Friday Faves

Hi friends!

First of all, thank you for your enthusiasm over me finally sharing Wes’s birth story! <3 I’m so glad I finally made the space to sit down and write. 

And now, let’s close out this week – and actually the year, as I’m going to take the next two weeks off from posting – with some Friday favorites/things I’m loving lately!

Feel free to play along in the comments – what are you loving lately?

Things I’m Loving Lately

1) I WENT ON A RUN!!

My first run in almost exactly a year, actually, because the last legit run I did was when we were in Pittsburgh last year for Christmas and I was nearing the end of the first trimester of pregnancy!

I’m not sure where it came from but I randomly felt inspired on Sunday afternoon when Wes was napping and Riese and Matt were engrossed in something together in the yard.

I quickly got dressed and went for it before I lost the motivation or Wes woke up!

I made it 1 mile, which felt like a great place to start, and it felt better physically than I thought it might.

Waiting until 6.5 months out from birth, doing pelvic floor PT, and focusing on strength training and a TON of stroller walking before attempting to run seems to have paid off. 

The main thing I noticed while running is that my groin and my middle back (bra strap area) are REALLY tight. Need more yoga! 

I’m excited to slowly build up my endurance again as I feel ready… stay tuned! 

Also, a shout out to my friend Steph – she’s a local mom I met through another friend recently and when I discovered she was a sleep consultant we decided to hire her because we were so seriously on the struggle bus with Wes not sleeping at night OR wanting to nap.

(See also: my virtual coffee date post from a month or so ago.)

The results have legit been magical/life changing (he actually sleeps at night now, and putting him down for naps is a million times easier too) and are basically the only reason I have energy to even think about running again! 

If you’re interested, here’s her website: Apres the Bump. 

2) Holiday decorating! 

Riese is next level excited about Christmas this year, and it has been fun to see it all through her eyes.

She was really excited about getting our tree up and decorating it, and helping Matt with the outdoor decorations too! 

What, you don’t decorate the Christmas tree in a full ball gown? Clearly you’re missing out… I think the Santa hat pairs nicely with the dress too. 😉 

3) Stroller hand warmers!

How cool are these hand warmer muff thingies (affiliate link) that fit onto your stroller handle bar?! 

I walk Riese to school every morning at 8 a.m. with Wes in tow in the stroller, and he almost always falls asleep so I hit the coffee shop and then keep walking until he wakes up!

It’s quite lovely, but we’ve had some pretty cold mornings lately and these muffs have been AMAZING. Even with gloves on my hands were getting cold on the stroller especially if it was windy!

I discovered the hand warmers thanks to my brother and his wife who had them on their stroller and I was like: I NEED THOSE!

4) Blue Apron‘s Wellness Meals! (sponsored)

Did you know that Blue Apron offers wellness-specific meals on their weekly meal kit menus? 

Especially during the busy holiday season, it’s so nice to have an option that offers up nutritionally-dense ingredients without sacrificing flavor or creativity in the kitchen.

And good news: they are now offering more weekly Wellness meals than ever before! If you’re imagining boiled chicken with steamed veggies, have no fear; Matt and I have found their wellness meals to be delicious and creative, too. 

Looking ahead to the menu the week of January 3rd, I’m especially excited for the Za’atar Roasted Chicken Thighs with Warm Farro Salad and Feta-Yogurt Dressing from their Wellness offerings – how good does that sound?!

Also, if you’re a meal prep fan, a heads up that they have a Wellness Meal Prep bundle available – in one 90 minute cooking session you can prepare 8 servings of nutritious and delicious meals to enjoy all week.

If you haven’t given Blue Apron a shot yet, do yourself a logistical favor and sign up now. Click here to use my affiliate link for $110 off + free shipping on your first box!

 5) Saran Wrap Ball Party Game

This is random, but we played a fun game over Thanksgiving that I thought y’all might enjoy so I wanted to share! 

My mother in law wrapped a ton of random little gifts in a huge ball of saran wrap (in layers, so the gifts would slowly come out as you unwrap the ball), and all of us including the kids sat in a circle. 

One person got the saran wrap ball and the person to their right had a pair of dice.

The person with the ball had to unroll it as quickly as they could to get whatever gifts they could while the person next to them rolled the dice until they got doubles (two of the same number). 

Then, the person passed the dice to the right and they got their chance with the ball. This continued until it was all done! 

It was really fun – all adults and kids had a blast. At the end, everyone was able to swap gifts with each other if they wanted to. 

6) Pumpkin Pancake Mix

Another random one, but also over Thanksgiving break we had some really good pancakes using this spiced pumpkin pancake + waffle mix from Whole Foods.

Just wanted to share it was awesome in case you see it!

And that’s all for today, folks!

I hope you enjoy one of my Christmas Breakfast Ideas, and that you have a great rest of the month. I will see you back here in the new year!

I’ll leave you with a few posts of interest from around the web: 

• Def going to make this DIY Essential Oil Holiday Room Spray
• 50 Best Holiday Cookie Recipes from fellow dietitians
• This Pumpkin Gingerbread with Maple Glaze sounds amaaaaazing
• How fun is this Christmas Charcuterie Board?!
• Some fitness inspiration: a free 30 Minute At-Home Barre Workout Video (great lower body and glute work)
• Slow Cooker Holiday Mulled Wine – perfect for a holiday gathering!