Currently: February 2023
Currently Watching: Break Point on Netflix
You guys we actually have a show we are watching right now!! I swear Ryan and I go months and months between shows but when I heard about Break Point, I mentioned it to Ryan and we gave it a shot after the boys were in bed last weekend. Ryan will watch any sports-related documentary and I admittedly was more interested in a tennis documentary because I had just finished reading Carrie Soto is Back which basically turned me into a tennis expert overnight. We’ve only made it through two episodes so far but it’s been interesting. I am hoping the documentary will share more about the athletes’ training in future episodes but it’s still cool to see what goes through the minds of a handful of the best tennis players in the world as they approach huge matches.
Currently Reapplying: Laneige Lip Mask
Have you guys heard of this lip mask? It blew up the internet and became an influencer and celebrity favorite but since I apparently live under a rock, I only recently heard about it. The concept sounded great: Apply a thick smear of this lip mask to your lips before bed, let it sink in overnight and awake to soft, hydrated lips. It took all of one application of this stuff for me to love it. First, it tastes fantastic. The berry flavor is subtly sweet and delightful. Second, it feels amazing on my lips… so amazing that I’ve started carrying it around with me in my bag because I don’t want to only use it at night time. The tiniest amount goes a long way and I’m lovinggg this stuff!
Currently Impressed By: Ryan’s increasing haircut skills!
For the past few months, Ryan has been cutting the boys’ hair. Every month he picks up new tricks and skills and while he’ll be the first to say their haircuts don’t look like they’re done by a professional, I think he’s been doing an awesome job!! Plus, anything that saves us from popping into Great Clips every 6 weeks for a trim sounds like a good thing to me. I’m hoping it’s something he’ll continue to do and enjoy because the boys seem to think Dad haircuts are the coolest and I think they look pretty cute, too!!
Currently Can’t Believe: I will have FOUR mornings to myself this coming fall.
I just submitted preschool registrations for the fall and Rhett and Ryder will be attending preschool four mornings a week. Chase will be in second grade so he’ll be in school Monday through Friday and I cannot believe I will have four 3.5-hour stretches of time to myself four mornings a week beginning in September. Whaaaat is this magic!?
I’ll be using this time mostly to work on this blog but dannng I am just so pumped for some consistent mornings to myself. I also know 3.5 hours will fly by but you better believe I’ve mastered the ability to pump out a bunch of work in a minimal amount of time since having kids. You know the saying, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person?” Well, I wholeheartedly agree with that because moms and busy people somehow just how how to get it done. Four 3.5 hour stretches of time where no child needs me during the week sounds magical to my brain that currently seems to live in a state of multitasking and kid chaos.
Currently Crafting: Perler bead creations
Affectionately referred to as “melty beads” in our house, our big kids cannot get enough of Perler beads lately. They’ve created everything from ocean animals and video game controllers to patterned shapes, dogs, birds, cars and more with these things. I also oddly find this activity relaxing and will join in the fun, too, so it’s been a great way to spend some calm quality time with the boys.
Also, I owe a huge thank you to Becca for recommending Biggie Beads to me! Rhett always tries to do melty beads with his big brothers but can’t really make real creations yet and Biggie Beads seem like a much better fit for him. They’re the same Perler beads our boys love only BIGGER! I ordered some for Rhett to try along with some patterns he can follow and they’re set to arrive today!
Currently Reading: The Address by Fiona Davis
I’ve been immersed in the world of thrillers lately but historical fiction will always have my heart. I’ve loved Fiona Davis’ historical fiction novels in the past and just began reading The Address earlier this week. It’s a little slow to start but I can already feel it picking up steam so my hopes are high!
Currently Making: Perfect M&M Cookies
We first tried these cookies when one of Chase’s friends brought them to our house during a playdate over the holidays and they blew us away. I’ve made so many M&M cookies over the years and they’ve all fallen a little short of my expectations but THESE are fantastic!!! We’ve made them a handful of times and while I do prefer them with mini M&Ms like the recipe calls for, they work with regular M&Ms as well which I’ve done a few times when I want to use seasonal colored M&Ms. One important note: The dough seems like it might be a little dry and crumbly when you mix it but keep mixing!!! The dough will eventually come together and become super thick. One little tip: I recommend under-baking them a bit for maximum tastiness.
Currently Sipping: Yogi Egyptian Licorice Mint Tea
Aka my all-time favorite tea.
Random tea-related story: One night when Chase couldn’t sleep, he came downstairs to find Ryan making himself a mug of Sleepytime tea with our electric kettle. Ryan made Chase a mug, too, and he sipped it while we read Harry Potter together. Chase will now ask for “tea and stories” after his little brothers go to bed if he can’t sleep. (He even makes the sign of the letter “T” with his hands and winks at us when we tuck him in at the same time as Ryder on Friday or Saturday nights because he knows those are nights he’s allowed to stay up a little later.) It’s adorable and somehow makes Chase seem like a little kid and a teenager all at once to me.
Question of the Day
Pick some of the above currently prompts to share with me!
- Currently watching
- Currently can’t believe
- Currently making
- Currently sipping
- Currently impressed by
- Currently reading
- Currently crafting
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Hi! I don’t normally comment as I enjoy reading your blog daily during free time at work on my cell, and I’m definitely not a good at texting on a cell phone! However, I just wanted to say how much I love reading all that you share. I have followed for the past ten years and I greatly appreciate how your content is truly based on Mom/Health and not filled with affiliate posts and ads. I have two children, 6 and 8, (g/b) and it is so special raising my children with you! It is evident your blogging is coming from a place of passion and heart, which is always the most enjoyable to read. Thank you. On that note…
Currently watching: The Parent Test on ABC (definitely worth checking out as a parent!)
Currently can’t believe: We are already in February of 2023
Currently making: Umm…made meatloaf for dinner? Haha
Currently sipping: water
Currently impressed by: how much my children know at their age at school in comparison to when I went to school
Currently reading: Stranger Care by Sarah Sentilles (Excellent! A memoir of going through the foster system)
Currently crafting: My children’s Valentine’s day boxes for school
Your words absolutely made my morning! Thank you so much. I love that we are going through such similar phases of life at the same time. And I loved reading all of your currentlys! I’ve heard about that show but we have not watched it yet – it’s definitely intriguing!
Currently watching… not much… reruns of shows are always in the background.
Currently can’t believe that we just registered our 4.5 yr old for Kindergarten next year!
Currently making sweet chili Asian chicken with pineapple and veggies. Super simple crockpot recipe for the win! If anyone is interested it’s a can of pineapple, a bottle of sweet chili sauce and chicken breast in the crockpot on low for a 5-6 hrs then shred chicken and add a bag of frozen Asian mixed veggies. Cook on low for another hour and serve on a bed of rice!
Currently sipping on hot chocolate and baileys. We are up in the mountains skiing and it’s always something I love to sip on in the evening.
Currently impressed with my 4 yr old skiing and loving it!
Currently reading Verity and listening to the 7 1/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
Thank you for sharing that recipe! It sounds delicious and easy which is right up my alley!! And ahhh kindergarten— such a big milestone!!
So fun! My oldest is the same age as Chase and we will sometimes let him stay up later than his sister for various reasons and he gives us a big old wink as we pretend tuck him
in- so cute.
Watching: Stanley Tucci Searching for Italy. Trying to plan a big family vacation in Italy for next summer and his travels are inspiring.
Can’t Believe: My baby girl will be in kindergarten next year. How!?
Making: Valentine’s Day cookie cutouts. We missed our tradition of making/decorating Christmas cutouts with family due to us getting Covid so we’re making it happen for V day.
