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All Business Today

I was all business today from the moment I got up to the moment I just sat down. Every moment was productive and helped me get closer to my goals. I started my day with my coffee a cursory of social media, the news, and the financial markets. Of course, I had a blast taking the puppies out at usual. Since Anakin snapped one of our leashes yesterday, I was adventurous and let Maya go out off-leash. Naturally, I also enjoyed some Michael Scott moments in the background as I drank my coffee. Since I had a new yoga class today at 11:30 am, I had to start my BBG workout by 10:30. This way I could have a small snack in between BBG and yoga. Consequently, I tried to finish my coffee by 9:30 am, so it would have an hour to settle before I started working out.

The BBG arm workout kicked my butt today. I don’t know what it is with lay down half burpees or half burpees in general, but they are the paragon of misery. Aside from the half burpees, the workout was quite enjoyable. Comparatively, it featured a lot more ab work than the previous arm day workouts. Clearly, I will never complain about ab work. In fact, one day I dream that my glorious ab muscles will reappear out from the layer of cold protection currently hiding them. If only my thyroid or lack thereof wasn’t such a pain in the ass. On a high note, I did 90 pushups. The plank jacks and squat and presses also went pretty well. If I could find 12 lb or 15 lb dumbbells, I’d up my weight. However, I have yet to find a store that currently has weights in stock.

Between BBG and yoga, I enjoyed some almonds and a banana. Today was the first day of the Slow Flow class with Ava at Open Heart, so I definitely wanted to support the studio. I attended online, which is such a great and convenient option. The slow flow class is seventy-five minutes long. In terms of difficulty, it is between a gentle flow and vinyasa class. Honestly, it’s a perfect mid-week class to add to my practice. Truly, it was a bit difficult since I had just finished working out, but it was a great flow. We even practiced crow, which I love. One thing I love about the different teachers is the creativity of their flow. Additionally, this is helpful to me as a student of yoga teacher training. Consequently, I will be adding this class to my regular repertoire as it really fits my needs as a student.

Afterward, I grabbed a quick lunch of leftovers. Last night I cooked seared chicken with peach salsa courtesy of Blue Apron. Since the rice included vegetables, there were plenty of leftovers for me to enjoy. Thankfully, the leftovers tasted just as good as they did yesterday. I am loving these meal kits! I relaxed on the couch for awhile enjoying my afternoon coffee in anticipation of my interview at 3:30 pm. The interview went really well. It was with a start-up company out of Utah doing sales. While it is a commission only job, the opportunity is intriguing. One thing that is both exciting and scary is that the company was founded in January and there are only five employees. I guess that’s the thing about a start-up there’s a high risk to reward ratio. If it pays off, it will really pay off.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Wednesday if I didn’t get my HIIT run in this afternoon. Thankfully, Larry David and season 5 of Curb were there to get me through it. I amped it up this week from 15 minutes of intervals to 20 minutes. There may have been a bit of a celebration on my treadmill after that last interval. Naturally, I also include a five-minute walking warm-up and a thirteen-minute cooldown. This way I lessen the risk for injury or re-injury. Additionally, since the sprinting tends to be harder on my hip flexors, I spent more time stretching them during my post-workout stretch routine. Hopefully, they’ll be in great shape for my run tomorrow.

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

*I read the The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells. It is an absolutely amazing book.

*Slow Flow with Ava from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*I may have melted in the Florida heat today.

*Binge watched The Office (again) with the Mayor and our puppies. I love Michael Scott!

*I was all business today from morning to evening

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*We had our first Purple Stride planning call tonight! I’ll be sharing information soon.

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 6 BBG 2.0 day 3 arms and HIIT run

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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What If?

What if you stopped procrastinating or focusing on things that no longer serve you? A year ago, I was unhappy, unhealthy, and stuck in a job that no longer served me. I was scared to walk away afraid to walk away despite my doctor’s orders. Honestly, I knew in my heart that she was right. My job was killing me! Naturally, my response to here was that unless she was going to pay my bills, I was going to stay in my current role. Flash forward a month and they laid me off. It was the liberation I longed for. Yes, I miss my friends and colleagues, but the role no longer suited me. Now here we are a year later and the sky has not fallen. Well, it hasn’t fallen due to me being laid off last year.

