Mothers and Daughters

Relationships change over the years between mother and daughter. I am fortunate to have taken a wonderful journey over the years with my daughter, Jennifer. It's amazing sometimes, how when I look back over the years, I wonder, "Where have they gone?" It seems like it was only yesterday that I remember Jennifer being so excited to have gotten her Cabbage Patch Doll, or when she was barely a teenager and she got her leather bomber jacket. I can still close my eyes and see the excitement in her face as she opened those and other Christmas gifts.I also remember the year she went to and 'elf' party and I made her an elf costume. It sure was cute.

I've been lucky to see her evolve into a great mother and wife. I can even say I have learned from her. When I was staying with them, I would always see Jennifer go through the house at the end of the night and pick things up. Now I do that, and it really makes a difference in the morning. I am so grateful for all the support and friendship my daughter has given me over the past years, especially this past year. She is an amazing person, and I think she is just beginning to realize that herself. I look forward to the next phases of our journey both as mother and daughter and as friends. Here is a picture of Jennifer with her husband Josh and children Braiden and Emma.

Christmas and Family

One of the best things about Christmas time is that it is a time that brings family together. The love and warmth of those get togethers is very special to me. I love to see my family happy, laughing and enjoying each other. This year Mark and I hosted our kids at our house. First we all met and went 'caroling' to Henry's Farm Supply where Shaun was working on Saturday. In case you don't know, Shaun is serving his time in county jail in relation to meth charges from his arrest nearly two years ago. We have a lot to be thankful for this year, as Shaun is doing so well. He has kicked the meth and has 120 days down and 100 days to go. He is working for his dad and learning how to put carburetors and magnetos together. It is really fun to get to know him. So anyhow, we all headed down to see him on Saturday with a tray full of cookies. The weather was great. Here's a picture of Shaun opening his gifts.

Later that afternoon, we gathered back at our house with our children and grandchildren. The grandkids were all anxious to open their gifts. Of course there were quite a few of them under the tree. I love Christmas and I love to shop at Christmas time for the perfect gifts for everyone. Braiden, Kiara and Emma were ready to open thier gifts and see what surprises were inside.

Of course, the adults also enjoyed getting their presents. Everyone seemed very happy with what they received. Here are a few pictures of the big kids with a few of their gifts.




Mark and I received some really great gifts too. As I mentioned earlier, family is important. We have family in Michigan that were not able to be here this year. That is Mark's daughter and husband and our other two grandchildren. We so wish they could be with us at this time of year, but we still send off gifts. Here is a piture of Mark & I with a gift from Michigan.

Am I brave or what?!?!?!?!?!

Last weekend we hosted a gift exchange party for Shantel and her friends. My daughter, Jennifer came up with the idea as a way to save on buying gifts for all of Shantel's friends. So Shantel made up an invitation and we printed them on cute snowmen paper. I think she gave out about 30 invites. Well, over 25 girls responded and said they would be coming. Luckily we had the foresight to ask everyone for $2.00 to help defer the cost of food. I was subbing at the highschool the day Shantel gave them out, and I had the girls in her classs right after lunch for phy ed. Everyone was so excited. It was fun for me to have the chance to see that. Well, Shantel & I baked sugar cookies and made popcorn balls one night and made chex mix and puppy chow another. The day of the party, we made tortilla roll-ups and ham & pickle roll ups. We had plenty of food to eat and I made a good punch using cranberry-raspberry forzen concentrate, frozen lemonade, 7-up and water. It was fun to hear the girls shriek as they opened their gifts. We also played several games. One which is a little strange was to guess the reindeer poop. You melt candy bars and form into little balls, then number each container and the girls had to guess what kind of candy bar they thought it was. It was a huge success, and by 7:00 that night, I was laying down with my feet up, pretty much wiped out. Having 25 girls can be a bit taxing. They are all very nice girls and very polite, but they can get a little chatty. Shantel did tell me afterwards that everyone really enjoyed it and she was thankful for the party. Who knows, maybe it will be a yearly tradition.

