Today felt weird because we didn’t go to Mass. 😕 Well, Travis went to Mass last night because he had a group meeting, and they always go to the Saturday vigil Mass right after the meeting.
I’d say I’m about 80% better. Zhen (13) still has sinus congestion. Zaya and the boys seem to be doing much better.
I’m just very grateful we are all recovering and getting healthy again. 🙏🏽
I’m a little nervous about the upcoming week. I didn’t realize how sick I was actually feeling last week until today when I noticed I didn’t feel anymore brain fog or super low energy.
So, naturally, I feel a little out of sorts because my usual routine got off track. I feel like I lost a lot of time even though it was just a week. Lol 😆😂
Not weird at all! We always have donuts on Sundays. Last Sunday, we had to skip donuts because the kids and I were sick. We were excited to have our Sunday donuts back! 😊
Dragons and slime. The kids played with their dinosaurs, dragons, and slime toys.
Zephaniah (8) putting together one of his green dinosaurs. 🦖
Encanto Lego House. Zhen put together her Encanto Lego set.
I did a little jewelry making today. I spent a few hours working on earrings for my oldest daughter and I. This set is one of the earrings I made today.
Time to get back to homeschooling! After making the jewelry, I did some homeschool lesson planning for the week.
I’m looking forward to starting our Art unit study this week! I can’t wait for us to visit more local art galleries.
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his mercy endures forever.” Psalm 107:1
Do you play in your daily life? What says “playtime” to you?
In the children’s book The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg, at the end of the story, the last gift the little boy receives under the Christmas tree is the silver bell he lost on the train ride home.
Mr. C (who is Santa Claus) includes a handwritten note to the boy: “Found this on the seat of my sleigh. Fix that hole in your pocket.”
One of my favorite children’s books—The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg.
Excitedly the little boy shakes the bell and he says, “it made the most beautiful sound my sister and I had ever heard.”
Just like the silver bell ringing, this is how I think of play—the most beautiful sound that brings me happiness and reminds me to find moments of beauty in life.
“It made the most beautiful sound my sister and I had ever heard.” — The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Sounds of the Bell Ringing in My Life
It’s the sound of my spade digging in my garden to plant flower seeds. It’s the sound of my tools putting together jewelry that I create. It’s the sound of turning the page of a library book I’m reading.
It’s the sound of my children’s laughter when we play a board game together or I push them on the swing at the playground.
It’s the sound of children’s imagination when they create a fantastical world of make-believe with their dolls and action figures.
Zephaniah pretending to be a superhero on the seesaw.
Zaya and Zephaniah playing at a local park in the summertime.
Hobbies are My Playtime
My hobbies are my way of “playing.” It may not be playful like a child would play, but I find great enjoyment in my hobbies.
Adults are always expected to be serious doing the tedious “adulting” tasks of life. Our hobbies, however, are a way of “playing” because it brings us joy and a momentary escape from the world.
A few of my “playtime” hobbies include gardening, street photography, visiting art galleries, reading books, spending time at public libraries, and making jewelry.
Gardening is one of my favorite hobbies. 🌸😊
Playing with My Children is Creating Beautiful Memories
I was looking through the photographs I took in 2025, and I was struck by how many of the photos showed how much time I had spent with my children doing a multitude of wonderous activities such as going to the lake, gardening at the community garden, making crafts, hanging out at the library, going on nature hikes, and cooking together.
This made me smile and deeply touched my heart to know I spent all of 2025 with the ones whom I love so dearly.
Travis and the kids playing with toy racecars at a local car show.
The kids enjoying a nature hike at the lake on the first day of fall.
Immersed in a World of Play
When Travis and I play board games with our children, create crafts with them, take the kids to places to play (parks, arcades, etc.), we are making time for play.
I am always encouraging my children to immerse themselves in a world of play. In fact, I center our homeschooling around play because I strongly believe children learn best through play.
Zephaniah (about 5 years ago) playing with cars and trains on a sunny afternoon.
Zaya (age 4 in this photo) playing with baby dolls at the public library.
Remember to Hear the Bell Ringing
At the end of The Polar Express, when the little boy shakes the silver bell, his parents don’t hear it ringing.
“But my mother said, ‘Oh, that’s too bad.’
‘Yes,’ said my father, ‘it’s broken.’
When I’d shaken the bell, my parents had not heard a sound.
As he grows older, he discovers his sister Sarah and his friends could no longer hear the bell ring.
At one time most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I’ve grown old, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe.”
