Feelings

It was quite the day!

Teaching:

It was my first time spending the day at school today. We had to go in for one day this week and two days next week.

I coordinated with my teaching buddy so we both went today and actually a third friend was there too. I had also picked today so that I could use their WiFi on the day I do the most internet stuff.

I felt behind right from the start as I had to first put my room back together and find my internet cord and hook up the computer and find a chair to sit on and unearth my desk. I’m really trying not to do too much as it’s only about 18 days and then I’ll have to pack my room up for summer cleaning. The custodian was very proud of his cleaning, but unfortunately, all I saw was the work he caused me as I now have to do a bunch of things to my room:(

I did finally set up a place to work and I decided to start in creating the activities for next week. I always have to tether my computer for this at home so it eats more data than checking their work. It seriously took me until lunchtime.

After lunch I talked to two girls in my class via Teams and then spent the last thirty five minutes starting to check work.

It was just a tough day as it really doesn’t seem like this is the right thing to do. A message from our superintendent finally came out midday today. It said that students would be attending two full days a week and Wednesday would just be online, (though we could possibly also have kids of emergency workers in our class on this day) but there is still no plan for how this is going to work. We asked about recess, lunch, preps, division of students- they have zero plans so far:(. And they’re asking parents to decide if they’re sending their children before they have a plan.

I realize we have been very lucky in that we have relatively few cases compared to everywhere else, but we also have been taking measures to ensure this and now we’re going to open it up to the risk of a spike for eight days of school for children. I just don’t get it. Well actually I do, some parents need a break from their children. They keep saying its to restart the economy but children going to school for two days isn’t going to allow many parents to go back to work.

We feel like they are using convenient truths. Every playground has been cordoned off for the past two months and yet conveniently now- kids don’t get this. We’ve been told that the virus lives on surfaces, but oh now, students can come in and read your books. We’re being told that safety measures, including social distancing is the number one concern, and yet they’re saying I can have eleven kids in my room at a time. I checked today and that makes for less than a meter between students. All I can do is shake my head☹️😖

Okay sorry about the rant.

Knitting:

I finally picked up my yarn to start the roller skates but haven’t had much success yet. If anyone has a good pattern for wheels for crochet or knit, please let me know.

Eating:

It was a pretty good day since I didn’t have access to extra food for most of it. I’ve had:

Rice cake with Pb & j and cheese, watermelon slices, seafood marinara, baked potato with sour cream alternative, and three tbsp of vegan cream cheese icing. I realized this is my favourite part of the cinnamon roll mug cake so figured I’d save the calories and just have it. It wasn’t that great on its own though:(

I think that’s my whole day.

Have fun!

AJ

Another Day

It was just another day.

Exercise:

I met up with Dennis outside my place to run the thoroughfare road. I actually felt pretty good or at least better than I have felt the last few weeks. Maybe it helped to run slow yesterday. After I saw my first two times I was pushing myself to make a 5km PR, but it didn’t happen. I did make a PR for fastest kilometer though so I guess that will do:)

I went for a walk late this afternoon and then did a workout this evening. I had a glass of wine with some of the strata members so I felt like I needed a workout after that! I did a minute of jogging between the following:

Military press, overhead tricep extension, upright rows, front raises, bicep curls, bent over rows

Russian twists, knee ticks, bicycle crunches, leg drops, crunches, reverse crunches

Plié squats, squats, curtsy lunges, deadlifts, reverse lunges, and side shuffles.

I sure hope all this movement helps with the scale tomorrow!

Teaching:

I managed to get all the work checked, respond to all the emails and plan next week with my teaching buddy.

I was a little peeved when my principal changed the ProD day on us today. I didn’t think she was allowed to do that as we have to give a years notice of ProD day dates. 😖😖😖

Knitting:

I just haven’t been feeling up to starting the third set of booties yet, but the goal is to have them done by next Tuesday.

House:

Someone knocked on my door today and I did the usual stay still and silent. It turned out it was the strata president who lives downstairs. He has water stains on his ceiling and asked me to check my washing machine and dryer connections. I took the closet apart and there was no water on the floor, walls or around all the hoses and I did laundry today so I think if it was leaking it would still be wet. I hope it’s nothing! At least my utility closet got cleaned!

Well that’s it for me.

Have fun!

AJ

If All Else Fails, Call Mom

It was a nice bonus day:)

Exercise:

I didn’t crawl out of bed early and actually woke up naturally. I always try to run my fastest when I go out and have been disappointed lately that I haven’t been going fast. I decided to try out this “easy run” thing where you go slow. I went out with the intention of running slow and most of the time, I did. I enjoyed my run! It was a beautiful morning and I wasn’t trying to push myself to go faster and just loped along. I’ll have to try to do this on the two runs I do alone or with Sarah each week.

