Our life lately April 2026 felt full in every sense of the word —from some unexpected blog issues to a lot of really fun family moments. Thank you to those of you who reached out about the site—I’m still working through a few things, but I appreciate you letting me know.
April brought the start of long course swim season, track meets, soccer games, and a couple of really fun races. Claire performed in her school musical, The Little Mermaid, as part of the sea chorus, and it was such a cute show. We also got back from our spring break trip to Mexico, which the girls absolutely loved (and are already asking to repeat someday). Having our own little pool on the balcony definitely didn’t hurt.
Claire seems to be finding her groove with longer distance running after completing two 5Ks this month, and Avie has been working toward running a full mile without stopping, which she is so close to doing. We also celebrated Easter with family in Wisconsin and had such a nice time together. It’s wild to think we are less than a month away from wrapping up the school year.
Books I’ve Read
- Fae and Fare by piraeaba– As winter sets in, Erin struggles to grow her inn while new Earth arrivals, dangerous fae, and expanding world conflicts begin to reveal that her small refuge is at the center of something much larger and more perilous. 4/5
- Flowers of Esthelm by piraeaba- As danger spreads beyond Liscor, the quiet village of Esthelm is pulled into escalating conflicts, showing how even ordinary people and places are becoming entangled in the wider, more perilous changes shaping the world. 4/5
- Winter Solstice by piraeaba– As the winter solstice approaches, Erin and those around her are drawn into dangerous encounters with the mysterious fae, while rising tensions and shifting powers hint at even greater challenges ahead. 4/5
- The Last Light by piraeaba– As war and loss spread across the world, those connected to Erin’s inn are pushed to their limits, facing hard choices and growing dangers as hope flickers against the gathering darkness. 4/5
Since these are all books in the same series, I thought I would review them together in this life lately April 2026 post. I didn’t expect to enjoy them as much as I did since I’m not usually a fantasy reader, but the characters are incredibly well developed with clear strengths and flaws. The plot is so intricately woven across many characters and locations, and the narrator is one of the best I’ve listened to with a distinct voice and cadence for each. Quite enjoyable!
Recipes I’ve Made
- Korean Beef Bowls– Double this recipe! You will thank me later. We just made 1 lb of meat and were all sad there weren’t leftovers to eat. So delicious and pretty quick to pull together.
- Spicy Thai Peanut Chicken– Matt found this recipe. It was really good! We all really liked the chicken. It would be easy to lower the carbs by eating it over lettuce.
- One Pot Beef, Bean, and Lentil Ragu– Matt sent me this to try. I altered it to make in the slow cooker. It was easy! I added all ingredients except the Greek yogurt and parmesan and cooked on low for 8 hours then added those diary ingredients at the end.
- Marshmallow Chocolate Chip Shortbread Bars– These were just ok. Similar to a cookie bar, but with marshmallows on top.
- Blueberry Pretzel Salad– This was very good! Quite a few people mentioned how much they liked it during Easter. Matt and Claire were big fans.
- Stroopwafel cake– I saw this on Nicole’s blog and loved the idea! It turned out really well. We enjoyed warming it up before eating it.
- Samoas Pie– Very similar in taste to a samoa cookie. Matt absolutely loved this pie and it was fairly easy to make!
- Peanut Butter Streusel Brownies– These are very tasty and incredibly rich. Prepare to cut them small! Love the peanut butter streusel topping!
Currently
- Digging –Back in November we ordered a new front door, and five months later it’s finally installed. It’s been such a bright spot in our life lately April 2026, letting so much more light into our entryway and completely updating the look.
- Weeding– Everything is growing-especially the weeds! We have a few ‘patches’ of thistles in our gardens that we can’t seem to get rid of no matter how much we weed. So frustrating!
- Enjoying – Matt and I really enjoyed having a date night over the past weekend. We went to see the West Suburban Orchestra where Kathrine played. It was an amazing performance and now we have hope to see either other performances at the concert hall or by that orchestra.
- Eating/Drinking – My family cannot get enough of ‘bowl’ recipes. Think Korean Beef Bowl, Sloppy Joe Bowl, Bang Bang Salmon Bowl. All the flavors together are just SO GOOD!
- Shopping for – I certainly haven’t done much shopping for myself lately. The kids have been growing so fast that I’ve been getting a lot of new spring and summer clothing for them since nothing fits anymore.
- Family Update
- Avie– Avie started back with spring soccer. Her team is mostly school friends and it is nice to see how well they get along. She worked hard to earn a Brownie Journey badge. They all picked up trash at a local park and made a big difference. She has also been wanting to improve her endurance by running 1 mile. She can almost do it without stopping.
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- Claire- Claire did an incredible job in her performance of The Little Mermaid. We went twice and my parents came to watch once as well. The cast is so talented! Now she is staying busy with her first track season and long course swimming that goes until late July.
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- Me- Claire and I signed up for two races on the same weekend this month. On Saturday we ran a 5K and on Sunday Claire did another 5K while I did a half marathon. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel during the half marathon, but it was a best time on the course for me and 3rd best half marathon ever at 1:41:30! It makes me think I need to push myself more.
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- Matt- Matt had some big things happen for work that he has been working towards for a while. I’m very happy for him and proud of what he has accomplished.
April Goals Recap
- Work on Yellowstone trip photo album–I have a decent start on it.
- Seal granite countertops- Done!
- Buy plane tickets-Done. We needed plane tickets for our summer trip. Glad we got them purchased.
- Hang shelves in Claire’s room– Still need to get to this. We didn’t realize we didn’t have the right hardware so we got it last weekend, but haven’t put them up yet.
May Goals
- Donate items– I have a pile of items I have purged, but need to post some on our local Buy Nothing group and donate others.
- Finish Yellowstone trip photo album
- Book hotels for summer trip
- Plan Girl Scout end of year party– The Brownies voted on a pool party so I am hoping to schedule it.
Favorite April Posts
Coastal Amazon Finds under $40
That’s a little snapshot of our life lately April 2026—busy, full, and a lot of good in between the chaos. I always love looking back on these moments, and I’m excited to see what May brings.
LINKING UP WITH WHAT’S UP WEDNESDAY, Currently
