I will absolutely pop in and share peeks into our travels with you guys as I can while still keeping my focus on our family and our time together. I do have two blog posts already typed up and ready to share and all I can say is PLEASE make the Thai chickpea burgers I’ll be sharing next week. You won’t be sorry because they are so, so good!
Before I find myself fully immersed in spring break mode, I wanted to quickly share a glimpse into some things that made me smile this week in my usual Things I’m Loving Friday roundup of favorites. Please feel free to join in!
Have a fantastic weekend and for those traveling for spring break this week, I hope you all stay safe and have fun!
Things I’m Loving Friday
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Spring Break Prep
Once my energy began to kick in again later this week, I quickly sprang into spring break prep mode. We’re talking lots of lists — when you’re traveling for an extended period of time with kids, lists are key — and I began to order the items we didn’t have but wanted and needed for our beach trip. Well, let’s just say I still have plenty of packing to do, but at least putting some thought into what we want to bring allowed me to place orders on some things we were planning to use on our trip and not worry about them arriving after we’re gone.
A few things I ordered: A beach tent (THANK YOU for weighing in — your recommendations convinced me to order this Lightspeed one and I’ll report back!), new bike helmets for the boys, beach toys with a mesh bag (<– crucial!), new Native shoes for Chase (forever and always the BEST summer shoes for kids), Badger clear zinc sunscreen (the cleanest and most affordable natural sunscreen we discovered last summer)
And now to actually start packing… Ooph!
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All the Beverages
This week was the week of all the beverages. I had basically no appetite all day on Sunday and Monday and was forcing myself to eat what I could… and it was mostly vanilla ice cream and soft bread. Whatever works! Thankfully liquids of all kinds sounded great to me and as I sat down to write today’s post, I had to laugh when I realized three of the things I planned to highlight were beverages. I figured that wouldn’t make for the most interesting TILF over here so I’m rounding them up into one little section. My favorites of the week: Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat Tea (so fabulous and so soothing for my aching throat), Waterloo sparkling water (the grape flavor reminded me of childhood without tasting syrupy sweet) and Four Sigmatic Chai Latte (surprisingly authentic for a mushroom-based chai latte)!
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The First Lady by James Patterson
This is kind of a recommendation… but also kind of not. Hear me out: The First Lady is James Patterson’s latest novel and if you’re looking for a quick-read Political thriller that will pull you in immediately, give it a shot! If you find yourself getting annoyed when books become increasingly implausible, skip it.
The book takes off with a bang and begins when the President of the United States’ affair with an intelligent lobbyist is revealed and the First Lady of the United States promptly goes missing. Agent Sally Grissom, the top agent of the Presidential Protection team, finds herself in a compromising situation when the President and his Chief of Staff order her to find the First Lady… secretly. The First Lady’s disappearance follows the public discovery of her husband’s affair leading everyone speculating whether her disappearance was accidental or on purpose and whether or not the First Lady is in very real danger.
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Old Navy Jumpsuit (Only $22.50!)
A couple weeks ago I highlighted a few of my recent Old Navy orders and I just had to give this jumpsuit a shout out after it arrived and I had the chance to try it on. This jumpsuit is so incredibly comfortable thanks to the wide-leg fit and the material is lightweight and breathable making it perfect for the warmer months. I can already tell it’s going to get tons of wear. It can be dressed up with heels or down with slides or sandals and I love, love, love it! It’s currently 50% off (even cheaper than when I bought it) and only $22.50! I adore the feminine flutter sleeves and if you’re not an all-black person it’s also available in two printed patterns but the black seems the most versatile to me. And if you’re in the mood to do some summer shopping, when I went to link to this jumpsuit, I saw that ALL Old Navy dresses, shorts, t-shirts and polos are currently 50% off (jumpsuits and rompers included)!
I don’t think I’ve taken the lead in planning any kind of birthday adventure for myself in years and years but this year I did and I’m already so pumped!!! Back in November, I shared a ridiculous story on Instagram. At Chase’s preschool’s Thanksgiving Day Feast, the teachers played a video they made of the students and recorded their answers to a single question: “What are you most thankful for this year?” Nearly all of Chase’s classmates said they were thankful for Mom or Dad but when the camera panned to him, he said he was thankful for… horses. We just about died laughing (as did those around us) and his answer truly seemed to come out of left field. Well, whoever handles PR over at the Queen’s Cup Steeplechase is on fire because they commented on the post and said we should take Chase to the big Charlotte-area race in April. I thought that sounded like something he would love but forgot all about it until they reached out to me last month. (Seriously, talk about an on-the-ball PR team!) They invited us to the race and we cannot wait to attend!! We’re actually making a day of it since the race is on my birthday this year (April 27!) and will be attending with a group of our friends and their kids as well. We’re planning to tailgate all day and take advantage of pony rides for the kids as well as check out the Jack Russell Terrier races, hat competitions and of course the multiple horse races throughout the day and I cannot wait. If you’re local, let me know if you’ll be there, too!
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Friday Flashbacks
10 Most Used Kitchen Items (A roundup of the items I use in my kitchen almost every day to make life a little easier!)
Cardio HIIT Workout (A sweaty HIIT workout you can do anywhere. No equipment needed so it’s perfect for spring break travel!)
Question of the Day
Do you have any spring break plans this year?
What is one thing making you smile today?
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Hilton Head has been our summer beach destination for over 25 years. 🙂 🙂 It’s our absolute fav!! We have a house in Sea Pines. There are lots of fabulous restaurants. Don’t leave without visiting THE SEA SHACK!! It’s a hole in the wall with the BEST seafood, reasonable prices. Go early!!! People start lining up before 5 for dinner but also open for lunch . It’s first come, first served and you l.ine up outside for a table. Not much space inside. Totally worth it!!! If you don’t make it one day, definitely come back before you leave!!! Have a great time!
thank you for this recommendation!!!
I’m in college so I already had my spring break (skiing in CO with my squad!) but my parents will be in HHI starting today for their spring break and I’m surprising them through Monday! Too funny, maybe I’ll see y’all around 🙂
aw!!! i’m sure they will be thrilled to see you! hope you enjoy your stay!
We currently have a BLIZZARD here in Minnesota, so I’m dreaming of a beach vacation right now!
Two quick comments:
1. Is that jumpsuit nursing friendly? I can only imagine trying to nurse in that!
2. The little chiseler is the best! I got one over a year ago based on your recommendation and we use it all the time!
Definitely not nursing friendly! Planning to wear it when I’m away from Ryder or know I’ll be heading home to nurse until I’m done breastfeeding. 🙂 And isn’t the Lil Chizler incredible!?!? I use it every single day!
Any chance you’ll consider posting the Thai chickpea burger recipe by Wednesday morning? It sounds delicious, and I’m meal planning for next week and would love to make it Thursday (and fit in a quick grocery run after work Wednesday)!
I hope you have a wonderful time at the beach with your boys!!
Hope you guys have a blast in HHI! I think I remember that you’ve been before so you probably already know about it, but I think Chase would love singing along with Gregg Russell under the big oak tree at Harbour Town. It’s a super fun kid-centric show where they can sit up on stage and sing silly songs with him (here’s his schedule: https://www.seapines.com/events/Gregg-Russell-Spring-Concerts/April-2019). I think there’s also kids entertainment on certain nights at Shelter Cove. I’d also highly recommend kayaking on Broad Creek if you’re able! Last time we did it, dolphins came up and swam right beside us. It was amazing! We booked with Kayak Hilton Head; they’re so great. You might be dealing with a lot of crowds on the island thanks to the Heritage Classic golf tournament coming up this week, but hopefully it doesn’t hinder your trip!
My family and I have been going to Hilton Head for over 20 years and love it! For the first time this summer, we have rented a house in Sea Pines, instead of Shipyard. We are excited to see how it works. Please try Sunrise Café for breakfast. As a bonus, it is dog friendly and has outside seating. You guys would love it! I can’t wait to read your trip recap and see how your visit goes. Would also love to hear how you found your rental house. It is a struggle every year going through all of the rentals to find one that accommodates our family. Maybe you have some good tips?
I just got back from Hilton Head! My parents rent a house in Sea Pines 🙂 I suggest the Sunrise Cafe for breakfast (we go multiple times a week whenever we visit..ha!) and we recently discovered an amazing BBQ place called The Smokehouse that I definitely recommend! We have been going to HHI for over 25 years and I don’t know how we didn’t go to this place until just now. So good! Also Chow Daddy’s for tacos/mexican – this place is always incredibly busy so get there early! Hope you have a great time!
Thank you for all of these recommendations! I appreciate it so much!
Spring break was last week around here, but my husband still had to work so we didn’t do much, womp womp. But he was able to take a couple hours off on Friday so we could see Baby Animal Days, which is a big event where you go and hold/pet the baby farm animals and vendors come in to sell stuff and there’s a bunch of activities for families, etc. We go every year, and it’s always a good time.
Enjoy your spring break! Smart to bring the in-laws along, so you’ll have a built-in babysitter so you really can get some relaxation in!
We just got to HHI for an extended weekend with our new baby – Maybe we will run into y’all! Have a great week!
Glad to hear you’re feeling better! I hope you guys have a great time on Hilton Head. Sounds like it’ll be a really fun trip!
p.s. I’m going to Europe next week and just binged, like, all of your Europe trip posts. SO helpful, especially the packing one! Thanks for putting those together (even if it was eight years ago, ha).
My husband and I are going for the first time in May. I can’t wait to hear your recommendations!!
Glad you are feeling better. Old Navy has some seriously cute dresses and jumpsuits right now. Highly recommend the linen blend cami jumpsuit — see the five star reviews. Flattering and insanely comfortable; also comes in rayon, black and prints. Am loving mine. Enjoy your Spring break!
I’m contemplating getting my son the native shoes for this summer. Would you say they run big or true to size? He has brick feet (very wide ?), I worry they won’t be a good fit for him. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
The “miller” natives run a bit wider than the standard “Jefferson” ones.
If you haven’t used the beach shelter yet, costco has the same one for less than amazon!
https://www.costco.com/Lightspeed-Outdoor-Quickshelter.product.100475130.html