Speaking of...

So I went to the gym today. I met with a trainer for about an hour, and he got my list of goals and showed me some some different things to do to meet them. We'll see how successful I am. I felt good afterward though. Tomorrow is pilates at 10:15. I'm looking forward to that.

The gym has a daycare room. Both girls have done great both times they've been in there, but I'm still struggling with it. Putting my children in daycare makes me feel guilty, like I'm a slacker or something. However, there were five children in the daycare that were all school-aged, which led me to believe they were homeschoolers. That pleases me. :o) Maybe they'll be nicer than normal kids. LOL

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Speaking of, Ashley is desperately trying to convince me to put Chloe in this week-long cheerleading camp thing that Tori is doing. Tori did it in the fall, and it was cute and all, but I'm just not sure. There are something like 40 kids from kindergarten up to about fifth grade. They practice every night for two hours during the week, and then they perform at a basketball game on Saturday. I'm just not sure how I feel about it. I'm all for cheerleading. I was a cheerleader. What I'm not all for is the kids she'll be around and the influences they might have on her. She's so dang impressionable. That's why we homeschool, ya know? So I'm not sure at all what I should do, and I have to decide by 3:15 tomorrow. I'm hoping Andrew calls tonight so we can talk about it. I want his opinion.

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Speaking of Ashley, ugh, I'm frustrated. I adore her - we are good friends, and I'm happy about that. But she's going through this thing where she's decided to leave her husband. She wasn't happy to begin with, but then she met this guy she thinks she really cares about, and decided to tell her husband it's over. Now, back when I was leaving Mark (because I wasn't really happy to begin with, and then I met this guy I really cared about) I had a close friend that didn't agree with my decisions. As a result, we're not even friends at all anymore, and that saddens me. I don't want that to happen with Ash and I. But I'm having a hard time supporting her in this decision she's making. Her husband isn't what Mark was (lazy, obsessed with computer games, self-absorbed...) He's a great dad, he works hard and takes good care of his family without complaint. I'm sure it's not all perfect (what relationship is?) but I see so much good that she's walking away from, and I don't think she's seeing it. I'm afraid for her that she's going to end up leaving her husband, realizing The Guy isn't all he was cracked up to be, and will regret her decision. I don't think people should be able to walk away from marriage so easily. (But then, I did it.) And she brings that up a lot - that I did it, and look how happy I am. But not all guys are like my husband. No, scratch that, NO guy is like my husband. I honestly see what we have as something really unique and special, and that's because of who HE is. I'm afraid she's not going to find what we have, what she wants, and that she's walking away in vain.

so anyway, any advice? What do I do? How hard do I push for her to stay? How much do I support her leaving?

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We did a cute craft today in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day:

It's a pin that she wore on her shirt all day. Cute, eh? Found it in a book of winter crafts we picked up at the library. We invited Tori over after the gym to make one with us since she was out of school today. I love this age. They are so impressionable. (That sounds familiar...) You can teach them such important things now that will stick with them for the rest of their lives.