Category: Family Matters

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Packing the Gym Bag again…finally!!

About a year ago, I was WAY into going to the gym. I loved it. I’d been going regularly since just before getting married (7/2001) and really thought that I had made exercise a habit.

Enter: THE MONKEY. Shortly after the Monkey came home, we had to quit the gym–our monthly membership was basically what we spent on formula. I was very sad, but knew that a) atleast for the first 3 months I wouldn’t be there at all and b)even after that, I really wouldn’t want to leave her long enough to work out/use their child care (fine for toddlers, but babies??) and c) we needed to buy formula!!

So I became rather slovenly–and totally started to feel the effects of not exercising regularly–you know, the fatigue, the aching back, not sleeping as well, the too-tight clothes, so on and so forth. L was feeling the same. So last week he joined the student fitness center on campus where he is 4 nights a week anyway. Yeah for him–$20 for the summer, $30 per school semester or something crazy like that.

So yesterday I decided to figure out what I could do. Our old gym is just too pricey, bottom line. So I looked at an old, scuzzy gym (yuck!), a fancy circuit gym/weight loss center (very ritzy) they wanted $1100!!! No, that’s not a typo. $1100 for a total of 62 weeks. Not REALLY highway robbery, until you start realizing that’s not a membership for my family, there is no pool or even a shower there, their “gym” consists of 2 treadmills, 2 elliptical machines, 2 bikes and 2 sets of crazy “electric” machines that exercise for you. That’s it. It took me about 2 minutes (after the 3o minute sales pitch) to realize that WASN’T what I was looking for!

I called Curves, but apparently the entire company takes a siesta daily from 1-3 or 4pm, and I, of course, want to work out after work before I pick up the Monkey. I checked in the just single classes offered by parks and schools, I checked into Jazzercise….NOTHING during the 1-3pm timeslot, anywhere. The YMCA single membership was just as much as my old gym, and I’ve heard that it’s a suburban madhouse. I was so bummed!

So today I drove over to Cardinal Fitness and found what I was looking for. There are no classes, but since nobody else offerred them at my preferred time, I thought that wasn’t really a loss. There are plenty of machines, floor equipment, etc. There’s a small locker room (no hot tub, but nice showers!), and there’s child care that looked like the Monkey could have fun there should she ever need to go. Of course, the child care room is closed from 1pm -4pm, but she’s covered during that time–I would only need to use it if I went on Saturdays and L was busy or something.

So tonight I shall pack my gym bag for the first time in close to a year—I can’t wait!!!

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1/2 way through my civic duty….

So I am “on call” for jury duty this week, which I have to say is stressing me out more than it should. I mean, I haven’t actually had to go downtown for jury duty yet–I just have to call the phone service each evening to find out if I have to go. But it’s stressing me out anyway–mostly because it would involve having M a full day in daycare, and either her godmother picking her up and watching her until L gets home from class at 9pm (if I get detained/sequestered past daycare closing time) OR L missing a night of summer school. It would require getting a sub for work, navigating the courthouse, etc. And the whole thought just leaves me stressed. It’s just the anticipation that I’m out of control and that my whole next day, possibly the rest of my week could be upturned on a moment’s notice.

addendum to yesterday’s lessons about food spoilage: yogurt goes GROSS when left in a car trunk for 6 hours!! Yes, I typed yesterday, complaining the school fridge, a fresh carton of Trader Joe’s vanilla yogurt was fermenting in my trunk. What are the odds? Thankfully, I remembered the groceries just before it started to rain, so at least I didn’t get wet, I guess.

So I’ve got my fingers crossed that the rest of the week goes “smoothly”…my car is currently getting a new alternator, so tomorrow we are carpooling to daycare and work, and then bumming a ride to the repair shop, hauling the convertible carseat with us wherever we shall roam. What a pain!! I’m focusing on the good fortune I had to be able to DRIVE the car in, that the alternator didn’t actually go kaput while driving, AND that I got a 10% off coupon in the mail for the dealership the day I made the appt. So that’s something. A meager something when being faced with the bill, but something nonetheless.

Really, all I want to do is to do laundery and start packing for Grandma and Grandpa’s this weekend, and head on out for some visiting and relaxation. Only 3 more days to go!!!

In Babe news, she’s getting FOUR teeth that I can feel. FOUR, and I believe they are all molars (top/bottom, L&R)–yowser. No wonder she’s been a crank and not napping as well. Thankfully she’s a huge fan of the assorted teething remedies I have, and of Children’s Tylenol as well. Hopefully we’ll get those chompers through before we hit the road on Friday!!!

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Visit #3 and 6.5 hrs at the IMA

Yesterday was our 3rd visit with J, G, K & Z since the Babe’s arrival–we saw them at Christmas, for Z’s 4th bday, and we had a fun picnic yesterday. Why yesterday?

I’ve learned that J likes to take a few days off of work to, in her words, “get ready” for a visit with us. She typically works 50+hrs a week, and rather than have just one day off, she saves her vacation time so that she can take several days off in a row. In April, she told us that she’d have some time coming around her bday, which was Tuesday (which, oddly enough, is also K’s bday). So when we looked at what would work for all involved, a Friday afternoon turned out to be best.

We found a park near L’s office, so that he could just leave work a little early rather than have to take a 1/2 day or whatever, and I packed some snacks, including little cupcakes to celebrate J and K’s bdays (we sent e-cards earlier in the week).

Like I wrote about April’s visit, we weren’t nervous this time–it really is like going to see relatives we see only a few times a year. The only thing we weren’t sure about was G–he and J haven’t been getting along very well lately, and as J has put it, she think it’s sort of the “beginning of the end”. But everyone came, and everyone behaved and the Babe did just fine.

We played on the playground, snacked, and J and I took Z and the Babe around the little lake for a stroll, so we got to talk a little bit without the boys. K commented on all the recent pics on the Babe’s photoblog–she’s a frequent visitor. We hung out for about 1 1/2 hrs, and then the Babe was past tired, so we packed it up.

6.5 hours at the IMA

From there, L took the Babe home, and I moved on to the next part of my day–a girls night out!! I got together with a few friends for a movie under the stars at the Art Museum. They show movies every Friday in the summer–VERY cool. It’s an adult, BYOB type picnic, so I went prepared with an adult beverage cooler and some cheese and bread. Really, what else do you need?!?!

We went a few summers ago as a group, and remember long lines, and the shows selling out and whatnot, so we were prepared this year!! I got there at 5pm, ready to camp out in line…except there was none. The tickets didn’t go on sale til 5:30. So I hung out in the shade, people watching and enjoying the silence. A friend arrived right at 5:30, and she also wondered where the crowds were. But we weren’t taking any chances–we bought tickets for the other 2 in our group, and we went to go stake out a “good” spot on the terrace. We were the 2nd group out there–so we did get a “good” spot!

A museum volunteer did let us in on a secret–since we now observe DST–the movies don’t start til close to 10pm–so the crowds don’t come so soon. After baking in the sun for 3 hours, I can understand why! And really, the crowds never did come–there were no lines for the BR, no lines to buy food, no lines for anything. Very weird, but maybe the subtitles turned people off–who knows.

Regardless, we all had a great time consuming our beverages, snacking and catching up–although we were yawning when Like Water for Chocolate started at 9:40pm!!

As we packed up at 11:30, I did some mental math and realized that I had spent more time at this, my second picnic of the day, than I had at work. Not a bad way to spend a Friday in June.

VIVA LA SUMMER!