Unexpected Week

This week did not go as expected in more ways than one.  On Tuesday, the whole state was shut down in anticipation of a great and terrible blizzard.

My youngest developed a cough and runny nose early in the day. "Mommy, my nose coming out," is what she says to me when she needs me to wipe it. Later in the day, she developed a fever.

We kept the fire raging all day Tuesday.  We didn't get anywhere near as much snow as was predicted.

The older girls were healthy, so they begged to play in the backyard for a while.

My oldest has learned how to make hot chocolate and tea for herself and her sisters using the Keurig.  She will often do school work at the table while she sips something, finally old enough to do both things at the same time and keep from spilling anything on her books, just another way that I see she is growing up.

Since my youngest daughter was sick, I had to find coverage for my fitness classes on Wednesday. As the week went on and my daughter wasn't improving and another one of my daughters fell ill, I also needed to find a sub to tutor my class at Classical Conversations and another fitness instructor to cover my fitness classes on Thursday.  

I found myself glad that I hardly ever take off work.  Of course, it is an inconvenience for everyone when I have to miss work, but I felt so much less guilty taking the time I needed this week and it was easier to find someone to cover because I am not always asking.  That is one piece of advice I would give a young person starting their first job.  "Don't take off work unless you absolutely need to."  

Having sick kids means everything slows down to a snails pace. And every other day, I can really tell my immune system is really compromised and fighting the same germs.  For sanity's sake, I decided not to try and keep up our regular schedule at home. I allowed myself time to read Saving Leonardo by Nancy Pearcey and The Maze Runner by James Dashner while I snuggled kids and wiped noses.

When their fevers come down, the girls are quite normal, aside from all the sneezing and sniffling.  (At times like these, it's a good thing I am obsessive about having Kleenex boxes everywhere.)  They are building a new Lego set my family sent it the mail.

I haven't been able to teach my regular classes at the gym, but I really wanted to exercise. But I also don't feel 100%, so I have been taking it easy.

At home this week, I've done an hour of relaxing yoga, Bodycombat 62 using heavy gloves and my bag for punches and kicks, and Bodypump with lighter-than-usual weights.   Using lighter weights helped me rediscovered my love for Bodypump as cardio workout.  Without so much weight on my bar, it was easier to just enjoy moving to the music, getting my heart rate up, and sweating it out. I may try to lighten up more often.