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Yesterday

By the end of last week, I’d kinda had it. Not that anything catastrophic had occurred, but just many little things had all kind of piled on. Stuff at work. Stuff at home. Even kinda dumb things, like the fact that my beloved car of over 11 years is getting near the end of its life (per our trusted mechanic). It was all bumming me out.

I worked from home Friday, which is typically a mood elevator for me. I can be in my jimjams and warm slippers and overindulge in tea. But even that wasn’t really doing it for me.

But then came Sunday afternoon. I was even more exhausted after a day of car shopping. I’d gotten up, gotten a shower, done the grocery store deal and come home. Tabby was working on her science fair project with her friend, Dom, and Ben was doing what Ben does: playing Fortnite.

We were getting ready to have a small family celebration for Tabby’s birthday and she’d requested the fairly intricate rosemary chicken potato pizza (this is way more delicious than it sounds). You have to make the dough, marinate the chicken, cook the potatoes, make the shallot butter “sauce,” cook the chicken, shape the dough, top the pizzas, etc.

I wasn’t super thrilled about doing allllll that cooking on my one “day off” but of course, what she wants on her b’day, she gets. So I started in on it. And I don’t know why, but I told Alexa to shuffle songs by James Taylor.

And though I was on my feet doing “manual labor” somehow, with my tasks at hand, James Taylor in the background, snow coming down like crazy outside, working with Matt and listening to Tabby and her friend do their thing, my funk lifted. It was just so good to be there, doing something I enjoy with all my people hanging under one roof, safe and sound and happy. No TV in the background, just a little James Taylor and happy chatter.

You just never know.

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These Days

These days, I get up early. I go to the gym 3-4 times a week. I get into the office early, not only so I can be productive, but so that I can get home early enough to enjoy family life.

These days our life is full. The kids have lots of activities – piano, violin, robotics, girl scouts and swimming for Tabby and piano, swimming and karate for Ben – and Matt and I have many interests of our own.

These days we don’t worry so much about sniffles and sleeping through the night … we worry about peer pressure and social media … having the right friends, the right skills and developing character.

These days just Matt and I frequently go out to run errands and have dinner or lunch. It’s nice being just the two of us, but we miss the kids and we can see a future when it’s just the two of us at home which is a bit hard to wrap our heads around.

These days we travel a lot. We enjoy seeing new places and being with friends and getting away from our somewhat chaotic daily lives. We enjoy being with the kids in a focused way.

These days our house is organized chaos. It’s a constant effort to keep clutter and mess at bay, but it’s vibrant and noisy and fun. It’s full of snacks and friends and papers from school and sheet music and mis-matched socks and the smells of cooking.

These days the kids love their books. Ben loves Calvin and Hobbes and The Penderwicks, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries. Tabby loves all the Percy Jackson books plus whatever she has to read for school.

These days the kids also love their video games. Tabby loves The Sims and Ben loves Fortnite and Roadblocks. They like the idea of programming but don’t do it as much as we would like.

These days Tabby is pretty all-consumed by school. She takes math along with the advanced 8th graders and does all honor classes plus Spanish and Orchestra. After school she does robotics and concert jazz band. She loves to chat with me and thinks Girl Scouts is still so much fun.

These days Ben is on the cusp of young adulthood but not quite there yet. He still likes to snuggle and listen to books with me and hold his lovies tight. I know time will soon be robbing me of this little boy and while I keep helping him to gain independence and take on responsibility, there are parts of him I want to stay young.

These days Matt and I like to go on long walks around the neighborhood. We discuss finances, issues at work, the kids and plans for the future. We double date with other couples but have trouble finding people to travel with. We make an effort to be together and always be communicating because life is busy but our relationship is important.

These days we both work a lot. We are responsible leaders in our organizations. I volunteer with the library and as a Girl Scout leader. We have to be responsible at home too, keeping everyone fed and the house more or less clean and organized.

