Positive Influences

Chew on this for a bit.....

I have noticed how much we truly "feed" off of each other. When someone is feeling down, we have empathy for them and try to bring them back up. When someone is feeling fantastic, it makes us feel fantastic. If someone goes MIA, we notice and seek them out. We have "watched" romances begin and flourish, relationships fizzle and end, weight gain/weight loss, pregnancy/birth....everything is fair game in the Blend community.

I know how most of you feel about Tracker. It was what it was for a time. Most of us drop in but don't really participate anymore. It is a great place to find new recipes, see new pics, and log your own statistics. I was reminded of the weeks that I and my buddy K tracked SEVERAL people's stats. It was fun and made people really accountable....nothing like seeing your name with a big goose egg for loss :D It doesn't matter what "diet" or exercise program you are following...what does matter is that you are making good food choices (most of the time), eating in moderation, and just plain moving. Some people are lucky enough to go on the cruise and will be wearing a bathing suit. Some people have a dress that they need to fit into by July. Some people have reunions (family or school) coming up. Some of us are planning on getting pregnant. We all have the same goal....getting fit and staying fit. Did you eat 2 Big Macs and feel guilty? Why? Do you do it every day? I sure hope not. Guess what? Spring is in the air and it is time to get moving.

We all have a lot of good information to share. Some of us do quite a bit of research on certain topics. Share the wealth. Someone I know had a policy that if you said something negative, you'd better follow it up with a positive. Blogging is actually quite therapeutic. I treasure the friendships that I have made. Have a super day and update your blogs :D

Hello, my name is Melanie and I am addicted to...

Cottage cheese mixed with yogurt (any flavor), Carole's protein bars with low-fat peanut butter, cleaning, and Frogger (www.froggyville.com). Wow....I feel so much better after getting that off my chest. I've got it really bad for the protein bars. I crave them. I forgot to bring one to work and now my skin is crawling...:D

I came up with something yummy the other day: Cooked brown rice, mixed with dark red kidney beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and some taco seasoning. Add a protein and you have a perfect meal. Don't ask what the nutrition information is.....don't know and don't care. It's yummy and it's healthy.

My guilty pleasure has been 2 Hershey miniatures on any given day. It's less than 100 calories and it gets me through any cravings. I've lost 11 lbs. thusfar and I am a happy camper.

I keep forgetting to mention this.....Princess Diana's Exhibition is being shown at the Dayton Art Institute. I think this is a big deal considering it was only scheduled for 3 locations in the U.S. So, who's coming to visit?

Is mopping really that hard to do?

Okay, the mop was invented in 1893 (by Thomas Stewart..HA) and to the best of my knowledge, it has been working pretty well thusfar. Anyway, they have invented a floor-washing robot called the Scooba. Are people really that lazy that they would spend $400 for a robot to clean their floors? Come on....really. Hire a housekeeper! Personally, I enjoy cleaning. If I had the time, our house would be spotless....but with dog hair.

I have decided to go back to school. I have the perfect schedule to accommodate this now. I think I will be going for my Mental Health degree. We have a Hospice Center nearby and I would like to work there as a Grief Counselor. I already do some of that now so I might as well get a degree for it.

Not a lot going on right now....which is a first. I've been reading everyone's blogs and I see that love is in the air......new love, rejuvenating married love, etc. That's a good thing. I also see that people are getting discouraged with their weight loss/exercise. Don't beat yourselves up. Spring is right around the corner and you will be able to get out and about. Dust off those sneakers and move, move, move!

Big hugs to my buddies!

Kind of sappy....

I thought about this the other day but then it just really hit me a few minutes ago. After I finished reading K's post, tears welled up in my eyes. The thing is....a lot of things have been making me cry lately. Not sad crying....just emotional. No, I am not pregnant. I think that I have tried to be so strong for so long that my emotions just didn't want to expose themselves. I, by no means, have hidden any emotions....they just wouldn't come out. I am so unbelievably happy right now. Things are starting to go our way....MY way even. I have developed some really great friendships online. I feel so much pride for those of you that are really trying to make things work. It is really, really, really hard to just BE anymore. I knew life was hard....but, wow, there is a lot of bad in the world. I know that I am a better person for having gone through all of this....cry on.....