Hi, how are you?

I'm restless. It's getting warmer here, even hot on some days, and I feel like we've been doing the same things most days for a while. Sure, we go to town here and there but overall, I feel sort of stuck. Every day, the same things bug me and the same things excite me. I look forward to the same few things throughout the day. Life is just one big routine, and while that is nice, I need a little excitement!

In my 20s it was my hair. Every 6-ish months I'd pick a new color (or cut). To be fair, it was typically various shades of brown or reddish-brown. I went as dark as near-black once and as light as light orange-ish. Let me find a few pictures for proof :D

Anyway, now that I'm older, I don't color my hair at all. And I try to keep it a reasonable length so that I can put it into a ponytail!

What does exciting mean for you? I think our random road trips check that box for me. And if I feel the urge to build something or create something in the kitchen, that is slightly exciting. Maybe it's time for a big project, like rearranging all of our furniture, or painting a wall bright pink, or ripping up the carpet in our bedroom, or - oh - traveling to another country! The kids have never been outside of the USA. Anyway, we'll see!

Kid stuff

I was thinking "kid stuff" could be a useful section from time to time. It would include a variety of updates:

• current favorite games

• routines

• homeschool updates

• anything that comes to mind related to my kids

• anything that comes to mind related to kids in general

If you think of anything else for this section, just let me know! It won't be a weekly thing, just as I think of enough subject matter.

1. Alexander still loves playing Zelda, but now he likes playing logic game apps too.

2. He and Annabelle play a game called Mastermind. We have a travel version, but the one we have, I can't find exactly.

3. Annabelle still likes playing this make-believe game with me: I create a scenario, and then we act it out together. For example, I'll pretend to open a door and then say, "Hi there! Do you guys have any more of your famous cupcakes?" And she jumps right into character as a baker. And we just go on from there - I give us a starting idea and a nudge, and together, we create a scene. We've done dozens of them, and sometimes I don't even know where I'm going with it when I start talking. I'm not big on make-believe play, but this is actually pretty fun!

4. Charlie is still into his CDs. (He puts them on his finger one by one then takes them all off and does it again.) A few days ago, we were at a burger place that has a giant Connect 4 yard game in the back. The red and yellow circles that you use for the game are stored on these tall poles on both sides of the board. Charlie had a blast just putting those rings on the poles. I'm not sure what skill he's practicing, but he's still really into it. :)

5. Bluey. Every day.

6. Charlie update: I mentioned a little while back that he had a dental issue. We saw one pediatric dentist then a second one. The second one offered a much simpler, quicker, less traumatic solution. That little procedure (less than 10 minutes, probably closer to 5-6) will take place mid-April.

7. Since Spring began, we've been doing a Spring craft for our arts time. Every now and then, I get questions about what we do with crafts and papers. Honestly, I don't really ever toss things that the kids have made. I give them the opportunity to look through everything first. We have several places for papers and crafts: (1) A pile on the table in their room. Once they go through and pick what they want to keep, it goes into (2) Some plastic drawers. When those drawers fill, we go through and they pick what they still want to keep. (3) A big toy chest. It holds the papers and crafts they still want to keep. For an item to get from (1) to (3), it takes nearly a year. We've had the toy chest for a long time, and it is maybe 1/2 full. Over time, the kids get less and less attached to their day-to-day creations! Anyway, that's how I handle the papers and crafts.

One thing I've seen on TikTok is these picture frames that open up in the front and hold something like 30 pictures. So you hang the frame and then stick new pictures in the frame. The only problem is that the ones I've found are $20 per frame. I would want a little gallery of them, you know? That's a few hundred dollars! Maybe there's a hack out there to make my own. 

I've also heard of Artkive, but since I've seen that my kids don't really care to hold on to too much of their art over time, I don't think Artkive makes much sense for us. But if your kid really wants to keep ALL of their drawings forever and ever, then maybe it would be a good solution for you! NOTE: Someone on Instagram messaged me ages ago saying she made her own version of an Artkive book. She took pictures of all her kids' art, then she got it printed as a photo book from some place like Shutterfly for a lot cheaper. Just an idea!

Some of my FAVORITE Whole30 meals (that we eat any time, not just on Whole30!)

At this point, I'm guessing most people have heard of Whole30 or have even done a round. But if you aren't familiar with it, let me give a very quick rundown. Whole30 is an elimination diet. It cuts out the most common foods that people are allergic or sensitive to. For 30 full days, with no exceptions or slip-ups, you are to completely cut out all gluten grains, gluten-free grains, added sugars, legumes, alcohol, and dairy. After the 30 days, you reintroduce the eliminated foods slowly, to see how your body reacts to them. Then you adjust your food choices accordingly!

