mdrai

Hey Vi's~~ I'm here... but it's Book Fair week so just barely! My family has come to learn over the past 9 years what "Book Fair Week" means -- it means that Mommy "lives" @ school & they have to fend for themselves for food & clean laundry! lol but true! We are literally down to one glug of milk & no cat litter... *not* a good combination! No time for personals, but want to send out a big ((Pam)) and also, TracyK, no I don't have anything... DD was very hard on her clothes & what wasn't literally worn out by her I've already donated years ago... sorry!! She was harder on her stuff than DS was! Go figure. Ok... off to school for the whole day... make it a good one, Vi's!! Smooches!!

Hey Tracyk! I'm just checking in... taking a break from Procedural Aspects of Backpay and Compliance... wouldn't you, w/a chapter title like that?? :crying:

Terri... that is a great picture... you all look just so so happy... even Hero!! :crying:

Good Morning~~ Busy day yesterday... ds broke his big toe (soccer) so now I have to try to get him into the ortho's on Monday (not an easy task after a Fall weekend w/all the weekend sports injuries) and he'll most likely miss the rest of the HS soccer season... he's so upset... he's had such a great time this Fall playing & done so well... DD had a double-header w/her pom pom'ing, then a slumber party... I was just running around, trying to keep up! Work today... laundry... then tomorrow Book Fair begins @ the school... it's nice not to be in charge of it anymore, but I am working there all day Tues & 1/2 day Weds... old habits die hard!... + it's my last year, so want to help the new gal out as much as possible... don't want her to burn out just yet! Am making terrible food choiced & haven't exercised since getting this crazy cold/cough/throat thing... ugh. But each of YOU... make it a good day!!

Good Evening, Vi's~~ Whew! Busy day! I thought I had a lot of work to do today, which I was chugging along on, in my pj's, when my editor e-mailed me a 40-page exhibit that we'd somehow missed earlier in the process and now she needed it asap and I started on it the minute she sent it & 6 hours later -- I'm still in my pj's, mind you -- I had it done. PHEW! Of course, I still have the other chapters to do, that were scheduled for today, so now I'm a day off... i hate that. So I'll cram until I catch up... that's what it's like, working for yourself... feast or famine... remember when I didn't edit a page at all in Feb & March?? Then comes the Fall & they all are trying to get everything published by the end of the year. Off to eat something & then head to bed... another day of hard work tomorrow... and the next day... and the next day... Judy... enjoy the cruise... the necklace is beautiful, Terry!!!... & the baby looks like it's giving us Vi's a high-5! or a thumb's up... Pam... enjoy your dad! Haydee... bbq... mmmmm Janie... Yes, almost all better... still coughing & a bit of a runny nose, but definitely on the other side. Kat...Thank you for the card -- it was so cute! Laura... Fantastic on the no smoking!! That is just so, so great!!! TracyKS... good luck tomorrow! TracyK... I (well, dd, really) have another surprise for Macy... watch the mail (but not for about a week!) G'night!

Sadly, No, Janie, I'm still sick! :tt1: My voice is back but now it's in my chest & sinuses/nose, so I cough & blow like crazy! I need some Puff's Plus for my nose... it's all red now! But, I just power through it... Sunday was the only day I could take "off" from life... so I sit here & sniffle & snort my way through work, etc! Lovely image, huh?? If I can help you w/the knitting in any way (altho it's a bit hard to teach it long-distance), just let me know! I do love to knit!

Good Morning, vi's~~ WTG on the smoking -- or rather, NOT -- Laura!! I know you can do it!!! Imagine lil' Vi in there saying "Yay Mommy! You can do it!" Lots of work for me this week... + all the other regular stuff... keeps me busy! Make it a good one, Vi's!

I'm sure this won't come as a surprise to anyone, but I am a traditionalist and think it should be just the woman giving birth (mom) & her husband (dad). It's the start of a new family & I just think it should be respected as such. It's not a big party time (that's a couple weeks later, when you feel up to it), + that way no one else (g'mas, sisters, etc.) get their feelings "hurt". When did giving birth become such a social event? Yuck.

The VP @ the ES just called me & is all excited about getting the ball rolling for her getting the band! (Remember I told you she'd asked me about it Thurs night @ the PTA meeting?) She said she spoke w/her husband & parents (her mom is an RN) & they're all supportive of it. So I told her what I'd do first (check out insurance requirements, etc.) & also that'd I go with her to the doc's intro meeting if she'd like. It's so great to be able to help someone else improve their health!!

He's beautiful, Terri!! What fun!!

Hey Vi's~~ Ugh. I can't decide if I feel worse than yesterday or not, but I know it's at least the same. My head & ears & throat... owwww!!! And my voice is completely gone... it goes back & forth between a whisper & sounding like a transvestite in puberty!! Around 3am last night I got up & took one of my oxycodon's that I had left over from surgery last year!! Does that begin to help describe how I feel?? And it didn't even really work! Wah. I'd take another one now, but I have too much to do today... editing & then driving kids up & down the main road to activities from 3 - 8:30pm... but I AM going to take one before I go to bed, which I hope will be @ 8:31pm!! I'll be working on the 'puter 'til 2pm or so today, so I'm sure I"ll pop in lots to keep myself awake!

*cough, cough, cough* ow, ow, ow! My throat hurts!! It's not strep... "just" laryngitis... but MAN OH MAN does it hurt! The only thing that seems to help is hot tea... I'm on my 3rd tall cup today! I'll be pee'ing all night long... Off to get into pj's, snuggle in front of the tv, & drink my tea. I gave myself today "off" from all work & household duties... but must hit the ground running tomorrow. G'nite, sweet vi's...

Good Sun Morn, Vi's~~ Yay Pam! You rock!! A quick hello this a.m. & then I have to get showered & dressed & drag myself over to urgent care... darn it... what I self-diagnosed as simply larygitis on Thursday is now, I fear, a full-on case of strep. My throat feels swollen shut & tastes/feels very pus-y... + my ears hurt (but I think it's the swollen throat pushing on them)... lovely, huh? Oh, + I can't talk... sound like a teen boy going thru major puberty! Not lovely. BBL...

Just popped in to say "Good morning!" I've got to dash out the door... slept in & now I'm running late... Make it a great day, everyone!!

Oh my goodness... I had the munchies so bad tonight... so I told myself that as long as it was low-carb(ish) & "legal", that I could eat it... so I had a 100 cal bag of kettle corn, then a salad w/chicken on it, & a no-sugar ice pop... oh, and a 100 cal vitatop muffin... I think that's it... a lot more than I've been eating at night, but not as bad as it could've been if I'd actually mixed up the brownie batter that was calling my name from the pantry (& no, I wouldn't have actually baked it -- it wouldn't have made it that far!)! Now it's off to bed before I eat again!! G'nite, sweet hearts!

Tracy... Your story is bringing tears to my eyes... I can feel the emotion... But look at it like this! You had enough confidence to say "No, this is not what you said previously, and this is not right, & I can't do this now." and remain in control of yourself & your family's finances. AND this: "I kind of feel like this is the universes way to say.. TRACY you'll never FIT into me, you'll never be normal. Your not good enough......." THIS BREAKS MY HEART!! Tracy -- You are an AMAZING WOMAN -- one of the universe's BEST!! I think the universe is saying, "Tracy, you're great JUST THE WAY YOU ARE! You don't need a nip here and a tuck there to prove yourself to anybody!!" I think that once you ease up on yourself... treat yourself gently... see yourself the way others do... accept yourself as you are... celebrate all the positive changes you've made & are making & how far you've come... maybe THEN these other things will unfold the way that you "think" that they should. Smooches, dear heart!!!!!!!

