Hello friends, and welcome or welcome back to the blog!
QUOTE
“I must be losing my mind. It’s not nearly as fun as I anticipated.” – Wednesday
Friends, how are you? I hope you’re doing well, and I wish you joy, health, and prosperity this season. Make sure you take care of yourself, get plenty of rest, stay hydrated, and tuck into a good book this season.
Friends, I’m back with yet another project. One I’ve had on my heart 💖 for quite some time, but—like so many good ideas—it kept getting pushed aside by a full calendar and real life.
Y’all already know how I feel about trends. I refuse to bend, twist, or contort myself just to keep up with whatever everyone else is doing for the sake of approval. But this one? This one has been quietly simmering. And lately… well, the fire is catching.🔥
Sometimes a trend isn’t about chasing what’s popular—it’s about recognizing when something actually aligns with where you are.
A few months ago, one of the blogs I subscribed to talked about a Fall curriculum.
I haven’t taken a class in quite some time, but this idea piqued my curiosity—mainly because it wasn’t really a class at all. Instead, it was a thoughtfully curated list of things someone wanted to explore during the fall season: books, crafts, movies, and cooking. This blogger turned those interests into a class-like curriculum, organized around a subject or theme, with everything they wanted to experience living under that umbrella.
The result—or “grade”? That part is entirely up to you. This is a self-made activity, designed for you and you alone. And at the end, you walk away with something tangible: a book or movie you finally tried, a new dish in your rotation, or an activity you discovered you actually enjoy. Write it down in a journal, add a photo if you’re so inclined, and revisit it at the end of the year—either to marvel at your greatness or to laugh at the thing that simply wasn’t for you. Both count.
With that inspiration, I created my own Winter curriculum. As much as I adore fall (and trust me, I’d love to do one then), my plate is already full with work, content planning, seasonal projects, and all things Halloween. There’s just no room.
But winter? Winter is my slow-down season. It’s my reset. My tuck-in, exhale, and turn-inward time—and because of that, right now feels perfect.
Let’s start with some subjects…
This curriculum should be fun and something you would always like to do, or a subject you wanted to learn but couldn’t find the time for. I’m starting with these.
📝SUBJECTS:
✨ Baking (Learning to bake a good cake)
✨ Writing Book Reviews/Reading & Writing With Intention: REVIEWS…Retaining What I Read
✨80s Pop Culture
📚 MATERIALS:
Determine what will be needed for each course—books, podcasts, videos, a journal, or baking supplies. I’ll also create a small, realistic budget to set purchase limitations and make a conscious effort to use my local library as much as possible before buying anything new.
🥅 GOALS:
Once I determine what I will need for each course, I can set a goal for what I would like to accomplish in each one.
🗓️ SCHEDULE:
Now that I have my three subjects, I plan to spend a month in each and build in a final goal or end result.
📈 EXPECTATIONS/LIMITATIONS:
Life be lifin’, so I want to set both intentions and realistic expectations. I can’t be too precious about this—if I don’t have the time or space in my schedule, that’s okay. I’m committing to flexibility, understanding that some things may not turn out exactly as planned, and giving myself permission to adjust, let go, and move forward without guilt.
𖡎 FINAL:
Create a dedicated journal to include with each course’s materials, notes and outlines, successes and failures, areas that may require further study, and a photograph to document and share progress.
What Will This Look Like?
I created this simple one-pager using Canva. And just to be clear—this idea isn’t original to me. The design itself is inspired by various online resources, pulled together and tailored to fit my needs.
I did find (and purchase) a beautiful version on Etsy, but if I’m being honest, it felt a bit overwhelming. It requires reading through multiple sections, answering prompts, and thoughtfully outlining goals and expectations. It’s lovely—truly—but right now, it’s more than I need.
What I needed was something simple. Something that allowed me to get started without overthinking it. I have to keep reminding myself that this is about learning and—most importantly—having fun. So this pared-down approach is what I landed on, and for this season, it feels just right.
THE CHALLENGE
This has proven more difficult than I expected—and not because of time. The real challenge has been sourcing the right materials.
In hindsight, this is something I probably should have started working on in December. But that month is always so full—events, obligations, and general busyness—that there’s rarely any real margin. And when I do have downtime, I want (and need) to rest.
The writing curriculum may be the outlier. While there is no shortage of advice, I’m struggling to find resources that offer practical, usable insight—guidance I can apply, rather than inspiration that sounds good but goes nowhere.
Even with the challenges, I’m genuinely excited to begin this course—especially the baking portion. I’ll check back in next month with an update on my progress and share how the rest of my Winter curriculum is shaping up.
Friends, I hope this post encourages you to challenge yourself and try something new. I’ve found that certain projects and self-guided programs activate a different part of the brain, helping with problem-solving, flexibility, and adjustment along the way. For me, this kind of “brain food” is far more satisfying than endless scrolling—it turns free time into something intentional.
That’s it for today. Thanks for stopping by.
— Peace ✌🏽