Nathan from Lauren’s Perspective

Posted on by Lauren Lane

It’s almost Nathan’s birthday. We’re celebrating him this weekend, and I had planned a really fun blog post where he’d answer some questions about himself. I sent him the questions, to which he responded, “geez, these are really hard. When do you need these by again?” Always the man to do everything just in time at the last minute, I scrapped the “interview” and decided instead you’re getting Nathan Lane from Lauren’s perspective.

Why is Nathan a Denver Broncos fan? Because he doesn’t like to cheer for a winning team. Kidding! He reminds me constantly that the Broncos have won more Super Bowls in his lifetime than the Chiefs. He’s a Broncos fan because his parents and all extended family are from Colorado. Nathan was born in Colorado, and then moved to Kansas City relatively young. Did a brief stint in Dallas, Texas, and moved back to Kansas City around high school for him. He jokes, I think, that his dad would tell him and all of his siblings growing up that they can cheer for whoever they want, but he only allowed Broncos fans to live in the house. (Maybe that’s not a joke at all…)

What trait of Nathan’s do you wish you possessed more of? His luck. Is that a quality? I swear the man could fall into a pig stye and come out smelling like a rose. He just seems to be naturally lucky. If luck isn’t a trait, I’d say his adaptability. He can easily adapt to change, and I hate change.

Best thing that Nathan cooks? His burgers are the best ever. There are other things that he does really well, but the burgers take the cake for me.

What is always a Nathan job around your house? Mowing the grass. I know there are plenty of women that love mowing the grass, but I have never learned how to do it, and I have no desire to learn. I’ll learn out of necessity or hire somebody.

You’d be surprised to learn that…he has a very large rare bourbon collection. It became his hobby during COVID to collect limited release bourbons and hard to find bourbons. While the collecting has slowed down as he’s honed his taste, it’s really still quite a large stock. Someday, he wants a bourbon tasting room/bar in his basement.

Where did Nathan go to college? He went to K-State (or K-Stake, as the boys pronounce it) in Manhattan, KS. He started off, I believe, as an architecture student and ended it as an accounting major. I’d describe his interest being more broad, macro-level finance based versus accounting based. And truthfully, and we still say this now, he should have probably been an architect. His mind is naturally gifted at envisioning and designing buildings and structures. He designed both his parents backyard deck and our backyard patio. He’s re-designed our house more times than I can count, although, we’ve never gone through with the renovation. Maybe it will be a second career?

Who is more competitive: you or Nathan? Nathan. I hate losing, but Nathan haaaaaates losing. Hates with a lot of a’s. Especially at something that he believes he has the full capability to win. The stories that I hear about Nathan as a kid playing anything competitive, and quite frankly anything that was competitive and the need to make it into a competition, sound very similar to Harrison.

Nathan’s oddly picky about…his hair. Generally speaking, think his hair looks the exact same. Same styling day after day. Same haircut, time after time. But he will pick apart his hair.

Valentine’s Day With Kids

Posted on by Lauren Lane

It was January. I was exhausted from work, and I started thinking of all the things I needed to plan and have organized for the next few months coming up. One of those being Valentine’s Day. And I started to feel a little resentful because I feel like the last few years I keep seeing more and more ideas of gifts for kids on Valentine’s Day. As though the expectation was shifting that I now had to be prepared to gift them a Valentine’s basket and needed one more holiday to have to buy for and put together.

That’s silly, isn’t it…the way we’re able to compare ourselves to some other’s standard of parenting and motherhood.

So I talked myself out of the need to buy my kids a full blown basket of gifts that would invariably end up broken or not played with. And instead, I’m going simple.

They’re going to get a special breakfast of pancakes with red sprinkles. Sprinkles make everything festive, and little treat bags of X’s and O’s Gummies from their mommy & daddy.

For Valentine’s for school this year, they are taking individually wrapped goldfish snack bags. I made this design to add to the front of them, and printed them on sticker paper.

And our family tradition has always been to make homemade pizzas for Valentine’s Day dinner. Nathan and I have done that for years pre-kids and it’s all the more fun with the kids! Although I do have to buy an extra bag of cheese because the boys do a lot of “taste testing.”

