Boy, things have changed! We are currently in a worldwide pandemic and trying to do our part by staying home. But it’s not all bad around here! We have some big news to share… After facing trials and losses last year in trying to conceive, we are so happy to announce that we’re pregnant again! Baby Coons #2 is due in mid-September!! (YAY!) It’s a strange and unsettling time to be expecting but we are putting some major faith to work and trusting in God’s plan for the three of us, our new baby, and the world as we know it now.
Since we’ve been home so often (i.e. 24 hours, 7 days a week), we’ve had a lot of time to reflect on some “home things” we love and that make our lives easier.
Janet (A.K.A. iRobot Roomba)
We affectionately named our Roomba after The Good Place‘s walking repository of knowledge, Janet. If you have a Roomba and you haven’t named it, you’re really missing out on some amazing benefits, but more on that in a second…
Janet might be my best friend. Between a shedding dog and a toddler who actively produces crumbs even when he’s not eating, having a robot vacuum has made our lives a thousand times easier. We have one of the more basic models from Costco (the e6 series– which is frequently on sale) so it doesn’t have a bajillion features, but boy does she get the job done!
But possibly my favorite thing about Janet is that she can connect to our Google Home app and can therefore operate under voice command. All we have to say is “Hey Google, Run Janet” and off she goes.
Google Home Mini
Speaking of Google Home Mini, our speakers definitely belong on our favorites list. We never bought one intentionally- one came with our Google Nest Thermostat and the other came with my Google Pixel phone. So I guess you could say it was kind of a happy accident. We keep one in the kitchen and one in our bedroom. I love being able to play music or stream a podcast, set timers, or ask Google what the life span of a giraffe is to settle a heated debate.
OXO Tot Grape Cutter
Tyler rolled his eyes at this kitchen gadget until he tried it. I’m a total scaredy cat when it comes to choke-able things and would have spent a year of my life quartering grapes with a tiny knife. Thanks to the great kitchen gadget inventors of the world, we can now dice grapes like it’s nobody’s business. Because truly, quartering grapes shouldn’t be a full-time job. This gadget may be a little bit of a pain to wash, but trust us when we say it’s worth it.
Norwex Microfiber Cloths
I don’t sell Norwex, but I do love the products! They are awesome for cleaning all of your kitchen surfaces with just water, but I also use them all over the house. Dusting, sweeping, mopping, polishing… I even have their wool dryer balls that I use instead of dryer sheets. I love that I don’t have to use as many random cleaners and paper towels. It’s a lot less waste and a huge money saver!
IKEA Trash and Recycling Bins
And finally, two of our more recent additions, are these bins from IKEA. We used to have an old green bin out in the garage for recycling, but it was getting pretty gross and we decided it was time for an upgrade. We bought this pair of FILUR bins and I cut out some labels from black vinyl. I love that they have lids because it makes it look like we’ve really got it all together… Well, until we start stacking stuff on top of the lids- ha!
We are enjoying spending more time together at home but are so ready for life to return to some sort of normal! There’s been too much time to plan projects and it’s getting dangerous. You guys, we have a brand new french door, four windows, and a whole lumber yard sitting in our garage right now. It’s getting out of hand. Stay tuned for a post about our new sump pump (thrilling, on the edge of your seat kind of stuff right here!), our recreation of a mini-shed trending on Pinterest, and apparently a basement door and window installation! As always, thanks for reading!