Weekly Diary 2015 « karenika

Weekly Diary – March 29 2015

I honestly can’t even remember this week passing by. I must have been more jetlagged than I thought and next thing I knew it was already Friday. I feel like this whole year has been passing by at an usually fast speed. I just can’t seem to get a hold of my days. I also feel like I still haven’t found my new normal so I am struggling with sticking to any type of rhythm which also means I am not eating well or drinking enough water or getting any exercise. Which just accumulates to a lot of back pain, feeling tired all the time, and just general grumpiness/weepiness. But most days I find myself pushing through. Which, of course, is the wrong thing to do. Life most negative cycles, I have to purposefully take a step back and get myself reset. Just can’t seem to find the trick to making it happen.

Here are a few more photos from the last week:

We only took family photos this week.

But we took them in the backyard.

there was much laughter as always.

pouting faces.

angry faces.

surprised faces.

and laughter.

so much joy in these photos. I love them so.

and here we are. Another full week. I am so grateful for my life.

Weekly Diary is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

Weekly Diary – March 22 2015

I spent the last week in the Zurich office. I had meetings all week and took lots of notes and met lots of people. I always feel really conflicted about leaving the kids but then when I go to these meetings, I also always feel rejuvenated, inspired, and good about my job. Which is why I am willing to go even though it means time away. The kids had a blast with Jake. They played on the playground every day. They got ice cream and oreos and even went swimming together.

Here are a few more photos from the last week:

I had taken some shots of the fun work conference rooms when I was in Zurich last December but this time I went to the building across the street and found some more fun rooms. Like this James Bond one.

This is the room on the other side of the secret door.

Arabian nights. Or Aladdin? I am not sure. It had no name.

and more.

some mini conference rooms in the big one.

there was a saloon too but my photos didn’t come out well.

the lego room.

was one of my favorites.

especially this wall.

then I went back to my all time favorite room: the library.

and took a mirror shot, too.

the cafe is called Milliways.

and has a big slide.

before I knew it, the week was over and I was on my way back.

i spent the weekend mostly out of it. Nathaniel got pinkeye and I am very jetlagged so we spent a lot of time at home, just relaxing.

and still all in good humor.

nathaniel making pig noises.

making us laugh.

silly faces.

and fake pouting.

angry faces.

and just a lot of laughter.

and here we are. Another full week. I missed my family so much and it’s so great to be back home. I am so grateful for my life.

Weekly Diary is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

Weekly Diary – March 15 2015

This week went fast. Apparently they are all going to do that now. The school benefit is in a few weeks and honestly between work and that and all the work I do with the kids. I’ve made my peace with what this means until May. The benefit and tech challenge will both be over then and I expect things to be considerably calmer. At least for a while. Let’s hope 🙂

Here are a few more photos from the last week:

Jake and I were away last weekend which is why I didn’t do a weekend update. We went away just the two of us for the first time since the kids were born. The kids got to spend the weekend with Jake’s parents and they had a wonderful time.

But most importantly, Nathaniel lost a tooth. Actually it had to be pulled since the one below is coming out and apparently it was making everything go wonky.

And here’s a shot of us during our cruise up and down highway one.

while we were gone, the kids and my mother in law created some vegetable beds in the backyard.

they have lettuce, radishes, carrots, peas, beans and tomatoes.

The lettuce looks yummy to me!

and they are in charge of watering them everyday.

we didn’t take many photos this week but we did take the family photos.

with silly faces.

and sad faces.

where jake couldn’t help but laugh.

and so did the rest of us.

and here we are. Another full week. I am so grateful for my life.

Weekly Diary is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

Weekly Diary – March 1 2015

This week started with the boys going back to school and me getting sick. I woke up congested and shivering. I made it through Monday and Tuesday but Wednesday I knew that I had to take some time off so I rested most of the rest of the week. so much for getting back on track. Even despite the sickness, I did make some progress this week, just not as much as I had hoped to.

I am learning to give myself grace. Learning to remember that things take time and that each day is a new opportunity to get just a bit closer to the life I want to live but also that it’s only one day and i can try all over again the next day. Just trying to be patient with myself.

In the spirit of keeping tabs on my priorities and goals weekly, here’s some of what worked and didn’t work this week so far:

Worked Well:

I did multiple days with at least 10K steps this week.
I ate healthier and drank water almost every day this week.
I helped finalize the mother-son book club we’re starting for 4th grade boys.
I had a wonderful, long chat with David on Friday night and spent a lovely breakfast with Nathaniel on Saturday morning.
I journaled almost every day.
I hosted and advised David and two of his friends for their tech challenge scientific journal
I set up a vacation for Jake and me for this upcoming weekend.
I am trying to see if I can make a plan for April.

Needs more Work:

I’ve been sick :(.
Still feeling disorganized and not-grounded. I’m making progress on this but it’s one of those things where I take two steps forward and then three back and then five forward and it’s just going to take a bit of time to get it right.
I’m still wishing i ate more veggies, drank more water, and exercised more.

Here are a few more photos from the last week:

I didn’t take any photos during the week this week. This year, in general, has been low on photos so far. Nathaniel and I went to the local Cafe on Saturday morning at 6am when they were only serving coffee. It was just us two at the cafe.

We did some workbooks.

And some math and telling time. people started to trickle in and they started serving food so we got some.

and i tried to take photos.

i wanted some serious ones but he was busy being his silly self.

and made both of us laugh.

today we took some family photos.

my boys have been growing up so quickly.

that i know i will cherish these silly faces.

and i will be so glad i took these photos.

not to mention all the laughter.

they really love the silly faces the best.

though today nathaniel decided to add a shruggie to the mix.

which David decided was an excellent idea.

and here we are. Another full week. I am so grateful for my life.

Weekly Diary is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

Weekly Diary – February 22 2015

This year seems to be going by in a blur. If I thought January was like that, February showed me how much more blurry the days can get. So much for feeling more settled. I would say March might do the trick but I am going to Zurich in the middle of March for a week and I am not sure what that will do to my schedule and ability to get back to being organized.

I am finding myself spinning my wheels a lot this year so far. I feel quite out of sorts. I am doing many things I am proud of but I am also not doing some things that I really really want to focus on and that’s making me feel frustrated with myself. I wish there was some trick that could help me get back on some type of routine.

In the spirit of keeping tabs on my priorities and goals weekly, here’s some of what worked and didn’t work this week so far:

Worked Well:

I feel like I am staying on top of my art/projects for the most part.
I am trying to go back on the exercise plan.
I still love teaching math to the boys.
I’m still spending a lot of time with David and Nathaniel, working and playing.
We started a daily 30-min reading time together where all 3 of us sit and read quietly.
I am co-organizing a mother-son book club for David’s class.
Took David to Orlando!
We had a lot of fun in Santa Cruz together.
I did a tiny bit more journaling
I spent some time getting organized, let’s see if it pays off

Needs more Work:

All things health and exercise have been on a major decline.
Still feeling disorganized and not-grounded.
Also feeling really tired and a lot of back pain, I need to focus on my health a lot more starting this week.
I’ve been feeling down, sad, disorganized, and frazzled.

Here are a few more photos from the last two weeks:

Two weeks ago was David’s 10th birthday. I wanted to do something special for him so I surprised him by pulling him out of school on the Friday before his birthday and the two of us flew to Orlando to visit Universal Studios so he could see Harry Potter land. Our flight there was delayed by quite a few hours due to high winds at SFO so we sat at the airport for several hours while he listened to music and I listened to my book.

By the time we got in and checked into the hotel, it was 2am. We woke up just a few hours later to make sure we could be there right when the park opened. Here’s David reading the brochure on the shuttle.

