Jumping out of the Slump

This cold weather has held on for so long. I've felt blahhh. I haven't walked at the park enough. I always seem to have one excuse or another.

The other day, my mom and husband were gone for the day. It felt good to have time to myself. I had the radio blasting, singing along to a few country tunes as I cleaned house and did laundry. That's when it hit me....time to do something for myself.

I jumped in the car and heading to the senior center. I decided to join for a year. They have a gym to walk in as well as a nice exercise room. Now I won't have weather to use an excuse not to exercise everyday.

After leaving the center, I decided to get a new hairdo. That turned out to be a very bad idea. I decided to get a body wave. I haven't had a perm in over 15 years. I remembered why after I saw my hair. YIKESSSSS!!!! My hair takes curl so easily....dang....I looked like Orphan Annie with all those curls.

I looked at it for two days...that's all I could take it. It was either buy straightener, or shave my head. That is how much I disliked it. Last night I ran to WalMart and spent over 80 bucks buying everything they had to straighten hair.

Needless to say, I now have straight hair. Of course, I had to get it cut today because it was burnt. The beautican told me I was lucky I even had any hair left. I told her I didn't care....I figured bald was better than those curly q's. She just laughed. She thinks people from the "north" have a great sense of humor.

I'm afraid to get on the scale. After seeing my hair, I was so bummed out, I ate a bag of hershey kisses one day and then ate at KFC the next. What a way to sabotage my weight loss.

I'm out of my slump and re-energized. All ready to hit the gym. Funny how best plans can get way-layed. We've got to go back to Illinois on Thursday to do a few more things to my mom's house before the sale and load up the last of the things in the garage.(hope it all fits in one load) I'm not looking forward to that long drive or the darn snow. I'll get to see a few friends while I'm there....so that makes the trip worthwhile.

Toning Up on the Stairs

It's been a busy week. Running back and forth to the lowe's for materials needed for the new garage. I'm finally back to normal. As sore as I was for those few days, I thought it would take much longer to recuperate. I'm glad I was wrong this time.

Yesterday, I helped my husband install two windows in the shop section of the garage. I'm glad he put down plastic for me to walk on. We have had quite a bit of rain. I could feel the dirt squishing under the plastic. (I'd have killed him if I had to walk in mud) In some ways, he knows me too well.

He has started making the walls in the upstairs of the garage for the little apartment. I've held a few boards while he used this nail gun to secure them. I don't like the sound of that thing so my help never lasts too long.

I keep going out and checking on him to see if he needs anything. The walk up and down those stairs are a healthy thing. It doesn't seem like exercise when I'm doing something constructive climbing the stairs. Since we have 10 foot ceilings in the garage, there are quite a few steps (13-14) up to the 2nd floor.

I'm journalizing the number of times I'm going up and down those stairs a day. I want to see how it contributes to my weight loss and toning. It's like to try and make weight loss fun.

Ditch Digging Workout

I think every bone and muscle in my bone is aching as I write this post. Today, my husband decided to dig out the new sewer and water line for our new garage. Of course, I had to help. We rented a trencher. I thought it was easy as we went through the back yard. Yikes....I was in for a big surprise. When we headed down the hill through the woods. There were so many tree roots this thing had to cut through. As it did, it jolted and jumped. I felt like I had been tossed around inside a tumbler. The good news is....we got it done.

This was my first and last experience at ditch digging. I'm not sure how many calories I burned with this type of work. I know it was more than I burn when I walk in the park. I figure it was a good toning workout as well. I'm glad I was able to help my husband. It has to be downhill from here.

Off to soak in the tub with my diet green tea. (I take it everywhere with me.)

Speed Building

My husband designed our new garage(25 X 30). The carpenters (5 men) started the project 3 days ago. I'm totally stunned. The walls are up and enclosed, they installed two doors and the windows today and built the staircase for the little apt. that is going to be above the garage. They are just about ready to start on the shingles.

We made lunch for the crew today. My husband grilled top sirlion burgers on the grill. I made coleslaw and baked beans. Today was also my first attempt at southern cooking. I made sweet potato pie. I made one with and one without pecans. I got a thumbs up from the crew on my pie. I was glad they were edible since I didn't have a backup dessert.

Mom and I were so busy getting thing ready, we didn't eat lunch. We just weren't hungry. I know, I know, when you are trying to lose weight, you're not suppose to skip meals. I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to my weight loss journey. I made sure I ate at 4 pm and was careful not to overcompensate for skipping lunch.

Yard Work in February

It's still winter but I burned off a lot of calories in the yard yesterday. I trimmed several bushes. I used the manual clippers. The electric trimmer would have been easier but I wanted to get a little workout while I was beautifying the yard. These clippers are bigger than the average clipper. I used them to take down a couple of small trees too.

