• Kaizen
  • I went through the Google Photos archive, deleting or archiving photos that were similar to other photos. Now the photos after Dec 2017 should be easier to skim. I’m thinking of writing a small tool that will make it easy for me to match up photos with journal entries from a CSV.
  • I used opencv to try to detect spans and reshape my long sketchnotes into other shapes. That would make it easier for me to review notes from Samsung Notes.
  • I dug deeper into Samsung Notes, Autodesk Sketchbook, and Medibang Paint. I think I’ll try making my next few notes in Medibang Paint, since I prefer its smoothing, colour selection, and PNG export.
• Us
  • I uploaded the Emacs conference videos to Youtube, added links to the description, and replied to the Reddit thread asking about them.
  • While A- and H- played, I helped Melissa with Inkscape and Canva.
  • I made a React and Express thing to display pictures and journal entries.
  • I read “The ‘Me Me Me’ Epidemic” and took notes on my phone. I liked how it had practical tips on establishing boundaries and encouraging self-efficacy.
  • A two-book day! I skimmed “Practical Wisdom for Parents” while A- was in class and “Teach the Whole Preschooler” while A- played with playdough and while settling her into bed.
  • I gave some feedback on an application to an entrepreneurship program.
  • I was a bit inefficient on the bicycle today, going back and forth for things I’d forgotten. Still, it felt great to be out.
  • I sewed some shorts for A-. They’re a little too loose, so I need to adjust the elastic.
• Gross motor
  • We swam at the community centre near St. Clair and Lawrence. A- wanted me to bike there, so I did.
  • I realized I had a library book that was due that night, so A- and I went for a walk. She made it all the way there and back!
• Fine motor
  • A- practised snapping her fingers close to our ears so that we could hear her. When she did it, she opened her hand and said, “Magic!”
  • A- wanted to juice some oranges. I said it was okay as long as she squeezed them herself.
• Language
  • A- was curious about Tsuki’s diary entries and came up with some of her own.
  • A- picked up some words from the Song School Latin book and CD. She said, “Salve! Salve!” to people walking by.
  • A- can use long phrasal adjectives: “That’s a turning-lights-on chair.”
• Self-care and independence
  • A- started off a bit scared at the playground. “I don’t feel very safe,” she said, and she needed help navigating the playset. She eventually regained her confidence.
  • A- reminded me to bring her indoor shoes, so we went back. Still made it to school on time!
  • A- wanted me to stay close by as she played with the babysitter, and she occasionally needed cuddle breaks. That’s okay, it’s a long-term investment. I worked on my laptop on the sofa, and then I cooked dinner.
  • A- didn’t want to wear any of her other clothes because she wanted something with “girl colours.” She asked me to make a skirt for her, so we went to the fabric store. She ended up picking a red version of some robot flannel we had used for her bibs long ago.
  • A- used some of her allowance to buy Ritz crackers and chicharon. She also insisted on buying two types of pasta herself, even going so far as to take them back out of our basket when we offered to pay for them. I decided to reimburse her when we got home, though, since she’s saving up for a LEGO kit.
• Sleep
  • A- was bothered by some sounds, so we tried out using my phone to play rain sounds. She eventually fell asleep. Throughout the week, I experimented with sitting up and pattting A- to sleep instead of lying down with her. It seems like a promising way to help her sleep while still having some time for myself in the evening. I explained to her that I tended to start falling asleep if I lay down with her, and since she still falls asleep slowly, that sometimes meant I got cranky, and I didn’t want to get cranky. She seems to accept that reasoning.
  • I experimented with just patting A-‘s back and shushing if she woke up in the middle of the night. She kept waking up, though, and eventually insisted on snuggling with me. Maybe she got cold? She didn’t want a blanket, though.
  • Rough night. A- was too awake after a late afternoon nap, so she kept fidgeting in bed. I was getting crankier and crankier because I was tired and feeling sick. Eventually W- had to step in. He played with A- while I napped in our room, and then he woke me up when A- was more ready for sleep.
• Emotion
  • A- had a tantrum about wanting to make rice. W- had been a bit frustrated from that morning’s slow start, so he ended up flipping his lid a bit too. Fortunately, I stayed calm, so we were able to deescalate.
  • A- and I talked about school. She said she wanted only mommy all the time.
  • A- had a tantrum about being on her feet. W- picked her up because she was having a hard time.
• Household
  • A- helped rake the leaves.
  • I was worrying about finding an uncatalogued library book that we needed to return. I read out the numbers I was looking for. A- held up a book and asked if it was it, and it was! It was probably coincidental, but still much appreciated.
  • A- still had plenty of energy after our bedtime routine, so she helped me wash dishes, sort laundry, and tidy up. Then we painted together, and she independently played with playdough for a bit.
• Social
  • H- painted A-‘s nails.
  • A- asked, “What kind of water are you giving me?” I answered, “Coconut.” A- deliberately turned away from me as I poured it, saying, “I’m making it a surprise.” When I finished pouring, I said, “Surprise!” She asked, “What kind of water is this?” I said, “It’s coconut!”
• World
  • A- and I talked about Santa and presents.
• Oops
  • I accidentally knocked my glasses off my face and onto the road, so one of the lenses chipped. Since my emergency pairs are in worse condition, I ordered two more pairs from Zenni.

Blog posts

• 2019-11-25 Emacs news
• Weekly review: Week ending November 22, 2019
• Weekly review: Week ending November 15, 2019
• Weekly review: Week ending November 8, 2019

Time

I stayed up late a few nights to do some coding, I read while A- was at kindergarten readiness, and I prioritized personal projects instead of consulting. That’s why Discretionary – Productive had such a big jump. It felt good to work on my own things, though.