Mod Squad Weekly Thread 10th Nov

[j-vo]

Mod Squad Weekly Thread 10th Nov

Hi Modders and welcome to the weekend!
I've been busy this weekend so far. We had the walk for our friend that has cancer and turnout had to be at least 300 people showing their support. She will be going to Switzerland for her first round of treatments in January. Deebs, still thinking of you and putting you in my prayers.

I can't remember who said it to Lila, but non-alcoholic beer is something I have in my refrigerator. I just had one last night. Very satisfying with pizza! Fewer calories than a regular beer too.

I haven't done the enneagram test as of yet. Possibly tomorrow when I have more time.

Just wanted to say Happy Sat!! I love reading everything you guys write. I learn so much from. Today I was grateful to see so many people put their own needs on the back burner and be there to support a very special woman. God Bless!

[periwinkle]

Mod Squad Weekly Thread 10th Nov

zed I have been a nature lover my entire life. I have collected rocks since I was a little girl. I was always fascinated by them. Always went into rock shops on family vacations but my dad would not let me buy rocks! How silly was that! Pay for what you can pick up off the ground!? So I picked up plenty off the ground I tell you! Had a rock tumbler, the whole works. As an adult, my western culture and religion told me crystals and many things I liked were bad. So I read the Bible for myself and found that my "religion" does not necessarily always match what the Word says. I do not intend to offend anyone reading this. This is an account of my experience. Years later I found yoga and began learning about chakras and it rekindled my love of rocks, stones, crystals . I'm learning again that there are things that I can find and explore for myself. That's what I meant in an earlier post when I said I felt jealous that you grew up learning from so many spiritual sources. I've learned through my years that religion and spirtuality (although they might go hand in hand for some) are really very different things altogether. It was not until I let go of and truly saw differently my "religon" that I had grown up with that I met my soul mate whom I have now been married to for over 10 years. And since then my spirituality has grown imensely. I'm glad to know you. I learn from you every day. Well done on saying "no" to the bottle of red! Hey that's a line from a Billy Joel song! Good job nonetheless.

Sun, I love reading ablut what you're greatful for. Perfect time of the year for that with our American Thanksgiving holiday just around the corner and all. I also am greatful to all my friends here. I am fascinated by this forum. We were drawn together by a common bond but I hope our friendships will go on for a lifetime!

Lila, How is your periwinkle living room? It must be beautiful! I'll bet it would look awesome with some amethyst crystals spread around! I use the AllOne. I like it, but then as my hubby would be quick to point out here, I also like tofu!! :H I found a blender bottle which is a plastic bottle with a screw on lid with a little pop top that you can drink or pour from. It comes with a round handle-free whisk. You pop that inside, put your juice inside the bottle, put in your powder, screw on the top, shake it all up, I let is absorb a bit, then shake it up some more and I'm good to go, very simple. My favorites juices to mix it with are bluberry-pomegranite; apple-raspberry; some natural ones: carrot-peach blend; purble carrot-beet blend; and a pure carrot juice. I try for the ones with the lowest sugar content I can find but that's just me, I still want to shed a few lbs and I also think the fructose doesn't help with AL cravings. A really good herb tea for unwinding is Tension Tamer. It's made by Celestial Seasonings (made right here in Colorado).

DeeBee I haven't tried the AF beer yet but I have poured sparkling apple cider in a beer glass a few times and it looks just like beer. It seems to satisfy me as it's not the taste of beer I'm looking for so much as I usually have something to drink besides water when I'm having xx (pizza, burritos, etc). I do the same thing with other juice drinks in a wine glass. Whatever it takes, huh?

j-vo, so proud of you for supporting your cancer friend. It feels really good to do that

Hey other squadders! Hope you're all doing fantastic today!

Catch up more later!

periwinkle

[Lila]

Mod Squad Weekly Thread 10th Nov

hi Peri
My living room looks beautiful and peaceful. You know, my name here was going to be Lilac, but the name was taken and so I went with Lila. I am very happy - the right colors around me are very important.
One of my kids used to pick up rocks all the time. Actually, probably all of them. And they still do collect rocks. It just seems like a natural thing to do, but I have never wondered why. What is it about the rocks? Do they help in any way, or are they just nice to have around?
It must be nice to have a soul mate. And can you share a bit more about your path? My interest in things like that are kind of coming back to life.
Yes, AllOne. I have a Vitamix juicer, so I had a smoothie, so I didn't notice any horrible taste. And I used some stevia too with all the fruit and a little apple juie.
Zed, Boxer Boy, if you are awake thanks for the enneagram conversation this morning. That was fun, and I was online more than I was planning to be!
Jvo, when you get a chance, do the enneagram test!
Mods are quiet today!
take care all!
Lila

