How we survived the semester

 The biggest changes I made to our daily life this semester revolved around the two most important categories: food and rest.

We instituted a Lazy Genius-style food plan for weeknights that made almost everything feel manageable. We decided ONCE for the WHOLE semester that Tuesday we would grab Culvers on the way home from dance; that Wednesday, I would swing by Milios and snag subs for Dorothy and Cooper to eat for their after school snacks on the way to dance and dive; and that Wednesdays Minnie would eat chocolate chip pancakes, eggs, and fruit for dinner. Every single Wednesday night. Sometimes Jack joined her (and also joined in on Culvers), but sometimes, he was busy with his own life, and that was OK, too. I never indulged in the Tuesday Culvers, but I was more than happy to walk the dog while the kids ate and come home to a barely touched kitchen and a bowl of protein oatmeal that I ate in relative quiet before putting Minnie to bed. Sometimes, I did join in on breakfast for dinner, and sometimes I ate leftovers or bagged salads instead. It didn't bother me to make something else for myself when feeding my people was on autopilot. We also followed LG advice to have the easiest, most crowd-pleasing dinner on the hardest night of the week (Tuesday). And! If Thursday ever felt hard, I had no problem grabbing a pizza on the way home from the after-school drop off run, and Ben was never sad to come hone to those leftovers, either. (Usually I would make something easy with great leftovers on Thursdays, so Ben could eat something when he got home and so we would have food for Friday lunches).

Fast food for the win!

I also started making it a habit to rest BEFORE my work was done. Sometimes this looked like waking up early to drink coffee and read 50 pages of a book before anyone was around to bother me. Sometimes, it looked like reading on the couch for an indulgent hour while I put my work (housework sometimes or work work others) aside, knowing it was going to be there for me when my alarm went off. Sometimes, it looked like a walk around the lake on campus while I mulled over an issue and found that I was ready to solve it when I got back to my office. Resting and taking intentional breaks (not scrolling mindlessly because I didn't want to admit to myself that I was actually taking a break) made parenting 4 kids and working a full time job while my partner spent part of every single week out of town feel doable. Not just doable-- enjoyable, even.

That's it. Stop cooking and start loafing-- a recipe for success. (And also some weight gain, but what are you gonna do?)

Beginning of the semester:

End of the semester:

I am a bit overwhelmed at the looming summer break. So many people in my house with so many schedules to juggle! And by all of the prep work that needs to magically happen between now and the fall. But! I already know that I am going to lean all the way into pool dinners, zero morning alarms, and lots of afternoon naps with a book. 

Also, big things on the horizon, like THIS!!!!!  Jack and I are so excited

5 on a Friday: Dance mom things

 Can you even believe that the regional dance season is behind us? All Dorothy has left is a recital (Minnie too!!) and a week-long trip to Navy Pier in Chicago for nationals at the end of June. A few dance mom things:

1. Everything is better when Dorothy does her own makeup. All I am here for anymore is false eyelash assistance and the some hair help and to tell her she is beautiful.

Thank goodness I signed Minnie up for team auditions this summer because I need to be needed again.

SHE EVEN DOES HER OWN QUICK CHANGE PONYTAIL

I DO still have to help bobby pin her bandana and attach it to her hat ad then PIN HER HAT TO HER HEAD via a hair ball we are supposed to make at the very top of her head. So there's that. (Also this is easy to do if it's the first dance of the day but brutal for a quick change. At one of the competitions this year when the kids only had 2 dances to change costumes and hair, 3 girls lost their hats mid-dance and as the dance captain (a mom who is in charge of any props and of making sure everyone is dressed according to the styling directions and gathering all the kids at the call time) for that dance, I knew it was all my fault.

2. We are going to have to buy a new dance bag because Dorothy's is ripping. It has had 3 hard years, so I guess it's been a good purchase. I might also get a Hulken bag for peripherals and times when I do not want to be lugging the whole huge bag. I have been saying for years that I want to upgrade her garment bags, too, but so far I just keep using the ones the studio sends us home with.

But! This bag has lived a long life, and we have appreciated her.

3.  Dorothy has fun the entire time we are a competition, rom the stage to the dressing room, to the hallways.

Last weekend was her last regional of the season, and we even had fun as a family

4. My favorite dance mom friend moved to another studio, and I haven't found someone I enjoy snarking with in the same way, but! Dane weekends are also really fun for me because it's lovely to spend time with people we have known for years at this point who are all in the same weird boat.

Just imagine Minnie on the mini team next year and all the new friends we'll both meet!