Since I left my role, I have spent a lot of time with my family. In fact, I will always remember the last 12 months with a mixture of happiness, contentment, and sadness. I say sadness because my son has left the nest permanently even though he’s where he belongs. Clearly, it’s a bittersweet event in a parent’s life. If I had been working, I would have missed out on some great times with my eldest child. In the fall, we took an amazing trip back to Minnesota for him to visit all of our family. Certainly, this trip was one of the best trips of my life. What if I was still working and unable to take him to Minnesota? I can’t even imagine the weight of regret that I would currently be carrying.

I guess the theme of this blog is stopping asking what if and start asking why not. Honestly, I stayed in a horribly unhealthy role because of fear. I was afraid that if I left, the sky would fall. And then, by god’s providence, I was laid-off. Thankfully, they gave me an escape out of that role. Fortunately, the sky did not fall. In fact, I found myself starting to feel normal, and dare I say healthy again. If I had stayed and continue to ask what if, I would have lost everything. Sure I may have lost in the short term, but there can be no doubt in the long term I won. The point is don’t be afraid to “take a leap” especially if you’re in a situation that’s damaging your overall health.

Yesterday I posted a picture of myself doing a headstand during Saturday’s vinyasa class. When I restarted my yoga practice eight months ago, I never imagined I would come so far so soon. Initially, I restarted my practice as a means of reducing my autoimmune symptoms. Fortunately, I found an incredible studio, Open Heart Yoga Studio, that has the perfect lineup of classes and teachers. Over the months, I’ve not only gotten stronger, but my pain is gone. Unfortunately, thyroid issues can lead to frozen shoulders as well as bone and muscle loss. Throughout my entire journey, my teachers have guided me through my objectives and as a consequence, I’ve gotten really strong. As my dear friend and teacher Monica always says, “small steps lead to big changes.” She couldn’t be more right, my friends! If you’re looking for a change in your life, know that it doesn’t need to start with a giant leap, but perhaps with a small step in the direction of your dreams.

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

*The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells

*Slept through my alarm for over 2 hours. I guess my body needed the rest!

*Gentle Yoga for a Healthy Back with Monica from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*Binge watched The Office (again) with the Mayor and our puppies. I love Michael Scott!

*Lamented my lack of craft skills as I folded the quilt my grandma made us.

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*I cooked seared chicken with peach salsa and red rice. This was another great Blue Apron meal.

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 6 BBG 2.0 day 2 run Forest run!!!

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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The Pinnacle

Just when we thought we had reached the pinnacle and were on the downslope of COVID-10 wave, here we are seeing increases here in South Florida. The prospect of a prolonged social distancing period is a bit overwhelming at this point. Albeit, I totally understand why it’s necessary and I am 100% on board. Nonetheless, it’s emotionally exhausting to be withdrawn from people socially. Zoom is nice, but it’s just not the same. Honestly, I just want to be able to go visit my airmen and my parents, but I digress.

I woke up not feeling fantastic on account of a lump on the back of my head/neck. I’m not entirely sure if it’s a swollen gland or a bug bite, but I gotta say it’s mighty uncomfortable. Consequently,
I missed my yoga class this morning as I rested with Anakin on the couch. While it was still a bit uncomfortable, I was feeling up to the BBG workout. Today was leg day and it’s always a tough workout. This week was no exception, but I felt good and confident throughout. Certainly, I enjoy every time a new exercise is added into the mix. One thing that I love about the workout is that it’s not all squats and lunges. Rather Kayla Itsines does a great job incorporating moves like burpees and skipping ropes, which work your whole body not just your legs. Obviously, I felt much better after the workout and was regretting missing my yoga class this morning.

