A Wednesday in Real Time Check-In

Hey friends. How are you? I’ve poured a few hours into a blog post I initially planned to share (some of our favorite children’s picture books!) but I was in the mood to chat with you guys today instead. I’m feelin’ old school PBF right now and am coming at you in real time from my favorite local coffee shop.

It’s a cold and drizzly day over here which seems to be the theme of our week in Charlotte. Yesterday, when I picked Rhett up from preschool, he requested a 2 p.m. hot bath and man did I feel that. The weather outside is the kind of wet-cold you feel in your bones and I think it’s hitting us harder because last Sunday was such a tease with sunny 75-degree weather. We’ve lived in North Carolina for long enough now to know a “false spring” when we see one but it definitely got all of us in the mood for sunshine and springtime.

Wednesday in Real Time

I’m quite certain you didn’t stop by my blog today looking for a weather report so let’s move right along. Ryan and I were up earlier than our alarms this morning due to a fire alarm battery beep. It’s the same fire alarm battery we’ve replaced two times since we moved into our house so we think something may be up. We were about to go all Phoebe Buffay on that thing this morning, let me tell you.

Our super-early wake up morphed into a relatively productive morning for me. After I made myself a whole milk latte and read my devotional, I felt much more like myself.

This devotional is like my comfort blanket devotional. It’s the one I always go back to and feels like a warm hug that encourages me, centers me and breathes life into me. I know it’s not as “meaty” as other devotionals (and I dive into those as well in various seasons), but I love it for its simplicity and the way I genuinely want to read it every morning. For anyone who may have loved the Simply Christmas devotional I recommended that I read every holiday season, I think you’d like this one, too.

I then worked on three new hearts to tape to the boys’ bedroom doors (we’re doing one heart a day for the week leading up to Valentine’s Day) and then spent the next hour working on my computer until Chase and Ryder were up a little before 7 a.m.

The big kids and I then ate breakfast together — toasted waffles I previously made and froze for the boys and pumpkin paleo oatmeal for me!

With blueberries, pumpkin seeds and coconut stirred in for flavor and texture!

I loved my morning chat time with Chase and Ryder (Ryan was showering after his workout) and we talked all about favorite indoor recess games since our current weather means more indoor playtime for them at school today. They were all about Four Corners and Head’s Up Seven Up (two classics I loved as a kid, too) but I blew their minds when I explained how you play Red Rover. Anyone else remember that one!? “Red Rover, Red Rover, send Julie on over!” Memoriesss.

Rhett woke up about 5 minutes before Ryan left with Chase and Ryder for their elementary school drop off, so we said goodbye to them and then Rhett ate breakfast while he did a little sensory kit. I then asked Rhett if he wanted to head to boot camp with me or play at home while I got in a short workout before preschool. He opted for home and this maaay be one of my little tricks in getting Rhett on board with giving me 30 minutes of workout time.

Rhett knows he’s allowed to join me but is also old enough to understand that mom’s workouts are important for making my body strong. He usually “works out” for 5-10 minutes with me before losing interest and bringing magnetic tiles or cars over to play beside me.

After my short but sweet upper body strength workout, I hopped in the shower and Rhett played with his puzzle track and listened to one of his Tonies while I got ready for the day.

(Joggers: Vuori / Top: Amazon / Bag: Free People / Shoes: Nike / Watch: Garmin Lily)

Then it was time for the whole preschool drop off routine! Once Rhett was settled at school, it was more work time for me. I set up my little work station at my local coffee shop and had to laugh at all my “supplies.”

(Time-stamp water bottle — still going super strong with this one! + Pack-It to keep my mid-morning yogurt snack cold + Yogurt — oh my gosh Painterland Sisters skyr is my new super-creamy yogurt obsession + Whole milk latte + Calendar + Fav gel pen) 

I consider myself fairly low maintenance and then I see a setup like this and think, “Wellllll….”

And now, just as I was about to hit publish on this blog post, I went back to quickly proof read my words and thought to myself, “Well, that covers my morning in a very top-layer kind of way, but it doesn’t really cover how I’m feeling.” How am I feeling? Anxious. My mom had surgery on Monday and this has consumed my thoughts, feelings and prayers right now, as I’m sure anyone going through something health-related themselves or with a loved one understands. We got some preliminary good news this morning (we think) which has helped me majorly exhale, though we’re still waiting for my mom to speak directly with her doctor before we know more. I’m thinking it’s going to be a very good day.

I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday! We’re already halfway through the week, friends!