<p>On the idea of “taking up a hobby”, I’ve been doing a couple of things but nothing that really holds my attention for long. Is this just that I’ve been so busy and now that I have time I can’t concentrate for longer than an hour or two or is it the things I’m doing.</p>
<p>Any one ever done one of the “woman only bike tours”? I received some information yesterday. They look like fun. I would love to do a bike tour with my H but he is far superior to me on the bike so doing one together I would either be in LOTs of pain or he would be bored. </p>
<p>I’m feeling old also with the kids grown. Took the dog for a long walk on Sunday (long for me) 6 miles at a brisk pace. I’ve been paying for it ever since. Legs and back are very sore. </p>
<p>So any ideas on how we get in shape and find something interesting (not cleaning) to occupy the time? I know that there were things I did prior to the kids but what was it?</p>
<p>jptmom, I’m missing my only child who is now in collegeland as well. I get a phone call once a week (I figure Sunday afternoon should be good for everybody) which may be brief. She knows I’m not a facile texter, so she doesn’t test me there. I have gotten pretty good response from emails – sometimes fairly promptly. I’ll have some lame-o pretext (gee, I heard they were out of flu shots, were you able to get one yet?) and usually the reply will include a response to the question and a little more info (I went to hear such and such lecture or my roommate found a new guy to hook up with). I think what works with email is that it accommodates everybody’s schedule. I’m not up at midnight, nor is she up at 6am. Skype would be swell, but like a phone call, both people have to be planted at the same time. I think a request for a weekly phone call is totally reasonable. I hope she’ll reach out soon and more consistently. I know how you feel. I was able to get her schedule which I have posted by my desk. It gives me the illusion that I know what she’s doing and where she is.</p>
<p>RochesterMom–my whole, extended family seems to be taking up biking! I’m going to have to get on that too–it sounds fun and the ‘women’s bike tours’ sound neat! You could try spinning class–lots of women I know love it, though I find it too tiring! lol.</p>
<p>My time occupation–trying to find that perfect career that allows me time for kid/hub/puppy/house! lol</p>
<p>I’m actually taking a spinning class now – but it’s not what you mean. I’m taking a learning to spin yarn class. So much easier. I do enjoy it but don’t know that I’ll take the leap to purchase a spinning wheel and do this at home. Class is fun but …</p>
<p>I’ve been biking about 1 day a week to work and back. It’s about 22 miles round trip and takes me a little over 1 hour each way. Nice but it’s starting to stay dark too long in the morning so not sure if I can continue or not. Most of it’s not on the roads but on trails. The part that is on the road however is earlier in the ride and I’m always nervous that the cars don’t see me even with the lights on my bike.</p>
<p>H and I try to do a bike ride most weekends together also. He goes slow to accomodate me. :)</p>
<p>H and I have been taking long bike rides on Sunday afternoons since D has been gone - there are so many nice trails in our area of the Finger Lakes to take advantage of. Gotta enjoy whatever nice weather we have left before things cool off and hockey season goes into full gear.</p>
<p>My husband has been a stay at home dad since 1990. Saturday night we found ourselves alone for dinner and reflected on how this will be the norm in 5 years (we have an 8th grader.) I asked H what he planned to do when there no kids at home. He clearly had not given it a second’s thought. Here I work full time and and am worried about the empty nest 5 years in advance and he hasn’t spent a it of time thinking about it. (Sure would help with the retirement savings if his plans included making a bit of money.)</p>
<p>Ah, I envy the bike trails…we have only one in our area and it is shared with pedestrians. Don’t hate me but I admit that I get irritated when I have to drive behind bikes on city streets…I don’t want to do the same thing to others, so I never ride.</p>
<p>We took up mountain/trail biking because, even in the daylight, there were too many close calls with cars who just didn’t see us. We’re not a biking culture, and cyclists just have to watch out for themselves. But we have some nice trails that go up into the hills – well, <em>had</em> – until the fires here in SoCal. Now it’s moonscape – and very dusty/ashy. Any heavy rains are going to turn this into a soupy muck.</p>
<p>And D IMs that she is sick – with three big tests this week. Figures.</p>
<p>FallGirl, the phrase is yours if you want it, and thanks!</p>
<p>Jolynne, thanks!</p>
<p>I have NO idea how classes are going for my spawn; he’s pretty uncommunicative. He did email me yesterday about the application for National Merit Finalist that I had scanned and sent to him, and those emails were snarky-free, so yay!!! for that!! (I take my celebrations where I find them!) He did say he has a lot of homework and is pretty busy. He also said he’d probably transfer after his sophomore year because of money (Simon’s Rock is expensive and doesn’t meet full need), so apparently whatever had him wanting to transfer now or soon has been resolved. :)</p>
<p>RochesterMom, the only bike tour I’ve been on is the one I just did, so I’m of no help there! You might try the forums at [Team</a> Estrogen - Women’s Cycling Apparel, Triathlon Clothing, Running, Fitness and Swim Wear](<a href=“http://www.teamestrogen.com%5DTeam”>http://www.teamestrogen.com) to see whether anyone there has tried any women-only tours, or try your local biking group. </p>
<p>I found preparing for my bike tour very motivating and time-consuming, and now I’m concentrating on this weekend’s bike ride, a fundraiser for cancer charities (24 Hours of Booty; yeah, what a name…!). After that, I think I’ll shovel out the kid’s room; that’ll take me till Christmas, I suspect!</p>
<p>I envy you your commute and wish I had a good bike route to my job!!</p>
<p>Z, a speedy recovery to your D, and yikes on the three big tests!</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m pretty sure that I’ll be ignored, too. I confess that it will be difficult to keep resentment at bay…he’s definitely a husband, not a wife…no cooking, cleaning, decorating, gift buying…</p>
<p>OK… while there are sometimes when parenting is full time - even with teenagers and into their 20’s - but the rest is umm… cooking cleaning, shopping (gifts or otherwise) and in our case, I only have to dream about decorating. In paying the tuitions I can see very clearly that there is no room for new drapes. New? I meant to say… any. :)</p>
<p>Son is now working out daily with one of the guys who plays his same spring sport (hopefully). In his telling me this (and a little about the guy), I concluded he actually does a good job of picking associations that are mostly good for him (and I only say it in that way as to keep ahead of the curve of the not-so-good for him). He picks positive like-mindedness so that he has a breadth of friends that plug him into whatever it is HE wants to do. Very independent minded of him and keeps him really busy. </p>
<p>Let’s just say that I try to build up as many positives in my mind that are building the majority of his week so I don’t obsess about the possibilities of what’s going on during the weekends that, for all intents and purposes, I know nothing about! (nor should I, I admit). </p>
<p>And now I understand why the traditional Sunday phone call to our own parents. It was their touchstone that said we had made it through another weekend… as that’s pretty much the ONLY time my parents heard from me. I imagine it had to have taken a little bit of denial on their part to get through that. Long story short, I feel like it might be wise of me to think about getting in line to take that particular boat as well. Kinda. Not.</p>
<p>OK, I’m here to grumble. D was not feeling well over the weekend, feeling somewhat better now. I leave my desk and my cell phone…come back to a text that announces “I got meds!” Meds for what? From where? So of course the kid that texts me every 2 minutes is now not responding to calls or texts. Strep? Bronchitis? H1N1? Argh!</p>