Kate's Monthly Take - May 2020

We’re nearing our 75th day in quarantine in Chicago except for those two days we skipped town for some fresh air…we’ve been here the whole time. I’d be lying if I said we don’t have quarantine fatigue because we absolutely do. Remote learning, two jobs, no childcare and three kids equals a lot of emotions stuck in one condo in the city. I know that we are lucky in so many ways but there have been a lot more meltdowns lately and we’re all reaching a breaking point.

Sometimes I find myself wondering what folks without kids are doing in quarantine…or perhaps folks with just one kid and I might be a bit jealous. Time to reflect, read, enjoy a walk or sit in quiet…basically any kind of “me” time is nonexistent for myself and my husband and it’s hard to be everything for the kids without a solid foundation. However, reminding myself that I wanted this life…I wanted the three kids and all the family chaos that goes along with it…helps.

This is the only life we get. This is our adventure. So even if it involves 75 more days in quarantine, working from home for the remainder of the year and a fall semester of remote learning I’m going to make it memorable and am grateful to be here for it!

Enjoy my Monthly Take!

Kate's Monthly Take - May 2020

Mood

• Maybe she’s losing it. Maybe it’s quarantine.

  • As the days go on the number of virtual meetings the kids have been late for, birthdays I have forgotten, thank you notes to write, emails to respond to and laundry piles to fold all grow higher. I’m afraid the ever changing schedule of the day just gets jumbled in my head.

Currently Coveting

• Staying home is the new normal and will be for a while so I figure we should make life at home as comfortable as possible and that includes our postage stamp sized backyard! I think it’s finally time we upgrade to some outdoor chairs for the grown ups.

Currently Coveting Kids Edition

• These days I’m constantly trying to think of new ideas to keep the kids engaged. I know it’s important for them to learn how to be bored and that certainly happens in our house but as the temps get warmer I’m a little bit concerned about what our summer will look like. Most likely, we will remain in at least a partial quarantine so I’ve been eyeing this sand and water table for our younger kids. They love sensory play and I’d imagine the kids would fill it with water beads or use it to wash their die cast cars or Schleich animals. It just might keep them occupied for twenty minutes.

Favorite Product

• I have a couple of favorites this month. My oldest daughter has been writing letters to friends and family almost every weekday morning for the last two months. Thankfully, for a while we were stocked with stationary and notecards but when we ran out we were able to quickly stock up on these notecards and pen pal sets from one of my favorite Etsy shops. The pen pal set comes with stickers and a brightly colored pen - the perfect enticement for a second grader to keep up with her writing.

• As for me I’ve been loving this nylon belt bag. It’s the perfect size for a little bit of cash, bank card, face mask, chapstick, hand sanitizer, phone, keys and wipes - I carry it with me on all of our walks either around the hood or in a nature preserve. I prefer to use this over any of my bigger bags if I go to a grocery store as well…I don’t have to put in a cart as I wear it around my waist and it’s less bulky than wearing a purse making social distancing a little bit easier to comply with.

Design Pick

• I found my dream home. Or at least a dream home that I could rent. I love the interior of this house especially the kitchen. The blue cabinets and mosaic tile, the island and the basket pendants. Seriously, I love this house known as The Spindrift House. The exterior isn’t necessarily my favorite - I generally go for a less assuming color scheme but overall it’s so lovely and is giving me some major inspiration for that someday home.

What I'm Reading

• I’ve been pouring over my new cookbook: What’s Gaby Cooking: Eat What You Want: 125 Recipes for Real Life . There are so many great recipes in it but honestly, I just wish that someone could cook them for us!

• Recently, a lovely friend also gifted me a copy of Tell Me More: Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I’m Learning to Say and it’s captivating. The stories are so relatable you’ll want to tear through them in an afternoon and hopefully, just hopefully, I’ll start incorporating some of these teachings to help me better navigate this life. I truly loved this book .

What I’m Listening To

• Aside from the song One Day More from Les Miserables that my husband listens to every morning while he makes his coffee. We’ve been listening to a lot of But Why: A Podcast For Curious Kids from NPR!

What We're Reading the Kids

• The kids are reading a lot of books these days as I’m sure yours are too! I just signed George and Lucy up for a subscription book service through Literati. I’m excited to give it a try and I hope they can get lost in some adventurous books this summer!

  • My 8 year old is revisiting her collection of Ivy & Bean books staying up until all hours of the night reading until her eyelids can stay open no more.

  • My 5 year old has started to get really into the kids series Arthur on PBS so we’ve started to read the books as well. Arthur’s New Puppy is a favorite.

  • For her 3rd birthday Maggie received a few books one of them being Gaston. She loves the dogs in this book and frequently asks us to repeat the names of them…Fi Fi, Foo Foo, Oh La La and Gaston. She may never tire of it!

• Additionally, in light of recent horrific events wanted to share these books with an underlying message of inclusion. It’s my belief that the earlier we start talking to kids about inclusion the better off this world will be.

  • All Are Welcome

  • Strictly No Elephants

  • The Day You Begin

What I’m Watching

• Unfortunately, bedtime is taking a lot longer than it used to so I haven’t been watching much unless you count the Michael Jordan documentary, The Last Dance which for Chicagoans is a must! However, I may just start a free trial on Hulu so I can watch Normal People, I’ve heard so many good things and I could use a new distraction.

Instagram Handle

• If you’re trying to speak with and educate your kids about recent events or perhaps just better equip them to be positive influences in society than check out theconsciouskid. This nonprofit organization shares some powerful research on race and how early we as parents should start talking about it.

Guilty Pleasure

• These days it’s buying fresh flowers at every opportunity.

I Need A Vacation

• I miss traveling. Seeing new places, trying new things and having new memorable experiences is one of my favorite things but for now I’m amused my funny things I find on the inter webs like “I hope the weather is good tomorrow for my trip to Puerto Backyarda. I’m getting tired of Los Livingroom.” This is best said with a margarita or a paloma in hand!

Shit My Kids Will Eat

• Kid Tested & Approved - Since quarantine started we’ve been cooking up all of our favorite recipes for breakfast, dinner and in between and have tried a few new ones. One of recent favorites and perfect for the summer is Gaby Dalkin’s, Greek Chicken Trough. Ok so maybe the name leaves a little bit to be desired but the recipe is easy, the meal tastes fresh and we love to eat it with a side of hummus and pita. It’s also one of the recipes in the new cookbook I talked about earlier!

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