I’m trying to post every other day in October. The goal has been to hit publish at some point during the “odd” days. I published Friday’s post on Saturday and then didn’t put anything up Sunday. Now it’s 10:30pm on Tuesday evening and I’m trying to get work done, but the fact that I’ve fallen off my posting wagon is nagging at me…
I have to admit, the week of solo parenting eventually caught up with me. The 11yo’s birthday party was pretty hard to host by myself, especially the hour in the “party” room where the boys were supposed to be eating pizza and drinking soda, but were instead playing with their food and drink. I would have just left early and taken them to a playground, but one kid was being picked up 15 minutes early from the trampoline park and another was being picked up from there at the original end time, so I couldn’t pack them all in the SUV and just leave. The last half hour of the party was interminable (they were not allowed to go back out and jump).
But I survived, and the 11yo was happy, and I’m so relieved it’s over. This weekend the grandparents are coming over, which means the house needs to be cleaned up. I don’t love the grandparent birthday parties at our house, but they have to happen so I will suck it up. This is the third weekend in a row I’ve not looked forward to, and I REALLY need Halloween weekend to break this spell. I need the weekends to be reprieves from the stresses of life, not their own little stress bombs waiting to detonate!
In happier news, the 15yo was invited to the group interview next weekend. She is thrilled. And so are we!
Tomorrow my youngest turns 12 and I have big feelings about it, but I promised him I wouldn’t make the day all about me. š
I managed to run today, which was a nice consolation prize since I couldn’t make it to the dojo (the husband had a late night commitment which made it hard for me to be at my late night class). Here is a photo from that run. Some trademark Bay Area fog for your viewing pleasure.
Things kind of fell apart last night but donāt worry! Weāre all fine! I was going to tweak this post to publish it today but f*ck it. Iām posting it because who cares and Iām already a day late with it.
Fall has fallen!
The rain storm we had on Monday brought much cooler weather than we’ve been having. September and October are usually our warmest months, especially in San Francisco proper, but the air is finally feeling crisp and cool. On Monday our heat kicked on and we keep the thermostat at 62! I’m definitely here for the cooler weather, and I hope it keeps up, though I’m sure there will be some more surprisingly warm days before it officially cools off.
I pulled my Halloween leggings out of the shed last week and now I need to get my sweatshirt dresses and Ugg boots from the winter clothes box (also in the shed, but harder to access). I have a few Halloween decorations up in the house, and I got a couple new things for Spooky Spirit Week, which is the week of Halloween at school!
Half way through husband’s trip
The husband is in Amsterdam. It’s nine hours ahead. We can only chat on my way to work, when he’s in the middle of his day or on my drive home, when he’s out late. Needless to say we aren’t getting to talk much. I miss him! Solo parenting isn’t that hard as my kids are older and can do a lot themselves. Having said that I feel like I can never sit down because I have to take advantage of every moment. Part of this is because my inlaws are coming in the morning to help the 6th grader get up and to school, and they will clean anything I leave out, so I feel like I need to have my kitchen in pristine shape before I leave in the mornings. I hate for them to clean up my messes.
Getting to work has been kind of a shit show, because I need to feed the cats before I leave and that, combined with keeping my kitchen pristine, has me leaving later than usual. On Tuesday I hit so much traffic that it took an hour to get to work. On Wednesday I forgot my coffee and water. Thursday and Friday were better – I even got parking spots in the front on those days!
I’ve been making sure to get every last minute of prep done before I get to work, in case I pull up right before the bell rings. This takes a significant amount of time! I get a lot done in the normal 40+ minutes I have before the bell rings! I’ve also had to stay for 30-40 minutes after work most days this week, to do the stuff I can’t, or don’t want to, bring home.
The 11yo
My favorite sparring buddy is back at the dojo after a several-month hiatus (first for summer break, then for baseball). He came back at the perfect time because they are just starting their Junior Leadership program and he is interested in participating. I really hope he continues to find the dojo a fun and meaningful place to be.
After a ROUGH couple of weeks, things have been a lot better for him at school. I guess the one teacher he was having a hard time with (that he has for TWO classes), has gotten better. I wonder if someone else talked to him before we could? It seems like things in that class have changed significantly. Seems unlikely those changes happened organically…
He’s of course VERY EXCITED for his birthday. His friend party is this Sunday. His actual birthday (he’ll get his big present from us) is Wednesday, and his grandparent birthday party is next Sunday. He gets to feel special on THREE DAYS! Sounds about right.
Today I drove to his school, parked the car, found him and showed him how to take the 48 down to Mission and 24th and then how to walk from there to the dojo. We stopped in McDonalds to get him a 20 piece chicken nugget and a frozen Coke. The timing worked great for his 5pm class, which he could never get to on time if he tried to get home (on the bus) first. Iām so glad it worked! I also showed him how to get home from his baseball game on the bus on Saturday, since I need to be at the dojo. Heās getting so independent! Iām really proud of him.
The 15yo
I realized last night – when the 15yo mentioned how much I’d been in her room – that I was lonely and lurking because I wanted company. Luckily she likes to hang out with me and didn’t mind. She has found her rhythm at school, can manage the homework better, and is going to swimming twice a week. Do I wish she were going to swim at least three days a week? Sure! But I’m not going to say anything, because it’s her life and she needs to do what feels right for her.
She applied for an internship at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito and got an interview on Monday! She was so thrilled to have made it through the first round! I REALLY hope her interview goes well. We’ve talked through the questions and we’re going to do a first practice interview on Zoom tonight. She’ll do at least one more practice interview with her dad via Zoom over the weekend too.
Other Random Updates
I got my Covid and flu shots on Monday. My arm was super sore but I never felt shitty. They finally filled the 15yoās ADHD prescription earlier this week and I picked it up.
I am had my eye appointment and am trying occupational progressives for the first time, where the majority of your vision is most of your reading prescription, so you can see clearly for like 10 feet but distance is not great. She said if I hate them I can bring them back within three months and get regular progressives. I just know āthe boostā at the bottom of glasses just isnāt enough for me anymore. Iām really excited to try something new. My new glasses should be in late next week.
I saw my kidsā dentist for the first time on Wednesday. I have to go back to get three cavities filled or refilled. Such a bummer. I do not have great teeth.
I havenāt made it to the dojo yet this week, but I did do a Sims 60 Bike Boot Camp on Wednesday. I didnāt start u til 8pm, and it was really hard, but I rocked it! I was really proud.
I have been working out regularly for decades. That is pretty crazy to say, since working out has never been required by any part of my life. I have just always prioritized it consistently, since my early 20s, when I realized how important it was for my emotional (and physical!) health.
Of course it has looked different over the years. In high school I swam competitively. A torn rotator cuff put an end to swimming, but later I ran (I’ve run a marathon and a few halfs) cycled (I’ve ridden several centuries and one two-day, 180 mile ride). I rock climbed regularly at an indoor gym for many years. I’ve done spinning and kick boxing and Pilates classes at gyms. We’ve had an elliptical at the house since we moved here (12 years ago) and I’ve had a (used) Peloton bike for a couple years. I started doing strength classes, first with DVDs and then with streaming services – BeachBody and now Peloton – since the pandemic. And I’ve been practicing martial arts for nine years.
For 20+ years I’ve always been doing something, usually a combination of cardio and strength, at least four days a week. These days I’m working out five days a week, and I have to admit that lately my motivation has been waning. This summer I was doing several 45-60 minute bike bootcamp or strength classes a week. Now I rarely manage a 45 minute class and 60 minutes of exercise has become pretty rare.
But I’m still working out five times a week. Usually that looks like at least one 30-45 minute Bike Boot Camp (or Intervals & Arms rids), one 30 minute Strength class with a 10 minute Lanebreak ride on the bike to warm up, 1-2 days of 2-3 hours of training at the dojo, and one run (or elliptical) day.
I never work out in the mornings, because that would necessitate waking up before 5am and I just can’t fall asleep early enough to make that feasible. Even on the weekends I usually workout in the afternoon or evening, excepting my three hour (12-3pm) Saturday training block at the dojo and if I run on Sunday that usually happens by 1pm.
I try to work out right when I get home, so Iām done before the kids and husband are back from school and work. That can only happen if I donāt have an errand to run after work, but when I know I have the opportunity to get my workout done earlier, I make sure I have a class āstackedā in the Peloton app. Knowing what Iām going to do well before itās time to do it, really helps me get started promptly.
If I donāt manage to work out right when I get home, it usually doesnāt happen until a lot later, at 7, 8 or even 9pm. I donāt love working out that late, but it does happen. This is possible now because my kids are old enough to do their bedtime routines without much prompting, so even if Iām the only adult at home, I can squeeze in a workout right before my kids go to bed.
The elliptical machine is upstairs in our living room. It takes up the entire wall at the front of the house, against the windows.
The Peloton bike lives in the downstairs kitchen (our bedroom is a 400 sq ft inlaw unit behind the garage that has it’s own small kitchen, which we use to store extra food (our real kitchen has no real pantry) and our Peloton bike!
I do strength training classes in our bedroom, where I rollout a 4x6ft mat (this is new and is a GAME CHANGER! Highly recommend over a regular-sized yoga mat) and pull out 5-20lb weights that live in boxes under a storage bench.
I play classes on my computer, or if it I s a Bike Boot Camp, I cast the bike’s screen to a Roku stick on a $90 monitor that has speakers, because there wasn’t enough space in the kitchen next to the bike to do strength exercises.
View of downtown San Francisco (and the Bay Bridge) from San Bruno Mountain Park.
I run pretty much only in parks or on trails. My favorites are San Bruno Mountain Park, near my house and Sawyer Camp Trail near my work.
Sawyer Camp Trail runs along my Crystal Springs Reservoir, maybe my favorite place in the bay.
There is also a 3 mile loop behind a subdivision near my work that the local junior colleges keep up for cross country meets that I really like, and of course the two mile stretch of the Great Highway where I run and my kids ride their bikes.
Path along the Great Highway before they closed the actual highway for good.
Besides a couple other random spots that I visit very infrequently, those are the main four places that I run. My runs are generally 40-60 minutes, so around 4-6 miles. I prefer to run on my way home from work (I pack running clothes and shoes and change before I leave), or on Sundays if the weather is nice in the city. I do have to time my runs around eating, because if I eat anything substantial within two hours of running Iāll get a side stitch.
Iām not quite sure why maintaining an exercise regimen for so long has been so āeasyā for me. I never stop exercising regularly, it just isnāt an option for me. Iām not sure quite why that is, it just feels like the way Iām wired. The question is never, will I exercise, itās when and how will I exercise.
Having said that, there are days when I really donāt want to do whatever Iām slated to do. Sometimes Iāll switch things up and pick another class, or jump on the elliptical (where I can also write a post) instead of doing a more intense class on the bike. Sometimes I skip the dojo and do a shorter class at home. I try to honor my āwhims,ā because I know it helps me maintain consistency. I am good about getting in 2-3 days of strength work a week, but there is variability in what that looks like. Having different options does help.
I feel like there is more I could say about how I workout, but nothing else is coming to me. If you have any questions let me know, and Iāll answer them in the comments or write another post.
Do you workout regularly? Have you started and stopped doing so over the years? What has, and hasnāt, worked for you when it comes to exercise?
My friend’s memorial was Sunday. I will admit that I had been dreading it. I just knew I was going to cry the whole time.
And I did cry. A lot But I also talked a lot, with people I haven’t seen in many years. It was nice to see them again, even though we all wished it were under different circumstances.
My friend was an amazing person who touched many, many lives. She died suddenly, and relatively young, and we were all there to remember her and to try to make sense of the fact that she’s no longer with us. It was hard.
I was also reminded that I am an important part of the lives of many people, even people I don’t see much anymore. I appreciated being reminded of that.
Monday I had a pretty bad emotional hang over. My eyes were so puffy it looked like I’d been punched. I was mortified walking to the eye doctor’s – I would have cancelled if I weren’t so desperate for a new pair of glasses. My face didn’t look normal until well into the afternoon.
I was really glad it was a three day weekend.
I took the husband to the airport around 1:30pm. He has been very supportive of me this past week; I’ve been kind of a basket case with the memorial service looming. I was sadder to see him go than I expected. It has felt empty and lonely in the house without him.
I appreciated the weather though. We had our first rain storm, and the dark, wet, weather matched my mood. I got my flu and Covid shots at Kaiser on the way home (they STILL couldn’t fill the 15yo’s ADHD prescription) and stopped at Costco to stock up on freezer foods. Once I got home, I put on cozy pj pants and reveled in our first rain storm of the season.
