The Season

My friend Lindsey and I were recently chatting through our masks at a local ice cream shop. She said that her younger son refers to what we're all going through right now with COVID as "the season". I like looking at it that way because it means that it will pass. In this moment, it feels like this big question mark with no end date and with endless battles still left to be waged.

I started to write myself a note on my phone. I haven't felt inspired to write or journal for, well, years (I mean, look at the last time I updated this blog!).

I wrote:

Weekends aren't weekends.

Nothing feels like a break.

Life is beyond hard.

And it gets harder when you realize you aren't appreciating any of it anymore.

I dreamed for years of being a mom.

And I'm not appreciating my children.

This time is fleeting.

Now it all feels like work.

Work that I resent.

I want my life back.

I want their lives back.

I'm sick with indecision and uncertainty.

I can't do this anymore.

I want this to end.

When will this end?

It sounds like a dramatic cry for help. It's really not. I'm mentally fine -- chugging along -- but I'll get these moments where it feels like . . . A LOT. Because LIFE IS HARD normally. Right now? It's just not something I ever imagined.

I was hit by a car while walking in November. that was very difficult both physically and emotionally for me. I'm still dealing with issues on both sides. Beyond that (and like many of you), we have had basically no breaks from our kids since COVID started. We love them, but it's too much togetherness for all of us. On top of it, we canceled summer vacations. We now agonize over trips to the store. We have worn deep paths at local parks and trails. We are running out of steam. We're . . . over it.

Yet we're not anxious to return to normal life. We dutifully wear our masks everywhere we go, and we believe it's a small thing we can do to help. Still, we have trouble with the idea of going to in-person dining at restaurants. We have sheepishly ducked out of playdates and social invites.

Maybe we're too strict? I don't know. If you aren't, don't feel too judged. While I don't agree, I understand the desire to just get back what we have lost on some level. And I fully acknowledge and appreciate our privilege to lay so very low. What we're up against is invisible. What we know about the disease and how to deal with it seems to change on the daily. Our numbers here in NY state are low. It's easy to think we crossed some hurdle or milestone. In reality, it's just not so.

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I am considering homeschooling. I wish I could tell you I'm a homeschool mom who is LIVING for the idea of teaching my children from home. In the past, it was a fantasy of mine. I've written posts about it or shared some things I was doing with my kids to teach them. Like many bloggers, I was trying on a persona. One that just doesn't fit who I really am. I can admit that now that I'm weeks away from turning 37 and have given up trying to be someone I'm not.

So, while I wish I could tell you I have confidence in my ability to be that kind of mom -- I'm not. But my desire to homeschool now more out of necessity. I also feel like taking more kids out of the schools might help those people who don't have it as an option. Fewer kids will lower risks. At least that's my hope.

My own mom knows me quite well, and she has asked me: "What would it take for you NOT to homeschool (because she knows it would drive me bonkers)?"

And, honestly, I couldn't think of a scenario.

That said, we value public education. It's our livelihood. I was planning to start freelance work at a higher level this year with two kids in school. (Eloise is slated to start pre-kindergarten!) We wonder if Stephen will be forced to teach in-person classes and to coach. Or will he be forced to gather together an online curriculum at the very last minute? And will we lose coaching income we depend on -- especially now that our grocery bills are out of control with being home 100% of the time?

I wonder if homeschooling will redirect funds from our school district. Funds they desperately need to operate, especially in these times. We have every intention of returning to public school . . . and there's also this feeling of sadness for leaving a community. We just moved in March to a new district and Ada never had the opportunity to start at her new school. It has felt odd to be in a new neighborhood with people we don't know. We've had some waves here and some short conversations there. I can't tell if I am mourning leaving our old community or mourning the life we used to have before this all began.

In the end, I don't know what we'll end up doing. In the immediate future, we're just anxiously awaiting the state guidelines. From there, we wait for Cuomo's decision in early August as to whether or not the physical buildings will open.

If you made it this far. Hi! It's been a long while. I felt compelled to come on here and just say hello. I hope you are faring well in the season. If you aren't, I assure you that you're not alone. This morning, in fact, I chatted online with three different real life friends of mine who cried (me too!) mulling over all the possibilities in the coming year. I'm sure those won't be the last tears we'll all have over these matters.

BTW: This photo was taken of us in the first days of the shutdown for the Front Porch Project. It feels like an eternity ago. But, hello!

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What's Up?

Hey, guys! It's been hard to peel myself away from being outdoors now that Stephen is off for the summer. But my own deadlines are looming this week, so I figured I'd take some time to write on the blog to tell you what we've been up to lately.

// Lake George

We went on a very last-minute vacation last week to Lake George, NY. The last time we'd been up in that part of the Adirondacks was in 2009! It was just as beautiful as we remembered, though, and it was fun taking the kids around to places we enjoyed when we were basically still newlyweds.

Here's a few photos:

I've been interested to see that many of you are asking on Instagram if we're going to Cape May this year! I realize we go most every year, but this year we decided to switch it up with the ADK. We are going to Wildwood Crest this summer with my in-laws, though.

23 Weeks Pregnant

I had a doctor appointment last Friday and I'm now in my 23rd week of pregnancy. Everything is going well aside from occasional heart palpitations (I have a test set up to see what's up with those). Still running 4-5 days a week, but I've switched it up due to the heat where I'm running .75 miles and walking .25 miles for four miles total instead of running three straight. It's working out better that way.

I will be sure to do a more formal pregnancy update soon, but I'll be honest and say my two are keeping me plenty busy. It's flying by, which is a new and welcomed experience for me.

House Projects

We're in the middle of extending our backyard fence right now. I love and hate summer because we have lots of time to do work . . . but the money flow is more stagnant than usual. That said, Stephen decided to switch up how he gets paid this year, so we got a nice balloon check at the start of the summer and now feel confident we can frugally do a few projects.

