working out for Disney

[Figgy1]

To those getting the heatwave stay safe and hydrated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Same old same old mix here, except today. Just a trip to the farm market and cooking for the week because the guys don't like when I heat up the house in the heat

 

[StarWarsGirl]

To those getting the heatwave stay safe and hydrated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Same old same old mix here, except today. Just a trip to the farm market and cooking for the week because the guys don't like when I heat up the house in the heat

I am going to the pool once Ella is done her vet visit. Probably will be there tomorrow too.

 

[Figgy1]

Gotta love when the site gets laggy and oops double post lol

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Quick check in since we're starting to hit that summer travel ball time of year. I made it through the first one with decent success but it's not easy. The hotel gym was not exactly the greatest. It had a treadmill, recumbent bike, and elliptical for cardio equipment, a variety of medicine balls, a dumbbell tower, an adjustable bench, some beat up yoga mats, and a weight exercise combo machine that was about 70% unusable. Still, I did what I could. K and I came back a bit early (yesterday afternoon), so I got in arms at the actual gym and some light cardio (bike) in my home gym. So far, today, I've walked 8.15 ridiculously hot and sweaty miles. I plan to bike in a bit and then hit the gym for legs a bit later. Seriously thinking about upgrading my PF membership for the next leg of travel.

Eating on the road is also tough. We haven't hit the legs of travel with kitchens in our rooms and obviously restaurant calories add up fast. I still managed to stay in a deficit but not as deeply and I didn't get to eat as much. I did at least pack a bunch of food from home and grabbed some healthier things from the hotel breakfast offerings to help supplement. The scale was at least kind today. I'm down another 4 pounds and am now around triple digit loss overall. We leave for CO midweek, so back to trying to keep the progress going on the road.

 

[Songbird76]

Hope this works on your side of the pond

Thanks! This one I can get on youtube here. I can get 2, 3, 5, and a musical one, but not the very first one. The first one has a floor section with crunches and such, and also has a section with weights (they use water bottles) but number 2 doesn't. I haven't tried 3 or 5. The one I'm doing now is dance your pants off, and then I add my own floor work and weights. But sweatin' to the oldies number one had such fun music!! I'll have to try the others, too. I want to alternate with some LS walking workouts, I think. Maybe if I change it up some, I won't get bored with them and I'll work out different muscles every time?

 

[Songbird76]

Quick check in since we're starting to hit that summer travel ball time of year. I made it through the first one with decent success but it's not easy. The hotel gym was not exactly the greatest. It had a treadmill, recumbent bike, and elliptical for cardio equipment, a variety of medicine balls, a dumbbell tower, an adjustable bench, some beat up yoga mats, and a weight exercise combo machine that was about 70% unusable. Still, I did what I could. K and I came back a bit early (yesterday afternoon), so I got in arms at the actual gym and some light cardio (bike) in my home gym. So far, today, I've walked 8.15 ridiculously hot and sweaty miles. I plan to bike in a bit and then hit the gym for legs a bit later. Seriously thinking about upgrading my PF membership for the next leg of travel.

Eating on the road is also tough. We haven't hit the legs of travel with kitchens in our rooms and obviously restaurant calories add up fast. I still managed to stay in a deficit but not as deeply and I didn't get to eat as much. I did at least pack a bunch of food from home and grabbed some healthier things from the hotel breakfast offerings to help supplement. The scale was at least kind today. I'm down another 4 pounds and am now around triple digit loss overall. We leave for CO midweek, so back to trying to keep the progress going on the road.

I'm sorry it's hard!! That's the one thing I dislike about a lot of restaurants. Unless you order a plant-based meal, it's hard to get vegetables. I love just roasted veggies....carrots, broccoli, red pepper, etc....or some brussel sprouts, green beans, but most restaurants don't serve anything but a salad. And over here at least, the salads come with some sort of dressing on it, which I won't eat, and they put tomato and cucumber in it, which I also don't like. I can't get just some plain lettuce with ranch dressing on the side that I can put on just a little bit. There's no ranch dressing here, anyway, but I can never eat a salad in a restaurant because it will have a bunch of stuff in it that I don't like.

I've never used a hotel gym. Most of the hotels we stay at don't have gyms, but I always feel so intimidated. It's always full of people who are already really fit and I feel self-conscious like everyone is looking at me and judging me. Kudos to you for doing what you can.

