Taking Stock - February 2017

How my boys feel about snow. Pure joy. 

I am...

Feeling - Overwhelmed. Life is too busy right now, and I'm not keeping all the balls in the air. 

Watching - We are all caught up on Game of Thrones. (When is season 7?!?  I'm going through withdrawals.) Everything else pales in comparison. Blackish does make me laugh, though - actually, it makes me laugh and think, which is pretty awesome.

Wearing - The same big Patagonia coat I've had for years. Big, warm, comfy, and necessary to survive walking around Boston in February.
Appreciating - Snowy days. They are so much better than the cold and rainy ones.
Eating - Chocolate-covered strawberries and dark chocolate hearts. It's Valentine's week.
Listening - Lots of new albums coming out right now. Tift Merritt, Nikki Lane, Ryan Adams. Also, the Grammy awards inspired me to listen to Purple Rain several times this week. I need to ensure that I am fully supporting the musical education of my kids.
Wanting - More time for yoga. Always.
Reading - I just received and promptly started George Saunder's latest, Lincoln in the Bardo. It's weird and fascinating and wonderful already.
Thinking - Manchester by the Sea might be one of the saddest movies ever. It's going to stay with me for a very long time.
Loving- The homemade Valentines I received from the boys. They both take such pride in presenting me with their creations.
Anticipating - A trip north next week for winter break. Skiing in Vermont! With our best friends! I can't wait!
Planning - A trip south to visit my mom and sister during spring break. I need to get it booked! (This is one of the many balls that I've dropped.)
Working - Too much. But really...working on tipping the scale back over to "balance".  Next week's vacation should help.
Wondering - If the next four years will all be like these last few weeks. And thinking about how I can avoid the news more, because it makes me anxious and sad. But then acknowledging that I need to stay well-informed. How can I do that and still say sane?

Weekend Recap

My handsome goalie

The sun is coming up a little later and going down a little earlier every day. Getting out of bed in the morning keeps getting harder. Having a good book to read never helps. On the other hand, the chilly weather puts us in the mood for turning on the fireplace, watching football, baking cookies. 

A few highlights from the weekend:

*Nathan played in his first soccer tournament. He and most of his friends formed a team and entered our town's Columbus Day weekend tournament. They are all second-graders (ages 7-8), and they played against third-graders. This team hadn't played together before and only had two practices, so we were a little nervous about it, but they did great! They played four games, and they ended the weekend with 3 wins and 1 hard fought loss. It was a really special experience for all of the boys, and even though it was raining all day on Sunday, it was a ton of fun to watch.  

*We made these pumpkin cookies - such a great recipe, and it's become an annual fall tradition. (Note:  Every time I make them, Kevin complains that there aren't enough chocolate chips in them.)

*My sister-in-law, a friend, and their toddlers came for a visit on Sunday afternoon. It was loud and messy for a while, but we managed to have a nice time relaxing and hanging out, even with the kids in the mix. 

*Kevin and the boys played a lot of football together. They have such a great time, until someone inevitably loses and has a tantrum. At some point, they'll learn to deal with losing, right? 

*I made this vegetarian chili on Monday. (Note:  I only used one chipotle pepper, since it was too spicy for us last time.  Also, don't skimp on the cilantro - it is absolutely the key ingredient in this awesome recipe.)

*Kevin and I watched the first two episodes of Westworld. I'm fascinated. 

Beach time...

The obligatory boys in the water shot

Man, did I need that long weekend. It managed to be long enough for me to fully disconnect from work and the everyday stresses of life, and it helped that we went away for a night. We went to Connecticut to stay with family and enjoy a Memorial Day barbecue. On Sunday, we drove the hour and a half to the coast, discovering a new beach town that we had never been to before. It is called Watch Hill, in Rhode Island, and it is an adorable little town with a lovely beach, and we very much enjoyed our day there.  The water was sooooo cold, but it didn't prevent the boys from having a blast jumping in the waves. The weather was beautiful, with a hot sun and cool breeze; and it felt great to relax with my feet in the sand. The restorative power of the beach never fails.

Taking Stock - January 2016

photo via classy girls wear pearls

What I am...