Other items on the list:

• Moving Eloise's room (painting)
• Painting the nursery (because we never finished before Eloise came along)
• Adding a side yard garden

Stock Tank Pool

Our other big project was the stock tank pool. We're absolutely loving it. Again, I'll do a full update on it soon along with some stuff we've learned after installing it and using it for a month or so. In this heat wave, it's been such a blessing to have a small pool of water to soak in! And I love how it looks. I don't think we'll ever do a bigger pool. This one is totally manageable and pretty. Yes, trendy . . . but, hey, I am into trends that make sense.

Here's part I of the stock tank pool story.

What's next?

I have a homemade granola bar recipe I plan to post on either Thursday or Friday. It's vegan, gluten-free and peanut-free. I mean, I eat all those things, but I know some of you have more restricted diets and appreciate these types of recipes. So HOLD ME TO IT! I am hoping to post twice a week during the summer. Again, HOLD ME TO IT! I still love blogging, it's just hard to transition between seasons of work/coaching/etc. during the year.

Hope you're all having a nice summer and staying cool.

And happy 4th of July!

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Pregnancy Update: Halfway There!

I'm nearing week 20 of my pregnancy, and if history repeats itself (which it very well may not), I am more than halfway done! I had both Ada and Eloise at just a couple days past the 38 week point. Last Friday we had our anatomy scan, and everything is looking good with baby girl. The only "issue" is that my placenta is sitting a bit low -- around 2 cm from my cervix. From what my doctor says and what many of you have told me, this should correct itself by birth in most cases. So, I have no restrictions or anything.

I was worried that being almost 35 and being on baby number 3 (pregnancy number 6!) would mean this pregnancy would kick my butt. Not so. I know I should be knocking on lots of wood . . . but this has been my easiest pregnancy by far. I don't have any complaints. I mean, the morning sickness was awful -- but that's been the case each time. I am so thankful that we don't have any weird medical stuff we're watching, like recurrent strep B UTIs or bleeding, etc.

I feel great. I'm still running, and I have no pelvic pain or bladder pressure. I haven't had Braxton Hicks or irritable uterus issues yet, which usually start very early (17 weeks or earlier) for me. I have energy. I can keep up with my crazy toddler during the day. I am sleeping well at night. I have my appetite back and have been eating a mix of foods. I'll admit that I had to feed myself mostly sugar when I was sick because it was the only thing keeping me from vomiting. It's been hard shifting back to healthier foods, but I am doing a good job at balance. At least I think!

While running does still feel great, I can tell that my SI joint is getting a bit finicky. It always does this around now. It's an old running injury from my marathoning days, and I think the hormones make the joint unstable. It doesn't hurt yet . . . but I have moved from tracking mileage to tracking steps each day. I still tend to get four or five 3-milers in each week. But as the weather heats up, etc. -- I am just aiming to get 10,000 steps a day, no matter how they come. I have been averaging around 12,000 -- awesome! (I use this activity tracker by Garmin -- it's great for runners.)

I mentioned on Instagram that I am frustrated because we've had our name picked out for a while . . . and now it's popped up as a character in a really popular television show. Sigh. I mostly don't care, but it's not a great association. I don't see us changing the name, though. And while I did mention a while back that we have the middle name set, I'm now wavering on that choice. We still have plenty of time. We're just the type that's always been pretty set on our decisions with names once we make them. And if you're curious, it starts with the letter E.

Ada is really excited for the baby. She keeps telling me she can feel the kicks, but I know they're still too faint. This first photo is from my pregnancy with Eloise. Ada wanted to recreate the shot last night. She's such a sweetheart.

Eloise still has no idea what's going on. When I say "kiss the baby!" she does bend down and kiss my belly. It's cute. We have been reading this book about breastfeeding for kids, and she gets a kick out of mama milk. So, sometimes when I say "where's the baby?" She points to my boobs. There's part of me that wants to take her to a big sister class, but then I realize that she is really young. It's not going to be the same type of transition that we had with Ada. There will be a day when the baby is still in my belly . . . and then a day when she's out. And Eloise's world will get rocked. Any tips on transitioning to a younger sibling with kids who don't totally get it yet? It's something I haven't dealt with before. And I don't expect it to be perfectly smooth.

(As an aside: We really love the Dr. Sears Baby on the Way and What Baby Needs books to prepare Ada for a new little one. She asks to read these books almost every night. They are written with alternative birthing/doctor/parenting options in mind, too. I highly recommend these books!)

I don't know how much weight I have gained with this pregnancy. My home scale and the doctor scale are totally different, and I didn't catch my initial weight at my doctor. They did say I lost 3 pounds from my 14 to 18 week appointment. I attribute that to eating better and being more active after ditching the morning sickness. I'd say I have gained 5-7 pounds total.

Other stuff: I do still have weird dry heaving and vomiting spells. And I do occasionally had wicked heartburn. The only other unpleasant thing is heart palpitations. They are normal, but I hate when my heart skips a beat and then races to catch up. It happens mostly when I am laying back in a reclined position.

In other news, I am starting to get excited for summer. Stephen will be home for 10 weeks, which is great. It does frustrate me that we cannot time our pregnancies perfectly. I feel like Eloise's birth -- while certainly not in our control -- fell at the perfect time. It was warm and sunny. I had tons of help and support in the summer. When this baby is born, the long cold and dark season will just be beginning. Stephen will be deep in cross country season and away most evenings and Saturdays. I worry I will feel overwhelmed and totally tapped out. I am trying to prepare and get a support system in place.

We'll see what happens, I guess!

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Weekend Recap // Mother's Day, etc.

Hey, everyone!

Happy belated Mother's Day. 

It was a rainy and cold one here, but we packed in a lot of fun stuff this weekend. Stephen had three track meets last week. And Saturday was a long one in the rain. Poor guy. My parents actually came up on Saturday for the afternoon and took us out to eat at our favorite restaurant. It's my dad's birthday today, too, so there's lots to celebrate. I was bummed, though, because the only menu item they were out of was exactly what I planned to get (a quinoa burger). But I made up for it with a huge slice of vegan chocolate peanut butter pie.

