Currently #20

Reading: In the middle of The Compound by Aisling Rawle. I really don’t know what I feel about this book. Definitely have mixed feelings.

Watching: We’ve made it to S4 of Babylon 5. We are completely flying through the seasons. We might actually finish the series by the end of the year.

Listening: Stray Kids’s new album has been on repeat since it dropped on November 21st. But in particular, I’ve been loving “Divine” so much. It’s my current favorite SKZ song.

Making: Feeling so accomplished that I’m currently working on my November Memory Planner Pages. They are already over halfway completed.

Feeling: Trying to plan a debrief and planning meeting for Academic Co-op and it’s very frustrating to find a date that works for most if not all members. At least point, I don’t think 100% attendance will be possible.

Planning: I’m still working on planning our events this Holiday Season. The calendar is starting to fill up.

Loving: J made a chocolate tart for Thanksgiving. It is just so good! We finished out the tart last night with one last slice. So rich, but so good.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #19

Reading: Another random library read with A Land So Wide by Erin A. Craig. I went in blind and am so glad that I did.

Watching: I still have three episodes left of The Nice Guy. I don’t know why it’s taking me so long to watch this series I have been really enjoying it. Maybe this week I will finally get through it.

Listening: While waiting for new Stray Kids music, I have been just hitting shuffle on my entire Apple Music library. Sometimes it’s a bit like whiplash when genres change, but I have had fun rediscovering some music in my library.

Making: We’re doing a Friendsgiving next week which means I need to start planning the menu. We have a few food restrictions on tap, but can definitely work around them. Definitely making twice baked sweet potatoes and another vegetable.

Feeling: I don’t really know why, but I am so cold this week. I will admit that this is a nice change from being so hot all the time, but I am very cold.

Planning: A friend and I are making mini travel plans for this Friday to find our preferred Stray Kids album. I cannot wait!

Loving: Stray Kids are dropping their new ep this week and I cannot wait!!! Not so patiently waiting for the music to be released.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #18

Reading: I randomly picked up This House is Haunted by John Boyne from the library shelves. It’s a homage to Dickens and gothic ghost stories. I’m really enjoying it so far.

Watching: We’re continuing our binge of Babylon 5. We’re up to S3 and things are so incredibly tense int he series.

Listening: After branching out to other K-pop bands and metal bands, I’m back to binging Stray Kids. I’m prepping for their comeback in a week and a half.

Making: I’m still enjoying the fall flavors by making apple desserts. Last night I made some pretty janky apple bourbon hand pies. They did not look good, but were definitely tasty. I’m thinking a vegan apple crisp for Thanksgiving.

Feeling: After the craziness of October, I’m very excited to just be cozy and sleepy. November is always a nice break from the busy season.

Planning: This holiday season our travel plans are very much up in the air. I think we are staying home, but Nick is going to Indiana and my mother is coming here. Maybe… Things are still very much in limbo right now.

Loving: With the cooler temps, I’m very much loving my cozy bed. My blankets are just so very very comfortable.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #17

Reading: I grabbed Alma Katsu’s new book, Fiend, hoping for another great horror read. I’m about a third of the way in, but it’s not quite hitting the mark. We will see where this book goes.

Watching: J and I have made it to S2 of Babylon 5. I didn’t think I would be, but I am very into this series now.

Listening: Stray Kids announced a comeback in November. Seriously! We just Karma in August. But until then, I have found some other K-pop bands new-to-me and added them to my playlist. I’m trying to be selective, but if I find someone I like, I add it.

Making: I finally found some time to dive into creating my September Memory Planner pages. I like being up to date.

Feeling: The temperatures had cooled to actual fall temperatures. I am so excited by this change! Beyond being cooler in body, I get to be cozy with blankets again.

Planning: Co-op Campfire Night is coming up in less than two weeks. I need to finish making my shopping list and decide if we need a second campsite.

Loving: I had a tattoo appointment last night. This is the first time that I impulse bought a tattoo. I chose from a collection of Halloween inspired flash. And I do not regret it at all!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #16

Reading: After hearing about it from retreat friends, I picked up Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli. It’s a whole fantasy enemies-to-lovers YA story. Not my absolute favorite, but I’m interested to see where this goes.

Watching: J and I started Slow Horses S5. It’s such a well-done spy thriller show.

Listening: For whatever reason, I’ve been putting my entire Apple Music collection on shuffle. I have very eclectic tastes in music.

Making: My brain is getting cluttered again with all the to-dos, so I’ve been making lists. Homeschool lists, life lists, projects lists, household lists, etc. All the lists!

Feeling: Sick. I caught a cold this past week and it was resulted in a nasty cough. Hoping it clears up soon. We have things to do!

Planning: The boys’ birthday party is coming in less than two weeks. I have a rough outline of what we’re doing (video game tournament) but need to make all the definite plans.

