mdrai

I m here posting from the dentist's... too exciting. Both kids r cranky that we had to come... I m such a mean mom to keep their teeth healthy.

Mid-day check-in! Was so-so successful today... got a pair of jeans, 2 spring sweaters, 1 flowy top & 1 cami... got dd 3 bathings suits -- I'll return whatever she doesn't like! Janie, I hope you start feeling better soon! Pam, can you tell us if the movie was good, at least? Haydee, what's going on @ work? Ok... off to do laundry and keep making piles of stuff to pack... then taking kids to dentist after school... oh what fun! Enjoy the aft!

Good Thursday Morn, girlies~~ Today's shopping day for me -- yay! Maybe a new top or skirt or something fun for Mex & the Spring (if it's ever warm here again!). Thought for the day, courtesy of body+soul magazine, Feb 2010: 10 Thoughts on Whole Living 1. Multitask stuff, not people. Look someone in the eye when you talk with her. 2. Reconnect with your work. Think beyond what you do to how it affects others. 3. Living sustainably isn't only about what you use, but what you fail to use. 4. Just as a seed contains all it needs to sprout, so are you already equipped to thrive. 5. Don't torture yourself over a few wayward snacks. Make your next choice a healthy one. 6. True love begins with both curiosity about and acceptance of yourself. 7. Coping with stress becomes easier when you know what deeper fear it's triggering. 8. Real awareness isn't about hanging on to the moment, but simply recognizing it's there. 9. Consider this year the opportunity of a lifetime. Start fresh. 10. Heartbreak does more than just hurt. It opens you up to love in a whole new way.

It's amazing what a little highlighting & a fresh 'do can do to perk up a gal's outlook! I made a Big Breakfast for dinner tonight... eggs, pancakes (choice of plain, ban, & choc chips), bacon, and Grands cinnamon buns... mmmmmmm... I had just eggs, bacon & a grapefruit... yay me! Now it's up to help the kids start pulling out clothes to pack for the trip... I hope all their summer stuff still fits! Speaking of which... I'm going to go shopping for ME tomorrow... would like to pick up a few new togs... cross fingers! Enjoy your eves!!

I think it's byosc, Pam! Wth is going on, haydee??

That's what it's all about, babycakes! Love u, too!

"traditional" = herb chicken breast, roast beef station, rosemary new potatoes, green Beans almondine. Bleh. No offense, but I can eat this anytime. adobo short ribs, chicken in a green chile sauce, squash blossom wild pilaf, green cactus salad Now THIS... THIS sounds fantabulous AND I think it reflects your & Juan's personalities and zest for the creative -- I vote for this! (Your mom knows I get a vote, right? )

Pam... we leave this Saturday, 1/16, and return in a week, 1/23. I am so ready for warmth!! AND... I mailed out the check yesterday, so keep an eye out for it!... AND, you *must* tell us what movie it is after you see it -- waiver, shmaiver! Haydee... yep, ritz are evil... I think I re-learned that lesson yesterday... burp. AND... IMHO... remember that it's YOUR day, so I say, if you want a specific food, then get it! No one will starve (lol, esp. not our group! :thumbup:) It sounds like there's plenty of time for "traditional" food during the whole weekend celebration!

Good Wednesday morn, Vi's~~ Finally the day has come!! I get my hair highlighted & cut today! Woo hoo! It's been driving me CrAzYYY! Was supposed to go last Fri but it was a snow day... Then Fri it's mani/pedi day... and voila! I'll be ready to hit the beach in style! Finished the book & I do recommend it, although the ending was nebulous. It's called This Is Where I Leave You, by Jonathan Tropper. I found it simultaneously hysterical and heartwrenching. From the inside flap: "...a riotously funny, emotionally raw novel about love, marriage, divorce, family, and the ties that bind--whether we like it or not." I laughed out loud a lot throughout it... maybe I'm just warped! Off to clean... this is my 4th week w/out any editing work & it's starting to get to me! The first 2 were ok, because I was busy w/Xmas... the 3rd was ok, because I was cleaning up from Xmas... but now I'm ready to get back to it! It's supposed to start rolling in when I get back... they always end the year cramming in as much as possible... so then the new year always starts out so sssslllllloooooowwwwwlllllyyyyy. Every year this happens... & every year I'm glad to get back into the swing of things! BBL...

