Wheeeee! Here I go, starting a new journal for a new year. <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> I am an old diettalker but have been away for a while, so I thought I'd say hello again. My name is Heather, I am a single mom of two wonderful kids, a boy, almost 7, and a girl who just turned 9.

I started my weight loss journey in earnest in 1999--I weighed 355 lbs. It was a new millenium, I was about to turn 30, and I hated, hated the way I felt, the way I looked, but mostly that a smart, nice person like me had completely let her health go south, had become overcome but the compulsion to binge. I had let food become more important than my kids (I was too tired to be a good mom. wanted to sit on the couch instead of play with them) than my health (my feet hurt, I had migraines and stomach aches, everything hurt, I was always tired) maybe even God, since my devotion was so misplaced. I hit my absolute bottom: I hated my life, and knew that I must change.

Being interested in health and nutrition, I went the whole foods, low fat, lots of fruits and veggies route, and started walking, all the exercise I could manage at the time. The weight came off, maybe too rapidly, at first. I got down to about 240, and then I hit a stall. I regained back up to 305 last summer. The whole time I was trying to get it back together, but the fact is, every day is still a struggle to take care of myself without stuffing food. I am a compulsive eater, no doubt. I deal with it one day at a time. Right now, I am back on track. I am eating healthfully and I work out 5 days a week at the employee gym where I work. I pray every day, and I screw up on a regular basis, but I will never give up. I am going to overcome. I am going to be fit and healthy and I will begin again as many times as necessary for the rest of my life. <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> I am around 283 right now, down from 305 last August. I am going to check in daily, reporting victories and challenges, and I will nurture this new, wonderful me. Big hugs, Heather

[ 01-23-2002: Message edited by: HeatherC ]</p>

Yahoo!! SHe's back! Heather was my very first buddy here at DT when I first started here May 2001.

I am so happy to see you. I know you will do well. Things have fallen into a good place for you right now and I know that you will continue to have success after success in all areas of your life.

Take care and welcome back!!<br />Love Lindasue <img src="graemlins/heart.gif" border="0" alt="[heart]" />

Heather, so glad to see you here.. Congrats on the recommittment.. I know you will do it. Those children and you are worth it. This is such a supportive place to come when you get down or have the munchies.. Or if you have good news to holler about and no one else will listen. Welcome my friend...

how great to see one of my fave people starting a new journal. <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> <br /> you surely know how much i admire you by now my friend. i know that 2002 will be another successful year for you.<br /> after all love and determination are the key factors right <img src="wink.gif" border="0"> <br /> hugs to you my friend. look forward to catching up with you here as well as at H&H.<br /> hugs bell <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

[ 01-24-2002: Message edited by: bell ]</p>

heather it's so great to see you back again.. Of course I remember you... Welcome back...... <img src="graemlins/star.gif" border="0" alt="[star]" />

Hi, LindaSue, Wanderer, Bell, Joanne! Thank you all for the warm welcome back! It is really good for me to check in here, I think, and it is so fun to see who visited!

How cool that my first visitors are some of my all-time fav diettalkers, LindaSue and Bell are my heros, and Joanne, I have admired you for a long time <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> Plus, I think you are a fellow TOPS pal, too, no? Wanderer it is nice to meet you and I am looking forward to reading your posts <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

Well, had a really good Wednesday, a really good week so far, so I am a little bit proud and very grateful to be in control. Yesterday was a struggle to exercise, the first time in a long time, lol. I walked 30 min, then did 30 min of high cardio on the eliptical trainer at the gym (I usually do 45 min, but I was short on time, not to mention, motivation, lol) I also did 2 weight sets, but I kept looking at the clock, so I wasn't having as much fun as I usually do. I have worked out at the gym every day this week. <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

I am glad Wednesday is over, because lots of times, that is when I screw up on my program. I start out great on Monday, do fine on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Wednesday night I often blow it. Then I feel bad on Thursday and struggle to get back on track, and sometimes it takes me till the next Monday to get back on track. Very destructive pattern, so I am just being really vigilant about it this week <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> . I also promised myself a little reward if I stay OP all week, some new pants that I really need. Hope you guys are all feeling well and strong in your programs. Love, Heather

Good for you on making it through wednesday heather. the weekends are where i slip up usually and at times have done the reward thing to keep myself OP over the weekend.<br /> you are doing awesome..<br /> hugs bell <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

How are we doing this morning Miss Heather? Are those pants coming your way soon???? I know you can do it. I wish I had a gym to work out in and the time to do it...lol...I guess my kids keep me running enough. Have a great day sweetie and keep up the good work!!! You are doing it !!

Love Lindasue <img src="graemlins/heart.gif" border="0" alt="[heart]" />

Thanks, Bell! I only have to get through one more day, and then I will have to face a bigger challenge: finding cute pants that fit well, lol. Oh, the perils of success, lol.

I have never tried the reward thing before because I am kind of a compulsive shopper, too, and it has always been, "want it, buy it right now!" not good about delayed gratification, lol. But as my house and life and finances are coming together, I am learning to be a better stewardess of my money, lol. What a shock to look back at my bank statements and see all the $$$ I have wasted on fast food! All for lack of planning, usually I just buy it for the kids. So I am planning a LOT more.

Thursday was great, worked out doing step aerobics since I only lift weights every other day, and I must have worked out hard because my legs are a bit sore today. I thought, "cool, they must be getting in shape!" and then laughed that I was happy about having sore legs. That's why God made Advil, lol. Ate OP all day. I don't post what I eat because it rarely varies and it would be a major snore. Ok, I will post it one time, tomorrow, and then I will only post deviations. <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

No school for the kids today, so their caregiver is taking them to the Children's Museum. I am going to go make their lunches--healthy of course! Big hugs! Heather

Ack, LindaSue, we must have been posting at the same time! lol. Yes, I am on the home stretch to new pants <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> I worked out today at the gym (hated every minute, don't know why I have been hating it this week. Monday was great. Maybe I am just tired because I have usually screwed up by now? lol) and I have been eating OP, so I only have to get through coming home from work (a danger time for me) and then those pants are MINE, baby! lol<br />Thanks for cheering me on! Love, Heather

Welcome back Heather! Have you moved? I don't remember you as being in Portland last time, but maybe it is my memory. How are your two new jobs going? I am glad you are back and I will look forward to reading your journals...you were one of my favourite journalers (new word) I must confess to doing major backsliding in the weight department. I am starting over. I took two courses by distance education last semester and I am doing three of them this semester in order to recertify for teaching. The sitting and studying lifestyle doesn't make it too easy to maintain, let alone lose. I will try to work more exercise back into my schedule.

Hi, Artsy!! I am so happy to see you again!! I love your vegetable friendship society!!! Can I join? I love veggies! I have lived in Portland for 17 years, I am thoroughly rusty from all that rain. I am down to one job now, but it is one where I sit all the time, too, so I know what you mean. I am trying to alternate--stand for a half an hour and sit for the other half. Our work stations are ergonomically designed so that is possible, but I feel kind of dorky standing. Better than getting hemerroids or blood clots in my legs, though. lol.

I have come to believe that backsliding is part of the process for me. I try not to panic or beat myself up, I just keep trying again each new morning, hoping this time it "takes". It took this week, I did wonderful the whole work week, worked out and ate OP. Yesterday, I didn't do horrible but it wasn't nearly as good. I was over at my parents' (a trigger place, years of overeating at their house, plus yummy, tempting food) and I had an extra handful of mixed nuts, two See's candies, and two miniature milkyway bars. I also had some rice crispy treats after taking my kids swimming. I must have been craving sugar big time!! But one thing I am proud of is that I didn't chuck my whole day's eating over a few mistakes, I still ate healthfully at meals, asked my mom for a garden burger when she was serving juicy, yummy huge ground beef ones, and left the cheese off, little things, but signs that I still trusted myself to stay on track even though I indulged my sugar craving. That is important to a compulsive eater, not to let small mistakes turn into binges. So I will focus on that, and the fun I had with my kids. We went swimming at an indoor (obviously) water park with a big slide and a "current" that sucks you around, very fun, plus lots of sprinklers and a hot tub, and even the pool water is kept really warm, like bathwater. It was very fun. I just said that! Must be true, lol. It also snowed, rare around here, so we all went out and built a snow man. It was a great day! Today I am 100% committed to being OP, it is my rest exercise day, but I am moving my Franny and cleaning like crazy, got the cleaning bug so I am off and FLYing. Big hugs! Heather

PS I got the pants, a Wal-mart khaki special, lol. I really like them. I also got a new bra, just because I am worth it, lol.

Heather, I can so relate to you, its nice to read about your life, from one foodie to another. You are so right about the spending/ instant gratifiaction v. planning issue. You really hit a nerve with me about spending & food, I too have spent way too much on food for myself. Its like I dont analyse the $s when its going in my mouth and it sure adds up! Sometimes Im so compulsive I dont even count my change. Im trying to make good food choices rather than have a specific *diet*. This means that each day I do my best and have a new start. Like you I will never give up, but my resolve sure is better when I stay OP!
Regards Sharon.

YES!! You are worth it * I am happy for you because you didn't chuck the whole day and went on to eat healthy. Your binge days are over my friend. Awesome!
Love Lindasue :x

Thanks for visiting, Shaz! So fun to meet new people, especially ones who understand and do not judge. I think that, for me anyway, the compulsive spending and compulsive eating are definitely linked. They are both about doing what feels good at the moment, rather than what is best for me long term. So I spend money as fast as I get it, and I have had a problem with credit card debt in the past. One of my new year's resolutions was to stop using them altogether, and so far I have kept to that. I cut most of them up, and also called to close them, but they lowered my interest rates if I kept them open, but I am not worried because it is hard (but not impossible) to use a cut up card. It is not impossible because you still get statements with the number one them, and you can order from catalogs, etc. lol. Leave it to a compulsive spender to find the loophole.

Another way compulsive eating and spending overlap is the whole "free food" binge compulsion--you know what I mean, like you go to a party, or a potluck (the worst kind of party, all that food!!!) or an all you can eat buffet, and the food is either free or already paid for so you go to town. Well, at this point, I just don't go to those kinds of parties, it is sad that I can't control myself yet, but I would rather feel safe at this point and my friends love me and understand.

The weekend was a struggle, for some reason I was craving sugar and ate some candy at my parents house. It wasn't a binge, but I still feel bad about it. I weigh in today, that should cheer me up after my great week last week. I only ate 2 pieces of See's chocolates and 2 Milyway miniatures so I don't think I completely undid my good work. Everyone have a great week--it is a new start, we can do this!!! Love, Heather

Heather, now that you have got me on this topic, I calculated that my cigarettes have cost me $20000Au over the last 20 years in todays money! thats being conservative. You are so right about wanting it *now*, I guess when you are a compulsive type its hard to see the big picture. Also when you feel bored or unforfilled you tend to look at food instead of a million other things!
I too cant handle smorgasboards, even if I start out ok I always end up in an eatting frenzie. With $, I used to think I could pay to be thin ie WW, jym, tablets, doctors etc. Now I know its up to me!

Good luck as you sound very intune with yourself. Its a life long thing not an overnight fix. Maybe thats why I have trouble with the consept sometimes.......but we will get there dont ever forget that.

Hey Heather,
Drop by to read your journal and meet you. You've come a
long way from 355lbs. so you know you can do this. You know
the way to do this. Don't think of it as a diet. It's a new healthy
and better lifestyle you're doing now.

Don't know if it would interest you but my whole family is on
eating right and exercise. We have 2 teams competing. anyway
what we do is one night a week we have what we call splurge
night. On that night we go out to eat and eat what we want.
It works well for us. I find it easier to stick with the program
looking forward to that one night out to order what I want.
Then the next morning it' s back to watching it till the next
splurge night. We really like this idea so I thought I'd share
it with you. by the way if you visit my journal you'll see I'm
not one that starves during the week either. It's all a matter
of portion size and cooking it right.

Well, I didn't mean to talk so much. It's good to have you back
and nice to meet you.

Have a wonderful Day,
Later,Rivergal

Hi, Rivergal, Shaz! Hope you guys are having a good day!

Thanks for all the wise suggestions, Rivergal! I know you post on SAFD too, so I am really happy to meet you. I used to have a "reward meal" or day that I could eat anything, but for me, it would usually set off a binge, and sometimes it would take me a few days, a week, a month, etc, to get back on track!! lol I think that because I am a compulsive eater, I need rewards that are not food. I have little "treats" daily instead, a hershey's kiss here, a spoon full of peanutbutter there, and it usually keeps me from going nuts with desire. I work the calories into my daily total, and since I plan it out very carefully, it does not feel like a binge free for all.

I am having fun spending the money I used to spend on food! I bought a ticket to see my *sweetie* (he lives in San Francisco, I live in Portland) and it was only $130 roundtrip, plus there is nothing that quite motivates me as much as knowing my love will be seeing all of me...lol. He loves me as I am, but still, I want to feel beautiful and confident, so it is more about me.

I weighed in and I am down to 277! Happy happy me, I am shrinking, firming, getting healthy, letting go of pounds of pain! Big hugs, Heather

Happy Happy Happy Me Too Sweetie. You are doing great. I love to see that smile you are showing me right now. I understand the reward meal thing. I don't do it either. Im afraid it will set me off. Im so fixed in this plan that you could recite a date in the next three weeks and I could give you the contents of the menu for the day....:laugh:
Have a great today. You are doing it. You are succeeding and I am tickled that you are back and posting. {{{{{hugs}}}}}}

Love Lindasue :x

Heather...congratulations on the lost pounds! You are so enthusiastic you make me want to stay on track. I have been better the past few days. I made a turkey dinner yesterday. My husband is a teacher and they didn't work on Monday because they had a day protest over the government enforcing an agreement which rolled back alot of the provisions of their collective agreement. I decided to treat it like a long weekend and do the turkey, so now I have lots of low fat proteing on hand, and it wont' take too long to cook: leftover turkey dinner, turkey soup, turkey sandwiches. That is, turkey with lots of vegetables. I have been in to the gym lately too, so I am feeling better.

Wow, Your doing so great Heather! Since John change everything here at diet talk, I decided to join in the fun and start posting some again! Great job on the weight loss! *
Heather, You have been such a big help to me! Have another great week! Is the plane ticket your reward for this week? I'm sure you're getting excited about your next trip to see Will. Hugs, Inspired :rose:

Go Girl! Nothing like a new romance to do the trick. You reward yourself to the max. Spend that $ & buy what you really want ,instead of blowing it on junk food. You are worth it. I hope you have a great time. Planning on a bit of extra exercise too by the sound of things.LOL

I agree with you not having a `free day` as a tool. I used to do this and found that I lost control big time . Basically I spent the rest of the week trying to undo the free day(not so free).

For me each day is as important as the next & just try to do my best. Im thru with any thing that allows me to start tomorrow as Im too weak & never do!

Regards Shaz.

Big hugs to all my visitors! I so appreciate all of your support and encouragement! Reminds me why I love this site!:x

LindaSue, Thank you for believing in me! Posting again is putting some wind back in my sails, making me want to do well so I can post it, lol.

Inspired, you have helped me a lot, too! Your faith and the way you never give up inspire me just like your name says!

Artsy, that turkey is sounding pretty darn good, turkey soup, yum! Bet that will be yummy while you are freezing your heinie off! I hope that teacher's agreement gets settled soon, in the mean time, I bet its nice to have the extra time with DH.

Shaz, you are so right, today is all we have, and we have to create today the tomorrow we want to live by the decisions we make. Here is one of my favorite lines from the musical "RENT" : "There's only now, There's only This, Forget regret, or life is yours to miss. No other road, No other way, No day but today."

As for my favorite subject, Shaz, Will, my fella, is wonderful. He is funny, smart, loveable, the soulmate I never thought I'd find. I miss him terribly, but we talk on the phone and email every day, and his sappy, romantic emails make my whole day. So, yep, lets just say I am going to do some power snuggling when I see him in 16 days, but who's counting, lol!

So what today did I create yesterday? Not ideal:o I went to the doctor in the morning and missed my exercise session, except for my walk. I thought I could do it later, but the doctor took way longer than I thought and I had to rush to get to work and forgot my lunch! So I bought some icky McD, a grilled chicken with no mayo, and only ate one half bun, no fries, I had a salad and a diet coke. Could have been worse, but all in all I feel yucky and am eager to get back to whole foods healthy today, and to see if I can generate some huffing and puffing and sweat in the gym. I didn't get enough sleep--there is something wrong with my furnace and it kept making a horrible loud noise and waking me up repeatedly. It is kind of good reinforcement that when I eat like crap, I feel like crap. :) Seriously, I get migraines from some foods that I am allergic to, so I am way more careful about going off my diet. I wish I was allergic to chocolate!!! lol Well, I better go be a good mom and get the kids ready. Create a wonderful day! Love, Heather

Hi, just dropping in to say that you're doing a great job on the control part! I go 'cold turkey' on sweets & desserts & anything w/sugar in it when I first started. It's not easy, we all know that! I've also realised that portion control now comes naturally to me ... I stop eating when I'm full ... I'm sure you are close to that stage! And you are already eating wisely! Keep up the good job!

Heather, I really mean it when I say well done with how you handled your lousy day. I mean most of us can manage when the day runs perfectly ie those days when everything runs on schedule, we`ve planned our meals & they are on hand etc no surprises. But its the other days when life throws us a few challenges that is the test. You made some really good food choices & its good to have practice at sometimes having to do the best with a situation thats not perfect. I tremble at the thought of eatting out because I get so overwhelmed & I cant decide what to choose & I often finnish the kids chips while Im deciding.LOL. My dh always teases me by saying you`re not buying a bock of flats here choose something.
Im glad that you have met such a loving kind person who is your soulmate. It sounds so romantic. You could sent some romance vibes my way if you have any spare. My dh thinks romance is watching tv together!LOL
Regards Shaz

Good morning! Thanks ChinaDoll and Shaz for visiting me. Chinadoll, I am with you, I am better off cold turkey than letting sweets tempt me. I have no willpower with some foods, so I just avoid them completely. Some of them are pizza, cheese in general, candy and sweets, peanutbutter, cheeseburgers, I could go on, but you get the idea. Basically if it tastes "too" good, I avoid it.

Shaz, thank you for the very kind words. This has been kind of a hard week, and it made my day :). I have been under some stress, mostly money, wondering how I am going to make it, got some big and unexpected bills, isn't it always the way. And then a little boy with a lot of problems freaked out in my daughter's class and started throwing chairs and one of the people he hit was Laura. I have to go to the school and talk to the teacher and principal today.

So how have I responed to all this stress? Did I journal and go and work out? No, I am disgusted with myself because I promply went out and bought pizzas and chocolates (in a heart shaped box. Maybe to remind us that it will clog our arteries? lol) Anyway, I just feel worse about myself. Today is a start over day, probably start over day # 2007 or so. But there is nothing else to be done. I hope you guys have a wonderful weekend! Love, Heather

Heather...what a rotten day/week you are having. Sometimes chocolate is the only prescription, and if you just go for it, get over it and get on with it you are not doing too much harm. I know you will feel 100% better when you work out. I am sorry to hear about the money problems. I have just about made myself sick worrying some days with not working so I can take courses to recertify for teaching, and all it does is lead to overeating the wrong foods. I am trying to focus on the short term because sometimes the long term can be quite overwhelming. I hope things are looking better for you today.

Heather, even non foodies will turn to food for comfort its not a crime & sometimes its exactly what we need. You had a hard really awful week and anything that touches the lives of our children really gets to us 100 fold. Remember its one day at a time. I know words are never enough when you are in the middle of terrible circumstances but I hope the light at the end of the tunnel shows itself soon. Remember things change even when we fear that we are stuck forever. Never give up hope!

((((((((HUGS)))))))) Sharon

Hi Shaz and Artsy :) Thank you both for the kind words. I feel a lot better today.

Pete, my ex-husband, is getting married tonight. I let my daughter go to a sleepover last night, so I went and got her today, ("aw mom, are you here already? can I stay a little longer?) took them both for haircuts ("do I hafta?" that one was Joey, my 6 yr old, lol) and got them both bathed which only took pulling a few teeth! lol But they are clean and cute and ready to go, so all is well.

As for Pete, I am glad he has found happiness at last. He suffers from some very severe depression and that is what broke up our marriage 6 years ago. It took me finally leaving him and taking the kids for him to get help. Now he is on a couple of powerful psychtropic mood elevators. and in counseling, and he is finally back to the funny, smart guy I fell in love with. His new wife is young and cute (aren't they always!) but she is also a very nice person and I am thrilled that my kids will have such a great step mom. She's smart, graduated from Oxford (in England, but she is American) and is a classical cellist, and a vegetarian, and so are my kids so that works out well. Anyway, I am truly happy for them.

I am eating better today, but my tummy still hurts from before. My furnace is still making an awful noise even after an $800 bill. I will have the dude back to fix it next Thursday, I don't have another day off till then. I got a better schedule at work now, I work 8-4:30 MTW, and every other weekend, which is fine because the kids go to their dad's every other weekend anyway. This is after I was working 10:30 till 7pm and never seeing my kids, my Joey falls asleep about 7pm so I really had no time with him. SO this change is excellent, they are going from 25 hours a week in daycare down to 4! I am so excited!
I am going out tonight, taking my mom to an Italian restaurant for her birthday, and I am going to have salad. Have a great weekend girls! Love, Heather

Glad you are feeling better. You sound much happier too. Your attitude to your ex & his new partner is so responsible & mature . You must be a really kind considerate mum and your kids are very lucky. You are hard working and sensitive to your kids needs ie running from sleepover to hairdressers to wedding. You sound like you really care that everyone gets something out of the day & nobody gets left out!
Any way just wanted to stop by to say, you can do it!
.....and remember that mums need time out too (sometimes)!!!

Keep well, Sharon

Hi Shaz! I am so happy to have you as a new friend. :) You are a wonderful lady! Am I right that you are from the UK somewhere? I wish I could meet you. :)

I am a big advocate of moms taking "me" time, especially single moms! I wake up about 2 hours before my kids do, just to have that time. I exercise, I sip my tea and check my email, I write in my journal, I just enjoy my own company for a little while. It is lovely! and necessary! Then I am ready to face the day, and the kids, and I have already gotten the exercise squared away.

My attitude improved over the weekend and the eating is back on track! Yay! Thank you God and all my friends who support me even when I stink up my program. Yesterday I started my new schedule, and get to eat dinner with my kids again. That sounds like such a small thing, but I want us all to be together as a family at meal time. So to celebrate I am getting out the nice table cloth and the candles and the "nice dishes". We are only having homemade split pea soup and homemade whole wheat rolls and a spinich salad, but it will feel so special.

Big hugs for a great week! Love, Heather

Good grief...only having homemade split pea soup and whole wheat buns with a spinach salad....can I come to your house for dinner? That would be a perfect "on plan" meal for me. At our house we are having chicken stir fry with brown rice. After many repetitions of this meal, my daughter has finally decided she likes it!

You new schedule sounds so much better. Is it going to last for awhile?

Yep, Artsy, this new schedule is my permanent one unless I decide to change it :) So I am very super grateful!

I love chicken stir fry, I eat it every day, lol. I like it with teriyaki sauce. I either eat it or salmon with mixed veggies for lunch everyday.

We usually have soup and salad for dinner because soup is easy to make vegetarian and my kids are veggies. When they were little it was a great way to sneak more veggies in on them. :) Now I don't have to sneak, they love vegetables, I am lucky! :) Plus it is warm and yummy when it is cold out, and it takes me about 15 min to make in the morning, and dinner is done when I get home. Also, you make a lot at once, less cooking for me, and I am kind of lazy about that, lol.

Have a yummy dinner, Artsy! Big hugs, Heather

Heather, your dinner sounds great, go & edit out the word *only*! (LOL). Also, I live in Australia! I love spinach salad, how do you make it? Due to the relaxed way of eatting here salads are a big item in restuarants etc. They are easy to copy too so I am always making great big salads for visitors or family. But some salads are still fattening, just because its a salad doesnt mean its angelic! (I make a wicked salad that involves mixed leaves ie cos or spinach and crunchy noodles and parmesson shavings with a honey dressing).

I like your morning strategy.

Can I ask why your kids are vegies? Im just curious, are you a vegie too?

Have a great day, Sharon

Yum, Shaz, that salad was making me drool! lol

So you are an Aussie! I have two wonderful lady friends from Oz that I am on a yahoogroup with. As far as I can tell, I would love it downunder! The people are sure nice, anyway.

This is how I make spinich salad, it is so easy that I feel goofy posting it, but it is my favorite: spinich leaves, I like baby spinich, less tearing, already the right size, like I said I am a lazy cook! Then I add cut up tomatoes, cumcumber, marinated artichoke hearts, boiled egg, just the white (the yellow has all the bad stuff, fat and choelesterol) sometimes a little avacado and a few sliced olives for my "good" fats, and I put a low fat ceasar dressing on it. Sometimes I use fat-free crutons too, and fat-free grated parmesan to make it yummy. I also rub the bowl (wooden) with raw garlic everytime I make a salad, I swear it makes it taste better. My fella, the gourmet cook, taught me that, lol. That's it. You could add red onion slices if you like them, but I don't like raw onion.

My kids are vegetarians by choice, and because with our family history (heart disease and cancer galore) it is probably healthier. We all have the gene for high cholesterol and obesity (been tested for it and had it identified. :( For instance, my daughter, who eats no meat and only skim milk dairy products and only egg whites, so essentially takes in NO dietary cholesterol, has a blood serum cholesterol of over 340! just because her body makes too much. Imagine if she were eating meat, too! Yikes. Anyway, I started out being vegetarian, and added back salmon and chicken breast when I got divorced but my ex is still a veg and we have decided to let the kids decide for themselves, and they both chose vegetarian.

