1. Corinne Low has a new book out, called “Having It All.” I read her interview on Substack and was left with mixed feelings about labor division, “utility”, and hobbies/leisure. A new baby, a book tour, and being a professor at Wharton. I will not be purchasing the book since I rarely/never buy books, but the concept looked interesting. I wonder is she cracked the code for equal labor division..
2. Friday night dinner at my friend B’s place. She loves to cook and feed people. It’s been a while since I saw my friends (last time was late October) so we were overdue for a catch up. I came home at 10:30 and was very fried.
3. Korean sauna and spa. On Saturday I roasted for 4 hours at the sauna. I did dry, wet, then dry eucalyptus, then.. who knows?.. Turkish? I want to make this sauna experience a regular thing, say, twice a month or once a month, at least. I bought a pack of ten back in October and just used the first voucher this weekend. I have a picture of me in a facial mask but I’ll spare you.
4. Skating with Santa. Oh, this was awesome! As many of you know, Sundays are our “skating” day where the three of us go to the rink for public skating session. Today was a special event, where we skated with Santa, Mrs. Clause, Buddy the Elf, and other Christmas helpers. There were also read-alouds, caroling, cookies and hot chocolate. Our county did a great job on this.
5. My parents’ situation is always at the back of my mind. My dad is post-stroke, my mom is 80 and is his primary caregiver. My brother likes to get boozed up often, gets verbally abusive when under the influence, and I am over here in NJ living my best life. I say it in jest, of course, but the feelings of helplessness are real.
6. I am seriously considering hiring a biweekly cleaner. Thank you, Elisabeth, for the kind pep talk. I needed it.
7. I ordered a gift for myself- a Christmas tree ornament featuring an orange kitty sleeping on a stack of books. I got the ornament, but the ornament featured a cute rat, not a cat. Is there a sign from the universe I should be decoding? What do rats represent?
8. My Secret Santa is Michelle!! Thank you, dear Michelle, for the gifts! I will wear the pin with pleasure and always think of you when I put it on. Red glasses- you nailed it. And yes, the daily calendar will serve as a daily reminder that overwhelm is temporary and there is always, always beautiful things to ponder, even if it’s just for a minute.
#SecretSANtaSwap2025
Mom of Children 