I actually call the months between January and March the "dark months" - I come back to work all energized, only to succumb to the gray and the slog. It affects me work wise (the grading just piles up) and home wise (I just end up on the couch not doing much).
Image via Rifle Paper Co.
The same thing happened home wise as well: I started strong with using the Peloton app for my workouts (and LOVE it), make a list of things to blog about, get all excited about the new year and then...things happened.
These past two weeks in particular were pretty rough - I won't go into much detail, other than there were a few things that happened that were affecting me personally, and contributed to being in more of a funk. Thankfully, things are on the up for the most part.
And honestly? Posting on Instagram was a bit of an escape; I got in touch with several lovely ladies who I love talking to and through chatting with them, offered me a mental break from the reality and the stress that I was experiencing.
Another thing that I need to keep in mind is to not sweat the small stuff. It sounds SO cliché, but I have to stop thinking that I need to do something for myself for hours on end to make it worth it. Even 15 minutes a day is better than feeling like crap all week then trying to binge on the weekend, only to feel even more like crap because it didn't happen. It is a vicious cycle that I am trying to break.
I just received in the mail the 2020 Rifle Paper Co. wall calendar from my sister in LA; we were both lusting after it, and she got it for herself, and also sent me one as a belated Christmas gift (tip: wait about a month into the new year, then all the pretty calendars go on sale)!
As I hung it up on the wall in the craft office (combination craft room and office, since I share it with Mel), I had an idea: why not highlight the fun things coming ahead in the month?
It's like how I do with my Simplified Planner: I look into iCal and write down what is on there in the app into my planner (I went with the Blue Pinstripe this year). The Rifle Paper Co. calendar is gorgeous, so looking at it even digitally will hopefully offer me some inspiration and remind me of what to look forward to.
So here is what I am looking forward to for February:
FEBRUARY 14: Valentine's Day! Usually I am a bit blah about the holiday, but this year I am fully embracing insofar as I can. I have a professional development day then and when I saw on the agenda that I have lunch for AN HOUR AND A HALF, I informed Mel that we are having a date lunch. Bonus: no need for a babysitter since Julian will be in school!
FEBRUARY 15: Galentine's Day brunch with ladies in my neighborhood.
FEBRUARY 22-23: My friend Colleen and her husband are visiting! We met back in 2006 when we were both living in Japan.
FEBRUARY 25-26: I will be starting work at the district level curriculum council for Social Studies. I am super excited about this because long term career goals include working in this field at a district level, so I am looking forward to getting my feet wet and having a voice in the scope and sequence for my content area.
What's everyone looking forward to this month? I have to admit, all the pink and red for Valentine's Day is making me feel super happy!
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