Monday

*Big news - because this is long and ya'll may not read it all - according to BMI I am no longer OBESE! I'm now mid-range over-weight.....even taken into account the one inch in height I mysteriously lost.....::snort:: AND I fit into pants a size smaller....the scale doesn't read what it read in Aug before that fated vacation diet fiasco...but after 5 months I'm fitting into smaller sizes again...so something is happening.

~No couch school done at all today. The older boys got finished. Arielle and Nolan finished their independent work.

~I didn't get to sleep until 5 a.m. I slept in until 7.

~I went for a bike ride. I read the thermometer wrong and thought it was 37*. I was freezing. I kept telling myself doing that video inside for a week had made me soft. Then two hours after my ride I glanced at the thermometer and it was 27*! ::snort::

~Mike called! Always wonderful. I got more cards and letters today. I think I'm going to miss all the letters when you get home, Mike.

~I got off the phone with Mike and realized I needed to get lunch for children and head to my meeting with the dietitian.

~The meeting with the dietitian was SUPERB! Yes, my cholesterol is 50 pts high - 250. BUT my HDL has risen a LOT in the last year - it's 30 pts higher than average. Unfortunately, the LDL is up too....BUT she said that as I keep eating the way I am, using the oils I am, and loosing weight, the LDL will go down and the HDL will continue to rise. My cholesterol ratio is 4 now....and at 4 and under they don't medicate. She went over the lists of what I'd been eating and said that we're eating GREAT. She checked it all and said that 6 lbs weight gain one week and 4 lb weight loss the next had to be a thyroid blurp because there was NO WAY I should be gaining weight working out 5 - 6 times a week and eating what I eat. She said that I need to eat more and she is concerned that I've been eating so little. I told her I don't want to gain 6 lbs a week!!! She assures me that if I'll eat some sort of breakfast and then add two snacks in I WON'T gain weight. I explained I'm full all the time. She explained "to bad" and told me to eat because I have three factors for a sluggish metabolism (age, thyroid and new baby) and that I've killed my metabolism by not eating......but all these years of Weigh Down and Thin Within make it very hard for me to eat if I'm not hungry. Oh yes....and the new recommendation for fruit/veggie consumption? 10 - 12 servings a day! I really won't be able to eat anything else...and I think that's the point! ::snort::

~The base will be offering a free weight loss class for the next six weeks. They'd like me to attend. 1. it would be good for me to move thoughts of nutrition to the forefront of my mind, 2. They'd like me in the class to share the changes I made in our diet, and probably 3. She can keep saying "eat 3 meals a day and 2 snacks" to try to indoctrinate me. It's Friday from 12:00 - 12:45. I may do it. I'm thinking. The weekly focus might be good....might help motivate me....and they have an exercise trainer too but it will be a LONG time before I let him pinch my fat. LOL

~I made Emily's tortellini chowder tonight. Emily - do you want me to link to your web for the recipe or post it? Let me know. I adapted....but it was yummy. I didn't have frozen veggies and used 4 C of broccoli, red peppers, carrots and corn....and I didn't have evaporated milk and used a cup of cream. Yeah - I KNOW! BUT the dietitian agreed I could have small amounts of the REAL thing! LOL

~Tricia called right when I'd begun dinner and reminded me about Mom's Night Out at our homeschool support group! I remembered earlier in the day - I think - but I'd totally forgotten by evening.

~My OB/GYN's husband was one of the speakers tonight. He runs a fitness program here in the community. They also had a lady who is offering drama and voice lessons. And oh yeah - I KNOW what I forgot to sign up for - missions trip for homeschool youth and/or families.

Sunday

Too tired to think of a title...maybe I'll think of one before tomorrow. LOL

~Sunday School - good. Zander even went and played with the class, though he didn't attend the whole class.

~Lunch with Steve, Debbie and boys. Arielle felt sick when we left. She got better in a couple of hours. Strange....

~Zander, Arielle and Jamin wanted an outing. I took them to the mall. We discovered you could pay $25 and get in a cage with baby lions, tigers and jaguars. Zander was SURE I had money for this, I was sure I didn't.

~Mandy came over, after dropping her eldest son at youth group. We had a good visit and I introduced her to Red Tea.....her boys Malin and Martin were great fun for Nolan and Zander. I couldn't believe I forgot to offer her tea...thanks for asking about putting the kettle on, Mandy. It surprises me how much Mandy and I have in common. She's from England, I'm from the United States....but we both attended boarding schools, we both are married to chaplains, we both have children, both our husbands are currently on expense paid vacations...there must be more....anyway it was fun to visit with her.

~A note about the counters....I couldn't decide what to do. I didn't want to leave anyone out....but if I wait until the first one is done, the next doesn't get much air time...so there you have it....I almost said "boys birthday month" but they deserve their own countdown. LOL

That's all folks...

Semi- Studious/Semi-Silly SATURDAY

~Jamin studied all day.

~Josiah worked all day.

~I did my 5th Step Workout of the Week! WooHoo! Made that goal!

~I talked with Bank of America again today - 3 agents. I had two merchants they had denied (recurring payments as I've not been using the card). I had to call the merchants and tell them to try again (our local paper and netflix). They insist it is all taken care of now....but I asked them to explain WHY I continue to have trouble. Evidently, this is one of the mysteries of the modern age. ::snort::

~I worked on my personal Shop Natural order. I also helped two women get their orders together. I still need to compile the monthly group order and get it sent in.

~Arielle went to play with Ashley.

~I took Jamin to the library....and found some new books for myself, while he looked for Winston Churchill books.

~More letters, cards and a package from Mike today.

