Fabulous Freedom February

[treegirl]

Morning all - Happy Hump Day! Wednesday, today is Wednesday...

Lav, thinking of you driving to kid-sit, hope the commute is good. Have fun with your work friends.

Star, isn't that fascinating about Jennie Churchill? There wwre dozens of wealthy american heiresses married off to English noblemen then - just to keep the estates going. It was very much like Downtown - though I think few of them were involved in their kids' lives at all! Boarding schools...

Dill, did you have time with your friends yesterday? hope it was good.

Pauly - hope today is a good work day for you.

I'm off to the doc, as you know! Must get something done today, yesterday's goals got pretty messed up. It is what it is, I guess.

Happy day all -

[dill]

Happy af Hump Day all!

Cyn, after reading your post I googled a little bit about that research and found it fascinating. My googling also led me to a book called Autobiography of a Yogi, by Yogananda (1946) which I read excerpts from on the internet. Also very interesting to me. The Yogi was teaching this certain type of meditation called Kriya Yoga. He travelled the world teaching whoever wanted to learn and he is sometimes referred to as "the father of Yoga in the West". He said that meditation practice was a way to find God within. He was doing his teaching long before there were scientific methods to measure the effects of the practice but I am sure that finding inner peace thru meditation would have to lead to better physical health. After all my googling I am even more interested in meditation practice than I was before! Thanks to you and Star as well.

Star, that book about Jennie Churchill sounds interesting. I am and greaat admirer of Winston Churchill. If I get time I might get that book because it would be interesting to understand more about his upbringing and his character formation.

Lav, did you have a good meet up with your friends? I have another one scheduled for next week, Thursday. I'm really looking forward to that one. I am sad tho because one of the friends I am meeting has told me she is moving! She and her husband want to live closer to their children. I am happy for her to do it, but it will be a loss to me .

Hiya Pauly!:happy2:

Let's all have a good af Wednesday!

[Lavande]

Good morning friends, happy Hump day!

My child watching lasted all of one hour this morning. It was just at my son's house, a quick 8 mile trip. Got the oldest on the school bus & told my DIL that she was going to have to cancel her day. The younger guy is sick, was up throwing up during the night & all that.
Sounds mean but I wasn't going to cancel my lunch & Curves plans to sit with a sick kid. That's her job, not mine.

I am catching up with some stuff at home then will be heading out for a few hours.
Hello to Dill, Star, Cyn & Pauly.

Have a great AF day everyone!

Lav

[paulywogg]

Morning friends, Lav,that sounds evil but its true,we raised our kids already I have a guilty feeling thinking that way though,my mood has been weird,it fluctuates throughout the day,I don't feel down enough for meds I don't think anyways,just kinda meh,but there's happy times in between, probably just hormones, I don't think I could sit through the books y'all read,too.....something I can't think of the word,my books should be coming any day now,luckily I'm not watching Lou so if they come today I can at least start one,hello Cyn,Dill,Star I hope we all have an easy Wednesday

[Lavande]

It's hard on working parents having to deal with sick kids & all BUT I never asked someone to watch mine when they were sick
I try to help as much as I can but sometimes I just need to firm up my boundaries - know what I mean?
Pauly, watch your food intake to help stabilize your moods. I can get kind of whacky if my blood sugar drops too low too. Be nice to yourself & I swear by frequent small feedings instead of three large meals per day

I'm out early in the morning to go to my granddaughter's. I will check in from there.

Peace to all tonight!

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Lav, good call, I would not think it my job either, especially if someone is throwing up. Yuck. I had to cancel lots of my plans when my kids were sick too. I work with several parents with young kids and they have to call off when their kids get sick. They work with their husbands,though, si it is more fair. I think it is good boundary setting and that is a good thing. You have been so good to them and they know it. I have three reasonable meals and if I am still hungry throughout the day, two snacks, like a piece of fruit, sunflower seeds or a cheese stick. Nothing to get excited about or pig out on.

Dill, sorry your friend is moving, but glad you had a good day. How interesting about the Yoga teaching. Prayer, meditation, they are all spiritual practices to me. I feel whatever works for each individual.

Cyn, it is very interesting that American women, rich of course, were married off to English nobleman. The child rearing practices were, somebody else do it. Poor Winston was in a boarding school that ruined his health for two years, his nanny found evidence of physical abuse and luckily his mother believed her and took him out of there. It took him years to recover and get strong. The emotional effects lasted a lifetime in some ways. Fascinating story for sure. Hope you doctor's visit went well.

