Life Lately: March 2025

March has been very rough. Pretty sure I’ve taken fewer photos this month than any month in the past five years, to be honest.

I’ve been dealing with an ailment that has absolutely d r a i n e d the energy from me. I’ve had enough mental capacity to work and do the necessities at home, but that’s about it. 😫 But I am having a procedure on Tuesday (April 1st) that I believe will help tremendously and allow my body to heal. 🩺

(Don’t worry. I’m fine! It’s not a serious issue. I’m just really looking forward to less pain.)

I’ve been an avid Google Photos user for a very long time. But I always worried about only having a single source for a majority of my photos. I do have an external hard drive, but I am not quite as diligent as I could/should be in order to keep a backup copy.

But, did you know If you have an Amazon Prime account, you have unlimited photo space! So now I have two versions of the cloud that are always in sync from my phone as well as a backup external hard drive that I will continue update a few times a year.

Hudson has activities on Monday and Friday evenings (gymnastics and drum lessons, respectively). Earlier this year, I decided to use that time to read physical books rather than be on my phone. I finished two books in March and let me tell you, both of these were great reads — obviously for different reasons.

I heard about this book at church (during a sermon series on parenting today). And, boy, was I glad I decided to pick it up. There’s no doubt that the invention of the smartphone has transformed our lives. But to read about how it has impacted Gen Z and subsequent generations way more than it impacted mine (”Millennials”) was incredibly eye opening. I had a flip phone for some of high school. I don’t think I got a smartphone until well into college. Social media was definitely a thing, but not having 24/7 access to it until my 20s was probably a good thing. We’re years away from Hudson asking for a smartphone (hopefully 🤞), but I feel way more equipped about knowing how to best parent in this smartphone age.

Another thing I learned about was the shift from a “play-based” childhood to “phone-based” and I’ve been trying really hard to cultivate more “play-based” activities and trying really hard to let him experience falls and mishaps. I’m more helicopter mom than free-range mom, but I want to allow him to live without being smothered. This is probably going to be harder on me than him, to be honest…

Since finishing the book, Hudson’s been able to go outside alone (while I watched from the dining room) and go play with neighbors (supervised). I think he enjoys it because he’s not being watched, but I know (and he knows) he’s still safe and able to come home whenever he’s ready.

I impulse-purchased this book (thanks for having it on the endcap next to the register, Target). But after seeing this at the top of the 2024 Bestsellers list, I figured I would give it a shot. Glad I did.

When it comes to fiction reading, I usually stick with with romance novels with guaranteed happy endings; so I was nervous to read something more mainstream with, what to me seemed, like a thriller edge. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. I enjoyed the story and the twists-and-turns! One of my favorite recent reads, for sure!

I’m so glad you asked. Yes, I finished a blanket.

At the end of 2024, I started sleeping under my “Chunky Fall Blanket” on top of my normal throw blanket that I’ve slept under for a number of years. And I noticed that I was sleeping better! I think it’s because of the extra weight giving me the “weighted blanket” effect. The Chunky Fall Blanket was just a smidge too short, so I made a new one that is longer and a hair wider for the ultimate bedtime snuggliness. I finished it it early-March and my sleep has been Absolutely. On. Point. 👌