Beatrix’s birthday

Bea is about to be 1 year old!

Yesterday was her due date, but she decided to come 10 days late (later than any of the others). I did a poll on IG regarding her birthday theme… there were two options:

• Happy Bee Day (bee theme)

• Girls Just Wanna Be One

In case you didn’t know this, bees are my fav bug. I just think they’re so cute, and they’re really good for the planet. Big fan. So that was my pick (and the poll said the same!). Then, a few people messaged me saying “You can do Bee Day for ANY birthday, but she’s only one once.” And then there was also the comment that, while that’s true, she’s going to have an opinion about the theme in the future, and this might be my only year to do the Bee theme!

So I’m still leaning toward Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and then doing 80s themed decor and cake and all that!!

As for gifts? Family has asked and honestly, I have no idea. She’s got some toys and yet still prefers to play with her siblings’ things. Or just find random things on the floor to play with. Also, she doesn’t know what a birthday is. No need to go overboard haha. I think she’ll get some new clothes (and shoes)! ❤️ 

Working out

I’ve been working out the last 3 weeks. It’s the first time in a long time I’ve actually stuck with something. Now let me say one thing… I don’t think there’s any magic workout plan (or piece of equipment). I think that whatever you do to stay healthy and active is the magic. YOU ARE THE MAGIC. If you stick with something, whatever that is, then keep up with it! Daily walks, yoga, YouTube dance videos, Pilates, CrossFit, whatever, just find what you enjoy and do some of that.

This whole cholesterol thing got me thinking lately. And from what I’m learning, two great things for your health are to cut back (or cut out) processed sugars and to increase your activity level. Try to get active 150 minutes per week (I think that’s the number)! I’ve been doing a program called Minimalift - Cam bought it on sale, and we’re both doing it. It’s 3 days per week, about 30-40 minutes each. And then I’m trying to fill in the other days with something lighter like a walk.

And also, I’ve been influenced… I got one of those vibration plates. I’ve seen it all over TikTok for a year or more. Then last week, Cameron’s grandmother came over, and we were chatting. She’s got one of those plates and was saying that it’s helped with her joint pain. It’s supposed to help with a lot of things*, so I’m going to give it a try for the next month: 20 minutes per day, and see how I feel!

*Posture, balance, joint pain - those are a few that stuck out to me!

Some kid things

Annabelle was at church camp this past week. In all her life, she’s never been away that long. The few times she’s been gone overnight, she and Alexander have stayed at my parents’ house. This was a new thing for all of us!

I asked a LOT of questions before we agreed she could go. Once I learned that every adult must complete a background check and that the swimming pool has multiple life guards on duty at all times (and otherwise the pool is gated and locked), I felt a lot better. I also know all of the adults from our church, and they texted every 3-4 hours to a big group message board, with updates and photos.

Yesterday morning I picked her up, and, although so tired (camp tired), she said she can’t wait to go to the next one. Her favorite part was the swimming pool, and her least favorite was the showers - she said the water didn’t come out that great. She also said there were green beans one night that were NOT good, and that mine are much better. 😄 

KID SONGS - Do you know of Laurie Berkner? She may be old news, but I’d never heard of her! I’m really liking the song Let’s Make a Shape. That’s a YouTube version, and from there, you can check out her other songs.

Here are 3 other kid songs we’ve currently got on rotation:

• It’s Corn

• Yum Yum Breakfast Burrito

• Bestest Friend

Two TikTok stories

(You don’t need to have TikTok to appreciate this section!!) One thing I like about TikTok is following a story from the start and getting real-time updates. Here are two recent ones that I enjoyed watching unfold:

1. Blue/Gray Couch. This lady was trying to sell a chair on FB Marketplace. She listed it as a blue chair. The buyer asked to see another picture because she thought the chair looked gray. The seller (the TikToker) came to TikTok asking what we all thought. And it was pretty unanimous - that is definitely a GRAY couch. She was not convinced. She gave us a tour of her living room, showing her olive chair (it was really just tan). And then she took an online colorblind test, live on TikTok, after which she learned that she is colorblind and had no idea. She also saw a doctor to get that confirmed! Here’s the beginning of that saga.

2. Could Be Love (Rachel’s Version). Rachel is a TikToker. She told us that she’d just heard a new song called Could Be Love by a band called Poolhouse. She said she loved the song but believed it was all out of order. She proceeded to take the pieces of the song, rearrange them on her computer, then play her version and sing along to it. Well, Poolhouse immediately went viral because of this. They ended up releasing a second version of the song called Could Be Love (Rachel’s Version), which they actually recorded WITH RACHEL. I mean, c’mon. How cool! And honestly, I really like the song; it’s super catchy. You can listen to it on Spotify or Apple Music. And if you wanna see Rachel’s original video, click here!

A few more random things

I’m in an adult coloring group on Facebook. I don’t actually color, really, but those folks are so talented. Here’s an example of a coloring page where they colored it to look like stickers!

I got some big rollers to try to make big hair (like 80s/90s). This was my best attempt, I think!! I need to figure out how to make it last longer - it falls after 3-4 hours.

That’s it for this week!

Hope you’re doing alright today, and I’ll see ya next week. If you need anything let me know! And if you have ANY feedback, like how to make hot rollers last longer, other kid songs, other fun TikTok stories I might have missed, anything at all, just reply to this email. 🙂 

❤️ Bethany

PS I had a thought about these emails. The first 3 Saturdays of the month will be a recap of the week. And then the 4th Saturday will be a “deep dive” in just one topic, like how to plan a vacation, marriage thoughts, parenting, my favorite recipes of all time, and so on. What do you think of that? And if there’s a 5th Saturday that month… I don’t know - maybe a guest author? Let me know!