Week 5 Recap: When Yoga Nearly Killed Me

Emotionally, this week started off better than last week. We enjoyed our Easter with our little family and Andrew had Monday off so we were able to really find some relaxation for the first time in a long time. Thursday things took a turn for the less awesome, and yoga (pour enfants) nearly killed me.

CLICK ON ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE.

Sunday April 12th

We were so fortunate with the weather for Easter weekend. It had been calling for thunderstorms and possible tornadoes and we got cool/cold but sunny! After the initial egg hunt and chocolate chip pancakes with breakfast sausages, the boys and Andrew headed off on a bike ride and got to see this cool fella up close!

The weather warmed up even more and by the afternoon it was 17C and we were loving running around and playing with some new Easter toys. We also had a lot of family phone calls and video calls which was a good way to feel connected.

We had some oven problems while cooking our Easter ham and the gas oven kept turning off. So one of us had to sit there and re-turn it on whenever that happened. I also felt fairly light-headed all day Sunday and so took it easy (aside from everything Easter and making a giant meal).

Monday April 13th

Monday was spent tidying up from a busy Easter, putting away lots of dishes and also hours spent taking apart our gas oven as well as looking at how to also fix a gas burner that's not been igniting for over a year. Again, the boys got out for a bike ride and this time were able to go through the tunnel while the train was going overhead! E also started on a spy-training kick that happened here and there throughout our week and was a fun way for him to use his imagination and get everyone involved in things.

To earn a badge for Otters (Traditional Scouting), E made a short video explaining one of his hobbies.

Tuesday April 14th
This is the day I was feeling the most well, physically and emotionally. Distance learning coordinated through the public school and E's teachers began.

Wake up/Breakfast
Independent Play / Snack
E Distance Learning / T & Mom 1-on-1 play time
Play
Lunch / T to Quiet Time
E Distance Learning
E & Mom 1-on-1 play time
E Quiet Time
Everyone Up / Snack / Play
Show
Dinner

The boys listened to and looked at the Carnival of the Animals book for a good chunk in the morning as well as set up a giant train track together.

I wanted to change our daily routines around so that I had a set aside little chunk of time to dedicate to playing with each child 1-on-1. E and I created this owl during our time in the afternoon. Our rhythms are not tied to particular times and so it gives some flexibility. At least one of the play times is outdoors.

Wednesday April 15th

It was an extremely full day! Lots of really great playing, E read a Chirp magazine to Banner and practiced his glockenspiel for his lesson later in the day.

I took our van to a friend's for a physical distanced tire change, which was great. E's online learning included some typing today and we realized this is not a skill he has developed yet. Looking forward to seeing this change through our Distance Learning time. The boys both spelled their name using a physical activity alphabet before E's Music Class. After dinner we played a version of tag to the song "Wolf Are You There?" that E learned in his class.

Thursday April 16th

The photo below is the lone photo of the day.  Andrew started the day off baking muffins with the boys (which I got to enjoy in bed). I eventually got up and put on E's french yoga video "assignment" and got down on the floor with the boys to do it. It mostly included breathing and putting arms up and down. The most intense part was a 10 second plank. Felt a bit off towards the end so went to grab the boys and myself some water and came back and finished the video with them.

A few minutes after it was over, I sat down and had to call Andrew from working on his computer to come and help me. I half felt like I was going to faint, half felt like I was maybe having a bit of an asthma attack, half felt like I was having a heart attack from the chest pressure/burning and half felt like I was going to be sick. I then developed an immediate (and bad) headache. I had Andrew bring our portable blood pressure machine (we bought for worries about his high blood pressure years ago) and my blood pressure 30 minutes after finishing the "workout" was 145/97 which only seemed crazy to me compared to my average BP of 105/65. It took until ~7pm for it to come down to 110/79.

I talked to the GP on call that evening in our Family Health Unit and was reassured that it was likely a combination of the miscarriage I had a couple months ago, my preexisting low iron stores and hemoglobin levels and the fact I had a mild cold virus/allergies (no cough).

Friday April 17th

While feeling significantly better, I still need to take it easy or begin to feel light-headed. For T's 1-on-1 we spent some time together outside in the backyard singing songs with him running around and striking poses.

E and I got some quality time in with sparkly nails.

Saturday April 18th

Today was a "project" day. E came up with the cool idea of making what he called a marble run, I liken it to a pinball/plinko combination. Shoot a marble up one side and see which coloured section it lands on the other side. T contributed with a really fun nail-sort game for his dad in the empty water table.

We also broke out the long-awaited Nintendo Wii and played with E during T's quiet time. And Andrew began the process of fixing our water softener (a few weeks ago our water heater broke and just Sunday, our oven!). E had the fun idea of a virtual sleepover with his cousins. So before bed, they set up a video call and had a fun snack, had a dance party, read books to each other, and made their own forts. It was pretty epic!