Tomorrow night is the night. Lots of people(*understatement*) will be celebrating the arrival of a new year. Some have yearly traditions of eating certain foods on New Year's Eve, having that special drink, or spending the night with that special someone while watching the ball drop live on TV then welcoming the New Year with a kiss. We really don't have any true traditions in our house. That's probably best though, considering how things tend to happen.
After D lost his job, I thought "Oh, he'll at least be home on Christmas day. Our schedules will be open wide for whatever plans our families decide to do." Christmas passed and then I considered that he could possibly be home for New Year's Eve night as well and actually be able to celebrate the night without worrying about work the next morning. The odd bright side in not having any source of income being more time to spend with family. I wasn't expecting any possible job offers until we were in 2010, but then the phone rang. Now on New Year's Eve night, he will be working 7pm to 7am. With his last job, I could at least roll over and give him a kiss at the strike of 12. It just isn't going to be so this time around. I think the last New Year's Eve we truly celebrated was in 2006. It was a Friday night and D was working a M-F job, so we were free on the weekends. I only know this because I'm a journalist in my own mind and I have this written down in my personal journal lol. After that it was layoff, then working the holidays(we never complained-the holiday pay was always welcomed), though I'd have him home at night to celebrate with me, and now I'll likely be at a party without my child/husband quite possibly feeling a little alone and somber that my last moments of 2009 won't be spent with my husband and daughter.
Okay, maybe I'm being too sentimental over how to end a year lol. I've always heard that the people you end the year with will be the people you see most of the next year. I don't know how true that is and quite frankly, I don't think it has turned out to be true even ONCE for us. Things are how they are and I'm just going to miss the hell out of my husband and daughter for not being with me on this one night of the year. So no ringing in the New Year with a kiss this year, but I will start the year off right with one as soon as I get home! Until then, my friends...I will blog again in TWENTY-TEN! :)
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
A Few Gluttonous Days
I know it's only supposed to be a holiDAY- not a holiWEEK or MONTH. Seriously though, it is a FEW DAYS for me!! I have my family's shindig, D's family shindig, and then my mom sometimes does a Christmas day meal at her house just because. That one's optional though, but can I really say no to seeing my mom on CHRISTMAS DAY?! Right, I didn't think so lol. :)
I thoroughly enjoyed the holiday food this year. I have worked so hard to get where I am just to hit a slump after D got fired. I really didn't care and just wanted to have a few days of not thinking about it and simply eat what I wanted without stuffing myself to explosion point(most people know what I'm talking about there too lol). That's what I did and I have a few pounds to show for it, but I know I'm going to have something come in the mail soon that will SPARK me back into action.
In case you didn't catch my reference there, my reading material for the new year has been shipped! My copy of The Spark should be arriving any day now! I can't wait. I believe it's just read I need to get this mind of mine back where it needs to be and focused on what's truly important-me feeling good. I feel good and it spreads to the rest of my family because I'm not cranky and ill or feeling like I look like dirt. Everyone wins when Mama feels good! And though my baggy pants are still about to fall off of me(not quite there yet), I sure haven't felt my best without exercising regularly.
I might be better off too with a hopeful job in sight for D. He got called this morning and though it's currently a temp job(and temp pay sucks a million big hairy toes), it could turn full-time or lead to immediate unemployment if they keep him long enough to make $1800. I don't know why they have it like that, but you can't change the system(more millions of big hairy toes there, I tell you)! The days and hours are odd- Friday through Sunday night 7pm to 7am. Since he's just starting, they are bringing him in tomorrow night, Thursday night, off Friday night for New Year's Day, then Sunday night. It's an interesting change, but at least the place is less than 15 minutes away from home and it will be a little money to help get us through the unemployment wait of the century. They take their sweet time with this stuff when people are having to figure out how to pay their bills if it or another job doesn't come through. Ugh, the government and their big hairy toes! Whether it lasts or not, it's something to be thankful for. It's the only reason I pushed D toward the employment agencies. Sometimes you can't find anything unless you have help and some companies only advertise through those kind of places. Whatever works, I guess!
I'm ready for another change though. I want to feel good again. I deserve to feel good. I just need to work with what I've got. Suck it up and use what I've got. Schedule time again...figuring out when and what workout I want to do. Until next time!
I thoroughly enjoyed the holiday food this year. I have worked so hard to get where I am just to hit a slump after D got fired. I really didn't care and just wanted to have a few days of not thinking about it and simply eat what I wanted without stuffing myself to explosion point(most people know what I'm talking about there too lol). That's what I did and I have a few pounds to show for it, but I know I'm going to have something come in the mail soon that will SPARK me back into action.
In case you didn't catch my reference there, my reading material for the new year has been shipped! My copy of The Spark should be arriving any day now! I can't wait. I believe it's just read I need to get this mind of mine back where it needs to be and focused on what's truly important-me feeling good. I feel good and it spreads to the rest of my family because I'm not cranky and ill or feeling like I look like dirt. Everyone wins when Mama feels good! And though my baggy pants are still about to fall off of me(not quite there yet), I sure haven't felt my best without exercising regularly.
I might be better off too with a hopeful job in sight for D. He got called this morning and though it's currently a temp job(and temp pay sucks a million big hairy toes), it could turn full-time or lead to immediate unemployment if they keep him long enough to make $1800. I don't know why they have it like that, but you can't change the system(more millions of big hairy toes there, I tell you)! The days and hours are odd- Friday through Sunday night 7pm to 7am. Since he's just starting, they are bringing him in tomorrow night, Thursday night, off Friday night for New Year's Day, then Sunday night. It's an interesting change, but at least the place is less than 15 minutes away from home and it will be a little money to help get us through the unemployment wait of the century. They take their sweet time with this stuff when people are having to figure out how to pay their bills if it or another job doesn't come through. Ugh, the government and their big hairy toes! Whether it lasts or not, it's something to be thankful for. It's the only reason I pushed D toward the employment agencies. Sometimes you can't find anything unless you have help and some companies only advertise through those kind of places. Whatever works, I guess!
I'm ready for another change though. I want to feel good again. I deserve to feel good. I just need to work with what I've got. Suck it up and use what I've got. Schedule time again...figuring out when and what workout I want to do. Until next time!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Almost there... Almost!
I'm a bit relieved that tomorrow is the last day of our holiday rumpus. I've been in and out of the car so much lately that I'm ready to sit at home for a month. It could just be the fatigue getting to me. I really am sick of all the traveling though.
Wednesday afternoon, I gave into the drowsiness and fell asleep on/off from 5 pm-7 pm then went to bed at 1 am and slept until 9. Very excessive for me. Thursday/Friday, I managed to keep myself awake, but last night I slept from 9 pm-8 am. By around 11, the fatigue hit me again. I just couldn't fight it any longer and I ended up sleeping until 3 pm. Part of that was sleeping with Ally during her nap time-again, something else not typical for me. I usually avoid that at all costs. I don't want her thinking she's allowed to sleep with me again. D wonders if it might have something to do with the Prozac. I just realized that it's been a week since I started taking it. I have one more Pristiq to take tomorrow night and then it's solo with the Prozac. I just hope this passes. It's a huge impairment when it comes to taking care of Ally.
My sleeping routine has been erratic. I'm not eating at regular intervals. Stress is becoming more of an apparent issue. I know so because of how my eating has been lately-all or nothing. I know what this is. Our lives have sort of spun out of a control. We're cutting back on our luxuries. We need a yes decision on D's unemployment by mid-January or we'll default on our mortgage for the first time in 3.5 years. Maybe some people think missing one payment or two isn't that bad, but it can really set you back. That's something we really don't need going into the new year. My overeating is an indulgence that won't really cost us anything per se. I need think though. It could cost me all of the hard work I've put into losing 65-70 lbs this year. I keep yo-yoing in the 160-170 range with obvious reason. I can't say it's a good reason because it isn't, but I can say it's understandable why I'm having issues. It's still no excuse to give up something important to me. It's also something that could help relieve some of the stress that's being put on my body from life-related problems. I wish D could see it that way. Exercise would help ease that stiffness in his back and possibly improve his acid reflux. You can't force anyone to do something they don't believe in though. I have to do for me because it's important to me and just hope that it makes an impact on someone else's life.
