a new series!
to show a peek into my daily life (and the systems I adore), and to give a gentle reminder that you - and all the tiny, behind-the-scenes work you do - are so important and appreciated.
10 tiny, behind-the scenes things I did for my family + household this week, in no particular order:
1) unpacked this week’s Amazon order
broke down the two big Amazon boxes, put everything away where it belongs.
realized we have way too many trash bags, went into my Amazon account, and updated my Subscribe and Save order to make our trash bag delivery less frequent.
see our Subscribe and Save order - and why I love this service for reducing my mental load - here.
and because I love looking in other people’s carts, here’s what I ordered from Amazon this week.
2) completed some tasks for upcoming trips
a fun project, but still a project.
signed up for some travel apps, added the info to my If Haley Dies document. wrote a reminder in my Yearly Tasks + Expenses list that these apps will renew in July.
found an airbnb for Joey’s first birthday adventure - here’s our three birthday traditions.
looked at our calendar to tentatively sketch out some adventures with loved ones. (here’s 13 things we do before - and after! - adventures to make them more enjoyable.) toyed with the idea of sending out texts, but decided to save it for a week I had more brain space.
3) canceled my eye appointment to take care of sick family
made a note in my to do list to reschedule.
then canceled the reservations for Saturday’s Adventure for the same reason.
which reminded me library books are due Saturday, so I added that to my to do list, too.
4) ordered more saline spray for joey, medicine for Brett
and wondered if I should make a doctor appointment, or see if things improve with rest + fluids. gah. checked Joey’s ears (with something like this) and cleared out some nasal mucus (with this) in the meantime. set up the personal steam inhaler for Brett, poured some vapor soap into KK’s bath, too. loaded up on my vitamins for extra immunity.
here’s 20 things we keep on hand for when we don’t feel well.
5) researched instant pot recipes
because that seems to be our current favorite for dinner these days, and because I want to become more comfortable using my instant pot for upcoming road trips.
which then got me day-dreaming - if we invited family on our October road trip, what recipes would we do for dinner? maybe that instant pot spaghetti I loved at Laura’s house? which then reminded me I had some upcoming birthday gifts to prep.
see more about my road trip kitchen kit here!
see this week’s menu plan here.
6) perused Poshmark to fill in a few wardrobe gaps
found keen sandals for KK, an olive green winter coat for Joey, athleisure jacket in my favorite shade of blue for me. made a note to use the next REI coupon to get a vest for Brett.
one of our split responsibilities is that I’m in charge of everyone’s clothes, and this works really well for us because 1) Brett and I both prefer the clothes I pick out for him and 2) I’m in charge of managing the day-to-day finances, so I have a better awareness of clothing budgets. and I really enjoy being in charge of everyone’s wardrobes, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t work.
here’s why we only wear certain colors and how it really helps me in this season as a mom of two littles
here’s our simplified sock + shoe system - I swear by this, too.
here’s more on our split responsibilities.
7) added vinegar to our online grocery cart
went to do my normal Towel Tuesday routine, noticed our towels were in need of a refresh. which then used up the majority of my white vinegar, so I went to our grocery store’s app, and added white vinegar to the “cart” so that when I place the weekly grocery order on Friday, vinegar will be ready to go.
just typing all that out reminds me the enormity of all I do for my family. whew.
here’s our four friday routines that take care of us all week long.
8) told Brett about an upcoming registration renewal
according to my Yearly Tasks + Expenses list, brett’s car is due for its inspection + registration. so I made a note on our fridge whiteboard.
which reminded me to ask Brett if he could go to a vet appointment for Winnie - added this to our fridge whiteboard, too.
see more about our fridge whiteboard - aka our system for how I ask Brett for help and how I communicate household things to him - here.
here’s a fridge whiteboard similar to the one we have.
9) cleaned the dishwasher
there are lots of ways to do this, but I use this.
see 5 tiny - but important! - things I clean every month here.
see my monthly routines here.
10) moved a whole bunch of things on my to do list
correction: some things got moved to when KK returns to mwf morning preschool, and some things got deleted altogether. summer is a marathon, and a hot, tiring one at that.
here’s 6 things I do when I’m anxious, burnt out, or overwhelmed.
This definitely is not an all-inclusive list of everything I did this week. There’s dishes that were done, kids that were comforted, dogs that were let out to potty - just to name a few more.
But all that to say - I hope you know how appreciated and important you are for all the tiny, behind-the-scenes work you do. I see you, and I’m right there with you.
Sending hugs.
xo, h
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