Happy New Year!

This morning on Facebook I shared a "9 month" post for Charlie. Cameron came in a little later for lunch and asked me when Charlie was born because he was pretty sure it was the 14th, but I had posted on the 12th. (face palm) So Charlie's almost 9 months old, folks. How do people with huge families possibly keep track of it all? 😂

New fridge and a walk-in pantry

We got a new fridge! Ours was only a few years old, but about once a month it completely froze over on the back cooling panel. It was just a huge chunk of ice, and the fridge would climb to around 50F on the inside (around 15F higher than it should be). Because of that, our meats and produce would go bad twice as fast! It was very frustrating. Instead of trying to fix it (again) we decided to get a new one.

Our new one is actually a $4,000 fridge. 😳We bought the floor model though and Cam talked them down to $2,000. It's got some fun features, but the best part about it is that none of our food has gone bad. It's something I really took for granted before: a fridge actually doing its job!

Here's a video of the fridge (buying and filling)!

Another fun upgrade was an inexpensive DIY: a walk-in pantry. This house has virtually no good place for pantry items. For 4 years, we've been using lower cabinets for pantry items. I'd have to get on my hands and knees, move things around, use a flashlight, to find what I needed. I decided to turn my "home office" into a walk-in pantry.

I measured the back wall, made a quick shopping list, and Cam and I built, installed, and filled the shelves in one day. It's so much nicer!! And those lower cabinets? That's now for big bowls, strainers, and small appliances. Before, that stuff was jammed and piled in there. Now it fits nicely with plenty of room to grow as needed.

Here's a little TikTok video I made of the pantry shelves, if you want to check it out!

Tidy up time

Over the course of these emails, I'm pretty sure I've shared at least a handful of tidying and cleaning tips.

I've got a new one for you! We call it Tidy Up Time.

Here's what our evenings look like:

• Eat dinner
• Play
• 7:30 TikTok time*
• 7:50 Tidy Up Time
• 8:00 get ready for bed time
• 8:30 lights out

*I watch TikTok after the kids go to bed and sometimes during the day. I've got my feed (FYP = For You page) down to mostly what I enjoy: funny animals, funny kids, cooking, fashion, makeup, and a handful of random funny stuff. I will "like" videos I think the kids or Cameron will enjoy. Then during TikTok time, we just sit together and watch the appropriate, funny stuff that I found for them. It isn't a free-for-all, scroll randomly situation because you just never know what you're going to come across!

Tidy Up Time: It's just 10 minutes for us since (a) we have a pretty small house, (b) we don't have THAT much stuff, and (c) I tidy up throughout the day as I notice things.

Basically, our Alexa says "Tidy up time" and we all work together to put things away from the day. The kids find their things and put them up. Laundry goes by the washer. Baby toys go in the baby toy bin. Blankets are folded nicely on the couch. It goes by so quickly, but then the house is tidy! Seriously, it's only been 2 weeks but it's been so nice. A noticeable difference in just 10 minutes, and we all play a part.

Reading goal

It seems like everyone has a reading goal this year. I kept track in 2020: I read about 15 books that year. I also kept track in 2021: I read about 5. 😬

This year, I decided to set a huge goal, but I've got a smaller goal that I'd also be happy with.

I would like to read 75 books this year, and at least 15 of them should be non-fiction. I've read 2 so far, but I started on January 5. I'm trying to read softballs for now: books that are interesting and not too long. The first book I finished was Invisible Girl by my best friend (who doesn't know me) Lisa Jewell. I've read about 10 of hers, and I love them all. The second book I finished just yesterday was A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines. It was fantastic.

Next up I am going for non-fiction. Tonight I'll start If by Mark Batterson. I've read a few of his, and I really enjoy them. I imagine I'll like this one too!

Some things I've liked recently

I saw this on Facebook, via this link. It was such a good reminder for me, and I thought maybe some of you would find it useful as well!

For my true crime best friends out there, I just learned of a new-to-me podcast called Rotten Mango. I've listened to only 3 stories, but she does really great research and tells the stories in a more narrative format. I really enjoy them so far!

The easiest biscuits I've ever made. They're delicious and can be prepped and frozen too! They're from Budget Bytes. You mix together flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and heavy cream. Press or roll it out, cut into squares or use a circle cutter (and re-roll the scraps) then bake. That's it! They're really really good.

Upcoming

Next week, our homeschool group starts back up. I'm teaching that makeup class, and I'm so excited! Only 3 kids signed up, but I'm hoping I do a stellar job and those 3 kids rave about the class so that next semester, a lot more will take the class. If not, that's okay too. I've had the full syllabus planned and typed for over a month. I've got to print out my materials and practice my first day out loud in the mirror a few times. I don't want to have a class planned that ends up being way too short or way too long, you know?

Also next week? I'm starting therapy! I think just about everyone can benefit from therapy, talking things out with someone, but I really didn't think this was a good time for me because of the baby. Cam and I talked about it, and he's very supportive of course. He said it's not a problem at all since he works from home. Once a week, he'll take off work for a few hours to be with the kids so that I can go work on myself. I'll share little tidbits from those sessions if anything comes up. One important note: it's a Christian clinic, so I imagine a lot of the tips will be more God-focused. We'll see!

I'm itching to take another little vacation, but with everything going on right now, I bet we'll wait a little while. Charlie will be 1 year old in April, so perhaps a spring trip is the best plan! Part of me wants to go to Central or even South America, but I need to really look into the restrictions that are in place right now. Another idea I had was an out-west city that is walkable. I'm thinking Seattle, San Francisco, Aspen, or maybe Vegas. That's just from searching online for "best US vacations without a car"! If you've got any suggestions, hit me up!

How are you?

How are you doing?

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