 

[Songbird76]

E and I went out in the morning before it got too hot to get in our walks this weekend. Neither of us can handle the heat and it was in the 90s, so we got up and went out before it got too bad. Today it cooled down a lot. It's only in the lower 70s, so not bad at all. I have all the windows open and the back door and I'm trying to get the house cooled back down. This morning I did the dance your pants workout again, and tomorrow it should still be cool enough to go out and walk outside again, but Wednesday is supposed to be hot again, so I might stay inside and do a workout.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I'm sorry it's hard!! That's the one thing I dislike about a lot of restaurants. Unless you order a plant-based meal, it's hard to get vegetables. I love just roasted veggies....carrots, broccoli, red pepper, etc....or some brussel sprouts, green beans, but most restaurants don't serve anything but a salad. And over here at least, the salads come with some sort of dressing on it, which I won't eat, and they put tomato and cucumber in it, which I also don't like. I can't get just some plain lettuce with ranch dressing on the side that I can put on just a little bit. There's no ranch dressing here, anyway, but I can never eat a salad in a restaurant because it will have a bunch of stuff in it that I don't like.

I've never used a hotel gym. Most of the hotels we stay at don't have gyms, but I always feel so intimidated. It's always full of people who are already really fit and I feel self-conscious like everyone is looking at me and judging me. Kudos to you for doing what you can.

For me, it's more about the caloric content and protein (even better if it's lean protein) for muscle growth. Don't get me wrong, veggies and fruit are important, especially from the fiber component. The biggest thing for me is being in a decent calorie deficit each day, which is a massive challenge with restaurant food and lean protein isn't always a menu option. This past trip, I brought a bunch of food to help supplement and grabbed up some of the better options off of the hotel breakfast in case they could be worked into my day. David thought I was nuts, but I brought something like a dozen hardboiled eggs from home just in case the hotel breakfast ran out... in addition to blackberries, turkey dogs (trace fat and only 45 calories each), rice cakes, and a few other little things. Colorado, especially the second half, should be easier as I'll have a full kitchen for 2/3 of the trip. It's also a more health-conscious state, so restaurants and markets have better options. I'll also have more walking/hiking options to keep me from hours on cardio machines.

I have loved going to the gym since I was a teen, so it adds to my comfort. That being said, even though I've been a gym rat in various stages of my life...there are things I don't know how to use that still frighten me a bit. I'm sure there are times when people are looking and judging...especially in this day and age of toxic social media people, but my health and fitness goals take priority over their pettiness and ignorance to my situation and overall value as a human. There's a great OTF reel that addresses some of this. It basically puts thought bubbles over the heads of everyone working out at that time to illustrate their respective struggles and highlights that nobody is quite what you think. On top of that, there are a number of good social media fitness personalities coming out in defense of the new to fitness crowd and bashing anyone hating on them. Like, how are they supposed to improve their physical health if they're being shamed away from the gym? So, it's empowering to know that there are a lot of people out there who may look super fit and intimidating that are actually in your corner ready to cheer you on. I'll probably decide by Thursday if I am going to upgrade my gym membership to get a better workout on the road for the next 1.5 months.

 

[Songbird76]

For me, it's more about the caloric content and protein (even better if it's lean protein) for muscle growth. Don't get me wrong, veggies and fruit are important, especially from the fiber component. The biggest thing for me is being in a decent calorie deficit each day, which is a massive challenge with restaurant food and lean protein isn't always a menu option. This past trip, I brought a bunch of food to help supplement and grabbed up some of the better options off of the hotel breakfast in case they could be worked into my day. David thought I was nuts, but I brought something like a dozen hardboiled eggs from home just in case the hotel breakfast ran out... in addition to blackberries, turkey dogs (trace fat and only 45 calories each), rice cakes, and a few other little things. Colorado, especially the second half, should be easier as I'll have a full kitchen for 2/3 of the trip. It's also a more health-conscious state, so restaurants and markets have better options. I'll also have more walking/hiking options to keep me from hours on cardio machines.