Sunday morning we woke up, tossed on some clothes (nothing fancy -- it was laundry day), and drove down the street to our local diner. It's a good spot. Just basic food. We got there before the big rush, thank goodness. I got a chocolate Belgian waffle topped with whipped cream. And I think I ate it in two seconds flat. Ada had made me a little Mother's Day book at school as well as a last-minute hand-drawn card. Stephen also has a tradition of making silly cards using family photos. In mine, he gave me a coupon to take a spa day for myself next weekend.

He also got me tickets to go see A Quiet Place yesterday afternoon (so good). Going to the movies alone is my favorite thing to do since becoming a mom. It's dark, quiet (and THAT movie was INCREDIBLY quiet), and nobody is yelling for me or needing anything.

Perfection.

I also got a nice gift card from my in-laws for Ulta. So, I thought I'd share my Ulta haul. I know it's silly, but I've gotten in the habit of watching haul videos on YouTube. I love seeing what other people buy or use for different products. I'm not a real high-end type of person when it comes to personal care. In fact, I do still make some of my own bath and body stuff. As a result, I was able to get an impressive haul of things I'll be using for months to come.

Anyway, here's what I got:

Soap + Glory is my favorite. This shower gel and lotion set (with loofah) was on clearance for only $10. Score. They were also running a sale of buy 1/get one 40% off for the brand. So, I picked up another container of my favorite face cleansing milk (best smell ever) and my favorite lip gloss (in Rose & Shine).

I had originally planned to get my hair dyed professionally, but I'm going to go it on my own with this L'oreal box dye. I've used this kind a lot in the past with varying results. It's only hair. We'll see how my highlights turn out. I also picked up a hair oil spritz by OGX. It's super light weight and has organ oil. It also smells amazing.

Neutrogena's hyaluronic acid line (especially the foundation!) is doing great things for my skin. So, I picked up some of the Hydro Boost Skin Serum and the Hydro Boost Eye Gel-Cream. Other skin-care stuff I love is a face mist by Mario Badescu. And I couldn't resist getting a lip scrub that smells like my beloved mojitos. Gosh I miss those when the weather is hot.

Last but not least, I picked up some of my favorite NYX eyebrow pencils. I had been buying the Anastasia Brow Wiz for a long time. But I go through so much product, I needed to find a good + cheap alternative. I am really happy with NYX. And to round it out, I got a bath bomb for Ada that has a prize inside. Fun!

Happy Monday. I'll be back soon with more parenting stuff. You guys really liked my post about why I do the things the way I do with parenting. So, I'm hoping to write more around that topic. If you have questions or suggestions, send them my way!

(Note: I'm linking to Amazon because it's the easiest -- but check local stores for better prices. Some of these prices are great and some of them are not. Buyer beware!)

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It's a Girl!

We're so happy to share that we'll be adding another sister to the family. The way I chose to find out was pretty anticlimactic. We had the genetic testing done and -- as part of it -- you find out the sex if you choose. So, the nurse asked me on the phone if I wanted to know. And I eagerly replied: "YES!" And then she said "would you like it in an envelope to pick up" -- and before she could finish her question, I was like "TELL ME, TELL ME!"

Because I'm horrible with surprises.

When she said IT'S A GIRL . . . it was such an unexpected experience. Hearing we were having another girl brought this wave of calm over my body. I immediately felt in my heart that our family is complete. It feels like this is what is meant to be. And I think raising a boy would have been interesting, but not terribly much different.

We went into this pregnancy with absolutely no preference. We never have had a sex preference -- children are all such gifts and PEOPLE are complex, so boy/girl really doesn't say too much in terms of how life will be. She'll have a vagina. Otherwise, we'll treat her like a human. Heck, I took wood shop and metal working instead of cooking and sewing in school. Being a girl or boy doesn't necessarily dictate interests.

Eloise still doesn't understand what's going on, but Ada is thrilled to hear there's another sister coming. We immediately went out and bought her a coming home outfit. I mean, this kid is destined to a life of hand-me-downs, she deserves SOMEthing special, right?

We've received such warm responses to our news, too. So many of you have shared that you come from all-girl families and that the bonds you have with your sisters is amazing. I have a younger brother and I had all male cousins until I was an adult. Being surrounded by boys my whole life felt like my destiny. So, raising girls is special to me. I do feel a special bond with them that I would describe as being different. Again, it's not really that they're GIRLS. But I suppose that must play in at some point. We'll share trials and other things that only girls/women can understand on some level.

I have also been told that we're in for an eternity of hearing comments like "Oh, your poor, poor husband" or "Are you going to keep trying for a boy?" or "You'll have to beat away the boys when they're teenagers" (Uh, what if one or more turns out to be gay? So many stereotypes and such!). As if somehow that matters. It's already become a reality even just one day after sharing the news. But we'll shake it off. Honestly, we're all incredibly stoked and genuinely feel like our family is complete with another girl.

And we think we have a first name! It just came to me the other day. It's a name we've considered in the past, but it somehow feels right this time around. That said, I may get hormonal and decide against it. Still very much lost on middle names as well. But knowing we're having a girl and knowing that we may have her name is making this feel all the much more real.

I'm almost 12 weeks. Everything is looking good. Aside from morning sickness, I don't have any pregnancy complaints. This is very different from my last pregnancy, and I hope to write more about it soon. Oh, and our genetic screen came back with low risk of chromosome issues -- and that's really what I was most excited of all to hear. Obviously there are other serious health issues that a screen would not pick up. But we've been there and done that, so we'll take each day as it comes.

Hope you have a great Friday!

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My Large Thrifting Haul + Cost

So, changing gears from clearing all clutter out of my house . . . I had a very productive thrifting trip last weekend. I only visited two stores for these items. The first is the second-hand shop that's a mile from my house. The second is the children's thrift shop across town.

Total amount spent: $86, which -- admittedly -- sounds like a lot. But stay with me!

