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February Round up

The month might be shorter than most but it always feels jam packed! February meant the start of baseball practices for the boys, a trip to Tahoe (see our trip here), celebrating Valentines Day & my birthday at the end of the month. We had some pretty big rain storms at the beginning of the month which lead to lots of throwing our rainsuits on and jumping in puddles. Here’s a little glimpse into what we got into this month, recipes I loved this month, books I read, where we’re at on our 1K hours outside and my decluttering challenge! I also posted an essay on the phase of motherhood you can read it here: Legos in the Laundry

This month I joined a volunteer organization that bakes birthday kids for Foster kids who otherwise may not get a cake. I baked my first cake for the organization this month. It was a batman themed cake for a 15 year old. I have loved baking my boys cakes and the idea that there are kids out there that won’t be made to feel special or celebrated on their birthday, pulls at my heart. It really felt like the perfect fit as a way to give back to my community, spread joy & use skills I already have. I joined the bay area chapter face book group and I’m so impressed with all the amazing bakers. Also this brought up so many important conversations with my own kids. We talked about how fortunate we are and how we never know other peoples circumstances. Not to mention just broadening their horizons that there are kids who are only getting a cake because someone like myself is making it. Before we can even think about teaching our children gratitude we first have to teach them awareness and noticing. So exposing them to truths in age appropriate ways can foster gratitude! Here’s pic of the cake I did, I love the way it turned out and I loved the recipe the organization had in their resource center for black frosting that won’t stain teeth.

My Dark Knight cake!

Recipes I’ve been loving:

Protein cookie dough: I’m usually underwhelmed by high protein desserts because they never really taste as good as I’d like. but this cookie dough legit tastes like you’re eating cookie dough. I’ve been making it on repeat all month long. Just combine 1/2 cup almond flour, 1/2 vanilla protein powder (I’ve been using this one), 1/4 maple syrup, 3 tbsp melted coconut oil and 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips. I combine in a bowl until all mixed up and then spread out onto parchment paper. I usually place another parchment paper over it and flatten to desired thickness. Then chill in the fridge or freezer and cut into squares. This has been my go to snack when I’m craving something sweet.

kimchi fried rice – I made it with chicken but honestly you could put any protein in it. I’m making it again this week. 10/10 I used this recipe . I think next time I make it I’m gonna use shrimp.

Shrimp spring rolls. I’ve also been making these ahead of time for easy lunches. I bought a pack of rice paper wraps off amazon and have been trying different additions to my spring rolls. Right now I’m loving a mix of shrimp, mint, cilantro and bean sprouts with a spicy peanut sauce. It’s so crunchy and good.

Books I read this month:

The Great Alone – my favorite book this month. I love Kristen Hannah. I love her writing style and her stories are always so emotional.

Small Things Everywhere – This was our bookclub book. It was super short, a little strange. lol. By no means a bad book, but just hard to understand what would actually be important in the book since it was literally only 100 pages.

Jesus and John Wayne – This was a political non-fiction book about how the evangelicals and their impact in american politics. It was as dense as it sounds lol.

After I do – quick romance read. My second Taylor Jenkins Reid book of the year and this one didn’t disappoint!

Slow read of War & Peace – I’m still chugging along. This month I kinda fell behind and was having to read multiple chapters a sitting. In March my goal is to really try to stick to the one chapter a day plan!

podcast that I loved: Dr. Becky – how to not raise an asshole. – I love Dr. Becky her podcast and book is such a powerful resource for parents. And this podcast episode seriously knocked it out of the park with talking to our kids about gratitude and our ideas behind raising entitled children. I listened to this episode twice taking notes to pass on to my husband! 10/10.

As Far as:

Decluttering Challenge: I have a decluttering goal of purging 2025 items from our home this year. So in February I purged a little over 300 items total. This is definitely a hard challenge but it’s been fun to track.

1000 hours outside: in February we logged 51 hours outside, bringing our total to 122 hours for the year. Like I mentioned earlier in the post the weather was pretty dreary at the beginning of the month. And now we’re in full swing when it comes to baseball so I’m sure those hours will tick up as the weather continues to get better.

