Family picture outfits on a budget

On Saturday we went on a family excursion that often leaves mothers stressed, kids frazzled and asking where their bribe treat is, and husbands generally wishing the whole ordeal was over so that the great memento of this occasion could already be hanging on the wall of their house.

The event? Annual family pictures.

I think the most stressful part of it all is not the “day of,” you know, getting everyone dressed and out the door on time, but the days before, days of scrambling to pull outfits together that coordinate. All so that one shot turns out picture perfect.

Four fall recipes to try

October: cooler days, darker mornings, and the agonizing decision of what to be for Halloween. (To that point, in case you were wondering: it does not appear that anyone makes Zelda: Breath of the Wild costumes for seven year old girls, and yes: this is a crushing blow for one seven year old girl in our home, but I digress.) Beyond grabbing some mums and a few decorative gourds for the front entry, I don't do much for decorating for fall. However, there are a few festive fall favorite recipes that I've collected (not created) and love to make as a surprise for my kids.

Spooky Pretzel Bark

A Bucket List Trip

Eight days, seven states, and 2,600 miles later we are home from our annual fall camping trip. We headed to northwest Wyoming, and while we were in the park for six days, I know we barely scratched the surface of exploring Yellowstone National Park.

What we did experience was breathtaking and majestic. Geothermal wonders of boiling hot springs and erupting geysers awed us. Howling wolves, bugling elks, and a glittering Milky Way amid a vast display of stars filled our evenings. We gazed in awe at a bald eagle taking flight on a chilly morning, spotted a lone wolf out hunting, observed a mother bear and her two cubs gathering berries, and watched hundreds of bison. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, the "other" Grand Canyon in the United States, greeted us with her signature yellow color and rugged wilderness. In short: it was spectacular.

Five things I'm loving for school

I'm always looking for easy-to-implement ideas that make my life less chaotic and more streamlined. Especially when they help during our school day. These five things that I'm loving are all easy to implement, work well, and have withstood the test of time (that is, I am still using them more than twelve months later). Even if you aren't a homeschooler or a parent with school aged children, you may find some of these tips useful, or you can forward this email to someone you think would benefit from them! In no particular order...

Flashcards

Don't fall into fear

I used to love the season of fall more than anything else.

The cool mornings.

The warm afternoons.

Overcoming a stigma

This week I’m sharing something that generally has a stigma.

Weight.

More specifically: Weight Watchers.

We lived in Southern California for eight years before we set foot into Disneyland. When we finally did visit the park, it wasn't because our kids were clamoring for it or because we had planned for it. It was an accident, really.

When we returned from my daughter's Make-a-Wish trip, we had funds from Make-a-Wish left over. They were so generous and had given us so much to make her trip special — and it was! But at the end of the trip there was still a bit left over, so we decided to use it to purchase tickets to Disneyland.

I quickly realized that we were going to become "one of those families," the kind who can't seem to stay away. The family who will homeschool on Labor Day in order to spend Tuesday at “the happiest place on earth.”

I often feel like people misunderstand why we like going. It isn't because we love thrill rides (but Space Mountain is a favorite) or because we love Mickey and Minnie so much we need to see them frequently. It isn't because the food is amazing (though I do recommend The Grey Stuff) or because the people-watching is superb (which, to be honest: it really is).

Saying thanks

Monday morning found us with shoes on, lunches packed, and backpacks by the door for carpool pick up. Hugs. Kisses. And then? Silence. Everyone was at school.

It was the first time in 18 months that someone else was teaching all four of my kids. I had trouble deciding what to do with my day because I was so excited. Much the same happened on Friday morning. I was happy to have some of the responsibility lifted off my shoulders. The kids were learning at school instead of in my dining room. The relief was beautiful, sweet, and so very needed.

On Friday during pick-up I passed the school principal. She is always outside for the pick-up and drop-off line. I thought about everything that she had been doing this year. It is no small feat to navigate thousands of students, some of whom are new to school or who haven't been back to school for a year and a half. I can’t imagine the difficulty she has faced in navigating how best to handle pandemic policies. So, I told her that I deeply appreciated the planning she and her team had put into all the moving parts at school—and how especially thankful I was that my kids could return this week.

