Something to remember......

Live as simply as you can. "Want for nothing" is the phrase that comes to mind, meaning that what you truly need you already have. Everything else is just the making of man in the material world. If all must come completely undone, so be it. We will still be standing in the end. Love one another for love is indestructible as long as we have it in our hearts. Beyond that, what else matters? From love, all things we truly want will come.





Thanks for the inspiration Anna!!

Wordless Wednesday

It seems that all we hear about on the News these days is Michael Jackson. Lets not forgot our soldiers.

Nutrisystem works. I lost 55 pounds!!

Each one equals 1 lb of fat then multiply it by 55

I started Nutrisystems last October and had lost 48 pounds by April. I was getting burned out on the food so I decided to try things on my own. In 2 months I've lost an addition 7 pounds. To date, I am keeping it off. The scale hasnt gone down in a couple weeks but it's not going up either. To get a true concept of what 55 pounds of fat looks like, I surfed the net. I found a picture of 100 pounds of fat and I cut it in half. When you look at it sprawled on a table (that is 50 pounds in the picture above), it looks pretty massive. I remember Oprah losing a bunch of weight a few years back so I went on her site to see if there was a picture. Do you remember when she wheeled out a wagon full of the weight she had lost? It was 67 pounds. So I guess I have lost a little less than a wagon full, or 12 pounds less than whats in the wagon.

(Oprah in a size 10)

Many people will say Nutrisystems doesnt work, they hate the food, or the company is a rip off. I didnt have any bad experiences. The only adjustment was my will power and my portions. If you follow their plan, you WILL lose weight. Dont forget your water. Is the food gourmet? No. Isnt gourmet food what got me where I was to begin with? OK, maybe not gourmet but definitely fast food. We ate out quite a bit and I never drank water. I tend to be a stress eater so I was always munching. I had no one to blame but myself. I must confess, I was scared to go off the plan because I thought I would gain it all back. It appears, I actually learned something. In the 7 months I was on Nutrisystems I taught myself how to say no, to walk away from temptation, and to get daily exercise. I have substituted their food for lean cuisine. I still drink my water and get exercise at least 5 times a week.

It cost me $234 a month to be on the Nutrisystems flex plan. I ate their food during the week and was on my own during the weekend. I think thats what helped me stay on the plan, if I had to do it 7 days a week I would have quit. I went from a size 26 to a 14. I even have 1 size 12 pants so it can be done. I have finally lost the 54 pounds I gained with my first pregnancy 21 years ago. I feel great. My energy level is so high now, its actually funny. And another thing I noticed, I was always hot before. The fan on my desk at work was constantly running. Now, I never use my fan and I rarely get overheated. Its amazing how my life and attitude have changed.

Dont give up on yourself if you really want to lose weight. It can be done. For all those people that bad mouth Nutrisystems, I want you to know that I am their biggest fan.

Wordless "I can so relate" Wednesday

Michael Jackson Dies at the age of 50

1958-2009

Michael Jackson died today of cardiac arrest in a house he was renting outside of Los Angeles. It was reported that he was dead before he made it to the hospital. They tried to revive him for an hour with no luck.

Most people my age grew up listening to his music. I was once a big fan, then after the allegations of molestation, I quickly lost interest and respect. However, he was a very talented singer. While listening to his music on all the radio stations coming home from work today I realized how long he has been around. He was only 8 years older than I am. Life really is too short. Treasure what you have and be thankful on a daily basis. Im sorry that he didnt get the help he needed both physically and mentally. God bless his family and may he rest in peace.

Wordless Wednesday

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I love this picture.....Someones else's beautiful baby!

Supportkids Complaints

As many people have read, Supportkids is out of business. Wait, or was it that they kept all the accounts that don't make money and gave the ones that do to RJBA?? How could that be possible? They were hurting for money to begin with and then defaulted on a loan. I believe that was the story we were told. My question is, if they couldn't keep the accounts that kept them afloat then how can they stay in business when they gave our cases away as collateral to RJBA? I'm not sure if we will ever know the true story. RJBA doesn't return calls or e-mails. Ive heard they are rude, nasty, and make threats to parents in search of their payments that have been received but not distributed. And Supportkids appears to have washed their hands. Nice job guys!

