4 Things I Learned in January

January was good month: Brock and I took an amazing, restorative weekend getaway to San Diego (see picture above); we got tons of rain; and Stella turned a year old, so she has finally calmed down and stopped being a psycho puppy most of the time.

I took note over the past week of what I have recently learned. Most of things are pretty insignificant but one feels life-changing. Here they are:

1. The Chick-fil-A C is supposed to look like a chicken
We were at Chick-fil-A a couple of weeks ago, and while waiting in line I gasped as the logo shifted before my eyes to reveal a chicken. When I excitedly asked Brock if that was commonly known, he paused and said, "Yes..." (in a nice way). So I'm assuming this is not news to many of you, but if you also never saw the chicken in the curlicue, then you are not alone!

2. PA (like in PA system) stands for public address
I'm currently reading The Power Broker, and at one point the author says something about a speaker not being heard clearly through the public address system at which point I realized what PA means.

Side note: If you are interested in biographies, New York City, or urban planning, The Power Broker is a must-read. It is so good.

3. A new crochet pattern for a blanket
My mom asked me to crochet a blanket for her living room (which is a request I love, because I like having a project motivating me to crochet). I found this video on YouTube for a fast and easy crochet and I've loved it. It really is very easy—perfect for beginners—and I genuinely love how it looks.

4.  Changing my afternoon routine has changed the entire tone of my day
A few weeks ago, I noticed a pattern.  After getting the kids squared away for nap time, I would waste a lot of my time alone and usually ended up falling asleep on the couch. When I woke up, I would be groggy and then feel miserable about trying to get my house in order and do whatever else needed to be done.

I was also privately lamenting about how late I was getting to sleep and how time felt so squished in the evenings as I tried to tidy up, fold laundry, do yoga, etc. It seemed impossible to fit everything in and still go to bed soon enough to not want to die when Calvin woke up before 6.

But then I realized that I do have time to fit in all the things I want to do: it's the two hours in the middle of the day I had been squandering while my kids were out of my hair.

So I made a change. Now, I do yoga right away. I love yoga and it feels like I'm giving myself a treat to roll out my mat in the middle of the day. It puts me in a good mood and gives me a boost of energy. After that, I eat, study my scriptures, and do nagging tasks like cleaning or meal planning.

It has been amazing. I feel so much more accomplished, my nights are freer (hence why I am able to write a blog post right now) and I am able to get to bed earlier. I'm so much more satisfied with my entire life and have felt happier being a mom. The credit all goes to changing up my afternoons.