In response to a lovely readers question...

Anonymous asked;
Have you ever given thought to seeing a nutritionist? Do you know of a reputable one? What do you think about that possibility? xxxxx


I actually took a class in nutrition with the wonderful nutritional warrior Christopher D'Orta. It's sort of a hobby of mine. My interest in healthy eating is what led me to become a vegetarian years ago. & that is not to say I think meat is horribly bad. There are just so many issues surrounding how animals are raised & fed & whatnot. Nowadays people have better choices as far as organic meats & such but I figure if I started eating meat again, than I'd have two vices to deal with, red meat & sugar!
I think my tendency to overeat will always be there. I love food.
& I have noticed the older I get the more important it seems to be to eat a well balanced diet. So I do that on a daily basis. But I do have a hard time with sugar when I don't get enough rest. So I am concentrating on getting enough sleep lately & it seems to be helping.
Also, if you are interested in reading any of my back posts, it turns out I have a high metabolism, so it is also important that I eat enough calories per day as well. That was quite a problem when I was restricting calories earlier in the year.
So between my overeating, under eating & love of sweets, I have my hands full. I also find it a big challenge to stay motivated. Writing about it helps quite a bit. People who visit here are very encouraging.
Thankfully I'm moving in the right direction!

I am sick of talking about my weight.

But honestly, what is the alternative? Should I just keep spiraling down until I have gained back every ounce of weight I lost and more?
This morning as I drove to my weight watchers meeting I thought I would have definitely lost some weight because well, get this logic, since I had gained so much back since the end of January, I believed "I must have lost something this week". When the nice weigh in woman told me I had gained 1.6 pounds, I just thought to myself how ridiculous this is. I am so not getting anywhere. Every week it's the same thing. My WW leader calls this the weight loss cha-cha. Up 2 pounds, down 1 pound, up .6, down .2, slowly but surely that has been me the last two months, going nowhere but in the wrong direction.
Yesterday I thought about quitting Weight Watchers. I fantasized that if I quit I could save the money I was spending on it for the new clothes I could buy myself after I finished losing my weight. Somehow I thought I'd magically lose weight if I quit WW. Now that makes a lot of sense.
I also thought about using my WW money to see a shrink instead. I thought maybe he could tell me why I was failing to lose weight and maybe act as a personal coach of sorts. That idea quickly dissolved when I realized I so did not want to get into my whole life story. I am sick of analyzing it.
Driving home I accepted the fact that I haven't focused on my goal & I need to start anew. So today I am putting a weight loss tracker at the top of my post. I am using this as a daily visual reminder that I want to lose 17 pounds. & I don't want to take a year and a half to do it. I need to recommit to my program. I also have to acknowledge the good things I have been doing.
So that I will end this post on a positive note I am listing four things I have been successful at.

I exercise at least 4 times a week, sometimes 5

I have been getting enough sleep

I didn't gain all the weight back that I had lost. I am still down 17 pounds from when I first started weight watchers a few years ago.

I didn't quit WW today.

When I lose 17 more pounds, that will put me a few pounds ahead of my weight watchers goal. I've always wanted to do that. Then I'll get to become a lifetime member!
I just realized something. This goal should be at the very top of my bucket list. Hey, I'm already half way there!

This is so funny

I found this at one of my favorite places to visit, a blog called This Idiot.
The very talented writer of this blog expresses her love for her dog in a way that always makes me laugh out loud. Check out This Idiot here.

From the flower show at a local nursery...

for your enjoyment, click on the photos for more detail.



The daisy seems to me like the classic flower.



Do you see their faces?



I tried to grow these a few times...Aren't they beautiful?

take the clean sweep challenge!

Take the test here.
Happily, I found this challenge over at the inspiring Clutterquake. I took the test and scored a 60!
Basically the test is about cleaning up your life, perfect for someone like me who has been called to the word o r g a n i s e for this year! For every question I was unable to check off as true, I was given a goal to work towards making true. At the end of the test, I looked at the list carefully and was amazed to see very specific unchecked boxes that glared out to me as being the most important. The beauty of this test gave me concrete ideas on how I could improve my life by providing me with a specific set of actions I could take to achieve more serenity and peace of mind.
As a result I carry a short list of goals around with me since then to try and increase my score until the next go round.
So, what is on my list might you wonder?

