birthday decisions

My birthday is coming up (2 more weeks) and for some CRAZY reason, when we first got together JR and I made this rule that all gifts would be equal...if I spend $10 on his gift, he spends $10 on mine. If I spend $400 on his, he spends $400 on mine - no more, no less. EQUAL Honestly, this has been a problem on several occasions because JR always seems to have champagne dreams on a beer budget..okay we will call them Whiskey dreams! Growing up as the middle child, I was always comfortable with ANY gift...I guess any acknowledgement was better than nothing at all. For Birthdays, and Christmas my sisters always had a long list of wants, while I usually just tried to come up with one thing...even then, I usually copied it off one of my sisters' list! LOL It isn't that I never WANT anything, I just usually want them for so long, that once I get around to saving up for it...it just doesn't seem worth the money! So - JR got $400 golf clubs this year for his birthday, meaning that my gift has to total the same amount. I thought about getting a computer, that way I wouldn't have to share with JR...but I am just not on it enough to really justify it. Then I decided I would get a membership to the local gym. I haven't been able to run in 3 weeks because it is honestly so flippin hot outside. I have tried for an entire to week to wake up to an alarm so that I can get up and run in the mornings like I used to. I just can't do it. I know that I haven't been feeling well, and that has drained a lot of my energy, but I am on the mend, so it shouldn't affect me anymore. The other thing draining me is the fact that JR is putting in some really long days. He doesn't get home until 6:30, and at that point he just wants to relax..and honestly, I dont want to be a bitch and ask him to do things when I know how hard he is working. The only thing that really irritates me about it, is that the kids are so excited to see him when he walks through the door, and the first thing he does is get out of his work clothes and then gets on the computer to do his fantasy baseball. Then he eats his dinner that I have cooked (while watching kids at the same time)and he goes back to the computer, or the baseball game, or he goes to shower...or to bed. Meanwhile, I am doing the dishes, while watching the kids, or giving the kids baths, or picking up toys...that somehow never seem to be put away for more than a minute...seriously - these toys are like the laundry - they never end. I pick them up, I turn around and there they are in the living room floor again! I am starting to think maybe Toy Story isn't just a movie! LOL Okay back to the gym idea....there are a few problems with this idea...
#1 WHEN WILL I GO...if I can't wake up in the morning to go run outside, I wont be able to wake up and drive 5 minutes to the gym. I guess I could go around 9:00pm but then it would be very difficult to go to sleep at night, and I would have to move up my dinner time to 6:00 (which doesn't really work for JR), and I dont like the idea of going up there at night (even though there are camera's all over and they have these necklaces you where so that all you have to do is push the button and it goes straight to the police dept. - but still, what if I get attacked? SCARY)
#2 JR DOESN'T LIKE IT....So what? I didn't like that he was getting $400 golf clubs but it was his birthday gift...so why should he have to approve my gift? JR says he just can't wrap his head around the idea of an extra bill each month. I totally get that - but here is the problem...because of these new golf clubs, JR want to go golf ALOT...we made an arrangement that he could go once every pay period (which means once every two weeks....twice a month) It cost him $42 dollars each time he golf...$84 per month for something he only does twice a month...it would cost me $47 a month for something I could do every day. My point is that if he only went once a month we would be paying the same amount of money (okay there is a $5 difference) for something he could do once a month and I could do every day...so how can he say that my gym membership is too expensive but him golfing is okay?
Really, none of this matters because I dont have time to go to the gym...but its just the fact that he thinks this way...it's okay to spend money as long as it's for something that he wants...but if I want it...oh, well - we just dont have the money right now! Ughh, its frustrating....not to mention that I could definitely use the hour - hour and a half away from the house each day!...Actually now that I am writing all of this..I am starting to lean more towards the gym membership again. AHHHHHHHHHH
moving on....my next thought was that I would get a treadmill for my birthday...this way I can work out at home, in the AC and I would feel much better considering I feel like crap since I haven't worked out. Then I thought, I just need more discipline. I really like working out outside, so I just need to get my sorry butt out of bed in the morning and go do it. I used to be able to, so why can't I do it now...the thing is, even when I was getting up in the mornings, I knew it wouldn't last - and after a few weeks, I started working out at 6:00, right as JR walked through the door from work, I was on my way out to go run...this worked for a while, but it is literally 98 degrees at 7:30pm...and it doesn't cool off to the lower 90's until almost 9:00 at night. I just can't do it...I walk outside and I can barely breath... So my next idea was that I could get an exercise machine...a cable machine, because I really need some new workouts for my arms and legs...then with a little determination and discipline, I could run in the mornings for my cardio, and then move inside to the machine, and maybe for Christmas I can look into getting a treadmill. But once again I am on the fence...wouldn't it just be easier to go to the gym than have to buy equipment for the house...I mean on hand I would have the comfort of working out in my own home with out having to leave...on the other hand...I WOULD GET TO LEAVE - WITHOUT KIDS! Which brings me to another thing...I would use the office as my exercise room. The office is off of my bedroom, and I ALWAYS keep the door closed because the kids like to get in there and pull all the books off the shelf...but I worry that having heavy equipment in there, they might get in and get hurt...SCARY!
Bottom line...here is the dilemma...Do I get the gym membership...and if I do, will I actually go for an entire year, or will it be something I end up paying for each month without using..and then when will I go? There is no day care there, so how will I fit it in to my schedule? OR Do I buy exercise equipment for the house...and if I do, what should I get? the treadmill so that I will have no excuse to not get my cardio, and I can just keep my strength training routine..and maybe buy heavier weights? OR do I get the strength training home gym and try to get up in the mornings to run and get my cardio? AND will I stay committed or will it become a place to hang clothes? Seriously...I dont know what to do - any ideas are welcome!