Monthly Debrief: March 2024
Happy almost April! Spring is officially here in Texas! I’m actually kind of excited about it. I can’t wait to put away to put my coat away for the rest of the year. It’s been chilly in the mornings so still somewhat necessary, but it should be back in its rightful place soon enough. I always go through a phase this time of the year when I pull out my old favorite dresses and get excited to wear them again. I rediscovered this dress recently and love wearing it. It makes me feel so put together and I’m very happy to see they have come out with some new colors! I have the navy but may need the black as well!
April is such a sweet time for my family too. My husband and I will celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary (!!) and my daughter turns 3. We decided last year with her 2nd birthday that not all birthdays have to be big blowout events. We did a sorta big party for her first birthday but scaled it back last year realizing that we can’t do that sort of thing every year for multiple kids. Ha! I’m sure it will change once she’s in school and we’ll reevaluate but for now, she’s asked for a blue cake and spaghetti. I’ve found that I tend to make a bigger deal out of things like this (probably due to the pressures of social media) and all she really cares about is seeing her people. So we’ll do a homemade blue cake (maybe Funfetti with a touch of blue dye) and have family over for an early dinner to celebrate her! She’ll also do a little celebration at school during snack time with her friends.
When did we get to the point that every holiday and birthday has to be a huge blowout event? I often think about this and wonder how it will affect our future generations. I don’t think there is any problem with celebrating life, and I think we should do it more actually, but does every celebration require a professional cake and a bounce house? I think there is so much beauty in finding small ways to celebrate special moments in a meaningful way, not just in an aesthetically pleasing way. And I recognize that a lot of this stems from social media and the unrealistic expectations we place on ourselves… because we see “everyone” doing it.
We also get to see the solar eclipse on the 8th! We’re all playing hooky that day to see it. Then I have a big work event a couple of weekends later. And TS11! I’m excited about all the things to come in April and hope it’s a great one for you as well!
Noteworthy happenings in March
My daughter and I have continued our weekend baking activities. This month we have made strawberry cookies, Lucky Charms treats, and banana bread.
I started going to therapy!
I publicly launched a big project at work after almost 2 years of work!
Start/Stop/Continue
So I am coming into this feeling kinda down on myself if I’m being honest. I don’t know why but it’s felt really challenging to get out of the house to go on walks, but as I look at the rest of my list I’ve done a really good job keeping up with these little habits. Let’s review!
Take time to put yourself together for the day - ✅
Hydrate - I could do better here. There were a couple of days I did not drink enough water, but I was also able to quickly realize that and remedy it.
1 cup of coffee a day - Mostly yes, but something I continue to check in with myself about. I love coffee. But I really just need to cut it down to one cup a day.
Feed yourself well (protein and veggie) - ✅
Go for a walk and get some fresh air - ❌
Early bedtime - I’m trying! I’m trying to make sleep more of a priority while also realizing that I really enjoy waking up early so I can get some “me time” in.
had Becca Galbraith Casey on and she talked about an app she uses to track her sleep. I’ve been using it too and it’s such a game-changer! It’s called Rise Sleep.Counseling - ✅ I’ve had two sessions so far (another one tomorrow!) and find it really helpful! She’s given me a few new tools to add to my basket that have helped me with anxiety. She also very much acknowledged major life events in ways I haven’t and it helped me realize they were a much bigger deal than I ever gave them credit for.
Getting out of the house - Still working on this one! We did a few things this past month like we went to the garden center, out for lunch, a playdate, and to the park in our neighborhood. But there also ended up being lots of big storms that derailed our plans and the book club I’m joining got delayed. I still haven’t gone to the library events.
I have been doing my counseling sessions on Monday early afternoon, so it’s been nice to get out of the house on those mornings. I’ve been working at a coffee shop for the morning before my session and really enjoy that time to myself.
Decluttering - ✅ So much more to do but we’ve been keeping up with it!
Trying out new recipes - ✅ Still happening and it’s been so much fun! This weekend we’re making double chocolate cookies at my husband and daughter’s request.
Some fun things
The 9-5 Crew
I’ve shared this a few times on Instagram, but thought it would be something fun to add and share here as well. When I need to go head down and get some work done, I always turn on one of these Pomodoro videos on YouTube. I love that there are different versions depending on how long you need or have to work. They help keep me focused so, so much. I’ve been working on these tedious reports lately, and the 50-10 is really working for me, but sometimes I’ll even do one of the 25-5 videos.
Reading
I read Fourth Wing and Iron Flame last year and a bunch of people told me that if I liked them I needed to read A Court of Thorns and Roses. The series has been on my radar for well over a year and despite Bad on Paper (
and ) recommending it, I had somehow told myself it wasn’t for me. Well, guess who was wrong? Y’all… I love this series. I don’t care if it’s “not good”. It’s sooooo entertaining. I cannot stop thinking about it. I’ve finished the first two books and am about 1/3 through the third book. I love these characters so, so much and I want to know everything about them.Also, 10/10 for the surprise smut. I don’t know why I always get surprised when books are smutty, but I’m here for it. I don’t read enough smut, so if you’d like to drop some recs in the comments I’d be so grateful.
Side note: I just saw that the third book in The Empyrean (Fourth Wing) series is coming out in January 2025!
I’m still slogging my way through The Idea of You. I’m enjoying the story but the chapters are sooo long and I’ve found that’s not the best for my ADHD brain. It’s hard for me to feel like I’m making progress. I also have been reading it before bed, and I’ve been going to bed too late so I’m not setting myself up for success. My goal is to finish it before the movie comes out next month!
TV + Movies
We finished Masters of the Air on Apple TV+ and I enjoyed watching it. There were several hard-to-watch moments, but it told such a powerful story. It was a great way for my husband and I to connect every week too. I asked so many questions about WWII that I’d never thought about before. We’d have long conversations after the show was over just talking about the war and what all was happening during that time. One of my favorite things I learned from the show was how women were involved in WWII. I never realized there were female officers! Off to go learn more about that now!
I also finished Apples Never Fall on Peacock. It kind of lost me in the last episode, but all the episodes leading up to it were incredible. I love a challenging family dynamic, lots of bad people doing bad things, and the overall whodunit of it all. One of my favorite scenes of the whole show was Jake Lacy’s character browsing through the suits in his closet to get ready for a big work event. It was like the male version of Carrie Bradshaw getting ready for a date and I never knew how much I needed a scene like that until I saw it.
I also started watching Palm Royale on Apple TV+. I really like it! It’s so campy and the cast is phenomenal! The imagery and costumes are also fantastic. I don’t love the smoothing they used on the actors. I feel like Ricky Martin does not look right and it took me too long to figure out Laura Dern, an actress I have seen basically my entire life, was Laura Dern.
The Regime on Max is also incredibly campy and Kate Winslet is an absolute star! It’s kind of confusing in that I don’t know if the show is meant to be campy or serious because it does both really well. I’m leaning into it though because I come out of every episode thinking that it was really good and I want to watch more. It’s so entertaining and I cannot wait to see where the story goes.
Cooking
I was craving enchiladas a couple of weeks ago and found a recipe for a beef enchilada casserole. I thought it would be easier for my kids to eat than the traditional way, and I was right! They devoured this and it came together so fast!
I asked on my 9-5 Broadcast Channel (join us if you’re interested!): If you could streamline one chore in your home, what would it be? And the overwhelming response was meals (planning, shopping, cooking) followed by laundry.
Things I Bought and Liked
I lived in the Old Navy PowerSoft Athletic Dress last summer and I intend to do the same this year! I have three from last year and just added another to my closet and I’m so happy about it. They’re the most comfortable. I love wearing them around the house, out for a walk, doing yard work, or going to the pool. I’ll usually throw a sweatshirt over the top if I’m inside. Every time I share these I’m asked if you have to take the whole thing off to go to the bathroom, and the answer is yes. But they’re just so good!
The built-in bra and shorts are great! I love that it’s just one big piece and I don’t risk exposing myself if I’m chasing kids around. And there’s a great pocket on one of the thighs. They’re comfy, cute, and come in great colors!
The hype around The Idea of You is huge and the BOP girls raved about it so much + the new movie coming out this month finally got me. I just finished it and tbh I didn't love it. Still watching the movie when it comes out though!
Love that dress tooo!!