Now the low
..Ok, now Im home and back to reality, really back to reality
. my grandmother had passed away

while I was on the cruise. She was 98 and when I left she was not doing well so luckily I was able to see her before I left. Im sad but I just keep thinking of the great memories I have of the times we spent together.
Glad to hear the trip was fantastic. Sorry about the loss though. It was good you were able to spend time with her before you left.
Happy Valentine's Day!!
In the spirit of the day, today's QOTD is: What do you LOVE about yourself?
It's often hard along this journey to see the positives in ourselves. Today, think of AT LEAST ONE thing you wouldn't want to change about yourself!
I'm ORGANIZED (and I have pretty decent legs).
pjlla how did the swim meet go.
I must have done something to my back because it is very stiff when I get up in the morning. If I am walking it is not bad.
Sunday's swimming went really well. She swam 3 events and achieved personal best times in two of them.... including finally breaking the 28 second mark in her 50 freestyle! She has been trying to get under 28 for a long time.... and she got a 27.91.... with a bad turn even!! It totally made the entire weekend! Thanks for asking.
Sorry your back is hurting.Maybe you could try evening and morning stretches every day for a while to loosen things up. Maybe a warm pack or heating pad when you are lying down?? Hope it feels normal soon.

Whew, busy morning already involving a whole lot of tempting treats.

I went to deliver muffins for the teacher breakfast this morning and the Hospitality mom was the only one there-- no one came to help her. So I stayed to assist her, then went on to my daughter's class for their valentine party complete with chocolate fondue, valentine donuts, and an assortment of other junk food. Fortunately (well not really) I am having an IBS flare up so it was easy to resist knowing I would quickly regret it. Haven't been able to eat much the last few days. Usually this is the kind of thing that derails me-- a week or so of not eating much but some noodles or rice and then I just give up on the "diet".
But NOT THIS TIME! Because this time it is not a diet, it is a healthier way of living the rest of my life.
I was planning to get some blood work done when I left the school but since I haven't eaten I am pretty sure it would just result in them having to pick me up off the floor after I fainted. So I am putting it off again-- I have had the order for 2 weeks but just haven't had the chance to go.
I did decide last night that the first one of my friends to notice and ask "Have you lost weight?" will be treated to lunch! So far no one has, but it isn't surprising since at this size it can be hard to tell, and I always wear oversized clothes anyway (nothing ever fits me right). So I am just waiting.. . .
I'm so pleased to hear you were able to avoid so much temptation at the school parties! And the bolded statement.....
No one is going to notice your weight loss while you are still wearing oversized clothes!! You need to go buy at least ONE outfit that fits nicely when you lose at least 10 pounds (they say 10 pounds = 1 size). Dump the frump stuff!! You will feel SO GOOD wearing clothes that fit properly!!
BTW, it's 57º today!!!!!!!!!!!
If I didn't have the kids I would have walked the track, even if it was muddy. I need to see if mom can watch DD this week so I can get out there and hit it.
OK off to work out and open windows!!!!!



I didn't realize how nice it was here (I don't watch the news and didn't really look at the thermometer). Wish I had known and I wouldn't have done my walk/run on the TM!! I did get outside in the late afternoon when I realized it was about 57° outside.... to shovel the remaining slush off the driveway!!

Not much fun, but at least it is a workout!
Way off track. I didn't feel like making lunch so ate stuff i could grab easy like pudding, jello and popcorn. I'm so ready to get back on track.
I picked up some homeopathic cough and mucus relief med its by Similasan. I didn't know how it was going to work but I've been quite impressed with it. It works really well at breaking it up and the taste is kid approved. It literally tastes like pancake syrup with zero aftertaste. It's the first time I could get Zoe to take meds this easy. She had nasal decongestant too this morning before school so hopefully she didn't get bothered by stuffy nose too much. She was happy she showed no sign of fever Sunday she kept having me feel her head all day to be sure she could go to school today like her Dr. said when she asked her Friday. She was all worried she'd miss her Valentine's Day party too.
I feel like the cough and congestion is clearing up but my body feels rather weak today. Hopefully I'll be back up to speed tomorrow but if I feel better after my walk to the bus I may try to do some of the Walk Away the Pounds workout. Even though I didn't have a real lunch those icky junk food type things won't be so good. Hopefully the low grade fever kept my metabolism up. I can hope right?
Glad to hear that you and DD are on the mend. I don't blame you for eating the junk for lunch. When you are sick, you need COMFORT.... and we all seem to turn to FOOD for that... especially when we are taking care of ourselves without any help. If it made you feel better at that moment, then okay. But glad you realize it was a temporary thing. Hopefully you are back on track and feeling good today.
No workout today except for laundry, mopping and running around the school. For me any activity counts though!
I had to weigh this morning just for the

-- knew I would be really low since I didn't really eat this weekend. LOVED the number I saw (not yet onederland though) but I know that it was only fleeting and by the end of the week I will be back to "normal".
I need a good deal on a rental van and hotels in two cities for my trip-- want to work on those too?