My camera was dead on the first day so I took most of our photos on the phone and posted on my instagram account. We started with Diagon Alley.

and then took the train

to Hogsmeade.

the next day, my camera was working so I made him pose by the door.

and everywhere else.

after we were done with harry potter, we went to some of the other fun locations

he liked the comicbook town.

after two days filled with fun and adventure, we got back home and had to return back to life. But only for four days because the kids started their winter break that friday. We were originally going to go to Los Angeles, but I felt wiped from Orlando and really wasn’t ready to go anywhere. So, instead, we decided to have fun locally. We went to Santa Cruz and bowled.

i did quite badly.

the big boys played video games.

they had a minigolf with a section with black light, it was really fun.

it was a really sunny and beautiful day

on Tuesday, we went to see an IMAX movie at the Tech Museum and walked around Santana Row. And then Wednesday we went to see the SpongeBob movie. It was a low key but also fun week. Then it was time to take family photos.

Nathaniel was on a roll.

always smiling.

silly face time.

nonstop fun for the little boy.

and a crazy attempt at tickle time.

and here we are. Another full week. I am so grateful for my life.

Weekly Diary is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

Weekly Diary – February 1 2015

Still not taking many photos. I feel like January went in a blur. I have been brave and taken risks and done so many more things than I usually do. But I also felt more hectic than I’d like to at times. I think I need to work a bit more on organizing my days better, chunking up my time better so I am not context switching so many times in a short period. I also need to just go to bed early, no matter what. Eight hours of sleep is a bare minimum for me. I need to honor that.

Here’s to hoping February feels a bit more settled.

In the spirit of keeping tabs on my priorities and goals weekly, here’s some of what worked and didn’t work this week so far:

Worked Well:

I got caught up on some of the art I hadn’t finished in the last week.
Still doing well with the skin cream.
It was a tough week for food but I still tried more than usual.
I really love teaching math to the boys.
I spent a lot of time with David and Nathaniel, working and playing.
We had a successful benefit pre-party.
Organized a social at work and one more coming up.
Bought both boys some books and took them out to celebrate for having such good feedback from their teachers.
Did more research into middle schools.
Did better on sleep. I went to sleep at 7 two nights in a row.
Finally bought presents for David’s birthday.

Needs more Work:

I am still not journaling but I have a plan, now.
I did not exercise this week. I feel really sad about this
I didn’t drink enough water or take my vitamins.
Still feeling disorganized and not-grounded.

So for this upcoming week, I really want to focus on coming up with a plan. Be more focused. Feel less frazzled. Feel more in control. And if I can also exercise, I’d consider that a big bonus.

Here are a few more photos from this week:

Nathaniel has started reading more and more and it makes me so happy to see it.

He and Daddy spent some time playing chess this week, too.

I also found these photos Jake took at the Air Museum the boys went to two weeks ago.

they aren’t perfect but i love them.

there was some more biking for Nathaniel this week.

he’s getting better and better.

then it was family photo time

i love my boys

silly faces

more silly faces

they make me laugh so much.

tickle time!!

and here we are. A busy but productive and amazing week. I am so grateful for my life.

Weekly Diary is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

Weekly Diary – January 25 2015

I didn’t get to post these last week and I wanted to go back and make up for that.

Here are a few more photos from this week:

I found these little gems from New Year’s Day.

the four of us.

the boys went biking.

i love watching them bike.

reading on the computer with daddy.

we went to tahoe for the weekend, which is a long story for another time. but we got to take this one shot.

and one in the car.

we were back home for Sunday and got our photos in.

my wonderful family.

silly faces.

nathaniel’s “we love” that david wasn’t fond of.

and david’s “we love” time.

and my favorite: tickle time.

and here we are. A busy but productive and amazing week. I am so grateful for my life.

Weekly Diary is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

Weekly Diary – January 18 2015

Still not taking any photos. Let’s see if I can rectify that starting this week. I’d like to say week two was all about getting back into routine but I’d so totally be lying. This week was possibly busier than last week. Meetings, teaching, middle school trips, personal projects and of course lots and lots of work.

And in a continuing saga, Nathaniel now has a double-ear infection. Yum.

