February 2, 2025

Sunday Update: Reading, Sports, Sleep

So many blog posts in a row! I got tired of being a once a week blogger but I promise I won't become a once a day blogger.  

This week we had no childcare at all and it wasn't the worst.  So that's good?  The weekend was full and fun with family visiting and a play date with friends from my pre-natal class with Isaac.  I planned the play date because I have too many kids to get invited anywhere.. we rented a hall (£36 for two hours!) and we ended up with 8 adults and 9 children (unfortunately two families dropped out last minute) but it was still a lot of fun.  

Also, one of my friend was here for a play date on Friday and saw my collection of cards and asked who turned 40.  So at the party this weekend I was presented with a cake! Honestly if I could have picked any party for my 40th I would probably have picked a play date in a scout hall so this was pretty much my dream.  Also, a chocolate cake! My third birthday cake this year. 

Reading

About 30% through this.  So cute

Sports
This week was a bit meh for sports.  I had two days off work to watch kids, which meant that I didn't have the flexibility to fit in a workout during the work day.  On days watching kids I also didn't have a chance to do any exercise.  I couldn't meet my gym buddy because we rely on morning childcare to make that happen.  I know everyone is super into swapping childcare with partners, but four young kids is a lot of young kids.  I lost my 30+ day Peloton streak, but I am not sure if I'm really into streaks anyways.  In good news,  I did my second in person Yoga class of the year (goal is 15).  90 minute hot yoga is hard.
  • Monday
    • 30 Minutes Peloton ride while watching Emily in Paris
    • 10 Minute bodyweight strength

  • Tuesday
    • 90 Minute hot yoga

  • Thursday
    • 30 Minute pop ride with Ally Love

  • Saturday
    • 30 Minute 2000's ride with Hannah Frankson
Sleep

I'm still not getting enough sleep. I averaged 6.93 hours.  Maybe this week is the week that Audrey starts sleeping till 6am?? Or maybe, like every other week, I just have to realize that my day of parenting starts at 5am and even 5:15 is a 15 minute sleep gift.  

February 1, 2025

Goals Goals Goals! (2025 Personal Goals)

[I started this post then saved it and now I'm continuing it, but in the spirit of iteration I'll just cross out the pieces that have changed]

Soo I know it's the 18th of Jan 1st of Feb already, but I don't think I've done any goals posts yet.  And I have goals!

As mentioned, I am turning just turned the big 4-0 this year, so I've crammed in all the personal goals because hey, why not?

Personal Goals:

  • Improve accessory situation. Wear earrings? 
    A long time ago I read Putting Me Together and I even bought a style guide and I sometimes looked put together.  I bought some necklaces and they really do make an outfit look awesome.  I have had my ears pierced and I always wear small gold balls.  I don't actually own any earrings at the moment.  This year I would like to start wearing earrings.  This is a bit tricky with babies around but I love how put together earrings make people, so I am on the hunt for earrings that I will actually wear.

  • Paint my nails Monthly
    Last year my goal was to paint my nails more.  I painted my nails a few times.  I bought nail polish.  This year I am going to get my nails painted once a month by a trainee at the local nail place.  It's £10 and will mean that at least I'll have nice nails once a month.  Hopefully I will also learn to do my nails myself in between.

  • Train for a half marathon 
    I entered the Cardiff Half in October and I am super excited.  But I will need to train.  My half marathon times are fairly consistant in the 2hr 25min to 2hr 35min.  Although my goal is to train for and run a half marathon, by secondary goal is to run it in 2hr 10 min or less.

  • Strength train 100 times this year. 
    Right after I made this goal I listened to multiple podcasts where this was someone elses goal.  I guess it's a good goal?  I usually go to the gym once a week with my gym buddy (though we miss holiday and childcare-free weeks) SO with some focus I should be able to do twice a week.  

  • Ride 50 Miles in one weekend.  
    This will probably be on Peloton.  There was a time I rode 50ish miles every Sunday.  That time is not now.

  • Buy a blazer or a jacket to classy up work clothes
    Honestly I'm not super psyched about this goal BUT I think it would be good to own a nice blazer someday or a jacket.  I often put on a nice dress and then wear a Patagonia jacket over it.  Perhaps a blazer would be a better option?

  • Take a skills class at Bike Park Wales
    I want to be a better mountain biker.

