WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR MARCH 2023

1948CWB · March 2023

Heather ~ Your window paintings are looking better and better each time. Keep up the good work. You are so lucky that your DH loves vegetables. So many of us have husband's that would not mind ever seeing a green vegetable.

Debbie ~ Prayers for Destiny. She has been going through so much. Your shopping trips to earn extra money sound great!

My DH is finally feeling better this morning after getting a good nights sleep. He was really cranky yesterday and so was I! LOL

Carol in GA

Machka9 · March 2023

Veggies ... my husband and I both enjoy Veggies. 😀

Dinner tonight was mostly a large lettuce, tomato and cucumber salad. Yummy!

But we did go to a chocolate factory for brunch and had Belgian waffles topped with chocolate. Mmmmmmmm!!

M in Oz

Katla49 · March 2023

I just finished breakfast, and it tasted wonderful. Unfortunately, the food was to rich for my system. Lesson learned. 😳

exermom · March 2023

Did a Body by Bethany DVD (yoga) and then walked to the store to take recyclable plastic bags. Again, I should have learned my lesson last week and left earlier. Oh well… The plan for tomorrow is to do an HIIT DVD.

Carol – “husbands who wouldn’t mind never seeing a green vegetable”, are you sure you aren’t a fly on my wall???? Glad your dh is feeling better

I think I’ll go in the pool for a little bit just to cool off from the walk

Michele in sunny/cloudy FL

1948CWB · March 2023

Machka ~ I like vegetable a lot but my DH only puts a dab on his plate every evening. He will eat salads!

Katla49 ~ So glad to see you and Schooner! Pip is an amazing help!

Carol in GA

minicooper452 · March 2023

Welcome newbies and returnees! (((hugs))) to those who need them.

Thanks for the mom update, Kim. Hope rehab goes well.

I agree it's not a contest, Rebecca, but you deserve support too. Perhaps you could have worded your response a little better, but it's still the same response. You haven't heard from your sailor in three years. Some of them just don't stay in touch and as military "moms" we have to get used to that or we'll lose our minds (and hearts). Sorry they don't get that. I guess I'm one of the tough-love kinda MoMs. But I always preface with that too.

I'm really happy for you Flea, but be careful too. We thought we were set with the money Freddy's parents left us until the economy tanked in the last two years and everything we'd saved and they'd saved got cut in half even with everything we've done to diversify! Very scary for us.

I know Beth... I'm so tired of it!

HAHAHA! Lisa, I love using Corey napping as your excuse not to vacuum. Fortunately, I have a bad back and actually have a valid, doctor's excuse. I have used the vacuum... let's see, maybe five times in the last oh, ten years. I have a cleaning lady (my bestie) and Freddy vacuums if we need it in between. hehehe... My ortho told me, and wrote it down, that vacuuming was one of the worst things you could do if you had back issues. So, I don't unless absolutely necessary.

Heather, I can just see you now as Mrs Bond! Shaken, not stirred. We need pictures of that!

Prayers for Destiny

I love that attitude, Barbie! And the quote... I'm keeping that around.

Hey Michele, 2 laps is 2 more than 0 and it is a miracle! Good for you and good for him and maybe tomorrow it will be 3.

YAY nanerkay! That must feel so wonderful.

I know that darned CV is not going to end, Machka. Just wishful thinking. It's never going to end now that it's here.

5. Bring to mind people you care about and send love to them... easier done than said, my mom, kids, grands, sending cards out today for this week's birthdays
Love and Blessings, Carla, in MN

Anniesquats100 · March 2023

Good morning ladies!

Heather your painting is lovely!

I eat my spinach daily in my smoothie, because I'm not a big fan of veggies. My diet would be better if I swapped the chocolate for broccoli but I wouldn't be happier.

I started moving things in the basement. I have an old computer that has the bulk of my photos on it. I ought to do something with that. At the moment it is a spider village.

