After a couple of weekends of back-to-back visitors, this weekend will be a lot more low key which is never a bad thing! I love busy weekends but I also love weekends where we have absolutely nothing on the agenda. Without any real commitments on the calendar, I am simply looking forward to a few days at home with my boys and Sadie!
I don’t care if we do absolutely nothing other than venture out for a trip to the park and hang out around the house. That all sounds perfect to me! This week passed by in a bit of a blur with several particularly draining days (let’s just say I’m beginning to understand the term “threenager”) so I’m hoping to take advantage of the weekend to relax a bit.
Before I sign off, I wanted to share my usual Things I’m Loving Friday post with you guys! As always, I’d love for you to tell me about something that is making you smile in the comments section! Let’s dive right in, shall we?
Things I’m Loving Friday
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6-Week Postpartum Checkup
I had my 6-week postpartum checkup on Tuesday morning and was oddly looking forward to the appointment. Everything looked good from a healing standpoint which was wonderful to hear and I and received my doctor’s official “okay” to resume working out. I don’t plan to dive back into things full-force around here (nor do I think that’s the safe way to go!) and so far have kept to my daily walks as my primary form of exercise.
I did manage to sneak in one quick upper body strength training session as well which felt AMAZING. Despite using lighter weights and not pushing myself much, I was sore for days after my upper body workout! Returning to fitness after having a baby is NO JOKE and a humbling experience for sure. I’ve missed sweating and boot camp and I’ve definitely missed seeing my workout friends on an almost-daily basis so I cannot wait to slowly get back into it in the coming weeks.
Earlier this summer, in an effort to clean up more of my makeup and beauty products, I spent some time researching some of my favorite products on the EWG’s website. While I was browsing around, I stumbled upon their Sunscreen 101 Guide and ended up discovering Badger Active Clear Zinc Sunscreen, a new-to-me brand of safer sunscreen. The sunscreen received a “1” rating on the EWG’s website (the best/lowest rating for ingredient safety) and was significantly more affordable than other safer sunscreen brands currently on the market. I ordered a bottle for less than $13 on Amazon and we’ve been loving it!
The fragrance-free clear zinc formula blends into our skin much better than other natural sunscreens we’ve tried (I still wouldn’t call it completely clear but it’s barely noticeable) and while it’s a little on the sticky side, it seems to stay on well through sweaty summer activities and swimming. We’re loving this sunscreen in our house and I wanted to share it here as well in case you’re in the market for a safer sunscreen option that won’t break the bank!
I’ve been limiting my walks with Ryder and Sadie to the morning hours in an effort to beat the summer heat (and take advantage of the time when Chase is at camp) but despite our early walks, I still found myself looking for a way to keep Ryder cool while we meandered around our neighborhood. He is mostly sheltered from the cool morning breeze since he’s tucked in his car seat for our walks, so I began researching stroller-friendly fans and ended up returning a few until I settled on this one!
This fan is more powerful than others and I love that you can adjust the airflow and the direction of the fan. (I have it turned out for this picture but obviously flip it and turn it toward Ryder during our walks.) It’s powerful enough that I can feel a wonderful breeze myself if it’s clipped on the car seat handle and the clip is powerful enough to keep it firmly in place. I highly recommend this one for anyone looking for a way to cool down little ones during stroller walks or even beach or pool days in the summertime.
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Ali on the Run Podcast
Thank you guys for leaving so many great podcast recommendations on my blog post last week. I’ve listened to a handful of them and wanted to share one of my new favorites here since I think it might appeal to many of you out there, especially those with an interest in running.
Ali on the Run is a podcast hosted by Ali Feller, an avid runner with a down-to-earth personality that makes you immediately feel like she’s your friend. She interviews everyone from professional runners (oh hey, Kara Goucher) to dietitians and more and after listening to three episodes, I find myself coming back to her podcast time and time again to catch up on all of the episodes I’ve missed!
