Friday Thoughts
I’m checking in on this fabulously fall Friday (the weather here is AWESOME; 70’s, breezy, perfect) with a Friday Thoughts post.
I hope I adequately express to you guys how much I LOVE, I mean really LOVE, your comments on these posts. They are my favorite.
You don’t know how many times I’ve scoured the comment threads of these Friday Thoughts posts over the months for a story, tip, piece of advice, or feedback someone shared. Your comments have led me to at least one more amazing pair of jeans AND changed they way I teach my kids piano lessons, just to name a few. I love your guts (and your comments’ guts) so, so much.
Today, I have a lot to share since it’s been a few months! Read at your own risk. 🙂 But whatever you do, DON’T ignore my questions below, pretty please. I want to hear all about what YOU think!
School Year Thoughts: August 22 began a new phase for our family. All five of the kids in school…all day long. Over the years, depending on where we’ve lived, we’ve had half day kindergarteners, full day kindergarteners, and a stint where I homeschooled three of the kids. But this is the first year where the send off in the morning means everyone is gone all day.I have mixed feelings. The end of summer about killed me off, I’m not going to lie. The chaos in my house was at an all-time high and well-intentioned schedules were pretty much nonexistent (as were bedtimes and my patience). But then, when everyone left me mid-August, I kind of felt adrift and a little sad, and I wandered around aimless and confused. It reminded me of an older friend’s tongue-in-cheek advice when we lived in Wisconsin: “don’t get attached, they grow up and leave you.” 🙂 My melancholy lasted for about 3 1/2 minutes until I realized that the one thing I always, always crave more of was at my disposal: time.
Of course my well-laid plan to get four bedrooms painted, learn Portuguese, and finish the five quilts hiding under my computer room table all within the first five days of school didn’t happen (or even get started, let’s be honest) like I thought they would (how does time go so dang fast during the day??), but I AM determined to make the most of my time at home during the day.
As you know, blogging takes up a great deal of my life. It is my “job” for lack of a better term, and I’m grateful to be able to work from home with a flexible schedule, but I’m also determined to have a better blog/life balance so that I really can focus on some other industrious projects, as well as spend time volunteering at the school and do more in my service at church/temple. And also, naps. I’m not opposed to them either…or hanging out with my chicks. Ok, talk to me, how is your school year shaping up (public schoolers AND homeschoolers)?
School Lunch Thoughts: Piggybacking on the school year thoughts above, we are still staying strong with the school lunch checklist I shared last year in this post (also included in that post are some free, downloadable menu plans to save your sanity during the busy startup of school). After almost 10 years of using them, we finally broke up with our long-loved Goodbyn lunch boxes in favor of these pack-it freezable lunch boxes {aff. link} to keep everything cold, and so far, the system of kids packing their own lunches each day is going pretty well (my 14-year old who is a freshman in high school graduated to a simple brown paper bag as his packing preference). I have to monitor Ms. First Grader’s lunch box to make sure it isn’t packed chock full of only chips and fruit leathers, but other than that, the other kids are pretty self-sufficient.
Book Thoughts: So many of you recommended A Gentleman in Moscow when I reached out for book recommendations a few months ago. It took me a while to download it to my Audible app and even longer to actually start listening to it. And if I’m being honest, the first few chapters (maybe even more than that) almost put me to sleep (not super awesome since I was utilizing it as a way to keep me entertained and awake on a long drive last month).
But I persevered after consulting some friends who promised it would be worth it, and I am officially a repentant book listener. I have about 1/4 of the book left, and I am enthralled, and dare I say, obsessed (think: listening to it whenever and wherever I can; Brian looked at me very strangely when I had it at max volume this morning while blowdrying my hair with my head bent upside down). It’s an insanely long audiobook (17 hours or something), but I’ve been listening at 1.25X speed and using it as my clean-the-house incentive, among other things. The brilliantly descriptive, almost magical, writing style makes up for the slow start. I highly recommend this book (maybe avoid the Audible version if you want to get through it more quickly?). Have you read it? What did you think?
Alaska Cruise Thoughts: I shared in my newsletter and on Instagram that Brian and I took a first-ever cruise this summer to celebrate our anniversary in August. We went on an Alaska cruise, and I have so many thoughts to share about it. But since I don’t want to bore anyone with too many details, I’ll just share a couple:
-For first-time cruisers without anything to compare it to, our experience was pretty great in terms of service, hospitality, accommodations, etc. We went with Princess Cruise lines and booked everything through them including airfare, excursions, etc. (we took the easy way out on this one and I don’t regret it for an instant). We decided on an inside passage route (Anchorage to Vancouver) with ports at Ketchikan, Skagway and Juneau.
-So many people have asked me what I thought about the food. Um. Hmmm. Let’s see. What to say? It was ok. I mean, it was good! But not lifechanging. Maybe I had my expectations set too high (a very distinct possibility), but I was a little underwhelmed, particularly by the buffet. However, Brian wants me to mention that the 24-hour access to hot chocolate and ice cream was pretty amazing. One of my favorite parts of the cruise was taking a tour of the galley and meeting the head chef. The kitchen (we only saw one of the many on board) was absolutely amazing and kind of overwhelming – it’s hard to wrap my mind around how much food they make every day for so many people. Crazy.
-The weather, always unpredictable in Alaska, was pretty terrible during our 7-day cruise. There were a lot of experienced cruisers on our ship, and they all commented that this was the worst weather they’d had on any Alaska cruise. It was foggy almost the whole time so we didn’t see much scenery while on the ship, and it was pretty cold and rainy at all the ports.
The good news is that because the experience was so novel to us, we still loved it, and we really, really enjoyed the time we had to spend together – just the two of us. Would we go on an Alaska cruise again? I’m not sure about that. I’m not exactly a world-traveler (the gift of wanderlust is a bit lost on this homebody who gets a some anxiety traveling and leaving home), but the experience and majesty of Alaska was amazing and definitely a once in a lifetime experience even with the foggy conditions. I don’t know if we caught the “cruising bug” exactly, but it was a pretty awesome trip all things considered, especially getting off and exploring the seaside towns. Have you gone on a cruise? If so, WHERE? And what did you think?