This closing scene of The Polar Express has always stayed with me. It’s a strong reminder to never let your light fade, never give up on what brings you joy, and always keep the faith.
I almost titled this blog post “The Day the Bell Stopped Ringing,” but after writing out my thoughts, I realized I needed to change the title.
Because for me, the bell never stopped ringing.
Zhen enjoying swinging on a sunny summer’s day.
At a certain point in my motherhood journey, I started to hear the bell ring. I realized there will always be things to do, errands to run, and a house to clean.
I will always have to do the mundane “adulting” things that we grownups are expected to do.
But if I’m not taking time to play—taking time for my hobbies and taking time to play with my children—then I am truly missing out on experiencing joy in my life.
And I don’t want to ever stop hearing the bell ring.
Another thing about being sick—everything shifts. Appointments get canceled or rescheduled, plans get postponed, and regular routines get thrown out of order.
Today, I canceled my dentist appointment (scheduled for next week). My energy is slowly starting to come back, but I know my body still needs time to recover.
The kids are also slowly getting better, too. They still have lingering coughs. So, this weekend, we are taking it easy and resting.
Photo from our garden last year. Being sick and stuck in bed this week made me realize—I can’t wait for gardening season!
I’ll admit, though, I am starting to get a little bored. 😆 I can’t wait to feel 100% better again!
Earlier today, I was watching an episode of Heartland, and seeing all the sunshine and green grass in the background instantly made me feel ready for spring.
Now I’m already dreaming about gardening season and warmer days ahead. 🤩🌸💐
“The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.” Lamentations 3:25
My cold symptoms hit me pretty hard last night, so I had to take the day to completely rest.
I spent the day resting in bed watching TV. I normally don’t watch a lot of TV in a day, so it felt a little weird watching movies and Netflix shows all day. 😆
I’m so grateful for my husband’s love and care. He’s been a big help while I’ve been sick.
Even though he still had to work, he did some light grocery shopping, made sure food was prepped for meals, took care of the laundry, and picked up our two oldest kids from work.
Today, I rested in bed and binge-watched a lot of TV!
Three of my little ones are also recovering from their colds, so today was a rest day for them, too.
Whenever one person in the family gets sick, it’s just a matter of time before someone else gets it, too. It can take three to six weeks for the whole family to get sick and get well again.
And right now, we are on week three of this viral bug making its way through the house.
I have a feeling this is what the month of January is going to be like for us.
Here are a few moments from today’s sick day.
To help pass the time, the kids enjoyed making crafts, playing games, and watching shows.
Zaya (5) cutting out one of her paper crafts.
I watched the 2023 film Priscilla. It wasn’t as good as I thought it was going to be.
Zephaniah (8) made sure to check on me throughout the day. 🥹🥰
He showed me one of the games he was playing.
So cute—Zaya performed a puppet show for me while I rested in bed. 🥰
😸 Sparkles the Cat
“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31
I’m feeling very overwhelmed today, which can only mean one thing—holiday break is ending and my busy mom life is returning.
It’s not even the end of the week yet, and I’m ready for the weekend to begin. Ha! 😆
It felt good to work on my new puzzle yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to work on it today.
Maybe tomorrow.
Yesterday, I started working on my new Jane Austen puzzle. I’m hoping to put it together a little at a time throughout the week.
A Day of Errands and Lesson Planning
There was a lot of running around today, which I’m paying for now with a stuffy nose and low energy.
Tomorrow — definitely tomorrow — I will focus on resting at home. 😴
This is our final week of holiday break. Then, next Monday, we begin our winter term of homeschool.
I’m still trying to decide if Robin Hood or The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe should be the focus for our winter literature unit.
I’m proud of myself—last September, I prepared ahead for both unit studies, so we already have the majority of the materials and supplies we need for both units.
Just need to get the books—I’ll check them out at the library.
Anyway, I’m rambling. Here are a few photos from today’s foggy day.
🍲 Chicken noodle soup and strawberry raspberry herbal tea. 🍵 I had the kids eat a bowl of homemade soup and sip warm strawberry raspberry tea for part of their breakfast. I’m a strong believer in home remedies for cold/flu season.
Today, the weather was foggy and rainy. 🌧 The temps warmed up a bit, so the snow also melted. I like to light cozy candles on gray days like this.
While driving home this afternoon, Oscar Peterson’s “A Foggy Day” came on my Spotify playlist. This song was perfect for today’s foggy day! 🎷🎹🎶
Zaya (5) started drawing in her sketchbook today. For Christmas, we got the kids their own sketchbooks. 👩🏽🎨👨🏽🎨
“Arise! Shine, for your light has come, the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.” Isaiah 60:1
If you have trouble slowing down, try doing a puzzle.
Trust me—you will be amazed at how this quiet activity nudges you to focus on the present moment and slow down. 😌
Today, I started working on a 1,000-piece puzzle I got for Christmas from my favorite bookstore. It’s a Jane Austen-themed puzzle made of different book covers from her works.
As much as I love slow living and try my hardest to practice it daily, I actually struggle with slowing down.
I always think of things I should be doing to stay busy when I have downtime.
But now that I am sick with a cold—which I caught from the kids—I have no choice but to slow down.
So, I opened my new puzzle, and made myself sit down and get started. Two hours later, I found myself immersed in organizing the pieces and putting it together.
It will probably take me a few days to complete my Jane Austen puzzle. I plan on working on it a little at a time as I will need to take breaks to take care of the kids and rest in bed when I can (a mother never really gets full sick days 😆).
But I welcome the slower pace because it will give me something fun and low-key to work on while my body heals.
“My son, when you are ill, do not delay, but pray to God, for it is he who heals.” Sirach 38:9
On our way to the 12 p.m. Sunday Mass, we stopped at the gas station ATM to withdraw cash for our tithe and offering.
Travis took the cash up to the sales clerk at the register and asked him if he could break a couple of twenty-dollar bills.
The clerk said he could only break one of his $20 bills because every Sunday morning people always come in asking to make change with their cash so they have it for church.
Tithe and offering for church.
We were pleasantly surprised to hear the clerk say this, and it made us chuckle — we’re clearly not the only ones who make a mad dash to the corner store for the church offering. 😄
“God doesn’t care if you put in $1, $10, or $20,” the sales clerk said with humble sincerity. “Just put in what you can afford. God knows your heart.”
Amen, brother. 🙏🏽
Here are a few moments from today.
A heartwarming Christmas ornament on the church’s Christmas tree. Our faith community is celebrating the last week of Christmas this week.
Stained-glass window art — beautiful and sorrowful moment of Mary holding Jesus’ body after his crucifixion.
“Offerings for God and church.”
Welcome Home. Zechariah (10) asked why did the church door entrance have the message “welcome home” on it. I said, “Because this is God’s house, and when you’re in His house, you are home.” 🙏🏽💜
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Matthew 23:12
This morning, I was on my way to pick up our grocery curbside order when I noticed the gas station price sign— $2.67! 😲
I haven’t seen gas prices this low in a while. If I hadn’t already had close to a full tank, then I definitely would’ve got some gas. 😆
I had to pull up to the gas station and take a picture of it to show Travis. When I got home and told him about the low gas price, he was shocked and a little frustrated.
He said he just got gas the other day and the price was not as low as it was today. 😐
“Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.” Romans 12:12
Zaya (5) is starting to feel better, but now Zechariah (10) is coming down with a cold. 😫 He has been coughing all day. 🤧
I was expecting one of the other kids to get sick right after Zaya, so this is not a surprise to me at all. This is our normal for big family life! 😆
Nothing too exciting happened today. The kids had a pajama day and played some games.
I listened to two episodes of my favorite podcast while I cleaned and sanitized the upstairs of our house. I like to listen to an audiobook or podcast while I clean because it helps pass the time.
About 2.5 hours later, I took a lunch and tea break, got cozy in my room, and watched The West Wing.
Here are a few moments from today’s chill day.
My day started bright and early at 7:30 a.m. I turned on a jazz playlist on Spotify and cooked pancakes. Then, I enjoyed a cozy breakfast solo before the kids woke up. I needed this quiet time. 😊🥞☕️
Fridays are for Snack Cereal Day! It’s a fun family tradition we started a few years ago. On Fridays, the kids have a sweet cereal for breakfast. They always look forward to it!
Jumbo marshmallows! 🤩 Today’s snack cereal was Lucky Charms and Golden Grahams. We like to switch up the cereals so they don’t get bored with it.
A cozy lunch. New Year’s leftovers: egg rolls, wontons, and rice.
A little sweet treat afyer lunch: ginger peach tea, shortbread cookies, and chocolate almond. 😍
After caring for my sick five year old, not getting much sleep this week, and taking Zhen and Zechariah to the dentist the other day, it felt good to get caught up on some housework and spend the rest of my day relaxing.
This weekend’s focus is to rest some more!
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
