Let's Discuss Guinea Pigs

Guinea pigs.....

I LOVE guinea pigs; I've loved them since I was little and have had guinea pigs for many years.

I currently have one right now; he's a skinny pig (aka: hairless) and despite being old for a skinny pig...he's still quite chipper.

Tonight I'll be acquiring 2 more that belong to my grandkids.  They are getting ready to move and don't really have the room; but more than anything the pigs need to be in a bigger enclosure and I do have that.

Cages.  If considering a guinea pig (best to buy in pairs, but I get it if you only want one); you need to buy the largest cage possible and most pet stores DO NOT sell appropriate cages.

If you ask online the better than you guinea pig owners will insist the only proper cage is what they call a C&C cage.  Several years ago, someone bought a set of those wire cube shelving units and created a cage out of it; they then purchased coroplast (used to make signs) to create a bottom for it.  Since then, anything other than a C&C cage is wrong.

Well, it's wrong....according to them; it's not wrong if you ask me.

I agree that you need large cages; I don't agree you need a C&C cage.  Here's some cages I would recommend:

Midwest Wabbitat Deluxe Extra Large    There is an extension you can get to add more space as well:

Wabbitat Extension

Midwest Guinea Pig Habitat  This can be purchased with or without the top; the bottom is canvas.  A piece of coroplast cut to fit the bottom would make it sturdier.  This cage is the closest you'll get to a C&C cage.

If you run a search through Amazon; you will find many different types of cages.  Always look for the LARGEST available and no wire bottoms - they are just bad for piggie feet (they are also bad for rabbit feet, don't use them).  This is a helpful guide:

Photo courtesy of Cagetopia

Want the C&C cages?  Cagetopia is a great place to start!  They've done it all for you.  There are a few others, but I'd start at Cagetopia.  There's tons of information there as well.

Bedding?  This becomes preference.  I really like the fleece liners; they are reusable and after the initial investment; much cheaper than shavings.  People sell them on etsy or if you know how to sew, you can make them yourself!  If you prefer shavings - stay away from cedar;  and pine shavings should be kiln dried (it'll say it right on the bag).  Aspen shavings are another good option as well as CareFresh.  Before fleece, CareFresh was the shaving everyone raved about, now not so much.

Remember to get guinea pig food (not rabbit, hamster, etc..).  And don't forget HAY; Timothy Hay is the standard.  And that's HAY not alfalfa.  Guinea pigs should always have hay available....always.

The Living Dead Weekend

Well, I arrived in Monroeville for the Living Dead Weekend.  Drive was uneventful and I got here earlier than expected!

Once I got checked in and things began to open.....I walked through the vendors to find Bodoro T. Dugrasima Creations.  She knits movie creatures!  I bought Sam (of Trick 'r Treat) from her last year and we have a fun time at work decorating him for holidays.

So this year I bought her Frankenbear to join Sam.  I named him Gus!

When Greg Nicotero got set up, I went to his table and had him sign my Funko Pop Woodbury Walker.  I knew he played a Woodbury Walker in The Walking Dead but wasn't sure if the Funko Pop was actually him as a walker - IT IS!!  We also did a selfie, which he always has to do, I told him "I give you my phone code every year, you never remember it..." and he said "You're right, I don't, but I lecture you on the dangers of that everytime!"  LOL!!  He then went to take the photos and I said "Wait, let me fix my hair." And then he said "Oh I'll fix mine too!"   There is no possible way not to LOVE this man!

I'm here the whole weekend, but I try to get as much done on Friday that I can.  Then I can relax.  Saturdays are normally the crowdiest and Sundays everyone trying to do what they miss.  Fridays aren't overly busy...so if I get everything done I need to then, I can relax more the rest of the time.  Like right now I'm at the hotel; I'll go back later for the late night activities for the VIP passes (I'm one) and though that will make a long night.....I can sleep in in the morning and go to the convention a little later!  

