It's still February, but it's half gone.

It's funny, January seemed like it lasted about a year this time, but February seems to be zipping by.  I've been focused on this diet and I've also been actively distracting myself from some of the things I'm anxious about.  I'm nervous in advance about my co-worker taking a week off in April because I have to do her job and I'm not good at it.  It's hard and it's stressful.  Then, the following week is the knee surgery.  I'm very worried about that. 

One way I've been distracting myself is by playing the Sims 4 and trying (and failing) at the 100 baby challenge.   I am pretty hopeless because I get attached to the Sims and don't want my other Sim to dump them, so they end up married, pretty much every time.  It's funny how bad I am at it.  Still, it's fun and it's distracting, which is the point.  I've also been watching some movies and reading some books and cooking a lot and doing some cleaning.  I'm only working 2 days a week right now, which is good for my knee, but bad for my paycheck and it leaves me with a bit too much time left to my own devices.

I'm in that stage of life where I do a lot of things alone.  For many, many years, it was me and my kids, going to the library, doing homeschool, watching shows together, doing read-alouds, going everywhere and doing pretty much everything during the day together and now I'm trying to adjust back to doing things on my own all the time.  I kind of hate it, but I'm trying to make the best of it.  They still go with me occasionally to church and one of them has been going to the grocery with me the last few weeks since my knee has been so bad.  It's hard to adjust to the solitude. 

Speaking of reading aloud, this article came up on Facebook today.  It's cool.  Reading Aloud to Your Kids makes them Smarter and Kinder.    If you have kids or grandkids or nieces and nephews, read to them as much as they will let you!  We need a smarter and kinder world.  Here's a link to my personal read-aloud suggestions, every one of which I read to my kids over the years (or listened to on audiobook together).

List of Read Alouds for Teens and Tweens