April & May Recaps

Two months, two very different vibes. April was tough. May was a ton of fun. So goes this season of life. Its a great many things all at once.

What I Read:

[Non-fiction]

Noise: A flaw in human judgment (Kahneman, Sibony, Sunstein). I was a chapter into Daniel Kahneman’s latest tome when I read the news that he had passed. His work is so dense, so impactful, so thought-provoking, that it takes me ages to get through them. But I got through it nonetheless and made the decision to go back and reread Thinking Fast and Slow (and taking notes this time).

New York Amish: Life in the plain communities of the Empire State (Johnson-Weiner). This was written by a local author on a big subpopulation of the North Country community where I live. I’ve always been interested in the Amish and found learning about their history and way of life fascinating. 

Slow Productivity: The lost art of accomplishment without burnout (Newport). I have read most of Cal Newport’s books, I am a fan. I found this one equally as helpful. I plan to try out many of the practical techniques he provided. His books are helpful in that they not only explore important truths that are helpful for professional development, but he provides really concrete ways to fix the problems. Not all will work for me and my current life stage, but I hope some will.

The Comfort of Crows (Renkl) spring weeks 3-11: This is a year-long read with a short chapter for each week of the year. These weeks were all very different but interesting.

[Fiction]

The House on the Cerulean Sea (Klune): Days before a weekend with my college roommates at an AirBnB in the Adirondacks I told them I really needed something to read. One brought this and it was great. Cheerful, interesting, different. Left you feeling happy, which was needed. 

Things We Never Got Over (Score): Racy romance my sisters recommended. It was a good escape each night! She has two others in this series I will likely read as well.
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Non-Fiction Books Read in April and May

What I Listened To:

The Tea’s Made
Favorite Episode: Creating Community & A Connected Life Close to Home

Deep Questions
Favorite Episode: Single-Purpose Notebooks

What I Worked On:

Heritage Engagement Project pieces titled Buffalo’s Short Lived Marine Airport  and A Tale of Three Parks, focusing on the history of the land the new Ralph Wilson Park is on. Connecting people with place can be done quite effectively through good storytelling, which was my goal with these two pieces.

A presentation on the Heritage Engagement Project for the May meeting of the New York Archaeological Association at the Buffalo Museum of Science. 

A strategy presentation on microcredentialing opportunities for my department. This was part of a MOU with the College of Arts & Sciences in exchange for my classes being reassigned the semester after I had my third son. In lieu of a formal maternity leave, they found this workaround. I think it’s the only way they could offer an extended leave for professors, and I am grateful for it.

Finishing up my last semester at SUNY Potsdam (and likely my last semester as an anthropology professor). Four classes, lots of students, lots of work. A couple close calls with tears as I heard some incredibly kind words from students and staff.

Elementary School STEAM festival Projects: both my Pre-K and first grader did STEAM projects (The Art and Science of Baking a Cake and Research on Rocks Part 2). I love doing these with my sons, but not necessarily because of the science (or technology, engineering, art, or math). I like teaching them how to tackle big projects. We break up the work over weeks, only working in 10–15-minute blocks, with some exceptions (like baking the cakes). Planning, coloring/writing content for the posters, conducting the work, gluing and putting the poster together…spreading this all out keeps them from getting distracted and miserable. In the end, what I really want them to take away from these projects is that if they plan, organize their time, break things into manageable parts, and keep at something for awhile, they can do big things. 

A post for my blog on passion projects, as well as the passion project it inspired…

An archaeological dig set up for my eldest’s first grade class. Some professional development funds and a willing first grade teacher resulted in my husband and I building dig boxes and me teaching the class to dig up real artifacts to learn about the work of archaeologists. The kids dug, discovered, water washed, inspected under microscopes, learned about, drew, and wrote about artifacts lent by the University at Buffalo Archaeological Survey and the St. Lawrence County Center for History and Culture. It was such a success. The plan went exactly as I hoped. We had a beautiful sunny May morning and the kids were amazing. I think I made my kid proud.
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The archaeological dig ready for 19 first graders! (More about this coming in a follow-up post!)

What I Struggled With:

Nonstop kid illnesses for the third month in a row in April, including two ER trips with the baby, and a world record for ‘most times vomited on by a tiny human’. This was a banner winter. May it never happen again.

Home and office organization: my spaces needs some serious work. As soon as I submitted my final grades I went to work and hope to continue progress in June. My yoga studio is holding its annual fundraiser garage sale providing a deadline for decluttering. 

Not feeling overwhelmed by my upcoming professional transition. It would help if I knew exactly what I was transitioning to…but I don’t. Which is anxiety-provoking. 

Leaving teaching. This was more emotional then I anticipated. I was expecting this for a long time so it was not a shocking blow, but still. Being a professor has been part of my identity for over a decade. So there are some emotions with the end of this era. (What I am not struggling with - having to learn how to reteach all of my classes in the era of ChatGPT).

Job hunting. Struggled as in…done very little. I think I needed to finish up my current job (career, really) and close that door. I passed on a few job offers already that didn't seem right and need to spend more time hunting.  This is a luxury possible only because I am being paid till the end of August.

​What I Enjoyed:

Not much in April…but May contained many great things. Which is a good reminder…bad months happen, but a great month might be along any minute now! 

Mother’s Day: this is my holiday. I celebrate all weekend long. I don’t put much pressure on my husband and kids to figure out what I want. Instead, I make my wishes known and plan some things myself. This year, after a ROUGH Jan-April, I went all out. A yoga class to live music Friday, a massage Saturday morning, brunch at a place with grilled cinnamon rolls Sunday morning, mimosas + reading in bed + nap Sunday midmorning, hanging out with my oldest (cough, cough easiest) while the other two went to a birthday party Sunday afternoon, good food from a local restaurant Sunday evening, and the opening of my screened porch Sunday night!

My husband’s birthday: his is the first birthday in our birthday season (me, him, and all three sons have birthdays May - August) and it often ushers in nice weather. We decorate, we eat good food, and celebrate all day. The following week we did our annual birthday hike and local brewery visit (with no kids). This year we hiked Mt. Arab for some amazing views (but way too many bugs) and grabbed a pint at Raquette River Brewing. 

A farewell dinner with my academic department: I thought this would be sad and a bit depressing, but I actually had a great time (and I think they did too). I really enjoy spending time with the people in my department. There are no hard feelings (they advocated hard for my contract-renewal; my cut was due to budget issues affecting the whole college). We spent hours at a local Italian restaurant, and it was such a positive way to end four years of working together. 

A couple fun kids parties. While some people find kids parties annoying, I quite enjoy them. Probably because I enjoy the parents I am getting to know so much and my kids leave happy and tired. 

A solar eclipse party.  Okay this was the one part of April I loved and it was awesome. We watched it with three other families on one’s 100+ acre property that afforded unobstructed views and 5+ hours of frog-catching, mud-splashing fun for our combined 14 kids. I was shocked at how cool the actual eclipse was. There is not much that shocks me these days, but I was awe-struck that day. 

A visit from my mom. We do not get a ton of visitors up in the very rural part of New York State where we live. When we do, I like to cook lots of good food and enjoy the company. When that company is your mom, it also means you get days of extra help with the kids and around the house.

A great coffee meeting with my two colleagues from Ralph Wilson Park Conservancy at a coffee shop in downtown Buffalo. I was meeting one of them in person for the first time, after working together for over a year, plus we did some awesome brainstorming for the Heritage Engagement Project. We sat out on a crowded covered patio drinking coffee. It reminded me of cafes in Europe so much that my heart ached for the days when I spent every summer in Eastern Europe. 

Watching my baby learn to crawl. Its so funny to see them struggle through, and eventually figure out, how to move their limbs. Given how chubby my youngest is, it was even funnier to see him try to drag his belly and chubby thighs across the ground. Unlike many babies, he likes crawling in grass (probably because it is softer than my home's hardwoods).

My town’s yearly Dairy Festival tricycle race. For generations, this town has opened the annual Dairy Festival (complete with a Dairy Princess Pageant and Parade) with a cutthroat race for 4-, 5- and 6-year-olds on big wheels. This was my middle son’s first year of eligibility (he’s 4) and the first year my 6-year-old wanted to enter, so we had a good time cheering them on. The rest of the festival and parade were on June 1st, so that will make my June update 🙂

So that's my April and May update. So happy to end this saying that things feel much lighter and brighter than they have in months. Good health definitely impacts my ability to fill the hours with satisfying work and memorable fun. But staying positive through the hard months and staying hopeful that good days will come back are even more impactful. They help usher in the good seasons and then makes them all the more joyful when they come. Wishing everyone reading a joyful June and sending thoughts of hope to anyone who is waiting for their next good season to arrive.

-Katie