The mission: Ada's stretching to the max in her size 6 clothing lately, so I am slowly collecting sizes 7/8. Eloise needed some cold weather stuff and a few basics, since Ada and Eloise were born in different seasons.

Anyway, here's what I bought for each family member.

For Ada:

• Matilda Jane Top NWOT ($6)
• Lands End Rocket Sweatshirt ($4)
• Johnnie b Boden boatneck ($1)
• Garnet Hill Kids fleece ($4)
• Johnnie b Boden dress ($4)
• Children's Place jeans ($3)
• Dr. Martens boots ($10)
• Minnetonka moccasins ($5)
• Hanna Andersson dress NWOT -- not pictured ($3)

TOTAL: $40

For Eloise:

• Hanna Andersson fleece ($4)
• Hanna Andersson pants ($1)
• Okie Dokie shirt ($2)
• Unlabeled wool pants ($2)
• Wool polka-dot jacket NWT ($4)
• Saint James boatneck ($2)

TOTAL: $15

Also for Eloise:

• Patagonia lightweight snowsuit/bunting ($14 -- half off, so $7)
• Stonz booties NWT ($14 -- half off, so $7)

TOTAL: $14 (and these will fit next year, too -- and the snowsuit might stretch to age 3)

For Stephen:

L.L. Bean fleece shirt NWOT ($5)

TOTAL: $5

For Ashley:

• Patagonia zip layer ($6)
• Nike Dri-Fit Fleece ($6)

TOTAL: $12

More thrifting fun:

Smart + Thrifty Tips for Buying Second-Hand Clothing
FLAX + Why I Mostly Buy Second-Hand Clothing
Introvert’s Guide to Holding a Yard Sale
Frugal Accomplishments
5 FLAX Outfits // Summer Edition
All my style-related posts

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6 Foods That Make My Life Easier

I still love Aldi, but there are several foods that I've had to shop elsewhere for recently. Eloise has been a picky eater since, well, forever. But it was especially bad in the last four months. She would literally not eat anything. In retrospect, I do think a lot of it has to do with the fact that she has 16 teeth when many of her peers have far fewer. Poor girl has probably been in pain for a long while.

That said, I have slowly found some things she loves to eat. As much as I'd like to say they're all whole foods, I have also had to rely on a few "products" if you will. But I'll get to those in a minute. Let's just jump in . . . and I'd love to hear your make-life-easier food suggestions.

I've included Amazon links so you can check out more reviews, ingredients, and just more general info. Always price-compare, as I've found that grocery of Amazon can either be good deals or AWFUL.

JUST. Mayo

There are a variety of flavors of this mayo. Stephen and I are addicted to chipotle mayos of various brands. The just. chipotle mayo is consistently the least expensive and gets high marks on taste. It's also vegan -- at least I know that several varieties of it are. Another favorite is the sriracha. We put it on veggie burgers, use it as dip for fries, and as a spread for sandwiches.

Don Pepino Pizza Sauce

Our family absolutely loves Don Pepino's pizza sauce. Stephen it biased, since it's made in NJ. It's slightly more expensive than some store brand sauces I buy, but the texture and flavor make it worth it in my opinion (especially since homemade pizza costs so much less than takeout). I know I included the Amazon link, but I highly recommend checking your bulk stores for this brand as well. I once found GIGANTIC tins of it at Sam's that I then divided into smaller portions and froze.

Mueslix, etc.

I don't necessarily endorse this brand of muesli over another (there are SO MANY). I'm just addicted to the stuff. I have a thing for cereal and I feel like this is healthier than other varieties I enjoy. I used to make my own muesli, but these days I haven't made time for it. Hoping to get back into that mode at the start of the new year, though.

Stonyfield Whole Milk Yogurt

Here's one of those foods that Eloise will eat without fail almost every day. So, we have had this issue where she doesn't want to drink milk since her first birthday. Not that she necessarily HAS to drink milk, but I think it's a good source of calcium and protein in a vegetarian diet. Anyway, we're working on the drinking milk thing. In the meantime, she's been eating this yogurt and having cheese sticks. I've made my own yogurt in the past (and love it!), but she digs this flavor.

Kodiak Cakes

And this is often Eloise's lunch. I know, I know. I mean, it's protein waffles. Sort of strange to push on a toddler. But she likes muffin texture, and I like that Kodiak Cakes has added protein and it's fast. It also comes in fun flavors -- of which we like chocolate and peanut butter best. Have you guys tried this stuff? I want to get plain buttermilk next.


Bob's Red Mill Soup Mixes

These dry soup mixes have been A LIFESAVER and have massively improved our slow cooking dinners. We got into a soup and chili rut, so I decided to branch out one day and buy a few different varieties. Anyway, this one is my favorite. The prices on these guys on Amazon aren't good, so I include the link only for reference, ingredients, and such.

You must try this recipe on the back of the bag, by the way.


And if you DO plan to try it, I recommend adding a can of coconut milk in place of two cups of water and added a heaping tablespoon of miso to the mix. I like adding the gourmet mix of mushrooms I get at Wegmans and plenty of fresh ginger.

Related:

Expanding Our Homemade Pantry
Homemade Almond Milk
Our Go-To Pizza Dough
Homemade Ciabatta Bread
Homemade Muesli
Adventures in Cereal-Making
Homemade Bagels
White + Whole Wheat No Knead Loaf
Three Seed Crackers
Homemade Flax Crackers
Homemade Pancake/Waffle Mix
Awesome Couscous Crackers
My Favorite Hummus
Stephen’s Homemade Pickles
Homemade Applesauce
Red Curry Kimchi

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Winter Goals + Bucket List

Wow. After I’ve written up everything on my various lists -- it seems like a lot. But, at the same time, we have a lot of the cold weather season ahead of us. It’s easy to curl up under a blanket and just feel despair when it’s dark and dreary. My idea behind coming up with this list is to bring some life and light into the coming months. If we’re feeling stuck as a family, I hope to consult it for inspiration. And maybe it will help spark your own bucket list of sorts!

