this & that: july 2019

July 06, 2019 by Maria Almeida in maria, this & that

We are in full-on summer mode and we are loving it! I wish my kids would add sleeping in to the mix but they must love life so much they can’t wait to get at it again every morning - or at least that’s what I tell myself when 6:30 rolls around every morning and they’re (literally) springing out of bed. At first our utter lack of routine and responsibilities unnerved me - I felt like I had to impose a schedule and create a checklist just to keep some kind of regularity in our days. That totally tanked. Turns out homeschooling moms enjoy summer as much as the kids do. But we did end up finding a rhythm of sorts and it’s wonderful. Breakfast, outside play before it’s too hot, inside play while baby naps, lunch together, pool, dinner, evening walk... Same things every day. Simple and wonderful.

Now for some links!

Fun and interesting

Check out these perfectly timed shots: this, this, this, this, and this. I could look at this kind of thing forever.

This hovering backpack kind of blows my mind. It is mesmerizing!

“Very impressive starling murmurations” is kind of an understatement, imho.

These quizzes are so gimmicky. Unless they come out so right, haha. (I got snowy.)

Thought provoking reads:

Smash the Wellness Industry. Lots of good thoughts here. I’m not sure I agree with the author on the cause of the problem, but it’s definitely a problem and one I think women have to be conscious of and fight on a daily basis. “Women, can two or more of us get together without mentioning our bodies and diets? It would be a small act of resistance and a kindness to ourselves.” It seems simple enough, but I bet it would make big changes!

The babushkas who stuck around after Chernobyl. The risk of radiation poisoning vs leaving the only home you’ve ever known.

I got sucked in to this food blogger’s account of her experience of hyperemesis gravidarum and swore up and down afterwards that I would never again complain about my relatively slight morning sickness when/if I get pregnant again.

The durable feeling that a child is always at risk, but from the perspective of a physician.

For this holiday weekend:

How fireworks work. It’s time you understand it.

Assuming you go to a picnic this weekend, here are some best bbq sides that you can bring!

It’s good to reflect on the sacrifices made by the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

this & that: june 2019

June 08, 2019 by Maria Almeida in this & that, maria

Summer is in full swing! I’d love to know how you all do your summers. Do you just let the days run their course or do you have a daily schedule? I have to admit, I don’t achieve my ideal summer day every day, which I envision as a balance of scheduled and free time. Schedule takes discipline and that just seems to go out the window when there’s no external accountability for it (like school.) Tips would be appreciated!

For now, I’m going to seize this lazy Saturday morning and browse these links. Join me!

this & that: May 2019

May 04, 2019 by Maria Almeida in maria, this & that

Hello lovely readers.

I hope your week was a good one and that you can enjoy these two days of rest, or whatever we Americans call weekends. They’re hardly restful. But hopefully they’re rejuvenating!

My week was … well … about the same as every other week. Kids do school, kids do soccer, kids play, we get outside, we see friends, I clean, I cook, I resolve conflicts, I negotiate hostage situations talk down toddler tantrums, etc. Some days I do it pretty well, some days I fall pretty low. Those highs and lows seems to be part and parcel of the gig. Sometimes it’s easy; other times, I’ll be honest, my love tank runs on almost empty. There’s a lot of self talk for times like that, but maybe the simplest is, well, someone did it for me. Maybe that’s what we can celebrate this Mother’s Day, that our mothers showed up even when they were low on sleep, stretched thin, over touched, tired of cleaning, or whatever it was. They showed us what it was to love even when they weren’t really feeling the love. I know that’s not the stuff of the grocery store flowers and sappy Hallmark cards, but it maybe it’s more meaningful for all that?

this & that: april 2019

April 06, 2019 by Maria Almeida in this & that, maria

Hello! It’s April!

YES. It is. And with it comes all the promise of spring and sunshine!

I love when Easter falls this late in April. It just feels so in step with the seasons. Spring starts to peek through the dismal long cold and then all of a sudden it’s busting out all over. It’s so refreshing and revitalizing, which, of course, is the promise of Easter.

Now grab some coffee and joins us for some links!

Where are GBBO winners now? I’m going to go find all those blogs!

Literary critique from unlikely places. Amazon really does have everything.

These abstract portraits are incredible.

Waaaaanderluuuuuust

Good for a laugh. But seriously, it's ridiculous!

Don't text with good grammar! People might think you're being a jerk.

Bad diets, cigarettes, wine, sugar, lack of exercise. It's all killing us. But we're all going to die anyway...

There are just no words. Breath taken.

I'm intrigued. Would it catch, I wonder?

this & that: March 2019

March 02, 2019 by Maria Almeida in maria, this & that

“It was one of those days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”

Leave it to Charles Dickens to nail a description.

this & that: February 2019

February 02, 2019 by Maria Almeida in this & that, maria

We all hit slumps, right? We all three of us hit a blog slump at the same time. A little bit of holiday overload, some traveling, and a lot of sickness - 2019 came on like a bear and laid us flat just a little bit. But now we’re pulling ourselves up and out of it and kicking off our 2019 … just a month late!

this & that: November

November 03, 2018 by Maria Almeida in this & that, maria, life

It’s November! Pause for a second and let that blow your mind. Also, momentarily freak out about having less than 8 weeks until Christmas and then remember you have almost 8 weeks and Amazon so there’s nothing to worry about.

this & that: august 25, 2018

August 25, 2018 by Maria Almeida in maria, this & that

This week we celebrated one year in Houston. So much has happened for my family in this past year. New home town, new baby, first year homeschooling, first home purchase. Sometimes I get this uncomfortable feeling that it's all passing too quickly to take it all in.

this & that: week of August 11, 2018

August 11, 2018 by Maria Almeida in maria, this & that

Ok we're slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things around here. We're having baby baptized tomorrow and then a little luncheon afterwards for close friends. She's really starting to wake up to the world - making eye contact, smiling, staying awake for more than just a few minutes, and seeming to recognize the people around here or at least to be more alert and aware of the surrounding noise (er, chaos.) These are my favorite days, when they're still mostly sleeping and cuddling on you, but starting to show all the promise of their little personalities. It's full of sweetness and anticipation.

this & that: week of August 3, 2018

August 04, 2018 by Maria Almeida in this & that, maria

We're back! We took a brief hiatus for the month of July for moving/babies/harvesting. Our blog is coming up on its 1st birthday so we'll probably be having a few conversations in the next weeks about what's working, what's not, and where we want to go with it. Reader input is highly valued!

this & that: week of June 2, 2018

June 02, 2018 by Maria Almeida in maria, this & that, life

June! When did that happen? (Also, does commenting on the rapid passage of time ever become old? It just always seems surprising!)

"Summer" takes on a whole new meaning in Houston. Unrelenting heat and humidity means fewer opportunities for outside play, a lot of watermelon, and pool time every day. We're still learning how to shape our days to beat the heat.

this & that: week of May 26, 2018

May 26, 2018 by Maria Almeida in this & that

Sorry we missed you last week! That's just real life, I guess. But we're back and at it for your extended Memorial Day weekend. I hope that one extra day gives you a nice break.