Shoes from some of the girls at the party. I have never seen so many shoes on our rug!

Girls Night

Shortly after I married Mark, his sister and sister-in-law along with their girls decided to have 'girls night' every so often. We take turn hosting these events at our different homes and we potluck it. We always have great food to eat and have a good time talking and catching up. We usually have a movie or an activity that the hostess selects. Well, in December I hosted Girls Night. Of course we had a great time eating and then we did a Christmas Ornament exchange. It was fun to see everyone's ornament. Well, instead of watching a movie that night we played Mad Gab. We had given the game to Shantel for her birthday in November. In case you haven't played it, it's a game that gives you several words that when said together resemble a common phrase, location or person. We laughed so hard playing this game. When the other team is trying to figure out the word, it seems so easy, but when you're team is doing it, that's not necessarily so. The picture on the top is of all of us who were at the December get together in front of our tree, Annette, Shantel, Monica, Jennifer, Stacy with her baby Parker, Linnea and Sheena. The piture at the bottom is of Tessa, Linnea, Annette and Sheena as they try to figure out one of their Mad Gab cards.

Dancing Girls

December brings a time when we go to see our children in their performances whether it be a school play, concert or recital. This month we went to see Emma in her first dance recital and Shantel in her annual Christmas recital. It was fun to watch them both. Emma fist dance was a tap routine to a song called "Little White Duck". There were technical difficulties with the music. The curtain opened, the music started and about 12 little preschoolers started their first dance on the stage and then the music stopped. They started the music up again and once again the little dancers started the dance to only have the music stop again. The curtain closed and they walked the little dancers off the stage. We could see Emma's feet and at first she didn't move, it was as if she was saying, "I came here to dance and dance I will." Well after the intermission, they had fixed the glitch and the little girls did their dance. Emma was so proud of her flowers. When she got home she asked her mom for a vase and then put 'her roses' in her bedroom. The following week we went to Shantel's annual dance performance. It's always so fun to watch Shantel dance as she has such enthusiasm for dancing and always has one of the biggest smiles. Her group did a fantastic job and she was also pleased with her flowers.

Day After Thanksgiving Shopping Tradition

Building family traditions is important to most families. We all have tradtions that have been passed on to us from our parents such as when we put up our Christmas tree, making Christmas cookies, exchanging gifts and get togethers. When I first moved back to Minnesota back in 1993 with my daughter Jennifer, we did that crazy thing that started our own family tradition. We went Christmas shopping the day after Thanksgiving. That first year though, we didn't get a real early start and found many of the good bargains gone. So the next year we were up before the chickens and heading off to the local Walmart, Kmart and Target to catch those deals. After that, my daughter coined the 'early shopping' as our new family tradition. Last year we introduced my step-daughter, Shantel to the family tradition as we got up at 4:00 am to be at Walmart before 5:00 am. We had a good time and found lots of good bargains. So you guessed it, we were once again up at 4:00 am this year on the day after Thanksgiving and at Walmart before 5:00 am and Target before 6:00 am to get the bargains. Then we headed off to St. Cloud and to Shopko and Kohls before stopping at Bonanza for lunch. (Actually we were ready for lunch at 10:00 but waited until around noon.) Then we headed back down 94 to the Outlet Mall for a few more good bargains. The picture is of the antlers I bought so we could spot each other easily in the stores, and although the girls didn't want to wear them, it helped me in locating them in Kohl's. You know I just had to get a picture of them. Aren't we cute!

