Highlights From The First Days Of 2021

January 3, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Happy 2021! Here are a few of our highlights from the first days of 2021. I hope you had yours have had a nice ease in to the new year also.

Fireworks

Our neighbors did not disappoint. We didn’t even have to go outside to see fireworks and could stay warm and cozy inside the house and enjoy the show.

Bible Reading Plan

I started my new Bible reading plan this weekend. While I enjoyed the one I did last year I didn’t finish it as it was written. So I decided this year I needed to go with something not as structured.

I am doing The Legacy Plan this year. This plan allows you to read at your own pace and each month lists what books of the Bible to read. For January I am reading Genesis and Exodus, 1 chapter of Proverbs daily, and 3 chapters of Psalms a week.

PS…I am loving these nail polish strips from Dashing Diva. I have had these on since before Christmas and they are still going strong.

Walks and Talks

Josh worked on New Years Eve and had a super busy night. He came home and slept until 1:30 p.m. and when he woke up we decided to go for a family walk in the neighborhood. We walked for 2.5 miles and had a great time with minimal complaints from the kids ;).

I also discovered I have a little walking buddy this weekend. We were shocked how well our 4 year old did on our long family walk and everyday since he has been asking to go on more with mommy. So far we have walked 6 miles together in total this weekend. So proud of him.

Praying Over Christmas Greetings From Friends & Family

Our pantry door is currently displaying all the seasons greetings we received from friends and family. Each day in January we are taking one card or photo off the door and praying for that family. It should take us the entire month of January to get through all the cards. So if you sent us a card or photo this year know we are praying for you and your family this month.

Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical

I cried. It was amazing and exactly what I needed to start off 2021. And never did I ever think I would be constantly singing songs from a musical about a rat who wants to cook. The kids and I have watched it twice and Josh has been caught humming It’s A Rat’s Life several times.

If you have no idea what I am talking about in Fall 2020, Broadway fans came together on TikTok and collaborated to create a new musical based on the beloved Disney film Ratatouille. And on January 1, 2021 a streaming version became available to view for several days. Tickets are still available and you can stream it until January 4th at 7pm EST. All ticket proceeds go to benefit the actors fund.

We hooked up my computer to the projector and watched it in our master bedroom. The kids grabbed laundry baskets and made little boats with blankets to sit in. We all laughed multiple times and it was just amazing and people are so talented. Congrats to all involved! Seriously the best way to start the year!

Cinnaholic Party Platter

We love these vegan friendly treats. I have horrible skin reactions if I eat eggs and these egg free treats are just so good.

We enjoyed munching on these before and after watching Ratatouille.

Prepping For Homeschool Semester #2

The new workbooks and textbooks are nestled in the kitchen cupboard ready to go for the week ahead. I underestimated how long it would be take me to prep for this upcoming week but I am fairly certain I have everything ready to go. I am ready to get back into our school routine. I think the kids are too.

Thanks for stopping by the blog today and reading! Have a great week!

Share
Filed Under: My Family, Personal Tagged With: ,

What Was Good In 2020

December 30, 2020 by Leave a Comment

2020. So much could be said about you. What a year. Ugh.

Getting to Christmas this year felt like a victory to me. We made it to Christmas. Everyone was healthy and even though it was just the six of us at home it was perfect. I actually loved not running around to multiple houses and just being home all day with Josh and kids.

While there is so much that could be said about how awful 2020 was I am going to focus my last post of the year on what was good.

My Anxiety

My anxiety crippled me after Maisie was born and I am just so thankful I put the work in when I did at that time. Because I honestly don’t know how I would have coped this year.

I still had cry in the shower moments and I am sure I will have more going forward, so please don’t take this as everything was great. But mentally I am so much better.

Thank you Jesus for your goodness and grace. Please know it is ok to not be ok and there is nothing wrong with you if you need counseling or medication for anxiety or depression.

Homeschool

We did it. I did it. I am so amazingly proud of myself and our kids. They have done so well this semester. I had always wanted to try homeschooling and had it not been for COVID I don’t think I ever would have.

We did 72 lesson of Saxon Math before Christmas and completed 15 lessons in their English curriculum. We also did art, science, history, and a family run club. I know I am fortunate to stay home and have the resources available to homeschool so my attitude towards homeschooling is joyful. I love watching my kids learn and I loved getting to be a part of that in a different way this year.

Disney +

Basically we spent our summer in our Intex pool and streaming many things on Disney +. Our favorite show is The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse and also Mickey Mouse (Shorts). Seriously a highlight of my year.

Steaming Musical Theatre

At this point I have lost track of how many times I have watched Love Never Dies. Over the summer I discovered this continuation in the Phantom of the Opera story arch and it made my summer. Thank you so much Andrew Lloyd Webber. I am watching it again now as I type up this post. I know it got mixed reviews but I love it so much.

Then I discovered BroadwayHD and pretty much all summer when Josh was on shift and after the kids went to bed I binged musicals. And it seriously helped me escape from the grim reality of our COVID numbers in Arizona.

Also Hamilton. Just so much great theater I have consumed this summer thanks to technology. I have seen more shows this year from any year previously thanks to technology.

Fit Women’s Weekly

I am so thankful to have found a great streaming fitness community. You can read my full review HERE.

