TGIF beautiful people. What a week it was. I felt so brain dead today that I sat at my computer all afternoon and just couldn’t find the inspiration or the words to write a blog post (even though I have a list a mile long of things I want to write about) so I did other tasks instead. I took the dogs out for an evening walk and was struck with the idea of doing a “Currently” style of post. My last one was in July 2021 and they’re always an enjoyable way to talk about a little bit of everything. And that’s where I am today…all over the place!
I just took a hot shower, got my comfy clothes on, poured a glass of wine and I’m ready to get going on this!
CURRENTLY READING
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. This book…good lord. I tried to start it multiple times when it was released a few years ago and my grandmother added it to our shared Kindle. I could never make it more than a chapter in before abandoning it. Well, recently I decided to try again and I’ve been slogging my way through it for a month now. I have about five pages left and I won’t be sad to bid this book farewell. It seems to be a love/hate kind of title based on the Good Reads reviews. I have found this book to be heavy (and not in a meaningful way), unrealistic and an overall downer. Maybe I’d like it slightly more if I listened to the audio because I saw that Tom Hanks narrates it but blah.
Speaking of listening to books, I am listening to Sally Hepworth’s The Good Sister on Audible while I walk the dogs and while it’s a slow burn, it’s totally sucking me in and I love the quirkiness and directness of the main character.
Very much looking forward to diving into a new book tonight. You can check out this post for some of the titles on my spring reading list.
CURRENTLY IN THE MARKET FOR
Budget-friendly patio furniture. This is a photo of my patio when it was staged to sell. Well, here we are almost two years later and my patio decoration looks like Finn’s toys and sticks the dogs have drug in.
If you have any suggestions (ranging from what I should do with my patio space to where to shop for good deals), I am ALL ears. I did get a grill last week so that was exciting!
CURRENTLY DRINKING
The most newsworthy thing that I’ve been drinking is creamer in my coffee. I have lived 38 years of my life drinking black coffee but this Bulletproof Creamer has changed my ways. I still drink a cup or two of black coffee in the morning but I have at least one cup with Bulletproof Collagen Protein (hands-down the best collagen ever…no taste!) and Bulletproof Creamer. I love that this creamer is shelf-stable, unsweetened and full of quality fats – grass-fed butter and MCT oil. My new morning routine is to have a cup of black coffee while I’m getting ready and then take a Corkcicle of Bulletproof Coffee to the yoga studio with me to teach.
CURRENTLY CRAVING
ALL THE GRILLED FOODS! So happy to have a grill again. You can find the recipe for the brown-sugar grilled plantains here and the grilled peanut butter shrimp recipe will be up soon!
CURRENTLY WATCHING
I just finished Inventing Anna this week and…wow. That’s the only show that I’ve gotten invested in lately. I’ve dabbled in The Ultimatum, Sweet Magnolias, Love Is Blind, The Dropout, Mare of Easton, Anatomy of a Scandal and a few other things but I’m having a hard time getting fully hooked. Part of this is my fault because I could do a better job at paying attention to what I’m watching. 🙂
Inventing Anna made me want to go back and rewatch Scandal (because of Katie Lowes). I also think I could rewatch Parenthood and love it all over again.
I’d also like to talk about this for a minute…I admit that I have kept up with Selling Sunset over the years. I’ve had a bit of an issue with the over the top amount of plastics featured along with the clear focus on appearance since season one. But I’ve found the last two seasons hard to watch/triggering because of the female bullying and focus on what I think is a completely unattainable aesthetic for most any woman. All this said, I’ve never been into the Housewives or Kardashians and I know this vibe/look occurs a lot in other shows. It’s just not my thing.
Soooo….I have Hulu, Disney+, Netflix, Amazon Prime and HBOMax. If you have any series or movie suggestions…send them my way!
CURRENTLY WISHING FOR
My mom’s continued healing and progress from her surgery and lots of family time at the beach this summer. <3
CURRENTLY LISTENING TO
Having a serious moment with Vance Joy right now and sad he’s coming nowhere near Charlotte or the east coast in the next six months.
