Where Iโ€™m at #23

Life is still beautiful chaos, by design ๐Ÿ’š

โ€œWhere Iโ€™m atโ€ posts are just monthly updates about whatโ€™s going on in my life, based on the areas / roles in my life.

  • planner : More summer fun in the plans – thatโ€™s my main focus right now!
  • self (body & mind, emotion & education) : Getting back into my workout routine, gently & including at home PT exercises. Man, PT is really fucking kicking my ass – not sure yet if itโ€™s helping all that much, but I guess it canโ€™t make things any worse, eh?! ๐Ÿ˜† Funny enoughโ€ฆ every time I get out of PT, Iโ€™m pissed, in immense pain, & white knuckling everything in the car. So, I started sitting in the back of a nearby parking lot so I can smoke a ciggy, breathe through it, & blast some music. And literally every time, โ€œBales of Cocaineโ€ by Reverend Horton Heat comes on the radio & makes me lol โ˜บ
  • marriage : Doing good! Went to his high school reunion last weekend, & it was actually quite a blast once I had a few beers & loosened up (I pretty literally never drink, so I was rockinโ€™! ๐Ÿ˜…) It was a much needed reminder of who the fuck we are, & why we fell in love. ๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿ’š
  • mom (BooBoo & Bubby) : The girls are good – no major injuries to report, that I can think of. Boobooโ€™s quite the social butterfly, & I really need to find her a friend she can hang out with once in a while, but parents are fucking weird, man. I mean, weโ€™re weird, but at least weโ€™re friendly ๐Ÿ˜‚ Bubbyโ€™s got quite the personality, I tell yaโ€ฆlol
She insisted on an 8lb ball ๐Ÿ˜†
  • homeschool teacher (1st grade & PK) : Schoolโ€™s much more relaxed over the summer, but we keep at it. Bubby shocked the shit out of herself when she realized she could figure out how to read number words, which was absolutely amazing to witness omg ๐Ÿฉท Boobooโ€™s been doing most of her work herself, which is absolutely awesome ๐Ÿ’™ And both girls are still enjoying gymnastics – Bubbyโ€™s quite the perfectionist & sheโ€™s doing really well in class hehe
Impromptu field trip ๐Ÿ˜‰
  • zenBLITZ : Iโ€™ve been so damn distracted by chaosโ€ฆ Not disappearing though! Just breathing!! ๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ’š
  • homemaker : Allโ€™s well. I noticed Iโ€™ve been feeling pretty guilty about leaving all the yardwork for hubby, but then I realized how busy weโ€™ve been. Plus Iโ€™m really struggling with my back & PT, soโ€ฆno sense in senseless guilt – Iโ€™ll do what I can, when I can.
  • (step) gramma : Havenโ€™t really seen Chiquita Banana much the past month – she was over last week for a little bit, but I let my sister in law soak up the โ€œbabynessโ€ since she doesnโ€™t get the chance to very often.

Currently

eating – mindfully

drinking – Strawberry Lemonade Monster energy drinks are fucking delicious! ๐Ÿ˜‹

watching – Nothing much. The Traitors. Buncha shows came back on Hulu. Cancelling Max & Peacock next month – Max is good but we want to switch it up a bit, & Peacock mostly sucks ass heh. Gonna try Paramount.

reading – Still working on The Night Circus, but almost done – itโ€™s been a lovely little adventure hehe

playing – Nothing, really. A lil Coin Master at night, but thatโ€™s it

buying – Stupid shit on Temu, but Iโ€™m calming down with that (I swear!!!)

listening to – The Foxboro Hot Tubs, at the moment

celebrating – Chiquita Bananaโ€™s bday!! ๐ŸŽˆ

pinning – self care, pagan zen, free spirit, pretty & print, journaling

planning – County Fair is coming up!!

feeling – Optimisticโ€ฆ hopeful? ๐Ÿ˜œ๐Ÿ’š

Where Iโ€™m at #22

We love chasing waterfalls ๐Ÿ˜†

โ€œWhere Iโ€™m atโ€ posts are just monthly updates about whatโ€™s going on in my life, based on the areas / roles in my life...


Iโ€™m tired.

So, I had to ask myself – Whatโ€™s making me so tired?

And then I realizedโ€ฆ

The million mini mountains I try to climb on a daily basis – of inspiration, affection, adventures, education, & so on. Itโ€™s exhausting.

But itโ€™s fulfilling. Itโ€™s resilience. Adaptability. Agency.

Itโ€™s a matter of indulging in life, instead of watching it happen.

โ€œMemento Vivereโ€, because โ€œMemento Moriโ€ – Iโ€™ve personally had enough reminders to take it to heart. ๐Ÿ’š

Maybe I just need regularly scheduled siestasโ€ฆ ๐Ÿ˜‰


  • planner : Hmmโ€ฆplanning? Still doing our little adventures. Nothing too crazy planned for Julyโ€ฆ Itโ€™ll be me & hubbyโ€™s 7 year wedding anniversary, so we might have a steampunk party – I donโ€™t feel like doing one, but we probably should, heh. I hate hosting parties cuz my anxiety goes haywire, but theyโ€™re not for me, theyโ€™re for his family to have a reason to get together, soโ€ฆshuddup, anxiety! I donโ€™t think Iโ€™m really planning much else in particular, so weโ€™ll see where the summer takes us ๐Ÿซ 
  • self (body & mind) : Eggggggh. I finally got some answers about my back – I have โ€œdegeneration & misalignment on L5 into SIโ€, so basically the base of my spine is a fucker. And Iโ€™ve been feeling some excruciating pain in that exact spot for over a decade now. Weird thing is, the middle of my spine feels fucked up, but nothing shows on x-rays. So, I started PT. I was very thorough with him about where my spinal issues are, and when he ran his fingers down the middle of my back, he could very obviously tell something isnโ€™t right – โ€œit, like, juts out, and then the rest curves way inโ€. Yup. People think I have an ass- HA! Iโ€™ve been fooling you all these years, accentuating my horrifically fucked up spine with appropriately worn clothing LOL. Bwah ha ha! So, I started PT, and itโ€™s painful as all fuckinโ€™ hell, & he even said he honestly doesnโ€™t think thereโ€™s anything he can do for me. I still enjoy chatting with him though, & getting into an actual gym, & learning a few things. So thereโ€™s that. Iโ€™ve been contrarian as fuck about my workouts lately, even simple shit like tai chi – I just refuse. Iโ€™ll get back into the groove soon though. I rolled my ankle & fell hard off my back steps at the very beginning of June, & itโ€™s still not fully healed, but thatโ€™s not a valid excuse – I just donโ€™t wanna. ๐Ÿคท Working back up to being mindful & intentional about my physical state, I suppose. Mentally, Iโ€™m doing alright. Feeling kinda bleh lately; โ€œexhaustedโ€ would probably be a more appropriate word (and if youโ€™ve read my โ€œDay in the Lifeโ€ post, you can see why). But, sโ€™all good.
  • marriage : We actually went on a date!!!!! I literally donโ€™t remember the last time we went out on an actual date. It was just to see a (really quite terrible) improv show, but it was cool cuz it was right by the river weโ€™d gone to on one of our very first dates. We had more fun wandering around by the river than we did during the actual show lol, even though hubby won a gift certificate to a local restaurant.
๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’œ
  • mom (BooBoo & Bubby) : The girls are good. They had their end of season gymnastics showcase, which was super cute. Injuries? Only notable one was when Booboo crashed her go kart into the skoolie – good thing she was wearing a seatbelt & a helmet (& she got an impromptu homeschool lesson in velocity & traction that day heh). No real injuries though. Iโ€™ve been taking them on dates individually once a month, to get one on one time – took Booboo bowling & took Bubby to an arcade.
I think she just loves throwing things ๐Ÿ˜‚
She’s totally a gamer girl ๐ŸŽฎ
  • homeschool teacher (1st grade & PK) : Officially finished the school year. I was panicking when I had to turn in the annual assessment for Booboo, but it really wasnโ€™t that serious lol. Well, until I went to turn it in – the drop box was blocked off by construction, & when I called they at first didnโ€™t know what to tell me, so I ended up submitting it in the mail. Hopefully they got it lol. So, weโ€™ve officially started 2nd grade & Kindergarten (since we do school throughout the summer), & itโ€™s going beautifully! Bubby surprises me more every day!!!
  • zenBLITZ : Iโ€™ve been slacking a little, not gonna lie. I just havenโ€™t been able to find the time or energy for my posts (Iโ€™m even behind on this one!) I created a landing page for my brand, with more links in progress when applicable – I like the simplicity of it. Iโ€™m working on a business card zine too – hopefully I can make it look as nifty as it is in my head lol, and I plan on doing a bit of โ€œguerrilla marketingโ€ with it. Worked on some โ€œprint on demandโ€ designs, but havenโ€™t started with Redbubble yet (mostly just playing with designs right now, in other words). Made a couple of cool leather bracelets which Iโ€™ve been wearing a lot, started a really cool looking travelerโ€™s notebook (but then hubby over-conditioned it & now it needs to dry out enough to hold paper lol UGH!), & started a leather wallet but Iโ€™m finding that Iโ€™m appalled by 2-3oz leather, so weโ€™ll see how it goes (an experiment if nothing else!)
  • homemaker (finance, cleaning, gardening, prepping, travel) : Fuck it. Fuck it all. ๐Ÿคฃ (Itโ€™s fine; nothing to report.)
  • (step) gramma : Good. Only got to babysit once or twice, but sheโ€™s good! ๐Ÿฅฐ

