Spring into a New Beginning- APRIL 2017 WISH Lifestyle/Weight Challenge

[Oneanne]

This is what inspires me so much about Walt's life story... setbacks just sent him in a different direction, and he kept on going. I've always felt that I didn't know, and still don't know, that thing about me and my life purpose that would put me on that undeniable path.

Things I've tried that didn't work for me? Dieting, in whatever form it has taken. As I mentioned earlier this month, I haven't succeeded in changing my lifestyle, I've only had brief periods of self control that I wasn't able to sustain.

Bonus Question: Disney World. I've only been to Disneyland twice, each time for just a day. The first time I didn't like it because everything was different/wrong... at that point Disney World was already ingrained on a cellular level, so it was jarring to have things be the same but not the same. The second time was maybe 15 years later, and I did actually enjoy it because it was different. A couple times I've looked at going down for a long weekend, but the cost was high enough that I thought I'd just go ahead and go to Disney World instead.

Well, I had my salad for lunch yesterday, a steak salad instead of the Cesar, because where I went the Cesar was a small side and I was hungry... I handled the prepared salad dressing OK. Today I brought my breakfast and lunch, so I'm pretty much still on program while I decide how to best manage things.

Today is hair day - yahoo! I feel like I've said that before, but this time I'm going to make sure it happens the way I want it to happen. I've got pictures I can point to and say "do that".

Last night a FB friend posted a thing from Pinterest, where they were saying if you mark out a square shape on the floor with tape your cat with automatically go in it, like they would a box. Did it work? Nope, my cats treated it like a barrier and sniffed around the edges but would not go in - they know a trap when they see it!

 

[pjlla]

Hey all! Oh my gosh, when life gets busy, it REALLY gets busy!

Just wanted to let you all know why I deleted my previous post with my news. DD was not happy with me for sharing here before she had a chance to announce her news. Can't say that I blame her and I should have thought before I typed (the excitement overtook the logic in my brain)! Anyhow, I know many of you saw it and commented on it and I will come back and "OFFICIALLY" announce it after SHE lets people know.

Other than that I've been good but stupid busy. I've bumped up my hours a bit on my online job, I'm holding tight on the WW "temporary" job that I've had since last September, and of course life goes on as usual with exercise (yup, I've really been trying.... nice weather definitely helps), laundry, dishes, cooking, etc! I spent half of last weekend at a robotics tournament for the team that DS mentors and they made it to "Worlds" in St. Louis next week! So that meant scrambling to book him flights there and home..... it was a bit of chaos as the team told him they were returning on one particular flight, so I booked a "nonrefundable" ticket for him on that flight.... and then his girlfriend (who is on the team) and her Mom booked a DIFFERENT flight. So I got a message from him the next day asking if I could please change his flight so that he flies home with the girlfriend..... completely different airline! Told him NOPE. NONREFUNDABLE. But of course, being the best mom in the world, I managed to find a loophole (had 24 hours to refund.... got it refunded at 23.5 hours!!) and got the ticket refunded (all except $22) and rebooked him to fly with the girlfriend AND still managed to save about $100 !!!

I need to get back to some meal planning after Easter. I REALLY want to get under my goal for my anniversary next month and I am still 4 pounds away from that number with just 34 days left to go! I am excited to unbox my wedding gown (haven't touched it in 25 years) and see it being TOO BIG! Not sure that will actually be the case..... I am lighter than I was when I got married (assuming I get to that one-pound-under-goal number), but with two babies and 25 extra years on the body, the shape has definitely changed!

Then just 24 hours after that I will head to Rhode Island to see DD graduate! I cannot believe those 4 years have gone by!!! They absolutely vanished in a heartbeat! I can still remember the lump in my throat as we crossed the bridge on move-in day, freshman year, and her campus came into view. It seemed like she would be gone SO long! But now it is over!

I'm busy looking for a third flexible job for the summer (in addition to working maintenance at my school AND my two WW jobs).... but I don't really want to make myself crazy for minimum wage, so I'm not sure I'll find anything other than waiting tables. Nothing wrong with that, but there are no restaurants in my town, so it would mean driving at least 30 minutes away. I could just try to add hours to my other jobs, but that isn't always available. Other than driving for Uber, anyone got a reliable side-hustle they could recommend?

