The past three months have been busy - even as we were still mostly hunkered down at home through our continued cold and rainy season. Life kept spinning as it does. Life with school age children is proving to never truly slow down. Sure we have seasons that are busier or quieter. But I often feel nostalgic about those slower days with little ones. I am grateful, nonetheless, for this wonderful life and family. I am just learning to continue to slow everything down, do less, and savor more ordinary days.
Please note my very fun football banner above that I got this year. It was such a fun addition for the Superbowl!
We took many trips to Ikea for lighting to work on our kitchen remodel. Unfortunately we have not had the time to move forward with the plumbing so it has pretty much remained the same since I last shared about it. Yet we are still enjoying the opened up wall and updated lighting. It is so much brighter which has helped get through these last dreary days of winter.
Even catching the light through our backdoor window brought so much joy I had to take a picture of it!
In typical January fashion, I worked on some little house projects - mostly purging and organization. I am a big fan of having our travel/trip stuff all pre-packed and I like to bring my protein powder with me.
If we are staying with family I usually make my normal morning smoothie. If we are in a hotel it is nice to have the option to have a shake if we aren't making it to breakfast right away. And sometimes I don't need them at all but it is still nice to have just in case.
So here is my little collection. I use a blender bottle to mix my protein powder with water. Then I stocked up on these travel containers. I decided it was easier to have a scoop already pre-portioned versus putting a bunch in one bigger container (this is especially helpful if I am mixing it in the car!). I also will use them to pack my favorite Trader Joe's Chai Tea powder.
Continuing with my leftovers + salad lunches. I feel like I said this last time but adding leftover pasta in a salad is heavenly.
February treats - I am trying to keep myself organized as I collect stuff so I don't overbuy. But I really like getting stuff early so I don't forget or run out of time. The Nester once said, "buy it when you see it" which has saved me from last minute shopping. Once the seasonal stuff is at the store I go ahead and purchase it and save my future self.
I even bag up Brent's candy gift so it stays fresh but is wrapped and ready to go! I got these reusable red envelopes for Lunar New Year that were a hit. I love that I don't have to remember to buy envelopes every year now!
I use my Bogg bag, because it is gigantic and sturdy, to store gifts in my closet.
Brent is a simple man. :) He always loves his candy treats. Marriage has taught me that the simple act of thoughtfulness goes a long way.
I have been really upping my outerwear game this year. It has been fun to "dress up" with a coat and scarf even if I am wearing a tank top and leggings underneath. My weekday routine is school drop off and pick up and then sometimes running errands with the little ones. So I don't usually dress up unless I am going somewhere else. So feeling put together while still in my mom uniform has been a fun way for me to feel like I am putting in some effort.
More travel organization - we use these little drawing tablets exclusively on trips now. So I figured they could be stored in our luggage and not in the kids' closet. I use one of these storage clipboards to store and protect them in. It is a wonderful little system!
These little cuties in the cart warmed my heart. I have been joining the family on Saturdays for more doughnut outings. I used to stay home to get a break but I am finding Brent and the kids all love it when I come. I am learning a lot about slowing down and being present which I could go on about if I had the time and attention span. But I have come to the conclusion that if I need some personal time, I really need to make it happen on my own time (which for me is nap time during the week) or slow down our family rhythm. Being a present mama and wife is a blessing to my family (and myself).
The littlest has joined the crafting table and I am obviously very excited about that!
Our oldest daughter decorated the front door with Valentines!
Working on class Valentine's and both are old enough to mostly do this independently now.
Each kid gets their own tray for legos so that we don't have arguments over taking each other's pieces. I am amazed at when I can set them up for success, how much better they work together.
Little miss is acting like a full on toddler. We call her "shopping girl" because she loves to carry purses.
For the teacher valentines this year we gave shower steamers and chocolate.
I don't think I have shared about our reward star jar. But we decided to transition to a shared reward system versus individual reward charts. It is working out well that everyone gets a lollipop when it gets filled. I bought mine from Etsy but you can find them on Amazon now too.
Lunar New Year fun - kids get their red envelopes and eat on their Chinese Zodiac placemats (my mom got these from a Chinese restaurant and I laminated them so we could reuse them each year).
