A Look Into Our Notebooks | Week 5 of 2021

Each Monday I look back at the week that just ended to get a sense of how I’m using my time. I believe that our little habits matter and that they build our lives – I want to make sure my time is spent honoring my goals and values. Last week was hard. It was probably the oddest week I’ve had in a long time and I’m doing my best to lean into this period of rest. So that means the snapshot of my week looks a little different than it usually does.

GREEN | Writing Time
Today marks the 309th straight day of journaling. It’s not even something I think about anymore: I get up, make a hot drink (lately it’s been peppermint tea), and settle in with my journal and other notebooks. It’s been a nice routine and something I can’t imagine skipping at this point. My blogging time was on the backburner last week and that’s okay – I expect that I’ll figure out a new rhythm for it soon.

ORANGE | “Healthy Stuff”
I leaned into this category last week, which was surprising. I logged 5 sessions on my exercise bike and 6 sessions of Yoga With Adrienne – which is crazy! I didn’t expect to spend time on the exercise bike every weekday morning, but it worked out that way and I went with it. My basic rhythm last week was to wake up, journal, meditate, get on the bike. Then I did yoga in the evening after 2/3 of the kids were in bed (my oldest was awake and moved back and forth between doing yoga with me in my bedroom and watching PBS Kids – I call that a good compromise). I meditated every morning after I wrote in my journal, which continues to feel like a natural transition.

PURPLE | Blackberry Bluff School
We had a great school week. We didn’t do any formal learning on Monday and Tuesday because we had Colton at home with us, but we still played lots of games and read books. When our schedule went back to normal on Wednesday, I’m happy to report that we managed to get a lot done. This was Week 21 of our school year, which completely blows my mind!

BLUE | Outside Time
You guys!! After weeks of feeling like a failure, we managed to have a week (in the middle of winter!) when we went outside every single day! It’s working better for us to take a break in the middle of our school morning to go outside for a bit, and then do some more reading while we eat lunch after we come inside. It’s not ideal for me, but it worked, so I’m going to try to replicate it this week.

YELLOW | Stitching Time
I spent some time working on my Stay At Home Round Robin quilt this week, but didn’t manage to get much done. I’m behind, which is sort of stressing me out. Last week’s assignment was flying geese and of course – I took it over the top and missed my window to link up with last week’s SAHRR host. I spent a lot of time with it last night during the game (while taking commercial breaks), so I’m further along this morning than I thought I’d be. I’m hoping I can scale back this week and get all caught up, wish me luck! On Saturday I managed to finish a mandolin quilt block and promise to publish a post about it soon.

PINK | Reading Time
Another rough week for reading, but I’m heartened by the fact that I did listen to an audiobook during all of those sessions on the exercise bike. I started a short book of poetry and another nonfiction that have hit the spot lately… and still – I don’t seem to have the bandwidth to concentrate on reading right now. I’m trying not to worry too much because I know my reading mojo will come roaring back when I least expect it.

OTHER TRACKING
+ Water – Another near perfect week. Saturdays have become my weak spot, apparently. I’m not too worried about being short on water one day a week, but I will try to do better this week.

+ Weather – Still tracking in my Traveler’s Notebook and in my 5 year journal, which is so much fun to look back on. But I’m especially pleased to see that even on the coldest days we managed to prioritize time outside. We finished our school work early enough on Friday to go outside during a snow shower, which was a lot of fun and a great motivator for Bryce.

+ Covid Cases – I’m thrilled to see that, despite so many challenges, people are getting vaccinated! The case numbers in New Hampshire continue to drop, which is such a relief. And still – the numbers are way higher than they were in October. We’re going to get through this… I just wish we could get through it more quickly!

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Here’s to starting the 6th week of 2021 with hearts full of gratitude, minds flexible enough to take on new challenges, and strong bodies to see us through.