Daily Check In: Are You On Track Today?
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Hello! Welcome back Shari!! I'm so happy that your trip went well. It sounds so relaxing!! Paula, I hope you had a wonderful Easter! It sounds like it was a busy one! I'm so happy that your Godson has been blessed with a little one!
My weekend was busy and then I figured out last night that I'd forgotten to do the minutes for a dog club meeting that were due to be turned in for the newsletter yesterday. I emailed an apology to the editor and got busy (up way too late) finishing the minutes.
I did break through my previous plateau number (by .2 lbs) and am seeing a lower number in the ten's column. That was encouraging! Have a great Tuesday!!0 -
DW, Congrats on breaking his plateau! I knew you could do it. Pulling for your downward trend to continue. Success breeds success! Congrats too on getting your minutes done. Sorry you had to burn the midnight oil to do so.
Shari, I hope you are able to get to stock up on what you need. Costco is a great place to do that.
I had another successful day. I had PT which is going very well and making a noticeable difference in my pain level and my range of motion. I know I have a long way to go, but I am optimistic that I will continue to see progress. Given that we are still celebrating, I consider my eating pretty good. I had a significant to do list today and accomplished most of it without too much fatigue and pain. So, overall quite a good day.0 -
Off to the office today. It's a rainy day out there, which is good. We have been so dry and this will help. Can't wait to be able to get the garden in!
I had a rough night last night. I miss Moe! And then I got quite emotional about how close I am to losing my parents. Neither of them have a faith or even believe in God. That is extremely difficult for me. My face is puffy today from the crying and I feel quite exhausted. I need to sort out my emotions and work through them.1 -
So sorry about your rough night Shari. I understand the loss of our family pets. They are truly family members. I hope that when and if the time is right for you you will find another dog to love. I think it is normal to have the feelings you have about your parents. You love them and care for them and know what joy faith in Christ can bring. I remember your dad's name (sorry but can't remember your mom's name). I will pray for them to come to a knowledge of the Lord and to find faith in Him. I am sure you are already praying for this.
I had a fairly good day today except that I was kind of tired in the afternoon and in the evening as well. So I rested and slept both times and then felt much better. I did not eat a lot today. I think I am tired of the Easter food already. May 8 is John's "name day," as it is the day our church commemorates St. John the Evangelist, John's patron saint. So I told him to celebrate his name day we can get a meal delivered, his choice of place and foods. Both of us will enjoy that and also will give us a change from all of the Easter food.0 -
Thank for the prayers for my parents. My mom's name is Mary. She grew up Greek Orthodox so it's very sad that she no longer believes. She sent me a link to a YouTube series called "Know Thyself." I haven't watched any of the videos, but she wants me to. I think it is New Age stuff and so I am not excited to view them (or even one of them). I will make time just to confirm my suspicions and so I can talk to her about what I think.
Enjoy John's name day and the meal delivery.0 -
Shari, Let me know what you discover about the YouTube piece your mother told you about. I am not familiar with it. I will pray for both of your parents to be believers. It is so unfortunate (to say the least) that your mother fell away from the faith she was raised in, a faith I truly love and a faith that provides a full and meaningful spiritual life both now and in the world to come. Do you have any idea why she fell away from the Lord? I am sure it is complicated. It usually is.
Our delivery meals were great with much left over once again. I am still not tracking all of my meals, but I think that my choices would add up to going over my point limit for the day. I had a very good PT session today but didn't need any naps so I felt that was good. Tomorrow will be a long day for me. John and I have our OT sessions (1 hour each, one right after the other). Then we are finally taking Buster to his long overdue vet appointment. I hired a driving service because I couldn't handle Buster going any longer without his shots and check up. It is costing me a fortune for this service, but in the long run I know it is well worth it.0 -
Thanks for the interest about my parents. I am not 100% sure why my mom walked away. It happened long before I was old enough to have faith conversations. I do know when I was in grade 12, she had a breast cancer scare and I shared the gospel message with her. She seemed to have believed, but once she had a clean bill of health, her faith didn't stick. I hope to have more conversations with her once I check out the YouTube videos.
