Teri Parris Ford's Blog

30 Day Challenge Met

I had to go to 2 yoga classes this evening in order to make up for my sick day yesterday and I was feeling well enough for the challenge. I had a very good work day, catching up with the kids. It seems there are quite a few student who suffered through a short and violent illness like mine. I guess there is some kind of bug going around. I had a very fun conversation about projectile vomiting at lunch. After school I ran straight away for a 4:30pm hot yoga class and then went home and fed Balt. I made sure not to eat dinner, just an apple with peanut butter. I went back in for a 7:30pm class and felt just fine through it. I'll sleep well. I managed 30 yoga classes in 30 days without much back pain at all, so I have progressed since last year! Erika also got through the challenge as well. I only had to do two doubles, I'm not sure about her, I think she had at least 2, but when you work at a yoga studio, how hard is it to get to a yoga class everyday!!? She told me the weekends were difficult. Okay, I'll give her that.

Nothing

I managed to keep my coffee down this morning and that was about as productive as I was today. I did take Balt on a short walk, only a mile, and make myself some white rice for lunch but other that? I dozed off and on, napping, occasionally getting a bit of TV in. Late in the afternoon I did watch my Sunday shows on PBS that I missed yesterday and I answered a few emails. I did not go to yoga, meaning with only 2 days left of my 30 day challenge, it looks like I will fail once again, so close to the end, unless I can pull of a double tomorrow, which I highly doubt. I'll be back at work and hopefully feeling back to normal.

How did that happen?

I had a very normal Sunday morning- coffee, news, dogwalk, and not a lot else. I mopped and vacuumed floors and then took a nap. As the day progressed I started feeling kind of sick but wondered if it was all the broccoli I'd eaten in 24 hours. I had had broccoli soup for lunch and dinner and lunch again, so green diarrhea might have been just something that goes with eating 1/2 bag of broccoli. I went to hot yoga thinking maybe it was broccoli, maybe not. Then a little more than half way through the class I got dizzy and felt like I was going to puke. I laid down, deciding whether to run to the bath room or just to wait it out. I decided if I need to throw up, I'd use the nice yoga matt bag my mom had made out of jean material. I was sure it would hold up to puke, although it might be embarrassing to puke in class.  I'd get up and then get back down, not wanting to take the risk. I made through the whole class, to my car and home but walked right to the kitchen sink and had the most violent episode of vomiting I've had in years, maybe decades. There wasn't a lot to toss, mostly water and bile. I think the broccoli soup had all gone the other way earlier? Painful stuff regardless. I showered and moaned and groaned, built a fire and turned on the news. I had made plans to see someone after yoga, so I spent some time chatting with him, but was unable to go out to dinner, which was fine. As soon as my friend left, I had another session of violent puking, this time my hot tea and more bile and a lot of painful gagging. So I've taken an Alka Selzer Plus Flu night time tablet and will see what happens. I've gotten a sub for tomorrow just to be safe. I think I'm actually sick?

Rest, Relax, and Repeat

It was a sunless Saturday, cold but not too cold. The upside on the cloud cover is that it keeps the temps from getting too frigid. Today was kind of a repeat of Wednesday's Snow Day, only a bit more productive. I went grocery shopping for the first time. maybe this whole month. I had so much food for the holidays, it has taken me a month to get through much of it. Actually today I made broccoli soup today with the last of a big bag of broccoli I bought at Costco before the holidays. There is still a quart or so of organic Costco orange juice that I am hoping Erika will come over to drink before it goes bad. I have to admit my grocery list was pretty pathetic-- mostly things I'm graving and dog biscuits for Balt. So I did my dogwalk, hot yoga, and grocery shopping. I popped into work to finish up something and then built a big fire at home to watch a movie on Netflix. I also watched Oprah's interview with Ava Duvernay, the director of The 13th, which I watched on Wednesday and really do think EVERY American should have to watch it, it is that instructional and mind blowing. I started watching Lo and Behold, about the internet but dozed off and decided to get to bed early instead. I have all day tomorrow to finish it!