Currently

eating – Cup Noodles are my love language ๐Ÿ˜†

drinking – water, coffee

watching – Nothing really. I donโ€™t have the attention span for anything, tbh

reading – I gave my copy of โ€œThe Night Circusโ€ to a girl who drove over an hour to pick up something I was selling on Marketplace because she runs a circus side project ๐Ÿ˜‚ So Iโ€™m awaiting my eBay order of another copy lol

playing – Nothing, really

buying – Well, hubby got his Roger Rabbit Bugatti golf cart, so heโ€™s been spending some money on converting it from gas to electric. Iโ€™ve behaved, for the most part heh

listening to – Social Distortion. I donโ€™t know why – I used to be bored by Social Distortion, but theyโ€™ve grown on me recently

celebrating – 7 years of marriage, & 9 years together!

pinning – pretty background pics, antique journals, drawing technicalities, self care quotes, & zines

planning – adventures

feeling – Meh. Not bad. Just tired.


All that said, Iโ€™m still behind on my posts, so weโ€™ll see what happens – I may continue the series Iโ€™ve been working through, I may rant about any of the other things on my mind, I may just take a week off to let my brain simmer down from this 90*+ weather. Whatever happens, love you all ๐Ÿ˜‰ See ya soon!

Stay real, live vibrantly, & rock the fuck on! ๐Ÿค˜๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿ–ค

Don’t forget to stop & watch the sun set once in a while… ๐Ÿ’š

Day in the Life

Taking a little break from our seriesโ€ฆ..

By request from a WordPress friend (& because Iโ€™m secretly a little behind on my normal posts, shh!), hereโ€™s a day in my life – itโ€™s probably gonna be more like interstitial journaling with extreme commentary. Hopefully itโ€™ll be a least a little entertaining, lol! I tried to pick as normal of a day as possibleโ€ฆ so I probably shouldโ€™ve picked yesterday cuz now Iโ€™ve got a couple things thrown at us to work around. But thatโ€™s ok, so long as nobody in this houseโ€™s moods go too far sideways ๐Ÿ˜†

Anywaysโ€ฆ Buckle up, it’s gonna be a long one!!! ๐Ÿคฃ

Friday, June 19 2026

  • Woke up at 7:30. Said โ€œfuck no, canโ€™t make meโ€ & fell back to sleep.
  • Woke up at 8:15 with an Interrupters song stuck in my head. Not even sure which one. Went downstairs & said good morning to the cat (she gets lonely when I donโ€™t pass out on the couch all night.) Looked at my phone while my brain came online – saw a slightly interesting article on Reddit written before Green Dayโ€™s 21st Century Breakdown came out (one of my favorite Green Day albums), and checked in on a debate in a local Facebook group about a confusing intersection cuz apparently I need something to get pissed off about first thing in the morning ๐Ÿ˜†โ€ฆ
Does it look like the left lane ends? I think the fuck not.
  • Got my lime water, opened the curtains & windows, & set myself up in my office – laptop on & background lo-fi on TV; Capacities & Notion. Started writing this thing ๐Ÿ˜‰. Started my morning routineโ€ฆ
    • One reminder from yesterday : “Meaning is hiding inside ordinary moments that receive extraordinary attention.”
    • Last year : โ€œI’ll Stand By Youโ€
  • Went through my โ€œinboxโ€ of random tasks that came up throughout yesterday & organized all the shit I gotta do today, including homeschool plans & tidying up the homeschool cart – Realized I gotta file away their portfolios cuz weโ€™ve technically started next yearโ€™s work.
  • Read todayโ€™s passage in The Daily Stoic & itโ€™s accompanying journal :
    • Focus on one foot in front of the other, especially when the big picture is too big
      • How can I better keep myself in the present moment? Mindfulness reminders – look around & take it in.
  • Read for a few minutes in โ€œThe Night Circusโ€ by Erin Morgenstern : โ€œPeople donโ€™t pay much attention to anything unless you give them reason to.โ€ Iโ€™m probably about halfway through this book, & Iโ€™m really enjoying the mystical journey itโ€™s taken. Itโ€™s quite lovely hehe.
  • I hear a woodpecker, so Iโ€™m distracted by looking out the office window. Iโ€™m eternally grateful for all the nature outside my house – I only live on about an acre, but itโ€™s very private & full of fauna. On any given day, Iโ€™m visited by chipmunks, that damned red squirrel, a family of bunnies (most who have been named by Bubby โ€œCupcakeโ€, โ€œMini Cooperโ€, โ€œPoindexterโ€), a mom & baby deer, chipmunks, a groundhog, and so on. Right now all I see through the sunshine shimmering through the trees is a 5 foot bouncey ball & Hubbyโ€™s new Roger Rabbit โ€œBugattiโ€ golf cart (more on that another time). And scaffolding & ladders & shit cuz hubby & his friend have been working on the house (since Iโ€™ve been gently & graciously nagging him for almost 10 fucking years!)
  • Wrote in my journal for a bit. Just a moment about what the plans ideas are for the day, and then some reflection on essentialismโ€ฆcuz I tend to romanticize the idea of essentialism, and then overcomplicate anything I possibly can.
  • Read a passage in a book I just got, โ€œAwaken Every Day : 365 Buddhist Reflectionsโ€ by Thubten Chodron. โ€œOur actions leave โ€˜seedsโ€™ on our mindstream, invisible potentials that can bring results in terms of what we experience in this & future lives – our habitual thoughts & behaviors and the environment & circumstances of our life.โ€ Not too sure how deeply I agree with reincarnation, but interesting to ponder regardless.
  • Set up my workout plan for the day – I use a Notion database to rotate through the zillion videos Iโ€™ve saved over the past couple years so I donโ€™t get too bored. Smoked half a Camel 99 (yeah, shuddup), tidied the house & little, & got to it.
    • Not trying to justify a shitty habit, just saying – I found that I appreciate the hedonism of a good cigarette as much as the excuse to get outside & enjoy some nature without tiny humans screaming & running around. Otherwise Iโ€™d probably never even see the groundhog (or that bastard squirrel!)
    • Took some pictures while I was out thereโ€ฆ
Mulberries on my mom’s 30+ year old, 30+ft mulberry bush
“Cupcake” … I think ๐Ÿ˜†
Bet your ass I ate that cherry before the birds got it!!!
  • Soโ€ฆ 20 minute full body workout with 3 lb weights (during which my entire skeleton snapped crackled & popped), 15 minute arm workout with 5 lb weights (Iโ€™ve been cursed with bingo wings), 5 minutes yoga (just about threw my neck out), 5 minutes Qi gong (never tried this one before, never gonna again LOL – my scoliosis canโ€™t handle it!), & 5 minutes meditation (super unproductive). Then I pulled a card from my new โ€œBuddha Wisdomโ€ oracle deck : โ€œDonโ€™t wait for someone to bring you flowers. Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul.โ€ Ainโ€™t that the truth. ๐Ÿ’š
  • Got myself some cherries, milk, & Allegra. Posted my โ€œquote of the dayโ€ on Facebook, Bluesky, & Substack, and watched a YouTube video in my endless โ€œWatch Laterโ€ list – todayโ€™s video happened to be
    NotebookLM Will Change How You Learn โ€“ Hereโ€™s Why!. I didnโ€™t have time to finish it, but Iโ€™ve played around with NLM a bit, & it can be super useful (especially for product manuals!!!)
  • Checked in with ChatGPT cuz weโ€™re doing a reflection experiment to see if it can help me โ€ฆkeep my head out of my ass? I have it ask me a set of questions twice a day, & help me work through anything it deems worth noting. Itโ€™s been surprisingly useful so far ๐Ÿ˜
    • “Earlier in your blogging journey, a lot of your questions were:
      • What should I write?
      • How do I grow?
      • What should my brand be?
      Lately the questions feel more like:
      • What am I noticing?
      • What am I learning?
      • How do I express this clearly?
      That’s a sign of something maturing.” Agreed. ๐Ÿ˜†
  • Got myself tidied up for the day. Weโ€™re not going anywhere, so Iโ€™m not about to go all โ€œcurls & contactsโ€ today ๐Ÿ˜†
  • And thatโ€™s my ridiculous but fulfilling morning routine. Itโ€™s what keeps me from getting murderous halfway through the day. Usually.
  • Went out for another half a smoke. There was a giant stormy cloud above the house, but blue skies all around. Usually, itโ€™s the opposite – weโ€™re in a bubble of good weather. During the winter, outside of about a mile radius of my house, theyโ€™ll be getting Lake Effect snow. Here? Fluffy sparkles. I guess my hearthcraft works ๐Ÿ˜‰ While I was out there, I saw โ€œAlvinโ€, the baby chipmunk – he likes playing with the baby bunnies hehe. (Thought to myself the other day – โ€œIโ€™m like fuckinโ€™ Snow White with a tan & a cigarette!โ€ ๐Ÿ˜…)
  • Onto the โ€œfocus timeโ€ of my day. Normally I put on some tunes, but Iโ€™m trying to get through some other bloated YouTube playlists, so Iโ€™m playing some โ€œWitchyโ€ videos in the background (thatโ€™s about as much witchcraft as I practice these days!) Fridayโ€™s โ€œfocus timeโ€ is reserved for a review of my โ€œinterstitial journalingโ€ notes from the past week, to see if thereโ€™s anything worth noting. FUCK! I forgot my granddaughter is supposed to be coming over soon. I was really hoping hubby would be up in time. Shittles! โ€ฆ.. I went through it pretty quickly so there wasnโ€™t a whole lot of discernment, but this is where a lot of my blog post ideas, personal journaling prompts, etc come from (feel free to skip if itโ€™s overwhelming, which Iโ€™m sure it is lol) :
    • Still on about the Facebook group post about the stupid lane merge thing (this was from Sunday LOL)
      • Gemini basically says I’m right, but also that insurance companies would deem an accident 50/50 liability basically because people shouldn’t drive like assholes lol
    • “Magic is found in all the little moments. A campfire is still fire.”
    • Things insist on my attention often because they feel the most alive.
    • challenge, opportunities, subtraction
    • Leatherworking = patience + restraint
    • I am my own deity, my own religion, my own philosophy.
      • โœจI don’t worship myself, but no better outlook on spirituality, in my opinion.
        • It’s self confidence, self love, goddess energy, compassion, resilience, intelligence, an open mind, grace
    • โ€œAwaken Every Dayโ€ – “‘Three poisons’ : ignorance, attachment, & animosity” : Ignorance to reality causes attachment, & attachment causes animosity (repelling from the unpleasant)
      • Detachment from suffering
        • โœจโ€ฆcan be a slippery slope. You have to let yourself feel some suffering. Not only because it’s good for your character, & not only because emotions are a beautiful part of being human, & not only because repressed shit festers until it’s seething.
    • โœจ How can I help people? What problems can I solve? Or maybe just help ease? What problems am I dealing with?
    • “In these seemingly small moments, youโ€™re teaching your children one of lifeโ€™s most important lessons: how to respond when things donโ€™t go as planned.” – Daily Dad
      • “The wise donโ€™t fly off the handle. They donโ€™t say the first thought that enters their mind. They pause. They reflect. They choose their response.”
      • “They inherit your responses.”
      • “emotions are to be felt, but not always acted upon”
    • “the artist is the child who refused
      to stop believing in imaginary friends,
      so they grew up and became one…
      for every lonely soul who needed a mirror
      to say: me too.” – Chris Sexton
    • โ€œDaily Stoicโ€ – “No shame in needing help”
      • Where do I need help? Who can I ask for it? (*This is definitely something I struggle with!)
    • Report from PCP : “alignment & degenerative changes, L5 slightly onto S1”
      • โœจโ€Degenerative โ€œ is a disconcerting wordโ€ฆ
    • Sage insight : “Connection doesn’t have to feel easy to be worthwhile.”
      • โœจEven if it’s inconvenient or anxiety inducing, it’s often worthwhile to connect anyway
    • “Live so fully and intentionally that when death comes, it feels like a completion rather than an interruption.” – Darius Foroux, quoting Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Nietzsche
      • “even death becomes part of their life, not just something that happens to them.”
      • โ€œ’The man consummating his life dies his death triumphantly, surrounded by men filled with hope and making solemn vows.’ Surrounded by men filled with hope. That image has stayed with me. Heโ€™s describing someone whose life inspired others to be better.”
        • โœจTo live better
        • โœจI hope I inspire others to live better, & more fully, with my blog
      • โ€œ’In your death, your spirit and your virtue should still glow like a sunset glows around the earth'”
    • Chris Sexton : “play is spiritual cardio.”
      • “your comfort zone got you on a leash
        and you keep calling it peace.”
      • “throw your heart at life
        like a wild florist.
        whatever blooms, blooms.
        whatever dies becomes fertilizer.”
    • Awaken Every Day – Stop licking honey off a razorblade (re attachment)
      • โœจ I fucking love how edgy this quote is, lol. It’s true – the honey is sweet, but if you’re cutting your tongue the whole time, what’s the point?
        • So, is there any honey ultimately shredding my soul right now? I’d say my daydreaming, but I don’t think that’s entirely true.
    • Some days, “better than nothing” is discipline enough โค๏ธ
      • โœจ So long as it doesn’t consistently replace actual discipline
    • Life is all about self discipline – parenting, marriage, everything
  • Reading that over made my brain hurtโ€ฆ ๐Ÿ˜ตโ€๐Ÿ’ซ
  • Then I went back through my entries to capture all the daily highlights in a โ€œHobonichi Weeksโ€-style planner I keep for my husband – itโ€™s colorful, includes pictures, & is exploding with memories by the end of the year. His birthday is right before New Yearโ€™s Eve, so it turns out to be an awesome birthday gift โ˜บ
  • And just as I headed into the second part of my day, a thunderstorm rolled in. I love thunderstorms – theyโ€™re so exciting!! โ›ˆ A nice reminder that even mother nature lets shit build up & needs to let it rip sometimes ๐Ÿ˜‰ Put all the stuff in my digital planner into my analog system thing that I have going on, and out of the office I wentโ€ฆ
  • It fuckin HAILED!! Stood on the porch & watched buckets of rain & ice pelt the shit out of my car, peering at the blue sky in the distance LOL. Then I saw some poor bastard riding his bike ๐Ÿคฃ (I feel bad, but he should’ve seen it coming!) (My pics won’t load…)
  • Well, apparently my granddaughter isn’t coming today – my step daughter told hubby, but he was still in bed anyway LOL. At least I had a few extra minutes of peace & quiet to enjoy the thunder trailing off in the distance. It only lasted maybe 10 minutes, but it seemed like an apocalypse! I live in a very โ€œdon’t like the weather? wait 5 minutes!โ€ climate. (Unless it’s Lake Effect snow season. Then maybe wait a couple days ๐Ÿ˜œ)
  • Scratch that, it came back. Icy marbles everywhere. And blue skies all around.
  • All the monsters got up. Hubby’s still on about Nancy Guthrie; he made them omelettes while I got their milk, fruit, Zyrtec, vitamins, & hair brushes. Bubby put on Lucas the Spider, Lia counted her money. I made myself a salad with spinach, banana peppers, green olives, feta, quinoa, & leftover chicken meatloaf. ๐Ÿ˜‹ Made some coffee. Went through my social mediaโ€ฆnothing impressive ๐Ÿ˜†
  • The kids swam in their plushie cave while I put laundry away. Checked the mail & threw some sycamore branches out of the driveway.
  • Hubby went to clean in the garage for our party tomorrow (God help us if it rains, omfg). I did school with the girlsโ€ฆand half their plushies. Booboo worked on a painting project for Father’s Day while I helped Bubby. So help me God, if I hear โ€œ67โ€ one more timeโ€ฆ Bubby’s doing kindergarten, so she worked on counting to 20, vowel sounds, & writing the letter โ€œRโ€. Then they switched. Bubby did some painting while I worked with Booboo, who’s technically in second grade now but we’re still finishing up some 1st grade work ๐Ÿคซ – she worked on spelling โ€œ-etโ€ words, โ€œoneโ€, & โ€œtheโ€; then read a poem & a short story. Nothing will test patience better than homeschooling children. I am absolutely certain of this. Booboo got frustrated during reading & barked so loud in my ear I could’ve thrown her clear across the room. I didn’t. But I could’ve. Break time ๐Ÿ˜… Bubby finished her paintings & played (educational stuff) on my tablet. Booboo likes โ€œAdventureโ€ & โ€œDreamsโ€ by Bensound, apparently (so do I hehe). Back to school – she had to read her typed scene description to me so I could draw it & see if she described it well, addition & subtraction.
This is what homeschool looks like for us โ˜บ

Ran & hid for a few minutes while the girls worked on their Father’s Day cards lol. I love this time of day cuz I put prisms in the sunniest window of the house & so the living room fills with little rainbows โ˜บ๏ธ๐Ÿ˜

Father’s Day cards ๐Ÿฅฐ
  • Got the girls’ allowances. I give them $1 each for every year on the planet, then divide it into 4 – โ€œrentโ€ (savings lol), โ€œgiftsโ€ (for other people), โ€œdonateโ€ (Booboo was elated to donate $100 to our local Children’s Hospital โ˜บ๏ธ), & โ€œspendโ€ (so they don’t ask me for shit when we’re out lol!)
  • Picked mulberries with Booboo. She named a couple of bunnies โ€œCherryโ€ & โ€œPineappleโ€ โ˜บ๏ธ Then she chased a chipmunk because hubby’s mad at the chipmunks for making a home under the hood of the skoolie
  • Hubby asked the girls if they wanted to go in the hot tub. Booboo had a fit because Bubby brought her her clogs. (Can’t wait til they’re teenagers – Pray for us!! ๐Ÿ˜…)
  • Made out a check for hubby’s 46th highschool reunion. Yes, 46th. They buried a time capsule back then & are opening it at the reunion ๐Ÿ˜›
  • Printed some worksheets for school.
  • They went in the hot tub. I started dinner early cuz I wanted to make rainbow pasta salad for the tie dye party โ˜บ๏ธ If anyone’s curious, this is the โ€œrecipeโ€ I used for the rainbow pasta. Then I got sidetracked for about 15 minutes cuz hubby needed me to watch the girls. For dinner, I made pesto shrimp fettuccine ๐Ÿ˜‹ Usually I make a salad with dinner, but my back was fucked by the time I finished the other shit. Did dishes in the meantime.
  • Started laundry. Took Allegra. Ate & watched Expedition Files. Checked in with a couple people about the party tomorrow.
Eat the rainbow > Shit the rainbow! ๐Ÿ˜…
  • Finished the pasta salad. Put leftovers away. Did more dishes – realized I was clenching my teeth cuz my back hurt so bad, so took some Motrin ๐Ÿ˜ฌ I hate taking Motrin – I’ve never had a problem with it, & I’d like to keep it that way. Usually I’d sneak in some leatherworking or digital designs, but I just can’t even tonight. ๐Ÿ˜ด
  • Hit the bowl once (it helped my back immensely!), yelled at the red squirrel in the garage, brushed my teeth & took a shower. Listened to Rockabilly Radio on Pandora – it plays everything from Reverend Horton Heat to Stray Cats to โ€œLouie Louieโ€ by The Kingsmen. I grew up listening to 50โ€™s music when I was a kid (& disco LOL, & Nat King Cole).
  • Went in my office for a few minutes to write in my journal. The children decided to join me with their notebooks & it was adorable as hell ๐Ÿฅฐ We listened to lo fi & passed notes to each other. โค๏ธ
Office party ๐Ÿ˜†
  • Got some trail mix & sat on the couch with hubby to watch Black Mirror. He made ice for tomorrow. I like this show, cuz it’s like a modern Twilight Zone, but I can’t usually focus on anything by the end of the day.
  • Finished my evening routineโ€ฆ Updated my digital planner, read most of an interesting Amy Landino article, checked Facebook for memes, played Coin Master with Bubby, & pigged out on Harvest Snaps. Bubby requested a pickle. Then Booboo requested a pickle. Wegmans pickles are pretty decent. ๐Ÿ˜†
  • Laid down on the couch. Hubby rubbed my feet while he watched Virgin River – he’s such a sweetie ๐Ÿฅฐ Read a couple more articles. Went crosseyed. Passed the fuck out. ๐Ÿ˜ด

And there ya have it. Hope your brain didn’t melt ๐Ÿ˜‰

Til next week – Stay real, stay loud, & rock the fuck on!! ๐Ÿ’š

Where Iโ€™m at #21

Birthday girl with Hubby’s new bounce house & 6ft bouncy ball ๐Ÿ˜†

โ€œWhere Iโ€™m atโ€ posts are just monthly updates about whatโ€™s going on in my life, based on the areas / roles in my life.