Watching - We finished Making a Murderer over the holidays. It didn't make me believe Steven Avery was necessarily innocent, but it sure did get me all enraged about the justice system. Since then, quite a lot of football. Go Patriots! (But only because the Bills didn't make the postseason.)
Wearing - Jeans, sweaters, and boots. Slacks to work. Easy, comfy, warm. But still cute. At least that's the goal.
Loving - My boys, even when they fight all day long and generally drive me crazy.
Eating - Tons of chocolate-chip walnut cookies. And kale, to balance things out.
Listening - Lots of Adele and Glen Hansard at the moment. Nathan is decidedly NOT a fan of Adele, and he's declared "Hello" to be his least favorite song ever. Well then. Maroon 5 seems to be more his speed. To each his own.
Wanting - New earrings. I only have a few pairs, and although I've never been big on jewelry, I do enjoy wearing a little something on my ears.
Reading - Well, I've already posted what I've finished.  I'm currently reading a book of short stories by Colum McCann called "Thirteen Ways of Looking".  Next up:  The Nightingale. (I've heard great things.)
Enjoying - The Martian movie. It was good, but I'm sure I would've enjoyed it more if I had not read the book. They left out a bunch! But it was fun and well done and who doesn't love Matt Damon?
Drinking - A lot of sparkling water. Kevin and I are taking a break from alcohol for the month of January. It feels good, but it's harder than I expected.
Thinking - That our election cycle is waaaaay too long in this country. Can we all vote now and get it over with?
Appreciating - The fact that my boys are old enough to clean toilets now. They do some cleaning every weekend, and it makes me happy. They shoveled the driveway yesterday too! Nice.
Planning - Vacations! We have three major vacations planned for this year, and they are all booked! Disneyworld, Cape Cod, and Dublin/Barcelona. A lot to look forward to.
Working - To incorporate more yoga into my week. I'm in a good phase. I did 30 minutes before work this morning, and my shoulders feel good.
Feeling - Pretty good about everything in my own life, which makes me feel like I should be doing more for others.
Noticing - It's been a mild start to Winter again this year, but there's talk of a storm this weekend.
Wondering - Is it going to be another Winter like last year?

Taking Stock - May 2015

Watching:  The Mad Men finale. I loved it. The end of another era and such wonderful characters. Who didn't root for Peggy? I thought it was really well done.

Shopping:  For a new car.  Kevin was in a car accident last week, and our car was totaled. Of course I'm happy and grateful that nobody was hurt. Big giant bummer about the car, though.

Loving:  The warm days and cool nights. Sleeping with the windows open.

Eating:  It's still asparagus season! I'm thinking I need to make something with strawberries for this weekend's cookout. Maybe one of my awesome strawberry-almond tarts? I haven't made one of those in a while, and I do love love love them.

Listening: I'm really digging Haunt the House. And the new Mumford & Sons. It's harder, edgier, more of a rock album...and it's good.

Reading: The Bone Clocks, by David Mitchell. His books make my head hurt, but I absolutely love them.

Wanting:  My house to clean and tidy itself. There's so much dirt and sand and spiders and ants this time of year. Ew!

Enjoying:  Little league baseball and soccer. I love watching my boys play. 

Thinking: My attention span is not what it used to be. Focus. Thought. It's all somehow harder, and I'm thinking the internet is at least partially to blame. I've been cutting back, as you can clearly see based on the frequency of my blog posts lately. More importantly, I'm cutting back on surfing/Instagram/FB/news. 

Appreciating:  My new sun hat - I had been searching for one for forever. I didn't get it in time for the Dominican Republic, but I'll have it for future beach trips.  

Discovering:  A somewhat new style emerging in my closet. Skinny jeans/pants with tunics or other long blouses/sweaters. Add cute boots, and I feel pretty good!  Kevin doesn't appreciate my new denim shirt, and I'll admit it's out of my usual style, but I got about 10 compliments on it the first day I wore it. It's good to change things up every now and then. (This coming from the girl who has never had a different hair style!)

Attending:  Aaron's spring piano recital. He worked so hard and learned some difficult songs - he's already better than I am (not saying much, but still), and he's so proud. I am too.

