The Big Fat List and the Days of Doom (TM) Part III - Return of the Diet Dodgers

[grinningbee]

Well, it was the wittiest name I could come up with. For those returning after lovely holidays

Morning all

1st weigh in for a while which I was dreading and have stayed the same in spite of all the holiday and post holiday scoffing so it could have been a lot worse.
Feel like my head's getting back in the SW zone now so need to get on with the 1stone by Christmas vibe.

Cheese sorry to hear about your return to work disappointment. I think it's so hard for hospital Drs to combine working and family life.
It's a bit scary when the reality of return to work / childcare begins to loom and threatens to cast a shadow on the happy bubble of mat leave isn't it?

Bee DS2 is the same age as your DS and has never been a great sleeper, up every couple of hours during the night but thankfully usually bf back to sleep.
I'm too soft for CC and muddle along clinging onto the belief that they all get there in the end. DS1 was the same and he more often than not sleeps through now.
DP often sleeps in spare room to get undisturbed sleep and allow room in our bed for me + 1/ 2 DSs
I find sleep deprivation makes me hungry and crave sugar too so need to have cunning SW friendly snacks planned and not have any chocolate in the house EVER

Ria your day of quantum physics etc has made my head ache at the mere thought of it. Good luck

Food today:
BF: Cinnamon porridge + toast + jam
L: Omelette + salad
D: Chicken, JP + salad
Yogs + fruit

Hi all!

Cheese that sucks about your job: hope you get something sorted soon. My work rejected my application to return p/t, so I'm returning in Jan f/t (37.5hrs per week, 1/2 an hour drive from home). Thank goodness I have family looking after ds for 3 days a week, so it means only 1.5 days of nursery fees (dp is working from home 1/2 a day per week too). I'm already dreading being away from my baby for that long - it's going to kill me! He'll be one at the end of Jan Hoping I'll only have to work the 12 weeks before I hand my notice in and look for something p/t more local...although the getting pregnant again option sounds tempting too

bee I really do not know how you function on such short bursts of sleep and with such an unhelpful partner I'm afraid I'm an evil caaaah and did cc with ds when he was about 12 weeks old, and he's been sleeping 12hrs a night solid since about 14 weeks [considers self extremely lucky emoticon]. I've always been consistent with bed-time routine, never given him any stimulation at night, don't get him out of his cot unless he's hungry and it's a sensible time in the morning etc...but he's a thumb-sucker so self-soothes, and I think it's just luck! (I also found the more he slept during the day, the better he slept at night).

kid Wise words there! I will remember them when fretting about leaving my baby all day for five days a week in Jan Well done on the exercise too; I really must do more.

Lake I can't have chocolate in the house either. Although dp forgot this rule and bought a load the other night...still have a couple of bars of Fruit and Nut in the fridge which I'm resisting as will probably be having a slice of nephew's birthday cake later

Good luck with DoD everyone and hope you're enjoying the sunshine!

Slinky! The hashed out bit made me smile. Tis true. And tonight he's come home asking how we'll cope with a third if they sleep the same as ds... that's the first time he's wavered since he was all gung ho for another as ds arrived.

I did enjoy the sunshine thank you. Got the grass cut and weeded and de-catpooed one border while ds napped, and dd "helped" . Going to get some winter pansies or something to brighten it up.

Back later for the list...

CC can work even if an older sibling is in the same room.
I was worried about DS waking up DD when I did CC so I left it until a bank holiday weekend. I started it on Friday night, it wasn't great as he woke twice but amazingly, DD didn't even stir. Saturday night was worse, I almost caved in but persevered. Sunday night, he slept right through and has done ever since (now 9 years old!)

With DD it was a different story. She was my pfb so of course she needed to be cuddled to fall asleep. If she even murmured in the night, I was there in an instant to cuddle her and put her in bed with me. Its no wonder she didn't sleep through the night until she was 2 1/2 years old. Even now at 12 she is a pest at night time and finds it hard to fall asleep.

CC really did work for us and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again (not that I'm having anymore babies!)

I'm making Balsamic Chicken and Smoked Paprika Potatoes tonight. I've never made it before so I'll let you know what I think.
Just had shopping delivered so the fridge and cupboards are bursting at the seams full. I wasn't pleased with them though as I requested shopping to be bagged but the sods sent it all loose in the crates. So I had to unload it all onto the hallway floor and stop the dog from getting it. Then they didn't have the receipt for me so I had no idea of substitutes or missing items. Finally, the 2 bottles of bleach had leaked over all sorts of shopping so I had to clean everything before packing it away.

