Trying to link: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1461&highlight=sparkpeople

Too funny!

I'm wondering who's still active. I'm trying to get back on track, but there's not much activity on the Sparkpeople WTM forums.

When expecting #4, we had one dd and 2 dss. Dd was very excited about having a new baby, and we caught her drawing pictures of her family -- with her new baby SISTER. We explained that the baby could be a boy, but she insisted that she HAD two brothers and needed a sister. That time we "found out" because I wanted to prepare her. It was another boy! When expecting #5, dd went with dh and me to the u/s appt. It was very exciting to see her watch her baby SISTER on the screen. When I went in for the dr's exam, dh and dd were picking out her baby sister's name (among the handful dh and I had discussed). It was a thrilling day. OTOH, *I* like surprises. I'm not sure I would choose to find out if we had it to do over again. Those first 3 announcements after the birth work were exhilarating. I'm sure dd would have adjusted to #4's boyness on his birthday!

Sometimes I make them with bananas or strawberries or peanut butter. It's an easy, quick, and inexpensive treat.

A local place here recently offered a $10 per month deal with a $20 sign-up. No contract. They have lots of different machines, but no childcare or classes. You can pay for a private trainer, though. I thought that was a pretty great deal -- something we could actually afford. Plus, it's only 2 blocks from our home, so it's on my way home from anywhere. We used to belong to the Y -- a lot more to offer for the whole family, but it was more money and farther away. It was more of a hassle, so I rarely went. Hope I'll stick with this!

from 175 to 173. Goals: hit the gym 5 x, 8 glasses of water daily, and track my food intake. My back is still aching and I tried to use that as an excuse not to walk this morning. But . . . I stretched before getting on the treadmill, and it wasn't that bad. Maybe helped me walk out some of the stiffness. This check-in is a good idea. Hope I'll take my fitness plan more seriously!

I was always skinny. Too skinny. I lost all the weight with my first 2 babies without any effort. In fact, I went back to lower than prepregnancy. Nursing really burned those calories. But I developed hypothyroidism and had the last baby at 38. Yikes. Now I'm heavier than ever. I didn't "watch" my weight that first semester back in grad school, and I gained 7 pounds without changing anything. Yikes. I've decided to get serious about this because it's effecting my energy and comfort. Even though my hypothyroidism is treated, I think I'll visit a specialist to monitor me. And I've got to make exercise a priority, too. I don't accept that it's inevitable, but apparently it's going to take a mighty effort to change this outcome for me. Good luck!

Our new neighbors are from India. We invited them to eat with us shortly after they moved in, and now they've invited us over. She told me not to worry about bringing anything, but . . . I'd like to bring some token. Would contributing a dessert be offensive? Or would a gift for their home be a better idea? tia

Oh, I'm specifically looking for a week on a page (or on a 2-page spread). I've found some little monthly ones.

I'm looking for the compact size - 3 3/4 x 6 3/4 pages. Or, is there a way to shrink down my Word files to that size? tia

So: you can get one from EACH company once per year? And, do you check yours and dh's at the same time? Or are they linked together? tia

What is a legitimate, free service? Haven't seen ours since we moved several years ago. tia

I admit. We have credit card debt. Will for a while yet. But, even though we have a good interest rate, I'm wanting to transfer the balances somewhere else. CHASE is driving me CRAZY! (No offense if someone works for Chase -- I don't mean it personally!) We ALREADY have their cards. But now they call us ALL the time (almost every day) to offer us some new card with some other perks or some other product. And even though we ALREADY have their cards on the paperless service, our mailbox is STILL stuffed with their special offers or transfer checks or whatever. We're on the Do Not Call list, so it must not apply to companies you use. So . . . any recommendations? Until we get it all paid . . . tia

That is too funny! Of all the things in movies to worry about . . . Lol.

Yes! Sometimes to fix a problem -- like you're doing. Other times I just get the itch. It's kind of my motivation for deep cleaning. I start pushing and vacuuming and tossing . . . I don't know what hits me, but it's a real shot of adrenaline to rearrange.

Oh, and I have symptoms of ADD while also having the ability to super-focus and shut everything else out. Sometimes, everything distracts me and I flit from crisis to crisis. And other times, I get so hyper-focused on one thing (paying bills, scrapbooking, surfing for information about photography, etc), that I forget to eat or go to bed.

Yes. I am a slob/obsessive organizer. Both. When I organize something, I spend hours and hours detailing and planning and arranging -- making labels, binders, shelves, etc. . . . while everything else falls apart. When FlyLady talks about perfectionism keeping you from keeping things orderly, she's talking about me.

Lol. I know exactly what you mean. I have always (even when I was young and skinny) had a more attractive self-image than the one I saw in the mirror. I remember at a church lock-in as a teen -- I was having the time of my life -- when I went into the bathroom and thought, "I don't look like that! I'm much prettier!" Oh, well. I know some image problems are indicative of disorders, but mine just makes me think: "Gosh, I wish I hadn't eaten those chocolate chip cookies for breakfast." Apparently, I don't look at the mirror often enough, lol.

For the past couple of weeks, I've been stiff every morning when I first get up. This morning it was awful. I cried when I tried to bend over to pick up a belt one of the dc had dropped on the floor. I hurt when I reached down into the refrigerator to get the milk. It gets better after an hour or so. I won't even remember it by the time I crawl into bed tonight. Is this because of a bad (old, cheap) mattress? This morning there were 2 dc in the bed with us, and that always makes it worse. (Yes, we still have midnight visitors, even though nursing is long over, lol.) Even if I think I'm in a comfortable position, getting squished between the other occupants seems to lock my spine. I know there are some exercises that are good for alleviating and preventing back pain. Any links? Do I need to go see somebody? Or just shell out the money for a new mattress? tia

Congratulations! Hooray for you! What are you studying? I started an Ed.S. program last year. It's slow going, but it's helped to pull my brain out of the mush. Some of my classes are online and some are on campus. I really enjoy the interaction with others who share the same interests. Carving out time to study is a little hairy, but dh often shoos me out to the library when he has time to play with our 5 dc. Once he took them out for milkshakes, and they all came to find me to give me a study break. Hope you enjoy your new chapter. Keep us posted!

My aunt/uncle/cousins did the same thing your dh is suggesting, and it was neat. They fixed up a neat parents' retreat. We changed the use of our old home completely in the two months we had to sell it. If you ever decide to sell, you can reconfigure then. And, by then, you may have dc who are big enough to be the muscle, lol. We rented a storage space and dumped about half of our furniture and misc stuff (including the bookshelves! and toys and clothes) while our house was on the market. Took down the baby's crib and let the little one sleep with us. We were trying to make our tiny space look bigger. Good luck!

Apparently, you and I are raising the same kid. It is frustrating. I don't know how to fix it, but I certainly pray that God will put something into her that I haven't been able to impart. And, I remind myself daily that my relationship with her is more important than school (academic) success. You didn't say it in your post, but *I* have a hard time being nice when I watch her brush off valuable opportunities. I'm trying to build more "relationship time" into our schedule -- time that doesn't mean nagging about assignments and chores . . . I remember reading TWTM and wishing -- WISHING -- that I'd had opportunities to study and learn in the classical style as a young student. I tried to offer it to my dc, but it didn't *fit* them. Sigh.

What a hoot! I'd like to print out copies to keep in my purse. This article needs more exposure! I see ladies everywhere who really need to read this. Lol.

Yes, yes, yes! I didn't need a lot of money, but a place to live is important!