Hey friends! How are ya? I’m checking in this morning feeling a bit all over the place which seems to happen most often on Wednesdays. Somethin’ about that middle-of-the-week hump I guess!
I figured I’d roll with my scatterbrained thoughts and share a few random things with you guys from our week so far in bullet form since that makes everything seem at least semi-organized.
Let’s get to it!
Scatterbrained Shares
- I Got Sucked In
I stayed up waaay too late last night reading The Hand That Feeds You. I’ve been on a bit of a dull streak with books lately and haven’t read one that immediately gripped me in a while but I ended up reading the first half of this book in one sitting. I honestly had to force myself to put it down so I could go to sleep!
The book begins with the death of Morgan’s fiancé, Bennett, who was mauled by her dogs. (This sounds kind of crazy, I know, but plow through!) Following her fiancé’s death, Morgan quickly finds out that Bennett was not who he said he was at all and she quickly begins to realize she was not the only woman he lied to…
I am not sure how this book will end but the first half pulled me in and had me flying through the pages last night. I can already tell it’s going to be a very quick read and if you’re in the market for a psychological page-turner, I think it might be right up your alley.
- Bengay Muffins
On Monday evening, I whipped up a batch of our beloved Paleo Blender Muffins but veered from the recipe a bit and added two teaspoons of spirulina powder to the mix for some additional vitamins. (I also crossed my fingers Chase wouldn’t mind the green hue the powder would inevitably give to the muffins.) While the muffins were baking, I gave Chase a bath and once his bath was done and I put him down for the night, I joined Ryan downstairs and couldn’t get over the smell of Bengay/Vick’s Vaporub that seemed to be radiating from the kitchen.
I thanked Ryan for taking my muffins out of the oven and wondered if baking with spirulina had some crazy side effect that made the muffins smell like Bengay. (This was clearly my first time baking with spirulina.) I feel pretty silly sharing this now but I couldn’t figure out what the smell was until about 30 minutes later when I asked Ryan if he smelled Bengay when he took the muffins out of the oven as well. He laughed and said has just used a new cleaning product that smelled like Bengay right before I came back downstairs. Mystery = Solved! And now the blender muffins will forever be referred to as Bengay Muffins in our house.
- Solo Leg Workout
Yesterday morning I hit up the gym for a solo leg workout! Once Chase was settled in childcare, I took myself through a workout that left my quads, hamstrings and booty burnin’. I planned out my workout the night before so I could just plow through it at the gym and incorporated supersets, drop sets and heavy lifting for lots of variety. I sure do love Burn Boot Camp but there’s just something about creating my own workouts that cater exactly to my preferences that my body craves sometimes. Variety is key for this girl!
- Cozy Rainy Days
Yesterday was a gray and rainy day until about 5 p.m. but, to be honest, I kind of love rainy days sometimes. Ryan and I have chatted a few times about how different rainy days are in North Carolina compared to Florida. When it rains in North Carolina, it will often be rainy and dreary all day long. In Florida, it rains a lot more frequently but thunderstorms seem to roll in and out in a hot second so a full day of rain and cloudy skies is rather uncommon. A full day of rain makes the house feel so cozy and warm and I love using rainy days as an excuse to bake up a batch of cookies, light a few candles and change into my pajamas nice and early at the end of the day.
- Beginning Swim Lessons Again
(Flashback pic to Chase’s first round of swim lessons a year ago!)
After taking a hiatus through the fall and winter, three of my girlfriends and I signed up for swim lessons with our little ones again. We’re hoping swim lessons before the start of summer will help get our toddlers used to the pool before plenty of pool play dates. We had our first lesson yesterday and I’m pretty sure Chase thinks he is a fish already because he kept acting like he thought he could swim on his own right out of my arms! Eek! He loves the water and I made the mistake of saying “You’re swimming like a fish! Like Dory!” because then Chase was saying “Doe-wee” over and over again for half of the class.
- Loving Chase’s Love for Books
Chase is constantly bringing books to me to read to him during the day and practically yells “BOOK!” when we change him into his pajamas at night. I am just loving it so, so much. When he was a baby, I would daydream about the days when we’d be able to cuddle up and read a story together and I love that those days are here! Sure, Chase will often request the same books night after night before bed (I’m pretty sure I have Brown Bear and Elmo Loves You memorized) but since he’s such an energetic and on-the-go kid, story time is pretty much the only time I can get him to sit down and cuddle with me and I soak up every second. We act out a lot of the pages and point to different animals and objects and I truly treasure reading and snuggling together so darn much.
- Best Ever Disney Song
I recently read an article in a magazine that ranked the best Disney songs of all time. The top five (in descending order) were When You Wish Upon a Star (Pinocchio), Part of Your World (The Little Mermaid), The Bare Necessities (The Jungle Book), Beauty and the Beast (Beauty and the Beast) and A Whole New World (Aladdin). The article made me question what Disney song I think is the best and I spent way too long pondering this thought with a bunch of my favorites coming to mind.
I narrowed it down to my top five but could not bring myself to put them in any order: The Circle of Life (The Lion King), Friend Like Me (Aladdin), Belle (Beauty and the Beast), Under the Sea (The Little Mermaid) and Be Prepared (The Lion King). I also came up with my top three most underrated Disney favorites, including The Gospel Truth (Hercules), One Jump Ahead (Aladdin) and Trashin’ The Camp (Tarzan). Yes, this is what I think about when I wake up at 3 a.m. and cannot get back to sleep…
Question of the Day
- What song do you think is the best Disney song of all time? The most underrated?
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Oh, the book looks great! Going to put it on my list!
I am toying when I want to do swim lessons again. My son will be three at the end of the summer, so I am kind of holding out for more “real” lessons at this point, which I believe start at age 3 most places. Do you go to Aquatots by any chance? I am leaning towards trying that out next, and am trying to get some opinions on it.
Have a great day!
Totally get that! At this age, I’m just hoping Chase will get used to being in the pool so pool playtime this summer will be more fun for him. We’ve done lessons at Little Otter and the Y so I’m sorry I cannot speak to Aquatots! I have heard good things about it though!
I love I See The Light from Tangled, so pretty
That song really is so beautiful!
That’s hilarious about the muffins! Nothing like that bengay flavor to add some nice spice to your muffin hahaha. I think my favorite Disney song is either “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from Mulan or Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid. Circle of Life is a close third!
I used to have that song from Mulan on a running playlist when I was training for a half marathon! Haha!
hahaha thats good running inspiration!
Adding that book to my Goodreads list! Fun post!
I can’t choose a favorite, but your list definitely made me want to rewatch all of those movies! I wish they were on Netflix!
I was a huge Little Mermaid kid, so I would probably have to go with Under the Sea.
LOVE Under the Sea!!!
My top 5 favourite Disney songs align a bit with the article: Beauty and the Beast, Circle of Life, A Whole New World, Part of your World, and I’m not 100% decided on a 5th but I’m thinking Colors of The Wind 🙂 So hard to narrow it down but at least 3 of those that I listed make me cry haha. Most overplayed Disney song would have to be Let It Go though. I loved it for awhile but I can only tolerate it occasionally now (thank you, daughters :))
Love seeing Chase’s library!! Next time you are looking for a new book for him, check out the Max explores series! They are about a dog! We have Max explores Chicago and Max explores the beach! Definitely favorites for my little guy who is just a month older than Chase.
Thanks for the recommendation! He loves books with cars, trucks and dogs a LOT, so this sounds perfect for him!
OH best Disney song, right away I’d say A Whole New World, because Aladdin is one of my favorite Disney movies. And yes to feeling scatterbrained mid week. I just looked at my planner a few minutes go and felt so lost on where to start for the day. So I visited PB fingers instead 😉
I’ll Make a Man Out of You – Mulan is the best Disney song, for sure. I also love I’m Gonna Be King from The Lion King. Aaaaand now I have a mashup of Disney songs stuck in my head….thanks for that!! haha
Were the muffins good? Be honest! I actually love the spiralina color, but honestly, I haven’t found a single recipe that didn’t taste like salty butt.
They were! I only added about 2 teaspoons so I honestly didn’t even taste the spirulina!
Mulan has amazing songs, but I love the scores from Aladdin, Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. It makes me think of the classics (Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella) that barely had any songs at all. Now Disney is know for their amazing songs!
I loved seeing that Aladdin song – I agree it’s underrated. One of my favorites was ‘Baby Mine’ from Dumbo. I used to sing it to my babies, the youngest of which is headed to college this summer. Time flies!
Rainy days in the Bay Area are totally unlike Florida rain showers too. It’s mostly an all-day thing. And there are like NO thunderstorms here either, which is weird. As far as Disney songs, I’d definitely go with “A Whole New World” — I mean, YES! Happy Wednesday, Julie! 🙂
Spirulina is my new favorite add in! The color is AMAZING. Weird, but amazing. Thanks for the book suggestions, we have the exact same taste in reads so excited to check this out!
Okay so I literally BURST into laughter when I saw that picture. A couple of years ago we went to a mass at a church we don’t normally go to and they were having a baptism in the mass. The priest LITERALLY held the baby up Lion King status to show hi to the congregation. I started laughing so hard I almost peed my pants and had to excuse myself (so not appropriate.) Now everytime I see that photo….. probably would have had to been there but it is so my favorite song too!
I’ll have to add The Hand That Feeds You to my list of books to read.
Once Upon a Dream from Sleeping Beauty is probably my favorite Disney song. I watched that movie non stop as a kid.
