Things I’m Loving Friday #326

Hello from sunny Charlotte! It felt like summer arrived in full force yesterday afternoon and despite the sweat I felt instantly cover my body, I am here for it! Don’t get me wrong, every single part of my soul has been LOVING the extended spring we’ve been experiencing this year (temps in the 60s and 70s are unbeatable to me) but I’ve been itching to do more outside water activities with the boys and any weekend we can spend on the lake is my favorite kind of weekend. With temperatures predicted to be in the mid-80s, I have a feeling it will be a boating every day kind of weekend over here! Is it warming up where you are at all? Or have you been experiencing an early summer already?

We’re still in Phase One of our governor’s reopening plan (some businesses are open under strict guidelines and groups of 10 or less are permitted to get together outdoors while adhering to social distancing practices) so our weekend will be another one spent in relative isolation as a family. I’m sure I’ll be recapping everything on the blog on Monday and I hope to see ya back here then. I hope you all have a good weekend and stay safe and healthy!

And now here’s my weekly roundup of favs for ya…

Things I’m Loving Friday 

• Jammies All Day

I fear the pregnancy-related insomnia I had when I was pregnant with Ryder may be returning this time around as well because I was wide awake just before 4 a.m. on Wenesday morning. Waking up so early has its perks though because I was very productive on the work front before the boys woke up. However, by the time they were awake, I was in no mood to get myself dressed and conquer the day so I declared Wednesday a “Jammies All Day” day and Chase absolutely lit up! Wednesday was dreary with a capital D over here so it was the perfect day to stay nice and cozy. I kept my joggers on (yes, the same ones I slept in — and yes, my dignity sunk to a new low) and the boys stayed in their pajamas (paired with sweatshirts and rain boots) for our little outing to the lake nearby where we looked for shells for Chase’s outside journal and threw rocks to make Ryder the happiest toddler on the planet. (Side note: I must sing the praises of the rain boots the Easter bunny found for Chase on Amazon because they’ve been such a good find at a great price!) Our whole day on Wednesday just had the coziest vibe and I loved it!

• 40 On / 20 Off Shoulder Workout

My workout motivation has been L-O-W over here lately but opting for short, strength-based workouts has been key for me when it comes to motivating myself to actually do something. If I’m not feeling a workout at all that day, I rest (happening a good bit over here) but one workout that always gets me motivated to pick up some dumbbells is a quality shoulder session! I absolutely love a good shoulder workout and Thursday morning’s garage session delivered. I went through four rounds of seven different exercises and completed each exercise for 40 seconds, followed by a 20 second rest. The pace of the workout kept me engaged and my shoulders had that nice post-workout buzzed feeling for several hours after this one!

• Jess Glynne Pandora Station

Thank you to Ryan for introducing me to this Pandora gem! He played it during one of our garage workout sessions a few weeks ago and I’ve been completely hooked ever since. The music is upbeat and I love Jess Glynne’s voice so much. A lot of  the songs this station seems to play tend to be really positive as well which is especially nice when I’m listening to it during a morning workout and want to start my day out on a good note. Oh and if you’re looking for a song to add to your workout playlist, the Hook n Sling Remix of Matoma & Becky Hill’s False Alarm is my JAM!

• Antioxidant Juice + Sparkling Water Mocktail

Oh yes, another mocktail is coming your way! I am fully on board the mocktail train and I don’t see myself hopping off anytime soon. I almost hesitate to call some of the drinks I’ve been sharing with you guys mocktails because they’re so basic but if you’re into easy, refreshing drinks, hopefully they appeal to you, too.

This week’s winner is a combination of sparkling water and ALDI’s Simply Nature Organic Antioxidant Juice. The juice is a mix of pomegranate, red grape, tart cherry, purple carrot and cranberry and it’s so darn darn refreshing mixed with sparkling water. My favorite combination so far has been mixing the juice with blackberry cucumber sparkling water. It’s such a delightful drink to sip on while I make dinner or in the late afternoon while the boys play in the front yard.

Any other mocktail recommendations out there? I want something fun to make this weekend aside from another batch of ice cream because, let’s be real, that’s definitely happening, too. I ordered The Perfect Scoop ice cream cookbook by David Lebovitz based off your recommendations and can’t wait to dive in!

• Raising Money for Bags of Hope with YOUR Help!

Last Friday, a few of my blogging friends and I shared a fun video on our Instagram channels to help raise money for various organizations during such a challenging and unusual time. I selected Bags of Hope in Lake Norman, a local non-profit organization dedicated to supplying food to school age children facing food insecurity in the north Charlotte and Lake Norman area. With so many kids unable to depend on school for lunches and meals right now, I felt all the more pulled to donate to this fabulous organization and appreciate those of you who took the time to comment on my video since each comment helped raise money for Bags of Hope! Also, if you happen to be local and want to help this amazing organization in various ways, you may check out their website more information about how you can get involved!

• Friday Flashbacks

Avocado Deviled Eggs (I made these on a whim this week for an afternoon snack and it felt like such a treat!)

Butterscotch Bars (A deliciously chewy bar with a melt-in-your-mouth butterscotch topping!)

Question of the Day

What is one thing making you smile this week?