Hey friends! Happy Wednesday to ya! I hope you’re stopping by the blog today feeling great! I wanted to share another day-in-the-life post with you guys today, so let’s hop to it. Here’s a glimpse into our day yesterday with an emphasis on food, fitness and family!
Morning
I made the mistake of walking away from the microwave after I prepped a microwavable version of my triple chocolate protein oatmeal so my day began with a bowl of overflowing oats, hence the rather horrific-looking breakfast bowl you see below. Woops!
One day I will learn…
I ate my oats, wrapped up Tuesday’s Weekly Workouts blog post, said goodbye to Ryan as he headed off to work and then spent some time with my devotional until Chase was up and ready for action.
Our morning looked like the usual around here and included plenty of stories and playtime as we got dressed and ready for the day. I am happy to report that Chase recently decided underwear isn’t so bad after all (of course he waited until after I went on a frantic internet search and ordered several packs of tiny boxers for his itty bitty booty) and now he takes the underwear selection process very seriously every morning. I lay out all of his underwear options and he stands there flipping them over and considering his choices for more than five minutes before selecting the perfect pair of Thomas or Paw Patrol underwear for the day.
It’s a big improvement from the Always-Commando Toddler we had on our hands a week ago, so I’ll take it!
With underwear on and a few trips to the potty under our belt, we headed off to boot camp where a leg day workout was on the agenda.
The workout finisher included three rounds of a 30-second wall sit coupled with 30 seconds of jump squats. Phew!
Once my workout was done, I said goodbye to my friends and scooped Chase up from childcare before we piled into my car, ate a snack and headed off to Chase’s swim lessons.
Annd my 34-week baby bump is officially big enough to serve as a shelf for snacks!
Swimming went well-ish – going underwater isn’t Chase’s favorite at the moment – and we spent a solid 30 minutes after his lesson eating the snacks I packed and watching the big kids swim. Watching the other children splash and swim is one of Chase’s favorite activities and I think we’re beginning to establish a bit of a pattern because now right after his post-swim shower he talks all about wanting to stay to watch the big kids.
It’s not a bad way to go because sometimes trying to coerce him into sitting still for lunch is a bit of a battle in our house, so this has proven to be a great way to get lunch in his belly before we arrive back home and his toys and playtime distract him.
Afternoon
We made it home in the early afternoon and spent some time playing outside with Sadie. Unfortunately Chase ended up falling pretty hard on our driveway and the tears started flowing. The majority of the time Chase bounces back quickly after a fall, but I think he was already tired from swimming so his fall quickly led to a downward spiral of crocodile tears. I tried to get him to calm down but his crying only escalated and his need for a nap became glaringly obvious. We headed upstairs and made it through one story before Chase requested prayers and “cover up” (when I cover him up with his blankets), so clearly he was ready for sleep!
Chase usually talks and sings and plays in his crib for at least 30 minutes before he falls asleep (if he falls asleep at all…) but he was out in no time yesterday. No nap on Monday coupled with a busy morning and two skinned knees = Toddler nap necessity.
I spent Chase’s naptime on a random assortment of to-dos. I worked on the computer and met up with a man from a residential construction company about replacing the roof on our house and some wood rot issues we have around a few windows. All the fun stuff!
My lunch for the day included the final two pieces of a frittata I made earlier in the week along with a cup of yogurt topped with cacao nibs and hemp seeds… plus a small bowl of Rice Chex about 30 minutes later.
Chase woke up from his nap in a good mood but immediately talked about the boo-boos on his knees from his earlier fall. His solution to making them feel better was for Mom to “wrap them up” in his blankie, so we played in his room with his toy cars while he sported some kind of a make-shift kilt to “heal” his knees. The things toddlers come up with never cease to make me laugh, I’m tellin’ ya!
We eventually made it downstairs for a snack – an apple with peanut butter for both of us – and when Chase asked if we could make cookies for an afternoon activity, I couldn’t say no. Sugar cookies sounded absolutely perfect to me, so we whipped up a batch and tried not to eat all of them in one sitting.
Evening
By the time Ryan made it home from work, we were ready for some outside playtime, so we leashed Sadie up and walked to the local playground.
