Emily Henderson's Blog, page 220

April 8, 2020

Our Absolute Favorite DIY Bloggers That We Are ALWAYS Inspired By

Hey all you cool cats and kittens, Mallory here, reporting live from the blog. I’ve hopped out of my daily world of Instagram to write this little love letter to our favorite and incredibly hardworking DIY & craft bloggers. First off, if you’ve ever attempted a DIY project, you know it’s 1 million times harder than it looks. Making a mistake is almost a given, but these professionals are leading the charge, guinea-pigging their way through seemingly impossible tasks to bring us step-by-step instructions so we can all fail less. It’s very kind, incredibly impressive, and at a time like this, these projects can be crucial to the wellbeing of your kids, your home, and you.

So since you and your house are probably spending much more quality time together than before, naturally you may want to attempt some DIYs…if you read that and said (yup, that’s me), then let me introduce you to the best bloggers with the coolest projects that you can start recreating today. Let’s begin.

Mandi Gubler – @vintagerevivals

When I asked Emily which DIY bloggers were on her “MUST INCLUDE” list, she said Vintage Revivals was her top. Between the cane wall panels, and her wall paint DIYs (because who needs wallpaper when you know how to handle a paintbrush), there’s seldom a blank wall in her house. If you’re longing to see more of her rad DIY projects, check them out on her blog, or follow her on the ‘gram. You’ll quickly understand why the EHD team is obsessed with her.

Oh Joy! – @ohjoy

Oh Joy! has been a good friend of Emily’s since nearly the beginning. Don’t believe me? I don’t know why you wouldn’t, but the proof is here and here, when we also helped her decorate her studio and nursery. She’s an AWESOME blogger and person that’s zero percent afraid of color and loves to live life. Here are some of her recent DIYs that we live for (and you will, too): gem sidewalk chalk, smushed paint art, and this yarn stitched sweater. Still need more? Her blog is filled with the coolest crafts and projects, and trust me, you won’t be bored.

Brittany Jepsen – @houselarsbuilt

This is the BEST place to look for Easter crafts right now (like this DIY egg wreath), but just, in general, we at EHD are collectively obsessed with her blog and Instagram. The House That Lars Built is basically a synonym for “DIY professional.” Between her printable shop and awesome DIY blog posts (like this bead chandelier, Celtic knot pillow, and her many versions of paper plants), browsing the site and then actually doing these DIYs will give you hours of pure joy and entertainment.

Kelly Mindel – @studiodiy

If you are in need of a visual energy boost head on over to Studio DIY. Kelly has created the most colorful, joyful site likely on the planet. If you are ever in need of a costume she is your gal! But she also has other great home DIYs like this chandelier and this kid’s storage basket. She makes everything she touches more joyful (I mean these easter eggs are likely the cutest things in the world.)

A Beautiful Mess – @abeautifulmess

Sisters, Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman are the brilliant minds behind A Beautiful Mess. With the help of their awesome contributors, this site is packed with a ton of kid-friendly DIYs like this one, and beautiful adult-friendly ones like this wall hanging and this vase. It’s a very happy and helpful escape. Plus Elsie and her husband just bought a new house and it has been very exciting to see what they are dreaming up. You can follow along on her personal Instagram account!

Sarah Gibson – @roomfortuesday

Besides having a great name, Room for Tuesday is a very good resource (which we have featured before) if you’re wanting to attempt some solid DIY projects during your time at home. I have MANY favorites, but her ball p illow DIY, genius spice rack organizing hack, and easy succulent planter swap are among some of my top contenders. If she hasn’t impressed you yet, she also did the #BUILDTHANKS sign challenge using tile (yes, tile) which turned out REALLY CUTE.

P.S. I Made This – @psimadethis

P.S. I Made This has probably the best “crafty” food you’ll see on this list. For example, her tie-dyed eggs, bunny foo foo snowball cake, and bunny bark are some of the best tasting Easter crafts you’ll see on the interwebs. Oh also, I have a secret love for Peeps and right now is pretty much the only time where it’s acceptable to eat them. If you share in this Peep love, then check out her rainbow peeps s’more casserole. Yeah, you heard that right IT’S PEEP SEASON PEOPLE. If you want to check out more of her crafts (beyond the food goodies), head to her blog or instagram.

Brittni Mehlhoff – @paperandstitch

Brittni has the craft of crafting down to a science. She’s nailed kid crafts, adult crafts, and home crafts, all while maintaining a cool brand which only makes her that much better. Also one time she made a rug from scratch. Enough said. Plus Emily and some of the design team members met Brittini in Atlanta for the Invitation Home, Make it Home Show House. Not only did they love her in general but were so impressed with her work up close and personal.

Jessica Reed Kraus – @houseinhabit

If you’re looking to get even more crafty with your kiddos, Julie recommends following @houseinhabit and checking out her story highlight called “craft inspo.” It’s exactly what it sounds like, awesome crafts that will inspire you to do with your kids. She also has a very well curated amazon shop with cute craft supplies you can buy. Moms & dads that are stuck inside with young children, this ones for you

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Published on April 08, 2020 11:55

Ask The Audience: Help Ryann Choose Her Living Room Rug Because She Really Can’t

Hi Friends! Ryann here ready to talk shop about living room rugs (well, mine at least). You might remember me and my apartment from this post where I explained my closet storage agony and consequently felt super vulnerable in showing strangers my very unfinished bedroom. But I’ve made some changes since then, namely, the sofa of my dreams has entered my life. And it is perfect. It is so perfect in fact that I have agonized over picking the right rug to accompany it. But then I remembered Sara did this post where you all really helped in helping her choose the rug for her living room and I was like, Oh WAIT I can commission our readers to help me make this decision?? YES Please.

But since this is such a big decision, let me get you more up to speed. Up until now, I’ve avoided the whole MOTO (“Makeover Takeover”) introduction thing because diagnosing my style is not for the faint of heart. I think once I managed to get it narrowed down to “Contemporary-Rustic-Mid-Century-Seventies with a hint of Boho” but after seeing my inspiration photos you’ll notice Victorian has definitely sneaked its way in too. Apparently there’s room for everybody on my pinboard. Another thing you should know is I live with another human (my boyfriend Rocky) and our dog Gus. And they have a say in rugs, too! I am not a monster. Rocky and I have similar tastes so we often agree or he nods nonchalantly as I show him my pinboard. Gus on the other hand ALWAYS agrees with me, but his white fur doesn’t agree with colored rugs.

Okay back to me. I can’t be tamed style-wise but I know what I like and as I true empath, I base my design leanings on my feelings. When I look at a photo and it stops me for whatever reason – to the pinboard it goes. It’s all about how it ~feels~ to me and less about what it would technically be categorized as style-wise. Here are my most recent inspiration photos to give ya a taste:

So now that you know about me and my style chaos, are you ready to dive deep into the helping me decide on the perfect rug?? I’ve been in the online-rug-shopping game for a few years now so I am both completely terrified of making the wrong choice and SO sick of being at a standstill. I’ve never bought a rug in my whole life so this feels like a great milestone to share with thousands of strangers. Let’s get to it.

As it so happens, if we kept our current cowhide rug (pictured above) we would be far from downtrodden. In fact, we are extremely grateful we even own this cowhide since it was a REALLY NICE gift from Rocky’s former coworker. She had this beauty on hand that she had no use for and graciously gifted it to us as if it were an act of God because we were desperately in need of some semblance of style in our 1 bedroom fully carpeted apartment back in 2017.

Now three years later, I am currently growing weary of the cowhide look (though we can certainly make it work with some new pieces). To be super clear, I would not consider replacing it if we didn’t have someone else to gift it to. You see, my mom has been in a design rut since 2005 and I would love to give her something special that could bring some character to my parent’s otherwise dated (I AM SORRY MOM) family room. And even though I keep redirecting her to the blog that I WORK FOR, she has a tough time navigating not buying sale home decor items at Big Lots to redecorate. So she really deserves this beauty as a jumping-off point – and then, of course, I’ll be redesigning my parent’s entire home but that’s why you have kids, right???

Back to my house. Rocky and I have been contemplating rugs for far too long so I’m not kidding when I say I need your help. What I am asking of you is simple: tell me what my rug destiny is. I am relinquishing all my power to you.

As you may have guessed, I narrowed down my rug options based on my feelings. I don’t have the words to describe my style necessarily, but I do know exactly how I want to feel when I look at my living room and that’s my design strategy and I am stickin’ to it. The rugs styles are different which effects how I would style around them, so if all else fails let me know what style option you like best. Here goes:

OPTION 1

This is my concept for keeping our cowhide. I would add a faux sheepskin to layer and bring in some added coziness and honestly I really love the way I feel when I look at this design. I want to live here! The girl who lives here would definitely have a book deal and several friends that own yachts. Simply put, she would her sh*t together.

I also love this design because A) It’ll save me money B) We already know that it holds up well to our dog’s shedding, and C) It’s neutral enough that I can get creative with my styling. I can put up some colorful art or do something weird with my bookshelf styling. It makes me feel like there are endless possibilities for styling and restyling. A dream! Or maybe a nightmare..? You tell me.

OPTION 2

This is Rocky’s least favorite rug option. He prefers a sculptural rug (like the cowhide) or an asymmetrical design (which you’ll see below). While I see where he is coming from, I like the decor options I envision with this rug plus it feels so welcoming. I’d probably take a nap on it. I’d probably invite friends over and host a movie night and we could all snuggle up on it together (when life is normal again, of course). I don’t know guys, that’s just how I feel.

I also considered this rug from Anthropolgie that has a similar look but I am really trying to buy vintage if I am going to buy a rug at all. Oh, and here’s another thing! My living room is narrow so the standard 9′ x 12′ rug doesn’t work. We need something between 5.5′ x 7.5′ and 6’x 9′ which is why this and this rug that I loved did not make the cut.

So here’s why I like this option. It’s the right color so that my dog’s hair shedding won’t be an issue (dog owners know this is a REAL deal-breaker – read this post and the comments section if you don’t believe me). I also just really like the pattern. It’s not too much but it’s not boring either. It is vintage which I appreciate, but if it does sell out theit is from has tons of options that are similar so I feel pretty good about my chances of getting one that would feel similar. It’s also the smallest size of all my rug options but there are always ways to work around that. I can layer it or have it “float” depending on the coffee table I chose. I am not just winging it, I promise!

But now for my personal favorite. Or shall I say, the “Chaotic Good” option of them all:

OPTION 3

Whew. This rug is the interior design equivalent of going to a party wearing snakeskin boots and a plaid skirt. It’s called power clashing and it either looks really f-ing cool and effortless or completely clownish. There’s a fine line and that’s how I feel about this rug. The thing is, Rocky and I both love it so much (please click the link to see how amazing it is (my sub-par photoshop skills do not do it justice). To be honest, I almost thought about not linking to it but if you buy it before us, I won’t hate you but please send me a pic of it in your home and subsequently link to another rug that is just as unique and perfect as this one is. We both feel like it is more like a piece of art than a rug and if it was the first thing I saw when I walked in my home everyday I would be so satisfied.

“Virtual decorating” around it has been tricky though and I am terrified of my living room showing up to the party looking like a clown – okay that metaphor kind of fell through but you get it. I’d have to be really careful with everything else I put in the space so that’s EXTREMELY terrifying. Even now as I look at the design I put together I don’t love it. But I can’t stop loving you, rug. The question is, am I cool enough to pull it off? Or will I resent you forever for making me chose it? Am I using you as an obvious scapegoat?? Yes yes, I am.

So that’s where I am at and I change my mind daily. Decorating is fun! But also painful if you are indecisive. So will you just be a doll decide for me?? Tell me what I should do! Fix my life!! Pretty please? Is it option one, two, or three??

Opening Photo: via SF Girl Bay

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Published on April 08, 2020 01:00

April 7, 2020

All The Tips You Need To Keep Your Produce Fresher, WAY Longer (Let’s Just Say We All Learned A LOT)

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: about those integrated appliances in the mountain house kitchen

Time and time again I have felt the twinge of disappointment when reaching for the open bag of lettuce, that I swear I bought only two days ago, to find it in a gooey state. TMI? Sorry. This past year I decided enough is enough and made it my goal to research how to store produce the right way. Thanks to our good friend the internet, I now know some really great tips and tricks to keep produce alive and well ’til it goes down my mouth hole. Now, most of you probably know your stuff and could teach me a thing or two and I am ready/willing to learn from all of our knowledgable readers on how to keep fruits and veggies fresh (especially nowadays when we are all cooking more than ever). But first, let me share all the ins and outs of the produce hacks that I’ve come across…

General Do’s & Don’ts

DO: Consider finding out what produce is in season before your next trip to the grocery store c. Then create your next week or two worth of recipes around those items. Not only will you typically use the majority of what you buy by already knowing what you are going to make for your meals but in general produce that is in season will stay fresh longer. DON’T: Wash your produce until ready to use and when you do, make sure to dry it thoroughly.DO: Wait to chop any veggies until you are prepping your meal.DO: Use produce bags, especially the ones that are more breathable, for storing your fruits and vegetables. They are able to absorb the moisture and air which will slow down your produce from breaking down quickly like they would in a sealed bag.DON’T: Store all your produce in the same place. Some produce such as tomatoes, bananas, apples, avocados, kiwis, and honeydew are ethylene-producing which can make other fruits and veggies that are sensitive to ethylene ripen quicker like broccoli, carrots, lettuce and potatoes. DO: Consider what temperate produce needs to be stored at. For cold-season produce, 32-35 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal and for warm-season it’s more in the 45-55 degree range. If you don’t have temp control bins then average it out for about 40 degrees or below. DO: Put any produce that is pre-cut / packaged in the fridge.DO: Add A little bit of lemon juice on your cut up apples, avocados (guac, anyone?) to help to stall them from turning brown. DO: Use glass container to keep your produce lasting longer (it stays fresher because glass is non-porous). Another benefit is that your food won’t stain the containers versus a plastic one. Or try out these silicone bags that Emily just purchased that helps save on important fridge space.

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: all the what’s, why’s & how much’s of the portland kitchen (+ big reveal)

Vegetables:

Leafy Greens:

Hearty Greens like kale, collard greens and chard will typically last longer than their iceberg counterparts.If you can, wait to wash your greens until you use them. But if it’s out of habit then make sure to pat them dry with a paper towel or dishcloth and store in an open container in the fridge like a large wide mouth mason jar. Best way to store those hearty leafy greens is to cut an inch or two off the ends and put them in a vessel with a little water at the bottom to keep them hydrated for about up to two weeks. Here are some other veggies to try out this trick: broccoli, celery, & bok choy.You can also store them in your crisper drawer sealed in a silicone bag with little air or the bottom lined with a paper towel. This can help to keep them fresh for up to a week or two.Put a paper towel in an open bag of lettuce, this one was a major game changer for me! The towel will wick away any moisture to keep it crisp.

Cabbage Family:

Cabbage thrives in a very cold and moist environment so your crisper drawer is a great place for it to be stored to help trap in the humidity. Keeping it in the plastic produce bag untied can help to keep it fresh for a couple of months. Now, I have never made it past a couple of weeks since I either end up just using the cabbage in meals or make sauerkraut with my leftovers. If you haven’t tried making sauerkraut yourself then I highly suggest giving it a go. If you need a step by step with some helpful tips check out this article. Broccoli is a veggie that typically won’t last long so be sure to put it high on your meal prep list. To extend it’s shelf life try misting your broccoli heads and loosely wrap them in damp paper towels to store. It’s important to not store them in a sealed bag as they need air circulation to keep fresh.Cauliflower heads will last about 2 weeks in your crisper drawer, be sure to just wrap it loosely in the plastic bag and not tied shut. Brussel Sprouts that are still on the stalk will keep longer than the individuals. Simply keep your whole brussel sprouts in a sealed bag in your crisper for about a week shelf life.

Root Veggies:

Wrap your celery in aluminum foil.Fully submerge your root veggies like carrots or radishes in water. A glass container with a lid, like this one, will work best plus it’s easy to check on them to make sure they are still fresh.Some roots such as ginger and turmeric actually do better in the freezer territory than fridge or counter country.Regrow your green onions by taking the leftover ends (at least 2-3″) and put them in a cup of water to leave in the sunshine for about a week. Once they start to regrow then if you can, replant them. I have heard that they don’t hold as much nutrients once regrown. Does anyone have info on this?Store your asparagus in a tall vessel so they won’t topple over. Start by trimming off about an inch from the bottoms and place them in a inch or two of water. You can also take your plastic produce bag to put over the top to “seal” it.

Potatoes, Onions & Garlic:

Potatoes are best to be store in a dark ventilated container such as a paper bag, cardboard box or lidded wicker basket. Refrigerating your potatoes will turn the starch into sugar and ain’t nobody got time for that. Are we still making that reference? I did also read about a trick to make them last for up to six months by using a pair of old pantyhose…Please share in the comments if anyone has any experience with this method. I am very interested to hear all about it.Onions have a similar desire to that of the potato. They too like a dark ventilated environment but be sure not to store them together since they both can produce moisture which one will end up spoiling the other too quickly.Garlic is tagging along on this as well. That is why having a garlic keeper on your countertop is the ideal solution or throw them together in a woven basket in a cabinet with your onions and shallots but again far away from those potatoes.

A Quick Ask The Audience…

I have a cucumber conundrum that I am hoping that one of you might be able to solve. To fridge or not to fridge, there are so many conflicting ideas on where the best place to store them is and I’d love some guidance from a pro aka you.

photo by tessa neustadt | from: emily’s kitchen and dining room reveal

Fruits:

Is it a Fruit or a Veggie?

Beginning with one that blew my mind. While in the culinary world it is considered a veggie, eggplant is actually classified as a fruit. Better yet, it’s considered a berry because of its small edible seeds. Let’s all take that in for a moment. Now how should we store this big berry? Try keeping it out of the fridge for a change at room temperature in a dry spot away from direct sunlight and other fruits. If you’re only using half of your avocado then leave the side with the pit still attached to keep it fresh till the next day. To ripen them for your next meal, store in a brown paper bag or wrap in newspaper for a day or two.Keep those tomatoes in a bowl on your countertop out of direct sunlight, never in the fridge or in a plastic container until they are cut. Also, if they are stored stem side down then they will have better circulation to stay fresh longer. (Thank you for this tip on yesterday’s post from our reader and pro chef, Molly)Bell peppers will stay crisp for a few weeks when placed in a paper or produce bag and stored in the fridge.

Ethylene Producing Fruits:

Apples and Bananas are two of those fruits that will give off ethylene ripening your other fruits and veggies, so “You gotta keep ’em separated”

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Published on April 07, 2020 11:00

The UPDATED Ultimate Budget Living Room Furniture Roundup

Emily Henderson Target Fall Product 2018 Threshold Traditional Cozy1

photo by sara ligorria-tramp| from: how target’s fall threshold collection nails the “updated classic” trend

Welcome to the 2020 update of one of our most popular posts last year. (Almost one year later to the day). It’s understandable since finding a great piece of furniture at a GOOD price feels like a true personal victory. Now we know it seems like a pretty crazy time to promote buying new furniture but we have been getting a surprising amount of requests for just that. So while we were all a bit shocked at first, these requests actually make total make sense. We are currently spending so much time at home and want/need it to feel good and safe which sometimes means a new coffee table. So without further ado here are 87 NEW budget-friendly pieces that might just give you the visual boost you need if you are in fact, in need. Now we decided to keep Arlyn’s wonderful words and personal story from the original post (with a few updates) because they are simply a delight to read. So if it’s been a while since you’ve taken a peek, I promise it’s a treat:) Disclaimer: Whether it’s your first house or your fifth, almost everyone needs affordable furniture. Saving money will NEVER go out of style. Arlyn, take it away…

I very clearly remember buying furniture for and decorating my first apartment (it did NOT look like the above for anyone wondering). I was in my mid-20s, only had bedroom furniture in my possession (mostly espresso-stained pieces from IKEA’s Hemnes line with the exception of the upholstered headboard I DIYed), and found myself in need of things like a sofa and coffee table after accepting a job three hours south of my home town (and parents’ house where I lived after college like every proper millennial). It was my first real foray into “design” and man was it exciting. You know, except for the part that I had very little money to do any of it. As any super responsible twenty-something would do (i.e. this was a terrible idea and I’m still paying off debt today from it so I do not recommend this route EVER just in the name decorating), I opened lines of credit (don’t do this) to buy furniture so I wasn’t sitting on the floor for six months. (Keep reading if you’re interested in the tale of “Arlyn Proudly Buys a Macy’s Sofa and Also Lots of Random Things From HomeGoods and the Internet”…if not, feel free to skip my nostalgia trip and head straight to the roundups.)

