Random Thoughts On A Tuesday
- Already In Party Planning Mode
For a mama who wasn’t sure she even wanted to throw her baby a first birthday party, I’m already getting way too into party planning… and Chase’s party is still two months away! I’ve always loved planning and throwing themed parties and over the weekend my sister and I had a little too much fun pinning ideas on Pinterest and browsing Etsy and Minted for decorations, invitations and inspiration. (I also watched a small handful of YouTube DIY videos for some homemade party decoration ideas! Such a great *free* resource!) Oh and don’t worry… I’m not delusional enough to think our party will look anything like the Pinterest-perfect image you see above. So gorgeous, right!?
I already shared the theme with you guys (we’re going with “You Are My Sunshine” since that’s the song I sing to Chase every night that always elicits the biggest gummy smile from him… and simultaneously makes me tear up) and our color scheme is going to be a mix of bright and muted yellows along with mint green. Even though we’re trying to keep the guest list small and the party intimate, I cannot help but feel way too excited to celebrate our little guy at the end of July!
- Whenever I Buy Cereal At The Grocery Store, I Will Break Into It Before I Arrive Home
Eating cereal in the car immediately after you buy it is some kind of a cereal rule, right? I actually give myself a lot of credit for having the self control to wait until I get in my car to bust into the box! Also, I’m pretty positive 98% of the cereal I eat comes straight out of the box. Ain’t nobody got time for bowls.
- Sometimes There’s Nothing Better Than Super Sweaty Cardio
(Pic from my Snapchat –> juliepbfingers)
When it comes to fitness, I generally prefer strength training above all else but some days there is absolutely nothing better than a seriously sweaty cardio workout. At Burn Boot Camp yesterday morning, we went through as many rounds of the cardio circuit you see above for 25 minutes. Everyone was incredibly sweaty by the end and it was phenomenal. My body was craving a good sweat after a lazy weekend and this workout seriously delivered.
- Siggi’s Coconut = Great Recommendation
When I blogged about my love for Siggi’s vanilla yogurt a few weeks ago, a few of you chimed in to encourage me to try the coconut flavor. Well, you are all a bunch of brilliant geniuses. The coconut is fantastic – not overly sweet like a lot of yogurt out there – and incredibly creamy. Plus, 13 grams of protein isn’t something to scoff at either. I love adding fresh berries or cacao nibs (or both) to it for some texture and think it’s fantastic.
- Missing Family
I feel so lucky to live in a place Ryan and I absolutely love and we’ve met some wonderful friends since moving to North Carolina, but sometimes I must admit I get quite envious of those who live near their families. Ryan and I have both always been close to our families but it wasn’t until Chase entered the picture that I realized just how nice it would be to have our families close by. (This feeling may also be exacerbated because it seems like a lot of my friends here DO have family nearby so I have to constantly remind myself that there are TONS of people who don’t live near family out there, too!)
I want to share the joys of raising a little boy with the people who love him most and even though pictures, videos, phone calls, FaceTime and texts are helpful, there’s something I love so much about seeing Chase interact with our family members in person that can’t be replicated from afar. Plus, I want him to grow up knowing and loving his grandparents, great grandmother, aunt and uncle. I know in my heart he absolutely will have fantastic relationships with all of them even if it does take some extra planning and travel, but man it sure would be nice to live in the same town as everyone we love!
- The Timing of Dirty Diapers
Chase has incredible timing when it comes to his dirty diapers. I wish I had the timing in life that Chase seems to have with managing to have a dirty diaper the minute we are about to rush out the door…
- Wearing Jewelry (and My Hair Down) Is A Battle
I try to wear my hair down and throw on some jewelry on occasion, but I swear every time I do this, I end up taking off my jewelry and pulling my hair back because jewelry and long hair are big-time distractions for Chase when he’s nursing. If I’m wearing bracelets or a watch, he gets this crazed look on his face and immediately does some shockingly acrobatic back bends to try to get to my jewelry. This clearly derails feeding and whenever I forget to take off my jewelry before nursing Chase, I always pay the price with a way-too-distracted baby. And wearing my hair down is just asking for it to be pulled! (File this under things I never thought would be an issue before Chase was born! Now the extent of jewelry I wear on a daily basis is a hair tie around my wrist.)
Question of the Day
- What is one totally random thought you’ve had recently?
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Completely with you on the cereal front! I too love love my cereal and could quite happily munch my way through a whole packet!!
