Good morning, my friends! How are you? I hope you are doing well and that my fellow Americans enjoyed a sunny and fun-filled holiday weekend.
Our weekend included a mix of quality time with friends and some downtime at home. Ryan ended up getting sick (we think he may have had the same 24-hour bug I had last week), so after we spent all day with friends on Saturday, we stayed pretty close to home for the rest of the holiday weekend.
Please allow me to get a little nostalgic for a second… For the longtime PBF readers out there: Can you believe the Fourth of July when Ross proposed to Leslie was THREE years ago? Time is flyin’! And for my fellow Bachelorette fans, I totally read all the spoilers for this season online already – I’m the kind of person who always tried to find her Christmas presents, so what did you expect? – and apparently this season they go to the very restaurant where our family surprised Leslie on the day Ross proposed! Keep an eye out later this season!
Wow, that was quite a tangent… Moving on!
A Random Tuesday
Yesterday began bright and early when Chase started to stir in his crib a little before 6 a.m. (If I got up to feed him at 3 a.m. as well, does that mean my day technically began at 3 a.m.? Because it kind of felt like it…) I got up to nurse and change Chase and he thankfully went back to sleep for another 90 minutes, giving me time to reheat a pre-made frittata for breakfast, down a cup of coffee with Fairlife whole milk and collagen and finish up yesterday’s 11 month baby update.
By the time I published the blog post and scheduled the corresponding social media shares, Chase was up again and ready to play! I put an assortment of food on Chase’s high chair tray but he only had eyes for Puffs. After a quick wipe-down of his face and fingers, we headed off to Burn Boot Camp!
Partner Core Workout
Chase enjoyed quality time with his BBC childcare buddies while I went through a partner core circuit workout with my friends Carrie and Lauren.
Chase was ready for his morning nap by the time we made it home, so I nursed him and put him down before grabbing a shower and a morning snack (Wilde bar + apple + more coffee) and heading back into my home office to work, work, work.
I started typing up this blog post, responded to some time-sensitive emails and worked on some Pinterest stuff through Tailwind. (FYI, I’ve been toying around with Tailwind for Pinterest scheduling/planning and LOVE it so far. It’s very user friendly – easier to use than Board Booster, in my opinion – and your first month is free.)
Lunch + A Meeting
As always, Chase’s naptime FLEW by and before I knew it, he was up again. We ate lunch together (chicken and sliced peaches for Chase and a smoothie made with SFH protein powder, peanut butter, spinach, frozen banana and cashew milk for me) and then drove to Whole Foods for a casual meeting I had scheduled with Cora, Charlotte’s local marketing team leader, at 12:30 p.m.
We chatted about possible upcoming collaborations and I really enjoyed meeting her face-to-face after several weeks of email-only communication.
Oh! And for the locals, Cora told me about an awesome event this Saturday that I thought might interest some of you. Whole Foods on Fairview Road in Charlotte is hosting a Q&A with Olympic swimmer Kirsty Coventry on Saturday! Tickets are only $5 and benefit the Drowning Prevention Program at the YMCA of Greater Charlotte.
After our meeting, I couldn’t resist taking a loop around Whole Foods and picking up a small load of groceries, including one of their bakery’s amazing cookies for the car ride home and some sockeye salmon that was on sale.
Bless Whole Foods for the free fruit wagon they have for kids because a piece of fresh fruit almost always keeps Chase entertained during our shopping trips!
By the time we made it back home, Chase was a little restless, so we played in our family room for a bit so he could get some of his energy out before his afternoon nap. Once again, I used his naptime to work and spent some time going through old blog posts while snacking on lunch number two.
(Broccoli Slaw + Chicken + Avocado + Naturally Fresh Ginger Dressing + Sesame Seeds)
A session from the Food Entrepreneur Summit with Katy Widrick provided a checklist of sorts for old content and I’ve been trying to spend a little time every day removing broken links from old posts and updating photos and formatting, among other things. (For any bloggers who may have missed the Food Entrepreneur Summit, you can still sign up to view the courses even though the virtual conference is over. I found the virtual conference both valuable and educational.)
Swim Class + Dinner
Tuesdays are a little rough on the nap front over here because Chase’s afternoon swim lesson often interrupts his sleep. That was the case again yesterday and I had to wake him up so we could make it to swimming on time but he did well and seemed to enjoy splashing in the pool without too much fussing.
We were greeted by a downpour at the end of class, so we hung out in the lobby for a bit and I was actually able to switch Chase into a later swim class time while we waited. I hope the new time will be better for his nap schedule but I will really miss our friends from our Tuesday class!
Once we made it home, Chase started to show signs of a way-too-short afternoon nap. I tried my best to keep him happy and entertained, but eventually it was clear that he needed a nap. I hate to put him down for a nap after 5 p.m. for fear that it will interrupt his evening sleep, but it had to happen. He took a 30-minute nap which gave me time to quickly throw together a dinner that included sockeye salmon, roasted butternut squash (tossed in coconut oil, salt and cinnamon) and asparagus.
I had just enough time to make dinner and eat before Chase was up again. Ryan worked a little late yesterday and didn’t arrive home until close to 7 p.m., so we waited for him while playing with toys, attempting Chase’s dinner in the highchair and reading books on the couch.
Story time with Chase and Sadie started out like this…
And ended like this…
Apparently Sadie didn’t want to miss a minute of my reading of Grandma Wishes. My mom gave Chase the Grandma Wishes book and it’s one of his absolute favorites! I think he loves all of the colors and seems to enjoy pointing at the animals on every page. Chase is really into books lately and I just love it!
After two readings of Grandma Wishes, Ryan walked through the door and Chase kicked and bounced around while grinning like crazy, as usual. His reaction to Ryan whenever he arrives home from work is so stinking adorable and melts my heart.
Chase and Ryan practiced some of his fun skills like waving and dancing for me before we all hung out and let Chase crawl around and pull himself up on everything he could find before bedtime.
After I nursed Chase and put him down for the night, I grabbed a cup of Siggi’s strawberry yogurt, topped it with a handful of peanut butter granola and worked for a little longer on the computer. I typed up the rest of this blog post in my office before hanging out with Ryan on the couch for the rest of the evening and crashing hard when we crawled into bed.
I hope you guys have a great Wednesday!
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I DO remember when Ross proposed to Leslie! I remember thinking how sweet and romantic that was! Time really does fly.
https://thedogtribe.com/2016/06/02/the-body-i-want/
Thanks for reading for so long, Michelle!! <3
Love this post about a day in the life of Julie and Chase… I don’t have kids yet but you do a good job capturing how unpredictable kids can be! And love Sadie in your lap, she loves her Grandma just like Chase!
Whole foods baked good are so yummy! And I love how sadie snuggled with you for story time, so cute!
Oh my gosh that was already three years ago?! Feels like I just found your blog but I guess it’s been well over 3 years!
I still remember when Ryan proposed to you!!! 🙂 Been reading your blog FOR-EVER! <3
<3 this!! Thank you for reading, Katie! It means a lot!
That broccoli slaw and chicken salad you made looks delicious.
I guess I’ve been a reader for awhile – their engagement doesn’t seem like it was all that long ago!
Love doing partner workouts, particularly core! It makes it so much more fun! Chase has gotten so big, real little man sitting in the trolley! Salmon, squash and asparagus/broccoli….my favourite dinner! Wish we could get sockeye more readily here!
What is Chase’s bedtime? We put my 8 month old down around 6:45/7 and she normally sleeps ’til 5 or 6 when she’s ready for a bottle. Sometimes she’ll go back to sleep and other times she is up for the day! But she’s teething so we’ve had some 3 am crying fits which are not fun!
I feel ya on the 3 a.m. wake ups! That’s been Chase all week this week. No fun! To answer your question, he usually goes to bed around 7 p.m. 🙂
Sounds just a busy as my day! How do you manage to juggle the housework? I’ve just had my second (well she’s 4 months old) and I have a 3.5 year old too and I’m finding the juggle hard! I’m also a full time blogger and never have time for housework, every second I get I am working! Any advice would be welcome 🙂
To be honest, housework is the FIRST thing to fall to the wayside. I try my best to sneak it in in spurts — a small load of laundry after breakfast, emptying the dishwasher as dinner cooks, etc. but it’s hard and our house is never picture-perfect. The BIGGEST thing that helps me is doing a 10-minute clean up almost every night. Ryan usually does our dinner dishes, so while he’s doing that, I’ll go into overdrive mode and straighten up the kitchen, wipe down counters, organize paperwork in my office, etc. It’s a small habit that surprisingly makes a big difference for me.
Love the pictures with Sadie and Chase in your lap! They are too cute.
This post reminds me of my days. Multitasking all day long and squeezing in bits of work here and there. Haha!
Exactly!
Can you tell us about your experience using collagen? Do you just put it in your coffee? Thank ya!
Hi Marilyn! I have a post about collagen on my “must write” list for the coming weeks, but right now I am just adding a tablespoon of Great Lakes collagen into my coffee (the kind in the green container — http://bit.ly/29iSRVc — b/c this kind dissolves MUCH easier) and you cannot taste it or notice a texture change. Here’s a brief post from Wellness Mama about some of the benefits: http://wellnessmama.com/3058/collagen-hydrolysate/
Looks like a busy day! I love that Chase is in swimming – when I have kids I am going to start them out early too!
Your salad also looks amazing – I always forget to buy broccoli slaw as a base for salads. I need to remember that when I go grocery shopping this weekend!
