Well, I have one set up to record that is labeled "Macy's" on my TV guide channel, so I don't think anything happened to it. I also saw there's an "Ikea" one on a different channel, and apparently you found a "McDonald's" one so I guess there are multiple parades?

Yeah, it doesn't start here til next week but I've read about it and I'm excited to give it a try! I'm going to have to wait a little while longer, though. I'm currently doing WW at home using materials I got when I was a member who did attend meetings (which I've done many times on and off throughout the years). These days, I'm attending TOPS meetings instead of WW meetings for my accountability/support/weigh ins, because it's SO much cheaper. But I'll go rejoin WW meetings for a week or so just to get the new materials and learn about the new plan once it comes out :D ...but I won't do that until they have a "no registration fee" special, which might not be until around the New Year. We'll see!

So, after all of that, we went for her appointment yesterday and after the doctor came in and talked to us a bit and determined that her ONLY symptom is eczema (she doesn't get congested, cough, sneeze or any of that stuff), he decided NOT to do the back prick tests for environmental allergies. Instead, he gave us a prescription to take to a lab to get a blood test for food allergies. So I am going to bring her in next week sometime to do that.

Thanks, Cindie :) Well, today would have been my Week 13 weigh in, but of course there was no official meeting or weigh in today due to it being Thanksgiving. I did weigh myself at home. My home scale is not entirely accurate, but it's usually within 1/4 - 1/2 a pound of what the TOPS scale say (sometimes it's a tad under, sometimes a tad over, sometimes right about the same). Basically this week I seem to have maintained (although it's possible I gained up to 1/2 a lb due to the scale differences. I'm gonna go with the "maintain" haha). Status Report: 8/26/10, Week "0" Weight: 237 1/2 lbs BMI: 37.2 Height: 5'7" 9/2/10, Week 1 Weight: 235 1/2 lbs BMI: 36.9 Weekly Change: -2 lbs Total Loss: 2 lbs 9/9/10, Week 2 Weight: 234 1/2 lbs BMI: 36.8 Weekly Change: -1 lb Total Loss: 3 lbs 9/16/10, Week 3 Weight: 231 3/4 lbs BMI: 36.3 Weekly Change: -2 3/4 lbs Total Loss: 5 3/4 lbs 9/23/10, Week 4 Weight: 229 1/2 lbs BMI: 35.9 Weekly Change: -2 1/4 lbs Total Loss: 8 lbs (I'm out of the 230's!!!) 9/30/10, Week 5 Weight: 226 3/4 lbs BMI: 35.5 Weekly Change: -2 3/4 lbs Total Loss: 10 3/4 lbs 10/7/10, Week 6 Weight: 226 1/4 lbs BMI: 35.5 Weekly Change: -1/2 lb Total Loss: 11 1/4 lbs 10/14/10, Week 7 Weight: 224 1/2 lbs BMI: 35.2 Weekly Change: -1 3/4 lbs Total Loss: 13 lbs 10/21/10, Week 8 Weight: 221 1/4 lbs BMI: 34.6 Weekly Change: -3 1/4 lbs Total Loss: 16 1/4 lbs 10/28/10, Week 9 Weight: 218 lbs BMI: 34.1 Weekly Change: -3 1/4 lbs Total Loss: 19 1/2 lbs (I'm out of the 220's!!!) 11/4/10, Week 10 Weight: 219 1/2 lbs BMI: 34.4 Weekly Change: +1 1/2 lbs Total Loss: 18 lbs 11/11/10, Week 11 Weight: 218 1/4 lbs BMI: 34.1 Weekly Change: -1 1/4 lbs Total Loss: 19 1/4 lbs 11/18/10, Week 12 Weight: 215 3/4 lbs BMI: 33.8 Weekly Change: -2 1/2 lbs Total Loss: 21 3/4 lbs 11/25/10, Week 13 Weight: 215 3/4 lbs BMI: 33.8 Weekly Change: +/- 0 Total Loss: 21 3/4 lbs Summary: Goal- to lose 58 lbs. 21 3/4 lbs down, 36 1/4 lbs to go. --- Check out my fun weight loss picture updates here: http://nancextoo.livejournal.com/139113.html And thanks again for your support and encouragement, and for letting me continue to be more "accountable." :) --- Today, of course, will not be a "diet day" but my goal is to be right back on track tomorrow and doing well all week so I can show a loss next week. :) --- HAPPY THANKSGIVING, ALL!

avoid fatty, greasy, fried, spicy foods... ...get the surgery, it's best to get it over with. I was so glad when mine was over with and I never had to have a gall bladder attack again, because that was excruciating. Horrible. ...you'll have some soreness afterward, and in the first couple of weeks while you're healing you might even feel like you're having a couple more mini attacks- which will actually be trapped gas.

