Everyone feels SO different about this… that it’s hard to talk about. The whole virus / quarantine / shutdown topic has become very polarizing – which makes me sad.
People seem anxious, angry, uncertain, annoyed, frustrated, confused, one or more, maybe all of the above. Either way they’re all negative feelings, and emotions seem to be running HIGH lately – which is totally understandable.
As for me, I’m just… HAPPY.
When I tell people I’m STILL staying home, this is what they imagine:
This is what it’s actually like, though. 🙂 🥰
The only REAL negative in my life at the moment… is the coffee-mate sugar free powdered creamer shortage. 😳😅
Update: It’s back in stock now AND they just dropped the price!
I’ve settled into a great routine, a nice relaxed flow actually. I’ve fallen in love with my home all over again and have been working on organization & updates.
I’m cooking at home too, and when I miss dining out… I’m having fun recreating my restaurant favorites, at home! 🙂
At first this whole situation brought on a lot of anxiety and uncertainty and felt like a major disruption to the path I was on in my life.
But now, 11+ weeks into it, this “pause in life as I knew it” has made me reconsider my priorities, all the things that were usual habits or routines, what REALLY matters… and has me putting A LOT of thought into my goals going forward.
This feels like a GREAT opportunity to totally recreate (or restructure maybe) my entire lifestyle.
I feel extremely GRATEFUL to be in a position to stay home – and continue staying home, happily – by choice.
And then I feel GUILTY for having that option (that “privilege”) even though I worked HARD (busted my ass, actually) to have the choices & opportunities I do at this point in my life.
Still, not everyone got to choose.
I get that.
I’ve thought so many times what my life would be like had this pandemic happened at various phases in my life. Like when I had a house full of teenagers, or when my son was at his sickest, or that time we were camping out in a remote cabin with no hot water or refrigerator when the kids were 5 and 9 years old.
Every time I think about all the different scenarios, I get that huge hit of GRATITUDE again about where I am in my life now (instead) – followed by that little hit of GUILT for feeling so grateful. 🤪
Everyone’s story through this pandemic is different. Yours is unique to you, mine to me. But we still have an amazing community and I’ve been overwhelmed by the support and kindness that runs strong through it. 💕
Speaking of, we had a GREAT live discussion the other night!
We talked about food guilt (and mom guilt), we talked about staying on track – or getting BACK on track. I also unboxed some of my latest packages because I’ve been hitting the sales, and stocking up on some NEW things to review for you. 😉
I shared what I like, what I don’t like, and there were a lot of great questions and fun topics too – just an all around fun conversation about low carb life!
Here’s the video if you missed it…
I mentioned I’m gearing up (and stocking up!) for a HUGE low carb ice cream comparison review, and the new Real Good Foods ice cream came up…
Yes, I ordered it – a BUNCH of it. 🙂
No, I don’t know the NET carb count on it. They don’t seem to want to disclose that for some reason. 🤔
I scoured the ingredients though and they LOOK good, and it is SUPER CREAMY and delicious – so I’m going to do a blood glucose/ketone test on it just to be sure.
But going by the ingredients alone, I’d say it should probably check out fine! ✅
Their newest flavors are in stock again now AND they marked the price-per-pint down (yay!) plus ➕ I scored you an additional 15% off their new lower prices. 💯
Yes, You Can Order Online at Real Good Foods!
📲 Use discount code LOWCARBTRAVELER for the extra 15% off
Their new cauliflower & broccoli crust pizzas are both GREAT, btw. 🍕😋
They ship fast & FREE on DRY ICE 🧊 so you can get every ice cream flavor & all the pizza delivered right to your front door still frozen solid! 🚚
As you can see… I am NOT doing without while staying at home. 😅
I’ve been shopping great deals in my spare time, working from home of course (as usual), doing some painting and organizing and rearranging, spending A LOT of time outdoors… and trying out some DELICIOUS new low carb foods to review for you! 😍
In that video (above) we also talked about Kiss My Keto MCT Oil and their Pumpkin Seed & Sea Salt chocolate bars 🍫 and what I did NOT like from there.
My discount code is LOWCARBTRAVELER there btw, if you also like their MCT Oil (it’s the only one that comes with a pump).
I unboxed my orders from Netrition and Perfect Keto and ChocZero too. Here’s my list of favorites from Netrition (which you saw me unbox), and tip: they have the ChocZero peanut butter cups in stock!
* * * * *
I’ve been cooking A LOT more than usual, given I’m happy staying at home (still).