Teeange Birthday Party

Well, Mark and I survived Shantel's birthday party and sleepover with eight teenage girls. Actually, I must say they were very good and we really enjoyed having them all here for the night. I made tacos, Spanish rice, refired beans and homemade salsa. We had decided to have a game night, so the girls played games out in our 'craft' room off the garage. Mark and I gave Shantel the game 'Mad Gab' and the girls had a great time playing it.
I must tell the story about the 'coffee cake'. Shantel, like her dad, is not a big cake eater. She had told me that she wanted a coffee cake this year for her birhtday. So I told her that was fine and we'd just have her coffee cake for breakfast. The day before the party Shantel and I made peanut butter cookies for snacking on Friday night. Later on Thursday night Shantel asked if she was having a cake and I told her we were having her 'coffee cake' for breakfast. She looked a little confused and after discussing it, I came to realize she wanted a cake with coffee flavor, you know 'a mocha coffee cake' as she put it. So we went to the internet and found a recipe for a homemade yellow cake with a coffee glaze and then I frosted it with a mocha frosting. I did also make the planned coffee cake for breakfast. So whenever I think of 'coffee cake' I smile a little smile as I remember our communication gap.

Winter Must Be Near

Yes,it's true, winter is drawing near. It was easy to tell at the Schraut house in Royalton last week as Mark started putting up some of the Christmas decorations around the yard. It is the first year for our lovely snowman. Isn't he cute! It's amazing how he comes to life every night when the sun goes down and then falls to the ground around eleven at night to go to sleep. We still have some decorating to do, but from the sounds of it, the weather will be cooperating as it is suppose to be around 55 degrees by mid-week. That's fine with me, I can wait for the snow to fly until close to Christmas. The pictures are of Mark & myself with our 8 foot tall snowman.

I remember when I was a little girl and going into town to look at the Christmas lights was a really big deal. My mom would get us bathed and into our pajamas. On his way in from the barn after milking the cows, my dad would start up the car so it could warm up. Then he would come in and get cleaned up. We'd get wrapped up in a blanket and my dad would carry us out to the warmed up car. Then we would head into town to 'ohh' and 'ahh' at the lights. It's those special memories that we carry with us throughout our lives that are important. Even though my parents are no longer living, there are many times I feel them so close when I refelct on my special memories. I hope that everyone reading this has some special memories they too can reflect on and that they are building more of those special memories every year. It doesn't matter how much 'stuff' we all have, what matters is our families and friends. Those are gifts that are worth more than amount of money we'll ever see in our lifetimes. So please spend time over the up coming holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas to build some special memories for those you love. Mark and I wish all our wonderful friends and family a very Happy Holiday Season. May you be blessed with good friends and great memories.

Our "Little Goblins"

Getting dressed up is so much fun. I remember when I was little, (No, it isn't that hard to recall back all those years ago). I remember one year in particular. My brother Tom, who is about five years older than me, and me decided to dress up using clothes from my mom's closet. We went to my aunt's house, and she had no idea who we were. Of course I had some ammunition to use against my brother in later years, after all, he was dressed up in 'ladies clothes'. Dressing up as their favorite charcters or trying to be the scariest is fun for all kids. It's funny how the boys want to be scary or action figure related, while the girls want to be 'pretty'. This year it was cold on Halloween in Minnesota. I had gone up to Jennifer's during the day so I could see the kids in their costumes. She got them dressed up before dinner and we took pictures. I came home to greet the trick or treaters in Royalton. Jennifer & Josh took the kids out in their neighborhood. Before they did however, they re-dressed the kids with sweatshirts and sweatpants under their costumes. Emma was really bummed and said, "I'm not pretty anymore." Jennifer & Josh told her she was now the 'Winter Princess' ready to head out into the cold. I guess that worked, more so once she started getting candy, especially her favorite, P cups. Here are pictures of our grandkids on Halloween.

Here are Braiden & Emma. Braiden was a Ninja and his favorite part of his costume was his sword. Such a boy! Emma was a princess. I think every little girl dreams of being a princess and in the eyes of their parents, they are. As it should be.

