Life Lately

Life Lately – A peek beyond the kitchen at what’s new for us. From bike riding with no training wheels (whaaaaat?!) to a new way to grocery shop, to doing hard things at school, here’s the latest!

Last week, I got a comment from a reader wondering where my Five Fact Friday posts have been lately. It was the first person I’ve heard from who had missed them, so I hadn’t realized it was something anyone was missing!

Over the holidays, I decided to put a pause on those posts so I could really dive into the holiday season with my family, then when the new year started and no one had said anything, I started thinking about what I’d like to share from a personal standpoint.

That comment last weekend was a good kick in the right direction to help me think about it. I’m still not exactly sure how I’ll treat Fridays, but I thought that I’d share some “Life Lately” updates here and there that cover some behind-the-scenes things going on and what life’s looking like beyond the kitchen. So, without further ado, here’s Life Lately #1…

Birthday Boy. Milo turned FIVE, and I can just hardly believe it. He’s exactly what our family needed. He’s got a heart of gold and is so observant of how other people are feeling. He’s friendly and bubbly and kind. He’s silly and FULL of endless (like ENDLESS) energy, always loving to be first and fastest. He’s smart and clever and funny. He always has time for cuddling and asks me “Hey, Mom, wanna snuggle?” at least once a day. He gives the best hugs and kisses and is the “little big” brother every parent hopes for, always watching out for Sophie and making sure she’s safe and happy.

Backyarding. After almost 17(!!!) months in our house, we got our landscaping done at the beginning of the month! I can’t believe how happy it makes me to see something other than dusty dirt and weeds in the backyard every time I look out the window. It’s the first time we’ve ever had a real backyard and both kids are taking every advantage of it. I hope to get some twinkle lights hung and some patio furniture out there in the next month or two so we can spend as much time outside as possible before it heats up again.

Riding Bikes and Never Giving Up. Both kids learned to ride bikes without training wheels over the holidays. It’s been a little dream of mine that we’d get to be a family that rides bikes together. It was such a sweet experience watching them learn. Milo surprised us by getting it in just 2 days, where Sophie took a few more. She always amazes me with her perseverance and growth mindset.

In tears of frustration, she told me “Mom, I just want to be able to do it! I’m the big sister! I should have learned first!” But even when it was hard, or she crashed, Sophie also said “but we can’t give up, Mom. We can never give up. We just have to try and try and try until we get it.”

And guys? She did. And Milo cheered her on every step of the way with lots of “Go Sophie! Go Sophie!” cheers until she got it at last. She rides so beautifully–she’s steady and perfectly straight, where Milo is blustery and fast and tries his best to do tricks. Each riding style is just so wonderfully them.

Changing the way I grocery shop with Instacart. Instacart is a grocery delivery service that picks up and delivers groceries from different stores in your area. You “shop” by adding items to a grocery cart online or on their app, then choose a delivery time window and then wait for them to arrive!

I did a full (NON sponsored) review on Instagram (see the saved story in my Highlights), but I loved the convenience (hello, groceries delivered to my door!), the speed (you can choose a delivery window that works for you, often within 1-2 hours!), and have been surprised that I’m actually saving money.

The first delivery is free, and it’s about $5.99 after that. I assumed I’d be paying that $6 more per week, but I’ve been surprised that my sticking exactly to my list, I’ve actually saved money by not succumbing to impulse buys. Occasionally I’ll forget something I’d have remembered if I’d been in the store to see it, but honestly, I’m embarrassed by how much I’ve saved by NOT going to the store. 

(PS – If you want to try it, you can get $10 off your first order, through this link then you can share your own code with a friend to get $10 off again!) 

Doing Hard Things. Sophie has been blessed with THE sweetest best friend this school year. They’ve been inseparable, and he’s made everything so much better for her. She always has someone to play with, someone to save her a seat, choose her for a partner, eat lunch with, etc. We were SO sad to hear that they were moving this month. Last week was his last week at school, and we’ve had a lot of tears and talks about what this week (and the next many weeks) will look like. I was the kid who moved a lot growing up (about every 2 years or so), so I’ve only really ever been on the other end. Have any of you helped your child through a transition like this? What’s made things easier for your little one?

If you’ve made it all the way to the end, I’m wondering: do you have interest in lifestyle content?

Things like our holiday traditions post, mom hacks, book recommendations, beauty faves, etc.? Is there something you feel like you’ve been missing? Comment below!