I have loved going to the gym since I was a teen, so it adds to my comfort. That being said, even though I've been a gym rat in various stages of my life...there are things I don't know how to use that still frighten me a bit. I'm sure there are times when people are looking and judging...especially in this day and age of toxic social media people, but my health and fitness goals take priority over their pettiness and ignorance to my situation and overall value as a human. There's a great OTF reel that addresses some of this. It basically puts thought bubbles over the heads of everyone working out at that time to illustrate their respective struggles and highlights that nobody is quite what you think. On top of that, there are a number of good social media fitness personalities coming out in defense of the new to fitness crowd and bashing anyone hating on them. Like, how are they supposed to improve their physical health if they're being shamed away from the gym? So, it's empowering to know that there are a lot of people out there who may look super fit and intimidating that are actually in your corner ready to cheer you on. I'll probably decide by Thursday if I am going to upgrade my gym membership to get a better workout on the road for the next 1.5 months.

Well I hope you have better options now. Where did you start? Our Wyoming trip was difficult in terms of food. We had a hard time in a few places. Pinedale was terrible for everything except breakfast. We tried to order pizza one day and it was inedible. It tasted like cardboard.

E and I actually did really well at Disney/Universal. We shared a lot of meals and did a lot of really healthy stuff. We had a vegetarian pasta at the chocolate emporium that was to die for. The pasta was made from vegetables and it had a portabello mushroom steak. It was so good! We found that sharing meals get us about the perfect amount of food and kept us from wasting food or from over eating. We've kept that up at a lot of restaurants here, too, and last summer in Germany and Austria. I think we both ended up losing weight in Disney with all the walking. I wish I could do that here, but you can't spend every day walking when you have to go to work and that's where I get derailed. It's harder to cook when I've worked all day and she's been at school all day and we have to figure out something my husband will like too, since he won't do a lot of the light, vegetarian meals we do. But I don't have a job right now and certainly can't afford a gym membership at the moment. I've been walking a lot and doing workout videos from YouTube when the weather doesn't allow me to be outside, but I'm not seeing any improvement so far. I haven't weighed myself, but I have a diabetes checkup in a couple of weeks and I'm sure she'll weigh me there. I just wish I could see an improvement without the scale.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Well I hope you have better options now. Where did you start? Our Wyoming trip was difficult in terms of food. We had a hard time in a few places. Pinedale was terrible for everything except breakfast. We tried to order pizza one day and it was inedible. It tasted like cardboard.

E and I actually did really well at Disney/Universal. We shared a lot of meals and did a lot of really healthy stuff. We had a vegetarian pasta at the chocolate emporium that was to die for. The pasta was made from vegetables and it had a portabello mushroom steak. It was so good! We found that sharing meals get us about the perfect amount of food and kept us from wasting food or from over eating. We've kept that up at a lot of restaurants here, too, and last summer in Germany and Austria. I think we both ended up losing weight in Disney with all the walking. I wish I could do that here, but you can't spend every day walking when you have to go to work and that's where I get derailed. It's harder to cook when I've worked all day and she's been at school all day and we have to figure out something my husband will like too, since he won't do a lot of the light, vegetarian meals we do. But I don't have a job right now and certainly can't afford a gym membership at the moment. I've been walking a lot and doing workout videos from YouTube when the weather doesn't allow me to be outside, but I'm not seeing any improvement so far. I haven't weighed myself, but I have a diabetes checkup in a couple of weeks and I'm sure she'll weigh me there. I just wish I could see an improvement without the scale.

We were in Oklahoma last week. That's not to say that there aren't healthy possibilities but I'm sort of at the mercy of where everyone else wants to go and what's available at the ball fields. Hence why I brought along food of my own. With the amount I'm working out, I really have to look at it from the fueling angle as well. I had one night where a fried chicken and shrimp plate was actually my lowest calorie option. It just didn't fuel me well enough to put in a decent workout the next day.

