Monthly Mash-Up: January 2018

These days the majority of what I read online and/or see on the news makes me - to put it simply - sad. And because I don't want to dwell on that which brings me down (though I recognize the importance of staying informed about what's going on in my local community, in our country, and across the world), I have added a new category to my Monthly Mash-Up: Feeling Good About. Each month I plan to include something that brought a smile to my face, made me laugh, lifted my spirits, inspired me, and/or gave me hope. Check out my first installment at the end of this post!

Writing
I didn't take on anything new in December or January. This decision turned out to a blessing in disguise, because if I had committed to a project in January, illness would have kept me from making my deadline.

I did, however, have a validating experience for a writer: I came across something I had written (well, something in which something I had written was included) for sale in Barnes & Noble. No, I didn't author a novel, but coming across my article while standing in the bookstore's magazine section felt pretty darn good. I almost showed the man standing next to me, but thought better of it and texted pictures to my mom instead.

Reading
I almost didn't finish this book in time to include it in this month's mash-up because I misplaced it for a good two weeks. Thankfully I found it with three days to spare, both with regard to the month and the book's library due date.

I heard Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire called a "portal fantasy" deserving of a place next to Lewis Caroll and C.S. Lewis' classics on the shelves, and McGuire's bio describes her as an author of urban fantasy and "darker fiction". I don't generally care for fantasy or science fiction, so I should have processed this information in a way that led to me putting the book back...for some reason, however, I chose to check it out from the library anyway. It was a quick and easy read but seemed somehow incomplete - parts of the plot could and probably should have received more attention and expansion. I didn't love the story, but I also didn't completely hate it; if you enjoy the literary categories listed above, give this novel a try!

Watching
Friends and I caught Pitch Perfect 3 at the beginning of the month, and while I enjoyed the movie, it fell short of both the first and second installments...probably because the Green Bay Packers weren't invited to participate.

Hallie and I finished the third season of Fuller House. The show dishes up just as much cheese as Full House did 30 years ago, but I LOVE it. And I couldn't be happier that Netflix just committed to a fourth season.

Listening To
I stumbled upon The Trio on Facebook, and now I can't stop listening to these three young women nail song after song. They have beautiful voices and incredible harmonies - check out this one (the National Anthem) and this one (an 80s medley) to start.

I haven't had the opportunity to see The Greatest Showman yet (😩), but I know that when I finally see it in the theatre or On Demand in a couple of months, I will LOVE it. A musical theatre fan since before I can remember and a Hugh Jackman fan since he starred in Kate & Leopold with Meg Ryan in 2001, everything about The Greatest Showman has my name written all over it. Until that day comes, I am watching...and watching...and watching these two videos on repeat and trying not to cry every time.

Trying/Using
I don't actually own this cat-in-a-bag carrier yet, but I will soon - I honestly think this would make taking Tux to the vet easier!

I also intend to purchase one of these phone cases. A friend has one and LOVES it, and while I liked the Casetify phone case I bought a few months back, its clear plastic looks dingy now and no matter what I do/use, I can't get it to look new again.

Wearing
It took us four years, but my friend, Rebecca, and I finally made shirts to wear while we ran the 4th Grade Variety Show. (Bless her heart, Rebecca took on this project completely on her own while I was suffering from the flu.) Aren't they fun?!

I didn't purchase any new clothing pieces in January, however I did try something related to clothing that I thought I'd share. While cleaning out my closet, I pulled quite a few pieces that I thought I might sell better online rather than at a garage sale. I didn't particularly want to take pictures and post everything myself, so I decided to try ThreadUp - the "world's largest online secondhand shopping destination". I can't yet report on the process through to completion, but I can say that it was incredibly easy to request, fill, and return one of their bags. Hopefully I can provide more information - on my payout - by the end of next month, and I'll keep you posted!

Eating/Drinking
I cooked very little in January (you know, the flu - I sound like a broken record 😂) but I did start off the month indulging in a few Wisconsin favorites. Not all of these treats can be found everywhere, but if you come across any of them while grocery shopping, consider them highly recommended!

Jolly Good soda

Hamel Isthmus wine

Merkt's cheese spread 

I think I have this story correct... The wine above came from a winery in California, the older owners of which grew up in my parents' house. My parents' next-door neighbors happened to visit the winery (knowing nothing about this connection), asked about the Wisconsin Badger on the bottle, and eventually learned of this crazy connection. 