Pauly, moods fluctuate throughout the day. This happens to lots of people. Knowing when you are in a better mood and when your mood changes can help you to plan your day. I always try to get the hard stuff at work completed, if I can, in the morning, because by three I just feel everything is harder, I am tired, and not as sharp. That is me. Having a protein snack at that time has helped, but I am still tired till after dinner. I am currently doing inner work with a book referred to on MWO, The 30 Day Sobriety Solution. It has exercises for each day and a website. I just felt that I needed more than just being AF. I have received very interesting insights so far and started a journal, looked at all types of things. Just wanted to mention this if anyone is interested.

It is cold here again, so sweaters are coming out today. Have a good one.

[dill]

Hello All,

Lav, I agree 100% with your stand on not taking care of the sick ones. It is a mother's (or father's) place. I always called off work when my little ones were sick. It's a pain, but such is life, eh? I used to be able fo handle low blood sugar better when I was younger, but now, not so much. I try to eat healthy snacks when I have those hunger pains.

Star, thanks for telling the gist of Churchill's story. I doubt I will get to reading that book so I appreciate the "star notes":happy2:. I have been 'reading' (audio book) C.S. Lewis' autobiography, Surprised By Joy. He was a boy at the turn of the 20th century in Belfast, Ireland. His parents weren't rich but were upper middle class from what I can tell. They sent him and his brother to boarding school in England which was common in those days. It sounded horrible the way the boys were treated. His mother died of cancer when he was very, very young and his father would not listen to or believe his sons when they told him of the abuse they and the other boys suffered. It must have factored into the character formation of generations of boys. If you survived that, you had to be a strong person. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.". Anyway, I chose this book because Lewis describes his conversion from atheism to Christianity.

Pauly, LOL! I know some of the books we read do sound kind of wonky! No accounting for tastes, I guess. But I'm telling you, I like all kinds of books, so please don't think I am a complete wonk! Some of my dryer reading is done because I am seeking spiritual understanding. Maybe it's because of my later stage in life, but I am trying to find answers about the why's of life and our purpose here.

Cyn, I hope the doc visit went well. I thought it was funny that you drove to your appointment only to find you were there a day early! Not 5 minutes, 10 minutes or even an hour early! Not our Cyn, over achiever that she is, she was a whole 24 hours early! :thumbsup::congratulatory: Anyway, it reminded me of the time I was invited to a graduation reception for a friend's son a few years ago. I arrived a day early for that but the funny thing was, I ran into my good friend there (the one who is moving). We BOTH arrived a day early! Chalk it up to being just a bit 'dottie'. Neither of us would be considered over achievers. LOL

It's Thursday and winter has returned. YUCK. I was loving those warm temps of the last couple of days. They gave me hope, which I shall hold on to, that Spring will eventually arrive.

Have a great AF Thursday everyone!

[paulywogg]

Morning friends, I was thinking about low blood sugar and wondering if we have it because we drank? Or do a lot of people get it? One of my coworkers doesn't eat ALL day and she never gets weird like I do,another coworker gets shaky like me if she doesn't eat but she's got diabetes, the other coworkers just snack on junk all day haha,I know I'm not diabetic so what gives? Maybe just getting older,Dill,I wasn't saying your choice in books is wonky,they just sound over my head,if I read something written by someone too educated my brain zones out and I read the same paragraph over and over,that happened when I tried to read the "Silence of the lambs" book,you can tell that guy is intellectual cuz I could barely understand the words,I had to look them up in a dictionary (long before Google), I've got to dry my hair,hope we all have a great Thursday,hello to Lav,Star,Cyn

[Lavande]

Good Thursday morning friends

I had a better than expected commute to my granddaughter's this morning. The dense fog we dealt with all day yesterday lifted. It Is nice to see where you are driving, ha ha! Temps are in the mid 40's here thru the weekend so it's not too bad.
I haven't heard anything more from my DIL so I guess they are feeling better over there. My son will be returning from work by mid-morning so he can take over.
My granddaughter is happy this morning & already into PBS shows!

Star, I say whatever reading makes you happy, do that!
I used to read everything on the bestsellers list then got bored with that. I have a big fascination with health & wellness so I tend to read more technical stuff & that's OK with me.

Dill, I am going to miss my friend if/when she actually moves to Florida. We have been friends since high school & she is my daughter's godmother. We haven't seen each other as much since I moved away from our hometown. There just seems to be so few left from my past, weird. I just don't think we can make friends like that anymore. I hope you don't get too much cold weather.

Cyn, how did it go? We are all waiting breathlessly for your report :hug:

Pauly, feeling better today? I hope so.

Have a wonderful AF day everyone!

Lav

[treegirl]

Happy Thursday all -

Dill, thanks for the vote of confidence on being an over-achiever, but it was just actually because I was not thinking straight! I think my over achieving years have ended me in this situation of adrenal failure. I kind of drag myself through each day. I'm hoping that eventually meditation will help repair me. Sorry about your friend going away - enjoy your time next week.

Dear me, I didn't mean to make a big deal of going to the doc. I just went as a check-in for my weight and to see if she had any other ideas about what could be going on. She's a really bright physician, Top Doc each year as selected by her peers, but she's a regularly trained doc, and freely admits that she isn't familiar with a lot of the other ways of treating problems. I consider my naturopath doc my main go-to. It took a long time to get in this situation, and it will take time and a lot of behavior modification to get out of it. HB is not the most patient person, and he insisted that I see my 'regular' doc. Fortunately, she is open to other kinds of diagnosis, and gave me the name of a practice in NYC that she thinks a lot of - they handle endocrine issues. We'll see - I'm sticking with the protocol I have for now.

Lav - I think it's great that you set those boundaries. Sometimes I think your DIL thinks that she's the grandparent in that relationship - able to skip out whenever! It must be tough for working mom's, but seems like you all handled it in your child-rearing years.

Pauly - There is a lot of thinking that excess drinking comes about because of blood sugar problems, rather than the other way around. Interesting, huh?

Star - I so admire that you keep walking the talk on this journey - you are always seeking and finding. Good for you!

PS - the on-line seminar that I caught last week was on the healthful benefits of plant-fat: olives, olive oil, avocados, almonds, walnuts, coconut oil, etc. Now they are stressing how important those are to our whole system - especially brain - and that they actually help weight loss because they make you feel 'full'. I'll see if there is more on Dr. Mark Hyman's website - he has a new book out about it. Interesting stuff...

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Hey ladies, it is freezing cold here again, winter is back! Back to my boots and sweaters for today. I am so glad it is Friday, I have been kind of tired this week, fallig asleep at 9:30 and waking up at 5:00.

Cyn, I agree that it takes time to make physical changes, it took a while to get to where we are, it will take time to get where we want to be. Don't you hate the media pressure for Valentine's Day? I feel pressure to do something big, which is ridiculous. Sounds like you have some good doctors, I need to find at least one that I like, just in case. How did you find them, word of mouth?

Lav, I always have at least two books going at the same time. One for entertainment, one for learning. I do like info on health and wellness too. Food is the source of our health in many ways and let's face it, it was not emphasized when we grew up. Luckily for me my mother was sensible when we were young, although lots of processed foods as that was considered good at the time.

Dill, why would parents let other adults abuse their children and not believe them? I think many kids died as in Jane Eyre or became sadistic themselves from the abuse. I know some became kinder as a result, but still, what was going on? That CS Lewis book sounds interesting. I love spiritual seeking books too, I believe there is no one answer to our purpose. I know for people at end of life, all that matters is who they loved and relationships, everything else is not too important. Not to say that you shouldn't have your affairs in order, that is part of loving your family, too. Next Wedesday is Ash Wednesday, and Lent, any plans? I am thinking about what I want to do this year.

Pauly, I am a nerd, now and always would read anything, so bear with me when I talk about all kinds of books, ideas, etc. We are all different here and that is what makes it interesting, that we can learn from each other. I think that the way we react to alcohol does have something to do with our blood sugar, and yes we continue to be affected by it. You are so smart to realize that changing up your diet right now led to cravings, and took care of that . Good for you. Self-awareness is so important in this journey, that is why I am continuing inner work, it never ends if we want to be healthy. What are you making for Super Bowl Sunday menu? I am thinking of wings, celery and veggie dip. Any ideas?

Off for more coffee. Have a good one. Peace.

[Lavande]

Good morning friends, happy Friday, yay!!