I gave them a dollar in their envelopes. I am always worried they are going to be disappointed that I only gave them a dollar. But with Valentine's Day and everything else I am really trying to not over spoil my kids. They were thrilled to get one dollar. Phew!
I hope the thoughtfulness, traditions, and creativity is what they grow up remembering. Not the amount of money we spent on them.
My parents were here for a visit so they got to celebrate Lunar New Year with us!
My mom gave us some of my old clothes she had saved from when I was a kid. I vividly remember these outfits and it is pretty much the sweetest thing ever to see my girls wearing them.
We have mostly switched to frozen pizzas instead of Brent going out to get pizza for our Saturday family movie nights. I get two pepperoni pizzas and then we just move some of the pepperoni over to get one half cheese. I mean it feels pretty genius! ;)
And though Brent didn't mind going out and getting pizza, I just prefer that he was home with us. It has allowed us more time to play, rest, or whatever and still get our relaxing pizza movie night. Plus we probably eat less and save some money. Wins all around!
Some serious crafting and yogurt face going on.
Decorating our store bought cookies almost every holiday.
We finally got our first and only snow mid February. We had been waiting. It was lovely.
Buses ran on snow routes which was a different but closer location for us. This was very exciting for the kids and I enjoyed a week of getting to just walk up the road for the bus.
Dairy Queen treat for good report cards!
We also had quite a few occasions of two hour delays for school where they wait until the roads are safe for the buses to come through. This meant we got to enjoy slow mornings and my big kids still had plenty of time to play in the snow. Then they were off to school for lunch and the afternoon while we had naptime and some downtime inside. It was kind of the perfect day for me! More time with my kids but still a little break come the afternoon.
I mean...these are the days.
My kids love fettuccine alfredo and I know I surely can find an easy recipe to make. But for now I am pretty happy with Rao's - the best store bought alfredo sauce that I have found.
Walking to a neighbor's house for some snow play!
Brent and his craigslist snowblower. ;) Not something we really need but a fun "toy" for everyone to try.
My little snow cutie.
My favorite easy green onion noodles on repeat.
Our Superbowl spread - sour cream and onion dip, bread and dill, hot dogs, and fruit and veggies.
Valentine flowers from Costco.
These little buddies are so precious. It is literally like my life is on repeat. How lucky that I get to relive such sweet ages.
Valentine activities - I brought some of our Magic Playbook printables back into the rotation after sort of taking a break. Even though they are geared to preschool age, my big kids have enjoyed having some different activities to fill our days.
Valentine's Day breakfast - muffins and some conversation hearts in a heart box. Something different, special, and easy.
Girls got a book and treat (older got a Barbie). Boys got a lego, treat, and sunglasses.
Found these cute heart ice cream sandwiches for our Valentine's Day dessert.
Our Valentine's tradition of Olive Garden take out and Valentine's Day Charlie Brown.
The children always want a turn vacuuming!
Some more simple outfits - I found this Anthropologie scarf my sister in law has on Poshmark for $20! I have been hunting for something similar for years and finally found the actual scarf! I was so proud of my thrifty find. So now my beloved grey scarf gets a break and I have been wearing this mustard one nonstop.
More outerwear outfits. I love this long coat I found at the thrift store. People tell me it has east coast vibes and I love that. I got my platform Uggs last year and I love them so much. I am only 5'2" so I am all in on this platform shoe trend.
Same outfit different coat and with my scarf. I also used a crossbody strap from another bag to make my Louis Vuitton Neverfull into a crossbody. Apparently it is a hack I later found is not new online. But I was so proud I came up with this on my own.
I was wanting a crossbody bag to wear over my big coats but just really love my giant Mary Poppins bag (as my friend calls it). I have had this purse for 10 years and it still looks great. I was so pleased I found a way to make it work for my needs.
Our midwinter break tradition - playground fun before going to grocery pick up.
I even let them pick out a Hot Wheels car at Fred Meyer.
Then we had Wendy's for lunch. I love Wendy's - it is usually quiet, they have fun quality kid's meal toys, and I enjoy the apple pecan chicken salad always.
It is the simplest of outings with my kids. But I feel like a good mom, they love it, and we aren't all thrashed from some extravagant day. I am really reigning in on the ordinary and it is such a blessing to know that simply being more present is the best gift I can give to my children.
Apparently I never knew the true power of a Magic Eraser. It is cleaning up my white painted doors in ways I never knew were possible. Major game changer. I wish I knew about this sooner. I really should give everything another coat of white paint and then use this to clean every so often. It would really improve the longevity of my non professional paint jobs.
A few nicer, non rainy days means it is time for a family bike ride. Signs spring is coming.
Then I got this long vest and fell in love. Even Brent saw some lady in Costco wearing one and he was like, "I feel like you would like this." Um, YES I would. Pretty much the same outfits but now with this vest. I am still wearing this well into April and it is my favorite thing ever. I can wear sweatshirts underneath if it is cold or short sleeved it if is warmer. It is an awesome layering piece. I pretty much wear it almost every day.
Some sunnier days gave me the boost in my step I needed to take the little ones out for some fun. I love staying home but it is good for this homebody to get out once in awhile!
A trip to our favorite little farm.
A tan sweater day for contrast.
Me and my girl caught a sunshine shadow.
A girl's outdoor tea party. We got out all our mud kitchen toys and have been enjoying some fun pretend play.
A fun puzzle moment. We love the Ravensburger puzzles, especially the classic illustrated ones. I love little scenes with lots of details.
We have these ones: busy airport | construction at the airport | railway station | working on the farm
Brent has been traveling for work about once a month now and I am getting better at holding down the fort while he is gone. I am doing less stress eating which is helpful but still trying to keep meals easy with just the kids. I made them frozen chicken tenders one night and decided to top mine on a salad. It was a single parenting night win.
This last trip he was in Washington DC and I was so jealous. Whenever he goes back to the east coast, I have major FOMO. It sort of feels like he is going home without me (even though technically not "home" it became home for us for three years). He always sends me pictures of the food he is eating. This one was actually quite sweet - we love Good Stuff Eatery in DC (my order is the Obama burger, village fries with mango dip, and toasted marshmallow shake).
Picture day cuties and a rare day I make him wear jeans to school. Of course the younger one wanted in on photos as well!
Facetiming with daddy while he was out of town.
Daffodils are always our first signs of spring. A happy but cold day at the playground by the river. It always reminds me how grateful we are to live in such a beautiful place.
Our daughter got asked to be a flower girl! She is very excited and her little flower girl box was too cute not to share.
Scrunchie, flower glasses, a ring pop (so cute), chocolate, and In My Flower Girl Era shirt. She looks like such a tween wearing it all which is super sweet but also heartbreaking how quickly she is growing up.
Brent surprised me with a vintage backpack after our baby girl was born. Apparently while I was pregnant he was trying to get me to let him buy me an ebike. Supposedly I said that I would rather have a Louis Vuitton backpack! I don't remember saying this but it sounds like something I would say! :)
Anyways, he got it for me after our daughter was born and I was totally surprised. He doesn't get to surprise me much because I am so nosy! It was such a sweet and generous gesture.
Because it is an older style it doesn't extend much on the straps. It was hard to wear over coat so I looked into extending the straps myself. After my last handbag DIY, I was feeling confident in making what I have work for me. I found some ring clips and gold chains that match the hardware and gave me just the right length I wanted.
I loved being able to make use of what I have - using it in a way that serves me better. It has been fun to graduate out of my diaper bag season. I still have to carry diapers but having less in my bag day to day is so nice.
I also found a great trench coat from Target this fall season that I have been loving. I love that I can wear it fall through spring. Plus I run hot so I look weather appropriate while getting away with a light layer.
I also got a pair of Veja V-12 shoes in the fall that I am really happy with. They are comfortable (I read this style was the best for walking) and I like that this French brand fits the white shoe trend while hopefully being a bit more timeless.
It has been fun to shop for clothes a little more again now that we are out of our pregnancy and baby season. I am still finding my way style wise but am trying to keep to a classic and comfortable wardrobe.
The happy flower girl!
The littlest has joined the restaurant backpack gang. I love a backpack on a toddler - so cute!
