Cancer

I know I've mentioned it before, but I really adore this woman, my BFF.

Go to this website
http://www.tv26.net/AAFC/AAFC.htm

Click on the St. Baldrick's link and watch the whole video. It's not high-tech and the people are clearly not all professionals, but the heart and love oozing from it is incredible. Pure, pure goodness I tell ya. If you are not moved by these people, you are one tough cookie. Mmmmmm. .. . cookie.

The event in that tiny rural town has so far raised over $8,000.00!  Can you believe it!?!?  We are that much closer to finding cures for childhood (and other) cancer. Bless these wonderful volunteers and especially my Goddess friend of scalp fuzz.

More about the event and donations here:
http://www.stbaldricks.org/events/mypage/eventid/4276/eventyear/2011

And if you have a dollar or two . . . I know it will be well spent by conributing to the cause.

(PS - no I am not in the videos. I am very stealty with my camera avoidance.)

Back to the present time.

Yesterday's post was a fun little project from http://www.shrinkingeans.net/ where we were supposed to pretend we were 1 year in the future looking back and writing a letter to our present self. So, that is my wish list of sorts for the coming year. Thanks everybody for you enthusiastic responses.

Today I had great fun hanging out with BFF and doing a little knitting, worked out at the gym 40 minutes on the treadmill and tried some crazy exercise at home too, during Biggest Loser.

At the beginning of the BL premiere, I was smaller than each one of them. That was fun! Didn't last long though. At least it was a 2 hour episode. lol

Now I need to go find my Kindle so I can sleep. Nice, snuggly Kindle. I want to wrap up Lesson 1 in the book "A Course in Weight Loss" as recommended as this month's pick by Juli's Journey. This one is definitely written for Believers, but I think there are a lot of good ideas in here that even a total heathen could wrap up in their own belief system and use towards their success. It's a little difficult to stay objective during some of the churchier stuff, but I'll muddle through. :)

Tomorrow looks like it's going to shape up to be a full day of volunteering, although I've missed my lunches with Sweetie 2 days in a row now so I'm going to try to work that in somehow. I know he probably misses me terribly. :-) Especially since he decided not to join us for the viewing of the Biggest Loser premiere.

Hand-Me-Ups

Just a quick note before we leave for church.

It's cold out and normally I don't mind, but this less-obese me is not tolerating it well. I know it's going to get a lot colder in the months to come. A few weeks ago, when BFF gave me some sweaters that she's no longer fat enough to fill out, I thought it a shame that I'd probably never wear them. Well, today I tried one on and I am nice and toasty comfortable. It fits, it's cute, and my teeth are no longer chattering.

This probably counts as an NSV. I'll appreciate it more in the summer when I'm not broiling because of the lack of insulation.

BFFs

What you might infer from this photo

I am taller and fatter than Mandy
She is happy
She is wearing one of my Champion workout suit jackets that I cannot yet stuff my hooters into
I am a peacenick
I don't wear proper shoes unless absolutely necessary
I got to see my BFF today
I am still big, but much smaller than I was.
Mandy is all thigh & breast, keep Colonel Sanders away!
At least one of us is unafraid to ask a shoe salesman to snap our photo

We got together for a few minutes today, just long enough to be our silly selves. No eating, just exchange of some clothes that I'm paying forward and she will return as hand-me-ups when she is a bit smaller. We each drive halfway - 30 - 45 minutes depending on traffic - while the kiddos are in school and we can steal a little time together and entertain the locals with the ever-popular "Mandy & Lanie show."  She gets top billing - it's the smile.

Thanks to Allan and Sue again for the workout clothes. I am planning to make those XL's fit nicely real soon!

Award!

I'd like to thank Dr. Fit (no longer fatty!) for the SWEET award!

The Rules state I'm supposed to name 10 things I like, so here it goes . . .

1. Volunteering -  doing for others helps me be less egocentric
2. Reading - my favorite escape from nonfiction to Jodi Picoult, or currently the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series.
3. Talking to my girlfriends on the phone - especially BFF!
4. Nature - Some days I feel as if we live in the middle of a nature preserve. I love it!
5. Swimming - especially in the pond and with my kid
6. Crafts - scrapbooking, ceramics, knitting - you name it, I've tried it
7. Travel - Seldom have the opportunity, but I love it
8. Sustainable living - hubby works in green energy, we love Mother Earth News and all that stuff, even though we don't practice it as much as we should. We love our solar oven!
9. Anything Australia - I've been hooked since I was a wee girl watching Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom.
10. Last, but not least - hanging out with my kid

The second part of the award says I'm supposed to name 10 blogs and pass it on. Finding 10 that haven't already received it wiill be the big challenge!  Links are in my sidebar.  Here goes:


1. Auntie Mandy's Good Choices Blog
2. Donut Therapy
3. Less of a Man
4. The X-Banded Files
5. My walk from flab to fab
6. Crazy Fat Girl
7. Julie Lost and Found
8. Polar's Page
9. Happy Weight After
10.

(I will return to complete my list)

First day of school

Yesterday was the first day of fourth grade for my daughter at her new school. It's a tough age group. Kids are mean and my daughter has inherited a bit of my social anxiety. This morning, the 2nd day, she had a hard time getting out of bed and getting ready. When we were walking to the bus stop, she started crying. She misses her old school. She misses her friends. There's a mean girl at the new school and she is her locker partner. She's too tired to go to school. She got on the bus with tears still streaming down her face.

I have to choose my reaction carefully. Mama bear wanted to come out and eviscerate papa bear for making this problem even exist. Mama bear's teeth needed sharpenedd  . . .but, that wouldn't solve anything. Instead, I emailed the teacher to make her aware of the high emotional state and the nervousness about the locker partner. I asked the teacher to help kiddo find the other girl scouts in her class and find connections to other kids.

I wanted to take a nap and escape from the world for an hour or two. Luckily, my girlfriends keep calling me ensuring that won't happen. They tell me things will be ok, the world is full of jerks, and kiddo will become a stronger person for learning how to deal with them.

For a minute, I wanted to eat. Maybe only a half minute. I went and exercised instead. I'm going to go to that some more now so that I can be my calmest (sweatiest, stinkiest) mommy when she comes home. I fully expect that today was better than yesterday. It is, afterall, art day!

HUMONGOUS BINGE TODAY!

But not in calories, just in pages!

First day of school and I was able to hang out with two of my besties today with no kids to distract us from being our goofy selves. We had so much fun! We started out at the best used bookstore in the metro area (Encore on Heatherdowns for you locals) and then to Sebastiano's for lunch. I got several books at Encore, but none food-related. One was my own copy of Wicked since I had borrowed it from the library but now that I've seen the musical I really wanted to re-read it. Two books for my daughter, one book loaned from my BFF, and

After we girls went our separate ways, I went to Meijer to pick up MockingJay which I had been impatiently waiting to read. It came out yesterday. I also picked up a book for a friend's daughter whose birthday is coming up soon, having not found it at the used store.

So I come home and guess what is on my doorstep? A big ol' box from AMAZON.COM! HOORAY!

One of these Amazon books will be autographed for a bloggy give-a-way I'm planning. Once I have signed copy back in my hands, I will tell you more about the book and the give-away!

Somewhere in there, I also got a coupla books about living with Asperger's as an adult and some of the Warriors (kitties!) series that my daughter is reading.

Now my bookshelves are bulging and an bloated from being overfed, I am happy and calm from being with my girlfriends and having grown-up giggles. I've gotta get moving on reading some of these pages!

Hub and kid having pizza tonight and I am having colorful vegetables without the crust and cheese. Everyone should be happy and my binge is guilt-free.  May try swimming tonight if the weather cooperates. Last night it was COLD in that pond!

I have AWESOME NEWS!

Not only did my doctor and nurse make the expected BIG FUSS over me today (According to their records, I have lost 10 lbs since I was there in early June) but I also have . . . ~drumroll please~ an underactive thyroid! WOOT! That means, among other things that it is MORE difficult for me to lose weight. And look how good I've been doing! :D I am so proud of myself!

So, I start taking the synthroid meds .5mcg tomorrow morning and then wait a half hour (workout time?) before eating anything. That should help my weight come off EVEN FASTER!

Here's the downside. I really wanted to do this "all by myself." Without diets or special food or special exercise program. I wanted to use common sense and self control through recognizing my binge triggers and working through my emotions in a more productive way. Well, I'm still going to do that, but I already know that my mother - and others - will atrribute any success I have to the meds, and forget all about how far I've already come all on my own -despite this wonky thyroid!

I know, I know . .. I'm 40 years old and should not be longing for my mother's approval, or expecting it since I have rarely recieved it in the last 40 years. Still, I can't help but want to take credit for doing something incredible and being noticed for it. I guess I better go read some more Geneen! Maybe she has some more answers.

Oh, and my BFF (who is also being extremely successful with a similar lifestyle change) really needs to stop telling me what not to eat. I love her and couldn't imagine life without her, but it I'm immature and it still makes me want to rebel and show the world that I can eat what I "want" to, not what they tell me to. Do you think I'll ever get over that?