Winter Blues, Classes, Strict

I've had a hard time sleeping recently. Some of the snow started melting off the road, but now it's snowing again. I'm at that point in winter where I just want it to be over. Nothing in the second half comes even close to the magic of Christmas. I'm trying to find little things to be excited about, but it's hard when everything outside looks so gloomy.

For James's birthday, I got him a subscription to the Great Courses, online lectures by actual, qualified professors. So far, I'm doing classes on yoga nidra, human personality, body composition, and photography with James. It's a great way to help me feel useful.

For February, I'm going to make my diet a bit stricter so I can get quicker results. I've been slacking on eating beans and whole grains, and recently I've let things slide a bit when it comes to treats. Being stuck at a plateau is the worst, even though I've made it through several already. I'll re-evaluate at the end of February and see where I want to go from there. I should be at my goal or at least very close. Even if I continue, I'm not going to eat with a calorie deficit past April 10th.

3-Day Weekend, Light

I had Relief Society planning meeting last Thursday. Our first activity is a Valentine's dinner, and I'm in charge of the games. I'm pretty excited to be involved with activities this year. It was really fun last year.

Friday, we had pizza and movie night. I'm really loving Disney+. Our movies nights are so easy to figure out now. It's nice that the boys are old enough to enjoy non-cartoon movies, too.

Saturday, we hung out as a family. That night, I went to see Little Women and LOVED it! It was funny that James joked I could go alone Saturday or take friends on Monday. I chose Saturday, of course, and then I ran into my friends Jade and Claire. They invited me to sit with them, so I wasn't alone after all.

Monday, we woke up to no water. After James went hunting, he went under the house and thawed out the main pipe. I was pretty grouchy by then because it was afternoon and I hadn't been able to clean anything, including myself. I am definitely a shower every day kind of person because I feel nasty if I don't. On the bright side, I finished my memory quilt. It looks pretty awesome on our bed and is the right thickness for winter when combined with our fuzzy blanket underneath. I still have 13 squares left for my next one. Haha. It will probably be a few years. The process was a bit frustrating, but I'm happy to have finished it.

James went to the temple yesterday, then decided to bring home some lamps to brighten up our house to be more like the temple. I can honestly say that the lack of light bothers me the most about winter. I haven't had any bad experiences driving in snow this year and haven't fallen down on any ice. I'm even starting to think of winter as beautiful. James has captured some amazing pictures of the snow and ice. The cold doesn't bother me much either since I have warm and/or fuzzy things to wear. I can't wait for the days to get longer again, but for now, I'm not going to try to save on electricity because I really need the light to be happy.

James's Birthday, Grouchy, Projects

We celebrated James's birthday in style all weekend. I made his German chocolate cake on Friday, and he also opened his presents. One was a game that he wanted to be able to play all weekend. Saturday, we went shooting. Sunday, we enjoyed steak and potatoes with Cherissa and Tayson, along with FHE. I've really loved studying the Book of Mormon this year with the family. The new videos are excellent, too.

I'm not sure why, but I've been waking up grouchy all week. I think winter blues have set in, which means I need a big project. It just so happens that I just accumulated enough squares for my memory quilt, so I think it's time to get started on it. Figuring out how to arrange all the squares will be the hardest part, but once I get that part figured out, it shouldn't take long to sew it all together!

Everything else has been pretty normal. I can't wait for spring and sunshine, but for now, I'll do my best to stay busy.

Soccer, Goals, Model, 6 Week Challenge

James and I went to see a movie last Saturday, so that was pretty fun. Overall, once I got through a grumpy day or 2, we had a really good break from school and the normal schedule. This week, though, it's back to normal.

The boys have made their goals for the Children and Youth program, and I'm really excited to help them achieve them. I've set my own goals to help them reach theirs. My responsibilities will include reminding them to read the Book of Mormon, taking Joseph to soccer, teaching Kenny piano, and teaching them additional math outside of school.

Kenny and I started building a model of an engine that the boys got for Christmas. I had no idea how fun it would be. Based on how many times our cars have broken and my enjoyment of this project, I think I should have become a mechanic. Just kidding. I think I'd hate the grease and being in a heavily male-dominated field. I do like seeing how things work, though. We will finish our model tomorrow.

I recently finished a 6-week challenge from my yoga teacher to love my body. Though I've made a lot of progress in the past 16 months, I've still got work to do. This year, I'll reach a healthy weight, and I need to learn to be happy with it because I'll still be considered overweight by BMI unless I can weigh less than what I did at 14 years old. (Not happening!) It will always bug me not to check that box, but as of right now, I feel happy and healthy, and all my other numbers check out. I'm also starting to enjoy working out - almost. I'm never going to love it, and I'm okay with that too.

2020 is going to be a great year! 2019 already was, so I'm really hoping to continue that trend. I'm actually enjoying some things about winter this year and not just feeling stuck inside. I suppose having extra fuzzy pajamas and good books doesn't hurt, either.

Christmas Break, New Year's

We had a great Friday. We went to Green Canyon and enjoyed a nice, relaxing time in the warm and hot pools.

Saturday, we went to Star Wars. Wow. A LOT happened in 2 hours and 22 minutes, but I really enjoyed it. We then celebrated Jacob's birthday with pizza and cheesecake. Samantha had a terrible night and kept waking up and crying. We determined that she missed Katie, so we moved them together the next night and had no problems. I love that my girls are such good friends despite their age difference.

Sunday, we had church and even made it on time for 9:00. We relaxed afterward with food and games. I had a pretty rough time because of the night before.

Monday, we drove home. We stopped once to meet Mara and Ricky for lunch at Dairy Queen. Some really nice people gave us their leftover ice cream cake, and it was delicious! The ride home was long and full of fighting, but at least the car didn't break down this time.

It's been catch up time for the past few days. I stayed up on New Year's Eve and regret it. Somehow, the boys weren't affected at all despite it being hours past their bedtime. Here I am, two days later, and still tired. Go figure. We had our traditional black-eyed peas, ham, rice, and cornbread for New Year's Day.

Samantha is walking more than crawling!

Other than that, we've got through the weekend to just "chill". Then, it's back to the daily grind.