Amid the COVID19 commotion we’re doing our best to keep ‘cool’ as the weather (and the virus) heats up here in Grand Rapids. We’re not hoarding toilet paper, however, after all the images on Facebook of store shelves being cleared out I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t considered ordering a bundle from Amazon. But then I remembered that Thomas just switched to undies and we’ve got a serious surplus of baby wipes in the closet and I consider that to be a very solid Plan B.
The ‘Mom-Joke's’ have been keeping me going… “Husband came home with a survival grocery list and wife reciprocated with list for Home Depot… less worried about starvation, more worried about boredom.” Another, “I’ve been waiting for the nanny’s college to close so I can ask her to move in with me.” And my favorite, “Forget stocking up on water and rice, I’m locking my family in and we’ll all just live off my breast milk.”
Our usual routine is slightly different: Natalie’s preschool is shut down until April 6th (will possibility of going longer) but our daycare remains open. Jeff is still working from the office but says it’s a ghost town. Steelcase has issued a statement letting all employees know they should work where they feel most comfortable and to practice safe habits if working from the office, however, my boss as asked for all mobile workers (myself) to remain home unless necessary to come into the office. For me, this simply means when my team has a video shoot day. We’ve got two this week.
I have become very aware of our home and how it has become an oasis for our family. As the social events began falling off our calendar I found myself filling it again with things we can do together as a family and with others in our neighborhood. Stay healthy and sane my friends…. and now for our regular programming…
March is Reading Month and last week I spent some time with Natalie and her preschool class at Grace Church reading our newest favorite: Waverly May and the Monsters of Lake Michigan by Blake & Becky Kooi. Waverly May is visiting the big lake for the very first time and the book shares how she overcomes her fears with the help of her creative parents. The authors, Blake and Becky, are licensed counselors who use their knowledge of child development to empower children to cope with the fears, frustrations, and fulfillment of growing up. The book is both Kladder and Grace Church Preschool approved and you can buy it on Amazon if you’re looking for some extra reading while the libraries are closed this month.
Earlier this month we visited the Butterflies at Fredrick Meijer Gardens which is something the kids always enjoy. The Gardens is currently closed over these next few weeks but the exhibit is listed to be open until the end of April so there still may be time to visit.
I recently had the privilege of judging the Miss Michigan Sweeps Pageant in Muskegon, Michigan. A little known fact about me, once upon a time I competed in the Miss America Program. I won three local titles (Miss Kalamazoo, Miss Shoreline and Miss Pride of the Peninsulas) which awarded me three back to back opportunities to compete at the state level for the title of Miss Michigan. I never won Miss Michigan but in 2010 I did win the Talent Award for my performance of ‘Yesterday’ by the Beatles.
In 2011 I aged out and (said in an overly dramatic tone) never returned to the pageant scene until now, nearly 10 years later. But this time as a judge. Being on the other side of the table was a phenomenal experience especially at Sweeps which consists of only first runner ups from all other previous qualifying pageants - needless to say, all 15 of the women who competed were excellent. The program sure has changed over the last decade including the elimination of the swimwear competition, but the incredible opportunity for young women remains: poise, presentation, public speaking, confidence… all things I gained in my three years of competing.
Last weekend we got the official doctors approval to move forward with our hosting of our very first Murder Mystery themed dinner party. Using the How to Host a Murder game we produced quite an evening of fun. The scene takes place in the 1920s in downtown Chicago. Cappone’s been killed and one of the eight dinner guests has done it. But who?! We spent 3.5 hours in character allowing us to forget the commotion outside of the dining room that night.
A couple weeks ago Jeff spent the weekend up north with a group of guy friends from college and the kids and I spent that time together here in Grand Rapids. I took the kids to one of the Family Flicks series at Celebration Cinema where we watched the movie Arctic Dogs. Kids were free and it was only $5 for myself. Then of course we spent $20 on concessions - they get ya every time! We also hosted a group of moms and kids from our church for coffee and donuts that weekend. Mars Hill recently announced MHGR which is a second location here in Grand Rapids which is where Jeff, the kids and I will attend come September. It was a joy to connect outside of church with others who will also make the switch later this year. The rest of the weekend the kids and I took walks to the playground, ate popcorn for dinner and colored Easter decorations.
Another noteworthy bit of news is that my Grandpa Smith delivered our very own custom bar for our ‘party garage.’ The family who owned the home before us were big sports fans and they used the garage as a second living room complete with a giant bar. When we moved in we decided that was an idea worth repeating at which point we enlisted my very talented Grandpa to build us a bar. It turned out better than we could have expected including a 16 bottle wine rack, drawers, shelves and he even measured to the beverage fridge that we had ordered online prior to the build. Jeff has already installed (and used) the TV for watching sports and come summertime we’ll be open for business!
We’re hoping for warm weather and sunshine as we enter this super weird next couple of weeks. We’ll be praying for peace and health around the world and extending positive vibes to you and your family as we all spend more time together at home. And my personal request to all of you: lets ramp up those instagram stories! Can’t wait to see everyone’s creative ways for staying sane.
POSTSCRIPT, other stuff worth mentioning…
Chez Olga, while currently closed, was recently refreshed both interior and menu wise and we love it! Pro Tip: It’s BYOB and you better believe I wrote a Yelp review on it!
Currently watching The Durrells in Corfu on Amazon Prime Video and I’m totally entertained.
And currently reading Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. I’m halfway through and it’s just now starting to pick up. I learned they’re turning it into a movie and I’m pretty excited about that.
We got an Okay to Wake clock for Thomas (similar to this one) after switching him to his big boy bunk bed and it’s frigg’n fantastic! Works like a charm and he LOVES it. Now Natalie wants one haha.