Here are some general winter activities we want to do:

• (re-)Institute a Friday family movie night
• Take a hike in the snow with or without snowshoes
• Go ice skating
• Go sledding
• Decorate inside for the holidays
• Decorate outdoors for the holidays
• Go to brunch at the diner down the street
• Teach Ada the “true” meaning of Christmas
• Try no-screen time on Sundays
• Teach Ada to make pancakes/waffles
• Make colorful window stars 
• Make s’mores in the fireplace
• Make pizza in the fireplace
• Have an outdoor bonfire in the snow
• Make ice cream from freshly fallen snow
• Set family goals for 2018
• Go to a live hockey game downtown
• Go to the sensory play space
• Go to the children’s museum
• Go to the science center
• Go to the playground even if it’s cold
• Have indoor fun/climbing/etc. at the mall in SYR
• Go to open swim at the YMCA
• Wear matching pajamas (because YES)
• Look at the stars using Ada’s new telescope 
• Build a fort
• Have a sleepover
• Go XC skiing in the park nearby
• Mull cider and wine
• Take the whole family to the movies
• Brew a batch of beer with our friends
• Enjoy a stay-cation
• Go out to dinner as a family at a local restaurant
• Hire a babysitter (for the first time) to go on a date!
• Play in the snow
• Take a day trip to visit friends we don’t see often enough
• Take an overnight to visit family we don’t see often enough
• Have a board game night
• Learn 5 new recipes
• Weed through stuff each week/get rid of 1 box/week
• Write + illustrate a family Christmas book
• Use the slow cooker once a week/teach Ada how to make chili
• Bake sourdough bread + bagels
• Visit the library more often as a family
• Have a fondue party

And this year we want to actually use our advent calendar + fill it with activities -- one to do each day leading up to Christmas.

I’m thinking:

• Visit Wellsboro for Dickens of a Christmas
• Donate to the local food pantry
• Craft DIY candles out of beeswax
• Make a gingerbread farm (I saw one at Tractor Supply)
• Visit Santa 
• Go to the local museum for their huge tree + train display
• Take creative holiday photos 
• Buy toys for a family in need
• Memorize a few carols 
• Discover a new local holiday festival
• Have a PJ day + Christmas movie marathon
• Donate gently used toys and clothes
• Decorate Ada’s doll house
• Drink homemade hot cocoa with candy canes
• Make a popcorn garland for the tree
• Tour neighborhood Christmas lights
• Shop local for gifts
• Dry orange slices to hang on tree
• Make gifts for teachers/aides/bus driver/etc.
• Start a new tradition -- T.B.D.
• Bake Christmas cookies all day
• Make wrapping paper
• Go to a live holiday concert or show
• Write Christmas cards for family and friends
• Make ornaments for the tree, like these beeswax ornaments

Personal bucket list/to-do list:

• Knit hats for the girls
• Knit a scarf for me
• Read 3 books before the first day of spring
• Have a special self-care hour every week/take a bath 
• Take a cooking class
• Take a yoga class
• Start doing Barre3 again (at home)
• Run a 5K
• Run a 10K
• Take Ada on a mommy + daughter date every other week
• (FINALLY) make photo albums of the kids/family
• Get a pedicure
• Play holiday/folk tunes on my violin/piano
• Speed-clean the house 3x/week for 1hr/session
• Start a small get-together with girl friends (trivia night, coffee, etc.)
• Visit my friend and her new baby (due in December)
• Finish painting the living room, bedroom, and Eloise’s room
• Tidy up garage to make a “mudroom” space for coats, hats, etc.
• Organize the play room/basement to better suit our needs

I’ll be back soon with some holiday gift ideas for kids!

What’s on your winter bucket list this year?

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Spring Break + Current Goals

SPRING BREAK! It's not exactly girls gone wild over here, at least not in the sense that we all know it. Nope. But in just one short hour, my big girl will be home for a week for her spring break. Stephen will be home, too. This is some much-needed rest and recovery time we all desperately need. Let me tell you.

What are our plans? Well, to do a bunch of . . . nothing.

We had initially planned to go visit my brother in Burlington, VT. Sadly, our plans fell through due to a perfect storm of financial stuff (unusually high vet and doctor bills, taxes, summer vacation deposits, etc.) and overall exhaustion. Yeah. We are running on fumes, and the thought of picking up and driving 5 hours with two kids seemed beyond overwhelming.

So, we'll be having a stay-cation of sorts. We plan to spend time in the sunny backyard playing on the swing set. We'll hopefully get a start on some gardening and outdoor beautifying (we really need to get a new fence -- so I want to investigate our options there). I need a few hours to go through bags of clothing for donation. (Oh, and if you remember from last year . . . we spent almost all our spring break purging. It was glorious.)

You know. We just need to do some catching up. I took on a good amount of work this month. While it won't be a total vacation for me, it'll be nice to have dedicated work hours without worrying about interruption from the kids.

Here's what else is on our spring break bucket list:

• Walk to get ice cream at the local shop
• Have a picnic, weather-permitting
• Finish painting living room and basement stairwell
• Visit a big playground
• Have Mexican food in the town over
• Enjoy a day-trip within an hour of us
• Go on a date? Maybe? Hopefully?
• Each of us have a friend-date
• Start a nature book (for Ada -- more on this soon)
• Visit the library
• Start planning our summer
• Grill pizza
• Have a bonfire

I, personally, have some other random things I want to start back up in my life. Yoga, for example, even just 10 minutes a day would benefit me greatly. I am feeling sore and stiff from all the running I've been doing. Last night my running buddy and I did 8 miles. I felt awesome when we finished . . . and this morning I'm incredibly sore. I also feel like I've let my strength dwindle as running took over any kettlebells I was doing. But now my hand/wrist is injured somehow, so I don't know how soon I'll be getting into a new routine there.

