It’s been a long time since I wrote a “right now” post, probably because I’ve been so caught up in – and let’s be honest, behind on – what I’m supposed to be doing. But I love reading what other people are up to, so here’s a look inside and around my four walls right now.
[framing] the flag that flew over the Capitol on my grandfather’s 90th birthday.
[reading] lots more now that I deleted Facebook from my phone. I’m not going cold turkey on FB – still have it up all day at work and read on my computer at home at other times – but this has put an end to what had become way too much mindless checking and scrolling, and now I’m using short bursts of time when I used to read FB to read using my Kindle and Nook apps (does anyone still use the Nook or am I alone?). I’ve got Still Life With Bread Crumbs (yay, Anna!) going in my Nook app, a real-life paper version (with autograph!) of Furiously Happy next to my bed, and yet another parenting guide in How to Talk So Your Kids Will Listen and Listen So Your Kids Will Talk in my work tote and downstairs at night.
[listening] to new podcasts, and catching up on past episodes of others. I’ve added 25% Friends, a new podcast from Sarah Bagley; Chasing Creative and Ann Kroeger, Writing Coach on writing and creativity; and Stuff Mom Never Told You to my feed, and I’m still loving The Girls Next Door, Matrimoney, Edit Your Life, The Mom Hour, Happier, and, of course, One Bad Mother.
[eyeing] baseball schedules. The Sox are going to be in Baltimore only for one measly quasi-weekend day (Memorial Day) all season, which means we either have to plan a baseball trip or that may be our only shot at seeing them this year, after not seeing them at all last year. I also got excited about the prospect of a midweek day date (sans kids and their incessant requests for snacks) to a Nationals game, only to find out that there’s exactly ONE game all season that fits the bill. Planning now for July…
[dropping] my rings off at the jeweler to have my ever-spinning engagement ring resized (and cleaned, please!) and a replacement stone set in my anniversary band. I stopped wearing the anniversary band as soon as I saw the stone missing and my hand feels naked without it. Speaking of…
[reserving] restaurant seats in mid-March to celebrate our 14th anniversary of when we met. 14 years. We were babies.
[hoping] March is kinder to me this year than last (and many years past).
[ordering] groceries online. Instacart has changed my life. Online grocery shopping, with delivery at a time of my choosing? Yes, please. We’re only using it for some of our stuff – still buying most at Costco – but avoiding the big, crowded, nasty Giant on the weekend has improved my quality of life immeasurably.
[awaiting] my next Stitch Fix. Always. This month I’m asking for a denim jacket, some brightly colored jeans, and a new dress or skirt for work, as mine have all seen better days. I’m also going to try to step up my blogging game by using our manual camera for the pictures…so don’t be surprised if it takes me a while longer to get the next post put together.
[listing] five good things that I’m thankful for every night.
[planning] for our next renter. When we moved to DC, we rented our condo to quite possibly the nicest guy ever, and three years later, we’re so sorry to see him move on. Time to spruce up the place and get it ready for new people who will love it like their own (we hope).
A look back at what was happening around now in:
2015: Counting down to the end of maternity leave
2014: Feeling grateful for my breastfeeding support group
2013: Reflecting on mom guilt
2012: Thinking back to my first radioactive iodine treatment, four years earlier
2011: Planning for grad school graduation
What’s happening right now in your house?
A Storybook Life 
I love this and would it be horrible if I copied this prompt for a blog post sometime? I admit it, I skipped the baseball part. And you met 14 years ago!? That is awesome. As much as I love the life I had before I met Dan, I sometimes wonder what it would be like to have had the shared history of our 20’s and figuring adulthood out together. Obv, I still am figuring out adulthood, but I mean that intro that is unique to your 20’s.
Omg, not horrible – great! I copied the concept from Callie Feyen and now read a few others who do something similar (Kelsey Wharton at Rising Shining, Erin at Reinventing Erin). It’s a good post for when you have a bunch of little things to say but no time to build any single one into a larger post.
We thought we were so old when we met, but now we know we were so young! I’m glad that we got to have a whole bunch of fun adventures before real life set in.
Really enjoyed the peek into your life. The How to Talk Book was really helpful in my early parenting years as I recall. Appreciated the podcast list since I’ve never listened to one (really!) and I’m working up the nerve to add that to my life (and terrified it will become yet another time-suck). Your plate sounds very full- but blessed.
Thanks for reading, Cara! And glad to hear How to Talk is a worthwhile read. I checked it out from the library but suspect that I may need to buy it to refer back to as time goes on. As for podcasts, I find they’re great for listening while doing other stuff – commuting, cleaning, cooking. Happy listening!