I PROMISE I've been reading the chatter as I have time, but just haven't been able to take the time to reply. Hoping to get caught up soon! ............P

 

[Lady Marie]

Just getting back from the doc with DS10. It turns out he has pneumonia So antibiotics and lots of rest for him. I guess my woohoo for today is that we caught it in time for him to get better before our mother/son WDW trip next week.

Oh no! Sending pixie dust for a speedy recovery!

What kind of things have you tried that didn't work for you? How long do you try something before you decide it that it isn't working?

Bonus question: Do you prefer Disneyland or Disney World? If you have never been to one, do you have plans to visit?

What I have learned that works the least for me is anything that is self-motivated... The elliptical in my house mainly catches dust, getting myself up to go for a run or going to the gym never happens, and if bad food is in the house I give in. Weight Watchers was ok but I think I struggled because I was just doing the online version and not going to meetings. I think I would have been more motivated knowing I had to go check-in with real live people every week. I gave up on WW after about 6 months. I lost a little, but not much. I finally gave up on self-motivated exercise in January after a year and a half of trying and it's completely changing my journey. If I don't go to OT, I lose my classes. Money is QUITE the motivator.

Bonus: Disney World. And it's kind of a shame, because I am a super nostalgic cry baby who thought I was just going to breakdown and have a spiritual experience walking on the Main St where Walt did.... instead, I just couldn't get beyond seeing the evolution that was yet to come in the form of WDW. I think I did myself a huge disservice by going as a stop over on my way home from TDR. TDR is Disney on steroids and I had to recover from the let down of even WDW for a few months after that. I should have gone on my way out to TDR. But hindsight is 20/20. I will go again, plan it much better, and I imagine will have a much better experience

Last night a FB friend posted a thing from Pinterest, where they were saying if you mark out a square shape on the floor with tape your cat with automatically go in it, like they would a box. Did it work? Nope, my cats treated it like a barrier and sniffed around the edges but would not go in - they know a trap when they see it!

OMG I saw this and tried it with mine too. She was only interested in peeling it up and chewing on the tape.... she's an odd one!

 

[piglet1979]

View attachment 231245​

When we last left Walt he had quit his job to start Laugh-O-Grams Films Company. He had convinced Ub Iwerks to quit his job and they hired five other animators to work for them. They decided to make films based on fairy tales after the success of the Little Red Riding Hood cartoon. A buyer in New York liked the idea and paid a $100 deposit and promised $11,000 to Laugh-O-Grams to make six films. The whole Laugh-O-Grams crew had a love for animation, they worked long hours and didn't complain when their paychecks were short due to low funds. Walt also decided to purchase a Universal camera that he could use for cartoons as well as live action.

View attachment 231246​

The fairy tale films they had worked so hard on were shipped off to New York in the fall of 1922 but no payment came back. Pictorial Clubs, the company that had promised to buy them, had gone out of business. After that the employees slowly found work in other places. Things looked bad for Walt. He had to live in the Laugh-O-Grams offices because he couldn't afford his rent. Once a week he would go to the railroad station where he could buy a hot bath.

But his luck turned around one day when a dentist came to him to ask Walt to make a film about dental health. After that film Walt got the idea of putting live action actors in with cartoons and Alice's Wonderland was born. He found a distributor for the film and set to work on it. However, the money started to run short again. He borrow money from anyone that would help. Halfway through the film he had to put the project on hold. His brother Roy convinced him to move on. So Walt claimed bankruptcy, sold his camera and bought a first class ticket to California. He was heading west to become a director.

Walt had a dream that he would not give up even when times got tough. This is how we have to face living a healthy lifestyle. Never give up! But sometimes we try things that may not work for us. What kind of things have you tried that didn't work for you? How long do you try something before you decide it that it isn't working?

Bonus question: Do you prefer Disneyland or Disney World? If you have never been to one, do you have plans to visit?

I know that if I try to workout at home it does not work. The couch is so much nicer. I have to get out and workout.

Bonus -- I have only been to Disney World. I love it but I have always wanted to go Disneyland. We were talking about doing it in 2020 but have decided to push that one off a bit and go back to WDW to see all the new stuff. We have decided that my husband and I will go to Cali for a long 3 week plus or so vacation after the kids are gone. We will start up north and work our way down Cali to the bottom with stops at Disneyland and San Diego zoo among many other things.

++++++++++

Yesterday was a very busy and crazy day. The deadline to our scholarship application was yesterday and we ran into lots of problems. I am hoping we have worked most of that out. The next 2 weeks at work are going to be very busy as we need to verify that the information the advisers enter is correct and then have the students selected by April 26th. We have about 1000 applications to verify and we select anywhere between 300-400 students a year. Once these 2 weeks are over then it will quiet down a bit until June when renewal paperwork starts coming in and the new students have there meeting to go over the requirements of the scholarship.

Yesterday morning was rough too as my daughter tired to act like she was really sick and needed to stay home from school. Yes was upset that my son had the day off due to state testing. I ended up being late to work by like an hour. Then after work I had to get my son from my husbands grandmother pick up my daughter from and have my son pack and get them to my moms for a sleep over. She was nice enough to watch them for me so we didn't have to take the day off. She just lives about 30 minutes south of me and for work I need to go north so it would add like an hour or more to my compute if I took them in the morning. After i got to my moms her and I went shopping for Easter stuff. She gets the kids gifts each year. The boys are getting gift cards because well the are all at the age that what they want is way too expensive for a little Easter gift. The girls are getting a purse (they are both almost 10). This will be there first real purse for the most part. My daughter does have a Gucci purse that I was given a few years ago for a fundraiser at my work. We sell used handbags and purse the are gently used. This one was a little more used then they would like. I thought something was more wrong with it so i gave it to her to play with. Well it was perfectly fine and she won't give it up. After shopping I headed home to have dinner with my husband. He picked up Chipolte. We had a nice quiet night. However I did not get any exercise in. I also may not get mush in today with having to get the kids. We might go for a walk to play Pokemon with the kids though. They are doing a event where you extra point and something with hatching eggs. So lots of walking hopefully.

 

[dsnyfn1022]

Last night a FB friend posted a thing from Pinterest, where they were saying if you mark out a square shape on the floor with tape your cat with automatically go in it, like they would a box. Did it work? Nope, my cats treated it like a barrier and sniffed around the edges but would not go in - they know a trap when they see it!

The look on your cat's face says "this is a trap" hahaha. Thanks for the laugh this morning! I'm going to have to try it with mine.

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

This is what inspires me so much about Walt's life story... setbacks just sent him in a different direction, and he kept on going. I've always felt that I didn't know, and still don't know, that thing about me and my life purpose that would put me on that undeniable path.

It is amazing how he wouldn't settle for anything. I think so many people would have given up or taken the easy road but he pushed on!

my cats treated it like a barrier and sniffed around the edges but would not go in - they know a trap when they see it!

I love the cat's face, what am I supposed to do with that?

Just wanted to let you all know why I deleted my previous post with my news. DD was not happy with me for sharing here before she had a chance to announce her news. Can't say that I blame her and I should have thought before I typed (the excitement overtook the logic in my brain)! Anyhow, I know many of you saw it and commented on it and I will come back and "OFFICIALLY" announce it after SHE lets people know.

No worries, we understand!

I'm busy looking for a third flexible job for the summer (in addition to working maintenance at my school AND my two WW jobs).... but I don't really want to make myself crazy for minimum wage, so I'm not sure I'll find anything other than waiting tables. Nothing wrong with that, but there are no restaurants in my town, so it would mean driving at least 30 minutes away. I could just try to add hours to my other jobs, but that isn't always available. Other than driving for Uber, anyone got a reliable side-hustle they could recommend?

I wish I had something to recommend, but just wanted to say good luck on your job search.

Money is QUITE the motivator.

I do the samething with races, I will do anything not to lose my money!!

My daughter does have a Gucci purse that I was given a few years ago for a fundraiser at my work. We sell used handbags and purse the are gently used. This one was a little more used then they would like. I thought something was more wrong with it so i gave it to her to play with. Well it was perfectly fine and she won't give it up.

Your daughter has good taste

We have decided that my husband and I will go to Cali for a long 3 week plus or so vacation after the kids are gone.

This sounds like an amazing vacation!

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

When Walt got to California he found that no studio would hire him as a director. He lowered his standards and was willing to take any job just to be inside a studio but was told there were no openings. Roy, who was also out in Los Angles being treated for tuberculosis, tried to talk Walt into making cartoons again. Walt didn't like the idea. The cartoon industry was in New York and he thought that he was too far behind the leading cartoons at the time. Eventually Walt came around and decided that the only way he was going to break into the movie business was with cartoons. He made a cartoon for a local movie house chain. Then he contacted the cartoon distributor in New York that had been interested in Alice's Wonderland. He sent them what he had done on the project so far and they agreed to buy it. They gave him the money for what he had sent plus promised to buy six more. Walt went to see Roy at the veteran's hospital to tell him the good news. Roy agreed to leave the hospital and he used the money he had been saving to help fund Walt new venture.

