End of School Year & Re-Entering

We have been ramping up our social dates lately - with family and friends - it’s been really great and needed on all fronts. 

We mostly stay outside because the kids aren’t vaccinated yet. I feel like the entire culture thinks we’re back to normal but forget the kids are not vaccinated yet. 25% of COVID cases are children now. 

 We’ve already had lots of water time at home. And Hannah got new glasses! Now she has a nose piece! She also lost another tooth!

We made it to the end of the school year - Hallelujah and Amen!! Weird emotions - I made sure to send thank yous to the teachers who taught our remote children. The kids made it through this odd and difficult year. 

We had an emotional thank you with our sitter/aide who helped Hannah with her school work all year. Hannah thrived thanks to the 1-on-1 attention. Hannah even attended Field Day with Miss Hannah and had a blast. 

Because Nora stuck with her assignments, nothing was late, and she agreed to working on her multiplication and reading chapter books, we got her an IKEA loft bed. She loves it and feels less scared at night now - I guess because she’s away from the “scary” things down low??

We hit a local Farm, Berries & Blooms - it was beautiful but Nora is having trouble being around crowds anymore. This started before the pandemic and just seems to be getting a touch harder. She doesn’t like being around people she doesn’t know. We are trying to nudge her out because she has to acclimate a bit - we can’t just stay home all the time. 

Nora also joined about five other kids in the neighborhood with some historic crafts - one Mom took two days to teach them how to make Possible Bags and Sun Sandal Moccasins! Nora even has a beaver pelt on her bag! 

Running Rebirth

 When the pandemic hit, I was in the middle of half marathon training. I had signed up for the Flying Pig 3-Way with Extra Cheese: during non-pandemic times, that means a 1-mile race Friday evening, a 10K immediately followed by a 5K Saturday morning, then a half marathon Sunday morning. 

With the entire world shifting, I lost all motivation and just stopped, going back down to my 3 miles 3X a week.  I didn’t know how I’d ever get the motivation to get back to all those miles with no in-person racing. 

Like most of the nation, I fell into a funk... definitely ate and drank my way through my sadness. Once fall 2020 hit I was tired of being tired and had to shake myself up. 

I had been a part of a "Fit-Minded" Moms group who all have kids with DS. One woman in particular has been a trainer for 17 years and has her own small business. She had a new year special for her 20-minute workouts through an app. I started in December and immediately got hooked. It was the perfect amount of time and I really liked her personality - not the annoying in-your-face type trainer. Her schedule mixed up whole body strength, legs, arms, core, cardio and stretching. 

In addition to the new strength training, I also stopped snacking at night. I barely drink wine anymore and have swapped to a couple seltzers on a weekend night. While some people scoff, I do practice intermittent fasting most of the week. I like it and helps me feel less bloaty. Perimenopause during the pandemic hasn’t helped. 

Slowly but surely I’ve felt stronger. And even more - I’ve become about 45 seconds faster in my running - ! I’m almost embarrassed I waited so long to strength train. It clearly has so many benefits, especially as a women in perimenopause. 

Throughout my training, my pace has been under 11 minutes per mile - which has not happened the past two years. 

This past Saturday I did my “official” 10K and had a 10:11 pace - ! I set my own PR (personal record). This morning I wasn’t planning on doing my Pig 5K, but I woke up earlier than my alarm and started strong and decided to push it - I ended up doing my 5K with a 9:34 pace! Now I just need to see how my half marathon goes!

I’m so proud of the work I’ve put in and have been enjoying running again with my lifestyle changes 💗

*I ran my half and it went... okay. I struggled the 2nd half and I think it could be because I didn’t hydrate enough the day before. However, I did keep my pace under 11 min miles, so I’m still proud of that!

Spring Break 2021

During the summer of 2020 I was super bummed out and planned ahead to book something - anything - for spring break 2021. I found a cabin in Sevierville with a pool table, arcade and hot tub. 

The drive was fairly easy - about 4 hours. The “resort” (community) was new and very nice, tidy, and quiet. We could take evening walks on our small road. 

I was able to set up a Kroger pickup about 4 miles away which was super helpful than eating out or grocery shopping. We did do GrubHub delivery two times which was easy. 

I found a lot of shorter trails in our area. Easy trails in the Smokies are not considered easy here in Cincinnati : )  One small walk was part of Foxfire Outdoor Adventures - the trail had a free-hanging bridge (eek!) and a small waterfall. It was all uphill and a challenge for me to carry Hannah in the backpack. 

We bought an adult cider on our way out - cute fun place! 

Hoping the next time we head to that area we can re-do our cancelled Dollywood + Dream More resort stay. 

Easter 2021

 Easter 2021 was a bit brighter than last year when we were all solidly locked down. This year Tim and I were fully vaccinated and it was a beautiful day so we could still sit outside while some of our family weren’t fully vaccinated yet.

Earlier in the month there was a nice weekend so the Battys also got together outside - it was so refreshing!