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Week 12

After fifteen weeks, I’ve finally made it to week 12 (aka the final week) of BBG. Ordinarily, this 12 week program takes 12 weeks to complete. However, I ran into three separate weeks where my allergies and/or a cold settled into my chest. Consequently, I took those weeks off when I was sick to ensure my asthma get aggravated and reappear during this Covid-19 season. Sadly, I learned my lesson several years ago when I spent four months ill with bronchitis. This timeline probably would have been shortened if I had relaxed when I first got sick. Nonetheless, I’m no longer a BBG novice!

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Since quarantine has started, my Monday workout routine has shifted a bit. Now I got to yoga with Monica in the morning and then complete my BBG workout in the early afternoon. Thanks to the Mayor, Anakin made a quick impromptu visit to class.  Fortunately, the yoga leaves my legs stretched and ready to go for the workout. This is important because the Monday leg workout is super intense. Today’s workout was no exception! Indeed the evil burpees with a push-up and tuck jump we’re back. Those things are the worst! However, they went far better this week as opposed to two weeks ago. Needless to say, my legs will be sore tomorrow.

After a quick lunch, the Mayor and I took the three dogs for a walk. Okay, truth be told it was more like they walked us. Anakin is still learning to walk on a leash, so he pulls a lot. While he may be little, he is mighty. Consequently, I ended up walking him and the Mayor took the girls less than half way through. Naturally, it was at this point that Anakin decided he wanted to run. He’d run with a big smile on his face and then stop to turn around and look at his sisters. Then he’d do it again. I wanted to use the gentle leader collar or whatever thingamajig is called. So I guess the upside is I got a little bit of a run in with my jog. Fortunately, the weather was absolutely perfect so we definitely enjoyed our time outside.

 

Of course it wouldn’t be Monday if my day didn’t include virtual school woes. While Goalielocks got up for his dad and started to get to work, he was back in bed by the time I got up a half an hour later. So frustrating! Unfortunately, I spent more time than I wanted to arguing about whether he was sleeping or not. Of course adding to the frustration was the fact he didn’t do the dishes before going to bed last night or this morning! I need to remind myself that this will all be over at the end of the month.

 

Tonight I cooked my latest Blue Apron meal and it was Mexican spiced beef and rice. Again the recipe was easy to follow and the ingredients were high quality. Additionally, this recipe took less than thirty minutes to cook, which is awesome. For the first time in years, Goalielocks liked the tacos! I was so surprised! He ate his meat and rice on a tortilla, while I ate mine as a rice bowl. Naturally the best part of the dinner is the left over guacamole sauce since I’m the only one that eats it.  I hope your Monday wasn’t too manic!

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*Reading Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

*Gentle Vinyasa Class with Monica from Yoga Mundo 

*Watched Impractical Jokers

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 12 BBG day 1 leg day!

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy of myself and the Mayor. 

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on a walk. 

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Mother’s Day 2020

Mother’s Day 2020 was a fabulous day. Albeit it was my first Mother’s Day without Jake home. Fortunately, my airmen was able to call me this evening via FaceTime. Admittedly, I feel super lucky that I got to see his face two days this weekend. At any rate, today was fabulous because I didn’t do anything I didn’t want to do. Namely, I didn’t touch anything having to do with virtual school today. Indeed there was nothing disagreeable in my day.  It was a great day!

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My morning started with a hot coffee from Dunkin’ and a fresh bagel toasted with cream cheese from Joey’s Home Bakery – gluten free. As I enjoyed my coffee and bagel, I watched some of my favorite It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia episodes. Indeed this show and it’s insane cast of characters remain one of my favorites. The show is so well acted and well written.

Normally I rest on Sunday, but since it was Mother’s Day I decided to take a vinyasa class with Monica. Oh man, she kicked my butt. Truly, her vinyasa classes are rigorous and challenging. Even so I can see how much progress I’ve made since the beginning of quarantine. Of course, as you may have seen from the previous blog lost, I warmed up for the class with my sweet puppy Anakin. Needless to say, Monica’s class was the perfect Mother’s Day gift to myself.

While I was getting my namaste on, the Hubby was working on building me a book case in the family room. I am so excited for it!!!!! Honestly, I can’t wait until he’s able to sand and stain the shelves. Obviously, it is going to look absolutely amazing once completed. Not too mention, I’ll be able to empty a whole tub of books that have been waiting for a bookshelf.

Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any awesome, a package was delivered by Amazon containing my Mother’s Day present. When he officially became an airmen in February, he was given a challenge coin to signify this accomplishment. Challenge coins have a long and significant history in the military. Customarily, they are bestowed on military members to signify their acceptance and membership to a group or organization. Undoubtedly, they are a big deal.

You can imagine my glee when I received my first coin today from my airman. That’s right I am the proud recipient of an Air Force Mom challenge coin. Significantly, he felt I had earned it by working towards the BMT PT standards while he was in basic training. While I am still working on making the running standard, I was able to meet the standards for push-ups and sit-ups. Needless to say, I love the gift so much and the thought he put into it. I’m a lucky military mama!

There are two amazing ladies that I was able to speak with today that made my day complete. While I logged some walking miles on the treadmill, I was able to chat with both of grandmas. Fortunately, my parents are able to deliver the Mother’s Day gift I had made for them. I bought them, and myself, a custom mug off of Shutterfly commemorating Jake’s BMT graduation weekend. They both loved it!

Admittedly, I was proud to here my Grandma H say how her mom (my great grandma) talks about Jake and his visit with her. What could be more beautiful than that? The fact Jake made time to visit her meant more to her than we could ever fathom. Sometimes it’s the small things that make the biggest impression.
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Of course I was also able to speak to my mom today, but I speak to her everyday. Some times I speak to her multiple times a day. Truly, if you know me, I am an independent, strong willed person. Even so, I still love to talk to my mom (and my dad) about life and the kids. My brothers and I have been blessed to have a mother, really two parents, that have always put us first. They’ve been incredible grandparents to my children and their cousins. My mom’s cookie making and kickball skills will be remembered for years to come.
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She’s not only a great mother to me and my brothers, but she’s also a great mother to my grandma. I always love when I talk to my grandma and she says her “mother” won’t let her do something. For example, my mom wouldn’t let her go shopping early on in the pandemic before things were shut down. Indeed whatever my grandma needs, my mom is there to provide it for her. It’s not always easy when the role of parent and child reverses, but my grandma loves her “mother” and appreciate how well she does her job.

To all my fellow mom bloggers in the blogosphere, I hope your Mother’s Day was everything you wanted and more.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*Reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

*Vinyasa Class with Monica from Yoga Mundo 

*Watched It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Balthazar

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 11 BBG day 7 rest

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy of myself and the Mayor. 

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on a walk. 

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Maintaining Connection

As we approach another month of social distancing, it is super important to be maintaining connection with our friends and family. This pandemic has seemingly lasted forever and has been isolating for many. By maintaining connection, you remove not only yourself from isolation, but your friend and family as well. Plus, it’s nice to see people that reside outside of your home!

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To this end, we had a family Zoom call tonight, which was a lot of fun. My parents, my brothers and their families and even Jake joined in for an hour of family together time and shenanigans. Obviously, it was super awesome to see my airman! Moreover, the rest of my family enjoyed seeing him as much as I did. I was impressed that my two younger ones made a pretty solid appearance on the call. Clearly, I expected them to avoid it at all costs. Needless to say today’s call was awesome!! Perhaps this will become a new family tradition.
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Today was my first full day on the T3 medication. First of all, I actually fell asleep right away last night for the first time in months. Secondly, my 2.3 mile run, #IrunwithMaud, went really well and was relatively easy. Lastly, and most importantly, I’ve had energy throughout the entire day. Usually, I’m hit in the afternoon with an incredible wave of fatigue. Truly, I couldn’t keep my eyes open or get off the couch most afternoons. Hopefully, this is an indication of things to come.

 

This afternoon I had my second yoga teacher training session via Zoom. We studied more of the history of yoga as well as some of its key tenets. In addition we discussed Iyengar and the difference between the Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga. We even put some of our learning into practice, which was great! In fact, I even got to try teaching namaskar A. Naturally, I was nervous, but it went well. I’m looking forward to next week’s class.