Here is one of the Alice's Wonderland films

The distributor for Alice loved each cartoon Walt sent them. But Walt would spend more and more money on each one. They went from making 100% profit to breaking even. Walt needed more investors, which he always had a way of finding. He also asked his old partner Ub to come out to California to animate for him. With some persuasion Ub agreed. Now that Ub on board the Alice cartoons improved. Walt no longer did the animation, instead he worked on the gags and storylines. Disney Brothers Studios signed a contract for another 18 Alice cartoons. Things were looking good for Walt.

Here are Roy and Walt in front of their first Hollywood studio


Like Walt's dream needed investing in so do our healthy lifestyles. What have you invested in that has helped your journey the most? Do you have anything that you would like to try but are not sure it is worth the investment?

Bonus: Walt's brother Roy had a big part in Walt achieving his dream. How many brothers or sisters do you have and where do you fall in birth order?​

 

[piglet1979]

When Walt got to California he found that no studio would hire him as a director. He lowered his standards and was willing to take any job just to be inside a studio but was told there were no openings. Roy, who was also out in Los Angles being treated for tuberculosis, tried to talk Walt into making cartoons again. Walt didn't like the idea. The cartoon industry was in New York and he thought that he was too far behind the leading cartoons at the time. Eventually Walt came around and decided that the only way he was going to break into the movie business was with cartoons. He made a cartoon for a local movie house chain. Then he contacted the cartoon distributor in New York that had been interested in Alice's Wonderland. He sent them what he had done on the project so far and they agreed to buy it. They gave him the money for what he had sent plus promised to buy six more. Walt went to see Roy at the veteran's hospital to tell him the good news. Roy agreed to leave the hospital and he used the money he had been saving to help fund Walt new venture.

Here is one of the Alice's Wonderland films

The distributor for Alice loved each cartoon Walt sent them. But Walt would spend more and more money on each one. They went from making 100% profit to breaking even. Walt needed more investors, which he always had a way of finding. He also asked his old partner Ub to come out to California to animate for him. With some persuasion Ub agreed. Now that Ub on board the Alice cartoons improved. Walt no longer did the animation, instead he worked on the gags and storylines. Disney Brothers Studios signed a contract for another 18 Alice cartoons. Things were looking good for Walt.

Here are Roy and Walt in front of their first Hollywood studio
View attachment 231401

Like Walt's dream needed investing in so do our healthy lifestyles. What have you invested in that has helped your journey the most? Do you have anything that you would like to try but are not sure it is worth the investment?

Bonus: Walt's brother Roy had a big part in Walt achieving his dream. How many brothers or sisters do you have and where do you fall in birth order?​

I use my fitbit and my fitness pal. We also have a food scale and regular scale. We do have some game systems with exercise games with them.

So my family is a little bit crazy. SO here goes:

With my mom and Dad -- 1. My sister and 2. Me (she is 2 years older.
With my mom and Step dad -- 1. My sister 2. Me and 3. My brother (4 years younger then me) He is the one with the heart condition I have talked about.
With my dad and ex-step mom -- 1. My Sister 2. Me 3. Now ex step brother (4 years younger) 4. Brother (10 years younger then me and 5. brother (13 years younger)

My dad was married again and I had a step sister and brother. I didn't know them well. He was only married for a year.

He married again and I have 2 step brothers and a step sister. I have never met them. One step brother and step sister are about the same age as me and then the younger one is 18. The older step brother will be going to prison here soon for several years. He was caught with 2 bombs while on probation for a drug related charge. One ended up at the court house when he was caught on a different probation violation and his back pack with the bomb was taken there before being checked.

So the order of my siblings that are biologically my siblings are:

1. My Sister (39 years old)
2. Me (37 years old)
3. Brother (34 in a few weeks)
4. Brother (28 years old)
5. Brother (25 years old)

 

[Oneanne]

QOTD: I would consider the Rolfing treatments I've done an investment in my health, as whenever I do them I experience a significant shift in how I'm feeling. My FitBit is also an investment... speaking of which I got 10,000 in for the first time in a very long time yesterday, and I'm going to try and make it two for two and get the same today. When I get back from vacation I'll signing up for some one-on-one classes at the yoga studio where I saw 'Embrace', so that will be a nice investment.

Bonus: There are four of us, two girls and two boys. It goes Sister, then three years later me, then two years to Brother1 and two years after that Brother2. Three of us are (or were) brunette and brown eyed (except I recently recently realized I also have a lot of green in my eyes, which I got from my Mom), but my youngest brother was blonde and blue eyed. Genetically this matches the pattern of one in four being different and blonde/blue eyed does run in the family, but growing up we of course taunted him about being the milkman's son. We all have heads full of cowlicks, particularly at the forehead hairline, although the boys hairlines have now receded enough that they've lost theirs. And we all ended up with one of our front teeth angled and overlapping the other, although my Sister and I have gone thru orthodonture and straightened ours out. We all look different, but if you line us up you'd say, "yep, they belong together".

Checking in early again: I'm down another 1.5 pounds, so I believe I will make my bonus goal for being down and extra 2 pounds before we leave. I also successfully completed the 14 days of elimination, so I'm 100% and 100% on my goals for the month.

I may or may not sign in from my phone while we're down in Texas, so it may or may not be a week+ before I check-in again. Happy Easter to those who celebrate, and Happy Spring or Happy Fall to everyone!

 

[Flossbolna]

Just a brief check in! I am exhausted from trying to find a hotel in Tokyo. I can tell you, booking a hotel in a megs city that you are unfamiliar with is really difficult!! Prices are also higher than I would like, but considering it is Tokyo it is still ok. One of our nights there seems to be high season as the prices nearly double for that one last night. Ugh!

But I went for a lovely run this morning. Really happy that I seem to be getting back into regular runs so much more easily every time I return to running. I guess it really has become something I just do. I am frustrated because I feel slow and sluggish. But I know that my form will come back!

My doctor told me that I am totally healthy. Which is good to hear, especially since there were some concerns that some issues that I have could be some kind of inflammation issues. But my bloodworm came back perfect. And the issues have disappeared so he thinks it must have been some kind of virus. Which is good. The bad news (or actually good) is that also my thyroid is doing really well with my current dose of medication. So, all the weight gain and difficulty losing it is really just me and not my thyroid. Well. I guess I need to get my act together then! Today has been a good day. Mainly because I was able to fit in that Starbucks muffin that I could not resist by eating a very veggie based lunch and dinner and hence avoiding the additional calories...

I need to go to the market tomorrow to pick up lots of vegetables. The fresh stuff from Southern Europe is starting to appear and eating will become so much more exciting again!!

QOTD:

I think my biggest investment was when I joined WW for the first time. And it was absolutely the perfect thing for me! It really taught me healthy eating habits that I still have. I would love to be able to go back to it, but I think I outgrew it. I learned how to manipulate the point system so that I could eat more than I should. But I did WW twice when I had reached a very high weight and both times it really was what I needed to face the problem of my weight.

The one investment that I am thinking about is some kind of watch with a heart rate monitor. My issue is that I love my fitbit one which I can wear under my clothes, so no one sees that I am wearing a fitness tracker. I have a job where it really would not be appropriate for me to have one on my wrist for certain occasions. Maybe it is more acceptable in the US, but I can tell you here it would not be. The one that I could get away with might be the Apple Watch as most people don't realize that it has a heart rate monitor. So, I would need one that I only wear for exercise. And then the issue of different trackers not being compatible. I am really annoyed that fitbit will not let me use different trackers for the same account. That way I could wear one of the ones with a heart rate monitor sometimes and other times change over to the one. But that does not work. So, the other idea is to get a Garmin for running. As you see, it is all very complicated and because I don't really know what I want, I really don't want to spend a lot of money on it... And realistically I am not running enough that I need a heart rate monitor.

Bonus QOTD:

I have one sister, who is 3.5 years younger than me. Very easy! We are very close and she used to be my Disney travel companion of choice in the past! Now my BF took that spot because I finally found someone who is as much a Disney nut as me (if not more... I know, that's a scary thought!).

ETA: I guess this got longer than I thought at first...

 

[Flossbolna]

@MommaoffherRocker I also wanted to say that I absolutely love the daily questions! They are wonderful!! I really appreciate all the work you put in them!

I decided that I will sign up for hosting May. I think I have a great idea and I should have enough time to prepare to have the questions ready for the start of May, so it will be easier to keep up with the thread.

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

I use my fitbit and my fitness pal. We also have a food scale and regular scale. We do have some game systems with exercise games with them.

I like that you have food and exercise covered, I am defiently lacking in the food department. I need to invest in a scale instead of trying to eyeball everything.

I would consider the Rolfing treatments I've done an investment in my health, as whenever I do them I experience a significant shift in how I'm feeling.

I had to look this up, it sounds similar to what the PT did for my hamstring. It hurt so bad but it got results. I'm surprised I haven't heard anyone talk about this in the running world since so many people have problem with fascia tightness. I need to look into it more. I hope you have a nice relaxing time in Texas!!!

The one investment that I am thinking about is some kind of watch with a heart rate monitor.

I debate on this too. My watch can connect to external one and I wonder if it's worth it to buy it. Plus it seems really annoying to run with a chest strap.

My doctor told me that I am totally healthy. Which is good to hear, especially since there were some concerns that some issues that I have could be some kind of inflammation issues. But my bloodworm came back perfect.

sounds like a Woohoo Friday!!

I also wanted to say that I absolutely love the daily questions! They are wonderful!! I really appreciate all the work you put in them!

I decided that I will sign up for hosting May. I think I have a great idea and I should have enough time to prepare to have the questions ready for the start of May, so it will be easier to keep up with the thread.

Thank you!!! and thanks volunteering to host May, I'm looking forward see what your theme will be

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

Like Walt's dream needed investing in so do our healthy lifestyles. What have you invested in that has helped your journey the most? Do you have anything that you would like to try but are not sure it is worth the investment?

Bonus: Walt's brother Roy had a big part in Walt achieving his dream. How many brothers or sisters do you have and where do you fall in birth order?

I have invested heavily into running gear, shoes, watch, clothes etc. At first I was reluctant but it really has made all the difference in the world. I probably wouldn't have continued running if it wasn't for investing in those.

I was thinking about investing in having my blood analysed by a private company. I heard a podcast about the benefits for runners. They say unlike a doctor that will just say you're healthy or unhealthy they give you all of your data so you can see what you are lacking and then make recommendations on how to fix it. I still feel sluggish most of the day and my running is pretty slow so I wonder if I could benefit from this. To have everything tested it is close to $600 so I am not sure if it is worth it. I might just go to the doctor first and see what their results say and if I feel like I need more than I would do it.

I have two older brothers. One it 5 years old than me and the other is 2 1/2 years older. I am not very close with them and sometimes we go years without talking. I wish we were closer but they still think I'm a screw up because I wasn't the best behaved teenager.

 

[Flossbolna]

Plus it seems really annoying to run with a chest strap.

I used to have a heart rate monitor with the chest strap. It drove me crazy. I think those were invented for men. I just never was able to find a position that I was comfortable with. I once had one that you could attach to the running bra and that was ok. But then that one broke and the newer models are different. That's why I think a watch would be better for me.

To have everything tested it is close to $600 so I am not sure if it is worth it. I might just go to the doctor first and see what their results say and if I feel like I need more than I would do it.

I think go to the doctor first and discuss your issues. And tell your doctor that you want more info than just whether you are in the healthy area, but that you have issues and if there is anything you can do about it.

I wish we were closer but they still think I'm a screw up because I wasn't the best behaved teenager.

You sound like such an organized mother that I cannot imaging you being a not the best behaved teenager!! I wish they could see how much you have changed since then.

 

[dsnyfn1022]

I'm not sure how great I'll be at tracking this weekend. I'm going to just enjoy the weekend and know that'll come with a little extra "fluff" but that the fluff won't be permanent. A friend of mine is going through a struggle and it just reminds me that sometimes it's more important to enjoy life's moments like Easter and concerts and to not worry so much about being over in calories or anything. Because you just don't know what kind of curveball you'll be thrown. And I know I don't want something as little as a number on the scale to dictate how I live.

 

[sweetpeama]

What kind of things have you tried that didn't work for you? How long do you try something before you decide it that it isn't working?

