Category — Friday Blog Roundup

I spent the first day of school crying on and off. I cried hard when the kids left the house. Cried harder once Josh left, and I was alone. And then cried whenever I thought about the fact that it was the last first day. I cleaned my face before they came home.

Josh and I made a digital album of all of the first days and gave it to the twins the day before, so I only had one photo to slip in on the actual first day and then zero distractions.

I read a bunch of very mature social media posts from people talking about how they’ll miss their child, but they are ready and their child is ready to spread their wings and fly. You will not read anything like that here. I am a mess. I will be a mess this year. I realized this week that I’m not really interested in not being a mess because… that is who I am. And to change how I feel is to change who I am at the core. To pretend that a different way of being is somehow “better” when it is just… different.

So expect zero maturity. Zero ability to bask serenely while the twins go off into the world. You will read no advice on how to let go gracefully. My only goals this year are to try to be in the moment and not cry in front of them. If I succeed even partway, I’m calling it a win.

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

*******

And now the blogs…

But first, second helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• None… sniff.

Okay, now my choices this week.

Finding a Different Path admits sadness bubbles up sometimes. She returns from celebrating her grandmother’s 85th birthday and thinks, “I am so grateful for the life that we live, but it doesn’t erase that when we turn 85 (hopefully), there will be no giant picture of all the descendants. Because there will be no descendants. There will be no family to throw a party and make a speech about the impact our lives have had on the family.” It is a post about being happy with life while still acknowledging the losses we carry with us, and how those two realities exist at the same time, neither one negating the other.

Lastly, one of the nicest things about blogs is that wealth of community wisdom. No Kidding in NZ pulls together a post of it. She looks back on comments from healing posts, giving the reader a 360 view of wisdom between the original post and the comments on it. It’s a fantastic idea.

The roundup to the Roundup: Hard first week. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between August 26 – September 2) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week? Read the original open thread post here.

After years of making fun of Josh and his love affair with his Yeti cup, I have tried and given in to the magic of the Yeti. It keeps drinks hot or cold for hours. Two hour meeting, no problem. (Well, I mean, a two hour meeting is a problem, but I have my tea to help me power through.) My iced coffee is now followed by a decaf English breakfast and sometimes a Twinings’ raspberry and lemon in the afternoon.

It feels positively luxurious.

I like to annoy the twins by talking about how I’m now part of Yeti nation, living the Yeti life, and part of Team Yeti.

They’ll learn, in time. They’ll borrow the cup and see the difference. They’ll understand the siren song of the Yeti.

In all seriousness, my long cups of tea really do make an emotional difference in my day.

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

*******

And now the blogs…

But first, second helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• “Musings on a Soft Heart” (TheFrugalGirl)
• “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” (Afterward Honesty)

Okay, now my choices this week.

I had Afterward Honesty’s post for this week. She revisits her old hometown, returning after nine years away. I love this piece: “As we proceeded through the quaint, well maintained town center, and I laid my eyes on the very sidewalk that used to carry me from school to my weekly flute lesson, I felt myself beaming into young Sarah in ways new and unexplored.” It’s a beautiful post about seeing an old place through a new lens, one that incorporates all that came after. But I especially loved the question at the end.

Lastly, The Uterus Monologues has written a book. She explains: “Just over a year ago, I started writing a book. A book about everything that happened on the road to having a baby. A book about miscarriage. A book about how society treats miscarriage – or, more to the point, doesn’t treat miscarriage.” It’s coming out this winter, but you can order it now.

The roundup to the Roundup: Living the Yeti life. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between August 19 – 26) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week? Read the original open thread post here.

Two and a half years into the pandemic, I realized something. Socializing outside is tiring. I mean, socializing when you’re out of practice is exhausting in and of itself. But add in the heat of summer or shivering through the cold in winter, and hanging out with people outside may be safer but it’s also draining.

We had two weekends of back-to-back outdoor socializing with people, which was fantastic, but now I’m ready to not go outside for 48 hours. Just books. My guinea pig. Tea. And zero minutes with fresh air.

Small goals.

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

*******

And now the blogs…

But first, second helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• “Winning in a Childless Life” (No Kidding in NZ)

Okay, now my choices this week.

Finding a Different Path has a post about card shopping for a wedding gift. I’m sure you can imagine what themes card makers went with to celebrate the marriage, and she muses on how offensive new baby cards would be if they followed the same trajectory. She makes a vital statement: “There’s got to be ways to congratulate people without making one life out to be better than another.” Which gets to the heart of a whole host of issues.

