Hey friends – how are you? It’s been a pretty chaotic week over here – the kids are back at school (after being out with stomach problems for most of last week) but the time change has upset our whole routine and everyone’s a little grumpy and over-the-top.
Hoping we settle in soon… but seriously, can clock changes go away yet?! And can we also stay in the other time (the one where we have an extra hour of time and light in the morning, not this time)?!
Pooh. We were able to enjoy a very epic sunrise at the end of the yoga yesterday morning thanks to the clock change – class ends at 7 and the sun was just out the window when we wrapped up.
It was beautiful – one of the best I’ve seen lately! This photo doesn’t really do it justice, but I tried.
Anyway – here are some things I’ve been loving lately.
things i love lately
1) Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore (<-recipe)
Have you tried this recipe yet? It’s really tasty – even the kids actually ate it (shocking).
We enjoyed it earlier this week and I’ve been munching on the leftovers ever since.
Another food I’ve been eating on and off lately is wraps filled with rotisserie chicken, black beans, cheese, salsa, spinach, microgreens, cilantro, and hot sauce. Sooo delicious and filling and really easy to throw together.
(Not the best photo, sorry!)
2) Zara’s new favorite place to snooze.
The stroller! Wes was delighted to find her there the other day and started making all sorts of noises to get me to come over and check. So cute!
She sleeps in it almost every day now and seems to think it’s hers (we store our stroller inside as we don’t have a garage).
And how cute are Wes’ little curls? His hair is getting so long!
It’s starting to get a bit in his eyes and I have a feeling he’s going to need a haircut soon, but I don’t want to cut off his baby curls! We will see…
Speaking of Wes, another thing I love is that last week he suddenly started talking a ton! He was delayed in his words (the pediatrician said to wait a few more months before calling in a professional), but suddenly, within a few days, he started saying all sorts of words (yes, giant, easy, beep , gentle, more, nana for banana, etc.).
It’s so cute to finally hear his little voice (he used to make a lot of noises that sounded like speaking and he likes to sing/hum songs but until now there weren’t any real words besides mum and dad). When he says “giant,” it sounds like “eese!” So adorable.
3) We Can Do Hard Things Podcast
I love love LOVE this podcast it’s so good. I’ve only heard maybe 40 of the nearly 200 episodes but the ones I’ve heard are always so good.
A few recent favorites: Facing Your Fear of the Ordinary with Amanda Doyle (a wanderer/adventurer at heart, this one really won me over) and Five Criticism Survival Strategies (relevant to all women, but especially excellent for those of us who work in the social media/digital realm).
There are so many good episodes it’s hard to pick just a few, but these are two new ones that I particularly enjoyed. Older favorites of mine were the episodes where Dr. Becky was interviewed – I love her – and one of her very first episodes called Overwhelm.
4) spring flowers.
Kathleen and I went for a run last weekend (I did the first part of her long run – sigh I’m really really sad I can’t do the half marathon with her tomorrow) and how beautiful were those flowers overlooking Washington Monument?
I felt really good for the 4.5 miles we ran together and was tempted to keep going with her, but I knew it was wise to stop. My hip was a little sore afterwards so I probably best not squeezed it and risked pinching it again.
I will end this post with a request for book recommendations. I have just finished the Court of Thorns and Roses book series (<-Amazon Affiliate Link) and I have a huge book hangover – they were SO GOOD and I’m really sad that I’ve finished and can’t look forward to reading them at the end of the day.
I need something new to read that is fun, engaging and a nice mental escape at the end of the day. What’s the best non-fiction book you’ve read lately?
And/or have any of you read the other books/series by the author of Court of Thorns and Roses (Sarah J. Maas)? Curious what you thought if so! I am tempted to start something else from her as I have enjoyed her writing so much!