Loving: Being sick, I’m loving getting some decent sleep. Seriously loving my bed right now.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #14

Reading: I randomly picked up Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara truelove off of my Unread Shelf. And I must say that it is a delight. It’s a strange mix of fantasy, science fiction, and horror that is definitely my sweet spot.

Watching: We’ve entered into spooky movie month. We started of the month with some Japanese horror and the moved to French surrealism last night. I have a list of almost 50 potential movies to watch through October.

Listening: Absolutely obsessed with the new Stray Kids album Karma. I’ve had it on mandatory daily listening since it dropped. There’s not a single track that I skip. But I must say that “Ghost” is my favorite followed by “Half-Time.”

Making: I had a meal plan for September and then the month started. Things went a little off track and we’re just two days into the month. I need to make a more realistic meal plan to not waste money on food that will go bad before we eat it.

Feeling: Spooky Season and Fall have started and I’m so excited. This is definitely my favorite season of the year. I cannot wait for all the fall activities and flavors.

Planning: I did a big calendar update task this weekend and added some potential Vala’s visit dates. I’m so excited to go to my happy place soon. We may actually on on Friday.

Loving: The weather has turned cooler and rainy this weekend. I am loving the cooler temperatures. 60s to low 80s is my sweet spot. Temperatures in the 90s are just terrible.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #13

Reading: I finally dove into Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint series. I’m really enjoying it. Unfortunately, the library only has the first four volumes. I will need to find an alternative way to read the rest of the volumes.

Watching: I finally finished Hometown Cha-ch-cha this week. It took me forever; not because I didn’t like it, but because of time and focus. It was such a lovely story. Now I need to figure out which series to start next. Maybe The Nice Guy or The Divorce Insurance or S-Line or Tastefully Yours or When Life Gives You Tangerines or The Potato Lab or My Demon. I apparently have a ton of K-Dramas that I want to watch soon…

Listening: I’m so incredibly excited about the new Stray Kids album dropping this week! To help tide me over, I’ve been listening to the album mashup track on repeat. I cannot wait to hear the full songs!

Making: With my obsession with fan fiction, my physical book reading tanked. I am determined to move back to reading my books. To do that, I’ve been casually pulling books here and there that are peaking my interest again.

Feeling: The first two weeks of this year’s homeschool routine has been rough. Ooofff! This week hasn’t started out much better, but I’m attempting to adjust to help all of us.

Planning: I’m working on our September activity calendar. Things are starting to fill out a bit. I’m just waiting on a few other people to confirm activities before releasing the new Co-op calendar.

Loving: I randomly grabbed a few mini chocolate cheesecakes at Aldis. So good!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #12

Reading: I finally started a dark romance, Feathers So Vicious by Liv Zander, that a friend recommended to me months ago. There are definitely multiple content warnings attached to this book. I am enjoying the world building. Not sure about the romance part yet. But I’m only about 30% of the way through the book.

Watching: I fell back into watching Stray Kids content from the past. I’m up to March 2022 in the big watch. And I’ve made a ton of progress in just a few days.

Listening: I’ve put ATEEZ’s new album Golden Hour: Part 3 In Your Fantasy on repeat. So good! I think my current favorites are “Legacy” and “Slide to Me.”

Making: Working on multiple dinner plans for this week.

Feeling: Between home tasks, social acitities, school, and my own mental health, I am feeling very stretched right now. I really need to find a better balance.

Planning: I’m deep into planning homeschool lessons. I’m equally excited and stressed out in starting our new school year this week.

Loving: We are into the height of summer and I am loving fruit. Seriously, I cannot get enough.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #11

Reading: I have officially fallen down the fan fiction rabbit hole. A friend and I have been sharing our favorite stories, series, and authors. It has wrecked my regular reading stack, but I am okay with it. Just excited to read the next story every day.

Watching: We dove back into our Nic Cage quarterly. In the last week, we’ve watching four of his movies.

Listening: ATEEZ’s new album In Your Fantasy is on repeat this week. I am loving all the solo songs but especially Mingi’s and Yeosang’s songs. So good!

Making: For brunch yesterday, I made apricot and coconut and ham and cheese scones. I do love baking scones.

Feeling: The temperatures have skyrocketed and I am hot and uncomfortable. It’s going to be a terrible week.

Planning: I’m putting the finishing touches on our Homeschool plans for this coming year. I need to do one last run through and then put library books on hold.

Loving: Yesterday on the way back from the park, my Stray Kids shuffle had a string of five absolute bangers! God’s Menu, Topline, Wolfgang, Domino, and S-Class!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #10

Reading: I got back into the Jujutsu Kaisen manga series. And holy cow, the story took a turn this week! I am floored.

