Friday Favorites {#147}

Posted on February 24, 2023February 23, 2023 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Friday!

How was your week? We had a pretty good one…starting with a three day weekend which is always nice! Of course, our week included basketball, volleyball, dance, and schoolwork! Pretty typical as of late.

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are some favorites from the week:

Starting the week with no school on Monday was definitely a favorite for all of us. After being pretty lazy on Sunday, I was very productive on Monday. Also, the weather was so nice and Hadley was feeling better which meant the kids played outside with friends quite a bit.

On Monday, I finished the Beachbody program LIIFT 4. I really enjoyed it! It’s eight weeks of workouts, four days a week. I always feel accomplished after completing one of these programs.

On Monday, we baked our February cake, we made Shay’s Red Velvet Bundt Cake.

Like last month, Hadley did the baking and decorating. We actually did make homemade cream cheese icing, and Hadley did a fancy drizzle! Nothing Bundt Cakes better watch out!

Kind of random, but when I went to start this post, I realized that yesterday was my 750th blog post. That feels like quite the accomplishment! I still love writing posts when I can and am grateful to still squeeze in the time to write pretty frequently.

The weather this week has been glorious. I have so many windows, that it’s nice to have all the natural light…and have my classroom windows open when I can.

No photo, but Hayden had an important ortho appointment yesterday. Eight weeks from now, he gets to get his braces off. His treatment plan was for 2.5 years, and that will make it a couple of months past that. I can’t wait to see his new smile in just a couple of months. Hopefully, he will let me take a photo! 😂

Third time is the charm…I finally had dinner with my friend Natalie last night at one of my favorite Lexington restaurants. We’ve been trying to get together for over a month, but she was sick, then I was sick…and last night we finally got the chance to catch up.

Gnocchi is my favorite, and if it’s on the menu, then I always order it.

Favorite Mom Meme:

This feels very relatable right now. Nothing super out of the ordinary, but honestly, this past year has probably been one of the hardest phases of parenting. We’re all just trying our best around here.

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

I love this Facebook memory from 2014. Hayden was up past his bedtime, and I found him in his bedroom under his train table. The “funder” had scared him, so he got his construction worker hat with the light.

Just a sweet note: but when Hayden was little, he would call the electrical trucks “streamer trucks.” Finally, one day I asked him why he called them that and he said because the electrical wires look like streamers.

Too sweet.

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week in case you missed one:

What are your weekend plans? My kids have been counting down to Outer Banks season 3, and I think they plan on watching some (all?) of it tonight. This weekend, Hadley has her first dance competition of the season. I can’t wait to see her dances. She’s in four this year!

See you back here on Monday!

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#146}

Posted on February 17, 2023February 16, 2023 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Friday.

I’m not sure I’ve ever been more ready for a three day weekend than I am now!

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are some favorites from the week:

Favorite Pic:

I love this pic of the kids before the 7th grade dance last Friday. {Real talk: it took some convincing for one of these two to pose for a photo…I will let you guess who!)

Favorite Moment:

We were all so excited with the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl!

Favorite Food:

It may sound silly but these heart shaped nuggets hit the spot for our family Valentine’s Day dinner. Honestly, we only had a few minutes together, but we all loved nuggets and mac and cheese for our festive dinner.

Also, when the kids were decorating football cookies with my mom, she had a few heart cookies too. I decorated one and promptly ate it. It was cute and tasty!

Favorite Kid Quote:

During the 4th quarter of the very intense Super Bowl, Hayden kept checking his watch. Eventually, he told me that his heart rate was 110. He was stressed. haha

Other Faves:

How cute is the cross stitch that my mom made me? She knows I love the Golden Girls, and this was my Valentine’s Day gift.

Hadley had a big day of volleyball last Saturday. She’s playing a short season of volleyball on a club team. She had three games on Saturday. They came up short in the championship game, but they’ve only had a couple of practices. It will be fun to see them progress over the next few weeks.

Basketball has continued for Hayden. Actually, his middle school season is almost over which is hard to believe. He had two games this week, and I was able to go to his game Wednesday night which was a really good one.

My Valentine’s Day card for T-rav was a favorite. He has always written my name in bubble letters. haha

How cute is this filly that was born at Trav’s work this week…born right before Valentine’s Day with a white heart on her head.