Looking forward – we are taking the boys to Monster Jam in March and have some fun things planned around Spring break including a glamping trip with friends and of course loads of baseball as well as some little projects I’m working on at our house.

xoxo

Tahoe 25′

Last week we drove up to Tahoe for our yearly trip to the snow. This is always a top request from William, he is my snow lover and could play outside in it all day. We had the best time sledding, having snowball fights, soaking in the hot tub, playing uno & scrabble, drinking hot chocolate and watching Toby experience snow for the first time too. We also stayed super close to the lake so we were able to catch a gorgeous sunset before a dinner in town. This kicks off our 2025 travel and this might be one of my favorite snow trips to date. Long before Chris and I had kids and even before we were married we went on a trip to Tahoe with a bunch of friends and going back up there in the winter with snow all around always makes me nostalgic for that first trip we went on allll the way back in 2012!

Legos in the Laundry

Legos in the laundry, that’s the new season of parenthood I’m in. We’ve somehow slipped out of monthly milestones, developmental leaps and counting each new word. We’ve entered a world of creativity, imagination and joy. A world that consists of small holes in my yard filled with plastic dinosaurs, lego creations that fall out when I open the dryer door, scribbled notes and detailed treasure maps taped to the walls of my house. Brotherly bike races, obstacle courses and tickle fights, overflowing boxes of “treasures”, nerf darts in every corner, mixed up potions, swords and masks and a dozen costumes in one day. Leaving the baby season and squarely being in the kid season feels like a big deal. I equate it to the feeling of turning 25. Where it suddenly feels old, but in reality you’re still quite young. This phase feels big and so much older, but in the same breath I recognize I still am needed for middle of the night tuck-ins, tying loose shoelaces, or getting something off the top shelf.

The heartbreakingly beautiful part about parenthood is that it really is all a phase. The sleepless nights, the spit up, the separation anxiety, the babbles, the step,step,stumble, the handprints all over your windows, the blowouts. It all fleeting, which inevitably means it’s bittersweet. The idea that tomorrow your kids are a tiny bit older, a tiny bit bigger. The days blend into weeks, weeks into months, and before you know it, it’s been two years since you changed a diaper. Suddenly the bottles are gone and replaced with cups your kids can fill themselves.

There are moments in the motherhood when you desperately want to freeze time. Those newborn cuddles & coo’s. The way that little hand slips into yours. The slobbery kisses. And moments you wish to rush through, phases where you are simply surviving. There’s no capacity for anything extra. Days where your best looks like simply keeping everyone fed and alive (yourself included). Society tells us don’t blink you’ll miss it, soak it up, cherish it all, enjoy every moment. That mentality puts an unattainable pressure on moms to feel like they have to love every stage, or else! The overt dismissal that parenting is the single most difficult balancing act on the planet. It takes from every part of you. You sacrifice your body, your time, your sleep. However the dichotomy of parenthood is: it can also absolutely be the biggest, hardest, most beautiful journey you embark on.

As I exit one phase and enter another I wonder: how do you hold on to something that is slipping through your fingers? At some point along the way I ditched the pressure to “love every moment because one day I’ll miss it”. And instead focus on being present, acknowledging where we are in that moment. The good and the bad. The parts that challenge me, the parts that make me question if I’m doing it right at all, as well as the parts that make my heart explode. Giving my kids my full attention, sitting on the floor with them, indulging and submersing myself in their world, taking my shoes off and playing chase in the grass. Reconnecting with my inner child. These help feel like I’m extending my memories somehow. Maybe one day the memories will be easier to access because I wasn’t distracted and instead I was truly there. When I’m older I hope the cool grass between my toes transports me to games of chase, picnics outside, backyard soccer matches. I hope the lone lego reminds of all the starships, rovers, cars and castles that were built. I hope a cup of chocolate milk reminds me of all loud dinners with messy faces and knock knock jokes. These are same dinners that I currently have a love hate relationship with. There are nights where the protesting of the homemade meal, the inevitable poop joke, the invasion of personal space are too much for 6pm. But I’m acutely aware that one day it’ll be my husband and I at an empty, quiet table again, so I soften. I join in on the jokes, I shoot my husband a knowing smile & we often exchange the phrase “this is what I thought it’d be like”.

