An Uptick in Challenges and Lots of Good Stuff

Zach of Note

• Themes of illness and disruption continue (sickness, snow)
• Music he likes: Green Day
• Still lots of audio book listening and tracking scores of so many sports
• He's still at it with piano and may play in the spring recital!
• YMCA day with James on their Jan day off school
• Non-audio book dabbles: Bey Blades, Circuits, his recorder
• Motorcycle computer game and video games
• Zach shoveled
• His understanding of logic impresses me!
• World history and geo politics conversations
• Around time of going to George Mason basketball game, we talked about Zach's preferred colleges: UVA and James Madison; he wants to be close to home but not really close

Zach & School

• The last 6+ weeks have gone pretty well. He's gotten his points each week for good behavior, except for two weeks; one of those weeks, he got a 1/2 point and the other week (after he'd earned his reward), we heard from Sra. Serrano, so it's a work in progress!  
• Lots of indoor recess and we continue to support Zach not having his computer
• Homework in the mornings is pretty consistent, with disruptions, of course, Frank got sick with the flu and he was gone on his guys trip, but we're adjusting and re-adjusting!
• Pokémon, hockey and soccer Valentine's cards were a hit
• Friendship Circle/Club/Group
• Conversations about struggles for 3rd graders in Spanish Immersion with Mike and the What'sApp group 
• Google slides and funny memes
• Zach started a spring club, and he LOVES strategy and board game club!

Zach Health

• He had his 9 year old well appointment; all is well; I love RTCPeds' Nancy!
• As for his orthodontics journey, he made it to the end with his expander. Yay! He is wearing No. 28 until his Invisalign is ready at the end of March

Zach & Sports

Basketball 

• The team had a three game winning streak and is advancing through their bracket. Today is the semi-final and final if they make it
• The Goods basketball camp on Prez Day with Jackson, Tom, Noah, Owen E.

Soccer

• Lots of regular and some goalie canceled
• A scrimmage leading up to the tournament
• Arlington Tournament kickstarted the season and it was a Team White exclusive - no guest players. They won big in their first three games and were well-matched in the final, but lost. So disappointed for them! From a Team Manager perspective, the tournament was not the best experience. Challenges included an unexpected extra fee for paying with a credit card; significant driving time between fields, which did not allow for any team bonding; reporting scores incorrectly or not at all; no port-a-toilets at the Arlington field location where we played two for four games. It was nice to have Coach Rich Shelton coach the boys in their first game. He's a lot like Jake, but is a little more generous with his praise. 
• Jake sent me a text praising Zach's goalie performance in the tournament. I appreciated it so much!

Good Food

• The Bibim bap and ginger lemonade at the Korean spa were AMAZING! Yum!
• Eggplant appetizer at Crust
• Auntie Em's sourdough bread and muffins
• Costco muffins are delicious
• Extra crispy tater tots at Ed's Bulletin
• Valentine's Brownies
• Auntie Em's white bean pesto soup, tomato soup, and sour dough bread
• Leni's breakfast bowl and Turkish-style lentils
• Ted's Bulletin's extra crispy tater tots! 
• Zach's loves Trader Joe's equivalent of Taki's; sharing them at school; sharing them with Katie and Suji

Connection

• Brunch with Emily at Ted's Bulletin and the next weekend, Emily and I went to one of the Korean spas, and it was such a great day. Trump's and Musk's wraths had barely been implemented, and I could offer Emily some hope for a future outside of the federal government
• Food for Sarah Beth and Bryan
• Super Bowl party
• Snow day and playing outside with Teddy, Logan, and Cora
• Calls with Paige
• Two catch ups with Kathleen
• Checked in on Greer, Emily Rogers
• Birthday parties for Zach: Tom and a chance to chat with Chari (we went for coffee together) + good connection with Monica and Claire
• Zach and playdates: Tom, Noah, Theo, and Aidan
• Soccer families snack pack packing + Skull King playing
• Walk around Lake Fairfax during soccer practice with Jenn, Jenny, Beth
• We've walked a few times
• Good bus stop family fun
• Reconnecting with Janna
• Quentin ask Zach to play (The 3-year old neighbor)
• Leni had Zach and I over to sample the Turkish-style lentil soup, and she fed us!
• Dinner with Katie and Suji

Family Fun

• Skull King playing
• Dinners out
• Ski trip to Massanutten
• Percy Jackson, Harry Potter movies
• Just Dance

Frank & Zach

• Skiing at Bryce with James, a trip to Wisp, and an overnight to Snowshoe
• Rescued a cat tree cast off for Callie and she loves it
• Video games, esp Harry Potter Legacy
• Math and literacy night at school

Susan & Zach

• Went to two of James' hockey games; I saw Oshi - a Washington Capitals player
• Church with Zach for the first time since Nov
• Watched the Caps game on tv; they won against the Penguins
• George Mason basketball game
• Zaytinya with Zach and the Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum
• Kitchen show down
• Lots of challenges with boundaries and so much listening
• Sports weekend galore while Frank was in Colorado
• Tried Jeni's ice cream 
• Watched Remember the Titan's
• Zach and his fingernail that made me laugh so hard
• "Eh" VM

Gratitude: We are somewhat regularly sharing our gratitude

Personal and Professional Fun and Not So Fun

• Volunteering at the school hanging art and at Family Science Night
• The Michigan camp I found looks super-cool, and those people are nice and proactive and responsive. Love it. 
• Aspiring Leaders and Le Susan Fort

Fun and not fun: 

• Having to plan for camp and summer vacation in Michigan
• Prepping for Spain - found our lodging for Madrid

Health

• Had a telemedicine about my Gabapentin prescription; I am down to one dose in 24-hours 
• Jumped through the hoops to get my colonoscopy scheduled in the next six months

Learning

• Good Inside and Dr. Becky video that frustration = learning zone. The space between knowing and not knowing is the frustration zone, and we all need to build our frustration tolerance
• Spanish learning
• Daniel Pink course
• The stoics are testing me

Reading

• The Last Thing He Told Me
• The Other Black Girl
• Caste
• This Side of Home
• Heather Cox Richardson's daily Letters from an American

Listening

• Motivation 10-25
• NPR again

Watching

• XO Kitty
• Nobody Wants This
• Abbott Elementary
• Movies: Plus One, Work It, Dolce Vita, Picture This
• Started Night Agent, The Other Black Girl, and started back on Pose, but too intense for current reality

Not So Fun

• Camp nonsense; the world is falling apart and the U.S. is elevating White men above all, and I'm worried about camp for Zach. Really?!
• Family Game Night at LAES - hated it!

Professional

• Started working at the global level the week of January 27 and it's rough. The team works a lot of hours and many of my initial tasks are really energy-draining. However, there are glimmers of energy-giving projects.
• Learning about Hungary because of my colleagues there

XXXXX

• Everything related to DEIB ended and rolled back
• Stops to funding for important programs like USAID
• Helping neighbors: food for Sarah Beth and Bryan
• Got the ball rolling to hold the neighborhood and soccer family volunteer event with Cornerstones. We packed snack packs the week of Feb 8 and I delivered on Feb 10
• Met with Leni on Feb 2 to discuss building community locally with and for our neighbors. She has an entrepreneurial spirit, and has a vision of making "ready to use" soup packets. 
• Ezra Klein's - Don't Believe Him
• Russia and Ukraine; Trump calling Zelinsky a "dictator."
• Removing impartial armed forces, firing special counsels, legal protections, FBI employees who prosecuted. 
• Firing Federal Workers who are in probationary period
• Frank and I jump started our giving: New giving on my end to ACLU, The Trevor Project (recommended by Rae), funding for NPR - WAMU and listening again
• Subscribed to Heather Cox Richardson and her "Letters from an America;" she cites Politico, so it might be another good place to give funds. 
• Fights in the court and resources to immigrants and LGBTQIA+ community
• Bought cards for immigrants outlining their 2nd Amendment Rights in English and Spanish; great videos by ACLU
• Helping fired Federal government workers find work
• Aunt Billie called Mom to check in on us all
• We participated in the eonomic boycott on Feb 28
• Kathleen shared resources
• Listening to NPR again

What I'm thinking about

• Zach and standing up when he doesn't agree with something is a great thing! Need to encourage! At school, it's recess, and even if iit's hard and getting him into trouble at school right now, I need to encourage his resist mindset. 
• Susan David's post about contributing through who you are: 
• A moment where you helped someone else succeed.
• A decision where you prioritized long-term trust over short-term speed.
• A time when you brought creativity, emotional agility, or collaboration to a challenge.
• A way in which you made work feel more human—for yourself or someone else.
• Something you learned that made you better, not just busier.