thanks for the christmas update!

i'm with you when it comes to food. good thing we stayed home so i could control the food situation. hubby made a big pot of meatballs and sausage in tomato gravy a few days prior. i made a big pot of minestrone the night before christmas eve. so that way not too tempted by carbs or junk. did get some chocolates for christmas but to combat eating too much of that. made a big pot of homemade apple sauce and some pumpkin custards on christmas day since didn't have to bother cooking dinner. and when craving cookies, been eating my almond or hazelnut amarettis- nuts are my friends (great for my metabolic syndrome). so was able to avoid gaining over the holidays, but now must focus on losing. but i sure am passionate about food! my stepfather is sicilian, i think that's where i get my love of food from. whoever came up with the saying "eat to live, don't live to eat." definitely was not from italy!

mookie got a new hat for christmas! let me explain. not to wear, but he'll sit and chew a baseball cap for hours and hours as we discovered when he went for one of chris's hat one day. so we buy him a really cheap baseball cap now and then and he couldn't be happier. right now as we speak he's sitting on the top of his cage chewing away. crazy!

chris requested several painting books so i obliged.

mostly though just a nice relaxing day.

today:

chiro fixed my shoulder this morning.

then walked through our mall, that was my exercise today. went there to buy mookie a new basket (he sits on the handle while he eats, contains the mess pretty well, just have to put down fresh papertowels, change the old). while there lots 50-75% off so bought paper, cards, etc for next year to put away. walked, oh i have no idea how far, but probably about 2 miles, its a really long mall and i parked at one end where i bought the basket and walked all the way to the other to browse in the bookstore. walking about 4 hours, some of it standing, but most of it sauntering.

Awesome!

I guess since you didn't have anymore serious hat shopping to do, you got to take some time and enjoy.

Go TEAM!

Ahh Sue..you have some self control. I have lost control. Fortunately the scale didnt budge and for that I am extremely grateful to my Krav! I have eaten 8+counting tamales today and ham. I didnt get to eat deviled eggs this Christmas. I overcooked the eggs. again. *sigh* Wasnt meant to be! I tend to stuff myself Thanksgiving but Christmas is the worst. But I get it all out of my system and dont crave most of the stuff till the following Christmas.

I havent had meatballs in forever! Now on my to do cook list!

Please forgive my ignorance..but is Mookie your bird? Cat? Dog? Sounds like they are quite pleased with the hat!! Bubba chews up ALL his stuffed toys. Only the kong ball lasts but he loses it every time. I bought him these inexpensive doggie biscuit bones at my grocery store a few months back and he and my momma's dog Viva LOVE them. They dont like the Milkbones. Sometimes the beggin strips. But these they cry for. He will literally open the kitchen cabinet with his big schnozz then stare at me, then whine for another. The vet was impressed with how white and clean his teeth were. She said there was no tartar and what was I giving him. I told her and she couldnt believe it. Hes got great choppers!

We had a relaxing Christmas day! Gianna has quite the active social teenager life so I'm busy chauffering her around. They were all happy and have one week left of vacation. I'm exhausted already though b/c they stay up late. Then get up late and I feel drained that way. So going back to a more regular sleep schedule tonight.

Good job on four hours!! holy mackarel!! I couldnt do that even if I wanted to!!

Good job buddy!! 90 min is great!!
I've been Buggy von Slacker up until today. Got back on track and had my last christmas cookie today!

Woo hoo Erika!!! What dedication on your new resolution!!
Buggy is rooting for you!!
Goooo Erika!!

Thanks Donette! Buggy has been working hard on my arms. It's paid off little by little. I've had to count on them again when it comes to my terrible back, si joints and knees. Whats funny is that I used weights for years before I went full blown with AS and never got them to this point. Yet I am not using heavy weights. Mostly plyometrics, resistance bands and occasional 1 lb weight.

