you, it wouldn't matter what excuse my kids cooked up, if they showed up with a dog, it would be gone in a week! YOur parents just don't want to look like softies or you might show up with a BOX full of kittens!!

****************
AFternoon all! Cleaning continues, but it seems to be in vain. I get one spot cleaned up and I move to another room and someone has made a new mess in there! The office is like a paper explosion.

DD did help by mopping the kitchen and downstairs bathroom for me and DS has been doing some random picking up and stuff for me. HE is off to a friend's house now and not sure what DD is up to.

I need to, at the very least, clean the downstairs bathroom, dust the living room, make a grocery list for tomorrow, and clean up and vacuum this disgusting office. After that I will head to the upstairs messes!! But the company that is coming over tomorrow can stay downstairs, so that will be "extra" cleaning.

I've officially cancelled my robotics fundraiser for tomorrow due to lack of response, but I had invited a bunch of DD's Rainbow Girls friends to participate to work on the group scrapbook.... I didn't think it would be nice to cancel on them, so I invited them to come here to work on the book..... hence the cleaning I am doing. I've rearranged the dining room to add another table and I will bring down my scrapping stuff later today.

I am feeding them dinner tomorrow too, but I did a freezer search and came up with TWO frozen pasta dishes and a frozen quiche that I can use.... plus I have plenty of paper plates, cups, etc. So I just need to buy some fruit for a fruit salad (dessert) and some green salad stuff to go with dinner. So not too much $$ spent.

I'm gonna run..... laundry needs to be moved along probably..........P

 

[Zhoen]

But really, the Kool-aid with champagne? DId you make that up or do people really do that?? ewwww.

I made that up... just wanted to make as offensive/wasteful a combination as possible... I googled the words "expensive champagne" to find that one... apparently it's $750/bottle...BUT we live in the land of fried twinkies, fried pickles, fried oreos, fried green beans, and all sorts of other weird food inventions, so it wouldn't surprise me if someone actually did this. Seems like it would taste like soda... really bitter, gross soda...

 

[Connie96]

we are hoping (and praying and wishing) to go sept. 11-17. we have a reservation to stay at bay lake towers one bedroom for the week. i'm so excited and i just HAVE to go! i'll be 29 into 30 weeks pg then and although i know it'll be hot, it'll still be nice to be in disney. plus, so far i've been pretty good about getting out and exercising so i'm hoping to feel good while i'm there instead of blobbish like i felt with thomas (i was on bedrest and a total blob). when are you thinking of going??? it would be fun to meet up! i LOVED meeting WISH people when i was down for the princess! i was SO nervous about meeting them too. silly. everyone is so nice (i'm looking at you, rose, lisa, kathy, and maria!!)

I am looking at two different weeks:
Wednesday, September 14 thru Wednesday, September 21 -or-
Tuesday, November 8 thru Tuesday, November 15

The reason for the odd-ball mid-week start and end is because we're trying to fly on American Airlines frequent flyer miles and that's just the way it works out. I'll have to take extra vacation days but, I can live with it to fly for "free".

We'll probably decide by this weekend. The November trip is more expensive (discounts may be released later) but the weather would be nicer. The September trip is less expensive and SOONER!!! But, I have to coordinate between myself, DH, my mom and my dad. It's hard enough for two people to arrive at a decision. For four of us to come to a mutually acceptable conclusion... we'll see.

QOTD, Thursday 6/23: i have a feeling we've all tried some crazy things to lose weight. what was a crazy diet that you tried? what did you learn from it?

It's been MANY years ago but, I've done the SlimFast thing and I lost a good amount. I tried Atkins once and HATED it, I made it about 11 days and I don't recall actually losing any weight. My most successful weight loss was just by using thedailyplate.com and myfitnesspal.com. I moved over to MFP after dailyplate got absorbed by livestrong and it just got too slow and cumbersome.

And, in every case, I gained my weight back at varying rates, but I know that just keeping up with MFP I'll be able to lose and if I stick with it, I'll be able to maintain.

Disney QOTD, Thursday 6/23: do you have a disney family tradition? hit a certain park or ride first? take a picture at a particular spot? eat at a certain place? are you ornament buyers?? share if you would!

I'm not sure we really have a tradition. I think we've always started at Epcot but I couldn't swear to it. Now that DD will be going for the first time, this would be an excellent time to begin a tradition! I'll have to go re-read everyone's answers to see if there are any ideas I want to borrow.