Watching: I only have 5 episodes left of S1 of Goblin. I am so invested in this story.

Listening: Stray Kids’s new song “Hollow” and ATEEZ’s new song “Lemon Drop” have been on repeat. I cannot wait until tomorrow when Stray Kids’s new EP drops.

Making: I’ve got multiple lsat minute lists created for the retreat. Just a few tasks left.

Feeling: The retreat is on Thursday and I am so ready to go!

Planning: Tomorrow is my last prep day for the retreat… I am making my last grocery lists.

Loving: I was craving some good iced tea, but didn’t want all the sugar in the regular sweet tea. Thankfully Gold Peak sells a Slightly Sweet version. Perfect for a hot day!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #9

Reading: I’m deep into Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao for the retreat book selection. It has a beauty dreamy quality to the story. I’ve hit a bit of a lull in the story, but pushing through to see how it ends.

Watching: I finally started watching S1 of Goblin and it is amazing! I am lovely every single episode. It’s my new obsession.

Listening: Still Stray Kids all the time. It’s my happy place.

Making: Still working on my May Memory Planner pages. And hoping to get started on my June.

Feeling: It’s been very warm the last few days, but a storm rolled in last night. I’m so much cooler!

Planning: We’re going on our Iowa trip next week and finishing our itinerary. We’re planning ahead to save some money and avoid a ton of fast food.

Loving: I got back into SKZ Code from 2022 and have loved every episode. Watching those 8 guys do silly things make me so happy.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #8

Reading: I’m deep into the Jujutsu Kaisen manga series. I want to read a few more volumes before we start the anime.

Watching: We started the current season of Welcome to Wrexham. Who knew that I would enjoy a reality show about a football team so much?

Listening: All K-pop all the time. I recently branched out again and added J-Hope’s albums to my playlist.

Making: I made banana bread on Sunday and forgot how much I love it. So yummy!

Feeling: I’ve got so many projects ongoing, but very annoyed by some others’ inability to do the simplest things that I ask of them. Lots of annoyance…

Planning: We’ve finished our big curriculum pieces, so it’s time to plan our summer lessons. We slow down a bit, but add in some fun units.

Loving: With my weird mental health lately, I turned to silly Stray Kids videos. They have really helped give me those little doses of dopamine to get my brain back on track.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #7

Reading: I’m almost finished listening to the next Dungeon Crawler Carl book, The Inevitable Ruin, by Matt Dinniman. I only have about 2 hours left. I have loved every book in this series, but this one is a doozy! So much is happening!

Watching: Stray Kids performed in Japan on May 10th and 11th. I’ve been working through a variety of concert clips online.

Listening: As part of their Japan concerts, Stray Kids debuted one of their new songs. “Hollow” will appear on the new Japanese mini album dropping on June 10th. But I have been listening to the concert clip repeatedly this week. Love it!

Making: I have cooked every night since we got back home. So much food! Thankfully we have mostly kept up with eating the leftovers and not wasting food. It’s just a lot.

Feeling: The temps increased and I am hot and sweaty. I hate summer.

Planning: Starting this week, I teach co-op for the next month. I have this week’s lesson finished (catapults), but am still working on the other weeks. I know we are going to do straw towers next week but need to write out the lesson. And then I need to finalize the other weeks.

Loving: Being hot is no fun, thankfully I have a collection of cheap paper fans to use. If they get destroyed, I just grab a new one. Every bag that I routinely use has one inside.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #6

Reading: My reading brain is still a bit broken and so I’m all about horror manga right now. I checked out so many Junji Ito story collections for the next few weeks.

Watching: Working my way through all the Stray Kids content. I’m up to early 2021. Still far behind, but loving the journey.

Listening: Still love my Stray Kids, but I have branched out in the Kpop world. BabyMonster and BlackPink (and Jennie, Lisa, and Rose’s solo albums) are on current rotation.

Making: We’re heading to Indiana next week for Alex’s graduation. I haven’t started actively packing, but you better believe that I have travel piles around the house.

Feeling: Sleep has been elusive lately. I am tired.

Planning: Co-op Field Day is coming at the end of the May and it’s a big to-do. Thankfully this year I have a cohost to help me pull this off. It’s a big project, but years of doing it has helped me create a workflow.

Loving: After falling down the K-Pop hole, I’m slowly converting a friend to a STAY. Beyond the fun SKZ content I send her, we have an ongoing fun message exchange on Insta. Her messages are always a bright spot of my day.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #5

Reading: Finally got and started reading Sweet Obsession by Katee Robert. Not sure if it is one of my favorites in this series, but I am enjoying it.

Watching: I’m into 2019 with my Stray Kids content. I’m finding all those silly little clips that get used in compilation videos. Now I know where they came from.