Here are pictures of our grandchildren from Michigan, Grace and Michael. Like I said earlier, girls want to be pretty and sweet. Grace does look as sweet as she truly is as an angel. Michael ofcourse wanted to be scary, he even had glowing red eyes. He is a handsome little dude, even if we can't see him.

Last we have a picture of our grandaughter, Kiara with her other siblings. They came into town from Holdingford to do some trick-or-treating. Kiara is on the left in the light green Tinkerbell costume. Isn't she sweet!

Scary Jack-O-Lanterns

Halloween is a time of carving pumpkins and getting ready for the little trick or treaters. I leave the decorating to Mark, as he really enjoys putting up his 'scary' friends around the front yard. This year Shantel and I carved pumpkins to add to the front steps. We had a great time. We saved our pumpkin seeds and Mark saoked them for a day in salt water and then he backed them for a tasty treat. To me it seems like a lot of work for such a tiny tasty morsel, but I guess that's it, 'a tasty morsel' that compares little to anything else except sunflower seeds. Well, Shantel and I had fun scraping the guts out of our pumpkins and then creating our 'scary' faces. Mark enjoyed watching us and learning how to use the digital camera as he became the 'photograher' of this event. Just another memory building moment that helps make our lives so wonderful.

Fall in Minnesota

It's been awhile since I've written, so I'm going to do it in chunks to catch up on all that's been happening here with us. Fall is one of my favorite times of year in Minnesota. Unfortunately, this fall has been a very chilly one for us. Ususally over MEA weekend, my daughter, Jennifer and I take the grandkids to a farm that has everything including pumpkins, farm animals to pet, tractor rides, corn mazes, bicycle races, mini golf and much more. It is always a blast. This year we decided it was just too cold. We did spend an afternoon at Deer Lake Orchard in Buffalo and there we took a chilly wagon ride through the haunted forest and got a few pictures of Emma and Braiden among the sights of fall. The picture above is of Braiden and Emma sitting on pumpkins. Fortunately it was a sunny day. The one below is Jennifer with Braiden and Emma sitting on the wagon before we took our ride through the forest and apple orchard.

Fall's in the Air

With fall comes many things that are associated with this time of year. First of all, it's the State Fair. Mark and I went this year and took Shantel and her friend Megan. We had a great day, and luckily it did not rain on us. We were able to enjoy everything our little hearts desired from cheese curds, to fresh French fries in a cup, to mini donuts, to foot long corn dogs and of course, Sweet Martha's Cookies. We usually got just one and shared among us, that way we got to sample more. This year there was a new building featuring animals that were either about to give birth, giving birth or recently gave birth. I think our favorite was the little baby pigs. They are so cute! Well, after the girls said they were tired (of course Mark & I were too, just didn't let them know), we headed home. It started to rain on our way home, talk about timing.


Another thing that fall brings is the Albany Tractor show. This year we had Emma and Braiden with us. Of course Mark knew how to get there on the back roads. As we were heading there, Braiden said, "Nana, I think we're in the middle of nowhere." Guess he wasn't use to seeing so much open land with out many buildings. Both kids enjoyed the tractor parade. Braiden really enjoyed seeing the big land moving machines go by as they shook the ground. As we were looking at one booth flea market area Emma said, "Nana, I want to go to a different garage sale now." Of course we had to do the food thing there too. Started with cheese curds, nachos, malts, and ended with mini donuts. All that food is so good when it is so fresh! We watched them saw boards, rode around and looked at tractors. It's great to have the chance to see the world through my grandchildren's eyes. We all had a good day.


Going back to my own childhood, I remember jumping into the big leave piles on the farm. Braiden and Emma were up last weekend, and I managed to get a pile of leaves together using Josh's leaf blower and the rake. I fought the wind, but found I was a little sheltered in the front yard. So I got a big pile of leaves together and Braiden and Emma jumped into the leaves. It brought back memories of when I was little and Tom and I would jump into the leaves on the farm. It brought back thoughts of my parents and the good times we had on the farm. Our memories are ours, and no one can ever take them from us. We are fortunate that we can choose the memories we want to hold on to and let the others go. I hope you take a lttle time today to remember somethig good from your past.


