My Journal to Me - Comments welcome!

[kmp1191]

Oh man Anna....the Grand Canyon....Helicopter ride....COOOOOL!!!!
I wanna be a part of your family!!!
Hope you are having a great time!!

BTW, you are doing great with your walking....keep it up....and w/ everything being crazy busy, you are still super organized...I envy you!!

marie

 

[CACruisin']

The Grand Canyon really is impressive! Friday afternoon DH and the older girls did their helicopter ride and loved it. I took DD3 for a long hike in the jogger stroller and loved that too except somehow it didn't really occur to me that the Rim Trail would be on the actual RIM. The path was no more than 3-4 ft wide in places and there is no rail, just a biiig drop off. I zipped my jacket around myself and the handle of the jogger and had a death grip on the handle. The weekend rule with DD3 was "hold hands" or be held - no exceptions.

We definitely needed plans B & C on this trip. DD12 may have a sinus infection, but she also has the flu. By Saturday afternoon, all three kids were running fevers and had bad coughs. Instead of the planned hikes on saturday, we did a couple hour drive out to Desert View and the east entrance of the park stopping at various view points along the way. This way we didn't "contaminate" anyone else on their vacation. Saturday was cold, overcast and super windy, so even without the fevers, hiking would not have been that nice. The overcast lighting really did change the colors in the canyon though. It was interesting to see. Saturday night it rained and then snowed! It wasn't enough to really stick on the ground except in shady places, but still neat to see.

I made some good food choices (spinach wrap, roasted veggie sandwich) and some not so good food choices (onion rings, desserts). I did get an awesome hike in Friday and another 30 minute walk on Saturday, but not the long hikes I had hoped for. We'll see what the damage is when I get on the scale this morning.

Today will be lots of laundry and probably dr visits x3!

Anna

 

[kmp1191]

The weekend getaway sounded pretty cool!
The Grand Canyon is one place that I would like to go to...just to take pictures!! I'm sure the views are incredible!
Sorry to hear all 3 are sick....that stinks!!

Try to have a good week anyway!!
marie

 

[CJK]

What an eventful weekend at the Grand Canyon! I hope the kiddos are feeling better. Look at it this way, maybe all the sickness will get out of the way NOW, so that everyone is healthy for the holiday season. The GC is on the list of places I'd like to see. Hopefully you can go back sometime and do some of those hikes. Hope you have a good week ahead and remember to take care of you!

 

[CACruisin']

WI this morning was 167 - not good, but what do I expect with the way I have been eating? Food choices were better today. We went to Soup Plantation after I took the kids to the Dr's. I tried to either make a healthy choice or small portion. Still probably ate too much. Only exercise was doing mountains of laundry. Dr confirmed the kids have a virus. DD3 had "iffy" ears, so we'll wait and see. I think I will have 2 of the 3 kids back to school today. DD3 still has a really yucky nose, so preschool is not going to happen today though.

b - 1/2 grapefruit, 1c GoLean cereal, 12 oz skim milk
l - 1 turkey hot dog, 3/4c LF baked beans, 6 baby carrots, 12oz skim milk
d - (soup plantation after Dr's appts) small serving broccoli salad & wonton chicken salad, green salad w/ peppers, tomatoes cucumbers, olives & 1T LF dresssing, very small sweet potato w/ 1t maple butter, pineapple slices, 2 mini blueberry muffins, 3 bites chocolate lava cake thing.

Anna

 

[Amy&Dan]

Hi Anna, sorry the kids are all sick, what a bummer! Sounds like you made the most of it and had a great time at the GC. I must say the walk on the rim made me queasy just thinking about it! I hope everyone is feeling better soon. Your food sounds good overall and the weigh in wasn't that bad. Travelling brings on a lot of water, that will come off soon!

 

[lovinaz]

Don't you just love the GC? The first time I went there I was also amazed that you just walk right up to the edge. It's a little freaky! We are planning a trip to hike down to Havasupai in the spring. We are going to take the kids and DD7 will ride down in a helicopter with my friend instead of hiking.

