Monday Mood

Happy Monday!  Here are the three good things and three not so good things to start another week:

Loves
1.  School.  I love that my kids get on the bus and go to school on Monday mornings.  I look forward to the break in routine that the weekend provides, but nothing beats a cup of coffee in a quiet kitchen.  Thank you, teachers and administrators. 

me at 8:21am on Monday morning

2.  Less TV, more writing and reading at night.  Lately, I've been thinking about the ways my phone and other screens suck time and make my day disjointed.  "One sec, I just need to check something"----->30 minutes later, I'm ready to engage in reality again.  I've been sidelining my phone at different times and then considering how I feel after.  When I read and/or write before bed I feel good about how I spent my time and I sleep better.  I'm not cutting out all TV, but even watching one less episode of a show in favor of my book yields more happiness. 

3.  Reading picture books.  Last night, my husband and I read picture books to some of our kids.  They sat there rapt and we had fun walking down memory lane.  I forget how nice it is to read a short book and be done with it, to pour over the pictures, and to revisit stories we love.  This may be a new thing for this season because it was so relaxing and enjoyable for all of us.  

Not Loves
1.  Fall weather that feels like July weather.  This is a common complaint these days but I am over temps in the 90's in October.  We haven't had rain in a while and everything is coated with a thick layer of fall pollen that makes me want to itch my face off.  Hopefully, this week will bring some cooler weather.  

2.  Bookstagram.  Don't get me wrong, I love the community of readers on bookstagram but I get a little triggered by all of the "reading recap" images from people reading 14+ books in a single month.  Calm down with all that reading.  Am I jealous?  Unequivocally yes.  💯 You may find me hanging out on twitter more for a while, though.  

3.  Shoulders.  Well, I don't actually mind shoulders, but I wrecked my shoulder last week while I was exercising and I thought I would be done with the pain by now.  It's definitely better than it was, but keeping my shoulders and posture in alignment is now work that I have to think about.  Strained muscles are no joke.  

What are your loves/not loves for this week?