Being a total furniture newb, I scoured the web, not really knowing what anything should/would cost, what stores to go to besides Rooms To Go or Ashley or IKEA. This was my first real adult apartment (I’m not counting my college dorm apartments with the clinical waiting-room furniture they provided), so obviously it had to be a chic work of art that precisely expressed my 26-year-old tastes and the fact that I was now, ahem, a design magazine editor. And you know what I wish I had back then, all those years ago? AN ULTIMATE BUDGET APARTMENT FURNITURE GUIDE. Like THIS ONE! If you can’t help your past self, help the present and future people that are living your same experiences, right? Or maybe you can just save on some really great looking furniture pieces, no age limit.

photo by tessa neustadt | from: a neutral mid-century living room vignette

There are so many more options today, specifically online, for furniture that isn’t just a generic honey oak veneered box or the same espresso-stained birchwood media cabinet over and over again. That is what I affectionately refer to as furniture déjà vu—when you hit a point in the search process where you recognize every silhouette, it just goes by a different name and price at a different online store. Anyhow, none of this is to say I don’t fondly remember my gray velvet Macy’s Chloe sofa I bought during a One-Day Sale for $600 (plus the “care” package for an additional $150 that I absolutely never used) or my too-small-but-who-cares black-and-white chevron rug or the “weathered” wood coffee table I afforded with a rebate for signing up for AT&T U-Verse. I was proud of what I had put together, which subsequently made me want to have people over (except I had no friends because I was living in a new city). I felt like an “adult” with my matching throw pillows and my DIYed wall art (a constant reminder I clearly needed of my initials plastered in numerous parts of my apartment).

My very practical brother kept telling me not to waste my money because it was “just a rental” but I knew better. Sorry, bro. I knew that I would want to go home to a place that felt special to me. That had “my touch.” Sure, eventually I’d upgrade from most of that stuff once I merged homes with my S.O., but I carried it with me through three apartments and I don’t regret the money or time I put into my “just rentals.” Plus, they all were sold off or donated to new homes. I’d like to think that that old Macy’s sofa is somewhere still…probably in another 20-something’s apartment, definitely not splattered with red wine stains and French fry grease.

And now I’ve reached the part of this post where I realized no one besides my mom would care about my furniture ghosts of apartments past, and I’m about to get to why you’re probably here in the first place (that, or you created your own blog post reading adventure and skipped ahead to about here). Welcome. We worked really hard to dig up budget-friendly living room furniture that we love right now and tried to touch on the main pieces you’d need. This roundup doesn’t include any soft goods (pillows, rugs, curtains), since those are pretty easy to find in your own personal style, but rather sofas, coffee tables, armchairs, media consoles, and accent tables, at price points by category we thought were fair but manageable.

Sofas Under $800

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: target’s new threshold collection is hitting the “elevated prairie” trend hard and good

Here’s something funny we learned while going through this exercise: inexpensive sofas are not that difficult to find (a handful here are even under $500). Now, we can’t vouch for quality/comfort here, so be sure to dig through reviews as best you can…and double check measurements. A lot of these are on the smaller “apartment-sized” side, though there are a few larger ones. I’m pretty smitten with the shape of #15, the color of #16, the legs of #10. Oh, but boy am I a sucker for a sectional one like #13.

Coffee Tables Under $300

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: the 7 things you need to know before you try to hang that gallery wall

While “budget” sofas in good styles are easy enough to come by, coffee tables are a totally different story. Man are these hard to source under $300. We did, however, excavate four that are $150 and under (check those sizes, though, some are on the smaller side) and a few others that didn’t feel like your usual coffee table fare. I’m very into the natural look of #7, #5 has some storage, #2 is minimally cool, #4 is a great pop of color (cute hardware, too!), #18 looks far more expensive than it actually is.

Media Consoles Under $300(ish)

photo by zeke ruelas | from: combining furniture styles in the casa soria family room

Alright, so a couple of these are just over $300. If you’re after a more modern look go for something like #3 or #9. #1 (which is the same line as Emily’s dining room cabinet), #6 is more on the traditional side, while #4, #7, #8, and #13 would be cool style additions. For many years, I had the larger size of the IKEA Besta (#2) and I LOVED it. I could customize the interior storage however I wanted (shelves, drawers, etc.), brands like Semihandmade sell great retro-fit door options to up the design factor and you can throw on some cute legs from Etsy or Prettypegs and boom, you’ve got yourself a custom cabinet/media console. (See my dining room unit for an example).

Side Tables Under $125

photo by tessa neustadt for ehd | from: a little room refresh with the citizenry

Side tables…because we all need a place to set a drink and some random stack of books/decor pieces. This is their official slogan, FYI. So, the good news is, side tables can be VERY cost-effective (four of these are under $80 and all but two under $100), which is a good thing because typically, you need two of them for each side (not matching per se) of the sofa or next to a sofa/armchair.

I’m very into the double-tier situation at #9, #12 and #14, as well as the little sling accent from #8, though the bean shape of #1 is a fun visual addition to a room usually full of straight-lined furniture. #15 in the matte black feels cool and modern, but I love the modern traditional look of #2. I think #6 has this modern ’70s look that I love and the glam of #7 and #16 would make any room sparkle. Hot Tip: Be sure to look for both “side table” and “nightstand” to see ALL your options when searching on your own.

Armchairs Under $250

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: reveal: arlyn’s bright & happy rental living room makeover

I lived many, many years without an armchair (again, no friends, so I just needed my sofa to sit on), until I found an $80 bergère chair at a local thrift store that had a very ugly beige taffeta-like fabric on it I swore up and down I was going to change soon. That was 8 years ago. It’s still untouched, but…one day guys…one day. Anyhow, these are kind of the “icing” on the cake in terms of living room furniture, but they can be so great as, you know, something useful to sit on for guests, or as something that provides visual interest (hello #2, #8 and #11 below!).

Oh, and don’t miss the other posts in this budget series (here and here). Thank you for letting me relive my apartment memories…

It’s us again! Hope you found what you were looking for at a price that can make you and your wallet happy. A small change, whether it’s a piece of furniture or a handmade piece of decor, can make a world of difference to our homes (and our mental state). Even if it’s switching your bedroom nightstand with your living room side table for free. Thank you again for sending a part of your day with us and see you in a couple of hours for our afternoon snack:)

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Published on April 07, 2020 01:00

April 6, 2020

Solving Our Own Kitchen and Cooking Clutter (Plus Real-Life Solutions)

photo by sara liggoria-tramp | from: 8 steps to building a smart, organized pantry & mudroom

One week ago Caitlin wrote a post about litter boxes. Why?? Well since she’s now spending every waking moment at home, her beloved cat’s “restroom” was visually driving her nuts. She hated it and asked for help and got it! This made me wonder what else is driving everyone nuts since making the shift to being inside 90% of the day?

So I took a poll (the EHD team and friends) and for the most part, the kitchen was the biggest pain point. More specifically… storage clutter solutions. It makes sense. We are all trying to (and should) avoid as many trips to the grocery store as possible but at the same time cooking more than ever. So planning ahead a little is really the best thing for you and your neighbors. I know for at least myself who was used to 2-3 grocery store trips a week, I am now I’m trying to limit to twice a month. But this planning ahead means there is simply more food in your house at once than normal. (Please know that we are 100% against food and supply hoarding. It’s selfish and unnecessary to take more than you actually need especially when so many don’t have the means to do so.) But since some visual organization can bring a little peace of mind, let’s talk about our personal kitchen problems and get a peek into our very real, current kitchens.

Emily’s Problem: Keeping Counter Produce Separate

From Emily: “I don’t know what fruit and veggies should go on the counter next to each other but I do know that I need more space to put them all these days. I feel like it’s overflowing and I would love something vertical – either hanging or on the wall – to keep onions and potatoes. Warm minimalism is what I’m going for so that I can keep fruit with fruit and get these onions away so my fruit doesn’t spoil faster!”

The Solution: Hanging Basket

Here I picked out some great options that could work for Emily and look great in her kitchen. Does anyone have a favorite?

Jess’ Problem: Not Enough Extra Storage

From Me: “As I said earlier I am used to multiple trips a week to the grocery store. Why? Well, I don’t love to cook (jokes on me now) and I didn’t want food to spoil that I “intended” to cook but didn’t despite my good intentions. Also, I have almost no enclosed storage space which doesn’t lend to bigger shopping trips. But up until now, it wasn’t a big deal due to my “cooking style.” I promise that cabinet isn’t filled with loads of food. It’s mainly the weird cooking supplies (salts, oils, mulling spices, chia seeds, etc.) that I’ve been sort of collecting. So anything extra I buy is now on the floor next to my “office”…including my snacks that I CAN’T STOP EATING. I need a solution or else I will eat nearly all my food in a record-breaking time frame. Also, it’s super ugly and looks disorganized which I hate the most. I think some pretty baskets are my best bet. However, this means my once delicately styled open shelving unit you see up there will have to finally be used functionally. My form over function heart is not excited but my jeans will be. Here are some of the more “modern” baskets I’m considering.

