Thursday June 23, 2022

We had a great day in Martha's Vineyard yesterday. It was a bit windy and chilly but we dressed for it so it was fine. It is good to go before all the crowds arrive. Today is porch cleaning and putting the outdoor furniture out. It will be wonderful to be able to sit on the deck again, but it is a bit of work to get it ready. It will be nice to have a partner to do the work with.

I was thinking about CC's comment about me possibly having a smaller sleeve when I commented that I could eat 1/2 a burger at most. I meant a restaurant burger not a home sized burger. I probably can eat about 1/4 pound of ground meat at most. If that is less than most I guess my sleeve is somewhat small. I can eat endless amounts of carbs though which is why I still follow the old rule of protein first. I do wonder if length makes a difference too. I am pretty short so maybe my stomach is short too? Regardless, though I was pleased to realize that my body is now more or less self-monitoring at this weight though I would really love to lose 20 pounds (or even 10). Hard to do when I am constantly going out though I did buy the ingredients to make some healthy stuffed peppers.

Time to turn on the outdoor shower and start up the power washer. Have a thankful Thursday!

I think I have a similar sleeve. :) I could maybe eat an entire regular hamburger from McDonalds. Carbs, pretty much unlimited.

I have no idea what the size of my sleeve is anymore- I lost some more stomach with the Whipple- You'd think that would help (smaller capacity), but I also lost my pyloric valve (I get full very fast, but the stomach empties quickly) and the procedure so rearranged my plumbing and, seemingly cravings for non soluble fiber (that means potatoes, rice, grains). The complex good carbs I used to love can mess me up in painful ways and I default to grazing the easier to digest junk calories.

Yep- you are so right those nefarious simple carbs/sugars slide right through and sleeve or not can be eaten all day long!

173.4

At home after Tolen Creek walkies. I have been taking some grooming tools with me and after we finish the trail we put Swann up on a picnic table, DH makes sure the dog doesn't bound off the table after the occasional bunny or another dog walker and I comb, card and strip some. I so wish I had your talent and expertise Devon, as my efforts are laughable.

I applaud and envy CC, Devon and the Dianes for having the gumption courage and energy to make real lifestyle changes - Moving and home/yard renovations - I get tired even thinking about it. We are at the point of life when consideration of location (we're out where everything is a true drive away and who is going to keep up the property and yes- the bathroom I use has a claw foot tub (must be mindful of balance) and needs a separate shower put in. There are endless discussions of what, how, when to do; what we don't have here we lose by moving. Seems a true dilemma.

Still working out hydration- very inconsistent day to day. I'm thinking also about being more mindful about when I eat. I did well when I was working and had a scheduled time to eat. I wake up nowadays, have coffee with Kurt after walks and don't eat-or even want to-or think of eating until 3 or 4 in the afternoon. What's with that? It's a pattern that is not working, but it seems counterintuitive to eat when I'm not hungry- Hmmmmmm

Sending smiles to all and hope joy comes your way today.

I know what you mean about it being counter-intuitive to eat when not hungry. It does seem to help temper cravings somewhat though. I am really not hungry for breakfast usually but I almost always have something high-protein, usually egg based. It does seem to keep me from grabbing stuff I shouldn't later. Weird!

Toasty and humid here. I had a nice text exchange with the new owners. They'd like to put one of the utilities in their name to enroll their oldest in the first grade. So they have 3 under 6! Love the idea of my house filled with kids...

Pack and move dates are set - the 18th and 19th. Eek!

Therapy later today and my knitting group one last time tonight.

Restaurant hamburger and fries? I could eat 1/2 to 3/4 of the fries and 4/5ths of a burger. I usually give up on the last two bites which are usually mostly bread anyway.

Aaaand now I'm hungry. Off to eat lunch!

Oh boy! For someone who does not like change, I'm really taking a leap of faith. Yesterday the district informed me I got the new job. I am now officially a TK-5th grade music teacher. After 28 years of being in a self contained classroom with my own little group of kids, this is going to be a big switch - especially because I will also most likely be a traveling teacher going to a different school each day. It's not exactly the job I had envisioned, but that's okay. This is going to be a major, major change for me, but one for which I believe I am ready. Right now the hardest thing is the idea of leaving my teaching partner. The rest I can manage.

I am focusing on all the positives of the change in position and not the positive aspects I will be giving up. One of our ESP teachers (speech pathologist) pointed out that I won't have to go to IEP meetings anymore. I hadn't even thought of that perk! Whoo hoo... DD, you can understand my glee at getting to take those off my plate.

This change may also be good for my weight management. I have many engrained food behaviors at school that will be broken by not having access to my old routines and knowledge of where treats can be found. Yes, the eating disorder is deep with this one.... LOL!

Pups are doing well. It is amazing to me how much more mature my litter of 11 is than the litter of 3. That first week of life for my three littles really has delayed their development. Rather than 4-5 days behind they seem to be more like a week to 10 days behind. I'm not sure when, or if, I will be able to combine the two litters. One thing is certain, because of all the time I spend feeding the three littles, they know me and respond to me differently than the litter of 11. The three littles trust me like they trust their mama. They have no hesitation where I am concerned.

I am losing a little weight - slowly, but surely. It's not coming off in big drops, but slowly.... in increments of tenths.... I am really working on keeping my non diet diet mentality. Eating to fuel body and mind and keep the eating disorder "happy" and not in reactionary mode.

Pretty much it in a nutshell.... Sigh....

Congratulations on the new job!! A fun shake up maybe? I hate change with a passion, but what has staying cloistered in my small world gotten me? A nice life, but a very routine and quiet one. One year feels like the last and they are hard to differentiate anymore. So a little shaking up for the better would probably be great for anyone!

You will be awesome at this job and will touch the lives of so many students. When I read moving from building to building, I shuddered a little, and then remembered you are in California. That would be a nightmare for me, having to brush the snow off multiple times on snowy days, but you will be outside in the nice sunshine :) Besides escaping IEP s, well done, you will probably get out of employee drama, because you won't be in the building enough to really get drug into it.

The powers that be are toying with the idea of sending me to one school each day. Probably won't have to go to multiple schools in a day. Personally, I would like to only teach at two schools, but this is a new program so I am committed to going with the flow. So how's this for an instant perk: K-5 students come back to school to the regular ed classrooms on August 10. I don't see kids until August 15.?????!!!!!! Also, no parent conferences, grades will be completely different (2 grades per kid), and I don't think I will have the same type of stress to show student achievement....