February 1st, y’all. It crept up on me this year… there are so many people that feel like January drags on, but it flew by this year. Maybe because in January I ENJOY hunkering down and reading/binge-watching/resting. But January is also busy at school — each day full of tours for prospective families and registration for next school year — yes, NEXT school year! Also, quarterly meetings to prep and conduct, lots of planning, etc. So my work days fly by and my quiet/down time feels a little crunched.
Anyway, I will welcome February nonetheless — a month FULL of family birthdays (five to be exact), Valentine’s Day at preschool and ALL the things there, plus an upcoming trip to Texas over our winter break. Lots to look forward to, in other words. 🙂
Recently I became aware of a fun internet/blog/Instagram trend of sharing what you’ve learned each month at that month’s end — it can be touching or funny or profound or insignificant, but the idea is to pay attention to what new things or realizations come our way. Years ago I had a series on my private family blog called What I Learned This Week and I published it every Friday — it quickly became a family favorite! So I thought this year I might jump back on that train, only on a monthly basis. So let’s see where this goes…
We are always “becoming” something. This little nugget came from Loy and Macy at Clearly Confident last week. I’ve been following them on Instagram for a while now as part of bigger personal development effort (more on that below). This was such an “A-HA”! We get to choose which the direction we head — because you’re ALWAYS headed to something, we never stay in one place. So are we headed toward growth, understanding, learning, positivity? Or are we headed in a downward spiral of negativity, unproductive thinking, lack of action? Just food for thought!
I have to pursue growth. I may expand on this in a separate post, but I realized this month that in order to truly get a grip on my role as a leader (CEO/boss) I have to seek out the training, guidance, and inspiration I need. It’s up to me and me alone! So brace yourself for the occasional thoughts and observations on this topic, because 2019 is my year to GROW.
Hold on loosely. I love being a parent of adult children. They are all remarkable in their own unique way — growing, exploring, wrestling with adult things, thriving and sometimes just surviving. I’m learning to hold them loosely. To be here when they REALLY need me and want me and to simply encourage from the sidelines when they don’t. This is totally a work in progress… I’ll let you know how it goes. 🙂
The Whole30 is way easier the third time around. The hubs and I just finished our third round of Whole30. It was SO much easier this time around (it’s been two years since we last did it)! First of all, the availability of all the Whole30 compliant sauces/marinades/ghee/bone broth is unbelievable! The first time we embarked on this I was making all of those things from scratch. So tasty meals were super simple this time around. I also think because we knew exactly what to expect, what the potential challenges are and how to navigate them, we sailed through with very few issues or even cravings. Lastly, we were READY. We had the mindset and were 100% committed (not so much the last time around!) and that made all the difference in the world.
Unexpected “Snow” Days are the best. This week all the schools closed in anticipation of a snow/ice event. Now you all remember the debacle of “Snowmaggedden” several years ago, so the government and county school systems are gun shy when it comes to winter weather in Atlanta. We saw not one flake on our “snow” day, but I sure did enjoy sleeping in, enjoying an extra cup of coffee with my Wall Street Journal, and a lunch date with the hubs before hunkering down on the sofa with Netflix.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on these things and also what YOU may have learned in January? Enjoy your weekend, friends!
xo Heidi
Great, congratulations and thanks for sharing.