Hello, beautiful readers! I know it's been a while since I've posted anything personal. My days have been nonstop for several months, and some things I love doing (exercising, reading, writing, communicating with my online author friends) have fallen to the "later" category because there are just not enough hours in the day. Hopefully, that stops now.
RRBC is challenging its authors to blog for the next 30 days about our day, starting today. I have a hard time giving up a challenge, so I'm going to do my best to make a post every day. I can't promise the posts will all be entertaining; my work days are pretty much the same, but I'll do my best to keep you coming back. ;-)
First and foremost, happy new year! I hope everyone had a wonderful time celebrating the beginning of a new calendar year. I stayed home and decluttered my house. It's an annual thing for me (not always on NYE, though; it just happened to fall that way this year). I'm not a big fan of being on the road with all the crazies, and with my son with his dad for the celebrations, I took advantage of my me-time and found a bunch of stuff to donate to the Vietnam Veterans of America. It always feels so good to rid myself of clutter AND help others in the process.
Today has been a bit more mundane but still productive. I have a part-time job in addition to working full-time as a middle school reading teacher. I'll save that story for a day when I have less to share. I worked for three hours today in the morning. Then, I spent another hour on the phone with Norwegian Cruise Line, clarifying some information for our upcoming cruise (another thing I'll tell you all about on another day). ;-)
My son broke his retainer last week, so I had to take him today to get a new one. Gone are the metal retainers with the mold against the roof of your mouth. Now, they have retainers that look like Invisalign mouthpieces, except they are super thin, which is why it broke barely a month into wearing it. Luckily, I was able to get a replacement for free since he's had it for such a short period of time. Hopefully this one will last a bit longer because the replacements are $100! Crazy!
Then, I walked for almost three miles, and it felt GREAT! I have missed my walks. With it getting darker earlier and with getting home late on work days, it's made it hard for me to go walking. So, I made a point of making it happen today. Day 2 = two days of exercising in some form. I'm not sure I can keep up this pace, but my goal is to do something every day, even if it's just a bit of stretching.
Then, I jumped online and started perusing the RRBC Pipeline Magazine. I'm nowhere near done, but I'll get through it little by little. It's chockful of great pages, so I encourage you to check it out.
I have certain authors I follow, and though I haven't had the time to comment and participate in conversations for the past few months, I try to make a point of sharing their blogs to bring other readers their way. If you are one of those people, just know I'm still around. Eventually, I'll find a routine that gives me time to participate again.
Tonight will end like almost every night - cooking dinner and watching a show with my son while we eat. Right now, we've gone a bit old school and are watching Supernatural. We just finished season one's 22 episodes! (Yes, you read that correctly.) We start season two tonight, and I'm super excited. Our nightly shows are our way to end the day together. I treasure that time. :-)
Wow! That was a lot. I promise my other posts won't be as long, especially once school starts back up, but there you have it - a day in my life (well, two and a half days, really). I hope to see you again tomorrow. :-)
I'd love to hear from you. How was your New Year's celebration?
Great summary, Yvette. We had to share Scarlett with her father on Christmas and New Year. It's tough trying to schedule things when he has her from noon one day to noon the next for each holiday. So, we can relate. Looking forward to your upcoming stories...
ReplyDeleteWe alternate Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. This year, I had him for Thanksgiving, so he was with his dad for NYE. Next year, it will be the opposite. I always have my son for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning until around noon. Christmas Eve (Noche Buena) is when we culturally celebrate Christmas, and I've always wanted him Christmas morning to watch him open his gifts when he was little, so I made sure that was part of our divorce decree. Those days are separate from the regular visitation so there is consistency for the holidays. Thanks for stopping by and sharing, John. :-)
DeleteOne of the Christmas CDs in Spanish I play, "Arbolito," by Tish Hinojosa, calls "Silent Night" "Noche de Paz." It tells the story of women in the kitchen on Noche Buena, making all sorts of food in anticipation of the Christmas Day feast. I don't know how to put a YouTube video on my comment, but you might want to check it out. I play it every year on my Christmas show.
DeleteHi. First, I want to say I'm jealous you can swim at a beach every day. I live in New York and must wait to June for the weather to cooperate. Second, Supernatural has been my favorite show. I was sad when it ended. I tried the spin-off, The Winchesters, but I can't watch it. I miss Dean and Sam, mostly Dean. And third, I love your blog.
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks, Susanne! I go to the beach almost every Sunday. It's my way of shedding the weight of the previous week and rejuvenating myself for the week to come. I have a group of friends who join me, so it's always a great time.
DeleteMy son and I enjoy watching paranormal shows. When we finished our last one, we looked through Netflix's suggestions and came across Supernatural. With it having so many seasons, we figured it was a perfect way to pass the time until one of our regular shows comes out with a new season. Now, it's become one of our regulars. It's so good! We just started season two, and we only watch one show a night. With their seasons having 20+ episodes, I don't see us finishing anytime soon. :-)
What a great post. The beach looks great, too. So glad you were able to declutter (don't ever come to my house--LOL). We have given so much away, but it seems we can't get ahead, especially when the hubby wants to save empty cardboard boxes ("I'm going to need that one day..."). Happy new year to you and your son!
ReplyDeleteI feel for ya! Teachers are notorious hoarders. It wasn't until I switched schools that I realized I would never use lessons from over a decade ago. Technology and updated standards/expectations made them obsolete. It was hard to part with them, but I did, and I don't regret it at all.
DeleteThere is a show on HGTV (I think it's called This Hot Mess, or something like that), where the host explains four types of organizers/hoarders. It might be fun to watch with your husband and then use her strategies to reorganize and declutter.
Every year, I go through my entire house (my son does his own room). My rule is that if I haven't used it in a year, I most likely don't need it. Then, I decide whether it's one of those items you need every now and then (like a formal dress) and I'll save it, but those items are rare. I still have a few things I haven't gotten rid of (VHS tapes, anyone???), but I'm getting closer to parting ways. Those are out of site, but they are still clutter. I've told myself that if I haven't watched them by the time I remodel that room, I'm getting rid of them. We shall see! Lol!
A day to rejuvenate at the beach sounds perfect for any day. I had the same issues with my three kids, but we all survived and now Bill and I get along great with their father and his wife. We do adjust, and so do the children dividing time between two parents at different addresses. God has a plan and purpose for each one, and it's a good one. Felicidades, y un prospero Ano Nuevo! Whew. Autocorrect had a field day with that one! :-)
ReplyDeleteI have no doubt autocorrect went crazy with those words. Happy new year, Patty! My focus has always been on my son and raising him with zero trauma. I've seen plenty of bad examples of divorced parents as a teacher, and I didn't want my son to fall into that statistic. No matter how I feel about my ex, I have never berated him or tried to turn my son against him. That is the only father he has, and he loves him with all his heart. I'll never understand why anyone would want to tarnish a son's love for his parents. My son will see the positives and negatives in both of us, and he will love us anyway because that is what pure love is about. Not one of us is perfect, but we are loved anyway. :-)
DeleteWow, Yvette, you are one active and busy lady! I am totally exhausted just reading about all you did and the exercise you got. Good for you! It's wonderful that you live in such a beautiful area and have the beach close by. I went through the shared weekends for my daughter with my first husband for many years, and know it can be so difficult. Your son will appreciate that you are gracious about it and he will benefit from that. Enjoyed your post and look forward to seeing more.
ReplyDeleteBuckle up, Maura Beth, because that was my relaxed day. Lol! Thanks for visiting. :-)
DeleteHi, Yvette, your schedule is full. I don't really care for the beach but I know plenty of people that like lying in the sun. So, I'm glad you had an enjoyable day. The show Supernatural hasn't got to Germany yet. It usually takes some time for the US shows to hit the Germany circuit.
ReplyDeleteIt was really nice reading about pieces of your life, and I look forward to reading more, especially about your cruise.
Take care.
Shalom aleichem
Supernatural was from the 90s and early 2000s, I believe. If you have Netflix, you can find it there. Back in my younger years, I'd bake in the sun. Now, my friends and I have several umbrellas that we stay under. I still get plenty of vitamin D in the water and when I'm walking the beach, but I want to protect the skin as well. I'll share more about the cruise on one of my less busy days. Thanks for stopping by, Pat! :-)
DeleteHi, Yvette! Your post was delightful and chock full of "interesting!" Don't condense your blog posts on my account... please. I am so sorry that you have to split holiday time with your son. I don't know anything about divorce, but having to miss out on any amount of time with my children, would have resulted in my being featured on a Lifetime movie - one that involved a certain someone not making it out of the first scene alive. LOL! That's a laugh, but, thankfully I love my husband, and he's the only one I've had for 50,000 years, so, no having to split time with kids, and no blood on my hands. The kids are all grown, but, let's see what movie I might be starring in when I have grandkids and possibly have to share them with other grandparents I might not like. I'll keep you posted. I just might need help with bail, or lessons on how to use cigarettes :(
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you found time to celebrate NYD doing what brings you joy... hanging at the beach, bathing in the sun, enjoying the waves and everything else that came along with it! What an awesome way to relax! Good for you!
I can't wait to see what you're sharing with us tomorrow!
~Nonnie Jules
NonnieWrites.wordpress.com
Thanks, Nonnie! I've been happily divorced for fourteen years, so I'm used to it. It was hard at first, but I have such a strong bond with my son that we focus on the moments we have together and make the best of them. When he's with his dad, I choose to see that as my time to rejuvenate my own spirit so that I can be a better person/mom/friend/etc. When you have no other choice, you find a way. I know I made the right decision in getting divorced, and I know my son is living an amazing life, so no regrets on my end. :-)
DeleteIsn't this challenge great, Yvette? I envy you the beach and what seems like a clutter free home. I was just thinking this morning I need to tell my girls that very little in all this junk is important. Enjoy your tv marathons with your son. Before long, he may be off to college or too grown to sit and watch tv with mom. Thanks for sharing your life with us.🤗
ReplyDeleteI treasure every moment with him, Linda. Soon enough, he will be an adult and living his own life. So, these moments are previous to me. Thanks for stopping by! :-)
DeleteHi Yvette, Donna Atwood here. I really enjoyed your post - you are an amazing writer! I relate with your wanting to get back into writing and communicating with other writers. Work schedules and other commitments can make all of this challenging, that's for sure. Congrats on thinning things out around your home and getting some exercise! I know how great all of this can feel. Happy New Year and Best Wishes to you and your son!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the compliment, Donna! I'm enjoying your blog posts as well. Thanks for visiting! :-)
DeleteHi Yvettte,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading details about your life--things like a broken retainer and forthcoming cruise. Between teaching and a part-time job and life in general, I don't know how you find time to write. But I'm glad you do!
I honestly haven't had much time to write. I'm hoping this challenge shows me how to find time to squeeze in some writing every day. Thanks for stopping by today! :-)
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