A Quick Look at My Life Currently

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #17:

Glimpse

Reading: 

I still can't read. I start books and forget I started them, and I never finish. I keep trying. It's part of my life I want back. I want to be a reader again! I don't know what has happened to my brain, but it just can't do it anymore. So I know I'll likely never finish this book, but if you ask me what I'm reading, this is the answer for now. 

Wearing: a Beatles shirt and cut off shorts. 

Annoyed by: everything. It doesn't take much to annoy me. This is one of my less flattering characteristics. 

Singing: "Que calor, que calor, que calor, que calor, que calo-o-or!"

(Also known as "Piragua" from In the Heights). 

Craving: a Baby Ruth.

Watching:

Buying: fall and Halloween decorations. I found a few things this week that I couldn't resist. Yes, I needed that ceramic ghost... and that "spooky" sign... and those candy corn candles.

Dreading: re-writing a post that I had finished, but for some reason, it didn't save.

Craving: a long nap on a cold, rainy day.

Celebrating: Nicky has been on his mission for over two months now!

Eating: half an Asiago Einstein bagel with onion and chive cream cheese (twas my breakfast).

Cooking: western omelette quiche (twill be my dinner).

Laughing about: the fact that if I call the quiche “quiche,” half my kids won’t eat it because they “don’t like quiche,” but if I call it “breakfast pie,” they eat it just fine. I’m pretty sure the same goes for Scotty. 

Suffering from: PMDD. Hits like clockwork every month. 

Proud of myself for: not stabbing anyone.

Missing: Vanilla Coke from the fountain.

Enjoying: playing Ark Nova on my phone.

Sick of: having so many places in our area where I have no cell phone service. 

Hoping: that the weather cools down soon. 

Wanting: to go on a trip. I need to get out of here.

Feeling: tired and yucky. I had a headache this morning, and then I got a little nauseous. I took ibuprofen and Zofran and gave it half an hour, and I started to feel much better.

Avoiding: AI. I’ve not yet had any good reason to use it, but everyone around me is constantly talking about it. I like my brain, and I still want to use it. 

Needing: to floss. I just finished lunch, and I have beef jerky stuck in my teeth. 

Grateful for: a husband who makes homemade beef jerky and then let’s me eat it all (it’s so good!)

Currently (August 2025 Editon)

 Reading:

Wearing: a Beauty and the Beast shirt and cut off shorts. 

Singing: Stargazing

Craving: rocky road ice cream. 

Listening to: 

Buying: food. Always.

Laughing about: Daisy watching Friends and trying to navigate the Ross and Rachel dynamic. 

Celebrating: Nicky being on his mission for a month (and two days).

Eating: eggs. We had lots of eggs in our fridge, and then we had five dozen eggs delivered mistakenly to our house from Sam's Club. Meanwhile, the chickens keep laying, so the eggs are accumulating rapidly. 

Suffering from: a sting in my palm from this fuzzy beast of a thing 

Proud of myself for: being caught up on medical bills (but every time I get them paid off, two new ones show up in the mail, and I saw in my email preview of what's being delivered today that there are, indeed, two bills coming). 

Missing: texting Amber. I have something to tell her every day, and every time the urge pops into my head, I have to acknowledge that she's gone. 

Enjoying: gong to work at 5:00 a.m. I know that sounds crazy, but I love it. I go in really early, work between 4-6 hours, and then get home and take a nap. I hate the nap part, but I have a really hard time leaving my kids home unsupervised, so at least that way I get to work but still be home to break up their stupid fights and make sure they aren't on electronics all day (but they still get way more electronic time than they should). 

Sick of: everything being controversial. It's one thing to have politics and religion dividing society, but we're divided by everything from the kind of socks we wear to the vitamins we take. It's stupid. 

Hoping: to bottle some green beans this weekend. I need to muster the strength to do the work. I'm always grateful when I do it, but it's just a matter of finding the time and energy. 

Wanting: a Maverik hoodie or t-shirt. I love getting drinks from Maverik, and it's one of my preferred destinations for bathroom stops on a road trip. However, the merch doesn't mean as much when I'm off soda, as I have currently been for 32 days. Yes, I keep count. I always keep count. Thirty-two days there has been a hole in my soul that nothing else fills.

Feeling: tired because it's 1:00 p.m. and that's when I crash every day and need to take a nap.

Cooking: biscuits and gravy and scrambled eggs (see "eating" above). 

