VIP LOUNGE! Welcome to the 2025 Winter 5% Challenge!
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@Tabatha_Cain , Awww TY Joe for helping out your co-worker!! That was so nice of him, in turn if he wants/needs time off hopefully she'll help him if she can. Will it be overtime? LOL I used to love getting overtime!! A day off though is also nice. For his stone it depends on what is made from. Water is the best thing for any kidney issue.
@Patti241, Happy to hear your Friday went well. Over the weekend are you able to relax?
@Ittybitty456, Love having you back with us!! Glad you found Janey ( Gouldsgranite) we were both leaders back on Sparkpeople on the Spirited Under Dawg team.
@Sweetpeasmom55, my kidney dr recommended lemonade because I needed the extra acid. OH man when the kidney stone decides to drop down OH MY GOODNESS!!! Glad you are going to put yourself first!! Like on airplane, put your oxygen on first before someone you are with.
I had a sleep study Thurs night, LOL this picture cracks me up!! I'll hopefully have any answers in 2 weeks.
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Insight Timer Quote:
The mind is just like a muscle-the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets and the more it can expand.—Idowu Koyenikan
Daily Insight:
Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.—Mark Twain
I AM:
I create my own future.
Action for Happiness:
Say hello to your neighbor and brighten their day.
Fitness Quote:
Turn the pain into power and conquer your goals.—gymquotes.co
Fun Fact:
BILL OF RIGHTS DAY
Bill of Rights Day (by Presidential Proclamation)
"Now, Therefore, I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, do hereby designate December 15, 1941, as Bill of Rights Day. And I call upon the officials of the Government, and upon the people of the United States, to observe the day by displaying the flag of the United States on public buildings and by meeting together for such prayers and such ceremonies as may seem to them appropriate."
BillOfRightsDay
The first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. Passed by Congress on September 25, 1789, these rights place limits on government power.
Did you know?
• The bill was introduced by James Madison. He later became the 4th President of the United States.
• Congress passed 12 of Madison's proposed amendments. The states only ratified 10 of them. One of the two rejected by the states concerned the number of constituents for each Representative. The other limited when and how members of Congress are compensated. Neither was ratified at the time.
• The latter of the two rejected amendments was ratified 203 years later. The 27th Amendment restricted compensation for members of Congress.
• The Bill of Rights is displayed in The Rotunda of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC.
• There were 14 copies made; one for each of the 13 states to sign and one for the federal archives. Only 12 copies survive today.
ADVERTISING
HOW TO OBSERVE BILL OF RIGHTS DAY
Learn more about the Bill of Rights and exercise them. Read or watch a documentary about the first 10 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
• The First Congress by Fergus M. Bordewich
• James Madison by Ralph Ketcham
• The Story of the Bill of Rights
Use #BillOfRightsDay to post on social media.
Learn more right now by reading 6 Facts About the Bill of Rights.
BILL OF RIGHTS DAY HISTORY
President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared Bill of Rights Day on December 15, 1941, recognizing the history and importance of the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
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Good Morning VIP friends:
I hope you are all doing well this morning. Today is Sunday and it is the day I am actually going to my cousins for cousin baking day. It is going to be great. We are gonna chat about bake and just hang out. I am not sure if my sister will go. Probably not. Since she has been with her boyfriend and also gotten cancer she really does not go anywhere he cannot go. I don't understand why either. She is so afraid of being without a man. She will take whoever she gets. This guy she has been with him the same amount of time I have been with Joe and well he already told her he would never marry her, and he doesn't invite her to anything having to do with his family. He always leaves her home. I feel like he is using her for a place to live. Oh and he doesn't work because supposedly he hurt his shoulder at a job and is trying to sue them, but keeps getting told the injury is not from the job so no lawyer will take the case. Sounds suspicious right.
@ittybitty456 - Welcome back to the Challenge.
@Kurtize - Beautiful Poinsettas. I wish I could have some of those in my house. My cats would eat them though and they are toxic to animals.