My change is starting again. Anyone who reads any of this blog can see that I've started over so many times that it's tough to keep track. I have to keep going though, no matter how many times I may fall. The only thing that counts is that I GET BACK UP. This is me doing just that. Seeing as how I slept through lunch, it's now time for dinner. I don't necessarily NEED a lot to be satisfied. There was a time I was satisfied with less and I'm going to get there again. Until I get back into a good exercise routine, less is more(meaning 1200 calories and no less because anything less is unhealthy)! Until next time... Have a great weekend!
Wednesday afternoon, I gave into the drowsiness and fell asleep on/off from 5 pm-7 pm then went to bed at 1 am and slept until 9. Very excessive for me. Thursday/Friday, I managed to keep myself awake, but last night I slept from 9 pm-8 am. By around 11, the fatigue hit me again. I just couldn't fight it any longer and I ended up sleeping until 3 pm. Part of that was sleeping with Ally during her nap time-again, something else not typical for me. I usually avoid that at all costs. I don't want her thinking she's allowed to sleep with me again. D wonders if it might have something to do with the Prozac. I just realized that it's been a week since I started taking it. I have one more Pristiq to take tomorrow night and then it's solo with the Prozac. I just hope this passes. It's a huge impairment when it comes to taking care of Ally.
My sleeping routine has been erratic. I'm not eating at regular intervals. Stress is becoming more of an apparent issue. I know so because of how my eating has been lately-all or nothing. I know what this is. Our lives have sort of spun out of a control. We're cutting back on our luxuries. We need a yes decision on D's unemployment by mid-January or we'll default on our mortgage for the first time in 3.5 years. Maybe some people think missing one payment or two isn't that bad, but it can really set you back. That's something we really don't need going into the new year. My overeating is an indulgence that won't really cost us anything per se. I need think though. It could cost me all of the hard work I've put into losing 65-70 lbs this year. I keep yo-yoing in the 160-170 range with obvious reason. I can't say it's a good reason because it isn't, but I can say it's understandable why I'm having issues. It's still no excuse to give up something important to me. It's also something that could help relieve some of the stress that's being put on my body from life-related problems. I wish D could see it that way. Exercise would help ease that stiffness in his back and possibly improve his acid reflux. You can't force anyone to do something they don't believe in though. I have to do for me because it's important to me and just hope that it makes an impact on someone else's life.
My change is starting again. Anyone who reads any of this blog can see that I've started over so many times that it's tough to keep track. I have to keep going though, no matter how many times I may fall. The only thing that counts is that I GET BACK UP. This is me doing just that. Seeing as how I slept through lunch, it's now time for dinner. I don't necessarily NEED a lot to be satisfied. There was a time I was satisfied with less and I'm going to get there again. Until I get back into a good exercise routine, less is more(meaning 1200 calories and no less because anything less is unhealthy)! Until next time... Have a great weekend!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Merry Christmas, Cyberspace!
It's Christmas Eve and we're all watching movies. I haven't cooked dinner yet. I don't know what I want. I'm not even really hungry, but I know I need to eat.
We let Ally open all of her gifts when she woke up this morning. She was very excited!! You can't tell that in some of the pics though lol! It seems like she's happy with all of her gifts even though there weren't many. Quality, not quantity here I suppose!
I caved in and took Ally to see the mall Santa. Why is there this guilt to take her to see Santa anyway? She will realize at some point that there isn't a "Santa" who comes down the chimney or uses "Santa magic" to get into your house to leave presents. Maybe I'm just ill that we spent $30 for a $20 Shutterfly gift card attached to a 16MB jump drive with one sad Santa photo on it.
Believe me, there were worse ones too(this was one of two half way decent ones). We had shots of her back arching and trying to wiggle away!! Sweet Santa, but the lady behind the camera was in a bit of a hurry. After Ally's reaction though, I wasn't about to buy a big package of that. Santa said he figured she was around 2 years old because 7 or 8 out of 10 don't react well at that age. She did fine running up to him and she might have been okay standing next to him, but she didn't want to go near his lap lol.
Anyway, I worked out with a new game the past two days. I think I've still gained about 3 lbs overall. Why I didn't lose anything after working out, I'm not sure. Might have been the yummy peanut butter bonbons I indulged in. Thank you so much, Melissa! :) The front of my thighs sure are sore as heck though. I'm surprised I was able to run to the van when we left Wal-Mart. I guess when you have to do something, you ignore the pain and just do it. It was raining so heavily that I didn't want to just stroll in it with Ally in the cart and I didn't want D to go bring the van up because there were already people doing that and it was crowded at the entrance. Crazy last minute shoppers! It was insane how many people I saw grabbing up DVDs and toys in there. I can't imagine waiting that last minute for Christmas shopping. I'd be stressed something serious.
Once I'm settled again after Christmas lunch with D's family, I'll work on getting some slide shows up. Right now I figure D is ready for some internet time. I've hogged it most of the day!! Until next time... Merry Christmas to all!!
We let Ally open all of her gifts when she woke up this morning. She was very excited!! You can't tell that in some of the pics though lol! It seems like she's happy with all of her gifts even though there weren't many. Quality, not quantity here I suppose!
I caved in and took Ally to see the mall Santa. Why is there this guilt to take her to see Santa anyway? She will realize at some point that there isn't a "Santa" who comes down the chimney or uses "Santa magic" to get into your house to leave presents. Maybe I'm just ill that we spent $30 for a $20 Shutterfly gift card attached to a 16MB jump drive with one sad Santa photo on it.
Believe me, there were worse ones too(this was one of two half way decent ones). We had shots of her back arching and trying to wiggle away!! Sweet Santa, but the lady behind the camera was in a bit of a hurry. After Ally's reaction though, I wasn't about to buy a big package of that. Santa said he figured she was around 2 years old because 7 or 8 out of 10 don't react well at that age. She did fine running up to him and she might have been okay standing next to him, but she didn't want to go near his lap lol.
Anyway, I worked out with a new game the past two days. I think I've still gained about 3 lbs overall. Why I didn't lose anything after working out, I'm not sure. Might have been the yummy peanut butter bonbons I indulged in. Thank you so much, Melissa! :) The front of my thighs sure are sore as heck though. I'm surprised I was able to run to the van when we left Wal-Mart. I guess when you have to do something, you ignore the pain and just do it. It was raining so heavily that I didn't want to just stroll in it with Ally in the cart and I didn't want D to go bring the van up because there were already people doing that and it was crowded at the entrance. Crazy last minute shoppers! It was insane how many people I saw grabbing up DVDs and toys in there. I can't imagine waiting that last minute for Christmas shopping. I'd be stressed something serious.
Once I'm settled again after Christmas lunch with D's family, I'll work on getting some slide shows up. Right now I figure D is ready for some internet time. I've hogged it most of the day!! Until next time... Merry Christmas to all!!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The Gift of Delicious Gravy
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Club House. All opinions are 100% mine.
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Tuesday, December 22, 2009
It's All Politics
D got a call about a job today. I was thinking, "Oh, great!!!" It was a temp position at a factory 30 minutes away from our town and it would pay $8/hr, but it was only for a week to a week and a half. I thought maybe that would just be some money to get us through while he kept on searching for something else.
I felt like he should take it just for the little bit of money, thinking it had to help somehow. They said it was near a college, so we looked it up and it turned out to be an HOUR away. He thought and thought on it, then decided to call the temp agency back. They then decided to tell him HE'D have to cover the drug test and background check for the job, he'd be off of work Christmas Eve and Christmas day as well as New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, so he would only have 4 days of work on the paycheck minus $50 for the background check/drug test plus gas for going there and back. It didn't seem worth it, so another investigation has been opened. We feel like it's better to be honest now than regret not being so in the future.
The job center employees couldn't make up their minds about what was right/wrong in the situation. One person claimed it was only 14 business days to make a judgment on the investigation. Another person says 4-8 weeks. One person wouldn't tell him one way or the other if declining this job would hurt him any as far as unemployment was concerned. Another told him that it would have to be investigated. If he hadn't opened the investigation on NEW and did take this temp job, he could have started unemployment immediately after the temp job ended. Since the temp job wasn't worth taking, then we were going to be screwed either way.
I guess I'm going to start putting in job applications for myself this week too. I'm not very optimistic about that, but we'll see what happens. What else can we do? It's a depressing situation to be in and I'm finding it difficult avoid emotional eating. D is worried and though he doesn't show it a lot, he definitely did today. Him being so upset got me upset as well, but I keep telling him we didn't ask for this. He did the best he could at his job. All we can do now is adapt to the situation and we're doing all we can. Whatever happens happens and we'll work with it.
