Today, we went to Hobby Lobby to get a few Valentine’s Day decorations. ❤️
Hobby Lobby is just like Target for me—it’s my one weakness. I think it’s the sales that get me. Lol
You go in the store planning to stick to your short list, and next thing you know, you walk out of the store with more items than you had planned! 😆
Zaya (5) really loved this pink, sequin Valentine heart. 💗
The kids were excited to decorate for Valentine’s Day and make a few crafts. They LOVE decorating for holidays and making crafts!
As soon as we got home from the store, they started digging through the shopping bags and pulled out the decor and the Valentine’s craft kits they picked out.
I also bought some more construction paper and Valentine’s color-themed pipe cleaners (Chenille stems) so we can make some homemade crafts, too. 😊
Here are a few moments from today. 💗
💜 XO
“And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.” — Colossians3:14
On the way to the grocery store, Zaya (5) was watching Bluey (season three, episode eleven) on our minivan DVD player. The episode was about Bluey’s mom Chilli needing a twenty-minute break.
Chilli says to her husband Bandit she needs “20 minutes when no one comes near me.”
I chuckled when I heard this line because, as a mom of six kids, it is very relatable. Bluey always has the best teachable moments for parents kids don’t you think? 😉
And as it turns out—today has been one of those crazy, busy days for us (Tuesdays usually are).
At my age of 45, I tend to gravitate towards the “grandma activities.” 😂👵🏽
My days are always so busy with homemaking, homeschooling, and just being a wife and mom to our six kids, so I like to keep it simple and focus on more quiet activities.
Here are a few things I do for fun throughout the seasons.
Crafting. Right now, I’ve been creating my own jewelry. I’ve also been learning how to do nature journal sketching and watercolor painting.
The DIA is one of my favorite art museums to visit throughout the year!
Spring, Summer, and Fall Seasons
Once the weather warms up again, I usually spend more time outside of the house. These are fun things I like to do in the spring, summer, and fall.
Gardening—I garden at my home and a community garden.
Attend local festivals.
Go to the lake with my family.
Nature walks on the trails. Last year, we discovered a microforest in our local area. The kids and I love going on nature walks in the forest!
Antiquing, thrifting, and vinyl shopping (I love collecting classic jazz records!)
Bonus: this daily blog and street photography. I also continue my nature journal sketching and watercolor painting in these seasons, too.
I love gardening! I’ve been learning how to grow my own food. Every garden season, I learn so many new gardening techniques and information about growing food.
And with that, here are a few moments from today!
💜 XO
“Stay where you are at.” Spotted this sticker on a light post at the hardware store.
Silly Sentences. Today, the kids played with DK Silly Sentences. It’s a fun way for children to learn how to create sentences.
Blue jay stopping by the patio for peanuts. With the weather being so cold in the single digits, the birds have been hanging out more at my bird feeders. 🐦
I’ve been teaching the kids how to do laundry. With homeschooling, I like to include learning essential life skills as part of their education experience.
Today’s Prayer. As part of a Christmas present, M (23) gifted her younger siblings prayer cards. Zechariah (10) likes to read a new prayer card each day.
Zaya (5) putting on her Hello Kitty makeup.
Zaya’s makeup bag. 🥹😊 Big sister M gave Zaya a makeup bag she no longer needed. Zaya was really excited about it!
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27
This arctic cold blast is on the way! The temps will drop late tonight to 16°F, and then by 8 a.m. tomorrow it will be ZERO DEGREES outside! 🥶
I’m proud of myself because I got all the grocery shopping done today so I don’t have to go out in the arctic weather this weekend (Oh, and I also made sure to get a full tank of gas!).
I usually do the weekly grocery shopping on Saturday mornings, so it feels great to not have to worry about it. 🙌🏾
Zaya (5) went with me to pick up the grocery order today, and she said she was proud of me for remembering to get chocolate pop tarts. 😂
Grocery shopping done before the arctic blast hits us tomorrow!
January — The Month to Go Slow and Rest
Next year, I am making sure I get all annual and biannual health/dental appointments completed BEFORE January. I’ve had to cancel a few appointments this month because of the weather.
A lot of activities and events also get canceled or postponed because it always snows in January and gets super cold.
