New Kitchen Decorations

               The pictures here are of my current, every day, decorations. I wanted to show them off because they look so pretty to me. OMG I can barely move LOL I came home from working all weekend at the hospital, and before I even went inside, I started taking down my outside Christmas decorations LOL it snowballed on me. I only meant to grab a couple of things, but once I started, I just kept going. I got everything put away and then went inside. I was definitely messy after that. I fell asleep on the couch for a couple of hours then woke up and mowed my front yard, edged it, then proceeded to do the backyard as well.

I am fairly sure my body did not know what I was up too, or it would have protested much sooner LOL the aches had just begun when I finished. I was not done inside though LOL I have a bit of OCD so when I start something, I have to finish it. I put away all the Christmas decorations inside as well. I was so excited to see my new veggie and farm decorations out, that I foolishly began that task LOL I so overdid it, but my home looks so cute now in my opinion. This morning though, I can barely move LOL I did not realize my mowing muscles had dementia LOL they forgot how to work. Currently I am sitting, waiting for my pain medication to kick in, and enjoying my regular decorations LOL

                The shelves were my Christmas surprise from my kids. They put them together while I was at work. Now I have places for all my little knick knacks. I left the two bottom cubbies empty because my cats think the cubbies are for them. I am hoping that giving them two of their own that they will leave the other stuff alone. My tree is my favorite. I love this décor more that my Christmas stuff. Everything is so colorful. I am not sure if you can see, but it is full of birds. My daughter loves birds and is always finding new bird ornaments at the Hallmark store.

                Today back at my diet. As per above, I burned lots of calories yesterday. My iPhone says I took 14,583 steps yesterday. This morning I have had my coffee while I boiled eggs for breakfast. Is back to my simple meal plan because that seemed to work best for me. Two boiled eggs with everything seasoning and two pieces of Sara Lee Light bread toast for breakfast, then I will make a simple salad with tuna for lunch, and dinner tonight will be sensible. I am thinking Fresh Market little big meal of chicken sandwiches. My kids will eat them as sandwiches, while I just have a small piece of chicken with some baked zucchini. I really need to get back into logging my meals with the Noom app. If I keep things simple, it is easy to do. It is when recipes come into play that things get wonky LOL hopefully by tonight, I can do my nightly walk with my daughter. I might move slow, but I will move LOL.

Merry Christmas 2021

                Merry Christmas from Florida. Is a balmy 75 degrees here right now and the sun is shining, so it does not look like Christmas LOL my kids and I celebrated the holiday a couple of days ago because I worked last night and am working tonight. It is a benefit of having them old enough to not mind when we celebrate, just that we do celebrate. They surprised me this morning when I came home. They had put me together some shelves for all my knick knacks which I adore. I was running out of places to put stuff.

                I am very ready for the holidays to be over. Do not get me wrong, I love celebrating holidays, we start in September with Halloween and go all the way to Christmas. My home is decorated for almost four months. I am ready to undecorate it now LOL. I am looking forward to going back to my general décor. I have a veggie farm motif in my kitchen/great room area that I am looking forward to seeing again. I even purchased a few more items to decorate with. I got me a rooster cookie jar and a cow creamer set. I also bought some fake veggies to try and created a tiered tray for the counter. My Christmas tree stays up year-round. It is usually decorated with birds (my daughter loves birds) and sunflowers. With all my new plans I am looking forward to going back to my basics.

                The new year is just around the corner and of course I have all sorts of aspirations to make it fun and healthy. With the new to me van I want to take more day trips around Florida. I want to also start going for a morning walk before kids get up. I want to rededicate myself to eating healthier and fewer calories so that I can get my Noom working again. I lost thirty lbs. this year, let us see what I can accomplish next year. I am also hoping to get a condominium type property with my son to turn into an Airbnb which will generate some passive income for us. Plus, we have college courses LOL in the Spring we are taking Spanish 2 and a health and wellness course. So, lots of plans for 2022.

                Okay time to relax and mentally prepare for work tonight. I am extra tired because my daughter and I got the Covid vaccine three days ago, my second and her first. I wish I could have taken extra time off, but I wanted the holiday pay LOL. Anyway, one more night then it is time to prep for the new year. First order of business tomorrow is taking down all the Christmas stuff and mowing the grass out front LOL the yard is looking pretty ragged. It grows slow this time of year, so I have not mowed since Halloween LOL it needs it now. Also need to trim my crepe myrtle trees in the back and tend to my citrus trees. I am already getting a touch of Spring fever LOL I get a major case of it every year around this time. Thankfully, Florida Springs comes early.

                Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to any who have read this far 😊

Cabbage Soup Diet for Seven Days

                

              Okay we need to get a bit serious here. I am tired of the scale not moving. I work the next three days, but then after that I have five days off, six probably since mandated to get second Covid vaccine. I will take off a night for that one LOL. My ex-husband is doing a juice diet. All he does is drink green juice daily. He says he is losing lots of weight. That is awesome for him, but I doubt I could sustain it LOL. However, it kicked in my competitive instinct. If he can lose the weight that fast, then so can I. So, I have been thinking how to best do that which is feasible for me. I remembered this soup diet that doctors use to put patients on before surgery, so I looked it up. It is called the seven-day cabbage soup diet. I also found it listed as the military diet. It is EXCEPTIONALLY low calorie. Only about 1000 calories a day. It claims that following it can help a person lose up to 10 lbs. That would be amazing. If I can pull that off, it will mean a weight loss this year of 40 lbs.!!! That is mind blowing.

                My son is not happy that his dad is doing the juice thing, he thinks it is unhealthy. For the most part it is, it is only meant for the short term. His dad has been doing it for about a month or so now. So, my son really did not want me doing it. I am hoping that once I show him the soup diet, he will be okay with it. It is not just soup, it also has fruits, veggies, and protein thrown in on certain days. It says no exercise, but I will still do my nightly walk with my kids. I need them healthy as well.