I also did a short workout this evening. It was another BeFitDavis, though not the one I was supposed to do. I was feeling tired and the idea of 120 burpees was just too much so I did one that had four sets of: 25 squats, 15 deadlifts, 15 chest press, 15 pullovers and I added 15 sit-ups. I did each move with 10 pounds in each hand and did a minute of jogging between each set. Not super long, but better than nothing.

Knitting:

I finished up the second set of baby booties today. They are meant to be cleats as mom is a rugby player.

Sorry it’s really tough to get a good photo of them:(. I did bobbles on the bottom, following a cleat pattern I found online. I was planning to do the Adidas stripes, but found the Nike swish to be easier to do. I used a basic running shoe bootie pattern and then made up the rest.

I hadn’t been able to figure out how to block these as I don’t want black showing from the top but didn’t want to squish the bobbles. I ended up calling my mom who, of course, had a great idea. I have wrapped cardboard in plastic wrap and inserted them inside.

I wanted to finish all three pairs of booties this weekend, but I’m just too tired now.

Socializing:

Lyndsay called me mid- afternoon and I went for a walk with her nd Brady. We just did 3.5km up in Burke mountain which is a new area for me. It was super nice and I’d like to go back there.

Though does anyone else experience traffic jams getting to trails? We ended up having to park 3/4 of a kilometer away from the trail. We had tried a local park first but there was not a parking spot anywhere!

Eating:

I grocery shopped this morning after my run so there were just too many yummy things in my house and I’ve eaten too much today:(

Well I’m going to find myself a new book to read, or maybe I’ll just close my eyes.

Have fun!

AJ

Happy Long Weekend

The best part of this weekend so far is knowing I have tomorrow off too:)

Exercise:

Yesterday morning I did a 9.5km bike ride out on the dykes. It was calling for rain, but thankfully it didn’t get really heavy until I got back into the car.

This morning I didn’t get as lucky. I met Dennis at another part of the dyke and it rained heavily the whole time we were out there. It was definitely trial by fire for my new hydration pack, but I’m not chafed at all🎊🎉.

Dennis commented 3/4 of the way through our run that it sounded like I was running flat footed. I told him I have no idea how I land when I’m running, but I tried to pay attention from that point on. I seemed to get faster but that might have been the “smelling the barn” syndrome and not have anything to do with my trying to land midfoot and push off.

I was actually so wet by the end that I changed my entire outfit behind the car door🤣

This evening I did another BeFitDavis workout. I was supposed to do five rounds of eight reps each, but I changed it to a minute of jogging between forty reps of each move. I was only using ten pound weights so thought higher reps might be better. I did: weighted sit ups, deadlifts, plié squats, squat thruster, and dumbbell swings. I really liked this workout:)

Reading:

I finished a book last night called, Rules of Engagement by JT Geissinger. It was a great read. The grumpy hero who is actually a softie. The girl who can’t see what’s right in front of her and the meddling aunt and agent. Nothing new, but good banter and some laugh out loud moments. If you’re looking for something light I would recommend this one.

Knitting:

I have spent a lot of the past two days knitting as my secretary has commissioned some baby booties as she is becoming an auntie. Yesterday I did the ice skates as her brother plays hockey.

I think they might be the cutest thing I’ve ever knitted! The pattern is by Paisley and is simply called ice skates. I had to buy the pattern on Ravelry, but now that I know how she does these, I think I could do her roller skates without buying the pattern. The yarn is just worsted weight scraps from my stash.

I thought they’d be super hard for me as it’s been a long time since I’ve crocheted, but it came back pretty quickly and easily. It also helps that these are so small that they go quickly.

Today I tackled cleats as the mommy to be is a rugby player. You’ll have to wait until I finish the second one tomorrow to see them though.

Eating:

I have been really good the past two days for my eating and I’m really hoping I will be rewarded soon!🤣

Well, I’m going to go start a new book:)

Have fun!

AJ

Purple Day

Why does everyday bring questions and no answers???

Exercise:

I met up with Dennis and we did a rerun of a run we tried to do a couple of weeks ago but abandoned because it was too busy. Today was much better, especially after my legs loosened up at 4km. I dropped about 30 seconds per kilometer after that. I am finding that my runs are way harder lately and I’m not as fast. I’ve been reading and it seems like this might be a side effect of trying to lose weight. Hopefully it won’t last forever and I can go back to being faster.

This evening I tried to do a workout, but only managed seven minutes when I realized I just wasn’t into it tonight. I’ll try to make up for it on Sunday.

Teaching:

It was a quieter day as all I had to do was check work on the three different platforms. It’s a good thing because I came home from my run to a power outage.