-I took this petite gray backpack {aff. link} to Alaska and wore it everywhere. It was awesome. For being on the smaller side, it had so much functional space and so many helpful compartments; I loved it, and it was a lifesaver for a one-bag solution. It even fit my DSLR camera with a fairly big lens and an umbrella. I’m still using it as a purse-slash-backpack now that I’m home. I also wouldn’t have survived without my beanie {aff. link}, this waterproof windbreaker {aff. link} and these Sorel wedge boots that I wore straight out of the box (I know, not smart), but they ended up being surprisingly and incredibly comfortable. I wore them nonstop and consider them well worth the splurge (they were on a 50% off sale on sorel.com in August; they are certainly more spendy now in leadup to winter). I’ll wear them for many winters to come I’m sure.
Also, the picture below has nothing to do with anything except that our high school mascot is the Vikings and my sister made this Viking braid beanie for me and I love it and I will continue to embarrass my children by wearing it every day to pick them up from school as well as at the next high school football game. Go Vikes! 🙂
Ok, I think that’s it for today! A huge reward (cookies?) if you made it through that whole post! Let me know YOUR thoughts below!
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As a mom who is thick in the littles stage (a three year old, a one year old, and expecting), I am a little aghast when I hear empty-nesters say they don’t know what to do with their time. As our priest recently pointed out in a sermon, when your kids are getting into school full time/gone and their parents have more time on their hands, they then have the opportunity to throw themselves full tilt into the assisting community. Help the elderly! Babysitting for us moms who constantly change diapers and wipe up spit-up (I personally vote for this one) and are usually keeping it together by a thread. Volunteer at the food bank. Run the church Sunday school. Form relationships with the people who just moved to town and are overwhelmed and lonely. How can you women be bored?! There are so many many things I am just itching to do but can’t because I have naptimes, nursing, early bed time, etc. that must be my priority.
PLEASE! Help the rest of us out if you’re free because WE NEED IT!
Love the blog Mel. <3 A hardened traveler myself, cruises never interested me.
I wonder if it’s more about empty nesters trying to get used to the extra time they find themselves with vs being bored? I don’t know. I know it took my mom some time to settle into the phase of being an empty nester and figure out how and where to put her time, but those are all great ideas!
Back to school this year has been pretty good. Two off across the work in college (we’re in England and they’re in Utah), one in high school, and two in middle school. Plus working as a substitute in the schools as well so we’re all at school a lot.
Our girls that are still at home all pack their own lunches. It’s usually leftovers accompanied by fruits, veggies, and yogurt or cheese. Sometimes I’ll be a cool mom and buy prepackaged treats by not very often!
I’m always looking for book recommendations, so I’ll have to check that one out. Now that I know the beginning might move slowly I’ll be less likely to give up on it.
We’ve never done a cruise but if we did it would probably be an Alaskan one. Also, I’m thinking I need to check out those boots or something like them for our soon to be missionary daughter. She needs something waterproof and comfortable.
As always, thanks for keeping it real and for helping me work toward kitchen rock star status!
Thanks for all of your thoughts, Sarah!
I have never been on a cruise, but I got to take a trip in August with all my sisters (7 of us including me) and my mom and it was such a blast! I have one sister that’s living in Skagway right now, working as a nurse in their clinic. I’ve always wanted to go on a cruise, but I’m kind of rethinking that now. We just took a ferry from Juneau to Skagway then back to Juneau a couple days later and my head is still spinning and kind of motion sick from it. I went to the doctor and he says I have Mal De Debarquement syndrome, but that it should go away eventually. It’s been almost four weeks so I hope it’s going to end! It is much less intense than the first two weeks, but still there. It’s made me question if I really ever want to try a cruise if a few hours on a ferry does this to my brain! Looks like you had lots of fun! All my kids are in all day school and it’s still a little weird.
What a fun thing to take a trip with your sisters and mom! I love that so much! I’ve never ever heard of that condition but it makes me wonder if I had something like that. I felt SO sick after we got home. Brian didn’t feel dizzy and nauseous at all, but I felt so sick for a couple weeks. Interesting! Now I don’t feel like I was just crazy.
I love hearing your thoughts! And of course I love your recipes too. The first year back-to-school with all my kids gone all day was tough. I remember how hard it was to lunch alone that first year. The trick is not to over-commit yourself though. The time goes so fast! This year I am teaching early morning seminary for the first time, plus two sections of a university seminar, and the first few weeks were completely overwhelming. Obviously it’s gotten better since I found time to read blogs this morning, but it’s still busy.
I love A Gentleman in Moscow, but you’re right, it takes a while to get into. I learned all sorts of interesting things when I prepped our book group discussion. Like did you notice how the time between chapters doubles each time (1 day, 2 days, 5 days, 10, 3 week, etc. to 16 years, and then back)? I’ve never been on a cruise, but it sounds fun!
Thanks, Laura! Such good advice about not overcommitting. I think that’s been my problem. I see this huge block of time during the day and maybe I’m overconfident all I can get done (at home and with/for other people). Early morning seminary is no joke! Goodness gracious. My mom did that for 10 years in Montana and it was so time consuming (although she says it’s been her favorite calling ever). And oh my goodness, my mind is kind of blown about the time aspect of A Gentleman in Moscow. I had no idea! I’m not quite finished, but I haven’t caught that level of detail in part because I’m listening to it instead of reading it. I’ve enjoyed it enough (after the slow start) that I think I’ll try reading it next time to get a different perspective than listening to it.
Hey there! I am so jealous all your kids are in school! My first born just started school last week and I have two more at home. I get a little glimpse of what life will be like when all of them are in school during nap time!! It’s amazing the things I have been able to get done when I don’t have someone following me around. But to be honest, there are days when I just sit for half an hour and just enjoy the silence. No tv, no phone, just me. And maybe some cookies (that I don’t have to share!)
Isn’t it sometimes just the sitting in peace and quiet that you need to fill your cup? I totally get that!
I want those boots! And what are your favorite jeans that you found through a comment? I must know? I can not find any good jeans lately! Yay for being 40!
Paige denim! They are pricey but I found them on clearance at Nordstrom Rack and they fit me better than any jeans ever have!
Here are a couple of book recommendations- Lucky Boy by Shanghai Sekaran – a beautifully written story.