Oh yeah—and then there’s the flu and other viral bugs. The kids and I were sick just two weeks ago.
I just need to make sure we focus on slowing down and resting in January.
Okay, maybe I should say I need to make sure I slow down and focus on rest since I’m the one who who struggles with it the most. 😏😆
Here are a few moments from today. 💜
Math lesson with Zephaniah (8).
Some of the kids’ bikes covered in snow. No worries—these bikes are older and we’ll probably get rid of them (donate or recycle) in the spring. Their newer bikes and scooters are stored in our basement.
Theo the squirrel eating a peanut on the patio. I named this squirrel Theo from Alvin and the Chipmunks because I originally thought she was a boy. 🐿😂 But I later found out Theo is a girl. We decided to just keep calling her Theo. Haha! 😆🤣
Bathroom art from the local market. I was looking at this wall art, and I thought to myself, “Does this art piece make me want to buy vegetables?” 🤔🥦🥕
Valentine’s Day treats at the market bakery. ❤️🧁
I ended up treating myself to a chocolate lava cake slice. 😍😋
“Plans fail when there is no counsel, but they succeed when advisers are many.” Proverbs 15:22
All the homeschool YouTube moms were talking about this one really cool homeschool planner that “you HAVE to get!” because they said it was the best planner EVER.
So naturally, after watching a bunch of videos about it, I felt like I had to have it.
It’s called the “Homeschool Lesson Planning Minimalist Notebook” made by Schoolnest.
But it’s SO pretty, and I love the feel of the pages and the layout style! 🥹
I added the homeschool planner to my Amazon wishlist and decided to wait a few months to think about if I really needed this planner.
After a few months, I decided I wanted to give the planner a try, and so last fall, I took the plunge and bought it.
I was so excited when it arrived at my house, and I couldn’t wait to start using it. I faithfully used the homeschool minimalist planner for about two months.
But now? Dude, I have the hardest time staying consistent with it. 🤷🏽♀️
It doesn’t mean we’re not doing any lessons. It just means I find it a pain to always remember to write in it! Lol 😆 Which is wild to me because I’m a planner—I thrive on organization!
So now, I’m trying to figure out how to best use this planner because I really do love it, and I don’t want it to be a waste of money.
I’m going to update my homeschool lesson planning minimalist notebook tonight. Here’s hoping I can stay consistent with it, though! 😂
Here are a few moments from today.
Here we go again! We had another little snowstorm this morning, and guess who got caught in it whilst driving? Me! 😭❄️
Around 8 a.m. during the snowstorm after dropping E, my oldest, off at work.
A crow perched at the top of a tree in the shopping center parking lot.
Little Junco eating bird seeds at patio bird feeder. This little guy shows up everyday with about five other Juncos.
Blue jay hopping on my patio to get a peanut.
Zechariah (10) reading his library book.
Zhen (13) worked on her art activity while listening to music with her Care Bears headphones.
“A voice behind you will say, ‘This is the way; walk in it,’ when you would turn to the right or to the left.” Isaiah 30:21
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.
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
I wish I had some heartfelt reflections to share for a New Year’s Eve post, but the truth is I am drained.
Today was a challenging day. I woke up early this morning in a cranky mood because I was sleep deprived and felt overwhelmed.
Caring for my sick five-year-old, taking two of the kids to their routine dental checkups, trying to remember all the things that need to get done this week, and running on very little sleep has been a lot for me to carry.
I don’t have the energy to write much tonight, but here are a few photos from the day — photos that brought me joy and reminded me of this:
Deep breaths. Pray when feeling anxious and overwhelmed, even if it’s a quick prayer right where I am.
Simple acts of kindness can truly make a difference in someone’s day. When the day is feeling heavy and chaotic, remember to find small moments to slow down.
Deep breaths.
This morning, I remembered my morning anchors to help me find my focus.
I lit my candles, turned on soft classical music, refilled the bird feeders outside, boiled water for the teapot, and cooked a light breakfast.
Steeping My Lavender Rose Black Tea first thing in the morning. Slow sips of tea helped me find calmness and slow down.
I refilled the bird feeders this morning. It made me smile watching the little Juncos hop around in the snow. 🐦😊
Miko, my oldest daughter’s kitten watching Zaya and Zephaniah (8) walk up to the door.
To cheer up a sick Zaya, I told her Miko would be waiting for her to arrive at her big sister’s apartment. Mj (23) adopted a kitten this past fall, and he loves playing with Zaya.
How adorable it was to actually see the playful kitten sitting in the patio window right when we pulled up to Mj’s place! It was as if Miko knew Zaya was on her way over. 🥹
(Mj watched Zaya and Zephaniah for me while I took Zhen and Zechariah to their dentist appointments.)
I’m thankful for moments of kindness today — moments when others showed me compassion and helped me navigate this challenging day.
I brought two of my favorite things with me to the dentist appointments: tea and a cozy book to read while I waited.
I am learning to bring along the things that help me find peace on challenging days.
The office manager at the dentist office was very kind to make me some more tea. Just a simple cup of tea made me smile and helped me to relax. I was so grateful for this moment.
How cool is this tissue box I saw at the dentist’s office? I want to get a couple for my house. 📚
After the dentist, I made a quick stop at a local market with Zhen (13) and Zechariah (10). In this photo, Zechariah was admiring all of the candy options at the store. 😄🍬🍭
Playing the game Perfection with Zaya.
Later in the evening, Zaya started to feel a little better. 😊 We played some games together, like Perfection and Minecraft with her dad.
It made me happy (and relieved) to see my chatty, joyful little girl get some of her energy back.
Happy New Year! ✨️
“But those who hope in the Lord shall renew their strength;they shall soar on wings like eagles.They shall run and not grow weary,they shall walk and not grow faint.” Isaiah 40:31
Zaya (5) woke up in good spirits this morning, despite having trouble sleeping through the night (which meant I, too, didn’t get good sleep 😕). I monitored her temperature, made sure she drank water, and comforted her when she needed it most. 😊
I was considering taking her to the doctor today, but thankfully, she didn’t get a fever or have any other symptoms to cause concern.
Zaya snuggling with Stitch last night. 🥹💜
🧺 Clean Laundry Folded — Check!
Since Zaya was feeling a little better today, I took the opportunity to catch up on laundry.
When just one of the children are sick, routine household tasks and any other commitments are put on hold.
It can sometimes feel overwhelming to get out of sync with our routines, so it felt good to knock out some of the clean laundry. 🙌🏾😁
Before — when I dumped all of the clean laundry on the bed.
After — feels good to get it done! 😁
🤗 A Sign That Zaya is Starting to Feel Better
Another sign that Zaya was starting to feel better? All throughout the day she followed me around and asked me if she could help me with whatever task I was working on. 🥹
Zaya LOVES helping. She helped me make tea, clean the top of the dryer, bring the laundry down to the basement, and make lunch! 💜
Zaya helping make lunch. 😊
We made turkey sandwiches for lunch. 🥪
🍪☕️ A Cozy Book, Cookies, and Tea
It wasn’t all work today. I did enjoy some quiet time reading the novel Little Women while eating homemade cookies and sipping lavender rose black tea. 😊
Delicious, homemade cookies I baked today.
🤧 Cold and Flu Season is Here
I started to feel some mild cold symptoms, too. I hope I don’t get sick, but considering E and Zaya are sick, it’s a strong possibility more of us in the family will get it, too. 🫤
Wintertime is usually when we get sick. It takes about three weeks or more for the entire household to be sick-free.
I’m expecting this sickness to make its way through the house soon. When one person in the family gets sick, it’s only a matter of time before the others get it. 🤒🤧
Health alert from one of my apps.
So far to prepare, I cooked a big pot of chicken noodle soup and stocked up on chicken broth and Pedialyte pops.
We’ve already got plenty of herbal teas in the cabinet. Loose leaf tea is our go-to for when we are feeling sick. ☕️🌿
For this week’s grocery order, I plan on getting more applesauce, fresh fruit, boxes of tissue, and other food/supplies we need to be ready for whatever the next few days bring.
I’m anticipating a lot of cozy reading, indoor activities, binge-watching Netflix series, and resting at home! 😌✨️
“Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.” Romans 12:12