CURRENTLY INDULGING IN
Rest. Whether that is choosing a walk over a more intense workout (did this tonight) or lying in bed with Finn until 8a and staying in PJs until 10a on a weekday (did that this morning). Blessing and a curse of being self-employed.
Recently, I’ve been looking back at things I wrote in my 20s and I’m finding it difficult to relate to that version of myself. While I am proud of how focused and on fire I was…I definitely don’t have that level of drive at this moment in time. I can easily fall into the trap of do more, be more, dream more but the truth is that the most important thing in my life right now is being Finn’s mom.
CURRENTLY FEELING BLESSED BY
This one. Forever and always, amen. He turns four in two weeks and while I want to be sad about that, I’m also kind of not. We are just in the sweetest spot ever. This age has been magical for us.
CURRENTLY PONDERING
Let’s go through a laundry list of things bouncing around in my brain right now, shall we?
Do I want to go back to writing a food blog? (This would be on the side at first.)
Nursing school?
Do I still want to lead yoga teacher trainings?
What is my relationship with yoga right now? How do I want to grow and nurture it?
When is the right time to send Finn to kindergarten and where?
Is it possible for me to learn how to groom my dogs at home?
Do I want to pursue part-time advertising/marketing/social media work?
What’s the best big boy bed for Finn? Will he do okay transitioning out of my bed?
What fitness knowledge and certifications do I want to pursue?
How do I blend my life with another person’s given all that comes with adding kids into a relationship and the fact that I’ve spent the better part of four years just “Finn and Mommy.” (Extreme moment of vulnerability.)
CURRENTLY LOOKING FORWARD TO
A trip to Mexico in June. Counting down the days!
That’s it. The end. I’ve been up since the four o’clock hour (not intentionally, just couldn’t sleep) so time for bed!
YOUR TURN
Currently reading?
Currently watching?
Currently feeling blessed by?
Currently looking forward to?
Currently just read the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. CAN NOT RECOMMEND THIS ENOUGH. Best book ive read in a while. Now reading Wunderland.
Currently watching season 4 of The Circle on Netflix. If youve never seen it, check iut season 1, its the best! Also watching the newest Naked and Afraid XL, my ultimate guilty pleasure!
Currently feeling blessed bc a student of mine (Im a kindergarten teacher) who has had quite a volitile year in my room, is on such a great run of really wonderful days. It makes me so emotional to see him just look so happy!
In the next breath though…currently lookijg forward to summer vacation hahaha.
Adding this book to my “to read” list. Thank you!!!!
You know, I’ve never watched The Circle so maybe that’s something I’ll go back and start. Glad to hear it’s a good one!
Your feeling blessed is the best. Thank you for your work as a teacher and for being a safe place for that little guy to land every day. It’s wonderful that he’s ending the year on a happy note.
I thought i might have gotten the book rec from you, so im glad to pass it on…it must have been from from pbf julie haha. You 2 have the best book recs!!
Thanks to this comment, I am currently reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and LOVING IT! It’s beautifully written and the plot moves at a perfect pace for me. Will be recommending it to some friends and checking out other books by this author!
Thank you!!
I think you’re incredible and an amazing mom!
I feel you on what’s most important and taking more time for rest.
Tara! Thank you so much for saying that. Gosh, I’m doing it imperfectly but it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. <3
Hi Jen,
I get the last thingh on your mind… It’s always hard to adjust to a new person in our routines. I hope the transistion is an easy one and the good times and the advantages of having a partner outweigh the compromises 😉
I love “The good sister” by sally hepworth. I listened to the audio book and the Australian accent of the narrator made me so happy! I also listened to “The mother-in-law” which was not as good but still definetly worth my time 🙂 I seem to always read every available book from one author before I find a new one :p
Thank you, Moni. I have probably gotten a little TOO comfortable being alone, especially when it’s just me and Finn, and I’ve been surprised by how much of an adjustment it’s actually been. Definitely GOOD “problems” to have! 🙂
Yes, the Australian accent is fun in the audiobook. I also did not love The Mother-In-Law.
