Allison I hear you about the cat toys. The dog only has 2 and they're big enough for me to spot immediately. Natalie usually has about 6 toys going at once and she carries them everywhere, hides them (we've found "puffies" in bed, toy mice in the shoe rack, etc.) and bats them under things. Our cleaners once had to spend several hundred dollars "demousing" their vacuum early on so I've been very careful ever since.
Speaking of Natalie she went to the vet today for a checkup and shots and she's been hissing at DH (who took her there) and ignoring him all day. She DOES hold a grudge apparently. We're doing well with her weight though - she's .2 lbs. less than the last weigh in and now clocks in at an impressive 9 lbs. I'm curious to see if Trixie has lost a bit of weight when we take her in next month. Hoping for a downward trend for all of us.
Now if summer temps would come I could start enjoying salads rather than forcing myself to eat them. I was wearing a FLEECE hoodie under my jacket today, over my TURTLENECK. AIGGGH!!!
The house is beautiful! My DHs clutter is still around in certain places but he did pretty good. We are both just in awe at how clean she got everything. The bathrooms look practically brand new which is pretty good for a 23 year old house. They spent about 6 hours.
She says there were some things she couldn't get to and she will next visit. I don't see those things.
We need to work on our office because we didn't have her go in there. Imagine your worst junk drawer in the form of an office -- with 2 bikes in the small walking path.
It's all good though! We are getting there and I am thrilled.
Not so thrilled that we have to get our house re-plumbed. But DH is handling all of that so I'm just putting it to the back of my mind.
Tomorrow I am going to the beach with DD. We are running - planning to go 6 miles, then hanging out for a bit (with TONS of sunscreen). And then going for pedis later on. One of her BFFs from college is coming down for a week on Sunday and then she will leave about a week after that. And neither of us better get one grain of sand in the house when we get back, lol.
I joined a new gym, and I'm pretty excited. It's the upscale/posh one that I've steadfastly resisted joining for a decade, because I have always felt it was too decadent to spend so much money each month that could be put to other uses (my previous gym's monthly cost was about 2/3 of this one). But, my old gym has folded, after getting steadily more run-down for the last 3-4 years. So my choice was the YMCA, one of the many "box gyms" in town, or the pre-eminent one. After some discussion with DH about finances and priorities, we have splurged, and I'm loving it- there are like 40 classes a week (admittedly, many during weekday daytime hours that I'll never be able to attend), both an indoor and a huge outdoor pool with waterslides for the kids, and a fabulous weight room with both a full range of free weights and enough machines to explore for the next month without repeating any. And, it's super-close to my office. I'm hoping to get in 5 workouts a week again, which I used to do but had been exercising at home or outdoors a lot more in recent months to take advantage of the weather and avoid the drab and dingy gym.
Sounds wonderful, Andrea! And so convenient. My old gymn had a number of failings (including safety) and that's why I left. I'd certainly join a better one if there was one available.
I'd like to join a gym but I won't. I don't really like going alone (last time I joined one I had to go alone and it was hard to motivate myself). DH won't go with me and I really don't have any friends close by that would go with me, either. Besides that, the two good gyms nearby have closed and another one moved into the mall (so parking is a chore). I've thought about one of the smaller places that specializes in yoga or pilates but I've checked their schedules and none work for me.
Besides, I just spent $300 on some adjustable weights.
Andrea, your new gym sounds like a dream. I quit mine over a year ago, and don't plan to go back now, but yours sounds ideal.
One of my favorite things about belonging to a gym was putting on my cute little shower shoes and using their nice pump soap. It smelled like I was at a hotel, which is something I really love! So, it felt like pampering to go get sweaty and then shower off. I miss that! Enjoy it, you've made a fun investement in your health and wellbeing!
Changed my siggie today, as today is "weigh day". Up a pound from last week, but the weekly average is essentially the same. I've been maintaining at this weight since I started tracking here, with weekly averages withing the same 2 lb range.
It's great to be below red-line consistently lately! I also would love to lose some, but geez, still not quite ready to sacrifice more to do it. I have dieting burn-out and I'll live with this weight to avoid feeling like I've got to diet.
I have been increasing my activity, ever so slightly. I'm not expecting a loss related to the exercise, but it does help me feel better. We're having some nice days around here lately, so biking to work is more do-able. I'm planning to ride today.
I belong to 24 hour fitness and their headquarters are here. You would think it would be amazing-- and it has some plusses, but definite minuses-- often broken equipment for one thing. I also belong to the local bikram yoga studio.... I have given up going with anyone to either place. Dh sometimes goes with me, but if not, I go solo.
I'm hoping that I don't have a higher weight tomorrow at my weigh in for the third week in a row. As long as I stay on the straight and narrow today, I should hopefully be down at least a smidge tomorrow.
Ellie had her first puppy class last night. It was fun to see all the puppies! We have a lot of homework to do... She did well overall-- slightly nervous but very sweet to all of the puppies and people-- we played "pass the puppy" and she did well with that (even with her cone of shame) and I got to snuggle and get kisses from other puppies-- a corgi and a french bulldog!
Dh and dd will start driving back tomorrow from Arizona and will arrive Sunday. Then, my quiet peacefulness will be over.... I will be a nervous wreck until they arrive.... and then I'll really have to watch my food choices as dd loves to eat out and dh loves to cook for all of us.... though he is going out of town next week so dd will want to go out!
I got over 20,000 steps yesterday on my fitbit. Not thinking I'll repeat today, but hopefully will have over 10,000....
I put a fairly long update in on the "losing a lot" thread. Short version - changes coming to my lifestyle, for data-based reasons.
Starting my new (old) job on 6/22, so there has been a flurry of training classes and trying to not leave a huge incomplete mess of my current job. As I suspected, applicants for my current position have been few and far between - not enough have applied to start interviewing yet. I am definitely looking forward to sitting down a lot less, which figures in to the lifestyle changes quite well.
I have a fun event this weekend - going to a Detroit Symphony Orchestra performance that features Randy Newman and his compositions.
And who knew that sometimes BLTs are important when cooking?
I was fixing a new dish the other night--spiralized yams, diced red pepper and jalapeno, tofu, and a peanut-lime dressing (peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, ginger, oil) and you're supposed to top it with chopped peanuts and cilantro. Good thing I did a little BLT and ate a couple peanuts. Gross! They tasted rancid. Threw out the whole can (which had been opened a while back and resealed an in my pantry for several months).
The dish was really good--had it for dinner and leftovers for lunch yesterday.
We're doing well with her weight though - she's .2 lbs. less than the last weigh in and now clocks in at an impressive 9 lbs. I'm curious to see if Trixie has lost a bit of weight when we take her in next month. Hoping for a downward trend for all of us.
for the new gym! Sounds like exercise will be a whole lot more interesting, challenging, and fun for you. 
