Weekly Recap {1.23.17}

Happy Monday! For the first time in a while, this weekend seemed to move at a perfect pace, not too fast but not too slow.

Here's a look back at our week/weekend

Monday Brayden had off for the holiday so we headed to his buddy's house for a playdate. His friend has a sister Ella's age and they get along great so we always have joint playdates where us Moms stay and hang out so everyone can play. The kids had so much fun they didn't want to leave. Every time I said Ok, time to get going, their little friends would beg for them to stay longer, and every time I gave in because why not? I always feel like we're imposing by staying so long but this Mom really doesn't mind, and we get along well so it's win win. 

Monday night Ella and the hubs worked on her new Ariel legos she got for Christmas

Tuesday was school for Ella and me and Miss A ran some errands in between, stopping at Target, Michaels and Trader Joes

 I've been eating a lot of salads lately with this whole trying to lose weight thing and my favorite is a taco salad. I just throw some ground beef in with lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese and mix in some plain greek yogurt. Topping it with fritos is an extra that I know I could do without but that isn't any fun now is it?!

While at Target I picked up this super cute busy book and the girls loved playing with it

Wednesday we headed to the library for Alphabet Soup. The girls listened to some books, did some dancing and at the end the teacher blew some bubbles. I learned that if bubbles are anywhere in Avery's vicinity she will knock you down to get to them (sorry little kids!)

 

 The girls did a simple craft afterwards and then we headed out to run a couple errands

 

Ella had been begging me to play a video game with her so we did that while Avery napped. This girl is getting so good its a little embarrassing!

Thursday was panacakes and pajama day at Ella's school. It was also the day I picked to go in and talk about traditions. Ella wanted to talk about going to see the zoo lights so that's what we did. She was so cute as she stood beside me while we told her class all about it. She never let go of my arm until we were all done and she was so sad when I had to leave.

Thursday Brayden had a basketball game and oh my goodness what a game it was!! He scored his very first basket ever and then made another one throughout. I literally jumped out of my seat when he scored the first one, to say I was one proud Mama would be an understatement!!

the cheerleaders

Friday was a busy day - I spent the morning cleaning then I went to volunteer at Brayden's school for Hot Lunch. My Mom came to watch the girls which was nice. I love seeing my kids at school and I think the feeling is mutual because as soon as I walked in Brayden's class he yelled "Mom!!" and came and gave me a big hug. 

Right after Hot Lunch, I went home, ate quickly then packed the girls up to run a quick errand before heading back to Brayden's school for a speech therapy appt I had for Ella. She got approved for speech classes through our base school and this was the first meeting to get all the info. The girls did amazing as they sat while I had to listen to tons of technical terms being thrown at me. It was right in the middle of Avery's nap time so I was worried about her, but clearly I worried for nothing.

she was loving the pint size water fountains :)

When we were done, school was almost over so I was just going to take Brayden home with me. We had the office call his room to tell him to get ready and the girls and I walked over to his classroom. Another classmate opened the door and the girls ran right in screaming Brayden's name. They all immediately did a group hug and I swear I teared up.

Friday night we had pizza over at my in laws then I took Brayden to his basketball pictures and home. We planned to watch Beauty and the Beast (my fave!) for our movie night so we all settled into the basement to watch. Ella was so cute covering herself up with the blanket at the scary parts. I think that is Avery's new favorite movie as she didn't move an inch the entire time!

Saturday we had dance class then made sure to play outside since our weather was gorgeous! 55 degrees in January, umm we'll take it! Although, we do want snow!!

We put Avery's new scooter together for her and girlfriend was pumped! Although it was a little premature for her, she still had fun



We walked/scootered to the park and let the kids ride around in the tennis courts. We were playing tag with them and if we got them, we took their scooter and they had to get us. Brayden & Ella chasing Rick was so cute/hilarious! He was racing on Brayden's scooter no one could catch him!

Saturday night we met my Mom & nephew out to eat and of course the kids were all crazy - good thing we weren't at anywhere fancy :)

Sunday my Mom picked up the bigs and took them to the movies so me and the hubs basically had a mini vacation just hanging with Miss A. When they got home we all went over my in laws for the playoff game. We hung out there for a while then headed home to watch Beauty and the Beast again, it's definitely Ella's favorite movie for the moment!

The kids are finally in bed and the hubby and I are watching the next playoff game (aka I'm surfing the web) - hope everyone has a great start to their week!

*linking up with B Loved Boston  & The Sirois Family

Friday Favorites {1.20.17}

Happy Friday!! 

Let's just get right to my favorites of the week!



{ONE} - Favorite New Swimwear

Have you guys heard of Lime Ricki Swimwear?? I just recently discovered them and love their suits! Last year I was all about the one pieces and while they are cute they are just not fun when you have to use the bathroom - I would much rather not have to be buck naked to go pee :) I'm definitley not comfortable wearing a 2pc either so tankini it is. I love Lime Ricki because they have super cute high waisted bottoms that you can pair with any top. I personally love the look of the bottoms paired with their cropped peplum tops but their other tops are super cute as well.

            

I actually ended up ordering both of those tops with the black bottoms but had to return the one on the left because it was too small.


{TWO} - My Fitness Pal App

I'm sure lots of people have heard of this but if not, I wanted to share.  I've had this app for a long time but really have just started to use it. It's crazy/awesome to see how much you're eating and where you really end up at the end of the day. I always thought I was eating pretty well but this app has me re-thinking some things. I am on a a serious goal to lose some weight so I really hope this helps!







{THREE} - Favorite Little Girl Look

I got the new Hanna Andersson catalog in the mail this week and oh my goodness is the little girl on the cover adorable or what!? I love her whole look and asked Ella if we could do her hair like this and she said yes! Now I need to find cute/affordable head wraps! If you have any favorites, send them my way please!!

{FOUR} - Favorite Treat

Ummmmmmm can we say YUM! These cookies from Trader Joes are so so good!! They are heart shaped too which makes them extra fun for the kiddos

{FIVE} - Favorite Memes of the Week


Hahahaha every time! My husband always says, "Hey, I'm right here!" LOL

Most days this is me - I just can't bring myself to wear jeans during the week, but I've been trying!

Happy Weekend! I'm going to enjoy a cheat day one of the days and I cannot wait LOL!

Linking up with:

Momfessionals

Hello Happiness

September Farm

What's For Dinner

Happy Wednesday ladies! They say we are suppose to actually see the sun today and I really hope they are right. It's been so gloomy here that Ella asks if it's nighttime everyday at noon :)

I'm back today with another installment of What's for Dinner?  I love when I find something that is pretty easy, very tasty, and bonus points if it's a hit with the kids.

Penne Sausage Alfredo

Oh my word is this good! I know it's not the healthiest since it uses jarred alfredo sauce but it's just so good. This dinner is a hit with everyone in the house, well except Avery, that girl eats nothing I make for dinner unless it's chicken nuggets. Needless to say she goes to bed hungry many nights.

One Pot Ground Beef Stroganoff

Another recipe that was a hit and super easy to make - I love when you only use one pot; it makes clean up a cinch.

One Pan Sausage & Veggies

This dinner has become part of our weekly rotation we love it so much. The kids aren't use to eating their veggies cooked, they have always loved them raw but they are slowly coming around when I make this. 

Copycat Panera broccoli & cheese soup

All I can say to this one is YUM! I made it earlier this week for the first time and used regular milk instead of half of half because that's what I had and wow was it good! We paired it with plain toasted bagels and I was left wanting more and more. 

There you go - 4 recipes that I've personally tried and can tell you they are so so good! I hope you give one of them a try!

I'll see you back Friday for my favorites of the week :)

*linking up with Jess's Design

Motherhood is messy

I saw this a while back and it so resonated with me.  Thanks to social media, so often people can be mistaken for having the perfect life or always having their sh*t together (I'm guilty of this too - trying to get that perfect picture even if it means taking it 100 times) but just because I post a cute picture of my kids doesn't mean I have my sh*t together

I was cooking the kids lunch the other day while staring at my ridiculously messy house.  This is an everyday occurrence with being a stay at home Mom (something I so took for granted when I worked and my Mom & MIL watched my kids) - my kids are messy, they are slobs, they take out a zillion different toys at one time no mater how many times I ask them not to, but I know they are simply being kids.

