Tag: boymama

Sunday Somethings No. 7

Little Somethings:

  • I finished The Silent Patient last week and it was 5 stars! Such a good read! It’s been my favorite book so far this year. Now I’m reading The Seven Year Slip which isn’t at all what i was expecting & I started The Island of Sea Women.
  • I celebrated my birthday, I went to lunch with my friend, then swam at the gym we joined and then was home for tacos and cupcakes and snuggled my guys, it was a great way to start 34!
  • I’m really excited to start swimming for exercise again. On my birthday I swam 30 laps and had completely forgotten just how difficult sustained swimming is, I’m pumped to add it into my workout routine this spring.
  • We built a leap year time capsule. We measured the boys, did their hand prints, printed out pictures of the kids and the animals. I asked the boys what some of their favorites were. I also included letters I wrote the boys to open in 4 years. I had the intention of this little time capsule being something fun to do with the boys, but I feel like it put me in such a weird headspace just thinking about how when we open it next leap year Will will be almost 10. His hand won’t be so little anymore. When you have littles 4 years is honestly SO long and SO much changes and I feel like the boys are just at the best ages right now and I want to remember how much fun they are and all their little quirky things they do and say. Anyway if you want to be emo, make a leap year time capsule with your kids. lol.
  • We started our spring garden which is something I’m so excited for! The boys were such a big help clearing out the garden beds. Last summer I grew a bunch of zinnias with my veggies and it was the best. This year I got so many flowers to plant!
  • The boys had their baseball opening day parade – the games got cancelled because of the rain, but they still did the parade and it was so sweet. The boys LOVE their uniforms. I can’t handle how cute they are. J had his first game and organized chaos is the only way to describe 3 years olds playing baseball.
  • Something I’ve been hyperfixated on making for breakfast everyday this week has been avocado toast. I just put avocado, red onion, red pepper flakes, salt flakes and a drizzle of honey and it is THE best.
  • Toby leaves this Sunday (the day I post this) for his boot camp. I’m already so sad but I know it’ll be worth it & he’ll come back a little gentleman! The boys and I are making a paper chain to count the days till he gets back.
  • Last month I tried out Nuuly which is a clothing rental service. I was feeling so bleh about all my clothes which made me feel so bleh in general. For me I had some clothes from before I had kids, some from each postpartum period and very little of it did I truly love or feel my best in. Last month I mostly ordered comfy sweaters and outwear since it was still so cold and rainy. But I’m excited to build my box for March / April & get some more spring outfits!
  • Something else new – I committed to an 84 day Ab-Rehab program. I have never really given my core the TLC it desperately needed after two babies. To be honest that kind of rebuilding work is, yawn, so boring. And doesn’t feel as satisfying as lifting weights or doing cardio. The reality is every workout is a core workout & I’ve hit a plateau when it comes to seeing the results I want & I’m hopeful this program will help me accelerate further! When I write this I’m only on day 3. But so far I’m very impressed with the program!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Sunday Somethings no. 2

Sunday Somethings

  • I made this Parmesan and Italian Sausage soup this week & it was SO good. I ended up using half sausage half ground turkey to curb some of the fat content but it was delicious and I’m definitely making it again this week!
  • I’m almost done reading Wintering which has been on my list to read for so long. January just feels like the best time to read it. This is one of my favorite quotes, May writes “Plants and animals don’t fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives that they lived in the summer. They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through... that’s where the transformation occurs. Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible” I love how the book is all about celebrating and leaning into times of rest and how when we allow ourselves to recognizes hard, dark, withdrawn times that’s when growth and transformation and wisdom occurs.
  • I’ve also been working on my January declutter challenge of filling boxes – I have 4 to drop off at the Goodwill this week, which feels so good. I love the feeling of clearing space and letting things go!
  • Something I’m grateful for this week is generous friends that totally saved us on our annual snow trip. After we had not one, but two Airbnb FAILS!! I booked a place back in December that had good reviews. When we got there we quickly realized the heater was not working at all and it was a chilly 42 degrees in the house. Then I went to check the hot tub only to look and see it was empty except for broken glass. I bundled the kids up and let them play in the backyard in the snow while we game planned. We realize that after I had booked this house someone had left a review with the exact same complaints from 2 weeks ago! So nothing ever got fixed. We ended up booking another house that said we could check in at 6pm. So we pile the kids in the car, reload our car and then aren’t able to get into our new airbnb because the owners live in France and it was 2 or 3 am their time. It was a nightmare!! Thankfully we had some friends who let us use their cabin that was only another 15 minutes away and it was a LIFESAVER!
  • I’m also grateful for Chris and my ability to not let a frustrating situation ruin our trip and still be able to work together as a team to figure it all out! We always tell the boys not to panic almost everything is “figure-out-able”
  • Something I loved this weekend was where we took the boys sledding. We went to Granlibakken and watching the boys fly down that hill and not be scared was so much fun!! And I was so impressed with their ability to keep trekking back up the big hill. If you’re local and looking for a place to take your kids sledding I 10/10 recommend. They sell 90 min tickets and that is MORE than enough.

