Not so La La Land
Well, you guessed it ladies and gentlemen, I am once again not sleeping. That would be weird though, right, if I was sleeping right now while writing? I am afraid of what I would say, honestly! So, what you ask, is the reason for this what is now unusual case of insomnia? If I were an expert, I would say partly overuse of limbs today while exercising, for one thing. I used to have a habit of doing too much in one workout but have been getting better at tempering myself, but tonight I guess I was feeling wily and did a little too much. Added some squats to workout and then ran/walked the dog later. I want to start running again and thought, on a whim, that I'd start today, slowly. Apparently, I still am going to feel it. I hope it's just a temporary restlessness and not a full blown soreness. That will slow things down even more, but I digress. Last week's hike, which I have yet to mention, furloughed me slightly, but I recovered pretty quickly. The hike, which was supposed to be a 5 mile, moderately difficult hike, turned into a level 10 on difficulty scale due to a gross misjudgment of course. Not my mistake this time, but the hubs. We also happened to have both kids and dog with us, which only made it worse. We came to a part of the trail where it looked like we could either go downhill or uphill. I thought downhill, while my partner in crime said it looked like the trail we were on was supposed to go up more, after we had gone uphill already quite a bit. I had to admit that that part of the "trail" looked like it was marked better. So we went uphill, following the faded flags to the top of the mountain. I must admit, the view up there was something else, but I would rather not have seen it that day. I huffed and puffed for 131 floors that day, according to my Fitbit. I even won 3 new badges for all the floors I went up! The kids were troopers about it, but after a while, were not very happy about where we were going, because none of us really knew where that was, or when we might get back, if ever. Yes, that thought crossed my mind, and it is one thing to have that thought hiking with other adults but entirely more worrisome when you have your children with you. Once we got to the point of no return, or should I say where the flags stopped, we decided our only route would be exactly the way we just came. Not a fun prospect since it was steep and rocky. But we all made it, even the dog who was determined to drag me at top speed down the mountain. So, despite the "dogs must be leashed" rule, I decided to risk it and forego that little rule to save myself from almost certain injury. The dog, in case you don't know me yet, is an almost 1 year old golden retriever, who is very energetic. He has been proving to be a good trail dog though and this hike, he did exceptionally well on. We made it to our vehicle and appreciated and savored the feel of flat ground once again. Somehow, even though I climbed all those floors, I still didn't get in 5 miles by that point. I average 6 miles a day but not on that day. I found that I need more cardio training going uphill. I don't get enough of that in my normal routines I guess. Something to work on. Going down was much easier, thankfully.
So, that is my excitement of late. I also made a trip to the CHAP Homeschool Convention in Lancaster this week. That was a short trip but I think it was productive. Some people go and listen to speakers while there, but we mainly go to look at the different curriculum. I did find an interesting Astronomy program for both boys. Hopefully it is as good as it seemed there. Plus, I got it on a flash drive, which I hopefully don't lose before we use it. That would be so me. We only ever go for one day of the convention, not 2. Maybe one day I will go for both days but I can usually get it all done in just one. Left the boys with their grandmother, but later at least one of them said he wanted to come along next time. I don't know how they'd be but I might try it next time, even though it is like a mini-vacation for us. I am pathetic and miss the kids, even just being away one night. We ate at the Lancaster Brewing Co. Tap Room Thursday night, which I highly recommend. I had a garden salad with sirloin tips, which was divine. I took a chance and ordered their Hard Seltzer, lemon lime flavored, that they make. It was also very good. Eating out since starting Keto isn't always easy, and this was no exception. Most places have very few choices and the ones they do have aren't always that thrilling. Olive Garden and Ruby Tuesdays have some options, but I didn't want to go to those places, although they were both close of our hotel. I figured the hubs would enjoy going to a brewery for a change, so I took a chance. It was a winner winner "steak" dinner! He had a burger and fries and eyed my salad like a hungry wolf. He always says I make better choices when dining out somewhere new. Honestly, there were fewer choices and I got lucky. Lucky me! Next afternoon for lunch we went to a place near the Market downtown. Lancaster Distillery? I again opted for a salad, but the exact name escapes me. It was an Italian meat and cheese type deal. Oh, the antipasto salad, which was ham, pepperoni, and salami with provolone cheese, artichokes, black olives, peppers, tomatoes over greens, in an Italian dressing. Again, the hubs eyes my meal like a tiger on the prowl. What can I say? I have a knack. He opted for an Italian sub, which honestly looked pretty good to me, especially since I have given up bread. I do miss it from time to time, like an old friend, but I realize that some friendships are dangerous and that old friend doesn't care about me or the size of my thighs. Heartless! Anyway, it was another good choice in eateries. When we go to something like that, we choose places where we can sit down. Walking around with a wheeled tote behind you, while carrying a purse that feels like a 50 lb weight after a while is a good reason to seek asylum in a brewery. No, no afternoon delight here for us, just coffee with our meal, but it was a nice stop. It looked like a Victorian style bar inside and was quite cozy.
