What started as a "Well, I need to take Kendrick back for a check in on his issues, and they both say they have sore throats, so might as well" kinda thing ended with two sick kids home from school with strep.
My beautiful baby girl ♥
I snatched this off Facebook (I don't know who the source is), but I need this reminder often.
A lazy night in at home.
Kins is really into dressing up lately, and I'm in love!
FINALLY got the albums I make annually for the grandparents and now also for Mark in the mail. It only took me an extra 3 months this year (yikes!), but I'm SO PLEASED at how they turned out!
My sweet friend Krista was back in town (she moved to Grand Forks in 2019), and we met up for lunch with her at the Mexican restaurant in town. Somehow I was the only one working and therefore the only one without a Margarita (or what not) in front of me.
I know I've said it many times before, but it bears repeating: This kid is a HARD worker. We worked hard to chip off about 6 inches of solid ice as it warmed up, and it made for a really nice play area as it dried up.
I ended up with a full bed of kiddos one particular evening, and I didn't hate it ;)
The kiddos, completely on their own, paired up one evening. It was almost creepy how content and calm and sweet they were being.
The two weeks leading up to the whole COVID-19 pandemic, before all the things closed, I took the kiddos in two shifts to Sioux Falls to the Zoo. Mainly because we had just been to see Mark 3 weekends in a row as a whole family, and OMG was that crazy, but also because when I took the little ones, the big ones were ANGRY, so the next weekend they decided that was what they wanted to do as well.
I had an unexpected visit from one of my old college roommates Paula and her family who were just swinging through Windom. It was so fun to catch up a bit and to get to meet her kiddos and hubby.
I really don't drink a lot, but I feel like this winter in particular (which is now ending with a freaking pandemic) have caused me to up my intake from 1-2 every few weeks to 1-2 every couple weeks. As an aside, I LOVE these little bottles of wine fusions. Mango Moscato is SO yummy!
Have I mentioned how much I love my neighbors? lol Jill sent me this text - punishment for apparently for not wearing their shoes outside. I told her I needed to borrow Jared for a while lol
Remotes are a precious commodity in our house lol
It's not everyday you have a princess helping you clean out your car...
Love to see these three bonding ♥ Hudson, our neighbor friend, is like a brother to my kiddos. They're all about on the same sound level (LOUD) and just about as crazy and wild as each other - especially together.
Gearing up for spring!
Sunday morning styles. A huge thanks to Cashel for this super flattering picture lol
A common sight on Sunday mornings during the worship service.
Apparently it's caterpillar season around here.
The PERFECT steak! Interesting tidbit: I used to HATE steak. My Mom used to also make steaks pretty much well done. Mark ordered our first steak at Bergen medium, and ever since that meal, I've loved steaks. I'm a medium woman all the way!
Her little profile just undoes me. And WHERE does she get those adorable curls?
Tubby time! Goodness, I just love those eyes :)
This month, I finally got the new flooring in the entryway and lower level bathroom! It looks SO NICE!!!
I had to document that one time when I made frozen pizza and actually served other food with it lol Usually it's just pizza and that's it.
Great progress leading up to the pandemic. And then it all hit and I started eating all the junk food and my gym closed, and grrrrrrrr....
This guy turned FOUR this month, and he was SO EXCITED!! I did a little four year update on him you can find HERE!
He got to go do his 4 year well child check...on his birthday! lol He's still towards the top of the charts, but he's still my little runt. He wanted to wear his pj bottoms with his new Blaze and the Monster Machines sweatshirt to daycare and preschool, and I figured it was his birthday and he can do whatever he feels like. I'll eventually get around to doing a little recap of his birthday someday...maybe.
The kids got REALLY into blowing up balloons super big for the entire week after Ryan's birthday. I wasn't nearly as amused as you might think. I'm not really sure why, but I've never really been a big fan of balloons.
I feel like by age 8, he should be able to wipe off his own mouth after supper, but man. He ended up having contact dermatitis half of this month on account of not washing his face good enough before bed.
I told Cashel to clean up his room before bed, and ended up walking into this lol
I have been SO thankful for Instacart for the ability to order Mark snacks and have them delivered without having to go to the effort myself. Technology has made coordinating his care SO much easier. In Mankato, the nice part is that they will literally deliver the groceries to his facility in about 2 hours or less usually.