All in all, everything ended okay and we’re still chugging along here but I can’t say we’re in any kind of a consistent, reliable routine yet. Here’s to hoping we make it there before the end of the month.

In the spirit of keeping tabs on my priorities and goals weekly, here’s some of what worked and didn’t work this week so far:

Worked Well:

I am still sketching my daily girls.
I worked on all my My Mind’s Eye work for February.
I managed to complete all my weekly projects relatively painlessly.
Still doing well with the skin cream.
I’ve managed the 5-2 this week without pain, too.
Didn’t do as well on veggies but still eating a bunch.
I spent a lot of time with David and Nathaniel, working and playing.
Started teaching math weekly to David and a classmate
Started Nathaniel’s gratitude journal
Took Nathaniel to the movies with a bunch of his friends.
Went to two middle schools this week to kickoff our research/process.
I’ve been really good at saying yes to my boys.

Needs more Work:

I only journaled one time all week.
I still didn’t start Mommy reading to Nathaniel.
I only exercised once this week.
I didn’t drink enough water or take my vitamins.
Still lacking on the sleep.
I want to be more organized about how I spend my time.

So for this upcoming week, the two i want to focus on changing the most are the same two I had last week: blocking my times and exercising. I still think both are crucial and will help me get the other ones on my list done more effectively. Until I get those rolling, I don’t want to pick others.

Here are a few more photos from this week:

Nathaniel working on his gratitude journal.

Family photos.

I love looking at these photos.

silly faces all around.

and lots of laughter.

we loved percy jackson this week. and had to keep reminding nathaniel to look at the camera.

and my very favorite: tickle time!

and here we are. A busy but productive and amazing week. I am so grateful for my life.

Weekly Diary is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

Weekly Diary – January 11 2015

I don’t know if this is because I take so many photos during December as part of December Daily, but I realized that I didn’t really take any photos in the first week of the year. I had nothing to weed through when doing this week’s update.

This was a long and busy week. The boys and I had to work on going back to our routines of getting up early, preparing lunches, doing daily chores, etc. I am cochairing their school Benefit so work for that ramped up starting this week, too. And over the course of this week we’ve also committed to a big project David’s going to work on that will be taking up a good chunk of his time during the week with regular trips over the weekend. And, as if that wasn’t enough, I also committed to doing math with David and one other boy every week for an hour. All this happened in a span of two days, making my life a bit more frenzied than I like. And all this will make for a very busy winter and spring.

Not to mention my actual work. Which is all new to me and I waver between being really excited and really scared.

On top of all this, Nathaniel woke up with a fever of 102.7 Thursday night which then climbed up to 103.4 by the time he made it to the doctor. This meant that our plans for going skiing this weekend had to be canceled at the very last minute. The little boy is all better now, thankfully. And, as it worked out, this weekend was a good one to be in town. The universe always works in magical ways.

I also thought it might be interesting to keep an ongoing tab of what worked well each week and what might need a bit more shifting so I can keep myself more aware of my priorities and goals and not evaluate them only at the end of the year. Here’s some of what worked and didn’t work this week so far:

Worked Well:

I managed to sketch almost every morning.
I started a monthly project and worked on it daily.
I managed to complete all my weekly projects relatively painlessly.
I’ve been putting skin cream on almost every single night and morning.
I’ve managed the 5-2 this week without pain.
Every weekday I ate at least one if not two servings of vegetables.
I took my required vitamins almost every day.
I’ve been really good at saying yes to my boys.

Needs more Work:

I only journaled one time all week.
I didn’t read to Nathaniel.
I did no exercise all week. I need to come up with a plan and execute it.
I didn’t drink enough water.
I did okay on the sleep but need to get more consistent with it.
Now that I am overly committed, the weekly blocking is even more crucial.

So for this upcoming week, the two i want to focus on changing the most are blocking my times and exercising. I think both are crucial and will help me get the other ones on my list done more effectively. Then, the next week I can work on journaling and water, etc.

Here are a few more photos from this week:

Little sick boy who’s such a good sport even when he’s sick.