Each week, I start to look forward to the weekend but other than going outdoors for a bit, our weekends are spent at home. I’m trying to focus on gratitude right now – thankful we are both employed and able to work remotely, that we have a comfortable home, a full fridge and pantry, enough devices for our children to do their remote schoolwork, an outdoor space for them to play, etc. There is SO much to be thankful for – we are safe, healthy and stable.
I spend each weekend cleaning (our wonderful cleaning lady isn’t coming right now due to the social distancing/safe at home guidelines set in place) and have come to enjoy it. Kevin got me AirPods and I listen to an audiobook as I clean bathrooms, floors, do laundry, change bed sheets, etc.
I touched on this on Instagram last week, but for me, cleaning is a way that I cope with my anxiety through all of this, providing a sense of control among the chaos. Cleaning, organizing and making things neat and tidy literally brings me a sense of calm. Since we’re at home 24/7, I notice the messes more (because we are home all day to make more messes!) I’ve accepted that our home will be messier in this season – the kids leave their toys and projects everywhere, our kitchen island is always full of things and the dust bunnies seem to be breeding despite my daily efforts.
I find myself vacuuming daily (something I never did daily before since we didn’t spend a lot of time at home) and cleaning our mirrors and countertops more often. I’m sure many of you can relate – and many of you are probably feeling the opposite – unmotivated, isolated, not wanting to take on many projects or tasks or depleted of energy. All of that is normal and OK. Whatever best serves your mental health right now is the best thing you can be doing.
HOME UPDATES
I spent some time last weekend switching around the furniture in Harper’s room. As a reminder, she used to have desks flanking each side of her bed like in the first photo below. I never intended to keep to like that, but was waiting to come up with a better vision for her space/source new pieces.
I ended up moving her dresser next to her bed and I love it there so far. I think I’d like to do a shelf on the other side or possibly a larger night stand. I moved the console desk to the right side of her room and her other desk to the little nook where the dresser used to be. You can shop Harper’s room here and see her room in our old house here. Her wall color is Melted Ice Cream by Benjamin Moore at 10% lighter.
As you can see, we haven’t had her curtains installed nor have we hung mirrors or artwork – I’d rather figure out furniture placement first.
WHAT I’M LISTENING TO (READING)
I finished a few books on Audible recently – Open Book by Jessica Simpson, The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell and You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. I’m not able to listen while I commute since I’m working remotely now, so I just fit in chapters here and there as I get ready in the morning, do my skincare routine at night, while painting my nails, etc. I LOVED all three books and recommend them if you’re looking for a good read. The next book I will start is either In Five Years or Verity.
WHAT I’M WEARING
I wear leggings, a sports bra and cotton long-sleeved top every.single.day. I’m not even going to pretend otherwise. I admire those quarantining in jeans, I really do, but I want to be comfortable while working from home. Plus, wearing workout clothes means I’m ready to start my workout as soon as my work is done for the day.
My most worn items weekly are the following: ALO 7/8 leggings (these are my favorite splurge leggings – smooth as butter, perfect length and great support in the high waist), these amazon leggings (a steal at $25!), these amazon leggings (similar to these spanx leggings, which are very flattering and offer great compression).
For tops, I’m rotating between this one, this one and this one. I have to wear long sleeves because I’m always cold when the AC is running all day. I’ve also started wearing socks everyday to keep my feet warm and comfortable.
THINGS I ORDERED RECENTLY:
- This Sorrento patio set, which was 30% off – we are still waiting on the couch to be delivered but the other pieces have arrived and they’re beautiful!
- This root cover-up spray
- These bookends
- This mascara
- This steam mop to clean our tile floors (in our bathrooms and laundry room)
- This ring light
LIFE LATELY
Kevin and I are both working remotely full-time and it has not been easy. As some of you might be experiencing with your own kids, it’s hard when they’re out of their normal routines. Harper has been OK – she has a lot of zoom calls everyday and she loves to read quietly in her room and do schoolwork. Lincoln does have some activities from his preschool, but at his age, it’s harder for him to engage since everything is on a screen. I got him an ABC Mouse subscription and he likes that but sometimes it’s just too much screen time. He’s used to circle time, centers, etc., so I don’t think this screen-heavy model of learning is easy for younger kids. The kids play well together but sometimes the rough housing and fighting gets to be a lot – I get it – it’s hard to be together 24/7 with no break.