 

[SettinSail]

Congrats to all our losers this week I am recalling that I never submitted my weight last week and I had a .6 gain but I promised I didn't do it on purpose! Hopefully tomorrow will be a better WI for me!

QOTD, Thursday 6/23: i have a feeling we've all tried some crazy things to lose weight. what was a crazy diet that you tried? what did you learn from it?

In college I did Slim Fast for a week, it had just come out, and I lost 11 pounds! I remember feeling very weak and the weight came back quickly. Of course in college I never weighed more than around 130 but back then that was FAT !!!

In 2001 I was a participant in a research study at Duke Univ that tested the group's health while eating an extremely low carb diet. I lost 29 pounds but could never follow that type of diet for life. The weight came back quickly again


Disney QOTD, Thursday 6/23: do you have a disney family tradition? hit a certain park or ride first? take a picture at a particular spot? eat at a certain place? are you ornament buyers?? share if you would!

We haven't been to WDW in years but when we are on the Disney cruises, we order room service every day for snacks - it's included in the cost of the cruise. We like to order the cheese platter and DS likes to order the PB & J with chocolate milk as a late night snack. We try to get onboard as early as possible the first day and hit the pool while hardly anyone is there yet. We always buy a Cmas ornament, a scrapbook with the year on it or the destination name and a beach towel.

Sorry about your phooey parents but love your Aunt Ann!

LisaH - I forgot to compliment you on your office decor - I it
Really love the paint color too.

Trina - your dogs and cat are so cute! I love the expression on the cat's face. I really cats. Today I put a box out on our apt landing for the neighbor's cat.. Sure enough, he was napping inside of it within minutes. I'm kinda glad out new house does not allow pets. DS wants a dog so bad and DH and I do not!

Tracey - sorry to hear about Ash's foot. Reminds me of DS at a 5th grade graduation party was running in the dark and a downed tree branch pierced his leg. He got most of it out and spent the night there but when we picked him up the next day we took him straight to the Ped's office. There was quite a bit of it still stuck in his leg The ped called in a bunch of the nurses to watch her remove the debris and irrigate the wound; it was very gross. They strongly advised us not to send him to BSA camp the next day due to possibility of infection but we did anyway. I worried about him all week! He has quite a scar on that shin still. We're always asking him "WHO gets a TREE stuck in their leg!!??"

Tggrstrr - 75 pounds What in the world You must feel so great! Can you share more specifics about what you've done for the past year? I seem to recall you are following WW?

We got all our utiites connected for next Friday by phone or online today except our water. So far all the places have waived any deposit fees since they could see we were previous customers in the past. It was interesting, the electric company had posted on their website that you had to pay a $260deposit which they woiuld hold for one year and then pay back to you with 8% interest I told DH to ask them if we could deposit any MORE $$ with them for that interest rate

We also made an appt to get DS registered for school on July 5th. At this time of year they are only doing group registrations on Tues/Thurs. I have 2 teacher's letters of rec for DS for Honors class and still waiting on ones from the Math & English teachers. That will be such a relief to have that done. I know school does not start until Aug 25 but it's been unsettling that we could not register him until we could prove a valid address.

Let's see, what else? We were able to get in touch with the next tenant of our apt here and told them everything we still have for sale and they are interested in the w/d, all blinds/shades and light fixtures. We need them to commit though and deposit the money in our account. Otherwise we have to remove all the blinds/shades and light fixtures. You can not just leave them behind. What a PITA that would be!!!

Supper tonight was ribs that I marinated in Korean bbq sauce for 24 hrs, black eyed peas soaked overnight, corn muffins w/green chilies and salad.
So I was able to use up some things that need to be eaten. I never have complete success with dried beans but these were nice and soft. alot of them had split open so I think I either soaked them too long or cooked them too long
DS had a friend over and the food didn't stretch too far! Glad I don't have 2 teenage boys to regularly feed. Several of the kids around here had friends over today and at one time 7 of them were in our little apt playing video games

Tomorrow is Day #2 of our 4 day weekend and I am not fighting DH to go anywhere; I am just giving in and being lazy like everyone else around here
I did get started on packing my suitcase for next week although I am STILL toying with the idea of staying in Germany for a few more weeks since we have the rental all arranged I really don't HAVE to go home next week. I'm not quite ready to get back to reality yet I think.

Hope you all have a great WI tomorrow

Shawn

 

[dumbo_buddy]

That's right Nancy, phooey on them. They are the ones missing out. What cool aunts you have! Have fun at the Mets game today!

