Favorite Activity: It should come as no surprise that our family favorite this past month has been our daily hikes! Yes, DAILY!
Favorite Kid Quote/Moment: These kids are keeping me on my toes, man! The other night we were eating dinner and Ezra was taking FOREVER to eat. He’s usually a really good and quick eater, so this seemed unusual. Finally, I said, “does he have something in his mouth?” and lo and behold, he had a BELL in his mouth. Like a jingle bell. In his mouth. WHILE he ate dinner. Yes, I have stopped in my tracks over how dangerous that could have been. And even a week later, I’m still wondering how he managed to eat any dinner at all with a BELL in his mouth. Kids, man.
Favorite Podcast: I heard that podcast listening has gone down across the board, mainly because people no longer have commutes. However, I have still really enjoyed listening to some of my favorites! I have been enjoying the fact that Annie Downs has put out a podcast EVERY weekday since the stay at home orders. I know it loud like a lot of podcasts, and it really is. But I just admire the fact that she and her co-host are able to share their daily thoughts and feelings during this pandemic.
Favorite Blog Post I’ve Written: For a few weeks, I posted a daily “diary” post, and for some reason, the most viewed of those posts is this one: Shelter In Place Diary Day 20.
Favorite Song: This song by The Afters has been on repeat in my house, and every time it comes on the radio I’m turning it up to blast it as loud as possible. So perfect for this time of pandemic.
Favorite Scripture to Cling to: It may sound strange, but I have been reading through and studying the books of Lamentations, Habakkuk and Zephaniah in this time. All three of those books have a lot of angst over the suffering that the authors and their people are enduring. And yet…each book has a moment of deep praise and thanksgiving to God. I find myself truly FEELING what the authors are saying.
Favorite Instagram Account: I’m truly enjoying following my friend Courtney at @thecarolinafarmhouse. She and her husband just bought an old farmhouse and they are fixing it up- she is an incredible decorator and I really love her style! Plus, I really appreciate her parenting perspectives and her Christian life and faith thoughts.
Favorite Book: I did a huge book review on my last blog post (16 books!), but I think that my favorite of all of them is the Scythe book! My review was slightly mixed, but this is the book that I cannot stop thinking about and that I keep trying to talk to various people about… I’m now reading the second one and it is a lot less dark than the first, but still extremely engaging!
Favorite Amazon Purchase: I finally took the plunge and ordered swimsuits for my kiddos. AND 7 weeks into homeschooling, I finally decided that I needed this organizational cart. Mama is TIRED of ALL.OF.THE.HOMESCHOOL.THINGS being on my dining room table.
Favorite Pick-me-up: I heard a bunch of influencers talking about Brightboxes, and I decided to try them out for myself. I sent 3 boxes out to friends and they LOVED them! For $15 and no trips to the store/post office, I am calling these a total WIN!!! I also love the company Bottle of Tears and Causebox, if your budget is a bit bigger.
Favorite Internet Find: Have you guys seen the photoshoots of Barbie/Ken and Anna/Kristoff weddings? Oh my heavens, these photographers are SO CREATIVE. And every detail is so accurate. Please scroll through these and have yourself a little laugh!
That’s all for now! I hope that you are all hanging in there. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or prayer requests- I am a REAL person behind these blog posts, and I would love to hear from you!