April 16, 2008 9:23 A.M. Weight: 158.0 lbs.

This morning at my workout I opted to try the recumbant bike. I was quite apprehensive about this partly because, hey, it's just sitting down and reclining for the most part, how could that be any work? Mostly though, it was because the only people I see USING the recumbant bike are, well, let's just say that they are not spring chickens. Dare I associate myself with that group? Let's forget, for the moment, that it was a 72 year old woman that passed me more than one time in that 8K I was working my hardest to get through. Still, I prefer to think that she was superhuman or possibly a very springy chicken wearing an old person suit and that I am still in my prime of, ahem, youth.

At any rate, I got out there and got on the recumbant bike. I almost chickened out at the last second except the whole reason I wanted to try it is because with these shots (Only 6 left!! Then bring on crabby obnoxious Aunt Flo and more Lupron shots... I think.. if my agency would ever get back to me to tell me what drugs I should take come 'day 1'), my upper butt area has been a little sensitive and using the upright bike tends to put a lot of pressure on that upper part of my butt as I sit on the bike seat and my glutes get squashed and stay that way for the whole ride. When I get off the bike that area aches a bit until I move around and uncompress the muscles and get the blood moving again. In the light of causing more pain to a sensitive area, I sucked it up and got on the dumb old person bike. I set it to level 11 (out of 12) because I'm wicked hot and can take it, only the peddles couldn't move at that setting. I switched it down to 5 and kept it there. 5 was too low as whenever I'd hit an easy part in the hills, the resistance was so low that I was actually shaking the bike. The program had no method of upping the level once you start though so I had to stick it out at 5. If there is ever a next time, I'll have to try 7 maybe.

Once I finished off 21 minutes (it would've been 20, but the last minute was a huge set of hills and I wanted to be super and finish off the big hills) I went over to the rowing machine to put in 10 minutes there. I stopped like a deer in headlights... someone was on MY rowing machine! I started to walk back to the front desk where I was going to write a scathing review of the fact that they only have 1 rowing machine but then I said no. NO. I have 10 more minutes to work out and I'm just going to have to find something else to do. I got on the elliptical just behind the rowing machine and programmed in my 10 minutes. 3 minutes into it, the guy got off the rowing machine but I was already into my program and didn't want to go do 7 minutes on the rowing machine. I told myself over and over I was NOT going to forget to write in a comment card that they need another rower because this was the second time I wanted to use it but someone else was on it.

Do you think I remembered? OF COURSE NOT. Dang. I'll have to try to remember when I go in next time. Maybe if I write it on my forehead I won't forget.

Yesterday was Gavin's first day of state testing in school. Basically, they shut up an ADHD student in a classroom for 30 minute stretches with 5 minute breaks in between and tell him that if he finishes early he can have extra time to play. This is something special they do for Gavin due to the ADHD where most kids don't get to go play 'if they finish early'. Now, maybe I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure it is not helpful to tell a kid he'll get to play if he finishes early. I mean, Gavin cares not what his score on these tests are. In fact, I highly doubt he even cares about any importance. I know that he is not motivated to have his true intellegence show through the scores, or at least, not as motivated as he'd be to finish early and play. Plus, he had an issue on the playground the other day so he isn't being allowed out to recess for the week and I TOLD them that I predicted problems during the week due to that. Well, yesterday he and this other student were evidentally leaping off chairs in the room (DUH - he's an ADHD student shut up in the room ALL DAY LONG) and he ended up injuring another student. Now they are asking me about consequences. They are all miffed because 'noramlly he'd get a white slip and be in stop and learn.' WELL - we've determined from THREE YEARS that his behaivor is not improved from giving him a white piece of paper and having him go sit in a room with a teacher he loves where he doesn't have to do any classwork. He was missing out on his education and he didn't care. I fail to understand why these child education professionals are so baffeled by something so prevelant as ADHD and I fail to understand why they think that *I* have all the answers. I'm not a child psychologist. As much as I WANT to be the expert on my son and getting him to behaive, I was never given a guide to his head. I know what works at our house but I also know that I'm not giving him state tests and so if I take away privledges it won't affect his scores. It is hard to say if I'm frustrated by just the situation and just not knowing what would be the right thing to do for him or if I'm actually upset with the teachers for throwing their hands up and expecting me to take it all on single handedly. At any rate, I have an e-mail in my inbox that I'll need to answer regarding the issue and I'm putting it off because I just don't know what to say.

Last night I, the domestic goddess that I am, made a vegitable beef stew. I forgot the cressant rolls. I cut carrots, celery, the leanest cut of steak I could find, mushrooms, and onions up while my husband grated red potatoes into a pile that looked very much like cheese. It turned out very good, if I do say so myself. My husband got out ice cream for everyone at the end of the meal. This would've been evil enough but then he pulled out little tubes of mini M&Ms to put on top of the ice cream. I would've committed homocide if I wasn't so busy getting spoons. Asher was thrilled with the M&Ms, but he didn't want them to touch his ice cream. He refused to get anywhere near any ice cream/ M&M contamination area period. You gotta wonder what is going on in their heads. Chocolate, good. Ice cream, good. Weird cold white stuff with strange little colored areas in my ice cream bowl? EWWWW!