Even though I thought we were done with the parental-preference phase of things (full of toddler-isms such as “Daddy do!” No! Only Mommy!”), the kids have been back to a big mommy-only phase. They want me to help them with everything from brushing their teeth (me, only me) to playing with them to doing everything involved with their food. It’s not quite so rigid as maybe when they were two. Tyson can put them to bed, for example, and it’s not (usually) the end of the world. They no longer turn into screaming, sobbing puddles on the floor due to the presence of one parent instead of another. Still: the kids want mommy and mommy only. I’m sure this is somehow related to the past two years of *gestures* everything, but heck if I can figure it out.
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It was a cold month here in Minnesota. That sentence might sound redundant, so maybe what I should say is that it was a particularly cold month. We had more subzero January days than not, more days where the windchill had a negative sign in front of it than a positive one. I rather like the cozy months, but even I will admit it can get wearing after a while, when the kids can’t even be outside for recess. Instead of dwelling on the cold, I’ll list the things that saved our sanity this month, which include Wordle, Bluey, hot chocolate, wearing sweatsuits on repeat, family games, and making all the soups, stews and pastas. (Seriously, whoever decided that January was a great month to market You Should Begin All the Diets did not live in Minnesota.)
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I learned, again, that if we just sit down and talk to the kids, they’re…really good. We had a Family Meeting over the weekend to remind them of our morning rules: 1. No coming out of your room until 6:30 and 2. Play quietly until Mommy and Daddy are out of bed. Being blessed with Morning Kids™ who are frequently awake before 6:00, we’d fallen into a cycle where Tyson and I were woken up by what sounded like an entire Marvel movie breaking out in the hallway or kids barging in with a barrage of questions in our still-dark room. Though the final straw was Nolan’s Saturday morning 4:45 call for help because he “couldn’t reach” his water bottle and he “didn’t want to get up,” after which neither Tyson nor I fell back asleep. But after a single family meeting Saturday night to discuss, we’ve had two perfect back-to-back mornings (fingers crossed, throws salt over shoulder, steps over all sidewalk cracks, makes sign of the cross) which leaves me wondering why we didn’t just talk to them sooner.
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If there are any other words to sum up the month for parents, it seems to be these lyrics from Encanto: “...see if she can handle every family burden/Watch as she buckles and bends but never breaks/No mistakes just/Pressure like a grip, grip, grip and it won’t let go, woah/Pressure like a tick, tick, tick ‘til it’s ready to blow/…Who I am if I don’t have what it takes?/No mistakes/Just pressure.” And not just because those lyrics are living on repeat in all of our brains right now. (Love you, LMM, but could you make some songs that just aren’t quite as catchy?) Still, we made it through January. I think I spy hope ahead, in the form of warmer temperatures, the end of distance learning (for those who were back in that hellscape), and quieter mornings.
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Thing I’m Doing
Inspired by last Tuesday’s outside of politics conversation on Pantsuit Politics, I thought I’d share how I’m involved at the kid's’ school. Every Thursday afternoon, I volunteer in the workroom for about 2-4 hours where I run copies, put together projects (soooo many Kindergarten projects), and other classroom organization-type things for whoever needs it. I don’t know why I don’t talk about it much—I did this when Caden and Brooklyn started Kindergarten (though in-school volunteers were on pause for most of the pandemic)—but it’s a pretty big anchor in my week. I’ve also helped in the cafeteria and am signed up to staff the book fair in a few weeks. It’s a small thing for me to do yet the gratitude from the staff is enormous.
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Around the Internet
I am officially deceased after reading A Note of Reassurance From Your School District Regarding Our Updated Omicron Policies
House shoes now and forever. (Pssst….my forever favorites are Mahabis.)
On schedules, routines, and TikTok.
Speaking of TikTok, the Gardiner Brothers have a GIFT.
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Eating
With those subzero temps, I’ve been making alllllllllll the comfort foods:
I’ve made this soup three times in the past two months. I recommend adding an extra bell pepper and cooking the tortellini separately and adding it as needed so it doesn’t get mushy.
These red curried lentils but I used an entire can of full-fat (urgh, please don’t use the “light” stuff) coconut milk. I kept an eye on it as it simmered and added more coconut milk as needed to keep it more soup-y.
I’ve tried a few Swedish meatball recipes before but this one is my favorite. It comes together pretty fast when you buy the frozen Swedish meatballs from Target. Like IKEA…but better.
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Fun Things
Speaking of cozy, my birthday gift to myself was a new sweatsuit. Enter this sweatshirt and these sweatpants.
After twelve too many splashes and grease stains, this apron is now saving my clothes.
These bins now live in my pantry to organize snacks and my life feels (almost) complete.
Starting a new hashtag on Instagram. Would love to see you join in!