Author of a Thousand Fails

Fitato

Well-known member
Mystic from Kansas
Posts: 443
"Hello"
Such tall children you have! You just keep pumping 'em out haha! Wrangling a child around is definitely exercise!

You look awesome, love your smile in the last pic!
 

TopNotch

Well-known member
Ranger from Australia
Posts: 1,610
"Motivation is temporary. Discipline is forever."
You know, when you say you weigh 295lb, I have difficulty imagining that, seeing as I'm used to kilos. So it's nice to see a real picture, and gosh, you must have a fair bit of muscle there to weigh that much and look like you don't. And I love your smile. :)
Children are responsible for a lot of things that happen to their parents' bodies. My Lad was remarking on my white hairs (oi, that's platinum among the gold, boyo!) and I attributed them to him. :LOL:
 

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 583
Thanks, everyone, for the positive remarks. @TopNotch, I'm about 133 kilos. I appreciate the compliment... I've grown weak over time. So, it means a lot to me.

Today's plan:
Take it slow. Body pain has minimized to where I no longer need anti-inflammatory meds, but I don't wanna put myself BACK in bed because pain = spasms = tearing. So, I'm just gonna work on my mobility today and thank God that #5 actually went to school because I'm still aching from yesterday morning!

BREAKFAST - Boiled eggs, clementine
DINNER - Chicken and steamed veggies

Ah... I don't think I ever gave this week's buffet spread!

BREAKFAST: Clementines, boiled eggs, baked omelette (with ham, cream cheese, and chives filling), Waffles in the bread basket with peanut butter and mini chocolate chips for spread, Tea tray
LUNCH: Salad/Sandwich bar: Bread basket w/pita bread, halved and open for filling, lettuce, tomato, chicken patties, carrot and cucumber ribbons in dill tzatziki sauce, extra dill tzatziki sauce for dressing; Whole plain Greek yogurt (with honey, stevia, vanilla bean paste, and lemon essential oils to the side for flavoring), pineapple chunks, and cherries for a pineapple split; Pomegranate juice, Cranberry juice, tea tray
SNACK: Miniature veggie pizzas on flat crust, peanut butter honey cookies, milk, and tea
DINNER: Seasoned chicken, steamed carrots, and rice (though, on leftover rice days, I may just make chicken and veggie stir fry), raw veggie kabobs w/bell peppers, grape tomatoes, zucchini, and cucumber w/tzatziki dipping sauce

Fact: Tzatziki is amazing! Another fact: My children are NEVER allowed to complain that they are hungry... they do, but they shouldn't... HAHAHA! This coming Saturday is a birthday party. So, the menu will change for that day... I have a "special occasion" menu that I follow on celebratory days.
 

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 583
So... today was interesting. I didn't take any pain meds, even when I babysat. #5 cooked dinner... a VERY well-seasoned bowl of scrambled eggs with rice. Fortunately, I have enough rice to absorb some of that flavor... unfortunately, I don't think there's enough rice in the world to absorb all that flavor... Fortunately, kids all liked it somehow, and that's all that matters, I suppose.

So, foodstuffs: clementine and pecans for breakfast, some leftover chicken for lunch, and a bowl of eggy rice for dinner

Fitness: Stretches and a walk. Yes, I was able to walk without pain meds! YAY! I'm still not ready to work out. At the end of the day, I can say in full confidence that I am most definitely NOT ready for a daily workout. I wish I were, but my Achilles tendons are crying out now from what I HAVE done today.

On another note: On my walk, I discovered that while I was trying to rest the past few days, some of the kids (along with my friend's kids) have been hard at work turning my vineyard into a pond... I don't know how to take it... Those vines were MATURE from the previous owner!!! Anyway... I expect a very small harvest this year... *laugh cries*
 

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 583
Another decent day. No pain meds. I was able to do some stretches and get a small walk in this morning. Though, right before stretching, all I did was crawl somewhere, and suddenly I felt pain up and down my neck and back between my shoulder blades, then, a funny bone sensation around my entire shoulder blade, in my armpit, and down the underside of my arm... HOW? I have never done that to myself before, and just from crawling??? I think it was an inflammatory response... I didn't even know I could GET that sensation in those places! I truly have NOT done anything that would merit such tenderness. So, that's the only conclusion I am capable of drawing at this time. Anyway... Life happens!

FOODSTUFFS: Breakfast was a clementine, but I made up for it later by making myself some shakshouka over quinoa.... I needed some variety... No snacks. Feelin' more like a taco than I am fried rice... So, I decided that I will make a southwestern style rice bowl instead. Craving chocolate lately... I have none... sad boi hours...

FITNESS: I've been stretching, and I walked again today. If my Achilles tendons don't fall apart after a week of this routine, I'll add the workouts back into it. I'm very tired of having to take short-term pain meds for my long-term condition.

OTHER THINGS IN MY LIFE: My sister has managed to wrangle me into hosting a Pampered Chef fundraiser party online to help me raise a little $$$ for my house issues. I am overwhelmed. It is one too many things on my plate right now as I prepare for a birthday party, a crafting party, and a temple trip that are all set to take place all within the next two weeks... And I have my biggest crafting project due for the crafting party because my item is going to be used as a display/demo item. I'm really happy about it, though. It's my third crochet project, and I feel like it won't be long before I can earn a commission for my items. If my current project impresses people, I may be able to earn my first commission this month!
 

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 583
So.. rough day today... I babysat again... only this time there were way too many meltdowns and rule breakings. I guess, that's how you know they've grown comfortable around me... But I am exhausted!!!

No breakfast, pot roast for dinner. Got some stretches in, but no walking.

I'm super tired and emotionally drained, but it wasn't a bad day. Just a hard day. I am truly grateful for all the good that happened in my day today... but I am soooo ready for bed! I need my kids to be unconscious by 7 tonight! HAHAHA!
 

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 583
How can you still sound so positive even when writing a post about how exhausting your day was? You must be a true marvel, really, now.
I can probably sound positive because being exhausted isn't the same as having a bad day. Sure, it was rough, but not bad. However, my hope for a better tomorrow doesn't mask my outbursts of today. Just like other tired, frustrated, and overwhelmed people, I have meltdowns, tantrums, and outbursts. Life's simply taught me to move forward from that moment and not sit in it too long. I've likely lost my patience, said things I shouldn't have, and been hard on the people around me today. However, the day was littered with little patches of sunlight here and there that made the hard parts more bearable. I truly have a lot to be grateful for because of those moments. Ah... I say today, but the clocked just turned literally as I am typing this... So, yesterday! My today will be just as stressful and chaotic, I'm sure, but there will be a lot of good happening tomorrow... like #6's birthday party!
Another positive note: I'm on my third crochet project, and I made a fourth and fifth one in between. The child that actually gave me the more emotionally draining time absolutely loved it! Granted, I have no clue what I'm doing, but I think I winged it pretty well... I made a second one (my fifth project) to show off my mad awesomesausage skilz as a beginning crocheter person (is there even a proper term for someone who crochets?).

Project #5 here (and #4) is little pouch, and project #3 will become a tote bag, complete with lining, and hopefully, a matching pencil pouch with a zipper. I'm using #3 for an upcoming sip-n-stitch workshop. We're teaching people how to make heart appliques, and I'm using my tote to demonstrate a use for them. <3 <3 <3

So... now that I've had a decent nap, how the heck am I going to get to sleep and be up at 6am? BAHAHAHAHA!

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OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 583
Alright... Another good day with a rough patch in the afternoon. Birthday party was greatly delayed and an almost-disaster... almost... and I may have cried in the process. However, the day was good, the party was a success, everyone was (mostly) happy, and the food was tolerable... minus a few hiccups that may or may not have also included an oven fire... HAHAHAHA! C'est la vie! At least the kids had a blast, right?

