Christmas 2020 Recap

Whew, we made it to the end of 2020. While I’m not so sure all the drama and stress will be left behind, I do have so much to remember and be thankful for. Christmas went extremely well at our house, we had a happy relaxing day and all got something we really liked.

In the morning Jeff ran out to check his stocking. I kept it extremely simple (this was our first year doing stockings), a pair of Smartwool socks each (found secondhand at Mother & Child!), bath crayons to share and a kinder egg chocolate. He ran into my room and said “Mom! There’s socks in my stocking!!!” Simone and I joined him in the living room where they happily ate their chocolate for an early breakfast. It was so sweet to see such simple things bring them joy.

They each received a baby doll from the grandparents. Simone received a mini sling for her dolls and a cradle as well. Jeff received a hotwheels race track he’s been wanting and a wooden barn with some wooden animals in it to share. Erick received some new hockey gear and a roku for our tv. We got our tv in 2013 when we were first married so the apps have mostly stopped working due to not being compatible with the “old” tv. We’ve refused to buy a new one when this one is still functional, so we’ve basically only had access to Netflix for the last few years. A friend of mine recently asked why we didn’t just try to use an Amazon firestick….and I realized we could do that, hahaha. So I got a roku since we use those tvs up north in our condo and are comfortable with them, also also because I’m totally spooked by amazon listening to us in our home and refuse alexa, lol. Anyway, we are in heaven over here having access to Disney +, hulu and showtime, we’re back in TV watching business!

I received a sweet bracelet from Jeffy that he bought from the TJ Maxx jewelry counter back in August with my sister. He’s had it wrapped and hidden in one of Erick’s drawers since the summer, so sweet! As a big present from Erick, he renovated our (only) bathroom, which was a real gift because we have been working on this big old house and condos up North over the last 3 years, but haven’t taken the time to do much inside our own apartment. I LOVE it. It’s exciting what a little paint and wainscoting can do! I’ll update later with a post of the completed bathroom.

We had a nice dinner and gift exchange at my parents house. I made a delicious salad from Half Baked Harvests Super Simple Book. I’m really loving her recipes and how she seems to make elevated comfort food easy to do. I

We Made A Compost Bucket

I even had Jeffy help me, which he loved because he got to use the drill on his own for the first time. I helped him with each hole he drilled, but he was able to hold it independently. I’m also glad that I had him help because I think it was important for him to go through the process of building it with me to learn about composting. The whole premise behind composting is creating less waste (which I’m into) and creating a soil/fertilizer for your own garden or yard (a bonus!).

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I Lied To My Child About Covid19

So far yes, I’ve lied about the existence of the coronavirus to my child and I'm proud of it. I believe it is my job as a parent to ensure my child's safety and wellbeing. By staying home and practicing social distancing I am keeping him safe. By avoiding telling him the ins and outs of the virus, as well as my own anxieties surrounding it, I am protecting his mental wellbeing. I want my son to look back on this time of life and no nothing different. He was home. He was safe. He was loved. And we were happy.

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Christmas in January

Last Friday we flew to Minnesota for a belated Christmas celebration with Erick's family. For us traveling with two small kids, it was great to avoid the busy holiday rush at the airport. Both times the airport was easy to navigate and neither flight was full, giving us extra space on the airplane (always a plus, especially with kids). In a way it was nice to spread out the holidays and celebrate Christmas again.

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Halloween 2019

I didn’t grow up celebrating Halloween. Well, not in the normal sense anyway. My parents would take all of us children (did I mention before that I’m 1 of 9?!") out for pizza and then give us candy before bringing us home, having missed the trick or treaters that surely would have passed by our house on our small New Hampshire town’s hayride.

I didn’t really think much of it, as it was all I knew. I got candy and didn’t even have to work for it! But it has creating a bit of a curmudgeon in me when it comes to Halloween

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Simone's Birth Story

I felt so anxious at this point, it was if I could not visualize a baby in the birth canal, much less being born from me. All my anxieties about losing the baby during pregnancy seemed to manifest in my mind at this point and I began to cry while on all fours. “I’m too scared!” I told the midwife who was at my head, holding my hand. She told me I could do it, that I was strong and I could birth the baby successfully. I began to hyperventilate because I was so anxious, and the nurse and midwife at my head talked me through some different ways to slow my breathing down and relax. I was so worried, but I knew I had to listen to them. I remember thinking “You have to push the baby out, or they’re going to take it out!”

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Week 27: Loving Pregnancy

I recognize that some women don’t receive the opportunity to experience pregnancy, that life is short, and time being pregnant is even shorter in comparison. I have known friends to lose pregnancies, to birth children already in heaven, to care for sick children who pass away, who lose children to accidents. How can I, possibly, in the face of so much loss and heartache complain about heartburn? I choose to remain content, to be thankful for this opportunity, this baby. It is the start of my role as a mother of two, and I need to be flexible and grow as the days bring me closer to that role.

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DIY: 4 Ingredient Kitchen Cleaner

Making my own cleaning products always appealed to me, but I got the final push the day I saw my toddler son actually lick the countertop on our kitchen island. All I could think about was what he might get in his system as my husband had recently purchased a Clorox cleaner, and I had used it! I tend to buy cleaner products such as 7th generation and method,  but having vinegar and oils on hand already it seemed like the easier and more cost effective option. I buy big bottles of vinegar for under  $2.50 at Aldi, which is far less expensive than natural cleaning sprays, and with far less ingredients. 

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Easy DIY PooPourri!

I'm not a fan of synthetically scented things, perfumes, candles and sprays like febreeze often give me headaches. So when I tried Poo Pourri I was not only impressed with it's natural ingredients but also it's efficacy in our sole bathroom. When I realized I already owned the esential oils in the original citrus scent Poo Pourri, I simply purchased small glass spray bottles and can refill on demand at a fraction of the cost!

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