It’s Inconceivable has given an update on her breast cancer treatment and shared about the loss of her dog. It’s a heartbreaking story, and she could use your support. She asks: “How many more times am I going to deliver news to this beautiful man that will make him cry?” She is going through such a hard time right now, and her honest words will make you think about how we take care of the people around us.

Lastly, Res Cogitatae writes about pandemic traveling. She has admittedly converted me to the idea of getting a CO2 monitor. (Read her post to see how she uses it.) Though I agree with her: “Public health shouldn’t depend on privilege.” And right now, it does.

The roundup to the Roundup: Tea and book time. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between August 12 – 19) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week? Read the original open thread post here.

Everyone I know has a travel horror story from this summer. I know multiple people who have gotten to the airport to learn that their flight was canceled. Others who couldn’t return. Many people who lost luggage, stood in long lines, or had their lodging reservations dropped once they reached their destination. We were super lucky because our outgoing flight was canceled, but we were able to make a second reservation at a different airport immediately. But that’s the thing: it’s completely random. And you don’t know.

It makes me want to stay home. Travel is supposed to be fun. Relaxing. It’s not supposed to be multiple weeks of nail biting, wondering how long you’ll need to spend on hold with customer service just to get from point A to point B.

I can accept that reality in so many facets of life. But not vacation time.

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

*******

And now the blogs…

But first, second helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• “A Delightful Recommedation” (Finding a Different Path)

Okay, now my choices this week.

The Barreness begins with a story about a lost purchase, and it becomes a frame for things feeling small and close-in when she wants to see the path forward. She writes: “I am finding that my sights are set to a myopic level as of late. I am having a hard time seeing past the present.” It captures the frustration of the moment.

The Road Less Travelled is remembering her daughter, who would have been 24 years old this year. She begins by realizing what was happening in her life when she was 24. Job, marriage, new apartment — it is hard thinking about what her daughter didn’t get to experience. She writes: “My baby girl would be 24 later this year, in November, had she been born on or close to her due date. She never drew a breath, but her presence still looms large in our lives.” Abiding with her.

Lastly, Dear John has a powerful post about feeling like she’s in a state of waiting, even though she knows that what has happened has already happened. She tells him, “A few weeks ago, I felt like you were near – like you had your hands on my shoulders. I don’t feel you any more though. Maybe that feeling will return.” It’s a moving piece on loss.

The roundup to the Roundup: Staying home. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between August 5 – 12) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week? Read the original open thread post here.

Near the beginning of the pandemic, ChickieNob and I started walking daily to first-person treadmill videos. There are a billion out there. You just Google “virtual walk + name of place,” and YouTube spits out dozens of options. Usually we walk somewhere we know. Occasionally we walk somewhere we’re going. (This was super useful when we got to Belgium and could navigate to various places because we walked past them in the video — strange.) Most of the time, we mute the video and listen to an audio book at the same time.

But a few weeks ago, we tried walking to a television show. So just walking indoors, but replaying the fourth season of The Crown while we walked. First and foremost, it is such an enjoyable way to spend a half hour. I rarely think about how much time has passed because I’m into watching the show. Secondly, I’ve discovered that I walk so much faster when we walk to television shows. I shaved between one to two minutes per mile when we walk to a television show vs. the walking videos. Even when we put the walking videos on 1.5x the speed. It’s really strange. Margaret Thatcher just makes me walk very very quickly.

It’s a nice discovery.

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

*******

And now the blogs…

But first, second helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• None… sniff…

Okay, now my choices this week.

No Kidding in NZ has a thought-provoking post. She walks the line between showing both truths — the happiness and the occasional sadness of living childfree after infertility. She writes: “Rationally and logically I might be at peace with my life, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t still have ouch moments, feel some of the emotions that we all feel from time to time, or worry about the future without children.” We are complex and need to create space to honour all feelings, as they come.

Lastly, Jewish IVF talks about how it has been a rough summer. I love this thought about seeing other people’s posts: “This is only filtering out one piece of it that has contributed to my mood. I need to remember the converse when scrolling through other people’s filtered reality skewed to the positive.” Her friendship questions at the bottom hit home. I think we are shown (via media and curated social media) a story about friendship that simply isn’t true for many people. It’s another post that stuck with me for a long time after reading.

The roundup to the Roundup: Walking quickly in place without leaving home. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between July 29 – August 5) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week? Read the original open thread post here.