Welcome to February, friends! (HOW, I ask you, HOW are we done with a whole month of 2021?)
And welcome to “what is saving my life right now!” This post was inspired by my favorite book blog, Modern Mrs. Darcy.
I’ve made this post twice now, once in 2018 and once in 2020. (Wonders what happened in 2019?) It’s interesting to look back and see that, in the meantime The world is a completely different place, some things stay the same. So her question is simple yet powerful in the depths of this winter: What is saving your life right now?
Here, in no particular order, are the 5 things that save my life. And I want to know from you in the comments: What is saving your life right now?
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Dog boots (so I can keep running)
I’m so grateful to Kurgo for sending Cooper this pair of Blaze boots. I do a bit of writing for their website and I have an upcoming post about running with your dog in the winter. Boots are very important. I can’t exaggerate this: If you live in a cold climate, you NEED to support dogs so you can keep running. Mangrove roads and sidewalks, patches of ice, frozen shores all take a toll on a dog’s paws if they’re not wearing boots.
In general, I don’t like running, and especially I don’t like running in the winter. However, in these pandemic times, going outside for a jog two or three times a week keeps my head clear(er). An absolute necessity. So, Cooper’s boots! (You might be thinking: Well, can’t you just run without Cooper? It’s hard. He’s the only reason I run! Read More this And one more time this.)
Pick up at the curb at the library
Seriously, we can’t live without a library in this house. During “normal” times, we look at about 40 picture books or boards per week, plus some movies, plus any books I have on my list. With the library closed, I’m grateful to the extent that I can’t even make it clear that they are offering online curbside pickup. They usually pull about 5 to 10 books a week for us, and I’m grateful. January was cold and painful and long and dark, and I read six books and the girls got dozens. (Quickie’s January Reading Summary: If you’re looking for something light, soft, and cute, I recommend this. If you are looking for poetry, this that’s all. If you want something more serious, you can’t go wrong with Olive.)
Registration
So funny. I also listed this last year, and that was before the pandemic! So I’m grateful that I had a lot of things before the world closed. This is such a big topic that I’m writing an entire post about how I use subscriptions to manage pet supplies and save a TONS of money (it’s crazy how much you can save). how much if you have a strategy about it). But, suffice it to say, without the subscription, I don’t know what I would do.
This leads me to…
I ordered Instacart a few times last year because I received a coupon for free shipping. I’m not impressed. As a last resort, I think it’s lousy (maybe there’s a bad delivery driver) or they haven’t really honed their service because demand isn’t high enough. Now, though? Oh my God. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to regular grocery shopping.
Once a week, usually on Sunday morning, I sit down and plan dinners for the week, including a frozen pizza night every Friday, where we eat on the couch with a set of pizzas. movie. I ordered through Instacart for our local Aldi. Then, two hours later, all the groceries were in front of me. Since I started this at the beginning of the pandemic, I’ve only had one order that went completely wrong (they delivered completely wrong), but Instacart’s customer service went above and beyond to make it happen. it’s correct.
Obviously it saves me time, but also a lot of money, because it completely eliminates impulse shopping. And we eat healthier because everything is planned, and we avoid last-minute take-out orders. It’s really a big win for me. If you haven’t tried it, Intacart offers a “Give $10, Get $10” program, so if you want to give it a try, here is my link to get you $10 off or you can use code: MMATON18A162.
Podcasts
I’m spending a lot of free time in my car: waiting for animals on a vet appointment, waiting in the parking lot until I’m called in for a dentist appointment, waiting for orders to click and collect my Target me, waiting outside the school for Violet’s class to finish, etc. Looks like no one can go anywhere anymore, and most of the waiting has been done in my car! I’m gobbling up podcasts. I love Brene Brown’s, anything from NPR, The Well-Storied podcast and Manuscript Academy (writing tips), The Sensory Project (sensory development tool), What should I read next? (podcast from Modern Mrs. Darcy, and some other videos. I’m not interested in, say, modern forensics or murder mysteries. I want to learn what I can do in a fun moment, short.
In that thread: Does anyone know of a good podcast for dogs?? Training, behavior, health, anything human?
Also: there’s yoga, a fire in the fireplace, Violet and Astrid, hiking, journaling, etc. It’s been a tough time, that’s for sure, but there are so many great things to witness for me. overcome.
How about you? What is saving your life right now?
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