I also want to do a few videos for the blog next week. Since Stephen will be home, my goal is to film three that I've been meaning to do for a while. It's just hard to coordinate good lighting, makeup/getting ready, and free time to do them. Just so you know this isn't an empty promise, the three videos are: 10 Things You Don't Know About Me, My Job + Career History, and Exactly How Crunchy Am I?

I hope you're all having a great week! I have noticed that it's spring break in quite a number of other places across the country. What are you all doing to fill your time? Or are you, like us, just happy to get a break from the madness of schedules, obligations, and general craziness?

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More Thoughts on the More Kids Question

I feel like I JUST wrote a post all about how we're not ready to think about having more kids. (Oh, I did. It's right here.) And -- really -- it isn't like we've made any decisions. We aren't trying anytime soon or closing up shop. I still haven't gotten my cycle back after Eloise, for example. We only recently started sleeping through (a good part of) the night.

Still, this question has been coming up more more. This time, it isn't from other people. It's in my own head. So, I thought I'd share my current thoughts on the matter.

As confusing as they may be:



Also! I know some of you cannot watch videos (while you're checking blogs at work, etc.) or would prefer to not watch videos. I'm not planning to share them quite this frequently (I've been doing two a week) forever and ever. Instead, I'm trying to create a habit. Vlogging is something I like doing, but it takes a lot more foresight and work. Thanks for your patience!

And if you like the videos -- great! That makes me happy. What else would you like to see? I did an Overtone hair color conditioner review a while back that seems to be sort of popular. People also seemed to like when I did a cooking video in my kitchen. Let me know! I'm going to also do more written content over here, including more recipes and the like.

Anyway, I'd love to know how you approached the more kids or done-having-kids thing in your own family. There are days when I feel like YES, we DEFINITELY would want to have another one. And then others -- like today, when Eloise will not nap for anything -- where I question my sanity and think #NOPENOPENOPE.

Hard to believe this was ME last year at 16 weeks pregnant!

We are both so incredible thankful for the two beautiful girls we already have as well.


It's just a complicated beast of a family decision, is it not? And, as I mention in the video, sometimes it isn't a decision at all. It can just happen or, on the flip side, not happen. Ah, life.

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Our First Family Photos

As I mentioned on Monday, we got our family photos taken by a photographer for the very first time on Thanksgiving. It's a funny story, but I've known Elizabeth of Elizabeth Compton Photography since she was like eight years old. I used to be a crossing guard (more of a babysitter) for elementary school kids who went to a different school on a bus that departed from the high school. Lizzy was one of these sweet kids. We reconnected years ago, and I've been so proud to watch her photography business develop over the years.

Anyway, here are just a few of the gorgeous shots she took of us in my favorite town on the planet. I think Wellsboro is the perfect backdrop for Christmas. Don't you agree?

That last one was taken on the spot where Stephen and I were married back in 2007. Surreal to stand there with our two beautiful daughters (who were on the verge of simultaneous meltdowns!). They both did a great job, though. And I cannot wait to get these photos printed and up in the house.

Tomorrow is December 1! I'd better get those remaining gift lists up soon.

Happy Wednesday, friends.

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Digging Out

Whew! What a wild last week or so it's been. The last I updated, we had a glorious snow day full of playing outside, warming up inside, and generally enjoying what's coming this season. And then Tuesday happened. I forget if I wrote about how Eloise just didn't sleep for many days last week. I mean, like no sleep at all, no exaggeration. Monday night was the worst it had been, so I decided in the night I'd take her to the doctor to see if anything was bothering her.

Well, Tuesday morning Ada also woke early screaming about ear pain. So, I ended up making my very first double doctor appointment for both girls. Milestone. The verdict? Both girls had double ear infections. And Ada had pink eye (as a result of her virus, the doctor thinks). We left the appointment with more medicine than you can imagine. I actually had to make a spreadsheet to keep track of all the drops and syrups, none of which seemed to be given in similar amounts at similar time frequencies, etc.

We were feeling a bit better for the day before Thanksgiving, so we drove down to Pennsylvania to be with my family. That only lasted a day because, of course, then I started getting super sick. On our drive back -- in the middle of nowhere PA -- we discovered that our van was hemorrhaging oil. I had a fever. Eloise and Ada both cried for almost two hours in the car. It was definitely a low point in the parenting of two children. There are days when I feel like maybe I am starting to get it . . . and then days when I feel woefully out of control.

We still managed somehow to cook our vegetarian Thanksgiving meal this year:

• Tofu short ribs
• Slow cooker mashed potatoes
• Green bean casserole (recipe soon!)
• Pumpkin garlic knots
• Peanut butter Oreo truffles

Anyway, today is the start of a new week. My head is still quite stuffy. I don't have much of a voice. But I'm determined to get back to my working groove AND to get this house in order and to start enjoying the Christmas season. For me, that means decorating the outside of our home, which I did yesterday. Then there's getting the tree up and decking the halls, of course. It's a joyful process and it doesn't last nearly long enough. I look forward to sharing photos!

And speaking of photos, my photographer friend back home took family photos for us before we left town on Thursday. She's amazing. If you're in the Wellsboro area, check out Elizabeth Compton Photography. I should be getting the rest of the photos tonight and hope to share maybe a few more.

Here's a peek:


The location -- having them done in Wellsboro -- is particularly special to me. I love my hometown. I'd move back if I could. But I still have roots there that are deep. It's nice sharing this place with my kids, and I hope to do more of that in the years to come.

I hope you guys are all happy and healthy and had good holidays!

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SNOW DAY

So, we knew a bit of snow was coming our way late last week. But yesterday afternoon, it kicked up a notch. We thought we'd get maybe 2-6 inches. This morning? We woke up with 16 inches on the ground and the promise for a few more. Crazy, right? Last year, I think the total snowfall for the season was a measly 4 inches or something sad like that. Ada didn't have a single snow day.

