Due to the virus, we can’t go anywhere. Last sunday was Easter and this friday is our oldest’s birthday. So how do we celebrate? For Easter, I went overboard with gifts. I used gift cards and deals, and I got mostly books and dvds for entertainment. We did dye eggs, we had bunny cereal for breakfast, and the kids went on a egg hunt. We also watched a family movie, and for dinner we had cheeseburgers.

Our oldest is turning 11 on friday. We have been doing our week celebration where everyday, he gets to open a present. On his actual birthday, he also gets to pick dinner. I’m not sure what else we are doing yet. His party obviously got cancelled. So we will see in the next few days what we come up with.

I’m the kind of person that is constantly changing things to reflect my life and myself in that moment. My phone apps are no different. I am constantly installing and uninstalling apps to fit my lifestyle and be most useful. So my 10 favorite apps right now may be not be the same in 6 months. In fact, it would be cool to re-visit this subject in 6 months and see what has changed and what hasn’t. So here are my favorite 10+ apps that I have on my phone right now. In no particular order:

1. Clue. This is a very basic app that helps me a lot. It tracks my cycle, so I know when to expect my period and when i’m ovulating. We do not want a baby right now, so knowing my cycle helps a lot. The app also helps me record other things like the lightness or heaviness of the period flow, exercise, and my emotions. Yes, it tracks your feelings so I can see when my harmones go out of whack.

2. Amazon. I am amazon obsessed, and having an app is so useful. I am constantly making wishlists and looking for deals. Holiday shopping + amazon = my kids are spoiled and on a budget.

3. Walmart grocery app. This is a newer one for us. With the coronavirus going on, this app is extremely useful. At this moment, we are not doing pick up, but that can change at any time. It does however make grocery shopping more efficient. We have this app on both of our phones so we can add and delete things from our list at any time. Then when it comes time for our weekly shopping trip, Randall can go with our list and get in and out quickly. There’s pictures so that helps and we can also budget better and meal plan. We already know the approximate total going in the store and there is less impulse buys. Win win. The app also helps me, because I have fetch rewards which is a grocery reward program. So I can take a few minutes and look at the fetch app for special reward deals, and go on walmart grocery app and add the necessary products to our list.

4. Reward program apps. I have tried several of these, but the 3 I use currently are fetch rewards, survey junkie, and google opinion rewards. Fetch is our grocery reward where we earn points for buying certain products and brands. Think kraft and general mills products. You can use your points for a lot of giftcards, but I use mine for amazon. I also use survey junkie for amazon. That’s where I take surveys to earn points, and then I get to buy the kids presents guilt free with the giftcards. Google opinion rewards are little surveys that get you points towards apps. So instead of using your money to buy that $2 app you want, you can use the google points. It works on games too.

5. Youtube. This one is definitely one of my favorites right now. I watch so many vlogs on family life, homeschooling, even easter basket ideas. Our youngest loves the songs and educational videos and my partner and oldest use youtube to look up things for minecraft and their other games. Youtube also helps a lot with our oldest’s education. I may have a long list of people I subscribe too, but i’m always looking for more. Inspiration, how to videos, education, music and entertainment are all found on youtube. And i love the rain and thunder videos for nighttime to help me sleep

6. Pandora. This one is simple. Music is huge in our life right now. We have a toddler station for our youngest, a jazz station for family dinners, and stations with music we love that motivate us to clean. Dance parties also sound like fun right now.

7. Blockudoku. I love games and i love challenging my mind. This game is like tetris and sudoku combined… it’s sudoku with blocks instead of numbers. This app is a great distraction, and I simply love it.

8. My bank app. It is very essential right now to keep track of budgeting. And with my bank app, i can do that without even leaving the house.

9. Pluto tv and amazon prime. These apps are very entertaining right now and useful when it comes to this stay at home order.

10. Fox news. I usually don’t follow the news on a daily basis. I also usually just get news through my facebook feed. But I have been taking a break from facebook, and I still need to be able to follow the news. I only check it about once a day, but it is still an app I greatly appreciate having during this time.

So those are my 10+ favorite apps right now. Let’s see in 6 months how it varies!

It’s sunday, but the days are melting together for us. We are now officially on a state stay home order, but we have already been doing our own semi- quarantine the last 2 weeks.

My partner works in an “essential” business right now, so he is still working. He is also the one doing our grocery shopping and laundry mat trips. The kids and I have been at home, doing our best to stay safe and healthy. And have fun.

This weekend, daddy and our oldest have been playing nintendo switch non stop. It is definitely their bonding time. Our youngest has been watching tv and getting into lots of trouble, and I’ve been cleaning and catching up with my reading when I’m not entertaining the little one. Technology is definitely our best friend right now, and with everything going on, I welcome the distraction. I however, have been doing limiting of my own usage, but I will get into that in another post.

We have a cold in our house and normally it wouldn’t scare me. But with the virus going on, it puts an extra fear in me. No fevers thankfully. The oldest is almost done with his, so that’s a huge plus.

So, some pros so far of the semi-quarantine… 1. Even more bonding time. 2. No schedule of appointments, etc. 3. Time to really reflect and appreciate our family. 4. more laughter.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton