February Things, Snowy Days, Healthy Meals, and Mom Life
After a stretch of very cold days, we’re finally heading into the upper 60s, and I couldn’t be more excited! That means I’ll be soaking up every bit of sunshine—long walks, playground time, sidewalk chalk, and all the fresh air we can get. It also means full garden mode is officially kicking off as I start potting tubers and planting indoor seeds.
But before I embrace a week of sunshine and a much-needed break from screens after 9 AM, I need to get this weekly recap post up. Fingers crossed this is the last blog post of the season that includes snow! My tulips are starting to emerge from the garden beds, and I think in about a month, I’ll have a few blooming. 
Sometimes, before school, I like to sneak in little breakfast dates with my son—especially if he’s up early. Our favorite breakfast spot is Poppyseed Kitchen. It’s also one of my favorites because they make the best oatmilk lattes and the breakfast food is so fresh and delicious.
I always make sure to bring our activity bag, stocked with Paw Patrol puzzles, crayons, and sticker books to keep him entertained.
As for breakfast, I always go for the fruit & granola bowl. It’s so light and fresh. Of course, my little sidekick loves to help me eat it! He gets the kids’ pancakes with blueberries, extra crispy bacon, and fresh fruit, which is basically his dream breakfast.
We had to grab the oatmeal cookie to go.
After school we met up with friends for a warm afternoon park playdate. Toddlers can be so moody, but the best thing is getting them outside. I swear that it changes their attitudes.
Friday night, we had big plans—starting with a much-needed haircut and ending with a cozy bowl of homemade blender butternut squash soup. 
On Saturday morning, I headed out for a long walk with Leo. Sometimes, it’s nice to have a little mom time—no stroller, no distractions—just fresh air and a good podcast. 
After my walk, I showered up and got ready for a morning date with Becca. We did what we do best—coffee and antique shopping.
We had coffees at Virtuoso, and we grabbed a spot at the picnic table outside to catch up. It was perfect. Our little Waxhaw dates over the past ten years have been some of my favorite times.
I bought a new hanging rack for above my stove on Amazon and was on the hunt for some cute pieces to hang from it. We browsed through a bunch of antique shops and my favorite spot, Hobby Lobby! They had amazing deals, and I found exactly what I needed for my rack. 
After shopping, we stopped at Chipotle for lunch, and every time I go, I’m reminded of how good it is. I don’t eat there often, but I really should! I don’t know why I always forget about it. I got a bowl with rice, beans, chicken, salsa, cheese, lettuce, and guacamole. Now, I’m craving it. 
I’m still trying to figure out how I want to decorate the rack, but I love how it turned out so far. Pictures never do it justice. The space above the stove was so boring and bland with just the all-white backsplash.
When we built the house, the white tile was trendy, but of course, the builders hardly left any grout space in between, so it looks more like a bathroom than a kitchen. We’re in the process of figuring out which backsplash to replace it with. I’m leaning towards an English cottage stone or a shiny beige tile. If you have any suggestions, let me know! I also want to make some changes in the kitchen, like new hardware, a new wood hood, and maybe some shelves. But until then, I thought the rack added a bit of an English cottage vibe, and I love that look. If you see my Pinterest board lately, it’s just all kitchen spaces.
I go to Hobby Lobby once a week—not just for home decor, but because they have the best affordable crafts for toddlers. They’ve got so many kits under $4 that keep my son busy on those cold days, and I love doing messy projects with him instead of relying on screens. And no, I’m not an anti-screen time mom, but I try my best to keep him engaged with crafts and outdoor play as much as possible.
How cute is this little birdhouse he colored? It was only $3 and kept him busy for about 45 minutes—which, for a toddler, is a LOT of time!
We went to his preschool church service on Sunday, where he was performing some songs! This is the cutest age. 
The weather couldn’t have been anymore perfect!
This salad has been my latest obsession—I’ve had it almost every single day! I even made a bowl for my parents when they came over for the service and lunch.
It’s got lettuce, parmesan, burrata, chicken salad, kumato tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, Arctic seasoning, olive oil, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. So fresh and delicious! I toasted them up some sourdough bread for theirs.
We had 70-degree weather! I put the blow up outside for a fun jumping afternoon! 
The night we’ve all been waiting for—especially my husband! He’s a big Eagles fan, and he was so excited for this game. My son woke up extremely early on Sunday, so he was in bed before the game even started. Honestly, it was kind of nice because that meant I could get into my comfy pajamas and watch the game with him.
Before the game, my son and I headed to Baxter Village to pick up our favorite Sunday dinner—Ilios! We love their chicken and rice with all the delicious dips. We’ve had it three times this week already… and we never get tired of it! They are like our second family there.
Also, how cute is his Eagles set? I got it at Zara!
ALSO GO EAGLES! WHAT A FUN WIN!!
Another day, another chalk session. We’ve had so much rain here that we get to draw new pictures every week since everything just washes away.
We spent the rainy Monday at Hobby Lobby and Sprouts picking out some cute little things to put together our Valentine’s day goodie bags for school. Of course, as a new time preschool mom, I had to do a little extra! I don’t know who was more excited.
For dinner, I made some of the most delicious gluten-free and healthy shredded chicken enchiladas! We make these a lot and enjoy them for dinner throughout the week.
We had almost a week straight of rain, a the cold kind of rain where you can’t just go outside and play in it. So we just got messy with the crafts inside the house. I kind of role with it. As long as he’s having fun…
Still currently obsessed with my balsalmic salads.
My husband had a lot of meetings on Thursday for work, so we decided to get out of the house early for a breakfast and park date together. Of course, we headed to Poppyseed kitchen. I ordered the breakfast this time with eggs, bacon, and potatoes. SO DELICIOUS!
We made a quick trip to Target after the park to pick up some more kinetic sand and a few ingredients to make chocolate olive oil cake. I usually give him a big bowl with flour and water and ingredients to mix for himself while I make the real cake. He loves being involved.
Another day another salad…not pictured is the chicken salad I put on top of this.
We got a break in the rain and just had to get out of the house. I knew it would be a muddy one, but that was okay—I came prepared for puddle jumping and wet playground butts!
When we got back, I gave him a bath and sat him down for dinner while I frosted the chocolate olive oil cake. 
The cake turned out amazing!
I need to make this for every holiday or hosting event from here on out. I love that olive oil cakes are so easy to whip up without even needing an electric mixer. The flavor was SO decadent—you have to try this recipe!
On Valentine’s Day, we spent the day doing crafts, playing at the playground, going on walks, and making sourdough bread!
Oh, and for my toddler’s breakfast—we’re still on the same kick.
I make him a whole grain waffle (sometimes mini pancakes or a muffin), two chicken sausages, maple syrup on the side, and a smoothie packed with an entire orange, organic vanilla plant protein, banana, blueberries, strawberries, spinach, whole milk (sometimes yogurt), and raspberries. It’s crazy because he drinks the entire thing! We also do our vitamins and elderberry, and I truly think it’s helped him stay healthy this year and dodge most of the sicknesses!
A little outdoor chalk session before heading up for bath time! I’m still all for doing bath time during that witching hour before dinner. I bribe him up there with a Johnny Pop popsicle (also, kids eating popsicles in the bath is genius—no mess all over the house or on themselves!), and we spend about thirty minutes just decompressing before heading downstairs to prep for dinner. It also makes bedtime so much easier since we’re not rushing to fit in a bath!
My husband made a delicious steak dinner with roasted carrots and risotto for a Valentine’s Day treat. I think I’m going to need him to start cooking more often… it was amazing!
I made a little mocktail with Poppi cherry limeade, ginger soda, and freshly squeezed oranges—so delish!
Saturday was a busy one with lots of running around—Costco, Target, Sprouts—you know the drill. We finally made it home late in the afternoon.
For dinner, I made air-fried orange salmon with charred zucchini and steamed rice, and it was so tasty!
On Sunday, I made OUR FAVORITE frosted banana bars! Now, I’m eagerly waiting for our next batch of bananas to ripen so I can make them again. We’ve been dreaming about them ever since Kyle decided to finish off the last slice. They truly are soooooooooooooo good! These ones are gluten-free too.
Monday was laundry catch up day, fresh sheets, and scrubbing the house from top to bottom. I love when the house is sparkling, all the windows are open, and it starts to feel like Spring again.
We need to do a toy clean out soon…crazy how fast they accumulate.
Tux warming up by the fire 🙂
On Tuesday, I made another batch of chicken salad to have on hand, along with a big batch of blender butternut squash soup. It’s all I dream about to go with my balsamic and tomato salad at night. It’s the perfect combo!
I’m thinking about starting a new TikTok account where I do chalk tutorials. I love doing these so much, and my toddler has so much fun telling me what to draw and then taking the paintbrush to erase it.
For breakfast almost every morning, I’ve been having Canyon Bakehouse gluten-free bread with cream cheese, avocado, Arctic seasoning, and my chicken salad. It’s so good and filling.
After a quick park date, we headed to Hobby Lobby to pick up new birdhouses and bird feeders. We’re on a bird kick after putting up a bluebird house. It was up there for about ten minutes, and all of a sudden, the brightest blue birds appeared in our yard. That’s all it took for us to catch the bird obsession! We’re waiting on our cardinal feeders to arrive next, but we already love our little bird backyard.
Oh and you know we picked up more Hobby Lobby crafts.
I picked the COLDEST week to start potty training! We began on a Friday, and since he didn’t have school on Monday, I took him out of school on Wednesday to make sure we could really focus. By the time Friday rolled around, he was ready.
With the method we used, we had to be home a lot, so that meant plenty of indoor crafts. I even got so desperate we did a living room paint session—thankfully, it’s all washable! 🙂
It snowed the entire day on Wednesday! Of course, none of it stuck. 
We still had the best time playing in it. Tux and Leo were LOVING it.
Makes me want to move somewhere with snow…
I walked away for one minute…
For dinner, we’ve been loving Milton’s Gluten-Free pizza. I like putting it in the air fryer, and it’s honestly one of the best frozen pizzas I’ve ever had. The crust is super crispy and airy.
Freshly squeezed orange juice! 🙂
I couldn’t find kumato tomato seeds, so I decided to dry them out myself! I’m going to plant them this week, so hopefully they work! It’s my first time drying my own seeds. I also did some with the butternut squash since I make so much soup! Fingers crossed they grow.
My mom came over to watch my son on Wednesday after he came home from school. I had to head out to my appointment to have the area on my skin removed following my diagnosis. It was a pretty intense procedure, so I’ll spare you the gruesome photos! I have a bunch of stitches that will be removed in a week. I’m crossing my fingers they got it all.
On Friday, I headed to Sephora to pick up some of the makeup recommendations from you guys. I actually ahd so much fun trying new products. I’m going to film a makeup video and share which ones I love the best. I’m switching to all clean beauty products.
I was so thirsty coming home from Target, and the blackberry refresher looked so yummy on the menu. I typically don’t order things like that, but I decided to go for it. I’m glad I did because it was amazing!!! I may just have to order it again.
I do want to share some exciting news—we are officially potty trained!
We’ve gone five days with no accidents, and he’s been so good about telling me when he has to go or just going to his toilet on his own. The first few days were rough, but it was so worth sticking to it. I can’t believe we did it! It took a solid ten days to get it down, but it’s harder on the parents because of the inconvenience than our kids.
We were out on a three mile walk when he told me he had to go, so into the woods we went lol
I’m so ready for some summer temps so I can spend the majority of our mornings outside! I get so sick of the same playroom scenery.
I’ve somehow managed to get him back out on walks in the afternoons after months of boycotting them! I pack his favorite snacks instead of giving him lunch beforehand, and we head out for a long walk. So far, it’s working! I feel so much better about getting out there too. 
On Sunday, I had the urge to tackle the closet and start decluttering. I managed to purge over 50% of my clothes that I no longer wear. I was able to donate them to some moms in need in our community, which always makes it easier to part with them. It feels good knowing they’re going to someone who truly needs them.
After hours of cleaning out the closet, we headed to our favorite spot, Ilios, for a meal and then made our way to Anne Springs to soak up the warm Sunday weather! It was the perfect way to unwind after a productive morning.
This boy is a nature loving kiddo! He loves the dirt, sticks, rocks, and anything to do with being outside. He definitely gets that from me. That is all I wanted as a kid.
On Monday morning, after school drop-off, I had my favorite go-to breakfast—an oatmilk chai tea—and did a little bit of computer work before finishing up the rest of the laundry and housework. Those few hours while he’s at school go by way too fast!
With the afternoon weather being almost 70 degrees, I did not let that kid come inside! We went straight from school to the park, then to his favorite chicken spot, Bossy Beulah’s. After that, we headed home to take care of the dogs, and then it was right back into the stroller for a walk to our neighborhood park. He doesn’t nap anymore, so that time in the stroller is his relaxing/quiet time. 
Of course, we had to bring our Leo!
Right now, I have a pot roast cooking in the Dutch oven, the windows open to enjoy this perfect 70-degree weather, and I’m about to catch up on one more load of laundry before we head outside to soak up the rest of the day! Somehow I’ve managed to hit 10k steps before noon today!
3. What is one meal you’ve been eating on repeat lately?
So excited to watch your makeup videos! I’m planning on getting pregnant soon and I’ve been trying to switch to cleaner household products. Clean beauty products is next on my list. Also, I’d love to see some more clean with me videos on YouTube. I used to watch them and they were SO motivating. Wishing you a speedy recovery from your procedure and many sunny days ahead!
Awe congrats! 🙂 Such an exciting time!
Those videos were so fun to shoot, but they took so long lol and I’m not sure I have that time anymore, but i’ll try!!!
Hi! Is your son night-time trained too? My daughter is about his age and she’s daytime trained but we are really struggling with nights 😭 if you have any tips I would love them. If you’re still doing pull ups at night like we are, solidarity!
Hi, Ashley!
He’s not. I don’t think he’ll have nighttime bladder control until around 4. He sleeps like a rock 7 to 7! We just do nighttime diaper.
Hello – jumping in here to add some tips! Nighttime is completely different than daytime……kids have some hormone that needs to be released to learn how to be toilet trained at night. So basically, they will learn when they are ready and for some kids can take way longer. My daughter was daytime trained for maybe 3 years before she ‘got’ the nighttime. One day I noticed she was dry and no accidents after that – so basically don’t force it, it will come in its own time. xxxx
Your weekly recaps are my favorite. They inspire me to do more with my toddler! Congrats on potty training.
Thank you 🙂
We live in PA, so the weather isn’t typically warm enough to walk outside (although, the last few days have been warm and LOVELY.) I work from home and have a walking pad and most days I am able to get between 10k – 20k steps.
Our meals on repeat have been slow cooker pot roast with extra veggies and air-fried salmon with the Costco PurVida veggies…they are soooo good!
Sounds exactly like the meals I’ve been having! thank goodness for the air fryer!!
If you have gluten issues, just make sure your lip cosmetics are gluten-free. I didn’t even think of that when I was diagnosed with Celiac disease, but luckily my lip balm is actually gluten-free.
Good to remember!!