The big kids' Zoo day was significantly crappier of a day. The roads getting there were horrible the last 20 minutes, but on the upside, we were the only people there, so that was kinda cool.
Kendrick's favorite is the Red Panda (and I can't blame him - it's adorable!) Cashel was more enamored by the snakes. (Don't worry - he didn't actually lick the glass)
I took them to do a little shopping after the Zoo downtown in Sioux Falls, and they were so excited! There were actually quite a few cute little shops with kid toys and such down there.
I have made *almost* all of my kids' birthday cakes. I'd like to say it's because I'm really good at it or that it's because I love my kids so much, but truth be told, I'm pretty cheap when it comes to cake. I'm not about to spend $15 on a cake I can make for $3. The end result is the same: They eat the frosting off the top and leave the cake sit in a puddle of ice cream. I'd much rather spend $3.
Kinsley was obsessed with Cashel's giant slinky that he got in Sioux Falls. ♥
This guy is, no doubt, going to be a woodworker or construction guy when he grows up. We may have to address the scotch tape solution at some point, however. I'm not sure that's a legit building tool...
These guys helped me with french toast, and it was so adorable. I mostly just set the stage and then let them take over, and it was so, so cute to hear them discuss how to do it and what utensils to use and what not.
I know our days of naps are coming to an end, so I feel like I've been watching them nap a lot more these days.
All of my kids gave up naps by 4, although Ryan may be a little longer, as he definitely needs them still some days.
So while Kinsley may have a bit still, it's going to be hard to continue to allow it once summer hits and we're constantly on the go.
1) I literally just went to the bathroom, and I came out to this.
2) Someone remind me that the next furniture I purchase should NOT have removable cushions.
Kendrick is my creative one. He got really into the guy with the YouTube videos showing you how to draw things.
His drawings are also really clear and articulate and he's a phenomenal colorer when he wants to be.
On what I didn't realize was going to be my last visit to see Mark in a LONG time (just two days prior to the whole assisted living shutdown), I did a little shopping for bathroom fixtures for upstairs and did a little swaperoo of bathtubs for the upstairs bathroom (which will be my next remodel project, once these other two wind down and we settle ourselves a bit more). I was kinda digging the shale color here, and I picked out something fairly similar with my designer, just in an actual tile instead of this material.
Apparently brushed nickel is really in, and I LOVE it!
Loving on my guy! I'm going to be honest and say that the entire rest of the month was hard. Really, really hard.
It was just two days after this that the schools basically announced they were closing and the Assisted Living facilities across the countries went into lock down. I haven't seen him since this day aside from video chats, and he's not doing really great right now.
Working on our social distancing
Even with the warmer temps the snow was still not gone.
More social distancing out at our favorite place for scenic walks. Being a single Mom with 4 kids, I kinda figured this kinda thing out a long time ago - when you find places that no one else goes, it's easy to not get stares...because no one is there.
Even the dead and hopeless seems beautiful if you look closely.
I love seeing this kid smile. To be honest, especially in light of now being unable to visit Daddy, Cashel has been really down when he has been home. This quarantine has got a lot of us down or sad or anxious, and it's hard. I think the speed with which things changed has been difficult to process. Nothing about our life has been predictable or "normal" for quite some time, but the one "normalcy" was knowing that every weekend or so, he'd get to go see his Daddy. Taking that away has been really hard on him. Video chats are typically very impersonal, and you can't really talk with Mark about anything since he keeps leaving the room. But when we're there in person, he tends to at least lay there long enough for you to join him for a bit, or he'll sit next to you on the couch, and you can give him a hug, even if he doesn't care to give one back much. It's hard enough for me, and I have significantly more control than he does over a situation that no one can control right now, because in a lot of ways, it's in EVERYONE'S control, and you can't force people to comply.
Ryan has been really big into birdies lately. Cashel was helping him look for more. He's kinda the expert, since when he was Kinsley's age, he was OBSESSED with birdies.
Since I had to take two days of vacation unexpectedly to be home with the kids, I decided that nap times and being able to stay up a little later was the PERFECT time to tackle a painting project I've been wanting to do for the past 6 years. The border seemed too ominous to remove, so we basically just left it up and tried to match up a different color. But you know how it is when you bring a color home thinking it's a perfect fit from the store and as it turns out, it looks horrible in the actual lighting? That's what happened here. It was so, so awful, guys! It feels SO good having it all down and having the space be more cozy now.
A sweet friend Candice dropped off this meal kit from River City Eatery one day, which was so sweet! People have been so great! I put out a blanket plea on Facebook one day for lettuce, since apparently the store had been out of it, and we were planning on tacos for that night, and lettuce literally showed up on my doorstep within an hour thanks to my sweet neighbor Amanda. And then Enspired's own Hilary texted me the other day saying she happened to be at the store, and did I need anything? Looks like monkey bread will be back on the menu this weekend, so THANK YOU! All of you! The mysterious snacks that just showed up from Amazon (which were SO helpful, as we were getting really low)...the random checks in the mail...I mean, some days I get in a funk and convince myself that we're on some sort of island by ourselves and I forget that I've seen this kindness over and over and over again and that we are truly loved. So thank you!
I did another one of those Day in the Life posts this month, which you can CHECK OUT HERE. As an aside, one of the things I really, really want to build into any sort of kitchen remodel is my own little coffee nook.
I feel like maybe I've mentioned this before, but it has probably been a handful of years, so it's worth repeating, because this system works SO WELL! I have 4 of these baskets in my closet along with one in each of the kids' rooms. In my room, I have them labeled "DARKS", "COLORS", "WHITES" AND "NEUTRALS". When the pile gets to the top of the basket, I know it's a full load. I certainly have times where I just throw everything on the floor in front of my closet and then sort it later, but I always sort it into these baskets before I take it down to the washing machine. I got the baskets from World Market back when I still worked in Sioux Falls initially, and then have replaced them as they grow too worn.
They still have these original ones at this time: Trista Seagrass Utility Tote.
I posted this as part of my Day in the Life post, but felt it worth noting that not only Cashel, but also now Kendrick like to make me little hearts and sign them. I love seeing them around my cubicle at work as a reminder that I'm loved.
I'm kinda a sucker for eclectic mugs. I found this one in downtown Idaho Springs when I was on a trip out to Colorado for my good friend Kari's wedding in late December 2018. I think what I love the most about mugs like these are that they remind me of...
...this mug full of mead from our trip to Ireland and the Medieval Banquet at Knappogue Castle with Mark. Sometimes it's really, really hard for me to remember when times were so, so good.
This was one of those nights that I just will never in a million years forget. We had SUCH an incredible time. So many incredible memories with this guy!
I also really, really, really miss this lady. Grief, mourning, loss...it changes a person. I know it's good change in general, but I really miss this carefree, energetic, always joyful, always uplifting person I used to be. I miss feeling hopeful. I miss feeling positive. I miss feeling confident. I miss walking into a room and feeling like I genuinely light the place up. I miss being expectant of good things. I miss the way he loved me.
To say this month has been weird is an understatement. I wrote about it all in a couple different posts this month: {Day Six} and {Essential}, so I won't go repeating myself, but man.
Mark used to eat a bowl of cereal every single morning for breakfast. To be honest, I've never been a huge cereal fan. Since the kids always used to eat breakfast at daycare or school, I never have to make any during the week.
However, when all this craziness started, I had so many recommendations to just scale back and make simpler meals, so I opted for cereal. Except I'd pour my kids bowls for breakfast, and they'd take one bite and the bowl would just sit there. It was so frustrating, so I figured they just didn't like cereal and left it at that. On the weekends, we usually do bigger breakfasts anyways, so I let it go. Well...I bought a couple boxes just on the offset chance that I ran out of eggs and bacon, considering they were home all day every day, and as it turns out, they DO like cereal.
They just like it for a snack instead of for breakfast. Who knew?
We tried calling Mark a LOT during those two weeks, but he was out of his room a lot and didn't answer :(
Working from home off and on when I couldn't find childcare for my older two just about undid me. I think, given a home where they weren't there, I'd love working from home. But then again, although I consider myself a pretty solitary person in general, I'd miss people. Some of them, anyway.
I set up another little TV viewing area next to my workstation and let the littles hang out there a couple of the days. I was stunned at how long they just sat there.
