Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Currently: October snow edition

We got a dumping of about 8" of snow yesterday. Well played, 2020. You just keep packing the punches, don't you? So much for my wish for a long mild fall. With temps in the 30s for the forseeable future and more snow forecasted for Saturday, I guess this is just how October is going to be? 

Reading: Raising White Kids by Jennifer Harvey and Lovely War by Julie Berry. I'm reading Raising White Kids with 3 other moms I know IRL and through social media. It talks about how to talk about racism from an early age so your kids are part of the solution, not the problem. I'm looking forward to discussing it with the other ladies! Lovely War is a book from the Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide. I felt a bit skeptical when I started as it's told from the perspective of some of the Greek Gods. But I'm going to stick with it for 50-100 pages as I trust Anne Bogel's taste and she says this narrative structure works!

Loving: whole milk lattes with 2 pumps of SF vanilla syrup from Starbucks as an occasional treat. I tried one with heavy cream yesterday and oof, that was too much for me. Heavy fat is good for the gestational diabetes diet but that was just too much for me. I am not a huge dairy person so that thickness of the heavy cream sat in my stomach in an unpleasant way. But the whole milk ones are perfect! Admittedly these lattes are not as 'occasional' as they probably should be. I'm probably getting 3-4/week but besides the Fairlife Chocolate milk, it's the only treat I can really have these days due to my restrictive diet. 

Feeling: very sick of pregnancy. My RA has been really bad - I've been getting flares every 2-3 days and they are very painful. My last pregnancy was tough so I knew this one would be hard, too, but I'm getting more flares than I did during the final part of Paul's pregnancy so I'm just very over it!

Thinking: about how to make the Christmas holiday extra special for Paul. We won't be celebrating the holidays with family due to covid concerns/having a newborn so it will be a different season than usual. But I want to make it extra special since Paul will also be adjusting to being a big brother. I ordered a cool Advent Calendar from West Elm (appears to be sold out now!) that has a drawer for each day so we'll put things like stickers, Hershey's kisses, etc in that. I'll also buy some Christmas book so we can open a new one each week and I'm sure we'll decorate cookies, too, and maybe a gingerbread house. 

Anticipating: Paul's return to daycare on Friday!! Having him home has definitely been challenging. He has watched a ton of tv but that is the only solution to keeping him entertained/busy so we can focus on our work. He's very into Sesame Street now which I much prefer to Little Baby Bum!

Struggling: with this change in weather.

These photos were taken on Saturday. Paul loved playing with the leaves and Phil kept the leaf pile in the backyard so he could play with them this week. 




These photos were taken on Tuesday after our dumping of 7" of snow. Paul was very excited about the snow, though. So at least 1 person in our house was happy? 


Minnesota winters are VERY long. We can have snow through March or April. So getting this much snow in October when we know we'll be extra isolated due to Covid is just DEPRESSING.

Grateful: that Phil took Paul out to his mom's on Sunday afternoon so I could have a solid 4+ hours alone in our house. I had a very painful flare that day so I really needed the downtime with no demands made upon me. We had been quarantining and had all tested negative so he felt safe bringing Paul out there. It was probably better that I wasn't there as Paul was happy to sit on nana's lap and read books. When I'm there, he wants to sit on my lap... 

Working: on some baby prep stuff. I took all the baby stuff out of our storage areas under the stairs. After it was all out, I wondered how it all had fit in there before? The storage area was like the equivalent of Mary Poppin's margic carpet bag, I swear. So I have a pile of stuff in the guest room that needs to go upstairs when the baby is closer to arriving. I was also reminded how many hand-me-down toys Paul has from generous friends! I'm keeping them stored away until we can swap them out for some of the things he's currently playing with. 

Just some of the stuff that came out of the storage area... I had already moved some items to the guest room when I took this pic. As a minimalist, looking at this photo stresses me out!



Listening: to podcasts, as usual!

Watching: the show Fargo on Hulu. We needed something new to watch as a couple so decided to give it a try. It's darker than I like shows to be but it's interesting and well-written so we will keep at it. 

Wishing:
for this snow to melt and for 50ish degree weather to return!

Your turn! What are you reading, anticipating, and struggling with?

12 comments:

  1. Eight inches of snow in October/ I'd jump off a bridge. This has been a year -- for everyone, everywhere. I refuse to ask what's next because it seems to be trying to "up itself" with every next turn. Oh, yeah. We have an election coming up. Never mind.

    I'm sorry things are so rugged right now. Only another month and a half to go. Counting down. And Daycare open soon. That's good. (If it was me I'd get some of the stuff going up to the new nursery up sooner rather than later, because it's going to be harder the later in pregnancy you get, I think. Of course, you've got a Paul to help!)

    I'm reading "The Library Book" by Susan Orlean. It's very good but not a fast read and I'm getting itchy to get something less non-fiction and more fun and escape-worthy. Anticipating not much@ And still struggling with the realities of avoiding Covid and the impending holidays.

