Ok, so here's one for you.  Over the years, my husband and I have apparently earned the titles of "Stray Critter Magnets."  That's why we have wound up with five dogs and five cats.  We even attracted a guinea hen that showed up in our backyard after a summer storm.  I kid you not.  We fed her, she stayed, and that's been two years ago.

Anyway, four out of our five cats were strays.  Our most recent freeloader...errrr...feline came to us by way of Hubby's workplace.  In June of 2013, the 26th to be exact, my husband called during his lunch break to tell me that a helpless, lonely, hungry black kitten had shown up in the shipping department's parking lot.  I sighed, shook my head, and told him I'd be there to check it out, knowing full well we didn't need another anything that eats or poops running around the house.  When I arrived, two little meddlesome boys in tow, I was greeted by the sight of my husband holding a skinny black kitten that obviously adored him.  Upon closer inspection, it was confirmed that Little Black Kitty was a female.  By this point, though, it wouldn't have mattered what she was--the males in my household had decided that she needed a home.  With us.  With the other five dogs and (then) four cats.  So, home she went.

Over the past seven months, Delilah (a.k.a. Itteh Bitteh) has become a beautiful, poofy-haired cat.  And she's one heck of a mouser, which comes in handy living out here in the sticks.  Now, that being said, we've been fully aware since her arrival that she needs to be spayed.  I mean, any cat or dog that is a member of the household receives the spay/neuter surgery because NONE of them need to reproduce, since reproduction inevitably leads to more eating and more pooping, so just...no.  We were hoping that Delilah's first heat cycle would hold off until the good old tax refund reached us.  We should have remembered that our luck doesn't typically run to the good.  Two nights ago, I was awakened at 02:00 by a frightful screech that originated near the foot of my bed.  Copper, our Coonhound mix that sleeps on the bed with us (ferocious guard dog that he is...*rolls eyes*), levitated a good two feet off the bed at this and hid behind me, as I had sat straight up, myself.  It turned out to be Delilah, whom I found on the floor, writing on her back in lusty glee.  Wasn't that just lovely?  It turned out to be a reeeeeeally long night.  Which then turned into two really long nights, 'cause it's difficult to sleep when a female kitty is experiencing the whole "going into heat" thing for the first time.  She wants everyone within earshot to know just how happy and, uh...willing that these newly unleashed hormones have made her.  "Everyone," not including any of the male humans in my house, however, as they have somehow managed to sleep through her exclamations of unfulfilled amour.  So "everyone" consists of me.  And, most unfortunately, I hear her loud and clear.  @#$%!  Oh...I also think it's interesting to note that she has spent the whole day thus far snoozed out on a pile of laundry.  She must be saving her energies for the moment my eyelids begin to close tonight.  @#$% and @#$% again!

I'm hoping that this, too, shall pass in a couple of more nights.  Thankfully, our four male cats were neutered long ago, so they think she's as annoying as I do at the moment.  As soon as her hormonal tide has receded, her furry tail will be carried to the vet, post haste.  As much as I love the little furball, I refuse to deal with this situation again when it can be prevented.

So there's your "moral of the story," folks:  Have your pets spayed or neutered.  It may help save your sanity.

Long time, no blog

I am completely ashamed to admit that I have entirely forgotten about this blog.  I am even more ashamed to admit that my previous goals listed below were not met.  Not by a long shot. 

Now, although you're not going to catch me admitting to my current weight to the public at large (well...I'm more like the one at large, all pun intended), hopefully I can post some stuff on here from time to time that's entertaining and informative.  Heck, if I'm really lucky, they may be both...but that'll be on a good day, which certainly isn't *this* particular Monday morning.

Surely between the umpteen thousand critters and two meddlesome little boys, I can come up with something to blog.  Bear with me, won't you please?  Let's see where this is headed.

Day 8: Uhhh...

Ok, so I've totally fallen off the wagon as far as blog posting goes. And Friday night's meal of cheeseburgers, fries, and fried mushrooms from Chow Wagon didn't exactly conform to the low calorie/low fat/low cholesterol diet that I'm supposed to be following. And I didn't get to exercise on Friday or on Saturday. Ok, that's the bad stuff. The good stuff is as follows.

1) I've increased my intake of raw fruits and veggies. Since I'm lazy by nature, I really enjoy the pre-cut and packaged ones. Yes, I'm shameful. Oh, and I also cut my red meat consumption down to just two meals this week. Well, three, thanks to Friday's binge.

2) I did get right at 200 minutes of good, sweaty cardio. When I exercise, I push hard. I don't have lots and lots of time to devote to exercise, so I try to make it count for everything it's worth.

3) I'm still smoke free! I've resisted the evil urges to light one up by reminding myself that I'm accountable for my actions. If someone asks me if I'm still not smoking, I want to be able to honestly answer them in the affirmative.

All in all, it hasn't been a bad week, as far as health modifications go. But as far as other things...ugh.

See, I have guttate psoriasis. This type differs from the more common plaque type in that instead of larger, scaly areas, I develop smaller, scaly red bumps everywhere--arms, legs, feet, trunk, back, even my scalp. It's very unattractive. My skin usually stays relatively clear during the summer, mostly due to skin exposure to the sun. However, for some whacked-out reason, the hateful red spots have been reappearing this week. They're not thick on my body (yet), but my scalp is absolutely covered. This does not make me happy. I'm trying to get a handle on it with vitamin supplements as an alternative to having to go back on Humira. Now, Humira did clear my skin, and it also suppresses the joint inflammation and pain that I deal with due to psoriatic arthritis...but the side effects of this injectable include increased upper respiratory infections, fatigue, and increased incidences of lymphoma. Yikes. Scary stuff, there. So, I think I'll stick with my vitamin coctail for the time being and hope for the best.

One day at a time, that's all I can think about right now. So let's go, Week 2!

Days 3 & 4: Help, they're running together!

I tried twice yesterday to sit down and write my daily entry. I have two saved attempts, but I never did get finished with either. I'll have to save each of them to publish at another time, I guess, if the Spirit so moves.

Yesterday's exercise consisted of yet another Leslie Sansone DVD. This time it was Fast and Firm: 4 Really Big Miles! I cheated, though, and only did 3 1/2, since I just wasn't feeling the stretchy band segment. Still, I got 45 minutes of good, sweaty exercise while the 5 month old giggled with amusement as I bounced around the bedroom. I'm hoping that if Baby sees exercise beginning at this early age, he'll view it later on as a normal part of his day and will be more inclined for it to be a part his schedule. Maybe I can be a good influence in some way. Heh.

Today's exercise has been a bit out of the ordinary. It involved putting a horse back on the proper side of her fence. Don't ask. She's 26 years old and is as hard-headed as I am, except that she has four legs and weighs 1000 lbs, which makes her even more of a force to be reckoned with. I"m hoping that later on, perhaps, I'll be able to do at least a half hour DVD. Maybe. If she'll stay on the right side of the fence.

Day 2: Hey hey, c'mon get happy!

I didn't sleep so well last night. And this time, the boys weren't to blame. No, this time, it was my husband. He is a very, VERY active sleeper. Add to that the fact that he snores (loudly), and the next morning you will have a well-rested husband and a wife that does not wake up with a pleasant demeanor. Then, to add insult to injury, I nearly screamed expletives at the scale when it told me I've gained 2.6 pounds since yesterday. What??? Needless to say, between having no sleep and having to deal with a dirty, lying, no-good scale (just let me have my delusions, ok?), I was NOT a smiley, happy person.

After dropping the 4 year old off at school, I drove back home feeling all pouty. The absolute last thing I wanted to do this morning was exercise. However, since I have poured my soul out into this blog, I thought it would be in my best interest to hop my butt in gear. I perched the sleeping baby on the bed and began searching through my shelf of exercise DVDs, hoping to find one that would boost me up mentally as well as physically.

The DVD that I grabbed was Leslie Sansone's Walk Slim: Fast Start 1 & 2 Mile Walk. When I first began the serious exercising in 2007, this was the first DVD with which I started. Leslie Sansone is very bubbly, and her exercise videos are the kind that just about anyone capable of walking can do. That being said, I will warn you that she talks a LOT, so most people either love her or hate her. Anyway, Leslie's upbeat banter with her fellow exercisers was apparently just what I needed this morning. After the first 10 minutes or so, I found myself smiling right along with her as I walked, side-stepped, kicked, and knee-lifted my heart rate into the aerobic zone. I actually continued to smile my way through the remaining 25 minutes of the workout...even through the intervals!

Now, if you know me in real life, you'll know that the "Little Mary Sunshine" approach usually does NOT work with me. (Yes, yes, I know you're dying from shock.) But it hit me this morning when I first realized that I was smiling back at Ms. Sansone's image on the TV: If I'm going to do this, I may was well be enthusiastic about it! I've always heard that even if you don't feel anything remotely akin to happiness, you should smile anyway because it really does make you start to feel better. Cheezy, right? Absolutely. But it's also true. I'm going to have to exercise probably most of my remaining days on this earth, so I'd better dang well find a way to make the most of my workout time and learn how to enjoy it. I did today, and in doing so, I managed to boost myself out of my pee-poor mood. Yeah, ok, you may want to check with me in a few hours to see how I am, but right now I'm smiling, so just let me have my fleeting, happy moments, ok?

Oh, just in case you're wondering, I'm still smoke-free! And you can bet that I'm enthusiastic about that, too!

Day 1: The ugly truth

My husband and I went out last night, as I had hoped we would. I tried to get as much debauchery out of my system as I could before today. I think it may have worked, at least for the time being.

Here's my moment-of-truth revelation. It hurts to put this info here, but it's a good way to ensure that I stay on the straight and narrow.

Weight: 199.4, as of this morning. I must have a lot of compact fat, since I can still manage to shove myself into a size 14 or 16.

Blood pressure: 127/80. Not completely horrendous, but not as good as it has been in the past.

Cholesterol: 231, as previously reported.

I have a BMI of 31.2, which puts me in the "obese" range. NOT cool. I've got to stay on track so that I can break out of this rut into which I've fallen.

I didn't exercise today, although I had planned to do so. It's been a rather stressful day...and not, may I add, due to my dietary/lifestyle changes. I have, however, made it through the day without smoking. And honestly, at the present moment, the urge to smoke isn't very strong. It probably will be after another few days, but I'll cross that bridge when I must.

So there it is--the truth of how out of shape I have become. The good news, though, is that I'm extremely stubborn, and I don't like to admit defeat or failure. I can do this. I will do this. One day at a time.

I shall eat, drink, and be merry...

...for tomorrow, I diet. And I'm intimidated. I know the methods by which I've decided to accomplish my 30 day goal sound harsh, but it's the only thing that will work for me. I'm fully expecting to be miserable for the first few (or several) days. My family will probably be even more so. :)

But I'm on a deadline, here. And if the doc had said to come back in three months instead of one, I really don't think I would take the matter as seriously, being as I *really* like to procrastinate.

I think that the hubby and I may try to get out for a night alone tonight, babysitter permitting. If we do, I shall party like it's 1999...er, well, you know what I mean.

For tomorrow, I diet.