Oh, & add about 6 snickerdoodles to my Piehole -- or should it be "Cookiehole" -- report for the day... ...tomorrow is a new day!

Conan O'Brien expresses 'enormous personal disappointment' over NBC's 'Tonight Show' decision | EW.com

Full Disclosure addition to Piehole Report: While making dinner: 1/2 sleeve of Ritz crackers... but man, am I paying for it now! Owie! D = 1 mini italian meatloaf, a spoonful of mashed pots, brocolli (haven't had this yet... but want to if this plug of crackery goo moves out of my chest...) ~~ On a completely unrelated matter: Did anyone read Conan O'Brian's press release today? He's one funny, classy guy!

Good afternoon! Just got back from the Y... my chest muscles are sore, so I did the treadmill... today was the first time I plugged into my iPod & wow! The time flew by! I don't have a "workout" set so I just listened to the Glee soundtrack, but it did the trick! The only thing is that I have to remind myself *not* to sing out loud! lol!! Am reading a book that is current & scathingly funny about a dysfunctional family... but I want to see how it ends before I recommend it... I hope to finish it tonight... But "American Idol" is on tonight! The auditions -- which are my fav part of the whole show!! I just love the earnestness of some of those folks who really believe that they can sing! + all the wack-a-doodles... fun viewing! Piehole Report so far: B = chocolate protein shake S = grande skinny cinnamon dolce latte @ SB S = 1 T pb & 1 banana L = 1 straw pro shake made w/ greek yogurt, milk, sliced strawberries, pro powder, & 1 T ground flaxseed

Never fear, I'm back w/today's thought for the day!: 1. The key to improving is progression, not perfection. If all you can manage right now is a walk to the end of your driveway, then do it! Next time go to the end of the driveway and five steps further. We each begin our journey at a different fitness level, but as long as we challenge ourselves a little each time, we will get better, stronger and fitter. If you haven’t worked out in five years (or ever) you won’t be running a marathon this week. But if you stick with it and keep progressing, you just might run one next year. 2. Muscle recovers at rest. We break muscle down in the gym and it gets repaired at rest. That’s how we get stronger. For proper recovery, you need at least one full day off each week and you need an entire day off before training the same body part with weights. You also need to get enough quality sleep! 3. To get results from exercise, pay attention to your diet! You already know that your diet makes up 80% of your physique, but do you realize that your body needs top nutrition to get the most from your exercise sessions? You can’t build a magnificent house with sub-par materials and you can’t build a magnificent body with sub-par food. 4. Consistency is king! Exercise has to be do-able for you. If you try to fit in too much, you’ll end up quitting altogether. It’s far better to work out four days a week consistently for the rest of your life than it is to try hitting the gym every day and then find you either don’t go at all or go irregularly. The same idea applies to time of day. The best time to exercise is the time that works best for you. It doesn’t matter if research shows mornings give you a 1% better result. You won’t get any results if you don’t show up!

Good Morn... Am heading out early to meet a friend for coffee! Janie, I hope you got your meds yesterday, so that they're already working this morning!! Pam, How'd the presentation go? Great, I'm assuming! Haydee, did you see/do you know the gal who was in last week's People mag (the one w/Kevin Jonas' wedding on the cover) from Spring, TX, who's trying to lose weight before her wedding this Fall & People is following her (& some other gals)? Have fun w/your fellow brides!! Ack! I'm running late!! Everyone make it a great day!

Thought for the day (from the January 2010 Self magazine): Perfectionism "It's awfully tempting to put off pursuing your goal until you're better prepared or totally sure you can hit the mark. Unfortunately, that ideal moment may never come. Perfectionism can be paralyzing. Perfectionists tend to have an all-or-nothing view of the world ("I need to drop 20 lbs before I can rock a bikini."), so it's important to identify the rewards that come w/making even a bit of progress toward your dream. (You can still frolic in a two-piece and feel good about your body without dropping two dress sizes.) To do that, write down your aim (e.g., to lose 20 lbs). Then detail how you'd benefit from getting 25%, 50%, or 75% of the way there. Fill in the blanks below, using the examples to guide you: *If I achieved 25% of my goal, I'd feel great because... *If I achieved 50% of my goal, I'd be happy because... *If I achieved 75% of my goal, I'd celebrate because... <Examples: because... I'm exercising regularly; my clothes are looser and I feel healthier; I feel better about my body; I get to buy new jeans; I've lost almost all the weight and feel amazing; I'm much more confident.> This exercise will help you value incremental change. Pat yourself on the back each time you make one stride. If you don't reach your inital benchmark, you'll be able to relish the progress that you have made without getting demoralized."