We’re doing our best and are so so so thankful we moved when we did. Our kids have a backyard now and we are able to see them clearly from anywhere in our main living space or we can work on the patio (thank goodness for WiFi!)
This is such a huge and unprecedented change for everyone and I know there are many families struggling with working from home, being an essential worker and feeling scared, job loss, reduced hours etc. I just pray we can all get through this and that everyone practices social distancing so this can be over sooner. I pray for everyone affected in any way – this is such a difficult time.
I’m trying to take a few snapshots every day to document this time period. Just remember the for every photo with a smile, there have been time outs, tears and frustration and impatience for all of us.
HEALTH & WELLNESS
I recently had a ton of blood work done as part of my annual physical. All of my levels were normal except for my vitamin D levels, which were very low. This didn’t surprise me because they’ve been low for over a decade. I use to take prenatal vitamins when we were TTC and pregnant, but I fell off the wagon with that. I’m taking vitamin D now and also purchased more supplements to ensure I’m doing all I can to stay healthy. I also have a heterozygous MTHFR mutation, so I’m getting back on l-methylfolate. The supplements I’m integrating include: (please talk to your doctor before integrating supplements into your diet)
- Vitamin D
- L-methylfolate
- Calm biotic (a probiotic said to help with stress/anxiety)
- Fish oil
- Min Chex (I have not taken this yet, am still doing some research on this supplement, which is also said to help with anxiety)
- Magnesium citrate
I’m doing great with my at-home workouts as well. I’m still doing P.volve most days and 1-2 Melissa Wood Health workouts per week. I try to workout as soon as my work day is complete (aka: the time I’d spend commuting home from the office). I’m finding 30-35 minute long workouts are the sweet spot for me – but Melissa’s workouts are challenging enough that even 20 minutes feels amazing. The goal is really to move as often as possible – it doesn’t matter for how long – I truly believe that the consistency of movement is more important than the intensity. Y’all know I favor movement that is slower, intentional and focused. I have already noticed that my abdominal area in particular is getting stronger and more sculpted, which is really exciting! Most importantly, I feel better when I move most days of the week. I’m also big on listening to my body. There are some days where I just don’t want to workout and that’s OK! I take it easy and let myself veg out a bit in the evening.
I hope you all have a nice weekend – thanks for being in this space and continuing to read my blog, send me DMs on Instagram, etc. I appreciate the ability to connect with everyone during this time.
SHOP THIS POST
You comments on cleaning really resonate with me. I also find myself cleaning when I am looking for control in other aspects of my life. And I find a clean organized home gives me space to be more focused in other areas of life and not obsessing about the dust bunnies. Our family is now cleaning on Saturdays and everyone is pitching in (I have older kids) so it is a good lesson for the kids too.
It is stressful working at home with the kids. I won’t tell you the old line to enjoy it, they are only young once. It isn’t possible to always enjoy it. But I think everyone is learning resilience and patience from this experience.
Thanks for leaving such a thoughtful comment 🙂 I really appreciate it!
I FEEL you on the root coverup! The person I miss the most in all this is my amazing hair stylist! Thanks for this wonderful peek into your world!
I can’t believe how dirty our house is now that everyone is home 24/7. We used to clean and polish the wood floors once a month, now it’s every week. I’m so glad we have a Roomba! But it doesn’t get everything. We are lucky though because both my husband and I are working from home so we can take turns with the kids during calls and meetings. We have a toddler and he’s into everything. Our school aged daughter gets grumpy from being home all the time. I really enjoy your blog. It’s nice to be able to read about other families during this difficult time.