Moments from this Week – 25

This week is mostly a collection of ordinary moments really. 

making puzzles, taking classes in the gym, and the summit of course.

working on OLW, my friend visiting, and the last day of school!


Moments from this Week 2018 is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.

Books I Read This Week 2018 – 25

Not a lot this week. 

Mem was really really different. I am not sure if I liked it but I also didn’t dislike it.

Getting Back to Happy was great. If you read their blog, you won’t be surprised by much of the content. 

 The Glitch was fun and a fast read. A bit weird but it didn’t bother me, I enjoyed reading it.

Us Against You is the sequel to Beartown which i loved. I am a bit more distracted this time around but I still love love love these books. His writing is so simple and yet so profound. I love it.

 


Books I Read this Week 2018 is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.

Stories from 2018 – 25 – Passion Project

In Nathaniel’s 3rd grade class, each kid got to pick a passion project to work on during April and May. Nathaniel decided he wanted to do his on Search Engines. He researched the history of search engines, found stats on which ones are most popular where and then we dug up the code we’d written in the udacity class we took a few years ago so he could read through and comment the whole thing.

he also interviewed one of the creators of the very first search engine: Excite! Then he put his poster together where the middle looks like search engine results. 

And finally he had to present it at school.All in all, he learned a lot about search engines and a bunch about coding. It was wonderful to see how into it he was the whole time.


Stories from 2018 is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018here.

Stronger Than Before – 25

 

Weekly Intention: Now that our Boston adventure is done, we have to prepare for Europe. For me this week is about getting enough work done at work to ensure my manager, and team, are all set and that I am not leaving anything unfinished. And seeing if I can do a bit of a mental reset as well. I’d really prefer to go on our vacation with a better mental outlook but we’ll see if that’s feasible.

This month’s intention is: A Stronger You: This month involves travel. Kids at home. Lots of chaos and also wonderful. It will challenge you and you will use the time to get stronger. You will also focus on yourself as needed. Take walks. Self care. Still no plans for the holiday, maybe it will just be taking a lot of walks.

One way I will stretch this week:  just juggling everything and getting mentally ready will do the trick

One boundary I will set this week: i will make sure to spend some time journaling this week to see if I can get myself more ready for this wonderful trip.

This week, I will focus on pleasing: work and me. 

One new thing I will learn this week: i haven’t been doing any language work so maybe that or maybe just nothing this week.

One area where I will go deeper this week: my thoughts and feelings this week

What do I need to sit with this week? where i am and how I can help myself out of there.

I am looking forward to: one lovely week at home.

This week’s challenges: just a lot of work 

Top Goals: 

  • Work:  get strategy doc written. allyship email done, tie loose ends
  • Personal: exercise, good nutrition, selfcare, sleep
  • Family: hug kids and jake all the time

I will focus on my values:

  • Love: love for myself this week i didn’t do much last week
  • Learn: in the spirit of new classes, i will try to see if i can get to work a bit early and use some of the machines.
  • Peace: peace with whatever’s going on
  • Service: to work this week since i will be out
  • Gratitude: for my incredible life that is so much more than i could have imagined

This week, I want to remember: that life is actually good in all the ways that matter.


Stronger Than Before is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.

Weekly Reflection 2018 – 24


How I got Stronger this week: This was a good week for exercise and a mostly good week for eating healthier. I got a medium amount of work done but I wasn’t as productive as i would have liked. Mentally I am still not in the best place which is definitely having an effect on my ability to want to be stronger or show up in a way I’d like. I wish there was a way to snap out of it so that I could just do that.

Top Goals Review: i got the sessions somewhat organized,  i didn’t really focus on allyship but i did catch up a bit. I exercised daily and ate reasonably well, i did more self care than usual and slept well. i didn’t focus on summer plans much so i will have to do that either next week or after the trip.

I celebrate: I celebrate first week of summer with my boys.

I am grateful for:  the gym at work. it’s been helping me take chances and try new classes, i am really grateful for that.

Karen’s Points: I exercised each week day, Monday I did both some cardio (running, rowing, stairs) and then took a body shred class which nearly killed me, Tuesday and Wednesday I did Body Pump (and a bit of elliptical on Wednesday), Thursday I did a HIIT class which also nearly killed me. Friday I did Body Pump again. My breakfast and lunches were mostly healthy and focused on nutrition. Dinner is a bit more challenging still. 

A Change I embraced: transitioning to summer involved driving nathaniel back and forth a lot this week, it’s been challenging, but also wonderful to see how much he’s enjoying himself.

I let go of: being able to get everything I had in mind done.

Core Desired Feelings Check-in:

  • Fresh: the two classes were fresh and showed me that i can do them (even if they nearly kill me)
  • Magical: seeing nathaniel’s camp has been very magical
  • Lighter: not feeling very light lately, life is well but my head is really not well
  • True: truth is that i am still struggling more than I would like

Where I chose Joy: i spent several days working at home in my back year this week and it was wonderful

I showed up for:  nathaniel this week and jake since they left early 

A Mistake I made this week: some major procrastination this week which wasn’t great

What I tolerated this week: a lot of blah.

My mood this week was: distracted. 

I forgive myself for: being where i am, i am a work in progress.

What I love right now:  that i am about to see my nephews so very soon.


Weekly Reflection is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.

Moments from this Week – 24

This week is some books I read, funny faces from David, blue trees, trip to Ashland and some beautiful color in my life.

love the faces David makes to entertain me.

oh and Nathaniel’s passion project, too!


Moments from this Week 2018 is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.

Books I Read This Week 2018 – 24

I read a few super short books this week so it looks like I read a lot but it’s not that many.

Pops is a collection of essays and Michael Chabon is such a good writer that I loved reading them very much.

I enjoyed The Ensemble both more and less than I thought I would. The cover is so beautiful, too, isn’t it?

Tin Man was lovely. Painful but also wonderful.

 The Electric Woman was fascinating, well executed, a bit longer than I would have liked but I enjoyed its unusualness.

For Every One is super short. worth the read.

How to Walk Away was fun but I didn’t like it as much as I hoped I was going to. I enjoyed it. 

Assume the Worst was also super short. Funny, of course. 

Calypso was good old Sedaris, whom I love. He didn’t disappoint.

A so-so list this week. A few great ones, and some ordinary ones.


Books I Read this Week 2018 is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.

Stories from 2018 – 24 – Backpacking in Yosemite

The week I went to Tokyo, David went back country backpacking in Yosemite with his class. He wasn’t thrilled about it.

They had to carry all of their gear on their back plus the tents and bear cans full of food.

I was worried all week, hoping he was having a good time. 

And super excited to pick him up when it was time. It turned out he had a good time. It wasn’t amazing but also not at all as bad as he worried it might be. I am so so proud of my boy. He’s growing up too fast.


Stories from 2018 is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018here.

Stronger Than Before – 24

 

Weekly Intention: This week is the first week of summer for my kids. Nathaniel has Raspberry pi camp all week and we have scattered and mixed travel schedule this week to go see family. I am both excited and overwhelmed at the idea because we then come home briefly before we embark on our logistically tricky summer vacation. So I am a bit worried about how everything will unfold for the next few weeks but I am also trying to be zen about it all. Zen is not something that I’d associate with me so my intention this week is to enjoy the week I have, get some self-care, some quiet time, some family time, and a bunch of work done. Let’s start with that.

This month’s intention is: A Stronger You: This month involves travel. Kids at home. Lots of chaos and also wonderful. It will challenge you and you will use the time to get stronger. You will also focus on yourself as needed. Take walks. Self care. It helps to have been going to the gym but I will need a plan for the travel so I’ll spend some time working on that this week.

One way I will stretch this week:  the travel and coordination will stretch me.

One boundary I will set this week: i will work less this week and keep some self-care time.

This week, I will focus on pleasing: me. 

One new thing I will learn this week: maybe i can do some more italian this week.

One area where I will go deeper this week: making a plan for the summer for the kids.

