It’s been nine weeks since our family chose to self isolate at home. Alex happened to be home for a couple of days from prepping a movie in Cleveland, and he just never went back. The movie was shut down. We stopped going to school on March 12 and schools closed on March 13. Since then, we’ve been on the emotional rollercoaster that everyone has been living since the arrival of the Coronavirus. Or, the corona, as the kids call it. We started distant learning via online assignments and zoom class calls. The Neighborhood School has given us weekly hands on activities as well as some fun online videos. Alex is zooming away from the guestrooom or the back patio. I quickly learned how to use a sewing machine via some online tutorials and made us all facemasks. I am continually impressed by my family’s ability to mold into a new universe, and as always they are adjusting easier than I ever could have imagined. Yes, I have completely forgotten what personal space feels like, yes making three meals every.single.day is exhausting as are the dishes, yes I would really love a fancy latte from M Street Cafe, and I definitely cried reading the takeout menu from one of our favorite restaurants because I just missed it so much. And YES I miss my hugging my friends. But I truly am in awe at how easy it is for us just to be together. It’s just us, making our own fun. In all of this is the constant underlying sadness for what’s happening all around us. We feel so grateful for the opportunity to be at home, knowing it’s not as easy for others. The weight of the world is heavy on my shoulders, so we keep trying to find small ways to help. For now, we are safe and doing pretty ok. And that feels pretty great to say.
Slow Days With Poppy
Having 3 kids in a busy city like Los Angeles usually means having to lean into life on the run. Life in our car has become part of the fun. We eat snacks, listen to podcasts and musicals, chat about our days, ask questions (some are silly, some are important), and generally aren’t too mad at the hustle. But most days Poppy and I get a little bit of quiet before the big kid schedules take over. Since she goes to preschool every morning I try to get as much work done while she’s away, so when she gets home we have a couple hours to just be together. Sometimes we paint, sometimes we play games or do a puzzle, sometimes we make play dough, last week we made banana bread. It’s our go to recipe from my friend Laney at Life Is But A Dish and it’s the easiest and yummiest (and doesn’t even require a mixer). Perfect for a slow afternoon at home.
Our Favorite Way To Solve Dinner With No Kitchen
When we decided to start our kitchen renovation while the kids and I were in Minnesota for the summer, we were hopeful that we might come back to a somewhat functional kitchen. As most people who have been through a renovation warned us, we were hysterically off in our timing estimates. Due to a major subfloor issue and some structural obstacles, our renovation turned into a much bigger project than we expected. But we are making it work!
Read moreAn Autumn Play Dough Sesh
We love a good hands on activity to help us ring in a new season. Inspired by Anna at The Imagination Tree, we made a new batch of play dough with a fall kick. Using my favorite homemade play dough recipe, I simply added a tablespoon of all spice to the dry ingredients and it was suddenly transformed into pumpkin spiced goodness. The kids collected a few fall treasures on our walk home from school and I raided the pantry for a few extras like cloves and cinnamon sticks. Lots of different scents, textures, shapes and sizes for little hands to learn and explore.
Read moreEarly Fall Wanderings
Gone are the bright sunny endless days of summer, when we stayed up hours beyond a reasonable bedtime to play, swim, make s’mores and catch fireflies. Replaced by golden autumn warmth and a longing to stay close to home, preparing for the coming months of shorter, quieter days.
Read moreKitchen Renovation Inspiration
Ahh the age of Instagram and Pinterest, how I love and loathe you so. Is it possible to have too much information at your fingertips? Too many ideas for one project? I often note how grateful I am that our wedding was before the days of Pinterest (remember those days? 10 years ago?). A much simpler time when inspiration came solely from a very specific search on the knot.com or waiting patiently for months for the new Inside Weddings Magazine to show up at the grocery store check out line. And now, after an unfortunate leak in our kitchen, we find ourselves thrown into the vortex of a kitchen renovation. In the age of Pinterest. With no budget for an actual designer. With three young kids at home.
Read moreA Weekend at The Farm
One of the highlights of our summer was a road trip to my brother-in-law's family farm, just outside of Barrabou, WI. My sister and I loaded up our six kids and hit the road, for around four hours. The drive was sunny and beautiful, with queen anne's lace flowers lining the sides of the endless highways. When we arrived at the charming farmhouse, the sun was just about to set over the cornfield behind the back porch. And the cows were coming in from the pasture, ready to say hello to the gaggle of kids just waiting to give them their evening snacks.
Read moreLife Lately
Every summer the kids and I take a break from our every day routines that are required by life in Los Angeles and escape to my hometown in Minnesota. I never imagined that I would ever raise my kids anywhere but Minnesota, and although I love the world and family we have created in California, I want them to know this home too. I dream for them to be as close to their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins as I was when they only lived a couple miles away. So we come here for the summer where the only thing on our schedule is making it to the local bakery in the morning before they sell out of cinnamon rolls.
Read moreA Day Trip to Santa Ynez Wine Country...With Kids!
Alex and I have always loved spending time in the Santa Ynez, Solvang, Los Olivos area. Just north of Santa Barbara, it's close enough to LA to make it up and back in one day, and also has a handful of adorable places to stay if we decide to turn it into a weekend away. When Adam was born, it was our first overnight adventure as a new little family. As babies our kids were totally happy to snooze in a carrier all day, while we would wander around the cute little towns, visit wineries, and eat yummy food. Now that our kids are older, we've gravitated towards the charming parks, wide open fields, and wineries with fun outdoor activities that we can all play together.
Read moreMy Favorite Essential Oil Play Dough Recipe
We are really big on play dough over here, at all ages. It's one of our go to open play activities, the kids will start with one project and inevitably it will evolve into something totally different within a few minutes. Today the girls made dinosaur land. We use it so often that it's just too expensive to keep buying. There are thousands of recipes floating around the internet but this one has been the most foolproof for me, and only requires a few ingredients and about 5 minutes.
Read moreKids Gingerbread House Decorating Party
Last night we held our annual Gingerbread House Decorating Party with our little friends. Which is basically my favorite night of the year! It always turns into complete chaos once 13 kids are let lose at a table full of frosting and candy, so we were only able to snap a few photos during our party prep time!
Read moreFall Clothes Made Easy by Rockets of Awesome
In recent years we've been trying to streamline our kids' wardrobes. By having only a handful of pieces that they can easily mix and match and wear anywhere we have less battles about clothes, less shopping (and returning), and less laundry. The philosophy in our house is that all of our clothes are play clothes, and all of our clothes are fancy clothes. We save one or two items for special occasions (when the grandparents are around), but basically anything else in their closet is up for grabs on any given day. Rockets of Awesome has made this process so easy for Adam.
Read moreNew Blog Coming Soon!
Thanks to everyone who has followed along with our little family! Stay tuned for a newly designed blog and more stories and photos of our crazy life! xx