Cocktail Night: The Negroni

Last school year my husband and I started something that has become a beloved Thursday night tradition: Cocktail Night.

The long and short of the inception of Cocktail Night came after a few weeks (months?) of quarantine in 2020. Since “staying in” was the new normal, we decided to designate one specific night (as opposed to four) each week as "cocktail night." We picked Thursday because our kids are done with school by Thursday afternoon. Thursday night felt like a Friday night. We treat Cocktail Night similarly to going out for a date: kids to bed by 8PM, we dress nicely, and sip a cocktail (or two) while listening to a record. (As I write this I realize this makes us sound like an old married couple. Perhaps? But, truthfully, I don't care, and I'm here for it.)

Cocktail Night started with the goal of enjoying one kind of cocktail per month. Each month we wanted to learn to make one cocktail exceptionally well. We figured that by the end of the year we’d have learned how to make twelve good cocktails and we would eventually have plenty of options to offer when entertaining friends.

Choosing joy

If you expect to find joy in everyday life, you will. In the sunshine, in the errands, in ferrying kids from here to there, in forgiveness offered and forgiveness given, in your relationships, in your health, in your friends, as summer fades and you start to fill lunchboxes, as you fold laundry.

If you expect to find joy in all the little corners of your life, you will. Be it the big stuff that weighs on your heart and keeps you up worrying, or the little joys of watching your kids work together to find fun ways to play. (Like taking over the entire dining room with a homemade cardboard airport complete with runways made of cereal boxes and hundreds of Matchbox cars in the parking lot.)

If you expect to find joy and beauty in all the little bits of ordinary that make up your life, you will. So here's to finding just that.

Clinging to summer (not quite ready for school)

This year will be our sixth year of homeschooling and (ready or not) the first day is sneaking up. Usually by this point of summer I can sense that it's time to resume the school year routine. By August I'm typically excited to start planning lessons and I’m typically always glad to see the curriculum arrive on my doorstep.

But this year? I'm not quite ready.

A perfect pie crust

I have few memories of my Grandma Great.

And one of them is pie.

Peach pie to be exact.

Three handy camping hacks

Last week we took a quick camping trip with friends to the San Bernardino Mountains. The two dozen or so kids who were there took over large swaths of the campground road with their bikes and games. There were cornhole tournaments for the adults. There was a campfire every night. Basically, we had a great time reconnecting with friends.

When we go camping we like to walk around to see how other people set up their campsite. The different combinations of tents, trailers, canopies, and camp kitchens are endless—and it's always fun to tweak your own setup after you've been inspired by someone else's.

Everyone camps a little differently. Some of the little things that we do were things our friends had never tried before—and vice versa. So, here's a quick run-down of three camping hacks that our family has found useful.

The best field trip ever

Even though summer is still in full swing in our corner of the world, I've been starting to brainstorm the list of fun activities for the school year ahead because a little bit of planning in advance keeps the coming school year from getting too stuffed with scheduled activities. As I was planning, I remembered one of the best field trips we've ever taken. I thought I’d share it in case you might be able to arrange something similar for your kids, homeschool, or classroom.

The best field trip ever, you ask? Yep. In fact, we still talk about it.. It was the field trip to In-n-Out.

In-n-Out is a staple food in Southern California and our family’s favorite place to get burgers. Which is why it was such a special treat to get a tour "behind the counter."

When I first stepped into the Pacific Ocean ten years ago, my toddler bolted straight in. Mind you, this was not a planned beach day. It was an, “Oh, hey, we are driving over here—and look! There’s the ocean! Let’s put our toes in the sand!” kind of day. I chased after her, but she was fast and I was very pregnant and very slow. By the time I got her she was soaked. There were no clean clothes in the car and there was sand everywhere. EVERYWHERE. I was shocked by how much work those fifteen minutes of “toes in the sand” cost me as a mama..⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I must have waited almost a year before going back to the beach with my kids. Going to the beach with small kids is just hard. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good for them. They benefit from the experiences, the small risks, the time playing outdoors, and the exploration.

