Monthly Musings: Ways We Make Our Weeks Easier

It's the last Thursday Saturday of the month so it's past time for Monthly Musings which is now hosted by Patty, who blogs at Good, Better, Best. You should join in on this link up because it's super fun!

1) Paper planner, digital calendar, or other option?

I bought a paper planner for a few years, and didn't use it, so in 2026 for the first time, I didn't buy one. Gasp. However, in August 2016 we visited the world's first Target in Minneapolis-St Paul and I bought a reusable monthly calendar. I think it was meant for teachers but we've used it as our family calendar for years. We all count on it and, as we've had nowhere to put it during our reno, our lives have been a little upside down these past few months. I can't wait until we can count on it again.

Each person has a different colour to help with a quick visual check.

 

2) Meal planning, meal prep, or wing it?

I started meal planning when Sam was a baby and haven't looked back since. Sometimes we throw the plan out the window and eat out, or have leftovers, but it really is a lifesaver. Again, we all look at the meal plan and know what's on the menu. Before our reno, our meal planning happened on a notepad on the fridge, but since we've started the renovation, we've resorted to a shared "note" in the Notes app on our phones. I think we'll probably go back to paper after the reno as it's easier to look at.

 

Various menu planning pads throughout the years. 

3) Do you choose your outfit the night before?

I don't really. I kind of have an idea of what I want to wear based on the weather, and what's on my "I've worn it once" pile in my closet, but I don't have a firm outfit picked.

4) Tips for managing laundry and ironing?

I manage ironing by not doing it! Hahaha!

In terms of laundry, I'm usually on top of it, but given our reno, everything is up in the air. I try to do laundry on Wednesdays (when I'm home in the evening) and then on the weekends.

5) Grocery shop instore or online?

I've never gotten into the habit of online grocery shopping. The first time I tried it, it just seemed really complicated. Maybe I would be more into online ordering if Dave didn't do the bulk of our weekly shopping!

6) Best tips for getting out the door in the morning without chaos?

Leave before everyone else does! Hahaha! (Aren't my tips so useful?!?!) I have to leave for work around 7:30 and the kids are just waking up then so it helps me get out the door. Plus Dave has a flexible work schedule so he helps with packing lunches. I try to get the kids moving before I have to leave, but really, the bulk of the work is up to Dave after I've left.

7) Share your easiest dinners for crazy weeks.

Our family loves grilled cheese and tacos. We also eat a lot of tuna melts or tuna noodle casserole. Really, meal planning helps with the crazy weeks because we know we'll have very little time to cook, we pick an easy meal, and we divide tasks up ahead of time.

8) Best tips to keep your house organized during the week?

It's so funny answering these questions while most of our house is being renovated. We are the complete opposite of organized right now! Hahahaha!!! We do try to put things away as we use them/as they come into the house so that we don't have a lot of mess, most of the time. I know that I feel more frazzled when our space is chaotic.

9) Share your easiest breakfast.

I'm not a huge breakfast person so I mostly like "grab and go" breakfasts. If I can make muffins, I love having those on hand but otherwise I take a breakfast pita. I toast it in the morning and eat it (cold) sometime between 9:30 and 11, depending on the day. If it's a lazy weekend morning at home, I really like half a bagel toasted with cream cheese.

10) Share your best overall tip not covered yet.

Doing a major home renovation is not a good way to make your week easier! Hahahaha!!! Otherwise, I really think having routines that everyone in the house knows makes it easier to keep things organized. The kids look at the menu plan and the monthly calendar as often as we do, and they are the ones pushing me to complete it when it's not done. That actually makes me really happy because I know they use it too.

Even though we're not at our planning/organizing best right now, I really do love a good routine or tip to make life a little easier. I'm looking forward to reading the other posts in this link up. And I think it's hilarious that I was not organized enough this week to get this posted in a timely fashion, so you know, take my tips with a grain of salt!

What's Up Wednesday: February 2026

Dave and I will be referring to February 2026 as "irritating February." There was nothing huge which happened but it was a month filled with a lot of irritation. Our car was in the shop twice, we dealt with various health issues which sucked up some time, and we had some minor house issues. Again, there was nothing big but it felt like a never ending game of Whack-A-Mole and every day or two, there was something new to address.

Answering these questions monthly helps me reflect on the past month and I really appreciate having a record of what we've been up to. The questions come from Shay at Mix and Match Mama and Sheaffer at Sheaffer Told Me Too.

image from here

 

What we're eating this week... We are now in week four of not having a kitchen. So we've been eating a lot of take out and simple meals. I'm so sick of fast food and I miss vegetables and fruit. And hearty soups. I really miss hearty soups.

Taco salad is simple to make and we all like it.

  

In other news, our school food bin has had the MadeGood Cheddar Stars and my principal and I are addicted to them! They are so good and I've been enjoying a little bag almost every day, usually with a cup of tea!

 

What I'm reminiscing about... I'm writing some of this post while watching the first Blue Jays Spring Training game of the season. So I'm reminiscing about both last season (when we made it to the World Series) and about when our family got to go to a Spring Training game.

Spring Training game in Dunedin, Florida; March 2023

World Series game in Toronto; October 2025

What I'm loving... I am loving our back splash! I picked it, inspired by the tile we'd seen in Portugal, and it is absolutely living up to my hopes. I can't wait to see our whole kitchen as it comes together!!!

 

 

What we've been up to... We've been living in the midst of renovation chaos. So February has been filled with a lot of pivoting and figuring things out.

We did dishes in our laundry sink for a few weeks. Rachel and I even had to wash our hair here once.

I enjoyed my mornings of coffee-hot chocolate, blankets, and twinkle lights.

Janice made us a crocheted snowperson family and I love them! They sit on the shelf by our tulips and, every once in awhile, the kids move them around, which makes me laugh! This is our only house decoration right now.

Flooring was laid for our renovation.

We dealt with minor renovation inconveniences like having to get drinking water from under the cabinet and make coffee and toast outside the powder room...

...and we showered at Tim & Janice's for a few weeks.

We got our shower and our kitchen sink back!!!

Trim and priming started for our renovation. We're getting closer!

 

Despite not having a kitchen, Rachel still baked cookies.

We finally got all the ice and snow cleared off the sidewalk, porch, and driveway. (And as of this writing, it's covered in snow again. sigh.)

 

Rachel also had a couple of dance performances in February so she had extra rehearsals and I spent a few hours volunteering for them.

What I'm dreading... I'm both dreading (and looking forward to) all the work and unpacking and moving we'll have to do when our reno is done. We don't know for sure when it will be complete but we know we want to paint a few rooms (which weren't included in the renovation and it'll be easier to paint them when they're empty). Then we'll move stuff out of our storage units and our neighbours. And then we'll have to unpack everything. So I'm kind of dreading all the work we're going to have to do to get settled again. Thankfully we'll have a few months to sort everything out.

 

What I'm working on... I saw an idea about sorting through your photos daily. So every few days I sort through all the photos I've ever taken on those days. I don't know if this makes sense or not but search the date in your photos (for today I'll search "February 25") and then all the photos I've taken on "February 25" throughout the years pop up. It's been a good way to not feel overwhelmed by all my photos and be able to get rid of them in small doses. Since I have 14,574 photos I've got a bit of work to do :)

What I'm excited about... I'm excited baseball is back! I'm continuing to write this post while watching the second game of Spring Training and I'm just so happy!

 

I'm also still excited to come home every day and see what's been happening in our renovation! And honestly, I'm also excited that we're so close to having it finished (maybe even by the end of March, if not sooner?!?). 

 

What I'm watching/reading... Well, I was watching the Olympics. Canada did okay but I'm sad we didn't win gold in at least one of the hockey games. I've also been watching Spring Training games. It's been a lot of sports watching around here.

Left: First spring training game; Right: cheering on Canada in Olympic hockey

As for reading, I've either been reading books about being cozy in winter or hockey romances! Hahaha! So I've read The Finnish Way by Katja Pantzar and American Cozy by Stephanie Pedersen as well as the Heated Rivalry series by Rachel Reid. I also read a few books in the Maple Hills series by Hannah Grace. It's been an eclectic month of reading, for sure!

What I'm listening to... I'm listening to a tropical music mix. I'm ready for some sun and warmth so listening to this music makes me think I'm at the beach! Hahahahaha!!!

What I'm wearing... I've been wearing a lot of my warmest sweaters trying to ward off the cold. Usually you can't really see what I'm wearing, because if I'm at home, I'm huddled under a blanket. It's been a chilly February and I need some extra warmth.

What I'm doing this weekend... Dave and I are Jr Youth sponsors at church and we are leading an event this weekend. That will probably take up most of my time, even though the event itself is only a couple of hours. I'm also trying to start working with Sam on getting ready to move his room. When the renovation is done, Sam will have a room in the basement so we need to figure out what he's taking with him.

What I'm looking forward to next month... March Break! Opening Day of baseball! Our reno (maybe) being done?!?!?!?! Hopefully some warmer weather... There will be a lot of exciting things happening in March and I'm looking forward to it all.

 

So that's what's been up with us in February -- we've been chugging along through our reno, playing whack-a-mole with life, and hoping for a slightly easier March. I feel a little whiny today but I think I really need some spring so if you have nicer weather today, soak some up for me :)

Renovation Report Week 16

As last Monday was a holiday, this week had only four days of renovation work done. Nothing really big took place this week but a lot of small things happened which are also important. This post could also be called "The One Where A Lot Of Things Were Installed"!

 When our old shower/bathtub was removed, it caused a few pieces of plaster to pop out in our bedroom closet and on one wall. Most of those got fixed this week, except for a few pieces hiding behind Rachel's old artwork, which was hanging in our closet. The contractors would colour match our paint but Rachel is going to be taking over our room when the reno is done, and she wants a completely different paint colour, so we told them just to fix the holes and leave them unpainted.

Dave and I emailed the contractors over the weekend because we had questions about the bathroom lights. So the electrician came back, cut holes, and did wiring for the bathroom light fixtures as they had not yet been done.

Exciting pieces to be installed arrived like the light for the main room downstairs, the mirrors for the bathrooms, and the stair treads for the basement stairs. None of this has been installed yet but it's ready to go!

One big thing which happened this week is doors! They arrived, door jams were built, and doors were installed in the basement.

The wiring was completed for the stove! We're all ready for new appliances to be installed.

The latch was installed on the sliding door in the powder room. Again, this is something little which needed to happen and is now done.

My glass cupboard doors arrived and were installed! I cannot wait to get my Fiestaware put away behind here. It's going to be sooooo pretty!!!

And in the last bit of reno news, the arch was squared off in the living room and a door was installed. Our current living room is turning into a guest room so we needed a door here.

 

Learnings from this week:

 

The major thing which happened this week was more mudding and sanding in preparation for painting. This part of the process is extremely dusty and takes a very long time. And is hard to get interesting photos of :)

 

All our trim will be painted. I thought it was good to go and then I noticed all the holes from the installation. And then the contractor told me it would all be painted, which makes sense if I think about it.

 

I don't know if I've shared this before but our front steps and porch have always been slate tile, which Dave and I have never been fans of. It's very delicate and breaks easily. Now that we've had an entire winter of walking on it, and major construction happening, a lot of it is coming off. We have a plan to take it all off and cover the porch with something else after the reno is done. This winter has confirmed that slate is not durable and not made for our Ontario weather. Like I said, we didn't just learn that this week but I don't think I've shared it here before.

 

The contractor told me that painting would (hopefully) be starting this coming week so here's hoping next week's update is a little more colourful! 

Friday Favourite Moments #7 2026

I'm starting this post on Wednesday night because I am determined to get this posted in a timely manner on Friday! Hahaha! Serious question, though, for those of you who write weekly Friday posts: Do you write it all on Thursday night or throughout the week? Tell me your ways, O Wise (and Timely) Ones :)

Here are my favourite moments from this past week.

1) A Shower In Our House!!!

After six long weeks, we have a shower in our house again!!! And realistically, we weren't using our shower at the end of December either because the tap was really leaking every time we used it. Our new shower is so pretty! So taking my first shower at home in almost two months was absolutely a favourite moment! A close runner up was the fact that Rachel was determined to clean it herself before we used it as it was covered in dust.

2) Chipping ice

I didn't feel well on Friday and for most of Saturday, too. However, once I started feeling better, I headed outside to chip ice. Sam came out and got in the spirit too. We cleared off our entire driveway, the walkway to our house, our porch, and the stairs. By Sunday, the kids were heading out on their own to work on the path between the dumpster and the house, and the area of the driveway behind the dumpster. 

Rachel liked grabbing big chunks of ice and tossing them onto our yard. I loved that it was warm enough we could be out without jackets, although I think Rachel's short sleeves were a little optimistic!

3) Baking cookies

 

We barely have a kitchen right now (it's in our dining room) but Rachel was determined to bake cookies this past weekend. She set up on the dining room table and got to work. She made chocolate chip cookies and they were really good. I'm so impressed with how she "made do" and baked, despite the inconvenience.

4) Clean bill of health

While having a scary spate of floaters in my eye over the weekend, and spending five hours in the emergency room, was not a favourite, I was really grateful for two things. One, it turns out my issue wasn't very serious and will resolve on its own. Two, we don't have to pay for healthcare in Canada. I know we pay for it through our taxes, and there are things which could be better, but since Dave and I walked to the hospital, the only cost of my whole eye issue was $3 for parking at the ophthalmologist appointment. That feels like a pretty good deal. (If you don't what I'm talking about, read the first two paragraphs of this post here.)

5) Time at home

Some of my favourite moments this week have just been being able to spend more time at home. I am so happy I could make some meals (including French Onion soup), read some books, do laundry, and chip ice with the kids. After an overly busy week last week, I enjoyed every moment at home. 

So those were some of my favourite moments from this past week. Tell me something about your week, or, as I said above, if you write a weekly Friday post, tell me your secrets to timely posting :)