So, what's the summer going to look like? That's a good question.

Obviously, I stopped posting daily or every other day.  Hard to keep that up when every day is the same.  So, let's pick some topics!

1. Fitness

On the fitness topic, I'm holding steady. I had paid for a half marathon training program, to train for a 10 mile trail race (my first trail race!)  The program started on March 17.  The quarantine started on March 16.  The training became all virtual.  The race was postponed. 

I did the training anyway, with a few changes - I shortened the long run substantially (capping out at 7.15 miles).  I started capping the mid-week runs also - I've noticed if I get to where my speed work and Thursday runs are 5-6 miles each, things start to hurt (injuries).  It's happened several times in the last year and a half.  Achilles, hip, lower back.  Ah, aging.

Prior to COVID, I was also going to the gym a few times a week. Monday and Friday were hour long body pump classes.  These are lighter weights, more reps.  I don't necessarily LOVE that, but I like people.  So I was going.  I also swam occasionally in the YMCA pool.

I immediately replaced YMCA classes with LIIFT4 on Beachbody on Demand.  I've had BOD since it came out.  I did 5 weeks of LIIFT4 1.5 years ago after my face plant on a trail run hamstring injury.  I love all the choices on BOD but find the ONLY way I stick to it is to write out a schedule for a particular program.  LIIFT4 is 4 x a week.  I have only been doing 2 days a week.  The program takes a bit longer that way but I also skipped leg day while training for my non-race.  Well, my non-race was on 5/16 (I ran a 10k).  I'm in week 7 of LIIFT4, so I added back in the leg day for fun.

So not fun.

In any event, I used my copy of the book "The Complete Book of Running for Women" to set my next running program.  It is what I do between programs.  She has a 10-week speed workout schedule.  I use that for Tuesdays.  I used the Galloway book that I have for Thursdays - mostly easy runs, with occasional strides (for speed) and hills (for endurance).  Finally, I found a program on line for heart rate training for the long run.  It involves keeping your HR in zone 2-3, and slowly increasing mileage.  But then you also take breaks by dialing back the mileage every once in awhile.

When I finish LIIFT4, I am going to start Hammer and Chisel, another BOD program that my friend says is really good to use with running.  Also, I've been doing pushups 3x a day a few days a week.

Basically, I have my fitness program scheduled to August.

Well, what about the fam?  They've been slacking a bit, doing some jumping rope.  Big kid supposed to be keeping track of his workouts for PE, but he has been slacking a lot. Little kid does some things.  All 3 jump rope a few times a week for a few minutes.

So, I decided Big Kid had to run with me.  I added 4 days a week to finish a "Run Streak" until July 4.  Those days are 1 mile only, down to the bottom of our hill and back up.  A few days in, hubby joined.  Today, the little kid joined.  I am not sure I will get much faster if I have to stick with little kid the whole time.

I figure it's nice to do baby steps.  Hubby asked me to print out the schedule and program for LIIFT4, so he may start that soon.  I've told the kids they have to make a workout schedule for the summer and stick to it.

2. School and summer camp

Well, this is the shitty part.  We have been doing distance learning since March 16, and school is over next Weds.  Don't get me started on the shittiness that is working FT at home (ha) while sitting next to a 7 yo who will literally spend 2 hours complaining about 30 minutes of work.  SO fun.  I am counting the minutes but...

There are no summer camps.  There will be a few, eventually - but they will start late in the summer, have shorter days, have fewer slots, and there will be fewer of them.  So, my kids gonna be home all summer.

My summer camp spreadsheet now has a million links to online school, virtual summer camps, art museum tours, zoo tours, "how to draw and paint" videos, programming videos, exercise videos, etc.  We have come up with many weekly camp "ideas" so they aren't just playing Fortnite all summer long.  In a word: this sucks.  Okay that is 2 words.

3. Vacation

I cancelled my summer trip.  I never got the spring break trip.  I haven't had any time off since Christmas and I'm a fucking hot mess.  I NEED a week off every few months to function, and this anxiety really can't last much longer.

Bye bye 50th birthday trip to Hawaii.  But what instead?  Will staying home for a week and not working really help?  I doubt it.  I want to hike, go to the beach, relax.  I need to GO somewhere.  I NEED time off but how to make it special.  This fucking sucks.

4. Work

My work has been really great (hubs too) requiring people to work at home, and saying we are going to go really slow on the startup. 

