Since it’s Friday, you know we must keep things consistent around here and dive into your usual Things I’m Loving Friday post where we all chat about the things that make us smile each week. Below you will find a short list of the things I’m currently loving (plus a holiday giveaway!) and I’d love for you to join in the fun in the comments section!
Have a great weekend, my friends!
Things I’m Loving Friday
- Chase’s Four Month Checkup
On Monday, we headed into Chase’s pediatrician’s office for his four-month checkup. Everything is lookin’ good and I left feeling a million times better about everything from Chase’s small size to his less-than-stellar naps, challenging breastfeeding sessions (he’s so easily distracted!) and the fact that he’s still waking up to feed two times a night.
(He loves pulling my hair whenever I wear it down! Check out that handful!)
It is so incredibly easy to second guess everything about yourself as a parent when you’re a mom and having our doctor tell me Chase is doing great and I am not failing at life was so helpful. Chase also seems to be growing like crazy… Though he is still under 13 pounds, he has more than doubled his birth weight and is in the 78th percentile for his height. (What!?) According to my mother-in-law, Chase’s light weight and long little body are so similar to Ryan as a baby. When he’s awake, Chase doesn’t stop moving and absolutely loves to push off everything and be held standing up at all times. Our pediatrician commented on Chase’s activity level and said he’s clearly a determined little mover. We have a playful little dude on our hands, that’s for sure!
My thoughtful friend Merri brought this advent calendar with her as a special holiday gift for us when she came to visit last month and it’s easily the best advent calendar I’ve ever seen! Each day is filled with a chocolate surprise, but they aren’t your basic small chocolate squares. The treats range from chocolate-covered pretzel bites to chocolate-covered Oreos and sea salt caramels. They’re absolutely delicious. Thanks, Mer!
- Coconut Oil Peppermint Bark
A couple of days ago, I had a serious craving for something sweet and whipped up a batch of peppermint bark in the kitchen using only coconut oil, cocoa powder, peppermint extract and maple syrup and it was AWESOME. I’ll definitely share this one with you guys soon! It was so easy and a perfect festive treat! In the meantime, if you’re hoping to making peppermint bark this weekend check out this tasty throwback recipe: Peppermint Bark.
I don’t know how they do it, but month after month Fabletics somehow debuts new adorable workout apparel that I always seem to love. These black ice capris from their December collection are fantastic! Though I love funky patterns and vibrant colors on my workout capris and leggings, black bottoms will always be my favorite, so I love this take on simple black bottoms. You get a little spice and variety but keep the simple, flattering look of black workout bottoms.
- Candied Pecan Chex Mix
I have been on a Chex mix fix lately! I made another batch of Chex mix this week and it was wonderful! I followed Gimme Some Oven’s recipe for Candied Pecan Chex Mix and could not stop eating it. (I omitted the pretzels simply because we didn’t have any on hand and I also added almonds.) Ryan also gave it rave reviews. So good!
- Of Possible Interest
** Apparently the code I shared on my White Plum Giveaway post earlier this week wasn’t working for the first few hours but it’s back in action! You may use the code PBGIVE25 to receive 25% off everything from White Plum through December 15! And there’s still time to enter my giveaway!
** 14 Healthy Sweet Potato Recipes (Can’t get enough of them lately!)
** Interesting infographic about brands working with bloggers
** The PickFit app is giving away $75 Rent the Runway gift certificates! To be entered to win, post your outfit picture to Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #PickfitRTR!
- Minted Holiday Cards + Giveaway
Our holiday cards arrived on Tuesday this week! I love the way they turned out and can’t wait to send them to our closest friends and family. Like last year, we ordered them through Minted, though this year Minted offered to collaborate with me and extend an awesome giveaway to you guys, too! If you are hoping to order holiday cards and haven’t done so yet, definitely check out Minted! Their designs are absolutely gorgeous and you can order everything from letterpress holiday cards to foil pressed designs (<—we did this last year!), all uniquely created by independent artists.
From the gorgeous fonts, quality paper and beautiful designs, you cannot go wrong with Minted holiday cards. (And they also have awesome gifts! I ordered this foil collage with photos of Chase for Ryan for Christmas… And made him promise not to read this post today!) Now that I’ve professed my love for Minted, I think we should get to that giveaway I mentioned above…
Three PBF readers will win a $100 credit to Minted to use toward their holiday cards!
To enter this giveaway, please click here to enter on Minted.com and leave a comment on this blog post telling me about one thing you are looking forward to this holiday season. We will randomly select three winners on Monday so you can order your cards ASAP!
Good luck!
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Hi Julie,
I’m really looking forward to spending time with family: heading out for walks, catching a movie, checking out the Boston Aquarium- anything we do together during the Christmas vacation.
I’m really looking forward to having a nice Christmas morning (as nice as you can with a toddler!) making a special breakfast, opening gifts, staying in pjs 🙂
I’m looking forward to seeing our little (almost) 2 year old during Christmas morning.
Looking forward to spending our first Christmas at home (not traveling!) and to seeing my boys open presents in their Christmas jammies!
Love your Christmas card!!!
I’m looking forward to opening presents on Christmas morning with my 18 month old twins 🙂
I’m most looking forward to watching my daughter experience her first Christmas! She’s 8 months old, so I can’t wait to see how she reacts to wrapping paper 🙂
Side note: isn’t it funny how when you become a parent, you get excited about things because of how your child will react, and not for what you want anymore?
Christmas with the kiddos!
Every year, my family and I go for a long walk in Homewood, Al, to look at Christmas lights, and we also go watch Christmas Vacation (by far our favorite holiday movie!) at the Alabama Theater. It is my favorite part of the Christmas Season, and I am determined to make it happen this year, too, even though our little girl is due any day now!
Our first Christmas as a family of 4!!!
Christmas cookies!
I’m most looking forward to being with family. This year has been so busy so it’ll be nice to slow down a little and get back to what’s important.
I love minted! I ordered my birth announcements and Christmas cards from there. I am most looking forward to celebrating our first Christmas with our sweet baby boy- the most wonderful gift in the world!
I’m looking forward to my baby bump growing bigger and seeing friends and family 🙂
I am in love with your “Eat Drink and be Merry” Print. Where did you get it? 🙂
I became engaged over Thanksgiving, so I am excited to celebrate the excitement over the holidays with family and friends! I would love to send out a fun holiday save-the-date.
enjoy your weekend! william is 20 month and still occasionally pulls my hair!!
I know this has been said a lot, but I am definitely looking forward to our first Christmas with our 9 month old baby boy!
I’m excited to spend time with my husband and family… But also to use my husband’s time off from work to get a nursery all set up for our little one due in February!
I will be home with my family for two weeks. I can’t wait for the break from work, seeing my family, and my baby shower!
I’m most looking forward to seeing my two year old so excited. He’s at SUCH a fun age!
I am so looking forward to eating tacos in Tucson, where we’re spending Christmas!
I’m looking forward to our first holiday season with our puppy, Dude!! I’m so excited to dress him in festive sweaters and shower him with new toys and bones Christmas morning. Makes yelling at him to stop eating the tree 10x a day worth it ?
celebrating with my 3 year old and newborn 🙂
Looking forward to time with family and baking Christmas cookies!
I love all gatherings, especially the friends sweater party!
I’m most looking forward to going on our honeymoon and spending our first Christmas together as husband and wife!
This will be my husband and I’s first christmas as a married couple so I am looking forward to making traditions for our family of 2!
Excited to celebrate our first christmas with our little family. Our little boy is almost 3 months and your posts about Chase are so helpful and encouraging because we are right behind you ?
I’m definitely excited for my son’s second (how?!!!) Christmas. He’s 18 months old now, so everything is a LOT more fun!
