I'm Back

I took a few days off from blogging. We had a very nice few days off. Of course, I wish it were more. Another week would be nice. I have been reading a lot. Great books by Steig Larsson translated from the Swedish. A teacher at school told me about them. They are in the murder mystery genre, something I usually read in the summer. They are real page turners. They have been translated to over 30 countries and apparently are a sensation. Larsson was Swedish. He died in 2004 of a heart attack at 52. Yikes! That's young. I think he was planning to write 10 books in the series, but he completed only three.

Anyhoo... we made it through the holidays in not too bad a shape. We're back on the trail this week, the trail of health, that is. I have done my workouts. Weights yesterday for the first time in 2 weeks and I'm sore. You loose it so fast it's pathetic. I did some baking, but all the cookies are gone, given away to the neighbors. We had a little party inviting the neighbors over this week. We are so lucky as we have some fantastic neighbors that we really like. It was a soup and salad party. Very nice. I did the planning and preparation up front, and was able to just enjoy the folks. Kids came too. Bob got a taste of my days - hee, hee!

Sorry I haven't been blogging. I've saved up some good health tips that I'll be passing along.

Happy New Year!
Sue

Coming Down

Nice evening, warm fire in the fireplace, decent movie, martinis, pasta with tomato sauce, Essi next to me with the afgan, Bob napping nearby on the sofa. My head was still ringing with kid energy, noise, and Nutcracker music. Feeling more peace and looking forward to a nice few days of vacation and rest. Cards are out, gifts sent, just a little baking to do.

Warm thoughts to you,
Sue

Good Show

Well, when the snow plows went by scraping the street at 4 am I thought, ok here goes the delay and no show. But the call for delay didn't come. School started on time and we had our show. It went ok. Kind of frenetic, but successful. We had Penderesky for recorders and carols sung by the entire student body. Rudolph with body movements, very cool. There was extra worry due to the weather, but it all turned out. Teachers stopped me all day with good words. One of the school's harshest critics thought it was a good show. The gym teacher said, "Well, Saari, you pulled it off." Ha, good one.

One more day and it's time off for good behavior, for 10 anyway. Bob fixed me a nice hamburger with vegies. We watched "It's a Wonderful Life." Good classic.

Sue

Two More Days

until the big break. I am ready. Tomorrow we may have an ice storm. If we have a two hour delay, then our show is probably off. The kids could care less. They're ready for the break too I guess.

Until tomorrow then,
Sue

Checking in

So now we have another sick dog, Essi. She is strong though and will fight off whatever this is. Same thing as Otto, only he was too weak to fight it off.

Snow/freezing rain due for Tuesday. My show is scheduled for 9:30 in the morning. It just might have to be called off afterall. It was fun preparing for it anyway.

Doing some baking. Plan to give them all away. I haven't baked for maybe 4 years. I really enjoy it. Played the piano a bit today too, some Christmas carols.

And now, some sleep,
Sue

Snow Day

We had another snow day today. We got about 6 inches I'd say. It makes it kind of tough preparing for our show when I can't rehearse some of them enough. I am going to cut a few things.

We had a pleasant day. I worked on the annual Christmas letter. It's kind of different, but we're both happy with it. We also both had appointments at the foot doctor. Tomorrow we sell all the homemade ornaments for our little Music Room Community Service project. The kids have been making them and putting them on the Music room tree. We're going to give the proceeds to the Warrior Backpack program (kids that need food, take a backpack of food home for the weekends - good program). I think it's good to think about others sometimes, the people who don't have as much as you do. The kids get this too.

Sue

Otto

We lost our beloved Otto today. All his systems shut down, and he died peacefully at our vet, Dave's, office this morning. He was a wonderful companion for 19 and a half years. Essi, B, and I are sad, but spent some time this evening fondly remembering all the neat things he did. I have just recently blogged about him in his older days, but in his younger days he walked as "lead dog." He occasionally enjoyed rotten tomatoes and chipmunk heads. He enjoyed planking (lying prone) in front of the heating vent, getting his head to 100 degrees. He was very athletic, jumping from the back of the sofa when he felt like it. We think we had him so long partially due to the fact that he lost his sight. He was blind for almost 7 years. It saved his back. He especially loved napping with us by our sides. He was a good little guy. We'll really miss him. However, tonight Essi went immediately to the "primo spot" beside me on the chair where Otto always sat in the evening. We think she knows not only that he is gone, but that he won't come back. Otto, RIP, you sweet curmudgeon.

Sue

Lifting Weights

If you have time to read the following, it is excellent. Another fitness friends sent it to me. FYI. Enjoy,

Sue



Reference Guide to Strength Training

An In-Depth Look

-- By Jen Mueller and Nicole Nichols, Fitness Experts


SparkPeople’s Exercise Reference Guides offer an in-depth look at the principles of fitness.

Every movement we make—from walking to driving—involves our muscles. Muscles are unique. They have the ability to relax, contract, and produce force. They are metabolically active, meaning that the more muscle you have, the more calories your body uses at rest and during exercise. Your muscles are highly responsive to strength training, which helps them to become larger and stronger.

But if you don’t know anything about strength training, where do you start? Right here! This guide will tell you everything you need to know to begin and even offer a few tips for experienced exercisers as well.

What is Strength Training?
Strength training is the process of exercising with progressively heavier resistance for the purpose of strengthening the musculoskeletal system. It is also referred to as weight lifting, weight training, body sculpting, toning, body building, and resistance training.

What are the Benefits of Strength Training?
Regular strength training increases the size and strength of the muscle fibers. It also strengthens the tendons, ligaments, and bones. All of these changes have a positive impact on your physical fitness, appearance, and metabolism, while reducing the risk of injury and decreasing joint and muscle pain.

Muscle is metabolically-active tissue. This means that the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism is while at rest. So, strength training is an important component of weight loss and weight maintenance.

Without consistent strength training, muscle size and strength decline with age. An inactive person loses half a pound of muscle every year after age 20. After age 60, this rate of loss doubles. But, muscle loss is not inevitable. With regular strength training, muscle mass can be preserved throughout the lifespan, and the muscle lost can also be rebuilt.

4 Principles of Strength Training
The four principles of strength training are guidelines that will help you strength train safely and effectively to reach your goals.

1. The Tension Principle: The key to developing strength is creating tension within a muscle (or group of muscles). Tension is created by resistance. Resistance can come from weights (like dumbbells), specially-designed strength training machines, resistance bands, or the weight of your own body. There are three methods of resistance:
Calisthenics (your own body weight): You can use the weight of your own body to develop muscle, but using body weight alone is less effective for developing larger muscles and greater strength. However, calisthenics adequately improve general muscular fitness and are sufficient to improve muscle tone and maintain one’s current level of muscular strength. Examples include: pushups, crunches, dips, pull ups, lunges, and squats, just to name a few.

Fixed Resistance: This method of resistance provides a constant amount of resistance throughout the full range of motion (ROM) of a strength training exercise. This means that the amount of resistance/weight you are lifting does not change during the movement. For example, during a 10-pound curl, you are lifting 10 pounds throughout the motion. Fixed resistance helps to strengthen all the major muscle groups in the body. Examples include: Exercises that use dumbbells (free weights), resistance bands and tubes, and some machines.

Variable Resistance: During exercises with variable resistance, the amount of resistance changes as you move through the range of motion. This creates a more consistent effort of exertion throughout the entire exercise. For example, when lifting weights, it is harder to lift up against gravity and easier to lower the weight down with gravity. Specially-designed machines (like Nautilus and Hammer Strength brands) take the angle, movement, and gravity into account so that the release of a biceps curl feels just as hard as the lifting phase of the curl.
2. The Overload Principle: In order to build strength, your muscles must work harder than they are accustomed to. This “overload” will result in increased strength as the body adapts to the stress placed upon it. Everyone begins at a certain level of strength. To become stronger, you must regularly increase the tension (weight or resistance) that your muscles work against, causing them to adapt to a new level. As the muscles respond to an overload, they will grow in size and strength. There are two types of strength overloads:
Isometric means “same length.” This is a high-intensity contraction of the muscle with no change in the length of the muscle. In other words, your muscles are working hard but the muscle itself remains static. Isometric exercises are good for variety and some strength maintenance, but they don’t challenge your body enough to build much strength. Learn more about isometric exercise here.

Isotonic means “same tension.” When you lift weights or use resistance bands, your muscles are shortening and lengthening against the resistance. This challenges your muscles throughout the entire range of motion. However, the amount of force the muscle generates will change throughout the movement (Force is greater at full contraction/shortening of the muscle). Unlike isometric exercises, this type of contraction does help build strength.
3. The Specificity of Training Principle: This refers to the fact that only the muscle or muscle group you exercise will respond to the demands placed upon it. By regularly doing bicep curls, for example, the muscles involved (biceps) will become larger and stronger, but curls will have no effect on the muscles that are not being trained (such as your legs). Therefore, when strength training, it is important to strengthen all of the major muscle groups.

4. The Detraining Principle: After consistent strength training stops, you will eventually lose the strength that you built up. Without overload or maintenance, muscles will weaken in two weeks or less! This is the basis behind why individuals lose muscle mass as they age—because they are detraining by exercising less frequently.

How Much Strength Training Should You Do?
When considering the guidelines for aerobic exercise, keep the FITT principles in mind (Frequency, (Intensity, Time and Type).
Frequency: Number of strength training sessions per week Aim to train each muscle group at least two times per week, and up to three if you have the time or are more advanced. One day per week may help you maintain your current level of strength, but in most cases, it will not be enough to build muscle. It is important to rest 1-2 days in between working the same muscle(s) again. Rest days give the muscles time to repair themselves from small tears that occur during strength training, and this is how you get stronger. For example, if you do a full body routine on Monday, do not lift again until Wednesday or Thursday (1-2 days). If you decide to split up your strength training (due to time, schedule or personal preference), and do upper body exercises on Monday and lower body exercises on Tuesday, it’s okay to lift two days in a row—because you are working different muscles. You wouldn’t lift upper body again until Wednesday or Thursday, or lower body again until Thursday or Friday.

Intensity: How much weight or resistance you should lift This is a tricky one—and if you’re new to exercise, it will take some trial and error. The intensity of the resistance you lift should challenge you. It should be high enough that as you approach your last repetition, you feel muscle exhaustion. Exhaustion means your muscle is so tired that you can’t do another full repetition in good form. Many people do not lift to exhaustion, mostly because they don’t know that they are supposed to. They tend to just lift the number of reps that they have subscribed to and stop.

For example, if you are going to do 10 reps of biceps curls, don’t merely stop on that 10th rep if you haven’t reached muscle exhaustion. You could either continue doing reps until you do reach exhaustion, or take this as a sign that the weight you are lifting is too light. Increase your weight until you do feel exhausted on the 10th rep. How much weight/resistance you lift will work hand in hand with the number of reps you do (see Time below).

Time: Number of reps and sets you should do Going from the starting position, through the action and back to the starting position counts as one rep. Most people lift somewhere between 8 and 15 reps, which equals one set. Most people do 1-3 sets with rest in between each set.

How many reps should you do? Most experts recommend between 8 and 15 reps per set. If your goal is to build strength and muscle size, then aim for fewer reps (like 8-10). Because you are doing fewer reps, you will need a heavier weight to reach muscle exhaustion in each set, so that’s where the words “heavy weight, low reps” come from. If your goal is general fitness or endurance, then aim for more reps (like 10-15). Because you are doing so many, you’ll need a lighter weight.

No matter what your goal, be sure to lift resistance that is heavy enough to exhaust you at the end of your set. So, while you may be able to curl 20 pounds and feel exhaustion in 8 reps, you may only be able to lift 12 or 15 pounds if you are doing 15 reps.

The ideal number of sets has been debated about for years. A good rule of thumb is 1-3 sets. Research studies have shown that performing 2 sets is not significantly better than one. And performing 3 sets is not significantly better than doing 2. The only significant difference is between 1 and 3 sets. As long as you are working to the point of exhaustion, you can maintain and even build strength by doing only 1 set. But unless you are crunched for time, most beginners start with 2 sets of each exercise.

Make sure you rest 30-90 seconds between sets. You can use this time to stretch the muscle you are working and catch your breath or get a drink of water. The longer you rest, the more strength you will have to finish out your next set just as strongly as the previous one—which will aid in your strength development.

Type: Activities that count as strength training Perform exercises to target every major muscle group when strength training: your arms (biceps and triceps), shoulders, chest, back, core (abs, obliques and lower back), and legs (quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves). Make sure you work opposing muscles, not just the ones you see when you look in the mirror (biceps, chest, abs, quads). The opposing muscles are the ones that work in opposition to those (in this case, the triceps, back, lower back, and hamstrings). Also be sure to work the sides of your body: obliques, hips, abductors and adductors (outer and inner thigh). The idea is to achieve balance. The same goes for the upper and lower body. Don’t neglect one or the other just because one is more important to you. This can create imbalance and set you up for injury and pain.

Strength training can be done with a variety of equipment such as resistance bands, stability ball, hand weights, machines, or body weight. The Fitness Resource Center has numerous examples of exercises and workouts for you to choose from.
Get the Most Out of Your Strength Training Workouts
These tips will help you get started on the right foot!
Check with your doctor before starting an exercise program. Get more about exercise safety tips for beginners.
Always warm up for at least 5-10 minutes before strength training.
Proper form is essential for safety and effectiveness. Start with light weights as you perfect your form and get accustomed to strength training. Gradually increase the amount of weight you lift over time, by no more than 10% each week.
Always cool down at least 5-10 minutes at the end of your workout.
Vary your exercise program to avoid boredom and plateaus. Changing your routine every 6-8 weeks is crucial to keeping your body/muscles surprised and constantly adapting. They'll have to work harder, you'll be challenged, and you'll burn more calories and build more lean muscle in the process. Learn how to change your exercise routine to avoid plateaus.
Drink plenty of water before, during and after exercise to stay hydrated.

Machines are best for beginners. They usually have detailed instructions and a picture on them, plus they show which muscles you are working. They are set up to put your body in proper form and isolate the right muscles. They are usually grouped together (upper body, chest, arms, legs, etc) in a weight room, so that you can easily move through them and target every major muscle group.

Free weights are more advanced. After you’ve had a good foundation with machines (or body weight exercises) you can move into free weights. When using free weights, form becomes even more important because there is nothing to support you or make you do it properly. Lift in front of a mirror and use the proper benches for support. Always watch the alignment of the joints and their relationships: shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles should be aligned. Your back should remain flat and your abs should be contracted to help support the lower back. Have a trainer assist you and have someone there to spot you if you are lifting heavy weights. Use tools such as the Exercise Demos to help you achieve proper form.

Don’t hold your breath, which can be dangerous (it increases blood pressure and can cause lightheadedness, for example). Exhale fully and forcefully on the exertion phase—usually the phase where you are lifting the weight. Inhale deeply on the easier phase—usually when returning to the starting position. Try to keep this rhythm throughout every set. In the beginning, it will take some concentration, but after a while, it will become habit.

Winter Wonderland

We've gotten about 5 inches with more on the way. They have not called our delay or snow day yet. They'd rather wake us up at 5:30. It is a gorgeous snow, wet and flakey, clinging to all the branches and brown plants. It might even be a white Christmas.
I did more decorating today. Both inside trees are really pretty. We have an outside tree that in on our front porch. It shows up really nice from the street with the lights reflected by the front window by the door.

I got a bunch of citrus fruit from a student sale. We had a grapefruit this morning. Yum. One more full week. Next week's my show. We moved it to Tuesday 9:30. I can't wait to hear 350 recorders played at once.

This will be a week of normal workouts and healthy eating. Keep on keeping on with a pinch of holiday cheer,
Sue

Discouraged

Well, I did many things right. I gained .4 lbs. I got up in 8 degree weather and went to the Y to do my workouts. We had smaller portions at dinner, ate our rice and beans dinner and our pasta only (low servings) dinner. I had salads for lunch. I still had a gain. I was so disappointed on the scale this morning that I had tears. Winter is the pits for being healthy. Big day at school, very tired. More tomorrow,
Sue

Not to Bonk

When I used to ride my bicycle seriously, I used to do some charity rides. I participated in 3 MS 150s (all different years) where you ride 75 miles on Saturday and 75 on Sunday. You stay overnight at college in a dorm and return to where you started on Sunday. They always have stops every 10-20 miles or so with plenty of snacks to keep you going. I never came close to bonking on any of those rides. Bonking is when you ride hard enough or long enough to the point where you just cannot go another pedal stroke. You collapse and it takes quite a while for your body to recover enough to continue. The only time I came close to bonking was one time when I took a ride on the Fourth of July. It was an organized ride with rest stops and snacks. Only I missed one stop. I was out by myself and I did not see the sign to go into the rest stop to get fuel. It was over 90 degrees that day and I was running out of water. Fortunately I had a power bar in my bike pack in back of my seat that I kept for emergencies. I stopped, ate that, and felt much better. I was able to make it to the next rest stop ok and was able to finish. I rode about 85 miles that day. It was supposed to be 75, but I took a wrong turn near the end and had to backtrack. Some organized rides are better than others. I could feel that I was close to bonking though.

Anyhow... I think it's important to keep your metabolism on an even keel, not to even almost bonk. Since it's cold I find I don't want to drink as much water. But I think this is bad. I think you still need water and snacks even when it's cold. I also find I want to sleep more in the winter when it's cold. It sure was difficult to get up this morning, even though I had had 8 hours of sleep. Good for me, I went to the Y to ride the bike even when it was 8 degrees, cold and dark. Tomorrow is my day off and weigh in day. Oh joy! We'll see if my efforts helped.

Sue

Cold & Blood Sugar

This has been a heck of a weather year, especially the last six months. First we get no rain, now we get record cold. It's going down into the single digits tonight. Yeeeeesh!

I totally went blah during my last class today. I just felt like my energy was totally gone, like I just couldn't make it a second longer. Somehow I went on and the day ended. It must have something to do with blood sugar. Does anybody else notice being more susceptible to crashing blood sugar in the fifths versus earlier in life?

I had a snack and I felt better. It's difficult to keep my metabolism steady teaching straight through like I do. On Wednesdays I don't even have a minute between classes. They just keep on a'comin' Any suggestions out there?

Sue

A Delightful Christmas Day

I took a personal day and had a Christmas Day today: decorated, listened to Christmas music, made a big bow, shopped for presents, had lunch with my husband, watched a Christmas movie. Yeah. Good stuff. I wanted to work on the Christmas letter. Didn't get to do that.

My Christmas wish is that more people would read my blog. It's enjoyable to read the responses. It's very cold here, unseasonably so, down in the teens. And we've had snow - very early for us.

I hope you're enjoying the preparations too.
Sue

Holiday Health Hints

Give yourself permission to indulge, but pick a limited amount of times (once a week only).
If you like to bake, bake healthier items.
Make a contract with yourself about what you're going to do.
Be sure to drink your water, even when it's cold.
Take vitamin D supplements to make up for less light.
Fill up your pleasure basket with good stuff and use it.
Take deep breathes; yoga is really good for practicing deep breathing.
Take the day off (that's what I'm doing tomorrow - taking a personal day)

Cheers,
Sue

PS These mostly come from my guru nutrionist health advisor. She is terrific!!

L, to the Rescue

I have my nutritionist meeting tomorrow. Good thing! I need some holiday tail kicks to get back with it.

We had such a nice day today. I went to church this morning to hear one of my students sing a solo. She did very well. The church looked beautiful and the music was nice. I'll have to try that place again. This afternoon I decorated the music tree while Bob relaxed with Otto. It really looks beautiful, ornaments all related to music. They are crystal, gold and some red balls. I didn't decorate this one last year, so it's very nice to see it. The nutcrackers are all out. It's looking very Christmasy around here. I'm taking a Christmas personal day tuesday to shop, decorate, and work on the annual letter. Very cold tonight.

Buona notte,
Sue

Decorations

Bob was yelping big time today. I had him helping me with some decorations. My nutcrackers are out. We have a spot in the front hall that is up high where they sit for the holidays. They look good. Plus we have some snow, about an inch or so. Our Horse Parade is today, kind of what makes Lebanon famous in these parts. We have 125 carriages/wagons/carts pulled by horses, minis, mules, donkeys. My favorites are the minis. It's our annual tradition. Talk about Christmas spirit! Now I'm going to fix a nice dinner.

