Hi, friends! I drafted this on this very cold (for Arizona) morning while sipping a Starbucks pistachio latte which was a delightful post-school drop off treat with Chris. I hope you’re enjoying a moment to yourself; let’s get caught up!

Settling back into routine and feeling good. We’re even managing each of the boys playing a sport and Maeve going to swim lessons twice per week and nothing conflicts.

Cheering for the boys’ basketball, soccer, and school flag football teams. Wow watching sports is different now that the boys are almost 12 and 10 versus when they first started. I love seeing them play hard and smart in sports that they love, and I literally cannot sit on the sidelines quietly.

Enjoying teaching a college course for the first time. I’m finding even mundane tasks fun and interesting because they’re new (to me).

Admiring all my guys’ new earrings! All three got both ears pierced at the end of the holiday break and they look great!

Visiting the library and feeding the ducks with Maeve on swim lesson afternoons. I love everything about those afternoons with her.

Hoping that Maeve will stick with swim long enough to try out being on the swim team. Fingers crossed…we’ll see!

Encouraged by Maeve’s sleep lately which has been through the night and until close to 6 or sometimes even later–this is a huge improvement from middle of the night meltdowns and waking at 5 a.m.!

Talking with Maeve about “being flexible,” an area of growth for her (and all kids!). We say that being flexible means doing something you might not want to do with the best attitude you can. A few times she’s taken a deep breath and said, “I’m going to be flexible.”

Trying out some new early-release-Wednesday routines. These include snacks outside and play dates with neighbor friends for Maeve and me. Again this semester Chris is teaching a later class in-person once a week, which is also when the boys get out of school one hour early each week. Last semester Wednesday afternoons into the evening draaaaaged and by the time Chris got home I felt so tapped out. So far this semester it’s going much better!

Excited for junior high for Dash next year after Dash visited during a school day and we went to a family preview night.

Tending to our dinner routine. Chris has taken more of a lead on meal planning and grocery shopping, which has been great. But it feels like we’re either really on our dinner game with good options for the kids and grown ups, or surveying the fridge at 5 p.m. and trying to make a plan (which is my least favorite way to do dinner).

Noticing this dinner truth: my kids are always the most excited about the simplest dinners. Bagels, veggie sausage links, and apples gets cheers every time. So does a banana bar, which is simply bananas on a plate, slathered with peanut butter, and then “decorated” however you wish. The kids love this dinner because one of the toppings is always chocolate chips. Other toppings we set out include granola, fruit like raspberries, and cinnamon. Sometimes sprinkles if we have them. While the kids eat these dinners, Chris and I will make ourselves something else, ideally from something we prepped already, like a soup, a tofu-veggie bowl, or a veggie burger (from frozen).

Checking out so many cookbooks from the library. I love to sit, read them like novels, and mentally note the recipes I’d like to make. Often I don’t even cook from them (although I always want to) but they bring me joy nonetheless. A few I’ve enjoyed reading lately are Repetoire, Anything’s Pastabale, Peaceful Kitchen, and Bare Minimum Dinners (love that name and vibe! lol)

Returning to Weekday Vegetarians again and again. This is a cookbook I own and have been pulling down from the shelf often. The baked chickpea pasta mac and cheese was a hit with my kids, as was a gluten-free version we made for hosting friends. The spicy peanut sauce is great on our veggie-tofu bowls. Recently I tried the curried lentils with charred broccoli rabe on the side and the za’atar spiced bread. And every time I flip through the book I see more recipes I want to make. Put this one on your library holds list.

Declaring “reading dinner” one night when it was just me and the boys, and delighted to find that both boys happily obliged.

Reminded of how much older kids still enjoy reading picture books as I watched both boys read the books I checked out for Maeve. Duly noted.

Reading chapter books to Maeve before bed. Be still my heart! And,

Savoring the sweetness and nostalgia of being back in the land of The Magic Tree House series, now with Maeve! In other exciting and sweet reading news, I’ve started reading chapter books to Maeve before bed. Be still my heart! I started the Magic Tree House series with her and I am savoring the sweetness of this reading season and the nostalgia that I feel revisiting these books that were favorites of the boys, too. When I showed Maeve the Magic Tree House section in the library she squealed and wanted to pick out several. We’ve also ended up with some selections that are not as enjoyable for me to read, mermicorns and purrmaids anyone? But I’m happy to be reading chapter books all the same.

Requesting advanced reader copies of books through NetGalley, getting approved for several, and leveling up my reading obsession. As an avid reader who rarely buys book, advanced copies are one more source of free books!

Wearing my new “books” hat while picking up my library holds. If you didn’t already know that I’m a huge book nerd, you have been informed.

Marveling at our new and immediately beloved appliance: a Mill composting bin (affiliate link)! Nicknamed Millie. Here’s how she works: we put all our food scraps into the bin throughout the day. At night the waste is baked and then ground. In the morning our banana peels, egg shells, coffee grounds, and food scraps have become a soft dirt-like substance. There’s a faint smell of coffee grounds but hardly a smell at all. It’s like magic. We are thrilled because as passionate as we are about composting it’s one more thing to manage, and in our extreme climate tending to our compost becomes a chore (even as hands off as compost is). Millie has eliminated our least favorite chore from our life and makes dealing with food waste so easy, and honestly kind of fun.

Happy to report that I had my first monthly planning day in January and it went well. This is one of my 2025 goals.

Reminiscing over a lovely visit with my cousin this past week and showing her our everyday life. A few highlights included working on our family cookbook project, walking at the Riparian Preserve, building blocks with Maeve while listening to Taylor Swift, and having breakfast at my favorite spot, The Coffee Shop, followed by a pretty walk through Agritopia.

Hope you’re heading into a good weekend, and that your February is off to a good start!

 

What have you been up to lately, friends? I’d love to know!

 

P.S. You can also now read and listen to my posts in Substack if you hang out there!