My friend Elisabeth came by our house on Tuesday evening to meet Ryder and brought us dinner that was absolutely fantastic! She prepped this bruschetta chicken and brought it to us to bake along with garlic bread and we loved every bite. I asked her for the recipe and since I know a bunch of you guys are always on the lookout for easy and healthy weeknight meals, I knew I had to share it on the blog. The recipe is Paleo-friendly but we topped ours with a generous sprinkling of feta cheese before baking it and thought it was fabulous!
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Friday Flashbacks
Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Oatmeal Cookies (I made a batch of these cookies with Chase’s help this week and we all loved them!)
Baby Registry Must Haves (A flashback peek at the baby registry we created when I was pregnant with Chase based on your advice!)
Question of the Day
What is one thing that is making you smile this week?
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The threenager stage is no fun! However, you can get through it! You just have to be firm, set limits, and make sure that you’re firm in your delivery of discipline. They need structure and limits early.
Yum, the bruschetta chicken looks really good. I’m so happy that you found Ali’s podcast. She’s also been a guest on Tina Muir’s show and Man Bun Run and she’s every bit as good when someone is interviewing her.
Ali Feller* 🙂
Love her show, Happy Friday!!!
Oops!! Updating the typo now!
Making me smile…a good one month check up for the little one yesterday and a weekend of birthday celebrations for the 3 year old coming up! (But speaking of threenagers….when I picked up my daughter yesterday from daycare she was in a highchair/timeout – because she hit someone on the head with her baby doll. Ugh.)
Oh! I need a stroller fan!! My little one is always a sweaty mess after we walk!!
Looks like things are going well for you as a family of 4 (+ Sadie)! I love seeing your updates, and your blog has remained one of my absolute favorites over the many years.
Something making me smile this week is HBO Go! We finally pulled the trigger and got an HBO Go account, and it’s been so nice to snuggle up and watch a good series or movie before bed. I don’t know how I lived so long without it!
Thank you for this comment — it made me smile this morning and I really appreciate it! 🙂
Yay for low key weekend!! Threenagers are something 🙂 I remember when all of my nieces and nephews hit that stage… you just never know what they will do! I’m loving my new cordless stick vacuum, the Shark IONFlex DuoClean Ultra-Light Cordless Vacuum. Makes mid-week vacuuming so much easier! If you haven’t tried Amazon brand clothing, I’d highly recommend this dress — https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072MFT6JL/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It’s so comfy and flattering!
Have a great weekend 🙂
Oh my goodness, I hear you on the threenager! I swear the day my son turned 3 he turned into a little independent man who has a lot of opinions and is demanding! Still give snuggles and kisses, but boy does he push some buttons! No one warned me about the treacherous threes!
Thanks for the stroller fan tip! That will come in handy for the hot summer days and even in the car seat during long drives!
Yessss. It’s a fun age but PHEW some days are really tough!!
If you are still looking to replace any of your products with safer, more natural products, you should look into Beautycounter. They are a mission based B-Corp who educates on the safety of ingredients in products. And it is the only mineral based sunscreen I have used that leaves zero white residue. I also bought badger for my kids and none of them will wear it (nor will be husband) becuase they all want the clear and non-greasy, non-pasty beautycounter. And the face stick and mist are so so convenient with wiggly kids. There is also amazing anti aging skin care (the overnight resurfacing peel is amazing for age spots/melasma, toning, and wrinkles), shampoo, family and body care, and a gorgeous line of makeup! Every single product is safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding (which i had a hard time finding since ive been one or the other for 11 years now!), we ban 1500 potentially toxic ingredients from our products, and they truly work (when lets be honest, not all natural products do). If you are interested, Email me at Lindsayb727@yahoo.com and check out the website Beautycounter.com/lindsaylewis.
Thank you for sharing! I have tried a bunch of Beautycounter products and I do love them! Their face stick sunscreen is awesome and we use it in our house all the time! As for a total-body sunscreen, I’ve used Beautycounter’s spray mist sunscreen and also loved it but wanted to see if I could find a more affordable option for our family. I definitely think Beautycounter has some wonderful products out there! (I also use Beautycounter’s dew skin, skin tint and bronzer regularly!)
Please share the recipe for the cookies , they look good thanks
Hi Angela! Here ya go: https://www.pbfingers.com/chocolate-chip-hazelnut-oatmeal-cookies/ Hope you enjoy them if you give them a try!
