Weekly Recap: spring break, first-time vlogger, & packing for St. Lucia!
Hey there, welcome back to themeckhouse.com, I am so glad you are here! We had a lot going on around here this week, and I've been dying to fill you in. I am posting this a day early because Carl and I are going to be traveling all day today and tomorrow to reach our couple's vacation destination. You will have to read to the end to hear more about that. 😉
Spring Break Adventure... Gone Wrong?
This year we have a solid 2 weeks of spring vacation from preschool. Carl and I are spending week 2 of this time on a couples vacation (coming in blogs next week 🙌), so I wanted to make this 1 week the kiddos have with me extra special. First up was a surprise visit to the zoo. We live around an hour away from the Blank Park Zoo here in Iowa, so I loaded the kids into the car and drove the entire way without telling them where we were going. The kids were thoroughly hyped. When we drove under the sign there were literal cheers from both of them, while I silently patted myself on the shoulder.
It was a beautiful day and I was able to snag a few good photos. But one goal of mine on this blog is to stay completely transparent with you all. If I am actually doing that I have to admit the time spent at the zoo was short and a bit disappointing. Almost everything was closed and I could count the number of animals we saw on one hand. I have no idea what was going on but they didn't even have the farm animal section open. I had packed a lunch so we killed time eating in front of some monkeys but we saw everything there was to see in less than an hour. To top it off I felt like dog water for getting my kids so excited just to let them down. So what lesson did I learn on this trip? Call the zoo in advance to be sure going is worth your time. We were not expecting bird flu, construction, and whatever else was keeping the animals hidden. If I had known, we would not have wasted our time & money here.
The rest of the week was pretty normal. We went to the library, snuggled up and watched movies, and spent as much time together as possible. The zoo fiasco reminded me that it doesn't matter what we do, just as long as we do it together.
Starting my Vlogging Journey
Yup, you read that right! I started my vlogging journey this week! I was able to film THREE times this week & edited two of them! Eventually, I hope to have a wide variety of videos that encompass what I'm about here at themeckhouse.com, but for now, I will be posting clean with me/home organization videos. The two videos I have completely done and awaiting their premiere are called, "Sunday Morning Motivation | Clean with Me" & "After Dinner Mess | Clean with Me", and the premiere dates are Sunday & Tuesday of this coming week. EEK! You can subscribe to my YouTube channel here.
So what are "clean with me" videos? Basically, it's about building motivation. I am a HUGE fan of these and actually watch them when I am needed a moment to myself to wind down and relax. Yes, I find cleaning relaxing. I may have mentioned it before, but after starting my self-care journey, I realized that cleaning was a self-care strategy that I thrive with. When I am feeling anxious, organizing and deep cleaning help bring a sense of calm to my body. These videos follow me around the house as I clean and I also chat with you about what I'm doing & what's going on in my house. Sunday's video even shares how I came to be the writer/creator of themeckhouse.com.
So be sure to stay tuned for those videos! You can like/subscribe to my YouTube channel, follow me on Instagram, or/and subscribe to my blog.
Packing for St. Lucia
I am a notorious over-packer. What about you? To be fair, I knew this was going to happen months ago when Carl booked us this trip to an all-inclusive Sandals resort in St. Lucia. I don't really know what I will need, so I'm just taking everything. I plan to make a list of what I actually used so I can be more intentional in my packing next time we take one of these trips. Here are a few things you will find in my bag ⬇️
Gah, I'm so excited! If you follow me on Instagram, you got to see a sneak peek into my bag via stories. I also recorded a "clean/pack with me" video too but, it will not be coming out for another week or so. I plan to disconnect from the world and relax all week. This means no editing unless I'm waiting for a connecting flight. I know I'm new to the blogging world and should continue pushing out content ASAP, but I also know me. If I am not careful I will lose myself in all of this and end up getting burnt out. I don't want that kind of life for me anymore though. I plan on sticking around here for the long haul, which means I need to take care of myself along the way.
When I get back from St. Lucia you better bet I will be busting out some seriously delicious content though. I can not wait to share with you blogs on what to pack for the Sandals Resort, our experience on the trip, and more. If I am lucky, I will even have some video footage to share, so let's keep our 🤞 that my beginner vlog skills don't get in the way!
Alright friends! I am checking out for the week! Be sure to check back Sunday AND Tuesday for my "clean with me" cleaning motivation videos. The vlogs are dropping on my YouTube channel, "The Meck House". but I also have my channel connected to this site; so you can catch my vlogs under the "videos" tab. See you next week where I will share all about or vacation!
💕💕sending love & momma to momma support,
Kaylin