That's the upshot!
I have been working from couch-- that's pretty good, too.
I am a week into the Whole30 and really want a piece of buttered toast with strawberry jam.
Keep it up, 2020.
Wednesday, January 08, 2020
Keep it up, 2020
That's the upshot!
I have been working from couch-- that's pretty good, too.
I am a week into the Whole30 and really want a piece of buttered toast with strawberry jam.
Keep it up, 2020.
Monday, January 06, 2020
New Year Family Extravaganza
Cousins!
A couple hours after Ben's family went back to the burbs, my mom and Jon and Caleb arrived in Madison, and we went right to work planning a menu for New Year's Eve. Jon brought Food and Wine, and we made a perfect apple-bacon-bleu-cheese salad (with warm bacon dressing) and the spinach artichoke dip pictured below. That dip! You should make it real fast, and use smoked gouda.
We started with a cheeseball with sausage and crackers, and veggies, pretzels, and dip at about 6.
At 7:30, we moved on to shrimp cocktails and the artichoke dip with crostini
Around 8:30, we put out brisket sliders (with horseradish cheddar cheese!!) and our amazing salad.
Dessert was at 10 and featured s'mores, a sundae bar, iced brownies, and fruit with chocolate fondue.
(the kids liked dessert the best)
Friday, January 03, 2020
Post Holiday Adulting
Something ridiculous is happening with my photos syncing from my phone to my computer. Like, they aren't doing it by themselves, so I have to plug in, and my computer is only USB C, so I need a tiny little adapter which I lose like crazy and blah blah blah.
These are the pics I have to represent our time from 12/29-1/2:
Dorothy trying on a hat at the UW bookstore
I am starting the Whole30 today (January 2), and I have to tell you, I am not wildly enthusiastic about it. I didn't plan well, and we have a fridge STUFFED with leftovers I can't eat but very little that I can eat. Blah. But!! I am definitely gaining weight back, so I really need this reset.
After weeks of eating anything and laying around in my pajamas, doing things like using my planner, setting an alarm to work on my adjunct classes, and exercising feel super rough. Add in a commitment to eat healthy food and drink water everyday, and it's enough to send me to my fainting couch.
Thursday, January 02, 2020
20 for 20 and my word of the year
Despite last year's abject failure, I am heading into 2020 with unbridled optimism and 20 resolutions. That I really do want to keep this time. Seriously.
1. Add 20 minutes to my exercise schedule everyday. This is an idea stolen from Happier. The only questions I have are 1. WHERE AM I GOING TO GET 20 EXTRA MINUTES and also should I only add 20 on the days I actually exercise, or should I also exercise for 20 on the days I would normally slack? I don't know. See question 1.
2. Buy a pair of those dumb ugly ankle boots that every mom in America wears. I don't like them and have been waiting for the trend to die, but I am the only mom not baring those few inches of ankle between jeans and dumb ugly boots, so whatever.
3. Read 100 books. 200 was too stressful, man.
4. Have weekly budget meetings and watch my savings grow. SNORE.
5. Only use reusable grocery bags.
6. Find a new series to read to Dorothy and Cooper. This year, we read ALL of the Ramona Quimby books, and they looooooved them. It might be Harry Potter time, you guys.
7. 20 meaningful yoga sessions.
8. 20 everyday poems.
9. 20 lunch dates with friends.
10. Stock every room with houseplants and keep them alive.
11. Begin a meditation practice
12. Eat more blueberries, spinach, and walnuts
13. Do 2 rounds of Whole30
14. Drink 75 ounces of water every damn day
15. Wash the car once a month (inside too)-- I never do this.
16. Balance stress with kindness
17. Trade off with Ben so we can each sleep in at least once a week.
18. Reduce the amount of toys in the ouse by 20%. Three times. By the third time, imagine how amazing this place is going to look!!
19. Reduce my screen time usage on my phone by 20%. Three times. By the third time, imagine how much time I will have to do real things!
20. Figure out how to get out the door for work in the 9's with the house NOT in shambles.
Last year, my word for the year was CORE, and I will say that I totally ignored my abs, and I am largely fine with that. I think the word worked in other ways, like focusing on what's important, etc.
This year, my word is TOGETHER. Like, be together with the people who bring me the most joy and also keep my shit together. It's perfect!
What about you? Any words or resolutions?
1. Add 20 minutes to my exercise schedule everyday. This is an idea stolen from Happier. The only questions I have are 1. WHERE AM I GOING TO GET 20 EXTRA MINUTES and also should I only add 20 on the days I actually exercise, or should I also exercise for 20 on the days I would normally slack? I don't know. See question 1.
2. Buy a pair of those dumb ugly ankle boots that every mom in America wears. I don't like them and have been waiting for the trend to die, but I am the only mom not baring those few inches of ankle between jeans and dumb ugly boots, so whatever.
3. Read 100 books. 200 was too stressful, man.
4. Have weekly budget meetings and watch my savings grow. SNORE.
5. Only use reusable grocery bags.
6. Find a new series to read to Dorothy and Cooper. This year, we read ALL of the Ramona Quimby books, and they looooooved them. It might be Harry Potter time, you guys.
7. 20 meaningful yoga sessions.
8. 20 everyday poems.
9. 20 lunch dates with friends.
10. Stock every room with houseplants and keep them alive.
11. Begin a meditation practice
12. Eat more blueberries, spinach, and walnuts
13. Do 2 rounds of Whole30
14. Drink 75 ounces of water every damn day
15. Wash the car once a month (inside too)-- I never do this.
16. Balance stress with kindness
17. Trade off with Ben so we can each sleep in at least once a week.
18. Reduce the amount of toys in the ouse by 20%. Three times. By the third time, imagine how amazing this place is going to look!!
19. Reduce my screen time usage on my phone by 20%. Three times. By the third time, imagine how much time I will have to do real things!
20. Figure out how to get out the door for work in the 9's with the house NOT in shambles.
Last year, my word for the year was CORE, and I will say that I totally ignored my abs, and I am largely fine with that. I think the word worked in other ways, like focusing on what's important, etc.
This year, my word is TOGETHER. Like, be together with the people who bring me the most joy and also keep my shit together. It's perfect!
What about you? Any words or resolutions?
Wednesday, January 01, 2020
December What I Read
Just under the wire, I read 201 books this year! None of these made my top 10, and very few books from 2019 made my books of the decade list, but still, the top 4 here are worth your time.
19. Styling for Instagram by Leela Cyd: Such a pretty book!
18. Luisa Capetillo: Pioneer Puerto Rican Feminist by Norma Valle-Ferrer: One of the students in my large lecture class read this for his book review assignment and loved it so much, he gave me his library copy to read. Fascinating!
17. Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes: This is pretty schlocky. I think if I could have sat down and just binged it, I would have liked it better. I read it in little fits and starts, though, and I couldn't fall in love with any of the characters, which was a total disappointment. But, to be fair, they are pretty broad-stroke gals.
16. Quantum by Patricia Cornwell: DID NOT LIKE, but I wanted to and will probably keep reading
15. Sontag: Her Life and Work by Benjamin Moser: Kind of meh on this one, you guys.
14. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh: LOVED this.
13. Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane: I could not even with this book. IO checked it out 3 separate times to try to read it because the reviews were good, but, finally, I had to say NOT FOR ME.
12. Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce: A good thriller, but the reviews are a bit of an over-hype IMO
11. Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen: Meh-- I loved that the characters were based on real people, and this is a great historical moment, but this book was just OK for me.
10. Pretty Revenge by Emily Liebert: trashy, well-plotted, pretty unbelievable. SIGN ME UP.
9. Whose Story Is This by Rebecca Solnit: Ambitious.
8. Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells: Omg.
7. Internment by Samira Ahmed: I forgot to bring a book to hockey, so I grabbed one out of Harry's backpack. I will say this book is really predictable, and there are more unanswered questions than I like, even allowing for the teenage narrator, but still! What a gripping read, and I cried a little. Also, it was perfect for an evening at the rink when you are behind on your reading challenge,. Ahem.
5 and 6. Ramona and Her Mother and Ramona and her Father by Beverly Cleary: I counted these because otherwise, I would be stalled at 199 books and also because I have never read them before reading them aloud to Dorothy and Cooper. Cheating? MAYBE.
4. Parkland by Dave Cullen: THIS IS GREAT
3. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo: This book has some flaws, and it was a slow read. BUT! I fell in love with characters, and I am sad the story is over.
2. My Time Among the Whites by Jennine Capo Crucet: READ THIS ONE.
1. The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware: SO SCARY and great. Yes, yes, yes!
19. Styling for Instagram by Leela Cyd: Such a pretty book!
18. Luisa Capetillo: Pioneer Puerto Rican Feminist by Norma Valle-Ferrer: One of the students in my large lecture class read this for his book review assignment and loved it so much, he gave me his library copy to read. Fascinating!
17. Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes: This is pretty schlocky. I think if I could have sat down and just binged it, I would have liked it better. I read it in little fits and starts, though, and I couldn't fall in love with any of the characters, which was a total disappointment. But, to be fair, they are pretty broad-stroke gals.
16. Quantum by Patricia Cornwell: DID NOT LIKE, but I wanted to and will probably keep reading
15. Sontag: Her Life and Work by Benjamin Moser: Kind of meh on this one, you guys.
14. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh: LOVED this.
13. Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane: I could not even with this book. IO checked it out 3 separate times to try to read it because the reviews were good, but, finally, I had to say NOT FOR ME.
12. Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce: A good thriller, but the reviews are a bit of an over-hype IMO
11. Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen: Meh-- I loved that the characters were based on real people, and this is a great historical moment, but this book was just OK for me.
10. Pretty Revenge by Emily Liebert: trashy, well-plotted, pretty unbelievable. SIGN ME UP.
9. Whose Story Is This by Rebecca Solnit: Ambitious.
8. Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells: Omg.
7. Internment by Samira Ahmed: I forgot to bring a book to hockey, so I grabbed one out of Harry's backpack. I will say this book is really predictable, and there are more unanswered questions than I like, even allowing for the teenage narrator, but still! What a gripping read, and I cried a little. Also, it was perfect for an evening at the rink when you are behind on your reading challenge,. Ahem.
5 and 6. Ramona and Her Mother and Ramona and her Father by Beverly Cleary: I counted these because otherwise, I would be stalled at 199 books and also because I have never read them before reading them aloud to Dorothy and Cooper. Cheating? MAYBE.
4. Parkland by Dave Cullen: THIS IS GREAT
3. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo: This book has some flaws, and it was a slow read. BUT! I fell in love with characters, and I am sad the story is over.
2. My Time Among the Whites by Jennine Capo Crucet: READ THIS ONE.
1. The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware: SO SCARY and great. Yes, yes, yes!
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
What I Read: Books of the Decade!!
According to Goodreads, I have read 1,015 books since 2013, so let me give you my TOP 10 Books of the Decade!
10. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
9. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
8. The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
7. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
6. Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal
5. Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple
4. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Folwer
3. Prairie Fires: The American Dream of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser
2. The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
1. The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker
This list is probably missing Olive, Again, but what should it replace? Also Night Film. And probably Everybody's Fool. Discretion is hard. (This could be my motto).
10. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
9. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
8. The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
7. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
6. Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal
5. Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple
4. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Folwer
3. Prairie Fires: The American Dream of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser
2. The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
1. The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker
This list is probably missing Olive, Again, but what should it replace? Also Night Film. And probably Everybody's Fool. Discretion is hard. (This could be my motto).
Monday, December 30, 2019
19 for 19 follow up
SPOILER: DID NOT DO most of these.
19. Less phone but more pictures! I got a Canon Elph that's so teeny, I have no excuse for leaving it behind and also an SD card reader for my phone so I can have instant photo access when I do want to post. Also, for the love of God PRINT THE EFFING PICTURES MY GOD. Every month. (I have set up Google calendar reminders, so hopefully this will help?)
Not only have a lost that camera completely (and forgot about getting it until I read this, but I printed ZERO pictures last year. TOTAL FAIL
18. 19 dinner dates.
YEP.
