Weds, November 28:

Good morning! Saving the place

Weight: 169.4. Don't really understand how that could be real especially since my dinner last night consisted of peanut butter crackers and tapioca pudding.

I have been lucky to not have much morning sickness in either pregnancy, least of all this one. But my stomach has been "off" the last couple days. Wonder if it's from all the congestion/cold symptoms.

Devon-what a day! 5 hours sleep!!!

Bonnie150-so glad for the light your posts bring

Cecily-hope you have success with the IUD. I've heard mixed reviews. The people it works for loooove it. The ones who have complications HATE it. I hope you're the latter.

I'm feeling overwhelmed and under-achieving recently :( I think it's being sick that has me down. I've gone to bed around 8pm the past few nights. Which naturally means I get hardly anything done. Of course some of this is understandable--my husband is gone, I have a young child, I'm pregnant, and I've been sick. But I can't shake this feeling that I'm being a bad _____(wife/mother/child/worker) to everyone :( I did fiiiinally get turkey noodle soup made, and with my upset stomach that was a chore! My "plan" (as long as I'm feeling okay) is to take it over to my parent's house this evening and watch the Rockefeller tree lighting and help them decorate their tree.

I went to lunch with my parent's friends yesterday and it was so ?depressing? Every other sentence was whoever's surgery and ailments. It made me realize how a) healthy my parents are, comparatively, and b) how to keep them (and heck, me!) healthy. And also made me question if hip replacement ever works. I know 3 people who've had it and all 3 of them say it's worse. Hm just some musings. Gah, I feel like my parents are so young!! This is the time I want them to really be enjoying life!

1. Within Range: Yes
2. General Wellbeing: 9 on SS
3. 10,000+ Steps: 9852
4. Fitness: walking; moving snow banks
5. Self-Care: massage !
6. Play/Leisure: piecing together Veteran lap blanket; Christmas decorations outside
7. Intention: Enough planning and organizing ! Trust myself to JDLI (Just F-ing live it !!

Yesterday, I got all of the remaining fall decorations off the front porch and put up the Christmas/winter regalia. I'm just waiting for the two pre-lit kissing balls I ordered, and we'll be all set. Glad I moved the banks back a bit yesterday (DC did the initial removal when I was in Chicago, creating the template for the season. I'm big on neat edges, angled back with plenty of space for the snows yet to come. The template needed work.) as we're in the middle of another 6-8". Liz and DD, I had to laugh, because DC has an appointment this morning and I actually get to go to the grocery store myself !! Heaven !!

Ann, I am certain you are a fabulous mentor ! Just look at your positive impact here ! Your consignment shop finds sound amazing, too ! Liz, is SIL following through on the cooking she agreed to do ? I agree with the recommendations that you begin to use some sort of elder care /respite day care. It may help DH adjust to a new norm before he has to. BB, when I was pregnant with my second DD, and oldest was still under 20 months, I learned to sleep when she slept. That first trimester is sooo exhausting. Sleeping on demand is a skill you can practice and acquire ! Your lights post along with Bonnie 150's decorations calling to her were part of my motivation for accomplishing all of that yesterday. Bonnie 150, glad you are progressing and getting out AND that hummus worked. Dave, glad your leaves blew away ! During our brief melt, I saw clumps of leaves, still on my lawn ! The community support you describe for that young couple is heart warming ! Diane, all I could picture was a masked freeway rocket lady, cape billowing out of the driver window ! I cook my turkey like that too... 400 then 325. PEPS, love the Jackson tattoo just as it is !! I can remember trying to produce a room out of thin air for a surprise relocation. Oh, to have the teachers who make it an adventure for their students !! Cecily and Shel... keep up the hiking and raising the bar.

Yes, SIL has been helping with the cooking. I was going to look into a daycare here. However I can't use it all the time and on a difficult (for DH) day possibly not at all. We will see...

Bonnie, I think you set very high standards for yourself. It is okay to rest especially after being sick and pregnant. Becca knows how much Mommy loves her and Mommy needs to be well rested to be the best for her!

On the discussion on illness etc, obviously in the older crowd (which I am in) more people have health issues. I also think people talk about it a lot because they don't have anything else to talk/complain about. I periodically remind my friends when we start down that path that we are starting to sound like those "old folks" who complained all the time when we were young. We always seem to find something else to talk about!

Weight 121.4, calories 763. Trending down thank goodness. My de-carbing is going fairly well though I did cheat with a small number of nut thins and some hummus yesterday.

Today I may try going to the local Alzheimer's support group again. Hopefully they won't spend as much time "educating" me as last time or I probably won't go back. At the first meeting for some reason they wouldn't accept that I had already been attending similar groups for 18 months. I knew more than quite a few of them did, but they persisted in giving me advice and information even when I acknowledged that I was aware (trying to do so in a diplomatic way). The ones here are run by a peer not a trained professional as they are at home so it is hard to get the group to move along.

It was 43 here when I walked Justice this morning and just hit 50. Today's high will be the low 60s, so quite nippy for Southwest Florida. The temps start heading back up tomorrow though.

Have a wonderous Wednesday!

I think you're right, it's an easy topic of conversation. In fact, you'll notice I've begun many recent posts with "I'm sick" so I'm not immune to it, either! But it is an eye opening reminder of how influenced we can be by what's around us. Sometimes it's good and necessary to not feel alone (like maybe I need to go "vent" with other new moms), and other times it's nice not to fester in it, and to get out and away from it. But mostly I learned to be very thankful for my parents' health!

