piercedqt78

My mom unpacked her cruise wear for the dinners. They did breakfast and a dinner at the Grand, said both were great. They also did some shopping and took a tour. I will talk to her tonight and get some details. ~Mandy

I'm trying to plan a weekend for my 10th anniversary in June. We were going to stay at the Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island, but the rooms are $800 per night. My mom and dad just got back from there in the fall. They spent 4 nights in a place just off the island and did several on island activites. My mom said it was great, I will get the name of the place they stayed if you want it. It was much cheaper than $800 a night. ~Mandy

Amelia, you have been added to the list. ~Mandy

OK, I made the beef and barley soup tonight. It was sooooo good, but I put in extra barley. It made a crock pot full so we have leftovers. I will be making it again. I think next time I am going to add corn and tomatos. We had it with baked potatos. ~Mandy

Happy Birthday Beanie!!!!! cake.bmp

I did this last year and it made a cute bracelet and Merrick makes a $1 donation for a great cause. http://www.makethecommitment.org/default.asp Here is the info I checked it out on snopes.com too http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/charity/merck.asp ~Mandy

And they are taking orders for this years bracelets. ~Mandy

There are a bunch of MANDATORY vaccines out there. My daughter had to have a list before she could start school. Your post seemed like you were against it because they weren't teaching abstinence. Sorry if I took it the wrong way. ~Mandy

Mindy, I just wanted to get the word out there. I know that education is the most valuable tool we can have. I didn't think you were bashing at all. ~Mandy

Even if you teach abstinence, there are other possible infection issues, rape comes to mind. If there were an AIDS vaccine I would get it would you? I have the Hep vaccine series, even though I am monogomus and a non iv drug user. I just wanted to spread the word about a good cause. If you don't support it that's fine, but please don't bash it. This is not a moral issue, but a medical one. ~Mandy

I did this last year and it made a cute bracelet and Merrick makes a $1 donation for a great cause. http://www.makethecommitment.org/default.asp Here is the info I checked it out on snopes.com too http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/charity/merck.asp ~Mandy

I did this last year and it made a cute bracelet and Merrick makes a $1 donation for a great cause. http://www.makethecommitment.org/default.asp Here is the info I checked it out on snopes.com too http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/charity/merck.asp ~Mandy

Wheetsin, try Big Bowl at the Streets of Woodfield, it's mongolian bbq sorta, very good. Also flat top grill, same concept but cheaper. You select the meat, veggies and sauce and they cook it to your liking. (soup, stirfry, or a main dish, all very good) Do you have a Red Robin near your home? If not they are a gourmet burger place, very good, I get them with no bun and they have big steak fries. Everything on the menu is good. If you are into gourmet stuff, there is a culinary school downtown that you can watch them prepare your food and then it is served by the students, it's reasonable and fun. If you are looking for a good time and decent food, check out Dick's Last Resort (right by Navy Peir) it's crude, rude and tons of fun. I also love tapas, there are several places to get fun and unusual dishes served in small portions (we like Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba ) we got loads of info at www.metromix.com they have menus, prices and reviews. Have fun in our windy cold city. Next time you are going to be in town let us know and we can plan a lunch while you are here. ~Mandy

That sounds good to me too, do they also have meatless beans? That's the place I was thinking of. ~Mandy

I can't remember the name of this place, it is right next door to Jamba Juice. It looked good, not a chain type place. If I think of it I'll post it. ~Mandy

Panera is good for me. There is also a mexican place by the Jamba Juice, is that any good? ~Mandy

I had a hematoma (sp?). They kept me as a precaution. I was fine, could have gone home same day, but the doc wanted to keep an eye on me. ~Mandy

Ok, so the 25th? is that good for everyone else? Here is the Feb list: Piercedqt78 Soniacan Lala (with her new band) Veggestyle Pugchick Melissa 0915 Amelia40

Also there are several companies that make sugar free drink syrups. They come in like 50 flavors. I take chocolate protein shakes and add mint, or Kahlua. The vanilla shakes can be mixed with just about any flavor. Try pinacoloda, pineapple and coconut. The syrups are about $5 a bottle and last forever. Over the holidays I bought Chai tea syrup and mixed it with vanilla shake, it was devine. You can get them at walmart, any liquor store, and specialty stores carry them, usually in the coffee isle, or in the gourmet section. I buy Da vinci (http://www.davincigourmet.com/products/) or Torani (http://www.torani.com/ ). Cost Plus World Market carries a huge selection, so does Gloria jeans, caribou coffee and star bucks. Also my local borders sells them in the coffee shop. Hope this helps. ~Mandy

I eat by feel, I can eat about 10 oz at a time. I need a fill as I am hungry again really soon. I can eat 1/4 of a normal chicken breast, (about 4 or 5 oz) 1/2 cup of a veggie and I'm done. I don't do bread, rice or pasta at all. I have to have some kind of sauce for dry meats, I'm finding that I really like the low sodium Asian sauces right now, chili sauce is one of my faves. I tried the measuring thing and found that sometimes it was still too much, but tried to eat it all anyway. (clean plate syndrome) I feel full up under my rib cage now, not in my belly. Also I have the soft stop that tells me I am getting full, a runny nose, or a hiccup. ~Mandy

I eat it but ask for shredded cheese instead of an entire slice, or I ask for it on the side and cut it into small pieces myself. I have to avoid the bread, but the soup I do ok with. ~Mandy

I was supposed to go home the same day but ended up spending the night. I was put under. The surgery was easy and quick (about 30 mins). I was back to my old self in a day or two. ~Mandy

Kat, I didn't read all the responses but here is my doctors theory. When you lay down all the fluid in your body disperses evenly, putting pressure on your pouch. (that also explains why after a bunch of walking your hands and feet swell, the fluid goes to your extremities) So when you get up in the am or after a nap there is pressure on the pouch causing less space for food to go in. There is also a theory that if you eat before bed and don't wash out the pouch it gets irritated and you can eat less in the am. I was told to always drink at least 24 oz of water before bed to "wash" out the pouch. It didn't help me but it seems to help a ton of people. The last and final theory is a bot gross but applies to some people. Some people get mucus build-up in the pouch and throat. Some people swear by drinking a cup of hot tea or coffee to help break down that mucus. My problem seems to be the fluid thing, I have learned that if I get up and get moving in the am I have a chance at a late breakfast, or early lunch. I have also found that a cup of hot soup (broth based) before lunch helps a bunch. I keep low sodium chicken, beef and shrimp base to make hot broth when needed. Hope this helps and I haven't repeated what everyone else has said. ~Mandy

Feb 24th or 25th, in the naperville area. ~Mandy

Are you going to come to the luncheon? That would be a great time to pass on the old clothes. Maybe we can also make it a clothes swap? ~Mandy