While we’re chatting about The Bachelor, for my fellow guilty-pleasure watchers, what do you think about this season? I don’t know who Nick will pick but I honestly don’t see him walking down the aisle with Raven or Vanessa when the show is over. I truly thought he had the best connection with Rachel (a great combination of playful + serious) and was bummed when he let her go. (A few handfuls of Cadbury eggs helped me get over it pretty quick. And Rachel seems more than okay now and I think she’ll be an awesome Bachelorette.)
Okay let’s move on from that little tangent and talk about Tuesday!
Here’s a peek into our day yesterday…
Morning
I snoozed through my usual 5 a.m. alarm clock on Tuesday morning since I didn’t get to sleep until close to 1 a.m. on Monday night and so I started the day feeling behind on life.
I eventually got out of bed a little after 6 a.m. and made myself a cup of coffee with collagen to sip on as I reheated two slices of a frittata to eat at the computer with some sparkling water while I responded to emails.
(Side note: I’ve had a handful of questions about collagen lately and talk a lot more about my love for collagen in this post: All About Collagen)
Chase was up at 7 a.m., so after an hour or so of work, I headed upstairs to get both of us dressed for the day. Chase ate a Paleo Blender Muffin and I had a no bake cereal bar (recipe on my Instagram!) while we sang goofy songs and Chase had fun moving blueberries from a cup to a bowl. (Transferring objects from one place to another = Current toddler obsession.)
We made it out the door after some morning playtime and Chase enthusiastically said hi to his friends at Burn Boot Camp childcare while I quickly scooted out for a workout with my friend Lauren.
A pyramid style athletic conditioning workout was on the agenda for the day and it was a sweaty one!
It was also a workout you could easily replicate at home, as ball slams were the only exercise that required any equipment and you could simply substitute 40 bodyweight squats or jumps squats for that exercise.
In between each line of the pyramid we went outside to run a decreasing number of laps around the gym building and if you’re looking to duplicate the running portion of this workout, each building lap noted on the right side of the pyramid took about 30 seconds to complete, so 5 building laps would be about two and a half minutes of running.
Once my workout was done, I headed back into childcare to scoop Chase up and Lauren and I brought our kiddos to Gymboree where we met up with Carrie and Laura for a rockin’ good time with all of our toddlers. Chase was very into the slide yesterday and said, “Watch! Watch!” over and over again and waited for me to count to three before he would go down.
After we said our goodbyes at Gymboree, Chase and I made a quick pit stop for smoothies before driving home.
Afternoon
Lately Chase has been really great about playing with his trains or reading books in the kitchen by himself (near me) when we arrive home from our morning activities which is pretty sweet because his solo(ish) play gives me a little bit of time to clean up around the house and get started on dinner prep for the evening. Of course his solo play is peppered with plenty of calls for attention from Mama, but any chance I have to do something even remotely productive when Chase is awake feels like a small gift! Chase also loves when I ask him to help me with something (can this desire to help stay forever and ever, please?), so I asked him to “help” me pick out napkins and props for some blog photos I snapped after he went down for his nap.
Once Chase was asleep, I hopped in the shower before heading back downstairs to make a recipe and take the corresponding photos for the blog before it was computer tiiiime.
(Sadie was my oh-so-curious photography assistant, as you can see.)
The recipe I made and photographed ended up becoming my lunch and I hope to share it with you guys soon!
I ate lunch at my desk while I began typing up this blog post and followed up with a few more time sensitive emails before doing a few techy things on the backend of the blog. (Bless The Google because I am a hopeless mess with anything website/coding related.)
Eventually Chase was up so work time was over and we were off on our next adventure! Our afternoon activity took us to the library to return some books. We took advantage of our time at the library and played with some toys and read a few books on the couches in the kid’s area before we checked out a few more and made our way home.
Evening
Ryan arrived home earlier than usual thanks to a doctor’s appointment he had on his calendar, so we were thrilled to have a little more time with him before the sun went down before dinner. We took advantage of the sunlight and leashed Sadie up for a short family walk.
We stopped to say hi to a neighbor’s friendly dogs and while Chase was thrilled to see his furry friends, Sadie was awfully jealous and made a blockade with her body between Ryan and the two fluffy dogs which cracked us up!
Before making our way back home, we stopped by the park for some playtime and fun in the dirt.
Playtime also included plenty of breaks to stop and look at airplanes in the sky for our transportation-obsessed little dude.
By the time we made it home, we were all more than ready for some food. Thankfully dinner last night was easy peasy! I simply paired some Easy Baked Miso Chicken Thighs with quinoa and apple slices and we dug in.
After dinner, we played with Chase, took him upstairs for a bath and read him a book before putting him to bed. I was pooped by the time Chase went down and after we hung out on the couch for 30 minutes or so, I convinced Ryan to head to bed where we read for a bit before my eyes could not stay open for a minute longer.
I hope you guys have a great Wednesday!
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When Mitch moved into a more independent state was a turning point no doubt. To have five minutes to load the dishwasher feels like a treat! Now he’s in helpful mode and was my assistant making banana bread this weekend. It’s so fun to see children grow and develop through the different stages.
It really does make a world of difference! And I totally agree — so many fun stages!
What a fun and busy day! I really love getting glimpses into what life might look like when our little guy is older (though obviously every child is different). I know he’ll be a toddler before I know it, which makes me both excited and really sad at the same time.
Also, that workout looks great! I love workouts where there are a million different exercises because I get bored otherwise. Thanks!
I feel like I’m not enjoying this season of The Bachelor as much I usually do. And social media has been spoiling so much for me. I honestly think I love Bachelor in Paradise a little more now. And oh I’m excited for this recipe because it looks like salmon and I have YET to find the best way to cook salmon at home. Happy Wednesday!
fun! william is also loving all things related to transportation right now – his greatest love is fire engines!!
I think there might be something wrong with my eyes. I can’t tell if that new recipe you’re trying is fish or cheese. I’m hoping it’s fish?
So great that Chase is doing some independent play now! Sounds like a fun day!
Chase is so cute! That smoothie looks delicious. My dog is a jealous one too! When I pet other dogs she comes up and sits on my lap! (I’m a serious dog-petter so I sit on the ground to fully get to know the dog, haha
I have been watching The Bachelor every Monday night with two of my best girlfriends for as long as I can remember and it always gives me something to look forward to in the start of the week. I’m glad you got a chance to do that, too! I’m with you…I cannot see Nick with Raven or Vanessa. To be honest, I think him and Corinne would have been perfect together. I’ve heard some rumors that he doesn’t end up with anybody at the end of this and could be back on Bachelor in Paradise with Corinne this summer…
Oh man that would be waaay too entertaining to watch him on Bach in Paradise with Corinne again!!
I am not a huge fan of this season! I don’t feel like NIck is really connecting with any of the girls, but we will see. Im team Raven right now!
Your website made me really excited about going to Clean Juice but when I went, I was shocked at the prices – so expensive!!
Do you ever wonder about Chase getting enough fat? I know you and Ryan eat very healthy but for a growing toddler maybe a full fat normal muffin instead of paleo or some eggs instead of a green smoothie?
I incorporate fats into just about everything he eats these days because I have always, always been concerned about him getting enough fat since he has always been a small child. When we make our smoothies, they always have some sort of nut butter or coconut oil in them. And Paleo muffins have a base of almond flour which has more fat than regular flour! 🙂
“Paleo” does NOT mean low fat. In my experience, paleo recipes are great for toddlers because they incorporate a lot of high-fat/high-nutrition ingredients (nuts, coconut, healthy oils, eggs etc). Plus, most 1 year olds drink whole milk, which fills in the gaps that might be left from a picky diet.
I agree! One thing I really like about so many Paleo recipes is that a lot of them do have a decent amount of fat and are made from whole foods.
Oh my God, that cereal bar recipe is absolutely happening this weekend!
They look delicious.
I watch Bach every Monday with my friend/neighbor after our kids go to sleep. It’s a fun tradition (although it’s more fun during Bach in Paradise, which is way more entertaining!) My prediction: he’ll pick Vanessa, and it won’t last long.
I agree on all accounts! And what a fun tradition!!
What a great looking workout – I was wondering if you may demo some of the moves that aren’t as familiar? Like the Volley Tips?
Thanks – always love reading about your busy days!
I’m pretty proud of myself because my three picks from the premiere of The Bachelor were Danielle the neonatal nurse, Vanessa and Raven–so two of out my three made it to the end! I think he’ll end up picking Raven, but we’ll see if they actually make it to marriage.
So glad you got some girl time… nothing better!! But GIRL! You are a machine! I thought you were going to say you slept in until your toddler woke you up, and maybe just skipped the gym one time! But nope! You are incredible!! Just missed one hour of sleep and you’re back on track! You are so go-go-go and never miss a workout! So inspiring. I feel myself choosing to relax more whenever I get the chance with my babes. I wish I had more of YOUR motivation. DANG! Aren’t you just exhausted sometimes?! Especially after a girls’ night!!
I was in bed by 8:15 last night! Haha! I think the lack of sleep caught up with me the minute we put Chase down for the night. 🙂 And honestly I just do better when I get out of the house with Chase. He is such a busy little guy that for me is somehow seems easier to do things away from home with him rather than try to figure out a bunch of things that will keep him interested at home. He definitely thrives on new experiences/interaction with other kids/people so that is motivating to me to keep going!
I got sucked in early to this season of the Bachelor, but now that its wrapping up, I’ve realized how little I actually enjoy Nick. He’s just meh for me.
Does/Will Chase eat what you make for dinner? I get to introduce my daughter to foods next week and I’m so nervous! I’m trying to do a mix of BLW/Purees (my mom watches her while I work so she will be using the purees). I’ve made your Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins and I love them so I can’t wait until she is around a year or so to introduce her to those! I’m not sure if other moms would like a blog topic on what Chase eats but I know I would! Hopefully that makes sense!
I’ve tried so many of your recipes! I love them all so much!
Hi Morgan!! I briefly recapped a bit of Chase’s eating habits lately in this post which might be of interest: https://www.pbfingers.com/toddler-17-to-19-months/ As for whether or not he eats what we’re eating… It’s honestly SO hit or miss! If we’re eating the pumpkin muffins you mentioned, absolutely! He loves muffins of any kind but is definitely pickier with vegetables and meat. We always offer him what we’re having but I do find myself giving him other options if he doesn’t like what we’re eating because he’s rather picky and I still cannot help but worry about him getting enough calories every day.
Also, thank you SO much for your sweet words about my recipes. I really appreciate you taking the time to make them and leave such kind feedback!! <3
I signed up for my burn boot camp membership! I’m loving it so much. In fact, I don’t remember loving a workout this much in a long time. Let me just say, yesterdays pyramid workout was a sweaty one! OMG!!! Looks like you had a lovely Tuesday
YAYYYY! I LOVE Burn and am so glad you do, too!!
My husband and I just finished that workout. I’m not sure my face will turn back to its normal color soon. 🙂 We did hill sprints down our street instead of laps around the building. Thanks for the inspiration! It was a great way to enjoy this beautiful Spring weather in Charotte. Hope you and Chase can enjoy some time outside again today too! Still thinking of and praying for you and your family as you continue to move forward in this season of life.
That’s awesome!! <3 And thank you so much for your sweet words and prayers. I appreciate it very much.
I know EXACTLY what recipe you are sharing with us…I got hints from the pictures, and I made it last night too! Sooooo good!
Your little boy is so sweet!! Sometimes a late night is totally worth the sleepy day yesterday <3
I agree with your take on The Bachelor (and yay on your girlfriend viewing party!). I thought Rachel was his best match, and now that she’s gone, I just don’t see him with the remaining two women. I could have even seen him with Corinne (he said he had expensive taste, and he sure got a taste of that with her.) I’m also not a fan of all the spoiling going on this season. I hate that they introduced Rachel as the Bachelorette before we got to the point of her elimination. And I hated seeing spoilers online when I’m normally able to avoid them. Even seeing some of the comments here with spoilers was a bummer.
I am super psyched to see Rachel as the Bachelorette, though. She’s my fave!! And I can’t wait for her season! Glad you had a great start to your week.
I just heard they are bringing Burn Bootcamp to Illinois and I can’t wait!
Rhow did you prepare the quinoa?
just curious, how long does it take to go thru the workout?
it totally depends! we were given about 25 minutes to get through the workout… some people did and others didn’t but that’s a good goal!! 🙂
Wow! What a day! As a fellow-blogger who also stays at home with a toddler, I’m wondering when you carve out the time to write your posts? Is it always in the mornings? I’m always trying to find the time to write. Thanks! 🙂
Many times it’s first thing in the morning (I usually set my alarm at 5 a.m. to work before Chase gets up but slept in a bit this day!) — but I also write during his nap time! 🙂 Whatever doesn’t get done then will often get pushed back… I do also try to get some work done on the weekends to make the weekdays more manageable.
Sounds like a great routine! 🙂 Thanks!
Just a friendly heads up, because i didn’t know when i first purchased that collagen, and i know a lot of people follow your blog and might buy it on your recommendation, but that particular brand and product contains trace amounts of heavy metals!!!! Definitely not something id knowingly and willingly want to consume so i figured I’d let you know in case you felt the same way.
what!? really!? where did you find this info? i had no idea and would love to read more, especially since i use it every day! thank you for the info!
It’s on the side of the packaging under general analysis. “Heavy metals <0.005%" they hide it between fat and bacteria test.
Hey Julie!
I’ve been using the Vital Proteins collagen in my coffee and like it. I also used the Great Lakes too – not really sure if either are working – but I still think its worth a shot! Just curious if you’ve tried any of the Neocell products? I’m thinking you are familiar with this brand? They seem to be a reputable source. They encourage Vitamin C as well as Hyaluronic Acid to boost effectiveness. Is this something you’ve read as well?
I’d love to hear if you’ve researched them at all? Thanks!
I’m not sure what all of these exercises are. Is there somewhere we can find descriptions of each?