So…what is the Monday Poll?
Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).
1. A hobby you’d like to start?
I fell down an internet rabbit hole last night researching growing heirloom roses in containers. LOL! I dunno, I just love the idea of having my own beautiful roses to cut and enjoy and smell. I don’t really know anything about roses, though, other than the fact that the deer in our neighborhood like to eat them.
2. Coconut or papaya?
I feel like coconut is so much more flexible in terms of drinks and baking, but if given the chance to eat one or the other plain, then I’d go with papaya, for sure. I wouldn’t just sit down and crack open a coconut for the heck of it, ya know?
3. Have you gone swimming much this summer?
When we were in Hawaii, yes, I was in the water pretty much every day because Connor needed someone to watch her while she cannonballed and backflipped and whatnot. Here in the Bay Area, I’ve only gone swimming once in our community pool. It’s not heated (a travesty!), so I only go in on days after we’ve had a warm spell.
4. How good are you about scheduling time for self-care?
I’m getting better at it. When I was younger, I was an overachiever in so many ways, and I’d always push myself mentally and physically until I got to my breaking point; I just thought that’s what everyone else did, and I didn’t realize how unhealthy it was. Now I’m better about recognizing and listening to my body when it needs a self-care break.
5. Does your job do summer Fridays off or do they schedule a summer shutdown?
I work freelance so I can schedule time off when I see fit, however at one of my writing gigs they do have Fridays off. It doesn’t seem to stop people from emailing me though, ha ha ha!
Happy last day of July, friend. Is it just me, or is this summer flying by? I’m ready but also NOT ready for the school year to start. It’s been so nice to have family time and lots of time outside with my people, but I also miss the routine. As someone who formerly lived by the seat of their pants, I can’t believe I’m saying that, but it’s where I’m at in life right meow.
Oh, something unexpected happened last weekend! My neighbor hooked me up with some products from her farm, and now I’ve got basil and zucchini for days. I’m going to make pesto with the basil, but I’ve yet to find a go-to recipe that’s kid friendly. Side note: Connor loves pesto, but she’s particular about it. Anywho, if you have a pesto recipe that you LOVE please pass it along.
Have a great rest of your day!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.
1. A hobby you’d like to start?
2. Coconut or papaya?
3. Have you gone swimming much this summer?
4. How good are you about scheduling time for self-care?
5. Does your job do summer Fridays off or do they schedule a summer shutdown?
1. A hobby you’d like to start?
Need to get my aero garden up and running so I can have some fresh herbs in the winter.
2. Coconut or papaya?
Papaya for snacking, coconut for recipes!
3. Have you gone swimming much this summer?
Yes – at the lake, at the public pool, at our friends’ pool. I’m glad my girls are getting exposed to it and enjoying it!
4. How good are you about scheduling time for self-care?
Pretty good! I get a massage once a month and I try to keep up with painting my nails and toes when the girls go to bed.
5. Does your job do summer Fridays off or do they schedule a summer shutdown?
With my new job I am off May 16- July 31st. I loved it and I can’t say I’m excited to go back – but I’ll get back into the swing of things!
Getting a monthly massage is an excellent idea!! It’s both self indulgent and beneficial to your mental and physical health.
1. A hobby you’d like to start? Playing piano.
2. Coconut or papaya? It’s a texture issue with coconut so I will say papaya.
3. Have you gone swimming much this summer? Not once.
4. How good are you about scheduling time for self-care? Not really, other than face masking on Sundays.
5. Does your job do summer Fridays off or do they schedule a summer shutdown? No, we are expected to be here M-F, 40 hours a week all year.
1. A hobby you’d like to start?
Taking naps at 3PM.
2. Coconut or papaya?
COCONUT everything
3. Have you gone swimming much this summer?
I can’t swim but I can sit on a beach. Which I have NOT been doing enough this summer.
4. How good are you about scheduling time for self-care?
Being an ADHD adult, sitting down to schedule anything is a skill I have not mastered.
5. Does your job do summer Fridays off or do they schedule a summer shutdown?
I am a SAHM who sells online so every day looks the same.
1. A hobby you’d like to start? I just did! I learned how to make my own kombucha and am on my 3rd gallon – so far made hibiscus orange/lemon ginger/cherry almond (tastes like Dr. Pepper). WAY cheaper than buying it. I got my starter kit from Farmhouse Teas in Oregon (online and free video tutorials)
2. Coconut or papaya? Tastewise I’d prefer coconut.
3. Have you gone swimming much this summer? Not once – Lake Michigan is too treacherous for swimming and no one I know has a pool.