I keep putting it off because it is such a pain.
Well after I said that Valentines is really no big deal here DH came home with a heart balloon and one of my favorite indulgent treats-- raspberries! I absolutely love them but they are so expensive I rarely buy them. He actually got me blackberries and strawberries too. And when he got home I was in the process of making him a diet friendly version of his absolute favorite meal, Chicken Florentine, otherwise known as Heart Attack on a Plate. It certainly wasn't as good as the real thing but still turned out quite yummy. So I guess we do try to do something for each other on Valentines Day.
For my girls I had made 2 small heart shaped cakes with the batter I had left last week and hid them under the cauliflower in the refrigerator (the would NEVER look there!

). I was planning to decorate them for them and surprise them with them but then realized they would probably really enjoy decorating themselves. So after dinner I gave them the cakes and all the leftover icing with my piping bags and all my decorating tips and told them to have fun! They had a blast. When they finished their cakes they moved on to decorating the plates just to "play". DD15 didn't have a great day (no boyfriend so that made things hard) and she said it was the best stress relief she has ever had!
In upsetting news I found out that one of our best friends in the world had a heart attack yesterday. I don't know any more than that but have to assume he is "okay" since I am sure we would have heard if he didn't make it. I don't even want to think about that. It really hits home as to why it is so important for us to be eating healthy and exercising. He has 3 DD's around my girls ages and a lot of life ahead of him. I am going crazy not really knowing how he is doing but I really don't want to call yet. His wife (one of my bffs) lost her mom on Friday and now this. I know things are crazy and I don't want to add to that right now. I just hate that they are so far away and I can't be there with them. Please say a little prayer for healing and comfort for LTS's friends-- God knows who you mean.
Wish I could do your travel planning for you..... I love doing that stuff!!
YOu and DH made nice choices for each other for V. Day. I only gave DH a small token gift... he is trying to watch what he eats, (since he lost so much weight after his accident, he's trying to keep it off), so I bought him a Peppermint Patty and put it in his handmade card. I couldn't think of anything else to buy him.
I will definitely be praying for your friend's husband.
QOTD 2/15 -
If you could instantly, painlessly, for FREE, have ANY cosmetic/plastic surgery you wanted to change any physical featture you wanted, what if any would you have done?
I have to chuckle about this. I am always talking about the "work" I am saving for! I just told DD this morning that I have changed my plans.... I'm gonna have a chemical peel and laser treatments on my face when I turn 50 and save the actual face lift for when I turn 60!!

It is mostly a joke.... I'm TERRIFIED of having general anesthesia for "vanity" reasons. (Although I would definitely consider the chemical peel and laser treatments if I could afford them.)
I'm really torn about the answer here. Not sure if I would want a tummy tuck to take care of all this loose skin... or face/eye lift (I feel like I look much older than I feel!). Either would be great!!
Hello all!! I've been assigned Team Donald

. I love him - such attitude.
Well I had a big shocker last week when I got on the scale! I used to weigh pretty much daily - not to be obsessed or anything but just to keep focused if I gained a few pounds to be better that week. Well since maybe Sept/Oct I just stopped weighing and really not focusing on myself.
I was eating anything that set still long enough, snacking like crazy, sweet tooth like crazy

Well it showed!!
So - I'm turnng 40 this year, going to WDW in June

, and not happy either looking in the mirror of how I feel physically. Time to get focused.
Back on counting calories, journaling, and working out. It's worked in the past and hope it will work again.
My head spins most days with all the stuff I have going on. Many times I walk up to the computer to look something up and from the family to the office my brain has lost it

. So I'll try post and keep up when I can.
I've done good and had 3 good workouts last week. I skipped the Valentines sweet bar at work today (dessert party) and stuck w/ my healthy meal.
So anyway..hello all. My goal is to lose about 20-27 pounds before my trip in June. I'm down about 4 this week so here's hoping!
Welcome to our happy family! Glad to have you here. A Disney trip is the catalyst for weight loss for many of us here!
If you can avoid something called a Valentine's sweet bar, you are off to a GREAT start!!
Happy Tuesday morning friends! Sorry I never made it on here yesterday. I had my "morning routine" interrupted when DH needed the office for a conference call that went on all morning! By the time the office was free, I was deep into card making and scrapping.... so I never ended up back on the computer. I hope you all had a SUPER Valentine's day. DS brought flowers to his "girlfriend" and I guess that went okay. I think he was afraid that his classmates might make fun of him. DD was relieved she isn't in a relationship and didn't have that Valentine's day stress!
I'm at work today, so I won't be able to be on much. THe kids are at library right now, but then I'm busy straight through the day. I had to skip my Bible study this morning.... when they called me to work I forgot about BIble study and said yes to work.... and I felt badly about calling to cancel, so I figured I could miss Bible study for one week.
I'm wearing a new scarf I got for Christmas and I feel so SPIFFY today!! And I'm wearing the new Danskos I got for Christmas too. Super spiffy!
I need to go check on my scrapping friends over on that board, so I'll say bye for now!................P