Scattered Sundays
Ok, people. I need help.
Oh, and good morning
Do any of you have french doors? If yes, how in the hell do you keep bugs out of your house? We have two sets of French doors, and flies have been issues since we installed them years ago.
Last year, we tried one of those magnetic screen things and I ripped it off within 24 hours. It was unwieldy, ugly, and looked like a hot sack of crap.
But, the bugs are an issue and we need something. Any ideas?
This week we started drugging our children at bedtime. Well, kinda.
After hearing Cassie from Cook it Real Good rave about melatonin gummies at the conference last week, I bought some kid-safe ones at Target. It’s this brand and they’re even cheaper on Amazon. I wish Costco had them. “Two gallons of sleepy pills please”.
Late-April through August is a rough time to have an east-facing bedroom window in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest. The sun starts shining by 5 amish, and it doesn’t get dark until 9 pm. In June, it’s even “worse” with 4:45 am daylight and 9:30 pm sunsets.
Both boys have light-blocking curtains, but Bennett spent over two weeks waking up between 5:30 and 5:45 am (he did it while I was at the conference. Snicker). Troy has now rigged a heavy-duty moving blanket in the window and then we cover it with the light-blocking curtains. But still, the early wake ups were happening.
So…we drugged him. I’m not sure if it is the melatonin gummy or the double-curtains, but Bennett has been sleeping until about 6:15 most mornings. It’s much better for his mood and thus ours if he sleeps the actual amount he needs. Because three-year-olds are naturally evil. Tired threeangers are straight up terrifying.
First apple of the season!
Happy Mother’s Day to the moms out there. I know that this day can be a mixed bag of feelings for many people. Whatever today looks like for you, I hope there is joy, self-care, and good food.
Troy and I used some of our tax return on three new windows for the house. Our entire house is old aluminum-framed windows and some of them are massive and waaaaaay out of the budget. But, there are smaller windows that also need replacing and those we could afford.
Last week I told Troy that for Mother’s day all I wanted was the window in the boy’s bathroom replaced this week. My father-in-law and Troy tackled it on Tuesday and it looks amazing! Well, for a bathroom.
The old window had a black frame and this weird black sticky gum seal. It would seep onto the window and it constantly looked like it was moldy. It was impossible to clean, and it made me cringe whenever we had guests over. We still have the same janky ass window in our master bathroom and hope to replace it within the year (but $$$$).
Next up, two of the windows in our kitchen. One will involve using scaffolding. So that should be fun…
Strawberries are on point!
We finally had Jack’s family birthday party yesterday. It was rescheduled after all three boys got sick the week it was originally supposed to be held. The weather was outstanding for the past five days, and it was 84 degrees yesterday! It was so odd to use AC in May; we still have flannel sheets on the bed!
My sister brought these candles for us and they instantly started melting!
Troy’s grandma moved into assisted living recently and we got her old patio set. It was the perfect price of free-ninety-nine. We topped the deck off with a rectangular sunshade from Costco (it’s really similar to this one) and now the very much under-used deck space is styling and profiling.
Reading is something I love so much, but I’ve been doing a piss poor job of making time for it lately. I downloaded What Alice Forgot from the library and have been enjoying it for like the fifth time.
It’s a book that every married person needs to read at least once, and I find every 12-18 months is the sweet spot for me.
Love books? Check out the previous discussions we’ve all had about our favorites here, here, here, and here.
Please note everyone is still enjoying the party, and he is reading his new birthday books.
What I’m Listening To This Week
Crimetown is back for season two!!! They dive into the criminal underground of one city each season. Season one was Providence and this season is all about Detroit.
I love this podcast and you will too.
Reader Spotlight of the Week
Isabella left this five-star comment on an oldie but a goodie post – How to Pop Popcorn Without a Popper:
I’ve always used some kind of popper to make popcorn at home, but when I got married it was like starting from scratch in the kitchen. My son loves popcorn and this recipe works perfectly as long as you follow the instructions. Thank you for saving our movie nights!
On Sustainable Cooks This Week
Strawberry Freezer Jam Recipe – The freshest tasting jam you’ve ever had, this Strawberry Freezer Jam Recipe is so simple to make. Just three ingredients and 20 minutes, and you’ll have homemade strawberry jam made by your very own two hands. Like a boss.
Crispy Turnip Fries {Whole30, Paleo, Vegan, Keto} – Crispy and healthy, you’ll love these smoky Turnip Fries! There is so much flavor in these low carb turnip chips, that even picky family members will ask for seconds. Baked turnips make for wonderful healthy french fries and are an easy Whole30, paleo, vegan, or keto-friendly side dish.
17 Podcasts About Blogging You Must Download – These 17 podcasts about blogging are a must download for any blogger! If you’re a food blogger, DIY blogger, travel blogger, or financial services blogger, these blogging podcasts are essentially free educational tools. Take your blogging business and entrepreneurial skills to the next level with these amazing resources.
{Pin this}
The Five Most Popular Posts This Week
- Virgin Mojito coming in hot again this week! {Pin this recipe}
- Trader Joe’s Whole30 Shopping List. People want printables my friends! {Pin this}
- Instant Pot Egg Bites. Whole30, dairy-free, and freezer-friendly. {Pin this}
- Healthy Sweet Tea. Awesome sweetness without the sugar crash. {Pin this}
- Honey Simple Syrup making it’s top 5 debut this week! {Pin this}
Meal Plan
Looking for someone to do the meal planning for you? I’m partnering with Real Plans to bring you personalized meal plans that fit all dietary needs. Try it yourself for free for 30 days.!
We have sooooooo much food in the freezer and my plan is to make a tiny dent in it this week. I’ll need some fresh products, but other than that, we’re eating from the freezer!
Monday:: Chef Salads
Tuesday:: I’ll be gone all day so Troy’s in charge!
Wednesday:: New recipe I am working on
Thursday:: New recipe I’m working on
Friday:: Homemade pizza because we’re finally having Jack’s friend birthday party. It’s a sleepover. God help us all.
Saturday:: Leftovers, popcorn, and movie night
Sunday:: Family dinner
What We Bought This Week
Smith Brother’s Farms: $14.58
If you’re in the Puget Sound area, get $20 off for signing up with Smith Brothers for their awesome home delivery.
Trader Joe’s: $43.24. You’ll see two things in this basket that I never buy: pre-shredded cheese and baby carrots. I was making freezer pizza’s for Jack’s party and needed just a bit more mozzarella. With my to-do list growing by the second, I broke down and bought the pre-shredded stuff. Same with baby carrots. I think baby carrots are so gross, but spending 30 minutes peeling and slicing as many carrots and I actually needed for the veggie tray was not appealing to me.
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For the bugs… seems SUPER hokey, but it’s worked for me in the past. I have no idea why it works, but it kept flies and mosquitos out of my house.
This is just google search directions 🙂
https://holistichorse.com/health-care/keep-flies-away-with-water-and-pennies-2/
You may be my new favorite person Laurel. I’ll give it a shot!
Phantom Screens for your French Doors. Â Www.phantomscreens.com
Have you used them before? I checked out the website and didn’t find it super user-friendly.
Happy Mother’s Day friend. You’re a Lovely Super Mom in my book <3
Awww thank you my friend, and I hope your day was wonderful too!!
We use a magnetic screen door and I love it but before that became affordable I experimented with making a curtain with mesh and hanging it in the door. For a single door it was too stiff to be functional but it might work over the larger size of a french door. As for the magnetic screen door we solved the problem of it constantly pulling off the door frame by hot gluing it in place. Takes a little more work to get it down at the end of the season but it solved the problem for us.
The problem is with one of our doors we can only open one side of it. That complicates how any screen would hang.
We have a part of our deck that almost seems like a mini room and I’m tempted to just screen in the whole damn thing at this point!
Happy Mother’s Day!  We have security doors installed as our French doors are all windows and we’re in a semi urban area. I don’t see flies get past them but I can say they don’t keep out tiny bugs.  Food for thought.
We had one of those on our front door in LA. You’re right that they’re not totally bug proof, but they do help!