Avoiding: anything to do with cleaning. 

Needing: to go pick up my prescriptions. This is something I always procrastinate.

Grateful for: photos. Particularly ones from Mexico Ciry. 

I quit soda when he left.

He started.

Currently (4th of July Edition)

Reading: nothing. I still can’t focus on reading.

Wearing: a 4th of July shirt and red shoes. I love seeing everyone dressed in red, white, and blue on the 4th. It’s so fun! And an excuse to be a little tacky. 

Today at our neighborhood 4th of July party, I was talking to a lady from Australia, and she was telling me how excited she was to go to Walmart and buy all the Americana accessories. She was also very excited to get to light fireworks because they are illegal in Australia (to light yourself). 

Annoyed by: fighting kids.

Craving: birria tacos.

Listening to: thunder! We have a bit of a storm rolling in.

Buying: finger nail polish remover.

Eating: string cheese and beef jerky. 

Laughing about: my friend Denise in this gorilla costume.

Singing: “Praise to the Man.”

Suffering from: heat exhaustion. I’ve been out in the heat a lot this week, and I’ve been getting headaches and feeling a bit nauseous from it. 

Proud of myself for: being 5 days soda sober. I’m trying to go soda-free for the duration of Nicky’s mission.

Missing: sweatshirt weather.

Enjoying: my freshly flossed teeth.

Sick of: politics.

Hoping: to catch up on sleep over the next few days.

Wanting: to go on vacation. 

Wondering: if I’d make a good rodeo clown. 

Feeling: tired. 

Cooking: nothing. I’m on break after the heavy amount of cooking I’ve done this past week. 

Avoiding: helping Daisy get her driving hours in. 

Needing: to clean my room. 

Grateful for: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Currently (June 2025 Edition)

Watching:

Benny and Joon

Wearing: a shirt from my work and denim shorts.

Annoyed by: Sam’s Club not letting me order the mayo I want (in the Best Foods squeeze bottle).

Craving: nothing. Daisy and I made 150 cookies tonight, and I had to taste test too many of them. But really, I had to make sure they were decent because I swapped out half the butter for applesauce. 

Buying: a missionary wardrobe, lots and lots of food (for girls’ camp and for Nicky’s mission open house), and gas (I’m currently doing five pickups/drop offs a day for my kids each weekday). 

Eating: leftover baked potatoes which I crafted into potato salad.

Laughing about: the employees at the baseball stadium playing “Closing Time” to get us loiterers to leave the other night. 

Singing: “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye.

But also “Closing Time.”

Suffering from: PMDD like clockwork. Watch out for Day 19. 

Dreading: sleeping. I have the most miserable nights. I can’t sleep. I sweat. My feet hurt. I kick all night. I have to get up and pee at least three times. I’m always wide awake at 4:00 a.m. and if I finally shut down, the birds in the tree outside my window start their morning banter, and I want to pull my hair out. 

Proud of myself for: nothing lately. 

Missing: Jonathan Taylor Thomas

Drinking: Diet Coke. I’ve never been a Diet Coke girl. In fact, I’ve always found it quite disgusting. But something the past month, it’s become my drink. I don’t even know how to handle this life change!

Enjoying: having a helpful daughter. Daisy has been a gem lately. Not always… but often. 

Sick of: Zoe and Eva fighting over everything. How to pronounce words… the names of characters in TV shows… the order of the planets in the solar system… song lyrics… whose dollar is on the counter… they have a special gift for turning anything into an argument.

Listening to: 

I’m still having a really hard time reading and listening to audiobooks. 

Loving: gardening season. It’s one of the only things I like about summer.

Hating: my hair. I’ve lost about 75% of my hair in the past three years. I have no idea why. The texture has completely changed. It’s so thin and so short. It’s stiff and dry. It doesn’t style. I’ve tried so many products and hair systems, and nothing helps. Last week I had a protein treatment done, and I don’t think it’s made a darn difference. 

Hoping: to take advantage of all of the days off and go on some little vacations during the coming school year (winter break is 28 days long - heaven help me!)

Wanting: a vintage Bronco convertible or a vintage VW bug. 

Wondering: how I manage to accidentally take screenshots almost everyday, why my finger always ends up in my photos, and how I’m going to survive in the world as AI takes over. 

I’ve never seen Lethal Weapon, but I feel this

Feeling: rather tired. I’ve been up since 4:00 a.m. and I hit the ground running today. 

