My mind is a bit of a jumble and I feel out of writing practice. So let me just jump right into it:

Inspired by…

Amanda Gorman. Watching my boys’ excitement about the inauguration. Reading the news without my stomach in a complete knot. A writing workshop last weekend with Molly Wizenberg. The first meeting of the Caldwell Gals Book Club, a family book club with my mom, sister, cousin, and aunt. (We read Homegoing and had a great discussion.)

Watching…

Maeve start to pull up and to push herself up to straight legs on the ground (but then she’s stuck and doesn’t know what to do). The boys were both walking by their first birthday and I think Maeve might be too! Grey days with glorious clouds and even two good rainstorms.

Chris and I also started watching Ted Lasso which Rachel raved about in her newsletter. We really like it! Funny and heartwarming without feeling cheesy. We don’t watch much television and it’s fun to have a show to enjoy together. Conveniently with the purchase of my new laptop (upgraded from a 2007, baby!) we could get a free year of Apple+ TV.

Reading…

So many great books! My 2021 reading year is off to a great start. What’s really helping is to have an audiobook and a Kindle or physical book going at the same time. I used to think I couldn’t keep track of more than one book at a time but across different media I haven’t had a problem. Most recently I finished Just Mercy on audio. Last night I finished Georgia about Georgia O’Keeffe and am listening to This Tender Land. I just started The Glass Hotel. On a recent episode of the podcast Erica and I chatted all about books so check that out if you’re looking for more grown up and kid recommendations.

Thinking about…

The book Just Mercy which solidified my opposition to the death penalty and drove home how blatantly biased our criminal justice system is against people who are Black and brown, who are poor, and who have mental disabilities or illness. It was a heavy book and yet the author’s dedication to working with death row inmates and his resilient hope left me feeling hopeful as well. 

Listening to…

Besides listening to audiobooks at 1.5x or greater speed, the backyard birds have been singing and squawking up a storm. February is early spring here and they are announcing it.

Researching…

I can’t think of anything. I don’t think I have the bandwidth for anything beyond what is already on my plate.

enchilada-style burritos

Cooking + eating + drinking…

Wow I’m so tired of making dinner and all the food. Judging by the questions Erica and I got on a recent Instagram Live I think everyone else is too! But a few delicious things lately: the roasted broccoli, lentils, and goat cheese bowl from Dinner Illustrated and the whole cookbook really. Sarah mentions the cookbook often so I requested it from the library and I think I want to own it. Great step-by-step photos and instructions and tons of vegetarian options. We’ve also made burrito-style enchiladas two times for dinner. This recipe is from a couple I became good friends with during graduate school and they would serve burrito style enchiladas for our veggie dinner supper club. The recipe in short: you make burritos, but then nestle them in a pan, cover with enchilada sauce, top with cheese, and bake. It’s easy, comforting, and filling.

Grateful for…

Our health. Several people I know have had or now have COVID and these are friends who wear masks and take precautions. I’m also grateful that Chris’s parents, my parents, and Chris were able to vaccine appointments (Chris because he has an instructional role at ASU). So far Chris’s mom and Chris have gotten their first vaccines. More on that below. 

What the boys are into…

All the audiobooks! I’ve streamlined getting library audiobooks for them which has translated into them listening to a lot more audiobooks. Cedric loves anything Magic Tree House. Dash has loved The Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and is currently listening to The Silver Arrow. We also let them watch Star Wars this past weekend and they loved it! Screen time is up approximately 500% since pre-pandemic and I have to keep reminding myself that it’s okay and won’t be that way forever.

They are also currently both into growing out their hair and they are on quite the hair journey. They have Chris’s thick, coarse hair which does not like to lie down and they are getting quite the manes. I kind of miss how they look with short tidy hair but at least hair is something they can control right now when so much is out of their control.

Also, Cedric decided one day that he wanted to exercise to get strong. So he grabbed my three-pound weights that came with my stationary bike and started to doing set of 10-rep shoulder presses with a break in between. He liked for us to count out the reps for him. Over the course of the day he did ONE THOUSAND reps (which he called ten hundred). Love his commitment!

What Maeve is doing…

Besides pulling up she is curious about everything. She still loves plugs and eagerly tries to unplug anything in her vicinity. She loves to bang on the piano and strum/bang on the guitar. I’m happy to report that maybe maybe we are turning a corner on sleep. Night time sleep essentially completely fell apart, probably in part due to her first little runny nose, but for two nights I was up all night long with her. This just seems to be how it goes for my children. The more I go to them during the night the more they are up until it’s all just a complete mess with no one sleeping. So we returned to structured sleep training (put her to bed, not get her to nurse until after midnight and then not until 4 hours after that). For two nights she did wake before midnight and cried but went to back sleep and on the third night slept through until 1 a.m. That’s all the most sleep I’ve had in weeks and we can tell she’s better rested too. Whew! I hope she can keep it up.

Missing…

As always, more structure to my days as well as time for writing and tending to the podcast. I also miss feeling on top of dinner management and home management generally.

Looking forward to…

My in-laws, parents, and Chris getting completely vaccinated. We debated whether or not Chris should get the vaccine since for now he is able to work fully from home. We decided to go ahead with having him get it after considering that the more people get vaccinated the better and by Chris not getting the vaccine it does not guarantee that someone more at-risk will get it. This piece in the New York Times, If You’re Offered the Vaccine, Take It, also makes the case for getting the vaccine when you can even if you are not high risk. This is what we decided but I respect dissenting opinions.

It feels like we can see the light at the end of this pandemic tunnel. Hang in there, friends!