I hope your Valentine’s day is fun, and you’re reminded how much you’re loved!

Friday Favorites {02.10.23}

Posted on by Lauren Lane

I have a note on my calendar today that Kindergarten enrollment opens today. Kindergarten. Have we really already passed the baby, toddler and preschool years with our oldest? Oh my goodness. I’m so excited for him, and he’s so ready. And still, I’d just give anything to go back to one more day with this little boy…

And now I’m casually crying at my computer…He was always Harrison. From the minute he was born. I look back at it now, and I can see it ever so clearly. His contemplative nature and the need to figure things out. His a million miles a minute “Hurricane Harrison” was there from the beginning. The doer, goer, tryer, confident little boy was always there.

Here I am off on a tangent again. But, alas, it feels monumental. Kindergarten.

We had a good week. Started it off with some nicer weather and being able to play outside, and then Chiefs Superbowl spirit week at school! Here’s a look at some things that brought a smile to my face this week.

Speaking of Harrison, Nathan and Harrison got back from their annual boys’ ski trip to Breckenridge. I love that Nathan wants to do this trip. I smile just thinking about these two spending one-on-one time together. And Harrison seems to be a natural picking up another activity…

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Let’s Look: At What’s In My Medicine Cabinet

Posted on by Lauren Lane

It’s Let’s Look day where we share a peak into some very random aspect of our lives!

Last month, I shared how I schedule/organize our family.

And today, I’m linking up with Shay and Erika to share a look at our “medicine cabinet.” And I do mean medicine cabinet.

Oh man. You know we have buckets of medicine. Pantloads of medicine in this house. We are in the pit of daycare germ central in the Lane house. Harrison has finally grown to an age where he really only gets super sick once or twice a year, and will have a few colds thrown in there. Jonathan, though. Bless. Our little COVID baby who was around people with masks from the time he was born until January of last year, woof. We have taken a beating on the cold front with him for the past year. All of us. Or really, mainly me since he practically wants to re-attach his umbilical cord and won’t let me go whenever he’s sick. If Jonathan’s sick, I can pretty much guarantee that my immune system will not withstand being coughed in the face, sneezed on, vomited on, used as a human Kleenex, and invariably the child steals my water bottle and puts all of his cold germs all over it.

Can you tell I’m a bit of a germaphobe? Not a good combination with a toddler who goes to full time daycare. But I’m working through it.

I debated on how to set up this post. Because I could probably go on for a looooong time about medicine. But since we’re looking at medicine cabinets, I’m going to share how I attack sicknesses around here…

At the first sign of sickness for anybody in this house:

I start with Elderberry syrup for everyone. I make my own, because it’s ridiculously expensive at the store and honestly super easy to make. But as soon as I see the snot rolling down my toddler’s face, out comes the elderberry. The boys actually love this stuff. It has honey in it, though, so it’s only ok if they are over the age of one. And, of course, you should always do your own research, talk to your pediatrician, etc. I’m just simply sharing what we do in this house 🙂

I buy a package of elderberries off of Amazon, and I use this recipe that lasts us about a month or more and we use it a loooot. I have yet to run out of elderberries either, and it’s been almost a year of doing this.

I myself start taking Zicam immediately and Emergen-C as soon as someone is sick in the house because….why not.

For the kids:

If it’s just a minor cold, I mostly let them ride it out without much intervention. If they’re complaining about how they’re feeling or have a cough, I opt for Hyland’s Children’s Daytime or Nightime and/or a teaspoon of honey for a cough. Again – only if they’re over one.

We have humidifiers going in their rooms at night all winter long. And we just ride it out.

If they have a fever that’s bothering them and they’re uncomfortable and not sleeping well, I throw in the ibuprofen as well.

I also usually add in a warm epsom salt bath in the evening to release toxins, and then some crazy cold wet sock trick that I read about on the internet.

What’s the cold sock treatment, you ask?

You soak lightweight cotton socks in ice water. Ring them out and put them on right after your bath, and cover with one or two pairs of dry heavy wool socks. The theory is that it puts your immune system into high gear over night as it works to warm your feet, and thus, works harder to fight off anything else your body is fighting, too. Does it work? I don’t know. Who can really say…but it seems to help the boys. And at the very least, they think it’s kind of cool to do something special.