It's Still Winter

It's back to being normal winter cold again, which is low 20's, still not terrible. All the fresh snow is pretty still. Balt woke me up this morning but not too early. We went for a nice walk and I got into work for a pretty normal school day. I had a late morning appointment with a medical message therapist I hadn't seen for several years because he left my HMO. I decide to pay a little extra to get the treatment I needed for my hips and lower back from someone who I felt had did the best to address my problems in the past. The trigger point therapy and deep tissue manipulation is slightly painful but so effective in helping to re-align my hips. My right hip rolls forward and my butt works overtime because of it. My lack of core strength makes the situation worse. I left feeling great but sore. I finished my day at school, staying late to work on the gallery show. My 5:30pm regular hot yoga class was cancelled for a staff party which made me mad until Erika invited me to the staff party, so I got to go at 6:30 instead and then out to dinner after! It was a lot of fun hanging out with all of Erika's work friends. Her boss's wife is an art education professor at UW, so of course I spent most of the time talking to her. 

Sleepy Thursday

I have an alarm set for 630am just in case Balt doesn't wake me up. I've never needed it and often have considered turning it off because it'll go off while I'm showering or other inconvenient times. Well today was the first time in years that I was REALLY glad I had that back up alarm. I'm not sure if the snowy walk yesterday exhausted him, or what, but that alarm woke both Balt and me this morning from a very deep sleep. I had plenty of time to get ready and take Balt to daycare before school because of that alarm. 

My school day was pretty ordinary. There's a student show we are all getting ready for and grades are due. My study hall is down to 80 kids now and pretty easy to maintain. I have to bring more work in to get done. After school I had a scholarship committee meeting to attend. After a 4 year hiatus, I'm back. I picked up Balt and got ready for hot yoga. I fell asleep in my class for a bit. Drool running down my chin woke me up! I am sometimes a bit freaked out by how quickly, easily and deeply I can fall asleep. I came home, finished my leftover beef stew for dinner and watched a Mary Tyler Moore special on CBS. 

Snow Day!

It was quite the surprise for most of us. We were only supposed to get a few inches last night but at 6am this morning the roads were a mess and there was a lot more snow than expected-- 4 to 6 inches. I was up reading the Times when I got the text from the district. I immediately turned on the news and celebrated. I built a fire and made a 2nd cup of coffee. It was absolutely beautiful with moderate temps, so my dogwalk was very enjoyable. Balt and I did 4 miles around the neighborhood. I went out the school soccer fields so Balt could run freely around (below). I met up with Erika for a noon hot yoga class and came home, cleaned up and made a late lunch. I made another fire and got to catching up on some shows. I watched last night's episode of This is Us and cried my eyes out. Wow, is that a good show. I finished up Mozart in the Jungle- only one episode left of the season after Monika left. I watched the Netflix documentary 13th, which SO GOOD-- every American should watch it. Then after seeing that Mary Tyler Moore had passed away, I decided to finish the night with Ordinary People on Amazon, which won 4 Oscars including Best Picture in 1980 and I had never seen it. Mary Tyler Moore got the Golden Globe for best actress and was nominated but did not win the Oscar (Sissy Spacek got it instead for Coal Miner's Daughter- that i saw). So, not really a productive day physically, but I watched a lot of really good stuff.

Appreciated

It was the second day of the semester and I had a few kids drop a few of my classes and a couple of kids add, which is fine on the 2nd day-- it's the 2nd week when it gets problematic. The day went smoothly. I ran a few errands during my prep and went home for lunch. One of my CAMM kids invited me to his hockey game to be appreciated but the game did not start until 8pm, so I had plenty of time for a hot yoga class and dinner, but it meant getting home way later than I'm used to on a school night! It certainly was worth it, though. It isn't often I get honored at sports events. 

1st day of the 2nd semester

Balt let me sleep in until 6am this morning which was nice but I needed to make sure to get into work early to prep for my day. My schedule is a lot easier this semester. I have 3 different classes in the morning, but all 3 are familiar classes I've taught for years. Not having a new class certainly makes life easier. I have 4th and 5th periods off and a study hall 6th hour. I've never had a study hall before so I have to admit to being a bit scared when I saw my roster of 95 students! Losing control of almost 100 kids would be insane, but they all complied to my instructions and the volume was low. The teacher who had the study hall last semester came by to check on me and assured me I had it all under control. I know I have to keep the order consistently. My 7th hour yearbook class was not so orderly. Having both new kids and returning students is not easy. I had a couple of girls who giggled and disrupted the class while not even being enrolled. I should have taken attendance first I guess. Oh well. I left school exhausted but ran as fast as I could to meet up with Erika for a 4pm hot yoga class. I came home after and warmed up left over stew for dinner, caught the news and worked copying over my new semester gradebook. 

Sunday Waiting

Sometimes I feel like I have lived my life constantly just waiting. I remember feeling like I could not wait until I was grown up, married, graduated, moved, and the list goes on and on. Last month I was waiting for the girls to come home for Christmas. Every year I spend my winter waiting for summer. I think summer time is one time of year I'm not waiting, but there was a time when I would eagerly wait for school to start. As I age, I realize I'm running out of time to wait, but I'm still waiting. I'm waiting for retirement, for the girls to graduate, for my mom's health to change, to get a divorce, to find love again. I realized this morning that it isn't a cold I'm fighting but the blues. I told myself the girls leaving did not make me sad, but now that I've been all alone for more than a week, I find myself feeling sad. There is so much to do, I've got projects started that need to be worked on, a novel started, a scrapbook, a linoleum print, a student gallery show, the yearbook and on and on... but doing anything this weekend has been a challenge. Luckily I have Balt that insists on my getting out of bed and getting off the couch. I have a job that gets me going Monday thru Friday. I've got a yoga challenge that gets me to studio to practice in the heat, even if it's a half-assed effort. 

I walked for nearly 4 miles this morning, listening to a new book that got me thinking and realizing. I might have sat by the fire watching endless episodes of A Series of Unfortunate Events on Netflix, but I managed to get out. I had a 30% coupon for Kohls but nothing pressing to purchase. I got a sports bra. I went into to school to start hanging the student show. I met up with Erika for the 4pm hot yoga class and felt much better having accomplished so much today. I made a beef stew in my crock pot and had a wonderful dinner watching PBS, Mercy Street and Victoria, my new Sunday shows. 

Saturday Choices

  It was a dreary day, and while warm for January, not warm enough for me to get out in the garage to clean. I enjoyed a long dogwalk with Balt. I spent some of my morning working on posters for the student show and then went to hot yoga. I felt kind of sick, so it was not a great class for me. My hips are sore, my stomach was not feeling good and the heat made my head spin. I'm pretty sure I'm fighting a cold as I feel more tired then I should. I spent about 1/2 the class on my back enjoying the heat. The rest of the day I felt chilled. I went into work for a while to make sure I was ready for Monday's new classes. I ran a few errands and then got back to work on finishing up the posters I started last night in my sweats with a fire. I sent them off to print and watched the documentary Food Choices on Netflix. I've been trying to stay with a Paleo diet without a lot of weight lose results. The movie pushed a vegan lifestyle and I know it's the best way to go, not just for my personal health, but for the environment and the health of the world. I had a fruit salad for dinner after having had a hamburger for lunch. Baby steps.

It rained today.

I sometimes wonder about the significance of weather. Well, it rained today, not only in Madison but on the east and west coast. It is supposed to storm tomorrow with warmer temps. I'm hoping to clean the garage. Today was the last day of finals, gloomy but not freezing. I finished grading and got some clean up done. I took Erika out to lunch and enjoyed a nice catch up with her. I left work right at 4 without getting any work done for the gallery show that needs to be set up. I plan to come in over the weekend to start. I went to a 5:30pm hot yoga class, made myself a big salad for dinner, watched a bit a news and worked a bit on finding student photos for the gallery show. The school year is officially 1/2 over. The slide to summer has begun but it doesn't get really slippery until after spring break!

Love for Breakfast

It rained this morning. Luckily it was Balt's daycare day, so I didn't have to walk him. I got into work early and got going. I brought cereal and milk for my morning finals again. One student walked in and asked loudly, "is that for us?" I said of course! and then he proclaimed, "you must love us!" Love them, indeed, I do, but I'm still happy to see them moving on. What I love best about teaching is getting to start all over again every semester with new classes and new students. I had lunch with Joe and Josh and we talked a lot about life, work and children. It was a very good time but it meant staying late to get everything I hoped to get done, done. I picked up Balt after 5pm and then got ready for a 6pm hot yoga class. I got in to class late so I was stuck in the back where it's REALLY hot.  My back is hanging in there but when I get home, after my hot shower, I'm out. I'm going to bed early again tonight, after watching some news.

