This past weekend was one of those blurs. You get ready for bed on Sunday and ask "How is it over? What did we do this weekend? Did I get any rest?" Monday morning dawns and you get back to your routine and it makes you a little sad. Busyness and schedules can do that to you. If you are like me you take a big breath, pray for strength, and drink deeply of your coffee.
The week was redemptive though. The kids and I had time to just BE. We had Tuesday off and I got to clean, which I actually love to do but so rarely get to clean to the level that I'd like. We had time for board games, outside play, play dates, library story time, and even had a family movie night to kick off a new weekend. Thank goodness.
Book Fair
We've had alot of Book Fair talk in our house lately. First, Grace's school had the normal yearly book fair. I had to let go of my practical side and give her a bit of creative freedom to choose something she really wanted. A neighbor was able to come stay with the sleeping littles and I was able to dash up to her school and surprise her right as she was walking in to the book fair. In the end she chose a DIY journal that included a packet of charm decorations and a squeezable puffy paint packet. We did it right away when she got home and let it dry for several days. She's loved writing in it and, honestly, we've loved reading her responses to some of the journal prompts.
I put on our preschool's first book fair. It was alot of work and I can't really decide if it was a success or not. I think it earned our school about $100 in books, which doesn't go very far between 5 classrooms! Oh well. I learned alot of lessons about what I will or will not do if I do any more.
Beach Vacations
Ian and I have been talking about family vacation. We realized we have not made this as much of a priority as we should. Our last real vacation was when Grace was four months old and we went to France to visit friends for two weeks. It was an amazing trip and we made so many memories.
We plan on a beach vacation this year. The kids are at the perfect age to swim and play and last for a longer stretch in the pool and at the beach. it can be a fairly economical trip if you do breakfast in your hotel/rental house and pack your own snacks and lunches for the beach.
We've begun saving for dinners out and a few activities (putt putt? We haven't tried that with the kids yet, I'm not sure if the girls will get it or not,) by cutting back on our grocery budget a little each week and putting that cash in an envelope.
I'm hoping it will be a great time and won't feel like a hit to our budget. We love sunshine and the ocean, and, being a Florida girl, I've struggled with the winter season here, even with it being a mild winter!
Buds and Blooms
That being said, we are ready for SPRING! Bring on the sunshine. Bring on the inevitable rain. Bring on gardening and sprouts. Bring on outside playtime!
I am planning out how to fill in our landscaping. When we moved into this house last August we repositioned the pavers in our little front garden and made several different flower bed zones. I planted a few things but mostly left it be since I knew I didn't have a good understanding for how winter effects certain plants.
We have a creek just steps away from our front door and with the unusually warm winter we are expecting a beast of a mosquito season. I've been looking into mosquito repellant plants and am hoping that keeps the swarms of them away.
We have an AC unit that I'd like to mask with a potted garden around it, I'm thinking mainly herbs that I can use in cooking but need to come up with something that has a little more height.
We are also trying to plan how to gate off our front garden. We are in a townhome community which means we only have a small space that is "ours." The rest is public green space which means people can come and go easily. I'd like to have a positionable gate to keep the kids in and others out so that they could play outside more safely. I'm always out there with them but I would like to be able to dash inside to stir dinner or use the bathroom with a better sense of their security.
Favorite Flavors
We found a new stir fry blend that we are enjoying as our vegetable on some nights. I use coconut oil to cook it then put in just a splash of Teriyaki at the end for flavor. Yummy!
What I'm Reading
My loan on Unbroken ran up before I could finish it so I need to check it out again. I was really enjoying it though! Any recommendations for a non fiction that is done through a storytelling method that almost feels like fiction would be appreciated!
What I'm Eating
It's Saturday morning so I am making sausage and eggs for breakfast. We mainly follow the THM eating plan and I love that we can eat yummy things like bacon and sausage!
What I'm Drinking
Coffee! It's a mix of a grocery store brand and Trader Joe's Cocoa Coffee.It's not my favorite but it is good!
What I'm Watching
At this very moment I have Fixer Upper on. We don't usually watch any grown up TV, not even news, when the kids are up, but they are thoroughly distracted upstairs and I am cooking breakfast so it is fine!
