Eleven Years of Trent

Happy birthday to my precious first born!

It has been a joy to watch him grow,

and looking at these pictures, I'm amazed at how fast it's going.

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

TV Binge-ing

You guys know I'm not a huge TV watcher. I really think I'm an 80-year-old lady in a 40-year-old body.  My favorite hobbies are reading and jazzercise, ha!

BUT being home A LOT MORE lately has meant I have picked up a few shows, and I thought I'd share. This isn't a long list by any means, but it's a lot for me!

Tiger King

You live under a rock if you haven't heard of Tiger King.

Brent and I watched this together, and we both liked it but didn't love it.

The first couple of episodes were really good, but it felt slow the second half.

I still find the whole concept insane/fascinating!

Ozark

What Brent and I have figured out is he likes to BINGE shows more than I do.

So we have discovered me watching shows he's already seen works well.

That way when I only want to watch an episode or two at a time, he doesn't care.

Enter Ozark. 

He has watched all 3 seasons, and together we've watched 3 episodes so far.

It is so dark but VERY entertaining.

Schitt's Creek

This is one we tried to watch together 'new', but he didn't like it.

He probably watched 5 episodes and just didn't get into it.

But I was liking it and stuck with it and LOVED it.

This is definitely my favorite show I've seen in a long time, SO GOOD.

I agree it takes a bit to get into it, but stick with it and you won't regret it!

The Pacific

Brent got the idea to watch this over Memorial Day weekend.

He watched it when it was new {10 years ago ha} and thought I'd like it.

And he was right!

One of my grandfathers was in the Army and stationed in Guadalcanal,

and my other grandfather was in the Navy.

So this was VERY fascinating to know they were in the thick of this.

It was really well done, educational, heart-breaking, amazing.

Waco

Brent and I have started this but not finished it. I'd still like to though.

Having lived through the standoff and watching it on the news in school,

I was fascinated by this story.

I wonder if this is what started my fascination in cults?

I have read books and watched documentaries on David Koresh, Jim Jones, and Charles Manson. Hmmm....

One episode in, this is good!

Band of Brothers

Brent has watched this twice, so after we finished The Pacific, I was on my own.

Given it's almost 20 years old, I can't blame him.

This is so great! 20 years ago I couldn't appreciate war movies,

now I can and I am really enjoying this show!

The End of the Curly Girl Experiment

I mentioned last month I was going to try the 'curly girl' method with my curly/wavy hair.

After 1 month, here's what I've decided:

1) I definitely liked the way my curls look when I follow the steps for curly girl. I can get some really good curls, it's soft, and I was able to get rid of the 'crunchy' look.
2) I didn't follow it 100% - like sorry I'm not buying a silk pillowcase - but I followed it pretty darn closely, and it was easy to follow!
3) Where I struggled was day 2 onward hair - I thought it looked tangled and frizzy after sleeping on it or exercising {maybe I do need a silk pillowcase ha}. It got better if I got my hair re-wet and styled it again, but it didn't look quite as good as day 1.
4) I got a lot of compliments when I saw people, so that was fun!
5) The first couple of times I fixed my hair, it kept getting a little curlier as I figured the method out a little more, but then it got to a pretty standard look of medium curliness.

So what's the verdict?

I've decided there is a time and place for curly hair for me, and after a month of curly hair...I washed, blow dryed, and straightened my hair last night, ha. I really did like how it looked curly and liked that I found a way to wear it that defined my curls better and was still super easy...but the way it looked on days 2 onward and the fact that it just felt super tangly wasn't for me. So I guess I'll just continue to straighten it most days and fight that curl and frizz in the Texas humidity, but I'm glad I tried it!

Amazon Lately

I know this post is just ridiculous, but I thought it would be fun to share my last 10 Amazon purchases. I got this idea from Mix & Match Mama, but as to be expected, I have no affiliate links or anything - just liked this silly idea.

First up, my coffee pods!

I do not like strong coffee, and this is their mildest blend.

I add a lot of nutpods, some sweetener {depending on how healthy I'm being, it could be Stevia or honey ha}, and some water.

Trent's red cream for his MTHFR - a MUST HAVE

We got 2 of these sets to build Trent's bookshelf.

I have the pipes put together, and I hope Brent and I put it up this weekend.

This amazing acne treatment!

Trent earned some money from Brent's parents,

and used it to buy this book. Can't hate on that!

The girls picked these little mini-houses with their earnings ha.