4. How good are you about scheduling time for self-care? Very good – I do a massage once a month and acupuncture 2-3 times a month.
5. Does your job do summer Fridays off or do they schedule a summer shutdown? You know those episodes of CSI where they end up at the crime scene wearing clothes they wore to the opera? Well, for starters, I’m usually in a biohazard suit, nothing gets solved in an hour, and someone usually asks me to go get them coffee because it’s 3 a.m. on Friday not realizing that the “Dr.” in front of my name means I’m in charge, but not of coffee. So that would be a big NO. 🙂
You have a cool sounding job!
1. A hobby you’d like to start? I picked up 2 hobbies last summer that are pretty time consuming, so I’m not sure if I should start another. But if I did, I’d join the bird watching group at the botanic garden.
2. Coconut or papaya? If green papaya counts, I pick green papaya salad. I’m not a big fan of ripe papaya.
3. Have you gone swimming much this summer? Not really. I just play in the waves with my son.
4. How good are you about scheduling time for self-care? I don’t really schedule it. When I feel like I need it, I take the time to do something that I enjoy.
5. Does your job do summer Fridays off or do they schedule a summer shutdown? I used to teach so summers used to be always off. Now that I’m a sahm, it depends on my son’s schedule.
1. A hobby you’d like to start? I’ve always wanted to learn to knit. My mom tried to teach me but I’m a lefty and we couldn’t figure it out
2. Coconut or papaya? Coconut with dark chocolate
3. Have you gone swimming much this summer? No but we are going down the shore next week for a few days. In NJ & the Philly area you go ‘down the shore’. Once you are there you ‘go to the beach’
4. How good are you about scheduling time for self-care? I’ve gotten better. I spent 6-7 years dealing with elderly/sick parents then covid hit.
5. Does your job do summer Fridays off or do they schedule a summer shutdown? I work for a local clothing chain. We are open 7 days a week but I only work 3 days in the office and have weekends off. Last thanksgiving I was off recovering from surgery & I realized I hadn’t had that weekend off since college (I graduated 30 years ago) so I am loving working part time
Knitting is fairly easy to teach yourself (I did, when I was 9). In your case you’ll need to find a good book or video about left-handed knitting.
1. A hobby you’d like to start? Not so much a new one, as restart on ones I’ve had for a long time but largely abandoned due to work and family (elderly parents). I want to draw and paint again, and do some knitting and crocheting. I also have an eyeglass case kit I’ve never gotten around to making. I’ve grown roses for many years, and they can be a bit fussy. Do not subject them to intense afternoon heat. Keep them well-watered. If you have blackspot or rust diseases in your area, you’ll probably need to use preventative for that. My area has blackspot (it’s a humidity problem – rust is more often found in dry California areas). I’ve never had to treat for rust, so I don’t know what they do for that – there might be a new treatment/preventative for that now. There’s also a weird new disease carried by mites that ruins rose bushes in my general area. Fortunately, that has not spread to the 3 plants I have. Do not let potted roses get too cold in the winter.
2. Coconut or papaya? Coconut.
3. Have you gone swimming much this summer? No, don’t have a pool, and I’d never appear in public in a swimsuit.
4. How good are you about scheduling time for self-care? Not very. There are too many time-consuming demands on me.
5. Does your job do summer Fridays off or do they schedule a summer shutdown? No.
1. A hobby you’d like to start? I’d like to take up knitting again, I’ve fallen out of practice but I keep thinking about it.
2. Coconut or papaya? Coconut, it’s so tasty!
3. Have you gone swimming much this summer? Yes, but not in pools, I have a gorgeous lake in my town in Michigan, and have gone swimming often.
4. How good are you about scheduling time for self-care? Pretty good, I know that when I don’t have self care time, I go a little nuts. Self care is health care.
5. Does your job do summer Fridays off or do they schedule a summer shutdown? HA! No. I live in Michigan and work at a hotel. Summer is finite, so everyone, and I mean everyone, does their traveling in Summer. It is busy busy busy. School starts at the end of August, so it should slow down then. I’d do get to wear jeans on Fridays, so there’s that. Lol!