Despite doing the best I can do right now for our family and others during this time (thank YOU for some of your suggestions!), I think it’s okay to admit that sometimes all of this just feels scary, daunting, confusing and overwhelming. I actually don’t watch the news much but I do consume a lot of it via articles on the internet and social media and I’m trying to limit what I read to a few reliable sources every day versus checking it multiple times a day and letting it completely inundate my mind and my life. It’s been a much better approach and I’m checking in today feeling a lot better. A good weekend with my family always helps, too!
Saturday
We continued with social distancing this weekend and most of our family’s interactions were limited to the four of us and Sadie. I was up really early on Saturday and after coffee and my morning devotional, I took advantage of some quiet time to take Sadie on a one-on-one walk.
(Whenever I post a pic of these sneakers, I always get questions about them, so here’s a link to them again! They’re restocked in most sizes — they sell out fast — and are currently more than $20 off. I’d definitely size down 1/2 to even a full size because they run big.)
I listened to the Well + Nourished podcast, another new-to-me podcast find, and covered two miles before heading home for a big bowl of oatmeal. Ryan was wrapping up a workout in the garage when I arrived and the boys were up soon after so we all eased into the morning together. It was rather misty on Saturday morning but Chase requested a morning walk to the lake near our house to look for worms so we figured that was as good a plan for the morning as any and made our way down to the water.
Chase could search for worms for hours on end and it’s one of his favorite activities. Ryan, on the other hand, made me laugh out loud when he stood up after helping Chase look under some rocks for a while and said, “I’m so lightheaded. I’m not meant to bend over for that long.” Ha! We always joke that nothing makes us feel older than trying to get up off the floor after playing with the boys for a while. Our mid-30s came at us FAST!
Ryder was much more interested in throwing rock after rock into the water and his little toddler mind exploded when Ryan showed him how to skip a rock across the lake. No, he couldn’t actually make the rock skip, but he could hand Dad a million rocks to skip for him!
We spent a solid hour and a half out and about around the water with the boys before making our way back home. The drizzly weather morphed into the most beautiful 75-degree sunny day and I think Ryan and I commented on how gorgeous it was on Saturday at least 50 times throughout afternoon and evening.
As we walked down our street, we saw one of our neighbors had set up a garage sale and my curiosity was instantly piqued when I saw two bookshelves jam-packed with books.
To be honest, I hesitated even going to the garage sale and the thoughts that ran through my head regarding social distancing protocols shows just how all over the place my mind is right now. A part of me wonders if its just a matter of time before something as simple as a garage sale is no longer okay in our area? The garage sale was not at all crowded and took place outside (and in the garage, obviously) and seemed very well managed. Those also browsing were mindful of social distancing practices and we left with two foam swords for the boys, some children’s books and four almost brand new cookbooks (for $2 each!) for my collection.
Almost all of the cookbooks on the shelf were Keto or Paleo cookbooks. I love a good Paleo cookbook since the recipes are made with clean ingredients and often a decent amount of vegetables, so I was excited to nab a few of them to try. I cannot wait to dive into Danielle Walker’s Against All Grain cookbook since her Meals Made Simple cookbook is one of my all-time favorites. If you’ve tried any of the cookbooks pictured above and found some recipes you love in them, please let me know!
After the garage sale, we headed home and Ryan took Sadie and the boys in the backyard to play for a bit while got in my car for the first time in a week and drove off to pick up some dog food for Sadie. (We’ve been using Instacart for groceries. Also, quick tip: You can order groceries for others through your Instacart account as well! It’s been an easy way for us to help those who might be most at-risk right now.) It felt so weird to be out and about! I made it back home to find everyone eating lunch and joined them at the kitchen counter.
Eventually we got Ryder down for his nap and I couldn’t help but want to go back outside because of the beautiful weather!
Chase was more than pumped when I asked if he wanted to take his Power Wheels Jeep for a spin so we headed out while Ryan stayed behind with Ryder as he slept.
By the time we made it back home, we were ready for a snack. Chase then joined Ryan to help with some yard work while I group FaceTimed with three of my best friends from all the way back to elementary school. It was so, so great to catch up, especially as a group all at once, and I loved chatting with some of my very favorite people in the world. It’s always great to connect with friends but especially nice right now when we’re all a little deprived of social interaction!
Eventually Ryder was up from his nap and we spent the rest of our evening grilling outside and watching the first half of Kung Fu Panda 2 on Netflix for our movie night. Naturally ice cream was also involved!
