I'm here to help...

[Charlene K 1]

Thanks Apples.

[ljv52 2]

Good morning to all. Apples, you give such great advice adn counseling -- Arlene and Julie, I understand exactly how you feel -- I feel like I lost my DS when he married -- my dil is just so different, likes her "privacy" -- heck when they lived here (in the town we moved to to be closer to them) we didn't go to their house the past two years they lived here. I was so very hurt - DS and I were very close - he was my "only" child until I married DH and inherited three step kids. But I learned to let it go - took several years (and probably 50 lbs.) but I did it -- I let it go and just accepted it as "she is different" it will work out eventually. They don't have kids (and no one is allowed to ask about it) which at this point I'm grateful for that so I don't have to feel left out of their lives. I think our relationships with our children are the hardest. They moved to vegas in October 08 and in many ways I was relieved -- it helped me not to dwell on not seeing them as much. NOw I barely hear from them -- we call and leave messages and we hear back once in awhile -- usually they say, "oh, we didn't get a message" -- well, when you leave a message on the house answering machine and a cell phone you know they got it. I was never a nosy mother in law -- I never went over unannounced - I never asked questions -- heck I really don't know what we ever did, but I don't think we did anything -- it's just "her" in my opinion and I can't change her and I've accepted it. It's her loss really cause I'm a great person with tons of friends -- some times I think maybe my relationship with my son was threatening to her so I backed off -- I miss him, but I want him to be happy and he is. I have my sweet GD to keep me company now so I'm happy with that. Sorry you all are going through this -- it's so hurtful.

Well, the scale is back to where it was before Christmas -- exactly 100 lbs. now -- I had to work my butt off to lose those 2 lbs. -- took 3 weeks of exercising - and I've been good on the food -- so I dunno -- why is it so hard to lose weight now? I counted up. I burned 6,989 calories in past seven days -- so I guess that does equate to two pounds 3500 equals one pound so 7000 equals 2 pounds. Whew -- it's tough.

DGD was here overnight - DD sick again. She worked a few hours yesterday and left early sick - why is she only sick when she is at work? Grumble.

Lori, go to Florida -- Oh, by the way, it's official wedding is set for July 24 -- DS put deposit on wedding reception site - Gulfport Casino (near Clearwater Beach, FL) this morning. So, hopefully I will make a reunion next year. I'm so sad I can't do both -- but with the surgery and losing vacation time I just can't. I'll be with you in spirit -- and you better all take tons of pics and post them IMMEDIATELY.

Okay, gotta get busy exercising -- everyone have a fabulous day!!

[IndioGirl55 32]

Good Morning Gang...

OMW we are a great counseling group arent we... If you read all this you can see why we have the weight issues that we do - we bury everything w/food..

Toxic relationships w/friends - I only really quit one friend - it was after my Dad died and she couldn't make the funeral and she lives here in the desert - when my other gf drove all the way from Los Angeles - There aren't many times in my life that I have needed to lean on someone - but that was one of them and she wasn't there - we'll sorry done - if I can't count on you in important times - then I can't count on you anytime.

[Apples2 19]

Mornin' Janet....how's the computer system acting today? Actin up or fixed?

Linda...good going on getting those 2lbs off. I am sure it's a happy day for you. You worked hard...treat yourself with a non-food item.

We've all had our issues with family and friends, I'm sure. The trick is to learn how to deal with things and not stress. I know in my situation...way easier said than done. I do know that I am getting better at dealing. Certain incidences in the last couple of years have helped. Actually, having my only two sons called to duty at the same time to deploy to Bahgdad (1 went 1 did the whole training and day b/4 didn't have to go) taught me that the things that seem so heart wrenching in daily life really aren't that bad. What you cannot fix, toss to the side for awhile. If things work out, fine. If not, fine. You just gotta live your own life. (Stepping off the soap box now)

[Charlene K 1]

Janet, I have found that obesity is a symptom of a lot deeper issues. I am so glad we have each other to lean on. I just saved myself a trip to a counselor.

Thanks again!

[IndioGirl55 32]

Apples we still are having issues - looks like our new hard drives won't be here til Thursday - so we are limited on what we can do within the system and cross fingers it all gets backed up..

