January is always the slowest month for us, hence the single post. We go into our winter hibernation this time of year, with lots of slow days and quiet nights at home. While I like focusing on our little family and slowing down after the crazy pace of the holidays, January is by far my least favorite month on the calendar. It feels like those frustrating dreams where you can’t really wake up or get moving. Vitamin D deficiency?
So, even though my favorite part of January is midnight on the 31st, here are a few of the month’s highlights:
I enrolled Elly in swimming lessons, joining her buddy Bridger, two afternoons a week. She was so excited for the first class so I figured she was going to do well. Instead, she shook her head and refused to do anything more than sit on the side of the pool.
We talked on the drive home about being brave and trying new things and doing what your teacher asks you to do. But, when it really came down to it, it was a roll of Lifesavers (Elly called them Lifeguards. Ha!) that did the trick. Who needs motivational speeches when good ol’ fashioned bribery works so well?
From class #2 forward, she happily did everything Teacher Mary (whom she adored) asked, except for putting her face in the water. She loved her class & her teacher. Overall, a very positive experience.
The two goofballs.
As always, January was mostly gray and rainy. We had a few snow days and a handful of sunny ones. The snow didn’t stick around to enjoy, but we took advantage of every sliver of sunshine.
In other news…
We are still waiting to hear back from the bank on the short sale offer we made back in November. Our realtor sends us listings, but so far we haven’t been tempted to see anything else. I lost count around 75, but we’ve looked at a ton of houses. If something better were to come on the market, we’d definitely jump on it, but so far we are really happy with the short sale house. Now we are just hoping the bank has good news for us…. whenever they get around to looking at our offer.
Ed has been putting in lots of overtime. It definitely makes our shorter weekends fly by, but we are so thankful for the steady, increased work. When he is home, he is hugging his wife, playing with the kiddos, cutting pop cans for his next solar scheme, or burning piles of wet branches.
I still spend a lot of my time in the kitchen, but I didn’t make a single dessert for the entire month of January. That was our resolution for the month, and it actually felt great. I am also moving our family away from pre-packaged, processed food, opting to cut it out or make it from scratch instead. Starting this year, I am not going to buy any more cereal or crackers . To prove what a homemaking nerd I am, I just got really excited by that last sentence. Seriously, I should get out more.
Ed and I have also been doing B90x together, reading through the Bible in 90 days. This is Ed’s second time and my first. So far, it has been a great challenge. I loved reading through Genesis in four days. You really get a different perspective when you read 10-15 chapters at a time. And yes, we are both behind but determined to finish on time.
Elly keeps us laughing on a daily basis with the funny things she says. She definitely has her dad’s memory skills, surprising us with the facts and memories she whips out all the time. She loves reading books, doing puzzles, and [pre] ’tending with dress up clothes and a never ending assortment of random props. She is a great helper and big sister.
Evan can say Mama, Dadda, Papa, and Grandma. He knows the signs for more, all done, and thank you. When these things fail, he resorts to screeching, squawking, and grunting. He loves anything that has wheels on it. Brrrrooom, brrrrooom. He also digs Thomas the Tank Engine and Lowly Worm, just like Elly at this age. Funny kids.
Bam! January is over.