Cooking: Slow Cooker Asian Pork (which we used in rice bowls). 

Avoiding: paying medical bills. This year has been a doozy so far. 

Needing: a phone detox and several hours of deep meditation, even though both of those things sound awful. 

Grateful for: pleasant people. Now I just need to try harder to be one. 

Currently (May 2025 Edition)

Reading:

I just finished these two over the weekend. I read The Holy Invitation (***) several years ago, but this was my first time reading The Holy Covenants (*****).  Nicky will be going through the temple to receive his endowment in a few weeks, and I am brushing up on my temple knowledge and trying to teach him a lot. I bought both of these books for Nicky, but I know he’ll never read them, so I read them and highlighted some passages that I think will be good for him in hopes that he will at least review those things.

Wearing: shorts. I got my stash out from under my bed because we’re starting to have some warm days.

Annoyed by: the youth having to door greet on Sundays (see General Handbook 29.2.1.3). My daughter is in charge of coordinating this each week by herself, and she has a complete meltdown every Sunday morning over it. It’s an unnecessary assignment that puts additional burdens on my kids, and I don’t like it. 

Craving: street tacos with fixings (lime, cilantro, and onion).

Buying: a hand tiller for my garden. I need to stir me some soils!

Eating:. I was in a baking mood today, so I made banana bread and egg bites (froze the egg bites for future breakfasts)

Singing: “Head Over Heels” by Tears for Fears.

Worried about: Zoe going to junior high. Please don’t make her go!

Suffering from: neuropathy pain in my feet. 

Watching: a little bit of everything until I find “The One.”

Dreading: sleeping tonight. I don’t like going to bed. Nights are miserable. I wake up too much. 

Buying: Purple pillows (the brand, not the color). Nicky won a $200 gift card to Living Spaces from the radio station, and he gave it to me (18 year old boys leaving on missions don’t need much from a furniture store). I scoured the store to find something, and $200 doesn’t really get you anything there. I decided to buy some pillows, but they didn’t have the ones I wanted in stock, so I ordered them online. I feel ridiculous spending that much money on pillows, especially since I love the pillows I already have, and they are $10 a piece at Sam’s Club. 

Proud of myself for: getting the garden planted over the weekend. It was no small task. Nicky was home for a few hour on Sunday (a rare treat), and he helped me out a ton. He kept asking what he’d be able to eat from the garden before he leaves on his mission. The answer was NOTHING! unless you want to eat some mint leaves from our mint plant that refuses to be killed. 

Drinking: water and Diet DP, but I’m thinking about quitting again… ya know… for like a week… 

Enjoying: any minute that Nicky gives us. 

Sick of: using a CPAP. I haven’t slept with it for about two weeks. So many people who use one tell me how much it has improved their sleep. I’ve never gotten to that point. I’m due for a replacement mask, so I might try a different kind and see if there’s something that works better for me than my current setup. 

Listening to: 

Loving: any time Daisy does something with friends and enjoys herself. Her social life has been very complicated. I’m not sure that it’s any more complicated than the average teenage girl, but it’s rough sometimes.

Hoping: that Daisy keeps in touch with friends over the summer and hangs out with them regularly. Last summer I don’t think she did a single thing with friends except for the boy she was “unofficially dating” (that ended back in November after a nine month “relationship,” and it has been so hard).

Wanting: a clean house and a day to do whatever I want. The problem is, I don’t know what I would do on a day to do whatever I want, so I would spend the entire time trying to figure out what I want to do. 

Feeling: like I’m on an emotional roller coaster. 

Needing: to use up a bunch of food in our freezers - including a ton of frozen fruit. I’m a frozen fruit hoarder because any time we don’t use up our fruit before it starts to get too ripe, I bag it and throw it in the freezer. I have frozen bananas and berries galore. We need to have smoothies and make Yonanas everyday for a month. 

Grateful: that Daisy has decided not to go to the upcoming school dance. She also didn’t go to prom, and it’s so nice to not have to deal with dance drama! 

Currently (March 2025 Edition)

Reading:

This book was an Amazon First Read from January, and I have no idea what is going on and can’t keep the characters straight. I’m not sure if I’ll finish it. 

Wearing: black pants and a Beatles sweatshirt. My Beatles sweatshirt has been a staple of my winter wardrobe this year, and I'm not quite ready to give up my sweatshirts!

