hey there, April
Hi friends! How’s it going? I hope you’re doing well considering everything going on and staying safe and healthy.
We’re still navigating each day by the hour and trying to find some sense of normalcy within such an unnatural situation. Each day is different and I’ve been trying to think of various ways to entertain the girls (and keep from losing my mind lol).
Proof we’ve already reached next-level: we set up a tent in the living room and had “camping night” this weekend. It ended up turning into two nights because the girls loved it so much!
The Pilot grilled grass-fed steaks and we enjoyed them with roasted garlic potatoes and lemon green beans.
S’mores for dessert:
and then we set up the tent, along with air mattresses and sleeping bags. The initial ideas was for all of us to sleep in there together, but when the adults’ air mattress deflated around 2am, the Pilot and I crawled up to our own comfy bed. The girls slept so well in the tent that we let them sleep in there an additional night. They’re obsessed! I can definitely see it becoming a regular thing.
We’ve enjoyed at least one long walk outside every day with the dogs, and it’s been so good to get fresh air and sunshine. It’s pretty easy to hit my steps goal for the day when we’re outside so much! We’ve been doing yard work, the kiddos have decorated our driveway with sidewalk chalk, and we’ve been playing board games at night. This whole experience has taught me how much the kids love board games! Don’t Break the Ice, Jenga and Candyland have been hits. We’ve also done some puzzles, which is a good way for them to unwind and chill in the afternoon.
While I feel like we’re trying our best to be positive in an otherwise horrible situation, I won’t pretend that it’s been all fun and easy. There’s a lot of underlying stress and worry but I keep reminding myself that the only thing I can control is for us to continue to stay home. It feels good to daydream about an enormous family party when this is all over. <3
Some more things from the week:
A heart-shaped cactus
this beautiful bread from Commoner & Co.
and a simple lunch: leftover BBQ chicken thighs, romaine, bell pepper, carrots, Primal Kitchen dressing (I order it from Thrive Market) and a sweet potato.
For today, the girls both have Zoom calls with their schools, I’m going to work on revamping the Home Workout Warrior plan, and we’re going to decorate a neighbor’s driveway with chalk later. (She saw our driveway and emailed to see if the girls would mind doing some artwork on her driveway, too.)
Sending you all a virtual hug and thanks for stopping by the blog today.
xoxo
Gina
Where are you doing most of your grocery shopping? We need some things from Trader Joe’s but I’m wondering if it’s worth it. Any random things you’ve done to entertain the kids that have been successful??
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Been doing all grocery delivery from HEB (Texas chain), and I miss some of my fave items from TJ’s and WF. I’m 40.5 weeks pregnant, so I’m taking as few risks as possible (only go in public for midwife appointments). If I were not pregnant then I might take a few calculated risks.
That being said, I love grocery delivery and have made sure to tip the shoppers generously. I’m so grateful to have that as an option right now.
ok so i’ve never been to a HEB and i feel like i’m missing out! people love that place. i’ve also never been to aldi which i hear is awesome.
40.5 weeks!!! so excited for you! sending you lots of good wishes for your delivery.
Here in Albuquerque I feel like Trader Joe’s is killing it in this situation. They are sanitizing carts, having people line up, 6 ft apart, outside if there is a crowd, and it they are so quick at checkout. In between people checking out a second worker was wiping down the counter and credit machine with sanitizer. So much better than Smiths here, who didn’t even have wipes for the carts and had no one wiping them down with soap and water.
I’ve been doing Trader Joe’s & target drive up.
I think Trader Joe’s is doing that everywhere. I’m in south Florida and I had the same experience last week. And while I waited in line outside the store (for less than 10 min), an employee walked down the line and gave every customer a complimentary bottle of water!
In the DC area, our Trader Joe’s is doing the same. A line of people outside waiting 4-6 feet apart, a staff member giving out sanitizer on the way in, fully stocked shelves, and a well-managed check-out system. I went to our local Whole Foods for 3 items that I forgot at TJs, and they were sold out of 2 of them and the store was a shambles. TJs has been my main grocery store for several years, and now I love them even more.
ok so tom went this evening and he said it was amazing! they had everything we needed, too
LOVE trader joe’s <3
that is so awesome. trader joe’s is the best 🙂
Yes even the Trader Joe’s in NJ is doing the same. Though sadly there were some people shopping there that didn’t follow the rules (workers were quick to ask people to wait in an appropriate spot) I hear Target is doing a pretty good job about wiping down and cleaning things quickly as well
that’s so awesome. i haven’t been to target in over a month (i miss it!!!!) but that gives me hope
YESSSS so fantastic to hear! tom went tonight and was super impressed. he said it was very clean, everyone was following safe protocols and they had everything we needed. win!!
i’ve been using target drive-up sporadically but i think today was the last time. i felt so awful for the girl running the bags out to the cars because it was hot outside.
Love the camp out idea! It’s my son’s 3rd birthday on Monday and we may have to do this:) Keep on keepin’ on sweet Gina!
yes! he would love it!
So, my daughter is trying to be pen pals with a lot of friends and family. She is in the first grade so she can write pretty good. I help her spell words and help with a little grammer, but she loves it. Everyone has written her back. She gets so excited when she gets mail too. All together i would say it has eaten up several hours of her time.
Your simple lunch looks amazing!!! The kids built a massive fort and we are allll supposed to sleep in it tonight. Thank you for your posts! I hope you know that your posts bring a sense of normalcy and calm to me because I am a regular reader. Take care!
that means a lot to me – thank you for reading for so long. <3
hope the fort sleepover goes well!
sending you a virtual hug with everything going on. xo
I love that heart-shaped cactus! <3 I have been using Walmart pickup and running into Sam's club really quick. I don't usually shop at Walmart but it has the best app for ordering and has pickup
ok i’ve heard great things about walmart pickup. i’ll definitely give it a try!
My son received an indoor tent for his birthday last year. He has now slept on the floor, in his tent, in his room, for over a year! It was literally the only thing that kept him in his room when we put him down for the night. We have blankets, stuffed animals, books, and a flashlight in there. I have to regularly clean it out because of all the stuff he adds to it!
For groceries, our local stores are finally getting items back in stock (except for disinfectants & baby wipes). I plan my visit for non-busy times, use the cart wipes, and get in and out quickly. I’m itching for a Target trip, but I think it will be best to just order online to resist the temptation of looking at everything. Plus, my anxiety being in public places is out of control!
i love that so much! i think it’s so cute how much kids love tents- i used to feel the same way when i was young 🙂
my anxiety is pretty high about being in public places, too. i’ve been asking tom to go since he’s out in the world way more often for work
I was super impressed with TJs! They are killing it on sanitizing, etc. I felt very comfortable shopping there and will return there when I need more groceries. I haven’t been to Whole Foods yet but heard they are doing similar protocol.
that’s so great to hear. tom went to trader joe’s after getting back into town tonight (and wore a mask) and said it was great. everyone was really dedicated to keeping it clean and a safe distance