Walking is still great for you and there's lots of content on YouTube. If it's in the budget, you might even be able to add some cheaper weights or even resistance bands at home for some lower cost strength training. If not, people use things like cans and old filled milk jugs as homemade weight alternatives. Regardless of what the scale says when you go to the doctor, it is probably worth asking for her help. You're in a bit of an uphill battle with the diabetes, but it might just be a matter of doing some short-term monitoring and measuring to get an accurate picture of your current caloric intake vs. your average daily basal metabolic calorie burn. I know I've plateaued and gotten stuck or given up many times by eating healthy but not monitoring my actual caloric intake vs. needs and deficit required to lose. Heck, my mind is still boggled by how tiny a 100 calorie portion of mayo is in reality. Same thing for stuff like pasta serving sizes, nuts/seeds, etc. You've also got the good vs. may want to limit fats...like an avocado is generally pretty good, but dairy fat can upend things. Still, your dr would be a good place to start if things are not progressing and you feel they should. It's super frustrating but I would hope she can point you in the right direction so you can see some results.

 

[Songbird76]

We were in Oklahoma last week. That's not to say that there aren't healthy possibilities but I'm sort of at the mercy of where everyone else wants to go and what's available at the ball fields. Hence why I brought along food of my own. With the amount I'm working out, I really have to look at it from the fueling angle as well. I had one night where a fried chicken and shrimp plate was actually my lowest calorie option. It just didn't fuel me well enough to put in a decent workout the next day.

Walking is still great for you and there's lots of content on YouTube. If it's in the budget, you might even be able to add some cheaper weights or even resistance bands at home for some lower cost strength training. If not, people use things like cans and old filled milk jugs as homemade weight alternatives. Regardless of what the scale says when you go to the doctor, it is probably worth asking for her help. You're in a bit of an uphill battle with the diabetes, but it might just be a matter of doing some short-term monitoring and measuring to get an accurate picture of your current caloric intake vs. your average daily basal metabolic calorie burn. I know I've plateaued and gotten stuck or given up many times by eating healthy but not monitoring my actual caloric intake vs. needs and deficit required to lose. Heck, my mind is still boggled by how tiny a 100 calorie portion of mayo is in reality. Same thing for stuff like pasta serving sizes, nuts/seeds, etc. You've also got the good vs. may want to limit fats...like an avocado is generally pretty good, but dairy fat can upend things. Still, your dr would be a good place to start if things are not progressing and you feel they should. It's super frustrating but I would hope she can point you in the right direction so you can see some results.

I'm sure she'd send me to a dietician if I asked. I just have a hard time with that because I'm a picky eater. Like, one of the most popular things on a plant based menu seems to be beets, but I can't stand beets. They taste like feet. So nasty. I'm terrified a dietician is going to give me an unrealistic diet for me full of things I won't eat. When I moved over here, one of my language teachers told me her dietician had told her she HAD to eat sandwiches with butter on them. I can't stand butter unless it's melted, so that would be a big no for me. And my BIL gave me a diet he got from a doctor that they give to patients who need to lose weight before a surgery and it was stuff like coffee, cottage cheese, boiled eggs... None of which I will eat. I don't do condiments or cold sauces (like on a pasta salad), cheese and butter both have to be melted. From what I hear, it seems they base those diets on the average person... Someone who starts their morning with a cup of coffee and maybe a sandwich or some plain yogurt with fruit and that just won't work for me because I won't eat any of it.

 

[Sans Souci]

Wow....they sound....um....classy. Had the 17 year old ever met you before, or was the wedding the first time? It seems very immature. It just sounds like BIL's wife feels superior and doesn't like your family much. It makes me wonder why she married your BIL...if that's what you think of his family, that doesn't really bode well. Part of the reason I broke up with my ex was because his mother was a real piece of work and I didn't want to get involved in that family. She couldn't seem to cut the apron strings and she had some bizarre ideas about relationships, etc and her older son actually ran away for three years because of her. Like, he disappeared on college break and they had no idea where he was for three years....he just never came back, and then one day called out of the blue to say he was getting married and wanted to reconcile. And his wedding was what really opened my eyes to what I was getting into. But why would BIL's wife want to be part of a family she seems to despise?

