Elizabeth

July 20, 2020 Elizabeth

Discoveries While Deep Cleaning

Keeping House

We’re currently in the midst of getting our house ready to sell. One of the most obvious items on the to-do list is to “deep clean.” As our agent told us, “We want things to sparkle.” Of course.

What I’ve learned while deep cleaning my house is: how dirty my house was. Honestly, I’ve been astonished. How was I living in such filth without realizing it? Why didn’t I ever think to clean any of these nooks and crannies before? How come my friends continued to accept play date and dinner invitations to my home when it was in that condition? ….

July 3, 2020 Elizabeth

Ode to the Balance Bike

Kids

Parents and grandparents of small-kids-who-don’t-know-how-to-ride-a-bike-yet, this post is for you. Here’s the punchline upfront: Buy that kid a balance bike!

We bought this balance bike when Miryam turned two. We’d heard and read about how it makes the transition to real bike riding pretty effortless. It was just the right size. I tried to help her learn to ride it a couple of times, but she wasn’t getting it, and I was getting frustrated, so it collected dust for a looooong time in various garages. We’ve moved twice between that birthday and this spring, when she finally took an interest in her three-years-old gift….

June 27, 2020 Elizabeth

How to Refinish Your Hardwood Floors When Kids Live on Them

Keeping House

Or, How I kept children entertained outside the house for hours on end, for multiple days–including a rainy one–during a pandemic.

I’ll be upfront: If you really want to DIY refinish your hardwood floors, I highly recommend searching YouTube for how-to videos that will actually be helpful as far as the methods and materials you’ll need to use. But if your spouse is willing to do all the nitty gritty work, and you just need to keep the kids out of the way while he does, and you can’t go spend the week with relatives or in a hotel, because of a pandemic or anything else, then I might have some insight for you here!

I’ll begin halfway through, when my amazingly talented hubby admitted I was right about something for once….

May 12, 2020May 11, 2020 Elizabeth

“how to cut celery”

Food

Wherein, as a bonus, I showcase some of the yummy stuff I’ve cooked so far this year.

When I first got married, I was extremely unconfident in the kitchen. I don’t say incompetent, because given a decent recipe and enough space and time, I could make good food. However, I was nervous about every step, so I read each one at least twice, worked painfully slowly and only by the book, and I could not handle the imagined pressure and judgment of another person observing me while I tried to cook.

The first time I cooked dinner for Justin, early in our dating, I may have yelled at him to get out of the kitchen….

April 30, 2020 Elizabeth

My Favorite Cheap Olive Oil

Food

One day, we were down to the last tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. I usually try to buy more before we actually run out, because we use it almost daily to sauté and roast veggies, sous vide chicken, toss with noodles, etc. I was frustrated that I had to break into the fancy, expensive, infused olive oil—generally reserved for homemade caprese or salad dressing—for some everyday usage. The next time I went to Aldi, I bought five bottles of it: one of each kind they had. I was not going to run out again any time soon.

Then, one night after all the kids were in bed, I poured a little bit from each bottle into my cute tiny bowls, and got out my adorable teensy spoons, a loaf of Italian bread, and a pen and notebook. Justin and I sat down for a little snack and a little judging…

April 16, 2020 Elizabeth

Squishy Sand

Kids

Or, A Lesson in Flexibility, since a lot of the rules are changed these days.

I must preface this with: I love my next door neighbor, she is an absolute gem, and so thoughtful of my kids pretty much daily. She’s like an extra grandma for them, which is so special when their real grandmas are far away in other states. Like a grandma, though, she sometimes falls into thinking only of the fun the kids will have, and not the mess the mom will have to [at minimum help] clean up, when she finds something cool.

She’s been going through some old boxes in her garage, and my kids have been…

April 5, 2020 Elizabeth

Okay, just one thing about toilet paper.

Self-Care

This Thursday was the worst day for me, so far, of The Pandemic.

Aside from the pandemic and everything that goes with it, Cecily is in a weird place with her naps, where I’m lucky to get one “real” nap (where she’s asleep in her crib rather than on me/while nursing, for more than half an hour) per day. The rest of the day, she cries if I put her down, and if she manages to console herself after that offense, she cries if I leave her sight. I thought Miryam was a “mama’s girl.” Not like this! So…

March 28, 2020 Elizabeth

Miryamisms (age 4)

Kids

I have already needed to write down more Miryamisms in her “age 5” google doc, so I thought maybe I should get around to publishing her “age 4” collection. She turned five last month. She’s lost three baby teeth already, can write her first and last name without assistance, and uses logic against me all the time. Here is a new sampling of her many funny and cute moments…