A Day In My Life

I haven't got time for the pain...

As many of you know, I have fibromyalgia.  The thing with this condition, is that a person can look totally fine and functional on the outside, but on the inside the body is screaming.  I was diagnosed with it 10 years ago and I have been worse, and better...and more worse, and "just okay" etc.  But the main thing with this is I have pain every day 24/7.  It is not an exaggeration, I am truly never without pain.  Mine tends to be in my shoulders, neck, upper back and head.  basically, my nerve ending fire and inappropriate times and cause a consistent pain.  Some days the pain is debilitating, most days it is tolerable.  I have tried lots of things to "fix" this.  Took muscle relaers in the beginning and truly could not function as  mother of a 4 year old and 7 year old (at the time)...I owned a dance studio, that was booming with so many students...but the pain was beginning to get in my way.  In the last few years, I have just basically lived with it...tried to get as much sleep as possible, keep hydrated...keep stress to a minimum (ha ha ha).  recently, I have been getting more discouraged cuz the pain seems to be getting worse again...so two weeks ago tomorrow I had a Drs appointment for my cholesterol (not good by the way) and the Dr and I start talking about the fibromyalgia.  He mentions Lyrica...have I tried it?  he finds that some of his patients have good luck with it.  So after a very lengthy discussion I decide I will try it.  It will be two weeks tomorrow and can I say WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN LYRICA???  Two days after I started taking it I had my first painfree...no heavy duty ibuprofen day...in YEARS!  Now everyday is still not like that, but atleast half the days of these last two weeks...I have been almost painfree (maybe a twinge here and there)...that's SEVEN days of no pain.  When you have lived with pain for ten years...this is amazing.  I sit and wait for the pain to start and it doesn't.  Today has been a "pain" day unfortunately, but it does not discourage me near as much as I have been for so long.  Now, I will say that there are some side effects...one is fatigue.  For me I seem to be in a pattern of having a day full of energy and then a day of pure exhaustion.  Again, this doesn't seem too bad when I have had days on end of exhaustion.  Some days , now, I feel like I can take on the world...AND I feel so much more creative than I have for awhile.  There are some other side effects that have set in, that aren't great...but hopefully live able...dizziness, tinny mouth, constipation, a little blurry ness a couple of times.  What I do worry about is that other things I have tried for Fibromyalgia have helped for awhile and then POOF they stop working...I am hoping this is not the case with this.  I am NOT a medicine taker...I hate even taking my supplements, but I am feeling good about this...

Now, here is an ice cream sundae for you:

We have these glass sundae cups, that nobody ever uses...and I said to myself..."Self, how about needlefelting a pincushion in it?"  and there you have it...I am going to make three more to put in my craft show coming up.

And then there is this:

What the heck?  Old rusty wire...and I would show you what these little babies are, but I gave the finished one away today to a dear friend.  So you shall have to wait...I will share the link as to where I got the idea also...but for now, I must get to musical rehearsal...

Dancingly, Denise

Goals...

So, it is that time of year to set up a new set of goals to take me into the holiday season.  Because we will be in the holiday season soon (99 days till Christmas) I am only going to set some goals for September and October.  Now, before today I thought I had those goals pretty set in my head...some a carry over from summer...some new.  BUT alas, life doesn't always go the way you expect it to.  I had a Drs appointment today and my cholesterol is back up to 231.  It went from 235 to 181 and now to 231.  WHY?  Cuz I just dropped the ball...I do think I can get a grip on this number with exercise, diet and supplements...but I have to admit, the last two months I have been a real slacker.  My Dr. said he would give me till December and then we would reavaluate taking medicine (I don't wanna).  So folks...my best laid plans are going to change a bit and I need to wrap my head around it and get my goals down into words. I will do it soon I promise.

In the meantime I am going to try a new med. for my fibromyalgia.  I have sort of just been "living" with the pain for some time now and it is time to approach some different  treatments and see where I can improve.

No pictures tonight...sorry guys...

Gonna watch SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE  And GLEE:)

Goodnight all...

Denise

Just Do It...

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,  How great Thou art, How great Thou art.  Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,  How great Thou art, How great Thou art!"