I hope your day goes alright Paula. That is a lot of physical activity but totally understand that is for such a good reason. Let's hope the OT will get you back to driving. That would be so helpful. Even if it doesn't, it is helping so much.
I get to work from home today and I am thankful about that. It's sunny so I plan to take my coffee breaks on the deck.0 -
Discussing the videos with your mom sounds like a good place to start a discussion. I know you will do so with love, the only way to go in such situations.
It was a demanding day for me but overall I did ok. My OT session was quite challenging but again I worked through it pretty well. Buster's visit to the vet went well. We will get his lab results probably tomorrow but the physical exam was all good. It was sweet and cute that our vet came out to the car to see us rather than just call my cell after the exam. (I haven't been able to walk in with Buster for most of his visits to this vet.) Dr. B. said he came because he missed seeing John and me and wanted to see us in person. I think however that he came simple to tease us about arriving with Buster in a Limo Town car. He said, "What....did you win a lottery?" I suspect we are the first clients to arrive at his office with a dog in a limo. We all enjoyed seeing each other. It was a bit of a struggle for me to get into the Town car. I did better getting out when we got home. I rested after our supper (leftovers from yesterday) so that helped quite a bit to get me somewhat back to (my) normal.0 -
Arriving in a limo to the vet would stand out Paula! Glad your day went well.
I had a bit of a rough patch in my day. DH and I still struggle with our differing views on our relationship with his parents. We have counselling today which will be good, but it's always exhausting at the same time. His mom always gets me a basket of flowers for Mother's Day and I wish I would have reached out to her tell her myself that this year, that wouldn't be helpful due to the strain in our relationship. They arrived on Monday but DH didn't tell me, but put them right by the garage door. I didn't bring them up until yesterday. It is so very strange to me that she drops off the flowers for me every year, but she has never purchased any type of gift for her son on Father's day (and they are in a relationship whereas I have told her that I am not in a place to work on ours). The hardest part for me is that I will need to thank her for the flowers and I was hoping to have a period of time of no connection. I do so much better when we don't see each other too often. Thanks for listening! I know I need to get this sorted, and I am in counselling, so we shall see how things progress.0 -
Shari, I hope your counseling session helped with the difficult situation with your MIL. We are always here to listen to each other. It sure can be stressful for you and your DH with little progress coming from the in-laws side of the issues.
I had a little less energy today, probably from my busy day yesterday. I had an hour of OT today however and did very well. The occupational therapist is such a sweet young lady (age 26, getting married in August). She is impressed with the progress John and I are making. We are impressed with our progress and with how good she is as well. She is very personable and said today how much she likes coming to work with us. My eating is still far from where it was when I was losing weight, albeit slowly. I am working on making better choices and will jump back on my regular tracking plan on Monday.0 -
Our counselling session went well. I typically feel a bit more of her focus than DH does, but yesterday the focus way more on him. We are making steps to finding a new normal, but like weight loss, it isn't easy, there are gains and losses and it takes effort.
I was hoping to spend time outside gardening, but the air quality is bad as smoke has rolled in overnight. I read the air quality statement and changed my plans to simply wear a mask while outdoors. I didn't realize there are a variety of gases in the air too and a mask won't stop them. So I will be focusing on things inside today.
What kind of things are you working on with your OT Paula? It's so good that you are seeing progress, that makes it easier to keep working at it.0 -
Shari, You can include OT and PT along with counseling and weight loss in not being easy, requiring effort, and seeing gains and losses! We are all in this together with some similar needs and some different too. Glad your recent session was positive.
I am working on improving strength, endurance, balance, and range of motion through both OT and PT. We are focusing especially on my shoulders, wrists, and knees. OT and PT overlap a bit. The therapists work me hard but not to the point of too much pain. I also have exercises to do when the therapists are not here. I fit some exercises in but am often too tired to do too much. It amazes me that both John and I are seeing such significant improvements after only 3 weeks into our therapies. The improvement in my shoulder pain and range of movement is most impressive to me but I also see improvement in all areas, as does John.