• Gluten grains = anything made with flour, for example

• Gluten-free grains = rice, oats, corn

• Sugars = white sugar, coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup, stevia, etc

• Legumes = soy products, most beans, peanuts, etc

• Alcohol = not even for cooking (extracts are allowed now, though)

• Dairy = milk, cheese, yogurt, sour cream, etc

There are exceptions to all of them. For example, iodized table salt contains a small amount of sugar, but you can still have it. Also, sugar is often listed in the nutrition facts - that's fine as long as it isn't ADDED sugar. 

I won't get all into it now - you can find out all you need on the Whole30 website and forums. We do a round, or partial round, 1-2 times per year. Why, you may ask? I've got a strong desire to eat sugar and bread round the clock. I can sometimes moderate myself, but when I start noticing I'm making a batch of cookies, brownies, cupcakes, whatever, once or twice a day, then I usually do a Whole30 (full or partial) to help kick that craving!* Anyway, let's get to my favorite Whole30 meals. 

1. Sloppy Joe bowls with sweet potatoes - DOUBLE IT!

2. Chicken cabbage soup - This one reminds me so much of chicken and dumplings!

3. Pizza spaghetti pie - I use ground beef rather than sausage.

4. Shepherd's pie - This one takes foreeeever. I usually make a bigger batch!

5. Sweet potato bowl (it's like pudding!)

6. Cracklin chicken - This one makes a big splattery mess. Use a Dutch oven or cover your skillet with a lid or baking sheet. We usually eat it with something green and oven fries.

7. Veggie fried rice - Use cauliflower rice. I'm telling you, it's basically indistinguishable from real rice here. And for the soy sauce, use coconut aminos!

*I have been reading about intuitive eating. Once I learn a little more I’ll chat about it, in a future email!🥰

Games and shows to check out

Every day, I play Wordle and Hurdle. Everyone knows Wordle at this point. Hurdle is a variation of Wordle. It's a series of 5 words instead of just 1. The catch is that the first guess on word #2 is the answer for word #1. The first guess for word #3 is the answer for word #2. And for word #5? The first FOUR guesses are the four previous answers, so you only have TWO guesses to figure out the last word!

Sometimes I also play Quordle, too, which is 9 guesses to figure out 4 words. 

My dad plays them and texts me every day with his scores. I'm not sure I'd play them anymore if it weren't our "thing." That's what makes it special for me. (He reads these emails too so, HI DAD 🥰)

A game I play that's not really a game is based on the clock. I try to find a way to relate the numbers to each other. My favorite streak, if you will, is between 3:26-3:31. Let me explain:

• 3:26 ---> 3 times 2 equals 6

• 3:27 ---> 3 cubed is 27 (or 3 times 3 to the second power is 27)

• 3:28 ---> the 3rd power of 2 is 8

• 3:29 ---> 3 to the 2nd power is 9

• 3:30 ---> 3 minus 3 equals 0

• 3:31 ---> 3 divided by 3 equals 1

Not everyone will find that fun. 😅 But maybe a few of you will!

Some time recently I realized I've started and not finished a LOT of shows. Some shows, I don't plan to ever finish because I just didn't like them enough. But there are plenty of good ones I'd like to check off my list. Here are a few I liked:

Archive 81, Netflix. It has only been one season so far, but it was so good. A bit sci-fi, thriller, mystery. Really creepy sometimes. Cam and I loved it.

OMITB (Only Murders in the Building), Hulu. Really funny, great cast. Need to watch season 2!

Ted Lasso, Apple TV+. A lot of people said Season 2 was not as good as Season 1, and so we've not started that second season yet. We really liked the first though!

Locke and Key, Netflix. It's been around a while, but we never watched Season 2. The first season was SO cool. Really neat show and a lot of fun to watch!

Pretty Little Liars (the new one!), HBO. I have seen the whole original PLL, but this new one, a lot different, is actually pretty good! I just need to finish it!

That's not my whole list, but it's enough for now. What are you watching right now? I prefer watching a movie to a TV show, honestly! What about you?

Garden update!

Quick update - I shared this to IG recently, but I know not all of you are on there.

We have 7 rows plus two fence/trellis rows. It's HUGE, guys. I didn't mean for it to be so big! We'll do our best with it. So far, here's what we have planted:

• zucchini

• several types of tomato

• 2 types of carrot

• 3 types of corn

• eggplant

• 2 types of cucumber

• Swiss chard

• watermelon

• snap beans

• herbs

• some bee and butterfly-attracting flowers

We still need to plant our sweet potatoes, potatoes, winter squash, and celery, but I believe that's it 😏 for our Spring planting. I'm hoping a lot of it prospers! I'll keep you posted. 🥰

That's it for this week. Have a good one!❤️ Bethany

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