Yeah, I have very different taste from my in-laws. They love all the heavy, greasy meats and large amounts of mashed potatoes with vegetables mixed through them, and I don't like that. My FIL is not a steak person, so for our special meals, MIL always did pork tenderloin, which is fine, but not my favorite and not very fancy to me, so I started bringing a steak for myself, and I would cook it myself, so I would get something special to eat too. And their idea of dessert is plain yogurt with some cruesli in it. I don't like plain yogurt....I tried so hard to eat it for breakfast for a while, but I just can't stand it. If I'm going to ingest calories, I want it to be worth it, especially for dessert. I don't eat dessert every day, so when I do, I want it to be something delicious and decadent. It's a treat, not just something to end the meal. I would MUCH rather have more vegetables than yogurt for dessert. You guys eat your yogurt, and I will have some more green beans or brussels sprouts, please! And for Christmas, it was ice cream, but not vanilla or chocolate or anything....it's like...frozen whipped cream. It's fine, but not much flavor. So I started making a pan of brownies to bring for dessert and we would heat them up in the microwave and then top them with the ice cream. THAT is a dessert worthy of Christmas dinner for me. But I just realized that if I wanted to enjoy dinners with my in-laws, I was going to have to cook them myself because we just have different tastes. It's not that either of us is wrong, but Dutch cuisine is so different from what I was used to, and I never really got used to it.

That was the first time I met her and that was her signature thing. She previously did it to my husband and my husband's sister. My SIL let her have it after she did it her and my husband was always stunned when she did it. Basically, my BIL's wife saw potential in him, even though he was an A-1 slacker. She gave him grief when his grades weren't high enough and stuff like that. Like, are you dating a child or another adult? She said she wouldn't marry him unless they could spend every Christmas with her parents. Her parents' house is a three hour drive from my MIL's house.

That's crazy about your ex's brother. Gone for three years without communication? I'd tear my hair out wondering what happened. I think I would lie awake at night thinking the worst had happened.

My mil makes a lot of roasts, too. But the last few visits to her house, my husband and I have been cooking a fair bit, because she's 80. When we cook, we make things we'd eat for dinner here and she enjoys it. But when I first got married, I was always bringing something up with me or going to the store to buy a ready made meal.

 

[Sans Souci]

Is he a US Citizen? I know right now it doesn't seem to make a difference...they are picking up people who are there legally and snatching them with no warrents or anything. Does he have a passport? Maybe he could carry his passport with him? That might make it easier to get released if he DOES get picked up. And maybe make sure he has the number of a lawyer he can call, just in case. It's so scary that people have to go to such lengths now to be safe.

He is American, he doesn't hold another citizenship. I am not sure if he has a passport. This is the dumbest time to be alive.

 

[Sans Souci]

Hello-

I've been mixing it up--yoga, weights. I've been walking, too. I went out the past few days and I regret it. I think because I sweat so much while out walking in this stupid heat, I am retaining everything I am drinking. Today was a little cooler, but only a little. I haven't gone out yet, because the cat has been inside all day and my husband and my son are moving my husband's stuff out of his apartment. I could have booted her out, but she's just sleeping and I think the extreme heat has worn her out. I'm letting her recuperate. Tomorrow is my turn to help with the move. I am going up to my husband's apartment to help him do a final clean before the walk though. He's going to commute everyday to Manhattan. I think he's going to change his mind and end up renting another apartment in Jersey City.

My house is so crowded now with furniture lol I am not sure where I am going to workout in the AM, because his mattress is where I workout, taking up all the room.

 

[Sans Souci]

Good morning and Happy Friday.

I did an hour of yoga this morning. I woke up at 4 with a banging sinus headache from the storms that rolled through over night. But the upside is the storms knocked out the heat. It's going to be 73, which is good since I am going up to help clean my husband's apartment. I just want to get this over and done. It feels like I have been helping him wrap up this apartment for a month now.

I may or may not go for a walk later. It depends on what time I return back here. I don't want to think about Friday afternoon traffic back down here.

 

[Songbird76]

That was the first time I met her and that was her signature thing. She previously did it to my husband and my husband's sister. My SIL let her have it after she did it her and my husband was always stunned when she did it. Basically, my BIL's wife saw potential in him, even though he was an A-1 slacker. She gave him grief when his grades weren't high enough and stuff like that. Like, are you dating a child or another adult? She said she wouldn't marry him unless they could spend every Christmas with her parents. Her parents' house is a three hour drive from my MIL's house.

That's crazy about your ex's brother. Gone for three years without communication? I'd tear my hair out wondering what happened. I think I would lie awake at night thinking the worst had happened.

My mil makes a lot of roasts, too. But the last few visits to her house, my husband and I have been cooking a fair bit, because she's 80. When we cook, we make things we'd eat for dinner here and she enjoys it. But when I first got married, I was always bringing something up with me or going to the store to buy a ready made meal.