Last year a fan from England fell asleep in one of the massage chairs in the mall.  Someone took a photo and it went viral; he and that chair showed up everywhere, lol!!  I was getting something to eat in the food court and a guy in front of me looked like him, so I asked!  He laughed and said "I've been waiting for someone to say something!"  He's set up with that photo for autographs and selfies as well, lol!  And yeah, I had to do that!  That also gave me the opportunity to meet Michael Tomaso.  Michael had a zombie part in Day of the Dead and Michael also records many of the panels and takes tons of photos!  I bought last year's panel discs from him.  He's so very nice and knows the importance of documenting these events; especially since Wal-mart bought the property and plans on tearing it down. We've friended on FaceBook.

The late night activity is a viewing of the original Dawn of the Dead which was filmed right at the Monroeville Mall.  What could be better than watching the film in the mall where it was filmed!!!  Also had opening discussion by 3 of the stars:  Ken Foree, Gaylen Ross and Scott H. Reiniger!  

It was a late night though, didn't get out of the theater until about 1:30 a.m.!

Where I'm At Now

I'm still here, I'm still failing; but I'm not giving up.  I just wish I could get my head in the right place.

I would love to go to an in-person meeting; I'd upgrade to get that, but there are no evening ones in my area.  Evening meetings seem to be almost non-existent.  I can't figure out why WW doesn't care about those of us that work.

I've tried the virtual meetings; I just get nothing from them.  I have joined into some of the helpful ones that I'm allowed with my Core membership - they are informational and not inter-active.  I actually like that and wish WW would provide a Weekly topic one for their Core members.  Just a leader talking about the topic; no member participation.  It may be helpful.

I do still follow influencers and you can find new ones everyday.  Check my sidebar for sites I love.

I've also stopped daily weigh-ins; just too stressful.

Other than that, not much happening.  I am headed to Monroeville, PA for The Living Dead Weekend next week; mostly because, of course, Greg Nicotero will be there.  I do have a fan girl crush on him; he's so very nice and you never think you're talking to a celebrity.  He's just like you and me.

You can read about my past two trip  Here and Here.  It's one of my yearly highlights.  July will be Myrtle Beach with family.

But for now I'll just carry on and hope for the best.

 

An Unhealthy Relationship With Food

I found this website:  Eating Well and it is loaded with information and recipes.  They have recipes for any type of diet you could be on and even meal plans!

Today I tried:  Raspberry-Banana Yogurt Parfait (except I used strawberries instead of raspberries and I used vanilla non-fat greek yogurt instead of plain, but it says I can do that).  It was very good and will probably be breakfast for the week.

I have an unhealthy relationship with food.  Which is why this website was a goldmine for me.

When I started WW way back when (during the last version of the original point plan); it taught me the importance of portion sizes, weighing & measuring.  I ate more vegetables because of their low point values; and I began eating lower fat/sugar (or fat/sugar free) versions of items that otherwise would of been high in points.

That lower fat/sugar (or free) would follow me for years.  I allowed points to point me towards them - it gave me points for other things.  It helped me save points.

If you've ever read the nutrition label of a food that is fat free or sugar free (or a reduced version); you'll find that to make that happen, a lot of chemicals become involved.  That's not healthy.

Realizing that WW provided me with helpful information but also harmful ones is a realization that comes hard.  As WW has been involving into more than just points (you can track just about any nutritional value you want along with points); I found myself relying less on points and more on the other values.  I could be well within those values and way over in points - so what is right???

We know what is right.....we know what we should be eating and what we shouldn't be.  I don't ever think I could be a health food nut; but I do know I should and can eat healthier and enjoy a treat now and then.  

It's a long and hard progress, but I don't want food to be the boss of me.

Saturdays

Yesterday was Saturday!  And since it poured down rain; CC and I couldn't do yard sales....so it became my grocery day (which is normally Sundays).

I actually go to the grocery store almost every day.  On my way home from work, I stop at Weis.  They often have great prices on pork!  And with prices the way they are; I always am looking for deals.

Yesterday, I shopped in town (no Weis here).  I started at Save A Lot, mostly for the same reason I stop at Weis.  In my area, Save A Lot has the best prices not just on pork, but all meats.  They also had great egg prices.  From there, I headed to the Dollar Tree.  That may seem suprising, but you can get good deals on food items and cleaning items; so it's always worth a stop there.  It also happens to be next to Aldi.