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  2. This year has been a doozy! I was wondering when the first snow was going to be, as here in CA I am a bit mixed about it. We need the rain/snow a lot, but I would love for next summer to not be one of those where there is snow on the trails until August. That of course is very selfish but I want to be able to get outside and play!!!

    I am reading A Starless Sea which is good so far. I enjoyed the Night Circus, but it has been a long time since I read it that I had forgotten that she is fantasy oriented. However, it looks like this book will be a fun read.

    I am anticipating seeing my parents this weekend. We are going to meet for an outdoor hike and a backyard dinner and will wear masks etc. I am glad my parents are on board with this, as my brother and I would probably not see them if they were not on the same page regarding masks and distancing. I have only seen them twice since the pandemic started so I am really looking forward to this trip.

    I am struggling with getting motivated to make plans! Every time I try to, something happens (fire, flood, famine) to keep me from it and so I am a bit dejected about trying again! I had a friend text me that I have been quiet and it's true; I don't have the motivation to check in with people when normally I would be making plans with them but now it's just to say hi.

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  3. We've already cancelled the big family Christmas get-together too. It's crazy! I haven't seen my parents since last Christmas. We're debating our holiday travel plans and hoping it's going to be safe enough to get down there.

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  4. I don't mind winter, but that snow was a rude awakening. I'm glad today isn't as bad, I took a lunch break run since it was only barely raining, and i figured it was best to do it right away vs after work when there might be ice. I'm glad you got some alone time and I hope the flares slow down soon!

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  5. I heard its supposed to be cold this week and then nicer next weekend. Lets hope! More snow this weekend just sounds like a joke.

    Have you tried a plain coffee or Americano with heavy cream? That might sit better.

    I think a nice little Christmas eve or any night would be Christmas jammies, a book as you said, a Christmas treat and a Christmas movie.

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  6. It's supposed to snow here (in Colorado) tomorrow too. I'm not ready for winter, especially with Covid and the difficulty in doing things outside with friends in the winter,but I'm trying to embrace a cozy day inside and hope milder days come back soon.

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  7. All of that snow coming in October is just NOT OKAY, especially with the crazy summer you guys had. We're having temps in the 80s (low 90s with the heat index) and it feels AMAZING after our ridiculously hot summer. I think I'm going to start taking midday walks again, which I have really been missing!

    A blogger I follow does this 24 days of Christmas thing where her family does one fun Christmassy thing every day until Christmas Eve. Sometimes it's as simple as reading Christmas books! She puts them in a jar and they pick one per day. Maybe something like that to make things extra special for Paul this year?

    It's going to be a weird holiday season for so many of us this year! <3

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  8. Snow!! That is crazy. I recently moved to North Carolina from Virginia and while not a huge change in climate yesterday it was 80 degrees and I just wanted it to feel like fall. So I guess things could be worse. I also just discovered your blog from grateful Kae but I was having trouble finding an easy way to subscribe. I am loving this return to old school blogging.

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  9. You have every reason to be sick of pregnancy with your flares. And you deserve the lattes because of that! I am glad you're able to find a way to enjoy a latte that doesn't screw up your blood sugars! Yay

    I cannot believe how much snow you got this week. That's just insane for October.

    Sooo glad you can send Paul back to daycare - I am sure it is nearly impossible to have meaningful and productive workdays with a toddler :(

    I'm not really reading anything - I had been holding off to see what my homework load would be this semester. I just found out at 9:30 pm last night that my capstone submission was approved! Meaning I do not need to write any more on that. I just need to make it into a presentation. So I am actually going to try to find a book.
    Anticipating - graduating :)

    Struggling - just trying to balance everything this week. I have my practicum Monday, and those are 10-11 hours days. But that's also 10-11 hours I'm kind of away from my regular job, so that makes my other days long catching up. I have my glucose test on Tuesday, and I hate that I have to miss almost a half day of work - but I think I'll bring my laptop to the appt and try to work while I'm waiting. Ryan is gone now, so I have the chickens and garden to manage as well so it's just going to be a busy week! But I get a little vacation- which I am so ready for.

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  10. WOW, that snow!
    I'm reading - The Goldfinch, and I have no idea why, I requested the loan a long time ago, I suppose, because it just popped into my kindle the other day!
    anticipating - races coming back to our area! There is at least one nearby that I have my eye on.
    struggling with - daycare, as always. We got kicked out while Nico was sick, tested him negative, and they still won't let him return because they have to submit the results to their "COVID board" - which is apparently something they invented on the spot. Not sure what part of "negative" they're having trouble understanding.

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  11. That is a lot of snow! You guys have very similar weather to us in Saskatchewan I think, although fortunately this year we haven't had it too bad yet.

    That sucks you've been having so many flares. I can't imagine how upsetting and painful they would be.

    Your special Christmas plans sound really nice. Great ideas! Christmas will be weird this year. I don't think we'll see anyone - it will just be a quiet Christmas at home. We don't really have a bubble. Hopefully we remember how to socialize when this is all over 😝😣

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  12. Uff, that's a lot of snow for October. Meanwhile, we're still waiting for the first rain here in California. It's been unseasonably mild and we should have gotten rain in October already, but NOTHING so far.

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