Evenings when Ryan gets home early enough to join us for some outdoor activities are my absolute favorite – and Chase’s, too! He had a blast pushing Dad on the swings, exploring the tree-lined paths at the park and sneaking around the playground to “scare” me. He also loves “catching” Ryan whenever Ryan slides down a slide after him which is way too adorable.
“Dad, I catch you!”
Of course the minute Chase and Ryan have any sort of a sweet moment between the two of them, you know someone’s jealousy kicks into high gear…
Sadie is never far from the kisses if there’s a little extra love to give away, that’s for sure!
We spent about an hour or so out and about and once we made it home neither Ryan nor I had any motivation to cook dinner. Since I let meal planning and food prep fall to the wayside over the weekend, we were hurting on options and ended up digging into the freezer for a frozen pizza that we served with hidden cauliflower strawberry banana smoothies since the pizza was way too small to feed the three of us.
It was random but it worked!
We skipped Chase’s bath last night since it wasn’t hot outside and we did the whole post-swim shower thing earlier in the day and by the time we had him tucked into his crib, I was more than ready to unwind with a little Natural Calm and reading before bed.
I finished The Last Mrs. Parrish last week (it was a quick read and thoroughly entertaining but a bit predictable for me) and I recently started reading The Family Next Door. I’m about a third of the way through this one and I’m loving it so far! It reminds me a lot of Liane Moriarty’s novels (Big Little Lies, The Husband’s Secret, etc.) and hooked me right away. I have a feeling you’ll be seeing a full review of this one on the blog on Friday!
And now I’m off to get movin’ for the day. My Wednesday should be a good one but busy! I have a couple of appointments on the agenda and then I am doing an Instagram Stories takeover for Vitamix that also involves a pretty sweet Vitamix giveaway on my personal Instagram, so definitely check it out later today if a new blender is on your radar.
Have a great day, my friends!
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What a fun day! I need to find some kiddo swim lessons for my babes this summer.
I’d love to hear more about potty training! When we did the “oh crap” method, the book recommended not using underwear for a number of weeks after the initial potty training.
I love the day in the life of posts! So fun! If you don’t mind me asking, what brand are the shoes Chase is wearing in the photos? I am on the hunt for a good summer pair for Niah, but not really finding any I like! Thanks!
They’re Natives and are, without a doubt, our go-to shoes for summer and spring. They’re just SO easy (no socks required/ they can get wet/ you can just rinse them off/scrub them if they get dirty) and I’ve bought them in FOUR sizes so far! I buy them on Zappos and they have tons of colors –> http://bit.ly/2IsoAYB
Love the day-in-the-life updates! So funny how jealous Sadie gets, our V is the same way! 😀 Love your blog and have been reading for years!!!! <3 Your pregnancy updates (first and the ones from your current) have been SUPER useful as I navigate my first pregnancy so THANK YOU for that!
Thank you for reading for so long, Jessica! I am so, so glad you’ve found my previous pregnancy updates helpful! <3 Huge congrats to you!
I love these day in the life posts. It’s so interesting to see what other people’s days are like!
Hi Julie. First, this comment doesn’t come from a place of judgement at all, more from a place of curiosity. I was wondering if you have addressed (or could address in the future) your thoughts on blogging about Chase (and your future little one). How much is the appropriate level to share? Is there a point/age where you think you’ll stop including him? Have you thought about how his presence on the blog would impact him in the future? How do you feel about sharing so much about him without his consent?
Again, absolutely no judgement, just curiosity as I prepare for my first child and ponder if I’ll share pictures/information on social media.
Thanks.
Also no judgement – I would also love to hear your thoughts on the topics Claire mentioned. You guys seem to be planners, logical thinkers, and obviously great parents. I’m genuinely curious to hear your thoughts on sharing photos and information on the blog and social media.
Way to go with Chase’s potty training! I’m so impressed because that was one thing I dreaded while mine was going through it. I have twins and my son waited a good six months or so after his sister before making the transition. What a great time, too, before baby #2. BTW, you look so pretty, Julie! Definitely glowing! The pics of Chase and Sadie kissing Ryan on the slide is so sweet. And Sadie made me laugh. Have a great day!