Feeling Good About
We Dine Together: "uniting & empowering individuals to create inclusive environments through the belief that long-lasting relationships are built over the table".

Sounds grown-up, right? Nope. This organization was started by high school students in Boca Raton and has spread to additional high schools across the country. Watch the video at the end of this story - it'll give you hope for our future generations.

What's new and interesting in your world this month?

High Five for Friday (2.2.18)

1. First, a high five for last week's highlights that didn't get the blog space they deserved.

• Will had a great time trying out a new (to him) golf entertainment venue in Houston with friends for a birthday party. He claims Hallie, Tom, and I would all enjoy Top Golf even though we fall somewhere between poor and awful on the golf scale. 
• Hallie and many of her fellow third graders had the opportunity to sing the National Anthem at an Aggie Women's basketball game. They did a fantastic job!
• The 4th Grade Variety Show went off without a hitch (or at least without any hitches that anyone except me and my co-captain Rebecca noticed), and many in attendance called it the best one yet. For the first time the 4th grade teachers joined in the fun and closed out the show with a surprise finale. 
• My mom and I refinished the top of our kitchen table, which after 14 years showed many signs of wear and tear. It now looks refreshed and ready for another 14 years!

2. Second, a high five that as of today, we're just about caught up on everything we fell behind on throughout the last three weeks. School work, blog posts, emails, PTO projects, dance classes, gym workouts...I finally feel as though I have a (precariously loose) grip on life once again.

3. Third, my soccer-loving boy and I discovered - a little late to the game, as always - the "slo-mo" mode on my phone camera. He and I had a blast filming these videos until our daylight ran out (we also discovered that slo-mo works better in bright sunlight) and he's making plans for all sorts of additional highlight reels down the road.

4. Fourth, we have an exciting weekend ahead of us! Annual events like 50 Men Who Can Cook and Night of Worship along with one soccer game, one Zumbathon, one musical, three birthday parties, and dance costume pick-up mean we'll be busy, but we're all so grateful to feel healthy enough to tackle our schedule that we don't mind the chaos a bit!

5. And last but not least, Happiness Highlights:

Will's soccer team played three extremely tough games against NTX
and STX Olympic Development Program teams last weekend. They
hung in better than both he and I thought they would, even bringing
home a victory of which we were all proud. 

It sprinkled on us during the first game and POURED on us during
the second game, but we had fun (?) trying to stay warm and dry.

Will's team looked like the winners of a wet
t-shirt contest in their soaking wet white jerseys.

Super wet, but otherwise happy!

Just a sweatshirt draped over a chair...oh wait, there's a
little sister in there. We enjoy taking pictures of Hallie doing
all the things she rather do than watch Will play soccer.

Little girls ready to watch their big girls
in their Peter and the Wolf dress rehearsal.

Sweet friends of Will and Hallie's as flowers and "pond".

😍

Wrapping up rehearsals for Night of Worship!

He's been kind of a jerk lately but we still love him...

Happy Friday, Chasing Roots!

Linking up with High Five for Friday here:

 

February Fun (or February Resolutions...Same Thing, Right?)

If you recall, this year I began tackling my New Year's Resolutions in September. I also decided to choose one resolution each month, rather than choosing one or two resolutions to attempt - and at which to most likely fail - over the course of the year. With only 30 days devoted to each resolution, my goals have been and will continue to be small, measureable, and empowering. Smaller goals are more attainable, which increases the chance of success. Measureable goals are more manageable, which once again increases the chance of success. And empowering goals are more inspirational, which…you guessed it…increases the chance of success.

Here are the details on February's resolution, as well as an update on months past:

February's Resolution: clean out all of my kitchen cabinets and drawers. After cleaning out and paring down the contents of (some of - see the update below) my closets in January, my kitchen cabinets and drawers suddenly feel agitatingly disorganized and unnecessarily full. I expect that my friends and I will hold a joint garage sale come April, so while I don't want all of my resolutions to revolve around cleaning out different areas of my house, it makes sense to tackle clutter in January, February, and March.

January's Resolution: clean out all of our closets. My goal was to take care of the kids' closets with them before they go back to school, and then tackle the rest of the closets throughout the last three weeks of the month. The result? A moderate success, but there remains work to be done! I started off strong at the beginning of January, but getting sick meant I made absolutely no progress throughout the last two weeks of the month. I thoroughly cleaned out both kids' closets, the linen/guest bathroom closet, the front hall closet, the playroom closet, and my half of the master closet. I still need to go through the guest room closet and Tom's side of our closet, and then organize my donation and sale piles.

If your schedule allows, I strongly recommend dedicating at least one of your months' resolutions to decluttering and organizing. It feels so good to know that the clothes and toys and linens and decor that are taking up space in our closets and our lives are those we actually use!

This was what I pulled from the kids' closets and my closet. (I
forgot to take an updated picture after I added the linen/guest
bathroom closet, front hall closet, and the playroom closet.)

December's Resolution: read to my kids every night. My goal was to sit on the side of their beds - or better yet, snuggle up next to them - and either read to them or let them read to me. The result? A moderate success on paper, an overwhelming success in reality! I read to Hallie almost every night, and to Will about every other night. We missed a few evenings because of late-night activities like Snowmageddon 2017, Nutcracker performances, Christmas parties, a birthday sleepover, and travel, and a couple of times Will opted to read his own book rather than join Hallie and me. December worked perfectly for this resolution as our evenings held fewer commitments, and I truly hope I can carry this resolution into January - when our regular evening activities begin again - and protect this precious time together.

November's Resolution: write in my gratitude journal daily. My goal was to document at least one thing for which I was thankful every day between November 1st and November 23rd (Thanksgiving Day). The result? A moderate success! I missed a couple of days but realized fairly quickly I had done so; I remembered the days I had accidentally skipped with enough clarity to go back and update my gratitude journal.

October's Resolution: drink more water. My goal was to down at least two full water bottles every day. The result? A complete disaster! I probably met my goal only one day a week. I do a great job of drinking water during the summer, but for some reason my school year schedule doesn't have the same triggers as my summer schedule to remind me to drink water. I left water bottles on the counter and somehow walked right by them. I set reminders on my phone but if I wasn't standing right next to the sink when they went off, I would forget all about my water by the time I made it to the kitchen.

September's Resolution: turn off the light by 11:30pm on school nights and by 12:00am (midnight) on weekends. My goal was to get at least seven hours of sleep a night, and to settle into a peaceful schedule of falling asleep and waking up that would continue through the school year. The result? A complete success! Not one cheat day. On October 1st I stayed up a few minutes after 11:30pm just because I could, but after that day I went back to my 11:30pm and 12:00am bedtimes and now most morning I wake feeling well rested and refreshed.

What have you resolved to change about yourself and/or your life this year? How are those resolutions going?

Back On Track

Holy cow, folks - I feel like I lost two weeks of my life.

I started feeling a little under the weather on a Thursday morning, but given my history of relative health and fairly high pain tolerance, I assumed I had just come down with a cold. I "powered through" for five full days, until Monday night when I went to bed and didn't get up again until Sunday afternoon. (Well, I got up on Friday afternoon, but only for a trip to Urgent Care for IV fluids and anti-nausea meds.) I eventually eased back into life a few hours at a time, and thankfully by last Thursday I felt well enough to co-pilot our annual 4th Grade Variety Show at the kids' elementary school.

Please don't read my description of this illness as complaining. I rarely get sick beyond one cold a year, so a part of me feels like my figurative turn had come. (Other than ONE 12-hour stomach bug, I haven't had an illness that required me to spend the day in bed in more than 20 years, when I had shingles as a freshman in college.) If anything, I feel grateful to have made it to the other side of this mess in one piece, and for all of the support I and my family received along the way.

Tom went to work when he had to - he had multiple graduate students going through their qualifying exams in the middle of all this - but otherwise he stayed home to take care of Will and Hallie. I talked sobbed to my mom on the darkest morning and she was on a plane from Wisconsin to Texas three hours later. She stayed for a full week to help Tom nurse me and the kids back to health and then help me get through a crazy week (see: 4th Grade Variety Show mentioned above). My friends brought Gatorade and Sprite and soup and crackers and medicine. They brought magazines and books and toys for the kids. They came into my house (gutsy of them, given the plethora of germs that must have been floating around at the time) and checked on my kids when I couldn't get out of bed. They picked up and delivered homework, took kids to school when they were healthy, and picked me up from Urgent Care. It takes a village, folks. And I have a great one.

I have A LOT to catch up on after the last nearly three weeks, but I finally feel like I'm back on track. Thanks for sticking with me!

I took only one picture - of Will playing a few songs on the cello
for my mom - since all this began. The picture doesn't exactly sum
up our last two weeks, but it's kind of sweet.

Nope

For the first time in seven years, I have to take a few days off from the blog. I've taken breaks from writing new content in the past, but during those breaks I've set up flashback posts or linked to favorite stories or videos so you - my ever-faithful Chasing Roots readers - would still find something fun when you visited.

But not this week.

I am happy to report that after a horrible nearly two weeks - five days of feeling ill, one day of going from bad to worse, three days at rock bottom (hello, IV fluids and anti-nausea meds at urgent care), and now three days of S...L...O...W recovery - I have started to feel like a human being once again. But I have an insanely busy week ahead of me, and I know that surviving all the things I HAVE to do needs to take precedence over writing new blog posts. Thank you for understanding, and please come back and see me here next Monday. New content guaranteed!

This Week Bites

I had planned on a different post - a High Five for Friday post - today, but after the week we've had I threw it out the window.

Last week Tom was sick with a 24-hour bug. Then I came down with an illness that felt like a cold for the first few days, but then turned into something much nastier. Hallie followed in my footsteps a couple of days later, and then Will followed her down a couple of days after that. Everyone feels like complete garbage, and everyone is angry and sad because they've missed important school and extracurricular events: Will, the second day of the orchestra recruitment field trip, Hallie, the UIL Storytelling competition for which she practiced for MONTHS, and me, Variety Show rehearsals. For a family that rarely gets sick, getting hit with all of this crud THIS week has been particularly painful.

I'm particularly worried about Will, who has bad lungs to begin with and for whom recovery always takes longer. His mental health always suffers as well, because so much of what he does for fun and stress relief involves physical activity.

So in a nutshell, this week stunk. I am, however, tremendously grateful for good friends who've given rides, made dinner, dropped off medicine and Gatorade and books and games, and picked up the slack for me with regard to my responsibilities outside of the house while we're trying to recover. THANK YOU!

Here's hoping next week is a better week!

Wisconsin Bucket List: Ice Boating

I climbed into an iceboat for the first time more than 30 years ago. As a winter sport, it suited me perfectly - plenty of speed, but relative safety (thanks to protective gear and an incredibly skilled helmsman) - and throughout my years in Madison we ventured out onto Lake Mendota as often as the weather and ice would allow.

For those of you unfamiliar with ice boating (or more formally, ice yachting), a quick 411... Ice yachting is the sport of sailing and racing iceboats. An iceboat looks and operates like a sailboat, but with a trio of blades or runners positioned in a triangle like the three wheels of a tricycle and designed to traverse ice rather than cruise through water. Just like sailboats, iceboats depend on wind: more wind translates to faster sailing, both in water and on ice. The difference is that on the ice, boats experience less friction and less resistance and travel in a more pure direction (primarily just forward, rather than forward along with up and down and side to side) than they do in water. On a windy day, iceboats can travel up to 60 or 70 MPH.

She's a beauty, isn't she?

Because of those speeds, clothing to protect from the elements as well as safety gear - helmets, goggles, and ice picks - are mandatory. Ice picks, or the "picks of life" as I regularly call them, are worn around the neck and would allow someone to pull themselves back onto the ice should they end up in the water. I have never ended up in the water, but my dad and a friend of his have come close when the boat hit a dining room table-sized hole in the ice.

The iceboat - which belongs to my dad's best friend, Chuck - usually "goes in" in January, which means the four Ferri always miss out on the opportunity to ride during our holiday visits. This year, however, an early freeze meant the iceboat went in a few weeks earlier than usual and my boys finally got to cross ice boating off their Wisconsin Bucket List.

Tom and Chuck

Chuck and Will

Iceboats only work on hard ice, meaning the ice must be solid and smooth without any slush on top. The best ice forms when the temperature drops quickly and stays far below freezing for an extended period of time; this usually happens in January, but this year it happened in December.

The wind didn't exactly cooperate - steady wind makes for the best rides, and on that day it came only in gusts - but both Tom and Will had the opportunity to ride with Chuck behind the wheel. My dad estimated that Will's ride went the fastest at 30 or 35 MPH, which Will proclaimed "terrifying". (I would agree with Will's description; those speeds feel incredibly fast when you're hunkered down in the iceboat's tiny body with the bitter wind whipping you in the face.) Both he and Tom had a blast though, and I'm so grateful to my dad and Chuck for making sure my boys could have this unique and cool experience.