Outside my window...
The snow and bitter cold are encouraging me to keep the window between me and the outdoors.
Giving thanks...
for my dad's successful surgery to repair his broken elbow.
I am thinking...
that at least one of my kids is an extrovert.
In the schoolroom...
We are finishing a week-long break. We are experimenting with a
Sabbath schedule, so I don't teach more than six weeks without taking a break. It means that our summer break will be shorter than our public school's break, but I think that kids can lose a lot of ground on extensive breaks and I appreciate the breathers throughout the year.
I am hoping...
to develop more emotional self-control while dealing with my children.
From the kitchen...
No desserts! By the end of January, I was downing two tablespoons of Nutella at regular intervals throughout the day just to buoy my flagging energy. I decided that I needed to break the sugar high and crash cycle by cutting out desserts and sugary items for a month. (I didn't cut carbs or dairy because I wasn't ready for that level of commitment.) The first few days were so painful with headaches and emotional swings, but now I'm appreciating the benefits of steady energy and not overeating. The next trick will be to introduce some sugar back in without falling into old habits.
I am learning...
how to stop striving on the Sabbath and actually experience rest and delight. It takes a lot of planning.
Around the house...
Since we were taking a break from school, I started some spring cleaning and spent about four hours mucking out Hazel's room. She loves to collect things, so I removed two bags of garbage and a laundry basket of items that had been "misplaced" in her room, including a pair of my shoes. I didn't have to sort through Jubal's room, so I just deep cleaned it instead.
I am creating...
a painting for Hazel's room. It is a do-over of one that I completed at one of those painting classes that are all the rage these days.
I am watching...
- Just finished the 9th season of Bones
- The third season of The Mentalist
- My husband and I try to watch a show or two a week from among The 100, Master Chef Junior, Survivor and Amazing Race. We are really behind on all of these!
I am working on...
journaling and writing more consistently.
I am praying...
for my father-in-law's upcoming heart surgery, my dad's healing, my children and some marriages in hard spots.
Plans for next week...
I may be foolish, but I signed both Hazel and Jubal up for swimming lessons on Monday and Wednesday nights. They start tomorrow. Hazel has gymnastics on Tuesday and Thursday nights. You can do anything for a month, right?
I am reading...
- Shooting from the Lip about U.S. Senator Al Simpson. It is more of a look at his diary than a dissection of his character and motivations. However, since I have met him and I worked for Senator Enzi, who took over his Senate seat when he retired, the book has a personal interest for me.
- I am anxiously awaiting the arrival on my doorstep of Susan Cain's book on introverts and Michelle West's Memory of Stone and Other Stories. She and Robin Hobb are two of my favorite fantasy authors. I was so happy to discover this compilation of short stories while I am waiting for their new books.
- Mountain Born is what I am reading to the kids these days. It is a sweet story, but they lack my experience raising sheep, mainly 4-H lambs and a few ewes, so it isn't as personal for them.
One of my favorite things...
My dad lived in London in the early 70s before he was my dad. One of the items he brought back was a four cassette audiobook of
The Hobbit read by the actor Nicol Williamson. It was the only book on tape I listened to as a child. My parents would play it at night as we drifted off to sleep. We wore those tapes out and I learned to love the book even though I didn't read it until a friend gave it to me as a college graduation gift. Last night, I found it online
here!!!! It has medieval music and Nicol's voicing of the characters is amazing. I can't wait to listen to it again.
I am hearing...
Last night I tried listening to a podcast while I did the dishes and it worked! The kids played with dad and I was able to use my time wisely while doing the mundane. Timothy and I quite often do the dishes together, but I have a new option for those off nights.
I am clicking on...
I don't ever want to forget...
how Granville will sing a tuneless and wordless song whenever you ask him to sing a song for you.
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