Looking forward to a warm up!

It warmed up today finally, so the ice got better as the day progressed. I still wore my ice cleats for my morning dogwalk. I do not want to slip on ice, ever! Today was yearbook day. I finished grading my yearbook/CAMM class and then met up with my editor in chief to go over proofs. They are ready to send in tomorrow. I want to get them one last look over in the morning though. Joe bought me lunch today so I just worked all day but ran out a tad early to get to a 4pm yoga class which was awesome. Erika was waiting for me when I got home to get the clothes I was going to take to goodwill. She goes to trade parties and takes our old stuff and gets herself new work clothes. I'm going to bed super early tonight. There's a terrible flu going around and think the best way to prevent illness is with extra sleep! 

Finals Week

We had another icy morning. School was delayed by 15 minutes but not cancelled. I think every other school in the area was cancelled though. As promised, I provided cereal for my 4th hour final. Originally, we were supposed to eat the cereal out of the bowls created in class, but I brought paper bowls since I know not all kids would want to, but at least one did-- from such a very cute otter bowl! I changed things up a bit to allow students to finish up and clean up. I talked about classes to take next year and then we did a show and tell time, kind of critique to end out time together and then I took a photo and sent them away. I'm relieved the class is over, but I learned a lot from the experience. I finished grading and cleaning up and then had an IEP meeting to go to. I finished my school day working on proofs to send in, due on Thursday. I got to a 4:30pm hot yoga class and came home and enjoyed a nice evening with Balt. I finished the evening with This Is Us-- such a good show!

Ice Storm & Hot Yoga

I woke up to frozen rain which is not quite hail but certainly sounds close. Everything was covered in ice, so the dog walk was challenging. Poor Balt was slipping around in his boots, so I took them off but it was still pretty difficult to walk on the side walks. He went from grass patch to patch. I took a different route that kept him on grassier areas. I wore my ice cleats, so I was fine. Since the temps were hovering in the low 30's, it was quite comfortable to be out, just slick. I met up with Erika for a noon hot yoga class after spending nearly 1/2 hour scraping ice off my windshield, and then came home to left over heated soup.

I watched Minimalism; A Documentary About the Important Things on Netflix which really got me wanting to get rid of stuff. I learned about Project 333 for the first time. It's the minimalist fashion challenge that only allows 33 items or less for 3 months. I have two closets full of clothes and the thought of getting thru the next 3 months with only 33 items, seems way too challenging. While I am not quite a hoarder, I do have a hard time getting rid of things I think are still good and usable. I have no problem tossing the stained stuff with holes. I spent some time in the basement sorting stuff, gathering 2 bags of stuff to get rid of, so that made me feel better. I went to the grocery store to get cereal for my students' final tomorrow and then watched a bit of tv before bed.

Holiday Weekend

I love Sundays, but a Sunday that includes a Monday off, is even better!! Balt and I went for a nice walk together, I made a fire and watched some news. I did a bit of cleaning and ran some errands. I went into school with Balt to get a bit of work done and then met up with Erika at a 4pm hot yoga class. I came home and enjoyed a turkey burger. I bought a dozen of them for Jessi and she only ate 2. Meanwhile in California my parents helped Monika move into her dorm room. I'm so thankful for them and their generousity. Monika is very blessed to have grandparents like them. 

I got to watch "Bright Lights" with Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher which was really good. It's on HBO. I find it amazing that these two made this documentary together with a premiere date of January 7 and then died a couple of weeks prior, only a day apart. If America had royalty, these two women were as royal as they come in our country. After watching Carrie Fisher being monitored for weight loss while shooting Episode 7 of Star Wars, watch her chain smoke and constantly drinking Cocoa Cola, I don't think it is so surprising that she would have a heart attack. After watching this documentary and seeing how much Carrie took care of her mother and how close they were, it doesn't surprise me that her mother would pass so shortly after her. 