There is also something black and crumbly that falls from the unfinished ceiling. I suppose it's not hurting anything though.

I've been up and down the stairs a couple of times, so now I'm resting my knee. Trying not to get hurt in this adventure.

Annie in Delaware

kymarai · March 2023

grandmallie · March 2023

Machka- im going to try a few nights without it to see how I do.. your probably right..

Little boy has a new helper to help mommy in the kitchen .. as you can see it works and the last picture he is enjoying a pancake..
Carmine went to his session yesterday, the therapist said if he was suicidal it would be weekly but he is not.. after the session the family went to a ramen restaurant which I thought was nice.

pipcd34 · March 2023

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SophieRosieMom · March 2023

Good morning peeps!

Annie - Congrats on getting the dumbbell routed started! When I began the Strong Women Stay Young (SWSY) program, I initially used the 2" wrist weights as ankle weights for the first week (3 days). I see Amazon has ankle weights that can be adjusted by removing or replacing 1# individual weights I only did the SWSY program three days per week as suggested in the book to give the muscles time to recover. So perhaps you could do something else on the days you aren't doing the SWSY if you want to go that route? Just an idea. You'll figure out something that works.

Michele - Wow, first Debbie's DH walking with her and now Vince! I used to love walking with DH not only for the exercise, but to be away from the TV and other distractions.

Heather - so neat to see your painting, thank you for sharing. Edie's cartoon with your DH in it is priceless. Kids catch on to this stuff so quickly! Glad you are feeling better.

Terri - I keep forgetting to say how beautiful your recent painting was. You have so many talents - painting, poetry, and that craft using - what was it - parchment? If you get a chance I'd love to see some of that work again.

More on Melatonin - I'll put it in a spoiler, feel free to skip. Don't want to beat this horse to death, lol.

If anyone hasn't slogged all the way through the article and wants to know more, at about the 2/3 mark, right before the References section, there is a lot of info about getting melatonin naturally w/o supplements (lots of sunlight, for example), making sure to have enough tryptophan in your diet, exercise, intermittent fasting, meditation, lowering BMI are only a few examples.

I'm wondering if that might impact how much melatonin supplement a person needs to take for a sleep aid. There are a lot of reasons that a person might lose sleep due to stress, worry, excitement, eating too much too late in the day, needing breathing assistance such as a CPAP, etc. that melatonin can't overcome. And, we are all different.

There are variables we might not be aware of which impact the amount of supplement we need to take to help with sleep. Anecdotally, some folks might do fine with 1 mg or less and some might need 10 mg. Just sayin'.

But if I had a major sleep problem and was really interested in using melatonin to help, I'd try to find a functional medicine doc or a naturopath who is more familiar with these studies.

Also, I just read at another source the suggested dosage of melatonin to keep the immune system tuned up to ward off bugs was 6 mg, with increase up to 10 if actively fighting something. New research keeps coming in and it's hard to keep on top of it all.

It's 30 degrees out, sun is burning through the clouds. I want to get a good walk in this morning, so hoping in an hour any remnants of ice on the pavement will be gone. Get some of that good sunlight!

Make it a wonderful Sunday!

Lanette

SW WA State

exermom · March 2023

Went down to the pool to cool off. I could have sworn Vince said we needed to leave about 12-12:30. Now I find out that we really don’t need to leave until 12:30-12:45. Oh well….that’ll give me some time to work on Jess’ xstitch

michele off and running – again

kevrit · March 2023

I’ve been working on my mental health and physical health this year. I find these lists and keeping track daily of my goals helps me focus on good things rather than the stuff that contributes to my stress, anxiety, and depression. It is working so far, so please forgive me and skip the stuff in these daily spoilers. They are for me mostly but I hope some of you enjoy them.

Thanks for being here for me all these years! This is the only place I can really be myself and not be judged! (Besides my awesome therapist!)

RVRita

March, 2023 Action for happiness.org

Word of the year: Appreciate : today I appreciate my long distance friends.