I've been trying to order more takeout than I usually would to support our local restaurants and keep them in town! This particular night was River City Eatery, and these shrimp tacos were SO GOOD!!
It is one of my favorite things to watch kids eat spaghetti.
We had a fun little "beach party" night one night, and the kids loved it! Granted, Kendrick is pretty darn specific about music. He wanted it from YouTube on the TV, and it had to be a specific dance one, not just any version. Lots of weeping and ghashing of teeth over that one. But seriously...watching Kinsley shake her little butt in her swimsuit was freaking ADORABLE!
♥ her!
I was all "Pinterest mom" for approximately 2 hours one morning before I gave up. We tried Elephant Toothpaste and this experiment where the color is supposed to jump from one container to the next with marginal results.
I never use cookbooks anymore (most of my regular recipes are either online or in my head), so I was pleasantly surprised that the kids spent almost an HOUR looking through them one afternoon.
Miss Kins has been really into throwing and bouncing the ball with me lately. It's so fun, and I actually enjoy doing it, so win-win!
Legit social distancing lol
Trying to keep things upbeat while stuck home with 4 kids, we opted for an indoors picnic, and the kids were OBSESSED!
Meow Meow is Kinsley's favorite stuffy. She's so darn cute right now!
This setup worked well for a solid 2 hours one day. I was pretty pleased!
I am SO glad that I added that side pad on our driveway last fall. It has been WONDERFUL to have the extra cement pad to expand onto. It keeps the kids in the driveway much better and they're not running into the street or down the sidewalk as much. It has also been great to allow the kids to legit ride their bikes in circles without running into everyone.
PERFECT night!
"Fort" day turned into "turn all the furniture on its side and make little nooks inside. Grrrrrr!!!
You KNOW a kid is beyond bored when they VOLUNTEER to clean out the lazy susan...
This big kid was really upset that he couldn't ride his bike until he got older. I had thought I had put it on the lowest setting, but I went back and realized I hadn't, and he is now riding that thing like a boss. I just love seeing the huge smile on his face!
Two other things I LOVE about this cement pad are that I can now put the hammock out front and watch the kids, and I now have a solid surface (not just grassy area) to put my garbage and recycling out!
INCREDIBLE book! I'm not too far into it just yet, but it is SO GOOD!!! If you are experiencing grief of any sort, or are trying to support someone who is, I very highly recommend it! (I mean, at least the first 3 chapters, since that's all I've read so far).
Goodness do I ever love my little kitchen helpers!
This kid cracks me up so much! He wanted toast really bad for breakfast, and when I asked him what he wanted on it (peanut butter, jelly, butter, etc.) He smiled really big and said, "grapes and carrots, Mom" I tried to talk him out of it, but he was pretty adamant, so that's what he had lol
Told Ryan to clean up his toys. He decided that his toys needed to be cleaned up...to MY room. What a little turd lol
My Mama had a Masters degree in Education, and she home-schooled me for a couple years when I was younger. One of our reading progress markers was the caterpillar. I thought I'd show the kids, and we could maybe order pizza when each kid read their last book. They got REALLY into it and traced around bowls and cut out all these circles and then we haven't done anything with it since, but it sounds like fun, right? We'll get there. I always thought it was so fun to put up another caterpillar circle.
A friend of mine posted some pics of her kids with this and I knew I had to try it with my kids lol (Thanks, Emily, for the idea!) If you want to try it out with your kids (or heck, I won't judge, for yourself), HERE are the instructions.
This summer is going to be RIDICULOUS with these kids, I can just feel it. These two can't climb the tree just yet, but they have already asked me no fewer than 2,000 times if I can lift them in the tree so they can be monkeys. I'm not amused.
The three amigos take on spaghetti lol It's a thing at our house that if you're eating spaghetti, your shirt comes off.
For some reason, I feel the need to clarify that this is ONLY for the kids lol
Homegirl is most definitely going through a major growth spurt right now. She DEVOURED her bowl. #BeastMode
I'm not sure who taught him to actually eat spaghetti correctly (I know it wasn't me), but THANK YOU!!!!
I know I'm not the only one where this scene has been WAY too common in my household while I've been sorting all the things out this month.
She is such a hot mess. I just love it!
"I'm Elsa, Mama! I'm a princess!"