These days I “dress to impress” Monday through Friday in tailored outfits with appropriate jewelry, subtle makeup and cute shoes. The weekends and work at home days I revel in yoga pants, t’shirts with snappy sayings and cozy sweatshirts.

These days Matt loves working in his shop. He makes beautiful things, frequently for us, sometimes with friends. He also plays video games and argues with people/gives people advice on Reddit.

These days I still enjoy video games but I spend a lot of time on watercolor and brush lettering. I also have no idea what music is popular because I listen almost exclusively to podcasts and audio books.

These days Cocoa isn’t the sweet terror she once was. She’s now developed into a pretty nice dog who’s actually fun to take places. She still doesn’t much like food and does a poor job cleaning up after the kids. She is a major source of joy in our lives.

These days we see our Nashville family a few times a year – mostly they travel to visit us or we vacation together. It’s a real treat for the kids to get to see everyone and we’re always excited for it.

These days we see Dad and Kelly for Sunday dinner and at other times just about every week. And we love to travel together. Dad is doing well aside from a few aches and pains, taking exotic fishing vacations and hiking and camping. Kelly is working hard at her job and enjoying her leisure time with us and her friends.

These days I still miss Mom daily but the quality is more nostalgic than painful, except when it isn’t. The worst times are when I want her advice, but can’t get it. I can conjure her up in my mind and still get an answer, but it isn’t the same, of course. I wish she was here so I could see her seeing the kids grow and hear her laugh.

These days life is good. I look at the people around me, the work I get to do and the fun time I get to enjoy and feel sincere gratitude for my life and especially the people in it.

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A Day in the Life

05:35 I wake up after just a single tap of the snooze button. I’m trying reaaaaallly hard to ween myself off of it. It’s not uncommonly early for me, but it is early for a morning on which I’m not going to the gym.

I immediately hit the shower, rushing through it just a little to make up for those 5 miutes. I dress in our closet in the clothes I laid out the night before – a light blue blouse and dark, more formally cut jeans plus black pumps with a slight heel. I love our closet – it’s so clean and efficient.

I do my hair and put on the scant makeup I wear when heading to work then head downstairs.

Continue reading “A Day in the Life”
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Tension Tamers

It’s been a day. I was up too late. Which meant I didn’t get up early enough. Which meant I didn’t get into work when I wanted to.

Once I did get into work, it was crazy. Requests from everywhere, finding out that an order we placed was never actually placed … 2 months ago!! Projects that were NOT won. Things that did not go smoothly. And then I had to leave early for doggie pickup, including one who didn’t want to get in the car.

And once I got home, more of the same. A tweenager who didn’t want to stick with the schedule. A sick kiddo with his own issues and me trying to keep up with all the things that need to get done.

And then … missing money. I couldn’t find a deposit that should have been made a couple of weeks ago. Checking checking. Was it supposed to have been a couple of weeks ago? And I need it soon. What to do about it? Why wasn’t I more on top of it, etc. etc.

I found it, but the tension has lingered. So now, I’m sitting at my kitchen counter, catching up on official work and personal work and I am a giant ball of stress. And it doesn’t feel good. And while I can normally shake it easily, right now it is hanging on in a big way.

So rather than just feel crappy, I’m going to make a list of all the things that I can do to relive the tension (particularly those that don’t involve added calories).

  1. A cup of tea. I don’t fancy tension tamer, but earl grey (decaf) will do nicely.
  2. Bath or hot shower. Can’t really do this right now, but before bed for sure.
  3. Petting the dog. Definitely lowers the blood pressure.
  4. A good workout. Tummy is too full for this right now and I probably won’t have time later, but I think a hard run would definitely help if I could work it.
  5. Music. Calming or fun (on it).
  6. A back rub.
  7. Watercoloring/doodling
  8. Apparently writing isn’t a bad idea.

Tucking this list away for another day.

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Matzo Ball Soup

adapted from Budget Bytes

INGREDIENTS
1 lb chicken, cut into strips or bite-sized pieces
4 carrots, cut into thin rounds
4 ribs celery, halved lengthwise and diced
1 yellow onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, ready to press or minced
8 cups chicken broth
sprigs of dill
olive oil
salt & pepper

3/4 cup matzo meal
3 T oil
3 large eggs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
pepper

DIRECTIONS
Prep all your ingredients then start your matzo ball mix.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and oil. Then add meal, salt & baking soda. Combine to create consistent dough. Refrigerate for 25 minutes.

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil and add carrots, celery, onion & pressed or minced garlic. Saute for 5 or so minutes until the onion is translucent and soft. Season with salt & pepper.

Add a couple sprigs of dill and the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Once the 20 minutes are up, add your chicken strips to the soup and increase heat to medium. As the soup comes to temperature, make your matzo balls by rolling pinches of dough in your hands. They should be no larger than ping-pong ball sized. Keep in mind, they will expand as they cook! I like mine to be about 1.25 inches in diameter.

Once the soup is simmering, add in the matzo balls. Depending on their size, they will require about 15-20 minutes to cook which should give the chicken ample time to cook thoroughly as well without making it rubbery.

Add a sprig or two of dill to serve and ENJOY! Deeeeeelish.

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Accepting Mediocrity

I listened to a podcast the other day that in some way referenced the idea of accepting poor work on some things in order to excel at others. This idea resonated with me in a big way … it’s something I’ve been subconsciously doing for a long while.

In my mom’s house, sheets were neatly folded. Laundry, in general was a lot more neatly done. In my house, I fold almost everything … but it may be a day or 7 before I get to it. Sheets generally get kinda folded, kinda not … those fitted ones are hard, and honestly, I just can’t be bothered.

My kids make their own lunches. I have very few rules surrounding this other than “no sugar!” (cuz I like their teachers). So some days, Ben takes a banana and an orange and some days he takes crackers and cheese. Life’s just like that. They get relatively little time to eat and they will be getting (generally speaking) a nutritious dinner.

It used to be at work that I would flip if forms weren’t laid out perfectly or if tasks I assigned weren’t done to my standards. These days, I’m really happy to delegate because it means that I can reserve my time for the things only I can do. Sometimes it’s hard, but it’s so productive I can’t care much.

I work in fits and spurts on the organization of my house. Right now it’s pretty good. Before Christmas, it was a shit show. But I refuse to take every single one of the scant hours I spend at home for organization and cleaning. I want to play piano, read, watercolor and BE WITH MY FAMILY without nagging them to clean up.

My mom also had a saying that I loved and though it isn’t 100% applicable here, it’s tangentially applicable:

You can have help of you can have it done your way.

– my super wise mom

I choose help. I choose the more important things.

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These are a Few of My Favorite Books

There are some books that just stick with you… books that you find yourself constantly recommending or referring to in conversation or maybe, books you just can’t get out of your head or want to re-read over and over again. While I love a good non fiction or business book, most of those don’t compel me to read them over and over (the exception is below).

I am also leaving out some of my most beloved books, namely the Harry Potter and Anne of Green Gables series … but you’ve likely heard of these before and maybe these you haven’t.

Better than Before
This is Gretchen Rubin’s (The Happiness Project) book on habits. Not only does it contain info on why habits are important, but also practical tips and strategies to implement good habits and get rid of bad ones as well as things that you can do to help ensure you don’t sabotage yourself.

Pro Tip: Gretchen Rubin has a great podcast called Happier and it’s one I never miss.

Ready Player One
I have recommended this book to so many people and almost universally to great reception. Set in the not too distant future, humans have retreated into the virtual confines of The Oasis, a computer generated world. And why wouldn’t they? The outside world is kind of a mess. Wade Watts, a kid from a trailer park in Oklahoma City is no exception. He spends his days going to school online and avoiding his crummy life with his abusive guardian. Then one day, an amazing announcement, the reclusive, eccentric creator of The Oasis has died and left a crazy puzzle of “Easter Eggs” in his virtual world and whoever should solve them will win the keys to the kingdom and untold wealth. Wade joins the hunt along with most of the rest of the world and there the story begins.