Laugh out loud

Get rid of things I don't use

Be on time

Catch up on letters and calls

Don't take things personally

I wish I could explain how empowering it has been for me to put these goals in the forefront of my mind these last couple of weeks. It is suggested that you work on just a few at a time to keep it manageable. I have actually found it fun! I decided I won't add anymore goals until I complete all five on this list. This way I can look at the list keeping mindful of practicing them until they are instilled in me. Like laughing out loud, it's an easy goal to accomplish one or two days in a row but by the third day it's easy to forget unless it becomes a habit. The larger goal here is to make this list a habit. By keeping the list with me I get to practice being on time, laughing out loud & not taking things personally while I catch up on my letters & get rid of all the things I do not use. Using my list helps me stay focused so that I may accomplish these goals. It's a good feeling.
As someone who has struggled with lateness my entire life, it is a wonderful feeling getting somewhere early.
I'm also usually very good at not taking things personally, but sometimes I forget & by making it a daily practice my hope is that it becomes ingrained in me much the same way as my other daily habits are.
Some days I have actually had to stop what I was doing to find something that makes me laugh out loud. & I have found laughing out loud every day just seems like free therapy if nothing else.
I suspect I will get lots of practice with these new habits since I have many things to get rid of that I don't use.
I also suspect my friends & family will be hearing from me regularly as well as I catch up on letters and phone calls... more free therapy!
So far, it's all good.
If you do take the test, please stop by again & tell me what you think.

happy birthday mommy!

One day while out walking with my best friend, we were talking about motherhood when she told me something that will forever stick in my mind. This friend said that no one will ever listen to you with the same rapt attention the way that your mother will. We started discussing the logistics of conversation between a mother and her child but quickly realized even when a mother seems like she isn't listening, she is, without a doubt, listening. Like many conversations I have had with this friend over the years, it was a gift, a pearl, a truism. At least it was for me. This truism made me think how important it is to choose my words carefully when I speak to my mother. After all, if you are fortunate enough to have a parent who still takes an active interest in your life when you get to be my age, than it just seems imperative to try your best to keep your words golden. I know, I happen to be a lucky daughter to have one of those moms that listens. & I don't mean to gloat about it or even pretend to be perfect in the way I speak to her. But, today is my Mom's birthday and she deserves to know how much I appreciate her. I love you Mom, & not just for always listening to me. I just love you.

There is a lot of history in this picture of my Mom. If I'm not mistaken, she made the dress she was wearing, did her own hair and astoundingly, perfectly applied her lipstick without the aid of a mirror. Isn't she lovely?

Watching this is like watching a story unfold.

I came across this on PJ's Pensacola Daily Photo Blog. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I find it so inspiring to see such wonderful talent. Thanks PJ!

o r g a n i s e

It' s been almost an entire month since I last wrote about this little corner of my basement so I will post the before and after pics together here. I've heard it said that Spring is the perfect time to clean out your home. I guess that is what is known as "spring cleaning"...sadly, I don't think I've ever done that!
I am starting from the ground up but I am working throughout the house as well.
This may not look like much, and if you remember, yes, I know, it was sooo long ago... I took the "before" pics after I already started cleaning so you didn't get to see how bad it really was, but I just have to say, what a relief it is to now to be able to walk in this corner of my basement! I can quite clearly and easily see what it is I need to get without feeling like I will be bitten by a spider or attacked by a cricket. Actually, the crickets don't attack, they just like to jump real high which kind of makes me jumpy.
Tomorrow I will post a picture of my next basement corner do over.

This is before:


and after:


another view of before:


and after:

"[Stuff] robs people of so much...If your house is full of stuff, all the blessings that could fill your house can't get in. The stuff takes over. It robs you psychologically. You can't be at peace."~from Oprah's organizational guru Peter Walsh

To see more of Peter as well as some AMAzing before & after pics, please go here.

It snowed yesterday...

almost the entire day too! The best part about the snow day was finding out the night before that my son had no school. My very thoughtful mother happened to see on the local news channel that my son's school already made the decision to close on Sunday night, prompting her to call us immediately. Of course we were all ecstatic. We got to stay up later & sleep later which was fun. It was just like a three day weekend. I took a short drive in the afternoon when all the major roads were cleared to take some photos. There is another one over here at my Long Island Daily Photo blog.
If you're from around these parts, stay warm today, it's going to be a cold one!


The Bethpage golf course, please click on photo to enlarge.

Finally a loss!

Saturday morning I was sure I had gained a pound. I couldn't get to my weight watchers meeting until later in the morning so I didn't want to eat fearing I'd gain 1 or 2 pounds of water weight that I have a tendency to gain as the day progresses. I was so tempted to skip the meeting entirely, but I knew if I did it would just make matters worse. My WW leader helps me stay on track. After I took care of my early morning errands, I finally got to the meeting anticipating the worst. I thought how great it would be if I could at least stay the same weight. Needless to say when the nice lady said I was down .2 I almost started to cry. I don't think I've ever been been so happy to lose so little. Sometimes I am amazed to find out how little it takes to make me happy. I wonder if that is part of my problem? I am starting to think I need to work this program a tad bit differently. I am starting to think I am settling. I think I need to change my approach. I'll keep you posted.

Priscilla after a bath. Isn't she adorable?