Hi, my name is Patty and I am the mom of six, the eldest just graduated college and the youngest is in the third grade....three of the six have food allergies, as do I, and my husband is diabetic....my other blogs deal with that, but today?

....now that Spring is sprung, it is time for us Northerners to lose our winter fat!

I gain weight every winter, unfortunantly, and then right about this time of year, i begin dieting and exercising. Ordinarily, I use a Denise Austin dvd at home, but when I was at my daughter's college graduation, she took me to the University's gym. . .I liked it. I haven't gone to a gym in 15 years, so, I figured, now that I have reached a pretty monumental age, with young children still to raise, I should keep a better eye on my heart health and overall fitness...not just 'binge exercising' for summer, and then slipping back into my corderouy and wool in the Fall, and fattening myself up with hot stews and warm brownies (it even sounds yummy, doesn't it?) .

So.....yesterday, after stopping off at my sister's house, I forced myself to go join the gym. First, I slipped into my 15-year old exercise shorts, the spandex kind, and thankfully, pulled on top of those, my regular gym shorts. I topped this off with one of my hubby's BIG t-shirts, and added my sneakers (new, thank goodness, something of this decade). I was, as my daughter calls it , a def. 'fashion don't'.

Well, I sauntered into the weight room, selected a 'climber' thingy, and began my work-out.....for 15 minutes i climbed and stepped, at what I thought was a pretty good rate. Next? I sasheyed over to the treadmill, avoiding my own reflection in those mirrors, i looked pretty baaad, and logged another 10 on the tred. Next? I would use those weight machines. Fortunantly, though I couldn't be scheduled for an 'orientation' until Thursday, there was a young mom I knew from the beach (local summer swim club), who was nice enough to let me follow her around. Well, at the end of that hour, I then opted for a core-body/sculpting class. Ouch. I slipped into the back of the class, right behind the instructor, so i could easily follow her. It was fun for the first half hour, then? Ewwwww....i was so tired. I left, got a drink at the water fountain. Multiple times. By the end of the hour, I was sure that this membership would suceed in keeping me out of the cookie jar......

......until? Today. I had planned on running down to the mall to buy some up-to-date and stylish 'glamour do' work-out clothes, but? Yeah, my youngest woke up...sick. And as for me? I ended up with my chubby hand in the cookie jar again.

In any event, I am hopeful that tomorrow will find me free of sick kids, and able to scoot to the mall and get back to the gym.

I am sore as heck to day, and optomistic as heck about getting back into shape.....and not just in the nick of time for summer, but for my general health and well-being.....i hope, forever!

God Bless,

Patty