In an attempt to stay off social media because I can’t handle *waves hands around aggressively*, I find myself focusing on what I can control to stay sane.
What can I control?
Great question! I’m glad you asked.
Training
Last week, I tested my snatch after completing a 12-week training cycle.
I grabbed that still from my lift video, and I love how happy I look. That was the heaviest snatch I’d caught all year!
This weekend, I decided to keep training with Project Lift, and I’m really enjoying the programming. They have helped me overcome many of the mental blocks I’ve encountered in training. (I wrote about one of our sessions on Substack)
I start most days at the gym, a habit that formed when the kids were little, but I wouldn’t call what I do “working out” anymore. I’m training. I’m tracking my progress. I’m working on weaknesses. And, I’m planning a 2026 competition schedule that will hopefully take me to the 2026 IMWA World Masters Weightlifting Championship in Athens, Greece.
When I’m at the gym, I’m at the gym. I don’t let the world invade, and now that I record all my lifts for my coach, my phone doesn’t distract me at all. It’s glorious.
Teaching
A large portion of my attention, energy, and time is currently being devoted to my classes. The current state of education is not fun right now, but I’ve decided the only course of action is to fight.
Fight might be a strong word, but that’s what it feels like. I’m fighting for my students. Fighting policies I don’t agree with. Fighting the current culture of passive learning. Fighting for more resources and support from the administration.
I recently posted about some of my new strategies on LinkedIn, including the return of the composition notebook.
This semester, I’m requiring all my students to have a notebook, and every class, I have them in there reflecting, making observations, and working in ways that help them meet objectives offline because cheating is too easy and too attractive in the age of AI. These students need to learn how to think for themselves and be more digitally literate, and that’s a mission that keeps me going.
Fermenting
Okay, this one I haven’t been posting much about, but I am now a fermentation junkie!
Sourdough has been a bit of a gateway drug for me.
I now bake about a loaf a week with Doughbra, my starter. Speaking of, I literally just pulled this guy out of the oven while writing this.
And I’m planning to bake another loaf on Saturday to bring to the gym.
I also make about two fermented sodas a week with Fizzgerald, my ginger bug.
And now, I’m introducing Scooby, my SCOBY!
I’m brewing my first-ever batch of Kombucha!
I’ve got plain, apple, and blueberry experiments going right now. And yesterday I made homemade pineapple tea with the core and peel, which I’m now fermenting to see how it comes out.
Painting
Challenging myself to paint more has led to my new obsession of painting cards for people!
Here are a few I’ve painted recently….
I’ve always had a hard time deciding what to paint, but once I have a card in mind for someone then the inspiration just comes.
When I paint, it’s just me, my music, and calm sanity.
Besides that…
I’ve got the goals below. I’m so glad I decided to make this commitment to the blog and these 25 goals this year, because it has helped me find focus on all sorts of ways.
2025 Goal Check In
- Blog Weekly.
- so far… ✔️
- Paint More. Don’t overthink it.
- so far… ✔️ (I painted two more cards!)
- Make a new handmade pasta monthly.
- Jan ✔️ ✔️
- Feb ✔️ ✔️
- March ❌
- April ✔️✔️
- May ✔️
- June ✔️
- July ✔️
- August ✔️
- September ✔️ (I made fresh linguini on Sunday!)
- Hike at least twice a month.
- Jan ✔️✔️
- Feb ✔️✔️
- March ✔️ ✔️
- April ✔️✔️
- May ✔️✔️✔️
- June ✔️ ✔️
- July ✔️✔️
- August ✔️✔️
- Septermber (I need to get out there!)
- Perform one unassisted dip.
- Still training.
- Perform five strict pull-ups.
- Still on singles.
- Handstand walk.
- Still training.
- Take at least three yoga classes a month.
- Jan ✔️✔️✔️
- Feb ✔️✔️✔️
- March ✔️✔️✔️
- April ✔️✔️ ❌
- May ✔️✔️✔️
- June ✔️✔️✔️
- July ✔️ ✔️ ❌
- August ✔️✔️✔️✔️
- Septermber ✔️
- Make homemade sourdough bread.
- ✔️✔️✔️OMG I did it!✔️✔️✔️
- Take the kids to Iceland.
- Fix the holes in my house (long story, lots of plumbing issues this year).
- Continue my Spanish Streak on Duolingo (I’m on day 1,231!!).
- so far…✔️ day 1480 (losing motivation – but keeping it going)
- Take a Spanish class in person.
- I’m now looking at synchronous online options.
- Plan something special for The Husband’s 50th birthday!
- I BOOKED IT!
- Snatch 125lbs.
- More confident in this goal now.
- Compete in at least one weightlifting meet.
- Walk a minimum of half a mile daily with Marsh and, preferably, with the Husband, but I can’t base my goal on him.
- This is now a habit. We walk every day unless it’s raining.
- Track my movie-watching on Letterboxd.
- so far…✔️ Click here to see!
- Keep my citrus trees alive!
- so far…✔️
- Host an extended family dinner monthly.
- Jan ✔️
- Feb ✔️
- March ✔️
- April ✔️
- May ✔️
- June ✔️
- July ❌ (But we went out)
- August 👌🏻 (Mom hosted to give me a break)
- September
- Clean out and organize my closet and drawers.
- Thrift more and purchase no brand-new clothes.
- so far…❌ I caved. Purchased about five new items this year.
- Take daily supplements more consistently.
- so far…✔️
- Reduce alcohol consumption to once or twice a month.
- Jan ❌ 1/18, 1/23, 1/31 (close!)
- Feb 2/1, 2/15 ✔️
- March 3/22 ✔️
- April 4/25, 4/26 ✔️
- May 5/3, 5/10 ✔️
- June 6/7, 6/19 ✔️
- July 7/14 ✔️
- August 8/9, 8/22
- September
- Cook one new recipe/dish a month.
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Again… 🔥😄