I've been craving cinnamon buns for a month now, but I can't find the ones I want (the nice fluffy bread-like ones, not the butterhorns), so I haven't had the opportunity to indulge. I might have to make them from scratch.

I'm not sure what you mean by butterhorns. Do you like the ones they have at Cinnabon? I find I only enjoy the first 2-3 bites. After that it gets a little nauseating.

I'm not sure what you mean by butterhorns. Do you like the ones they have at Cinnabon? I find I only enjoy the first 2-3 bites. After that it gets a little nauseating.
The butterhorns are kind of like a danish; they're flaky instead of soft and doughy.

These do not tempt me
http://www.fotosearch.com/comp/BDX/BDX132/bxp28768.jpg http://www.stansdoughnuts.com/images/donuts/cinnamonrollsopt.jpg
But these make my mouth water:
http://www.candle-licious.com/assets/images/sinabun.jpg http://www.festivalfoods.net/images/CarmCinnRoll-6ct_lg.jpg

I've never liked Cinnabon because it's just too sweet. Even the smell does not appeal to me. I've never liked fudge either. I used to really love brownies, but I'm fussier about them now. Some of them I can't tolerate anymore, if they're too sugary or too buttery. Chocolate cake is about the only thing that I'm still guaranteed to enjoy.

You look great, the dumbbells look like a fantastic new fun toy, and kitten (Pepsi?) is a big boy now!:tu:

Those cinnamon things look yummy, even though I usually don't eat them. Mmmmmmmmm....:drool:

I bought some protein powder yesterday. Mostly just because it looked like it was a good deal. After the discount is applied, I think it will work out to about $10 for 600 grams (18 servings, each with 25 grams of protein, 1 gram fat, 2 g carbs). I'm not sophisticated enough to be able to tell the difference between different brands and formulations, and my diet is optimized for health rather than athletic performance or aesthetics, so I'm probably looking for different types of products than other people anyway. This one seems fine. It's Weider 90% protein (http://www.weider.ca/product/90ProteinSoy.htm) chocolate soy protein with isoflavones. It's sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame potassium. It says 1 scoop gives 25% of the dialy value for iron, and that's one of my current deficiencies. With the amount of calories in my diet, it's been hard to meet the elevated iron intake required of a blood donor, so I've been failing to meet those appointments. :(

My neighbor has started to sell herbal products. I got a kick out of one of the products which is advertised like so:

Can help you lose, gain or maintain weight.

:rolleyes: That's pretty magical! :lol:

I put it into my oatmeal pancakes this morning, along with some silken tofu. It looked like a really thick chocolate malt before I added the oats. Taste was good, and I was pleased to discover that it was much more filling than without the powder.

Last night I worked out legs, which was a disappointment, as usual. I find that my body gets fatigued as quickly as my quads do, and that squats are really hard on my shoulders (which seems odd because I believe my shoulders have more relative strength than most of my other body parts)

Last night, we all played Cranium Cadoo for more than a hour. It's a great game. Every family with children under 10 should have a copy. Odd that they sell it online (http://www.mastermindtoys.com/store/product.asp?product_code=52502&subcat=640&brand=108&cat=0&agecat=0&showcat=0&page=1&ebay=&MSCSProfile=L7PSQ59T4UJR8GEVNQ72AG48B5J307G5) for $35. We just picked one up at Wal-Mart for $14.97 for a birthday gift.

Today we go to the sugar bush to sample maple syrup and ride a horse-drawn wagon! :claphigh:

We're actually a little bit hesitant to go because of the local gas shortage (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070220/nanticoke_fire_070221), but I think we'll be okay.

My daughter has asked me to climb the CN Tower to fight global warming (http://wwfcentral.ca/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?&pid=454). It sounds like it's probably a pretty good idea, but I'm still a little bit hesitant. She's not much of a walker/climber, so we'd have to find some staircases to make some practice runs for several weeks before the event. We'd also need to collect some pledges, which I'm never really very excited about doing.

You look great, the dumbbells look like a fantastic new fun toy, and kitten (Pepsi?) is a big boy now!:tu:

Those cinnamon things look yummy, even though I usually don't eat them. Mmmmmmmmm....:drool:

Butterflyer, hi!

Pepsi is just past the teenager stage. We had him neutered a few weeks ago.

I have more of a problem with buying junk food than actually consuming it. :o I end up with weird stuff in the house that I bought on sale when I was hungry.:lol:

" Never stand begging for that which you have the power to earn." ~ Miguel De Cervantes

Today we go to the sugar bush to sample maple syrup and ride a horse-drawn wagon! :claphigh:

We're actually a little bit hesitant to go because of the local gas shortage (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070220/nanticoke_fire_070221), but I think we'll be okay.

My daughter has asked me to climb the CN Tower to fight global warming (http://wwfcentral.ca/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?&pid=454). It sounds like it's probably a pretty good idea, but I'm still a little bit hesitant. She's not much of a walker/climber, so we'd have to find some staircases to make some practice runs for several weeks before the event. We'd also need to collect some pledges, which I'm never really very excited about doing.



Pepsi is just past the teenager stage. We had him neutered a few weeks ago.

I have more of a problem with buying junk food than actually consuming it. :o I end up with weird stuff in the house that I bought on sale when I was hungry.:lol:

" Never stand begging for that which you have the power to earn." ~ Miguel De Cervantes

Sugar bushing and horse drawn wagons sounds like a great day out :)

I think its cool that your daughter is into fighting global warming !!

I had Fudgy neutered 4 months ago but he is still as naughty and active as ever!!! losing his balls has made no difference at all:D

I had my husband wake me up before he left for work this morning, which means 30 minutes early for me. The intention was to get in a good workout on the elliptical. But, because I've been "slacking" for so long, I'm so completely unconditioned. I couldn't get past 25 minutes without cramps in my stomach.:( Sunday night, my first attempt in weeks, went quite similarly. :( I am not deterred. This only means I must make it a more frequent part of my schedule.

He has his itinerary planned for going to Argentina in a couple of weeks. I asked him to bring me home something. He said he'd bring home a picture of where we were going to live. :rolleyes: :( :confused: :)

A recent issue of Psychology Today ran a story about cross-pollination of fruit. I wonder if it will convince people to buy more of it (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2004/12/01/8214501/index.htm).

58CJih1iYC0

My neighbor has started to sell herbal products. I got a kick out of one of the products which is advertised like so:

Can help you lose, gain or maintain weight.

:rolleyes: That's pretty magical! :lol:

And it will wash and fold your laundry for you. Clearly a miracle product!


Last night, we all played Cranium Cadoo for more than a hour. It's a great game. Every family with children under 10 should have a copy.

I agree. We've spent hours playing that game as well as Cranium which is geared to older kids and adults.

I had my husband wake me up before he left for work this morning, which means 30 minutes early for me. The intention was to get in a good workout on the elliptical. But, because I've been "slacking" for so long, I'm so completely unconditioned. I couldn't get past 25 minutes without cramps in my stomach.:( Sunday night, my first attempt in weeks, went quite similarly. :( I am not deterred. This only means I must make it a more frequent part of my schedule.

Great attitude Guava! I'm sure if you stick with the program you'll start to see results in no time.

:mad: :mad: :mad:
Today
Sunny. Becoming cloudy late this afternoon. Wind northwest 30 km/h becoming light this morning. High minus 13. UV index 3 or moderate. Wind chill minus 38 this morning.
:cry: :cry: :cry:

I can't feel my fingers!:(

It's 24 C in Beunos Aires. :whistle:

I thought you'd all be used to the snow and cold by now. ;)

:mad: :mad: :mad:
Today
Sunny. Becoming cloudy late this afternoon. Wind northwest 30 km/h becoming light this morning. High minus 13. UV index 3 or moderate. Wind chill minus 38 this morning.
:cry: :cry: :cry:

I can't feel my fingers!:(

It's 24 C in Beunos Aires. :whistle:

It is about 30 degrees and sunny here in Chicago. Should be partly cloudy the next couple days, but NO PRECIPITATION UNTIL FRIDAY! That means I got my car washed today and it might actually stay clean for a day or two!

yaikes. I start freezing at anything under 15c. :)

Shahar.

yaikes. I start freezing at anything under 15c.
Zero feels warm when it's been so cold. That's the forecast for tomorrow. Hard to believe I'm actually happy about that number. :lol:

I wasn't going to do cardio this morning, but I figured it would be "good for my soul" so I forced myself. My soul is content.:)

I lost my numbers from the other couple of days, but if I find them, I'll come back and edit for comparison. Next workout, I'll add the heart rate monitor, but for now, it was just another thing to worry about
30:00 (including 5 minutes each warm up, cool down)
5.4 km
370.9 calories

It's tough going from the 1 to 2 light workouts per week I was doing to put on my winter fat to 5 to 7 light to moderate workouts per week I've been aiming for this week. However, I think overall, I have more of a general contentedness about myself because of the increased activity.

I think you look great with this amount of body fat. I actually think you look better now.
Ha, too bad. It's great for a winter weight underneath sweaters and jeans, and I'm happy with how my upper body looks, but I'd rather see less fat on my lower body when it's more exposed. I'm hoping to keep my calorie intake at about the same level (or even higher) and burn the fat through workouts. I need to focus more on quality foods instead of filling up on breads and cereals. I just phoned blood services and made an appointment to donate in the middle of April. I'll have to boost my iron much higher than it's been to qualify; two out of the three times I attempted, I was rejected. :(

Ea_iZ3NfwSU

What do you mainly eat to boost your iron Guava, or do you take a supplement?

What do you mainly eat to boost your iron Guava, or do you take a supplement?
My iron level is not really all that low, it just happens that my hemoglobin is low enough that they feel I'd be weakened if they took some of my blood away.

The recommendations from blood services (http://www.blood.co.uk/visually_impaired/vi_iron.html)are to eat iron rich foods:
Lean red meat, turkey and chicken.
Fish
Eggs.
Breakfast cereals (wholewheat and/or fortified with iron).
Canned baked beans, other beans, chickpeas and lentils.
Nuts (including peanut butter).
Brown rice.
Tofu.
All wholewheat breads.
Leafy green vegetables especially spinach and broccoli.
Dried apricots, raisins, prunes and avocado.

I eat a lot of that stuff already, so it's kind of hard to move from my position. It also recommends to not drink tea with meals (slows absorption) and to consume a source of vitamin C with your iron (increases absorption). Whole wheat spaghetti and meatballs with tomato sauce and spinach is a nice iron-rich meal. :eat:

I have a bit of a sort of phobia with red meat (saturated fat), so I usually increase my bean consumption to elevate my iron levels, plus, I'm more vigilant about taking my multivitamin which promises 27 mg of iron. (This website (http://www.bloodcenters.org/corner/_pdf/iron.pdf) says I only need 18 grams daily. :confused: )

Sometimes it's a little confusing, because I associate protein intake with iron, which is not always the case.

For instance, today for lunch I'll be having a chili that includes
white kidney beans (according to the label, more iron than red, but less protein :confused: ), broccoli (iron), and tomatoes (vitamin C). For dinner, I'll have spinach (iron) with orange or strawberries (vitamin C), maybe a sweet potato (iron), and probably some fish of some kind. Ordinarily, I would have had cereal or bread plus fruit as a large part of one of those meals. Ideally, I should have calf's liver, but that's not going to happen. :nope:

For instance, today for lunch I'll be having a chili that includes
white kidney beans (according to the label, more iron than red, but less protein :confused: ), broccoli (iron), and tomatoes (vitamin C). For dinner, I'll have spinach (iron) with orange or strawberries (vitamin C), maybe a sweet potato (iron), and probably some fish of some kind. Ordinarily, I would have had cereal or bread plus fruit as a large part of one of those meals. Ideally, I should have calf's liver, but that's not going to happen. :nope:

Wow this sounds so like a typical day of my food :)
I shd probably get my iron levels checked one day as they say it can be a problem for female long distance athletes

Wow this sounds so like a typical day of my food :)
You're a very healthy woman! :nod:

I shd probably get my iron levels checked one day as they say it can be a problem for female long distance athletes
I just read that. If your hemoglobin level is low, your body cannot use all of the energy you get from food.

You should donate blood, then you get the iron test thrown in for free. ;)

You should donate blood, then you get the iron test thrown in for free. ;)

Great idea, i will check out where i can do this :)

Guava, have you ever had your liver function tested? Might not hurt to ask your doc for a checkup.

Guava, have you ever had your liver function tested? Might not hurt to ask your doc for a checkup.
Not specifically. I had my thyroid checked in 1998 because I wondered if I might fall under the "unexplained weight loss" category, but I discovered that's just what happens when you switch to diet Coke and quit eating a chocolate bar every day. :doh:

I've never been all that sure about "annual physicals". They never seem to really show very much, but I'll think about scheduling an appointment soon. It was probably about 18 months since my last one.

For supper, I decided to adapt something I saw in Real Simple Magazine. They call it Turkish Pizza (http://food.realsimple.com/realsimple/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1572911). But it looks nothing at all like any of the pizza we ever ordered in Turkey. :confused: Even though I added mushroom and garlic, it was kinda bland because I couldn't put the feta, but I spooned some salsa over it and it was improved. It was not filling at all, even after my orange on the side, so I pulled out my cereal and had a serving of that too.

My scale is telling me my body fat percentage is 11.1% :doh: I think I'd better get some new batteries.

Don't treat it like an annual physcial (way too general)...better to go in with a specific issue. Tell them about your low iron, what you have done to boost it, How it has not been overly successful despite really good nutrition and exercise. Ask specifically for a liver panel to rule out some muck up with your liver.

Ideally, I should have calf's liver, but that's not going to happen. :nope:

:nod: I'm with you on that one! In fact, even though I LOVE read meat, I find organ meats of any kind to be repulsive.

My Dad used to love fried chicken livers. Just the thought of eating that makes me want to gag. :eek:

For supper, I decided to adapt something I saw in Real Simple Magazine. They call it Turkish Pizza (http://food.realsimple.com/realsimple/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1572911). But it looks nothing at all like any of the pizza we ever ordered in Turkey. :confused: Even though I added mushroom and garlic, it was kinda bland because I couldn't put the feta, but I spooned some salsa over it and it was improved. It was not filling at all, even after my orange on the side, so I pulled out my cereal and had a serving of that too.


My wife LOVES Real Simple...they have some neat ideas/stuff in there...I must admit I page through it from time to time also :o :lol:

The Turkish Pizza at least LOOKS delicious...I am sure the feta probably makes the meal in terms of flavor though. :confused:

Don't treat it like an annual physcial (way too general)...better to go in with a specific issue. Tell them about your low iron, what you have done to boost it, How it has not been overly successful despite really good nutrition and exercise. Ask specifically for a liver panel to rule out some muck up with your liver.
Hmmm.... I don't know. The nurses said at the blood donation locations that my iron level was "good" but that they require a level above what's considered healthy. So I'm not anemic, and probably don't have any problems with my liver. But, I'll think about making doctor's appointments for the whole family. I think it's about time. :nod:

My wife LOVES Real Simple...they have some neat ideas/stuff in there...I must admit I page through it from time to time also :o :lol: It's my favorite magazine. :D The local branch of my library finally started carrying it, so I don't have to do a branch to branch request for it anymore, or pick it up at the bigger branch which is further away from home. :tucool:

We've been packing all our weekends with a whole bunch of fun stuff because my husband will be away for a large part of the rest of March and some of April too. I'm thinking about putting the girls into a spring session of swimming, but that would make my schedule pretty tight, so I'm not sure yet. I'd like them to be able to have the option to be lifeguards when they're sixteen, and if I don't keep them to one or two sessions of lessons each year, they won't make it by then.

He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away. ~Raymond Hull

We had fun yesterday at Wizard World. I was hoping to take the girls to IMAX after dropping my husband off at the airport this coming Saturday, but 300 is playing, and that's not going to work. :(

Karate is going well so far, except their fatigue is already being exhibited as crankiness, so I'm in for a real treat when exhaustion sets in near the middle of the week. :doh:

My six-year old had another wardrobe crisis again this morning after we were given the gi at the class, but Sensei told me to leave and she'd settle it for me. She has amazing patience, and my daughter is much more agreeable for strangers than for me. She proudly told me when I picked her up "I learned how to use numchucks.:D "

:eek: I wasn't quite sure what to say. "Good for you, honey! I hope that comes in handy! :tu: "
(Possession of nunchaku is illegal in a number of countries, including Canada, Germany, Norway, Spain, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom.) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nunchaku)

Swimming lessons will start in April. Tuesday evening spots were full, so I had to go with early Sunday afternoon, which will make it impossible to do any day trips on Sundays for a couple of months, but it will make the weekdays less hectic, so that's good. They don't do well if they aren't pushed to the limit, so I bumped them up a level from where they could have been registered according to which level they last completed. They swore they could already do those things in the lower level descriptions. I hope they don't drown. :blank:

“If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world, and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” ~ E.B. White, author

So does it look more and more like you will be going to Argentina... and in the relatively near future?

I think it would be great for your kids to become fluent in a second language and Spanish is so international.

My parents lived in a foreign country for a year when I was a child. I was more fluent in that country's language than English by the time we left (I was 8-9 years old.) But unfortunately it wasn't too useful a language from an international perspective like Spanish is. It was Norwegian. But the experience was truly wonderful. And it did come in handy when I was living in Belgium a few years ago... as Norwegian and Dutch have similar sounds that are normally difficult for English speaking people to say.

I was wondering if I missed picture of you using those dumbbells. I have been thinking about them myself. One of the women who is a trainer in the gym (though she doesn't train now but her body is totally tight and she in her mid-40's) says she has them and loves them.

But I could visualize how they might be awkward once you described them.

It is not the same thing but I've been thinking about getting an X-Vest (http://www.xtreme-athletic-equipment.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=&idproduct=20). I am finding it harder and harder to get my heart rate up with cardio and I thought it would help. But it is expensive. In the US, shipped it is between $300-$350 depending on where you get it but in 90% of the places, it is the higher price. The lower price place has been out of stock for a while.

There is a discussion thread here on JSF about it (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=32255&highlight=x+vest).

So does it look more and more like you will be going to Argentina... and in the relatively near future?

I think it would be great for your kids to become fluent in a second language and Spanish is so international.

I was wondering if I missed picture of you using those dumbbells.
We could be going. I'm adjusting to the idea, especially since he sounds so thrilled about it.

Normally, his contracts are two years in length, but he mentioned the other day that this one might come up with a one year option, which would please me a lot more. I think the time frame might be something like two years from now, but I'm never really too sure. Sometimes they come up unexpectedly. The contracts usually include schooling on location for grades one to grade eight, and boarding school fees reimbursed (up to a maximum amount) at the school of your choice (plus an extra travel allowance) for children grade eight and higher. My older daughter said she'd be really excited about attending boarding school (though the idea is still pretty scary for me), so that gives us some flexibility. She's in grade five right now.

You missed the picture. :p

In the spiritual path, joy and suffering follow one another like two feet, and you come to a point of not minding which 'foot' is on the ground. You realize, on the contrary, that it is extremely uncomfortable hopping all the time on the joy foot. ~John G. Bennett

You missed the picture. :p

In the spiritual path, joy and suffering follow one another like two feet, and you come to a point of not minding which 'foot' is on the ground. You realize, on the contrary, that it is extremely uncomfortable hopping all the time on the joy foot. ~John G. Bennett

Oooh... did you delete it??? I notice, you delete a lot of your pictures.... :(

Yesterday I was in a fitness store and was looking at those Bowflex DB's... man, those B's are BIG M***er F***ers :eek: :eek:

I really don't see how it would be easy to work-out with them. I see what you mean about positioning them properly.... :blank:

Yes, it's deleted.

Where did all the female participants from this forum go? :( :( :( I'm increasingly feeling more and more like an alien. :cry:

All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was. I accepted their answers too, though they were often in contradiction and even self-contradictory. I was naïve. I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer. It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with: that I am nobody but myself. ~Ralph Ellison

Where did all the female participants from this forum go? :( :( :( I'm increasingly feeling more and more like an alien. :cry:


I was wondering the same thing the other day:confused:

I was wondering the same thing the other day:confused:

Me too. I wonder what's happened. Do you think women see the front page and think this is now a "bodybuilding" forum for males only? That would reduce the number of new women, but that doesn't say much about the regulars who have faded.

Of course, there were fewer women to begin with, so it becomes more obvious when a regular goes away. There are several former regular guys I rarely if ever see around.