Not a fave was being sick this week, but I did get to watch two cute movies. One Fine Day is one of my all time faves…and then I also watched Your Place or Mine. I have about thirty minutes left of it, but it was cute.

Favorite Mom Meme:

This one made me chuckle. I do love a family game night when we can…but I usually have to put a time limit on it from the beginning.

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

I remember taking this pic in 2017 before Hadley went to the her first dad/daughter dance with Travis. I joked that I’d hoped it wasn’t what foreshadowing prom 2027 with Hadley out and about and Hayden at home. haha

Well, I blinked and they went to the 7th grade dance. This was definitely a timely memory.

Weekly Recap:

I was back on track with posting this week.

What are your weekend plans? Honestly, we don’t have a ton going on. Well, this evening and tomorrow we have plans…but then not much on Sunday or Monday!

I hope you have a great weekend.

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#145}

Posted on February 10, 2023February 9, 2023 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Friday! I don’t think I’ve been so ready for a weekend in a long time.

You know I try to be positive, but shew…my first favorite is that this week is almost over. I’ve been at school most days until past 5:30, we’ve had busy evenings, and we’ve all taken turns not feeling 100%.

Anyway, as always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are a few favorites from the week:

Hadley helped me with a big Save-a-lot shopping trip to get snacks for the after school credit recovery session I was in charge of this week at school. We had two carts full of snacks.

We had lots of basketball over the past week. Besides Hayden’s regular season games, his team also played in a tournament this past weekend. Their team is fun to watch.

Favorite photo:

…and the team and individual pics came in this week too. I love this one of Hayden.

Favorite kid quote:

The kids’ school is doing a fund raiser for school improvements, and it’s the one where it sends out email blasts asking for donations. My brother’s text to Hadley was so funny…as was her response!

Kids these days will never know about selling coupon books. haha

Favorite recipe:

I tried a new recipe this week. This Cheeseburger Pasta recipe was a quick, easy, and delicious weeknight meal. We even had some for leftovers last night.

Favorite Mom Meme:

My kids are eating me out of house and home. I just go to the grocery once a week, and by the time I go, we really need more food.

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday

This isn’t that far back of a “throwback,” but I was changing out my sports pics at school…Hayden in 6th grade vs. 7th grade just blows my mind. I know he’s growing up, but the side by side comparison shocked me!

Also, in honor of the Chiefs going back to the Super Bowl, here’s a throwback to 2020 with our little Chiefs fans before the 2019 season win.

Weekly Recap:

It was a short blogging week for me, but I joined a couple of link ups:

February Amazon

Let’s Look

Not Just a Mom:

On Monday, we have our second Not Just a Mom link up of the year, and the topic is: house rules.

If you have a blog, we’d love to have you join us!

What are your weekend plans? The kids have the 7th grade dance and Hadley has volleyball.

Then, of course, we’ll be cheering on the Chiefs this Sunday! Fingers crossed for a Super Bowl win…or no one will want to be around Hayden on Monday. haha

Friday Favorites, Kids, Meals and Recipes

Friday Favorites {#144}

Posted on February 3, 2023February 2, 2023 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Friday!

This week was super busy, but it did include a snow (icy) day! Now, I think we have milder temps on the way.

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are some favorites of the week:

Hadley and I baked a cake last Friday. We’re trying to make a cake a month, and this was our first one of the year. Hadley did most of the work, including decorating it. We made this Chocolate Chip cake, and it was really good.

On Saturday morning, we went to my nephew’s basketball game. He did such a good job, and his sister did some cheers at halftime!

My brother gave my niece his phone, and then sent me this selfie she took. Too funny.

On Sunday, Hayden had an indoor track meet in Louisville. With basketball going on, he has only been running a couple of days a week, but still had a PR in the mile.

Of course, my household was super excited with the Chiefs big win! We are close to Bengals country, so that made this win even more exciting. We can’t wait to cheer on the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

Snow day pancakes on an icy Tuesday morning hit the spot!

Hayden’s basketball team is off to a solid start. They had two wins this week!

Fave Mom Meme:

This made me laugh…but it also reminded me that I want to pick up a couple of things for the kids for Valentine’s Day.

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday

With Hayden’s basketball season starting up, I love this 3rd grade throwback to these two cute ballers. This is the year that Travis coached Hadley’s team to the championship victory! Hayden was on a team with a great group of kids too.

