What's Up Wednesday: January 2026

I'm writing the bulk of this post on Monday morning. Last night a snow day was called around 8:30pm. I was excited but in disbelief. Our board rarely calls a snow day the night before -- maybe once every couple of years. I enjoyed sleeping in this morning and having a (somewhat) slow morning.

Answering these questions monthly helps me reflect on the past month and I really appreciate having a record of what we've been up to. The questions come from Shay at Mix and Match Mama and Sheaffer at Sheaffer Told Me Too.

image from here

 

What we're eating this week... We've been so incredibly fortunate to have my parents as our neighbours this month while our kitchen has been demolished. We've been eating here every night and enjoying stir fries, sauteed shrimp and pesto pasta, and so many other delicious meals.

The kids have also been enjoying the chance to bake muffins and Nanaimo bars and to learn how to make some of my mom's specialties. Sam even tried his hand at frying pflintzen (crepe like pancakes).

 

What I'm reminiscing about... Honestly, I'm reminiscing about when I didn't cry in church almost every Sunday. Yesterday marked one year since our friend and her daughter were killed in a car accident. It's been an emotional year for our congregation. As our pastor said on Sunday, "Grief doesn't end after a year" and she's right. There has been a lot of good in the past year but there has also been a lot of hard. So I'm reminiscing about when life wasn't quite so hard.

What I'm loving... I'm absolutely loving having my parents as our neighbours. It has been so great to spend so much time with them and have a place to hang out that isn't in complete chaos. I'm also loving having my bartender nearby! Hahaha!

 

What we've been up to... January has been quite full.

 

At the beginning of the month, Rachel moved into our room and our bathroom and kitchen were demolished.

Exciting things happened like the new tub being installed and the new back door too!

 

The kids and I attended our church's Winter Retreat. I enjoyed a walk to Lake Huron with Tim, a wintry walk in the woods, and a sleigh ride.

 

Our family had a lot of fun at Lights On Stratford. We played in the snow and pretended to get eaten by birds :)

Back at home, insulation and vapour barrier were installed.

We went on a winter walk and fed birds for Dave's birthday.

Drywall was put up (and I cried)!

And I even did a couple of puzzles. 

What I'm dreading... Well, Mom and Dad are leaving on Friday and this is going to be our kitchen for the foreseeable future. It's worked well for morning coffee-hot chocolate and making lunches but we haven't had a meal at home since before Christmas so we're about to enter some very interesting times.

 

What I'm working on... I'm working on improving my winter mindset. This winter has done it's very best to throw a lot of crap at us -- immense amounts of snow, cold, two snow days (thus far), and various other issues. But I'm still trying to find the beauty and the good in winter.

 

I'm also working on consistently flossing and brushing my teeth with my electric toothbrush. And honestly, I've been successful almost every night in January. The difference? I've set an alarm on my phone to remind me and my whole family is encouraging me (or making fun of me?) as well. And, Rachel and Dave are being motivated by my dedication and also flossing and brushing more! Hahaha!!!

 

What I'm excited about... I'm excited about the meeting to choose paint colours we're having this afternoon! I'm also excited that we should soon have a shower in our house again! Whooo hooo! It's the little things in life, I'm telling you :)

 

What I'm watching/reading... This past weekend we went on a movie watching kick. We watched Dead Poets Society, Calendar Girls, and Hidden Figures. I'm loving all these older movies available on Disney+. It's been fun to introduce the kids to some of these classics.

As for reading, I've been focusing on my extremely overdue library books. I finished Health For All: A doctor's prescription for a healthier Canada, The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club, and The View From Lake Como in the past few weeks. I currently have a couple  of Carley Fortune's books and some of the Heated Rivalry series to dive into.

 

What I'm listening to... I don't know what defines my current listening. Shovelling. Can you hear shovelling?!?!

 

What I'm wearing... All my warmest clothes. This was me walking home last Friday when, with the windchill, it was almost -30C/-22F. Underneath I was wearing one of my warmest sweaters. So yes, I've been bundled up a lot lately.

 

 

What I'm doing this weekend... I don't know what I'm doing this weekend. I do know we'll be spending lots of time at home as Mom and Dad are leaving at the end of this week since our neighbours are coming back. I'll be reading, blogging, and trying to stay on top of construction dust. Plus, trying to figure out easy meals (without creating a lot of dishes) to eat!

What I'm looking forward to next month... Rachel has a dance performance, we get a three day weekend, and our favourite ice cream shop is hosting an "ice cream for breakfast" fundraiser. Plus, I think we'll have a lot more exciting things happening with our reno -- like a kitchen and a shower! Woot woot!

So that's what's up with us this Wednesday in January. We're making it through both winter and our renovation, but is it too early to hope for spring already?!?!?