I made a ton of pumpkin pancakes for the 11yo’s lunches. I vacuumed and changed my sheets. I graded two sets of group projects. I finished up the week’s plans in all the classes (which I had started at swim yesterday). I planned all the afternoons this week, so I know what I’m expecting to accomplish each day. I helped the kids make their lunches. I PUT THE CANS OUT.
Now I’m working out, which wasn’t originally on the docket, but I realized during my planning session that going to the dojo tomorrow wasn’t really going to work for me. I’ll take the 11yo for his class, but staying for my class will be too hard, so I’m working out tonight instead. Honestly, I should have known I was going to work out because I can’t sleep in clean sheets without taking a shower. And I don’t take a shower unless I work out…
Yes, I’m a bit of a weirdo.
It’s going to be a long week without the husband. Luckily I thought to get some gum and candy for the 11yo’s party favors while I was at Costco. I can’t believe his party is this coming Sunday, and that I’m throwing it by myself. We usually have his friend party AFTER his actual birthday, not before. It’s really throwing me for a loop.
I have a couple of posts partially done. I hope to get them up later this week. So far I’ve hit my posting every-other-day goal pretty consistently, and we’re almost half way through the month.
Last week was long with parent/teacher conferences every afternoon and the memorial service looming. This week will be short, at least work wise, and I’m leaning hard into that when things feel stressful. I’m also reminding myself that it’s okay if we don’t make it to something. I have my first teeth cleaning with the kids’ dentist on Wednesday, but otherwise everything is “optional.” and that’s okay.
Daria asked what working out looks like for me these days and I started that post, but then realized I want to post pictures of my strength set up, so I’m going to push that post to early next week, and instead put up some pictures of my cats, because they are a huge part of my life, even though I don’t write about them much. I honestly don’t know what we’d do without them, they are the stars of the show each and every day.
Sleepy Serval. No one takes a nap like this cat. Panther loves to play.Two trouble makers. Oh hey!Serval is so cute.
Panther likes to climb into my sweatshirt, while Ike wearing it, and then peek her head out the arm or neck hole.
BwahahahPanther sometimes climbs into the 11yoās pillow case. Sometimes I let Serval have a dryer ball and he absolutely destroys it. Once I brought my workout mat upstairs and the immediately started attacking each other one it. Panther likes to jump onto our shoulders and hang out up there. Itās hilarious.These cats take full advantage of all the cat trees and toys, which I love. Our last cat wanted nothing to do with official cat accoutrement.
I hope you enjoyed some cat pictures, because there are few things in this world I enjoy more than my cats.
I was going to have this up early Friday but then the kitchen sink wasnāt getting hot water and I had to spend over an hour fixing it. But I did fix it! And it doesnāt leak! So yay for saving $300+!
And then Friday happened and now itās 8pm. Blerg.
This week was parent conferences at work and Iām SO GLAD itās over. I hate the 35 minute classes. I donāt love talking to parents and students all afternoon. Itās the longest, most exhausting week and Iām so happy itās in my rear view.
The 11yoās final baseball game of the middle school season was Wednesday. I collected money from families for coachesā gifts. I bought eight pizzas and a flat of Gatorades at Costco. I delivered it all to the game and the kids and families were happy and grateful. When I got home I promptly emptied the baseball backpack and packed his regular backpack and thanked all that is good in the world that I wouldnāt have to pack his cleats and gloves and mitt with his school stuff again this school year.
The husband leaves for Amsterdam on Monday and he found out earlier this week that there was a black tie dinner in the programming. He doesnāt have a tux, and he doesnāt buy things much, so I had to provide a significant amount of support as he decided if he should rent in Amsterdam or buy immediately at home, and then where and what he should but and then how he should return what didnāt fit him great and finally today he has an ensamble heās happy with and Iām breathing a big sigh of relief.
This Sunday is the memorial service for our good family friend. My mom is speaking. I know Iām going to cry the whole time, for literal hours. Iām kind of worried that it will be an issue when I get my eyes checked on Monday, because crying for 4+ hours does a number on my eyes. I hope I can still figure out my new prescription.
I put up my Day of the Dead decorations, including my ofrenda. A picture of my friend is on it and itās hard to see her all day every day, but itās also good to have her close. There are moments sometimes when I think I see her in the world and I have this weird feeling like, āoh I thought I lost that but itās right there!ā and then I realize that a part of my brain thought it was her and another part knew it couldnāt be her and Iām just gutted. Once I even whispered her name I was so sure I had seen her. But of course it wasnāt her.
