What I read this year

What I read this year

May 19, 2020

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In January, I made a goal to read 52 books this year. I was pretty sure I could average a book a week and still have some cushion if I found myself burnt out. 

I hit a small bump exactly halfway in, but I picked up another book, kept going, and I just finished book number 34 last night. So, I'd say the goal is going pretty strong! 

I've been documenting my progress on my Instagram highlights reel and in my Get To Work Book (the planner that has ended my search for planners!) and it's really great to actually get the products of this goal down on paper and be able to flip back through the pages.

There's so many good stories in this mix but these are a few favorite mentionables...

Daisy Jones & The Six - An easy, fun story written in interview style. It was a different style than what I usually go for but it was so well-written that for most of the book I was convinced these characters and this rock band were real.

This Is How It Always Is - This one pulled on my heartstrings. Parenthood and love and being different were central topics in this book and it was such good one!

Little Fires Everywhere - I loved the little mystery thrown in the mix of a story about two families from two different worlds and what happens when they collide.

Big Lies in a Small Town - I've been a fan of Diane Chamberlain for a while. This book was no different. A beautiful story about an artist, second chances, stories of the past wrapped up in small-town history, and love.

The Alice Network - By far, my favorite book of the year. Powerful female characters, a gripping storyline, a historic background, and a sprinkling of love and family. SO GOOD.

I'm in love with books and feeling SO GRATEFUL that there are so many good stories to read. Especially in today's current quarantine. 

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Easter Favorites | For the Littles

Easter Favorites | For the Littles

April 9, 2020

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I am super excited for Easter this year! A beloved, chocolate-egg filled holiday in the midst of the all the uncertainty that's been surrounding us lately. 

I relied heavily on drive-up orders and Amazon to make Easter happen this year. A few local children's shops started offering curbside pickups so I took advantage of those as well!

Finding little treasures to tuck inside baskets and new books to dive into has been a B I G stress reliever for me. While I always try to shop intentional (I hate tiny junk), their baskets are probably a little fuller this year because I found it hard to stop picking up things I knew would bring a smile to their face!

Here's a few of my favorite finds! 

one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine

I couldn't resist another Rifle Paper Co edition of a classic book for L while I stuck to a funny comedian for N!  Both kiddos are getting a puzzle, kinder joy eggs, bubbles + chalk, and those fun squeezy teenie nee doh balls. 

Other things making it into their baskets!

More enamel pins. L is starting a collection! 
The cutest swim trunks for N.
Card games! Spot It and Qwixx.

I hope you all have an A M A Z I N G holiday! 

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life lately

life lately

April 3, 2020

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"Can we come into the out now?"

It's a funny little joke we've got running in our house now, but seriously, CAN WE?

We're a few weeks into this new normal and some days I have a grasp on reality. Those are the days we're usually tackling something from our old normal - like grabbing takeout (while social distancing!), tackling house projects, and hanging out in our backyard.

Most days I'm flailing like a fish out of water, though. The days blur together. Hours of virtual classwork, sharing funny memes on my IG stories, making countless meals and snacks, and watching all the episodes of Tiger King.

It's fine though, we're fine.

We're surviving and holding out for the days we can go out and resume life again. When we can just BE.

On the bright side, because there's always a bright side, maybe this is THE break we all need. I know I've said this year that I just needed the world to stop for a few days. I needed to breath and catch up. While I didn't really expect a viral pandemic to be the reason the world stopped, here we are.

Lia learned to ride her bike and we've been taking long bike rides together. It's been great.
We finished our backyard deck!
We're spending more time together than ever.
And, our house is filled with LIFE.

The communities around the country are coming together like never before.
The sheer amount of resources being pooled online for kids and families is incredible.
Virtual museum tours, Josh Gad reading stories, Mo Willems teaching art.

Let's embrace the good where we can find it, and let's learn from the bad.

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36 HOURS IN ATLANTA

36 HOURS IN ATLANTA

February 18, 2020

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We found ourselves with a long weekend and no plans, so we booked an inexpensive hotel room and decided to spend some time in Atlanta! Like most of our plans, we did little beforehand prep. I like to look up the city we're visiting on my phone while M drives and we make plans on the go!

Our main, and really our only, solid plan was a stop at Zoo Atlanta. Zoo Atlanta is on the smaller side but it worked perfect for us since we got there later in the day. 3 hours was plenty to see the entire zoo (at our kid's pace!) and grab a snack on the way out. Nico's favorite part was getting to ask the orangutan keeper a question about feeding time. It turns out they share a favorite food - fruit! 

While driving to the zoo, we realized that the original Chickfila Dwarf House was on the way, so we stopped for lunch! There was a 30 minute wait to sit in the diner side but the kids were plenty entertained with the dwarf door while we waited. I was happily surprised to see their classic chicken salad was on the menu (it's been discontinued most everywhere else!) and M's burger was, hands down, one of the best I've ever tried.

A stop at the Martin Luther King Jr. birthplace is a must. We got there an hour before closing and while that was plenty of time for us to see most of everything, you could spend so much longer there really diving into the history and civil rights.

Atlanta has endless places to eat and shop at! We stopped at two of their markets - Ponce City Market and Krog Street Market while we were in town.

Ponce City Market is large and bustling and it just has a great vibe. It's a dining hall style so you can easily grab food from different stalls and eat together in the middle. We grabbed food at Hops Chicken. The chicken biscuit + fries were so good! We wandered the shops too. It's one of my favorite things to do in a new city. The kids found dessert at a cookie dough bar and L thought it was so fun to have a scoop of cookie dough!

Top Golf was a big hit with the kids. Pun intended! Especially for N since mini golf is his favorite thing.

Centennial Park is another must-see. It was fun to show the kids the sights since it's an olympic year. A little tip - ride the streetcar! It's a $1 per person and you can ride the entire loop. It'll drive past the park, downtown sites, and the MLK Jr. center. The kids thought it was the coolest thing ever and we won major parent points for the "splurge!".

We finished our trip with a stop at Krog Street Market! It's another dining hall style market, but on a much smaller scale than Ponce City. It was late in the day and I wished we would have had more time to spend there but I had the best cheesesteak, M grabbed chicken fried rice and the kids had chicken + waffles. Everyone left happy and full!

Atlanta is gorgeous and artsy and full of history and delicious food. Even in the winter, we spent almost the entire trip outdoors and it was pretty perfect. Adding it to our list of favorite cities and dreaming of our next adventure! 

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Valentine Favorites | For the littles

Valentine Favorites | For the littles

February 11, 2020

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What better week to break my blogging hiatus than Valentine's week? I love making a little magic around the holidays and I really love pulling together these curated boards. 

I scrolled past a post on Instagram yesterday and it was just exactly what I needed to read. The kids picked out store-bought valentine's this year. We haven't pulled out any Valentine decorations and I haven't pulled together any gifts. But, like the post said, we're happy! The kids are happy! Things will get done.

So, if you need a few last-minute ideas too, I've got you covered! 

one | two | three | four | five | six
For my littles, we're sticking to simple gifts! I ordered the books for the kids (that Rifle Co. edition of Little Women is on it's way for L!) and I'll pair it with a fun treat from Target. And, since L doesn't have school on Valentines Day and M will be off work, we're dreaming up some fun ideas for the weekend. 

A weekend off to celebrate the loves of my life is just what we all need! I hope your Valentine's day is just as sweet. 

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