  • planner : Iโ€™ve been loosely planning (& executing!) weekly adventures with the family since the weather has finally broke!! So far weโ€™ve explored the local locks on the Erie Canal & paid a visit to Niagara Falls. Annual tie dye party next month, & Iโ€™m planning on making some rainbow pasta for an Italian pasta salad, so thatโ€™ll be fun hehe.
  • self : Iโ€™ve been pretty angry at my diet, so Iโ€™ve been rebelling a bit, not gonna lie. I havenโ€™t completely abandoned it, but Iโ€™m definitely choosing not to be so strict about it because itโ€™s just infuriating LOL. I finally got back to my fulllar exercise routine this past month, & Iโ€™ve been consistent with it (though also not so strict – Iโ€™ll substitute workouts if I feel the need to, but Iโ€™m still doing shit!) Iโ€™m trying to be a bit less irritable, butโ€ฆthat can be a struggle lol.
  • marriage : Always improving!
  • mom (BooBoo & Bubby) : BooBoo had a fun birthday – hubby blew up the bounce house & 6ft ball to celebrate, & weโ€™ve been enjoying both as much as possible since (I think Bubby wants to move in to the bounce house LOL)! Both girls are getting too big – itโ€™s kind of nauseating LOL ๐Ÿ’š
  • homeschool teacher (1st grade & PK) : Schoolโ€™s going pretty well. Bubbyโ€™s definitely had a mental growth spurt – suddenly, sheโ€™s showing minimal signs of dyslexia (Iโ€™m still keeping an eye out though ๐Ÿ‘€). Looking to โ€œfinish upโ€ the school year this month – I gotta make myself a full year SOP / cheat sheet so I donโ€™t stress myself out every fuckinโ€™ year lol.
  • zenBLITZ : Happy with things around the blog – the series Iโ€™m working through right now is honestly a little tedious to write sometimes, but enjoyable at the same time lol whatever sense that makesโ€ฆ And I started getting back to leather working, & fucking shit up LOL (lots of learning curves with that craft, omg!). Started playing with some designs that Iโ€™m considering adding to Red bubble sometime (weโ€™ll see!)
  • homemaker : Itโ€™s all good. Whatever. ๐Ÿ˜‚
  • (step) gramma : Sheโ€™s doing great – almost got a โ€œhi!โ€ out of her!! ๐Ÿคฉ
  • HSR (resale) : Yup, back on my radar a little. Only because I have no much shit sitting around that I apparently refuse to just donate lol. So, I started listing a little bit when I can (which is the tedious part). Maybe Iโ€™ll add a page on my blog here for the better listings, if I can find time to figure out the best way to do that!

Currently

eating – salt & carbs. And some healthy stuff tooโ€ฆ!

drinking – lime water

watching – One Piece. (Hubbyโ€™s in love hehe)

reading – The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – itโ€™s gonna take me a while, but Iโ€™m enjoying the journey so far!

playing – Nothing, really. I quit The Sims Freeplay. Itโ€™s evil ๐Ÿคฃ (Iโ€™ll undoubtedly be back at it in the fall)

buying – Too much stupid shit I donโ€™t need. Accidentally got Booboo a go kart because it was just too cheap. Lol ๐Ÿคฆโ€โ™€๏ธ (& she’s discovered the joy of drifting lol)

listening to – Lofi, ska, rockabillyโ€ฆnothing in particular. Oh! Lindsey Stirling a bit again

celebrating – Fatherโ€™s Day. Tie Dye Party. Summer!

pinning – leather working, journaling, self care, pretty lotus pics

planning – adventures with the fam

feeling – pretty decent ๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ‘

Where Iโ€™m At #20

That was a “small” ice cream…
I couldn’t choose just one main pic for the month – You see why โ˜บ

โ€œWhere Iโ€™m atโ€ posts are just monthly updates about whatโ€™s going on in my life, based on the areas / roles in my life.

  • planner : I still just refuse to plan any gardening, or travel, or much of anything. I guess I’m just in that season of my life right now?
  • self : Stress > shoveling salty carbs in my face > ๐Ÿ˜ญ. I’m working on itโ€ฆ
  • marriage : Stress, but working through it – hubby’s ex wife decided to try to stir up some shit. She’s kind of a crazy asshole. We’ll survive lol
  • mom (BooBoo & Bubby) : Two injuries to report this month LOL UGH. Booboo hurt herself pretty bad, but she healed well. And then she accidentally bashed Bubby in the bridge of the nose with a foam covered plastic baseball bat full force, so now she’s probably gonna have a scar (I guess that’s karma for Booboo’s scar from Bubs throwing her tablet at her?) THESE KIDS, MAN – OMFG!!! ๐Ÿ˜…
  • homeschool teacher (1st grade & PK) : School’s going well – I actually started Bubby in some Kindergarten classes, which she’s super excited about! I’m excited to take a week off for Booboo’s birthday! ๐Ÿ˜†(Since we school year round, we take an extended break around Xmas / Bubby’s bday, & then a short one for Booboo’s bday.) Booboo actually told me she’s disappointed to have a week off cuz she โ€œloves schoolโ€, which makes me happy ๐Ÿ˜Š
  • zenBLITZ : I’ve been working on a lot of posts lately, & having fun interacting with other writers when I have time ๐Ÿ’š And I finally started dipping my toes back in the waters of leatherworking! A little poetry here & there, and some fun over on Substack.
  • homemaker : ๐Ÿคฎ๐Ÿ˜…๐Ÿคฃ
  • (step) gramma : Oh, this kid is about to be killing me – she’ll be crawling before I know it! I never used a play pen with my own kids, so I’m sure I won’t be using one with her – I’ll just have to watch her like a hawk pretty soon here. She ate a whole packet of blueberry banana baby food the last time she was over – I couldn’t believe it! And then almost a whole bottle just a couple hours later ๐Ÿ˜ณ I gotta come up with something special to do with her for my step daughter’s first Mother’s Day as a mom โ˜บ๏ธ

Currently

eating – Salty carbs ๐Ÿ˜…

drinking – Water, mostly

watching – Lincoln Lawyer, The Traitors, The Floor

reading – โ€œAug 9 – Fogโ€ by Kathryn Scanlan – I like it so far, but I can’t say I quite love it heh

playing – Sims Freeplay, Coin Master, Magic Sort

buying – birthday gifts for Booboo

listening to – SKA โ˜บ๏ธ๐Ÿ’š

celebrating – Booboo’s birthday, Mother’s Day soon

pinning – poetry, funny shit, self care, zines, sewing

planning – Booboo’s bday, Mother’s Day gift

feeling – Drained. And fat. ๐Ÿ˜…๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿ’š

Where Iโ€™m at #19

Costumes for our Asianthemed dinner party ๐Ÿ˜†

โ€œWhere Iโ€™m atโ€ posts are just updates about whatโ€™s going on in my life, based on the areas / roles in my life.

