Explanatory Notes for New Folks: 1. The Group Journal was created to give everyone a place to post things that perhaps they didn't want to start a new thread about, but just wanted to get off their chest. It can be used by anyone for any reason--celebrate your successes, vent your frustrations, ask questions, ask for support, whatever you need to do...that's what the journal is for!
2. Because the original Group Journal got very large and unwieldy to read, we decided that we'd cut off each Journal as it reached 70 posts and then create a new one. This Journal is called "Group Journal #35" because it is the 35th such post since the Journal was created.
3. When the Journal was created, we agreed that things posted here didn't necessarily require a response. Sometimes you just want to report or vent but don't really expect a reply. Other times, you may want feedback. Feedback is fine here, just not required/expected.
4. To make each Journal different from the next, I began creating theme journals, just as if our "virtual" online journal here was an actual paper journal we were writing our thoughts in. So, while I post the Journal threads, I often write them as if I was the Journal character. It's silly but folks seem to enjoy it.
Howdy y'all. I'm Cyndi Lou, your Start of Summer Journal. My cover features a beautiful beach scene--blue sky, fluffy white clouds and a dazzling sun. Inside, my pages are pale blue with a cloud imprint and dark blue lines. The lower corner of each page is decorated with a little cartoon representing our members being active--Brie and Laura running, Denise and Judy walking, Cathy swimming--you get the picture!
I'll be on this old picnic table next to a basket of strawberries. The silly rubber pen is a beach ball and, as usual, a slim silver ballpoint is provided for those who can't see themselves writing with a rubber pen!
Enjoy your Journal!
Posts: 7336 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
P.S. I know that you know that if you neglect your self care, things get difficult and even downright ugly. I hope you'll find ways to limit what you are doing - and to care for your needs.
Goals: 1. Stop thinking like a chronic dieter and start living to inspire. 2. HALT (hungry, anxious, lonely, tired) I will stop and tune in with myself should I experience these things, and respond with something healthy. 3. One word 2008: courage 4. Eat slow and mindfully.
Diana, I can only offer a bunch of hugs. I feel like I'm in the same boat, although most of mine is imposed by my differential equations teacher. (30 problems over a weekend?) And I'm still 1 section behind!
I would be less overwhelmed if I wasn't working today & tomorrow, too. Hang in there!
Life is like a roller coaster, with lots of ups and downs, but the curves, spirals, loops and corkscrews are what make life interesting.
Mom's mom has been in the hospital for 2 weeks now...not to dismiss how terrible she must feel physically, but it's wearing my mom down emotionally and the rest of us by proxy. We've started really sprucing up the house, just in time for the boyfriend's boss to get totally worked up about a project and schedule him over a dozen trips in the next 3 months, so most of the projects? Yep, all mine now, if they're going to get done. I'm still the only one of us who seems to care about what houses we look at when we go look at houses NEXT WEEK and it feels like if I'm not working on this house, I'm looking at someone else's. We haven't had a kitchen sink for 4 days because we had new countertops put in (planned) and then the plumber we're using got food poisoning (not planned). I'm exhausted, and every time I try to take a nap, I keep thinking about how there's more to clean, more to pack, more to straighten, more to research, more to move, more to take to storage, more to paint, my mom's exhaustion, grandma's not getting better, Ike maybe on the way, Hanna before that, we haven't had the deck furniture out of the garage in nearly a month because of the steady stream of potential hurricanes, how do we do this and maintain our budget so we have an adequate down payment, the flower beds need to be built and filled, the BUILT flower bed still needs plants, the backyard needs weeds pulled, ugh. I feel so self-centered and unhelpful to everyone else because I feel like I'm going to collapse under the weight of so much self-imposed stress. Oh, and I still have to actually find work in the new city, which means resume stuff and job searches, too.
I think I'll paint some window trim now.
Challenge Goals: *10 minutes of unplanned exercise five times a week *Gym time twice a week *Socialize at least once every two weeks.
thanks y'all! you guys are so supportive, i really appreciate it. the counselor does want to be more aggressive about dealing with it. dd is the one who is scared and hesitant. i really feel i cannot push her. she is the one out there taking the hits so how can i say " look, you need to take this all the way to the top!" the school is actually very supportive. they do not take bullying lightly. the vice principal is ready to kick B__T and take names. dd is the one who is holding back.
when it was suggested to bring in the parents, dd almost closed up. she heard that the family of this girl (the ring leader) is also mean. they have a reputation of being mean spirited people in the community. (oh great..) (but we see where it comes from, right?)
i am going to just have to play it step by step and see where her comfort level is.
this is a painful situation.