I often have to remind myself of this as I stare at my house and my insides start to boil when I see kinetic sand being thrown all over the floor, or playdoh making it anywhere but the table. And the glue, and the scissors, and the paper. But my kids are having fun and really, that is all that matters. Like the saying goes, Let Them Be Little.

So if you ever think other Moms have it more together than you, think again. We are all losing our sh*t one way or another at times :)



*linking up with Our Pretty Little Girls & A Little Bit of Everything

Weekly Recap {1.16.17}

Happy Monday! We had a pretty low key week and weekend and it was just what I needed to ease us into the new year after that really long winter break.

I had to snap a picture of Brayden's backpack because it kills me. Soon it's going to be so heavy he won't be able to hold it up LOL

We headed to the library for story time, but first the girls had to play on the computers. I am happy to report Avery actually sat still and was very entertained during story time!

 Brayden came home with these "chains" his friend made on the bus, then proceeded to tell me not to throw them away #mmmkay #sorrybutidid

While Ella was at school Miss A and I decided to organize and purge our giant utensil drawer. Needless to say it took 3x's as long with a toddlers help :)

We managed to play more foosball - Ella is getting really good!

And of course there was plenty of dollhouse playtime in there too

The girls have been having a BLAST playing with this fake make up my Mom got them for Christmas. It is seriously the best! We use to let Ella play with real makeup but that became a disaster real quick once Avery would join in so this is just perfect.  I couldn't recommend this play make up more!

So Thursday was Brayden's 2nd basketball game, or so I thought - I don't know why but originally when I looked at the schedule I just assumed all this games were Thursday nights at 7pm but it turns out there's some Monday games in there too. So yeah, we completely missed the game earlier in the week and showed up Thursday to an empty court. Brayden still had a blast playing with Rick and it was nice for him to get some practice in, at least it wasn't a total waste

Some nights before bed Avery hops into Ella's bed and wants to sleep in there for the night. It's soooooooooooo cute and I know these two can't wait to have their first sleepover. Right after I snapped this pic, Rick came into the room and Avery immediately pretended she was sleeping; it was hysterical.

Usually after we put the kids to bed I can see from under the door that Ella has turned her light on. I always peak in and see her at her desk "writing" in her journal and it's just such a sweet moment. I swear sometimes I look at her and think I'm going to blink and she's going to be 16 doing this

Ella was playing dr on our new unicorn because her legs weren't working. She even wrote out her dr notes for the unicorn to take. I love how well Ella pretend plays!

Every other day I make a smoothie for me and Miss A and she is all about helping! (no surprise there!)

Friday night the kids had pizza and then we headed downstairs to play some games. Sometimes it's really hard to play a game the right way with a tornado toddler around :)

We put the kids to bed then me and the hubby had a date night at home. We made steaks and I made these super yummy potatoes I saw on Pinterest.  We watched the new Bourne movie and I'm pretty sure we both passed out by 9:30 on the couch, ha!

Saturday was decent out so we told the kids to gear up and go play outside during quiet time. They realized there was a huge block of ice inside the water table so I gave them some spoons and some sunglasses and told them to have at it.  That lasted all but 20 minutes then swung on the swings for a little and came in

Later in the day our friends came over and the kids all played really nicely together. Us adults got into some heated games of Left Right Center and me and the hubs came out on top :) It was a fun night but Sunday morning came too quick. 

Sunday we did nothing all morning and it was so nice. We headed to my in laws in the afternoon and hung out there the rest of the day. We got home to relax and then put the kids to bed.

Brayden is off today so we're heading over to his buddies house for a play date. He has a little sister Ella's age so it's always nice when we all get together.

Hope you all have a great Monday!

*linking up with B Loved Boston