Update - better U, Organized Christmas, etc.

So sorry I have vanished off the face of the earth for three weeks. Football season is always crazy, but this year is even more challenging than normal.

In case you don't watch the news, Atlanta is drowning. We have had more rain in the last month that we probably got all of last year! We are very fortunate not to have had any serious damage, while some people have lost their homes and a few lost their lives. So I'm not complaining, but it's true that rain like this can throw a wrench into the best laid plans and make everything take longer than normal.

Then there's the sickness. Holy crow, the wave of illness in all three schools has been incredible. Again, I have been so grateful that none of my kids were seriously sick and just had the nuisance nausea, headache, cough, sore throat. Just when we thought we were through with the H1N1 cases, a stomach virus knocked down a big percentage of the elementary school. Crazy!

So I haven't been updating much. I haven't been walking much with the weather and kids being home, so I haven't lost much. But I'm still on the MYM plan with Jillian, and I'm still moving in the right direction.

I was reviewing my progress today. At the beginning of summer, back when I started Better U, I was at my highest weight ever. If you remember, that's when I gave up the diet Coke and all fast food. It was kind of disappointing to see that, by July when I started walking really regularly, I was only down 0.9 lbs. Then we started walking several miles a day. I was even more disappointed to realize that, with all of the ups and downs, I weighed exactly the same in August when I started Jillian's plan as I did in July.

So it's not like I haven't tried. But now, on the MYM plan, I am down 19.9 lbs since June - 18.8 lbs of it since August! My BMI has dropped from the "obese" range to merely "overweight." And I have lost at least 4" off my waist, bringing me very close to that magic number (35" for women) that reduces your risk for diabetes and all kinds of other health problems.

I'm a believer!

The Houseworks Holiday Plan is making teensy tiny baby steps of progress. Last week was supposed to be for your closets. I did go through most of my closet and try everything on. I had a huge giveaway pile, sadly not because I've lost too much weight but because even if they fit they are hopelessly out of style or worn to threads. (Did I mention I hate clothes shopping?) I have a small pile of things that need to be mended (mostly buttons that popped off the waist - how embarrassing!) and a few things that just need desperately to be ironed. The good news is that I have plenty of things that now fit if I get invited to a formal event. How many black dresses does one girl need?

I've barely touched my sewing machine and have a guild challenge due in November. I have another birthday quilt to finish, although the participants are not really cooperating (as usual). And I have to quilt the signature quilt for my cousin. And my camera isn't working well.

I guess I have my work cut out for me. But it looks like it's stopped raining, so I think I'll take Daisy for a quick walk first.

Have a great day! And let me know what you're up to.