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That workout looks awesome! I can’t wait to try it. I have found I feel my best after a mix of cardio and strength training. I’ve been thinking I want to try using more of the machines at the gym along with dumbbells to try some different moves, especially for my upper body.
Itch used to have that timing with diaper changes as well. Fortunately he grew out of that phase, but we were late on more than one occasion due to his impeccable timing. My random thing is my obsession with ice coffee. I swear I can’t drive by a coffee shop and not snag one!
We’re in the same boat with no family living close to us :(. I’d love it if my baby girl could see her extended family all the time, but we do a good job of visiting when we can, and they do, too! I get envious, also, of having a family that I know would love to be a baby sitter when things pop up after daycare is closed. Luckily, we’ve made some friends who also have children that are becoming like family, so that works out for all of us!
Have you considered cutting your hair? The long bob would look awesome on you. About to get rid of my long hair for summer also!
I had short hair a LONG time ago and it looked pretty horrible on me (my hair is SO thin so it almost made it look even thinner, which I didn’t think was possible). Plus, I like having the ability to pull it back into a ponytail/bun whenever I want (which is basically every day haha). I’ve still tossed around the idea but don’t see myself taking the plunge soon. I hope you love your haircut!!!
That yogurt looks awesome! My one random thought is… IS IT THE WEEKEND YET? I’m so ready to head to the beach 😀
love these posts! I love the siggi’s coconut yogurt too!! so good!! My one random thought is… I am leaving tomorrow for a trip and I haven’t started packing ahh!
that party- so cute!! and coconut siggi’s is THE best! happy summer!
I know how you feel about living away from family! I am stationed in Jacksonville with the Navy and my family lives in Raleigh (we are opposites!). I just try to remind myself that it could be worse and my family could live outside of driving distance. I miss them and get jealous when I see friends who get to see their parents and siblings all the time!
I can’t wait to see how Chase’s birthday turns out! I’m sure it’s going to be amazing!
I just wanted to share feelings about living far from family. We live about a 7-8 hour drive from my parents, and a 6 hour drive from my in laws. On my husband’s side my kids have 8 cousins, none of which live near us. My son is 8 and when he was born there wasn’t Facetime yet, there were webcams but it was annoying to set up and use so we relied on visits and the phone. He was my parents only grandchild (Up until his sister was born in 2014 actually) and I worried about their relationship. I grew up 5 minutes from my mom’s parents and we had a special relationship. I need not have worried! He and my mom are literally BFF. It started with us having him talk to her on the phone, even before he could talk she would talk to him on the phone so he could hear her voice. Same with my mother and father in law/ Then they started their own phone conversations at a young age. Plus they tried to visit as much as possible, and we did the same. Now with facetime and texting they are in touch non stop. He has spent a week with each set of grandparents the past 2 years and will again this summer. He and his cousins are RIDICULOUSLY close, they act more like siblings. No matter how much time passes they all fall right back into being together.
When he was small (and now for my 20 month old daughter), we used magnet frames to hang pictures of family members on the fridge at his eye level. He could take them off, play with them, and learn their names. We would say “Go get Nana’s picture!” or whoever the person was and he would pick it off the fridge. Same for cousins, and my in laws. He said “Nana” before he said Mama, pretty crazy for not seeing her all the time.
Trust me, it’s not easy not having “help” but we just don’t know any different. I would love to be able to call my mom or mother in law to babysit for us whenever we want, or pick up the kids after school/daycare if my husband is traveling and I have plans, but it’s just not what we are used to. My mom always says that sometimes she feels she gets to know the kids better because the visits are jam packed – days full of together time, not just popping in here and there. I don’t know if that helps, but just know you’re far from alone!!
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who’s has random bouts of missing family this week! Its like homesickness, but not for home necessarily – they need a word for that. 😉 I moved from NC to Chicago three years ago (two places with which I know you’re familiar!) and often feel a twinge of sadness that my whole family is a plane ride away in Chapel Hill. But in some ways, we stay in even closer touch because of the distance, and I always get SO excited to visit or be visited by them!
Julie- You may have done this, but can you do a post on “What’s in my diaper caddy?” I have a handful of baby showers on the horizon and am thinking that could be a good and thoughtful gift!
Yes!!! This post has actually been on my “to write” list for a while. Stayyy tuned! 🙂
Yes to the hair pulling! My daughter yanked out a good sized handful this morning! Ouch!
