Saturday, February 2, 2019

Working from home is amazing + the POLAR VORTEX came to Minnesota + to run faster, just run faster.

Yes I know I have not posted since last Saturday.  Yikes, we have some catching up to do.  


But first things first.

I got to work from home THREE days this week.  It was amazing.  My work typically only allows us one day per week, but the polar vortex decided to hang out in Minnesota for a while and some exceptions were made(hooray!). This means that our temps for the week were...
Sat: high of 10, low of -10
Sun: high of 4, low of -14
Mon: high of 14, low of -3 (plus we got snow - so it was a snow day)
Tues: high of -3, low of -26
Wed: high of -14, low of -29!
Thurs: high of -3, low of -29!
Fri: high of 18, low of -3

Reasons I loved working from home so much this week:
1. I got to hang around near the kiddos.  They were playing with my dad all day, but I got to hear Max's giggles and Eleanor chatting while I worked.  Plus I got to take breaks here and there to quick help out with things.
2. MORE work was accomplished.  No commute = I worked during my normal commute time = I worked more hours.  Also, less distractions at home.
3. I could actually think about supper based on things that were already in my home. At work if I try to think of a supper idea, I have NO clue what is in my fridge/cupboards.  Therefore I end up buying something over lunchtime, or declaring a cereal night.  Also, if I had something in the crockpot, I could stir it a couple times during the day.
4. Home comfort = snacks, coffee, blankets, comfy clothes & I don't have to shower unless I really want to. LOVE IT.

Okay now for a quick weekly recap with some pictures:
Eleanor and Max and I hung out as always on Saturday morning, until my Dad stopped over to join. They even helped me stuff some pocket(cloth) diapers after our morning workout & shower routine.



Miss Eleanor spent the first few days of the week getting rid of a nasty cough.

Max has a new-ish little buddy: it’s a snowman.  He got this snowman as a little Christmas gift from school.


Is this a nice rug?  I'm thinking entry way, but I have a terrible sense of style. Funny since I used to want to do interior design when I was like in middle school...


Sunday morning we got all dressed up (relatively) & went to church:


Then we decided to be super ambitious since it was too cold to really go anywhere.  We baked fresh bread! I had some great helpers.


My Sunday lunch was this pretty little salad. Plus like six other random things.


Max read Eleanor a book in the afternoon.


And Sunday's workout was in the evening...did part of a workout video (21 Day Fix Extreme Cardio).  And then ran 2 miles at 8:22 avg pace.  It's pretty exciting for me that I am getting faster.  I want to increase my speed to 8 flat and then work on lengthening the distance.  I bet the lengthening part is going to be the hard part.  Hello, speedwork time!  They (the experts?) say that in order to run fast, the best thing to do, is just run faster.   I think what they mean, is to practice the fast even in small increments - and it will start to help your speed overall.  Also, I LOVE having a treadmill.  I should probably check if it needs some maintenance...


The remainder of the week, my dad came over to hang out quite a bit (Mon, Wed, and Thurs).  I am SOOOO grateful that my parents live nearby and my dad is now retired.  I think he had a little fun with them too, but it was so nice to be able to have him drive the 10 minutes to our house, and play with Max and Eleanor while we worked.


Here is proof that of the temperatures this week.  Tuesday at 3:44pm (leaving work):


And Tuesday at 4:53pm(pulling into the driveway):


We have an official curtain in our workout room!  I know the neighbors will be bummed they can no longer watch our super exciting workouts.  Or the real reason is, Jason will not be paranoid about this fact.  It's not a real curtain, but it will do for now!


Eleanor joined me for Pilates Extreme on Wednesday.  She was a great buddy.


More proof of the temp, because it is just that exciting:


Eleanor can bounce a bit with a little help from some blocks underneath:


Jason is the crazy man who went for a walk on Wednesday evening.


Thursday morning the kiddos didn't get out of jammies until RIGHT before I had to start working.  They both got to sleep in a little bit this week too.  Side note: this is my bed on Eleanor's floor.


Eleanor being absolutely adorable on Friday at school:


And the grand finale is: the week's meal plan!!!  Whew, what a week:
Saturday:
lunch: soup/leftovers/cereal
evening: waffles, Almond Butter, bananas, berries +bacon?
Sunday:
brunch: fresh pineapple, wafflefries, oven chicken & "chicken"
evening: guacamole:toms,onion,avos,cilantro+southwest salad, chips

Monday-salads & veggie burgers,quinoa
Tuesday-chicken-w-indiansauce,whiterice, mini naan
Wednesday-soup: celery,onion,carrots,parm,ham,escarole,beans,pasta
Thursday-cereal and/or frozen pizza night
Friday-matzo soup & salad