I had a good eating day today though I was fairly tired today, so eating was not a top priority. We still have Pascha food left over. We were planning on a delivery tomorrow for Mother's Day but I am rethinking this because we have so much food here. I think maybe holding off on a delivery till sometime during the week will make more sense.
Happy Mother's Day to all of us!!10 -
Happy Mother's Day!
Thank you for sharing about your therapies. That is so good that you are gaining strength and range of motion. Those are so important to the aging process and quality of life.
I have heard from all of my children today. That is special. I am going to go see my mom later this afternoon. I made her a loaf of sourdough bread. It will be the second one that I give her and it is so much better than the last one I made for her.
Still super smokey here so I am not sure if we will be able to spend much time outside. It would be nice if we could.0 -
Hello! Happy Mother’s Day!! I’m glad you are both doing well in spite of some ups and downs! I’ve been doing ok, holding steady at just below my plateau weight. I’ve been at a local Scentwork Trial yesterday and today. Yesterday I went over 16,000 steps. Today I’ve done 13000. I am sore from the waist down-everything hurts!! My girl was entered both days and did terribly yesterday but awesome today! That’s all I’ve done this weekend. The rest of the week went ok -just busy with work. Have a great week! May seems to be flying by!!0
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DW, I am amazed at the number of steps you walked. That has to add up to burning significant calories. Congrats!
Sounds like a nice Mother's Day for you Shari, hearing from your kids and time with your mom as well. I have heard that sourdough bread is a healthy bread to eat. I think it tastes great too.
I enjoyed my Mother's Day. John and I had Chinese food delivered from an upscale local grocery store along with a few groceries we needed. The Chinese food is freshly prepared in the restaurant section of the grocery store and was very good. I have been craving Chinese food off and on lately so this was a good treat for Mother's Day. I read and rested and enjoyed my time with John.
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DW- That's an impressive amount of steps! Keep that up and I am sure you won't have to worry about being sore. You will be so fit.
Paula-I enjoy Chinese food too. Glad you could celebrate being a mom over an enjoyable meal.
I didn't have much of an appetite yesterday and didn't eat well. Hoping to be back on track today! It's never good to over eat or under eat.
I am starting an online course today for the software management system that we use at work. I do enjoy using it and doing some configuration. I just hope it's not too overwhelming or exhausting. I will need to be focused 8 hours a day (well 7, I think we get an hour for lunch and I typically only get a half hour). I am the only one taking the course and will be the "expert."0 -
Wishing you good luck with your online course Shari. I am sure that would be very far over my head! i admire you being able to take on such a project, and I am sure you will do well.
Today was a memorable day for me.....I was able to get into the van for the first time since March 11! My physical therapist was here and asked me if I wanted to try it again since I have been making such good progress. We did it at the end of my therapy session, before she moved on to working with John. So with her, I walked using the walker to the garage and then with the help of a cane I was able to get into the van. It wasn't easy, but I did it. So happy about that. I am thinking that maybe I will try again on Tuesday when the OT is here.
I did well with my eating today too. After supper I rested (slept) in our family room for a while. I think I was drained from the PT and getting into the van, but it is well worth it. I am already feeling like I am getting some of my freedom back. I will continue to keep working to make more progress.
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I enjoyed the first day of classes so much! I knew a lot of it already, but I learned some new things and the day went by pretty quickly.
Paula- That is such good news that you were able to get into the van!!!! Let's hope that it keeps getting easier. Having your own way around in a vehicle will be such a blessing for you and John.
I had a good day of eating yesterday. I know I didn't eat enough fruit/veg, but I didn't snack on processed foods and that is a win. Having this whole week at home will be helpful for me to curb snacking.0 -
Shari, I am happy that you are enjoying your class and a bonus is that the day went by quickly for you.
