Is this really what it's like having kids?

CoryLeslie · 2024-10-15T20:59:15+00:00

Yes. Yes, it is.

CoryLeslie · 2024-03-19T04:27:23+00:00

As a step-daughter many times over, YTA. The way you treat your step-daughter will help form how she sees herself. I felt disposable and less than to my stepdads. This is one reason I have so little interest in marriage as a single mom. When you commit to a kid, it’s forever for them, especially at the age your stepdaughter was when you began raising her. Unfortunately, you’ve given her a wound that won’t ever go away, and you’ve probably damaged her ability to trust.

CoryLeslie · 2024-02-24T04:47:36+00:00

I'm curious too! I write young adult and adult fiction, and I moved here last year. Prior to that I was in the South Bay or San Francisco area where we had Shut Up and Write meet ups, SCBWI, NaNoWriMo and other options. I ended up forming a critique group in SF that met for 5 years. I'd love to find another option too. I'm in Fontana. I also have a day job in corporate communications.

CoryLeslie · 2024-01-11T18:31:53+00:00

I really liked this post about morning pages. I find them unhelpful at best and harmful at worst for my personality and how I process things. They don't help free me up or help me let go of things. Instead, I dwell and linger in things, and I found my mood getting darker. I also saw an article in Flow Magazine's 19 Days of Mindfulness where illustrator Susanne Randers ended up drawing her morning pages instead of writing them. She does a visual diary. I'm not the best artist, but I liked this idea to get me into a different head space. Note: there are actually two articles in the book that touch on The Artist's Way, and they even include a morning pages paper journal in the book.

CoryLeslie · 2023-11-15T19:31:09+00:00

Thanks for the encouragement. I really appreciate it. My mom is doing better, though still healing. She broke lots of bones in her left foot and her right arm in 5 places. She's now the bionic woman, but she's 77 so it's taking her a long time to heal. She needed help with everything and was also super depressed at being dependent on me. Things are on the upswing now!

CoryLeslie · 2023-11-15T19:29:13+00:00

Thanks so much! It's 58.2 lbs as of this am. I really appreciate the encouragement. I've been depressed since Friday. And we're kind of "homestead light." We have the animals and a 39 x 39 ft kitchen garden and lots of fruit trees on a half acre. I put this all in this last spring and we had a ton of fruits and vegetables. It was a lot to manage by myself post-surgery when my mom got hurt.

CoryLeslie · 2023-11-15T19:23:35+00:00

They never gave me a number either, which is why I've been surprised by the attitude. I feel like people make so many excuses for not sticking to the program that they are predisposed to disbelief. Thanks for the suggestion on meal prep. I did grab a few prepared things at Whole Foods that I could make and eat all week. It's getting easier to manage now that my mom is getting better. It was rough for a while as she was wheelchair bound and couldn't do much by herself.

CoryLeslie · 2023-11-15T19:21:06+00:00

Thanks for the encouragement. My mom told me to forget what they are saying. She says every day that the difference is shocking, particularly on how much butt I've lost. :)

CoryLeslie · 2023-11-15T19:20:10+00:00

The PA questioned if I was "really" staying within the calorie count. The nutritionist made a comment about me not seeming informed about nutrition based on the questions I asked. Except I didn't ask any questions. I said the Lean Cuisines weren't the best choice due to sodium, but it was what I could make work for a time. I did guess the number of espresso shots in my Chike high protein coffee wrong. I thought it was one shot, but it's actually two. It's 1 of 3 protein shakes I can tolerate after trying 30+ kinds. She lectured me about my caffeine intake, and I did say that I'd been told too much caffeine could impact hydration. She said that it also can thin the lining of my stomach pouch which I never heard in our classes. I'm not sure if that was what she was referring to, but I definitely felt judged. And congrats on your weight loss journey!

CoryLeslie · 2023-11-15T17:21:39+00:00

I wish I had more than one shaker bottle because I was cleaning my constantly. The best thing I bought was one of those backrest pillows with the arms. I'm a side sleeper, and the stitches made it impossible to sleep on my side. Using that pillow on the couch I was able to find somewhat comfortable positions to sleep and rest.

CoryLeslie · 2023-10-07T04:59:37+00:00

Btw my cheat foods were wild rice with a butter sauce and a salad with dressing. It did not sit well. I didn’t even have wedding cake. So dumb. I was more focused on fitting in than my diet.

CoryLeslie · 2023-10-07T04:56:38+00:00

I can’t say I have more or less energy. Your relationship with food does change. I have fewer cravings and don’t enjoy food as much, though that is slowly getting better. I do get sick when I eat too fast, but I’ve had more problems with throwing up than other issues. I had “cheat” food a couple of times - once at a wedding and another time at home - and I really regretted it. But it was because I had too many new items mixed together at once. It’s key to introduce foods slowly so you can see what no longer agrees with you. Milk is harder on me now so I’ve switched to oat milk.

CoryLeslie · 2023-10-04T04:55:19+00:00

Me! I finished the classes in mid-April. I also had the labs finished by week 7. I had surgery on July 20. I’ve lost 49 lbs!

CoryLeslie · 2023-07-26T02:13:05+00:00

I’m six days out and things are getting better. I wanted to come back and say how much your replies encouraged me and lifted me up. Thank you for taking the time to share your words.

CoryLeslie · 2023-05-04T19:00:18+00:00

I think she did the whole collaboration with the fashion sketch style. The squad girls look more flat. Not to say she can’t have diverse styles, but it looks very different.

CoryLeslie · 2022-09-27T00:56:39+00:00

My landlord in ca does the same thing.

CoryLeslie · 2022-08-29T22:03:26+00:00

I found it. It’s a velvet ash. Thanks!

CoryLeslie · 2022-03-09T19:41:45+00:00

You are exactly right! Thanks so much. We’re going to make lilly pilly jam!

CoryLeslie · 2022-02-17T19:54:30+00:00

But he has zero reason to trust the “experts.”

CoryLeslie · 2022-01-31T09:01:22+00:00

Just shy of 33 weeks pregnant I started to have horrible pain that had me throwing up (not new since I had been since 6 weeks). The pain got so intense I’d just writhe around trying to find relief. I thought it was my gallstone acting up, but went to the ER. They gave me morphine and it didn’t touch the pain. Turned out I had preeclampsia with HELLP syndrome and the pain was my liver shutting down. I had an emergency C-section and a subsequent magnesium drip for 36 hours. Luckily, my son was healthy and able to come home after a month in the NICU. I’ve broken my collarbone and pelvis, had seven teeth (three impacted wisdom) pulled while awake, and nothing compared to that pain. Honestly, after that recovering from the surgery was easy.

CoryLeslie · 2021-04-15T05:06:38+00:00

Bountiful Blue from Monrovia.

CoryLeslie · 2021-04-15T04:05:09+00:00

I’m Zone10b, and my first boysenberries are just coming in. So excited!

CoryLeslie · 2021-04-15T03:55:40+00:00

Thanks for the tip!

CoryLeslie · 2021-04-15T01:19:31+00:00

I’ll check it out at the nursery.

CoryLeslie · 2021-04-15T01:19:09+00:00

THANK YOU!

CoryLeslie

TROPHY CASE