While I'm here, I will vow to try to post on my other blog, Homeschooling 101, soon to discuss the convention more in detail, as well as talk about curriculum choices for the upcoming year. Next year, I will have a first grader and a sixth grader. It is so hard to believe that. Where does the time go? A family I follow on YouTube travels the US in their RV and they said they started their journey thinking about the number of summers they have left with their kids and wanting to make the best of them. They had only 2 more summers with their oldest child when they decided to hit the road full time. Now that one is in college and they have 2 teenage boys left who travel with them. That is a good way to think of time we have with our kids, but I think when you homeschool, you are trying to savor every day with them, not just the summers. That is one reason we homeshool. I didn't want to send my kids away every day and just get a couple hours a night. Plus I never really knew what the one going to school actually did all day. I missed him and wanted to be involved with what he was learning. I am not saying that as parents, we can't be involved if we do send them to school. It's just harder, and for me, I wanted more than I was getting. There were other reasons why we made this decision, and it always seems to be thought weird by others who don't do it. Some defend the school system, and they can if they feel like it works for them. We chose to be different, because it is what we thought was best for our kids and us. I thought about teaching before but couldn't commit because I knew I wanted to have kids and worried I wouldn't have enough time for them if I did. Some people make it work. I knew I would feel guilty about having to split my time between my students and my children. Now, I can be a teacher to my kids and get the best of both worlds, minus the pay and benefits. I do, however, have the opportunity and pleasure of seeing my kids learn, being part of their day, and watching them grow up. Totally another winner winner steak dinner!
So, that is my excitement of late. I also made a trip to the CHAP Homeschool Convention in Lancaster this week. That was a short trip but I think it was productive. Some people go and listen to speakers while there, but we mainly go to look at the different curriculum. I did find an interesting Astronomy program for both boys. Hopefully it is as good as it seemed there. Plus, I got it on a flash drive, which I hopefully don't lose before we use it. That would be so me. We only ever go for one day of the convention, not 2. Maybe one day I will go for both days but I can usually get it all done in just one. Left the boys with their grandmother, but later at least one of them said he wanted to come along next time. I don't know how they'd be but I might try it next time, even though it is like a mini-vacation for us. I am pathetic and miss the kids, even just being away one night. We ate at the Lancaster Brewing Co. Tap Room Thursday night, which I highly recommend. I had a garden salad with sirloin tips, which was divine. I took a chance and ordered their Hard Seltzer, lemon lime flavored, that they make. It was also very good. Eating out since starting Keto isn't always easy, and this was no exception. Most places have very few choices and the ones they do have aren't always that thrilling. Olive Garden and Ruby Tuesdays have some options, but I didn't want to go to those places, although they were both close of our hotel. I figured the hubs would enjoy going to a brewery for a change, so I took a chance. It was a winner winner "steak" dinner! He had a burger and fries and eyed my salad like a hungry wolf. He always says I make better choices when dining out somewhere new. Honestly, there were fewer choices and I got lucky. Lucky me! Next afternoon for lunch we went to a place near the Market downtown. Lancaster Distillery? I again opted for a salad, but the exact name escapes me. It was an Italian meat and cheese type deal. Oh, the antipasto salad, which was ham, pepperoni, and salami with provolone cheese, artichokes, black olives, peppers, tomatoes over greens, in an Italian dressing. Again, the hubs eyes my meal like a tiger on the prowl. What can I say? I have a knack. He opted for an Italian sub, which honestly looked pretty good to me, especially since I have given up bread. I do miss it from time to time, like an old friend, but I realize that some friendships are dangerous and that old friend doesn't care about me or the size of my thighs. Heartless! Anyway, it was another good choice in eateries. When we go to something like that, we choose places where we can sit down. Walking around with a wheeled tote behind you, while carrying a purse that feels like a 50 lb weight after a while is a good reason to seek asylum in a brewery. No, no afternoon delight here for us, just coffee with our meal, but it was a nice stop. It looked like a Victorian style bar inside and was quite cozy.
While I'm here, I will vow to try to post on my other blog, Homeschooling 101, soon to discuss the convention more in detail, as well as talk about curriculum choices for the upcoming year. Next year, I will have a first grader and a sixth grader. It is so hard to believe that. Where does the time go? A family I follow on YouTube travels the US in their RV and they said they started their journey thinking about the number of summers they have left with their kids and wanting to make the best of them. They had only 2 more summers with their oldest child when they decided to hit the road full time. Now that one is in college and they have 2 teenage boys left who travel with them. That is a good way to think of time we have with our kids, but I think when you homeschool, you are trying to savor every day with them, not just the summers. That is one reason we homeshool. I didn't want to send my kids away every day and just get a couple hours a night. Plus I never really knew what the one going to school actually did all day. I missed him and wanted to be involved with what he was learning. I am not saying that as parents, we can't be involved if we do send them to school. It's just harder, and for me, I wanted more than I was getting. There were other reasons why we made this decision, and it always seems to be thought weird by others who don't do it. Some defend the school system, and they can if they feel like it works for them. We chose to be different, because it is what we thought was best for our kids and us. I thought about teaching before but couldn't commit because I knew I wanted to have kids and worried I wouldn't have enough time for them if I did. Some people make it work. I knew I would feel guilty about having to split my time between my students and my children. Now, I can be a teacher to my kids and get the best of both worlds, minus the pay and benefits. I do, however, have the opportunity and pleasure of seeing my kids learn, being part of their day, and watching them grow up. Totally another winner winner steak dinner!
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