Monthly Round Up

March Round Up

As you can imagine – I hesitated with writing a round up post for this last month.  It’s impossible to put everything I’ve been feeling into words as on any given day I stumble between btw. being thankful that we are healthy and safe, overwhelmed by the many hats I have to wear at once now, fearful for what’s to come, and saddened by the stories of others.  But despite the heaviness I carry around each day,  I am trying to wake up each morning take a deep breath, and a moment to be grateful for all that we have.  From the beginning I have wanted this blog to be a place to spread positivity so to wrap up our first month in this unknown new world I decided to share some of the ways we are making things work for us, and a few ideas for brighter days ahead.

Our New Schedule

I started working from home while I was pregnant with my first son and have spent much of the last 8 years figuring out how to work a full time job while taking care of my boys — so even though the idea of “distance learning” is definitely new to me, the juggling act is not. For all the moms and dads out there who suddenly find themselves in this new position just remember that there’s not a perfect balance btw. the two so don’t drive yourself crazy looking for one. Instead focus on shifting the balance throughout your day and be OK making compromises as to wear your attention needs to be at any given moment. I find that a consistent schedule really helps our family so here’s how I’ve set up our weekdays.

And for Fun……

Of course all work and no play would make us all go off the deep end, so I also am making sure to fit some stress relieving activities into our daily routine.

For the Boys –

• Once a day we watch a fun online resource — our favorites so far are our Local Zoo’s FB Live feed, Mo Williams Lunch Doodles, the Art for Kids YouTube Channel and the Body Coache’s PE Classes.
• For all their doodles, I ordered these clipboards off of Amazon that double as a drawing surface as well as a way to keep track of their lesson plans.
• My friend Rebecca put together this excellent list of activities for kids – it’s perfect for those that finish their lessons early!
• I also re-instated my Hello Fresh membership and am having the boys help pick out meals they want to cook together every week.

For Myself –

• The first week home I didn’t see a point in writing in my daily planner (it was hard to look at what my boys would no longer get to do) but it just made my anxiety worse. Keeping track of what I want/need to do each day (no matter how small) helps me clear my mind and feel normal so I’ve gotten back in the habit.
• A few live-streamed workouts a week has been a huge stress reliever and a way to connect with my Zumba family who I am missing so much!
• If you’ve been around for a while you’re probably used to me starting the One Room Challenge around this time — but for obvious reasons it has been postponed until May. Regardless, I am going forward, albeit slowly, with the supplies that I have and taking lots of pictures to share with you guys next month.
• While I’m stuck at home there’s no better time to keep knocking things off my 52 week challenge! Here’s what I crossed off this month — how about you?

13. Re-paint the wall patches in the boys room
14. Fix the holes in the master bathroom walls
15. Buy new plants for the hallway planter box
16. Replant the succulents in the morning room

Easy Easter Egg Ideas

I see a lot of Easter Egg activities in our near future since it’s my sons favorite holiday and I’m always on the lookout for options that don’t require messy dye. Here are some of my fav ideas that you can make with some simple supplies that you may have on hand:

Last year we made these cute spotted eggs using some vinyl stickers and different colored Sharpee markers.

I love these Washi Tape eggs; with just a few rolls you can create an endless number of patterns.

How cute are these Terrazzo Eggs from Jolie at Vintage Meets Glam Decor – she just used craft paint to create these amazing patterns.

In case eggs are hard to find in your area, you can create these colorful paper versions using strips of leftover scrapbook or construction paper. Me and the boys are planning on hanging these in our windows to say Happy Easter to our neighbors walking by.

My Easter Menu

I know it’s not likely that we’ll get to eat Easter Dinner with my family this year but I’m still going to try as best as I can to cook the dinner I had planned for my boys. Since my husband doesn’t like Ham, I always cook lamb. My two favorite recipes are Braised Lamb Leg or Rack of Lamb Persillade, which is what I have planned for this year.

On the side I’ll throw together a fresh Orzo Salad, some buttery garlic carrots, and a simple Baked Mac and Cheese. And for dessert I’m gonna teach the boys my cupcake secrets and let them decorate with lots of Easter Candy.