******
We had tornado warnings from about 7:30 until about 10:30 last night. Crazy! Lots of trees and powerlines down, but I don't think there were any injuries. Luckily we have a finished basement, so it wasn't so bad.


Wanted to give a shout out to LTS, Buffy and SarahMay. Hope you all are well and that things are going ok.

Have a great day everyone!

tornado warnings?? yikes! i bet that was scary. thank goodness everything turned out ok. phew!

Good morning friends! Day two of waking with a banging headache...... stupid hormones.

Coffee is brewed and Advil is calling my name. Lots of housework on the agenda today. Nothing too exciting to chat about. TTYL..................P

so did that headache go away? nothing worse than the never ending headache!

Dinosaur! You mean mommy. The worst I did was winnie the pooh the first year. Next trip bribed him with 20 dollars to do splash which he loved, and the following trip, just the 2 of us, 20 dollars to do TOT, and completely horrified him. Ah, the memories.

I can totally see myself bribing my kids to go on some rides with me!!! i like the way you think!

Love aunt Ann's quotes. That is a bummer about your parents, but you are right, a big, fat, phooey on them and the joy that they are missing spending time with you and Thomas. And the new little one. Do you have a name or anythign picked out yet? One of the girls i work with is expecting her first grandchild, and they are calling it the "bean", I think cause the first ultrasound it looked like a bean. So funny.

aw, bean. that's cute! i have friends that called their little one "the nub" because when he was in her belly at one of the ultrasounds the baby had little nubs for limbs. nub. lol. we are having some problems coming up with names. we can't really agree on anything. we are into nice and plain, biblical names and yet still can't come to an agreement. the only one we both kind of like is matthew. probably would be matthew john. we'll see. i'm taking suggestions though!!

I have tried lots of different diets, but none too crazy. I did one that had a lot of hard boiled eggs and saltines, very limited, but I can't remember what else. I don't remember doing anything too bizarre where I lost any weight. A lot of girls I worked with did Optifast when it was new, I think that's what it was, only the drinks, and lost tons of weight, but put it all back on, and struggled to lose any more.

Disney traditions Crystal palace every trip, until the princess. I couldn't go before the race and eat that much, and after we did chef mickey's. We also on our second trip discovered the Animation class and is always a highlight of our trips. I also buy myself a mug from photopass after each trip, and a mini scrapbook to do right away and since I've only done the big scrapbook for the first trip, the mini's might be all the rest get.

)

i really love crystal palace. it's pretty much a tradition for us too! love going there!!! there's a new winnie the pooh movie coming out in july so i bet the restaurant will be even more popular now!!! gotta get those ADRs!

Hello! Just checking in, it's been awhile and you guys are moving so fast, lol! I spent all day yesterday cleaning my house and really didn't feel like going out for my walk/run, but I did (my DH made me!) and on my third run just kept going. My longest run so far has been 3 minutes, and only if I feel great. Well last night I was in shock, I ran for 8 minutes! I had no idea I could do that, especially on a night when I didn't even feel like exercising!

So, to top that off, it finally tipped the scale in the right direction, and I have officially hit 70 lbs lost! If I can lose 5 more in the next 24 days it will make 75 lbs in a year. So that is my goal.

We just booked our January cruise the other night, and I made a deal with the dev- oops, typo, I mean my husband. If I can make up the extra money at a 2nd job I will be doing, we will stay 2 nights before the cruise at WDW and do 1 day in the parks. If we get a 40% pin code, then maybe a deluxe hotel. Unfortunately, the dates didn't work out and we won't be doing either of the 5ks this year.

70 lbs!!!! that is awesome!!!! congrats on the cruise too! very exciting!

I wasn't able to respond yesterday - work was crazy and then had the year end baseball party for DS7. Here are the last 2 QOTD.

We buy an ornament each trip. That's the only real tradition that we have.

it's hard to respond all the time. this board moves fast!

i think i want to start getting an ornament. yep, i'm gonna start.

There are plenty of folks who would/would not say it was crazy, but I did the 2 week induction for Atkins, and lost a bunch in that 2 weeks, as promised, but since I had no carbs in my system, I had no power when I ran... like stepping on the gas and nothing happened. So I didn't stick with that.

I think the only "crazy" one I tried was the Mastercleanse diet... My best friend bought-in to the whole uber-hippy herbalist lifestyle about 7 years ago... she had done this, her parents had done it, and they all swore it made them feel great... that wasn't as much about losing any weight as just getting bad stuff out... Needless to say, it tasted terrible... and while I'm not a huge fan of meat or pastas... living off of bad-tasting lemonade, not my idea of fun... I have no idea if it would have worked...


Disney QOTD, Thursday 6/23: do you have a disney family tradition? hit a certain park or ride first? take a picture at a particular spot? eat at a certain place? are you ornament buyers?? share if you would!

I have gotten a photo at Cinderella's fountain a few times... once when I went the first time (don't know where that one is now), once when we went 12 years ago, and the last time when we went about 4 1/2 years ago... This time I want a picture of me and my girls there, and hopefully it will continue over the years. We always do MK first, and we always take the ferry... there's just something about seeing the castle get closer and closer... We're hoping for early breakfast at CRT next year, so I don't know if that will be possible next time, not sure how early the ferry runs... that's really all I can think of...


I committed a cooking sin last night... So we had, like, 2/3rds of a loaf of italian bread in the fridge (it's Maryland, bread molds in about an hour here in the summer if left out...) and I was thinking about what I could do for dinner that wouldn't heat up the kitchen, was adaptable for me and the pixies and the husband...and used what we had... So I remembered seeing a pack of steak somewhere in the freezer, just pound or so, so I thought "giant steak sub!!!" I could make it meatier and cheesier and breadier for everyone else, smaller and lighter for me, and using the griddle doesn't heat up the kitchen... perfect!!!

Yeah, after I got the steak half-thawed I realized it was tenderloin (filet mignon)... Wow was I kicking myself... but it was half-thawed, too late to turn back!!!

So yeah, I made filet mignon steak subs last night... I feel so ritzy!

(But in my defense, I was using up what we had, and I did make it half and half... boring-style for the kids, and awesome style for the grown ups... ) I had bought that tenderloin forever ago to make Boeuf en Croute, which is delicious, but wicked (baked in a puff pastry crust with extra butter)... so I seasoned the meat the same way (mushrooms, thyme, red wine) and put it on the bread, which I'd toasted on the griddle, still tasted awesome. So there's my latest invention... Boeuf en pain...

Now, as if that's not offensive enough... we had plenty of leftover meat, which will either get absorbed ("eating" implies chewing, swallowing, and more than .5 seconds per food item, they don't do that) by the teenagers staying over tonight, or will go into the leftovers bag in the freezer, destined to become chili, meatloaf, or beef stew... now see, THAT's ritzy...

Wait, maybe I'll run them through the grinder and fry it up into a hamburger... I'll serve it on cheap white rolls on a paper plate with baked beans made with Prosciutto de Parma and a spritzer made with kool-aid and Clos du Mesnil champagne... in a plastic fast-food cup!

filet sammies. nice!

A final tradition is to eat at least one meal at Sunshine Seasons, and get the turkey focaccia and a dessert from the bakery-normally Strawberry Shortcake. Yum!

i love that place! so many different things to eat. the sushi's not good though.

************
I feel like I've been struggling this week, but I know what it's from. I haven't been doing very good at recording all my food and I haven't been getting near the amount of water I'm supposed to be drinking. I have lost a little bit though, so I'm happy about that. I am really looking forward to a few weeks from now when I'm settled in my new job and have the time and energy to work out like I know I can. It's proving to be a little bit harder to get motivated than I thought! I am doing more walking/moving than I was before and that makes me feel better.

I just feel better in general since starting this challenge. Little stuff that used to bother me doesn't anymore. I have more love for myself, and the ability to say "That was good, but you can do better" and use that as fuel for the next week instead of using it as a reason for why I can't do this in the first place. I've upped the ante on myself and it feels good to be able to get my life into some semblance, haha. I always knew what you were supposed to do and how to do it, I just never felt like I could apply it to myself. And now I do And it makes me feel really good. So if you ladies (and gentlemen!) ever wonder if you do good, you do. Trust me

"i have more love for myself" - awesome! i love it!!!

I am an ornament buyer, I get a Belle one each year. I also always have a stop at Goofy's Candy Co. for a carrot cake cookie (best ever!), and I usually leave with some kind of Mickey jewelry from the World of Disney -- but not the stuff in cases!

Maria

i've read alot about these carrot cake cookies on disneyfoodblog.com and i really want one. like, right now.

I made that up... just wanted to make as offensive/wasteful a combination as possible... I googled the words "expensive champagne" to find that one... apparently it's $750/bottle...BUT we live in the land of fried twinkies, fried pickles, fried oreos, fried green beans, and all sorts of other weird food inventions, so it wouldn't surprise me if someone actually did this. Seems like it would taste like soda... really bitter, gross soda...

I am looking at two different weeks:
Wednesday, September 14 thru Wednesday, September 21 -or-
Tuesday, November 8 thru Tuesday, November 15

The reason for the odd-ball mid-week start and end is because we're trying to fly on American Airlines frequent flyer miles and that's just the way it works out. I'll have to take extra vacation days but, I can live with it to fly for "free".

We'll probably decide by this weekend. The November trip is more expensive (discounts may be released later) but the weather would be nicer. The September trip is less expensive and SOONER!!! But, I have to coordinate between myself, DH, my mom and my dad. It's hard enough for two people to arrive at a decision. For four of us to come to a mutually acceptable conclusion... we'll see.

september!!! september!!

We also made an appt to get DS registered for school on July 5th. At this time of year they are only doing group registrations on Tues/Thurs. I have 2 teacher's letters of rec for DS for Honors class and still waiting on ones from the Math & English teachers. That will be such a relief to have that done. I know school does not start until Aug 25 but it's been unsettling that we could not register him until we could prove a valid address.

Let's see, what else? We were able to get in touch with the next tenant of our apt here and told them everything we still have for sale and they are interested in the w/d, all blinds/shades and light fixtures. We need them to commit though and deposit the money in our account. Otherwise we have to remove all the blinds/shades and light fixtures. You can not just leave them behind. What a PITA that would be!!!

Supper tonight was ribs that I marinated in Korean bbq sauce for 24 hrs, black eyed peas soaked overnight, corn muffins w/green chilies and salad.
So I was able to use up some things that need to be eaten. I never have complete success with dried beans but these were nice and soft. alot of them had split open so I think I either soaked them too long or cooked them too long
DS had a friend over and the food didn't stretch too far! Glad I don't have 2 teenage boys to regularly feed. Several of the kids around here had friends over today and at one time 7 of them were in our little apt playing video games

Tomorrow is Day #2 of our 4 day weekend and I am not fighting DH to go anywhere; I am just giving in and being lazy like everyone else around here
I did get started on packing my suitcase for next week although I am STILL toying with the idea of staying in Germany for a few more weeks since we have the rental all arranged I really don't HAVE to go home next week. I'm not quite ready to get back to reality yet I think.

Hope you all have a great WI tomorrow

Shawn

how does DS feel about moving? and going to a new school?

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

evening everyone! i'm exhausted and making this quick. there was a ton of rain this afternoon and i almost decided not to head out to the met game. i could barely see while driving there! i'm glad i did because finally the rain stopped. there was a 2hr rain delay but we still wound up watching most of the game. and they won! woot! i'm not going to talk about what i ate on here because 1) this is the biggest LOSER thread and 2) i'm a coach!

i can barely keep my eyes open! looks like it'll be an early night. DH is exhausted too. he got home at 6am this morning from his flight from CA, showered, and went to work. his head is bobbing on the couch. haha

tomorrow is our 5th anniversary. it went fast! nothing really planned since we have thomas's bday party on saturday. maybe on sunday we'll go out to eat. we'll see.

i'll be back on tomorrow!! keep up the good work everyone! xoxo

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

Hi all,

I dont have alot of time. Just wanted to say hello.

QOTD-

1. When I was in my late teens I heard about these fat burner pills that were sold at the GNC store. Since I was naive and thought if it was sold there they are good for you I took them. I lost a ton of weight and became a bit sick looking. at one point I pretty much stopped eating. I wouldnt say I was anorexic but people thought I was. I think those things just supressed my appetite so bad that I didnt ever feel hungry. So not the way to go.

2. We really havent formed any traditions but the past 3 trips we ate at chef mickeys and we most likely will do that again next trip so I would say that is a tradition. I feel like we dont go often enough to do any traditions but I hope that will change in a few years when I am not paying 1200 dollars a month on childcare. For that amount I can got to twice a year to disney.

I am a bit nervous again for weigh in. the number hasnt been moving much on the scale this week but I have used 3/4 of must extra weekly points already since monday. I think part of it is TOM slowly approaching the station. I am feeling a bit bloated. Sorry for TMI!!!!!

I did run tonight so hopefully that will help.

I hope you all are having a great day and if not here is a great big

 

[bellebookworm9]

i think i want to start getting an ornament. yep, i'm gonna start.

i love that place! so many different things to eat. the sushi's not good though.

i've read alot about these carrot cake cookies on disneyfoodblog.com and i really want one. like, right now.