@SweetPeasMom55 - Oh Wow. Our urologist said that the blasting Joe is having done will actually turn the stone into powder for my husband to pass. So maybe your dad had the shock wave blast which we were told only works in 60% of cases. So I could see why it did not work. My husband's stone is 13mmX11mm. They said 2 big to pass naturally and if it gets any bigger they will need to do multiple procedures to get it all turned to powder. Yeah that building is definitely interesting. I would love to see it. Definitely make a plan on what you need to be happy and healthy. You cannot help others if your tank is empty.
@Dianedoessmiles1 - It was overtime for Joe. Joe drinks so much water every day. They said his kidney is well hydrated just now the stone is too big to pass naturally. Don't you love sleep studies. Joe will be having one soon. We go see the sleep doctor Thursday this coming week. I am sure they will order a sleep study for him since he has not had one since 2013.
Well I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday
Tabatha0 -
Diane: Not really. Every now and then I can relax0
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Dad was having a rough day. I took over the Christmas gifts and put them under the tree. Dad was so excited . Another year I am sure everything will be opened before I get there Christmas morning. Amazing how he normally does not get moving til 9 am but Xmas morning everything is all unwrapped by then. Lol I also made sure they both had equal number of gifts to open. Mom had an extra last year. Yes I actually wrapped his lottery tickets. Just hoping he doesn't struggle too much with the wrapping paper. He wanted paper and not tissue.0
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Happy Sunday, have a wonderful day.
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@Tabatha_Cain, how did the day go? Hope that was fun!!! I had a huge kidney stone, they put in a stent to help me. On top of the OUCH of the stent i had a bad UTI!! OH, MY GOODNESS!!! I hope Joe can sleep for the sleep study!
@Patti241, have you seen the healthy habits for this challenge? Will those help you with relaxing.
@Sweetpeasmom55, I smiled reading about your Dad. LOL things that make us feel excited like a little kid again.
@Kurtize, hope you did also!!0 -
Good Morning VIP Friends:
I hope you are all doing well this morning. Today is Monday and it is my long day at work, but it is going to be a great day. I am hoping that I am able to get everything done that I need to get done today. I have to call Joe's old doc office and see if they have a copy of the report from back in 2013 because the place he had it done at no longer has a copy of it. Weird huh. How does a hospital not have a record of a sleep study they did back in 2013.
@Dianedoessmiles1 - I hope so too. It will be so weird having to sleep without him. I don't think we have slept apart since we have gotten married so it will be really weird not having him at home asleep next to me. Stent was not even mentioned for Joe's kidney stone. I am betting since you also had a UTI that is why they put in the stent.
Well I hope you all have a wonderful Monday.
Tabatha0 -
Insight Timer Quote:
Our greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.—William James
Daily Insight:
It is the fight alone that pleases us, not the victory.—Blaise Pascal
I AM:
I let go of what was and welcome what is.
Action for Happiness:
Look for something positive to say to everyone you speak to.
Fitness Quote:
Never apologize for having high standards. People who really want to be in your life will rise up to meet them.
Fun Fact:
NATIONAL CHOCOLATE-COVERED ANYTHING DAY
Chocolate lovers rejoice on National Chocolate Covered Anything Day! December 16th offers the chocolate day you've been waiting for. On this day, dip and drizzle your favorite foods in every kind of chocolate imaginable.
#ChocolateCoveredAnythingDay
If you could cover anything in chocolate, what would it be? So many foods improve when we dip them in chocolate. Many businesses build their foundation on the practice of dipping food into chocolate. Whether you pick up a chocolate fountain or order a bouquet of a beautiful arrangement of chocolate-dipped fruit, celebrate!
But fruit isn't the only food meant for dipping in chocolate. Oh no. Other foods cry out for chocolate, too. Have you tried chocolate-covered peanuts, cashews, or walnuts? Pretzels undergo a divine transformation when dipped in chocolate, and they even have a national day of their own. Pound cake and gummy candies taste delicious with chocolate, too. If you love coffee, how can you pass up chocolate-covered coffee beans?
The list goes on. What's your favorite covered chocolate covered anything?
HOW TO OBSERVE CHOCOLATE COVERED ANYTHING DAY
Pick up some chocolate-covered anything, or try your hand at dipping your favorite food in chocolate. Invite friends to join you and share in the experiment. Chocolate-covered treats make great gifts during the holiday season, too.
Try these suggestions:
• Bananas and peanut butter
• Cookies
• Potato chips
• Orange wedges
• Ritz crackers
• Biscotti
• Peanut brittle
• Marshmallows
• Fudge
• Shortbread
• Ice cream
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I just so love it when the weather man gets it wrong in my favour.
Forecast wall to wall rain all day.
Just dreich in the morning so I got the paths I intended plus almost half of the rest of Anne’s paths and wall tops powerwashed today. Just meant to do the main paths and steps to remove slippery algae. We don’t need to add broken bones to all her other issues.1 -
Diane: I did see the healthy habits and they will help to relax0
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Happy Monday.
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I think we got hit with the full moon juju. Definitely had some big problems at work. I think support has had their fill of us. Oh well tomorrow is a new day. It was stressful but I didn't eat candy.2
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Good Morning VIP friends:
I hope you are all doing well this morning. Today is Tuesday and I have my first one on one with my supervisor. I am excited about that. I have a decent amount of questions and well I hope they get answered and they are good. I am looking forward to it. I also got some time off the phones yesterday to do some quoting for a client. He called in and wanted us to quote 4 different vehicles he was looking at purchasing to see which would not affect his insurance rate too much. So my supervisor let me get off the phones to do the quoting and then email him the pricing differences. So I thought that was pretty cool.
@nansbones7708 - That is great. So glad you got the power washing done. I need to get them done on my front steps as well. My steps are wood and the steps get quite slippery when wet. My husband slipped a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately our temps outside are not warm enough for us to be able to power wash the steps without causing them to freeze and then we will really slip all over the place. Definitely going to get that done in the spring though. Or when warm weather strikes again.
@SweetPeasMom55 - I could see that. It had to be full moon juju. I do hope today is better for you. We had a lot of technical stuff as well. Although we always have slow documents, and slow transaction times because our system runs so slow sometimes.
Well I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday
Tabatha1 -
Insight Timer Quote:
Often it’s the deepest pain which empowers you to grow into your highest self.—Karen Salmansohn
Daily Insight:
There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.—William Shakespeare
I AM:
I celebrate my individuality and embrace my uniqueness.
Action for Happiness:
Give thanks. List the kind things others have done for you.
Fitness Quote:
This year is all about BEAST MODE.—gymquotes.co
Fun Fact:
NATIONAL MAPLE SYRUP DAY
Get the flapjacks ready for National Maple Syrup Day. December 17th calls for orders of pancakes, french toast, or biscuits topped off with butter and delicious maple syrup.
#MapleSyrupDay
It is usually from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple, or black maple trees that maple syrup is made from although it is not limited to those maple species.
These trees, in cold climates, store starch in their trunks and in their roots. In the spring, the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap. The maple trees are then tapped by boring holes into their trunks and the released sap is collected. After the sap is collected, it is processed by heating to evaporate much of the water, leaving the concentrated syrup.
The indigenous peoples of North American first collected, processed, and used maple syrup. European settlers adopted the practice and gradually refined production methods. In the 1970s, technological improvements further refined the process of making syrup.
• A maple syrup production farm is called a sugarbush or a sugarwood.
• The sap is boiled in a sugar house which is also known as a sugar shack, sugar shanty, or a cabane à sucre.
• Up until the 1930s, the United States led in maple syrup production. Now, Canada produces the most maple syrup.
• Vermont is the largest producer of maple syrup in the United States.