With tons of pop culture references (mostly from the 80s), fun dialogue, interesting characters and a good pace of plot with some interesting points on what our future holds, this is one I enjoy over and over.

Pro Tip: The movie bears no resemblance to the book and personally, I wouldn’t bother.
Pro Tip 2: The Audio book, narrated by Wil Wheaton, is a gem.

A Girl of the Limberlost
Raised in the Limberlost, a now-all-but-extinct swampland in Indiana, Elnora Comstock loves two things: nature and learning. Neglected by her mother, who has been grieving since Elnora’s birth prevented her from saving her husband from drowning in the swamp, Elnora has found comfort in the arms of the nearest neighbors and her beloved Limberlost. As the story begins, Elnora is heading to high school for the first time and while she may be a model pupil, there are many challenges that must be surmounted.

Off to Be the Wizard
Martin is your average computer geek. Well maybe a bit above average. In the midst of one jolt-fueled hacking session, he discovers THE FILE. It’s a simple text file, but it appears to contain the parameters of … well the whole world, confirming that we are, in fact, living in a simulation.


Of course he can’t just let sleeping files lie … he starts manipulating the data and lands himself in some very hot water. Pretty soon he decides he needs to escape back to a time when his special “powers” will be appreciated, or at least properly feared, and transports himself back to medieval England. Things just get better from there.

The first in a still evolving series, this one is the best, IMO, but they’re all fun.

Pro Tip: The audio book is very very well done. Definitely worth a listen.

The Blue Castle
This is by the author of the Anne of Green Gables series and though I read it for the first time just a couple of years ago, it’s become a favorite and one of my go-to comfort reads.

Valancey Sterling is almost 30 and decidedly an old maid. Living a miserable existence where she is equally cowed and overlooked by her formidable family, each new day is an exercise in death by inches.

Then one day she receives a diagnosis and learns she will have just a year to live and Valancey realizes it’s time to live. And you will cheer her on as she does just that.

Landline
Georgie is a successful TV Writer in LA and though she has the career she’s always wanted, she has been drifting from her husband Neal for some time. So when Neal packs up the kids to head to his parents’ house in Omaha for Christmas and Georgie has to bail at the last minute, she thinks she’s really done it this time.

So imagine her surprise when she learns that she can call her husband … in the past on the landline in his parents’ house. And now she has the chance to fix everything … or does she?

Rainbow Rowell is a brilliant writer and this is one of my favorites of the sadly just four full-length novels she’s written.

Bright Side
Though Kate’s life has been anything but perfect, she’s managed to keep an optimistic, sunny outlook on life, hence her best friend, Gus’s (admittedly kinda cheesy) nickname for her, Bright Side. And though she is funny, smart and musically gifted, she’s never believed in love. So when she leaves Sunny San Diego to attend college in a tiny town in Minnesota, she is more than a little surprised to fall in love with Keller Banks.

Though their love story seems epic, Kate has a secret … one that will challenge the bounds of Keller’s love for her.

Harry’s Trees
This winsome book, full of everyday magic, is a more recent favorite – one I found just this past fall. It is the story of two people – one a middle aged man and one a young girl, both dealing with life-changing grief.

They find each other through serendipitous events in the forests of Pennsylvania and embark upon a magical journey together.

Animal Vegetable Miracle
Though this book can be a bit heavy-handed on the underlying political agenda, the story of author Barbara Kingsolver and her family’s move from Arizona to rural Appalachia is charming.

In an effort to eat only things grown within a 100 mile radius, they take up farming and animal raising and get to know the neighbors who can supply them with things like flour … and all that that ensues. The food makes your mouth water; the anecdotes on turkey animal husbandry will make your eyes water (with laughter!) and it will give you an appreciation for American’s agrarian roots and where our food comes from.

A Town Like Alice
This is one of those books my mom recommended to me that took me years to get around to reading, but once I did, I fell in love.

