AHASRADA
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Posts posted by AHASRADA
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At the end of the day the only way to maintain weight loss is to find other ways to make yourself feel good than eating.
I am currently reading through the book Life is Hard, Food is Easy by Linda Spangle. She has another book I plan on reading, 100 Days of Weight Loss: The Secret to Being Successful on Any Diet Plan. She outlines ways to get in touch with the reasons we eat when we aren't hungry, to stop and think about why we want to eat before we do so, and come up with alternative activities.
I didn't really think of myself as an "emotional eater", because I haven't been through any major trauma or emotions I am trying to repress. Still, I realize that food has been my major source of fun, pleasure, relaxation and reward. I also eat when I am bored or have to do something I don't really want to do to in order to add some fun to the drudgery of the task.
I would recommend anyone who has gained weight back after a diet (or given up on a diet) because they keep falling back into bad habits of eating junk, etc., to read these books. Portion size and healthy eating are important, but it is essential to get to the root of the problem behind stuffing ourselves with treats or comfort food.
I would also suggest cutting out sugar and refined carbs (bread, etc.) to see if that stops the cravings. Some people feel deprived if they can't have cake or bread on occasion, but some (like me) don't crave those carbs if I don't have them. As soon as I have a taste, I want to eat more and more, so it's better for me if they are off limits, at least until I get things under control.
Personally, I have been very successful creating my own calorie-restricted whole foods plan. I have a general pattern I follow for meals and snacks, then plan my food for the day the night before or in the AM. Knowing what I am going to eat for the day (and not allowing any wiggle room to add anything that is not in the plan) makes it easy to stay on track.
I did Nutrisystem for a month a few years ago when we were preparing to move overseas and wanted something "open and go". If you have a Big Lots store near you, they often have Nutrisystem meals on clearance there. However, Big Lots has their own line of foods called "Fresh Finds", including prepackaged entrees that are low in calorie (230-300) and use natural ingredients (nothing unpronounceable). They are shelf-stable like Nutrisystem, but I actually like the taste of Fresh Finds better. They have a lot of bean-based meals, which I love, but several with pasta as well. They are only $1.50, so they're a great option of you can find them!
I think you made a good choice deciding to sign up with Jenny, especially since you have a discount in the beginning. You know it worked for you before, and it will help you to get back on the right path. Once you feel like you can handle it on your own, it's not that hard to replicate the system on your own.
Good luck!
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My ds read Animal Farm in 9th grade (last year). He really enjoyed it and got a lot out of it, but we read it together and discussed it using study questions. He might not have made all the symbolic connections without discussion, but his lack of a full grasp of life under Stalin in no way impeded his ability to understand the deep meaning of the story. In fact, it likely made it easier for him to apply the lessons to any situation where the oppressed revolt, gain relative freedom, but are ultimately oppressed anew in the name of the revolution (lots of historical examples).
This year (grade 10) we read Anthem, which was a quick and easy read. The symbolism is very clear and easy to follow, but provides a lot of meat for discussion/reflection on its meanings and implications. Very similar message to Animal Farm, without the animals :). Anthem would be very appropriate for summer independent reading, since the student can get a lot out of it without study questions, etc.
ETA: There is a "love story" component, but all is implied, nothing graphic. Fine for ages 12+, IME.
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That was me last week: humid and almost 90 degrees (too early in the season for those temps). I hate the heat, hate sweating, hate not being able to sleep due to the heat (no AC, we have window fans, but we had to close the windows due to thunderstorms!)
Today was cloudy, a bit gloomy and threatening rain, but at 57 degrees, I'm a happy camper!
Hope tomorrow goes better!
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Honestly it's stuff like this that makes me think I should open a mom mobile mechanic shop. Get a bunch of women mechanics and build the business reputation around honesty and no mom bs guilt.
Here's one!
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I think I do know what the OP is referring to. I have a Kindle Touch, and the sleep mode "screen saver" is a full-screen ad.
Most ads are benign, but one was a full-sized photo of a couple in a steamy embrace, and another was for a TV show called "Mistresses". I share my Kindle with dd13, and I'd prefer this stuff just wasn't on there.