Your guess is as good as mine as to why "Hudzin" is his best friend. Mama doesn't know what it means all the time.
My beautiful baby girl ♥
I snatched this off Facebook (I don't know who the source is), but I need this reminder often.
A lazy night in at home.
Kins is really into dressing up lately, and I'm in love!
FINALLY got the albums I make annually for the grandparents and now also for Mark in the mail. It only took me an extra 3 months this year (yikes!), but I'm SO PLEASED at how they turned out!
My sweet friend Krista was back in town (she moved to Grand Forks in 2019), and we met up for lunch with her at the Mexican restaurant in town. Somehow I was the only one working and therefore the only one without a Margarita (or what not) in front of me.
I know I've said it many times before, but it bears repeating: This kid is a HARD worker. We worked hard to chip off about 6 inches of solid ice as it warmed up, and it made for a really nice play area as it dried up.
I ended up with a full bed of kiddos one particular evening, and I didn't hate it ;)
The kiddos, completely on their own, paired up one evening. It was almost creepy how content and calm and sweet they were being.
The two weeks leading up to the whole COVID-19 pandemic, before all the things closed, I took the kiddos in two shifts to Sioux Falls to the Zoo. Mainly because we had just been to see Mark 3 weekends in a row as a whole family, and OMG was that crazy, but also because when I took the little ones, the big ones were ANGRY, so the next weekend they decided that was what they wanted to do as well.
I had an unexpected visit from one of my old college roommates Paula and her family who were just swinging through Windom. It was so fun to catch up a bit and to get to meet her kiddos and hubby.
I really don't drink a lot, but I feel like this winter in particular (which is now ending with a freaking pandemic) have caused me to up my intake from 1-2 every few weeks to 1-2 every couple weeks. As an aside, I LOVE these little bottles of wine fusions. Mango Moscato is SO yummy!
Have I mentioned how much I love my neighbors? lol Jill sent me this text - punishment for apparently for not wearing their shoes outside. I told her I needed to borrow Jared for a while lol
Remotes are a precious commodity in our house lol
It's not everyday you have a princess helping you clean out your car...
Love to see these three bonding ♥ Hudson, our neighbor friend, is like a brother to my kiddos. They're all about on the same sound level (LOUD) and just about as crazy and wild as each other - especially together.
Gearing up for spring!
Sunday morning styles. A huge thanks to Cashel for this super flattering picture lol
A common sight on Sunday mornings during the worship service.
Apparently it's caterpillar season around here.
The PERFECT steak! Interesting tidbit: I used to HATE steak. My Mom used to also make steaks pretty much well done. Mark ordered our first steak at Bergen medium, and ever since that meal, I've loved steaks. I'm a medium woman all the way!
Her little profile just undoes me. And WHERE does she get those adorable curls?
Tubby time! Goodness, I just love those eyes :)
This month, I finally got the new flooring in the entryway and lower level bathroom! It looks SO NICE!!!
I had to document that one time when I made frozen pizza and actually served other food with it lol Usually it's just pizza and that's it.
Great progress leading up to the pandemic. And then it all hit and I started eating all the junk food and my gym closed, and grrrrrrrr....
This guy turned FOUR this month, and he was SO EXCITED!! I did a little four year update on him you can find HERE!
He got to go do his 4 year well child check...on his birthday! lol He's still towards the top of the charts, but he's still my little runt. He wanted to wear his pj bottoms with his new Blaze and the Monster Machines sweatshirt to daycare and preschool, and I figured it was his birthday and he can do whatever he feels like. I'll eventually get around to doing a little recap of his birthday someday...maybe.
The kids got REALLY into blowing up balloons super big for the entire week after Ryan's birthday. I wasn't nearly as amused as you might think. I'm not really sure why, but I've never really been a big fan of balloons.
I feel like by age 8, he should be able to wipe off his own mouth after supper, but man. He ended up having contact dermatitis half of this month on account of not washing his face good enough before bed.
I told Cashel to clean up his room before bed, and ended up walking into this lol
I have been SO thankful for Instacart for the ability to order Mark snacks and have them delivered without having to go to the effort myself. Technology has made coordinating his care SO much easier. In Mankato, the nice part is that they will literally deliver the groceries to his facility in about 2 hours or less usually.
The big kids' Zoo day was significantly crappier of a day. The roads getting there were horrible the last 20 minutes, but on the upside, we were the only people there, so that was kinda cool.
Kendrick's favorite is the Red Panda (and I can't blame him - it's adorable!) Cashel was more enamored by the snakes. (Don't worry - he didn't actually lick the glass)
I took them to do a little shopping after the Zoo downtown in Sioux Falls, and they were so excited! There were actually quite a few cute little shops with kid toys and such down there.
I have made *almost* all of my kids' birthday cakes. I'd like to say it's because I'm really good at it or that it's because I love my kids so much, but truth be told, I'm pretty cheap when it comes to cake. I'm not about to spend $15 on a cake I can make for $3. The end result is the same: They eat the frosting off the top and leave the cake sit in a puddle of ice cream. I'd much rather spend $3.
Kinsley was obsessed with Cashel's giant slinky that he got in Sioux Falls. ♥
This guy is, no doubt, going to be a woodworker or construction guy when he grows up. We may have to address the scotch tape solution at some point, however. I'm not sure that's a legit building tool...
These guys helped me with french toast, and it was so adorable. I mostly just set the stage and then let them take over, and it was so, so cute to hear them discuss how to do it and what utensils to use and what not.
I know our days of naps are coming to an end, so I feel like I've been watching them nap a lot more these days.
All of my kids gave up naps by 4, although Ryan may be a little longer, as he definitely needs them still some days.
So while Kinsley may have a bit still, it's going to be hard to continue to allow it once summer hits and we're constantly on the go.
1) I literally just went to the bathroom, and I came out to this.
2) Someone remind me that the next furniture I purchase should NOT have removable cushions.
Kendrick is my creative one. He got really into the guy with the YouTube videos showing you how to draw things.
His drawings are also really clear and articulate and he's a phenomenal colorer when he wants to be.
On what I didn't realize was going to be my last visit to see Mark in a LONG time (just two days prior to the whole assisted living shutdown), I did a little shopping for bathroom fixtures for upstairs and did a little swaperoo of bathtubs for the upstairs bathroom (which will be my next remodel project, once these other two wind down and we settle ourselves a bit more). I was kinda digging the shale color here, and I picked out something fairly similar with my designer, just in an actual tile instead of this material.
Apparently brushed nickel is really in, and I LOVE it!
Loving on my guy! I'm going to be honest and say that the entire rest of the month was hard. Really, really hard.
It was just two days after this that the schools basically announced they were closing and the Assisted Living facilities across the countries went into lock down. I haven't seen him since this day aside from video chats, and he's not doing really great right now.
Working on our social distancing
Even with the warmer temps the snow was still not gone.
More social distancing out at our favorite place for scenic walks. Being a single Mom with 4 kids, I kinda figured this kinda thing out a long time ago - when you find places that no one else goes, it's easy to not get stares...because no one is there.
Even the dead and hopeless seems beautiful if you look closely.
I love seeing this kid smile. To be honest, especially in light of now being unable to visit Daddy, Cashel has been really down when he has been home. This quarantine has got a lot of us down or sad or anxious, and it's hard. I think the speed with which things changed has been difficult to process. Nothing about our life has been predictable or "normal" for quite some time, but the one "normalcy" was knowing that every weekend or so, he'd get to go see his Daddy. Taking that away has been really hard on him. Video chats are typically very impersonal, and you can't really talk with Mark about anything since he keeps leaving the room. But when we're there in person, he tends to at least lay there long enough for you to join him for a bit, or he'll sit next to you on the couch, and you can give him a hug, even if he doesn't care to give one back much. It's hard enough for me, and I have significantly more control than he does over a situation that no one can control right now, because in a lot of ways, it's in EVERYONE'S control, and you can't force people to comply.
Ryan has been really big into birdies lately. Cashel was helping him look for more. He's kinda the expert, since when he was Kinsley's age, he was OBSESSED with birdies.
Since I had to take two days of vacation unexpectedly to be home with the kids, I decided that nap times and being able to stay up a little later was the PERFECT time to tackle a painting project I've been wanting to do for the past 6 years. The border seemed too ominous to remove, so we basically just left it up and tried to match up a different color. But you know how it is when you bring a color home thinking it's a perfect fit from the store and as it turns out, it looks horrible in the actual lighting? That's what happened here. It was so, so awful, guys! It feels SO good having it all down and having the space be more cozy now.