But it’s also a lot of hard work for parents.. It's no cakewalk attempting to simultaneously smear sunscreen on a wriggling toddler while keeping it out of their eyes. It's exhausting to tirelessly teach toddlers how to judge the size of the waves while standing by to quickly retrieve them when they judge wrong.. It's no vacation to coach your child on how to keep your spot in sight while they are in the water. They have to learn hand signals that say "too far out", "just right", or “too far to the left". I won’t even mention the currents that slowly carry them further north or south along the shore.

And sand. So much sand. Sand in hair. Sand in mouths. Sand in eyes. Sand. Everywhere. Moms don’t typically need to bring a chair to the beach because they know they won’t have a chance to sit down.

Resetting a few habits

Halfway through the year and it's time to check in. How are you doing with your New Year's resolutions?

Just kidding. Don't panic.

Recently I was reflecting on the habits that I had promised myself to form. I’ve kept several of those promises, but halfway through the year I realize that there are some I haven’t. So now is a good time to revisit those promises because they’re still important to me.

One hour a day, one day a week, one week a year

Several years ago, a book called The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch crossed my husband's desk. After reading it he passed it on to me, and after the fifth (sixth?) time he invited me to read it, I finally did. In a nutshell (from the back of the book jacket), The Tech-Wise Family "moves beyond the typical questions a family has of what, where, and when to show us that in a world full of devices, there's a way to choose a better life than we've imagined."

(A note about devices: Andy Crouch has a whole section on rest vs. leisure. His point is that we should have rest on our days off, not leisure. He would argue that social media scrolling is leisure and reading a book via Kindle is rest. You can read more about his thoughts on this topic in The Tech-Wise Family. He covers it in chapter 3.)

When I read The Tech-Wise Family the first time, I patted myself on the back for a few things. I felt validated that (as Andy suggested) we had screen-free family dinner together almost every night.. (Go us!) And while we hadn't avoided TV for our kids before the age of 10, (Highest praise for the parents who have the stamina to do this!), we did (and still do) have just one TV in our entire house. The rest of the stuff Andy Crouch mentioned in the book? I chalked all of that up to "Well, that's great for him! I'll think about that next year."

A celebration

Last week was beautiful. My entire immediate family (my family, all my siblings and their families, and my parents) were under the same roof for the first time in at least five years. We were together to celebrate a milestone: our parents’ 40th wedding anniversary.

I have always been thankful for my parents’ marriage and the family that they raised. It is no small parenting feat to raise five children into adults who still get along and talk to each other. It is also no small feat for a marriage to last for forty years. I admire my parents’ dedication to each other and I respect the work they put into their marriage. I cherish their commitment to their Savior.

Last week was a wonderful way to mark and honor what a blessing their four decades of marriage have been. We celebrated the impact that they made on their children and their children's children by spending a week together at a beautiful beach house outside of Galveston, TX.

Girls Hiking Club

Our first hike into the Grand Canyon this spring was an ill-fated one. It was hot, true, but less than a mile into the hike, I could tell something more than the heat and difficulty was going on. It was the mindset of my older children: they had mentally given up five minutes into the hike.. We told our hiking companions we couldn't continue. We needed to turn around. I was frustrated because I knew my kids were physically capable of doing the hike, but their mindset wasn’t up for the challenge.

Mindset is tricky. It's one of the hardest things I've had to teach because it’s not something I can teach from a book. It's hard to conceptually explain grit , perseverance, and confidence. It has to be learned by doing. And doing can only be done if I have presented them with the opportunity over and over again. As I hiked with them back out of the Grand Canyon, I decided a positive mindset was something we needed to “learn by doing” this summer.

6 Things I'm Loving This Summer

Sometimes I just like the easy button. I want to know exactly what someone is liking best right now: The pair of shorts they feel fabulous in, a list of the essentials that are making their life easier this summer, a new place to check out. It could be anything, really. A recommendation from a friend means a lot more to me than something I only found on Pinterest. I imagine this list would be the kind of list that I would share with you if we were having a cup of coffee together. Or an Aperol Spritz—scroll down for the recipe!