Mostly it’s easy one skillet meals, or quick salads with LOTS of flavor & nutrients – that are honestly better than any salad I’ve EVER had in a restaurant!
My favorite meal lately is a “One Skillet Farm Egg Brunch”
Here are two videos of me making it, so you can see how EASY it is – and how DELICIOUS it turns out:
Those garlic-roasted grape tomatoes are my newest obsession!! 😍
I add them on my salads too:
Such an amazing burst of flavor in pretty much any dish!
🍅 Here’s how I make the garlic-roasted tomatoes:
Between those “brunch skillets” and delicious salads, that yogurt parfait (#3 on that page), and ALL the different brands & flavors of low carb ice creams I’ve ordered to try & review 🍦 😋 I’m definitely enjoying the FOOD at home.
Back to that though:
🏡 I’m happy to keep staying home for now…
It’s interesting really, how just a few short weeks changed my perspective on so many things. Things that were so routine or habitual that I never really questioned them – I just did them.
I’m still working that out and making decisions, but I definitely see a LOT of positive changes coming out of this – and already in the works. 🙂
Right now I have everything I need at home: my work, Slim (who is not well, so it’s the perfect time not to be traveling and to stay home with him), I can get any foods I want delivered right to my front door – easy, all is well. I’m content here.
I’m spending a lot of time outdoors of course. 🌼 I haven’t been hiking because they shut down a lot of the places I would normally go, but those have opened back up so I’ll be back out hiking my favorite waterfalls soon! 🌞💦
Being completely honest… it’s the “weird vibe” with people that makes me less than enthusiastic about going to a store, dining out inside a restaurant, or going ANYWHERE public really.
Like I said earlier, people seem very odd – what little I have been out. Some are antagonistic, judgmental, angry, hateful, disrespectful, etc. Others seem anxious – or look at you and walk WAY around you like you have the plague (oh wait: you might!).
I get it. Most people are on edge in one way or another, or the extreme opposite: there are people who don’t care at all about any of it and don’t mind to get all in your space (which I never liked even before all of this) – and totally ignore any guides set up, like one way aisles in stores, or even “considerate” social distance.
And then there are the people that are going out of their way to antagonize anyone they think is being cautious or feeling anxious – which is just crappy.
It’s just the whole vibe – it’s SO far off.
It sort of takes the fun out of usual social stuff.
No, it DOES take the fun out of it. (period)
Then there’s the fact that everything is different…
Nothing is casual and easy like it was before. There’s yellow caution tape around the playground where I used to love to go swing on Tuesday mornings, there are barricades and roped off entrances, there are head-counters at the door, lines in the floor, everyone looking at each other oddly… yada yada yada.
I’m simply more content staying home, and staying out of it all.
Everyone gets to make their own choices, what choices we have within our specific circumstances at least, and that’s mine: I’m happy at home for now.
I think about all the traveling I’ve done, the five trips to Australia on LONG packed flights, the beaches I’ve visited, all the concerts I went to packed shoulder to sweaty shoulder singing our lungs out together, all the events I’ve attended, fun nights out dancing, crowded restaurants buzzing with conversation and laughter…
It would be one thing if ANY of those things would be the same now, or feel anywhere near the same as they used to. I guess that’s the bottom line:
Things are not FUN out there anymore – to me.
Maybe someday they will be again. But not yet… so I can have a dance party in my kitchen to live concert videos on YouTube, cook up amazing meals at home, enjoy the outdoors like I always have, and otherwise enjoy my home life for awhile.
Of course, that’s easy for me: I’m a natural introvert. 😊
I can’t imagine how hard this has been for teenagers, young adults, people with large families and full houses, those who lost jobs – or worse: lost loved ones…
Two of my closest friends had to shut down their business – for good.
I can only imagine how THAT feels, being in business for 23 years myself, in a career I created myself. Losing something you poured your whole life into has to be … I don’t even have the words for it. 🙁
Yes, I feel very fortunate indeed. I do.
I’m glad both of my children are raised, out of on their own, and safe & healthy. And that I have the option to be home alone, and that I ENJOY being home alone as much as I do.
The only other thing, besides that shortage on coffee-mate sugar free powdered creamer I mentioned 🤦♀️ is WORK – it’s been extremely busy the last few months, and keeping me going non-stop most days! Which is probably a good thing, and the reason I haven’t found myself “bored” yet. 😉
I’ve had to “shift with the changes” with my business and my usual work, so that’s kept me pretty busy.
