Reporting from cold and snowy West Virginia.....

Boy oh boy, what a winter we've had!  School is already on a two hour delay tomorrow -- looks like tomorrow will be cold and snowy once again, and then we'll get a break with some spring-like temps through the middle of next week! 

I had a L-O-N-G day ... being a middle school teacher, I feel like I work hard every day, but some days are just longer and more tiring than others.  Today I had one of those days where I STOOD and TALKED the entire class period for all 6 of my classes -- ALL DAY!  Normally, I do some teaching, then I get the kids busy doing something, and I'll get a chance to sit down.  Not today!  I EARNED my $$$$ TEACHING!  LOL  I'm one of those people who can't seem to talk sitting at my desk!  Even when a student asks me a question, I normally have to stand up to answer it... weird I know! 

Tonight is family night at Pizza Hut .. which means we get large pizzas 1/2 off the original price.  We ordered two for the family, and I stopped to pick it up on my way to Steve's -- OMG it was good!  I haven't had Pizza Hut pies since I started my weight loss efforts in December.  I was slightly mindful of my diet though, and ordered Thin-n-Crispy for me instead of Pan.... had 3 pieces though

I got a letter in the mail informing me that my older son Kyle has earned a day of Saturday school for skipping class! ARGGG!    I called him on his cell after I picked up the mail and read the letter -- here's the jist of our conversation:

Me:  Hey, what are you doing?

Kyle:  Working out -- I gotta go.

Me:  Are you at your dad's?

Kyle:  At the gym -- gotta go.

Me: WAIT!  I actually have something important to talk to you about.

Kyle: Hurry, I gotta go (WTF? What's wrong with kids these days??)

Me: (WHY do I actually hurry as I speak?!)  Do you have Saturday school?

Kyle:  I guess

Me:  What did you get it for? (of course this is a trick)

Kyle: I don't know

Me: Do you have any idea?

Kyle:  I think I was late for class or something -- I gotta go

So......

Me: WAIT!  Exactly HOW late were you to class?

Kyle:  Not sure -- probably a while.

Me:  How long is a while? -- How late?

Kyle:  What day was it again that they said I skipped?

Me:  Now wait just a minute --- you didn't say anything about skipping!  You said you were late!

Kyle:  Yeah, what day was it on the paper?  What day was I LATE for class?

Me:  Does it matter?

Kyle: No.  Well, I gotta go Mom... bye

He wears me out.... He just drains me.

He's with his dad this week, so the only thing I could really do -- or the only thing I wanted to do -- was call his dad and let him know about the skipping incident.  His dad is a pathetic, stupid little man, who is totally ignorant in the ways of dealing with teenagers.  I'll spare you the rest of the details -- he's a pathetic, pitiful little man.

And Alec is refusing to even go back to his dad's -- he's been with me constantly since Saturday.  This is not a huge deal really -- I don't mind.  He's well behaved and quiet.  But Steve is suffering a little -- not enough "alone time" with me I guess! He actually stooped low enough to actually ask me if I wanted a back rub! IN THE BEDROOM!? Yeah right -- while Alec sits here on the couch?? MEN! OMG!

That's all I have to report for today ... signing off.

Stef

I'm lower than snail dung.

Yeah... it's that bad.  It's like I've been trying my best to gain weight this weekend! What the heck is wrong with me?!?!

Why oh why do we do this?  Crap ... food is soooo darn good!  I love healthy food.  I know all the tricks -- like not buying junk for the house, dont' eat on the run, have a plan for meals and for eating out, etc.  But sometimes that little devil sitting on my shoulder just wins!

Sometimes I just don't give a flying fart! LOL  

Friday after my weigh-in my son and I had Chinese for lunch. Friday night we went to the movie theatre and had buttered popcorn.

Saturday we went to my fave Mexican Restaurant.  Saturday evening I had a Little Debbie fudge brownie.