There has been no general acknowledgment of people with kids though.  And by that I mean: people with YOUNG kids.  Your kids are 15 and 12?  Yeah, they can mostly get their own work done.  Your wife not work?  Great, she can monitor.  There are only a few of us though with YOUNG kids and spouses who work and ... it's been crickets.  My 7yo literally needs someone to sit next to him for 20-30 hours a week to get his school work done.  That is not going to change when school is out.

On one hand, company is flexible, that's great.  On the other, just a tiny bit of acknowledgment that this sucks, and it's not ending soon is needed.  I mean, we may open the state in July but I certainly can't leave a 7 yo at home all day with his big bro.  So this WFH is going to be a long term thing.  Argh, I just need a vacation.

Oh, and I'm frustrated with the increasing work, no more money, general work frustration that has been my life for a few years.

5.  FOOD

My grocery bill is OFF THE CHARTS yo!  Who knew a teen could eat so much.  Plus, prices are going up and we are shopping every 2 weeks.  We aren't price checking.

Pre-COVID weekly average: $177
Post-COVID weekly average: $219

(Both my kids were getting free lunch at school so...)

I have been using weekly menu plans so I can go back and come up with ideas.  I'm tired of coming up with ideas.  It's so exhausting.  My brain.  I just can't. I'm overwhelmed with my work schedule, the kids zoom schedules and homework needs, and blech.

Anyway, I've got pizza dough in the bread machine for tonight's dinner.  I eat gluten free frozen pizza from Costco.

Meal plan 5/21/20-5/27/2020

Thursday 5/21/2020
L: nachos, salad
D: Roast potatoes and cauliflower, and something else?  I just don't remember what it was.

Friday
L: sandwiches, salad
D: leftover fried rice, stir fried green beans and broccoli

Saturday:
L: Takeout.  Finney's.  Tasty, but hurt my tummy later
D: Brown rice risotto with mushrooms and fava beans, loosely based on a recipe from Run Fast, Cook Fast, Eat Slow

Sunday:
L: Mac and cheese?  Leftovers?
D: Lentil soup

Monday: (holiday, but who am I kidding we worked)
L: Quesadillas, Ramen, Salad
D: Leftover soup, kale chips

Tuesday:
L: Sandwiches, mac and cheese, salad
D: Favorite chicken, leftover risotto, salad, leftover lentil soup

Wednesday:
L: Takeout.  Los Agaves taco bar.
D: Was going to be pasta, instead will be leftovers from lunch and soup and rice.

I've started taking probiotics to help with tummy issues.

We have half a head of lettuce left, an onion, and a green pepper.  Plus some cherries, bananas, and some apples.

This week's menu plan - late!

Thursday: 5/14/20
L: sandwiches, salad
D: leftover chana masala, baked zucchini coins with parmesan

Friday:
L: nachos & quesadillas, kale chips
D: pizza (Homemade and frozen), salad

Saturday:
L: Mac and cheese, leftover pizza, salad
D: Sweet potato spiral hash with black beans, corn, onion, peppers, and cilantro.  Topped with cheese.  Served with chips and guac.

Sunday:
L: Dominos pizza ($18) and salad
D: Zucchini, pesto, and sausage macaroni (instant pot), roasted brussels (me), raw snap peas and cukes (everyone else), and peach and cherry tart.

Monday:
L: burritos/ leftover pizza (there's only one slice, it's mine), salad
D: Leftovers from Sat/Sun, kale chips

Tuesday:
L: Salad and...?? Fend for yourself, I think.
D: Favorite chicken (fingers), with shrimp for me.  Hash browns.  Frozen green beans.  (We are basically out of veg except lettuce).

Wednesday:
L: takeout.  I'm thinking tacos, but I'm also thinking I should find something else.  I actually was awake last night thinking about it.  Too much life anxiety.  With salad.
D: Pineapple and cashew fried rice with frozen broccoli

I bought Paprika, and am going to use it to track all of our easy, favorite menus so that I don't have to think so much.

COVID-19 Days 40 and 41

COVID-19 Day 40 (Tuesday) 4/21/2020
- Track day. 1200m @11:09, 800m @10:48, 600m @10:09, 400m@9:05, 1200m @10:57, 800m @10:35 (roughly HMP, 10k pace, 5k pace and full effort).  Probably 400m should have been faster.
- Total 4.1 miles
- Eggs and avocado toast for breakfast.  Made tea using a coffee filter as a teabag.
- I was hungry all day and had a headache.
- School went ok.  1.5 hours of zoom with the 2nd grade class.  That's pretty tiring.  Homework went well,  Kiddo needs help and I gave him help.  We laid in bed for awhile and worked on his iPad doing math and English.  Big kid no zoom classes.
- I timed his tree pose for PE/ yoga.
- It was hot, we had ice cream.  Twice.
- Salads and leftovers for lunch, Thai curry chicken and vegetables for dinner.