Goals: 1. Stop thinking like a chronic dieter and start living to inspire. 2. HALT (hungry, anxious, lonely, tired) I will stop and tune in with myself should I experience these things, and respond with something healthy. 3. One word 2008: courage 4. Eat slow and mindfully.
Teenage girls can be flat out mean and nasty. My dd is in 10th grade and I hear stories that are just unbelievable. When I was in high school we had our "girl fights" etc, but NOTHING like it is today. I would not want to be a teenager in today's world.
Iz, I'm so sorry to hear she is going through this. My dd had a situation last year with another girl who threatened her. This was terribly upsetting as a parent and I worried for days and days and called the school and talked to dd non-stop trying to figure out what to do. After about a week, and a few peer mediation sessions all was resolved, luckily, and the other girl backed off. Does her school offer peer mediation?
I know this is very difficult, but, if these girls are targeting your dd, and have been harassing others as well there is a very good chance that if she does not show them they are getting to her, they will move on (not the answer but it would help your dd). Someone in the school administration needs to be involved and these girls need to be either suspended or something!
Jill
Summer Challenge Goals: 1) Walk 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week 2) Plan weekly menus
I'm so sorry to hear about the bullying! What's the school's policy on bullying? What is the counselor planning on doing about it? What's the school's policy on making sure their students are safe?
One of my good friends went through this with her daughter and unfortunately after years of fighting the system, they finally gave up and transfered her to a different school.
I hate that bullies can yield that much power...
I'm sorry that you both having to go through this.
Hugs Iz.
Out of our beliefs are born deeds; out of our deeds we form habits; out of our habits grows our character; and on our character we build our destiny.
DD is being bullied at school. started last year, with this group of girls randomly throwing things at her.dd did not even know these girls and had no idea why they were targeting her.
started again this year. dd is begging me to transfer her to another school but it is almost impossible to get a transfer approved. had a meeting with the counselor today. feels frustrating. like dd is stuck in a corner. she is scared. there are many stories of these girls doing terrible things to people outswide of school. they poured paint over another girl's car.
if dd does nothing, she sucks up the bullying. she is upset a lot, and it affects her on so many levels. if she pursues this to a disciplinary level she risks having the bullying escalated. possibly being target outside of school grounds.
what to do...
Goals: 1. Stop thinking like a chronic dieter and start living to inspire. 2. HALT (hungry, anxious, lonely, tired) I will stop and tune in with myself should I experience these things, and respond with something healthy. 3. One word 2008: courage 4. Eat slow and mindfully.
You eat salad, cold chicken, and fruit for dinner, and have ice cream afterward (and maybe stick your face in the freezer while you pull it out).
You find out which grocery store makes the best sushi, the healthiest deli sandwiches, and has the coldest bottled water at the checkout stands.
You drink a lot of water.
You start to think a sweaty ponytail is "cute."
You quickly figure out which undergarments are best suited for hot weather.
Oh, and you talk up how "manly" it is to grill and how much you like grilled corn on the cob and chicken, and shove a few nights of dinner off on someone with testosterone. (And then complain about the bugs, and how you'd love be outside with him otherwise.)
Today was thank-goodness-I-wear-high-quality-foundation-or-else-I'd-have-rivulets-forming-on-my-face-from-all-the-sweat hot. Which means it should start raining any minute now...
Challenge Goals: *10 minutes of unplanned exercise five times a week *Gym time twice a week *Socialize at least once every two weeks.
It's Death Valley hot. It's walk-fast-before-your-shoes-melt-and-stick-to-the-sidewalk hot. It's sit-through-a-Japanese-monster-movie-marathon-because-the-theater-is-air-conditioned hot. It's exercise-are-you-kidding-me hot. It's if-you-can't-eat-it-right-out-of-the-refrigerator-don't-even-think-about-it hot.
