Ten things making my life happy right now
Some suggestions to brighten up mom-life
I thought the last blog post was a bit of a bummer so I thought I’d lighten things up around here. Other than having a headache, life has been really sweet lately. It may seem mundane—doing housework and changing diapers— but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I had the thought this morning as I was switching towels from the washer to the dryer, Tommy crawling close behind me, his eyes on the dog food dish, that I feel very happy today. I so enjoy being a stay-at-home mom. I’m so thankful that I can stay home. It’s not for everyone, I know, but it’s for me. Sometimes I’d like to freeze time and bottle it up so that I can go back and revisit it when I’m eighty.
So. I thought I’d do a mini time capsule here on the blog. Here are ten things I’m into right now/ ten things making my life happy:
1. The Breville. I used to go out for coffee every other day. Starbucks, the local coffee shop—I was a regular. No shame in it; it was a special treat to myself amidst my mom-ing and an afternoon latte felt like an allowable indulgence. But now I can make tastier coffee at home! I love, love, love this espresso machine. In the morning, Rob still makes a big pot of drip coffee and that’s our morning routine but the Breville gives us wonderful mid-morning or afternoon specialty drinks to look forward to. Usually we buy Corvus coffee since it’s local but I recently ordered Mama Java to try and I love it too! I think I tell Rob every day that the Breville was our best purchase of our marriage.
2. Would it be Anna’s blog if I didn’t at least mention Peloton? I mean, at this point, it’s pretty much my entire personality. But seriously. If you’re in a workout-rut and want to try working out at home, give Peloton a try. I do their strength workouts on the app (all you need is a set of dumbbells!), bike, and run workouts. Lately I’ve been feeling a bit blah about my body, but Peloton makes me feel strong and capable and makes me respect my body in spite of the way it looks.
3. I got this recipe from my sister-in-law. It’s a delicious thai soup that even my kiddos like and I’ll be making it on repeat for the foreseeable future. Bonus it’s gf and df for any one who needs that. I’m not a big mushroom gal but you can chop ‘em up real tiny.
4. I’ve decided I want to be the kind of mom who makes banana bread weekly. One day I want my kids to come home from college and request it: that’s the dream. I found a good gf one (I have celiac) and the boys say it’s almost as good as their Nana’s, which is a compliment for sure.
5. I just ordered this dress and this dress for church during the summer months and I’ll be wearing one of them for our Easter service. I don’t like anything to cling to my tummy because I’m self-conscious of that area and both of these are flattering. Both have boob-access for breastfeeding which is a must for me since I’m still nursing Tommy. It feels so nice to have a wardrobe refresh!
6. I love watching mommy youtube videos while I cook dinner or fold clothes. It’s a niche interest, I know, but I can’t help myself. My favorite channel is for sure Megan Fox Unlocked. She’s a Mennonite mom who documents and romanticizes her life and I am here for it. I secretly wish she was my real friend. My second favorite channel is Amanda’s mom channel, and it’s perfect to put on in the background while you do housework.
7. Since Tommy is now doing one nap, I have the mornings free! This means I can go for a morning walk and I’ll often pop on a podcast. I like chatty podcasts. My favorites are Coffee and Crumbs, The Girl Next Door, A Drink with a Friend, and The Birth Hour.
8. Almost every evening, Rob and I love to unwind with a show and a few years ago we discovered the Brit Box channel. You can easily access it on Prime. It’s full of British shows and there are sooo many good ones. Start with Shetland but I’ll warn you that you’ll need subtitles because the accents are thick.
9. I now use Substack as an alternative to other social media! It’s been a few months since I left Instagram. And just a little while ago, I moved my blog to Substack from Wordpress. Some days I miss Insta but mostly it’s been good for me. Substack has mostly filled the scrolling hole and I definitely recommend finding other writers to support on here. If you have any other mom writers to recommend here on Substack, please comment below! I’m still discovering so many.
10. I haven’t been able to read a lot because of my headaches, which totally sucks. It’s taking me forever and a half to get through a book. BUT I read Heating and Cooling by Beth Ann Fennelly a few weeks ago and really loved it. I got it from the library and it was a pleasant little surprise. It’s short and you can put it down which is good for me in this season. Memoir is my favorite genre (I have my MFA in memoir!) and if you like it too, you’ll love Fennelly.
So, that’s it, friends! I hope you are able to take a suggestion or two to make your life happy. So much love to all of you!
Anna
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