More Spring Cleaning

Sorry I haven't posted for a few days. Spring Cleaning, is all I have to say about that. I haven't worked out either.

I am going backwards in the DDP Yoga schedule. I strained my back fairly badly in February, shoveling snow. I couldn't even lay down on my mat, because it would start off back spasms. Yuck. So I went back to my Pilates workouts I used to do before DDPY, as rehab for my back. Then I was able to start back into DDPY very gently, but I am still not back to where I was before. So I am starting back at Week 8. To be honest I had lost my booklet so I was not sticking to the schedule earlier, and I am just now getting back to it. The days when there is nothing on the schedule, I am going to walk, in preparation for my first 5k.

So today we took a walk, and Fit Bit says 6241 steps, 2.43, 1 hr and 10 minutes. Right now I have to walk in heavy hiking boots, but I am planning on working down to some Barefoot shoes. That will take some commitment though. I'm off to do my Energy workout! BANG!

New chicks!

I finally got the chicks that I wanted in the first place. I got 6 English Orpingtons of various colors including chocolate. Pictures to follow! N. also got two more blue silkies.

Musings on Plus Sized Athletes (I wanna be one!)

First off I just want to say, my hubby bought me a FitBit Surge for my birthday. Ha! That was 3 weeks ago, and he is still wearing it! To be fair, having tried it for a little bit, it is HUGE. Seriously. I couldn't even bend my wrist with it on. SO now I am waiting on my FitBit HR which is on backorder. Sigh. On the other hand, I am very glad that we went to the store to look at them before ordering because I thought I would need an XL. Nope! I need a Large. I want to join my hubby's new obsession!

So I have been reading a lot about Plus Size Athletes lately. I suppose I am looking for inspiration. These are the people I need to surround myself with. Also, they have great sites for clothes. I will work on making a list of the blogs of people who inspire me to keep going.

As I was poking around the blogosphere yesterday, I ordered myself some compression shorts to wear under my regular shorts when I am working out. We'll see how that goes. I wish I had them already, when I took my walk with W. and N. I even rode my bike a little way. I bought myself a 7-speed hybrid beach cruiser last year, but that has not gone well. I am still too heavy to get very far with it. Also I think it may be a bit too short for me. N. loves the easy-ride seat on it, and think she has claimed it.

Disappointment of the day: I made one of my favorite primal recipes for my lunch. Acorn squash with sausage and pecans. Only AFTER I cooked it, I figured out that the squash had gone bad. Noooooooo! So sad.

New Rooster

Introducing Santana

I am trying to get my little flock of chickens sorted out. To that end, I bought myself a beautiful 7 month old English Orpington rooster. M. named him Santana. He is a really sweet guy, and I hope he matures into the great head of my flock that Sunny has been. I want to build a small flock of Orpintons only. While I love my mixed up flock, I find that Leghorns are too flighty, and my one Barred Rock is mean. I also have 4 chicks on order, which I am will pick up on Saturday at a swap.

This is the rest of our little flock:

Shana the Escape Ninja

Sunny, Lady, and Ruby

N.'s Silkies, and W.'s Sebrights

N.'s newest little additions

Spring cleaning

My family was really busy this weekend. Saturday was a yard clean-up day, with a huge fire at the end. The pile of branches was at least 6 feet high. Fun! But we forgot marshmallows, so I guess we need to do a new one!

Sunday was a Soup and Chili dinner at our church. I took Zuppa Tuscana. There was lots of great food!

Walking at Assateague Island

Egret at Assateague Island

One of my favorite things about homeschooling, is the ability to learn outside the boundaries. The other day, it was a beautiful 70 degrees and after all the cold weather we've had, my family decided to take a break and get out of the house. So off we went, to the Wildlife Loop on Assateague Island.

The first thing we did was stop in at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center to buy our season pass. The we wandered through their presentation area. We especially enjoyed the Eagle Cam. The nest has 3 chicks in it. As we started down the path, we could see the nest in the distance. One of the parents flew over us and landed near the nest.

We also saw a great blue heron, a huge snapping turtle, and some tundra swans off in the distance. We didn't see the ponies, since we didn't go that far down the road. 

We walked all the way out to the bike access beach, and then a half mile further down the beach. Barefoot. Yes, I admit it, I even went in the water up to my ankles. Brrrrrr! But it felt so good to be barefoot!

Three years ago, I walked this path. I had to sit at every bench because I was having back spasms. My feet hurt. My knee hurt. There was no way I would have attempted it alone. I went about 3 miles that time. That was in the fall of 2012.

In February 2013, I started DDP Yoga. I felt so much better, and the difference was immediate. By the end of March, I tried the Wildlife Loop again, this time without Michael. I went the whole 3 miles without needing to sit down at the benches! No back spasms, my knee didn't hurt, no blisters. Okay, my feet still hurt though. 

 This week I went 6 miles, 1 mile of that through soft sand. Now I don't even have to think about it, just go. I still have a long way to go, but I am so glad I can just get up and go now! I can't wait for warmer weather, so I can be up there all the time.