Over the course of the past six months or so, we’ve attempted at least five other recipes for doughnuts in our deep fryer that left a lot to be desired so we were all pumped when we finally found a winner! We made both traditional glazed and cinnamon-sugar doughnut holes and both were fantastic.
We’ve had a bunch of oil in our deep fryer since last weekend when we made zeppoles (one of my top 5 favorite foods) when we had company in town and let’s just say having a deep fryer on hand ready to fry anything at only a few minutes notice has been a little too tempting. Yep, I’m a “healthy living blogger” who made no less than four deep-fried dishes last week. No shame in my game! (For the record, these sweet potato fries were fabulous.)
Saturday
On Saturday morning, I eased into the day with Ryan and a hot mug of coffee with coconut milk and collagen. Ryan left the house around 7 a.m. to catch a flight to see his friend Terry for the weekend and so I was flyin’ solo with the boys and Sadie. Our Saturday felt a bit like a typical weekday around here and after I whipped up a batch of banana bread protein pancakes for the three of us (<– that recipe is a hit with both boys!), we piled into my car and drove to the YMCA.
Chase and Ryder had fun in childcare and I completed my Everything One Minute Upper Body Workout and did a little stretching before calling it a day. I was done with my workout in less than 35 minutes and then we were off to the next activity!
Since ISR took over our life last week, we didn’t make it to MyGym at all so Chase was pumped when I told him there was an opening in the 11 a.m. class for kids his age. I dropped Chase off at MyGym (some of the classes include adults, but once kids are a certain age they can go solo) and while he ran around in the WhizKids class, Ryder and I popped into the grocery store to pick up food for the weekend since our fridge and pantry were looking bare.
We were back at MyGym an hour later and then the boys and I headed home and I fed the them lunch before settling Ryder down for a nap. While Ryder slept, Chase and I did some puzzles and read a few books and then he played with toys while I did some deep cleaning around the house. Such a glamorous Saturday activity, huh?
Once Ryder was up, we spent the rest of the afternoon outside. Chase wanted to drive his Jeep and I wanted to take Sadie on a walk so we combined the two activities and headed off to the park near our house.
It was pretty hot outside and the mosquitoes at the park were ragin’ but the boys still seemed to have a blast while big sis Sadie kept an eye on things.
For as much as I’m sure Sadie would prefer to still be the only child in our house, she’s never far from her two brothers and always likes to be a part of the action. She just prefers to show her love on her own terms.
Once we made it home, Chase turned me me and asked if it was the weekend and I knew exactly what that question meant… For the past few months, we’ve eliminated all screen time during the week and reserved weekends for “movie night” which has become a really big deal to Chase. He thinks it’s so special and loves picking out new movies to watch from our local library or his mini DVD collection.
On the agenda for Saturday night: Toy Story 2! He saw the original Toy Story at my parents’ place earlier this summer and was excited when we found the second and third Toy Story movies at our library. An added bonus: Mom likes them, too!
After dinner, we all changed into our pajamas and curled up on the couch for movie night which sounds lovely and cozy until you remember that we have a very active almost 15-month-old in the mix who could not care less about movies. Movie nights with Ryder in the mix look more like answering Chase’s questions about the movies while playing with Ryder/keeping little bro distracted from bothering big bro for 1.5 hours.
Once the movie was over, we FaceTimed with Ryan and then I got both boys in bed before climbing into bed myself for some Saturday night reading.
Sunday
Sunday began with the early morning service at our church. As usual, I got all emotional and weepy during the singing worship portion of the service but, honestly, it was a really good thing. I have a lot going on in my head and in my heart right now.
We left the service and headed home for an early lunch and naps for Ryder and Chase. While the boys napped, I worked on the computer but also took a break to order some fall clothes for the boys. I ordered a bunch of things from thredUP (a long-time favorite of mine for secondhand like-new clothes) and hope we’re in a better place now for them once the weather gets chilly! I also nabbed some fall essentials and summer clearance items from Old Navy for next year. (I love their shorts for the boys and swear by these denim jeggings for Chase since ALL other jeans are too big/wide for him. And yes, they’re technically for girls but they’re totally unisex in my mind.) Gotta stock up when the prices are low, right?
Once everyone was awake, I suggested a trip to Discovery Place Kids and judging by the excited scream that came out of Chase’s mouth, he was psyched by the idea!
I renewed our membership for the fourth year in a row and then we made our way into kid mayhem where the boys ran around like crazy and I did my best to keep everyone together. Phew!
I texted this picture of Ryder to Ryan that I snapped the second he saw Chase abandon the firetruck steering wheel.
Ryder saw his moment to sneak in a claim his role as fire chief and wasted no time climbing up into the hot seat. Oh happy day!
By the time we made it home, everyone was ready for dinner, so we ate a quick meal, changed into our pajamas and watched Toy Story 3 for our second round of weekend movie night! I think I may need to find some time to take Chase for a mother-son date to see Toy Story 4 in the theaters now that we’ve made our way through all three Toy Story movies this summer.