Have a great weekend!
I love this style post!
Currently reading the SC leaked draft.
Currently watching the British baking show on Netflix.
Currently blessed by my kids.
Currently looking forward to summer.
Happy Mothers Day!!
Thank you! It’s fun to write! I’m so excited about summer too! Pool opens next weekend and many fun adventures planned!
Ohhh hope you get good recs on patio furniture
, I feel like I’ve been on the hunt for over a year price and comfort need to find a balance somewhere
So far Costco and Wayfair are the recommendations that I’ve received. It’s SO hard to find that balance. Like, I cannot spend $5,000 on patio furniture but I also don’t want something that I don’t even want to sit on and will fall apart in a year. Ugh!
Currently reading? Anything online. My brain does not have the capacity to read anything else 🙂
Currently watching? Schitts Creek.. for the 10th time!
Currently feeling blessed by? My family. Even with all the challenges of having a special needs child, I am overwhelmed by the amount of blessings I feel everyday. Appreciate your candor and vulnerability – I have no desires to push myself like in my 20’s – I’m focused on being a mom right now too.
Currently looking forward to? My daughters 3rd birthday!
Schitt’s Creek is the BEST! There aren’t many shows that I can watch over and over again but that’s certainly one of them!
I am sending so much love your way on this Mother’s Day. You are a superhero and I’m so glad to hear that you have such strong family support. <3
Hi Jen!
I love reading your posts and never comment, but as soon as I scrolled by the fact you were thinking about nursing school, I wanted to chime in! 🙂 As someone who just graduated nursing school at the age of 38, I can’t recommend it enough. You are never too old to go back to nursing school and a handful of my classmates had kids (young kids even – one gal had 2 boys under the age of 2!). Nursing offers you A LOT of variability in what you want to do (hospital, doctors office, work from home, public health, school nurse, etc.), especially being a single mom. Having gone through your mom’s journey of getting a lung transplant, you know what it is like being the family member of the patient and that brings such value as a nurse. Anyway, all the ideas bouncing around your head right now seem great – just wanted to offer my thoughts!
Liz!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to send this comment. It is really helpful to hear from others who have gone to nursing school later. Many, many things about it appeal to me and I just haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since my mom was in the hospital. Did you a traditional or accelerated program? Did you have to do any pre-requisite classes before enrolling?
I love TV lol. On HBO watch Starstruck and Hacks, both quick easy watches and really cute/funny. Jean Smart is amazing in hacks. If you haven’t already seen Catastrophe oil Amazon Prime, it’s so good. Another quick, super funny show. And Better Things just ended, it’s in Hulu and also really great.
Wonderful suggestions! THANK YOU!
Blanking if you had HBO max but the Divorce is excellent and episodes are short so not time consuming to get engrossed in.
If I may, we sent our daughter to Kindergarten this past year, entering at age 4, full day. We hesitated as she is very tiny (3rd %) and would be youngest with a June 22 birthday. Well let e tell you… She thrived! We felt if worse came to worse we’d have her repeat the grade and she would be better prepared. Well that won’t be needed as this girl rocked it and exceeded our expectations. Ho for Kindergarten!
I will check that one out! Maybe tonight! 🙂
How wonderful for your daughter that she thrived in kindergarten at the age of 4! What an awesome story!
Loved reading every word of this post! Your thoughts may be scattered but YOU sound grounded. Recs:
– Book: Black Cake (I am 99% sure you will like this one);
– Shows: Grace and Frankie (for something fun and funny… especially when the world feels heavy) and The First Lady.
Also! I’m having a Vance moment too! He’s in Toronto June 9th, but I leave that day for a week-long holiday! Ugh!
And: You will figure out the blending, When you look back at your writing from your 20s, I bet you also notice you are a much more flexible person now. You’ve had to be… you’re a mom, and doing it solo whenever you’re doing it! You’ve softened in the best ways. This will be easier than you probably think; I just know it.
Maeve – I wish we lived closer to one another and could be IRL friends but I’m grateful for our online friendship! 🙂 You have a way with words that just beams them straight into my heart. Thank you for the extremely kind observations and validations. You’re just the best. <3
My grandmother put Black Cake on the Kindle and it's on my "to read" list. Happy to have a good recommendation from you!
I am sad for you that you are missing Vance Joy but hope it's a fun holiday trip!
I’ve never commented but I loved this post! I only recently found your blog but it’s quickly become one of my favorites ♡ I agree 100% on what you said about Selling Sunset. I started it because I loved getting a look inside the ridiculous houses, but really can’t get behind the intense focus on office politics and drama. I hope you have the best week Jen!
Currently reading? “Beach Read” by Emily Henry— A very cute and easy read! I loved her book “People We Meet on Vacation”. Such a funny and lighthearted book and even better for those of us wholove travel! They trave all over the world in the book and the way she describes the destinations really makes them come to life. Also, currently reading Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth trying to wrap my head around giving birth to our first in just 3 months!
Currently watching?
Finishing Season 4 of Ozark, reruns of Selling Sunset after finishing Season 5, I binge watched The Ultimatum and still having trouble understanding how the premise of the show is supposed to make these couples stronger? Seems like a stretch to me! Haha
Currently feeling blessed by?
Being blessed to be pregnant with our son and so excited to meet him in August! Seeing all of your fun times with Finn makes me so excited to have my own little boy soon! Also, our yellow lab Sandee is just the best. Dogs are the biggest blessing!
Currently looking forward to?
A week long vacation we have planned to Charleston at the end of the month!
In an effort to keep my 3.5 year old in his own bed we just got him a low level bunk bed with a ladder and slide which he is super excited about! Thinking that may keep in his bed. Found it on Amazon for about $200 with great reviews! Fingers crossed for us all.
I’m in the DC area and have seen great outdoor furniture finds on Craigslist and Facebook marketplace. (Gently used or brand new.) If you’re able to check posts regularly with some patience on when you want to purchase, it could be a good starting point for finding a deal on furniture you like.
Came here to recommend Facebook Marketplace as well! It can take some serious stalking, but people are always moving or changing up their home decor, so you can usually find like-new items for a steal. Plus, there’s the added environmental benefit of not purchasing something new!
Reading:
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado, This is a heavy read but so well written.
Watching:
Heartstoppers on Netflix. This is the absolute cutest most heartwarming thing I’ve seen in ages! Definitely recommend!
Grateful for:
Having my husband around for a few months. He’s in the military and it’s unusual for us to have so much time together. We are having such a lovely time with our one year old daughter!
Looking forward to: my brother’s wedding and a trip to the Isle of Skye next month.
I’m interested in your grooming comment….we also have a golden retriever who is 3 years old and she’s never been professionally groomed. We just give her a quick brush most days and a bath once a month (unless she has rolled in something!) and her fur is lovely. It makes me wonder if we should be doing more, because I don’t find her coat to be high maintenance at all, but I really can’t see anything wrong with it and people always comment on her lovely fur! Maybe it’s just personal taste in how we like our dogs to look? I imagine Benji’s coat needs more attention though!
Two shows my husband and I love on HBOMax are Somebody, Somewhere about a woman that reconnects with her family and old friends after moving back home to Kansas, and Julia, when Julia Child first started her cooking show on PBS. Highly recommend both!
metal patio furniture will last you a long time. I’ve had the metal hampton bay outdoor couch from home depot for like 7 years now and it still looks new. wicker (real or plastic) deteriorates so quickly.
Watch Derry Girls, on Netflix. Its absolutely hilarious about a group of girls who attend a Catholic school in the Derry, Ireland.
We are currently watching The Flight Attendant on HBO Max – season 2 was just released not long ago. We also really enjoyed The Sex Lives of College Girls on HBO Max – it was created by Mindy Kaling!
Seconding Sex Lives of College Girls! So funny and easy to binge!