I know lots of WW rave about Aldi; but mine doesn't seem to have half the products others have.  There are some things I do like buying at Aldi; wet dog food and dog treats, block cheese, eggs (but Save A Lot had better prices yesterday) and other odds & ends.  From Aldi, I went a few doors down to Tractor Supply for guinea pig food.  Last stop was Martin's Food (known as Giant Foods in some areas) for all the other things I needed.  

Today, I'm just hanging out.  I have pork & sauerkraut in the slow cooker for dinner and the leftovers will be lunch this week.  I'm getting ready to make Banana Oat Bake to have for breakfast this week.  I've made this before and I think this time around, I'll add some sugar free chocolate chips to each one.

So I'm working towards the upcoming week.

Ups and Downs

It's up, it's down...it's all around!!  Yep, that's about how weight loss goes; but I was down this morning.

YAY ME!!

This week I went and saw Lee Cronin's The Mummy.  You'll get mixed reviews on this one; but I really liked it.  If you go in expecting the old black/white Mummy movies or the Brandon Fraser Mummy movies; you'll be disappointed as it is nothing like those.  Rather than worry if it is a true "mummy" or not; go in expecting a horror movie with jump scares, some gruesome scenes and you'll be entertained!  And it has the best ending!

Other than that life has been just moving along as normal.  For administrative professionals day, the command staff cooked us breakfast and then our immediate bosses took us out for lunch.  It was a food day, but very pleasant.

Later that evening, I had dinner out with the girls from school.  You heard that right, every 4-6 weeks I get together with a group of ladies I graduated with.  Actually, most I've known since elementary school.

It isn't something we've always done; life does take over after high school.  I guess a few years ago, someone put a group together and the group kept expanding.  It's lots of fun.  

This past week, the group was just the girls from elementary school.  Elementary school...the good ole days; my first group of friends outside of my family.  We weren't together through all the schools; middle school and high school brought different classes, new friends and different life goals.  Life took over.  However, the first time I went to one of those dinners and sat with those ladies from elementary school; it was like all that lost time never happened.  We're still friends; just as close as ever.  Everyone needs friends like that in their lives.

An Update Post

I'm still in the "blah" stage; but my weight is down a little; not to mention that Shapa now has me in the "Green" which is good.

CC told me last week that she was almost at her goal weight.  I'm happy for her, but rather depressed for me.  My one sister is also doing WW (no meetings) and has managed to lose 15 lbs., however, she says she also walks 4 miles a day and she knows if it weren't for the exercise; the loss wouldn't be as great. Easy for some, work for others, difficult for others.  There really is no plan that fits everyone.

BUT.....  I'll continue on.  I do have Living Dead Weekend to look forward to in June and the family beach trip in July.  I just booked my flight for the beach!  It's a dynamic to pull off the beach trip.....my sister S lives there, so we stay with her.  My sister J, her hubby and her 2 youngest grandchildren will drive down on Friday, I'm flying down on Saturday, my nieces and the older grandchild fly down on Monday.  Then on Thursday - nieces and all grandchildren fly home; and I'll drive back with J & Hubby on Friday.  My nieces have a food truck so it's hard for them to get the weekends off in the summer.  It's always a busy vacation, you never know where you'll end up sleeping each night; but it's worth the time.

Other than that things are as they always are!

No, I Haven't Disappeared

I'm still here, still struggling.  I really wish WW had a doable meeting in my area.

I haven't been doing well eating wise and I'm trying to get that under control.  Way too many snacks on the counter at work; and not enough willpower.

Though I've always celebrated the Shapa scale.....I'm beginning to see it as a downer (unless you're doing good, of course).  It doesn't seem to matter whether you're seeing a number on the scale or a color.  If the color/number isn't what you want it to be....it's a downer.  And that's where I'm at right now.