We're making up for lost time:

We started out the morning with a pancake breakfast. Stephen's off from school, so I let him sleep in with Eloise (which is a story for another day. The babe has been wide awake from 11:30 pm - 3:30 am the last several days. HELP ME!). Then I let her do some experiments with snow and food coloring.

I was still groggy. This is very messy!


Here's our backyard:


I couldn't resist taking a (very!) quick photo of Eloise out in her first snowfall.


I have some Ethiopian cabbage going in the slow cooker right now. We'll probably eat that with naan for dinner tonight. It smells amazing. I may walk to the drug store to pick up some milk so we can make snow ice cream. And hot cocoa.

Oh, and today is definitely a treadmill day. My running buddy and I are back at it after a month-long hiatus. We ran a 7-miler two weekends ago and an 8-miler on Saturday when the temperatures were like spring and the sun was just beaming. Glad we did that when we did! My max on the treadmill is about three miles. But at least I can watch some Fixer Upper.

Hope you're all having a great day. As promised, I'll be back soon with the rest of the gift lists and some Thanksgiving food!

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Holiday Plans

I know that Thanksgiving follows Ada's birthday in short succession -- at least in theory. But I somehow didn't realize that this time next week, we'll all be in the throws of Black Friday. What are you guys doing for Thanksgiving this year? The last several years have been quiet for us. Our travels one year were even stopped due to a snowstorm, so I'm hoping that won't happen again.

Nom...

This year, we plan to go to my hometown, Wellsboro, PA, for Thanksgiving. I'll be honest: I'm anxious about it. Eloise's sleep arrangements are downright weird right now. I definitely need a dedicated post on it. She sleeps in a moving swing exclusively for her naps and for the first part of her sleep before the dream-feed each night. Then she's in the Rock 'n Play for the rest of the night next to our bed. I had wanted the co-sleeper to work, but her reflux ended up being awful, so I sold it.

So, yeah. We will be staying out of town with her for the first time since July (when she was a sleepy newborn and, though I never did a recap, the trip was not the easiest). And I'm pretty sure I'll need all the coffee to power through not sleeping. For those of you who have followed a while, YES! I am now drinking coffee. Did I just see a pig fly by? Just a single cup each day in the early afternoon. I've needed it, and hazelnut with a splash of unsweetened coconut milk is my favorite.


My family goes out to eat for holidays. That might sound sacrilege to many of you, but it's tradition for me. In fact, I love cooking so much now that I'm older. But I'll tell you something -- I feel at home getting all gussied up and going out to eat with my family. It's fun. The place we went my entire childhood is this gorgeous old hotel in the center of the Main Street area. There'd be a buffet, live piano music, and I'd see many of my friends. Then the family would come to our house and visit for the bulk of the afternoon.

That being said, we'll be returning from our trip on Friday. My brother and his girlfriend will also be coming with us to stay a night or two (so excited!), and I'm hoping that we'll get a fresh-cut Christmas tree from the farm up the road, make some good food, and maybe even go ice skating. There are some shops that are having small business Saturday sales that I want to check out. Most of our Christmas shopping is done, though.


I also want to take a new Christmas photo over the holiday break. You guys know I do all of them with self-timers and such. I don't know how that is going to work with two kids. (One of these days I'd love to schedule real family photos! UPDATE: I DID SCHEDULE SOME WITH A PHOTOGRAPHER FRIEND BACK HOME!!!) We have our outfits picked out, though. That's half of the battle! Now we just need a location, good weather (which -- for me -- means cloudy diffusing of light), and cooperation from the little ones.

Anyway, that's what we have on tap in the coming week or so. What is on your Thanksgiving menu this year? Though we'll be going out to eat, we always do our own dinner of sorts on the weekend. I will be sharing some of the stuff we plan to make early next week!

Happy Friday!

PS: Don't miss this year's gift lists! I'll have the last two up next week as well.

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Our Weekend

Happy fall!

I thought I'd check in for a quick hello. Eloise has hit a strange spot in babyhood between the 3-month growth spurt and 4-month sleep regression. She's cranky. Eating way more frequently than she has since the newborn days. (And you all know how much I love breastfeeding around the clock.) She's waking up many times each night as well. It's not my favorite stage so far, and it's pretty draining now that I'm working. But we're trudging through.

Ada's also been really cranky after school now that the routine has set in. In fact, I can't really get her to talk to me during the week unless she's decompressed with some television. She's tired. It's plain and simple, and it's definitely expected, poor girl. Our nights go in such a blur. Stephen's home a bit before 6, we rush dinner, bath, and goodnight by 7:45/8. I feel like I barely see her anymore. Definitely the hardest part of full-time school for me.

Saturday morning, I found myself mulling over how another day in the weekend would be just fabulous. And then I realized that there actually IS another day in the weekend called, well, Saturday. We just tend to have these 6-day work weeks when Stephen is coaching (and I tend to load a lot of my writing onto a weekend afternoon). He loves the gig and we certainly can use the extra money. But you get into the middle of a sports season and realize that you're always going, going, going.

Our family is still very young, and I think this pace of life takes a lot of getting used to. Do you agree? Anyway, Ada and I played together for hours on Saturday. It was a pick-me-up that I think we both needed. She got out the Play-Doh and some plastic horses . . . and we went to town making outfits for them. We had a fashion show. We also started work on a DIY dream catcher to help with some nightmares, but the instructions ended up being pretty difficult to follow. The things you do with an almost 5-year-old. Delightful!

We made the best of the time we did have together as four. We filled up Saturday late afternoon after Stephen's race with all things autumn. The weather has finally cooled off a bit and all those farms are filled with people enjoying food, games, and decorative gourdes. We visited our favorite place a few towns over and plan to go back another day to do the corn maze.

We ate donuts and drank cider. We drove through the country while Eloise napped and gawked at the changing leaves. And I finally got in that 10-miler I've been talking about for the last couple weeks. It feels amazing to run long again. I think I'll try to do it every other week. My body won't permit much more with the lack of sleep I've been getting. So, I'll still call it a win.