Today if you read this and you are caught in a simply surviving phase remember, you are doing your best and that is good enough. Not every stage of motherhood fits nicely into social media squares. It’s okay to dislike the phase you’re in and take solace in knowing it’s literally that. A phase. A new one will greet, often at the crux of when you think you can’t take much more.

January Round up

January felt like the biggest breath of fresh air. At the end of the year I slowly went through and deleted social media off my phone & I started the year with just a facebook account that I purely use for the buy nothing group & book club communication. It felt so good to step back, not post anything and frankly not mindlessly consume so much. This is the first time in a decade that I haven’t posted consistently. As much as I loved the community I had on my insta I really want to focus on investing on the community right at my feet! In the past I’ve used this blog as an extension of my social media and I thought I’d keep it up but in a less frequent manner than my instagram. I thought I’d share what I’ve been up to this month, books I read, recipes I loved, and just other things I found myself getting into after taking a serious step back from social media.

Things I did instead of scroll:

  • I finished my 2023 photo album – which is a big undertaking, I still need to order it to get it printed. But it is completed which feels so good! Next up 2024!
  • I finished phase 2 of my 12 week workout program! This is a heavy lifting program and the workouts are long. But I’m proud I’ve stuck to it and I have loved tracking my weights and seeing my strength build!
  • We spent 71 hours outside in the month of January! I’m trying to do 1000 hours outside this year and for January that felt like I solid dent in the goal! I credit this to our new outdoor furniture / fire pit set up. It made it easy to curl up on our patio, listen to the rain fall and read or watch the boys play!
  • I hosted my BFF’s baby shower and we did such a fun craft of making candle holders with pressed flowers and modge podge! They turned out beautiful, I put a photo of them lit up at the beginning of this post. This would make a fun Valentine’s Day craft or gift. I’ll link the pressed flowers I used here and then we just got jars from the thrift store and modge podge from any craft store.
  • In the same vein as my photo album project, this month I started creating “home movies” with all the little videos I’ve accumulated in my google photos. I started when Will was born and have slowly been going through them and making larger movies. Google limits you to 50 clips but each movie ends up being about 15 minutes. I remember loving watching home videos as a child and it’s funny to think how this day and age we have SO many more photos and videos of everyday life than our parents ever did but we don’t watch or see them as much. So I’ve made it a goal to try to catch up on some home videos.
  • We survived an unspeakable Adenovirus stomach bug and a bad case of strep throat. Is it even winter if your kids aren’t on the carousel of endless viruses??? Solidarity to all the parents surviving sick season.
  • I did my first watercolor workbook exercise. For Christmas Chris got me two watercolor workbooks, not sure why I thought starting with the harder one was the right idea. But I started with the landscape workbook and completed my first one (see photo above). It was so challenging but I’m excited to keep working on it and see how I progress.
  • I kept track of my decluttering challenge (to purge 2025 items from my home this year). And the nerd in me is not only interested in keeping track but breaking down the categories of things I purge. So i keep a color coded chart and every 100 items I update the graph to see how the categories are working out! This month I purged about 200 items! And here’s how it broke down – with cosmetics / medicine cabinet and clothing being the top categories!

Books I read:

  • Parable of the Sower – This was a book club book and it was kinda wild. It was a dystopian book about the future, written in the 80’s about the year 2025. yikes. The setting is southern California, which happens to be on fire and in a severe drought… ummmmm it was a little to on the nose for the start of year. I won’t lie it was a super depressing book. but overall I think I’d give it 3.5 / 5
  • Electric Idol – This is the second book of the Dark Olympus series. I did not enjoy it nearly as much as Neon Gods which I read in December. I’ll probably still read the 3rd book in the series but this one gets a 2.5 / 5 for me.
  • One True Love – I read this book in two days. It was a super easy read. I’m giving this a 4/5. I liked the characters, I liked the story. It’s the idea of love and the different versions we experience in our lives.
  • War & Peace – I posted in my 25 in 2025 list that this year I’m doing a slow read of War & Peace which consists of reading a chapter a day. So I spent this month getting through the first 120 pages of this behemoth of a classic. So far I’m not disliking it! I’m also following along with the substack footnotes and tangents which puts out a short weekly summary podcast that helps you keep characters straight so that has made it a lot more enjoyable!
  • The Familiar – This one I did not finish. I stopped about 40% of the way through. It was a book my bookclub read of the summer and it was available right away on Libby so I just downloaded it. But it really wasn’t for me. I like the setting of old Spain, but I felt like the story just moved too slowly and wasn’t compelling enough to keep me interested. Life is too short to read books you don’t enjoy!
  • I’m also working really hard with Will to boost his reading and we’ve been doing a 100 day reading challenge where he reads to me for 15 minutes at a time (we’ll hopefully work goal up but we gotta meet people where they’re at!) So I’ve been reading lots of stories with him & it is really fun to watch him improve and build his confidence.

25 in 2025 List

Another year came and went! For many years now I’ve created these lists – you can read about them here (20 in 2020, but basically it’s a framework to help design, and add intentionality into the year. I put bigger goals as well as small, sometimes lingering tasks that I haven’t done but want to accomplish (ie: deal with tech donations, renew a passport, etc.). In this post I’m sharing my list for 2025 including a detailed version below. I enjoying doing one of these lists far more than creating a big often vague resolution. We’re only a little ways into 2025 so it’s certainly not too late to create one of your own!

Here’s a more detailed version of my list!

  1. 1k hours outside – We attempted this in 2023 and got SO close – like 940ish hours I think. I’m excited to try this again because I feel like we are outside so much with the kids when they’re playing baseball and we upgraded our backyard set up so I really think we can get to 1k!
  2. Slow read War and Peace – I’m doing a chapter a day and following along with a substack that puts out weekly short pods with plot / character and chapter summaries. This book is insanely long and I don’t think I would have read it otherwise.
  3. Delete social media – This one is surprising but kind of happened organically. Late last year I deleted twitter because it was an absolute dumpster fire. After I deleted it, it felt SO good so I actually deleted IG off my phone in the new year. And then tiktok took care of itself lol. I don’t really have a plan as to how long or if I’ll pop back in. Right now I’m really just enjoying the freedom.
  4. Sew banquet bench cushions – I made our dining room banquet seating in 2023 but it needs some comfy cushions so this year I plan to take this on.
  5. Build living room built ins – another DIY. duh.
  6. Get a will / living trust set up – This is a roll over from last year. We. NEED. To. Get. This. Done.
  7. Volunteer – cakes for kids / help packs – I found an amazing organization that I joined to bake cakes for foster kids who otherwise wouldn’t get a cake. This is right up my alley. I found this org on the website Just Serve which shows you so many amazing volunteer opportunities in your area!
  8. Read 40 books –
  9. Renew my passport –
  10. Paint fireplace brick – this badly needs a touch up because Toby lays on it every night and gets it filthy.
  11. Take candid sports photos – I picked up my DSLR last baseball season and was happy I did. I plan to take more candids of the kids this season.
  12. Save $ & monthly budgeting with Chris 
  13. Purge 2025 items – I found a little tracker for this online and so far I’m at 50. This feels ambitious but I desperately want to simplify and continue to minimize our stuff.
  14. Use the food we have – minimizing food waste is a huge goal – I want to use up things before just running to the store.
  15. Cook with boys 1 dinner / month – dinner is statistically the meal my children eat the least of. I’m trying something new where each boy gets to pick a recipe to make for dinner once a month. And then I will cook it with them and let them help as much as possible.
  16. Be easier on myself – this is a rollover from last year and although I think I did a decent job of this, I wanted to include it because it is just a good reminder. I need the reminder to extend the same amount of grace and compassion to myself whether it’s about my mothering, my body, my productivity, as I would to a friend. I want to show my kids it’s okay to make mistakes and not beat ourselves up about it.
  17. Enjoy our outdoor furniture – literally writing this blog post from my outdoor couch, drenched in sunlight. this should not be hard to accomplish.
  18. Paint Chris’ office – I have the tub of paint, just need to get it done. Luckily he has a few work trips in the next few months so I plant to take that opportunity while his office is empty to get this done!
  19. Complete dig deeper 2x – This is a workout program that i’m 3/4 of the way through and I LOVED. I plan to do it again. It’s 12 weeks long. So it takes me a while to get through.
  20. Make a 5 senses portrait – this is a roll over from 2024, I do want to complete this. It’s basically a way to create a portrait of someone or something using your senses. I want to do it for my kids and for my parents. because I feel like it gives such a great snapshot of what they are like in this moment. 
  21. Summer of swimming – last summer we joined a great gym that has a pool that makes you feel like you’re on vacation. We utilized it a bunch but this summer I want to use it even more. And really just work on the boys swimming capabilities as well as swimming for exercise for myself.
  22. Catch up on photo books (2023/2024) – This one I put on my list every year because it’s a huge undertaking but also brings immense joy. I’m 95% done with my 2023 book, and my goal is to get 2024 done realtively quickly!
  23. Superstitious – this goal is something I really want to happen but I’m a little nervous to put it out on the internet. Stay tuned lol
  24. Start Harry Potter with Will – Will and I are doing a 100 day reading challenge together and I’m trying to really help him strengthen his reading skills and fall in love with reading. After our 100 day challenge I want to start Harry Potter.
  25. Start hiking with Toby –

