Here is our life lately January 2025 and what we have been up to.
Books I’ve Read
This past month it has been hard to find time to read. Normally I listen to audio books while running. Since I’ve been recovering from plantar facitis, I haven’t been running as much.
- The Teacher’s Lie by Brid Cummings– Anna, a high school teacher, sees her life begin to crumble after a shocking incident at her school exposes buried secrets and lies. As the layers of her carefully constructed facade unravel, she becomes entangled in a web of obsession, betrayal, and the dangerous consequences of hidden truths. Don’t waste your time on this book. It drones on and on. 0/5
- The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods- a mysterious, magical bookshop that appears to those in need, connecting them to forgotten stories and untapped possibilities. Through the intertwining lives of its visitors, the novel explores themes of love, loss, and the transformative power of books. I liked the mystical element and alternating narrative in this. However, it did get a bit convoluted for me at times. 3.5/5
Recipes I’ve Made
- Sticky Butterbeer Pudding– So incredible! Very sweet though. I think next time I will make it in an 8×8 pan for easier storage. The kids loved it. As I mentioned, I used root beer instead of actual beer. I think beer would have made it taste off a bit. I think cream soda may have been a better choice though.
- Crispy Bang Bang Salmon Bites Bowls– Oh my goodness, so tasty. If you want to skip a step, just buy Bang Bang sauce instead of making it.
- Teriyaki Chicken Crispy Rice Salad– Love the color and the flavor! I like salads, but hate eating them in the winter. Warm salads are the perfect solution!
- Bacon Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese– These were really good! I had some sourdough bread I made that we were able to use with this. We were able to make quite a few sandwiches from this and have leftovers.
- Tomato Feta Pasta– A version of the viral recipe. We loved this. The girls raved about it. Matt loved the addition of pancetta. It’s very creamy and flavorful.
Currently
I didn’t see any prompts yet for this month so I made some of my own.
- Loving- I’m loving that the first overnight outing with my Girl Scout Cadette troop was a success! We went to Eagle Cave in Wisconsin where we spent the night in the cave 2 nights. The girls were able to explore the cave and do other fun activities.
- Making- I’ve been making quite a few lists to keep track of everything. There is nothing like a good paper and pen list!
- Thinking- I’m beginning to think about taxes and the prep work I need to do with the blog so my hubby can start to work through them. I’m always so grateful he understands it and is willing to do our taxes!
- Watching- Late in December my paypal account was hacked. Although I changed the password several times since then and switched to double authentication, it has still been happening occasionally. I have been able to get my funds back, but I’ve been keeping a close eye and watching my email for any ‘password changed’ emails. Somehow they changed my password and added their phone number. They used my email so I received thousands of spam emails. This way the Paypal alert would be buried. I caught it each time, but I don’t understand how they keep getting in when I have new passwords and double authentication on. I made sure to choose ‘log out of all devices’ as well. It hasn’t happened in about a week now, but it’s still annoying. So be aware!
- Anticipating- I’m anticipating some fun the next 2 weekends. We have chili cook offs for swim and church and ice skating with the Daisy troop. We are also doing a parents’ night out in 2 weeks.
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Family Update January 2025:
- Matt- Matt completed his first 2 training sessions to be a LSC swim judge. There is a lot of training, but then they have to shadow another judge for 4 sessions. Almost there!
- Me- We had so much fun visiting a new restaurant nearby that serves Japanese Hot Pot. The meat is brought to the table by robot cats. It was so fun! I’m gearing up for a busy work month with a formal observation and many IEP meetings and evaluations.
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- Claire- Claire had an amazing month with straight As on her report card. Her swim team hosted a meet and she swam 9 races over 3 days. She dropped time in ALL of them! Claire also spent the last weekend sleeping in a cave with her Cadette troop.
- Avie- Avie has been having a lot of fun swimming, too. She swam her first 100IM and did a wonderful job! She also had an excellent report card and has been having a lot of fun attending several of her friends’ birthday parties recently. Both girls worked hard selling Girl Scout cookies, too!
January Goals Recap
- Put together a tentative plan for Girl Scout badges/meetings for both troops- Done through end of February
- Reorganize craft supplies- Didn’t get to this.
- List clothing on Poshmark- Didn’t get to this either.
February Goals
- List clothing on Poshmark and donate what isn’t getting likes- I’m hoping to get to this during February. Realistically, it may need to wait until spring break.
- Make 2 new air fryer recipes- I got one for Christmas and want to use it more than just to reheat or cook.
- Schedule a hair cut
- Reorganize craft supplies
Favorite Posts 
LINKING UP WITH WHAT’S UP WEDNESDAY, OVERFLOWING WITH THANKFULNESS
P.S. Are you following me on LTK? I post a lot of my daily looks that don’t make it onto the blog. I hope you enjoyed my Life Lately January 2025 update!
