still learning

I just had a week full of company, food, sitting around and gabbing, having a few drinks.. in general, having fun and fellowship with folks we don't often see. Did I eat too much? Yep! Did I drink too much? Yep! Did I get my 30 minutes of walking in? Nope.
It would be very easy for me to decide to give up NoS at this point and call myself a failure and eat my way through a loaf of bread! But, I am not going to do that!
I could get on the scale and make myself feel even worse. But, I am not going to do that either!
Here is what I am going to do: Tomorrow morning I will get up and shower, have a reasonable breakfast and go to yoga class (for the first time in a month.. I have had something going on every yoga day!). I will hit the farm market and load up on produce. I'm going to get my 30 minute walk in and enjoy a coffee with a friend in the afternoon. I will make a healthy dinner and enjoy it with hubby. I will give myself some time to meditate and contemplate. I will assess my day at day's end.
Here is what I will not do: I will not go near the scale for a week. I will not lament the fact that I let the last week" get away from me" (I did the best I could each day.. that is all I can expect from myself or anyone else,) in terms of following my No S plan. I will not deprive myself this week because of my actions last week. That week is over and done with... I can't change what happened then, I can only change what is happening now.
Moving on--one step at a time--some steps are just bigger than others!

Wobbly Week

Most of the time, I don't find sticking to the No S rules to be much of a problem. It just flows from one day to the next without much effort at all. However, I've noticed if I introduce what is known in No S circles as an 'S Day Gone Wild' or even just have a series of normal 'S' Days - like on vacation - it takes me a day or two to get back on track. There was a time when I would have turned this into a whole big deal - beating myself up, wondering what was wrong with me, why I was 'sabotaging' myself. Now I just think 'Eh.  It will work itself out in a few days' .

Last week was a busy week of 'S' Days for me. We slept little, ate at odd hours, and I had a lot more sugar and junk than I usually do. Monday I was very tired and dinner was late (after 8 pm). If dinner had been on time I may have made it, but shortly after 7 pm, the day turned red. I just kept finding myself wandering into the kitchen all afternoon, and then somewhere around 7, I raided the biscotti..and a few other things. Tuesday went much the same way.

Wednesday things finally turned around. I still kept wandering into the kitchen, wanting to eat something - but not wanting to. About mid-afternoon I made a cup of tea, hoping that would help. I still wanted to eat something, but I somehow, I managed not to. (not even the remains of the cheesecake I made on Sunday)

Thursday felt back-to-normal. I went to tennis in the  morning, made pizza for lunch (I always have bread dough in the refrigerator - usually for bread, but lately I've been making pizza with it) and kept busy around the house for most of the afternoon. After I accomplished what I'd intended to, I fixed a cup of tea and read for a while. By then it was 4.30  pm and I realized I'd not wandered into the kitchen like a lost soul once.

I have been considering what role my sleep and food choices played in my week. Monday - Wednesday, I had yogurt for breakfast. Thursday I had tennis, so I made a more substantial breakfast. I toasted a slice of homemade bread, spread on quite a lot of butter and topped it with a scrambled egg. I was also very tired at the beginning of the week and it's much more difficult not to graze all day when I'm tired. I know it's natural for the body to keep seeking food to prop up the energy levels, so I don't feel bad about it - I just don't want to have to deal with it.

Today I had tennis earlier than I usually do, so though I  had the same breakfast, it was much earlier as well, but it really wasn't a problem. Even if it had been,  it's Friday and I always feel like I can handle just about anything on Friday. I have a full day of 'things I like to do' planned, and I don't even have to cook tonight.

And in case you're wondering, my 'S Days' will be rather mild this weekend. It took me too long to un-wobble my week.

