The Journey

Where did the weekend go???

2010-11-09T08:51:00.002-05:00

Here it is Tuesday already and my last post was Friday morning...WHERE DID THE WEEKEND GO????

Oh yes, it was devoured by kids, activity and finally a stomach bug (Thomas, not me). You see Friday was just as crazy as Thursday was but for different reasons. I spent most of the day trying to get my stuff together so it just had to be loaded into the car Saturday morning for a craft fair where I was going to have an Avon table set up. Then Friday night I took MJ to get his hair cut and get the last few items together that he needed for his RSP (National Guard training) weekend down on the Cape. Saturday found us all up waaaaayyy too early as Bethanie and Thomas had to be dropped off at the school for an 8 am bus trip to UMASS Amhearst for Band Day. I got dropped off in Shirley for the craft fair by 8:30 (Mike and MJ helped me set up my table) and I was there until 2 pm. By the time I got home I was exhausted (could be because I woke up at like 4:30 that morning), and I spent the rest of the day getting the menu for the week put together and then just snoozing on the the sofa...thank goodness for leftovers so I didn't have to cook that night. I went to bed early that night and didn't see Bethanie and Thomas when they got home but boy did Thomas make his presence known on Sunday morning. He woke up with a stomach bug and unfortunately did not make it to the bathroom in time. Lets just say he left his mark on the 3rd floor stairs, walls and door frame.

And yesterday, well I have no reason why I didn't post other than I just didn't think of it. As for this diet I am on, well that kinda went kaput as well over the weekend just because of the chaos of it all and not having a chance to get groceries. Here's to a new day and hopefully a better, more sane week.

Yesterday was crazy

2010-11-05T08:00:00.003-04:00

Good morning dear reader. Yesterday was just a totally chaotic day right out of the gate. Getting everyone up and out is usually a chore in itself but yesterday was particularly hectic. We had one of Bethanie's friends stopping by before 7 am (she lives just down the street) to ask if Bethanie could drop off her order form for a class ring because she was home sick, then having to make sure we had Bethanie's paperwork printed out so she could order her's as well. The usual running around in the morning: dropping Mike off at the station and Thomas off at school but ended up having to drop Bethanie off too. Then there was the drama of the morning, just as we were all heading out to the car Bethanie said something to Thomas and he was just seething, he was the last one dropped off but he did not say anything the entire ride.

Then there was Bible Study, the only sane part in a totally crazy day...Thank you Greta for having that little bit of quiet today. We started on a new study of The Fingerprints of God and it looks like its going to be a really good study.

Then the race starts again, from Bible Study it was off to the school so I could deal with ordering the class ring. Running around in the rain delivering Avon product, going to the Dr.'s office to set up the testing that needs to be done prior to my weight loss surgery, picking up the kids from school and then home to start some cleaning. I also called a friend to see ask when she might be able to do my hair for me which she does on occasion, well it turned out she was going to be free last night and wanted to come over and do it then.

Needless to say, in all this chaos it left little time to jot down what I ate let alone when I ate and Mike picked up dinner so I wouldn't have to cook since I was getting my hair done. So dinner was simply pizza, salad, onion rings and cheese sticks.....NOT GOOD for this new found plan to eat healthy.

But, in retrospect...we can't all have days that run smoothly all the time and this will help me figure out ways to plan for the chaos so it doesn't sabotage my diet. Also, that one day would have in the past cause a negative slide for me and a "Why bother" attitude. Now....it was one day and today is a new one so put the past behind me and move on in a renewed sense to continue on in the race.

Well I must be doing something right.

2010-11-03T08:36:00.004-04:00

Well, my initial consult with the surgical team was last Thursday so it has barely been a week since they told me to start following the diet plan laid out. And even then it hasn't been as they would like since we are between paychecks and haven't been able to get the proper diet foods for me to follow the plan like they want. I have however been very careful to watch:
--the amount of food I have been eating,
--keeping a food log,
--I have tried keeping to the scheduled meal times,
--increased my water and vegetable intake and
--tried to not wolf down the meals but stretch them out to about 30 minutes to finish.

And guess what???? I've lost 5 lb.

Mike gets paid on Friday so I will be checking out sites for bariatric recipes and trying to put a meal plan together that I can follow that still won't break the bank and will not throw the house into a tizzy, even if it means cooking one meal for the family and something different for me but I really hope I can figure this out so that it will work for us all with some minor adjustments.

A couple of purchases I will need to make is a proper food scale, a blender and the protein/whey drink they want me to have ( I should be substituting the shake for one meal /day or at a minimum 2 /week).

But so far I have to say I have felt satisfied, and except for the times when I would have just grabbed for something to eat when bored I am able to get through the day with little grazing.

Its time to stop procrastinating!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-11-02T07:36:00.002-04:00

Well I have had this page for almost 3 years now and have been sporadic at best on keeping a blog. Why??? I am not really sure, maybe I feel there is little about me that people would be interested in. Maybe, I have just allowed myself to get distracted by fun and games on the computer and wasted precious time (unfortunately this is probably a good part of it as I love the FB games). However I think the biggest part for me is not wanting to open myself up for the world to see. You see I am a very private person and only those closest to me really see me for the person I really am.

I am about to undergo a major change in my life as Mike and I have finally decided that I will be having weight loss surgery in the near future. I have had my initial consult with the surgical team and they want me to try and loose 15 pounds before we even set the date for the surgery. But this is going to be a major thing for me because it will entail drastic changes in habits. So it is time I stop hiding and start opening up about my life, my feelings, my struggles both good and bad. So no matter what I intend on making a post daily. It may be short and sweet or it may be a bad day and I rant and rave but I will be making a post of some sort.

So dear reader hold on tight because I feel this may be a roller coaster ride for both of us and I have never been a fan of roller coasters, I would prefer standing on the ground watching all the idiots screaming their fool heads off while I was safely watching from a distance but watching is not living and I want to live life not just watch from the sidelines.

Home Again

2009-06-19T08:46:00.002-04:00

Well here it is, my first blog from home. I am sitting here in my newly renovated (yet not completely organized kitchen), my cup of coffee beside me on the counter, listening to Third Day. Even though it is a dreary day it is a welcome one. I am grateful for all the blessings we have seen come our way through this ordeal but it is just so nice to be back home after 6 months of being away. In that time our cat stayed with some friends of ours but she is even home now and has gotten re acclimated faster than I even expected. I never thought cats had very good memory and just lived for the moment but the next day after bringing her home she was back to her normal routine and doing things she hadn't done in months (like going to the back door and meowing to have the door opened so she can watch the birds outside). So even in this we are seeing a sense of normalcy returning. But at the same time we have certain changes taking place; Bethanie's 8th grade promotion was last night and with the end of the school year looms a new chapter in her life....that of being in High School. Yes most of her friends will be going there too but still it is change. For MJ the change is in the form of more responsibility and independence at the same time since he is in Driver's Ed and hopes to have his license by end of summer. For Mike and I it is a renewed sense of spiritual/fiscal responsibility thanks to a financial seminar/ bible study we are in that teaches fiscal responsibility through biblical principles.

But if there is one thing I have learned in all this is that we can get through anything as long as we trust in God's love and provision. However, it is so much easier when you have a sense of normalcy and consistency in the background as well.

Not there yet but there's light at the end of the tunnel!!!!!!

2009-06-02T16:31:00.002-04:00

Ok, last blog I said we hoped to be in our house by the end of May....well, here it is June 2nd and we still aren't there yet. However there is light at the end of the tunnel and our move date is June 13th. We are so close to being ready to move back in, the kitchen is almost done. Cabinets are in and the countertop was delivered today. Some of the appliances should be in tomorrow (fridge, dishwasher, disposal, washer) because the plumber is coming to hook up everything on the first floor....YAY!!!!! Everything except the stairway leading upstairs should be done by Friday and next week we can concentrate on cleaning and planning how to organize things when we move in. The funny part in all this is that it will be 6 months and one day after the ice storm happened. So until next time (hopefully I will be typing the blog from my new kitchen).

Sorry I forgot about you

2009-04-30T08:51:00.003-04:00

Sorry if it seems I had forgotten about this blog site, unfortunately I guess I had in some way. That's what happens when life knocks you to your knees. Last year I was busy most days doing homeschooling with my youngest and simply managing my home to try and keep things running smoothly. It's not that easy raising 2 teenagers and 1 preteen on one income and keeping things running smoothly with everyone's crazy schedules; and yes that includes my dear hubby's schedule. But we have managed even in the ensuing chaos left behind after the ice storm that hit our area in December. We have basically had to trust in our precious Lord to provide for all of our needs since our home has been inhabitable since Dec. 24th. But we have had wonderful friends who reached out and took us in for 3 1/2 months then God provided us with an apartment on a short term lease (which is unheard of in this area) for the remainder of the time. And now there is light at the end of the tunnel as we are looking to finally be back home by the end of May. That is a very short synopsis of the last year, but that is not the end of the story.

You see in all of this God has opened up new doors for me and I am now working on starting my own business. While we were at our friends home I took on the job of cooking meals most nights since their schedules are even crazier than ours. This got the wheels turning and I found myself really enjoying being able to cook for other people on a regular basis. So as of right now I am in the process of taking classes and preparing to be a personal chef. Not something I ever had thought about but God has opened my eyes to one of the talents he has given me that would allow me to help others. So the journey continues but in a new direction and with each step of the way I am looking to God for guidance.

Where does the time go?????

2008-02-22T09:41:00.002-05:00

Oh my!!!!! I can't believe its been over a month since my last blog but things have been pretty crazy here for us lately. Along with the usual day to day things we have had a birthday party sleepover (my daughter turned 13....YIKES), a Super Bowl party and other things going on at church as well as bouts of colds and other illnesses. To top it all off the last 2 weeks I have been dealing with pain in my neck and upper back (don't know what I did to cause this but it has been a hassle non-the-less). Needless to say my exercise routine that I had started in January (and was doing pretty well with) has fallen by the wayside for now. However I do hope to get back into that by the beginning of March. For now I am just taking things one day at a time, getting ready for physical therapy for my back (doctor recommended) and trying to enjoy the remainder of the winter break that the kids have had this week.

It has been interesting though since Mike and I decided we were going to get rid of tv. No we did not literally throw out our tv, we merely got rid of the satelite so no regular tv viewing for us (it didn't seem like there was much worth watching anymore anyway). Instead the kids use the tv for their game cube games and we watch videos/dvd's if we want to watch anything. Otherwise the plan is to play board games or just general family time in the evenings. The satelite was cut off on Valentines day and we really haven't missed it so far and it has been just over a week now. I will say that it has been extremely quiet in the house lately (except for when MJ isn't doing as well as he thinks he should on the GC games and starts screaming at the tv). We have also been listening to a lot of music this last week as well.

As for me, I grew up glued to the TV and can't believe I am saying this but the relative quiet is a welcome change of pace.

T.G.I.F (Finally)

2008-01-11T19:28:00.000-05:00

Oh brother!!!! This has been one heck of a week. Even though the weather was great (started the week off in the 50's and 60's) because of the January thaw everyone in this house was sick this week. On Tuesday I woke up with my sinus's killing me, the Dr. thinks I am starting to have allergies. Then Wednesday and Thursday Thomas was sick so we couldn't do any school those two days. Mike came down sick Thursday and was home from work both yesterday and today. Then to top it all off Bethanie came down sick today. The only one who hasn't missed any work or school is MJ who toughed it out this week because he had mid-terms.

All I can say is Thank God its Friday, hopefully everyone will be better by Monday for work or school. Although I heard on the news tonight that we may be getting another snow storm Sunday night into Monday....so much for the warm weather:-(

A New Year, A New Me

2008-01-02T10:38:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is January 2nd and I am starting something new. I've never been one who does the blog thing (that's more my dear hubby) but I have a feeling this is going to be a year of changes and what better way than to have it documented here. I'm not saying I will be posting every day but at least once a week. Please be patient with me as I learn the in's and out's of posting on here, I am sure my hubby will help out if I have any questions. But for now let me just say Good morning and Happy New Year to those of you that I will be calling my blog friends before too long.