They were using their hands as binoculars on the way home from school. I honestly take pictures of everything. But I don't think I would remember half of it if I didn't! I know I will always look back at these sweet and everyday moments fondly.
We set up my bike on one of those exercise bike trainers we had stored up in our shed. One day it sounded like a great option to be able to just hop on and ride. Plus with some stuff moved around with our kitchen remodel, we have the space for it for the time being.
It has been so good for me. I ride for 15 minutes while the three big kids eat breakfast and the baby is still sleeping. Then I ride another 15 minutes at nap time. I really have no excuse to do 15 minutes and I ride much harder than I would work out doing my regular kick boxing video. It has been so hard for me to find time to workout in this busy season and so I am so so grateful that I found a way to prioritize my health. I am sure in another few months our schedules will change and I will be on to something else. But for now, this has been great. And really, I am just learning that life with kids is having to constantly adapt, finding new ways to take care of myself in whatever season we are in.
The joy of a box!
Setting up all our dollhouse toys made for the cutest little scene. We have this furniture set, a few Maileg mice that grandma bought for the kids, and these cute less expensive mice. A few peg animals and Calico Critters are also in the mix.
Our oldest daughter has a fun kitty backpack we use for trips that was part of the Pottery Barn x Emily and Meritt line from when my big kids were babies. I found this matching bunny one on eBay so both of the girls can have matching backpacks. I love it so much it deserved it's own photo. :)
Little signs of Easter and spring to come. I love bringing in some camellia branches and seeing them bloom early indoors.
A view of a happy life - remodel half done, my bike, and all the go, go, smart wheels. It is a bit of chaos but is proof of progress and joy.
We always seem to get one crazy hail storm that is so intense it looks like snow. Then five minutes later it melts and the sun comes out.
Our sweet girl had a couple of sick days. And I couldn't help but think sadly - will this be the last time I have a sick baby fall asleep on me? Another sad chapter closing but I was grateful for the snuggles and savoring of a sweet moment.
Spring holiday crafting began. If I wait we forget and miss it.
Brent put up a tire swing for the kids (with, of course, a tire we just had sitting around). What a bunch of lucky kiddos.
The older two had lots of questions about leprechauns this year so I told them that if they wanted they could try putting out a leprechaun trap this year. They got very into it and it was really fun.
I got new flowers in our seasonal display pots out front. These are hellebores and are one of my favorites. When the season is over I will plant them in our yard to grow back next year.
Camellias in bloom!
An old Meri Meri wood bunny garland I finally found online after trying to find for a few years. Whimsical and slightly neutral.
Leprechaun traps set! They were so cute trying to figure out ways to trick the leprechaun into falling into their traps.
My Saint Patrick's Day treat - a matcha latte from Starbucks. My barista even called me sunshine. A little hint of spring puts us pacific north westerners in an exceptionally happy mood!
Saint Patrick's Day breakfast tradition consists of Lucky Charms and chocolate coins.
We didn't catch any leprechauns but they sure left a mess! And a few leprechaun coins for a good try.
Her first little paint project. Simple adorable until she poured the water onto the rug!
Happy to have two little ones who don't mind posing for pictures still.
Our occasions bin for Saint Patrick's Day.
For Saint Patrick's Day dinner we had a delicious waffle spread.
Now that I have my Dash interchangeable waffle maker, no more dying batter green and taking apart heart waffles to make shamrocks. It was so much easier and enjoyable for me this year.
I also reuse these cupcake toppers every year for our dessert.
I put out our spring and Easter books for the kids to enjoy one morning.
Brent and the kids are working on building a fort together. It is so sweet and is coming along quite impressively.
We got a major steal on some flagstone on clearance at the hardware store. We put in this little path to walk on and hopefully get our grass to grow back where we walk.
It was originally for the grass but I really like how it defines the garden as well. We just plopped it on top of the grass. Perhaps one day we will do it right or fill in with rocks but for now it is working just fine. Better done than perfect. ;)
I am using our leftover pieces around the yard as decorative stepping stones as well.
"I see you!" she says. This is such a fun age. But also so much screaming and crying. Hard for them to communicate before they have a lot of words. Good thing they are so cute!
Warmer days and more time outside. Spring is coming and we are ready!
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