Both of my arms are sore. I know its from holding them so long chest high as well as doing all that cutting. It sure felt good getting back out in the yard. I had to wear a light jacket. Spring hasn't sprung yet.

My husband used the chain saw and cut down a tree in the front yard while I was working on the bushes and little trees. My mom sat in a lawn chair in the front yard with her winter coat all zipped up watching the two of us. It was so cute watching the dog trying to get mom to play frisbee.

I've been drinking plenty of water and green tea this week. Both good for weight loss.

Weight Loss Can Be Deducted From Taxes According to IRS

Many of us make New Year Resolutions to lose weight or improve our overall health. In those cases, anything you spend on these programs is not tax deductable. Your program must be prescribed by your doctor. I have copied the following out of the IRS booklet on weight loss. This is pretty clear on what is allowed. If you still aren't sure about your program, call your local IRS office and they can help you.
Weight-Loss Program

You cannot include in medical expenses the cost of a weight-loss program if the purpose of the weight loss is the improvement of appearance, general health, or sense of well-being. You cannot include amounts you pay to lose weight unless the weight loss is a treatment for a specific disease diagnosed by a physician (such as obesity, hypertension, or heart disease). This includes fees you pay for membership in a weight reduction group and attendance at periodic meetings. Also, you cannot include membership dues in a gym, health club, or spa.

You cannot include the cost of diet food or beverages in medical expenses because the diet food and beverages substitute for what is normally consumed to satisfy nutritional needs. You cannot include the cost of special food in medical expenses unless all three of the following requirements are met.

1.

The food does not satisfy normal nutritional needs.
2.

The food alleviates or treats an illness.
3.

The need for the food is substantiated by a physician.

The amount you can include in medical expenses is limited to the amount by which the cost of the special food exceeds the cost of a normal diet.

My Mother's Says It's All Propoganda

My mom is wiser than I'll ever be in my lifetime. She's 80ish and is sharp as a tack. In fact, she is in better health than me. She can still recite poem after poem she learned in school.

She watched The Money Masters yesterday with me and my husband. She shared her opinions today. She was around when Roosevelt and Hoover were presidents. She lived through the depression. She disagreed with so many of statements that were made in regards to the presidents. Although, she wasn't here when Lincoln was president, she disagreed with their interpretation of him in regards to keeping slavery intact.

She has me thinking. I was quite impressed with the presentation. But then, what do I know? Is it because of our ignorance we can be so easily swayed?

I remember when I use to teach classes. I use to be so nervous until I realized, they new less than me. I told myself, talk in an authoritarian manner and your statements will be accepted. It worked.

After listening to my mom discrediting the presentation, I thought it made sense until she listed numerous examples of statements she said were tilted. She gave her own examples of why. They made sense too. Now I'm really confused. (Of course, I lean more towards my mom's way of thinking.)

I'm convinced, if we were are interested in a particular subject, we shoud do more research ourselves before making a final determination. Knowing half a story or counting on others to tell the whole truth, will lead to faulty beliefs.

Our Lost Gold,,,,Where is it Now?

My son sent me a 2-volume set of dvd's called The Money Master for my birthday. He has a much better understanding of the economic system than me. My mom, husband, and I watched them today.

This was a historical documentation on the Federal Reserve. In the early stages, they were called money changers. It explained why many of the presidents were against this type of banking system. Many in favor of eliminating this type of banking were assassinated. President Kennedy was the last president to attempt to eliminate the Federal Reserve by printing United States Notes. They were immediately called back when he died.

The Federal Reserve is not part of our Federal Government. It explains how they bought up all the gold we are suppose to have in reserve for $35.00 an ounce. It documents how the Reserve causes recession as well as inflation. Where is our gold now??

There is so wealth of great information in these 3 1/2 hours. It's well worth watching. If you don't want to buy it, perhaps your can request a copy from your local library.

Mom and My New Monitor

My mom bought me a 22 inch monitor today. Wow...I can't get over how much easier this is on my eyes. She and my husband decided I needed this. I was using my old 17 inch monitor that I had used with my old Gateway computer since my 19 inch one died. The move was too much for the poor thing.

My sister had sent me pictures of her new grandson. When I tried to look at them, they were so dark. I called mom into the room to look at them with me. The first one I opened....yikes....all we could see was darkness and eyes. We thought it was a picture of a dog.

I was happy with my old monitor. I don't do much on here and it really served my purpose. After seeing the dog picture, mom said I had to have a new monitor. Once she makes up her mind, I can talk until I'm blue in the face and won't get her to change.

I've got such a great mom. I wish I could be more like her. She is everything I'm not. She is so kind, patient, understanding, giving and tolerant. Oh, how I wish I had those traits. (Sighs)

Another area we are quite opposite...I'm trying to get her to gain some weight,on the other hand, I'm trying to lose some weight.