Good Mon Morn, Vi's~~ Another day in Alaska here... temps, anyway... brrrrrrrrr! Janie, I hope you feel better soon! Pam, Way to go! You're our exercise fiend! Hi Haydee, Heather! & Judy... floating somewhere out at sea... Today's a regular Monday... ds & I will hit the Y @ 2 when he's done w/school... then dd has her riding lesson... Everyone make it a great day! Keep warm!

Motivational thought for the day (at least for me!): "Just holding a crisp red apple or a juicy mango in your hand makes you feel healthier. Compare that to the way you feel as you unwrap a grease-soaked hamburger and bite into the soggy white bun."

Hello from the barn again... it's only 27 but sunny so sitting in the car in the sun getting my vit d... Slow, quiet day so far...& m liking it that way! Pam... do u mean the movie physically stopped or it just finished abruptly? Enjoy your days, gals!

Good Morn, Girlies... Took dd to the barn first thing this a.m., then went to the Y & did 20 mins on the arm/leg elliptical (which I've now learned is called the "arc"), then a quick stop @ the grocery store, & a quick stop to get my eyebrows waxed... now home. The Y is a big deal because #1 I went by myself & #2 it was hella busy & there was nowhere to park... so I could've *very* easily talked myself out of it & who would've been the wiser... but I didn't! I found a spot, went in, & did it! Yay me! Janie, please put me on the list for a couple tweezers... where do they go, I wonder? I buy them & then -- poof -- they're gone! I've never splurged on a really good or professional pair before... so yes, please! Any color (but a Vi one would be sweet!... I could think of my friends while plucking my eyebrows... lol!) I have to bake cookies for ds's indoor soccer team today... lord give me strength!! 1 week 'til we're in the air heading to WARMTH!! I can't wait! That thought alone should keep me out of the cookies!! Me in a bathing suit in a week! :eek::frown::eek::w00t: Enjoy your days!

Friday night is pizza night so because we're all home today I thought I'd make completely homemade pizza -- dough AND sauce both from scratch! But of course I had only 1/2 as much flour as I needed for the dough, sigh, so instead of being deep dish, it'll just be regular crust! Of course, I doubled the sauce, so I'll just freeze what I don't use. The dough will rise while we're at the barn, then I'll come home, put it all together, add a salad, & voila! Pizza night! The house smells so yummy w/the sauce simmering on the stovetop! I feel so domestic today! Off to flip the laundry & get ready to go... Everyone have a great Fri eve!!

no not me...Laura's uncle (I love that we know who he is) bet 5k on the game. Oohh... ok, now that makes more sense! Well good for him, because didn't they win? (I'm such a sports nut, huh? NOT!) Way to go w/the workouts, Pam! You rock & are an inspiration to me!!

Thought for the day: "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing that you think you cannot do." ~~Eleanor Roosevelt

If only my kids could pick lottery numbers like they do snow days! Yep, they're off today! But they'll probably end up wishing they weren't by the time I make them finish their Xmas Thank You notes and help me w/cleaning... he he he... BYE JUDY!! She's probably jetting over Janie in St. Louis by now! Pam... 5k as in $5,000??? :thumbup: LOL, Haydee... yes, I'm sure dd could use extra training... but now she's doing a "project" for the owner to ride as many of the horses that she can & log +/- about them... this will help her see that they're all different and all have both + and - and that she has to be consistent no matter which one she's riding... as well as improve her skills as well... she's a typical 11yo girl who fantasizes about the "perfect" girl/horse "bond" and the owner's trying to get her to see that there doesn't have to be "just 1" horse for her, that she can ride lots and still learn & have fun... last night she rode Savannah and had a great time... Everyone have a great day & keep warm!

Yeah, we're supposed to get 2"-4" overnight tonight, so the kids are hoping for a snow day tomorrow... they've only been back to school for 4 days! Ack! Hey Laura: Roll Tide! The boys are watching the Big Game!