I've only read one chapter of the Girl Wash Your Face book and then didn't pick it back up until last night, where Chapter 2 was about committing to yourself.  It was a needed read.  She stated that, for example, if you commit to doing a diet...your brain remembers how you've committed in the past to the same thing and pretty much talks you into doing the same.  She kind of explained as having a friend who always breaks promises, so at some point, you stopped depending on them to do what they said they were going to do.  Your brain will do the same to you; so if you make a commitment - you need to keep pushing through towards that commitment and not let anything stand in the way.  Easier said then done but it really made a lot of sense.  It reminded me of this:

Back In The Groove

I've decided on the book: Girl Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis.  I came across the book along with her book: Girl Stop Apologizing at a yard sale.  I was familiar with the first one and at one time, I'm sure it was on my kindle.  I started it yesterday, reading that one chapter and therefore checking off that commitment!

I hit all but 2 commitments yesterday.  I didn't do a healthy snack and I forgot my banana for breakfast and missed the "have a fruit and/or veggie with every meal".  However, Kickstart isn't about perfection; it's about setting habits and moving forward.  I have that straightened out today!!  Had my banana and have an orange and almonds/walnuts for my snack.  That certainly beats a candy bar!

My impossibly easy hamburger casserole came out pretty good.  I'm having leftovers for lunch.  If you decide to make this, use 2 lbs of light burger (won't change the point value) instead of just one.  I'm pretty sure that was a mistake because 1 lb is used in the smaller version of the recipe and it is the only thing not doubled in the larger version.  I wanted to do the larger for the leftovers (plus my hubby is a big eater that gains no weight).  FYI: I just realized that the smaller version recipe does not include the veggies; so apparently for the larger version they've added veggies in place of increasing the burger.  I still say increase the burger and include the veggies, lol!

Today I'm having Slow Cooker Three Bean & Chicken Chili (0 pts).  I've been making this since I started WW back in 2010.  It's a WW recipe, but the original calls for pork loin rather than chicken.  I've made it both ways, and both are great!  It's being made with chicken this time as that's what was in the freezer.  I don't make it exactly how the WW recipe is, but here's mine:

1 lb uncooked boneless chicken breast cut into chunks (or 1 lb uncooked pork lion cut into chunks)

2- 15 oz cans of tomato sauce

2- 15 oz cans diced tomatoes (I use the kind with garlic & oregano added)

1- 15 oz can of dark red kidney beans (drained & rinsed)

1- 15 oz can of pinto beans (drained & rinsed)

1- 15 oz can black beans (drained & rinsed)

1 tbsp of tomato paste

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion powder

salt & pepper to taste

Just put it all in the crockpot, give it a good stir and set it on low for 8 hours.

You could also add: peppers, corn, mushrooms, onion and such to this as well.  Use your imagination!

I like this chili.  I like it as chili, along with tortilla chips/scoops or even use it as the filling in tacos.

FYI:  If you are using the Healthi app to use older WW plans, this chili will not be 0 pts.  It wasn't back in the day but now all the ingredients are 0 pt.  Put it in your recipe builder to find the points.

So I'm kind of back in the groove...

So Let's Work On A Game Plan

So I need to keep moving forward with the weight loss.  Kickstart started over yesterday (but you can still join - it's FREE) and I redid my commitments:

1.  Track commitments on Kickstart (everyone gets that one)

2.   Drink at least four 8 oz. servings of plain water daily 

3.  Walk or Exercise daily

4.  Journal Daily

5.  Read one chapter of a book daily (any book)

6.  Watch/listen to a helpful Podcast and/or YT video daily

7.  Healthy snack daily

8.  Fruits and/or Veggies with each meal

9.  Daily Vitamin

10. One new recipe for dinner weekly

I won't hit them all everyday; but I tried to make them as doable as possible.

Still tracking with Weight Watchers (I have it until December, so.....)

My YT watches will be Fed Up Over 50 for right now; trying to go back and watch some of the older videos in addition to her new ones.

My new recipe for the week will be:  Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

As is, that is a point heavy recipe.....but a leaner ground beef; reduced fat cheese and skim milk brings it down to a much more point friendly meal.

A New Vlog and Other Things

A big shout-out to Fed Up Over 50 a vlogger I happened upon on YouTube quite by accident.  She kind of popped up while I was on YouTube!!  So nice to have someone who is dealing with the same things I am dealing with weight wise.  Check her out!

Easter went pretty well; spent it with family and ate more than I should have.....but for some reason, I was down a pound this morning.  I just don't understand weight loss!

Not too much going on though, same old, same old.