A Change is as Good as a Rest

If it seems I've been a bit quieter than usual lately, it's because I've been on vacation. We hadn't really planned on going anywhere. In fact, we hadn't planned a vacation at all this summer. One day it just hit us that if we didn't start planning and do something to jolt ourselves out of the rut we'd slipped into, summer was going to be over and we'd have missed it. Don't get me wrong - it's a lovely rut - lounging at the pool, reading stacks of books, playing tennis and going on hikes and bike rides. Most of them are, which is why it's so easy to stay in them.  But every so often it's nice to climb out of them and experience something new.

So we checked our schedules and realized that we did have a few days' window that we could get away without having to do too much shuffling and rescheduling. Then, of course, we had to decide where to go and what to do. There were so many options, but in the end we decided on a trip we had planned to take a few years ago that got derailed twice by other events. All we had to do was find a place to stay, get someone to watch the garden and the pets, pack our stuff and go.

I forgot how great it feels to leave everyday life behind for a time. To head out as the sun is rising with a road map, a full tank of gas, and the promise of new places to see and things to do. And when it's over, the feeling of coming home - back to the lives that we have made our own. Yes, with overgrown grass and suitcases full of dirty laundry, but feeling refreshed and renewed and with wonderful memories to keep forever.

Wayback Machine

I listen to podcasts of old radio shows quite often when I'm driving or working around the house. Sometimes it's just the show itself, but other times there are commercials included. Reminders to save gas or rubber for the war, assurance that Colgate tooth Powder will make your teeth their whitest, or which shave foam stops razor burn best (and you don't even need a brush!). They're like a little time capsule of what things were like 60 or 70 years ago. Sometimes they're good for a laugh, sometimes they make you think. I did both when I heard these three Pepsi commercials from August, 1949.


It's not the same without the music, but here it is anyway. The italics are the jingle, the rest is the announcer guy.


    Pepsi Cola hits the spot 
    2 full glasses that's a lot

    twice as much and better, too

    Pepsi Cola is the drink for you. 

That's right - you heard what they said. 

Two full glasses of sparkling pepsi from one biig 12 ounce bottle. 

You're getting an extra glassful, and what a delicious glassful. 

The most refreshing, delightful cola that ever tickled your taste. 

You can't top Pepsi's tangy flavor, and that big, big bottle saves you money - goes twice as far. 

Pepsi's American's big, big favorite and America's biggest cola value. 

So why take less when Pepsi's best? 

    Pepsi Cola hits the spot 

    2 full glasses that's a lot

    twice as much and better, too

    Pepsi cola is the drink for you. 

Pepsi cola - P E P  S  I - that's your smartest cola buy

When your friends drop in, be generous, but be thrifty, too. 

Serve plenty of delicious Pepsi Cola. 

Pepsi's big 12 ounce bottle gives you not just one sparkling glassful, but two. 

Get a carton of six and serve 12 delicious drinks! 

Yes, pepsi is America's biggest cola value. 

You get twice the tangy taste, twice the refreshment, twice the pepsi. 

So why take less when Pepsi's best?

Pepsi Cola hits the spot 

Two full glasses that's a lot

Lots more value lots more sense, 

Why take less when pepsi's best?

Ah, Delicious Pepsi Cola. 

Bring it on now. 

Enjoy that bubbling, tangy, tasty, treat. 

Sure hits the spot. 

At parties it's a wonderful idea to serve delicious Pepsi. 

That extra quick food energy gives folks that bounce - that zing.

And Pepsi's big 12 ounce bottles go twice as far. 

You get a carton of 6 bottles and you serve 12 full sized drinks. 

So save that money. 

Get the best and get twice as much in delicious Pepsi Cola

   Pepsi Cola hits the spot 

    2 full glasses that's a lot

    twice as much and better, too

    Pepsi cola is the drink for you.

I think I'll put a little bounce and zing into my next party by serving 6 ounce glasses of Pepsi. 


I can see it now....

Diet Love Affairs

Here is a post I made to the NoS site last November after I had been working the plan for nearly two years. It explains a little of my history and my approach now that I have found NoS.  This is the only eating plan I know of that simply lays out the base or framework and assumes that an intelligent, independent person can take it from there.

