What Brought Me Joy in March

Hi, hello – I feel like I just finished writing my February post five minutes ago and yet here we are. How? March absolutely flew by for me…and I’m not complaining about it. I’m ready for a fresh month!

I started these little posts because I wanted to hold myself accountable in my mission to chase joy all year long, and that’s what I’m about to do today. Because I didn’t do a great job with my word of the year this month.

We had a couple of weeks of cold weather, which I was REALLY cranky about after the warmth we had in February. There was a lot of stress in our personal day to day lives, and I just generally forgot to slow down and enjoy my days.

I’m not saying it was a bad month – everything was fine. But, did I intentionally look for joy in my day to day life? I surely did not.

But that’s okay! April is a fresh month and a fresh chance to actively find joyful moments every day. I even went back and reviewed the post I wrote about seeking joy to re-inspire me and get me back on track.

Of course, that doesn’t mean my month was fully devoid of joy. Let’s do some intentional joy-seeking and talk about the things that did bring joy in March!

Moments + Memories

• I am so incredibly proud of how the powder room has come together. It was such a fun project to work on and it felt great to have a big before and after for the first time in a while!
• The kids had a blast over spring break. They got to get in a ton of grandparent time and they loved my little envelope system! I might have to do it again for a week in the summer because it was such a major hit.
• Watching Granger and Potter play together has brought us all so much joy. Potter has never spent time around another dog who will actually play with him on the regular, and he’s clearly so incredibly happy. We are loving it!
• I started working out with my best friend twice a week, and it’s one of my favorite parts of the week. We’re doing a strength training program and it kicks my butt in the best possible way. I’ve never consistently done any strength training, and it feels so great to incorporate that into my routine!
• We’ve had a bit of warm weather and I’m really hopeful that soon it will be here to stay!
• Our weekly trip to the corner gas station to celebrate the end of the weekend with candy and slushes is genuinely the best part of my entire week.

Books + Media

• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver – Easily my favorite book of the month. I was completely invested from page one, and I loved everything about it. Cannot recommend it enough!
• Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel – This was my book club book for March, and I really enjoyed it! It took me a little while to get into it, but by the end I was hooked. And the ending? So incredibly satisfying!
• Friends, Lovers, & The Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry – This book was so compelling, so interesting, and so heartbreaking. I didn’t know the majority of this story, and I absolutely flew through this book.
• The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan – This book was hard. It’s very similar to The Handmaid’s Tale, but felt way more personal and intense. I wouldn’t necessarily say I enjoyed it but I definitely read it quickly. It gave me some nightmares and I thought about it for weeks afterwards.
• Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica – This was a pretty quick and easy read. I read the last 100 pages in one sitting because I had to know how it was all going to turn out. I enjoyed this one – nothing groundbreaking, but it was good!
• The School for Good & Evil by Soman Chainani – Jackson and I were reading this one together, and we got about halfway through before he lost steam. He was really enjoying the story overall but it’s mean for kids a little older than him and he struggled to relate to a lot of the romantic tones, haha. I was super invested, though, so I finished it and I’ll probably try out the next in the series, too!

We finished up the first season of The Last of Us (so good!), and I wrapped up You (mind-blowing, maybe my favorite season?!). We started Poker Face this month, too, and so far we’re really liking it! The boys and I also watched The School for Good and Evil on Netflix, and it was a bit over Grant’s head but Jackson really, really enjoyed it.

Games

• Corey and I finished up Hogwarts Legacy this month! It was a really fun game and I’m so glad we played it together. We still have a few things here and there we can do if we decide we want to keep playing, but we’re done with the main storyline. If you’re into Harry Potter and have an Xbox, I highly recommend you give it a shot!
• We had some friends over for dinner one night and introduced them to Splendor. It was their first time playing a game like that, and we all had a great time! It’s definitely one of our go-to games to play both with others and when it’s just the two of us.
• We played Hues & Clues with my parents, and it’s always such a good time. Grant was even able to play along, which was surprising! He didn’t do a great job giving clues (to no one’s surprise) but he actually did a fantastic job at the guessing part of the game!

Products

• Warm weather meant I finaaaaally got to wear some short-sleeved shirts and I was so excited to bust out a few old favorites. This one, this one, and this one were all ones I was so happy to pull on.
• I got this beautiful vase and these faux flowers and they’ve brought me so much happiness. I genuinely smile every time I see them in the dining room!
• This adorable baseball cap got worn multiple times a week.
• I’ve been searching forever for the perfect not-too-tight bodysuit, and this is the one.
• The new vanity in our powder room is the actual best. It feels so high quality and totally transformed the look of the entire space!
• Trader Joe’s turkey burgers are my current obsession, and when they’re in the house I eat one for lunch every day (no bun, paired with a cheese stick, kettle chips, fruit, and some TJ”s cornichons!)

And that’s a wrap on March. Here’s to hoping I do a better job of slooooowing down a bit come April!