I guess I am lucky I have a great DIL - I think she likes me more than her own Mom :0).. She calls me every few weeks just to chat - and my DS still is tied to the apron strings to a little degree - major things they both alway talk to me about - but that's not unusual imho cuz when my Dad was alive I always talked to him about major decisions before I did them - more guidiance than anything else

Don't have any toxic freinds -- Have my Sis and those little issues but they are resloving themselves on the surface - and we do love each other - so gotta say it's all pretty good - now I know I have jinixed myself lol..

Yep Charlene - we are open 24/7 and a lot cheaper than a shrink :0) and funnier too :0)... I just love that word...

Well back to it - since I can only do stuff half ass i rather not do it at all..

Hugs Apples that had to be so hard to have Son's deplolye

very very scarey.. But they are home now ;0)

Yep we just come here to vent our troubles insteading of eating them away - like we use to..

Hugs Gang !!!

Great - yep come to FL !!!!

[Mrs. Bubba 0]

Mimi is wataching Dora the Explorer so I got to catch up on the posts..... Oh, and Arlene, I remembered you were married right after I hit post...... It is another gal who I think is single.... Anyway...... Yes, thanks for the advice, Apples.... These issues are hard and the holidays seem to make them worse somehow... I guess because it is the time for family...... I know I do feel better since I decided not to dwell on it anymore... And knowing DH doesn't hold me at fault for them not accepting me and DD helps alot.... Sunday I mentioned that we should call our grandsons...that we hadn't called for a bit.... His response was that the phone rings both ways......... and we did not call...... But he ran right over to see Mimi when DD called to say she was crying after cutting her finger and wanted PaPa......... It's only a few blocks and he goes running (really) over there often...... They love us and need us and that's what matters.... Just like you, Linda, we have our little girls to spoil..... How many grandkids do you have, Arlene??

Janet, glad you chimed in.... are you working??? and everything is okay now....?? Hope you have a good rest of the day...

Linda, great going on those 2 pounds... They say when you are close to goal it is harder.... I mentioned a couple days ago that I gained like 5 pounds in 2 days with this cold... Couldn't get my rings off and felt so bloated.... I can feel my body starting to flush itself now and my rings aren't so tight... scale was down 2 pounds today..... Maybe I'll be back to normal soon... Maybe the cold medicine on top of my other stuff did that to me... Don't care, just want it gone....

Apples, I did my steel cut oats today... I had mine with a bit of milk and brown sugar... Don't care for the fruit thing... It was good, but rather chewey.... is that right or should I have cooked it longer... It would have started to stick if I had left it on any longer... You said it made 4 servings so that's what I did.... About how many calories in that amount? Oh, and by the way, I finally took the initiative to do my walking tape this morning.... got to 1/2 mile but had to stop... Not too bad considering.. I'll take it.... Now to just remember to do it tomorrow and the day after and the day after!!

Mimi is cooperating rather well.... Just had to put Little Bear on for her but now she is settled again... Last evening after DH got home he was playing with her on the floor like he does.. They were pretending to be elephants and crawling around and such.... after a bit she said "c'mon gamma", so amazingly I slid out of my chair and crawled around like an elephant... waving my trunk in the air...... she thought it was great fun and laughed........... But it was DH who gave me my non(whatever you guys call it) weight moment... He sat up on his haunches and said, "Now I've seen everything!!" I had to laugh and realized what a big thing it was for both of them to see and for me to do...... Maybe I am finally getting past all my medical problems and there is hope for me yet......

Well, better not tempt fate.....so I should go check on my little one... We are trying to potty train and she isn't cooperating well... I don't think she is ready yet, but DD wants me to try..... TTYL..... Hugs friends.....Julie

[IndioGirl55 32]

Julie

WTG - NSV (non scale victory) craweling around on your hands & knees playing w/Mimi :0)...

Ya I have recouped - at work and since the system is only up to 1/2 potential - I am only working to 1/2 of my potential :0)...

Suggestion on your steel cut oat - makes with Water only and add splenda brown sugar to it - I only make single serving 1.5 c water (zero caloires) to .25 c oats (150 cal I think if I remember correctly) - I add a little brown sugar splenda (less calories) and cinnamon..

Cook on low for 25/30 mins and yes they are chewier than the instant kind - I have made the reg old fashion oats

[Apples2 19]

Yes, Janet. Both boys are in the States and safe. Oldest DS (28) did his 8 yrs and is out of the National Guards for good. His time to be up came about when he was in Iraq but finished out the year there. He saw a lot but he is very strong. Things do come back to haunt him from time to time but he knows where his support system is. Youngest DS (26) is in the Air Guards and will be finished in October of this year unless he re-ups. They would both say that being in the military was a very positive thing for them. They both signed up at the tender age of 17. My point in bringing it up is....when one of your kids or family members is in the middle of a war, it changes you. I makes the little stresses of every day life seem not so important. You just see things in a different light. Same thing usually happens with ppl that have trauma in their life or major illness, etc.

It was at that point in my life when I decided life is too short not to be happy in every aspect of life. That's when I decided not to take any more sh_t from ANYONE anymore. The cleaning out actually turned out to be a very positive thing. I don't take friendships lightly. But, when it's one-sided, that shouldn't be considered a friendship. We all have to learn to not let anyone walk on us....and, once we learn to take control our our health we start taking care of our life in other ways a little better.

My, my, my...am I ever "preachy" today. Blah, blah, blah. If any of you skipped over it all, fine with me.

Julie...you can cook the oats to any consistency you want. I do about 20 minutes on low after it comes to a boil and I stir quite often. I use Water to cook them and DH uses SF maple Syrup on his (I use real brown sugar but you know why). You can mix just a bit of Peanut Butter in if that's something you would like. A tsp actually gives it some flavor for about 50 cals. I think a cup of cooked has about what Janet said at 150 cals.

Now, I could get talked into crawling around on the floor to play with a 3 yr old but not if I had to imitate an elephant! Nope...just wouldn't do it.

[ljv52 2]

Oh my, just had a long post written, got a phone call and came back and my computer had restarted so poof!! the post was gone! Oh well, probably nothing immportant anyway.

I did 1 hour of step aeobics plus a 4 mile walking tape that has intervals built into it -- so total of 110 mins. total -- didn't do any weight today --did weights 5 days in a row so thought I'd take a break. Figure if I was at work I'd be at work 9 hours so why not spend 2 on exercising while I have the extra time. It's either that or watching tv. LOL. Now that I'm back at my 100 mark, I want to get past that and start losing new weight again. Never happy, am I? LOL.

Julie, good for you on getting down on floor with Mimi -- it's amazing how important those "normal" things are for us after we lose some weight - I'm proud of you.

Out of the mouths of babes -- DGD was leaving to go to babysitter's about an hour ago and was putting on her coat -- I said, "Uma can help you with your zipper." She said, "No, I'll do it it's too hard for you!" LOL. I didn't think she knew how to do a zipper, but sure enough, she got it and pulled it right up -- I didn't know kids started this kind of stuff so young - she's only 3 and already she's deciding what I can and cannot do. LOL.

DSD still sick -- we will probably have DGD again tonighit. It's so frustrating - if she would take care of her diabetes (take a reading, take the proper amount of insulin) she wouldn't get so sick -- trying to just keep my mouth closed as it does no good to open it -- all that does is cause problems.

Lori, congrats on the coat -- what a great deal -- and good for you for checking that coupon and making them make good on it -- as consumers we all need to be more diligent -- good going!

Well, I will close -- got some things I need to get done. Hope you all have a lovely day. Janet, too bad this isn't your furlough Friday. Just think how super busy you'll be when system is back up -- you'll have to catch up on all you couldn't get done now.

Eva, hope the rain has stopped so you can get more work done. It's supposed to start raining here tomorrow -- rain/snow mixed -- not sure what to expect and we have to go to Des Moines in the afternoon. Hope it will be okay.

Apples, preach all you want, I listen and get good confirmation while I'm reading - we all need to remember this stuff every once in awhile -- it's easy to forget when we are so busy with our every day stuff.

CBL, take care all love you all -- have a good day with food/execrise. Linda

[Charlene K 1]

Apples, my son was in the Kobar Towers when they were bombed. He was in a tower behind the one that 19 servicemen were killed. You know they never offered him any kind of counseling. He split up with his wife within about four months. They did go back together , but ended in divorce. I really believe he was traumatized. Sending your boys in harms way is life changing. I guess I had so much other crap going on with five kids I didn't realize how much weight I was piling on. I was just in survival mode......which does make you overeat. Now, after eighteen months from banding I am still peeling layers off and dumping the toxins. Yep, it is a journey.

[Apples2 19]

Apples, my son was in the Kobar Towers when they were bombed. He was in a tower behind the one that 19 servicemen were killed. You know they never offered him any kind of counseling. He split up with his wife within about four months. They did go back together , but ended in divorce. I really believe he was traumatized. Sending your boys in harms way is life changing. I guess I had so much other crap going on with five kids I didn't realize how much weight I was piling on. I was just in survival mode......which does make you overeat. Now, after eighteen months from banding I am still peeling layers off and dumping the toxins. Yep, it is a journey.

You know, Arlene, I did the same thing. I gained 40lbs the year my son was over there and the other one was training to go. I can honestly say I did not realize I was eating more than usual but I must have. I thought that I was very strong during this time but found out when I volunteered b/4 our men left this time, I was a puddle most of the time. I had to actually step back because I could not control my emotions. I was just looking through some photos to take to FL and I just could not believe the difference from one year to the next.

I am so sorry your son had to be exposed to so much. It is sooooo sad when they come back and relationships suffer. DS's GF is the product of one of those marriages. Her Ex is over there again now with our local unit. The Ex just could not handle things when he got home. He's a nice kid and I feel for him. It's these "silent" things that affect our men of war also. Emotional damage. The divorce rate with these young men coming home is way out of the norm. Tell your son that a farm lady from MN thanks him and sends him a hug.:mad:

[Charlene K 1]

Apples, you are so kind. Kevin is still in denial that the bombing began some of his problems. Mothers just know when their children are in a mess. I remember waiting for hours to get a call if he was okay. Rejoiced when he call. He was terrified. He said"Mom, please pray for me". Then my neighbor came by to say a boy in the next town was killed. I just cried.

Yes, no wonder our country is obese. We live under the threat of terrorism everyday. Unlike most countries, we have the junk food to soothe our nerves. Okay, I better get off my soap box too! I hope I wasn't too much of a debbie downer today. Have a great evening! I am off to Dr Davis' Clinic to a support group. Sure won't hurt.

[Apples2 19]

Apples, you are so kind. Kevin is still in denial that the bombing began some of his problems. Mothers just know when their children are in a mess. I remember waiting for hours to get a call if he was okay. Rejoiced when he call. He was terrified. He said"Mom, please pray for me". Then my neighbor came by to say a boy in the next town was killed. I just cried.

Yes, no wonder our country is obese. We live under the threat of terrorism everyday. Unlike most countries, we have the junk food to soothe our nerves. Okay, I better get off my soap box too! I hope I wasn't too much of a debbie downer today. Have a great evening! I am off to Dr Davis' Clinic to a support group. Sure won't hurt.

You know, Arlene, there's all kinds of help out there for these guys. They just have to be willing to accept it. They are taught to be tougher than tough and it's so difficult for them to ask for that help.

Take care...hope your meeting is a good one!

[IndioGirl55 32]

Hey Gang..

Yep little kids can do a whole lot now aday :0) - but I gotta say at 3 my DS was telling me what he wanted to wear to school.

Yes there is a price for our freedom - it's not free - Love and Hugs to the Men & Women of the USA who put their lives on the lives on the line for us - and for their families too..

Well I have 1/2 hr to go - it was raining pretty hard - since we are the desert we get flash floods and roads close - was suppose to go ck on Bro's house but I am not going in this weather - going to go home do some wii or watch a movie till Idol comes on at 8...

I'm pooped - don''t know why but I am.. Just feel like chillin - maybe it's the weather - cold cloudy and raining :0)

Curl up on the couch lite a fire and read a book with some hot coco :0) and beef stew or bowl of Soup ;0)