Hope everyone had a great week!

May Round Up

Hello! I’m back!! Right after William’s birthday in the end of April I decided I wanted to take a few days off of social media & it felt SO good that it actually evolved into me taking the entire month of May off. For the past three years I’ve shown up nearly day, so it felt incredible to unplug and allow myself the freedom of leaving my phone in a completely different room, and just being. So for my May round up I thought I’d share what we got into this past month, what helped me take a huge step back from social media, where I plan to go from here!

  • This month we crossed the 300 hour mark on our goal of 1000 hours outside for the year! We’re definitely behind pace but I’m having fun tracking and it’s a great motivation to get outside even when the weather has been less than ideal! The boys are itching for real summer heat to hit and want to play on the splash pad anytime it’s 70 degrees or higher!
  • We redid our garden beds and finally planted our spring garden! Chris did an amazing job building them, the kids loved playing and moving all the dirt & I’m thrilled to have a garden again! This year I’m doing a combination of growing foods we love to eat (tomatoes, cucumbers, snap peas) and a mix of flowers! I also love the new layout! The old set up from the previous owners was cramped and hard to move around & this area now feels so nice!
  • Halfway through the month the boys got the dreaded hand foot mouth virus. They bounced back quickly but I got it and it actually turned into a bit of a health scare for me. While I was on the mend with the sorest throat I’ve ever experienced I had to make a trip to the ER. Which as an ER nurse is literally my last resort… The virus irritated my heart sending me into a fast abnormal heart rhythm. I ended up getting a cardiologist, wearing a cardiac monitor for two weeks (i’m still wearing it as I write this post). We’re still in the process of doing some due diligence to make sure this is truly virus related and not something more nefarious but phew I didn’t see that coming for this month. Also, J came to the ER with me and every time anyone entered the room he would proudly announce “not for me today!” – tell me you’ve been in and out of ER’s constantly for asthma without telling me.
  • Will started going to jujitsu. The last time he was in a jujitsu gym he was barely 18 months old, the first photo! So this is so special for him! It’s cuteness overload watching him do all the little moves and rolls!
  • I read four very different books this month. The Psychology of Money, Maybe You Should Talk To Someone and To Raise a Boy, and Night Wherever We Go. The Psychology of Money was not at all what I was expecting. I thought it would be more practical advice instead it ended up being very theoretical and far less useful than I hoped. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone was great! It’s about a therapist who is going through her own ish and decides to talk to someone! An easy read with some great insights! To Raise a Boy – a must read for boy moms. How to raise boys to be thoughtful, caring, kind, how to break stereotypes, how and why to have hard conversations. The author dives deep into sexual assault, talking to your boys about pornography, and how to raise a boy in a crazy world like today! This was a tough read but SO impactful. Finally, Night Wherever We Go was a gripping book about slaves in Texas. It is written from many different points of view. This was one I grabbed from the library and knew nothing about, but I really enjoyed it!
  • I finally got around to hiking in Briones! I took my bestie & my junie girl and we did 4 miles. Juno was SO happy to be out on a trail and we caught the last of the wildflowers!
  • In May I hit 600 days of meditation. My meditation journey started as a 30 day challenge but it’s something I’ve kept up. I’ve missed days here and there, but creating space between my thoughts, quieting my mind, slowing down and turning inward as been so impactful. It’s funny because I had plans to write a blog post about 500 days of mediation and insights that I have gained since starting this personal practice. But as anyone who meditates regularly knows, the more I practice the more I become aware that my journey at times feels like it’s only just beginning. So 500 days came and went without me feeling some deep transformation or inspiration to write, but this month celebrating nearly 2 years of meditation feels really good! And I did have an amazing moment this month where Will asked me if he could start meditating with me. He will sometimes see me in the mornings or afternoons, sitting still, breathing deep and he understands I’m meditating. So we’ve started incorporating some kids meditation into his daily quiet time. It’s been so special to lay in bed with him and do a meditation together. He loves going on my app and picking a kids one.
  • Finally, the app I used to digital detox: ScreenZen! I seriously love this. You can set up what apps you want to limit, how many times you want to allow it to be opened per day. But what I love about it is when you go to open whatever app, it has you pause (you choose the number of seconds before the app opens) it asks you “is this important” and then has you wait… I’d say nine times out of ten I just click don’t open because it’s not important I’m not getting online to do anything, I’m just killing time or bored. If you’ve struggled to digital detox and maybe you’re not an all or nothing type of person and don’t want to just completely delete your apps this is a great option. This works much better for me than cutting it out completely, extreme restriction typically leads to the pendulum swinging the other direction and ends in these binging and restricting cycles.