Jean is a young Englishwoman living in Malaya and is captured by the invading Japanese. She is forced on a 7-month march with other women and children through the most impossible conditions imaginable.

Once back in England with the ordeal behind her, she wants to give back to the people who saved her life and this begins the transformation of her life once again.

Birds, Beasts and Relatives
This charming book follows the English Durrell family and their crazy and amazing life in the Greek island of Corfu. Told from the perspective of the baby of the family, animal-crazy Gerry but with tons of the other members of his family mixed in. The book is a wonderful mix of anecdotes about the locals and about the cool and crazy animals Gerry encounters and adopts … a feel good novel for sure.

I have committed to reading 70 new books this year but I’m hoping that I can fit in a few of these to enjoy all over again.

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2019: Year of Consistency

I am happy to say 2018 was pretty darn good to me. Relationships, work, travel, creative pursuits and generally, most of the things that mattered to me went really well. There is always room for improvement, but as a whole, I feel seriously blessed and I am very very grateful.

As I always do, I’ve set some goals for 2019. I love doing this and spend literally hours, as the old year closes and the new one begins, making plans. It’s serious nerdy fun for me.

The thing that I’m not always as amazing about is … keeping them. Oh in the grand scheme, I do, but I’m not always super spot on. For example, while I read over 70 books last year, I only read 6 of the 23 that I listed at the beginning of the year as wanting to read … and not because I don’t want to read them anymore (mostly), but because I forgot about them. I stopped doing good tracking in MAY. Less than halfway through the year.

So my word for the year is CONSISTENT. And I want to come back here and write down how things are going every month. It’s going in Todoist, so it has the greatest chance of actually happening ever.

And what goals did I pick?

Continue reading “2019: Year of Consistency”

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A Look Back on 2019

It’s hard to believe 2018 is almost over. I revert to Gretchen Rubin’s saying – The days are long, but the years are short.

  1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?
    What a great year. It’s so hard to pick! I think I will pick our Cruise to New England and Canada as that encompasses great time with people I love and seeing amazing sights.
  2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
    My workload took a somewhat unexpected uptick and adjusting to that has been difficult but also an interesting challenge.
  3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?
    The ups and downs of preteens not withstanding, it has been just lovely hanging with Tabby. I love hearing her thoughts on things and getting to know her as she evolves into this newly minted mini adult.
  4. What was an unexpected obstacle?
    We knew having a puppy would be crazy, but the day-to-day, especially in the early months was very challenging – lots of running home from work early to let her out while Matt was travelling and busting home from skiing, etc. to do the same. So worth it, of course.
  5. Pick three words to describe this past year.
    Busy. Wonderful. Loud.
  6. Pick three words your partner would use to describe your year.
    Productive. Fun. Crazy.
  7. What were the best books you read this year?
    Harry’s Trees, The Hate U Give, The Power of Moments, Grit
  8. Who were your most valuable relationships with?
    Matt, Tabby, Ben, Kelly, Dad, a handful of close friends
  9. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?
    I think I’ve gotten better about working to take time for myself and to really sink into chilling again.
  10. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?
    I am better about taking certain situations in stride and not personalizing them.
  11. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?
    I’ve spent a lot more time on reflection and gratitude, which I think has given me better perspective.
  12. In what way(s) did you grow physically?
    I’m a better runner than I was last year (slowly gaining this back).
  13. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?
    I have learned to be a bit more chill with the kids and Matt. There are still expectations, but I don’t think I’m as rigid about certain things.
  14. What was the most enjoyable part of your work (both professionally and at home)?
    The impact that it had on my coworkers (work) and family (home).
  15. What was the most challenging part of your work (both professionally and at home)?
    Living up to my (admittedly pretty high) expectations and also keeping on track for long stretches – things come up!
  16. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?
    Probably social media.
  17. What was the best way you used your time this past year?
    Toss up between time with my loved ones and my planning and reflection time.
  18. What was biggest thing you learned this past year?
    Consistency is key.
  19. Create a phrase or statement that describes this past year for you.
    My heart is full. My arms are full. I am grateful.
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Apps I Like – November 2018

Todoist
Todoist is really more than an app – it’s a task system – and the best I’ve found so far. I used Remember the Milk for years (one of the first of its kind) and I still like it for lists, but Todoist has the #1 spot in my heart for ToDoing.

