Wow

I try to subscribe to the adage "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything", which is why I haven't been posting much. The most neutral thing I could say would have been something like "Day 28 of my clean house captivity. I love my new Shark steam mop." I really do btw - I know it's going to be THE BOMB on our tile floors in Florida, and it's done a good job keeping the bamboo looking like our house is a dog free zone.

But life lately has kinda sucked to be honest. Selling a house is one of the most stressful things I've done. In retrospect, being threatened with assasination by the Red Army Faction probably didn't impact my life this much. Of course I was young and stupid then too. (It wasn't personal - they decided they didn't like anyone working at the NSA field station). ANYWAY. I think you get the idea. And we've never sold a house before. Also, the economy kinda stinks so we were fairly worried about the whole thing. But we got what we wanted for a sale price - that's pretty amazing.

So there's that. And losing my boss, who decided not to move. And losing my grandmother (her funeral is Monday - mom and I are headed to Georgia Saturday). And helping my mom sort through stuff for her move.

Oh, and the boy announced yesterday that he doesn't want to go to Florida after all. Yeah.

For those of you with older kinds you realize that if you want to make something highly desirable to a teen, tell them they can't. So we're having to approach this one very carefully.

I doubt I've been good company. Honestly I haven't enjoyed my company very much! I do feel like this was the biggest hurdle and I am so glad it's behind us. So why have I been up since 2 AM, unable to sleep and worrying about the whole move logistics? I guess there's just a lot of stress about the future and worrying about how to get the power turned on from 2 states away is a concrete issue I can focus on fretting about. And maybe the whole sale thing hasn't quite sunk in.

I need to chill out.

We sold our house today. I for one intend to go home and throw my dirty laundry everywhere! *lol*

Happy Friday!

It's now 2 weeks since my grandma died. Last night at 8:30 my mom called my cousing (who was supposed to be arranging the funeral) and he said he was going to call the church this morning to see about arranging it for Monday. Please understand we're tlaking about 2 states away - spur of the moment would be a big hassle for us. We talked & she called him back & said just to shoot for the 9th. The last weekend of April/1st weekend of May is booked because his wife's grandfather died a week after our grandmother. You can bet someone managed to schedule HIS funeral. Anyway, his whole mishandling of things has created a lot of extra upset and stress.

I had a birthday. I went for my annual check-up. My house has been shown 7 times and we've had an open house.. I just want my house to sell. I need it to sell pretty quickly. I've done everything in my power to make that happen, now we just have to wait (ugh).

Birthday was okay. Doctor gave me a clean bill of health. Right now there is just so much that I feel pretty overwhelmed a lot of the time. I try to break it down into little bits and deal with the part right in front of my face.

Right now is a difficult time, but I know it's only temporary, that the pain of losing my grandmother will ease, that life will move forward, and is right now even if it doesn't feel that way.

Hope you have a good weekend and nice Easter if you celebrate that.

My grandmother passed last Friday - hence my lack of posting.

Love this house!

While perusing listings for houses in Coral Springs, I found a house I'm totally in love with. But like internet dating, the real thing may or may not turn out to be what I think it is on the internet. But still, it's love - for now. If I show you a picture on the interior (which is more "interior desecration" than "interior decoration") you'll think I've taken leave of my senses. So I'll show you why I love the house - the tiki bar. Love it! Who needs to go to a fancy resort in Mexico when you can walk out your back door to this? As for the interior, I present the kitchen.

Nothing 5 gallons of Kilz and some paint won't cure!

Waiting for the galactic bus Everything feels like it’s in a hold pattern right now. The house is on the market. My grandmother quit drinking liquids on Friday, so we’re waiting for the end. Sadly, waiting isn’t my strong suit. Sorry – I just don’t have a lot fight now.

Stuff House goes on the market Monday. So glad this is nearly done. Now to keep it perfect looking! Our trip to Florida was heinous. The first bit was fine – we looked at houses (found one we liked), looked at schools (they were all good), and then the plan was to drive to St. Pete & have dinner with my stepbrother, then on to Tampa where I’d be dropped off at the airport Tuesday morning to come back to work and mom & boy would continue their vacation. Except they got horrible food poisoning and there was no way I could leave them and no way they could travel Tuesday. So I skipped the flight, cancelled 2 hotel reservations and booked us into a place in St. Pete for 2 nights. It was awful – my mom especially was just miserably sick. So that totally sucked. My grandma has quit eating, so she’s going downhill pretty quickly now. I bought a BlendTec blender at Costco while I was in Florida. My precious.

And I am spent!

The real estate ladies came and took measurements and photos for the house listing, which goes up next Friday. Poor puppies will be losing their dog door.

I woke up at 4:15 and Jordan was MIA. Turns out she was in the boy's room. Door closed, it was quite warm, plus the light & tv on. She was sitting there alertly watching a P90X infomercial, while he slept the sleep of the dead (and teenagers). Couldn't get back to sleep, so I sat up & read, then got ready for work, packed hub's lunch, and made his breakfast.

I'm hoping that good soaking rain we had last night will green up the yard. I can't believe I just typed that!

So, last night I am watching a Jon Pertwee Dr Who (he was prior to Tom Baker). I really like him a lot. The episode I am watching is called "Dr Who and the Silurians." There was an episode in the last season of the most recent Dr ("The Hungry Earth") that I swear is simply a remake, with a few minor tweaks. Not even a sequel or prequel! I angrily asked hub "Don't they think anyone watches the old Dr Whos?". to which he replied "No." Well, I do and don't steal old storylines - make up your own! Slackers.

MIL has filled out a form to get on the waiting list for some subsidized HUD senior housing up in Maryland. Not sure how long the waiting list is, but she will become BIL & SIL's problemo. Frankly, her health is going downill faster than Guns n Roses career, so she'll most likely be in a nursing home within the next 2-5 years. I feel badly for her, but at the same time she brings so much of it on herself and hurts so many others in the process I feel more anger than sympathy.

Well, that's about all I got.

Know Your State Mottos!

Alabama
Hell Yes, We Have Electricity!

Alaska
11,623 Eskimos Can't Be Wrong!

Arizona
But It's A Dry Heat.

Arkansas
Literacy Ain't Everything.

California
By 30, Our Women Have More Plastic Than Your Honda.

Colorado
If You Don't Ski, Don't Bother.

Connecticut
Like Massachusetts, Only The Kennedys Don't Own It Yet.

Delaware
We Really Do Like The Chemicals In Our Water.

Florida
Ask Us About Our Grandkids, And Our Voting Skills.

Georgia
We Put The Fun In Fundamentalist Extremism.

Hawaii
Haka Tiki Mou Sha'ami Leeki Toru
(Death To Mainland Scum, Leave Your Money)

Idaho
More Than Just Potatoes...
Well, Okay, We're Not, But The Potatoes Sure Are Real Good

Illinois
Please, Don't Pronounce the "S"

Indiana
2 Billion Years Tidal Wave Free

Iowa
We Do Amazing Things With Corn

Kansas
First Of The Rectangle States

Kentucky
Five Million People; Fifteen Last Names

Louisiana
We're Not ALL Drunk Cajun Wackos,
But That's Our Tourism Campaign.

Maine
We're Really Cold, But We Have Cheap Lobster

Maryland
If You Can Dream It, We Can Tax It

Massachusetts
Our Taxes Are Lower Than Sweden's
And Our Senators Are More Corrupt!

Michigan
First Line Of Defense From The Canadians

Minnesota
10,000 Lakes... And 10,000,000,000,000 Mosquitoes

Mississippi
Come And Feel Better About Your Own State

Missouri
Your Federal Flood Relief Tax Dollars At Work

Montana
Land Of The Big Sky, The Unabomber, Right-wing Crazies,
and Honest Elections!

Nebraska
Ask About Our State Motto Contest

Nevada
Hookers and Poker!

New Hampshire
Go Away And Leave Us Alone

New Jersey
You Want A Motto?
I Got Yer Motto Right Here!

New Mexico
Lizards Make Excellent Pets

New York
You Have The Right To Remain Silent,
You Have The Right To An Attorney...
And No Right To Self Defense!

North Carolina
Tobacco Is A Vegetable

North Dakota
We Really Are One Of The 50 States!


Ohio
At Least We're Not Michigan

Oklahoma
Like The Play, But No Singing

Oregon
Spotted Owl... It's What's For Dinner

Pennsylvania
Cook With Coal

Rhode Island
We're Not REALLY An Island

South Carolina
Remember The Civil War?
Well, We Didn't Actually Surrender Yet

South Dakota
Closer Than North Dakota

Tennessee
Home of the Al Gore Invention Museum.

Texas
Se Hablo Ingles

Utah
Our Jesus Is Better Than Your Jesus

Vermont
Ay, Yep

Virginia
Who Says Government Stiffs And Slackjaw Yokels Don't Mix?

Washington
Our Governor can out-fraud your Governor!!

West Virginia
One Big Happy Family... Really!

Wisconsin
Come Cut The Cheese!

Wyoming
Where Men Are Men... And The Sheep Are Scared

The District of Columbia
The Work-Free Drug Place!

What’s Up

The house is largely done and the realtor is coming this afternoon. I feel like I just finished a marathon. Still a few small-ish things for hub to do, but we’re pretty much there. I am so tired – I can’t believe I am going to Florida this weekend. Oh, to sit on my sofa with a dog, a glass of iced tea, and a cheesy movie on the sci-fi channel!

It is incredibly difficult to live in a house with no books. I finished 2 I borrowed from the library: Asimov’s “Chronology of the World” which was a hoot. He describes the delay in making Utah a state as being caused by the fact that “the inhabitants chose to practice polygamy rather than adultery.” HA! Very funny, easy, educational read. I also finished “The China Study” - I wish I could buy a copy of that book for all my friends and family. Get thee to the library for it!

I have several books on hold at the library and I’m hoping something will come in before we leave Saturday. At home I have the latest Patricia Briggs book “River Marked”, but hub is reading it. I have the next to latest Elizabeth Moon Paksenarrion book I need to start since the newest one should be arriving next week.

I am currently reading “The Sandbox”, which started as a milblog hosted by Doonsbury creator Gary Trudeau. It is reminding me a lot about my own time in the military – bringing back stuff that has been socked away in the back of my mind for a long time. Like what it’s like to search your car for bombs every time you get in it. Regular people can’t possibly relate to stuff like that.

Oh, I got a promotion at work to Senior Project Manager. Woot!

The boy turned 16 on the 28th of February. It’s amazing how the time has gone, and I’ve been realizing how short the time we have left before he moves out on his own really is. I remember wondering if he would be taking his baby bottle to college – thankfully he isn’t. There were things he did quickly, other stuff slowly. I wondered if I would totally screw him up. Fortunately, the creator made kids awfully tough creatures. I tell him that the other stuff just gives him something to discuss with a therapist when he’s my age. Hee hee hee.

The end is in sight

The realtor is scheduled to come back for another walk through this Sunday. Hub and I both have a few small things to wrap up and the landscaper is supposed to finish today, but the bulk is done.

Let's review the last 6 weeks:

New hardwood in the entrance, living, dining, and kitchen
New carpet in the bedrooms and hallway
Finished remodel of hall bath - painted cabinet, new baseboard
Master bath:
- New tile floor
- Resurfacing of shower and garden tub
- Painted cabinet (professional)
- New counterop and sinks
- New toilet
- New baseboards
Decluttered and staged house
Painted all rooms and closets in house

You see why my back is singing "Ave Maria" and the amount of sleep deprivation I'm experiencing has made life with a newborn look good.

I have lots to write but lack the cognitive function to string much together.

Remembering where I was

I had to go back and read my last post because I didn’t remember what was going on when I wrote it. That about sums things up around here. I forgot a co-workers last name. She sits 2 desks down and we’ve worked together for five and a half years. My mind, it has gone missing.

My grandma is in a holding pattern. Hospice recommended she be taken off the antibiotic, the doctor wanted to do another round. Mom had mixed feelings, so agreed to a second round. They did have a care meeting last week and agreed that this would be it. She still has pneumonia after being on the anti-biotic for 2 weeks, so I think this is just postponing things, but what do I know?

My house is a torn up wreck – the carpet people should be there any minute so the bedrooms have been emptied into the front of the house. We painted the guest room and the boy’s room. Priming over the dark grey walls and painting it tan drove home for him (I think) the fact that this is really happening. He had a total meltdown Sunday. I feel so bad for him.

The master bathroom is mostly painted and is looking really nice. It’s starting to come together – there is still a fair bit to be done, but I’m starting to feel the end is in sight.

I am reading Asimov’s “Chronology of the World” which is an uber condensed history of the world. But since it’s Asimov, the writing is so well done and entertaining that reading it is a pleasure.

I made myself a juice this morning and put too big a piece of ginger in the juicer and man was that a wake me up!!! It did leave me feeling much more energetic. Jack LaLane knew what he was talking about with the whole juice thing.

Tuesday

We are making another trip back to Coral Springs later this month to look at the high schools and houses. Let's just say that after having to call 4 high schools, I know why some of these folks work for the state cause I can't imagine any company hiring them. "Genuine Soviet service" should be the Broward county school district motto.

My grandmother is on Hospice. We are going to visit this afternoon for what will likely be the last time.

What’s new

We are planning a second trip to FTL over spring break to look at the Coral Springs high schools as well as drive around more neighborhoods there since that is now where our school/house search is focused.

Things at our house are coming along. The master bath is tiled and next week will see the back half of the house re-carpeted and the kitchen cabinets repainted. Calgon will be able to take me away again very soon! Also, we’re getting a couple of estimates on landscaping work this week. Target date for completion is 19 March.

Today is a certain somebody’s 16th birthday. Sadly, no license for him since you now have to wait a minimum of 12 months after getting your permit, which he didn’t do until April. We’re going out for a family dinner at his favorite Mexican restaurant.

My grandmother has pneumonia. I hope it’s her time – it’s been nearly a decade since she knew any of us, and years since she’s carried on a conversation or been able to walk. I know she’s been ready.

Spinning head

So, we made it back from our trip safely. It was truly an eye opening experience, in a mixed way. The schools were a pleasant surprise and the boy was very impressed. One school was clearly not an option, but the other 2 looked great. So I feel a lot better knowing that we’ll be able to get him into a really good high school. Then we looked at houses.

What a shock. Sure, the housing market in south Florida may have fallen 50%, but they are still priced higher than here. A lot higher. What that means in practical terms is that 1) we’re looking a little farther out than originally planned and 2) we’ll have to look hard and weigh priorities carefully. We’ll be able to find a house, but compromises will need to be made in terms of space in the house and/ or yard, age of house, etc. But the 2 cities I thought I wanted to look at were immediately taken off the table as options – we simply can’t afford either one. I mean, we can certainly find a house – just not one that we’d live in that’s also in a neighborhood we’d live in.

I posted for my job yesterday. That’s just a formality and once the paperwork is done the process begins. We can move whenever we’re ready, as long as it’s before the end of the year!! Since school registration is going on now and school starts mid August, the clock is ticking. We need to get there as soon as possible to get school registration taken care of. The house goes on the market 1 April. As of now, we are not planning to go to Pennsic. I just don’t see the logistics working out. Needless to say, everyone is majorly disappointed by that.

Anyway, still here, bumbling along.

Laughter is the best medicine

I’ve been so stressed out lately that it’s a wonder my head hasn’t exploded. Driving home from work yesterday I was talking to my mom about how much we have to get done around the house to get it ready to go on the market and how little time we have and how my husband doesn’t seem to understand how little time we have left. I decided that after dinner we really needed to sit down with a calendar and a list of what needed to be done and work on a schedule.

Then I got home and realized I was dealing with Captain Cranky Pants and quickly changed my plans. I know he’s dealing with a lot – we all are. Once Obstinate Boy got home I gave him permission to go to the mall with a friend to get new shoes. Then I made my husband sit down, drink a couple of beers (over the course of the evening), and watch a funny movie. We watched “Step Brothers” with Will Farrell, which is stupid but really funny if you happen to like his brand of humor. So I think it helped both of us to sit down & laugh together. There hasn’t been much of that around our house lately.

Between everything that has to be done and how much it’s all costing, we’ve all been on edge. There’s just so much uncertainty it’s hard not to be. But it was nice to sit down, laugh, and remember that life is good even when it’s tough.

Where I've been, what I've been doing

Let's see.... Home improvement continues, with the kitchen mostly put back together and the back of the house largely decluttered. Hopefully this weekend will see the floor finished and the front of the house completely put back in order.

Looking at houses and schools in Ft. Lauderdale in prep for our trip on thursday. Dealing with a realtor who doesn't seem to be listening. Not impressed so far. I'll meet with her, but I don't see us working with her for the actual purchase unless she totally wows me in person.

We've all had the flu. I'm doing better but still have a persistent cough. I can't imagine why my immune system would be depressed.

Right now I don't feel like I'm dealing with this stuff very well - I'm tired, overwhelmed, and tired.

I know it's not the end of the world or anything, but honestly for me to have my house as torn up as it is now is a huge source of stress. I am way to organized and OCD to deal with anarchy very well.

But... that's life. :-) Hope you have a good day!

Update

I'm still alive. Today will be my first full day at work since Thursday. I'm feeling better, but still tired.

House is slowly coming back together. Hub got a lot accomplished over the weekend - I did not.

We are heading to Fla next week to look at schools and houses.

Weight is the same. Hopefully I'll be up to exercising again in the next couple of days.

Sick

I have been sick since Friday with the nasty fever cold nasty hanging on cough things that is going around. I'm sure my stress levels + tiredness have contributed to a depressed immune system.

Anyway, I cam in for part of the day today because I had something I had to get done for my boss. Then I'm filling a prescription and heading home.

Quick check-in

Yesterday afternoon I went to the work gym with Lisa and did a tough 30 minute workout on the elliptical. She is getting married in May and wants to make sure she can fit in her wedding dress, so she is looking for a workout buddy and some accountability. Works out perfect for me!

I am working at home today (having someone come & do some work on the siding & cleaning the gutters) so I won't make yoga at lunch or the gym with Lisa. However, I have cleaned out enough stuff in my bedroom that I have room to do weights & exercises, so that's my plan for today.

Last night's dinner was white bean soup from the freezer with a big salad. I have stuff for the crockpot tomorrow and another thing of soup for Friday. The kitchen should be back online Saturday night, but I may do another crockpot meal just to be safe. I love my crockpot.

I got on the scale again this morning. Last week I asked Allan to assume I was the same as the week before (for the purposes of his weight loss challenge) because I couldn't find my scale and just didn't know. Yesterday I was a pound higher than that and this morning I was down to that weight. So, I've stayed the same for a week and a half. While this is hardly the intent of a weight LOSS challenge, I'm glad I'm not heading in the wrong direction!

I cleared a small workspace in the kitchen last night, so that's helpful. Honestly, I look around this house and I feel like I have so much work to do, it gets a bit overwhelming.

Have a good day.

The daily report

I went yesterday afternoon to the gym with my co-worker. I thanked her for inviting me and I intend to invite her today. While lunchtime yoga was not at relaxing as it normally is (it's very difficult to quiet my brain these days), it felt good to go and stretch and be quiet for an hour.

Dinner last night was salad and a baked spagetti that my mom brought over. The kitchen is still offline and will be for a while. Tonight hub needs to do siding. When he replaced the french doors last week, we discovered that the old ones weren't a standard size - they were larger. So the new openings needed to be smaller, which means that on the outside of the house we now have an outline around the door frames where the Tyvek is exposed and there is no siding. So the siding on both those walls needs to be replaced. Neither wall is big - thankfully it's a strange little L shaped "indention" in the footprint of the house around where the deck is. I think both walls are maybe 10 feet long. Nevertheless, we may get rain tomorrow so this is priority 1, with getting the kitchen up and running relegated to priority 2. We won't discuss the master bath as I would cry.

The plan for dinner tonight is a salad (a bit of a challenge since I have no work surface cleared to actually do any food prep!) and either leftover casserole or a container of vegetable soup from the freezer, with bread for the guys. Thankfully, the microwave is still accessible.

The guys moved a bunch of stuff out of the master bedroom and into the storage unit last night - I found my scale! I got on it this morning and I gained a pound last week. Not happy about that, but now at least I know so I can move forward.

Breakfast today was a veggie omelet. Snacks are 1) almonds & prunes and 2) 2 clementines. Lunch is a frozen Amy's organic tv dinner and dinner I already discussed. After work I need to pick up some more fresh fruit.

I plan to work out at the office gym today. There is water aerobics and spin at the gym tonight but this is the month that they are remodeling the women's locker room, so last week I had to empty my locker at the Y. I think the contents are in a grocery bag, but their precise location is currently unknown. So my swim suit and spin shorts are MIA.

Co-workers who have lived there keep telling me the schools in Ft. Lauderdale are terrible. Hopefully I can get some more specific information from a real estate agent when they are onsite this week. That is my current HUGE stress point about this move. I don't want my son in a bad school - even if it's only for 2 years.

Hub's stress point is how much work he has to get done to get the house ready to be put up for sale. I jokingly told him that the month of February should be subtitled "28 days of hell" since our goal is to have the house 99% ready to go at that point. I feel like mid-March is the absolute latest we can get it on the market if we want to get it sold.

Okay, enough whining! Have a good day.

Good things

1. The weather this weekend was beautiful, in the mid 60s. A taste of spring in the dead of winter.
2. Breakfast was a hollowed out bagel with an egg. It was yummy. Thanks for the idea Allan.
3. A girl on my team randomly asked me if I was going to work out today and could she go with me. She'll never know what that means to me. I do have yoga, but I might not have done anything else except I will now since she asked. My gym bag and yoga mats are in my desk drawer ready to go!

Hoo boy.

The first 7-10 days after we got the news about the relocation, I guess the best description of how I was would be 'shell shocked.' I was largely numb to my feelings. Well, I'm beginning to feel my feelings again which is both a good and a bad thing. I feel excited about this opportunity, I feel horribly sad about leaving.

My house continues to be a disaster. Hardwood is finished in the living room, halfway done in the entryway, and just started in the kitchen. Because all the rooms flow together (plus the living room being sunken), transitioning from one room to the next and keeping the look "seamless" is difficult. My kitchen has been offline since Saturday afternoon. Thankfully, my mom is bringing over dinner tonight.

The bathroom is in a holding pattern. The floor is prepped for the tile, that has been laid out but not stuck down (does that make sense?). So that room remains empty until ???. Hub shouldn't have touched it but he did, so here we are. I'm not going to give him a hard time about it, he's doing his best. But the hardy board is laid, the pattern is set, and the walls are prepped to be repainted - so actually a good bit has been done, it just doesn't look that way!

As far as the rest of the house - I made good progress this weekend. We have 8 large book shelves: 1 with movies, 1 with CDs, the rest with books. All of those are packed up. We took a couple of loads of stuff to the storage unit. I emptied 2 of my chests of drawers. I've gone through most of my clothes and donated, or packed up for storage.

One of the guys is coming over this afternoon and he and the boy are going to take a load of furniture & stuff over to storage, then load up some of the trash so hub can take it to the dump tomorrow.

I have given away 2 carloads of stuff to Goodwhill and have a huge bag of clothes in the backseat now. Having lived in that house for 12 years, we've accumulated a lot of stuff. So a good decluttering is a good thing.

Checking in

My house is a disaster area, with only the boy’s room unaffected by the work currently underway. Asking “how are you” at work has become a loaded question because you may get a real answer, spending 15 minutes in the ladies room listening to someone’s else’s struggles to decide what to do for their family. I’m not complaining. I met with my boss yesterday, he said I’d seemed down, and I got teary. It’s easy to talk with each other even if we aren’t bffs, because we understand in a way few others can.

Right now my life feels like it’s on hold until my house returns to some semblance of normalcy – I can’t even begin to declutter until stuff is back in place. Making dinner feels like an accomplishment. My plan for the weekend includes trying to find my gym back so I can at least get on the treadmill at work some to help deal with stress. Getting to the Y for classes seems like Mt. Everest.

Within the next 3 or 4 weeks I’ll have a lot more information and we’ll have made a decision. I’m hoping at that point I’ll start feeling a little more like my normal self, instead of living in this weird holding pattern.

Not good

I seem to be in a trough of my emotional roller coaster ride.

We spent $5000 this weekend - new hardwood flooring for the front of the house, 2 new sets of french doors and a back door, and paying 2 guys that work for hub when the company needs extra hands to come out & work at our place this week. (They haven't worked in a couple of months, so the one good thing is that we're at least helping out them). Hub took this week off work to do some of the stuff we were planning to do this year anyway.

We're also getting estimates on work we'd planned to have done over the next couple of years, but may need to get done in the next couple of months.

1000 sq ft of hardwood is A LOT. It is stacked in our bedroom, which currently looks a little like a tunnel system designed by the Viet Cong.

The front of my house is in various stages of packed up/anarchy/torn up. I rented a storage unit around the corner from the house so we have a place to sock stuff away while the anarchy is underway.

Mom was sick this morning and needed someone to drive her to the doctor. I can't do that if I'm in Florida. God I don't want to leave.

I did go to yoga Monday – having it at work is a real blessing right now. As far as food, I’m eating whatever is at hand. I’m not doing emotional eating – I’ve just been going along on autopilot, but it’s only working at 75% or so. I never brushed my teeth Sunday, which should tell you a lot about my mental and emotional state.

Anyway, I know I need to care for myself, right now I just haven’t gotten back to that place. I’m just mushing through, doing the things that must be done - which is more about getting my house ready and looking at details of my options than brushing my teeth or cooking dinner.

Anyway, not good.

You dropped the bomb on me

As you can imagine, work right now has a bunch of people walking around with dazed expressions. Most of us haven’t considered (at least in the short term) either leaving our job or selling our home, but for most of us, we’ll have to do one or the other. A few folks will be able to go virtual, but I don’t have either the option or disposition.

I don’t know which way the wind is blowing for us – we are still gathering information in order to make an informed decision. We have eliminated Phoenix as a possibility – Ft. Lauderdale is a drive away, but Phoenix is not. We have too much family in this area to go that far. Not to mention, we’d go nuts living that far from the ocean.

While there are several permutations within each decision, it boils down to staying here and searching for a new job or moving to Ft. Lauderdale.

We have a real estate agent coming tomorrow to give us a good idea of what we would likely be able to sell our home for, and what we would have to do to get it ready to be put on the market. We will be making a trip down to Ft. L (hopefully staying with hub’s friend AC) to take a look at the job market and for him to look around the area. The housing market seems to be a buyer’s paradise, and my dream of a vintage 1950s home with a carport and a pool looks like it would only be a signature away.

I won’t lie, I’m still in a daze. The boy is taking this much better than I expected. I'm grateful for the small things that are keeping me sane.

Today, my company announced they are closing their center here. My position will be relocated to Phoenix or Ft. Lauderdale, or I can stay here and look for something else. Lots of changes coming our way.

Back at work

I am back at work today. Needless to say, I have a long day with a lot of catching up to do. Le sigh.

How can I get sick and gain a half a pound? Weirdness.

I plan to go to yoga today, but I'm off everything else for a couple of days until my system settles down and I get caught up on sleep.

Have a good day!

Sick

I've been sick since Sunday - stomach & sinuses. Yuck. So I haven't been doing much of anything, including getting on the computer!

I'm feeling better today, still sort of headachy and not 100%, but better. I plan to take today off exercise and try to rest up - I can tell I need it.

Anyway, that's about it for now. Hope you have a good week!

Mich asked for details about yoga & kettlebells, I'll be posting that in the next day or so.

What I did

This morning I slept in later than usual. Since I have to get up and go to work during the week, on the weekends I try to let myself just sleep in and get whatever amount of rest I need. No problem, "sleeping in" for me means around 7:30, so still plenty of time to get going!

Anyway, I got up and got ready for yoga. Once I got the the Y, I realized that they were having a swim meet this morning - no laps for me today! The cardio room was fairly crowded and honestly the thought of the machines was NOT exciting, so I did yoga and then came home and did kettlebells - an excellent combo of cardio and weights. SO I got in 2 workouts and by doing weights today, I'll have a break before weights on Monday. Tomorrow I will either walk in the neighborhood (and take advantage of a relatively warm and sunny day) or go and swim. I will probably walk - the sunshine will do me good.

Anyway, just wanted to jot down what I did. Have a great weekend!

Good morning and welcome to Friday

I am in a good mood for someone who didn't want to come to work! You know how when you have a really big project getting started it feels a little like trying to eat an elephant? And that whole "the way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time" analogy rings true, but you can't seem to take the first bite? That's a long way of saying I have this big project and it's so big that even laying out a roadmap in powerpoint seems HUGE, so I've been working on other stuff and avoiding it but now I pretty much HAVE to start on it and I don't wanna. Oh well, I haven't won the lottery so I guess I'll suck it up.

In other news I had a good workout last night. I went to the Y early and did a hard 30 minutes on the elliptical then quickly changed and went to water aerobics, where we did a very tough workout! I was panting. I would have been sweating but I don't think you can sweat under water. After that I sat in the hot tub with the ladies (and one gentleman) from class, then took a quick shower and off home for dinner.

With the boy out of town and plenty of leftovers in the fridge, I declared last night "forage for yourself night" - I had eggplant, spinach, and vegetable soup. Not like at lunch (which was kim chi ji gae) but a pasta e fagioli type flavor soup, but with no pasta. I had a late dinner and watched part of "Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock" - a while back we bought the first 6 Star Trek movies (based on the original series) in a boxed set, and when I get on a tear I watch all the movies in a series, so I'm sure by the end of the weekend I'll have finished the set!

Tomorrow morning yoga is at 8:45, which conflicts with spin and water aerobics, and the class after is "cardio sculpt" with the mistress of pain, so I don't think so! So not sure what I'm gonna do - I really want to go to yoga. I could use the elliptical or dreadmill (but I've done that 3 times this week), or maybe I could swim some laps. I haven't just swum laps in ages, and I find that very relaxing and it's a tough workout but not in a stressful way. So maybe I'll do that. ANyway, I'll let you know.

I hope you have an excellent weekend! It was 15 this morning, so I'm looking forward to the promised sunny, warmer weather. We'll be almost up to the normal temps for this time of year! At least for a couple of days. :-)

A couple of things:

I was down another pound this morning.

A schedule is coming together for exercise. Yoga was the first piece to fall into place, since classes are limited. So, Monday, Wednesday, and possibly Saturday are yoga days. Cardio came next, since it is based on my generally preferred classes. Tuesday, Thursday, and possibly Saturday are cardio days. I say possibly on Saturday since sometimes we are out of town or something and I can’t get to classes.

Weights were a little tougher for some reason. I find that odd since lifting has always been my favorite of the 3 activities. Monday and Wednesday will be lifting days as this fits well with my schedule – it won’t conflict with yoga and weights plus a hard cardio session is probably too much in the same day. The day for a third weight session is more challenging: Friday is my shopping day, so there isn’t much time or energy. Saturday is already pretty full. Sunday would work, but then I’m lifting 2 days in a row. I don’t view that as a disaster, but rest is good when possible. So I guess I’ll leave that day floating and see what happens. The nice thing is that there are enough classes at the Y and equipment both at work and at the Y, so that there is always room to adjust.

In thinking over the whole locker room challenge, I’ve realized that I enjoy the pool as well as the sauna and hot tub (especially this time of year!) enough that I will just muddle through the month of February using the other locker room.

Food today:
B: oatmeal
S: 2 clementines
L: vegetable soup
S: pb & prunes
D: leftovers

The boy is leaving for Florida this afternoon. I am jealous.

I hope you have a great day!

The greatest thing

Yesterday I asked my husband to drive me to the Y to work out. My goal was to do 60 minutes on the elliptical and burn 600 calories. (I know those things aren't super accurate, but they at least give me an idea of how much I've worked.)

Anyway, you know what the greatest thing about that workout was? The fact that I finished it. Because the truth is that despite a new cardio coach, I really didn't want to finish. But I listened to the message (he is very encouraging) and finished the workout. After that I cooled off with a tepid shower, then relaxed in the hot tub & sauna, then took an actual wash shower. I got home feeling exhausted but proud of my accomplishment.

Right now I'm at home. There's a lot of ice on the road so my plan is to work from home a little while then head into the office in a half hour or so. I did a kettlebell workout first thing this morning. I think we'll probably have yoga at work today and I'll stay & do a few weights & cardio afterward.

Mom is packing up & heading home this afternoon. It's been fun, but it will be nice to have a less full house again. The boy has no school again today. Luckily, when I planned our vacation up north I booked the hotels on the assumption that they would need all the days tagged on to the end of the year in the event of snow.

Hope you have a good day!

Okay, mostly iced in!

Hub and the boy went out for a little while in the Jeep (it's a 4 wheel drive Wrangler, so a real Jeep not a Jeep brand SUV). The roads are dodgy in some places, but passable. Definitely not good enough for mom to go home or me to go to work though!

Given that the Y is only about 4 miles from our house on pretty major roads, I am going to ask hub to drive me to the Y this afternoon so I can exercise. I think I'll feel better. I can't get out & walk obviously, and for cardio I really don't care for workout dvds. They are fine for weights and yoga, but I'm just not into them for cardio. I don't want to wait for evening classes (anyway, I called and they will likely close early), but I can ride in & use the elliptical or the dreadmill or something. So that is my plan for that.

Hope you have a good day!

Iced in

Well, it started snowing fast and hard yesterday around 2:30. I planned ahead & got to work at butt crack (6:40) so I could leave, stop by the grocery, and come home. We didn't get a lot of snow - maybe a couple of inches. But then we started getting that southern staple - ice.

So now I am working from home. The boy, a friend from down the street, hub, my mom, and 7 dogs are piled in our house. Mom took the ornaments off the tree yesterday. Today I hope to get the decorations packed up and ready to be put away in the garage.

It's fun - a little like a holiday but without the pressure.

Butch

Here is Butch. Don't have pics of the others on my computer. :-( Must get some!

Puppies

Here is a picture of my mom with our chihuahua mix Bess (tan dog on left), her mom Sheba (middle) and sister Lulu.

Waiting

The snow/ice is supposed to start for us around mid-afternoon. My mom packed up herself and her pack of Lilliputian puppies last night & came on over. Her neighborhood is very heavily wooded and because it's older the power lines are all above ground - meaning when we get bad weather she frequently loses power. Since they are calling for ice, she figured it would be safer to come on over. (Our lines are all buried and we rarely lose power.)

After I finished my cooking yesterday I was pooped and opted to watch football and work on a puzzle rather than take down Christmas. Oh well, I'll have time to work on that once we get snowed in!

It was a nice weekend - hub was out of town Saturday (playing D&D, which he does one Saturday per month). The boy and I spent Saturday night watching "Major Payne" and working on a puzzle - a pic of Mt. Rushmore. He selected it not realizing it's a 750 piece puzzle, so it's taking a while!

Hub is quite put out with his mom (I am too). Last week she called him up & asked him to go to the store for her to buy a thing of milk. This woman was getting along just fine before she found out she had emphysema - now she's acting like an invalid. She told my mom she wasn't supposed to drive, even though the first thing she told my mom after she got out of her dr appt was that the dr. said she could drive. When mom reminded her of that she said "Oh, I guess I forgot." I call bs.

Two things hub's grandparents told him about his mother: 1. You can't believe a single word out of her mouth, about anything. 2. She will never stand on her own 2 feet. It is true, and she is using this diagnosis as a way to get attention and get people to do stuff for her. What a miserable existence hers must be. I do feel sorry for her, but she does make me angry.

Oh well. I was very happy to see Green Bay win yesterday! I am glad I can work from home so that I won't need to use vacation for the time I can't get in to the office. While I can't do everything, I have plenty to keep me busy for a couple of days!

I hope you stay warm & safe, whereever you are!

Quickly

Just wanted to let you know I lost 2.4 pounds this week. Overall it's been good, despite some MIL stress. Do I sound like a broken record? LOL. Maybe I'll type about it later, right now I need to go & start on the food prep for the week. Busy day today since I took yesterday off chores to work on my doll house.

Have a good one!

A little down today

Good morning. So, yesterday I lifted free weights and went to water aerobics. A couple of things are bothering me, in reverse order:

1) The women's locker room is going to be closed for a month for renovations. We do have Girl's locker rooms, and 1 I've-never-seen-it-used family changing room. What this means is that moms change their little boys in the girl's locker room. As the mom of a son who was once a little boy, I understand why. I have no problem with moms changing their kids in there, I have a problem with me changing in there in front of them. Maybe this isn't a big deal, but it makes me uncomfortable.

So I have to decide whether I want to forego using the pool, hot tub, and sauna for a month or just deal.

2) I told my husband last night how much it bothers me that he doesn't eat healthy, he won't exercise, and he's overweight and has high blood pressure. I know I can't make him do anything about any of this, but it bothers me and sometimes that comes out - it did last night. I'm not sure I handled it well, I told him it was because I was concerned & didn't want him to end up the way his grandparents and mom have. I feel upset, but sometimes it has to come out, you know? Argh.

I hopped on the scale this morning and I have maintained my 2 pound loss for the week, it would be nice if a friend joined those 2. I generally do not exercise on Fridays - it is my day off. I grocery shop which takes a lot of time and leaves me feeling pretty tired. I exercise 5-6 days a week (sometimes taking Sunday off if I'm feeling especially tired).

Anyway, I'll keep eating on plan. Hub is going out of town for the day tomorrow. Mom is coming over and we are going to work on my doll house and the 3 of us are going out to eat. No idea where, but I'll find something I can eat I'm sure.

I hope you have a nice weekend!

Wiped Out

Yesterday I did yoga at lunch, and then managed a moderately brisk 30 minutes at a mild incline on the treadmill after work. When I got home I was so tired it was all I could do to fix dinner without tears.

I have no idea why I was so tired, but I spent the evening on the sofa, cuddling my terrier and watching tv. (One thing has changed: there was no snacking involved!) I went to bed at 8:30 and after a good night of sleep, I am feeling much like my normal self today.

No idea why I was so tired, but I'm glad I took a night off even if I did miss Wednesday evening yoga!

Today I'm doing weights and probably water aerobics. That will give me time after dinner to work on the grocery list. The menu for next week is planned, I just need to finish the list since tomorrow is shopping day.

Hope you have a great day!

Laughing my a$$ off

As I was walking back to my desk from the cafeteria, I heard a lady very loudly and forcefully say to her friend she was walking with "It's good to eat healthy every other day."

And what about the in between days?????

Happiness Is…. A Workout Routine

I am feeling fantastic this morning! There are a couple of reasons for this:

1 It feels good to be back into a routine.

2 I had an AMAZING workout last night. After I got home, I did kettlebells for a bit, then we all had an early supper. After that I headed to the gym. I had originally intended to go to spin class, but I’m planning to go to that Saturday morning, so I opted for the elliptical instead. I did cardio Coach #5, working for a total of 65 minutes. I pushed it hard and felt awesome afterward.

I met with Amy (the nutritionist at work) yesterday. It’s mostly for accountability – I find touching base with her for a few minutes every couple of weeks to be an additional support. Anyway, I told her how happy I am that I finally have developed a yoga practice. It makes me feel so good, and I consider it a key component to my fitness and weight loss –if for no other reason than the stress relief component it brings.

I spoke with the yoga instructor at lunch Monday (she also teaches the tone & sculpt classes). One reason the sculpt classes weren’t working for me is because my right knee is bothering me a bit and the squats and lunges just weren’t working for me. I needed something else I could do until I’ve lost some more weight and strengthened my leg muscles back up. So doing weights – either kettlebells or free weights on my own where I can do the exercises that work for me is better right now. I am doing step ups in place of lunges and using the squat machine only. Those are working well.

When I thought about it, I realized one reason I was feeling stressed last week was because the scale didn’t move for a few days. That happens to me – it doesn’t move every day, instead it will hold steady for 2 or 3 days then show a 2 pound drop. I don’t know why, but that’s just how it seems to go. Anyway, I was hopping on the scale every morning and it was making me feel edgy. I need to weight myself on my weigh day (Sunday) but not hop on the scale every single day. It just creates tension where there doesn’t need to be any. And it makes me too focused on the outcome rather than the behaviors that drive the outcomes. (I do tend to overthink things).

Having said that, I got on the scale (without thinking) this morning and I was down 2 pounds for the week. Sweet!

Hope you have a great day!

Back to normal


Monday was back to normal - both in terms of schedule and mood. I enjoy the holidays, but I am someone who is happier when I have a routine, so its nice for things to be back into the usual routine.


I had lunchtime yoga here at work yesterday, and also went to Monday night yoga at the Y. It's funny - cardio classes (spin, and water aerobics) are on Tuesday & Thursday nights at the Y. A part of me thinks I should plan to stay home the other nights to take care of stuff. And yet yesterday I found myself hurrying home to finish my food prep so I could make yoga. Even though during class I sometimes feel impatient or even frustrated (I'm looking at you, half moon pose), I still miss it if I don't go!


My plan for today is to lift weights and go to spin.


Food was also back to normal yesterday, but I realized this morning that I'm out of sunflower seeds and nearly out of frozen berries. I'll have to go with a plan "B" breakfast for the remainder of the week. Not a problem - beans it is! It may sound weird, but they are a great source of protein and stay with you a long time - a heck of a lot better than cereal of even oatmeal IMO.


Tonight is lentil soup - I got it into the crockpot before I left the house this morning. That will make enough for 2 dinners, so I'll freeze the other half and have it in a couple of weeks. I am so glad the guys both consider soup a meal! It's economical, easy for me to toss into the crockpot for a quick meal, and this time of year it satifies my need for a "substantial" dinner while being kind to the waistline. A big salad on the side & we're all set.


Breakfast is 300 calories, morning snack is 2 clementines (70 calories), lunch is a salad (200 calories) plus a side veggie or beans (another 100 cal), afternoon snack is 2 prunes & pb (140 cal) and then of course dinner varies. Yesterday I had roasted brussel sprouts with my salad for lunch and they didn't really hold me very well. That was my plan "B" lunch this week and I forgot to bring a side from home. Oh well, it's not perfect but the cafeteria generally has a good salad bar and a good veggie selection.


Hope you have a good day!

Happy 2011

Hello there. I hope you had a nice weekend. I did not. There's no point in going in to all of it, some was MIl related, some was a disagreement with hub, and some was stress. Nothing major, just life stuff. Unfortunately, I allowed myself to get sucked into some overeating.

Well, I can't undo it. Just file it away, learn from my mistakes, and move on.

I nearly forgot to make the boy's breakfast this morning! I was a bit slower than normal, but I managed to get out of the house only about 15 minutes late, although I did forget my yoga mats! Oh well, they have loaners and at least I have my workout clothes! Classes start back at work today, and I have lunchtime yoga.

Tonight is leftovers and I may try to hit the evening yoga at the Y. I didn't do any food prep for the week yesterday (I was on strike), so I need to do a bit of catching up. I had my breakfast and packed a salad for lunch, so I got back on plan in spite of the "no cooking" yesterday.

I hope you have a good day!

14 weeks

Yesterday afternoon I did a tough 47 minutes on the elliptical (again with a cardio coach guided workout on my MP3 player).

After dinner last night I went to the Y. I did 2 things:

1. I made an appt with a personal trainer for tonight to set up a simple free weight lifting routine for me. The reason I want a free weight program is so I can do it at the office gym as well as the Y. Yes, I know enough about weight lifting that I could set up a program for myself, but I haven't.

2. I went to yoga. Near the end of class the thought popped into my head "I've been practicing yoga regularly for 14 weeks." I've done 2 6-week yoga sessions here at work and I've continued over the 2 week break we've had before the next session. I'm still not ready for the cover of "Yoga Journal", but I have made noticable progress.

I have been going to the Y faithfully for weeks now. I use the fitness center at work regularly. Could I do more? Absolutely. Nevertheless, I am very pleased that I have re-found my workout mojo. Sure it helps with weight loss, but mostly it helps keep me healthy & sane. It's like finding an old friend you haven't seen in a long time and once you see them, you realize how much you've missed having them in your life.

The last beer I had was 2 weeks ago. I made it through the holiday season without a single cookie passing my lips. I've had the same amount of joy and stress that I would have had with the food & alcohol. I'm sleeping better. I'm feeling better.

Overall I feel like I'm ending the year in a good place.

This one's for Alicia :-)

Adam and Eve said, 'Lord, when we were in the garden, you walked with us every day. Now we do not see you anymore. We are lonesome here, and it is difficult for us to remember how much you love us.'

And God said, I will create a companion for you that will be with you and who will be a reflection of my love for you, so that you will love me even when you cannot see me. Regardless of how selfish or childish or unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourselves.'

And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam and Eve. And it was a good animal and God was pleased.

And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and Eve and he wagged his tail. And Adam said, 'Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and I cannot think of a name for this new animal.' And God said, 'I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, his name will be a reflection of my own name, and you will call him DOG.'

And Dog lived with Adam and Eve and was a companion to them and loved them. And they were comforted. And God was pleased.

And Dog was content and wagged his tail. After a while, it came to pass that an angel came to the Lord and said, 'Lord, Adam and Eve have become filled with pride. They strut and preen like peacocks and they believe they are worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught them that they are loved, but perhaps too well.'

And God said, I will create for them a companion who will be with them and who will see them as they are. The companion will remind them of their limitations, so they will know that they are not always worthy of adoration.'

And God created CAT to be a companion to Adam and Eve.

And Cat would not obey them. And when Adam and Eve gazed into Cat's eyes, they were reminded that they were not the supreme beings.And Adam and Eve learned humility. And they were greatly improved. And God was pleased..

And Dog was happy.


And Cat . . .


didn't give a shit one way or the other.

Quickie

For a number of reasons (couldn't find my MP3 player, someone using the equipment I wanted, a workout tape that sucked) my attempt at a workout at work yesterday was an epic fail.

Then I got home from work later than planned - it was too late to go to water aerobics, and I sorta wanted to go to spin but dinner was up in the air since it was unclear whether the boy would be having a friend over or not. Which put spin in limbo.

I wheedled the hub into going to the Y with me where I did a very intense 30 minutes on the elliptical. Sometimes it's hard to get there, but I never regret exercising.

Hub also uploaded the 6th cardio coach workout into my MP3 player. He listened to a bit of it as he loaded and asked if he could load some on his MP3 as well. If you are stuck using equipment like the dreadmill, these are a great way to make the time go by quickly as well as ensuring a top quality workout. Not to mention some great motivation!

Anyhow, I came home from the gym in a much better mood than before I went. I had a nice evening and have had an uber productive morning here at work.

Hope you have a great day!

Patience is a virtue

Sadly, one I don't have much of. Last night I felt like I think someone who is trying to quit smoking must feel. (I've never smoked so I've never had to quit, but that's what I imagine it feels like) - restless, wanting something, feeling ancy. Only what I wanted was to eat. I wasn't hungry, I wasn't tired, I wasn't bored. I just wanted to eat. I think it was partly old habits dying hard coupled with scale frustration. Really, that's illogical - you feel bad about the scale so eat to make yourself feel better? I didn't eat anything, but last night was difficult.

This morning the scale had popped down a couple of pounds, so that's a good thing!

Looking back, it isn't how much I ate on Christmas that left me feeling sub-par, it's what I ate - too much rich food. I don't know about you, but once I start eating that stuff, it just leaves me wanting more - creating a tough cycle to break. The last couple of days I've focused not just on the amount of food and exercise, but making sure my choices are the highest quality possible.

As evidenced by the scale, it takes a couple of days to work that stuff out of your system. Being back at work helps too - I have my lunch box crammed with healthy foods that are tasty but don't leave me feeling like I need to lay down on my desk for a nap like a lion out on the veldt.

Plan for the day:

B: Green drink & oat stuff (I don't know what to call it, it's a cup of frozen berries mixed with some nuts & seeds and a quarter of a cup of rolled oats).

S: apple

L: a cup of lentil soup and a salad with hummus

S: 2 clementines

D: leftovers

Hope you have a great day!

Still white

The snow is still covering pretty well, luckily the roads are in decent shape.This morning I went to water aerobics, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I am working at home today. Hub is at work and the boy went with his grandpa for a few days, so things are quiet around here.

Today I am making Ali's ribolitta soup for dinner. Hub thought it sounded good. And since it makes 8 large servings that means enough to freeze for another meal as well as enough to send for mom & MIL. Since my mom doesn't really cook, I am trying to send meals over so things are a bit easier while MIL is staying there.

MIL has a follow-up with the dr. Wednesday - hopefully that goes well. Next weekend we'll be moving her back to her place. She can't drive for 6 weeks, but mom said she would drive her to appts & stuff. Hub can take her over a plate dinner so she has a hot meal that's nutritious. And she can do some simple cooking for herself as well.

I get so frustrated. We were going to give her some cash for Christmas, but ended up helping pay for her prescriptions - to the tune of about twice the amount of cash we intended to give her. When I made the comment on Xmas morning that we didn't give her cash (in addition to her gifts) it was because of what we payed toward her prescriptions. Do you think she thanked us for doing that? Ever? Of course not. At the time, she just got a funny look on her face and changed the subject. I know it sounds ugly, but I told hub I'm tired of paying for stuff for her and her acting like an ungrateful 12 year old. IMO next time she needs something, I think it's BIL's turn to front some cash. I mean, we've spent like $1000 on her this year - far more than we've spent on our son. And far more than we could afford.

Okay, that's my gripe. I need to get to the library today to pick up some books. And do a bit of cleaning. And work of course!

The scale hadn't moved again this morning. :-( I'm getting frustrated. I felt like I ate a lot Xmas day, so yesterday I didn't eat until I was genuinely hungry (1 pm). I ate very light yesterday to offset the day before. I know for me the scale tends to stay the same for 2-3 days, then show this huge drop, rather than small steady increments. So hopefully tomorrow we'll be back on the decline.

Food today:
pre workout - slice of toast with homemade pb
post workout- green drink with frozen banana, spinach (trying to use it up before I start using the kale), 1 Tbsp ground flax, cinnamon, green powder, and a touch of stevia.

The plan for lunch is a salad with hummus.

Dinner is a salad and vegan ribolitta soup (with white beans & veggies).

Stay warm!

Itinerary

I booked hotels for our trip next summer:
2 nights in Philadelphia
2 night in New York
1 night in Mystic Ct
2 nights in Boston
2 nights in Portland Maine

Now I need to solicit ideas for what we should see! (Not from a guide book, but from people :-)

Now to go clean the kitchen and do some laundry. Just call me Cinderella! ha ha ha

p.s.

Peanut butter turned out good - both mom and I liked it. And the kettlebell class was good too.

I wasn't dreaming of a white Christmas

I think this is my 4th white Christmas, which works out to about one per decade. :-) We got 6 inches of snow. It's lovely, but shoveling the deck so the dogs could go to the bathroom was not high on my list of fun things to do. Hub is doing the driveway, so I figured it was the least I could do. Besides, I obviously won't be making it to Bikram yoga today, so I need some exercise!

If I had to guess, I'd guess that less than 50% of the homes in the neighborhood even own a snow shovel.

I lost a pound this week. I wish I knew why - I tracked my food carefully and exercised faithfully. No bites of cookies or anything for me. Right now there are 2 cookies and 1 rum ball in the house (for hub) - I sent the rest with the boy and his grandpa. Heh.

Oh well, I didn't gain and even showed a modest loss and now I am on to a new week.

I hope Santa was good to you all!

On my way to the gym

Just a quick check in before I head out to the Y. They are having the kettlebell class I've been wanting to take but they only seem to offer while I am at work!

Things are okay here. MIL has emphysema and COPD. The rehad person came out yesterday and told her and discussed what she needed to do, asked about her diet etc. Also told her that if she smoked a cigarette within 30 minutes of using oxygen she would blow herself up (due to the pure oxygen in her lungs I guess). Good thing mom caught her when she was sneaking out to smoke a couple of nights ago.

Some people are idiots. I told LB "Looking at my MIL makes me want to go eat a pound of raw kale."

Not sure whether I'll be able to stay up late enough to make midnight mass or not. Hope you have a good day!

Checking In

I ordered as planned yesterday. The leftover lettuce wraps went home with LB, and I brought half my entree home to have for lunch today.

After work I went downstairs and did half an hour of cardio. Last night the guys went to the movies, I went to the Y for yoga.

This morning I got up and went to the Y and did 46 minutes on the treadmill (that's the length of that particular cardio coach workout. I love those things!). I had my leftovers for lunch today along with some added brussel sprouts.

One thing the book I'm reading reminded me of is that I need to get more greens and USE the very high quality green powder I purchased when I was in the raw foods class. To that end, I had a green smoothie with green powder post workout, and I bought 2 large bags of organic kale at the farm stand when I went.

Grocery shopping is done. Today I am doing some food prep, including making Ali's reduced fat peanut butter. I can't wait to try it!

Have a good one.

Planning is key

For the past 9 years, Lunch Buddy (LB) and I have walked at lunch for 30 minutes during the business week. With the fitness center now open, we do yoga a couple of those days, and with her schedule flexing some, we have missed a few days, but nevertheless we walk regularly. One day a year we go out to lunch and swap gifts. We both watch what we eat and are used to the other’s weirdnesses (you get to know each other pretty well walking that much for that long!). Today we are going to PF Chang’s for lunch.

First, I brought in my salad for breakfast. Yeah, I know, weird. However, this helps ensure I get my raw veggies in for the day. (I try to eat at least a pound of raw vegetables per day.) I have an apple I’ll eat shortly before we leave so I’m not hungry. We are splitting the tofu lettuce wraps and I’ll get the lunch bowl (smaller portion) of Buddha’s delight (steamed vegetables with brown rice) and I’ll ask them to add the spicy sauce from the stir fry eggplant – cause I like hot food. I’ll eat half and package the rest. Lunch will be 490 calories according to the nutrition info on their web site (call it 500 calories). Breakfast was 200 with a 90 calorie apple, and I’m sure I won’t need an afternoon snack, so that still leaves me plenty of room for dinner. After dinner snacking has fallen by the wayside.

It’s easier for me to eat at home – I can control not only the calories, but the oils and salt and stuff much better. But I am going to go and enjoy my lunch and even more, enjoy a good friend’s company. Yes it’s once a year, but it’s the friendship that makes it special, not the food.

Anyway. Yesterday I went downstairs after posting to work out and guess who was in the fitness center? Yes, LB. She’s the only other soul I’ve seen down there lately. :-) We did Gilad’s total body sculpt dvd (1 hour) and then I did 22 minutes on the elliptical. I don’t have a yoga tape for today, so I think I may do my step tape for fun. Last Saturday morning showed me that I’d forgotten a lot of the moves as well as forgetting what a good workout step aerobics is. (And fun if you aren’t afraid to look a little silly!)

I am off work until next Tuesday. I won’t promise to post regularly because I’ll be busy hanging out with my family. I hope you have a happy holiday!

Argh

MIL is being releaased from the hospital today. I know: 1) she said she isn't supposed to stay home alone, so she is going to my mom's and 2) they are sending oxygen with her for her to use for a couple of weeks. Still no diagnosis I know of, but her poor oxygen levels could be (IMO) simply a result of her poor diet, excess bodyweight, and smoking. Mom is cool with her staying there a couple of days, but I think she needs to get back home post Christmas.

Hub had a dr. appt yesterday. He has tennis elbow and it's flared up again (which is funny to me since he doesn't play tennis). He needs to wear an elbow cuff and padded gloves when he works to help muffle impacts, and has an anti-inflammatory to take for a couple of weeks. Nothing serious, just a hassle.

I went home with a lousy headache yesterday and didn't go to the Y. I did yoga here at work and after I post this I'm going downstairs to the fitness center to do my "Gilad: Ultimate Body Sculpt: Cuts & Curves" dvd from netflix and some form of cardio (either elliptical or a step aerobics workout tape).

Last night's dinner was a HUGE salad with various vegetables, salad greens, and 3 diced up collard leaves that were left from wraps. I wanted to use them before they went to the dark side. And spagetti. Seriously though, that salad seemed to take forever to eat. I think it's because raw collards require major amounts of chewing. Which is probably why they are generally served cooked to death, the poor things.

Anyway, despite MIL being here, I expect Christmas will be quiet. We have a nice day, but we don't go hog wild either with the meal or with the gifts. It's more about spending time together & doing stuff. My mom and I are dragging the sculpy stuff out and doing crafty type stuff together. And maybe work on my doll house a bit. Fun stuff I don't make time for as often as I'd like. They guys will be playing video games or working on some manly project in the garage (weather permitting). So we'll all be together doing stuff we enjoy.

Tomorrow is my last day of work, but I'll be back in for part of next week. I like to use my vacation when the weather is nice. :-)

I am reading Dr. Gabriel Cousins' book "There is a Cure for Diabetes." None of us have diabetes (except MIL), but I've been wanting to read it and the library doesn't have it, so I finally ordered it for myself. It's good so far, but very technical with the medical info, so a slow read.

Hope you have a good day. I'm freezing, I wish we had a sauna at work where we could pop in for 5 minutes to warm up!

Short & Sweet

Crazy weekend. MIL is in the hospital. She fell on the ice & dislocated her shoulder. They kept her b/c they at first thought she had pneumonia. Now they say she doesn't but she needs breathing threatments. We've only talked to her, so it's not clear what's up.

Hub installed a new hot water heater. It was needed (the old one hadn't died, but it was living on borrowed time), but it was a rather long process. That meant dishes were done by hand with heated water and laundry was postponed. I was very cranky last night, just b/c of everything.

Work is fairly busy today, but I wanted to check in. I lost 2 more pounds this week. I will still post a net gain for the year, but I'm working to minimize that.

Went to the Y Saturday morning. I did a very good flow yoga class followed by step aerobics. I hadn't done step in years! It was fun, but I'd forgotten a lot of the moves. Also, it's harder than I remember!

Tonight is power sculpt & restorative yoga.

Have a good day!

Winter Wonderland

We had ice this morning after snow last night. I'm working at home, hub is off work, boy is out of school.

Plan B is in effect for working out.

Long and rambling

Apropos of nothing else I am going to write, did you know that the Tour de France is broadcast in 186 countries around the world? I don’t think I can name 186 countries! Amazing.

This is something I’ve been thinking about lately based on posts from various blogs. I know I’ve mentioned the documentary “Simply Raw” - a film that chronicles six Americans with diabetes who switch to a diet consisting entirely of vegan, organic, uncooked food in order to reverse disease without pharmaceutical medication. Each participant speaks candidly about their struggle to manage their diabetes and how it has affected every aspect of their life, from work to home to their relationships.

Anyway, they go to the Tree of Life Institute and of the 6, one gentleman leaves after 2 weeks or so. Most of these folks have other medical issues as well, but this gentleman loses like 30 pounds and comes off not only all his diabetes medication but also medication for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He has a cousin or someone pick him up and he says he just can’t do it – it’s too hard. At the beginning they showed his wife tearfully discussing the fact that she’s been widowed once already, and wants her husband to be healthy. Despite that and the fact he’s reversed his diabetes, he chooses to go back to his old life. That more than anything illustrates for me how difficult it can be to change your life.

I read blogs by folks who have lost (and kept off) over 100 pounds, and one thing many discuss is wanting to remember how hard life was when they were severely obese – due to health or other physical limitations.

Imagine changing your life if you don’t have those incentives. Your health is generally good and yeah, you’d like to take off some weight, but you can fit in a plane seat, walk around all day sight seeing with your family, ride the roller coasters, whatever. Maybe your energy or fitness isn’t where you want it to be, but it’s sufficient for you to do the things you want.

The amazing thing to me isn’t that people don’t change in the face of information showing them how they can improve their health, it’s amazing to me that anyone does. People aren’t good at seeing the long run and people don’t really like being a non-conformist. Getting off the Standard American Diet whether it’s eliminating foods or just eating appropriate amounts is to set yourself apart.

At our offsite Friday we are being served pig picking food. I’ll be packing a hummus salad. Gee, like to stand out much?

I’m not trying to make excuses. I’m trying to say how much I admire anyone who can transform their body, improve their health, change their mindset. It’s a kind of miracle really.

Have a terrific day!

I’m cold

The weather here is seriously cold. Unless you are from Minnesota or something, in which case you think I’m a wimp. But it was 14 this morning, with a wind chill making it feel like 8.

Yesterday Lunch Buddy and I did Gaiam’s “Yoga for Beginners” dvd and decided that it was a little too beginner. But we enjoyed it, so I’m glad I tried the workout. In the afternoon, co-worker and I did Jackie Warner’s total body workout. It was tough! I enjoyed it, but I did feel like she transitioned from one exercise to another too quickly for me. Tomorrow both ladies are bringing in different workouts for us to do. I have some other workouts I want to try for next week, so that should keep me busy.

I stopped by the grocery on the way home and when I came back out, my car wouldn’t start. I called hub, but then decided to try it one more time. It started, but he & the boy went & got me a new battery after dinner. I don’t want to mess around in this weather.

I spent my evening cooking: I needed to make dog food and a pot of iced tea (I know, that’s not cooking, but you know what I mean!) and I had promised to bring in cinnamon buns for our last staff meeting of the year. Folks asked me to bring them again tomorrow, and to please make a double batch. And give people the recipe. They aren’t terribly difficult – I make the dough in the bread machine. I’m glad my co-workers liked them. (I didn’t have any – I simply assured them that I had made a pan for my family and left it at that.)

After that I cleaned the kitchen (the least I could do since they were braving the cold to get me a battery!) and checked email, then it was nearly time for bed!

Tonight we are having lentil soup for dinner. I am going to spin class at 6 – since its soup the guys can heat it up and eat whenever they get hungry. I’ll eat when I get home.

My hummus wrap did not work as planned. There was moisture from the tomatoes as well as juice from the banana peppers and olives, which combined with the hummus and made it very liquidy and then it oozed out of the wrap. Today I eliminated the middleman and simply put the whole mess over a huge plate of raw spinach. YUM! I don’t mind having a cold salad for lunch as long as I can have a cup of soup alongside to make me feel like I’ve had a hot meal.

I bought the individual hummus tubs at Costco – 16 2 ounce little tubs, so I bring one in per day. (I know its wasteful packaging, but sometimes that kind of convenience is the difference between my lunch getting packed and not). Each tub has 140 calories. I mention this because that’s the same amount of calories typically found in 2 tablespoons of full fat salad dressings. The tub holds between ¼ and 1/3 cup of hummus – that’s a lot to put on a salad! My point being, it’s a much better choice for my calorie buck.

Personally, I don’t believe in fat free substitutes for 2 reasons: 1) they usually taste like crap and I prefer to enjoy my food and 2) the ingredient list usually reads like a science experiment. Using stuff like hummus is a better choice for me. It really comes down to this: the less processed the food you eat is, the more of eat you can eat for the same calories. Which is a nice double incentive to eat less processed foods!

Hope you have a good day and stay warm!

What I’m eating this week

For the curious, bored, and to remind myself when I need ideas:

Breakfast:

Is probably going to vary. Today I made my take on a breakfast from Dr. Fuhrman’s “Eat for Health” book. It has 1 c frozen mixed berries (from Costco), 1/4c raw old fashioned oats, 2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds, a couple of walnut halves broken up and a splash (around 1 – 1.5 ounces) pomegranate juice for a bit of flavor and liquid. I think it would be fine with water.
When I feel the need for something savory, I’ll have beans & quinoa.

Lunch:

I made a chowder loosely based on Alicia’s. Mine is a pretty basic vegan potato chowder with a few chick peas and butter beans that were left over. It may sound weird, but butter beans are amazing in chowder.

I’m also having a wrap (on a collard leaf) with hummus, sliced cucumber and tomato, sliced olives and banana pepper rings. Awesome!

Snacks:

I’m out of apples so I’ll probably do beans until I get to Costco. Afternoon snack is my old stand-by of peanut butter and prunes. I’m almost out of peanut butter, so I am going to try Alicia’s low fat peanut butter.

Dinner of course varies.

Have a good day!

Nighty Night

Getting ready to go read for a few minutes and then turn in. It was a good weekend - lots of relaxing. Yesterday because I was dead from "Death by Insanity", and then this morning hub and I were bums and sat on the sofa watching the UFC PPV we tivoed last night.

After that we got up and went to the Y. I did a "cardio coach" workout on the elliptical and then sat in the sauna. I'm still stiff and sore from Saturday's class, but the sauna did help.

Christmas decorations are all up - I just need hub to put the last few boxes back up in the garage.

Overall a good weekend. I can't believe I am working every day this week!!! Tomorrow I am taking a yoga dvd to do with lunch buddy and a Jackie Warner weight lifting dvd to do with a co-worker in the afternoon. Work classes are over so we are continuing on our own.

I have learned this week that "total body sculpt" at the Y is okay for me, but cardio sculpt is not. That helps as I plan what I do for the week. I didn't do a spin or an aqua fit class, but even though plans had to change a couple of times, I met my goal of 2 yogas, 2 weight sessions, and 3 cardio sessions. It's a good start.

It's insanity alright

Just a quick check-in. Didn't set the alarm this morning. I couldn't believe it when I woke up and it was 10 till 8 - I never sleep that late! I was really tired when I got home yesterday.

Anyway, I had a quick piece of peanut butter toast then it was off to the gym. I did yoga then stayed for cardio sculpt. The lady that taught it is probably around 30 and looks like she was an athlete in college - I'm guessing lacrosse.

Anyway, the cardio intervals were adapted from that "Insanity" program you see on infomercials. Yes, it was. Oh lordie! 30 minutes in and I felt a bit light headed and wanted to quit. I slowed down my pace but I wasn't sure I'd make it through. I did, but I was wiped out! It was also very high impact which isn't so great for my knees, so I don't think I'll be doing that one again in the future - at least not with that teacher.

I went home, had part 2 of breakfast (green smoothie) and took a long shower. Then I had part 1 of lunch and headed to the grocery store.

I got my Christmas miracle today - W-M was slammed but all the shoppers and the employees were just as nice as could be. I got in & out quickly, came home for part 2 of lunch, and then just vegged for a while.

Not sure what I'm doing this afternoon - I'm still pretty wiped out!

Have a good weekend!

You can keep your holiday meals, your cookie swaps, your homemade treats. But Lord I would seriously like to raid the cheese tray on the back table. My kingdom for a grilled pimento cheese sandwich!

That is all.

Semper Gumby (Always flexible)

So, I ended up having a late afternoon meeting which was not planned, but necessary. That meant by the time I got home, water aerobics (at 5:10) was not happening. So I found a plan B: total body sculpt at 7:15. I needed to do weights anyway since I am doing a weight class Saturday and I can go this afternoon and to the treadmill or elliptical or something.

I enjoyed the class but I used too much weight for the squats and lunges because it was bothering my back instead of working my legs. I talked to the teacher after & she said that was most likely it & to try lighter weights next time. It's depressing how quickly strength can be lost.

Oh well, I'm going now. And the beauty is that strength (for me at least) also comes relatively quickly - bless my good East German genes. No anabolic steroids required. :-)

Hope you have a nice weekend!

Just heard the menu, I'll be packing a lunch.

That wasn't bad at all!

The stuffed portabella was excellent. It had a light breading type stuffing and had a tomato sauce. No cheese so yay! Sometimes vegetarian entree means 3 pounds of cheese, so it was a very pleasant surprise. For sides I got double green beans. I got a small serving of mashed potatoes, but they weren't good so I didn't eat them. I passed on the salad (blah iceberg lettuce & no good dressings), stuffing, rolls, and dessert. I am not overly full but feel like I had "enough".

I hate being at the mercy of someone's elses food with few options, I'm glad it worked out this time. The next potential land mine is our team building offsite next Thursday. I haven't heard a menu yet, but if I have to I will pack a lunch.

Wow.

Can I just say I had a stressful day at work yesterday? I wasn't able to leave it at the door, the more I thought about it the more I stewed. But I relied on Calgon to take me away, and kept my post dinner noshing down to a Weight Watcher ice cream bar. Jordan (the terrier) has a serious thing for coffee ice cream. Who knew?

We watched "Predators" which my son disliked and hub and I both thought was cool. Tonight I have "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", so I suspect I'll be watching alone. :-)

Tonight is water aerobics, which I am very much looking forward to, just not the bit about leaving the gym with wet hair! (I'm too lazy to dry it.) This morning I put soup in the crock pot and told hub to feel free & make cornbread and go ahead & eat whenever they wanted. I also made him a quart of miso broth to take in his thermos. I have to go to Super G Mart after work today as I am practically out of the ingredients - we love some miso in winter!

Lunch this week has been good: miso soup with spinach and mushrooms alongside a collard wrap containing chickpea salad. Very satisfying and loaded in veggies & nutrients. I like the idea of using the collard leaf in place of a bread wrap - it lets me eat more volume of food! ;-)

Today is our employee appreciation luncheon. Lordie! Luckily they have a veggie option (stuffed portobella mushroom) - I'll get 2 veggies alongside, pass on the dessert, and count that as "dinner", having a lighter meal this evening. Glad I made that soup! Again, lots of volume for my caloric buck, as it were.

It's gonna be a busy day - hope you have a good one!

How many days until spring?

I hate cold weather! It's down in the teens at night and the high today is supposed to be 34. Argh!

Everything was fine with the heat pump - it just needed a couple of minor adjustments. I'm glad that's taken care of. I put my electric blanket on my bed last night.

I was considering going to water aerobics last night, but the guy got there so late to look at the heat pump that I ended up just taking a quick walk in the neighborhood. Thank heavens for silk long underwear from LL Bean!

Last night we did a bit of decorating on the tree and watched "The Expendables." IMO it's the guy equivalent of a chick flick. To say I thought it was dumb is an understatement. I'm bitter I can't get those 2 hours of my life back! :-)

What else? Today is yoga and tone & sculpt at work. I made the chick pea cutlets out of "Veganomicon" Monday. Very good! The guys were having pork tenderloin and I didn't really want that, so I thought I'd give that recipe a go. A nice quick sub for meat when I want something "meaty."

Home again

I hope you all had a nice weekend! I did but it was tiring. Friday I spent the night at my mom's so we could get a very early start - we were on the road by 6. With minimal stops and making good time we were at the La Grange exit (roughly 1.5 hours past Atlanta on I-85) at 12:30.

We picked up Alma, took her to lunch, then went to the cemetary. We put flowers on everyone's stones, including both sets of my mom's grandparents. After that we wandered around an antique store downtown. I found a really nice abstract oil painting for $25. (No frame, which is prob why it was so cheap). It's signed and dated 1948. I saw (but did not purchase) a set of cast iron pink poodle book ends!

Then we checked into the hotel for a bit of a break. Then Wal-Mart for a few items (including fresh fruit for Alma, which she doesn't get a lot of). We gassed up, drove around looking at Christmas lights and then went to dinner. After that it was back to the hotel for some tv watching and a nice shower!

The next morning we were on the road by 8:30. Alma had a few small gifts to open, but we went ahead & gave her the big stuff: a nice pair of shoes & a gift card.

It's a good thing we got an early start. My cousin & his family purchased a new home (it's a horse farm) and it's much further out of the way than their old place. Since there had been snow at home, that stop was basically a drive by to drop off gifts, then we were back on the road.

The drive home was uneventful but we were both tired so it felt long.

The guys had done some chores around the house, but there was still a fair bit left for me. Yesterday was picking up, finishing the grocery shopping, and food prep for the week.

Food is prepped, house is largely cleaned, and I am ready for the week. I had planned to go to the Y last night, but my feet were singing Ave Maria after a hard day running around & on my feet, so I bailed. However, I have my guidelines the nutritionist gave me around exercise and I am meeting with her next week to check up on me, so I have already made a plan for the remainder of the week.

I hate that taking care of the house is like a second full time job. honestly, it's no wonder so many people say they can't find the time to exercise. Oh well, that's life so suck it up! ;-) I am lucky to have a lovely home to be OCD about!

Today I am working from home while waiting for the guy to come & service the heat pump. It's due anyway, but it seemed to be making an odd noise last night, so better safe than sorry!

Hope you have a great day!

Happy happy joy joy

MIL came over last night - it was her birthday and she had requested a special meal and a banana split. I made chicken adobo, rice, and steamed broccoli, then the family headed off to the ice cream parlor so she could have her sundae. I think we were all a little on the quiet side, but it was thankfully drama and crazy free.

Our little town has 2 ice cream parlors - one is where the guys go for ice cream, and the other is where the guys go for burgers/hot dogs. So we went to the ice cream place last night and one thing I'd forgotten is one of the reasons I don't like to eat ice cream there (well, besides the fact that I'd rather have mango sorbet at home): they have all these clown pictures on the walls. Hate. Clowns.

After that I plopped down on the sofa to watch "The Wolfman" with Anthony Hopkins (okay, nothing great). Then off to bed so I could get up early this morning to pick up the house (MIL is coming over to clean).

Meals for next week are planned and the grocery list is made. I'm sure some adjustments/ additions will need to occur to accomodate the fact I'm not eating the same as the rest of the family, but the general list is there. Most of the shopping will be done Monday morning - today I'm stopping at the farm stand for eggs & breakfast sausage and Costco (the guys want pizza for dinner tomorrow night).

I am spending tonight at my mom's house so we can get up early and get on the road by 6. It's a 7 hour drive and we take Alma out for lunch when we get there, so it makes for an early morning!

I'm sure we will have a lovely weekend, and I'm sure the trip home (lengthened by the fact that we make a stop at my cousin's in Atlanta) will seem to take time and all eternity. But seeing my great aunt and knowing how much these visits mean to her makes it all worthwhile.

I hope you have a great weekend!

The case of the vanishing lights

Last night I made a fairly quick dinner (big salad, shrimp cocktail) then onto steak for the guys with more veg, and then asked the guys to clean the kitchen. After that we'd put the lights on the tree.

Blip 1 occurred when they realized the washer had been loaded but never run, so we now had a backlog of dirty dishes. I do all the meal planning, shopping, and food prep, so the dishes are their job. I reminded them we had company coming and that I needed the kitchen caught up.

Load 1 running and hub was off to dig out the Christmas lights. We dug and dug and dug, and never found the darn lights!!! I have NO idea what happened to them. The boy and I ran to W-M for lights while hub vacuumed, another task that belongs to them which had been sorely neglected. To add insult to injury, the dog had brought in a stick and chewed it up on the living room rug. Butch has the nickname "stick boy" for a reason! ;-)

By the end of the evening, the tree was lit (and looked wonderful), the kitchen was nearly reclaimed, the house vacuumed.

Tonight MIL is coming over for her birthday dinner. Hopefully she'll be off the crazy and the evening will be okay. I need to plan next week's meals and make the grocery list. I'm going to do some of the shopping tomorrow after work since we won't be getting back until Sunday evening.

Have a good day!

Excellent article on the vitamin d craze

http://refusetoregain.com/refusetoregain/2010/11/vitamin-d-mania-panic-without-purpose.html

Men! grumble grumble

The hub thoughtfully offered to clean the kitchen last night while I had a nice soak in the tub. Sadly, he threw out the leftovers (which were going to be my lunch). Grr! I guess I'll let him live. Luckily I was able to find something rather healthy in the cafeteria, although overpriced IMO.

Work is still very crazy this week, plus we are trying to get some holiday decorating done in the evenings. Next week should be a bit calmer. I am going to use the lull in the proverbial action to try out a couple of different classes at the Y. I also met with the on site nutritionist this morning to help me prioritize workouts - what's a minimum baseline, and how to prioritize what sort of cardio & that sort of thing. So now I want to test out a few more options and see what I think of them.