I’m ordering our holiday cards this week. Which ones should we choose? @Minted has some funny options and also some that are more artsy. We went with funny last year (because Jafta had a broken arm) but Lord knows this year needs some humor too.
(And yes. I do this really early every year. Because I generally find the holiday season and stressful and this is one thing I can get out of the way in advance.)
Shout-out to @stevecowell_photo who took this photos that I adore! Check out Minted’s card selection at http://bit.ly/yayminted.
Working on our candy chute for Halloween. We got the skeletons and PVC pipes from Home Depot, and “mummified” the pipe in cheesecloth from Amazon.
Voting done! Orange County residents, you can drop your mail-in ballot all over town in these boxes. Or vote early starting October 31! All the details are at ocvote.com. #notsponsored #ijustwantyoutovote
We are a week in with our new African dwarf frogs and I’m here to report . . . these have to be the most low-maintenance pets ever. I was reluctant to get anything that required much care and keeping, but the biosphere from @froggyslair came with bio-activated sand and bamboo, which acts as a filter so you only have to clean the tank a few times a year. We feed them twice a week. Super simple, nothing to clean up, and they are fun to watch.
If you wanted to surprise your kids with a pet for Christmas but don’t want to clean up poop . . . this is your solution.
After the debate, we watched an episode of The Office as a palate cleanser (my kids have been binging this show for the past month and they love it.) We then had some hard conversations about school with one kid who is struggling with the amount of independent and online work in this new hybrid model and asking me to do traditional homeschool for them instead (gulp). Lots of thinking to do on that. We ended the day studying our local ballot initiatives and filling out our ballots for drop-off tomorrow. #onedayhh
We don’t usually watch tv while we eat dinner. But tonight is an exception. Related: I need more wine. #onedayhh
Dinnertime chaos. With our unique blended family, we do dinner with all 8 of us some nights, and separately other nights. The backhouse has given us a great opportunity to balance out time together and time with just our own kids. Tonight is an all-skate dinner. I am a strong believer in getting kids involved in the kitchen. And then getting them involved in cleaning up. 😬 #onedayhh
Jafta: Don’t take a picture of my unmade bed!
Me: Then make your bed!
Jafta: WASTE OF TIME.
Hot tub break. Distance-leaning has its perks. #onedayhh
Every day I make my kids ride or bike over to their school for the pick-up lunch. Is it the best lunch? No. But I like the routine for them. It’s a break in their day and gets them off screens and out of the house before they get back to schoolwork.
I’ve also automated my own lunches by treating myself to a territory food subscription for weekdays. Between the kids’ pick-up lunch from school and my own lunch delivery, this keeps me from having to shop or prepare lunches on the weekdays. It is one small way to try to reduce the distractions that crop up in my workday during this season. (Check out my stories for a sweet discount on @territoryfoods. I really love them.) #onedayhh
Kembe and India are both in the same guitar class but they never take it from the same room. I love that their middle school offers guitar, and it gives me joy hearing them playing during their school day. This is their second year in guitar, and they really love their teacher. #onedayhh
It’s so weird to me that Karis gets out of school at 10:30am. (She then does distance learning from home for the rest of the day.) Her school has split classrooms so they go in the morning or afternoon, with only 12 kids at a time. At pickup they call each kid out one at a time to maintain distance so it takes … a while. I usually catch up on an episode of NYT’s The Daily podcast. Todays episode on the electoral college was pretty fascinating. We carpool with a friend/neighbor hence the masks in the car. #onedayhh
This is what most of my morning will look like. Staring at a computer screen, slogging through emails and trying to get through my to-do list. With all of the kids at home and the demands of that, I rarely get through my to-do list each day. As an enneagram 3, this is unsettling. It’s a daily battle to accept my limited output in this season. Also: I dream of a world without email. It’s my least favorite thing in the world. #onedayhh
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He asked for a unicycle for his birthday. It’s harder than he expected it to be!
My sleep since the pandemic started has been pretty terrible. I’ve always suffered from insomnia, but lately it has been much worse. I’m usually lucky if I fall asleep before 1 AM. Last night it was closer to 2. I am very fortunate that a friend takes Karis to school in the morning so that I can sleep a little later if I’m able. She works so I pick them up, so it’s a win for both of us.
I developed a new coffee routine in quarantine. I used to have a pretty bad Starbucks habit. I’ve now started making my iced coffees at home. I finally splurged on a Vitamix …. something I have had my eye on for the past year. It was stupid expensive but it has really been worth it. We use it multiple times a day. I have been freezing iced coffee ice cubes to make a slushy coffee drink every morning. One of my kids also loves drinking it, so I make a double batch. It’s decaf. I’ve been off caffeine for several years because it increases my anxiety issues.
Today I will be participating in my friend Laura Tremaine’s #onedayhh, where we log photos of the normal routines of our day. Join us if you like!
Hair update: Kembe decided to leave the top of his hair instead of buzzing the whole thing. Selfie game strong.
I think the time has come to paint my piano. The bright yellow has served me well for the last decade, but I’m ready for a change. What color should I paint it next?
Swipe to see the kids discovering our new pets from @froggyslair!
