Every year in January I have to remind myself “these feelings aren’t real! This is just January”. And every year in February I have to remind myself that February is not too much different from January for me.
Things that have made me feel more alive:
- I got an infrared sauna blanket during some Christmas sales (from sun home saunas. It’s great!) and I use it while rewatching the past seasons of white lotus
- I made my favorite autumnal treat even though we are in the dead of winter (it’s Melissa Clark’s pumpkin choc chip streusal loaf)
- grating a zucchini into almost every dinner recipe- makes me feel better that even a bowl full of chili has some veg in there!
-reading some of my oldest most favorite books in the bath, while my cat naps on the bath mat, and a candle is flickering
Yes, I resonate with the malaise and overwhelm of this time of year as a homeschool parent. Well said. I like how in a few places, you remind the reader to just go ahead and do it - do the thing (outside 3 hrs, popcorn, valentines, plunking scraps in a bin, etc). I often get stuck in the idea generating phase and neglect the actual doing of anything. The more we nudge each other to take steps the more free we can feel to lower our expectations and just be with our kids. I also like the reminder about how adult conversation is a big part of the educational experience for our kids.
Every year in January I have to remind myself “these feelings aren’t real! This is just January”. And every year in February I have to remind myself that February is not too much different from January for me.
Things that have made me feel more alive:
- I got an infrared sauna blanket during some Christmas sales (from sun home saunas. It’s great!) and I use it while rewatching the past seasons of white lotus
- I made my favorite autumnal treat even though we are in the dead of winter (it’s Melissa Clark’s pumpkin choc chip streusal loaf)
- grating a zucchini into almost every dinner recipe- makes me feel better that even a bowl full of chili has some veg in there!
-reading some of my oldest most favorite books in the bath, while my cat naps on the bath mat, and a candle is flickering
Yes, I resonate with the malaise and overwhelm of this time of year as a homeschool parent. Well said. I like how in a few places, you remind the reader to just go ahead and do it - do the thing (outside 3 hrs, popcorn, valentines, plunking scraps in a bin, etc). I often get stuck in the idea generating phase and neglect the actual doing of anything. The more we nudge each other to take steps the more free we can feel to lower our expectations and just be with our kids. I also like the reminder about how adult conversation is a big part of the educational experience for our kids.
February in rainy drear Vancouver was so so difficult so the following year I made a homeschool bingo with little prizes to earn. Novel & exciting!
Also we like to celebrate Chinese lunar new year. Gung hay fa Choi!