Image: Goodbye February, Hello March
" data-orig-size="542,600" sizes="(max-width: 271px) 100vw, 271px" aperture="aperture" />February is the beginning of my personal roller coaster, and boy did it start out with a bang. Jim was in Australia until February 18th, which meant I had single parent duty for most of the month. When we were not at work/school/dance, Holly and I spent all of our time watching the pup. We received so much snow and the temperatures were so cold during those first three weeks of the month that it trained Cletus to hate going outside. (Seriously, he runs away when he sees either of us put on a coat. ) This makes housebreaking so frustrating and practically nonexistent, which also means one of us has to keep an eye on him at all times. It is amazing how much stuff you cannot do when all of your attention must be towards a puppy.
The rest of the month was getting ready for competition season. Holly had two different dress rehearsals, and the lengths of her regular practices increased as well. We spent a lot of time in the studio in February, as Holly worked to perfect her dances. There were parent meetings, costume fittings, and lots and lots of planning.
Once Jim did get back, he finally started a new job. He ended up selecting one for a dog food company (irony) in southern Milwaukee. His commute is fairly brutal as the office is 71 miles away, but he is allowed to bring the dogs to the office, and the office has several dozen dogs there every day. It is difficult not to enjoy a job where you have constant access to doggy love. He seems to enjoy it, but I think he is still getting his feet well.
On the personal front, I continued with my goal of writing in my journal daily. As life got insanely busy towards the end of the month, this habit fell by the wayside. (I guess this means it is not a habit.) I am inclined to continue this goal through the competition season. After all, if I cannot accomplish this one daily goal when I am not home, then I know I will not be successful at any other habits I would like to add.
Things I have been loving lately:
I never considered myself a pillow person until I started traveling more often and realized how much I miss my pillow when I am not home. This Temper-Pedic pillow is one we bought ages ago, but it really is amazing. When I don’t sleep on it, I almost always wake up with a pinched nerve in my neck. Plus, I just do not sleep very well. I have started bringing my pillow with me whenever we travel, and it has made sleeping in a hotel room so much easier.
Image: Soma Vanishing Back Full Coverage Bra
" data-orig-size="1000,1250" sizes="(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px" aperture="aperture" />I have been a fan of Soma bras for a while now. I discovered this vanishing back bra earlier this month as I replaced some worn-out ones and instantly fell in love. Not only does it provide tremendous support, it really does do what it states it does – smooths out any back bulges. No more unsightly bra bulges in dresses or tees and no need for shapewear. Unlike shapewear, these bras are not constricting in any way. Most of the time, I don’t even know I am wearing a bra, which is about the highest compliment any bra can get.
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I knew this was going to happen, but February was not a great reading month. On the plus side, I was able to read a few of my own books rather than review copies for the first time in a long, long time. I was not able to read as many as I wanted though if only because the time I had to read disappeared this month. I did not read anything written by an author of color either, which disappoints me. Plus, I barely listened to my audiobook. I need to find a way to change that, but I am not certain March is the month to find success in that area.
- Total number of books read: 10
- Total number of pages: 3,515
- Total number of hours listening to audiobooks: 0 – I have to find a way to change this.
- Most-read genre: Mystery
- Longest book: Year One by Nora Roberts at 432 pages
- Shortest book: Jackaby by William Ritter at 299 pages
- % of Books by Female Authors: 40 percent
- % of Books by Authors of Color: 0 percent
- % of YA: 0 percent
- % of New-to-me Authors: 50 percent
- % of Review Copies: 50 percent
- Where in the world did my books take me (every earthly location where my books happened to be set): Traveling Through Books in 2018
- First Lines (every first line of every book read this year and a fun trip down memory lane): First Lines of 2018
- Favorite books I read this month (in alphabetical order):
- The One by John Marrs
- Year One by Nora Roberts
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With competition season underway, now is the time I just hope I remember what day it is. There is no long-term planning beyond getting ready for the next competition weekend. I do know Holly has pom squad tryouts in March, We will see Connor for a week during his spring break. Holly has her spring break towards the end of the month. I believe there is an eye appointment in there for Jim and Holly. I feel so out of control during this season and just hope I make it to Easter without dropping a ball of some sort. I will be lucky to read ten books this month, but none of this is a surprise. It just never gets any easier.
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