Hi - I'm back! Actually I got home late Sat night, but work has been nuts, including major computer problems Grrrr. My DH left Friday (yes, before I got home) for a 2 week canoe trip in northern Alaska. I've been vegging out with the Olympics which wouldn't happen if he were home....

Barbara - OUCH! I had the same kind of injury about 10 years ago by tripping on a sidewalk crack - whole side of my face was black and blue.

As for the kids issue - I'm 63 and never had any kids. We got the whole routine, but we weren't ever sure we wanted kids and having seen so many bad homes, decided not to. We enjoy our nieces and nephews (and now the greats) and friends' kids, but never large groups of kids! People always seem to assume that since I'm a librarian I spend a lot of time with kids - not so! I tell them I have a children's librarian working for me to take care of that aspect.

LisaMarie - your little Henry is beautiful. Hope the breastfeeding goes better soon.

Shane - Happy Birthday! Gosh, I have a great-niece older than you - you make me feel old.

I did a lot of skimming, but I can't recall everything. I had a good trip, ate fairly well except for one blowout night. Nice to be home and know what I'm eating though.

Good Morning all, Lovely day here in Michigan! I think it's going to be in the 70's today. Warm days, cool nights...perfect!

Allison, hope you enjoyed the night out. I can't do the drinks though. After just one all my resolve goes flying out the window. It is frustrating when you know you're doing all the right things and it isn't showing up on the scale. But hang in there, it will! And toned muscles look so much nicer!

Shane, Birthday Bash sounds like fun, and you get to do it again later!

Bromwyn, Glad to meet you! You were planting trees all summer? Now that is real exercise! It is hard getting back into the grove of eating fewer calories, but I find that if I make a menu of what i'm going to have, it helps so much. Kind of takes the guess work out and I don't end up with my head in the fridge saying "what should I have for dinner"

Barbara, I think honesty usually wins out. You've got the right idea, just tell her the truth.

Lisa, Just take care of that beautiful baby right now and eat healthy. When you get some energy back and a little more sleep, you can start back on your diet and exercise.

Pat, Hate computer problems. probably becaue i'm so bad with them. Have no idea how to fix anything unless smacking it works. Or giving it dirty looks! Glad to hear that you had a good trip.

Make it a good day, Freda

Freda~when I go out, it is easy to stop at one drink and I don't have a problem choosing something on the healthy side of the menu. At home it is different--pop open a bottle of wine, pour a glass, hmmm--that glass is gone, pour another, and so on. Last night I had shrimp and hardly touched the rice and beans. I think I did just fine.

Welcome back Pat!

Welcome back Pat! Welcome Bronwyn and Dagmar!

About the having kids thing . . . I can tell you that not having kids is definitely a social stigma here in Indy -- even at my age. When we moved into our neighborhood, we were hoping to make friends with some neighbors. When they came over to introduce themselves, the first question was, "Do you have kids?" We told them no, and basically haven't talked to any of our neighbors since. They have no interest in us since we have no kids. We are probably the youngest people on our block (I'm 25, DH is 28, we moved in a year ago), but still, it's frustrating. I get asked if we have kids all the time when I meet new people, and both of our sets of parents have been hinting about grandkids for a while (like, since way before we were married!).

I'm waiting for the biological clock to kick in. Right now, I am more than happy just to have our dog, who I love to death. Only three of the people I knew in college either have kids or are expecting, and they live in other parts of the country so I don't actually interact with them in person. My sister and her girlfriend both want kids eventually, but they are still at an earlier stage in their relationship (they're getting a domestic partnership this Friday, and next year planning to move to CA and get married!).

In any case I am expecting that in another year or two I will want kids. I guess I feel like I need to have kids so that someone will take care of me when I'm old! DH and I both say we want to have 1 or 2 kids, but neither of us is remotely prepared to consider it right now.

Did I mention how much I love my dog? Our poor dog had really long nails, like three inches long, when we got him. We managed to clip the tips off once by holding him down and shoving turkey in his mouth while another person clipped. Not so good. Anyway, he has been untouchable since then -- if you touch his nails he will yelp and run away. So I took him to the vet yesterday to have his nails done professionally. They tried to do it without sedation first, but the dog was so completely freaked out that the couldn't. Instead they gave him an injection to mostly knock him out, then did the nails while he was out of it. They gave him a reversal injection to wake him up again, but he was stumbling around like he was drunk! I took him home and the poor dog slept pretty much the entire day straight through. Last night he was still acting a little funny, but this morning he is back to normal! The vet recommended that next time we try giving him Benadryl before we touch his nails, to calm him down, and if that doesn't work they have some prescription drugs we can use (the equivalent of doggie Xanax). Having him knocked out with an injection each time we need his nails clipped is not only not safe for the dog, but it is $60 for the injection plus $18 for the nail trim.

Anyway I'm glad my poor dog is safe now and has nice short nails.

Sorry for all the rambling!

Jessica~my dogs don't like having their nails done, either. Especially with the regular dog nail clippers. Last weekend I finally tried a Dremel tool on them and it was a lot easier. You only have to make sure you don't hold the tool on the nail for too long as the nail heats up. Here is a link to instructions on how to do it.
http://homepages.udayton.edu/~merens...el/dremel.html
I've heard that the Peticure brand that is made especially for this function is even better as it isn't as loud as a standard Dremel tool.

Morning everyone!

Thanks for th advice Blue and Freda, I really like both those ideas. I do try to record what I'm eating/exercising but I just haven't been doing it consistantly since I got home. And I really should start having a plan, a flexible plan anyway since I've been a little too obsessive in the past...

Pat- Hello! Nice to meet you.

Freda- I'm sort of the same way with drinking. I always say, oh I'll only have one, but get that one drink in me, and I loosen up enough to want one more.... But I also don't drink or go out very often (maybe once a month...) compared to a lot of other students I know, so I figure I can go a little wild (within reason).

Paperclippy- Thanks for the welcome. And I love your name and your avatar.

So I'm trying to start painting my room. And today I'll finally get to start!!! See when I was 10 I painted my room, and got this horrible silly cat wallpaper that I was convinced I would love forever. And wallpaper is just the worst thing ever to remove, so it took me like four days of removing the paper and washing the remover and paper glue off the wall. Jeese.

I can't wait to see the colour on the wall though. It's a beautiful yellow colour, which will brighten up my basement room. Is it silly that it excites me so much?

Hi everyone,

Meg, wishing you a speedy recovering.

Lisa, your post about breast feeding brought back the memory of the pain I had those first few weeks breastfeeding both of my kids. Ouch. It does get better though.

Shane, happy belated birthday..

I've been missing this week. My X son-in-law turned all 3 of the boys over to me on Monday and I just haven't had time to post. His new wife's grandmother has cancer and isn't expected to live more than a week. So, I volunteered to keep all 3 boys this week so they could stay at the hospital with the family. I'm busy trying to potty train the 2 yr. old. Sound familiar? I'm the one that potty trained the older one last year! At this rate, I'm sure I'll also be potty training the youngest one next year. Seems noone else has the patience for it.

Anyway, I've got the boys taking a nap right now. Lol, they are being quiet anyway but only the 1 yr. old is actually asleep. The 2 yr. old is asking "why" at least 50 million times a day now, LOL. Also, both Taylor and Gunner keep peeing off my back deck, LOL. Luckily it faces the pasture and noone can see them.

Oh, I'm definitely with the group that ate more than they should have this past weekend. Exercise has taken a back seat to the babysitting. I am planning to have Lacy and Shelbey watch this boys for 2 hrs. this evening while I go to the gym!

Lily-- good luck with all the boys! LOL at them peeing off the deck!

Jessica-- my dogs don't like getting their nails done either. I worked for vets for 15 years and I don't think I ever saw a dog who liked it. Luckily most of them don't need sedation like yours. It is very hard if they have black nails like both of mine because you can't see the "quick" and you can draw blood easily (which of course hurts and then they hate it more!). My doberman's nails got too long and he somehow tore one off in the backyard playing with the Great Dane a few months ago. Talk about a lot of blood and expensive vet visits! I had a Dremel years ago and the dogs did pretty well with it but they don't really like the sound of it. I saw the other one on TV that Allison mentioned and I might try that one.

My doberman has been acting like he doesn't feel well the past couple of days. He is very clingy and anxious. I don't know if he isn't feeling well (he has occasional seizures so one may be coming on), but I suspect he is reacting to all of the changes in our house-- we got new floors and my dd is packing/preparing to leave for college. Gotta love our fur babies.

I had a bunch of NSV's yesterday! We had a staff retreat (I am a school librarian). I can't tell you how many of the staff came up to me and remarked at how skinny I was, how great I looked, and how much willpower I have (when they saw me turn down the hamburgers, chips and cake and have a veggie burger with no bun and some fruit). It shouldn't matter what other people say but it sure makes me feel good and motivated. I even made it to the gym before work this morning because I knew I couldn't go later as we have Freshman Parent Orientation (for younger dd starting 9th grade).

I find all of the biological clock/children chat very interesting. My mom and dad were 40 and 41 when they had me (and I was an only child). Back then, it was very unusual to have children so late and I was considered an oddity and many people thought my parents were my grandparents. I didn't like it and I didn't like being an only child, so I always thought I would have my kids at a younger age. I met my dh when I was 18, got married at 20 and started trying to have kids at 21. I ended up with infertility problems, miscarriages and pregnancy problems (which I really find ironic because my mom waited until 40, got pregnant immediately and had no issues even though she smoked and was severely underweight). We were luckily finally blessed with our two daughters when I was 23 (almost 24) and 27 (almost 28). Now I am 41 and almost done with child rearing at an age when my parents were just starting (our oldest daughter is going to college and our youngest to high school this fall). Most of my daughters' friends' parents are in their 50s and many people assume I am older than I am which kinda sucks. Dh and I are starting to look forward to the days when the girls are gone though and we can reclaim our house, travel, etc. I feel like I'm rambling (too much caffeine perhaps!), but I guess as women, we usually know/feel what is right for us. I personally am very thankful that we can make those decisions as to whether or not we want to have children and at what point in our lives.

I hope everyone has a fantastic day! We deserve it!

It's quiet in here this morning.

I had a great day at the gym yesterday. I think my 10 sessions with the trainer are now up. But he's given me a lot of pointers and he says my form is picture perfect. He's instructed me on all the machines I need for my workout. I've been able to increase the weight on a couple of the machines and I can start to see some difference. If only my weight would change! My pants are starting to feel tight.

DD left for college and is all moved into her dorm. She's on the first floor which is nice for moving in and out, but I don't think it's as safe. I told her to go to Lowe's or Home Depot to buy PVC pipe and cut it to size to fit in her window and sliding glass door tracks. We do that at home so we can leave them open a couple of inches for fresh air without threat of someone trying to break in. College campuses are scary (IMO) and she sent me one photo of her living room with the sliding door and some guy walking past outside. There is no barrier on the "patio" like if she were in an upstairs unit. I hope she takes my suggestion.

Oh, did I tell you about the cookbook I made for her? I had it bound by Kinko's and then wrapped it with a card and hid it in one of her boxes so it would be a surprise. She called me when she found it "Mom, did you put this together all by yourself? Oh, my gosh, it's perfect! Thanks!" I guess I did a good job. I'll report later if she actually uses it LOL!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MY GYM IS CLOSING!!!!!!!!!! HAVE I MENTIONED THAT IT'S THE ONLY GYM IN A 1-HOUR RADIUS??? THAT IT'S THE ONLY THING THAT KEEPS ME SANE AND MY MOOD STABLE??? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So let's see. I'm moving in 3 weeks and have to find and buy affordable furniture and dishes and such for my new place. Now that includes used fitness equipment. My budget is already tight. My boss might be moving on, and he's the best boss in the world and one of the main reasons I love my job. Two people in my office are leaving. Now my gym is closing. I can't take all this change! I'm a cancer, a crab, I need my comfort zone!

Whew. Ok. So, um, it's been a busy and semi-stressful week at work for me on top of all those other changes going on. I haven't been dealing with the stress well and have been making a lot of bad food choices. It is my own fault and I need to get with it. And apparently this confused tropical storm is heading my way this weekend and ruining all my weekend plans.

Hi Dagmar and Bronwyn, nice to meet you and welcome. I'm not usually such a basketcase, I swear.

Allison, I'm glad your DD got off to school ok. Your cookbook for her is so sweet! I'm sure she'll use it sometime...

Michele and Robin, nice NSV's!

Shane, glad you had a nice birthday!

Barbara, yeesh, I don't think I could take a 2-year-old's birthday party. "Another engagement" excuse works - better yet, make other plans, so you really do have another engagement. That way it's not lying.

Ha, I'm 26 and my BF is 32. We've been together 3 years last month. People first of all don't realize that we're not married half the time, and then they ask us when we're having kids and tell us how we should start right now. Lots of people! We sort of glance at each other and change the subject/run away as fast as possible. We know we're on the same page, and it's not anybody else's business!

Ok. I'm going to try and go back to work and not sob some more... Have a great day everyone!

Aw, Megan.

Megan~I'm so sorry about your gym! What on earth caused that? As for affordable dishes and such, as much as I dislike Walmart, DD found a lot of really nice things there that were more affordable than my all time favorite store Target. She got a set of dishes, service for 4, for $9.99 and they're cute! Flatware was about $25 for some really nice quality stuff. It's hard to skimp on pots & pans as the cheap stuff wears out so much faster, but we did get her a small set for less than $40. And two good knives for about $15. Good luck with your move and I hope you find a new gym (or some inexpensive equipment to buy).

Good Morning all, It's sooo beautiful outside! Warm, slight breeze, cool nights. Perfect. I went for a long walk this morning. It feels so good to get out and walk again. I think i'm up to about 2 miles. I know that doesn't sound like much, but it's a real breakthrough for me. to explain: I have a few bulging discs in my back and I sometimes get to the point that I'm hardly able to walk enough to get around. Even at those times I still do my weights, I miss walking. And I sleep so much better when I exercise!

Cat, Enjoy your new room! A lively yellow will make you feel so energized! and no, you're not silly for getting excited. It's kind of sad when you stop getting excited about things like that.

Lilly, 3 little boys? How fun!! and how exhausting!!!

Mitchelle, We adore our dog too. We adopted him when he was 15 months old and now he rules the house! And so smart! You should see the things he has taught us to do!! Congratulation on the NSV!

Allison, I'm sure you'll do fine on your own at the GYM. You've learned what to do, and if you really find you need to, you can schedule another session. I think the cookbook idea was lovely. And DD will eventually find someone she wants to impress and make dinner for.

Megan, Oh NO!!! Hopefully someone else will buy the GYM and reopen it, Happens often. Lots of changes going on for you right now. True test of strength. I'm sure you will do fine.

Make it a good day, Freda

Hi everyone, more drama crap at my house last night. My oldest SD just showed up unannounced and took the 1 yr. old home with her. (She had left him with the dad for 6 weeks without even calling and then showed up and said "he's mine and took him". There was absolutely nothing I could do about it cause she still has legal custody of him. My heart just ached as the baby was screaming and crying and I really had to restrain myself from smacking her. I called the dad and he immediately called his attorney. But, since he didn't have an emergency custody order, he was told that he had to wait and try to get a judge to give him custody. She wouldn't even give us her new phone number or address! My heart aches for this baby and what he has been put through.

