WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR MARCH 2015

Go Katla! ! ! ! ! ♡♥♡♥♡♥♡♥♡

I have enough ragu for 3 meals! Hooray! I love having stuff ready in the freezer. A portion of the sauce is 230 cals each.

Carol GA - (((((hugs))))) Don't try to sort everything at once. One thing at a time.

Just had a Mother's Day call from DS#2 . I would have liked a card, perfume and flowers, but I'll take the call! He is so, so busy and is trying to sort out everything they need to do for their kitchen extension. He has been cleaning out the cellar and taking stuff to the dump in a hired van. He has a really bad cold and so does DGD.
Personally, I think they have taken on a lot. They are having their garden landscaped in a fortnight, (it is a small London garden), and then their whole kitchen knocked down so it can be extended sideways into the side reveal. (Terraced house) All this with two young children. All the kitchen and garden stuff will be going in the cellar. Hmmmm!
We are staying up there next weekend so they can get out together and choose stuff.
We did similar works in our house with two small children and it sent me into a severe depression. We had it much worse as my then husband did it all himself and it took years. Agony! I had no bathroom for a year with babies and a stillbirth. So you can imagine I am feeling for them. But my DDIL likes things the way dhe wants them and it will be fabulous in the end. Good job she earns a lot. Every magazine I pick up has quotes by her in it. Clever woman and very determined, but they do ask a lot of themselves. :ohwell:

Cup of tea calls and a Hot Cross Bun
Heather UK

Hello my fitness pal friends (Yes, when I speak of you I call you that, too.)
Here’s some info about my “journey”. I am about 5’7” from old age shrinking. I have always carried more weight than many for my height (looked thin at 155). Struggled with emotional eating and yo-yoing for years. UP/DOWN/UP……… Right now I weigh 220.8. That is 52 pounds down from my all time heaviest a few years ago. Since July I have lost 30 or so pounds. My goal weight right now is 172 which would be an even 100 lbs lost. My doctor feels this is good goal weight that I can maintain. I may decide I can do 10 more pounds and keep it there but we’ll see. This time it is coming off for good!
My MFB name comes from what I wish I could be more than what I am. My husband and I are a blended family with 3 kids and 7 grandkids. His daughter lives in Florida and has 4. We seldom see them. She is a wonderful “girl” and if we lived close I know we’d be connected to all the growing up activities, etc. Our sons (one his and one mine) have married some gals that are challenging to be close too. I do the best I can to have the closest relationship possible with my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson but it is not what I had hoped and dreamed of. We’re all rather dysfunctional but we make the best of it.

Got behind but now caught up so some comments are out dated:

Chris – I have used the soap in an old sock tucked in the end of the bed, too. It helped. What helped the most was getting my deep varicose veins in my thighs ablated with lasers.
Gilly – my cat, not the covers, keeps me in bed too long. She is such a snuggler!
Selena – No wonder you seem like such a well grounded woman – Your mom sounds strong and determined! Beautiful picture of your view!
Barbie – joyful class time! I like your recent quote and love the “poster” about spring!
Pip – you are the Energizer Bunny is disguise! I remember your sharing about your first husband. So touching that you use his “address” for your MFB name.
Terri – glad you enjoyed your trip
Diana – enjoyed the camel “poster” even though hump day doesn’t mean much when you are retired. In fact I work weekends now!
Sylvia – I was planning to cheer for your “movements” and tummy “improvements” but now I am concerned again. (((HUGS))) I enjoyed the chuckles about “bowls and bowels” much more than the worry I feel now!
Gail – Praying for you and your sister. My sister in Kansas has metastatic BC, too. She is doing well even after 4 years but we know the time will come when her battle will end.
Vicki – don’t know if I could house share like you are having to do. You must have a big heart and lots of patience.
Cary – I get so much inspiration from your quotes. Keep sharing them.
Heather– The trip to the Abby sounds wonderful. One of the Great Courses my study group undertook was a history of European Art. We saw photos of wonderful architecture and glasswork in the old religious buildings. How wonderful to be able to see them in person!
Joyce and Lesley – sweet thoughts about your moms Mine was difficult. I missed her before she was gone –but still have some fond memories
Cynthia – YEAH for the job offer!
Beth – if your son came to Belmont in Nashville we could get acquainted. BUT…I know mommas like to have kids closer. My sister’s son (40) teaches English in Hong Kong. It is so hard on her but he has taken a year off every now and then which is nice.
Michele – sounds like your New Comers event went well. You did a good job of getting things organized. If I ever need an event planned I’m calling you.
Kim – Poison anything is no fun. (HUGS)
Katla – glad you are doing the trip. Hubby will get over it and be glad you did it in the long run.
Lillian – It is wonderful that your friend is “seeing the light” about this journey. I have a dear friend who doesn’t and I pray she gets to this place.
Carol – I have so been where you are. Think back to a time when you overcame something (even a small challenge). Do you remember how good it felt? You can get that feeling again. I suggest you make a phone call to the gym you are considering (I highly recommend YMCAs because they really care for their members). You can use the excuse of “What do I need to bring in to sign up……) That way you have made a contact before going in. Taking a friend with you to do that first inquiry visit is also a great idea. I am rooting for you. First steps are hard, but then often the rest is easy and even joyful. (PRAYERS AND HUGS)