There is hope though. I sent a termination letter almost a month ago and had the account information thru the D.A. switched over to my own account. I did that at the state disbursement website. This particular website is for California only.To date, I have received two payments directly from the D.A. for the full amount. Alot of mothers have been working their butts off to stay on top of things and for some, it has paid off. You must be unrelenting and find out the laws in your state. Anyone can be a victim but Id like us all to be victorious in our fight. If you have any information to share regarding this situation, please keep me posted.

Wordless "its time to party" Wednesday

My sister getting me drunk at Brad's Grad party....OK, maybe I helped a little;)

Wordless "HE DID IT" Wednesday

For those of you who havent signed yet, please take a moment to sign the Supportkids petition..

We cant be heard if we dont speak out. Please, sign the petition whether you are a victim of Supportkids or just believe in the cause:

You can find the petition here!


Thank You...

UP 2009...what a great movie!!

Last weekend, DBF Michael and I went and saw the movie UP. Not to mention, we did the 3D version. Wow, what awesome graphics. The story started out a little dark so I wasn't sure where they were going to go from there. It didn't take long before I realized they were going straight up!! There were tons of laughs throughout the movie. Although, I wouldn't expect anything less from Pixar. I don't think I have heard Michael laugh that hard at a movie in a very long time. We went without children (well, I only have a 17 year old left at home so technically without my child) and I was surprised that the majority of the viewers were adults.

If you haven't seen the previews, here is a brief description of what the story is based on. By tying thousands of balloon to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn't alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip. They come across some funny and evil characters along the way. The way it all tied(no pun intended) together was perfect. I would definitely give this movie two thumbs up. This is one we will definitely add to our movie collection.

Wordless "still remodeling" Wednesday

BEFORE

AFTER

Supportkids is using our child support as collateral!!

Supportkids transfers 20,000 of child-support collection cases after loan default
Austin-based company says it will serve remaining clients.

By Tim Eaton
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, May 28, 2009

As a result of a recent loan default, Austin-based Supportkids Inc. was forced to transfer a portion of its child-support collection cases to a New Hampshire-based law firm.

Supportkids CEO Byron Sehlke said Supportkids unloaded 20,000 cases to Richard J. Boudreau & Associates on May 14,

leaving Supportkids with 18,000 cases, many of which are nonpaying.

"This was not our decision," Sehlke said.

Boudreau & Associates didn't respond to a request for comment.

Supportkids, a for-profit company that collects money from parents who are behind on their child-

support payments, said in a letter to clients that the organization was unable to refinance a loan with an unnamed lender.

As a result, the lender handed over the cases, which Supportkids had used as collateral on the loan, to Boudreau & Associates.

Sehlke called the situation "a function of the credit crisis." He added that the company, which has laid off an undisclosed number of employees, remains in transition but will continue to serve its remaining clients and accept new ones.

Affected clients of Supportkids were told in the letter that Supportkids no longer has current information on their cases and that Boudreau & Associates has their case files and should be contacted with questions or for new information on their cases.

Supportkids had tried unsuccessfully to reach a cooperative agreement with the lender and Boudreau & Associates to arrange for a transition period, so the company was not able to notify clients in advance of their cases being transferred, the letter said.

Supportkids charges an initial $475 case development fee and takes a 34 percent commission on overdue child-support payments. When it accepts a case, it requires that the parent who is behind on the payments send the money to the company, which takes its cut and forwards the balance to the parent who is caring for the child or children. Sehlke said the company takes only the toughest cases.

teaton@statesman.com; 445-3631


Thank You Mr. Eaton for the low down on our situation. They cant use our child support as collateral against a loan default. Its against the law. Basically, they are using their 34% from our child support to pay their debt. And FYI Michelle, if they say that they will hold your money and refuse to pay you until their direct deposit form is signed, that's extortion.