It didn’t help that the basement flooded, the water heater went out, the A/C on my car stopped working, my refrigerator went on the fritz, my dane injured his foot – etc (ETC!) – lots of extra expenses while work was requiring a lot of adjustments and shifts in flow. Ack!
That’s life though, right?
I will confess though that I haven’t been working out at all lately. I’ve pretty much lost ALL of my muscle tone the last few months.
That’s my next BIG goal: to get back to my daily workouts! Even if I have to do home workouts for now, until I feel comfortable leaving Slim to go out for a hike…
His foot seems to be healing up well (fingers crossed!), but the antibiotics made him sick, so I’m just keeping a super close eye on him right now. He’s VERY old for a great dane (11 years).
What about you?
Are you back to work and HAPPY to be back to work?
Are you out of work, working from home, back to work and NOT happy about it?
Are you going back out now that things are opening back up, or not really feeling comfortable with that?
I would love to hear what YOUR experience has been, how you feel about it all NOW, and how you think it might change things for you going forward…
It took me ALL day to hit “send” on this note to you because – well, like I said, this is just a VERY sensitive topic.
So yeah, I think I’ll just stick to low carb recipes & easy keto meal ideas for the next few posts. 😉
But I do look forward to hearing how you are, how you feel, and what’s going on with you…
💚
Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler
p.s. Let me know if you have any questions, or if there’s anything I can help with when it comes to the keto diet or low carb lifestyle, or any problems you’re having lately. I always look forward to hearing from you!
p.p.s. I got my Perfect Keto delivery this morning while I was writing you this note. 🙂 I just ordered it a few days ago!!
📲 Get 15% off at Perfect Keto with this Discount Link
Here’s a video unboxing so you can see what I got:
Discount Code: LOWCARBTRAVELER
Lynn
Thank you for all you do for us!! This world changing time has been really hard and stressful but I am moving hopefully in the right direction.
I placed a order and maybe because it was our 1st we are still waiting its been 2 weeks!
They say it shipped. Hopefully we get it soon. Again thanks
Hi Frann,
What did you order – or from where? I had a couple problems with shipments getting hung up in random places. They shipped out fast but got stuck somewhere, like on in Atlanta for some reason. Is that the case with your order: stuck or lost in transit? Or it didn’t ship? Either way, get in touch with customer service and be sure to let them know! 😉 And let ME know if there’s any way I can help with that.
I love this. Thank you for sharing this perspective, which I share. I am content to be home with my little family, not because I’m scared, but I’m the best thing for my community, and for my family’s well being. I’m growing more comfortable with not feeling like I owe anyone an explanation why we haven’t thrown our front door open wide.
I don’t mind to admit… it IS nice to be “off the hook” and have “an easy out” (although I cringe saying that, it feels selfish, given the situation) – but, it IS nice to live life on my own terms, more than ever before, and to feel okay saying no or just not participating… in things I may have felt obligated to do before.
For now at least, I just get to be ME, on my own terms.
All that, plus a renewed sense of appreciation for LIFE and HOME and LOVE and all the things that matter SO much… that I think maybe, perhaps, I might have taken for granted a bit – for too long. xo
Easy out… that’s what I was thinking. I’ve happily, I mean “sadly”, missed a few weddings and graduations this last month. My husband and I and his family don’t mixed well so I was actually a little relieved to not have to attend the events I was stressing myself out over! My husband works but luckily not with the public and I stay home but we have a lawn service company and I do wedding clean ups at a large event center but we don’t deal with customers at those. Just show up, work alone, and get paid. Like you, we have been very lucky and feel very fortunate. My kids have adjusted to being home just fine. I love being home. We go outdoors for hikes and walks to get some sunshine and fresh air. I’ve learned I can make a lot of meals with stuff I have at home. I don’t need to run to the store for one item to make a certain meal. I think this will stick with me and we will “make do” with what’s in the pantry more often. I didn’t realize how many trips I used to make when the house is full of food!
I realized that exact same thing, Trish – lol. And YES, it’s so much easier and so much simpler to just use what you have and make do with what’s on hand.
Actually, life is just SIMPLER all the way around! 🙂
I’m so glad this has been a positive shift for you, and allowed you more freedoms and less stress. I feel the same way now that the initial shock has worn off and I’ve settled into a (way better) routine. 😉
Lynn, I couldn’t agree more!!
Going out isn’t in my family’s best interest right now, despite the reopening. I’m about to have our second child, so the least amount of exposure to others, the better.
Plus, the vibe is just as you described!!
