Happy May! We are entering our seventh week of social distancing/lockdown/quarantine/whatever you want to call it. I can’t believe it’s almost halfway through 2020. For better or worse, this year is moving by, and while it’s nothing like what I imagined or hoped for, we are managing to get through.
Florida will enter Phase I of reopening on Monday (with the exception of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties). We are going to continue staying the course, as we see what people will do. As far as we are concerned, things will go on as “usual.” Little man will keep on distance learning and Mr PugRunner will work from home. The plan is to see what happens and make decisions from there.
Sunday – 3.66 mile walk
I got up pretty early so I could get in a walk, before we had to leave the house.
Our day’s plan was to pick blueberries, and then little man had to make a few batches. Some of our friends had seen pictures of his baking exploits and wanted to order some from him. He did a great job (of both picking and baking).
We had to bring our own buckets, and the only thing we had in the appropriate size were these trick or treat buckets. We made it work.
Monday – 3.35 mile walk + 3 x 10 (shoulder press, bicep curl, chest fly, anterior raise)
Another week of crisis learning and work. Little man has been getting some truly nice compliments from his teachers. I appreciate they are taking the time to encourage individual students, especially considering how hard this has been for everyone.
I did my morning walk.
And we got right into everything. That evening, little man started decorating the cookies he received for his birthday. It was a DIY kit of cut out cookies, icing bags, and sprinkles and candy. So cute. Thanks, P Family!
Tuesday – Couch to 5K W2D1 (3.7 miles total)
And so, Couch to 5K Week 2 started. Eep. For these three days, running and walking intervals both increased. It was a little nerve-wracking, but once again, I just put my head down and went for it. Success! It’s also worth noting this is the second turtle I’ve saved this week.
Little man had a slammed day: schoolwork in the morning and early afternoon, clarinet lesson, karate lesson, and then his virtual merit badge course, followed by his actual Troop meeting. He rocked it without missing a beat.
Wednesday – 3.5 mile walk
Happy 12th Birthday, little man!
We worked so hard to make this a great day. He woke up to balloons, his f favorite breakfast (avocado toast) and a special shirt I crafted on the Cricut.
Wednesdays are live conference days, so I made him “go to school” for the morning (he had four classes – super manageable), and then he was free for the day. My parents brought takeout from a sandwich shop and we ate outside in our driveway, at an acceptable social distance.
In the evening, we ordered wings from the restaurant down the street, and sat outside to eat. The biggest surprise was a parade of friends, who really went all out with posters, noisemakers, balloons, music and lots of smiles and horns. He was stunned, and so very happy.
It took him a little while to process everything that had gone on, but he was so very grateful and happy.
Thursday – Couch to 5K W2D2 (3.39 miles total) + 3 x 10 (shoulder press, bicep curl, chest fly, anterior raise)
I was able to run by some gorgeous flowers on this particular morning. It’s getting hotter, so spring is definitely almost over.
Friday – 4.5 mile walk + 3 x 10 (military press, wide row, regular row, V press)
TGIF. I took a super long walk and did arm strength.
Work was busy, but I got done as much as I could. Some days, I just find myself distracted and unfocused, but it is what it is.
That evening, we went to a local restaurant, where they were hosting some live music. We were allowed to sit in our cars, or in camp chairs, with at least 6′ distance between groups. The weather was gorgeous and we had a few drinks and just enjoyed ourselves.
Saturday – Couch to 5K W2D3 (3.66 miles total)
I didn’t want to do this run, but it needed to be done. Even though I had had a wee bit to drink on Friday night, I ended up feeling just fine, and had my fastest, longest run of the week. Yay!
I confess to being super lazy the rest of the day. Little man made homemade pizza dough so we could have pizza, which was delicious. He’s really evolving as a cook.
And I also enjoyed another fantastic Zoom Coffee Date with the blogger crew. So awesome.
These chats are truly a highlight of my week.
Goal-getting
Even in this “life interruption,” we have a great deal happening.
This week is my birthday and Mother’s Day (Saturday and Sunday, respectively). We also have May the Fourth Be With You on Monday and Cinco de Mayo on Tuesday. Those will be fun. I will be attending a virtual Mother’s Day Tea Party on my birthday with St. Augustine Moms (save $1 on your registration with code JENNIFERL if you want to join in the fun).
and our cul de sac will do a small, socially distant brunch on Sunday. It should be nice.
