Let's Just Forget the Dead Ones...

Yesterday my daughter and I went to the Reagan Library.  They are having this really cool Disney exhibition right now, with artifacts from the Disney collection such as costumes and props from movies, original animation cels, and a whole lot more.

In one room, there are these presidential busts that were carved for the Hall of Presidents animatronic attraction at Walt Disney World.  Here's a picture:

I've never been to WDW so I haven't seen this, but I imagine it's just like the Haunted Mansion busts at Disneyland that "talk" and "sing."  There are busts for every president, from Washington to Obama.  This picture doesn't do them justice -- they look better in person!

 So as we were standing there, I saw this boy counting the busts.  I couldn't help but notice him because he had a LOUD voice, and I guessed about the same age as my students -- 9 or 10.  

He was becoming increasingly agitated the more he counted.  "...41...42...43."  

"MOM!" he finally shouted.  "There are only 43 busts but the sign says that Reagan was the 40th president!  I think they made a mistake."

His mother agreed with him -- there probably had been a mistake, she said.  I silently wondered if she was just agreeing with her son to get him to stop, or if the woman really thought that a mistake had been made in this obviously very expensive exhibit!

"BUT WHYYYYY, MOM?  WHYYYY????"  the boy whined.  "I'm going to count it again.  1...2...3.."  The boy counted again, and again counted 43 busts.  I started to chuckle, and resisted my teacher urge to jump in and explain to the boy how Grover Cleveland had served as president twice, non-consecutively.  I held back, however, as I was certain that his parents would say something.

But the didn't.  "MOM!  IT'S STILL ONLY 43!  WHYYYY????"

His mother then said, "Oh!  Wait!  I know why!"  She then turned to her husband and asked him, "Didn't one of those presidents get killed while in office?"

"Yes," he replied.  "It was John F. Kennedy.  He was assassinated."

The mother then turned back to the boy and said, "That's what it is!  John F. Kennedy got killed, so he is probably not up there."

"OH!!!" exclaimed the boy.   "That makes sense."

(Note:  Yes, JFK is in the picture up above...and yes, there were other presidents who got killed, too....).

I wasn't sure whether to laugh....or whether to cry.....because I am an educator in this country.....wow.

Woohoo!

I have lost 8.9 pounds since last Monday!!!!!!!  But I'm also sick now, which is urelated.  Got some kind of nasty sinus infection or a head cold.  Bleah.  Don't really feel like eating, but with this diet you have to eat in order to lose.  It's all chemistry.

Insomnia Inspiration

It's 1:05AM and I should be asleep but my shoulder hurts (seems to be that darned rotator cuff again), and I keep coughing due to the sinuses. But the good news is that I have lost 8.3lbs. since Monday!!! And I'm not starving either! The hardest part of this dieting is finding something else to do when I'm bored. I have known for awhile now that I'm a boredom eater, and overcoming that mental piece is tough. I get bored, and I start getting the munchies. So I have to tell myself that I'm not hungry and find something else to do. It will be hard when I go back to work because I also snack when doing paperwork or other boring parts of the job. Food helps the boring part go by quicker..like yummy brownies during a staff meeting! LOL

I'm Melting!

Woohoo!!! After three days of protein to kickstart my engine, I am down 6.9 pounds! Yes! And today I get fruits and veggies!

Evening addendum:
Don't really get this, but for some reason I get EXTREMELY hungry and just have to eat, but then once I start eating I get full very quickly.   This is unusual for me as I can usually pack it away.

I did get to eat an orange today, had a caesar salad, and some broccoli and cheese with dinner.  It was nice to add variety to the mix.  I get so bored with food.

And now I'm getting bored typing this because this post is very boring.

NO SOUP FOR YOU!

Or for me, that is.  It's Protein Day 2.  This is actually going quite well.  Weighed myself yesterday morning and this morning, and I am down 3.1 pounds!!!  That is likely fluids, but that's okay with me because I retain fluids big time.  I do feel a little bit tired, but I feel better overall...again, probably a mental thing.  But I've got one more day of protein before I can finally have a piece of fruit and some vegetables again!  Who would've thought that I'd be looking forward to having some lettuce, huh?    I think I get to have one slice of bread per day, too.

I found another way to lose weight, though.  Sit through a bunch of other people's horrendous auditions for half the night without having any dinner first!  No....wait.  This should go under the "How to Torture Yourself For the Evening" post.  Never mind.

I Hope You Will See Less of Me Soon!

     So I've decided to go back on the Lindora plan only without going to Lindora, which is too expensive.  Several years back when I was actually going to Lindora I lost a considerable amount of weight, only I never got to the maintenance phase because it was just too darned expensive.  So I'm going to follow the food plan on my own, eating normal food instead of their packaged products (which you can do anyway even if you go to the center).
     The only things I won't get are the vitamin shots they give (but I figure I can take vitamins myself),  and the accountability by weighing-in at the clinic.  Soooo....I think I'm going to start blogging about this to keep my nose clean!  The only thing is that I am going to keep the actual poundage to myself at present time because that part is just a little too private!
      For the first 2 to 3 days I have to do all-protein.  So far so good today.  I just devoured a load of chicken for lunch.  (They do have a vegan option for you non-meat people, but I'm not into tofu).  I already feel better, which is probably just a mental thing.  After the protein days, I do the weight-loss menu, which then adds in fruits and veggies.
      I just stocked up on protein goodies from the market.   I also checked out Trader Joe's.  Found a few interesting items there, and some protein bars that I can snack on at work.  With the Lindora plan, the idea is to eat 6 times a day, with 3 meals and 3 snacks.  This kind of system has always worked better for me with my headache problem.
     Trader Joe's is an interesting place.  Quite an eclectic group of people shopping there.  You've got my types -- the overweight people looking to get healthy.  Then you've got the diehard moms who would rather die than to let their children eat a McDonald's Happy Meal.  Then there are the "nature people" (aka hippies) who look like they stepped right out of Woodstock and fast-forwarded to 2012.  I just know that if Yul Gibbons were still alive, he'd be shopping at Trader Joe's!

Thoughts on parenting....

Children need to have loving, caring parents in their lives who enforce fair boundaries and follow through with them.  Contrary to all of these " new-age" parenting theories out there (or whatever they are called) that preach that you should "never say no" to your kid and "be their buddy".....yeah, well, tell that to the judge when your kid is 16 years old and in juvenile court!  Children need to learn the meaning of the word "no," and they need to learn how to follow rules and have set parameters.  Welcome to the Real World! And who better to teach these things than the people who love them most?

It's okay to be your child's friend, but you are definitely not his "buddy" -- be the parent!

I'm Gonna Write Me a Blog....

So I've decided to try my hand at blogging.  Of course, now that I am actually going to blog, I can't think of anything to say.  So I'm going to stop now.

P.S.  Feel free to say hello!