Exercise goals added
Yoga 10 mins 3 times a week 2/15-(100%,100%)
Walk 7,000 every day 2/31– (84%,86%,)
Arm weights twice a week 2/10 (100%, 60%hurt my elbow,)
Meditation: daily. 3/31 (82%(started Feb))

1. cut back drinking and limit to 2 days a week. 3/8–(100%,100%)
2. Average 7,000 steps a week. (7,700,100%-9851,100%
3. Update budget every 2 weeks 0/2 —(100%,100%)
4. Contact close family every week (4x) 5/16 —(100%,100%)
5. Contact Donat and sibs once a month (8x)24/64–(100%,100%)
6. Weigh less last day of month compared to first until I reach 140. Start at 178.6,176,174.2—(100%,100%)
7. Develop a journaling practice by aiming to journal at least 5 days a week. 3/20– -(100%,88%)
8. Read 12 books at least this year. 7/12 (100%,100%)
9. Pay off credit card debt by January 2024 by making monthly payments to NDR——3/12—(100%.100%,100%)
10. Continue building emergency fund at SLFCU (min$25 a month)$25+$25+$71 (100%,100%)
Decided that if I do more than stated I will not grade higher than 100% 2/5/23

January Met —100%
February met —-90%
March met met
April met
May met
June met
July met — met
August met
September met
October met —
November met—
December met—

1. Set an intention to live with awareness and kindness. I intend to live with more awareness and kindness every day.
2. Notice three things you find beautiful in the outside world. The blue water of Lea Lake, Snow on the mountains at a distance, walking a nature trail. All at Bottomless Lakes State Park.
3. Start today by appreciating your body and that you are alive. I am healthy and above ground. I can walk,talk,hear, see, taste, and smell (mostly). I appreciate that I alive and have a healthy body.

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4. Notice how you speak to yourself and choose to use kind words. I will try…
5. Bring to mind people you care about and send love to them. I sent texts to my long distance friends to send them love.

6. Have a ‘no plans’ day and notice how that feels.
7. Take three calm breaths at regular intervals during your day.
8. Eat mindfully. Appreciate the taste, texture and email of your food.
9. Take a full breath in and out before you reply to others.
10. Get outside and notice how the weather feels on your face.
11. Stay fully present while drinking your cup of tea or coffee.
12. Listen deeply to someone and really hear what they are saying.
13. Pause to watch the sky or clouds for a few minutes today.
14. Find ways to enjoy any chores or tasks that you do.
15. Stop. Breathe. Notice. Repeat regularly.
16. Get really absorbed with an interesting or creative activity.
17. Look around and spot three thing you find unusual or pleasant.
18. If you find yourself rushing, make an effort to slow down.
19. Appreciate nature around you wherever you are.
20. Focus on what makes you and others happy today.
21. Listen to a piece of music without doing anything else.
22. Notice something that is going well, even if today feels difficult.
23. Tune into your feelings, without judging or trying to change them.
24. Appreciate your hands and all the things they enable you to do.
25. Focus your attention on the good things you take for granted.
26. Choose too spend less times looking at screens today.
27. Cultivate a feeling of loving-kindness towards others today.
28. Notice when you are tired and take a break as soon as possible.
29. Choose a different route today and see what you notice.
30. Mentally scan your body and notice what you are feeling.
31. Discover the joy in the simple things of life.

Barbie's Happiness Commandments

Be Barbie
Lighten up
Do it now
Dance more
Choose strategy over willpower
Cultivate an attitude of gratitude
Come from a place of love
Stay in the moment
Act the way you want to feel
Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good
Don't expect praise or recognition
It is what it is
Don't take things personally
Treat yourself like a toddler
What's fun for other people may not be fun for you, and vice versa
You can choose what you do, but you can't choose what you like
Be kind, no exceptions
Ask always, how could my life be better with less?

RVRita in Sunny warm NM

dlfk202000 · March 2023

Carla- I rarely vacuum here but it is because dh is obsessed with doing it. He vacuums some part of the house a few times a day. He has three all lined up in the hall way. All battery ones so if one runs out of power, he grabs another one. Since he is spending so much time at his mom's I have noticed he wasn't vacuuming quite as much but still daily. He also keeps on in my bathroom(wet/dry vac) where the litter boxes are so he can vacuum any litter the cats kick out around the boxes onto the pads the boxes sit on.
That is the only chore he regularly does around here.
VERY rarely will he was dishes(did them once, and complained about it right after my surgery), can't even get him to rinse his dishes when he puts them in the sink. No laundry(again, once and complained after my surgery that he had to wash HIS clothes because he didn't have any clean underwear). Doesn't cook for the family(will make himself a sandwich but that is it).
BUT, he is doing all this at his mom's now. Not because he wants to though.

Melatonin- I used to take it but I hated the groggy feeling the next day from it. Even when taking half a pill plus always seemed to take a long time to start working- I wouldn't take it early enough because I felt so tired and thought I would have no problem sleeping.
I really like my biochemic phosphate but will need to try something else as they have discontinued it and the one that the company suggested I try was out of stock when I checked. I do have another one to try when I do run out. This one works so fast and no side effects in the morning.

Seeing all the snow in the Sierras is amazing. Seeing the snow in Tahoe City where former hubby lived when we were dating is crazy- over 500inches with a lot more storms coming in this coming week. One weather man suggested we will have rain until April around here. Hoping that means no drought and we can water our lawn and I can not worry about watering my garden.

Have a little computer work to get done before going to church. Stayed home last week with the flu so will be nice to go back. There are perks to watching online(can sit and drink my tea while I watch plus stay bundled up in my jacket/robe and slippers) but the music doesn't sound nearly as good as it does in church. Hopefully it doesn't run way over like it has been but if it does, that is ok. Wear my mask, just in case, most don't and many are against vaccinations. An hour isn't bad but when it runs an hour and a half, that gets a little harder. Thankfully I have the guard inside the mask that keeps it off my face a little. Does annoy my nose some- I think the nerves are growing back where they did the graft. It has been itchy/tickly the past few days. Skin still feels weird, like rubber. Hope that goes away sometime soon.

Debbie

kevrit · March 2023

barbiecat · March 2023

Annie, I have been thinking about your question of including the SWSY program with your existing dumbbell routine and here is my conclusion. The routine in the book is aimed at women who don't have an exercise program and are hesitant to start because they don't know what to do. If you see something in the SWSY that is absent in your current program, be sure to add it. Otherwise you have a good plan and don't need to fix it.

I have a very structured morning routine that includes dog walking, a healthy breakfast that is exactly the same every day so I don't waste time planning or preparing, writing in a gratitude journal, reading several things of a spiritual nature both on paper and on the computer. I get daily emails from several sources with wise, uplifting, useful messages that fit in with my spiritual path. After breakfast I walk with a friend who has a positive outlook on life similar to mine (someone called us Pollyanna and her cousin). When she goes home I walk by myself for another hour and listen to podcasts like "Ten Percent Happier", "The Happiness Lab", "Happier With Gretchen Rubin", "Feel Better, Live More", mixed in with food podcasts and cozy mysteries. My day has no choice but to be positive. I seek solutions to my problems when I have them and don't dwell on the negative. I meet with similar people on Zoom nearly every day.

Heather, Your paintings are amazing.

Jake has had chronic back problems for years and walking is hard for him. It is made worse by his heart and lung issues but last week he was inspired by an older friend to buy walking sticks and he has been practicing with the sticks in the house and on the sidewalk in front of the house to prepare himself to walk with the friend who inspired him to get the sticks. When he is ready, he will walk with his friend, not with me.