I stayed here at my mom's while he was gone and he called to let me know he was going to go home to check on/feed the cats. Later he told me that he called Daniel to talk for a bit and that made him feel better. I'm glad someone could. I guess this is my "get it out" spot, along with SparkPeople. It's a scary predicament to be in, but I'm hoping we can find some way to hold onto everything... Until next time.
I felt like he should take it just for the little bit of money, thinking it had to help somehow. They said it was near a college, so we looked it up and it turned out to be an HOUR away. He thought and thought on it, then decided to call the temp agency back. They then decided to tell him HE'D have to cover the drug test and background check for the job, he'd be off of work Christmas Eve and Christmas day as well as New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, so he would only have 4 days of work on the paycheck minus $50 for the background check/drug test plus gas for going there and back. It didn't seem worth it, so another investigation has been opened. We feel like it's better to be honest now than regret not being so in the future.
The job center employees couldn't make up their minds about what was right/wrong in the situation. One person claimed it was only 14 business days to make a judgment on the investigation. Another person says 4-8 weeks. One person wouldn't tell him one way or the other if declining this job would hurt him any as far as unemployment was concerned. Another told him that it would have to be investigated. If he hadn't opened the investigation on NEW and did take this temp job, he could have started unemployment immediately after the temp job ended. Since the temp job wasn't worth taking, then we were going to be screwed either way.
I guess I'm going to start putting in job applications for myself this week too. I'm not very optimistic about that, but we'll see what happens. What else can we do? It's a depressing situation to be in and I'm finding it difficult avoid emotional eating. D is worried and though he doesn't show it a lot, he definitely did today. Him being so upset got me upset as well, but I keep telling him we didn't ask for this. He did the best he could at his job. All we can do now is adapt to the situation and we're doing all we can. Whatever happens happens and we'll work with it.
I stayed here at my mom's while he was gone and he called to let me know he was going to go home to check on/feed the cats. Later he told me that he called Daniel to talk for a bit and that made him feel better. I'm glad someone could. I guess this is my "get it out" spot, along with SparkPeople. It's a scary predicament to be in, but I'm hoping we can find some way to hold onto everything... Until next time.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Giveaways and Sweepstakes, Oh My!
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter Communication. All opinions are 100% mine.
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Sunday, December 20, 2009
Settling Down Again
I was called or more than likely texted by my sister Heather on Friday. She and my BIL both had to work the next day and needed someone to watch my nephew JJ and also help clean up the house for the party that following night! I dreaded getting everything together that I'd need to take for my mini pecan pies and my cheese bites, but I made a list and I checked it twice. It worked. Whew!
I started taking the new meds- Prozac- Friday night too. Saturday morning, I could hardly keep my eyes open! D ended up fighting with me to get me to stay awake! I got up and started cleaning, otherwise I'd have slept til noon. I'm still weaning off of the Pristiq, but I figure this way I will already have the Prozac in my system by the time I'm finished with the other! That way maybe I won't have that week of weird emotions from being in the middle of medications.
I swept and mopped the floors. D vacuumed(YES!!!! lol) and even helped me cook my food, minus the dip-Heather helped with that after she got home from work. The cheese bites tasted kind of like tater tots with cheese. We had festive dinnerware and a festive table cloth-all snowmen lol. It was cute though. Let's see if I can remember all the food we had. Get ready for a hefty list haha: Subway sandwiches, cocktail wieners, chips w/ dip, cheese bites, blackberry cobbler, mini pecan pies, m&m peanut butter cookies, reeses pieces peanut butter cookies, peanut butter bonbons, peanut butter chex mix, and wedding cookies. I think that's everything! It was all delicious. I'm stuffed as a pig and happy about it LOL. :) I wanted to enjoy myself and have some of everything, so I did. It will likely set me back a little as far as my weight loss goals go, but I know if I keep trying to make the exercise routine work for me and eat well/sensible most of the time then I will get there. My mom sent us home with a few subway sandwiches and I grabbed some of the blackberry cobbler(the only non-finger food but boy, was it good lol), chex mix, bonbons, cookies, chips(the remainder of my cheese dip burned to my crock pot :( yep), wedding cookies, and what was left of my pecan pies and cheese bites to bring home. My pies weren't sweet enough and my bites weren't cheesy/flavorful enough! Oh well, it's all a learning process!! I had a great time and some of the pictures I got are HILARIOUS! These kids in our family crack me up! My mom even bought me and my brother/sisters couple gifts. D picked our box and there happened to be green tea light candle holders w/ candles. The thing was, spelled out in silver letters on the holders- PEECE. Now I can't remember who got the correctly spelled one, though I believe it was Melissa. So funny though!! :)
I tried to exercise some way while I was there, by playing Wii Sports. My arm is now sore from it, but I really don't think it burned many calories lol! I can't imagine how my arm would feel after an hour straight of baseball and tennis. Ouch. Now I'm home and can get back into a routine for this week. Next Sunday is our Christmas with D's family. All we know for food there is... I'm making two plain cheesecakes with Oreo crusts and double corn casseroles(MIL loves them, so I know she will be taking left overs of that and the cheesecake), MIL has the ham, and Daniel/Carla will be doing potato salad and mac and cheese. We will see MIL on her usual visiting day with Ally(which is now Tuesday due to her needing rest before she gets Timothy on Wednesday afternoon), so we'll talk with her about it then.
I'm going to get back to editing/cropping photos. There are 200-something of them after all! Weigh in will be tomorrow for this week(probably won't be pretty after all the goodies :P) and I need to go take my pills before I forget(that happens all too easily for me). We're also waiting on word from my brother and SIL to go visit them for a bit to borrow some movies for the sake of our sanity and to download some stuff needed for one of Ally's Christmas gifts-yep, high tech stuff! Til next time...
I started taking the new meds- Prozac- Friday night too. Saturday morning, I could hardly keep my eyes open! D ended up fighting with me to get me to stay awake! I got up and started cleaning, otherwise I'd have slept til noon. I'm still weaning off of the Pristiq, but I figure this way I will already have the Prozac in my system by the time I'm finished with the other! That way maybe I won't have that week of weird emotions from being in the middle of medications.
I swept and mopped the floors. D vacuumed(YES!!!! lol) and even helped me cook my food, minus the dip-Heather helped with that after she got home from work. The cheese bites tasted kind of like tater tots with cheese. We had festive dinnerware and a festive table cloth-all snowmen lol. It was cute though. Let's see if I can remember all the food we had. Get ready for a hefty list haha: Subway sandwiches, cocktail wieners, chips w/ dip, cheese bites, blackberry cobbler, mini pecan pies, m&m peanut butter cookies, reeses pieces peanut butter cookies, peanut butter bonbons, peanut butter chex mix, and wedding cookies. I think that's everything! It was all delicious. I'm stuffed as a pig and happy about it LOL. :) I wanted to enjoy myself and have some of everything, so I did. It will likely set me back a little as far as my weight loss goals go, but I know if I keep trying to make the exercise routine work for me and eat well/sensible most of the time then I will get there. My mom sent us home with a few subway sandwiches and I grabbed some of the blackberry cobbler(the only non-finger food but boy, was it good lol), chex mix, bonbons, cookies, chips(the remainder of my cheese dip burned to my crock pot :( yep), wedding cookies, and what was left of my pecan pies and cheese bites to bring home. My pies weren't sweet enough and my bites weren't cheesy/flavorful enough! Oh well, it's all a learning process!! I had a great time and some of the pictures I got are HILARIOUS! These kids in our family crack me up! My mom even bought me and my brother/sisters couple gifts. D picked our box and there happened to be green tea light candle holders w/ candles. The thing was, spelled out in silver letters on the holders- PEECE. Now I can't remember who got the correctly spelled one, though I believe it was Melissa. So funny though!! :)
I tried to exercise some way while I was there, by playing Wii Sports. My arm is now sore from it, but I really don't think it burned many calories lol! I can't imagine how my arm would feel after an hour straight of baseball and tennis. Ouch. Now I'm home and can get back into a routine for this week. Next Sunday is our Christmas with D's family. All we know for food there is... I'm making two plain cheesecakes with Oreo crusts and double corn casseroles(MIL loves them, so I know she will be taking left overs of that and the cheesecake), MIL has the ham, and Daniel/Carla will be doing potato salad and mac and cheese. We will see MIL on her usual visiting day with Ally(which is now Tuesday due to her needing rest before she gets Timothy on Wednesday afternoon), so we'll talk with her about it then.
I'm going to get back to editing/cropping photos. There are 200-something of them after all! Weigh in will be tomorrow for this week(probably won't be pretty after all the goodies :P) and I need to go take my pills before I forget(that happens all too easily for me). We're also waiting on word from my brother and SIL to go visit them for a bit to borrow some movies for the sake of our sanity and to download some stuff needed for one of Ally's Christmas gifts-yep, high tech stuff! Til next time...
Thursday, December 17, 2009
The Difference of a Year
I realized a few days ago that I was coming up on my one year Sparkversary. I joined SparkPeople on December 17, 2008. Until close to the new year, I didn't participate much. It all seemed a bit overwhelming. So much information in one place and I wasn't sure where to begin. I jumped in there and now it's almost a daily activity for me.
I've used the nutrition and fitness trackers, read many articles about health, fitness, and food, joined many Sparkteams and posted lots of times. The support system is fantastic and there are all kinds of teams for different things from medical conditions to the amount of weight you want to lose to what age range you are. It's proven to be safe haven for me when I feel like I have no one to talk to without fear of being judged. My daily check-in team has been the best, allowing vents but offering uplifting support and encouragement.
Okay, there's my Sparkpeople free advertisement!! :) I think you all comprehend how much I like that website! Now to the goodies...er, photos. This post just wouldn't be complete without a PHOTO COLLAGE! Please click to enlarge to see them and read my text at the bottom of it.
I have to give credit to my SIL Em for those top pics. She took a video and that's where I snapped the pool screen-shots and I just happened to be standing in the background of a photo she took of the kids at our family's Christmas party last year! If it weren't for that, I might not have had much of a true comparison to show lol. Before my mom says anything, I know my dress is short. I was really only seeing how it looked on me and I guess I need some leggings to go on under it. Can't bend over in that thing unless you got your nether-regions covered. LOL
It's been so HARD to keep up an exercise routine. I haven't made light of that either. I come here and I tell it LIKE IT IS. If it's not going well, I talk about it anyway. I spent a week doing nothing. I admitted that it didn't feel good either. The past two days, I have done around 1.5 hours on the Wii Fit Plus. I've been indulging a little as well, so I may break even come Monday! It will have to be Monday because I will be eating late Saturday at the Christmas party. It feels good to be back to doing something!
Last night, I helped my sis clean up her house a little bit. Really just moved things around/out of the way. She helped me get our Christmas presents wrapped-load off of my mind! Today I'm taking it easy, just relaxing for now, but I plan on doing some Wii Fit Plus again and working on our Christmas tree after D gets back from his appointment at a local employment agency. He doesn't figure it will take too long. THEN we'll be going to my mom's house for dinner and to help her out with putting some tables/chairs up. We found it pretty funny how we get a break from Ally and all this stuff has to get done! C'est la vie. We're enjoying our child-free time anyway. It's quiet, but Ally's always on my mind-here, even in the car. I always get urges to do or say things that involve her, like trying to tiptoe around at night so as not to wake her or starting to point out the Christmas lights to an empty seat in the back LOL. Girl loves those Christmas lights and snowmen! Things she does crack me up and nearly bring me to tears! Her name has definitely ended up suiting her; Alayna is Irish for beautiful child.
In short, my highest weight recorded was 236 back in August of last year. I began walking shortly after that and I put in my starting Sparkpeople weight at 228 lbs. As of my last weigh-in, I was 161. That's 70 lbs gone... DO WHAT?! I can barely believe that number now that I'm seeing it. I never really focused on the bigger number because I didn't want to feel overwhelmed. I'm taking it small goals at a time here. I am about 6 lbs from meeting my second goal(25 lbs after losing 48). Then I want to lose ANOTHER 25. And maybe 10 after that. We'll see where I stand at that point and gauge how I'm feeling about myself. I might be extremely happy after the last 25. I'm pretty happy with how far I've gone. I'm going to keep trying to get down to a healthy weight. No matter what bumps in the road I come across, if I keep trying- I'm a success.
I think I've given you enough reading material. I've spent enough time on this couch. I want to go exercise like I'm not really exercising lol. Until next time...
I've used the nutrition and fitness trackers, read many articles about health, fitness, and food, joined many Sparkteams and posted lots of times. The support system is fantastic and there are all kinds of teams for different things from medical conditions to the amount of weight you want to lose to what age range you are. It's proven to be safe haven for me when I feel like I have no one to talk to without fear of being judged. My daily check-in team has been the best, allowing vents but offering uplifting support and encouragement.
Okay, there's my Sparkpeople free advertisement!! :) I think you all comprehend how much I like that website! Now to the goodies...er, photos. This post just wouldn't be complete without a PHOTO COLLAGE! Please click to enlarge to see them and read my text at the bottom of it.
I have to give credit to my SIL Em for those top pics. She took a video and that's where I snapped the pool screen-shots and I just happened to be standing in the background of a photo she took of the kids at our family's Christmas party last year! If it weren't for that, I might not have had much of a true comparison to show lol. Before my mom says anything, I know my dress is short. I was really only seeing how it looked on me and I guess I need some leggings to go on under it. Can't bend over in that thing unless you got your nether-regions covered. LOL
It's been so HARD to keep up an exercise routine. I haven't made light of that either. I come here and I tell it LIKE IT IS. If it's not going well, I talk about it anyway. I spent a week doing nothing. I admitted that it didn't feel good either. The past two days, I have done around 1.5 hours on the Wii Fit Plus. I've been indulging a little as well, so I may break even come Monday! It will have to be Monday because I will be eating late Saturday at the Christmas party. It feels good to be back to doing something!
Last night, I helped my sis clean up her house a little bit. Really just moved things around/out of the way. She helped me get our Christmas presents wrapped-load off of my mind! Today I'm taking it easy, just relaxing for now, but I plan on doing some Wii Fit Plus again and working on our Christmas tree after D gets back from his appointment at a local employment agency. He doesn't figure it will take too long. THEN we'll be going to my mom's house for dinner and to help her out with putting some tables/chairs up. We found it pretty funny how we get a break from Ally and all this stuff has to get done! C'est la vie. We're enjoying our child-free time anyway. It's quiet, but Ally's always on my mind-here, even in the car. I always get urges to do or say things that involve her, like trying to tiptoe around at night so as not to wake her or starting to point out the Christmas lights to an empty seat in the back LOL. Girl loves those Christmas lights and snowmen! Things she does crack me up and nearly bring me to tears! Her name has definitely ended up suiting her; Alayna is Irish for beautiful child.
In short, my highest weight recorded was 236 back in August of last year. I began walking shortly after that and I put in my starting Sparkpeople weight at 228 lbs. As of my last weigh-in, I was 161. That's 70 lbs gone... DO WHAT?! I can barely believe that number now that I'm seeing it. I never really focused on the bigger number because I didn't want to feel overwhelmed. I'm taking it small goals at a time here. I am about 6 lbs from meeting my second goal(25 lbs after losing 48). Then I want to lose ANOTHER 25. And maybe 10 after that. We'll see where I stand at that point and gauge how I'm feeling about myself. I might be extremely happy after the last 25. I'm pretty happy with how far I've gone. I'm going to keep trying to get down to a healthy weight. No matter what bumps in the road I come across, if I keep trying- I'm a success.
I think I've given you enough reading material. I've spent enough time on this couch. I want to go exercise like I'm not really exercising lol. Until next time...
Monday, December 14, 2009
Ew, I feel yucky
I am starting to feel pretty nasty. I was okay until now. It's like the ick is starting to set in. D thinks maybe it's stress internalizing since I'm doing so well keeping my emotions straight on the outside.
I at least got up and took a shower!! I've been having several bouts of dizziness today as well. Let me explain what happens when I have these "spells"- typically partial whited out vision, feeling as if I might fall over, and sometimes headaches all at the same time. It usually happens upon standing up. I would say it does more often than not occur after extended periods of sitting.
I could not get enough of the job websites today. I put another few applications in for D. One was for Ashley Furniture and while he wasn't EXACTLY qualified for an upholsterer position, I consider him qualified enough-he's good at math(the position required gluing things at 1.5 and 1.25 lengths) and he has a stable, long-standing work history. He's worked some kind of job ever since high school and he's had good attendance at any job he's ever worked. Can't hurt to try, right? That's how I was looking at it.
