Month: March 2020

stuck at home and need ideas of what to do?

self-quarantined and bored already?

with being encouraged to stay home with everything that has been going on in our world lately, it’s easy to spend hours upon hours on our phones and computers. but that can only be entertaining for so long.

today, i brainstormed a few ideas to get you through the boredom and hopefully keep you from going a little stir-crazy.

go for a drive. a perfect way to get out of the house, but still keep away from others. right now is the perfect time: traffic is light and gas is cheap! even bring the family with and make a fun adventure out if it with a classic game of i-spy.

make something. no better time than now to make something you’ve wanted to, whether that be a painting, a video, or a construction project. you’ve got this!

relax and pamper yourself. even get the kids included if you wanted to. do some face masks, give yourself a pedicure, take a bubble bath. treat yourself!

take an online course. learn something new that you’ve always wanted to or freshen up and improve your skills.

workout. a lot of gyms are closing, but don’t let that stop you from being active. go for a run or walk, inside or out, or try out a new online workout class. youtube is even a great resource for a lot of free online workout routines, or create your own!

cook. have that new recipe that you’ve been wanting to try? now’s the time! or scroll the internet and find something that looks yummy! even give baking a try!

read a book. i have countless books that i’ve had sitting on my shelf waiting to be read, but the time just hasn’t been there. pick up a good read, relax, and get lost in another world – that’s corona free!

need some more ideas that are’t so fun? use this gift of extra time at home to knock things off your to-do list that you’ve been putting off or haven’t had time for:

  • deep clean the house
  • clean out the fridge and reorganize the pantry
  • do some yard work
  • clean out old files on your computer
  • rearrange the furniture in your house
  • purge your closet and donate what you no longer wear

most importantly…relax, s l o w d o w n, and STAY HEALTHY!

gardening with my girls

if anyone knows mahkena, they know how much she loves plants and growing things just like her momma. she’s been asking for a while when we can grow another garden, so she was super ecstatic when i told her it was time to go pick out some seeds, and our other two girls were excited to join in on the fun.

we made a quick trip to walmart to pick-up a few supplies. this was easily the girls’ favorite part; they enjoyed picking out their own vegetables to grow.

they eached picked up a few packets of seeds…carrots, peppers, peas, green beans, tomatoes. because it’s currently too cold outside, we picked up some pots to plant them in and keep indoors until we can move them outside. while were there we also grabbed some soil and plant label stakes.

once we got back home, each of the girls helped pour the soil in to each of their pots, planted their seeds, and topped them with some water. a fun little project that i hope they’ll be proud of once they see their seeds starting to sprout.

puppy-themed birthday party | mahkena turns 8

people warn you that having kids is exhausting, but they forgot to mention how tiring it is to throw a kid’s birthday party. so much planning, so much time preparing for it, but after seeing how happy your child is during it…’oh so worth it.

mahkena turned 8 and we spent the weekend celebrating with friends and family. this year she asked for a puppy-themed birthday party. that girl and her love for animals is so my favorite!

pinterest came to the rescue once again; i found so many cute ideas for decoration ideas.

mahkena isn’t the biggest fan of cake so this year she asked for a donut “cake”. we also had “pupcakes” for those that didn’t or want donuts.

amazon had quite the array of dog birthday party decorations so we ordered a few of those and sprinkled them throughout the house.

for the party gift/activity for the kids, we bought a pack of plush dogs and i made up some pet adoption certificates. the kids got to pick a dog, name and adopt them, and then create them a beaded collar. mahkena really enjoyed it and it was fun to see some of the names the kids came up with to name their dogs.

mahkena’s friends and family spoiled her so much; she was grinning from ear to ear the entire time. it was well worth all the effort to making her day so special. i still can’t believe our spunky, free-spirited little girl is already 8.

thank you to all who came or wished her a happy birthday. and an even bigger thank you to my guy for being the best partner in giving our girl the best day.

ten date night ideas.

one of my favorite things about john and i is that way we always make time for date nights, for each other.

sometimes it’s hard with our busy schedules, and our herd of small children running around, but the fact that we always make time to spend quality time together, alone, is my favorite.

so try it; forget about your schedules, the kids, the person who annoyed you earlier in the day and devote your time and attention to the one you love. i wrangled up some fun ideas; check ’em out:

have a picnic, inside or out.

turn your outdoor patio into a dining experience…music, tablecloth, candles, and all.

kayak down the river together.

attend a sporting event together.

get out of the house and just rent a hotel for the night. order take-out, watch movies, and don’t leave the room until morning.

lay on a blanket outside and stargaze.

have a cozy night in. make popcorn, snuggle under some blankets on the couch, and binge watch some of your favorite movies.

get fancy. get all dolled up and pick a hotel lobby to meet up at. reserve a table at a fancy restaurant and finish the night at a show or bar.

take a class…cooking, painting, etc.

recreate your first date, always a favorite to recreate those memories.

choose to always date your person. xoxoxo

if we were having coffee, our coffee convo would look a little like this.

hey friends, welcome back!

if you’re new here, i use these “coffee convos” to share some of my ramblings, thoughts, and life updates. so cozy up, grab a glass of whatever you’re drinking, and hope you enjoy what i’m sharing.

if we were having coffee, i’d talk about how we’ve been doing a little decorating around the house lately. we held out as long as we could to take down our christmas decor; but it was definitely time. now with that all put away, the house seems so much emptier so we’ve been adding a few touches.

we recently took a trip to costco and stumbled upon probably my new favorite house plant. we bought a pot for it, transferred it in to it, and found a great spot for it in our home that gets great light. #costcodoesitagain

if we were having coffee, id fill you in that all four of our kids hit the sick train for a bit. between two cases of the flu, ear infections, and lots of runny noses, they’re all finally feeling better and on the mend. fingers crossed it stays that way for a long while and no more school has to be missed.

if we were having coffee, i’d talk about how in our family, we’ve been celebrating a few birthdays. mahkena turned 8 at the end of february and i still can’t believe that she’s already that old. we’re looking forward to celebrating with close friends and family soon.

also, our maci girl celebrated a birthday over the weekend and we made sure to spoil her with lots of puppy snuggles.

if we were having coffee, i’d ask if you had any new show recommendations. lately, we’ve binge-watched the new show love is blind on netflix and are almost all caught up with shameless. we’re leaning towards watching game of thrones next, but are always on the lookout for some new ones to add to our list.

this month has some super exciting things planned for us, and we’re excited! what fun things do you have planned for march?