Jake is not a fan of vegetables, but he'll eat corn and cole slaw so I keep both of them stocked so he has a vegetable once or twice a day.

My Sunday morning walking friend can't walk this morning but we'll walk this afternoon. This would be a perfect time to vacuum but, as you can see, I'm avoiding it by doing something "important".

Barbie in NW WA

Anniesquats100 · March 2023

Thank you Barbie and Lanette. I think my main takeaway from SWSY is to get a set of ankle weights. I have been using two pound wrist weights on my ankles for leg lifts. When my knee is stronger and my front straight leg lifts are ready, I will advance to more ankle weight.

So my stationary bike should arrive Tuesday. I'm excited for that! I'm thinking I will start by using it for short warmups every day.

Thinking about Rita and Rebecca. Hope you can find your inner sunshine. I second what somebody (Barbie?) said about not giving up if the first therapist isn't a match.

Annie in Delaware where pollen season is coming early!

Whidislander · March 2023

grandmallie wrote: »

Morning ladies
Gee I have the melatonin gummies and went from 5 to 10 mg and still toss and turn..when I see the dr next im going to speak with her I think I might have psoriatic arthritis.. the more I read up on it the more it tends to look that was with constant hip and thigh pain when im trying to sleep amd my left hand the thumb gives me a whole bunch of trouble..
Doing Laundry for my son today.and he will take out my trash.

My doctor told me melatonin supplements stops your own body from producing its own melatonin. That you end up having to adjust the dosage because your body is reliant on it and will adapt to it so you need to take more. Well that's what she said anyways...🙄😁🤗💖
Rebecca
Whidbey
Wa

Whidislander · March 2023

You ladies are right, and I appreciate your thoughts on the matter.💖🤗. I have always strived to be "the voice of reason" in my Navy mommas group, because these new moms are quite knee jerk reactors! I have to be honest in that if I do post a post regarding the non communication from my youngest sailor, I will get 50+ ladies praying for me. Don't get me wrong, its sweet and comes from a good place, but saying a prayer and putting🙏🙏🙏 doesn't help me cope as much as actually texting sentences etc. They all say that he will come around, and you just have to have faith. Many hope that I hear from my son soon. To be blunt, if I haven't heard from him since June of 2020, then when does this "soon" business happen? Its not that I need to hear from him soon, but more "how can I cope with" the not hearing from him. That's what I need to accept. Its a grief, pure and official. So I need grief counseling.

I need to find my happy. Always counting my blessings though. There are many and that puts me in a good frame of mind. I also use a trick of the mind which is that all the grief I feel regarding him, well its just pure love. Grief turned over in my heart, and I ponder him, what he would be like at 24 yrs old, etc. It does help, but I need more coping mechanisms in my mommas bag of tricks.

Today I am fixing myself tacos. I will probably add some white beans, diced tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and black olives to the meat. Lee will have a taco or two as well. I will have to wait to add all that stuff until after he's eaten though. He would die a slow and agonizing death if his meat had beans, or onions, or mushrooms, or diced tomatoes..😂. He's a very simple tastes man!

I have my chocolate chips cookies in the freezer to harden, then I can put them in a bag. They are good, TOO good. I used my sisters recipe but without the orange rind. Then instead of 4 cups of oatmeal I just added 2. I added sweetened coconut, walnuts, and used sugar free semi sweet milk chocolate and white chocolate chips. They are so chewy and nice. But maybe one every so often is the ticket. Its easy to have 3 with a cup of coffee if they're on the counter! So in the freezer, I have to make a conscience decision to have one. I am less likely to grab a handful! Oh all the tricks I use to eat less. 🙃
Rebecca
Whidbey
Wa

lih2 · March 2023

good afternoon all,
just got back from a great snowshoe walk with my husband . -2 C here with sun and blue skies. 60 years young and getting back to logging after a too long absence. Need to get in shape for our fall biking trip ! Have a great sunday everyone.

WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR MARCH 2023

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