Friday
It felt like our weekend kicked off early because all of the boys were out of school on Friday. We had plans to meet up with a bunch of friends and their kids at Sweetwater Farms, one of our favorite local gems.
We recently bought an annual pass to the farm and go all the time because the boys love it so much and so many of our friends frequent the farm regularly, too. Sweetwater Farms is a great play date spot and I just wanted to give it another shout out because the owner is always so kind to us when we visit and clearly pours so much time and energy into making it a great place for her animals and visiting children. It’s absolutely worth a visit for anyone who lives in the area and has little ones who love animals and playing outside!
The majority of our time at the farm was great but fast forward to noon on Friday and Rhett made it very, very clear it was time to leave. Chase actually had my phone in his hand to take pictures of frogs in the little pond as we were heading out and when I later found the picture below on my camera roll, spliced in with 25 pictures of frogs, it felt like something I should share.
It’s a real-life glimpse into motherhood. It’s what hauling a screaming toddler to the car looks like when you have to pack up and leave in 2.5 seconds because a meltdown is quickly escalating. You can barely holler a rushed goodbye to your friends and have to quickly corral your other kids to the car in a hurry before things really reach next-level stressful. You feel bad cutting playtime short for your other kids who are having a blast and also feel awful for your toddler because they’re clearly upset and you can’t seem to fix it.
I hope you all know my heart by now to know that I adore my kids more than anything in the world so please know me sharing that parenting our one-and-a-half-year-old is really, really challenging at times right now comes from a place of love. Motherhood can seriously kick my butt sometimes… and sometimes it feels like it’s kicking my butt all day long. Ryan and I joke that Rhett did not get the whole “third baby is supposed to be chill” memo because he is just his own exuberant combination of sweet and spicy. And some days it feels like the spice is much stronger than the sweet. We also fully recognize that being the third kid has to be hard because he’s subjected to schedules of four other family members in a way his two big brothers never experienced. Let’s just say that despite his ability to say no more than a couple of words at this point in his life, Rhett is exceptionally good at communicating his likes and dislikes. Ha!
I guess part of me just wanted to share this here because sometimes it can feel like so many babies and toddlers seem like they’re the happiest, calmest, most easy-going little people and if you feel like your kid is a sweet-and-spicy child who is the sweetest of the sweet but also a freaking habanero pepper, I feel ya. And if motherhood is kicking your butt lately, you are in very, very good company.
Wouldn’t you know that by the time we arrived home, Rhett was happy as a clam and content to play while I assembled lunches and then eventually got him down for a nap. Sweet as can be. Mom life is a rollercoaster.
Our Friday night plans took us to my friend Lauren’s house for our second-to-last Soccer Shots practice for the big kids. Since temperatures eclipsed 90 degrees on Friday soccer practice looked like half soccer and half water bounce house fun for the kids.
I’ll miss our soccer practices on Friday nights because we often hang out, have a few drinks and enjoy watching our kids have a blast and run around together for most of the evening!
Saturday
Saturday morning began with a family walk! Ryan and I were dying to make it over to the new house to check on everything because drywall began late last week and some of the upper windows we had to wait to have cut until after framing arrived.
We aren’t going to have a formal dining room, but you can see the drywall and the new windows in the dining area right off our kitchen:
And this will be our home office:
It’s going to have built-ins along the back wall (to the left is a large storage closet and to the right is a smaller closet) and in the middle of the office, we’re planning to have a round table with chairs to use for kid crafts, homework, family puzzles, etc.
And here’s the play loft area at the top of the stairs where we’re planning to have one of those jumbo modular sectionals that allow everyone to stretch out in one big pit. (If you have a couch like this that you love, please let me know.)
After our family walk, we set up a bunch of water play toys in the front yard — a kiddie pool, water table (it was basically a terrarium we had to clean out before filling with water) and sprinkler splash pad — for the kids to play with while we enjoyed slowing down a bit and watching them have a blast.
In addition to the water fun, Rhett was quite content to polish off the bag of crackers I brought outside for myself for a snack.
Mom snacks = The best snacks
Given their propensity for eating our food, I was admittedly a little surprised the kids didn’t go for the big batch of seasoned pretzels I made on Saturday afternoon but you won’t hear me or Ryan complaining about that one bit. More for us!
(To make the pretzels, I just tossed a whole bag of pretzels in 3/4 cup oil with 3 tbsp. Tastefully Simple garlic pepper seasoning and cooked them at 200 degrees for 50 minutes, tossing halfway through.)
After water play and Rhett’s nap, my father-in-law joined us and we had plans to boat over to my friend Carrie’s parent’s house on the lake.
We had a fantastic time with our friends and the boys were in heaven playing on kid kayaks, jumping off the dock and collecting rocks along the little beach.
The dads were the real MVPs for braving the cold water with the kids!
I love swimming in the lake but am the biggest baby about cold water. Soon enough!