I'm sore and achy all over. I'm wondering if we should just get out of the house for a bit tomorrow and just walk around Wal-Mart. I have to get some flour and I guess some milk if I'm going to try to make biscuits and gravy. I figured that is something inexpensive we can have for breakfast. I also need flour for some mini pecan pies I have to make for my family's Christmas party Saturday. I'm also doing cheese balls and chips/cheese salsa. Should be fun doing all that. The recipes look pretty easy anyway... Cheese Bites and Mini Pecan Pies. I'm not sure about putting the pecans on the bottom of the shell. Don't you usually put them on TOP of a pie? Something to ask my mom about! :) The cheese salsa dip will just be mild pace picante salsa and a lb of velveeta cheese. Should be easy enough in my crock pot.
MIL will be taking Ally Wednesday afternoon until Friday. Not sure what we'll do other than wrap gifts. I'm sure D will let me take care of all that or I might recruit him to help me out lol. We do have about 15 gifts that need to be wrapped. We got a Christmas card in the mail today with $25 for each of us. D was wondering if we should put OUR money in the bank. I really don't know. Part of me agrees with that, but then another part of me wants to use that money for something we WANT since it was basically a gift from his grandparents. What would you do?
I feel pretty tired and I need to figure out what we're eating for dinner. We got up late, so our eating schedule is off. I'm not even hungry, but we will need some kind of dinner for Ally and maybe D(though he hasn't mentioned being hungry either). Ally is content watching a Blues Clues episode on VHS. D is on the DS, but as soon as I am off of here... I know he will log on. Maybe I can convince Ally to watch me do some Wii Fit Plus later. Until next time...
I at least got up and took a shower!! I've been having several bouts of dizziness today as well. Let me explain what happens when I have these "spells"- typically partial whited out vision, feeling as if I might fall over, and sometimes headaches all at the same time. It usually happens upon standing up. I would say it does more often than not occur after extended periods of sitting.
I could not get enough of the job websites today. I put another few applications in for D. One was for Ashley Furniture and while he wasn't EXACTLY qualified for an upholsterer position, I consider him qualified enough-he's good at math(the position required gluing things at 1.5 and 1.25 lengths) and he has a stable, long-standing work history. He's worked some kind of job ever since high school and he's had good attendance at any job he's ever worked. Can't hurt to try, right? That's how I was looking at it.
I'm sore and achy all over. I'm wondering if we should just get out of the house for a bit tomorrow and just walk around Wal-Mart. I have to get some flour and I guess some milk if I'm going to try to make biscuits and gravy. I figured that is something inexpensive we can have for breakfast. I also need flour for some mini pecan pies I have to make for my family's Christmas party Saturday. I'm also doing cheese balls and chips/cheese salsa. Should be fun doing all that. The recipes look pretty easy anyway... Cheese Bites and Mini Pecan Pies. I'm not sure about putting the pecans on the bottom of the shell. Don't you usually put them on TOP of a pie? Something to ask my mom about! :) The cheese salsa dip will just be mild pace picante salsa and a lb of velveeta cheese. Should be easy enough in my crock pot.
MIL will be taking Ally Wednesday afternoon until Friday. Not sure what we'll do other than wrap gifts. I'm sure D will let me take care of all that or I might recruit him to help me out lol. We do have about 15 gifts that need to be wrapped. We got a Christmas card in the mail today with $25 for each of us. D was wondering if we should put OUR money in the bank. I really don't know. Part of me agrees with that, but then another part of me wants to use that money for something we WANT since it was basically a gift from his grandparents. What would you do?
I feel pretty tired and I need to figure out what we're eating for dinner. We got up late, so our eating schedule is off. I'm not even hungry, but we will need some kind of dinner for Ally and maybe D(though he hasn't mentioned being hungry either). Ally is content watching a Blues Clues episode on VHS. D is on the DS, but as soon as I am off of here... I know he will log on. Maybe I can convince Ally to watch me do some Wii Fit Plus later. Until next time...
Friday, December 11, 2009
Day 2 Post Job Loss
My head hurts and I so desperately want to fall over on this couch to get some more sleep. The past two nights have been met with much difficulty staying asleep. I swear, it's almost like my mind is expecting the world to explode at any hour so I'm waking up EVERY HOUR to see if we still exist. You don't have to tell me. I know I'm dramatic.
I just sat here for a few minutes and simply watched the cursor blink. Blankness. I don't know exactly how to maintain my focus on myself/health when so much else is falling by the wayside. How can I choose to focus on me right now? How can I force myself to do it? I can barely force myself to get the house in order right now. I got the dishes out of the sink to wash them, but I haven't done so yet. I can sit and stare at the blankness of this cursor, but who am I kidding? My mind IS NOT blank. It's full of thoughts I don't want to face, fears that could end up becoming real, and the blank state is my way of handling the situation.
D got fired. He can't even remember how many warnings he got. I don't know if that's good or bad on his part or theirs. He couldn't get his average call time down FOR GOOD, so they had to let him go. There's no guarantee of any income after next week's paycheck. None. Unemployment is bleak to say the least and since it was a termination, that has to undergo investigation which could take up to 4 weeks to determine eligibility. If he's approved, we get back pay and still can't cover our monthly bills and if he's denied... Eh, let's not go there.
We're not standing idle. This morning, we went out to the library so he could print more resume copies. Our ink decided it wanted to dry up. Great timing! Did the library, dropped off his resume at a local place, then headed home for some lunch. Pizza rolls, mmm isn't that exactly what a health-conscious mom would eat?! D left a couple hours ago to get back to the job center to put in more applications through them and then head about 45 minutes away to put in an application at a place out there. Neither of those aforementioned are sure bets. We're not even sure they are hiring, but you never know when someone might find greener pastures and you happen to get their...dirt. That's the reasoning there. He has also put in applications through some online job sites. I have about 4 open at the moment that I'm going to have him look at when he gets back.
So how do I do this? How do I keep me going and help him at the same time? It's not as if I wasn't struggling before this happened, but it seriously put up road spikes in front of my desire to bother with trying anymore. This is how I get it out without completely breaking down. Ugh, uncertainty is the devil. I guess FAITH is the answer. Hold steady, keep hoping, live as frugally as possible, and just PUSH. Until next time...
I just sat here for a few minutes and simply watched the cursor blink. Blankness. I don't know exactly how to maintain my focus on myself/health when so much else is falling by the wayside. How can I choose to focus on me right now? How can I force myself to do it? I can barely force myself to get the house in order right now. I got the dishes out of the sink to wash them, but I haven't done so yet. I can sit and stare at the blankness of this cursor, but who am I kidding? My mind IS NOT blank. It's full of thoughts I don't want to face, fears that could end up becoming real, and the blank state is my way of handling the situation.
D got fired. He can't even remember how many warnings he got. I don't know if that's good or bad on his part or theirs. He couldn't get his average call time down FOR GOOD, so they had to let him go. There's no guarantee of any income after next week's paycheck. None. Unemployment is bleak to say the least and since it was a termination, that has to undergo investigation which could take up to 4 weeks to determine eligibility. If he's approved, we get back pay and still can't cover our monthly bills and if he's denied... Eh, let's not go there.
We're not standing idle. This morning, we went out to the library so he could print more resume copies. Our ink decided it wanted to dry up. Great timing! Did the library, dropped off his resume at a local place, then headed home for some lunch. Pizza rolls, mmm isn't that exactly what a health-conscious mom would eat?! D left a couple hours ago to get back to the job center to put in more applications through them and then head about 45 minutes away to put in an application at a place out there. Neither of those aforementioned are sure bets. We're not even sure they are hiring, but you never know when someone might find greener pastures and you happen to get their...dirt. That's the reasoning there. He has also put in applications through some online job sites. I have about 4 open at the moment that I'm going to have him look at when he gets back.
So how do I do this? How do I keep me going and help him at the same time? It's not as if I wasn't struggling before this happened, but it seriously put up road spikes in front of my desire to bother with trying anymore. This is how I get it out without completely breaking down. Ugh, uncertainty is the devil. I guess FAITH is the answer. Hold steady, keep hoping, live as frugally as possible, and just PUSH. Until next time...
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Day 1
This marks Day 1 of D being home more than usual. Most of the morning went well. She didn't want to eat her oatmeal, so she just had a banana. D got dressed and left to check out two job placement services in town and see about unemployment. Came time for lunch and I almost did corn dog bites and tater tots. Felt bad because those were both somewhat "fried" foods and decided on corn dog bites and green beans instead. She tore up the corn dog bites and nibbled the green beans. Can't hurt a Mama to TRY anyway.