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Cleaning up and catching up

I enjoyed a wonderful morning with a big fire, coffee and news. I cleaned out the fridge and put the Christmas ham bone in my crock pot with veggies which offered the perfect lunch after a late morning hot yoga class. I spent the day doing laundry and housework and then I went to a second hot yoga class at 4pm. It was tough but I did not have back pain, it was hip pain that gave me problems. I came home after the class and got in a 2nd shower for the day and enjoyed more soup and a movie.

Monika made to my mom's late last night and had to day to enjoy my parent's company and sort thru her stuff in storage there. I wish I could have gone with her, but I know that road trip is right of passage to do alone. I'm proud of her for doing the trip alone. She's turned into quite the traveler and I'm kind of envious of all the places she's been this past year. 

The Last Day of 1st Half

I still have finals next week, so I will see a lot of my students one more time, but I took care of some business today, taking photos of my first 3 classes of the day. I had a long IEP meeting after school today, so I went home at lunch to give Balt a snack and let him out. I was totally bummed that I'd have to miss another yoga class this week and then have to do two for two days (which is really hard) if I was going to catch up on this challenge, BUT at 5pm a call came in and someone had to leave the meeting, so we all got to leave. It was miraculous. I rushed in to a 530 class (the last one on Fridays) and did not have to miss after all. My back was better. I came home to Balt, eager for dinner. I've been trying to skip dinner in order to help lose the 3lbs I gained over the holidays. It's pretty easy to do when no one is around. I did have a small bowl of fruit and a handful of nuts, so I'm still eating enough as to not go to bed hungry. I can't sleep if my stomach is growling!

I'm quite excited for the 3 day weekend ahead!

Alone again... naturally.

Monika got up early and left around 7am this morning. I was right behind her, but I took Balt to daycare and went to work, she went to Nebraska. My mom asked me if I cried and I didn't even really feel that sad, actually. I'll see her in February and well, a part of me is relieved that life can just go back to just me at home, not eating so much, not spending so much, not doing so much laundry. It makes me feel a little selfish but as I begin 2 1/2 years of living alone, I have to admit, I kind of like not having to share the tv, not having to buy food for anyone else, and I especially like not having to clean up after anyone else. I feel kind of guilty admitting that. Maybe that's me coping with being alone. Embrace reality and learn to love it. I know in a couple of months Erika will move back home, in May we will all be together to celebrate Jessi and maybe Monika will come home for a while in the summer. Being alone is nice because I've learned it's not forever. It's just for now.

It was the second to last day of classes and kids are super busy getting work done. It's not quite a frenzy. I'm gearing up for another yearbook deadline and needing to organize for new students to come into class and figure out what to do with them. I picked up Balt from daycare and gave him a good bath, he was way overdue. I went to a 6pm hot yoga class and struggled a bit with my sore back. It's not in pain, it's just sore. I thought about staying for a second class, but knew it would be better for me to get home and get to bed early. Monika texted that she had arrived to her hotel and was also going to bed early.

Note: Alone Again, Naturally is a song from my childhood I really liked (1972, I was 7). I had no idea it was as depressing as it was -- about a guy planning suicide after be dumped at the alter. It seemed a lot happier of a song to me. I still like it and it even kind of makes me feel happy.

Moni's last day home

I took Balt for an early morning walk in what seemed like an ice rink at times, but it was still nice to get a long walk in. At lunch I left to meet Monika at the Nissan dealership to take her out to lunch while the car was being worked on. We enjoyed our time taking about school, travel and this coming semester. I dropped her back off and went back to school to finish my work day. I stayed late working on yearbook proofs and got home in time to see Monika leave to meet a friend for coffee. I went grocery shopping to get snacks for both Jessi and Monika. I packed a box to send Jessi as she begins a tough final semester at the Naval Academy and packed a bag for Monika on the road. Both Monika and Erika got in after 7pm for a late dinner. I had a gift card for Olive Garden so we went for soup and salad and our last meal together. Monika still has lots of packing to finish up but I'm in bed, exhausted from the day and sore from 10 days of yoga. I missed today which means two in one day if I'm going to make the challenge of 30 classes in 30 days. My weekend is wide open!

Everybody is just working...