[Sunbeam]

Mod Squad Weekly Thread 10th Nov

Hi all,
Hubby and I went to lunch today at a middle east and greek restaurant in the "big city". I had something called a Vita-Malt, imported from Lebanon. $4 for a 9 oz. bottle! It was Ok, something different to drink. The sampler platter had foods for which I can't spell the names, and some I can't remember. It was all very good, reasonably healthy, and about as international as my life gets.

Zed AKA BB, my childhood doesn't sound so different from yours. We lived in our own home in a neighborhood, but we played outdoors as much as possible. SPUD, Capture the Flag, kickball. The street had only eight houses, and not much traffic, so it was a great open space to kick balls around. "CAR" someone would yell, and we would move off to the side until it passed. Great memories, laid a nice foundation for friendships.

Peri, I bought a rock tumbler this summer, but I used it for glass. I decided to make an imitation pond from blue glass. I smashed up bottles, and tumbled the pieces about four hours with water (no grit), just enough to smooth the edges. Started with wine bottles, but didn't have enough and didn't want to drink that much wine in blue bottles. Found some Italian mineral water in blue bottles for $1 a bottle, so then I had a plentiful supply. The pond is about 3' diameter, surrounded by stones. I landscaped with plants to fit the theme: siberian iris looks like reeds, scabiosa trees, boxwood mountains in the background. I can see it from my kitchen window. Very cute.

My gratitude for today is again the gift of time, but today it is the ability to waste time without alcohol. I used to sometimes drink because I was tired and didn't feel like really doing anything. Now I can fritter an entire morning away here or just doing a few small things.

[DeeBee]

Mod Squad Weekly Thread 10th Nov

Happy Sunday everyone!!

BB, I just love reading about your life in China... and you had Italian for lunch lol what a diverse culture it is.
Kudos to you for sticking to your guns... don't you feel great today. I too have had an AF weekend. Well it's actually the whole week AF. I had an AF beer yesterday whilst watching rugby South Africa vs Scottland. My brother and my hubby's sister are both in Scottland so there was a bit of ribbing done via sms yesterday when we just beat them.

I really don't have much to say today. Yesterday was such a lovely relaxing day -- potted around in the garden till my back hurt, had an afternoon nap and watched some rugger.
Today is one of those very still overcast days that can't make up its mind to rain or not -- I am still in bed with my laptop and coffee (my little sunday treat.... shhhh don't tell hubby) and I will give my friend a call just now as soon as it's a decent hour to see if she is up for a visit, I am just dying to see baby.

Have a great Sunday everyone:-)

[Eve11]

Mod Squad Weekly Thread 10th Nov

Hi Mod Squad,
I've really been working my program. Had loaned my cd's out and got them back yesterday so listened to 2 of them and it was either crazy or a huge co-incidence...I don't know... but it's been pretty much an AF week-end for me.

Had a beautiful dinner last night at a nice fine dining restaurant. Started off with a glass of water with cucumber slices in it. Very refreshing!! The busboy told us he likes to blend cucumbers with lime add water and a sweetener and the claimed it was a fabulous tasting drink. Had 1 glass of sauv. blanc with the meal and drank very slowly thoroughly enjoying every sip with the cucumber water in between sips.

Had no desire for a 2nd or a nightcap which is major for me! Yes J-Vo - had taken L-glut and kudzu that morning too.

Tonight we made a fabulous dinner at home and made spritzers (cranberry juice with seltzer water) and drank from wine glasses.

Yeah...no hangover for me tomorrow and I know I'll be hopping out of bed feeling well rested and energized. Have to admit that I noticed a difference waking up this a.m. with even just the ONE drink!
Slept later than usual and that was a disappointment to get a late start this a.m. So tonight as I kept thinking Sat. night...night to drink!!! A part of me kept saying...but how will you feel when you wake up?
Just reminding myself that helped me to say no to AL tonight.

A much better week-end than last!
Hugs,
Eve11

[zed]

Mod Squad Weekly Thread 10th Nov

"My gratitude for today is again the gift of time, but today it is the ability to waste time without alcohol. I used to sometimes drink because I was tired and didn't feel like really doing anything. Now I can fritter an entire morning away here or just doing a few small things." - Sunbeam

As you can see I can't figure out how to use the Quotes tool. Oh well.