Yep, buggy can use her hips as a weapon if necessary! I still cant believe I was able to with Arthur. He's 195 lbs! But there is no strain on the back. It is INDEED fun!! My son kept having me do it to him. Only I'd catch him and he's roll over laughing hysterically. He still asks me and I had to close people tossing shop !

Wow, you taught classes? If you dont mind me asking, what kind of classes did you teach? Wow, sounds like the water exercises would have been great had it been CLEAN water!!
I wanted to walk a little tomorrow but we are expecting heavy rain tonight and more tomorrow and wednesday. We need it though, and thankfully Arthur raked up some more leaves today while I supervised from inside ..in my bed...snoozing.
Take care!

Thanks Molly! Krav is slowly expanding all over the place. So perhaps one day they'll offer a class near you.

Yes, I've learned to let the mud dry then sweep up is much easier and less stressful! He just loves running in and out to chase birdies, and butterflies, and kitties walking by. He loves kitties but they do NOT want to be friends with him. I suppose its his size and whining and hopping around the yard like a deer!

Wow! Thats alotta snow!! We havent had snow over here in 16 yrs!! Flurries a few years back. That was it! We've had some low temps for december. I suspect we'll have some bad weather come jan and february. No open fire over here. I wish. I do miss Illinois. Thats where I lived till I was about 6 years old. I have fond memories of walking to kinder with my momma in snow and I NEVER had problems with allergies over there! But the hospitality over here outweighs it..and Fiesta every year!

Take care my friend..and keep warm!!

yes, mookie is our bird. he's in my avatar. with the help of dow and photoshop, he's sitting in a monet painting, LOL!




ok, not exactly 4 hours: ate lunch sitting down for about a half hour. tables were full in food court so shared a table with a nice couple about my parents age. we, as a society here in the U.S. (well at least the east coast) don't spend enough time chatting with strangers, getting to know new people and then in the bookstore, i like to just plop myself down on the floor in various locations and read. but yeh, the mall sucked me in for 4 hours, why i rarely go there; think i hadn't been since before school started in september and august was flare month, so think maybe some time back in june or july....wow, has it really been that long! good for me, LOL!

today my big cheat was a big slice of mushroom and spinach pizza at the mall, but i knew it would hold me a long time, and it did for about 5 hours. but you can afford to cheat if you don't gain; i on the other hand need to loose so i can put off diabetes just a bit longer. last time i got serious about my diet, my sugar went from prediabetic to under. supposed to go for more blood work this week, endocrinology appointment soon, will be interesting to see if all the walking and being pretty good about diet has kept the numbers down, or if i need to get stricter again; either way, need to get strict for the weight control. but oh how i love to eat, saw "eat, pray, love" tonight (read the book already); i just love when she's in italy eating all that food! "julie and julia" was another movie that i enjoyed greatly, not just a tribute to the two women, but to the food as well.

hi bug,

I taught a low/no impact strength and stretching class for elderly people or people recovering from surgery. We have this awesome lady in our town who teaches high impact aerobics/strength training 3xweek for free at our church. And there were some requests for an easier class, so she trained me and I taught the other 2 days per week, plus I attended her class the other 3 days. Those were the days. I quit teaching in August of 2008. Hoping to get back there!!! Right now a big Walmart shopping day just about does me in!! Feather in the wind.

Thanks for your good example. All this exercise does not come easy for you but you keep on going, and that is what counts!

Take Care,
Donette

spent so long on the phone this afternoon regarding various medical things that i missed my walk, so stretched real good and did my bands. but did spend an hour walking through the grocery store this morning, and then two hours moving around in the kitchen cooking dinner, so at least i wasn't glued to my chair!

a good LSD dinner: poached tilapia with white wine, lemon, olive oil infused with roasted garlic and topped with the roasted garlic, puree'd cauliflower soup, sauteed spinach, roasted carrots with dill, microwaved peas. the time spent cooking was worth it.

and yesterday, the chiro fixed my "frozen" shoulder joint and got the upper ribs moving again, and immediately, the sternoclavicle pain disappeared, yay!