Ahhh! The last 2 weeks after coming home from our spring break vacation have been good, simple, peaceful, relaxing… and difficult all at the same time.
It felt SO good to get back home again, get everything unpacked and put away, and get back to our regular lives again. The kids enjoyed playing with their own toys again, riding bikes with neighbor kids, and just lounging around the house. Dave and I enjoyed all the comforts of our own home… and getting to bed a lot earlier than we did on vacation!
That said, it has been really difficult for me to get back into my “normal” routine again (especially for work purposes!)
I worked so hard to plan, write, and schedule ALL my blog posts and do ALL my VA work several weeks in advance that the last 2 weeks have been a challenge for me. I had such a nice break (almost 2 full weeks away from work) that finding my groove took a bit of time… but I think I’m finally there (or at least really close!)
Tell me I’m not the only one who struggles to get back to reality after being in “vacation mode”!
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I haven’t done any major projects yet — just lots of little things to get our home and yard ready for spring and summer.
I did some weeding, pruning, splitting, and transplanting while the kids played outside; and I finally swapped out the winter decorations on our front porch for a few more spring-looking items!
I washed all our blankets and comforters (and removed some of the blankets from our beds in hopes that the warmer weather will stick around!) I also vacuumed out the van and “washed” our strollers and bike trailer (here’s how I wash them).
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Dave I officially began the process of preparing for demolition in our “blue bedroom” (a.k.a. the current playroom). We emptied out that room completely in preparation to remove the carpet, doors, trim, and a bunch of drywall, hopefully starting next week already.
It gave me a good chance to take “inventory” of all our toys, purge a handful we don’t need/want/use/love anymore, and better organize the rest. Nora and Simon were surprisingly willing to part with 2 large bags of toys… I think because it was extra ‘fun’ as we were rearranging furniture and moving so much around 🙂
Right now, all the toys are in Nora and Simon’s bedroom. It took a bit of rearranging, but everything fits and doesn’t feel too cluttery — at least not in my opinion!
We hope to have the “blue bedroom” torn apart and put back together by July (when it will no longer be blue!) Then we’ll be gone for a couple vacations, after which the plan is to move Nora into the new room before school starts in August.
Once Nora is out of her current bedroom, we’ll move James up to share that room with Simon — leaving the nursery empty for a few weeks so I can clean it and get it ready for the new baby!
Oh, how I love a good house project (at least once it’s finished!)
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Switching gears… I got these pens for the kids before we went on vacation — they think they are SO cool, and it just brings me back to my childhood, using these pens in church 🙂
I think I only paid $6 for the pack of 12. I let each kid pick the color of their choice, and we’re saving the rest to give as little gifts to friends and neighbors.
I also got a new Home T for myself — a bigger size so I can wear it as I become a bigger size 🙂
It’s honestly THE softest, most comfortable t-shirt I’ve ever owned… and I’m loving the new V-neckline too!
We received a set of lunch boxes from PlanetBox… and the kids were SO excited to eat lunch this past week!
We have the “Rover” box and I have to say, not only is it really cute, it’s also much more practical than I thought it would be, and super easy for the kids to eat out of (especially nice this time of year when they like to have picnic lunches outside.)
I have a feeling we will get good use out of these lunch boxes once I need to start packing school lunches!
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What I’m reading and watching:
I had grand intentions of reading so many books over spring break — but aside from 2 afternoons when James napped on my lap at the pool, I had very little down time to read (not too surprising since we traveled with 3 young children and James didn’t go to bed well at night!)
Anyway, I was bummed that I didn’t even finish 1 book on vacation, but I’ve read several books the past 2 weeks at home.
- Welcome to Paradise: It’s about a reality TV show that takes modern-day people to a remote area out West and teaches them to live like pioneers did in the 1850’s. It was a little too “romancy” for me towards the end, but a fun plot and storyline overall. I would definitely want to watch it if it were really a TV show!
- A Hopeful Heart: I’m not sure how I got this book for free on Kindle, because it’s not free anymore — but it was a quick read.
- The Secrets of Happy Families: I got this one through Hoopla — lots of good tips and ideas.
- The Sisters of St. Croix: I also read this one free through Hoopla
- Once Upon a Wager: This book (and the book below) were “recommended” to me on Amazon Prime (both free). They were OK reads, but I wouldn’t really recommend them as outstanding. They are set in early 1800’s in London and sort of weird plots and storylines.
- Once Upon a Scandal
I watched enough HGTV on vacation to satisfy my TV “itch” for a while — the only thing I’ve watched in the past 2 weeks is Call The Midwife on PBS each Sunday night. Seriously, it’s such a good show (the first few seasons are on Netflix).
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Our Menu Plan:
SUNDAY (Easter):
- Dinner at my parent’s house
MONDAY:
- Meatloaf
- Mashed potatoes
- Roasted Carrots
- Applesauce
- Fresh fruit
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
TUESDAY:
- Chicken Spaghetti (so good… I adapted this recipe quite a bit and made it so much simpler. I’ll have to share my recipe soon!)
- Salad
- Broccoli and cauliflower
- Garlic bread
- Fruit
- Rice Krispie Bars
WEDNESDAY:
- Chicken packets
- Green Beans
- Applesauce
- Fruit
- Ice Cream Sandwiches
THURSDAY:
- Beef Brisket (my first time ever making this cut of meat)
- Roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes
- Roasted Parmesan Asparagus
- Corn
- Applesauce
- Fruit
- Rolls
- Chocolate Chip Brownies
FRIDAY:
- Taco Casserole
- Salad
- Chips and salsa
- Fruit
- Cream Cheese Danishes
SATURDAY:
- Mushroom and swiss burgers from Blue Apron
- Baked herbed potato wedges
- Grilled corn on the cob
- Fruit
It’s exciting to realize that after this week, Dave only has 6 more weeks of school until Summer Vacation!! yay!
It’s also crazy to think that in just a couple more weeks, we’ll know the gender of our baby! I know Nora would just love a little sister, and I would love for her to have a little sister — but in all honesty, the main reason I’m so excited to find out what the gender is because Dave refuses to entertain all my random name suggestions until he knows the gender 🙂
I have so much fun coming up with names (I have a couple of winners for both genders already) and I just can’t wait to decide on this baby’s name ASAP!
Erin says
I have to clear out a bedroom, too, for a reno. I’m not as quick as you! haha! We’re turning a larger open room into a shared bedroom for my son (7) and daughter (3). They currently sleep with us (gasp!), and we’re thinking a shared room will be just exciting enough to get them into their own room. I’ll miss them…maybe that’s why I’m so slow on clearing it out. My husband will then uild walls and rip out carpets and such. Good luck!
Andrea says
I’m sure the room(s) will be great when the project is finished! And I’m guessing you’ll eventually love your new privacy too 🙂
Emily says
Do you have any tips on getting young siblings (2.5 and almost 5) to successfully sleep in the same room? I am concerned they will play late into the night. You seem to have been able to do this successfully!
Andrea says
haha — as I type, nNra and Simon are giggling on the monitor (they went to bed about 20 minutes ago) They usually fall asleep right away and are very quiet, but apparently, they aren’t tired tonight! I’ll go up there in another 5-10 minutes and tell them it’s time to quiet down.
We transitioned our kids to a shared room when Simon was exactly 2.5 and Nora was 4.5 — Dave and I were both EXTREMELY impressed by how smooth the transition was. There were a few tears the first night (also Simon’s first night in a big boy bed) but by the end of the first week, it felt like they had been sleeping this way for years already.
We’ll hopefully be transitioning James to share with Simon soon after his 2nd birthday — so I’m not really sure how that will go with him being a bit younger. I think change is always a little hard for everyone involved, but your kids are probably old enough that you can at least explain the situation and make it sound like a fun adventure.
So anyway, I guess I don’t really have any great tips except to use a noise maker or fan for white noise and try to talk them through it a bit. You might have a few restless nights until people are used to the new arrangement (so give it at least a week or more before you give up!)
Hope this helps!
Kathy says
Hello, and thank you so much for your site. Your mentioning that you are a Type A person has been very helpful to me, as I am not. With that info in hand, I’m able to process your posts differently. Instead of feeling intimidated and like a failure (I’ll never be able to be like that!), I am working more towards adjusting your practices to my personality and inclinations.
It’s working! I’m gradually working in different routines and practices, and my husband has noticed the quiet changes going on in our home. And I am feeling more peaceful and able to continue to tackle new challenges and ways to do things.
Thanks for your great example and kind assistance 🙂
Take care –
Andrea says
yes, definitely type A over here 🙂
And yes, I do mention it because I know people who are NOT type A might have a more difficult time relating to my tips and suggestions. That said, I’m thrilled to know you have been able to tweak my tips to fit your personality and lifestyle — that makes me SO happy!
I’m glad your hubby is noticing too — it feel so go when positive changes are noticed and appreciated.
Keep up the good work!
Sarah says
I have the same problem getting back to routine after vacation. I’m always so eager to unpack and settle into home, our haven, no matter how much fun we had on vacation.
Thanks for sharing your “peek posts!” Your zeal for family and home are contagious, encouraging me to get going if I’m having one of THOSE days. Love your blog!
Blessings from NM!
Linda T says
I’d love to have your recipe for the chicken spaghetti – it looks great!
I’m loving your blog – I look forward to reading it everyday!
Andrea says
I believe I linked to the recipe I used in the blog post. I did change up the recipe a bit, but the same general idea and basic ingredients. I’ll work on getting my specific recipe together and hopefully post it soon 🙂
JoDi says
Ugh, I have trouble getting back in my routine after vacation too. We’ve been back from vacation for a week, and I just got back in my groove over the weekend. Summers are the worst. I started working summer school a few years ago for extra money for house projects and I really like that it’s a reduced schedule so it still feels like a break, but it keeps me in “work mode” so it’s not as hard when the school year starts. It was getting sooooo hard to go back after a whole summer off!
How does Nora feel about having her own room again? She really seemed to like sharing with Simon!
Andrea says
Nora won’t have her own room until August — but I think she’s excited just because it will be new to her.
She does love sharing a room with Simon, but considering she will need to wake up almost an hour earlier next year to get on the bus, it really makes the most sense to give her a separate room. I certainly don’t need ALL the kids waking up an hour earlier!
Peggy says
Oh my gosh I love the Midwife shows we are almost thru season 4 on Netflix. It’s the best!
Andrea says
it IS so good! glad you are enjoying it too!
Debbie says
I’m with you on having a hard time getting back to the normal routine after a vacation. It’s been 3 weeks since we came back and I just started to get back to my morning exercises today. We got back the week before Easter and I knew I had to change the decors for this theme and Spring, and I was dragging my feet. This weekend I knew I had to put those Easter theme decors away and couldn’t get motivated enough to do it. There’s also a need to start doing some outdoor cleaning and planting but still not motivated to do those. Fortunately, it’s been really wet here in our area so it’s been difficult to get that good weather to get excited about buying and planting flowers and plants. Here’s to wishing for more sunshine to get me in the mood to start moving. You got lots done in my opinion and yay for the upcoming summer break.
Andrea says
yeah, I don’t do any real decorating except for Christmas (and those were the decorations still on the front porch!!)
Once I take the Christmas decor down inside, it stays the same for the rest of the year. Outside, however, I do add a few goodies for spring. I guess that keeps things somewhat simplified — but I still drag my feet doing it!
Brenda says
There was a series on PBS or BBC where modern (5-10 years ago) families moved “out west” It was fun to watch. I’m sure its on YouTube. I remember one scene where the teenage girls revolted and went to 7-11 for feminine hygiene products after they were shown what their old fashioned options were! It involved 5 families and they made a little village.
Jen says
I believe you may be thinking of Frontier House. It was a reality show, of sorts, that aired on PBS. There was also The 1940s house, based in London during the war, and Manor House, a Downton-Abbey type series. They were all so good! Looks like you can rent them on DVD from Netflix (not available via streaming) but maybe you could find them through the library?
Andrea says
Thanks Jen — I’ll have to look this up!
Karen Sunstein says
Oh I can’t wait to find out if Nora gets a brother or sister! Thank you for these posts. I love seeing what you’re daily life looks like!
Andrea says
I know… we’re all excited over here too!
Francie says
Love the pictures of your sweet family! Welcome to Paradise is one of my favs right now. http://www.supersimpleways.com