The Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist

Fresh FIGs: Gratitude Collective Week #3

Is February zooming by for everyone else?? Just me? I know it’s a short month to begin with, but it feels like my life is currently on fast forward and I’ve lost the remote!

In…

A (Golden) Day in My Life: Friday, 20 February 2026

I haven’t done an A Day in My Life post in almost a year. Oops.

Technically, I didn’t set out to record this as an “official” Day in My Life, so timestamps are few…

Life, Personality Insights, Random, Time Management
Feb, 24, 2026
31 Comments

Schooling Without School: Help Me Pull Together a European Learning Plan!!

Today is all about crowd-sourcing. I need your help!

Two weeks from now, WE WILL BE IN EUROPE, which means the kids won’t be in traditional school for literal months! (Though with all the snow…

Parenting, Travel
Feb, 23, 2026
79 Comments

Happy Things Friday: 20 February

The crunch is on, friends. Two weeks from now is our final full day in Canada. Eeks! This is really happening.

I feel like I’m overloading everyone with with Happy Things/FIGs, so I’ll try…

More Frugal Things…(These Post Titles Aren’t Very Creative)

Life has been hectic this week, and I was coming up empty in terms of post ideas. Writing about frugal things is always a good fall-back plan.

At first, only two things came to…

Frugality
Feb, 19, 2026
37 Comments

Fresh FIGs: Gratitude Collective Week #2

For anyone joining for the first time—welcome! Here’s a peek at last week’s basket of fresh “FIGs”.

Before I dive into the literal dozens of FIGs we’ve collectively gathered over the past seven days, I…

If It Broke Tomorrow: 10+ Things I’d Replace Immediately

In no particular order, here are ten things I would (want to) replace the very next day if they broke. (I’ve included some links, but none of these items are sponsored or affiliate links.)

(I’m…