I have gotten lax in terms of my eating with fruits and veggies lately. I do so much better when I increase in both areas. I hope to make a serious effort with this. I still have some sweet cravings and usually fruit satisfies that to some degree. I hope that now that I am gaining strength (and energy eventually I hope), I will take more time with meal planning and prep.0 -
Day two of my class was good too. Our staff are away at an overnight retreat that I would have been on, I am very thankful to have missed it. I have been on so many, and don't typically enjoy them, at least not the evenings when nothing is planned.
I am like you Paula. I don't eat enough fruit and veggies. I am trying though. They make a big difference when we get enough of them rather than going for the cookies and chips.0 -
Shari, Sounds like this will be a good work week for you...only 2 more days till the weekend. I think it is great that you can take the class online at home.
Today was a good eating day for me. I included a good amount of veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots) in our evening meal. I stayed away from snacking too. I was a bit achy today and didn't do as well when trying to get in the van with my physical therapist. I was able to do it eventually, but it was much more difficult today and much more painful. I am disappointed but not giving up. My PT thinks that with more work and progress this will get easier for me.0 -
I finally got to see the scale move downward instead of upward! I really hope that I can continue this trend and get back to a reasonable weight once again. It's the first sign in a very long time that I can do this.
Only two more days of my course, and to be honest, I will miss it. I am so surprised at how much I am enjoying it and I am learning so much that I don't even know where to start to implement things on my job.
Keep working Paula. You will get to the point where getting into the van will be done with much less effort. You are in the training phase, and not every day gives any of us the same energy to be able to accomplish the same tasks. But you will break through that barrier where it will be significantly easier. That will be a milestone to celebrate!0 -
Congrats on your good news at the scale Shari! So happy for you. I am happy too that your course is beneficial and helpful. A winning week for you.
Thank you for your encouraging words about my therapies. It means a lot to me. I had OT today and was able to get into the van twice, after about 40 minutes of therapy before going to the garage. I felt great afterward too. The therapies do tire me out however and I napped a while after supper. No therapies till Monday, but both John and I have exercises to do on our "days off."0 -
One more day of my course and I am really excited for the material that we will be covering today. I will need to figure out a strategy on how to implement everything. That part won't be easy since I don't have the authority to make all of the decisions that I would like to. I wish I had more strength to influence people.
Getting into the van twice is a huge win Paula. You will continue to build up your endurance and I expect that you won't be as tired following therapy, or at least you will recover quicker.
So happy it is Friday and that it is a long weekend!!!! I hope to put some seeds in the ground and a few other things out in my greenhouse. I should have the time, it all depends on whether the weather cooperates.0 -
Hello! Happy Friday, although it's almost over! Shari, congrats on your success on the scale! Also congrats on your coursework!! Paula, congrats on all your progress with your therapies and with getting into your van!! I've been taking an American Sign Language course during work and it will finish in a few weeks. It has been challenging trying to coordinate facial expressions, head movement and finger movement-too many moving parts all at once!
My weight loss has stalled this week but I am hoping to get some momentum going again! This weekend I am shopping with my DD tomorrow morning, then a hair appointment, then Costco with DD, and somewhere I need to find a red top to wear for church Sunday. I am the liturgist again this week and then have to go to an art opening Sunday afternoon-no rest again this weekend and no cleaning time. I've been so tired for the last few weeks that I'm not keeping up with the house at all. I manage dishes and laundry and that's about it.....I still need to get rid of stuff in the worst way! I think I'm feeling the weight of my possessions... Have an awesome weekend!0 -
DW, You are such a busy lady. I don't know how you do it all. No wonder you are tired. I applaud you for getting to laundry and dishes. With all you are doing, that alone is amazing. I hope you get some down time soon to take care of yourself!
Enjoy your long weekend Shari! Our long weekend is next weekend. I suspect you will be able to implement some of your new knowledge and skills from you course. You wouldn't have been given the opportunity to take the class if they didn't want you to apply it, right?
I had a good day today. Since I didn't have any therapies today, I did some of the exercises on my own. I plan to do more tomorrow. This weekend a Greek Orthodox church in our area is having a food fest with delivery. I am a big fan of Greek food. So today John and I had Greek salads delivered. Delicious!We plan to get another delivery tomorrow and maybe even Sunday.0 -
DW- that is a lot of things on your schedule, but all good stuff! I hope you find time for the housework. That is something that I always let fall off the rails when I am busy. My least favourite thing to do by far.
Paula- I will be implementing what I learned, some I can accomplish on my own, other things I may have to really push for. We have a big staff and it is really hard to get everyone moving in the same direction. A food fest with delivery sounds so good and fun!
I have a question regarding being a God Mother. My cousin's family was raised Ukrainian Catholic although my baba was Greek Orthodox. I had a God Father, but not a God Mother. I didn't even know that I had one until I was 17. Anyways, my cousin, who is an only child named me her first son's God Mother. I didn't do much apart from go to his infant baptism. I was close with my cousin when we were kids, but then we grew apart. I didn't do anything as a God Mother. I guess I didn't have it modelled and let it slide. My Godson is getting married and I have been invited. I wasn't going to go, but DH said that we should. So we are and I am really nervous. I haven't seen my cousin or Godson in many many years. Are there any customs that I need to be aware of or responsibilities? If you know, any help would be appreciated. I sent an email to my cousin inviting them all over for dinner knowing they will be busy wedding planning so I offered before or after the wedding. She said after would be better. I will follow up with that. I feel like I can take this wedding invitation to grow back a relationship, even after all of these years. Being an only child and having lost both of her parents, she doesn't have much in the way of extended family on our side. There are cousins, but we never get together or connect in anyway. That ended up being a lot of words.0 -
Shari, I am surprised you had a Godfather but not a Godmother. Usually the practice is if having only one Godparent, the person is of the same sex as the child. It is nice that your cousin honored you to be her son's Godmother. Being a Godparent is a special honor and with it come essentially a lifetime of responsibilities. Most of the responsibilities after the actual baptism itself (at least in my church) focus on raising the child in the beliefs and practices of the church. It is never too late to reestablish a relationship with your Godson or his mother. As an only child myself, I see the potential value it could hold for your cousin. Of course praying for your Godchild and his family and his so-to-be wife is important as well. It is a good way to nurture and grow these relationships. I would hope they are or will pray for you too. As far as customs for the wedding, I am not aware of any special practices but this could vary from church to church. If you would feel more comfortable, you could perhaps ask your cousin. When my Godson got married I didn't have anything special to do. I did attend his 1st wedding and enjoyed it. (He eventually got divorced and remarried, but because of my health I wasn't able to attend his 2nd wedding.) I am delighted that you are planning to go to the wedding.
We had more Greek food today with enough for tomorrow. I am enjoying a weekend without cooking. Today we had chicken kabobs and pork kabobs, low fat and low carbs. Tomorrow we will have Athenian chicken, chicken breasts filled with spinach and feta, a fairly healthy choice too. We had a nice evening visit from our neighbors Jane and Blaine. They are always so kind and helpful to us. It was great to catch up with them tonight.0 -
A very restful and relaxing day for me. A bonus was not having to cook thanks to the Greek food!
Happy Victoria Day Shari! John holds a high interest in Queen Victoria and the British monarchy in general. He is quite knowledgeable about such things. I learn a lot from him!0 -
Happy Victoria Day. I didn't learn much about the Royals until the last few years. With Netflix releasing some dramas as well as some documentaries, it raised my interest. I ended up reading a book and researching a bit too.
Thanks for the information about Godparents. I agree, it's not too late to build relationships. I am sorry that I didn't keep it up, but I can only change going forward. I will make that effort. I am such an introvert and although I enjoy people I find it so much easier to spend evenings on my own at home. I will need to schedule wisely.
No more weight loss to report... yet. I hope it's coming soon. I have been working at it, so we shall see.0
