Waking up to December

Im not sure what happened to November but so far December its starting to be less of a blur. Which is odd because usually December takes the prize for fastest month of the year. Today I wanted to talk about a few things that have been going on in our home as we move into the colder months.

Slowing Down

Gracie started guitar lessons last month.  I was so happy that she decided to start playing. I love guitar and this new connection is giving me more time with her. On Saturday we were working through what she had learned so far when Wil walked into the room.  Wil loves music and started singing as he sat down to watch Gracie work through different cord progressions. I had a million things to do that day, but kicked all of them out of my mind as I sat back and watched the two of them giggle and sing together.

Recognizing moments like this and how often we buzz by them helped Nikki and I to realize the need for a nightly family time routine. This month we have been gathering in the living room at night before bed to read and talk about each others day. It started off with a lot of resistance from the kids, but has now become the highlight of our day. We told the kids it would only be for fifteen minutes every night before we lay down, but it usually ends up going for at least a half and hour. I feel like its bringing us closer together as a family and I love it.

Google Home

This month we are working with Google to talk about their latest product Google Home.  I was hesitant to get a voice-activated device in our house because I wasn’t sure how often we would use it, but now I’m not sure what we would do without it.

Our number one favorite thing about Google Home is the ability to play music on demand. and its been a huge improvement to our impromptu dance parties. Add our dance light next to the Google Home and things just got real 🙂 We use this function every day and it’s such an upgrade from our previous wireless speaker.  The sound quality is so much better, and we love the convenience of no longer needing to having our phone tethered to a device.

Our next favorite thing would definitely be its ability to help with our homeschool lessons. Quite often Nikki finds herself needing answers to the kids questions about math, history or other topics and it has become our go to resource. She can simply ask a question, get an answer and stay on schedule.

Google Home is my personal assistant in the kitchen now. Have I mentioned that I can’t cook? Yep, my kids are better cooks than I am. I’ve wanted to learn to cook for years but just haven’t taken the time. This month I am jumping in the kitchen more. Last night I was in the kitchen making Zuppa Toscana for the first time and the kids were laughing because I had to ask Google Home what tsp meant.

From traffic reports to managing my calendar, it seriously amazes me what this little device can do.

If you want to learn more about Google Home click here