Hey friends! You know there is absolutely no way I can begin this blog post without saying a huge thank you to all of you for weighing in on my blog post on Tuesday and sharing a little bit about the way you feel when you have one of “those” days, too. It’s SO helpful to hear that we all get weighed down and feel like a giant failure at times.
I’m glad I shared what I shared on Tuesday and appreciate the way you all responded with kindness and understanding. It’s easy to put a wall up on the internet and stop sharing some of the tough stuff that feels vulnerable after you’ve been told to “suck it up” (and that’s putting it gently) a few too many times. Pouring my heart out and sharing the way I feel when certain thoughts consume me feels cathartic, especially when it makes me feel even more connected to you guys. Sharing the really hard stuff and the not-so-hard-but-still-kind-of-sucky stuff and reading that YOU have been there, too, feels like a giant breath of fresh air to me in an online world that can seem so exhaustingly picture-perfect. So thank you!
And if you happen to be having one of “those” days (or one of “those” weeks, months or even years), definitely check out the comments section of Tuesday’s post because the comments are gold and will make you feel understood and less alone when you feel like you’re the only one who doesn’t have it all together.
Now onto today’s post… A recap of our Wednesday!
Truth be told, Tuesday felt a bit like one of “those” days around here, too. I think so much of it has to do with Chase’s viral infection and the pain he’s experiencing in his mouth. It’s clearly bothering him a lot and since the only thing to do to make it better is let him heal naturally and wait it out, I cannot help but feel a little helpless every time he cries, cringes and hurts. It’s also translating into a lot more toddler meltdowns, fussiness, tears and frustration which can be completely exhausting. At the end of the day on Tuesday, I told Ryan that I didn’t want to tell Chase it was time for bed because I didn’t want to deal with one more toddler battle that day.
Thankfully yesterday was better. And hopefully today will be even better than Wednesday!
Morning
My Wednesday morning began with a much-needed cup of coffee, my devotional and a very-distracted brain. I felt all over the place from the start of the day but my mind slowly began to calm down as the day went on. I ate a bowl of overnight oats, worked on the computer for a little over an hour, said goodbye to Ryan and then scooped Chase up and got him ready for the day a little after 7 a.m.
I reheated some frozen whole wheat pancakes for Chase for breakfast (nice and soft for his gums!) and we drew pictures on his easel and played with trains until it was time to head off to preschool. Clearly my mind was still moving a mile a minute after we left because it wasn’t until after I parked my car and began unbuckling Chase from his car seat that I realized I was in the Burn Boot Camp parking lot and not at his preschool. Helloooo. Clearly I’m not in the preschool drop off routine yet!
Fortunately we left on the early side so I was able to make it to his school in time. I also took a minute to explain the whole inflamed gums situation to his teacher and encouraged her to call me if he was too fussy or something seemed off. (Our dentist told me Chase is absolutely NOT contagious and encouraged me to send him to school if he seemed otherwise fine which he absolutely did.)
After chatting briefly with a few other moms, I left Chase’s school and headed back to Burn Boot Camp for my workout. It was a push/pull/squat tripod that we completed in groups of three.
Person number one rotated the group and we completed each tripod for 8 minutes. Once one round was complete, we went through 15 reps of squats curl presses and by the end of the workout those began to feel like quite a beast!
The workout finisher of the day was a nasty lil’ surprise: 100 full burpees. Yeesh.
I drove home after my workout ready to immediately tackle my to-do list but then Sadie ran up and greeted me with so much enthusiasm. Her whole body wiggled with excitement when I walked through the door and I was hit with some major dog guilt because the rainy weather meant Sadie didn’t get a walk Monday or Tuesday this week. I knew she needed (not just wanted) exercise and attention – fellow vizsla owners feel me on that one!? (Also, dog guilt is totally a thing, right? Please tell me I’m not completely insane.)
