A Look Into Our Notebooks | Week 24 in 2021

Good morning! Nearly every Monday I share the previous week’s spread from my planner. This gives me an opportunity to think about the week that just ended and how I used my time. Last week was full of reading and playing outside – perhaps my most balanced week in a long time.

I feel like my rhythm is starting to return, which is a very good thing. I spent more time reading (pink highlights) than I had the previous couple of weeks, and that’s probably because I let go of what I thought I “should” be reading and only read what I wanted. I’m much happier that way!

The weekend was FULL of outside time (blue highlights)! The last few days were very warm, but children are amazing. I’ve said it before, but spending time outside is not my natural tendency. I’m thankful for the chance to break out of my old habits and spend so much time gardening and playing!

Today was day 443 of my journaling streak and 177 of my meditation streak. I’m staggered by both of those numbers. Adding just 10 minutes of yoga before meditating has made a difference – my body is more receptive to being down on the floor, inching my way towards lotus position. It feels really good.

I also managed 4 sessions on the bike, including one last night. Last week I decided that I would only aim for 3 sessions so that I could try to keep some balance in my life, but last night I got the itch to hop on the exercise bike and how could I tell myself no? I never get the itch to exercise! I capitalized on that feeling and took a ride full of rolling hills. It was fun and I’m a wee bit impressed with myself. There’s something to setting low expectations and blowing right past them.

Meals This Week:
I’ve been including my meals in these posts because I find it so helpful when people share what they’ve been cooking. It’s so easy for my meal planning to become uninspired.

Monday: We had leftover beans & rice from the weekend.

Tuesday: I cooked up a curry and mostly followed this recipe, but added a sweet pepper and fresh ginger, and substituted tofu for the chickpeas.

Wednesday: Matthew cooked up some salmon + quinoa. I’m not sure what recipes he followed, but they were super delicious.

Thursday: Fish sticks and french fries. Because Thursdays are hard and there’s no reason dinner has to be.

Friday: Matthew and the kids had frozen pizza and I ate the last serving of curry from Tuesday.

Saturday: sandwiches!

Sunday: I boiled up a pot of spaghetti noodles and added a jar of store bought vodka sauce. Sometimes the easiest meals make everyone the happiest.

---

Colton is home today because his treatment center is having a staff training day on the communication device that he uses! So we’re also taking today off from Blackberry Bluff School and are going to have an extended weekend, which I’m looking forward to. It’s going to be hot, but I’m pretty sure we’ll still spend most of the time outside. I’ll plan to be back on Wednesday with the books I’ve finished over the last week – see you then!