I love your day in the life posts!! I just put in a request at my library for The Family Next Door. I’ve read and enjoyed so many of the same books as you!! I really love Lianne’s books too (except for her most recent one…) Did you watch Big Little Lies? It was really well done but some scenes were really tough to watch. Are you and Ryan skipping Survivor this season? It’s been a good one!
Sounds like a great day! Random question – what kind of Bento-style box are you using for Chase’s snack? Can he open it by himself? Is it easy to clean? I’m looking for something similar for my 3 year old, but there’s so many options that I’d love someone to give me a personal recommendation!
It’s the Bentgo Kids Lunchbox and we love it!!! You can get it on Amazon and it comes it three colors –> http://bit.ly/2Iv3XeA This one isn’t something Chase can open by himself (the clasps are a little too strong) but his teachers help him when he’s at school. It’s awesome because it’s totally leak proof and very easy to clean. The part that holds the food pops out easily to wash and it’s completely dishwasher safe.
Do you have a good sugar cookie recipe that doesn’t require chilling the dough first? I love to make sugar cookies, but it’s always a two day process of I want the kids to help with moving ingredients and rolling out cookies. I’d love an easier option!
I used this one yesterday and it was super easy and very tasty –> https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/9870/easy-sugar-cookies/ No chilling the dough required!
Love reading these posts that give snapshot of everyday life. And good culture cottage cheese are Siggi’s are my absolute favorites, and I see you’ve been enjoying them a lot recently too. I’ll have to enter that contest because I’ve been eyeing a Vitamix for quite awhile now!
I love your day in the life posts! Your days are always fun filled! Oh my gosh, your bump is the perfect holder for your post workout snack. I saw that on your Instagram story and I think I was just aww-ing the whole time I watched. Haha 🙂 I’m so glad potty training is going well with Chase!! I know it was a big deal for my nephew Gio to pick out his underwear everyday and still likes that part of it! He actually didn’t like regular underwear either, so my sister tried out the boxer briefs for him and that is when he decided he was “cool like Daddy” and wanted to wear big boy undies. I definitely think my nephews should get into swimming lessons, they would love it! I will have to mention it to my sister and see if that is something she wants them to get into. I hope you have a wonderful day, Julie! Xoxo
So glad potty training is going well with Chase!! That whole process gives me serious anxiety…and I’ve never had to go through it!
Boy is Ryan’s hair long!!! Does he like it? Do you like it!??
Ha! It’s a process for sure! He hasn’t cut it since we found out we were expecting and is planning to continue to grow it until our baby arrives. 🙂 I think we both like him better with shorter hair but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have major hair envy over his ridiculously thick waves on a daily basis!
Are those your grandma’s sugar cookies? I’ve made them before and they’re yummy! As always, love these day in the life posts. Your random dinner from yesterday is inspiring me – I have strawberries and ice cream (and no cauliflower…BUT….that won’t stop me from making strawberry malts tonight!) Thanks for another great post as always.
They aren’t my grandma’s only because those require the dough to be refrigerated and we wanted faster cookies but they will always be my all-time favorite!!
I feel like I say this every time, but I love the glimpses into your day!
It’s so funny the things toddlers come up with to make their boo boos better! My 3 year old tells me all the time that her tummy hurts and that she “needs a bandaid so it will feel better.” At first I tried to convince her that a bandaid wouldn’t make her tummy feel better, but now that she’s done it a bunch of times I find it kind of useful, because if I put a bandaid on her tummy and it magically feels better I know I don’t actually have to worry that there’s something wrong with her stomach, haha!
Oh my gosh that is just too cute!!! <3 So precious!
Girl your bowl of oats didn’t even look THAT bad!! One of my first weeks back to work as a new mom I left Oats in the microwave too long and the majority of oats were on the glass microwave tray… I was Tired hungry and out of time so I stooped to spooning my breakfast off the microwave tray ??
Chase is getting so big! Love reading your updates.
Mom question. My toddler is going through a food stage so we’re looking for other ideas. What does a typical breakfast/lunch for Chase? I’m assuming that he eats what you guys do for dinner!
Sadie is such a loveable pup!