Last night I forgot to take the cans out, which is kind of really bad because our trash can barely fits one week’s worth of trash and could never accommodate two week’s worth (it has a false bottom, so it’s only half as deep as it looks), and our recycle bin has been smelling rank all week.
I was so mad at myself when I woke up. I have never forgotten to take the cans out. Never. Why did I forget last night?!
I ended up triple bagging the trash and taking it in my car down to work where I quietly threw it into our dumpster. Definitely not allowed, but I don’t regret it. We’re going to have to deal with the rank smell in the recycle bin for a week longer…
Tonight I spent some time on a Spirit Week flier that I’m really liking. I want our school to have more spirit this year, and I think this will be a decent way to kick start it.
I love October and I know a lot of kids do too. I hope this week is fun, and that yearbook gets lots of pictures! I just put up my DĆa de los Muertos decorations at school, so I’m feeling ready.
The husband wanted to stop by an event at Pier 39 on Saturday (unofficially, but for work), so we all took BART to the F-line up the Embarcadero and walked around in what is probably the most touristy area of San Francisco. It was a beautiful day and we had a better time than I expected. Here are some photos from our time as tourists.
Pier 39 flag with Alcatraz in the distance. Alcatraz up close. The sea lions, with the Ferris wheel in the background. Salesforce tower, Coit tower and the Transamerica building – SFās three most famous buildings all in a row. I didnāt know there was a spot where it seems like they all stand side by side like this.The F-line train we took home.It was originally from St. Louis! (Some of them are originally from international cities.)This one was from Newark, NJ. The F-line trains are the only mobile national monuments. The Ferry Building.Iām not sure what is up with this giant metal woman, but I kind of love when she is lit up. A SF heart with a cable car in the heart!
I ended up sleeping at my parentsā house last night – with my cousin – so I got to sleep in until 8:45am. We went for a 7 mile hike along the coast, then ate fish tacos. We showed up for the 11yoās baseball game just as they won (their first win all season!), then had another amazing meal in the city. It was a great day, and Iām so happy to took it off.
I love where I live. Seriously. Itās so beautiful.
Fun fact, in Spanish they use the counting numbers (2, 3, 4) instead of the ordinal numbers (2nd, 3rd, 4th) to say the date, EXCEPT for the first of the month, when they do say “primero.”
Other fun fact, they do not capitalize the names of the months (or days of the week!) in Spanish.
At the beginning of the year we do the “calendario” at the start of each 6th and 7th grade class. I am always VERY aware of the date at the beginning of the year.
I’ve been excited to finally move into October. September was LONG. And frenetic. I also love October. The weather is generally nice (less foggy in the city). We get a day off mid-month (Indigenous People’s Day). My room is decorated for DĆa de los Muertos, which I spend three weeks teaching. The pumpkin flavored foods are out in abundance. And of course, the grand finale, HALLOWEEN! I love dressing up! I love costumes! I love Halloween!
This week has been… meh, but there have been bring spots! I booked the 11yo’s birthday party for the Sunday before his birthday (I’ll be hosting it without the husband) at a trampoline park down by my work. The whole party (two hours at the place plus food) cost $380. The six kids the 11yo invited can all come, and my friend is letting me borrow her SUV so I can drive all seven kids down there myself in one car. It actually worked out really nicely and I’m SO RELIEVED that its planned.
The husband grabbed copious amounts of pumpkin stuff at TJs and I’ve been reveling in toasted pumpkin brioche topped with pumpkin cream cheese.
My cousin is in town tomorrow and Friday. We’re going to Downtown First Thursdays tomorrow, and spending a couple free hours at the SFMoMA before getting dinner. Friday I’m taking the day, and my cousin and I will meet my parents at the coast for a hike followed by fish tacos. Then we’ll have dinner and drinks with my husband in the city.
Right now I’m stressed getting sub plans written and my classroom ready to be fumigated over the weekend (it may have fleas! NOOOO!) but I know that by tomorrow evening I’ll be having fun.
Also, baseball is over in a week! WOOOT! I’m so ready for baseball to be over.
I’m toying with the idea of posting every other day in October, to get ready for NaBloPoMo in November. Do you think I can do it? I don’t either, but I might as well try. ;D
