I didn't do much for my birthday, but I did get some cool anime gifts from my parents and sister. We went out to dinner, too. Otherwise, I've stayed indoors away from the cold with Tsuki, writing and working on art. To be completely honest, it doesn't feel any different than I did the year before (it hasn't felt like there's been a significant change since I turned 18; otherwise, it feels same old, same old). Funnily enough, the family I babysit for can't believe my age, insisting I don't look it. Considering the "bouncers" at Dave and Busters that we encountered for Corliss' birthday earlier this year proclaiming that we couldn't be in our late 20's because "we're just babies," it seems like people don't ever believe we're our age (lol).
It was rather tricky getting up Monday morning because I had struggled falling asleep Sunday night and since it was so cold. It was so incredibly tempting to go back asleep and stay snuggled in my blankets. My dreams were veiled in a thick haze, too, so I wasn't able to recall what transpired.
I seriously didn't want to get up Tuesday morning, wishing I wasn't exhausted due to Tsuki's reign of terror last night. She was getting into everything, knocking things over (all which were extremely breakable) and constantly trying to eat things she shouldn't (including fake and real plants). She kept launching herself onto shelves she's never been on before, so I was constantly moving and rearranging things. She got pissed, so it then led to her constantly attacking, aggressively wrestling, kicking, and biting. Didn't get to bed until after 1 am and I was so done with her. My dream recall was incredibly fuzzy. I think there was something about collaborating for big projects, but specifics were elusive to my incredibly sleep-deprived body.
Wednesday morning was more of the same; I was quite tempted to stay cozy in bed and go back to sleep. I was fairly groggy when I woke up, and my dream recall was quite hazy, making it difficult to remember what transpired. It was quite the struggle to wake up and get out of bed again Thursday morning. It was colder, making it all so tempting to stay cozy in the blankets and return to sleep. My dream recall was still pretty fuzzy. Pretty sure there was stuff about making a website/writing articles, but I couldn't remember anything specific.
My dream recall was pretty fuzzy, and I almost fell back asleep on Friday morning. There was something about babysitting the boys and mint Pocky. Something else involved writing articles for websites. Pretty sure more happened, but that's all I could remember once I woke up. I felt rather off when I woke up on Saturday morning. I had a somewhat intense headache, and I just feel rather exhausted (even after unintentionally sleeping in until noon). My dream recall was nonexistent, and it almost felt like I hadn't been asleep at all. It was strange.
I could remember more when I woke up this morning, although my dream recall was still a bit fuzzy. On the plus side, I felt pretty well rested when I woke up, unlike yesterday. The first thing I could remember was being at some kind of large store that seemed similar to Menards (but almost felt like Michaels). I was with the girl I used to babysit all the time; we were exploring the different merchandise on different levels and found lots of holiday decorations and goodies. I think more happened, but the next thing I could remember was being at some kind of park or zoo with April. We were walking around, enjoying the weather. We noticed that there were various animals out and about--mainly horses, mules, and donkeys. It was strange because there were these white chalk boxes painted/drawn on the grass, and the animals wouldn't leave them (almost seemed like they couldn't). Someone else in the area mentioned that this fourth group of animals was specifically "wild donkeys," and this group seemed to be miniature donkeys. There was this pair of animals wandering about. I think they were supposed to be donkeys, but from what I remember they seemed more like horses--they were definitely larger than normal donkeys. One of them came up to me and looked absolutely adorable with big, soulful eyes. This creature was being so loving and sweet, seeking affection and pets. Eventually, the other wandered over. More might have happened, but that's all I can remember.
The boys wished me a happy birthday; they were also quite interested in hearing about Tsuki's reign of terror the previous night. They're super excited to be in the final stretch before winter break; they have 3 days next week and then freedom! The boys were excited to discuss anime, The Owl House, Disney theories, and Pokémon. We're all in consensus about Miradon being the coolest of the legendaries and that the past forms are cooler than the future forms, but we think that Ceruledge is cooler than Armorouge. They prefer Violet version overall but wish you could still get the past forms (can't say I blame them--the future forms' names aren't even creative). I am curious to see what they do with DLC. We also so this very festive truck when picking up the younger of the two from school on Friday. It was quite the neat find.
Tsuki was her typical nutty self, although the cold weather had her sleeping a lot more. Even though she spent a much greater portion of time snoozing, Tsuki still made plenty of time for antics, like trying to steal my birthday presents and destroying paper. She enjoyed snuggling with me on the couch and getting cozy with blankets, and with how bitterly cold it's been, I really didn't blame her. She's going to have a field day next weekend with all of the wrapping paper, boxes, and gift bags. Tsuki won't be too keen on Yogi and my brother visiting, though. Hopefully, all things go smoothly.
Artwork for the week included a lot of paper crafts:
I wrote a bunch more content for Creativity Chronicles this week! Feel free to check out the newest articles!
New articles included:
Make sure to make time for yourself as the holiday season drives into high gear! It's way too easy to put yourself on the backburner as you take care of daily life responsibilities and get swept up in the additional holiday tasks, like gifts. Find time for joy, fun, and happiness for yourself. I made sure to take time to relax with a movie this week to balance my work-pleasure ratio. I also made sure to sleep in and catch up on sleep this weekend. Sure, I could have used that time to get stuff done, but sleep is also vital. Prioritize self care so you can enjoy this season to the fullest! Take care, be gentle with yourself, and do what makes you happy! Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and rest of your weekend!
Food for thought from Ralph Smart on Infinite Waters:
Food for thought to consider: