WISH Away the Pounds July Challenge - Everyone Welcome!!

[pjlla]

This is a tough question because there's so much I'd like to do! Maybe I would try to get the longest cruise around the world I could get for about $8000 (which may not be far but maybe I could get a whole area like the Mediterranean & Baltic or Asia) then spend $2000 on activities in ports. That way I can see more places

That sounds like a great idea!!

I also think it would be awesome to go to areas that are in need and teach. I actually looked into teaching abroad, but I think it would be hard with DSs.

Maybe after the boys grow up???

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well I'm a bit behind. With the kids at bible school, painting, the arts festival yesterday and me not feeling too well, I needed a break. The dog is smelling less skunky so that's a plus. DS8 wanted his room to be orange. Yes, bright orange. So we compromised & one wall is Cincinnati Bengals Orange & the other 3 walls are a nice grey. It looks really nice & he loves it. This week we are going to paint the trim.

What is it about boys and orange? DS wanted his room painted bright orange as well.... but he also loves lime green, so we compromised on one bright orange wall and the rest are lime..... but the accessories, etc are black and grey.... which definitely helped tone things down!

I am also going to start sorting stuff for a garage sale. I think it'll be Aug 8/9. I pretty much have everything set aside on our 3rd floor, but it needs organized & priced. I'm hoping to make enough from the sale to pay for snorkeling in Nassau on our cruise.

That sounds like a great goal! I find if I am trying to have a sale or declutter, having a GOAL to reach really helps with those hard "keep it or let it go" decisions!

Speaking of our cruise, our 4th day was supposed to be a sea day but it's now changed to a port day in Freeport (Grand Bahama Island). Our cruise & the one the week before have it added in, so I'm wondering if it's a new itinerary they are testing out? Either way, we get another island & didn't pay port fees Anyone been to Freeport & have any suggestions on what to do there? I think we have it narrowed down to kayaking or renting a Jeep for the day.

I'm not sure why, but I'm really tired today. I think I'll be in bed early & try to get a solid 8 hours of sleep. Have a great night!

Jill

Sounds like fun! Enjoy a new port!

Love this question as well! It would be a hard choice - Japan or northern Europe (Netherlands/Belgium/Sweden/Finland/Norway). Probably Europe because I have been there, not to those places, and it is a little more my comfort zone. I would love to see aurora boreaulis (sp?) in Scandanavia. Great question!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

I'll go to Northern Europe with you! I'm actually LUCKY enough that I have seen the Northern Lights here in NH!!! Wish my kiddos had been older, as they don't really remember it very well.... just mostly they remember that Mom was having a TOTAL freakout and made them sit out in the cold in the driveway on top of the car (to see it better, of course...)!

Good morning all!

I'm Lisa and I will be your coach for the next few days. There is still a coaching slot open for the end of the month so please PM Flossbolna if you would like to take a shot at coaching. It's a lot of fun!

QOTD Monday, July 21, 2014: It's Motivational Monday! Share your favorite motivational quote or mantra.

Oh..... SO MANY of them!!! Here are a few.....

Regarding weight loss.... "Is what you are going today getting you where you want to be tomorrow??"

and

"If you are tired of starting over, stop giving up!"

Regarding fitness........."The only bad workout is the one that didn't happen."

Regarding faith..........."What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?"

Regarding myself........."You can't live a positive life with a negative mind."

and

"I'd rather own little and see the World, than own the World and see little of it."

For a laugh........."My cooking is so fabulous, even the smoke detector is cheering me on!"

and

"I don't have a 'Honey-do' list..... I have an 'I'll do it my dang self' list... and SURPRISE! The sh** gets done!"

No worries, Pamela! Enjoy the Cape!

It was a fun weekend and I really do LOVE DH's family, but it was a bit disorganized (not unusual for them) and the weather wasn't great.


I would go to London and maybe a little trip to DLP if I could stretch the budget.

Me too!!!!


Seeing the aurora borealis is on my bucket list too.

Have a happy Monday all!

How about Norway or Iceland for the Aurora Borealis??

I always drink water straight for the tap. I can't stand bottled water, it tastes funny to me. People look at me like I am crazy for drinking unbottled water. I was raised on tap water. Hasn't killed me yet.....

I prefer tap water myself. I think that most of the bottled waters here in the US (Dasani, Aquafina, Poland Springs) taste like SOAP!!

Crazy weekend. Gabe had his tubes put in Friday. He did great and seems to be fine now. Since I was out for the day Friday, my backup did some of my stuff. Now I have to go back and fix everything he did because he isn't very detail oriented and most of it is wrong. I hate that I will be worried for the whole week I am at Disney world, wondering how much I will have to fix when I get back.

So glad that DS is on the mend!

I have become allergic to something in my house. I know I am highly allergic to cats but we don't have one. We do have a dog that we have had for about 4 years now and I am hoping that it isn't suddenly an allergy to her. Having someone come in and clean our sofa and rocking chair to see if that helps. Spent all afternoon yesterday sneezing like crazy and scratching my eyes. Pulled a muscle sneezing so much so now I am miserable. Finally took a Benadryl last night before bed because if I take it any other time it knocks me out. Only problem with take it before bed is that I am extremely drowsy the next day so I am sitting at my desk trying not to let my forehead hit the keyboard.


Oh my! I think that there is DEFINITELY something in the air right now....DS had wicked allergy eyes last Friday/Saturday and I started with them yesterday!

The previous owners of our home put in expensive light fixtures. The bulbs put off a crazy amount of heat and instead of being screw in, they have these little prong things. We started pricing light bulbs and to change/replace all the bulbs in the house it is close to $1000. We had to break down and replace the ones in the living room and it was $400.

Oh my!!

Lost another 1.4 lbs this week which puts my weight loss at 14.2 lbs since June 1st.

Food choices weren't great this weekend but considering everything that was going on, I didn't do too horrible.

Sorry for all the complaining. Maybe now that I got it all out I can have a better day....here's to hoping.

Woohoo for another 1.4 gone for good!!

********************

Morning all! UP and moving SO SLOWLY here! We got home near midnight and I was up at 6 am, but moving like a TURTLE! Belly is protesting a bit over my less than stellar choices yesterday (although overall it wasn't a total disaster) and sticking with fruit and coffee (switching to tea now) this morning.

Off to be productive!...............P

 

[GrandAdmiralStrife]

after the big weight loss in week 1 (mostly from cutting sugar), I've held mostly steady, and didn't eat right or exercise as I've been sick/getting over it for the last 10 days. Maybe a little frustration on my part, but seeing as I'm taking DS and DW to DisneyWorld in 24 days (Magic Bands arrived today! WOOHOO! ) I put the kid in the stroller, and after letting him run around at the park at our apartment, we went for a walk. It's nearly exactly a 5k from our complex to the commuter rail station and back. I can't believe I did it in 45 minutes! My first time walking a full 5k non-stop in about 10 years. Oh, and we had a nice breeze, considering it was 86 and muggy. Got to get used to it if we're to survive Disney!

 

[lisah0711]

I always drink water straight for the tap. I can't stand bottled water, it tastes funny to me. People look at me like I am crazy for drinking unbottled water. I was raised on tap water. Hasn't killed me yet.....

LOL, tap water works for me, too. Really the bottled water has to come from someone's tap, right?

"You must do the things you think you cannot do."

-Eleanor Roosevelt


I don't have a favorite quote but stumbled across this one & thought it was perfect

Jill

Oh, I like this quote! I have done so many things that I didn't think I could do, I don't know why it is hard to remember that when I think I can't do something.

Crazy weekend. Gabe had his tubes put in Friday. He did great and seems to be fine now. Since I was out for the day Friday, my backup did some of my stuff. Now I have to go back and fix everything he did because he isn't very detail oriented and most of it is wrong. I hate that I will be worried for the whole week I am at Disney world, wondering how much I will have to fix when I get back.

I have become allergic to something in my house. I know I am highly allergic to cats but we don't have one. We do have a dog that we have had for about 4 years now and I am hoping that it isn't suddenly an allergy to her. Having someone come in and clean our sofa and rocking chair to see if that helps. Spent all afternoon yesterday sneezing like crazy and scratching my eyes. Pulled a muscle sneezing so much so now I am miserable. Finally took a Benadryl last night before bed because if I take it any other time it knocks me out. Only problem with take it before bed is that I am extremely drowsy the next day so I am sitting at my desk trying not to let my forehead hit the keyboard.

The previous owners of our home put in expensive light fixtures. The bulbs put off a crazy amount of heat and instead of being screw in, they have these little prong things. We started pricing light bulbs and to change/replace all the bulbs in the house it is close to $1000. We had to break down and replace the ones in the living room and it was $400.

Lost another 1.4 lbs this week which puts my weight loss at 14.2 lbs since June 1st.

Food choices weren't great this weekend but considering everything that was going on, I didn't do too horrible.

Sorry for all the complaining. Maybe now that I got it all out I can have a better day....here's to hoping.

Glad to hear that your little one came through surgery well! That is a big relief to you I know. Kudos to you for another great loss -- you are rocking and rolling for sure!

Sounds like fun! Enjoy a new port!

I'll go to Northern Europe with you! I'm actually LUCKY enough that I have seen the Northern Lights here in NH!!! Wish my kiddos had been older, as they don't really remember it very well.... just mostly they remember that Mom was having a TOTAL freakout and made them sit out in the cold in the driveway on top of the car (to see it better, of course...)!



Oh..... SO MANY of them!!! Here are a few.....

Regarding weight loss.... "Is what you are going today getting you where you want to be tomorrow??"

and

"If you are tired of starting over, stop giving up!"

Regarding fitness........."The only bad workout is the one that didn't happen."

Regarding faith..........."What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?"

Regarding myself........."You can't live a positive life with a negative mind."

and

"I'd rather own little and see the World, than own the World and see little of it."

For a laugh........."My cooking is so fabulous, even the smoke detector is cheering me on!"

and

"I don't have a 'Honey-do' list..... I have an 'I'll do it my dang self' list... and SURPRISE! The sh** gets done!"





How about Norway or Iceland for the Aurora Borealis??



I prefer tap water myself. I think that most of the bottled waters here in the US (Dasani, Aquafina, Poland Springs) taste like SOAP!!



Woohoo for another 1.4 gone for good!!

********************

Morning all! UP and moving SO SLOWLY here! We got home near midnight and I was up at 6 am, but moving like a TURTLE! Belly is protesting a bit over my less than stellar choices yesterday (although overall it wasn't a total disaster) and sticking with fruit and coffee (switching to tea now) this morning.

Off to be productive!...............P

Loved all your quotes, Pamela! Tough start to the week after a late night -- I know you'll sleep well tonight.

We can supposedly see the aurora borealis from here if the conditions are right but I have yet to see it. It's pretty funny that your kiddos remember sitting on the car more than they remember the sky.

after the big weight loss in week 1 (mostly from cutting sugar), I've held mostly steady, and didn't eat right or exercise as I've been sick/getting over it for the last 10 days. Maybe a little frustration on my part, but seeing as I'm taking DS and DW to DisneyWorld in 24 days (Magic Bands arrived today! WOOHOO! ) I put the kid in the stroller, and after letting him run around at the park at our apartment, we went for a walk. It's nearly exactly a 5k from our complex to the commuter rail station and back. I can't believe I did it in 45 minutes! My first time walking a full 5k non-stop in about 10 years. Oh, and we had a nice breeze, considering it was 86 and muggy. Got to get used to it if we're to survive Disney!

Sorry that you haven't been feeling well. How smart you are to get that sickness out of the way before you head out on vacation. And congratulations on your awesome 10k in the heat!

 

[pjlla]

Evening all! Super-duper quiet here! I stayed busy today with cleaning, cleaning, and oh.... a bit more cleaning! I spent the day blowing my nose and rubbing my itchy eyes, as I am very allergic to dust/dust mites and I stirred up a lot of them today with my cleaning! Also got two loads of laundry washed, hung out, brought in, and folded.

Off to sort some more stuff and put the clean laundry away! TTY tomorrow.........P

 

[lisah0711]

Good morning all!

Trying something different today.

QOTD Tuesday, July 22, 2014: It's Disney Tips and Tricks Tuesday.
Share any tip and trick for a Disney visit . . . It could be for Disneyworld or Disneyland or even for Disney Cruise Line. How to do Disney on a budget or what to wear to Disney or how to manage the new FP+ system. Just pick a tip and share it!

 

[desiree71081]

QOTD Tuesday, July 22, 2014: It's Disney Tips and Tricks Tuesday.
Share any tip and trick for a Disney visit . . . It could be for Disneyworld or Disneyland or even for Disney Cruise Line. How to do Disney on a budget or what to wear to Disney or how to manage the new FP+ system. Just pick a tip and share it!

I went to Disneyland in 1999 and don't remember much about it. I went to Disney World in 2007 and fell in love. It was my honeymoon with my now ex-husband and no children. I went again in March with my husband and my kids and step kids. 3 adults (me, hubby and hubby's cousin) my two kids (8 and 9) girl and boy. DH's sons (10 and 11) and our child together (6 months) and also DH's nephew 14ish.

Worst trip ever. SS10 was a disaster. He has a problem with following rules, listening to adults, and always wanting and expecting his way. He threw a huge tantrum at DTD which lead to cousin taking him back to the resort so DH and I could tend to the rest of the kids. I was positive he would act this way because of his temper during normal times at home. DH wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt so we brought him even though he had a violent streak at home and had previously hit, punched, scratched, bit my husband. The trip ended on the drive home with him attacking myself and my son. Needless to say I will NEVER go on another vacation with him and until his mother and father get him the mental help he needs, I do not allow myself or my children to be around him.

Big tip/reminder for me is the more kids you bring, the more hectic things are.....but that's just my take on it.

We are going back in September with just Hubby, me and cousin and the baby. I need a vacation from my March vacation.

FP+ worked great for us. We had no problems at all. We stayed at Pop Century and the location was great for us. We are staying at Coronado Springs this time.

I guess to sum it up, going with kids is unpredictable and it's hard to stay on a strict schedule when they all want to do something different and one constantly has major meltdowns.

40 days and counting until I can make less hectic and more pleasant memories at DW.

 

[pjlla]

Good morning all!

Trying something different today.

QOTD Tuesday, July 22, 2014: It's Disney Tips and Tricks Tuesday.
Share any tip and trick for a Disney visit . . . It could be for Disneyworld or Disneyland or even for Disney Cruise Line. How to do Disney on a budget or what to wear to Disney or how to manage the new FP+ system. Just pick a tip and share it!

First of all.... I LOVE this QOTD! I love talking about health and wellness and weight loss, but I DOUBLE LOVE talking about Disney!!

I am actually going to have to CONTROL myself here, or I will ramble on for hours!! I'll stick with my top 10........

1. ROPE DROP! If you want to make the MOST of your precious time at any Disney park, be there for rope drop. Even if you leave the park later for a swim/nap/lunch, you will get so much more "bang" for your buck by arriving early.

2. EMH! If you are staying on-site, make the most of this time as well!! Take a nap mid-day if you need to in order to stay up late for evening EMH. It will be worth it.

3. Plan.... but be flexible. Check crowd calendars and event schedules so you have a PLAN of which park you will be at which day.... but be ready to be flexible it others in your party need a change or if your park of choice that day seems particularly crowded. Nothing wastes MORE TIME at Disney than standing around in the morning with your group, trying to figure out which park to go to that day!

4. Don't let the rain stop you! Rain happens in at Disney (most especially in FL). In the summer the showers are usually brief. Duck out of the rain in a gift shop or restaurant or show or don a poncho and keep moving! The less "dedicated" Disney folks will bail out and head back to their hotel room.... which means shorter lines for you!! Winter rain can be a bit more of an interruption.... longer showers, colder temps.... but if you can keep moving, it will pay off. But bring along a change of footwear for everyone in your party. Warm dry shoes and sox at mid-afternoon break will be WELCOME!

5. Even if you don't want to do matching t-shirts/clothes, at least TRY to coordinate colors. It will make the pictures look MUCH better if everyone wore a blue shirt or a green shirt that day.... rather than if Dad wears navy, Mom wears green, Junior wears pumpkin orange and Sister wears hot pink!! I know this sounds neurotic and I admit, I AM! But I started coordinating our clothes back when the kiddos were little and the pictures look so much better!! (And it is SO MUCH EASIER for scrapbooking!) We used to have to work around DS's collection of Buzz Lightyear t-shirts! And of COURSE, I try to coordinate it based on which park we are visiting that day.... earth tones for AK, primaries for MK, etc! (Yup.... I have a problem )

6. Bring along whatever you can to save money ..... water bottles (refillable), snacks, Advil, extra sunscreen, extra camera media. Everything costs more at Disney and saving $10 a day by bringing refillable water bottles is a LOT of savings for a LITTLE work IMHO. And anything saved can be banked for the NEXT Disney adventure! Obviously if you have to pay for checked luggage on your flight to bring this stuff, you may have to think twice about it. When DS was younger and had lots of food allergies, I packed up a box of stuff ahead of time and shipped it to our hotel. It was a heavy box and cost me a lot to ship, but considering what it saved in aggravation and time in FL, it was well worth it. I didn't have to try to find a grocery store that carried his rice milk, rice bread, allergen-free snacks, etc. I know there are folks who have an Amazon order sent to their resort with things like snacks and bottled water. Brilliant (except I hate using disposable bottled water.... all that plastic waste!!!!!!!).

7. Disney will always be there. Don't go INSANE trying to do EVERYTHING that there is to do at Disney in one trip (unless you are going to be there for 30+ days!!). Sure, this may seem like a "once in a lifetime" trip.... but you will probably go again if you really loved it. Even if it will be another 10 years, Disney will still be there. And Disney is ALWAYS changing so there will be new things to see! And sure, you may miss out on a temporary event (like the FROZEN SUMMER events going on now).... but you can't see EVERYTHING all the time, right??

8. BUY/BORROW a book and BE PREPARED! Do some reading (I suggest the Unofficial Tourist guides or the Birnbaum's Official) on what rides are where, park hours, parade/firework schedules, height requirements for certain rides, ticket prices, etc. Nothing worse than planning to see Illuminations on Wednesday and then spending the day at the MK and realizing that this IS NOT the park that has Illuminations.... and you don't have park hoppers! I know that sounds silly to most of us Disney lovers, but folks go to Central FL so UNPREPARED! I guess it would be like me asking around London where I can find the Leaning Tower of Pisa!!

9. Character encounters don't just "happen" like they did in the 1970's. You must plan for them and in this day and age that means Fastpasses. If your daughter will DIE if she doesn't meet Anna and Elsa, you MUST have Fastpasses for that "privilege"! If your DH NEEDS his photo taken with Buzz Lightyear, read the daily parks schedule and be prepared to be at the Meet-and-Greet location AT LEAST 20 minutes before the scheduled character arrival time. But don't be afraid to be an ADULT who wants to meet the characters. You have just as much right as the kiddos and don't feel like you are bumping a child out of line if you are there. The characters are just as interactive with adults as they are with the kids. DD and I waited in line TWO hours to meet Rapunzel and Flynn on our 2011 trip. DD ended up being the only "big kid" but she wasn't afraid to participate in the dancing and coloring that led up to meeting the Princess!

10. Be prepared to fall in love!! Disney will do that to you!!

Phew..... it was tough to limit myself there!! .............P

 

[pjlla]

Morning all!! Up and at-um here in NH!! But not moving very quickly... Smoothie today was DELICIOUS! I started getting the Vitamix loaded up before I realized we were TOTALLY out of greens! No spinach, no kale, no nothing! So the color of my drink was much prettier than usual! Almond milk, watermelon, cucumber, zucchini, carrot, apple, banana, ginger, cinnamon. Much more fruit than usual, but so delicious!!

Trying to "cleanse" my system of the stuff I ate over the weekend and I think I finally feel a bit more normal in the digestive end of things (sorry if that is TMI).

Off to do a few more hours of sorting and dusting and cleaning before I get ready for my WW meeting tonight! I'll pop on again at lunchtime to check in with you all!..............P

 

[Flossbolna]

Once again sorry for being late on weight updating. Will come tonight!!!

And I should have been better about it since I finally have a loss to report!

So sorry for being so absent, I would love to chat more, but don't have the energy...

Lisa, thanks for coaching! I also saw that you tried to get a discussion about the way forward. I am not sure that the lack in interest has anything to do with the format. I think it is a sign that the community aspect of the DIS is decreasing due to places like facebook, and maybe with regard to this forum, MFP and similar things. I recently read an interesting discussion about cruise meet threads on the DCL forum. There it seems that a lot of the cruise meets now mainly consist of a link to the facebook group.

I am not on facebook (personal choice) and I love our group here. I would love for it to continue. Also, I am fine with doing the bookkeeping, I would not mind to continue to do it for some time. It is something that is great for me to keep me motivated. So totally selfish reasons. I do think if we turn into a total chat group, we will soon disappear totally...

QOTD:

Pam already covered so much ground...

My WDW tip would be: don't get sucked into the believe that came with the dining plan that you need to have an ADR for a table service restaurant every day. There are plenty of interesting counter service options! Also, don't forget that there are plenty of easy to reach non-Disney restaurants that are very good as well, like at the Swan and Dolphin or at Downtown Disney.

And my general Disney tip: Don't get stuck on going only to one of the Disney resorts. So far I have been to DL, DLP and WDW (and really want to go to TDR!), they all are great in some ways. I know that travel is expensive, but if you enjoy Disney, try to see more than just your home resort!

 

[desiree71081]

I think it may be time for a new scale. Hubby has been telling me it's giving him funky numbers lately. I told him that's because he is eating the portion for 3 people. He ate 3 cans of spaghetti o's the other night for supper.

He said it wasn't that, it was that the numbers were way off. He is somewhere over 200 lbs and said the scale told him he was 150. He got off and got on again and it told him a different number. He tried again and the third time it was another different number.

It happened to me this morning. It told me I was 3+ lbs more than I was yesterday. I KNEW this was wrong because I ate good yesterday. I got on it again and it gave me a more reasonable number to where I am.

DH said he wants the scale with the needle that moves when you get on it. I told him NO WAY. I need a scale that shows me ounces as well as pounds because on a needle scale 170 is 170. On a digital scale 170.9 and 170.1 is the difference between me being motivated or unmotivated because seeing the scale go down even if it is only ounces is great.

Guess I am going scale shopping at walmart for lunch. Any recommendations on a scale?

 

[GrandAdmiralStrife]

I don't know about scales that show ounces as well, but I would suggest having 2 scales, a digital and an analog. Weigh yourself on both as a way to 'verify' the true weight.


My Disney tip? Try to go every 3-4 years as you can afford it. We haven't gone in 4 years, and are taking DS for the first time (he's 19.5 months at time of vacation). Tip 2: Take your kid(s) before they turn 3 so you get them in for free. After that, I would wait until they are tall enough to ride all the rides. I really don't want to take the boy back if he's an inch or two short for some of the thrill rides, and have to deal with that.

 

[bigsis1970]

First of all.... I LOVE this QOTD! I love talking about health and wellness and weight loss, but I DOUBLE LOVE talking about Disney!!

I am actually going to have to CONTROL myself here, or I will ramble on for hours!! I'll stick with my top 10........

1. ROPE DROP! If you want to make the MOST of your precious time at any Disney park, be there for rope drop. Even if you leave the park later for a swim/nap/lunch, you will get so much more "bang" for your buck by arriving early.

2. EMH! If you are staying on-site, make the most of this time as well!! Take a nap mid-day if you need to in order to stay up late for evening EMH. It will be worth it.

3. Plan.... but be flexible. Check crowd calendars and event schedules so you have a PLAN of which park you will be at which day.... but be ready to be flexible it others in your party need a change or if your park of choice that day seems particularly crowded. Nothing wastes MORE TIME at Disney than standing around in the morning with your group, trying to figure out which park to go to that day!

4. Don't let the rain stop you! Rain happens in at Disney (most especially in FL). In the summer the showers are usually brief. Duck out of the rain in a gift shop or restaurant or show or don a poncho and keep moving! The less "dedicated" Disney folks will bail out and head back to their hotel room.... which means shorter lines for you!! Winter rain can be a bit more of an interruption.... longer showers, colder temps.... but if you can keep moving, it will pay off. But bring along a change of footwear for everyone in your party. Warm dry shoes and sox at mid-afternoon break will be WELCOME!

5. Even if you don't want to do matching t-shirts/clothes, at least TRY to coordinate colors. It will make the pictures look MUCH better if everyone wore a blue shirt or a green shirt that day.... rather than if Dad wears navy, Mom wears green, Junior wears pumpkin orange and Sister wears hot pink!! I know this sounds neurotic and I admit, I AM! But I started coordinating our clothes back when the kiddos were little and the pictures look so much better!! (And it is SO MUCH EASIER for scrapbooking!) We used to have to work around DS's collection of Buzz Lightyear t-shirts! And of COURSE, I try to coordinate it based on which park we are visiting that day.... earth tones for AK, primaries for MK, etc! (Yup.... I have a problem )

6. Bring along whatever you can to save money ..... water bottles (refillable), snacks, Advil, extra sunscreen, extra camera media. Everything costs more at Disney and saving $10 a day by bringing refillable water bottles is a LOT of savings for a LITTLE work IMHO. And anything saved can be banked for the NEXT Disney adventure! Obviously if you have to pay for checked luggage on your flight to bring this stuff, you may have to think twice about it. When DS was younger and had lots of food allergies, I packed up a box of stuff ahead of time and shipped it to our hotel. It was a heavy box and cost me a lot to ship, but considering what it saved in aggravation and time in FL, it was well worth it. I didn't have to try to find a grocery store that carried his rice milk, rice bread, allergen-free snacks, etc. I know there are folks who have an Amazon order sent to their resort with things like snacks and bottled water. Brilliant (except I hate using disposable bottled water.... all that plastic waste!!!!!!!).

7. Disney will always be there. Don't go INSANE trying to do EVERYTHING that there is to do at Disney in one trip (unless you are going to be there for 30+ days!!). Sure, this may seem like a "once in a lifetime" trip.... but you will probably go again if you really loved it. Even if it will be another 10 years, Disney will still be there. And Disney is ALWAYS changing so there will be new things to see! And sure, you may miss out on a temporary event (like the FROZEN SUMMER events going on now).... but you can't see EVERYTHING all the time, right??

8. BUY/BORROW a book and BE PREPARED! Do some reading (I suggest the Unofficial Tourist guides or the Birnbaum's Official) on what rides are where, park hours, parade/firework schedules, height requirements for certain rides, ticket prices, etc. Nothing worse than planning to see Illuminations on Wednesday and then spending the day at the MK and realizing that this IS NOT the park that has Illuminations.... and you don't have park hoppers! I know that sounds silly to most of us Disney lovers, but folks go to Central FL so UNPREPARED! I guess it would be like me asking around London where I can find the Leaning Tower of Pisa!!

9. Character encounters don't just "happen" like they did in the 1970's. You must plan for them and in this day and age that means Fastpasses. If your daughter will DIE if she doesn't meet Anna and Elsa, you MUST have Fastpasses for that "privilege"! If your DH NEEDS his photo taken with Buzz Lightyear, read the daily parks schedule and be prepared to be at the Meet-and-Greet location AT LEAST 20 minutes before the scheduled character arrival time. But don't be afraid to be an ADULT who wants to meet the characters. You have just as much right as the kiddos and don't feel like you are bumping a child out of line if you are there. The characters are just as interactive with adults as they are with the kids. DD and I waited in line TWO hours to meet Rapunzel and Flynn on our 2011 trip. DD ended up being the only "big kid" but she wasn't afraid to participate in the dancing and coloring that led up to meeting the Princess!

10. Be prepared to fall in love!! Disney will do that to you!!

Phew..... it was tough to limit myself there!! .............P

I love all your tips P... Can't wait for my trip!!!

Glad to see you ladies are all doing well..

 

[Zoesmama03]

QOTD: Well, I've got the exercise down and staying hydrated. I love water--straight from the tap. There's always a full glass on the counter. I drink it all day long. DH on the other hand can't stand the stuff. He sucks down the Diet Coke like it is water. I cannot get him to stop! so frustrating Oh well, it's not vodka all day long!!

Going to pick blueberries here in a bit (the farm isn't open yet!). A fella from the Y put in a plug for a friend's farm. He thought it'd be fun to get a group of us together and pick, but nobody's available times overlap. I have my regular farm I usually go to (picked strawberries there earlier!), but thought I'll try these guys for a change. Dh and I usually eat blueberries every morning but we've been out for a bit now. It'll be good to have them again. Today's weather is cooler, so that's good, too!

I love water but our water smells too much of chlorine so I can't stomach it that often. I have in a pinch. Usually at unfiltered drinking fountains when out at parks, zoo etc.

Morning all! Had a nice visit yesterday with DH's extended family. Saw his niece and her family PLUS my DSIL and nephew that we haven't seen in 2 years.... and of course my two other SIL's plus assorted nieces and their kiddos and my dear sweet MIL! And I made the extended drive and picked up DD for a homecooked dinner and some love!

Dinner however, was tough. There is ALWAYS salad with DH's family, which is great, but dinner itself was lasagna, spaghetti, meatballs, and sausage. A total crapshoot and calorie bomb. I had a serving of salad and one small meatball and decided it wouldn't kill me to be a bit hungry..... especially since it was the night before weigh-in AND I'm currently doing a clean eating challenge and meatballs and sausage and white flour pasta are definitely NOT exactly my definition of "clean eating". Thank HEAVENS dessert saved me.... they had a big platter of cut fruit (along with cookies and brownies, of course). I was pretty hungry on the ride home, but DH stopped for a soda and a bag of peanuts, so I had a few peanuts and called it a night. Even fell asleep before I drank the big glass of water I brought up to bed.

All of that restraint was rewarded on the scale this morning with a 1.7 weight loss. I'm sure it is due in part to how very active I have been around the house this week AND my clean eating challenge AND my smoothies. Now to stick with it for another few weeks so I can go on vacation nearer the BOTTOM of my maintenance goal and have a bit of wiggle room!

Off to post the QOTD!......................P

Congrats on the loss this week. Tough when you eat somewhere else. Especially if you don't know how stuff was made. Spaghetti and lasagna have always been favorites of mine so it would be hard. Though I have gotten to the point where I've had them both so much that I'm not that gaga for them anymore.

Morning all! Didn't mean to completely bail out on you yesterday! I thought I would pop on during my car ride to the Cape but I forgot!

Here is a super easy QOTD for Sunday, July 20, 3014:

If you were gifted $10,000 to spend on an adventure for yourself, what would you do and where would you go?

I'll try to pop on later to check on you all! ......P

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to go on the new Disney cruise and go to Sweden. My maternal grandfather was 100% Swedish and I would love to go visit and see the sites. I know we have family there but I wouldn't even know how to reach them both maternal grandparents have passed. So it would probably be that cruise I'd pick. Or maybe Jamaica or a cruise hopping islands.

Love this question as well! It would be a hard choice - Japan or northern Europe (Netherlands/Belgium/Sweden/Finland/Norway). Probably Europe because I have been there, not to those places, and it is a little more my comfort zone. I would love to see aurora boreaulis (sp?) in Scandanavia. Great question!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Me too all those sounds pretty good.

Good morning all!

I'm Lisa and I will be your coach for the next few days. There is still a coaching slot open for the end of the month so please PM Flossbolna if you would like to take a shot at coaching. It's a lot of fun!

QOTD Monday, July 21, 2014: It's Motivational Monday! Share your favorite motivational quote or mantra.

Nice one.

Here's one I've seen maybe even here on another picture:

I always drink water straight for the tap. I can't stand bottled water, it tastes funny to me. People look at me like I am crazy for drinking unbottled water. I was raised on tap water. Hasn't killed me yet.....

I had to learn to like water but our city water here is so strong of chlorine smell unless I boil it and let it sit I just can't bring myself to drink much. We buy R/O water from a water store and its ready and cold. Which is another thing I like it icy cold and that would always distract me from drinking enough.

"You must do the things you think you cannot do."

-Eleanor Roosevelt


I don't have a favorite quote but stumbled across this one & thought it was perfect

Jill

Love this one. She has a lot of great ones in general.

Crazy weekend. Gabe had his tubes put in Friday. He did great and seems to be fine now. Since I was out for the day Friday, my backup did some of my stuff. Now I have to go back and fix everything he did because he isn't very detail oriented and most of it is wrong. I hate that I will be worried for the whole week I am at Disney world, wondering how much I will have to fix when I get back.

I have become allergic to something in my house. I know I am highly allergic to cats but we don't have one. We do have a dog that we have had for about 4 years now and I am hoping that it isn't suddenly an allergy to her. Having someone come in and clean our sofa and rocking chair to see if that helps. Spent all afternoon yesterday sneezing like crazy and scratching my eyes. Pulled a muscle sneezing so much so now I am miserable. Finally took a Benadryl last night before bed because if I take it any other time it knocks me out. Only problem with take it before bed is that I am extremely drowsy the next day so I am sitting at my desk trying not to let my forehead hit the keyboard.

The previous owners of our home put in expensive light fixtures. The bulbs put off a crazy amount of heat and instead of being screw in, they have these little prong things. We started pricing light bulbs and to change/replace all the bulbs in the house it is close to $1000. We had to break down and replace the ones in the living room and it was $400.

Lost another 1.4 lbs this week which puts my weight loss at 14.2 lbs since June 1st.

Food choices weren't great this weekend but considering everything that was going on, I didn't do too horrible.

Sorry for all the complaining. Maybe now that I got it all out I can have a better day....here's to hoping.

Great job on the loss. We are doing around the same progress since June. Sometimes getting out the thoughts totally helps. Sorry about the light costs and the allergy attack. I have random ones too. Including random hives that I never find the cause of. My cat sometimes bothers me other times not at all. So I suspect my allergy is related to pet dander at different times in her shedding cycles. Maybe you are getting issues with the dog, or possibly some environmental ones brought in or otherwise. I have both. The environmental ones make my ears extremely itchy. Its super annoying and because I can't ignore the urge to scratch I end up with frequent ear infections. I had a really bad food day Sunday. My brother bought doughnuts and then Panda Express for dinner. I didn't even track but I don't think I went over that much. Its done and I'm on track and doing good yesterday and today so far.

Good morning all!

Trying something different today.

QOTD Tuesday, July 22, 2014: It's Disney Tips and Tricks Tuesday.
Share any tip and trick for a Disney visit . . . It could be for Disneyworld or Disneyland or even for Disney Cruise Line. How to do Disney on a budget or what to wear to Disney or how to manage the new FP+ system. Just pick a tip and share it!

My tip is stay hydrated something I finally learned in 2009 was any counter service will give free ice water. So drink up and no reason to drink calories to get fluids. Probably said this before but its my best tip as of late. No more expensive bottled water or carrying around the heaviness to bring my own. My other tip is to carry light weight snakes and try to only eat dinner at the parks. Something my dad has always done was a late lunch early dinner one meal trip so now I bring a snack and try for just one meal out. Saves a lot.

I think it may be time for a new scale. Hubby has been telling me it's giving him funky numbers lately. I told him that's because he is eating the portion for 3 people. He ate 3 cans of spaghetti o's the other night for supper.

He said it wasn't that, it was that the numbers were way off. He is somewhere over 200 lbs and said the scale told him he was 150. He got off and got on again and it told him a different number. He tried again and the third time it was another different number.

It happened to me this morning. It told me I was 3+ lbs more than I was yesterday. I KNEW this was wrong because I ate good yesterday. I got on it again and it gave me a more reasonable number to where I am.

DH said he wants the scale with the needle that moves when you get on it. I told him NO WAY. I need a scale that shows me ounces as well as pounds because on a needle scale 170 is 170. On a digital scale 170.9 and 170.1 is the difference between me being motivated or unmotivated because seeing the scale go down even if it is only ounces is great.

Guess I am going scale shopping at walmart for lunch. Any recommendations on a scale?

I like the ounces too. I would be so annoyed to seek a set weight not knowing I had lost half a pound would be so unmotivating. The needle ones can be so inaccurate. But I think they all can be if it snot level and perfectly set. Mine will way underweight at times. Which is why I was sooo thrilled to see my Dr's office scale was showing the loss too.

I don't know about scales that show ounces as well, but I would suggest having 2 scales, a digital and an analog. Weigh yourself on both as a way to 'verify' the true weight.


My Disney tip? Try to go every 3-4 years as you can afford it. We haven't gone in 4 years, and are taking DS for the first time (he's 19.5 months at time of vacation). Tip 2: Take your kid(s) before they turn 3 so you get them in for free. After that, I would wait until they are tall enough to ride all the rides. I really don't want to take the boy back if he's an inch or two short for some of the thrill rides, and have to deal with that.

My dd's first trip was at just over 2 years. She had fun. We had enough adults to ride the thrilling rides. At 5 she was tall enough and did ride everything(except Space Mountain, it was closed for refurb)and still had a really great time but says she honestly doesn't remember either trips really. No surprise. I only remember bits of my first trip and I was 10. I remembered other parks more clearly as I had more pics from those that I had looked at growing up. So maybe why I had more perceived memories of it. I'm 5 years out and way overdue.


Last night I fought through the tushy pain of the exercise bike for 30 minutes instead of 15. By then the tushy was doing okay it was my legs getting jello like.

I managed to get myself and dd up early today so maybe it will get us back on a schedule for the start of school coming up shortly. She will be doing online public school this year through k12. She is super excited and I will have to plan a few events with my homeschooling friend for enrichment type things. This way maybe we can maintain a better schedule. She can work on school while I work on finding some income either at home or part time or full time around a schedule that would keep her on "home" school. She's been begging for this for years. There is a chance we may move to Ohio later in the year so this way was just more logical in cases of that coming forward. We were supposed to over summer but some things came up.

We will be off to her dentist appointment in a little bit so I'm glad I got all this catching up done now. I have lots of prep work to do around the house so she can have her 11th birthday party this weekend. Her birthday is Saturday but my best friend is attending another friends little girls party at the lake so we are having it Sunday though dd really has no care if she makes it or her kids(they all annoy her except the baby ) but its just a ritual we've had. Hopefully a few of her other friends will make it with such short notice. And double hoping for no 2nd menstrual cycle to come ruin it. So far its past due on a 28 day range so hopefully doesn't show up lat now and ruin her chance to have swimming with the party(weather permitting and it usually is fine).

 

[pjlla]

I love all your tips P... Can't wait for my trip!!!

Glad to see you ladies are all doing well..

Hey friend!! How are you doing???

Congrats on the loss this week. Tough when you eat somewhere else. Especially if you don't know how stuff was made. Spaghetti and lasagna have always been favorites of mine so it would be hard. Though I have gotten to the point where I've had them both so much that I'm not that gaga for them anymore.

Unfortunately the weekend eating wasn't quite so clean..... hope I didn't find those same 1.7 pounds!!


I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to go on the new Disney cruise and go to Sweden. My maternal grandfather was 100% Swedish and I would love to go visit and see the sites. I know we have family there but I wouldn't even know how to reach them both maternal grandparents have passed. So it would probably be that cruise I'd pick. Or maybe Jamaica or a cruise hopping islands.

My DH is Swedish as well! His Dad's family immigrated here right before his Dad was born.... so DH is second generation American and my kiddos are 1/4 Swedish.


My tip is stay hydrated something I finally learned in 2009 was any counter service will give free ice water. So drink up and no reason to drink calories to get fluids. Probably said this before but its my best tip as of late. No more expensive bottled water or carrying around the heaviness to bring my own. My other tip is to carry light weight snakes and try to only eat dinner at the parks. Something my dad has always done was a late lunch early dinner one meal trip so now I bring a snack and try for just one meal out. Saves a lot.

Really? And the SNAKES don't try to get out of your bag and slither away??? JK.... love to tease about typos!!


I like the ounces too. I would be so annoyed to seek a set weight not knowing I had lost half a pound would be so unmotivating. The needle ones can be so inaccurate. But I think they all can be if it snot level and perfectly set. Mine will way underweight at times. Which is why I was sooo thrilled to see my Dr's office scale was showing the loss too.

I "tolerated" regular analog/dial scale for a few years at the start of this journey, but was frustrated by the lack of precision. I am currently on my second digital scale and while it frustrates me at times when it seems inaccurate, I'll take it over the old scale any day! First one was a THINner brand (yes, that is how they type it) and I loved it, but when it died I didn't replace it with same. I believe I have a WW glass scale now (from Target) and someday would like to invest a more expensive and precise scale.



Last night I fought through the tushy pain of the exercise bike for 30 minutes instead of 15. By then the tushy was doing okay it was my legs getting jello like.

Good for you!!

I managed to get myself and dd up early today so maybe it will get us back on a schedule for the start of school coming up shortly. She will be doing online public school this year through k12. She is super excited and I will have to plan a few events with my homeschooling friend for enrichment type things. This way maybe we can maintain a better schedule. She can work on school while I work on finding some income either at home or part time or full time around a schedule that would keep her on "home" school. She's been begging for this for years. There is a chance we may move to Ohio later in the year so this way was just more logical in cases of that coming forward. We were supposed to over summer but some things came up.

Good luck with the homeschooling..... our extended family is a mix of both public and homeschooling and there are definite benefits and drawbacks to both, but if you know your kid best and can find what works best for them, then you are doing well!!

We will be off to her dentist appointment in a little bit so I'm glad I got all this catching up done now. I have lots of prep work to do around the house so she can have her 11th birthday party this weekend. Her birthday is Saturday but my best friend is attending another friends little girls party at the lake so we are having it Sunday though dd really has no care if she makes it or her kids(they all annoy her except the baby ) but its just a ritual we've had. Hopefully a few of her other friends will make it with such short notice. And double hoping for no 2nd menstrual cycle to come ruin it. So far its past due on a 28 day range so hopefully doesn't show up lat now and ruin her chance to have swimming with the party(weather permitting and it usually is fine).

Fingers crossed that "Aunt Flo" stays away a bit longer!! And I loved that your quote was a Walt quote!!

**************

Okay friends.... today's workout (aka mowing the lawn at full speed in the hot sun) is done and I am literally DRIPPING wet here. I told myself I could sit in the air conditioned office until 2:30 to drop my core temp before heading to the shower and getting ready for work... but it is now 2:34, so I must dash! TTYL................P

 

[glss1/2fll]

My Disney tip is plan and rope drop. I love Pamela's tips and use most of them--don't think I could ever get the kids to wear coordinating shirts!

Well, thanks to ToM I was up 3 pounds at weigh in! Ugh, but two are gone now and I'm hoping they will pick up a friend or two this week.

DS#2 has give us his list of prospective colleges Think we may do some visits at the end of next month. Most are in Minnesota, with one in Boston and one in Rochester, NY. We've told him he needs to get serious about finding scholarships because there is no way to afford those small private colleges!

 

[LETTERninjaa]

Hey y'all! New to WISH. I'm attempting to take off 40 pounds, as I've plateaued over the years after having serious health problems and after I had my two year old.

I'm using Lose It!, and hopefully will be able to keep up with my dieting (or tracking) and water intake.

I'm attempting to drink 100 oz. per day.
I'm a full time employee at Tom + Chee (gourmet tomato soup and grilled cheese) and I'm having a tough time.

Anyone have any tips on how to stick with it? Or any exercise ideas for people who aren't quite fit, or someone recovering from health problems?

Thanks in advance!

- Jess

 

[lisah0711]

Hey y'all! New to WISH. I'm attempting to take off 40 pounds, as I've plateaued over the years after having serious health problems and after I had my two year old.

I'm using Lose It!, and hopefully will be able to keep up with my dieting (or tracking) and water intake.

I'm attempting to drink 100 oz. per day.
I'm a full time employee at Tom + Chee (gourmet tomato soup and grilled cheese) and I'm having a tough time.

Anyone have any tips on how to stick with it? Or any exercise ideas for people who aren't quite fit, or someone recovering from health problems?

Thanks in advance!

- Jess

Jess! Please read the instructions in the first post and let us know if you have any questions.

My tip for sticking with it is to never, ever give up and any time you go off plan to get back on plan as quickly as possible.

Make sure your doctor approves an increase in activity for you. Slow and steady will give you results and keep you from overdoing and getting injured. Start with 5 minutes of walking a day and build it up from there.

Good luck!

 

[lisah0711]

Good morning all!

QOTD Wednesday, July 23, 2014: It's Woo Hoo Wednesday! Give yourself a big "woo hoo" for helping yourself to be healthy and share something that you did this week to help you with your goals.

BRB with replies.

 

[JennStars9]

Good morning all!

QOTD Wednesday, July 23, 2014: It's Woo Hoo Wednesday! Give yourself a big "woo hoo" for helping yourself to be healthy and share something that you did this week to help you with your goals.

