hello, it's us

1. Checking in from week 5 (starting week 5?) of quarantine - I hope you all are doing well and staying safe and healthy. I think we've settled into a decent routine and the schooling situation is going fine (we are doing almost none of the optional things though - maybe we should) for now. Simon keeps saying we should just plug right on through summer with school of the home variety and while I agree with him in theory - I think the practice itself might be challenging with a new baby on the scene. However, I've always been the pessimist in the relationship so we shall see! He's welcome to one room schoolhouse it up :)

2. The weather seems to have hopefully turned for ~good but I know that as soon as I do the big switch of the kids drawers from cold weather to warm weather clothing - it'll get cold again so I'm holding off for now. I did just get these in-betweenish rompers for the girls and am resisting stating the requisite, "wish it came in my size!" (but I do) My seasonal allergies have flared up quite nicely so that makes me think the sunshine is here to stay but again, I'm not the weather. Phoebe has been very concerned about how her birthday is going to go down (this week!) as if she's ever had a big birthday shebang (usually just family which is always fun) but it looks like at least the weather will be gorgeous and thankfully Amazon pulled through with much earlier than anticipated delivery dates for her gifts. Party emoji.

3. I did a home tour via IG story on the Everyday Mamas IG page last week if you want to check it out in their highlights. I had to resist being super chatty and talking every single painted dresser from Facebook Marketplace but it still felt super long. Oops.

4. I'm 33 weeks along and it's crazy to think that if this baby comes when Clement did (they won't! but still) they'd be here in fewer than 3 weeks. I haven't done a stitch of baby laundry or diaper buying or anything of that nature but I'm plugging along on some organizing and projects I was hoping to do pre-baby so the laundry and diapers and checking to see if our infant car seat is expired (prettttty sure it is) can wait another week or two or three. I'm having mostly good days but sometimes I wake up and feel super creeky and a lot more pregnant than I am but we're all healthy and I'm grateful for that! Phoebe says she has different screams ready (one bad, one good) depending on if the baby is a boy or a girl - so it's good to know she's very level-headed about the prospect of a 6th brother joining the mix. Definitely not sponsored as I've happily purchased them myself but I'm always amazed how much better my back feels when I wear these tanks. The subtle support makes a huge difference and I'm eternally grateful for it.

5. I'm reading The Two Lives of Lydia Bird and at first it was giving me Evvie Drake Starts Over vibes (which I adored) but it's turning out to be quite different but I'm still enjoying it. I'm thankfully falling asleep pretty quickly at night so I'm not making the fastest of headway but it's enjoyable if you're in the market for something (semi-sad, warning!) decent to read!

6. I cheated on my favorite place to buy kids clothes for a minute and bought a few pairs of these shorts for the older two boys and really like the length (not capri style but also not super short - the one review threw me because Sebastian is pretty tall and these aren't short on him at all) and quality. They didn't shrink in the wash and even with the drawstrings they look a lot nicer than ye old gym shorts but seem to be just as comfy. Win/win/win. I also bought the girls each a pair of these shorts when they were on sale a few weeks ago and wish they'd drop back down price-wise because they're winners in the quality/comfort book! It's early in 2020 but I'm already calling this my favorite beauty purchase of the year because it has changed my hair for the better which is a feat in an of itself. I could never pull off the, "goes many days between washes" thing even with the help of any and all dry shampoo but this gets my (and Julia's - she's a fan) hair cleaner than it's ever been without stripping it to dry bits. I think it will last a long time too because. teeny tiny bit goes a really long + lathery way.

7. My love for clogs has yet to die so when I saw that Everlane released a pair - they very much stopped me in my scrolling tracks. I'm going to be prudent and wait to make sure my feet are going to de-swell postpartum so as to get the correct size but gosh, they're pretty. And completely unrelated - I started putting together a page for our favorite baby/toddler board books in case you're in the market. I'll add more but it's a start!

Alright, Godspeed in whatever your week might entail!

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Battleship Recess

1. Hello again. Hope you're all holding up as well as can be expected! It feels like every day brings new and unexpected news on the Coronavirus front but also nothing is seeming to change? Hopefully that makes sense. We're holding steady staying very much at home with the occasional walk and lots of backyard play. We began distance learning in earnest on Monday and it truly feels like it's been three weeks of subpar, "homeschooling". I've never felt even .01% called to homeschool (as someone who had a great experience being homeschooled) so I guess the silver lining is that it's been a great confirmation that my feelings were spot on. The kids are being real troopers though and dare I say the poor teachers might have it worse trying to suddenly coordinate everything remotely for such young kids? I dare. Anyway, rest assured that if you find yourself trying to teach your kids and/or coordinate zoom calls and/or manage the million other things you've inevitable got going on -- you are doing a MUCH better job than I am. Guaranteed. This book has kept Bosco (4.5) occupied when necessary but I think the little boys are thoroughly enjoying all the extra time to dig in the forbidden grassy areas of the yard while I attempt to teach the others ...

2. Simon and I did join the ranks of the Tiger King audience last week and just couldn't ... look ... away. I'm curious if we weren't under quarantine if it would've held the same appeal? Simon thought it ended on an abrupt and unsatisfying note - ha. I'm still reeling from the whole thing, I think. I'd love to rewatch Friday Night Lights since the last time we watched it was when Julia was a newborn but we're not quite desperate enough to pay for it ... yet!

3. I should be more ashamed to admit that I read Colton's book in one sitting but I think I got my just punishment because it was (whispers) ... not worth my time. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt during his season but the book did him no favors (in my opinion) and I dove right back into The Dinner List to try to cleanse it from my literary memory.

4. Although the last three weeks have felt like a long three months I still can't believe that next week is Holy Week. Sebastian asked tonight if it was still Lent and so you could say I've fallen a little short on the religion class front. Hopefully we can make up for it next week with uh .... streaming everything Mass/Stations/etc from the comfort of our home - maybe the most bizarre feeling thing about the quarantine? Phoebe has happily stepped up as nursery director while we "attend" church which I have to admit has been quite nice.

5. I'm not quite 31 weeks along but suddenly feel as though I could be 38 weeks and counting. Hopefully it was just an off week but if not ... I will survive. This is my first sciatica heavy pregnancy and for that I am grateful because it's not for the faint of heart ... or back. The kids are all getting excited and the girls are still begging me to find out if it's a he or a she .... the anticipation is killing them (and me - but I would never tell them so).

6. I almost forgot all about Easter candy but I think I did get it ordered in time for actual Easter (fingers crossed) but did stumble upon and order and get this dress (more of a house dress than an Easter dress but isn't it all the same right now?) in the mail - weeks before it's projected arrival date and for that I am eternally grateful because it's perfect for the last couple of months of pregnancy. It runs a little big which is perfect for a non-maternity dress that is being forced into maternity territory. I'm going to get at least one more color. I'd love it not pregnant too but would probably size down to account for the generous fit. And another Amazon win was finally taking the plunge on the rug that everyone seems to have and not caring and am so pleased with it in person. I can see it working in a lot of different colored rooms (I put it in our ~dark navy bedroom) because it has a lot of different colors without looking like a rainbow if that makes sense.

7. Old Navy is having another site wide 50% off sale and I have to admit that their Toddler boy new arrivals are pretty darn cute.  This baby girl swimsuit is adorable and their jean selection is looking as tempting as ever. I'm SO excited about this collaboration and have a sneaking suspicion it's going to sell out superduperfast -- but we'll see. We'll see!

Alright, hope you have a super uneventful weekend!