Hey friends! We’re halfway through the week and I thought I’d pop in this morning and fill ya in on what another random mid-week day looked like around here yesterday. Let’s dive right in!
I was up before dawn as usual to get a jump start on some work and began my day with a hot mug of tea and bowl of egg white oatmeal topped with pumpkin seeds.
I managed to work for almost two hours before Chase was awake and I shifted into mom mode. Chase and I said goodbye to Ryan as he headed off to work and then I set Chase up with some yogurt and berries for breakfast. I didn’t have plans to make it to the gym until 9 a.m., so we spent the rest of the morning playing around the house, reading and coloring.
I met up with my friends Carrie and Lauren for a workout at Burn Boot Camp in the mid-morning and while Chase played in childcare, we went through an athletic conditioning chipper that was a serious sweat fest! (The workout was called a “chipper” because we chipped away at a large number of reps for some of the exercises before moving onto the next.)
To complete the workout, we paired off and while partner one worked on the designated number of reps in the first exercise in each pairing, the second partner chipped away at the larger number of reps associated with the second exercise. Once partner one’s reps were complete, we switched and partner one then began counting the number of reps where partner two left off in the second exercise. We rotated when all of the reps of the second exercise were complete. (This workout is admittedly confusing to explain, so if you’d like to try it and need any clarification, please let me know! And yes, I modified a few of the exercises.)
I love chippers because I feel like I’m accomplishing mini goals throughout the workout. It felt good to begin the day on an active note and after my time at BBC, I scooped Chase up for a Gymboree class! A little while ago we switched from a monthly membership to a 10-class punch card since we aren’t making it to Gymboree nearly as often these days but Chase still lights up every time we attend a class or meet up with friends for open play.
We followed up Gymboree playtime with a quick pit stop at Target to grab diapers to include in a baby shower gift for a shower I’ll be attending this weekend. Since we all know it’s impossible to leave Target with just one thing, I picked up a few more miscellaneous items, including an impulse buy I am already enjoying and I’m only one chapter in!
I picked up a copy of Emily Ley’s A Simplified Life after seeing so many people sharing images of the most incredible before and after organizational photos on their blogs and Instagram Stories. Every time I’d see a photo of an almost-bare closet or a beautifully organized pantry and bags of items to donate or throw away, I felt my desire to CLEAN ALL THE THINGS kick into high gear. (Side note: If you need a laugh and don’t get the “clean all the things” reference, please check out Hyperbole and a Half’s This is Why I’ll Never Be An Adult. It kills me!)
By the time Chase and I made it home, we were ready for lunch and after polishing off our sandwiches, I asked Chase if he wanted to help me cook. He ran over to his cooking stand and began pushing it toward our kitchen island… I’ll take that as a yes!
We prepped everything we needed for last night’s zucchini lasagna dinner (it took FOR-EV-ER… I think there’s a reason this recipe didn’t note the prep time) and I realized about halfway through that I didn’t have enough zucchini to properly layer everything. Our lasagna looked like a bit of a hot mess when we cut into it but at least it tasted great! I mean it’s hard to go too wrong when lots of ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella cheese is involved.
After our lasagna prep activity and a few books, Chase miraculously settled in for a nap so I was able to hop on a conference call, get some work done on the computer and read the first chapter of A Simplified Life while snacking on a chocolate chip brownie Larabar (my all-time favorite flavor).
While our morning was rather eventful, our afternoon was pretty peaceful. We didn’t stray far from home and once Chase was up from his nap, he took an early bath (he woke up c-r-a-n-k-y and the bath seemed to help him chill out) and, inspired by A Simplified Life, I cleaned out two drawers in our master bathroom.
Here’s a before/after of my hair tools drawer:
(I kept those nasty-looking clip-in extensions for the sheer purpose of using them in a wedding I’m in this coming May because my hair is almost always too fine for the up-dos I fall in love with on Pinterest!)
And here is a before/after of my hair accessories drawer which also includes some random hair products/deodorant/toner that I use regularly:
Yes, I’m starting small with my deep clean/donate/throw away crap we don’t need ambitions, but even the little bit of progress I made yesterday felt GOOD.
