Winter is usually the hardest season for me. The dark + cold + damp combo makes for dreary days, and when strung one after another it can make me feel desperate and panicky for ways to entertain my children. We pass the time playing in the basement, reading books on the couch, building trains and magnet tiles, and bundling up for every outdoor adventure. Hot chocolate makes a regular appearance :) I'm thankful for our assortment of visitors and the celebratory holidays to help brighten our weeks with joy, "special occasions," and fun. I also completed a "winter refresh" which included new purchases: bedding, blankets, pillowcases, laundry baskets; ample decluttering, and a new furniture arrangement on our main floor.
Highlights:
- New Year's Day Polar Bear plunge on Alki
- St. Louis work trip to support our community event of The Right to Read screening
- Fit4Mom workout classes
- Potty Learning & shifting out of cribs -- huge milestones!
- Neighbor hangouts
- Multiple visits from family
- Epiphany, Valentine's Day, Leap Day, and St. Patrick's Day
Note: sledding was unfortunately not a highlight as my children were grumpy and under-the-weather
Watching | The Buccaneers
I enjoyed this period drama! It's the same genre as Bridgerton -- love triangles and all. Fun to binge and even made me cry.
Eating | Westerly
Mr. Fleece started using this meal delivery service and it has revolutionized our mealtimes, making healthy calories accessible and convenient for him, while reducing the mental load of cooking and planning for me. Their branding, recipes, and sustainability are great, providing gluten-free and dairy-free options along with compostable packaging. Their tagline is "meals to make life simpler" and we've embraced that sentiment!
Reading | The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy
My dad recommended this book a few years ago and I finally picked it up as part of my memoir reading in March. I'm so glad I did as I ended up loving it -- I wish I would have slowed down and savored the beginning...it took me some time to get into his voice and see where the story was headed. I thought it was especially good on audio since he has a strong singular voice and there's a lot of dialogue in his storytelling. The book will make you think about education, poverty, and humanity and although very different, I think it pairs well with the novel Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, which I read shortly after.
Listening | One in a Millennial by Kate Kennedy
I came into this blind (didn't know the author or her podcast) but it was full on nostalgia! Sleepovers, popular girl handwriting, American girl dolls, AIM screen names and a deep dive into The Parent Trap. The poetic wordy pop culture references woven throughout both made me laugh and roll my eyes. She's purposely over-the-top, but her humor and commentary often worked for me and I found myself recommending this to my fellow Millennials. I think it would make for a great book club discussion and welcome any buddy reads :)
Just in time for spring cleaning,
-SJW