What do I need to sit with this week? with the fact that i am still not feeling altogether here. it’s been a long may and likely will be a long june/july. i need to really work on journaling and being present and looking for the joy.

I am looking forward to: seeing my nephews.

This week’s challenges: coordination, juggling life/work, travel

Top Goals: 

  • Work:  get strategy sessions organized. allyship focus. catch up.
  • Personal: exercise, good nutrition, selfcare, sleep
  • Family: our trip, summer plans for the kids

I will focus on my values:

  • Love: love for myself this week. i need it.
  • Learn: maybe i can try one more new class at work this week.
  • Peace: peace with the fact that june/july will be a bunch of travel and see if i can enjoy it 
  • Service: to the kids and their summer plans this week
  • Gratitude: for having people love me so much despite my crazy

This week, I want to remember: that i am not really traveling much until end of june and i can enjoy all the days in between


Stronger Than Before is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.

Weekly Reflection 2018 – 23


How I got Stronger this week: This was a mixed week as they mostly seem to be in life. I went to the gym every day at work, so that was good. I intended not to eat sugar during the week but that was nearly impossible with the stress of running the summit, so that was less good. The summit seemed to have gone really well, so that was good. Net-net I’d put this week in the “got stronger” column if I had to pick one. 

Top Goals Review: the pm summit is done done done! strategy session is not booked but that was on purpose. I feel positive about the direction those are going. i exercised daily and my nutrition was so so. we made it through the last day of school!

I celebrate: I celebrate being done with the summit and having it go smoothly.

I am grateful for:  my friend Cagla who’s visiting San Francisco for work and spent the night with me on Friday. I can’t even remember when we saw each other last, so it was a real wonderful treat.

Karen’s Points: I exercised each week day, I did Body Pump on Monday and Tuesday and Friday. Took a Spin class on Wednesday for the first time in 20 years and I did yoga on Thursday. The food was more of a mixed bag but I also did some reasonable self care especiallt considering how insane this week was. 

A Change I embraced: lots of little changes in the summit and i did my best to go with the flow.

I let go of: anything i had to do most night and just went right to bed as i was completely wiped.

Core Desired Feelings Check-in:

  • Fresh: the spin class counts for my fresh this week
  • Magical: seeing cagla was fresh and magical.
  • Lighter: much lighter now that the summits are all done!
  • True: truth is that i am still struggling more than I would like

Where I chose Joy: hanging out with my high school friend was the definition of joy.

I showed up for:  the summit, and last day of school for my kiddos!

A Mistake I made this week: hmm. several in the summit. but mostly just being so hard on myself is what’s eating me the most lately.

What I tolerated this week: exhaustion.

My mood this week was: focused. 

I forgive myself for: not eating as well as i could have, it was a long few days.

What I love right now:  summer. i am so glad it’s here!


Weekly Reflection is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.

Moments from this Week – 23

This week is about Nathaniel’s project, David’s volunteering, more from Tokyo and moving up to 8th grade!

love having a mixture of things here! 🙂

I hadn’t written in a while so that was fun, too.


Moments from this Week 2018 is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.

Books I Read This Week 2018 – 23

This week was a great week of reading. I loved all of what I read.

I actually read Warlight last week but forgot to write about it. Ondaatje’s words are just such a pleasure to read. This novel wasn’t my favorite but I still enjoyed the words.

That Kind of Mother was wonderful, I really enjoyed reading it.

I enjoyed The Cactus even more. It was one of those quirky main character novels which I’ve read many of by now but I still loved it.

 Beauty in the Broken Places was sad. I knew nothing about this story but I enjoyed reading it.

My Ex-Life was fun and quirky, too. I enjoyed it.

 Regrets Only was likely my least favorite of all these light novels. I thought the main character was too over the top for me and the novel was just not as tight as I would have liked it, but I read it anyway.

The Queen of Hearts was fun and enjoyable even if it’s not a book i am likely to remember.

In fact, I might not remember any of these for too long but I enjoyed reading all of them and that’s all that matters, especially this week. 


Books I Read this Week 2018 is a year-long project for 2018. You can read more about my projects for 2018 here.