We are 1 week into lockdown 3.0 here in the UK and I’ve decided to keep a weekly record of it, just sharing the things I’m watching, reading, cooking, fitness goal progress etc.
Ever since this lockdown was announced I’ve been on real rollercoaster of emotions, almost like working through the stages of grief. Initially I was in denial, then the anger kicked in and I was fuming!! Poor Matt was on the receiving end and anything he did would result in me snapping and going mad at him. Then the depression and sadness kicked in before a mix of everything which resulted in me having a total meltdown.
Thankfully the day after that I reached a level of acceptance and am now just trying my best to deal with the situation.
One of the biggest struggles over this last week has been the school work. For anyone new here we did actually homeschool until last Sept when they both started school, homeschooling is nothing like lockdown schooling though, especially not the way we did things. I’ve written a whole blog post about that here so won’t go into details in this post but yeah, if it wasn’t for the teachers putting so much effort into providing them with individual work and support I would have sacked it off by now!
What I’ve been watching…
We binge watched the latest season of Cobra Kai in a few days and loved it, I think if you were born in the 80s you can really appreciate it as it has quite a lot of throwbacks to that era. This was my favourite season so far and can’t wait for the next one.
I also finished Virgin River which I really loved, it’s mega cheesy but I got really invested in the relationship between Jack and Mel, plus he is pretty easy on the eye which helped me to get hooked pretty quickly. Watched this one on my own though as it’s not Matt’s thing!
Then I started the latest season of Married At First Sight Australia, Matt hates it but I’m obsessed. I tried to watch the latest season of the British one but found it so dull & boring, the Australian one on the other hand really ramps up the entertainment factor. Plus the whole concept is just so alien to me, marrying a stranger then sleeping in a bed together! And the way sometimes the chemistry is there from the start but that doesn’t always mean things will work out, it’s pretty fascinating, maybe some people would use that word to describe documentaries about the universe but for me it’s all about a reality TV show!
What I’m cooking…
I recently bought a cookbook called ‘The Vegetarian Athlete’s Cookbook’ and all the recipes I’ve made out of it so far have been amazing, the blueberry cheesecake especially was a huge hit, I made it again yesterday. Also the apple cake.
What I’m reading…
I read a book called ‘Getting the Little Blighters to Eat’ and I only wish I had read it years ago. I came across it whilst looking for fussy eating kids books on Amazon after reaching the end of my tether with Tiger. He has always been terrible with food and the book has made me realise everything we’ve been doing it wrong, mainly giving it so much attention that it put him in full control.
It’s early days and the book says it can take months to see any real change but already I can put vegetables on his plate without him freaking out. He isn’t eating them yet but it’s progress! Definitely worth checking out if you are stressed about what your kids will / won’t eat.
Fitness goals…
I really want to be able to do a pull-up by the end of lockdown. Cherry wants to as well so the race is on, she is already making much better progress than me so I’m in no doubt she will beat me!
We are lucky to have a gym in Matt’s workshop, he built it during the last lockdown and it has a pull up rig so we are going over there every other day to work on it. Doing lots of ring rows, ring dips and banded pull ups, also ring holds where you hold yourself up on the rings. I usually share little videos of our progress on Instagram, you can find me there: @discoslothjess.
I’ve also been trying to embrace the winter and get outdoors as much as possible. We went for a walk last weekend and managed to find some snow which the kids were super happy about.
Anything else…
I am still obsessed with playing chess, I played with my dad as a kid and I’ve also taught Matt and the kids to play. Hadn’t played for a while though until I watched The Queen’s Gambit which inspired me to get the board back out. I also signed up to Chess.com so that I could play online against my dad, we’ve played every night since the November lockdown and I also do the puzzles and lessons on there so I’ve improved loads. I’ve even got really geeky and started watching YouTube tutorials of chess openings or of games being analysed.
I beat him for the first time about a month ago and now it’s 50/50 who will win so it’s really exciting to play. We always have a joke though because some nights I can concentrate and play well but other nights I just can’t plan or predict any moves and play really badly, I want to be able to play more consistently but you have to really zone in and it’s hard if you have stuff on your mind!
It’s just such good game though, it’s so strategic and is good for the brain! If you want a lockdown activity then I would definitely recommend it.