Before people start yelling at me that my kids aren't getting enough protein, etc, I will say right here that they eat plenty of legumes, soy, skim milk, nuts, and egg whites, all good sources of protein. They also eat whole grains, fresh fruit, and tons of veggies, and are probably a lot healthier than most kids. ok, sorry for the rant, lol, I take a lot of crap over my family's food choices. But my kids are very healthy, hardly ever sick, well behaved and smart as heck, so I am not about to change, lol.

Aren't you sorry you asked, Shaz? lol Love, Heather

Well, I am going to see my sweetie, Will on Feb. 15th and I am soooo excited! He lives in San Francisco and I live in Portland, so we only get to see each other about once a month. It is hard but I tell you, it is not the worst way for a single mom to date. Most of the time I am too busy to devote time to him anyway, I work a lot and my weekends are for my kids, etc. This way, when I see him, my time is all his. :sweety:

When I know I am going to see him, I do much better on my diet and exercise, lol. I also do a flurry of self-care: shave everything (almost! lol) get my nails and toenails done, give myself facial and make sure my eyebrows are plucked, etc. The other good thing is that since I don't see him that often, I can really spend time and go all out when I do. Who has time for all this crud otherwise? Not me! lol:o

Anyways, I am feeling pretty great and no wonder: I have been exercising, eating right, and pampering myself, plus the most wonderful, romantic man in the world keeps emailing me telling me how much he loves me, that he can't wait to see my beautiful face (snort! not true but I love him for it) and telling me all the plans he's making for us... :sweety:

Hope everybody's having a great day too! Love, Heather:rose:

Dear Heather, your salad sounds great. I am lazy too & even buy my spinache pre washed & packed.....a salad should be super easy. The trick to a great salad is for it to look like it took sooooo much effort but really took 5 mins max! Another trick that I use (once again copying restuarants) is presentation ie a large white platter (mine is square) makes anything look very professional! But I do these things more for visitors as great presentation usually goes hand in hand with more washing up! LOL

I am sorry to hear about your gene regarding cholesterol & obesity in the family. ( Is there a gene for obesity? Im sure its in my family too as my cousin was born obese, even as a baby it was obvious). I asked about being vegie because lately I have read bits & pieces that red meat contributes to cancer,which blew me over. I was taught that red meat is important for our needs & now Im not so sure. We know definately that burnt anything is cancer causing due to free radicals. Its so confusing!

Im happy for you to be seeing your guy. He sounds great & has a very positive influence on you! I sometimes joke that I need to get married again (to loose weight) because that was the only time I really could. You actually have the ideal situation because you get to have a hot romance without having to wash his sox or cook for him ! (LOL)

All the best for a great week! Sharon

Sharon, that is so funny because I have always said that I would never, ever live with a man again, because it is great for the guy and bad for the girl! :coach:

Think about it: when you are dating, he is trying hard to impress you, you get wined and dined and romanced, and there is lots of cuddling and everything is lovely. :sweety:

When you live with a guy, you get his dirty socks, you get boring "married sex" lol, you get "let's just stay in and watch the game." but you get no promise of forever like with marriage, no house and life that you are building together, usually you are still splitting the bills 50/50. In short, he gets a wife he doesn't have to really commit to and support, but she doesn't get a husband. It stinks!! I will never do it again. I told Will this and he pouted a bit and said I was smart for figuring it all out, guys know what a sweet deal it is! X-(

But Will is a wonderful guy, he is sincerely interested in getting married one day and loves my kids a lot. One day it will happen, in the mean time I am enjoying being romanced! lol. :sweety: Love, Heather

Hi Heather,
I agree that your salad sounds yummy. I have really come to appreciate salads and usually have HUGE salads (minus the fattening things that can top a salad) several times a week for lunch. I eat lots of veggies too but also include chicken, turkey,and fish (salmon and tuna) too. I eat very little red meat. As far as I am concerned, there is nothing wrong with a vegetarian lifestyle as long as you get the protein you need and it sounds like your kids are doing just fine.
So, you are going to see your sweetie in San Francisco soon :).
I hope you have lots of fun and enjoy the time together. I am supposed to see my Dan this weekend. I hope things work out cause I miss him sooooo much.


HUGS:)


Vickie:coach:

Hi Heather,
I stopped by to read your journal, Boy I can feel your radiant smile coming through my computer when you talk about your man. Tee hee.. Good for you, your on the right track. I LOVE that your kids eat so healthy, that is just to cool, My kids are junkies. I do try and feed them healthy but DH just loves to treat them. I wish when i was a single mom, I had the attitude you do, your so refreshing, I also want to thank you... I read some of your posts in SHAZ journal, and you made me realize that my childhood has effected my weight gain, Always wanting to keep a layer of fat for security, and to ward off preying men. (DEEP DOWN) hmmm Funny. Cause on the top layer I would say Um No, I want to look like Shania... Who knows, But trying to deal with it, and throw it away.....Keep up you refreshing outlook, Also I LOVE SPINACH, I will be making that salad, and do you happen to have any veggie soup recipes, that don't include tomatoes???


:rose: :rose: :rose: :rose: :rose:

Heather, sounds like you will have a great little retreat on Feb. 15th. I remember the days when my husband and I had a distance romance. I was living in Victoria and he lived in Vancouver, a ferry ride away. It was fun when we got together and we had a great time. We are still having a good time 19 years later. It is good you have an incentive to pamper yourself, and San Fransiso is a great location. I visited there with my Mom in about 1981. I had this big packsack and she is a shop-o-holic, so I ended up hiking all that weight over all those hills...we walked from the market to almost downtown. I definitely remember that! And the cab drivers, hitting the tops of the hills and the sensation of being airbourne in the car...just like a bad movie. You have something to look forward too!

Heather, some marriages are like that too, ie all give & no take on the womans part.(LOL) I know lots of woman who are so happy to `get a break` from their dhs but you wouldnt hear them say it in public. ie not every union is a true partnership of soul mates.
My guy is abit selfish and we dont agree on much. We have good times too, and Im not looking to replace him, but for a good conversation I out source. Im quite sure hes not my soulmate but who knows. Anyway I agree on not living with a man unless he was really into putting his money where his mouth is.

Good luck with your new guy as he has really met a great person being you! You have helped me alot & I am now getting up early to have some quality time & an edge to the day!

