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Shout Out

I want to give a shout out to all the Palm Beach County high school seniors that had their last official day of high school today. I know it was not what you envisioned by any stretch of the imagination, but you did it! Truly, our high school seniors have been impacted in a massive way throughout this pandemic. Unfortunately, in this era of social distancing many of the milestone moments that mark the end of your school experience had to be skipped. I know that it is a bitter pill to swallow and I really hope that our school district is able to figure out a way for these seniors to have an actual graduation. They’ve earned it and so have their parents. I have so much empathy for all of them.


Particularly, my heart is with Mel. Or as you may know her, the M and J&M2. She’s a marvelous gal, who’s life has shifted dramatically when J left for the Air Force and then with this pandemic. Thankfully, her final high school musical production was able to complete its run as the Corona virus. Our whole family, and I do mean whole family, absolutely adores M. In fact, one of the best parts of BMT weekend for me was seeing Jake and Mel together again. Honestly, there’s nothing better than seeing your son so happy and so well treated and loved by another. Enough of the sappiness for tonight because I could go on for like seven years at least… Truly, by the time I’d finish Space Force will already have captured Uranus.

I’ve been working hard this last full week of BBG, so I was exhausted this morning. Although if I’m being honest, I was up last night way later than usual. I also started intermittent fasting 16:8 to see how it works with BBG and with the thyroid. Since today was a strength training day, I waited until after I broke my fast to log the workout. Needless to say, I continue to hate the half burpees and burpees with pushup and tuck jump. This has been an amazing ~15 week program, which is why I will be repeating it. As I repeat it, I’ll make it more challenging with added weight.

If I were to show you my before and after pictures, you might not see much change. Because when you’re functionally hypothyroid, the weight and inches just don’t melt off. What you may see is some definition in the arms, which never existed before. Importantly, what you can’t see is how much stronger I’ve become. Fortunately, the gains in strength and endurance have parlayed into my yoga practice and my running. The strength I have gained has helped me gain flexibility through yoga. Together they’ve given me improved mobility. Consequently, I’m not in pain after I run and I’m not injuring myself. This is a whole new experience for me. Nonetheless, it’s hard to be patient with weight loss when you’re working so hard.

My day was productive with the Melaleuca Virtual Convention and yoga teacher training. Why I love both of these things is that it has really helped me heal the auto immune disease. Who doesn’t want to be healthier with minimal pharmaceutical intervention? I even to practice teaching surya namaskara A again. We’ve been shutdown for what seems like forever, however, I’m excited. My quarantine time has been well spent and investment in me and my family. That isn’t to say I want to virtual school ever again, but I do love spending time with the boys and helping them succeed.

Lastly, an update on the ducks. We have two eggs in the incubator upstairs that were found in our yard a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday I found an egg in our garden. Today there were two eggs in the garden nest. Moreover, we actually saw the mother duck and her two ducks. Apparently, our garden duck is in a bit of a Three’s A Company type situation. To be continued….

For dinner we had cajun spiced steaks and biscuit courtesy of Blue Apron and it was magnificent. It was super tasty, filling and easy to make. Clearly, as you can tell, I’m enjoying this meal delivery service. Before I leave you tonight, I’d ask that you’d keep the Hubby’s grandfather in your prayers. He lives in a memory care facility in Minnesota, due to Alzheimer, and has been hospitalized due to a fall. Truly, he’s one of my favorite people on this earth and has been a big supporter of our family since day one. Thanks!

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

*Reading Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 12 BBG day 5 abs

*Watched Good Place and Regular Show

*Yoga Teacher Training with Monica from Yoga Mundo

*Virtual school torture with Goalielocks and the Mayor

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy day Goalielocks

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on multiple walks

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Good Place

After a productive day, I’ve spent my evening getting caught up on the Good Place. I love this show. It is so good!! Indeed it reminds me of my airmen as the last time I watched it, he was home. Also, while I binged the show, I was still productive making sure dinner was ready when the hubby got home. Usually, I use find my iPhone to time dinner, so it’s ready to be served up when he gets home. Tonight it was veal parmesan served with gluten free spaghetti. After dinner, I watched some more Good Place episodes.

My productive day got its start with a great run on the treadmill. Today I did 2.5 miles with little to no walking, which was awesome. I had been changing tempo every minute for most runs, but today the majority of my run was steady state. As a challenge, however, I did the last minute as a spring.I’m not back to my pre Graves/injury tempo, but I’m getting there. Naturally, the best part of the run is enjoying Larry’s antics on Curb Your Enthusiasm. This time I had my music on too. Subsequently, I had a great run.

A good run is enjoyable and leaves you with that beautiful runner’s high. I love extending the runner’s high with a productive stretching session afterwards. Moreover, this stretching routine, which includes foam rollers and therapy balls, has prevented injury and kept me healthy. This routine, coupled with my yoga practice, has really opened up my hamstrings and hips. Consequently, I have a lot more mobility and strength in my legs and hips. It’s a wonderful thing!

Yoga class was so good today. We did some wonderful stretches for the hips and legs. It was exactly what I needed. Additionally, I love having yoga class as a functional cool down to my morning run. Importantly, yoga class stretches and works all the muscles groups I don’t always work. I have loved the Zoom classes, but am looking forward to seeing my yoga family once the studio reopens.

For the remainder of my afternoon, I was super productive researching new outlets for my blog and studying through a new and free COVID19 tracer course on Coursera. So far, the course is both interesting and engaging. Naturally, the best part of this course is it’s free price tag. As for spending my day indoors, I don’t feel too bad about it. Specifically, our weather is not fabulous today due to a system NOAA has pronounced likely to develop into a tropical system. Unfortunately, our weather will be deteriorating over the next several hours. Tomorrow will be another indoor day.

You may remember yesterday I was showing off my garden to my yoga teacher Monica. Well, you can imagine my surprise that this morning I discovered a duck egg within a newly dug nest. As a result, I probably will hold off on planting our seeds until we’re sure the mother duck is done nesting in the garden or the eggs hatch. I haven’t seen the duck back in the area this evening, so it will be interesting to see if more eggs show up tomorrow. And now I’ll go back to watching the Good Place.

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

*Reading Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 12 BBG day 4 cardio

*Watched Good Place and Regular Show

*Yoga For A Healthy Back with Jennifer from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*Virtual school torture with Goalielocks and the Mayor

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy day Goalielocks

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on multiple walks

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Favorite Day

Wednesday has quickly become my favorite day during quarantine. Usually I do my BBG arms workout in the morning, walk in the afternoon and yoga in the evening. Of course, the best part of the yoga in the evening is that my Hubby grills steaks for dinner. Consequently, by the time I finish yoga dinner is about to be served. Tonight was no exception as the Hubby grilled filets, chicken sausages and some potatoes and onions. Yummy!

Today’s BBG workout was really tougher than normal, but I’m not 100% sure why. My shoulders and arms were quite fatigued going into the workout. Of course, there were more burpees. However, these were of the lay down variety with no tuck jump. Needless to say they absolutely kicked my butt. Next on the hit parade was the spider man push up. While I absolutely hated these last time, I came to appreciate the thoroughness with which they work your body. Also, I was a lot more proficient at them today.

Our weather has remained beautiful albeit a bit warmer and quite windy today. We have a system trying to develop off our East Coast, which is giving us a bunch of wind. Clearly, the last thing we need is a tropical system to add to the fun 2020 has already brought. I took the puppies for a brief walk before and after lunch. Anakin loves observing everything and chasing birds whenever possible.

Monica, my yoga teacher, dropped off some of the books that I’ll need to teacher training, which was great. Don’t worry we observed social distancing rules as we chatted about yoga, checked out the gardens and played with the puppies. Truly, it was super awesome to have in person contact with someone outside my family. My dogs were also excited to make a new friend. Anakin was a bit shy at first, but within thirty seconds he was covering her face with puppy kisses. He is such a loving and affectionate dog.

This evening brought Christine’s last yoga class before maternity leave. Naturally, it was fabulous. Wednesday are my favorite day because I love how Christine’s class makes me feel. In fact, my lower back and hips are now quite happy and relaxed. It was challenging, but oh so good. I am going to miss her classes while she’s on maternity leave. Fortunately, there are some great Wednesday night options for alternate classes. Nonetheless, I’ll be anxiously awaiting her return in the end of July.

Everyday fellow bloggers provide a prompt to help their fellow writes breakthrough writers block. As luck would have it, one of today’s prompts was pedantic. If you’re like me and Family Guy is the background music to your life, then your first thought probably went to the Family Guy episode where Peter wins Trivial Pursuit. Unquestionably, one of my favorite scenes is when Peter refers to Lois’ meatloaf as “shallow and pedantic.” Obviously, this word prompt was perfect for my favorite day.

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

*Reading Agnes Grey by Willa Cather and loving it!

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 10 BBG day 3 arms

*Mid Week Yoga Break with Christine from Movement Yoga

*Virtual school torture with Goalielocks and the Mayor

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy day Goalielocks

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on multiple walks

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Opinions

Opinions are fabulous and everyone has them. However, it’s important to remember that opinions are not facts. Nor do they override facts. Unfortunately, it seems that we have forgotten the difference during this pandemic. A least according to my Facebook feed. Or we share or opinion, but state that it’s our right to have said opinion. Moreover, nobody should share an opinion that counter the one posted. Rant over.

I started my Tuesday by checking in with Goalielocks, who was awake and in a good mood. #winning. Can you believe it? I couldn’t. In fact, he even made his 8:15 Zoom class. Incredible! Fortunately, traffic continues to be light, so the drive to Dunkin’ was quick. Truly, I always enjoy the drive when the Mayor’s with me. He’s got the most eclectic and fabulous taste is music. In one drive, I could hear TLC, John Paridi, Backstreet Boys, Offspring, Blake Shelton or Bob Dylan.

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This morning’s treadmill run was set to the season 9 finale of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Certainly, season 9 didn’t disappoint. Consequently, I forgot to start my running playlist. The antics of Larry and cast were enough to keep me engaged through the entirety of my workout, which is amazing. Typically, I need a tv show and my music playlist to get through an indoor run. As for the actual run, it went pretty well. Chiefly, I added additional run time. Likewise, I added more minutes to my cold down as well.

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My morning run and subsequent stretch routine let me right into my Tuesday yoga class. Fortunately, today’s class emphasized stretching, which is exactly what my legs, hips and glutes needed after today’s run. So far I’m enjoying the balance of 3-4 days of gentle/restorative yoga and 1/2 days of vinyasa class. I love the challenge of the vinyasa classes, but also enjoy how the gentle yoga has helped opened up my muscles.
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The post yoga glow took me to Target to pick up a prescription and allergy medicine. Regardless of the weather or season here in Florida, it is always allergy season. Also, I was in serious need of some coffee creamer. No sooner had I backed out of the driveway, when the Mayor texted me to pick up spicy chips for him and a Dr. Pepper for his brother. I decided to tease him by not responding right away.

Of course I was on the phone with my parents when I got to Target, is I left my car without my mask. Naturally, I went back to the truck to fetch my mask. Our Target won’t allow you in without a mask, no would I enter without wearing one. The store was not too busy for a Tuesday afternoon. I literally had no wait at the pharmacy or at self checkout. Fortunately, I remembered the treats for both of the boys and everything else on my list. I’m always happy when I completed a shopping trip to the letter of my shopping list.

This evening was spent cooking another great Blue Apron dinner. Tonight’s dinner was chicken with fried rice farro and ponzu mayonnaise. It was awesome! Again the recipe was easy to follow and full of yummy vegetables. Surprisingly, even my pickiest eater enjoyed the meal! I was shocked. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t eat all the peppers or cabbage in the fried rice farro, but he tried everything. I was shocked and impressed. As for the rest of the evening, I’ll be chilling with the dogs while trying to avoid all the opinions on Facebook.

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

*Reading Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

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

*Watched It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia 

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Week 12 BBG day 2 cardio day! Ran 2.3 miles on the treadmill 

*Obedience training Anakin courtesy of myself and the Mayor. 

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena on a walk. 

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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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