Morning
I ended up reading until almost midnight on Monday night because my latest book, I Am Watching You, was impossible to put down. After some seriously restless sleep a while back that I largely attributed to reading suspenseful novels before bed, I took a little break from the genre but I missed the thrill and intensity. Now I’m diving in with a BANG! I already cannot wait to read the rest of my book tonight because I know there’s no way I’m going to be able to NOT finish it this evening. It’s a good one!
Since I read so late and I wrote Tuesday’s blog post over the weekend and had it ready to publish, I opted to sleep in a bit which felt like a treat! I woke up around 6:15 a.m., spent some time with my devotional and dug into an egg scramble and a banana for breakfast while I caught up on some emails.
Once Chase was up for the day, we spent some time reading books in his room before eating whole wheat pumpkin muffins for breakfast while we watched the birds and squirrels play in our backyard. Spring has all the animals extra energetic around here lately and our little nature lover is in heaven observing them.
There’s a great view of the tall trees in our backyard from our master bedroom, so I’ve also been loving Chase’s recent fascination with the birds and squirrels because they seem to occupy him while I get dressed in the morning, even if I am enthusiastically called over to see a new squirrel, cardinal or robin every 2.5 seconds. “MOM! A squirrel! Come sit with me!” If you think I can resist his high-pitched little voice telling me to come sit with him in the morning, you are seriously mistaken. It melts my heart every time even if it means getting dressed takes me 5,000 years.
Chase and I prepped a crock pot dinner and then made it out the door around 9 a.m. Our first plans for the day took us to boot camp where I went through a cardio workout that I majorly slowed down. I am definitely feeling the weight of my belly and this pregnancy more and more with each passing day and always give myself permission to dial boot camp classes back as much as I need to at any given time. Yesterday there was a lot of dialin’ back.
Here’s what the workout at Burn Boot Camp looked like yesterday morning:
There definitely wasn’t any sprinting or hurdle hops happening for me, that’s for sure. Phew!
Once I collected Chase from childcare and said goodbye to my friends, Chase and I ate a snack and were off to my doctor’s office for another prenatal visit. I cannot believe I’m already at the point of pregnancy where my visits are now bi-weekly. Time is flyin’!
My appointment was with the midwife who delivered Chase and she was so sweet and let Chase control the Doppler so he could listen to the “boom booms.” It made his day and we left the office feeling incredibly grateful for a positive appointment. Grow baby, grow!
Afternoon
A trip to the grocery store was on the agenda yesterday because I needed a few extra things to complete our meal plan for the week, so on our way home, Chase and I popped into Whole Foods to grab some food for our family. The trip gave me a chance to use my new produce bags that I ordered from Earth Hero and I LOVE them! I hate wasting so many produce bags at the grocery store and the reusable bags worked perfectly for bagging up our apples, onions and sweet potatoes.
By the time we made it home, Chase, Sadie and I were all itching to get outside, so we played at Chase’s water table, threw the frisbee for Sadie and ate lunch together on the patio swing. (Well, my lunch was more of a Lunch 1.0 and consisted of a bunch of Chase’s Simple Mills crackers with cheese.) With rain anticipated in Charlotte most of the day today, we wanted to take full advantage of the sunshine yesterday!
Chase went down for his nap a little after 2 p.m. and it was a rather restless sleep. I did my best to get some work done and made myself a big salmon salad for Lunch 2.0 that was fantastic and came together quickly thanks to food prep and leftovers.
(Truth time: I definitely plated this salad for the ‘Gram and it looked like a hot mess when I stirred it up and actually ate it. Gotta get ALLLL the flavors in every bite!)
Lindsay’s Salmon Nicoise Salad served as the inspiration for my lunch since I had leftover salmon on hand from Monday night’s dinner. The lemony dijon dressing Lindsay used for her salad was perfectly tangy so keep that recipe on your radar if you’re a fan of salmon salads!
Evening
I worked until Chase had other plans for me and once he was up, we read some stories before Chase asked for an early bath and “jammies.” This meant we ended up playing in our pajamas in the backyard once Ryan got home from work and undoing all the cleanliness from bath time but Chase had a BALL on the swing and challenged Dad to 5,000 running races in the grass.
Ryan has been traveling a lot for work lately and working some pretty late nights, so having him home in time for playtime outside felt like such a treat! I told him he made Tuesday feel like a Sunday or something!
I’ve been on the struggle bus over here around dinner time lately because I’m hungry but my stomach often feels quite bloated and stuffed-but-not-full (if that makes any sense?) by the end of the day. I tried my best to listen to my body and while Ryan and Chase dug into a crock pot dinner once we came inside, I kept things on the lighter side and went for a few mini meals for dinner over the course of the evening.
Up first: A veggie wrap made with roasted red pepper hummus and a yummy coconut wrap from our latest Thrive Market delivery that arrived yesterday afternoon.
Up next: A bowl of cereal because cereal is a mandatory fixture in my life right now.
The grand finale: The head of the chocolate bunny Ryan gave me in my Easter basket.
And that was our Tuesday in a nutshell! Thanks for coming along for the ride today, my friends!
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I tried the turmeric version of those wraps recently, they texture is a little different but they taste great!
I noticed the birds chirping real loud this morning which means spring weather is so close! We still have a few chilly days on the forecast though. But so nice you got to spend so much time outside!
Chase is just so adorable!!! I love seeing posts like this! What did you end up making in the slow cooker and can you share the recipe please? Thank you 🙂
It was actually just a simple salsa pulled chicken (combine one jar of salsa with chicken breasts and add a can of drained black beans at the end). It’s great for everything from tacos and fajitas to quesadillas and salads.
How simple and delicious!!! My boyfriend and I are huge fans of Mexican food. Thank you for sharing and I hope y’all have a wonderful day! Xoxo
I’m not a seafood fan (shocking because I have lived in Maine my whole life) but is that sweet potato on your salad? I ask because one of my favorite cafes has a delicious salad with greens, applewood smoked bacon, roasted sweet potato, apple, cheddar cheese and maple vinaigrette and it is delicious! I love when restaurants have unique salad combinations!
Also, I am currently reading Woman in the Window per your recommendation and I had a hard time putting it down last night. The short chapters make it fly by!
It is! I love adding roasted sweet potatoes to my salads (or just about anything 😉 )!
I’m so thankful for a positive appointment for your little one! These day in the life posts are my absolute favorites of yours-thank you for sharing. ❤️
Thank you! <3 Every positive appointment feels like the biggest blessing. Cannot wait to meet this little one!
I love hearing about your book recommendations. Please keep them coming! I just put a hold on I Am Watching You at my local library. Can’t wait to dive in!
Chase is just so cute! The pictures you always take are so beautiful, Julie! What camera do you use? I really need to start using a camera instead of my phone, but it’s just so easy, haha. Thank you for always giving us book recommendations, I have been reading a lot of lifestyle/self help books lately, but I am always looking for new ones to add to my list of must reads and you always know of the best books! I’m glad you are having some spring like weather and got to enjoy some time outside! It is still pretty chilly here, and we actually got snow the other day. I am looking forward to spring weather, if it ever decides to show up here! 😉 Have a great Wednesday! Xoxo
I am 34 weeks pregnant and last night we had a clean out the fridge dinner and I ate WAY too much and was so uncomfortable the rest of the night. Total regret! HA! I am so jealous of your weather, I am in MN and we got snow yesterday and woke up to 7 degree temps this morning. WAH
YES! This happened to me a bunch over the weekend. I definitely overate a few times and felt just so uncomfortably full and overstuffed. I’m beginning to think small(ish) meals at the end of the day spread out over the course of the evening sit better in my stomach in the evening hours.
This blog post warmed my heart SO much. I feel your overwhelming gratitude and joy for your life and family here and it is so beautiful!
I’m reading this book too! Only about 1/3 in but it’s definitely hard to put down. I have so many questions about some of the characters like Sarah and the dad? But I won’t ask them since I don’t know where you are in the book and don’t want to ruin anything LOL. Oh and I’m loving the quirky British terminology. Like what the heck is a chip butty?
Sweet potatoes in salads are the best! I love these kinds of posts because I find it interesting to get s peek into other people’s lives.
I hope your Wednesday is a good one.
I’m intrigued by the reusable produce bags. Are they very lightweight? I’m asking only because you typically weigh your produce in the bag. Do you take it out and then put it in after?
I typically just avoid the plastic bags when I can, but sadly sometimes they are needed (like the 2 lbs of loose string beans I bought last week).
Thanks!
I just ordered some of those produce bags- super excited!
Hey sister-friend. What’s in that egg bowl? I need some ideas to jazz up my eggs.
hiiii! it’s just eggs, shredded cheese, leftover roasted sweet potatoes, kale, leftover ham and sausage! 🙂
Thanks for your book recommendations Julie! That one you are reading now does look good I will put it on my list!! I love your posts like this one, and seeing what you are eating! God bless your new little one!
If you’re liking suspenseful/psychological thriller books, I just finished The Last Mrs. Parrish and definitely recommend! Sort of Gone Girl meets The Talented Mr. Ripley.
I just had another blog reader recommend that one! Definitely on my radar. Thank you!
I can’t believe your appointments are already bi weekly as well! Crazy!! We’re 22 weeks tomorrow and I can’t believe we’re just 6 weeks from the third trimester, ha! I seriously cannot WAIT to hear if you’ve got another little BOY or a sweet baby GIRL on board – ahhh so exciting!!
I know you’ve mentioned this somewhere on the blog before, but I can’t seem to find it! Where do you get your great food photo backgrounds? I think you bought some inexpensive mats? Do you mind sending link? Thank you!
Yum i have a sweet potato, apple and bacon in my fridge right now – you inspired me to make a salad for dinner! I’m 9 weeks pregnant and veggies aren’t exactly a craving at the moment, so I’ll take them when I can. I have had a weird thing for apples/fruit lately though. Anything refreshing is my BFF. Hooray for a positive prenatal appointment!
TOTALLY! Fruit is so, so good throughout pregnancy. Wishing you and your little one the very best <3
HA, Chase and I have similar reactions to seeing birds and squirrels! The squirrels and birds don’t have a whole lot of interest in the lone tree outside my apartment, so whenever I do see one or the other, I tend to drop everything and watch them until they scurry/fly away. I have to agree with Chase’s assessment that it’s worth delaying everything else over the opportunity to watch the animals outside, haha 😛
Eeek I love Chase’s face in those pics playing outside!! What joy!
And way to go with your self control on that chocolate bunny! I would’ve had a hard time stopping at just the head…I wouldve wanted the whole thing!
I love that you’re always eating cereal! I’m 12 weeks pregnant and cereal has been the only constant thing I’ve been eating daily since I got pregnant (many times, multiple times a day!). Something about the cold milk and the sweet crunch leaves me so satisfied. I’m not finding out the sex of our baby either so I wonder if cereal has something to do with that! Hmmm… 🙂 Glad you had a great appointment!!
Mmmm now I want a bowl of cereal! Love these glimpses into your days!
That salmon salad looks so good. Do you mind sharing how you made it? I followed the links, but I like the way this one looks! I need to eat healthier and this actually gave me motivation. I get easily bored with the same ole meals!
Cole is a bit younger than Chase and ALL about books too lately. Makes the library more interesting…instead of just a destruction zone! I love that you are using produce bags–the amount of plastic we are using as a family is really bothering me and I am going to take action.
Hi Julie! I’m curious when you plan on beginning potty training Chase? I ordered the potty training book that you posted and decided to jump right in. I’d love to hear how your experience is going. My son is 31 months old and we just started. Let’s just say, we hit some snags. Thanks so much and I hope you are feeling good ? I just had my second son in February so I know all the excitement you are in for with a toddler and a new baby.
We STILL haven’t started! Ah! I actually JUST began reading that book last night — really hoping to start sometime this month. I’ll definitely share more when we dive in! I need it done by the beginning of June at the latest b/c he’s signed up for a summer camp that requires him to be potty trained. Eek!
Hi Julie! Long time reader and love reading your blog and following along on your journey. Do you have a section on your blog where you list devotionals you love and recommend? Thanks!
I don’t but I love this idea. I’m still working my way through the two I mentioned in this post if you’re interested: https://www.pbfingers.com/wednesday-toddler-battles/
Those produce bags look interesting! are they washable or cleanable at all?
Yes! They’re machine washable though I honestly don’t think you’ll need to wash them all that often since they don’t get that dirty!
I just downloaded I Am Watching You during my lunch break at work and I cannot stop reading it, gah! Sadly my lunch break is ending now so I have to wait. Its SO GOOD! Thank you for another great book recommendation!
Isn’t it great!? It pulled me in right away, too!
Sadie and the frisbee!! And I loved your pregnant lady dinner. Lol. I craved Lucky Charms cereal when I was pregnant – not the most healthy cereal choice haha.
No lie — I ate a box of Lucky Charms BY MYSELF in 48 hours a month or so ago. Can’t stop with that stuff… so I switched to Honey Nut Cheerios 🙂