Every other morning, Mr. Magpie rises with the children at six, permitting me an extra two hours to doze, or luxuriate in that nether-world J.M. Barrie called “the place between sleep and awake, where you can still remember dreaming,” or lay in bed, thinking.
These early hours by myself moor me. I wonder, I read, I pray, I close my eyes and remember that in spite of the tremendous upheaval around us, the feel of my head on my pillow and the silky-cool of the sheets beneath me will not.
Other moorings:
+Prayer.
+Songs that transport me to happy days.
Blessings, all–and moorings, too.
What’s mooring you these days?
Post-Scripts.
+Kind of into this midi-length nightgown, which reminds me of what my mother wore when I was growing up.
+Also eyeing this $25 nightgown for summer.
+The cut of this $88 dress feels very LoveShackFancy or Ulla Johnson. Into it.
+PSA: I have been stocking our activity supply bins with materials from Michael’s — Amazon is sold out of so much, or boasting absurd prices, but you can still buy washable paint at a reasonable price at Michael’s.
+Speaking of: I continue to update my roundup of toddler activities post! One major hit this week was Mother Could’s wipe-clean play boards. All you need is cardboard, shipping tape, and washable paint. Mini LOVED this activity.
+Just ordered mini some of this wash-off nail polish so we can do a manicure morning some time soon. I just know she’s going to go wild over the blue color — “blue is my FAVORITE COLOR,” she says, at least three times a day. I am honestly not crazy about my three-year-old wearing nail polish, but this stuff washes off in the bathtub!
+Love the idea of wearing this tunic over a white swimsuit (<<on sale!).
+That swimsuit would also be ultrachic with these ($35!) white linen joggers, or this beyond adorable lemon-print skirt (also available in chic dress form!)
+Such a sweet dress — has a Luli & Me vibe, but costs about a third of what that brand would charge.
+Love all of California Baby’s products, but especially their detangler and their bubble bath.
+Officially hooked on this French pharmacy facial lotion. I wish they sold it in bigger sized tubes!
+Hill is eerily close to walking…I have now seen him stand, unassisted, for stretches of five or ten seconds, on his own. AHHH. In a haze of anticipation, I ordered him summer walker shoes: these sandals in the tan color and his first pair of Cienta t-straps (in navy — but I also love this denim/mid-blue colorway). Also eyeing these boat shoes and these itty bitty NBs.
+OH – and in my hunt for Cientas in Hill’s tiny foot size, I came across a bunch of amazing pairs on SUPER sale: I love these green ones and these red ones (sadly neither small enough for Hill).
+Contemplating this easy-to-wear pink caftan (on sale!) as a new entrant into my “quarantine night gown dressing” category.
“Moorings” — I love the image that word evokes. Such a comforting concept to hold on to in these uncertain times!
While I long to meet friends and go for my solo “mom outings” for self-care, I know I will cherish this time in our lives as we’ve never spent this much time together as a family. My husband works long hours (as in 12-13 hours is a “regular” day) and we’ve had this long stretch of sitting down to family dinner every evening, whereas before COVID that generally only happened on weekends. That part of our day is certainly a blessing.
What a beautiful way of looking at this strange time! Though the days are long and the uncertainty can feel corrosive from time to time, I keep thinking of this quote I saw somewhere on Instagram: “When I am 70 years old, I would probably PAY to be quarantined at home with my two small children again.” That really stopped me in my tracks — I am so certain that will be me one day!
xx