Hello Julie.I’m also a long time reader and a full time working new mama. My daughter is 3 weeks younger than Chase 🙂 just curious how you handle the cleaning, laundary and other household duties with the baby. My husband usually does most of the stuff but I just can’t seem to put everything in a routine…just looking for some suggestions. Do you have any? My daughter is not a good napper, so naps are not an option for me. 🙁
Hi Selin!! Love that our little ones are so close in age. <3 Time is flyin', right!? I actually answered a similar question about housework above (in reply to Marilyn's comment) that might be of interest!! Juggling housework with a little one is definitely not an easy task!
Hi Selin:
I thought I would comment on your post from one full time working mama to another. My daughter is 20 months, and we have a little boy due at the end of August. Finding time to do household stuff is so hard! Our house is not in amazing shape by any means. It really is a team effort between me and my husband. I try and do what Julie does in her comment to Marilyn’s post about taking a little time each night to do stuff. Whether it be tidy up the toys (oh the toys!), wipe down kitchen counters, clean the toilet and wipe down bathroom etc. I read somewhere that a working mom would throw a load of laundry in before bed and toss it in the dryer before work in the morning. I like this idea. I used to be a person that would spent 1-2 hours cleaning on the weekends before kids, but now that I work, I want that time with my daughter. So I try to clean throughout the week, and then get in as much as I can during naptime or when my daughter goes to bed. It’s is definitely hard, but it’s all part of the parenting process I suppose LOL
Fun to see how things have changed since chase came along! Helping me slow down and enjoy life with just fury kids for now and looking forward to a time when multi tasking will be my best asset!
The pictures of reading time made me laugh…typical vizsla move! We had friends over for the holiday weekend, and they couldn’t get over the lack of personal space from our vizsla. Of course Sydney loved all of the extra laps to sit on. 🙂
Aww I love your mom mug!
It sounds like you had quite the busy day!!
These are my absolute favourite posts! Play-by-plays of a day in the life 🙂
Reading about you being a mom and your cute little family, it’s making me want to push up the baby timeline! :'( I haven’t been following for that long, but I’ve been loving your blog!
Working with Whole Foods sounds like so much fun! Can’t wait to see what’s in the pipeline!
Looking forward to seeing your Whole Foods Collaborations! I worked with my local WF here in Chicagoland and they were my favorite to work with!
Hi Julie!
What is Chase’s normal bed time? I am really struggling with getting the right time down for my 3.5 month old. She typically is ready for bed by 6/630 but lately she has been pushing wake up time earlier and earlier (430ish) and will not go back to bed! Did you have any luck with a certain bed time when Chase was younger?! Also, what are Chase’s nap times? Thank you!!
Chelsea
Hi Chelsea! Chase was going to bed around the same time as your little one at that age… and we were often up at 5 a.m. It was ROUGH but honestly it gets better as they learn to sleep longer! Eventually Chase started to go to bed between 6:30 and 7 p.m. and will often sleep until around 7 a.m., but that’s when I put him back down after an early morning nursing session around 4:30 or 5 a.m. Fortunately he will usually (<-- not always!) go back to sleep these days. We noticed a big change for the better related to his sleep times around 6 months. I honestly felt like I was in a fog for the first 6 months of Chase's life so I feel for you!!! xo
Looks like a wonderful smoothie. Delicious.
I never thought to use broccoli slaw for a salad, looks delicious! Chase is such a cute baby! My little girl is just a few months older than him. We’ve been able to get a lot more flexible with nap time in the last few months and it’s been amazing to have the extra flexibility!
How do you like your Koffie Straw? I’ve been thinking about switching to a straw for my morning coffee to prevent tooth staining–has it made a difference for you?
Hey Julie! I have a two month old and am having trouble getting her on a consistent nap schedule. How did you get Chase to take naps during the day around the same times? Did you follow a plan in a book (i.e. Mom’s On Call), or just follow Chase’s cues. My little one isnt sleeping much during the day at all!
Also, did you swaddle for naps?
Thanks!
Hi Elle! We swaddled Chase for several months (until he could roll) and it was the only way we could get him to sleep! It took quite a while (seriously MONTHS — maybe 4?) for him to begin to develop naptime patterns. I think a big thing for me was getting out of the house with him first thing in the morning at the SAME time. We usually go to a boot camp class at 8:30 so by the time we make it home, he’s ready for a nap at almost the same time (9:30) every morning. But for a while there, he was sleeping at boot camp… It all just takes time and was such a guessing game for us. I noticed the biggest change for the better around the 6 month mark. <3 Sending supportive hugs your way!! xoxo
Power woman! Wow. What a day. Proud of you & thanks for sharing!
I’ve been really wanting another workout buddy, actually! I love going to the gym with my sister, dad and mom! We don’t usually do the same things but the moral support from each other is totally contagious!
Hi! Where did you get your Mom mug? So cute!
HomeGoods!