COVID-10 Day 41 (Wednesday) 4/22/2020
- Little kid Did a Cosmic yoga video for 27 minutes, it was a Harry Potter theme.  It was fun to listen to while I tried to work.
- Big kid has 3 zoom classes, little kid has zero.
- Today he's crying and wants TV, but it is not TV time.  He has not finished his reading yet.
- Husband is recreating the water slide into the blow up pool.  It's gonna be hot.  I don't know if we are going to get to play with it, because: crying.
- Mexican takeout lunch.

How many days have we been in lockdown? I dunno

I'm tired.  I'm tired of trying to teach my kids and work full time.  I'm tired of certain aspects of my job, the never ending paperwork and the near constant criticism.  I'd be a lot better off if I half assed it.

Running is going pretty well, except my sciatica is back.  Today I did 4x 1 mile repeats, and they were 10:43/10:19/10:19/10:04.  I'm also keeping a map and trying to track all the streets I've run/walked on.  My Saturday running group Zooms on Saturday morning.  Running is good for me, and I haven't gained any weight.

The kids are surviving.  We have struggles.  We've found some workarounds for the little one and writing.  We've fired up the 11 year old water slide. 

I bought myself a mother's day cake.

Here are some pictures.

Friday!! Menu plan

Well, the dog actually broke the skin, so the neighbor with the poodle found us yesterday (we knew she was on the street, just don't know what house.  But it's a small hood.)  We exchanged numbers so that we can pay her vet bill if it comes to that.  Hopefully nothing more than that, maybe a fine from Animal control.

Meal plan for the week, a day late:

This week in our boxes, we are getting lots of spinach and zucchini.  Also strawberries and peaches!  Hubby went to Costco and got 5 lb of onions and a lot of bell peppers, so we will be using those.

Thursday:
L: leftover red lentil curry with brown rice/quinoa and leftover Afghan kidney beans with white rice.  I was so overwhelmed with how bad Weds was, and I had a long conf call (6:37pm) that I texted my husband that he had to figure out dinner.  Well, he didn't make one pot pasta.  He saw "Afghan kidney beans" on my meal plan and googled it and got the same recipe I'd planned AND made the same substitutions.  He also made white rice and it was delicious.  Go hubby!
D: (we got our box): chard and potato soup.  The bunch of chard was massive, and only 4 leaves.  So before the water gun fight but after lunch, I washed and chopped the stems and the leaves, and chopped the onion.  Hubby made the soup while I was on a conf call (again), and we ate this with quesadillas.

Friday:
L: Leftover soup or maybe takeout
D: Homemade pizza (I fired up the bread machine.  I'm pretty good at this stuff, too bad I can't eat it) and frozen GF pizza for me.  With salad or soup.

Saturday:
L: Mac and cheese with creamed spinach & salad
D: Beef and black bean chili, with the freezer ground beef.  We bought some a few weeks ago. I hear there's going to be a meat shortage.  Honestly, we don't eat that much, so I don't think we'll miss it or even notice much.  (Will be using bell peppers and onions).

Sunday:
L: Sandwiches and salad, or leftover mac and cheese and soup.
D: Veggie lasagna.  I think.  Because we don't have ricotta, I may skip that layer.  Or maybe use something else.  Or...??? Maybe I can make a cashew ricotta.  Or use the last sweet potato and cashew?  Or substitute some cream cheese.  Hm...

Monday:
L: bean tacos and salad
D: leftover lasagna, kale chips

Tuesday:
L: leftover lasagna
D: Middle eastern lentils and rice with caramelized onion

Wednesday:
L: takeout
D: salmon

As we get towards Tues/Weds, I leave the veggie blank, because I don't know what we have left.  A lot of salad, and probably some creamed spinach.

This week, we have gotten/ will get:
Fruit: peaches, strawberries (x3), apples, lemon, and we already have oranges and bananas
Veggie: zucchini, lettuce, spinach, chard, potatoes, spring onion. And tomorrow: spinach, beets, lettuce, baby lettuce, radishes, kale, zucchini, spring onion, avocados