We’re also planning to sneak in a short overnight camping trip the boys this weekend and figured it would be worth the effort even for a single night since the campground we’re visiting is just over an hour away.
I hope to snap pics and have a recap to share with you guys on the blog at some point on Monday but until then, let’s chat about some simple things that are making us smile this week, shall we?
Things I’m Loving Friday
Yesterday Ryan and I celebrated 15 years of marriage! Ryan surprised me with a mini version of our wedding cake (so good!) and we laughed a lot as we flipped through a bunch of the old scrapbooks I made Ryan over the years. The boys could not get over Dad with shaggy blonde hair in a few of the pics! Looking back on old photos makes our college dating days feel like a lifetime ago but, at the same time, it’s wild to me how quickly 15 years have come and gone. It’s been 15 years filled with multiple moves and jobs, babies, adventure, comfort, excitement, warmth, loss, peace, laughter, fun and so, so much love.
Marriage has been the biggest gift and I’ll always say sharing my life with Ryan is the best decision I’ve ever made. I read somewhere that your spouse is the only member of your family you actually get to choose and this is something I find so beautiful — the decision to actively choose each other every single day. Ryan is my college sweetheart-turned-husband, the person I can be most myself with, my safe place, my comfort, my unwavering source of support, my honest check-in, the best partner I could imagine to raise our boys alongside and forever my home. I’ve spent more than half of my life with Ryan (we’ve been together 21+ years!) and it’s still not enough. I know a handful of you out there have been here with us in this space before we even got married and we so, so appreciate you joining us through life’s ups and downs and supporting us along the way!
I’m coming to you late this morning because I worked out at 5:30 a.m. and then hit the ground running with the boys to attend their annual Halloween parade! Chase and Ryder’s school does a “Parade of Fiction” every year on Halloween morning and it’s always so fun to see the creativity some kids and families pour into their costumes.
This year, Ryder wanted to be Jack and the Beanstalk because Jack is a character he loves in the Land of Stories series that has our big kids completely immersed in a magic fairy tale world! Chase opted to wear Ryan’s old space suit from space camp and go as an astronaut from There’s No Place Like Space! They’ll morph into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for trick-or-treating tonight but I always love seeing all of the book character costumes the kids wear to school on Halloween so much!
I am so excited about this one!!! A magic wand that you can set up to turn your Christmas tree lights on and off!? I mean, how cool is that!? I actually had to set up a notification so I could grab it quickly when it was back in stock since it sells out constantly (I just checked and it’s in stock again right now but I don’t know for how long!!) and was thrilled when it arrived earlier this week. I am planning to have our Elf on the Shelf bring this one for the boys on December 1 and I think they’ll think it’s the coolest! One of my biggest joys as a mom is bringing a little magic into my kids’ lives during the holidays and this is something I hope will be a small way to do just that!
P.S. If you are like me and are a sucker for holiday drinkware, Target also has the cutest holiday juice glasses right now!! They look just like the Anthropologie ones but are only $7.99! I think they’d be so cute for holiday gifting filled with candy and a gift card and wrapped up in cellophane with a pretty bow. They’re another Target find that is selling out crazy fast but they seem to be an item you might be able to find in-store or order online for in-store pickup (this is what I just did and I’ll pick mine up later today)!!
Sometimes those endcap deals work like a charm! That was the case with these organic mango gummies when they caught Rhett’s eye at Target a few weeks ago. I flipped the box over and when I saw the only ingredient in the gummies is organic mango, we threw a box in our cart and a new favorite snack for the boys was quickly unlocked. The boys all really love dried mango, but these are a fun alternative as they’re still dried mango but the texture is more similar to a fruit snack.
Genre: Contemporary Romance / My rating: B+
What a fun, steamy, breezy little romance book! This book is a little on the long side for a lighthearted contemporary romance read but somehow it held my interest and never felt too redundant despite ultimately knowing exactly where it was going the entire time. It had really fun banter, a creative plot and a handful of funny moments that had me smiling as I flipped through the pages.
From Amazon: Aiden Valentine has a secret: he’s fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore’s romance hotline, that’s a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.
Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life—or lack thereof—she begins to question if she’s as happy as she believed. Maybe a little more romance wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending…even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final decision between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.
Turkey Vegetable Meatloaf (The ultimate comfort food but veggie-packed and healthy!)
Oatmeal Pumpkin Protein Pancakes (A filling, protein-packed breakfast!)
QUESTION OF THE DAY
What is one thing making you smile this week?
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