I woke up to rain, which was weird. Rain on snow, makes for a slushy mess. I had to put on my cleats to walk Balt because it was so slick outside! As the day progressed, of course it got colder and the slush turned to ice. Monika took her car for a travel check up to find she needs a whole new exhaust system which will dig my financial hole deeper. This year seems to be just one big ticket item after another-- it's maddening, but that's why I'm working this year it seems. At this point, I'm ready to sign up to teach summer school. 

At school there was a weird "raining on snow turning to ice" kind of vibe. The kids were all just working to get projects done knowing that Friday is the last day of class. At lunch, every kid in the building seemed to be stuck inside, since no one wants to go out in the rain or walk on ice. After school I went downtown to help hang an art teacher show at the Overture. I submitted a photo from my India show. i met up with Monika for a 6pm  Hot Yoga class. She and Erika went out for a movie and dinner after, I just enjoyed leftovers and some tv. I teared up watching the President's final speech. He's certainly going to be missed.

Wintry Mix

I was up before 5am and the video was still uploading from last night! After changing the song, I uploaded a new version and it finally loaded around noon. With that project done, now I've got to make sure Monika has all she needs for school to start and I have to finish off the semester and I have a second yearbook deadline to gear up for! It was a short Monday with PCT meeting after school. I had a newspaper club meeting at lunch and grading to do during my prep. So the day just flew by without a lot of time to breathe. We finally got a bit of snow late this afternoon which made Balt very happy.  Monika and Erika went to a 4pm yoga class I could not make so I went to a 5:30 class and got to see them both inbetween our classes. I came home to make a big salad for dinner and watch a Mozart in the Jungle episode with Monika before she left to go out with friends. I made cookies for a fund raiser and am ready to pass out. 

 

So Cold Outside!

Balt made me go out for a walk in zero degree weather. All I did today was work on my cousin's video. I made Monika take down the Christmas tree, which was nice to be rid of finally. I do like having Monika around for company and I'm going to miss having people around come next week. I got the video finished enough to upload and go to hot yoga. Once I got back I found out that one of the songs I chose to use has blocked the playing of the video on YouTube due to copyright infringement!  Thank goodness for Google!!  Here's a link to a draft to Rodney's video on my google drive, since I haven't been able to get it to work on YouTube. 

https://goo.gl/photos/E3qVnMo6S33Rca6V6

Not Even Close to Mid Winter

There are about 90 days of winter, we are only 17 in but tonight was the MidWinter Dance at school. This is the earliest its ever been due to scheduling conflicts with the school play and basketball season. Usually the dance in in mid February which is very mid Winter, but tonight's dance was well attended and seemed to very festive. I had to make sure we got photos for the yearbook. My volunteer student photographer was a no show but another stepped in to give me a break. I decided to go for comfort this evening and although I put on a bit of makeup and nice dress, I sported my Hawaiian Vans for footwear. I noticed a lot girls where Converse with their cocktail dresses, so I was not too far off the mark. When it's 4 degrees outside, it's hard to get excited about dressing up.

As for my Saturday, I did walk Balt in the freezing cold, but it wasn't a long one. I worked on a video for my cousin's husband's funeral which is Monday, so I'll be working on it all day tomorrow to get it done on time. I made it to hot yoga with Dr. Ruddy at 4pm and made cookies for a party Monika decided to host to watch Star Wars with friends since I was going out.

Numbers Don't Lie

It was negative 3 degrees when Balt and I went for our walk this morning. I was bundled  up so it was not as painful as I expected. It's my 3rd day of my Paleo cleanse. I made a frittata for breakfast which I ended up having for lunch as well. Monika loved it. I'm trying to eat lots of fruit to help fend off the cravings and it helps. 

There are only 5 regular classes of 1st semester. While I'm excited for the semester to be over, I will miss all the freshmen I have in my classes. They are quite the fun bunch, especially my 3rd hour (in photo above). They certainly have kept me on my toes and helped my teaching practice evolve (especially my 4th hour). It is nice to hear that they will miss me as well. Most of my kids are leaving me for a gym class. 

Today was my 5th day of my yoga challenge and Monika joined me for hot yoga this evening. We went home after and made dinner together and started the 3rd season of Mozart in the Jungle on Amazon with a fire blazing. It was a perfect Friday evening!

