1. Me 2.0 will find a way to track that works instead of trying to turn her tracker into a toy.
2. Me 2.0 will make sure to take a water bottle to work so that she could drink water all day.
3. Me 2.0 will pack a snack for work and know the PointsPlus value of it. 
4. Me 2.0 will keep the house stocked with fruits and vegetables.
5. Me 2.0 will be sure to get plenty of activity for stress relief.
6. Me 2.0 will remember that it's okay to feel grief.
7. Me 2.0 will prioritize her sleep.
8. Me 2.0 will be speak kindly to herself.

The tour has interpreters dressed in historical costumes, and this guide looked like Holly Hobbie to me when she turned her head.




We learned some "fun" historical facts on the 45-minute trip, like the fact that the droppings from the mules who pulled the canal boats were dumped into the canal, as were the contents of the chamber pots shared by passengers and crew members. They were dumped on one side of the boat, and water for drinking, cooking, and washing was dipped out from the "clean" side of the boat. Not surprisingly, cholera epidemics were common along the canals. The mules would not drink water from the canals, proving that they were smarter than their handlers. According to our guide, most of the town of Providence was burned down in an attempt to stop the spread of the disease. The canals were eventually made obsolete by railroads, which could move goods and passengers much more quickly and had the advantage of not freezing over every winter.

The trip was pleasant and there is a working lock on the canal so we got to see how it worked. The boat rose visibly as we locked in going one direction, and then fell going the other direction. The mules that pulled us were half Belgian draft horse, and they were quite impressive. I really was glad we stumbled on this on the last Saturday it will be available this year.  There was a haunted trip later that evening but unfortunately, it was sold out.

The instructions say to use short pulses instead of one long one, so I pulsed away for a while. I took the cup off and kind of shook it to make things mix a little more evenly. It took a little longer than in the food processor and the result was more liquid than I usually get, but it was easier to get the peanut butter out for storage.





1 cup frozen blueberries
1 small banana
1 cup lowfat plain kefir
1 cup baby greens
1/2 teaspoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon peanut butter

Nutritional info for entire recipe: 446 calories, 11.6 g fat, 70.6 g carbs, 8.7 g fiber, 48.7 g sugar, 21.2 g protein

As you can see, this recipe makes a meal replacement smoothie, not just a snack. If you want a snack, share it with someone. This ended up being my lunch today.

Be sure to measure out the fruit and not just estimate, as one cup of blueberries doesn't look like as much as you think, and the fruits (and nut butter) provide most of the calories in this smoothie. I did feel free to just pack in the greens, since one whole cup was only 7 calories.

Obviously you could make this smoothie in any blender and not just the Nutri Ninja. I noticed again that the consistency was much more liquid than I get from my blender -- my blender tends to leave things slushier. It's probably a matter of personal preference. However, that smoothness is why you can use this to make juices as well.

You can just put the lid on and go -- unfortunately, I found that my straw was not long enough to go all the way into the big cup, and I managed to get some peanut butter on the outside of the cup, so I decided to pour this into another glass. The smaller cup would be better for individual smoothies.

Everything cleaned up very easily by hand. I just put a little dish soap in the cup, filled it with hot water, and shook it to start rinsing it out.  It looked clean after a quick hand-ways, but it still smelled a little like peanut butter, so I was happy to see in the instructions that everything except the motor base (which can't be immersed in water) can go on the top rack of the dishwasher.

I don't think the Nutri Ninja can replace a food processor, just because it tends to liquify everything. If you want to make tabbouli or even chunky peanut butter, I don't think this is the device. There is a salsa recipe in the accompanying recipe booklet, but I think you would have to be very careful not to turn that into vegetable juice.  If you are someone who enjoys smoothies, protein shakes, or juices (especially green juices, which are hard to get smooth enough in the blender), this is very quick and convenient, and less expensive than some of its competitors.  It feels very durable and high-quality.

Do you have any favorite smoothie or protein shake combos to recommend?

So when iOS 8.1 became available today, I decided to give it a try. I was in a bit of a slump with WW, so I thought trying something new would help re-energize me. Since Health has no way to enter food directly, I connected LoseIt! It didn't take me long to see some problems.

Hi! We're sorry to hear that you are having issues with your tracker. That is definitely more points that you should see.
— Weight Watchers ()

At first, WW customer support seemed eager to help.  I supplied screenshots of my LoseIt! and WW data, and even hand-logged all my food for the given time period.

Can you please elaborate on the issue you are having? We'll be watching for your reply!
— Weight Watchers ()

Then they seemed to give up on me.

Thanks for the info! We apologize for the discrepancy. At this time, our app is not optimized to food sync with other apps.
— Weight Watchers ()

And the brick wall went up.

If you want to keep track of your food data and PointsPlus allowance more directly, we recommend tracking with the WW app
— Weight Watchers ()

I was really surprised to hear that they were going to integrate with other apps and devices in the first place, since WW is normally so proprietary.  I have no doubt that Weight Watchers will get this straightened out, but I was disappointed that they didn't seem interested in troubleshooting it with me, since I had the data and was willing to help.

"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose."