Sun, thanks for this thought. Very empowering and you articulated it SO perfectly. That's how I am feeling too, I just hadn't managed to put it into words quite as yet. That hit home for me. Thank you. A great thought for a lazy Sunday at home.

I can just imagine your street as a child, playing and watching out for that car coming through at 20mph and you guys taking turns to yell out "Car!" and everyone move off. What a tranquil memory.

Yes, very much the same, being outside instead of stuck in front of the "boob-tube" all evening. Of all the things I'm grateful for (the list is long...), my childhood and growing up the way I did is my biggest blessing. We didn't have much, but we had our imaginations. All we needed was a small rubber ball and we could play for hours. And many times with less. Just running around after each other, hiding, laughing...!

We spent a lot of time climbing trees, like the mango tree under which we used to play, in the season when the mangoes would ripen. Climb up to get a hold of some mangoes. There weren't many days that I didn't have a scraped elbow or knee.

I grew up in a city of 20 million people. In my neighbourhood, there were probably 100 thousand folk. Mums, dads, grand mas & pas, aunties, uncles, shoe-repairers, cleaners, sisters, brothers, friends, shop-keepers, snake-charmers, holy-men, bus-drivers, monkey, horse and elephant-keepers. No kidding.

We lived right by the sea-front (2 minutes walking from the sea-shore) and the fishing village was just down the road. In the late-afternoons the fisher-men would come back on their wooden boats with the catch of the day and the fisher-women would sit outside and my mum and all the other mums would go down to the market to buy fish and vegetables. The fish market. I can still smell it now, even though it's been 20-odd years since the last time I visited it.

There are great old mangrove forests at the sea's edge just 5 minutes away from our home. I used to look west and think, "wow, the world out there... the middle east straight ahead... if i turn my head a little to the left over this water is Africa... a little to the right and it's europe. And america is beyond that..." And if I turn around and look into the land, it's India! To the north it's the himalayas and then China!..."

It was a fantastic childhood, there were all the ups and downs of being a child, all the tears and laughter, but I am who I am today because of all of that. And I am generally happy with who I am today - a flawed being, but one who is so completely blessed.

Hugs.

[Lila]

Mod Squad Weekly Thread 10th Nov

Morning Modders
Zed that sounds very interesting! I too didn't grow up with too much and it does help develop the imagination. TV and other kinds of entertainment are depressants, usually. I don't know. We don't have a TV. I just read that unhappy people watch a lot of TV. They don't know if it is an effect or a symptom, however.
Eve, cucumber slices sound yummy in water. I can't wait until summer when they have farmers markets and I can get real tasting produce. Lglut and kudzu really work, don't they? Sunbeam, your pond sounds lovely. My kids would love a pond, but it seems a bit complicated. It is nice to be near a bit of water.
Jvo and Deebs how are you this SUnday? ANd anyone else I missed. I haven't had my coffee yet so I am sure I missed someone! JUst had my AllOne so I am waiting for my skin to start glowing!
take care all
Lila

[Eve11]

Mod Squad Weekly Thread 10th Nov

What is AllOne

Lila;469765 wrote: JUst had my AllOne so I am waiting for my skin to start glowing!

Lila,
Refresh my memory as to what the AllOne is. Am re-reading the book but haven't gotten to the back where all the supplements and things are listed. Is it a product you purchase from MWO. If so, can you get it at health food stores as well. What is it and what does it do...other than make your skin glow which sounds wonderful!
I feel great today - AF last night and on a Sat. no less. That's a BIG one for me.
Well rested,
Eve11

[Lila]

Mod Squad Weekly Thread 10th Nov

hi Eve
They sell it at the MW0 website, it is in the Starter Pack. I got it much cheaper thru Vitacost. The amino acids and all the vitamins are supposed to help with this program. It should be good for me, as all the stress and everything has probably depleted my body. That is great with the AF stuff. I am realizing that alcohol IS a depressant!
Lila

[j-vo]

Mod Squad Weekly Thread 10th Nov

Good morning,
Unlike most of you who sound on top of the world, I'm kinda down on myself today. My husband and I started off our date night (son was at a sleepover) doing some shopping. We then stopped to have a drink prior to dinner at a bar. Got chips and salsa to go with a glass of Chardonnay. It was great. I enjoyed it, sipped my wine. Then we went to where we would have dinner. Had to wait for a table, so we had another glass of wine and chatted to another couple. That was fun since in the past, I really didn't like to talk to folks I didn't know. I've been feeling so confident and upbeat. It's like the personality that came through once in a blue moon is with me almost all the time! I'm grateful for that. But then we sat and had dinner and I put down two more glasses of wine. The 4th glass, I can really say, didn't taste good and I thought to myself, why did I order this - gotta drink it now because it's on our bill.