We are always losing goggles, so I got this set of 2 and 2 more pairs from our grocery store. These are SO much better and only $12.99!

I've read about how good xylitol is for healing cavities,

trying it out with the kids who inherited my bad teeth.

The girls needed new water shoes for all our summer adventures.

Drew picked these whale ones.

And, of course, Paige picked PINK and unicorns and hearts.

I also got myself a pair of lightweight trail and water shoes.

What have you bought lately?

Currently: Cousins

Current Book

Current Song

Another Jazzercise find! BLUE by Tiesto

Current TV Show

After finishing The Pacific, I started this one! Only 20 years late ha.

Current Podcast

I'm making my way through my backlog of The Office Ladies.

I'm almost caught up to where they are now,

and I'm currently listening to the Casino Night episode, and I'm dying.

I have a long list of other podcasts I want to listen to,

so next month I'll hopefully have something else to say!

Current Drink

Guys, I am really loving my Nespresso concoction.

So much so that I almost never even think about getting a chai.

Current Food

I made French toast this morning, 

so I just had a yummy 'sandwich' with bacon and syrup in the middle.

And no, weight loss isn't going well right now ha.

Current Shame-Inducing Pleasure

I am struggling with food! I will be lucky to stay flat this month, ugh.

Current Outfit

Workout clothes, rinse & repeat

Current Celebrity Crush

I am ready for July 3 and seeing Hamilton with the original cast!!!

Current Mood

I traded a kid with Patty and have the girls and she has the boys.

It's so fun watching the girls play together, but it's also loud and messy,

so I'm happy and tired in equal measures!

Current Anticipation

Someone turns 11 next week!!!!!!

Current Wishlist

Working on growing our library and toys with diverse characters.

Current Film

I have basically given up on going to a theater in 2020.

Allison, want to come over and we can rent something here???

Current Picture

Happy birthday, Babs!

Alphabet of Isolation

A is for Alcohol

Essential needs during quarantine {grin}

B is for Baking

We've baked bread and muffins during quarantine,

and the girls loved getting to do it.

C is for Cousins!

We were so excited when we could see the cousins.

D is for Driveway Fun!

It was so fun to make this chalk art.

E is for Easter!

We tried to still enjoy the day as a family,

and I'd say we succeeded!

F is for Forty!

Brent turned 40 during quarantine. We tried to celebrate as best as we could.

G is for Golf Cart Rides!

We are taking lots of family rides on the golf cart.

 

H is for Haircut!

I'm proud that I was able to cut Trent's hair without making him look ridiculous.

I is for Inflatable!

We are definitely getting our money's worth out of this inflatable bouncer.

J is for Jazzercise!

So thankful Jazzercise has still been available.

K is for Kids!

If I have to be stuck at home, I'm glad it's with these 3 kids.

L is for Lupinus Texensis!

Mother Nature gave us a beautiful year of bluebonnets to start quarantine.

We enjoyed seeing them throughout March and April.

M is for Mother's Day

I went on a hike with the kids on Mother's Day,

and Brent grilled steaks. Great day!

N is for Nature!

We've been exploring a lot of nature.

Definitely another plus to being 'stuck' at home without our usual activities.

O is for Online Learning!

We spent quarantine doing school online.

Parts of it were quite enjoyable - like doing your work in your pjs!

P is for Porchtraits!

I love the family photos we took on our porch.

I ordered them on canvas and should get them in July, can't wait!

Q is for Quality Time!

LOTS and LOTS of time together as a family!

R is for Riding!

Our bike riding game has been super strong during quarantine.

Drew learned how to finally ride a bike, and Paige is rocking her balance bike.

S is for Swinging!

We've spent a lot of time on our backyard swing.

T is for Teeth!

Drew has lost 3 teeth in quarantine.

U is for UV Rays!

The weather has been beautiful, 

so we're enjoying our mild spring as much as we can.

V is for Virtual!

We did a lot of virtual chats with our family, friends, and dance.

W is for Watch!

After wanting an Apple Watch for years, I decided to do it during quarantine.

I love it so much and am so happy I finally got it!

X is for eXcellent Grandparents!

Brent's parents surprised the kids with a little parade about a month into quarantine.

They were SO excited to see their grandparents and to get snacks!

Y is for Yoga!

Z is for Zoom!

Love it or hate it, we all spent a lot of time on Zoom.

I have even had a few HH with 2 blog friends, Emily and Natasha. Yay!