 Yesterday I made a list of all the diets I could remember that I had tried over the past 4 decades. It was amusing and instructive. Young folks could not identify, but it was like an archeological dig starting with Ayds candy and Debbie Drake LP workout records! When I think of all the books, magazines, and notebooks that I have bought and put together over the years it would fill a library!

The analogy of love affairs (not that this is my lifestyle or morality) comes to mind. I had several long term relationships, some short flings, some one night stands, and others never got to first base! Weight Watchers was the longest relationship off and on several times beginning with the original 5 fish meals, 1 liver, etc. Then there were various forms of low carb and low fat and meal replacement. I even tried very strict diets like Pritikin. I can see the appeal of intuitive eating for those of us who have spent years working all the other plans and are just tired of it and hope for normalcy. But as others have said it was a disaster and I tried several forms for 3 years as a maintenance plan. Result: more weight gain.

However, after a lifetime of working on this, I think I can say that I learned something from each approach. It may have damaged me in some way, but I choose to look at the positive. I have learned many types of foods and I would rather cook my own food than eat out. I know a lot about nutrition and exercise. I really have trained myself to prefer healthy, filling foods and many "bad" foods are just disgusting to me now.

And technology has finally come to my rescue. The ease of counting calories and all the nutrition labeling did not exist before as well as all the online support from groups such as this board. So I have no regrets.

It is a relief to know that I have settled on what I need to do from now on and the search is over. That doesn't mean that there is not more to learn, but the framework is there for me and I will not veer off course any more chasing the impossible.

Perfectionism

                                                 photo credit

"People throw away what they could have by insisting on perfection, which they cannot have"

Edith Schaeffer

"The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself."

Anne Quindlen

Hello, my name is Lady J and I am a recovering perfectionist.

I don't mean the commendable just trying to do 'an excellent job'. I mean the perfectionism that says 'you're a failure' or 'you messed up - you may as well give up'. The need to do things so correctly that often one cannot even begin to do anything at all. Or the one dieters are so familiar with 'I ate X - I may as well just quit...or at least just eat anything and everything I want today and start all over again tomorrow'. 

Whether dieting brings out those perfectionist tendencies, or perfectionists are just more likely to diet,  the trait is common among dieters. My first foray into the world of diets began when I was a normal weight teenager. Unfortunately, what we called 'dieting' was just basically starvation. I still remember my best friend proudly telling me that all she had to eat all day was 'a piece of bacon and half a can of Pepsi'

We labeled foods as  'good' and 'bad'. We labeled ourselves as 'good' or 'bad' depending on how we ate. We measured our worth not in achievements, perseverance, or treatment of others, but in numbers: the number of calories we ate, the number on the scale, the number on the little tag in our clothes. We learned to feel shame and guilt for engaging in a basic necessity of life. We berated ourselves for being weak-willed if we succumbed to hunger. 

And we discovered starvation's companion - binging. We could only go so long not eating before our body rebelled and we would have to eat. Which meant, of course, that we had 'blown it' so we 'may as well make the most of it' and then start all over again the next day - or more likely - the next week when this time we would do it 'perfectly'.

Starting Monday  meant we had the weekend to eat all the 'bad' foods that we would virtuously deny ourselves for the foreseeable future. For most of us, myself included, all we succeeded in doing was gaining weight and establishing a very unhealthy relationship with food. And for many, it meant putting their lives 'on hold' while they pursued perfection. 

Even though it's been years since I stopped dieting there are ghosts of diets that still haunt me. (I know NoS calls itself a diet, but I don't see it that way at all. But that's a whole post in itself). I'm learning how to work with my body and counter the effects of diets past. I'm building on a base of No S; gradually molding it to fit my life. I've tried and abandoned some bits, while I've added others. It's a slow and imperfect process, but I'm learning that it's about progress - not perfection. And slow and imperfect is better than not at all.

Has perfectionism played a part in your relationship with food or even your life in general? How are you finding a balance between striving for excellence and perfectionism? 

letting my guard down

In my last post, I wrote about how I was pretty successful with my eating plan while juggling company and their needs and letting myself not have to be in charge of everything and everybody. I was pretty complacent.. and I just let my old self take over and I spent the day grazing through all the left-overs I could find! Almost empty bags of chips.. Coke/diet Coke/caffeine free Coke.. pasta, olives, cheeses, chocolate torte, salmon, ..I could go on and on. Why did I do this? I sure don't know! I will work on trying to figure it out but I am not going to dwell on that one day of damage! If I did that, I would probably continue the spree and begin a downward spiral of grazing every day. My choice was to acknowledge what I had done..no excuses.. it is what I, for some reason, chose to do and I am responsible.. period. That said, I am moving on. The page is turned and I'm not looking back.. only forward. I am the only one in charge of me.

Random Food Fotos

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, earlier in the week I decided my posts would benefit from an occasional photo, including, but not limited to, food photos. And to get it started here are a few shots of my plates from the past few days. 

Bacon just seemed like the right thing for lunch on Tuesday. So, that's what I had. I added a slice of bread that I'd made earlier in the day with (pasture) butter, and since I've been on a bit of an picked foods kick lately, various pickled items, some (homemade) sauerkraut and a peach. 

 On Wednesday risotto seemed like the thing...and more of the pickled stuff....

Thursday I went to tennis in the morning, and stopped at the grocery store on my way home. I was planning to get lunch there. I was thinking of soup since I always like soup, even in summer. Unfortunately I don't feel much like cooking it in the summer. I had my soup and a cranberry Kombucha when this 'Turkey Curry Wrap' caught my eye. I'd never had it before, but it's going to be one of my new favorites. The strawberries are perfect right now - even more so since they are on special. 

It wasn't until I was putting groceries away that I realized I'd already bought yogurt. Ooops.

 So Friday's breakfast became yogurt, more of those perfect strawberries, coconut flakes and an oatmeal muffin that I made earlier in the week.

Reflections

With my first month of No S behind me, I've been taking the opportunity to reflect on those early weeks and formulate some goals for the month(s) ahead.

Overall, I feel quite satisfied with how things have gone. If I was keeping a habitcal, I would have had to mark only three red days in the first two weeks, but none since then. Weekends were about 50/50 - some tame ones, and some wild ones, too.

In spite of uncooperative weather, I've managed to be fairly active. We've been for a few walks and bike-rides, gone swimming, played tennis and done quite a lot of gardening. I've also been doing HIIT once a week, and some strength training with basic bodyweight exercises a couple of times a week.

Weight loss is only a pound, but any loss is a success as far as I'm concerned. It can take as long as it needs to. After all, it's not like I'm hungry, deprived or even inconvenienced. If anything, I feel quite well and strong. I have enough energy to get through my day, my clothes fit better and I am even starting to feel an occasional muscle here and there. I suspect the scale is not telling the whole story.

Which brings me nicely to my next topic. The scale. I have decided I really am going to stop weighing myself so often. I'd like to stop weighing altogether, but for now I'll be going with once a month.

Other than putting the scale away, I don't feel there are any big changes I need to (or even should) make at this time. Over the next month I plan to continue with what I've been doing to allow my new habits and routines to become more firmly established. There will be enough change at the end of the month when I go back to work.

It is also officially a month since I began contributing to NoS Ladies. We've had a great response. In the three weeks since it went 'live' we've had nearly 300 viewers in a dozen countries, which is quite amazing. However, I've decided it's missing something - photos. So the only other change I'm considering for now is to add a photo to my posts when I can.

As always, if you have questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you.

company, NoS, and my need to control all situations

So, my daily plan, as per NoS, is to have three meals of one plate each.. except (sometimes) on days that begin with "S" ..or on a Special occasion. For the past two weeks, I have had from two to six extra people for meals and have had Special occasions in the form of a birthday, an anniversary, and the whole two week annual event of a visit from relatives from across the country..very special!! At first, I thought it would be an eating frenzy from morning until night.
Here is what really happened: I put out fruits, juices, cereals,breads,toppings, coffee, and tea at breakfast time and fixed my own breakfast and let everyone do the same. In the past, I would be slaving away at pancakes, or eggs to order, frying bacon and ham..toasting muffins..making sure everyone was happy ..except me! I would refuse all help and as others enjoyed that third cup of coffee, I would put on another pot and load the dishwasher. I would empty it just in time to fix a nice lunch so that all could just sit themselves at the table and enjoy it. Then I'd shop and prepare dinner and dessert. "No.no..no thank you..I can do this myself , you just go off and enjoy"..mmmm
This visit was different. I had all the fixin's for any breakfast anyone cared to prepare..and, once, I even fried up some potatoes to go with eggs someone else made. I didn't do the dishes..someone else could do that while I had another cup of coffee. Lunch was an on-your-own affair with paper plates and sandwich materials ready in the frig. I marinated a huge slab of Copper River salmon and someone else grilled it while I organized a corn husking and steaming crew and a salad making mob. Everyone was very happy to be a part of the prep as well as the clean up and we did something like this every night. It was easy to stick to the one plate rule because I really tried to limit my menu to three or four items. In the past , I worried about pleasing everyone..this time I planned the menu knowing that I always had raw veggies and cheese selections for any picky eaters. I know I drank more wine and less water than I usually do and I know I didn't get my yoga time in but..as a whole, I am very pleased with myself! I managed to let go of the control of having to be in charge of everything and put myself first. Everyone seemed to benefit, especially me!

The Spotlight Effect

One of the things I like about No S is what I call 'The Spotlight Effect'. It's a well-known phenomenon frequently mentioned by others on the boards, even those relatively new to No S. It's simple, really. When you go days at a time eating sanely and appropriately and then for some reason or another (or no reason at all) you suddenly do the opposite, the results become glaringly obvious.

When 'normal' is slightly excessive, a little extra excess here and there isn't so noticeable. But when, after a succession of days of No S style compliance, an S day goes a bit wild - it's as if it's lit up in blinking neon with multiple exclamation points and arrows pointing at it. The formerly dreaded Monday becomes a welcome relief; bringing simplicity and sanity, as well as experience that will  (hopefully) lead to less excess in the future.

If by now you have leapt to the conclusion that I had a bit of an 'S day gone wild' this weekend,  you leapt correctly. And yes, today I feel appropriately lousy (I mean physically lousy. I never feel guilt or shame about eating. I believe those terms should be reserved for what are truly shameful acts) - and equally determined to be kinder to myself in the future. I think The Spotlight Effect makes it more likely that I will.

(Not) Snacking

"Although our grandparents and great-grandparents typically ate three meals a day, today we eat five times a day, on average. And although it’s often claimed that eating more often can help you control your weight, it doesn’t seem to be working out that way. As the average number of meals and snacks has increased, so have our waistlines—and I don’t think it’s a coincidence. "

from: Is Snacking Good or Bad? 

Twenty Six Days

As I sat down to write this update, I realized it had to have been at least three weeks since I started all this. So I counted. Actually, it's nearly a month.

I did have a few not so stellar days at the beginning, but things have improved since then. This weekend I'll be thinking about what went well, what I could improve on, and what goals I'll be working on in month ahead. 

I have one in mind already, but that will have to wait until next week.

Anyone care to share their progress and/or goals?

A Day in the Life

Sometimes it's helpful for newbies (or even those not-so-new) to have an idea of what others are doing. Today I'll post a view of an (ahem) 'average' day. Not average as in 'usual', but average as in 'there can be quite a lot of variation, but when you smooth it all out, it looks a bit like this'. Also, this is my non-working, summer schedule. It will change a bit in the fall.

I love summer mornings, so even though I'm not working and could sleep til noon if I wanted, I prefer to get up early. I usually start the day with a cup of tea followed by breakfast a couple of hours later. It's usually fairly substantial;  a bit more if we have a big day ahead; a little less if we had a late or uncommonly large dinner the night before and no one is particularly hungry. It doesn't vary much. On weekdays we have eggs a few days a week, homemade yogurt and granola or homemade muffins on other days. Saturday is usually a 'fry-up'* and Sunday is something 'bread-y' - pancakes, waffles or french toast with all the 'fixins' or just croissants on the patio.

Lunch is around one. I'm not big on sandwiches, though there are a few I like, so usually I have leftovers. If not, I may make risotto, hamburgers, tacos or homemade pizza. Soup is one of my favorites, even in summer. 

Dinner really varies. I aim for 6.30, but lately it's been anytime from 5-9. What we eat varies quite a lot as well. For shopping and ease of preparation, I do plan meals. (Although, it's really more of a guideline). Life never goes to plan, of course, but when things are busy, it's nice to have all the thinking and planning already done  - not to mention a 'Plan B'*. That said, the 'plan' for next few days includes: homemade pizza;  grilled sausages and quinoa;  grilled chicken marinated in lemon, lime and rosemary;  and for dessert Sunday, Clafoutis. The garden is starting to produce, so most of the vegetables will come from our backyard. No tomatoes yet, but I still have pizza sauce in the freezer from our tomatoes last summer. 

I often have tea during the day, even this time of year. During the week it will be on it's own, other than Friday when we've been having chocolate croissants. On the weekend it's often accompanied, usually by a baked thing: scones, cakes, cookies or pastries.  I also have dark chocolate nearly every day. 

Even though it looks rather extravagant, there aren't really many 'mods' in there.  I don't measure, count or portion; I eat what I want until I'm full and other than that Friday croissant, I don't eat again until the next meal. There are no sweets on weekdays other than the chocolate, which at 70% or 80%, isn't very sweet. On weekends, I do eat more, but it's because I have the time, rather than because it's an 'S Day'. Having tried snacking or grazing all day or eating three meals, I find I actually prefer three (or even two) meals.  

It's 'Vanilla' enough that it works, and tweaked enough that it works for me, which is really the key. Because it fits my life (and my family) with as little alteration or disruption as possible, it's sustainable for life - and very enjoyable, too. To paraphrase someone on the  NoS Board: "whoever heard of a 'diet' you don't even want to go off of?" I have to agree.

What is an 'average' day like for you?

*Also known as a 'Full English Breakfast' and may include sausage, bacon, eggs, mushrooms, fried bread, grilled tomatoes, baked beans (English ones..not American) and (for some) black pudding. 

**Plan B is usually my freezer. I am trying not to get to 'Plan C' which is 'eat out'. So, when I can, I double a recipe and freeze half. 

Weekends and Water Weight

Am I the only one who feels the need for a day off to recover from days off? Saturday was a 'work on the yard' day for us. I didn't plan it that way, but somehow it just evolved that way. So, from 10 am to about 4.30 pm we chopped, lopped, raked and shoveled. We moved plants, trimmed trees and shrubs, cleared debris and removed a couple of  scraggly, overgrown junipers. After that we cooled off in the pool, then wound up the day with dinner and a movie.

Sunday we didn't do much. We really needed it after our day Saturday. Monday we went for a hike. Temps were in the mid-nineties even in the mountains. We walked for about four hours, taking occasional dips in the creek to cool off. We had late lunch at our favorite pizza place, then after a little rest and much needed showers, we went out to watch fireworks.