Paddle Boarding

We needed to get out of the house this summer and paddle boarding proved to be a great option for our family. We could socially distance from others, enjoy the beautiful lakes and rivers in Arizona, and stay cool.

With two paddle boards, Josh and I each take a little kid and big kid on our board. I am sure we are quite a sight. It is a fun way to spend a few hours and I am looking forward to being able to go again in a few months.

It takes a little bit of time to get everything packed up to go with all the lifejackets, water bottles, clothes, and food but paddle boarding is something we would have never done if not for this year.

Garage Gym

This could be it’s own post but here is a picture of our garage gym that we put together this year. We have so much fitness equipment between Josh and I from personal training and it is so nice to have everything in one place and organized.

We know fitness equipment was hard to buy this year and we are thankful we didn’t have to purchase much. Josh also built a floor under our squat rack to negate the garage slope when we lift.

Backyard Movie Nights

With a projector and screen we turned our backyard into a movie theater and enjoyed family movie nights.

Our Home

We couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful home and backyard for our kids this year. We have used every inch of space in our 1400 square foot home and I am just so grateful for this indoor and outdoor space we have.

Also 4th of July was pretty awesome in our backyard. We swam and had the best fireworks all from the comfort of our home. Thank you to multiple neighbors who put on quite a show for us. My fingers are crossed that New Years Eve will be equally as great for firework viewing.

Health & Family

I am so grateful that we were healthy in 2020. We had a few run ins with stomach bugs but that was the worst of it. I am also incredibly grateful that skin biopsies and breast ultrasounds for myself came back benign.

We have also bonded so much as a family of six which will probably sound odd. Before we adopted our youngest almost three years ago he had so many therapy appointments and the older kids were in preschool and then we had one in elementary school and preschool. All that to say between the doctors appointments, school drop offs and pickups myself and the two youngest were in the car for up to several hours a day. I am not complaining in anyway this is just how it was.

When March hit it was the most all of us had been home together. And 2020 has truly done wonders for us and the kids. The two youngest share a room and they have become such good friends this year. Our oldest two have had sleepovers almost nightly and are inseparable.

So while 2020 has sucked in many ways I am choosing to end the year being grateful for what we have experienced and gained instead of what has been lost.

Cheers to 2021. I know there are still dark days ahead but I am also hopeful for what the new year will bring.

Share
Filed Under: My Family, Personal

Halloween 2020

November 3, 2020 by Leave a Comment

This year we celebrated Halloween at home. And we had a pretty great time. The kids declared it their best Halloween ever. And I took that as a huge win.

We had several costumes this year in the house: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Aurora which later became Elsa (costume we already had), Mickey Skeleton which later became Baby Yoda which later became Thomas the Train (costume we already had), Prince Philip which later became Bumblebee (costume we already had). If you are keeping track 3 out of 4 kids decided last minute to wear a costume we already had. And honestly I was fine with it. They all got to wear their costumes multiple times because that is the beauty of doing homeschool. It was fun to teach a variety of characters in October.

On Halloween Eve we ventured out to Downtown Mesa for the Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt. On Main Street multiple businesses and empty store fronts had different themed pumpkin displays. In addition to these we were on the look out for the tiny mice that were dressed up in Halloween costumes.

It was a fun way to get outside and masks were encouraged if you were unable to stay physically distanced from others. We went on Friday morning and there was hardly anyone there. It took us about 45 minutes and was a good way to get the kids moving in the morning and something totally different to do.

Friday also included these Witches Cauldron Cookies, a FaceTime call with the kids friends, and a drive thru trip to Swig to get the kids a soda treat.

On Halloween the kids woke up so excited! Earlier in the week I had made a skeleton on poster board and cut out the pieces. While they were eating breakfast I hid the “bones” around the house. After the kids were done eating they went on a bone hunt which took about 30 minutes. It took about 5 minutes to put the skeleton together and once completed I taped it to the wall so they could admire their work.

We had some outdoor plasma car fun later in the morning, followed by lunch, and naps for the younger ones. In the afternoon there was a scavenger hunt around the house that led to a dollar store reward for each kiddo, Charlie Brown and The Great Pumpkin, and homemade pizza for dinner.

Once dinner was done and costumes were put on for several of the kids. We had a few that opted to wear pajamas instead and that was totally fine. They bobbed for apples, a totally new to them experience. I remember bobbing for apples when I was in elementary school at the Harvest Festival and I inwardly cringed now because all I can think about is the germs that were floating around in that water.

We set up candy in two rooms of the house, gave the kids glow sticks, turned off the lights, put Halloween music and started our rotating color lights to flash on the ceiling and let the kids go “Trick or Treating”. After the that I put loads of post it notes on the floor and we played freeze dance. When the music stopped they needed to land on a post it and bring it to me to get another candy to add to their bucket. They loved this game! We played a candy toss into a bowl and also had a 20 minute dance party with the flashing lights and glow sticks.

After all that fun they were so tired and fell asleep so quickly. The next night we watched The Grinch because this year we are moving right into the Christmas movies. After the movie all the kids made beds on the floor in our bedroom and we had a family sleepover.

It was a fantastic weekend even if it was totally different from what we normally do :).

Share
Filed Under: My Family Tagged With:
« Previous Page
Next Page »