I leashed her up and we went on a two-mile walk through the neighborhood while I listened to my favorite Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me Podcast. It felt like such a treat to be walking around in the sunshine with Sadie and I quickly realized our walk was exactly what my mind and body needed to chill the heck out after the past two days. Somehow Sadie knew what was best for me, just like she always does! She’s a totally crazy but very wise little thing.
After our walk, I grabbed a snack (holy cow pumpkin spice RXBars are amazing!), showered, unloaded the dishwasher, marinated some drumsticks for dinner and responded to a handful of emails before it was time to scoop Chase up from preschool.
Afternoon
Chase got another good report from his teacher but she said he had his first meltdown moment when they told him he needed to put a bike toy away when gym time was over. He was not having it and I was zero percent surprised by this story because Chase becoming full-on obsessed with riding toys and getting him off of them is always a battle (mostly for my patience).
Somehow Chase wasn’t completely exhausted after preschool and seemed to want to run around outside for a while with his friend Claire, so Lauren and I took full advantage of our little ones entertaining each other and chatted away. (Yesterday was Lauren’s due date and she started feeling contractions late the night before and ended up giving birth to a beautiful baby boy last night! Clearly we had a lot to talk about yesterday afternoon.) We had fun watching our two little ones get out a little more energy before we headed home for nap time.
We did some more soft food snacks for Chase one we arrived home which went well. I have no idea where all of Chase’s energy came from but he was still so amped up after snack time that he didn’t end up going down for his nap until close to 2 p.m. … and even then the only way I could get him to relax was to let him bring his dump truck into his crib. So cuddly!
While Chase slept, I began typing up this blog post, worked on two brand partnerships I have coming up and ate a late lunch of cold leftovers out of a Tupperware container. Glamorous!
Chase ended up napping well for the first time this week and slept hard for two hours.
Once he was up, we ate an afternoon snack, played at the house for a bit and I did some veggie chopping dinner prep. Then it was off to Gymboree for open gym! Chase keep asking for “Boree!” and clearly knew what he wanted because he ran around like crazy, jumped all over the squishy mats and had a ball.
Evening
We arrived home a little after 6 p.m., close to when Ryan arrived home from work. We all hung out at the kitchen counter for a bit while I threw dinner together and then made our way to the family room to play while everything cooked.
Dinner last night was a simple meal that included veggies topped with chicken drumsticks that I marinated in tikka masala sauce I bought at ALDI last week. I poured a little more of the sauce on the veggies before throwing everything into the oven for 45(ish) minutes.
After dinner we went through Chase’s bed time routine and once he was settled, Ryan and I parked ourselves on the couch for Big Brother! I know you’re probably sick of me talking about this show but it’s on a bazillion times a week (okay, three) and we are ALL IN. While we watched, I ate my bodyweight in pistachios which, for some odd reason, I currently cannot stop eating. They’ve become my go-to afternoon and after-dinner snack (better than ice cream, right?) and I get some weird kind of joy from cracking into the shells over and over again.
By the time Big Brother was over, I was already feeling a bit sleepy, so we made our way upstairs and I read Beneath A Scarlet Sky until my eyes would no longer stay open.
And that was our Wednesday in a nutshell! I hope you guys have a great Thursday!
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It seems like Chase felt a little better after preschool yesterday which is great! Hopefully he feels even better today.
I love pistachios. There is something so satisfying about cracking open the shells, especially when there is a really tough one.
He’s definitely doing a lot better! It’s eating that’s a battle right now since things that are even the least bit hard seem to bother his gums but it seems like his mouth is slowly healing!
So glad to hear Chase is feeling a little bit better and everyone is getting back to their usual routine. It’s so hard to see your baby sick or hurt. Glad that you were able to have the moment walking with Sadie listening to your podcast to take a deep breath.
Ooooh I haven’t tried or even SEEN that rx bar flavor. Our local grocery store only carries five flavors, so I ordered a variety pack on Amazon and am LOVING trying them all. They didn’t include Pumpkin Spice though, so I’ll be on the hunt!
I totally get dog mom guilt! I have 3 and try to make one-on-one time for each of them! Especially when the cooler weather comes along, they love it!!! I hope Chase feels better soon! Poor little guy.
Dog guilt is 100% a thing. They know how to pull at those heart strings! I always give in to my pups for anything.
Dog guilt is a real thing!!! I’ve got 2 energetic boxers but living in Phoenix, it’s still too hot to get them out most days! I feel so bad when they are all cooped up inside most of the time but the heat is hard on them!
I have major dog mom guilt with my vizsla puppy, Kimber. I actually take her to dog daycare twice a week because I feel so bad about leaving her at home while I’m at work. I actually had a dog related question – how old was Sadie when you stopped coming home to let her out at lunch? Kimber is just over 7 months and we still have someone come to let her out midday while we’re at work. I need some advice!
Those chicken drumsticks looks so good – I’m going to have to pick up that sauce next time I’m at ALDI!
And 100 burpees?!?! How long did that take?!
I’m hoping Chase is feeling back to normal soon. Isn’t it funny how sometimes the simplest things like a walk with your dog is exactly what to need to feel better? I’m glad some quality time with Sadie helped.
I’m right there with you about Big Brother. Thankfully I still don’t know what nights it’s on, so I only end up watching it once per week. Who do you hope wins it? I haven’t decided yet, but I know that I don’t want Paul to win!
I have not seen the pumpkin spice Rx Bars yet, I will have to keep an eye out for them. Glad Chase was feeling up to lots of playing, hopefully his mouth is better soon.
I will definitely have to check out the comments on yesterday’s blog post! I made an unexpected trip home Tuesday and Wednesday for my great aunt’s funeral. Even though it was good to see family, it’s always so sad to say goodbye to a loved one. Aren’t dogs great?! I have a border collie and she seems to know exactly what I need when I need it! I wonder if Chase’s tooth was feeling better?! He has to catch up on the days he felt bad, haha!
Dog guilt is totally a thing!!!! Now I’m off to find a pumpkin RX bar!!!!
Those drumsticks look amazing! I have that sauce in my pantry and haven’t tried it yet. I’m totally going to copy this! Can I ask what temperature you cooked it at? thx!
I cooked them at 425 — pretty high!!
I’ve been eying up that sauce every time I go into ALDI but haven’t pulled the trigger – it looks delicious the way you used it!
Glad Chase is feeling a little better!
Now I’m craving pistachios. They are so delicious and my parents chocolate lab we had used to love eating them so they always make me think of her (we said goodbye to her 5 years ago. I’m glad to hear Chase is feeling better & Sadie knew just what you needed 🙂
I’m glad to see Chase is feeling a little better! I’m sure it takes a toll on his eating since it’s his mouth. I know it’s totally different, but my nephew Enzo has a bunch of teeth coming in so he is one fussy boy who isn’t eating anything besides his favorite “pop!” (popsicles, lol). I always feel so bad for kiddos when they have any type of pain or sickness because they are so helpless 🙁 Hopefully he feels all better soon!! Xoxo
I need to track down one of those pumpkin RX bars!
I’m all in on Big Brother too. I’m ready for the season to be over, only because I’m ready to feel less connected to TV shows. It’s nothing against the show, as I found the same thing happening with Bachelor in Paradise. But, until it’s over, I’m all-in. haha!
Dog guilt is real! I need to check out those RX bars!
That workout looks incredible and might have given me a little boost for a post-work gym session! I was leaning more towards painting my nails, honestly. 😉 I got a new color from OPI that screams fall. Speaking of, I’ve got to get my hands on a pumpkin spice Rx Bar! Rx is a favorite of mine, and I had their chocolate mint for the first time yesterday. Total winner.
Dog mom guilt is real. One of the things I miss most about working from home is my daily lunchtime walk with the fur ball.
I swear Vizslas have magical powers to just make you always feel better. Beau is the exact same way 🙂
Julie, you might look into a product that’s been around forever called st.37 antiseptic for chase. my family has used it for at least 60 yrs. you can dab it on his gums to relieve the discomfort. as kids we never minded it because it kinda numbs the area but it has a sweet flavor that kids don’t mind. it can be used as an oral rinse etc. even now at my old age if I burn my mouth, or get any kind of irritation after the dentist it clears up right away. it’s hard to find in the stores anymore but is available online. hope this helps.
thank you for this recommendation! i’ll definitely look into it!! 🙂
Oh my goodness. It totally resonated with me when you said you didn’t want to tell Chase it was bedtime. Just the other night I told my husband that I didn’t want to start our 2.5 year old’s bedtime rountine because I felt traumatized with how hard it’s been to get his teeth brushed and p.j.’s on, books read, and then get him in his crib. He’s been definitely putting up a fight lately and it’s so hard and exhausting for all of us! I’m glad to hear Chase has been feeling better and is easier to put down to sleep. Just know that when things are rough, you are not alone! (And I’ll remind myself of this too!)
yes!!! sometimes he will stay up a solid hour past his usual bed time just because i don’t want to go through the bed time battles after a particularly exhausting day!
I really really want to try the Pumpkin Spice Rx Bar! It looks so good and I love all other flavors!
I gasped when I saw the tikka masala sauce, so I must be really hungry right now. Ha!!
Dog guilt is so real. Sometimes my dog won’t even lift his head or make eye contact when he knows I’m leaving. He sees me put on my shoes and voluntarily puts himself in the kennel. 🙁 He lives such a pampered life, but I still feel guilty!
So glad you felt a lot of camaraderie in the comments of Tuesday’s post, and I’m still so bummed out that anyone ever told you to “suck it up”. (And I secretly hope you’ve blocked those people.) I’ve shared my feelings already on that topic, but I’m not okay with strangers reprimanding you and telling you (or anyone else) how you (or anyone) should feel or how you (or anyone) should process your emotions. I hope the vast majority of the people you interact with here make you feel supported and welcomed. I try to do that when I comment, or at least I hope I do!
I’m glad Sadie knew just what you needed! I was at a friend’s house tonight with a bunch of other people, and my friend’s lovable dog (a weimaraner) laid down next to me with just her head laying on my foot. So sweet and helpful to me at the time! And long walks are their own balm, aren’t they? Good for the soul! There’s a thing in Japan called “forest bathing” – where the whole premise is that spending time outdoors, especially walking, really cleanses the soul. They believe it’s essential for their mental health, and I think they have a good point!
So glad Chase seems to be doing really well in his little school, and his relationship with Claire is so adorable! Loved this whole post, as always. But 100 burpees?? Nooooooooooooooooooooo!!!! lol
Julie – I Love this post and everything in it. I love Sadie’s face! I have a Sadie too! She’s a hound and a goofball and she makes me laugh. I remember when my little guy started pre-school, it was next to impossible to get him in for nap time and he LOVED his toy trucks – now he operates all kinds of vehicles for a living. I’m going looking for pumpkin R/X bars! Hope you have a great day! Best Regards, Lisa
First of all, major YES to dog guilt. Sometimes I feel like my dog controls my social life. Secondly, I meant to write this on your previous post- I totally understand that you feel guilty for basically feeling sorry for yourself because someone else somewhere is having it worse than you. I truly believe throwing yourself a “pity party” on occasion is okay if not necessary! Someone out there is always going to be going through something worse than you, but that shouldn’t prevent you from feeling your emotions! I think that’s the only way that you become a stronger, more resilient human being.
I applaud you for your openness because I know there are so many people that can relate and learn from your experiences.
I JUST finished reading Beneath a Scarlet Sky! What do you think of it so far?
I completely agree with you that cracking into Pistachios is oddly satisfying!