There is a homeschooling adage that everyone wants to quit in February. I find that February is when I want to quit ALL the things. On a bad hormone mood swing day in February, I’ve been known to figure out how we could sell the house and buy a cabin in Montana taking only basic clothing and our dearest possessions.
So I love the idea of Modern Mrs. Darcy’s tradition of using the midpoint of winter to talk about what’s saving our lives right now. I wish I was about to offer some kind of deep, meaningful, insights. But right now it’s pretty practical stuff that’s keeping me going.
Practicing Music With My Daughter
I’ve been trying for months to get my daughter to practice her drums. After years of begging for drum lessons and it being logistically and financially out of reach for us, we finally found a way to do it. My generous cousin offered us a long-term loan of his drum set and a friend offered lower-priced lessons. But she has still been struggling to practice.
In the meantime, I’ve also been struggling to play piano on a regular basis as I try to make music part of my life more consistently.
I came up with the idea of us practicing together. As in I play piano in one room, she plays drums in an adjacent room. We aren’t playing the same thing and it sounds pretty funny from above us, but it has been making us both much more consistent and she doesn’t fight about practicing anymore.
Easy Meals
Meals have always been a problem at our house. The problem is twofold. First of all, we have complicated food issues compounded by huge amounts of pickiness. We basically only have two or three meals we will all eat and even then I still have to make modifications. I also don’t have the time or the energy at this season of my life to be making three or four different meals every night.
But I was also really sick of our usual meals and some of them still took more time and energy than I had on an average day. The timing of my kids’ therapy and field trips often lines up poorly with the same days they have evening activities. So I’m walking in the door and immediately beginning dinner (often faced with a counter and sink filled with dishes because someone forget to empty the dishwasher). Then I have to get it plated on the table and actually get everyone to the table before someone has to head out again. It’s a bit of a nightmare. Add to that the days I work outside the home and I was starting to lose it.
Enter store-bought options. We discovered a variety of chicken bites that my picky son will actually eat (provided I stock Chick-fila sauce) and a new meal option appeared. Chicken bites, frozen french fries, frozen steam in bag green beans–boom, a new and relatively easy meal. We’ve also stumbled on store-bought soup in multiple varieties and are liked by three, if not sometimes, four of us. Add some frozen rolls and we have another winter-friendly no-prep meal. I also try to make sure to alternate meals such that my picky kids don’t have to fend for themselves two nights in a room.
There is a part of me that still feels guilty that I’m not feeding my kids the freshest, healthiest options everyday. But I also need to embrace the season I’m in, as Kendra Adachi of The Lazy Genius, puts it. It won’t be like this forever. Hopefully, someday my kids will help with the cooking and start to find meals they love to make. In a different season, I may be able to devote more time to food prep or at least be dealing with the kitchen that isn’t a disaster half the time. But this is where I’m living right now, and this is what keeps me sane and all of us fed.
Writing Most Days
I wish I could say writing daily here but honestly, that hasn’t been happening. But I have been finding ways to write most days of the week rather than just once or twice a week like before (often even less). I have daily word count goals but I also look for windows where I think it will be easier to fit it in. As much as I appreciate when my kids’ therapists include me in sessions, getting to write for almost an hour in the waiting room once or twice a week has been life-giving. I miss socializing with the other moms at gymnastics (some of whom are friends of mine who I don’t often get to see), but when I spend the hour in the car pouring out 1000 words, it brings me alive inside.
One of the best parts, honestly, is that my evenings are then free to spend time relaxing with my husband or by myself. I hate that at the end of the day when I’m worn to a frazzle, having to choose between writing and quality time with my husband or writing and self-care.
I know this rhythm probably won’t last forever, but for now, it’s working for me and it’s saving my life.
My Playlists
This may be a silly one, but at the beginning of the school year, I created Morning drive and Home drive playlists on Spotify for when I’m commuting to work/my kids’ school. While I did feel the need to update it a little bit after the new year, I love having a regular routine of music that repeats in my life. Songs that help me feel ready to face the day by the time I arrive at work and ones that reenergize me to return home for the evening activities or weekend ahead. I had a playlist last year but it was much longer and I used the same one morning and afternoon. I’ve found that having two different lists has better helped me transition my day and keep my mood positive, or help me reset when I’m feeling down.
So what’s been saving your life?
Join us to talk more about it at Modern Mrs. Darcy. Or just comment here about all the things you might want to quit in February and what’s keeping you going anyway.
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