I have not stuck with my goals this month. I used my birthday as an excuse to fall back in to all of my bad habits. I have not weighed in for the last two weeks. I know that the scale has moved in the opposite direction.

After saying all of the that, the one thing that I have done to help me with my goal is I went to the gym. Monday was the first time I hit the gym in probably six month. I am going to the gym this afternoon as well.

 

[pjlla]

My Disney tip is plan and rope drop. I love Pamela's tips and use most of them--don't think I could ever get the kids to wear coordinating shirts!

Well... I've only ever ONCE actually expected my kids to wear themed shirts that coordinate.... but I do try to coordinate colors for the whole family if possible.... but only at Disney.... on our lake vacation and usually on our July 4th at the Cape.... it's a free-for-all!

Well, thanks to ToM I was up 3 pounds at weigh in! Ugh, but two are gone now and I'm hoping they will pick up a friend or two this week.

Yup.... fingers crossed that Mr. Extra Pound will take a few friends away with him!

DS#2 has give us his list of prospective colleges Think we may do some visits at the end of next month. Most are in Minnesota, with one in Boston and one in Rochester, NY. We've told him he needs to get serious about finding scholarships because there is no way to afford those small private colleges!

Hey! If you come to Boston, let me know!! Where in Boston is he looking? And make SURE that you use ANY scholarship offers as collateral to negotiate with the colleges! Wish we had done that with DD... but that said, her first choice college was nearly the most generous with her scholarship offer, so I'm not sure we would have had much negotiating room.

Hey y'all! New to WISH. I'm attempting to take off 40 pounds, as I've plateaued over the years after having serious health problems and after I had my two year old.

I'm using Lose It!, and hopefully will be able to keep up with my dieting (or tracking) and water intake.

I'm attempting to drink 100 oz. per day.
I'm a full time employee at Tom + Chee (gourmet tomato soup and grilled cheese) and I'm having a tough time.

Anyone have any tips on how to stick with it? Or any exercise ideas for people who aren't quite fit, or someone recovering from health problems?

Thanks in advance!

- Jess

First of all WELCOME!!! We have a wonderful, loving, caring group here! Sometimes we are chatty and sometimes, especially in the summer, we are more quiet..... but there is almost always someone around to "talk" to!

Feel free to tell us more about yourself!

First tip for sticking with it..... tell yourself today... right now.... THIS TIME.... you will NEVER, EVER give up. Sure, you may have a slip-up or two.... or TEN. You may fall off the wagon (and get run over by it... ).... but you will keep trying... someway, some how. You ARE worth it and it CAN be done!

Since I don't know what your health issues entail, it is hard to make a comment on exercise.... but my usual suggest is START WALKING!! If you think you can do 1 mile.... do 1.2 miles! If you think you could walk a 20 minute mile, push to do it in 18 minutes.... and progress on from there. And feel free to come here and BRAG about your accomplishments... it feels good!

If walking is a problem, try biking or swimming. If the legs/hips/knees are an area of concern, how about some upper body light weight training or yoga?

I can imagine that your work environment isn't very conducive to healthy eating.... so I would think that bringing your own lunch and snacks to work would definitely be beneficial!

Anyhow.... welcome! You can do this!!

Good morning all!

QOTD Wednesday, July 23, 2014: It's Woo Hoo Wednesday! Give yourself a big "woo hoo" for helping yourself to be healthy and share something that you did this week to help you with your goals.

BRB with replies.

My woohoo for this week???? Hmmmmm... skipping the cake this weekend would be an easy thing to say.... but since I don't really like cake, it wasn't hard!

Yesterday I job-traded with DS. I did the mowing and gave him my list of inside chores. Then I made sure to push that stupid mower with every bit of power inside of me!! I had a heart-pounding, heavy breathing, sweating like mad workout for 72 minutes..... plus the lawn got mowed and some weeds got pulled! Woohoo for a workout that accomplished more than just health!

I have not stuck with my goals this month. I used my birthday as an excuse to fall back in to all of my bad habits. I have not weighed in for the last two weeks. I know that the scale has moved in the opposite direction.

After saying all of the that, the one thing that I have done to help me with my goal is I went to the gym. Monday was the first time I hit the gym in probably six month. I am going to the gym this afternoon as well.

And the next WOOHOO thing you did was to come on here, come clean with your struggles and obviously make the choice to start moving in the right direction again!!

*********************

Morning all!!

Today is my "get it done" day.... I am going to accomplish ALL of those silly things on my "do it later" list! I AM going to fill out my passport application, I AM going to call and reschedule the mammogram I missed in December, I AM going to call my doctor for a physical and PAP that is loooooong overdue, I AM going to make an eye appointment.

It is warm and super muggy here today. I plan to go out and finish the mowing before it gets too hot.... then I will do my phone calls, etc during the hot afternoon. I also need to plan our menu for vacation week. With 3 of us on WW, I plan to make SURE that there are lots of ON PLAN options for those of us who so choose.... including TREAT options! That is where we are usually lacking. We usually eat fairly healthy as a group and I can almost always find something for breakfast and lunch that fits my plan.... but once the treats come out, it is hard to resist if there isn't anything else to grab. So while I'm not a HUGE advocate of prepackaged snacks and such, I will be sure to have a basket of WW (and WW approved) sweets and treats handy!

My usual vacation week MO starts out like this..... Saturday I am ON PLAN but with one small splurge (usually a cocktail). Sunday I am mostly ON PLAN but sometimes grab a bit of dessert..... and by WEDNESDAY... I have lost all control and am eating like my 200+ pound self. And then I spend the entire Fall trying to lose what I gain that week so that I don't go into the holiday season above my maintenance range. BUT NOT THIS YEAR!! I will be LEADING BY EXAMPLE to my fellow healthy eaters! I will plan a HEALTHY OP breakfast AND lunch for myself (and whoever else would like to stay OP) each and every day!! And at dinner I will indulge, just a bit, on whatever is made (we take turns cooking dinner). And I WILL skip most desserts.... they just aren't worth the damage they do!! Boxed brownies, grocery store ice cream.... just not special enough! I will indulge in a bit of dessert if it is something homemade like my Mom's blueberry crisp. But I will be sure to have on hand plenty of special WW style treats... things I don't usually indulge in so they will seem special! And I may even do some baking and make some healthy OP treats to bring along.... like my black bean brownies which are SURPRISINGLY delicious!

Anyhow, enough rambling here! Off to waste just a bit of time on Pinterest before heading out to mow! I'll BBL to chat............P