Are you able to have eggs? I made DF mashed potatoes using plain unsweetened DF yoghurt, EarthBalance butter, salt, pepper, chives. I incorporated a single beaten egg. The egg contributed a fluffy texture that felt right.

Easter was definitely a hit here. We had a full weekend house party. My kids and their cousins are all grown up and paired off, so it's a fabulous twentysomething vibe. Breakfast: Wild rice with apples, cranberries, and pecans. Spiced it up with cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves. Added maple syrup, milk, vanilla. YUM. Appetizers: Potstickers (just reheated frozen) Ginger-coconut rice balls, onigiri, fruit, shrimp spring rolls I also threw in their grandparents' favorite snacks as a remembrance. (Grandparents passed away a few years ago.) Dinner: Roast leg of lamb--OMIGOSH SO AMAZING. Dry spice rub. Poked slits and stuffed with garlic and fresh rosemary. Slow roast on grill all day, then steamed on the stovetop with a whole bottle of red wine, then crisped up on the grill. Well worth all that meticulous effort. And also caesar salad, sun-dried tomato focaccia, ham with apricot glaze, mashed potatoes, roasted broccoli with lemon zest and parmesan. Dessert: Kransekake (delicious, easier than you think, and so impressive), hummingbird cake, chocolate chip cake

I’m so sorry. This has been such a painful journey. I’m praying.🙏

That’s devastating. Sleep is the one key factor for overseas travel that is so hard to manage and so crucial.

Exactly. We almost always had access to a washer and usually a heated drying rack. It was easy to do washing as we went along.

Beautifully stated. Having come from a deeply unhappy family and grown into a much different and better reality as an adult, I echo your prayers here.

@Ottakee I am so excited for you. What a fabulous trip!! Go light. Last time I went overseas I brought 4 outfits. Next time I will go with 2. Yes, you read that right. It was a royal pain dragging around my suitcase and I would cut weight as relentlessly as any backpacker.

YES. I am right there with ya.

He is risen indeed!

He is risen indeed!

Years ago when we lived in a fixer-upper in Chicago, I smelled gas in one specific spot in the basement. My husband scoffed. My contractor scoffed. He was a nice guy but he couldn’t see any problems. I let it rest. After a while—a long while unfortunately—a city employee had to look at our interior meter. He asked about smelling gas and I mentioned the faint whiffs I got in that area, but said my husband and contractor didn’t see any problems. Mr. City Employee whipped out his sensor and started checking the pipes. Turns out we had three (3!!) small leaks. He shut off the gas to the house and we had to get it repaired immediately. I was so upset that we had been breathing that all along. But a friend comforted me, reminding me that my old house was so drafty and leaky that the air was constantly cleared. For once I was so thankful for the drafts.

For environmental reasons and especially for the quality of the air I and my family breathe, we are planning to switch to induction. Once I read up on indoor air quality and gas I was really horrified. I now cook with the window cracked open no matter what, and we're actively looking at replacing with induction this year.

Yesterday gyrotonics. Always a pleasure. Then I cleaned and cooked and ended up so achy. Today is another cleaning/cooking day but I started off with meds to help. Hopefully it goes well.

I have sit-up issues due to neck/spine condition. It’s much better for me to start sitting up and reverse down to almost all the way. It avoids the strain to rise from a fully supine position. To add challenge, sit on a bench and hold one leg up while doing this. The next step in challenge is to hold one leg out and as you curl forward, pull your knee in towards your core.

One very mild possibility would be magnesium supplements. They have a very zen effect. Fabulous muscle relaxer, deepens sleep beautifully, and helps with gut health. It may take the edge off her anxiety, too, but you don't have to tell her that. That said, I agree with the others on this thread. It's not really about getting old. It's about being miserable and protecting the misery--she doesn't actually want to feel better. She wants you to agree with her. Might be about control, might just be about being miserable.

This. It’s something to be aware of right now AND over the next 12-18 months.

Weights and core today. I prepped ahead with a puff from my inhaler and deliberately kept the workout lighter. I am happy to say I think that worked—I’m doing pretty well today. I will stick to this a couple weeks and then try ramping it up a bit.

My recent bout was horrid. It was 2 1/2 weeks of active misery (fever, aches, breathless, bad cold symptoms), and I am still very breathless and napping daily. I'm doing pretty well with gyrotonics. However, I had a 30-minute workout on Monday doing light weights and core and ended up asthmatic all day. I rarely use an inhaler but needed one yesterday. I am going to try another short workout tomorrow, this time doing the inhaler beforehand to see how I do. I choose to do any and all vaccines available to me. I think the evidence is clear that the vaccine is milder on the body than catching the disease in the wild. That said, I wouldn't do it until six months after an infection.

Aww Tap That does sound hard. A yawning chasm after a long struggle. You’ve been pragmatic and practical, and now your heart aches. Warm hugs and my fullest sympathy. I pray today for reassurance and comfort as you walk forward.

I did a solid 30 minutes of weights and core. Lighter than before I was sick and much heavier than anything over the last month. I managed, but am definitely coughing more now. I forgot to do my asthma inhaler beforehand so I will make a point of using the inhaler on Wednesday when I go again.

I would go with nude shoes.

I would go with nude shoes.

YES

What a blow. I'm so sorry.

I have always been called back for a follow-up ultrasound. I've always been very relieved that I don't have to face more icky mammograms.