Oak Meadow :D

Sorry to drag this up again but it's not THAT old, right? I was just wondering, did yours resolve okay...? I actually think I have it now. Almost two weeks ago (the Saturday before last) I developed this unexplained horrible pain in my right side, like just below my ribs. And it hurt much more when I took a deep breath, yawned, etc. It stayed for the next week and a half but most days it was tolerable- not as bad as that first day- if I DIDN'T breathe in too deep but continued to hurt more when I breathed in deeply. And was pretty uncomfortable lying down at night. Then like 3 days ago it got worse and was pretty unbearable. Kept me up all that night. Finally, Monday morning, I called the doctor and was seen that afternoon. First, they gave me a blood test which they said will rule out a blood clot if it comes back normal (if it's abnormal, it doesn't necessarily mean "blood clot," it just means it could be a number of things and more testing will be necessary). I'm hoping to have those results today. They also sent me for a chest x-ray. They said it would show if I had pneumonia (which I highly doubt as I have NO cough, congestion, fever, or illness of any kind) and that it would also show my ribs in case there was any injury or something I guess (which I highly doubt as I've had no injuries, unusual activities, etc). Again, I'm hoping to have those results today. Lastly, they told me there's a good chance it is pluerisy, which they said is an inflammation of the membrane that lines the chest cavity and surrounds the lungs. They said anti-inflammatories would help with that and that I should continue taking ibuprofin. I said I was taking it, but that it wasn't helping. So they also gave me a prescription for 7 days of prednisone. Well, I took the first pill Monday, and by Tuesday there was a noticeable difference in pain level. I took the second pill Tuesday and by last night and this morning, the pain level is WAY down- no more of that 'constant' hurt, now it's ONLY when I breathe deeply (and I can breathe much more deeply than I could before), and even then, the 'pain' is more discomfort/annoying than real pain like it was. So I have my fingers crossed that this will be totally cleared up and gone within the next couple of days. If my blood test and xray were both normal I was just supposed to keep taking the prednisone and if it cleared up, great! If it didn't clear up or get much, much better after the week was up, or if it got worse, I was supposed to call the doctor back for more testing (I guess an MRI or CAT scan or something would have been next). But the Prednisone seems to be doing the trick!

That's very nice of you! We're going to relative's, not hosting, there will be about 16 people there!

So cute! If you still have a pumpkin lying around from Halloween, let him play with that in the yard for a few minutes, it will make for cute pictures when he starts rolling it around and putting his paw up on it and stuff like that :D

:iagree:

Thanks for updating and I'm glad it went well (minus the long travel time and waits)! I'm looking forward to the day when we're all looking back on this and you're telling us you just had your LAST chemo! That day WILL come! Hang in there. :) :grouphug:

Cool, glad it is helpful! I'm sure you will enjoy it, it's a great curriculum! No workbooks, no worksheets, no textbooks- in 4th and 5th grades, there is usually a short lesson or amount of text right in the syllabus written to the student and bolded activities telling you what assignments to do. And yes if one of the assignments is to write sentences using verbs for instance, it will tell what a verb is and show examples of how verbs are used and will give specific assignments pertaining to working with verbs and so on. I think starting with 3rd is a good idea, she doesn't sound ready for 4th from what you described (writing assignments and whatnot do get more in depth in 4th and 5th and so on). Honestly, I did not find that there wasn't enough guidance- I thought it was just right. Many things, where necessary, they do tell you (or the student) exactly what to do and their activities and assignments are pretty specific. I mean it's not like scripted or anything, but I was certainly never floundering going "how do I teach this?" I think it will be fine! K introduces the upper case letters of the alphabet in hands on ways. 1st grade does upper AND lower case letters of the alphabet and then starts doing vowel sounds and word families and consonant blends etc, and comes with easy readers... A friend of mine was using OM and I had the opportunity to see the Kindergarten curriculum and I fell in love with it. It was just exactly what Kindergarten SHOULD be like in my opinion and I wished that my daughter (who went to public school for K) had had something like that for her K, and I knew that when the time came, I wanted that for my son. I looked on their website and liked what I read about their philosophy and their older grades, too. I wanted something fun, creative, hands on, gentle and not so academic in the earliest years and so on. I lucked out finding a GREAT deal on a used set of OM from grades K all the way up through grade 8- it was an older version but the price was too good too pass up, and when I got it, I started OM4 with my daughter that year and thoroughly enjoyed it. I looked forward to moving on to OM5 this year and to starting OMK. But then I decided (well, my son decided too lol) that he would be better off waiting a while longer to do a K curriculum, so I'll try again with him next fall. But no, I've had no reservations whatsoever! I'm very happy with OM, we're really enjoying it, it's not boring, and I can see that my daughter is learning lots. :)

Working took more energy for me than homeschooling does (although when I was a SAHM and my son was a toddler I might have said otherwise. He's a bit easier now that he's 5 lol).