Annoyed by: streaming services starting random shows for me. The other day I watched a show that only has two episodes released, and I didn't know, so I thought I was binge watching. When the third episode had all new characters and a (slightly) different storyline, it took me 20 minutes to realize it wasn't my show! I just kept waiting for it to tie in. 

Craving: birria tacos. I got hooked on the ones at EPCOT, so now I need to find a local "go to" or book another trip to Orlando (which I am not at all opposed to). 

Working on: teaching my kids social emotional skills. I recently had the impression that I need to spend more time teaching them... well... everything. There are a lot of things that I think my kids know, and then I realize they don't. Just a funny example - I once handed Nicky my phone when a grandparent wanted to talk to him, and Nicky just held the phone and breathed in it, and I said, "Nicky, say hello!" I realized he didn't know that you say "Hello" to start a phone conversation. I laughed about it, but it was pretty eye opening because I assumed that was just a natural thing to pick up a phone and greet the person on the other end, but Nicky had no idea! His generation is living in an entirely different world than I grew up in. After that, I had to teach each of my kids to say "hello" on the phone because they just have no idea! 

Painting: my kitchen table and chairs. 

Brief history of this table here

Buying: lots of puzzles from the thrift store

This one was really fun and easy but was missing a piece (500)

This one was so hard but had all the pieces (1,000)

Eating: Million Dollar Spaghetti. I made some the other night, and the leftovers are going strong.

Suffering from: neuropathy in my feet (and sometimes hands). It’s starting to really bother me. My feet hurt all the time (I have been to the doctor and just scheduled a follow up for April). 

Watching:

Dreading: sitting through all the end of school year performances. 

Proud of myself for: buying Shout wipes to keep in my purse and getting all our medical bills caught up and making an appointment for family photos. 

Enjoying: puzzles! I just can't get enough right now, and I'm really happy about it because I stopped enjoying puzzles for a while, and that made me sad. I feel like I've found a part of myself that I lost. It might sound like a silly thing, but to me, it's significant because I've lost a lot of my passions in the past year. 

Playing: 

We broke out Power Grid for the first time in about eight years. It’s a fun game, but we feel like there is a big design flaw in the maps that makes gameplay unfair. 

Drinking: water. I’m trying to do better with my hydration. I’m also trying a one-a-day soda intake regimen. So far it has been successful… for one day. 

Sick of: reels in social media. I hate that their content is forced on you whether you're interested or not. I'm constantly bombarded with "do this, not that" (telling me everything I'm doing is wrong) and "Ozempic gals!" (telling me I'm fat). I don't click on them, but because reels are playing automatically, I'm exposed to their messages in two second increments whether I like it or not.

Cooking: Boursin Chicken. I'd never heard of Boursin cheese until I stumbled across that recipe on Pinterest. Then I saw a three-pack at Costco, so I tried out the Boursin Chicken recipe, and it was a keeper. We did chicken and baked potatoes and put the sauce on the potatoes. There is also a pork chop version that I intend to try out soon. 

Avoiding: mopping my hard floor. They are in desperate need, but I like to do puzzles instead. 

BeReal caught me puzzling several days in a row

Worried about: Zoe going to junior high. I applied for her to go to a different school months ago, and I've never heard back. Meanwhile, all the registration things for next year are underway, and I'm not able to do anything. I worry that we are missing opportunities while we are in limbo.

Hoping: that Zoe gets to go to the school we applied for.

Looking forward to: Nicky getting his mission call (but I'm also nervous - a little spot on a map is going to have a huge impact on his life)

Building: 

Beatles sweatshirt + thrifted puzzle (missing 4 pieces but still fun)

Curious about: internal monologue and what it would be like to not have a constant narration going on in your mind. My brain "talks" constantly (and always has a song playing, too, so there is a song and a narration going on in my head all the time). I was simply agog* to learn that not everyone experiences internal monologue. 

Singing: “Maps” by Maroon 5. As mentioned above, I always have a song in my head, and I would say I'm on about day three of this one. I'm guessing that since there are people who don't have inner dialogue, there are probably people who don't have music playing in their brains constantly, either. Which are you? Are you the weird one, or am I?

Wanting: a compound of the real estate variety. Is it bad that I find The Village appealing? Can I buy Hildale?

Laughing about: Nicky's ability to find random treasures everywhere he goes. The other day he came home with a violin. 