And this fall brought Mark & I being invited to the St. Cloud Singles Alumni dance. It was great to see our friends in the setting that brought us together. It's hard to believe that a year has passed since our wedding already. It has been a good year, even with a few bumps in the road. It is so good to have someone to share those bumps with and to support you through tougher times. I am so glad that I have Mark in my life and thankful for all my family and friends. I hope you take time today to think about those important in your life and to let them know. I was watching John Edwards last night on television. In case you're unfamiliar with him, he is a medium that reads for members of his audience as he connects them with those who have passed. At the end of his show, he said that we should let those people in our lives know how important they are while they are living, as he has so many ask for this after they have passed. How true, let's all try to stay in touch, re-connect and continue to let our family and friends know we care.

Summer Reflections II

At the end of July, Shantel & I went to visit a friend I taught with when I lived down there. Chris & her niece Jennifer had visited us last year. This year it was our turn to journey their way. Of course we picked the hottest weekend of the summer, but we spent a day in the pool at 'Fish & Fun' where Chris' parents have a cabin and a day at the Water Park in Rockford, Illinois. We also found a shopping center with great air conditioning, so we also got a little shopping in. The picture's of Shantel & Jennifer on a scuplture at Starved Rock Park.


When I returned from Illinois, I had two extra passengers. While in Illinois, I met Mark's daughter and husband, Shannon & Jeff near Chicago for lunch and to pick up Mark's grandchildren, Michael & Grace. It was so wonderful to have them spend time with us. I do have to say though, that I forgot how tired one can get having kids around. They were great kids, but you forget how much work it is, cooking, cleaning, laundry and all. Made me appreciate what my daughter & daughter-in-law go through every week. The picture is from when Michael & Grace went miniature golfing with Braiden & Emma.



We were glad to have a family together before Shannon & family headed back to Michigan. We had a family picnic at our house and it was a beautiful day. Mark and Shaun got the fence done in the backyard, so we had privacy for our picnic. It was fun to have everyone here for the day. We are already plainning for a picnic next summer when Shannon & family come for another visit. We hope to get even more family and friends gathered for that one. My reflections have centered around family and friends, how appropriate.

Summer Reflections Part I

Well, it is now September and that means summer is coming to an end. With September we will see the kiddies heading back to school, the days getting shorter, cooler weather, and leaves turning. It also means that our gardening in Minnesota is drawing to a close. Above is a picture of one of my favorite flowers I grew this year, the Gerber Daisy. They are so vibrant in color! It will soon be time for bon fires and roasting hotdogs and marshmallows over the fire. With all that, I feel I have to reflect on this summer and all that transpired.




The summer began with a wedding of two dear friends from the St. Cloud Singles Club. Barb and Jerry were married over Memorial Day Weekend. Barb had allowed Mark and I to be married in her backyard last September. She and Jerry have a beautiful yard and both weddings were very special. I may have to get her a sign 'Barb & Jerry's Wedding Chapel'. It was a lovely day and great to see the two of them find happiness in their love for each other. Here's a picture of the happy couple.



The summer also allowed me time to spend with my daughter and grandchildren. Shantel, my step-daughter, babysat for Mark's niece at the beginning of the summer. I would drop her off at Kari's home in Becker at 9:00 in the morning, and then head to Jennifer's in Big Lake to spend time with her and the grand kids. It was fun to sit in Jennifer's backyard and watch Braiden & Emma play in the pool and on the slip and slide. It's hard to believe that they are seven and four years old! They grow so fast, it's best we hold on to every memory we can.

