Let's talk about something other than food or exercise

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  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
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    I know what you mean about stress! I see you work at a school. I have worked at a university for the past 26 years, but always thought I would like to work at an elementary school. Maybe someday................

    I am a single mom of five kids ages, 29, 25, 22, 20, and 17. Their father and I divorced after almost 28 years of marriage. He had a problem with his marriage vows and drinking... When we divorced I still had 3 kids living at home and now I am down to just the 17 year old.

    This past year has been filled with more stress than I thought possible but just when you think there cannot be anything to top the last thing something more comes along. sheesh

    I was a stay at home mom for 19 years and went to work when my youngest was in K/1st grade. I got a part time job in our local school district so that I would be home when the kids were home. That part time job has morphed into a full time job still with the breaks off but only 6 weeks in the summer off. I work in the school office and absolutely love it.

    I am originally from Indiana and go back for a week or two in the summers to see my parents. Fishing with my dad, shooting guns, hanging out with my mom and seeing old friends.

    Here at home I am on the computer way too much...:)

    Belinda
  • RobinCT821
    RobinCT821 Posts: 26 Member
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    Thanks for starting this thread. So fun to "meet" people this way!

    Born and raised in San Diego, CA, I have lived in Connecticut for 18 years and I still hate the winters but wow, I sure love how green it is here most of the time. My kids are 15 and 14. My husband and I met online. That explains the move from CA!

    I love creating snarky art - www.robinandersondesigns.com - mostly for my own amusement.

    I work with people and animals to help guide them through physical and emotional healing through Reiki. I also give intuitive readings and have been developing my mediumship skills for the last year or so. No, I do not know if you will get to your goal weight : )

    I love to travel, especially on cruises because they just tell you when to arrive for meals. There's no planning or cooking and it's all about relaxing. I love reading, coffee and TiVo.
  • laughingladyb
    laughingladyb Posts: 9 Member
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    I do love the elementary school setting! I am not sure I could tolerate middle or high schoolers!
  • Caribou2u
    Caribou2u Posts: 31 Member
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    I'm back again..(on MFP)... I've posted in this thread earlier (yikes - like last year!)

    Live on 6 wooded acres in central Virginia with hubby of 10 years (married to my wasband for 18 years), my two sons (21 and 17), three dogs, two cats and a fish.

    My husband and I like to shoot action pistol competitions - although my eyesight is getting problematic and my upper body strength "ain't what it used to be". I show my dogs, Belgian Sheepdogs... I took up violin lessons just a few months ago and am really enjoying that.

    I work for a small manufacturing company managing the office/shipping and exports.

    My husband and I met on the shooting range, I took some classes from him...and we got married on the same range where we met.

    And now... I gotta get back to figuring out how I'm going to get in more exercise!!

    -CJ
  • AnneTanne0
    AnneTanne0 Posts: 71 Member
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    Me too, I posted here earlier, but I've been 'away' for a few months... didn't feel like logging every day, and indeed, slowly my weight crept in the wrong direction. Luckily I was able to climb back on the bandwagon at only 2 kg (4 lbs) over my 'goal-zone', but since I started logging again just before christmas, I was frustrated by a plateau were I stayed on until last monday...

    @Caribou2U: as a Belgian, I was wondering which breed is called 'Belgian Sheepdog' in the States... I looked it up, and indeed, it's not often called 'Belgische herder', but the breed is know here better as 'Groenendaeler' :-)
  • Caribou2u
    Caribou2u Posts: 31 Member
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    Yes..exactly...we sometimes refer to the black ones as Groenendael here. But in Europe, the 4 varieties of Belgian are considered one single breed and are interbred. In the States, our Kennel Club considers the Belgians 4 distinct/different breeds. We have Laekenois (short, wiry, curled hair with coloring like a German Shepherd), Malinois (short coat - like a German Shepherd - colored like a German Shepherd), Tervuren (longish hair, coloring like the German Shepherd) and Belgian Sheepdog / Groenendael (always solid black, longish coat)

    Do you ever see any of these dogs there - I guess what I should ask is more do you see any of them often?

    Nice to "meet" you !