The Solution: Modern Baskets

I know not all of these are 100% budget-friendly but I want to make sure that whatever I buy I love. Who knows… maybe I will fall for function after all:)

Sara’s Problem: Too Many Spices Without a Home

From Sara: “I cook a LOT, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at my kitchen. Take my “spice shelf” for example. Anytime I want a spice jar I have to kneel down and jostle around all the different jars, usually knocking over a few, trying to find the one I want. It’s not convenient, space-saving, or pretty. It’s literally the worst. But I don’t want all my spices sitting out on an organizer using up counter space, or on one of those little spice shelves in a cabinet, where they still fall over. Here is a soliton I am considering…”

The Solution: Slide Out Spice Rack

Sara’s problem is visibility and function when it comes to needing her spices. Since she wants to keep them in that location, a slide out rack will help solve a lot of her problems. She won’t have to kneel down because she can easily slide out the section she needs and no spices are falling over in one of these (unless Sara unleashes her super-strength).

1. Slide Out Double Spice Rack | 2. Tier 4 Drawer Spice Rack | 3. SpiceStack Adjustable Spice Organizer

Caitlin’s Problem: A Lack Of Cabinet Organization

From Caitlin: “HELLO, welcome to my very real and VERY MESSY pantry cabinet. (In case you couldn’t tell, I am definitely not one of the people hoarding groceries. Sorry mom, I may have over-exaggerated the amount of non-perishables in my home!)

Unlike some of my lovely coworkers, I actually have a TON of cabinet space in my kitchen, but no idea how to utilize it. Right now I’m just throwing things on shelves pretty arbitrarily, and not to sound too much like an infomercial, but there has to be a better way. Honestly, I think I’d feel more comfortable actually buying groceries if someone just told me HOW to store them. Like, I know this is kitchen 101 and I may have missed the lesson, but guys…how do you organize your shelves, period? Are there rules somewhere that I’m missing? I know how to set a table. I do NOT know which item should go on which shelf. (Do my most frequently used things go on the top or the bottom? Am I overthinking? Probably.) Anyway, I’m just grateful to have the opportunity to have someone give me explicit instructions on how to actually maximize all the space that I’m lucky enough to have.”

The Solution: Lazy Susans, Cabinet Shelves, Canisters

While Catlin doesn’t have any big overcrowding issues (send some over to me girl!), she does want general organization (and feel like a grown adult) when she opens her cabinet. So after discussing with Emily, we think that a lazy Susan (or two) for her sauces and oils will look great and have them be easily accessible, food storage containers will not only look nice but will keep your food fresh longer, a can dispenser screams “Org Queen” and bins are great for keeping packaged snacks in order. Sometime a little bit of help will make you feel SO much better. Then in terms of general placement. I say keep heavy/breakable things like bottles on the bottom self then organize based on most frequently used. If anyone has a different opinion let us know in the comments:) Also Caitlin, we want pics when it’s done!

So those are our issues and I hope they were helpful! But I also know that if you need some seriously storage help, a piece of kitchen “storage furniture” is really what you are searching for. So here are some great and most budget-friendly options.

Hot Tip

Unless you have a ton of floor/wall space, think vertically to maximize your kitchen storage.

That is it for this Monday afternoon. Are you also having some kitchen storage issues? Do you agree with our personal solutions? Is there anything else in your house that recently started to drive you nuts and you want our help solving? Hit those comments and we will be there to help:)

Love you, meant it.

Opening Photo: Photo by Sara Liggoria-Tramp | From: 8 Steps To Building A Smart, Organized Pantry & Mudroom

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Published on April 06, 2020 11:00

6 Easy DIY Hacks From Sara’s House (Plus Her Secret Affordable Vintage Art Sources Revealed)

Desperation is the biological parent of pure genius – that’s how the saying goes, right? However it goes (though I’m pretty sure I’m right), there were more than a handful of desperate moments while pulling my house together for shooting the reveal a few weeks ago. A lot of them were money induced moments, like “we need a big piece of art to go here, but can’t really afford a big piece of art.” But there were also a few day of shooting moments of desperation. Some solid “how do I fill this weird space of wall I’ve created?” and “I still can’t stand to look at this!” moments. All of which lead to us DIY-ing our fair share of little projects. And about a handful of those were actually pretty successful, which are the ones I’m going to share with you today. Welcome to my TED talk.

TWINE WRAP AN ELECTRICAL CORD

Let’s start with what might Emily’s favorite “hack” in my house – the twine wrapped cord on that brass sconce. I decided well after the walls were closed in this room that I wanted to put a sconce here. Closed walls and a dad with thin wearing patience meant that I was going to have to find a plug-in option and learn to live with the visible cord. I found the perfect sconce (which is sadly no longer available), but was finding it harder than I thought to deal with the slightly metallic cord dangling down the wall once it was installed. I really don’t mind cords most of the time. I had plug-in sconces on either side of our bed at our apartment. But something about the prominent area and large expanse of wall the cord hung in front of made my eyes itch.

Jump to the DAY OF THE SHOOT. I was manically flying around the room, when I had a sudden epiphany – wrap the cord. It was like an angel whispered in my ear “wrap the cord, Sara.” Velinda just happened to have a spool of hemp twine in her styling kit, so I stole it and furiously started putting my old friendship bracelet skills to practice. It took about 45 min (I had our PA Hina take over for me after I got the first few inches done), and I have to say that I’m pretty happy with the end result. Is it IDEAL? Well, it’s not behind a wall, so no. But at least it now it looks intentional. You can use this step by step to see how I did the knotting – just imagine that the strings in the middle represent the electrical cord.

SHAKE UP YOUR LAMPSHADES

This was so easy that it’s almost not a hack, but here we go anyways. I impulse bought this lampshade on Etsy several weeks before the shoot, without knowing where it would go. The DAY OF THE SHOOT (wow, I’m was really not as prepared as you’d think I should be), we needed something to go on the entry console to fill the white wall space I created by hanging art off-center. I saw the shade sitting on the prop table and wistfully said “I wish I had a base for that shade, because it would look so pretty there and actually be functional.”

Within 10 minutes Velinda had pulled up the Target app on her phone, found a few lamp base options, and sent Hina on the fastest Target run of her life. We fell in love with this marble and brass stick base, which came with a drum shade, and just… swapped the shade out. IT WAS THAT EASY. Is this even a hack? Or is it just pure insanity. The only concession I had to make was going for a smaller candelabra style bulb. And if I could order the pleated shade again, knowing where it was going, I would get a larger size because the skirt is a bit short for the leg, if you know what I mean (the shade was a little short for the lamp, and you can kinda see the bulb from under the shade).

TRY THE OLD “KNOB SWITCH OUT”

One way to make a cabinet or dresser from a big box store look a little more custom is to just switch out the knobs. I’d done this before on nightstands when I updated my childhood bedroom, and it instantly made them feel a little more high-end and unique. Originally I had big dreams about painting this Ikea piece, but I ruined the first one I bought trying. The laminated particle board is just really hard to get paint to stick to. So I decided to go an easier route, and just swap the knobs for these leather pulls I got on Etsy. They came super fast, are beautiful, and were a breeze to install (I did have to buy shorter screws than the knobs came with to install them). People ask me all the time where the cabinet is from. Success!

MAKE “THINGS” INTO ART

The best way to make an original piece of art is to make it yourself. I’ve framed matchbooks from the flea market, polaroids, small ceramics, you name it. For our dining room, Mac made this cool piece of art by gluing down tarot cards we bought from a favorite design studio on a large piece of mat board and then framing it in an Ikea poster frame. The tarot card set was $50, but the rest of the materials cost us maybe $20 max. I did something similar with polaroids in our old apartment, and could see a collection of matchbooks or ticket stubs being another amazing budget version.

GIVE VINTAGE FURNITURE A FACELIFT

One of the easiest ways to give an old piece of furniture new life is with a fresh coat of paint. And what we’ve recently decided here at EHD is that you get extra cool points if you go dark and moody with that paint choice.

A few weeks before the shoot we still needed a side table for the TV room, and I wanted something that looked stately and sophisticated, but also dark and monochrome. Alas, the furniture budget had essentially run out, and all the tables of my dreams where priced well into the hundreds. So I started looking for a piece I could turn into the piece of my dreams.

When I saw this little vintage table on Chairish I knew that a new coat of black paint was going to make it the elegant piece the room wanted. I bought it for $80 (local, so no charge for shipping), and bought one pint of Sherwin William’s semi-gloss paint in “Caviar.” All it took was an afternoon of sanding, and three coats of paint. The brass handles were original to the table. Score.

STOP FRAMING ALL YOUR ART

I love collecting vintage art (stay tuned for my favorite sources). But they often come unframed – usually they’re just thin pieces of board, canvas, or wood. And framing pieces like these can be more expensive than just going to Ikea to get a frame for a thin piece of paper art. So I just decided to stop framing all of them.

Four little bits of earthquake putty is all it takes to get these up on the wall, and because they’re so light I don’t worry about them being too heavy for the putty. This makes it super easy to move them around too, and I don’t end up putting a bunch of holes in my wall trying to get them the right height. Mixing unframed art with framed art gives gallery walls a collected look, and this is the easiest way to pop pieces of art into the backs of shelves. I even used putty to hang some ultra-light frames in my shelves – which you can peek just behind the top left corner of the framed ceramic knot piece below (whoops).

AND NOW, the moment a few of you (maybe more) have been waiting for – the part of the post where I reveal some of my favorite vintage art sources. I’ll admit, I’m extremely anxious to reveal what I’m about to reveal. Why does it make me nervous? BECAUSE I’M A HOARDER AND THE MORE PEOPLE WHO KNOW MY SOURCES, THE LESS ART THERE IS FOR ME TO HORDE. I have this fear that as soon as I share these, everyone is going to go buy everything in the shops, and the sellers are going to realize what true GOLD they have, and raise the prices, and the next time I have a hankering for a new vintage piece I’m going to regret my selfless actions. Because affordable, original art is HARD to find. But I’ve been asked so many times to dish, and at a certain point it gets really rude not to, so . . . .

Soviet Oil Paintings – This absolutely stunning landscape is only $64, and someone should buy it immediately.

Art Nostalige – I’m really into this large boat painting, and it’s only $135.

Rebstuff2 – This Victorian watercolor is STUNNING and I spent about 10 minutes staring at it wondering if I should buy it or link it up. Especially at only $13.

Valyril Craftsman Shop – These aren’t vintage, but I do own two of these little oil paintings myself. I almost bought this $60 one for the TV room, but choose a more horizontal one instead.

Ukrainian Fine Art – I love everything about the colors in this $49 vintage landscape, but I’m also super drawn to this bright portrait (Caitlin, you should get this for your apartment!).

Slav Art Vintage – This little $49 rock painting has been sitting in my favorites for a few months now, and I usually start my week by trying to decide whether or not to just buy it. Mac’s voice in my head always convinces me not to, so maybe one of you should? BUT, AUGH, MAYBE I SHOULD?!

Someone should also 100% buy this sweet little still life painting that’s been sitting in my favorites, it needs a home.

Wow, am I the world’s most selfless human? I THINK I MIGHT BE. I’m just kidding (no, I’m not). But there you go – all the weird yet wonderful (budget-friendly) things I did in my house to make it feel just a little more unique. Who else has tried these in their own homes? Success? Failure? And WHO bought the sweet little life from above?! If you do, please comment – I need to make sure it went somewhere loving. Thank you in advance.

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Published on April 06, 2020 01:00

April 5, 2020

How to Celebrate Easter in 2020 – Our “Plan” and Some Ideas

Holidays are milestones, even the ones that haven’t historically been “the big ones,” but when you have kids (especially in the long stretch between Christmas and summer) you need these touchpoints – things to look forward to, most importantly fictional characters to threaten them for year-round good behavior (I’M JOKING I WOULD NEVER TREAT THE BUNNY LIKE SANTA – as she hides her homemade easter elf on the shelf). Well, this year is different but the kids haven’t forgotten about Easter. NO. THEY. HAVEN’T. So what do we do? We are incredibly grateful to have each other so no complaints, and I think the kids would be fine with a basket full of garbage, cartoons, and pancakes for dinner. So if you aren’t up for doing anything, I get it.

If we didn’t have kids I’d likely zoom brunch with friends, pop champagne too early and marathon something really engrossing. But like the rest of you parents out there, right now we are trying to figure out how to make this a fun day for the kids and us (although let’s face it, our 4 and 6-year-olds are living their BEST LIVES right now – parents 100% of the time and no “real” school – see yesterday’s post for how we are homeschooling). I don’t think I would have really thought about this or made any sort of plan if I hadn’t assigned myself to write this post but I figured if I was looking for ideas, maybe a lot of you were too. So here are some ideas on how to celebrate, what to eat, watch, and decorate (easy, I promise) for Easter in this very unsettling year of 2020. No reason to try to not make it a little special, right?

How We Are Decorating – Easy Easter Hacks With What We Already Have

Let’s start with the important stuff – Easter Decor:) Let me just say that if it doesn’t bring you joy and only stress, please forego decorating and skip to “what to eat and drink” section. I obviously love it and forcing my children and husband to try DIYs in the name of “memory making” that are far above their skill level and subsequently turn out truly ugly, is one of the joys of my life. Doing projects with kids is in my blood, but Pinterest worthy they are not (update – some turned out cute). So we are going to attempt some stuff in the name of making memories – but only with what we already have (and hopefully, you do too).

Tin Cans Bunny Vases – Keep your cans, guys, and these could be glass pickle jars, too. These were crazy easy and are going to make our breakfast table feel special. We used felt for the pink parts (and happened to have googly eyes) but you could just use different colored paper for everything. I had to do most of the glue-gunning and cutting of the smaller felt circles, but the kids were able to do this pretty easily and they were SO PROUD. If we had used paper you just need a glue stick.

image source | image source | image source

Easter Branch – I never thought I’d type this – but … I think I’ll do an easter tree, BRANCH, I mean. It’s a centerpiece, it’s not that weird. We have so many dead branches near our house and I have a can of white spray paint in the garage so it seems pretty darn easy. Then I could easily hang our blown eggs (if we do them) or paper eggs, painted acorns or even pompoms. It seems like a very cheap, easy but high impact centerpiece that would be fun for the kids to help with.

Plate Flowers – If you are like me and secretly have old stashes of paper plates lying around, you can make pretty plate flowers (looks complicated but its just folding, cutting, curling with a pencil and watercolor paint).

What Is The Bunny Bringing Our Kids?

It’s usually a basket full of garbage candy, a toy, and a book – we usually forget ’til the day before and then had to run to Target. This year Brian looked at me and told me he ordered them each a lego that is going to take hours to put together (without our help) and I absolutely approved of this plan. He got Elliot this one (she is extremely predictable and picky and has been begging for it) and Charlie this one. Our kids are crazy into Stuffies and play for HOURS with them as characters. So he bought them each one of these secret surprise egg things that are apparently very popular. They actually need new pajamas (guys, they always need new pajamas, WHY?) so I figured maybe we’d make it a new tradition to do easter pajamas because that’s a thing. They love anything glow in the dark so I got her these and him these. I hope they don’t keep them up…

Scavenger Hunts/Egg Hunts

Obviously there will be an egg hunt, with our ugly DIY fillable paper mache eggs, but if you want to have more fun (not sure it’s needed, seriously) try a scavenger hunt. It’s different, I promise. If you’ve been watching my life for a while you’ll know that we believe in scavenger hunts – it’s one of “our things”. We have annual New Year’s Day, 4th of July, Labor Day and even my birthday and Mother’s Day. Our friends would buy tickets if we sold them – they are that good. So if you are in the mood for two hunts, I highly recommend a scavenger hunt (even if it’s in your apartment). Ahem. It feels like I’m letting you in on a family secret, but here goes. We do a few different types so here are your options:

Draw a map with arrows going from iconic locations (even in the house) and they have to follow arrows to X marks the spot, there will be a little prize or challenge at the X. Also if you have children, you know that they love to shout X MARKS THE SPOT. This is great if they can’t read yet and they just follow the arrows to the prize (it can literally be one m&m but if you can find individually wrapped gold coins that really gets them going).You can skip the map and make it riddle/clue based – Have it start at one place and if you can make it a little rhyming poem that gives them a clue about where to go next (i.e. “This is the bed where Aunt June always sleeps, but be quiet she’s napping so don’t make a peep.”‘ (see you don’t have a Lit degree, I promise). Once there, they find the next riddle/clue to the next spot. (You can also have a map just to help them get around if they aren’t familiar with the space + kids love maps so much). Do #1 or #2 but add a challenge that they have to do before they can get the prize (or get the next clue, you can do either). So for instance “give your mom 20 kisses” or if you want them to get move their bodies a bit then make it more physical like 20 jumping jacks or even spell a word – anything. This makes it longer in a good way (it goes shockingly fast).

See? It’s a thing. But it’s a great thing that costs nothing except a bag of Hershey kisses or whatever garbage candy you want to buy (I once did it with toys we had in the house). No matter how many times we’ve done it you can always shake it up, and it’s ALWAYS the best time they’ve EVER HAD.

You can do this in an apartment. You will be shocked by the amount of time it takes to set up (like 20-30 minutes). But for how fast it goes, I promise you there are solid memories made with a lot of squeals. Get your camera ready.

How To Celebrate ‘Him’?

Good question. There is a reason for this holiday beyond bunnies and baskets, we’ve heard. We were very much looking forward to going to church, donning cute dresses, feeling warm and fuzzy. I’m not about to talk about religion again (please read this post if you want to know where I am spiritually) but what do you do when you don’t really know the story of Jesus and aren’t super religious? So here are the ideas we have (but would love your suggestions):

Stream a service – I’m assuming that you lose a lot of that warm and fuzzy feeling by not being there in person (which is why I haven’t done it before). However, I know that Pastor Kyle from the church we recently started going to makes it very relevant to 2020, and will likely shift the message due to the world’s current situation. So my friend and I are going to stream it at the same time (and hang out via our portal) before lunch. We’ll see how that goes. I’m really just looking for some more perspective and an impactful story about a guy who clearly created an important movement and did nice things. Read the story with your kids – If anyone knows a particularly good way to do this, let us know in the comments. I know I’m not equipped to read the bible to my children, but I know that the story can be riveting and certainly relevant, so please give suggestions. I like the kid’s bible more because I understand it, but if there was an interpretation or even a story that has a good message, I’m in. Watch an, uh, Bible Easter movie? – I’m totally open to watching one especially if kids ask any questions and I’m like… uh…. What is the non-biblical message of Easter? Forgiveness? Redemption? (as she googles “why did Jesus come back from dead and is that what Easter is?”).

Ways To Give Back/Serve And Think Of Others

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: the feel good flash makeover reveal (a.k.a. my favorite thing i did all year)

Regardless of your religious affiliation, it seems like a nice day to dedicate some time to recognize our privilege and take some time to help give or find resources for someone else in need. Do something “Christ-like” or just DO SOMETHING NICE. The usual ways give are harder to do right now because I would LOVE to be helping someone in need make their home feel more comfortable. But without any face to face ability but here are some ideas…

Make something for healthcare front liners – We have a hospital very close to our house and so far no known cases in the area and we’ve been SUPER strict and know that we are healthy, so I think it’s fine to make cookies and drop off thank you cards, right? If anyone knows the protocol, please let us know. Part of this is to give, the other part is to make sure our kids know that during hard times for others, we think about them not just the Easter Bunny. Help other families in need in your area – I’ve wanted this app for so long, it seemed crazy that it didn’t exist and someone finally created it via Facebook. I recently found the Facebook group “Intellihelp Love Delivered” that matches the “Asker” with the “Giver” with mostly for neighbors so you can sign up to personally help another family in your area. Most of them have amazon lists that you can simply help purchase for them, some need errands ran, etc. Make masks – I just ordered this sewing machine (it’s kinda spendy but based on so many great reviews I was willing) but it’s been decades since I properly sewed. I need to order fabric and materials, but yes we’ll try to make some masks likely before the day.

But What Are We Eating And Drinking??

Thank goodness you asked. I don’t really know. Usually, I do my world-renowned “store-bought honey baked ham, Hawaiian rolls, mustard, and pickle bar” (looking for ideas? steal that crowdpleaser – just no crowds, please). But this year A. I learned to cook and B. Wouldn’t mind making something from scratch if I can safely find the ingredients. I accidentally showed the kids bunny pancakes and they FREAKED THE EFF OUT, so I think we know what we’ll have for breakfast.

image source

For dinner, we ordered a turkey to pick up and roast that day – which I haven’t done before but I’m excited to make the house smell like turkey all day and have days of leftovers. Also, excited to find a “Spring Turkey” Recipes and these are looking really good (this one and this one). But I’m definitely going to make Half Baked Harvests’ Hasselback potatoes.

image source | image source

For dessert…. we’ll probably just eat ice cream unless we cook something in advance. We just bought our first mixer (arriving soon) so maybe we’ll bake something from scratch for the first time. Anything easy and delicious for a baking amateur?

What Are The Kids (and Us) Watching?

Obviously we want to parent but we also want to, say, not parent and just sit and stare at a screen. So we are excited to watch Peter Rabbit (live-action, looks so cute) as a family and if we need to take a break earlier in the day we’ll put on Hop for the kids (we might watch it ourselves or we might just watch something upstairs on our laptop – with only one TV we literally haven’t watched a grownup show or movie in 3 weeks).

Connecting With Family/Friends

We plan on Facetiming with as many family members as possible, since everyone will be home. Maybe we’ll even do a Zoom brunch. I don’t know about your kids but ours aren’t the best facetime conversationalists and mostly want to send poop emojis (that we stop) but we’ll certainly try.

It will be a different Easter and one honestly where we are just thinking about how grateful we are that we are safe, healthy and together. It’s all that matters, and with the state of things being the way they are. Please know that we are thinking and praying for all those who are unwell or worse. It’s the first holiday of many that are going to be different.

What are you guys up to? Have you planned anything? Any other ideas that you can share with us? Again, it’s not a huge holiday for a lot of people so no pressure to do anything, but when you have four little eyes on you with a “what are we doing on easter?” look, it’s nice to try to make it special. xx

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Published on April 05, 2020 11:55

The Link Up: Emily CUTE $40 Puffer Jacket, Julie’s Pancake Recipe & A Brand New Newsletter By An EHD Alum

design by sharon mrozinski |photo by marta xochilt perez for the maryn | via cup of jo

How’s it going? Life may seem wildly uncertain right now (because it is) so our hope is that here, you give yourself permission to take your mind off the news and escape for even just a moment. In hopes to continue to provide that space, here is what EHD has been watching, reading, and finding joy in this week:

Today’s home tour (via Cup Of Jo) is the virtual equivalent of visiting your eclectic great aunt’s house who has REALLY great style and hundreds of amazing stories. Trust us when we say you’re going to want to hit that pin button.

We would be remiss if we didn’t mention Studio McGee’s new kitchen reveal. Yes, it’s Shea’s actual, kitchen in her new custom home. OH and they just launched their new collection at Target yesterday and guys, it’s GOOD.

From Emily: If you haven’t already heard…I am recommending this book to everyone I know.

Also from Emily: “I am not really shopping right now but this puffer jacket is 50% off and crazy cute.”

From Jess: If you thought I was excited about my newsletter announcement last week, this week I am PHYSICALLY BURSTING with excitement to let you know that our very own Arlyn Hernandez (EHD alum if you are new around here) decided to start a weekly newsletter. I know, I KNOW! So while she loves her new venture in Marketing, she just couldn’t stay away from the ole keyboard. Apparently writing for a little under half of your life will do that. So if you miss “hearing” her sweet, funny and all-around wonderful voice, miss no more because baby, she’s back.

From Mallory: “HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCED THE JOY OF COLORING AS AN ADULT?? I spent my entire senior year of high school coloring during class which was a really weird thing for me to do since those fancy adult coloring books were not cool yet. BUT, now coloring is socially acceptable for everyone since it’s super therapeutic and fun. Here are some printable coloring books that ROCK. This one is from one of my favorite artists, Tug Rice, and this one is from none other than our friends at Studio McGee. Happy coloring!”

From Julie: “Breakfast most mornings as of late have consisted of these healthy pancakes (truly they are). It’s also only two ingredients although you can add a little cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract to spice them up. If you want to get really fancy (and a little unhealthy) try adding some sauteed apples, you won’t be disappointed.”

From Sara: This article was totally eye-opening to me, but also comforting (aka NOT panic-inducing). I also recently heard the phrase “You are not working from home, you are at home during a crisis trying to work” and I think a lot of people, especially parents, need to hear that and realize no matter how much or how little they’re accomplishing, they’re doing GOOD.

From Caitlin: HEY, DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE QUARANTINE ACNE? QuarACNEtine? I am breaking out like crazy on my chin-ish (you know, like the area beside your mouth, but NOT your chin, but not your cheek, either? Right in there!) and need help. I complained to the team on our Wednesday zoom call, showed everyone closeups of my whiteheads (yes, I am very popular here), and asked if someone could just tell me what to do and they were like, “Hey, dummy, SARA ALREADY DID.” I ordered a sample of Curology (cause it was only $4.95 for a 30-day trial) and a few more of the cheap options she recommended, just to try and calm my face down a little. Just wanted to percolate it back up to the top for anyone else who also needs a beginner skincare guide!

And related (double link from me, sorry): I haven’t been showering with the greatest frequency (I know, gross, overshare-y, and probably the root of my acne issues TBH) but I found a set of my 5 all-time fav perfumes on sale for $20 at Sephora (and even cheaper if you do a quick google for a coupon code, of which there are like, BILLIONS. They alone were the impetus for me to start bathing with more regularity. I literally have not seen a person in OVER 3 weeks (!!!) but it’s kind of nice to smell like warm cotton, JUST FOR ME. (P.S. I’ve actually owned full bottles of warm cotton, fresh, rain, and skin and they’re definitely more for lovers of clean and fresh scents…) But yeah, if you’re just feeling kinda gross and stuck in a rut, maybe this little indulgence will help? It helped me!!! Also, CAN YOU TELL I LIVE ALONE? I am feeling SO CHATTY.)”

From Veronica: “My friend Nicky is doing illustration commissions starting at $30 and all profits are going towards Direct Relief and Global Giving — two organizations who made it their mission to support healthcare professionals around the world, provide medical supplies, and protect communities who have been impacted by COVID-19. Slide into her DMs and let’s make the magic happen! (If you do not want an illustration, please feel free to donate on the organization websites).”

Lastly, (sorry for the extra long link up – or your welcome??) in case you interested there are some GREAT deals going on right now from some of our favorite retailers…

Madewell Denim Sale: They have a bunch a great styles for only 75$ (almost half off) with code SWEET DEAL. We know jeans kinda seem nuts to buy right now but on our Friday zoom call half of us were wearing them because we needed to feel a little normal. Mainly this is just a really great deal from a beloved EHD shop.

MIDCENTURYLA, one of Emily’s favorite vintage stores, is having a benefit sale where 100% of profit from sale items will be donated to LA Regional Food Bank.

And lastly, Norell Furniture another small business that has been greatly impacted but this crisis is having a 15% off all of their handmade furniture sale. See one of their beautiful chairs in Emily’s mountain house here.

That is all for now, but do come back later for a very special DIY Easter post. See you then. xx

The post The Link Up: Emily CUTE $40 Puffer Jacket, Julie’s Pancake Recipe & A Brand New Newsletter By An EHD Alum appeared first on Emily Henderson.

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Published on April 05, 2020 01:00

April 4, 2020

11 Unique Ways To Stay Connected While Apart

There’s no denying – I (Sara) lean more introvert than I do extrovert. So I’ve been finding some real silver linings with my sudden lack of social obligations. I know that I’m going through this situation with a list of undeniable privileges (I have a safe home to live in and feel safe being here with my partner, we’re financially able to stay afloat for the time being, and much of my immediate family is also able to stay home so I’m not constantly concerned for their safety – all of which are things I know aren’t a reality for everyone). On the other hand, I also know there are a lot of people like me right now, feeling extremely lucky to be safe at home, but also trying to navigate towards a “new normal” during this time. And while this introvert isn’t feeling starved for human contact yet, I am surprisingly missing a few people.

Because it doesn’t look like we’re gonna be back to hosting dinner parties anytime soon, we thought it could be fun to round-up some of the more fun and unique ways we’ve been connecting with the people we miss in our lives (while also hoping you’ll share yours with us – because I can only play “codenames” online so many times in a week).

FIRST, OUR FAVORITE VIDEO CONFERENCING APPS

A lot of these ideas require video conferencing so I thought we’d share some of our favorites (likely some you already know and some maybe you don’t):

Facetime – Probably most you know about this ole faithful but if not this will change your life. If you have an iPhone or iPad this is a super easy, built-in function. And now you can even conference with multiple people.Zoom – This is the app we’ve been using on our desktops for all our EHD team meetings. It has a great “gallery” function, and the first 40 minutes are free. You can also use it on your phone if you don’t have a desktop. AND to keep things exciting you can change your background (it acts like a green screen). They are some fun built-in ones (like a beautiful beach) but you can also import your own photos. Jess is going to a zoom birthday party and everyone is choosing their favorite photo on the birthday girl as their background. What a time we are in:)UberConference – This is another free conference line, and people can join either via video on their computer or phone line for audio-only.Google Hangout – Mac and his work team use Google Hangouts for their video conferencing. You can schedule calls on google calendar and send out invites with automatic links.Houseparty – This is one Jess recommended, and it’s more geared towards casual video chatting. You can have open chats where anyone how has been added as a friend can join or private chats where you control who joins. Plus it has built-in games you can all play. I’m super excited to try this one this weekend.