Wow... I wouldn't be able to date someone that I had to parent. Or who tried to parent me. If you are a slacker, I'm gone. If you don't accept me as I am, it's not going to work. But it's interesting that she has these high standards for her husband when the rest of her family seems to have no class, but she still wanted to be with them. So weird.

Yeah, the brother went on a trip on spring break and just never came home. He changed his name and everything so they couldn't look for him in the phonebook or anything. Like, he started going by his middle name and went back to the original German of their last name or something. When he came back, he was already married but they decided they wanted to have a ceremony with their families. Her parents didn't know they were already married, but they held a wedding and that whole thing was a s#! t show. They insisted I go with them, but his mom was so stressed out she kept screaming at us about nothing. Like, she asked if we were hungry, we said "we could eat" and she went off on us, ranting about how demanding and ungrateful we were, when we hadn't even mentioned food ourselves though we hadn't eaten in 7 or 8 hours. Then she complained the whole time about where we ate because there were some 20 year old guys swearing in public. Then she yelled at us for making everyone late to the rehearsal dinner, which wasn't our fault. The brother was supposed to bring paper plates and stuff and hadn't gone shopping yet, so she had to take him to get stuff and then come back for us.
Then because it was late getting started, dinner was late, which was a BBQ in the park, but the park closed at 9 and they hadn't even gotten the grills going and she said I made snide remarks, which I didn't. Then after the ceremony, my bf asked if he was supposed to change clothes for the reception. He'd never been to a wedding before. She went off on him, dragged him out into the hallway to yell at him where all the guests were coming in for the reception, told him I was being a spoiled brat or something, screamed at him, and then had the brother yell at him, and then made us apologize in front of everyone for "ruining the wedding". The bride was sweet and said "Does it look like my wedding is ruined? We're having a great time!" Everyone was so confused because we hadn't done anything. No one understood what we had supposedly done to ruin the wedding. She was the one making a scene in the hallway because my bf asked what he was supposed to wear. If I had had money, I would have taken a taxi to the airport and left after the rehearsal dinner. Then the morning after the wedding she and grandma lectured me for an hour and a half because I had removed my engagement ring when I took a shower, which they found appalling. That was the first run in with her. Over the years, she convinced bf that I was being unfaithful to him by having friends who he didn't like. (which was anyone, really). And she complained because when he turned 21, he had wanted to go out with me and our best friend Brandon. But she whined and cried and said it was unfair. She was his mother and he should spend his birthday with her! But she refused to come down to visit and insisted we go to their house instead. In Muddy Gap Wyoming. It's not even a town. It's a highway camp in the middle of NOWHERE, for the highway department workers. Population 18. All that's there is a few trailer houses. You have to drive over an hour just to get to a grocery store. They didn't even have cable TV. So he says he'll only come there if he can bring me and Brandon because he wants to spend his birthday with us. We go, the guys go out to play basketball, but she won't let me go, because that is only for the boys. No TV, but they did have internet and a computer... Which she wouldn't let me use without bf's supervision. I had to just sit on the couch and do nothing. She wouldn't let me help with dinner or anything because I didn't know how she did things.... It was just easier if she did it herself. Then she got mad because she didn't get any time with him herself. So she sent Brandon and me to the room with the computer, which we were not to touch, while she had a talk with bf and had some time with him without us. She didn't understand why he insisted on bringing us. She was basically just narcissistic and manipulative. She had MS and so whenever she didn't get her way, she'd go running to her bedroom, throw herself on the bed in the fetal position and sob and say "I can't help it that I have MS!" Then bf's dad would come and tell us that we really hurt her feelings and should apologize and just do what she wants. The first time I saw her do this was because she tried to ladle bf's soup for him and he said he could do it himself. How dare he! I got stomach flu while I was there and she tried to convince bf I was faking it for attention even though they could hear me throwing up in the bathroom.

I totally get why the older brother disappeared. I still don't understand why he yelled at my ex for ruining his wedding. I'm sure he was stressed, but he knew how his mother is... That's why he left! Couldn't he had seen that SHE was the one in the hallway screaming her head off in front of all the guests? And it was in between the wedding and reception, so not ruining anything. It's not like we made a scene as they were saying their vows. We were walking on eggshells the whole weekend because she took offense at EVERYTHING and blamed everything on us that we hadn't even done.

