Tuesday Topics: Five Tuesday Prompts, Part 5

Happy Tuesday!  Thank you for joining me and Jenn for another edition of Tuesday Topics.  Remember to link up with us!  Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier!  Don’t forget to come back for later linkers! 

Here is another post with some interesting prompts in the Jetpack app.  Ready?

• Where did your name come from?  The name Zenaida typically means “the life of Zeus” or “born of Zeus”, referencing the Greek god Zeus.  It also has associations with “God-like” or “like God”, with origins in ancient Greece.

I was named after my grandmother, my dad’s mom.  He told my mother that he wanted me to be named after his mom.

• Share a story about the furthest you’ve ever traveled from home.  The furthest I’ve traveled is when I went on a cruise and traveled to Italy and France.  It was my first time on a cruise and for some reason I had watched the movie “Poseidon” and was freaking out about my trip.  I don’t remember why I watched that movie prior to my trip.

I think I was in Tuscany in the picture below.

• What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?  I remember my boss told me to save for my 401k.  This was at my second job after graduation.  She told me to save even a little bit because it will add up.  I started saving as soon as I could and am glad I followed her advice.

• What colleges have you attended?  Let’s see if I remember them all.  I graduated from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL.  I also went to Loyola University in Chicago.  I also went to a few community colleges-Harold Washington College and Kishwaukee College.

• What were your parents doing at your age?  My dad had passed away.  He was 49 when he died.  My mom was a few years younger when he died and became a widow.

The topic for next week – How do you stay active through the summer vacation season? We hope you’ll link up with us!

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Fit Five Friday and June 2025 Ultimate Coffee Date

Welcome to the May edition of the Ultimate Coffee Date hosted by Coco and Deborah.  It’s also time for another edition of Fit Five Friday hosted by My First 5K and MoreRunning with AttitudeRun Laugh Eat PieRuns with Pugs, and me!  

Now, grab a mug of your favorite beverage, and let’s chat!

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you I started Summer School on Monday teaching 4th grade.  I began with 20 students on my roster on Monday but have had 18 show up consistently.  Why are there so many kids in a classroom was my question?  I mean, that is usually the size of a classroom during the regular school year.  I should have switched with another teacher who has 2nd and 3rd graders newcomers and has less than 10 students.  But, I am liking my class.  All of them can read and actually talk to me!  It is a nice change from my 2nd graders.  Some teachers have teased me saying that maybe I might switch from 2nd to 4th grade.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that sometimes I have my doubts on whether I made the right decision of buying a house.  It is so expensive!  I knew I had to remodel the basement so I was ready for those expenses, but there is so much to buy (moulding, tile for the bathroom and laundry room, etc).

Right now I am doing tuck pointing and I am seeing the number go down in my savings account.  Did I have to get that done now?  Who knows.  According to the guy doing the job, there is a lot of damage to the mortar (I’d like to think he is telling me the truth).  The previous owners covered it (kind of like tape) and he told me that eventually that would fall off. 

I want to replace my windows and am debating if I want to do that now before the Winter or wait till next year.   

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that sometimes I wished I had a partner that knows about these house things.  A few weeks ago I turned on the AC to see if it was working because warmer days were coming and I wanted to be ready.  It turned on but no cold air was coming inside the house (only the fan air).  I called my cousin to check it out.  It turned out that it was an electricity thing and all I had to do was reset it by flipping the levers in the breaker box.  I felt like a fool, but lesson learned.  I turned on the AC again on Wednesday and it wouldn’t turn on.  I reset the levers and still didn’t work.  I called my cousin again.  Do you know what the problem was?  THE SWITCH IN THE BOILER ROOM WAS OFF!  I know I didn’t do it and I know who did, but I also know it was an accident.  I am afraid to find out what’s going to happen next.

If we were having coffee…
I’d remind you how last year I asked you if you thought it would be a good idea for me to run a half marathon in North Dakota, come back home, and run another half marathon in Chicago the next day?  I must have jinxed it because I ended up not going to North Dakota after all.  I wasn’t running consistently and was not ready to run 13.1 miles.  I need to do better about planning my races because I missed quite a few this year.  I don’t want to think about the money that I lost anymore because there is nothing I can do about it now.

If we were having coffee…
I’d complain about my neighbor’s backyard.  I know everyone is free to do whatever they want.  But at the same thing I’m thinking “Really?  Seriously”?  See the pictures below.

That is how I want my backyard to look like.  

This is my backyard.  The photo is from a few weeks ago and I have already removed the shrubs (?).  I think that is what they’re called.  I want to put some flowers and grow some vegetables there.

My other neighbor’s backyard.  It looks like a jungle!

I hope June is a wonderful month for everyone!

The topic for next week’s Fit Fit Friday – It’s Friday the 13th – What are some things you find unlucky on your run or at the gym?  Feel free to write about this or any fitness topic you’d like.  We hope you’ll link up with us!

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Tuesday Topics: May 2025 in Review

Happy Tuesday!  This week’s Tuesday Topic is a FREE topic.  Feel free to post any running-related blog post.  Remember to link up with Jenn and ZenaidaVisit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier!  Remember to come back for later linkers!

Let me tell you how May went for me:

Mileage:  I ran the first half of the month and then stopped.  I am not sure why, but I hope this is temporary.  This month I ran 14.43 and walked 2.82 miles.  It was less than last month, but there are still a few more days this month to catch up.