So much animosity and flat-out selfishness when it comes to taking very simple precautions (ie. mask). And as a nurse, I try to educate where I can, but many are past caring or listening to reason.
And that right there makes me wanna keep away.
Plus nothing is normal yet. And won’t be for a while. It’s just not the same to casually go to the pool or the store as we were used to.
Thanks for your post. I could’ve written it myself!!
Congratulations, Lindsay! Adding to your family is such an exciting thing. 🙂 How are things going? I’m just catching up but your note made me smile, parts of it at least – nodding in agreement with the rest. 😉
The social tension is just too thick to actually ENJOY any kind of outing right now (still) so it suits me to stay out of all that altogether.
I do love that technology allows us to stay connected with people we WANT to interact with, which we can be more selective about now – or I am. 🙂
There are still plenty of great conversations, good laughs and social time. And doing it by video call means I don’t even have to clean the house or even change out of my comfies – lol.
I hope things are still going well with you! xo
I would like to say that I am also happy! I’m a 57 yo woman with no, none, medical conditions. I take no medications. I have been following along with you for quite a while. I was diagnosed April 6th positive with Covid-19. I’m a nurse on the front lines. My husband also contracted from me , we decided to keep co-habitating so he could care for me knowing he put himself in harms way. I beat it! He beat it! We are both alive and well but the virus really ravaged our bodies. As a side effect, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Not happy about that. We jumped back on the low carb band wagon 3 weeks ago. That, along with some medication, has dropped my very scary fasting blood sugar from well over 400 down to 120! My doctor is thrilled! She says keep on low carbing! Thank you for your group and continued success to everyone! It’s the best way of life!
Hi Patty 🙂 How are you and your husband doing now? I can’t imagine what it must have been like working as a nurse on the front line. Are you back to work now? I’d love to hear how things are going with you both now.
Very interesting about being diagnosed with T2D as a side effect, but I’m so glad you were able to get that under control quickly!
I’m sorry I don’t have FB or insta so don’t know the appropriate place to ask. Do you have any suggestions for a popcorn alternative? We love movies… love popcorn… choczero has my candy portion covered but any thing you might suggest to someone mindlessly snack on during the movie? Not that we are going any time soon
Hey Trish! Sometimes I like to have a “snacky movie night” at home and my favorites are roasted salted pecans and/or Lolli’s peanut butter macadamia cookie clusters. ChocZero is always a great pick. 😉
Dear Lynn: I totally get how you feel, of course I am retired and my husband and I pretty much settled into a comfortable routine……however………you are so right people have become less than nice, in fact darn right scared or is that just the mask they chose that day. I like to do my own shopping as I am a person who can make a meal out of nothing…Italian . So I only go grocery shopping about every 10-12 days, well I have found this week with the stores having more products, people are even acting more strange.. I am sort of social and friendly to everyone even with a mask, and when I speak to someone or give them an act of being courtesy …they practically run out of the store or call 911 on me…..slight exaggeration but I get it this has gone on long enough and I am in Oregon and we are very….very….very low in outbreaks but our Governor refuses to let us out of our homes, I expect monitors on us next so they can track us……..ha ha. It is up to our Nation to move on, as our livelihood and sanity are being effected and that is serious, I am 76 and have been thru many things and realize this was a universal mistake in the handling of COVID 19….and that my dear is how I feel. God Bless, keep your smiling face and this too will pass (not soon enough for me) !
Hi Bonnie!
Were you literally not allowed out of your homes there in Oregon, as in you couldn’t be in your yard or weed your flowerbeds, etc? It seems I heard about that in another state awhile back… which is hard to imagine. I live in a small agricultural town in a remote area, and am feeling very grateful for my outdoor space – and have really enjoyed being out working in the yard or playing with Slim out back the last few months.
I agree that the social tension is HIGH and I experienced similar odd behavior in the store awhile back. I’m content to skip all that tension and have been happily ordering online for curbside pickup. It’s such a time saver and convenience for me – and better for my overall state of mind and well being than the awkward vibes and tension between people. 😛 Not to mention the downright *weirdness* of some! ha
I hope things are still going well for you! I would love to hear an update when you get a chance. 🙂
I just signed up for keto Krate using your coupon code. I’m so excited! June is sold out though
Keto Krate is a lot of fun. 🙂 I haven’t opened my July box yet. I got busy with some home projects (painting, etc) – thanks for the reminder!! Did you open yours, and what did you think of this month’s box?? That should give you a lot of fun, new snack ideas!