Lovely customer services are refunding my £3 delivery charge and sending me a £5 voucher and they are getting the manager to call me tomorrow so they can investigate it! I would have been happy with just the £5 voucher

sofabitch what supportive collegues. Before long, you'll be the skinny amongst them! I am impressed.

lake well done with the hol. I also struggle with a sleepless night.

slinky I am glad you admitted it before me, I also did/do CC at 16weeks. Now, 6/7 nights she does 7 till after 6am. Since I got unwell, family have been rocking to sleep etc so we are backt o square one but it isn't taking long to get back into the routine. Why won't they let you return PT? Bit mean, if they want to keep you. We can be returning to work buddies. We have now resigned to moving house to be nearer where I work, so frantically thinking about putting the house on the market.

Kid who do you online shop with. Both tesco and sainsbos have given me £10 for messing up deliveries. I would want a full refund for bleach over food.

Right, must do the list!

Ta-Da!

sofabitchhas lost 4lbs this week, total lost 12.5lbs

kid has lost 3lbs this week, total loss 3lbs towards Xmas target of 23lbs

whatswrongwithyou has lost 2lbs this week, start weight 10stone 6lbs, now weighs 10stone 1lb, total loss 5lbs

cheese has lost 2lbs this week, start weight 13st 3lbs, now weighs 11 stone 4lbs, total loss 1 stone 13lbs, xmas countdown target is 10stone 10lbs so 8lbs to go

whatkungfuthat has stayed the same this week, total loss 11lbs

lakeflypie has maintained, current weight 11st 10lbs, total loss 12lbs, target weight 10st 7lbs

slinkyBhas stayed the same this week, Start weight: 12st 11lbs, current weight 11st 6.5lbs, Total Loss: 1st 4.5lbs, Christmas Target: 10st 10lbs

beehas gained 4.5lb this week, Start weight 15st 11lbs, Current weight 13st, Total loss so far 2st 11.5lb, Xmas countdown 0.5lb of 24lb

Well done everyone, specially bee for fessing up!

Sparkly Slimmer of the week sticker to Sofa

I've actually lost 5lb in total but still have 23lb to Xmas diet

Ah sorry kid, I just copied and pasted from last week and forgot to change, sorry!

that's okay, I'll forgive you

Had a binge. Am stoopid.

Woo - well done all you losers! Esp kid and sofa. Ooh, only 1lb to go to your 2 stone award then cheese ?!

I've never really fitted in at work; all women who are very cliquey and we have nothing in common. It's fair to say I hate working there . Something about the dept being so busy was my boss's excuse reason for turning my p/t application down, although there are so many redundancies at present . Our house is also on the market so we can be moving buddies too! Although we've been on the market 18 months and haven't so much as had a second viewing, despite dropping the price drastically, so have kinda given up hope. Will you be happy to move closer to work?

GandT. any reason, or just general pantsness?

I have just been food shopping on the "new improved" budget (following the huge reduction in tax credits now DH isn't working. It's so much I am TBH). I am incredibly at the nasty things I have bought (haven't had time to properly plan meals and shopping list this week, so grabbed things I know I can make into meals the kids like - sausages, chicken pie and the like). Was quite impressed by the fruit and veg in Aldi (went solely for dishwasher tablets, as recommended by the surgeon Dsis works with) but DH hates Aldi with a passion as one of his bosses once dropped all of DH's favourite local suppliers and got all the kitchen stock from Aldi once a week! (DH resigned shortly afterwards. Just imagine Gordon Ramsey with tesco value chicken). I think the kindest thing for myself is to go green for the next week. Will send DH to the farm shop for a sack of potatoes for £5, then home via the chicken farm for farm eggs at £2.50 a tray. There is pork and chicken in the freezer so I can do a nice roast and have leftovers too, and I have loads of rice, pasta and pulses. Just need the creative cooking motivation. We have been skint for a long time, but it's been a while since it's been this bad (and with DH not working we won't get the occasional meat gift from the butcher).

well done on all the losses, and well done for maintaining too
and lets laugh in the face of gains also. Here today gone tomorrow

Lakefly, my day has made my head (and my eyes) ache too! I am quite proud of myself as I think I finally have a reasonable grasp of the particle physics thing, but I am torn now as to whether I can work out chemical equations/compounds over the next 12 hours (allowing for no sleep) or if I should just accept I don't get it and kiss goodbye to 22% of the marks

slinky, IMO sometimes it is quite difficult to work with women. one of the women where I work seems to have taken against me and I have no idea what I have done (or not). Silly self-important cow.

The lovely teacher confirmed my placement today and I start next week. I can have the whole day Monday if I want (which is fab, and I probably will after next week, but I am a bit worried as I will only get breaks mid-morning and mid-afternoon due to my paid contract, and that's not good for sensible eating. Luckily Monday is stupid-o'clock day with DS1, so I do have time for a huge breakfast if I'm organised) and another afternoon. I will start next week

good luck Ria, hope it works out and I'm sure you'll figure something out foodwise.

cheese, I shop with whoever can deliver the quickest! Tonight it happened to be Tesco and I was so annoyed with them. If I'd wanted delivery without bags, I'd have said. I didn't even tell them about the bleach as I noticed it after I had phoned them.
They are sending the paper receipt in a couple of days so I can see what was missing and which substitutes were sent I could print off a list and compare that to what was sent but I'm willing to make them work and waste money on postage.

Dinner was okay. The chicken was lovely but it didn't smell very good when I was cooking it. I used the George Foreman (forgot how hard it is to clean!) and when i put the chicken that had been soaked in balsamic vinegar, it smelt like turps, really burnt the back of my throat! It did taste lovely though and I'll make it again (with less vinegar than the suggested 1/2 pint)

That reminds me, Kid, I made a chicken/balsamic vinegar thing last night - was delish and the DCs liked it too. Will try and find the recipe.
Re. bad sleepers: all sufferers have my full sympathy - I had three nightmare sleepers (although none who stayed awake for several hours in the night), and I'm afraid to say didn't get a full night's sleep consistently until the youngest was 5 or so.
I never managed CC - too tired soft, me. The 'no cry solution' seems to come up on MN from time to time - maybe worth looking at in your spare time?!

Chicken thighs roasted with red onions (serves 2 generously)

Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs (approx 0.750 kg)
2 red onions, peeled and quartered (white onions do not work half as well)
Juice of 1 lemon and zest from half of it (or 2 small lemons + zest from 1), pips removed
5 or 6 unpeeled cloves of garlic (or more if you love roast garlic)
1 clove of garlic peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp fresh thyme (stripped from approx 12 sprigs) or 0.5 tsp dried thyme
0.5 tsp ground black pepper
0.5 tsp coarse salt (such as Malden)

Method:
Preheat oven to 190c (180c fan)
In a roasting tin (the smaller the better, we used a circular ovenproof dish) pour in the olive oil and Balsamic vinegar.
On the fleshy underside of each thigh, sprinkle the thyme and chopped garlic and fold over the flaps of skin to form a parcel..
Place the thighs flap side down in the roasting tray and stuff the quartered red onions in between.
Pour over the lemon juice and zest
Sprinkle over the salt and black pepper
Scatter the unpeeled cloves of garlic over the thighs
Cook for 50 minutes and make sure that the juice from the thighs is clear when pierced with a fork.
Smear the contents of the baked garlic cloves on the roasted thighs and pour over lashings of the lemony garlicky juices.

Came from the Cottage Smallholder, I just used less oil at the bottom of the dish.

I'm tired but am feeling a bit on edge thanks to some morons outside.
I was just in the bathroom taking my contacts out when I heard some noises at the front of my house. I peeped out the slightly open window and saw 3 men on the other side of the road. They spotted me and stared up (1st floor of house)
I moved away from the window and switched off the light. The cheeky sod came towards my street door and I think he put something in my garden.
They went away so I got in bed.
Then I heard more voices, this time at the back of my house. Feeling paranoid, I just checked on dd who's room is at the back of the house and her blooming window was open (1st floor level) so i've shut it now.
I'll wait till the morning to investigate if they did leave anything in my garden. I have a feeling it's a beer can, but I'm not going out now. At least dh is home, even if he is fast asleep.

Another late night/early morning for me. I can't even blame it on dc!

Where's everyone hiding, I've been up 2 hours

Good morning everyone!

Oh bugger, sorry, the keyboard is playing up.

Aaaarrrggghh! Long post gone

Right. Try again. Kid I've also been up since 6.15. Hope those pests didn't leave anything nasty in your garden. Ria Hope things improve for you soon.

Food for the day - Weetabix and a nectarine, Cheese triangles on toast, clementines and a yogurt, Shepherd's Lentil Pie.

Apologies but my return key isn't working so I can't do paragraphs.

Ok... so they are showing up when I've posted. Most odd.

Morning all.
I lost my post too Bee

And the pressing the return button won't give me a new paragraph. Did you have a better night bee?

slinkyB I hate cliques. Bah, horrible women. Sorry about the house, its so difficult at the moment. Could you stay put and wait for things to pick up? I am not sure about moving towards where I work. It is a nice area and we are going to check it out over the weekend. However, I think my moving there we would be in the minority ethnically so I want to check I won;t feel isolated.

Today I am going to attempt a long walk and see how I feel.
Food is eggs on toast for brekkies, chicken and cous cous salad for lunch and sweet chilli chicken and roasted veg for dinner.

Have a good day all and hope MN sorts out the tech probs

Hahahahhahahahaha oh dear!