After a delicious dinner of hot dogs from Josh’s Farmer’s Market (we NEED to get these the next time we’re up that way), pasta salad and corn-on-the-cob, we stayed as long as we could until we figured we should make it home before our ticking time bomb toddler went off. (Spoiler alert: It detonated HARD on the drive from our boat slip to our house and somehow miraculously shut off and became delightful again when it realized being cool and adorable buys you extra awake time before bed.)
Ryan and I then said goodbye to Greg, got the boys and bed and climbed into bed ourselves to read. I am currently reading Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory and loving it! I was not all that enamored with The Wedding Date, a book so many people seem to love by the same author, but so many of you encouraged me to read her novels in my last book post so I figured I should give her work another shot. I’m so glad I did so thank you for the nudge!
Sunday
Sunday morning was a blank slate and we began the day with pancakes and a short bike ride around the neighborhood. We then packed up way too much stuff and made our way to a little beach near our house for some lakeside water fun with the boys.
(Romper: Free People / Bathing Suit: Maaji Reversible Bikini / Scrunchie: Nike XL Terry Cloth Scrunchie / Sunglasses: QUAY — currently BOGO! / Beach Bag: Hayden Reis — no longer available but we also have this L.L. Bean XL camo bag we love that’s super similar)
It felt like a lot of effort for a very, very short amount of time because Rhett was not having it. We came back home and once Rhett had a bag of crackers in hand all was right in his world again.
He’s a cute little stinker, that’s for sure!
We repeated our Saturday morning and set up chairs in the driveway to watch the kids run around and play with their water toys again until Rhett and Ryder went down for afternoon naps.
As the younger boys slept, I worked and Ryan took Chase fishing. By the time everyone was awake again, we were content to stay home and do chores and stuff around the house to get ready for the week ahead.
I hope you all had a great weekend and, as always, I appreciate you making my blog a part of your day! Enjoy your Monday!
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Thank you for your honesty and being open about your experiences of motherhood.
I totally relate to the sweet and spicey kids! It’s hard!!!
I was looking at baby wipes over the weekend trying to find something that doesn’t break my kids out. I saw Honest company and thought I remembered that is what you use?
Do you use their wipes and if so are they any good? If not any other recommendations on good baby wipes?
Hi! Yes! We love The Honest Company wipes and I primarily use those. Water Wipes are great as well but prefer those for before we introduce solids and just wish they made them thicker for when solids are introduced and diapers are a lot messier. I also love ALDI’s Little Journey wipes — the ones with the green label (they’re fragrance free and 99% water + plant based).
Party of two was my favorite Jasmine Guillory book. But I also
Loved while we were dating! Hope you start enjoying her books like the rest of us have!
Oh my gosh THAT’S actually the book I’m reading!! Ugh, my brain! I downloaded The Proposal to try, too, so clearly that was on my mind but I’m about halfway through Party of Two and loving it! Did you read The Proposal as well? Was that one more similar to The Wedding Date because I definitely like Party of Two a lot more than The Wedding Date!
I’ve been a Jasmine Guillory fan for a long time and read most of these a long time ago but From what I remember about the proposal I loved Carlos and his family! But, party of two was my favorite. I also liked the wedding party but not as much. However, I did like all of her books and I know you didn’t
The “meet cute” in the beginning of the proposal was cute. But, my fave meet cute was in the happily ever after playlist by Abby Jimenez!
Love the house updates! Need to come back to this post (or update us if you make any decisions!) on the couch/sectional info! We are also building and have a loft at the top of the second floor that we are planning on using as a TV/play room. I’m in need of a sectional but also have two small boys and I’m not looking for anything very nice or expensive!
Exactly!! We NEED kid-friendly fabric for everythinggg. I swear I’m going to burn the couch in our living room when we move because it is disgustinggg. It’s so comfy and we loved it pre-kids (it’s from Haverty’s) but if you spill even a drop of water on it, it stains. Never againnn.
I also have a third that is just shy of 2 and very very much sugar and spice, extra heavy on the spice! I keep telling myself that this is such a short phase and she will probably turn out to be my easiest teenager!
YESSS. Chase was also very much a sweet ‘n’ spicy baby and has been an easy “big kid” so there is hope! Haha!!
Julie, I so appreciate reading this! We have a 1 year old who has given us a run for our money over the past year, and I think the spiciness is only going to continue over the next year ha! It’s nice to see that other mamas feel these same feelings as well 🙂
YOU ARE SOOOO not alone! Just reach out to me if you ever feel like your toddler is kicking your butt because I feel this deeply right now. It can be so intense!
Thank you so much for sharing this. I’m
Way past you in years (thralled in teen years 😫 which has a whole set of different problems) But I recently had to stop
Reading blogs and Instagram posts of these people I followed for years because they painted a picture of roses and sunshine and I started to feel bad about myself because we are far from that 🙁
Love your blogs still long long time follower!!!
