Hi all, I thought we needed to lighten things up a bit here, so I have taken the liberty of doing a little cutting and copying today. A PARENT'S GLOSSARY OF KIDS KITCHEN TERMS: APPETIZING: Anything advertised on TV. BOIL: The point a parent reaches upon hearing the automatic "Yuck" before a food is even tasted. CASSEROLE: Combination of favorite foods that go uneaten because they are mixed together. CHAIR: Spot left vacant by mid-meal bathroom visit. COOKIE (LAST ONE): Item that must be eaten in front of a sibling. CRUST: Part of a sandwich saved for the starving children of another country. DESSERTS: The reason for eating a meal. EVAPORATE: Magic trick performed by children when it comes time to clear the table or wash dishes. FAT: Microscopic substance detected visually by children on pieces of meat they do not wish to eat. FLOOR: Place for all food not found on lap or chair. FORK: Eating utensil made obsolete by discovery of fingers. FRIED FOODS: Gourmet cooking FROZEN: Condition of children's jaws when Spinach is served. FRUIT: A natural sweet not to be confused with dessert. GERMS: The only thing kids will share freely. KITCHEN: The only room not used when eating crumbly snacks. LEFTOVERS: Commonly described as "gross." LIVER: A food that affects genes, creating a hereditary dislike. LOLLIPOP: A snack provided by people who don't have to pay dental bills. MACARONI: Material for a collage. MEASURING CUP: A kitchen utensil that is stored in the sandbox. NAPKIN: Any warm cloth object, such as shirt or pants. NATURAL FOOD: Food eaten with unwashed hands. NUTRITION: Secret war waged by parents using direct commands, camouflage, and constant guard duty. PLATE: A breakable Frisbee. REFRIGERATOR: A very expensive and inefficient room air conditioner when not being used as an art gallery. SALIVA: A medium for blowing bubbles. SODA POP: Shake'N Spray. TABLE: A place for storing gum. TABLE LEG: Percussion instrument THIRSTY: How your child feels after you've said your final "good night." VEGETABLE: A basic food known to satisfy kid's hunger --but only by sight. WATER: The cola of underdeveloped countries. Have a great day, Rick

I knew Dave would find a way to get some copies of the pics. The lil devil!! LOL Not best quality but we were able to print screen and crop out the screen parts and leave the pic. I added 5 pics from the wedding. They are in my profile photo album if you want to take a look.

Hi everyone, thank you for your responses to my post. I do feel better reading your replies, it does help to know I am not alone. No one said this would be easy. This is a normal experience, its just something we/I need to learn to deal with and work through. The scale has moved back down, only 3 lbs over my lowest of 169 now. So Im almost back there. I haven't touched a fast food burger or fries and that has helped. The snacking on top of my healthy foods isnt the best, but in reality they arent all that bad. I saw a post tonight on the main board where someone asked what "cheating" was after wls. I think we call lots of things cheating when they really aren't. We are just so used to being fat and everything we used to eat was considered bad, we know we shouldn't have it. But in reality, what we eat now, or sometimes snack on is normal. Normal people do eat pretzels on occaison. They do say I'm going to have a donut today. You just don't do it every day. I think I torture myself with the thought that this item is bad, I shouldn't do it and I get myself snowballing into your bad mode, you're doing wrong. Make sense? So I think that the answer to that posters question is that nothing really is cheating, its about making choices. Its ok to have something, there is no NO NO if you think about it. Its about allowing for things, and having them just on occaison. If we think we are cheating, we are setting ourselves up for thinking we did wrong. I appreciate everyones responses. I know I am not alone, it just feels like it sometimes. I think I set my standards for myself too high. Probably not a bad thing, but I have to remember I'm not perfect, but I am human. Each day is a new one and I'll go from there. I scheduled a day off for tomorrow. I have a lot coming up at work over the next few months so there will be little opportunity to do so. So tomorrow Im just going to take for me. I plan on going to the gym. It will feel good to be able to go without having to "work" it in. I can get up, and go do my morning workout like I used to when I wasnt working,, then relax, do some cooking for dinner, which I dont get to do often with being busy. I might even take a nap during the day. Wow would that be a treat!! And I plan to do some school work, without being rushed. I have all day to do it throughout and at a pace of my own, not getting home from work and using my little evening time as there is to do homework. Talk to you later, I'll try to participate and post more. Night

Hi Ruth Ann, you know I've been feeling the same way, I've been going up and down the same 10lbs for almost a year, and I feel restless, "like something needs to happen or something, can't really pin point what yet. Like you pick up smoking, I picked up drinking, not only that "I'm not a very good drunk" but it's like I think about having a drink all the time, and I want to stop. "They say that some people(US) develope an addiction, taking place of the eating addiction" and I say "I should stop now before I really cant" "but just one wont hurt, please, 1 hour later, I'm still saying that" WHATS UP WITH THAT! I myself, know I'm out of control. "I've got to get a grip" One thing is good, atleast we know need to do something about it. "Your not alone"

Ruth Ann - I think you have expressed some and all of all of our concerns and thoughts. Guess you are doing the confessing for all of us. I went for my 18 month check up last week and they said alot of these type things pop up between the 18 and 24 month period. We just have to figure out a way to be accountable for the things we may try to do to sabotage our wonderful efforts to this point. You do have a busy schedule and many things happening at one time. I hope you can give up the cigarettes because you are sacrificing your health with them - probably more so than the coffee - but I understand where you are coming from. Try to stay with us and our motivational posts Rick and I are doing - we are all here for each other and thanks for expressing what so many of us are perhaps thinking. We need you in our MARCHers family. I loved it when you were doing the exercise posts - you got me fired up! Now I am obsessed with my pedometer and trying to break my own records with that. Hang in there girlfriend - and please know we are all here for you and each other. A big hug to you...Barbara