We have less than a week before we head to New York for BlogHer and to Boston for fun. There are many things to be done: laundry, bills, organizing, shopping, and fifty other things that I cannot even think about. Finally, after months and months of planning (The planning actually started when the last conference ended, in all reality!), we are headed to the East Coast. I cannot wait to meet with friends, talk about blogging, take in a Broadway show, and vacation with Mr. Bear and Allie. I cannot believe it has been a whole year since BlogHer!

One of the biggest things I wanted to do before heading to BlogHer, was to lose a lot of weight. Well, that did not happen. I did not lose a lot of weight, but I did lose some.

It has been sort of a dream of mine for a long time to have our very treadmill. Going to the gym has not been very realistic, as every time I put Allie in Kids Club, she comes home with some sort of plague. The room has no ventilation and the bathroom is completely disgusting. It smells so bad in there that I have gagged each time I have gone. Evidently, they do not empty the Diaper Genie often enough because it is not doing its job. There is no change in cleanliness from visit to visit. Mr. Bear finally put his foot down and said he does not want Allie there anymore. Finding time to run outside, without a kid in tow has proved to be more and more difficult over time. The problem with owning a treadmill? Where to put the damn thing?

We found a great deal on a gently used treadmill on Craigslist and finally I have my very own! It has made it difficult to say, “I don’t have time.” “I can’t.” “What should I do about Allie?” Now, no excuses. That is where I have been for the past three weeks and I am proud to say I am sticking to this—sort of. I think one of the reasons it is so easy to find a great treadmill for a great price is that they become clothes racks. I have been determined not to let this one become a clothes rack here. It has not been as easy as I thought it would be, however. There are many excuses to let it sit, unused.

After some success, this past three weeks, we finally dumped the gym that we have paid monthly on since 2004. I shudder to calculate the cost of that. That is 8 years! I could have bought a new treadmill a year for that! We no longer have the pool to swim in, which is likely for the best. The pool was not much better than the condition of the Kids Club facility. Ick.

I set up a “TV shelf” in front of the treadmill for my laptop. My strategy for the treadmill has been to catch up or start all the TV series I have always wanted to watch, but never had time. I am ashamed to admit that I have been watching, “The Hills” after getting hooked on #RetroMTV in the mornings after dropping Allie off at daycamp. I am currently watching, “Drop Dead Diva” and I think it is an adorable show. I am loving Netflix right now and so is my shrinking waistline!

I am nursing a bum knee from the marathon training earlier this year. I am alternating running or jogging and walking. I am completely out of shape and feeling it on every workout. My weight is down and I have lost the same 9.5 pounds I have gained and lost since January. That is something, right?