Life Lately: March 2022
Adriana enjoying a playground in Central Park.
Spring is finally here, and let me tell you: the change of the season is shifting something deep within me. It was a long, hard winter. It seems like my kids have been sick since the moment they stepped into daycare (I can only hope this translates into immune systems of steal next year!), and the winter was particularly taxing. Just this week, both were home for two days, and have been up most of the night for the past four. I am exhausted. And yet, when I woke up this morning, I heard the birds chirping. The sound was a reminder that every season - both in the world, and in our lives - will turn. Things will be hard - and then harder - and then, almost always, better once again.
What I’m Watching/Reading/Listening To: I must admit, I have continued to turn to TV over reading this month. I need to read a really good book, so please send recommendations for “simply can’t put it down” novels. For TV, I’m just starting Yellowjackets (WILD) and The Gilded Age (Love it!). I binged Inventing Anna and How I Met Your Father. In terms of books, I’m halfway through both Olga Dies Dreaming and Wish You Were Here, and am enjoying both. I just picked up a book on gardening, and am really excited to invest in my vegetable garden this year!
NYC, I Love You: Last weekend, we went to New York for the weekend. If you’re new here - I spent almost a decade living in the city. It’s where I spent my 20’s, where I met my husband, and is my favorite city in the world. I had to go for a work event, so decided to bring the family. We ended up having wonderful weather, so spent time with some of our dearest friends. Little A, at 2.5, thoroughly enjoyed the Museum of Natural History, and we all survived our first flight as a family of four. This weekend was a reminder of what I’ve been missing for the past two years, and I’m so glad for the warmer weather and ability to be outside more often - and to begin to travel a bit more.
Prioritizing Well-being: I have been *not great* at prioritizing my health lately, and the sleep deprivation is catching up with me. I often talk about how exhausting motherhood is - nothing can prepare you for it, and it is relentless. Just this week, I slept 3-4 hours per night…total. I’m feeling the toll - my brain is slower, my skin paler, and my mental health has suffered. As we enter this new season, I’m eager to prioritize some needed well-being care: I booked a facial, will be starting Physical Therapy, and need to schedule some routine care that I’ve put off since the pandemic began.
Making Plans: For the first time in two years, I find myself with actual real plans. Don’t get me wrong, there aren’t many - and I’m fully prepared for things to change at any moment (again - our kids are sick all the time). But, I’m excited to get out in the world. Our family will be checking out many of the Spring Activities in Central Mass and Beyond that I wrote about recently. I’ll be bringing A to the Central Mass Mom playground series, and we are going to be hosting a small Easter gathering next month.
101 in 1001: I have just under 2 years left to accomplish everything on my list, and I did not make much progress this month. While I didn’t check anything off in full, I did make progress on a few things. I added a couple new-to-me restaurants to the list - Tomasso in Southborough, where we celebrated my grandmother’s birthday, and Nuovo in Worcester, where Thomas and I had a date night. We traveled to a new-to-the-kids state, New York. And, I had the best birthday when two of my best friends surprised me, and we spent the day checking out Nashoba Winery and spending much-needed time together.
