I’m back in action today and want to catch up with you guys. I am in the process of putting together the roundup of 30-minute at home workouts a bunch of you requested on my last Instagram Stories Q&A post but it’s taking me longer than expected (believe it or not roundup posts take 10 times longer for me than day-in-the-life posts) but it will be coming your way soon, I promise. In the meantime, how about a recap of our Tuesday!?
Morning + Breakfast
Tuesday morning began with coffee and my new devotional before I settled in to work on the computer for a bit.
My friend Lauren was in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania to help with the Burn Boot Camp location she and her husband opened a couple of weeks ago and asked if I could watch her sweet daughter (one of Chase’s best buddies) for her while she was out of town and her husband worked.
Claire joined us for the day a little after 7 a.m. and we hit the ground running! Chase and Claire helped me make a batch of Greek yogurt whole wheat pancakes for breakfast (I need to recreate this recipe to share ASAP because they both loved them!) and they were both quite thrilled with their mini bowls of syrup for dipping.
I made a double batch of the pancakes so I could freeze some to quickly reheat for breakfast in the future. I’m all about simple shortcuts!
Chase and Claire have such similar personalities – they’re both very active and engaging – and we spent most of the morning playing with every single toy we own, exploring in the backyard, running all over the house and coercing Sadie into lots of rounds of indoor fetch.
We stopped only for snack and lunch breaks before it was naptime!
I also couldn’t resist snapping a few photos of these two cuties and was shocked when they actually sat still for more than 2.5 seconds. Chase and Claire cracked each other up as I snapped away and I just love watching them grow up together!
Afternoon + Lunch
I was a little concerned about getting both kids down for their nap at the same time, but I set up Claire’s pack-and-play in our guest room beforehand and was shocked with how seamlessly they both went to sleep. They must’ve worn each other out!
Once Chase and Claire were napping, I got to work on my lunch. It was an easy one thanks to leftovers and I chopped up some chicken and roasted veggies to use in a cheesy quesadilla.
Plus sliced peaches on the side!
As I ate, I worked on editing some photos I shot on Monday for The Laughing Cow (I have a year-long contract with them for monthly freelance work for their social pages) and used the rest of naptime to sneak in a quick 20 minute workout, send out some invoices and continue working on the 30-minute workout roundup blog post for you guys.
Claire and Chase surprised me by napping for two and a half hours (amazing!!) and once they were up, playtime resumed in full force!
Lauren arrived at my house to pick up Claire at 6 p.m., almost the exact same time Ryan walked through the door after work.
Evening + Dinner
Since Chase and Claire ate dinner together around 5:30 p.m., by the time Ryan and I were ready to eat, Chase wasn’t too hungry but we’ve been trying hard to get really good about sitting at the table to eat a family dinner together almost every night. Chase snacked on some apple slices and peanut butter while Ryan and I dug into a hodgepodge meal of chicken thighs with avocado and a lentil garbanzo bean mixture.
Once dinner was over and the kitchen cleaned up a bit, we cuddled up on the couch with Chase to look for goldbug. Chase is 100 percent OBSESSED with finding goldbug on every page of Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go and, I’m not going to lie, goldbug is one elusive little creature! He’s seriously hard to find sometimes!
After our goldbug spotting spree, it was time for Chase to go to bed. Chase is usually fairly easy to get to sleep at night but started bawling his eyes out when I tried to put him down and said “Hungry!” which is pretty much the only word I listen to when he’s trying to get out of bedtime. He’s such a tiny little dude and I jump at any chance to get some more calories in him, so telling me he’s hungry (which he doesn’t do often), works like a charm. We came back downstairs and Chase ate another snack before he easily went down for bed about 20 minutes later. He was probably playing me but at least he ate, so I’ll take it!
After Chase was settled in bed, Ryan and I dug into a small bag of Sour Patch Kids (don’t judge, you know they’re delicious) and spent some time researching fall mountain vacations. We ended up feeling awfully overwhelmed with ideas and possibilities! We visited Boone, Banner Elk and Asheville for a week these past two fall seasons with my family and would love to plan another mountain vacation this autumn. We’re considering Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Highlands or Maggie Valley, North Carolina and a few others but I’d LOVE your recommendations. We’re looking for a mountainous destination that’s drivable from north Florida and Charlotte that also offers some things to do outside of simply hiking (which we also LOVE). And kid-friendly is absolutely a plus! Any suggestions!?
Our Tuesday wrapped up with reading in bed (I’m cracking up at Amy Poehler’s Yes Please at the moment) before turning off the lights around 10 p.m.
Plans for today include playing catch up on blog stuff, a morning play date with friends and a much-needed trip to the grocery store to stock up on food before my father-in-law arrives in town tomorrow!
Hope you guys have a great Wednesday!!
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