D got home 30 minutes ago and it was time for Ally to go night night for a bit. She wasn't happy to hear that and flipped out, tried totally ignoring us, then flailed her arms/legs when D picked her up so we could diaper her before bed. I left her bottom half naked so she'd pee in the potty some(she soaked one diaper by around 11 or so I think). I wish she wasn't so stubborn. I wish I was more assertive and organized. I wish I was a lot of things, but let's not delve into that. We could be here all day lol.
The Foamex thing didn't pan out yesterday. Security guard wouldn't even let us through. "They aren't taking applications. Haven't in a long time. Things are picking up, so they might soon." Ugh. Seriously and he wouldn't even let us through to talk to office personnel?! He gave his resume to the desk at a factory a down the road, though the woman said she wasn't sure there was anything open at the moment(they had just filled some positions). He went out today and didn't find much of anything. Tried to apply for unemployment, but it has to be investigated and that could take up to 4 weeks, then a form has to be mailed out in order to get the back pay and current pay started. So... Hello, flaming hoops! I'm signing him up right now for this job site. One good reason to hold onto our internet connection, that plus my odd/end posts. I don't know how long we can hold onto it though.
It's now 6 pm and we're settling down after returning from the store. My dr's office called in a prescription of Prozac since I didn't feel like the Pristiq was doing well enough and now that I won't have insurance after the end of this month, I desperately need a generic. I have that now and they want me to take the Pristiq every other day for a week, then start the Prozac every day. I put in an application at the Wal-Mart we went to. I didn't think about it and just chose full-time when I should've chosen either full or part-time. Anything would help, but now I have to wait 60 days before I can apply again. I always feel stressed and nervous when I'm doing things like that even though there isn't a time limit on it. Maybe my answers to the questions will lure them into calling me in for an interview for any kind of position that might be available.
I'm very tired and I have some strength training to do. I don't want that to fall by the waist-side like everything else has been going lately. I'm truly trying not to be pessimistic and I must say I'm doing a damn good job of keeping my emotions in check(most of the time). D admitted that he has bouts of getting choked up over it. It just happened yesterday and I already feel like it's been a week. I told him it was okay and I was going through the same thing, like I had already explained to him. It's time to finish up dinner and then we have to go watch a show on plain old antennae TV. Not sure how Ally will handle us back there and her DVD on in here! We'll find out in 30 minutes when the show comes on at 7!
Here are some good words I was told by my SIL via a note her grandmother(passed away the other day)... "You don't have to be fearless; You don't have to be flawless; You just have to be faithful." -Ethel Huffman... I'm keeping their family in my thoughts and prayers during this hard time in their lives. Until next time...
D got home 30 minutes ago and it was time for Ally to go night night for a bit. She wasn't happy to hear that and flipped out, tried totally ignoring us, then flailed her arms/legs when D picked her up so we could diaper her before bed. I left her bottom half naked so she'd pee in the potty some(she soaked one diaper by around 11 or so I think). I wish she wasn't so stubborn. I wish I was more assertive and organized. I wish I was a lot of things, but let's not delve into that. We could be here all day lol.
The Foamex thing didn't pan out yesterday. Security guard wouldn't even let us through. "They aren't taking applications. Haven't in a long time. Things are picking up, so they might soon." Ugh. Seriously and he wouldn't even let us through to talk to office personnel?! He gave his resume to the desk at a factory a down the road, though the woman said she wasn't sure there was anything open at the moment(they had just filled some positions). He went out today and didn't find much of anything. Tried to apply for unemployment, but it has to be investigated and that could take up to 4 weeks, then a form has to be mailed out in order to get the back pay and current pay started. So... Hello, flaming hoops! I'm signing him up right now for this job site. One good reason to hold onto our internet connection, that plus my odd/end posts. I don't know how long we can hold onto it though.
It's now 6 pm and we're settling down after returning from the store. My dr's office called in a prescription of Prozac since I didn't feel like the Pristiq was doing well enough and now that I won't have insurance after the end of this month, I desperately need a generic. I have that now and they want me to take the Pristiq every other day for a week, then start the Prozac every day. I put in an application at the Wal-Mart we went to. I didn't think about it and just chose full-time when I should've chosen either full or part-time. Anything would help, but now I have to wait 60 days before I can apply again. I always feel stressed and nervous when I'm doing things like that even though there isn't a time limit on it. Maybe my answers to the questions will lure them into calling me in for an interview for any kind of position that might be available.
I'm very tired and I have some strength training to do. I don't want that to fall by the waist-side like everything else has been going lately. I'm truly trying not to be pessimistic and I must say I'm doing a damn good job of keeping my emotions in check(most of the time). D admitted that he has bouts of getting choked up over it. It just happened yesterday and I already feel like it's been a week. I told him it was okay and I was going through the same thing, like I had already explained to him. It's time to finish up dinner and then we have to go watch a show on plain old antennae TV. Not sure how Ally will handle us back there and her DVD on in here! We'll find out in 30 minutes when the show comes on at 7!
Here are some good words I was told by my SIL via a note her grandmother(passed away the other day)... "You don't have to be fearless; You don't have to be flawless; You just have to be faithful." -Ethel Huffman... I'm keeping their family in my thoughts and prayers during this hard time in their lives. Until next time...
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Become Bidazzled
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Bidazzled. All opinions are 100% mine.
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Auction winners usually save over 80% off of retail. Even if you don't win the bid, you receive 50 free bids as a thank you for your participation! You can even purchase the auction item less the investment you had in the auction. If you do win, Bidazzled offers to buy the item back for cash(PayPal or check), cash and bids, or bids alone. In their first month, there have been 2 winners of Nintendo Wii's by using their 5 free bids!
You can save up to 90% on name brand merchandise, help fund a charity, and even take use of the lucrative referral program if you get your friends involved! Here's how the referral program works:
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Check it out today! Maybe you can get Bidazzled at all of the items you could win! I'm going to go there now!! Until next time, friends...
Sulfur/Sulfa Rash-A Weird Allergy
I called my doctor's office after The Hives showed up on Monday. I had to speak to this male nurse who was quietly concerned about it. I said it was what I believed to be a MILD CASE of hives. "You definitely need to come in and have a doctor take a look at you. If you feel as though you can't make the drive here and you're having any signs of respiratory distress, then you need to call someone and have them take you straight to the ER." Way to freak me out. Obviously, I was talking clearly and steadily so I was not in distress. I had a sore throat and a rash, which I pretty much attributed the sore throat to not getting my daily fluids down yet!! So I got Ally up at about 4 pm(she had just gone down at 2:30) and quickly got her ready to go, explaining that Mommy had to go to the doctor so she needed to get dressed and she would get a snack when we got into the car.
She enjoyed cheetos puff corns or whatever those small puff balls are technically called on the ride there and while waiting out front. She devoured those things before I got called back. Threw a fit in the private waiting room because all I had left were pretzel crisps. My usual doc came in and she looked at my stomach. I told her it was just like what I came in with back at the end of May/June. Turns out it was the end of June seeing as how I made this post then... Here's what it looked like in both instances. Very same thing, kinda splotchy. I had a shirt on back then that had little pinholes in it, so I thought it was an itchy sunburn. Nope! Click the image to enlarge it...for those brave souls who want to see a close up on my tummy. I tried to leave out as much as possible for those certain people out there who "ewww" at imperfections. And don't try to play with me either because I KNOW there are people out there like that LOL.
I told my doc how I explained to a pharmacist that I had bad reactions to both Bactrim DS and Wellbutrin and they thought it could be a sulfur/sulfa allergy(I don't know the difference there). My doc said that it did look like a sulfur/sulfa rash. I don't know which one she said because they sound so much alike. She marked it as an allergic reaction and told me to stop the Wellbutrin. She said she'd do some thinking and try to come up with something to help with the anxiety/depression since those two weren't doing the trick.
I really don't know what to do with myself anymore. It doesn't seem like any medication is working, all of them pale in comparison to the Cymbalta, but it exaggerated that dizziness so much that it wasn't worth it. I may not even be able to get any prescriptions filled anyway. D's numbers were too high again(for those who don't know, he was basically phone support for DirecTV customers and needed all of his calls to average around 15 minutes a call) and this was the last time. His supervisor told him he cared too much about getting the problems solved, so he took too long with the technical support stuff or something. I haven't had a complete melt down yet, which is a blessing in itself. I could tell he was hesitant to explain to me why he was on his way home so early in the day, but he did it and I cried a little under my breath then sucked it up when he got home. We're not sure if he can draw unemployment since they fired him, but it has happened for people before. There's no harm in trying.