It’s funny that the same technology that makes us distant under normal circumstances is bringing us together during quarantine and making us better. For once, our phones are being used to maintain connection with our loved ones and friends in a real way. Truly, I haven’t talked on the phone this much since middle school. Moreover, I’ve been using my laptop and phone to improve myself and learn new skills. This pandemic has presented an opportunity for us all to become better if we choose that path. While it would be easy to choose the path of a nomad, I choose to walk the path to self improvement. Concurrently of course with the path to European chocolate. This is what I call balance.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*Reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

*Yoga teacher training with Monica from Yoga Mundo 

*Watched It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia 

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 11 BBG day 6 cardio – ran 2.3 miles for Maud

*Virtual family fun

*Goalielocks hooked a nice peacock bass

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy of myself and the Mayor. 

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on a walk. 

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America Strong

Today was the day the Blue Angels came to South Florida as part of their America Strong mission. Since the mission was announced late last month, I’ve been anxiously awaiting its arrival here. Originally, I had hoped we would get the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds together. Sadly that was not to be. Nevertheless, I was thrilled we’d have the chance to see the Blue Angels today.

Before we could for see the Blue Angels, I had my doctor’s appointment this morning and a workout to complete. Fortunately, my doctor’s appointment was early in the morning. This was my first Covid19/quarantine doctor appointment. Consequently, my temperature was taken before I could even proceed to an exam room. Also, everyone was wearing masks. I did, however, have an option to do a telemedicine, but I prefer the in person visit with my endo.

Most of my bloodwork was good less my free T3 which was a bit low. Some how Quest forgot to do my TSH test, which is a bit of a problem. Naturally, it’s a pretty critical lap test in the treatments of Graves’ disease. Fortunately, my primary doc had tested my TSH in mid February, so she had somewhat of a barometer. Since I’m still experiencing hypothyroid symptoms and no weight loss, my doc prescribed T3 for me. Interestingly, a small percentage of patients aren’t able to convert T4 to T3 effectively. Unfortunately, it wold appear I fall in that small percentage. All in all, the visit went well.

My morning continued with an awesome BBG ab workout. I did entirely too many sit-ups and jack knifes. My abs were sore afterwards. Worse yet, it included jumping rope for 100 rotations. In case you forgot, I suck at jumping rope. Naturally, my lack of skill here cost me a lot of time, so I didn’t get through the first and third circuit twice. The second and fourth circuit were a bit easier since they didn’t included jumping rope. Consequently, I got though both of those circuits 3 three times. Yep, my abs should feel great tomorrow.

Meanwhile Goalielocks abandoned our deal from earlier in the week and was fast asleep in his bed. Okay, so he assured me he wasn’t sleeping, but I’m not sure what else he would have been doing. I don’t think he’s started a mediation practice. Obviously, I was none to thrilled. The last thing I wanted to do was spend my morning trying to corral him out of bed. Finally, he made it downstairs in time to watch the dogs as we left to see the Blue Angels.

The Mayor and I headed to Boca a little early, so I could be sure to find a kid viewing spot. We did arrive a bit early, but it paid off as we had a great location. Not surprisingly, the parking lot had plenty of people there to watch the Blue Angels support our healthcare workers. It was a pretty awesome unifying experience. The flyover was brief, but spectacular. We hopped back in the truck to head to West Boca where they were to end their flyover.

We had twenty five minutes to make it 4.8 miles from where we were to West Boca. Not far at all. Of course this is Boca and South Florida, so traffic had other things in mind. In what I can only describe as the most South Florida thing ever, the Blue Angels beat us to West Boca. Meanwhile they had travelled to Homestead (80 miles to the south) and back as we drove west. Fortunately, we happened to be at a stoplight when they flew out of the west over West Boca Medical Center. I can’t believe we nearly missed it! Needless to say, it served as a reminder as to why I avoid Boca at all costs.

This evening I made my last meal out of our first Blue Apron box. Tonight we had steaks with cheddar potatoes and roasted vegetables. Simply put, we ate like a king. It was super yummy! The hubby prefers grilled steaks to pan cooked steaks, so next time we’ll probably just grill the steaks. As for the mashed potatoes, they were fabulous. Who doesn’t love l white cheddar? I may have added some additional Tillamook white cheddar just to be safe. Additionally, we had roasted carrots and sugar snap peas, which were very tasty.

I’m feeling a bit of relief tonight as the school week ends. We’re spending a relaxing evening on the couch with the puppies binge watching Impractical Jokers. Honestly, it’s exactly the kind of mindless, funny television that we need right now. No conspiracy theories or fairy tales here! It’s the perfect end to an arduous week of virtual school and Covid19 pandemonium. Fortunately, there is a end in sight. Our county will open to Phase 1 next week, which will include our beaches the week after. This has been a long season, but it too shall pass.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*Reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

*Week 1 CS50

*Watching the Blue Angels

*Watched Futurama and Impractical Jokers

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 11 BBG day 5 abs 

*Virtual school fun

*Goalielocks booked a gator

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy of myself and the Mayor. 

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on a walk. 

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Fairy Tales

Growing up I was always a fan of Fairy Tales be it Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson. I’ve always had a vivid imagination, which these stories fed. Unfortunately, while I still enjoy those beloved fairy tales, I’m becoming weary of the Covid-19 fairy tales. Sadly, my Facebook feed has morphed into fairy tale after fairy tale about the pandemic.

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Let me be clear, I’m not here to debate the merits of vaccines or politics. However, these fairy tales are damaging to the psyche and public health. Please explain to me what people will believe a discredited, criminal and disgraced researcher over a renowned epidemiologist or even their own doctor. Is it because we all wish this was over? Or is it because we want to to pick and choose what is true based on what’s convenient? Or is it because we disagree with someone’s politics?

 

If you think Fauci is part if the “deep state” that’s fine, consult with your own physician. Also if you think this is about the election and defeating Trump because of comments Fauci made in 2017, you’re wrong. First of all, you took his comments out of context. If you consider his comments in totality, i.e. considering his past 32 years of experience, then it makes complete sense. This is an epidemiologist that had a front row to SARS, MERS, West Nile, Zika, Ebola, and the swine flu to name a few. Lastly, the impact of COVID extends far beyond the borders of the US. This pandemic is global.
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All of the information, misinformation and media hype can be overwhelming. Consequently, I stopped watching the news completely (frankly don’t trust them.) Instead I read several papers in the morning. Usually I pass up the conspiracy theories, but everyone on my Facebook was sharing it. Needless to say, endless Facebook scrolling probably isn’t the best thing for our mental health or understanding of the pandemic. To maintain my sanity, I had to take a new approach. As a result, I’m now getting my information solely from my doctors or friends and family that are healthcare providers. (I’ve also been enjoying looking at old family pictures as you’ll see below.)

Speaking of Fairy Tales, I feel like getting my mile under ten minutes has become as unrealistic as the Little Mermaid. Today I logged my miles inside on the treadmill. Truth be told, after my hubby sprained his ankle on the path and has had a limp, I’ve been reticent to run outside. Our path is terribly uneven and I’m terribly uncoordinated. Not too mention my foot and ankles are already a hot mess, so the treadmill and Curb Your Enthusiasm are a safer bet.

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We interrupt this blog post for a hooked gator. Only in Florida, will your kid text you that they have a gator on their line and need your help. Needless to say, the hubby and I dropped everything and ran out to the lake. Goalielocks had walked to the opposite side of the lake, so we couldn’t see him. Naturally, I called him to see where he was at. He answered that the gator was off the line and he’d keep fishing. About that…. I made him come to this side of the lake. It’s gator mating season, which can make them aggressive.

Now back to the blog already in session. Once I finished my run, I did my stretch routine and got ready for yoga. Yoga was awesome today! Jenn always runs a great class with an innovative flow that keeps you engaged. As I noted before, Jenn’s studio has been instrumental in getting my body healthy. Unfortunately Graves’ disease left my muscles and soft tissue very tight and painful. Jenn’ classes have given me mobility and removed the pain. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to not only regain the mobility I’ve lost, but also gain more mobility in my legs and hips. #winning

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This afternoon I started week 1 of my CS50 class in Computer Science. Last week, we learned about Scratch. This week we are learning about C. Two weeks ago I had no idea what any of this meant. After watching the lecture today, I’m really excited for this class. Thankfully, the professor is amazing. He’s dynamic, engaging and explains things in a manner that’s easy to understand. Needless to say, I’m excited to see what this class brings!

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*Reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

*Week 1 CS50

*Watched Futurama and Impractical Jokers

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 11 BBG day 4 cardio

*Virtual school fun

*Goalielocks booked a gator

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy of myself and the Mayor. 

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on a walk. 

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My Baby Boy Is 14

Oh man, my baby boy is 14! Where oh where has time gone. Clearly, he’s no longer a baby. However, since he’s my youngest, he’ll always be my baby boy. Today was all about him and of course virtual school. His birthday brought a nice celebratory feel to the day, which was a nice change of pace. He rode with me to get coffee and they were happy to treat him with extra goodies at Dunkin’.

Meanwhile day two of weaning Goalielocks off the third shift was again successful. I can feel the difference in my blood pressure, my outlook and genera well being. Likewise it’s going better for Goalielocks too. He’s getting his work done, but he’s also getting more sleep. Truly, he may not be on the most conventional of schedules now, but it’s working for everyone and that’s all that matters. After all, I haven’t even lost my composure since Monday!

As for my birthday boy, he’s made great strides over the last week. He’s now almost completely caught up in of his classes. Thankfully, he’s also making sure he’s not falling any further behind. Additionally, I think it’s easier for him since we’re no longer sharing a computer. He now has my old MacBook Air, which he loves. Both boys are doing their work at the kitchen table now unless they have a concurrent Zoom meeting.

While Goalielocks caught some Z’s and the Mayor worked diligently, I logged my BBG week 11 arm workout. It was another tough workout. Obviously, Kayla Itsines felt the need to ramp up the difficulty significantly during these last three weeks. Truth be told, I am loving this program. I have never been stronger or in better shape. After week twelve, I will be repeating the program, but will add more weight to the exercises. BBG fits my lifestyle and fits into the quarantine lifestyle seamlessly.

This afternoon, I picked up the cookie cake I ordered the Mayor from Publix. It was the first opportunity I’ve had to go to Publix in weeks. In the morning, I also ordered them Pub Subs for lunch, so they’d be ready at the same time as the cake. After picking up the subs, I went to the bakery to pick up the cake. I’ve never seen a bigger cake box for a smaller cake. Honestly, the box is large enough for a full sheet cake. Meanwhile his cookie cake is 12 inches in diameter. We also picked up some chocolate ice cream for him and chocolate chip cookie dough for Goalielocks. I love how considerate my Mayor is!

This evening we enjoyed the Mayor’s favorite meal: vodka sauce pasta with breaded chicken. My Hubby was the chef and the dinner was sublime. Of course, we had some drama when the tag team of Anakin and Athena struck the kitchen. Somehow they managed to get into the raw chicken. Fortunately, Anakin promptly through up the entire thing. Naturally, they spent the rest of the dinner hour in their crates.

Afterwards, the Mayor put on Impractical Jokers while we digested our meal. We closed off the night with some yummy cookie cake and ice cream. His present has been on back order and should be here hopefully by Friday. I should also give a shoutout to my oldest brother J, whose shares a birthday with my mayor. After all the good food today, I may need to run an extra mile tomorrow!

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*Reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

*Watched Futurama 

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 11 BBG day 3 arms and chest

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy of myself and the Mayor.  I’ve included some pictures in the above. 

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on a walk. 

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A New Day

While Monday sucked bananas, today brought a new day full of promise and sunshine. And guess what, today was a much better day. Albeit my neck and shoulders were still pretty sore this morning. Fortunately, the pain has abated as the day has progressed. Even Athena had a better day as her CBD stash was replenished and she didn’t overdose in them today. Thankfully, her gluttonous error yesterday didn’t cause any damage or long term problems for her. Today she’s back to herself.
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Nonetheless, between Athena’s treat buffet yesterday and the humidity, I decided to take my run indoors today. Now I love running outside, but the high temperatures and humidity are problematic as I can’t tolerate heat. Also, the paths have been crowded and I prefer to run unmasked. Consequently, I logged my miles on the treadmill while watching Curb Your Enthusiasm. I’m about to finish season 9 and start season 10, which I haven’t seen before.

While I prefer running outside, their are benefits to running on the treadmill. Namely, the temperature is controlled and comfortable. Also, I can watch Larry David. Finally, the steady tempo on the treadmill tends to keep my heart rate lower and steadier. My doctor is not a big fan of my running up my heart rate (pun intended.). For example, when I run outdoors my pace isn’t steady and the temperature impacts performance. My heart rate may vary from 145-191. In contrast, my heart rate averages 120-130 on the treadmill with a peak heart rate of 166. Needless to say, I know my Endo would prefer I run indoors.
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After my run, I did my stretch routine. Albeit I took a little more time on the foam roller because yesterday’s BBG workout left me super sore. Naturally, the next step in my day was my yoga with Monica at Open Heart Yoga Studio’s virtual class. Today’s class was gentle, calming and exactly what my body needed. It was a good answer to the hard work I did yesterday and on my run this morning. I cannot tell you how glad I am that I reconnected with Monica and found this studio. It really has changed my life.

As I ate my lunch, I couldn’t help but be sad for my yoga studio‘ s owner and other small business owners. The longer this pandemic last, the harder these folks and our community will be hit. Many, as you know, didn’t get federal aid because it ran out before their applications were processed. Yet these businesses are still absolutely vital to our communities. One of my fellow yoga students setup a Gofundme campaign to help keep the studio afloat during these difficult times. Please consider donating to the cause Donate here. Or better yet, purchase a virtual class package and take a class. You can do that Register here.

My afternoon was spent working on my Groovepages. So far I’m absolutely loving the format. It’s easy to navigate and easy to build an effective website even for me and I’m not a web developer. The website through Groovepages will serve as a funnel for affiliates, my main site and store. If you’re looking to get into the affiliate game, I suggest giving their free trial a try. You can sign up for the free trial, no credit card is needed here: Https://groovepages.com


This evening the Mayor cooked us a nice dinner of chicken, sautéed onions, and left over jasmine rice and veggies. As always, the food was outstanding and tasty. It’s nice to have a third chef in the family. Unsurprisingly, I finished the leftover roasted cabbage and peppers. Naturally, I’m the only one that will eat a vegetable that isn’t a potato, onion, broccoli, carrot or corn. Of course, I was happy I didn’t have to share.

As for the virtual school situation, today was a much better day. We switched it up a bit today. In fact, from here out, the Hubby will be waking up Goalielocks at 6:30 am for him to start his work. Once his work is completed, Zoom meetings included, he can sleep to his heart’s content. Unquestionably, we had our best day of virtual school since it started. No tears were shed by teacher or pupil today, so I’m going to call that a win.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*Reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

*Yoga For A Healthy Back/Gentle Flow with Monica from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*Watched Futurama and Curb Your Enthusiasm 

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 11 BBG day 2 cardio leg 

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy of myself and the Mayor.  I’ve included some pictures in the above. 

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on a walk. 

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The Mondayest Monday of Them All

My day started late when I didn’t hear my alarm and when I did: chose to ignore it. Consequently, I spent my whole morning feeling behind. Although, like everyone else, I really have nowhere to go. See this is the mind fuck (sorry mom) that is life in quarantine. However, to be fair I did have a date with Monica and my yoga mat at 10:00 am, so I wanted to be sure I ate early enough to prevent an upset tummy.

Naturally, the high point of my day came on my mat. Monday’s class are a gentle vinyasa flow class that is the right speed to accompany my BBG leg workouts. Particularly, I enjoy the difference in each of the classes. Moreover, I think it’s the variety that has really helped drive my practice forward. Honestly, I loved my vinyasa class Saturday and am looking forward to more. For the first time in forever (I couldn’t help myself here and I bet you sang it too,) my foot didn’t bother me post class.

Apparently, while I was getting my namaste on. Athena and Anakin were involved in some shenanigans in the family room. Since Maya is a senior dog coping with cancer, I buy her CBD calming treats and CBD joint health treats. Surprisingly, my two mischievous dogs figured out how to get the treats down. Moreover, they figured out how to open the container. Once the treats spilled out, it was game over for this partnership. We don’t call her the Piggie for nothing! Athena lorded over the spilled treats and ate them all while Anakin whelped in protest.

AC67792A-A42C-4AD0-80CE-054C0425125FOf course, I didn’t find out about this until after lunch. Miraculously, it some how the Mayor completely forgot about it until later in the day. In fact, he announced it while I was drinking my coffee. “Athena ate all the CBD treats and Anakin was jealous.” Now I can’t fault the Mayor for not taking them away from her. She can be very food aggressive when it comes to her treats. He did, however, make sure that Anakin didn’t get any. Next time, the Mayor knows to come and get me, so I can stop the craziness. As for Athena, she’s just laying on the couch in a daze. Gone is her normal twinkle in the eye, but at least she’s relaxed and going to be okay.
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I started the day off with discomfort in my neck and shoulders. The kind of discomfort that sets in from sleeping wrong and being stressed. Consequently, I spent a good amount of time making sure that discomfort didn’t morph into a tension or migraine type headache. Obviously, I brought out all the weapons I had at my disposal: foam roller, heat pad, tiger balm, therapy balls, yoga, meditation and my massage gun. Hopefully, my neck and shoulders will feel much better tomorrow after all the intervention and relaxation today.

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For dinner, I made curry chicken with coconut rice and roasted cabbage and poblanos. Thanks to the poblanos, I somehow manage to get a small burn on my hand after dinner. This was my third Blue Apron dinner and it was again very tasty. The recipes are very easy to follow and relatively quick. Significantly, these meals provide a quality protein, grain and a variety of vegetables. Unfortunately, my family does not love vegetables. Fortunately, I do. I also love that it’s been different vegetables every dinner. Like most people, I tend to gravitate to one or two different vegetables. This is helping game mix it up.
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Lastly, enough can’t be said about the misery of virtual school. Initially, I thought we would have some flexibility with dates and meetings, but there’s none. I am completely on board with the schools being closed and virtual school being in session, but there has to be some balance. There has to be an understanding that parents can’t oversee multiple kids at once or be in multiple rooms. Maybe it’s just me and my hard-headed kids. I’m not trying to complain about the teachers because their jobs, especially now, are incredibly difficult. Nonetheless, I’m just feeling absolutely defeated in this arena. Am I alone here?

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*Reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

*Gentle Vinyasa

*Watched Futurama 

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 11 BBG day 1 leg day.

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy day Goalielocks

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on a walk. 

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Life at The Manor

Life at the manor, aka Casa de Hockey Mom, was uneventful and pleasant today. Imagine if you will a beautiful, temperate Florida day with wonderfully blue skies and minimal clouds. Now imagine spending that day inside because you’re exhausted from the preceding six days and just want to chillax. This my friends is what we called a balanced existence. After a frazzled and productive week, Sunday was meant to be a rest day.

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A few years ago, I would have taken advantage of the weather and went out for a long run. Sadly, my body needs at least a full days rest to keep up with the BBG workouts, runs and yoga classes. Consequently, taking a rest day for me is a marker of personal growth; a modicum of moderation if you will. Nonetheless, if I push it too far with exercise, I end up losing a week to two when my body rebels. Oh the joys of getting older with an autoimmune disease! Fortunately, my meditation practice does not take a rest day.

While today was a rest day, I still had a productive day around the house. As noted above, I got my morning and afternoon mediations on the books. Moreover, I got the floors vacuumed, disinfected and mopped. Truly, the clean floors made me feel so much better and relaxed. Of course, the background noise is always important when it comes to doing housework. Today’s choice was Curb Your Enthusiasm. As always, Larry David does not disappoint. I love his wit. Basically, I spent my afternoon cleaning while laughing at the hi-jinks of Larry and his crew. Needless to say it was pretty, pretty, pretty good.
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For dinner I made my second meal from Blue Apron. Tonight’s meal was Tuscan pork pasta. Just like yesterday’s meal, the recipe was easy to follow. Since my family doesn’t like peppers, I sautéed them in a separate pan, so as to not wreck the meal for them. Fortunately, I love peppers and was happy to not have to share them with anyone. My only complaint with both meals was that they were higher in sodium than what I would normally eat. Nonetheless the quality of the food is good as is the quantity.

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Our post dinner treat was a call from our airmen. He’s doing so good in tech school. We miss him so much, but we’re so proud of him. Basically, he’s trucking a long right through his tech school. Originally, we thought he’d be done sometime in July, but now it seems like it may be late this month or early next month. Correspondingly, he’ll be moving on to his final base once training is over. Significantly, he loves what he’s doing, where he’s at and where he’s headed. Lastly, you may have seen my previous post on puppy yoga. If you didn’t, please check it out. I’m hoping to post a weekly video of Anakin and I practicing yoga.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*Reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

*Watched Curb Your Enthusiasm 

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 10 BBG day 7 rest

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy day Goalielocks

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on a walk. 

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Puppy Yoga

Since it’s Sunday and I forgot to include the videos yesterday, I thought I’d do a special post on puppy yoga. After all what makes people smile more than puppies?!?! Nothing! Usually Anakin isn’t in the room while I practice, but I forgot to close the door. From now on, I’ll try to post a weekly video of Anakin and I’s puppy yoga practice.

Here’s our videos of our headstand practice from yesterday. Enjoy and namaste!