I know my Southern belle friends are LOL right now, but I'm so not used to this in the Bay Area. What do you do for meals when you can't even face the heat from the microwave?
Today the latte I got at my regular coffee shop tasted so horrible I couldn't drink it. If their service deteriorates any further I'll have to stop going there. Since I've spent something like 10 years in that place, today's coffee had to be pretty bad for me to even consider this...
On the one hand, I may end up losing weight this way. On the other hand, I may end up losing my mind if there's nowhere nice to escape to with a good book.
****************** “The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends.”
Guess who is changing jobs again. But at least we knew this one was coming.
When Dena went back to work for the family that only gave her 24hrs notice the last time, she knew they would put the child back in daycare when he turned 1 (that will be next week). A day care who's waiting list the mother had gotten on while she was pregnant called and said her name had finally gotten to the top,(that must be some kinda great place), but she told them he could not start till Sept 2 because she had to give her nanny (Dena) 2 weeks notice. Since grandma died the next day and we needed to be in Cartersville for 1 whole week of that notice, Dena told them she appreaciated the notice but thought it better if she just stopped immediately since they already had some place they could put him.
The day after her last day the apartments she had applied to (5 minutes from work) called to say she had been accepted. She went ahead and took the apartment because she knows (from past experience) that she will have no trouble getting a day care job, in fact she has already had two interviews this week. I don't mind helping with the apartment because I want her out of here as bad as she wants out. Having her here makes living with mother twice as bad because for some reason mother loves to tease & taunt her. She thinks she is being "cute" but it hurts & angers Dena (& me) and Dena talks back instead of just ignoring her.
PS: Dena just called from her latest interview. It seems to have gone very well. They already have 2 other interviews scheduled but said they will be back in touch by the end of the week. And this job will come with insurance !! (after 90 days).
This message has been edited. Last edited by: BrenauMom,
"Live your life so that you are not afraid to sell the family parrot to the town gossip."
Posts: 4067 | Location: NE Atlanta (Chamblee, Doraville, Norcross, Duluth) | Registered: March 15, 2004
be easy on yourself. when i am in that space, i need distance. take a break. don't think about the eating and the exercise. just go do something else until you are ready to come back to this. i am feeling for you.
Goals: 1. Stop thinking like a chronic dieter and start living to inspire. 2. HALT (hungry, anxious, lonely, tired) I will stop and tune in with myself should I experience these things, and respond with something healthy. 3. One word 2008: courage 4. Eat slow and mindfully.
Sounds like you need to try a different approach. Are you weighing yourself frequently? Get rid of the scale, get a pair of pants that is a size too small to use as a guide.
Focus on maintaining, for a little while, maybe focus on what is in or not in your food. Like corn syrup, whole grains, that kind of thing.
Maybe go to the bookstore or library and find an inspiring cookbook that will give you some other ideas on veggies and fruits.
I'm tired of this. I'm tired of constant vigilance. I'm tired of trying to eat healthy, not succeeding, and paying for every slip-up. I'm tired of thinking this is the rest of my life. I'm tired of the pounds giving me the finger. Can I go home now?
****************** “The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends.”
I have seen both situations in my time. In 1972 when I was originally ready to graduate there were so many graduates from education programs, many didn't get jobs. When I went back in the early 90s, Special Ed was one area in which I was just about guaranteed a job. Whether I had a Master's or a Bachelor's didn't matter in that area.
NOW, with NCLB (No Child Left Behind) Ohio is pushing all teachers towards a Masters in addition to "highly qualified" designation in one area.
There are charts Dena should be able to find through an Education program which shows what and where specific teaching jobs are needed now and in the future. (I was hoping for Alaska, but dh wanted Hawaii, so we settled on Urbana, OH!!!!).
There are Special Ed programs for Early Childhood, but the paperwork is daunting and getting worse.
Many systems prefer no Master's because it costs more to employ a teachers with a Master's compared to one with a BS.
I agree with Dawn-- check around in the district and see what's prefered.
Special Ed. is in much higher demand than is regualr ed in many, many districts. Dena could check to see which degrees are in demand and which will likely be in demand down the road. I know that her personal preferences matter, but it would also be good to know how hiring/demand is trending.
!! (after 90 days).