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie- amazing read – I found it hard to put down.
Also, my oldest just left for College, across the country – your friend was right- even though we want them to fly off – it’s the most gutting experience I’ve ever had! Enjoy them while they are little – it’s goes so fast once they hit middle school!! I can’t wait to go,on an Alaskan cruise! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the book recommendations, Lori! Good luck with your oldest off to college. It’s hard to imagine that, but I know it’s just around the corner for us and time goes so stinking fast.
I LOVE the viking hat. If your sister ever wants to sell one to me, I’ll buy it! My kid’s high school mascot is a Viking as well. That is super awesome.
We also did a cruise with our family for the first time this summer. We have never done a beach vacation, so we did a 4 night cruise from Orlando to the Bahamas, then spent 3 days at Universal Studios (Harry Potter fans in the house). My five boys loved every minute of it. Eating at any hour of the day, eating a fancy dinner in the dining room, etc, was a super fun experience for them. Our favorite part was spending two entire days on beautiful beaches. My boys are all competitive swimmers, so they were out snorkeling literally the entire day and loved every second of it. We also splurged and did the dolphin swim experience. It was worth every penny in my humble opinion. So fun. I might have even gotten a little teary. I’ve wanted to do that since I was a kid.
I don’t know if I have caught the cruising bug either, however. Even though it was fun. There are just so many different things I want to experience and do that I can’t see myself just doing different cruises.
I’ll tell my sister! I keep telling her she needs to open an etsy shop but she says it takes so long to make the hats, she’d have to charge way too much to make them worth her time (and probably no one would buy them). 🙂 She’s so talented! Your cruise/Universal Studios vacation sounds amazing! And that’s awesome your boys loved it so much! I love how much you enjoyed the splurge of the dolphins. Totally, totally worth it.
Hi there Mel. I enjoyed reading your blog this morning. I’m a mom of two beautiful girls, the youngest of which has just left home for university. My husband and I are “empty nesters” for the first time in twenty one years. I’ve been a stay at home Mom for thirteen years, putting my career on hold to raise my family with absolutely no regrets. I’m trying to get back into my career field with no success as of yet. Been out of it too long maybe. Or maybe just a sign that this new found time is time that I should appreciate having some “me” time and some “us” time with my husband. I’ll figure it out as soon as I recover from the flu that has had me flat on my back for the first week that they’ve both been gone. (School starts several eeeks later here in Canada). I’m certainly going to take note of the wonderful book selections I’ve been reading about in the responses. As a family, we took an Alaskan cruise about four years ago. A Princess cruise, like you did. We enjoy enjoyed it. The girls had fun too. The food was okay. Nothing too memorable. We did enjoy the sights and the excursions that we took. I’ve asked my family if they would like to do it again and both responded with a solid no. We live in Vancouver, the beautiful city in which your cruise ended. I would like to know if you had time to visit Vancouver and what you thought of it. I would
like to say, as a family, we appreciate all of you’re recipes. My two girls are cooking for themselves and I have sent them off with a binder of Mel’s recipes that’s are simple, fast and yummy. Thank you
Oh wow, what a change of phase and life for you, Arlene! I’ve heard the empty nester phase can really throw parents for a loop. Good luck recovering from the flu and also good luck figuring out how/if to pursue your past career. We did not, unfortunately, have time to visit Vancouver because our flight got changed to much earlier, but it was so gorgeous there that I commented to Brian: I want to come back here!
Can I leave a comment that doesn’t actually answer any of your questions, but it’s a recent discovery in my life and I AM SO IN LOVE WITH IT I WANT TO SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS??? Like, I have a testimony of this and it’s burning in my bosom.
The Organised Mum Method <—-look up her blog and her instagram. It will help control the chaos of home. I'm actually enjoying keeping my house clean because the longer I stick with the method, the better shape my house is in.
Hahahahahaha. The burning bosom comment cracked me up. Ok, I’m looking into that ASAP with your strong encouragement!
I actually looked this up after reading your comment and I started the method this week. So far my house is already way cleaner and I am enjoying the racing the clock for 30 min aspect 🙂 Seriously can’t get over how fast she cleans though. Anyway, thanks for the shout out! I think it’s going to help my house handle the next newborn better at the beginning of January.
Hi Mel. I just love the Fiday Toughts post. I have cruised on and off over the years and I find the best part of crusing is staying on the ship when in port!! I know it sounds crazy, but it is so relaxing and quiet. I think any vacation is about balance and rejuvating. My children are college age now and I have so much free time I feel lost. It is a time of self discovery when our children are in school/grown and women need to do it!! Your blog and the comments people post are alway amazing. Women around the country enjoy your free time and do something wonderful for yourself!!
You are so right about vacations being about balance and rejuvenation! And I just love you for inviting women to enjoy free time to do something wonderful. I think very often we as women and moms feel guilty when we have time at our disposal (I’m not sure any time is every really “free”) and I’m trying to get over that feeling and enjoy all the moments – the busy ones and the ones where I have more time to myself. Thank you!
Will you please redo your search window? It never works the first time. Try it on a laptop. It’s very touchy.
Next, will you please offer a “jump to recipe” feature for when readers are in a big hurry or pulling up an old post and don’t need to re-read.
I’ll take a look at the search functionality! Sorry you are having issues with that. I don’t plan to add a jump to recipe button right now, but I’ll file the suggestion away. Thank you!
I’ve cruised with Princess three times and will be leaving in three weeks for the 15 day Hawaii Cruise leaving from Vancouver which is where I live. I discovered cruising two years ago and loved it. I love sea days! I’ve always enjoyed the food on board but we no longer go to the buffet. We far prefer the dining rooms for all our meals. I’m sorry you didn’t get to see much of Vancouver when you were here. This is truly a very beautiful city with lots to do!
So many people told me on our Alaska cruise that their Hawaii cruise was their favorite ever! I hope it’s amazing! And I was so impressed with the brief look we had at Vancouver. It was gorgeous and I told Brian I want to go back!
I have never been on a cruise, but hope that some day my husband and I can sneak away for an anniversary. But honestly, I think I would rather just fly somewhere…
Love that you talk about the books you are reading! I want to read A Gentlemen in moscow now! I like to listen to things as I clean, lately it’s just been the new Saints book.
