WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JUNE 2015

Happy Tuesday ! ! !

Nancy (Charm4u) - Nice resolve to play catch-up on your walking. I know you can do this! Just keep trying and do your best. // VERY nice job with the stressor at work. Sometimes people say they want help that they don’t really want, because they want to feel superior. I’m so happy for you that you did not allow him to make you feel inferior. That is a huge step. So proud of you!!! // I hate cleaning/organizing, too. When my RA isn’t too bad, I use TV show commercials to get stuff done. It really only takes 3 minutes to do several small projects. There is no way I would ever have the energy to clean for an hour, let alone an entire day. A Website called “flylady” mentions often to start by “shining your kitchen sink”, then wherever that project takes you stay focused for 15 minutes. I wish you luck on this project, too.

Meg, Nancy, et al – Hugs for your terrible marriages. I thought my first was terrible with his verbal abuse and drinking. And my current DH got “close” to infidelity, so our marriage is still a struggle, but he admitted that his mid-life crisis turned him into his Dad, and he does his best to treat me like a goddess now, because he is so sorry for how close he came to the big D, and knows how lucky he is that I am willing try to give him a second chance. I pray everyone gets the positive treatment that we deserve.

Becca (Annr) – nice NSV with the pizza and the chocolate chips, and turning to the keyboard instead of bad food in your time of need. I admire that.

Sylvia – congrats on finding the Library program for DGD ! It’s great when kids find free things and have fun at the same time.

Barbie – Beautiful scenery. Thanks for sharing.

Allison – Happy Birthday ! ! ! Hugs for your lab results, and for DH’s response. We all love you here, and I hope you find the support you need and deserve. Some men have no filter from brain to tongue. I will keep you in my prayers ! I truly believe that someone should have a “Husband Bootcamp” for most of them out there. I will sometimes even wear a flower or metal tiara around the house, just to remind everyone how I deserve to be treated. They get pretty embarrassed when I wear it to the grocery store or something, but there are plenty of women who walk past and high-five me on those outings. I hope you find your “inner goddess”, and accept another hug from me.

Joyce – I was unaware that being color blind restricts a person from becoming a pilot. I wonder what other careers are the same? My Dad and DS are both color blind. Dad was a successful car mechanic until he retired at 45, and got a part-time (37 hours per week) job as Service Manager for a car dealership. DS wants to be either a professional athlete or a coach.

Sharon – Hugs for your counseling. Congrats on taking care of yourself, both mentally and physically.

Lisa – wonderful planning for your “forever house”. I hope you can make it happen. Congrats on your healthy living plan, and the results. Happy for you ! ! !

Miriam - I agree that there is a difference between hoarding and being a pack rat. I am a pack rat. I can eventually throw away things, or store them in a safe location. I don't keep "garbage", but I do buy storage buckets and make piles (what I call organization). But a person can safely walk around in my house. Since I get the opposite of assistance from DS and DH, I can only do so much.

I drank at least 64 oz of water yesterday, ate fruit, vegetables, and hummus, and lost the 2 pounds of water from Sunday's popcorn. Yay! I now have renewed enthusiasm. I also got to work early today and rode the bike for 10 minutes. My elbow is having a little RA flare, but I think I can handle the handbike during lunch, because the Physical Therapist wants me to limit my time to 10 minutes regardless of flare. Then, if DH brings DS to lift weights, I will ride the bike again after work as long as they are here, and if they don't come I will ride for 10 minutes, then head home to make a healthy supper. DS eats almost anything I cook. DH won't touch anything healthy, so he'll be on his own again probably. "Not my monkey - not my problem". Well, he is my monkey, but I can't change that about him.

How we met story: I was freshly divorced, but that was a 2 year project, so I was already emotionally moving on. I was currently dating 2 men about 1 decade older than me, but just having fun letting them "wine and dine" me. My best friend said "Tanya's boss hasn't dated in awhile, so we want you to go on a blind date with him. You don't have to marry him or anything, just get him back into the dating market". She told me he owned Shorty's Cafe & Bar. I told her I had been forever kicked out of there while in College, and she told me Greg (3 years older than me) was a different owner, so no one would know. My Mom was going to be having knee surgery in less than 1 week, so we set up the date for that coming Thursday. I went to the place where he was playing on a dart league, then we met up with my friends for karaoke. I told him I would be back from caring for my Mom in 2-3 weeks, and would call him upon my return. Well, when I got home again, there were 10-20 messages from each of the first 2 men I had been dating, and only 1 from Greg. I told Greg about the other 2 men, and started whittling them out of my life. 3 weeks later he offered me a key to his apartment. 6 months later I accepted it, and introduced him to my daughter. 1 year after that I was pregnant, and overheard him whispering with my daugter making plans for a big romantic engagement event in Las Vegas (bowling tournament). I picked out my own ring, and we got married (just over 15 years ago now) in Las Vegas that year. His parents and my parents met us there. We then had a big casual reception at Shorty's a few months later.

Well, it looks like a few of you posted while I was busy at work, so sorry for not responding. I still haven't tried to play catch-up on this board, and still have work to do around here, so accept my apology, and my hugs !!!

Hugs for Everyone ! ! !

Terri in Milwaukee

Yannejannie: I still have nasty saddle sores, but they’re getting better. There is only one that is still actively painful. It was deep. I have another week off from riding because of the upcoming Fourth of July. My next lesson would be on the third, and people will be out there setting off firecrackers so we cancelled it. If we hadn’t done so, I would anyway to let my backside heal. :embarassed: :ohwell:

DeeDee: Twelve pounds seems like such a small number until it sits on your chest. :bigsmile:

Gayle in ID: Between us, DH and I have a wide variety of food allergies and I’m the worst. We decided early on that our strategy for losing weight needed to focus on portion control. I bought a food scale for a modest amount of money, and restaurant style “dishers” for a higher cost to help make measuring easier and accurate. I weighed or measured every bite and swallow while actively losing. Now I estimate portions and go back to measuring if I notice my weight begin to creep up. I also stopped adding spoons full of sugar to coffee and things like that. I switched to liquid stevia for sweetening my coffee and eliminated sugary soft drinks. I recently eliminated sugar free soft drinks because of the unhealthy chemicals they use as sweeteners. I now drink sparkling water with a little lime or plain tap water. :flowerforyou:

Margaret: I love the garden photos. Beautiful!

Pip: Your poem to Kirby brings tears to my eyes.

Kim: I think you’ll like the iphone. I had my first one for years and passed it to DD when I got my current model. I’ll keep this one for years, too. There is a newer one out, but I don’t care. This works very well for me. I won’t be buying lions or red paint any time soon, either. My biggest problem has been filling up the memory with tons of photos. I need to cull them out on a regular basis. I toss those I don't want to keep forever, and store the rest on my computer. :flowerforyou:

Heather: Sorry to hear about the sleepless night. :yawn: I hope that your luck with food cravings was excellent. Frozen raspberries are wonderful. Raspberries have always been my favorite.

Renny: Happy 64th! :flowerforyou:

Sue in WA: Good luck choosing a new medigap plan. There are lots of misunderstandings about the PNW climate, & this year is the driest I’ve ever seen. Summers are usually wonderful and the rainy season is wet. This year the rain didn’t fall as snow in the mountains and we had less precipitation in the valleys, too, so we are likely to have water shortages that impact farmers and everyone else.

Barbie: Beautiful photo. We’ve never taken our boat through Deception Pass. We usually take the Swinomish Channel because it is easier than catching the tides just right. I have doubts that we will ever do this again due to DH’s health issues. :ohwell:

Allison: I am so sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I hope that your physicians are able to provide a treatment plan that works. My birthday wish for you is that you find excellent medical help and a productive treatment plan. I also hope your DH gets a clue and treats you better. :flowerforyou:



I had to decline a trip to the gym with my neighbor this morning because I can’t even imagine getting on a spin bike at this point. Too sore!!! Those saddle sores have been much slower to heal than I ever imagined. Thursday is off the table too. One of my dearest friends lost her husband to a sudden heart attack and I will be attending his funeral along with two other longtime friends of hers. The last time we all got together she mentioned that he was having heart trouble. I didn’t imagine it would get so serious in such a short time.

June Goals:
1. Log every bite and swallow. Done, but not always measured portions.
2. Cardio exercise at least 3 days a week. Work on flexibility and back strength. Done.
3. Have fun every day. Done.
4. Drink at least three glasses of water daily, preferably more! Making it all the time since I eliminated cola & switched entirely to water and sparkling water.
5. Eliminate alcohol. 99% done
6. Monitor sleep. Try to average 7 or more hours of sleep nightly. Done! This has made a huge difference in my quality of thinking and alert mind.



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

July Goals:
1. Log every bite and swallow.
2. Cardio exercise at least 3 days a week. Work on flexibility and back strength.
3. Have fun every day.
4. Drink at least three glasses of water daily, preferably more!
5. Eliminate alcohol.
6. Monitor sleep. Try to average 7 or more hours of sleep nightly.

Nancy in FW, TX – Wishing you all the best with your weekend projects. Thanks for sharing. I feel better knowing I’m not the only one with piles of boxes.

I agree with you that relaxation time is important to recharge and prepare to face the next day’s work. Especially with a long commute adding to your day. What I am trying now during the week is spending 15 min each night doing something that deals with the clutter and 15 min on a house cleaning chore. I literally set a timer. Some nights I will spend an extra minute or 2 to finish a task like dusting the bookshelf I’m working on but I don’t do the rest of the shelves. I’ll pick those up the next day. Some week nights I don’t even spend the ½ hour doing anything because I’m just too tired and having energy to put into earning a living is a higher priority. Weekends it’s 2-3 hours for the clutter and 1-2 hours for cleaning. I am amazed at how much I have gotten done with that little time spent on my clutter project. I’m not saying you have to follow my example. Just letting you know what is working for me.

Becca by the Beach – Way to go by stopping at one piece of pizza. I find it very hard to stop at just one so I don’t have pizza very often. When I do, I bulk up my pizza by adding veggies on top of it or by also having a salad.

Happy Birthday, Allison!

Joyce, Indiana – That is an interesting clock. I know someone who would love it. I am in awe that you were able to find the page you saw it on.

Sharon in Alberta – No need for the question mark. You were definitely making good memories with your DGC. It’s the small fun things kids remember the best.

Allison – I am so sorry to hear your diagnosis. I have a friend who was able to do dialysis at home. If he was going to be at our home for several hours (or stay overnight) he brought the equipment with him. He lived that way for 6 or 7 years so it is hard, but can be done.

The best thing I can say about your husband is that he makes me go home at night and give my own a big kiss. Then I tell DH just how much I love him and appreciate having him in my life. Your husband may be going through a lot of stress right now, but so are you. He needs to think before he speaks.

My thanks to everyone who has mentioned their own personal struggle with clutter in one form or another. Thanks too for all the words of encouragement. You give me hope that I will complete this project.

Mia in MI

June goal - log food every day
Word of the month – persevere

Terri - terrific love story. I'm really enjoying everyone's "how we met" stories. Thanks for sharing.

Charm4u76132 wrote: »

Thanks for letting me share here. This is a big step! Hope you all will share your progress and successes here, too.

Congratulations, Nancy! That's wonderful progress! You've been through so much in the past and it has only made you a stronger woman today. How awesome!!!

Katla - Ouch on the saddle sores! ! ! ! ! ! :flowerforyou: Isn't it annoying when these crazy things pop up when we're trying to get fit! ! ! ! ! I'm with you on the fizzy water. I LOVE it! I sometimes have it with Angostora Bitters and then it tastes like a "drink"! I don't get this American thing with sweetners and creamers in their coffee. It is a very long time since I met anyone who sweetened their coffee or tea over here. We just have milk in it, mostly semi skimmed. When I was a child everyone had sugar in their tea.

Mia - good going on the 5 minute tidying. The other thing I follow is from the Happiness Project. "If it takes less than a minute do it now". That applies to putting things away, taking stuff upstairs, washing stuff up etc.

Janetr - hake is a fish. Very popular in Spain. I buy the frozen boneless fillets from a "man with a van". 1kg at a time. Nice thawed and baked for about 12 mins in foil. The sorrel I grow in the garden, but it is really a hedge row weed. :laugh: It is vitually indestructible! The young leaves melt in a saucepan and I just season them and stir in a blob of half fat creme fraiche. It has a sour, lemony taste that I love. My meals are often shuzzed up protein with lots of veg or some kind of stew (curry etc) I adore my food. I can eat up to 1800 calories with my exercise regime so I have quite a lot of leeway. What I don't eat is junk food, empty carbohydrates or sweet things. My weakness is cheese and a glass of alcohol. :embarassed: Today I am 11 calories over as it was a yoga day, therefore only 236 cals. :sad:

Love to all. Congrats to all you losers!

Heather UK

Ladies, thank you for the warm welcome. I love how all in this group seem to be such great friends, despite coming from all over the world. That's truly wonderful! And the support, encouragement, care and concern shown for each other is genuine, which drew me in in the first place.

Been trying to read back through posts this afternoon while having an unusual quiet moment here at work and wanted to wish Lori a Happy Belated Birthday and Renny a Happy Birthday! I hope your special days were fun-filled, glorious days! To everyone, I apologize if I miss something important or someone's special moment. Sometimes, I have just enough time to quickly read a couple pages of posts before I have to get back offline and take of duties around here.

And here's why my life is a crazy, chaotic, overloaded but happy 'mess': I went from being a SAHM to a full-time nanny. I raised my 6 lovely blessings and am now helping to raise the 4 sweetest but, at times, ornery daughters of a federal attorney and her computer programmer husband. The girls are 5, 3, and 1 1/2 year old twins. Mom and dad are climbing the corporate ladders of their jobs, so to speak, while I hold down the fort here at home (I am not a live-in nanny but have my own place about 10 minutes away). But I have to give them props because they are amazing parents who devote themselves fully to their daughters when they are home. I love and adore this family and they refer to me as the 3rd parent and family, although we are not related. I honestly feel like I am coming home to my 2nd home when I come to work in the mornings because they treated like a treasured family member. God has surely blessed me with these truly humble and loving people and I am so grateful for my job. It's fun to be experiencing "parenthood" a second time around with the benefits of being able to go home at the end of the day. lol

Anyway, just thought I would share that so you would know why my schedule is so busy and, at times, scattered. It definitely keeps me hopping! Gotta run! Time to pick the 5 year old up from summer preschool! Wishing you all a fabulous day!

Dana, Central Indiana

miriamwithcats wrote: »

Janet and Pip, so sorry you both went through all of that. It is so awful that someone who claimed to love us does those things. And abuse is a progression. It starts off with little digs, becomes more constant criticism, and then the physical starts with pushing and shoving. Usually. So by that time we are so totally brainwashed in to thinking it is our fault, and we can change ourselves to make things better. I don't know about you, but I gave up everything that made me me. It was so wonderful to get away. For the first year, my boys and I slept on the floor of a tiny apartment I found, in Iowa since he was in Idaho, and we had never been so happy! But I had to move almost all the way across the country to keep him from continued harassment. I am so glad that both of you have found love again.

Thanks Miriam, unfortunately abusive situations are almost common-place anymore. Its so sad. I actually was pretty much the bread winner in both of the first marriages. All the homes I've ever owned (4) were in my name only. So although I struggled to make ends meet at first, it was not really different than most people live today. It, however, did do an emotional number on me. Thinking I was too fat, ugly, whatever for anyone to love me. The whole nine yards. I went from being happy go lucky, life of the party to much more quiet and unsure of myself. My one sister has told me many times since I've been married to Jack to thank him for her as she thinks this is the happiest she has seen me in my adult life. I guess it comes from being content and knowing I'm loved no matter what. I think that is when I finally realized I wanted to lose weight for ME, not some one else, not some man, some husband. I am determined to keep the weight off that I lost.

Terri - Wow

Terri - what a great story and very well told! Have you ever thought of being a script writer? ! ! :flowerforyou:

Margaret - abuse comes in so many different forms. We need clear boundaries to know what is acceptable behaviour or not. Well done for drawing the line with your brother. :flowerforyou:

Confession time - I had a piece of cheese after I closed my diary. :embarassed: I went back on and logged it. My DH says he is going to buy a cheese safe. :laugh:

Love you loads. Heather UK