Considering the proximity to Spring Break, they may all be Going Wild. :nod:

All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was. I accepted their answers too, though they were often in contradiction and even self-contradictory. I was naïve. I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer. It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with: that I am nobody but myself. ~Ralph Ellison

All my life I've been searching for something
Something never comes never leads to nothing
Nothing satisfies but I'm getting close
Closer to the prize at the end of the rope
All night long I dream of the day
When it comes around then it's taken away
Leaves me with the feeling that I feel the most
Feel it come to life when I see your ghost

~Foo Fighters ;) :D

All my life I've been searching for something
Something never comes never leads to nothing
Nothing satisfies but I'm getting close
Closer to the prize at the end of the rope
All night long I dream of the day
When it comes around then it's taken away
Leaves me with the feeling that I feel the most
Feel it come to life when I see your ghost

~Foo Fighters ;) :D

But once you knew a girl and you named her Lover
And danced with her in kitchens through the greenest summer
But autumn came, She disappeared
You can't remember where she said she was going to
But you know that she's gone 'cause she left you a song
That you don't want to sing
We're singing I believe that lovers should be chained together
And thrown into a fire with their songs and letters
And left there to burn
Left there to burn in their arrogance

-Conner Oberst :(

Where did all the female participants from this forum go? :( :( :( I'm increasingly feeling more and more like an alien. :cry:



:(
Everyone I know had a very trying winter, with major health and relationship problems, so I've actually noticed this kind of absence of everyone in real life, too.:(

Lately, I've been chalking the whole thing up to exhaustion and crankiness. I could just be projecting *my* mood onto the whole world, mind.:)

Well, I'm still around but I lurk mostly. I do read the forums, but I feel I have little to contribute. :o

Guava, I just wanted to let you know what an inspiration you've been. When I started, I tried a really strict diet and not surprisingly found that I couldn't stick to it. That led to me feeling as though I'd failed. I know you advocate intuitive eating, so I gave that a try and it's really been working for me. Now, I don't deny myself food that I really want (even if it's not considered "clean") and I've found that eating those things in moderation works for me, mostly. I don't binge on junk food anymore, like I used to when I was trying to stick to a "perfect" diet.

Thanks for that.

Where did all the female participants from this forum go? I'm increasingly feeling more and more like an alien.
I was wondering exactly the same thing lately too.. (apart from the alien part).. :whistle:

Everyone I know had a very trying winter, with major health and relationship problems, so I've actually noticed this kind of absence of everyone in real life, too.

Lately, I've been chalking the whole thing up to exhaustion and crankiness. I could just be projecting *my* mood onto the whole world, mind.
:eek: I've experienced exactly the same and wondered if it was me! It does seem like a lot of people here and in real life are in hibernation or not doing much. Luckily Spring is now just about here.. :nod:

The girls are terribly exhausted. We didn't have too much trouble getting ready this morning, but the little one had a hard time getting into class today. They have to do pushups when they don't don't break their previous records, and she suddenly became very nervous about that while we were getting out of the van. She cried for a good five or ten minutes. :( I was torn between the feeling that I was scarring her for life by insisting that she stay in class, or setting her up for a lifetime of quitting by letting her come back home with me. :cry: I made her stay. She had a great time.

I didn't feel like doing my strength training last night, but it ended up being worth it for the resulting endorphin rush. :nod: However, I didn't sleep well at all, which I usually do right after a good workout. I don't know if it's because of residual daylight saving time effects, or if I've been drinking too much coffee, or for some other reason.

Today I ate:
toast, peanut butter, banana,
what was left of a gingerbread house
three chocolate covered mints
pumello,
broccoli, ham, pineapple, with roasted pepper tomato sauce
grapes, cantaloupe, strawberries, soy milk, bran flakes
Then washed my multivitamin down with some Diet Coke.
I just consumed a 12 oz bag of carrots
Drank three cups of coffee throughout the day.
I need to drink more water.When I started, I tried a really strict diet and not surprisingly found that I couldn't stick to it. That led to me feeling as though I'd failed. I know you advocate intuitive eating, so I gave that a try and it's really been working for me. Now, I don't deny myself food that I really want (even if it's not considered "clean") and I've found that eating those things in moderation works for me, mostly. I don't binge on junk food anymore, like I used to when I was trying to stick to a "perfect" diet.

Thanks for that.
You're welcome! :tu:

But once you knew a girl and you named her Lover
And danced with her in kitchens through the greenest summer
But autumn came, She disappeared
You can't remember where she said she was going to
But you know that she's gone 'cause she left you a song
That you don't want to sing
:confused:

When you are here, you are here. When you are gone, you are gone. It isn't a problem to be gone, so long as you are really here when you're here. ~Kent Nerburn

Where did all the female participants from this forum go? :( :( :( I'm increasingly feeling more and more like an alien. :cry:


I guess I'm sorta still here too. This time of year always gets a bit crazy for me. Football is in full swing, my daughter's soccer and hubby's baseball has started up already and of course we still have the kid's Tae Kwon Do going on

My poor journal is lost in the abyss and by the time I read enough to post a reply.. I'm out of time to actually reply!

But I poke around a read every so often and occaisionally throw up a post here and there.

Sounds like the workouts are going well for you though! Keep it up!!

Yes, it's deleted.

Where did all the female participants from this forum go? :( :( :( I'm increasingly feeling more and more like an alien. :cry:

All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was. I accepted their answers too, though they were often in contradiction and even self-contradictory. I was naïve. I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer. It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with: that I am nobody but myself. ~Ralph Ellison

Not gone, just... occupied. :) Good to read you again, though, Guava!

I tried to encourage my daughters in to karate, but they were capitulating between for and against the idea. So...we opted for 2 seperate dance classes. A highly structured, behind closed doors in a dance studio with a mirror style jazz and tap class for Grace (who *needed* all of those requirements), and a very easy, unstructured hip-hop class for Ysobel (so she didn't feel like she was missing out). Both have done *wonders* for their confidence, so it's worth the running around. :)

jazz and tap class for Grace (who *needed* all of those requirements), and a very easy, unstructured hip-hop class for Ysobel (so she didn't feel like she was missing out).
I think we lead parallel lives, kateykate.:nod:

My little one is more of a "naturally disciplined child" and gets her motivation from within, so any restrictions on her activities (or "punishments" doled out) don't sit well for her. :cry: On the other hand, external motivation works fantastically for the older one, because she knows she could have done better than she did. :p

Now that the karate camp is done, the older one has been begging me to sign her up for the regular session. I won't, because she's too busy with other activities right now, and because I'd rather look into another karate studio that is closer to home. There is, however, a summer camp that will fit nicely into our schedule. I'm suggesting to the little one that she'd prefer a dance camp or gymnastics camp, but she's insisting she'll be happier with her sister. :bang:

Yesterday, I treated my family to 6 oz juicy Angus burgers I got on special at the grocery store. Those bad boys had 410 calories (33 g fat, and 28 g protein) each. :spank: I couldn't bring myself to eat one, so I cooked up my traditional lean beef burgers mixed with soy and bran for myself. :p

Do not look for rest in any pleasure, because you were not created for pleasure: you were created for joy. And if you do not know the difference between pleasure and joy you have not yet begun to live. ~ Thomas Merton

:(
Everyone I know had a very trying winter, with major health and relationship problems, so I've actually noticed this kind of absence of everyone in real life, too.:(

Lately, I've been chalking the whole thing up to exhaustion and crankiness. I could just be projecting *my* mood onto the whole world, mind.:)

Yeah I thought my malaise starting last October was due to weakness from my surgeries etc over the previou 8 months... but I m learning that a lot of friends of mine (all female) have been quite sick these past few months, feeling tired most the time though the illnesses seem to come and go.

It has only been about 2 weeks that I am actually starting to feel my normal self again... though I still tire easily.

Considering the proximity to Spring Break, they may all be Going Wild. :nod:


:lol: Which is exactly what I plan to do on my trip down to Florida to visit my PGC.... ;)

Yesterday, I treated my family to 6 oz juicy Angus burgers I got on special at the grocery store. Those bad boys had 410 calories (33 g fat, and 28 g protein) each. :spank: I couldn't bring myself to eat one, so I cooked up my traditional lean beef burgers mixed with soy and bran for myself. :p


:drool: I would totally go to town on one of those:nod: Did your daughters manage to finish theirs? My nephew who's almost five years old can't/won't finish you're normal sized burger in one sitting.

:bang: :bang: :bang: It's been a bad couple of days. :rolleyes: I can't figure out what's making me crazy. I'm blaming spring break and hoping that stepping back into regular routine tomorrow will settle me down.

Morgan Spurlock's (http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Eat-This-Book-Supersizing/dp/0399152601) book wasn't very good. Not very surprising, since I didn't think the documentary was all that impressive either. He's much too narrow minded, and uses more profanity than I think is necessary. :nono: Profanity doesn't offend me in the appropriate context but I'm not comfortable with it's usage in a piece like this; it makes it seem like the information itself was not interesting enough and needed to be embellished with expletives.

This one looks better. I'm going to start it tomorrow.
YOU: The Owner's Manual: An Insider's Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger (http://www.amazon.com/YOU-Owners-Insiders-Healthier-Younger/dp/0060765313/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-3488096-3287358?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1174263502&sr=1-1)

Did your daughters manage to finish theirs? They wouldn't eat them! :cry: The little one will only eat hamburgers from McDonald's, and I'm not sure what my older daughter thought was offensive about it. She chose to have one of the beef/soy/bran burgers like I usually serve. :confused:

My husband had two, and I put the other two in the freezer. :(

Today's eats:
toast, peanut butter, banana
coffee
English muffin, spinach, ham, egg, orange
coffee
bran cereal, soy milk
coffee
pummelo
coffee, three mint chocolates
Red River Cereal, raisins, yogurt

"The problem is not that there are problems - the problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem." ~ Theodore Rubin

Great new profile picture! :)
and uses more profanity than I think is necessary. :nono: Profanity doesn't offend me in the appropriate context but I'm not comfortable with it's usage in a piece like this; it makes it seem like the information itself was not interesting enough and needed to be embellished with expletives.
Yes! I always like it when a director can employ a ton of profanity without making it noticeable or on the other side of the coin, use absolutely no profanity.

:bang: :bang: :bang: It's been a bad couple of days. :rolleyes: I can't figure out what's making me crazy. I'm blaming spring break and hoping that stepping back into regular routine tomorrow will settle me down.

Morgan Spurlock's (http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Eat-This-Book-Supersizing/dp/0399152601) book wasn't very good. Not very surprising, since I didn't think the documentary was all that impressive either. He's much too narrow minded, and uses more profanity than I think is necessary. :nono: Profanity doesn't offend me in the appropriate context but I'm not comfortable with it's usage in a piece like this; it makes it seem like the information itself was not interesting enough and needed to be embellished with expletives.

This one looks better. I'm going to start it tomorrow.
YOU: The Owner's Manual: An Insider's Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger (http://www.amazon.com/YOU-Owners-Insiders-Healthier-Younger/dp/0060765313/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-3488096-3287358?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1174263502&sr=1-1)

They wouldn't eat them! :cry: The little one will only eat hamburgers from McDonald's, and I'm not sure what my older daughter thought was offensive about it. She chose to have one of the beef/soy/bran burgers like I usually serve. :confused:

My husband had two, and I put the other two in the freezer. :(

Today's eats:
toast, peanut butter, banana
coffee
English muffin, spinach, ham, egg, orange
coffee
bran cereal, soy milk
coffee
pummelo
coffee, three mint chocolates
Red River Cereal, raisins, yogurt

"The problem is not that there are problems - the problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem." ~ Theodore Rubin


Your husband's away a lot at the moment too isn't he? and with another possible move on the horizon, I guess these are all added stresses for you at the moment:blank:

How is your water consumption going these days? :)

Sorry to hear you are not feeling that great. Hopefully you will feel better soon..

Thanks George. It's okay, HM. If I didn't feel crazy sometimes, I wouldn't be so thrilled about feeling not-crazy.
Your husband's away a lot at the moment too isn't he? and with another possible move on the horizon, I guess these are all added stresses for you at the moment:blank:

How is your water consumption going these days? :)
He went to Argentina on Saturday. He'll be there until April, and might be going straight on another business trip from there.

Last word on the move is that they're looking to hire employees on "single status" for the job (ie. limited accomodations, no school provided, and no spousal allowance) so he's asking them not to consider him anymore. I'd really be happier if I had a job right now, but with my husband's schedule as it is, it would completely mess up all of the girls' extracurricular activities. :bang: It's a dumb thing to complain about, because so many people have it so much harder than I do. :( I'll have more freedom in September, when the little one will be in school full time and the big one will be old enough to look after her for short bursts.

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How is your water consumption going these days? :)
Um... notice I avoided this question. :whistle:

Does coffee count as water? The experts keep changing their minds. They used to say it counts against, then they said it was okay just not to count it, now I think they're saying it's neutral.

I have a lot of trouble drinking water in the winter/fall/spring. :p Some people say they drink Crystal Light instead of water, which I know is not ideal, but I'm sure it's better than nothing. :o

Fitday says I'm not eating much.:confused:

Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 2 large slice ) 157 3 30 6
Peanut butter ( 1 tablespoon ) 95 8 3 4
Banana, raw ( 1 medium ) 109 1 28 1
Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 2 large slice ) 157 3 30 6
Salmon, canned ( 1 regular flat can (7.75 oz), drained ) 251 11 0 35
Apple, raw ( 1 medium (2-3/4" dia) ) 81 0 21 0
Pineapple, raw ( 1 cup, diced ) 76 1 19 1
Banana, raw ( 1 small (6" to 6-7/8" long) ) 93 0 24 1
Yogurt, vanilla, lowfat milk ( 0.5 cup (8 fl oz) ) 105 2 17 6
Tomatoes, raw ( 0.7 cup, cherry tomato ) 22 0 5 1
Broccoli, cooked, ( 1 small stalk (5" long) ) 39 0 7 4
Chicken breast, ( 0.5 breast) 130 1 0 27
Teriyaki sauce ( 0.2 cup ) 43 0 8 3
Muffin, English ( 1 muffin ) 136 1 27 4
Peanut butter ( 1 tablespoon ) 95 8 3 4
Total 1589 40 220 105

Yesterday Total 1933 66 304 67 (I'm not saying what I ate. :nono: Surprisingly, my micronutrient count wasn't far off from today's. )

Fitday says 2439 for maintenance, but I think it's closer to 1800 or so. (15X bodyweight in pounds)

"It has been said that our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength." ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Thanks George. It's okay, HM. If I didn't feel crazy sometimes, I wouldn't be so thrilled about feeling not-crazy.

He went to Argentina on Saturday. He'll be there until April, and might be going straight on another business trip from there.

Last word on the move is that they're looking to hire employees on "single status" for the job (ie. limited accomodations, no school provided, and no spousal allowance) so he's asking them not to consider him anymore. I'd really be happier if I had a job right now, but with my husband's schedule as it is, it would completely mess up all of the girls' extracurricular activities. :bang: It's a dumb thing to complain about, because so many people have it so much harder than I do. :( I'll have more freedom in September, when the little one will be in school full time and the big one will be old enough to look after her for short bursts.



ugh. Single status? Atleast that resolves the 'are we moving or aren't we' question. :blank:

I understand what you mean about being happier with a job, and it's not (in my opinion) a dumb thing to complain about... I think it's dumb *not* to complain about it. Certainly, some people *do* have it much harder, but I think it's important to allow ourselves a little frustration at our own circumstances. It's not like you're being all consumed by it, anyway. :)

Um... notice I avoided this question. :whistle:

Does coffee count as water? The experts keep changing their minds. They used to say it counts against, then they said it was okay just not to count it, now I think they're saying it's neutral.

I have a lot of trouble drinking water in the winter/fall/spring. :p Some people say they drink Crystal Light instead of water, which I know is not ideal, but I'm sure it's better than nothing. :o

Fitday says I'm not eating much.:confused:

Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 2 large slice ) 157 3 30 6
Peanut butter ( 1 tablespoon ) 95 8 3 4
Banana, raw ( 1 medium ) 109 1 28 1
Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 2 large slice ) 157 3 30 6
Salmon, canned ( 1 regular flat can (7.75 oz), drained ) 251 11 0 35
Apple, raw ( 1 medium (2-3/4" dia) ) 81 0 21 0
Pineapple, raw ( 1 cup, diced ) 76 1 19 1
Banana, raw ( 1 small (6" to 6-7/8" long) ) 93 0 24 1
Yogurt, vanilla, lowfat milk ( 0.5 cup (8 fl oz) ) 105 2 17 6
Tomatoes, raw ( 0.7 cup, cherry tomato ) 22 0 5 1
Broccoli, cooked, ( 1 small stalk (5" long) ) 39 0 7 4
Chicken breast, ( 0.5 breast) 130 1 0 27
Teriyaki sauce ( 0.2 cup ) 43 0 8 3
Muffin, English ( 1 muffin ) 136 1 27 4
Peanut butter ( 1 tablespoon ) 95 8 3 4
Total 1589 40 220 105

Yesterday Total 1933 66 304 67 (I'm not saying what I ate. :nono: Surprisingly, my micronutrient count wasn't far off from today's. )

Fitday says 2439 for maintenance, but I think it's closer to 1800 or so. (15X bodyweight in pounds)

"It has been said that our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength." ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

I agree i find fitday exagerates maintenance cals. As for coffee, i know pre JSF when i pretty much only drank coffee in the winter months my urine was always pretty dark yellow ie dehydrated.. now I drink 2 coffees a day and 3 litres of water and my urine is very pale yellow. I do think the body adapts to caffeine but I know I need some water too to keep hydrated... but this may be a very individual thing, I am not sure.

BTW I dig the quote :) by nature i stress about stuff and have had to learn to TRY and let go worries that I cannot change:)

:bang: :bang: :bang:

I'm still not feeling very balanced. :(

At least that resolves the 'are we moving or aren't we' question. Nothing is ever resolved.;)

I have a meeting I'm supposed to attend tonight, but it's at the same time I'm supposed to take my daugther to/from Sparks, so it's not going to work out unless I ask someone to drive her for me, and I don't want to do that. :nope: We have a conflict on Saturday too, where she's supposed to go on a camping trip, but there's a hockey game we need to be at early Sunday morning. She says she doesn't want to camp, so we might just skip it entirely, but it sounds like an important thing to do, and I think she should be a part of the daytime part of it.

I still need to eat more, drink more water, and do more cardio.

Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 2 large slice ) 157 3 30 6
Peanut butter ( 1 tablespoon ) 95 8 3 4
Banana, raw ( 1 medium ) 109 1 28 1
Broccoli, cooked, ( 1 small stalk (5" long) ) 39 0 7 4
Chicken breast, ( 0.4 breast) 104 1 0 22
Pineapple, raw ( 0.6 cup, diced ) 46 0 12 0
Pepper, sweet, red, raw ( 0.4 cup, NFS ) 16 0 4 1
Yam, cooked, ( 1.5 cup, cubes ) 237 0 56 3
Yogurt, lowfat milk ( 0.5 cup (8 fl oz) ) 105 2 17 6
Apple, raw ( 1 medium) 81 0 21 0
Strawberries, raw ( 1 cup, NFS ) 46 1 11 1
Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 1 large slice ) 79 1 15 3
Tuna, canned, water pack ( 1 can (6.5 oz), drained ) 194 1 0 43
Apple, raw ( 1 medium ) 81 0 21 0
Yogurt, lowfat milk ( 0.5 cup (8 fl oz) ) 105 2 17 6
Total 1492 21 240 101

“Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.” ~ Soren Kierkegaard

If it makes you feel any better, I think the new profile picture is awesome. You have an amazing christmas tree in your middle back:tu:

If it makes you feel any better, I think the new profile picture is awesome. You have an amazing christmas tree in your middle back:tu:
:eek: Christmas Tree!!!!??? GEt it OFf me!!!!

Thanks. It's not a current picture. Shhhh!

Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 3 large slice ) 236 4 44 9
Peanut butter ( 1.5 tablespoon ) 142 12 5 6
Banana, raw ( 1 medium (7" to 7-7/8" long) ) 109 1 28 1
Pasta with tomato sauce, meatless ( 0.7 cup ) 132 1 27 5
Vegetables, mixed, frozen, cooked, ( 1 cup ) 107 0 24 5
Shrimp, ( 2 medium shrimp ) 15 1 0 2
Tomatoes, raw ( 1 cup, cherry tomato ) 31 0 7 1
Muffin, English ( 1 muffin ) 136 1 27 4
Spinach, raw ( 0.7 cup ) 5 0 1 1
Egg, whole, poached ( 2 large ) 148 10 1 12
Carrots, raw ( 1 cup, NFS ) 47 0 11 1
Broccoli, cooked, ( 1 cup, chopped ) 44 1 8 5
Fat Free Ranch Dressing ( 2 tablespoons ) 48 0 11 0
Yogurt, lowfat milk ( 1 cup (8 fl oz) ) 209 3 34 12
Apple, raw ( 1 cup, NFS ) 74 0 19 0
Total 1485 34 246 66

:confused:
I can't seem to eat more than that of "healthy" food. I like to save up my calories for treats. There must be a big one coming due. :nod:

I am a young woman of superior intelligence and some education. I think the world has done badly by me. I am not in full command of my emotions. I do foolish things. What is worse, I have fallen in love with being a victim of fate. I put out a very professional line in the way of looking melancholy. I have tragic eyes. I weep without explanation. Et cetera. Et cetera ~ John Fowles, The French Lieutenant's Woman :D

I can't seem to eat more than that of "healthy" food. I like to save up my calories for treats. There must be a big one coming due. :nod:

hehehe.. I've noticed I've got the same problem. As long as I can stay away from the "treats" I lose the weight pretty well. But every couple of weeks I seemed to need a little "bad" binge!

:D

I just heard from my husband, and he's got the schedule for the next couple of weeks. He'll be home the first week of April. I'm going to order some tickets so we can take the girls to see a play of Charlotte's Web a couple days after he gets home. Then a couple of days after that, he leaves for Washington. :( Then he comes back. :) I booked an appointment at the end of April for him to see the doctor, because he hasn't had a check-up in ages. :blank: Then in May, we'll probably go to Las Vegas together, and have a friend stay here to watch the kids. :whistle:

So, that's all good. :) :) :)

The girls have a friend over tonight for a sleepover, and tomorrow we're planning to go to the pool. :jumping:

How big is a typical scoop of protein powder? Fitday says 112 calories in 1 Tablespoon, but my scoop is much larger than that. It says 32 g = 110 calories on the label, and the scoop says "measures 90 cc". It looks like it holds about 1/3 C. I don't want to be using way too much. :doh:

Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 2 large slice ) 157 3 30 6
Tuna, canned, water pack ( 1 can (6.5 oz), drained ) 194 1 0 43
Pepper, sweet, red, raw ( 0.5 cup, chopped ) 20 0 5 1
Onions, young green, raw ( 1 small (3" long) ) 2 0 0 0
Yogurt, plain, lowfat milk ( 0.3 cup (8 fl oz) ) 47 1 5 4
Spinach, raw ( 2 cup ) 13 0 2 2
Strawberries, raw ( 1 cup, NFS ) 46 1 11 1
Almonds, roasted ( 0.45 oz (22 whole kernels) ) 77 7 2 3
Yogurt, nonfat milk, no sugar ( 1 cup (8 fl oz) ) 100 0 15 10
Bread, white ( 1 regular slice ) 69 1 13 2
Protein powder, NFS ( 1 tablespoon (1 oz) ) 112 3 14 9
Egg, whole, poached ( 1 large ) 74 5 1 6
Oats, raw ( 0.5 cup ) 156 3 27 6
MORI-NU, Tofu, silken, soft ( 1 slice ) 46 2 2 4
Yogurt, nonfat milk, no sugar ( 1 cup (8 fl oz) ) 100 0 15 10
Flax seeds ( 0.15 cup ) 108 7 8 4
Apple, raw ( 1 medium (2-3/4" dia) (approx 3 per lb) ) 81 0 21 0
Total 1403 34 171 110

It's still low. No matter what I eat. :confused:

Superstore has the pecan chews (http://www.presidentschoice.ca/FoodAndRecipes/GreatFood/ProductDetails.aspx/id/11296/name/PCOldFashionedCaramelPecanChews/catid/11296/type/2) on special now for $1.99. :bang: I think they're normally $5.99, but I resisted. I bought a container of dark roasted decaffeinated coffee instead. I still haven't opened the box of truffles yet that I bought before Valentine's day. :spaz:

Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. ~ Joshua J. Marine

How big is a typical scoop of protein powder?

Every one I've encountered has been different. I entered Nitrean into FitDay as a custom food based on their Protein Powder default and adjusted everything according to the info on the side of the tub.

I measure it out on the digital scale anyway. The scoop's supposed to be 30g but I've only gotten over 25g from a heaping scoop a couple of times.

How big is a typical scoop of protein powder? Fitday says 112 calories in 1 Tablespoon, but my scoop is much larger than that. It says 32 g = 110 calories on the label, and the scoop says "measures 90 cc". It looks like it holds about 1/3 C. I don't want to be using way too much. :doh:


I've found in general my scoops end up being light vs the labeled serving of one scoop. I think Nitrean has a 30g serving and a 70cc scoop, and a level scoop is most often about 24-26 grams.

Only real way to know is with a scale. Density of the protein can vary from brand to brand and depending on the types of protein used as well as other stuff that is in it like sweeteners or flavors.

I don't think fitday is even close on what you quote. Time to hit the "Create Custom Food" button :)

EDIT: M@ beat me and was more concise. :)

re the Nitrean scoop...those stupid scoops let so much air in under the powder that it's rare that you get a real "full" scoop in there

G, check the macros on Fitday - a lot of the proteins on there had higher carbs/fat than the powders that I use, which usually work out to be about 110 cals for 30g

I measure it out on the digital scale anyway. The scoop's supposed to be 30g but I've only gotten over 25g from a heaping scoop a couple of times.
I forgot I even had a scale! :doh:
I got it for Christmas, and I've only used it twice so far.

I don't think fitday is even close on what you quote. Time to hit the "Create Custom Food" button :)

check the macros on Fitday - a lot of the proteins on there had higher carbs/fat than the powders that I use, which usually work out to be about 110 cals for 30g
Yeah, I checked again and it's not close. Mine has in 32 grams
110 calories, 1 g fat, 2 g carb 1 g fibre 25 g protein (iron 25% DV :tu: )

Fitday's estimate:
Protein powder, NFS ( 1 tablespoon (1 oz) ) 112 3 14 9

I wonder if Acesulfame potassium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acesulfame_potassium) is safe. :confused:

I wonder if Acesulfame potassium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acesulfame_potassium) is safe. :confused:

It's in a lot of stuff these days. It especially seems to be used in combo with sucralose for some reason.

I've also had the case where every protein powder type has a different sized scoop. :lol:

So, I'm in the Drinking Challenge. (I'm too lazy to link it. Find it yourself.) My target is to drink 2 litres (about 8 1/2 C) of pure water each day. It was terribly difficult yesterday; I felt like I was going to explode, and I had to go to the bathroom approximately every 90 minutes. :spaz: Today, however, I was incredibly thirsty, and no bloating. (Yesterday's problem may have been due to WAY TOO MUCH YOGURT. :eek: )

I've been checking my food through fitday, and it's become a bit of a habit, so here it goes again for today. I don't know how I can so consistently eat the same quantity of food each day when it's completely unplanned. My food choices were not ideal nutritionally, because my focus is on water, and I have trouble concentrating on more than one goal at a time. :spank:
Water ( 1 cup ) 0 0 0 0
Syrup, pancake, reduced calorie ( 2 tablespoon ) 49 0 13 0
Pancakes, plain ( 1 pancake (10" dia) ) 371 5 71 8
Water ( 2 cup ) 0 0 0 0
Coffee, NS as to type ( 8 fl oz ) 5 0 1 0
Water ( 2 cup ) 0 0 0 0
Grapes, raw, NS as to type ( 1 cup, NFS ) 114 1 28 1
Water ( 2 cup ) 0 0 0 0
Coffee, NS as to type ( 8 fl oz ) 5 0 1 0
Brussels sprouts, cooked ( 1 cup ) 64 1 14 4
Fish and rice with lemon sauce 340 8 36 26
Pastrami sandwich ( 1 sandwich ) 331 18 27 14
Water ( 2 cup ) 0 0 0 0
Beets, pickled ( 0.3 cup, sliced ) 32 0 8 1
Cabbage, green, raw ( 1 cup, NFS ) 22 0 5 1
Vinaigrette dressing ( 1 tablespoon ) 8 0 2 0
Snacks, trail mix, regular ( 0.2 cup ) 139 9 13 4
Water ( 2 cup ) 0 0 0 0
Total 1479 42 220 60

My pitiful fibre count was 14 grams. :o Iron is okay, but Vitamins A, D, and E are low. I took a multivitamin; there's probably a spot to record that on there, but then I wouldn't know the nutrients I'm getting from foods anymore. I'm completely out of spinach AND broccoli, which would have been awful, but I found some frozen brussels sprouts and remembered I had cabbage in the fridge, so I was saved.

Yesterday
Egg, whole, poached ( 1 large ) 74 5 1 6
Oats, raw ( 0.5 cup ) 156 3 27 6
Water ( 0.3 cup ) 0 0 0 0
Flax seeds ( 0.15 cup ) 108 7 8 4
Yogurt, nonfat milk, no sugar ( 1.8 cup ) 180 0 27 18
Apple, raw ( 1 medium ) 81 0 21 0
Coffee, NS as to type ( 2 mug (8 fl oz) ) 9 0 2 0
Water ( 12 fl oz ) 0 0 0 0
Water ( 2 cup ) 0 0 0 0
Protein powder, NFS ( 1 tablespoon (1 oz) ) 112 3 14 9
Pasta with meat sauce ( 0.7 cup ) 211 7 23 14
Vegetables, mixed, frozen, cooked, ( 0.3 cup ) 32 0 7 2
Soup, beef barley, canned ( 2.2 cup ) 313 4 44 25
Cake, reduced fat, cholesterol free ( 2.25 oz ) 208 1 49 2
Water ( 2 cup ) 0 0 0 0
Water ( 2 cup ) 0 0 0 0
Totals 1485 31 223 87

My husband might be coming home this Saturday :claphigh: , which might mean I can go on the scheduled camping trip with my daughter!:jumping:

Don't be afraid your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin. ~Grace Hansen

:bang:

I can't shake the feeling that I've recently made some errors in judgment that are impossible to undo. I'm not even sure specifically what I'm anxious about, but something's just not sitting right. :(

My throat is sore and I'm congested, so I'll blame it on being sick. I think I'll self-medicate with food. :nod:

6 C of water so far. 2 1/2 C to go. :jumping:

20 minutes on the elliptical. That's not impressive. :o

Sorry to hear that you are feeling this way. I hope the judgements were nothing too serious and that you feel better soon.

6 C of water so far. 2 1/2 C to go. :jumping:


:claphigh:

hope you feel better in body and spirit soon :)

Get well soon.

My throat is sore and I'm congested, so I'll blame it on being sick. I think I'll self-medicate with food. :nod:


I do this all the time. Last night, I felt down so I self-medicated with several pieces of chocolate and felt surprisingly good afterwards.

I do this all the time. Last night, I felt down so I self-medicated with several pieces of chocolate and felt surprisingly good afterwards.

I didn't even need to search out the chocolate! Pretty much any carbs will do. I perked up after some whole wheat bread with peanut butter.
I'm having broccoli, granny smith apple, and raisins for supper. :eat: I hope those have lots of iron in them.

Still not quite right, but it'll be fine.

Thunderstorm warnings tonight, which is always a good thing when you have kids, because it means extra cuddling. :)

“Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm”

Damn, I'm thirsty. :lol:

I took out my scale to check some stuff, and it seems that my slices of bread are larger than "large" and my servings of peanut butter are probably about 10 grams per slice. I'll have to do it a few more times to see. Fitday's "tablespoon" of peanut butter is 15 grams, I suppose.

Water ( 2 cup ) 0 0 0 0
Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 3 large slice ) 236 4 44 9
Peanut butter ( 1.5 tablespoon ) 142 12 5 6
Banana, raw ( 1 medium (7" to 7-7/8" long) ) 109 1 28 1
Water ( 2 cup ) 0 0 0 0
Coffee, NS as to type ( 8 fl oz ) 5 0 1 0
Egg, whole, poached ( 1 large ) 74 5 1 6
Flax seeds ( 0.125 cup ) 90 6 7 3
Oats, raw ( 0.5 cup ) 156 3 27 6
Tofu, silken, soft ( 1 slice ) 46 2 2 4
Protein powder, NFS ( 1 tablespoon (1 oz) ) 112 3 14 9
Grapes, raw, NS as to type ( 1 cup, NFS ) 114 1 28 1
Water ( 2 cup ) 0 0 0 0
Water ( 2 cup ) 0 0 0 0
Coffee, decaffeinated, made from ground ( 10 fl oz ) 6 0 1 0
Broccoli, cooked, boiled, ( 1 medium stalk ) 50 1 9 5
Apple, raw ( 1 small ) 63 0 16 0
Raisins ( 0.2 cup ) 87 0 23 1
Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 2 large slice ) 157 3 30 6
Peanut butter ( 1.5 tablespoon ) 142 12 5 6
Water ( 2 cup ) 0 0 0 0
Bread, whole wheat, 100% ( 1 large slice ) 79 1 15 3
Peanut butter ( 0.6 tablespoon ) 57 5 2 2
Tea, herbal ( 1 fl oz ) 0 0 0 0
Total 1725 59 257 71

Vitamin A 70.15 %
Vitamin D 12.95 %
Calcium 71.5 %
Vitamin B-12 17.4 %
Folate 99.05 %
The other 15 nutrients were all over 100%

My nose is still pretty congested, but my throat seems to be okay as long as I keep it hydrated.
Now I shall go and lift heavy objects. :flex:

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” ~ Rabindranath Tagore

Lifting was disappointing. Chest congestion limited my breathing, which made it more difficult than usual. And my mp3 player wasn't working. :(

I did still push through an extended warm-up with one set each of dumbbell curls and tricep extensions, plus one set of dips and a three sets of shoulder presses. I really wish I had some means of lat pull-downs or assisted pull-ups, because I seem to have reached a psychological block. I have been unable to pull up my own weight more than 5 times, even after working at it for about a year. I think pulling down 110 pounds x 12 would make me feel really powerful, and would help me move to higher reps with body weight. :flex:

My daughter's school is starting a breakfast program and I'll go to a meeting next week to see how I can help out. I've also sent an e-mail to the CNIB (http://www.cnib.ca/eng/index.htm) asking about their training program to become a volunteer narrator.

I'm going to invite one of my daughter's friends over for a play date tomorrow after gymnastics, so that gives me a reason to make sure the house is clean. :p

Yet to do:

Thursday I will visit the employment centre. I'm not thrilled about the idea of browsing the jobs, but I think I need a pep talk from one of the counselors there who was very helpful with me when the centre first opened. I might call or e-mail her beforehand so that I'm not tempted to break the appointment.
I will contact my supervisor from my enumerator job last spring and get the contact information for her supervisor, so that I can set up an informational interview about whether there might be any opportunitites for me at Statistics Canada. (We've met before, and she's impressed with my work, but I'm still terrified about making contact with her.)


“The problem lay buried, unspoken for many years in the minds of American women. It was a strange stirring, a sense of dissatisfaction, a yearning that women suffered in the middle of the twentieth century in the United States. Each suburban housewife struggled with it alone. As she made the beds, shopped for groceries, matched slipcover material, ate peanut butter sandwiches with her children, chauffeured Cub Scouts and Brownies, lay beside her husband at night, she was afraid to ask even of herself the silent question: ''Is this all?''~ Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique

Lifting was disappointing. Chest congestion limited my breathing, which made it more difficult than usual. And my mp3 player wasn't working. :(

How's your congestion doing compared to yesterday?

I did still push through an extended warm-up with one set each of dumbbell curls and tricep extensions, plus one set of dips and a three sets of shoulder presses. I really wish I had some means of lat pull-downs or assisted pull-ups, because I seem to have reached a psychological block. I have been unable to pull up my own weight more than 5 times, even after working at it for about a year. I think pulling down 110 pounds x 12 would make me feel really powerful, and would help me move to higher reps with body weight. :flex:

I'm not sure if it will help, but you could try focusing on negative portion of the movement after you reach failure. I used this technique on bodyweight dips for a while and I found it helped me. I would do 2 dips and 4 negative then 3 dips and 4 negative, and so on until I was able to do 8 dips. It might help.

My daughter's school is starting a breakfast program and I'll go to a meeting next week to see how I can help out. I've also sent an e-mail to the CNIB (http://www.cnib.ca/eng/index.htm) asking about their training program to become a volunteer narrator.

Great work getting invovled:tu: Especially with something you're passionate about.

You've worked for StatsCan!?:spaz:

How's your congestion doing compared to yesterday?
Yesterday, I felt slightly sick. Today I just feel a little plugged.
I'm not sure if it will help, but you could try focusing on negative portion of the movement after you reach failure. I used this technique on bodyweight dips for a while and I found it helped me. I would do 2 dips and 4 negative then 3 dips and 4 negative, and so on until I was able to do 8 dips. It might help.:doh: YES! I forgot about doing that. That will help. Maybe I will bring a chair or bench over to my chin-up bar too, and see if I can't somehow use that for assistance. I've heard of some tricks using the resistance tubing, but I don't think that would work.
You've worked for StatsCan!?:spaz:
I delivered the census, then I knocked on the doors of everyone who did not complete it like they were supposed to. :spank: Those first two phases were fun! Phase three was not the slightest bit amusing. :( That's the one where we had to go and harrass the people who we'd already attempted to contact three times, and remind them that it's a federal offense not to complete it. I only did a few hours of phase three, then told my supervisor I would only do it as part of a team.

I've since spoken to several people that have worked for the census in the past. It seems that most people who have done it in the past refuse to ever do it again. :p

I'd like to have a nice glamorous job designing questionnaires, but I haven't completely figured out the correct way to get in. I have a degree in psychology with a minor in statistics, plus a marketing research certificate. I think the "foot in door" technique is my best bet. "It's not what you know, it's who you know.":tu:

It's HOT today. I'm thinking about having just blueberries and yogurt for supper. :lol:

It's HOT today. I'm thinking about having just blueberries and yogurt for supper. :lol:

We have nice weather here, too! :claphigh:

Yay for Canada!

I couldn't go to the employment centre today because my daughter isn't feeling well. :( She says it feels like she's swallowing nails, so I took her to the doctor because she's prone to strep throat. He said that because she also has a bit of a cough and some congestion, and no fever, that it's likely just a cold, but he did a throat swab to check just in case. Unfortunately, we won't likely get the results until Monday. :rolleyes:

There's a job opportunity posted in the paper for a position AT the employment centre, so I'm going to have a fresh copy of my resume ready with a cover letter when I visit tomorrow. (Unless my daughter does have strep throat; then I'll have to postpone until Tuesday or next Thursday.)

Yesterday was a hungry day, and again today. I'm not recording my food choices in fitday because it's making me feel guilty. That's pretty stupid; I feel guilty about eating a small amount of calories, and I feel guilty about eating a large amount of calories. :o I can't win. :bang:

On the bright side, I'm meeting my water intake targets, and for that I feel proud. :D

Weather is still okay, but I'm surprisingly cold regardless. I've always been colder than everybody else is. My fingers were blue this morning. I must find a way to improve my circulation, and perhaps to maintain my body fat percentage on the high side.

I picked up four whole chickens reduced to $0.49/lb at my local Sobey's! I suppose they didn't sell as many as they anticipated they would at $0.99/lb.

No camping this weekend. :( No husband until Wednesday. :( We all miss him terribly. :cry:

Often the difference between a successful person and a failure is not one has better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on one's ideas, to take a calculated risk - and to act." ~ Maxwell Maltz

Yesterday was a hungry day, and again today. I'm not recording my food choices in fitday because it's making me feel guilty. That's pretty stupid; I feel guilty about eating a small amount of calories, and I feel guilty about eating a large amount of calories. :o I can't win. :bang:

You are soo not alone on this one! I call this my great daily calorie debate:lol: . But in the end... I log it anyway and deal with the guilt. If I don't I find I kind of just spin my wheels in a great big circle not getting anywhere. Though I do find every couple of months I have to take a break!

It seems to me from reading these journals that the female posters worry much more about food and calories than most of the male posters. Is this a social thing do you think?

hey :)

I'm sorry to hear that you haven't been feeling very good lately... hopefully it clears up for you soon :nod:

I hope your daughter is feeling better too... I was very prone to strep throat as a kid too... actually I still get it at least once a year... I've had strep so many times I can almost diagnose it myself... I know what it looks like (I use a mirror and a flash light to look), and I know what glands will be sore and puffy if it's strep... I pretty much can walk into my dr.'s office and just tell the I have strep... 99% of the time, the culture comes back positive for strep :lol:

good luck with the job search... you KNOW you have the skills... now you just have to go get the job ;)... stand up straight, look yourself in the eyes (in a mirror) and tell yourself you can do it... our self doubts are the only thing that holds us back most of the time.. convince yourself you can do it... and you will :nod: :tucool:

I've been congested, too! But I know mine is because of pollen.:p

Good job on keeping up with the water intake, there.:tu:

Fitday can be a cruel tyrant! I mainly concentrate on getting the vitamin requirements, but then sometimes I'll obsess over how I can't get enough iron, or that I get too much folate. (*I* can get too much folate.:nod: ) That's the problem sometimes with quantifying this stuff.

How do you paste your Fitday results in here so nicely? :confused: I can't seem to do that.

Happy Monster, women are usually told that "the smaller the better", so it's hard for us to get excited about a big healthy meal. I think that's my problem anyway. :confused: I'm trying to find my balance between the idealized tall thin fashion model, and the strong independent woman, and find a place somewhere in between there that feels comfy. Surveys have asked women about what's important to them, and repeatedly women report that they'd rather be told that they're attractive than that they're a good mom. :eek: I think attractiveness in females is rewarded more than attractiveness in males, so we're a little more hung up on that aspect of it, making food become more of a body shaping tool than a source of nourishment. :(



Thank you for your inspiring words Chameleon. I think I might print them out and read them every morning before I go out job searching. :p

My daughter still has a really sore throat, so she's home again today. But that's giving us a chance to connect like we wouldn't ordinarily have the opportunity to do. The throat swab results are not in yet; I'll have to call the clinic back and bug them.