I was looking at the sunscreen you put in your Friday list, but I couldn’t find if it is ok on toddlers? Did you happen to find that while researching it? I wasn’t sure if you use it on Chase, or just you and your hubby! 🙂 Thank you!
Hi Kristin! We’ve been using it on Chase as well! It says it’s “family friendly” on Badger’s website and when I checked out the ingredient list, they seemed a LOT better than many other “kid-safe” sunscreens out there (Uncoated Clear Zinc Oxide, Sunflower Seed Oil, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Tocopherol (Sunflower Vitamin E) and Hippophae Rhamnoides (Seabuckthorn) Fruit Extract) but definitely look into it yourself before deciding if it’s right for your family! 🙂
Oh I’ll need to check out that podcast. I’ve been trying to go on a morning or afternoon walk each day and either use the time to catch up with my mom or listen to a podcast. Happy Friday! Have a nice relaxing weekend!
Looks like you’re being flooded with natural sunscreen recommendations, but here’s one more! You may want to check out Thinkbaby sunscreen as well. It also scored a 1 from EWG, and I’ve found it to be the smoothest/clearest natural sunscreen I’ve tried (and I’ve tried soooo many over the years). I use it on both my toddler and myself! I buy the family size tube on Amazon for less than $17.
Oh awesome!!! I’ll look for this one!
Totally agree that laid back weekends with no plans are the best! That brushcetta chicken recipe your friend made for you looks delicious!
Check out “Think Baby” sunscreen. I use it on my kids and myself. Smells great, blends wayyyy better than Badger and just as “clean”. Thrive and Amazon both carry it for good prices.
I love reading your updates – especially about your boys! Something making me smile today is…. my 10 1/2-month-old boy started walking!!! I turn to your older posts for advice all the time these days! ???
I love finding new podcasts! Thanks for the recommendation. Something I am loving this week is a self help book called fail until you don’t by Bobby Bones. Highly recommend it !
I’m glad you’ll be able to get back into working out soon! I know I definitely miss working out when I hit really busy periods of life. One thing that made me smile this week is getting to take Monday off work to go to the beach and the aquarium with my boyfriend! It’s rare that we both get to take a random day off, and it put me in a good mood for the rest of the week.
Thanks for linking back to your baby registry checklist! i’m currently in the throes of making mine and feel pretty clueless 🙂 we will probably end up returning half the gear we get but hey better to be safe than sorry! Have a great weekend xo
it is sooooo overwhelming!!! i hope the checklist helps!!
So glad Ryder’s checkup went well! He is the cutest. Those boys are gonna be TROUBLE together LOL!! It’s good you have Sadie, or you’d be severely outnumbered! 🙂
That chicken looks amazing! And such a good idea. Those are the recipes I look at and think, “Well DUH! Why didn’t I think of that?!?!” I have no imagination/vision when it comes to creating new dishes.
One thing that is making me smile is heading to my parents tomorrow for steak shish-ka-bobs!! I eat waaaay too much chicken, and have been craving red meat. So I am excited!! Oh course, leave it to food to be the highlight of my week lol
Hi Julie! Long time reader here! I always look forward to reading your blog posts. Glad all is going well for you and your little guy 🙂 Was wondering if you could write a post about the natural skin care products you use/love? I’m in the market for new, chemical-free products for my face more specifically, but there’s so many out there! Maybe you already have a post about this and could link it? Thanks!
I saw the fan on your IG stories and was so intrigued, glad it made your list of Friday Favourites, I feel like I missed that major piece when Sully was a newborn! Oh man I’m hearing you on the wicked week of ‘threenagerhood’ it’s been tough! I’m happy to report we are also spending a low key weekend and hoping that saves from some massive meltdowns!
Happy weekend friend!
I hope you have a relaxing weekend! Something I’m loving is we booked a trip to see my sister, BIL, and their 6 month old. It will be the first time for my toddler to meet her cousin! So excited! She carries a picture of him around the house and will sometimes bring a toy over to his photo, to share with him. It’s so adorable. I wonder what she’ll think of him in real life?