I’ll have to check that book out – I’ve been looking for something to read on the flight to Ireland at the end of this month!
I really need a good book to get sucked into! I am going to read that one after I’m finished the one I’m reading now. (The Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan..it’s kind of hard for me to get into it but I’m determined to finish it)
Girl, I am a HUGE Disney fan, so it’s kind of hard for me to pick just one song that I love, but just to name a few I love So This Is Love, any song from the Enchanted movie, Under The Sea, A Whole New World…. I could literally go on and on forever! (Our wedding was in Disney World so a lot of our songs during our ceremony and reception were from Disney!) I am totally one to burst into singing a Disney song at any moment! 🙂
Yes on the rainy days! I do all the same right down to the early pjs. Also we introduced our 18month old to love both under the sea and kiss the girl from the little mermaid and he LOVES them! After listening to bith songs thousands of times im still not tired of them lol
Anything Mulan, Pocohauntus, and Lion King!
I just finished reading A Man Called Ove, it was an interesting start, but I loved the ending and it will definitely bring some happy/sad tears.
Ahh I can’t WAIT to do swim lessons with my girly!!! She freaking loves the bathtub and her little redneck riviera pool on the back deck so I’m hoping she loves the pool too!
Oh Brown Bear Brown Bear — We had a version of the book where you could slide the window to see what they see next. My daughter loved that book. Then one day, I heard her reading in her playroom. She was so proud of herself. She “read” the entire book, and correctly. She was 3, and I know she can’t read, but it was so sweet to see her reading the book and she had all the words down. Now she is 4 and she reads it to her little brother. That book will always be special in our house!
We have the exact same version! Chase LOVES those little sliding windows. And I love that story about your little girl — so sweet!
I am a huge Disney fan so it’s hard for me narrow down favorite songs! I do think all the songs from Tarzan and Brother Bear are underrated. Phil Collins did an amazing job whether he was singing, playing instruments, or writing for them.
Oh man, I don’t know if I could pick a BEST Disney song. I love all the ones mentioned! Other good ones in my opinion, though, include Reflection from Mulan and How Far I’ll Go from Moana (or, honestly, basically the entire Moana soundtrack. I could listen to that music all day!).
My husband and 3 year old daughter have a playlist of Disney songs that they sing together after dinner. It is adorable and consists of Part of Your World (Little Mermaid), Beauty and the Beast, and A Whole New World (Aladdin) as well as a few Frozen songs of course! I love the Mother Knows Best song from Tangled as well as anything from Moana, too, but my fave is probably Belle from Beauty and the Beast!
I love “The Little Mermaid’s,” music so much and Tangled’s music! But, with Disney, it is hard to go wrong 😉
Your muffins look like they have something other than Bengay in them. 😉
My boys recently fell in love with “Moana,” so I can’t get those songs out of my head right now, but my favorite Disney song is probably “You Can Fly” from “Peter Pan.” And I think the music from “The Princess and the Frog” is underrated, but I may be biased because I grew up in New Orleans!
such a tough question. maybe “be our guest” (beauty and the beast) or “You aint never had a friend like me” aladdin?
Here is my top 5 in no particular order:
Whole new world – Aladdin
You’ve got a friend in me -Toy Story
Color of the wind – Pocahontas
I just can’t wait to be king – Lion King
Best of friends – Fox and the Hound
For sure Colors of the Wind – Pocahontas is one of my faves!! 😀 I don’t think I could pick just one. I love “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast, too.
As a kid I was obsessed with The Great Mouse Detective, which I’m positive never makes any Disney “top” lists, haha! I haven’t seen it recently, so I’m not sure if it deserves being underrated or not. 😉
Okay, now I want to go to Disney World!
I feel like people forget about Hercules and Mulan, no? I’m a sucker for The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. The Little Mermaid also has a special place in my heart, because of my college fraternity, Zeta Tau Alpha!
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I would be hard pressed to pick my absolute favorite Disney song, but Belle and Part of Your World are definitely up there. As for the underrated ones, I love The Gospel Truth! I feel like that whole movie is underrated. I also kind of love Fixer Upper from Frozen.
That looks like a great workout! About what weight were you using for the different exercises?
Were the muffins better than they looked?
I love that he loves books! I look forward to that day. My 12 month old just wants to run like a wild man and has no time to sit still.
My dad actually is the director of Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Hercules to name a few so your list of songs makes me happy 🙂 (totally agree with you about The Gospel Truth)
Oh my gosh!!! That is seriously so cool!!!!! He’s definitely had a huge impact on a lot of kids (and their parents). I’m sure you have a whole different view of the movies. Do you have a favorite?
Yeah I definitely have a whole other perspective on the films than most other people which is very cool!
Do I have a favorite song? Tough question! I definitely LOVE the whole Hercules soundtrack and his most recent film, Moana, is pretty up there too. Hard to choose just one. Plus mulan is great too and he’s not affiliated with that fun!
Moana is bloody amazing! I live in NZ and my 4 year old daughter (and all 30 of the 14 year olds i teach) are absolutely obsessed with the movie and the soundtrack – they love seeing the myths of Maui which we grew up with on screen! we are even going to do a critical viewing of the movie in a couple of weeks. Your dad rocks!
I STILL need to see Moana!!! I’ve tried to rent it on RedBox but it’s sold out every time!! I’ve heard the most amazing things about it. I am assuming this means he got to work with Lin-Manuel Miranda? The Hamilton lover in me would totally geek out over that one! 🙂
glad you finally got to see Moana! 🙂
I’m with you… normally I’m a sun baby but a good rainy grey day once in a while hits the spot! Especially when you can cozy up inside.
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Haha, I read to my nephew a lot and he always brings me the book “first 100 words”. Like “Apple, dog”. There are literally NO sentences. I’m like really, this one?! But it’s a cute. And your Disney songs made me so excited for Beauty and the Beast to come out! I’m obsessed with the soundtrack!
Ah Disney songs never get old for me! I love pretty much every song from Mulan, “I Won’t Say I’m In Love” from Hercules, and “Color of the Wind” from Pocahontas.
Oh that cute little flashback photo of Chase by the side of the pool – when his dad’s hands are so big and he’s so small! So adorable! Bringing me all the feels of my own nieces and nephews (my oldest nephew is very blonde too, so seeing little Chase brings back all the memories of when my nephew was a toddler.) Glad Chase is taking to the water so well – such a relief! When I was a kid I was very afraid of the water, by my parents forced me to take swim lessons and then I became a fish. But it was tough to get me on board at first!
Love these random posts – they’re so fun, and remind me of so many things – like the Disney songs! If you’re interested, there’s a great playlist on Spotify for Disney songs, it’s a very very long playlist and it includes these favorites as well as may others. If you search for Disney it will be one of the top playlists to pop up. Just a suggestion!
Glad Chase is such a happy reader, it’s such a great part of life! Everyone I know who’s an avid reader of books as an adult started their love of reading as a tiny kid. And btw, thanks for the book recommendation! Thanks for another great post!
Ever since my son was born 2 years ago, I have become a very sentimental person. All of the Disney movies make me cry now because I have such fond memories watching them as a kid and I can’t wait for my guy to experience the magic.
“When You Wish Upon a Star” gets me every time.
The picture of the books made me smile! My 2 year old son LOVES books. We have some downstairs, upstairs in his room, and some in the car! I try to rotate the ones by the rocking chair to keep it interesting. He’s on a big ‘Pout, Pout Fish’ kick. He got a bunch of books for Christmas and kept going back to look at them instead of opening more gifts. Made me so happy and proud!
Disney songs are so fun! I have twin 3 year old girls and it is so fun to share the movies with them this I loved growing up. I sing Part of Your World to my girls every night! I think Oo-de-lally from Robin Hood is underrated.
My favorite Disney song is “I See the Light” from Tangled, but I also love “Gaston” from “Beauty and the Beast!”
Love Chase’s love for books! Great that you have memorized his favorites–I am sure other folks have mentioned the importance of reading the same books over and over…that is when young brains begin to make those connections through predictions. Asking the question, “what do you think will happen next” allows the child to show off those predicting skills and sets him or her up to predict or imagine in other stories….those brains really start working! Eric Carle is an award winning children’s author–and still living! Maurice Sendak is no longer with us, but his “Where the Wild Things Are” is a classic. Kids LOVE being “a little”scared, and his lovable monsters gnash their teeth deliciously! So many great books ahead!
Love that!! I definitely can tell that Chase knows what’s coming in his favorite books… He’ll start making animal noises for the animals on the next page or pretend to pop bubbles when he knows a picture with bubbles in it is coming up next. I honestly did’t realize it was an important skill so I appreciate you sharing! Thanks, Rhonda! <3
Just found your blog! Loving it!
I would have to say my favorite Disney song is “Something There” from Beauty and the Beast. I also love the reprise of “One Jump Ahead” from Aladdin. Both of them are short, but I think they’re powerful!
I’ve been stuck in a reading rut myself. Haven’t been really excited about any of the ones I’ve been reading. And the one I’m reading now is for my Book Club. Le sigh…
My girls LOVE to read and I love that they love it. I am anxiously awaiting the day that I can start reading longer chapter books to them. My 4 year old is starting to read so we have started getting easy readers from the library. I have started using my finger to point along as I read and when I get to easier words that she can sound out we stop and she reads the word. (Side note: Nothing teaches you just how crazy the English language actually is until you try to teach a child to read!) We have a good sized box in our living room and both girls have books in their rooms. We even have a box of books in between their seats in the car for them to read when we drive around.