WRITE AN ORIGINAL STORY FOR SOMEONE (LIKE, A KID)

Emily’s mom recently emailed Charlie and Elliot original stories that she’d written for them. That might possibly the cutest thing I’ve ever heard of. Emily says they read them together snuggled on the couch.

OFFER TO READ A STORY TO A KID OVER FACETIME

Take that “original story” idea and kick it up a notch by offering to read it over video call to said child. Not much of a writer? Then grab a favorite book and read that instead (be sure to get a good angle of the book for optimal picture viewing if it’s a picture book). A bunch of celebrities have been doing this on social media, and I can only imagine that it’s giving parents a much needed 15 minutes of zone-out time to have someone else doing the reading (and to switch it up from Cosmic Kids Yoga or Frozen II for the hundredth time). Especially if someone wants the book repeated 5-10 times. By the way, there’s also a website called Storyline Online, where you can find hundreds of videos of well-known actors reading kids’ books.

SEND SOMEONE AN OUT-OF-THE-BLUE COMPLIMENT (AND SHARE IT ON INSTAGRAM STORIES WITH THE #EHDCOMPLIMENT JAR)

If you missed it over on Em’s Instagram, we kicked off something new called the #EHDComplimentJar. It’s a concept based off a tradition Jess started here at the company, and that we now do for each employee’s birthday. We get a pretty vessel, have everyone on the team write 3-4 compliments for that person, print them, cut them out, fold them up, and fill the vessel with all the compliments. Then we go out to a happy hour, and make the birthday human read each compliment aloud (and if they’re into it, guess who wrote each one). It’s quickly become one of our favorite activities, and we wanted to figure out a way to translate it over to social media.

The main idea is to just send someone an out-of-the-blue compliment, because we promise it will make their day and make you feel SO good. But if you’d like, take it one step further and share that compliment on Instagram Stories (either by sharing a screenshot of your text/message, or by creating a story with your compliment directly on there). Tag your friend, tag Emily (@em_henderson), and use the hashtag #EHDcomplimentjar. We’re sharing a few extra sweet compliments over the next few weeks on Em’s stories.

LEARN TO PLAY DUNGEONS & DRAGONS (AND PLAY OVER ZOOM WITH YOUR FRIENDS)

Hear me out, because I know a few of you are seriously questioning my judgment/and or sanity. Dungeons & Dragons (popularly known as D&D) is seeing a huge resurgence in popularity right now. Why? Because it’s weird, and silly, and totally fun. D&D is a story-based role-playing game. And you don’t actually need anything, besides a video chat app, a group of friends ready to play, and some time to learn the rules (you don’t even need dice, one of the main mechanics of the traditional game, you can use Google instead). I played my first game last year, and Brian Henderson himself played his first game last week.

PLAY AN ONLINE GAME WITH FRIENDS

Without a doubt, D&D is a bit more involved than other games. But if that’s not your jam, there are plenty of other online games out there you can play online with friends. And I’m not talking video games, I mean board game simulators. An online version of the popular game Codenames is one super easy example. There are also lots of board game simulations out there, all you need is a computer and the internet. A few examples of places to find online board game to play with friends are Steam, Board Game Arena, and Tabletopia.

TAKE A VIDEO COOKING CLASS (TAUGHT BY A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER)

I’m used to driving back home to Claremont once a week to eat dinner at my grandma’s with my family, and it’s one of the things I’m missing the most right now. My grandmother is from Guatemala and doesn’t speak very much English, so it’s also the one time during the week when I really practice my Spanish. But I’m about to order some sort of video device (like a Portal) for her, that way we can start doing weekly cooking lessons (in Spanish) instead. It’s a win, win, win. I get to practice my Spanish, learn how to make a favorite dish from my culture, and check in on my grandma. I got this idea when my friend walked me through a dinner recipe one night over Facetime, and I was like “I could do this with my grandma!”

WATCH A MOVIE ON NETFLIX AS A GROUP

Now this one you may have heard of, but someone very clever out in the world created their own app called Netflix Party that allows you to watch anything on Netflix as a group – which means if one person pauses it pauses for everyone, syncs the movie perfectly, and has a chat window built-in so y’all can chat while watching. This is best used on a laptop, but I did it this past weekend and it was VERY fun. Veronica is a big fan.

MAKE YOUR BEST FRIEND YOUR NEW PENPAL

In college my best friend and I didn’t have a ton of time to speak on the phone, so we’d write each other these insanely long emails with all the gossip, drama, and life updates we had. Writing to a friend can be SO fun, and it’s almost like journaling. Especially if you’re in a house with someone else, and you just need to vent (because you’ve now noticed how loud the chew their food *glances pointedly at Mac*), but can’t really get away for a private phone call – write it out! Plus, you’ll have the fun ability to go back in time and read them all again in 10 years for optimum cringe.

ORGANIZE A VIDEO HAPPY HOUR

Just because you might be alone in your house, doesn’t mean you have to drink alone. Every Friday at 5 pm the EHD team pours themselves a drink, and hop on zoom for our end of week team meeting. The drinks and happy hour vibe have done nothing but IMPROVE our meetings, truly. It’s always fun to see them, but it’s extra fun to cheers, knowing the weekend is right around the corner.

DO A VIRTUAL WORKOUT WITH A FRIEND

I’ve been having a really hard motivating myself to workout (which is kinda understandable). But my friend has kept bugging me to video call her, and do a yoga workout together. I finally caved, and I have to admit… it was SO GOOD. We motivated each other to hold our planks just a little longer, we both rolled our eyes at the suggestion of adding reps, and I actually finished the whole workout because my friend was there to keep me accountable. And then we both just laid on the floor after and kept chatting for a bit.

ORGANIZE A LONG DISTANCE PLAYDATE FOR YOUR KIDS

Em is always saying how lucky she and Brian feel that Charlie and Elliot are close enough in age to play together while up at the mountain house, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not missing their friends back home too. Em said that they’ve been letting the kids have video “playdate” sessions with some of their friends back in LA. The kids love seeing each other and especially playing with all the fun video filters that a lot of the video apps come programmed with.

GO FOR A WALK AND CALL YOUR IMPORTANT PEOPLE

So this isn’t an original idea, but I just want to throw it out there. I’ve been taking 30-60 minutes walks every day (solo), and I usually blast some feel-good music. But the other day I decided to call my mom first. It made her feel good, it made me feel good, and I got to enjoy the rest of my walk knowing that my parents were doing ok. Talking on the phone has always felt like a bit of a chore for me, but it’s really just the dialing part that throws me off. Once I’m in conversation it feels easy, and I’m always like “why don’t I call people more often?” So whether it’s your mom, dad, grandma, aunt, godmother, best friend, WHOEVER – pick up the phone and call them.

And we have to admit, though it may sound like pure cheese, connecting with all of you in the comments makes it to the top of our lists

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Published on April 04, 2020 12:09

Brian’s Magical Mind-Trick to Get Through Homeschooling the Kids (And Even Be a Better Teacher)

Remember when your older brother would pin you down on the ground, take your hands and whap you in the face and ask, “WHY ARE YOU HITTING YOURSELF?? WHY ARE YOU HITTING YOURSELF??”? Ughhhhh. It was the worst. Maybe not as bad as when he would snort up a big ol’ loogie and dangle it above your face before sucking it back up (sorry for anyone eating oatmeal right now), but the “Why are you hitting yourself?” thing used to drive me nuts. It made me feel helpless, frustrated, and not just pissed at my brother, but strangely pissed at myself for hitting myself! How crazy is that?? He actually succeeded in making me ask, “Why am I hitting myself?”. Maybe I was a slow child. Well, I’ve recently realized that there’s a pretty good lesson in that little bit of torture. Especially right now. Ok, not in the torture but the question that asks – “Why are you hitting yourself?

I noticed it this week when I was teaching my kids during our “special time at home”. I became the default homeschool teacher of the family because almost all of my work has dried up due to the current circumstances and Emily needs to keep us afloat right now. So she works in the morning while I teach.

Storytime. We had just finished our morning routine, which includes Emily and me drinking coffee on our laptops while the kids play and eat breakfast. Then, after I read the latest depressing news article it was time to start school.

I really didn’t want to do it. The first few days of this whole homeschool thing were light and fun because it was new and felt temporary. But after week two, the reality set in that I would be doing this every day for the foreseeable future. And I felt a heavy sense of “total bummer” set in. I think it set into the kids too, or maybe my vibe was rubbing off on them. But regardless, we all came to the table that morning looking like angry convicts showing up for community service. And things got worse from there.

Because I felt put-upon, I turned into my version of Mrs. Green, who was my fourth-grade teacher and the strictest, most no-fun person I knew as a 10-year-old. I was short-tempered, overly expectant, and rigid. At one point I got frustrated with Charlie because he refused to focus on his writing exercise, and I must have raised my voice because he got up from the table with tears in his eyes and ran to the bedroom. I found him crying on the bed, saying that I scared him. Woah. Shoot. Time out. I took out my feelings on him. I felt terrible. After lots of hugs and apologies, we called it a day. As I was cleaning up, I started to work out what happened and how I was going to get through this whole mess of a time without turning into Mrs. Green. Why did I lose my temper over a story about a monster eating ice cream? Why am I making things hard for myself? Why am I hitting myself?

I went right to my tattoo, which is where I go when I notice my reactions to things are getting skewed. I wrote a whole blog post about it, which you can read HERE, but the short version is that through something called “Narrative Therapy” I learned how to deal with my negative roadblocks. I have a “pipe cut in half” on my arm, and it reminds me that I have a tendency to see things through a tiny dark tunnel. But if I expand my field of view or “cut the tunnel open” as it were, I can usually see there are more ways to view a situation. So I came up with some ways to reframe my view of homeschool and how I can approach it without setting myself up for failure. Without hitting myself.

