Ann, I absolutely agree with your stepmother. I am viewing this as an investment in myself, which will help EVERYONE in my family. If I have good health in the long run, which means a positive, peaceful attitude, then we all win. For me, the time is just as much as an obstacle as the money, though. I am often alone with my (young) children for 13+ hours, so for me, at-home exercise will work the best instead of having to worry about childcare . . .if we were closer to a Y, that would be an option, though. I will have to keep researching, though. Maybe there is another place that is easier to get to. I read a study that said a facility needs to be no further than 12 minutes away in order for you to be more likely to go! Ellendi, thank you for the recommendation! I will look that up. Interesting that it's fallen out of favor, but I guess not surprising. I guess there are trends in exercise just like everything else! Tina, yes!! You don't have to be online, anyway, esp. if it cuts into your actual exercise time! sboxx, it's not hijacking at all! I can see how it's tricky to get back into things given your restrictions. Glad you are OK in the stockings! Awm, that sounds great! Does driving 40 minutes to get a lamp count, haha! It was $5 and a Bouillotte style, complete with shade. BUT, I did squeeze my legs while I drove, and believe it or not, I feel it a little today. I spent the rest of the day cleaning while my husband did DIY, which meant Disaster It Yourself. He forced an outlet into a wonky space (old house, weird wiring), and now several of our rooms have no electricity. Sigh. Our GC is coming over this am, thank goodness! Beth, haha about the cursing! I've never heard of a weighted hula hoop. Sounds so interesting . . .going to look that up!

Bonnie, you are doing great! And you are right, it does seem like things are getting harder. I guess they get easier if we stick to it, though, right? ( I hope!!) Annie, that is awesome!!!!! Congrats! Beth, wow about waitressing. I really think it is such a tough job, one of the toughest. How did your weight training go? I am a little less into it this week. Tried a new DVD from a friend but it was so repetitive and I hurt my knees a little. Also got my period EARLY (very early) so I have to deal with that. Missed my workout yesterday despite getting up very early because I had to make things for my mom's b-day . . .but I made myself get up early today to get the workout done, so I didn't miss any! Whew. I see, though, that if I can't do it in the a.m., it is very hard to fit it in at any other time. I really want to get some light equipment and new DVDs. Something easy on the knees but that will really strengthen my legs, butt, etc. to help with my knees. Ideas?

Sue, so sorry to hear about your pneumonia, right before vacation! I hope you are feeling better soon. I'm not a big beer drinker, I prefer wine as I age, but there's nothing like a cold beer on a hot summer day. And I prefer craft beers as well. Blue Moon used to be one of my favorites. At an outdoor party last week, I had my first Leinenkugel Summer Shandy of the "summer" season. While I typically prefer beer with more of a bite, this one is nice and light when it's hot out. As for my own check-in, I've been doing well on the exercise front. I ran nearly double the amount of mileage in May as I did in April, but attribute that to many nice days of perfect running weather. I've also been doing TRX once a week. I haven't been back to my barre class in a while and it shows. That class, when attended on a regular basis, really did wonders for my core. I could really see some improvement in my belly (got a little flatter but still plenty flabby!) as well as my love handles/glutes/etc. Unfortunately, since skipping that class for the last month, I've noticed all my hard work has gone by the way side. On a different note, dh got me a paddle board for my birthday, which was a few weeks ago. We were headed to the beach a few days after my birthday so we picked one up there from a friend of a friend who owns a SUP business. I hadn't had time to use it until this week - I went by myself on the bay in my neighborhood then yesterday, met a friend of mine who teaches paddle yoga. I thought she had a whole class, but it ended up just being me. It was a great workout, especially since the water was slightly choppy so I had to work hard to retain balance when doing poses. I'm really excited to keep up with this form of exercise. It's so peaceful and soothing and a treat to be outside while the weather is nice. My diet (and by that I just mean what I eat, I'm not on a specific diet) has been up and down. I went through a sugar binge at one point (several birthdays/family gatherings in May in my family), having too much access to freshly baked treats and even indulging in ice cream several times (I normally don't eat it much as it's not a big favorite of mine). But continuing to eat lean meats, fish, lots of veggies and fruits and getting back to a more low carb/good carb diet. From a mental health standpoint, I'd had some things weighing very heavy on my mind, including a big disagreement with my mother that was resolved this morning. I'm looking forward to not having that emotional baggage now that summer is arriving!!

I finished the two "Secret Diary of Hendrick Groen" novels mentioned above. Amusing, a bit thought provoking, I wonder if we will get another in a few years. I recently finished Suzy Becker's "I Had Brain Surgery, What's Your Excuse" -- her account of discovering she had a brain tumor, the early days after the operation, and what stretched into months of recovery. Filling in the gaps this month has been a cozy mystery series by Ann Ross. Her heroine, Miss Julia, is a sort of 'steel magnolia' and charmingly blind to her own foibles. On the couch next to me is a treat with a rather impressive subtitle: "BakeWise: the Hows and Whys of Successful Baking With over 200 Magnificent Recipes". I've read bits of cookery writing by Shirley Corriher before, am hoping this book lives up to its name.