Oh yay I was hoping you’d post that workout on here! I saw it on Snapchat but wasn’t quick enough to screenshot it. Can’t wait to try it!
I love your thoughts about jewlrey + hairstyle with a babe! I remember seeing moms (ok celeb moms) looking so fashionable thinking that’s going to be me. Well I tried it out then remember how every time I’d change my son’s diaper the rings and bracelets would come off and the hair would be in a top knot. I’d always remove my chunky necklaces when holding him and my accessories fell to the wayside. Let’s be realistic though- those celeb moms were probably handing off their kid to a nanny so they could pull the look off. Id take loving on my babe over fashion any day!! Have a great day!!
I can never remember my random thoughts when asked about them. Haha! But on the yogurt topic, my mom was also raving about Siggi’s the other day, specifically vanilla, so I think I will be trying it!
Totally random – I am really loving my new sunflower butter and yogurt combo (actually it’s usually Siggi’s too! Plain or mixed berry) with Kay’s gluten free apple cinnamon cereal. I hadn’t done it before last week and now it’s every day.
I am curious to know what is in your diaper caddie as well! With a baby on the way I want to make sure I have all the things I will need! There are so many different ointments and lotions- I want to be sure I buy something that will be gentle enough for my newborns skin! Also do you use a wipe warmer?
It is funny how easy it is to get carried away with parties. I am sure that Chase’s b’day will be amazing. You only turn one once! LOL
random thought: you never realize how crutial cool ranch doritos are in life until you move to a country where you can’t import them.
this made me LOL!!
yes to the jewelry! he loves hair but I can usually get that way from him since mine isn’t super long. I had to order a QALO wedding ring because he was so obsessed with mine!! He just would fight to get a hold of it and see it- as much as I love him he will NOT be given this very expensive diamond ring to play with. So now I my QALO band 99% of the time.
I havent tried Siggis yet! Ive never heard anything bad about it–coconut sounds really good! Is the taste similar to Greek yogurt?
I’m sorry you’re missing your family…as someone close to their family I cant imagine how hard it would be. Moving away is not out of the picture for my husband and I in the near future…so I’m sure I’ll be needing your advice if/when that day comes!
I love the workout! What exactly are hill sprints if I try to do the workout at home?
I would substitute a 15 or 30-second sprint for the hill sprints! If you don’t have access to a treadmill, you can substitute a high-intensity cardio exercise (burpees, tuck jumps, high knees, etc.) for 30 sec. instead. 🙂
We don’t have family nearby either and it is incredibly hard. The saying “it takes a village” is so real! It is always bittersweet to see family because it reminds me how much the girls miss out on day to day.
If it makes you feel any better Julie, we don’t have any family nearby either, and it’s a constant struggle in my mind. We live in central Arkansas, and my entire family is in Nashville, TN, while my husband’s family is in Dallas or OKC. We are literally 5-6 hours from any family on either side. It’s tough, it really is, but like you said, we do live in a place we both love and we feel so blessed by all of our amazing friends and our church family here. We went to college in this area so we still have a lot of college connections too. But, having a baby definitely makes it tempting to want to move closer to family. We have literally made lists and lists and lists of pro’s/con’s about moving to either TN or TX, but what it always comes down to is our everyday happiness, and stress level. Even my mom finally told me, “you guys need to live somewhere where you’ll BOTH be happier on a day to day basis, and your stress level will be the lowest. Family will always make it work, and we’ll always come visit. Even if you lived in the same town as us, how often would we actually see you once the business of everyday life set in?”
Hi Julie — this is totally random, but I just read your “best wedding gifts” post since my fiance and I are creating our registry tonight!! It was super helpful and I found some great ideas.
I’m so glad to hear it!!! And BIG congrats to you!! <3
I totally get it on not living your family. I miss my family more than ever since I had my baby 7 and a half months ago. I love seeing my parents and sisters interact with my son. We live in California and both of our families live out of state. I am making an impromptu trip to my home state in a couple weeks, even though I think it’s stressful travelling with the baby, because the memories of seeing him with his grandparents and aunts is so important to me.
I’m not a cereal lover at all, but occasionally buy some some to change up breakfast. I can’t keep my hand out ofthe bag of Purely Elizabeth original granola. It’s barely sweet & just so good!
so in love with that “you are my sunshine” inspo picture! looking forward to seeing what you come up with for Chase.
