Mums’ List: Spring Break

putting our feet in the water at the beach

FAMILY LIFE

This week was a beautiful and chaotic mess. My husband, a stay-at-home-dad, was out of town for 5 days and I took time off work to be home with the kids while he was away. I decided to make it our own little Spring Break full of adventure and fun.

We made wonderful memories, we laughed, we played and there were also tears, exhaustion, long nights, and long days. I was peed on, spit up on, and in just one night took two showers before getting up for the day (one shower with each kid at different times of the night and for different reasons, like I said, pee, poop, and spit-up). I changed sheets and clothes about as often as I changed moods.

One day we almost missed a doctor appointment due to a dead car battery. Oh, and there was the doctor appointment itself which was a follow-up for my eyes. Due to an irritation in my left eye, my vision was blurry the last two weeks. I dressed Capri in brightly colored clothes with large, distinct patterns to help me see her when we were out. Still, it was stressful to struggle with my vision but my eyes are now recovering and I’m seeing much better. By the last day, baby William had a cold and I was up with him most of the night.

matching French braids for me and Capri – notice her brightly patterned skirt makes her easy for me to see in busy places

The chaotic moments make the sweet moments seem that much sweeter. In the mornings we played board games in pajamas while I slowly sipped coffee. We went on daily adventures: picnics in the park, playing at the beach, a trip with friends to the Hands On Children’s Museum, games at Chuck E. Cheese (which is like Vegas for kids), and shopping for special treats.

a sunny day at the beach

Capri picked many of our meals during our mini Spring Break. I don’t mind cooking but often struggle to decide what to make, so I welcomed her healthy suggestions and she appreciated having the power to pick meals. For breakfast she usually requested pancakes or eggs. For lunch we had sandwiches with a side of carrots and hummus, and another day we dipped flatbread and carrots in hummus and sides of bananas and string cheese. Dinners included hotdogs and cabbage (she specifically wanted the cabbage sautéed in coconut oil after hearing her Papa Tom mention that he makes cabbage that way), the next night she chose chicken and “lettuce” (salad), and the last night she chose spaghetti and meatballs.

In the evenings, and after we put baby William to bed, Capri and I made stovetop popcorn and snuggled up to watch a movie. My daughter liked it so much that when Dan came home and asked what her favorite part of the week was, she told him all about the popcorn “it was popping everywhere!”

from stove to bowl only took a few fun-filled minutes

SOCIAL ME(dia)

The only post I made this week was about stovetop popcorn. With my husband out of town, I didn’t have time for anything else. He’s back, life is back to our version of normal, and I have a few post ideas I’m working on for this week. Stay tuned!

INSPIRATION

I’m feeling particularly inspired to work on my general health and to lose the last 5 pounds of baby weight (I’ve already lost a total of 35 pounds since William was born in September – yippee!). I have plans to continue regularly walking and running, and I’m working on some other health goals related to everyday detox, cutting back on sugar, and more. Once again – stay tuned, because I have more posts on these topics coming soon.

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