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Road Trips with Toddlers (without screen time): Tips and Tricks for an Enjoyable Car Ride
We have gone on our fair share of car rides this year and I thought I would share a couple of the things we do to make the car rides less chaotic! Having two energetic toddlers confined to a car for 5+ hours can be daunting, but we have a few tricks that allow us to make the road trips enjoyable and lets be honest, tolerable 😉 It is probably not a popular opinion, but I am not a huge fan of screen time. For us, it makes my kids become little monsters as soon as we take away screens. I would rather not deal with the mood shift, so…
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Father’s Day Weekend Recap: First Visit to See Family in Waynesville, North Carolina
Seeing family is so good for the soul! It has been since February since we have seen Drew’s family and since December since we have seen mine. While we FaceTime often with family, nothing replaces visiting in person. This past weekend, we had our first trip to see my in-laws for Father’s Day weekend. Both of Drew’s step-siblings and sister along with their significant others were there which made the trip that much more special. My in-laws were very kind to keep the boys for an evening on Thursday night while Drew and I ventured to the Inn at Biltmore for a much needed child-free evening (separate post on our…
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Lazy Girl Grapefruit Margarita Recipe
If you know me, then you know I love me some wine. While I may not be a “wine-o,” I am the girl that orders wine at breweries and takes it to the beach (even though it is inconvenient ha!). However, over the past few months I have had issues drinking wine. The next morning, even if I only have one glass of wine–I wake up feeling horrible and not able to function as optimal as I like. I tried drinking organic wine, sulfate free wine, wine with low sugar, and really any trick in the book to make wine not cause me miserable mornings—well, nothing seemed to work. In…
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Weekend Recap: Visiting Friends in Sullivans Island, South Carolina
We just got back from a weekend away visiting friends and family. It has been so nice traveling again and I feel super comfortable as we are basically just quarantining in different locations. This past weekend we visited one of my best friends and Drew’s sister. It was a quick trip but was wonderful being back in the city we love. On Friday night, we stayed with Drew’s sister in Park Circle (a super cute and growing town just north of Charleston). She welcomed us with a wonderful home cooked meal and kept the kids very entertained. The boys shared a room and a bed for the first time–lets just…
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Anniversary Weekend and Weekend on Lake Lanier
We celebrated our 6th anniversary this weekend with plenty of family time and sunshine. While it wasn’t a typical anniversary of going to a tropical island, to the beach or even out to a fancy dinner–it was exactly how I wanted to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary (lets be honest, a tropical island vacation will always trump everything–but you know what I’m saying!). We started the weekend off with a pool night with a few of our neighbors. Our neighborhood is starting to “turn over” with new, younger families moving in which means that our boys are finding new friends to play with. It is amazing to see the boys…
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Indoor Toddler Boy (and Girl) Activities
We have been so blessed with beautiful, sunny weather the past couple of months. My boys thrive when they are able to be outside and use their imaginations surrounded by nature. Unfortunately, our luck has changed and it has been rainy in Atlanta for the past couple weeks. The next few days calls for rain, which means this mama needs to be creative to make fun indoor activities for two rambunctious little boys. Today, I am sharing a few of the activities that we enjoy doing inside and that allows the boys to get their energy out. Since it is warmer outside, we use our covered porch to do some…
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Memorial Day Weekend 2020: Family Time and Pool Time
This long weekend was filled with pool time for our little family. Luckily, our neighborhood pool opened on Friday which allowed for us to enjoy the pool four days in a row. I am pretty sure this summer our boys are going to become quite the little fish. Our pool has many restrictions, which are actually not that hard to follow and allow us to have a safe environment to enjoy swimming. The basic rules: sign up online for your spot (limited to 50 people), no floats, keep 6 ft apart and bring your own chair. People are not allowed to bring guests at this time, but it allows for…
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Stress Relief Techniques During The Quarantine
Week four of the coronavirus quarantine and its time to find new stress relief techniques in our household. Â We have been indulging more on our adult beverages and running/biking to relieve stress. Â While the extra runs are certainly great for the body, the alcohol consumption is definitely not! Â After many discussions, input from others (thank you friends on social media!) and online research; I complied a list of activities that hopefully will provide joy and stress relief to others during this crazy period. List of Stress Relief Activities:Â Journalling: If you haven’t tried journalling now is a perfect time to preserve your memories of this crazy time and destress by…
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Motherhood Lesson: Riding a Bike for the First Time
I write this with so much pride for my four year old: Reid rode a bike for the first time! I am beyond amazed that with very little assistance and skipping training wheels, he was able to ride a bike on his first try. Â All I have to say is: balance bikes are amazing!We gave Reid a balance bike when he was 2.5 years old. Â He took to it pretty immediately and loved going on bike rides around the neighborhood. Â At first he simply walked with the bike (probably for the first 6 months) and then around 3 he got the hang of it and would balance and glide along…
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Reid’s 4th Birthday Party at the Fire Station
I officially give all the props and credit in the world to mothers of Pinterest and event planners who plan elaborate birthday parties. Â It takes an incredible person to event plan and I personally would love to know how they stay sane and not stressed to the max! HA! While event planning is not in my wheelhouse, all the stress and planning was definitely worth it!! My little boy is obsessed with fire trucks–he will tell you that they are “his favorite” and that his favorite color is “red, like fire trucks.” When I asked what he wanted to do for his birthday he said he wanted to go to…