February!

What We Did - took advantage of the creepily warm days with some playground excursions. Took the girls to a Taylor Swift Laser Show at the Planetarium. Always several library trips. Had a playdate at the mall.

Inspired by - Art accounts on Instagram 

Watching - I finally watched We are Lady Parts and it was just as amazing as everyone said. Brian and I watched Moonstruck for the first time and baby Nicholas Cage was fascinating and Cher is so beautiful and they fall in love in 48 hours?? A wild ride. We rewatched Plus One and it really might be my favorite romcom made in the last 5 years. We finished The Resort which had good Lost vibes. Also Abbott Elementary is back!

Reading - We Could Be So Good, Sea of Tranquility, Thursday Murder Club, and Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. Did not intentionally read two books about elderly people solving murders, but I'm not mad about it. 

Thinking about - Why am I so tired? Why I am I lightly nauseous? (I am not pregnant) Why does my neck hurt?

Listening to - The newest season of The Neighborhood Listen, catching up on You're Wrong About, and the newest season of Newcomers which is about Batman. (A perfect companion to our recent viewings of the Michael Keaton movies). I have only been listening to Post Malone in the car at the request of Everett, who mostly wants to hear "Sunflower" on repeat. 

Researching - Dr. Marten oxfords, red light masks, the perfect pair of jeans (still looking).

Organizing - Apart from the top shelf of the pantry, NOTHING. 

Cooking + Eating + Drinking - Took the girls out to Taqueria 27 (Norah has been requesting their queso for weeks.) Got more takeout from Facil. Had dinner with Hailey at MakanMakan. I cooked the best dinner with this carne asada, baked potatoes, and corn bread. I've been making more Americanos at home at drinking a True Lemon packet + a collagen packet + ice water for an afternoon drink treat at work. 

Grateful for - Brian has been out of work this month, and I've been very grateful that our financial situation is secure enough that is hasn't been a big deal. Sometimes still driving a 2005 Toyota Camry pays off!!

What the kids are into - We've been playing Mario Kart together on the Switch and Norah and June are really getting the hang of it. Everett is probably a session or two away from realizing he's not actually driving any of the cars and is, in fact, holding an Xbox controller. 

We spent a whole weekend with every stuffed animal out and arranged in different areas of the house because they were running an zoo/doctor's office. An axolotl had babies, they had "playtime" visiting hours, it was a whole thing. 

Magic - Sitting in the kids room after bedtime trying to delegate a fight about a broken pencil and just silently crying because I love them all so much. I know that doesn't sound like magic, but it really was. I wish I could just freeze some moments to come back and visit later because I know I'm going to miss this time so so much. (That doesn't mean I don't get annoyed or frustrated or crave more alone time, but I really am in such a "soaking it in" stage of parenting)

Missing - Motivation? I haven't wanted to do anything this week but read and watch tv. I know that rest is good, but it still unnerves me when I have to really force myself to get needed things done.

 

Looking forward to - Disney on Ice with the kids in March! Friend trip to Moab in April! Kilby Block Party in May! Warm weather, generally!

JANUARY and I'm posting again.

What We Did - The usual library trips, a cupcake store outing, some park time on unseasonably warm days. Went to a concert at Kilby Court and felt so young and also had a crush on every person in every band. The month lasted FOREVER but I somehow didn't do much.

Inspired by - Decluttering, needle felting (I got a kit for Christmas and I'm very into it), going to the Squirrel Flower concert.

Watching - I set a goal to watch 50 movies this year. Started strong this month with the new Mean Girls movie, a re-watch of Barbie, and first time viewing of both Michael Keaton Batman Movies. We had to watch Batman Returns over two nights because the penguin scenes were making me nauseous. I watched all of Colin from Accounts (so good) and we started a rewatch of Brooklyn 99.

Reading - An amazing reading month. I read Terrace House, Bad Mormon, Romantic Comedy, Looking Glass Sound, and Divine Rivals. All bangers. (well, I remain confused about the broad popularity of Divine Rivals, but it provided a lot of great conversation with Ashley, so it still gets grouped with the bangers)

Thinking about - Oof. The failure of our country to do the right thing since like, the beginning. Palestine and Gaza and all of it.

Listening to - Vampire Empire by Big Thief over and over and over.

Dream life - I had a baby and couldn't find it. Horrifying on several levels.

Researching - Needle felting tutorials. Other than that, nothing. My brain wants to be empty.

Organizing - Starting in the kitchen, a cupboard a day. I've already fallen off of this. 

Cooking + Eating + Drinking - We ate at a new taco place when my mom had the kids and we've already gone back for takeout. Their chips and salsa are so so good. 

Grateful for - I'm feeling weird about feeling grateful for things lately. Of course I am grateful, and I have so so much. But I haven't earned any of it. It's just luck that I live here and have all the privileges I do and it feels so unfair that everyone isn't granted the same. 

What the girls are into - 

Norah - Axolotls, Legos, make it mini sets, drawing anime style characters, reading all the graphic novels, her gravity falls game, and her new taylor swift tee shirt.

June - dressing up, drawing, driving the truck, pretending to be an orphaned princess, reading every sign and label she sees. 

What Everett is doing - 

Referring to Brian as "Evie's Dad". Referring to me as Gwen Stacy. Referring to himself as Spidey, Spidey Dad, Gwen Stacey, and Peter. 

Magic - The kids wheeling around suitcases for their game of "World Traveling Veterinarians." Ev goes back and forth between being a companion on their travels and an animal they find. They go to Africa and California and I get to needle felt the whole time. 

Missing - This is the point in winter where summer feels like a thing that's not real. So I'm missing the memory of summer I guess? And sunlight.

 

Looking forward to - I am truly enjoying being done with the holidays, so I am looking forward to, and currently enjoying, just having things be normal and uneventful. 

Jan-Jan-January

The longest month of the year is over! Now just 8 more months of winter. (I am grumpy)

What We Did - 

We went sledding on the tiny hill by the pool. Thanks to our neighbors for sharing their sleds. I went to a bridal fair with Sara. A family trip to Ikea. I had dinner with Syd, Emily and Sara at Bricks (very good). We had a breakfast hang-out with friends. Family trip to the Planetarium. Had brunch with Jami and Ashley at Tradition (also very good). June stayed the weekend with my mom, and Norah and I went to pick her up in Ogden at the mall. 

Inspired by - 

The start of a new year. My new planner and "currently" journal.

Watching -

I finished OMITB. Started Fleishman is in Trouble. Playing House. 

Reading - 

Fleishman is in Trouble. The Unsinkable Greta James. Flying Solo. All bangers. Fleishman had so much good writing about motherhood and long term relationships. And Flying Solo was a new favorite. I liked Linda Holmes' first book, but I LOVED this one. 

Listening to - 

Midnights. Old episodes of Comedy Bang Bang to get through chores.

Dream life - 

I had a dream we went on a cruise with all our friends (and our kids for some reason) and Brian hated it. 

Researching - 

Ozempic. (Not to try. Just how it's the new phen phen and how alarming I find that.) Having an Abundance mindset. Cycle syncing. 

Organizing - 

The kids room. The toys in my new Besta. 

Cooking + Eating + Drinking - 

I've been reading a lot of cookbooks and hopefully that eventually translates to actually cooking new things. I was looking in a planner from 2020 and our meal rotation is largely the same as it was then and that bums me out so much.

Grateful for - 

My job. My kids. My husband. My parents. My friends. My apartment. My dumb cats. 

What the girls are into - 

Magnatiles (especially June). Still playing animal hospital all weekend. Witch School has been a new game in the rotation and they also just started playing Roblox together which is v cute.

What Everett is doing - 

Crawling around and being a dinosaur. Listening to Let it Go on the daily. We are experiencing a full blown Frozen renaissance over here. If he can get someone to do "ring around the rosie" with him it's the biggest highlight of his day.

Loves his friends, and a shirt>vest situation.

Continues to love accessories.

Magic - 

The kids all running around in the snow, just ecstatic. 

Missing - 

Still missing the sun! It's been so cloudy all month and it's ruining my life. 

Looking forward to - 

Spring break trip!

With a picture of my mom wearing the same dress.

Watching our kids descend on Ikea was truly a site to behold.

A busy November and a grinchy December

Whoa. I knew I needed to write a December post but here I am realizing November went so fast that I didn't post it either. A combined post it is!! Farewell 2022. I...won't miss you.

What We Did - 

I started off the month hot, combining a head cold and a Lizzo concert for my birthday! Luckily I had mostly recovered a week later, because then I went to LA with Jami and Ashley to see Harry Styles. We also had time to go to Venice, the Santa Monica pier, and spend half a day at the Getty. It was one of my favorite trips. My family went to Malad for Thanksgiving, and to the Natural History Museum with Brian's sisters. We decorated for Christmas and went back to the museum because we decided to get a membership.

In December we got hot chocolate a few times, saw our favorite Christmas light house in the Avenues, and went to Christmas in Color. We decorated a gingerbread house. Ev and I went to Norah's Christmas show and all the grades sang their songs twice because the principal had timed it on Zoom for every class to take 10 minutes. I never actually felt Christmassy but I was pretty good at faking it.

We did Christmas crafts with friends. We hosted Christmas with my parents and brother and the whole day is a blur of wrapping paper and cooking and eating and pieces of toys and presents EVERYWHERE. Ev went to stay with my parents for a few days and we took the girls to a movie one day and out to eat on another. For New Year's Eve we toasted with the kids and Martinelli's, ate some Crave cookies and watched Bob's Burgers. 

Inspired by - 

The canals in Venice. The beach. How excited the girls were to find Strawberry the elf each morning. 

Watching -

Love Life S2. Our new favorite show, Taskmaster. I binged both seasons of White Lotus. S2 of Sex Lives of College Girls. We also watched all three Princess Switch movies which I highly recommend if you're in the mood to see Vanessa Hudgens play three different characters. Which, honestly, you should always be in the mood for.  

Reading - 

Corinne and All of This. 'Twas a light reading month(s). To make up for it, I did watch a lot of TikToks. 

Thinking about - 

Why I don't feel Christmassy. A constant gift count for the kids. (THEY HAVE TO BE EVEN!) What summer felt like (I can't remember). 

Listening to - 

The four part Comedy Bang Bang Best Of episodes. If Books Could Kill. Up First. (Jami was listening to it on our LA trip and I subscribed immediately.) The new SZA album.  

Organizing - 

ALL. THE. TOYS. It's not going well. 

Cooking + Eating + Drinking - 

The best donuts of my life from Blue Star in Venice. The best THANKSGIVING THEMED ice cream from Salt and Straw. A nightly bowl of cereal.  A giant tin of butter cookies I got from Sam's club. Chocolate oranges. Drinking copper cow pour over coffee. The best hot chocolate from Hatch's. 

Grateful for - 

Happy kids. That we can give them a big Christmas. Getting to sleep in sometimes. 

What the girls are into - 

Norah - Calling things suss. (to be fair, this has been going on for moooonths). Her new dedicated art desk. Going to the Natural History Museum. The Nintendo DS she got for Christmas. But especially the new, very nice doctor's kit from Lakeshore Learning. It has gotten SO much use, and I wish I had been buying toys there from the beginning.

June - making "sharp nails" out of stickers. Making jokes about her butt. Going to the Natural History Museum. Very into drawing and writing letters. She is also getting a lot of time in with the doctor kit. They've seen a LOT of patients. 

Both - singing the opening line to Circle of Life. All the time. All day.

What Everett is doing - 

Dragging a chair over to the fridge and then sticking magnets in between the fridge doors. Drawing whenever he can. Singing Wheels on the Bus. Always playing with cars. Asking to watch/listen to "Let it Go." Wearing his fireman jacket for two weeks straight.

Magic - 

Seeing Harry Styles(!!!), Christmas morning, the kids all dressed as bugs in the kid area of NHMU. 

Missing - 

The freaking sun. 

Looking forward to - 

Not having to think about/plan the holidays anymore. The sun setting later. Tax returns. More trips to NHMU because clearly it's a hit.

Spooky Season! October.

October! We did it! We ended the month with some fun pink eye and a lot of candy and that's just how life is right now. (and honestly, how life will be for the next 6+ years...)

What We Did - 

We've gone for a few years now, so I think it's officially a tradition for us to go to Logan for the day in October. We ogle the leaves in the canyon, go to the American Heritage West center for fall activities, and this year we also met up with my mom at the Pumpkin Walk. The kids pass out for the drive home and it's a great time all around. We celebrated Everett's second birthday! I went to Evanston for my work's Fall Social. We went to a movie night at Norah's school, but had to leave with 20 minutes left because the sprinklers turned on. I had a fancy friend brunch at La Caille. Brian and I went to Thriller on their final tour. We went to a "spook alley" (it wasn't spooky) at  Millcreek Gardens, played mini golf at All Star, and went to Discovery Gateway for June's birthday! We played at the playground at Norah's school, and had a sugarhouse park playdate with friends. Brian and I went to the Sadurn concert. And we wrapped it all up with our "spooky" candlelight dinner, Norah's school Halloween parade and trick or treating for all the kids who didn't have pink eye. (It was Ev. Ev had pink eye.)

Inspired by - 

The weather, the leaves, my kids loving the spooky decorations on houses.

Watching -

Derry Girls, Taskmaster, Frasier, Ramy, Abbott Elementary, and I started Gilmore Girls for the nth time for fall and comfort reasons.

Reading - 

A Special Place for Women, I'm Glad My Mom Died, Our Wives Under The Sea. All of them bangers.

Thinking about - 

Getting older, releasing guilt, taking care of my body, how my kids are growing so fast and I feel like I'm forever so joyful and in a constant state of mourning for how fast time passes. 

Listening to - 

Sadurn, crappy Halloween playlists while I craft with the kids, podcasts on Stitcher premium while I have a month of free access. 

Researching - 

Halloween costumes, outfits for Lizzo and Harry Styles concerts, shoes, Halloween decor for next year. 

Organizing - 

Kitchen cabinets (veeeery slowly), a system for all the incoming paper and art projects from my lovely daughters. 

Cooking + Eating + Drinking - 

Drinking tea and pumpkin coffee, eating anything that can go in an air fryer (I finally got one), cooking very minimally as always.

Grateful for - 

Being able to celebrate holidays with my kids who love them, friends who will listen to me complain all day, and that the Java Joe's in front of Smith's finally opened. 

What the girls are into - 

Norah - Assembling her Marceline costume. Drawing witches and devils and "____ of death". (Pumpkin of death, panda of death....you get it). Watching Owl House. 

June - putting on concerts, dressing up, writing letters and drawing people, wearing stick-on earrings, her pink flats, and her new fairy wings.

Neither of them are into wearing pants. I finally, sloooowly, convinced them they needed to wear pants every day instead of shorts. It was a reluctant success. 

What Everett is doing - 

Getting sick! Also talking so much, mostly just in single words. And mostly just the ending sounds of those words? But it's great progress. He is running, bouncing, climbing, rolling, all the time, but also likes to pretend to take a nap. Sleeping is one of the great loves of his life, along with cheese, Bluey, and markers.

Magic - 

The weekend before Halloween was filled with lots of Halloween art and crafts, spooky episodes of bob's burgers, and an afternoon of perfect weather and painting pumpkins outside. 

Looking forward to - 

Ugh I don't know. I'm not excited about winter, or the endless sickness that seems inevitable. I like Christmas, but I don't want to do all the work for it! I'm sure I will get in the spirit eventually. Oh! But I have a Harry Styles California trip next month and that is definitely something to look forward to.

Focused on the movie.

Very excited about his fireman outfit.

Evanston

Concerned that a friend was in the tree.

June's selfie with her kids.

Planting trees to save the Earth. 

Brunch friends!

The view from Norah's playground is insane.

"pumpkin of death"