Lisa's QOTD, December 11th: If you celebrate Christmas and put up a Christmas tree do you have some Disney ornaments on it? If yes, what is your favorite one? If you don't have a favorite Disney ornament, what is your favorite?
We actually have an all red and white tree, so all the ornaments are red and white bulbs. I am shooting for a Disney tree for next year for in my dining room. I am going to look for some sales after Christmas. I enjoy glass ornaments & would love a Mickey head tree!
I'm having a hard time convincing myself to get outside to run, too. Some of it is the cold and some is worrying about slipping on frost or ice. Is there an indoor track near you?
I did a little research about running in the cold. There seems to be a lot of worrying about man parts getting too frosty.
But I did find this Runners World article by Jeff Galloway that might be helpful
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/1,7120,s6-238-267-589-13389-0,00.html
I know for myself if it gets below the 30's I have to have a scarf or I start coughing.
It's darn tough to work out outside in the winter for sure but you will be so happy that you did when spring rolls around.
Thanks! I'll check out this article later. I'm hoping to get out tomorrow~it's supposed to be in the 40s
lol. I just don't like cold!
I wanted to respond to the comments on exercising in the cold. Several years ago I had a nasty respiratory infection that lasted all winter. One of the things that came out of it--I developed a reaction to cold air. Everytime I walked outside--even to get in the car-- I coughed and wheezed. My doctor said it was essentially an asthmatic reaction to cold air. Last year I did a bunch of research on it, and it really isn't uncommon.
Here's how I handle it. When the temp is below ~40 I have a fleece neck thingy that I wear over my mouth and nose when I run. I put a safety pin in it and it stays in place. There are ski masks that would work for this, but I think they are kind of scary looking. If I have a cold/respiratory thing, I don't run outside. It's a recipe for wheezing. If you are coughing and coughing after exercising outside in the cold, it's a good indication you are having an "allergic" reaction to the cold. My doctor a couple of years ago said I could get an inhaler, but I try to avoid meds if at all possible, and wearing something over my mouth and nose so that the air I am breathing is warm and moist does the trick. The issue is that the air is COLD and DRY. Of course, YMMV, but this does the trick for me. I would say if you have never had a problem with this before, it might be worth a call to the doctor to make sure nothing more serious is going on.
I asked for money and cold weather gear for Christmas. I am hoping to at least get gloves. With the money, I am planning to get running tights, a hat, and something for over my mouth/nose (and not a ski mask~they do look scary! I'm not robbing a bank, Officer, I swear I'm going running when it's 14 degrees lol).
Good Morning! Figured I'd post a qotd today.
What is your favorite holiday food this time of year? With your healthy lifestyle have you modified any of your favorite holiday recipes to make them healthier?
Although I love cookies (I'm sure I mentioned that a few times
), my favorite food is my grandma's Christmas Eve fish and her homemade pierogies. However, she's not able to make pierogies anymore. She had a minor stroke a few years back and her hands are too weak. And, this year she does not want to make the fish. So, I volunteered. It is awesome...and fried. And, it's a three day process that I won't get into. I offered to make some broiled and my gradmas almost fainted lol. So, fried it is! I guess it's a splurge. We have a no meat Christmas Eve and eat kielbasa as soon as midnight strikes! It's a great family tradition (Polish/Slovak) that I can't wait to pass on to my kids. They love Christmas Eve!
Janis_ I did try the blanket but she pulled it through the crate and chewed it up and almost broke the crate pulling it through. I moved the crate in to the living/playroom and let ds sleep on the couch last night, and she went out with him. She woke and barked a couple times, so I came out and didn't speak to her, but she saw me, and then she stopped and didn't bark again all night. I want to be tough, but it's hard. But I know she need to be in the crate when we are gone, and sleeping. So alll in all, I'd say it is coming along. Thanks for the advice.
The best advice I have is to hang in there. We adopted our dog from a kill shelter and she was about 1 year old. Our first couple months were horrible. She had separation anxiety beyond belief. If we walked outside without her, she jumped on the blinds to look outside. So, 2 blinds ripped. She refused to go in the crate so she was bribed with lots of treats and hotdogs! She took obedience classes and was validictorian. Then we went home and she was a totally different dog. We had her crate in our entry way archway into the living room, and one day she decided to tear the black plastic bottom apart and tear a 1 foot square section of our carpet and padding up while we were gone. Good news? We found out we have beautiful hardwoods underneath the carpet. And, she could bunny hop our fence and sprinted down the street numerous times. Oh, and this dog (Australian Cattle Dog~which is smarter than my husband and I combined) watched the neighbor dog use it's nose to open it's back door. So, she decided to jump the fence and open my neighbor's back door while I was in the kitchen. She was just hanging out in his kitchen! But, after a couple rough months, she is great (although get's into the garbage every so often). She willingly lays in her crate when we are putting on our shoes and just to sleep. She loves my kids and is very protective of them which makes DH happy for when he works midnight. And, she needs lots of exercise, so it's healthy for the family. So, stick with the tough times and lack of sleep. I always say, having a dog is worse than a baby!!
pjlla~I'm not sure what kind of service activity she needs, but how about planting a community garden? Some kids I teach plant flowers ever spring in a low income area. Or maybe organizing a flower garden at a school or nursing home. She could also build bird houses and bird feeders for a local park or school.
My boys (with boy scouts) bake cookies once a month and donate them to Meals on Wheels.
I also know some local high school students who volunteer to help a group of Lifeskills students go swimming weekly. They get in the pool and help them move and swim (some are in wheelchairs and it's great to see them smile and try to move as best they can).
DH suggests a blood drive. You can make it a competition to get more people to come (example~a local place had a Steelers/Browns blood drive and they wanted to see how many fans would show up to support their favorite team. They also gave away tickets to a Steeler/Browns game in drawing for anyone who donated. Btw~we live between Pittsburgh and Cleveland right on the PA/OH border so this was a big deal. I live in PA but can walk to Ohio if I really wanted...it's about 2-3 miles.).
Good luck and I think it's so great when kids get involved in the community! I am trying to teach my own kids to give back.
Jill
But I guess it's better than a gain. It's time to confess that I'm only down about 8 pounds for the whole year
). Not much I can change there...I haven't made it yet. Usually this time of year we've been through 2 or 3 batches. I'm going to make it before my dad arrives for the holidays on the 21st, and probably make another batch the 23rd, if it's gone -- I will not go crazy eating it, but my dad and dh are another story! 
for the residents, where she gets entertainment, organizes refreshments, gets Brownie troops (or something like that) to come in and serve cookies and punch, sing a few songs, etc.? You could do all kinds of things (give the ladies each a paper rose, make door decorations for their rooms, etc.), I bet the residents would be thrilled to receive a Valentine. I suspect that is a lonely day for a lot of elderly folks. 
I bet she's loving it! 
Thanks for being our Hostess! 
to everyone I missed -- off to do a few tasks before dinner and 
tonight.
Federally-owned...hope they have a fitness center...or bring alot of books! Unless they keep you studying at night...
I will enjoy the Osborne Lights so much! 
I had my whoosh and have a brand new number on the scale that puts me at 29 pounds lost for this challenge and keeps me well on track for my goal for the Tink. 
I agree on the exercise, it's been great for me. No way would I have walked the past 12 days without her. 
on't laugh, but mine is fruitcake! We have a small company about an hour away from here that makes the most unbelieveable fruitcakes. They are mostly nuts, no candied fruit. 
I could be putting the rest of the decoration out, or I could catch up with my friends here and enjoy a cup of tea, so that's what I chose. We are heading out to walk to ds's school and pick him up soon. It's a good walk for all of us. 