Out dishwasher leaked (unknowingly) underneath for months and completely damaged the floor all around it. As a result we’ve had to tear up the kitchen. Since we are going through insurance, it has been 2 months with just half a kitchen and the rest gets tore out next week, in which we will have no kitchchen for about 3 1/2 weeks. It has made the whole lunch packing routine a little more difficult this year! I can’t wait until it’s finished and my kiddos can more easily pack their own lunches again. With less prepackaged food items
3 out of 4 of my children are now in school all day for first time, and it is so different just having me and the 2 1/2 year old home all day. Not the same as just me, but it’s giving me a closer look to what it will be like alone. I can’t belive how fast the school day goes by!
NOOOOO! I’m so sorry your dishwasher leaked. Oh my goodness, so sorry. We had an ice dam build up a couple years ago that flooded our kitchen while we were gone for the holidays and we had to work through insurance to get it fixed and our kitchen was torn up for months. It was honestly really hard, so I’m sorry you are having to deal with that. Good luck! Hopefully before you know it, it will be a distant memory!
Sorry the weather on your Alaska cruise didn’t cooperate, because when the sun shines, there is not (in my opinion) a more beautiful place in the US. We are veteran cruisers, and have done Alaska twice and would do it again! Can’t help with the school lunch subject, as my kids all have paws!
Love your blog and your recipes!
I think you are right about Alaska being in rare form with the sun shining! The last day at sea we had a bit of sunshine and we couldn’t decide if that was a good thing (finally sun!) or a bad thing (making us realize what it could have been like the whole week!).
What were those fantastic jeans you mentioned?? Always looking for a good pair of jeans! Love your recipes, except that bing cherry bar one which was a hot(wet) mess. Yours looked so nice..I don’t know what we all did wrong
I found a clearance pair of Paige denim at Nordstrom rack and they fit like a glove – love them! And also a pair of Kut from the Kloth. Affordable and so comfy! (size down, though, they run big)
Hi Mel, this year I have a 5th grader and a 2nd grader. 5th grader is doing it and is in the zone, my 2nd grader struggled the first week and little the second (this week). He struggled with the change big time: new teacher, new schedule (recess before lunch really took him out), new style of work flow in class. It took him out the first day and he threw up at lunch at hubby had to pick him up early. Day 2 was better and was cut short because of heat so I think that worked out in his favor. This week, he struggled a bit again with not getting some classwork done but did talk to the teacher and she was fine and adjusted for him. I just wonder if he’s overthinking. My 5th grader struggled in 3rd grade for a few months but came out a rock star so I just wonder if its hitting him earlier.
Agh! It’s so hard when kids struggle with new school schedules. Seriously, it’s so stressful. I hope that sweet 2nd grader adjusts and finds a groove. My 12-year old is a high anxiety kid and seems like every other year is a “struggling” year for him. I haven’t really found a rhyme or reason to it, but I just kind of prepare myself and dig deep for the patience and resolve to help him through it. Good luck!
Hi Mel. After following your blog for years, I feel I’ve known you for years. Let me say thanks for all the recipes you’ve shared as well as the stories from your family and your life. It reminds me that all of our lives/cares are essentially the same. Please keep up the good work. BTW, give the North another chance, next time take your whole family on a road trip on the Alaska Highway. Its always damp on the coast, I live in Whitehorse, Yukon and the climate here is semi-arid, we have the smallest dessert in the world and the scenery is to die for.
Thanks so much for your comment, Gordon! That was so kind. And I think we’ll definitely give Alaska another chance! Brian and I both commented we’d love to ditch the cruise next time and plan our own Alaskan adventure (particularly Juneau captured our attention but we’d also love to get to Denali). Thanks for the recommendations!
You’re so cute! I feel like we’d be pretty good friends in real life. My kiddos have headed all headed off to school
this year also. People have been asking me, “What do you do with all your free time?” I haven’t really had any yet to know! I’ve been busy doing regular mom jobs but I have snuck in an afternoon kyaking trip with friends and yesterday we went to a parade of homes.
The thought of a cruise terrifies me (I took my first airplane ride almost 2 years ago, I’m not sure I’m ready to leave land on a boat!) My husband loves hunting and moose are my favorite animal so if we did go on a cruise, I bet it would be to Alaska.
All right, I’ve wasted enough time. I’d better get back to my list of chores before the kids get home from school! Maybe I’ll whip up some cookies for them… Have a great weekend!
Haha, I must get asked that same question 12 times a week. I’m like “what free time??” but then I realize it’s my own issue that I feel like I’m always out of time (law of scarcity vs law of abundance!). Good luck with those chores – I hope you take more time for kayaking. What fun!
I think you need to finish one of those quilt tops and send it to me for longer quilting! Now I’m off to find the perfect cheesecake recipe on your site. My freshman daughter is requesting cheesecake for her birthday next week!
Also I am so impressed that your kids make their own lunch! My 11 year old son is pretty good about doing his. 14 year old daughter is never ready in time, and my youngest is 8 and is used to us doing everything for him.
Well I think I need to do that, too! The problem is, I actually just need to learn how to quilt first. I finished the Book Nerd quilt (have you seen that one??) but even though everyone said it is super easy, the paper piecing about killed me off. Good luck with the cheesecake!!
The viking hat!!!! I looove it! I hope you wear it until they all graduate. I teach at a high school whose mascot is a nondescript “titan,” a real missed opportunity if you ask me. And such cute boots!
I have my first in school this year, all day kindergarten and I have found a nerdy kind of joy that I think you can appreciate in packing his lunch. We got a bento-ish container, those silicone cups and a thermos since he likes water and not milk with his lunch (who knows why) and I have a great time loading it up every night.
I did read the whole post and I think I will make cookies this afternoon, thanks for suggesting it. Love ya, Mel!
Haha “missed opportunity” – that made me laugh. And I love you SO much for the nerdy joy surrounding packing school lunches. Oh my gosh, that was the best.
If you want a great audiobook, I recommend “The Boys in the Boat.” It’s a great read, and the reader is phenomenal. He makes the book. Also, “How to be here” by Rob Bell is another major favorite. Short and inspiring, he is such a fun guy to listen to. Oooh one more “Everybody, Always” by Bob Goff.
I listen to audiobooks through Overdrive or Libby (online library apps) and it saves me a ton of money by not doing the Audible subscription! But you probably already know about those… I love your posts! Thanks for sharing. ❤️
Thanks for that recommendation, Alli! My freshman had to read that book this summer before his English class started and I keep thinking I’ll read it, but I think the audiobook needs to be my ticket. Especially if I want to really tackle that back-to-school to do list. 🙂 You are the 2nd to recommend Libby. I’ve been living under a rock! So excited about that!
Hi Mel, an Alaskan cruise is on my bucket list! I’m jealous! We did our first cruise last Thanksgiving, we did a Disney cruise of the Western Caribbean (originally scheduled for Eastern but with the hurricanes our itinerary was changed). My boys (7 and 5 at the time) love love loved it! They keep talking about it at least once a week. I highly recommend cruising Disney. It’s probably more expensive but way worth it. We have another one booked for the Eastern Caribbean during Valentines week. (I know we’re taking the kids out but it’s the only time they so the Star Wars cruise).
So many people say Disney cruises are amazing! I’ve heard that from a lot of family and friends so it’s awesome to know that you guys had a great time. Thanks for letting me know! Have fun on that Eastern Caribbean cruise – wow!
Hi Mel,
I love these Friday posts! In an effort to keep my this brief, I’m making a numbered list in response.
1) we took my youngest to college this August and I was a bawling hot mess over it. My role as a mom has changed and I didn’t know how to process it. Honestly, I had to grieve for awhile (ok, all summer). But, I’ve turned a corner and am embracing all my available time.
2) yes, read and loved A Gentleman in Moscow. I agree, hard to get into at first (even with the book), but it stays with you long after it’s over.
3) we went on our first cruise over spring break. From Charleston SC to The Bahamas. We are not fans of the cruise. It was cold, very windy (so windy they closed the top two decks!), and the ship activities weren’t good. Some food was good, but most just meh. Met some interesting people and we went with extended family so made some memories. But, now that it’s been done, we won’t be doing another one.
Well I love you for the numbered list. That’s my love language right there. And oh, sweet momma, I can’t imagine taking the youngest off to school. What a transition! Every tear is deserved and well earned. Such a bummer about the cruise – but I kind of get it. So many vacation and travel options out there, I think you have to really love cruising to keep doing it (especially for the cost!).
Hey Mel, My youngest is in Kindergarten, two full days a week that I am home alone for the first time in 14 1/2 years. It’s kinda weird, but I sure get lots done!! But I made a major list and so far things just aren’t getting checked off- can’t always tell what I’m so busy with. Oh well, I guess it’ll happen eventually, right??
Went on a cruise years ago in the Bahamas. We won it, and it was okay, but we would never plan to go on a cruise again. I would much prefer a land-based holiday. We got a little bored on the one day we were out at sea all day. Excursions were great though!!
On a side note, your three middle children look like they are all the same height, or is that just the way the picture makes them look? I have two kids, Jason and Lynnette, who have been the same size, and it wreaks havoc with the whole hand-me-down system. Since they are boy and girl they don’t share a lot, but hockey gear, winter boots, and ski equipment have all been a problem!!
Enjoy your back-to-school alone time, and good luck with all those projects!!
Haha, story of my life! 14 years with kids home and now I’m wondering how the time goes by so fast. I swear I got more done when they were all clinging to my legs. Haha. Ok, maybe not. Yes, everyone thinks my middle three boys are triplets. They are all about 18 months apart. My 12 year old is very small for his age, my 11 year old is just average and the 9-year old is pretty tall for his age so it evens out that they are all the same height. They basically wear the same size clothes which means hand me downs are nonexistent and it’s a bummer, but oh well. I have a friend who has boys a bit younger than mine and she basically gets 3X the amount of clothes of the same size when the boys grow out of them (although my boys are pretty hard on clothes so decent hand me downs are few and far between).
I have been listening to books about 6 months ago and I’m still in the fence about it! Haha. I homeschool, the kids are always around, I don’t have very many hours in a day to listen, so it’s always a half hour here, a half hour there, so I sometimes worry that I miss out a bit. I love all the books I’ve listened to, but when I’m finished I feel a little sad that I don’t have the hard copy. Right now I’m listening to ‘My Dear Hamilton’ and loving it! Also, even if I had the book in my hands, I probably wouldn’t be able to read more than a little here and there anyway, so…. My argument is not valid. Ha! An Alaskan cruise sounds so dreamy to me!!! I NEED THAT CROCHET PATTERN! All the heart eyes for it. I’m so glad you gave me permission to eat that s’mores cookie I’ve been eyeing all morning. YUM.
I totally get that about audiobooks, Christina! Sometimes I want to go back and re”read” a page or remind myself who a character is, and that is really hard with an audiobook. And YOU ARE AMAZING FOR HOMESCHOOLING. That is all. 🙂
We went on a Disney Cruise as a family in March and my family definitely caught the cruising bug. My 5 year old still talks about it and wants to go on another cruise asap. It was our first cruise so I can’t compare it to anything but the food and service were great.
Ive tried Gentleman in Moscow but it got pushed aside as other books were ready at the l library. !
I’ve actually heard Disney cruises are amazing! My sister and her family are planning one, I think, so I’ll have to quiz her about their experience. Glad you guys loved it!
LOVE the Viking hat WITH braids. Awesome. Mel, this is Jenna, your long lost friend living in Italy, don’t give up on the Portuguese! You’ll never regret it. No cruise experience and now if i go i will keep my expectations low. Your kids are super grown up. thanks for the pictures.
Jenna! Love your guts, friend. Maybe my next trip just needs to come visit you! Seriously, that would be a dream.
ok, great post! before i forget, i NEED THE PATTERN FOR THE VIKING BEANIE! i will search online. second, a gentleman in moscow is one of my favorite books EVER! so glad for your “free” times. hope you accomplish great dreams! 🙂
Hey Karen, I’ll tell my sister to comment here with the link (if there is one). She can crochet just about anything which is nice because I am inept at crocheting.
Hi Mel, I took my first ever cruise to the Western Caribbean via Holland America earlier this year. I loved a lot about it. It was so nice to be taken care of all week, no dishes/laundry/cheese grating lol. I agree that the food was just “fine” – I’ve heard Celebrity has great food? My favorite part of the cruise was visiting the private island owned by Holland America in the Bahamas. I could have stayed there every day and been happy. I did also love the opportunity to relax with my husband and to watch new-ish movies in our room. I’d take another cruise someday. Oh and get the Libby app and connect your library card with it. You can do audio books/eBooks and it’s so nice that it’s free! (thank you, Janssen for the recommendation.) I’m listening to the Sound of Gravel about a girl who grew up in a polygamist family – sad, compelling, etc. and read by the author. So good.
Wow, that cruise sounds amazing! Someone else on our cruise we were chatting with said Celebrity has the best food (this person happens to go on several cruises a year – !!) but who knows. I think my expectations were just elevated. The food was by no means bad…just not as good as I thought it would be. Also thanks for the tip on the Libby app! Never heard of that!
We’ve never done a cruise bc we love getting “lost” in new places but we have thought about it to Mexico or something bc we don’t care to much about getting lost there. Cute beanie. Seriously embarrassing our kids is one of the perks of this “job”. It’s weird when the kids are off and it’s just you but yes, you do adjust and nap time is an option. I sometimes have a 20 Min nap and I’m much happier come 5 pm.
Amen to that!
Interesting take on the cruise. My husband and I have never been on one and have been wanting to do a shorter one to see if we like it. Since we are in the Seattle area- the Alaskan cruise appeals to us. For one, neither of us like super hot destinations (meaning we aren’t the tropical resort destination kind of people- yet). Rain and Fog doesn’t bother us. lol We like San Diego in February the best. Lol But we also want to do San Francisco and found a cruise that goes down the west coast. But I think it included Astoria (great but already done that), and I wanna say Victoria or Vancouver(which we do on occasion by car and/or ferry). So who knows?
As for your take on the food. I’ve found on vacations in general- I’ve had to just tell myself- the treat is not having to cook or clean up. Otherwise I tend to focus on why did I just pay for that lackluster meal? Lol Unless we purposely seek something out for the experience,I think becoming a better cook has almost ruined the eating out gig. lol
The Viking hat kills me. .Lol I saw it before I read it- and I was like- opera anyone? lol My sister had one of the lumberjack ones, (think bearded). Let’s just say it still makes my stomach hurt from laughing so hard.
lastly… OMG! Your kiddos are growing so fast!
Ok, that is a GREAT take on vacation food. You are right – I don’t have to clean it up OR make it! I’m going to keep that in mind next time. 🙂 And now you have ME laughing out loud at the image of a lumberjack beanie. Hahahaha.
Our first cruise 9 years ago was go Alaska! We had awesome weather, though, and we loved everything about it. We’d go again. 🙂 Next year we’re planning a cruise through the Norwegian Fjords. Also, the school day flies by! My youngest is in 7th grade and I still feel like my alone time is short. Haha
Oh my goodness, Sandee – a cruise through the Norwegian Fjords has to include some of the most amazing scenery on earth! I hope it’s incredible!
Before we had kids my husband and I liked to take cruises. For our honeymoon we did a 12 day cruise through Europe. We found that it was a great way to go to places we might not normally get to without having to worry about finding lodging in each city. I’m hoping to take our kids (currently 6 & 4) on a cruise , especially since the 6 year old has suddenly decided that she really wants to go to Greece. Who am I to argue with that?? Once we get past the madness of Disney World this November, traveling with them more is next on my list.
A cruise through Europe sounds amazing! And that is adorable about your 6-year old. Greece! That’s a lofty travel goal for a young kid!
I have actually been on five cruises I’ve been to Mexico several times and the Caribbean mostly on princess cruise line I am going to Alaska this next June and I’m nervous because I don’t want it to be rainy and gross and cold but I will say this the Caribbean cruises were amazing Mexico was fun because it was close to home but I love the Caribbean… it’s so beautiful and very festive around the pools definitely a much more fun festive cruise !!! I’d give it a go!!
Thanks for the feedback on your cruising experiences, Kristina! I bet you’ll LOVE Alaska. I’ve heard going in June is less rainy and foggy but a little more chilly overall.
So glad you and Brian got away together! Two comments: on cruises – we took our family (four kids, 8,8,6&6) on a European vacation this summer (family lives overseas) which included a 12 day Norwegian cruise. Wow. It was so much fun, and so convenient for us to not be packing/unpacking every single day. That was the best part, plus having food already taken care of on board. I have two children with allergies, so having a dietary director help us with food choices saved us a lot of headaches and nerves (as opposed to navigating every single meal in another language if we’d traveled over land). I think the kids loved having their room and their stuff stay put. All in all, worked great (and we loved having the kids’ club option). Second, on school: all four of mine are in K and 2nd now, and it’s wonderful!! However, I have a huge ‘project/to-do’ list that I have barely gotten to as well, since we’ve had family in town or have gone to visit family for three long weekends in a row. When I only have Tu/W/Th left to get everything accomplished, it’s not a lot. So I’m looking forward to things slowing down and giving myself the permission to sit down and read a few times a week in the peace and quiet of my house!! Woohoo, lots to celebrate in this new phase of life!
Lynn, thank you so much for your thoughts! The cruise you took with your family sounds incredible! As much as it was nice to get away with Brian, I do think if we did a cruise again, we’d try to make it a family affair. It could be really fun, I think, especially when I hear comments like yours! And you are right! So much to celebrate and be happy about with this phase. Good luck with your to-do list (I agree on getting capped on either end – Mon and Wed – with travel and company!).
Our next adventure is going to be renting an RV for a trip. We’ll see how it goes – we’re testing it out for a long weekend next month, in hopes of taking a longer trip up to Michigan (from Nashville) and some of the Great Lakes for maybe two weeks next summer. We can pack and prepare our own meals, and the kids can play games (while staying buckled) and have more space while we’re driving. While we don’t have any teens yet, and we have one less kid than you guys, it could be a fun option for your gang – it’s a 30′, with queen, double, twin bunks, and the dinette area making a bed. Now we just have to get comfortable driving a 30′ vehicle!!