How do you paste your Fitday results in here so nicely? :confused: I can't seem to do that.
Partly I cheat. ;) I delete some of the overly long descriptions if they don't fit on one line. But the main trick is to copy it from the correct page. Instead of copying from the foods eaten page, I go to the home link, then click on the link under public journal. It's all in a nice straight line that way. :) (I don't like to link to my public journal, because I insist on keeping some days private.:evil: )

To the question of your life you are the answer, and to the problems of your life you are the solution. ~Joe Cordare

Good Morning! :morning: :) I went to sleep at 3:45 Am and still woke up at 8:15..... :sleep:

Good Morning! :morning: :) I went to sleep at 3:45 Am and still woke up at 8:15..... :sleep:
You have me beat.:cool: 1:44, 7:15.:sleep:

:wave:

You have me beat.:cool: 1:44, 7:15.

you must both be zombies today:sleep:

you must both be zombies today:sleep:

Yeah, but nevertheless, I was still able to do my 45 min of fasted cardio this AM... :claphigh:

Yeah, but nevertheless, I was still able to do my 45 min of fasted cardio this AM... :claphigh:

:claplow: yeh Justitia. Yesterday morning I did mine at 5.50 after just 5 hours sleep and felt great til about Midday..... the rest of the day felt VERY long ;)

Surveys have asked women about what's important to them, and repeatedly women report that they'd rather be told that they're attractive than that they're a good mom. :eek: I think attractiveness in females is rewarded more than attractiveness in males, so we're a little more hung up on that aspect of it, making food become more of a body shaping tool than a source of nourishment. :(

To the question of your life you are the answer, and to the problems of your life you are the solution. ~Joe Cordare

Its strange isn't it..; I ceratinly like to be told I am attractive :D BUT find it more of a compliment to be told I am kind, or generous, or wise or a good friend etc

On the sleeping note: 2:32 am to bed; 10:03 am out of bed. :whistle: :sleep: Feel like a bum today...cannot remember the last time I did that! My brother was on Spring Break though so we hung out pretty late.

:wave:Yay! New smilies! :dance:
Is that my grandmother in your avatar?

Yay! New smilies! :dance:
Is that my grandmother in your avatar?

Something tells me she is not from the same region your grandmother is from.

It's the oracle from the Matrix.

Its strange isn't it..; I ceratinly like to be told I am attractive :D BUT find it more of a compliment to be told I am kind, or generous, or wise or a good friend etc

You're obviously not a male who has had several female friends that he wanted to get with in his life (not necessarily me :o ) and tired of hearing "aww, you're such a sweet guy, aww you're so nice, aww what a good friend" :lol:

I'm glad I don't have to deal with that. I think most men would rather be told they're attractive than nice. I might be wrong. It just strikes me that that would be the case.

Something tells me she is not from the same region your grandmother is from.[/SIZE]
Maybe it's just my Grandmother's dress and apron then.

I think most men would rather be told they're attractive than nice. I might be wrong. It just strikes me that that would be the case.

Nice is a weenie word. :neener: I'm sure that being thought of as skillful, dedicated, hard-working, intelligent, and authoritative are more important to my husband than being thought of as attractive. :) He's also extraordinarily generous and thoughtful.

I think probably the best thing to be told by your romantic partner is that you're sexy, because that can be pretty much all-encompassing; like all of your good qualities all rolled into one. :D :madpimp: :dreamy:

:( Four more days. :spaz:

It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for something you are not. ~Andre Gide

Well-worded. I agree.

Silver is right in that women can say you are nice and it can mean either a) They like you, as more than a friend, or b) They like you, but only as a friend.

Of course, it is usually, (but not always) clear which meaning is meant. Funny how one word can have two different meanings like that!

My little girl is having a rough time. :( At camp yesterday she said "No thank-you" to the milk, and one of the leaders said very sternly "You have to have a little bit, because you didn't have any at lunch or breakfast." She was embarrassed and tried to hide under the table for the rest of dinner, but I pulled out the chair and dragged her out. She wouldn't eat salad, noodles, or chicken, either. :( The leader said "She's a picky eater, isn't she?" I suppose she is, but I'm not sure that picky eaters are any less healthy than the rest of us. She had carrots for supper. :p I encourage snacking on nuts at home because sometimes it looks like she's wasting away to nothing. Campfire ran really late, so it was nearly 10:00 by the time we got home, and she was a little crabby at having to get up at 7:30 this morning for her sister's hockey. Exhausted kids are rarely well-behaved. She was crying in the car "Take me to my Daddy!" It broke my heart.

I managed to begrudgingly drink 8 cups of water yesterday, but I haven't been in much of a mood to get in all of my superfoods. I'm eating mainly whole wheat bread, fruits, chicken, peanut butter, bran flakes, and soy milk. I should have more vegetables, but they don't bring me the same kind of satisfaction.

Now, we go for swimming lessons.

Our credulity is greatest concerning the things we know least about. And since we know least about ourselves, we are ready to believe all that is said about us. Hence the mysterious power of both flattery and calumny. ~Eric Hoffer, The Passionate State of Mind

"Take me to my Daddy!" It broke my heart.

That's really sad:( Would she be able to talk to him over the phone or something before he gets back?

That's really sad:( Would she be able to talk to him over the phone or something before he gets back?She could. He's phoned three or four times now since he left, and she hasn't been all that excited about talking to him. It was just a rough day for her, I guess. We've been able to chat online a little bit every day, but he's moved to a different hotel now and has no internet.

I was feeling pretty lethargic after dinner, but I did a workout anyway. My mood is much improved now, besides feeling for a few moments like I was about to throw up.

Squats are not fun for my knees, but I'm not sure I can do sumo squats with dumbbells. I think when I get a job, I might join a gym. My elliptical isn't as much fun as it used to be. And my mp3 player is still acting up, so it might be time to upgrade.

Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it. ~Buddha

ipod shuffle is the king of the gym. I never ever ever wanted an ipod (prefer other brands) but when I saw the shuffle, I knew it was perfect for what I want. It's fantabulous!

:eek:
My daughter's throat swab came back positive for strep.

But she was feeling better on Saturday, and seemed to feel fine on Sunday. Swimming lessons went well and I sent her to school today. I hope she's not contagious.

We went to the doctor early Thursday morning, and they didn't call until 2:15 Monday afternoon to give the results. :mad: I've been phoning about every three minutes since I got home at 3:15, but their line is busy. :rolleyes: I don't know when they close. They're probably closed already and took the phone off the hook. It doesn't make sense that the line would be busy for 30 minutes steady. I might end up having to go to the hospital and wait several hours if I want to get the prescription filled today. And I have a meeting to go to. :bang:

Does strep go away on it's own? :confused:
I never ever ever wanted an ipod
It's in my "if I win the lottery" wish list. :whistle:

But I'll look into it. I deserve a new mp3 player, it's just debatable how fancy I want to get.

"It is inevitable that some defeat will enter even the most victorious life. The human spirit is never finished when it is defeated - it is finished when it surrenders." ~Ben Stein

:eek:
My daughter's throat swab came back positive for strep.

But she was feeling better on Saturday, and seemed to feel fine on Sunday. Swimming lessons went well and I sent her to school today. I hope she's not contagious.

We went to the doctor early Thursday morning, and they didn't call until 2:15 Monday afternoon to give the results. :mad: I've been phoning about every three minutes since I got home at 3:15, but their line is busy. :rolleyes: I don't know when they close. They're probably closed already and took the phone off the hook. It doesn't make sense that the line would be busy for 30 minutes steady. I might end up having to go to the hospital and wait several hours if I want to get the prescription filled today. And I have a meeting to go to. :bang:

Does strep go away on it's own? :confused:

It's in my "if I win the lottery" wish list. :whistle:

But I'll look into it. I deserve a new mp3 player, it's just debatable how fancy I want to get.

"It is inevitable that some defeat will enter even the most victorious life. The human spirit is never finished when it is defeated - it is finished when it surrenders." ~Ben Stein


First sorry to hear things are going a little rough with dh gone ( totally know how that is)

Second off, strep needs to be treated with antibiotics. If strep isn't treated it can turn into something worse (scarlet fever is one thing I believe). She is DEFINETLY contagious until on Antibiotics for at least 24 hours.

As for picky eaters I have one of those (until we finally got him to try Bison he's never been much of a meat eater and no sauces on anything). Funny thing is according to the bmi charts they use at school he's doing great. His sister on the other hand who eats really well (and very healthy) has a much higher BMI. In fact I got a letter from the school saying that she should see a doctor about it:bang: Go figure.

She could. He's phoned three or four times now since he left, and she hasn't been all that excited about talking to him. It was just a rough day for her, I guess. We've been able to chat online a little bit every day, but he's moved to a different hotel now and has no internet.

.

Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it. ~Buddha

That really sucks :( SO hard on kids when a parent is gone!

Sorry to hear your having such a rough go of it right now. Having Daddy gone is never fun! Hope things get better soon.

We got the prescription and started it last night. I made it to my meeting last night too. The pharmacist says she's fine to go to school.

The meeting at the school this morning went well. I'm going to be one of the shoppers for the breakfast program, and I will also be in charge of the financial accountability. I'm also the head menu planner, if required. We're going to be starting off simply, with prepackaged foods, and we're required to represent three food groups at each session. We will be limited to products that guarantee that they have not come in contact with nuts, so that will make it a little bit tricky. I hope that as we advance, we will be able to have access to a more fully-equipped kitchen so that we will be able to serve egg dishes and some healthier more reasonably priced grain products. This year's target is to do it twice a week for five weeks, then we'll be ready in the fall to expand it as demand dictates (ideally every day, for 60 or more children each day).

:p I'm definitely going to be too busy to have a full time job :whistle: , so that application is set aside for now. :o

We go to the airport tomorrow! :jumping:

I have a great diet. You're allowed to eat anything you want, but you must eat it with naked fat people. ~Ed Bluestone

As for picky eaters I have one of those. Funny thing is according to the bmi charts they use at school he's doing great. His sister on the other hand who eats really well (and very healthy) has a much higher BMI. In fact I got a letter from the school saying that she should see a doctor about it:bang: Go figure.
I have two. ;)

People tend to judge the parents on a child's appearance, so it makes it very stressful.

I'm sort of relieved that my daughters balance each other out. I try to keep them together when possible, so that people don't think I'm overfeeding them, or underfeeding them, depending on which one they meet. :doh: :lol: I struggle to get the right kinds of foods into them, but I would never try to dictate what quantity of food they eat. :nono:

:D

Back to normal. :)

It started snowing last night, and it hasn't stopped yet. Our furnace decided to go on the fritz last night, but my husband said he'd going to see what he can do about it before we call in a repair service. I was thinking about spending the day at the school for lack of heat here, but I was advised to stay home and keep watch on the gas fireplace to try to keep the house warm. We have a space heater as well, so it's nice and warm over by my computer, but the kitchen and all the bedrooms are getting a little bit chilly. We might have to all snuggle together in front of the fire for the whole Easter weekend! :p :D I'll make popcorn and hot cocoa.
http://moblog.co.uk/blogs/5889/thumbs/moblog_b55a7d0a100e4.jpg

I pulled something in my upper back the other day on Monday while attempting a version of LL Cool J's workout, as featured in Men's Health.
http://news.softpedia.com/images//news2/LL-Cool-J-and-the-Fatal-Attraction-2.jpgIt may have been the explosive pushups that did it, or I might have lifted too heavy on bench press. My hamstrings are still sore from a couple of days ago too, when I was deadlifting 120% more than I normally do. :blank: But that's okay, because it's not the same kind of pain I have in my back. Perhaps I'll shift back into closer to maintenance mode. I don't like the idea of subjecting myself to injury.

Hmm....:confused:

"To stimulate optimal size and strength increases, it's imperative that you regularly attempt the momentarily impossible. For example, if you can curl 100 pounds for a maximum of 10 reps, but never attempt the 11th, your body has no reason to enlarge upon its existing capacity. It is only by regularly attempting to go beyond your existing capacity that inroads are made into your body's reserves." - Mike Mentzer

Sorry to hear about your back Guava. Take advil and rest it a few days :tu:

Man, LL looks awesome.

Hope your back gets better soon too Guava. Deadlifting 120% more is quite the leap:lol: Is it because of the new dumbbells?

Happy Easter, Guava! Besides from the house sounding a little cold (winter is back here too), it might turn out really nice. :) Hopefully there's nothing serious about your back!

deadlifting 120% more than I normally do. :blank: :eek:

I bet the whole family snuggling together in front of the fire will help relieve the upper back pain.:nod: Get them all to give you a back healing massage.:D

Hope your furnace gets fixed...it's chilly there. If I could send you some of our sun (high of 24 today! :claphigh: ) I would!

try to stay warm and I hope your back feels better soon :nod: :tu:

Happy early Easter! ;)

Thanks Chameleon!
Hope your furnace gets fixed...it's chilly there. If I could send you some of our sun (high of 24 today! :claphigh: ) I would!Thanks Silver! It's 24 F here (5 below) and windy. :rolleyes: Low of minus 7 C tonight. It's still snowing off and on. The repairman came last night! :claplow: He didn't have the part that we need :blank: , and the stores are closed today :blank: , so he'll come back and fix it on Monday. Unless something is open tomorrow that has the part. But, that's okay; I wasn't done cuddling anyway. :)

I think my back is good again :claphigh:
Deadlifting 120% more is quite the leap Is it because of the new dumbbells?
Yes, the jump in deadlifting is because of the dumbbells. I used to do my infrequent deadlifting at high reps with the largest dumbbells I had (44 pounds for the pair), now I can do them with 100 pounds. It's still not as heavy as I feel like I "should (http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/DeadliftStandards.html)" be able to do, but my basement isn't comfortable enough yet for me to be doing my deadlifting with the barbell.

When I joined the forums, I really big part of my goal was to be able to bench press my body weight, but it doesn't look like that's ever going to happen. :cry: I'm benching only 25 pound dumbbells, and when I moved here two years ago, I was doing 66 pounds on the machine at the gym. :( Additionally, it's a lot more uncommon than I thought. I will set a new goal of 88 pounds (http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/BenchStandards.html), if I get the inclination again to rev it up a notch. I feel really limited at home however; every once in a while I'd like to have access to some fancy equipment at a gym.

"When you hit failure your workout has just begun." - Ronnie Coleman

It's 24 F here (5 below) and windy. :rolleyes: Low of minus 7 C tonight. It's still snowing off and on.

:cry::cry:

That thought literally makes me cry. I don't mind winter, but I'm not disappointed it's over, either. I'm tired of training inside.

Hopefully it warms up for you guys soon!

PS - I'll be in TO in about a month...a friend from school is driving back there because that's where he'll be working so we're turning it into a road trip. It'll be good times!

Sunny and 15 C here today! :cool:

:cry::cry:

That thought literally makes me cry. I don't mind winter, but I'm not disappointed it's over, either. I'm tired of training inside.

Hopefully it warms up for you guys soon!




I thought this cold stuff was more of a local thing for me. Apparently not. I'm patiently waiting for the bulbs I planted in the fall to pop up with authority.

:doh: PWO nutrition.

That's what's limiting my strength gains. I never eat after a strength workout, even though I tell everyone else they should. :o

So, now I have to decide whether I'd like to schedule the weights at a different time of day so that I can get stronger, or keep pissing around with the weights at the time of day that is most satisfying to me. Adding another meal before bedtime is NOT an option, because that would disrupt the whole pleasantness in the current routine.

I'm patiently waiting for the bulbs I planted in the fall to pop up with authority.
My bulbs popped last week! But not very authoritatively. And now they're covered in several inches of snow. I have crocuses in the front, and daffodils and hyacinths at the side. I think. I guess I'll be surprised. :lol: I took out three gardening magazines from the library on Thursday. The nurseries open this weekend; I have some perrenials yet to buy that were recommended when I had my plan done at the nursery last year, and some annuals to add in beside them because they won't be full enough in the first several years.

Science, or para-science, tells us that geraniums bloom better if they are spoken to. But a kind word every now and then is really quite enough. Too much attention, like too much feeding, and weeding and hoeing, inhibits and embarrasses them. ~Victoria Glendinning

How does the Easter Bunny manage to hide chocolates without the cat getting to them before the children?

Leg workout was nice yesterday. Another personal record; this time on squats. :bb:

Took the girls swimming today. I'm planning to take them at least once a week between lessons so they'll have extra time to practice what they learn, then they'll be able to advance to the next level for the summer session.

We're managing to keep the living room at about 22 degrees with the fireplace, and the rest of the rooms in the house at about 18 degrees, by running fans, and moving around the small heater that we have.

I went looking for frozen fish in the grocery store, because I thought it was time for something different. A lot of people on the forums have been talking about cod, but the store I was in didn't have any, so I bought sole. The fillets are quite thin, so they'll be easy to cook, as long as I don't dry them out by overcooking. I broiled it plain with some asparagus, and ate it with some brown/wild rice mix for dinner. Nobody else can stand fish, so I enjoyed it alone. I haven't had sole before; it was pretty nondescript, but I'm not really into fancy sauces anymore. I will at least need some fresh lemon next time.

“If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting” ~ Jack Handy

Leg workout was nice yesterday. Another personal record; this time on squats. :bb:
Great job on the new PR guava! :tucool:

I went looking for frozen fish in the grocery store, because I thought it was time for something different. A lot of people on the forums have been talking about cod, but the store I was in didn't have any, so I bought sole. The fillets are quite thin, so they'll be easy to cook, as long as I don't dry them out by overcooking. I broiled it plain with some asparagus, and ate it with some brown/wild rice mix for dinner. Nobody else can stand fish, so I enjoyed it alone. I haven't had sole before; it was pretty nondescript, but I'm not really into fancy sauces anymore. I will at least need some fresh lemon next time.

I've had cod before, it's pretty good. At the moment my fish of choice is tilapia, although some people think it either taste too fishy or too bland. :lol: I don't put anything on fish except some black pepper since I'm also not into fancy sauces. But fresh lemon on fish is also great :nod: , I do that when I actually remember to buy lemons at the store :lol:

Oh how I've missed gardening! :(
I completely made over a little plot of clay and pebble ridden land over at my old place. It was the most satisfying and nourishing thing to turn that chicken and cow manure into the soil (neighbors werent too happy) and watch the strawberries and carrots bloom. The tomatoes attracted way too many wasps though, I couldnt hardly get in there sometimes.
I think I remember saying I was going to buy pots for my deck last summer but didnt... I'll have to do that this year.

We're finally past our bitter coldness here! It was about 73 yesterday :eek: I couldnt believe it. Hopefully you'll get there soon too.

Wow, guava, you've never had a post workout meal? Man I wouldnt be able to stand it, just sitting there listening to my muscles 'Feeeeed me. Feeed meeee.' :lol:

JUst shows that one can still make excellent muscular gains without a PWO :) tho i do use them myself and believe they are valuable ;) BUT there is really not ONE perfect way for our goals!

PWO nutrition.

That's what's limiting my strength gains.

At your stage of the game, I highly, HIGHLY doubt that.

Hi guava! :wave:

Could you not just chug a whey & dex shake PWO? It'd take you like 30 seconds and it'll seem like a treat - my PWO shake is often my favourite meal of the day :drool:

Oh how I've missed gardening! :( It was the most satisfying and nourishing thing to turn that chicken and cow manure into the soil (neighbors werent too happy) and watch the strawberries and carrots bloom.

We're finally past our bitter coldness here! It was about 73 yesterday :eek: I couldnt believe it. Hopefully you'll get there soon too.
You put cow manure on your strawberries? :eek: I hope your guests know not to sample them. The sheep manure I put on my flower bed last summer didn't smell at all. :nope: Was yours not properly fermented? I'd like to make my own compost, but we have a really small yard, and a compost pile isn't exactly beautiful. I'll look at the garden centres and see if there's not a more visually appealing option for creating organic matter. Maybe vermicomposting indoors? :confused:

I'd like to put raised beds all the way around our patio, and completely fill them with a mix of strawberries and pansies; maybe with some purple cabbage mixed in. It's a bit of a taboo in proper gardening decor to display your fruits and vegetables prominently, but rules were made to be broken, right?

My husband keeps talking about adding on a sunporch off our dining room at our patio door, but the currently available area (wooden deck) is way too tiny, so until I know where he's expecting to extend it out to, I can't make any major reconstruction plans for the patio on the lower level.

It's 24 here, and you're complaining about 73? :spank: :spank: :spank:

Could you not just chug a whey & dex shake PWO? It'd take you like 30 seconds and it'll seem like a treat - my PWO shake is often my favourite meal of the day :drool:Do you promise it would be delicious? I suppose if it took less than ten minutes for me to prepare and consume a PWO meal, I could do that, but then I'd have to either shift over some calories from another meal of the day, or be prepared for more mass gains. I'll have to think about that. I don't actually count calories, so it might just balance itself out after a few days. I seem to be having wicked cravings for peanut butter, bread, and bananas every morning; that might go away if I ate the proper things after lifting.

Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you're going to do now, and do it. -- William Durant

happy easter. :D

I'd like to make my own compost, but we have a really small yard, and a compost pile isn't exactly beautiful. I'll look at the garden centres and see if there's not a more visually appealing option for creating organic matter. Maybe vermicomposting indoors? :confused:


Check with your town/city. They likely have a composter program. Might be free or a small cost. Same sort of items you'll find at the garden centre.

They likely also sell/give away compost. Some will even deliver.

Check with your town/city. They likely have a composter program. Might be free or a small cost. Same sort of items you'll find at the garden centre.

They likely also sell/give away compost. Some will even deliver.
They do give away compost, but it goes fast. I will check with them and see which dates they are doing it so that I can be prepared in advance to beat the crowds, and I will ask if they have any suggestions for my own household. The issue for me isn't even so much of wanting the compost; it's of not wanting the "waste" to go to waste. :p The town next to us has the Green Box program, but it's not available to us.

Happy Easter phillydude! The cat didn't eat the chocolates! :claphigh:

Nah, not fresh manure. It was composted/processed stuff at the home improvement store. I tilled it into the soil a few months before planting.
The cow manure really didnt smell much at all, but the chicken did.
Raised beds are so beautiful. That's what I did actually was make my own small raised beds with two by fours. It was so fun! :)

What? No not complaining! Happy about 73. Happy :D I'm glad it's finally starting to warm up.