May felt super long and mostly it felt so nice to just focus on the beautiful life right in front of me, instead of worrying about creating content. I do enjoy sharing on social & making connections. I have made some great internet friends so I don’t necessarily see myself completely deleting or removing myself from it entirely. I think this was a great break, and an opportunity to really be intentional about what I’m doing on my phone. One of my goals this year was to significantly cut down on my screen time and have better phone hygiene around my boys. The only way to teach them about technology and boundaries and realizing that life happens when you look up is to do that yourself. You can say it till you’re blue in the face, but if you’re constantly mhmming them that is what they will notice and remember more than any lecture. Also the older my guys get the less I feel compelled to share about them, as they enter into their own I want them to choose how and when they want their internet presence to be. Of course I’ll probably still share little things here and there like this blog for instance. I’ll be keeping screen zen on my phone for now. I love how it still makes me question why I’m really getting onto my phone and I think it’s great to break that habitual checking and refreshing.

I’m curious if you’ve done a digital detox and how it impacted your life!?

5 Tips to Read More

Like most people, I loved reading when I was younger. But fell out of the habit once nursing school, night shifts, and newborn life took over. Over the last two years I really stepped back into reading and made a serious effort to recreate a habit that I had loved so much. I decided to put down my phone and picked up books instead. In 2021 I pushed myself to read 10 books, which may not sound like a lot but it was more than I had read in many years. It felt so good to remember what it felt like to get lost in other worlds, having to stay up late to find out how a book ends! Those 10 books completely re-energized me to prioritize reading into a sustainable habit again. Last year I pushed myself to double my reading goal ended up finishing the year reading 21 books! Today I thought I’d share some tips for fitting more reading into your life, even if you’re like me and live a busy toddler mom life.

  1. Stop reading books you don’t enjoy – if you don’t like a book. put.it.down. don’t force yourself to read books you don’t enjoy! life is too short. I used to force myself to keep reading out of principle, but the reality is you’ll actually read slower and less books if you’re forcing yourself to trudge through stuff you don’t like.
  2. Utilize apps to get free e books. I use a kindle and before I would go back and forth on if i wanted to spend the money on a kindle book, especially as I was getting back into reading and honestly didn’t know what books I enjoyed anymore… Then I found the libby app. Which basically lets you rent ebooks from library. The app is completely free all you need is a library card number, which you can easily get online! This set me free from the mental gymnastics I was doing about actually spending money on e books and allowed me to download books without the pressure of having to feel like it was “worth the money”. This is how I read 99% of my books is through the libby app! You’re able to rent a book for 21 days but pro tip if it’s taking you longer DON’T close out of the book on your kindle. If you leave it up you can keep reading beyond 21 days.
  3. Know you’ll be interrupted – Life with two littles means interruptions, but I still read around them. While they’re playing outside or in their rooms, or when they’re watching a show. I’ll be reading. But I know I’ll get interrupted. When we’re outside I’ll play with them and then tell them “mommys gonna read her book know while you guys play”, and of course there are still interruptions but the more I do it the more they become used to it. My almost 5 year old asked me the other day all about my book, we talked about how words make sentences and how books tell stories and it was such a great conversation for my guy who is on the cusp of reading himself. The key for reading around your kids is don’t wait for *perfect* conditions. Doing this has helped me read so.much.more! Plus the example this sets is so powerful.
  4. Keep a running to-read list: I use the notes app on my phone and have a note dedicated to books I want to read. Whenever I’m at work and someone suggest a book or I’m on IG and someone talks about a book they love I add it to my list. So when I finish one I always have something else on my list to read. I also keep books on hold on the libby app!
  5. Take a book to bed: A few years ago I started charging my phone across the room from my bed. Mostly so I would ensure I would actually get up when my alarm was going off. But instead of taking my phone to bed scrolling until I was falling asleep I now go to bed with my kindle. Some nights I only manage to read a few pages before my eyes close. Other nights I will literally read for HOURS. This has drastically changed how much I read. And is such a better way to fall asleep. We spend a lot of time looking at our phones, being pulled by dings and pings. But reading really forces you to focus which will ultimately lead to better sleep!