                The diet seems simple enough. I love cabbage, so I am hoping that this makes it tolerable. Plus, I just have to tell myself it is just for a week. The soup looks to be a broth with cabbage, onions, celery, and peppers in it. That is easy enough to make. I figure I will get a coleslaw cabbage bag, plus a frozen seasoning bag (it has onions and peppers in it) some spicy chicken soup broth, and some trinity mix (celery, onions, and peppers) from the grocery store. All the prep is basically done, I just have to throw them on the stove to simmer together.

                I found this one website, Divas Can Cook, that lists her recipe and little helpful hints at making it work. Specifically, a day-by-day breakdown. I like when it is detailed out for me. So, everyday drink eight glasses of water (I will drink my diet tea) and I can have unlimited soup, plus:

Day 1: fruits, no bananas (she suggested apples and melon).

Day 2: A baked potato (she suggested grilling it with peppers and onions) plus any other veggies, just no corn or starchy veggies. I love zucchini in the oven with butter spray and seasoned salt, so this works.

Day 3: fruits AND veggies. Again, no bananas, corn, or starchy veggies.

Day 4: Only bananas, milk, and unsweet yogurt. I guess that will be banana smoothie day LOL I have some sugar free, no calorie syrups I can use to make those interesting.

Day 5: Tomatoes on everything plus lean protein like fish, chicken, or turkey. I am thinking I can get some turkey sausage and spice up my soup that day.

Day 6: Protein and veggies again.

Day 7: FINAL DAY is fruits, veggies, and juice. No bananas or starchy veggies.

                I will make the soup on Friday, so that I can have it at work to start the diet. That is the day when my neighborhood is having a barbeque of course LOL at least I won’t have to cook, my kids can grab a burger or hot dog there. I will try and find other things to distract me from eating during that week. I see lots of cleaning and crafting that week, plus relaxing with Bones (latest binge show). Wish me luck :)

Happy Birthday to Me

          I am so thankful that I am still alive and healthy. I hate the idea of getting old, but I am glad I am still getting old. I need to take better care of me this coming year. I did accomplish something this year that I did not think I could do, and that was lose 30 lbs. Next year I need to lose another 30 lbs. That would be amazing. So, I need to focus. It is ridiculously hard to do with the holidays. So many fun things to do and treats to eat. Plus, it is a bit chilly to walk at times. I still go out walking every night I am not working. Either with my daughter or both my kids. Depends, if son is working or not. I need to get my steps back up. I guess until the first of the year I will just try and maintain the loss, and then come 2022 I will get totally committed again LOL.

                That means 10,000 or better steps a day. Taking my vitamins daily. Getting at least 30 minutes of those steps in a row. Watching what I eat, more veggies less meat, seriously less sugar. I also need to add in stretching, and old school “up” exercises (sit ups, push-ups, leg lifts, arm curls) that type of exercise. I also need to wear more sunscreen. I do not want the wrinkles to start showing up. So far, I have been very blessed with very minimal wrinkles. I need to take better care of me.

                My house is decked out for Christmas LOL I have been very relaxed about it this year. Is easy to do when neither of my kids believe in Santa anymore. We still celebrate, but not overboard. I will be working all the eves and day of Christmas and New Year. So, we are adjusting when we celebrate. It will not be a big production at all.

                I am looking forward to taking down all the holiday decorations and putting up my general stuff. I have bought a few more items to go with my veggie theme kitchen. We have not decided what we are doing in the back yard yet. I know we will get rid of the furniture since the Florida sun has ruined it. I want to put up a big sunshade and get a proper grill. My son wants to grill outside more. I am okay with that if it is not burning hot.

                I always have big plans for the New Year, hopefully this coming year I will follow through with my ideas. With the new van I wish to travel more and explore Florida. I want to be more of an outside person who is active. I would like to get back to Disney this year with my kids. I want to focus more of doing things rather than eating things. I just want the next year to be a healthier, happier trip around the sun.

Happy Thanksgiving

          Okay Thanksgiving is over so time to get back into Noom. Oh boy have I fallen off the wagon lately. I actually think I blew up the wagon LOL I have been so bad about following the program. I do not log food, I just skim through articles, and I rarely read the message boards. In my defense logging is hard when I use recipes. It is impossible to figure out calorie count for every ingredient or how much is in a serving. Yesterday alone I made dressing for turkey. I added celery, onion, butter, and broth to the cornbread dressing mix to doctor it up. No clue what calorie count was after that, then to try and measure out servings??? Impossible. The articles are okay, but I do not like the ones where I must fill in the blanks. Is too much like school. I want to just read LOL the quizzes are okay, but the typing sucks. Finally, the message boards irk me. Since I started Noom my group has been combined four or five times with other groups, so it is impossible to really form a bond in there. I get lost in the shuffle. I can not even tell who is who anymore. It would have been better to keep them separate so that bonds can form. I see a few people posting, but I have no idea who they are. It is a nice feature, but not managed properly in my opinion.

            I still like Noom. I did have success with it in the beginning, but now I seem to be stuck in a plateau. I cannot seem to get past the 30 lbs. mark. I have not gone up thankfully, but I cannot seem to go down either. I walk, usually over 12,000 steps a day, and I try and be mindful of what I eat. Okay granted I have been a bit indulgent over holidays so far LOL I really need to stop that. I must go back to eating very simply so I can see what calories I am putting in. So not fun. If I want to keep losing, then I must LOL so I have boiled me some eggs and will have that with toast here in a bit. I already had my lemon water and coffee. I plan to make seafood salad today which for me is just the fake crab mixed with shredded cabbage and I am using a healthy ranch dressing on top. I am also tossing in some celery for extra crunch. It should not be too high in calories.

            Today is Black Friday. I took these two days off so I could spend time with my kids. Yesterday we made thanksgiving dinner, not my best, but I am claiming work fatigue since I worked the two nights prior LOL, we have some leftovers. I did not make much since just the three of us. Today we are going to see Encanto after my son gets his booster shot. He is showing me it is not that bad since work is mandating, I get my covid shots. That really pisses me and ALL the other nurses off. I also am a bit worried since I tend to not react well to any type of med or vaccine. The flu shot knocks me out of commission for three months, hence I do not take it. So, I am afraid of what this vaccine will do to me. Work is not going to like me calling in because of reactions, but oh well. Is their fault for mandating it.

