What I’m Loving Now: 1 – 3 – 20

Every week I love to share the things that are inspiring me, making me smile, or just making my day a little bit better.

This week, I finished Michelle Obama’s memoir Becoming. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. I loved learning about Michelle, her childhood and family, the education and life experience that made her in to the smart, confident woman she is. But it was even more interesting and relatable to hear about her struggles and self doubt, and how she continually pushed through them with dignity and purpose. I loved when she talked about wanting to be an amazing mother and also be great at her job — so many of us struggle with this balance and it’s always interesting to hear how others think about the issue and live with the ever changing dynamic. And of course it was a lot of fun to hear the behind the scenes of what it was like to live in the White House and be the First Lady. I highly recommend it!

Speaking of Becoming, I also have to mention that I’m newly obsessed with audiobooks. That was the first book I’ve listened to rather than read and it became my go-to entertainment while I was doing things like folding laundry, washing dishes, making dinner, caulking, and painting the last two weeks. I had signed up for a one-month free trial of Audible, but I think I’m just going to use Libby, the library app that you can sign in to using your local library card. It’s a free service of your local library, which I also borrow physical books from regularly, so I’m happy to take advantage of it! I’m listening to Hillary Rodham Clinton’s What Happened through Libby right now.

It has become somewhat of a joke that people always want to try out new diets and workout routines in January. “New Year, new me,” has become a cliche, but I think there are a lot of legitimate reasons why this time of year brings those goals to the forefront. For one, it’s a literal new beginning, which makes everyone think of which changes they want in life. Plus, many of us have just eaten all the indulgent foods for two months of holidays and are feeling (and maybe seeing) the physical effects. Whatever the reasons, I’m always looking for ways to be healthier with the New Year. I’ve been hearing a lot about intermittent fasting for a while now. I am not one to jump on fad diets, but a lot of promising research has been coming out about it and I was intrigued. Plus, I know I feel better when I eat a later breakfast and don’t eat late at night, so it felt like something my body already wanted. I chose to try the 8 hours of eating and 16 hours of fasting version and I’m loving it so far. It’s just an easy way to know I’m doing something healthy for my body, even if I’m not eating perfectly during the hours of 10 and 6. The thing I like the most is that I usually don’t feel hungry — I can’t do those kind of diets anymore. Now, I just need to jumpstart some healthier habits between those hours! Throwing out all the Christmas chocolate and candy would be a good first step.

I found this sweater in the camel color at Target a few weeks before Christmas and I love it. It’s warm, super soft, classic, goes with everything, but it’s not boring. Plus, it’s 24.99!

This week, I learned about elastomeric caulk. I’ve always used this Alex DAP caulk for caulking the trim in a room before painting. I’ve seen some cracking with the seasons, but always thought it was inevitable. Before we moved in to Danascara, I caulked all the trim in the bathroom. The weather became very cold, very early this year. By the time we moved in and got the heat up and running, it was freezing, and the house went from 20s to 60s in a few hours. Cue all the caulk in the bathroom cracking. Not fun! I posted about it on Instagram and a lot of great followers suggested finding a stretchy caulk — one person in particular told me I should buy caulk that said “elastomeric.” This kind of caulk is meant to stretch with the natural expanding and contracting of a home’s materials — genius! Anything that will prevent me from having to caulk a room more than once. I used DAP Extreme Stretch caulk.

My mother-in-law found this mug and coaster set from Spode for me for Christmas and I’m obsessed. I posted about it on Instagram but I had to second it here because it’s wonderful. I use the coaster as a spot for my tea bag after it has steeped and then sip my tea feeling like a queen for a minute — until one of the kids screams for me to wipe their butt. 😉

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day this week!