Once Ryan was home from work, we dove into our veggie lasagna for dinner and I cleaned out a cabinet in the kitchen before it was time to settle Chase in for the night.
And that’s all for our Tuesday!
This morning, I am meeting with Chase’s preschool teacher for our first parent/teacher conference (all of 15 minutes and I cannot wait) and then we’re heading off to my 20-week prenatal appointment followed by an afternoon play date with some of my girlfriends. I’m looking forward to today but for the past few days my anxiety is up again (it always kicks into high gear when a prenatal appointment is on the calendar) but I am praying and believing all will be well.
I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!!
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I had a very high risk pregnancy and had dr appointments every week until I was ultimately hospitalized. My husband and I always had so much anxiety every time we went! We always got some new piece of bad news. But the good news is my daughter is now 14 months and currently dragging around my nursing pillow because she wants to nurse (as in she’s here and healthy and perfect!). Best of luck today! I hope all goes well.
I am so glad your little one is healthy, especially after such a stressful pregnancy. Thank you for your kind wishes!!
Thinking of you at your appointment today! And I need that book in my life. I love that you started with small things, I get so frustrated thinking I need to go through the whole house, but just need to start small. Have baskets and storage containers makes a HUGE difference when organizing!
I am so impressed by your organization! You’re making me want to jump on the train too and grab that book 🙂 Saying an extra prayer for you for your appointment today!
I totally need that book, asap! We really need some help here in the cleaning/organizing department because we have so much ‘stuff’ everywhere…I call one of our rooms “the hoarders room” because I put ALL the things from my bridal shower in there, still in boxes, (that will be 2 years ago come April) and we just throw everything in there when we don’t have enough room for something. Yikes!! It gives me anxiety just thinking about it. I will be thinking of you today and praying that your appointment goes well, Julie!! Have a great Wednesday! Xoxo
Hi Julie 🙂 Where did you purchase the cooking stand for Chase from? My daughter would love that!
Ordered it online from Walmart! He loves it and we use it every day! http://bit.ly/2EoOF6z
I always feel so accomplished after I organize a drawer or shelf but then the issue is keeping it that way!
Good luck today!!! I was in the same boat as you with both pregnancies. The first I had had two miscarriages prior and ended up with preeclampsia and heelp syndrome. I delivered 5 weeks earlier. The second pregnancy, I took the down syndrome screening and my ratio came back above average for having a child with down syndrome. Then we had a level 2 autonomy ultrasound, that showed two soft markers for down syndrome. We then had to have genetic testing done, so we could fully prepare for our baby. The genetic testing came back clear. However, I ended up with preeclampsia and heelp syndrome again and delivered 10 weeks early. He spent 41 days in the NICU, but is a thriving almost 5 month only now!
Moral of my long winded story is, I had anxiety with every appt for each baby. Everything happens for a reason and God never gives you more than you can handle. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
Pumpkin seeds are so good!
Great job with your organizing – that is some serious progress! We have a few junk drawers that could definitely use some TLC. I can’t wait to check out that book – clutter really stresses me out!
So I’ll admit this may sound totally creepy but I swear it isn’t. I had a dream a few nights ago and you were in it! I ran into you at the hospital and you were there for a baby appointment of some kind. You were extremely big in the bump area and said everything was going along perfectly smooth so far. Maybe it’s a premonition or something. Just thought I’d share!
Thank you for sharing this!! I’ll take any good signs — big or small right now! 🙂
Thinking of you at your appointment today! Nothing feels better than a good house-cleaning (even if it’s drawers and cabinets). We moved into a new house in August and I can feel the clutter starting to build up.
I received Emily’s book as a gift recently and I can’t WAIT to dig in. I read her other one, and LOVED it. There’s something so magical about simplifying!
I bought that hairdryer you had recommended forever ago. Do you find that the attachment falls off? It’s been driving me crazy lately. Mostly because I never know when it will hit me lol
Oh man, what a pain! I love that blow dryer but I actually never use the attachment (I prob should’ve just tossed it) but I always have hope that one day I’ll learn better blow drying skills! I wonder if you reached out to the company if they might help you out and send you a new one that hopefully stays put!?