  • planner : Yeahhh. Mostly planning to not lose my shit as warmer weather approaches & life gets busy. ๐Ÿคช I gotta figure out a tea party for April, & then BooBooโ€™s birthday is at the beginning of May (she wants to invite her cute gymnastics coach, which Iโ€™m almost not opposed to LOL). And weโ€™re late on bowling.
  • self (body & mind) : Well, the household got a second (though less intense) round of sickness, soโ€ฆthat sucked. Still working on getting back into my diet & exercise routines. Had my annual PCP visit, & she commended me on my 20lb weight loss since last year, so thatโ€™s cool hehe. My mindโ€™s been a bit chaotic, butโ€ฆ Iโ€™m trying. I realized the other day that Iโ€™ve been confusing the word nihilism with hedonism (I knew nihilism wasnโ€™t the right word, I just couldnโ€™t think of the right one lol), so now Iโ€™m doing some research & formulating a possible future blog post lol – that might be fun ๐Ÿ˜†
  • marriage : Doing pretty good. Weโ€™re both sick of being sick. Weโ€™ve been enjoying Panera dates lately hehe ๐Ÿ˜‹ Green Goddess salad & pomegranate hibiscus tea are personal faves right now!
No serious injuries…yet
  • mom (BooBoo & Bubby) : The girls are good. I actually am taking BooBoo out alone for a mini date today, to get her hair trimmed & I think she wants to go to Five Below & then get a Happy Meal. Weโ€™ll see lol. These kids are obsessed with Roblox (I would be too if I were their age lol) & roller skating around the house. Weโ€™ve been having fun playing with dolls & makeup – I taught them how to put lipstick kisses on paper hehe. Oh, BooBooโ€™s got glasses now; she says they make her smart lol ๐Ÿ˜Š
She’s adorable & she knows it
  • homeschool teacher (1st grade & PK) : Schoolโ€™s going well. Bubbyโ€™s starting to get better with writing & letter recognition, & she can even โ€œsight readโ€ some words, which is great! BooBoo hates reading for no apparent reason, but her reading comprehension is definitely improving!
  • zenBLITZ : Iโ€™ve gotten SO behind on my posts, UGH! I havenโ€™t had the time or energy to create much of anything lately, to be honest. Blargh. Iโ€™ll get back ahead of things pretty soon here. I hope.
  • homemaker (finance, cleaning, gardening, travel) : Yup. Itโ€™s fine. Whatever. ๐Ÿ˜‚
  • (step) gramma : Chiquita Bananaโ€™s doing great! Sheโ€™s such a happy, inquisitive little booger – itโ€™s always a pleasure to see babies evolve, especially when youโ€™re not seeing it all day every day because itโ€™s easier to acknowledge from some perspective. Sheโ€™s got 2 teeth now, she stands beautifully with minimal assistance, and she still loves the gingerbread man toy I got for her lol. She gets elated to see her Aunties BooBoo & Bubby, and they both love playing with her & feeding her. Too cute.

Currently

eating – Blueberry yogurt, at the moment lol. Itโ€™s officially salad season, now that itโ€™s spring – so I think mushroom salad is in the plan for the week (pan fried mushrooms with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette)

drinking – Lotsa lime water. I quit drinking coffee & wine when I was sick, so now when I do drink them, they actually do their jobs LOL (kinda)

watching – Doom Patrol. Masked Singer. Suddenly Amish. I dunnoโ€ฆI canโ€™t hardly pay attention to TV (so movies are definitely not my thing) – I always find myself too tired to be able to focus on shows. OH! The Scrubs reboot has really been rocking my socks though!! ๐Ÿคฉ

reading – When You Read This by Mary Adkins – very interesting format, kind of enjoyable story so far

playing – The Sims Freeplay, mostly. I donโ€™t know why I get so sucked in to this game, but itโ€™s been an obsession on & off for like 15 years lol

buying – Too much, apparently. Wellโ€ฆIโ€™ve behaved fairly well. Hubby, on the other hand, insisted we get a full size bounce house – heโ€™s always wanted one, & we can afford to get it soโ€ฆfuck it lol. Heโ€™s also trying to buy back โ€œthe Roger Rabbit carโ€ he tried to buy when we were first together, but his friend ended up buying it (itโ€™s a Bugatti-style golf cart that was actually used in the movie โ€œWho Framed Roger Rabbit?โ€) Funny.

listening to – The Interrupters, at the moment

celebrating – SPRING! I canโ€™t wait to be able to open & doors & windows & get some fresh air in the house, OMFG

pinning – leatherworking, sewing, โ€œfree spiritโ€ images, journaling, & crochet

planning – Tea Party, BooBoo Bday party, bowling, sanityโ€ฆ

feeling – Ehhh. Hanginโ€™ in there ๐Ÿ˜†

The Family Curse: Growing Up in the Shadow of ALS

Yeah, soโ€ฆIโ€™m still fucking sick. Recovering, but much slower than Iโ€™d like. Lame. Please bear with my foggy brained rambling ๐Ÿ˜†๐Ÿ’š

I decided to scrap my last โ€œloveโ€ post for February. Cuz, wellโ€ฆIโ€™m just not interested in it anymore!

This month (ironically), Iโ€™m planning a few โ€œhealthโ€ related posts.

Not at all like โ€œhow to be healthyโ€ posts.

More likeโ€ฆthis is some shit Iโ€™m dealing with, or have dealt with in the past, posts.

Itโ€™s been in my neverending collection of stuff I wanna post about eventually, soโ€ฆhere we go! ๐Ÿ˜‰


“Holding Hope” – Image created with Gemini

Some families pass down heirlooms.

Some pass down traditions.

Mine passed down ALS.

And if the pattern in my family holds, thereโ€™s a chance the story isnโ€™t finished with me.


The Family Curse

A few months back, I wrote a little bit about my teenage experience as a caregiver for my mother after her ALS diagnosis, & the personal fallout after sheโ€™d passed away (ALS, Grief, and Growing Up Too Fast: What October Means toย Me).

For those who donโ€™t know, ALS runs heavily in my motherโ€™s family. To the point where our genes are sought for study. Itโ€™s pretty scary.

Let me map out some of what little I actually know :

  • It comes from my momโ€™s dadโ€™s family, traceable back as far as the late 1800โ€™s when it was referred to as โ€œcreeping paralysisโ€.
  • My mom was the oldest of four girls, the middle two were twins : The youngest doesnโ€™t carry the gene; the other three passed away, all from ALS, at around the ages of 35, 45, & 55.
  • The three sisters had a total of six kids between them, myself included. Out of those six, three have already passed away from ALS, most recently about two years ago now. I havenโ€™t been tested for the gene, but my remaining cousins were & they do carry it.
  • Here’s two of many stories about about a couple of my cousins :

Existential Crisis

My odds probably arenโ€™t great. But as long as I donโ€™t get tested, thereโ€™s still a strange kind of hope in the uncertainty.

However, one of those remaining cousins was recently diagnosed with ALS. Sheโ€™s only a couple years older than me, soโ€ฆcue the amplified existential crisis.

I’m tired of being so rudely reminded of my mortality, as I’m sure were all of my ancestors before me.

I’m tired of all this grief, and fear.

That possible genetic time bomb has been ticking a little too loudly in my ear latelyโ€ฆ

And I resent the fact that my family isnโ€™t as close as it should be. Itโ€™s always been kind of sickening to me, because we all know thatโ€™s not the way it should be.

Shitty Instincts

For some reason, hearing this news makes me want to reach out to my old friend even more. (If youโ€™ve been around a while, youโ€™ve heard me mention him. And you may have heard me mention that Iโ€™ve tried reaching out to him, to no avail.)

Why.

Because I don’t wanna go out without resolution. Such unresolved tension. Especially since thereโ€™s no good reason for it in the first place.

And because I want his support; because sometimes he could be the most enlightening perspective in my life.

He was around when I first started learning more about the tragedy surrounding this gene, and he said to me one day, โ€œseems you already count yourself among the deadโ€. Which wasnโ€™t any more true then than it is nowโ€ฆ

No One Makes It Out Alive

I donโ€™t consider myself among the dead.

I consider myself among the cursed.

Cursed with immense loss & fear ingrained in my genetic code.

Cursed with being faced with the harshest of realities, such as the fact that no oneโ€™s there when all is done – โ€In the end, you’re measured by how you treat the people closest to youโ€œ – Ryan Holiday.

Cursed with shitty genes & a constant reminder of how short life can be.

