Friends, do you have an Instant Pot in your kitchen? My parents-in-law kindly gifted us one last Christmas… and it took me until this summer to open the box. It just seemed intimidating – like another thing to learn that I didn’t really seem to be missing in my life. Plus, I didn’t know any Instant Pot recipes (and didn’t really need to add anything more to the 100+ “recipes to try” on my Pinterest board).
It might have taken going into lockdown, but I eventually did open the box. Even then, my and the Instant Pot’s relationship was a slow burn. There’s a learning curve to the mechanics, and it was frustrating to me when a recipe with a 5-minute cooking time actually took 20 minutes due to the pressurizing and venting.
A few months in, I’ve mastered the mechanics and have a small collection of Instant Pot recipes that we love. I’ve still got a lot to learn – I’m not really comfortable translating a slow cooker recipe to the IP freehand, preferring to lean on IP-specific recipes – and when I use the Instant Pot as a slow cooker, I miss the way the delicious smell of whatever’s cooking wafts throughout the house.
It seems like it’s here to stay, though, so let’s talk Instant Pot recipes! These are a few I’d recommend – and I’d love to hear yours!
With June well into her four-year-old year, I figured it was high time for an update on some of her favorites! (We last checked in right after her third birthday!) As you can see, 4 has been an absolute delight. She is funny, quick to laugh, so loving, and an excellent conversationalist. She especially adores her mama, her daddy, and her cousins, and, as I’m detailing below, a few other things!
— This camera was one of her fourth birthday presents, and it has been a constant companion on hikes ever since. We’ve never actually uploaded the photos to the computer – the real joy is in taking them, it seems – but you can, if you’d like. — Little plastic animals like these and these (or a slightly bigger size like this, this, or this) are MVPs around our house. The kids play with them in the bath, in the sand table, in the garden beds, on trips, on hikes… they’re small enough that they’re easy to tote along or share with a friend and are great for facilitating imaginative play everywhere and anywhere. — Current TV favorites include The Octonauts (Netflix), If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (Amazon Prime), and Clifford (Amazon Prime). Y’all know the Octonauts love goes deep around here (we love it, too – so many fun facts!) – if it’s the same at your house, I highly recommend this coloring book. June has painstakingly colored every page (sob). — Continuing with the Octonauts theme, girl loves splashing in under-the-sea sensory bins and completing this National Geographic Ocean Animals sticker book. (She calls it National Sea-ographic :)) — Other activity favorites: these paint-by-sticker books (June can complete them without assistance), these number and alphabet activity pads, and this unicorn and mermaid sticker book (it’s really good – there’s also this boy version!). To keep those colored pencils sharp, we invested in this pencil sharpener and it is a HIT. — In addition to Magna-Tiles (we also have Picasso Tiles – especially love the set with cars), the number one favorite toy in our house is this ice cream set. June and Shep both play with it daily with great enthusiasm, and have for more than a year. FIVE STARS! — We use this shampoo on her hair these days and this spray-on conditioner to help with the tangles. This brush is still the best! And a big bow or smaller bows. — These sweet princess dresses are perfect for everyday dress-up (or for a Disney trip, when those are a thing again!). A great price and adorable styles. June pairs them with her “party shoes” (also a great price – we’ve bought them in multiple sizes). — We’ve had a Jesus Storybook Bible since before June was born, but this feels like the first year she’s really started to understand it. It’s the most beautiful retelling – a pleasure for all of us to read :)
Whew! Hopefully this gives you a few new ideas for your favorite four-year-old (or gift ideas for the holidays! :)). If you’re looking for most of my past kiddo picks in one easy place, I’ve organized them more neatly here!
Happy October, friends! Though the pandemic has canceled several of our fall favorites, we’re still feeling the cozy vibes over here. Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, apple cider scones, new soup recipes, hiking through colorful leaves, crisp afternoons playing outside with neighborhood friends, and this weekend – a bit of decorating inside and out! My tiny sidekick is pumped :)
On my calendar this month: — Decorating for fall, including making ghosts with June per her request — The fifth (fifth!) anniversary gathering of Articles Club — Our family fall trip to the mountains
What I’m loving right now: — John and I recently watched the first two seasons of Cobra Kai, and I have complicated feelings about it. The first 8 episodes of season 1 were THOROUGHLY enjoyable and refreshing – surprisingly, the characters kept making the right decisions. Things took a turn from there, though, and for some reason I took it very personally, ha! In honor of Johnny and Mr. LaRusso, we’ve been listening to this playlist and it is deliciously 80’s – great for cleaning or bopping around the house. — My parents-in-law gave me this Gathre tablecloth in the Stars print recently, and I am in love. Made from leather, they are not inexpensive, but the ease of clean-up after meals is amazing with little kids. Maybe a good thing to put on a Christmas list or to scout on Black Friday! — This set of 20 linen hair bows is a steal of a deal. We’ve been having fun adding them to the ends of June’s braids!
As a reminder, you can find allll the things I’ve loved over the last few years neatly organized right here!
What I read in September: — Adopted for Life | I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this book wasn’t it. I enjoyed the Biblical depth he offered for the underpinnings of adoption, but I think I was hoping for something more practical. — 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You | I have read many books on our digital lives at this point, and so far this one is middle of the pack. Similar to Adopted for Life, he’s less focused on the practical and more on the big picture… and I guess I like the nitty gritty :) The “change” that has stuck with me the most, though, has really stuck with me: “we ignore our flesh and blood.” I think about it every time I’m tempted to pick up my phone while driving.
Revisiting my September goals: Film Sheptember, Volume 2 Read a marriage book in honor of our anniversary (didn’t get to this, but I think I’m going to choose How to Fall in Love with Anyone on the recommendation of reader Sarah!) Complete our upstairs bathroom renovation (“complete” was a little ambitious, but we definitely made progress! Walls painted, mirror down, new bathmats and shower curtain installed!) Complete four more Advent ornaments(tree, candy cane, heart, and present!) Ride 50 miles on our stationary bike or out in the wild (48!! So close!) Add plants to the master bathroom Begin family “by-laws” in a Google Doc Adjust the styling of EFM’s H1 headers so I can use them! (sent an email to my web folks, so this is underway!) Send a care package to a former babysitter who’s a college freshman
October goals: — Design our family Christmas newsletter and order Christmas cards — Edit Sheptember, Volume 2 — Complete four more Advent ornaments — Ride 50 miles — Wallpaper the upstairs bathroom — Switch out lighting in the upstairs bathroom — Finalize family mission statement — Finish garage reboot, including hanging our bikes
Also fun to note: 2021 PowerSheets launch this month! Even in a really unusual year, I’m so grateful for the progress I’ve made on the goals I share here each month – things that really matter to me – and my PowerSheets are a big part of that. If you’re ready for a fresh start next year, I hope you’ll take a peek at the collection on October 14th!
Today is a fun day — my first episode as a podcast guest (outside of work) debuts on my dear friend Nancy Ray’s podcast! Though I will likely always feel I’m better able to communicate in writing versus speaking, I was honored to be asked to come on as a guest and hope I did okay! We sure had fun either way :)
Recording live from the floor of my closet!
The episode is focused on camping, but don’t worry if you’re not particularly interested in camping – we touch on lots of other topics like friendship, slow parenting, how Nancy and I first met, the joint trip we hope to take for our 15th camping anniversary, and book and product recommendations. We also, of course, cover many nitty gritty adventuring tips. I hope you give it a listen! I’ll be hearing it alongside y’all for the first time later today – eek!
I mention in the episode that I am a super fan of the podcast, and I didn’t just say that to be nice – I really have listened to all 81 (and counting) episodes of Work & Play with Nancy Ray! I love it for a few reasons:
— Most of the episodes are bite-size – 15-20 minutes. Since I have a limited amount of time to listen in my week, I appreciate that she packs a punch in less time than it takes me to drive to the office. — Nancy gets specific and practical in her episodes, walking you through, for example, exactly what she writes in her journals, what she does in her morning routine, or the rhythm of her work week. As an Enneagram 5 who craves information and real-life examples, I find this so valuable and instructive! I’m not always going to follow what she does exactly, but it provides food for thought and a different perspective. It reminds me of what I was taught in my poetry classes: that the most personal is the most universal, because we can often more easily see ourselves in the little details than we can in the broad strokes. — As a host, Nancy is professional but not overly polished. Having had many conversations with her as a friend, I can truly say that listening to an episode is like… having a conversation with a friend :) — To know Nancy is to love her and admire her. I have learned so much from her about faith, family, friendship, work, marriage, and more in our decade plus of friendship, and I love that listening to her podcast each week helps me learn in a new way! — Every Tuesday, it’s kind of like spinning the roulette wheel of topics – I never know what’s going to pop up! But selfishly, Nancy’s definition of work and play encompasses everything I’m most interested in, so I’m never disappointed. If you love Em for Marvelous, you’ll probably love the variety of W&P, too :)
Today, in honor of my episode, I thought I’d share a few of my past favorites!
Find every episode of the podcast here and feel free to subscribe with your favorite podcast app!
I’d love to hear: if you’re already a fan of Work & Play, which episodes have been your favorite?
P.S. For more on camping, start here. For more with Nancy, check out our How We Do It series, starting here!And hey, if you’re new, welcome!! You can find out more about me and Em for Marvelous right here.
