Happy February! Who is excited for Valentine’s Day? I know am! I just love it. It’s a sweet holiday to show those you cherish some extra love. I’m leaning as best I can into the cozy, cold days at home and trying to keep our little home tidy and clean 🩵
Here’s what’s current for me this month. Let me know what’s up for you in February–I love to read what’s going on in your life!
Current excitement Valentine’s Day! We usually do something fun like a shopping challenge where we draw a name out of a hat and buy a $10-$20 gift for that family member. It’s fun to split up into groups and surprise each other. I also like to do a nice little family dinner with a table cloth and cute paper plates. How do you celebrate Valentine’s Day?
Current books Huckleberry Lake. I picked this up because one of the main characters is Deaf. It’s always cool to read a book where hearing loss and Deafness is acknowledged and normalized. The storyline isn’t something I’d usually go for, but like I said, the hearing loss aspect of it sucked me in haha. I wrapped the kids Valentine’s Day books (here’s a post with some of our favorites) in red tissue paper and they open one a day! Sadie loved reading The Littlest Valentine with me and Mordecai has been enjoying God is Love.
Current baked good Mini apple pies! I had one apple left in our crisper drawer and apple pie is Jimmy’s favorite so I peeled and chopped the apple and cooked it in butter, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Then I made my favorite pie crust recipe and cut it into circles to fit our cupcake pan. I spooned the cooked apple filling into the pan and topped each apple pie cup with a top crust. I brushed them with egg yolk, sprinkled them with turbinado sugar and baked them for 15 minutes!
Current confession It’s currently 57 degrees as I type up this post and I’m sitting outside without a jacket on because it feels downright warm after -12!
Current food Ratatouille (as seen in this post!) and mini meatloaves.
Current laugh We get McDonalds every Sunday night after church and Sadie loves to get Happy Meals when we go. Lately, the prize in each happy meal is a pack of Pokémon cards. Sadie has had a Charizard in the last few packs of Pokémon cards and she’s like “Meh.. I don’t like this one” and Jimmy and I (classic 90s kids 😂) are like “Girl!!! You don’t know how good you’ve got it!!!”
Current fun I made the kids Valentine’s Day sensory bins and they have been having a blast getting creative with them!
Current indulgence So random: but looking at St. Partick’s Day things… like kids books, decor, recipes, crafts, and celebrations. I love “little” holidays that brighten up the middle of winter like Valentine’s Day and St. Patty’s feels like it’s right up my alley to celebrate with the kids ☘️
Current need Sitting down to organize my calendar! I use a planner, we have a wall calendar, and Jimmy likes when I put everything on my phone in a digital family calendar. I need to put in alllll the appointments for this month: prenatal checkups, coding for Sadie, training for Niva, etc. so we’re on the same page!
Current craving I want to take the kids to Sarris Candies soon. It’s a local chocolate store/factory that is just too cool to visit. We’ve been a few times in the past couple of years and it never disappoints!
Current blessing These two cutie pies. They’re so sweet together and one of my biggest joys in life!
Current beauty product Biolage Volume Bloom shampoo. I love Biolage haircare! Their products always seem to mesh well with my hair type and smell so lovely.
Currently looking forward to Spring! I know, we’re like halfway through winter… but I’m excited! Trying not to wish away these cozy days, though 😊
Current drink Jim’s Organic Coffee (Jimmy picked this out… probably because the bag said his name on it 😂) and also Starbucks Sumatra blend! I so look forward to my morning cup of coffee each day ☕️
Current cuteness Sadie and Niva laying on the couch together!
Current home product Lysol laundry sanitizer. I love adding this to a load of laundry, especially during cold and flu season.
Current goal Getting the last few items we need from our baby registry and putting baby’s carseat in the car.
Current kid product Mordecai is loving this magnetic Montessori maze. He plays with it every day and I sometimes catch Jimmy playing with it, too haha. Sadie pulls out this vet kit on the daily.
Current mood Content! I’ve been working through a really great Bible study on contentment and it always hits me that if I have God, I have everything.
Currently making Granola for Etsy orders! Coconut almond, peanut butter, and chocolate espresso flavors have been popular lately. Jimmy has been coming home from work each day and saying how good the house smells. I feel like my hair and skin perpetually smell like a bakery and he’s like “What’s so bad about that?!” 😂
Current joy A little family night at the library! Sadie was all signed up for a Lego-themed kids night… but nobody but her signed up. The librarian called and said we could still come and they would pull out all the Legos just for her so me, Jimmy, and Mordecai joined in and played Legos with Sader Tot, too. It’s fun to do these types of things out of the house because as a parent, I get so distracted by everything around me (dishes! laundry! cleaning!) versus just playing. The kids soak up those moments of concentrated play with us and it’s such a great reminder of how much joy is found in just being present.
I made a nature reserve and Sadie made a jail 😂
Current question Are you reading any good books lately? I want to hear about ’em!
A look back:
February 2018
February 2019
February 2020
February 2021
February 2022
February 2023
February 2024
Living My Full Life 
I love this post! Granola sounds amazing right now!
I am currently reading Melania Trump’s book entitled “Melania”. I’m about 3/4 through it, and it has been super enlightening. She is definitely an amazing lady, and I feel so blessed she is the First Lady of the United States! The pics are also super nice/cute.
Love,
Madre
Name a flavor and I’ll hook you up!!
I’d love to read the Melania book after you. I feel like she’s a very interesting woman that I know next to nothing about!
Love you!
The energy and creativity you have to do fun stuff with/for the kids is just amazing. And while pregnant! I wish I could be like you but I have a 2.5 year old and a 1 year old and I struggle with finding things that entertain them both. I suck at crafts and I get bored easily lol you’re absolutely glowing, by the way. ❤️
You know how to make a girl feel good, Cheila!! Thank you so much! Having a 2.5 year old and 1 year old is a whole different ball game than a 6 and 2 year old… you are probably exhausted!! Props to you for just surviving each day, because that’s a hard age gap! Thank you for the sweet words about me! That means so much!
those two are the two little cutie pies for sure!
Love ❤️ You!
dad
🙂
Ain’t that the truth! Love you!!
Omgggg not the Charizard!! I JUST saw a post about first edition Charizard cards from 1999 going for like $40k selling online. I never got my hands on a Charizard as a kid, and I’m still devastated. How cool Happy Meals have Pokémon cards right now.
I’ve read seven books so far this year, none I’d really say were recommendable except “Funny Story” by Emily Henry. But I also feel like maybe you posted you already read that one? I read another one that was good, but I feel like it might not be your style.
I also love Valentine’s Day, and the day after is MY BIRTHDAY. Double the fun for meeee!
Right!! She has like three right now and I am like DO YOU EVEN KNOW!!! IF THIS WAS 1998 YOU WOULD BE THE COOLEST KID EVER!!! I had no idea the OG ones are selling for 40K!!! It’s so nostalgic to see them. Jimmy still has all of his Pokémon cards in a binder and we love pulling them out to show the kids… he still gets like “hey! be careful!” which is cute haha.
I think I did read Funny Story recently and it was cute! I remember the “other” guy (Miles?) seeming like a slime ball at the beginning and then I really grew to like him! I love when an author does that. What was the other book!!
Ahhh, I didn’t know your birthday was right after V-Day! That is SO FUN!
I still have all my Pokémon cards too, but most of them I played with pretty regularly. All my holographic cards are in a binder, and Duncan spent like an hour one day looking up how much each was worth. He was getting so excited (they weren’t worth a ton), but I was like “I’m not selling any of these!”
Yes yes. I really grew to like Miles, I adored that book. The other one is called “On the Savage Side.” Very loosely (very) based off a true story. The meat of the story was much different than I expected. But it was good. Heavy though.
YESSS! We have a binder, too!! I’m like you… I probably wouldn’t sell mine… maybe unless one was worth 40K hahah.
I’m happy you were team Miles, too! He was so likable! I looked up “On the Savage Side” and you were right, it’s not my type! I’d probably not sleep for a week after reading it lol!! I can’t believe it was (loosely) based off a true story!