Sue

Vitamin D and School Lunches

Do you need a supplement? New studies say no, but my doctor says yes, especially in the winter. You get less sun then. It can help with the immune system to fight off colds and flu. I take some every day.

Also, check out the new law going to Obama's desk to improve school lunches. All I can say is that it's about time. I sure don't like what we serve our kids most days. We had an inspector in this week. They had a wonderful lunch that day: tomato soup, toasted cheese sandwich, fresh carrots, canned pears or peaches, and milk. The only thing is that most days they get warmed up convenience food that they unfreeze and warm up. Not so good. The last line of the article in the USAToday said they are encouraging school gardens. I wonder if there will be real money offered that actually makes it to the school systems, or just a bunch of words.

Buona sera
Sue

Atta Girls

OK, I think I deserve some atta girls this week, especially for staying today and doing Zumba from 4:15 to 5:15. Now, THAT was hard... and fun. There was a whole lot of wiggling goin' on in there.

Tomorrow morning's the moment of truth at the scale, though. We might have to get out the violins for that one, or perhaps just a good yelp will do.

I'm getting some shut eye right now,
Sue

Missing the Good Sweats

Picture a green marsh with a stream running through it that eventually empties into the ocean. There are pine trees on the edges of the marsh. The smell is pungent, like salty mud. You can hear water running by and sea birds squawking. It's warm and humid. Compare that to 32 degrees, dry cold, that cuts right through your coat. There are snowflakes falling on your head and face that melt when they hit the ground. Everything is muted in color, even the sky. Which do you like best? You can probably guess what gets me vote. The cold makes me want to sleep and eat, an urge I must constantly fight. I can see why the Scandinavians like their saunas. In the winter you miss the good sweats.

I helped wrap some presents for our family that the school faculty adopted for Christmas. There were clothes and toys for all four children. Kind of neat.

Good night and sleep tight,
Sue

Doing It Anyway Even if You Don't Feel Like it

Settling down again is difficult. But I'm doing it. Today was hard to get up, but I did it. I ate my salad for lunch.

I had my toughest day of the week. It rained most of the day with all the kids coming out getting wet on the way. Oh joy! I think I've spoken of SWKS and we sure had it today. My principal heard my National Anthem lesson, pretty good one, no frills, just learning what the words mean and singing it.

Keeping on keeping on,
Sue

Back with It

Well, we've finally eased back into normal i.e. healthy, eating habits: 5:30 workout, small breakfast with protein/carb/fruit, salad for lunch with apple and a few whole grain crackers, celery with hummus right after work, smaller dinner with leftover turkey (I never get sick of turkey), green beans, and a little corn leftover from the weekend. Better eating and better exercise.

We worked on the National Anthem today in 4th. They now know what they are singing, as in understanding the words. I had one third grade class who brought in a load of mud, so I had to sweep up after them before the next class could come in and sit. After school I put up a tree, such a nice little tree. The kids will love it.

We got our first Christmas card today. Hopefully we can get ours out on time this year and NOT at the last minute. I love Christmas preparations with decorating and such. It's the only time of year I get foo-foo and a bit cutsie. We have nutcrackers I like to put out and LOTS of boxes of decorations. Two trees at least, well three this year I guess counting the one at school. Christmas decorations are the only thing I really collect and I can't bare to leave any of the in the boxes. Last year, most of them did not come out. This year they are coming out.

Cheers and happy decorating,
Sue

The Otto Yelp

I gave Otto a bath today and he gave me the yelp. This means that he did not like the bath one bit. He doesn't hesitate to let you know when he does not like something. If you move him, he growls. If you give him a bath or hold him when he doesn't want to be bathed or held, he yelps. All in all, he's an amazing force for 19.5 years old. He likes the regular "normal" routine. Anything that deviates from the normal routine he has his way of protesting. All the snack times he knows and expects as part of this routine.

Today we put the pond to bed for the winter, taking out and composting the tropical plants and putting a cover over top to keep out the debris over the winter. I shall miss the pleasant sound of my little fountain burbling away. I like to hear it as I go to sleep. I love the sound of water flowing. It is a peaceful sound for me. There was ice on it, so it wasn't a moment too soon.

I also fixed a pot of chile which we ate for dinner. I then froze the rest for other times when we don't feel like cooking. It turned out good.

Everyone made it back home safely.

Tomorrow it's up at 5:30 to workout and back to school to start the preparations for the Holiday Assembly on the 22nd. Eek!

Sue

Back Now

I need to go back to normal NOW. We having Thanksgiving leftovers again. Yum (again). I've got to return to normal NOW.

The Buckeyes did it! They beat Michigan GOOD!

Did I say that I have to go back to normal now?
Sue

A Very Nice Thanksgiving

I had lots of fun and the meal turned out really great. I love cooking Thanksgiving dinner! All the parts were really good. My Dad and Bob were both eating and raving about how good it was. Special highlights were the turkey with stuffing and gravy (I did not use the turkey drippings). My favorite was the turkey and the cranberry conserve. It was a special Ina Garten recipe, actually the entire meal was. Cranberry sauce with the volume turned up as she says. I added a Granny Smith apple, lemon and orange zest and juice, and chopped pecans. Yum. Even my pies turned out good.

OK... NOW BACK ON IT! Back to regular healthy eating, back to good exercise, back on it! It has been raining for two days, NO KIDDING! so there weren't any walks today either, just eating and watching football and talking.

It was a very nice visit. My dad wants to leave tomorrow, but he'll go back and stay in West Virginia overnight and make the rest of the trip on Saturday. This is good. He is going to wait and leave later in the morning.

I had nice chats with my brother and sister too.

And a nice time was had by all,
Sue

Visiting

Raining, walking Essi, shopping at Dorothy Lane Market, baking pumpkin pie with my Dad watching, fixing dinner for us. Tomorrow I really do some cooking - Thanksgiving meal is my specialty.

I have a picture of the Delaware marshes on my screen now. It's so green and lush and pretty. Oh for summer green and light.

Gobble, gobble,
Sue

Thanksgiving

He made it. Eleven hours and 25 minutes from Wilmington to Lebanon. Worry over at least for this trip.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Sue

Prayer Waves

Send out some prayer waves for an 86 year old man driving 12 hours tomorrow from Wilmington to Lebanon. Is he nuts? I think so. I couldn't do it.

Only one more day to go. The kids were squirrely today.
Sue

Planning for Holiday Healthy Eating

One of the most important aspects to success in healthy eating is planning. You should plan ahead what you're going to eat. That way you're not as tempted to overeat, not AS tempted - it's still a temptation to overeat, especially this time of year. There are more parties, more celebrations at work, more get-togethers, more eating out. For all of these, planning ahead is better. Here are some hints to remind myself and anybody reading:

- never go to the event hungry
- drink a glass of water before you go
- bring something you know you can eat (like a vegie tray with low fat dip, or fruit)
- think ahead of what you will order if it's a restaurant and eat that
- have dessert at home later or skip it, or share a dessert
- skip a course and always have salad first
- concentrate on the other people and not on the food
- think ahead about something you can start the conversation with, then spend most of the time listening - everybody will think you're the best guest ever
- have a very small amount of a special treat, not a full serving
- choose vegie, fish, seafood, or chicken main course if possible
- stay away from heavy sauces, choose tomato-based or clear
- pass up the bread (this is one is VERY hard for me, since I love bread - I make my rule to only eat it if it's worth the calories which means for me is homemade, warm, and special - NOT store bought
- don't skip breakfast or lunch or "save up the calories" before a party; you'll be so hungry you'll be sure to overeat
- have one drink, add ice, make it last, walk around holding it but only sip; have a glass of water with ice (nobody knows the difference)

Add yours!
Sue

Full Schedule

My day was more scheduled up today than during the week. But I did get to have breakfast with Bob at Bob Evans, walk Essi, do yoga, teach two lessons, fill the bird feeders, go shopping for a few food items, eat sushi, stop at Kinkos and the bagel store, make Bob a nice bagel sandwich with cole slaw for dinner, and watch the last quarter of the Buckeyes win oever Iowa, a pretty good game. Then I dozed through a repeat movie.

For Thanksgiving, I'm making turkey roulade (turkey breasts with stuffing), roasted brussell sprouts, mashed potatoes, cognac turkey gravy (it only has a splash of cognac), green beans, cranberries, pumpkin pie. I have to make an egg dish for a staff breakfast on Tuesday. I also bought some bagels today.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to have some time to relax and do nothing. That will be the day.

Sue

Made It

Phew... long week finally over. We celebrated at Bravos tonight. Good meal and enjoyable atmosphere. They were packed with lots of families, all ages really.

My weight stayed the same. Not what I want, but at least not a gain.

My dad is driving out Tuesday. I do not approve of an 86 year man making a 12 hour trip in one day. But I can't do a think with him. I just hope he makes it ok. Yikes. He found out about his award and is very happy about it. He will actually receive the award at a safety seminar in his local area. That's the way they do it.

I can barely keep my eyes open. Will try to write something more enlightening tomorrow. TGIF!
Sue

Sisu

Sisu is a Finnish word that means guts, or determination, doing something and not giving up even if it's difficult. This is what you have to have to get healthy. There are many temptations leading you away from the healthy pathways. You have to have sisu to keep going even when you don't feel like it.

I had an excellent observation today. I have discovered a good system for managing the kids and apparently it is working much better to the point where we all can have some fun. When they mess up, there are consequences and we go on. So... three out of four hard days done. One more long day to go - tomorrow with conferences until late. Then it's Friday and next week we only have two days. Then there is a nice Thanksgiving break that I will be giving thanks for.

I found out today that my dad has received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award!! Their procedure is that he will be presented with the award at one of the safety seminars that will happen mid December in his local area (Philly). I am thinking that we will go visit the Wright B and take his picture in front of it before he goes back to Delaware and have our own little ceremony.

Sue

SWKS

Well, two tough days down and two to go. Was it ever tough getting up this morning! I really wanted to roll over and go back to sleep. But I got up and went over to do weights.

We got a blessed rain today, several hours of slow steady rain. And it was good. It was very good. It was so worth putting up with SKS or should I say SWKS (smelly wet kid syndrome) to get that rain. PEE-EWWWW. I have to say that it's worse than wet dog. They have to walk through the rain to get to me.

