A Day in the Life...

I've wanted to do a "Day in the Life" post since I started blogging a year and a half ago.  It's always on my list of ideas, but it is a lot harder than you think!  Well, I finally remembered to document our day...so enjoy this glimpse into a typical (if that's even a thing) day around here!

Audrey's sleep is so inconsistent.  One day she'll sleep until 8 and then the next she's up at 4:45am.  Yesterday, was the latter.  Ugh.  At least she ate fruit.

I like to spend a little bit of time in the morning reading some of my favorite blogs.  MixandMatchMama is at the top of my list.  I have a girl crush on her.  And please note the time of this screen shot.  

The only advantage to getting up super early...having time to plan out the day.  I can't use my phone as a calendar...call me old-fashioned :). 

I swear I don't force her to read this.  It is honestly her favorite!  Just a plus that I wrote it ;).

My favorite baby girl (sans jammies) and my favorite catalog to window shop. And yep, it's still dark out.

I woke up like this ;).

Sleepyhead woke up!  Morning routine = snuggles, milk and Mickey.

While I made breakfast and packed lunches, they got into some play dough.  Anyone else have a love/hate relationship with this stuff?

Sorry for the upside down picture!  Multi-tasking and eating breakfast while I pack lunches.  The kids go to preschool two days a week and yesterday was a school day! 

I'm getting ready, Aiden is "hiding."

After I drop the kids off, I head to the gym.  I may or may not have worn these pants to match the weather ;).

Off we go!  It felt like fall (finally)!

Pulled into school and ready to head in.  This day, Aiden ran right in to tell his teacher about the tractor he saw the day before.  And Audrey didn't cry for the first time!  Woohoo!

A snack on my way to the gym. 

On Wednesdays I typically jump into the last half of a dance class and then work out with a friend and our trainer.  My knee is bothering me, so I spent some extra time stretching!

My gym makes the best shakes and I get them every once in awhile for lunch.  Or part of lunch.  This month's shake is "Peaches & Green" and it's delicious! 

Errands without kids...living the dream.  I stopped at Target (and stuck to my list!) and the party store for some supplies for a baby shower for my sister-in-law this weekend!

I try to take at least a few minutes each school day to just sit and do nothing.  I had some leftover carnitas and chilled with Ollie while watching Sex and the City.  

Until I remembered this mess... I then ran around the house to get as much done as I possibly could. 

Pick up time!  They have these two huge bears in the lobby and Audrey has to give them a big (bear) hug each time. :)

I love school days if only for the fun artwork!  I'm so impressed with how quickly Aiden is learning his letter sounds!

He made a car for a drive-in movie and let Audrey take it for a spin!

Story time before Audrey's nap.  We LOVE Spookley the Square Pumpkin!

The clothes I ordered online (from this post) arrived, so I took advantage of nap time to try them on.  

While Audrey naps, Aiden plays/watches some TV while I work.  

We took a break to make Scooby-Do cookies!

He asked me to help him make a barn.  Some days, it's hard to get much work done.

Audrey slept until 5:30 (whoops), but that meant I got to fold some laundry. 

A cleared off table makes me happy. So do gourds. 

Remember how she woke up at 4:45am? Well, makes sense that I had to wake her up at 5:30pm. 

Some days, dinner is elaborate.  Last night, it was chicken nuggets, fries, leftover carnitas and veggies.  FYI, when I do make fries, I still eat them - I just watch my portion and literally count out one serving. 

When you've been up since 4:45...

A special delivery came!  A sneak peek at Audrey's costume...

Daddy's home!  Aiden loves to watch Daddy draw trucks.  

Again...not staged.  She carries it EVERYwhere. 

She stole my popsicle before bedtime.  Maybe that's why it took me an hour to get her to go to sleep.  Or maybe it was the nap until 5:30...

Finally!  In bed and reading the book I scored from the library.  I love it so far and the Cincinnati references are fun!

There you have it!  A pretty typical day.  Whether or not anyone else enjoyed this, I know I will love to look back on it in a few years. And remember the chaos :). 

Fall Capsule Wardrobe

Yesterday, we were swimming.  Today, I am wearing long sleeves and boots.  I'm pretty sure it happens like this every year, but we just all forget.  We know the cold is coming and each year, I try to be prepared.  I think the kids are in pretty good shape, but my wardrobe is another story.  In the spring I shared my goal to create a capsule wardrobe for spring/summer and I think I did a pretty good job!  Since I'm down about 35 pounds from last fall, last year's stuff doesn't really fit.  A good, but expensive, problem to have!