Weekly Recap:

Well, I continued with Bloganuary on the weekends, so I have a full week of posts:

I guess my blogging streak of 33 posts is coming to an end. I enjoyed tackling some Bloganuary posts on the weekends this month. Honestly, I have a bit more time to blog on the weekends, but readership is down on the weekend, so obviously, Monday-Friday blogging makes the most sense. Who knows, maybe I’ll throw in a random weekend post every now and then.

What are your weekend plans? Hadley has some fun planned with her friends tonight, and Hayden has basketball this weekend. I’m not sure what else we’ll do. See you back her Monday for my Amazon purchases this month.

Have a great weekend!

Friday Favorites, Me

Friday Favorites {#143}

Posted on January 27, 2023January 27, 2023 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Friday!

How was your week? Ours was pretty good. I feel like we are finally back in a pretty good routine after break…it always takes a few weeks to get back on track.

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Y’all, for the first time ever, on a Friday, I don’t have much to share. I mean, we did things…but I didn’t really document. Hadley tried out for a club volleyball team and is excited about her team.

Hayden had his first 7th grade basketball game, but I only took a few pics and they are mostly blurry. Oh well. I try to just enjoy the game most of the time anyway.

I thought I’d do something a little different and share some of my favorites.

I feel like this month I’ve shared a bit more about only me thanks to the Bloganuary challenge and my other blog post topics…so let’s keep that going, I guess.

I saw this on Pinterest and thought it looked fun!

Favorite gum: I don’t chew gum.
Favorite candy or treat: My sweet tooth is a real problem. I love a mini snickers or scoop of ice cream.
Favorite emoji: I feel like this one is pretty much on brand for my life right now: 🫠
Favorite color: My house is mostly gray, cream, and hints of light turquoise
Favorite ice cream: Mint Chocolate Chip (and peppermint during the holidays)
Favorite breakfast: cream of wheat
Favorite store or brand: Besides Amazon, I love Target.
Favorite season: FALL!
Favorite dinner: pasta!
Favorite dessert: Rice Krispie treat
Favorite sport: I love watching most sports…college basketball and NFL are usually my top two. I love watching Hadley play volleyball. I love watching Hayden run. I love having an MLB (KC Royals if I can) game on in the background while at home.
Favorite activity: reading (and napping. haha)
Favorite way to spend a Saturday: not waking up to an alarm, watching my kids play a sport or activity, spending time at home
Favorite song: Luke Combs’ Going, going, gone
Favorite subject: English (obviously)
Favorite magazine: People
Favorite book: too many to count!
Favorite band or music: country
Favorite flower: peonies or hydreangeas
Favorite team or player: Chiefs
Favorite restaurant: y’all…I love Jason’s Deli for something quick. As far as a family restaurant, I love Puccini’s, and for a nicer restaurant, I love OBC Kitchen and Carson’s. (all local places)
Favorite place(s): San Diego, CA, Siesta Key, FL, and Charleston, SC
Favorite movie: The Parent Trip (original)
Favorite game: Wheel of Fortune on tv, but as a family I like most any game except Taco, Goat, Cat, Pizza

What are some of your favorites?

Favorite Mom Meme:

Relatable, right?

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

2014 …the first time the kids went sledding. We had that red saucer until last year…it was the best on the snow…until one of them ran over a big rock! #bigkidsdoingtricks

Weekly Recap:

I’m on a roll posting in January thanks to Bloganuary.

What are your weekend plans? We have no real plans tonight or tomorrow night. Hayden has a race on Sunday, and then we’ll cheer on the Chiefs. Let’s hope Mahomes’ ankle holds up. #fingerscrossed

I will have a post tomorrow too. I’m joining the Share 4 Somethings link up, and then I might as well share a Bloganuary post on Sunday to round out the month.

Thanks so much for reading.

Friday Favorites, Uncategorized

Friday Favorites {#142}

Posted on January 20, 2023January 19, 2023 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Friday! YaY for the weekend!

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Like last week, we had a pretty slow week with not much in the evenings. That’s all about to change starting next week, but it was good while it lasted.

Anyway, here are some favorites from the week.

I stumbled upon Chris Harrison’s new podcast: The Most Dramatic Podcast, and I’ve really enjoyed the first few episodes. I used to love the Bachelor and Bachelorette and watched it pretty faithfully through the years. I haven’t watched it in a few years even before Chris left. I follow him and his fiancée on Instagram, and they seem like such a fun couple.

Anyway, the first couple of episodes were pretty serious talking about why he left the Bachelor franchise and what he’s been up to (and thinking, feeling, doing) during that time. Episode two, he brings his fiancée Lauren on, and she shares her thoughts and what they’ve been up to. Then, the third episode was mostly filled with fans calling in with questions which I really enjoyed too. It’s been a good new podcast to fill the time on my walks.

Santa put Scrabble Slam in Hayden’s stocking, and Hadley and I played it the other night. I love games that are quick and only need a couple of people. That way, we can try to play when we have a few moments. Travis joined us for a couple of rounds too. To start, you think of a four letter word and put those cards on the table. Then, you split the remaining cards amongst the other players. After everyone gets their cards, you say, “Ready, set, slam!” and start putting down cards to make other four letter words until you run out of cards. At one point, I told Hadley I felt sorry for her because she’d never beat me. Then, she beat both Travis and me the round that he played. haha

I got a new lunch idea this week, and I’m obsessed. With this meal prep, a little goes a long way, and I had enough for three lunches…and only a four day week! It’s Banza rice, romaine/arugula, chopped cucumbers, grilled chicken, edamame, and then some Asian dressing. I picked the Panera brand from Kroger. For lunch, I heated up the chicken, rice, and edamame and added it to my bowl of lettuce and cucumbers. Then, I drizzled it with the dressing. Easy, delish, and healthy.

How cute is this bag that my friend got me for my birthday? We share a love of the Golden Girls. I’m using it as pencil bag (with sticky notes, highlighter, etc) for my school bag.

I always have dry skin in January. Then, I always remember to do a better job moisturizing and feel better by February. Haha

Anyway, Amy shared this Jergens Weightless Wet Skin moisturizer a few weeks ago, and I found it at Target. You apply it before toweling off. I’ve been using it, and it’s helped my skin so much.

Favorite Kid Quote:

Remember the jar with slips of paper my kids gave me for my birthday? Everyone knows I’m not a big hugger. Of course, I hug my kids and Travis (and others!)…it’s just not my natural inclination to hug all the people. Anyway, at bed the other night, Hadley gave me a big hug and then whispered in my ear, “There are lots of these in the jar I made.” and I literally LOL’d. 😂

Favorite Mom Meme:

Why is this always the case? Lol

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday

2013.

Besides Hadley’s Hello Kitty necklace and the little sticker on Hayden’s hand, I remember the kids coming home from the sitter and them thinking they were a princess and prince in their little crowns. Too cute.

Weekly Recap:

I’ve even been blogging on the weekends! I’ve enjoyed some of the Bloganuary topics along with my regular content.

Books that Changed My Life

Thursday Thoughts: It’s the Little Things

What are your weekend plans? On Saturday, we’ll be cheering for Hayden at his first basketball scrimmage of the season, and then we’ll be cheering for the Chiefs on Saturday afternoon as well. Otherwise, I have a few errands and a bit more of the house to put back together post-Christmas. Sigh — I’m still working on getting things back to “normal.”

I will probably post on Saturday and Sunday too!

As always, thanks for reading.

Friday Favorites, Kids

Friday Favorites {#141}

Posted on January 13, 2023January 12, 2023 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Friday! We’ve had a good week, but I’m always ready for Friday…especially with a three day weekend on the horizon.

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are a few favorites from the week:

I feel like I don’t have many pics this week, and that’s because January really is a slower month. Hayden has basketball practice every day after school, but no games yet. Hadley is still dancing a couple of days a week, and both kids are running a bit to get/stay in shape for track season. That being said, we haven’t had much going on in the evenings which has been a favorite.

Favorite food:

Michelle (@ellerydesigns)shared that she’d been eating avocado toast, and it sounded so good. I’d never had Dave’s Killer Bread, but I added it to my Kroger order along with some avocados. I’ve had this a couple times this week with an over easy egg on top. So good!

I feel like I’m always begging everyone to get to the dinner table. One night this week, I said that dinner was ready, and look who was the first one in the kitchen? I turned around and saw this sweet face. He stays begging for food.

Hadley and friends went to their first middle school dance last weekend. It was more like a “mixer” since it was informal, but there was a DJ and games, and these girls had fun. With Hadley’s permission, I worked the front entrance to check ID badges, and it was fun seeing so many kids at their first middle school dance…even the 8th graders had never had one.

Hayden opted to go to a basketball game with his friend. haha

With track season in a couple of months, Hadley has wanted to go into the season in a bit better running shape. I’ve done a good job getting back to working out. That being said, I was going to have a rest day on Sunday, but Hadley convinced me to take her to the gym. Well, if she was going to be there, then I would take advantage of some time on the elliptical. She’s apparently my accountability partner. haha

She’s actually gotten up a couple of mornings these past couple of weeks to go to the gym with Travis before school. Hayden gets up and runs a couple of mornings as well since he has basketball practice after school.

A friend of mine adopted a baby, and a few friends are collecting books for her new little one. Hadley went to the bookstore with me, and she had a great time picking out some Valentine’s Day books as well as some “classics” that she remembers having on her bookshelf when she was little.

After a doctor’s appointment yesterday, I treated myself that afternoon with a mani and some mint chocolate chip ice cream…my favorite.

Favorite Mom Meme:

This is soooo true.

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday

I’ve shared this January 2010 pic before, but then…

…these pics with the kids in their first little monogrammed outfits also popped up this week.

Weekly Recap:

Well, this month has been my busiest blogging month since I’m posting on the weekends too 🙂

Blog Challenge Part 4

What are your weekend plans? Tomorrow is my birthday, and we have dinner plans. I’m hoping to go see a movie this weekend too!

I hope you have a great weekend.

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#140}

Posted on January 6, 2023January 6, 2023 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Friday!

Shew the first week back after break…#IYKYK

It’s been a great week, but we are ready for a pretty slow paced weekend…which is one of the things I love about the month of January.

It’s great to be back linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are some recent favorites:

When I shared my Christmas decorations, I didn’t share the cross stitch my mom made because it wasn’t back from getting framed yet. Over the past year, she made of these Santa cross stitches for both my sister-in-law and me. It’s super cute, and as I went to pack up my Christmas decor, I realized I hadn’t shared it yet.

Hadley’s volleyball photos *finally* came in right after the season ended, and I couldn’t love them more. It’s her first official (professional) photo without her braces.

I picked up this Ramen bowl at TJ Maxx as a Christmas gift for Hadley. As soon as I saw it, I knew she’d love it. Well, the night we got back from KC she couldn’t wait to use it. Insert a run to Walgreens for Ramen, and Hadley made her own dinner!

One of my favorite gifts from Travis is this cedarwood wick candle. I’ve seen them on some websites, but I didn’t know they had them at Kroger. Apparently, that’s where Travis got this one. It smells so good, and the flame flicker sound is so soothing.

I spent Christmas money on some new shoes, and they arrived yesterday! I have two pairs of Golden Goose sneaks, but have heard great things about Shu Shop. I wanted to try this Paz style and decided to try the Shu Shop. Well, I’ve only had them for a night, so I can’t give a full review…but the minute I slipped them on my feet, I knew they were more comfy (less stiff) than my GG. This is the pair I got, and I got my regular size 9.

2023 Reading

Trav’s cousin shared this on Facebook, and I think I may try it for a reading plan this year. I’m not going to be strict about it. I think I will just go with the flow and see how the year progresses. That being said, feel free to share book suggestions…especially with the bottom row!

It just looks like a great way to pick and choose books…change things up a bit.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Y’all, we’re still in the post-Christmas organization process and I’m really hoping we *all* get the house back together this weekend.

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

It’s the pinchy cute cheeks and pigtails for me!

I always love when this January 2013 photo pops up of the kids.

Weekly Recap:

The last week for the year is typically a quiet blogging week. That being said, I shared some of my favorite posts of the year:

Christmas Recap

Top 5 Books of 2022

2022 Blogging Recap and Fave posts

2022: Year in Review

Here are this week’s posts:

Bloganuary:

Well, you might receive a few extra posts from me this month. In December, WordPress shared the “Bloganuary” writing challenge, and I’ve been receiving the prompts. I pretty much have my Monday-Friday content, but I might give some of the prompts a shot on the weekends.

