So, here's a progress report from the last 2 weeks (I want to do this weekly, so that's another goal):

1. Health (A)
So far, so good! I just weighed in, and I lost 4.5 pounds this week, which is awesome. I'm down 18.5 pounds since we started this whole lifestyle change, which has been 7 weeks. Yay! Oh, and I'm in my regular jeans again! I'm so jazzed. I kept a pair of my old "fat jeans", size 20, and have been wearing those since I got into them after having the baby. They're going in the garbage now, sistah! (they're all ripped up and holey anyway.)

2. Family Life (B)
This is good too. We've been getting out every Sunday, although the outings have been more functional than just out in nature, or doing a purely family outing. Today I have to drop off some placenta capsules that I prepared for a lady (I think I forgot to post about this, but I will try to get to that). Then we're stopping by the local swap meet, and perhaps Costco (I'm going to get a business account there).

3. Spirituality (B-)
Doing pretty well here too. I've managed to meditate nearly every day this week, and it's really helping me keep my stress levels lower (therefore, less anger and frustration coming out). I'm proud of myself, but I still have improvements to make.

4. Anger (C)
Still need work - I realize that I rant for a while when I get angry, so after I've disciplined Beaner properly for whatever infraction, and I'm still mad and needing to vent, I've been sending her out of the room. She doesn't need to have a huge lecture, so I just tell her that I'm mad and need to yell for a while, so please go play until I'm done. I have no clue if this is a good thing to do or not, but at least it gets her out of the line of fire, and I'm not yelling *at* her, which is an improvement. Even better will be not to yell at all, which I'm working toward. My mom was a yeller, big-time, so I'm trying to break that cycle.

5. Female Friendships (D)
I've been dealt some serious setbacks in this area over the last couple of weeks (not to mention the previous issues over the last two months). A lot of drama has erupted in this organization I'm a member of, and I've been royally snubbed yet again, so I'm on the verge of just chucking it all and withdrawing, which is what I do. I don't play games, I don't do politics, and I don't kiss anybody's ass. I don't care who you think you are, I will not grovel to remain in favor. Period. So, that's my "bad attitude" coming through again. (just a note, these people are completely unrelated to my real friends, so nobody who would ever read this blog.) The main 2 snubbers are women who I thought I might be able to have a friendship with, and have really tried over the last 14 months to "fit in" - I even invited one of them to my daughter's bday party, since she has two girls who are near Beaner's age (and no, she didn't come). Oh, and they're Pagans, which I thought might give us some common ground. Apparently they're not interested in being friends with me, or even friendly toward me. So that hurts. Although it's typical of how things tend to end up - for whatever reason, most women I encounter just don't like me. To the point where they get cruel. I am completely in the dark about why this continues to happen, or what it is about me that prompts this reaction. The first time this happened was in 7th grade, when the entire group of girlfriends I'd gone through elementary school with decided that I wasn't cool, and turned on me. In high school, I had 2 girlfriends, the rest of my friends were guys. In college it was the same thing, although I became good friends with two other girls, through their boyfriends, who I was friends with first. Well, I'm damn near 30 years old, and past the point where finding new guy friends is deemed appropriate. haha So over the past 8 years, since meeting Dave, I never even tried to find a girlfriend. Since moving here 2.5 years ago, I have really given it a whole-hearted 100% effort to cultivate female friendships. In that time, guess how many women I still talk to on a regular basis? One. (To be fair, I have several others that I consider good friends, but that I don't talk to on a regular weekly basis - such as all of you ladies.) How many have stabbed me in the back, viciously, in that same time period? Six. How many have just given the cold shoulder of indifference? Oh, countless numbers. So, I want to take a break from this goal. I know it's giving up, but I just don't have time to do what it takes to find new friends. I also recognize that I don't have the time to be a really good friend to anyone else right now either. So maybe it's not giving up, maybe it's just being realistic.