I still have the 2yr. old and 4yr. old here with me. This potty-training is Very trying. He's got the #1 down but No Go on the #2.

My MIL gave me some more pic's from Shane's send-off to Iraq. There is some that I want Lacy to post for me. I talked to Shane yesterday and he talked to Taylor and Gunner. He was totally amazed at how well they are talking and were able to carry on a conversation with both of them. Shane is doing very well and said "it's boring" over there. He is looking very forward to getting to come home to visit next month.

Jessica, I get Lucy and Molly's nails clipped at the vet every 2 months. They both tolerate it pretty well. I never trusted myself to clip them, I was too afraid I would hurt them. I'm really glad though that I never had to pay the extra for the shot to calm them down. My vet just charges $10.00 each for clipping their nails. I have taken them to PetCo before and they charged $8.00 each.

Megan, sorry to hear of all the stress you are going through. I'd definitely stress if my gym closed. I normally use it 7 days a week. I tried to go today with my grandson's but made it to the corner store and saw that I had a tire that was going flat. So, turned around and came home. I just bought all new tires 3 weeks ago, so I'm sure I've picked up a nail in my tire.

My eating has been yuck this week. Seems with all the kids snacking, I find myself eating junk too.

Mostly when I think about having kids, I think about how I would punish them for being bad. I take that as a sign that I probably shouldn't have kids. That and the fact that we can barely manage to take care of the house plants. I swear, it's always "Water me! Water me!" It's exhausting.

I use that houseplant joke a lot when the topic of kids comes up and it does seem to help defray the pressure/tension.

WaterRat: Isn't it scary how much damage we can do to ourselves without any help at all? Several people have pointed out to me that I'm lucky it wasn't a lot worse (and I do feel pretty lucky). Also, it's always nice to hear from someone else that chose not to have kids and doesn't regret it. It always makes me feel a little better about my choices.

Paperclippy: I've thought that maybe I should have kids so there'll be someone to take care of me when I'm old as well. The only problem is that there's no guarantee your kids really will take care of you. I've also thought it might be worth it to have kids if I could count on them to do chores around the house. You know, if I could get them to mow the lawn, do the laundry, clean up. The problem is I'd have to keep after them to do the chores all the time and they'd probably do a half- job of it anyway. And really, how many years do you have to put in caring for them before you can really expect a payoff--my guess is that they have to be at least five before there's an serious work being done. It's probably easier to just do the chores myself. But I do wonder what will happen to me when I'm old and dotty (heck, I'm already part way there...).

Megan: I am so sorry to hear about your gym! That is really distressing news. One of my many worries is that my gym will close (and I live in suburbia where gyms and a dime a dozen, so it's not like I couldn't find another, but I'm rather attached to mine). Maybe someone will see it as an opportunity and open a new one. There must be lots of members that are as distressed as you are that will be looking for a new gym.

alinnell: The cookbook was such a nice thing to do for your daughter. I'm sure she will treasure it.

Michelle: What a great experience at your staff retreat! I love stuff like that!

Lilybelle: I'm tired just reading about your grandkids. It definitely makes me appreciate my houseplants more. They don't require potty training.

Freda: 70 degrees around here and I'm complaining that it's too cold! 90 is about right for me! But I'm glad you've got some nice weather and are able to get out to enjoy it.

Cats tongue: I would be totally excited about new paint. My entire house is stark white. At one point we had to have some more paint mixed up, so we went to Home Depot (where the previous owner's had purchased the paint) and asked them to match the color. They opened up a gallon of white paint, put in one drop of black paint (I kid you not--just one drop), put the lid back on, mixed it all up, and said "here you go." Sadly, it matched. I wish we had repainted before we got all our furniture moved in because now it just seems like so much work. If you're hankering to do more painting once you finish your room, feel free to stop by my house (I don't even have any wallpaper to remove) .