That's what we did too... We just started cooking whenever we went to visit my in-laws. Then we knew the kids would eat it and we didn't have to make a separate meal. We introduced them to a lot of food they would never have known about. Like zucchini. My FIL started growing it in his garden because we used it so much and he liked it. They had never had it before.

 

[Lilofan]

Yes, that's the one. I just made it with instant vanilla pudding, cool whip, dark chocolate frosting and graham crackers. If I made it again, I'd swap out whipped cream for the cool whip and make a dark chocolate ganache for the topping. I'd make less filling too, because the ratio felt off to me.

I just prefer corn-fed beef. I know it's bad for you, but I only eat it a few times a year. When we go to Scottsdale, the resort we stay at has steakhouse and I always get a filet. It is so tender--no grassy notes. lol

Yeah, I am worried about my brother. He is half-Cuban and is very dark. He has a Spanish last name and grew up speaking Spanish and English simultaneously, so he's super fluent. He owns his own business, but the economy is starting to slow down. He and his GF had a baby girl in March and he hangs around Home Depot in the AM to pick up construction work to make ends meet. I am worried he is going to get caught in an ICE raid and not know where he's gone. They have been apprehending men who are native born Americans who are Latino.

On any given morning there are approx 100 males standing at the side parking lot of my Home Depot . By 11am all are gone due to local homeowners that pick them up yo do manual labor ( cash only ) on their property. No ICE raids have come there. For a day work 8-9 hours one can earn up to $200 which is far cheaper than if one calls a repair / handyman/ painter .

 

[Songbird76]

It's rainy today so I did sweatin 4 on YouTube. Not my favorite. So far sweatin' 1 is the only one that has floor work and uses some weights. But this one seemed rushed, like all the music was just a tiny bit too fast, so you had to do the movements really fast instead of worrying about form and such. I could barely keep up. And he changes the movements so fast that I didn't have time to get it down before he switched to something else. Like, some of the things he only did one time before moving on to another movement. Or the camera would zoom in on his upper body and I couldn't see what he was doing with his feet. I like the dance your pants off better.

 

[Sans Souci]

Wow... I wouldn't be able to date someone that I had to parent. Or who tried to parent me. If you are a slacker, I'm gone. If you don't accept me as I am, it's not going to work. But it's interesting that she has these high standards for her husband when the rest of her family seems to have no class, but she still wanted to be with them. So weird.

