watching Annedriods on Amazon Prime with the kids.  A fun mix of science, robotics and engineering.  And now my kids want to make a robot.

writing cards.  I’m loving how it forces me to slow down and really think and pray for the recipient.  This week, I sent a thank you card to a friend who brought a baby gift for P and started on another pocket letter for my sister in college.  I also participated in a project for a young mom battling cancer.  I’ve been thinking a lot about free time and using it wisely and in ways that fill me up.  I always thought that I never had time for hand-written notes, but that’s not really true.  I just didn’t feel it was a priority at that point in my life.  Now more than ever, I think it is – it may take the place of another activity (usually reading), but there’s always time to sneak it into my week.

reading all the books.  I requested a handful of e-books from the library a few weeks ago and they are all coming in at once!  I’ve got Jim Gaffigan’s Food: A Love Story, The Wife, the Maid and the Mistress and the second book in the Series of Unfortunate Events series that I’ll be reading on my phone.  Add in my Lenten reading, Charlotte Mason book and Upstairs in the White House.  I’ll definitely have more than enough to dive into in the coming weeks!

trying new “ice creams”, or maybe more accurately, frozen desserts.  Mark picked up a coconut milk one and an almond milk one.  I LOVE ice cream so wasn’t expecting much, but they’re actually pretty good.  The coconut milk does seem to have a hint of coconut taste, but not off-putting.  Now I’ll have something to enjoy this summer with everyone else!

researching and reading and dreaming and praying and hoping.  We have big decisions to make and it’s scary and stressful and so exciting all at the same time.

Around here, I have been:

telling the kids lots of memories about my grandmother.  Since the baby is such a horrible traveler and the kids needed to be in school, I wasn’t able to make 10-hour trip to the funeral.  So hard, but I tried to make up for it by baking chocolate chip cookies (one of her favorites) and sharing lots of funny stories about growing up with her.  I’ve been trying to put into words what she meant to me, but I only seem to come up with a feeling: the overwhelming feeling of being home.  She was a strong lady who loved with her whole heart.  I hope to live my life much like she did hers.

celebrating two big projects getting checked off the list last weekend.  We had a junk removal service come and take a bunch of random over-sized crap we’ve been piling up in our garage for months.  It was gone in 10 minutes and we now have our garage back!  We also managed to sell our old bed on a Facebook yard sale site, so we’re just a little bit richer too. (Hah, just kidding.  It’s going into the groceries fund.)

reading a handful of books.  For my Lenten reading, I’m slowly going through Scott Hahn’s Lenten Reflections from A Father Who Keeps His Promises and St. Josemaria Escriva’s The Way.  I’m also reading The Precious One for book club and then a random library pick called Black Friday.

gathering supplies for a re-emergence of snail mail.  I think a part of my “Year of Slow” should be about making the time to collect my thoughts and hand write them to friends and family.  It’s also a great opportunity to practice a little creativity  – I can use up a bunch of scrapbook/paper goods that have been collecting dust!  I finished my first letter on Wednesday and can’t wait to make letter writing part of my weekly routine.  (P.S. Let me know if you want to be penpals!)  A few fun links I discovered this week:
+ Write 30 letters in 30 days in April
+ Bring Back Snail Mail Challenge
+ Pocket Letters
+ the #snailmailrevolution hashtag on Instagram
+ 1000 Postcard Project (I want to do something like this!  Maybe for 100 Little Things list vol.4?)

rediscovering one of my favorite Catholic bands from when I was a teenager….like 15 years ago. (How did I get so old?!)  Crispin was funky, fun and still devout.  Fun fact: I learned how to pray the Memorare from their song, Ave Maria.  I also love their version of Were You There?  A fun trip back in time.

Big White Farmhouse notes:
+ Meal planning menupads are 10% off, no code needed!

A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.

Around here, I have been:

laughing at Sophie after hearing her brothers talk about skydiving: “There’s just one thing…I’m scared of heights.  I don’t want to fall to my death.”

finishing The Appalling Strangeness of the Mercy of God: The Story of Ruth Pakaluk and Necessary Lies.

falling into the rabbit hole of education.  Mark and I had a few conversations about the pros and cons of having our children in public school this year and – you know me – now I’m reading and listening to all the things related to schooling.  I started reading A Charlotte Mason Companion and watched a handful of TED talks, including this one from Joshua Katz and this one from Tawana Weiker and this one from Chandra Shaw.  Lots to think about.

starting something new.  I recently read an article about the Pope and how he puts all his worries at the feet of St. Joseph and is able to sleep at night.  Inspired by him, I’ve started writing down the things that cause me so much stress and anxiety and placing them at Mary’s feet.  Somehow the physical practice of writing it down really gives the spiritual idea life and gives me peace.

beginning Lent!  Two Internet articles I really liked this week:
+ This quote from a post on Team Whittaker: “But, truly, if our Lenten promises are transformative, we won’t have to shout to the world what we gave up because at the end of 40 days people will know. They’ll see the change. More importantly, we’ll be changed, and our Beloved will rejoice.”
+ 5-Minute Sacrifice for Lent

listening to Sophie “read” The Lady with the Alligator Purse over and over.  And over.

watching D’s curiosity.  He was home sick with a stomach virus for two days, but by the afternoon of day two, he was back to normal and anxious to do something.  We have an old, broken laptop and in passing, he asked if I knew what the inside of a computer looked like.  Imagine his surprise when I said, “Why don’t you take the laptop apart and find out?” !!  He was so focused and spent at least an hour working and examining all the pieces.

praying for the repose of the soul of my grandmother, who passed away on Thursday.  She was so, so loved.

Around here, I have been:

finishing Different and starting The Appalling Strangeness of the Mercy of God.  This is my tenth finish so far this year and I’m so pleased!  I credit it to a lot less television at night and taking advantage of those 10-20 minute pockets throughout the day.  It all adds up!  I also think reading begets reading.  Once the habit is firmly established, I want to read all the books and learn all the things!

making lists and plans to finally get tasks done around the house.  We have a broken TV, a dozen paint cans from the previous owners and a handful of “un-giveawayable” Ikea furniture that need to go, so making that phone call to the trash company.  I’ve been going through all of the toys we have in the basement that we’ve kept “just in case” but the kids never play with.  This weekend, I’ll be rounding up all of the little donation piles around the house and dropping them off.  It feels good to complete things that have been on our to-do list forever.

laughing at the little kids and their love for Bob Ross.  Sophie has been extra inspired this week and has painted along with him almost every morning.

receiving my essential oil order for February.  This month, I ordered Cedarwood and Joy.  Cedarwood is a woodsy scent (duh) and is supposed to be very calming.  I want to diffuse it with lavender in the boys’ room to see if they’ll sleep more deeply and – hopefully! – longer.  Joy is supposed to be really good for lifting emotions and with my up and down postpartum anxiety, I thought it may be a good one to try.  (My personal link if you ever want to order something too!)

praying our dryer isn’t broken.  We caught TJ standing on the door trying to press the buttons and now the door is wonky and keeps popping open, thus stopping the drying.  Currently, we’re package-taping the door shut (#soclassy) until we have the time to see if we can fix it.

thinking about these articles I found around the Internet this week:
+ Harvard Psychologists Reveal: Parents Who Raise ‘Good Kids’ Do These 5 Things
+ The Anxiety Epidemic: Why Kids Need Less School and More Freedom
+ Screens In Schools Are a $60 Billion Hoax

having issues with the IntenseDebate commenting system I have had on the blog.  I finally decided to go back to Blogger’s comments, but that deleted over two year’s worth of kind thoughts and words from readers.  So bummed.

starting a new system for the kids: color-coded cups and dishes! I really don’t know why I was so resistant, but after weeks and weeks of passing illness around, I was convinced that everyone needed their own things with NO sharing!  I got this Ikea set which was perfect for our big family.

loving our new waffle maker!  I’ve wanted one for months and just finally bit the bullet.  I’m planning to make a batch to freeze for school mornings, but one search on Pinterest and now I’m in trouble.  Cinnamon roll waffles, chocolate dessert waffles…the possibilities are endless!

Big White Farmhouse notes:
+ New in the shop!  We just got in these really cool sustainable wraps made from beeswax.  They are supposed to mimic plastic wrap, but without the waste.  The heat of your hand creates a seal on bowls and cups.  You can also use it to wrap up produce, like half a lemon or greens from the garden.  I can’t wait to try them too.  We carry them in small, medium and large sizes as well as a sandwich wrap.

finally relaxing after a crazy week!  Mark worked a big conference all week with early mornings and late nights.  We seemed to only see each other a few minutes before my eyes started drooping and my head bobbing…thank goodness he was as exhausted as me!  Weeks like these make me appreciate him so much – with all of these children, we have become a good team and you just don’t realize how much you depend on each other until half of the team is away.  Looking forward to getting back into our routine again.  

cheering for J as he lost his first tooth!  He’s been wiggling it for awhile, but finally pulled it loose in the school drop off line.  

listening to all of the exciting things happening at school.  D has been working on a big project for Merchant Day, where all of the kids made and sold items to other kids in the second grade.  He drew 40 trading cards with super heroes on them and they were really popular!  He was pleased with the response.  M is shooting a real bow and arrow in PE, which is a huge deal.  J has started weekly spelling tests and has been doing great.

celebrating a successful contract on our old house!  There was quite a bit of back and forth, which is always stressful, but it looks like we may be in the clear for closing in early March!

signing up M, D, and Sophie for soccer this spring.  We’re excited to watch them learn and play.  And see Sophie in tiny shin guards, hah!

finishing The Summer Before the War and Elizabeth is Missing.  Still slowly working my way through Different.

preparing for a house full of visitors as we celebrate P’s baptism!

Around here, I have been:

surviving another round of illness in the house.  We picked up J on Monday after he threw up on the playground (The nurse said that he was the 76th kid that was absent or sent home that day!) and it was pretty much downhill from there.  Mark and I both were hit with a weird virus that had us freezing one minute and sweating the next.  We all were coughing, so I’m sure we have some sort of bronchitis floating around too.  We’ve become obsessed with Purell and I plan on disinfecting every inch of my house this weekend.  Ironic note: In January, I used the Saint Name Generator to pick our family saint of the year and we got…. St Catherine del Ricci, patroness of sick people.  We’ve been asking for her intercession big time this week!

bringing P to his 2 month appointment and am happy to hear what I already know is true: he’s a perfectly healthy little boy.  13 pounds 1oz and super tall.  He’s almost outgrown his 3 month sleepers because his legs are just so long!  I’ve got some shopping to do.

finishing The Little Book of Hygge and now really thinking about the connection between little, everyday experiences and how they in turn help gratitude, life satisfaction and happiness.  I thought this book was such an easy read and really thought-provoking for me as a mother.

receiving an offer on our first house!  It’s been on the market for almost a month and we were not optimistic for a quick turnaround since the market there is so slow.  Unfortunately, the offer was really low, but we’ve been countering back and forth and made our final push last night.  At this writing, we’re crossing our fingers and hoping they accept!

watching the boys fill out their Valentine’s Day cards.  I had pinned a bunch of cute ideas on Pinterest, but then cackled to myself and said NOPE.  Mama’s in survival mode right now.  Storebought Captain America, Star Wars and Scooby Doo boxes at $2.50 each for the win.

reading the ebook version of The Summer Before the War borrowed from the library.  I’ve been reading and reading and wondering why I’m never making significant progress only to discover that the print version is 496 pages!  I’ve got nine days left and am only 57% through, so I’ve got some work to do this weekend!

starting Different: The Story of an Outside-the-Box Kid and the Mom Who Loved Him and sobbing and sobbing through it.  I don’t talk about it much on the blog because it’s his story to tell someday, but this book put a bulls-eye on some of the struggles we’ve been having at home.  I felt like someone finally understands and I don’t feel so alone.   

listening to the Sorta Awesome podcast episode 26: The truth about anxiety.  My anxiety has been up and down since the baby (thank you, hormones) and I appreciated the unfortunate solidarity from people who get it as well as some of their tips.

Big White Farmhouse notes:
+ More items coming in for the Children’s Room!  We received colored pencils made from apple tree twigs that I think are so unique and cool.  We also got in fairy house kits, which come in a beautiful collector’s box.  I’ve hid them from Sophia for now, because she’s going to die when she sees them!  Maybe for Easter?

Around here, I have been:

drinking a lot of water.  Like a lot a lot.  When P was born, I remembered to bring my water jug home from the hospital and am finally using it on a daily basis.  Filling it up four times equals about a gallon, so that’s been my goal.  Right now, I’m at around two and a half.

trying kefir and starting on a probiotic to help my digestion issues.  I’m thinking I may have leaky gut, so I cut out all sugar, dairy and most grains.  It’s crazy how sensitive the dairy is – I had a handful of Goldfish, felt sick to my stomach, only to remember that they were cheddar Goldfish.  Duh.  I also had ranch flavored Veggie Sticks and felt the same.  I’m in uncharted territory and the learning curve is hard!

declaring February to be the month of food!  My new dietary restrictions have me a little overwhelmed, so I want to dig into some new recipes.  I have “complete a green smoothie challenge” on my 100 Little Things list, so this may be a good time to implement it into my morning (and a good way to get down that kefir, hah).  I also pulled out the list for “Cook through the 30 Recipes You Should Know by Age 30“, another 100LT task, and hope to get a good start on that too.  This week, I roasted a chicken and made lemon thyme chicken thighs.

feeling a range of emotions with post-baby weight loss.  The more babies I have (and older I get), the longer it takes for me to lose the pounds.  The days of nursing and “the weight just melts off!!” is over!  I still have half of the pregnancy weight to go and then probably 15 pounds more if I really want to be at fighting weight.  But ahh…I hate having the scale and step counts and food choices dominate all of my thoughts.  Life’s too short!  But I also would like to be a bit more comfortable in my own skin…and fit in some of my favorite clothes again too.  Vicious cycle.

discovering that you can get 3% back on Jet.com orders through ebates!  I depend on Jet for almost all of my pantry staples, so this was awesome to find.  We’ve decided to put all of the “Big Fat Check” (what ebates calls your money back) onto our debt and every little bit helps.

playing Qwixx with Mark and The Scrambled States of America Game with the kids.  We’re trying to collectively lessen our screen time and games are the perfect form of entertainment for our competitive bunch!

helping J with his 100th Day of school project.  He had to fill a heart with 100 items and he chose buttons.  I loved spending that one-on-one time with him, counting (and counting and counting…) and chatting about whatever was in his head.

finishing the first book of the Series of Unfortunate Events series and Yes, Chef, bringing January’s reading total to six.  I’m slowly making my way through The Little Book of Hygge (SO good to read during winter!) and starting The Summer Before the War.  I also listened to a few more episodes on Modern Mrs. Darcy’s podcast and have been filling up my Goodreads to-read list…I think I’m up to more than 360!

watching Hunted.  We don’t have cable, so Mark and I watched online.  We love it and are excited to watch a show “old school” (week-by-week) instead of binge watching on Netflix. 

thinking about these articles and what they may mean for me going forward:
+ Where Do Donated Clothes Really Go?
+ The Link Between Clutter and Depression

Big White Farmhouse notes:
+ So many new products coming in!  We are expanding our children’s section to include more toys that encourage imagination and our first product just arrived: a treasure hunter’s kit!  I love that all of the little pieces fit nicely in the wooden box.  We also have new berry-inspired tea towels that are packaged in berry baskets.  SO cute and would make easy gifts!  We also have apple versions and berry cloth napkins.
+ We just launched a new promotion for February: free heart stickers with every purchase, while supplies last (and then we’ll probably send some other surprise).  They are perfect for that little something special on envelopes, scrapbooks, planners or Valentine’s Day cards.

A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.

changing up my nutrition in an attempt to combat the baby blues.  I was pretty down two weeks ago, feeling very overwhelmed and sensitive to the kids’ bickering.  Thankfully, it was the first (and only) real emotional trigger so far.  Since then, I’ve been researching all about postpartum hormones, which is so interesting!  I’ve added vitamin D to my supplements (since going outside in the winter, especially with a newborn, is difficult), drastically reduced my sugar intake and am diffusing a lot of citrus oils.  So far, so good.

laughing at TJ’s latest “dance move”, which looks a lot like downward dog with some booty shaking.

A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.

Around here, I have been:

surviving a horrible cold and sinus infection that started late last week.  Since the strongest thing I could take was good ol’ Tylenol, it felt like forever until I started feeling better.  I’m still not 100% and this week was such a wash.  I wasn’t productive at all.  My lifesavers were this chapstick (after almost a week of breathing through my mouth, my lips were hurting!), our cheap humidifier (I always feel like it doesn’t help much, but I slept SO much better with it vs. without) and inhaling steam from a bowl of boiling water.


reaching the point of pregnancy where all you can think about/talk about/dream about is birth.  My emotions have been all over the place and I’m generally just a hot mess – my poor husband.  Trying to remember the end is near!  On the rare occasion I’ve had a burst of energy, I’ve been distracting myself by reading birth stories (Fran’s was awesome) and cleaning the carseat.  I really need to pack a hospital bag, but have been procrastinating.  I probably should prioritize that soon. 

finishing Flight Behavior and starting The Quality of Silence.


celebrating M’s 10th birthday.  He requested a BBQ feast from Famous Dave’s for dinner and graciously accepted a store bought “brownie cake” instead of homemade because I’ve been so sick.  (And it was actually delicious!)  We are so proud of the young man he’s becoming, even though his tween status feels more than a bit surreal to me.  How in the world have I been in this mothering gig for TEN years?!   Seems like forever and just yesterday.  


granting J’s biggest birthday wish by celebrating his birthday two weeks early.  He has the last birthday of the bunch and struggles with it every.single.year.  Sweet boy just can’t understand why he has to wait until the very end, watching all of his siblings enjoy presents and cake and adventures with Daddy.  So we surprised him with the option and you’d think he won the lottery!   He requested my homemade crepes for dinner and a cookie cake and ice cream for dessert.  Surprisingly, his favorite present was an inexpensive pirate play set.  We love him so.


adding a handful of vintage Santa mugs and a really cool pair of stocking stretchers to Big White Farmhouse.  I am still in shock that Black Friday is next week already, but hoping we’re as prepared as we can be!