Honestly, I wondered if this was a really dumb idea for a blog post. And you know what, it probably is! Ha.
But being that I’ve never been one that is impacted by the weather much, until now, I decided yesterday, a pretty dreary day, to snap a picture of the things that made me smile. So while this is not an accurate depiction of our day (you won’t see the laundry pile or the before bed meltdowns), these are snaps of things bringing me joy right now. It was a lot of fun to focus on them for the day…
- Our Nespresso machine and my Granny’s old wooden biscuit-making bowl full of pod options. The lock down has turned me into a coffee drinker and a fresh, foamy cup in the quiet of the morning is simply the best.
- My new whale shark leggings from Waterlust. Not only are the comfortable, I love the unique print and each purchase helps fund research and educate the world on environmental conservation.
- Did I mention how much I like my quiet time each morning? A lot of time I work, but yesterday I started with a lit candle (from Sniff and Rescue, a local Lake Norman company I adore), coffee, reading a new Kristin Hannah book a girlfriend dropped off to me (already hooked…), and wrote in my Line a Day Journal (which I highly recommend, especially during this time).
- The girls’ new responsibility chart. A post on this will be up this week because you’ve asked about it so much on Instagram. It’s working SO well now that we’ve zeroed in on what motivates the girls (screen time) and it’s made our mornings run so smoothly.
- Breakfast with H and K. Our breakfast, per usual, was leisurely. Pajamas, bed head, tea, avocado toast, reading, worksheets.
- Baking banana bread. Because why the heck not. We’ve made it a few times using this two banana bread recipe and it’s so good. Not healthified in any way, but if you just want a good loaf to enjoy, this is it.
- Roasted potatoes. Aren’t they even better the next day? I heated them up stove-top with kale, red onions, and a leftover turkey burger. Topped it with sriracha. Devoured it while Kaitlyn did her reading.
- Scavenger hunts. I had some work I had to do yesterday so they went upstairs to play and ended up creating a scavenger hunt for me. The clues were misspelled and silly and it totally made my day.
- Harry Potter reading and banana bread for lunch. Though that probably led to the sugar high and crash that ensued for the kids in the afternoon…
- Surprise messages. Hailey has email now, did I tell you that? And sometimes I’ll get messages in my inbox like this. Sunshine 🙂
- When David gets home. Reinforcement is always welcomed sunshine, isn’t it?! (He’s shirtless because he goes through a whole “decontamination” sequence when he gets home from the hospital… but let’s be honest, he’s usually shirtless anyway, which is why my friends started the joke of #shirtlessDavid).
- We still play High, Low and Grateful at the dinner table, and mine and David’s bike ride was my high! We got in 6 miles, just the two of us.
- Creative kids. Hailey is into making movies using whatever basic movie making editor is on the iPad. When we biked, they decided to make a Jasmine movie and we walked back into this scene. Them playing dress up will never ever get old to me!
- Dinner! Food is always a highlight for me. Since it was Cinco de Mayo, we made fish tacos using cod from our recent Sitka Salmon delivery (you can give Sitka a try and use the code AHSL for $25 off your first delivery). I made cabbage slaw using cabbage, cilantro, lime juice, red onion, olive oil, and salt. I made a simple beer batter using salt, pepper, flour, and an IPA. David fried the fish while I made a sauce from sour cream, mayo, lime juice, and garlic powder.
- The sunshine finishes up here, unless you count that the exhausted kids went to bed early! ☀! Mad Men, chatting with David, and wrapping Kaitlyn’s birthday presents were a nice way to end the day though. I can’t believe she’ll be 6 soon!
OK, shoot me straight. Cheesiest post ever? Ah, oh well…
What is a source of sunshine in your life right now?
Jennifer says
I loved this post! So fun! Thank you!
Jenny says
Love it!!
Thanks for the great posts. Keep doing what you’re doing!
Kate Unger says
Not cheesy at all! We need to focus on the small positives since the big picture of often overwhelming right now. I loved this post. Moments of quiet in my head while I read are saving me right now. Along with walks around the neighborhood while talking to my sister on the phone.
Brittany Dixon says
Walking outside and talking on the phone has been my happy place lately, too! If it’s not raining, that’s where I am.
Kathy says
Great post! I can’t believe how fast your girls are growing too. I starting reading your blog before you had kids. Where does the time go? Have another fun day!
Beth Gipson says
I ADORE this post…so many things in here made me smile, but the fact that you put your pods in your Granny’s old dough bowl made my day. What a precious way to use that! Thank you for sharing so many wonderful things that brighten up life 🙂
Jamie says
Great post! Being able to find the joy in the little things is what makes a happy, fulfilling life – in my opinion!
Liz Takla says
This post was pure Brittany – fun, relatable and inspiring 🙂
I love our nespresso machine too. It really is a powerhouse little machine. I had to get decaf pods though as it was keeping me too wired later than normal when we first got it!
Love the book recs – keep em coming please! I love book reviews! If you’re a reader I’d love to see that as an added feature / theme 🙂
Lindsey says
Totally stealing the scavenger hunt idea! Our 4 year old would love that! A source of sunshine in my life right now is just having all 4 of us under the same roof all the time. I’ve really enjoyed having a lot of extra time with my husband home during the day and our kids have too! <3
Brittany Dixon says
The together time is definitely a silver lining; I totally agree Lindsey! <3
K says
I vote for more of these types of posts!
Brittany Dixon says
These comments are making me so happy. I sometimes want to write the more casual posts but hold off because I don’t think anyone would want to read them, so this is so fun for me to hear! 🙂
Sarah says
Great post! I love our Nespresso machine too. And walks with my 6 month old. It’s a strange time to figure out new parenthood but am trying to embrace the slower pace!
coco says
I love this. I am so doing the chores charts. I’m so tired of policing them.
and I also LOVE/NEED solo time. Yesterday i had to explicitly tell them, mommy needs solo time sometimes or I’ll go crazy.
Ali says
Loved it. Do it again. It’s almost like “5 on Friday” concept but better because it’s not just products. And it reminds us all that we do have good in our days even with all this other “stuff” going on.
Brittany Dixon says
<3 Thank you; it was fun to write!
Tracy says
This post was a breath of fresh air! Loved the casual nature. So fun to read 🙂
Liz says
I loved the post! We all need reminders these days to focus on the good.
First a disclaimer that this is NOT coming from a place of judgement (bc I could see it taken as such). I’m genuinely curious how you were able to get in a long bike ride with just you and David? Do you just bike around the neighborhood and check in on the girls every so often? I think some alone time with my husband sounds amazing and I’m just trying to figure out how to make that work with younger kids at home. But maybe we could just walk down the street and back several times together and check in periodically? I’d love to know what you guys do (even though I know it has so much to do with kids ages, where you live, comfort level, etc).
Brittany Dixon says
We’ve reached the age where the kids do fine by themselves at home for 45 minutes or less. We use our Relay Go’s to keep in touch with them and we are never far from home, but it’s been a really great new phase for us! We just got here though (ages 8 and almost 6 :))
Liz says
Wow! Our kiddos are only about 6 months behind yours (7.5 and 5.5) but we’re definitely not close to being able to leave them home alone. Our neighborhood isn’t the best though, so that’s where I would hesitate the most. I do think the kids themselves would be fine and our oldest is very responsible. That’s great that you’re able to get out alone for a bit!
Anne says
I loved your post, Brittany. I’m trying to find joy (iced coffee, my daughter’s smile, my mint pot which arrived with our food shopping).
I struggle to find the words to write these days. Reading about the ordinary makes me feel grounded. If that makes any sense at all.
Taylor says
I have the One Line a Day Five Year Memory Book too!! I am on my second year and my sister gave it to me two Christmas’ ago!! I love it!! 🙂
Emily says
I love this post! I needed it! Things start to feel so lonely in quarantine. My family has been pretty strict quarantine wise- so I definitely understand the decontamination process! I have never had so many hampers everywhere! Thinking of you, hugs.