More wins and not-so white towels

I don’t know how it’s already almost the end of February. It feels like I blinked sometime in early January and now summer is packing up its things (in Australia, anyway). I’m very ready for cooler mornings and not feeling personally attacked by the humidity.

This month has been a bit of a slog. The monthly fitness challenge for iFit is 150 minutes a week of a workout, aka 5 x 30min sessions. I’ve got 2 left to go for the month, and yet to do my workout today, so by tomorrow I’ll have one remaining! That means I should finish the challenge with a day up my sleeve.

It’s been hard. Not dramatic hard, just that steady, “I really don’t feel like this today” kind of hard. The kind where the couch is whispering sweet nothings.

But I’ve stuck with it. Even on the tired days. Especially on the tired days. And that feels like the real win.

I can certainly feel a difference in my leg strength, which is exciting. I picked up a second-hand mountain bike from a friend and took it out for a spin one afternoon.

My husband, son, and I all went for a bike ride, where we rode through the nearby uni and got to see all the kangaroos out at dusk. It was exciting to see how many there were – for some reason, I thought their numbers were dwindling, but there were loads there! It amused me greatly to see them chewing on some grass right next to a father and son kicking the footy around – the roos didn’t care one bit.

This month has felt super busy for some reason. The weekends have been full of trips to Brisbane (1.5-hour trip each way), and loads happening during the week. It’s been tough to carve out some time for a blog, but I’m still managing to write more than I did last year, and I’m still enjoying it, so that’s the main thing.

52 in 52 update

On the 52 in 52 front, I’m happy to report some progress since my last post, Smug no more:

• I finally cracked the Rubik’s Cube!
  
  After the first attempt (which was… humbling), it took many, many more tries. Three pages of scribbled instructions. Lots of YouTube watching and replaying. It’s now grown into a mild obsession, with the additional purchase of a speed cube (not an affiliate link – I don’t get paid for recommendations).
  
  But I’ve memorised the algorithms now. And when I finally solved it without checking my notes, I may have requested high fives from my husband and son (they were stuck in the car with me at the time and had no choice).
  
• I’ve made a little bit of progress on my LEGO. It’s been so busy this week that I’ve not had time to do any more, but the first bag out of about 6 is done. It’s a sunflower one, so it’ll be cute to put on my desk when it’s finished.
  
• I registered us for Clean Up Australia Day this weekend. Essentially, we spend 1.5 hrs picking up rubbish from a particular spot with another group of volunteers. I want Luca to grow up remembering that you should help look after the place you live in. Not because you’re told to, but because it’s yours too. And every time I do this, I remember how gross and lazy people can be. Hopefully, my son grows to be an exception.
  
• My lettering continues to get better, and my new brush pens are really helping. I’m enjoying decorating my journal every day, although my attempt to write a “pick-me-up” quote in my journal backfired, but it made me laugh.

Renovation Update

In other news, our bathroom renovations are nearly done! I’m hanging out to post before and after photos, but we aren’t quite ready yet.

Last week, we finally got the shower glass and plumbing done, so we finally have an ensuite attached to our main bedroom again. It’s been in progress since the end of November, so it’s nice to not smell dust. On Monday, we also got the new door put in, which meant we could finally put our clothes back into our walk-in robe as well.

Let me tell you, not having boxes and suitcases of clothing stashed around the house, or draped over couches, is amazing. It feels like a novelty to have everything put away and space back in the living room and the garage.

On the weekend, we visited Ikea and picked up some styling elements – some little fake plants, bath mats, and towels. Fun fact – in my wisdom, I decided we should have white towels, then promptly ruined them by throwing them in with older towels in the wash that I didn’t think were still leaking dye. Apparently they are. Several rounds of soaking later, and the towels are almost back to white. I’m sure it’ll come out eventually.

I also went through all my skincare products as I was starting to put everything away in the new vanity drawers. I’d received so many free samples and bits and pieces in the past, and never threw anything away because I really wanted to try them, just hadn’t prioritised the time. So, my goal is to pick something new, use it until it runs out, and then move on to the next one. I mean, some of these samples are of some really expensive stuff, and when I calculated it, the sample was worth the equivalent of $20!

It’s so nice having everything organised and put away. My husband and I have both remarked that our bathroom feels a bit too nice now, almost like a hotel. We’re so lucky!

So that’s the last couple of weeks – busy, full, slightly chaotic, but good.

If the February theme was about sticking with things (even when I don’t feel like it), then I wonder what March will be. So far, I have one more 52 in 52 to tick off, cooler mornings hopefully on the way, and more little wins to notice. And possibly some more positive affirmations thrown my way to help continue to build my self-confidence.

More good times ahead.