My brain was scattered and I was planning to skip posting today but got some great topic requests on the gram, so here’s a random rundown of some of the topics sent to me.

Speaking of the blog; for a while I was gearing some content to be a little more Pinterest-focused content, SEO-optimized, etc to help us get to some financial goals. Now that we have pivoted in another direction, it’s been back to being a hobby and creative outlet which is much more FUN for me. However, without having to hit specific targets, I tend to be slightly less consistent and organized. This is a longwinded way of me saying thanks for sending me topic ideas when my brain goes blank and making this space fun; it’s like checking in with a bunch of friends and that is super special to me! Ok… let’s go-

Request #1- Random Thoughts

My day started by checking my calendar than mentally running through my to do list, which currently looks a little something like this:

• Return items I bought for The Overlook that either arrived broken or aren’t the right fit.
• Order replacement kitchen items for The Overlook and all bedding.
• Organize Disney notes for phone call with Disney planner today. We are going with my side of the family in late summer.
• Find dog care for Finley for our trip in June.
• Organize thoughts for Kaitlyn’s birthday. It’s a month away but this girl is psyched out of her mind for her celebration, which is going to be a “star party,” AKA we are going to camp in the backyard. Our tent and air mattress are decrepit so I need to take my REI coupon and rewards that just came in and fix the situation.
• Do my down dog of the day.
• Get birthday gift for a friend, RSVP to egg hunt invitation, and get new shoes for Hailey.
• Pull salmon out of the freezer to defrost for dinner tonight. We’re having lemon dill salmon!

Those are actual things I need to check off a list, but other things like “should I cut my hair shorter at tomorrow’s appointment” and “are the girls going to do soccer next year?” are also floating around my mind because any mom out there knows that you have to plan next academic year in May, as so many sign ups and try outs are in spring for the fall.

Request #2- Finley Update

At 7 months old we no longer are tempted to give her back… most days. I kid, I kid! We have fallen into a predictable routine and I quite love having an early morning snuggle buddy who also forces me to get up and take multiple walks throughout the day. Closing my Apple Watch rings is a breeze with her around.

Finley update lightening round:

• She got her rabies vaccine last week and I love having a vet that recommends Thuja to give her for the three following days to help her detox from the shot.
• She’s thriving on a raw diet, though we often have taken the short cut of ordering from Corrina’s Corner. We order Corrina’s Blend and the prey packs and supplement with eggs, goat milk, frozen peas, veggies and fruits.
• She is a smarty and knows sit, stay, down, crate, shake, eat, leave it, and come. In the living room she will blow your mind with quick responses. Outside, we are still working on focusing through the distraction of squirrels and birds, but I see improvement.
• She chewed a corner of a cushion on our new couch. David sewed it back up but that had her lose her couch blanket privilege for a bit.
• I ordered Wondercide to help prevent fleas and ticks in a natural way. I will let you know how it goes.
• She’s surprisingly good out in public. I think the mental stimulation is good for her, but she has rocked a trip to Lowe’s, the soccer fields, and the back deck at Bad Daddy’s.

Request #3- Food

Such a broad topic. What if I combine it with food and health? I’ve been loyal to using my Lumen and it’s equal parts empowering and frustrating to learn how my body reacts to carbohydrates. On one hand, I’ve seen how to incorporate more of them into breakfast and lunch, but I’ve also seen how sensitive my body is to them in the evenings. Eating heavy carbs for dinner (grains, pasta, etc) almost always prevents my body from switching into fat burning mode overnight.

However, breakfast and lunch carbs do just fine for me; probably because I am using them up. This is leading me to put more carb intake earlier in the day and going more paleo-ish at dinner. I am going to listen to The Keto-Code to learn more about mitochondria (the new “it” thing with health). I’ve learned a lot about it through podcasts but want to take a deeper dive and enjoyed listening to Dr. Gundry on Dhru Purohit’s podcast.

I told David the other day that if I opened a restaurant it would be nothing but breakfast bowls. I’ve been hooked on making different kinds of breakfast hashes lately and serving a fried egg on top. I’ve been snapping pictures and will share a whole post on savory breakfast bowls soon. Aldi has bags of organic frozen diced sweet potato that helps make an excellent base!

Request #4- Gardening

My plant porch is prepped and ready to go. I have about 7 large pots and a rectangular container with trellis for cucumbers filled with soil. I discovered two years ago my yard garden doesn’t get enough sun, but my porch thrives! I potted up our seedlings and with this week’s warm weather I’m going to start hardening them off by taking them outside for a couple hours each day. I’m hoping to plant them outside in a week or two.

This year I let the girls each pick a plant. Hailey chose cucumbers. Kaitlyn chose roma tomatoes. I chose jalapenos and cherry tomatoes. I tend to want to plant ALL the things, but for this stage of life, a few sure things planted on our deck (plus my kitchen counter top gardens) work best.

Request #5- How to let things go and enjoy the small things

I wish I had solid advice on this because I do feel this is an area that comes fairly naturally to me (enneagram 7). 8 Things Happy People Do Differently

What helps me most is keeping my eyes on my own paper and living in the season I’m in. Since losing my dad in 2020, it’s very hard to get under my skin. I can weather any storm as long as the people I love are OK. Next to that, nothing seems like that big of a deal, so perhaps my advice is to focus in on what matters and realize the rest is just details.

Anxiety flares with fretting about the future and depression can be inflamed by looking to the past. Living in the the moment and the season we are in and seeing the good around us right now and the things we can work towards right now makes us content. To quote one of my current favorite jams– “the truth about it is, it all goes by real quick.” So take a deep breath, find something that makes you feel peace, and hang out there for a bit.

I hope you have a great week; thank you for stopping by and being a friend!