Other items I always keep in our kids’ medicine cabinet: children’s Claritin, children’s Benadryl, Pedialyte, Stool softeners, and hydrocortisone. Nose frida…boogie wipes…the list could go on. 🙂

The adults medicine cabinet consists of: ibuprofen, Tylenol, DayQuil, NyQuil, Sore throat lozenges, Sinus congestion medicine, cough medicine, and Mucinex for colds. And then we have things like Pepto Bismal, Pepcid Complete for heartburn, and allergy meds.

Of course, we have a variety of first aid items as well: heating pads, band-aids of every variety and design, Neosporin, thermometers on every floor of the house, ice packs.

Those are the things that we arm ourselves with in this house!

How I Plan Blog Posts

Posted on by Lauren Lane

I started this blog three years ago. I had a one year old, a full time crazy demanding job, but I felt like I was missing out on remembering all of the things that I didn’t want to forget about motherhood and raising Harrison. It was born out of wanting to have a creative outlet that was just mine, and encouraged me to write about the things that I cared about or found interesting. And while I couldn’t tell you the first thing about monetizing blogs, I have learned a few things that have worked for me when planning posts.

-1- I try to post regularly and on a schedule. I found that Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday posts worked best for me and my work schedule. Do I sometimes miss a day? Or even a whole week when I’m feeling uninspired? Yeah. But for the most part, I try for three posts a week that are scheduled to post super early in the morning, for all of the morning blog readers. I know you’re out there 🙂

-2- Once a month, I plan blog post topics for the upcoming month. I have an Outlook calendar just for my blog posts, and I add my blog post topic for the day to the calendar. There are certain days that I join link-ups, which I set as recurring calendar events. And then I always look at the month ahead and note any special posts I want to do that could be tied to a special event. I tend to do letters to my kids posts around their birthdays, and 7 Quick Takes twice a year per kid at least usually around the birthdays and half birthdays. I do something “marriage” related around our anniversary…you get the picture.

-3- I work on the rough outline of posts a week in advance of them posting. I’ll write a rough draft of the posts for the topics I have coming up the upcoming week. Then I’ll go back and edit, re-write, and add pictures before they get scheduled to go live on the blog. If I need particular pictures for a post that I haven’t taken, I’ll add it as a reminder in my phone for the next time I’m most likely doing that activity.

-4- When I can’t think of any topics to cover in a blog post, I usually look back at the previous years around the same timeframe to see if there’s a thematic post that I could build on or refresh for the current year. Or I use other bloggers for inspiration. There are so many great prompts and topics! I’ve also found that Storyworth, which I had a subscription to and was sort of the jumping off point of wanting to start a blog, has great ideas for posts as well.

-5- While I generally stick to my topic planning calendar, there are times when something pops up that I want to write about in a more timely fashion. I just move the other idea to later in the month or even the following month.

Friday Favorites {02.03.23}

Posted on by Lauren Lane

Well, old Punxsutawney Phil didn’t do us any favors yesterday by predicting six more weeks of winter. I don’t know that anyone puts much stock in whether a groundhog sees his shadow or not, but there is something about it that makes me ever so slightly bummed when it seems like every year he predicts more winter. It’s a thought of, “What if this groundhog really DOES know what’s in store for the next six weeks?” Similar to those email chains you’d get in the 2000’s. ‘Send this 20 people or bad luck for a year! ‘ Did I forward that email to twenty people every time? I sure did. Didn’t want to take any chances just in case it was legit.

But I digress…here are some of my favorites from the past (few) weeks! Happy Friday, friends!

A couple weeks ago, we packed our children up and sent them off to their Gigi and Pops for the most magical, relaxing 24 hours by ourselves I feel like I’ve ever experienced. Ha! It’s been over three years since we’ve been sans kids by ourselves overnight. Jonathan had never spent a night away from us. And oh my goodness…those 24 hours felt life-giving.