Hi! Have you thought of a Lovesac couch for the new home? My husband works for them. A bit on the expensive side, but you can move the pieces around into any type of sectional – including the giant pit you referenced! Also, the fabric is changeable and you can wash the covers individually which is so great for kids and spillage!
My friend Carrie has this couch and highly recommended it for the reasons you said — washability sounds amazing with kids!!! Is there a certain fabric you recommend or are they all the same?
The corded velvet fabrics would be great!
thank you! very helpful!
We have the “lounge” sectional from Jerome’s and it’s amazing! The fabric is super stain resistant and it’s a much more affordable version of the Restoration Hardware cloud couch.
Thank you for this recommendation! I’ll Google it!
My oldest is 20 and cracks up when we tell her stories of having to carry her “sideways” (just what you’re doing w/Rhett). It was tough sometimes. You’re doing great.
The sideways carry is how you KNOW things have escalated 🤣
I’ve been a longtime reader but I have really loved all your kid activity ideas because we recently relocated to Charlotte! The 1+ age is crazy. We went out to dinner this weekend with our 15 month old and spent the entire time chasing him around (it was outside at Optimist Hall so there was tons to explore) and had multiple people stop and tell us how “adventurous” he was or something similar. Was literally sweating and covered in dirt and grass stains at the end.
Ryan and I still joke about the time we had friends of ours invite us to join them for dinner at a nicer restaurant in the area WITH KIDS when we had Chase and he was 1.5. We were like “hard pass, our kid is crazy” 🤣 — their daughter was very calm and happy to sit in a high chair for an extended period of time which was definitely nooot the case for us 😅
So so appreciate your honest and balanced “reporting” of motherhood. I read a lot of mom blogs and I feel like you’re one of the few who keeps it really real and also explains that your realness comes from a place of love which is really sweet. and so true! Kids are exhausting and make us crazy for sure. Keep up the realness and don’t sugarcoat mom life! It’s what I come here for honestly.
Thanks for your honesty about toddler mom life. Our 1.5yo is home from daycare for 10 days as he tested positive for covid. We are trying to juggling working and caring for him and it’s HARD. He had a mild fever for one day but is otherwise fine so covid has not slowed him down. I had banked on him taking a good nap today but he sort of drifted off on his post-lunch stroller walk with dad and now we can’t get him to nap. Le sigh. Toddlers so so challenging! So many emotions, limited speech, and lots of growth/development. They can be sweet but OH SO SPICY!!!
The dining room kitchen window is going to be amazing! So much light!
I’m also a mama to 3 boys (7, 4 and 1) so similar ages, and I feel ya! Our third did not get the chill memo either and seems to be the spiciest of all three of them. From one mama in the trenches to another, it looks like you’re doing an amazing job!
I’ve been reading your blog for years and years and years! It’s literally the Only one I read now and I always am excited when you’ve got a new post up! I usually end up buying most gifts from from your gifts guide, trying most recipes and doing most of the workouts you post. Thanks for just keeping it real all the time. 🙂
And yea, I also get the third child is supposed to be chill thing. My third is a girl (I’ve got 2 boys as well, 5 and 3). Baby girl is so so sweet but oh so spicy at times too!
Agreed on the Lovesac in the corded velvet. Super family friendly, comfy and best of all, machine washable. They are pricey, but they often do good sales for holidays…maybe check them out this weekend??
Julie! These 2020 babies (I think there is something to be said about 2020 babies) LOL. But honestly thanks for being so open and candid about how HARD some toddlers can be! My Rhett (same age as yours by a few weeks) is SO CHALLENGING. I call him Rhett-nado. As he can be such a tornado! But so sweet all at the same time 🙂 I know I will miss this phase so much, we have a 6 yr old daughter too 🙂 I feel like this phase will last forever, but then I realize it won’t. So cheers to getting through this phase but soaking it up at the same time. <3 Just know you aren't alone
We have a lovesac and I LOVE it with kids and pets. We have the corded velvet and its super soft and easy to wash. And they have gotten food, pee, wine, drool, milk, etc. all over it before.
Thank you so much for sharing the realities of motherhood in this post, Julie! I would never doubt that you love your boys to pieces. I have followed your blog for almost 10 years now!
Even though I know these posts are just a tiny snippet into your life, To be honest, I’ve personally wondered how my motherhood doesn’t look as sweet and smiley and happy as yours! So I so appreciate your honesty today. You’re doing an amazing job and I love your truth and down to earth posts still so much.
As so many have already said – thank you for sharing the reality of the phrase “sweet and spicy” with motherhood. This was the perfect read for me as I find myself frequently wondering where our sweet boy went when he turned two, ha! This was especially helpful to read from the perspective of a mom with two older kids. It’s feels more grounding to be validated in the rollercoaster of motherhood.
Long-time reader here and I relate so much to this. I have an almost two-year-old and we are in the thick of this, and it has only gotten crazier since we brought home our second little one two months ago.
I read this post when it was originally published and revisited it today since we are having a tough one. So I just wanted to say thanks for your honesty and creating a community where lots of mamas can relate.