journal: january

out my window: cold but not bitterly so. it's overcast in my neck of the woods and there's still snow and ice on the ground. i'm not "sooo done" with winter yet, so i don't really mind. plus i don't get out much beyond work/gym/church/store. other than trying to hit the store while cameron is at daycare so that i don't have to get him out in the cold too much, it's not really that big of a deal at this point. i'm pacing myself, it's only january after all. what i'm wearing: kahkis that are still too short for me, black "work tank top" and a maroon cardigan. oh so stylish, as always. not. toddler: he started his new classroom at daycare this week - 18-36 month group now. he is a great adjuster but yesterday morning he had a bit of an issue. i was worried that he would have had a bad day but they told me that he was great all day and giving lots of hugs. he can be quite stubborn, but he is seriously the sweetest boy i've ever known. i love that he is loving and quick to laugh. i'm obviously biased, but i really think he'll have a great fun life and i am excited to see who he becomes and where his life takes him. in the kitchen: i've really been trying to focus on planning meals a few days out again but i'm now to the end of my "few days" and need to plan once more. made chili last night and we have salad stuff and sandwich stuff. i'm thinking we'll be making pizza in the next few days and maybe ribs or pork chops. horay for frozen veggies. crafting: i've started a crochet baby blanket for a dear friend who is going to give birth to cameron's future wife in May. i think i'm going to do my blankets differently - i'd like to crochet it and then sew flannel to the back and trim with a satin border. not ever actually having made a blanket for myself i wouldn't know, but it seems as though they could use some support to be less flimsy. just a guess. reading: nothing earth-shattering. charles dug up some fitness books that his uncle had given him and i skim them while eating breakfast. we're gonna say that counts as mental enrichment. brings me joy: spending time with my family, especially charles and a great day spent this week with just mom and i. obviously cameron is a bringer of joy too with his silly self, but he is also a main source of frustration because he's a toddler and it's his job to push the limits. he spends a lot of time in trouble it seems, but in reality it's probably not so bad. since we spend so much time in the kitchen/dining room he is usually quite involved in the cooking and that makes me very happy. when i am at the stove he will ask to be up and either wants to be in charge of the opening/closing of the microwave and pushing of the buttons or i will give him the play by play of what i'm doing and we will smell the food together as it cooks. he will even go look in the oven and go "mmmmmm!!!" :) thinking about: toddler-raising. wtf. and getting back into a "single mom" routine for a few weeks here pretty soon while charles goes to school. lame! also heavily on my mind - a person close to me is in a position where she is about to lose her unborn child. it is devistating all around and heart breaking and just makes us all feel so helpless. prayers for her and her family please. we need a miracle, bad. other trials - charles' last surviving grandfather is not doing well either. pancreatic cancer. we don't know much longer he'll last, but charles is going to visit this weekend. thankfully my grandpa has recovered from his illness. he entered the hospital on christmas night and came home tuesday. 2014 is starting off with a number of challenges.