Sipping: Anything to warm me up! Coffee, hot water with lemon, green tea. I’m becoming more intolerant to the cold weather as I get older.
Impressed by: my Vizsla pup. I have never had a dog that could run so fast while being incredibly graceful. He’s a complete joy to watch and impresses everyone at the dog park.
Reading: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. Best book I’ve read in a very long time. Totally lives up to the hype.
Crafting: paper flowers with my daughter. Valentine’s Day crafts coming up soon!
Haha yes!! The wink gets me every time! And Italy sounds incredible – hope you guys have the best time!
Also, I just have to comment on your words about your vizsla running
! We felt the exact same about Sadie. Watching her run at a full sprint was beautiful and absolute joy personified! They are just the most special dogs.
Such a fun post, Julie! Thank you for sharing and a big fat WOOOOO HOOOOO for you on the upcoming child-free mornings. What a fun new stage of life for ya’ll.
Currently watching – SNL by way of Youtube. It’s been a fun part of Sunday mornings in our house since it’s waaayyy past my bedtime on Saturday nights.
Currently can’t believe – we are coming on 3 years of since COVID started. Definitely in a new chapter of the pandemic, but I would love to hear how you are coming out on the other side from it. Any lessons learned? New family routines that stuck? Anything you want to get back into again? I feel like it’s this elephant in the room that everyone just wants to forget (understandably ha!)
Currently sipping – this delicious ginger brew from Trader Joe’s! Nonalcoholic and surprisingly fun (link: https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/triple-ginger-brew-051857)
I had an old boss tell me “no one is as efficient as a working mom”….right?! When you have such limited time and when time becomes so precious you sure can learn to be efficient!
I LOVE the Laneige lip mask. The mango flavor is good too!
Currently watching: Re-watching episodes of The Nanny every so often on HBO Max 🙂
Currently sipping: Starbucks cold brew concentrate, mixed with oat milk and Stevia
Currently reading: “The Candy House” by Jennifer Egan, which is fantastic
Currently crafting: Not sure if this counts as crafting, but a short story
Currently watching: COLD CASE on Amazon Prime…on of my favourite TV shows ever.
Currently can’t believe: how LOOOOOOOONG this month is
Currently making: plans for a vacation to Montreal
Currently sipping: David’s Tea … addicted to Oh Canada! (Maple chai!)
Currently impressed by: my husband’s inability to find ANYTHING in the fridge. Seriously.
Currently reading: Maame by Jessica George, Someone Else’s Shoes by Jo-Jo Moyes and Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
.. I am a member of the Book of the Month Club and bought all 3 of them in hardcover.
Currently crafting: ideas for a zucchini casserole. ZUcchini has stayed at a pretty reasonable price despite the rate of inflation…$7 for a head of lettuce the size of a softball?
Juilie, have you seen the Strawberry and CHocolate La Neige set? I saw it at Sephora. (I am a Smith’s Rosebud lover…the tropical one is addictive and I love the Eucalyptus one as its winter and it clears out my sinuses)
Currently watching: Season 2 of True Detective. We are so behind!
Currently can’t believe: My baby is moving up to the toddler room at daycare.
Currently sipping: Also loving nightly cups of tea. I found Stash Christmas in Paris a few weeks ago. It seems like it’s gone for the season now but the mint and chocolate blend is so good.
Currently reading: Grace: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America by Cody Keenan. It’s fascinating to read about presidential speechwriting.
As a fellow historical fiction lover I just have to recommend a new to me author: Amanda Skendandore. I read the Second Life of Mirielle West and adored it. It was incredibly fascinating to read about a leper colony set in New Orleans in the early 1900’s. It was easily one of my favorite reads. I’m getting into another by her, The Good Nurse and already loving it.
My mistake – the book is called the Nurse’s Secret!
Thank you for these recommendations!!!
Since you first posted the recipe for the m&m cookies, I have made them a bunch of times! They are so good and always a huge hit!