I managed to have both boys in bed nice and early which gave me time to chat with Ryan on the phone and read in bed before my eyes would no longer stay open. And now I’m hearing Ryder making noise on the monitor so I am off to get this Monday rollin’. I hope you all have a great week!
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Love the idea of stocking up early on summer clearance clothes, but how do you know what size to get the boys so far in advance? I feel like I’d pick the wrong size ha.
I just size up from what they were this past summer! Shorts are also more forgiving than pants in terms of length, so they’re a great item to grab for summer next year when the seasons change.
This looks like a great weekend! Also, those homemade doughnut holes look incredible!
Glad to see you’ve embraced the deep-fried splurges—-it’s all about balance 🙂 (And it’s refreshing for me to see that even people who are health and fitness bloggers/influencers/etc. still sometimes indulge! It gives me hope, ha ha.)
oh heck yes! lately i feel like i’ve been more into splurges than healthy eats and sometimes that’s okay, too. 🙂 i know i’ll get back to it.
We did the same thing with screen time for the past few months and just up until recently we limited TV time to Fri nights through Sundays and it made a HUGE difference in our biggest’s behavior! Totally worth it!
i totally agree! the meltdowns and whiny behavior have been SO much less since limiting it to weekends only.
We limited TV time to weekends only and it is so much better during the week. Although I struggle with how much to let her watch on the weekends as she often asks to watch TV.
I’m not sure if this helps but we tell Chase weekends are for movie NIGHT — as in he gets to watch a movie with us at the end of the day. Sometimes our days are too full and it doesn’t happen but I think knowing he doesn’t get TV until after dinner/the evening helps prevent him from asking for a show a million times through the weekend.
I can’t get over Ryder’s blond hair! My older son had such dark brown hair that it almost looked black at birth. Then when he was Ryder’s age, he was a blondie too! But it then turned to a light brown, and stayed brown. Both of your boys are SO cute!
I strongly recommend you read Jane Johnson’s book, Mercy Like Morning. It is an amazing story of how God’s timing doesn’t always match the timing we want, but the timing we need. Hugs!
Random question about the old navy pants! I’m having trouble finding pants for my little guy too. Are those leggings soft? He sleeps in his clothes at daycare- and usually I send him in jogging pants. Also, any other suggestions for slim fitting pants for a toddler?? I have searched everywhere ?.
I feel you SO much on this!!! And they’re not super soft but they’re softer than traditional denim since they’re more of a stretchy material. I don’t think they’d be overly comfy for sleep but they’re great for play and running around and move well! As for other slim fitting pants, definitely check Old Navy’s “ultimate skinny”/slim fit line! They’re my go-tos for pants for Chase that don’t look sloppy/HUGE on him!
We’ve also moved TV/tablet time to the weekends only and saw a huge change in behavior/temper tantrums. Unfortunately, when my mother-in-law is over watching my daughter, she leaves the TV on and my son starts watching it before we can have it turned off. Then that leads into a separate tantrum of it’s own. The life of a parent!
Those doughnuts look yummy!
This is so random, but what stroller do you use for Ryder? I am struggling to decide what stroller to get and want one that is versatile for walking/running when our baby comes and is old enough. We plan on getting the Chicco Keyfit carseat and I noticed the Chicco stroller.
Thank you!
The Chicco Tre! It’s great!
I don’t know what it is about the song worship during church, but I NEVER get through it with dry eyes. It just makes my heart and soul so happy, but the words always reach a little deeper somehow.
Me too. Something about the music speaks to me on another level. <3
Sounds like the weekend went smoothly even though you were riding solo! I could definitely go for some doughnut holes right now.
Love, love, love Old Navy boys clothes! Also Cat & Jack. My son has a bit of booty so we do not have the same issues, ours is that he rips through the knees of every pair of pants I buy him! Ha.
Ryder has a serious little booty and I just LOVE it!! I say he gets his bubble butt from his mama. Haha!
SO random, but I love that you spell out doughnut, and don’t use “donut”. Weird pet peeve. But you can also call doughnut holes TIMBITS!! (That’s what we call them in Canada – thanks to Tim Hortons coffee shops).
Also, what brand is that tank top you’re wearing in that workout photo? It fits you so well, and I’m looking for some for myself! 🙂
thanks michelle!! it’s lululemon but at least 5 years old 🙂
Darn! So pretty! Looks like I’ll be taking a page out of the blog and shopping on ThredUP! 😉
I actually think I ordered this exact top via thredUP a few years ago!!! It’s awesome for lululemon finds!
HI there,
I saw you mentioned it was Hot this weekend. My family & I currently live in Central Florida & I would love to move to NC for a change in the weather. Are the summers there just as hot as in FL?
I would LOVE it if you would share how you limited screen time. We’re on the MAJOR struggle bus over here with TV. It’s so easy to put on to entertain my littles for a few moments so I can fold laundry, but then turning it off is such a struggle. I feel like I’ve tried it all. How did you get away from it except weekends? I’d LOVE to implement this. I don’t know if my husband would be on board (he uses it as a babysitter, even though he knows how much it drives me crazy.). Thoughts? Thank you in advance!