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My 5 Go-To Winter Meals

Posted on by Lauren Lane

I become a warm, hearty meal kind of girl in the winter time. I love something filling and savory for dinner. It’s rare that we go a week without trying at least one new recipe, but there are certain meals that I come back to time and time again, and when I’m not sure what to make, it’s usually one of these in the winter…

Chili & Cornbread. It’s not really fall and the kick-off of the cooler weather until we’ve made our first batch of chili for the year. We serve ours with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and Fritos, and always, always, always Trader Joe’s cornbread.

Print Recipe

Chorizo Chili

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Course: Main Course

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 lb fresh beef chorizo
  • 1 med yellow onion chopped
  • 1 med red bell pepper chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 15 oz diced tomatoes
  • 6 oz tomato sauce
  • 3 c beef broth
  • 3 T Penzey’s Chili 3000 powder
  • 1 1/2 t dried oregano
  • 1 t ground cumin
  • 1 t salt
  • 1/2 t ground black pepper
  • 2 Cans 15.5 oz red kidney beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 Can 15.5 oz black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 can 15.5 oz small red beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 can 15.5 oz pinto beans drained and rinsed

Instructions

  • Place in large Dutch oven over medium heat, brown beef and chorizo. Add onions, bell peppers, and garlic. Cook 5 min until cooked through. Add all remaining ingredients, stir well, bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat to a simmer and cook at least 30-35 minutes

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7 Quick Jonathan Take (v. III)

Posted on by Lauren Lane

I had to scroll way way way back on the Jonathan section of this blog to find the last time I did quick Jonathan takes. Like all the way back to last June. (Makes a mental note to do quick takes more often.) I rounded up seven things that are making me laugh, smile, frustrated about this little almost 2 and a half year old to hold on to and remember forever.

-1- He’s realized that Alexa can understand him now. And he loves yelling, “Alexa! play gummy gummy!” Which is the gummy bear song for those that aren’t familiar with gummy gummy.

-2- Potty training has also come with a strange tradition now. The naming of his poop. Jungle poop. Zebra poop. Monkey poop. Does it seem to have any rhyme or reason? No. But it’s hilarious.

-3- The way he pronounces things without “r.” Like saying, “You ready Hay-son?”

-4- He tends to wander off and disappear. And I often times find myself yelling in the house, “Jonathan, where are you?” Only to hear from somewhere in the house, “I’m right here!”

-5- His best friends at school right now are Georgie Porgie, John John, and Brooksie. And he’s also asking his friends, “You wanna come bounce?” To see who he can get to come play in the bounce house with him.

-6- Jonathan dancing is my favorite. It’s a butt out squat, arms in the air and wiggle while sticking your tongue out dance move. And I love it.

-7- Being two and a half has also come with an obsession with locks on doors. Including locking me into Harrison’s room with no way of getting out. And locking himself in our master bathroom all while yelling at his brother that “[He] needs privacy!” This episode also came with the realization that we don’t own a key that unlocks our master bathroom door….

I love getting to know this little personality that is so uniquely Jonathan. He makes me smile and laugh every single day.

What’s Up Wednesday {01.25.23}

Posted on by Lauren Lane

Last week at work kicked my booty. And this week has been no walk in the park either. This January has flown by, and I’m not really sure that we’ve done much of anything but here’s a little peek at our January…

As always, I’m linking up with Shay and Sheaffer to share with you what’s going on in our life!

1: WHAT WE’RE EATING THIS WEEK: My parents brought me over a smoked pot roast that I’m planning on slow cooking this week as an easy meal. Such a huge help with how busy work has been the last couple of weeks. And later in the week, we’re going to do some homemade burrito bowls with carnitas, rice, and black beans.

2: WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT:

Kids grow up so fast. We all know that. The pictures and videos, though, of Jonathan a year ago at 1.5 versus the little boy in front of me at 2.5 is just wild how much they grow in that year. The way he talks now, understands things and tells us things about his day. It’s just so hard to believe that a year ago we were getting none of that!

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January 2023 Book Review

Posted on by Lauren Lane

It’s time for my monthly book review! I actually started (and finished) these books in December. January has been a busy month getting back into the swing of things at work. I read two books over the past two months…

The first was Hunt, Gather, Parent.

