Random Thoughts On A Thursday

Is this week flying by or what!? I have felt a little scatterbrained all week long, so today’s post is a reflection of what’s going on inside my mind right now. It’s a little all over the place and totally random, but let’s roll with it…

Random Thoughts On A Thursday

• The Swaddle Smirk

I snapped the above picture of Chase when he was about 10 minutes into what I was hoping would be a 60-minute nap. Check out that mischievous swaddle smirk! What a little stinker. I am trying to be better about creating a routine around naptime but apparently I’m the only one who is catching onto this routine at the moment. Now that we’ve transitioned Chase into the crib for nighttime sleep, I’m trying to put him down in the crib for a couple of his daytime naps as well. This means I’m running up and down the stairs like a crazy woman, trying to lull him back to sleep whenever he starts to fuss and prolong his naps so they’re longer than a ridiculous 20 minutes. Some days this works, some days it doesn’t. Babies are unpredictable, that’s for sure!

• The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

I previously mentioned how much I am enjoying The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up in Monday’s blog post, but I really am loving this book! I’ve gone through all off our books and am almost all the way through my clothes, shoes and accessories now (the book is VERY thorough when it comes to going through clothing, so it can take a while). I’ve never discarded or donated so many things in my life! I’m now sorting my unwanted things into piles to donate, send off to ThredUp and send to my sister since we’ve been swapping clothes with each other for years.

• Gigi Hadid Lied To Me

Rarely do commercials sucker me into trying a new product, but I fell hook, line and sinker for the Maybelline commercial for their new Falsies mascara. I found myself majorly lusting over Gigi Hadid’s long, full eyelashes and even though common sense told me there was no way her eyelashes in that commercial were actually real and simply covered in a light coat of this mascara, I went against my better judgment and picked up a tube of Falsies at Target. It is probably the worst mascara I have ever tried. It’s SO clumpy and didn’t even kind of remain in place through a sweaty workout. Not a fan! Gigi, you little trickster.

• Granola Is Addicting

Is there any food more addicting than granola? I highly doubt it. Can’t stop, won’t stop. (The above photo is of a batch of almond butter granola I made with oats, slivered almonds and Rice Chex. It is way too tasty. And addicting.)

• Publix BOG0 = 50% Off

About a week or so ago, during a shopping trip to Publix, I picked up one of their weekly BOGO items and threw it into my cart. I forgot to grab the second “free” item, but when I went to check out, I noticed that the one BOGO item I had in my cart rang up at 50 percent off. Apparently at Publix (at least at my Publix!), you don’t have to get two items when they’re BOGO and can just pick up one and get it for 50 percent off! Awesome, right!? I love this for things like Klondike bars since I love a good Klondike bar, but don’t really want TWO packs of them chilling in our freezer.

• Missing Friendsgiving

Between a new baby and an influx of visitors over the past few weekends, Ryan and I decided against hosting Friendsgiving this year. We’ve always loved hosting Friendsgiving and really look forward to dining on family favorites with some of our best friends but it’s just not in the cards for us right now. I am actually really bummed about it, but I’m hoping we can hop back on the Friendsgiving train next year.

Just in case you are hosting Friendsgiving this weekend or want to get a jumpstart on planning your Thanksgiving menu, this post includes a roundup of some of my go-to Thanksgiving dishes: My Favorite Thanksgiving Side Dishes

• Bless You, NoseFrida

Even though I gagged when I did it, I added the NoseFrida to our baby registry when a ton of you recommended it to me. Yes, it’s kind of horrifying at first, but I cannot say enough great things about this nasal aspirator. Chase had his first runny nose the other week and this thing saved us. He sounded like a little piglet, grunting and wheezing as he tried to breathe, but once the NoseFrida came into play, it cleared him right out. I am a believer.

• Wednesday Morning Small Group

Every Wednesday morning, I have been participating in a small group with a handful of other moms in our area. The group is incredibly supportive and I cannot say enough how nice it has been to get into in depth conversations with other women who have been through (or are going through) exactly what I am going through with a new baby. Five of us in the group have babies under six months old and I truly value everyone’s advice and insight, especially those women in our group who have multiple kids who have been through the baby phase a handful of times. It’s a judgment-free environment where we can openly share our challenges and know we’ll be met with kindness and support.

• Thanksgiving Is Almost Here

(Throwback photos to our Turkey Trot outfits circa Thanksgiving 2011!)

Thanksgiving is almost here and I CANNOT WAIT. This will be my first Thanksgiving outside of Florida since my family moved there in 2003 and I am so looking forward to a Thanksgiving in a cooler climate again. There’s something that just doesn’t feel right about sweating while eating turkey and I’m thrilled my parents will be joining us in Charlotte for Chase’s first Thanksgiving. (We are so bummed Ryan’s family will not be able to make the trip, but they’ll be visiting two weeks later!) I think my mom and I text each other every other day about how excited we are for Thanksgiving and I can practically taste her delicious stuffing already. I just LOVE the holidays so darn much!

• Kindred’s Milk Bread Recipe

I’ve blogged about my love for Kindred’s milk bread a number of times and apparently you can find the recipe online now! AWESOME. I am adding this bread to my “must make” list over the holidays. It’s SO GOOD.

• Thinking Out Loud

I’m linking this post up with Amanda from Running With Spoons as part of her weekly Thinking Out Loud Thursdays roundup. If you’re a blogger and find yourself feeling a little scatterbrained and the desire to simply writing about a bunch of random things hits you on a Thursday, definitely check out Amanda’s link up!

Question of the Day

• What is one random thing that is on your mind today?