I'm sorry to hear all DD's are sick. Be sure to wash your hands often so you don't get it too! Hope they get better soon.

 

[traceycooper]

Hi Anna, caught up with some of your journal!
Wow the grand canyon lucky you, i have always wanted to visit their, i'm very jealous right now!!!
Hope your DD is ok after her fall, must have been scary for you.
I'm not a candy fan, i found the candy in the US VERY sweet, even for my taste!!!!!
Made up for it with cheesecake though

 

[CACruisin']

Two of the three kids made it to school - yea! DD3 clearly felt lousy most of yesterday, but seemed to get perkier in the late afternoon, so maybe she has turned the corner now too. DD12 had to swim (the downside of ISPE she has to log minimum hours each week), but I kept DD11 out of the water. She will swim either today or tomorrow though. Her first ever big swim meet is this weekend and the coaches (and me and her) want her to have some practice diving off the start blocks.

Had a decent day food wise except for a major munchie attack in the afternoon. I could have gone way overboard, but tried to keep it semi under control.

8a - 1c GoLean cereal, 12oz skim milk
12p -1c LF split pea soup, LC wedge, 1 serving wheat thin crisps
3-4p - 1.2oz almonds, 1 serving PB pretzels, 1 Hershey w/ tsp almond butter
7:15p - chicken w/ green beans & corn, 1/2c whole wheat pasta, 12pz skim milk
64oz water

Anna
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tracey - DD has recovered from her fall, mom is still a bit traumatized. US candy is really sweet, but I eat it anyway .

Amy - the GC was really neat. I would really like to go back in 3-4 years and either hike down to the inner canyon or do a raft trip down the river. Your trip this spring sounds great. And yes, I am washing hands like crazy along with using the economy size bottle of Purell.

Amy- I hope your are right about the water weight. I wish I could have hiked more, but we enjoyed what we did do. I definitely want to go back to the GC, but not until I am comfortable that DD's will not fall off the edge.

 

[lovinaz]

I'm glad to hear that everyone is starting to feel better.

Great job getting the snacking under control. It's easy to just say screw it and keep on munching! You didn't do too bad, your portions were all in check.

Have fun at the swim meet this weekend!

 

[CJK]

I hope your household is a healthy one, once again!! Good job on the food - even with everything that's going on with the kids. Keep it up - that scale will start moving south before you know it!

 

[CACruisin']

How did it get to be the middle of November already? Didn't we just have Halloween? The bad news is DD3 is definitely not better today. She actually took a nap this afternoon for 1.5 hours. She would have slept longer too, but I had to pick the older girls up from school. The good news is while DD3 was napping I finally got a chance to catch up on some journals.

Called the plumber at 9:30a today to schedule an appointment - they had 11-1p today! Great for the plumbing issues, but that gave me exactly 90 minutes to get the house picked up: my office (which chronically loooks like some sort of paper bomb went off in here), my bedroom (where I have mountain of clean laundry that I had planned on folding tonight while I watch TV), and the kids bathroom ('nuff said!). I know I have never picked up so fast! Now I have a functional tub drain, functional shower drain and tomorrow I will get two new toilets (Honey, guess what we got each other for christmas this year?) The cost to fix these wonderful (not!) low flow toilets is stupid, so we are replacing the two that are not working right. The others will have to be replaced also, but they are not in "high traffic" areas so hopefully we can get a few more years out of them. .

Enough about my daily saga ... food was actually pretty good today. If I could get some exercise worked in, I'd be in pretty good shape.

b - 1c Golean cereal, 12oz skim milk
l - leftover chicken w/ green beans & corn, 1/2c whole wheat pasta
s - 1/2 grapefruit, 3 graham crackers, 8 oz skim milk
d - (DH picked up Panda Express): 1/2c orange chicken, 1.5c mongolian beef w/ veggies, 1/2c chow mein, 1 fortune cookie, 12oz skim milk
70 oz water

Anna

 

[Amy&Dan]

Hi Anna, I love Panda Express, yummy! You did pretty well too, good job! I am sorry dd is not better, sometimes that crud just hangs on and on. It sounds like you are having a busy week and still doing very well on plan. And I am with you, how can it be mid NOvember already? I think that means Christmas is just around the corner, uh oh!

 

[toystoryduo]

Hi Anna,

I'm sorry to hear that your DD3 is still not feeling well. I bet the nap did help though. Sending some get well her way today.

I'm glad to hear that you were able to get your plumbing issues resolved... Plus, you got a clean house as well!

I hope your Thursday is a good one! Take care!

 

[CACruisin']

So if DD3 sounds like she is coughing up a lung and then actually throws up from coughing, she probably can't go to the Family Friendship Feast at school today, huh? Yea, I thought so....

 

[lovinaz]

I think you'd have some irate parents on your hands if you took her! There is a man here at work who I swear has bronchitis or pneumonia, yet he will NOT STAY HOME!!!!! It sounds like an infirmary in here, that is what sick days are for! OK, enough ranting, I hope your little one starts getting better soon. I hate when they cough for weeks...

We have those low flow toilets too. And they turn into NO flow when the kids cram half a roll of tp down them... One question - WHY are you picking up for the plumber?!?! Is he a hottie?!?!?

 

[SunFloridaDisney]

Hope your DD is feeling better!! It really messes with everything having a little sick one at home.

Glad you got the plumbing issues taken care of. We have plumbing issues here - 4 kids who seem to stop up things, but NO ONE did it, ever..........

Keep up the good work and have a nice weekend.

 

[CACruisin']

DD3 had another lousy day yesterday, but she slept better last night and she seems perkier this morning. DD11 turned the corner yesterday and is definitely feeling better. DD12 doesn't even have a cough anymore. Viruses are so weird.

Food wise I did ok yesterday, and I just can't worry about the exercise right now.

b-1c GoLean cereal, 12 oz skim milk
l - 3/4c LF split pea soup, LC wedge, 1 serving wheat thin crisps
s - missed it some how
d - turkey sandwich on the way to book club
s - 2c lite popcorn (at book club)

DD12 and I are leaving at noon for Palm Springs for a swim meet. She is swimming 500yd free this afternoon. Originally, I was taking DD11 also and DH would stay home with DD3 for the weekend. But, it is "early man" day at school for DD11 (dress up as cavepeople, do cave people activities, eat with your hands - major fun day for 6th graders!). I don't want to pull her early from school, so DH will drive out later today with DD3 and DD11. He's not too happy about it, but I think it will be good for him to be there. This will be DD11's first "big" swim meet. Both girls will be swimming events on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

WI this morning was 163.5. That is good incentive for me to behave well this weekend. I had a hard boiled egg and 2 pcs of blueberry crumble toast for breakfast today.

The hotel has internet access, so I hope to be able to catch up on journals this weekend. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Anna
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
no the plumber definitely wasn't a hottie. It doesn't bother me when my house is messy, but I don't like anyone else to see it messy so that is why I had to clean up. Silly, I know. Actually, DH loved the "Clean House" bonus of the plumber visit - said the plumber should come everyday . (MIL is a major neat freak - one of the many reasons why we don't get along too well.)

Probably would have gotten expelled from preschool if I had gone to the Feast. They are super strict about even runny noses or coughs.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Anna, don't even worry about exercising, with sick kids you are doing pretty darn good I think! I am glad the girls are getting better. Its the weekend now so they can stay home and get better. Viruses are so weird!

 

[traceycooper]

Hi Anna
Hope the swim meet is going well

Right am i right in understanding you have 4 toilets?????
Boy i miss the US, we have just 1 to share & thats pretty standard in the UK, unless you buy brand new....then you get 2!!!!!
Have a fun weekend
Tracey