  • Go To Paris
    I have been to paris a few times.  I have generlaly not enjoyed France.  my gym buddy loves Paris and he works in the travel industry and I think that I should give Paris one more chance with him.  Maybe being in Paris with a french speaker who loves Paris will make Paris better? Also, the logistics of this are BIG because I would need to go without any kids which feels... crazy

  • Take a makeup course
    I am really interested in learning how to do my own makeup better.  Has anyone done this?  I think it would be so cool to have someone teach me how to do makeup

  • Do 15 in person yoga classes
    I love working out at home but in person yoga is great because they actually fix my positions and I realize how not level any part of my body is all the time.  There are multiple good yoga studios by my house and 1+ times a month should be very doable

  • Take a bread making course
    I think I'm just into paying people to teach me things this year! I would love to do a bread making course.  There are some interesting lamination courses here to make croissants and other delicious breads and rolls.  I would love to learn how to make Bagels if that was an option somewhere?   

  • Learn how to style my hair, buy a new hairbrush and potentially new hair drier
    I don't know what to do with my hair.  Is it my cut? I have really thick wavy hair.  I'm already growing it out to brown (I dyed it red for 15 years) and seeing how grey it is.  So far, it's not as grey as I thought.  But the only thing I know how to do with my hair is dry it and straighten it.  My hairbrush is from a gift set my Grandma got me when I was 15 and it's missing half the bristles.  This year I want to learn how to blow dry my hair.  My hairdresser has offered to teach me - YAY!  I also need to buy a new brush.  But what brush?  how does one decide what hairbrush to buy? Hair is complicated
I realize lots of my goals are about paying people to teach me things or do things or acquire things, however I think this fits into a larger goal of "pay people (often women) for the rare and valuable skills they have acquired, even if those skills don't fit into society's standard of what is "valued".  

I know I could buy a new sofa from a department store (new sofa goal will make the list someday) but in the price of that sofa is every overhead cost of the department store, the wage of the CEO, the (probably male) executive board, and then the labourers etc.  While I feel like lots of things on this list should be "Free" I'm trying to be more attentive to when "free" means "as a woman you should just know this".  As a woman, I should just know how to do makeup and make bread and paint my nails?  

I'm looking forward to year of forty.  This is a fun and busy time in my family life, personal live & professional life.  I'm excited to add a more fun and adventure into this year, and lay the groundwork for more fun years ahead.

Have you ever taken a course for hair or makeup or bread?  What's the best course you've ever done?

January 31, 2025

Chaos Friday and more dream hours.

It's been a bit chaos today.

Yesterday I remembered that we were going to a family dinner at the Synagogue tonight.  I had not put it in the calendar.  I had planned to cook dinner, but that diner involved defrosting salmon, and I also hadn't remembered to defrost the salmon. Win-Win.

The invited noted games at 4:30 and Dinner at 5:30.  This all seemed doable.  Here's how the afternoon and evening went:

3:30 I picked up the kids from school
3:45 home, snack for all and clothing change
4:25 In the car, ready to go, aware that we will only be 10 minutes or so late
4:32 Realize we forgot the nappy bag, turn around and drive home
4:42 Pick up nappy bag and head back out
5:01 Arrive for dinner and games
5:50 Dinner starts, we set up the high chairs
6:30 Dinner is moving somewhat slower than anticipated.  Babies eat a lot of bread, Nora starts to melt down with tired.  Normally they go to sleep at 6:30
6:45 Main course is served but we have to go because both babies are in the blinky owl stage of tired
6:55 I remember our grocery delivery was scheduled between 7 and 8 (though I usually get a text before they arrive)
7:00 everyone is in the car.  My phone rings and the grocery man is outside our house.  Thankfully he says he will wait
7:15 We arrived home with two sleeping babies, a grocery van parked outside, and two kids who are already past their normal 7pm bedtime
7:18 The grocery delivery driver says that our card payment was declined.  I ask him to double check this because I'm pretty sure it was all fine (I have an email receipt)
7:20 I get the kids upstairs to read, then put the babies to bed while Andy and the grocery delivery person unload groceries.  I'm fairly sure the delivery driver actually helped him unpack in the kitchen.  I guess the card payment wasn't declined
7:25 I start big kids bedtime.  They are tired
7:30 Andy leaves to meet a friend - this has been planned since before I forgot about dinner or groceries
7:40 I say goodnight to big kids
7:45 Empty the dishwasher, start sorting clothes.  Realize my brain is a swimming sea of chaos, sit down to write a blog.

While no major balls were dropped, that was all on the rather chaos side. I also feel bad that I left dinner without saying goodbye to anyone, including people I like, but we loaded two babies up and then Andy went to get the big kids and I couldn't leave babies in the car so that's how the evening ended.

I'm not usually one to forget to write things in the calendar.  Andy asked me today how I keep track of things and I told him that I put them in the calendar and then ruminate constantly of what I have to do.  This is not a great system.

Also, my grocery ordering skills are lacking recently as well.  I don't know why I ordered two boxes of 180 tea bags.  I just feel borderline chaos about many things most of the time.
Anyways, it's 8:30 again! Things I would like to do with the next hour

Tidy the house a bit. It is major chaos
This isn't too bad, but every room looks like this
Write back to some texts (always. And they aren't even social "hows it going?" texts.  They are invites to play date texts.  I need to write back)

Open up the waffle maker that arrived today and if it's not broken like the last one I can make some waffle batter for tomorrow!

Keep going on photo albums project - I finished Audrey and Nora through December so I just have the two kids and the family album left

Peloton! I would love to do a ride and a yoga class

Update my Line a day journal

Read in bed with my hot water bottle.

Clearly I won't do all of those things.  Clearly I could have done photo albums with the time it took me to write this blog.  But, it is only 8:30.  I can probably do albums, tidy (while listening to a podcast because I am not going to finish an audiobook) and reply to the texts about this weekend.  Or at least about one text for this weekend.

Do you go through chaos times? Are you in a chaos time?  If you could plan your 8:30-9:30 hour three times what would you do?

January 30, 2025

January is a practice month, to do lists, and dreaming of repeating hours.

Hi! It's 8:15pm right now.  Here are the things I would love to do in the next 45 minutes

45 minutes of work.  I logged off really quickly today and could do with finishing a few pieces, since I'm not in work tomorrow

Rebook my hair dye appointment.  I keep a mental note of times I am free in the week and Fridays at 1pm is usually a good time. So I booked a hair dye with my favourite hairdresser and then realized that I had booked a pedicure 3 months ago for that exact same time.  It's easier to rebook the hairdresser than the pedicure, but now I have to go for the next available friday at 1pm, and she's booked for ages. Waah!

Reply to texts.  I have texts from people I like on my phone! I need to reply to them

Update the family photo albums.  I have totally fallen off the wagon on these.  I decided we have too many kids for me to do all 4 kids albums (plus the family album) and so I delegated the twins albums to Andy, starting in November.  In December he told me he was finished, and said there weren't any good photos so each twin only had one page for the month of November.  While my albums aren't filled with the most brilliant photos, I'm super uncool with the "one page a month" album idea, and in fact I feel I had expressed this when trying to hand over this project.  Of course I was then behind in the twins albums (I normally update them monthly) and now I am getting behind in all the albums.  The twins need November now, and everyone (including family album) needs December update.  It's February on Saturday, which means I will need to update for January.  Luckily I have basically stopped taking photos because of life being chaos so January shouldn't be too hard to update, but I just feel *bad* when I'm behind on my albums

Review April trip to Sweden. I just got an email saying my return flight from Sweden has been cancelled (in April) and they're rebooking me on the 7am flight.  I have not travelled in a while but this seems super annoying to me because I'm pretty sure that the 7am flight was cheaper and I paid more to be on the 11:30am flight.  I am a little scared to get the kids on a 7am flight but also, I think it can be done.  It's probably better than flying into heathrow at 8pm.  Or changing my trip entirely to return on Saturday rather then Monday, and all the associated travel logistics with the family I am meeting in Sweden.  As an aside, I am starting to realize that travel is very expensive.

Grocery Delivery Complaint I want to email our grocery delivery place because they sent me sweetcorn which went bad in a day and also brie cheese with a two day expiry last week and that's super uncool.  I am aware I am super middle class.

Line A Day I need to fill in my line a day journal as I haven't for the last few days

Time Log I need to update my time log

Read I would love to read my book! The very Secret society of irregular witches is super cute.

Meditate It would be good to meditate or stretch (I know I won't do either of these)

Budget I managed to update budget for January.  I have had a lavish January birthday month and it shows.  I bought myself a Shark hairdryer and it has many fancy tools for drying hair.  I have asked my hair stylist to teach me how to use it and she said she would and I am so excited to learn how to make my hair look pretty.  Or maybe just less mom bun.

Tidy The floor of the lounge is covered in toys.  Its ok because a baby will be awake in 9 hours to play with these toys.  But life feels nicer when I come downstairs to a cleaner lounge.  Also, Subpoint, there are two nappies on the mantle.  They should probably be in the bin.

Write a blog post I did this! I wanted to write about goals... but I didn't.  Next time.

January is a practice month.  I finished January budget today! I made it through most of a work day.  I did a Peloton ride on my lunch break.  I made some falafels that were pretty tasty AND a hummus that was tasty, all before 8:30am. 

Also, even if I did have the three-ish hours of Rachel time it would take to do all of the above, I probably would use those hours for not doing all of the above.  Time is funny!


9:26 Update - what I did:

Finished the twins albums for November and uploaded December photos (also, I think I can do the december albums tomorrow and then I won't be behind anymore.  A month should only take an hour)

Made a reservation for upcoming dinner with a friend

Wrote to the grocery store about my order

Wrote local grocery store to thank them for having enough twin shopping trolleys

Replied to a few texts

Updated my time log

Texted hairdresser to rearrange appointment


January 26, 2025

Sunday Update: Reading, Sports, Sleep

Nora says "Happy Birthday"

This week was Birthday week.  I had a great Birthday.  

Friend swho bring cake are great friends indeed

On my birthday day I did a morning Peloton ride with a friend, and although I didn't get a shout out I did have a great time.  Then another friend came to visit and brought lunch and cake (YAY!).  I took Lilah to a play date in the mid afternoon (I hadn't told them it was my birthday, but they were friends I hadn't seen for ages and I had nothing planned when they invited me over).  Although it was a little awkward when Lilah said "it's my mom's birthday today" we are all adults and can just do adult things.  Finally, another set of friends came over for dinner (the same one from morning Peloton, actually), where we had pizza and the kids played upstairs and we got to chat like adults.  Then all the kids were asleep by 8, and I was in bed by 10, and it was a very good way to spend the day.

I realized I haven't had many great birthdays in the last few years.  Here's a summary of the last decade of birthdays:

2015: I had just moved to the USA with Andy and was looking for an apartment and a job.
2016: We had friends over for cheese.  
2017: I had just moved back to the UK and was living in a basically empty rental and looking for a job
2018: I wasn't feeling well and it turns out I was a bit pregnant with Isaac
2019: I had a 10 week old baby
2020: I was early pregnant with Lilah and felt awful
2021: I had a 4 month old and a 2 year 2 month old and was under stay at home lockdown orders
2022: I took the car for a MOT (annual car check) and noted in my diary I was grumpy
2023: I was in work
2024: I had 3 month old twins
2025: I had a great birthday and I think this is going to be a good decade.

Reading

I finished The Measure and I liked it a lot.  It was interesting to think of the book as a "before/after" (in this case, "before/after the strings") because it felt a bit reminiscent of "before/after Covid"

I download a library copy of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.  I haven't started it yet.

I also have not listened to any of Super Communicators.

Sports

  • Monday: 
    • 20 Minute Benchmark test with Ben Alldis.  I finished the four week stronger you course and I am stronger! I could do 11 pushups (up from 4) and 35 v sits (up from 22) and a bunch of other cool improvements.
    • 10 Minute Stretch, 10 Minute Yoga
  • Tuesday: 
    • 35 Minute Peloton ride while watching Emily in Paris
    • 10 Minute Yoga
  • Wednesday
    • Meditation
  • Thursday
    • 30 Minute Ride while watching Emily in Paris
    • 10 Minute Yoga
  • Friday
    • 1hr 15 minute gym with gym buddy (Arms)
  • Saturday
    • 45 Minute HIIT and Hills Peloton Ride
  • Sunday
    • TBC, maybe foam rolling?
Sleep
I am very tired today, probably because of 5.5 hours of sleep due to getting woken up a few times and also just waking up a few times.  The 5.5 hours also wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have a previous rolling average of 6.6 hours, which is now down to 6.4 hours.  Mostly I have been going to bed too late (10pm) and then reading, and then falling asleep, and then waking up at 5am.  I also have been working out in the evenings sometimes which seems to keep me from getting to sleep on time as well.

It was a pretty good week, I am very tired today, I need to be more disciplined on sleep, and that's another week (and another decade) complete.

How are your birthdays? Are you a big birthday person?  What is your ideal birthday?

January 19, 2025

Sunday Update: Reading, Sports, Sleep

Nora doing some book deconstruction
This week went fast.  It started with my traditional January brutal general illness, which went straight to my head and necessitated a sick day on Monday.  On Friday I had my first RACHEL FRIDAY of my new 5 day a week childcare situation.  It was a 100% Rachel day - Gym with my gym buddy, breakfast with a friend, haircut, manicure, quick beer with Andy and home by kid pick up. (This is not a forever thing, this is just a January thing.  I do have to work fulltime to afford childcare fulltime)

Reading
I know I'm the last person to read The Measure but I am really enjoying it.

