Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

[Ojai, CA]

Hello! Link up, link back, say hi!

1. I have quite a few posts lined up for the next few days, so I'm trying not to be too redundant with this post. Just a forewarning, since that's my style.

2. My husband and I spent about twenty-four hours away from Sawyer the other day to head up to Ojai for the night (about a half an hour east of Santa Barbara). It was really, really nice. It was nice to ride in the car as a passenger (I always drive because my car has the car seat), it was nice to walk around the town without pushing a stroller, it was nice to have uninterrupted adult conversation, it a was nice to sit around and do nothing (even just for an hour!), it was nice to get ready alone, it was nice to go to a nice restaurant that was definitely not child-friendly, and it was really nice to sleep in. Nice, nice, nice. You get the picture. I was really proud of myself for not freaking out about leaving Sawyer overnight for the first time; my mom, sister, and brother were all here with him. My mom is the person I call when I have a kid question, so it makes sense that I would be at ease with her in charge. And everything went great. (We stayed here and ate here, in case anyone heads up that way and needs recommendations!). 

2. I despise taking Christmas decorations down. And I despise having them up after Christmas.

3. I'm freaking out a little that we only have 4.5 days left of break, considering how much I have not gotten to (ain't that always the way?). I took it easy for the first part, just prepping for Christmas, and then my family was in town, meaning I put productivity on the back burner. They left this morning and I finally made a to-do list. It's scary.

4. I'm reading Margaret Atwood's newest, The Heart Goes Last, and while it's a good, interesting read, I just feel that it's too reminiscent of the MadAddam books. I know sort of near-future, post-apocalpytic-esque is her style, but it just feels really familiar.

5. I just finished listening to Jenny Lawson's Furiously Happy today and it was quite enjoyable. She's zany and all over the place, but her message if a darn good one.

6. I feel like I need to carve away a few hours to scour the "best of 2015" lists on blogs and major publications to see what I missed last year.

7. I'm wearing a Jesse and the Rippers shirt right now. I just wanted everyone to know this.

8. You know what I'm doing, besides sitting here, blogging in my Full House shirt? Waiting for our amazing groomer that was supposed to be here over a half an hour ago and has yet to call or show up. These sorts of things irritate me to no damn end. 

9. Honesty break! One of the most frustrating things that I've had to deal with in pretty much every area of my life for several months, if not longer, is the nagging feeling that whatever I'm doing just isn't enough. For my students. For family members. For myself. For friends. For other people that don't fit neatly into categories. Some people are bold enough to basically say it, while others insinuate it and are charmingly passive aggressive ("you can't bullshit a bullshitter"). I just want to gather everyone up together, stand on a table or something and scream at them, "I'm trying! There are only twenty-four hours in a day and I am usually so tired that I will screw up accidentally! I am still a good person, please cut me some slack!" But, honestly, if I'm going to get everyone together we should probably just have a party and not experience the awkwardness of me having a shit fit.

10. Christmas! I almost forgot, it seems so long ago. We had such a great day. My husband put together Sawyer's big gift, the KidsCraft kitchen, the day before (quite the task), and he loved it on Christmas. We also got him some cooking accessories to go with it, some Duplos, and a book. We feel really strongly about not going crazy with gifts because we really want him to appreciate what he has and not be overwhelmed with "stuff." He's little but it starts now! Other than exchanging gifts, we hung out, took a walk to the park, and then ate homemade pizza with my brother that night. It was probably the best Christmas I've ever had.

Happy New Year!