I want to start an ornament tradition. Might buy one in October for my itty bitty fiber optic tree (that isn't technically allowed at school ). Right now I just have a pack of little silver balls I bought from WalMart!

I also recommend the roasted chicken dinner. It looks like they changed their menu a bit and I'm kind of disappointed. I've only had sushi once, from school. It was gross. I had a Philadelphia roll (I think): crab meat, avocado, cream cheese, cucumber. All things I like separately. But together it was just ...the seaweed didn't really help either.

I saw that blog about the carrot cake cookies! So glad we're going to Downtown Disney-need to get that one from Goofy's! Plus my normal "make your own pretzel sticks"...Oh! And something from Karamell Kuche...and something from Boardwalk Bakery!


Today has been fine points wise. I did 30 minutes of Wii Tennis, and I was just doing C25K. 3 minutes from the end, my treadmill started making not-so-good noises. I immediately turned it off for fear of explosion/fire/other bad things. I'll have Mom look at it tomorrow-hope it's not dead!

 

[cclovesdis]

Welcome to Healthy Habits![/SIZE]

My name is CC (like see-see) and I will be your Healthy Habits (HH) coach for the Summer 2011 BL Challenge. I big thank you to donac and jenanderson for showing me the ropes.

Here's How HH Works: Each week, there will be 2 "things" to do each day. You earn 1 point for each day you do each "thing." So, if you do each "thing" for all 7 days, you earn 14 points. There will also be 2 mini-challenges each week. You earn 1 point for each mini-challenge you complete for a total of 16 possible points each week. At the end of the week, please PM me your total points. Here is an example:

4/7 eating 2 fruits
3/7 drinking 6 8 oz. glasses of water
1/2 mini-challenges completed

I will post the top scores as well as a list of the participants each week on/about Tuesday. You have until Tuesday at 5 PM EST to send me your points. Everyone who participates (regardless of his/her total points) will be entered into the drawing for a prize. It will be something related to the week's HH. You will need to PM me your address so I can send you the prize. If you do not WISH to be entered into the prize drawing, please let me know.

Healthy Habits Week 4

For All 7 Days:
1. Eat 2 servings of dairy or dairy substitutes per day. Or take a calcium supplement.
2. Exercise for at least 20 minutes.
Mini-Challenge 1: Eat no more than 2 meals outside your house. (Aka restaurants-Grandma's is OK! )
Mini-Challenge 2: Plan your meals for the next day at least twice.

Feel free to ask any questions! Have a great week!


I will post Week 2's results tomorrow night. I only realized it was Thursday a few minutes ago.

 

[pjlla]

I made that up... just wanted to make as offensive/wasteful a combination as possible... I googled the words "expensive champagne" to find that one... apparently it's $750/bottle...BUT we live in the land of fried twinkies, fried pickles, fried oreos, fried green beans, and all sorts of other weird food inventions, so it wouldn't surprise me if someone actually did this. Seems like it would taste like soda... really bitter, gross soda...

Sorry I didn't realize you were kidding.... I'm a bit dense I guess!

Actually.... DS and I tried fried Oreos a few summers ago while we were away for Mother/Son weekend up at Old Orchard Beach in Maine. They were so good! DS got chatting with the girl who made them and she told us how. We tried it when we got home and it worked! We also tried frying a few other things (like mini pb cups! ) Yummy, but nothing we need to eat very often! I've only tried that one time at home and fortunately it appears that DS has forgotten about it!

About the weird champagne/kool-aid combo.... I have made my own strange soda with plain seltzer and 4C sugar-free drink mix (like Crystal Light). I have used the fruit punch and the cranberry pomegranate flavors. It is pretty tasty, but a bit chemically tasting. I do it when I need to really push the fluids.... I find it easier to drink more when it is flavored like that, although I usually manage 2-3 liters of plain seltzer every day.

Congrats to all our losers this week I am recalling that I never submitted my weight last week and I had a .6 gain but I promised I didn't do it on purpose! Hopefully tomorrow will be a better WI for me!


That's okay.... I forgot to submit last week and I had a great loss! So we balanced each other's forgetful brains!



We got all our utiites connected for next Friday by phone or online today except our water. So far all the places have waived any deposit fees since they could see we were previous customers in the past. It was interesting, the electric company had posted on their website that you had to pay a $260deposit which they woiuld hold for one year and then pay back to you with 8% interest I told DH to ask them if we could deposit any MORE $$ with them for that interest rate


How exciting to get so much done and ready for the big move back to the US!

