Currently… 10.06.22

It's bedtime for the kids and I'm sitting up on the top bunk with Ella. At almost 7 years old, she still wants her mummy with her as she falls asleep. We have a deal though, I only do this every other night. So I know she can fall asleep alone if she wants to, but she just prefers to have me near. And she knows I like to read my book while she is falling asleep, so it's really not a big inconvenience for me. I love reading and it's a nice bit of down time after "chaos hour" aka dinner time. 

Lately though I’ve been thinking about how I could fit in more blogging… I’ve always wanted to create a habit of writing 10 minutes a day but have never managed to do it. So I started thinking about what was getting in my way. What was blocking me from creating what should be a pretty simple habit to implement, especially as I usually like writing blog posts once I get started. And after giving this some thought I realised that it is the act of getting out the laptop that usually stops me. Why? Well sometimes Andy is using it, sometimes it’s out of battery and I have to find a place to sit and charge it, and sometimes it’s because being on a laptop reminds me too much of being at work. So then I had this genius idea… just download an app and blog on my phone while Ella is going to sleep. I’m not sure why it took me until the year 2022 to figure out this so called genius idea… an app for blogging, who would have thought?!

And instead of having a goal of writing for 10 minutes everyday, I’ve made an easier goal to achieve. All I have to do is write one sentence per day. One sentence! That’s so easy. Of course I can do that everyday. Of course, the trick is that often I end up writing more. So combining these two things: an easy, consistent goal with removing the obstacle (the laptop), I will hopefully be able to create a daily writing habit. It's only been a week since I came up with this plan, but so far I've stuck to it. So hopefully there will be much more consistent blogging happening in the future! 

By the way, these ideas on forming habits all come from the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. It’s a life changing book when it comes to habits. I highly, highly recommend it, and wish I'd read it about 20 years ago. I should also mention that one of the other key takeaways that I got from this book is that consistency is more important that perfection. It's more important that I stick to my one sentence EVERY DAY, but it doesn't have to be a perfect sentence. So just a heads up… these will not be “perfect” posts! But were they ever anyway? No need to answer that…

And with that, let's get on to the post... here's what I've been up to currently:

Reading The Cry by Helen Fitzgerald. I just finished reading this book last week. It's about a baby who is reported missing by his parents. He apparently went missing while they quickly ran into a gas station to get some wipes. I say “apparently” as you find out quite quickly that things aren’t exactly as they seem. That’s really all I can say without giving anything else away. The book was good in that I read it quickly and wanted to find out what happens. But as it deals with something bad happening to a baby I found it hard to read so can’t quite say I enjoyed it. It’s also a TV miniseries which I haven’t watched, and don’t think I will, as I think it would just be upsetting. (Update to add: I discussed the book and the TV series with the librarian at my school. One of my critiques of the book is that I didn't think there was enough backstory on the characters to fully understand their decisions. She said this is well explored in the TV show. And apparently the endings are also different. So maybe I will give it a watch.)

Watching something much lighter than The Cry… Workin' Moms on Netflix. It’s pretty funny, (and Canadian! Yay shots of Toronto!) and also somewhat relatable. It's taken me ages to find a replacement comedy series since finishing Schitt's Creek, but this is filling that hole quite nicely. Even Andy enjoys it. When you’ve had a tiring day it’s the prefect thing to veg out and laugh to, and I appreciate 20 minute episodes so that I don't feel like I need to invest an hour into my TV watching at night. 

Listening to… Sam Harris’s podcast on gun culture in America. It's a conversation with Graeme Wood, a writer for The Atlantic. I found it quite interesting and informative and gives a better picture about why it is so challenging to have any meaningful reform when it comes to guns in America. I think those of us living outside the US are always so quick to judge America for not being able to solve the gun violence problem by making automatic rifles illegal, or buying back guns, like what has been done in other countries. But it's just not that simple. A difficult listen though, given the recent horrific school shooting in Uvalde. 

Loving my hot water bottle. It is the best thing ever in our cold winter house. I never needed things like a hot water bottle or Uggs for indoor use before living in Australia. The houses are not built for the cold and generally the temperature in the house is no more than 18 degrees, and that’s with the heat on. But a hot water bottle works wonders! I hold one on my lap when we are watching TV at night and I take it to bed with me where it keeps me nice and warm all night. I’ve even got the kids loving their hot bottles which we put in their beds before bedtime so they can climb into cosy, warm beds. (Also, with the rising costs of gas and electricity a hot water bottle is very cost effective and "green".)

Playing some actual games with the kids. I’m talking board games. Very simple ones so far… Snakes and Ladders is a hit, as is Monpoly Deal Junior and this shopping list game. What a joy to be entering this stage with the kids. Of course, they both still get a bit pouty when they lose, but they are getting better the more and more they play. Cannot wait for family board game nights in our future!

Savouring my weekly coffee date with Ollie. Last year in lockdown I used to take advantage of the slower mornings by getting a takeaway coffee and babycino with Ollie before dropping him off at daycare. We used to have our drinks in the gardens outside his daycare, because we couldn’t dine-in during lockdown. Currently on Fridays I don’t teach any classes in the morning, so instead of rushing off to work I’ve brought back our coffee mornings. We sit in the cafe beside his daycare where the staff have gotten to know us. It is just so lovely spending one on one time with Ollie in this way. He’s the perfect little date and we have a chat, usually about what he observes outside the cafe window, while having our hot drinks and the occasional pastry. (They have THE BEST pastries ever, though super indulgent. Check out the almond croissant below. It's to die for.) Our coffee date is a highlight of my week.

Looking forward to seeing my parents, Andy’s family, and my London friends. And meeting my niece Sophie for the first time! And going to Spain! And seeing my nephew! SO MAY THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO!!! (Can you tell I'm excited?!) Only three more sleeps until we leave!