Another month, another recap!
Previous months: / Jan / Feb / Mar / Apr
Books Read: 4 – the first two were non-fiction that I read in part for podcast prep, and the second two novels. I also got to ~80% of two others but I finished them in June so we’ll leave them off of this recap!
Escaping Quicksand by Lisa Woodruff (5.2)
What You Are Looking for is In the Library by Michiko Aoyama (5.11)
The Hormone Loop by Gillian Goddard (5.18)
Yesteryear by Caro Burke (5.18)
Date Nights (one of my 2026 goals): Josh and I got A LOT of time together in May, celebrating my birthday and our 20th anniversary (5.27.06).
Relatively impromptu Sicilian Oven Friday night
AN ENTIRE 3-DAY WEEKEND in the Berkshires!
Habits: Analog tracking still going strong!
Meditation: 22/31 days
Walk outside: 27/31 days
Read: 28/31 days
Music: 26/31 days
Duolingo: 17/31 days
Fitness
Strength: 15 workouts (hodgepodge of finishing 2nd round of Iron, Empowered Fitness, couple Peloton, and starting Shred workouts)
Pilates: 8 (6 at Club Pilates, 1 at Miraval, 1 at home)
Walks: 27 including 2 hikes
TV / Movies / Performance – a month of FINISHING series and watching (for me) a LOT of stuff!
Margo’s Got Money Troubles – season 1 episodes 3 – 8. SUCH a good show! (Loved the book too.)
Euphoria – season 3 eps 3 – 7. Some good parts but I’m also somewhat relieved to be done. (I watched the last episode on 6.1, but I almost finished in May!)
The Pitt – season 2 eps 13 – 14.
Project Hail Mary (in the theaters with the kids – everyone loved it)
School of Rock (at home with the kids – everyone loved or at least tolerated it)
Remarkably Bright Creatures (same)
Belle & Sebastian – concert in Miami 5.17.26
Weird Al Yankevich – concert in Hollywood 5.26.26 – not really my thing but Josh was happy and Amish Paradise was good.
SUCCESSES: (referring to May goals list)
- Tried the Emma workouts (and liked them!)
- Finished a lot of TV (hey, it was on my list so I’m taking the credit)
- Date nights – knocked that one out of the park
- Finished prepping BLPA2.0!
- Ordered 2 physical planners for review (goal was 3, but pretty good)
- Blogged most days
- Made some decisions about spring 2027 travel (decided AGAINST Costa Rica for next year)
- FINISHED the rest of Hawaii planning (and booking!)
FAILS:
- Attempted the Shred macros for a few days, but it ended up not being a good fit (ie: totally unsustainable so I didn’t see the point)
- Did not play as much piano as I’d hoped
- Did not update TBR list in May (but I did for June and now have a HUGE stack of books!)
- Did not start using new PW manager
- Did not schedule Josh’s Konmari session (but he’s still agreed to do it!)
- Did not take each kid for ice cream. (Ahh well. Maybe this summer. Though we often just all go together so maybe this goal doesn’t make sense.)
HIGHLIGHTS:
the Miraval trip!
lots of family time with Poppy + Tia/Mike/Ellie/Max; celebrating Max’s graduation
G’s piano recital – she was super cute!
annual Melting Pot end-of-school-year celebration
LOWLIGHTS:
Missing the San Francisco trip / Peds Endo conf (I missed it for absolutely valid reasons and it was the ONLY choice, but still a bummer to see it on the calendar looking back. It would have been fun, if life had unfolded differently!)
MOHS surgery. Though I guess it’s great that this is done.
Josh had to work on Mother’s Day; my bday felt kind anticlimactic – I always struggle with all of the ‘celebrations’ packed in a row. I am not 5 and I know that having these days does not mean the month will be magical but somehow I always set my expectations too high and end up kind of deflated.
Usual monthly mood stuff started early and came fast + furious.
7 Comments
My biggest success in May was in response to my therapist asking me “what would being kind to yourself look like right now.” This resulted in me not going to work when I wasn’t feeling up to it, not trying to optimize my time with new projects as I wait for people to get documents to me for my grant (it ends up being fragmented and frustrating because I get interrupted so often), intentionally numbing myself with candy crush / block blast, and watching a lot of tv. I don’t think I’m going to finish euphoria — but I came across Band of Brothers on HBO and watched that with my husband which somehow I hadn’t seen before, followed by Pacific. Now we are watching Cold War documentaries. I also managed to get a modicum of fitness back before my surgery (ran 5.5 miles this weekend, weights are almost as heavy as they were a year ago) which is today. It’s a little depressing bc I know I will need to start over *again* a few weeks from now. I’m tired of people asking me what my plans are for the summer.
Good luck with your surgery, SESB. I hope that it’s a complete success and that your recovery is as smooth as possible. You’d mentioned in an earlier comment this is only even necessary because of a medical mistake (I think?) and that must be (understatement coming) extremely frustrating. I can’t imagine going through that. But I wanted to make sure you knew that through the power of the internet, this random 44 year old woman living just outside Seattle is rooting for and thinking of you! Sending lots of positive thoughts your way. I hope you’ll keep us posted on how you’re doing!
And also I’m going to use your therapist’s idea and apply it to my own life. It’s brilliant. Thanks for sharing that, too.
wishing you the best with the surgery, too. the fitness will come back and it’s really nice to go IN in good shape – I’m sure will help with healing and stamina and all that. I am laughing that you didn’t finish Euphoria – it seemed like you were more into it than I was! I thought the end was . .decent? But I also get stopping if it was no longer sparking joy!
I actually loved the finale episode.
Ooh good to know! I read a mediocre review of it on Slate (I think they were hoping for… the opposite ending) which is what made me reconsider.
Aw you guys are too kind. It really warmed my heart to read this. 🙂
Aw… this comment from Elizabeth to SESB is touching. Yes, thanks to the internet she has lots of random people cheering her on!
You had a lot going on this month, so you really made the most of what you had to work with. You definitely knocked date night out of the park, which is perfect because Josh needed a lot of support this month.
Onward to June… although somehow we’re practically halfway through the month already???