All Star Spots Program: My GymVB
The Friday Five v. 7
This "Dad Bag" is too funny
152 Unbelievable Examples Of Things Being Worn Down Over Time (Omg! I own those Burger King Cups!)
Dad writes 270 lunchbox notes to daughter for each day he’s deployed I love this!
portraits of women wearing amazon’s strangest beauty devices
21 Goals for 2021
Looking back on my goals for 2020 is a little depressing, just because I feel like half of the year was taken from us. Even so, it was a good year for us as a family and I love working from home. Here were my 2020 goals, and what I actually accomplished.
✓01. Hang up the rest of the pictures in our house! Why can't we seem to find time for this? Either the baby is sleeping or we are going somewhere; we don't have the right size frames... it's always something.
✓02. Go to the Chesapeake Arboretum. I've literally been trying to get here for 2 years and can't find a day to go.✓03. Pay down debts. Getting the new car was awesome, but having two kids meant that Neil had to get a bigger truck too so the car seats would fit. Not done, but way closer! It was a focus for us this year.
04. Family vacation, not somewhere too far or fancy, just something fun for us all. (Well... Covid...)
✓05. Get a desk, put the computer on it, actually use it.
06. Pack healthier food for lunches. Sometimes it's so easy to just throw the granola bar in, but the sugar in it is no joke.
✓07. Pack up baby stuff for the Team Hurwitz for Pancreatic Cancer Spring yard sale. We are two and through, so it's time to get rid of stuff either by passing it to others or selling it in our spring yard sale. Even with Covid, selling online and our spring sale raised $3,000! We have another one in March if you're looking for somewhere to donate!
✓08. Clean out my car. But, dirty again. Forever filled with crumbs.
09. Compliment at least one person a day, because everyone loves getting them!
10. Finish the books we have. Neil and I both have several books on the self that we want to read but we just haven't gotten to. I'm putting myself on a book buying limit until I finish the ones I've got.
✓11. Recycle smarter. Did you know that most of us are causing recycling problems? Cities in Hampton Roads are trying to get rid of recycling programs because of some of the issues and how expensive it is. Plastic bags can only be recycled in special places, take them to your local Target or Khols and find the bin. Shiny wrapping paper can not be recycled. Neither can some boxes that have been in the freezer, as they have additives to stop freezer burn.
12. Make a will. This one is SO important for our kids! (In the process!)
13. Meet with a financial advisor. Put a little bit more into retirement. It seems so far away, but it isn't really that far.
14. Unsubscribe to the junk emails. I get SO many.
✓15. Send cards. My cousin Christine is so good at this, and I'm so, so bad. This year I sent Valentine's Day cards!
✓16. Get (and keep alive) some kind of plant in the house. Plants make air. Fresh air is good for the brain... but I still can't remember to water them. Whoops.
✓17. Sanitize our devices more. How often do you really sanitize your phone? It's so full of germs! My computer at work is always so gross. Hello, classroom full of second grade sneezes.
✓18. Delegate, delegate, delegate. I'm not sure where we can sneak some help, but grocery pick up, cleaning help, dog grooming. We need some help.
19. Hang up some more lighting in our backyard.
✓20. Go on a parents' only trip somewhere. (Somewhere close!) Have some time for just us. Neil and I popped down to the OBX just before Covid.
So... I've still got a lot to do. Here's the list for 2021!
01. Finish the will. This process was longer and more expensive than I thought.
02. I still need to put more money into retirement.
03. Unsubscribe to allllll the emails. I swear I keep unsubscribing, but they still come.
04. The lights I want for our back yard have been in my cart for months, I just haven't pulled the trigger and I need to. We love spending time outside but we need some more light to make the time last longer.
05. WEED. THE. FLOWERBEDS. My next door neighbor thinks I am crazy because I spent most of the spring and summer weeding these only for more to show up days later. It's so frustrating! I have got to figure something out.
06. Get back to walking the dogs every day. One of the many perks of working from home is that I can walk the dogs on my lunch break. But it's been cold and I've been so busy so I am not as consistent as I once was.
07. Spend more time outdoors. I love being outside, and one positive thing about Covid is that we have walked more trails and spent more time in nature. Science says that just 20 minutes a day can improve your mood.
08. Attend at least one Admirals Game, if things go back to normal by then.
09. Spend a weekend in another city in Virginia.
10. Visit Freedom Park in James City County.
11. Create and maintain a better cleaning schedule.
12. Spend more time in nature. Science says that 20 minutes per day outside boosts your mood.
13. Plan a family vacation to somewhere new. This was on the list last year, but thanks to Covid it didn't happen.
14. Travel to Raleigh this summer to visit one of my best friends. Jess was my first friend as a 6 month old and I'm thrilled to say that after our babysitter, preschool, middle, and high school together, we are still friends. Now, she has a son close to my son's age so it's even more fun to visit her.
15. Listen to more podcasts. I have found a few I really love and can't wait to discover more.
16. Teach RT to do more chores. Chores give kids a sense of purpose. (Bubbie needs him to clean his room at her house.)
17. Visit Cape Charles during the summer to grab a watermelon cider from Buskey Cider On the Bay. Their other location is in Richmond, and I love the watermelon!
18. Open the curtains more. Let in all the light!
19. Moisturize at night. Ugh I'm so bad at this.
20. Use up some giftcards. I'm guilty of leaving a little money on them.
21. Have all my friends over for dinner once we can, and hug everybody!
Barry Art Museum
Most people don't think of an art museum as a place for kids, particularly one that features so many glass sculptures, but we found ourselves at the Barry Art Museum for the first time last Sunday and I wanted to share! Art isn't my specialty, and because of that I try to take the kids to an art museum at least once a year. I think that it is important to show them the benefit of getting out of our comfort zones. I also think that museums are somehow seen as these adult things that kids shouldn't go into, and I think that's totally wrong. So with one strapped on dad's back and the other holding my hand, we headed to the Barry Art Museum.
Built from the collection of Carolyn (who taught math at ODU) and Richard (whose father taught math at ODU and who served on the board there) Barry, the Old Dominion University art museum focuses on being a center for glass art as well as outreach, education, and research. Located on the Southern side of campus, the museum has free admission and free parking. The museum has lots of class, but upstairs it also has a historical doll exhibit. In February a orchid exhibit is coming.
Whenever visiting museums, I try to let the kids do the talking by asking them what they see, what it makes them think of, or what colors stand out to them. They will surprise you with how they interpret things!
The Friday Five v.6
The past few days I've been torn between being glued to the news and having to turn it off. I'm so sad for our country, for the double standards that we live with, and for our kids who are having to watch grown adults act like this. If you're like me, here are few links to take your mind away from it for a few minutes. Keep standing steady mamas.
Working parents: how to magically "level up" during quarantine?!
This sweet mama patch
New On WHRO FM: 'Classics For Kids'
Steve Kornacki Explains Accidentally Drawing A Penis On Live TV
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