How is your month of March going? We kicked it off with a trip to a sunnier climate to visit my husband’s parents. Poor Adelina asks me to go to the park almost daily, but our town’s parks are under two+ feet of snow so it’s impossible. I was so happy to indulge her!

And Jonas got to take naps in fresh air and even enjoy a little sun. It’s probably an odd sensation to a boy born in snow!

Here’s what I’m up to lately.

Social Media Fast: I mentioned I’m doing a social media fast for Lent — it’s going pretty well so far! I deleted Facebook & Twitter from my phone and I log out of Instagram so it’s an extra step instead of mindlessly clicking in. I’ve ultimately decided to stick to generally checking social media when the kids are asleep or I have a little downtime otherwise, not a cold hard break. It’s been awesome reorganizing my priorities, I’ve spent very little time with it all and it feels good. I’m trying to prioritize active use (creating/writing or communication) vs passive use (mindless scrolling, checking updates just because there’s a notification). Definitely not perfect — that first day was hard — but it’s getting better.

Reading: The Triple Package: How Three Unlikely Traits Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups in America for book club. It’s interesting so far — Mormons are one of the groups Shua and Rubenfeld highlight — but feels a little bit like pop science to be honest. EDIT: I finally got past the intro chapters which seemed to be making a lot of relatively cherry-picked claims, and into the meat of the theory. It’s turned out to be quite fascinating actually. For one, I’m learning a lot about certain cultures I wasn’t terribly familiar with (Iranian-Americans, for example) and I think as it goes on the authors really build quite a case for their claim that superiority, insecurity, and impulse control contribute to the rise and success of certain cultural groups within the U.S. Really interesting book.

Watching: I finally got to see Arrival, and it did not disappoint. As soon as I saw the trailer I could tell it was my kind of science fiction: more thought experiment than space excursion, less tech more talk. I won’t give away anything quite yet (although it got me thinking so much I want to write a whole post about it… the spiritual parallels are incredible!) but it has stuck with me, in a good way. It is a beautiful film visually, and it was so life-affirming. The childhood and motherhood scenes were so achingly beautiful, they reminded of just how much good is in my own life.

Wearing: this hoodie, every day… oh boy do I love that thing! Cute enough to look put together but comfy and cozy too. And there are so many more patterns and colors, I may need a few more… ha!

Listening: Fréro Delavega, a french duo from near my hometown. (the video I linked to was shot in Bordeaux, kind of cool) They’re pretty fun and feel like summer, which I could use right now… Also, I introduced Adelina to Elvis Presley the other day and she’s feeling the rhythm 😉

Playing: trains. Andrew’s mom sent his childhood train set home with us and Adelina is obsessed!

Cooking: anything that goes in a skillet — I’m hooked! This Quick and Easy Skillet Tamale Pie With Brown Butter Cornbread Crust was amazing (although I didn’t find it especially quick), as well as this super-flavorful Skillet Chicken with Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce!

Working: I recently joined the team at Their Story is Our Story – Giving Voice to Refugees to help coordinate translation, and it’s been a little crazy trying to catch up with the sheer amount of volunteers and open loops. It’s finally getting a little under control, and I’m glad to be able to lend a hand to this cause. The NPO’s goal is to “give individual refugees voice through social media, art, exhibits, and publications, thus empowering them to share their experiences, their feelings, and their hopes on a worldwide platform.” It’s so important for people to hear, see, and read real stories about how real people are affected by this humanitarian crisis.

Also, knee-deep in a pile of laundry, unpacking from our trip, and washing human waste and paint out of kids’ clothing… ha!