I know my friends are confused because for many years I said the gym was way too expensive. & well, it was. But um, now we pay less than $30/month for us, locked in for life. & with $400 down we never have to pay for the childcare again either. I am sure for the average gym user this is not the greatest deal (the down part) but we are pretty committed).

Anyway, I met someone who lived by the gym and told her oh we were over there a lot since we just joined the gym. Obviously it is a discount gym but it had everything we need. She wrinkled up her nose a bit and said she was waiting for the new "CA Fitness." My take on that is it is 10 times expensive and 20 times as crowded. Blech. But tell me how you feel why don't you?

The funniest thing though is we live in such a hoity toity neighborhood and dh has run into some of our neighbors there. I was starting to wonder if we should keep our membership to ourselves. We're not the only ones happy for a deal I guess.

Anyway, so yes they are building a new Cali Fitness and we keep getting e-mails from neighbors about the great deals!!! Something like $130/month for 2 adults and $35/month for the kids - probably $35/each (lots of classes and activities - adults and kids). Holy Hell. For a crowded facility doesn't sound very appealing. I have heard people say they don't leave their kids because it gets so jam packed. Dh and I discussed that something like that may be feasible when we both work and the kids are much older. I am not keen to leave my kids there today. IT sounds like overall the kids' program may be reasonable, but they really do stick it to the adult prices then (duh). & yeah, maybe by the time the kids are like 10 the hype will have died down.

So yeah when I Read over and over in like the forums - the gym is a waste. It's like, well yeah, most gyms are very pricey. & people tend to flock to them like cows to slaughter or something... But you know $30/month for "free" daycare and our health, I don't think that is much to spend at all. IT's all relative. They daycare is DIVINE!!!!

Last night was SO nice because dh had a focus group so I came home, picked up the kids, and headed to the gym. I also got a compliment how GREAT they were with the babies (no doubt largely due to preschool and all the babies there). They got to play with a 1 & 3yo while I worked out. Phew. First time back to the gym since that stupid stomach bug. I hope to hit aerobics tomorrow morning but not holding my breath. When I went to aerobics last saturday I was surprised how STRONG I was after a week or 2 of not much. I felt the same way today. Phew. It's just a constant battle to make the time. I figure when the kids are gone I will hit the gym every day. Gear up for the holidays.

I am also not sure what this trip will due to my waistline. Probably much more active than a week at work - lots of walking and such. So that part will be good. I also tend to be a picky eater so we'll see. Maybe I just won't eat much. I will probably tend towards eating less than pigging out. I guess we'll see. I don't look forward to starving, for one. I'll try. Of course traveling with the ULTRA picky eater and the junk food dad, I don't know. I may gain 10 pounds. (Whenever I travel with my parents we get mounds of junk food. Where I learned my bad habits). Since my sister will no doubt refuse to eat anything I am sure we will stock on some more edible items. I am not that convinced I will mind the food at all though. I just won't be eating a lot of weird looking fish. LOL. Or raw fish. I'll give anything a try though.

I lost a couple of pounds but dh lost 10!!!!!!!!!! Men! HE just told me and I was stunned. Gah. He has just been hitting the gym a couple of times a week, not much else.

Same thing when we first went down to one incomes he started cooking every night. We ate out a lot before that time. He was already a stick and he lost a ton of weight then too. Not fair. LOL. His family is all on the extremely thin side - very high metabolisms. I generally enjoy having more meat on my bones (I was a stick long enough in my youth to know the downsides) but yeesh. I am jealous how easy it is for him to lose weight. Generally for me the eating or the working out means I stop gaining weight, but I am not sure I have ever lost weight so effortlessly.