That is pretty cold for southern Florida. We have about the same temps here in Okc.

Weight: 133.4
Macros: Cals - 2,485, Carbs - ?, Fats - ?, Protein - ?, Fiber - LOTS!
Sleep hours: 5
Vegetable/Fruit Servings: 11
Water glasses: 2 (that snuck up on me!)
Exercise: 10,000
Meditation: Yes

I guesstimated 1,800 calories in last night's dinner (the theme was Turkish - yes, really, seriously, actually, it was). The food was delicious and employed such interesting spices, was not oversauced, and included many vegetables and whole grains. Happily, for me, there was no lamb on the menu. The very best part was a saffron honey cake for dessert, which was worth every one of the 500 calories I guesstimated it delivered.

So, how did I trust me last night? For one thing, I didn't overeat or overdrink. That sounds weird with so many calories in the meal. But as I've done many times before, I trusted that this was a meal worth enjoying. I also trusted that last night would be a "one night in a row" splurge, after which I'd return to my weekday disciplined way of eating and not want to splurge again today. I also brought home leftovers from my entrée (meat and veggie kebabs) for dinner tonight.

It felt quite adult to splurge on a special meal and not criticize myself while eating the meal. BTW, I've just realized that every other person at the event ate as much or more than I ate, and not a single person there was overweight or obese! So there's some persuasive evidence that I should also trust, eh?

Lord, I wrestle a lot with some principles that are not as bloody absolute as I've taught myself to believe! This Trust Me assignment may go deeper than I'd expected.

Today I'm doing a self-care and spa day, packing for my trip to Chicago next week, and planning what to take to NOLA for three months. No house cleaning. No errands. Not leaving the house! :)

Today's Amazon Prime playlist is soft jazz.

Today's theme: Chillin' is fulfillin'. :)

Good Morning All - running in after being AWOL. Sorry I havent been around. Back in the city and have been running around like a manic person as we fly to Mt Gambier for nephews wedding early tommorrow. I have organised assistance for my mum with loading on the plane. My eldest son will be there to help me. Just have to get this place sorted for the pet sitter and ensure all is packed etc etc. DH bought a 1988 ex Army land rover - boys and their toys but Im happy for him. He picks it up at lunchtime today and will drive it back to our farm - then drive the 3 hrs home to our city house. He is working in the office in town tommorrow then I have booked him to fly on Saturday morning so I will collect him. Crossing fingers there are no hiccups as the wedding is at 2pm !

Weight - I forgot to bring my scales to farm so weighed this am - up a smidge at 169.4 but pretty much back to where my body seems to want to sit

Next week is a busy one with appointments but I promise I will be around more! Will also try and read back to see what you have all been up too

Hope everyone is well :)

Shirley

Greetings All

Still at 153.5. I had an extremely sluggy day yesterday spent playing scrabble by a nice warm wood stove. Even so I swear my new fit bit doesn't pick up all my steps and I don't like how it feels on my wrist. Wish I still had the old one.

BB sorry you are not feeling well. Being a mom of a little crawler must be exhausting at times but I know you are enjoying her. Glad your parents are in good health. Thats truly a blessing. Yeah, older people (me included) tend to blather on about health stuff.

Speaking of health, my SIL is scheduled for surgery tomorrow for uterine cancer. I just found out she was hospitalized a few days ago for low hemoglobin and had transfusions or something. I haven't talked to her directly and my bother, her husband, is the one with a brain tumor so he tends to get confused. SIL is not good about keeping health stuff straight so I am hoping her daughter, (the veterinarian) will be proactive. She will be there for the surgery with her dad. Hoping for a good outcome but nervous because her health is such a train wreck.

Wow, 50 degrees in Florida. Justice must wonder what's up? Glad your SIL is helping with cooking and such. Hoping you can get some help for DH.

DianeO amazing you are manicuring the snow banks. But I get it. You have to plan for more and more snow. I remember years ago shoveling out my driveway and then the snowplow coming along and plowing it shut! I almost threw the shovel at the thing.

Turkish dinner sounds great Ann. What an exotic life you lead. We expect regular reports from NOLA.

Not much news here. Studio time, errands to run, laundry, household chores, gallery chores etc. Exciting life I lead.

Hey Peps, camping with the kids at school. Gotta roll with the punches. Good thing you are fit. I could not do a day or even an hour of sitting on the floor.

Take care all. Diane S

The trajectory of conversation topics among my same age friends: our search for work after graduation during the mid 80 s recession, weddings, buying our first houses, our husbands , our pets, pregnancy or lack of a desired pregnancy, childbirth, parenthood ( this topic still a favorite), and now in our mid to late 50s, every gathering the topic turns to our retirement dreams and our disconcerting ailments. (Because we are still young, so why are we dealing with osteoporosis, or arthritis, or knee replacements or bursitis). Some of us have grandchildren, so another perennial topic. We have other discussions about politics, religion, books, music, plays, those crazy things we did in college, but we do always seem to make it back to whatever the current life phase topic is at least once during the evening.

Quiet evening at home tonight with a fire burning in the family room fireplace while we watched the Rockefeller Plaza Christmas Special. It's snowing lightly here, and it was surprisingly slippery on the way home. Students were already hoping for a snow day, sorry youngsters, 2 inches of snow will not do the trick.