I listened to the premier speak and though he said we would be going back to school on June 1st, there were still no details of how this is going to work. For the month of June it is voluntary whether kids come to school which means I have to teach online and in class. I’m really not sure how this is going to work:(. All I know so far is that I don’t think anyone who works with six year olds is making the decisions!😖🙄

Shopping:

I probably shouldn’t be allowed out of the house alone with my Visa card. Lately I’ve been finding that I need more water as my runs get warmer and longer. My hydration pack is about fifteen years old and doesn’t owe me anything. I was looking for a cheap pack online, but ended up buying a new one at my local running store. I really do prefer to support local when I can.

My new, very purple Nathan hydration pack. I’m going to look interesting when I wear red!

Reading:

I finally finished one of my current books. I had been listening to Born To Run by Christopher MacDougall. It was a super interesting book that took a lot of different elements and connected them through the story of a race. It was great, though I think it would be better to listen to it than read it.

Socializing:

I had my usual Friday teacher meet up in a local park. It was definitely busier than it has been in the past. It was nice to catch up and our friend Cori joined us today too. It’s nice to not feel alone in this craziness!

Knitting:

I finally finished my newest sweater tonight. It is the Seraphina sweater by Irina Anikeeva, available on Ravelry. The shoulders are the most complicated part of the sweater and after that it is good social knitting. The yarn I used was a new to me yarn called Gathering Yarn: The Harvest is Here. I like the colour of the yarn, but found it to be quite splitty.

Well that’s the end of my purple day!

Have fun!

AJ

Happy Friday Eve

It would be nice if this state of emergency could be lifted so I had more interesting things to share with you. Ha who am I kidding🤣🤪

Teaching:

I reviewed work, finished assembling the activities for next week and then had my first two video conferences with kids. The first one was great. It was nice to see H and make sure he was okay. I also got after him to do some work!🤣. The second one was with my autistic child who is low functioning. I saw exactly why the vulnerable team had him come into the school for work- he was all over the place! It almost made me feel sick to my stomach he moved so much. It was still nice to see him though!

I finished the afternoon off by planning report cards with my co teacher. I think we have a pretty good idea of what we need to do so that we can have these reports ready in 24 days.

There was of course drama over the teaching assignments, but I’m trying not to worry as I know my principal likes to throw her weight around and make big changes but it usually all changes in September anyways. Especially this year! Who knows what’s going to happen!

We also had one of our teachers announce his retirement today. He will be sorely missed as he’s a great guy and a great teacher who gives a lot to the school!

Exercise:

Today it was just yoga day. I was going to do a Yoga with Adrienne video, but decided to just run through my list of poses instead. I hope one day that I will actually feel flexible. I used to be super flexible, but that was before I started running.

Knitting:

Oh I am so close and I really want to wear it tomorrow!! I may be knitting a lot tomorrow!

Eating:

A good day with lots of veggies. I’ve had:

1/2 apple with Pb

Celery with cream cheese and hummus

Carrot with guacamole

Haddock bites

Baked potato with sour cream and salsa mixed

Well there’s my life.

Have fun!

AJ

Happy Hump Day

So glad I’ve made it through half the week now!

Exercise:

Dennis and I got an early start on a 6.28km run this morning. I rolled before I went as I have super tight hamstrings right now. I think it helped a bit as this wasn’t my best run, but not my worst either.

I also got a workout in this evening. Yes another BeFitDavis one. This was a lower body full of one legged lunges, squats, deadlifts and split jumps. All done with ten pound weights in each hand and three sets separated by jogging. It was a great, quick workout that I will probably feel tomorrow.

I am making myself sit on the floor with my legs straight out hoping it will help stretch out my hamstrings!

Teaching:

I felt rushed most of the morning because I was late coming back from my run. I was too busy arguing over hydration packs with Dennis.

Thankfully I had put the work up before I went. I got all the work checked, learned how to use Microsoft Teams, had a practice call with a colleague and then another with a willing student, got 3/4 of the work ready for next week and then checked all the submitted work again. I’ll call that a productive day:)

Reading:

I’ve started two books, but you’ll have to wait to hear about them until I’m done.

Knitting:

I finished the arm bands today and am making steady progress on the body. I can now just knit until it’s the length I like or until I’m going to run out of yarn. I am really hoping to be done by Sunday night!

I have also been making myself do a colour in my cross stitch each day after work before I start knitting. It probably won’t show, but I know I’m making slow progress- lots more than in the past eleven years!

Eating:

I decided not to have a treat on Wednesday weigh in day as it seems like I usually have a treat on Fridays at the teacher meet up. That makes two treats a week which doesn’t seem like a good idea for me when I’m trying to actively lose weight. I am down this week and heading in the right direction, so it’s a happy day! Today I’ve had:

Mini kind bar, European wiener, veggies with hummus and guacamole, fish filets, half an apple with peanut butter.

