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Hello Reader,

Yes, I know February is still a week away, but I'm moving at a snail's pace after hurting my hip over the weekend. While teaching a roomful of teen girls how to do the Virginia Reel, I face-planted on the concrete. Thankfully, it was wildly apparent my misstep wasn't choreographed, so no one was injured trying to mimic my moves. 😂

Meanwhile, my friend (a nurse) caught the whole fiasco on film and sent the relevant footage to my husband (a doctor) to help him determine whether a trip to the ER was in order. We went. The verdict? Nothing's broken, just badly bruised.

To his credit, Doug showed tremendous restraint by waiting until the X-rays came back before forwarding the clip to the rest of the family. Yes, laughter is good medicine, but I was a little concerned he and the kids were going to overdose! 🤣

All of which explains why I have to get a slow-shuffling start on next month now if I want to be ready for it once it arrives. [Plus, doing so will allow me to send dedicated link lists for Groundhog Day, Valentine's, and President's Day next month.] So here's a rundown of the quirkier holidays while they're on my mind, along with some resources for celebrating them. Enjoy!

Free resources for you this week:

• Feb. 2 - Crêpe Day – the perfect time to try our Create-Your-Own Crêpe recipe
• Feb. 6 - Ronald Reagan Day – here's a coloring page devoted to The Great Communicator
• Feb. 7 - Send a Card to a Friend Day – these free printable greeting cards make it easy
• Feb. 17 - Random Acts of Kindness Day – our Punch Cards encourage kids to be kind
• Feb 18 - National Caregivers Day – our free chart will help make this job easier
• Feb. 20 - National Muffin Day – bake a batch of blueberry, raisin bran, or egg muffins
• Feb. 24 - National Fake Mustache Day — celebrate by taking our Mustache Trivia Quiz

What I'm reading this week:

I began a new book Saturday morning: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. Ironically, some opening comments made me suspect the mega-church pastor who wrote it is less conservative than I, both theologically and politically, and since the struggles he enumerated in those first few pages really didn't resonate with me, I considered laying this book aside in favor of reading something else.

After all, I don't have a problem with hurry.

Or so I thought. But fast forward a few hours to my big fall, and I immediately recognized just how addicted to "hurry" I really am! So, I've stuck with the book and have found subsequent chapters much more relevant. Convicting, even.

The book is packed with sobering quotes and statistics. Like the part that compares smart phones to slot machines: Both are intentionally designed for distraction and addiction. And, whereas the small allotments of attention or money we feed them may seem inconsequential in the moment, they all add up to an extraordinary amount over time.

What we're watching this week:

My daughter, a nurse with a heart to serve in war-torn areas, talked us into watching a documentary on the Free Burma Rangers on Monday night. It was a little too intense for young children, but was incredibly inspiring for the adults.

Although this humanitarian group has been hard at work for more than 20 years, faithfully bringing hope and healing to some of the most dangerous spots on the globe, they've only been on my radar for a few months. So I was glad for this chance to learn more about their mission and vision.

Progress on last week's goals:

I completed everything on my list: ✅ enjoyed our vacation, ✅ memorized James 2, ✅ finished another Christmas stocking, and ✅ prepared and delivered my talk at the Mother-Daughter retreat (which included creating these pretty new Bible memory cards).

Personal goals for next week:

• rest my hip and allow it to heal
• register sons for upcoming Summit Student Conference
• finish and submit resource for Ultimate Bundles Valentine promotion
• pen letter of encouragement to a tired young mama