I will be home with my family and my finance’s family in a week! We recently got engaged so I can’t wait to get to enjoy Christmas with both of our families!
Cute Cards! I have to tell you… I’ve been making your peppermint since the day you shared & I’ve made it for a number of people for gifts + family events… & now people request it during the holidays! 🙂 Also my little guy just turned 6 months & he’s still waking up in the night (time to start sleep training!) & he get’s so easily distracted during nursing these days! Keep up the good work mama, you’re doing better than you think <3 <3 <3
My husband and I just found out we are expecting. I am waiting until Christmas when we are surrounded by friends and family to share the news. I am counting down the days!
Spending time with family!
We love minted as well! They did a fabulous job earlier this year with our Save the Dates and our Christmas cards this year thru them came out great! Great quality cards and so easy and simple to order as well!
I’m looking forward to spending time with my family and friends, eating a lot of good food, and getting a couple days off of work!
Hi Julie! Long time reader. Your little boy sounds just like mine!! We ended up exclusively pumping because he was always so distracted when nursing. It worked really well for us. Also our little boy didn’t sleep through the night until 12 months. He was always like 5th percentile. He is 14 months old now. When he hit about 10 months and could move pretty freely wherever he wanted, he was so fun!!!! You are doing a great job!!! He was tough as a little guy constantly wanting activity but it makes for a smart boy when he is able to start moving and learning soon!!! He’s precious!!
I cant wait for my kids to be on Winter break (they will have 2 wks off!). And baking with my mom and 8 yr old daughter, such a fun tradition!
I can’t wait to bake Christmas cookies!!
I’m looking forward to celebrating my sweet lil guy’s first Christmas! He’s 6 months old and love starting new Christmas traditions with him! 🙂
I LOVE the holiday season! We get to spend some much needed catch up quality time with my family. Due to crazy work schedules, we rarely see my family unless its the holidays (even that is shorter due to their professions). We enjoy getting to spend quality time with my family for the extra few hours each week. I have a new baby cousin that will be celebrating her first Christmas and 2 other little cousins that are starting really get into the season’s festivities! We have a tradition in our family that every Christmas Eve we wait outside my parent’s house and wait for the fire truck that tote’s Santa around and gives out toys and candy canes to the kids. We have done it since my brother, cousins and I have been in diapers and passing on the tradition to the next generation is so much fun!
Your little guy just keeps getting cuter and cuter! Looking forward to spending time as a new family of 4! I’ve never used minted before, but this would be the first year I’m sending holiday cards anyway. Happy holidays to you.
This year I’m looking forward to spending Christmas morning at our own house for the first time and seeing how excited my daughter (almost three) will be to see a purple care bear that she requested from Santa!
Also, I know you are a big peppermint fan but be weary of eating too much – it can cause your milk to dry up – it’s essentially like a decongestent which is why so many people use peppermint oil to help with congestion. Definitely stay away from peppermint oil and I would limit eating peppermint for the most part – I don’t think a little here or there would matter but everyone is different. Sage is also another one to avoid!
Hope you guys enjoy your most chill Christmas with a child! 😉
I’m looking forward to spending time with family and friends and a TWO week work vacation!!!
I’m looking forward to watching my 1 year old niece have fun opening presents!
Im looking forward to a week off of work… relaxing and spending as much time with family and friends!
P.S. Minted is amazing! We did all of our wedding invites/stationary through them and could not have been happier with the result!
Those Christmas cards look so amazing! How cute is Chase! I’m looking forward to seeing family and having some time off work 🙂
Hi Julie!
I’m looking forward to spending the holiday season with my fiance before we get married in a few months!
I’m looking forward to getting some good workouts in! This month work has been very hectic, AND we have a puppy, so my workouts have been suffering! Looking forward to getting back into the groove!
I’m looking forward to traveling to New Orleans for the first time with family!
I would send out holiday cards- I love when families send cards with pictures of themselves out to loved ones!