What I’m reading currently: Lessons in Chemistry

Monday Mindset: 2022 Wrapped

The week after Christmas and before the New Year is inherently made for reflection. It’s hard not to look back at the last 12 months, no matter what they held for you, without some kind of pause. Most of our years are filled with a mixture of ups and downs. Last year I shared my tradition of making a list for each year (20 for 2020, 21 for 2021, etc.) I wrote about the origin of this idea and what kinds of things fill this list in a post here . But the idea is that broad, overarching resolutions are ineffective and typically lose their shine rapidly. Filling a list with a mixture of small tasks, fun things, and bigger goals and checking in on the list through out the year is a great alternative to resolutions! Admittedly coming up with over 20 items can feel a little daunting so you could easily have the same effect with a list of 10 or 15 things. Below I’m sharing my 2022 list & some other milestones that happened!

22 in 2022

  1. Get family photos taken – Done! And SO happy with how they turned out!
  2. Read 12 books – To my own surprise, I ended up reading 20 books this year!!
  3. Trip to NYC – This did not happen – but we did go to DC and had a kidless weekend away in Sonoma
  4. Build a neighborhood free little library – YES! Did this and it brought me so much joy!
  5. Day dates with boys – I was not very consistent with this but did do some
  6. Switch to clean makeup – Done!
  7. Run a 5k – I actually laughed when I looked back at my list, I have no memory of wanting to do this!
  8. Go to the dermatologist – eek this did not happen… BUT I did get all my dental work done this year & went to my routine cleaning & have no new cavities or issues!
  9. Find a PCP – yes!
  10. Do 3 Day Refresh – maybe in 2023
  11. Get pictures off old macbook Done!! This was huge, pulling about 7,000 photos off my college computer!
  12. Do a 30 minute meditation monthly – I didn’t do this monthly but I crossed a huge meditation milestone of meditating for 500 days! And I did complete two different meditation courses this year.
  13. Take boys to Tilden / BADM 3x – We didn’t make it to either place once 😦
  14. Plan and Plant a spring / summer garden – yes the summer of tomatoes!
  15. Pay off mazda YES grown up stuff
  16. Take Juno on weekly walks – We didn’t do as many adventures as I’d liked but she got way more exercise than last year so calling it a win!
  17. Make an album of now – did not do this.
  18. Paint master bath / add shelving – nope. still have paint samples taped up lol.
  19. Take a social media Sabbath each week – YES! I did this most of the year and loved it!
  20. Go to a National Park – Arches in UT, was a major highlight this year!
  21. Try therapy – didn’t happen. thought about it a lot. lol.
  22. Shiplap entry way – also no.

Despite half of my list being incomplete, 2022 was a year that has some amazing memories, lots of fun and some tremendous personal growth. I hit a huge meditation milestone of 500 days, something that seemed impossible when I started! I left my kids and went on a solo girls trip! I stepped WAY out of my comfort zone & taught two group exercise classes. I put down my phone and picked up books, reading 20 books this year. I learned to use a jigsaw & nail gun and built a little free library for our neighborhood. We spent more time with family & cousins, we hosted birthdays and I kept decorating themed cakes. I drastically purged and simplified our home and belongings, everything from clothes, kitchen gadgets, to digital clutter. Oh and I survived a road trip with two toddlers from California to Utah!

The last few months of 2022 have been a barrage of high fevers, cancelled plans, sick kiddos, trips to the pediatrician and urgent care; pushing me to my outer limits. But reflecting on the year reminds us that it is so rarely as simple as a “good year” or a “bad year”. There were thousands of amazing moments this year and endless things to be thankful for. The purpose of the yearly list isn’t to have every single item checked off. Instead it’s to bring intention, thoughtfulness and fun, into what you want your year to hold. So that December doesn’t roll around and you realize you floated through the year, reacting to what was thrown at you.

A vital part of growth is allowing ourselves space to reflect. Being able to look back on moments that brought you joy, made you proud, things you may have handled differently etc. If reflection doesn’t come naturally – sometimes reading some simple prompts can open the gates of inspiration! Below are some prompts to get your reflections started.

Tomorrow I’ll be sharing my 23 for 2023 list! I’d love to hear what goals you crushed in 2022, dreams you have for this year or if you make a list yourself I’d love to see it!!