Fighting the Dark Cloud of pudge!!

OK, is it TOM or is it not?  This peri - menopausal thing is such a pain.  Not sure what is going on with my body so how can I figure out my waitte?!!

Stayed the same today.  I have been using slimfast for breakfast and lunch and then anything I want for dinner.  Lost 1 so far.  But I am impatient and want to lose more!!!  Seems patience was never my virtue!

Painted the front hall - second coat this morning.  Am off to run Mary Kay errands this afternoon.  Hard to believe I am back to work a week today.  OY!!  I am not ready!!

Oh and so far 37 spams today!

Is anyone else being bombarded with wordpress spam??  Seems I get 40 or so a day!

But onto other things.  My rant of the day is “Give up skim milk”!  I believe that all these low fat products are taking the sheer enjoyment of food away from us and the constant search for fulfillment is making us eat more.  Anyone have any ideas on this one??

Other than that, I painted my front hall finally.  Ok, I was waiting until the sofabed arrived figuring that the delivery guys would bang the walls.   So I did coat one today.  Tomorrow’s excitement?? Coat 2!  And then I move onto the floor boards.  Is there anything or anyone who can beat that for excitement??

This month’s challenge is to put MK on 30 faces.  Cheer me on!

Live the dream!

We all face challenges. How is it that some of us eat our way through them and others do not?  In my case, I am so overloaded that I am eating on the run and fast items are full of calories.

It seems the more successful I am at work, the less time I have to organize my eating and the less likely I am to find time to exercise.  I know, put it in my agenda book. Treat it like an appointment!  Well, between moving (we are STILL unpacking),  the wedding, Mom’s illness and teaching it seems the summer has got away from me.  AND I go back to work on Aug 13!  Where did my summer holiday go????

I want to thank everyone who has commented on my blog over the past few days.  Although I must admit I was overrun by SPAM so I just did a group spam and deleted 55 postings.  I hope none of them were from “real” people.  They all seemed to be from one source.

Bree (the wonder dog) will never go on the long 5km walks he went on with the dog walker again, but he is recovering otherwise.  Walking is just a bit difficult for him.  Running after squirrels, however, is always possible!  Since we moved and his “grandmothers” are not around as often to give him treats, he has lost 4 pounds!  That is more than I have lost!

Mom is home and recovering.  She will also never be able to walk 5km however she didn’t do that before hand either.  Her breathing is laboured at times but she is managing.  I go over and make dinner for her most nights, and then come home and make dinner for the DH and me.  He gets home around 6:30 and she likes to eat at 5pm.

I just wanted to check in to let you know I am no further ahead on my journey, after a year of blogging.

G’nite

Happy to report that the pup is doing well.  Turns out it was an under the skin cyst.  Still cost a small fortune but at least it wasn’t life threatening.  Speaking of life threatening, Mom is coming home from the hospital tomorrow.  She has severe COPD.  Although one day I was told she would be on oxygen forever and the next day she was walking down the hall, with a walker but no oxygen.  I was told “she recovered more than we thought!”.  Reminds me of the song…”what a difference a day makes..24 little hours..”.  Who am I to complain?!!  I took the opportunity to toss all her cigarettes and lighters while she was away.  So, if you heard a scream in your neighbourhood - it was coming from Toronto!!

DH started his new job.  Seems to like it and seems to be adjusting to life in Canada.  I attended some of the annual Mary Kay convention. I really do want to try to make this thing work for me, so if you know anyone in the Toronto area who might like to try it, let me know.  Or anyone in Canada who wants to buy products.

I appreciate all of the support you have given me over this period.

Diette wise, I am pretty well stable at 198 or the infamous 197.5.  I need to unpack more to locate my Reno Tosca book on Eating Clean.  DH and I are taking turns  cooking dinner.  We both have diet restrictions so cooking is a challenge for us.  We both can cook but modifying our recipes to suit the other one’s needs is a challenge.  Still, I seem to live for challenges!

Hope you are all doing well.

I find I always gain weight when I come to CT.  No idea why that is.  Perhaps I just have less control over what I eat - or am trying more new things.

I actually miss exercise.  With the move, the wedding et all I have had no time to work out, and I miss it!  When I get back to Toronto on Friday I will be contending with my Mom- who is not well, and my poor dog will be Elizabethan collared on Monday as he has to have a mysterious lump (let us all pray it is a calcium deposit) on his hind leg.  The poor pup has had a terrible dermatitis on his front paw which caused us to discover that his paws fold over (like a sharpei’s skin).  Ulcers developed in the fold making it very painful for him to walk. No wonder the guy dawdles along.  Although re constructive paw surgery  is an option, the vet favours cleaning out the folds daily.  He is at the kennels right now so they are merely making sure his paw pads are clean.

Such has been my life.  DH starts his new job on July 21.  Many changes.

Have missed you all!

OK, I am married, somewhat destressed and ready to play again!

Waitte, is about the same 197.5 forever haunting me.  Wedding went well - except the chocolate fountain never showed up.  C’est la vie. Hotel did not charge us, obviously, have upgraded our first year anniversary room and thrown in the breakfast buffet.  Added bonus, they forgot the bar wasn’t included so we weren’t charged for it.  I did ask about the bar, but they said there was no charge.  After that, I didn’t want to open a pandora’s box as obviously no one  took sotck of how much was drank.  God was smiling on our nuptials, obviously!

The pool in my new condo building looks worthy of a go.  Once we are back from CT I will attempt to use it.

Hope you are all well

Shari

Just a quick note to thank everyone for your concern and support.  DH FINALLY moves up here tomorrow.  He is 1 hour from the border staying in a hotel so that he can cross first thing in the morning.  Meanwhile I have been painting (never did that before), cleaning (try to deny that I know how!) and attempting to get the condo we leased ready.  University students (male)had it before us so you can well imagine the state.  (How did they get taco sauce there??!!)

Waittee has been going up not down.  Slight shame but the dress will still fit as the gains have not been huge.

Sadly one of the students at my school was shot.  Did I mention that in a blog already?  He is still alive, but has had two organs removed - one being his bladder.  He was shot in the chest twice.  The truly sad thing is that he was just going home from school.  No motive.  Not known to police.  Just a victim of living in a bad part of town.  He would have been graduating next week.  So very sad.

Other than up to my eyeballs in boxes, nothing new here.

Will write when I finally get settled.  I miss you all!

Cheers!

Greetings. It seems like a dog’s age since I last blogged.  Sorry…  TJ, Congrats on the new university.  What’s up with your MBA?

Since I last wrote, I have been really busy getting the condo we rented painted etc before my furniture moves in June 14 and DH moves up here June 19.  Add to that the fact I have to pack up at school as well as I have to move my stuff in the next few weeks for next year.

Had a bridal shower today.  My Maid of Honour and a friend arranged it.  It was a lot of fun (no party games though I put my foot down) and I got some great gifts.

Waitte is revisiting.  I am hoping all the painting will make it go away again!  My sister-in-law passed away just over a week ago.  She is the one who was in 4th stage colon cancer.  All very sad.  Seems she knew a lot about me (we had only met three times) and spoke highly of me to her friends.  It makes me feel that I missed out on a great sister-in-law and a good friend.

Other than that, I have nothing exciting to tell you all.  Thanks for all of the good wishes about my award.

Rock on!

Hey everyone!  I won an award!  Ok, I am not the only one to win it, but still… I am one of the recipients of the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence for 2007 - 2008!  My school gets $1000 and I get a letter from the PM and a pin.  OK, $1000 for me would have been nice, but you can’t have everything!

Visited my new school for next year.  Seems like a good place.  I like the Principal - eventhough she won’t be on site.  I knew the person I am replacing by face if not name.  It is a tiny school but a nice situation for me as I will be running the school for the most part.

Started packing for the move.  How can I have so many boxes and seem like I have not touched anything??!!  As I do not have to close up this place to move there I have decided to use the strategy of only packing up the furniture I am taking right now and THEN getting the rest of the stuff.  I am looking at moving furniture on June 14 as I hope to have finished painting by then.

Just finished inputting report cards for the online course I teach.  I have to finish marking essays for the night school real life course I teach.  (They have asked me back for the fall, and I said I would be interested, but somehow I hope I win the lottery or something before then.  What can I say?  I need the money but it is soooo exhausting!! Still it is nice to be asked!)

Booked the hotel for our honeymoon.  We are only going for  days - how much excitement is there in Ottawa?!!  Still DH has not seen it and it is a pretty city.

What else can I tell you?  Home Depot did come through.  Nothing like a threatening letter. So all was more or less finished before my Mom’s party on the Sat night.  We then spent a week eating the left overs - order for 140 even if you only invite 40!  she kept forgetting what she ordered and kept buying and buying.  OY!

Haven’t done a lot of weight lifting but have done some.  I develop muscle fast so I don’t have to do as much as most people to get some definition.  Now to remove the layer OVER the definition!

Actually, I was considering my dog and his diette.  He is a chunky guy but not obese.  As those of you have been reading, he has a thyroid issue, and large ribs (he gets those from me) so he will never look slim.  And I thought, the poor guy has been on diette food almost all of his life. (just like me! ) I alternate between senior food and regular food now can for can.  He is happy.  He is pretty healthy, so why get all worked up about it?  I think happy and healthy is all anyone really strives for.  Then I thought, if I want that for him, why aren’t I satisfied with being happy and healthy?  I certainly have a better outlook than many of those superslim women.  My health is better than the starving models.  So what am I doing being a slave to a number??

When I was at WW and went down to 170, I was asked if I had set my goal as I must be close - by the leader.      When I pointed out I had 40 more to go according to their charts, it made me wonder.

Ok, enough depth for one posting.  Wedding plans are going well, thanks JJ.  Now if only I can remember who got post dated cheques!!  I have to go over my contracts again!

Cheers, everyone!

Greetings. Sorry I have neglected you AGAIN!  Still really busy with the wedding plans AND my blood pressure is getting high again. So, I ventured down to the gym and worked out.  Was reading Oxygen magazine and saw an article where it stated it is better to lift weights before doing cardio as you burn fat lifting the weights (or something like that) so the cardio is forced to go into your reserves.  Not sure how much weight lifting you have to do, but I always liked weight lifting as I immediately felt tighter. Did weights for two days and I think my waist is coming back!

Hope you are all enjoying the weather.  No snow here but a lot of rain this week.

Cheers!