Family

Family is so very important. I have been fortunate to expand my family later in life. I did so when I married Mark and gained step-children and grandchildren. I have enjoyed the many times that we have cooked for our children and been able to bring them together as we get to know each other better. This past week I have been fortunate to get to know my step-grandchildren from Michigan a little better. A week ago today I was in Illinois visiting a friend I taught with when I lived down there. Last Sunday we drove into Chicago suburbs to meet Mark's daughter, Shannon and her husband, Jeff. While there we had a lovely lunch with them at a great Mexican restuarant. After dinner, Shannon & Jeff handed their children over to me to bring back to Minnesota for two and a half weeks until they come for a wedding. It has been wonderful,(and tiring), having Grace (7) and Michael (10) spending time with Mark & myself. I even went as far as having the other three grandchildren come spend several nights with us. Am I crazy? Yes! And I love it. It was so wonderful to bring these five children together as they built their 'cousin' connection. The other grandchildren are my daughter ( Jennifer's & son-in-law Josh's children, Braiden (7) and Emma(4) as well as Mark son, Shaun's daughter Kiara (7). I listened as the girls played house and as all five played video games. Michael soon became Emma's friend as he cheered her up when she got hurt. She coined him 'Silly Michael'. I had to break up a controversy of boys versus girls, guess that proves they have truly built that 'cousin' connection. I also made pancakes and made more pancakes as all five sat around the kitchen table at breakfast telling stories and laughing. I saw the older girls demonstrate caring and consideration as they included Emma in their play or made sure she was getting candy from the parade. I watched as the boys joined in play with the girls playing house or store as well as sharing video games. It really touched my heart to see the five children get along so well. I was also touched as I know this experience will build memories for these children that nothing can ever replace. This has been a wonderfull treat for me and Mark. We are so blessed to have such wonderful children and such beautiful grandchildren.

Best Friends

What would we ever do if best friends had never been invented! Some of our best friends may date back for decades to friends we made in school, whether it be grade school or college. Those friends are the ones that have stuck by you through thick and thin. They were there to hold your hand at times of trouble. They were there to support you through all the tough decisions you had to make. They were there to laugh with you initially at the funny things you did. Such as setting all the clocks in Woolworth's to go off at the same time or tying kites to your bikes and then riding like mad to make them fly. Then they are there to laugh every time you reminisce about those days gone by. They were there to share your joys when you were young. As the years go by, they continue to be close still, even if it's by means of a phone call or through email. They continue to share our ups and downs. It is amazing that those friendships can continue to grow after a quarter or more of a century.

Then you have the friends you make as your progress through your life. They come into your life when you need them most. When I think back on my friends, I am amazed that life brought us together exactly at the times I needed them. They support us through times we never thought we could get through. They shared their stories with us and we saw similarities to our own lives. Those friendships continued to build. At times, it may have been as though we had resorted back to our teen years as we did some very silly things with those friends. Those things would include doing cartwheels to cheer you up, toilet papering friends homes, and dancing like we were sixteen (even though we knew we'd feel it in the morning). They were the ones we'd stay up talking with into the wee hours of the early morn. Those friends help us grow in our adult years. They help us look at situations from a different perspective. They help us through some major changes sometimes, changes in our lives we never expected to face. They bring life back into our lives through their kindness and love. Sometimes it may be as simple as their warm smile or gentle touch. Those friends are there also for us when we need them. They may understand us better then we understand ourselves.

We also are fortunate as we grow older to have our siblings and our children become our friends. When we were growing up, sometimes we liked having our siblings tag along, other times we did not. Sometimes we were the ones tagging along, and we were the ones picked on. When our children were growing up, we were their moms. We had to set limits and curfews. Sometimes they didn't agree with us and sometimes they didn't like us. But we knew it was not a popularity contest raising our children, so we continued to set limits. As they grew, we began to release responsibility to them and we became proud of who they grew into. Now as adults, we can call our sisters, brothers, daughters and sons our friends. We have learned to call on them for help when we need it and share our inner most thoughts with them. It is so wonderful that someone we watched grow, someone we shared our youth with, someone we nurtured through all their trials and victories, now we can call our friend. Even though we may not see them as often as we like, we can always pick up where we left off the last time we were together and carry on as if it were just yesterday.

