Happy Wednesday! It’s a double link up day for me. I am joining Joyce for her Wednesday Hodgepodge and Sheaffer and Shay for a few of the What’s Up Wednesday prompts. Let’s get to it!
1. What was your after school routine like when you were a kid? We always came home on the bus, had a snack, and then played or started on homework. I did something similar with my kids. They had their snack between student dismissal and when my day ended. As soon as we got home, I sent them outside for a little over an hour. At 4, I called them in to do homework.
2. January 26 is National Green Juice Day ( I guess it’s true everything really does have it’s day). Do you juice, as in make your own in an attempt to get healthy? Do you do the green juices? What’s your favorite kind of juice (home blended or store bought, either one)? Oh, I do not make my own juice. I don’t really drink juice. I have done a few juice cleanses and I don’t mind them. They surely clean out the system and leave me feeling good, but I don’t do them frequently.
3. What’s something trivial about which you have a strong opinion? Fires! I hate fires, firepits, fire places, solo stoves, all of it! I cannot get rid of the smell of smoke for a long time and I don’t like it one bit. Curly hair is porous and I think my hair holds on to the smell of smoke through more than one good cleaning. I’ve even been known to take it personally when someone has a fire pit, even though they don’t know I hate them. It is ridiculous, but true.
4. What do you need more of in your life? Less of? More: sunshine, warm weather, balance of plans with family & friends, commitments, and downtime. Less: wind chills, dishes, stuff to go through
5. Give us three adjectives to describe your January. Freezing, cold, arctic. The entire month was so cold! We had fun, but it was cold for everything!
6. Insert your own random thought here. I had a work from home day on Monday. While I love the opportunity to work from home as a teacher, I could not do it full time. I always end my work from home days frustrated because I’ve planned to much. In my mind, I plan an entire day of work and an entire day of at home stuff to do. I never do it all, it’s impossible. I get a lot of work stuff done, but very little of the home stuff. I also have a hard time walking away from my work when the work day is over. I’m not complaining, just noticing that it 100% work from home is not for me.
WHAT WE’RE EATING THIS WEEK…
WHAT I’M LOVING…
I am loving two hour delay mornings. It is so nice to ease into the morning. I am not really loving them at work, because the schedules have not gone in my favor for planning time and productivity there.
I am loving experience gifts. Luke got to go to a Harry Potter Forbidden Forest last weekend and we had a blast. Jack is looking forward to going to his first NHL game next week.
I am loving my weighted vest. I feel very mid 40s in it, but it makes every single walk a little more challenging. I forgot it the other day when I took Luke to soccer practice and I missed it!
WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO…
Jack is learning to drive! He’s doing well but we have many hours in the car to go!
Luke played percussion in the band and with the orchestra so we got two evenings of music this month.
Jack’s high school swimming is going strong. Between high school meets and club team meets, he swam 500 free at least 6 times in since the middle of December. And he is swimming it again this weekend. I cheered him on at every meet! My parents and Jeff’s parents joined in on a few.
WHAT I’M DREADING…
I just looked at my weather app and they are calling for ice on Saturday morning. I don’t mind snow but I do not like ice.
I am dreading cold hands and fingers for another few months. I have quite a few pairs of gloves and my fingers do not stay warm when I am outside. Is this a sign that I need to start wearing mittens? Do you have a warm glove recommendation?? Please share them!
WHAT I’M WORKING ON…
I am taking a class about the Science of Reading. It is not hard, but it is very time consuming. I am working through it during down time at school and a little at home. I am happy to say that I am pretty familiar with the information presented so far and happy that the teaching pendulum is swinging this way.
WHAT I’M WATCHING/READING…
I am still watching The Crown. I finished season 5 this week. I love that show!
I shared the nine books I read in January yesterday. I am currently reading these three:
WHAT I’M WEARING…
I am wearing my Valentine’s Day shirts.
I am wearing my new Chelsea boots. It’s taking me a bit of time to figure out the pants to go with them comfortably, but I love the boots. I am loving these pants in a 31″ inseam. I also just got this long vest and it is a new favorite!
WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND…
Jack has his high school swimming championship meet on Saturday. Luke might play a soccer game or two, but that’s it.
WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH…
The boys have a few swim meets next month which I always love. I think we have a few weekend days with nothing scheduled. I am looking forward to the later sunsets. It is noticably sunny a little later already and it is so good!
This was a good wrap up for the month. This is another week with no real routine, but I have hope that one week soon we will have a regular schedule. I’ll be back tomorrow for Monthly Musings. Have a great day full of sunshine and books!
The only glove (or mittens! I’ve tried at least a dozen of each) that keep my hands warm are the ones I bought just 2 years ago; they have a rechargeable battery pack and actually heat up. Otherwise my fingers freeze no matter what I do. Experience gifts are always so much fun! I love when we can come up with some good ones.
Snacks are so important after school, I always had one and my girls did too.
Oh yes! I need more sunshine and warm weather! I am so over winter now.
Oh wow! The Harry Potter Forbidden Forest looks fab!!
What is the class you’re taking on the science of reading? I’d love some info!!!
It is through SUNY for Maryland Educators.
Same thoughts on the cold here- boo- can’t wait for spring!! You have the cutest Valentine wardrobe around 🙂
I used to feel like that about fires too until we built our own smoke-less pit. It’s essentially stones with exit areas and a metal insert with a bunch of holes. It funnels the smoke out and I barely smell it anymore. I teach a college hybrid course, which means we meet 2 days a week and on the 3rd they have an at-home online assignment. I like it but last week, when we didn’t have any classes due to the ice storm, it threw everything off!
I love the fire table because it doesn’t give you the smoky smell you get from a real fire. I do love our real firepit too and I wear my ‘fire clothes’ which I strip off in the garage. I usually put my hair up in an old baseball cap and that help. I cannot go to bed with smoky hair so sometimes that influences my decision to sit by a fire in the evening. Have a great day!
We don’t like the smell of a real fire either. Actually, that isn’t exactly true. It is fine when you are enjoying the fire. It is the after we don’t like. We had a real wood firepit and if we came in from outside and sat on the furniture, the furniture would soak up the smell. We now have a gorgeous firepit with a gas tank hidden underneath. We love it. We also have really nice gas logs in our fireplace and we have really enjoyed that fireplace this year!!
I know what you mean about the smell of smoke. Even when Trav wants to do a fire in the back yard, i hesitate. I’m tempted to get a weighted vest. I had one years ago and liked it. We’re feeling a heat wave here. Upper 40’s feel like spring haha
so very exciting to have a new driver in the house. The conversations are often related to questions of that subject.
I need to get some new valentine shirts!
I can’t stand the smoke smell either. When we are going to have a campfire I’m always mindful of what I’m wearing and getting it washed aftewards.
That is a very neat snowflake light!
I did not know that about curly hair being porous. My hair is more wavy than curly, but it definitely absorbs the smoky odors. Good to know! I hope you don’t get ice!
The snowflake lights are so cool! It makes it look so fun & cozy!