5. Every season, I get so used to the dances and costumes that is heard to imagine what the next year will look like. Dorothy is not trying out for tap this summer (so she says right now...), and I will miss it-- but this is her least favorite costume because it is so tight

My favorite costume is lyrical-- it's just so pretty

Dorothy likes all her hip hop costumes the best because they are so comfy

Next up: recital, followed by nationals in Chicago :)

Cheap stuff I adore right now

 

I am on my 4th one of these coffee pots. The PERFECT SIZE for me (I drink half caff) and programmable. I actually think I solved the mystery of why it has been so hard to get out of bed-- my program button has been broken, but I have been letting it ride. Finally, the regular on/off button stopped working, and I was forced to get a new pot. And now? I leap out of bed to the smell of coffee.  **shrug**

(also, this is a FINE coffee pot. The grounds are always equally wet, which is a good sign, and the coffee tastes great for the first and second cup. After that it tastes like coffee that's been sitting on a hot plate, but I use a big mug and generally drink it all in 2 cups. I decant any extra into a travel mug to stay warm in there, and if I want good coffee, I use a Chemex or French press. Ben keeps sending me links to fancy mother's day coffee pots and espresso machines, but I think I am happy wit the Mr.).

All of this stuff! 

The wake up call eye patches that are Ulta brand are THE BEST ONES I have found ($19)

That EOS lotion (I also use the body wash and spray) smells like cookies ($8)

The Cerave vitamin C serum is so good under moisturizer. ($20-ish)

Ordinary caffeine serum is the GOAT ($10)

Cerave retinol serum is SO GOOD under night cream ($25-ish)

I wear the Ordinary sunscreen serum for jogging post sunrise ($19)

TJ's sheet masks are the very best on the market ($3)

Good old JC Penney for kid suits! The reason they win is that they sell the suit pants in a variety of waist and inseam sizes, so if you need a suit you can wear off the rack, say, THE DAY BEFORE PROM, you are all set. Macy's has more options but generally sells pants that must be tailored at the waist and cuffs, which is no bueno if you are a procrastinator. 

the CUTEST little patterned scalloped sock liners from DSW. $15 for.a 6-pack and totally solved my problem!

Any deals you've found lately??

MAY GOALZ: Not very many.

 May goals:

1. Get dressed in real clothes every day

2. Yoga every day

3. Lift weights every weekday

4. Prepare for KID SUMMER (with lots of alone time, a massage, an indulgent Kindle budget, plenty of work time in coffee shops, and chunks of time where I sit in the house and close my eyes and have ZERO SENSORY INPUT FROM ANYONE/THING (except maybe the dog))

5. Date night for my birthday

6. A visit to my mom for Mother's Day

I see May as a brief interlude between seasons, since I am done with the semester, but the kids are still in school, so I am going to prioritize rest and relaxation. (Also we have a weekend of dance and two different weekends that will see Ben in FL with Cooper for dive meets, plus a weekend were Ben's at work for commencement, plus a kid coming home for summer, so maybe the idea of rest is a nonstarter...)

SPEAKING OF NONSTARTER, I did NOT do a good job of meeting my April goals. At ALL. YOU GUYS.

PD

1. Work on course prep for fall ❌
2. New prep for spring❌
3. Read more AI stuff❌
4. Review new textbook❌

Hobbies and Home

1. Use IG to promote blog posts❌
2. Meet up with a blog friend I have never met in IRL before❌
3. Buddy read Kin✅
4. InstaKids Chatbook this month and make an April album✅

Fitness

1. Maintain a calorie deficit every day this month ❌
2. Hit fiber and protein macros every day this month❌
3. Yoga every day again!✅
4. Get new medium weights🟡 YOU GUYS! My old heavy weights are now my medium weights, and I need new heavy weights! KILLED IT!!!!

Celebrations

1. Take Jack out for an 18th bday dinner✅
2. Super fun Easter weekend✅
3. Plan graduation but like for realz❌
4. WORK ON THOSE STOCKING STUFFERS .❌

But! You know what I DID do?

I kept up a new tradition of starting a phone photo album for the moth and throwing good photos in there-- so easy to make Chatbooks and IG posts! I also got stronger! And kept up my running streak! And did some cool professional stuff that's not bloggable! Also I changed everyone's sheets on the regular. It's the small stuff, you guys.

I leave you with this, the work of a kindergarten planner in the making...

April: What I Read

 OH THIS WAS A GOOD MONTH.