Girlfriends

GARDENS - The picture of the iris is from my garden this spring.

Well, most of my girlriends live in Minnesota. In Minnesota, we really appreciate our gardens, for the growing season in the northern United States can be short. For that reason, we spend a lot of time (once the ground thaws out) working in our gardens. We spend many hours at the local garden shops looking for the perfect flowers and then come home to get them in the ground. Then we water, weed, and fertilize so we can sit back and sip a cool drink and look out at our accomplishments. We love the colors in our gardens of pinks, purples and blues. Of reds, oranges and yellows surronded by seas of green and white. We work to get our hanging baskets looking just right, and spend time pinching off the old buds of our geraniums, petunias and roses.

This year I decided to enlarge my perenial garden, so I asked Mark to enlarge it a little for me. Well, it ended up being larger than I had planned, but in the long run, it will be well worth it. I spent about an hour one day selecting some perenial plants for the one end of the garden. I also had a container of 'wildflower seeds' that I sprinkled in that end of the garden. Well, now those seeds have started to sprout, but now I don't know which are flowers and which are weeds, so I'll have to let them grow a bit more. You know how it is, the weeds grow faster than the flowers, so I figure they will soon be a foot tall and the flowers will only be several inches tall, then I can do some weeding.

I also tried some Preen this year in my perenial garden to try and keep the weeds down. If any of you have any suggestions for the weeds, share your ideas. I also bought one of those attachments for the hose where you can attach the liquid Miracle Gro. I LOVE IT!! I have used it twice now. It so so much easier than mixing, carrying and watering each flower bed. It delivers the water in a nice shower (which you can change if you wish)and you can also use the attachment for just watering. It has a off valve so it makes it easy to walk from garden to garden to water.

I hope everyone has some time to get out and work in their gardens. It is relaxing and a great way to get in touch with nature.

Monica

BATTLE OF THE BULGE

Okay, I have been battling the bulge for many more years than I care to remember. I hope that through this BLOG I can get and give support to my girlfriends that face the same battle. I would like you to share your best tips for dieting, losing weight, and excercising. My girlfriends come from a variety of careers, age, and education. I know that together, we can probably post some of the best ideas for losing or maintaing our weight. We can do this without the cost of joining a weight loss center or group. So my challenge for you today is tell me your best tips for losing weight, dieting or excercise. I'll start.........

MEASURING
Measure your portions. It is the best way to be sure you are eating the correct amount. With many items this is as simple as using a measuring cup. DON'T GUESS AT PORTION SIZES! It does take a little time, but is is so worth it. Once you get in the practice of measuring your portions, it will become part of your meal prepartion routine. The other measurement tool is a scale. These can be purchased at any kitchen store. They vary in price range, but are relatively inexpensive and the only way to measure meat portions. I am making a commitment to myself to buy myself a new scale (I use to have one, but have no idea where it is), and I will use it along with measuring cups to measure all the foods that I eat. There, it's in writing now so hold me accountable and ask about my measuring next time we meet or chat online.

Celebration

I know that many of my girlfriends out there have many great things to celebrate. I created this blog to help us all celebrate ALL of our accomplishments. I know that many of my girlfriends could use a little pat ont the back from time to time to 'Celebrate our Successes'. I want all my girlfriends to respond with something they have done recently that they are proud of. Let's start by telling of something you did in the past couple of weeks that made you feel good. This could be something you did for yourself or for someone else.

Okay, I'll start. I am proud of starting my BLOG. I feel that through this BLOG we will be able to keep in touch, celebrate our successes, and share our frustrations. I hope to hear from all of you and hope you will contribute your thoughts and respond to the postings of others.

Monica