The thing I like most about it is the way it gathers items into lists of what needs to be done on THAT PARTICULAR DAY. You just set a date when you enter your item and if you’re looking at the date filtered interface, you don’t see anything that’s pertinent to that day. This also means that in the vein of a tickler/43 folders setup, you can enter an item months ahead that has to be done on a certain day and it will be there. And if you need to see all.the.things. of course, there’s an interface for that too. You can also set reminders for specific times for your items. 

Additionally, the entry interface is very easy/slick. It’s a single line and automatically picks up hashtagged categories/projects and dates and priorities. 

And last but not least, it has a gamification/accountability component that I find compelling. Every day I’m trying to get to To Do List zero which means I’ve either completed or postponed every item. I’m also trying to get a set number of tasks done daily and weekly. I can get streaks that I don’t want to break and points that level me up. It also has features for delegation and teams but I haven’t used those too much yet. 

Aaptiv
This one has been widely publicized, but if you haven’t heard of it yet, check it out. It has workouts that stream into your earbuds: treadmill, strength training, outdoor running, stretching, yoga, elliptical, meditation, walking, and more. They’ve got different trainers and a few different music selections to work with. 

It’s one of the most portable workouts out there and a really simple way to get those active minutes in. It has some accountability features too: you can calendar workouts, accumulate miles, calories, etc., and get reminders. 

It is not free though you can get it free for 30 days. I initially got it for going on our cruise and I ended up keeping it for a year and it’s been nice. And because it’s got a bunch of things, it feels more cost effective than services that just give you yoga or meditation or running workouts. Additionally, you are able to download workouts for those wifi-free sojourns. 

Skillshare
Skillshare is another app I’ve actually been willing to pay for. It is an app that provides video classes on a HUGE variety of topics. I got 3 months for 99c last January to help one of my 2018 goals – watercolor (which I’ve totally rocked, BTW) and kept it because I really do enjoy it.  

I’ve so far only used it for artistic/design stuff but there are lots more including scarf tying, interior decor, guitar, cooking, languages, business, technology and on and on. And you can also download classes for those wifi free times. 

Mile IQ
Mile IQ  automatically tracks all the miles I drive and sends them to me via email for reimbursement. All I have to do is classify them as personal or business and after you classify the same drive a couple times, it will ask you if you want to create a rule about that route (i.e. always personal or business and there are some subcategories too). 

It’s not a sexy or exciting app, but it saves me money. Though I paid for it – think it’s $49/year) – I have already made my money back as I have been historically awful about turning in my miles for work for reimbursement and I tend to leave quite a bit of $$ on the table, especially since my miles driven for work have increased over the past few years. 

Grateful
Grateful is a sweet little app where you simply record a few things from each day that you’re grateful for. It’s got a simple, visually pleasing interface. 

Timehop
Timehop is a perrenial favorite of mine. I’ve been using it for years. Each day it shows you what happened that day last year (it also syncs up holidays that occur on different dates each year, like Thanksgiving) so that you get a fun little walk down memory lane each day. It also serves to keep me motivated to keep at least taking photos each day! 

The Roku App
If you use any Roku devices, this is a must-have app. It does a couple of absolutely key things: 1) plays a sound on your Roku remote when it’s missing, 2) serves as a backup remote for your Roku and 3) allows you a keyboard interface for your Roku when it’s just tooooo painful to arrow to every letter of your 2392382 character password. 

You can also stream photos and music from your phone to your Roku AND you can use your phone for “private listening” from your Roku device (i.e. have the Roku stream sound to your device that you can then in turn listen to on headphones so as not to disturb others).