Breakfast: Perrier, chocolate, and a taco
Dinner: Spaghetti, massive meatballs in marinara sauce, garlic bead, basic summer salad, chocolate chip cookies, capri sun, CAKE

*snackstuffs: pineapple, cashews and sesame sticks

Fitness: I can't really say I did much outside of being on my feet all day... I missed out on my stretches, too.

I know without a doubt that tomorrow will be a lot less stressful and a lot more restful... Tomorrow, I hope to recover and recharge. I am grateful for tomorrow.
 

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 583
Well, today was eventful... #4's business opportunity fell through, but another one at a closer planetarium opened up. So, we'll see how that goes. I also finally got the supplier's Facebook catalogue up! Took me long enough! I even managed to get some sales underway before I could finish adding brief image descriptions... Needless to say, I'm feeling a little more hopeful about the business. Big setback: PayPal wasn't being a pal today... Something screwy happened between it and my boss' account. So, I still don't have a link to add to the page, meaning sellers have to private message the page with their order to get an invoice which means less people are gonna wanna go through the trouble of buying from us... sad boi hours. I'm now playing a waiting game and am hopeful that she'll be able to figure it out soon. More crafty news: our kidpreneur project is starting to get underway, and I have begun working on a design for that logo... I'm hoping on something that compliments the new logo that I recently made for the company... Ah, I don't think I ever showed you the winning logo that I'm so proud of! My apologies if I'm showing it off twice!

ANYWHOOOOOO....
Breakfast: Peanut clusters
Dinner: Leftover spaghetti in desecrated bolognese sauce, leafy salad w/romaine lettuce, bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, and vinaigrette dressing
*snackstuffs: extra minty, extra chocolatey milkshake from my favorite tea and smoothie shop
Fitness: I went for a 2hr long walk today... It felt great! I hope I don't die tomorrow.

Weight: 294lbs

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OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 583
I'm dying! BAHAHAHAHA! I am definitely taking it easy today. I had to say no to my friend today because I'm so freakin' tired!

Breakfast: Not hungry... just drinking lime Perrier for upset stomach.
Dinner: The plan is to pour some beef and vegetable broth over rice for myself. My kids may want some ham and egg fried rice instead, though. It'll allow me to use the last of the pre-cut carrots and celery... (updated: pork roast will be added to the menu)
*snackstuffs: chocolate, chicken sandwich

Fitness: 30 minute walk, very little of anything else, including everyday movements... Much sleep. HAHA!

A claims inspector came over today and took some picture of my house. I am so excited that something is moving forward... I am somewhat hopeful and only a little dreading.
 

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 583
Feeling in tiptop shape today! I kicked off my shoes and enjoyed my property! I REALLY needed to rest, and I got plenty of it yesterday! Today, I am babysitting and organizing my clutter with intent to throw at least half of it away... well, they're good intentions anyway... no clue if I'll be able to achieve such heights! HAHAHA!

Breakfast: Oatmeal and and some orange slices.
Dinner: Leftover pork roast and a leafy green salad of some sort. I haven't decided what all I'll be throwing in it yet... Although... I may just skip that meal altogether and have myself some more broth over rice. I've fallen in love with drinking warm liquids right before bed, and my stomach thanks me for my consideration. HAHA!
*No snacks today. I'm going back to my intermittent fasting routine.

Fitness: I did my morning stretches and had a nice walkabout in the orchard. I intend to take the kids to the park, where there's a nice trail for more walking later today. I do not know if I will be doing a workout routine, but perhaps, I'll post here a video of what I do to stretch every day. Since I suffer frequent muscle spasms, I always wake up the next day with everything synched up. I'm often back at square one every morning with my stretching, but the routine I follow allows me to make it through the day. Granted, I have to actually take the time to do the video. HAHAHA! Well, if I do, I will, and if I don't, I won't.

Weight: 294lbs
 

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 583
It's been a while since I posted... I've been super busy and a little sick lately.

This week's spread:
BREAKFAST: French toast, cherries, toast
LUNCH: leafy green salad with tomatoes, parmesan, and mustard sauce
SNACK: board with grapes, cut bell peppers, and mozzarella bites
DINNER: Southwest salad bowl w/chicken, beans, corn, and salsa

I've had nothing but ginger tea the past two days because I've been feeling sick... The day before, the whole family went out on a temple trip and had some steak tacos on the way home. I did NOT eat healthy on the trip up to Raleigh, though... wheat thins, frosted cookies, chocolate candies, and peanut butter pretzels were on the menu... HAHAHA! ROAD TRIP!

I haven't done anything fitness-wise for the past two days due to being sick. I had started brief walks again, though, and look forward to getting back to it tomorrow.

In other news: I had a good sip-n-stitch and have become a master at making small heart appliques! Next on the agenda is a workshop... Teaching people how to make LOVE scrabble block decor for Valentine's Day. Nothing much else happening outside of this illness.

Weight: 296lbs
 

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 583
So, I'm all better, but some kids stayed home sick yesterday... One of my kids had to come home, as opposed to just staying home, and now, she's not allowed back in school until she's had a covid test because she had "symptoms"... It's a flu bug! So, since I don't feel like being "compliant" right now, I guess, I'll get to keep her home with me for a week... I can teach my kids more in a week than the school system can teach them in a month, anyway... Only reason why they go to public school is because it's cheaper... My elementary school kids got two meals a day, all the crafting supplies they could ask for, and sometimes, free clothes, and food on the weekends (thanks to backpack buddies)... We even got holiday meals and their Christmas gifts and winter clothing were taken care of. It wasn't easy to come out of the poverty bracket because of how well we were taken care of while we were in it. We're middle-class, and have less financial freedom now than we did when we were impoverished. However, my kids are older, school still covers their breakfast and some basic academic supplies on occasion, but at this point, it's probably cheaper to just homeschool... especially now that I have lower-than-wholesale access to many supplies. HAHAHA!

Two kids are still sick, btw...

FOODSTUFFS
Breakfast - Kids are making chocolate French toast, I'm just grabbing some fruit and a warm ginger tea... May make myself a shake later on. MY KIDS ATE ALL OF MY CHERRIES!!!
Lunch - I'm thinking that, since everyone's sick today, I'll just make a ham and egg bowl... Use a slice of ham to make a bowl in a muffin tin, scramble some eggs with your choice of veggies in a bowl and pour egg into the ham cups, bake at 350F degrees for about 25 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean). Sprinkle a little cheese on top while it's hot, and enjoy! I have no cheese (kids again), but I will have a side salad with veggies and vinaigrette
Snack - bell pepper and mozzarella bites... Kids ate all my grapes.... :vsad:
Dinner - Aaaaand... switching it up because southwest salad bowls are fun and all, but salmon is better. Again, since we're all trying to recover and fight off an illness, I figure I'll just bake some salmon... Served with steamed broccoli, garlic knots, and a leafy green salad.

FITNESS
I'm back to moving around. Did my morning stretches and will be enjoying a walkabout after I finish my breakfast. I'm so happy to be mobile again! :LOL:

Weight: 296lbs
 

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 583
Relapse... and four kids home sick... And an ovarian cyst the size of an orange. Kids are in charge of foodstuffs today, which they're used to by now.

For breakfast, I had popcorn shrimp and cookies, compliments of Chefs #5 and #6
For lunch, I am about to partake in chimichangas and ice cream, compliments of Chefs #5 and #6 again.
For snack and dinner, I will insist on Chef #3 preparing the dishes, as she's a salad bar fanatic... Much of my sanity rests on her shoulders this day...
FUN FACT: I did not have to prompt my kids to make food today. I consider that a huge win, even if I do have to break my diet for the sake of their smiling faces and encouraging a continual growth mindset... Not that I'm complaining... I mean, it's ice cream...

Fitness: does sleep sweating count? I mean, I'm obviously burning energy in the process of restoring my body to full function, so it should count...

Weight: 297lbs
 

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 583
Feeling better today... I'm not sleeping my day away anymore... Two kids home today. #1 can't seem to wake up. So, whatever I'm at the tail end of, she's got. #5 will be allowed to go back to school tomorrow... It's been nice and relaxing for her here... I'm contemplating homeschool for her more and more. I think the stressful transition to and from school is what turns her into a raving monster. She literally only has ONE reason to stay in public school, and that's because of her ONE friend who's as weird as her. <3

Breakfast: baked salmon and tortilla crisps, clementine
Dinner: Southwest salad bar (beef, beans, salsa, tomatoes, corn, and crisps, on lettuce)
*No clue what I'm eating in between, but I'm thinking some cinnamon applesauce sounds really really really good right about now.

Fitness: Morning stretches. No workouts today. Don't want to relapse.

Weight: 297lbs

So, about the crisps, I cut some corn tortillas into strips (like Fritos), and fried them in a cast iron skillet with a little oil, salt, and other seasonings (I added some cayenne pepper and smoked paprika, but you can season to taste). It only takes a few minutes on medium heat with occasional stirring to make sure they're evenly coated and crisped. I'm certain I mentioned making these one other time, but I don't think I mentioned how I made them... So, just in case, now you know.
 

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 583
I'm doing well, just keeping super busy. Business has been kicking off unexpectedly well... I'm working a LOT of hours as a business partner, even with a team under me to delegate tasks to. Between 1am out-of-state warehouse runs, workshops, teaching, part-time nannying, and managing the online aspect of the business while trying to maintain a healthy home balance, I'm SUPER busy... Needless to say, something had to give... my social life, the already wavering cleanliness of my home, and regular meals ended up being the price I paid.

Today, I did my usual morning stretches, the 2 minute side planks, walked about a mile and did 20 40lb curls and squats (literally, spent the morning hefting (what felt like) fifty 40lb bags of rice that required curling them into my arms and squatting down to place them on the ground from the truck until it was unloaded, then again from the ground to the storage shelves... Ah... I guess, technically, that's 40... Don't ask me why I didn't use a dolly... it hadn't occurred to me that I was doing that much... I will regret this day. I also have places to be that will require me to walk some more... I will likely be walking an accumulation of another 4 miles later today.

I have only been able to focus on dinners lately. Tonight is pulled beef and pork roasts (yes, I will be cooking them together) with carrots, onions, and potatoes.

Weight: 295lbs
 
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OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 583
I am in a state of regret... also, realizing that I said 20 and then fifty when talking about the bags... it was 20, felt like fifty, don't know how my brain said it properly but my fingers didn't type it properly... Resting today. I had a nice 1-mile walk and ate some yogurt this morning. My pigeon never returned last night. So, I went for a walk-about trying to find him as well... no luck... So that probably adds two more miles to my walk... Tiger Balm is AWESOME, fyi... My body has fewer regrets after a steamy shower and a healthy lather... HAHAHA! Still, I'm resting today... Got a lot of inputting to do on the inventory spreadsheet. So, it works.

Dinner: "Southwest" salad mix over greens... I'm combining the leftover roast meat, pulled, pan roasted onion, bell peppers and corn, beans, and salsa. I am grateful for my roast dish... I really didn't think there would be any leftover meat, but I used the roast dish to cook three roasts instead of the crock pot to cook two, and there's just enough for tonight's dinner.

Weight: 296lbs
 

OJJJEM

Well-known member
Mother of Dragons Posts: 583
It's official, I've lost my pigeon. He hasn't come back. I'm sure he's either hanging out somewhere in the neighborhood or someone's food... His feathers were clipped by my FIL. So, he can't fly. Anyway, another rest day. Had another 2-mile walk while looking for the bird. Aside from that, I will be working from home... I may swing by the boutique where we sell some of our products, but methinks, I'll do that on Monday instead.

DINNER: BEANS AND RICE. Tonight is the bean and rice diet to encourage my kids to get creative with the food that's about to expire in my fridge and cabinets. Will they cheat and go for cheese and eggs, or will they actually pull out the veggies from the back of the fridge? Who know!

Weight: 296lbs
 
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