march recap

+ REMEMBERING

It's been a year since Finch was diagnosed with bronchiolitis and stayed two nights in the hospital. I still have flashbacks of those terrible, long nights. I definitely have had heightened anxiety since then when he gets sick, but he had something similar a few times this winter/spring and breezed through it no problem! Praise the Lord for stronger lungs!

+ JURY DUTY UPDATE

I was summoned for jury duty back in February, and completely lucked out as nothing was scheduled for the entire month of my service. I know jury duty is an important part of our court system, but I was very happy to not have to report this time as it would have been tricky to figure out logistics with the kids, as I am the one who transports them during the week and cares for them on Wednesdays.

+ FINANCIAL UPDATE

Thanks to a larger-than-usual tax refund, our emergency fund is now at 1/3 of our goal (rather than 1/5). Yay! We were also able to pay for some car repairs and save for a replacement. Did you get a tax refund? If so, what did you do with it?

+ ELSEWHERE

Last week I was featured on the Design Mom blog Living With Kids segment. I've read her blog for years and really enjoyed her thoughtful interview questions. Plus she got some photos of my house I've never shown on here (like the one of our kitchen above)!

+ TV

What shows are you watching now that This Is Us is over (and how disappointing was that finale?!)? I'm watching Dancing with the Stars (go Simone!) and Designated Survivor, and we also started The Man in the High Castle on Amazon Prime.

+ FAV NEW PODCAST

I don't have a good routine of listening to podcasts, but I really enjoyed Missing Richard Simmons. It's short (six 30-minute episodes) and was fun to get lost in for a little while. Has anyone else listened to it?

+ SPRING TRADITION

Each spring for the past 4 (or 5?) years, we have stayed at an indoor waterpark hotel with my family. It's so much fun - Rooney asks about it all year until it's (finally) time to go again. There is a great one just 15-ish minutes from our house that has three pools and is perfect for the ages of the kids right now (ranges from 1-9). If you are looking for a new family tradition, I highly recommend it!

+ SWEET DREAMS

I've had several vivid dreams lately that we move into a different house. It's never the same house, but it's always an older house in a more established neighborhood that we are excited about renovating. What does it mean?!

+ "MOM-BRE"

I got new hair for spring! I've always identified as a brunette and never desired to color my hair much, but it was starting to feel flat. When I look back at pictures of my ombre, I really miss it! So I hooked up with Laura Jolesch and she gave me some fresh balayage. She is so good with color! I love the dimension and that there is no orange, which can be tricky with brown hair. I want you all to try her out so she is offering $10 off your first service when you mention Snappy Casual. Check out her Instagram, too - she is so good!

+ ECZEMA?

Rooney had a mild case of eczema when she was younger, but nothing like what Finchy has all over his entire body. It's terrible and makes me feel so sad for him! We have tried a homemade cream with honey & essential oils, coconut oil, baby eczema cream, etc. Nothing did anything until we got Vaseline® Intensive Care™ Advanced Repair Fragrance Free Lotion. Vaseline sent it to us to try out and I honestly figured they would just be saving me $3 from trying yet another product that doesn't work BUT I am a happy lifetime customer now and so thrilled that poor Finch is no longer itching his poor legs! His skin has never felt so soft. It's approved by the National Eczema Association and was awarded the National Eczema Seal of Acceptance (who knew there was such a thing?). "I have never been more impressed with a lotion," my husband says. I really can't say enough good things about it!

+ COMING SOON

I'm very close to launching my new blog design by Joa Jean, my go-to girl for design & branding. Can't wait to show you guys!