When Dr. Michaeleen Doucleff becomes a mother, she examines the studies behind modern parenting guidance and finds the evidence frustratingly limited and the conclusions often ineffective. Curious to learn about more effective parenting approaches, she visits a Maya village in the Yucatán Peninsula. There she encounters moms and dads who parent in a totally different way than we do – and raise extraordinarily kind, generous, and helpful children without yelling, nagging, or issuing timeouts. What else, Doucleff wonders, are Western parents missing out on?

In Hunt, Gather, Parent, Doucleff sets out with her three-year-old daughter in tow to learn and practice parenting strategies from families in three of the world’s most venerable communities: Maya families in Mexico, Inuit families above the Arctic Circle, and Hadzabe families in Tanzania. She sees that these cultures don’t have the same problems with children that Western parents do. Most strikingly, parents build a relationship with young children that is vastly different from the one many Western parents develop – it’s built on cooperation instead of control, trust instead of fear, and personalized needs instead of standardized development milestones.

Maya parents are masters at raising cooperative children. Without resorting to bribes, threats, or chore charts, Maya parents rear loyal helpers by including kids in household tasks from the time they can walk. Inuit parents have developed a remarkably effective approach for teaching children emotional intelligence. When kids cry, hit, or act out, Inuit parents respond with a calm, gentle demeanor that teaches children how to settle themselves down and think before acting. Hadzabe parents are world experts on raising confident, self-driven kids with a simple tool that protects children from stress and anxiety, so common now among American kids.

Not only does Doucleff live with families and observe their techniques firsthand, she also applies them with her own daughter, with striking results. She learns to discipline without yelling. She talks to psychologists, neuroscientists, anthropologists, and sociologists and explains how these strategies can impact children’s mental health and development. Filled with practical takeaways that parents can implement immediately, Hunt, Gather, Parent helps us rethink the ways we relate to our children, and reveals a universal parenting paradigm adapted for American families.

(Book summaries from Amazon)

Oh man. I’m not even sure what to say. I found parts of this book interesting and parts incredibly dull and well, obvious, and quite frankly, not things that I would eve implement in our house. For example, the suggestion is made to get rid of all kids’ toys, as they aren’t needed in many cultures. That children just play with what is available. While I imagine that’s true, I won’t be ridding our house of toys. I’ll keep to my editing often of toys.

There’s also a suggestion that children should be included in household upkeep, and encouraged to help alongside adults. That’s been our parenting philosophy so far with Harrison and Jonathan. That as much as it’s easier to just clean, cook, fix things ourselves without the help of little hands, that actually letting them participate and take ownership of it increases their skills and willingness to help often in the future.

Overall, like most parenting books, I liked some of it. Didn’t like other bits. But didn’t find the book overall to be a profound parenting mindset shift for myself.

The other book I read this past month was Christmas in Peachtree Bluff.

When the Murphy women are in trouble, they always know they can turn to their mother, Ansley. So when eldest daughter Caroline and her husband announce they are divorcing – and 15-year-old daughter Vivi acts out in response – Caroline, at her wits end, can’t think of anything to do besides leave her with Ansley in Peachtree Bluff for the holidays. After all, how much trouble can one teenager get into on a tiny island?

Quite a lot, as it turns out.

As the “storm of the century” heads toward Peachtree Bluff, Ansley and her husband, Jack, with Vivi in tow, are grateful they’re planning to leave for the trip of a lifetime. But Vivi’s recklessness forces the trio to shelter in place during the worst hurricane Peachtree has ever seen. With no power, no provisions, and the water rising, the circumstances become dire very quickly…and the Murphy sisters soon realize it’s up to them to conduct a rescue mission. With the bridges closed and no way to access Peachtree Bluff by land or air, they set sail on Caroline’s boat, The Starlite Sisters, determined to rebuild their beloved town – and their family.

This was the fourth, and I believe final, book in the Peachtree Bluff series. I spaced them out throughout the year so I could read this one around Christmas. And it didn’t disappoint. It was sweet, light, and just the overall perfect Christmas book for the season.