Edited to add: To be fair, the problem may be with Apple's Health Kit App, There is a whole thread in the Apple Support forums about Health Kit problems.

Back in early September, Gwynnie Bee (affiliate link) solicited participants to help them fit-test redesigned garments for their private labels Flor Spruce & Sage Postcards Flutter, Triste. They had been getting some negative reviews on the fit and fabric of the original designs.

You can see one of those old private label garments in my "Not a Model" shoot, it's the green Flor Electric Animal dress. In fact several of those old-fit garments are now only $25 in the Gwynnie Bee shop. Many people didn't like the soft jersey fabric of those garments, and the fit was also inconsistent. I really liked a couple of them, but the jersey fabric was very warm and some of the styles were huge on me, and then others had very tight waistbands. It was hard to order the right size.

The new fabric is a polyester/spandex blend with a semi-matte finish and a nice weight. The fit has changed quite a bit. In the old brands, I would always order the smallest size, but even though the 0X looked good on me, there is an elasticized band at the waist in the fit-and-flare dresses that feels tight on me, so I have experimented with sizing up to the 1X. I was a little frustrated that this "sketch" print didn't look great in photos, so I tried taking a picture outdoors.


In the shift dress, which is not supposed to be fitted at the waist, the 0X was a little clingy. I got a pucker in the small of my back with the 0X, which is why I took the picture below, to try to show that. It also was clingy in the belly area so, again, I think I need to size up to the 1X for the fit to be just right.


It was fun to participate in this project. All I had to do was try the dresses, write a review, and take some photos.

Edited to add: The easiest way to get a good fit on Gwynnie Bee garments is to use the size charts when they are provided. The new size charts seem accurate, but these dresses may run smaller than many subscribers expect for a GB brand.

After my father passed away, we spent a lot of time going through old photos. This photo was taken on a family trip to the Mall of America when I was at my absolute heaviest. I have no idea what I weighed, because I was avoiding the scale and pretending that things weren't really that bad. I know that those shorts were a men's size 36, and they look skintight. I was wearing whatever I could fit into, men's or women's sizes.  Occasionally I would go to Lane Bryant if I needed something that looked decent.  After I saw the photos from this trip, I made my first attempts to lose weight.



The photo I have been using up until now as a "before," above, was taken many years later, after I had lost weight but rebounded. This was right around the time that I had a "Come to Jesus" moment with my doctor, because on his scale I weighed 197 pounds.  I think in the first photo I look much heavier, so I might have been as high as 225-250.

Triste Blurred Lines Shift Dress

Here's a more recent photo of me, taken for a Gwynnie Bee (affiliate link) fit-testing project for the updates to the Triste sizing. I'm around 180 pounds in this photo.



Finally, the photo above is me at or near my Weight Watchers goal weight of 155 (with my husband, who was also at what is probably his ideal weight). We were dressed up for my 15-year high school reunion, which was in 2003.  I loved that dress and still have it in my closet.

It's hard sometimes when I struggle to lose, or make some progress only to regain. Looking at these photos helps me to remember that even though I'm not quite where I want to be, I have made progress. The fact that I have maintained the initial loss of whatever amount of weight is between the initial picture and the one above is no small feat.

The view from my napping place

Note: This is an unsolicited, honest review. I purchased the products with my own funds. I am including Amazon Affiliate links in the post.

Day 1 Before

I need to lighten the mood here, and I'm also looking pretty terrible -- my skin is getting a double whammy of stress and hormones right now, and I am desperate to start looking and feeling better. I happened to be at the mall today right near the Sephora store, and had about an hour to kill. I didn't get the usual expert service there that I'm used to -- the service associate basically used the self-help tool that customers can use to find a product, and didn't have any specific recommendations for me. She was really young and didn't have a line or a visible pore on her face, so she probably doesn't spend much time thinking about skincare.   I specifically wanted something with retinol, because that is the one thing that has been proven to help improve both breakouts and wrinkles, and I'm looking at both right now. I don't want some magical new ingredient that is hyped up with fancy-sciencey-sounding words.
A tiny (0.25 oz) sample of this product is included in the kit as the final step.

Here's my protocol for the challenge. I am using the kit in the evenings, after washing with my Clarisonic Mia 2 (with a ) and . I'll follow later with .  In the morning, I'll just wash my face with my hands and the same cleanser and use a moisturizer with sunscreen. I'll report my results in 14 days, and maybe even check in midway if it seems like there is anything happening.

The facial kit includes 14 days worth of peel pads -- the first step is the peel and the second step supposedly neutralizes the peel ingredients. I got the regular version but there is also an  version. The peel pads are about the size and texture of Wet-Naps.  Some people have reported cutting them in half and stuffing them back in the packets and somehow resealing them to make them last longer. I am just using them as is, but I'm doing my neck and décolletage as well. I even might do the backs of my hands.

I noticed a tingling sensation when using the first peel pad, which was just short of unpleasant, but did make me feel like the product was working.  I set a timer on my phone for the two minutes specified on the package directions before tearing into the second pad. It did seem to soothe that tingly feeling.