Yeah, the brother went on a trip on spring break and just never came home. He changed his name and everything so they couldn't look for him in the phonebook or anything. Like, he started going by his middle name and went back to the original German of their last name or something. When he came back, he was already married but they decided they wanted to have a ceremony with their families. Her parents didn't know they were already married, but they held a wedding and that whole thing was a s#! t show. They insisted I go with them, but his mom was so stressed out she kept screaming at us about nothing. Like, she asked if we were hungry, we said "we could eat" and she went off on us, ranting about how demanding and ungrateful we were, when we hadn't even mentioned food ourselves though we hadn't eaten in 7 or 8 hours. Then she complained the whole time about where we ate because there were some 20 year old guys swearing in public. Then she yelled at us for making everyone late to the rehearsal dinner, which wasn't our fault. The brother was supposed to bring paper plates and stuff and hadn't gone shopping yet, so she had to take him to get stuff and then come back for us.
Then because it was late getting started, dinner was late, which was a BBQ in the park, but the park closed at 9 and they hadn't even gotten the grills going and she said I made snide remarks, which I didn't. Then after the ceremony, my bf asked if he was supposed to change clothes for the reception. He'd never been to a wedding before. She went off on him, dragged him out into the hallway to yell at him where all the guests were coming in for the reception, told him I was being a spoiled brat or something, screamed at him, and then had the brother yell at him, and then made us apologize in front of everyone for "ruining the wedding". The bride was sweet and said "Does it look like my wedding is ruined? We're having a great time!" Everyone was so confused because we hadn't done anything. No one understood what we had supposedly done to ruin the wedding. She was the one making a scene in the hallway because my bf asked what he was supposed to wear. If I had had money, I would have taken a taxi to the airport and left after the rehearsal dinner. Then the morning after the wedding she and grandma lectured me for an hour and a half because I had removed my engagement ring when I took a shower, which they found appalling. That was the first run in with her. Over the years, she convinced bf that I was being unfaithful to him by having friends who he didn't like. (which was anyone, really). And she complained because when he turned 21, he had wanted to go out with me and our best friend Brandon. But she whined and cried and said it was unfair. She was his mother and he should spend his birthday with her! But she refused to come down to visit and insisted we go to their house instead. In Muddy Gap Wyoming. It's not even a town. It's a highway camp in the middle of NOWHERE, for the highway department workers. Population 18. All that's there is a few trailer houses. You have to drive over an hour just to get to a grocery store. They didn't even have cable TV. So he says he'll only come there if he can bring me and Brandon because he wants to spend his birthday with us. We go, the guys go out to play basketball, but she won't let me go, because that is only for the boys. No TV, but they did have internet and a computer... Which she wouldn't let me use without bf's supervision. I had to just sit on the couch and do nothing. She wouldn't let me help with dinner or anything because I didn't know how she did things.... It was just easier if she did it herself. Then she got mad because she didn't get any time with him herself. So she sent Brandon and me to the room with the computer, which we were not to touch, while she had a talk with bf and had some time with him without us. She didn't understand why he insisted on bringing us. She was basically just narcissistic and manipulative. She had MS and so whenever she didn't get her way, she'd go running to her bedroom, throw herself on the bed in the fetal position and sob and say "I can't help it that I have MS!" Then bf's dad would come and tell us that we really hurt her feelings and should apologize and just do what she wants. The first time I saw her do this was because she tried to ladle bf's soup for him and he said he could do it himself. How dare he! I got stomach flu while I was there and she tried to convince bf I was faking it for attention even though they could hear me throwing up in the bathroom.

I totally get why the older brother disappeared. I still don't understand why he yelled at my ex for ruining his wedding. I'm sure he was stressed, but he knew how his mother is... That's why he left! Couldn't he had seen that SHE was the one in the hallway screaming her head off in front of all the guests? And it was in between the wedding and reception, so not ruining anything. It's not like we made a scene as they were saying their vows. We were walking on eggshells the whole weekend because she took offense at EVERYTHING and blamed everything on us that we hadn't even done.

That's what we did too... We just started cooking whenever we went to visit my in-laws. Then we knew the kids would eat it and we didn't have to make a separate meal. We introduced them to a lot of food they would never have known about. Like zucchini. My FIL started growing it in his garden because we used it so much and he liked it. They had never had it before.

I understand why your ex- bf's brother and you got away from her. Good grief. How exhausting.

I had a boyfriend with a mom like this. She was a very loud, very crass woman. She was convinced that I was going to get pregnant and "trap" him. No amount of telling her I had my own goals (none of which involved getting married or pregnant until I finished college, at minimum) could convince her otherwise. He was valedictorian of his class got full scholarships to schools like Stanford, UChicago and University of Illinois. He went to U of I to study chemical engineering. She was so scared I was going to derail him, as if he had no agency of his own and I had him spellbound. She would say really inappropriate and insulting things about my body. But it was always a joke when I would ask her to repeat what she said. I told my mom what she was saying to me and holy heck, the phone call that ensued. It was two female bullies shouting at each other. He worked at Taco Bell in HS and then at college. He reached out to me 15 years ago on FB to be friends, but I did not accept it. I looked at his profile, though. Someone else "trapped" him in college, he dropped out and manages a Taco Bell. He was her golden boy and someone else prevented him from reaching her goals for him. I love this for her.

 

[Sans Souci]

It's rainy today so I did sweatin 4 on YouTube. Not my favorite. So far sweatin' 1 is the only one that has floor work and uses some weights. But this one seemed rushed, like all the music was just a tiny bit too fast, so you had to do the movements really fast instead of worrying about form and such. I could barely keep up. And he changes the movements so fast that I didn't have time to get it down before he switched to something else. Like, some of the things he only did one time before moving on to another movement. Or the camera would zoom in on his upper body and I couldn't see what he was doing with his feet. I like the dance your pants off better.

"Dance Your Pants Off" sounds more fun just by the title alone. lol