January, 2021

I had a great start to the new year, with Cha saying "I love you, Ma!" for the first time on New Year's Day. My heart! He is starting to speak in sentences, and it is so adorable. "I did it!" is our current favorite. Although a sentence, he says it as if each word is a sentence in itself, with a slight pause after each word.

I try to instill in Aut the idea that although we cannot control what happens to us, we can control how we react to it. For most 5 year olds (and some adults), when things don't go their way it can really derail them. Five year olds usually bounce back quicker than adults. I try to help her enjoy and appreciate every day by modeling that but also by talking to her when plans fall through and shifting her focus or reframing things. Usually, it's a blessing in disguise. She listens, but sometimes it doesn't seem like she's listening, as the same situation will arise the next day. For this reason, it was amazing to hear her repeating some of my same words to her brother as we were all in the garage organizing things one day. Cha was climbing a ladder and wanted to get up on the metal storage cage Daddy had just hung from the ceiling for extra storage. We told him he couldn't get up there, and he was disappointed. "It's okay, buddy! You can come ride your scooter! I was disappointed the other day when I found out Mara wasn't going ice skating with us (she never expressed this to me) but it was okay! Because I realized I would have extra time and fun with Mom!" Paydirt. She has been listening! I didn't even know that she was disappointed when Mara couldn't go, and that was her internal dialogue with herself. Realizing that she is building resiliency makes me so very proud. I want to give my children the world, but the things that truly hold meaning, like resiliency and a growth mindset, cannot be purchased on Amazon (though you can get some great books about that there, like this gem).

Around the middle of the month, the temperature rose to almost 90 degrees. We worked in a long overdue beach day at the Newport Dunes, where there are no waves or fear of rip currents or crowds.

The period between Thanksgiving and New Years reminded me of the fact that you can't outrun a bad diet. January was a time to reset my fasting, and loose the 4 pounds that I gained. I also started weight training with Beach Body, because running 3 miles a day (and also walking 2-3 daily) is not cutting it. At the start of the pandemic, I started running 3 miles a day, every day. After a few months of being totally consistent with this, I felt pretty bad-a**, I'm not going to lie. But here we are 10 month later, and my body is not changing as I would like. And here's the thing: My daily run of 3 miles feels like a lot to me, but only when compared to what I had been doing...not when compared to what others are doing and not when compared to what I'm capable of doing. It's time to up my game and add weights and build muscle mass. I'm going to continue my daily 3-6 miles, but also add in weight training at least 4 days a week. I also need to refine my diet, and remember that 80% of how we look and feel is diet, while exercise only accounts for 20%. Whatever it Takes by Imagine Dragons has become my mantra, and I listen to it nearly every day.

And here's a picture of a goose.

Half-way through the month, I returned to working from school instead of working from home. I absolutely love being back, and the routine that it brings. I set my alarm every day between 5:00 and 5:15 so that I can get in a workout before I get ready...and I am not a morning person! Some days, I only have time for a 15 minute workout, but it is something. It sets such a nice tone for the day and I find myself singing and dancing while making the kids' breakfast. My goal is to get stronger every day. I also run 3 miles every day on my lunch break at least four days a week. I am sometimes lured by the idea of visiting dollar tree instead, and buying decorations for any and all upcoming holidays.

Glow night at Awanas!

I took a break from all social media after learning that Trump was banned from the platforms. Love him or hate him, we should all find the censorship concerning.

*Attributed to Voltaire 

Being off social media was hard at first, but by the end of the month it was such a welcome, much-needed break and reset from my daily (constant?) updates. One sign that you may be the author of too many instagram-stories is when you can't sauté spinach without reaching for your phone to make a boomerang video about it. While I have concerns over the power of big-tech and their control over information, I will be back because I have too many photos and videos stored on there, and it has become my primary method of communication for my family abroad. Until then, I'm finding new ways to kill time, like organizing the space underneath each of our bathroom sinks and planning her 6th birthday in May! But somehow, I still always have clean clothes that still need to be put away.

Books I finished this month:

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald