One of the many cool things about the company Gary works for now is that they're kind of proactive when it comes to being healthy.
They'll reimburse employees for any exercise equipment up to a certain amount, and they'll also pay half of a gym or health club membership. There's a very cool health center ten minutes away that is brand-new and state-of-the-art; we'll probably join when the kids are a bit older and I actually have time to get there to . . . swim? Aerobicize? For now, we've taken them up on their first offer and purchased an inexpensive little treadmill for me. I say 'little,' but right now it's in the middle of the family room, taking up a good amount of space. Hopefully very, very soon, we're going to move it upstairs into our room. The first time I used it, I did 15 minutes of walking while watching the Olympics. The next morning, I couldn't stand up long enough to make breakfast, my legs hurt so bad. And it wasn't the pain of using muscles that I hadn't used in awhile, it was the fibro pain of my joints. It's something that I need to discuss with my doctor: the exercise is supposed to help me, but standing and walking are the two things that aggravate the pain. I dunno.
Last Friday was supposed to have been my next appointment with the rheumatologist, but we had to cancel it. After I'd made the appointment, Gary scheduled the carpet install on the same day and then found out that he was going to be at an out-of-town meeting all day, so there would have been no one to watch the kids while I was gone (and taking them with me would have been a nightmare). I was really looking forward to talking with her about the exercise, and the painkillers, too. Even after several weeks, the naproxen wasn't doing a thing for me except making me sleepy and giving me heartburn, even when I took it with an antacid. Even now, almost two weeks after stopping, I'm still getting heartburn. Gah.
Four days until Spencer's birthday party. I don't have a whole lot to do: finish hot-gluing the monkey door hangers together, paint and glue a dozen wooden monkey magnets, make a bunch of chocolate monkey suckers, assemble the treat bags, bake and frost the cupcakes, order the balloon bouquets . . . I guess there's more to do than I thought! There have been some changes in our plans, too. When I first starting working on everything, I just assumed that we'd have the party at our house. I sent out the invites, and then as the RSVPs started coming in, I started panicking a little about the space issue. Our house isn't small, but we don't have one room that's big enough for 10 preschoolers and their mom/dad, plus our family. My dining room table seats 6, and even if I gathered all the chairs in the house, I'd have had maybe half the number of chairs I needed, though they wouldn't have all fit into any one room. I wasn't going to ask all the parents to stand for 90 minutes, and with plates of cake and ice cream, you can bet that all the kids were going to need a chair and table to eat at, and that no one was going to be eating in the living room on the off-white carpeting.
Then there was the issue of the remodeling. The carpeting came, and it's beautiful. I love it. The upstairs is getting there. But the dining room hasn't even been started, and it wasn't going to be done in time for the party. Throw in a couple of sick kids, and we were really behind. I didn't want to invite a bunch of people over and cram them into a half-painted room like sardines.
Anyway. We moved the party to a community building right up the street. It was $125 for three or four hours, and seeing how we don't have that kind of money in our budget, I used my web design earnings to pay for it, figuring it would save me hours of worry and I wouldn't have to clean my house. It's more than worth it. I don't know why I didn't think of renting a bigger space earlier; it didn't even cross my mind until we went to the zoo with Ellen and her kids a few weeks ago and she mentioned that they'd had her son's party somewhere that wasn't her house. Duh. Thanks for the inspiration, Ellen!
A few weeks ago I was going to be out of the house on a Friday evening, and before I left I wanted to set the VCR to tape some shows I was going to miss.
Gary: What are you looking for?
Me: The VCR remote, I can't find it.
Gary: What are you taping?
Me: Umm, just some show that's on tonight.
Gary: What show?
Me: It's nothing, nevermind--oh, here's the remote.
Gary: Why won't you tell me?
Me: It's The Ghost Whisperer, all right? Must you shame it out of me?
And then I read this a few days ago, and I'm glad I'm not the only closet fan. Really, I'm not a JLH fan. She bugs me. But I kind of like her character, and the storylines intrigue me, and I have loved David Conrad since he was on the short-lived Relativity (anyone else remember that show?). Plus, it's entertaining to see what freaky clothes she'll be wearing next.
JLH bugs me so much. I just can't watch the show.
Would yoga maybe help? It might be more gentle on your joints.
Posted by: sherry | March 14, 2006 at 01:26 PM
I know, aren't I awful? It's so embarrassing.
I think (if I understood my doctor correctly) that whatever exercise I do needs to be aerobic enough to get my heartrate up pretty high---she mentioned something about exercising hard enough to work up a decent sweat. I think the idea is to get the endorphins to kick in as a natural painkiller.
Posted by: Amy | March 14, 2006 at 01:47 PM
You might want to try an elliptical machine. A friend of mine who is a total exercise junkie was experiencing some joint pain (mainly in her hips) while she was pregnant, and the treadmill made things worse. Someone suggested that she try an elliptical, and she didn't have problems.
Also, it will make you sweat. A lot.
Posted by: nanette | March 14, 2006 at 02:52 PM
I loved Relativity...and thought I was the only person who remembered it! I haven't watched Ghost Whisperer yet...I think I probably would like it, but I'm still so bummed they cancelled Joan of Arcadia that I can't bring myself to watch its replacement.
Posted by: Rachel | March 14, 2006 at 04:57 PM
I have to second the recommendation of the elliptical machine. I can't walk fast or use a treadmill because I get horrible shin splints, but have no problems on the elliptical. And, it works out your arms, which is great. If you have a NordicTrac store around they will let you go in and use a machine. Another option is to get a three-day pass to a gym and try that out. Good luck!
Posted by: Tammy B. | March 14, 2006 at 05:15 PM
I can't stand JLH either. I wish she would stick her face in a juicer.
Posted by: Alex | March 14, 2006 at 07:48 PM
I am loving Ghost Whisperer! i am hooked. I tivo it every week and have to watch when Pete is way out of the Family room! He has a hatred for JLH. Did you get your sofa cover???
Posted by: Lisa | March 15, 2006 at 11:03 AM
I am loving Ghost Whisperer! i am hooked. I tivo it every week and have to watch when Pete is way out of the Family room! He has a hatred for JLH. Did you get your sofa cover???.........
I totally agree with this comment, thanks for sharing, have a nice day!!
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