One of the wonderful things about the pandemic is the advent of Zoom fitness classes, several of which will be featured here on the Hockey Mom Fit Life in the near future. I love having the option to attend classes online or in-studio. Particularly, it gives me more options to manage my day and ensure I can fit yoga into my schedule. Also if you’re not feeling great, but not sick enough to skip your workout, you can attend via Zoom to ensure you don’t share your germs. Ordinarily, I would skip my class because I didn’t want to share germs. Now I can attend online and continue my practice. Importantly, the Zoom classes gave us a way to stay connected throughout the pandemic. This sense of community is an important tool in minimizing loneliness and isolation.

My day was pretty low key. The puppies and I spent the day on the couch watching The Office. Can you tell I miss my airmen? Today some of his favorite episodes were on and I was laughing so hard. In particular, he loves the rabies 5k episode and that was on today. Jake has been my running partner since 2016 and we have run countless 5Ks together. He would usually win his age group and I would usually try not to throw up at the finish line. So you can imagine how funny this episode is to a bunch of running nerds. I think I may have thrown up a little as Michael Scott carb-loaded on fettuccine Alfredo immediately before the race. I don’t suggest eating a heavy meal immediately before a race.

Honestly, I miss the 5k races. Most have been canceled due to COVID. There are some virtual races, but it’s just not the same experience. I’m looking forward to the day that Jake and I can once again run a 5k together. Since it’s summer, there aren’t many 5ks in Florida right now anyway. I’m hoping by the time the fall/winter running season comes around that we’re able to do some races. If not, hopefully, we can run some races together at his new base. As for now, the 80 degree dewpoints and high temps will keep me running insde on the treadmill.

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

*The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Binge watched The Office with the Mayor and our puppies.

*Lamented my lack of craft skills as I folded the quilt my grandma made us.

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 6 BBG 2.0 day 1 legs!!!

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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Twenty-One and Father’s Day

Twenty-one and Father’s Day are the two big milestones we’re celebrating today. Of course, I’m also celebrating the fact that 21 years ago I was blessed to become a mother. Motherhood is an extraordinary gift, but being a mom to Jake goes beyond any earthly blessing I’ve ever received. When he was born, we were kids ourselves. He’s been our ride and die from day one. How lucky are we? Now he’s grown up and carving out an amazing future for himself in the military. Sadly, we’re not able to be with him today due to COVID19, but we’re together in spirit. Jake had wanted to share his first legal beer in the US with his dad, but the timing was a bit off. Fortunately, Jake was able to drink a beer with his dad while we were in Norway.

For twenty-one years Jake has been the center of our universe. I remember the day he arrived as if it was yesterday. My doctor was on vacation during the 38th week of my pregnancy. She made me promise that I would not go into labor until after 5:00 pm on June 20th. Fortunately, Jake and I were very compliant patients and my water broke at 1:10 am on the 21st. I figured that I’d end up needed a c-section like my mom, so you can imagine my surprise when he was born later that morning. From the minute he arrived, he was so sweet and loving. I was lucky that he was my first baby because he was so easy. Actually, his brothers are lucky that he was such an easy baby. If he had been like them as a baby, Jake may have ended up being an only child.

Jake’s First Day of Kindergarten
Last hug before Jake left for BMT

Jake changed our whole family’s world in ways that we never could have anticipated. You always have a certain perspective of your parents and then you become a parent and that perspective changes. Then you get to see them as grandparents, which is an awesome role. Jake was blessed with six grandparents, five great grandparents, and a great great grandmother when he was born. He was also blessed with aunts and uncles that have played a pivotal role in his life. In fact, they still play a pivotal role in his life. He was also blessed to spend a lot of time with his Great Grandma T as she babysat him while I was in school. To this day, they remain thick as thieves. Their relationship is a special gift.

My Parents’ Birthday greeting for Jake

Naturally, we were sad we couldn’t be there to celebrate his golden birthday with him. I assure you, however, that we’ll celebrate his birthday and his accomplishments when we see him again. When will that be you ask, I don’t know. He’s still in tech school and from there will move on to his base. Due to COVID, there are some regulations on the troops’ movements, so we’re playing it by ear. It’s a bit insane. Fortunately, my time as a hockey mom has prepared me well for my role as a military mom. I’m sure once he’s operational and traveling, my iteration of military mom will be quite similar to me as a goalie mom. If I had to guess, there will be some high anxiety and stressful moments. Nonetheless, I can’t wait to see him. It’s been great to see his awakening and call to a higher purpose.

While he was busy being awesome in the Air Force, my hubby was spending his Father’s Day working. Since he was working, the boys and I hung out around home with the puppies. I changed my routine a bit, so I went to yoga yesterday instead of today. Consequently, I ran today instead of running yesterday, which gave me an additional day of rest. Naturally, I watched Curb throughout the workout. Fortunately, it was my favorite Curb episode where he accidentally puts the condom on backwards. It is absolutely ridiculously funny. Thankfully, the extra day of rest minimized pain in the foot and maximized my performance. The fun when really well. Originally, I had hoped to run outside this weekend, but with a dew point at 80 that wasn’t going to happen.

After the run, we cleaned up a bit and made sure we had beer and steaks ready for dinner. I made roasted purple onions and potato wedges to go along with homemade cheeseburgers. This was another Blue Apron meal kit dinner and it was awesome. The recipe was easy to follow and mighty tasty. While I worked on the burgers, the hubby fired up the grill for the steaks I had bought. This was the easiest way to ensure that the hubby and Goalielocks would have enough red meat to leave them satiated. Meanwhile, the Mayor continues to be picking and unwilling to try new foods. Goalielocks and the Mayor have undergone a complete role reversal on this issue. Just when my picky eater starts to be an adventurous eater, my adventurous eater decides to be a picky eater. I can’t win to lose.

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

*The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Gentle Flow with Jenn at Open Heart Yoga

*Thought of ways to incorporate the word cove into my blog.

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Watched a ripple in a puddle

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 5 BBG 2.0 day 7 run!!!

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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Between the Storms

As my luck would have it, I was able to do all my driving between the storms. Honestly, it had to be pure luck. No sooner had I sat down comfortably on my yoga mat when the sky opened up. And when I say opened up, I mean full-on monsoon rains. Fortunately, I love practicing yoga during a storm. There is something completely soothing about practicing to the sound of falling rain. Now there were a couple of bolts of lightning that were a bit too close given the loud thunder and how vigorously the thunder shook the building. Thursday’s class is seventy-five minutes of gentle flow, so by the time, we finished our practice the storm had passed.

No sooner had I made it home when the storms again opened up. This was, of course, the case when I went to grab my coffee this morning. As I left, the storm was pulling away from our house and I hit a few sprinkles as I got to Dunkin. Fortunately, the heavy stuff held off until after I got home. I moved up my run a half-hour since my yoga class was moved up a half-hour. Consequently, my Thursday date with Curb happened at 10:00 instead of 10:30. Naturally, my legs were quite sore after the back to back days running. My foot felt pretty good, but my body was tired. Nonetheless, I persevered and logged three miles on the treadmill. Since I was heading immediately to yoga post-run, I did a truncated version of my post-run stretch routine.

Honestly, I’m exhausted. I should really just take a hot shower and go to bed, but here I am finishing my blog. Seriously though this week has been mentally and physically exhausting for no specific reason other than the dumpster fire that has been 2020. My neck and my shoulders are super tight. I’m hoping with the great work we did in Jen’s yoga class today that they’ll feel better tomorrow. My shoulder gets horribly tight since my diagnosis of Graves. Unfortunately, the tightness migrates up my neck as well. For the most part, my yoga practice keeps my shoulders and neck open. Nonetheless, I do get periodic flare-ups, which suck bananas, but I digress.

Speaking of dumpster fires, I started reading Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells. When I say dumpster fire, I’m referring to the unmitigated tragedy that was the life of Charlotte Bronte and her siblings. Gaskell wrote the biography beautifully in the style of a novel. Gaskells, of course, was a contemporary and friend of Charlotte’s. Her biography is not only a view from the rearview mirror of their friendship but also the viewpoint of her family and friends. Some have argued that Gaskells’ portrayal of Bronte’s life was sanitized by her piety in the face of Bronte’s more worldly view. Thus far I have made it as far as the death of Charlotte’s mother. At the time Charlotte and her siblings were quite young and quite alone and often left to their own devices. Honestly, it’s amazing that three literary geniuses could arise out of such an upbringing.

I cooked another HelloFresh dinner tonight, which was Balsamic Fig Chicken with roasted potatoes. I don’t know what I did, but my piece of chicken was not great. The rest of the dinner was fantastic. Fortunately, the entire family ate the meal I cooked tonight. This is pretty significant since my Mayor has decided to be a picky eater. Tomorrow I’ll be cooking another pasta dish. Since neither service provides gluten-free pasta, so I substitute gluten-free pasta from the grocery store. Meanwhile, my Mayor cooks the delivery service pasta for his spaghetti lunch. After dinner, I swept the floor picked up the kitchen. Then the dogs and I chilled on the couch and watched It’s Always Sunny. My boys drove down to Miami to skate for a couple of hours this morning. It’s great to have them back on the ice!

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

*The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Gentle Flow with Jenn at Open Heart Yoga

*Thought of ways to incorporate the word cove into my blog.

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Yonder look for a full product review on ny new scale

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 5 BBG 2.0 day 2 run!!! Back at it baby!

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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New Scale

Yesterday I splurged on a new scale. And I gotta say it’s quite fancy. You see after many years of faithful, no reliable service, our old scale took a dive yesterday. I say reliable because a faithful device would never spit out such horrendous numbers at me. It had been especially mean these last couple of years as ny thyroid went haywire. Nonetheless, a scale is still a necessary evil. Further, it is even more important when you’re working to lose the thyroid weight while getting stronger through a great workout program. After researching my different options online, I settled on the Withings Body + scale. It retails for around $100 depending on where you buy and if you have coupons. It interfaces with an app on your phone, so you can easily follow your progress.

First, let me just say this is the first scale I bought that actually does give you the body composition metrics. Unfortunately, my previous scales had this feature, but it rarely worked. Thankfully, the body composition features work amazingly on a new scale. I love the interface with the phone. Albeit I still don’t like the numbers it’s throwing back at me. Perhaps the best part of this scale is that it gives you the weather forecast when you weigh yourself. Alas, not only does this scale give me my body composition, but it also gives me the weather forecast. Fortunately, I live in Florida, so the weather is always nice. Finally, a scale that gives me some good news! This good news is a welcome addition to my daily weigh-in.

In more good news, my foot is feeling much better. In fact, I was able to run yesterday and today. Moreover, the foot is still feeling pretty, pretty good. In an abundance of caution, I backed off the tempo a bit for today’s HIIT run. Naturally, I’ll have to see how the foot is feeling tomorrow before my tempo run. I’m hoping to run outside this weekend. The weather has been pretty good with the humidity lower and lower temperatures in the morning. Of course, I’ll have to wake up early enough to get the run in before it gets too hot for Athena. Hopefully, my foot will be in running condition.

In addition to the run, I did get in my BBG workout. Today’s arm workout kicked my butt. First of all, I’m happy to report that I didn’t suck at jumping rope today. However, I did completely suck at lay down push-ups and half burpee. Truly, both of those moves are complete torture. In the end, I was struggling with the intensity because I didn’t break my fast before the workout. Moreover, I started the workout a bit later in the morning, which didn’t help at all. Nonetheless, I burned nearly 500 calories while getting strong. There is no doubt that I’ll be feeling it in my shoulders and arms tomorrow. Jen’s Gentle Flow class will feel so good on my body tomorrow. I cannot wait!

As for the rest of my day, I had a job interview scheduled, but they didn’t show up. It’s just as well because after further thought the position isn’t a good fit. After my last corporate experience, I’m not taking any chances on positions or companies. Nonetheless, I got to put on some eye makeup and felt fancy for an hour or so. Afterward, I was hanging out with the puppies on the couch. I love watching them play together. They have so much fun running around together. In fact, Anakin has really been able to draw out the puppy in Maya. However, he is also able to draw out her grumpy old lady side with as much ease. Needless to say, I’m lucky to be able to spend my time with the boys and our puppies.