First of all, I discovered (thanks to NGS) that I love doing a buddy read! She and I read Kin, and I read Yesteryear with another friend of mine. I loved going slow through books that I otherwise would have devoured, and I loved talking about smart books with smart friends. I can't wait to do it again!

I also read a ton of current books and books off my Q1 and Q2 list-- a delight indeed. I finish the month with 5 library books on my shelf, plus 2 Book of the Month selection and 2 more on the way. Can I clear this back log by the end of May? CROSS YOUR FINGERS, friends.

📕🎉 Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age by Vauhini Vara: Meh.

🎧 The Last Ferry Out by Andrea Bartz: A serviceable backlist thriller to listen to while I ran in the morning.

🎧🎉 This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page: This was sweet, but I had to listen to it at 2.75 speed to keep my brain engaged.

📱🎉 The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave: A rare sequel that is better than the first book.

📱 Exit Interview by Kristi Coulter: Where are all my Amazon haters? This book was a page-turner.

📕🎉You With the Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate: You guys know I have a soft spot for the celebrity memoir.

🎧🎉Nothing Tastes as Good by Luke Dumas: What. That was a WILD READ. Google it.

📕🎉Missing Sister by Joshilyn Jackson: Her thrillers are very fun to read-- I liked this one a bunch.

🎧🎉 The Astral Library by Kate Quinn: What an awesome departure! And the audiobook is read by Saskia Maarleveld who is one of my all-time faves.

📱🎉 American Fantasy by Emma Straub: Oh, I love her. So funny. So sweet. Such good characters. 

🎧🎉 So Old, So Young by Grant Grinder: LOVED THIS.

🎧🎉More Than Enough by Anna Quindlen: She is a delightful writer, and this book is a great read.

📱🎉 Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell: I am a sucker for her books, and this one did not disappoint.

📕🎉Kin by Tayari Jones: I liked this a lot. Loved, even. The book is told in 2 viewpoints that switch off from chapter to chapter, and, as is usually the case, I liked one story far better than the other.

📕🎉Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke: BOOK OF THE YEAR. Can't wait to see her at my library this month!

Bookstore + Blog Friends Adventures

 NGS and I met up to finish our buddy read of Kin last weekend, and we stumbled onto a book lover's dream: A build your own book bar at the cutest little bookstore. WHAT COULD BE BETTER THAN THAT? We both immediately inquired about parties-- NGS for her book club and me for Dorothy. Although, in retrospect, I am the one who would want a birthday book party.

Seriously though, how cute its this??

The shop owners curated a bunch of books that they wrapped cunningly in folded white paper, and they also provided a label with genre and a a shirt, enticing synopsis. Shoppers got to choose a book and then add a bunch of items from the book bar to create a really fun little package. (You could also pull a book from the shelf that they'd wrap for you, but we both decided to pick from the pre-wrapped baskets).

I picked a YA social justice book and added a bunch of cute stuff for Dorothy

Isn't this bookstore adorbs?

Dorothy started reading right away!

(we also brunched and shopped and talked bout our buddy read-- a fun morning!)

Things I need to buy-- got any recs?

 Dorothy got a $10 hairbrush that has made her slick back pony tail dreams come true. She borrowed one from a friend at dance when we all had to improvise between convention classes and competition dances and said she has the hair she had always wanted. So easy to make her happy! Sometimes.

The other day, Minnie and I spent THREE HOURS at the Apple store getting the cameras in my (brand new!) phone replaced. They just... stopped working. It was so weird. And! The store kept telling me it would just be 20 more minutes, so we stayed and omggggggggg. I wish they would have just said my phone would be ready in THREE HOURS. Minnie was fun, and we played lots of I spy and made rainbow loom bracelets with our fingers. No pics of that because I didn't have my freaking phone, but here's the last pic I took before the cameras quit

What the heck is a phone without a camera, anyway? I need to be able to buy coffee with my face, you know?

Minnie also had to come to class with me because ONCE AGAIN it took TWO doctor visits to correctly diagnose an infection **melting emoji**

Things I need:

Seamless underwear that I can wear with leggings and tight shorts-- any recs?

A lipstick that won't blend into the lines around my mouth and is also hydrating-- any brands you love?

Shoe liners that don't show so I can wear a couple pairs of spring flats-- I am having a hard time finding any that are truly no-show-- any recs?

Please enjoy this 30 second clip of Dorothy's trio from the other weekend (why yes, I was too cheap to pay for the whole vid) and appreciate what a bubbly, perky biker gang member she is.