Needing: new walking/athletic shoes. It's really hard for me to find shoes that fit my feet well and don't hurt, so when I have a pair that meets the criteria, I hang on to them for as long as possible. A few weeks ago, I had to get rid of a few pairs of well-loved shoes, so now I need to start looking for a replacement pair or two. Shoes are tough because it's really hard to tell from trying them on for a few minutes whether they will be good for my feet once broken in. Last year I paid good money for a pair of Hokas, and they are some of the most painful shoes I've ever worn, which is shocking because so many people love Hokas. My feet just betray me over and over again. 

Feeling: just fine. Not incredible and not horrible, but I'll take it!

Procrastinating: making some medical appointments. I'm not intentionally putting it off, I just tend to only remember after hours. We are due for some eye appointments and dental exams, and I need to schedule a follow-up for sleep apnea, which I like to just ignore because I ain't got time for sleep apnea. 

Missing: being on vacation. I've got the bug! I want to get out of here! And it doesn't need to be anywhere fancy. I could drive an hour away from home, label it a vacation, and be perfectly happy. 

Grateful for: encouraging friends who help and support my children. Daisy tried out for Madrigals this week because a good friend urged her on and helped her do it. She didn't make it (the odds for a sophomore girl are always poor, meanwhile boys with zero talent have free reign), but I was so proud of her for trying (without me having to forcer her). In the end, it's fine that she didn't make it because it frees up room in her schedule for other things she's interested in, and I don't have to go to all the Madrigals performances (which I was secretly dreading). Her friend made it, though, and we are so happy for her because she is going to be a senior, and she really wanted it!

*a line from The Music Man

Currently (February 2025 Edition)

Reading:

(I like what she’s preaching, but a book is completely unnecessary. A fifteen minute excerpt from her Ted talk or a podcast would suffice). 

Wearing: a Costco sweatshirt that has lime juice splatters on it.

Eating: taco rice.

Suffering from: post vacation blues. I’m not really “blue,” but that’s still a good phrase for it. I want to plan another vacation so I have something to look forward to. 

Annoyed by: my blood pressure. It’s all over the place. 

Craving: salami. I have a bit of a meat/cheese/crackers habit these days.

Needing: to trim some abnormally long posts of some earrings I bought, and the fact that this is even a thing annoys me. Why are they so long? They stab me in the neck! What foolish design is this?

Buying: a few thrifted items for my house - some funky mirrors and a TV stand, to name a few.

Watching:

This was one of my favorite movies growing up, and I made my girls watch it over the weekend.

We are also watching Titanic in half-hour increments (with a bit of fast forwarding) at Eva’s request. This experience comes with frequent pause sessions wherein I give historical lectures on topics such as:

• The CGI in Titanic in 1997 was iconic for its time
• Molly Brown was a real person
• This is the size of the Titanic in comparison to an average modern-day cruise ship
• This is a map of where the Titanic sank

We are also watching Celebrity Jeopardy each week. Daisy is counting down til the episode with Kirk from Gilmore Girls. 

Dreading: parent day at dance class. We have this once a month, and I have to sit through three dance classes. 

Proud of myself for: sticking to a meal plan since we got home from our trip. I’ve swapped meals around a bit, but the main goal is to use up what we have and not eat out. 

Enjoying: no snow. This was my same answer in January. I am no sad one but about the lack of snow we are having this winter. 

Working on: getting Nicky a passport.

Curious about: why my neighbor wears a mask to walk her dog when she doesn’t go near anyone, but she doesn’t wear a mask to church when she’s around hundreds of people. 

Playing: 

I bought Zoinx a while ago, and we just tried it yesterday for the first time. We give it a big thumbs down, which is a bummer because we really like Gamewright’s other dice games like Quixx and Bloom. This one has some major design flaws, in our opinion.

Drinking: no soda. I’m one week sober. Again. But gosh, I want a Diet Dr. Pepper something fierce. On Saturday night I was nearly in tears over it. 

People often ask why I won’t let myself have some once in a while. It’s because with me, there is no such thing as once in a while. I can’t moderate it. 

Sick of: school dances. We have one about every two months, plus Nicky is constantly getting asked to go to dances at other schools. We ask and answer for dances all the time, and I’m a planner, so it’s really hard for me to sit back and watch my kids try and plan dances with their friends because it’s usually a hot mess. There’s always some sort of group drama, too. 

