Hello my friends! I’m stopping by today with a few things I’ve been loving lately. I’d love to hear what you’re loving lately in the comments!
things i love lately
1) Festive fun!
At Riese’s request, we’re putting up our Christmas tree earlier than ever this year – the weekend after Thanksgiving! I don’t mind – it makes the house look so much funnier and cozier.
Giant was SUPER at decorating the tree this year which was a lot of fun. And now that the tree is decorated, my “I never stay still for a second” child will actually lie under the Christmas tree (with their head in/under the middle of the tree) and relax and stare up at the lights. It’s really sweet and relaxing to join her!
Unfortunately, Wes was mostly interested in taking the jewelry off once we put it on and throwing it on the floor.
After some ornaments were broken, we were quickly reminded that all breakable ornaments must be on the top half of the tree! Giant went out of his way to help me find all the fragile ornaments and keep them safe. 😉
I feel more able to embrace the fun playfulness and joy of the holiday season this year than I did at this time last year when Wes was only 6 months old and I was so exhausted and overwhelmed.
I’m thankful to be in a much better headspace for the holidays this year!
2) 6am hot yoga
I think one reason I feel in a much better headspace is that I’ve started working out first thing in the morning again a few days a week!
For those who know me personally, I’ve definitely said that I “would never do a 6 a.m. workout again” — and, yeah, well, never say never, right? Longtime readers know I used to just care about those super early morning training classes and runs but when Covid life hit I stopped getting up early for training as there was nowhere to go!
And then Wes was born and I was way too tired and also had nursing logistics in play for a while etc.
I’m not sure why I suddenly changed my mind, but one day about a month ago I decided I would give a 6am class a shot and see if the endorphins + good vibes could handle the situation make up for less sleep… and turns out they do! The rest of the day I felt dramatically better.
It helps that it’s a super good teacher and that the studio is a short walk from our house (I love going there in the dark when it’s so quiet and peaceful outside) but honestly it was a HUGE game changer to have a couple of days a week where I start my day alone and do something for myself instead of going straight into the kid mess first thing. I also love the heat first thing as it’s so cool outside (TBD if I still like it in summer)!
It was also really amazing that I don’t have to rely on childcare or kindergarten for my training when I go to a 6 o’clock class since with all the illness this fall, Riese was unexpectedly home many days.
So there you have it. Never say Never. 😉
Now that Wes is 18 months old I’m really starting to feel stronger and like myself physically – I remember it was around that point after Riese as well when I suddenly started craving for harder workouts crave and enjoy them.
It’s been fun doing some of the more challenging poses in yoga again (like the forearm balance!) and seeing me get better with more consistency!
3) Seeing Matt’s brother and his wife perform together in a musical in Roanoke!
Last weekend Matt and I drove four hours to Roanoke for a special occasion: to see his younger brother Drew and his wife Morgana perform together in a musical at the regional theater down there!
That’s Drew front left singing and Morgana spinning right behind him on the far left!
The show is “Holiday Inn” and we were also joined by Matt’s parents and his older brother Chris and his wife Jess. We tried to take a picture of the whole group at dinner but it came out blurry so here’s just the sibling ties:
It was such a treat for everyone to be together and have even adult time with them for the first time in ages!
(Our kids stayed at home with a babysitter overnight… it was our first time doing this and it wasn’t cheap and I was nervous, but the kids did really well and had fun – it’s a babysitter they’ve used before had and which they like.)
We made it quickly, arriving in time for dinner on Saturday and leaving just after breakfast on Sunday, but we were really glad we made it!
On Saturday we met for dinner at a place called Lucky in Roanoke.
They had a really unique and interesting menu! We all shared a cheese board promotion to get started. The creamy white stuff in the pot is goat cheese with lemon and honey – that was sooooo good. Great flavor combo.
And of course I have oysters – my favorite!
I had their Mexican style chicken wings for main course. This green sauce is based on cilantro – delicious! It was very unique.
(I also had a few bites of shared vegetables at the table, plus a scallop from my sister-in-law Jess!)
We went to the show after dinner and it was so much fun to see Drew and Morgana in action – they were really great! Drew was one of the leads and Morgana was in the ensemble.
On Sunday morning, before we left, we all met at the hotel’s breakfast buffet. I had a veggie, cheese and bacon omelette and some overnight oats in a cute little jar that reminded me of my old favorite Almond Milk Overnight Oats recipe.
On the drive home, Matt and I stopped in Harrisonburg (where James Madison University is located) for lunch at a place called Greens and Grains.
I built my own creation which was basically a Greek Salmon Salad with Quinoa. Yummy! I really liked their feta-infused Greek vinaigrette. I already cooked a variation of the salad at home this week!
4) Girls night out with sushi
Speaking of dinner, I had a fun dinner last week with some girlfriends I’ve known since high school. It was so nice to exchange ideas – always nice to be with people who have known you for so long!
We went back to one of our usual favorites, Yume Sushi in Arlington (right on the Falls Church border). Their sushi is sooo good!
5) Running in cold weather.
Ahhhh I love to run when it’s cold outside! SO MUCH better than when it’s hot, in my opinion. (If you’re also a runner, I’m curious – is hot or cold weather your jam?)
I have two running dates a week with friends from Riese’s school (we go right after the kids are weaned) and it’s been nice to have some consistency.
It was also really nice to run when it’s light outside compared to super early – I love super early yoga but for running I’d rather go when it’s not dark and I’m thankful I have that one few days can do week!
I’m running another 10K in a few weeks (a fun little holiday race recommended by a blog reader!) so that’ll be fun too!
Other random things that bring me joy:
- The Quiet Spot on the Internet via the NY Times website (for some reason I’m completely obsessed with seeing the oranges falling into the water on this site…but the whole site is amazing)
- I recently read the book by Dr. Read Becky (Amazon Affiliate Link) and it’s really phenomenal. We recommend. The best parenting book I’ve ever read and I’ve read quite a bit.
- Matt and I listened to NPR’s podcast miniseries “The Last Cup” on our drive to and from Roanoke last weekend and even as someone who doesn’t follow football at all it was super fascinating and well done!
- This “Cup of Calm” tea (Amazon Affiliate Link) Made with passionflower, chamomile, lavender, catnip, rosemary and more. I’m not sure if it’s placebo or what, but I think it’s working! Now that it’s cold outside I love a cup or two of (decaf) tea in the afternoon.
- My fall sangria recipe is currently the most popular recipe/most visited page on my website. So fun and festive! Ideal for holiday parties. My cranberry orange bread recipe has also been getting a lot of love lately and is great for the holiday season too.
Have a great weekend friends and see you back here next week!