Such Fun!

Zach of Note

• Birthdays continued with Theo’s and Athena’s
• Playdates with Domingo and Tom
• Soccer hiatus and a little basketball in Nov-Dec before Winter Break
• Back to basketball and soccer in early January
• Having fun with both! 
• With goalie gloves, he’s now trying out goalie and did a great job in his first futsal game!
• Beyblades - a hit!
• Z mentioned if he could do three things every day, it would be an acrostic poem, basketball, and soccer

Zach at school

• Discussion of the AAP application and filled out for Zach, which was a great exercise to think about his strengths. Processed through his CogAT scores. My work to do! Ended up with a great discussion with his teachers. So helpful! 
• Zach’s field trip and talking and connecting to Senora Bachelet! She loves Bryce, Basye, biking, hiking, etc. 

Zach’s health

• Cold-like/strep-like symptoms in Dec. Luckily it was nothing serious!
• Stomach bug and off school for two days in Jan

Sleep Update 

Sleeping more as it’s darker in the morning. Yay! Another reason I love winter. 

No episodes since the last post, though one night he came into the room soaking wet. I’m not sure what/how that happened! Still a mystery. 

Empathy Corner

• Zach is still serving others at breakfast - making menus and delivering food
• We’re planning on regular Family Meetings and have had one so far! There’s a running agenda and everything!
• We’re trying out how we helped others on a weekly basis and who helped others…
• We helped Lindy and family; Zach helps Mrs. Vargas; we help by composting and taking old shoes to be recycled
• Working on emotional regulation. Love the Good Inside phrase that it’s his job to have and express his feelings. We found a ball that we can throw when we are mad that won’t hurt anything. 

Zach's Words and Music

• BK have it your way, you rule and the State Farm jingle
• Trying for a book club with Athena, Domingo, or Max
• Podcasts and audiobooks: Spy School and now lots of Harry Potter
• Reading some I Survived, Harry Potter, Bad Kitty
• Zach wrote acrostic poems and a concrete poem. He spelled the word: brutal like this, broodle. Love it!

Family Fun

• Harry Potter movies and the movie, Clue
• Harry Potter game (Years 1-5)  and playing with Cora!
• Family hike on Christmas Day - beautiful moonlight!
• Family trip to Hersheypark
• Family math challenge; I could be more curious
• Headed out for our first family adventure ski weekend
• Zach has picked up the Conversation Cards from Christmas - What is bringing you happiness lately?
• Trip to Canaan Valley for snow!

Susan and Zach

• Walking to school; Lindy and Cora have gone with us and we’ve met Adina 
• 3 words and we’ll spin a story
• A trip to Banshee ReeksI have gotten more into Pokemon; Zach is a great coach, and I enjoy it!
• Step Afrika and the NutCracker Slide
• Crosswords
• ½ Birthday lunch out at Ted’s Bulletin
• Worked on a concrete poem and listened to a Spanish podcast on the weather

Frank and Zach

• Sky Zone
• Legos - Zach loves the beach scene Charlotte got him for Christmas. He had a blast building his van with surfboards and a rubber duckie on the roof!
• Skiing - the Indy Pass fun has begun! Inaugural trip: January 14-15 at Canaan Valley Ski Resort

Frank & Susan

• Daily walks 
• Fantastic date night - playing Escape Room on the Xbox. (I lost track of time!) And dinner at Local Provisions. Festive decor and atmosphere. 

Connection 

• Time with Greer in DC - Zaytinya and the National Gallery of Art, where we sought out the only DaVinci in the United States
• Two overnights with the grandparents
• Z and I went Ice skating with Mary, Logan, and Cora
• For F&Z: 
• Christmas with Jeff Dammann in Charlottesville and a basketball game
• Time with Zahra and Sam and Julia
• Trip to Roanoke and time with Paige. We found a sculpture garden and tried a new coffee shop
• Holiday cards and hearing from friends and family
• Check-ins with Liesl
• Caught up with Rae - loved hearing about her work with PACE group and mental health access 
• Walks with Mary
• Hearing from Bettie and Deb on their health journeys

Good Food

• Zaytinya!!!!!!!!!!
• Mediterranean Bakery goodies
• Miso cod and Auntie Em’s veggies
• Bakery Tatte’s nutella butter cookies, chocolate chip tahini cookies, and the famous jam cookies
• Delicious date night dinner at Local Provisions
• Christmas Eve nosh with all the good stuff, including Nordic Knot Pretzel
• Christmas Day Thompson Italian meal. So good!
• Frank made chicken in wine and roasted parmesan broccoli
• Mushroom barley soup and Zingerman’s bread

Fun and Not So Fun Stuff (Personal and Professional)

Health Corner

Continuing lice vigilance and trying to stay healthy even through Zach’s illnesses

Personal 

Fun

• Hanging art about once a month at LAES
• Sent Fordam Family in Review - Fordam Family 2023 in Review and great to hear back from people! 
• Art and Science of Happiness course work - lessons 1-4
• Good Inside membership; it was absolutely inspiring to see the people who are members joining orientation sessions and coffee with a coach. All of these people committed to being better parents! I love the script of - you’re a problem solver, and I’m sure you can come up with a better way to say that (for combatting rude/sassy comments)

Not So Fun

• Emily had her surgery and had drains for Christmas. No good! Glad to have her nipples removed. 
• Finally wrote a condolence card to Tracey
• AAP anxiety, but proud of how I worked through it and what I learned
• Drove by Suburban Hospital where Terry died. I mentioned Grandma Terry to him and realized we should talk more about her. 

Watching

• Blackish
• South to Black Power - was a new concept for me

Reading

• Finished Robert E. Lee and MeAnti-fat bias with Aubry Gordon in books and podcasts
• The Year of Living Danishly
• South to America by Imani Perry

Listening

• Adam Grant with Dr. Becky and Jennnifer Garner
• Why Experiencing Awe with Others Feels So Magical - one of the roller coaster rides at Hersheypark was definitely collective effervescence! 
• Lisa Damour: Understanding Today’s Teenagers on Everything Happens with Kate Bowler
• You can choose pleasant, polite, or I need space
• Once again, negative emotions are not bad or to be avoided
• The Art and Science of Happiness Lessons 1 & 2 & 3 & 4
• Episode 250 of the Sex and Psychology Podcast, How to Have “The Talk” with Your Kids - may see things on line; you can come and talk to me. The internet is for adults and there is stuff on there that may be upsetting to you as well as adults
• Good Inside: An Unfiltered Look at Thirteen
• We Can Do Hard Things: 262. Aubrey Gordon on Freedom from Anti-Fatness
• Culture Study and Why are We So Obsessed with Taylor Swift
• Really enjoyed listening to Tracy Chapman's Fast Car, such a good song

Professional Fun and Not So Fun

Fun

• Great wrap of Leadership Institute and kickoff of new one!
• Nice to go into the office and connect!
• My curated LinkedIn is so useful, inspiring and share-worthy!
• Coffee with Eva and breakfast with Judie
• Team DEIB
• 2023 Work and life Review

Not So Fun

Goodbye to two more team members who I have worked closely with…

What’s on my mind/Insights

• Thinking daily about my purpose, my values, and loving kindness meditation
• Blue Zones and promoting conditions to be happier b/c behavior change is hard
• I like the idea and want to try to get more in touch with feelings by asking at the same time every day: What am I feeling? What do I need? What do I want?
• A 2024 plan thanks to Chris Guillebeau