top of page

Updated: Jan 27, 2020

Holy cow! Did anyone else notice I was gone from the blogging world for nearly 2 months?! I honestly did not mean to take that long of a break but geez... how in the world did 2 months fly on by?!


You're probably wondering what happened. Or maybe not. But even if you weren't wondering what happened, you're gonna read about it anyway because I'm gonna tell you. Just an FYI, this is probably going to be the most random thought-filled blog post I have written to date so just humor me and read along and tell me your thoughts at the end, k? Even if you think I'm too crazy for you... just give me some feedback!


Okay, so after my last couple of posts, I kinda developed writer's block. Which usually is no big deal because it happens to me all the time - life happens and my blog usually gets pushed to the side because priorities, right? Well that wasn't the case this time around. To put it simply, I was just feeling uninspired to write anything. I was definitely in a funk and I just couldn't get out of it.


This is pretty much how this particular case of writer's block would go for me...

The creative juices start flowing and the ideas would come to me while I'm NOT sitting at my computer. At the most inconvenient times. Like when I'm doing chores. Or when I'm taking a shower or even when I'm giving my kids their baths. I'd get my best ideas for blog topics while I'm doing the dang dishes. The "old" me would have stopped what I was doing to jot down some notes. Maybe even do it in outline form. Because I used to be such an annoyingly organized multi-tasker who enjoyed writing lists. With fancy pens on pretty stationary. Ok, maybe that's a lil bit of an exaggeration but seriously... the "pre-baby" me used to be effing annoying. Because "me" now? The "hot mess scatterbrained mom" me is less organized and is always trying to do a million things at once trying to convince myself that multi-tasking is NOT a thing, that it does NOT exist, and that people who believe it does? They are the crazy ones. When really, multi-tasking is just about making a mental to-do list in our head, then starting on project #1 and not fully finishing it before getting distracted with project #2-gazillion and before you know it, we've started a million projects with every intention of finishing them but not really. Because by the time you come back to tackle any of the projects on the list, you find that it's evolved into something else. Anyway, I digress. As I was saying... the "mom" me is always trying to hurry up to get some chores done before my stage 5 clinger (AKA Everly) realizes that she no longer wants to play independently or with her sister anymore and comes looking for me. Because who keeps pen and paper near the kitchen sink anyway? Apparently NOT me. Then I forget that mom brain really IS a thing (like every single time) and I think to myself "you will remember your thoughts. And you will write up this post when Baby's asleep because you're a badass and YOU GOT THIS." If I could insert an emoji right here, I so would. It would be this guy right here....


Because we all know that once I sat my ass down to hash out a badass post, nothing came to mind but a huge question mark. And then I'd just sat there hoping that it would all come back to me. Hoping that the blinking cursor would just start spitting out words. Instead it just blinked. And blinked some more. Until I couldn't take it anymore and ultimately I just gave up.


Sad but true.


I found myself searching for inspiration and motivation from other blogs. Instead I found myself comparing my content to theirs. Which then spiraled into negative thoughts and I began to ask myself questions like: "Do people actually like reading my blog?", "Are my pictures and stories appealing to my readers?" And then I started wishing for things: a better camera, a better wardrobe, a new house! It's so very easy to get caught up in the comparison game! Especially with so many awesome blogs out there!


Once I caught myself falling down that rabbit hole of nonsense, I just decided to step back and just not think about my blog for awhile. It was actually starting to stress me out and I just didn't want to deal with it until I was ready to write again.


So.... what exactly have I been doing for the past couple of months? Well, since I've rambled on a bunch, I'll give ya an update. The cliffs notes version goes something like this: In March we celebrated Daniel's birthday on the 11th and mine on the 13th. Our 10th wedding anniversary was on the 12th, and we celebrated that by bringing our girls to Disneyland. We're not annual pass holders yet (waiting for the girls to get a bit older to really enjoy going more often) but we took full advantage of purchasing the 3-day passes because there was a deal for SoCal residents. We went to Disney California Adventure Park at the end of March. April, we went from Winter to Spring to Summer triple digit weather within a span of 2 weeks because SoCal’s weather is bipolar like that. And that means we have been spending a lot of our time outdoors! We celebrated Easter and had a blast... and we're still kinda recuperating from all of that. I have been going to the gym as consistent as I can get - going anywhere from 2x/week up to 5x/week. I think I've only accomplished a 5x/week once in the last 2 months though. It's been more like 3x max per week most weeks. But at least I'm still going!



And now here we are. Already in May. And I’m back and super excited to get back into the groove of blogging again! Do I have some great ideas planned? Sure do! Will I have the balls to actually come through and execute these posts? Well.... I am definitely hoping I do! So I guess we'll just have to wait and see! I mean, I just renewed my blog’s hosting and domain fees so I’m committed! And probably a little broke but hey, it’s an investment right? 


Anyway, if you’re still reading this, bless your sweet little heart. I know it was a bit random and all over the place but I needed another outlet for my thoughts because I think my husband is kinda over my ramblings by now. And my 2 minions just don’t quite get it... so for me blogging was the next best thing. 


Tell me in the comments below what topics you’d like for me to write about! I’d love to hear your suggestions! 


Updated: Jan 27, 2020



If you are EVER in Southern California and you're lookin' for somethin' fun to do, you NEED to go to Smorgasburg LA! It's an outdoor market for food (and LOTS of it), shopping and drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) that's open only for a few hours on Sundays in downtown LA. We had never been, so when my cousins were in town from Hawaii and wanted us to meet them there, we made that one-hour drive from the Inland Empire to go hang out and enjoy some good food.



First off, I recommend going when the weather is NICE. Like 70 degree NICE. With the sun out and not a cloud in the sky. The day we went, it was super freakin' cold. I believe it was in the 50s with a cold chill in the air. Us Southern Californians aren't used to that kinda cold but we have been getting ridiculous amounts of rain this Winter. Luckily for us, it did not rain that day. But that didn't stop us from dressing up like Eskimos going out into the snow.


Also, plan to go on an empty stomach. This place is not called Smorgasburg for nothin'. There's ALL kinds of different foods from different cultures. The prices aren't too bad and the portion sizes are perfect. I think it's pretty obvious I went there for the food. I had a Musubi from Mama Musubi and then had a craving for some tacos. Found a vendor named Tacos 1986 and ordered a carne asada taco and 2 adobada (pork) tacos. Oh my gosh were they delish! My cousins tried foods from Lobsterdamus, Goa Taco, and got some dessert from Ensaymada Project. Daniel had some vegan sandwich but I can't remember where from. By the way, there were many vegetarian/vegan options too!



And even if you're not much of a foodie, I say just go for the ambiance and experience. There's plenty of outdoor seating, some major people watching opportunities, and if you're an Instagrammer like me, there are a ton of photo opportunities - walls, architecture, you name it!






So who wants to go to Smorgasburg LA? I'm totally planning my next trip out there!


It was a short vacation, but a MUCH needed one. Daniel has been working so much since he went back to work after a month long paternity leave back in March/April, that we all needed this break away from our normal lives.


My mother-in-law moved to Gardnerville, NV the Christmas before Ella was born 3 years ago. So we've been up to visit her every Summer since. And because she doesn't live very far from Lake Tahoe, it's always a 'must visit' on our list whenever we're up there. This year was extra special and fun because this was the first time that ALL of Daniel's siblings (and their families) were able to be there at the same time. I guess you could say it was sort of like a family reunion. I mean, we see each other all the time for family events down here in Southern California, but we've never been at my MIL's all at once since she moved up there. So it definitely was a nice trip.


Ella and all of her girl cousins had gone up 2 weeks before us to spend time with grandma and grandpa before their parentals joined them at the end of their vacation. Grandma & Grandpa have a huge playground area in the backyard that Grandpa Steve built for them. The newest addition to the playground activities is a zip line he installed last summer. It's something that all the kids AND the adults can enjoy.


We arrived there on Thursday and pretty much relaxed the rest of the day.


Friday, we spent the day at Sand Harbor Beach.




Saturday, the same thing. Except we went to Caples Lake instead of Lake Tahoe. It wasn't as busy or crowded and we were able to enjoy a little bit of peace and quiet.





And then we spent the evenings just hangin' out in the backyard talking and watching the kids play.




Like I said, it wasn't a long vacation, but it was still a good amount of time to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.


***************

Where's your favorite vacation spot? As a kid? As an adult?

Comment below!


Join our mailing list

Never miss an update

© 2018 by That Plain Jane Life. Created by the Husband.

  • White Pinterest Icon
  • White Facebook Icon
  • White Twitter Icon
  • White Instagram Icon
  • White Snapchat Icon
bottom of page