Toni in Tennessee
March Goals
Take blood pressure and 2 hour blood sugar every day
Log every bite and swallow
Email, Facebook message, or call three teacher friends each week to encourage them through this challenging time of year (NOT DOING THIS AND DON’T KNOW WHY)
Walk a minimum of 5,000 steps each day (MANY DAYS MORE)

Hi gals! What a beautiful day it is here! The parade yesterday was fun; just your typical tiny-town parade. Most of the floats were business advertisements. The theme was "twisted St Pat's day" to honor the small town a few miles away that got blown away by the twin tornados last year. None of the floats really followed the theme; I'm not sure what anyone would have done with it, except for the town hair salon, they did a mock up of the rock group Twisted Sister and their ad was that their hair would look better if they came to the salon. It was cute...lots of kids and the local nursing home wrangled all the old folks out too. One of the guys in the jeep club brought his very muscular pit bull who wore a tiny green bowler hat on her head and looked totally ridiculous! She loved all the attention though!

We slept in late today; DH was up sick most of the night, not sure from what. But when he finally got out of bed, he felt better. Nothing much going on today; having corned beef and cabbage for dinner, having a conference call about the next edition of the text book (the new edition just came out in February!), decorating for EAster, that's about it.

Sylvia; so glad to hear you are better but please take care of yourself!!!!! In honor of your recovery, I am posting a joke for you:

What did the ocean say to the beach?
Nothing, it just waved.

*groan*

OK take care all of you, welcome to the newbies, healing prayers to those who need them, and high fives all around! Meg from Omaha

Happy Sunday ! ! !

Joyce - Thanks for the Texas Roadhouse suggestion of leaving off the cheese, bacon, and croutons. I will try that next time, because I always enjoy a good salad.
-
On the "sleep times" conversation: I can rarely stay up at night past 8-9:00pm. During the work week, and when DS has bowling on Saturdays Sundays, I get up at either 4am or 5am. This is so I can have an hour to myself for computer time, coffee, and watching the Morning News. DH leaves for work at 4:15am, and DS likes to be at school around 6:30am to lift weights. This works well for our family. We mostly get around 8 hours of sleep per night. My rheumatologist switched me from Ambian to a low dose of amatryptaline, so I usually sleep through the night again *except for the occasion bathroom trip or hot flash).

Today we took DS and a friend bowling, so DH could do some coaching. This other boy is entering the State tournament with a 145 average, and was able to stay around 170 with help from DH, so he's pretty happy right now. Then DH gave me a few coaching terms, since he will be about 3 hours away at a different tournament while the boys bowl. I don't think the State level has a "10 pin rule", so DS should be entering with his 165 average from last year, and this year he is closer to 189, so we have high hopes for him again, too. He averaged 213 at Milwaukee City Tournament, so that gave him 9th place for Team, 2nd place for Singles, 1st place for Doubles, and 2nd place for All Events. Huge accomplishment for him. Now, to find time to bowl a few times per month around his Track & Field and baseball schedules so he stays prepared for Junior Gold in Chicago this July (not sure how to make that happen, but we'll definitely try).

DD texted today. I feel honored that she seeks my advice on communicating with her patients at work. It usually comes down to "listen with your heart". She is such a sensitive soul, I hope she finally found her calling.