We had a light dusting of snow overnight, nothing too exciting. I am still trying to get over the blizzard of two weeks ago, ha ha!

Star, bundle up! I don't think the stupid groundhog knows what he's talking about. Looks like the colder temps will return here on Monday, ugh!

I have lots of work related stuff to get to today but first a trip to Curves.
I do not watch the superbowl so I refuse to cook anything for it, ha ha!!

Hello to Cyn, Dill & Pauly. I hope everyone has a fabulous AF day.
Time to get my animals fed & watered.

Lav

[paulywogg]

Morning ladies,Star I'm making wings too! Great minds think alike I only make wings this one time of year so it will be a nice treat,I love that you ladies talk about different books,who knows you may spark my interest in something other than romance novels haha,Lav,I watch the Superbowl for the commercials, I'm not a sports fan but Louie loves all sports on TV,even golf so he'll enjoy it,have a therapist appointment this morning and for some reason I'm nervous, getting to the root of why I have anxiety makes me have anxiety haha,I'm considering trying estroven,anyone ever try it? I looked up periomenopause and I have nearly every symptom sorry to always be going on about this but it bothers me a lot,hello Dill and Cyn,I hope we all have a fabulous Friday

[dill]

Hello All, it's been a nice day here. Cold but sunny. It was pleasant enough to get out and take a long walk in the woods with a friend and Mr. Dill too.

getting to the root of why I have anxiety makes me have anxiety haha

Pauly, Ha! Very funny but undoubtedly too true! I hope that things got better after you you met your therapist (assuming this was an initial session). Fear of the unknown is anxiety producing for most, myself included. I hope you get some help with you anxiety issues.

Star, you and I are on the same page as far as purpose goes. I think our most important purpose here is to love. Of course there is much to do in addition to that but without love, nothing matters. I have only thought one thing about Lent so far and that is how much I look forward to the 6 weeks of good fish specials! LOL! Wendy's has their cod sandwich back.

Cyn, I hope you can find some way to get your energy back and put some weight on! I have long thought that 'low fat' diets were a mistake. You most certainly do need healthy fats in your diet and they really do help you feel more satiated. Every low fat food seems to be loaded with carbs which I think of as mostly empty calories, except for complex carbs of course.

Lav, do you even watch the commercials during the super bowl? I don't really care all that much about the game but this year I will be hoping for Peyton Manning to have a good night. I have always really liked him. I'd like to see him go out with a win.

Super bowl evening: I am going to do some crock pot cocktail meatballs, and have shrimp cocktail, cheese and crackers and veggies with dip. Probably some soup of some kind.

Have a good af Friday evening everyone.

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Dill, what a good recipe line-up for Super Bowl day. I like the commercials too and follow the game throughout the evening. It means so much to my husband, I have to make it special. At least he likes to watch the game at home and not in a bar or something. You are funny about the Lent meals, we are supposed to sacrifice, but I always get excited about fish for a change too. Another topic in the book I am reading discusses core values, has you look at some and choose your own, then analyze how alcohol puts you at odds with those values and how you feel. I realized I violated every core value over time. Interesting reading on a cold winter's night.

Lav, hope you get all your stuff done and have time to relax. Stay warm and cozy. I saw where the East Coast was hit by more snow. Yuck. We are supposed to get some next week, hopefully not much. The groundhog myth is just that. We always have six more weeks of winter where I am from.

Pauly, going to a therapist is a great idea, hope it is a positive experience for you. My menopausal symptoms were so bad a few weeks ago I was looking into Estroven and other supplements, but watched my diet a bit more and with exercise, it seems a bit better. I am tired of all the symptoms too. Oh, I added a cheese stick at 3 o'clock so I don't get so tired, and as little as it is, it has really helped. The other thing I did was cut out my processed soup and crackers for lunch, replacing it with salad and homeade dressing of vinegar, oil and spices. I know it sounds weird, but my hot flashes are almost non-existent and I am sleeping better. I don't know what that means, but just wanted to share in case that would help. Hormonal problems = hell at times. We just can't give up till we find relief.

Cyn, I have been enjoying plant fat: avocados and black olives. They are so good and I feel good after I eat them. I have pretty immediate reaction to food and notice that lots of veggies are helpful in making me feel good physically and emotionally. Hope you are having a good weekend.

Have a great Saturday, AF.