The week was redemptive though. The kids and I had time to just BE. We had Tuesday off and I got to clean, which I actually love to do but so rarely get to clean to the level that I'd like. We had time for board games, outside play, play dates, library story time, and even had a family movie night to kick off a new weekend. Thank goodness.
Book Fair
We've had alot of Book Fair talk in our house lately. First, Grace's school had the normal yearly book fair. I had to let go of my practical side and give her a bit of creative freedom to choose something she really wanted. A neighbor was able to come stay with the sleeping littles and I was able to dash up to her school and surprise her right as she was walking in to the book fair. In the end she chose a DIY journal that included a packet of charm decorations and a squeezable puffy paint packet. We did it right away when she got home and let it dry for several days. She's loved writing in it and, honestly, we've loved reading her responses to some of the journal prompts.
I put on our preschool's first book fair. It was alot of work and I can't really decide if it was a success or not. I think it earned our school about $100 in books, which doesn't go very far between 5 classrooms! Oh well. I learned alot of lessons about what I will or will not do if I do any more.
Beach Vacations
Ian and I have been talking about family vacation. We realized we have not made this as much of a priority as we should. Our last real vacation was when Grace was four months old and we went to France to visit friends for two weeks. It was an amazing trip and we made so many memories.
We plan on a beach vacation this year. The kids are at the perfect age to swim and play and last for a longer stretch in the pool and at the beach. it can be a fairly economical trip if you do breakfast in your hotel/rental house and pack your own snacks and lunches for the beach.
We've begun saving for dinners out and a few activities (putt putt? We haven't tried that with the kids yet, I'm not sure if the girls will get it or not,) by cutting back on our grocery budget a little each week and putting that cash in an envelope.
I'm hoping it will be a great time and won't feel like a hit to our budget. We love sunshine and the ocean, and, being a Florida girl, I've struggled with the winter season here, even with it being a mild winter!
Buds and Blooms
That being said, we are ready for SPRING! Bring on the sunshine. Bring on the inevitable rain. Bring on gardening and sprouts. Bring on outside playtime!
I am planning out how to fill in our landscaping. When we moved into this house last August we repositioned the pavers in our little front garden and made several different flower bed zones. I planted a few things but mostly left it be since I knew I didn't have a good understanding for how winter effects certain plants.
We have a creek just steps away from our front door and with the unusually warm winter we are expecting a beast of a mosquito season. I've been looking into mosquito repellant plants and am hoping that keeps the swarms of them away.
We have an AC unit that I'd like to mask with a potted garden around it, I'm thinking mainly herbs that I can use in cooking but need to come up with something that has a little more height.
We are also trying to plan how to gate off our front garden. We are in a townhome community which means we only have a small space that is "ours." The rest is public green space which means people can come and go easily. I'd like to have a positionable gate to keep the kids in and others out so that they could play outside more safely. I'm always out there with them but I would like to be able to dash inside to stir dinner or use the bathroom with a better sense of their security.
Favorite Flavors
We found a new stir fry blend that we are enjoying as our vegetable on some nights. I use coconut oil to cook it then put in just a splash of Teriyaki at the end for flavor. Yummy!
What I'm Reading
My loan on Unbroken ran up before I could finish it so I need to check it out again. I was really enjoying it though! Any recommendations for a non fiction that is done through a storytelling method that almost feels like fiction would be appreciated!
What I'm Eating
It's Saturday morning so I am making sausage and eggs for breakfast. We mainly follow the THM eating plan and I love that we can eat yummy things like bacon and sausage!
What I'm Drinking
Coffee! It's a mix of a grocery store brand and Trader Joe's Cocoa Coffee.It's not my favorite but it is good!
What I'm Watching
At this very moment I have Fixer Upper on. We don't usually watch any grown up TV, not even news, when the kids are up, but they are thoroughly distracted upstairs and I am cooking breakfast so it is fine!
2 comments:
A beach vacation sounds lovely! I think it will be a desert vacation for us this year - the Grand Canyon. I do have a book recommendation! Deep Undercover by Jack Barsky, a KGB spy who defected. The book is so good!
We need a good vaca as well!
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