I just discovered Siggi’s last week and am hooked! I’ve only had the vanilla and blood orange …. I’ve seen the coconut and been hesitant to try it (sounds gross), but looks like I’ll be giving a try next time.
Feel ya on the missing family thing too… but thank goodness for FaceTime 🙂
Love these types of posts! Question though, can you explain the “hill sprint” part of the work out?
Thanks!
Totally agree with the cardio thing – always clears my mind.
Random thought I always have around this time: wish I still had summers off 🙂
My sister lives 5 hours from me and although I never felt the distance, because we see each other often, she had her first child last night and she now seems so far away!!! I have to wait until Friday to meet my first nephew!
You are my Sunshine is a beautiful theme! I’m so excited to see all of the photos!
Random Thought for me: I wonder if I can fly to New York relatively cheap on a whim…
I absolutely love that theme for a first birthday. And you sure do have an adorable “son-shine!”
LOVE LOVE LOVE the theme for Chase’s party! It made me tear up just thinking about it!
I TOTALLY get your post about the hair and jewelry. Dangly earrings are the worst! I have almost had a hole ripped in my ear several times.
These random posts are so much fun to read! I can only imagine how difficult it would be living far away from family once you have a kid. Chase is so lucky to have such a loving family though!
First birthday parties are so fun! My soon to be 6 year old loves looking at pictures of his old parties. Even though he’s too young to remember them he’s seen enough pictures that he can tell you the theme of each of his parties describe the decorations in detail. So even though chase won’t remember it he will enjoy pictures when he looks back on it. I hear you about long hair and jewelry problems. I feel like bracelets always poke my newborn in the head and my hair is constantly gets tangled in her fingers. Ouch!
We recently moved from NYC to Atlanta & our biggest reason for moving was to be closer to family. My parents are in Jacksonville, so we are still a 6 hour drive from them, but we now live in the same neighborhood as my sister! I never got “homesick” until I had our son 2.5 years ago & then I would cry all the time because I just wanted to be with my family. We miss NYC a lot, but I love that my 2 kids can now see their cousins on the regular!
SO *brightside* at least you can drive to see your family & you’re not a plane ride away. 🙂 6 hours seems so great to us now since we were a plane ride away before. Haha
I’ve been thinking about why the weather can’t make up it’s darn mind! I live near Boston and one day I’m wearing wool socks and the next day I’m searching for shorts and dusty flip flops. Come on, May! Get your ish together!!
Love these random thoughts posts – some of my favorites! Cute sunshine party pics, too. I just moved a bunch of stuff into storage today, or I would post something more interesting, but just wanted to say I really enjoyed reading this. Thanks!
I’m already trying to plan out my ENTIRE summer, and it starts next week OMGGGGGG XD I am so pumped!
Also, I have to try that max burn workout! Definitely in need of something new!
You are my Sunshine theme is adorable!! My best friend has an etsy shop selling paper products for cake toppers, confetti, and banners. She has some super cute stuff for birthdays!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/WeddingWishlist
For me, the thing I immediately break into is dried fruit! Also—you must try Siggi’s pumpkin spice! Although coconut might be my favorite!
Oh Julie I get you with the living close to family thing! I’ve lived abroad since I started university and I remember listening to friends and colleagues say things like “I’m going round my parents’ house for dinner” or “I signed up to a gym class with my sister” and those were the things I’d envy the most. Just having them around on a regular basis without planning a trip. I don’t have children yet but now that I’m nearing the age where it starts to become a topic it’s on my mind a lot. I lived far away from my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins when I was a child (I come from a very international background) and I always wished I had them right there. But either way Chase will adore his family members and those visits will be extra special for everyone (they definitely were for me!) 🙂
Just to comment on your family being far away- my absolute happiest memories from childhood were of visiting my grandparents and aunts and uncles who all lived out of state. it made it special and exciting to have those places to travel to several times a year ? The time we spent with them was never taken for granted, it was always cherished and savored.
It’s probably weird to comment on this not being a mum myself but my sister had her baby only a few months ago soo: Have you ever heard of the diaper-free “movement” (not sure if it’s called like that in the US)? I wasn’t too convinced of the idea at first but essentially, my sister doesn’t use any disposable diapers but only linen ones and has learned to interpret when her little boy needs to pee so she hardly ever finds any surprises 😉 in his linen diapers. This isn’t meant as criticism here but just because I can imagine the annoyance of a dirty diaper just the minute you want to leave the house.
Also: I’m the same with cereal. Straight out of the box.