On Sunday, we sat in the sun and chatted with our neighbors while the girls played for a few hours. Then we went to a dear friend's 4th birthday party. Eloise napped happily in our friend's arms, giving us an extra hour or so that we didn't think we'd get to spend with everyone. The day grew to a close and it was all about routines again. And then some pretty crappy sleep patterns. But . . . it was enough rest to do the trick.

I caught this post by Mama Natural called Don't Mess With My Family (On Sundays), and it really resonated with me. I don't know if we'll put a big Do Not Disturb sign out in the yard, but I like the idea of taking a day of rest as a family. A Sabbath of sorts. Do any of you guys implement something like this? I'd love to hear what works for you!

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Day in the Life

It's been a long time since I've done a day-in-the-life post. That's probably because once we got into a good routine with Ada, we were on that same schedule for, like, years. When Eloise came into the picture, we had a rocky time getting used to the newborn craziness. It had been so long since we didn't know what to expect . . . and no two days were the same.

Now that Eloise is three months old, her schedule has ironed itself out on its own. I remember this happening with Ada. It's not like I have delusions that each and every day will be this way, but things have generally been taking the following pattern (on weekdays, at least):

6:00 AM: If Eloise hasn't woken on her own, I pull her in bed to feed her. She typically wakes naturally sometime between 6-6:30 and goes back down very easily -- knock on wood.

6:30 AM: By waking her, that means I can get up and out to go running before Stephen leaves for work shortly after 7. I can usually fit in a 3-5 mile run, which I do three times during the work week. The other two days, I use this early morning time to check emails and do a little freelance work.

7:15 AM: I get Ada up and start getting her ready for school. We do bath/shower routines at night, so it's just getting an outfit, doing her hair, eating breakfast, and getting in a little snuggle time.

8:00 AM: We go outside to wait for the bus. Then she's off until almost 4PM.

8:10 AM: Eloise usually sleeps again until around 8:15-8:30, so I use the time between the bus and then to read online or eat breakfast.

8:30 AM: Nurse Eloise again, get her dressed for the day, play just a bit, and then I take a short shower. By the time all of that is done, she's getting a bit cranky again.

9:30 AM: Eloise goes down for her morning nap. So far, it's been around 1-2 hours long. She's sleeping in her swing in the nursery with a video monitor trained on her every move (because I don't love that she's in the swing. We'll need to break this sooner rather than later. She's in her Rock 'n Play at night.).

9:30-11:30 AM: I usually use the majority of this time to do freelance and blog work. The last half hour, I like to see if I can sneak in some kind of mini-workout, like 20-30 minutes of Barre, yoga, kettlebells, or whatever else doesn't drench me in sweat (and that's another reason I love wearing leggings everyday, btw). If for some reason I missed my morning run, I'll do the treadmill.

11:30 AM: Eloise wakes again to nurse. I take her around the house with me and tidy up a bit. I'm not in a good housekeeping or cooking rhythm yet . . . but we do a bit of laundry, tidying up, and I may start making something for dinner.

1:00 PM: I've been trying to go out for the mid-day nap lately. It usually only last around an hour. So, I'll run things to the post office, get groceries, etc. I'll wear Eloise so she can snooze on the go. She fights sleeping while we're out. For a while, I felt really self-conscious when she would start crying, but she seems to settle after 10 minutes of general fuss. I think it's important to not have all her naps in her room in the dark.

2-3:00 PM: Depending on what happened that day (if we went out/not, how long the nap was, etc.), Eloise will either nurse two or three hours after her last feed. I'll try to watch her for signs of being hungry. Sometimes I really can't tell, so I just make sure it's within a 3-hour window.

3:45 PM: Eloise may be going down for another nap at this point or not quite yet. Either way, I need to wait for Ada to get home on the bus. So, sometimes I wear her while we wait. Sometimes, she's up for a nap.

4:00 PM: When Ada gets home, I really try to get Eloise down for that nap because it's my big chunk of time with my big girl. I know we won't always have uninterrupted hours -- but it's been important to me to try and spend some undivided attention time with Ada each day. We'll usually play outdoors with chalk or on the swing set. We'll go through her backpack and look at the stuff she did at school that day. We'll read books, etc. This is Ada-hour, basically.

5:00 PM: I'm usually nursing again sometime between 5:00-5:30, but I also try to get stuff ready for dinner while Ada watches a show on the iPad.

5:45 PM: Stephen gets home from work/coaching and we eat family dinner.

7:00 PM: Lately, we've been taking a short 15-20 minute drive each night as a way to decompress as a family. Eloise should be taking some sort of catnap in the evenings, but she can't seem to do it unless we're in the car. (So, otherwise, she's crying at the house.) We drive up near a few farms to let Ada check out the animals, admire the sunset, and sometimes we'll even get ice cream.

7:30 PM: Bath/shower time for both girls. Stephen usually gives Eloise the bath (Ada and I both help at the start because Ada loves helping.) I get Ada all ready, Stephen gets Eloise all ready . . . and then we switch off. I nurse Eloise usually sometime around 7:45 -- she takes her time with this feed, so I don't get downstairs until like 8:20-8:30.

8:30 - 10:30 PM: Thankfully, this has mostly been adult time lately. Obviously, sleep changes as the stages go, so I hope I'm not jinxing myself . . . but we can usually get in a couple hours of time to decompress. We mostly watch TV these days because we're tired from starting this new routine versus the summer. Eventually, I'd like to be doing sometime like cross-stitching or knitting. And I also use this time as work-overflow if I have pressing deadlines.

12:00 AM - 4:00 AM: At some point during the night in this window of time, Eloise will nurse again. She had been going all the way to 4AM most days . . . but lately, it's been at midnight or 1AM. I feel fortunate it's only been once a night, but I know the 4-month sleep regression is coming!

* As you might notice, there's not a lot of work time in my days. For the most part, I'm trying to shift my assignments to weekends. I didn't work when Ada was an infant until she was closer to 7 months old. But this is a whole different post for another day.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

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