On Monday, we are also having Front Porch Project photos taken with Megan Soto Photography. I had scheduled family photos the weekend I ended up breaking my leg, and obviously, it hasn’t been a priority since. Well, local photographers are offering photo shoots that are socially distant and safe. They use their zoom lenses to shoot your family on your front porch or other area at your home, while they stay 20 to 30 feet away. It’s a great way to get updated photos and support the local photographers.
If you’re local, check out Megan (she is still honoring her Aprili price of $60 for a session). If you’re not, I’m sure photographers near you are offering a similar package.
I did mention a surprise, and I will have an update Monday at some point. Oooh, I’m so excited. To tide you over, on an unrelated note, Meghan had the brilliant idea to run the ZOOMA 12K in October as well (if it’s a go), and we got Amy on board, booked a hotel for the weekend, and for the first time, it feels like something normal on the horizon. We can cancel, if need be, but I do hope things will stay steady.
Little man has cruised through two virtual merit badge courses, which is great. I love that BSA offers this to help keep advancements moving through these trying times. He misses his Troop, and it’s certainly nice that they have been able to adapt.
I am linking up with the Weekly Rundown, with Confessions of A Mother Runner and Running on the Fly! Check them out!
How was your week in training?
What is something you have on the calendar as “normal”?
Happy Birthday to your little man! I love that you made it extra special for him. As a fellow member of the #quarantinebirthdayclub it’s a bit of a bummer so I’m glad that he had so many great things to make his birthday special!
Awesome job on all of your workouts this week! So sad I had to miss yesterday’s Zoom blogger call but I will be on the next one for sure. Miss all of you!
Hey! All the cool kids are in the #quarantinebirthdayclub. The boys are getting me an ice cream cake for Saturday, and Imma eat it all by myself LOL.
We missed you, too! But we will see you next time!
Birthdays have been pretty tough for kids through all this! There have been a lot of cars driving around honking to help celebrate. Mother’s Day will be kind of weird too. We’ll get together with the boys, but not my extended family. Kind of sad, really.
I’m so sad I had to miss the Zoom chat but when Tom came over, I just had to hang with him. We haven’t seen him since Easter. It was a really fun day. Cocoa is exhausted, lol!
Of course you did! We missed you, too, but we will see you again next time š
What a great idea for that local restaurant…sounds like a fun night!
Birthdays must be tough in this, but sounds like your son was able to feel special š
Glad you’re doing so well post injury!
That place is doing an awesome job. They also do drive in movies. It’s genius. We are supporting the heck out of them by getting takeout and attending their events when we can.
I’m a bit envious of all you’ve been able to do! But so glad that little man’s birthday was so special.
We have mother’s day & my brother’s 60th birthday the day after (he lives in CA).Gotta think of something for my mom . . .
That was the most important thing: that he had a great day.
I don’t think I will see my mom on Mother’s Day. She works that night, and she just wants to do a giant celebration when this is over. Fair enough.
I love how you find ways to be socially engaged with your friends and neighbours! It’s true, being physically distant doesn’t mean we can’t be sociable.
I love the idea with the photo sessions!
It’s been going ok. We do have a lot of space here, and I think that helps. We can all be out in our driveways and have plenty of rom between us. it’s not as fun, but it’s fine.
I love the photo session idea, too. I wanted to get some more flowers for the front porch, but it didn’t work out. I have no doubt she will make it look nice.
It sounds like your son had a very special day. We saw a few front yards decorated with birthday stuff on our bike ride ā I love how creative people are being. Itās awesome that your son is becoming such a good cook. I need his pizza dough recipe for our Saturday pizza nights. Iām glad you are progressing with C25K!
Happy Birthday week!
I will snag the recipe from the cookbook and send it to you! It was really, really, really delicious.
We are getting pretty creative in this quarantine. You just have to make it work.
Congrats on week 2 of C25K! I remember that sometimes increase in the workouts would kind of sneak up on me when I did it.