I know a lot of people feel some kind of way about this new year. But for me I’m really trying to cultivate and control what I can in my own home and little community. So that’s what I’m aiming for my list this year. Like I mentioned under the delete social media point. I’m not sure if I’ll return to making IG content. I made it for so long, showing up literally every single day. And it feels so free to take a break. I’ve had this blog before I began creating content and so I think you’ll find me here this year.

Cheers

Natasha

25 Easy Elf on the Shelf Ideas

Tis the season for the return of the our friend in the little pointy hat that is pure magic for kids and STRESS for parents. We’ve all had the moment where we shoot up in bed realizing we haven’t moved the elf. Last year I decided to make a list of ideas so I could refer to it and try to plan it out to minimize the stress. I didn’t follow a strict calendar but it was nice to have some pre-planned ideas. This year I decided I would share my list, because we are all in this together!! This year I’m also making note what materials are needed that way I can set them aside beforehand!

Day 1 “I’m back!” It’s a long month ahead so starting off easy – with a simple “I’m back” sign. You can make this however you want! I’m using a popsicle stick and a piece of cardboard.

Day 2: Apple Caterpillar – Materials: Apples (3-6), googly eyes, tooth picks, mini marshmallows

Day 3: Lego Christmas tree – Materials: various green legos, brown and yellow. small base

Day 4: Paper Towel Doodles – Materials: paper-towels, markers. This one is easy, the drawing doesn’t have to be intricate.

Day 5: Playing cards or games with superheroes, barbies, stuffies etc. – Materials: cards or game of choice and other “participants” I also like the duplo card holder here!

Day 6: Christmas countdown – Materials: paper & markers / crayons

Day 7: Letter to Santa – Materials: Paper & pencil or crayon. I’m printing out these templates! This website has lots of cute templates! https://mondaymandala.com/letter-to-santa-templates/

Day 8: Wrapped in “net” from Spidey – Materials: string, Spiderman

Day 9: Hershey’s Kiss Bowling. Materials: Hershey’s kisses, Foil ball

Day 10: Roast Marshmallow – Materials: Marshmallow, stick, fake candle

Day 11: Jenga fort – Materials: Jenga or other blocks

Day 12: Snowflakes / Paper chains – Materials: precut snowflakes – could also leave paper chain material

Day 13: Wrapped as a present – Materials: cardboard, wrapping paper, tape

Day 14: Toilet paper igloo – Materials: cotton bowls, toilet paper, led candle (optional)

Day 15: Lego climbing wall – Materials: various legos / hot glue or double sided tape

Day 16: Scrub a. dub – Materials: small washcloth, q tip

Day 17: Elf walks the dog – Materials: little dog (I used a duplo one) and pipe cleaner

Day 18: Found in fridge – Material – sharpie (draw faces on eggs)

Day 19: Elf Golf – Materials: candy cane, green felt, mini marshmallows

Day 20: Magnatile house – Materials: various magnatiles – could also use blocks or legos!

Day 22: Donut Snowmen – Mini powdered donuts, mini chocolate chips, pretzel sticks

Day 23: Star on the tree – Material: Yellow paper star

Day 24: Ball Pit – Materials: pom poms & bowl or container

Day 25: Whisk / Baking day – Materials: whisk and elf. If you plan to include your kids in holiday baking you can use this day as a way to let them in on baking. Or simply just having your elf be silly and stuck in the whisk.

Even More Ideas:

  • Christmas PJ Delivery – I usually let the elf take credit for bringing new Christmas PJ’s
  • Hot chocolate day – I get the little hot chocolate sticks that all you have to do is add warm milk and it makes it super easy
  • Delivering a holiday puzzle
  • Reading with or to stuffed animals / barbies etc
  • Decorating bananas as minions with a sharpie
  • If you’re going on a holiday adventure (looking at christmas lights, going on a holiday train, going to play in the snow etc) using the elf to announce what adventure you’re going on!

Sunday Somethings No. 11

This past week feels like a blur. On Tuesday night at Will’s soccer practice Johnathan fell and broke his arm 😦 It was such an innocuous fall but he landed just right on an outstretched arm that he found himself with a radial head fracture. Of course these things happen the only night of the week Chris is at a dinner in SF. So I loaded the boys up and off to the ER we went. We ended up home and splinted by 10:30 pm. And then of course the next day was just adjusting to our new normal and getting squeezed into an orthopedist appointment and having a real fiberglass cast placed. So needless to say it’s hard to remember much more about the week than that glaring milestone.

But yet again kids really just remind us how resilient and how joyful they are. Johnathan isn’t wallowing in what he can’t do (like I know a lot of adults would). Instead he’s figuring out how to go about his days. He’s always been my little anchor when it comes to putting things into perspective.

This week I finished reading A Flicker in the Dark which I give 3.5 / 5 stars. The last 25% of the book was page turning for sure. I just found myself not really believing choices the main character would make at different parts. But overall it was an easy suspense read.

Last week I mentioned how I was starting and committing to another workout program and how it had been so long. Well, I went 4/5 days last week, which I am really freaking proud of. I was telling Chris how if I hadn’t committed there is no way I would have worked out that much or pushed myself that hard this week just given everything with Johnathan. So i’m very happy to be back doing what has worked for me for so long.

I took the one cool day of the week to make soup – I made our go to zuppa toscana. This is one of our favorites. I’ll share the recipe here. I usually skip the bacon and add mushrooms to it.

On Friday I hosted a play date for some of Will’s friends and it was so cute to have a house full of boys. I also made a fall / halloween themed snack board which they loved. And then Saturday I went to a “cook book club” where we all made variations of bruschetta. It was so fun!

I feel like this Sunday Something is a total brain dump and not very helpful with sharing links. But that was just the kind of week it has been.

Onward and upward lol.

Sunday Somethings No. 10

A recipe I tried this week was this Creamy Tortilla Soup – we finally had a cooler day or two so I took advantage and made soup. Definitely going to add this into the soup rotation.

We had a soccer filled weekend. It’s been so fun watching the boys & I’ve been using my DSLR to get photos of the kids playing.

I’m about 30% through Flicker in the Dark. I’m excited to finish it this week. And then my book club is reading Untamed for September. I read it years ago but it just became available on Libby so I’m gonna read it again after Flicker.

Last month I ordered these cord clips and they were the simplest upgrade that I didn’t know I needed. We have a little cabinet where we charge our laptops, theres a phone charger and a mini USB charger and the cords always get so tangled and drive me nuts and this was the easiest solution! For less than $10 this made such a big difference!

We celebrated Juno’s birthday this week. Our big girl turned 9! We made her a cheeseburger. and gave her all the love. She’s my first baby, my adventure buddy. Her and I would spend every days exploring golden gate park, spending time at the beach and she’s taught me so much about unconditional love.