           

          After the movies I have no idea what we are going to do LOL probably just come back home and relax. I have scoured the Black Friday deals, and nothing has caught my interest. My shopping gene is malfunctioning LOL saves my bank account though. We will take our walk tonight to look at all the pretty light displays that have gone up in the neighborhood. Everything is so festive. We even have lights and inflatables up. Ours are simple compared to some LOL is so very nice that everything it lit up. The planes flying overhead should really appreciate it LOL  the pictures are of our decorations this year.

Autumn Refresh

 

                And we begin again, but that is okay. We never really gave up; we just got a bit lazy LOL. So yesterday, halfway through vacation, I stepped on the scale. I knew it would be bad since I had just eaten a huge, OMG I am so full dinner the night before, and it was. I was up 4 lbs. *Shudder Shudder* so all day yesterday I was totally careful and minded my calories big time. I had last piece of pumpkin pie, because it was delicious and I did not want to throw it out, but I budgeted for it LOL. This morning I was back down those 4 lbs., so it was just water weight. Before going to bed I found and followed all sorts of Noom users on Instagram. I am hoping they will inspire me daily to keep at it. Their pictures of their meals look so good LOL I wish I were that creative. I need to become that. My meals are super sensible and boring LOL. I am going to try harder to be creative. Based on pictures I need more cut up fruit and yogurt LOL. I can buy frozen cut up fruit as well as some veggies. I also saw a lot of wontons. I will have to investigate those. I just blindly followed last night, later today I will go through them all and see which recipes I think I can recreate. I need to get back into following the program. I reset my Noom app to the beginning since that is when it worked best for me. The later lessons were more focused on psych stuff. I do not need that at this point. Perhaps by the time I get there this time I will appreciate it. Right now, I want to deal with just the basics. If I try really really hard, by end of the year I still might make my year end goal.

                It is vacation!!! I have been enjoying being home with my kids SOOOOO MUCH!!! We have been doing all sorts of Autumnal fun stuff. We even were gifted a Sedona van from my friends who moved to England. I call it my mommy mobile LOL it is 17 years old, but in really decent shape. I have one expensive repair, but other than that, the mechanic said it was good. That will come in a couple of weeks. Mechanic said it was ok right now to safely drive. Drive it we have been LOL we have been all over the place. Today Staci and I are going to a Harvest Festival in Claremont then to The Friar Tuck restaurant/British shop to find us some English goodies. Did I mention friends moving to England and I am so jealous LOL I am living vicariously through their pictures. Where they are living now is so picturesque.

                Tomorrow is Halloween!!! My kid’s favorite holiday. Since my son got a job this year, he will not be able to hand out candy, so it falls to my daughter and I LOL we have 90% of the outside decorations up, just must make the archway and remember to put up the foggy tree trunk. Fred and Ginger (our skeletons) need a bit of sprucing up as well. I already mowed the lawns, so we are good to go. I bought tons of candy to give out, based on prior years we will need it. My puppies are going to have on their mummy outfits so they can bark at all the trick or treaters LOL need to find a way to block them from getting all the way to the door. I want them seen, but not able to escape. I just decided the cats are going to have to be locked up for the night LOL

                Okay so time to get my mini me up and dressed. It actually feels like Fall today which is awesome. I get to wear a cozy wrap and she gets to wear this orange and comfy hoodie she has been wanting to show off LOL. Perfect weather for it today.

The Importance of Being Grateful

 

          Sometimes I suffer from massive anxiety/panic attacks. Logically I know that I am okay, but when I am in middle of one, it is so hard to think logically. I just must force myself to continue normally. Since I am a mom, I must be strong, even when I just want to curl up in bed and hide from world. I work very hard to keep my life drama free in order to minimize anxiety. When stress outside the norm happens, it triggers the anxiety. This past couple of weeks my norm has been upset by car issues. Those are the worst triggers. I never really understood the concept of “triggers” in media, but now I get it LOL. My friend is gifting us their old car since they are moving to England. I just had to pay to get it shipped. First attempt, I got swindled, and lost $200 deposit. Working with bank to try and get it back. So, I had to start all over, find another shipper, more expensive, to get vehicle. Is supposed to arrive next week. So that triggered me. Then last weekend my current car started acting up, battery died, had to get new starter system, and it still did not fix issue. My car is currently gaslighting me. When I take to mechanic, it never acts up, only with me, so they think I am nuts LOL. Every time I start my car, it hesitates. So, every time I drive, I am stressed, wondering if it is going to start. It sucks.

          Anyway, the whole point of typing all of that is this.  Tomorrow starts my 18 days of glorious vacation. I am so excited. Yet, when I left work this morning, I felt such anxiety. Driving home, I had to ask myself why??? I was talking to myself in the car. I started thinking logically, OUTLOUD, and it helped. I had been focused on the little problems instead of the big picture. I am getting a free car; I will now have a back up car. So, it cost me to get it shipped, it is arriving next week. The money I lost; the bank will help me get back. I might not get it registered because I do not have appointment, but I do have appointment on 27^th, so will not be later than that. My current car might be acting up, but it is driving. Mechanic says nothing is wrong with it. My son got a job, so he is getting money. I am on vacation next couple of weeks, so I do not have to worry about his schedule conflicting with mine, the new car will be here so he will have own vehicle to drive before I go back to work. I am on vacation, so have the time to deal with all of this. I have my health, I have lost 30 lbs., and I have time off to try and lose more. It is my favorite season, I love Fall, and tomorrow cooler weather is supposed to hit Florida. There were so many good things. I just had to find them and acknowledge them aloud. It helped me big time. I just have to remember to be grateful :)

Welcome to October

 

            Wasn’t my daughter adorable when she was an itty bitty? That is from Halloween back in 2012 I think, Time sure has flown.  Life has been busy.  It has been challenging keeping up with all my school stuff, my daughter’s school stuff, and work.  Instead of being able to relax in the morning I end up being all responsible and doing school LOL so not fun.  I do not have any assignments due right now, so I thought I would blog a bit. I have only 2 weekends to go, then it is vacation!!! So excited to have 18 glorious days off.  I will still have school, but no work to stress me out LOL. We aren’t going anywhere in particular, just going to enjoy Fall activities.  I have found festivals to go to, trunk or treats, and even a train ride to a pumpkin patch. We have pretty much finished decorating, we just need to paint the frame for our Halloween door entrance and attach the gauze to it, but that is not needed until Halloween night.  We are hoping my son will get to be here to help, but he might not because…He Got a Job!!! I am happy he is getting to earn a bit of money.  We also got another big blessing this past week. My friends who are moving to England are gifting us their Kia Sedona. We just have to ship it here from Chicago. It is supposed to be picked up tomorrow and arrive on Sunday.  I am praying everything goes smoothly. I am not used to relying on other people to do stuff for me, and hiring a shipper is stressful. I want to know who, what, when, and where it is all going down.  I will be relieved when van is here.  It will be nice to have back up vehicle again. It is a total mommy mobile LOL so my son will end up driving my little car to and from work.

                Okay Noom update. I seem to have plateaued. I stopped at 30 lbs. and can’t seem to push past it. On the good side I haven’t gained, but still need scale to move down again. I suppose it doesn’t help that I am getting a bit tired of the app right now.  All it is doing is talking psych stuff, nothing to do with diet and nutrition. That is what I wish it would focus on again. I don’t need a shrink; I need weight loss. I wish I could go back to the beginning of the lessons when the info was more helpful. All the app wants me to do lately is fill in answers to questions. I do enough question answering with school and work, I don’t need it anywhere else.  If anybody at Noom is reading this, can you tell developers to stop with the fill in the blank stuff? The app no longer feels like a diet and nutrition thing, but a psych app. I am disappointed.

                So, what is on tap for today. Nothing LOL. I have done all my responsible stuff. I even got less responsible stuff to do.  I finally got freed from the HOA Board Monday. I get to just be regular homeowner.  I was laughing at all the new board members talking about what changes they are going to make and how they are going to get people involved LOL we could never even get people to come to meetings LOL. Nobody wants to participate; they just want to complain.  Not my circus anymore.   I get to just watch them fail and discover they have no power to do any changes. I mean I would love to see the neighborhood get better, but the people here are just not into doing things like committees. We tried for three years to get things done and got nowhere. All people did was yell. Even the property manager quit Monday LOL so new board will be led by new manager LOL it will be a mess. Not my problem though LOL.

Happy Fall Y'all!!!

          It’s Fall Y’all!!! Woohoo my favorite time of year.  My kids love it too.  I love the changing of the leaves, even if we do not see much of that in Florida, I love how the temperatures outside start to come down a bit, okay once again not so much in Florida LOL but they come down a bit. I love all the colors of Autumn. Orange is my favorite color. Pumpkin spice and everything nice are abundant in my home LOL We have already put up all our harvest decorations inside.  I like to decorate with cute and colorful leaves and pumpkins.  Lots of orange, red, yellow, and golden brown found inside right now. Outside is my son’s domain LOL he likes spooky.  So, we have spiders, snakes, ghosts, bats, and on the porch are Fred and Ginger our life size skeletons.  This year we have then dressed up as the king and queen of Halloween LOL. We have also constructed a spooky archway for trick or treaters to walk through to get candy.  My son and the two pups are dressing up as mummies LOL my daughter is a moth. I am not sure what I will end up as. 

          I have already been scouting places for us to go and have fun.  I know of a corn maze so far that is a must. Scott’s Maze Adventures looks like a lot of fun.  There is also the Claremont Harvest Festival, Kissimmee’s Boo on Broadway, and Old Town Thriller nights.  This past weekend we went to SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular, it was lots of fun, but so very hot. 

                The only thing I am worried about is trying to stay within my Noom calories during this prime baking season.  My daughter and I love baking autumn treats, so this will be huge challenge.  Shoot I have even purchased all sorts of baking supplies already in anticipation of baking LOL I just have to be mindful to not overindulge.  I have been doing very well, I am down thirty pounds now. That still blows my mind. Noom is getting a bit tedious, but I am sticking with it.  I liked it better in the beginning when it talked about calories and nutrition more.  Now it is mainly psych tricks.  Those are good, but not really what I am looking for.  I was more diet hacks LOL.  I also am getting a bit lost in the message boards.  What started out as just a group of people right where I was at in the program, has changed. Three times now we have been merged with other groups.  It has made keeping it personal very hard.  I do not recognize most posters in there. They should have kept it as a small group. My personal coach has also changed three times. I never did like that aspect of the program. Those messages always came across as robotic.  I guess I am just in a phase LOL honeymoon is over and now the real work begins.  I must force myself to keep using the program LOL logically I know it is how I am succeeding, but it is annoying LOL I guess I just need to do what I did in the beginning and just accept it and do what they say LOL that is when it really worked for me.

          Okay off to get my morning workout in.   Then it is time to go find some more pumpkin treats LOL Aldi’s has some yummy pumpkin spice whipped cream which is delicious and only 15 calories a serving. Tastes just like fluffy pumpkin pie.  They also have mums advertised for $3.99 which are my daughter’s favorite flower. Disney Springs’ Spice and Tea Exchange is also calling out to me with their seasonal teas LOL.   Only 26 days to go until my Autumn vacation where we really amp up the Fall Fun. I always take the last two weeks off so that my kids and I can relax and enjoy all the seasonal activities like corn mazes, pumpkin patches, fall festivals, and trick or treating.  It is always so much fun.

Happy Birthday Leland

          Today is going to be great, even if I must force it LOL it is great because it is my son’s 26^th birthday!!!  I cannot believe it has been 26 years since he entered my life.  I remember sitting on the couch, Superbowl Sunday 2009 and getting nauseous. Okay that is understatement, I got violently ill. I had just taken a bite of Digiorno Supreme Pizza and it did not stay put, in fact it brought back up company that I ate when I was a child LOL it was so traumatizing that I have never been able to stand even the site of that pizza. It was bad LOL the next day I bought a home pregnancy kit and went into shock. In the morning I was just a girl, but by the afternoon, I was an expectant mother.  It blew my mind. That whole pregnancy was awful LOL I had morning, new, and night sickness. I could smell everything within a 12-block radius, and there was only one room in my home where I could block off all scents. I was physically miserable. In the first month I lost 15 pounds. As bad as I felt though, I was happy.  I had always dreamed of being a mom, and now I was being blessed with a son.  My whole world was changing.  I no longer had just me to think of, I had this little person who depended on me for everything.  I had to do everything I could not to let him down. So, I got serious about school and got into nursing school. I got my BSN in nursing when he was almost 3 years old. He did not like me studying LOL he would always try and take my books from me. He did love my nursing gadgets LOL he was always walking around with my stethoscope listening to things. He was an amazing and precocious toddler. He made Dennis the Menace look like an angel LOL, but I loved him even more for keeping me entertained.  It was a very hard time in my life, but the joy of him kept me sane and moving forward.  Watching him grow up has been such an incredible gift.  I could have never dreamed of a more amazing son.  He has never given me any grief, he has stayed away from all vices, instead he prefers helping people.  He is intelligent and caring. He takes great care of me and his little sister. He is very protective of us both. When I am working, he makes me coffee and breakfast to get me going.  He patiently listens to me vent about my crappy work weekends and helps me with my Spanish lessons LOL we go to school together.  He still lives with me, for which I am very grateful.  The house I have is too big for just my daughter and me, he uses the front while his sister and I are mainly in the back. I feel safer knowing he is here. He has gone from being the perfect baby to an amazing man (but I still view him as my baby) of and he is the original “boo” LOL I have been calling him that since he was born, way longer than that term hit the mainstream. It was short for boo boo since he was an oops pregnancy LOL people would tease me about it back then, but I guess they also started using it for their oopsies and it became a modern term of endearment. I like to think he was the first though LOL I am currently waiting for him and his sister to wake up so we can go have his birthday lunch. I am surprising him by taking him to his favorite restaurant, U&me Hot Pot in Orlando. He also got a PS5 game system LOL he is going to have a great birthday LOL, but he deserves it.

Noom is Such Fun

          I was doing so well blogging, but the school started LOL my mornings have been filled with Espanol lessons and foreign politics papers.  They have been taking up more of my time than I thought they would. The Spanish class has lessons due even on the weekends!!! Not used to that. Speaking of weekends, my brain is tired.  The normal charge nurse for the weekends is out sick with Covid, so my manager forced me to act as charge nurse.  For 23 years I have managed to avoid being in charge at work.  I just want to go in, do my three days of nursing, and then go home. I NEVER EVER wanted to be in a leadership role.  My plan was to screw up so badly that they never asked me again LOL yeah that did not go well.  Everything that came up I managed because to not do so would have just caused the nurses some trouble.  I did not have heart to do that. Unfortunately, I think I did the job well, so not for two weekends in a row I have been in charge with no instruction how to do it. My brain so tired LOL. I really hope the real charge nurse comes back this week.

Due to the shortage of nurses, they offered a bonus of $125/hour to come in extra.  It pained me to turn it down, but my health came first.  Three days on is tiring. If I worked a 4^th, I would most definitely eat to stay awake and my whole diet and schedule would be blown.  I have gotten into a nice rhythm with my Noom program.  If I follow the lessons, watch my calories, and do the minimum 10,000 steps a day I set for myself, I lose about 2 lbs. a week.  The one time I went in just for 6 extra hours, it tired me out so much that I did not stick to my schedule, and I gained 2 lbs. That bonus money is not worth it right now. I am more concerned with my overall health, than I am with my bank account.  Noom has been talking about how losing weight can save me money.  I spend less on food, I will have less healthcare costs in the long run, and hopefully I will not have to buy any medications to manage health issues.  I really do not want any health issues.  My kids need me to stay healthy.  Noom always tells me to focus on my big picture, and my big picture is them. I want to stay alive long enough to see them grow up and have full lives. I want to be around long enough to drive them and their kids crazy LOL

                So, I did not work yesterday, I slept, then did laundry (still need to put it away), got a few groceries, and got all sorts of Halloween goodies I ordered in the mail. They were pet toys for my little fur babies LOL. All of them were a hit. It was my cheat day, so I indulged in potato salad and a burger. I wanted to have a sweet treat, but I fell asleep before I could make anything LOL.  This morning I have finished my schoolwork, had my lemon water (added a lime for fun), had my coffee, and now trying to get psyched up to go get some steps in while watching Castle.

                Before I go, I have a great quote I saved just to put into here. “When our values are at the center of our life then our to-do list no longer seems boring or difficult, it all serves a higher purpose”.  That comes from Miranda Hart (the picture at the beginning of the post are her catch phrases).  She is such fun and such a joy to watch.  I have mentioned her before. She is the British comedienne I am currently enamored of.  I make a daily to do list, usually very boring, but I am hoping to start adding my health goals to it, and steps to achieve those goals. That way my list will serve as a path to being healthier.  A list helps me focus so much. I like crossing things off it, so I do them quickly LOL. I cannot rest until everything is accomplished.  My minimum 10,000 steps is going on there as well as nightly walk. Lemon water is there as is taking my vitamins. I need to add make a healthy lunch and dinner to it, plus do some Noom logging LOL.  After all the responsible stuff is done, I am going to the movies to see Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings with my kids. New Marvel movie, so it should be good.

Little Discouraged, but still Noom'ing Along

              Last week was not my best week.  I thought I had done everything right, but for the first time since starting Noom, I gained 2 lbs. I was so disappointed, but I have learned that this one week does not define me. I did not get depressed, I relaxed, and just told myself to try better. I also went onto my Noom app and into my group chat for support.  I got some as well.  The others also reminded me that it is a process and there will be setbacks and plateaus and to not give up. So that is what I did.  I did not comfort myself with food, I just moved on, and focused on making this week better. That is what I am doing.  I slept in a bit, woke up, already put away my laundry, put away the dishes, had my lemon water, made my coffee, and now sitting here blogging before looking at my college courses which started today. My brain needs coffee before going there LOL. It should just be simple stuff this first week. WOAH I made my coffee strong LOL

                On my Facebook feed I get BBC videos, and I discovered a brilliant new actress/show.  Miranda Hart. She is hilarious LOL I watched clips of her Miranda show at work, and yesterday I finally found the full episodes on Hulu. I am three episodes in and hooked LOL So that is what I will be distracting myself with while I get some steps in in a bit. By the end of the week I will sound so British I am sure LOL. People will hear me saying "naughty" and "such fun, such fun" I will have to check out other stuff she has done. She seems to be a very positive person on her social media platforms.  I like that.  I need to focus more on being positive.  I try, but it doesn’t always seem to come across.

                Autumn is slowly starting to appear in my home.  Yesterday I got a new deep red table cloth upon which I placed a Fall bouquet and these adorable chair covers. Two are scarecrows and two are turkeys LOL. Now I just need to find some placemats. Perhaps Staci and I will go looking for some this afternoon. I also got a bunch of Fall wax melts. The scent is farm apple and pumpkin. It combines my two favorite smells of Autumn. So now my home smells nice. It might be summer weather outside here in Florida, but inside my home it is Autumn.

                Okay time to get the school stuff done, figure out what’s for dinner tonight, and then steps while I laugh at Miranda LOL it is going to be a good day 😊

Happy Fall Y'all

 

              I have decided it is Fall LOL it is hot here in Florida, it seems like summer is never going to end.  I cannot wait anymore, so I am just going to pretend it is Autumn.  This morning I broke out my farm apple and pumpkin wax melts and my Welcome Fall essential oils for my diffuser LOL it smells like Fall in my home now LOL I LOVE IT!!!  This week I will start to pull out some Autumn decorations to really get the season going. It will be easier now that we organized the garage.

                Today is a bit different. I am doing something I never do LOL working an extra shift at work, well half of a shift.  The bonus pay is too much to not take advantage of.  Last week my washer broke, instead of throwing good money after old, I am upgrading my washer dryer set today and using the bonus money to pay for it. I have a new set arriving this afternoon.  I am so excited LOL good grief I am getting good at this homeowner adulting stuff LOL even my kids are getting into it.  While at Lowe’s yesterday they had a blast looking at refrigerators. The barbeque grills really did them in LOL they now want a pellet grill and smoker. So that is on the lists of new projects for the Fall.

                Last week was an awesome weight loss week, I somehow managed to drop into the 25 lbs. lost WOOOHOOO!!! That 30 is looking over the horizon LOL I am definitely starting to feel healthier and lighter.  I even had another nurse notice I was losing weight. She says she wishes now that she had joined with me back then LOL. Noom this week is giving me lessons on meditation and mindfulness. The mindfulness I can handle, but the meditation probably not. If I close my eyes, I will fall asleep LOL. I am hoping though that my support group will be more interested in Fall activities and ways to manage the holidays.

                School started for my daughter, one week down. Already the subjects this year are challenging. Seventh grade is serious stuff LOL it is taking all my son’s and my smarts to help her through lessons. Dividing decimals is not something my brain remembered LOL I just use a calculator like normal people. The online lessons aren’t as cute as they were in elementary school. Now it is all boring and grown up. I am going to miss the little cartoons that would illustrate lessons. New week college courses start for my son and me. I am hoping I can manage the college level Spanish lessons. I really would like to learn the language because patients at work hardly even speak English now.

                Okay need to keep this short since I have lots to do today in addition to working a partial shift. I am off to get some steps in then breakfast, get path to laundry room cleared for delivery drivers, and then a short nap LOL I’ve been up since 5am and since will be up until 1am at work, I will need time for a nap LOL.

Adulting is Hard, but I lost 20 lbs.

 

          Well, that was fun LOL I just got to delete 216 files off my computer.  I sent copies to my email for safekeeping in case I need them, but for most part they were school assignments from the paralegal program I just completed. Makes my files a bit less cluttered.  Last night I decluttered my garage LOL I have reached a whole new level of adulting, I got excited about shelves for my garage to store all my bins LOL my garage looks a lot better. I have been doing some serious adulting lately LOL I even bought a safe for all my important papers. Now I just need find them all from their current positions of being scattered all over my home. Being an adult is not nearly as fun as I thought as a kid.  Kids think we have freedom to do whatever we want. That is not true. We have more rules and constraints to deal with. Jobs, bills, taxes, and keeping small humans and pets alive. Part of me at times wishes I could go back in time and change stuff, but then I would lose out on what I have now.  If you think about it, even the smallest change could have huge repercussions. Time travel movies drive me bonkers because they do not make sense if think about it LOL

                I should have been typing in all caps at the beginning of this blog LOL I DID IT!!! I MANAGED TO LOSE 20 LBS!!!! It is an amazing feeling. I still do not see it though.  The only sign I see is my skin feels looser LOL which is not a good thing for a 50+ year old woman LOL I have been putting on lots of moisturizer to try and avoid wrinkles. Found some awesome stuff on Amazon that seems to help a lot. I told myself that I would start wearing smaller scrubs when I lost 20 lbs., but I still am not ready.  I am wanting it to be a dramatic change when I switch. Maybe another 10 lbs. LOL it is amazing to say that like it is no big deal. Losing 1-2 lbs. a week has become my new normal. By the end of the year, I should be at a major milestone and by Spring I should be at goal. Will be extra challenging though with holidays coming up LOL so many recipes I want to try out.  Noom needs to make a holiday cookbook.

                My daughter started 7^th grade yesterday. I am not ready for this. Is hard wrapping my head around it because I loathed that time in my life.  Girls in 7^th grade were horrible and I have some serious PTSD from that time.  Trying to see my daughter as that age is mindboggling. Seventh grade is when my life changed for the worst. Friends became enemies in their quest to be popular. I have a lot of emotional traumas from back then. I can deal with it now as an adult, but it took me a LONG time to be able to. Now I really do not care what people say about me LOL mainly because I have learned I am not the center of the universe and that they probably are not talking about me or laughing at me 100 % of the time. They have their own lives and are consumed by their own needs. They do not care enough about me to give me a second thought. I wish I had known that back then. I am not saying I have no value to be cared about, I am saying I am not the center of their world LOL.

                Okay time to get to my adulting for the day LOL I must figure out what is for dinner yet again. Hence the picture. It is so true.  I must figure out something my son will eat, my daughter will eat, and something that is healthy and low in calories that I can eat. Trying to get all three of those combined is a struggle LOL I will be thinking while I am getting my steps in 😊 Castle and Nathan Fillion will be distracting me.

Back to School with Noom

              I cannot believe it is the last day of summer vacation.  Summer just flew by.  I work next few days so no fun, and then Monday comes and it is back to school for my daughter.  We are starting 7^th grade this year. OH MY GOODNESS!!! How is my baby in seventh grade??? Back in my day that was called junior high LOL She is too young for this. I am so not ready for this.  I say we because I homeschool her. It works out so much better for us.  She can sleep in, do her lessons when she wants to, and if we feel like taking a day off, we just do LOL.  As long as lessons get done, then who cares LOL. 

                This school year P.E. will be a huge focus for us personally.  I plan on adding everything I am learning with Noom to her lessons LOL well kid version at least.  She is required to spend 150 minutes every week doing some sort of exercise.  Thirty-minute walks five times a week covers that.  Healthy nutritious lunches will have to be made, maybe I can even pack lunches LOL that way we know exactly what we are eating during the day and how many calories are being consumed. I carry a lunch bag to work, and it makes meals a bit more fun pulling out my treats. I should get her a lunch bag.

Today’s Noom lesson was about my two brains LOL old brain and new brain.  Old brain keeps you moving, breathing, eating, sleeping, it controls basic functions. New brain is language, attention, memory, decision making, all the sophisticated stuff. Both brains are needed to keep a person healthy. The old supports the new, so that the new can make better choices during the day, like saying no to chocolate and yes to walking a few more steps. I need to make good choices today so that I will not be disappointed tomorrow on the scale. I just need to lose that one pound this week to officially be at twenty pounds lost mark. Two pounds would be amazing LOL. Today I will make sure I get my steps in and watch my calories.  I am still working on my water intake.  I posted in my support group for help with that. The responses are just starting to come in. It is nice having a place to ask questions.

            So, since this is the last day of summer vacation for us, I should do something fun LOL no clue what.  It is too hot outside LOL that is drawback of living in Florida, the heat and humidity during the summer.  Bring on Autumn, I am ready for the weather to cool off. Okay it is Florida, so it won’t cool off for another couple months LOL at least let us get down to the 80’s for highs.  I have to pretend we have seasons here LOL I have been prepping for Fall for past couple of weeks. My son said he is okay with me decorating now if I want LOL so perhaps daughter and I will get out autumn décor and start on the inside. Too soon for the outside.  Yesterday we got a bunch of pumpkin spice everything at Target LOL

Never Say Diet

 

              The picture just makes me laugh, mostly because so much of it is truth.  There are days where I am just stunned at the behavior of people LOL so that takes care of 1,2,3,4, and 8 LOL.  I know better than to not write something down, I can hide Easter eggs from myself LOL an ant has a better memory than I do. So many times, I have walked into a room and just forgotten completely why I went in there, so that is 5 and 10. Number 6 is my favorite LOL I love naps, I take multiple everyday LOL some when I do not even want to. I often wonder if I have narcolepsy. Number 7 does not really apply to me, I do not drink, not because I think it is bad, I just have ZERO tolerance for any amount of alcohol. Number 9 is what I am all about these days LOL I want to be wrinkle free and well LOL more than three sizes smaller. I am working on that.

                Each day for the past two months I have woken up, drank my lemon water, had my coffee, and planned out how I would be healthier that day.  I am feeling lots better about myself.  I keep a log of how many steps I take daily, and yesterday I got over 16,000 in LOL so much for my cheat day. I had all sorts of intentions to just relax and take it easy since we were going out to a special restaurant but being healthy has become second nature now. That is a great thing.  I am more conscious and caring of what I put in my body.  If has even rubbed off on my daughter. She will now choose the healthier options. I am trying hard to never use the word “diet” instead we just say healthier.

 I do not ever want her to think of herself as overweight and in need of dieting. Looking back at the rare pictures of me when I was younger, I thought I was fat, but in reality, I was nowhere need fat. I looked normal and healthy.  I was not super skinny, but I also was not fat. People made me think I was though, and it killed my self-esteem.  I was her age when I developed my womanly figure, so the girls that had not gotten curves yet made me feel as if I was huge. My daughter is developing curves like I did. I do not want her thinking that is a bad thing. She will never be model slim, but she is proportioned correctly. She is my little amazon. She will be a stunning woman if she has confidence in herself.

 Oh, I mentioned the special restaurant, it was a robot restaurant LOL it had a little robot named Peanut that took us to our table, and a kitty cat robot that brought us menus and sang Happy Birthday to my daughter. The restaurant is called U&Me Hot Pot. My daughter, son, and I loved it. It is now my son’s favorite place LOL.  We sat at this table that had burners on it. We ordered a hot pot of broth that heated right in front of us. Along the sides of the tables was a conveyor belt that brought around all sorts of noodles, veggies, and dumplings that you could grab to add into your broth. There was a huge bar of meats and spices that you could select from as well. 

              We each got to customize our own hot pot. I discovered I like watercress in my broth. My son liked these beef meatballs that looked like marshmallows, and my daughter loved the boba tea and robots. Her face was enchanted while she listened to the kitty cat robot sing to her LOL Peanut was hilarious. If a person got in its way it would say “move out of my way or I will get angry” or “move, I have to work or I will get fired” LOL it was very entertaining.   

Awesome August and Noom

OKAY I know I wrote a blog all about how water is key, but I am still struggling with it. It is one of my biggest challenges.  Just this past week I had an epic fail at work.  I normally take a 16-ounce bottle of diet sweet tea to work to drink. I get my sweet tea with no calories so bonus. Anyway, I ended up bringing that bottle back home with only one sip taken out of it. I was so busy I never had time to drink.  That is so bad for me. I tattled on myself to my son, so now he is actively reminding me to drink water.  I knew older women tend to be dehydrated, I just did not realize I was becoming that older woman LOL I do not even feel thirsty.  That is the bad part, my body does not signal me that it wants me to drink. In the morning I do okay.  I wake up and have a 10-ounce glass of lemon water, then I have 2 cups of coffee. So, I figure I am three cups into the recommended eight. After than I fail miserably. Last night I did get me some Metamucil LOL no laughing. I did not get it for the laxative effect, I got it because it helps curb appetite by giving you fiber, it helps control blood sugar, the fiber in it helps lower cholesterol, and improves GI health. So, I will mix it in two cups of water, and voila I have another two cups down LOL coffee + lemon water + Metamucil = 5 cups of the 8 needed. I just need to get those other three in me daily. So hard.  I have been reading all sorts of tips on internet, and none of them really spoke to me.  I just have to do it. Thank goodness my son is now after me LOL

                Today is August 1^st, 2021.  A brand-new month. We had a great time celebrating my daughter’s birthday yesterday. I even managed to stay on track with my calories. At the restaurant I got my salad and immediately both kids each grabbed one of my two tortilla wedges it came with LOL less calories for me. My daughter liked the look of my salad more than what she ordered, so that encouraged me to eat less so that I could take it home for her to eat later. I was so happy I was able to be able to enjoy dinner out with my kids rather than worry about calories.  Sometimes you just have to put aside dieting to focus on fun times. Then you get back on track the next day LOL

 Noom is currently showing me #psychtricks to help me make proper choices and stay focused when faced with challenges like eating out. I got to say, if you have not figured it out by reading my posts yet, I love my Noom app LOL when I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by the temptation of not moving and just eating mindlessly, it helps a lot to just open the app and do a lesson or two.  I can also go into my support group area and read what others are posting, to remind myself that it is not just me. Others are having the same struggles I am. Sometimes just those few minutes I am in the app gives me a chance to curb my inner elephant LOL get into Noom and you will learn all about the elephant LOL

                So, with the new month my daughter and I are starting this new photo challenge I found on Pinterest.  It is an Instagram challenge. Each day you post a picture that goes with the theme of the day.  I found a whole year of themes and printed them out.  I am hoping it encourages us to be creative and get out more to find an interesting shot to snap.  Today is supposed to be “heatwave” fitting since it is so hot here lately. No hurricanes to cool us off. It has been a quiet season so far. If you are reading this and interested to see what we come up with, I am @leeandstacismom on Instagram. That is also my name on Pinterest LOL. I love finding out I have people checking out my pages LOL.

Birthday Girl Today :)

          Today is an incredibly special day!!!  It is my daughter’s 12^th birthday!!!  I cannot believe how time has gone by so fast.  I swear it was just last year she was a little girl.  Now she is almost a young lady. Last week we were at Michaels, and I realized I was looking up into her eyes LOL I did not realize she had gotten taller than me. I am 5’5” so that means she must be about 5’6” now and she still has a lot of growing to do. She will be so tall LOL I love it.  She is my little amazon. With all that beautiful blond hair, those gorgeous blue eyes, incredible intelligence, sweet and tender heart, and those long legs I am in trouble when she discovers boys. Boys will also be in trouble too because they must get past me and her brother LOL, I am just so blessed and happy that I have her in my life.  She is my inspiration.

                We have been celebrating her all week. Each day we have gifted her a small present so we can drag out her birthday celebration LOL it makes it more fun. I rearranged my schedule at work so that I could have this special day off.  Last night, as a family, we watch the new Jungle Cruise movie. It was great. We made crab cakes, baked chicken (kids did not like the crab) and broccoli tots. We also had popcorn cause well it was a movie night LOL.  This morning I will go pick up her cake from Publix. She picked out a Strawberry Decadence cake. This evening we are going to her chosen restaurant of Bahama Breeze. Tomorrow will be Farmer’s Market, and The Monday will be last birthday bit of going to this robot themed Hot Pot restaurant called U&Me. Kids are really looking forward to that one because of the robots that roam around bringing what you order.

                All these activities are so calorie laden, so I am a bit worried, but optimistic.  I was certain I had blown it yesterday with my calories, but this morning when I was brave enough to log what I had eaten, I was stunned to see that I still fell within my calorie range LOL the nightly walk with my kids helped big time. After this is posted I will do more walking so that I can enjoy dinner tonight.  I have looked at the online menu and figured out what I can eat LOL tomorrow is normally my cheat day, but since cheating a bit all weekend, I will skip it LOL that way I stay on track.  I am loving watching the scale drop each week.

                Today’s Noom lesson said I was to celebrate what I have accomplished which is finishing 130 lessons. I have been using Noom now for 68 days now. In that time, I have lost 19 lbs., that is almost 20 lbs.!!!! LOL something I never thought I could do at my age. That is simply amazing to me.  If all goes well, by the end of this upcoming week, I will have officially lost twenty pounds. That means more socks LOL every time I lose weight, I get myself a silly pair of socks as a reward. Noom suggested I reward myself in the beginning with something, so I chose socks LOL usually I get practical socks, but when I lose weight, I get a silly frivolous pair LOL. When I wear them, it is a reminder that I am succeeding. By the time Spring comes I will need a whole other sock drawer LOL that and some new clothes.