Life Lately

Sorry for my absence! It was quite a week. Mornings have been earlier, naps have been shorter, messes have been messier (I texted my mom pre-7am yesterday with “How do you remove poop from a rug?”), kids have been fussier.

We are all adjusting to Amelia’s new mobility which is equal parts adorable and exhausting being on 24/7 safety patrol (how did I forget about this stage?!), and I’ve been feeling like I can barely keep up with it all.To top it off, I injured my leg and am now hobbling along with the help of a brace!

Frequent mantras have been “You GET to do this,” “I can do hard things,” and “It could be so much worse.” All of which are true! But it’s still been tough. Forget about what I said about resolving to be productive at nighttime or naptime. We have been in survival mode.

(Eloise and her "clothesline")

I’m so very thankful for a husband who’s capable, loving, and can pick up my slack. And he NEVER complains, like ever. I’m also thankful for parents who are taking Eloise for the weekend so Nick and I can recharge with one child, which feels orders of magnitude easier than two! (And I’m sure mamas of more than two would say the same thing about going down to two!)

I’m looking forward to a weekend of some of my favorite things that are rarities anymore: a bit of peace and quiet, some organization and tidying, and takeout! That may not sound like a party to you, but I’m quite excited about it.

Here are some random tidbits from lately:

Drinks with friends! I went out with a friend one night this week and we closed the place down! Don’t underestimate two moms with four children four and under :) If you ever need a little boost and you suspect your better half is tired of hearing you complain about the same old things, go out with a friend! I’m sure this is obvious to most people but I’m not typically the going-out type so it sometimes takes mental effort for me to make plans and then get psyched up enough to actually follow through with them.

Are you watching Bloodline? We’re making our way through season two right now and I can’t get enough of it! Thanks for the recommendation, Mom and Dad :)

This is probably old news but we watched The Intern last night and it was adorable. Another good recommendation from my mom!

Do you have a favorite t-shirt? This is mine. Tees are usually a one-season item for me because of heavy wear and tear, but this is year two for this tee and aside from the couple of stains which hopefully aren’t too noticeable, it has held up to lots of washes without shrinking or fading, it keeps its shape despite nursing/constant child pulling, and is drapey enough to hide the evidence that I’ve had two children but not overly drapey, and it still looks put together.

I also just supplemented my summer wardrobe with this dress for $8 and this one, too, and it’s nice to have a couple alternatives to my daily shorts-and-a-tee wardrobe.

When I’m not wrangling children, you can probably find me waging war on ants and flies, both of which have descended on our home this week. I’m not comfortable spraying toxic stuff in the house with the girls all over the floor, so I did a little research and made my own ant spray. I filled a small spray bottle with vinegar, about 10 drops of Purification essential oil, 5 drops of Peppermint, and a pinch of salt (for the oils to stick to rather than float on top of the water). I shake it up and spray it all over the affected areas, and it seems to help keep the ants at bay for a day or two, and then I re-spray. The best part is that I don’t have to freak out when my baby is found with said spray:

My mom also gave us one of these ant baits and I will definitely be buying more to put in out-of-reach areas because they are SO effective!

We finally joined the 21st century and bought a video monitor and I can’t believe we went almost three years without one! It’s so nice not having to always decipher what every little cry means, and it’s also helpful to know when a certain toddler has exited her bed :)

Have you ever heard of a face mask made of snail trails? Morgan brought me one last weekend and it really did make my skin glow! Just try not to think about the concept!

Happy Independence Day weekend! God bless this great country and those who work tirelessly to protect our freedom :)