Saturday ... What a challenging day!

This post will likely not contain much about weight loss but more about my personal life and an issue there. I used to keep this kind of stuff in a journal at a forum I created with someone but have given my presence at that forum up. Because I feel it's important to address emotional issues in this entire process ... it is coming out here. If you aren't interested, feel free to skip the post today and come back tomorrow, please!

My youngest daughter works for my cousin and his wife in a family style restaurant. My cousin's wife has gone our of her way to make my daughter miserable. The last couple weeks, her hours have been cut to the point why bother even going to work? When she questioned it, she was told according to labor laws because she is a student, she can only work 20 hours per week. I investigated this and even called the Illinois Dept of Labor and was told that is not true. They can choose to only schedule her 20 hours or less but it has nothing to do with child labor laws. So my daughter printed info from the internet and took it to work to educate her employers. It didn't go over very well.

Today the wife got in the kids face screaming and telling her she is a trouble maker and gossip and a lot of other horrible things. None of what the wife said is true but still it got to my daughter. The last time my daughter was this hurt and upset she hurt herself (cutting her arms and scarring them forever). She wasn't trying to commit suicide and I actually didn't know about it until it had all healed up. She wore long sleeves and I just didn't see it. Anyway ... I spent a lot of today calming her down and talking it all out. I think she's come to the realization that she doesn't need or deserve any of this junk and she's going to quit tomorrow.

Top all that off with me getting up this morning to a cold house. I make the decision to kick the furnace on just to take the chill off and nothing. The furnace is broke. I call my brother who comes to check it out for me and tells me he can't fix it, I'm going to have to call a professional. Damn!

My nephew came by soliciting money for jumping rope for the American Heart Association. We really don't have any extra money, but I gave him $5 anyway. Told him I was sorry but that was the best I could do. Then the hubby and I got into it a little over the five dollars. I know money is tight but my sister did a LOT for our oldest daughter and for me when the granddaughter was born. The hubby can get over it.

Went to the mall and got some walking in. (I promised Alejandra I would walk today and I did.) The daughter got a new pair of shoes she desperately needed. Then we went out to dinner. Two problems ... 1) She's a picky eater and the one place she really wanted to go, Chili's, was packed with quite a long wait time. Poor kid. Her day got worse. We ended up at a Baker's Square (Village Inn for those in the south). I made okay eating choices. Had grilled chicken on focaccia bread with mushrooms and onions and a nice tossed salad with lite dressing and two glasses of water. 2) Ate dinner late. I try not to eat or drink anything after 7:30 PM and it was almost 8 before we got to the restaurant. Dang it all. Tomorrow is weigh in and what will happen will happen. I really wanted to get below 440 this week but doubt that's going to happen now. Add to this the monthly water retention and weight gain that comes with it and well ... it's been a crappy day.

Tomorrow is a new day and it will be better. I just know it!

Now ... since I focused mainly on the negative in this entry I'm going to say this week was a good week. I exercised with my workout videos a total of 120 minutes and walked for 50 minutes (ten short of my goal of 60 ... darn!). I really wanted a slice of pie after dinner tonight but resisted knowing I'd really hate myself come weigh in tomorrow though I don't believe what I eat one day shows on the scale the next.

Onward & Downward I shall trudge. If you made it through all that rambling and complaining you are a real trooper!