Grateful for: my van.

Currently (January 2025 Edition)

Reading:

Celebrating: so many birthdays. December and January are packed with birthdays in our family. 

Wearing: my sleep clothes (i.e. my undies). It’s 3:55 a.m. and I’m having my traditional “wake” session. I probably won’t go back to sleep today.

Eating: dip. For my birthday I decided to have a dip night. I invited a few friends over and asked them to bring dip to share. We had a variety of sweet, savory, hot, and cold. 

My friend Carlie and I do a dip themed game night every year, but this was next level because there were more than two people bringing dips. 

Suffering from: watery eyes.

Laughing about: the fake Pit Vipers Nicky gave me for Christmas 

Have you ever seen anything so cool in your life?

Annoyed by: fast food apps that have not offered me free birthday rewards. Also, fast food apps that offer a free food item when you take a survey, and then the promo code never shows up. 

(You owe me 6 minutes of toilet time and a free order of cheese bread, Papa John’s, and I’ll never get over it!)

Buying: a few upgraded items for my house. I got a new bathroom rug, new throw pillows, and a new doormat. I have also found some great things at the thrift store this week. 

Missed opportunity to buy a fish table 

Watching: season 2 of Shrinking. I’ve watched all the episodes except the finale, and I’m prep for the finale, I decided to start at episode 1 again and rewatch the season. Well, mostly I’m just listening to it in my ear buds during chores.

Dreading: things I can’t say. 

Enjoying: no snow. But I’m not going to say anything because I don’t want to jinx it.

Looking forward to: going to work today. I like my job enough that most days I’m excited to go.

Working on: finishing Nicky’s mission papers. We have his dentist appointment today and a doctor appointment next week. 

Cooking: nothing. We have been in such strong party mode lately that we are being fed constantly by outside sources. It’s great and all, but I also look forward to getting back in control of our food. 

Needing: a new phone case. I just bought one last week, and it shows my greasy fingerprints really bad. It’s gross.

Playing:

Some friends and I played Pando recently, and it was a blast. It’s an obscure game that’s kind of hard to get your hands on, but it’s a fun one and good for a crowd.

The Pando crowd

Craving: water. I’ve definitely let my hydrating slide these past few weeks.

Singing: “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” After a few years, it still resurfaces.

Drinking: way too much Diet Dr. Pepper.

Sick of: hair creases from my CPAP. 

Happy about: the regular McChicken returning to the menu at our local McDonald’s. Now if they would just bring back root beer!!

All hail the regular McChicken with the lop-sided mayo blob!

Hoping: to reset my sleeping habits soon. I’m hardly getting any sleep lately, and my brain is always buzzing (which is why I’m currently blogging - it is now 4:44).

Feeling: lost in space and time. Our winter break has been so long (and it will still be five days til my kids go back to school). I have no idea what day it is, what we are supposed to be doing, or whether I’m even wearing pants.

Avoiding: sleep. I could probably fall back asleep this this point, but I think I’m going to go to work instead.

Grateful for: working limbs.

Currently (November 2024 Edition)

Reading:

Celebrating: Zoe’s 12th birthday. Her actual birthday is today, November 2 (who knows what day it will be by the time I finish this post and publish it). We are having family over to celebrate tomorrow, and then Zoe gets to pick what’s for dinner on Monday. 

Wearing: black pants and a Stars Hollow t-shirt.

Eating: a chocolate dome from Kneaders.

Suffering from: second-hand teenager drama. 

Laughing about: this… which I’ll have to explain later…

Annoyed by: testimony meeting in our ward. It tends to be a series of monologues, prepared speeches, health histories, and rants each month. Today (it’s Sunday now) a guy came prepared with a prop and a handful of quotes on cards. 

Buying: ice. About six weeks ago our ice maker went caput (and flooded our basement), and I now have to buy a bag of ice every week.

Watching: 

Dreading: election drama and cold and flu season. 

Enjoying: long pants and not having to shave my legs if I don’t wanna.

Looking forward to: putting up my Christmas decorations. But I always wait til at least the week of Thanksgiving. I usually put things up before my kids are out of school for Thanksgiving so I don’t have “helpers.” But I let them do the basement tree so they can have the sense of satisfaction and involvement.

Worried about: my kids. Always. Right now I’m worried about their relationships with their peers. Particularly Daisy and Zoe. 

Listening to:

Craving: