25 minutes of lifting weights.

My quilting abilities are limited. I've had success with Jacob's Ladder, and depending on the colors you do, it can be not obvious, iykwim. A strip quilt? Log cabin is classic. You can make it easier by putting strips (maybe lattice) in between the blocks of whatever you choose.

20 minutes of TKD practice.

Their frozen blueberries are really good. Much better than our regular store, but not as good as freezing them ourselves. Which, you can't really blame them for that.

Wegmans is nice for a number of reasons. They treat their staff well. We like them because their produce is generally good, although the quality can vary by store. It depends on the manager. But you can find weird items like dragon fruit that you can't get elsewhere. They have specialty items, but their selection of something like spaghetti sauce might not be as large as other stores. They seem to have organic versions of most things. They have a wide selection of meals to go, pizza, subs, sushi, as well as pre-made things you can pop into the oven or microwave. There are some store brand things I like better than others. Getting a store card for sales is worth it. Customer service has always been excellent. The stores always look nice; I've been in ones that might look older, but never run down.

I just remembered this book, which might be available at a library -- Good and Cheap, Eat Well on $4 a Day. It was written almost ten years ago, so it might be more like $8 a day, but still.

Save-a-lot is pretty limiting, but it used to be the one we have sometimes has better quality produce than the regular grocery store. They do have basic ingredients that are economical. Maybe she can pull together mini omelettes with veggies in muffin tins using frozen chopped onions and peppers? The presentation would be kid-friendly.

As I started a thread asking what we should do, I felt obliged to make a full report --

I'm back home now and wanted to report on our weekend. First of all, it was sunny and 70 degrees all weekend, and stayed at a hotel in the loop. The first day we spent at the Institute of Art, which was wonderful. It was so fun to walk into a room and recognize so many pieces. Later that evening, we saw a production of "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" that was playing up at the University of Chicago, which was an excellent production. We did not realize we needed to get an Uber when we bought tickets. Dh is not a fan of musicals, so the only plays that were not musicals at the time were that and "A Streetcar Named Desire," which just seemed kinda depressing. The next day, we went to the Cathedral for Mass and enjoyed the stained glass and organ. We stopped by a used bookstore, which always makes me happy. Later in the afternoon, we went to a Russian tea house, which is really close to the institute. It was Wonderful! They know how to make tea! And stroganoff! And crepes! And fancy desserts! Plus, it was a lovely ambiance, with classical music instead of the contemporary dance music that was everywhere else. We walked around Millennium Park for bit. For dinner, we ordered a deep dish pizza at the hotel, because I was tired after walking at least 6 miles that day. Our last day, we did the architectural boat tour, which was interesting, but I think the docent was just reading a script. But I can tell a modern building from a post-modern building now. After that, we took a walk on the pier, which was not as exciting as I was led to believe, but I am willing to withhold judgement, as it was a Monday afternoon in April, and not a weekend in July. At any rate, Nobody ever mentioned the Bob Newhart statue! Not that I am a big fan of his, but I am a fan of kitsch. So I had dh take a picture of me on his couch. Overall, I found Chicago to be quite enjoyable. One definitely needs at least two days to see all of the art institute. And there were so many other suggestions given here, that I would happily go back. We didn't do much planning for this trip, as I am very easy to please -- I'd be happy with just a room and access to bookstores, but I can see the wisdom of doing more planning in the future. Thanks to all who chimed in with suggestions. I will be bookmarking this page for future reference!

McDonald's on a regular basis is just so bad. We know a family that once their kids got into sports, they did a lot of fast food drive through eating. They all started out as average-sized people. The parents are overweight now, pretty average for rural America, but two of the three kids are now morbidly obese adults.

No exercise today. Dh and I were in Chicago over the weekend for fun. It was a gorgeous weekend, and there was much walking. I didn't get home until 12:30 last night, so I spent today just trying to get the house and kids back in order. Should be able to go to TKD tomorrow.

Thank you, @BeachGal! That is an immensely helpful overview.

Praying. This is more drama than anybody needs.

Dh and I are going to Chicago for the weekend, as an extended business trip. I've only ever driven through. We looked at the internet to see what there is to do, and all anybody can talk about is the bean. Which certainly does not fill a weekend. I do want to see the art museum. What else is there?

FWIW, ALL of my wisdom teeth were pulled by a local dentist when I was in high school. It was miserable. Also, because he nicked a nerve or something, half of my tongue became numb, and I still have like 90% feeling in it. But he was also trained in the 1960's. I am so glad all the dentists trained then are now retired. I have not had good experiences with them. I love dentists that have been trained in this century.

We were misinformed about how long the co-op would be today, so I was able to go to TKD class.

Just wanted to come back and report my findings. I was at the store and found "Great Lakes Ultra Sharp American Cheese" at the deli. This is much more like what I remember, and is far superior to Velveeta. I think the reason that it wasn't quite like what I remember is that I only used one slice for my bowl, and I imagine that 1.5-2 slices will really make it like what I remember. @Lady Florida. Can you recommend a recipe for sausage gravy? I know it is a thing, but it's not really a thing where I live. @katilac Soon I'll be ordering some organic flour from a place in Arkansas, and I can throw in a bag of yellow grits. Thank you all for your suggestions! I now have inspiration for lots of grits variations.

Yesterday, I did 25 minutes of strength training with heavier weights all the way around, except for squats. They did not make me as sore as last week, so that's a plus. I also spent 10 minutes or so working on my pattern. Today is the last day of co-op for the kids, and it is going later so parents can see what their kids have been up to. This means I will most likely not be going to TKD class this evening, but should be able to get a walk in.

I don't know for certain, but it sounds about right. The times where I have experienced government foods was with non-profit organizations. One was the homeless shelter, run by a religious-affiliated organization. The other time was government issued peanut and almond butter at a church camp. I wouldn't have even known about the existence of almond butter for years later if it wasn't for the feds. 😆

I think I heard some, too. ETA:Western NY, not Ohio

We were pretty close to totality, but it was a totality of clouds. When we are outdoors, the cat will occasionally climb this one tree to let us know what a mighty kitty she is. During the eclipse, she climbed three different trees and was periodically skittish, which is not her normal self. The birds were much more vocal just beforehand than they usually are at that time of day. They were completely quiet at the height of darkness,

Ha! I worked for a Waffle House in the 90's, too! I forgot about the grits there. I was more into the potatoes -- smothered and covered. 😋

It is nice to know there is no hard and fast rule about what cheese to use. Smoked Gouda is intriguing...

For some reason, I had not thought of Kraft American. Dh does not understand my appreciation of grits, and would really not understand why I would bring "plastic cheese" into the house.

Those of you down South, what kind of cheese do you put in your grits? I had kind of a gap year when I was college-aged, and went down to Atlanta to volunteer at a homeless shelter. They made grits, and they were delicious, served with butter, a hard boiled egg, and government issued American cheese. I have tried to recreate this at home, but Velveeta isn't the same. Cheddar is ok, but definitely not the same.