January 11, 2026

Well, I expected the first week after break to be a bit of a firehose — Monday started with a full day of work followed by an in-person board meeting — so I knew the return would be front-loaded and busy. I did not expect such an intense barrage of news and emotion.

I started the week well balanced — doing a bit of reading, writing, and movement every day and going to bed at a reasonable hour, but halfway through the week, everything went out the window. I could see it happening but couldn’t stop the momentum. Instead, I canceled all weekend plans to give myself time to regroup and to rest. It was the right move, although as usual, I’m not getting enough sleep. Friday night I wanted to watch something with A. Saturday night I stayed up late reading. So I’m tired, but my brain also needed non-dire content.

And despite the darkness, the week had its share of delights:

I got to see my nephew play in a live-streamed soccer tournament. The family hopped on a group chat and texted through the games. It was really fun, and the kids played well.
We narrowed down my cow’s milk allergy even further to A1 casein, and our grocery store carries A2/A2 dairy, which means I was able to start baking with real dairy again instead of substitutions. This was amazing. I made buttermilk banana blueberry bread and started by creaming together A2 butter and sugar. It felt so nice — the textures, the taste – everything fit. The dairy-free/vegan recipes I’ve been baking have been tasty but not decadent, and I love that I can start making my old recipes again. This made the whole family happy.
I took myself offline when news got really bad and decided to try to make crêpes for the first time. The kid supervised/assisted, having made these before at Swiss school and in the French afterschool program. I need more practice getting them to the right thickness, but they were all right for a first attempt. The kid’s favorite crêpe filling is lemon and sugar, which I’d never tried before, and that was really good.
And the next morning was French toast with berries. I cook when I’m stressed and want to stay offline. That way I can’t doomscroll or use my phone, really, and at the end everyone is fed and feeling a little better.
I caught the Liverpool vs. Arsenal game.
I didn’t read, write, and move every day, but I usually hit two of three, which was not bad given the state of things.