This week I finallllly convinced Will to let go of his rocking chair that has been taking up so much space in his room. He’s my sentimental kid and he was so resistant. We actually just moved his rocking chair into Johnathans room since J still likes being rocked at night. And now his room feels SO spacious. I was worried he was gonna be upset but he told me he didn’t like it he LOVED it! lol. This was a huge win that I’ve been trying to get done for seriously 2 years.

The past two weeks I’ve been back on my meditation game. I’ve tried to make a really conscious effort to priortize some stillness each day. This is a quick 5 minute one I really enjoyed this week. I also passed 700 days of meditation recently and that re inspired me to get back into it. I use insight timer for my guided meditations.

I was chatting with one of my friends this weekend and I decided to start another work out program. I took a very big break from following a calendar and doing specific programs and I’ve just been bouncing around between bike rides, and making up my own workouts and I think I’m ready for some serious structure. So I’m started a new program tomorrow and I’m excited!! Although I do realize I’ll be starting a program when the kids have half days thanks to parent teacher conferences lol. But we’ll get it done! I also love it’s 5 days a week so I’ll definitely be able to fit in rest days.

Alright I’m spending Sunday at the hospital so time to pack lunches for the boys before my shift.

Sunday Somethings No. 9

This week started off pretty low key as I recovered from a 3 day work stretch at the hospital. So the first few days I spent giving myself grace and not doing too much. I’ve been a nurse for 12 years and I feel like I’m just finally starting to get into a routine post work that allows for rest and isn’t focused on getting as much done as possible!

Something I read: Bye Baby – I read this book in 2 days. It was SO good! 5/5 stars it was so entertaining. Then on the other end of the spectrum I suffered through a book for my book club only to then realize I read the wrong freaking book. ugh! luckily I read Bye Baby right after so I was able to rebound quickly. I also started a Flicker in the Dark which has been on my to read list forever it feels like.

I finished my first week of my No spend September! And it felt really good and has me excited for this challenge. Our relationships with money can be so complicated and carry a lot of ish. I know for me personally one of my fears is suddenly becoming responsible for everything and having no idea where to start. Then I should-ing all over myself that I “should” have been looking at my accounts. I “should” be paying more attention. I “should” be more engaged. And then I feel guilty and terrible and then I avoid it. Such a fun cycle. Iykyk. The truth is fear is just the worst motivator – and when you move from a place of fear you almost never get the results you want. So instead this challenge was a way to move from a place of curiosity and a way to reframe something that is stressful.

I’ve been making these high protein banana / graham cracker / vanilla yogurt cups that are delicious. I’ve been eating them either as an afternoon snack or as a dessert they’re about 38g of protein.

I pulled down all the boxes for Fall and starting taking down my summer things. I’m ready to swap the seasons but it’s so hard when it’s still 100 degrees to get into the fall mood. Next week I think it’s finally gonna get below 90 so my goal is to decorate for fall!

We had a packed weekend – the boys had their first halloween party / movie night at a friends house, we had the start of soccer and we went to a block party. The block party felt like old school summer, everyone in the streets, kids riding bikes bare foot. The weather perfect. I decked the boys bikes out with glow sticks for the ride home and it was such a perfect night. I’m tired just typing it all out. As busy as it was it was also so filling.

Right now we are very much in a season of transition and a world of unknown. There are a lot of unknowns with what my work will look like in the next 4-6 months, same for Chris. At times it feels so unsettling and it can be really easy to spiral into all these unknown possibilities. This feeling of unknown isn’t new to me, it comes with the territory of start-ups. What I’ve learned is that when the future feels the most uncertain and suddenly the road has all these turns you can’t see around, it is in these seasons where grounding yourself in the here and now is the most powerful and most impactful. This week I really prioritized my morning routine of mindfulness (meditating, journaling, eft tapping) and it makes such a big difference. Rather than allowing myself to dabble in the future I focused on what was right in front of me. The little hands that interlock with mine when we walk to school. The cold, wet grass on the soles of my feet. The steam that billows from my morning coffee. The soft steady breaths of the dog that lays beside me. The sound of the squirrels chasing another in the trees. These moments, these glimmers are right here for the taking. So if you’re in a season of unknown, of change, of uncertainty know that it does not last forever. And I try to remind myself of the idea that an essential requirement for growth (be it spiritual or personal) is coming to peace with
pain. No expansion or evolution can take place without change and periods of change are not always comfortable 

❤

Sunday Somethings (returned) No. 8

Ah, kids are back in school, the mornings are crisper, autumn is around the corner & I thought it was time to bring back my Sunday Somethings series. It’s a fun way to stay connected, share recipes, updates, or things I’m loving.

