You know those little boards on the floor you can slide on – you have to put those things that look like soft shower caps on your shoes, and then you slide around and work out?

paper plate pike pull-ins (that's not me)

So the instructor of today’s core class wanted to replicate that, which is hard with a room full of people, so we used paper plates. (Which are NOT $500!) It’s the 2nd time I’ve done this workout with her – and it’s tough!

Start in a plank position, but your feet are on paper plates and not on a mat, or in socks, so they can slide. And you slide your legs in so your knees are tucked under you  – a bunch of times. Then you slide in with straight legs in a pike position – a bunch of times. Then you put one paper plate under your right hand and one under your right foot and slide the right side of your body out and in. THEN you put your feet on the mat and your hands on the paper plates and slide your hands in and out the way you would on one of those little wheeled scooter things. So you don’t have to buy this stupid thing: http://www.weightlossforall.com/exercise-ab-slider.htm. You can just use 2 paper plates over and over! Like this lady: http://exercise.about.com/cs/butthipsthighs/l/bllegsbuttthigh.htm. When you start getting terribly worn out, lie on your back and do some form of crunches. Then jump back in a plank position and paper-plate your way to a tough core. And don’t be like me and do 2 sets of pushups before a core class that uses tons of shoulder muscle!

2010 goal update: 3824 crunches, 84.5 minutes of plank remaining.

Now I’m going to make potato leek soup and hope that maybe it’s a fraction as good as my grandmother’s was with this Chef Bobo recipe.

For lunch I had a stuffed pepper. I was tired of the same rice, beef, tomatoey thing, so I found a recipe on the Oragnic Valley web site for Wild Rice and Chard Stuffed Sweet Red Peppers. But I used brown rice, brocolli  and leeks in green peppers – because I always adapt recipes. And I added a dash of tobasco. Or 4.

Enjoy your weekend. I think I am taking 2 7th graders to Disney on Sat and meeting some mom friends for dinner Sun. And my husband will be making beer cheese soup in a crock pot and running 18 miles. Maybe we’ll find time to some thrilling laundry together