hey there, April

Hi friends! Howโ€™s it going? I hope youโ€™re doing well considering everything going on and staying safe and healthy.

Weโ€™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 Iโ€™ve been trying to think of various ways to entertain the girls (and keep from losing my mind lol).

Proof weโ€™ve already reached next-level: we set up a tent in the living room and had โ€œcamping nightโ€ 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.

Sโ€™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 adultsโ€™ 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. Theyโ€™re obsessed! I can definitely see it becoming a regular thing.

Weโ€™ve enjoyed at least one long walk outside every day with the dogs, and itโ€™s been so good to get fresh air and sunshine. Itโ€™s pretty easy to hit my steps goal for the day when weโ€™re outside so much! Weโ€™ve been doing yard work, the kiddos have decorated our driveway with sidewalk chalk, and weโ€™ve been playing board games at night. This whole experience has taught me how much the kids love board games! Donโ€™t Break the Ice, Jenga and Candyland have been hits. Weโ€™ve also done some puzzles, which is a good way for them to unwind and chill in the afternoon.

While I feel like weโ€™re trying our best to be positive in an otherwise horrible situation, I wonโ€™t pretend that itโ€™s been all fun and easy. Thereโ€™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, Iโ€™m going to work on revamping the Home Workout Warrior plan, and weโ€™re going to decorate a neighborโ€™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 Joeโ€™s but Iโ€™m wondering if itโ€™s worth it. Any random things youโ€™ve done to entertain the kids that have been successful??

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21 Comments

  1. Katie on April 1, 2020 at 8:12 am

    Been doing all grocery delivery from HEB (Texas chain), and I miss some of my fave items from TJโ€™s and WF. Iโ€™m 40.5 weeks pregnant, so Iโ€™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. Iโ€™m so grateful to have that as an option right now.

    • Fitnessista on April 1, 2020 at 10:50 pm

      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.

  2. Stephanie Woods on April 1, 2020 at 8:40 am

    Here in Albuquerque I feel like Trader Joeโ€™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 didnโ€™t even have wipes for the carts and had no one wiping them down with soap and water.

    Iโ€™ve been doing Trader Joeโ€™s & target drive up.

    • Amanda on April 1, 2020 at 9:10 am

      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!

      • angie on April 1, 2020 at 1:22 pm

        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.

        • Fitnessista on April 1, 2020 at 10:46 pm

          ok so tom went this evening and he said it was amazing! they had everything we needed, too
          LOVE trader joe’s <3

      • Fitnessista on April 1, 2020 at 10:48 pm

        that is so awesome. trader joe’s is the best ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Jennifer on April 1, 2020 at 2:40 pm

      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

      • Fitnessista on April 1, 2020 at 10:46 pm

        that’s so awesome. i haven’t been to target in over a month (i miss it!!!!) but that gives me hope

    • Fitnessista on April 1, 2020 at 10:49 pm

      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.

  3. Kristen on April 1, 2020 at 9:11 am

    Love the camp out idea! Itโ€™s my sonโ€™s 3rd birthday on Monday and we may have to do this:) Keep on keepinโ€™ on sweet Gina!

    • Fitnessista on April 1, 2020 at 10:48 pm

      yes! he would love it!

    • Valerie on April 2, 2020 at 8:12 pm

      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.

  4. Angie on April 1, 2020 at 9:21 am

    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!

    • Fitnessista on April 1, 2020 at 10:48 pm

      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

  5. jessie r on April 1, 2020 at 12:06 pm

    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

    • Fitnessista on April 1, 2020 at 10:47 pm

      ok i’ve heard great things about walmart pickup. i’ll definitely give it a try!

  6. Josie on April 1, 2020 at 12:07 pm

    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!

    • Fitnessista on April 1, 2020 at 10:47 pm

      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 ๐Ÿ™‚
      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

  7. Tracy on April 1, 2020 at 4:05 pm

    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.

    • Fitnessista on April 1, 2020 at 10:45 pm

      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

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