So, needless to say, 4 glasses last night = headache this morning. I again, went over my limit. I set my limit for three. It seems as though everytime I set a limit, I've got to have that one more - I piss myself off. Why do I do that? That's considered a binge. My hubby did say to me (and this is true) that I'd have had 4 glasses before we would even leave the house in the old days. I'm down and I feel as though I f-ed up again. But then again, I know I will not be drinking at all this week. Shit. Sorry. I did take L-glut and Kudzu last night. I took two K and one L-glut. Oh well, I hope everyone has a nice Sunday.

[Lila]

Mod Squad Weekly Thread 10th Nov

hi J-vo
Okay, I didn't want to admit it, but over the course of the afternoon and evening I had four beers. All day yesterday I felt like a space cadet and a loser. I had a headache. So I took Lglut and Kudzu 3x yesterday, religiously. No cravings. I better take some right now, get the first dose in. It sounds like you are making progress, and it is great that your husband is supportive.
Lila

[j-vo]

Mod Squad Weekly Thread 10th Nov

Thanks Lila,
I think coming to this site makes me accountable for my actions. It's like your parents "busting" you for smoking cigarettes when you were 15. Well, at least it is for me. Since I've been tracking my drinking on a calendar, I can see a pattern already. The past three sat. have been 4-5 drinks. I didn't feel too good the next day and I don't want to feel like that. I've got several days AF between those times, but I don't want to continue this pattern. I will take L-glut and Kudzu again, on my next "special" occasion out. And also remember that past three, I don't feel like myself. I have made progress as I'm not drinking hard liquor and blacking out, not drinking when I'm feeling lonely or sad. Hang in there Lila. We're still learning, progressing, and growing.

[Eve11]

Mod Squad Weekly Thread 10th Nov

Hey J-Vo twin,
Started a response earlier but had to leave with hubby for an urgent chore. My heart is with you. Remember what your hubby said. You used to have 4 before you even left...so you're making progress.

From what I could hear you were saying...it was easy for you to get thrown by the unexpected situation
(waiting for the table leads to another glass of wine). I have this post of mine saved in word so I'm cutting and pasting it for you so you can see how we're twins in certain situations...you may have read this before - it may hit home for you as it's similar to your circumstance... here goes:

"Noticed when I really thought about how much I drink and why it was really easy to say no to some of the situations I would have said yes to in the past. Went on a water cruise and many people were drinking the cocktail beforehand so I had to think "Do I really want to have that drink now or save my 2 drinks today for a glass of wine with dinner and a nightcap at the jazz bar. REAL easy to then say no to the daytime drink.
Didn't have the strength to say no to a third drink when we were out at a comedy club and someone bought rounds not realizing I was trying to do a 2 drink day limit. So, wouldn't have ordered it on my own but wasn't able to say no when it was there staring me in the face."

So, you're doing what I did. Had a plan but life throws a curve ball (like the niece buying the 3rd) and I couldn't say no either. But you're paying attention J-Vo. Remember, being aware of it is 50% of the battle!

Hang in there. We're all fighting this together.
Big hugs,
Eve11

[j-vo]

Mod Squad Weekly Thread 10th Nov

Eve,
Thanks soooooooooo much for your support. I'm so appreciative for you and others here. You not only remind me of my progress and my move towards a more healthy life, but it helps so much to hear it over and over again from those that have been there with me.

I am aware, and because I was diappointed in myself, I went back to the 20 rules I typed and read them twice today. It amazed me to see that most of those rules I've adhered to. The ones I have not, I know I can improve on. I also studied my drink tracker and noticed a pattern. It's been the past three sat. in a row. The amount was over several hours each time which is another way I've improved -sipping vs. gulping!

I was suppose to have a completely abstinate week this week, but because we had the opportunity for a night out (doesn't happen often) I decided to do the following two weeks up to Thanksgiving. I'm adjusting as necessary which isn't easy for an OCDer.

Thanks again for your thoughts and support!