Oh and I had someone ask me to report back on the Earth Grown Vegan Protein Veggie Burgers I nabbed from ALDI during my last grocery haul post so I wanted to give some feedback about them now that we’ve gone through the whole box. I made them both in a skillet and on the grill but both times I’ve topped them with a myriad of toppings (ketchup, mustard, relish and sauerkraut) and really liked them! I will say that I don’t think they’d be the best on their own — I feel this way about a lot of frozen veggie burgers — but once they’re all doctored up, I think they’re a great high-protein veggie burger option.
Ryan and I got the boys in bed a little before 8 p.m. and then settled in to watch an episode of Jack Ryan before bed. We just started the show (available on Amazon Prime) on Friday and we’re already all-in!
Sunday
Fellow parents, you know those activities you have planned with your kids that you envision as this wonderful family bonding experience… and then it goes almost comically wrong? That was our Sunday morning in a nutshell.
We planned to take the boys to the Davidson Trail for a family hike with Sadie and everything from the loading process (oh Ryder whennn will you outgrow car seat battles!?) to the drive there (so much whining) felt draining. And then the boys were totally uninterested in staying their stroller which would’ve been okay since we were on a hike except Ryder didn’t want to walk or be held either… and then they fought over snacks and toys and it was just a mess. It wasn’t really one big thing but one small annoyance after the next and less than 10 minutes into our walk, Ryan and I just turned to each other and started laughing as we joked about what a lovely morning we had with our delightful children.
Thankfully things began to turn around on the second half of our trail hike once Ryan perched Ryder on top of his shoulders which seemed to finally make him happy.
Oh and he discovered a pair of my sunglasses in the stroller as well which helped keep him entertained. Whatever works!
By the time we made it back to Ryan’s car, we were all hungry and called in a pick-up order from Toast, our favorite breakfast spot in Davidson, to grab on our way home. A little bit of food helped lift everyone’s spirits as well and our day started to turn around. Ryder also went down for an early nap and slept for a solid three hours which he clearly needed. Phew!
While Ryder slept, Ryan hung out with Chase so I could get a jump start on this blog post and respond to some collaboration emails since a lot of things are getting shuffled around at the moment. Once Ryder was awake, we spent the rest of our Sunday at home and the boys spent some time on the indoor bounce house that I’m pretty sure we’ll have set up in our home for months and months at this rate (it’s saving my sanity during social distancing with two wild ones!) and then wrapped things up with bath time, movie night and bed time for the boys.
As for the week ahead, I’m planning to do more of what we did last week and hope to fill our days with a mix of outside time and activities at home. I hope your week ahead is a decent one even if it is different than what any of us expected this week to look like even two weeks ago.
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That was such a good post, Julie. I loved the picture of Ryder in your sunglasses? Thanks for continuing to post through this crazy time. Have a great day?
Hi Julie! I love that you and Ryan were able to laugh when things weren’t working out on your hike. I find that trying to find the humor is helpful. I used to record all of the crazy/funny things that happened during my nine years as a seventh grade English teacher and now as a mom of two wild boys (I keep a funny Facebook page to share the not so perfect, real life outtakes of motherhood!) My husband and I are finding that getting outside as much as possible (while keeping our distance from others of course) is definitely helping us a lot right now. Yesterday I did a weights and cardio workout for the first time in over a week or two, and I watched some of Jason’s season of The Bachelor on Netflix while I did it. It really boosted my spirits!
Thanks for the reminder about Instacart…what a smart thing to use right now!
I totally relate to being caught up with the “what if’s” right now. I feel like my emotions have been all over the place. I’m trying to give myself ALL the grace during this time, but it’s not easy.
Love all of your outing ideas! My husband and I are home (thankfully!) with our 2.5 year old daughter and looking for all the ideas to keep her busy and having fun during this craziness!
You may already be following her account but the @busytoddler IG account is amazing for kid activity ideas!!
Thank you for your openness and honesty!
These are very uncertain and scary times but know we are all in this together!
I was becoming so overwhelmed and dealing with major anxiety from all the articles that I have made myself a rule to not read any articles online about the coronavirus outbreak and to set my phone aside as much as possible and focus more on my kids and spending time with them. My husband is keeping me up to date as he finds out new developments on the situation.
While I still am dealing with some fear and anxiety about this situation it is not as bad as it was since I put this rule into place.
Hope this encourage and help you!
♡
I don’t know about the delays in online grocery ordering in your area, but ours are very backed up. I know it seems like that is a good option to continue social distancing but I have read in a few spots for those of us that are healthy to try and physically go to the store so that the online orders can stay timely for those who are older or have reasons they aren’t able to leave the house! Just a thought, love the blog and your honesty about how difficult this has been for all of us! 🙂
Thanks for sharing these thoughts! Instacart orders in our area are delayed by about a day but when we’ve placed orders for others outside the state they’ve been 5+ days in some areas. So crazy! I like your thoughts about saving the orders for others who may be elderly or immunocompromised who need them more. Thanks for sharing!
Great post Julie! I can relate to your Sun outing, we have two young rambunctious boys! We say “redirect” as a reminder to redirect them or eachother when things get crazy. It sounds simple but it works!
We love Jack Ryan and those types of shows. Another good one is Seal. Just started You on Netflix, it has me hooked!
It’s a scary time. Two of my elementary friends in Chicago are doctors, treating/testing for the virus and running out of masks, etc. ?☹ Stay safe.
Thanks for the show recommendation. And I’ve heard about the mask shortages among other things — so scary & I just hope people who don’t really need them donate them & stop buying them if they can find them.
Hey there Julie!
This might seem a bit off topic from your post up top–but if you get the chance this week, could you post some of your favorite “At-Home” workouts possibly in one post? If there already is such a post, could you point out where we can find it? My husband and I are in the midst of training for our first half marathon in September and with our gym closed indefinitely, we’re having to get creative for our “cross-training” days–circuits utilizing soup cans, quick sprints with our golden pup Millie!, and even lifting old college textbooks. Maybe even something that helps beginners in the cross-training world outside of running (ME) to something that helps those further along in their training (my husband) haha! Thank you for your continued posts on how your famjam is making the best of our circumstances–praise the Lord we still have access to people’s joy and smiles virtually!
The Peloton app is giving a free 90 day trial for all new members – you don’t need the bike or treadmill and they have a lot of great strength, HIIT cardio, yoga, and stretching. There is a whole section of bodyweight strength too. I find it helpful to have a class to follow along with. Hope this helps!
I second the Peloton app!
Hi Julie- thanks for the post and hope you guys are staying safe in this crazy time.
Here’s some food for thought on your use of “Clean food” labelling above – https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/clean-eating-disorders-ugly-damaging-health-diet-food-pemberton-ella-woodward-a7848381.html
I myself am no longer saying “clean” to refer too foods but rather more descriptive, clear teams such as “whole, unprocessed foods,” “vegetables and fruits” or “nutrient-dense food” where relevant.
I totally agree with this! As someone who has struggled with disordered eating and orthorexia, the term “clean eating” kind of makes me cringe. Julie, I honestly love your blog, and I know bloggers get a ton of unwarranted criticism–it’s difficult (if not impossible) to say the right thing all the time, and everyone has different viewpoints! As Zoe mentioned, this is just food for thought. That said, I imagine a lot of your readers (i.e., women who read food/healthy living blogs) have suffered from eating disorders and have a difficult time finding balance when it comes to food. I hesitated to even comment because I am personally very sensitive to criticism and I try my best not to dish it out to others…but terminology matters 🙂
Oh gosh! I’ve truly never even thought about this term being something that might be an issue for some but completely understand and appreciate you both shedding some light on this for me. Considering the fact that I definitely don’t adhere to a strictly “clean” diet by any means, I wouldn’t want anyone to think I’m presenting that as something I adhere to or even think is realistic for most people who try to take a balanced approach to healthy living. I’ll absolutely be more mindful of my use of this term moving forward.
I’d like to add that processed isn’t bad at all. Peeling a carrot or cutting oats are both form of processing. Clean eating, unfortunately, has no guidelines & can become intertwined with disordered eating. I speak absolutely nothing against you for using it! As an RD fighting the diet industry, clean eating is another way of eating that can bring about guilt for some. Thank you for being so open to your readers providing their thoughts!
Wow, I never realized this either about the term! Thank you both for mentioning it and making us all aware. One thing I love about Julie’s blog is that I feel like she is such a “balanced” eater…I love that she posts healthy recipes but I also love reading her reviews on donuts, ice cream, pizza, etc!
🙂
🙂 thanks Julie!
The Healing Kitchen is my favorite! I have to follow a special diet and love any of the patties/sausage recipes and plantain recipes. There are so many others that look amazing but I can’t eat quite yet. Alaena’s fun to follow on social media too with her dry sense of humor and focus on mindful living/do what works for you.
The slow cooker chicken tacos in the Against the Grain cookbook are a staple in our house! It’s a fancier version of the salsa + chicken crockpot recipe. Super easy, tasty and not too spicy. My little ones love it too!
Thank you!! Might have to make that one for dinner later this week!
I have the Against All Grain cookbook from the library right now. We had the barbecue bacon burgers this week and they were fantastic. My kids liked the not-a-grain bars!
Despite these trying, upsetting times, your blog is a breath of fresh air filled with happiness. It looks like you all enjoyed some delicious food and nice outings in the pretty weather! I hope you all have a great week ahead.
It looks like you guys still had a good weekend, even with social distancing. This is my first work from home week and the power decided to go out at 2:30 in the afternoon. Good times. Luckily it was on within a half hour. This weekend, I pretty much only left the house for groceries. I have been doing at home workouts, while not my favorite, they are getting me moving in the morning and challenging me so it’s fun. It decided to snow today so the weather is not my favorite, but it was nice to not have to drive to work or leave the house in it. I have loved reading and following along with blogs at this time for something else to focus on. I hope you guys have a great week.
The “what ifs’ are hard to acknowledge and move past, though I hope family and faith help. I live in the Bay Area and we’ve been in “shelter at home” for exactly a week now–and it’s hard. It’s also getting closer to home, as now I know someone with it, and he’s not doing well. He can’t stay asleep because it’s too hard to breathe, so he’s decided to write satire posts on Facebook and bring laughter to us all. Selfishly, I miss the gym, hugging friends and family I don’t live with, going to work, going to church, and not worrying if we’ll lose more access. We are not in quarantine or shelter in place. We can go outside, go for hikes/walks/runs, do our normal errands, but since people aren’t practicing physical distancing on outdoor activities, more parks are having to close for safety. My heart goes out to our essential workforce and those who don’t have the luxury of working from home. My heart goes out to the thousands of restaurant workers laid off over the weekend, to those imprisoned and those without shelter. Positives: local elected officials proving we voted correctly (Oakland Mayor especially having folk backs), community members coming together, over $2 million donated to help the undocumented, unsheltered, and small businesses, and an increased appreciation of all we took for granted. I am thankful to God for all He continues to give us, and for the ways, we can still be socially close while physically distant.
Please practice it, and take good care of yourself and your family.
Julie- I kept looking and looking for your Friday post. Glad you had a nice weekend! Push-lease send nice weather our way- we have had nothing but clouds, snow, gray, windy and cold. I could handle this crisis so much better if the weather was nice enough to get outside!!!
Internally freaking out a bit about getting laid off next week- never been in this position before! Trying to pretend it’s like a really early mini preview to retirement (with young kids???).
You know, the stores really need to stock ear plugs for getting along with our family when cooped up so long!
Blesssings to you all!
Hi Julie! Can you explain how Instacart works? Is it a third party that shops for you, or does it come straight from the merchant/warehouse? (Like delivered in their truck?) It seems like such a great option!! Thanks so much, always look forward to your blog!! <3
Hi Kelly! A third party shops for you! Usually the turnaround time is 2 hours which is amazing but right now it can be a day or even several days in some areas. You can check to see what grocery stores they shop from in your area before signing up as well to make sure they shop at your favorites!
We did a hike this weekend too–it felt great to get out in the fresh air! I’ve found that it’s pretty darn hard to be anxious and worried when you’re out in nature for awhile.
I’m also trying to limit how much of the news and articles I consume because it definitely plays with your head. The more I’m off the computer, the more “normal” our life seems, and the better I seem to handle things.
I’m jealous at those cookbooks you found! What a steal! I was actually having the same thought just the other day about garage sales, and it made me sad. This won’t be forever though!
I love The Healing Kitchen cookbook and Alaena Haber’s blog, Grazed and Enthused. She has some really amazing recipes. I particularly love the Chicken and Sweet Potato Hashbrowns, the breakfast plantain ground beef dish (can’t remember the exact name), and the Taco Night with Tostones! I make those constantly and I love that the ingredients are pretty common in her book! Check out her Tigernut Cookies from her blog, they are my favorite “Paleo” style chocolate chip cookies! https://grazedandenthused.com/tigernut-chocolate-chip-cookies-coconut-free/
I don’t think I’ve ever cooked with plantains! And those cookies sound so, so good!!
Jack Ryan is SO good. Put “Little Fires Everywhere” on your list next, on Hulu. Oh man. SO GOOD. Better than the book!
Ohhhh! I loved that book! Thanks for the show recommendation!
LOVE the first three episodes!