Happy Saturday! I’m sure it has a bit to do with my absolute enthusiasm about getting back into a regular routine after what felt like the longest ever winter break, but this past three day “week” has been AMAZING. I’ve never felt so balanced and on top of my life. Can it last?! My pessimistic nature is telling me no way. But I’m feeling like maybe, just maybe, it can. If I learn from these fragile routines I’m beginning to establish and try to live my life this way every single day….things could be really, really good.
Somehow over winter break I managed to reset my sleep schedule and I think it’s really helping me stay a lot more positive. For all of November and December I was getting a max of five hours of sleep a night, usually waking up between 3 and 4, and despite my best efforts I could rarely fall asleep at my usual afternoon nap time either. No explanation for either, but it sucked big time. Suddenly after Christmas I was getting at least seven, sometimes even close to eight hours a night! Plus a good nap on the days I choose to take one. Maybe that’s contributing to me suddenly feeling like I’m on top of my life. The only downside is that I’m not waking up with any of my coveted morning quiet time, or the chance to shower and get ready before the boys are off to school. A lot of the time it’s not a huge deal, but I do really prefer feeling fully ready for the day by the time I need to leave the house with them. At least in winter, giant coats and hats and scarves can disguise how gross I must look!
On Wednesday morning Greg stayed home a bit later because it had snowed some more overnight and then he took the boys to school. I ran out later in the morning to do some desperately needed grocery shopping.
On Thursday and Friday morning I started the day at the dog park. I love being there on a winter morning – when it’s not super cold. It feels so invigorating and inspiring. Annie was LOVING having more outdoor exploring time. I did a pretty bad job at keeping her exercised over break.
I worked for a few hours each on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, today. I think the biggest positive change I’ve made on that side of life is accepting that I’ll get done as much as I get done in those hours and it just needs to be okay. I spend SO much time berating myself for not getting as much done as I think I should have. And I’m sick of it! I’m sick of constantly beating myself up for some sort of unimportant standard that I only put on myself. I like just working for four straight hours, doing my best work, and calling it a day, moving on to something else that needs to get done. I’m not sure I can keep up with this mindset as the pressure for producing as much as possible, as often as possible, gets so intense around the upcoming holidays. But I’m really going to try. It makes me much happier and it keeps me a better artist and business owner.
I think the greatest thing about this week is that I’ve given myself so much down time. As much as I love the simplicity of my Keurig, I’ve really gotten into pourover coffee lately and the 5-10 minute process of waiting for my water to reach a perfect temperature and then slowly pouring it over the ground beans again and again and again until I have the right amount for my cup. I always drink my coffee in the afternoons since I have no problems feeling awake and energized in the mornings. It’s been providing a great transition for me from work day and me time into family time/dinnertime. This particular kind of coffee – Sweetheart Blend from Barnie’s – is literally the best at home coffee I’ve ever had. It’s seriously amazing. If you love chocolate and cherries and sweetly flavored coffees.
The other great thing about this week – BOOKS. Great books! Life giving books. NONFICTION books. When do I ever say that?! With my renewed vigor to read the books I already own this year, I’ve jumped back into many of the books I haven’t given much attention to in the past couple of months. I’m also determined to read all the books I’ve gotten as gifts or bought for myself in the last month as top priority. They’re really great. I’ve also been listening to an audiobook all day that is basically the best and most entertaining self help type book I’ve ever read. I’m dying to finish it so I can write about it. Basically, I’ve been spending the entire evening for the last three, or more, days just in my big chair reading. Which also means I’m totally ignoring my family, which isn’t so great. I mean, they’re busy doing their guy things, video game things, in the other room. We did attempt playing Spoons this afternoon, which ended with both boys screaming and throwing their cards and the spoons around the room because they are the biggest sore losers OF ALL TIME. We have so many board games, but can never play any of them because it always ends in the exact same way.
The only real downside to this week is that I’ve been so excited about eating delicious food again that the scale is slowly sliding back up, instead of down the way it’s supposed to be this month. Case in point – I made this DILL PICKLE BACON PIZZA for dinner last night. It was amazing. I’ve been so sick of my homemade pizza for months and months and months, that I rarely even eat it anymore. Shepard is so demanding about his flavor choices – he hates pepperoni pizza, or anything traditional. He usually just wants bbq week after week after week. That used to be my favorite kind of pizza too, but we’ve overdone it. Making something totally new and salty and filled with fun and bursting flavors just really brought me so much joy. Which is good for my head! But not good for everything else! The candy is still overflowing in the house and my cravings are out of control. Counting calories is what really kicked me into gear two months ago, but I really, really don’t want to resort to that again. I might have to.
Overall, it’s been a pretty great week and start to the year. It’s helped that I haven’t had to leave the house or really DO anything this week, besides get a few groceries. It’s also proving to be quite liberating, with this no excess spending month. I haven’t been wasting a ridiculous amount of time looking at online sales because I know I don’t have the option this month to buy anything. It’s been making me appreciate the things I have more too – like all my amazing books I can’t wait to read. We finished taking down the trees and getting all the Christmas stuff put away this morning. The sun has been shining, the weather is getting warmer, and the house – at least the part of the house I spend all my time in – is so beautiful and clean and inviting. I’m happy this week. And it’s been wonderful.
