Currently in June I am:

Inspired by...

The boys. They are living their best life. Honestly they do not complain about this at-home lifestyle. Maybe once or twice at most. They are so resilient and are spending their days playing and creating even if that doesn't always look as tidy and as quiet as I wish. As I've been worried about them missing out on school and being with friends I need to remember to stop projecting worry and look at how great they are doing.

I'm also inspired by my partnership with Chris. I love how much we're on the same page with the quarantine lifestyle and how he insists on being the only person going to the store and doing any errands. He's taken on so much of the household chores while Maeve is so little and gifts me with a tidy house daily. He's also been the more optimistic one through all of this (I feel like I'm usually the super optimistic one!) and helps me to feel better when I'm starting to feel down about the situation.

Watching...

I usually watch very little streaming/television content but that's changed since being up with a baby in the middle of the night. I've been watching shows on Netflix while I rock Maeve in the glider in the middle of the night or while I hold her for a nap during the day. This month I really enjoyed watching the first season of Never Have I Ever. It was funny and poignant and I cried during the final episode. I also finished watching the last season of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. A few observations about the show: I liked getting some insight into how Jerry Seinfeld thinks about comedy and glimpsing his personality; all the footage of delicious coffee made me crave a hot cup of coffee with cream in the middle of the night; and the overwhelming majority of guests on his show are white men which was a bummer.

We've also been doing more family movie nights. We used to do them about once a month but now we do them once a week. Favorites this month included Back To The Future (definitely more bad language than we would usually allow but the boys loved it and it was awesome to watch a favorite movie and see it through their eyes for the first time) and A Wrinkle In Time. I had avoided seeing A Wrinkle In Time because it got such bad reviews and the book is one of my childhood favorites. But it was actually pretty good and the boys enjoyed it as well. They were a little bit scared during the part where Charles Wallace is possessed by the It but no lasting effects. Cedric and I watched Up which Chris and Dash had an overnight at my parents' house and Dash and I watched Fantastic Mr. Fox during Cedric's overnight date.

Reading...

I enjoyed Evvie Drake Starts Over Again and then mildly enjoyed The Two Lives of Lydia Bird. Then I flew through Such A Fun Age in two days and had to describe the entire plot to Chris. Highly recommend. Now I'm reading As Bright As Heaven, a book set during the 1918 flu pandemic which leaves me a bit unsettled but so thankful that children are not as vulnerable to covid as they were to that strain of flu.

Thinking about...

Spiking coronavirus cases in Arizona. Apparently we're one of the worst places in the world. Cool! Thinking about Chris going back to work next week. Luckily he will only need to go into the office one day per week starting in July so I'll still have some help at home. It will expose our family to an increased risk of coronavirus but all employees have to wear masks and Chris will not attend any in-person meetings so I'm glad of that. But also...with all the restrictions why make employees come in at all? Especially when cases are so high here.

Also thinking about the upcoming school year. I feel 95% sure we will not be sending the boys to in-person school. I'm sad for them and how it might affect them academically and socially. I'm sad for me and how difficult it might be to manage distance learning and a baby. I'm sad that the year won't look as I had imagined which included dropping the boys off at school and then spending slow days with Maeve. I thought I would meet friends for coffee with my cute baby and have my mother-in-law or sister-in-law babysit occasionally so I could write or go to the gym. I'd go to in-person mom groups and meet other moms with babies. I could go walking with my next door neighbor who has a one year old. After school I'd pick the boys up and go to the park with my three kids and get to chat with other moms. I'm really sad that I won't be doing any of that any time soon.

Listening to...

Without consistent time in the car or consistent evening walks I haven't been listening to audiobooks and I'm behind on my podcasts. But when I do have time for podcasts I listen to my standards: Friendlier, The Mom Hour, Still Processing, The Lazy Genius, The Journal, or Today Explained. I've also been enjoying listening to Young House Love Has A Podcast again after taking a break for a while. I found that all their DIY talk would make me feel like I should always be fixed up our house. But I am enjoying their downsizing journey and hearing about their Florida move.