Run the Year 2025:  I signed up to run and walk 2,025 miles this year.  I don’t know how many miles I’ve completed and won’t check for a few months.  I know the number is really low.  I will check once I’ve been running and walking consistently. 

Current Book:  I finished reading “The Unhoneymooners” and am currently reading “The Midnight Library”.  I enjoyed the former book and am enjoying the latter book.  Reading this book has me thinking about what my life would be if I had made different choices in my life.

Injuries:  None.  Sometimes I do feel some pain/stiffness in the hip area.

Races:  None.  However, this month I signed up for the 4 on the 4th race in July.  I am excited about it.

Health:  For the most part I am feeling OK.  The weight goes up and down.  I have been feeling more tired these past couple of days.  Is catching up on sleep really a thing?  

School:  I am finally done with school!  Hallelujah!!

What I am looking forward to next month:  To relax.  To catch up on my reading.  To continue and maybe finish organizing my house.  I love saying that- my house.

The topic for next week – How will you celebrate Global Running Day?  Feel free to write about this or any running-related topic.  We hope you’ll link up with us!

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Fit Five Friday and May 2025 Ultimate Coffee Date

Welcome to the May edition of the Ultimate Coffee Date hosted by Coco and Deborah.  It’s also time for another edition of Fit Five Friday hosted by My First 5K and MoreRunning with AttitudeRun Laugh Eat PieRuns with Pugs, and me!  

Now, grab a mug of your favorite beverage, and let’s chat!

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you my last day of school is 3 weeks away!  I will not stop talking about this until May 23rd.  I am literally burned out and do not want to go to work anymore.  Many of my students are out of control and don’t care to do the work.  I get it.  We are all tired.  I also need to clean and pack up the things in my classroom.  Sometimes I want to take off the rest of the school year.

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that today we receive our assignment letters.  These letters let us know where we will be teaching next year.  Earlier this year I told my Principal that I would like to stay at my current school teaching the same grade.  I also told her that if she needs to move me, to please not move me to another grade, but instead to move me to another school.  I think 2nd grade is THE grade for me that I would like to teach until I retire.

If we were having coffee…
I’d ask you why is it so difficult to schedule doctor appointments?  I went for a mammogram at the end of March.  Based on the results, I have to go back for another mammogram and an ultrasound.  I go to Loyola and while there are many options available, I chose the one closet to me.  Well, the next availability wasn’t till the end of May.  Then somehow that appointment was cancelled.  When I called again, the next opening was in August.  I was almost in tears.  I asked to have someone call me from another location to schedule an earlier one.  Sure enough the next day someone called me.  There is an opening for May 6th in the afternoon but in a different location.  Yes, schedule it for me!  She even told me that August was too far out for a mammogram.  

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that when I scheduled my mammogram, I also made an appointment to see a dermatologist.  My appointment is for July 2026!  Yes, 2026!!!  While this doctor isn’t urgent like a mammogram appointment, I still want to see one because I have tinea versicolor.  I saw a dermatologist years ago in a different hospital and was prescribed lotion for it and that helped.  

If we were having coffee…
I’d tell you that starting again to run is hard.  I was doing intervals of 1 minute running and 1 minute of walking.  Total of 19 minutes.  Then somehow my Garmin watch didn’t sync properly yesterday and I did 1 1/2 minute of running and 1 minute of walking (those runs were scheduled for next week).  Whew!  That felt tough.  And I wasn’t even running fast.  I guess that is the price I pay for skipping months of running.  

I hope May is a wonderful month for everyone!

The topic for next week’s Fit Fit Friday – 5 Training Tips for Running Moms.  Feel free to write about this or any fitness topic you’d like.  We hope you’ll link up with us!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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Tuesday Topics: April 2025 in Review

Happy Tuesday!  This week’s Tuesday Topic is a FREE topic.  Feel free to post any running-related blog post.  Remember to link up with Jenn and ZenaidaVisit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier!  Remember to come back for later linkers!

Let me tell you how April went for me:

Mileage:  I started running again!  Prior to this, my last run was on January 2nd.  I didn’t feel like running in the snow/cold weather, so I didn’t.  While it is Spring here, we still have our chilly days now, but at least it isn’t cold anymore.  This month I ran 15.77 and walked 5.27 miles.  It isn’t much, but I am slowly getting back to it.  

Run the Year 2025:  I signed up to run and walk 2,025 miles this year.  I don’t know how many miles I’ve completed and won’t check for a few months.  I know the number is really low.  I will check once I’ve been running and walking consistently. 

Current Book:  I finished reading “What the Fireflies Knew” and am currently reading “The School for Good Mothers”.  The latter book – WOW!  I am not a mother and the things I am reading in the book make me scratch my head.

Injuries:  None.  However, I was a little stiff when I started running again.  I am doing run/walk intervals. 

Races:  None.

Health:  For the most part I am feeling OK.  I’ve lost a couple of pounds, but still have a way to go.  

I had some blood work done through Inside Tracker.  I was worried about my HbA1c, but it came back normal.  Cholesterol levels (LDL, total cholesterol, triglycerides) are high, but they’re a little lower than from the last time I was tested in December.  Baby steps.

School:  It is the same song here.  I am counting down till the last day of school!  We have 18 days to go

What I am looking forward to next month:  The last day of school!

The topic for next week – Mother’s Day gift guide (mom, sister, friend, etc).  Feel free to write about this or any running-related topic.  We hope you’ll link up with us!

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