The idea of a capsule wardrobe is to build the basics, with a few fun things thrown in, and then mix and match.  I find this especially useful this season, but I'm not a big fan of a lot of the trendy pieces.  Like overalls...really?  I also don't love flares, chokers and platform shoes...hello 8th grade.  I also noticed that nearly every top is loose fitting....apparently this is called boyfriend fit.  The irony of this is that men's clothing seems to be getting tighter, while women's is looser.  But anyway...

I had a little bit of alone time this weekend to shop, so I stopped at Old Navy and Loft.  I tried on a lot to get an idea of sizing and what I liked and then I ended up ordering online for Old Navy (they have Tall sizes online and a sale!) and had to limit myself to one thing at Loft.  I don't have a picture of it, but it is the BEST thing I've ever put on.  So comfy, but not frumpy.  

Here's a sample of what I tried on...

I loved this outfit, but needed "talls" in the shirts and pants.  They only had the cardigan in tall online, so I went with just that.  And thanks to the flowy-er styles - everything was a medium!

This shirt was way too itchy.  And I would've needed tall.

This t-shirt I loved, so I ordered it in tall online. I also really liked the black jeans, but ordered them in grey instead. 

I should've bought this at the store.  I couldn't find it anywhere online.  It would have been perfect for holiday parties!

This shirt came home with me.  In fact, I'm wearing it right now ;).

This dress was on major sale, so I ordered it in a tall as well.  You can't tell, but it has little sunflowers on it!

For fun!  I like rompers, but they never fit right.  This one was too baggy and probably too impractical!

This was at Loft.  I guess turtle necks are back in too.  If this wasn't a turtle neck, I'd love it.  

And now for the capsule list...

Distressed Jeans - I have a pair, but they're too big now.

Burgundy Jeans

Grey Jeans - Check

Thick black leggings - check

Basic t-shirts - check

Ivory Cardigan

Camel Cardigan  - check

Fall dress - check

Tan booties (I'm so 10 years old - this makes me laugh every time I say it)

Leopard skinny belt

Stylish sweatshirt

2-3 long sleeve shirts - need one more

Fall plaid scarf

I haven't had a chance to look through my workout clothes yet, but I am hoping to score some deals at Gap Outlet soon.  And I'll need to add some warmer things to this (like a casual coat), but I'm just not there yet!

Whew, this ended up being long!  You may be reading this and think.... why does she need to do all of this shopping?  Well, I am starting from scratch!  And since money does not grow on trees, I need a plan.  And I don't want to go overboard.

Wishing you all a great week!

Friday Favorites - Fall Edition

It may feel like summer, but fall is officially here!  I know it seems like loving fall is so "trendy" these days (hello Pumpkin Spice EVERYthing), but I've genuinely always loved this season.  I remember going to a pumpkin patch when I was very young with my mom and grandma and riding the wagon to the patch, looking at all of the crafts and feeling the excitement of a new season.  Summer is my favorite, but fall is a close second.  The change in seasons is why I will probably never move from this area!

So on to some favorites from this week!  I got to try a few new workouts at a new gym and especially LOVED the "Bounce" class...AKA a trampoline.  I worked out hard this week and am really feeling the results.  BUT...I haven't lost a pound in over a month and I know it's because of what I am eating. More on that next week :)

I love cooking and baking with my kids and this week we made a recipe from one of my favorites sites - Running with Spoons.  Her breads and muffins are AMAZING and much healthier than the typical recipes.  Here we are making Greek Yogurt Apple Oat Bread.  It takes only one bowl and about 5 minutes to throw together.  SO good. 

Do you ever feel helpless as a parent?  Like you have no clue what you are doing?  I have that feeling often and recently it has to do with behavior.  So a friend recommended this book and it's been a favorite this week.  I am implementing the suggestions and starting to see a difference!

These new jammies - and those smiles - may be my most favorite from this week. 

The Target dollar bin got me again.  This time it was these little pumpkins.  And the Pumpkin Apple candle from Bath & Body Works is the perfect intro to fall.  

I've talked about Think Thin bars before as being a favorite, but this seasonal Pumpkin Spice flavor is my most favorite!  

Fall means back to school which means adorable art work!  This was an Aiden creation that now lives on our fridge.  School (and his new teacher) is Aiden's favorite right now!  

This may seem random, but as I was getting ready yesterday I realized my shirt was tucked in.  Why is this a favorite?  Well, first of all this shirt didn't used to fit.  And the jeans are now too big.  And I have NEVER tucked in shirts before.  That's a big win for me!  And it also means it's time to shop for cute belts!

We've fallen into a nice Friday morning routine the past few weeks.  Our gym offers open play time Friday mornings, so we play there after I work out.  This long trampoline is their favorite!

I hope you all have had a good week and have an even better weekend!