Sunday In Real Time

Hi friends! How are ya? I’m coming to you in real time today… on a Sunday! Blogging in real time on the weekend!? Whaaat!? I miss real-time blogging a lot and since it’s something I enjoy that reminds me of the early days of blogging before kids and craziness, I hope to bring it back periodically this year.

Morning

Our Sunday morning began dark and early when every child in our house was up by 6 a.m. Clearly the novelty of bunk beds haven’t warn off on Chase and Ryder yet and Rhett is pretty much always awake so we were ready to party nice and early today.

Chase and Ryder played in their room for a bit while we eased into the day with Rhett and coffee. Eventually the big kids joined us downstairs and after breakfast, we set up a little sensory excavation station with dried rice and beans and dinosaur toys.

Despite their best intentions, I’ve learned the hard way that it’s physically impossible for a 2 and 5 year old to keep tiny dried beans and rice contained so now we always have a blanket or towel under their sensory play bins.

Eventually Rhett was ready for his first nap of the day and once I put him down, I headed into the garage to take myself through a Burn Boot Camp upper body tabata workout.

I followed an online video and then took a quick shower before rejoining the family. Chase and Ryder requested a morning bath which sounded like a great activity on a chilly day so while Ryan got them all set up for bath time fun, I nursed Rhett once he was awake and then took him with me on a quick trip to ALDI for some groceries.

We got a decent amount of food late last week but were running low on fresh produce, so that was the main motivation behind my trip. Also, for anyone out there who might be buying Valentines for their kids this week, ALDI had a great selection of 32 tattoo Valentines featuring various characters (Frozen, The Avengers, etc.) for under $2! I got the superhero ones to include in the little goodie bags the boys will be taking with them to preschool next week.

Afternoon

Once I arrived home, the boys were dressed and ready for lunch! We made mac and cheese for all of us, along with carrots and fresh berries and then Ryder and Rhett were ready for their afternoon naps. Ryan and Chase then headed out on a bike ride while I whipped up a small batch of Super Bowl-themed cupcakes for the boys to decorate!

Since the Bucs are Ryan’s favorite team, there’s been a lot of Super Bowl talk in our house!

As the cupcakes baked in the oven, I took a moment to order some small Valentine’s Day goodies to include in goodie baskets for the boys and Ryan. We keep things really simple on Valentine’s Day but I still have fun doing a little something special to make our kids and Ryan feel loved.

In case you’re looking for some Valentine’s Day idea inspiration, here are a few throwback posts that might interest you:

• Valentine’s Day Ideas: Last Minute + Easy to Assemble
• Our Annual Valentine’s Day Mission (One of my favorite traditions and one we’re planning to do again with the boys this year!)
• Valentine’s Day Crafts
• Budget-Friendly Valentine’s Day Ideas (Part One) + Budget-Friendly Valentine’s Day Ideas (Part Two)

I also did a little work until Rhett and Ryder were up and then once Ryan and Chase were back, we all ate a snack and then headed outside on a walk to a nearby marina.

Chase and Ryder loved stomping in the shallow lake water — thank goodness for rain boots! — and we made our way home in time for another nap for Rhett.

He’s currently snoozing while Chase and Ryder are splashing around in bath #2 for the day before the Super Bowl fun begins this evening! We will be grilling out and watching the game at home and cheering hard for the Bucs! (I say “cheering hard” but, let’s be honest, I’m not overly invested in this game so the cheering will mostly come from Ryan. Ha!) If you’ll be watching, I hope you enjoy some good eats and good company, too!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!