  1. This summer felt like the perfect length – we did a ton, we travelled to Mexico, we had beach days, the boys swam day in and day out, we watched movies, we celebrated birthdays. And now summer is coming to a close. I’m trying to be really intentional about not wishing seasons away and instead savoring it. As much as the cooler mornings feel nice, I’m trying to enjoy the days that still feel long with light, the evenings where we can comfortably play outside, the trees that are still holding on to their leaves. It’s so easy once school starts to skip ahead to fall and halloween and pumpkin spice. And don’t get me wrong I love all those things – but I really struggle with the short days, gloomy cold weather, so this year I’m really trying to just absorb the season we are in rather than wishing it away.
  2. The kids are finally on overlapping school schedules (HALLELUJAH!) Last year their schedule overlapped for 40 mins 3 days a week…. barely enough time to take a deep breath and start a load of laundry. This year – they are both in school by 8:30 and I get multiple hours of time four days a week! I can’t tell you how happy and excited I am about this.
  3. We took the kids to a monster truck show last weekend. They loved it. And it’s been all monster trucks all day long since. They’ve also gotten back into watching Blaze & Monster Machines on paramount / nickelodeon – and this is one show that I feel like they actually learn a lot from. They’ll be talking about force and friction and acceleration.
  4. I made a batch of dry mix of “cream of ___” soup mix. Basically you add a cup of broth or milk to this dry mix and it turns into a can of “cream of”. My mom used to make casseroles with cream of but the OG cans have so many perservatives and contain soy & gluten which are no’s for us so I was thrilled to find this recipe for this dry mix. I already used it. Scroll to the bottom and I’ll add the recipe for the dry mix (I had found it on instagram but now of course can’t find it to link it)
  5. Earlier this week I posted all my puppy essentials – Toby is officially in his adolescent era & so I rounded up all our favorite puppy items and shared them! You can read it here.
  6. It’s officially September! This month I decided to do a No Spend September I love a good challenge & I decided this would be a perfect month for it. I wanted to do it in August but I knew with back to school there would be things that popped up that I needed to get. So this month I’m really trying to hunker down & save!
  7. This week I finished Book Lovers which was such a cute easy read. It was book 22 this year. I had originally made a goal to read 50 books this year but I recently decided that goal was just not attainable. When I made it, it didn’t really sink in that it meant I would have to read a book a week, which is honestly just not possible in the season I’m in. So I pivoted and changed the goal to 40. We’ll see if I can make it. I read 36 books last year so I think it’s possible. We’re also entering fall / winter which are seasons that I tend to read more (aka football season). Take this as your sign if you made an over ambitious goal for the year, it’s okay to change it.
  8. I made this raspberry crisp this week & it was SO good. The recipe calls for fresh raspberries but I had two bags of frozen raspberries in my freezer & I’m trying to use things up. It turned out great even with frozen raspberries.
  9. This weekend I’m doing my longest work stretch in a while – and I’m dreading switching from going to bed at 3am to having to wake up at 5:30-6am to get the kids ready for school. I’m already planning for this week to be a strugggggle!
  10. The boys soccer season finally kicks off next weekend and I’m so excited. Baseball season brought so much joy. I loved watching them play so I’m excited to be back on the sidelines cheering every Saturday!

Hope everyone has a great long holiday weekend ❤

Dry mix soup of ingredients:

  • 2 cups powdered milk
  • 3/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup bouillon powder
  • 2 tsp onion flakes
  • 1 tsp parsley
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1 tsp black

To use:

Combine 1/3 cup dry mix, 1 cup broth or milk & 1 tbsp butter in saucepan and stir until thickened!