What activities do you do with your kids. ie reading etc. I am guilty of not doing enough with my kids & now am getting them to read after school & no tv. Usually by the time I remember to do the reading stuff its way past their bedtime etc. You sound like you would have a good plan with your kids activities.

Hope you are OP as you deserve to be the best person you can be! Love Shaz

Thank you guys for visiting me!

Maximum, I know what you mean about needing to figure out what our fat is doing for us. By that I mean, if we are using fat for protection, we need to get strong so we won't need it anymore. If we are afraid of men, we need to get comfortable with them, now not later. We need to set firm limits for ourselves, like, if I do look like Shania, I am not going to become a slut who falls into bed with every gorgeous man. Laugh if you want, but I look at all those sexy clothes in catalogs and I think, "Yes! I want that to be me!" but the fact is, I have good morals and that isn't going to change if I am thin, lol. So it is about finding out what your fat is saying for you, and creating new thoughts that say, "I am strong. I am safe. I trust myself. I can let go of this weight, I don't need it anymore."

Shaz, in the end the kids are the most important thing we ever do. I read them a story every night, and during after school snack one of them reads out loud. They both love to read, so that is not so tough. I love to read them books I loved as a kid and see if they like them too! I am worse about remembering their bath, or organizing my schedule so that I get everything done but they still get to bed on time. It is hard because I am a single mom and it is tough to get to the store, etc, and find time to make supper and still pay attention, listen to them, and make sure their home work is done, and still cuddle and play with them.

Artsy, nice to know that distance relationships sometimes work out!! I am obviously head over heels and I am looking forward to Valentines for the first time in a long time.

I have been OP all week, and tomorrow is my day off, so I am treating myself to a movie while the kids are at school. I will work out, clean my house (I do my weekly home blessing on Thursday if any of you are Flylady people) and then go have fun!!

Big hugs to you and thanks for the support!! Love, Heather

Yes Im a flylady too! It is wonderful to get rid of clutter (which keeps you fat & negative imo!). Also, in 5 mins you can do so much! Who would have guessed?lol

Keep well, your friend Shaz.

Hi Shaz! I did a LOT of Flying yesterday! You see, my furnace decided to break (on my day off at least). And I looked around my house and realized I had let my routines slide since I started my new schedule, since I used to do all my cleaning in the morning before work. That was when I went to work at 10:30 am, now I must be there by 8, so less chance to FLY in the morning. After work, same old story, I am tired, there is dinner to fix, my attitude is lazy.

But all I could think was, I don't want the repair man to see my house this way!! I had all my photos pulled out across the floor because Wednesday is anti-procrastination day, and I had been putting off organizing my photos by year, I had bought these boxes until I can get them into photo albums. Well, in the spirit of APD I decided to tackle it, but it was so much messier and harder than I thought it was going to be! But I did it. Yay me! I also: cleaned the kitchen, cleared my four hot spots, cleaned spots on the carpet, cleaned the living room, dusted, vaccuumed, found the floor in Joey's room (it was truly awful) cleaned two bathrooms and a yucky catbox. Whew! But a side benefit, all that housework kept me warm without heat and probably counted for some exercise, too, lol.

My eating was ok, I was too busy to be bothered, so I just "grabbed" all day--grab an apple, grab a yogurt, grab a low fat veggie burrito I had made yesterday, etc. So I stayed OP without having to cook at all, lol.

I feel bad that I had to waste my fun day waiting for the repairman (it is still not fixed, BTW) and cleaning. I am getting back to my routines so I can have a clean house on Thursdays and have my fun day back. My house looks amazingly great, though. Hope you guys have a great day! I am off to get my teeth cleaned at the dentist. Big hugs, Heather

Go Girl, yes Im sure all that cleaning counts for exercise. It sure beats sitting around the house watching tv all day! Your starting time of 8.00 sounds like AAAHHHHH! You are indeed living the life of superwoman. No wonder you get tired by evening as kids are pretty demanding too! I guess when you know you have to do something you somehow find the strenth to do it (remember the sleepless nights with baby) but one day you will look back and say `wow how did I do it`. You are amazing to say the least.

How is your man going? What are you giving him for valentines day .........or are you all he`s going to get? :x

Love Shaz

At www.fitday.com housecleaning is on the list of "activities" lol :)

I think all that definately counts as some excercise. And just think how much more fun your fun day will be knowing that your house is clean. :D
God bless
-Rachel

Hi Friends! Thanks for dropping by Drazil and Shaz! Drazile I checked out that website and it was really interesting. I guess I did move my Franny a little as flylady says,lol.

I don't mind working mornings, Shaz. I wake up at 5 am, even on the weekends, so it is no big deal. When I was working later, it was bad because I would do too much before I went to work and then I was too exhausted for my kids at night when I got off. I am not a superwoman, it is just that my son and my cat hav me trained to get up!! My son is a very early riser, has been since birth, and my cat is just purely obnoxious, lol. The cat has an overactive thyroid that she takes medicine for, and she is constantly hungry. So, even though I lock my bedroom door, she stands outside and meows and howls and she has one of the loudest meows you have ever heard! So it is forever waking me up, then once I am awake I have to go to the bathroom, and then I figure just feed her to shut her up so I can get back to sleep, but I can never quite fall asleep again. lol. So don't give me credit where none is due, lol.

I have been OP today. I am staying at my parents for the weekend due to the broken furnace, and I am on the alert because my parent's house is somewhere I often binge. They have lots of goodies. I am just going to be aware and determined, and I will not binge!! I won't take that first bite, I won't have a problem. Love, Heather

Sorry to hear about the furnace. Good luck at your parents, I know just what you mean.....some places you just associate with eatting. I hope you manage to look after yourself. You really helped me this weekend when I read what you wrote about ...loving yourself enough to give yourself a chance to *not* binge! Some days are really hard & its like you are really battling some demon inside all day! Remember that its all about making the best choices that we can. How we handle any thing is so personal. Sometimes a small taste of everything satisfies us (& after all its better than great big serves of everything) & sometimes total restriction of our trigger foods is the way to go. Anyway just do the best you can!

Have a great time, Shaz. PS we can do this

Heather, I hope your furnace problems are resolved pretty soon. Heat is one of those comfort things that is pretty hard to do without. I hope your kids behave at their grandparents, too, to help keep your stress under control. Take care.

Well, I still have no furnace but we are getting by ok by using a portable space heater and just heating the living room--and then not leaving the living room! lol. We just pile on the blankets at night and pretend that we were possessed to go camping in winter, lol. It will be fixed on Thursday "let us pray!"

