The Weekly Wrap: January 16, 2022

I am not a morning person. When given the option to get up and do things or sleep, I almost always choose sleep. That said, if I do wake up early, I can get along with my day without too much fuss.

Earlier this week, I got up at 5am. It was not by choice.

I tried lying in bed quietly to see if I could go back to sleep but to no avail. My brain had locked on to work things and wouldn't let go. Instead of fighting my alertness, falling asleep right before my alarm, and then jolting awake grumpy, I just got up. 

What greeted me was a dark sky, quiet home, and pre-set coffee pot that had not started brewing yet.

​It was kind of nice.

I set the coffee to brew while I sent out a few emails to deal with the work issue that was niggling my mind. Then, I poured a big mug of dark roast, cozied up on the couch, and just scrolled. Since COVID hit, it's not often that I feel like I get our home to myself.  Instead of puttering around doing things, I enjoyed almost two hours of idle time without interruption.

What do you do when you can't sleep?

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• How to make a weekly meal plan. [WaPo - gift link]
• The socio-cultural buffet of information in food "boards." [Mothers Under the Influence]
• We need to remind kids that catching COVID is not their fault. [Burnt Toast]
• Now I miss the tropical fish tank I had in high school. [PureWow]
• The members of congress who were enslavers and what the means for history. [WaPo - gift link]
• Using a stay interview to your advantage. [Buzzfeed]
• "Public libraries aren’t a panacea for decades of taking from the most vulnerable..." [Book Riot]
• You can probably wear your N95 mask more than once. [CNN]
• "But when critics lose sight of why most people consume culture, they start missing what makes most things popular. " [The Atlantic]
• The anxiety of being a parent of an under 5. [@ProfEmilyOster]
  

• What goes in to creating an iconic sound. [Planet Money]
• Broken McFlurry machines are just the tip of the iceberg. [The Indicator]
• The big money in returned purchases. [Planet Money]
• The transformative power of Sidney Poitier. [The Daily]
• When hippos might not be an invasive species. [Short Wave]

• We try to match the kiddo's screen time to her current interests. Right now, she likes to ask for the "animals!" on TV. That's our cue to put on an episode of The Zoo. It's a documentary series centered around the work and conservation efforts of the Bronx Zoo. It's fascinating! I have learned a ton - like handlers tame cheetahs with dogs from early on which makes them more trainable. [Animal Planet]
• John Oliver expresses his thoughts on The DaVinci Code and it is excellent. [Last Week Tonight - reader submission]

• I attempted to get my kiddo to eat tofu for the second time. I failed. I made a stir fry that stole the crispy tofu she loved in the peanut tofu noodle bowls... and it was roundly rejected. The rest of the stir fry consisted of a bag of frozen Asian veggie mix and a hearty dose of teriyaki sauce. Served it over rice. The adults were fans. [Budget Bytes - for crispy tofu] [Skinny Taste - inspirational recipe]
• One food the kiddo is enjoying is blueberry muffins. My mom made these and the kiddo loved them so much I asked for the recipe. It's a MUCH thicker batter than your typical recipe, but resulting muffins are light and delicious. [My Everynote]