Today is getting off to a slow start. So slow, I haven't even decided what I'm going to think about possibly adding to my 'to do list'.

I did weigh this morning, which, on reflection, was perhaps not one of my more brilliant ideas. Though I ate little in the way of actual food this weekend, the combination of pizza, cinema popcorn, high temperatures and all the water and tea I was guzzling last night could hardly not result in a weight gain - and all of it likely to be water weight.

And weight gain is just what I saw. Although I know it's not 'real', it doesn't exactly make my day, especially this early on. If I'd lost five or ten pounds, a few ounces wouldn't be such a big deal, but at this stage it wipes out the whole loss so far..and two ounces more.

Do you notice large weight fluctuations that are most likely water? Are you able to ignore it, or does it affect your day - or even your week? Maybe you have suggestions you'd like to share with your waterlogged friends? Comments are welcome :)

Meal Frequency and Metabolism

The belief that frequent small meals are necessary to keep metabolism from slowing takes another hit:

"The results of the present study fail to support the hypothesis that participants with high daily meal frequency have significantly higher resting metabolic rates as compared to participants with a low daily meal frequency. Meal frequency does not appear to effect metabolic rate."


The Effect of Meal Frequency on Preprandial Resting Metabolic Rate

Stressful meal times

This is more than a Fourth of July holiday for me. Family will be gathered at our home, off and on, for two weeks. Sometimes there will be only two or three extra folks around..but on some days there will be ten or more. My frig is overflowing with food and the logistics of keeping everyone's schedule straight has me a bit dazed.
Here is a problem I face at times ..I am making sure everyone is fed and happy and really am not relaxed enough to sit down and enjoy a meal. I do sit down and "eat" but, I'm really just picking at the food. Then..at about 9P.M., when things are quieting down... wham!! I realize I am hungry. The easiest thing to grab are the desserts.. not at all good!! I don't sleep well when I eat at night. I make bad choices on what I'm eating. It is not a habit I want to return to using.
In reality, I know that this is a short term problem. I am enjoying the cooking with kids and grandkids. I just can't (won't) let go of being the person in charge when my kitchen is involved. Today, is a picnic at a friend's home and I have my contribution ready to go. Tomorrow will be a hot dog roast here with family and friends and I hope, since it is outside around our fire pit, I can just relax and enjoy the whole thing... and eat at meal time! I'm not going to let myself go into "diet mode" and stress about measure each item I choose to eat. I am going to recognize this as a problem area for me and come up with a plan to make this a non-issue. Realizing this is a problem area for me, is a step in the right direction. Wishing everyone a step-in-the-right-direction in whatever problems you are trying to work out!

A Well Balanced Week

It's Friday which means it's time for my end of the week review.

As far as NoS goes, after all the ups and downs the first couple of weeks, this week has been a breeze. I know it won't always be that way and I may be needing Older/Wiser's 'Just Hang Up The Phone' technique one of these days. But I'm not going to plan for failure. I'd rather enjoy the good days while they last.

And they are good days. The weather has been quite warm - near 100 degrees most days. I don't do well with heat, so we spent quite a bit of time at the pool. We also managed to play tennis a few times and go for bike rides during the cooler times of the day. I downloaded a number of books to my Kindle, and have been plowing through those. I've also spent some time on the computer learning about blogging and getting things set up. It's been fun though, and I've been enjoying it quite a lot. Seeing all the views, reading comments and hearing from readers has been quite encouraging and has no doubt helped make my journey that much easier. So thank you all for that. I hope you we are encouraging to you in return.

We don't have much planned for the holiday weekend. Just the usual things - gardening, tennis, swimming, bike riding - maybe a baseball game. Definitely a hike in the mountains where it's cool. Of course there will be fireworks, too.

What about you? Do you have any special plans for the weekend? For you NoSers - will Monday be an 'S' day for you? Cast your vote on the current poll.

Whatever you get up to, have a great weekend!