Working:  To get the yard and garden in shape. We spent all day Sunday spreading mulch. I want to get a few big pots of vegetables planted, just to have a little taste of a garden, since the real thing isn't going to happen this year. 

Hugging:  My boys.  All the time. One day they're going to get sick of it. Not yet, though. Not yet.

Feeling:  Good, overall. I'm still getting my footing at my current work project, but it's going okay so far. It will be a busy summer, but full of work and fun and family and life. Broken car aside, all is well.

This was my favorite part of the second-to-last episode. Go Peggy!

What I Did on Monday...

The Dominican Republic is so beautiful. We came home on Sunday and jumped right back into our normal routine; except Kevin had to go to San Francisco this week, so I'm on my own. My first day back looked like this:

• Did 10 minutes of yoga
• Took a shower, got dressed and ready for work
• Put a load of laundry in the washer
• Woke the boys
• Made breakfast
• Made lunches
• Put the load of laundry in the dryer
• Took the boys to school
• Drove into the city for work
• Worked
• Loaded my car with donations from a clothing drive I organized
• Delivered the clothing to a local charity
• Ate lunch
• Worked some more
• Commuted back home
• Got the boys ready to go to baseball practice
• Attended baseball practice (helped a bit with drills and then played soccer with Nathan while Aaron practiced with his team)
• Took the boys to a sporting goods store to pick up Nathan's soccer uniform and ball
• Bought other necessary baseball/soccer gear, including new cleats for both
• Had dinner at a pizza shop on the way home
• Got the boys ready for bed
• Watched "A Good Wife" while folding laundry
• Read my book for 15 minutes before falling asleep

That's a full day!

Let's move on...

source unknown, but this picture makes me happy

Hi! It's been a while, and I've missed this space. It's been a rough couple of weeks, although I don't particularly feel like listing out the reasons why.

My husband comes home at the end of every day and needs to talk. He wants to debrief about his day, especially if it was a difficult one. He needs to hash it out and unload. I am the opposite. I don't like to bring work home, and I mentally shift gears once I leave the office. If I've had a hard day, that's all the more reason for me to leave work behind and focus on other things. This can be an area of contention between us, as sometimes I don't want to listen to his end-of-day dump; and sometimes if I say I had a bad day, he wants me to talk about it! We've learned to compromise over the years and recognize these differences in each other. 

These past few weeks have been difficult for both of us, so there's been a lot of talking and not-talking, but mostly we've just been busy and working way too much. Not much balance. I'm ready to look forward.

And so, we enter April. April! Yay! We survived March. April is my least favorite month of the year, but at least I didn't have to wear gloves this morning. I will probably have my rain boots on every day this week, but that's okay. Rain will eventually wash the snow away (one day!) and bring flowers (I can see the tips of tulips!). We also have a trip planned for the end of the month to look forward to. 

Other things that got me out of my funk: yoga, bright yellow tulips, reigniting after-dinner dance parties, ice cream (my current favorite flavor, especially when paired with this), a brunch with friends, and a new dress that I plan to wear on vacation and all summer long.   

Life Lately...

Skiing.

Laughing.

Braving the elements.  Cold, snowy days didn't keep us inside.  

Marveling at the view from the top.  

Feeling grateful we got that warm, gorgeous day.

Watching my boys glide down the slopes.  Aaron loves looking for jumps and trails in the trees.  Nathan has improved dramatically this season and is now fully independent.  His favorite trail had a relatively flat, narrow part through the trees, and there were no other skiers around.  He said he loved it because he could ski and have quiet time.  I love that.

Spending time with the best of friends.  

Taking a break from the normal home routines.

Watching the Olympics.

Enjoying a night out.

Relaxing in the hot tub each evening, appreciating the view of the mountain.

Reading.  Thinking.  Wondering.  Feeling.

Savoring those rare quiet moments.

Soaking in all the awesomeness of my boys.

Preparing myself to re-enter those home routines. 

Attending birthday parties.  

Getting together with more friends.  

Laundry, laundry, laundry.

Feeling happy.

Being grateful.  

Living.