And on that note, I'll say good night,
Sue

Gardening Bug

I learned me love of gardening from my grandmothers. My Dad's mother always loved roses, though she never pruned them. I remember them as huge plants with gobs of roses. She also had this philodendron in their dining room that had its roots in water. It was long and she arranged it up over the doors and around the room. I used to be amazed that it could live in water. I now have a short sprig in water by my sink, and it seems to live fine that way.

My Mother's mother had huge vegie gardens where she grew corn, tomatoes, beans. She would can them or as she said, "put them up for winter." My mother couldn't stand to be outside and I never saw her once tend a plant outside. I was shocked when she told me once that she used to work in the garden in the summer. She said they lived on vegies and ate very little meat. They had chickens and other farm animals. I remember eating corn, beans, and tomatoes out of Grandma's garden when I was a little girl. How wonderful they tasted! Grandma would get help from her brothers in tending the garden and would plant the vegies in long rows with space between.

I didn't learn any gardening techniques from them, but I think my love of gardening has to come from them. My Dad dabbled in farming for a few years, planting soybeans and/or corn in our 60 acres with a tractor, etc. He was never much interested in yard work though he did cut the grass. His idea of pruning was to cut the bushes down to stubbs, so he wouldn't have to bother for a couple years until they grew back.

I learned most of what I know from Roy and Joanna, friends in Columbus I met at church, and Tom Whitney, a friend from work. He let me start my first garden on his property. I also had a community plot at Ohio State when I worked there and sometimes gardened at friends' houses until I got married and we got a yard. I have also read hundreds, maybe thousands of books and magazines on gardening and attended seminars. Mostly I've learned from trial and error and actually doing it.

It is interesting that one of my real passions I would learn mostly on my own and not from going to school.

Long day with zumba from 4:15 to 5:15. Now THAT'S some exercise.

Sue

Sleep on a Sunday Night

Tough week coming up, but nice day today. I was outside a bit cutting off some celosia that had kind of run amuck. I planted some beautiful garlic. Can't wait for those garlic scapes in the spring. Yum.

We've got conferences again this week on Thursday. Plus ME is coming on Wednesday to observe me. I've got some really great lessons on the burner.

I got a beautiful sleep last night. Let's hope it's the same tonight.

Sweet dreams,
sue

Manna

I think I might have mentioned that we have a new business in town. It's one that's very bad for the waist-line. It's called Manna Cupcakes, and as you might have guessed they make cupcakes from scratch. All they sell is coffee and cupcakes. These cupcakes are really really good with everything organic and made from scratch. The icing is to die for, made with butter mostly. Honestly, they KNOW how to make a cupcake, all different kinds of cupcakes. AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL... I have to STOP GOING THERE. I got four different kinds today. We shared two of the cupcakes. Both were tremendous. I know, I know... these are NOT on the diet plan. Help!!!!!! I love healthy vegies, fruits, herbs, whole grains, but I also love cupcakes.

I did loose .6 lb this week due to Zumba, weights, bike, and healthy eating. Somehow I have to drive by Manna and not stop there, or I won't keep having success.

Sue

T

Well, we had conferences last night until 8:30 - what an amazing day, very long. TGIF is all I can say. It's nice to have the weekend. They fed us last night from that Italian chain. The food was just warm, Olive Garden, that's it. I usually love their huge salads with the Italian dressing with lots of garlic. No dressing with garlic last night. I put one of those little candies they give you at the end of the meal in my pocket with my keys and promptly forgot about it. Oh yes!!! Melted chocolate in my pocket - really neat. Also yesterday I was sitting on one of my stools (from Walmart - why do I ever go there, I ask you?) and it collasped to the floor with me on it. Fortunately the ragged metal didn't cut me. I'm glad it happened to me and not one of the kids. Yesh!

Cute kid statement of the day: I was explaining that JS Bach worked for a duke and a kid asked, "Is that the same as the Dukes of Hazzard?" How did he know about that old old show? And how about that culture? Great, eh?

I miss my wise cracking commentaire and hope he will return soon.

Cheers,
Sue

Doing it Anyway Even if You Don't Feel Like it

I was really dragging today. This morning my feet hurt and it was really hard to go over to ride the bike at 5:30. But I did it anyway. My energy level was low, especially right before breakfast. Then I felt better after breakfast. I did a good job with the kids today though.

This afternoon I called my Dad on the way home to tell him the good news about the Master Pilot Award. It looks like a sure thing, but will take some time. They want to present it locally near his home though.

Then my feet were hurting so bad, but I took Essi on a little walk anyway. Low and behold, my feet started to feel better. That's the nature of arthritis. Weird stuff. We walked Battina and MoJo back after they had delivered some garlic. I'm looking forward to planting it and want to clean up my garden/strawberry bed. The celosia had taken over there. On the way back, I had a nice chat with the neighbors including one new one with their dog, an American bulldog. Nice dinner and we watched In Treatment, 3 episodes. We like that show. Now to get some rest.

Bon soir,
Sue

Live Longer

I read in Time magazine about a new study that says moderate drinkers live longer than tea totalers. Well, pass me a glass of vino! That is kind of nice news. That's better than hearing that you have to be extra thin to have a long life. I've heard that one too.

We had temperatures in the 70s today. Weird weather continues.

We had a hamburger for dinner because Bob said last night, "I just have to have a piece of meat." It did taste good though. I was stiff and sore today due to my double workout yesterday I guess.

Buona notte,
Sue

Zumba on Monday and Lentils

Since we have conferences on Thursday afternoon and into the evening, we had our Zumba class today on Monday. I didn't feel like doing it, but I did it anyway. I really enjoy moving my body the way you do in Zumba class. Very fun and sexy.

I had made some Lentils and Vegie Soup yesterday. Was it ever GOOD! It was nice to have it made, so all we had to do was heat it up. Bob had some dental work done today, so he was not in the mood to cook. It worked out nice. Plus I had quite a bit extra to freeze. There are now two soups in there for a little change when we want it.

The kids really sucked it out of me today. I wasn't the only one either. Yikes! Sometimes they are just very tough. This afternoon was one of those times. I had to crack the whip a bit, or get strict. Sometimes it's necessary.

I'm exhausted, and so am going to bed. Sweet dreams.
Sue

Kick it UP

What can we do to kick it up a notch? Here are some ideas. Please share yours, everybody. Hey, if you're reading, comment! We'd all like to read them.

Fit in one more workout or change what you're doing now - add weight, change machines, change cardio, add sprints or intervals
Drink another glass of water
Eliminate meat on another meal or exchange for fish or chicken
Add yoga, I mean real yoga, with deep breathing and meditation; for that matter, add meditation
Get out your netti pot
Get a new book from the library you've been meaning to read and start reading it
Add herbs to one of your favorite dishes
Get a workout buddy or get some time with an instructor to kick up your workouts
Add a spin class - I'm going to try this Wednesday morning. That means I have to get up 30 minutes sooner that day. I can do it for one day.
Take your dog out for an extra walk.
Teach an extra dance in class.
Get inspired and tell how you did it.


Add some more, please.
Sue

Change the Clocks

What a concept! I'd like to be able to put in an hour sometime when I really need an extra hour instead of tonight. I will mourn loss of the daylight in the afternoon.

I read in the USA Today that having overweight friends make it more likely you will be overweight. They just keep coming up with such good news in the paper, don't they?

I picked up two 20 lb bags of bird seed today at the Bird Store. With one at each arm you can feel what 40 pounds really feels like. That's how much I want to lose. Wow! What a load!

I went shopping at Dorothy Lane and got a bunch of healthy stuff. They had beautiful pears and apples. I got some swordfish for tomorrow. I'm going to make some lentil soup with French lentils.

I also got out my netti pot. It made a wondrous difference in my nasal passages. I don't understand why more people don't know about it. No drugs, just blessed relief with clear nostrils. It looks like a little tea pot, but you fill it with warm water and saline solution. While you put your head in the sink, you pour it in one nostril and the water flows out the other. A bit awkward, but the results are great.

OK, I'm going to get my extra hour of sleep now.
Sue

Not This Week

OK... it's official. I did not get my pound this week. In fact, I went up about 1/2 lb. I know what did it: the small little things that all added up. I need to get all my exercise, eat good snacks, pass up dessert during the week, drink lots of water during the day, get rid of my cold, and make the good choices I know to make. Come on, let's go. Let's not have the same November I usually have with a weight gain. Let's keep on the program and keep on loosing my pound a week. Go, go, go!

I was fitted with new orthotics. It's all digital now, no castes of your feet, etc. I hope these help with my arthritis.

Have a good weekend, all readers.
Sue

Less Light

I guess it's good I wasn't born further north or had to put up with very short days. I don't like it when the days get so short. Next weekend we go back to standard time. Then it will be dark by 5 or 5:30. Now I'm up a couple hours before it gets light. This seems somehow better. I am a light person, or someone who thrives with more daylight. I may even have that seasonal affective disorder, or maybe it's just I just feel better with more light. I like being outside and it's more difficult to be outside in the fall and winter because the days are so short.

We're getting rain and the temperature is supposed to fall to freezing, so we may even see a couple flakes of snow by morning. Weird! I'm not ready for snow yet.

I got fitted for a new set of orthotics this evening. Hopefully it will help my arthritis in my feet. We had dinner at Mimi's. It was ok and not so expensive.

Late start tomorrow? Dream on, I guess,
Sue

Food at School

Well, we passed our renewal levy, no new taxes, but at least no less.

I read in the USA Today yesterday an article about kids being able to get sweet drinks at school, that is most kids can still get them. I know our high school doesn't sell snacks because at our meeting yesterday I went searching for a healthy snack from a machine midmorning. I forgot to bring one. I usually have a bite of banana or apple or a piece of stick cheese from my refrigerator when I'm teaching. We were stuck there and were not supposed to leave. Poor planning on my part. Lunch wasn't very good either.

I am amazed at what our kids can choose at lunch. They can choose plain 2% milk, chocolate milk, strawberry milk, or vanilla milk.
The three flavored milks are filled with sugar. I've checked the labels. I can't stand them. Most of our kids choose one of the flavored milks, not the plain milk that I usually drink. The food is 85% processed or precooked food of some kind that the cafeteria workers warm up. I'm wondering when this happened. When I went to schools, cafeteria ladies made the food. The choice was the lunch or bringing your own. Period. Our kids can choose a soft pretzel every day or a hot dog every day if they want. The vegies and fruits are mostly from cans. If they want they can pay extra for ice cream or corn chips, every day if they wish. It's no wonder we have so many fat kids. How can they grow well on soft pretzels and strawberry milk? Yikes.

Sue

Do What You Can Do

We had a day listening to somebody tall about the Artisan Teacher and what are some of the qualities that make good teaching. He was pretty good and kept everybody's attention amazingly well considering how long we were there. He made some good points and got us thinking. I would have liked to have seen him in an actual classroom with actual kids.

We both voted are waiting somewhat anxiously to hear if our levy passed. Let's hope it did.

Everything was disrupted today including my exercise this morning and my normal amount of activity. It was kind of good to have a sitting there day because I am fighting off a cold.

At least I drank lots of water. Some days you do what you can do.

Sue

Candy Ran Out

Fortunately, we ran out of candy last evening, so there wasn't any left over to tempt me. Since I'm out in my trailer, I don't usually come into the building much. So if anybody brought any leftover candy, I didn't see it. Good thing. Now it's November and we had better get tough for those winter months. Ugh.

Election Day tomorrow. I will be glad to see the attack ads come to an end. Those are the only ones we saw around here.

We have to sit in an auditorium all day tomorrow due to the schools being closed. At least I'm missing my toughest day.

Good night,
Sue

Better Fruit

I read this from TIME on September 13 issue:

" Sure, they're easier on the environment, but are organic strawberries - free of pesticides and synthetic growth promoters - actually more nutritious? Yes, at least according to a new study that compared conventionally grown and organic strawberries. The organic fruit not only contained more antioxidants and other compounds beneficial to healthy; in a blind test, it tasted better too."

Duh... I swear I can tell the difference taste-wise between organic vegies and fruit and sprayed vegies and fruit, eggs, milk and meat too. It's a win win win situation, better for the environment, more nutritious, and better tasting. All these MUST be worth paying a few cents more.

Happy Halloween!!!
Sue

Halloween Treats

Halloween is always a real challenge for me. I love dressing up, telling tales, and eating candy. I remember when I was a freshman in college a guy that I was dating gave me a whole package of mini Reeses Buttercups for Halloween. I ate almost every one and thought that was about the best present ever. They were my favorite and still are. Of course, this is something I cannot have around because I cannot control how many I eat. Reeses also have special meaning because my mother used to buy them for herself as a special treat when I was a little girl. She would hide them. I never saw her eat them. She thought I saw nothing, but I did see her buy them, but never eat them. When I finally got one myself I could see why she liked them so much. What's not to like - peanut butter and chocolate? Nothing better. Yum.

My best costume was when i went to a party dressed as Charley Chapman. I used no make-up, just Bob's tux and my Grandfather's Boller hat that covered my entire head and hair (I put my hair up underneath the hat). I drew on a small mustache on my upper lip and said nothing at the party. Yes, I know, hard to believe. But it was so fun. Nobody knew who I was.

My nutritionist advised that if you have to have something sweet like that, to get M&Ms peanut style. She says the peanut slows down the digestion of the sugar. I don't know if I truly buy this one, but I find I can control how many of these I eat. I guess it's because I don't like them as much. I can have a couple and be satisfied. Tomorrow I must buy some candy to give the kids for trick or treat night. So the challenge looms.

Happy Halloween,
Sue

What Shall We Do?

If the scale doesn't act nice.

Killer Zumba class. Good weights this morning. Lost of dancing, story telling, singing, and playing the instrumentarium. Salad for lunch. Very tired. Popcorn with scenes of a movie I like (1900). Very active day. Got to get some sleep.

Sue

Which Plan Works for What Body Types

Some eating plans work better for some people than others. (Quotation from November MORE magazine)

"Those with big bellies do well on a low-carb low-glycemic diet. This kind emphasizes meat and dairy products which generally produce small fluctuations in blood glucose and insulin, as well as carbohydrates that contain a lot of fiber, such as bran cereals. On the other hand, people with big butts tend to do better with low-fat, high-carb diets - eating plans that often center on vegies and grains while minimizing read meat. And those who are large all over seem to do well with a Mediterranean diet - one that is rich in fruits and vegies, whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes and healthy fats like olive oil."

I fit into the Mediterranean style the best I think. At least it seems like I have had the best success yet with the least hungry times.

Food for thought, so to speak,
Sue

Severe Weather

We had a tornado warning today at school, so we had to move to safe places for about 45 minutes. It was pouring when we had to come inside, so my class and I were soaked. So was the principal who was worrying about us and came out to the trailer personally to fetch us. He also was soaked to the skin. The one positive was that we did get some rain out of it. We so desperately need it.

So, my roughest day is over for the week. Tomorrow we have data day which means we get to enter grades for our Early Release time. This is good. I can actually work in my room. We have conferences coming up too pretty soon. Those are always marathon days too.

Weights were rough this morning too because there was waiting at some machines. Not good, so I had to skip two of them. Tomorrow I ride the bike.

Sue

Frost on the Pumpkind

Little Orphan Annie's come to our house to stay...
and sweep and brush the crumbs away...
The frost is on the pumpkin
and the wind goes Woo-woo...
And the goblins will get YOU if you don't watch out.
-James Whitcomb Riley (or at least what I remember from one of his poems from my childhood. I always get his book of poems out this time of year. They are in dialect and probably not politically correct these days, but I remember them affectionately)

Tomorrow, we'll have the wind and the rain. Then Thursday we'll have the frost on the pumpkin.

Nice meeting with my nutritionist, the guru of healthy living. I'm making progress along the path of getting healthy. It's an attitude adjustment for sure with a lot of other choices, a shift in thinking.

Fun with the kids today with my Halloween lessons, More tomorrow.

I love Halloween,
Sue

Mini Vacation

It's good to take a bit of time off. Friday I had a day off. I spent some extra time with Bob. We spend a lot of time talking, and I think this is a good thing.

Weigh-in was good - .8 lb. so this brings me almost to 15 lbs since June 1. It's not very fast, but at least it's in the right direction.

Today was a beautiful day, kind of warm and breezy. I sat on the porch and hemmed a couple pair of pants I needed to take up.

This week is Halloween week and will be fun. Now I'm headed into the kitchen to make some butternut squash soup. You roast some vegies, mush them up in the blender, then add some chicken stock and a few spices, not difficult.

Have a good Halloween week, everybody,
Sue

The Secret

I know sometimes I say the same things, but the secret is small long term changes. That's it in a nutshell. Stop thinking about dieting and start thinking about living, doing things that you can do the rest of your life to be healthy. Dedicate yourself to those things and make the small daily choices that make them possible.

Today I mailed an application for my father to receive the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, only given to pilots who have had safe flying records for over 50 years, My father qualifies, FOR SURE. Nobody else could deserve this award more than my dad. I think it would be cool to present him with the award in front of the Wright B flyer, which is kept very near to here in Springboro. We'll see if it can happen. He's coming out here for Thanksgiving. This would be cool. But even if it's not available before then, it will be a neat thing for him to have this. He has been flying for 66 years and has a safety record second to nobody.

Cheers and TGIF,
Sue

Frost Forcasted

Preliminary weigh-in shows I got my pound. We'll see at the official weigh-in tomorrow morning. I did Zumba after school and we have tomorrow off. We're having a frost tonight, widely scattered. Temperature will get to 33. I'm never ready for the killing frost, although it is nice to have cooler weather. We are now 8 inches behind normal in rainfall. This is bad news going into winter. Any tree, bush , or plant that was struggling will probably die.

Until tomorrow... frostily yours,
Sue

Better Feeling Feet

Ahhh... it's feels so good when it stops... foot pain, that is. My PF has been tempted into remission, at least for the present. I am grateful to go back to just arthritis upon first standing up.

I have been having a lot of fun with Halloween lessons in school. It is one of my favorite holidays and always has been. Kids of course have fun at this time of year, so I am joining them this year. We have a day off Friday for fall break (a little sanity break). I have not missed one hour of school yet. This is good. My air machine is doing its job. Hip, hip, horray.

We have an owl that hoots in the night. Bob had heard him and I finally got to hear him this morning. Neat sound. Lower in pitch than i thought it would be. I don't think I have ever heard one hoot. He is keeping with the Halloween spirit.

Hoot, hoot,
Sue

Have some Easy Lunches?

My most difficult day is done for the week. It was made all the more wonderful by having to run to the bathroom a couple times this afternoon. Something I got from the cafeteria disagreed with me, It seems like every time I get something, it makes me sick. What to do? Don't get anything from the cafeteria anymore except milk. Case solved! I guess I get tired of the same thing for lunch: a small salad from Kroger with some extra vegies. Any suggestions for lunch that are easy?

To bed to get some rest so I can get up tomorrow morning to ride the bike.
Sue

Breakfast Ideas from Liz and Me

Here are some great ideas from an article a friend of mine sent me. They mostly are an answer to people who say they don't have time for breakfast. Good hints here, though.

Eat Right, Even When There's No Time

-- By Liz Noelcke [my comments are inside the square brackets]


If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it 937 times: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Why? You just spent eight hours with no food or water. You’re dehydrated, your blood sugar is low and you have little energy. And now it’s time to hurry the kids off to school before the eight-hour workday. More than any other point in the day, you need nourishment. Right now.

Besides, eating breakfast actually helps you lose weight. Those who skip the meal tend to snack before lunch and throughout the day, usually on unhealthy, high-calorie foods. Breakfast eaters typically cruise until lunch, while beaming with energy. [Also very important is to start the day with a glass of water!!!]

So what are some breakfast ideas? Scratch that--healthy and quick ideas? Here are some of our favorites:

Prepare a casserole the night before. Pop it in the microwave when you wake up and it will be ready to go when you are. [right... who has time for this? unless it's leftovers from dinner]

Incorporate complex carbohydrates, such as whole wheat toast and bagels. Spread peanut butter and raisins on top of either for added flavor. [Yes, this is a good one. I also sometimes put a slice of thin ham or turkey with a bit of cheese and throw it into the micro for a couple minutes. And don't forget the fruit. I keep my fruit on the counter. It tastes much better at room temperature. ]

Bake bran muffins early in the week, then grab one or two each morning. Or check out a local bakery for healthy varieties. [Most muffins are very high in calories unless you make them yourself. We have a new cupcake place that sells carrot cake like cupcakes that are kind of like muffins. They are very good, but probably high in calories.]

Make waffles Sunday morning and freeze the leftovers. You can pop ‘em in the toaster for a homemade breakfast. Also, grocery stores sell frozen whole grain selections.

Have you ever tried a tortilla for breakfast? Wrap up cold turkey and cheese, grab an apple and you’re on your way. [Yes, this is good. Dorothy Lane market sells this tortillas made with whole grains. Very good with a slice of tomato or salsa, cheese, and/or egg]

Don’t forget cold cereal. We’re not talking about those covered with sugar, but the healthy variety. Items such as Wheaties and Cheerios are always good choices. [Ugh, I don't buy these anymore. I get Kashi or organic cereals. They are whole grain and delicious.]

Whole-egg or egg white omelets with fresh or frozen veggies (carrots, broccoli, celery, peppers, onions and even black beans make great additions). [yes, but I refuse to give up the yolk of the egg. I buy organic eggs and I know the farm where they come from. ]

Make a shake or a smoothie. Blend fruit and yogurt and then drink it in the car. [I try not to eat in the car - bad policy. But the smoothie is a good idea. We try to have one of these once a week. You need a mid morning snack, but it's low calories. Use Kefir in these too - delicious! ]

A side option is a small bag of finger foods, such as a mixture of granola and grapes.

This is a jammed packed posting! Please add your favorite healthy fast breakfasts.

Sue

Steel Cut Oatmeal

OK, we tried it this morning. Bob says he now knows what gruel tastes like (hee, hee). It took a very long time to make. I followed directions. It said for 2 servings, take 3 cups water/milk (I used 1 cup milk and 2 cups water), bring to simmer and add 1/2 cup oats. It simmered away for 45 minutes and still was kind of runny. I wonder if there's a secret to cooking them? The taste was good, but we added maple syrup (me) and brown sugar (Bob). I am not all that fond of regular oatmeal, but will eat it sometimes. This was soupier.

I'm going for a walk now. It's a nice day.
Sue

Buckeyes Go Down to Defeat

But everything else about this day was great. I went to a fantastic workshop sponsored by my Orff chapter. It had lots of ideas I can take to my classroom. I went shopping at Dorothy Lane Market, and I always enjoy that. We had chicken noodle soup and a nice salad.

Too bad for the Buckeyes, no longer number one. They just didn't do the job tonight. Bob says that's why you play the game.

Sue

Fun

An absolute requirement for health is to have fun. You can keep on a grind for a while, but it does not feed you. I really had fun with my classes today. I taught them a dance that I made up to Ghost Busters. Another music teacher gave me the idea to dance to it. The kids liked it so much, that they wanted to "do it again." It was neat to see them enjoying themselves. I was too, enjoying myself, that is. We are having Tall Tales in the fourth grade where we're sharing tales. We will pick the best of them and make a mini musical out of them, one for each class. Some are amazing story tellers. They have much to tell already at 10 and 11. I am encouraging them to use their imaginations, I am happy to see that for the most part they are able to do this. I had a nice lunch with my husband too.

Have a fun weekend,
Sue

Flu Shot, Kefir, and 1900

I got my flu shot today to keep from getting the flu. You can get it at your local pharmacy, public health office, or of course your doctor. I am delighted that I am staying healthy. I credit my air machine, exercise program and good diet. I want to keep it up.

We discovered Kefir, a yogurt that your drink, but it's got more good bacteria than regular yogurt, even the organic kind. We have tried the strawberry and another kind, both good. It's German in origin, I think. You can find it in the organic food section. It is very good for digestion, good for burning fat and making efficient use of calories. It is especially good for the absorbtion of vitamin C and calcium.

Last for today, you MUST see the movie, The Legion of 1900. It is a fantastic movie that we liked so much we have watched it more than once. Really really good.

Sue

Hard Day

It was a very tough day. Tuesdays are always tough, but this one was tougher. A colleague came to observe me, so nerves played into the mix. Plus we had a lock down drill. I didn't take enough for lunch. I had to eat a snack at 3 o'clock stuffing in a piece of string cheese and a couple bites of an apple. I didn't have my banana at noon. Somehow I made it.

Good night,
Sue

Coyotes Closeby

This morning I was backing up to go to the Y for my exercise at about 5:45 (about 2 hours before dawn now) and realized I forgot my book. I turned off my car, opened the door to go back inside and heard, believe it or not, the sound of coyotes howling and yipping, and not far away either. We live IN TOWN, not out in the country. It was really weird to hear them. I think they are coming in because it's been so dry and probably they can't find anything to eat out in the country. Weird, though. They don't seem to be too scared of being close to humans. I know people in this neighborhood with small dogs. I've heard of small dogs being carried off by coyotes. Eek!

Same routine today. It's not quite so difficult to get up. My feet are feeling much better, halleluia. We watched a really good show called Michael Steinberg's American Song Book. Really interesting.

Got to get some rest.
Sue

Chile to Spare

I just made a huge pot of chile today. I put in lots of vegies along with some meat and lots of beans, of course. The recipe also calls for corn. I made this recipe about 2 months ago and froze quite a bit. Every time we warmed it up, it was great.

My foot is better. I am doing lots of stretching. I just took Essi on a short walk, not too far.

It is hot here, like summer not like fall, and VERY dry. I can't figure out why it doesn't rain.

Happy rest of Sunday,
Sue

Sushi

I like it. I have it about once a week. I'd eat it more if I could afford it. Kroger has started offering it in the supermarket, but it's not as good as they have in a restaurant. There's a local place around here run by Chinese (yes, even though it's a Japanese thing). They have the basics of salmon and tuna with some yellow tail, shrimp, and the fake crab with avocado. Their miso soup is ok and the seaweed salad is ok. But my favorite sushi restaurant of all time is in Columbus. They have all the choices of fish. I love their sushi special that contains always the freshest most delicious fish and everything to go with it. It used to be called Restaurant Japan and is named something else now. They changed their name, don't know why. This place is owned and operated by Japanese and all the sushi chefs are Japanese. Their sushi is definitely a cut above. Bob likes their pork with rice. I think it is in my top five of favorite restaurants anywhere. They have been there 20 years and have stayed good, even improved over the years.

I did a bit of yoga today and had a face peel. My hairdresser talked me into these once a month. They're supposed to help you look younger. The peels are free, but you have to buy product every other month. I like the basic peels, but the products are getting a bit expensive.

To bed now to get my beauty rest - ha!
Sue

A NEW Grand Total

Bonus Message

Don't give up! Stay the course! Set your eyes on the goal! Small steps for the long term!

Sue

Down .8 and a day to go

I was pretty happy when I got on the scale this morning. It's almost 15 pounds and here's what I did different this week: drank more water every day, cut back a bit for breakfasts, bumped up my weights 5 lb each machine. These are little things, but I think they helped.

Today I found out I have plantar faschitis in my left heel. This is actually good news, no spur and no tearing of my tendons. I got a shot and a bunch of stretching exercises to do. Let's hope they work.

Hope the week's going well for you,
Sue

Healthy Teeth for Health

It's important to take good care of your teeth. If you put off going to the dentist, you might have to go through extra torture. I think your teeth health is part of how people live longer and better. I hate going, but go anyway for cleaning every six months. Plus I brush and floss every night and use this heavy duty mouth wash. The mouth wash is new. I don't like the taste, but I think it's helping keep my mouth better.

Tomorrow is the last early morning workout this week. Then I have a couple days off. Yeah. I don't have to get up early anyway. I'll still do something Tomorrow I'm going to take care of my feet.

Tootles,
Sue

Tuesdays and Roasting Vegies

Most of my fourth graders got to do "Mallet Madness" this week. I set up rows of instruments, one for each kid, and they get about 3 minutes or so on each rotating down the rows. They love it. It's tough on my hearing. The third graders took OATs today, a morning of tests. They were useless this afternoon. Plus they rescheduled all my classes, so I had all the third graders this afternoon. So, it was an even more tough version of my already tough Tuesday.

On Tuesdays it's about just making it through the day and my two piano students after school.

Bob fixed a nice dinner, meatless, with great pasta, tomato sauce, and broccoli roasted. Ina has really convinced us of the yum factor of roasted vegies. They have so much flavor. You take any vegies, cut them up, spinkle olive oil, salt and pepper, then place them on a flat roasting pan and roast at 425 for about 20 minutes depending on how big you cut them up.

I'm still nursing my heel spur. Tomorrow is early release with teacher meetings after school.

Here's to roasting vegies.
Sue

Avoiding the Winter Bulge

I read in my library that it is programmed into our DNA to gain in the winter because fat insulates better in colder weather. Well... I certainly have enough to get me through the coldest times - ha! In fact, I'm sure I'd be just as warm with less insulation, if you know what I mean. I want to ensure that I keep my downward direction. So let's share what to do when we can't go outside as much. Like today, it didn't make it out of the low 60s. The kids were outside running and jumping, so they didn't seem to mind. I had my heat on and we didn't have to run the air conditioner today for the first time in my trailer.

Here's my list to avoid the winter bulge and to keep on going DOWN: avoid too many desserts and sweets (boy, do I crave them during cold weather so keep them to once a week only), keep the whole grains in every meal, bump up something in your exercise plan (more core exercises for me), go rake some leaves, keep on schedule with eating often (but the right things), drink plenty of water, switch shoes in the middle of the day, eat early (not past 6 PM), keep switching off smaller breakfasts, don't forget your vitamin D in the winter, cook some hardy healthy soups, keep on low meat or have non-meat meals, Zumba at least twice a week, keep my air machine going strong, feet up during lunch, continue my early morning workouts 4x a week. Can anybody add some things? Comment, please.

Sue

Old Habits Make Well-worn Paths

I was thinking back on how in the world I got to where I am now weight-wise. It has a lot to do with unhealthy habits that I slip back into after a time of more healthy choices and how easy it is to slip back into those habits. It also has to do with losing weight and gaining it back plus more and doing this many times. It certainly comes back on a lot more easily that it comes off. It's too bad that you can't eat something that joins with the actual fat cells and takes them from your body. I have read that having lost the weight, those fat cells are still there in your body. This is one thing that makes keeping weight off so difficult. That, and the fact that old habits are really difficult to change.

There is a new book out that talks about how the eating habits your mother had during pregnancy affects the future child even before birth. That is, the tendency toward diabetes, obesity, and other conditions are set inside the womb. It's not heredity, but habits set before birth. There are well worn paths established BEFORE BIRTH. I find this incredible. The only hopeful news is that you CAN change the paths, but the bad news is that some paths are already there for you as a fetus. YIKES!

I was also thinking about how most people move along the path of least resistance, the path that takes the least effort. This would include following the paths of your old habits because it's much easier. This is true not only for eating, but many other areas of life too. "That's the way we've always done it" is the argument for doing it a certain way, not to question whether it is right or not, and not to put forth the effort to change. That's the way my mother did it or my father did it. I think this way of thinking will ultimately point to our undoing. You can't fight every battle on every front - age, I think, brings the wisdom of how to choose what battles you can fight and have a chance of winning. The rest you have to let go.

And on that note, I'll say tra-lah,
Sue

Italian Food

What is it about Italian food that's so great? I know few people that don't like it. Real Italians aren't overweight either, although some American Italians are. Italians eat pasta every day. When I was an exchange student, my Italian mother cooked a wonderful tomato sauce every day with some sort of pasta, not from a box or jar either. She got the pasta from a pasta maker down the street or made her own. Most Italians eat the larger meal at noon, then rest a couple hours, then go back to work. In the evening they have a light supper. They don't eat a large breakfast with eggs and such either. They have a capuccino (only in the morning) with some bread and maybe some soft cheese in these little packages. I remember my first expresso. WOW! I hadn't even tried coffee. I hadn't tried olives either. I remember a salad that Mamma Oliva fixed with slightly green tomatoes and olive oil. It was wonderful. I think that the was last time in my life that I got to eat whatever I wanted. I was 16. Since then, it's been trying to change my diet, eat less, etc.

Manga,
Sue

Being Very very thin

My Dad sent me an interesting article from his paper about a new book about how people eat. Not surprisingly, the wealthier the society, the lousier their diet. The wealthier countries (like us) consume more sugar, refined flour, and LOTS more processed food. These have higher calories for the buck, but they are not good calories. Diets high in unrefined grains are better for you. They seemed to be making the point that skinnier people are healthier - I mean VERY THIN. Personally, I have no desire to be super thin or to have the kind of life style you have to have to be super thin, as in eat very very fun calories. I want to be healthy and more thin. But I want to enjoy life and eat and enjoy food. What good is an extra year of life at 88 if you have to starve when you're 20-88 to get it?

Comments?
Sue

Less Water Is Not Good

Down .4 and I know why. I have not been drinking enough water. It's been a bit cooler, so I have been drinking less. I think your body needs the water to process out the weight that you don't need, that to loose the weight. Yesterday morning I was less than this morning on official weigh-in morning.

Sue

Old Dog New Tricks

I just got a heck of a foot cramp. My right toe was standing straight up and I couldn't relax it. Now I'm soaking my feet in this little machine with bubbling water.

I am curious to see if I get my pound this week. I am suspicious that the bacon I had on Sunday will wreck up my loss. We shall see.

New habits are difficult to establish, but not impossible. You know the saying that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. This is not true if the old dog really wants to learn some.

The week is now over half over. I was looking at my planner and I had already had subs in for me last year and the year before. This year, no subs yet. This is good. My air machine is working very well. I have cleaned it once and it's now zapping up some more bad stuff from the air. I know the air is better in my room. I am pleased. It is an Oreck. So far so good!

I was trying to eat a tomato like an apple today for lunch and a bunch of seeds and tomato juice gooped all over my shirt. So much for my professional attire!

And on that note, I'm to bed.
Sue

Meat as a Flavoring

My Dad sent me a book about what foods are good for losing weight. The point of the book is that it says you should have 5-6 servings complex carbs, 3 servings protein, 5-8 vegies and fruits, 3 servings fat (one teaspoon is a serving). A serving of protein is one ounce. A serving of carbs is 1/2 cup. So this book basicially agrees with the Eatingwell.com diet plan that meat is a flavoring and not the center of the meal. It is contrary to the way most Americans eat and contrary to the way I was raised. My Dad does not eat this way either, but probably found the book and sent it to me because he thinks I need to lose weight. It did not contain any information I did know. Most of the book is a listing of whole grains, vegies, and fruits and why they're good for you. I'll share more if it's interesting.

My left heal, the underside, has been bothering me. Oh goodie, a heel spur. Just what I need - something else hurting on my feet. However, my Burkenstocks shoes help. They are shoes made in Germany. They're kind of ugly, but feel wonderful. They're also expensive. I had a pair at school I was using to switch off. My heel was really hurting and I switched over to them. Fortunately they felt better. They have a formed bottom with good arch support and a cupped heal. They're purple, so my kids always notice them when I wear them.

It was very difficult to get up this morning with a nice rain going. But I did it.
We had chile for dinner. It was good.

Sue

Finally... Rain

We finally had more than a sprinkle today, maybe 1/2. This is the first in 3 months.

My nutritionist, L, says to have a pleasure basket in which you put some things that "feed" non-food related of course. Stuff like a good book you've been wanting to read, some lotion that smells good, your joy list. She says to actually write it down and put it in there. When you need a lift, get something out and treat yourself.

My dad sent me a book on foods that help you loose weight. I don't think he follows the advice in there, but then again he's 86 and still moving pretty good.

To bed now,
Sue

Special Breakfast Treat

We had bacon for breakfast this morning. Did it ever taste good. We hadn't had it in quite a while. My favorite breakfast of all time is blueberry pancakes with maple syrup, soft scrambled eggs, and crisp bacon with fruit and good coffee. Yum yum. This breakfast has too many calories to have often, so it's only for a special treat.

I went to a fabulous daylong series of workshops yesterday at Miami University at Oxford, about an hour away from here. It was an Orff workshop with lots of participation. I was tired when I got home. I watched one of my favorite movies, Julia and Julie, based on a true story about a young woman cooking her way through Julia Child's cookbook AND Julia Child's story of when she wrote the cookbook and got it published. It is a feel good movie all the way. It was also my inspiration for starting this blog (Julie starts a blog about her experience). Meryl Streep channels Julia Child. Wonderful movie. I like it so much I've watched it at least half a dozen times.

Still no rain. All plants including trees, bushes, and perennials are really suffering. It makes me feel bad. It will be interesting to see what comes back. I am betting we loose quite a few plants. It's time for dormancy now and will be difficult for the plants to take up water now even if we do get some rain. To my memory we have never in my lifetime had a summer such as this where we got absolutely no rain for three solid months.

Hope your Sunday is going well,
Sue

More "Good" News from the Paper

I was reading in the USA Today that America has one of the highest percentages of very overweight people in the developed world. I think it was over 30%. The thing is that the paper doesn't emphasize enough what Americans have to do about this. I think some laws governing the fast food industry would help. I think people should have to pay more for burgers, fries, and cokes. If salads were as cheap as hamburgers, more people would choose them. Maybe I'm dreaming. It is true that once refined sugar and flour are out of your system, you don't crave them as much. Healthy foods take longer to eat. There are tricks that should be publicized more like drink a glass of water before dinner. Eat your salads and vegies first. Always serve vegies and fruits at every meal and make them the central part of the meal instead of meat. Move more. Park farther away and walk more. Turn off the TV and do something active. Get together with some friends and try a new exercise. Walk your dog every day (they love it and it's good exercise). Sleep more. Shop the outside of the supermarket and refuse to buy anything premade or precooked. Down with convenience food! There's a million other things that can be done. Add your favorites and comment!

I get tired of reading and hearing how fat we are without more people with power doing something about it. I guess each person needs to do what he or she can do and make those small choices daily toward better health.

Celery with hummus - yum!
Sue

Down Another

I'm down another pound. I guess that makes over 14 if anybody's keeping track.

It's looking like rain and not doing it, the unfortunate new norm around here.

I've got a workshop tomorrow. I hate to give up my Saturday, but they are alway good. TGIF!

Sue

A Nice Noticing

Sometimes you work so hard toward something and the steps are so small that it's difficult to see the progress. Today a staff member said to me, "it looks like you're thinner." Halleluia, someone noticed. She is also someone who has struggled and continues to work at keeping the weight off. She told me she had an operation about 4 years ago. She lost the weight, but then started to gain it back even with her smaller stomach. That goes to show you that one must change habits to KEEP the weight off, no matter how one looses it. I keep repeating the mantra, small changes for the long term.

Sue

Lunch that Works for Me

Well, the hardest two are done. Not the rest of the week is easy, mind you. I've done two early morning workouts too and will workout tomorrow and Thursday. We had one of my frozen meals this evening. It was the chile. Not bad. Chile always tastes better the more you cook it.

For lunch I have been having the Kroger small salads that come with everything, even some dressing. The greens are mostly romaine and come with various things to put on top, like a bit of chicken, cheese, or chopped up vegies. They are pretty good, about 300 calories. I always bring some other vegies to have with it, like cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, or squash, for example. I also have a few pretzels or whole grain chips with a couple nuts and a fruit. I usually walk down to the cafeteria and get a milk. This lunch holds me pretty well. I also put my feet up on my desk for about 20 minutes. This really helps me get through the afternoon.

Afternoon snack is an apple and a piece of string cheese, at least since school started. I don't usually want it, but feel drained at the end of the day. Water and this snacks helps revive me. Although on Mondays and Tuesdays, I am pretty much done for the day. On Tuesday I have a couple piano lessons too.

Cheers to the middle of the week,
Sue

My Feet

I unfortunately have arthritis in my feet. It comes as a result of ten years of long distance running (that I loved) and treatment of various foot conditions such as Morton's Neuroma and Bone spurs by steriods, tapings, orthotics, and operations. I have had 5 operations on my feet. It was the best known treatment at the time, but now is not done due to the long term consequences of the surgeries that I now have. My arthritis is something that I have been told by quite a few doctors that I have to live with. I almost wish it were diabetes, because this could be treated. I haven't given up on improving or solving my feet pain. Losing weight has to help, and it certainly helps the rest of me. I wear orthotics in my shoes and have for more than 20 years. It might be time to see if the orthotics need to be changed.

I am having a day of rest today, because a week of teaching is coming up fast.

Happy second to last day of summer. No rain yet and the temps are supposed to sore into the 90s again this week. What in the world is going on?

Happy Sunday,
Sue

Nice Day

We went to the OSU game against OU. Nice drive to Columbus. Good breakfast, one of the best ever in history. Little bits of all my breakfast favorites. LOOOOOONG walk to stadium. We hadn't been in the new enlarged shoe. Wow. It's gorgeous. We sat in the sun, but everybody was. Neat to watch the real thing instead of TV. We hadn't been to a game in 15 years. Yikes! Nice way to celebrate our 25th anniversary this week, although we're going to celebrate it later this fall by a nice weekend away. Good late lunch at a place at Lane Ave shopping center. Columbus and OSU looked good to us. Very nice. The only disappointment were my feet which hurt with all the walking. It bums me out because the rest of me feels so good. I think I might have to do something, like go to a foot doctor again. Nice drive back. Very nice fun day with my husband. We both enjoyed it.

To bed now,
Sue

Go Buckeyes

I won a lottery for two Buckeye tickets today to tomorrow's game against Ohio U. We're going up for the game. This will be the first time in quite a few years. We used to go all the time when I got seasons tickets as a OSU staff member. So, a nice surprise.

We had a nice dinner at Bravos tonight. And I did manage to loose 1/2 pound this week. It's the Zumba that helped.

Will check in tomorrow,
Sue

Zumba

I tried Zumba this afternoon. One of our teachers organized a zumba session for any teachers who were up to try it. It was really fun! The leader was excellent. She is one of our parents (she has a third grade daughter at Donovan). I really enjoyed the dancing and the good vibes. Everybody was having fun and letting their hair down. Super terrific.

I read in the paper yesterday that only 1/4 of Americans eat 3 servings of vegies or more a day and only 1/3 eat 2 fruits. What is it that Americans eat? It's no wonder there are so many overweight people. I found this kind of shocking. A lot of us are very unhealthy.

It's almost Friday. TGIF. And weigh-in tomorrow morning.
Sue

Over the hump

OK, my two hardest days are over. The kids were very talky today. You haven't lived until you've heard 4th graders play the recorder for the first time. Eek!

I am BEAT! We're having lazy lazagna for dinner. Until tomorrow,
Sue

Noticing

I just saw the space station go over our house. It was a very bright star moving northwest to southeast fairly quickly. I saw the shuttle fly over once and this moved slower than that. I noticed it because it was very bright and then noticed it was moving. It was a total accident. Kind of a nice treat after a particularly tough day.

Tomorrow is a very special day.

Have a good one,
Sue

Good Dinner

I fixed salmon, mashed potatoes, salad, and apple crisp for dinner. It was good! I served one serving only. That's a change. No seconds. The crisp was especially good. I used local macintosh apples with lemon peel and lemon juice, some sugar, vanilla. The topping I had left over from last week's peach crisp. I made the crisp topping, used only half, and had enough for the apples this week. The topping had the oatmeal and walnuts in it. Yum.

I was thinking about 9/11 yesterday, just remembering. The day is crystal clear in my memory. I guess it is in everybody's. It was a crystal clear Tuesday that day too.

I did some weeding today. It is so dry that even the weeds are suffering. Now that's saying something. We didn't get any rain yesterday despite the prediction of 60 percent chance. It was a gorgeous day today. We walked Essi, then I had a makeup piano lesson. Then Bob helped me by bringing my weeds to the compost pile. He also cut up some kindling for the someday fires in the fireplace. It has to get cooler sometime. He turned the compost pile. Yeah! It was a nice day for working outside. Enjoyable, except for my feet which were hurting. I have a new spot on the bottom of my left foot that's bothering me, as in bone spur issue. I hope it goes away. I think this particular pain will. My cold is almost gone.

Tomorrow and Tuesday are my hardest days. I'm going to hand out recorders. So wish me luck,
Sue

Otto, special bonus blog

Oh, the glories of an older dog! Otto, our curmudgeon, is 19, going on 20. He has to go out once an hour and sometimes makes statement wees on the floor or rug. He loves Bob. He loves eating, especially breakfast. He still barks for it. You should see the hog's mess I give him for breakfast. It takes him a while, but he eats every bite. Essi cleans his dish for him when he's finished. He loves water. We let him have all he wants for breakfast and lunch, but then not after that. He can still make it the whole night. He doesn't like to be put anywhere. Even blind, he likes to twirl until the position is right. If you try to move him when he's sleeping, he growls big time. When he's carried out to wee he and Essi have a bark fest. He loves pasta and tidbits when available. His back legs don't work that well anymore, so this makes walking on the kitchen tiles difficult. He still moves around pretty well on the rug and outside. Sometimes he looses his balance and falls over, but just gets back up again. He still gets a lot of joy out of life. We think there are life lessons to be learned from him - live now, don't let your aches get you down, and get back up when you fall over.

We love him!

Sue

26-17 and Dorothy Lane

It's half-time. OSU is beating Miami. It's a good game with scoring, the kind I like. The talking heads are on. I hate those. I wish they would show the bands. That's what I want to see, not these men talking endlessly about every game going on in the entire country with this stupid screaming guitar music. Do people really like this? I don't!

We STILL aren't getting rain. It is SOOOOOO maddening. It rained in Springboro, just a couple miles from here. It's raining in Columbus. Argh!

I went to Dorothy Lane Market and spent too much on groceries like I always do. I love shopping there. They have good organic produce and good meats without growth hormones and greenly raised. They have good choice of the best imported goods, like pasta from Italy - whatever you want. My shopping cart contains about 90% organic/local/green food. They sell local produce when they can get it. I bought local apples today, also local cheese. Plus, it's pleasant there with live piano music and plenty of help when you need it. Then somebody always helps you to your car and loads your groceries for you. I love Dorothy Lane. I should do a commencial for them.

Cheers,
Sue

Another 1.2

Yes, it's true! Down another 1.2. That makes a grand total from my highest of an even 13 pounds down! I think I am even starting to notice. We had picture day today and I wore a pink sweater set I hadn't worn in a while. I got quite a few complements. Some people notice I look better, but they haven't quite picked up that it's weight. Whatever it is, it's nice to get a couple complements.

It was a rewarding day. I especially enjoyed the look on a little girl's face when she got to be "a lady." We were dancing and they had partners of the opposite if you know what I mean. I told them that they were acting like ladies and gentlemen. If you could have seen this little girl's face when she got to dance with a boy (and the cute, not sure he liked it look on his face). Well... it was priceless. Fourth graders are a good age.

Have a great weekend. I am to bed to get some sleep. My eye lids are very heavy.
Sue

Winning the Cold War

I'm winning the cold war. I had extra sleep last night. Good thing because yesterday I was EXHAUSTED. I fell asleep in front of the TV after dinner. Yikes!

It was a good day. Except for hurting feet I feel pretty good. I was dancing all day. I was teaching them an Israeli folk dance. The boys don't want to hold the girls' hands. I convinced them. They really like the dance, so it's worth it when you have to hold a girl's hand - ewwww!

Now for a nice evening. Just had a makeup lesson. Tomorrow is TGIF and pictures.

Sue

Snacks and Water

Frequent snacks and plenty of water are the key. Those are my words of wisdom for today. It was a tough one. I'm still fighting my cold. I'm winning, but my nose is sore. But the water and snacks help.

We got quite a bit of thunder, but about 30 seconds of rain. ARGH!!!! But as they say, it's no use fretting about it, since there's not a thing I can do about this.

So to bed with me for plenty of sleep. Oh, by the way, I heard on the news today that they think one cause of obesity in kids in not enough sleep. THAT makes one think.

Sue

Peaceful Backyard

It's very peaceful here in our backyard. I am sitting on our screened in porch watching the birdbath show. There are 11 birds on the birdbath drinking or bathing. I just filled it up. Since it is so dry this is the only place where there is water they can use. They are all enjoying it together. One has to chuckle. I've never seen six taking a bath at the same time. I guess English sparrows aren't plentiful for nothing.

I finished my big book today. It was really good. I always feel a little sad when I finish a really great book. I don't want it to end. This one was Diana Gabaldon's latest and weighed in at about 1000 pages. I enjoyed every page of it too. This is the seventh book in a series about Jamie, Claire, Brianna, Roger, Ian, William, and Lord John. Those are the main characters, but there are many many others. I had the privilege of hearing the author speak once when she came to a bookstore in Dayton. It was fascinating to hear her talk about how she writes and hear her answer questions from the crowd that were there. I went with a friend who also is a fan. When I finished the book today, I called that friend on the phone. She lives in Oregon now. She moved out there to be near her kids and grandkids. She's originally from around here. I really miss her.

Our neighbors were having a wing ding last night that didn't quiet down until midnight. They kept me up, so we slept in. Tomorrow will be a shock to get up at 5:30 to workout. I wanted to go ride the bike today, but the Y was closed. So I played in the yard instead. I was trying to plant some mums and it was like trying to dig through bricks, the soil is so dry. I had to water a mud hole and then dig a place for the plant.

Happy Labor Day,
Sue

New Recipes

Last week we have been eating the frozen meals that I made a couple weeks ago. They all turned out very well, except the lazy lasagna. It apparently was a little too lazy and came out more like soup. It tasted good though. Next time I will use different cheeses and thicker tomato sauce. Sometimes you have to tweak recipes to get them right. The Eatingwell.com recipes have all turned out well. We're trying another new one tonight called Cuban-Style Pork and Rice. I'm making Peach Crisp for dessert. I use a recipe that calls for oatmeal (steel cut - hee, hee) on top with some sugar. It's really good. I tried it earlier in the summer. This is an Ina Garten recipe. She is the Barefoot Contessa and has a TV show. I think I've mentioned her before and about how I love to watch her cook. I think I've learned a lot about flavor listening to her show. She also has taught me a lot about using herbs to make food more flavorful.

Now I'm going outside to play in the dry dirt a bit. I got some mums to put in if I can manage to dig a hole.

No school tomorrow because of Labor Day. Nice!
Sue