Wednesday, April 29, 2020

What's Up Wednesday (4/29/20)

It's the end of April ya'll! We made it through another month of quarantine! lol
This little family of mine has kept me sane and also driven me insane!  I try to remind myself every day the things that I am grateful for, and having these three and our animals to spend our days with, is definitely one of them!

I missed last month's What's Up Wednesday, but I'm back today and excited to re-join this monthly link-up.  Here's a look at what we've been up to this month!

On the last Wednesday of the month I link-up with Shay and Sheaffer to answer these questions:


1.  What we're eating this week...

Snacks!! Anyone else's kids already ready for their first snack at 9:30am?  Mike made the most amazing eggplant for dinner on Sunday, so we've had that for leftovers.  Last night we had burgers and fries.  I definitely feel like I'm over making all of the meals and snacks through quarantine.  It will be nice to go out to a restaurant sometime soon.  

2.  What I'm reminiscing about...
Getting out of the house, and all of the things!  Life BC (before coronavirus).  It's hard to believe that just before all of this came to be, we casually walked around Disney and took it for granted.   I am missing Disney and I am missing daily life.  




3.  What I'm loving...
All of the random acts of kindness that have spurred from the pandemic.  Neighbors are more kind, strangers are kind, and I have a general sense that people are looking out for each other more.  We have loved surprising our friends and families with little things over the last few weeks.  

One of our favorite deliveries we received were from my brother's family for Easter.  These cookies from a local small-business bakery in Austin were amazing!


4.  What we've been up to...
Staying at home!  Just like the rest of the country, we've spent the last 7 weeks quarantined as a family.  I share a little look at Life Lately on the blog earlier this month.  Here's the link in case you missed it.  

We have been ending our nights with dance parties...


Had a nice Easter at home with our family...

This slide from Amazon has been a life saver and hours of entertainment for the kids on the weekends...

5.  What I'm dreading...
I'm both dreading and looking forward to the last 4-weeks of homeschooling this year.  Florida officially said that students would not be going back to school, which was disappointing, but we knew it was coming.  Luckily, some days I feel like we've gotten into a little routine with the kids.  School is out for the summer, May 29th!

6.  What I'm working on...
Trying to keep everyone happy at home for the time being.  

7.  What I'm excited about...
Getting back into the yoga studio with my students!  I have been practicing at home to make sure I'm ready.  

8.  What I'm watching/reading...
Mike and I have been watching American Idol and someone recommended All American to me as a good binge watching show on Netflix, and I love it so far!


I finished reading a great book, The Death of Mrs. Westaway, by one of my favorite authors, Ruth Ware.  This book was gifted to me by one of my best friends.  She knew I would like it, and she was right!  

I also started reading The 5 Love Languages, and am looking forward to talking with Mike after I finish reading it about what I think his love language is, and curious to see if he knows mine.  

9.  What I'm listening to...
Conference calls!  I am grateful that the work I do is considered essential and that I continue to be employed, when I know so many who have been directly impacted by the pandemic.  


10.  What I'm wearing...
All of the loungewear!  I am so excited about some of my Nordstrom orders that are coming in.  Check out what I've ordered recently.  

How cute is this spiritual gangster t-shirt?

I am so excited for these 1901 t-shirts to arrive, I have heard good things about them!
Here's the link for the Seaside, and the link for the Palm Trees, Ocean Breeze!  Things I have been dreaming about and purchasing in quarantine!


11.  What I'm doing this weekend...
More of the same thing we've been doing for the last two months.  Friday we will hit 50 days of quarantine, and I have a fun little celebration planned, spurred by a conversation with Vincent last week.  I asked him if he knew 

12.  What I'm looking forward to next month...
Freedom?! lol - Seriously though, I am looking forward to seeing people that I have been missing so very much, and celebrating 8 years of marriage with my favorite person!

13.  What else is new...
That's it for now, I hope you all have had hung in there and continue to be safe, healthy and happy!

XO

Shari

Monday, April 13, 2020

Life Lately (4/13/20)

Hi friends!! It has been a while, since the end of February in fact.  I actually never even did a post for Arianna's 4th birthday :( It's on my list of things to do, but I honestly haven't felt much like blogging with everything else going on.  Today, I thought I'd catch you up to life lately around here.  First, I hope that you had an amazing Easter Sunday, despite the circumstances.  I have hope that God is in control and felt comfort in the live Easter Sunday ceremony we watched as a family.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the day.  








Like the rest of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has had our family on lockdown, and today is officially one whole month that we have been home together.  If you had asked me mid-February if I thought something like this was ever possible, I would have laughed in your face.  My emotions over the last 31 days have been all over the place.  From anxious, angry, sad, and depressed to grateful and happy.  I have felt it all, which I guess is really one of the biggest lessons this isolation has taught me.  To just feel, and know that what I'm feeling is valid.  

Here are some of my favorite moments of the last 31 days.  

Day 2 - Vincent lost a tooth and Arianna snuggled with a new friend
 

Day 4 - Navigating a new assignment at work while having the kids at home for "Spring Break"

Day 5 - Celebrating St. Patrick's Day



Day 6 - One minute we're smiling, and the next we're having a tantrum (I felt the same way!) We were supposed to go to Orlando with our friends for Spring Break this day, but that ultimately was cancelled


Day 7 - One of our neighbors set up a bow hunt in the neighborhood.  The kids had so much fun searching for bows 

Day 8 - Mommy broke the kids out of the house for Culver's and they had a sleepover

Day 9 - Play-Doh and sunsets



Day 10 - Chalk art and group facetime with some of my best friends


Day 11 - Family yoga and the best $20 I had spent at Target in a while, sprinkler fun for the kids 



Day 12 - Arianna got to see her dance teacher and practice dance while Vincent chose baseball for PE


Day 13 - We started our day with two costume changes before 8am and are learning that navigating online school is an entirely different new challenge of its own


Day 14 - Westchase Elementary School teachers did a parade through our neighborhood, and it meant so much for Vincent to see his teacher from afar

Day 15 - Mood - stay home and chill

Day 16 - Mommy's scavenger hunt, turned art project for later 



Day 17 - Bike rides, neighborhood "bear hunt" and sweet deliveries from friends 




Day 18 - Vincent has his first Zoom meeting with his class and Arianna got some "homework" from school


Day 19 - Reading together and "frozen" walks


Day 20 - A new month, where did March go? It gave a whole new meaning to "March Madness"


Day 24 - Arianna got to see her dance teacher and classmates live, and I finished a great book!


Day 25 - Arianna wanted me to curl her hair and homemade pizza for the win


Day 28 - We're down another tooth!

Day 29 - Working well together on their school work, and taking surprises to friends that we miss so much!


Day 30 - Dance parties and braids to end a long week


Day 31 - Curls, more sweet friend deliveries, egg hunts and dying eggs.  We're ready for our first quarantine Easter!








These pictures are the "highlights" of the last month.  I can tell you that there have been some very low moments as well.  One of the things that is keeping me strong and steadfast through this time is my daily gratitude practice, and trying to find joy, Every Single Day!  If you look for joy, you will find it friends!

I hope that you are home, I hope that you are safe and healthy, and my biggest prayer today is for the world to heal so that we can resume our new normal.  Life will never be what it was before March 2020.  


XO


Shari