I recently wrote an update on how my third trimester went and how the early postpartum period has been going. Since I provided a bunch of life updates in that post I won't rehash things here. To give you a 2 sentence summary of our lives in the past 6ish months... spring term was all about getting to the end of pregnancy and it was exhausting! Summer has been all about recovery and rest.
Read MoreIt’s the end of March and that means its time for a quarterly update, and what a quarter it’s been. Between work, life, the world, growing a human… all the things, I’m exhausted (and I’m sure you are too)!
Read MoreWell, here we are in December and I’ve yet to do a monthly update. As a general practice, I’m always adapting and adjusting anything that feels like it’s not working and that has certainly been the name of the game this fall. With the nausea and exhaustion that pregnancy has brought me there was no way I was getting in monthly updates this term.
Read MoreJuly is here and even though at the start of June I was feeling exhausted and energized, this month I think I’m just feeling exhausted. The end of the school year has come and gone and any energy I had has disappeared. Which brings me to my next point, like last summer, I’ll be pausing updates, picking back up in October, or maybe September depending on how I’m feeling.
Read MoreWe were getting ready to have dinner one night when Ellie came into the kitchen and asked, “what’s wrong with the world?” Clearly, she’s been listening to Mike and I talk more than she lets on.
When the pandemic started ramping up in the US, my strategies for moving through grief began to change. I started pushing aside any feelings that came up, telling myself, "not now, just get to the end of the school year, and then you can more fully process everything." Turns out, that doesn't work so well, especially when the hits just keep coming.
Read MoreIt's officially June and I'm simultaneously exhausted and energized. It's the end of the term, which means summer is so close. In this month's newsletter I shared a bit about the weekly rhythm that I've gotten into (see above image), how it's working for me, along with what an actual week looked like. Here are my main takeaways from this schedule...
Read MoreGoodbye April, hello May. Here’s an abbreviated version of the reflection I shared in this month’s newsletter about potentially pausing my tenure clock.
Read MoreHere’s what I worked on during the month of March. If you missed February’s update, I’m moving my reflections to the monthly newsletter, which you can sign up for here!
Read MoreFirst of all, I can. not. believe. that March is here. Which means soon it will be April and then May and then summer (I feel like my life revolves around how far away summer is). If I can make it through February, I can usually trick myself into thinking that spring is right around the corner (even though March is pretty much the same thing… granted flowers are blooming outside right now and it’s been sunny so apparently spring has arrived).
What’s been going on for us this month in the Toddler on the Tenure Track household? Work, preschool, playgrounds, the occasional dinner or brunch with friends, nothing too out of the ordinary. Ellie has been having some serious tantrums lately. We're in a weird "no nap but needs a nap" phase, which makes emotions run high.
Read MoreI’ll be switching from weekly updates to monthly updates. Between no more naps for Ellie (unless we want her staying up until 10:30pm or later), serving as the administrator on my dad’s estate, a steady stream of doctor’s appointments, and just work and general life stuff, weekend time is precious. I’d rather spend the hour (plus) that was previously dedicated to weekly updates on other things! I’ll structure these monthly updates the same way, with a bit of a reflection from the month and also what I’ve been working on in terms of research, teaching, service, and personal life. I don’t set monthly goals, so I won’t structure the update around them… I’ll play around with what feels good. Since I’m not a monthly planner I’m curious to see how taking time to review the past month alters the flow of my work.
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