Happy Monday, loves! I hope you had a nice October weekend and maybe participated in a few fun fall activities. I’m personally feeling really refreshed this morning after a much-needed weekend full of family time and no set plans.
On Friday morning Jamie and I were texting back and forth about how we were both craving some laid-back family fun and a break from our routines – him from a mound of computer documents and me from the monotonous routine of laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning, etc. I love being a mom more than anything else in the whole wide world, but I was definitely feeling a little run down by the end of last week and needed a pick-me-up.
We were both pretty lethargic Friday afternoon, but we decided that fresh air would make us feel much more mentally energized than an evening laying on the couch (like we were tempted to do). We ate an early dinner, dressed the girls in warm clothes, and headed to the Konza Prairie to watch the sunset. It was so perfect.
We put the girls in carriers and hiked a short 15 minutes uphill to an area that we could sit and watch the sunset. There were the nicest people also in the same spot watching the sunset who offered to take a few pictures, and we gladly took them up on their offer.
Hadley was squealing and so tickled by the fact that she was actually watching the sun disappear right before her eyes.
I love this munchkin so much, words don’t touch it. She is so precious to me.
Hadley is still pretty petite in weight at 28.5 pounds, so she fits quite comfortably on Jamie’s back in our Ergo carrier (I carried Sadie in the Moby wrap.) Jamie was being goofy while we were going up and down the trail, and Hadley just giggled her little heart out. It was so precious to watch! I know she thinks her dad is the absolute best.
The temperature on this particular night was sitting right around 50, and we were in Heaven. This free family fun was exactly what we wanted and needed.
On Saturday afternoon we took advantage of a quiet day and decided to hunker down at home, watch football, and relax. We knew Sunday would be gorgeous just like Saturday was, so on a whim we scheduled our babysitter for the next day for a few hours so that we could go enjoy some adult time.
There’s an incredible winery (Liquid Art) that just opened up in July right around the corner from our house (literally 4.5 miles!) that we’d been dying to try, so we asked some of our best friends to tag along and had the most fun double date. We hadn’t been on a double date with them since before Jamie’s deployment, so it was a much-appreciated few hours to kick back and relax, knowing all four of our kiddos were in good hands.
Before we left for our date on Sunday, I was talking with my mom on the phone about how I felt a little guilty spending money on a sitter and on our afternoon activity, but she cheered for us when she heard we were going on a date and then offered the most welcomed perspective. Just a couple hours before our date we had a $140 grocery haul delivered (Hyvee Aisles Online for the win!), but we didn’t think twice about it. My mom explained that just like groceries are essential, so is good quality time away with your spouse to recharge and relax.
Just like I need groceries for my physical needs, I need some R&R for my mental needs so that I can then move forward as a better wife and mom. I couldn’t agree with her more and felt much happier about leaving the girls for a bit and spending that money on a fun afternoon.
Edited 10:40 a.m. CST 10/10/16: The owner of the online boutique, Uncoded Era, where I purchased the bell sleeve black and white blouse above would like to offer 30% off their ENTIRE site now their 10/24/16 at 11:59 p.m. EST using the code WHIMSICALSEPT. Wheeeee. 🙂 Happy shopping!
What are some of your favorite mood boosters? Time outdoors and time away with my husband are absolutely two of my tip top “cure alls”. I’d love to hear yours!
Hi! I’m Erica, and I absolutely adore sharing my life on this website with you! I come here almost daily to blab about all of the things related to being a regular wife and mother in today’s ever-evolving society. I share about our new home, what’s on our kitchen table, what we’re hanging in our closets, where we’re traveling to next, my crazy 5 a.m. work outs, how I make time for girlfriends, our faith, and much more. We always have a lot of balls in the air and somewhat thrive on the chaos. I believe in the power of story-telling as a form of inspiration and entertainment, so I’m here to do both! I was born and raised in north Alabama and recently re-planted roots here again after my husband transitioned out of the Army (he is now in the Reserve and it’s going so well!) I’m a super proud mom to three little girls (ages 7, 4, and 1) who seem to be the stars of the show around here (for good reason – they’re pretty great!) I’m so glad you found me and are here reading! I hope we can get to know each other here on the blog as well as Facebook and/or Instagram. xoxo