Jenn Doing My Best

This is what the day after Christmas looks like: children’s gifts scattered about the table and all over the main room.

Opened boxes, crumbled packaging paper, Lego blocks on the table and the floor, ferocious dinosaurs with slime (gotta make sure the slime stays off the carpet!), board games with the tokens found here and there, French toast and a bottle of maple syrup, and soft, squishy plush dolls.

Lots of joy and laughter.

And I told my perfectionist brain that thrives on organization and clutter-free rooms: Everything is okay. Take a day (maybe two) to let the kids enjoy this. Let it all just be.

This is the day after Christmas. 😊🎄✨️

🥶 Freezing Rain + a Cozy Day Home

We had a few hours of freezing rain. Ice quickly started to cover the sidewalks and roads, so it was the perfect day to stay home and let the kids explore their gifts.

I made more homemade French Toast and hot cocoa. ☕️😊 I decided not to worry about to-do lists, laundry, or household tasks.

Except for the dishes. I did do the dishes. 😄

💅🏾 Painting Our Nails Together

Zaya and I painted our nails. I painted my nails a soft, shimmery color called “Triple Thread.”

Zaya used her purple and pink Piggy Paint nail polish I got for her Christmas stocking. It’s a non-toxic nail polish brand for kids.

One of the kids asked me, “So does that mean all the nail polishes for adults are toxic?!” 😱🙃

💄A Little Glam

It was a good time to wash my makeup brushes. About a year ago, I took a break from wearing makeup. It just started to take up too much time when getting ready.

I usually just wear my favorite Revlon red lipstick and mascara. But for some reason, I felt like wearing a little more makeup again. Not a full face— just a soft, natural look with my Revlon red lipstick for a pop of color.

🙄 Bruh!

Mj (23) got her little siblings a BIG Lanky Box gift set for Christmas. They were super excited!

I don’t understand why kids love replaying sounds nonstop. All day the kids kept pressing this “Bruh” button. It drove me crazy! Lol 🤪🤣

They thought it was hilarious hearing Lanky Box say over and over, “Breh! Bruh!” 😐😂

🎲 Playing Games with Big Brother

When E (25) got home from work, he promised his little brothers and sisters he’d play a game with them.

He played Minecraft with Zhen (13) and Zechariah (10) for a little bit, and then he played Monopoly Junior with Zephaniah (8) and Zaya (5). Zephaniah won. 😄

📚🍕 A Gentle (and Delicious!) End to the Week

I always get sleepy around 6 p.m. I start my days early, usually around 6:30 a.m. or 7 a.m., so once 6 p.m. hits, I am ready to wind down for the night.

For tonight’s cozy bedtime routine, I read a chapter of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. It’s one of the books I bought on Christmas Eve at my favorite local bookstore.

And it’s Pizza Friday, so of course, I had my favorite Italian pizza from our local market. 😍🍕😋

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“A joyful heart is the health of the body.” Proverbs 17:22

All images in this blog post are my own photography. If you’d like to use a photo, please contact me first for permission. Thank you!