17. Monthly pedicures
YEP. At home. **sad trombone**
16. Regular massages
LOLz. Try Z E R O
15. Cardio 5 days a week
YEP
14. Yoga 3 days a week
I CANNOT make this habit stick
13. Read 200 books, at least 150 by women authors and at least 10 poetry
YES!!
12. Finish my novel. FOR REALZ. Also, I have been setting this goal and failing for YEARS now, and I wonder if it's time to let it go? Or at least figure out why I'm not meeting the goal?
NOPE NOPE NOPE. FAIL FAIL FAIL.
11. Do meaningful PD every quarter. Just because I have a terminal degree doesn't mean I should be all done learning, right?!
YEP.
10. Girls nights out: I want to say monthly, but I am in 2 book clubs, so that's 2 nights a month. A GNO, too? I mean, a girl can dream.
NOT great with this, but I did have so many wonderful lunch dates.
9. Move. Or come to terms with not moving. Either way. And both of these would including painting the basement and fixing up the boys' bathroom.
Not moving nay time soon. Did nothing to fix up the house. Might buy new kitchen stools this week.
8. Write poetry
Baby steps.
7. See all the Oscar nominees for best picture before the Oscars
We did for last year (Feb 2019)
6. 24 POTY podcasts
Instead, we quit.
5. Family movie nights (aim for 3 a month)
Totally biffed this one.
4. WORK ON MY ABS for the first time in 12 years
I lost 20 pounds. Does that count?
3. Get a puppy? Why do I want to do this? Not sure.
LOLz. Nope.
2. Remember my vitamins
Sort of.
1. Find perfect black heels.
Did not find. Forgot to look
Well, shit.
Here's picture of all of our pretty holiday cards. They distract me from total failure, so maybe they'll also work for this post.
You know, I did really like my word of the year: CORE. I think we really did try to focus on the things that mattered most this year. LIKE PURGING OUR CLOSETS.
What about you? Did you keep your resolutions?
19. Less phone but more pictures! I got a Canon Elph that's so teeny, I have no excuse for leaving it behind and also an SD card reader for my phone so I can have instant photo access when I do want to post. Also, for the love of God PRINT THE EFFING PICTURES MY GOD. Every month. (I have set up Google calendar reminders, so hopefully this will help?)
Not only have a lost that camera completely (and forgot about getting it until I read this, but I printed ZERO pictures last year. TOTAL FAIL
18. 19 dinner dates.
YEP.
17. Monthly pedicures
YEP. At home. **sad trombone**
16. Regular massages
LOLz. Try Z E R O
15. Cardio 5 days a week
YEP
14. Yoga 3 days a week
I CANNOT make this habit stick
13. Read 200 books, at least 150 by women authors and at least 10 poetry
YES!!
12. Finish my novel. FOR REALZ. Also, I have been setting this goal and failing for YEARS now, and I wonder if it's time to let it go? Or at least figure out why I'm not meeting the goal?
NOPE NOPE NOPE. FAIL FAIL FAIL.
11. Do meaningful PD every quarter. Just because I have a terminal degree doesn't mean I should be all done learning, right?!
YEP.
10. Girls nights out: I want to say monthly, but I am in 2 book clubs, so that's 2 nights a month. A GNO, too? I mean, a girl can dream.
NOT great with this, but I did have so many wonderful lunch dates.
9. Move. Or come to terms with not moving. Either way. And both of these would including painting the basement and fixing up the boys' bathroom.
Not moving nay time soon. Did nothing to fix up the house. Might buy new kitchen stools this week.
8. Write poetry
Baby steps.
7. See all the Oscar nominees for best picture before the Oscars
We did for last year (Feb 2019)
6. 24 POTY podcasts
Instead, we quit.
5. Family movie nights (aim for 3 a month)
Totally biffed this one.
4. WORK ON MY ABS for the first time in 12 years
I lost 20 pounds. Does that count?
3. Get a puppy? Why do I want to do this? Not sure.
LOLz. Nope.
2. Remember my vitamins
Sort of.
1. Find perfect black heels.
Did not find. Forgot to look
Well, shit.
Here's picture of all of our pretty holiday cards. They distract me from total failure, so maybe they'll also work for this post.
What about you? Did you keep your resolutions?
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