Usually the hubby grills on Wednesdays, but since he had driven from Dade to north Palm Beach County, I cooked tonight. I’m not a grill master, but that’s okay because the stores have been out of the steaks we like lately. Instead, I cooked a HelloFresh meal. For the first time, I cooked duck breasts, which were easy to cook. Tonight’s dinner was cherry ancho duck breasts with rice and roasted green beans. Since my dogs love duck, two of them are black lab mixes, I saved the rendered fat to add to their food tonight. The cherry ancho sauce was the perfect complement to the duck and the white rice with pistachios. Truly, it was amazing! The hubby, Goalielocks and I really enjoyed it. The Mayor, however, would not try it. One of the best things about the duck is it is rich, which makes it difficult to overindulge.

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

*The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells

*Morning and afternoon meditation – I cherish this time!

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Yonder look for a full product review on ny new scale

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 5 BBG 2.0 day 2 run!!! Back at it baby!

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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Back at It

I was back at it today! After taking five days off of running, I got back on the treadmill today. Thankfully, my foot has been feeling better after the TLC I gave it this weekend. I’m a bit relieved because I was worried I re-injured and obliterated the tendon. Fortunately, it also felt good during and after the run. I’ll probably ice it tonight just to keep the inflammation under control. The ice really helps with the tendinitis and tenosynovitis I have in the same tendon that is torn. Hopefully, the foot is still feeling good tomorrow and able to tolerate the HIIT run.

My run this morning went really well considering it’s been five days. Of course, I was happy to be reacquainted with my favorite HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm. For this run, I alternated between three tempos 6.5, 6.0 and 5.5 miles per hour. I don’t walk during the run, so the 5.5 mph serves as a resting period. Additionally, I keep myself occupied by changing the tempo every minute. After my cool down on the treadmill, I took to my mat to stretch and foam roll my muscles.

Throwback of an evening run with my Bookends In Minnesota

As soon as I finished my cool down, I headed to the yoga studio for my Tuesday class. It was a little bit different today. Monica added in some gentle flow, which was a nice change. My yoga practice always comes to the rescue and keep my legs and hips healthy. This has remained the case as I’ve continued to add mileage to my runs this spring. Today’s class was fantastic and left me feeling invigorated and refreshed. Moreover, I got to see some friends in class that I haven’t seen since the pandemic started. Honestly, it’s great being able to see people in person again.

My afternoon was pretty relaxed. The dogs and I chilled on the couch. Poor Anakin was a bit gash this afternoon while he slept. Actually, I guess should say poor Athena as she was sleeping next to Anakin’s rear. She slept through the first two, but with the third one she opened her eyes, sniffed his butt, and gave him the stink eye before falling back asleep. Meanwhile, the little man slept through all of it. The Mayor and I watched Grown Ups, while the dogs slept.

This evening I made a Blue Apron Italian pork sausage and broccoli pasta courtesy of Blue Apron. The finished dish featured fried sage leaves, which were super yummy. Consequently, I’m probably going to add sage to our backyard garden. Technically, we still have a duck nest back there, but I haven’t seen her in days. Although I guess we could plant on the other side of the rosemary bush next to the pineapple. As for the kids, both tried and hated the dish. I’m not sure, however, that either boy approached it with an open mind.

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

*Finished O Pioneers by Willa Cather starting Elizabeth Gaskells biography on Charlotte Bronte tonight.

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Yoga for a Healthy Back with Monica from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 5 BBG 2.0 day 2 run!!! Back at it baby!

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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A Fruitful Monday

It was a fruitful Monday for me. So much so that I even notice my cell provider’s service went down. Fortunately, I was able to capitalize on the pause (aka lack of distractions) and re-organize and file all of our paperwork. It was a long overdue project, but I’m super excited that I knocked it lit today while watching Wuthering Heights. I absolutely loved the book and the miniseries didn’t disappoint. They skipped over a lot, so I’d be curious to see a longer interpretation would treat the story.

My Monday started off like most others although I had a stowaway in bed. Unfortunately, the Mayor learned last night/early this morning that eating a full bag of Takis before bed is a bad idea. Thankfully, he’s a much calmer sleeper than he used to be and didn’t punch or kick me at all. After taking the dogs out, I enjoyed my coffee while reviewing my emails, news and social media. It’s a nice time to connect before I go into yoga and disconnect for a few hours.

Today’s yoga class was a gentle flow with Monica. It’s a nice, chill class that’s great for warming up the body before doing BBG. Obviously, the shavasana is the best part of the class, especially in Monica’s classes. It’s so good! Naturally, it’s a bit tougher at home with the distraction. As always, kids tend to have the best timing. Consequently, if they “need”to order food or anything, they’ll interrupt shavasana to ask me. In fact, it happened today when the Mayor asked if he could order Chipotle via the newly downloaded door dash app on his phone. Of course, since I had to pay zilch, I approved the takeout.

Post yoga, I broke my fast with a banana and some almonds. Since the banana was quite large, I split it with the puppies. It’s their new favorite treat. Afterwards, I headed back into our room for BBG leg day. As always, it was a killer. This week there was a new exercise – I loved it. It was a a forearm plank with leg lifts. Truly, it was challenging, but it makes your engage almost every muscle in your body. Per usual, the lay down burpees kicked my arse. Consequently, I will be sore tomorrow. Fortunately, my foot feels much better today.

Tonight I made dinner, while the hubby ran to Home Depot. On the menu this evening was smoky chicken with creamy cilantro sauce and farro. This dinner came to us via Blue Apron and their weight watcher approved meals. Accordingly, the meal only had 510 calories, which is pretty good for a meal kit. The recipe was easy to follow and quick. Importantly, it was also really tasty. Naturally, the boys didn’t love the farro with the zucchini and arugula, so I’m looking forward to enjoying it for lunch tomorrow. Lastly, our phone service is still down so if you try to call it will ring, but won’t connect.

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

*Reading O Pioneers by Willa Cather

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Gentle flow with Monica from Yoga Mundo

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 5 BBG 2.0 day 1 leg day!

*Organized my life

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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Two for One

It’s a two for one sale here at hockey mom did. That’s right folks two blogs in one day. Since I have no good excuse, outside of poor planning on my part, for missing my post yesterday: it’s only fair that I write two today. After all, it’s not like I did much of anything today. In fact, I slept late, kept off my foot and cuddled with my puppies. It was a great day.

Actually, my foot feels a lot better today, but I felt it prudent to hold off running for a bit longer. I’ll try my luck on Tuesday, which is a normal run day for me. Naturally, it’s good to take your foot off the pedal some time. This is especially true for those of us that suffer from autoimmune diseases. Too much stress on the body be it from exercise or other external forces can lead to a flare up that will set me back further. Consequently, I have to be more flexible in my mindset. In fact, I have to accept that some days the healthiest choice for my body is to rest. Honestly, it feels so odd saying it because I’m used to pushing myself to limits.

We finished off Seinfeld today. I think I like the finale better now than I did when it first aired. As for my Hubby, he still thinks it’s an abomination. Nonetheless, the show hasn’t lost its relevance or its hilarity. I’ll probably rewatch it again and then binge watch Curb. Maybe the second or third time my boys see it, they’ll start to understand it’s genius. We followed up the Seinfeld, with some It’a Always Sunny. These are the perfect shows to have in the background as you’re getting work done. Moreover, they keep me awake when I need to be productive, but would rather be taking a siesta.

This evening I cooked the family a Thai inspired tilapia meal courtesy of Blue Apron. Honestly, I was surprised that both boys tried it with an open mind and little rancor. Ultimately, the Mayor liked it while Goalielocks did not. Although Goalielocks ate way more of this fish than I had expected. Also, he didn’t make a spectacle when he didn’t like the flavor, which has been the hallmark of my Mayor this week. As for me, I really liked the spice of the fish with the sushi rice and green beans. Ultimately, it’s been fun trying a bunch of different recipes through these services.

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

*Reading O Pioneers by Willa Cather

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin

*Obedience training Anakin

*Facetime with my airmen!!!! I miss and love him so much!

*Week 4 BBG 2.0 day 7 rest

*Offered two for one special on my daily blogs on account of my planning yesterday.

