Life Lately: November 2021
I am certainly down to the wire with this life lately post, but we are here. As always, this month went by fast. While all of us were sick in the middle of the month, we still managed to have a lot of fun. The beginning was filled with outdoor adventures, including some of the items on the Late Fall Bucket List that I put together for Central Mass Mom and a new favorite: making apple cider by hand. We closed it out with a lovely Thanksgiving, which we shared with a handful of our extended family members. I have always loved November, which is sandwiched in between my two absolute favorite months: it’s filled with both reminiscing about the beauty of early fall and anticipating (and planning for) the holiday season.
Focus On Wellbeing: With all of us getting sick at the same time, I was reminded of how grateful I am for my health. I was “cleared” for exercise in early November and managed to build quite the Peloton streak (mostly walking, strength/yoga, and meditation), which I think helped me recover faster. That was incredibly important, because two sick kids (especially a tiny, nursing baby) is utterly exhausting. As we close out the month and move forward, I will continue focusing on my own wellbeing so I can take care of everyone else (and because I deserve it too).
Holiday Prep: I am 80% done with my holiday preparations, which is super exciting! I did much of my shopping early in the month - I truly love finding the “perfect gift” for those I love, and am so excited to give gifts this month. This past weekend we found our tree, and while it took four days (two young kids…) I am just about finished decorating the tree and the house. Tomorrow we will also begin the ‘Christmas Game’ which you can read more about later this week on my next Central Mass Mom article coming out soon (and which I am still so grateful to my dear friend Sarah for introducing me to). Next up? Making lots of holiday cocktails, baked goods, and dinners.
Theme for 2022: About seven years ago, I began to choose a theme for the year. In 2021, it was “Inhale and Exhale”. In the selection process, I think a lot about how I want the year to feel, and from there, I can figure out what I want to do. I start generating ideas around Thanksgiving, and make my final decision by the end of December. It is a fun and meaningful process, and I think I may have the winning idea already!
Entertainment: I still have not finished a full book since I had William (insert “ahhh” emoji). I am trying, but it is so hard to read in these early weeks, so I’m trying to give myself a break. I’m watching lots of Christmas movies, and have started Only Murders in the Building, Nine Perfect Strangers, and the current seasons of Succession and Insecure.
101 in 1001 (6/101): I “checked the box” on one item this month, which was to round out our fruit picking - we did strawberry, blueberry, and most recently apple. I did make progress on a few others: making new cocktails (all from Half Baked Harvest), watching a documentary (LuLaRich - yikes!), posting new recipes on Made Without Dairy, and ordering baby books (which I’ll begin to work on in December). This practice continues to help me ground and focus each month. My goal is to complete 10 by the end of December!
