2 Aug - Well, I lost 6 pounds in July. It had been 8; but I gained two while on vacation. Had a really nice time at the beach, but now it's time to get back to real life. Got a call on the answering machine about going in for a job interview down at the school. It isn't for the same position I long-term subbed in last year. It is only a half-day position in pre-school; but I guess I can't really be choosey at this point. At least it will pay my car payment each month. I will admit I am disappointed that I didn't get the position I was in; but I do hope I get this one. Please keep your fingers crossed for me. Will write again tomorrow. Keep the faith:)

3 Aug - Have had a pretty good day so far. Am waiting til tomorrow so I find out when I go for my job interview. I am not sure if I will continue to sub or look for another job if I don't get this one. Sometimes subbing makes for an iffy situation when it comes to paying a car payment. I need to work a minimum of 6 days out of 10 to make my payment and that doesn't always happen. So far I have managed to stay a little ahead; but only because I have long-term subbed for the last 2 years and you always get paid more when you long-term sub. I really enjoy working with the kids so maybe I will look into private schools or even private industry that has day-care set up at their work. Most of them also offer some type of pre-kindergarten schooling. I also have to worry about payments for over the summer months when I don't get paid anything. I wish we were independently wealthy; but I don't see that happening any time soon. Oh well, a girl can dream can't she? Keep the faith:)

4 Aug - Found out my job interview is Thursday at 8:30 a.m. The job in not in special ed as I originally thought but in a regular ed pre-k class. Those little kids are really neat. Am pretty nervous; but have managed to keep my eating under control. Have fudge and taffy from the ocean in the fridge and didn't eat any of it. Have eaten many radishes and baby carrots instead. Went for a walk this morning and walked 3 miles. Walked 3 miles on Friday before leaving ocean; but took Sat and Sun off to recouperate from vacation. All that driving really does me in. Parked the van Fri after taking Timothy to dr. for allergy shot and didn't move it until last yesterday afternoon when we went out on the boat. Will try to post again tomorrow. Have been having trouble with computer. Think hamster inside is on strike for more sunflower seeds. Keep the faith:)

6 Aug - Sorry about yesterday. Couldn't get into tripod and when finally did; couldn't save my journal. This gets very frustrating sometimes. Had a good day yesterday. Walked 3 miles, drank all my water, and ate sensibly. We went to a Blue Rocks game last night. They are a minor league team that plays in Wilmington, DE. We left in the 5th inning because it was pouring rain and was getting to Timothy's asthma. They did go on to finish the game and won. I didn't get anything to eat there and when we got home I almost ate a soft pretzel; but passed. That made me feel pretty good. I have already walked 3 miles this morning and have drank about 2 pints of water; and it isn't even 9:00. On to another good day. Keep the faith:)

8 Aug - I have a good excuse for yesterday. My dad came over and then when he left my 10 year old son wanted me to play basketball with him. How could I refuse? We had a lot of fun and I got in some extra exercise. (By the way, he kicked my butt 30 - 23. That is because I didn't block his shots because he is so short; but not short enough that he can't block mine when he jumps.) Oh well, that sounds like a good excuse. Had a fairly good day although I didn't drink all my water. The job interview went pretty well, I think; but I haven't heard anything yet. The waiting is tough. I am trying to keep a positive attitude. At least I haven't raided the fridge trying to take my mind off it. Have had a real hectic day so far. Walked 3 miles and then had to go have blood work done. Nothing wrong; just had that female thing done and dr sent me for blood work because haven't had any done in about 3 years. Also is sending me for mammogram again this year. Didn't get to eat breakfast til almost 10:00. Did have a break because Tim was real low on peak flow meter and couldn't get allergy shot. Will try for that again on Monday. Gotta go; have chicken in oven baking for my salad for lunch. Am adding it to garden salad for protein. Got tired of crab cakes. Keep the faith:)

9 Aug - Well, despite all my optimism I didn't get the job. I really feel like I have been smacked in the face. I have volunteered down at the school for 10 years and subbed for 4 and someone who as far as I know has the same educational background as me and has only subbed for 1 year got the job. Life really sucks (excuse the language) right about now. I must say that I am proud of myself. This time last year would have found me with my face still stuck in the fridge inhaling all the food. Yesterday I went out and played basketball with my kids. Took all my frustrations out on the backboard. When I went to the drs, his scales showed me weighing 6 pounds more than mine. If I go by his scales, I weigh 125 pounds. I don't know which ones are more accurate. I suppose his are because of the beam thing; but I think I don't like his too much. Mine are much more friendly. Will weigh myself again on his when Tim goes for allergy shot on Monday and see if there is any change as it will be almost a week. Have already walked this morning and drank about 2 pints of water. Had a bagel with apple butter on it for breakfast. Gotta go do some cleaning now. Keep the faith:)

11 Aug - 224 - I have decided to go by the doctors scales as I seldom walk around naked and with a completely empty stomach. Just for those of you who are interested; the reason why you can drink water and gain weight is because each gallon of water weighs 8.35 pounds. I learned that in Basic Fire School. (Just another bit of trivia that has no meaning unless you are a firefighter and need to figure out friction loss and other stuff.) Will keep this short and sweet as I have been suffering from severe migraines yesterday and today. Did pull myself together enough to take Tim up for his allergy shot and weighed myself on the sly. Will try to weigh every week when he gets his shot. That makes me down a pound since last Wednesday when I was there for myself. Keep the faith:)

12 Aug - 224 - Still holding my own. Have been trying to eat sensibly and drink my water. Haven't been doing too well on drinking as have been laying around a lot. Still suffering with horrific migraine. Hopefully this will be the last day; if not, will call the dr tomorrow and get something. Will try to be more upbeat tomorrow. Keep the faith:)

13 Aug - Have had a real good day. Despite a migraine hangover, I walked 3 miles this morning. Have drank over half my water so far and have eaten sensibly. Had a cinnamon raison bagel with apple butter for breakfast and crab cakes and crackers for lunch. Also had a small salad. The kids want hotdogs for supper and I found some low fat Orioles franks. Will have one of them and some green beans. Maybe another salad. My oldest son is up in New Jersey staying with a friend til Sunday evening. He just left yesterday evening and I miss him already. Keep the faith:)

15 Aug - Had a real busy day yesterday. Ran around all day getting stuff for school and then in the evening my husband and I went to a union get- together. I ate way too much. Over a 3 hour period I had 6 steamed crabs, about a dozen steamed shrimp, some radishes and cauliflower, a slice of watermelon and a small piece of cake. Also drank 2 cokes. We had a good time and I guess one evening of indulgence isn't too bad. Back on track today. Have already walked and started on my water. Tried to download the new version of DietWatch Diary and couldn't get in. Guess everyone is trying to do the same thing. Hopefully I can get in some time today. We will probably go out on the boat later today. It is already pretty warm. The ragweed pollen is starting to rear it's ugly head. My husband and youngest son are having a pretty hard time of it. At least the Claritin seems to help quite a bit. Keep the faith:)

16 Aug - I am so happy this morning. Listen; can you hear that? Nothing but my Neil Diamond album playing in the background. I am totally along with just the dogs. My husband is working; oldest son in Jersey and two youngest went with their Uncle Dave to meet Raphael Palmiero and get his autograph. For those of you who don;t know, Raphael is the Orioles first baseman. This is the first time I have been home along in ages. In fact, I can't remember the last time this happened. I should be cleaning; but decided to take some me time. Didn't get my walk done this morning because had to take the kids over to their Uncle's house. Will try to get it in later if the heat and himidity let up. These are supposed to be two really bad days. It is already over 90 and the humidity is 84% and it is only 10:00 a.m. Thank heaven for central air. Well, gotta go and just enjoy some time alone. I LOVE IT!!! Keep the faith:)

17 Aug - I had such a wonderful day yesterday. I just puttered around the house and did stuff I don't usually get to do; but to tell the truth, I was glad when the kids got home. It was too quiet without them. (Did I just say that? Will wonders never cease!) It was terribly hot and humid yesterday. Got up to 99.9 degrees. The heat index was up around 106. I didn't walk; but did do a tape I have. Even in the air conditioning I worked up a pretty good sweat. So far today it is 91 degrees and it isn't even noon. We are in bad need of rain here. Grass is all brown and crackles when you walk on it. We could use about a week of steady rain; but at this point in time we will settle for any little bit we can get. Our county, along with many others in MD, have been declared a disaster area because of the drought. Farmers are really desperate. My garden is pitiful. Didn't get hardly anything to grow worth a darn. Oh well, we will probably make up for this with an extra hard winter (joy, joy). Sorry to be such a drag; but the weather is getting everyone down. On a more positive note, I had a pretty good day yesterday as far as eating goes and have started out good this morning. Have been drinking all my water and then some. It is easy when it is so hot. I am on team 2 with Luci, Linda B, and Kathy N. I think breaking into small groups will have a positive effect on all of us. This should be fun. Keep the faith:)

18 Aug - Stuck on 224 pounds for the second week in a row. At least that is better than a gain. I am happy with that as I have been eating well and exercising and drinking my water. Haven't been walking for my exercise the last 3 days. Instead have been playing basketball for about an hour each day with my kids and some of the kids in the neighborhood. We have been having a good time and my son loves the interaction. I figure I better enjoy it while I can because they grow up so fast. My daughter has been playing with us also. We don't really play games; just take shots and run around and yell a lot. At one time we had four balls going at once. Kinda keeps you on your toes. One week from today the kids go back to school. This week will be spend in last minute school shopping. We finally got some rain last night and today; but it is still way too little. At this point we will take anything we can get. Well, gotta go for now. My dad just pulled in the driveway and he expects my full undivided attention when he is here. In some ways he is worse than my kids. Oh well, I still love him and I know he loves me. That is the important thing. Keep the faith:)

19 Aug - Just a quick entry and it is late and have had a hard time getting in here today. Had a good day eating and drank all my water. Walked 3 miles this morning and played b-ball with hubbie and kids and neighbors for about an hour this evening. The muscles in my upper arms and across my chest hurt pretty bad. Guess this comes from throwing that basketball up into the basket. It is one of those adjustable nets; but they still have it set at 10 feet. It is kicking my butt; but I can already tell the difference in my arms after about a week of doing this. Will write again tomorrow. It is time for bed. Keep the faith:)

20 Aug - What a weird day this has been. Went walking this morning in a slight drizzle and temps in the upper 50's. That's right, the 50's. The weather here has been so crazy. On the weekend we had temps 20 degrees above normal (in the 100's) and now it is 20 degrees below normal (in the 60's). We have had a drought going on all summer and today we are getting a nice soaking rain. Oh well, like they always say; "If you don't like the weather in MD, wait a few minutes; it'll change." After my walk I did some stretching and toning with Richard Simmons tapes. They come with two toning rings (6 lbs and 8 lbs). Was using the 6 lb ring and the darn thing snapped and hit me up alongside my neck. Brought tears to my eyes; but I just switched to the 8 lb ring and kept on going. You should have seen me doing the tape for the legs. You get down on the floor and do that one and I had to fight off the dogs. The big rottie kept coming up and licking me in the face (and I hate that). The lab just looked at me like I belonged in the looney bin. The kids were still in bed so I didn't have to contend with any remarks from the peanut gallery. Have had a good day so far eating and drinking wise. Haven't gotten on my scales as I have decided to go by the drs. Will weigh in again on Monday when take Tim for shot. Keep the faith:)

21 Aug - Had a really good day. Went for my walk first thing this morning and went swimming this afternoon. Would swim upstream for about 15 minutes and then take about 3 minutes to float back down. Did that about 6 times. The tide was going out so the current was really strong. Had a pretty good workout. The water was only 79 degrees so it was really refreshing. We had a good time. Have to enjoy them while we can cause summer is quickly drawing to an end and it won't take the river long to cool down. Have done real good with my eating today; but not so good with the water. Only drank about 50 ounces. Of course, the day isn't over yet. Still have another 2 1/2 hours to get the rest in. Keep the faith:)

22 Aug - Have you ever had one of those days when you just couldn't get going? I didn't get much sleep last night and as a consequence slept til 10:00 this morning. Ever since then I haven't been able to get my act together. I absolutely hate days like this. I haven't even exercised yet; but plan on playing basketball later on this evening. Still have to finish shopping for school supplies and both the boys need shoes. I think my funk has something to do with not getting that job. If I had gotten it, I would have started back to work on Wednesday. Well, won't bore you any more with my petty problems. Will do better tomorrow. Keep the faith:)

23 Aug - Did I say I would do better today? What a load of crap. We went and finished school shopping today and ate at Burger King. The only good thing I can say is that I gave 3/4 of my fries to Joey. Didn't even exercise; unless you count 30 minutes of basketball and a 20 minute walk thru the woods behind the house. I will probably end up with poison for that little exploit. On the other hand, I have been drinking a lot of water today and so far have drank about 90 ozs. Will write again tomorrow. Keep the faith:)

24 Aug - Well, I picked myself up and got back on the wagon today. Have eaten sensibly and drank plenty of water and even played basketball for exercise. Only played for 30 minutes; but plan on playing more later. The kids go back to school tomorrow and I have a lot of running around to do after they leave. First stops are at the middle and elementary schools to drop off meds and doctor slips saying the school nurse can administer meds and that they can carry their inhalers with them. I am thinking about going to college part time to get a certificate in early childhood education. Have to see how much it costs so I know if I can afford it. Will report on my team efforts tomorrow; probably have to be after six when I get a chance. Keep the faith:)

25 Aug - 223 lbs - What a day! I don't believe I have had a chance to relax all day. Started out with trips to kid's schools at 9:00 and finally ended at 6:00 when we sat down to eat dinner. Did take time out to go out to lunch with Yobo (my husband). We celebrated the first day of school and went to the Golden Corral. I was good. I had grilled chicken, baked potato (with about 1 tsp of butter) (I really wanted french fries but managed to maintain.), steamed carrots and a roll w/o butter. My husband, on the other hand had fried shrimp and french fries. My lunch was much healthier and I let him know about it.

I have set myself up a new challenge. I found a site on the net that maps out routes for you and gives you milage. My brother (a retired Marine) lives in Pensacola, FL. According to this program it is 1040 miles from our house to his. I picked out major cities along the route and got mileage to each of them and will use them as short goals on my way to Pensacola. The first city is Baltimore, MD (about 39 miles, I have rounded off). I plan to start this endeavor on 1 Sep and will keep you posted. This should take quite a while as I only walk about 3 miles a day and when I added up the mileage between the major cities it added up to 1147 miles. Somehow I got 147 more miles in there; but will include them in my trek. Wish me luck and keep the faith:)

26 Aug - Another day of running around. Had to go grocery shopping this morning and then just came home and unloaded the groceries and left again. Left Yobo to put groceries away all by himself. (By the way, my husband's name is James; Yobo is just my pet name for him.) Had to leave right away again to take my dad to the oral surgeon. He comes from the old school where you waited til a tooth bothered you and then had it pulled. As a consequence, he only had 11 teeth in his head and today he had all of them pulled. Ended up being there from 1:00 until 3:00 in the most uncomfortable chairs in the world. My back still hurts. Then I can home and still had to play the Mom Game. This is the first chance I have had at the computer since about 6:30 this morning; it is now 10:00. I am still doing laundry. I did have a pretty good eating day; but need to do better on my water and didn't get a chance to exercise. Will have to make it up tomorrow. Keep the faith:)

27 Aug - Had a much better day today, although I did get some bad news. A second cousin of mine passed away yesterday. She was 83 years old and had had surgery last Friday. The drs. removed a 60 lb tumor from her abdomen (yes, I did say 60 lbs). They had been wanting to put her in the hospital for tests for quite some time; but she kept putting them off. Last Friday she just had no choice in the matter as she was in such bad shape. I think she was just tired of being alone. Her son was killed when the fire truck he was on rolled and he was pinned underneath it. That happened about 7 years ago and then her husband died of brain cancer about 2 or 3 years after that.

On to the lighter side of the news. I have had a good day eating and drinking my water and even played basketball with my youngest son after school. It was just him and I as the elementary schools get out at 2:00 on Wed instead of 3:30 and he gets home before his brother and sister on those days. It was real nice. Keep the faith:)

28 Aug - After I journaled yesterday I got off my butt and went for a 3 mile walk at the track. I actually did 3.25 miles in 24 minutes. I was really booking. Some teenagers were up there jogging and told me a needed to jog too in order to get any benefit. I asked them to walk with me and when I got up to full speed they were huffing and puffing and agreed that walking could be pretty beneficial. Felt pretty good laying a hurting on them. I glowed the rest of the night.

Well, I did it! I went to the college and took the placement tests and signed up for two courses. I placed in freshman comp; but since it has been 23 years since I graduated high school, the advisor thought I should take it now instead of waiting til later as it will give me help in writing my papers. I also signed up for Intro to Education. Hopefully I will have a degree in Elementary Education one of these years. Many long years from now. Clases start next week. I go every Monday and Thursday from 6:30 - 9:30. This should be quite an experience. The kids can't wait to see me doing homework. Neither can I.

Had a pretty good day in the eating department. Wasn't home long enough to get into trouble. Ran up and down some steps for exercise as I don't have a stair climber. We have a flight of 14 steps in our house and I ran (really walked) them 10 times. It really kicked my butt and my legs are killing me; but it was fun in a weird kind of way. I'm just glad there was no one home to see me. Didn't even have to worry with the dogs because there are doors at the top and bottom of the stairs. It's late and I'm tired so will sign off now. Keep the faith:)

29 Aug - I went school shopping today; but it was really weird because I was shopping for myself this time and not the kids. Then we went out on the boat and swam for a couple of hours. We won't be able to do that much longer because the river cools down quick. Have to enjoy it while we can. Not much else to say. Just got back from my cousins viewing and still have things to do so will sign off for now. Keep the faith:)

30 Aug - Almost the end of another month. This summer sure went fast. Played basketball with the kids and spent part of the days looking through my new books for class. I still can't get used to the fact that I am going back to school. It has been 23 years since I was in a classroom as a student. Hope I didn't bite off more than I can chew. Only time will tell. My first class is Thursday. Will let you know how it went. Keep the faith:)

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