    -Caribou2u
  • Forevergreatful
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    Hello Robin, I love Reiki. It is so healing and relaxing....it has really helped me thru the death of my mom. Good luck on your journey to lose weight,
  • Forevergreatful
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    Hi I live in Long Island and between my hubby and I, we have 7 kids ages 12-30 . The 12 and 16 year old are still home the rest are in college or on their own. i work as a school counselor and love it!! I had minor knee surgery 3 years ago and it never healed right. Since then I went thru menopause and have gained way to much weight. It is very difficult for me to workout. I can swim in the summer and I have a stationary bike at home. I love to travel and hang with friends. I also just lost my mom so Ive been emotional eating, but its a new year and I am ready to take care of me!! I hope we can all meet our goals this year!
  • redladee1
    redladee1 Posts: 14 Member
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    Hi I live in Long Island and between my hubby and I, we have 7 kids ages 12-30 . The 12 and 16 year old are still home the rest are in college or on their own. i work as a school counselor and love it!! I had minor knee surgery 3 years ago and it never healed right. Since then I went thru menopause and have gained way to much weight. It is very difficult for me to workout. I can swim in the summer and I have a stationary bike at home. I love to travel and hang with friends. I also just lost my mom so Ive been emotional eating, but its a new year and I am ready to take care of me!! I hope we can all meet our goals this year!
    Hi! I'm on Long Island too (Smithtown). I'm hoping to participate in a Walk or Mini-Marathon in several months, after I've gotten back to exercising. Best of luck to you!
  • KerryITD
    KerryITD Posts: 94 Member
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    This is a great thread!

    I also live out in the countryside--north Mississippi for me. I've been a computer geek in e-learning for many years but got outsourced one too many times and now work at a university. The transition from working at home to an 8-5 office job has been tough! I'm struggling to find the time to exercise at all.

    I also love animals--was a zookeeper and vet tech in my first career, and have one dog (great dane/standard poodle mix from a shelter), 3 cats, and some chickens. When I had more free time I had a little farmer's market business called Poultry In Motion, selling free-range eggs, organic veggies, fresh bread, and pickles and jams.

    I've got PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and insulin resistance, which means I've always struggled with my weight and have to eat less to make any progress. But this time I'm taking it slow and just aiming for consistency!
  • beedifferent
    beedifferent Posts: 6 Member
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    Hi, just joined the group. I am 51 years old and live in the suburbs of Philadelphia with my wonderful husband of almost 13 years and my 25 year old son. We have about an acre of land, we have chickens and hopefully in the spring some bees. We also have a golden retriever that is just the best dog ever made. We have had a very rough 5 years and every time we think things might be getting better we hit a new trial. I have gained about quite a bit weight in the last ten years and it needs to come off. I need to start looking for work, but for now I like being at home quilting and having my family over for pool days in the summer.
  • Kanndj
    Kanndj Posts: 25
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    It is great reading about everyone here! I just joined MFP and this group about 2 weeks ago. Here is my story! I am 51 years old, and I have been married 27 years to a great guy. We have 2 children. My son is 21 and living at home after feeling unsure about his path in college and needing time to find his calling. My daughter just turned 18 last week and is a senior in high school. She is hoping to start college locally in the fall but plans to living on campus. We live in the suburbs in Tennessee with our 2 dogs and 3 cats. We got one dog from some people giving them away in the Walmart parking lot and the other as a result of two separate full-bred dogs who "accidentally" made puppies that could not be AKC registered. The three cats had a mother that I had given some food and water for a while in the hot summer about 3 years ago (she was pregnant but did not look it), and she brought them back to me to care for after she weaned them. We were able to catch them, and now, they sleep in the bed with us most nights. I work from home extra-full-time as a medical transcriptionist. I am self-employed, doing some work as a subcontractor as well as having my own accounts. As indicated, I work a lot of hours, which means I sit at the computer for 9+ hours a day many days, and I usually end up working 7 days a week these days. It is not only hard to find time to exercise, but all that sitting is not burning any calories. I have steadily gained weight the last 7 or so years and am determined to find a way to keep doing the work I enjoy while still keeping healthy by moving more and also by having a healthy weight. I have a great family and live minutes away from my mother, father, and brother, which is great. For those who have had stressful years, I can relate--job losses, sickness, financial struggles, ailing parents. I am relying on Christ as my source of strength. My father used to feed hummingbirds and had tons of bird feeders. For fun, I like bowling, watching movies, reading (love a mystery), playing board games, and cooking for family. It is nice to meet everyone!
    Karen
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
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    Welcome Karen! I hope you enjoy this website like I do.

    Lisa
  • vicabra
    vicabra Posts: 56 Member
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    OK - better late than never I say! I am 51 years old, married for 25 years now (wow). I have no children, my husband and I have said that we have a hard enough time taking care of ourselves! We are busy with full-time work and are now focusing on our 25 year old home that is in need of many repairs location in Brentwood, CA (that would be the Northern California Brentwood) - no movie stars up here! I am having fun getting to know my crafty and creative style during this renovation time. I have member of MFP for about about a month, and have not had the opportunity to participate in the groups/blogs as much as I would like. I appreciate the fact that all folks here are going through similar situations and appreciate the great support that I have received in my short time here.
  • njitaliana
    njitaliana Posts: 814 Member
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    Hi,

    I just turned 60 last month. In April, I will celebrate my 35th wedding anniversary. On our first date, I know I was going to marry him, and a year later, we did.

    I was born and raised in Philadephia and I moved across the bridge to New Jersey when I got married. Although we are on the NJ side of the bridge, we still live in what is considered a Philadelphia suburb.

    We have two children. Our son is a restaurant manager. He is a musician and active in all sorts of sports. His girlfriend takes her nursing boards this month after finishing her BSN in December. She graduates in May. They will be getting engaged then.

    Our daughter is a fine arts major with a concentration in graphic design. We adopted her from Korea as a baby. She is also on MFP to lose some weight.

    After a productive, but totally boring, ten year career for the government, I left to have my son. When he was 3, I started a business from home doing freelance writing and editing. I've done that ever since. I work from home.

    I was so skinny when I was young that I used to have to force myself to drink weight-gain shakes between meals so my weight wouldn't go under 100 pounds. I walked everywhere and did yoga every day from age 14 to age 35. I also did ballet until age 22. Then, I became disabled at 35 and gained 200 lbs. Now I can't walk much at all. I use a wheelchair a lot.

    On top of my existing disabilities, I fell onto my knees on the hardwood floor this past summer, shattering the cartilage and tearing the meniscus, so I've been going for physical therapy. I love physical therapy. I lost 126 lbs on South Beach Diet, but with all the health challenges of this past two years, I gained my weight back. So here I am.

    I love good food, and I enjoy ethnic and gourmet restaurants. We have home-cooked meals every night for dinner and I have leftovers for lunch the next day. We enjoy film of all sorts--mainstream, indie, foreign. I love to read, and I read more nonfiction than fiction. We also enjoy plays, ballets, concerts, museums, and ethnic festivals. Although we don't get out much anymore. We volunteered for ten years at a church camp for kids. Now that our daughter it too old to be a camper, she is a volunteer there.
  • GodMomKim
    GodMomKim Posts: 3,643 Member
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    Hi,
    So I just joined this group! I joined MFP 1 week ago today and am down 2 lbs!!!!! yeah ....

    I am 55, single (always have been); mom to a 2year old english springer spaniel. I live in Dublin, CA - in the northern part of the state, east of Oakland. I own 2 businesses one - the main one -doing machine embroidery out of my home so I spend a ton of time on my feet, running 2 commercial machines. the second teaching kids to cook at summer cooking camps.

    I am an avid gardener, reader, and cook.

    I am doing this adventure in losing weight without telling any of my friends or family - my family is naturally thin and teasing me about my weight is a family tradition, one I don't do well with. And most of my friends are either exercise nuts or also slim - I finally decided that it was time for me to find my way without their input, I don't plan on telling anyone - but you guys :happy: I have done some checking on line and it sounds like the weight loss won't be too noticeable until I have lost 20% of my current weight, and by then this should be a habit that I can continue.
  • MargieBettschen
    MargieBettschen Posts: 6 Member
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    :happy: Hello! I live in the San Francisco Bay Area with the love of my life, stepson, 3 cats, 2 cockatiels, and a big fish tank . We have 5 grandkids, 3 local and 2 in Colorado. Our Colorado family will be here next month for a visit & I can't wait! I love to go hiking and am fortunate to have great trails nearby. Also enjoy going to baseball games, love my SF Giants. I've worked at a private medical practice for the past 20 years and love my job and have wonderful coworkers. Pretty much keep busy with work, family, & friends. Life is good.
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
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    Welcome! I have birds, also. 1 Lovebird, 1 Parrotlet, and 2 Lineolated Parakeets.

    Lisa