((TracyKS)) :w00t: I am sorry to read that... LOL Laura... you think you're tired in the 1st trimester? HA HA HA HA HA!! I hate to break it to you, dear (actually, I'm kind of enjoying it -- I am so evil!), but you've only just begun to be tired, my friend!!

Oh, PS -- I did NOT get on the scale yesterday! Yay me!!

Good Friday Morn, Vi's~~ Terri... he's adorable! Tracy... Good luck today!! How exciting!! Judy... Enjoy your trip... it sounds relaxing & delightful!! I woke up this a.m. w/no voice! It's been coming on now for a couple days. I bet the PTA wishes I'd lost it yesterday! LOL! It doesn't hurt... .it just doesn't work! The VP @ the ES was asking me questions about the Band last night before the meeting. Another gal in PTA is having her gastric bypass surgery today! So we were all chatting. I think the VP is leaning toward Band. I told her about this site & that I'd chat w/her anytime about it. Regular day... my annual cardio appointment, coffee w/a friend who I haven't seen since June or so... work... soccer practice... DH is on a "photojournalism" trip to NYC today w/2 other photo nerds... Can't wait to hear about your app't, Tracy!! Make it a great one, Vi's!

Yeah, doesn't he realize that sitting around eating w/him is what got me fat in the first place?? :cool2: Haydee... the Zumba class I'm going to is very similar to a Salsa class, I think... it's latin american music & we mambo & salsa & cha cha cha all over the place! I like it because the music is so upbeat -- I can't help but move to it! I went all by myself... walked right in... grabbed a spot... and did it! So can YOU!!

Wow... good going on avoiding the monkey bread, Tracy... that would've made me cave for SURE! My DH gives me crap about not eating, too. But I AM eating... just less... so I think that makes him think I'm NOT eating. If I eat a bigger lunch (like I will today), then I might have a protein shake or something little for dinner, and he'll say "You're not eating??!" I *am* eating, he just didn't see me do it! Ha! Maybe your DH is the same way? So sometimes I have to "fake" it for him... make him think I'm eating when I'm not... hmmmmm... faking it... I guess I'm a good faker! :cool2: LOL!

Good Thursday Morn, Vi's~~ Who'd of thunk that the urge to get on the scale would be my biggest craving this morning?? Today's just day 4, so it's waaaaay too early to climb on that bad boy just yet! I know that even if it's down (which I assume it would be) it won't be down "enough" to satisfy me... or what if it's down just .something -- the horrors!! -- either way would be "justification" to go eat or not exercise or something. I'm such a mental dieter. Ugh. That's why I thought having a goal of 1x/month would be good for me. But man I want to know!! & I don't! Both at the same time!! Good thing I put the scale away in a difficult place so I won't get it out on a day like today! Yesterday my throat started w/a little tickle waaaaay in the back... & a few dry coughs... today it's a bit more... my voice is all low & gravelly sounding... bleh, don't want to be sick! I have to work, work, work like the wind this morning... then I'm going to lunch w/my bff... haven't seen her in a month or so... we're going to my fav salad place, & I will *not* order the exploded potatoes to go w/my salad!! That will be a MAJOR NSV. Hmmm what else... I'm going to DS's soccer game @ 5... then I have a PTA meeting @ 7... then it'll be home & bed! Voila! Make it a great one, everyone!!

Laura... your office looks lovely! If you don't have drawers, then can you get one of those rollie drawer things that would fit under the desk & put your drawer stuff in there?? My desk doesn't have drawers, and I HATE it... that's why everything is all over the place & always "out"... I like to pretend it's decorative and that it reflects my inner creativity... hardy har har!!

Then Tracy's bbq idea sounds good to me... It ALL sounds good to me... Day 3 "C&S" (as Terri says")... it's getting harrrrderrrrr.......... but not impossible!! I can do it! WE can do it!!

crustless quiches? (or regular ones... I always make mine crustless now & no one notices the difference!) grilled chicken ceasar salads? ...that's all I've got right now... will continue to think about it...