My goal each weekend has to tackle one closet or drawer at a time. It feels so good getting rid of things you don’t use and makes you feel even better if you can donate it somewhere.
That Simplified Life book is all over my social media too. I’ve actually put it on hold at my library. Hopefully I’ll get it soon. Isn’t it amazing how quickly things grow and a cupboard that had lots of room before is now stuffed?
thank you for reminding/motivating me to clear out my bathroom drawer with all of my hair and makeup stuff!! and i’m totally pinning that zucchini lasagna recipe – i’m so down with yummy recipes that provide leftovers for days!!
I did the Marie Kondo method to our house and belongings when I was pregnant, and it’s definitely changed the way I purchase and keep and store things. Great job on your first day of simplifying! 🙂
Just added the book to my cart on Amazon! Thanks for the recommendation and the easy quick fixes. I have two small boys and find that I have a million things I need to organize and get through. I just need to take a step back and realize you can do a little bit at a time. Kind of like a “chipper” haha…which by the way I’m jealous you only had 75 burpee terracore’s. We had to do 150 at our location! Killer workout yesterday. I was excited though because I increased my double unders by 5. As a totally random and unrelated to the rest of this comment, thank you for talking about BBC. I have wanted to try it forever after seeing your posts and I was able to start at the Lake Zurich, IL one when it opened this past fall. I LOVE IT!!!
I’m so glad you LOVE Burn!! Isn’t it the BEST!?!? Truly my favorite workout I’ve ever, ever done.
And I’m DREADING the day I finally tackle all of Chase’s stuff (old clothes, toys, etc.). That seriously overwhelms me… hence why I’m starting with drawers and cabinets — haha!
I REALLY need to get Emily Ley’s book!
Praying that your appointment went well! Can’t wait to hear! About the organizing, I’m obsessed. It took me a couple years to declutter the entire house because it wasn’t really a plan but once I started, I became more hooked. We also repainted every room in the house and it just makes the house look more new. Any time we have workers come over, they are so surprised we’ve lived here that long. I do get teased by friends about the level of organization in my house and closets, followed by requests to come do it at their house. I still go through and redo some spaces here and there. People ask what more I have to organize, but I just love it so much and sometimes you find a better way to do it. 🙂
Sending an extra prayer your way for your appointment today.
Emily Ley is my favorite, I love that book and all of her simplifying tips! Her Instagram posts and stories are the first things I check each day, right after I read PBF 🙂
You made good progress today getting rid of things. I’ve been trying to get rid of stuff, too. It feels so good to purge stuff (I swear I get an endorphin rush lol) – and it’s so much easier to keep things clean when you don’t have a ton of crap. It’s always a work in progress, though. Hope your dr appointment went well
Did you ever read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up? Same concept?
Is that a Mason Pierson brush?? Are those worth the hype? I’ve heard such great things but can’t yet bring myself to spend the money on one.
Hi Julie! Could you share some details about how you’re modifying workouts during pregnancy? I know you’ve mentioned modifications in previous posts, but I’d love your perspective as an active mama keeping up with your exercise routine.
My OB initially told me that pregnant women must keep their heart rate at or below 140 BPM which sounded like outdated advice to me, so I did some research and decided I feel comfortable going by perceived exertion rather than my HR. But I’m still uncertain on what exercises to modify! I was at a bootcamp class the other night doing AMRAPs of burpees and squat thrusts, and basically just eliminated jumping. Anyway, I’d love to hear what your modification approach is! Thanks 🙂
I just requested that book from the library. I wanted her day planner for 2018 but it was sold out when I went to purchase it and I settled on another planner that looked very similar.
I need that book, last year I read a couple of minimalist books that changed my life! Also, I checked out that recipe and I never do that salt and let sit thing, I either salt them or bake them, and not for that long! Usually I just bake them for 10 minutes (no salting). My recipe still isn’t the quickest in the world but it’s a hell of a lot quicker than that ha ha –> https://hungryhobby.net/zucchini-lasagna-italian-chicken/ Let me know if you get a chance to try it girlie!