If you are like me, curious about what other people's summer favorites are, then in no particular order...

1. A not-too-floppy beach hat

Saving Summer

Nothing screams "Summer Fun" like planned fun.

Just kidding.

Kind of.

Some thoughts on motherhood

Something I heard on a podcast about mothering struck me several years ago. The host mentioned that she made it a point to surround herself with mothers at all stages of motherhood. She intentionally made friends with mothers who were at the same stage of life as she was, along with the mom who had younger babies and toddlers, while also being friends with the mom who had children several years older than hers.

I thought that was such wise advice. Each stage of motherhood has its own struggles. There are times in each season where I have found myself needing to lean on someone else who is right there with me in the trenches; commiserating with me about the sleepless nights or laughing with me as we swap stories of toddler shenanigans. Each stage of motherhood also needs a mentor. For me, this is someone who has walked where I’ve walked and is on the other side cheering me on with their kind words and good example. And in each stage I have found that I have something to give to another mom: being a mentor simply by encouraging her that she can do this motherhood thing, too.

Last week our family marked another first, and another last. First child to enter middle school, and last child to graduate from kindergarten.

A crowd pleaser

A few years ago my husband told me how much he enjoys cooking. He told me it’s a great mental break and helps him switch gears from work to home life. It even relieves some stress.. This was excellent news because I don’t like cooking. For me, cooking often means a rushed, stress-inducing, last-minute effort to get a chicken from the freezer to the table in 30 minutes or less. (Spoiler: you can’t.) So, after thirteen years of me shouldering the cooking, we made the switch and haven't looked back.

I note this because I can't take credit for the recipe I'm about to share. But I’m happy to drop it in your inbox today because it’s easy to prep, especially for people like me who struggle to thaw everything more than 30 minutes before mealtime. Not only that, every member of our family (even the picky eaters) really love this dish. It's one of those no-fail recipes you need to put into your meal rotation this summer.

I hope you enjoy it as much as our family does!

Someday is today

One morning last summer I was halfway up a mountain gasping for breath when a man about 30 years my senior passed right by—effortlessly, it seemed.. He wasn’t even panting as he climbed the toughest stretch of the trail. No stopping. No slowing.. As I watched him trek steadily upward, I became irritated with myself and my inability to catch my breath. Long after the man had passed I was still doubled over and in between gasps for air I said to my husband, "I gave birth to twins. I should be able to do this!"

That morning I faced the harsh reality that I had been denying for years. I was out of shape. And not just a little.

That morning was the turning point for me, the point where I realized I needed to get serious about making exercise a priority. It was the point where I realized that I could no longer claim postpartum, twin pregnancy, or "busy mother of toddlers" as an excuse for not taking care of my physical well being.

A few things I've learned about handling stress

Different seasons of our life bring different kinds of stress—from the small stressors that pop up then go away, to the big, long-lasting problems that are far beyond our control (I'm eyeing you 2020).

Facing my daughter’s leukemia a few years ago taught me that while I can’t control what challenges I face, I can control my reaction to them. So, if this spring is getting stressful for you, here are the top three things I do to manage my own stress before it spirals out of control.

Tidy up

The next right thing

Last summer I spent some time reflecting on my approach to homeschooling. For years I had been feeling like something wasn’t quite right with the direction we were taking, but it was difficult for me to put my finger on what exactly needed to change. In some decisions, like this one, the needed changes seem to be so large that it’s easier to keep ignoring the problems. My husband and I took the time for some challenging conversations while trying to decide what to do about school. We wondered what was best for our family and what was best for our kids.

By August we had decided on several changes in order to promote a more peaceful and productive learning environment in our home. Now, as I look back as the school year draws to a close, I can see how a few key changes contributed to a positive year.

Here’s to saying yes

It’s hard to say yes when you already feel overwhelmed by what’s on your plate. And in the pandemic year with so many new obligations, my kids didn’t hear yes as much as I’d have liked. We said yes to a lot of things, sure, but it feels like we had to say no to even more. No vacation, no parties, no playdates, no sleepovers.

I wish I could have had more magical moments where a joyful yes to kindergarteners would result in them jumping up and down with delight with surprise. I wish I could have said yes to more mother/daughter dates with my older daughters. I’d have loved to give them my full attention to make memories for just us.

But I couldn’t. Circumstances beyond my control required the answer no. "No. Nope. We can't. Maybe next year." Over and over.

The past two weeks our family has been camping in two amazing National Parks. We first headed east to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The rim greeted us with wild beauty and beautiful vistas. The canyon seemed to turn every color of the rainbow depending on the time of day that we perched on the rim or entered into its rugged wilderness. The stars came alive at night. We could easily see the Milky Way. After five days at the Canyon, we headed north to majestic Yosemite with its stunning valley, world renowned waterfalls, stately gray granite mountains, snow capped peaks, and cascading rapids.

When I'm in a national park I am always struck by the stories of their conception and the jarring realization that these parks were at one time not protected and not guaranteed. It was the work of a handful of (rather adamant) conservationists who advocated to set aside the beautiful landscapes that have come to embody the national parks as we know them today. When pioneers moved west and discovered such canyons and valleys, the push was to commercialize every bit of land. To cut down the Giant Sequoias for their lumber. To hunt all of the buffalo that roamed in Wyoming. To build dams which would flood beautiful valleys. To build hotels and restaurants over the edge of the Grand Canyon. I love stories of those who worked to preserve bits of wilderness for those who had not yet been born. My favorite example is the story of John Muir convincing President Theodore Roosevelt of this grand idea around a simple campfire in the Yosemite Valley.

I love to see who else is delighting in the grandeur of the parks I visit. National parks are for everyone. They are for the family who wants to go camping and exploring in the park. They are for the backpacker who wants to carry all of his gear on his back, hike ten miles into the wilderness, and camp in the backcountry. They are for the older couple who stays at the lodge to take in the scenery. The parks are for the rich and the poor alike. They are for the hiker intent on hiking to the bottom of the canyon. Each park is for the international traveler who has heard of the wonders of the American West and travels around the world to see it with her own two eyes. The parks are for the children to have a chance to see wild animals in their natural habitat. The parks are unique in that they were preserved for every single person to enjoy.

Audra’s Mother's Day Gift Guide

I'm not exactly a sucker for gift guides, but there have been several times that I've blanked when my husband asked me what I wanted for an occasion. I often tell myself, "Don't forget to put this on your wish list..." But, of course, I forget. That’s when I turn to gift guides.

The problem is that I often get the impression that the bloggers who publish gift guides haven’t actually used most of the products that they are recommending. This gift guide isn't like that. The items here are items I actually own and use. And they are all items that I have received as gifts before! I recommend each of these items for your Mother’s Day wish list.

Some Sabbath Rest

I used to always dwell on the “what ifs” in the face of a crisis. When my daughter, Eva, faced leukemia, I obsessed over the stories I heard about children who did not survive or those who relapsed. I would stay up until 2:30 in the morning to read articles, studies and medical journals. I searched to find anything to tell me why this happened so I could prevent it from happening again. ⁣⁣⁣

Finally, I realized that I needed to shut the door to information overload. In particular it meant a big break on social media from strangers who meant well (and with whom I often agreed), but whose commentary didn’t really help. I had to guard my heart against dwelling in dens of worry.

The “what ifs” are terrifying the moment an oncologist tells you it’s likely your child has cancer. The “what ifs” are terrifying when that one thing that you thought would never happen does, in fact, happen. The “what ifs” can drown you if you let them.⁣⁣⁣

Audra's Guide to Joshua Tree National Park

I have a thing for National Parks. My family loves to visit, explore, hike, and camp in our shared outdoor spaces. But picking what to do at a National Park is the hardest thing for me. The sheer number of options available is overwhelming, especially since there’s a good chance your visit to a National Park may be your only visit. Which is why we’re thankful to have one of the nation’s newest National Parks close to home. We have been frequent visitors of Joshua Tree National Park. Our trips have ranged from weeklong camping stays to quick day trips. So, here’s my guide to Joshua Tree National Park. If you've had this National Park on your list (or if a friend does), I hope you find this little guide helpful as you plan your trip!

If you have just one day in the park

Something that's saving my life right now

I’ve enjoyed reading Free to Focus by Michael Hyatt. The book has so many good nuggets about time management and productivity, but one thing from the book is saving my life right now: The Daily Big 3.

The Daily Big 3 are the three tasks that really matter for the next day. I know I could make a list of twenty things I want to accomplish, but focusing on three key tasks gives me a sense of 100% accomplishment every day. With it comes a sense of peace that I have completed the work that I set out to do for the day. And because I know that I have completed my tasks before dinner, I am able to disengage from work and focus on my family. I am more relaxed knowing my work is done.

I realize making a list isn't all that earth-shattering, but making a short list makes a big difference for me. I also write it out the night before so that when I sit down to work I can get right at it. I know I have all this stuff —gestures wildly— to get done, but I am not always sure where to start. With my lists done the day before, I know exactly what I need to get done. They help me stay on task so that I am not tempted to aimlessly scroll through social media. And bonus—I find that a list of three things is completely manageable. A list of three things is not overwhelming.

An Unlikely Date

My husband Caleb and I used to get a babysitter twice a month. We would enjoy each other's company on a quiet drive to a favorite restaurant, eat a delicious meal that someone else had cooked, chat about anything and everything, often pop in at a favorite beer garden. We always stayed out until we were certain the kids were in bed and sleeping. That was “Date Night.” But over the last year of pandemic-related disruption, we’ve discovered a different kind of date.

Almost every Saturday morning the alarm rings at 4:45. The house is quiet and the kids are still asleep. When they wake up, our oldest will be in charge. (Finally!) I get dressed while he makes the coffee. We pull on our hiking boots by the front door and toss our trekking poles and backpacks into the trunk of the car. The sky is dark when we back out of the driveway. Some mornings we talk on the way, others we are quiet as we sip our coffee on the fifteen minute drive to the trailhead.

Some mornings there are already several parked cars from hikers ascending the mountain. Other mornings we’re the first. The ribbon of light that announces dawn is near hasn't yet crested the distant ranges. The valley traps the low temperatures of cold winter air. We can see our breath. This is what we call “California cold.” It’s legitimately cold, like 38 degrees, but not literally freezing. Then we are off. Headlamps flash on. He takes the lead at a steady but comfortable pace. We are going to the summit for the sunrise. Most mornings we are quiet, in companionable silence: each with our own thoughts.

The Last First Day

I remember my oldest daughter’s first day of kindergarten. The year was 2014. I remember that I made a sign for her before school and that I took her picture inside because there was a steady rain outside. I remember us walking together to her classroom after dropping her little sister off at preschool. I remember watching her walk into her classroom wearing a too-big backpack with the dress and leggings she had so excitedly picked out all by herself. I remember the little hug and the wave goodbye. I remember being sentimental but not overly emotional as I waddled home under my umbrella because I had a long list of things to do while the house was empty. I was seven months pregnant with twins and I knew the house wouldn’t be empty during school for long.

I remember the first day of kindergarten for my second daughter. The year was 2016. I remember that I made a sign for her before school and that I took her picture. I remember the dress she wore. I remember needing to leave the house extra early because now our minivan carried four kids, two of whom needed help with their shoes, with their seatbelt, and with a snack to keep them from crying the whole way. I remember unloading a double stroller and strapping two toddlers inside.I remember her older sister proudly showing her where the kindergarten classroom was (both of them were now at the same school). I remember the little hug and the little wave my kindergartener gave me as she walked into her room.

I also remember that I couldn’t follow them inside. The room was so full of parents that there wasn’t any room for me and my big double stroller full of twin toddlers straining screaming to be let out. I didn’t get to mingle with the other moms because I was the twin wrangler. Hot tears of frustration welled in my eyes because I couldn't process my second child's big day because of the big emotions of twin toddlers. All I wanted was ten minutes of that memory—just she and I with enough time to say goodbye to this childhood milestone. But it wasn’t in the cards.. This time I did cry on the way home. I'm pretty sure the two toddlers cried, too. But not for the same reason.

I’ve changed my mind

Since childhood I have loved curling up on the couch under my cozy blanket to get lost in another world, another era, a different adventure. I love becoming friends with the characters of a good book. I love feeling that a character is just like me, that she’s a best friend who has let me glimpse into their soul, that she has allowed me to come along on her journey. I also love hearing the story of people who are nothing like me.

I have always loved that reading a book is tactile. When my husband asked for a Kindle many Christmases ago, I bought him one. He loved it and asked if I wanted my own, but for years I said no. Nope. I love the feel of books in my hand. The comforting and calming feeling of the pages of a book in my hand. Toying with the top right hand corner, running my fingers down the edge of the book as I read, being able to easily glance to see how much of the story I still have to savor. And to my husband's chagrin: dog-earing pages instead of using a bookmark. Each book is well loved, well used. No Kindle for me. No, thank you.

2020 changed my mind. In mid-March our library closed in mid March.. Suddenly I found myself much more open to the idea of a Kindle because I had run out of new books. I was missing out on everything I loved about books.

3 Things I'm Loving Right Now

Sometimes I just like the easy button. I want to know exactly what someone likes the most right now; the best recipe they tried, a pair of jeans they love now just as much as when they first tried them on, a new routine that they found works for them, and because of that, might work for me, too. It could be anything, really. But when it is a recommendation from a friend, it is more credible to me than some list I found on Pinterest.

So, here is a list of three things that I imagine I would share with you if we were catching up over a cup of coffee.

1. Cinnabon Copycat Cinnamon Rolls

California Winter

A few bright red leaves still cling to the sweetgum tree by my front door. Fallen leaves still line the gutters and my morning walk has a whisper of chill. My breath comes out as silvery puffs on our Saturday morning hike. In winter the shadows are longer, but by mid-day the sunshine chases away the morning cold and invites me to lift my face. It's like a warm hug from a friend I haven't seen in months.

But my favorite thing about winter in California is the rain.

After six or seven months without precipitation, I fling my arms wide to welcome a rainy winter. Rain in Southern California is quite the opposite of the warm, earthy-scented showers I knew in the Midwest. Here the storms typically bring the remnants of Candian winter storms down the Pacific coast. The rainwater is cold and the air feels clammy as fog often rolls in. Then there are the glimpses of snow-capped mountains on distant, purple mountain ranges as winter clouds congregate as wispy tendrils in the foothills, creating a depth of field that gives new dimension to the valleys below.

A better cup of coffee

I find that the morning is best greeted with an excellent cup of coffee. But there’s a catch. You have to get up well before the kids. Why? Because otherwise you’ll get one good, hot sip before it’s time to put that coffee down to make breakfast for hungry boys and put ponytails in heads of hair. You want to do those things, of course. That’s part of being a mom. But you also need that cup of coffee. And all of it. While it’s hot.

It may sound slightly pretentious, but good coffee (that is, something better than Mr. Coffee can make) is a simple, handcrafted luxury that anyone can enjoy as part of their morning ritual.

Coffee materials should be simple to use, easy to clean, and capable of producing a hot cup of coffee in a timely manner. You can enjoy a superior cup of coffee every day if you are willing to put a bit of effort into setting the stage.

My kids (and I) hit a wall the first week of January.

Fifteen minutes into the first day back at school I had a rather large revolt at my homeschool table. No one wanted to learn anything new, but they did want to practice what they learned a long time ago: how to push each other’s buttons. (Picture a toddler mashing every button in the elevator of a 100-story high rise and you get the idea.) By the end of Monday I was enthusiastically patting myself on the back for holding it together. I was hopeful because Tuesday was a new day. We rarely have a bad school day tip over into the next. So when Tuesday was, in fact, far worse than Monday, I seriously considered just quitting for the week.

However, I'm nothing if not stubborn. I’m the eternal problem solver who says, "We can fix this!" And that’s what I was going to do.

But, no. I was in tears by 9:30 on Wednesday morning. You get the gist. It was bad; probably the worst week of the school year so far—capped off with an argument with my husband over something stupid: errands. Well done, Audra. Well done. Not exactly the "Year of Hope" that 2021 was promised to be.