Since I’m always planning and taking quite a bit of time to write my regular posts, I just thought it might be nice to write a bit more informally every once in a while.

Not Just a Mom:

On Monday, we’ll have our first Not Just a Mom post of 2023!

Here are our topics for the year. We’d love for you to join us the second Monday of every month.

What are your weekend plans? I might just be in my pjs by 7:00 tonight! We don’t have a ton going on this weekend, and I’d like to get some errands run and get this house back in order.

Thanks so much for reading.

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#139}

Posted on December 16, 2022December 16, 2022 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Friday! We made it! After today, we’re on a two week break.

This week has been filled with many tests at school for my kids, activities, science fair projects and more! I feel like we had to plan out every second of our evenings for studying, schoolwork, and activities. Anyway, we made it to the weekend (and break for some).

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are some favorites from the week.

While it’s not a favorite that the volleyball season is over, it’s been a favorite to watch Hadley play these last couple of months. I told her that I’ve never been happier that she took a leap of faith and tried something (newish) to her. This team was so fun to watch, they supported each other, and they all improved so much!

Trav’s work had their Christmas party on Saturday. The kids let me snap a pic before we left…

…and then we got a pic with Santa at the party. It was a nice evening, and Travis has been at this farm for 15 years. They always speak a bit about the employees at the five, ten, fifteen, etc. year milestone. Of course, we’re proud of all of his hard work!

Both kids needed others to help them get their science project data. Hayden chose to focus on resting heart rate/heart rate of kids who play various sports. Hadley baked cookies for three different times to see which time makes the “best” cookie. So, the runners were able to eat cookies after that part of the science experiment. No cookies before running!😆

They finished their projects last night. We are happy to check this off our list.

I had told Travis not to worry about outside Christmas lights because I’d been striking out finding my Trader Joe’s garland and just really hadn’t had the time to tackle the outdoors. Well, I found some on Friday after school, so I told him I changed my mind about wanting lights outside. Thankfully, he obliged and took creative license with the extra strand of garland. He put in on the railings and added lights there too. I’m glad we made this happen. Now we are festive both inside and outside.

Look who was comfy and cozy inside…looking oh so merry 😂

I don’t have a pic, but on Tuesday the hospitality and culinary arts classes hosted teachers for lunch. We had a choice of two dishes that were served with salad and dessert. Well, I didn’t know that it was going to be such a formal occasion. I arrived to a dimly lit classroom, a hostess who seated me, black table cloths, tea lights, and fancy dinnerware. My vegetable lasagna was so good, and it was the best experience. I told them that the ambience was “giving proposal vibes” and that they’d outdone themselves.

Narci shared that she was making Santa pics again this year. Even though my kids are older, I still love putting these in frames during the holiday season.

The package included three images, and this one is my fave!

Y’all. The fact that I have wrapped presents this “early” in the season is some kind of Christmas miracle and certainly a favorite. I love having a little something under the tree now.

When Amy shared her Christmas traditions post, I remembered how much I like the idea of displaying our Christmas cards from previous years. Anyway, I need to find some of those, but in the meantime, I went to put a few cards in our card basket, and decided to pin a few on the arches that I have on the entryway table. It’s a festive touch and nice way to see some of the cards. Maybe next year this is where I will put our cards from years past.

Favorite Mom Meme:

This was basically my Monday. (kidding, kind of)

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

How cute is Hadley elf in 2015? Never trust a toothless elf! 😉

Weekly Recap:

I blogged all week. Here are my posts:

Not Just a Mom

Holiday This or That

Let’s Look

Blog Challenge Part 3

What are your weekend plans? We have a few festive things going on including a couple of get togethers, possibly some cookie baking, and I would definitely like to watch a holiday movie or two.

See you back here on Monday.

Friday Favorites, Kids

Friday Favorites {#138}

Posted on December 9, 2022December 8, 2022 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Friday!

Wow! I feel like this week flew by. Did you feel that way too?

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Favorite Moment:

Last Friday, we headed to Knoxville because Hayden had a race on Saturday. This was the final race of club season, and he was running in the AAU National Championship.

Last year, the race was in Paris, KY, closer to home….but we’d had tons of rain which provided for a very muddy course.

2021:

While Knoxville wasn’t that muddy, it was muddy enough that Travis taped his runners’ spikes on their feet with duct tape. #protip.

2022:

When we were figuring out what time we needed to be there, I confirmed with Travis who said, “No, that’s when the 11-12 year olds run.” I looked at him confused, and he said, “Hayden is 13!” Well, I guess I’d forgotten that…and also didn’t realize he’d already bump up in age.

Hayden ran a great race and was one second off of a PR. That being said, the conditions and course was harder than where he ran the PR. Travis said he was probably 20-30 seconds faster than the PR race. Needless to say, we were proud of his effort and he placed 34th.

Thomson Training has running groups in Louisville, northern KY and Travis coaches one of the Lexington groups. He was proud of all of his runners. (only a few pictured below)

…and the 13-14 boys were the National Champions!

…and Thomson Training won overall National Champs!

So proud of all the runners, and Hayden capped off his season with a great performance.

Favorite Pic:

I love these pics of Hayden and Travis. It’s been so fun to watch Hayden improve while Travis has been by his side.

Fave pit stop:

On the way home from Knoxville, we stopped at Buc-ees because Travis and Hayden had never been. We picked up lots of snacks!

Favorite Food(s):

Hadley had told me about these cookies (I joked that they are when Pinterest and Tik Tok collide), and she made them on Sunday. You just buy the “break and bake” chocolate chip cookies, press them down, and add the Christmas sugar cookie on top. She wanted to find the Christmas tree ones, but all we found were elf hats.

Anyway, they were cute and tasty!

I made a bit stop in Trader Joe’s this week to pick up fruit…and realized I hadn’t shopped for some of my favorites yet this holiday season.

Last year, I missed out on Jingle Jangle, so I was happy to see they still had it in stock. The “Step Up to the Bar” mix and the mini iced gingerbread people are my two faves. I usually pick up Peppermint Joes, but decided to try these chocolate covered ones…they are so good too!

Favorite Kid Quote:

The other day, I picked Hayden up from school. As I turned into the median to merge, there was a car in the right lane. Hayden looked out the window, smiled, and said, “What’s up dog?” I didn’t think anything of it until I passed the car, and there was a miniature pinscher in the lady’s lap. I literally laughed out loud. I didn’t realize when he said that that there was an actual dog in the car. haha

Favorite Clothes:

Did you see my post on Wednesday? I can’t wait to wear my new sweater and cropped faux leather pants ASAP.

Favorite Mom Meme(s):

I do think this is what causes some of my anxiety/stress. Having kid with a November birthday followed by Christmas is always just a lot!

Hadley always wins for most amount of laundry…and I swear even if she wears something for a half hour, it goes in the laundry. Hayden probably does have a few things that just fall off the hangers into the dirty clothes!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

Have I ever shared this pic before? I don’t think I have? It always pops up this week in my Facebook memories. While Hayden came home from the hospital with us, Hadley stayed in the NICU for 13 days. Travis had gone with Hadley to the NICU right after she was delivered. I remember Travis and the dr. at my bedside while I was in recovery. The dr. said she’d probably be in the NICU for 12-14 days. Well, on day 13 she came home, and we were officially a family of four…at home.

Hayden weighed 4 lbs, 7 oz, and Hadley weighed 4 lbs. I had them at 36 weeks, and did think they’d weigh a bit more based on my appointments and ultrasounds in weeks leading up to their arrival.

Anyway, Sis has always been the sassy and self-sufficient one, and I think it’s because she started off being a fighter.

Weekly Recap:

I had a busy blogging week! Here are my posts:

Not Just a Mom:

On Monday, we have our final Not Just a Mom post of 2023!

This month’s topic is Loving Lately. If you have a blog, we’d love to have you join us on Monday.

What are your weekend plans? We have volleyball and a holiday party this weekend. We’re also hoping to tackle the science fair projects. *sigh* They get a bad rap…I know we need science (obviously), but for me it’s the timing. They are always due right after break. If they could do them in January, I swear I wouldn’t complain like I do. It’s just one more *big* task to tackle in an already busy season. (They do the work themselves, but they still need to get organized, buy supplies, type, print, organize the board, and more!)

One week from today starts our break…and I can’t wait. I keep telling myself, “I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.”

See you back here on Monday for Not Just a Mom. Thanks so much for reading.