The Bear Necessities! April 2019 W.I.S.H Goals

@HappyGrape so happy to see you. Sorry things went awry. Life can be poopy that way. We're here for you! :grouphug:

It is such a narrow road to walk when supporting others. I haven't figured out what to say to DH now that he's back to wolfing down dark chocolate and chugging diet coke again while whining that he's doing it and feeling fat and not exercising enough. I do tell him that nothing outpaces your mouth and you can never exercise away a bad diet. Pretty sure he doesn't appreciate those comments! :rotfl2:

potassium--I don't keep track, but do eat a banana pretty much every day. I remember as a kid when I'd get a cramp my mother would always tell me to go eat a banana. And guess what? I told my kids that, too!

wahoo--our kitchen sink is no longer clogged! It was not draining for over 48 hours. wahoo for plumbers!!!!! DH is wahooing because instead of doing dishes by hand we put them all in the dishwasher and turned it on! (I would have just done them in the bathtub every day, but I wasn't around).

wahoo--last night I went back to my girlfriend's in-laws' house and we did some more getting ready for Saturday's estate sale work. We're all feeling so much better about that process after yesterday.

I didn't sleep well last night and today I just ate and ate. And that was even with stopping myself from eating because I knew I was tired not hungry! Good thing tomorrow is a new day! :sunny:
 
potassium--I don't keep track, but do eat a banana pretty much every day. I remember as a kid when I'd get a cramp my mother would always tell me to go eat a banana. And guess what? I told my kids that, too!

I’ve always heard/said the same thing. And also for eye twitches, haha.

I have to do my workouts first thing in the morning too. Otherwise, there's no way I can be sure to fit them in! But I've also found that I love starting the day that way! Puts me in a good mood and I feel accomplished right from the start!

Yes! Like today I did not get up with my alarm (accidentally hit stop instead of snooze) and now I’m feeling grumpy because I missed my chance.
 
I’ve always heard/said the same thing. And also for eye twitches, haha.



Yes! Like today I did not get up with my alarm (accidentally hit stop instead of snooze) and now I’m feeling grumpy because I missed my chance.
I'd heard eye twitches = low potassium as well, then last time I had them my acupuncturist said they can also be high sugar consumption, and that aligned perfectly with how I'd been eating at that time. So maybe both can be cause.
 


Goodness! Wednesday I was super-early (actually Tuesday night in my time zone,) and today, I'm late!!! Sorry guys! I'll do my thankfuls first, then my woo-hoos, then catch up on everybody's news!!!

So, For THANKFUL THURSDAY, what are you guys feeling thankful for? It doesn't have to be anything new, exciting, or even necessarily great, maybe just that something bad wasn't worse...

For me, I am thankful that when I assassinated Bambi last month on spring break, the damage to my (previously new and undamaged) van wasn't worse. It happened the very first night of my hiking trip. I'd been making super-great time, first on the drive, then on the hikes, so I decided to drive a bit further that night, so I could wake up at my next walk-site, ready to just get up and go... and yeah, apparently Bambi was going through some rough thoughts, or maybe he'd been drinking, because the little wretch dashed right out and slammed into the side of my car, then ran off! Luckily, since I was on my trip, I had all sorts of just-in-case gear, and I was able to re-attach my dragging front bumper with athletic tape from my first aid kit, and the fluid spilling out everywhere (which was terrifying) turned out to be only windshield fluid, nothing serious. At first it looked green and I was afraid it was coolant, but I patched things back together and limped 8 miles to the nearest town, expecting my tire to blow out or my engine to catch fire at any second (couldn't have called for help because it was a dead zone in the mountains... but the only warning that ever came on was the washer fluid light... the body and tire have held together just fine since then. I made it home 650 miles when the call came, DD15 is doing pretty well at the moment, and today was the appointment with the collision center, and our insurance is going to cover all but the $250 deductible and will pay for a rental car for the week or two it's going to take... but that won't be until 2 weeks from now, so I still have my van to help my mom move stuff this weekend. So, all in all, it could have been SO much worse, and I'm very grateful it wasn't. I never liked Bambi as a movie anyway, and venison jerky is delicious.

Aside from that, I've been thinking lately that I am grateful for time... for seasons that bring change, for having time now that I am retired, and for the past, even the bad parts of it, that have brought me to where I am now and made me who I am now. Even if (when) things go bad again in the future, I have the good memories to cling to and the knowledge that I've been through a lot, and whatever comes, I'll get through it. I especially like that right now I live in a place with 4 seasons. In Texas, it seemed like the two seasons were "too hot" and "still too hot, but slightly less so, and watch out for flash floods." Where I lived in California, it always felt like springtime, and I recall walking home a different route one day, and the road had more trees than the main way, and they were dropping leaves, and it was SO weird to realize that yes, it was actually October, actually fall... even though it felt like springtime, same as always... Here, I love the intensity of summer, the cozy of winter, the harvest-y goodness of fall... and right now, the way everything that seemed dead suddenly just bursts out into flowers... unless it really *IS* dead, then at least you know and can start clearing it up... whole lot of metaphor there!!!

Now, for actual weekly woo-hoos...

--I've been making good progress on the yardwork, it never lasts, but it makes me feel good to get things cleaned up at least once per year... then the weather turns too hot and nature takes back over...
--I got a walk in on Sunday and today... I'm only a little over 4/30 miles for the month, but it's better than nothing, and it's SO pretty out right now
--I got a 93% on my test last week... a combination of extra credit and a steep grading curve, I'm sure, but I'll take it!
--Yesterday I took the kids out shopping for spring/summer stuff, since DD11 keeps growing and DD15 has actually lost a little weight, but is also really rough on her clothes. She was simultaneously complaining that all her clothes that weren't ruined/missing were too big, but also borrowing (without asking) all of *MY* clothes, which are bigger... <sigh> So I can say I'm thankful that we had time and money to do a (Walmart-level, not mall) shopping spree, and also that DD15 was a trooper trying things on, because we both hate shopping for clothes, and now, for at least the next few days, I shouldn't hear "but I have *NOTHING* to wear!!!"
-- And lastly, I saw signs the other day for the first big yard sale of the season this Saturday! We have enough, really, but yard sales always feel like treasure hunts to me, and if I find something awesome, great, and if I don't, it reminds me that we have enough, and that there have been times in my life when I didn't and that's not where we are now, which is a great reminder!

Ok, enough about me, let me get back to you guys... What are you thankful for today?
 
I don't have a true whoohoo, other than coming back here and admitting I dropped the ball. I also dropped the ball on my eating habits and regained weight and that feels really crap. But admitting where I am at and that it's going to take some time feels like a whoohoo moment.

Can I please join back as a poster?

Don't be silly, we're thrilled to "see" you! And yes, I've been yo-yo-ing too, so I feel ya, but recognizing it is the first step, right?
 
My woohoo is that I'm almost finished with packing up stuff from my classroom for the 2nd round of moving.
Just think how amazing it will feel the day after your sister's graduation when everything is just DONE and you get to let all that go and just enjoy your summer! (I feel bad for saying it, but my favorite thing about any life event is the day after it's over, and I can just let all the stress go and enjoy the good feelings!)

Just dropping in to say Hi - I am exhausted and heading to bed now (very late here) I have been at a 2 day conference and we all know how draining they can be! I will pop back in the morning to catch up more.

My quick Woohoo - I am on break now until after Easter!!!!!
Hiya! Hope you slept in and have great plans for your break!

Woohoo...

Yesterday was my FP+ day, and somehow I managed to get both Flights of Passage and Slinky Dog Dash, on the days I planned on being at those parks and at good times. For my December trip, I only booked a month out and it wasn't until a week before the trip that MDE had my resort reservation properly linked and I barely bothered with FP+ at all, so this is a real treat. And I know June is going to be hot, humid and rainy, and I don't love the Disney ponchos, so I looked on Amazon and found one that is red with white polka-dots... very Minnie-esque. And now that I'm prepared, it's pretty much guaranteed there will not be rain.

Yay!!! on the fast passes! And yay!!! on the cute poncho! If it doesn't rain, then bonus, and if it does, you'll look adorable!!!

My woohoo is not weight related. Our internet is out at work on the floor that I am on. I am working upstairs in an office that has a window and I have a bathroom close by. It is so nice to have some natural lighting. In my normal area we have studio lighting with no windows. Only about 3 weeks before we move and will be in a much better location.

Isn't it amazing the difference the lighting makes? I've worked in a lot of places without windows, and it was so nice when we actually had them!

So we are now in that waiting phase - hoping for the best but just wanting to know so that some kind of treatment plan can be formulated.

Today is the day I get things to start to come together for my car issue. After a lot of researching and thought I have decided I am NOT fixing this car. I will sell it to a wreckers for whatever I can get, and get a refund on the registration I had just paid. DS18 is going to share his car with me until the end of the year (he is still working on getting his licence - so this will not be a huge issue). In this time I am going to really buckle down and pay off as much credit card debt as possible with the aim to be out of credit card debt completely by this time next year. At the end of the year I will get another car - on a novated lease - which will means I can get a newer if not new car affordably whilst getting a tax benefit. So thank you for your thoughts and support that helped me not completely freak out when this first happened :-)

Yes, the waiting phase is the worst. Even if the news is bad, it's better to know than be wondering. I hope things turn out for the best. It is very kind of you both to not stress your mother.