So Cold

My alarm went off at 3am. Jessi and Cody were up and packed already. Monika was warming up the car by 3:10, I gave them big hugs and they were gone by 3:15. I got to go back to bed while Monika did me the favor of taking them to the airport so I could sleep since I had work. Monika also took Erika to work so she could get her car brakes fixed, so Monika was in everyone's good graces today! I took Balt to daycare and avoided going out for a walk. It was just so cold. I wear tights under my jeans and 3 layers on top with a vest jacket all day just to make sure I'm comfortable at work. I have also started keeping a hot water carafe hot for me all morning so I can sip hot tea, which is helpful, not only to keep warm but stay hydrated while staying on my Paleo cleanse. I have to admit I feel so much better in just two days. The lack of sugar gives me cravings. I'm thinking about chocolate and cookies all the time but I am very much aware that I don't feel as bloated. Eventually the cravings will subside. I promised lunch out for Monika but she did not want to leave our home since it was so cold out. I brought her in a wrap and I got soup and enjoyed lunch with her. I stayed late after school and let Monika pick up Balt when she went to get Erika from work. I got home just in time to get to a hot yoga class at 7:30pm. I came home drenched in sweat feeling nice and warm and ready for bed (after a shower, of course).

Back to Work

Balt and I were up early, but I had to pull myself off the couch so much sooner than I've had too for the past two weeks. I took Balt for a walk and it was soo painful-- 5 degrees with even colder wind chills. But I needed the walk just as much as Balt. I got into work a bit early to a very mellow and somewhat tired student body. Kids were chatty though, sharing about vacation stuff with each other. I ran home for lunch but everyone had gone to yoga. I finished off a salad and got back to work. I did some grading and prep before 7th hour and ended the day going over proofs. Jessi and Cody had taken Balt out for a chilly walk to the park, which was great. I'm pretty sure Jessi will miss Balt most when she goes back to school (Monika misses the cats). I went to a hot yoga class and ran home and got ready as fast as I could so we could have one last dinner all together at the Great Dane (my favorite restaurant in Madison). I ordered onion soup. It was a wonderful evening. The holidays are officially over.

 

The Last Day of Vacation!

Balt and I were up at 5am. My plan to get out early for a walk and go into work were foiled by rain and a need to let myself have the last day of vacation. By 8am, the rain had stopped so I set out for a nice walk in the warmest weather we will have for the rest of the week. It was 35 degrees during my walk, 17 by the end of the day. We are looking at a high of 11 tomorrow. The perfect time to go back to work.

Jessi and Cody left to go skiing late in the morning. I let them take my truck since I knew it was going to be icy and I'd rather them crash in my truck rather than Monika's car. They had a great morning skiing but came home early once the wind chills started in and they got too cold to be outside. I managed to pop into work for an hour to set up the school power points and make sure my classrooms were cleaned. I decided to forego any grading. Monika and I went to a 4:30pm hot yoga class and then ordered pizza for dinner which Jessi and Cody enjoyed with us. 

Yesterday I started a 30 day hot yoga challenge (just like last January). Tomorrow I am starting a3 week Paleo cleanse. I was going to wait until next week after both Jessi and Monika are gone but I feel so gross from all the cheating, mostly from bread I think, that I'm eager to get a move on it. Vacation ends tonight with pizza.

Grey Monday

Balt seems back to his normal self. He got me up at 5am and was eager for a long walk. We did 3 miles. I finished my Carrie Fisher book and started organizing stuff to work on a digital scrapbook for 2009, since I got bored. I made the girls a breakfast sandwiches after they got back from yoga. I decided to go in the afternoon after they all left for the day, giving me something to do later in the day. I came home from yoga, cleaned up and made a big salad for dinner and continued to work on my scrapbook. The kids all got home early in the evening and started getting ready to go skiing tomorrow morning. I have lots of snow pants and jackets in the basement, so Cody and Jessi tried everything on, Jessi found her skiis in the garage that she hasn't used in years-- at least 4. I am enjoying everyone's company but have to admit to having lots more laundry and dishes to do. After Thursday, it will just be me and Monika, but only for a week.