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Another co-workers Dad passed only in his late 50s. Really makes me want to get healthy.0
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@Tabatha_Cain , great job of looking up info for the customer. Was he pleased? How did the 1 on 1 go? Ice freaks me or, but today was 51. Sigh.
@Sweetpeasmom55, was work better? I took, want to healthier so I do not die before 70.
I was busy Tuesday's and today I'm not 100%. By being careful I can do more in the long run. TY 4 understanding.1 -
Insight Timer Quote:
Experience is not what happens to you; it’s what you do with what happens to you.—Aldous Huxley
Daily Insight:
Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.—Albert Einstein
I AM:
I remain grateful through the highs and lows.
Action for Happiness:
Ask for help and let someone else discover the joy of giving.
Fitness Quote:
Train with BEASTS if you want to become one.—gymquotes.co
Fun Fact:
NATIONAL TWIN DAY
On December 18th, National Twin Day celebrates all the siblings who enjoy the unique connection because they share a birthday.
#NationalTwinDay
Whether fraternal or identical, twins share everything right from the beginning. While their personalities may be different, they often know what the other is going to say before the words are spoken. Distance isn't an issue either. Twins manage to stay connected across the country or around the globe.
Of course, mythology teaches us about twins from the very beginning, as does the Bible. From the rivalry of Esau and Jacob to Aphrodite's twin sons Phobos and Deimos as well as the mortal and immortal twins of the constellation, Gemini, we explore a host of human conditions.
Notable Twins
Through the years, we've been fascinated by twins, too. Literature embraced the twin duplicity with enthusiasm. Take Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, for example, and the confusion that ensues with Sebastian and Viola. Even modern-day sitcoms keep us in tears when twins are portrayed. Phoebe Buffay of the sitcom Friends and, more recently, Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory humorously depicted their twin lives.
But real-life twins intrigue us, too. When twins move into the White House, we are sure to pay attention, as was the case with Barbara and Jenna Bush in 2001. Of course, when they play magical characters like James and Oliver Phelps did in the Harry Potter series, we feel like they're family. Their roles as Fred and George Weasley kept us coming back for more.
Some twins have the same interests. For example, Mark and Scott Kelly both became astronauts and have contributed not only to space exploration but also to scientific study. Twins Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux's love of hockey brought them together on the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team.
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Good morning everyone0
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We are having more construction today at work. The brand-new equipment is faulty. The problem is they squeezed it into tiny spots. Not thinking about it ever having to be fixed. Lol
The pool was only 72 degrees this morning. Oh my was it chilly! I got in and ran around to warm up. Only in for an hour as I was getting really cold.
Tonight is stretch class. Weather may be icy but hopefully holds till I get home.
I'm feeling very tired today. I may go to bed early so I can make swim tomorrow. Hopefully, it'll be warmer. I wore my alpaca socks to warm up my feet faster but they are still pretty cold. My swim buddy was all thank goodness I didn't go. What a party pooper.0 -
Keep finding more excuses I need to overcome.
Today
I needed to eat candy because I always do while driving ?????
It’s the same on Sundays we always suck candy during the sermon.
I stopped for a cuppa on the way home and we never buy a cuppa without a biscuit.
How many more excuses will I come up with before I realise that my clothes will ALWAYS keep shrinking while I always do these things0 -
I’m really looking forward to the winter challenge. It’s my first but I think it will really help me stay accountable. I’ve lost 24lbs since July 1st and have another 35 to go. (Hmmm,.. just realized I’m almost half way to my goal!). I’ve been all over the place with keto, fasting, low carb type diets. Then I found out about Lumen. Using it in conjunction with MFP I’m really learning about what my body needs and wants.
My biggest challenge is getting in enough protein. I’m sensitive to dairy (casein not lactose), egg whites, and a few other things. I lived off of dairy (cottage cheese, cheese in general, yogurt etc) now not being able to eat it my only option is meat, fish and tofu. I know there’s some beans out there but they’re high in carbs which can throw off my macros. I’m not giving up! I will figure this out!
Looking forward to settling into the group.0