Listening: I moved beyond Stray Kids to dabble in some other Kpop groups. On the way, I dowloaded some BlackPink albums and found Jennie’s new album. Really digging it!

Making: I started making the name tags for the retreat. I always love digging into my paper stash and finding some cute designs.

Feeling: I have not slept well in weeks lately. I’m just tired.

Planning: I need to get started on planning my Enrichment lessons for May. I have no idea what th do for a lesson, but I imagine I need to just google some things for a few minutes to find some great ideas.

Loving: Enjoying Stray Kids has really kept me afloat lately. They are a lifesaver.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #4

Reading: My brain is a bit broken and so I have turned to manga to help myself out. Currently, I’m reading multiple series, but my current obsession is Parasyte.

Watching: We started watching Alice in Borderland S1 and I am so in love with the series.

Listening: All Stray Kids all the time!

Making: I got back into making scones this week and now I just want all of the scones. So good! My lemon poppy seed mini scones are still my favorite to make and eat.

Feeling: My sleep has been trash lately and I am so incredibly tired.

Planning: We’re heading to Indiana at the end of April for Alex’s college graduation. I’m planning a stopover in Chicago before and another after to hit a few museums.

Loving: Stray Kids dropped their new Mixtape a few days ago and I am absolutely obsessed! “Escape” is my absolute favorite song, but all four new songs are good. “Truman” is really growing on me, but will not be surpassing “Escape” as my favorite. Definitely love my Bang Chan/Hyunjin pairing!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #3

Reading: I’m almost finished reading Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. It’s our book club selection this month and I have some mixed feelings. Waiting until I finish the book before making my official determination.

Watching: J and finally started watching Alice in Borderland as I finished the manga series last month. I am enjoying the changes while retaining the basic ideas from the manga.

Listening: Stray Kids all the time, every day. That’s all.

Making: J and I have officially started our podcast about War and Peace. I’m excited to get into the book more and establish a routine.

Feeling: Since Christmas, I’ve been feeling weirdly disconnected. My depression has been harder to keep at bay.

Planning: The Enrichment Co-op is starting at the beginning of April. I need to start planning my lessons, but I guess I need to reconfirm the weeks that I am actually teaching.

Loving: I finally got my birthday cake this past weekend and of course it was German chocolate. Love it so much!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #2

Reading: Finishing reading The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang for Dirty Book Month for book club. I actually have liked it a lot more that I was expecting.

Watching: J got me addicted to Pantheon. I’ve been watching some episodes during lunch, but wasn’t going fast enough. We’re watching the rest of S2 at night to finish before my trip.

Listening: My mom got me addicted to Stray Kids. I am obsessed now…

Making: I made a version of Kimchi Jjigae (just Kimchi stew with tuna and tofu) and we loved it. I think this needs to go into regular rotation.

Feeling: After being sick last week, I haven’t really slept well lately. Consequently I am tired. The cloudy weather is not helping me.

Planning: I’m finalizing the travel plans for the end of the month. I have just a few things to finish before we leave.

Loving: As a result of my Stray Kids obsession, I’ve been listening to more dancing music while making dinner. Makes the tasks a little less annoying.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #1

Reading: Currently in the middle of a Book of the Month, Unread Shelf book The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas. It’s the spooky ghost story that I was really needing this week.

Watching: J and I started watching Rivals S1 and I’m absolutely obsessed with the campy 80s drama. I cannot wait to see what happens next.

Listening: I put on a big music mix, but mostly it’s been podcasts. And in particular, it’s been You’re Wrong About. I am official in summer 2020 in their back catalog.

Making: Today it’s supposed to hit 57 degrees, but it’s been super cold for the last week or so. I’ve focused on making warm meals, dare I say comfort food.

Feeling: After a crap January, I am feeling so much better this week.

Planning: Enrichment Co-op starts in April and I have to hold all the informational parent meetings before then. They litter my calendar for February and March. Now to finish up my documentation.

Loving: My preferred breakfast this week has all been banana bread. I always forget how much I love it!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #19

Reading: I finally started reading the November book club selection, To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose. I’m really intrigued by the story.

Watching: I finally started No One Wants This and am absolutely loving it!

Listening: I’ll admit that I’m listening to all politics podcasts. This is going to consume my entire week.

Making: The weather turned, so it’s soup time. I’m pulling out all he cold wether recipes to put on our meal plan. This week, I made ham and potato soup.

Feeling: It’s time to snuggle up with a blanket and be cozy.

Planning: Christmas is getting close and it’s time to make definitely holiday travel plans. We will be traveling to Indiana like usual, but the specific days shift around.

Loving: I finally managed to make flu shot appointments and get them taken care of. I also got my COVID booster. (None of the local places have COVID boosters for kids.) I love being able to cross essential tasks off my list.

Next up on the TBR pile: