Eye to Wonder

      Thanksgiving week staycation was a success! Even though we couldn't see family and there were limits due to the pandemic, it felt like a break from routine and like an actual vacation.     I am so thankful to be a teacher. It is a job that gives me challenge, purpose, and opportunities for continued growth and connection. I am also grateful that the built-in breaks in the school calendar give me little pockets of stay at home parenting throughout the year. I am especially thankful that this week off coincided with what felt like an explosion of language development for Avi this week. Lots of new words like "up,"  "yes," "tita," (Aunt in tagalog for my friend who celebrated the holiday with us), "uh-oh" and "more." We also had a zoom get together of friends from my teacher graduate program, and it was so fun to reconnect with people and see how far we'd come since we all began teaching (eight years ago now!).       Vacation...

             I have the week off from work! I love my job, but I'm looking forward to having some time at home with Avi and Joel.       That said, this morning I started feeling a little overwhelmed at the thought of an entire week off without any structure or plan.  Before we had Avi and the pandemic, we would travel for Thanksgiving to be with family. I find myself missing the change of scenery. Case rates are really high right now, which significantly limits what we can do outside of our home and outdoors. Also, I think Avi is about ready to drop a nap, which can lead to a topsy-turvy routine and overtired child.      Given those givens, I'm trying to be more proactive about how I can enjoy this time off and embrace this messy, somewhat cooped up time at home, even if it doesn't look exactly like a typical vacation. My goal is to make the time off feel special and out of our normal routine.     ...

      I want to remember...  the constant movement and energy at this age. Avi is walking and climbing everywhere (especially on the couch and slide we moved in for our first snow storm of the year).  how determined she is and how she will approach a problem multiple ways to try and solve it. the words she only says in repetition e.g. "no, no, no" or "YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY." after a burst of energy, how she will crawl into my lap and lie her head against my chest.  her love of the books Nelly Gnu and Daddy Too and We Sang You Home and how she wants to read them every night before she goes to sleep and, you know, multiple times throughout the day as well. that she's beginning to enjoy some outings like to the pumpkin patch, parks further away and even the zoo!  the way she waves her arm when we dance with her. her love of berries, trucks, cars, and planes. trips to the park down the street, walking through the crunchy leaves and how she signs more when s...

  Avi as a strawberry for Halloween.     Since I'm feeling a bit more in a routine work and schedule wise, I've decided to try two experiments this month. I've been thinking about both of them for a while, and I think I have the bandwidth to try them out this month. Experiment #1: The Seven Minute Workout     I struggle to get into exercise routines. It's not my highest priority, but I always do feel more energetic on the days I exercise. I've decided to do the seven minute HIIT workout everyday in November to see how it feels. It definitely gets my heart rate up without feeling too hard, and it's easy to fit in right before I shower in the morning. Although I've done this workout intermittently,  I'm curious to see what it feels like to make this a daily habit.  Experiment #2: Time Block Planning at Work Attempt #1     I read Deep Work  by Cal Newport earlier this year, and I've also been listening to his podcast  recently. In both...