Help, I Can't Read the Not-So-Fine-Print

Egg on my face! I posted an update to my New Health Plan on my other post. Since I haven't yet been able to figure out how to cut & paste from blog to blog, please do me a favor and stop on by at bizzymissliz to read it.

Come back soon as I will be updating this blog, too!

My First Interview!!

I'm so, so excited! Nobody has ever interviewed me who wasn't going to turn in a school report. The "Interview" is being conducted by a terrific lady by the name of Coffee Bean over at The Righteous Buzz. Here are ten interview questions that she has submitted, asking her readers to answer at least five. Go ahead and give it a try yourself, and then post a comment here telling me that you've answered. I will do my best to refer my three readers to your blog!

Question #1: What was your favorite toy as a child and if female, did you prefer dolls or stuffed animals?

Question #2: Are you superstitious...ie: #13, cracks in the sidewalk, black cats, walking under ladders, etc., and in what ways.

Question #3: Do you procrastinate and in what ways?

Question #4: Do some people's mannerisms such as the way they eat or breathe, ever both you and what do you do about it?

Question #5: Who is your favorite actress, actor, singer?

Question #6: What is your favorite movie of all time?

Question #7: What is your greatest fear?

Question #8: What is your greatest accomplishment?

Question #9: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? (Ha Ha)

Question #10: How old are you and how much do you weigh? Ha Ha Ha...I don't think so...

Here are my answers:

#1: I preferred dolls, and my favorites were my "Tiny Tears" and "Raggedy Ann." I still had my Raggedy Ann up until 5 years ago when I put her in the washing machine. I thought you could put anything in the washing machine! Duh...poor Anne's face exploded and I was devastated! My friend bought me a new one.

#2: Superstitions: I always toss salt over my shoulder when I spill it. I don't know why...I have just always done it. I think it's for good luck--bad luck if I don't!

#3: Check out the heading of my blog! Yes, I procrastinate...as often as possible! I put off paying bills, sending birthday cards, cleaning, laundry, making dinner...the list goes on forever! I am trying to improve; I really am!

#4: My hubby and I both snore, a lot and very loud. We end up playing musical beds to get away from each other so at least one of us gets a decent night's sleep.

#5: Wow! I am a slave to the entertainment industry. I love so many...let's see. Comedic, dramatic, theatrical, movie, pop, rock, jazz, blues...my head is spinning! Actress: Christine Baranski - I will watch anything she does. Actor: Jack Nicholson - I love to hate him. Singer: David Cook - melts my heart and turns my knees to rubber!

#7: Drowning is my greatest fear. I've had many nightmares about being directly underneath a tidal wave.

#8: I actually have four greatest accomplishments - my kids - Hero, Rock, Ed & Katya! There's nothing greater in my life. (Well, maybe some forms of chocolate come close...)

#9: I see myself in a Retirement Home with my own refrigerater and TV remote.

Well, there you have it! Please go visit Coffee Bean at The Righteous Buzz! You will love her and her blog!

Thanks again for stopping by!

Motivate, Schmotivate...

Did you ever have one of those days where your brain is processing 50 million things at the same time? For instance, every time I want to blog, I get bombarded with ideas of things to write about. Each idea is worth about one paragraph, and there really isn't much transition material to mesh one idea into another. So, I sit around, talk with the girls, get a drink of water (I'm now faithfully drinking at least 4-6 glasses a day)and slap my hands when I start to reach for something sugary!

My registration with the website to post weight loss failures like NOT exercising, NOT being honest about keeping a food diary and NOT following any of the rules.... sort of went out the window! The school I work for has challenged another nearby school to a "Biggest Loser" type of contest. The Gestapo at my school who is running this contest has issued everyone their orders. "You vill co-opevate with us" he says with a smile.

I have to 1) weigh myself once a week; 2) write down every piece of food that I shovel into my bird-like mouth; 3) follow a rigid and unrealistic food plan (I am kidding a little about this) and 4) exercise for 20 minutes a day. I can't just walk the dog, or chase her around the house...I have to bench press her, lift and (whatever that other word is that professional lifters do) "squat", sit-ups, free weights (with family size soup cans), and don't forget the "Thigh-Master" exercises! I really would like to tell this guy a thing or too, but he knows what he is doing. Some time ago, he was laying flat on a gurney in the hospital, having a heart attack. He made a deal with the big guy, and he has more than come through with his part of the bargain. He is the most buff teacher we have at the school, and that includes all of our really hot P.E. teachers! And, he is the nicest person you'll ever meet! He is an inspiration to anyone who wants to improve their health and mental well-being.

Wow! I've managed to stay on target for more than a paragraph! Once I get going, it starts falling into place! Sometimes I rock! I will keep you posted on the progress when I weigh in again on Sunday! I hope that you are having a good day. If not, try to give a smile to someone and really mean it. If you can't do that, write, watch TV, or walk the fish...just stay away from the kitchen!

Another Glorious Saturday in the Burbs!

It's 5:00am and Tootsie has to pee. She does the ritual dance, sneeze and rolling around on the floor. So begins my day. After several cups of coffee, and the traditional bowl of Cheerios, we go for a short walk around the outside of the house. (Well, excuse me, I'm still in my jammies, and it's 20 degrees outside!) We take care of business and return to the house where I have another cup of coffee to take away the chill. The princesses awaken and we talk about our day. Katya will go into work for a few hours and Ed is expecting some friend to come over to play video games.

Why is it that when your teen child asks a few teen friends over to just "hang out" and within several hours, the "few" teen friends have turned into almost nine or ten friends? Is it because they are like little hamsters? If you don't keep a constant eye on them, they just keep multiplying over and over! Case in point: Ed was going to have three friends over to help make a movie based on a computer game. (Someone on YouTube has done this with the game "Minesweeper.)

"Okay," I think, "they will be fine...they will probably be so busy rolling around laughing, that the filming of the movie won't even get started!" So I guess it's okay to go to Rock's first volleyball tournament. So Retro and I spend the next few hours at the tournament, watching, waiting...and watching again, and then driving back home. Upon our return, the three friends have grown to five friends, plus Katya, home from work, and another friend upstairs taking a shower. Don't ask.

"Okay," I think, "they were having an artistic block and needed to call in some professionals." I gingerly take the steps down to the basement to find the five friends, plus Ed, on the couch in front of the television, deep in concentration while they are playing the video game which is the subject of the movie. Katya and her (shower) friend are texting each other from across the room, giggling the whole time.

"How's the movie going?" I ask.

"Oh.." says Ed. "We are still trying to figure out the details of how we want it to look and what we will say to each other."

"Okay," I reply. "Well, we only have enough pizza for the family." I start back up the steps to the kitchen and turn on the oven.

"That's okay," both Ed and Katya yell out, "we are going out to get some food in a little while."

Retro and I sat down to a local grocer's gourmet pizza that I cooked two minutes less than the directions, but still was burnt! I am NOT Rachel Ray! A glass of milk and a Fig Newton cookie helped get rid of the burnt cheese aftertaste in my mouth. We retired to the family room where Retro made himself comfortable in his Lazyboy chair - remote in hand, and I sat down at the computer to check stuff...like email, blogs, and FB. We could hear the laughter in the basement becoming louder and more pronounced.

Once again, I trudged down the steps to the basement, only to find that two friends who just got off work had joined the festivities. Almost the entire group was talking at the same time. I laughed and waved, and told them that everyone needed to leave by eleven o'clock. At 10:45, I was awakened by my own snoring as Saturday Night Live was getting underway. I turned off the TV, clapped my hands to wake up Retro and told him to go to bed. The house was silent.

"This is not good," I thought. I slowly opened the door to the basement and tiptoed halfway down the stairs. I could see the kids and the reason they were so quiet. Each and every one was shoveling burgers, fries and drinks into their bird-like mouths. They only had 15 more minutes before they would be kicked out and didn't want their parents' cars smelling like french fries...better my basement to smell like fries, than their automobiles!

They all went home shortly after eleven. Ed, Katya and I had a little conversation about how to keep friends from multiplying..."just say no!" We all turned in by midnight, and after five hours of sleep, Tootsie and I began another day.

Okay, It's Past January 5th

I didn't make any resolutions this year. I haven't made any for a long, long time! (But for me, a long, long time could mean at least 20 minutes.) I just take the New Year concept and earnestly try to make myself a better person. Usually, this involves losing weight. Sound familiar?

Working in an environment that cares a lot about kids, I've learned how to not repeat parenting mistakes more than two or three times. (Once again, it's the memory thing, and I need a little repetition to make it stick.) I don't yell like I used to yell, I don't use sarcasm, criticism and/or cynicism when I'm with my kids. I just use these things when I'm around clueless adults.

What I DO have a hard time changing is the food thing. I've been surfing blogs today and found some interesting and entertaining posts about losing weight, eating healthy and getting hot guys to ask me out. (Not the third thing; that was just an impulse I had, sorry) I found a great site, http://www.pastaqueen.com/, which I highly recommned you to visit. The author of the site, Jennette Fulda, is hilarious! She has also written a book, "Half-Assed a weight-loss memoir" which chronicles her journey through a 200 pound weight loss. Her posts are very thought provoking and her followers raise great questions and ideas to which many of us can relate.

My journey, which started when I was about 11, has been up, down, sideways, successful, crappy and never-ending. It took about 20 years of therapy, numerous diets, tears, yelling, self-destructing, lying, learning to camouflage, cheating, fantasizing, drop-kicking Barbie dolls across the room, and denying that I could have a problem. A phone conversation with a good friend got me thinking when she said, "It's okay to have a few cookies when you want to; it's just not okay to have the whole package." Wow! The light-bulb went on!

My next step was joining a 12-step program for people with eating disorders. I bawled my eyes out for about six months, listening to the stories of emotional and physical pain caused by being overweight. I also bawled my eyes out listing to the success stories and how lives were changed. I wanted what they had. I finally mustered up the nerve to ask someone to be my sponsor. They said "no" and I was crushed! I felt that this was my last chance to "fix" my weight problem.

I continued to go to meetings, developed a better understanding of how the program worked, and finally asked another person to be my sponsor. She said "yes" and that I should call her the next morning. I called the next morning and was given my instructions. From this day forward, my sponsor (I called her "The Gestapo") and I talked every single day. She said that if I didn't call her, she was going to call me, and I'd be in deep doodoo. She didn't take any crap from me (and she knew when I was dishing it out). I lost 50 pounds in six months, felt wonderful, and had begun to give back by being a sponsor to someone else.

After spawning two more little people, added to the two I already had, I found my time was a little more restricted and attending meetings became a real challenge. Sponsoring others also took the toll of not having the time. I never gave up, however. My participation dwindled and then the shame of gaining the weight back kept me from going because if I went, I had to be honest and divulge my "sins."

I still have not given up hope. And, as long as I have hope, I can make changes that will result in a healthier lifestyle. I am inspired by the people in "Bloggerdom" and actually started this blog to "be honest" and work towards making my life a better place to be.

Oh, and by the way, I found God through this 12-step program. I mean, I always knew who he was, but I really got to know him as I worked my way through this program. Subsequently, I have been involved in several prayer groups and continue this day to be a prayer warrior for anybody who needs one!

Thanks for stopping by!

Are You Ready For Round II?

Just when you think it is safe to stay in your jammies all day.... along comes the New Year celebrations. Are we going out? Are they coming here? Do I have to clean? What kind of food should we serve? Should I make another batch of chocolate chip cookies? How about fudge? STOPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!

By keeping up my decorations, I avoid having to clean as much..."I'm going to save the dusting and vacuuming until all the decs are down!" Does that one work in your house? May I suggest that you don't cook anything; use what you have, or buy something already made. Make it as easy as possible for yourself because you are going to need the energy to make decisions, get everyone ready, rent the movies, memorize the football game schedules, shag beers for your spouse, make nice with relatives and/or friends of your spouse, break up fights and finally, eat your way into oblivion! Or not......

Let's just take a moment and think about what is important. It might be the house, it might be entertaining, or it might be placating the kids who are still on their sugar highs from last week. It could also be the fact that we need to pat ourselves on the back for surviving another year, another season and possibly another 24 hours without duct taping to a chair, someone whose been continuously pushing our buttons.

What is important to me is thanking the guy upstairs that my fingers can still type; that for today, I can breathe, see, hear, and "move about the cabin" with relatively little effort; that my children are asleep somewhere in the house, and not laying in a hospital bed getting poked and otherwise abused with procedures to keep them alive; that, although I miss my parents and good friends that have been taken from this earth, I feel confident they are safe, warm and very happy; and, that at the end of the day, I can feel good about something that I tried to do to bring a smile to someone's face.

Oh, and thanks, God, for helping me get one pound closer to my weight-loss goal!!

Wishing you success, prosperity and happiness in the year 2009! God Bless you.

The Lost Weeks

I started this post about two weeks ago. Since then, it's sort of been like "The Lost Weeks" for me. I managed to read a few posts, but couldn't put together enough time or energy to write one of my own. I apologize...I'm back now! The following paragraph is what was started.

Well, the registration for the weight management website went through and I am officially on the books. No turning back now! I had to give my weight (ouch!) and set a goal for losing so many pounds (please don't make me tell you) in six months. They are also asking for my workout schedule. Let's see, instead of bench pressing with conventional weights, I'll just toss my 50 pound dog up in the air, catch her and "lift." IROFL...HA...HA!

I fell off the wagon and went back to old habits of dealing with stress. Like so many others whose blogs I follow, I've let the stress of the holidays and preparations get to me. I've managed to maintain the weight, but the poor eating habits have dropped my energy level to a new low.

Okay, now that it is out of my system....I hope this finds you filled with excitment and anticipation (but not the stressful kind) as you begin your descent into the holidays. I think that my survival depends on my constant chats with God asking for strength and concentration to focus on my family and the "real" reason for celebrating this holiday - the birth of Christ. I'm hoping to be able to discard the junky stuff like cleaning, does everyone have enough presents to open, and will there be enough food!! Oh, and yes, I do ask him for the willpower to resist the foods and beverages that do not provide me with any nutritional value. (Some of you do not know how very difficult this last one is for me!)

The dog and I went out for a little walk and "taking care of business" this morning. This walk was going to be one of my 20 minutes workouts. Well, by the time we got to the parking strip in front of the house, we were bombarded by an ice storm. We will try again later. I'll concentrate on the muscles in my right hand by addressing our holiday cards instead.

I wish you a very happy holiday, however you are celebrating, and that you are safe, warm and able to spend time with loved ones.