Today I had an omelet for brunch, a personal pepperoni pizza for supper, and another stupid brownie!! 

The sad thing is .... if there had been more food available, I would have eaten more!!  Wow!!  Call me Miss Piggy!  Why is it that when we start on the wrong track, it gets easier and easier?! 

Well... I'm trying to smack some sense into myself.  I know what to do ... I'm supposed to tell myself that I have LOST 15 POUNDS!  I do NOT want to go backwards!  I want to go forwards! 

I'm also behind reading my friends' blog posts -- so sorry about that!  I LOVE reading your blogs!  They motivate me to keep on truckin.' 

Love you all!  Thanks for being an inspiration!  If it wasn't for EP, I would have given up!

Stef

 You need to know your enemy and yourself well before you can win.....

I need to remember that my enemy is food.  The interesting thing with food being our enemy is that it is also what sustains our life.  So that makes it tough, doesn't it?  Today I gave in to the enemy big time.  We went to the Mexican Restaurant that I love sooo much, and I did order grilled chicken fajitas ... and I didn't eat the flour tortillas, but I ate my chicken and grilled veggies with my fork.  So at least I was conscious of what I was doing.  But I ate TONS of chips and salsa until I was totally stuffed and felt like a blimp. 

On second thought, maybe I am the enemy ..... ?

In other news:

1) We went camper shopping today, and I think we found one!  We're considering the salesman's offer. 

Steve and I have always been avid campers and hikers since the day we met -- the love of the outdoors is something we had in common when we met.  My favorite place to be in the world is beside a mountain stream -- where there are no sounds but the water tumbling over rocks.  The kind of place where you look up at the sky, which is almost hidden in the mighty trees that sway to the music of the breeze. 

We used to be tent-campers -- but well, age and common sense kind of got the best of us.  We've had so many experiences sitting in a tent in the rain with nothing to do that we finally decided to try a pop-up camper.  We had the pop-up for one season, then we graduated to a 26 foot 5th wheel camper.  We sold it just a few weeks ago, so now we're moving on up!  We're now looking at a 32 footer, with bunks in the back for the kids (the beds are so close together in that little room though, that they'll probably kill each other).

2) Alec, my 13 year old son has decided to "move out of his dad's house forever."  Hmmmm, I'm not sure what happened, but he called and asked me to pick him up.  When I got at his dad's house, Alec was standing outside with 5 pairs of jeans, his pocket knife collection, a coin that his late grandfather had given him, his laptop computer, his alarm clock, and his boxer dog calender. 

We have had joint physical custody of the boys for years, which means they are technically supposed to go to my house for a week, and then to their dad's the next week.  Well, as the boys have gotten older, we've gotten very lax and the boys pretty much come and go as they please, which is GREAT.  It's sooo much less stress on everyone.  We all actually get along pretty well.  So, for now at least, I guess Alec will be with me all the time! 

3) It looks like the big snow storm that was going to hit the east coast has kind of petered out... for WV anyway.  It looks like it's going to go out over the Atlantic and then come back in time to hit New England.  I was getting all excited for a blizzard!  Oh well...

That's all the news I have for today ...

Enjoy what's left of your weekend!

WTF?  I went to my weight log, put in today's date, and put in today's weight like I always do, and it's saying I've LOST 175 pounds!  Well, I've not ... so don't panic, my friends, I do NOT weigh 0.  I'm working on it, but in the mean time, let it be known that I've lost 1 pound! :) 

I love apples   But I hate being one!   Does anyone else out there have an apple shaped body that they just HATE with a passion??  I have always wanted to be a pear, because pear shaped people have waists!  They have womanly curves like women are supposed to... I always thought I wouldn't mind being overweight -- okay obese --- nearly as much if I had CURVES! 

I am supposed to be a small person -- I am 5'2 1/2, I wear petite clothes because my arms and legs are super short, I have small feet, small hands, tiny fingernails, even little teeth!  So basically I am a small fat person!  Yep, I'm kind of like a walking oxymoron! 

Back in the day ... way back ... further ... back when I used to be a regular sized person, I still had a straight boyish shape.  It didn't bother me so bad then, but I was aware of it ... my friends had measurements like 34-24-36.  I had measurements like 34-33-34. 

Well, you can only imagine what that apple shape looks like on me now that I'm overweight -- okay obsese (gosh I HATE that word!) -- I really don't know what my measurements are now, but I know that my bra size is 36C... so if I wanted to measure the largest part of my chest, it would probably be 40?? Maybe?  So my measurements are probably something like 40-44-42 or something!  Who knows -- I guess I could measure myself and find out, but who wants to know stuff like that?  It's probably worse than I'm imagining even. The only thing I know is that I have no idea where my waist is, and that wherever it is, I'm SURE that it's bigger than my boobs! 

Well, on to other news... the Friday weigh-in results ....

Do you want the results BEFORE or AFTER I ate Chinese?

BEFORE?  Okay, you got it!  I lost only 1 pound this week.  I've had a great week (until the Chinese food incident this afternoon), but like I anticipated, my bad week last week caught up with me.  When I told my younger son Alec, that I had lost 15 pounds, he jumped for joy and hugged me saying, "Wooo Hooo! I'm sooo proud of you, Mom!"  And like he reminded me, at least I didn't gain!  And "the proof is in the pudding -- my pants were falling off yesterday!"

15 pounds in the right direction is a significant amount of weight!  Try lifting 3 five pound bags of sugar and you'll see   That's what my sweet mother told me --- and I asked her "Why sugar?  How about just a 15 pound weight?" 

She says "I don't have a 15 pound weight."

  I reply "So, do you actually have 3 bags of sugar?"

  She says "No." 

Alrighty then ....  (WTF?)

Good day to all you apples and pears out there in blog land! 

Steph

My pants are falling off today!!  Gotta make sure I wear purty undies

Can't wait to weigh in tomorrow!  I think I may have to retire these pants soon -- and that's OKAY with me!! 

Well, we had school today, but it was on a 2 hour delay.  Delays are okay in the sense that we get to sleep a little later, but they're bad in the sense that they mess with our schedules.  This morning when I got to school, I found out that the morning schedule would be 3rd period and homeroom... Grrrrrrr.... my planning is 2nd, so that means I don't get planning. And the worst possible thing in the world -- I had to spend my entire morning with a kid named Blake!!  OMG!  My worst nightmare!!  He is in 7th grade, talks constantly, and pops out of his chair 3,000 times in one class.  All I ever get say is: "BLAKE, SIT DOWN," "BLAKE BE QUIET," "BLAKE, STOP DOING THAT," "BLAKE, WHERE ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE?" "BLAKE, GET BUSY." 

It drives me batty, nutty, fruity, looney, nucking futs! 

Oh, I forgot one -- as I type this, Blake is stacking up books to see how high they'll go! "BLAKE, DON'T STACK UP THOSE BOOKS TO SEE HOW HIGH THEY'LL GO"

See what I mean?!

Busy day today -- hopefully will write more later when I get home and free of Blake!

Stef

Steve and I were sitting here last night, and I was reading a few portions of my blog to him.  I've never let him see my blog, and he's never asked to see it --- he knows that this is for ME -- kind of like AA or something.... Anyway, he suddenly declares that he KNOWS how much I weigh!!   NO WAY!  Unless he's been HERE, that is my biggest secret -- my only secret! 

He says "You can't hide that from me ... I'm a farmer."  WTF???  (I don't get this, do you?)

Are farmers phychic? Surely NOT!

So then he really clears things up for me ... "I've seen LOTS of cattle at the stock sale, and after years of doing this, I'm able to accurately guess their weight."  (He's very proud of this ability apparantly)

HELLO ... COWS WEIGH LIKE 900 POUNDS!!!!    He doesn't really understand why this upsets me!  He says "well, I've seen lots of calves too!"  WHATEVER!  I didn't ask him how much he thinks I weigh -- I didn't want to know what he thinks!