Can you tell I didn’t have the chance to make my food plan this morning?🤣

Well I’m going back to knitting and listening to my audiobook.

Have fun!

AJ

Talking Tuesday

Life was pretty typical here today.

Exercise:

I went out for my run this morning but really didn’t want to. I just can’t figure out my days off as this is the third run day in a row so my legs are getting tired! I am running with Dennis tomorrow so hopefully they are better then! I got five kilometers in, but it wasn’t pretty or fast. I don’t want to take every other day off, but I need fresh legs for Friday and Sunday for sure!

This evening I did another BeFitDavis workout. This was her upper body workout and had me doing pike pushups, row to tricep extension, circle raises and military press with a shoulder rotation. I think I’m definitely going to feel this tomorrow!

Teaching:

It was a pretty typical day of checking work, planning for next week and then having a boring staff meeting. Everyone was celebrating how great the report samples online were, but they sure didn’t seem great to me yesterday when I looked at them! I finished the day by checking more student work and creating my Microsoft Teams classroom. I guess I have to try this out at some time!

Knitting:

I have been knitting on the body of my sweater, when suddenly today I got the idea that I should go do the collar and the arm cuffs so that I could then use up all possible yarn for the length. I am almost done the neckline right now and plan to finish before I go to bed. Knitting during the staff meeting really helped in getting the sweater done and keeping me calm.

Reading:

I finished a book last night called Ayesha at Last. It is a spin off of Pride and Prejudice set in a Muslim Canadian community. It was excellent! I really liked how there were enough similarities to P&P that you could tell who people were supposed to be and a couple of the best lines were included, but it was still different enough to hold my attention. The Muslim community seemed a great fit for this book.

Socializing:

I have been listening to an audio book from the library and I had gone to the kitchen when I realized that my book had stopped. My friend Cori was calling me and I had an awesome end to my night visiting with her:)

Eating:

I’ve had another good day and hopefully it will be enough to give me a good weigh in number tomorrow! I’ve had:

Runner’s waffle

Strawberries

Kiwi and almonds

Hamburger patty with guacamole

European wiener

I’m sure there’s something else, but once again, my mind is blanking.

Well I have to get back and finish my last two rows of the neckline so that I will have a sweater to show you soon!

Have fun!

AJ

Monday again

How does Monday always arrive so quickly???

Exercise:

Sarah has cancelled our run today so I got myself out first thing this morning. It was a gorgeous day for a run, but even at 7:40 in the morning, it was already busy. I just did a loop to the mill and back.

This evening I did another BeFitDavis workout. It was a no excuses total body workout. I really liked this one as it felt like it hit everything. Four rounds of: bicep curls, single leg deadlift with a row, double pulse plié squats, front lunges with a twist, lateral raises, front raises, Russian twists and swings.

I really should look into a heavier kettlebell!

Teaching:

I checked all the work and was happy to see everyone seemed to do something. I then walked up to school to get some more supplies as we’ve just been informed we have to write report cards. 🙄. Can’t they just cite a pandemic as there is no way these reports are going to be authentic! On the way home from school i saw this and I ran into 8 kids. It was nice to see them all! It seems like parents are starting to let some play dates occur, but they were shocked to hear that school won’t be like it was before if we go back before September.

Knitting:

I have done another pattern repeat on my sweater. My goal is one pattern repeat each day as that is only fourteen rows! Hopefully o can maintain that!

Eating:

I think I’ve had a good day. Chia seed pudding with pineapple, two hamburger patties, and there must be other stuff, but I can’t think of it right now. I’m not starving and not stuffed so we’ll call it a good day!

Reading:

I’m reading Ayesha At Last right now and really liking it. So I’m going back to reading.

Have fun!

AJ

SAL Update

I am sorry this is so late!

Stitching:

This is a picture of the project that has set on my shelf for the past eleven years). This year I am determined and it at least sits on my coffee table now. This is where I was at three weeks ago.

And this is where I am now:

Can you see the change in the curtain?

At first I counted how many stitches I did each three weeks, but these last two I made goals for what to work on. Last time I had decided it needed to be either back stitching or the curtain and I went with the curtain, but didn’t get as much done as I wanted to:(. I just find the curtain tough because the colours are so similar that I’m continuously afraid that I’m going to mess it up:(

Be sure to check out everyone else’s progress! Welcome back to Helen who is returning g to the SAL. There are some amazing projects! If you’re interested in joining, just click on Avis’ link.

Helen

Jenny

Avis

Claire

Gun

Carole

Sue

Constanze

Christina

Kathy

Margaret

Cindy

Heidi

Jackie

Sunny

Hayley

Megan

Deborah

Mary Margaret

Renée

Carmela

Jocelyn

Sharon

Daisy

Anne

Cathie

Laura

Sherrie