So that's where we are right now. It's very possible that we may have to get our internet account frozen for a bit if things get too tight. D has one more paycheck on the 18th, then nothing from there. We conveniently ran into a guy last night who worked at Foamex with him. He said they had gotten 22 hours in the last 2 days, so he should definitely put in another application to see if they'd hire him back. We're wary of the factory jobs, but D was great at that-measuring out foam and moving it around with the forklift, handling pallets and whatnot. He liked the atmosphere and the people, but the people have changed since a lot of those he knew were laid off right along with him. I don't know. Should I look at us running into him as a sign that it's something he should try to take hold of right now? It's hard to know which way to go. Sounds like that's the route D is going though. I can't blame him. Time is of the essence.
I hope everyone out there in cyberspace has a blessed day. We were fortunate enough to FINISH our Christmas shopping before this happened, so we are thankful for that, government assistance for those who need it, and wonderful friends/family are ready to support you when the time arises. Also, thoughts and prayers go out to my sister's-in-law family who lost a wonderful woman in their lives(known as Murmur to me-my niece Maddie's great grandmother). May we all be blessed this holiday season with greater happiness and health in our lives. Until next time...
She enjoyed cheetos puff corns or whatever those small puff balls are technically called on the ride there and while waiting out front. She devoured those things before I got called back. Threw a fit in the private waiting room because all I had left were pretzel crisps. My usual doc came in and she looked at my stomach. I told her it was just like what I came in with back at the end of May/June. Turns out it was the end of June seeing as how I made this post then... Here's what it looked like in both instances. Very same thing, kinda splotchy. I had a shirt on back then that had little pinholes in it, so I thought it was an itchy sunburn. Nope! Click the image to enlarge it...for those brave souls who want to see a close up on my tummy. I tried to leave out as much as possible for those certain people out there who "ewww" at imperfections. And don't try to play with me either because I KNOW there are people out there like that LOL.
I told my doc how I explained to a pharmacist that I had bad reactions to both Bactrim DS and Wellbutrin and they thought it could be a sulfur/sulfa allergy(I don't know the difference there). My doc said that it did look like a sulfur/sulfa rash. I don't know which one she said because they sound so much alike. She marked it as an allergic reaction and told me to stop the Wellbutrin. She said she'd do some thinking and try to come up with something to help with the anxiety/depression since those two weren't doing the trick.
I really don't know what to do with myself anymore. It doesn't seem like any medication is working, all of them pale in comparison to the Cymbalta, but it exaggerated that dizziness so much that it wasn't worth it. I may not even be able to get any prescriptions filled anyway. D's numbers were too high again(for those who don't know, he was basically phone support for DirecTV customers and needed all of his calls to average around 15 minutes a call) and this was the last time. His supervisor told him he cared too much about getting the problems solved, so he took too long with the technical support stuff or something. I haven't had a complete melt down yet, which is a blessing in itself. I could tell he was hesitant to explain to me why he was on his way home so early in the day, but he did it and I cried a little under my breath then sucked it up when he got home. We're not sure if he can draw unemployment since they fired him, but it has happened for people before. There's no harm in trying.
So that's where we are right now. It's very possible that we may have to get our internet account frozen for a bit if things get too tight. D has one more paycheck on the 18th, then nothing from there. We conveniently ran into a guy last night who worked at Foamex with him. He said they had gotten 22 hours in the last 2 days, so he should definitely put in another application to see if they'd hire him back. We're wary of the factory jobs, but D was great at that-measuring out foam and moving it around with the forklift, handling pallets and whatnot. He liked the atmosphere and the people, but the people have changed since a lot of those he knew were laid off right along with him. I don't know. Should I look at us running into him as a sign that it's something he should try to take hold of right now? It's hard to know which way to go. Sounds like that's the route D is going though. I can't blame him. Time is of the essence.
I hope everyone out there in cyberspace has a blessed day. We were fortunate enough to FINISH our Christmas shopping before this happened, so we are thankful for that, government assistance for those who need it, and wonderful friends/family are ready to support you when the time arises. Also, thoughts and prayers go out to my sister's-in-law family who lost a wonderful woman in their lives(known as Murmur to me-my niece Maddie's great grandmother). May we all be blessed this holiday season with greater happiness and health in our lives. Until next time...
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Wool for the Cold Weather Blues
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Ramblers Way. All opinions are 100% mine.
Since losing some weight and feeling better about myself, I've discovered that I now loathe winter. I used to love bundling up and covering up every inch of myself. Now, I dread it. I've found something to help make things a bit easier!The owners of this website boast it's items and beliefs, all the information can be found at Ramblers Way. They specialize in wool clothing! They raise the sheep in the most ecological and socially-responsible way possible. The sheep are even brought into a barn at night to protect them from predators. This wool is worsted, grown in the U.S., created on American soil. Rambler's Way believes in locally before globally!
If I were to be given $500 to shop at Ramblers Way, I'd have to go for these select items for myself and D:
I'd be excited for winter with those under my coat or pants. The wool shirts would even look great when they're worn alone! Throw a light vest over it to add a bit of color on those cool yet not particularly cold days. My legs are always cold, so the women's long johns would be perfect for me. I think D would enjoy them too, along with the boxer briefs. A wool t-shirt under his plain shirts would be helpful at work because they always keep it so cool in the office.
The owners and crew at Ramblers Way are ecological, locally engaged(providing long-term jobs for people here in the US), community involved, and nurturing toward their sheep. They care about the environment, the animals, the American citizens, and their customer's satisfaction. They sound like the perfect choice for your wool clothing needs.
Monday, December 7, 2009
The Hives
No, I'm not talking about the music group. I began itching late last night before bed. I woke this morning to a red tummy. I have broken out in hives again. I'm so thrilled. This means yet another doctor visit for me.
I weighed in yesterday morning at 161, which would have been 4 lbs down according to SparkPeople if I had remembered to input my weight last week! D'oh! That's still great though! I was eating smaller meals throughout the day and making sure to cook myself some veggies to eat with dinner.
I spent the night at my mom's last night after having Sunday lunch at Daniel and Carla's. They mentioned they had a gift for us under their tree. Nice thought, but I hate that. Now I feel obligated to get them something. Someone I know is baking gifts this holiday season and I'm considering the same thing for them. I don't know what to get them otherwise. Anyway, we're having dinner here this afternoon and then we're heading home to finish our grocery shopping. We picked up some non-perishables earlier so it's halfway done.
Ugh, I was quite a mood last night and this morning. My brother-in-law Jason found out that the heater core was bad in our old van. You have to take the dashboard out for a job like that. He doesn't have the time. I was really hoping the issue would be quite simple and quickly fixed, so we could get that sucker on the market already. Nope, not our luck. Makes me a bit paranoid that we keep hitting brick walls with this thing. Is my car going to break down on us, so this is the universe's way of helping us out? I really hope not! We need to pay off our debt that was made when the old van went out on us. Another broken down vehicle isn't going to help us, so PLEASE let something start going right around here!! We priced an auto service place...$210. I wanted to puke. We left the van at D's mom's house, hoping her boyfriend can get it taken care of for us. Who knows how long it will take though. Just gotta keep hoping!
I don't understand the hives on my stomach. Why my stomach?! Eh, I'll never know. It's back to the doctor tomorrow(after the post office to check on shipping for something I'm selling) and I should probably expect another medication swap. It's odd because I don't think I broke out on the Wellbutrin last time until I started taking the second dose, but I can't remember if the dose was 150 mg 2x daily or 300 mg 2x daily. Surely not the latter, but you never know. I just can't wait for the hives to go away. Who knows, maybe it's as simple as a drug interaction. We'll see. Until then... I'm rather itchy and... OUT.
I weighed in yesterday morning at 161, which would have been 4 lbs down according to SparkPeople if I had remembered to input my weight last week! D'oh! That's still great though! I was eating smaller meals throughout the day and making sure to cook myself some veggies to eat with dinner.
I spent the night at my mom's last night after having Sunday lunch at Daniel and Carla's. They mentioned they had a gift for us under their tree. Nice thought, but I hate that. Now I feel obligated to get them something. Someone I know is baking gifts this holiday season and I'm considering the same thing for them. I don't know what to get them otherwise. Anyway, we're having dinner here this afternoon and then we're heading home to finish our grocery shopping. We picked up some non-perishables earlier so it's halfway done.
Ugh, I was quite a mood last night and this morning. My brother-in-law Jason found out that the heater core was bad in our old van. You have to take the dashboard out for a job like that. He doesn't have the time. I was really hoping the issue would be quite simple and quickly fixed, so we could get that sucker on the market already. Nope, not our luck. Makes me a bit paranoid that we keep hitting brick walls with this thing. Is my car going to break down on us, so this is the universe's way of helping us out? I really hope not! We need to pay off our debt that was made when the old van went out on us. Another broken down vehicle isn't going to help us, so PLEASE let something start going right around here!! We priced an auto service place...$210. I wanted to puke. We left the van at D's mom's house, hoping her boyfriend can get it taken care of for us. Who knows how long it will take though. Just gotta keep hoping!
I don't understand the hives on my stomach. Why my stomach?! Eh, I'll never know. It's back to the doctor tomorrow(after the post office to check on shipping for something I'm selling) and I should probably expect another medication swap. It's odd because I don't think I broke out on the Wellbutrin last time until I started taking the second dose, but I can't remember if the dose was 150 mg 2x daily or 300 mg 2x daily. Surely not the latter, but you never know. I just can't wait for the hives to go away. Who knows, maybe it's as simple as a drug interaction. We'll see. Until then... I'm rather itchy and... OUT.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Getting There or Not
I can't tell if I'm making my way back or not. I do feel stuck in a funk. It could be partly due to the cold weather and extra medication. Still flipping out over the mice issue. I heard them in the attic and in the walls(I think) earlier. Freaked me out enough to call an exterminator, but of course money is an issue there...
I've done one session of strength training this week but over the course of two days. I finished it up yesterday, so I'm resting today and will do another day of strength tomorrow. Maybe I could up it to 3x a week. Not sure, I'm probably pushing it with the 2x a week. My wrists feel well enough just in time for the next session tomorrow. It wouldn't be safe to pop a pain pill and keep going because I could damage my tendons and end up needing surgery. I hate having to take it easy. It sucks, but it's the mood I'm in right now anyway. At least I am doing something. I have done this before after getting burnt out on my workouts, but then I didn't do a thing. I'm keeping up with my strength training so I'm not simply being a lump on the couch.
Aches and pains can be due to depression as well. Stress can cause it. Maybe I should try some yoga and relaxation music... Deep breathing... Stomach growl- I'm getting hungry! The point here is I'm not stopping completely. I still want to build muscle and burn fat. I'm going to have to get creative about it. Not a lot of repetition or else it will end up hurting me. If I don't start feeling better after a few weeks on this Wellbutrin, it will be back to the doctor's office. How crappy that the one medication that worked caused such bad dizziness?
I am beginning to wonder though. I was reading back in my blog and I mentioned having some dizziness back in December of 2008. I wasn't on medication then, so I'm wondering if the meds have just heightened a symptom of something else. After watching Dr. Oz's special on diabetes, it sounds like a possibility. I have a family history of it as well. I probably eat a lot of foods with a high glycemic index(these food cause your blood sugar to spike), which could make it worse and might explain why the dizziness is so random. It could depend on what I've eaten. Anyway, it's a thought and I'm going to see if I can borrow my sister's glucose monitor to look into it. If it checks out fine, then I'll forget about it! D thinks I need to stop watching TV and reading things on the internet LOL.
Time for a late dinner. We went out for a ride across town and picked up a bite at Sonic. Doesn't look like Ally is going to eat her's, so that will be my supper since all I got was a java chiller(though know that has enough calories for dinner itself lol). Until next time!
I've done one session of strength training this week but over the course of two days. I finished it up yesterday, so I'm resting today and will do another day of strength tomorrow. Maybe I could up it to 3x a week. Not sure, I'm probably pushing it with the 2x a week. My wrists feel well enough just in time for the next session tomorrow. It wouldn't be safe to pop a pain pill and keep going because I could damage my tendons and end up needing surgery. I hate having to take it easy. It sucks, but it's the mood I'm in right now anyway. At least I am doing something. I have done this before after getting burnt out on my workouts, but then I didn't do a thing. I'm keeping up with my strength training so I'm not simply being a lump on the couch.
Aches and pains can be due to depression as well. Stress can cause it. Maybe I should try some yoga and relaxation music... Deep breathing... Stomach growl- I'm getting hungry! The point here is I'm not stopping completely. I still want to build muscle and burn fat. I'm going to have to get creative about it. Not a lot of repetition or else it will end up hurting me. If I don't start feeling better after a few weeks on this Wellbutrin, it will be back to the doctor's office. How crappy that the one medication that worked caused such bad dizziness?
I am beginning to wonder though. I was reading back in my blog and I mentioned having some dizziness back in December of 2008. I wasn't on medication then, so I'm wondering if the meds have just heightened a symptom of something else. After watching Dr. Oz's special on diabetes, it sounds like a possibility. I have a family history of it as well. I probably eat a lot of foods with a high glycemic index(these food cause your blood sugar to spike), which could make it worse and might explain why the dizziness is so random. It could depend on what I've eaten. Anyway, it's a thought and I'm going to see if I can borrow my sister's glucose monitor to look into it. If it checks out fine, then I'll forget about it! D thinks I need to stop watching TV and reading things on the internet LOL.
Time for a late dinner. We went out for a ride across town and picked up a bite at Sonic. Doesn't look like Ally is going to eat her's, so that will be my supper since all I got was a java chiller(though know that has enough calories for dinner itself lol). Until next time!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Picture It: Life After Lasik
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Incendia Health. All opinions are 100% mine.
If you wear glasses(me!) or contacts(I know a few people), then you know how annoying they can be at times. Abbott Medical Optics Inc.(AMO), the global leader in laser vision correction, wants to hear how you picture or how you've experienced life after Lasik eye surgery. They are offering cash and prizes in their contest focused on you and your experiences or how much improved you think your life would be after Lasik.The "You Gotta See This" iLASIK Video Contest will have one $5,000 Grand Prize winner selected from all videos. There will be three First and three Second Prize winners with one selected from each of the three video categories. First Prize winners will receive an HDTV package valued at $2,500 and Second Prize winners will receive the Flip UltraHD camcorder, a $199.99 value.
You simply create your video to fit one of three categories:
* "My contacts are getting in the way of my good time"
* "My favorite sport or activity would be so much cooler with better vision"
* "You should see life after the iLASIK® Procedure"
Votes are one of the factors in determining the winners. You'll need to spread the word about your video and get people to vote for you to have a chance to win some of those great prizes! Every contest submission entered before the deadline of December 10, 2009 will receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card! What have you got to lose? Click the Video Contest link above to learn more about all there is to gain!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Mice and Me
I'm so freaked out right now! I went into the laundry room and I hear scuffling behind my back. I looked and of course, it's a MOUSE. Gah! I never knew how creepy they would make me feel until today when I had their beady little eyes staring at me.
I've heard all kinds of ways to get rid of them-peppermint oil, steel wool in the holes they're using to gain entry, cats(obviously not working seeing as how we have THREE now), poison, mouse traps... Ugh, so far we have done the cats and the poison. I must say, I'm not thrilled at discovering a dead mouse in my laundry room. Fanfreakingtastic that they're taking the bait, but ew. Double ew when two more come out of the woodwork after the one drops dead. ICK!
We may be going to the store soon for the peppermint oil and steel wool. I looked up the numbers for the professionals. I was close to calling too, but we just don't have the money for it! Our mortgage just went through, so the bank account is looking slimmer than me in my tight jeans! We have got to do something about these mice though. I cannot calmly do laundry with the image of those beady eyes stuck in my head forever. I guess peppermint oil it is for the time being... Lord, please. Let this work and keep these things gone until we can get professional in here to seal the cracks and holes and whatnot! Amen! :)
I've heard all kinds of ways to get rid of them-peppermint oil, steel wool in the holes they're using to gain entry, cats(obviously not working seeing as how we have THREE now), poison, mouse traps... Ugh, so far we have done the cats and the poison. I must say, I'm not thrilled at discovering a dead mouse in my laundry room. Fanfreakingtastic that they're taking the bait, but ew. Double ew when two more come out of the woodwork after the one drops dead. ICK!
We may be going to the store soon for the peppermint oil and steel wool. I looked up the numbers for the professionals. I was close to calling too, but we just don't have the money for it! Our mortgage just went through, so the bank account is looking slimmer than me in my tight jeans! We have got to do something about these mice though. I cannot calmly do laundry with the image of those beady eyes stuck in my head forever. I guess peppermint oil it is for the time being... Lord, please. Let this work and keep these things gone until we can get professional in here to seal the cracks and holes and whatnot! Amen! :)
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