Friday, February 9, 2024

Looking back to January 2024

A pretty general consensus around the internet is that January was the longest month ever.  Maybe it was just getting back to normal routine after all of Christmas and the different days that brings but it really was a month.  It didn't help that our boys were home, what felt like a lot, the first 3 weeks back from break.  Every week had at least a delay and an elearning day, sometimes more than one of either, which made it VERY hard to get back into a routine.  Also to get momentum going on my jobs and various projects because no matter how much I planned my week, the school schedule would get messed up and all my stuff got pushed so I could be a teacher for the day.  It was very frustrating.  Then, when they finally had a full week back...I got a stomach bug which kinda knocked me out for 2 days.  So January has been a month.

We're also back into wrestling season, Matt has a more intense school schedule (2 fewer classes but picked up 16 hours of clinicals a week), it's been a lot of cold which just makes me grouchy.  However, we are about a month out from the end of wrestling AND it feels like decent weather is just a few weeks away.  We will get there!!  Trying really hard to stay optimistic and focus on the positive and it really is helping!

Looking back:
1 year ago: Picture Book - Snowmen
2 years ago: Author Love - Sara Ackerman
3 years ago: {20} Favorite Picture Books We Read in 2020
4 years ago: Book Love: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
5 years ago: The Whole House Purge (I am never not in the middle of a whole house purge)
6 years ago: Front Room Shelves (still one of my favorite projects we've completed)
7 years ago: {5} Things I'm Doing to Start the Year Right (still working on #1 but the rest are done!)
8 years ago:
Book Love: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
9 years ago: Photography part 2 - Do Something With Your Pictures
10 years ago:
Office Renovations
11 years ago: Things I Like - January (I still have #s 2-5!)

1) Donuts my first day back to work after break!  I always LOVE a surprise donut day.
2) Family trip to botanical gardens where everything was still all Christmasy (this was over break) and it made me so happy. 
3) I am in that picture if you zoom in.
4) Sam insisted on taking this picture of me with this tiny cactus.
5) Lunch at Electric Works downtown!  Always fun to go there.
6) The long process of undoing Christmas.  It takes me MANY days to get it all done, partially because I do a lot of decorating and also because I drag my feet quite a bit (it was all down mid-month!).
7) I was attempting to pack up a tub on our first surprise elearning day of the year...it maybe wasn't the best choice because then I had fussy kids about elearning AND a messy house.
8) Oh look...still undecorating.  Someday I'm going to have enough bottle brush trees AND a space to display a big variety all together (I DO have enough bottle brush for that but not if I want them all over the house still!)
9) Had a pretty decent reading month though!  That was good, the days the boys were in school at least.
10) The house feels so calm and clean once Christmas is put away!  Plus, a rare sunny day.
11) Sam took this of me on an elearning day.  I was doing my puzzle to distract from being grumpy about elearning.
12) Painting gone wrong.  We were supposed to be painting SAM'S shirt (not on him) for 101 day at school (they dress up like dalmatians).
13) A date lunch!  It still feels weird that we get childfree hours when Matt's off work.
14) My niece and I had nearly matching boots.  Boots with the fur!
15) Tequilia sunrise, tastes like Chicago (at Matt's work holiday party which is always in January).
16) I ran so I got sorbet.  It is a HUGE motivator in my runs.  Also, not failing at my goals already in January.

Books finished: 16! Good start to the year!
Miles ran:
2.15 miles! I RAN in January and it wasn't a horrible as I expected.  I do not want to make a habit of it but I did it and survived!
Currently watching:
We're not in the middle of anything together!  I'm still watching The Office, trying to catch up with Office Ladies.  I usually watch that while I work...
Most read post this month: Reading Recap - December 2023 and then NYC #4 - Days 1 & 2
Luke's current favorite song:

Sam's current favorite song: 

February is a shorter month AND is immediately followed by spring!  That's exciting!

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