The weekend was fun at my parents but work was horribly stressful! I can't say why because of patient confidentiality, but it was harsh. And then they had a potluck. Well, those of you who know me know that my resolve melts in the awesome presence of a buffet. Damn. X-( Well, I did it, and its done, and today's a new day. It does not mean I do not take my program seriously or that I am not upset, but it does mean that I am not going to expend any more energy on something that is already in the past.

Today: I walked the dog (30 min) and I will work out at home after work. I am considering working out at the gym after work this week, because I am seeing Will this Friday :) Happy Valentines! :sweety: But I worked this weekend, I worked the Sunday before, and I will be gone next weekend (the kids were due to go to their dad's anyway) so still I want to spend every minute with my kids till then. Plus it is good for them to see mom
working out, sometimes my daughter joins me.

Big hugs, bless you all, I am 100% committed to be OP today. Love, Heather

Hey excercise is a great way to get you heated up. Tee hee. Sounds like your doing great...Whats a Flylady?

Hello Pals! My teeth are chattering as I write this, but my furnace is supposed to be fixed tomorrow! Yay!

Maximum, a Flylady is a website, lol. Check it out, it is at www.flylady.net FLY stands for "Finally Loving Yourself" and it is about getting yourself up and motivated and your house clean and organized each day. You focus on creating routines that work for you, and it is always babysteps, babysteps, babysteps! In other words, if your house and life are a disaster, they didn't get that way over night, and if you just dive in and try to fix it all overnight you will burnout, and you won't have the good habits to support the change. So you start creating good habits, doing just a little bit each day and decluttering, and being vigilant so that "hotspots" don't errupt again. For me, it goes hand in hand with my diet and exercise. I am either on program "flying" or I am not. As you can tell, I am a big fan. :)

My mind is on one thing: getting ready to see my :sweety: Will. :o I am packing, getting a few last workouts in :) primping and preening and baking. Yes, baking. He loves my chocolate chip mint cookies, and hey, it's Valentines! I also got him some chocolates and some lingerie that may be ON me but is definitely FOR him, lol. I really did leave my :x in San Francisco!

I worked out for about an hour at the gym, the first time in a while, and OWWWW I am sore, must have overdone it trying to jog on the dreadmill. Big hugs and stay OP girls! Love, Heather

Just howling for you............................Thanks for the info on Flylady web site, that definatly sounds like something for me...


Have a good time, VAVOOM!:rose:

Heather, have a great time with Will and try to forget about work for a bit! It's good to get those workouts in any way you can, and it is a good model for your children.

I am so swamped with work for my courses. My husband and I agreed to ignore Valentines Day this year...we are still sweet on each other...maybe we can have a Valentine's workout together tonight.

Re: Work
Whenever you have to work with people there is conflict. I hate conflict, but I have to make a living. Sometimes I just have to "eat it" and get on with life. If you think the situation is weird, document what is happening so you can support yourself in a professional manner.

Take care, Heather!

Hi Max, Artsy! I am back and still glowing from my romantic :x weekend. It is easier to glow in a warm house, BTW, and my furnace is working at last! Hurrah!

The weekend was absolutely heavenly for me. Will surprised me at the airport with a dozen roses and a velvet candy box. Part of me (yes I am still a Foodie) went "YUM CHOCOLATE" and another part of me said, "He knows how hard I am working, why would he bring me a binge trigger that also happens to give me migraines?!" But when I opened the box, there was no chocolate, there was a string of pearls and some matching earrings with little diamonds! Surrounding the jewelery, were little pieces of paper cut in the shapes of hearts, each with something he loves about me.

Now, keep in mind I was once married to the MOST unromantic man in the universe, one who not only called Valentines a "Hallmark Holiday" (in other words, BS in his opinion) but also never bought me so much as a card for my birthday, a present for Christmas or took me out to dinner for an anniversary. I never expected it, but it still made me sad, made me feel like no one cherished me. So I would eat chocolate at Valentines, cake on my birthday, more chocolate on Christmas, you get the picture.

So to have this man, who is a really wonderful man, smart bordering on brilliant, funny, and tender and sweet standing there with such a wonderful gift, I just lost it, started crying right there at the airport. He just hugged me and kissed my forehead (he is much taller than me, lol) and told me I had obviously never had a quality guy before and he was going to have to make me get used to it. :) I am going to have fun trying!! But I will never take him for granted. We went back to his place for a snuggle and get reacquainted session, :o and I just kept thinking, this is a dream, I am going to wake up and be all alone, but it didn't happen! :)

The rest of the weekend was fun, what I can print here, lol. We went out to dinner and a movie (delicious Mexican food and the Lord of the Rings, he loved the movie, I didn't, too violent, but I didn't want to spoil it for him.) The next day he took me around the campus at U of Cal at Berkley where he works and we walked 5 (!) hours. That campus is absolutely gorgeous, streams, trees, squirrels, neat old buildings. He also took me down Telegraph street in Berkley, this hippy, outdoor market that reminded me a lot of where I went to college.

He also let me shop at IKEA and carried home all the packages! lol Remember, we were on foot. Very sore foot by the end of the day! I walked by my calculation about six miles! I would say I got my exercise! We also ate really healthy, so I had an OP weekend as well as a lovely one.

I am still super shy about being romantic with him, all my hang up, not his. It really motivates me to lose weight so I can feel more confident. He thinks I just "play hard to get" which is funny because I am not reluctant, I am scared that he will be horrified at me bare, and horrified is not what you want to see in the bedroom! But he always makes me feel beautiful :sweety: Deep down, I still feel like I don't deserve him, I know that is a bad way of thinking, and I am trying to get over it so I don't screw up a very good relationship. I also have not shared the details of my compulsive eating with him, and I have consistantly lost weight since we have been together, so he has no idea how I struggle. He is normal, not fat, not thin, 206 lbs at 6' 3". He has no idea how hard it is, and in a way he is right. He just says, what is the big deal, eat healthy and move around a lot and your body is a wonderful machine that will even things out for you. When I say that I need to lose weight for my health, and to feel better about myself, he just says, "We'll work it off you!" with a naughty gleem in his eye, lol. But after this weekend and all that walking, I don't think he means in the romantic sense! Someday I will share all of it with him, but for now, I think I like his attitude, that it is only hard because I make it hard, I can change my thinking and make it as easy as eat healthy and move a lot. I really do think you can change your life by changing your thinking, and maybe I have just DECIDED it has to be a struggle, maybe it can be just that simple. IDK, I just know I am in an OP groove and very grateful that I have love in my life again, I had been alone and lonesome for 6 long years, and had pretty much given up. God is pretty wonderful to give me another chance, another chance to be healthy, another chance at love. Big hugs, Heather

hi heather remember me i like you was away for awhile but so glad i found my way back to the real world real people people like me who have a problem and trying to correct it. I'm doubly happy that you found love everyone needs loving. Even if it can't be every day just to know someone out there cares is a big thing.