A sweet friend Candice dropped off this meal kit from River City Eatery one day, which was so sweet! People have been so great! I put out a blanket plea on Facebook one day for lettuce, since apparently the store had been out of it, and we were planning on tacos for that night, and lettuce literally showed up on my doorstep within an hour thanks to my sweet neighbor Amanda. And then Enspired's own Hilary texted me the other day saying she happened to be at the store, and did I need anything? Looks like monkey bread will be back on the menu this weekend, so THANK YOU! All of you! The mysterious snacks that just showed up from Amazon (which were SO helpful, as we were getting really low)...the random checks in the mail...I mean, some days I get in a funk and convince myself that we're on some sort of island by ourselves and I forget that I've seen this kindness over and over and over again and that we are truly loved. So thank you!
I did another one of those Day in the Life posts this month, which you can CHECK OUT HERE. As an aside, one of the things I really, really want to build into any sort of kitchen remodel is my own little coffee nook.
I feel like maybe I've mentioned this before, but it has probably been a handful of years, so it's worth repeating, because this system works SO WELL! I have 4 of these baskets in my closet along with one in each of the kids' rooms. In my room, I have them labeled "DARKS", "COLORS", "WHITES" AND "NEUTRALS". When the pile gets to the top of the basket, I know it's a full load. I certainly have times where I just throw everything on the floor in front of my closet and then sort it later, but I always sort it into these baskets before I take it down to the washing machine. I got the baskets from World Market back when I still worked in Sioux Falls initially, and then have replaced them as they grow too worn.
They still have these original ones at this time: Trista Seagrass Utility Tote.
I posted this as part of my Day in the Life post, but felt it worth noting that not only Cashel, but also now Kendrick like to make me little hearts and sign them. I love seeing them around my cubicle at work as a reminder that I'm loved.
I'm kinda a sucker for eclectic mugs. I found this one in downtown Idaho Springs when I was on a trip out to Colorado for my good friend Kari's wedding in late December 2018. I think what I love the most about mugs like these are that they remind me of...
...this mug full of mead from our trip to Ireland and the Medieval Banquet at Knappogue Castle with Mark. Sometimes it's really, really hard for me to remember when times were so, so good.
This was one of those nights that I just will never in a million years forget. We had SUCH an incredible time. So many incredible memories with this guy!
I also really, really, really miss this lady. Grief, mourning, loss...it changes a person. I know it's good change in general, but I really miss this carefree, energetic, always joyful, always uplifting person I used to be. I miss feeling hopeful. I miss feeling positive. I miss feeling confident. I miss walking into a room and feeling like I genuinely light the place up. I miss being expectant of good things. I miss the way he loved me.
To say this month has been weird is an understatement. I wrote about it all in a couple different posts this month: {Day Six} and {Essential}, so I won't go repeating myself, but man.
Mark used to eat a bowl of cereal every single morning for breakfast. To be honest, I've never been a huge cereal fan. Since the kids always used to eat breakfast at daycare or school, I never have to make any during the week.
However, when all this craziness started, I had so many recommendations to just scale back and make simpler meals, so I opted for cereal. Except I'd pour my kids bowls for breakfast, and they'd take one bite and the bowl would just sit there. It was so frustrating, so I figured they just didn't like cereal and left it at that. On the weekends, we usually do bigger breakfasts anyways, so I let it go. Well...I bought a couple boxes just on the offset chance that I ran out of eggs and bacon, considering they were home all day every day, and as it turns out, they DO like cereal.
They just like it for a snack instead of for breakfast. Who knew?
We tried calling Mark a LOT during those two weeks, but he was out of his room a lot and didn't answer :(
Working from home off and on when I couldn't find childcare for my older two just about undid me. I think, given a home where they weren't there, I'd love working from home. But then again, although I consider myself a pretty solitary person in general, I'd miss people. Some of them, anyway.
I set up another little TV viewing area next to my workstation and let the littles hang out there a couple of the days. I was stunned at how long they just sat there.
I've been trying to order more takeout than I usually would to support our local restaurants and keep them in town! This particular night was River City Eatery, and these shrimp tacos were SO GOOD!!
It is one of my favorite things to watch kids eat spaghetti.
We had a fun little "beach party" night one night, and the kids loved it! Granted, Kendrick is pretty darn specific about music. He wanted it from YouTube on the TV, and it had to be a specific dance one, not just any version. Lots of weeping and ghashing of teeth over that one. But seriously...watching Kinsley shake her little butt in her swimsuit was freaking ADORABLE!
♥ her!
I was all "Pinterest mom" for approximately 2 hours one morning before I gave up. We tried Elephant Toothpaste and this experiment where the color is supposed to jump from one container to the next with marginal results.
I never use cookbooks anymore (most of my regular recipes are either online or in my head), so I was pleasantly surprised that the kids spent almost an HOUR looking through them one afternoon.
Miss Kins has been really into throwing and bouncing the ball with me lately. It's so fun, and I actually enjoy doing it, so win-win!
Legit social distancing lol
Trying to keep things upbeat while stuck home with 4 kids, we opted for an indoors picnic, and the kids were OBSESSED!
Meow Meow is Kinsley's favorite stuffy. She's so darn cute right now!
This setup worked well for a solid 2 hours one day. I was pretty pleased!
I am SO glad that I added that side pad on our driveway last fall. It has been WONDERFUL to have the extra cement pad to expand onto. It keeps the kids in the driveway much better and they're not running into the street or down the sidewalk as much. It has also been great to allow the kids to legit ride their bikes in circles without running into everyone.
PERFECT night!
"Fort" day turned into "turn all the furniture on its side and make little nooks inside. Grrrrrr!!!
You KNOW a kid is beyond bored when they VOLUNTEER to clean out the lazy susan...
This big kid was really upset that he couldn't ride his bike until he got older. I had thought I had put it on the lowest setting, but I went back and realized I hadn't, and he is now riding that thing like a boss. I just love seeing the huge smile on his face!
Two other things I LOVE about this cement pad are that I can now put the hammock out front and watch the kids, and I now have a solid surface (not just grassy area) to put my garbage and recycling out!
INCREDIBLE book! I'm not too far into it just yet, but it is SO GOOD!!! If you are experiencing grief of any sort, or are trying to support someone who is, I very highly recommend it! (I mean, at least the first 3 chapters, since that's all I've read so far).
Goodness do I ever love my little kitchen helpers!
This kid cracks me up so much! He wanted toast really bad for breakfast, and when I asked him what he wanted on it (peanut butter, jelly, butter, etc.) He smiled really big and said, "grapes and carrots, Mom" I tried to talk him out of it, but he was pretty adamant, so that's what he had lol
Told Ryan to clean up his toys. He decided that his toys needed to be cleaned up...to MY room. What a little turd lol
My Mama had a Masters degree in Education, and she home-schooled me for a couple years when I was younger. One of our reading progress markers was the caterpillar. I thought I'd show the kids, and we could maybe order pizza when each kid read their last book. They got REALLY into it and traced around bowls and cut out all these circles and then we haven't done anything with it since, but it sounds like fun, right? We'll get there. I always thought it was so fun to put up another caterpillar circle.
A friend of mine posted some pics of her kids with this and I knew I had to try it with my kids lol (Thanks, Emily, for the idea!) If you want to try it out with your kids (or heck, I won't judge, for yourself), HERE are the instructions.
This summer is going to be RIDICULOUS with these kids, I can just feel it. These two can't climb the tree just yet, but they have already asked me no fewer than 2,000 times if I can lift them in the tree so they can be monkeys. I'm not amused.
The three amigos take on spaghetti lol It's a thing at our house that if you're eating spaghetti, your shirt comes off.
For some reason, I feel the need to clarify that this is ONLY for the kids lol
Homegirl is most definitely going through a major growth spurt right now. She DEVOURED her bowl. #BeastMode
I'm not sure who taught him to actually eat spaghetti correctly (I know it wasn't me), but THANK YOU!!!!
I know I'm not the only one where this scene has been WAY too common in my household while I've been sorting all the things out this month.
She is such a hot mess. I just love it!
"I'm Elsa, Mama! I'm a princess!"
Your guess is as good as mine as to why "Hudzin" is his best friend. Mama doesn't know what it means all the time.
