Well, I’m officially off-grid in terms of social media. I’m just over it! I feel like I could write a book on my feelings about social media. It’s something I’ve talked about in 2013 and again in 2019, and I think many people can relate that how our culture uses social media and how it impacts our lives can be tricky to manage.

I wasn’t on any platform for an extensive amount of time each day (maybe 10 minutes, tops?), but it still felt like too much. While there’s a lot of good that can come from social media, I don’t know if the positive aspects outweigh the negative aspects for me. What are your thoughts on social media?

Alright, onto a few favorites! 

-Valentine’s Day books. I really love Valentine’s Day. And children’s books. Combine the two and I am one happy girl. Since our local libraries are still closed, I just had to get Sader Tot some new books 😉 

All three of these books are super sweet and cute, but I especially love God Is Love. Speaking of Valentine’s Day… I really want to decorate for it soon. Do you decorate for “little” holidays like Valentine’s Day? I am all about anything that brings extra joy to our home!

-Taking a couple of dogs home. I texted Jimmy a picture of two huskies in our basement the other day while he was at work and he was so confused because they definitely weren’t Niva, haha.

I saw two huskies loose on our street and instantly remembered how it felt to have a missing dog, so I took them home and called their owners (yup, they were from two different houses!). They got some playtime in our yard with Niva and it kind of felt like a husky party, haha. We were all able to relate on just how good this breed of dog is at escaping!

-Seeing Jimmy’s work. Jimmy installed a cross at Light of Life Rescue Mission on Friday and sent me a photo. He tells me about things he does at work all the time, but it’s always nice to see what he’s up to!

-Researching. I’ve been doing lots of research on less toxic home/personal care items lately and am randomly enjoying it?! A few people have shared their favorite brands with me, which has been very helpful! I figured I can share what friends and family have told me about thus far! 

• Makeup/beauty brands: Mineral Fusion, Mary Kay, and Pure Haven
• Cleaning/home brands: Puracy, Branch Basics, Grove, Norwex, Young Living, and Melaleuca. 

I’m also researching making my own cleaning supplies. I have a great laundry detergent recipe, but I’d like to add things like glass cleaner, all purpose cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, etc. to my list of DIYS. The caveat is that they have to be simple to make and effective. We’ll see if I end up going the route of DIYS (could be inexpensive, but a little bit of work) or just purchase from some of the brands above (easy to do, but pricier).

-Playing games with Sadie. Sader Tot is at such a fun age for introducing and playing games! I picked up a pack of kid’s yoga pose cards at Dollar Tree and we have had so. much. fun. picking cards and practicing the poses on them together. It’s definitely a great way to get some of her energy out when it’s too cold to be outside for very long 😉

We’ve also been playing Hungry Hungry Hippos and Elefun, which are both so nostalgic for Jimmy and I! Are there any games that you remember really well from your childhood? Off the top of my head I’m thinking of Mouse Trap, Clue, and Mancala as being favorites when I was younger. 

What are some of your favorite things lately?