Inspired by...

creating content for my RISING*SHINING audioblog and the lovely comments I've received from listeners. Thank you! My goal this year was to produce audioblog content for the months of April and October but now I'm wondering if I can keep it up regularly. I'm not ready to fully commit to that but I'm percolating the idea.

Purchased...

summer capsule wardrobe items like another pair of my favorite Patagonia quick-dry shorts, two tank tops, and swim shorts. I also bought the percale sheets from Brooklinen I've been eyeing for awhile. I am obsessed with them! They're soft yet cool and crisp. Every time I turn over during the night I think about how much I love our new sheets. Typically an underbuyer I'm so proud of myself for spending more to get really good sheets since we've used our old sheets for at least a decade.

Reading...

My reading pace has slowed a little bit, perhaps because it's warming up and I'm not taking as long of walks with Maeve. I'm on a murder-mystery kick and enjoyed Sweet Little Lies and Persons Unknown, both recommended by Anne who is a reading kindred spirit as we enjoy so many of the same books. I also listened to The Four Winds which was heavy, whew! The book follows Elsa as she lives through the Dust Bowl in Texas and then in California. In school I learned about the broad strokes of the Dust Bowl but The Four Winds brought the bleak hardship to life. Even though the book tells a difficult story I would recommend it to learn more about a time period in American history. I also felt deeply grateful for all the comforts in my life that I take for granted while reading about not having water, living in cardboard boxes, and the appalling pay rates. I just finished listening to The Midnight Library and didn't love it; it reminded me a little of Oona Out of Order which I didn't love. Currently I'm reading Finlay Donovan is Killing It, which is fun, and just started listening to In Five Years – another love story with a time travel-esque element. Playing with time seems to be a popular plot device lately which is kind of interesting although I think it's hard to do well.

Thinking about...

the last month of school for the boys and our summer plans. I'm thinking of a loose daily rhythm and how to break up the long, hot weeks. I really enjoy our school-year routines but with a 6- and 8-year old plus having more activities available I'm starting to look forward to our summer routines, too. I'm expecting the public pools to be open this summer, the return of a summer favorite, and I would feel comfortable taking the boys. We're looking into doing a few weeks of summer camps plus we booked flights to Austin for mid-July! I also have a couple of day-trip adventures in mind that I'd like to take the boys on. Good things to look forward to.

January 2019 / April 2021

Loving...

our front and backyard. Our palo verde trees have grown so much in the three years since we planted them and they now offer ample, precious shade. They are heavy with yellow flowers and I even find their flower "litter" to be lovely. This is our first spring since re-doing out backyard. I'm enjoying adding new plants to our beds and puttering in the yard which Maeve loves too.

Researching...

Even though it's months away I'm already thinking about how Maeve will sleep in Austin. Sleep is so hard-won I'm nervous about any change. Maeve will be 15 months old when we travel to Austin – any recommendations for the best travel sleeping arrangements? I'm intrigued by the SlumberPod, which is like a black-out tent that goes over a pack-and-play. In addition, I could have a thicker, more comfortable pack-and-play mattress delivered to my parent's house (pack-and-play mattresses are so thin and hard!). Tell me your tips and that it will be okay.

Cooking + eating + drinking...

We tried the seitan "barbeque" pizza from The High Protein Vegetarian Cookbook and it was delicious. For Easter at my sister-in-law's house we brought cupcakes from The Coffee Shop which are hands-down the best and most beautiful cupcakes. For Maeve and then Dash's birthdays we had a vanilla oat cake with vanilla yogurt frosting and then an ice cream cake from Cold Stone Creamery. As always, our frequent Friday takeout from Uprooted Kitchen has been a tasty treat at the end of the week. Recently I especially loved herb mac and cheese with lentils and carrots and a Thai peanut flatbread. And their mint-chocolate brownie was so filling I saved some to have the next morning with my coffee. Yes.

Grateful for...

eleven years of marriage to Chris. Even after spending nearly an entire year together in our house he's still my favorite.

Also, being back at Orange Theory! I have never loved running on a treadmill so much. So far I have only gone to mask-required classes and everyone wears a mask the entire time. Wearing a mask while working out is not terrible and I'm getting used to it. At the same time I don't feel very worried and might take some mask-optional classes as well.

What the boys are into...

Playing street hockey with neighborhood friends, playing "the floor is lava," reading the new library books I bring home and set out on the couch for them , and playing Minecraft which is a new thing in our house. Also, Dash turned 8! He is friendly, kind, and passionate. He dotes on Maeve and she reaches for him to hold her – my heart melts! He has strong opinions and parenting can come with a lot of powers struggles. I think we're able to navigate those better lately (by not engaging in power struggles) and I see him maturing emotionally. He is really fun to be with and I love our conversations. I'm so excited for 8 for him.

I especially want to remember an evening I spend with the boys last week. I took the boys out for haircuts and a picnic dinner date. I had so much fun with them. I think they both loved how "big kid" they looked after their haircuts – their first professional ones in a year. We ordered takeout pizza from MOD and then I let them pick out a giant cookie to share from a new place that opened near our house.  We had a picnic in the grass at the Riparian Preserve where the boys ate a few bites then sprinted to the playground to climb and then sprinted back. Afterwards, we walked up to the overlook while the boys told me the surprising number of facts they know about butterflies. They climbed trees and played near the water until it was dusk.

What Maeve is doing...

Saying "Uh!" for up, signing "more," and "milk" for nurse. Maeve loves to be outside and points to our back door. Every day we spend some time in the shade of our palo verde trees, looking at the flowers or sitting on the ground under them. Maeve's naps have improved so much but are still throwing us for a loop. There has been much less crying for naps overall and many naps where she hasn't cried at all which has been great. But the timing is still so inconsistent which perhaps is just her way but I find it really challenging for every day to be different. Within the past week some days she took two naps and sometimes one. Perhaps she's in between two naps and one and she'll find a better rhythm when she drops the second nap entirely. Other than naps Maeve is easy as babies go and I'm thankful for that.

Looking forward to...

planting new plants in our backyard, wrapping up a month of audioblogging, scheduling my first pedicure in over a year, and my parents visiting in the middle of May.

I hope you found good things in April, friends!