It is great that you can get refund on your registration! I've never heard of that! Scrapping that car and sharing with your son sounds like a very logical plan. I think there's some kind of debt-buster thread over on the budget board to cheer you on with that (we'll cheer you too!) You have a plan!

I love seeing everyone’s woohoos, big or small. It’s so important to find something to celebrate every day!

I have 2 for today:

We started doing girl-led meetings with my Girl Scout troop and today was our second one and the girl did a fabulous job! I love watching them become responsible, mature leaders when they’re given the chance.

Also, I’ve made it halfway to my goal of working out 6 times this month already. I’ve gotten myself up early 3 times this week to go to the gym before the chaos of the day starts.

Awesome on the gym! And awesome on the girls leading the meetings! It's so important to give kids that space to explore leadership! DD11 is a natural-born bossybutt, I have to tell her far too often that while she can be queen, boss, and matriarch someday, and that she'll be good at it, that right now I'm the boss and she needs to step back! :rotfl: She's going to rule the world some day... be afraid, be very afraid!!!
 


Thankful Thursday...

I am thankful for how much I've learned and grown the past few years, even at the ripe old age of (cough, cough) 64... and yes, I did have to do the math to figure my age out. And I'm thankful for the people who have put up with me while I continued to figure things out, including my family, cause looking back I did some pretty questionable stuff.

@Zhoen isn't it interesting when we are thankful that something wasn't as bad as it could have been, but do we remember to say to ourselves "I'm thankful I didn't kill a deer today", if we aren't prompted by the actual appearance of said deer? I was just out to lunch and the waitress dropped my drink soaking me in a tsunami of iced tea... all I could think of was "I'm so thankful my phone didn't get wet", tomorrow I need to remember "I'm so thankful no one dumped iced tea on me today".


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I'd heard eye twitches = low potassium as well, then last time I had them my acupuncturist said they can also be high sugar consumption, and that aligned perfectly with how I'd been eating at that time. So maybe both can be cause.

I developed an eye twitch when I was at University ... optometrist said it was from the caffeine in coke .... I switched to sprite and it stopped.

I got a 93% on my test last week... a combination of extra credit and a steep grading curve, I'm sure, but I'll take it!

That is great news :thumbsup2 at my conference we had a woman talk to us about professional resilience and mental wellbeing generally. She talked about how when we don't do well we blame ourselves and when we do something well we tend to give the credit to some external source rather than give ourselves the credit. I know I am guilty of this also. So I am going to say getting 93% is ALL YOU - because even if there was extra credit and a steep grading curve if YOU didn't study and put in the effort you might have passed but with a lesser mark - so here are some cheerleaders for YOU :cheer2: :cheer2::cheer2:

Thankful Thursday: I am thankful for the garden I have been creating over the last 6 months. I love seeing it grow and the splash of colour the flowers bring. I am sitting on my couch right now under a blanket, it is raining outside and I can see the rain dripping off the leaves of a tree onto the ground/plants below. It is quite calming.
 
THANKFUL THURSDAY
*I'm thankful that I was able to get so much packed up for this round of moving my classroom. *I'm also thankful that I found these threads to motivate me to get back in shape. Otherwise, this move would be MUCH more taxing on my body and taken much longer!
*I'm thankful that I was able to exceed my steps goal the last three days due to the extra work in packing up my room. (I think I'm trying to force myself to be thankful for the move)
*I'm thankful that my parents moved closer to us last summer so that my dad was easily able to attend my son's baseball game today (and hopefully more days as well)
*I'm thankful that our Disney trip is in exactly 100 days!
*And I'm thankful that tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!
:jumping1:
 
Just think how amazing it will feel the day after your sister's graduation when everything is just DONE and you get to let all that go and just enjoy your summer! (I feel bad for saying it, but my favorite thing about any life event is the day after it's over, and I can just let all the stress go and enjoy the good feelings!)
It will definitely feel good and I will thoroughly enjoy the evening celebrating my sister. The weekend will probably feel great too. But then on Monday, it will be the first chance to actually get into the new room to start unpacking. So a new adventure will begin. But truth be told, I sort of like changing things up every couple years. This will be my 8th classroom and 4th building in 21 years of teaching. However, only 3 of the moves were voluntary. The others were forced upon me, like this one.
 