I haven’t been on a cruise and I don’t really itch to like a lot of people do. I would rather just go straight to the places and skip the boat! I haven’t read the gentleman in Moscow one, but I am on a mission to read as much as I can for the rest of my life. “If you read one book a week, starting at the age of 5, and live to be 80, you will have read a grand total of 3, 900 books, a little over one-tenth of 1% of the books currently in print.” I still have two little ones home all day, so I won’t be like you for 3 or more years. I’ll just take notes from you until then because let’s be honest, I already do! I just got a new freezer, so the pack it bags we have sitting in our pantry just might be able to be used now! We are slow getting into the routine of school, I think summer just flew too fast for us. I love fall and we have so much to look forward to! Loved your post as always. Love the viking hat!
I think I feel the same, Shannon. Like I commented below to Nancy – kind of plan your own adventure type thing vs being at the mercy of the boat’s schedule? I don’t know. Or maybe I just want to stay home for the rest of forever, too. That’s a distinct possibility. 🙂 That’s a sobering statistic about books – I need to get reading more! Wow!
My first born started all day kindergarten this year (kinda wish there was an option for half day though!). I was nervous for him but he adjusted pretty well, and honestly it’s sometimes a relief to have him away from home. Just had a baby in May and also have a 2.5 year old so one extra kid out for most of the day helps my sanity quite a bit! I turned to your blog for school lunch advice and we got the thermos for hot foods, and went with the bento box lunchbox they sell at Costco for other days – so far so good. And I’ve used some of your lunch ideas and he’s liked them so far. Then I found out they offer free school lunch at his school! So now we look through the menu and decide which days he’ll get school lunch and which days he’ll bring a lunch since not all the food they serve is to his liking.
As for cruises, I’ve been on 2, both on Norwegian and both for work (poor me, ha). Actually, both times were with a group of high functioning adults with developmental disabilities, so it was definitely work, and it was very enjoyable and a fun experience (once I got over sea sickness – meclizine to the rescue!). But since it was for work and vacation for the clients, we didn’t do things that I would have chosen to do so I don’t know if I got the full experience of a cruise vacation. The first cruise was the Mexican Riviera – Acapulco, Zihuatenejo, Puerta Vallarta, and Cabo. The second cruise was Alaska – Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Prince George, BC. The buffet food was ok but when we dined at the free restaurants, they were better and it was fun to try different dishes. But as you said, not life changing or anything. I’d like to try another cruise one day, this time as a family or couple vacation and not for work, and see if the experience is much different.
Wow, Nancy! You are a busy momma! Having a baby and a toddler at home is BUSY!! Glad your kindergartener has adjusted pretty well! That would be super interesting to know if your thoughts about cruising would change if you were able to do it for pleasure and not for work (although that’s amazing you’ve been able to go on two for work!). I definitely felt like we would want to go back and visit parts of Alaska that we found the most interesting (definitely the scenic/outdoor areas) but maybe do it without a cruise and plan our own adventure type thing.
I recently finished listening to the audiobook of A Gentleman in Moscow myself and I loved it! I really enjoy audiobooks and use them all the time when I am home by myself doing house things like laundry and cleaning. It makes the chores less dull and allows me to do one of my favorite things (reading) at the same time as other less fun things. I’ve never been on a cruise, but if I ever go on one, I’d have high food expectations too. Seems like that is one of the things I hear about the most from others who have gone on cruises. 24-hour ice cream is pretty good! =) My school year is shaping up to be pretty busy right now, but I do value my at home time by myself to get all the things done that need doing without interruptions. When I have an extra project I want to do (like work on a quilt), I try to schedule it into my week during a time when I am home alone. Scheduling Wednesday morning as my sewing time last year made it easier to make sure I made progress on that project and kept all the extra things that come up at bay. There are always more things to do than I expect, and if I am not careful they will quickly eat up all the extra time that I think I will have. Scheduling my sewing time helped prevent that from happening. Hope you will share your progress on any fun projects you do.
Love the scheduling idea, Jenn! I need to be better at that for sure. I let those kinds of things get pushed around by other “stuff” that comes up. I want to be better at holding fast to a block of time I’ve outlined for a certain task. Thank you for the tip!
If you’re enjoying a A Gentleman in Moscow, you should read Amor Towles’ first novel, Rules of Civility. It’s really outstanding; I thought A Gentleman was good but it pales next to Rules of Civility. Something to look forward to!
Really?? Thank you for the recommendation! This author’s writing is like no other!
Haven’t done the cruise thing yet, but I have to say go back to Vancouver in early summer to see the views. We went in August last year and couldn’t see the mountains, due to smoke. We went back to some of the areas this year and they were so beautiful.
I thought the same thing, Cathy! We only had about an hour in Vancouver until our flight departed but it was SO beautiful! I kept telling Brian I wanted to go back some day.
Cruises: yep! We’ve done Alaska twice, once just the two of us, the last time with Mom in law and munchkin, 7. Also, the Bahamas; and Catalina Island. I enjoy them. I’ve never done Princess. We did Norwegian to Alaska the first time and ended up with amazing weather in April. Bahamas and Catalina was Carnival. Definitely a party atmosphere. And September Alaska was Holland America. I loved the America’s Test Kitchen demos on Holland, and learned things! No 24 hour food, but the food was pretty good the whole time, especially the dining room.
School: back to homeschool around here on Monday. We did light summer, and then a little vacation. I’m going to try your lunch list!
Hi Mel- most importantly- you ended your cruise in Vancouver and we didn’t get to hang out (?!?). Vancouver was probably thick with forest fire smoke also so you need to come back for a re-do! ❤️
I know! Believe it or not, I actually thought of you…until our 9 hour window til our flight departed got changed to 45 minutes. It was insane, but having never been to Vancouver, even our speedy bus ride through town to the airport had me exclaiming to Brian how beautiful it is (there wasn’t any smoke then actually!). I want to come back!
Here is some very “official” mommy math. The last 15% or so of summer break is the worst! If summer was 4 weeks long, the last bit would be the worst and if summer was 20 weeks long, the last 15% would be the worst! We had a comparatively short summer a few years ago due to moving and school calendar weirdness and the last 15% was a mess! I don’t know what it is with how we internally pace ourselves or anticipate a new season, but it’s always the last part where we all run out of steam!
Also, my girls are all in school all day and I don’t know where the time goes! I mean, yesterday a lot of it went to The Great British Baking Show but that’s not the norm! I should probably use the time to brace myself for when they and all of their emotions come home… 😉
Oh my gosh, Becky, that is so insightful and TRUE about the last percentage of summer. It happens every year and I beat myself up over wondering why I let everything go to pot, but now I’m going to blame it on statistics and just ride out the wave of disastrousness without stressing. And I laughed out loud at the GBB show comment. Haha! Definitely been guilty of that, too. 🙂
I’ve been a stay-at-home-mom slash work-part-time-from-home mom for the last eight years and I just sent my youngest off to (all-day) Kinder this fall…it surely is bittersweet! I can relate to that lost feeling and deciding to be ambitious but not quite getting much accomplished. I love, love, ❤️ your blog and your recipes, Mel!! Happy fall
Oh boy, Cami – sounds like you and I are almost in the same phase of life boat! Your comment made me feel not quite so alone. Thank you!
Aw, thank you!! You are a rock star for replying to so many of us and I feel honored to hear from you personally ;). Enjoy your weekend!
Good morning! We went on our first cruise this summer as well – Princess Cruises to the Western Caribbean. The ports were absolutely incredibly – Grand Cayman, Honduras, Belize and Cozumel – our children experiences and saw some amazing parts of the world we otherwise may never get to – ziplining in Honduras, cave tubing in Belize, Mayan ruins, snorkeling in the caymans, swimming with stingrays – just wow. The ship was beautiful and felt a bit overwhelming at first. Our kids loved the freedom of getting food, swimming, exploring whenever they wanted and the ship had some great activities for kids and the family. The food was fairly average, but the incredible wait staff we had each evening made up for it. Not sure if we’d cruise again – if we did likely somewhere in the Mediterranean. But definitely an adventure! Loved reading about Alaska – that was our first choice but we ended up changing our mind after research.
That trip with your family sounds amazing, Angie! What an experience! Thank you so much for the feedback!
I’m dying to know which brand of jeans you love.
Second!!!
And what was the great piano lesson advice you received? Hoping to start with my oldest soon.
Hey Missy and Heather – after lots of recommendations I went in search of a pair of Paige denim and found them SUPER discounted at Nordstrom Rack. They are my favorite pair ever. I also landed on a pair of Kut from the Kloth cropped denim (much more affordable than Paige) and wore them probably every other day in the summer at least.
For piano (Heather) the biggest piece of advice people/piano teachers gave was to not emphasize perfecting the song before passing it off AND finding music your kids love to play (not just sticking with the songs in the lesson books)
Mel! I missed you asking for book recs. I have not read the one you talk about but I do have a recommendation to you. It’s a book series, “The Dresden Files,” and they’re read by actor James Marsters. Because he is an actor, he modifies his voice depending on the character he is reading. It’s a fantasy series, think of Harry Potter growing up and becoming a PI in Chicago. That’s who Harry Dresden is and what he does – he fights the supernatural in Chicago as consultant with the Special Investigations department of Chicago PD. The first book is “Storm Front.” It’s a slow build and as of book 4, Summer Knight, it picks up pace (kind of when you’re watching the TV show Supernatural and the first season doesn’t really pick up until the boys hook back up with their Dad.) It’s a very good series, trust me. Give it a go. Sample chapter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr3jcWG12Ow
Thanks for the recommendation, Maria! Excited to check it out (I vaguely remember hearing about this series but I’ve never read/listened to it)
FYI, there is mature content at the end of the first one and then in Death Mask I had to white out a scene before giving it to my family :). I love the series, just wanted to make you aware. Its unfortunate I forgot the first one has that content because my brother didn’t want to read any more after that one!
It all passes, that’s why I like to savor (sp) the moments. Thx for helping me create great moments w my fam & friends thru the years, Mel. U r truly the best. I feel reflective, b/c my kids r grown, there’s no back to sch at this moment in time like when my children were young. With my DH out of work, my new career as a social worker in the field of elder services has persisted through the summer & into the fall without much change. Some wardrobe adjustments, wearing darker colors & looking forward to fab fall dishes to make is about the extent of changes around this homestead. I’m savoring the peace. I wanted to share also that I’ve only been on one cruise–it was to the Bahamas a couple of winters ago w more than 30 gals that I went to high sch w-it was a pretty awesome experience to be w classmates in a whole new way after more than 30 years; A wonderfully positive experience to reconnect w women of faith. It was just a weekend cruise out of Miami, & the food was ok. I know what u mean-there were monstrous amts of it! We opted for dining room suppers, which elevated the experience in many ways. For ex., we got to know the wait staff a little bit, some of whom were international, & that made the whole thing more personal…happy Fall, Mel. I’m sure I’ll be savory the moments (& the food) all the way to Thanksgiving & beyond. Thx for your virtual friendship, the recipes & all the tidbits in between~
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Lauren! Your high school friends trip sounds amazing! I do agree with you that the staff we got to know (in the dining room and in our room area) made the trip wonderful; we loved getting to know about their families and where they are from. Good luck with the beginning of your fall season…I bet it’s natural to be reflective when kids are grown and the degree of change with the school year is minimal. Thanks, friend. 🙂
The Viking hat is adorable. When I look at your family all I can think about is your grocery bill. My three boys eant to eat all.the.time. My husband and I took a cruise that he won and I swore I would never take another. However, when I see pics of Alaska cruises, I want to do that. I didn’t enjoy eating the same food options daily and just feeling trapped on the boat.
Thankfully school is going well. We homeschool and this year’s science curriculum is fun with robotics. It also seems that writing is finally having a light bulb moment in their brains. As long as we stay on schedule, our days are really good.
I love hearing from homeschooling moms, Sheila! Robotics sounds so fun, and I hear you about the schedule. It keeps everything rolling smoothly. My grocery bill is kind of crazy, I’ll admit, but I figure it’s just a phase and I certainly don’t help it by blogging (that increases the budget substantially). Always love reading your comments!