This reminds me of our first date -- over 6 years ago.  We were eating at what is now our fave Mexican Restaurant, and I have to say I looked REAL GOOD... I was 20 lbs lighter then, and I was all dolled up for the occasion... a little nervous, etc.  Anyway, he leans in a little -- romantic like -- and tells me I have pretty eyelashes.... ahhhhhh ..... THEY REMIND HIM OF HIS COWS!!!! THAT is a compliment apparantly!!!  So after we had been going out a while, he shows me what long pretty eyelashes the cows have?!  This is a TRUE story! 

Well, I'm still with this psychic farmer who has compares me to cows ... so it can't be that bad, huh?  We're actually getting married soon .. don't have a date set or anything.  Just a little "I DO, I DO" in front of a judge or something.  But we are getting a pre-nup since I own my house and he owns a house and farm.  We just wanted something simple saying "what's mine is mine, what's yours is yours."  Well, there is no such thing... I went to the lawyer's office today and we have to have separate attorneys, and it will cost each of us probaby $900 to do this!  It's a lot more involved than I ever imagined. 

A few updates for you:

* the weather is still yuck.  We got freezing rain and sleet on top of the 8 inches of snow.  The roads are solid ice -- especially the back roads where I live.  There are tons of power outages, but thankfully ours was only out overnight and is back on now :)

* the cat is still in heat.  She is presenting herself lovingly to the neutered male cat.  She walks in front of him, and shakes her thang a little, then she lies down and turns over on her back and coos at him, flutters her eyelashes ... all those little pick up moves that cats in eat do!  Of course, he yawns and walks off!  She's frankly starting to act a little pissed.  I can't really blame her.  When females go to all that trouble, it's supposed to WORK!  That's how we're wired up -- we do the mating call thing, and males respond.  She doesn't get it.  It's very pitiful to watch.

* diet is going well.  Had dry cereal this morning cause the milk was spoiled. 

Have a GREAT day everyone!  xoxo

Steph

Did I do a snow dance??!  We got about 8 inches overnight and this morning!    I couldn't get my little car out cause I live in the country on a back road..... then the ex-husband calls and tells me that Kyle's ear is worse ....

To catch you up and make a long story short .... Kyle got his ear hurt about 2 weeks ago while wrestling.  They think he may have torn cartilege, maybe a small blood clot.  We've gotten it drained twice, and it's still swollen so large that you can't see his ear canal!  Anyway, Kyle was at the Ex's last night, and he calls this morning in a panic -- cause he's my ex and frankly he just isn't smart enough to make any decisions (or use his pathetic brain at all) without my help   He says Kyle's ear is WAY worse and blue looking.  So.... I had to pile on my snow gear and boots, walk to my mom's, up her 1/4 mile driveway and borrow her 4 wheel drive Jeep so I can drive to town to meet my pathetic ex husband and teenage son at the doctor's office! 

So it looks like we'll be going to a specialist in a couple days to have some surgery and get some repairs done to this ear!  Isn't that crazy??  For a 16 year old, Kyle is very confident -- he thinks he's sooo good looking that the girls will flock to him even with a bum ear.

Now I'm sitting here in front of the fire at Steve's house, drinking coffee and watching his female cat in heat!   Yep, you heard me right --- his little house cat has come in heat for the first time.... so she walks around the house COOING and COOING at the NEUTERED male cat!  He ignores her completely, but she puts her rear up right in front of him and coos ... she totally doesn't understand why he doesn't want her!  It's kind of sad to watch actually!  We NEED to go get the poor girl fixed!

Looks like they're calling for more snow... I may stay at Steve's house, cause I'd rather be snowed in with him than anyone else on earth  

Put a deer roast and taters in the crock pot for supper. 

Happy Day to my fellow bloggers!

Steph