Things I’m Loving Friday #514

Arriving home from our long weekend away in Chattanooga, Tennessee on a Monday threw me for a loop on the blog and personal life front. We had such a wonderful weekend but I’m used to a Sunday buffer day to get ahead on work, settle back into real life and get myself organized for the week ahead. Without that day, and with the insanity and obligations that come with the end of the school year, I’m just now getting the chance to sit down and chat with you guys. So, HI! How are you!? Stepping away from the blog for only a few days only serves to remind me how much I love this space and connecting with all of you. I missed you!

I’m sharing more about our week and our time in Tennessee below, as both have little highlights that make my list of weekly favorites, so I’m just going to dive right into today’s blog post. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and appreciate you making PBF a part of your day today!

Things I’m Loving Friday #514

• Weekend in Chattanooga, Tennessee

I’ll do my best to keep this recap on the shorter side but oh my gosh we loved Chattanooga! We visited the southern Tennessee city for Ryan and my brother-in-law’s big race but a big reason why they selected the Chattanooga Half Ironman was because it seemed like a place the kids would enjoy visiting, too. We booked a rental house to stay in with my parents, sister’s family and Pepper and our location right along the Tennessee River was stunning. It also meant the boys spent hours fishing and catching bass and sunnies in the backyard which is basically their heaven.

Tennessee Aquarium

A huge draw to Chattanooga for our family was the Tennessee Aquarium and with rain on the forecast for the first day of our visit, we figured we’d head there first on Friday. The aquarium absolutely blew us away and I would honestly rank it right up there with the Atlanta Aquarium. It’s a stunning facility with interesting and informative habitats, clean tanks and interactive experiences. Our entire crew, ranging in age from one to 70 years old loved it and I cannot recommend it enough if you ever find yourself in Chattanooga. A must-see!

Look closely at Chase’s ears in the below pic! The butterfly house was a favorite for our butterfly-loving boys. One of the women working at the aquarium that day released a box of blue morpho butterflies during our visit and let them crawl all over us which may have been a top 10 moment of Chase’s life.

Creative Discovery

We also knew we had to make our way to Creative Discovery, an absolutely massive children’s museum located just down the street from the aquarium. (We found Chattanooga extremely walkable once you grab a parking spot as there was a lot to do within one area. Such a perk when traveling with kids!) We spent hours at the children’s museum with the boys and my nieces and nephew and still felt like we needed more time to do everything! It’s the biggest and best children’s museum we’ve ever visited and the kids had a blast exploring the the STEM section, outdoor treehouse, music room, crafting rooms and more.

Our third and final day in Chattanooga was consumed by the guys’ race (more on that below) so we ran out of time to see some of the other spots we had on our list to visit but still left the city with the best impression.

• Chattanooga Half Ironman

Race day for Ryan and Ross was Sunday! The Chattanooga 70.3 race is the largest Half Ironman race in the world with more than 3,200 participants and it was so cool to see people decked out in Ironman gear meandering all over Chattanooga all weekend long. It felt like an Ironman takeover!

My parents were awesome and stayed back with all of the kids on race day morning so my sister and I could take the guys to the swim start.

Ryan and Ross ended up bypassing the shuttle (lines were crazy) in favor of walking a little more than a mile to the swim start which was a beautiful way to see more of the city along the riverfront.

After wishing the guys good luck, we made our way to a pedestrian bridge to watch the swim. It’s virtually impossible to distinguish your swimmer among a sea of black wetsuits and matching caps, but we managed to identify Ryan and snap a picture of him swimming under the bridge! We then high-tailed it to the transition area which was the most congested area of the entire race, as the race participants were not quite as spread out at this point during the race. We didn’t catch Ryan coming out of the water (the tracking app was a little wonky at this point for him) but managed to cheer for Ross as he began the 56-mile bike!

Once he was off, Leslie and I made our way back to the house to round up the rest of our crew and head back out to see the guys transition from the bike to the run.

Ryan looked solid at this point in the race, stopping briefly to high-five all of us and say hello!

(Ryan also said he felt undertrained going into this race, so I was admittedly relieved to see him looking strong.) I later learned the chain fell off his bike and he spent several minutes getting his bike back in order during the bike portion of the race which made me grateful he had a safe ride and also that he didn’t have a time goal for the race.

The transition area is set up well for the Chattanooga Half Ironman and allowed us to cheer for Ryan as he exited the run and also as he began the 13.1 mile run along the riverfront. Chase and Ryder loved the chance to run a few yards with Ryan in the grass as he took off and Ryan said that was a great mood-boost for him as he set out to run some very hot miles!

We then began looking for Ross who seemed to be having a great race and really crushed it with a solid run with consistent splits.

As the guys completed their half marathon, we set up a blanket for the kids in a shady spot for them to eat lunch, play and dive into some of the Dollar Store finds I grabbed before the race.

With the sun blazing in the sky, Ryan and Ross then finished their runs and became 5x and 3x Half Ironman finishers, respectively! We are so proud!

And now Ryan said he’s entering into Ironman race retirement for a while. Ha!

• End of Preschool

(Rhett and Ryder on the last day of preschool yesterday.) 

Something about the boys’ birthdays and the end of the school year makes my heart feel all twisty. It’s a poignant reminder of just how fast time goes and how quickly our children go from teeny little babies to amazing kids who are true individuals who don’t need mom and dad quite so much. This is such a wonderful thing but I would be lying if I said it didn’t simultaneously make my mama heart ache. Ryder is officially a preschool graduate and off to kindergarten this fall and the fact that he’ll never walk through the halls of the preschool he’s called home since he was two-year-old just feels heavy for me. Knowing Rhett is officially done with the 3s class and no longer a Busy Butterfly feels so big.

My babies are growing up and yesterday was one of those days when it just hit me all at once again. This time when they’re little is just so wonderfully innocent, playful and fun and part of me wishes I could just live in this space with them forever. While some tears fell yesterday, I’m doing my very, very best to focus on the moments we have together when my kids are young rather than dwell on the time that can feel like it’s slipping away a little too fast. Oh motherhood, you are a journey.

• Yasso Greek Yogurt Coffee Poppables

Anyone out there remember BonBons? I remember my grandma stocking them in the freezer at the condo we all shared during our family’s annual spring break trip to Sanibel Island when I was a kid. I’d sneak a few throughout the day every day and they were just the most delightfully cold and creamy treat. When I spied this bag of Yasso Poppables at Harris Teeter earlier this week, I could not add them to my cart fast enough because they reminded me so much of one of my favorite childhood treats!

Coffee ice cream is a favorite of mine, so I opted for that flavor and it was a slam dunk. I maaay have downed the entire bag in one sitting. No regrets. I ate them right when I got home from the grocery store so they were slightly softened and perfectly creamy. They also tasted richer than I expected from a frozen yogurt treat and I loved the subtle crunch from the chocolate and crispy quinoa pieces in the shell. I will 1,000 percent be buying these again and again and again.

• Is It Cake? (Netflix)

When our family spent a weekend at Wildacres Retreat last month, during one of the group dinners, a little boy around Chase’s age began talking about Is It Cake?, a show his whole family enjoys watching together on Netflix. When his parents chimed in and they started talking about how it’s nearly impossible to distinguish the cakes the bakers competing on the show make from inanimate objects, we were all intrigued. Fast forward to movie night the following weekend and Chase remembered the name of the show and tossed it out there as an idea for all of us to watch. It’s quickly become a go-to show for our family during our weekend movie nights and it’s one we all like! Hooray for slowly entering an era where our boys enjoy shows Ryan and I actually enjoy, too!

Is It Cake? is a family friendly show that has the feel of cooking shows like Chopped but with the added intrigue of trying to distinguish what is cake and what is not. It makes the show feel more interactive for our family and has been a fun one for all of us to watch together!

• WYETH Ipanema Hat 

(Hat: WYETH / Skirt: Anthropologie — old but I found a few on Poshmark / Bucket Bag: Montce / Santals: Amazon / Top: Target but old / Necklaces: Gorjana Amour Necklace + Gorjana Poppy Gem Necklace / Tennis Bracelet: Madewell / Layered Bracelets: Anthropologie) 

I’m not lying when I say it took me years to find that perfect pool hat. I was looking for a hat that fit my head well (aka one that didn’t fly off at the slightest sign of a breeze) but still looked chic and beautiful while offering much-needed coverage from the sun during the summer months. I took a chance on this hat from WYETH last year, fell in love with it and wore it all summer long.

(Throwback pic from last summer! Bikini: Summersault but old / Pants: American Eagle but old / Sandals: TKEES / Beach bag: Amazon / Hat: WYETH) 

I busted it out again yesterday for the boys’ preschool pool party and ended up sending the link to several preschool moms who loved it, too. It’s a great find with an elevated feel and I feel like it makes any pool look feel a little more fun!

• Memorial Day Weekend Sales

Sharing a roundup of some of the weekend sales that caught my eye just in case you’re hoping to take advantage of them as well to do a little summer shopping!

20% off beauty at Revolve with code BEAUTY20 (through today only): I restocked my favorite ILIA volumizing mascara and super serum skin tint and also added this Tower 28 lip balm to my cart to try.

20% off Supergoop: I always take advantage of this annual sale to order our family’s sunscreen for the summer! I order two PLAY SPF 50 18-ounce sunscreens to last us the summer + a few of the PLAY SPF 50 spray sunscreens for easy reapplication when we’re on the go.

Extra 40% off sale at Anthropologie: I ordered two of these cabochan bracelets for stacking but the colors are selling out fast!

50% off at Old Navy: I should’ve waited for this sale because I ordered a few things from Old Navy last week that are now majorly discounted. Womp, womp. But their stuff is super cute right now, so check out their summer apparel if you’re in the market for some new summer clothes. Here’s what I ordered: Run Shorts / PowerSoft Athletic Dress / Softest Pocket Tees (for the boys) / High-Waisted Pleated Skort / Linen Tank / High-Waisted Maxi Skirt / Crinkle-Gauze Skirt

20% off + free gift at ELEMIS: I restocked my favorite naked pro-collagen cleansing balm, facial resurfacing pads and superfood glow priming moisturizer.

40% off + extra 60% off sale at J.CREW with code SUMMER: I ordered this side-tie beach skirt!

 

Questions of the Day

What’s one thing you’re looking forward to this summer? Any travel plans on the horizon? 

What is one thing that made you smile this week?