The next step was to smooth on some of this serum. It was hard to know how much to use but I tried a dropperful. I might try using a little less next time., as I had more than enough and I don't want to waste any.

I won't know how things are going for a little while, but my skin feels better.  I'm hoping to see quite a difference. I'll be watching for fading of brown spots, clearing of acne, and/or softening of fine lines and wrinkles.

Have you had any experience with this or a similar product?

Ezekiel Emanuel, a bioethicist (and brother to Rahm Emanuel) has created a bit of a firestorm with an Atlantic article about his desire to stop at 75. The Emanuel brothers seem to share a gift for brashness and controversy, because I am guessing that 90% of the attention that is being given to the article is because of the choice to name a specific age for his end. That's a shame, because there are some genuinely important issues getting lost in the brouhaha.

Emanuel, as a bioethicist, sees health and life and death from a population-level perspective, and makes some excellent points about the way our current so-called health care system just manages to prolong sickness and disability. I think that those points have gotten lost in the furor over the idea that there is an age at which people might want to choose death (in a passive way, as Emanuel opposes euthanasia and doctor-assisted suicide).

Americans are uncomfortable with death as a rule, so like everything unpleasant, we don't think about it and hope to put it off as long as possible. The best thing about this article going viral is that maybe it will start people thinking about not only what kind of life they want to have, but what kind of death they'd like to have.

We don't have a health-care system, we have a death prevention system and an illness-curing system.   Doctors rightly focus on patching us up when we're sick or injured, because that is what they are trained to do.  But if patients go on with the same habits that got them sick and injured in the first place, they may be worse off in the long run for that care, or even get a false sense of security that they can continue to make bad choices because the doctors will fix them with a procedure or a pill.

It makes sense to think, when making medical decisions, about what the likely long-term outcomes will be, given the patient's lifestyle and willingness to make changes. This kind of decision-making should be done at all ages, not just after 75.

I also think Emanuel is too quick to dismiss the role that lifestyle plays. Maybe total "compression of morbidity" is impossible, but lifestyle definitely plays a role in long-term health. I think that he envisioned people like himself when writing the article, health-conscious people with relatively high incomes.  For many Americans, the kind of slow decline that he envisions from old age starts happening a lot younger because they don't look at the ways to prevent disease and disability with lifestyle.  75 may be way too late for them.

The author has a high standard for what he considers a quality life, and though as he acknowledges, some exceptional people live high-achieving, high-quality lives long past 75, he doesn't want to live long after he starts to slow down.  It's a hard-driving male perspective, but he's a man and he has the right to have it.

My grandfather had the kind of quiet life that Emanuel was so quick to dismiss. He was from Italy and he was a shoemaker. He gardened, painted, and spent time with his family. He was active but also overweight. He smoked a pipe sometimes. A cardiologist who didn't know him tried to tell him to have open-heart surgery in his late 70s, and recommended a strict diet and all kinds of changes. Another cardiologist, a friend of the family, said, "Nick, don't do it. Go home and enjoy the rest of your life." He had the ideal death. He had a stroke a couple of weeks before his 90th birthday, and never regained consciousness, dying a few days after. A nurse said, "He's the strongest 70-year-old man I've ever seen."

I don't discount the value of a quiet life, but I am also never going to be the kind of person who wants to put death off as long as possible. I know too well what "as long as possible" looks like, and it isn't pretty. I'd suffer just about anything as long as there was hope to go back to a satisfying, mostly self-sufficient life.  But I would think carefully about any surgery or prescription drug. What is the whole picture? What are the risks? Are the long-term consequences worse than whatever it is I'm trying to address? What kind of lifestyle changes can I make instead? This is the kind of thing we should all be doing, and not just after 75.

It's October, Breast Cancer Awareness month, which means that pink products are everywhere. Unfortunately, not all pink-ribbon products actually donate any money to breast cancer charities.

Because ENELL is a bra company created and run by a woman business owner, ENELL has always focused its charitable giving efforts on breast cancer related charities. 10% of the proceeds from the Pink HOPE ENELL Sport and Lite bras go to breast cancer charities all year long, not just in October.  ENELL bras have even been used by breast cancer survivors post-reconstruction for their compression properties.

This year, ENELL wants to let its fans choose the charities to receive the proceeds from its 2014 Pink HOPE sales.  From October 1 through October 14, you can make your nomination of any charity that is a 501c(3) organization devoted to the prevention, treatment, and/or awareness of breast cancer.

From October 15 through the end of the month, fans can vote for their favorite among all the nominated charities. The top 3 vote-getters get a portion of the 2014 HOPE proceeds: First place receives 50%, second place receives 30%, and third place receives 20%.

To nominate or vote, you must become a fan by "Liking" the .

During the month of October (or while supplies last), purchasers of Pink HOPE ENELL Sport and Lite will receive a free makeup bag (pictured above). This is encourage people to choose pink over the other colors to boost the donation to the winning charities.

I like the Pink HOPE ENELL because it blends in better with my skin than any of the other colors, so under a white T-shirt or other light-colored or sheer top, I tend to go pink.

Make your nomination now, and then be sure to vote for your favorite after October 15.