I wouldn't mind much if the ads were geared toward my interests, but obviously this is not the case!
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Yes!! My ds has his entire year's worth of school work saved on his computer, including a semester of work that still needs to be polished up and submitted for grading. I have had nightmares of his computer crashing and losing all that work. I finally got him a USB flash drive this week and he backed it all up!
He also has tons of home video footage on his hard drive (saved from his camera), but the files are so big, the only way I can think of to back those up would be to buy a Tera drive ($100!), or burn them onto DVDs, I guess.
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Am I the only one who doesn't "expect to feed" my dc's friends whenever they happen to visit?
I very rarely have time to plan, shop for and prepare meals for guests and therefore (regrettably) rarely have my own friends over (and rarely visit them at their homes either).
If my dc want their friends over, that's fine with me, as long as it doesn't interfere with my day. Dropping what I am doing to feed their friends is an imposition on my time and I feel it's rude to expect me to cater to my dc's guests.
If a child is here for 2-3 hours or more, then my dc are allowed to fix a snack for themselves and their friend, but I never expect to serve them a meal unless planned beforehand. I expect both the child and parent to take care of their meal either before or after the play date.
A sleepover, pre-planned party, or family invitation is different. I have set aside the time and groceries for these events, and meals are expected. A random friend dropping by for a couple hours to hang out? No.
Maybe I'm a meanie, but if I knew I would have to prepare snacks, treats and meals for every play date, they would be few and far between. I feel I can say yes more often to dc having friends over if I know their presence won't add more work to my day.
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This is my 4th year as an ESL tutor, and up to this point I haven't had any official policies. I will be instituting some next year.
I regularly have students who cancel the same day, sometimes with only an hour or even minutes before lesson time. This means I have already put in the time to prepare the lesson, make photocopies, etc. and planned my day around being busy for that hour.
At least a couple of times per month, someone just doesn't show up. I have sent little dd to another part of the house, cleaned off the table, set up their books, and wait watching out the window for 15 minutes before I decide they must not be coming.
Some students regularly arrive 10-15 minutes late, and are picked up an hour (or more) after their arrival, not at their scheduled end time.
I can absolutely understand a teacher expecting to be paid for cancellations, certainly with less than 24 hours notice. I would not charge for school vacation weeks or if I cancelled.
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Thinking about you all the time these days! Hope you are all fine. I am totally engrossed with Syria so emotionally very distant these days...
Yes, we're fine, and I know you're busy working hard for an emotionally-draining, noble cause, so no worries about the distance. Tutoring season is slowing down, so I should have time to email you soon.
Enjoy your day!
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I had no idea it was your birthday, Nadia! It's been too long; we have to find time to catch up with each other :)
Have a wonderful day!
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BA in Secondary Ed., French and Spanish
I never considered changing my major. I love languages and love to teach (although, after teaching in PS for a year, I discovered I prefer 1-1 or small groups to the classroom). I am now tutoring ESL while hsing.
I got my degree when I was 21, 3 years after I married dh. I've never regretted either decision, and I've stayed on pretty much the same path, with the same basic values and goals for the past 20 years.
Not exciting, but stable and satisfying, and that's how I like it!
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Yes! I followed the plan a few years ago, lost tons of weight, felt great. Then life happened, a couple of big, out-of-country moves, financial stress, and I eventually returned to emotional eating, etc.
I'm re-reading the book and just started a tweaked version of the program last week, which I may start a thread about. I'm only eating veggies, fruits and homemade kefir (breaking the no-dairy rule) bacause kefir has its own benefits which I have definitely felt.
I feel amazing, light and stress-free. I'm losing about 1/2 lb. a day now at the beginning, and I'm realizing how much authenticity of life I was missing by self-medicating with food to numb the stress.
Best wishes for much success with the plan!
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In the elementary grades, we stopped all curriculum-based work by July 4th (our family end of the year cut-off), and started up again after Labor Day. We did some Summer Bridge question cards and free reading during that time, but mostly spent time with family, traveling, camping, etc.
