Normally, at the start of each new year, I print out a fresh set of calendar pages and populate the days ahead with what's known. School closures & breaks, gymnastics, appointments, and so on. This year....we don't have anything to write down. I spent a lot of the day stewing over where we could go. What if we could go to Hawaii? When would we aim for? Would June be too soon? What if we aimed for next fall break? But that seems so far off. Where could we go in the meantime? Something we … [Read more...] about January Micro-goal: A Snow Day
Resolutions, 2021
While I don't make a concerted effort to make a New Year's resolution, I also don't try not to make one either. If one comes to me, fantastic. One did last year, and I more or less stuck to it, or was at least mindful of it when I remembered it, which seemed pretty often. If one doesn't come to me, like this year....no big deal. This year, for 2021, nothing has struck me yet, and I'm not trying to force one to surface, either. So for now: no resolutions for 2021. We do have a running "once … [Read more...] about Resolutions, 2021
Rants & Raves, 2020 edition
Looking back on this crazy-ass year, here are the things big and small that make my end-of-year list for 2020. Rants COVID-19, duh. Just a total, complete clusterfuck. drumpf, the orange racist misogynistic shitgibbon. He can't GTFOOH soon enough. my state's inept governor. Turns out a global pandemic reveals just how much we are at the mercy of ~local~ and ~state~ leaders and policies, not just federal ones. the collapse of school in spring 2020. It was like our (and everyone … [Read more...] about Rants & Raves, 2020 edition
And Just Like That: No Training Wheels
I kept thinking we'd be able to knock out a bunch of childhood milestones during the pandemic. But it turns out that parenting while working full-time without access to any of the usual supports is a wee bit exhausting? Anyhoo. A few months ago, when one kiddo finally expressed some interest in ditching the training wheels, I declined to take any action and the moment passed. So we've been going far, far too long with training wheels. Long after either needed them. So one afternoon a … [Read more...] about And Just Like That: No Training Wheels
A Near-Perfect Orange Cake for Christmas
I read something a few weeks ago where people were talking about their experiences with work during the pandemic, and one person they profiled had been laid off and never happier. I can relate to that. The two times in my adult life I've been unemployed...I had time and energy to do something I enjoy: bake. Baking takes planning and patience, and the energy to summon the ingredients and be home, ready to rotate the cookie pans or put the bread in the oven only once it has proofed. In other … [Read more...] about A Near-Perfect Orange Cake for Christmas