~We went to the mall to see a magic show. The magician's message is about believing in yourself (or in magic), saying no to drugs and alcohol and bullies. We had good seats from Chick Fil A....until the boy next to us threw up - he was maybe 2 and had drunk an ENTIRE Strawberry shake by himself. Josiah was manager on duty and got to clean it up! UGH....see all that time cleaning carpets around here during flu season has taken him to great heights. ::snort:: At the magic show there were skunks, rabbits, birds and a baby Siberian tiger. Nolan insisted on staying to pet them all.

That's it for today. I'm not going to try to load many photos as blogger is loading each of my images about 100 times and then I have to delete them all. LOL

Tea Thoughts

I've thought I needed to lay off drinking tea to be "healthy". I really do not care for herb teas....though with some stevia or agave nectar and a bit of cream, maybe they wouldn't be to bad...LOL Anyway, I've been trying not to drink black tea. I've been hearing that my Red Tea (Rooibos) was good but wasn't sure why. I took some time today to find some info and I'm THRILLED. It seems black tea is good for reducing cholesterol and Red Tea is really good. I found this info from several tea sites (::snort::) Bigelo, Celestial Seasonings, Republic of Tea, English Tea Store and wikipedia etc. In case anyone else has wondered, I thought I'd share.

Researchers from several countries have presented evidence that suggests that black teas, green teas and oolong teas, have a protective capability against oral, lung, colon and other cancers. Green teas especially, with more than thirty polyphenols, has a unique beneficial effect on the human system. These polyphenols are also found in fruits and vegetables and act as antioxidants like vitamin C, E, and beta carotene and may reduce serum cholesterol and the risk of heart disease and stroke.

~Tea is reported to aid digestion, strengthen the immune system, and reduce the risk of heart disease, all of which play a role in healthy aging

~ By inhibiting the absorption of cholesterol in the digestive tract, tea helps prevent the formation of unwanted clots which may cause a heart attack or stroke.

~Black, green and oolong teas contain some caffeine. Green tea, has about one-third the caffeine per cup of black tea. Oolong has about half as much caffeine as black tea. Coffee by contrast, has about twice as much caffeine as black tea.

Black tea consumption may lower bad cholesterol levels and could one day be used to help reduce the chance of heart disease for those at risk, U.S. researchers said Tuesday. ( MSNBC )

~Why Red Tea?

Red Tea has all the benefits of green tea, but is completely caffeine-free so that you can enjoy unlimited cups, multiplying the benefits from all its healthful properties without overdoing the caffeine.

Red Tea can be of benefit in common infant ailments like colic and stomach cramps.

Red Tea is completely pure, natural and contains no additives, preservatives or colorants.

Red Tea contains no caffeine and has a soothing effect on the central nervous system.

Red Tea has anti-spasmotic properties which help to relieve stomach and digestive problems like nausea, vomiting, heartburn and stomach ulcers.

Red Tea benefits the management of allergies like hay fever, asthma, and eczema.

Red Tea has a soothing effect when applied directly to the skin as a tincture or can relieve itching, rashes and sunburn when added to a bath.

Red Tea has antioxidants which limit the effects of free-radicals in the process of aging and the declining immune system.

Red Tea supplements the daily amounts of calcium, manganese and especially fluoride, needed for the development of strong teeth and bones.

Red Tea contains zinc and alapa-hydroxy acid, which promote healthy skin, and magnesium, which is necessary for a healthy nervous system.

FABULOUS FRIDAY

Yay! It's Friday again! It looks like we are heading into another icy weekend. Unfortunately, Netflix hasn't sent any movies...we could sure use them if we get iced in again.

Josiah has been going out to work each night. He says he's the only one on the roads on the way home. WooHOO! Great news for our base....Josiah's boss won a contract and will be putting a Chick Fil A trailer in the BX parking lot from Wed - Sat....still not a real restaurant but hey - it's something besides Burger King. LOL Josiah was surprised at how freaked out some of the employees were at having to go on BASE to work. ::snort::

We were able to go to speech today because the roads were fine this a.m. We did some extra school reading this morning, as we didn't have co-op.

We went to a friend's this afternoon.

Pizza tonight and it was yummy. I was mindful of my cholesterol and only had a tiny piece of pizza and then a big salad....with very little dressing.

*Swiss Family Robinson* just started...we have a zillion old movies we can watch while waiting for the ice to leave and/or Netflix to arrive. {G}

Drink Up, Stacia!

WEATHER & SMALL BASES

It's warmed up and raining....but we have a 90% chance of freezing rain tonight and tomorrow. Sunday is supposed to be nice. Snow again on Monday. Who would have guessed?

I received a phone call from the clinic about my labs. This is ALWAYS bad news because they don't call if things are o.k. They didn't say a word about the GTT so I'm assuming I don't have diabetes for another year. They said my thyroid is 2.3 which is mid-range; so I'm keeping my dose for another year. I need to read up more on the numbers and figure this out.

Then they said my cholesterol is high. Shoot! I talked to them about my high good cholesterol but even taking that into account I'm still 60 points above maximum. This goes up and down with my thyroid. However, I have a history of heart problems in the family and so...they referred me to the "Health and Wellness Center". The clinic said to expect a call. Less than 30 minutes later I got a call. He told me that they do the heart classes once a month and when it was. I can't make it. He then said that they'll do a one on one meeting with me and the dietitian on Monday. This is good as I know last time I was on the "the program" they advocated lots of fake food as the solution - and I won't do that this time. I explained, ::snort:: "I don't plan on spending real money on fake food. "When I asked where their building was he said, "Ma'am the same parking lot your husband uses. How's he doing over there?" Small bases are a hoot! I can't get away with anything around here. I sometimes wonder if Mike told the clinic to make sure I did what I was told while he was gone.....