But also immensely blessed with a sense of urgency that most people donโ€™t realize until itโ€™s too late. If they even get the chance.

All I can do is love my family, keep trying to live vibrantly, and keep trying to help others.

โ€œLife is long, if you know how to use itโ€ – Seneca


Celebrate life. Honor your ancestors.

If ALS has touched your family too, you already know the strange mix of grief, fear, and urgency that comes with it.

If youโ€™re able, consider supporting ALS research – or simply reach out to someone you love today. None of us are promised tomorrow.

Click here to learn more about ALS or to donate toward finding a cure ๐Ÿ‘‰ ALS Association

Stay real. Stay loud. And rock the fuck on. ๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿค˜๐Ÿป

Where Iโ€™m at #18

Quick note : Hi there! I do have another post Iโ€™m trying to write to go along with the โ€œunusualโ€ love posts Iโ€™ve shared this past month, but I have been sick as fuck. Likeโ€ฆfuuuck! And so has everyone else in my home. So, Iโ€™ve fallen a bit behind. Iโ€™ll try to get that out next week, pinky swear ๐Ÿ˜‰

In the meantimeโ€ฆ.

It’s a sandwich.

โ€œWhere Iโ€™m Atโ€ posts are just random updates about whatโ€™s going on in my life, based on the areas / roles in my life.

  • planner : Yeah, I donโ€™t know. Iโ€™m so thrown off right now, its not even funny. Iโ€™ll get back on track soon though. Iโ€™d like to plan some sort of family fun next month, be it bowling or a hotel visit, but weโ€™ll see how everyoneโ€™s health goes, I suppose.
  • self (body & mind, emotion & education) : Bleh! Iโ€™mโ€ฆless sick; but I have some surprising health concerns since I started getting sick, which Iโ€™m looking further into. And since getting sick, my diet & exerciseโ€ฆdidnโ€™t get put on the back burner, it got thrown right off the stove ๐Ÿคช So, Iโ€™m slowly working my way back into routines. My brainโ€™s doing pretty good though, considering and despite almost crippling anxiety over said health surprises. Workinโ€™ on itโ€ฆlol
  • marriage : Things are good. We take good care of each other and the kiddos, so Iโ€™m perpetually grateful for that.
  • mom (BooBoo & Bubby) : The girls are good. Bubby kicked BooBoo in the face & now one of her teeth are a tiny bit loose, but Iโ€™m hoping itโ€™ll resituate itself (omg please!!!!!) (Dentist visit coming ASAP, FML!) (Is this what itโ€™s like having siblings? Cuz I didnโ€™t have any. LOL UGH). Just found out both girls have astigmatism, & BooBooโ€™s been complaining of headaches lately – so, assuming theyโ€™re not just from her sister kicking her in the face, weโ€™re working on getting her glasses this week. And both girls keep getting crazy tummy sickness randomly – theyโ€™ll be fine for a couple days, & then in hell for a day (Iโ€™m glad whatever this bug is affects me & hubby differently than them, geez!) Otherwiseโ€ฆthe girls are doing great!!! ๐Ÿ˜…
Yes, there’s a bounce house in my living room occasionally. That blur is BooBoo.
  • homeschool teacher (1st grade & PK) : Due to sickness, school has been a little inconsistent. Still plowing through as best we can. BooBoo loves geography lately, and math. And Bubbyโ€™s gymnastics coaches are ready to throw her into the next level of classes because her skills are way too far beyond the level sheโ€™s forced into right now. Sheโ€™s still enjoying it though ๐Ÿ˜Š Oh, AND she made a FRIEND!!! YAY!!!
  • zenBLITZ : As with diet & exercise, creativity has pretty much been thrown right off the stove the past couple weeks. I havenโ€™t felt enough clarity to write, even when I try; and I havenโ€™t had the energy to work on much else, though I did complete a couple of cool projects earlier this month (& I love them!!!) :
Completely handmade veg tan leather A6 “Traveler’s Notebook” cover (…I always fuck up the “B”! Ugh!)
Crochet spiral coaster
  • homemaker (finance, cleaning, gardening, prepping, travel) : Pfft! Everythingโ€™s fine, butโ€ฆ ๐Ÿ˜ I had to cancel our annual crockpot party due to everyone feeling like death was upon them, soโ€ฆ Next month Iโ€™m planning to host an โ€œAsianโ€ themed dinner potluck – Iโ€™m thinking Iโ€™m gonna get some saki, sushi, order some unique snacks from Amazon, bust out all my cool chopsticks & nifty dinnerware from Wegmans, and bribe someone to pick up a couple meals from Taste of China (the best damn Chinese food Iโ€™ve ever had in my life!) So help me god, I donโ€™t even care whoโ€™s sick, weโ€™re having that party! ๐Ÿ˜†
  • (step) gramma : A new feature that I figured Iโ€™d add, because itโ€™s proving to be a pretty important part of my life ๐Ÿฅฐ – my step granddaughter!! We babysit her fairly often, & we love every second of it! Sheโ€™s just over 6 months old now, & sheโ€™s very smiley & giggly & precious hehe. Both girls absolutely adore her, and BooBoo gets quite the kick out of making her giggle & feeding her her bottle.
Chiquita Banana

Currently

eating – Not much cuz FML Iโ€™m so sick of being sickโ€ฆwah wah wahโ€ฆ ๐Ÿ˜‚

drinking – Water. And tea. Thatโ€™s about it. I havenโ€™t even been drinking coffee (am I dying?!? LOL)

watching – YouTube. Lots & lots of YouTube.

reading – Still working on โ€œThe History of Loveโ€ by Nicole Krauss

playing – The Sims. Bubby got me back into The Sims Freeplay on my phone. I donโ€™t know why I get so obsessed.

buying – Oh boy. Hubbyโ€™s been on a bit of a spree this month. (Iโ€™ve been behaving, for the most part.) First, he made me buy a 6 foot bouncey ball from Vat19.com. Now he wants me to finally get him a pirate ship bounce house / water slide thing (which Iโ€™m not opposed to because heโ€™s wanted one since before we even met, plus itโ€™ll be fun in the summer, especially at parties.) And NOW he also wants to buy back the Roger Rabbit golf cart car his friend bought out from under him when we first got engaged. So, brace yourself for some interesting pictures this summer ๐Ÿคฃ

listening to – Heaters. Iโ€™ve very much been enjoying as much peace & quiet as I can possibly get lately lol

celebrating – Life. Thatโ€™s the best thing to celebrate. Especially despite the chaos of the world.

pinning – leatherworking, steampunk aesthetics, self care, & crochet

planning – Asian dinner party, potential adventure

feeling – ๐Ÿค’ but (trying to be) optimistic

๐Ÿ’š

Where I’m At #17

BooBoo loves this AI altered photo of her hehe

โ€œWhere Iโ€™m atโ€ posts are just updates about whatโ€™s going on in my life, based on the areas / roles in my life.

  • planner : Iโ€™m pretty excited, actually ๐Ÿซ  Iโ€™m hoping to get back into planning parties this year, starting with our annual Crockpot & Retro Video Games party this month. I think itโ€™ll be fun. Homeschool planning & meal planning are done for the month, soโ€ฆyippie. And we gotta pick a day to go bowling!
  • self : Doingโ€ฆpretty good, lol. Winter has my whole body, especially my sinuses, pretty cranky – no humidifier is powerful enough for this shit! But Iโ€™m been maintaining my mindful diet (for the most part) & my exercise routines (which I altered to allow for daily yoga, tai chi, & meditation). Iโ€™m not really losing much weight, but Iโ€™m not gaining any either! So thatโ€™s good. And despite occasional brain fog (cuz I sleep like absolute shit), Iโ€™m getting a bit more clear headed. I think. And Iโ€™ve been making more time for creative pursuits, which is pretty fulfilling.
  • marriage : Doing pretty good. Weโ€™re always trying to find ways to adjust & keep ourselves (& each other) entertained, hehe
  • mom (BooBoo & Bubby) : The girls are good. Again, no injuries to report, soโ€ฆyay ๐Ÿ˜… Theyโ€™re both having a lot of fun with the kidโ€™s makeup kit I got Bubby for her birthday. Oh, we went to Rainforest Cafe for Bubbyโ€™s bday, per her request. She loves that place!
I can’t believe my Bubby’s 5!!! ๐Ÿ˜ญ
  • homeschool teacher (1st grade & PK) : Schoolโ€™s going well. Bubbyโ€™s really enjoying the โ€œPlaying Preschoolโ€ curriculum, & sheโ€™s learning a lot, but she does miss doing computer work heh. BooBoo loves math (she even wrote up some math facts for Bubby on her birthday card, to โ€œhelp her out for next yearโ€ lol!), and she also loves learning to play the โ€œpianoโ€ (the keyboard we got for Xmas), especially the YouTube tutorials for K Pop Demon Hunters songs ๐Ÿคช
  • zenBLITZ : Doing pretty good here. Iโ€™m ahead enough on my blog posts, and I created a โ€œquote boardโ€ to post favorite quotes on my Facebook page. No progress on my novella, though – I havenโ€™t had much time (or urge) to work on it lately, but thatโ€™s fine. Iโ€™ve been doing quite a bit of leather crafting & crochet, when I have time.
She’s more enthused than she looks, I swear ๐Ÿ˜‚
  • homemaker (finance, cleaning, gardening, prepping, travel) : Yeah. Whatever. LOL. So help me god, we will being taking a trip this year!!!
  • witch : Daily yoga & meditation has been plenty fulfilling for me lately, hehe

Currently

eating – Soup. I love me some soup. ๐Ÿ˜‹

drinking – Tea, wine, Skrewball peanut butter whiskey in my coffee sometimes

watching – The Traitors, Doom Patrol, leathercraft videos on YouTube

reading – Tao Te Ching, The History of Love by Nicole Krauss, & I just finished Show Your Work by Austin Kleon. I also finished “The Last Time They Met” by Anita Shreve, don’t know if I mentioned that – holy fuck what a slap in the face!

playing – Coin Master, Roblox

buying – Stuff I might need next month because I need a โ€œno buyโ€ month ๐Ÿ˜…

listening to – Saviors (album) by Green Day – Goodnight Adeline ๐Ÿ’š

celebrating – Valentineโ€™s Day? Candlemas! (Being halfway through this very wintery winter is definitely worth celebrating!)

pinning – self care, leatherworking, cigar box alterations, sewing tips, & travelerโ€™s notebooks

planning – To try to have some fun next month!

feeling – Excited about journaling & leatherworking ๐Ÿ˜Š

Where Iโ€™m at #16

My Bubby is such a lil bundle of sunshine ๐Ÿ˜†

โ€œWhere Iโ€™m atโ€ posts are just updates about whatโ€™s going on in my life, based on the areas / roles in my life.

  • planner : Why is this even in my prompts anymore?!? ๐Ÿ˜… Well, right now, Iโ€™m trying to plan for Hubbyโ€™s bday, but he wonโ€™t tell me what he wants to do, soโ€ฆ weโ€™ll see where I can drag his ass out to (probably shopping & Olive Garden, weโ€™ll see). I also have to plan Bubbyโ€™s bday, which is in a couple weeks – sheโ€™s no help either ๐Ÿ˜‚
  • self (body & mind, emotion & education) : Doing pretty good, though my dietโ€™s been a bit of a challenge with the holidays – Lifeโ€™s short, so Iโ€™ve been enjoying the hearty foods without going too overboard (nevermind the half bottle of Gerstacker spiced holiday wine I much too thoroughly enjoyed on Xmas Eve! ๐Ÿ˜œ) Iโ€™ve kept up with my workouts, though I think I pulled muscle in my shoulder & my hip at some point, but theyโ€™re starting to feel better. Iโ€™ve been in a pretty good mood, despite the holiday stress. And Iโ€™ve found time to work on lots of crafts, both by myself and with the kids, so thatโ€™s been good.
  • marriage : Weโ€™re good. Nothing new. Heโ€™s excited that Iโ€™m excited to get into leatherworking because heโ€™s done a bit of it in the past, mostly with upholstery though – He even got me a cheap manual leather sewing machine & spiffed it all upโ€ฆnow heโ€™s just gotta show me how to use it lol! Iโ€™m hoping he gets inspired to work on some projects alongside me.
  • mom (BooBoo & Bubby) : The girls are good; they had a nice Xmas. BooBoo was obsessed with singing โ€œFeliz Navidadโ€ for a few days there, which was a little much ๐Ÿ˜… She was like Nancy fuckinโ€™ Drew with these Shelf Elves all month! (We have 5 elves at this point.) Bubbyโ€™s excited over all her new dolls. No notable injuries to report this month, so thatโ€™s good ๐Ÿคฃ
  • homeschool teacher (1st grade & PK) : Weโ€™re doing good! Before winter break, Iโ€™d just started Bubby in Playing Preschool year 2 (and she was really enjoying it!) Because we homeschool year round, and because of all the holidays & birthdays this time of year, our winter break runs from halfway through December to halfway through January; so, weโ€™ve been enjoying the break (all of us!)
  • zenBLITZ : Iโ€™ve been rocking my blog posts this past month! I managed to schedule quite a few, which Iโ€™m happy about. I started a Facebook page, where Iโ€™ve enjoyed sharing all kinds of things (including some fun songs on Xmas ๐Ÿคฃ). No progress on my novella, which is fine, I just work on it when I feel like it. I managed to finish crocheting my step granddaughterโ€™s baby blanket & my step daughterโ€™s matching scarf in time for Xmas, though I apparently donโ€™t know how to double crochet properly ๐Ÿ˜ฌ (itโ€™s ok, the blanket didnโ€™t turn out to be too much of a disaster lol sigh). Iโ€™m going to be working on a scarf for myself next, which I might share in a future blog post because it has a whole story associated with it. Iโ€™m also waiting on some materials to start leatherworking, which is super exciting! Most importantlymy blog hit 100 subscribers, & I can’t even begin to say how grateful I am to all of you who have liked, commented, & subscribed to my little blog over the past year – You fill my heart with such love, and I appreciate the hell out of every one of you!!! Thank you ๐Ÿ’š
  • homemaker (finance, cleaning, travel, etc) : My credit card has just about melted, the house is a mess, and I donโ€™t have the energy to leave the house let alone travelโ€ฆ ๐Ÿ˜… All good, though!

Currently

eating – Santaโ€™s cookies ๐Ÿ˜œ

drinking – Spiced wine

watching – Celebrity Game Face

reading – Just finishing โ€œThe Last Time They Metโ€ by Anita Shreve; got a couple books in the mail, including one that ChatGPT suggested I read next

playing – Coin Master, & Roblox with the girls (we got into a โ€œsuper slapโ€ match last night, & I donโ€™t even know what the purpose of the game was LOL)

buying – bday gifts for Bubby, leatherworking supplies, books

listening to – Rancid, at the moment

celebrating – birthdays, a new year

pinning – leatherworking tips & inspiration, seasonal backgrounds, crochet, cigar box alterations, recipes

planning – birthdays, blog posts, crafts

feeling – festive ๐Ÿ˜‚

Til next time, friends – Rock the fuck on! ๐Ÿค˜๐Ÿ’š