Happy Easter guava! Just stoppin' in to say I admire your approach to fitness and health as a lifestyle.

As for the PWO, I'd definitely get one, as the only more important meal is pre-wo and some even say during workout meals are super important too, though I don't even go that extreme.

I don't think PWO nutrition is as important as a lot of people say it is. For instance, Chris Mason doesn't take anything in PWO and just waits until his next meal. He's a pretty large guy and runs a supplement company, so I'm sure he has at least some understanding of it. :confused:

I would still try it out, though.

I don't think PWO nutrition is as important as a lot of people say it is. For instance, Chris Mason doesn't take anything in PWO and just waits until his next meal. He's a pretty large guy and runs a supplement company, so I'm sure he has at least some understanding of it. :confused:

I would still try it out, though.

It isn't THAT important unless the rest of your nutritional house is in order. There's enough studies to warrant doing it, but it's one little meal out of several so you HAVE to consider the rest of the day. Maybe even more important is your meals the following day.

Guava, some cedar and mesh makes a very nice compost bin (I got 3 bins in the back lane and they look great). If the compost material is tended to properly it shouldn't smell. If it smells it's rotting, not properly composting.

My son's multiage class run a vermicomposter in class.....he's on "worm patrol" ;) It's another good, viable option. The compost you get from it is on a much smaller scale though.

We have heat! The guy came to fix the furnace yesterday morning.

:claphigh:

So it's now consistently about 20.5 degrees (69 F) in the whole house. But it's funny because it make me feel like there's something wrong with me when I keep shivering! What temperature does everyone else keep their house? Cooler in the winter than in summer?
Guava, some cedar and mesh makes a very nice compost bin (I got 3 bins in the back lane and they look great). Cedar sounds fantastic! My daughter is working on a gardening badge for Guides; I wonder if there's any way I can turn that into part of her project.

Happy Easter guava! Just stoppin' in to say I admire your approach to fitness and health as a lifestyle.
Hey Big D! :wave:

Welcome to the superfluous post of the day. ;)

My husband has some important career decisions coming up, and it's interesting to hear his unique motivations behind a particular choice over another. The consequences start to sound quite different when we consider them within our ultimate long term goals. (When you're 98 years old and dying, what will you be most proud to have accomplished? What could you potentially be disappointed in not having been able to achieve? What things would help us now to eventually achieve what we feel we are lacking?)

I've thought about that in regards to the fitness goals of a lot of the new members here, and some of the differences in their motivations. There are some people who are exicted to be starting new journeys, and some people who have been shocked into action by being disgusted with their appearance or their habits. I wonder if one of those groups will ultimately have more success than the other.

When I hear people say something like "I admire your dedication," it's kind of confusing to me. I admire people who are willing to put in the steps necessary to reach their goals, whatever they may be, but I don't think fitness goals are more important than other goals. I honestly think that there are very few people out there who specifically sabotage themselves, and specifically are too weak to reach their goals. I think it's only a question of how badly they want certain things, and how well they can shift around the other things in their life that are important to them in order to accomodate them. It's still confusing to me when I hear of people who consider coming short of a fitness goal to be demonstrating a weakness; it makes more sense to me that it simply demonstrates a difference in objectives, and a desire to put greater emphasis on other aspects of their lives - perhaps creative outlets, economic production, or seeking comfort, joy, and peace.:)

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs - ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ~ Harold Thurman Whitman

We have heat! The guy came to fix the furnace yesterday morning.

:claphigh:

So it's now consistently about 20.5 degrees (69 F) in the whole house. But it's funny because it make me feel like there's something wrong with me when I keep shivering! What temperature does everyone else keep their house? Cooler in the winter than in summer?
Cedar sounds fantastic! My daughter is working on a gardening badge for Guides; I wonder if there's any way I can turn that into part of her project.

:claphigh: I'm glad to hear you have heat again :nod: :tucool:

we keep the house around 74 F... any lower than that and I think I'd shoot Roger :lol: he likes it to be cold in the house... and even at 74 I usually wear socks around the house cause me feet get cold :D

68 in the winter to heat the house. We dont have central air so we dont actually set a thermostat in the winter. I am pretty sure the thermostat at work is set to 74 in the summer.

I try to keep mine around 68F in the winter and 74F in the summer, turning it down (winter) or up (summer) whenever I leave the house for an extended period.

Spring and fall it's windows open, baby! :cool:

23 C. Usually no heat on in summer, except bathrooms, but summers here are short. I don't blame you for shivering. 20 C feels a little cold for me too, it's amazing how much more comfortable I find 23 C.

One of the joys of the basement suite I live in is that we have no control over the heat at all. It's a pain sometimes.

Of note, though, when I did have control over the heat at previous places - I'd just set it to 21'ish in the winter and just turn it off altogether in the summer. There isn't much in the way of a/c in Vancouver though as we don't often need it (yet).

I usually keep the heat at 68F in the winter and the central at 72 in the summer. My favorite is when the temperature is in that glorious zone where I can just open up the windows and be comfortable.

74=23 A lot of people seem to like that temperature. I think that's about where we keep it in the summer. I'd certainly be more comfortable if we kept it there in the fall and winter too, but it makes more sense to just pile on more clothes. I should be wearing my slippers more.

My sister keeps her house very very cool (probably about 66/68, or approximately 19), in the winter AND in the summer. We like to say that everyone in her family has a really high metabolism, and that's how they can stand the cold. I always take a warm sweater with me when I visit her, even at the peak of summer. *Brrr*

I've been pretty good with my eating habits, but not ideal. Yesterday I had peanut butter and banana sandwiches for breakfast and lunch, an apple for a snack, and tomato with broccoli and chicken for supper, followed by oats with yogurt and peaches. Today, breakfast was an apple and 1/2 C yogurt, plus a serving of oatmeal pancakes made with tofu, with protein powder and carob powder added. (The carob powder did not improve the taste, so I'll stick to manually adding 5 chocolate chips to each pancake as it cooks.:) ) Lunch was 1/2 a serving of protein pancakes, followed by a tomato, red pepper, green onion salad, with sundried tomato dressing. I still feel the need for some peanut butter; I'm not sure whether to quash that urge, or to go for it.

I'm feeling very "in-tune" with the universe. It's a nice time of year, even if the weather doesn't agree with us. :nod:

24aU8Fagr8w

I like it best around 23°C but i guess most people here keep it around 19/20°C in the winter andcomplain my place is too warm: in the summer my apartment can get up to around 30°C so it gets a little harder to sleep then :cool:

24aU8Fagr8w

that youtube was really cute... and so was the guy... isn't that the guy from Men in Trees?

that youtube was really cute... and so was the guy... isn't that the guy from Men in Trees?
The only reason I ever watched that series (Northern Exposure) was to listen to his voice. :dreamy:

I don't know Men in Trees. It's John Corbett (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0179173/). He was in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I borrowed Bigger Than the Sky (http://www.apple.com/trailers/mgm/bigger_than_the_sky.html) from the library. The movie was just so-so, but I think it was the best role I've ever seen him in. :tu: He's mostly focused right now on his career as a country music singer. He's very good, but country is not my favorite genre.

The only reason I ever watched that series (Northern Exposure) was to listen to his voice. :dreamy:

I don't know Men in Trees. It's John Corbett (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0179173/). He was in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I borrowed Bigger Than the Sky (http://www.apple.com/trailers/mgm/bigger_than_the_sky.html) from the library. The movie was just so-so, but I think it was the best role I've ever seen him in. :tu: He's mostly focused right now on his career as a country music singer. He's very good, but country is not my favorite genre.

Oh, that is who that is. I thought it was Darol (iceweaselsarecool ;) :lol: )

Men in Trees got me thinking about Men with Brooms and that ultra-sexy Canadian Paul Gross. Unfortunately, he's not a terribly good actor, but look, he's a musician too!
HnT3Ppf2WdgqvIwD1PUCes

My husband has some important career decisions coming up...
:bang:
We want the same things as each other, but the people who have the power to shape his future want something different.

We've tried saying no, but they don't seem to like that answer. They're "negotiating", but to do that effectively, they need to understand our needs and priorities, and they clearly don't yet. :(

http://www.childinc.com/_borders/family.gif

The company might provide a school for our kids, or they might allow us to select our own expat school in the area. There may be other employees with children, or we might be off on the fringe left to find our own social circle. I can't imagine the guilt I would have from dragging the kids into an area isolated from close companions. :(

July is winter (http://www.enjoy-argentina.org/baires-when-to-go-climate-baires.php) in Buenos Aires. :(

“Remember what Bilbo used to say: It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

I can't imagine the guilt I would have from dragging the kids into an area isolated from close companions. :(

I've no real right to comment on child rearing, not being a parent myself, but kids are amazingly adaptable and they'll have their childhood regardless of the surrounding environment. It's boring to meet someone and hear about how they grew up in the same suburban cookie-cutter complex, having the same friends and experiences as everyone else.

I think different is better. The important stuff remains: fights, friendships, troubles, first kiss, etc. and, as adults, you can find find common ground with adventurers there. To hear of the different lands and cultures they experienced in their youth, though...

Eh, what do I know?

:heart: Tolkein quote

I think different is better. The important stuff remains: fights, friendships, troubles, first kiss, etc. and, as adults, you can find find common ground with adventurers there. To hear of the different lands and cultures they experienced in their youth, though...

You know what? It would be HARD! I'd have to become one of those moms who plays laser tag with flashlights, who has an amazing craft room always ripe for activity, and comes up with a unique kitchen science experiment every afternoon.




Maybe I could be one of those moms....

Leaning out as far as she can, hoping she'll fall soon, so she can stop worrying about whether it will happen or not. ~ random quote from www.storypeople.com

The company might provide a school for our kids, or they might allow us to select our own expat school in the area. There may be other employees with children, or we might be off on the fringe left to find our own social circle. I can't imagine the guilt I would have from dragging the kids into an area isolated from close companions.

I know that whenever we take our girls on vacation the last thing they want to do is leave. M@ has a point that kids adapt quite quickly to new surroundings. My kids usually make friends before we've had a chance to unpack the suitcases. Whatever direction you take, I wish you the best.

You know what? It would be HARD! I'd have to become one of those moms who plays laser tag with flashlights, who has an amazing craft room always ripe for activity, and comes up with a unique kitchen science experiment every afternoon.




Maybe I could be one of those moms....

Leaning out as far as she can, hoping she'll fall soon, so she can stop worrying about whether it will happen or not. ~ random quote from www.storypeople.com

Sounds like homeschooling :confused:

Sounds like homeschooling :confused:It would have some of those elements mixed in, I think.

I did home schooling for Sydney when we moved to Romania, for part of her kindergarten year. It was incredibly difficult to come up with enough varied activities to keep her entertained and educated, and she was quite lonely with there only being a couple of other kids on the townsite for the first several months.

Moms are told now how important socialization is for their children, and even moms who don't require childminding send their children to daycare/nursery school just to interact with other kids. I'm not sure that's reasonable, because I think it is the structured activities and focused attention that provides the benefit; not the peer group. Still, it's worth mentioning that the people working in those places likely have more expertise in those areas than your typical mom. Both my sister and my sister-in-law are fantastically well suited to become immersed in child play, but those same skills have always been a bit of a weakness of mine.

In this case, we wouldn't go unless there was school of some kind available, but I still worry we would have the situation of "after hours" isolation. I suppose I need to look into availability of gymnastics, karate, swimming, etc. before I panic about it.

A big part of the reason I feel like we should go is exactly because it would be hard.

The most important place for children is HOME. It doesn't matter if its in Canada, the U.S., or half way around the world. What's important (in my humble opinion) is that they have a home life where they are getting the love and attention that everyone craves...while at the same time being taught to be independant and think and do for themselves. Guava - we would all be surprised if you told us you don't give your girls all that. :tu:

Have you ever read anything by Dr. Kevin Leman? He has a book called Home Court Advantage - Preparing your children to be winners in life.

Great book about whether kids are better off or not being involved in activities non-stop. We strive to have a home life like he describes - but we don't do a very good job. We seem to be on the go all the time with activities for the kids. Many may not agree with what Leman says but it is worth reading to see get another view what kids need.

Good luck with whatever the future holds for your family. I'm sure you'll make the best of whatever happens!


-bmac

Both my sister and my sister-in-law are fantastically well suited to become immersed in child play, but those same skills have always been a bit of a weakness of mine.

I know, you are so serious :lol: ;)

I have NOTHING against homeschooling at all. I was homeschooled 80% of my life and enjoyed it overall. It probably helped that my parents were very interested in maintaining active social lives amidst teaching us kids at home. I was always active in soccer, music and our church was a huge social outlet and I spent probably 4 days a week with friends doing various activities for fun and service type stuff. They primarily did it because my Dad traveled alot and we were able to go to some cool places with him as a family without having to miss school since we would just take books with us on the road or work extra hard the week before we left to make up for it. Most of my typical school stuff was done every day by noon (math, science, history, english etc...) and the afternoons were spent doing "elective" type things that we would pick based on our interests. My mom was a teacher as well before she had us kids so she automatically brought alot of structure to our schooling that does not exist in some homeschool atmospeheres. Overall it was a really great way to go for our family. :tucool:

I love your new avatar Guava!! you look beautiful! :)

What's important (in my humble opinion) is that they have a home life where they are getting the love and attention that everyone craves...while at the same time being taught to be independant and think and do for themselves. Guava - we would all be surprised if you told us you don't give your girls all that. :tu:

Have you ever read anything by Dr. Kevin Leman? He has a book called Home Court Advantage - Preparing your children to be winners in life.I think I will look for that book.
Fostering independence is one of my goals for my kids, so being their activities director doesn't really sit well for me either. The problem is, if I would allow them to choose their own leisure, they'd spend a big portion of it watching television and playing their Nintendo. That's bad, isn't it? :p So I need to find a way to discover what activities will offer them the most benefits (intellectually, spiritually, physically, etc.) then encourage them to choose those, with minimal guidance from me.

I know, you are so serious :lol: ;)

Most of my typical school stuff was done every day by noon (math, science, history, english etc...) and the afternoons were spent doing "elective" type things that we would pick based on our interests. My mom was a teacher as well before she had us kids so she automatically brought alot of structure to our schooling that does not exist in some homeschool atmospeheres. Overall it was a really great way to go for our family. :tucool:I've never been much good at playing. :( I still remember my seventh birthday party, where I didn't like playing any of the games my mom had planned, so I went to my bedroom and cried. :doh: She must have felt awful. :(

There is a lot of wasted time in the typical school day. That's why I was so excited about my little one being enrolled in the French Immersion program to start this fall. I started a small initial search of the schools in Buenos Aires, and most of them are listed as Spanish bilingual, so I'll have to find out more about that. You're so very lucky that your mom was so capable of balancing your day among basic skills plus additional reinforcements of your strengths and interests.

I love your new avatar Guava!! you look beautiful! :)Thanks bballer. I'm always just a little bit uncomfortable about pictures of myself, and I never really feel like they look like me. :confused: I was hoping for the "warm smile" look of Justitia's avatar, but I don't really see it. Someone insinuated that there's some secrets behind what you see in my avatar, and maybe that's the case. :lol: Interesting, anyway; it's a mystery.

_____

I picked up some soy milk the other day, and each litre ($2.69) came with a free Genisoy bar ($2.19). So I went ahead and got two, but I never really feel like eating the chemical concoctions.

Cookies and cream. A delicious, moist chewy chocolate bar filled with cookie pieces, soy protein goodness and coated in rich yogurt coating. Each bar delivers 14 grams of non-GMO soy protein and 20 essential vitamins & minerals. Ingredients: IP soy protein isolate, corn syrup, yogurt coating (sugar, palm kernel oil, yogurt solids, whey, lecithin, salt, and natural vanilla flavor), cookies (enriched wheat flour, sugar, vegetable oil, salt and cocoa), rice flour, IP roasted soybeans, enriched wheat flour, peanut butter and natural flavor.

Crispy Chocolate Mint. A delicious, moist chewy chocolate bar filled with crunchy cookie pieces, soy crisps, and the refreshing taste of mint all coated in rich chocolate. Each bar delivers 14 grams of non-GMO soy protein and 20 essential vitamins & minerals. Ingredients: IP soy protein isolate, corn syrup, chocolate confectioners coating (sugar, palm kernel oil, cocoa, whey, nonfat dry milk, lecithin and natural vanilla flavor), rice flour, cocoa, cookies (enriched wheat flour, sugar, vegetable oil, salt and cocoa), peanut butter, IP roasted soybeans, canola oil and natural flavor.

An orange and a can of tuna would be so much better for me.

Since I have a break in my schedule, I'm going to do my weight training workout right now, for a bit of a change from the usual. :bb:

Often the difference between a successful person and a failure is not one has better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on one's ideas, to take a calculated risk - and to act." ~ Maxwell Maltz

There is a lot of wasted time in the typical school day. That's why I was so excited about my little one being enrolled in the French Immersion program to start this fall. I started a small initial search of the schools in Buenos Aires, and most of them are listed as Spanish bilingual, so I'll have to find out more about that. You're so very lucky that your mom was so capable of balancing your day among basic skills plus additional reinforcements of your strengths and interests.

You are right that a lot of time is wasted for the majority of students in today's schools. I remember when I DID finally go to high school, I would complete work in class before half the class was over while a lot of other students were still goofing off...it was a nice benefit of the homeschooling to be able to be finished in my own time frames and move on to things that really were of interest. Good luck finding the kind of school you are looking for for your girls!

I was hoping for the "warm smile" look of Justitia's avatar, but I don't really see it. Someone insinuated that there's some secrets behind what you see in my avatar, and maybe that's the case. :lol: Interesting, anyway; it's a mystery.


I agree, "warm smile" doesn't really describe your expression. It strikes me as more of an inquisitive/bemused kind of look. Like you just discovered someone doing something unexpected, amusing and (perhaps) a bit naughty.

But maybe that's just me. :lol:

I agree, "warm smile" doesn't really describe your expression. It strikes me as more of an inquisitive/bemused kind of look. Like you just discovered someone doing something unexpected, amusing and (perhaps) a bit naughty.

But maybe that's just me. :lol:

I said in the WL that it looks like she's silently judging me. I feel guilty about nothing in particular whenever I see guava posting now :lol:

Guava, maybe you could have one of your daughters tickle you or something right before you snap the pic? Or someone could call and tell you a joke and as they get near the punchline you can snap the picture:lol: ;) :confused:

I think I will look for that book.
Fostering independence is one of my goals for my kids, so being their activities director doesn't really sit well for me either. The problem is, if I would allow them to choose their own leisure, they'd spend a big portion of it watching television and playing their Nintendo. That's bad, isn't it? :p So I need to find a way to discover what activities will offer them the most benefits (intellectually, spiritually, physically, etc.) then encourage them to choose those, with minimal guidance from me.


The fact that you even think about these things sets you apart from most parents. I know that I spend a lot of time in thought considering what kind of parent I want to be...but I still put things on cruise control at times and just let life happen.:mad:

-bmac

It strikes me as more of an inquisitive/bemused kind of look. Like you just discovered someone doing something unexpected, amusing and (perhaps) a bit naughty.
:lol: That's funny.

Gazareth is especially naughty. :spank: I think I'll leave it for a while just because it torments him so. :evil:

I've never been much good at playing. :( I still remember my seventh birthday party, where I didn't like playing any of the games my mom had planned, so I went to my bedroom and cried. :doh: She must have felt awful. :(

This memory of yours reminds me of a couple of times I think I made my parents feel awful :( I could have been a better kid.

I think I'll leave it for a while just because it torments him so. :evil:

:bow:

:lol: That's funny.

Gazareth is especially naughty. :spank: I think I'll leave it for a while just because it torments him so. :evil:

:cry:

I invited a couple over for dinner tomorrow evening.

I have the maple balsamic dressing prepared for the broccoli cranberry salad, and the spinach artichoke dip ready for the pita crisps. I precooked the curried rice with raisins so that I only need to heat it up tomorrow. I'd like to do one more vegetable, but it depends what looks good at the store tomorrow. It will likely be cauliflower, green beans, or asparagus. I might make sweet potato too, but that sounds like a lot of work. The pork tenderloin will be in a garlicky basil sauce. The fresh basil at the store didn't look very pretty, so I bought a whole basil plant! I looked through all of my cookbooks trying to find something tempting for dessert, but nothing looked tempting. Especially because I'm lactose intolerant. I was resigned to buying a ready-made dessert from the bakery counter, but they looked oh so artificial, so I scratched that idea, and whipped up a shallow white cake that I'll decorate tomorrow with fresh fruit. :)

Tomorrow, I will still need to vacuum, dust, and mop, tidy a few more things, clean two bathrooms, buy some of the missing ingredients, attend a championship hockey game, and chauffeur girls to swimming lessons. :sleep:

This'd better be fun. :p

:D

“The guests are met, the feast is set. / May'st hear the merry din.” ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Did you end making dessert to look like that avatar?

Did you end making dessert to look like that avatar?
Not quite.

I don't like pie.:nope: And I'm lactose intolerant. I baked a shallow cake and iced it white. Then I put a strawberry in the middle, surrounded it with a ring of grapes, then a ring of kiwi, then another ring of strawberries.

I took a picture! :spaz: I can post it tomorrow if I get a chance to upload it.

I had also bought an apple crisp, which is quite fortunate, because they brought their kids! I wasn't sure they were going to, because they're 16, 14, and 12, and my kids are 11 and 6.

I pulled out two packs of chicken breasts from the freezer and baked them in an apricot jam sauce mixed with ketchup, and microwaved a bag of frozen vegetables.

I didn't get to enjoy myself that much, because I was too busy coordinating all of the meal timing, and getting everything taken out and put away. But it was still nice to do something different. We used to have people over for dinner at least every month; I can't remember if it was fun back then or not. :confused:

“Hospitality is the art of making guests feel at home when that's really where you wish they were.”

I would like to entertain more...it's hard, though. First reason is that it's a bit of a pain in the ass, as you've noted. Second reason is that I live quite far from most of my friends so no one ever wants to come over. It's the price to pay for cheap rent, I guess!

Sounds like you coped real well withh the arrival of three unexpected hungry teenagers!

I try and entertain around once a month. In this apartment i can only seat 6-8 but in my last apartment I regularly cooked for 10-12 :blank: The cooking is/was OK but doing all the washing up by hand the next morning in a small kitchen isn't my favourite activity:nono:

Sounds like you coped real well withh the arrival of three unexpected hungry teenagers!

I try and entertain around once a month. In this apartment i can only seat 6-8 but in my last apartment I regularly cooked for 10-12 :blank: The cooking is/was OK but doing all the washing up by hand the next morning in a small kitchen isn't my favourite activity:nono:
My husband kept telling me they were going to bring their kids, and I kept telling him I was sure they wouldn't! :doh: But I always have tons of stuff in the freezer, so it's never too difficult to entertain unscheduled guests. :cool: The rice was big enough to feed twice as many people as what showed up, and the kids weren't interested in the broccoli salad, so the frozen veggies and chicken breasts rounded out the meal perfectly. More people complimented the chicken than the pork! :lol:

I love cooking, but the cleaning is a bummer!

Right now, I feel so stuffed that I could go all of today without another bite. :blank: Days like this are so tricky, because I'm never really sure the correct amount of food that would satisfy me.

Look, a cake! I just bought that cake stand last week at a thrift store; I'm pleased to have had the opportunity to use it so quickly.

A lot of people are afraid of heights. Not me - I'm afraid of widths. ~Steven Wright

Nice cake! Nice platter, too!

ur not coming to the cheat meal?! :cry:

I love your new avatar Guava!! you look beautiful! :)


A good example of the dangers of changing one's avatar too often. :lol:

ur not coming to the cheat meal?! :cry:
Florida in June??? (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=30548&):nope:

I'm game for a cheat meal in Toronto or Niagara Falls any time, or for one in Chicago if it would coincide with when we're planning to drive through in July. :nod:

Florida in June??? (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=30548&):nope:

http://www.foolserrand.com/funneh/smiley/s_kickrock.gif

What a crazy bunch of people those friends of the library are! :lol:

We had a meeting last night to organize our summer book sales (discards from circulation, plus donations) to raise money for extra things that we feel the library could use. One of the women there kept telling us how horrible her day had been, and how her neck was so sore she couldn't turn her head, and she was cold, etc. etc. etc. :rolleyes: One of the guys told us about how he got kicked out of a garage sale for telling a woman that her stuff wasn't worth what she was claiming. :doh: Another guy mentioned that he's a volunteer lighthouse keeper, and was going to be watching one for the next two weeks. :tucool: The hosts of the gathering were quite normal people, comparatively. I was very quiet.

I'm working on my garden plan. I've read nearly all the books in the library about gardening already (and remembered only tiny bits of them). It looks really depressing right now, and I think the answer might be to add some ornamental non-plant items to perk it up. The crosuses are starting to bloom, but that's just not quite enough. It looks like replacing my snowball bush with a hibiscus was probably a mistake, and I should have gone with the Emerald Cedar. :( Something tells me I probably should have already started planting something from seed, but I can't figure it out until I have my schedule all laid out. I looked for a gardening journal/calendar, but the book store at the mall is quite small. I might have to order something online, or take a road trip to a bigger bookstore to find something better. I'm planning to record temperatures, precipition, growth patterns, and strengths and weaknesses of the four areas where I have plantings, then next year should be easier. :tu: Unless we move. :blank:

I'm starting to work on the menu for our school's breakfast program that will start in a few weeks. I think on the first Tuesday we will have whole grain cereal, milk, and apple slices, and on Thursday we will have half of a whole wheat English muffin with jam, yogurt, and melon. The following week, I might try 1/2 whole wheat pita with cream cheese and pineapple chunks, then cereal, milk, and orange segments. I'd like to eventually be able to do oatmeal, cold Hawaiian pizza, and some egg dishes.

I've been carb overloading, which always induces a fair amount of guilt. However, the oatmeal cookie I had at my meeting last night did seem to make the rest of the evening somewhat more peaceful.

There's still some chocolate in the house. :evil: Quite a bit. :spaz: The kind that nobody in the house likes but me. :doh:

The scale is still staying steady, near 54 kg and about 19% body fat. I don't think it's moved more than .8 kg in either direction since before Christmas. So that's a good thing. :tu:

Tomorrow, I donate blood. I cross my fingers that I will pass the hemoglobin test. :gl:

"I decided if I was going to make the world a better place, I'd do it with cookies". :) Maggie Gyllenhaal, as Ana Pascal in Stranger Than Fiction

The crosuses are starting to bloom, but that's just not quite enough. It looks like replacing my snowball bush with a hibiscus was probably a mistake, and I should have gone with the Emerald Cedar. :(

Rose of Sharon? [Hibiscus Syrian???] they take forever to leaf out. Don't worry about it. Tougher then they look.

Lots of different spring bulbs to follow the crocuses if you want some thing early. Just have to wait until fall to plant them.

What a crazy bunch of people those friends of the library are! :lol:


My mum does Friends of the Library stuff. :blank:

Rose of Sharon? [Hibiscus Syrian???] they take forever to leaf out. Don't worry about it. Tougher then they look.

Lots of different spring bulbs to follow the crocuses if you want some thing early. Just have to wait until fall to plant them.
Yeah it's this one: Rose of Sharon Helene (http://henryfields.com/product.asp?pn=69854).

Depending on my own unique microclimates, it's just barely in my growing zone, according to some of the experts I talked to. It may or may not have survived the winter. I tried to cover it at the beginning of of winter, but I didn't use the right kind of material, and the wind blew off the cover. :doh: I think it would be kind of fun and unconventional for next winter to find some kind of green covering, then decorate the outside of it with Christmas lights and shiny balls. :rolleyes: The neighbours would probably hate me. :whistle:

I like most of my things static instead of changing, so it's frustrating that it's so sparse in the spring. I used to have a string of lights in that bed, but they were cheap lights that kept falling over, so I'll need to find something else. When we bought the house, it had a birdbath in that bed, but they took it with them. Some kind of giant butterflies might be fun. :lol:

My mum does Friends of the Library stuff. :blank: Yeah, they're all old. :blank: The hosts are about 50-55, the wacky couple is about 65, same as the lighthouse guy, and the cranky woman, then there's me (33). The chair of the Senior's Centre is normally with us too, but she wasn't able to make it to the meeting. I wonder if other people will get more interested in the library as they age, or if I'll be the only one left.

Touch the hole in your life, and there flowers will bloom.

I wouldn't worry. I don't even look at it before the end of may. It takes that long for them to leaf out. The first few springs are tough because you keep thinking it's dead but it's likely not. If you are worried take your fingernail and scrape a branch. I bet it's green.

It's a bit of a trojan horse really. Some body buys one or two. People like the flowers. The birds start seeding it around . Soon enough the seedlings pop up. Nobody ever gets them all so the seedlings start growing. In a couple of years they flower and start the cycle all over. :lol:

It's allegedly borderline for Toronto to but I've never seen it have trouble with our winters. I can't even remember a dead branch.

:claphigh:

I passed my blood test!

Just barely. I have my next appointment set for another 56 days from now, so I'll have to eat more burgers or something. It's hard work staying healthy!

There was also a mention of new Malaria precautions for people who have travelled outside of Canada. Luckily, whatever they were did not disclude me from donating. :tu:

Blood pressure 100/50, pulse 65, but neither of them were "resting" measures. She called me over, then immediately tested as I sat down.

I did 20 minutes of steady high/moderate effort on the elliptical this morning, instead of doing alternating 5 minutes high/moderate with low intensity breaks. It wasn't fun. I'm going to think about jogging outside for a change once in a while, but unfortunately that doesn't sound like much fun either. :blank: Tomorrow is supposed to be a beautiful day, so it should be a good time to start. :whistle:

I'll try to be more patient about my plantings. I remembered I specifically reserved some of that bare space for annuals, and they should be able to go in in about three weeks, I think.

they only look small, she said, if you're someone who's fond of being bigger than everyone else ~storypeople.com

The birds are singing this morning. :)

I realized that going for a jog this morning after donating blood last night probably wouldn't have been a good idea even if I'd felt like it. But it was such a beautiful day outside, I went out exploring for about 45 minutes. I walked a beautiful trail in town that I was previously unaware of. I talked to the neighbor on the way in, and he says there are lots around here. I'll have to look into that.:confused:

Tomorrow is Earth Day. I'm dropping off my older daughter for her Guides Weekend Camping trip this evening, but the rest of us three will maybe find a park or something to do outside tomorrow. Last year I had volunteered to be part of the community litter clean-up, but it rained and was cold, so I decided to pass on the sign-up for this weekend. It wasn't a group activity either; I had called the town, and she said I would have to go and pick up my own gloves and bags, and then call her to tell them where I left the trash bags once I filled them (by myself). It didn't sound like much fun. :( Someone should improve that process. If I'm enjoying the outside tomorrow, and I see any litter, I promise I will pick it up. :nod:

I'm reading "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" and I have to say I'm quite disappointed. It's supposed to be all about "fulfilling your dreams and reaching your destiny", but the path they describe sounds unusually selfish; always putting your own comfort over the comfort of others, and does not encourage risk to the degree that I think it should be encouraged.

"When you clearly know what aims you wish to achieve over the course of your life, be they material, emotional, physical, or spiritual, and you spend your days accomplishing them, you will ultimately find eternal joy."

The way it's described would also limit this particular journey to those who have Ferraris available to sell, or equivalent means of self-sustenance. It's also explicitly stated dozens of times in only the first half that I've read that those who have reached this eternal joy are obligated to share this joy with others. You'd think that since over one million copies were sold, either the process doesn't work, or people are failing to live up to their end of the bargain. :p

Well, at least I can try and do my part.

The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. No, not at all. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass where ever you may be. ~ Robert Fulghum

"When you clearly know what aims you wish to achieve over the course of your life, be they material, emotional, physical, or spiritual, and you spend your days accomplishing them, you will ultimately find eternal joy."


Hi Guava,

I haven't read this book, but I like this quote. It's not necessarily selfish. It sounds like the author is saying... Know what your real goals are (what you really wish to achieve) and follow through. This is the secret to happiness. Knowing what you want and then acquiring it...whether the thing that you want is a Ferrari, a relationship, a different career, helping children with disabilities, or even working out.

I think that's a pretty sound idea. The problem is that most people don't have a clear understanding of what they want and why they want it. Or they know what they want but their "why" isn't strong enough. For instance, some people might say they "want abs". Their "why?" may be "because I want to look good for the ladies". In my opinion that is a pretty weak "why" and may compromise the person's dedication and motivation when the initial "high" goes away.

A different person may say "I want to see my abs because I'm sick of being tired, overweight, and depressed. I want to have enough energy to play with my kids. I want to be comfortable and confident when I take my shirt off, and I want to regain control of my life" ...that is a much stronger "why".

I may give this book a read. Thanks for bringing it up.

Maybe I didn't like the monk story because he is writing about the lessons I have already learned. For more concrete details of specific ways to identify your goals and achieve them, I would recommend Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway (http://www.johnstonefitness.com/store/shop.php?c=books&n=1000&i=0449902927&x=Feel_the_Fear_and_Do_It_Anyway) by Susan Jeffers. I find it to be much more relevant to my own situation.

My youngest daughter has officially been invited to try out for the competitive gymnastics team which will begin training in July. :tucool: Unfortunately, we'll be on holidays for the first three weeks of July. :doh: So I'm not quite sure what to do about that. Based on what I've heard from other parents, training will begin at 6 hours per week, then will likely increase to 9 hours per week for the fall and winter, and probably jump again to 12 hours per week by next spring.

My older daugther is really enjoying her swimming lessons. She's much much stronger at swimming than I ever was. She just completed a badge for her guiding unit on Sports, and one of the things she wrote is this:

I like hockey because it makes me feel like I fit in without having to change the way I look cause everyone basically looks the same :cool:

I love what your daughter wrote. It show real reflection which isn't always evident in kids :)

One of my neighbours died over the weekend. :eek:

I don't go out much, so I never met him, but, still, it was a shock. They had a baby less than a year ago, and just sold their house a few weeks ago. She and the kids moved out yesterday. I think it was a heart attack or other sudden health issue, but he was very young and it was completely unexpected.

I've been looking over the recipe for Sherm's Megamuffins (http://www.mprize.org/blogs/archives/2005/04/at_what_point_d.html). It's the kind of thing I've been in search of for quite some time. It appears that all of the nutrients needed for a day are represented in this recipe, in a calorically balanced formulation.

Serving Size: 1 Muffin (85 g)
Servings Per Recipe: 18
Amount Per Serving
Calories (kcal) 150
Carbohydrates 22 g
Fiber 8 g
Protein 10.2 g
Fat 5.2 g
Omega-3 PUFAs 0.8 g
Omega-6 PUFAs 2.1 g
Vitamin A 26 %
Vitamin C 32 %
Vitamin E 28 %
Calcium 20 %
Magnesium 49 %

I believe the theory is that you could eat your daily allotment of calories from this, and nothing else for the day. That's not what they recommend, of course, but I believe it could work in an emergency. That would make these muffins absolutely guilt-free and handier than any other food product that I might have in my house. Plus, they are reported to taste delicious. However, they sound more complicated than any recipe I've ever attempted before, and I've attempted a lot of recipes.

The only limits on your life are those you set yourself. ~Robin Sharma

The town was giving away free compost today! They had a barbecue, some horticultural displays, and entertainment too (some guys playing guitar, including this song I used to sing to the girls at bedtime):
vjIYTd_lJqs
Monday is supposed to be a little hotter, and I think we're safe from frost now, so I'll visit the nursery then to get my annuals. I seeded some decorative cabbage directly into the back bed, which will eventually give me a beautiful show of fall color.

I'm eating more, but it's hard to get used to. My husband really doesn't like how I look when I'm so lean, but I prefer how I look when I'm leaner. Since I'm about four pounds heavier and three body fat percentage points higher than last summer, he's winning. :p Honestly, I prefer how I feel when I'm leaner too, but I think it will be easier to keep up my iron intake at this level. In the meantime, he's been losing a bit of weight, which will put less strain on his health. He's going to the doctor on Monday; I'm hoping for normal blood sugar results, because there's a history of diabetes in his family, and I'm worried because he doesn't monitor himself at all and isn't very careful about his diet.

We went out for dinner last night. I ordered the "Fisherman's Platter". I subsituted salad for the fries that was supposed to accompany it, but I didn't realize that the scallops and haddock would be battered and deep fried. :rolleyes: I peeled off the coating, and they were okay. I don't think I'll ever understand the way people eat at restaurants. When did deep fried fish and deep fried potatoes become a meal?

I came across this article (http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20009611,00.html) about Tyra Banks over the weekend.

Banks says that since she retired from modeling in 2005, the number on the scale has fluctuated from 148 lbs. to 162 lbs., depending on how well she is taking care of herself. "I feel more comfortable when I'm lighter – I sleep better, I snore less, I have more endurance when I work out, my arms look better," she admits.

In fact, it appears that by adding a little padding, Banks the businesswoman has earned a bit of credibility: Her talk show is now entering its second season, and the most recent season of Top Model delivered its strongest ratings ever. "(TV execs) think it's better when I'm at 155 lbs. – at 145, they feel I'm not as relatable," she explains.

Besides, Banks is having a lot more fun these days eating the pancakes off a friend's plate at IHOP than trying to fit into designer sample sizes.

Below the article, there's a link to a video, which I'm really glad she did. It doesn't make sense that a woman should have to apologise for not looking like a supermodel. It would be nice if we could all be happy and feel beautiful at any point within the range of healthy weights for our frame.

(Ironically, Weight watchers (http://www.weightwatchers.com/health/asm/calc_healthyweight.aspx) agrees with my husband and says that my current weight is the absolute lowest healthy minimum. But I don't think it's quite as exact a science as that.)

Lifting is going well. It's become like brushing my teeth. I call feel my muscles atrophy if I don't pick up those dumbbells at least twice a week. :bb: I can't say the same about cardio. :( It's really not much fun, but I try. I walk a lot, and that helps.

The drinking challenge is challenging. I'm getting it done, most of the time, but it's really not fun. I thought by now I'd be able to get by with visiting the bathroom fewer than seven times a day on two litres of water, but aparently not. :bang:

We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the Beautiful Stuff out. ~ Ray Bradbury

You currently have 6,666 posts. :eek:

Leaving for the drive to TO today!

You currently have 6,666 posts. :eek:
Spooky.

I need a blog.

My gymnastic dilemma is not solved. Competitive training runs for twelve months of the year at the club she's currently at, beginning ONLY in July, right at the start of our holiday. It would be $1972 for the year (6 hours per week). It sounds like a lot of money, but it's less than $7/hour. Another option is to enroll her in Girl's Advanced gym, which is 4 hours per week $1124 for a 10 month year, which is also very close to $7/hr.

I'm really not that happy about the office staff at her club. We've had several failure to communicate issues, including once that they didn't bother to phone me about moving her class to 1:30 instead of 1:00. (We showed up late for that first class, and she mumbled a quick apology, without asking me if the new time would create any conflicts for me.) Also, we had problems last year when she was invited by the coach to try out for a competitive group, but the office staff never followed through to set up an appointment. I'm less than pleased about the vague yearly calendar. (I heard from another mother that the club takes holidays the first week of August; the registrar didn't bother to mention that to me when I told her that I was going on holidays the first three weeks of July. :rolleyes: So we'd end up having to pay for four weeks of the summer that she couldn't use. :bang: )

There's another club that's only slightly further away, so I've called them to see what they offer. They train beginning competitive gymnasts only 4 hours per week, for only 10 months of the year. I don't have a price quote and haven't been promised a try-out yet, but the coach is supposed to call me later today. Assuming that she did become a competitive gymnast, her current club probably has a much better training schedule (and I think they may indeed have produced a greater number of provincial level gymnasts), but I suppose it's possible we could switch back to it next year or in a couple of years.

I really don't get the feeling that it would be something she would want to do as more than a hobby anyway. She's just so amazingly good at it that I want to give her every possibility to go as far as she possibly could. So I think I'll have her try out at both clubs, and maybe the coaches can give me a clearer picture than what the office staff has been telling me.

Then there's still the mention of Argentina every couple of days, which makes me wonder if all this research is going to be wasted.

I hate drinking water. I finished my 2 litres yesterday, but I cursed all four bottles of it. :mad:

Food - not so bad. Very few nutritionally void foods, but only a few nutritionally rich foods. Lots of whole wheat bread, peanut butter, cereal, yogurt, soy milk, bananas, and other fruit, with the occasional bit of chicken, beef, spinach, broccoli, sweet potato, brown rice, etc.

Exercise - not so good. My husband bought me a new mp3 player when he heard me complain for the tenth time about my old one, but I can't seem to get motivated to figure out how to load any of my songs onto it.:bang: And I'm certainly not motivated to exercise without any music to go along with it.

Listen to books for free at Librivox (http://librivox.org/forum/) and life explained at Videojug (http://www.videojug.com/).:) (I think I have a microphone somewhere; I need to start digging.)

The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said.

I hate drinking water. I finished my 2 litres yesterday, but I cursed all four bottles of it. :mad:

I don't know if it's already been discussed in here, but have you tried using Crystal Light to get some water down?

I hope you can get the gymnastics training settled for your daughter.

I hate drinking water. I finished my 2 litres yesterday, but I cursed all four bottles of it. :mad:

I can take the drinking, it's the endless trips to the toilet that tire me.
Especially at night.

Hi Guava! :wave: Hope you are having a great day!

I don't know if it's already been discussed in here, but have you tried using Crystal Light to get some water down?

I hope you can get the gymnastics training settled for your daughter.I've done it before. This was a unique challenge where I was trying to drink pure water. I'd like to cut back on artificial sweeteners as much as possible. I think the others have dropped out of the challenge, so I'm going to change the rules for myself now that it's becoming so annoying for me. I was so close yesterday. I had 1.5 litres of water, and the .5 litre ready to drink, but I forgot about it. I have been drinking a lot of coffee and tea, and I had a cup of Jello yesterday too.

If I allow Crystal Light as one of my fluids, I'm afraid I won't drink any water. So, I'll allow it for now, but I'll come back to forbidding it at another time. I'm thinking about maybe forbidding coffee in order to compensate for the indulgence of Crystal Light, but I think that might push me over to the chocolate stash too often. :evil:

I can take the drinking, it's the endless trips to the toilet that tire me.
Especially at night.That's the worst part.

Hi Guava! :wave: Hope you are having a great day!
:wave:
I am!
It's sunny!
The rest of the shelves for my china cabinet arrived!
I planted snapdragons and pansies and a delphinium yesterday!
She's trying out tonight! (which doesn't mean I'd necessarily sign her up if she's accepted)

For lunch, I ate two open-faced salmon and yogurt sandwiches, five super-sweet tomatoes, and two stalks of celery with hummus. :eat: (pats self on back) I've still got to fix that breakfast. I've been eating a banana and three or four slices of toast with peanut butter nearly every morning for several weeks. Not enough protein. I'm going to have to swap it with my old standby of oatmeal pancakes (made with tofu, and with protein powder added) and a yogurt.

"Set your sights high, the higher the better. Expect the most wonderful things to happen, not in the future but right now. Realize that nothing is too good. Allow absolutely nothing to hamper you or hold you up in any way." ~ Eileen Caddy

:spaz: Barbecued cod! :eat: :eat: :eat:

Wow, that stuff is fantastic! :claphigh:

Yesterday, I had it squeezed with lemon, and accompanied by steamed broccoli, baked seasoned potato wedges, spinach, and a roll. :eat: Today, it's going to be with a fresh boiled cob of corn, grilled zucchini, spinach, and curried rice with raisins. :eat:

I got a lead on a job. :) I have to mention it here so that I maintain the motivation to follow through with the application. The position requires 21 hours per wekk, between September and June only, mostly home based and making my own appointments. It pays $18/hr, which is pretty decent. :nod: I might be a little underqualified in the experience, but I'm overqualified in the education, so they might balance each other out. :p Oh, and it's all about food! :D My mom is coming to visit in a couple of days; I'll get her to help me with my resume and cover letter.

She's accepted into the competitive gymnastics program at our gym, but we haven't made the decision yet of whether to participate.

"The future is not a result of choices among alternative paths offered by the present, but a place that is created - created first in the mind and will, created next in activity. The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made, and the activity of making them, changes both the maker and the destination." ~ Deborah James

Hey guava, nice to see you're still at it!! :D

I got a lead on a job. :) I have to mention it here so that I maintain the motivation to follow through with the application. The position requires 21 hours per wekk, between September and June only, mostly home based and making my own appointments. It pays $18/hr, which is pretty decent. :nod: I might be a little underqualified in the experience, but I'm overqualified in the education, so they might balance each other out. :p Oh, and it's all about food! :D My mom is coming to visit in a couple of days; I'll get her to help me with my resume and cover letter.

This sounds exciting and perfect for you:spaz: What exactly does the job entail if you don't mind sharing?

:spaz: Barbecued cod! :eat: :eat: :eat:

Wow, that stuff is fantastic! :claphigh:

Yesterday, I had it squeezed with lemon, and accompanied by steamed broccoli, baked seasoned potato wedges, spinach, and a roll. :eat: Today, it's going to be with a fresh boiled cob of corn, grilled zucchini, spinach, and curried rice with raisins. :eat:

I got a lead on a job. :) I have to mention it here so that I maintain the motivation to follow through with the application. The position requires 21 hours per wekk, between September and June only, mostly home based and making my own appointments. It pays $18/hr, which is pretty decent. :nod: I might be a little underqualified in the experience, but I'm overqualified in the education, so they might balance each other out. :p Oh, and it's all about food! :D My mom is coming to visit in a couple of days; I'll get her to help me with my resume and cover letter.

She's accepted into the competitive gymnastics program at our gym, but we haven't made the decision yet of whether to participate.

"The future is not a result of choices among alternative paths offered by the present, but a place that is created - created first in the mind and will, created next in activity. The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made, and the activity of making them, changes both the maker and the destination." ~ Deborah James
I didn't know cod could taste good... :blank: Good luck with the job! Competitive gymnastics, huh? I wish I had some of those genes! :nod:

Hey guava, nice to see you're still at it!! :D
andi!!! :D :dance:
I'm still at somethin'! Not quite sure what. ;) I suppose I'm holding pretty steady, with the knowlege that I have what it takes to go as far as I wish to go. :madpimp:
This sounds exciting and perfect for you:spaz: What exactly does the job entail if you don't mind sharing?
The position is promoting nutrition programs in schools. :D The hours and job title are perfect for me, but some of the activities don't match my skills. So, it's not quite perfect, but I could grow into it, if whoever's hiring decides I'm capable. The main activities are running meetings with school officials and volunteers, and maintaining statistical information. That's the good part. But it also requires a great deal of marketing and public relations (outreach to business community and speaking to the public), which I could do, but I really don't enjoy. :(

I didn't know cod could taste good... :blank: Good luck with the job! Competitive gymnastics, huh? I wish I had some of those genes! :nod:Cod is pretty bland, but my husband has a knack for barbecuing.:nod: I think she is lucky with the genes. She has natural strength, balance, and flexibility, plus a good sense of rhythm and poise, and a joy of movement. I don't think the skills will be a problem for her, but she may be weak on drive. (She's a little timid and unassertive.) However, I might just be projecting my own impressions on her, or those characteristics may be learned.:confused:

"You've got to get to the stage in life where going for it is more important than winning or losing." Arthur Ashe, Professional Tennis Player

The position is promoting nutrition programs in schools. :D The hours and job title are perfect for me, but some of the activities don't match my skills. So, it's not quite perfect, but I could grow into it, if whoever's hiring decides I'm capable. The main activities are running meetings with school officials and volunteers, and maintaining statistical information. That's the good part. But it also requires a great deal of marketing and public relations (outreach to business community and speaking to the public), which I could do, but I really don't enjoy. :(

Wow! That sounds really interesting actually. Is it run by a school board? I think you'd be great at the job:nod: Your stats background would come in handy, and I'm sure you'd get comfortable with the marketing and public relations:tu: Good luck!

My mom left this morning.

It's been a really busy week. Soccer started for my older daughter, and the breakfast program at our school was launched this morning. It was a great success, but there were several elements I was unsatisfied with.

I spent 4+ hours shopping last week for the first session, then the librarian went behind my back and supplemented the menu. :blank: In a way, it was fortunate, because we would have run short of food (about 150 people showed up, instead of the estimated 60) but she also bought some products that I felt were less than nutritionally perfect, and she spent about twice as much per unit serving as I did. I visited no less than five separate grocery stores to get the best prices, and weeded out dozens of varieties of prepackaged snacks and yogurts that did not meet the listed nutrition requirements (mainly due to inadequate fibre and calcium). Now I'm told that the nutrition sheet is a guideline only, and we are free to deviate from it. And the way she's been spending, our budget would also appear to be fairly loose. I'd planned to visit three separate stores for this Thursday's breakfast, but now I don't feel much in the mood to do that anymore.

Watermelon is about $8, but I can get it for $3, saving $15. Cheerios are $4.50 a box, but I can get them for about $1.75, saving about $14. Yogurt is $5 a case, but I can get it for $3, saving $16. So it would save (who?) about $45 for me to spend an extra hour or so out of my schedule running over town instead of shopping at the store that's right next to my house. But what's the point if nobody notices or cares? :(

So I feel rather like crawling into a hole and sticking to micromanaging my own life instead of trying to influence anyone else's, or trying to make a difference in places that ultimately have little impact on me personally. :rolleyes: I don't even know if I want to apply for the silly job anymore, if it's going to be lax about the types of foods it allows us to serve. My mom did, however, do a super job of rewriting my cover letter and resume so that they perfectly match the skills listed.

The soul would have no rainbow if the eyes had no tears. ~ Indian proverb

I couldn't stop myself. :o Even though my daughter was sick and I wasn't going to be taking her to gymnastics, and therefore had to drive 10 miles out of my way to collect the groceries. :rolleyes:

Unfortunately, she was more sick than I realized, and we had to dash madly to the washroom twice in each store so that she could blow chunks. :doh: Then I had to take the groceries to the school and unload them (3 watermelons, 24 litres of milk, 10 boxes of granola bars, 6 big boxes of cereal, 192 containers of yogurt, and about 40 pudding cups), while still looking after her and her diarrhea. :bang:

I should be praised for my dedication, or smacked for my stupidity. Likely both.

So, in the last 36 hours, I've had to get up in the middle of the night three times for emergencies, clean all three of our toilets, (plus the two in the grocery stores :o), change the sheets three times, wash the afghan twice, scrub three pairs of underwear, and mop the floor.

There must be some way I can translate these skills onto my resume. :confused:

I haven't applied for the job. :blank:

In an unfortunate coincidence, my husband has been away on a business trip, so I also had to drag her along with me in the car while I took my older daughter to guides, and she threw up in there too! He'll be back late tonight, so I might just get some rest.

I've been exceptionally hungry (for carbs only) yesterday and today, so I wonder if my body is trying to store energy in anticipation of spending the next couple of days vomitting like my daughter. :cry: I made myself a "diet banana split" for a bedtime snack, (one banana, 1/2 C yogurt, about 1/4 C of chocolate syrup) because I felt guilty about eating real chocolate after the huge carbohydrate-rich meals I've been inhaling. :o

It's been pouring rain off and on for the last couple of days. That's good, because it means I don't have to go out and water my plants. :p: :cool:

Uoqv3iZU2GU

:mad::mad::mad:
The librarian called me at home to thank me again for the good job I'm doing with the shopping for the breakfast program.

"Did you mean for us to serve the juice with breakfast this morning?"

("Did I put it on today's menu or the preparation instructions?:rolleyes:" )

"No. We had watermelon, and we only need one fruit serving per day."

"Oh. I didn't realize that. Oh well, we served it anyway."

"Well, I'm not really sure how our budget works, but if you serve two different servings of fruit, the kids are likely to take a helping of each, and that increases our costs."

"Oh. Yeah, and the other volunteers were asking about buying in bulk."

"We can't do that. The bulk bins are not guaranteed to be peanut free."

"No, I meant like the cereal in bigger boxes from Costco"

(The nearest Costco is 45 km from our school.:blank:)

"Well, sure, if someone wants to go there, and they can get good prices, then that's fine. But I paid only $1.69 for each of the 525 g boxes of Cheerios. I'm pretty sure they're quite a bit more expensive than that at Costco. I've been recording the inventory we've been going through and the prices I paid on the daily menu sheets, so if anyone's curious, they can check it for themselves."

"Oh good. How much have you been paying for the milk?"

"419"

"419???!!!"

"Yes, four dollars and nineteen cents."

"That's a good price! I ordered some bags from that guy I was telling you that delivers milk to the school vending machines, but it's $4.67. He's going to deliver 8 bags (32 L ~125 Cups) for each of the next three weeks, and 4 bags for the last week of the program."

(I'd already agreed to this concept. A lot less muscle work for me.)

"Oh. Okay. But we're not going to be serving milk every day, so that might end up being too much milk."

"Oh. Well, we can cancel it later if we find out we have enough."

"Alright, fine."

:bang::bang::bang::bang::bang:

If I find out they served any of my granola bars or pudding cups, I'll have to quit.

I'm sorry that your daughter has been sick. It sounds awful.

I'm also sorry that the school is basically working against you, but at the same time, I'm completely annoyed with them. Why did they bother to give you this job if they were going to turn around and overwrite everything you planned to begin with?

I give you alot of credit though. I would have told them to go fly a kite after the last conversation you had them.

Sending healthy vibes to your daughter and relaxing vibes to you.

Hey Guava!

Far too many frustrated smilies for my liking! Cheer up chick! :)

Hey Guava!

Far too many frustrated smilies for my liking! Cheer up chick! :)
:bang:

You'll have to just read between the lines. :whistle:

My daughter woke me up at 2am and told me she had silly putty stuck in her hair. I hadn't realized at the time how sick I was, but I nearly fainted, then spent a couple of minutes leaned over the toilet. :( I had to cut at least two inches out, so now we're going to have to find a stylist that can work magic on the rest to even out the rough patches. She has a pretty wild sense of style, so I'm going to suggest something like one of these. (However, she's only 11, so a little less mature version would be preferable.)

I finished my book, Luminosity, so I have to decide on what to tackle next. I have a few to choose from at home, but none of them seem to suit my mood right now.

Before I stopped bringing anybody home,
I went to Susan's house.
Her mother had thick ankles
too and she didn't seem to care.
She behaved as though
she didn't know her
ankles were too thick.
I liked her.
She gave me cookies.
and called me sweetie
and made me feel welcome
by not paying much attention to me.:)

I finished my book, Luminosity, so I have to decide on what to tackle next. I have a few to choose from at home, but none of them seem to suit my mood right now.
Didja read A Wild Sheep Chase yet? I'm about 100 pages in. :spaz: It's pretty good, but the Miranda July book arrived and I've been eying it ever since.
I cracked last night and read the first story in the July book. It was really good! I wanted to read the rest right then and there but I need to finish A Wild Sheep Chase first. :bang: Now it kinda feels like a chore to read. :(

Didja read A Wild Sheep Chase yet? I'm about 100 pages in. :spaz: It's pretty good, but the Miranda July book arrived and I've been eying it ever since.
I cracked last night and read the first story in the July book. It was really good! I wanted to read the rest right then and there but I need to finish A Wild Sheep Chase first. :bang: Now it kinda feels like a chore to read. :(I was going to save the Wild Sheep Chase for our driving trip because I'm expecting to like it so much.

I put in a purchase request to the library for the Miranda July (http://www.amazon.com/One-Belongs-Here-More-Than/dp/0743299396/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-9399500-4472965?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179678425&sr=1-1) :love: book, but I haven't heard whether they ordered it for me.

I have two "chick lit" books to choose from right now that I bought about a year ago for about 70% off from an online book clearance.

Mrs. Kimble (http://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Kimble-Novel-Jennifer-Haigh/dp/0060509406)
or
The Wife (http://www.amazon.com/Wife-Novel-Meg-Wolitzer/dp/0743456661/ref=pd_bbs_2/102-9399500-4472965?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179678329&sr=1-2)

I'm afraid you are making me feel uneducated. :cry:

I'm afraid you are making me feel uneducated. :cry:
Have no fear! There's lots of things you do better than I! ;)

So I'm nearly finished The Wife. It was a bit cold, but that's okay, because it's primed me for Diary: A Novel (http://www.amazon.com/Diary-Novel-Chuck-Palahniuk/dp/1400032814) :evil:, which I borrowed from the library. It didn't get very good reviews, but that's okay, because the library has lots of books to choose from if this one's no good.

I started feeling a little better yesterday. Good timing too, because it was my husband's birthday. We went out for dinner and I baked him a cake. :D

My older daughter will be competing in the track and field meet at the high school. She took in 1st place in long jump. :claplow: She also got two 2nd place ribbons, a 3rd place, two fourths, and a fifth, but I can't remember what they were for. I don't think I really like the idea of ribbons for every placement. It's kind of odd how we seem to need to be rewarded for every tiny little thing we accomplish.

The breakfast program is still awkward. I'm still struggling on the "nutrition" side of it, whereas the program promoters are mostly focused on the "hunger" aspect of it. I just can't seem to wrap my finger around the idea that tossing a kid a granola bar, a cup of applesauce, and a glass of juice is going to make his morning go all that much better. :confused: I hope I can become more comfortable about my role (ie. giving up some control:bang:) and working within my restrictions, because in moments I still feel like quitting over the whole principle of the thing. :(

I had strawberries, Cheerios, milk, and yogurt on the menu this morning. I popped in to peek while dropping off the kids. The volunteers seemed to have decided that half a strawberry was a serving. :rolleyes: But they also served juice, which I didn't have on the menu. :confused: So I think there are a whole lot of berries left over. They won't keep until the next breakfast (Tuesday). I'm thinking about making ice pops (that would be strawberries tossed into a cup of juice and frozen with a stick in it), but that sounds like a lot of extra work for me.

I tried lifting weights again last night. It's really hard for me to get into, because I don't think I like the idea of my muscles getting any bigger than they already are. :flex:

So, I'm going to read over my fitness books and shift the focus over to some more compound moves, balance, and core strength. I'm thinking about looking into a pilates class for a change.

But my dumbbell squats aren't right. I'm still not feeling 100%, so I did them without any weight last night. I really feel it just above the knees, but not any higher up. It strains my hips; they even make a slight brushing sounds, and it doesn't really "hurt" my knees, but they're far from comfortable. There might be something in my stance that's wrong, but I'm pretty sure I'm following all of the advice I've ever read about it. I think I'll have to try it with a barbell, because it seems like it would be a completely different exercise that way.

“Sometimes life seems like a dream, especially when I look down and see that I forgot to put on my pants” ~ Jack Handy

Feeling back to normal yet? :)

Feeling back to normal yet? :)
There is no normal. :nono:

I'm operating on a different plane of reality.

Chuck Palahniuk has a very vivid imagination. :eek:

Most people have quit replying to my journal, either because it's become less relevant to fitness, or I've become more difficult to relate to. :confused:

I can't complain about the breakfast program. Things are going pretty well. It's hard for me not to try to be the boss of the whole thing, especially since I fear that obesity is as much of a problem in our area as hunger is. I've helped to bring to light a few of the solutions higher up in the organization (validating coupons, clarifying nut-free rules), so I'm thinking I might still attempt to put through an application for employment, in case they're still only in the initial hiring process (or haven't yet begun, which is what I expect).

I have a new fruit and vegetable bed in my backyard! :D It's full of raspberry shoots that I got for free from the freecycle group, and I planted beans, carrots, and squash. There's also one lonely strawberry; I'm still thinking about whether I will try to make room for more in future years. This took a whole day of digging, then a trip to the nursery, where they were not very helpful in recommending how much soil I should buy. I dragged home 15 bags of 30L triple mix, which seems to have been about right.

I bought a trout at the grocery store. It was frozen, originally caught in "cool, clear, clean, Canadian lakes". Winnipeg, Manitoba, in fact; just a few miles from my mom. Of course, neither my husband or my kids would have anything to do with it, so I was stuck dealing with it all by myself, while they ate KFC. :p I chopped off his head, then tried to take most of his bones out, but that didn't work very well. Deboning should be done after fish is cooked, it appears. I cooked him on the barbecue with some Spike (http://www.amazon.com/Spike-All-Purpose-Seasoning-oz/dp/B0004LZD4I) seasoning sprinkled on him. He was tasty, but he's about a three-and-a-half-pounder, so it'll take me a few meals to finish him off. (If I have to throw half of it in the garbage, it's not a big deal, because it was only $1/lb)

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we should dance.

Most people have quit replying to my journal, either because it's become less relevant to fitness, or I've become more difficult to relate to. :confused:

I still read, but I feel I have nothing real to contribute :)

Nice looking lake trout:eat:

Most people have quit replying to my journal, either because it's become less relevant to fitness, or I've become more difficult to relate to.

I felt that way too about my journal.. :blank:

FYI, I've been following along, just not contributing.

That's too bad about the trout. Does the rest of your family not eat it just on principle or have they tasted it and don't like it?

I made trout the other week. What I did was drizzle some olive oil on the inside and outside, salt and pepper it, and then stuff it with thyme, parsley, basil, lemon and garlic. It was great.

Oh, and I'm still reading your journal. :)

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa290/J_Wfitness/trout.jpg

Hey guava! ;)

I have noticed a sharp drop in responses in my journal too. Who knows... maybe it's the nice weather and people are enjoying it instead of posting.. I dunno ;) personally, I've been crazy busy and for the last month and am only now catching up on other peoples journals.

I like the garden :tucool: it looks nice and you'll be loving the fresh fruit & veggies :nod::drool: I need to see if there are any good fruit that I could grow here, other than citrus ;) I would love to have raspberrie bushes :nod:

while I love fish, I could never bring myself to clean one... I don't have any issues with poultry, pork or beef in raw form with bones and everything... but with fish, I really don't want to have to deal with it... I want my fish cleaned and ready to cook :p no icky fish guts for me please :lol:

I think you should go for that job, I think it would be perfect for you :nod: :gl:

I still read, but I feel I have nothing real to contribute :)

and I am a self centered egotistical bastard who has not been very good about keeping up with the journal reading/replying lately.:o

I felt that way too about my journal.. :blank:

I have noticed a sharp drop in responses in my journal too. Who knows... maybe it's the nice weather and people are enjoying it instead of posting.. I dunno ;) personally, I've been crazy busy and for the last month and am only now catching up on other peoples journals.
It does appear to be a trend. :confused: I'm beginning to fear that JSF may be losing it's close tight-knit family appeal. :cry:

But I got people to reply just by whining a bit. :neener:

and I am a self centered egotistical bastard who has not been very good about keeping up with the journal reading/replying lately.:oYeah, I think that's it.

I don't think I've been replying to journals all that much either. :o

That's too bad about the trout. Does the rest of your family not eat it just on principle or have they tasted it and don't like it? It's mostly on principle. Fish smells bad, ya know? My husband has eaten fish before, so I was surprised when he refused, but oh well. More for me! :D
while I love fish, I could never bring myself to clean one... I don't have any issues with poultry, pork or beef in raw form with bones and everything... but with fish, I really don't want to have to deal with it... I want my fish cleaned and ready to cook :p no icky fish guts for me please :lol:There were no guts, thank goodness! It was dressed, but not cleaned. Or cleaned, but not dressed. I'm not sure what they called it.
I made trout the other week. What I did was drizzle some olive oil on the inside and outside, salt and pepper it, and then stuff it with thyme, parsley, basil, lemon and garlic. It was great.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa290/J_Wfitness/trout.jpgOMG, that's a beauty! Is that what you ate? A gigantic trout and three little tiny potatoes? :lol:

I bought another one today! I didn't realize I should cook it with the head on. I'm going to do just like you said. :nod:

Someone changed the menu again in the binder for the school breakfast. :mad: And they're not reading the preparation instructions. (I wrote "cut sandwiches in half". Under comments, they someone wrote "sandwiches were too big; they should be cut in half".:rolleyes:) Some of the volunteers want to serve juice every day, in addition to any fruit that's out, and I don't think that's a good idea. :nope: I think the case worker is getting annoyed with my multiple requests for the program policies. I do not work well under "loose guidelines". Give me some firm rules, and I'll make it conform, but with everything kinda up in the air about "whatever you want to serve", there are too many differences of opinion between volunteers.

"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor." ~ Vince Lombardi

OMG, that's a beauty! Is that what you ate? A gigantic trout and three little tiny potatoes?

Yep, that's a picture of the trout (and potatoes) I ate. And as you can see, I've got my priorities straight when it comes to fish and side dishes. :D I am a huge fan of seafood.

I bought another one today! I didn't realize I should cook it with the head on. I'm going to do just like you said.

Awesome. Let me know how it turns out. Also, I don't think you have to cook it with its head on. I know my dad likes to take it off because it squicks him out if he has something on his plate looking at him. I leave it on because I like eating the cheek meat. BTW, the recipe I gave you is even better if you barbecue the trout instead of using an oven.

Hi Guava! :wave:

Hey Guava! Just stopping in like I usually do...sorry I dont have more to say...I try not to just post for the sake of posting so sometimes people dont know I have been reading their journal for days without necessarily adding something of value...like Paul seems to do with the majority of his post...I should take lessons. Sometimes I am in a hurry during the day and busy at nights when I would otherwise have time to spend more thoughtful time responding...so I just stop in and read to keep up, but without replying unless something comes to mind off the top of the head.

All that to say...we are still here and still keeping up with you. By the way, I like the new furniture you posted about in your photo journal...looks classy. :tu:

I'm having a hard time understanding what's going on between you and the school with regard to the nutrition program. Is it due to a lack of leadership? You were brought in for a purpose, but your edicts don't seem to be followed and there doesn't seem to be any support from whoever should have the ultimate responsibility for the success of the program. It really must be frustrating to you.

I like fish and other meats, but I cannot face preparing them. My family never brought me up actually cooking fresh meats from butchers, etc.. so now I find it 'icky'. ;)

My family never brought me up actually cooking fresh meats from butchers, etc.. so now I find it 'icky'. I once picked out a chicken from the market, watched the Chinese lady take it behind a wall, then walked out of the market with it a few minutes later with it still warm. :nod:

I try not to just post for the sake of posting so sometimes people dont know I have been reading their journal for days without necessarily adding something of value...like Paul seems to do with the majority of his post...I should take lessons. I quit posting in people's journals for a while when I realized I was posting about myself instead of posting about them. :doh:

Seltzer and Butterflyer are fantastic. I want to be just like them when I grow up.:dreamy: I'm watching them closely. ;)

Hi philly. :wave:

I'm having a hard time understanding what's going on between you and the school with regard to the nutrition program. Is it due to a lack of leadership? You were brought in for a purpose, but your edicts don't seem to be followed and there doesn't seem to be any support from whoever should have the ultimate responsibility for the success of the program. It really must be frustrating to you.
Yes! That's exactly it.

Nobody knows who is in charge (because nobody is) so we all just do whatever we think is best, and then get overruled by someone else who thinks something else is best. :doh:

There is a foundation, from whom we get our funding, and who we turn to for guidance, but their function is to help each school establish its own independent program.

When you're working with volunteers, it's very tricky, because everyone thinks they do something particularly well, and nobody wants to tell them not to do it. :p

The librarian of the school is "in charge" right now, and she told me today which of the volunteers will be taking over that role for next year. (The one who wants to serve juice every day.:p) She is a fantastic woman; very hard-working and dedicated, with a lot of connections in the community. She expects to also take over a portion of the shopping and the financial accountability, which I really don't want to hand over. I refuse to plan the menus if I can't do the shopping for it, because they each depend on each other. I also have doubts that anyone else has the experience that I have to make the basic food products come in under budget, which would allow us to serve more exotic items more often, or to relieve us of some fundraising burdens. Plus, I consider myself to be more nutritionally informed than the other members. If I give up a portion of my control, I'd rather give up all of my control, and not be involved at all, because I'm not a good team player at things that I know I'm better at than anyone else. :neener:

It's something that I'm really passionate about, and it would be too painful to be a part of it if I feel that it's being done badly.

I quit posting in people's journals for a while when I realized I was posting about myself instead of posting about them. :doh:


personally... I don't mind that at all in my journal as long as it's relevant to a subject I'm talking about, have talked about in the past, or you (read=anyone) thinks I might find interesting... I like to view my journal as an open forum for discussion ;) if I didn't want interaction I wouldn't post a journal here :tu:

personally... I don't mind that at all in my journal as long as it's relevant to a subject I'm talking about, have talked about in the past, or you (read=anyone) thinks I might find interesting... I like to view my journal as an open forum for discussion ;) if I didn't want interaction I wouldn't post a journal here :tu:

Agreed...anyone feel free to post about yourself in my journal anytime! :tucool:

Even you Guava!

Both girls are playing soccer on Wednesday evenings. At first it seemed like a conflict, but I'm going to be able to leave the little one at her game while I drop off the older one, and it therefore is much more efficient; all done in one evening. They both have the same color jersey and selected the same number. :lol:

personally... I don't mind that at all in my journal as long as it's relevant to a subject I'm talking about, have talked about in the past, or you (read=anyone) thinks I might find interesting... I like to view my journal as an open forum for discussion ;) if I didn't want interaction I wouldn't post a journal here :tu:

Agreed...anyone feel free to post about yourself in my journal anytime! :tucool:

Even you Guava!:wave:
Good Morning!

Okay, sometimes I just get sensitive. I like people when people post about themselves in my journal, so I don't know why I'd think they don't want me posting about myself.

I visited the breakfast this morning. :( I am failing to establish the dictatorship I imagined. :rolleyes:

Some people think it's holding on that makes one strong; sometimes it's letting go. ~ Sylvia Robinson

Seltzer and Butterflyer are fantastic. I want to be just like them when I grow up.:dreamy: I'm watching them closely. ;)

:o, but thanks.


With regard to the volunteer situation next year, why don't you have a non confrontational chat with the woman who is going to be in charge next year and make clear what functions you would like to perform as a condition of your continuing involvement in the program and why you feel the way that you do. The onus then befalls her to decide if she wants your input. I'm guessing that she will as good volunteers are always hard to find.

personally... I don't mind that at all in my journal as long as it's relevant to a subject I'm talking about, have talked about in the past, or you (read=anyone) thinks I might find interesting... I like to view my journal as an open forum for discussion ;) if I didn't want interaction I wouldn't post a journal here :tu:

:nod: :nod:

I visited the breakfast this morning. :( I am failing to establish the dictatorship I imagined. :rolleyes:

Sounds like it's time to get yourself a cattle prod or an ugly stick. I like the cattle prod idea better though. :lol:

:wave:
Good Morning!

Okay, sometimes I just get sensitive. I like people when people post about themselves in my journal, so I don't know why I'd think they don't want me posting about myself.

You are way cool...and you have a fun/interesting life and have made awesome progress over the years which in turn gives you the ability to add valuable input so since you meet more than just one of those criteria you are qualified to post about yourself in other journals. :tu:

Cool about the girls playing soccer, that was my sport all my life until I was injured my senior year of high school. Cute that they picked out the same color/number jersey:lol:

Hi Guava!

I try to check out your journal at least once a week.l I don't post just cause I'm really not that great with words. BTW You are such a great mom!

Oh another btw, I just found out that girl guides is the same thing as girl scouts in the u.s. I'm just getting into that with my dd.

personally... I don't mind that at all in my journal as long as it's relevant to a subject I'm talking about, have talked about in the past, or you (read=anyone) thinks I might find interesting... I like to view my journal as an open forum for discussion if I didn't want interaction I wouldn't post a journal here

Agreed! Post away..

You are way cool...and you have a fun/interesting life and have made awesome progress over the years which in turn gives you the ability to add valuable input so since you meet more than just one of those criteria you are qualified to post about yourself in other journals.

Again, agreed. But since I'm shallower than Mr. Ryan, I also like her because I think she's darn hot!
:D

http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/images/smilies/hiya.gif I read your journal Guava! I too, like dluc, sometimes feel like I don't have very much to contribute :o. I really enjoy your journal though! :nod:

But since I'm shallower than Mr. Ryan, I also like her because I think she's darn hot!:D You're here stirring up trouble and hoping for drama. :spank:

http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/images/smilies/hiya.gif I read your journal Guava! Bballer, thanks for brining your smilies into my journal. :D

I haven't been busy enough, and that always causes weird psychological problems for me. :doh: :bang: There are a few issues I'm "sitting on" and that are making me tense because each depends on the other.

The only other girl in my daughter's gymnastics class who was invited to try out for the competitive team has decided not to proceed. Her mom mentioned that the club has changed the schedule to offer an "advanced recreational" program through the summer, which she'll do instead. I don't know what that does to the class numbers for the competitive group. :confused: As I mentioned, the club is notoriously bad at communication. I was not informed of any program changes, nor given a deadline for registration, so I'm a little nervous that they'll try and tell me too late if I hold off too long. (Session begins July 3) The other club I'm considering has open evaluations next Thursday. It will be good to compare what the coaches are like and how the facility is different, then I should have everything squared away by the 11th of June.

Once the gymnastics schedule is settled, I can register my older daughter in the martial arts and swimming sessions (if there's still room :doh:). Also, we need to calculate our timeline so that we can start booking some of the lodging for our half-way-across North America trek. This place looks perfect:
You’ll love the coziness of the pine walls, and the homemade pine log beds, tables, and lamps, created by the owner himself. (http://www.mountainviewlodge.net/cabins.html):dreamy:

The school has about 20 Litres of milk in the fridge with a best before date of June 6. We think we'll be able to use 8. :bang:

Sounds like it's time to get yourself a cattle prod or an ugly stick. I like the cattle prod idea better though. :lol:Yee-haw!! Ya gotta spare?

I did some heavy squats and deads while speed cleaning the house this morning. :bb: But I'm getting bored of my music. Is there an easy way to buy non-ipod mp3 files? I can't find tracks to purchase online that don't have DRM.
bGFXKYvH39I

:cry:

Is there an easy way to buy non-ipod mp3 files?
bGFXKYvH39I

I'll do you better. I can tell you how to get them for free, legally...I think.

Ok here's what you do. First go to http://www.veoh.com/
- download & install the veoh player and make sure that the Veoh player icon appears on the bottom right hand corner of your Browser window (I'm using firefox browser)

Then go to http://www.gomplayer.com/main.html and download GOM player. Install GOM player on your computer

Now go to youtube.com and find the video of the song that you like. Using the VEOH icon on the bottom right hand corner of your browser, you should be able to download the youtube video. Once the youtube video is downloaded to your computer, open the video file with GOM player. GOM player has an option called "advanced audio capture" on the file menu, under the "audio" drop down menu.

Use the advanced audio capture to save the audio from the youtube file (which will be a video).

And now you have ur very own mp3 file. Using this method you can listen to virtually any song that you can find on youtube :tucool:

I can tell you how to get them for free, legally...Well, I like to make sure the artist is compensated, so that wouldn't work. :( Also, I don't think the sound quality would be good enough.

I decided I was tired of waiting for the solution, (Puretracks (http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=c4fe4fe1-bd7c-489b-bfdf-54991a0587be) is beginning to make available a small selection of mp3s, for the Canadian market) so I did it the old-fashioned way and bought CDs from the music store. :p

Ozzy's new CD seems to be quite good, and I'd been waiting for Three Days Grace for a long time. There was also a double disk Lynyrd Skynyrd CD for a price that I couldn't pass up.

sHQ_aTjXObs

New music will guarantee some good workouts! :flex::nod::tu::spaz:

I quit posting in people's journals for a while when I realized I was posting about myself instead of posting about them. :doh:

Seltzer and Butterflyer are fantastic. I want to be just like them when I grow up.:dreamy: I'm watching them closely. ;)

.............

It's something that I'm really passionate about, and it would be too painful to be a part of it if I feel that it's being done badly.

:o :o:o I've often said I want to be just like guava when I grow up.:nod: And then people are like "whut???:confused:" because I'm talking about JSF as though they read here too.:lol:

I know what you mean about not wanting to be involved in the badly done when you're passionate about something. :mad: I keep trying to cultivate a level of detachment from my job so I can think about it more calmly and solve the problems better. I eventually got way too involved in my last job.:(

p.s. Trout!!!! :drool:

Seltzer and Butterflyer are fantastic. I want to be just like them when I grow up.

I've often said I want to be just like guava when I grow up.

:doh: Abort plan! Abort plan!

We'll have to try to be comfortable as ourselves and not be too critical of our weaknesses.

I attended a really annoying school council meeting tonight, where a lot of people were making stupid judgments about other members. :( I sent an e-mail to the chair to say how I appreciated how he kept the group on-topic and remained solution-focused instead of becoming emotionally involved, and to let him know that I'll be nominating him for chair again next year.

One of the other moms from gymnastics is taking her daughter to check out the other club as well. She's had very similar miscommunication problems with the office staff (mainly not being told about class changes), but, like me, she has remained with the club because the coaches have all been so excellent. It makes me feel better, because I was wondering if I was just too sensitive and was blowing the whole thing out of proportion.

BEAUTIFUL WOMEN..............
Age 3: She looks at herself and sees a Queen.
Age 8: She looks at herself and sees Cinderella.
Age 15: She looks at herself and sees an Ugly Sister (Mom, I can't go to school looking like this!)
Age 20: She looks at herself and sees "too fat/too thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly"- but decides she's going out anyway.
Age 30: She looks at herself and sees "too fat/too thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly"-but decides she doesn't have time to fix it so she's going out anyway.
Age 40: She looks at herself and sees "too fat/too thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly"-but says, "At least, I am 'clean" and goes out anyway.
Age 50: She looks at herself and sees "I am" and goes wherever she wants to go.
Age 60: She looks at herself and reminds herself of all the people who can't even see themselves in the mirror anymore. Goes out and conquers the world.
Age 70: She looks at herself & sees wisdom, laughter and ability, goes out and enjoys life.
Age 80: Doesn't bother to look. Just puts on a purple hat and goes out to have fun with the world. :)

Yee-haw!! Ya gotta spare?




I'm sure I've got a few extras around that you could use. :) :lol:

:doh: Abort plan! Abort plan!

We'll have to try to be comfortable as ourselves and not be too critical of our weaknesses.

........


BEAUTIFUL WOMEN..............
Age 3: She looks at herself and sees a Queen.
Age 8: She looks at herself and sees Cinderella.
Age 15: She looks at herself and sees an Ugly Sister (Mom, I can't go to school looking like this!)
Age 20: She looks at herself and sees "too fat/too thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly"- but decides she's going out anyway.
Age 30: She looks at herself and sees "too fat/too thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly"-but decides she doesn't have time to fix it so she's going out anyway.
Age 40: She looks at herself and sees "too fat/too thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly"-but says, "At least, I am 'clean" and goes out anyway.
Age 50: She looks at herself and sees "I am" and goes wherever she wants to go.
Age 60: She looks at herself and reminds herself of all the people who can't even see themselves in the mirror anymore. Goes out and conquers the world.
Age 70: She looks at herself & sees wisdom, laughter and ability, goes out and enjoys life.
Age 80: Doesn't bother to look. Just puts on a purple hat and goes out to have fun with the world. :)

:lol:

I love that quote!:claplow:

Hi guava. I was just coming in here to say "sepia back double-bicep avatars for the win", but you changed your avatar :bang:

I've scanned your journal a way back... but I was away for almost a month. So I can't find it... Are you going to the cheat meal this Saturday... I am going to be there, with PGC in tow... :)

Well, I like to make sure the artist is compensated, so that wouldn't work. :( Yes they are. Every-time you purchase blank recordable media...which has extended to mp3 players, usb drives, DVD-R's CD-R's etc... the recordable media levy is applied to that product in Canada for this very reason.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recordable_media_tax don't feel too bad...you're already paying ;)

Mornin' Guava! I like your new avatar...I dont know why, but it seems to make a statement of some sort. :confused:

Speaking of online music, you should check out

http://pandora.com/

It is not a "free download" site, but it is a streaming internet radio site, but instead of playing a pre-set list of songs on certain stations it allows you to make up your own stations by putting in an artists name and it will actually play that and other similar artists on your station. The cool thing about it is that is also plays music from new or little known artists in the genre you enter and it has been a way for me to come across songs I forgot about, bands I have never heard of or be the first to hear from some of the newer bands. Of course you can only use it when you have an online connection and you cannot download any songs from the site, but it might give you some ideas of songs to download from a pay site or cds to buy!

Hi guava. I was just coming in here to say "sepia back double-bicep avatars for the win", but you changed your avatar :bang:I kept getting you and jk0 confused, so I thought it would be fun to add mine, but then I just got more confused. :doh:

I've scanned your journal a way back... but I was away for almost a month. So I can't find it... Are you going to the cheat meal this Saturday... I am going to be there, with PGC in tow... :)I'm not going to the cheat meal. :cry: June is not a good time for us to go to Florida. When John was talking about changing the date from the second week in February, I voted for any time in October, November, or January, but I was overruled. :( Every once in a while, there's been talk of a Northern US gathering, which I'd be completely game for. Something like Chicago would be driveable for us.

Every-time you purchase blank recordable media...which has extended to mp3 players, usb drives, DVD-R's CD-R's etc... the recordable media levy is applied to that product in Canada for this very reason.That's good!:)

Mornin' Guava! I like your new avatar...I dont know why, but it seems to make a statement of some sort. :confused:

Speaking of online music, you should check out

http://pandora.com/My avatar is my youngest. She was about 8 months old at the time, and I was about 20 pounds overweight and probably didn't like getting my picture taken, so I get a bit of a chuckle out of the message it sends. I don't remember the circumstances under which it was taken. I just stumbled across it a few weeks ago.

She was with me when I found the sweater
on the clearance rack
and took it into the fitting room.

"Did you feel how soft it is?"
I asked her.
"Mommy, I would hug you more often
if you bought that sweater,"
she answered.

It will be my favorite sweater.
I've heard a lot about Pandora.:nod:

I have my own customized yahoo radio station for when I'm online, but I need more portable music options. Yahoo Music is awesome! It played me One Last Breath from Creed, followed by a really cool flamenco kinda thing by the Gipsy Kings, and then Carry On My Wayward Son (Kansas), and now something by John Fogerty that I've never heard before! :D Yesterday it was playing me a bunch of Aerosmith. :guitar: I think this is it:
http://music.yahoo.com/lc/?rt=0&rp1=0&rp2=1453380665 I'm not sure if I should feel "guilty" about listening to it, but I figure they must have worked out some way to compensate the artists for it. :confused: (Advertisements or subscriber revenue?)

There is always music amongst the trees in the garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~Minnie Aumonier

Yay, as far as a northern states/Canada cheat meal! I would be glad to organize it in the Chicago area given that we had enough core folks comitted to do it. Last time we tried the majority of folks were "maybes" and I think only a couple really comitted to it...which would be fine, except for someone to drive hours to come and only end up being them and 2 other people would not be the purpose of doing a full fledged cheat meal...I am up for proposals on dates/times/location.

Hey Guava! :wave: How did the trout turn out?

Hey Guava! :wave: How did the trout turn out?
I didn't make the second one yet. I bought it frozen, so I can make it any time. I still have some of the first one left that I stashed in the freezer after I barbecued it.

It's been hot, so I've been using my slow cooker a lot recently. We're having a round roast tonight, with some fresh steamed green beans. And watermelon for dessert. :eat:

Yay, as far as a northern states/Canada cheat meal! I would be glad to organize it in the Chicago area given that we had enough core folks comitted to do it. Last time we tried the majority of folks were "maybes" and I think only a couple really comitted to it...which would be fine, except for someone to drive hours to come and only end up being them and 2 other people would not be the purpose of doing a full fledged cheat meal...I am up for proposals on dates/times/location.

I need a passport:spaz: I've really been slacking on getting one:o

I need a passport:spaz: I've really been slacking on getting one:o
I don't think you need one if you drive. (At least, I sure hope you don't. I'm going on my husbands word, and the kids' have expired.:bang:) You, Bestastas, and Necross could carpool.:spaz:

We're going to be driving through Chicago and/or Madison in July. Right now, it's scheduled for the 19th, but the date might still change, depending on the gymnastics schedule.

I don't think you need one if you drive. (At least, I sure hope you don't. I'm going on my husbands word, and the kids' have expired.:bang:) You, Bestastas, and Necross could carpool.:spaz:

I think that's still the deal until the end of the year or something. It will then be changed to have it as a requirement regardless of method of travel.