The Book I Brought to the Beach

At the last minute (last minute as in, the morning of), we decided to drive down to the beach for the closing of our new house!

The last time we were here, just a few weeks ago, I finished a book, and ever since I’ve been looking for a new one. Our friend Matt recommend The Midnight Library, a book I’ve heard rave reviews about from just about everyone over the past year. Have you read it?

The summary describes it as:

“Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig's enchanting blockbuster novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.”

It sounds magical, enchanting, and like the perfect book to get lost in for a few days. I’m excited to get started, as Matt said it’s so good he can already envision it as a TV miniseries.

Yes, please!

6 Swimming Trunks for Summer

Now that it’s starting to heat up and summer is just around the corner, I’ve been looking at new swim trunks to wear at the beach (since we’ll hopefully be spending more time there this summer!).

Here are six options that caught my eye:

There’s something that just makes sense about blue and white stripes at the beach, and these liner-less trunks from Abercrombie fit the bill. $50

I’m loving the colors of these from PacSun (and the price). $39

How great are these retro inspired swim trunks from Bonobos? $79

If you’re looking for something simple and minimal, a pair of classic black trunks is always a good idea. $24.99

Or in contrast, a fun burst of color and pattern can be fun and breezy, like these from Old Navy. $25

Speaking of color, these two-tone blue pair from Nautica look so comfy, don’t they? $59

The Soccer Practice That Almost Didn’t Happen

We signed the boys up for soccer this year as another sport they could play in the spring, after they loved basketball this past winter (and we loved watching them). They had their second practice last night, and things didn’t start out so well.

For their first practice last week, we showed up 10 minutes late with no soccer balls, no cleats, and no shin guards. They were the only kids on the field without all of those necessities and it was one of those “Oh no, we are those parents” moments. But it’s all a learning process! Needless to say, we were more prepared this week.

We got to practice this week 10 minutes early and had everything we needed, because there’s nothing like forgetting everything the week before to make you never want to experience that feeling again. I even remembered to bring snacks and waters for everyone, and PJ brought a mat so we could sit on the grass while they practiced. Everything was great. Well, almost everything.

On the way there, Riah was super quiet and distant, looking out the window the entire time and not saying a word. We kept asking if he was okay and he just kept saying his tummy was hurting. We asked if he was nervous and he said he was, which, if I’m being honest, was hard to hear. Both PJ and I talked about how we used to get so nervous while playing sports growing up, so we knew how he felt. Big time. 

I figured he would be more relaxed once we got there and he saw all the kids on the field playing and having fun, but he wasn’t having it. He started to cry when we told him it was time to go out on the field, and he fell into my lap, wrapping his arms around my neck. I could feel my heart sink. Where was this coming from? Riah had been the one who was looking forward to soccer the most, always kicking the basketball around on the ground pretending it was a soccer ball. He loved soccer, so why was he so nervous?

After we told him he didn’t have to go out on the field and practice, we sat with him for a while before PJ suggested they kick the ball around in the grass behind us for a bit. So he, Anna and Riah began playing a little. And then a little more. And suddenly Riah was running all over the place, laughing and giving it his all and visibly having a good time. No more sick tummy!

PJ asked if he felt like going out on the field with his teammates and Riah enthusiastically told him yes. PJ had done it! He warmed Riah up, got him more relaxed, and showed him how much fun he could have if he just tried it out. So practice resumed and all was well.

Later that night, as I was tucking Riah into bed, I asked him why he thinks he felt nervous before practice. His response was honest and heartfelt.

”I just wanted alone time and everything.”

More than the other two, Riah loves to play and be alone, and quite often, he’s completely fine with doing his own thing. He likes what he likes and, what I love most, he knows what he likes and doesn’t usually stray from it. Maybe he just needed more time to process the day and get ready for practice.

So there you have it. That’s how you save a soccer practice that almost didn’t happen. Another day, another new experience with these sweet babies. It’s a learning process for us all, isn’t it?

A Fun Twist on Sunday Night Dinner

The other day, PJ had a genius idea to switch up dinner and make it more fun for the kids.

It was Sunday, nap time and all three kids were sound asleep. PJ turned and looked at me and asked what we should make for dinner (since we’re trying to eat at home more). I had taken a few chicken breasts out of the freezer and was marinating them in the fridge, but that was as far as I had gotten. Anything was game at this point.

As we were talking, we were sipping on glasses of wine and munching on charcuterie that PJ had poured straight onto the island in the kitchen. No plates, no cutting boards, nothing. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. What if, he suggested, we turn the island into a giant charcuterie board and let the kids eat whatever they want off of it? No saying they have to eat this or they have to eat that; whatever they wanted to eat, they could pick up and take and just leave the rest. 

GENIUS.

Their favorite food group is chips and crackers. They could eat both for every meal and be just fine. So PJ included plenty of each, along with healthier options like strawberries, grapes, carrots, various nuts, hummus, and stuff to make a grilled chicken burrito. I made a simple creamy pesto pasta, because as Stanley Tucci says, there’s room for pasta at every meal.

After that, all that was left to do was wake the kids. In an effort to make it feel like a real restaurant, at PJ’s suggestion, we dressed in black from head to toe, grabbed a few of our cloth napkins and draped them over our arms, and woke them up by requesting their presence in the kitchen. 

They were ecstatic. They had so much fun grabbing whatever they wanted (truly no rules!) and piling it onto their plate. We ate dinner in the living room and watched the new Cheaper by the Dozen movie. And it was so nice. They were happy, we were happy, and everything was great.

PJ has been really good lately about loosening up with the kids and creating more spontaneous, fun events for them. I could stand to learn a thing or two about how to “let go” and let things be. I get into a routine and I sometimes forget to switch things up every now and then and just have fun. 

Feeling extra grateful for PJ and his wacky, fun, inspiring ideas, and feeling thankful we get to experience them together as a family.

Style Inspiration From Our 5 Year Old

Lately, when Riah, 5, gets dressed for school in the mornings, he does one thing every time that cracks us up.

He rolls the bottoms of his jeans up! I have no idea where he learned this from (a friend at school? a TV show?) but we think it’s the cutest thing ever. He does it every single time without fail and has never explained it one way or the other. I can’t say when he started doing it, but I started noticing it about a month ago and suddenly I’m obsessed.

Yes, this is me currently taking style notes from our 5 year old son. These things can’t be taught. When you know, you know!!!

It’s Officially Begun: Spring Cleaning

Armed with not much more than a strong will power to declutter our maximalist-style house, this morning PJ had the great idea to start cleaning out our house.

It was a family affair, with the kids cleaning and scrubbing and wiping down every room that needed it, which, let’s be honest, was every single room in our house. It’s amazing how quickly dust and papers and everything else piles up in your house when there are so many people living in it. Once upon a time, years ago, we found it somewhat easy to keep the house tidy. Now it seems like a full time job.

I’ve never been one to declutter; that’s always been PJ’s thing. It’s not that I purposely leave all that kind of work to him, it’s just never been my first priority, and then it quickly accumulates around the house, and then it becomes overwhelming. It’s a vicious cycle if you can’t tell. But I’m working on it!! I started cleaning off our desk this week and it feels so much better to have a sot of organic chaos going on as opposed to just regular chaos. It’s always a work in process, isn’t it?

So this morning we got rid of a dresser and a chair that both lived in Riah’s room. They were some of the first pieces of furniture PJ ever had, having got them when he bought and renovated his first house back in 2008. I thought it might feel somewhat sad to let them go, because who am I if not extremely nostalgic, but it actually felt so good to get them out of the house.

We also removed one of the seats in our sectional in our living room and brought in a super comfy black leather chair that PJ’s been dying to get in our house for years (I’ve always been against it, but I’m finished protesting in the name of I just want him to be comfortable while relaxing). The room feels bigger and airier now. We’re trying to majorly downsize our furniture and minimize this year, and so far we’re on the right track.

Spring cleaning feels so good!!

Did We Find a New Favorite Season?

An important question!

Last night, as we had the back doors open and a comfortable breeze blew through the house while the kids were playing and music was on, PJ turned and looked at me and asked, “Did we find a new favorite season?”

Immediately I knew what he was talking about. Historically, our favorite season is fall, which has been documented on this blog more times than I can count, and a close second has always been winter. But last night, with the birds chirping and the music going and the wine poured, a certain wave of optimism was floating through the air. Spring is almost here.

New life. Growth. Progression. These are some of the words that come to mind when I think of spring, and maybe that’s why we’re looking forward to it so much. I kind of remember feeling the same exact way this time last year, too; ready to shed the heaviness and darkness of winter and trade it for the lightness and brightness of spring. PJ planted some grass seed in our backyard last year, and where there were patches of dirt now are green and lush. It’s exciting to see these types of changes around the home, isn’t it?.

Often times, spring also signifies more than just a physical change: it’s a chance for a mental and emotional reset. One way we’ve been doing that lately is by stretching. PJ stared doing it the other night with soft, calming meditation music in our room. He turned the lights off, lit a candle, laid a blanket on the floor, and began stretching his entire body.

When he was finished, he walked out and told me he felt as relaxed as he would have if he had just gotten out of an hour-long massage. That instantly inspired me to try it as well!! The next night, I did the same thing, but only for about 10 minutes. And you know what? It was so nice. I felt like I could breathe better and my mind felt clearer. I think we’ll both be stretching multiple times a week going forward.

That’s all for today. It’s Friday! Time to relax with a glass of wine and maybe start a new book. Have a great weekend!

PS- Speaking of a refresh: switching things up yet again and doing a new font for the blog! Can’t tell if I like it better yet or not?