I attended a memorial service for Larry Hoyt today.  It was a beautiful service.  Like everybody else I don't like going to these things, but as Dad and Bonnie would tell me...and I would tell them "put on your big girl panties and do it".  What I wanted to say though is that this service reminded me how much I love church hymns...I always feel so peaceful and "full" after hearing or singing them.  Larry was a very kind soul...he will be missed.

Ihave read the newest issue of "Where Women Create"  cover to cover in the last two days.  This issue really struck a chord with me.  Marisa Haedike (who I do not know at all...and have never even visited her blog until NOW)Creative Thursday  In the magazine she wrote:  "We are not alone when we think that we have to have it all figured out before we can fully commit to our dream.  And while I understand that this seems logical and wise, I have come to realize that it can just be one more excuse not to step into the life that is meant to be ours."

Hmmm, there I am in writing.  I WISH I had written that:)  So often I have a dream or a goal...and because I can't get an image of the "big picture" I just don't do it...or even more if I can't diagram a "plan" of the end result...For instance...I want to create something...it is fun for me to do and I might be able to create a bit of an income out of it...BUT because I can't "figure it all out" I just keep THINKING about it.  You know NIKE really had something with their "JUST DO IT" slogan.  I get lost in the final results...get so overwhelmed trying to to figure it all out that I give up.  But here I read... "stop doing that".  Stop ignoring the life that is meant to be mine...and so here is where that will happen.  What is something in your life that you keep studying for...planning for...thinking about...but haven't made the big move to JUST DO IT?

This life is all we have...it's ours...what shall we do...

Dancingly, Denise

 

I LOVE a good mess...

I have been making a mess tonight...playing...and I love it!  (Sorry Bobo if you are reading this...no cleaning house for me today:)

I started out the day with a walk, breakfast...and then WHAM...I felt oozy, light-headed...and a little panicky.  I haven't felt this way since last summer when Dad was sick (the oozie and stuff could be flu...but the panic I haven't experienced since right after he died).  I really don't know why it happened...but I ended up coming home and going to bed for a few hours.  I still don't feel great, but the panic is gone and I was able to eat something.  I have kept things low key the rest of the day, had the air conditioners on, worked on my Fairy Jars a little off and on.

It's the beginning of August, and we have now had three fairly beautiful days in a row:)  It's nice...and makes it feel like summer is finally here, but the scoop is...School starts in exactly a month...football practice starts in two weeks...Dance begins in a little over a month...you get the idea.  I have been contemplating these summer goals I have had...and feel some of them are going to have to be extended.  BUT let's take a look at them and see what I have done so far: (taken from my June 2 post A Day In My Life: Feelin' Groovy)

So...my Goals for the next few months?...In no particular order:

Clean out the garage (pictures to come)

stain deck and front steps

do the work at Dad and Bobo's house that needs to be done

Finish side garden

read books that have piled up (list to follow)  WORKING ON THIS ONE:)

Ebay listings

date night...once a week?

Day trips with Scott and kids   We've been on one...plans for next week too

Concentrate on health...walking, water, sun, supplements and eating better  Walking some, water some, sun hasn't been very cooperative, supplements working on

Post a project a week 

All of these things are doable...the garage is something like you have never seen...even on those organizational shows...TRUST ME.  So the garage needs to get done SOON...I do not want it hanging over my head.  The other things on the list are all things I enjoy...so hopefully I will feel accomplished by the end of the summer and ready to move on to more new beginnings.

Some of these goals were on-going anyway...the health ones...I am working on.  Have made every weight watchers meeting except for one.  The biggy is that darn garage and I have to have good weather to work on it as there is no room inside to even MOVE.  Unfortunately we have had a rough summer as far as weather...and the good days I have used to enjoy otherwise...so I am guessing it will be extended into my fall goals.  BUT I gotta say...I am not discouraged with things, as I feel as though I am getting quite a bit done...and some things from my last set of goals are beginning to become a habit.  I.E. automatic decluttering...keeping the house relatively clean...etc.  So I am going to concentrate on some of the above for the next few weeks...and keep on moving on:)

I am running out of steam for the night...

Goodnight all...

Denise

On Being HEALTHY...week 6

I am not going to spend a great deal of time on the HEALTHY series tonight.  I will say...I lost 1.2 pounds this week...AND I will say this...

I made a committment this summer to go to ALL the meetings I could for Weight Watchers. So far I have only missed one...and that week I GAINED weight.  Just like any type of 12 step program, etc...going to the meetings really makes a difference, at least for me.  I have two goals for this week...one is to DRINK WATER...and two is to keep my food journal.  And that is all I am going to say on the subject for tonight:)

This morning I woke up to another dead mouse in the house...EEK.  Then, when I went out to start the jeep this morning, I found to large BBshot holes in the windshield...the glass had shattered in the jeep.  I can not understand how people can be brave enough to come right up to the house and do these things to people.  It's going to cost us a small fortune to have fixed, and I can only hope they catch who is doing this.  Evidently it isn't the first time someone has been hit out here lately.

So, did you figure out what cheesecloth, jars and scrapbook supplies have in common?  I have wanted to make these for quite some time...so I collected stuff out of my studio...did some research...and voila:

More info on these babies later...I had such fun with them!

Hope you all have had a great day!

Dancingly, Denise

On Being Fat...Week 5

A friend of mine sent me this website yesterday...Operation Beautiful

It's really quite a cool concept...and very simple.  The above was a photo off from the site and what a great photo for so many of us!

So today's theme is from a great AA slogan "Fake it Till You Make It"... another way to say it is "Act as If you are..."

This past week found me is some personal struggles, and I must say I did not Act As If I Was a healthy, slender person.  When I am stressed I eat.  The difference this time is I saw it and I caught it.  NOT before it did some damage on the scale I am guessing...but the number on the scale is not all that I am.  I chose to walk with Lisa everyday...even though neither one of us really felt like it.  We talked about how we need to make it a habit again.  Two summers ago, once walking 4 miles a day was a habit...we refused to let things stand in our way of doing it.

Someone said last week, that they had heard someone say "I am not going to be fat anymore".  I thought about that and my first reaction was (not knowing the person at all)...good for them they are going to eat healthy and lose weight.  It was brought to my attention that maybe this person meant something much deeper than that.  If we are fat, or believe we are fat...aren't we going to "act fat"?  Does that make sense?  For instance what does a person who is at a healthy weight for them do when they have to meet a painful struggle head on?  MAYBE they eat, but if they do they must know when they need to stop.  Now I am talking about a HEALTHY person...not someone who has other unhealthy ways to deal with stress (i.e. smoking, drinking to excess...).  Maybe that person who said they are not going to be fat anymore...simply meant they will "Act as If they are no longer overweight".

Last week we went to Bar Harbor...we had ice cream...our normal place that we get ice cream etc.  I watched my family (they are all at healthy weights...although Scott could be said to be underweight:)  They each got a small ice cream in a dish or a plain sugar cone.  ME?  I had a small also (their smalls are HUGE)...in a gigantic waffle cone with chocolate and nuts surrounding the top of it.  THAT is when it came to me...not a new concept, but just another "aha".  In a situation like that...geez it's okay to have the ice cream, but next time "order 'as if' I am a thin person.  FAKE IT...till I make it.  Unfortunetly, life struggles hit me the next day and I forgot that concept...I had written about it here, but I had lost the post in the internet black hole.

So now...today...I am cleaning house...it's quiet and I am thinking of ways I can fake it till I make it.  It's not a new concept, it's the idea of building new habits in the place of old habits.  I am ready folks and will share some ways I can deal with this life stress in the coming days.  healthy ways...ones that don't involve overeating.  AND for the sake of this new habit and concept I have decided to change the title of my Thursday postings...instead of "On Being Fat" they will now be "On Being HEALTHY"...hope that works for all of you?

In the meantime tell us what YOU do HEALTHY when life is stressing you out.

Thanks for listening...

Healthyly

Denise

On Being Fat...Week 4

"If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health."  Hippocrates

Last week I spoke about the simplified version of losing weight...it's simple math indeed...calories IN must be LESS THAN calories OUT.  In other words you gotta move and eat less.  Now I am not so naive to think that is the ONLY thing that has to change in order to lose weight...and I do understand for some people they choose to do it in other ways...i.e. weight loss surgery, intense workouts, drastic eating changes...but for me I KNOW I have to eat less and move more AND for me my entire attitude and mind set has to change too.  My situation is maybe not the same as yours...maybe you haven't had food issues since you were a toddler?  Maybe you didn't go to college for dance education and have to see yourself in a HUGE set of mirrors daily?  Maybe your issues are so very different from mine...but still the same?  Just know that I am writing this in my blog to help myself...and if it helps even one other person get a hold of their weight issues I am happy. And if it gets 1000 people thinking...well that is even better:) I am not an expert on weight loss...except my own weight loss...and so with that being said let's talk about:

NOURISHMENT

Main Entry:

nour·ish·ment 

Pronunciation:

\ˈnər-ish-mənt, ˈnə-rish-\

Function:

noun

Date:

15th century

1 a: food, nutriment b: sustenance 3 <books for intellectual nourishment>2: the act of nourishing : the state of being nourished

From Webster's dictionary

And that is what I think of when I first hear the word Nourishment...FOOD.  But...THIS is what I am talking about...I truly need to "nourish" many things in my life, if the weightloss is going to happen and Stay off after.  All too often I reward myself with food...when I feel stress I eat...angry?  I eat...Scared? You guessed it I eat!  I was talking to a very wise woman the other day (nancy) who said "You need to fill yourself up" ...it's like there is an emptiness that needs to be filled...and I try...with food.  I am relatively happy in my life, there are problems...wouldn't you be surprised if there weren't?  Some of them are little problems...some are really tough and I have no answer for them...and maybe never will have an answer for them.

What I need is to nourish myself...spiritually, physically, mentally... fill that "hole" up with good things. 

 

So my conversation with Nancy led me to thinking about "What nourishes me"?  One of the biggies for me is BOOKS...I read and read and read, but lately I haven't been focusing very well...and I find I start a book and don't finish it, what's up with that?  She suggested MAYBE I am reading the wrong books for this moment...hmmmm.   She suggested a few books, mostly books that deal with spirituality...and so I am on a mission to read a few of them and see what I think.

Other things nourish me too...my ART work...but I don't accomplish much of it lately.  Spending time with people I love.  Spending time by myself.  Watching a good movie.  Taking a walk.  You get the idea.  I am going to spend sometime this next week honing in on what exactly nourishes me (including good for me foods) and I will share with you what I come up with.  I would love to hear (as would my other readers) what nourishes you...food and otherwise.  Take the plunge with me and lets see how we can feel filled up, without overeating...

Dancingly,

Denise

 

On Being Fat...Week 3

This is a few days late and very appropriately entitled

I'LL START TOMORROW...

If you have ever had a weight problem...or any type of addiction...or even something that you are just putting off... "I'll Start tomorrow" is a popular phrase.  Or even better yet for dieting... I will start my diet on MONDAY.

This one little statement has been the start of the downfall of any "diet" I have been on.  Monday never really comes...tomorrow never really comes...or if it does it is short lived and turns into Tuesday.

So here I am...on Weight Watcher's again...and it is not a diet it is a lifestyle change.  I find myself playing tricks on it though...and so am I really changing?  Or just playing games?  I have been back on the program for a little over three weeks.  here's the scoop...the first week PERFECT...last week pretty darn good...in two weeks I have lost 6 pounds and that feels good.  BUT now in walks the game playing...I weigh in on Thursday nights. 

So anything I eat Thursday night after I weigh in I don't have to count?  (That's my own rule not WW:) I'll start again tomorrow?  What's happened in the past is that Thursday night turns into Friday...all of a sudden Friday becomes a free day...eat what Iwant I'll get back on track TOMORROW.  You get the idea.  By the end of it all I am scrambling to eat hardlyy anything Tuesday and Wednesday so Iwill atleast show some type of a loss on the scale come Thursday.  It's exhausting.  SO I am going on record as saying I need to do things different this time.  if it is a lifestyle change I am going after, than food needs to count at all times.  That does NOT mean I can't have fun foods...it just means they have to stay within the point limits that I have for now.

When I do this I discover that I eat more foods that are good for me...because they are less points and more filling in the end.  So what does that mean for people who are not on Weight Watchers.  It simply means exactly what the experts have been saying all along...

Calories IN must be LESS than Calories expended.  So TODAY I need to make sure I know WHAT is going into my mouth and into my body...and I need to make sure that  I exercise accordingly.  Don't liketo exercise?  basically TOO BAD...LOL  But if you really don't than the calories have to reflect the lack of moving.  AND more than anything TODAY is the day to start.

So starting today...let's all make a choice, cuz it truly is a choice.  Granted some addictions are tougher than others, and some are considered illness rather than addiction.  But what is your choice?  Mine is to continue to be very mindful of what I eat.  Today is the Fourth Of July and I ate crap:(  I feel it tonight...I needed a nap, I had to take tums...so tonight I am making a choice to get back on track.

As you can see, there are problems with any choice you make...if you are like me you are a perfectionist...and if I can't do it right I tend to give up.  BUT I am going to give myself a break...I am going to treat myself like a friend.  I would never belittle my friend if she made a bad food choice. 

What choice are YOU going to make today (weightloss or other) and how are you going to be kind to yourself?  Tell us...share your story...

Denise

On Being Fat...Week Two

 

True to my word I am back again this week with the second chapter in my "On Being fat" series.  I happened to be out on my walk alone again today (no fault of my walking buddy this time:) and so I had alot of time to think about what I would write about today.

Last week I told you that I believe there comes a time in ones grown up life where you can no longer blame your childhood for your faults.  I truly believe that...years ago I went to talk to a therapist about my childhood, etc and so I truly do think that I have gone beyond that...BUT I also think that sometimes it is helpful to put it out there.  Possibly it will help me...or someone else who is struggling.  Now don't panic...I am not going to tell you every detail of my young life...I promise...but I did think alot about the following this morning.

My first real memory of food issues was when we lived in Boston...12A Walk Hill Street, Jamaca Plains, Mass...How weird is that?  I have always remembered that address...but I can't for the life of me come up with the one in prospect that I lived at from age 7-Highschool:)  Anyway, I digress...I was an extremely finicky eater.  I was between the age of 4-6...At that point I remember things like sitting at the kitchen table with my cold plate of food in front of me until bedtime.  It was the "you are going to sit there until you eat it" theory.  Then there were times I remembered sitting upstairs in my bedroom...by the window and listening to the other kids play outside...but not me cuz I didn't eat my supper.  Back then spanking was "okay" too and I believe I might have been spanked once or twice for not eating.  Oh they tried other things too...I remember them mixing apple sauce into my potatoes thinking that would taste better...UGH...or ketchup on just about anything:)  There were bribes...desert, couple of coins...etc.  But I was just a kid who didn't like food...unless it was SWEET stuff and then load me up:)

I progressed from there to realizing I could wrap things into a napkin, excuse myself to the bathroom and flush the stuff down the toilet:)  I realized I could squish the last of my peas under my plate.  Sometimes I could convince my sister to SAY I finished my supper...if I played my cards right.

When we moved to Prospect I was 7 and I just don't remember the food issue being as prevelant any more.  I actually remember very little about that time when it comes to food.  There were other issues in our house with dad's drinking and Mom trying to keep her head above water...so maybe my eating issues were put away?

I do know that I had Grand parents who were on "my side" and that drove the parental units CRAZY!  My Bampi (dad's father) would sneak thinks off my plate that I didn't like and he would eat them.  Oh, he paid for it with a toungue lashing from Mimi...he would just wink at me and hang his head:)

My Nana (mom's Mother) took a different tactic and just made me something I would like...usually something different than what everyone else was eating.  You gotta love how Grandparents get away with this kind of stuff!

At some point I realized that I only had to eat what I liked(sometime after college) and that was not always a good thing cuz the things I liked were Bread, cheese, ice cream, candy, cake...you get the picture.

So what does all this mean?  Aw...I think my Mom and Dad did the best they could back then...I mean heck...I turned out pretty darn good.  What it means is that...I can still eat what I choose to eat, but I need to make better choices.  I want to live a long time...and I want to feel good as I live this long life.

THis past week I have been making better choices...not perfect, but better and in thinking about it I do feel better than I have in months.  Just in one weeks time...I have been drinking more water, eating a salad for atleast one meal, I went back to Weight Watchers last week and STAYED FOR THE MEETING (I never stay)...I kept track of what I ate all week...I walked some (not as much as I would like)...and I thought about things before I put food in my mouth.

I know that the food and meal choices I have made in the past I would not allow my kids to make so why am I not important enough to eat right too?

So with that thought in mind, I went back to Weight Watchers last Thursday.  Tonight I went back and weighed in and STAYED FOR THE MEETING (a big thing I haven't been doing until last week).  My weigh in?  I LOST 4.6 pounds!  I feel good, cuz I know I stuck to it this week...

Sadly, as most people know two very important icons in life passed away today.

Farrah Fawcett...at age 62...face it who of us hasn't had Farrah hair?  Or if you are a man THAT poster hanging in your childhood bedroom?  I had Farrah hair...and when I met Scott he had THAT poster:)

 

And then...the man that (even with all of his problems in his recent years) I believe to be one of the best and most important entertainers in MY lifetime (I know there were amazing others before...and more to come).  I grew up with him and the Jackson 5...he has passed at age 50...to short of a life...

 

Goodnight all...

Denise

On being Fat...

“The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends”

 

I haven't always been fat.  And honestly I am not writing this so that people will comment 'oh your not fat"...cuz really accountability is what I am looking for.  Just like with decluttering my home...yup the pictures of my messy home were embarrassing...but they held me accountable.  Now, don't panic I am not going to put pictures of my fat up here:)

While walking today I had plenty of time to think...since my peeps dumped me and didn't walk this morning...I had all kinds of quiet time with myself to think about my "fat history".  When I was little, I wasn't fat...when Ihit Jr. High I was on the chunky side...when in high school I was a size 5/6 and or 7/8, I THOUGHT I was fat, but I wasn't was I.  In college, well let's face it, I went to college and studied DANCE...everyday I was in front of mirrors and with others who worried about being fat...I maintained my 5/6 and or 7/8 through college and onto the work force.  Truly I didn't start gaining a great deal of weight until BABY #1...and then there was not turning back!  For years I have gone to bed thinking about food and weight and woken up thinking about food and weight.  I have spent countless hours reading up on it.  I have spent way too much time agonizing over it.

BUT here is the deal...I was TOLD I was overweight...even at times when Iwasn't. Family told me..."friends" told me...I told myself.  In high school I tried every diet going...including COUNTING how many bites I took.

I had food issues from the time a was a little kid.  And they drove my parents crazy.  I was picky, and I just wouldn't eat.  When I became an adult I chose to eat only what I liked...and have continued with that idea...and that is not all good! 

Let's get one thing straight right now, I am not blaming others for my weight.  There is a time in ones life when you have to step up to the plate and take full responsibility for what you are doing NOW.  NOW I make poor choices...now I choose to take care of others and forget about taking care of myself.  I do NOT let my kids eat like I eat, that should be a huge warning signal that I am not eating right.  I choose to not take the time to make sure I always have healthy foods in the house that I like.

Two summers ago I felt good.  I lost 28 pounds, spent time in the sun, walked everyday with Lisa, gave myself Sundays off IF I wanted it off. Did Weight Watchers faithfully. Made great food choices for me and my family.  By the holidays I was still going strong...but the walking was slowing down...and then the eating got messed up...then my Dad got sick and no matter how hard I tried...Icouldn't get back on track.  My Dad would not have wanted me to use him as an excuse to not be healthy...he was okay with me saying I couldn't clean house cuz I was hanging out with him and Bonnie...but the healthy part wouldn't have cut it.

I have gained that weight back...discovered that my cholesterol is not good...suffered from stronger bouts of asthma...am tired, sluggish...my fibromyalgia acts up more.  You can't go back in time, but I do want that feeling back I had two summers ago, of feeling strong and healthy.  And like most "dieters", I KNOW what I need to do to get it back.  It's all about how bad I want it, isn't it? 

I do not believe being slim will solve all of my problems...heck look how skinny my husband is...he still has his own problems.  I do not believe being smaller will make everything all better, but I do know FOR A FACT, that I feel better when I am eating right and walking.

So, what is my solution?  Accountability...although I am not going to make this into a diet blog...I am going to check in HONESTLY once a week to let anyone who cares know how it is going.  MY check in day will be THURSDAYS...and I might need to be reminded the first couple of Thursdays.

So, today is Thursday and I am checking in...I have walked Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday...

I am going to take things a minute at a time for now...I feel good so far today!  Now with that being said...we have a tradition on the last day of school:)  My friend Angela and her two girls, meet me and my two kids and we get ice cream.  Today is that day... I didn't say I was never going to eat ice cream again, right?

Thanks for listening...and always feel free to comment.  I would love to hear what YOU are doing to take care of yourself.

Denise