When I've gone our for a few evening runs I've listened to Lizzo.

Other sounds in my life...slamming doors! This one is driving me crazy. The boys aren't slamming them on purpose but they are forgetting to quietly close doors. Especially when the air conditioner is actively running (which is often) the doors close faster leading to more slamming. It mostly seems to happen when I'm putting Maeve down for a nap. Also the sound of beyblades and the boys yelling "Let er rip!" Beyblades have been keeping them very occupied since Dash got beyblades for his birthday. So I am thankful for that but it can get kind of noisy.

Dream life...

Usually I don't remember my dreams but being woken up during the night has meant I've been remembering more of my dreams. They've all been stressful. I'm not sure if that's because of the state of the world or if that's just how my dreams would normally be. One dream that stands out is that I was in Paris (where I studied abroad in college) and was with my friend Laura. We were late for something but she insisted we go to an art museum. I also had a really stressful dream where I left Maeve in the car just for a minute to run an errand (which of course I would never do) but then the errand took an hour and I couldn't find the car. I also had a dream I was in a bad car wreck involving a bus. I was so happy to wake up from those.

Researching...

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it here before but Chris and I often indulge in a seasonal daydream of moving to the Pacific Northwest. When our lawn is crispy and the temperature forecast is all triple digits we think about tall, shady trees and abundant natural water. Perhaps especially this summer when we can't go anywhere. There are many reasons why it would be so hard to move from Arizona and we don't have any real intention to do so any time soon. But as the temperatures climb and especially as our governor refuses to take any significant action to keep Arizona citizens safe from covid I will admit that the daydream becomes more and more attractive. So researching houses and the Pacific Northwest lifestyle has been a fun middle-of-the-night nursing pastime

Cooking + eating + drinking...

I made Shutterbean's drop biscuits and turned them into breakfast sandwiches with veggie bacon. Yum. I've also been eating a lot of beans and rice. I love black beans with brown rice topped with cheese, diced pickled jalapenõs, salsa, and avocado or guacamole. I think I could eat that multiple times a week and not tire of it for a long time.

I love drinking ice water and have especially enjoyed it from my giant Yeti cup. It stays icy cold for hours. We tried the coconut yuzu sparkling beverage from Trader Joe's (a delivery from my sweet friend Shannon!) and it was delicious: smooth, bright, and with a not aggressive amount of carbonation.

Grateful for...

Coffee. I've been drinking decaf hot coffee daily and I look forward to it every morning. I make it with hot foamed half and half + cinnamon. Sometimes I add a spoonful of coconut oil to the half and half when I foam it. When I'm up with Maeve in the middle of the night I'll think, "Mmmm, there will be coffee in the morning."

What the boys are into...

Beyblades (especially Dash), playing cars (especially Cedric), building with Legos, listening to Harry Potter audiobooks. We've been enjoying the Mercy Watson short chapter books. During their Friday afternoon shows which we've made a weekly treat they like to watch the beyblade cartoons and Scooby Doo.

What Maeve is doing...

Getting her head up more and more at tummy time. Smiling and chatting – the best. Sometimes rolling onto her side but then gets stuck. Waking up usually once or twice a night but up for the day in the 5 o'clock hour – I think it's just genetic for our kids!

Missing...

Summer fun like the awesome public pool we love, going to get ice cream, and spontaneous fun.

Looking forward to...

We ordered a new rug and I can't wait to get it. We've had our current living room rug for 11 years and the white color has not held up well with kids and high traffic. Also looking forward to Cedric's half birthday on Friday. I'm going to make him this chocolate cake with whipped cream and strawberries.

I've been enjoying reflecting and creating in my It's Currently 2020 workbook. The monthly prompts from the book are the inspiration for this post.