Happy new year, everyone! I hope 2025 is kind to all of us.
Last Thursday was the “everything is back to normal” day. I honestly was happy to get back to work since I do better in a structured environment.
Blogosphere has been talking about goals, intentions, task lists, wish lists, and all kinds of amazing things. I have been stewing in what I want to do in 2025, and the answer is : focus. I want to focus better. Focus on what matters. Focus on myself. Focus on my family. Focus on learning. Focus on the little things. Give my precious resource- my attention -to things that matter.
For reference: this is a busy season of life for me: my kids are 7 and *almost* 5, I work full-time. Not a lot of free time. Some hobbies: yoga, reading, writing, nature, travel. I am 43, overall in good physical health, and currently in peri-menopause.
I do not have categories. Rather, it’s a list of what can help me focus on the important. How will I track it? I don’t know, some of it will probably go into my calendar?… I also printed a habit tracker for things like weights (thanks KAE).
reduce phone time (right now I am averaging about 2-3 hours per day with phone use and it’s bothering me, a lot).
read more physical books, less Kindle
continue writing and blogging
have a weekly family meeting where we talk about the upcoming week (stolen from SHU)
Lift 2x per week for 20 min each session
continue yoga 3x per week
continue 1 on 1 time with L and R
try a few new recipes (somehow, elevate my cooking and venture out from the familiar chili and roasted chicken territory)
100 days no wine January 1- April 11th
Continue going to see live theater shows
Date nights – monthly, try some new restaurants/activities
Take a road trip in the US
Take a camping trip
Take an international trip
Weekend recap.
I am in the luteal phase but this one has not been that bad. Fatigued and a little down. On Saturday, I went to yoga, the kids went to gymnastics, then I went to a pajama party at my Russian friend Nastya’s house. Ladies only, all in pajamas or loungewear. I wore my fuzzy slippers. We had blinis (Russian crepes), with allll kinds of fillings, both savory and sweet. We played games.
Saturday night T and I watched a horror movie because that’s what we like. Dinner was KFC for T and the kids but I did not have any. I was too stuffed from my lunch of blinis with various fillings. I ate so much at Nastya’s that I honestly felt I could not put another morsel in my mouth.
By Sunday morning, I digested all the blinis and we had a delicious whipped loaded oatmeal. Whipped means that you mix it non-stop while it’s on the stove and it becomes fluffy. Loaded means that I add things to it: nuts, berries, peanut butter, honey.
Sunday was a relaxing day! I went to yoga for Soulful Sunday, then the kids and I got out of the house and went to the Paris Baguette – a chain of bakeries in NJ and NYC that supposedly sell French pastries. They don’t. But the pastries are still very good! The kids and I got about five small pastries and cut them up so we can try a little bit of everything.
I also made two Russian dishes on Sunday. A Olivier salad and a pickle soup (rassolnik).
Some quotes I saved to my camera roll from the Internets… Some are uplifting and some are sad.
I will leave it here, friends. Have a wonderful week and I will probably write again in the middle of the week.
Mom of Children 