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) checked our Yearly Tasks + Expenses list

are there any annual appointments I need to make this month? traditions I need to plan for? gifts I need to buy? celebrations I need to arrange? deep cleaning I should maybe do? checking our Yearly Tasks + Expenses list answers all these questions for me. it’s basically how I sleep so deeply at night - absolutely everything that is done every year during certain months of the year (health appointments, holiday traditions, family birthdays, home maintenance projects, etc) is written down.
the next few months have some really fun things.
see this quick Instagram post for more on this beloved list.

2) updated the If Haley Dies document

see the quick Instagram post on that here.

3) planned a date

coordinated childcare, bought movie matinee tickets, made lunch reservations, made a note to pack joey’s travel crib for his nap, wrote down he and KK’s nap schedule.
taking the time to make sure brett and I have a few things on the calendar - and taking the time once a month to make sure the logistics are taken care of, like picking a restaurant from our Local Places List and coordinating childcare - helps me prioritize us as a couple, even in busy seasons of small children. (and we are very fortunate to live near family.)

4) took Joey to the doctor

made an appointment, got the kids ready, convinced KK why it was more fun to go to the doctor instead of playing at home, remembered how the last appointment was a disaster with KK, tried to think what could occupy KK at this appointment, loaded up the car, changed joey’s diaper, reminded KK of expectations, checked in, helped with Joey’s weight/height/vitals, tried to keep up with what the doctor was saying, asked prescription/prevention questions, remembered an unrelated question, scheduled a follow-up visit, reminded doctor about specialist information, loaded kids back in the car, praised KK for doing so well, picked up prescription, gave joey medicine. whew.
- ps here’s my favorite medicine dispenser for kids - you turn the knob to the amount of medicine you need, and it only fills up to that amount. don’t laugh -we praise this thing often. we have three and use them all the time.
- pps lately KK loves markers and a coloring book (or the protective paper on the doctor chair) for appointments.
to everyone doing the behind the scenes work of doctor appointments - you are so appreciated. the amount of work that goes into one appointment is no easy feat.

5) tackled The Box

it’s stuffed to the brim - it was time.
basically I have this pretty box, and I keep it in the main area of my home. and in that box I keep anything that I need to deal with, but that I don’t feel like dealing with right this second - gift cards to use, paperwork to fill out, rebates to turn in, bills to pay, invitations to respond, documents to file, kid-related things to save, items to fix, etc etc etc. thanks to The Box, I know where these important things are whenever I’m ready to tackle with them. and I do tackle them at least once a month - although I organically end up doing it more often than that anyway. I swear by this system.
this quick reel shows The Box system in our home.
similarly, this reel shows what I do with all those kid-related things I want to save, and these boxes are where I file away our documents we need to keep.

6) reevaluated our dinner themes

our beloved dinner themes were no longer working - it was time for a change. and although I love this kind of stuff, it still takes a significant amount of time and effort to assess current systems and implement change. i am the captain of our ship and the ceo of our family, and while that means I get to decide how a lot of things are done, that doesn’t mean any of it is effortless.
see the new dinner themes here.
I also made a menu plan, refreshed my memory on some BLW things, edited the menu plan, saw potential grocery order was over budget, edited menu plan again, edited grocery order, ordered groceries, picked up groceries, cleaned fridge, unloaded groceries. see this week’s menu plan here.
to everyone in charge of feeding a family - however that looks for you - you are so important and appreciated.

7) gathered mini muffin recipes

another important - but behind-the-scenes - task.
I’ve learned that making plenty of mini muffins for the week and plenty of egg muffins for the week is 10000% worth my time and energy. we are officially huuuuuuge mini muffin fans over here (mom and dad included), and I needed to round up some more mini muffin recipes to try. we love alllllll yummy toddler food’s mini muffin recipes.
also ordered a second mini muffin pan to make it easier on myself.

8) started a Christmas Gift Idea List

I know, I know. It’s July. But around this time of year, I start a blank note in my Google Keep (or I make a Google Doc), and throughout the next few months, I add things we actually need. This really helps me be intentional with gift buying come November.
I also year-round have an Amazon wishlist for each of us, and I add to that here and there, too. I also have a separate “santa + stockings” wishlist so that if and when loved ones ask for gift ideas, I can send them a wishlist without worrying that they’ll buy what I’m hoping Santa gives. Here’s five things we love to put on wishlists for loved ones.

9) started perusing end-of-summer, back-to-school sales

my favorite time of year to fill any gaps in our wardrobes, but also my favorite time of year to find off-season, secondhand steals.
while doing this, I thought of a few things that would be great for Christmas gifts, so I went back and jotted them down on the list I mentioned previously.
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.

10) cleaned urine. and vomit. and poop.

between two kids - one in diapers and one prettyyy consistent with using the potty - and three dogs, there are lots of bodily functions I have to clean on a day to day basis. solidarity to everyone else doing the same.
ps these rags are my go-to for messes. we keep a big pile of them in the kitchen and they’re used all dang day.

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.

(See past posts here!)

Sending hugs.

xo, h

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