Next week is going to be terrifying. I have some other issues that led me to more of a Galloway approach to running, but I’m going to try to go for it, since I’m relearning everything. We shall see how it goes.
Sounds like you nailed it in trying to make your son’s birthday special! We have had a couple of birthday parades in our neighborhood too (sadly, not one for my birthday haha!). It’s a fun surprise. Does anyone put signs in yards? Some company around here can put a huge happy birthday sign in your yard – made up of individual yard signs. It’s the coolest thing! We also have photographers doing the porch sessions. Great idea! I hope your birthday is special too! I’m sure you will always remember it, regardless if it is a big deal or not š
Signs in yards are HUGE. We did it last year, but not this year. Two other things I forgot to include: we were outside for lunch and two fighter jets pretty much buzzed our neighborhood. Dipped the wing and everything. They were so close we could see the pilots so obviously, we told him that it was for him. And also, my husband managed to organize a video shout out by Joe Gatto (from Impractical Jokers) to A, and he was just over the moon.
I am so excited for our pictures.
I love that your little man’s birthday was filled with fun surprises! Crazy times for sure. You’re doing so great with C25k. Hilarious how you feel like spring is over and here it feels like it’s barely starting!
Right? It’s going to be hot this week! And we NEVER get spring. It’s literally Summer-Winter-Summer-SummerPLUS.
I agree, those are such a highlight. Thank you for bringing the hedgehog to chat with us. So cute.
The trick or treat baskets were perfect – blueberries are totally a sweet treat. Glad your son had the best bday possible
Hufflepuff can come any time. She is the best. I hope to have something even better for our next call, though.
And the ticker or treat buckets were ridiculous. it’s so funny how we just have to figure it out.
So glad that your son was able to enjoy his birthday a little bit. My son’s is next week not sure what we are going to do! You are crushing this comeback keep it up!
I hope he has a great day! I’m trying to crush it. I feel incredibly weak and useless sometimes, but I do my best.
I’m glad everything worked out well for your little guy’s birthday. I know all about quarantine birthdays…mine was in March, the hubby’s was April 1, and now my father’s is tomorrow. I didn’t have the forethought to organize a parade, but I have a big “HONK! It’s Warren’s 80th” sign that’s getting erected in the early morning hours LOL
that’s going to be awesome and he is going to love it! I don’t know what’s planned for my birthday, but I hope it’s awesome š
It sounds like your return to running is going well! We haven’t started opening back up here yet, which I am ok with. We were hoping to be able to see my parents for Mothers Day but that won’t be happening. Glad you were able to do some fun things to celebrate your son’s birthday!
I’m so sorry. I’m not going to see my mom either, I don’t think. We will see. I’m glad he had a great birthday too.
Happy birthday little man!! I’m glad he had a decent celebration. It must be so hard for everyone š and yes, lots of celebrating for you this week!! I must say living in an apartment building in a very apartment building-y neighborhood I get really jealous right now of people in more residential areas. Cut de sac brunch sounds delightful right now !!
It makes such a difference. We are in an almost rural area (our mail is delivered by pickup truck), so we definitely have space to spread out. I love city living, but being in an apartment would be such difficult challenge in the current situation. Thinking of you. Hang in there.
Your son is a trooper. I’m not sure I wold have been at his age.
Yup, next weekend is a big one for both of us. The weather is always bad here and it is predicted to be raining and 40s. But at least this year, I will have nothing planned to do.
I AM SO EXCITED about ZOOMA. The new organizer Sarah is great. It’s like a women’s retreat with yoga and dinners and side trips. I will I could go!!
He really surprised me in the best way. As an only child, we always make such a big deal out of his birthday, so it’s hard when the bar drops. The o original plan was that he was going to be at Universal with one of his best buddies, living it up at a nice hotel. Obviously, that was canceled, and of course it was upsetting.
I’m excited about ZOOMA too. It seems like it’s made such a positive change and I am looking forward to be a part of it. Fingers crossed it goes off!
Aww happiest of birthdays to your little guy!! I love the DIY cookie set!! That sounds like so much fun!
And yay for another successful couch to 5K week! You’re killing it girl!!
We’re doing to the same here in Arkansas with re-opening slowly. We’re not changing too much of our routine up just yet so we’ll kind of wait and see what happens over the next little while with everything.
Have a great rest of your week!!! Can’t wait to see how your front porch pictures turn out! That’s such a cute idea and I’ve been loving seeing everyone’s creativity with them.
Thank you! He loved it!
I don’t think there’s much else to do but see how it goes. So many people ran right out to frequent restaurants and all that, but I would rather just stick to takeout and stay away from the crowds. For now.
The pictures came out so great! She had them back to us right away, and I am so happy!
runswithpugs recently posted…week 16 (2020): and so ends 6th grade
Happy birthday to your little man! Sorry he had to have a birthday during quarantine- I can only imagine how difficult that is. Looks like you still managed to make it a special day though! I’m hoping by the time my birthday rolls around in August we can actually go do something fun.
You should be able to at least go out to the beach and dinner in August! Fingers crossed!
I’ll be home for mine. I want iced coffee and donuts, time to run, and then I think I will make an orzo carbonara. We will see.
runswithpugs recently posted…week 16 (2020): and so ends 6th grade
I am so so glad Little Man had a good birthday! It’s so hard for kids right now to not have a party or have loved ones come around. Super sweet of everyone to come by and celebrate with him!!
you are doing so great with your running progress! I love that you’ve signed up for a race in October! I really hope it happens! Nothing like having an actual race to look forward to!
it was great “seeing” you again last saturday!
It really is tough for them, but they are all doing so great with adapting and being grateful for what they get. I am so impressed.
I hope it happens, too! I don’t have my hopes too high, but it would be nice to have something on the calendar. Especially with my girlfriends.
runswithpugs recently posted…week 16 (2020): and so ends 6th grade
I love how people are coming together (while apart) to make the best of things. Looks like Little Man had a great birthday, despite the challenges.
Congrats on week 2 of C25K!
people are being super creative, spontaneous and flexible. It’s nice.
Awww, it sounds like LM had just about as nice of a birthday as he could have considering the circumstances.
I love all of the porch family portraits that I’m seeing on Facebook. Porch portraits are also very big up here in Virginia.
Keep up the great work with Couch 2 5K!
You have some gorgeous porches up your way! I don’t love our “porch” but it will do. It’s been about two years since we’ve had photos done and so I really want them.
I’m so glad your son enjoyed his birthday!
You are doing great with C25K – no surprise…I knew you’d crush it! I love that you signed up for a ZOOMA race – I hear the new owner has been doing great things with the race series!
It really seems like ZOOMA has improved greatly. I can’t wait to see what they have to offer.
Happy birthday to you and Aiden! We are also kind of cruising along and are seeing what other people are doing. My husband and I have to go to work, but other than the grocery store, we really haven’t gone anywhere.
I love that the BSA is allowing merit badge work and rank advancement through virtual activities. It’s great to keep the momentum going.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Thank you! It’s been interesting to watch the BSA in action. They have their standards, but they have also been so adaptable and flexible. Some of the kids aren’t digging the virtual meetings and such, but it will end and they will be right back at it. The virtual classes are great. They are $5 and for the ones that require outings etc, they are doing it all virtually. He is working on his second right now, and then we took a break – they are four nights a week, which is a lot, when you consider school, karate, clarinet and his regular Scouts meeting.
That’s so great of the teachers to be encouraging to individual students like that! And I love all the creativity in getting out while still staying socially distant. The live music event at the restaurant is a great idea. I hope the brunch is fun as well š
It’s really wonderful. They are all working so hard.
I think brunch will be awesome. I just ordered a dress to wear, and I hope it comes on time!
Happy Birthday to your son! I can imagine how hard it was for him to celebrate it in the state we’re in right now. Birthday parades are fun! My cousin’s birthday was on April 24th. His siblings and cousins did a parade and he was surprised and happy.
Seriously, I am surprised with how busy your son is with school. So far more students are participating in my daily Google Meet sessions and/or are turning in assignments. That is all I can ask of them and just hope they’re OK. It is a rough time for them too.
Great job with the C25K!!
It actually worked out well, and he was very grateful.
It is such a rough time for kids and teachers. Every district is so different. One of my teacher friends was complaining because she has kids who aren’t even bothering to check in. It’s got to be so disheartening š