I agree... 8% is unheard of rate of return!!

We also made an appt to get DS registered for school on July 5th. At this time of year they are only doing group registrations on Tues/Thurs. I have 2 teacher's letters of rec for DS for Honors class and still waiting on ones from the Math & English teachers. That will be such a relief to have that done. I know school does not start until Aug 25 but it's been unsettling that we could not register him until we could prove a valid address.

Let's see, what else? We were able to get in touch with the next tenant of our apt here and told them everything we still have for sale and they are interested in the w/d, all blinds/shades and light fixtures. We need them to commit though and deposit the money in our account. Otherwise we have to remove all the blinds/shades and light fixtures. You can not just leave them behind. What a PITA that would be!!!

Supper tonight was ribs that I marinated in Korean bbq sauce for 24 hrs, black eyed peas soaked overnight, corn muffins w/green chilies and salad.
So I was able to use up some things that need to be eaten. I never have complete success with dried beans but these were nice and soft. alot of them had split open so I think I either soaked them too long or cooked them too long
DS had a friend over and the food didn't stretch too far! Glad I don't have 2 teenage boys to regularly feed. Several of the kids around here had friends over today and at one time 7 of them were in our little apt playing video games

Dinner sounds good. I have trouble making my own beans as well... they always seem either too hard or too soft. So despite the fact that they are more expensive, I usually opt for canned beans. But I'm glad you were able to use up some of your pantry stuff before the move.

Got any couscous in the pantry? I think I've posted my couscous salad recipe on the BL recipe thread in the past. I'm making it next week and I am really looking forward to it!

Tomorrow is Day #2 of our 4 day weekend and I am not fighting DH to go anywhere; I am just giving in and being lazy like everyone else around here
I did get started on packing my suitcase for next week although I am STILL toying with the idea of staying in Germany for a few more weeks since we have the rental all arranged I really don't HAVE to go home next week. I'm not quite ready to get back to reality yet I think.

Hope you all have a great WI tomorrow

Shawn

When are you going to the Black Forest to find the cuckoo clock??

evening everyone! i'm exhausted and making this quick. there was a ton of rain this afternoon and i almost decided not to head out to the met game. i could barely see while driving there! i'm glad i did because finally the rain stopped. there was a 2hr rain delay but we still wound up watching most of the game. and they won! woot! i'm not going to talk about what i ate on here because 1) this is the biggest LOSER thread and 2) i'm a coach!

i can barely keep my eyes open! looks like it'll be an early night. DH is exhausted too. he got home at 6am this morning from his flight from CA, showered, and went to work. his head is bobbing on the couch. haha

tomorrow is our 5th anniversary. it went fast! nothing really planned since we have thomas's bday party on saturday. maybe on sunday we'll go out to eat. we'll see.

i'll be back on tomorrow!! keep up the good work everyone! xoxo

Glad you got to enjoy the game! Happy anniversary!!!

Hi all,

I dont have alot of time. Just wanted to say hello.

QOTD-

1. When I was in my late teens I heard about these fat burner pills that were sold at the GNC store. Since I was naive and thought if it was sold there they are good for you I took them. I lost a ton of weight and became a bit sick looking. at one point I pretty much stopped eating. I wouldnt say I was anorexic but people thought I was. I think those things just supressed my appetite so bad that I didnt ever feel hungry. So not the way to go.

2. We really havent formed any traditions but the past 3 trips we ate at chef mickeys and we most likely will do that again next trip so I would say that is a tradition. I feel like we dont go often enough to do any traditions but I hope that will change in a few years when I am not paying 1200 dollars a month on childcare. For that amount I can got to twice a year to disney.

I am a bit nervous again for weigh in. the number hasnt been moving much on the scale this week but I have used 3/4 of must extra weekly points already since monday. I think part of it is TOM slowly approaching the station. I am feeling a bit bloated. Sorry for TMI!!!!!

I did run tonight so hopefully that will help.

I hope you all are having a great day and if not here is a great big

I'm not looking forward to weigh-in either. Workouts this week have been nonexistent. And eating has been just okay... not great. First week of summer vacation and feeling the lack of routine/schedule already!

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

Evening friends!

Hit the grocery store tonight and made some good choices. But wow.... I just bought $35 worth of fruit/veggies at the fruit and flower market on Wednesday and it is mostly gone, except for maybe two peaches, a few apples, a zucchini and one onion! And tonight was another $150 and I bought NO MEAT! I did buy some beer, which an unusual purchase for me, plus paper goods and feminine hygiene products, so that boosted my tally quite a bit.

I bought some plain greek yogurt. DD and I added the strawberry/rhubarb sauce to the yogurt (with a bit of Splenda and some vanilla).... OMG.. it was delicious!! I had intended to use the sauce for another recipe, but I think we are going to end up eating it all!

Well.... I should fold some laundry before I close my eyes for the night, so I'll say goodnight for now.....................P

 

[my3princes]

Hello. I worked 15 1/2 hours today Hopefully I'll be able to fall asleep quickly as i was up at 5 AM. I think we've decided not to camp this weekend as the forecast isn't good, cold and rainy Friday and Saturday. We may do a day trip on Sunday, but I was too tired to really think or talk about it when we I finally got home. Tonight was my last night at the restaurant. I'm sure that I'll get an occasional SOS call, but I can handle occasional vs 2 nights each week. It will be very strange as I've worked nights for most of the last 19 years. I'm happy though

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Hey Rose and the rest of the BL gang!! Sorry I've been MIA!! I'll totally admit I am way off plan. Things are just full on here and I haven't had much time to myself. DH is home so we have gutted the bathroom for a complete reno. Then our room is next including building DD a loft bunk so her wardrobe and toys can go underneath. Then we are doing the boys room, loft space for all 3 of them. Having 2 bedrooms sucks!!! That's all I can say!!
And sports are crazy busy. This week is basketball camp, next week is 2 kids in swim, one in tennis, and the oldest starts 5:30am conditioning. I honestly don't get a break until they go back to school!! LOL And crazy me is toying with the idea of going back to work!!!!

I've also been fielding phone calls from parents about crap in the neighborhood (damn teenagers) and school stuff. The music teacher really ticked me off today and let's just say it's a good thing I'm not the PTO VP anymore. I've reached my limit with the BS at school. I'm also glad we decided not to send DD there, so I just have one there now and he only has 3 years left.

Anyway, I'm here. Trudging along. I really want to get back OP, but honestly I need to just come up for air!

UGH, ok tomorrow I commit to getting my water in and working out for 30 minutes.

There I said it and no take backs!!!! LOL

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!!


Oh and PS, the weather was ok we just had some thunderstorms and steady rain all day, nothing major.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Organizational Challenge 6/24-6/30

OK everyone last week in June so we are spending our last week in the kitchen.

Jobs for the week:
* Make beds every day
* do dishes every night and have a clean sink before bed
* Menu planning for the week

This week we are going to clean out the drawers. All of them! Junk drawers, utility drawers, utensils etc..... Purge unused, unwanted items. Busted wooden spoons, burnt plastic ladles, baby utensils if the babies are now 14.....
We are also going to hit the counter tops this week. Clutter leads to Chaos!! so clear the clutter!!
Only keep the essentials on the counters.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Inspirational Quote of the Day

"It's impossible" said pride.
"It's risky" said experience.
"It's pointless" said reason.
"Give it a try" whispered the heart.

 

[SettinSail]

Buffy, I am glad you checked in Love the quote Hang in there I hope you get some 'me' time soon
Good luck with the renovations.

Pamela, we still have a lot of cous cous left although I took cous cous salad to 2 diff parties last weekend. I've had the thought that it would be cheaper to just donate it or toss it rather than keep buying all the other ingredients I need to go in there Black beans, corn & cilantro for one dish, cukes,tomatoes, celery for another. I'll have to check the recipe board for your recipe though in case I do decide to make some more.
Not sure when/if we will go the the Black Forest for the cuckoo clock, would have to be today or tomorrow if we are going. We have all day plans Sunday and I am going to see Celtic Woman Sunday night! DH will be back in Germany for 3 weeks at the end of July so he may have to go by himself (he's the one that wants it)

Nancy, I would love to go to the new Mets stadium, I've been to the Yankees and it was so nice. DS is very excited to go back home to HS in the US with his old friends. I hope it's a good transition for him. His old MS feeds students into 3 different High School so it won't be the same.

I had my hair done at 9:00 this morning so I am looking good We are all at home today, incl DS friend who slept over last night. DH made us all pancakes, bacon and biscuits So far, we aren't up to much. I am making a "mix tape" for all my girlfriends here as a good -bye present. Ya know, like I'm back in 7th grade or something It was either that or homemade pesto and I don't have a food processor for that so....

I'll come back later and answer QOTD...

Shawn