See you lighter

Linda

WOW heather what a romantic touching story.. I'm so glad your weekend went the way you hoped it would...Isn't love grand??? And congratulations on all that walking and having an OP weekend...

Dear Heather, I missed you heaps. I am so happy to hear of your wonderful time away. You explain things so well & my heart went out to you re. all the foodie feelings you have even when you are with your guy! It is fantastic to be with someone who cares about your needs ( ie no choc present) but who is a good influence on you too. Will sounds like a clever loving guy who only wants to make you happy, and no doubt you do the same for him. Im glad you have heat at last although over here we need the air cond on! Keep well, Love Shaz.

Ps. dont worry about me, Im better, it was just my depression which has lifted now & Im 100%!

Heavy sigh Gosh that was a great read! Thanks for sharing. HMMMM MY DH IS A NEANDERTHAL!X-( LOL:D

Hi,
Yes, that is a wonderful love story Heather and I am so happy you have a man that makes you feel that good and gives you the expensive gifts.
After having gone through a very deep depression and the vast majority of my life thinking no one had ever loved me and no one ever would, I now deeply appreciate having a man in my life who I believe is connected with my soul. This is the man God has been saving for me all my life.
I can be in a crowded room and I can literally FEEL Dans presence when he enters the room. It is a calm, safe, "now i can relax" feeling.
He does not give me diamonds but he does give me something I consider much more valuable. His TIME, His ATTENTION, His LOVE.
That is all I want from him right now.....but I have to say that getting the flowers and phone calls so often is pretty nice
:D
I had a friend one time who was always griping to me cause her husband snored and she just wanted it to stop. How I love hearing Dans gentle snoring!!!!! I just consider it a reminder that he cares enough about me to BE WHERE HE IS......close enough for me to listen to him snore :o
To everyone out there who is LUCKY enough to have love in their life, enjoy it, cherish it, take care of it.


HUGS :)


Vickie:coach:

Hi Girls!

Vicky, your fella sounds dreamy. I am so happy for you that you found your soulmate. That is what I feel Will is for me, like God picked out one amazing person with all the qualities I find admirable and loveable and made him crazy enough to love me back! By the way, Will doesn't have to give me any presents to make me feel cherished: what I loved the most about what he gave me were about 100 little slips of heartshaped construction paper that said things like, "Beautiful green eyes" "Smart and funny" "sweetest woman I've ever met" silly and wonderful things like that. He calls me every night without fail, he emails me at least once a day, and makes me feel like a princess all the time. And he doesn't even snore! lol

I envy that you have Dan with you all the time. I only get to see Will once or twice a month :( I miss him so much.

I am eating OP and working out at the gym again. I am going back to having exercise time carved in stone. I am going back to TOPS tonight, so I will have a number to report tomorrow. I have a feeling I will be down a few pounds because of all the walking and being OP for the last little while. Love, Heather

Hello Heather,
I wish i did get to have Dan with me all the time......8-| but he lives almost 2 hours away. We see each other most weekends though. Hopefully, the old adage "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" is true cause i don't know that i could survive without him.
The box full of paper "lovelines" sounds so romantic. I will have to remember that idea, lol!


HUGS :)


Vickie:coach:

Heather, I am glad you had such a great weekend. Will sounds like a terrific guy and I will cross my fingers for more good times for you. I hope you are rewarded at your weigh in. My weigh in is tomorrow and I am anticipating that I might be down a bit.

There is nothing more wonderful than to see a good buddy of mine "in love". You have quite a catch there young lady. Keep up that routine you have going on. You are doing great.
Love Lindasue :x

Hi Friends! I have been MIA a little, mostly just BUSY. On Thursday I woke up at 2 am and couldn't get back to sleep, so I cleaned the whole house. Do any of you guys ever do that? My house was kind of a pig pit, at least for my standards, so it made me happy to see a nice clean house, but I never did get back to sleep. I went to school with my kids where I helped out with audiology screenings, you know, "raise your hand as soon as you hear the beep" ? Then I coached my kids at Talent show rehersal, they are doing a little musical skit, they are both hams like their mom, lol. Nice little singing voices, they have been in several plays and productions. THEN, we came home and we are making puppets just for fun because I made the kids a puppet theatre in their basement playroom. Then we had a quick dinner at Subway and went to cubscouts. Then I had to babysit until about 9:30pm. And then I collapsed. ahhhhhhh

You notice there was no exercise in that parade of activity. Grrr. I am a little down because I am not doing very well. We are selling candy bars and meat sticks for cubscouts, and I have never done well with having that stuff in my house! Yes, I have been eating chocolate. Now I have a migraine, so it is definitely over for me, but I am taking the kids to the bank tonight to stand outside and sell those evil bars and get them the HE** out of my house!

On top of that Will is the person on call or POC at work this week, which basically means he is busy as heck and grumpy and tired from being woken up to take care of problems, so doesn't have much time to email me and our 2 hr phone chats are cut to 15 min I-love-and-miss-you sessions. I will happier than he is when this week is over (next Monday at 10 am, but who's counting, lol) Just a hard week so far, and it started out so great.

Today I am going to enjoy myself because I work all weekend. My house is clean, so I will just do a quick morning routine and take the kids to school, and then I am going to go to the movies, shop a little, and catch up on my reading. I already worked out this morning, so that is out of the way. I need a fun day to cheer me up! Love, Heather

Heather, congrats on the clean house and the great attitude. Exercise is definitely on my "to do" list for today. I have been very busy, so not thinking about food that much this week, and eating the wrong things sometimes. My days have been hectic but I haven't been able to fit in much exercise. I am hoping for a better week this week.

Hope that you have a wonderful ME day today Heather. sounds like you definately deserve it. i bet that Will misses your 2 hour chats as much as you do.
i could not have those chocolate bars in the house or i would be stuffing them down my throat.
i am hoping to start a couple of new classes at the gym this week. yoga is one of them starts today but my dad has asked me to go out with him which i am happy about so Riley and i will have our usual Tuesday gym session tomorrow. have already gotten my walk in today.
hugs bell :)