April 2020 – Mom's Guide to the Galaxy

Three meals and a workout at Centr.com

One of the many generous offers that appeared online during this stay-at-home time was a free six-week membership to Centr.com, a fitness website run by Chris Hemsworth’s team. Yes, that Chris Hemsworth, better known to many as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Centr can be accessed via a web browser or their app; the daily planner shows the same selection either way. There are recipe suggestions provided for three meals each day, at least one workout (some days more), an article to read, and a podcast or meditation to listen to. Any item on the planner can be swapped out by searching through the appropriate category and selecting a different one for the day.

The sign-up process allows users to select their fitness level and goals, and meal plan choices of Regular, Pescatarian, Vegetarian, or Vegan. The introduction also mentioned that you can make adjustments as needed, either due to dietary restrictions (for example, recipes that includes bread list Gluten Free as an alternate) or limited availability of ingredients.

Clockwise from the top left: Chilli mushroom & eggs toast, Dukkah salmon (& bok choy, not pictured), Greek chicken & lemon soup

The workout selection is pretty varied, from boxing to pilates to HIIT to dynamic yoga, and some insane training that Chris Hemsworth puts himself through. The recipe selection is equally varied, and frankly, quite tasty. I had a chai-spiced oatmeal the other morning, and there’s a variety of smoothie recipes available. I’m definitely enjoying the added variety in both my workouts and meals.

Spring is… oh, it’s snowing again.

What can I say, it’s Chicagoland. But it still looks like spring out there. My grass is green and will need mowing soon. My strawberries – added last year – are starting to revive. My hyacinths look lovely and smell better. And I’ve already started weeding.

Hyacinths (along with some leaves and weeds) in the front garden bed

OK, I’m not too thrilled about that last one, but it comes with gardening. Some of the weeds are things I planted, like the peppermint that wants to go everywhere in and around the star bed. Others, like thistle and burdock, which came with the yard, will probably come back soon, though in smaller quantities than when I bought the house.

And then there’s the vegetable garden. If you’re new to gardening, you may be deciding which seeds to order. I gather a lot of people are – my usual source, Territorial Seed Company, has stopped taking orders to catch up because of the unusually high demand. Due to compulsive organizing tendencies, I placed my order in January. In fact, I have peas and salad greens sprouting already, and I keep checking to see if my radishes and carrots are showing signs of starting.

Everything else that I want to plant, well, I’ll have to wait for the rest of spring to arrive.

The same garden bed, 2 days later, covered in snow with a couple hyacinths barely visible.

Thoughts on The New Improved Sorceress

This fabulous urban fantasy was hard to put down, and I am looking forward to its sequel. The review was originally published in the December 15, 2019 issue of Booklist. Online access to Booklist’s reviews is currently free; if you’re looking for ideas on what to read, that’s certainly the place to go.

In The New Improved Sorceress, the second book of the Wayward Mages series, Sara Hanover presents a realistic urban fantasy as college student Tessa Andrews adjusts to a maelstrom stone embedded in her left palm and all of her magical friends. This collection of supernatural friends includes her ghostly father, trapped in the basement; a centuries-old phoenix wizard sharing a young man’s body; and Hiram, an Iron Dwarf. Hiram requests Tessa’s help locating a magical gem, the Eye of Nimora, and the entire group chips in to help with her quest. In addition to her quest, agents from The Society (of wizards) attempt to recruit Tessa to a specialized college, she plays field hockey on her college team, and even attends classes. Further complicating her life, a book on Dark Arts imbues Tessa with magical powers of her own. Hanover references the previous book, The Late Great Wizard, enough that this sequel can be read on its own. Fans of Libriomancer and other urban fantasies will enjoy the gritty reality interspersed with magic. Any reader who has wondered what a normal person would do with magical powers will be delighted with this action-packed story.

The things you notice working from home

This isn’t my first work from home rodeo. You’re going to notice things in your house and neighborhood that were outside your scope of awareness before: the thunk the washing machine makes as it switches to the spin cycle, the water running through the pipes if you have a boiler, the creaking as a strong wind pushes the house, the way one cat announces before she uses the litter box and the other howls as she prepares to produce a hairball (typically while I’m working out). You may wonder why the small cat makes a thump when she jumps onto the counter, but the large one only thumps coming down.

Even in these strange times, you’ll notice things about your neighbors too. You’ll find out which ones hire a lawn service (and wonder why everybody on the block hires different ones), notice when the truck that always leaves at 5am is home or gone, and wonder why the curtains across the street are still closed this morning when they’re usually open before you head to work.

You may hear the guy who talks to himself – loudly until he notices somebody outside – as he rides his bike, or see the couple that takes morning walks year round, even in our winters. You can watch the birds at the bird feeder as they alternate with the squirrels, observing the different visitors as spring advances. If you look carefully later, you may see the evening visitors… woodchucks, raccoons, and skunks.

When you inevitably return to normal office settings, you will know so much more about your home and neighborhood if you take the time to look and listen now.