Now that ds is enrolled in distance learning HS courses, we no longer have the discretion to skip some lessons to fit the curriculum to the time we have left in the year. Everything has to be done and submitted, and if he runs too far behind, we have to pay for extensions. Unfortunately, this has caused him to have to work through the summer the last couple of years. I really hope I can help him stay on better track next year so he can have more leisure time next summer.
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I tutor ESL in my home. While I do have teaching credentials and taught very briefly in PS before my dc were born, I don't think my background plays a huge role in my marketability. At this point, I find all my students based on reputation and word of mouth.
I started out tutoring my friends' kids, who referred me to their friends, etc. I also had business cards printed (very reasonable at Staples) and posted them at area businesses that have a peg board for that purpose as well as at our place of worship. All my students share my religious affiliation, which shows that was a factor in their choosing me as a tutor.
Decide what subjects you feel comfortable teaching and at what level, and put the word out. The local PS may even keep a list of people offering tutoring services that you could add your name to.
BTW, I charge $20 an hour. If I did more lesson planning, was following a specific method, etc., I could charge more ($30/hr. is not unusual for chemistry or physics, for example), but I am happy with that and my middle-class clients (living paycheck to paycheck but sacrificing for their kids' education) seem to find my rate fair as well.
Just make sure you set some ground rules. What if they are late? Cancel at the last minute? Don't show up at all? How will payments made: at each session, monthly, in advance or after the fact? Have specific policies to address these issues in writing before you start.
Good luck!
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I don't believe in exercise...
I have lost 50lb since September. No exercising.
Do tell...what is your weight loss secret?
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I wouldn't expect parents to "finish off" cake or food that their child didn't eat.
Really? Huh. Maybe that's a custom peculiar to my family and circle of friends.
Those of us with small children often don't even serve ourselves, or take very little food, knowing that our kids aren't likely to clean their plates and we will be finishing their leftovers.
I thought that was the norm to avoid food waste. Oh well, to each his own :)
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Just to clarify, I did not intend to suggest in my post that ALL picky eaters are raised on processed junk. I realize there are allergies, sensory issues, and just personal preferences. I just found it odd, and unlikely, that every single child in attendance fell into one of these categories. Thus, my hypothesis that cultural norms around food (namely, preference for processed / prepackaged food) were likely a factor.
Honestly, it has been a long time since I had a 6 y.o., and we didn't start having bday parties with friends (as opposed to extended family) until they were 8 or so. Maybe most 6 y.o.s are picky.
Still, as a parent of a guest child, I would encourage him/her to choose the "least offensive" cake, be polite, at least taste it, and finish the piece myself, or take it home. The idea that slices were served and not eaten, not finished off by parents or wrapped up, is the most upsetting aspect of the situation, more so than the pickiness.
Without knowing the guests' food preferences, I would have saved the elaborate homemade treats for our own family, and served a generic cake to the masses.
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My dc absolutely would have eaten them, and so would any of their friends routinely invited to their parties.
However, we run in a circle of healthy/natural/whole foods proponents and have been served beautiful homemade Black Forest cake and the like by their friends' moms.
I would suspect that your dc's party guests were consumers of the "typical American diet", accustomed to boxed or store-made cakes and allowed by their parents to shun any food that doesn't fit into the nugget/fries/sugar category.
Next time, know your audience, and bake accordingly. Save the good stuff for those who will appreciate it.
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Had to google Cheerwine, as I'd never heard of it. Apparently it is a long-standing, very popular drink in North Carolina and surrounding area, famous for its "deep red wine-color and cherry flavor".
Why, of all the drinks he could have chosen, did dad buy a deep red drink for the red dye sensitive ds??!! Why didn't he "check" before buying and handing the kid the drink?! Sound like he just wasn't thinking at all and scrambled to back-track.
Educating dad, while reminding ds not to ingest red food given to him by anyone, even his dad (sadly), seems like the only solution until dad can prove himself competent.
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I usually wake up around 7-7:30 and eat breakfast between 8-8:30. I don't eat lunch until 2-2:30, though, because I have to put my little one down for a nap at 1:30, and I don't have time to eat before that. I am get quite hungry between 11:30-12, so I usually snack on pretzels to tide me over till lunch. Dinner is also not ready until at least 8pm, so I snack a bit in the afternoon and skip dinner. Strange, but that's the way it is.
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Went to my 10th which was also in a park, brought my kids along. Only those with kids bothered to come; the rest had met up at a bar the night before. I didn't attend my 20th; I actually forgot 2011 would have been our 20th reunion until...the beginning of 2013. Oops.
There are really only a couple of people I would have much interest in seeing anyway, and although it can be interesting to see what everyone "made of themselves", I am a completely different person than I was in high school and wouldn't have much in common with anyone anymore. So, not an introvert, but I just find large class reunions irrelevant.
I have Googled a few close friends I lost touch with just to find out where they are, etc., and that was satisfying. I can now contact them directly if I so choose, without reliving the high school dynamic.
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I don't know what This American Life is. Is that a newspaper or magazine? It could very well be possible that was the story. I mean hopefully this isn't something that happens often!
"This American Life" is an excellent human-interest focused radio show on NPR, usually on the weekend. I have about 40 of their podcasts downloaded. I remember listening to the story the PP referred to. It does sound very similar, and I certainly hope it was the same person. I would hate to think that story could repeat itself!
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Yep. Hydro = hydroelectricity. I believe all the western provinces are heavy on hydro for electricity production.
Back East as well! Hydro Quebec not only supplies all of the electricity for the province, it sells to some New England states as well.
I had the same confusion when first looking at rental listings. I thought it must be the water bill (fortunately, the water bill has not turned out to be high at all, around $100 per year, so I'm glad for my misunderstanding!).
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After 9/11, I didn't leave the house for a few weeks. Then, only to do grocery shopping. On one of these trips, a woman smiled at me and asked me how I was doing. I assumed she recognized me from one of the many interfaith community outreach presentations I had done, and apologized for not recalling who she was. Her response? "Oh, I don't know you, I just saw you with your headscarf and wanted to make sure you were OK." Her touching comment reminded me of the tolerance and respect that my community had always shown, and for the most part, still maintained.
At the same time, it was unnerving to stick out like a sore thumb, never knowing if that one random violent person would see me as a target. I found some American flag patterned fleece fabric, and sewed myself a wrap, which I wore all fall and winter 2001. Somehow, I felt I might be protected if I always left the house wrapped in the stars and stripes.
I had completed forgotten about that wrap, until I was cleaning out an old chest a few weeks ago, and there it was. I looked at it, briefly remembering that time in our history so many years ago, and set it aside for donation. In my experience, the legacy of 9/11 is an increased understanding and knowledge of Islam and the fact that Muslim does not equal terrorist. The media has done an overall excellent job of not rushing to judgement in the Boston case. I have held off on donating my wrap, though. I sincerely hope I don't end up feeling the need to wear it this time.
Help me pick an e-reader for my tween/kids
in The Chat Board
Posted
If you want to use mainly Kindle books, I would go with the Paperwhite. The built-in light is extremely handy for bedtime reading or in the car at night.
If you want the ability to use e-books from any source, Kobo is a good choice. They have a mini (larger screen than an iPod/iPhone, but smaller than most ereaders, no light) or Kobo Glo (standard size with light).
Kobo has its own online store like Amazon where books download directly to the device. You can support your local independent bookstore by registering your Kobo through them, and any ebooks you purchase from Kobo gives the bookstore a small cut of the profits.
If you want to download books from any other source (Amazon, Project Guttenberg, etc.), you have to download them to your computer first, then sync your device to it.
I know you said you wanted e-ink, but a tablet should also support multiple e-book sources. You can get the Kindle app, Kobo app, etc. to read the various books. Kobo Arc is an android tablet focused on e-books, and the Google Nexus works for everything. Both will offer more freedom around content choice than Apple or Amazon products.
HTH!