Better start getting my fruits and vegetables ready for the week.

Hugs (and prayers) to Everyone ! ! !

Terri in Milwaukee

Today's joke of the day:



A Spanish teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.

"House" for instance, is feminine: "la casa."
"Pencil," however, is masculine: "el lapiz."

A student asked, "What gender is 'computer'?"

Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether "computer" should be a masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.

The men's group decided that "computer" should definitely be of the feminine gender ("la computadora") because:
1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic.
2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else.
3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.

(THIS GETS BETTER!)
The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be masculine ("el computador") because:
1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on.
2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves.
3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time, they ARE the problem; and
4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

The women won.

stats for the day:
jog- 44.30min, 6.6-8.0speed, 8.54ap, 5mi = 445cal
rope pull- 15min, 96feetpermin, lvl7, midset, 1527feet = 120cal
other- single leg balances- 10min, 5sets ea leg = 88cal
other- stretch- 5 min, = 22cal
total cal = 675

Did an hour of balance games on the Wii today. Tomorrow's plan is to do some yoga, hold my plank, then take the extremepump class.

Made some parmesan catfish to have later in the week.

Sylvia - hope it's nothing serious and that you'll be right back with us. Great joke!

Mary from MN- really, the only exercise I do on the Wii is some balance games and some training games. But it's something a bit different and that's something I'm always looking for.

Joyce - I think everyone can figure out the meaning to my user name!

Liz - welcome! I take it you're from California? Where?

Carol in GA - I like to log mainly to see where the bulk of my calories are coming from. I really want to try having a larger meal in the afternoon and maybe just a bowl of cereal at night. Trying to figure out how to work this around dh since he likes a big meal at dinnertime. Supposedly I should be at 116lbs. Never gonna happen, not in this lifetime anyway. What are your interests?

katla - I too am sorry that you're leaving without seeing the grands. I honestly probably would have bought one of those masks, and seen them. Update: so glad you're going o see them!

Lillian - so sorry about your friend

Heather (and anyone else this applies to) - happy mothers day

Carol in GA - I find that the chocolate bran muffins fill me up, mainly because I usually drink about 24oz with one. Same thing for air popped popcorn. Lots of times I find that sharp cheddar cheese fills me up. Not the low fat type, the full fat. I just have a smaller amount of it.

Toni - I think a lot of the YMCA caring for its members depends on the CEO. I know that our YMCA doesn't really care about the members, the focus is more on getting new members and the Children's Fund. Another one of their focuses is on young members. But who has the disposable income? Certainly not the 20 and 30-somethings who are paying off mortgages and paying for college (for themselves or for their children). The one thing that I like about them is the fact that if you are a member of one YMCA and you go traveling, you can use most YMCA facilities away from home on their AWAY (always welcome at the Y) program. I don't really understand it, but I'd have to pay a $5 fee to use the one in Reston. Yet, I can use the one in FL for something like 5 times.

Just made a crockpot hot fudge sundae cake. It came out pretty good. Next time I won't use as much water and see how it goes.

Sylvia - cute joke. I especially liked the women's last reason for a computer to be male. Sadly, too true

Michele in NC

Good evening! Got up to 65 today!! Watching (well, listening to) a PBS program on Broadway musicals featured on Ed Sullivan; doing West Side Story right now. I remember my aunt who died when was 15 loved South Pacific so I introduced it early on to my DD; my aunt would have loved hearing her belting out "Bloody Mary" at four!!! LOL!

Had a busy and rather productive day.......dog had a long walk, I cleaned out a closet, picked up a bit around the house, weeded......oh, those daffys are sooooo close, made Paula Deens goulash for dinner. I made Irish Soda Buns (I think they are really scones!) and sent some with a card along with DD when she went to friends barn to work this afternoon as my friend had a long thyroid surg. last week.

Convinced DD to cut my hair yesterday by telling her that her cutting it would equal two lunches out........it's just a straight line, nothing difficult and she does it well.

Sleep times.......I go to bed from 10:30 to 1am.......get up 5am to 7am. 6 to 7 hrs. is my norm but I'm not above an occ. short nap in the afternoon.

Sassy.......I did copy your brownie recipe and hope to make them soon.

Meg........Great to see you, funny joke!

Best to everyone; a new week (except for Lesley, she beats us every time!).......you all enter my thoughts more than you will ever know!
yanniejannie
mid-Atlantic

Hello everyone! I'm just about to go to bed and thought I'd check in. Things went great with the kids this afternoon. We went bowling. They bowled and my son and I watched. Then I brought them home to play outside for a while. All the way home they were arguing about who would get to play with grandpa. (It was so cute.). I said, maybe grandpa won't want to play with anybody, and the little guy said, "oh, grandma, that's funny!" So, they played hide and seek with grandpa, climbed trees and rode bikes. Well, not all of them climbed trees. Only the middle DGD could do it, and she didn't go very high. Hubby was worried and came in to ask if I thought it was ok for her to climb the tree, and I went to look. She was sitting on the very lowest branch of the big sweet gum tree, which was about 3 feet off the ground. I thought that was funny. When I was her age I used to climb really high up in the old mulberry tree and hang upside down by my knees eating mulberries.

Then we went to supper. By then we were pooped, but the kids were still hyper, so my son was taking them to a friends house to play. My tummy seemed to do a lot better today. I think it works best to have several tiny meals (more like snacks) than one bigger meal. Soft and bland. That's my new diet.

There is a really bad smell in our great room, and I cannot find where it's coming from. It smells like something is dead or rotten, and it's strongest near my recliner. Of course, hubby can't smell it at all, but he tried to help me find it anyway. I'm worried one of the dogs brought something inside, but we sure can't find it. There isn't really anyplace it could be hiding. We looked under the furniture. Oh well. Maybe it will pass.

Tomorrow the new dishwasher arrives! Yippee! I can't wait to give it a try.

Good night ladies! Sleep well!

Sylvia

DamitJanit wrote: »

Call me crazy but I love to see other people happy and succeeding.


Thought for the day: You can’t expect to look like a million bucks if you keep eating from the dollar menu.


Janet
Myrtle Beach, SC

LOVE this! "Million bucks" and dollar menu. I've rarely eaten fast food per se in my life - my preferred fast food used to be anything that comes in a bakery box. Those days ended...quite recently...

Sylvia: We don't use Skype any more because we all have iphones and can “facetime.” It is not as good as a real visit, and I pushed the issue so we’re here in CO, visiting the kids. I am now totally tired after a LONG day of driving. Tomorrow we’ll get up and when we’re ready, will pick up DGD from the babysitter and do something fun. I don’t know what we’ll do yet. I still need to get another birthday gift and I’m looking for a Doc McStuffins doll. It seems fitting since they’re all just getting over an illness. On another topic, if Spot ever manages to catch a full grown, healthy Canadian Goose, he will be the one who is in mortal danger. They are big and strong. His only chance would be to catch it sleeping. I love today’s joke about computer gender. Still smiling and DH laughed out loud. He thinks the men’s group made some good points. On another topic, if the bad smell by the recliner is not in the carpet, you might check below the floor and also the recliner itself.

Heather: Hearing your story of long ago remodeling reminds me of our previous house. We captured space in an unfloored area under the roof to use as a room and needed to build a staircase up to the newly made room. The whole project went on for about 7 years and DH finally hired someone to build the stairs. We sold that home to move to our current townhouse. The odd outfall is that DD has been remodeling her house for years and it is never done. She seems completely comfortable with chaos.

Barbie: I also make digital recordings of shows on TV so that I can watch them when I want, and even watch the better ones many times. I’m happy that you heard from your oldest stepdaughter from your first marriage after all this time. I hope you’ll be able to have a good visit.

Meg: I love the joke! I read it to DH and he gave a very satisfying groan.

Terri: I love hearing about your son’s sports, especially bowling. My mom loved to bowl. The closest I get these days is wii bowling, which is fun. DH’s various health conditions don’t allow real bowling anymore and I was never any good at it.

Lesley: I’m glad you had a nice day and a good chance to remember good times with Mildred.

Yanniejannie: I’ve found I need a good night’s sleep in order to function well the next day. I try for 7.5 to 8.5 hours. When I get enough sleep, the whole next day is better.



We made it to CO, we checked into the hotel where I left DH to have a good rest, and then I went to get a kitten with DD. It is a birthday present for DGD. It is a cute kitten and was away from mama for the first time. He was pretty anxious until I tuned in a classical radio station. He relaxed and listened to the music. At DD’s house he ran and hid.


Katla in Beautiful NW Oregon


“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Thomas A. Edison


March Goals:
1. Log every bite and swallow.
2. Cardio exercise at least 3 days a week.
3. Have fun every day.
4. Drink at least three glasses of water daily, preferably more!
5. Eliminate alcohol.
6. Monitor sleep.

Plodding along again to catch up….
Lesley – just read about your dream, with Mildred jumping into a gorge… I don’t know what to believe about dreams but this one seems like it is a way to be told that she is ok and cares about you being ok.

Yanniejannie, and Vicki – sending you (((((((((hugs)))))))))))) gun violence is just so scary and prevalent.

Sassy – thanks for the brownie recipe…. And for “cooked grapes” !!! perfect

I just read my post from 2 days ago…I am catching up!!! Yeah!!!

Lin – do you think you might be putting your fitbit into sleep mode?

Carolyn – welcome, just start by visiting us and logging the food you eat….

Katla – I hope the rest of your vacation is good…

Beth – what a great NSV that your family likes your healthy cooking!

Heather – I am so glad you are making contact with those you “should” and the dinner party sounded great – salmon wheels—yummy

Jane – glad DD surgery went well and on a new place!

Sylvia – hope all is well, Loved the nasa joke

Liz- CArower – are you another CA gal? I am from Northern CA

Ok my yesterday post!!! I am making it – I will catch up tonight…

Carol – in GA ---- could you be dealing with a bit of depression, sometimes that makes it hard to get started.

Heather – Mother’s day? Over here mother’s day is in May… on a Sunday…

I did it!!!! I caught up !!!

This is a bit weird, but I am a bit anxious about tomorrow… I have a doctor’s appointment in the morning; I got heath insurance via Obama Care (the only way I could afford it) – I got Kaiser, which is a system that has the doctors and hospitals and everything connected. This is the first time I have been to a doctor since 2006 – I am not worried about anything specific, it is just a new experience and I am not real comfortable with it. I have never had a physical in my whole life, and only have gone to the dr. when injured or sick; but need to get a mammogram and a pap and need to have a primary care first – so tomorrow is primary and then next week is pap and mammogram…

Well catching up took 4 hours, so now it is bed time.

March goals:
Walk every day
Log all bites everyday
Eat slower
Plan and do a fun thing every week

Kim from N. California

nother night of fitful sleep. So ate a big ol stack of silver dollar sized pancakes made with fresh whole blueberries. Slept like a baby for the next 4 hours 9am -1pm. I really needed that carb crash! I felt so good when I woke again. Drank a cuppa on the balcony. The Sun was shining, with the southern exposure it felt to be about 65. It was glorious, read a little, watched the children play in the park. A lovely hour spent. :flower:

Alex went down for a Sunday afternoon nap. While he was sleeping I opened the balcony door & got on the bike and rode. It felt so good to move again.

As good as those pancakes were I needed something healthy with sustenance. So whipped up a chicken stew, doubled the carrots and onions, adding steamed broccoli to my bowl. Tossed it all on top of some left over wild rice we had a few nights back. My taste buds are still out of whack so I had to add some hot garlicky sauce as well. Though truth be told, I think the best thing I had to eat today was my mock apple crisp. Warm and yummy on the tummy. I dice up an apple, add 10 grams of sultana's ( golden raisins ), 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, 1/4 tsp of nutmeg, and a tsp of ground pecans. Top it with 180g low fat vanilla yogurt and microwave for a minute 30. Depending on the size of your apple that yummy comes out to between 150-190 calories. Sometimes I really need comfort foods that are actually comforting.

Though chalk me up as an early riser. I wake daily between 3:30 - 4:30 am. For all the very same reasons as Barbie. I love hitting the streets and paths before the rest of the world wakes. As she said it's meditative, reflective, a wonderful time to inventory my life. Plus it sets me up for a great day as well. The running funny between family and friends regarding this is, That it's my job to wake the Sun each day.

I think I have rambled enough.


Sincerely,
Sassy aus Austria
• If you want it, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse.

• Being Fat is Hard.
Losing Weight is Hard.
Maintenance is Hard.

Choose Your Hard.