I failed to listen to my audiobook of Uptime
I think I would have enjoyed it, but oh well, back to the TBR.  One of the insights I did gain from the first 5 minutes of the audiobook was that when you ask someone "When were you most productive? When did you have insight into your work?" The answer is basically never "oh when I was checking my email or doing 100 messages on teams" and yet I seem to spend my whole day doing both those terrible habits.

I then downloaded an audio copy of Super Communicators:
I haven't started listening to this but I listened to an interview with Charles Duhigg on Before Breakfast and thought it was super interesting and also I am not great at communicating with people so this would be a good book to read.  Or listen to.  

I haven't really found a good audiobook listening time, I don't have long walks, I don't have time to prep food (or I'm usually listening to kids while cooking), I'm usually chatting with Andy when we are cleaning up the house after dinner.  Maybe I should do audio books in the mornings while hanging out with babies?  Usually my head doesn't work then because I am so tired, and also it's so much baby.  Something to consider.

Sports
  • Monday
    • 10 Minute Meditation

  • Tuesday
    • 30 Minute Full Body Strength 
    • 10 Minute Stretch
    • 90 Minutes Bouldering @ climbing gym with a friend

  • Wednesday
    • 30 Minute Pop Ride 

  • Thursday
    • 20 Minute Lower Body Strength
    • 10 Minute Core Strength 
    • 5 Minute Stretch
    • 20 Minute "Lane Break" ride
    • 5 Minute Cooldown
    • 10 Minute Focus Flow - Back
    • 10 Minute Meditation

  • Friday
    • 90 Minute Gym workout with Gym Buddy ("Lower Body")

  • Saturday
    • 30 Minute HIIT and Hills with Robin Arzon
    • 10 Minute Cool Down & Stretch

  • Sunday
    • 15 Minute Stretch & Foam Roll

Sleep
I've averaged 7.5 hours of sleep a night, however this includes 8.5 hours on Monday, and then a 6 and a 6.5 hour night later in the week.  Yesterday the babies slept till 5:45am and I was shocked to wake up without babies crying at 5:40 (they were up 5 minutes later, but it's so nice to wake up to silence) 

 I am looking forward to someday when the 5:30 time is my own. While I am a morning person I am *not* a morning person when those mornings can be snatched by waking up childrens.

Meal Plan
We are carrying on with our four days a week set menu.
Monday: Soup (tomato for the kids, slow cooker tortilla soup for us)
Tuesday: Pasta (and slow cooker meatballs)
Wednesday: Fish Fingers & Chips
Thursday: Gnocchi and vegetable tray bake

It's working... fine.  It's a bit boring.

Misc Good things (Gratitude since I've been a bit grumpy):
  • The days are somewhat noticeably longer - it's not pitch black by 5pm.  
  • I'm still doing my Peloton Streak, which is kind of fun, but included some not very good meditation on Friday.  
  • I went out to dinner with a group of mums who had first babies the same time I did and we did a prenatal class together.  The class was rubbish, the friendship is A+
  • Andy bought a new bin for the kitchen.  I can't find the post, but a long time ago he said we needed a new bin and I said "go for it!" and now a long time later we have a new bin and I didn't have to order it or think about it.
  • We bought a new toaster this week because a two slice toaster isn't cutting it for our family of 6
  • We bought a new second-hand kids high chair this week so we now have 3/4 of the high chairs we need for our family
  • I ordered myself a Shark hair drier as part of birthday week and I am excited to see how it dries my hair tomorrow!
  • I had a great long gym session with my gym buddy
  • Audrey is so close to walking
  • Nora says "thank you" and it is cute
  • I took Lilah to a play date without any other kids
  • I went climbing with a friend one evening

Although those are all great things from this week I have had a pretty mixed week, so I am not trying to sugar coat anything here.  But it's Sunday night, the kids are asleep, and I am about to go to some stretching and then go to sleep myself, so it's pretty easy to feel positive.

There is a reason I don't write these posts at 5:30am.

What's your highlight of the week?

January 12, 2025

Sunday Update: Reading, Sports, Sleep (and a great weekend)

We have had a great weekend.  I know that might sound like bragging, but we have not had a lot of *great* weekends.  We have recently survived a lot of weekends.  It was cool to enjoy one.

On Saturday morning, Andy went out for a swim and I had all four kids at home and IT WAS FINE! The house was a mess when he got back, but it was a fine mess.  Yay!  Then we fed the kids a snack and walked down to the library for LEGO CLUB.  Our local library does a Saturday lego day where kids can just do lots of lego together. Isaac made a Pool and Cafe and Trap lego, and labeled it as such, but he spelled "trap" as "chrap".  On his label. I asked if he wanted to spell it correctly and he said "No, I'll keep it that way because it's mostly for kids to read".  One of his friends met us at lego club and then we got a sandwich at a cafe before walking home.

In the afternoon I went to the shop with the babies in the pram, dropped off some baby stuff to a neighbour, and then ate pizza for dinner.  I went to bed too late because I started a new book I wanted to read more, and I also finished downstairs craft storage improvement project!

Before - the white drawers have all the kids art stuff:

After: Yes, we finally own an IKEA Trofast.  It works much better.

On Sunday morning we decided to try kids parkrun - a free 2k race for kids.  We've never been before and it was very cold but the kids did great.  Andy pushed babies and I ran with lilah. 

After parkrun we went out for breakfast. At a cafe!  The cafe didn't have a kids menu so we ordered 3 english breakfasts (bacon, sausage, egg, tomato, mushroom, toast, baked beans) and split them amongst all of us.  The babies mostly had toast, beans, and eggs.  The kids love sausage.  I ate all the tomatoes.  

The babies then had a great nap at home and I had two hours of Rachel time while Andy watched kids.  I Mostly did exercise.  When the babies got up we decided to go to the climbing gym where the kids ran around and climbed for an hour and the babies lived their best life ever.
 
After climbing we had a super quick dinner and all kids were asleep by 7.   Amazing.

Reading:
I finished The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year and it was so fun.  Read this book! 

I started reading The Measure and it's very compelling so far.  What an interesting thought experiment:

Sports:
  • Monday
    • 30 Minute Upper Body with Ben Alldis (The Stronger You Program on Peloton)

  • Tuesday
    • 45 Minute workout with gym buddy (dumb 9am meeting ruined my hour session!)
    • 90 Minute really hard hot yoga with a friend

  • Wednesday
    • 30 Minute Full Body with Ben Alldis (The Stronger You Program on Peloton)

  • Thursday
    • 30 Minute Feel Good Ride with Ally Love

  • Friday
    • 10 Minute Meditation with Kirstin McGee

  • Saturday
    • 10 Minute Meditation with Kirstin McGee

  • Sunday
    • 2k "run" with Lilah
    • 20 Minute Lower Body with Ben Alldis  (The Stronger You Program on Peloton)
    • 30 Minute Upper Body with Ben Alldis (The Stronger You Program on Peloton)
    • 5 Minute Upper Body Stretch with Ben Alldis (The Stronger You Program on Peloton)
I was doing a 4 week course (The Stronger You) but I missed 2 days of week 3.  Now I'm in week 4 and I will finish it, but someday I would like to do a Peloton course without missing any days.  And, as per the lovely Julie, meditation does "Count" and my streak therefore continues.  I think meditation might actually be good for me too.

Sleep
Ugh.  Not good.  I have averaged 6.9 hours this week.  Babies have been waking up at 5am again.  Last night I woke up for an hour between 2 and 3 and couldn't sleep.  I keep going to bed late because honestly, I'm enjoying my evening hours and I like writing blogs or talking to friends or reading or hanging out with Andy.  We usually finish our tidying by 7:30 but 2 hours doesn't feel like a huge amount of time to fit EVERYTHING ELSE into.  Anyways, I am hoping more excercise will = more sleep next week.  I need above 7 hours.

Other stuff
I am really loving Kae's goals posts over here.  I love her tracking systems and I have decided I might move a bit more digital with my tracking!  My time log is digital and I haven't yet bought any 2024 planners so watch this space.

Laura Vanderkams "Before Breakfast" podcast "A Confused Mind Says No" was super interesting.  It made me think a lot about making super specific offers, especially in work.  "What can I do to help?" is less good than "here is what I can do to help".  

Lisa Woodruff's Organize 365 podcast "My Household Manager Predictions" was super interesting.  Especially the part about our crafted realities - that we are all basically creating our realities now with what we consume and that we need to be more mindful of our consumption.  Also that AI is not going to help us at home anytime soon.  I love how Lisa thinks.

That's my week.  How was yours?

January 10, 2025

A few recent problems and a few recent solutions and one or two solution-less problems

Problem: Kid Shoes/Coats/Jackets/Hats/Gloves (and also mine)

I know, this is a massive category.  But this minor improvement is specifically the hallway coats/shoes/jackets/hats/gloves.  We use a Kallax with drawers for the big kids shoes and winter stuff, but now that the babies wear shoes I needed a place for baby shoes (and hats).  I also didn't have a good place for my own hat and gloves and felt like I had stuff everywhere. 

Solution: Shoe rack

This is hanging in our entryway.  The bottom row is Lilah's - mittens, scarf, gloves and hat.  Same for Isaac.  Baby hats and 1 pair of baby waterproof trousers (because we only have 1) are in the middle row.  My hat, gloves, and sunglasses are second from top, and the kids knee and elbow pads are on the top row.

I let the kids each keep only 2 hats and 2 pairs of cheap gloves, plus their winter gloves, and 1 scarf. Lilah had 4 hats and Isaac had 3 scarves.  The extra scarves are packed away in the past&future clothing boxes and the kids can switch out someday, if they want.  

I also sorted the kids socks and got rid of every pair that didn't fit or was broken/stretched out.  The only problem with the kid sock system is that the kids and I are the only ones who know whose socks are whose.  
My coats/jackets/waterproofs are on the rail.  Isaac's jackets and baby jackets are on the top hook, and lilah's coat & jacket are on the bottom hook.  The kids socks are in the top drawers of the kallax.  The baby shoes and socks are in the right drawer.
Baby slippers and wellies are in the left drawer.  Kids shoes are in the basket.  I know this will have to change again once the babies shoes don't fit in one half sized drawer... but we are not there yet.  

I spend a lot less time looking for stuff now.

Result: A+

Problem: Mealtimes
We started having pretty bad meal times a few months ago.  Lots of complaining about food, lots of refusing food, lots of stress and grumps.  I'm not sure what started the downhill slide, but we found ourselves downhill. There were arguments over whether making jacket potatoes was too ambitious of a dinner.  Andy and I would stare at the calendar during meal planning with almost active dread at the idea of cooking anything. It wasn't working.

Solution: Repeating Menu
I decided it was important to me that kids enjoy food and meal times without fights.  This was more important than me eating food I particularly like.  For the month of January we are eating the following:

Monday:  Soup, bread, and cheese (Tomato soup for the kids)
Tuesday: Jacket Potatoes (with beans and cheese for the kids, potentially chili or tuna for adults)
Wednesday: Pasta (with cheese for the kids, and another sauce or veg if I can for us)
Thursday: Tray bake (potatoes and sausage or chicken and potato or another tray bake)

Friday is usually Macaroni and Cheese or Pizza - except this week when we are having chocolate chip waffles (at the kids request).

Sunday we will try to make something that gives us some leftovers for the week.

Also, I am trying to eat veg with every meal.  Others don't have to eat veg.  I buy prepackaged green beans and broccoli and steam them.  It's working ok.

Result: A- (Because I will get bored)

Problem: British Bathrooms don't have plugs
Okay, this one doesn't have a solution.  WTF British bathrooms??!  They say it's a electrical risk to have plugs in a bathroom but I do not understand where I am supposed to dry my hair.  

Solution: Buy a better hair drier and dry my hair in my room
I've set up a hair drying "station" in my bedroom but I don't want to dry my hair in my bedroom.  The lighting is not good, and it's next to the baby room so I can't really do it at night. I also feel like the bathroom is where a hair dryer goes.  

Also, my hair drier was from a free pile at work 6 years ago, and I'm wondering whether it's time for me to buy a real hair drier.  Is a fancy hair drier worth it? Will my hair look like the photos if I get a Shark speedstyle?
Result: B- (because this isn't really a solution, it's just a different idea)

Problem: I don't take vitamins and I should.

Solution: I should take vitamins

Result: F.  This is not a solution.  I need to figure out a way to remember to take vitamins.

Do you have any recent problems and solution wins?  Do you remember to take vitamins?

January 9, 2025

2025 Year in Preview (optimistic future thinking)

I'm looking forward to 2025.  There are a few things that make 2025 particularly exciting.  I am entering what Lisa Woodruff would see as a mega-golden window.  Namely:

I am turning 40! I am pretty excited about this.  I think men love being 30, but I think I will love being 40.  When I used to race Triathlon it was always the Women-40 category that were crazy fit.  I understand why now - they don't have time to mess about.  They were machines and it was amazing to see.

I am done having kids and done being pregnant.  I was pregnant or nursing babies the following years of my 30s: 33, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39.  This is probably why I made most of my new mountain biking friends when I was 37.  That's a lot of years spent doing very small baby life.  I'm excited to be able to work on my own health and fitness without thinking there is a baby around the corner. Of course there is still menopause and life around the corner, but hopefully I am fully done with diastasis at least.

It's our 10 year wedding anniversary this year.  It's 15 years since we met.  That's a lot of years!

This year Lilah is starting school, which means 50% of my kids will be in full time education.

All this plays into some thoughts on goals for this year.  I have a lot of "Personal" goals this year.  Andy is also turning 40 this year, so this is OUR YEAR OF 40!  as such, we have added a new budget line item for "Andy and Rachel Fun" this year and are planning 12 adventures.  We haven't planned all of them but have the following
  • Day off work to go mountain biking
  • Day off work to go shopping in town and get lunch (also part of wardrobe upgrade project)
  • Go to a fancy restaurant and try a tasting menu
  • Walk up a local mountain
  • Visit a local brewery
  • Go climbing with friends in the evening and then get a beer 
  • See a show (or a film)
I am also hoping this is the year I start to make my mark professionally.  I got a promotion in work last year, but the new job title is basically "What you were doing is great, keep going"! So, what am I doing? What do I want to be doing?  What should I be doing?  I don't know if this is how it works in other jobs, but I have been given the chance to craft my speciality going forward and I want to use this chance to do it before the tides of corporate change send me on a direction possibly not of my choosing.

What are you excited for this year?  Is it a personal year? professional year? DO you have any milestone birthdays? Another year? In with the new year same as the old year?

January 5, 2025

Sunday Update: Reading, Sports, Sleep (Welcome to the the new year, same as the old year)

Two weeks of school holidays is a lot of school holidays!  This week did not have Christmas or the BUILDUP TO CHRISTMAS yet for whatever reason lots of stuff was closed.  In some ways the second week of school holidays (with 1 year old twins) remind me of Covid times.  All the family are together - yay - but there are no play groups on, the library is shut, and everyone is walking around aimlessly outside when it is not raining.  

I'll have to think of a better answer to "How was your Christmas?" before I start work tomorrow, because the above definitely isn't good enough.

I have also been really optimistic on my blog posting ability over new year:

As you are surely aware, I do not write drafts, or edit my posts.  Or spellcheck, or proofread, or do anything that might make my corner of the internet legible or enjoyable to read.  So these posts are just things I tried to write before being interrupted by kids or general life.  At some point, I will join the bandwagon in goals, gratitude, and share how excited I (sometimes) am for 2025.

Onwards!

Reading

Finally reading and enjoying The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

How much do I love books with short chapters?  Very.

Sports

I go back and forth on whether a streak is a good idea or a bad idea.  I'm on a 3 week Peloton streak right now, but a few of those days are just meditation.  However - meditating is a good idea. So maybe a streak is good, even if it includes meditating, because meditating is good?  

Also, I find Peloton good because it covers strength and riding and yoga and stretching and basically everything that is good for me, so I think trying for a streak of doing something good for me for at least 5 minutes every day is probably worthwhile.

  • Monday
    • 20 Minute Full Body Strength with Ben Alldis
    • 10 Minute Full Body Stretch with Ben Alldis

  • Tuesday
    • 10 Minute Hannukah Meditation with Anna Greenberg (this one was weird)

  • Wednesday
    • 10 Minute Calming Meditation with Kirstin McGee

  • Thursday
    • 15 Minute Lower Body Strength with Ben Alldis
    • 5 Minute Core with Ben Alldis
    • 5 Minute Lower Body Stretch with Ben Alldis
    • 10 Minute New Years Day meditation with Kirstin McGee

  • Friday
    • 20 Minute Full Body Strength with Ben Alldis
    • 10 Minute Full Body Stretch with Ben Alldis

  • Saturday
    • 5 Minute Meditation with Kirstin McGee

  • Sunday
    • 30 Minute Reset Ride with Denis Morton
    • 30 Minute Reset (Yoga) with Denis Morton
Next week I am back in work, and we have childcare.  And a new nanny starting 2 days a week.  It is going to be a busy week but I am really hoping it's going to be an adjustment to having more free/personal time.  I love and miss routine.

Sleep
My average so far this week is 6.75 hours per night, which is probably why I don't feel wonderful as I write this.  Reasons are good and less good - I stayed up and shared a bottle of wine with Andy on NYE, which meant that I had trouble falling asleep (I was so sad to hear the midnight fireworks, I wanted to be so asleep at midnight).  I took the big kids to a friend's house for a sleepover which meant they fell asleep late and I stayed up late chatting with friends.  And for whatever reason, one of the kiddos was up twice this week between midnight and 2 telling me "they were not tired".  Funny enough, we were all very tired the next day.  Babies have mostly been sleeping to or just past 6am (except one 5:30 wake up) 

That's a wrap on Christmas Holiday 2024.  In 2023 I was so looking forward to 2024, because I wouldn't have newborn twins.  I am already excited for 2025, because holidays with 14 month old twins are probably going to be way more fun than holidays with 14 month old twins.