Quarantine Thoughts.

Hey guys. Long time no talk on my blog huh? I’ve totally been neglecting this area and focusing more on my YouTube channel but am going to try to write out my thoughts more often here. I started this blog to write stuff down. I wanted it to be a bit more personal than my channel. I really love to write because I’m not the most verbal person with my feelings, so writing things down helps me feel like I’ve aired out how I’ve been feeling.

Let me set the scene for you right now. I’m sitting at the kitchen counter listening to the pouring rain, it honestly hasn’t stopped raining in so long and I’m so over it. Owen is down for his first nap of the day and this is usually when I do something educational with the girls. We do some “school”, practice our letters, sounds, or do something like a puzzle. But the girls are watching Daniel the Tiger on repeat because I JUST CAN’T. I’m hitting a wall during this quarantine. I’m getting beyond just stir crazy. I’m feeling irritated, annoyed and a little mad at everything.

Virus aside, just being cooped up in our house for this long, with so much rain is driving me insane. I have zero escape people!! Usually if I was feeling like I needed some space and quiet for a little bit, I’d go shopping or grab coffee, honestly I don’t even know, but I would go somewhere to clear my head. Now if you are out in public to just grab food, you are completely rushed because you don’t want to be out long, you want to stay safe by wearing a mask and it is truly the most uneasy feeling. I have a continuous pit in my stomach, like it’s all tied up in knots with everything going on. Everyone looks sad, everyone seems anxious.

I feel horrible for businesses who have been shut down and may not ever be able to open up again. I feel like I am just being forced to sit in my house with zero options to go anywhere or do anything. How can we go from living our lives to all of sudden be isolated from everyone we love.

I know this time is so conflicting. Everyone has their own strong opinion on everything and it’s getting hard to hear about it 24/7. Which I guess is contradictory as I’m typing this now. But when you are on your phone looking at what everyone has to say, you sometimes just want to turn your phone off. So writing this out on my blog felt different...yes? no?

Time to switch to a positive note. I will say that Andrew and I have been stronger than ever during all of this. I have never been more attracted to him and have really leaned on him during this time. He is encouraging, but realistic, has great insight and facts on the situation. When you are with someone much more and aren’t out doing things keeping you busy, you notice the smalls things much more. I appreciate him and who he is as a person. I see how loving he is and helpful with the kids and our house. I look forward to just chatting with him at the end of the day about life. Through this uncertain time, it has challenged me in a lot of ways. It’s made me keep a brave face for my kids, push through the hard days stuck at home, have faith in God to pull us through this and keep my family safe and continue to be productive and motivated in work.

I have seen a different side in my daughters too. They are growing up so fast and it actually makes me ache. Seeing their bodies get so tall and loose their cute little baby faces is the saddest thing. They talk to me like I am their friend. They ask questions like we are just buddies through all of this. And they never question anything going on. They trust that I am their mom and they show me love no matter what the circumstance.

Life is weird. Life is sad. Life is uncertain. But life will continue on and we will get through this. I don’t know when things will be back to normal, but I do know that eventually we will get back to going out to eat on Sunday mornings and be able to have a fun afternoon at the park. Soon we will be able to see all our friends again and give them big hugs. We will be able to hang out not in fear but in love. I hope you are doing okay at home. I think it’s important to have honest moments through all of this. It’s okay to be nervous or feel uneasy. But I also think it’s important that it’s not all we feel. We should also enjoy these moments with our family to pull us though. I’m thinking of you all and here’s to some day soon getting back out there.

And if you want a little distraction, Andrew and I filmed a Q and A for you!

Mom Hacks on Getting Things Done!

This post is sponsored by Whirlpool. These items were generously donated in exchange for coverage but all opinions and copy are my own.

If you haven’t heard, we moved! It’s been such a blessing for our whole family. Our house has much more space for everything and everyone! This Thanksgiving Andrew and I were just overwhelmed with how grateful we are for all in our lives right now. From a brand-new baby to two beautiful girls to a new home, we really feel fortunate. So today, I wanted to share with you some “mom hacks” for getting things done around the house. It's that time of year where your to-do list is a mile long, and there always seems like so much is going on! And now with three kids and working from home, I can get in over my head.

As we start to get more settled in our new house, we are now getting more into a routine which I (and my girls) thrive on. So, in today’s post I will share some tactics I have found useful to keeping the house in order.

Today’s post is also in partnership with Whirlpool! We have been using the new Whirlpool® Smart Front Load Laundry Pair since this summer, and it’s been such an upgrade to our laundry routine! There are so many great features that help you multitask and save time, and I think we can all agree that anything that helps us save time is much appreciated.

1.     Save time doing laundry.

So, my first hack is how to cut back on time doing the laundry! With Whirlpool’s® new washer I can fill up the Load & Go™ XL Plus dispenser, which allows me to skip the step of adding detergent for up to 40 loads*. It really feels like I never have to add more detergent. You just throw your clothes in and press start. Talk about efficient! I used to put off doing laundry until my pile was out of hand. Now it’s so simple to do a load so I really stay on top of it all. Another great feature is that it senses how much detergent is needed depending on the amount of clothing you are washing. So, there is no guessing, no wasting what-so-ever.

What I love about the dryer is how it senses the wetness of your clothes and stops once everything is actually dry. So that means I never have to check on it because I know once it stops everything is complete. It saves me so much time! The old dryer we had took forever to dry our clothes. Sometimes I’d have to start it three times until all the clothes were dry. Not fun!

Another great option is you can control it from your phone**. So if I’m running out the door and forgot to hit start, I can get the washer going while I’m out.

2.     Starting something is more important than completing something.

How often do you see a sink full of dishes or a bed piled high with clothes and turn the other way so you don’t have to deal with it?? Not going to lie, I can let things build up sometimes and it makes completing the chore that much harder. What I have learned is that starting something is half the battle. Even for working out! The hardest part is putting on your running shoes! Once you take the first step you are that much closer to being done with it.

I also tell myself that I don’t have to finish whatever I started right then. If you have the mindset of having to complete each thing, then you may think you won’t have enough time which will lead you to continue to put it off. If you tell yourself just to start and get a little done, you’ll amaze yourself at how much you actually get done. And if you don’t get it all done, then think of how great you’ll feel later when you’ve already put half the clothes away!

So tell yourself, “starting is more important that completing!”

3. Work on chores while the kids are occupied.

I always have to find moments in my day to get things done. Working from home with three-year-old twins and a five-month-old baby is ALWAYS interesting. I have to be smart about keeping the house organized and staying on top of things. So, whether my girls are watching a show, coloring or playing nicely together in the playroom, I use these times to get something done. Sometimes it’s washing my face and putting on some makeup, other times it’s to just pick up toys or vacuum the floor.

I try to find moments when they don’t “need” me. There are times when they’ll be playing together and really want me to play with them. In those moments I’ll stop what I’m doing and give them all my attention. They are growing so fast, I really can’t believe it. And I know they won’t always want me to play with them. So, I try every single day so spend some real quality time with them on the ground playing make-believe and being completely present. With features like Remote Start**, I can multitask and be with my family in those precious moments.

But I also understand that I have a business, and things do need to get done. So when the two of them are “in the zone” I call it, playing great together in their own world, I’ll use that time to get some chores done. I typically do all my computer work while they nap (they started napping again guys!!!!!!!!), after they’ve gone to sleep or if they are out with grandparents.

4.     Ask for help.

Not sure why, but this used to be the hardest one for me. I feel like I have to do it all, all the time. Once Owen came along, I really had zero time to get work done so I had to figure something out. Now what we do, is have Andrew’s mom pick up the girls and take them to her house once a week for a few hours. This gives me time to either clean or work and just take care of Owen. So when he is asleep, I get so much done!

We also hired a nanny who comes twice a week, 4 hours at a time. When she comes, she’s just in charge of the girls and I take care of Owen. He’s still nursing a ton, and it’s just easier to deal with him myself. But when she comes, I have my to-do list all ready to go so I can be as focused as possible for those hours. In the beginning I didn’t want to have to pay for help because I thought I could manage alone, but let me tell you how much stress has been lifted ever since we decided on hiring someone. And it’s just two days a week, but I can get so much done during those mornings and it helps me to just breathe a little!

It’s funny because right when Andrew and I first got married I was a nanny to two little girls, and the mom I worked for worked from home. It has come full circle let me tell you! I used to think it was so weird how happy she was when I would just play with them and do fun crafts, but now it all makes sense!

So there you have it. Those are my tips on getting things done during this crazy time of year. Every family is different and has their own ways of doing things, so just find what feels right for you. And if you have some tips I’d love to read them in the comments!

*Based on an 8-lb load. Actual dispenser capacity varies by model.

**Appliance must be set to remote enable. WiFi & App Required. Features subject to change. Details and privacy info at whirlpool.com/connect.