I preface this all by saying that it’s way easier said than done. I have to practice it daily and even then I fail a lot. I’m sure it sounds like super ju-ju happy pills, but it works for me. Give it a try. It may not work for you, but even if it helps for a few minutes before reality sets back in, that seems worth it to me. These are things I’m trying to do. Emphasis on trying.

Reframe “I Have To” to “I Get To”

I told you – it sounds suuuper cheesy and lah-de-dah, but just indulge me for a sec. I’ve started trying to pause every morning before I start school and think “When else in my life am I going to be able to spend this time with my kids?”. In normal times, I can’t be in school with them. I don’t get to see how they learn or what they respond to. I don’t get to watch them work through problems or figure out new concepts. But more than that, I will never get to spend whole mornings with my kids after this. However, before you think I’m the most annoying guy in the world, who just bounces down the stairs with a big smile shouting, “Oh Boy! I can’t wait to start school!” let me stop and say this isn’t meant to be a sustainable state of mind. It’s a trick, a tip that I use at specific times. When I feel a fight coming on, like when my kid is refusing to focus and finish an assignment, and I’m about to take my annoyance out, I try to remind myself to reframe it, to remember this is a special time, not a time for me to waste energy on going dark. It usually changes my mood, which then changes theirs. It doesn’t always work, but I’m trying. Dear lord am I trying.

Reframe “I can’t do this” to “This is mine”

These days it feels like we’re in the backseat of a car and the driver has jumped out the door. It’s almost impossible not to bring the outside world into the home. I feel hopeless and anxious all the time. But when I really try, I can actually use homeschooling to fight the whole thing. I try to remind myself that this is one of the few things that I can control, that it’s my little world that I get to create and moderate. I’m slowly finding power in that. Whenever I successfully get my kids to finish a little assignment and move onto the next one, I find that I’m not thinking about the outside world. Instead, I’m getting the endorphins going from achieving a little goal that I set and helped shape. It’s almost like the school day is a little bubble where news can’t reach, where I have control of things, and where I can allow myself to feel happy. I just need to remind myself to indulge in the small little victories and give them more weight than I normally would.

Reframe ” I need you to finish this” to “Sometimes a crab pinches a man’s butt”

This one is probably specific to my situation – I have young kids who are in public school, and they haven’t been given very strict work requirements. Our youngest is in preschool and the oldest is in kindergarten, so they aren’t being asked to pass a bunch of quizzes and specific assignments. Although our teachers are AMAZING and have created helpful and fun online tools for us to follow, I’m able to freelance a bit. And because of that, there can be a feeling that I’m not doing the correct workloads or I’m not giving them enough to do, or they’re not learning things well enough. We’re not doing enough! And while I’m all for structure and curriculum (see my typical school day below), I found that when I put pressure on myself to be a “good teacher,” it’s led to me getting uptight which then leads to fights and friction. So I pause and try to give us all a break.

When I can’t figure out how to get Charlie to focus through a lesson, and I’m about to lose my temper, I remember I AM NOT PROFESSIONAL TEACHER. Why am I hitting myself? We can only do our best. So guess what? This morning after I tried a few times to get Charlie to finish a letter-practice sheet, I just said “screw it” and drew a picture of a crab pinching a guy’s butt. It made him laugh, and he was excited to write the corresponding sentence. And I remembered, duh, kids respond to fun things more than threats and nagging. And I didn’t correct his misspelling, because the little battle I won was worth more to me as a father than I care about being a teacher. He learned some letters without a fight, and I learned that I’m pretty good at drawing buttcheeks.

I also noticed that my focus on my kids finishing certain assignments has been coming from an ego-driven place. Which was super humbling when I realized it. Why did I care SO MUCH if Charlie got through the three pages of math problems that I arbitrarily assigned? Because I wanted to feel like I had done my job, which is insane. This is not about me. I’m not a teacher, and it’s pretty pompous to assume that my version of teaching is the correct one. So, I let go of the reigns a bit, and when I feel myself getting worked up. I give it my best shot and if that doesn’t work I pivot to something else that makes everyone less stressed out. Like a story about buttcheeks or poop. Poop always works. And if it doesn’t, I just bail. IT’S OK TO BAIL.

I guarantee that in ten years, it’s not going to matter if I got my kids to perfectly write a lowercase q while we were in quarantine. It’s going to matter how close we are as a family.

My whole thing right now is just trying to figure out how to make things easier for myself. We’re going to be in this for a while, so how do I keep it going without turning into the worst version of myself? What are the things that I can control so I don’t make things harder in these hard times? How can I keep from hitting myself? I’m learning new things every day and am trying to change my view of it constantly. But I’m also failing constantly. It’s f’ing hard. I have to keep trying these things, otherwise, my kids would be asking why the teacher’s math lesson is having them count the empty beer cans at 11 am. I can do this.

Just because I’m curious about what everyone else is doing daily, I’ll share my ideal school day with you, and please let me know what I’m doing wrong or what you guys are doing to get through this insane time!

Wake up – Kids play while Emily and I drink coffee and catch up on work stuff on our computers. Breakfast is normally 7:30 or 8 am.

8:30 am – Everyone gets dressed! I tried to teach in my sweats and it really pulled me down into the chair. I don’t know why, but it totally affected my mood and reactions in a bad way. So from then on, I insist that we all get dressed for school. Are you guys doing this?

Supply Caddy | Sight Cards | Easy Peasy Alapbet | Alex Little Hands Writing Book

9 am – Reading/Writing. We usually start with Charlie doing sight words that we have on flashcards. We were supposed to be doing this nightly when he was in school, but who has time to do that after school and before bed? So we totally slacked. But now, we’re doing them like 2-3 times a day. Elliot tries to read them too, but she usually just watches.

Then we work on a lower case letter. We ordered some handwriting workbooks from Amazon that have sections for tracing and then sections for writing on your own. We started with ‘a’ and are working through the alphabet. I have Charlie write all the letters that we’ve worked on as a review, then start on the letter for that day. Elliot usually only has the patience to get through a couple traces and then she wants to draw. So she draws through most of the first section of school.

Then I’ll have Charlie write out a few words that start with the letter we’ve learned. It’s a work in progress. His teacher sent us a pdf of these sheets that have an area to draw in and lines for writing. He can do either do a step by step ‘How To’ or a story that he creates. I usually try to get him to do three different steps or parts of the story, but sometimes it’s just one page. Like when a dog barfs.

10:30 am – Snack and recess. Usually 20 min. I’ll sometimes go do a workout with weights during our snack break, because someone has to protect the family from the wolves and bears up here in the mountains.

11 am – Math and more reading. We use number bonds and number sentences. I have never seen bonds before but figured them out pretty quickly. Take that C- in high school math!! Elliot works on counting while Charlie does math. If it’s nice outside, I’ll send her to get a number of leaves or pieces of bark. Then we do adding or subtracting with those. And then she wants to draw again. She really likes to draw.

One more round of sight words then I have Charlie read three little books to Elliot. We’ve burned through all of our Bob Books and the Little Comics ones. They’re really good but I think Charlie is ready for level C. Any recommendations? Also, is anyone else dealing with their kid looking at the pictures instead of reading the actual words? Cheaters! I’ve started covering the pictures so he has to use the words. I’m mean.

12 pm – Lunch and recess and DONE.

After lunch, we usually go outside and get some nature time. We can call it P.E. but it’s usually just a chance to feel like we’re not stuck indoors. Emily usually does arts and crafts with them in the afternoon or they help her with a project or they play with legos. And that’s how we end the school day. We feel very lucky that they are young enough that we can really just feel good about playing with them a lot (which we do) and because Charlie is in public school there isn’t a rigid program or a bunch of zoom classes that we have to do, and Birdie is 4 so we feel like building a fort is more important than practicing her letters.

That is like the “goal schedule” by the way, we don’t achieve it every day. In fact, the kids are downstairs right now on the iPad doing a learning app recommended by Charlie’s teacher, called ABC Mouse, because I have to write this post before Friday and Emily is on a conference call with her employees. And guess what? I’m gonna stop early and let them play because I don’t want to teach after writing this. I know that I’d be a Mrs. Green today because I’m tired, so I’m not gonna “hit myself”. And guess what else?? Tonight we’re gonna watch some TV with the kids, which we never did on most weeknights back in real life, but in crazy life, we watch way more tv than normal. And maybe that will change the longer this goes, but we’re totally fine with it for now because we all need joy right now. And guess what else, else??? We’re letting the kids stay up wayyyy later than we did in normal life because they’re sleeping in wayyyy later here in crazy life, which means an extra hour of quiet coffee time before school starts. And that’s why it’s nice to be the principal – I MAKE THE SCHEDULE! HA!

So, we are only 3 weeks in so it’s hard to make big statements. But if we look at this awful COVID thing as just a menacing older brother sitting on our collective chests, grabbing our wrists trying to make us hurt ourselves, maybe we can find little ways to fight back, stay sane and even enjoy some moments as wildly unprepared “teachers”. I know that little victories can seem insignificant in the face of such a daunting crisis, but if we open up the tunnel vision a bit, try to reframe it, we can carve out a little space that the darkness doesn’t own. And I think there’s hope in that. We can own our good times on our terms. If we are gentle with ourselves and our kids, if we take pride in what we’re able to do for our families during this sh*t-storm, if we give ourselves permission to fail and to make things easier for ourselves, if we can stop hitting ourselves, we can make the little victories feel enormous.

In a weird way, we’ve been given an opportunity to spend some important time with our kids, and I know there’s a lot of pressure to get it right, but I’m learning that the thing I want to get right is my relationship with my kids so that after we get through this they don’t remember shouting about math, but laughing about buttcheeks.

Stay safe and keep looking for the silver linings. And the white wine. And if you are a parent turned home school teacher, let’s collectively stop hitting ourselves.

– Brian

The post Brian’s Magical Mind-Trick to Get Through Homeschooling the Kids (And Even Be a Better Teacher) appeared first on Emily Henderson.

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Published on April 04, 2020 01:00

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