Three Things

Lucy Belle

1. Lucy discovered Kids YouTube on her iPad, and I think she’s slightly obsessed with it. She watches drawing videos, videos of kids singing on “America’s Got Talent,” and she’s currently watching three kids make a giant fort in their living room to play The Floor is Lava. I’m telling you, she is 100% her father’s daughter. She’ll be moving on to car, food, and golf videos before we know it!
2. All within the past two weeks, Lucy has started making her bed on her own, brushing her own teeth, and getting all of her snow gear on by herself. WHERE IS MY BABY???
3. Lucy loves science and was very excited about the crystal growing kit we got her for Christmas. We started the experiment last weekend, and we get to remove the crystals on Saturday. We can already see them growing in their cups, and Lucy is so excited!

Emily Rose

1. Emily LOVES doing crafts, just like her mama! Painting, coloring, gluing, cutting, glitter . . . you name it! She’ll sit at the kitchen counter for hours and make creations. She got this foam sticker kit for Christmas from her Aunt Sarah, and it’s been a big hit.
2. Emily’s imagination has been working overtime lately. With Lucy back in school, Ems is back to demanding much of my time throughout the day. Not five minutes go by where she doesn’t say to me, “Pretend you’re a . . .” and some of her scenarios are SO specific and strange. For example, as she was getting off her stool at the counter the other day she said, “Pretend I’m an elf and I can’t blink and you wake up and see me on this stool.” That’s our Emmy, all day long!
3. Emily has developed quite the knack for games. She can now play Sequence for Kids, Guess Who, and UNO all on her own. It’s so fun to have her playing as an opponent rather than a teammate. Game nights are getting more and more exciting at the Kissel house!

The Rest of Us

1. Matty and I have embarked on a major challenge for the month of January: we’re eliminating sugar and gluten from our diets. I went the extra mile and am eliminating dairy as well. No, this isn’t something we’re going to do forever, we just felt ready for both a change and a challenge. Is it hard? You betcha! Do I regret it? Emotionally, yes! haha Physically, no. We’re only one week in, and it’s been very eye opening for me as to just how often I turned to sweets to soothe my feelings. It’s nice to go to bed feeling good about what I ate instead of disappointed in myself. It’s good for us to do hard things, and we’ll be so proud of ourselves at the end of the month.
2. Penelope continues to be the greatest dog ever, but she recently discovered the trash cans in the bathrooms. We’re trying to squash that habit right away so it doesn’t remain an issue. She has also developed the habit of jumping onto our bed at night rather than going in her crate when we go upstairs to bed. We laugh every night, say “nice try, Penny,” and then move her right into her crate. It’s a cute little game, but we’re no dummies. We are not giving in to her demands; that little lady is not sleeping in our bed at night!
3. Last year I resolved to be Zen Molly for 2020 and not let things bother me so much. You can ask Matty his opinion on how well that worked out for me. This year, I’m going to work on not feeling so guilty. For example, if I want to sit down and read my book during Emmy’s rest time instead of folding laundry then I’m going to do it without feeling guilty. If the girls get extra iPad time on some days so that I can finish up dinner, then I’m going to not feel guilty. If my body is telling me to go to bed at 8:30 one night, then I’m going to try not to feel guilty about abandoning Matty. If I accidentally spend $200 at Athleta, I’m gonna let that guilt go! #joking

We have zero plans for the weekend. Doesn’t it seem like a good time to paint the ceiling in the girls’ bathroom? Yes, I think it does!

Have a great weekend!

XOXO