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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It’s Finally Friday

It’s finally Friday, which means absolutely nothing for except that the hubby will be home for the next two days. Additionally, I may even let myself sleep in, but we’ll see about that. My Friday began like any other with Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and some morning news. Naturally, I am never lonely during this period as the dogs are always excited to spend time with me in the mornings.

Today’s my abs and yoga day. I started a little earlier since my yoga class got moved up a half and hour. This week’s ab workout included skipping rope, which I continue to suck at. Fortunately, it’s a good way to get my heart rate up. As for the rest of the workout, I’m amazed at how much easier some of the workout are becoming. Of course, I’m sure Kayla Itsines will ramp up the workouts as the weeks progress. Needless to say, I’ll enjoy my brief respite from incompetence and inability.

Since I had teacher training this afternoon, I opted to take my yoga class via Zoom today. Fortunately, the boys only interrupted me 5-6 times and only once during shavasana. Needless to say, I was not so peaceful when asking them to leave me alone. Jen’s class was so good today! We did some great work opening up the entire body. With the new schedule, I know get 75 minutes of yoga with Jen on Thursday’s and Friday’s. Truly, it’s a great way to end the week.

Unfortunately, my yoga teacher training got cancelled today due to a family emergency. I was bummed. However, I felt rushed all morning I gotta and kind of enjoyed being able to take a break. Also, my teacher has been working non-stop since the pandemic started, so truly it was good for her to have a bit of a break. With all the stress of our current world, it’s important to take time for oneself and one’s family. Thankfully, we’ll pick up right where we left off next Friday.

Since I didn’t have yoga teacher training, I brought Goalielocks to his friends’ clubhouse to hang out with his friends. Naturally, since he goes to high school in Boca, all his friends’ live in Boca. In fact, most of us them live near his uncle’s place. They have gotten together a couple times since the state has started to reopen. However, they spend their time hanging out outside where there’s less risk of sharing the coronavirus. Also, it’s good to get him out of the house. He hadn’t left the house in weeks until he went to his friend’s clubhouse last week.

Meanwhile, I was feeling pretty bummed last night about how far backward my foot/ankle progress had gone. I’m happy to report that today was much better. Significantly, I’m not the having pain in my heal anymore. This is great news. I treaded lightly in yoga and skipped some downward dogs as it irritates the injury. Needless to say, I’m glad that it’s feeling much better today. Naturally, I’ll try it out on the treadmill tomorrow with a brief walk. If if feels okay during the warmup, I’ll log my run.

Tonight we’re chilling watching Seinfeld. My middle son doesn’t understand what’s so funny about it. In fact, he finds the show quite vexing. Obviously, he doesn’t know what he’s missing. For dinner, we had some great chicken sausage bolognese courtesy of HelloFresh. It was mighty tasty. My Mayor, who used to by my adventurous eater, has become quite picky. He didn’t want to eat the zucchini or sausage. Thankfully, he actually ate the pasta.

Last night, the hubby brought the boys down to Kendall Ice Arena for an evening skate. This was the first time the Mayor has been on the ice since the pandemic started. Naturally, it makes the most sense for us if we can get both boys on the ice at the same time. Especially if we’re driving down to Miami. Needless to say, both boys were happy to spend sometime back on the ice. The Mayor was especially happy since it was his first time back in the rink since March!

As I leave you all for the night, I’d like to renew my request for prayers for my friends. Michelle is struggling with Covid19 and is in horrific pain. Please pray that the pain will abate and that she starts to heal. My friend Sharyn and her son Jorden remain in Arizona while Jorden undergoes treatment for his injuries. He has significant pain and his mom is enduring significant stress during this time. Please pray for peace for Sharyn and healing for Jorden. Please also pray for Cole, who underwent chemo this week in his battle against osteosarcoma. All of your prayers are appreciated!

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

*Reading O Pioneers by Willa Cather

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Gentle Flow with Jenn at Open Heart Yoga Studio

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin

*Obedience training Anakin

*Still missing my airmen!! I love him!

*Worked on building my website

*Week 4 BBG 2.0 day 5 abs

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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