Following the grains and cereals heavy food plan that the United States Dept of Agriculture has put out in various forms over the years and listening to a nutritionist when pregnant with my oldest who lectured me about switching the grains and cereals requirements with the protein requirements. ( I gained 60 pounds with her while with my youngest I went back to switching the numbers and not only had better control of my hypoglycemia ( your going to have gestational diabetes because of your size *want to bet* 75 and 70 for 1 hour test respectively ( normal 1 hour is 80-120) which with 2nd dropped to 40 at the 2 hour mark and that was with having had a high protein moderate carb breakfast on the way to the office consisting of 2 slices of whole wheat toast with butter covered with bacon on both topped with scrambled eggs with sausage and cheese into a sandwich and a glass of low fat milk) but only gained 20 pounds doing no other changes in my life style. I knew it would not work as I had dealt with having hypoglycemia for over 12 years when I found out I was expecting my first and knew how following a high in grains in cereals diet affected my numbers and control but also battled having been taught that this person has professional training so that you need to talk to them plus the fact that I had the threat of having my child taken from me at birth due to my being considered an abusive parent due to getting pregnant at the size I was along with being low income and having a disability because everyone knows that anyone of those factors makes a parent especially a mother abusive ( at least I didn't have the having been in foster care as a child factor red flag) so I was assigned to a program that consisted of a nurse, social worker, and nutritionist for my pregnancy and the year following birth. Though the nurse and social worker got the nutritionist dropped from my case 2 months after my daughter was born when the nutritionist had quite working for the program and they only had one for everyone by stating that was a service I did not need.

Bonus question: Do you prefer Disneyland or Disney World? If you have never been to one, do you have plans to visit?

For a shorter trip I prefer Disneyland as I can easily get a trip in. For example if I should have the money this coming Christmas (DH has vacation the 24-28 with the 29-30 of Dec being his weekend though we have family obligations on the 24th and 25th) I can get us flights from MT to CA early morning on the 26th go to the beach that day along with DTD in the evening, followed by the 27th-29th in the parks, meet up with some family for a late breakfast or early lunch on the 30th and fly home Due to it taking an entire day to fly to FL not as much could get done for a trip to World.
For a longer trip where I can fly on a Friday and a Saturday at least so that I have a minimum of Saturday to Friday on property if it is just a Disney Trip I would rather go to world because of there being more to do on property.
I have a trip planned for the 20th anniversary of the boards if I should get a knock on the door with a big check in a couple of weeks including where I would stay, what park on which day, where to eat based on what is available as of last night for each day, days and type of park tickets, which airline and schedule within the airline all priced out for either just the girls and me ( DH won't be able to get the time off work), taking my aunt or mom, or taking both my parents ( depends if aunt can come due to her being a foster grandma in the schools and being so close to when schools her get out and if my dad has farming over at the neighbors ( other wise known as the keep him out of my mom's hair retirement project) a lot which is going to depend on the weather the next 4-6 weeks as they are already behind on planting thanks to the late snows in the area and while we have had a couple days of rain the higher elevation spring run off combined with heavy rains has not hit yet ( that is typically the week or two prior to memorial day weekend though the first couple weeks of June) though if aunt can't come I might see if my sister wants to come instead of my parents as spring sports at the schools would be done for the year and summer camps not started yet so she can take off if she has vacation days available).

What have you invested in that has helped your journey the most? Do you have anything that you would like to try but are not sure it is worth the investment?

A 32 oz Klean Kanteen water bottle has been the most helpful as I know by drinking 2 full bottles a day I have my 64 ounces of water though when I need to be out and about with my backpack such as at the fair ( for all the 4H shows and other events that week) my 20 ounce bottles fit more in the water bottle spot on the side of the pack which is used to haul all the necessary items for that day so we are not making what seems like 20 thousand trips back to the truck usually parked out in the what we reference as the south 40 of the property especially on days that it is get done with this and quickly go over here for the next competition or event.
I would like to try a water proof fit bit though the way the budget is right now I can't afford one myself and if I put it on my Christmas wish list I will have my mom and sister going how much have you lost this week only 1 pound how much are you exercising you know if you did this much more you could have lost 1.5 pounds and I don't know if that cost is worth it so I will wait until I have the funds to pay for it directly and just keep it under my clothing or just go with an apple watch ( are those water proof).

Bonus: Walt's brother Roy had a big part in Walt achieving his dream. How many brothers or sisters do you have and where do you fall in birth order?

It goes me sister who is 22.5 months younger and brother is 15.5 months younger than sister. I am 3 years and 2 months older than brother to the day.

 

[piglet1979]

I was thinking about investing in having my blood analysed by a private company. I heard a podcast about the benefits for runners. They say unlike a doctor that will just say you're healthy or unhealthy they give you all of your data so you can see what you are lacking and then make recommendations on how to fix it. I still feel sluggish most of the day and my running is pretty slow so I wonder if I could benefit from this. To have everything tested it is close to $600 so I am not sure if it is worth it. I might just go to the doctor first and see what their results say and if I feel like I need more than I would do it.

A question that you might want to ask your doctor is if you are deficient in vitamin D. My mom has been very tired lately so the doctor tested her blood for vitamin levels among other things. It came back the her vitamin D levels are low. She started taking a supplement of vitamin D and she says her energy is back up.

 

[piglet1979]

So I picked up my kids from my moms house after work today. She wore my kids out. My daughter was asleep before I got to the house, woke up enough to get int he car and was back to sleep for about another 45 minutes. My son was awake when I got to the house but barely. He was asleep before we got off of my moms street (about a mile long) and slept for about 45 minutes. My daughters cough seems to be getting worse and at times she is losing her voice. Hopefully a good nights sleep will help. I don't want her to be sick for Easter. We didn't get out with the kids for a long walk in the downtown area of my town because the kids were so tired. Instead my husband and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. We walked 2.4 miles. It was a good walk. Made me feel better after eating way too many peanut butter cups for breakfast and lunch and then Wendy's for dinner. Hopefully we can do the same for tomorrow however we are supposed to get some rain and we have to get shopping and cleaning done for Easter. My son also has karate in the morning and then an Easter egg hunt for both kids. My husband also has an appointment to get his oil changed in his car. It will be one busy day. Happy Easter to everyone just in case I am not able to get back on before Easter.

 

[4Mickeys]

Hello everyone

I have been lurking along this month - @MommaoffherRocker what great questions you have been asking! They have been making me think - even though I am not commenting this month. Everyone seems to be working hard towards their goals. I must admit that I am enjoying my month off - I don't feel like I am letting myself or you all down when I am not hitting that goal - so emotionally this is a good thing for me this month.
I saw Beauty and The Beast last week - LOVED IT

I am having a little splurge next week - I am going to Brisbane for 2 days for a conference for work and decided to stay overnight at a nice hotel rather than drive back and forth 90 mins to 2 hours each way each day - woohoo.

to everyone to continue on their goal achievements this month.

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

I used to have a heart rate monitor with the chest strap. It drove me crazy. I think those were invented for men. I just never was able to find a position that I was comfortable with. I once had one that you could attach to the running bra and that was ok. But then that one broke and the newer models are different. That's why I think a watch would be better for me.

This is exactly what I worry about so I will probably never end up with one. A watch would probably be better.

You sound like such an organized mother that I cannot imaging you being a not the best behaved teenager!! I wish they could see how much you have changed since then.

Hahaha I wish I was organized! Yeah I was a totally different person in high school. I credit DH, he came in and saved me from myself.

And I know I don't want something as little as a number on the scale to dictate how I live.

Amen! It is not worth your happiness so go out and have a great weekend!

A question that you might want to ask your doctor is if you are deficient in vitamin D. My mom has been very tired lately so the doctor tested her blood for vitamin levels among other things. It came back the her vitamin D levels are low. She started taking a supplement of vitamin D and she says her energy is back up.

I will definitely ask about that. I just assume that I get plenty of vitamin D because I live in FL but with sunscreen and trying to stay covered up I might not.

I have a trip planned for the 20th anniversary of the boards

Oh that sounds like a fun trip! I hope it all works out for you

She wore my kids out.

I love when that happens! It makes bed time easier and you know they had a good time

Hello everyone

I have been lurking along this month - @MommaoffherRocker what great questions you have been asking! They have been making me think - even though I am not commenting this month. Everyone seems to be working hard towards their goals. I must admit that I am enjoying my month off - I don't feel like I am letting myself or you all down when I am not hitting that goal - so emotionally this is a good thing for me this month.
I saw Beauty and The Beast last week - LOVED IT

I am having a little splurge next week - I am going to Brisbane for 2 days for a conference for work and decided to stay overnight at a nice hotel rather than drive back and forth 90 mins to 2 hours each way each day - woohoo.

to everyone to continue on their goal achievements this month.

Thanks! Everyone needs some time away and I am glad to see your enjoying your month Hope you have a great time in Brisbane!!