since we have been back living in winston-salem, we have had really mild winters, and haven’t had any snowy weather to speak of. well, this year, at the very end of christmas break, right when i really would have preferred everyone go back to school, the snow finally came. several times even. it was sort of actually a mess there for a couple of weeks, with school being canceled and delayed almost daily.
but. as you know. the kids loved it.
a strong direct correlation between snow days and lazy snuggling with ruby.
all of the snow paired nicely with cookie making. i used some clearance fourth of july m&ms to make some buffalo bills-esque, everything but the kitchen sink cookies. (more like, “a lot of things that i had on hand but the kitchen sink”, but you know). january is nfl playoff football month, so we spent a lot of time, energy, and calories cheering for the bills. sometimes, a feast of western ny fare. sometimes (for me) healthy choices.
sadly, the season came to another heartbreaking screeching halt at the hands of the kansas city chiefs. it’s starting to get really old and frustrating, and now that i’ve raised a fleet of offspring who care about such things, the entire house was pretty sad. and angry, as evidenced by ike’s modification of our stress management punching bag.
i’ve been trying really hard to get back on track with nutrition and exercise, after a month of partaking in christmas treats and festivities. january was tough, because we were snowed in for some of it. and the nearby park that i walk at was closed quite a bit. and generally, it is just hard to rebound after christmas cookie gluttony. meal prepping helps. and looks pretty.
my classes started back up and are in full swing. this semester i’m taking an 8 week microbiology course, with in person labs, and a 16 week chemistry class, entirely online at at home. the chemistry is slower paced and has been easy so far, but the process of performing, documenting, and submitting labs online is a little annoying and time consuming and i wish that part was in person. my micro class is sort of all over the place, disorganized, chaotic. due dates are always changing, test and quiz material are often a moving target. and. fun story. my professor, who is literally 23, is the son of a teacher in the math department at the high school i taught at before birthing ike. small world. anyways. i’m chugging through, with much less stress (real and self imposed) than my fall classes, and i’ll be ready to apply to nursing school this summer.
let’s see here. some random stuff. i had a nice weekend mom only lunch with my pal heather. and bills themed cookies weren’t the only ones i made (and subsequently ate too many of) because of the inclement weather. hazel’s basketball continued on. and even though it’s the first pic i took of 2025, when i picked up anna and hazel from their new years eve sleepover, here it is at the end of my january post. happy new year or whatever.
and. as always. i bring you. ruby. in all of her napping splendor.