I especially like that right now I live in a place with 4 seasons. In Texas, it seemed like the two seasons were "too hot" and "still too hot, but slightly less so, and watch out for flash floods." Where I lived in California, it always felt like springtime, and I recall walking home a different route one day, and the road had more trees than the main way, and they were dropping leaves, and it was SO weird to realize that yes, it was actually October, actually fall... even though it felt like springtime, same as always... Here, I love the intensity of summer, the cozy of winter, the harvest-y goodness of fall... and right now, the way everything that seemed dead suddenly just bursts out into flowers.

I love this too!

My own Thankful for yesterday was "I'm on vacation!" - It's April school break here next week, and I'm not scheduled to sub today, so mine started at 4:00 yesterday. :teeth:

We also went to dinner at MIL's, so I didn't even have to cook last night!
 
For Foodie Friday, I didn't really do anything spectacular. I put beets in a salad, which I had seen people do but wasn't sure about - and I liked it. :thumbsup2

I also made pesto chicken, which I thought was yummy and DH especially liked, so that's 'in the rotation" now:

Preheat to 400°, spread jarred pesto sauce on chicken breasts, bake 35 minutes, top with thinly sliced tomatoes and shredded mozzarella cheese, pop back in for 5-7 minutes more...and you're done!

(Adjust the 35 minutes up or down depending on size and thickness of the chicken pieces.)
 
Sorry to hear this @piglet1979. I put these quotes together as they kind of go together for me at the moment. About 18 months ago my sister (who has been a smoker all her life) developed an eye issue - opthamologist said it was an eye muscle over-active and pulling one eye out of alignment which caused double vision for her. She was referred to a surgeon - who said lets wait 6-9 months sometimes it corrects itself and if we have done surgery it has to be un-done... So a lot of waiting and visits to see him. Then when the timeframe was up and it hadn't gotten any better - he says its time for surgery but oh by the way I don't do surgery anymore - so WHY did he take her as a patient as the referral was for surgery! On to another surgeon (about 6 weeks ago now) who reviewed everything including an existing MRI and orders a follow up MRI and some more blood tests but says to my sister he felt cancer was a possibility ..... after she did the tests he promptly went on holiday for a week so more waiting .... then she got into see him 2 weeks later! He said a biopsy may be needed but wanted to be cautious as the biopsy may make it worse as the eye muscle is so small... wanted to start with 3 days of high dosage of steroids to see if it will make a change. He then organised for an oncologist close to where my sister lives to oversee the steroid administration. This was supposed to start on Tuesday ... Sister rings me Tuesday night to say Oncologist has put off steroid treatment, after reviewing her he feels it may be lymphoma and she is having a PET scan Friday! So we are now in that waiting phase - hoping for the best but just wanting to know so that some kind of treatment plan can be formulated. So my sister may have been living with a Cancer for 18 months now - if so I just hope it has travelled. My sister has decided to keep this from my Mum until we know if there is anything 'C' wise to worry about - as mum just turned 84 and we don't want to stress her anymore than needs to be. So yes doctors can be such a PAIN :(

That is horrible. I hope everything comes back ok. That is a long time to wait. My co-workers moved very quickly. it started about 3 weeks ago with a bulge on her neck. If your sister does have Lymphoma it has a very high, like in the 90's, survival rate.

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I know I should be thankful for more then I was yesterday. The day started out good. I dropped the kids off at school and had time to go home and get ready for work since I had an office site meeting that I was presenting at. I even did my hair and make-up. I left with plenty of time. I should have gotten to the meeting about an hour or more before I needed to present. On my way, while on the highway, I got a flat tire. Thankfully I was able to make it the next exit and get to a parking lot. After calling everyone to let them know I would be late and asking DH what i should, I called Roadside Assistance since we had through the dealership when we got the car. Well I found out that I no longer have it because it expires with the warranty on the car. So DH comes to change the tire. I know how but not strong enough to get the lug nuts (or what every they are called) off. We get the tire changed only to find out the spare is flat. Ok no problem. There is a gas station right across the street. Drive over only to not be able to get the cap off. After some time trying and getting pliers DH pulls the whole valve stem out. So now we have to get it towed. We get it to the dealership (they do all the maintenance on the car since I still some of a warranty) and they have to order a tire and are told that to get a new spare (we need this now too) it would be $500. He is trying to find us a used one but has 2 others ahead of me.

While at the dealership DD's school called and she needs Tylonal because her foot is hurting really bad despite being on Aleeve to reduce inflammation. Once we were done at the dealership we head to DD's school. I called to let them know I was on my way so they can call her down. I needed to hurry since I need to get to the meeting to do the presentation. I was now 2 hours late. They were just moved things around so I could present as soon as I got there. I get to the school and I had to wait because when I called they were in the middle of switching classes. So finally got DD her meds, dropped DH off at home and got to the meeting 2.5 hours after I was supposed to.

After DD got home from school I got a text that DD's wire from her braces came out. Schedule for DH to take her right them only for him to remind me that I have the car. Then I get the appointment rescheduled for Tuesday and see if DH could take her. I got really mad because he was telling me has meetings. I have missed a lot of work lately and was going to miss Wednesday morning for DD's MRI. I needed him to do something. He wasn't mad and understood. But I was stressed and frustrated the whole day and it really exhausted me. I took about an hour or so nap when I got home and was still asleep by about 9:30 last night.

Sorry for the long story but I am Thankful for the one thing that did go right yesterday. DS does not have track today. This mad life so much easier because it would have ended at four and with one car we weren't sure how we would handle this. I am also thankful that the flat was not a blow out and I was able to control the car and get off the high way. Really if it wasn't for the car telling me my tire pressure was low I wouldn't have know for a little bit. I never lost control or had any type of pulling. One more thing to be thankful for. We bought the warranty on my tires and rims so I do not have to pay for a new tire.
 
Thankful Thursday:

Really thankful for the warm welcome here.
Started new online group coaching program by Irish motivational speaker/fitness instructor starting today and I am really thankful I signed up as the content provided is great and I am feeling very positive. His podcast is on spottify - Pat Divilly - check it out. It's not as much fitness more on mindset focused. It's very moderate approach - slow start and I am looking forward watching the video lessons for month one tonight. The program focuses on mindset, sleep, breathing meditation, training, nutrition and hydration
 
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Hello, Dearies, from my college classroom... shh!!!

I'll be back a little later to catch up with everyone, but for the moment, it's Foodie Friday!!!

Did you try any new healthy foods this week?

Bonus question: What is the most ambitious/unusual food (healthy or otherwise) that you, personally, have attempted to make? (Even if you're a non-cooker and it's ramen noodles...)

And, as much as I'd love to stay here, I have to do statistics now... booooooooooo
 
Foodie Friday... and I totally forgot to try a new recipe this week. I did cook hamburgers for myself several nights. For some reason when I cook on the stove I almost always trip the hallway smoke detector, I think the overhead fan doesn't do a good job sucking stuff up and any smokiness hangs in the hallway. It's gotten to the point where if I'm even standing anywhere close to the stove the cats run for cover.

Thinking about thankfulness yesterday reminded me that a while back I did an exercise of going thru the alphabet and finding something to be thankful/grateful for for each letter. I've decided to do it again, a few letters each day... anyone who wants to join in please do.

A - aluminum foil... I love the way you can mold it and it holds its shape.
B - bunnies... I have two wild ones living in my yard and I love seeing them hop around. At least I think there are just two...
C - cats... mine bring so much love and joy to my life.
D - dandelions... I know they are "weeds" but the flowers are such a bright intense happy yellow.
E - employment... it can get crazy, but I am ever so grateful for my job/career.

I managed to get weed-and-feed down on the lawn last night, and tonight I'll need to mow because the weekend is supposed to be pretty rainy. No big weekend plans, but I still need to get into the bedroom closet and get it cleaned out, it's been on the list for a while and it's time may have finally come.

Hope all have a happy and healthful weekend!

Edited to add: most ambitious food... I'd have to say turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. Over the years I've tried every trendy way to cook turkey, except deep frying... things like starting it upside down so the juices flow in to the breast then flipping it (flipping a hot turkey is not easy), upside down and in a bag (in a bag doesn't make it any easier to flip), for many years I used a Kahlua/apricot jam glaze. My go-to now is brining the turkey over night, which makes it so moist and flavorful.
 
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Oh my goodness-so many of you are having such a stressful week-my heart goes out to you.
Hopefully things improve, calm down and you all have a restful weekend ahead of you.

Even though I’m retired, I still enjoy Friday! Planning on making my weekly martini very soon-and may I recommend one for all of you that have dealt with so much this past week?

For Foodie Friday I haven’t tried any new recipes this week, but I did try a new thing for my water-Meyer lemons! They have a little sweetness to them and gives your water a nice flavor.
Cooking lobsters was my most ambitious project and I won’t do it again-having to chase one of those little buggers across my kitchen floor just about traumatized me!
 

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