Don't laugh but my grandma (back when she was still alive, sniff, sniff) got a big kick out of getting scratch off lottery tickets. She also loved getting bottles of Vodka to pour into her little silver flask, but that was my Nanny for ya! :D

When you'll read just about ANYTHING if it's the only thing around to read. Backs of cereal boxes, toothpaste tubes, shampoo bottles, tampax inserts...

I HAVE THE SOLUTION!!! You "reply to all" every single time and copy and paste THIS into the email window, and hit send: ATTENTION! I want to thank all of you who took the time and trouble to send me your chain letters over the past 12 months. I must send my thanks to whoever sent me the one about rat crap in the glue on envelopes cause I now have to get a wet towel with every envelope that needs sealing. Also, I scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason. Thank you for making me feel safe, secure, blessed, and wealthy. Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains. I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put "Under God" on their cans. I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer. I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS. I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day. I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me. I no longer receive packages from UPS or FedEx since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise. I no longer shop at Target since they are French. I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore, and Uzbekistan. I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers. I no longer have any sneakers -- but that will change once I receive my free replacement pair from Nike. I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe. I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me and St. Theresa's novena has granted my every wish. Thanks to you, I have learned that God only answers my prayers if I forward an email to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes. I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl who is about to die in the hospital (for the 1,387,258th time). I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program. Yes, I want to thank you so much for looking out for me that I will now return the favor! If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 PM(EDT) this afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician. --- :lol:

Well, we did it, and it came out fine! I put a pint of heavy whipping cream into a glass mason jar and we spent 15 minutes shaking it pretty vigorously (my daughter and I took turns). When the 15 minutes was up, I opened it and it was sort of thickened to like a paste, and we added a bit of salt. Then I decided I wanted to transfer it into something a bit bigger as the mason jar I was using was full like to the top (I didn't have a bigger one), so I poured it into a quart sized chinese soup container with a lid, and we went back to shaking it in that. It said to shake for another 15-30 minutes from that point on, we did about 20 more minutes and it looked pretty done to me! We then strained it so that the liquid all drained out and we were left with the butter. I rinsed the butter a few times, then sort of smooshed and stirred it with a wooden cooking spoon to get as much of the rest of the liquid out as I could, adding a bit more salt, too, then we put the butter into a small dish and refrigerated it for a bit to chill it. It came out great, we really enjoyed it on the loaf of rye bread I bought today. :)

Today my 10 y/o and I made a "sock doll"- and I happened upon this website where she shows step by step how to make all sorts of adorable dolls and animals out of socks- most of them with no sewing required, which is right up my alley! Here's a link to the website: http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/SockCraftsforKids.html And I'm attaching a photo of the one my daughter made today (she did the "sock baby"). Too cute! :)

LOL, Faithseed. Great, thanks, all! I'm not sure I can find a marble so we'll just do it without. I'll try that lemon juice thing! Thanks for the tip!

No, I would not bring schoolwork. Maybe a favorite/current read aloud, but that would be it! I'd let her get whatever educational value she can get from the trip, the visit, etc., but mainly- it's vacation! I'd want to focus on fun and family. I'd find another interesting day trip and go ahead and schedule it, for sure. I'd also ask in advance if there's any way the cousins can skip school that day and experience the day trip too- but if they say no, I'd go ahead with my own plans. I think the cousins will survive hearing that a young kid on vacation did something else while they went to school.

:iagree:

Is a marble REALLY necessary...?

Well, you could go by what your doctor says is a good, healthy weight for you. You could look at the "healthy weight range" for your age/height/gender etc and get into that, stopping wherever you feel good, healthy, and comfortable- be that the higher end of the range, or the lower. Or you could go by your BMI and stop when you're at a healthy/normal BMI. Congrats on the 50 lbs, that's amazing! I'm at just about 22 lbs now and I still have a ways to go!

I used OM4 last year, and I'm currently on Week 12 of OM5 for this year. I STARTED OMK this year too but after about two months decided we'd be better off holding off on that until next year for now. I absolutely love OM though! If you click on the link in my signature, it will bring you to my livejournal where I journal about our days with OM... there's a sidebar on the left with various links and one of them says "Detailed 4th Grade Schedule Sample, Oak" ...actually, here's the link directly to that: http://nancextoo.livejournal.com/126472.html It shows what a week was like for us with OM, includes some pictures, and at the bottom of the entry there's a link that goes to our first day of using OM4 and from there you can hit 'next' as many times as you want to skim through and see what OM4 was like for us. Hope this helps!

Well, in that case, I guess I'll be reviewing them for you guys haha- because I will probably get my daughter one for Hanukkah which starts very early in December this year (sundown on December 1st, in fact).