Books and Shows, Clothes, Friday Favorites, Kids

Friday Favorites {#60}

Posted on March 26, 2021August 20, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hello!…and Happy Friday! Shew…I made it…It’s the Friday before Spring Break, and I’m ready for it. Only about seven hours remain before I can not set an alarm and not pack a school lunch. I’m hoping to spend the next week recharging, getting caught up on some of my favorite shows, having fun with the kids, and reading a bit more.

Before I can get to break, I’m recapping this week by linking up with Erika and Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Favorite Photo(s):

Since it was a new experience for us, and I was so proud of Hadley, her dance competition photos are my favorites from the week…

The professional ones are even better 😉

Favorite Moment:

My favorite moment from the week was receiving the kids’ 3rd quarter report cards. Both of them had awesome report card grades which earned them…

the red plate!

For Hadley, we celebrated her grades and dance competition performance. For Hayden, we celebrated grades, basketball championship win and the start of baseball season.

Favorite Food:

I tried a new recipe this week…Shay‘s Easy Shrimp Fried Rice. We devoured it. Easy and delish!

Favorite Clothing Item:

Ok…so I saw Shelby share this Target dress in her Insta Stories recently, and I bought it thinking it could be a good option for Easter. It arrived, and I was soooo pleasantly surprised.

When I went to take this photo, I realized the dress has pockets!!! So, not only is it pretty and flowy, the pockets make me so happy. I can even see myself wearing this to school with a cardigan or denim jacket to “dress it down” a bit.

I saw that the price dropped to just $20, so I ordered the mint one as well.

I finally realized I should tote my mirror to the sun room…best light in the house! duh!

Favorite Kid Quote:

On Monday night, Hadley was tired from all the weekend activities. She begged me to stay home from dance, and I said, “No!” As she left for class she said, “Don’t be surprised if you get a phone call saying I fell asleep in class!” #sassysincedayone

Then, when she arrived home, she came up the stairs and said , “I survived dance, but my dogs are barking!” 🤣 I was like, “Where have you heard that?” She said her dance teacher sometimes says that. Her delivery of the line was exasperated and so funny.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Even worse…I’m trying to get my kids to go to bed and then squeeze my adult life into one hour. I’m always ready for bed…and they never are!

This next meme is so very true!

A couple of funnies this week:

English teacher humor…

One of my colleagues had an extra one of these, so I added it to one of the walls in my classroom.

and…I started a Zoom meeting yesterday with a student to find this as my profile pic…

I’d been #Hadleyed.

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday (Dance Edition)

The competition last weekend has me taking a little stroll down dance recital memory lane…

2016 was the first year at Hadley took dance. She was in kindergarten and took a tap and ballet class. For the recital she was in two ballet routines.

After taking a two year hiatus to try gymnastics, Hadley was back at dance and took Hip Hop.

For her 2019 recital, she was in one hip hop routine.

Last year’s recital was postponed and then videoed in studio at the end of August 2020. In 2020, Hadley took ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop, so she had four routines (3 costumes) in last year’s dance recital.

This year she’s in ballet, tap, and jazz. She dropped hip hop to do competition because I told her something had to give…and if you’ve seen her Tik Tok moves (she doesn’t have Tik Tok…just looks up the videos), well, you know she’s pretty much mastered hip hop. haha

One More Fave!

The kids opened some fun mail on Wednesday, and to their surprise, they saw that we are on a book cover! A colleague of mine that I taught with at my previous school is now an author in her retirement years. Her latest story includes twins, so she asked if she could use a family photo (from 2014!) for her cover.

I haven’t read it yet, but I sure hope to dive into it soon.

Megan’s Miracles can be purchased on Amazon.

Weekly Recap:

I posted 5 days this week, y’all! That hasn’t happened in a hot minute. Here are my posts in case you missed one!

Lastly, with Easter a little over a week away, I thought I’d share my Easter gift ideas for kids one more time.

I still hope to post some next week even though it’s Spring Break, but I guess I will just see where the week takes me!

I hope you have a great weekend. See you soon.

{this post contained Amazon affiliate links…}

Friday Favorites, Holidays

Friday Favorites {#59}

Posted on March 19, 2021August 20, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Friday! Real Talk: this week kicked my tail. I don’t know if it’s because of Daylight Savings Time, the fact that this was our second full week of school, kids’ activities, or a culmination of all, but I’m tired. I feel like my family is probably tired of me saying, “I’m tired!” No rest for the weary…Hadley has her first ever dance competition tomorrow, so I’m adding “Dance Mom” to my resume!

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

As I occasionally do, I’m sharing the “small moments” and favorites of each day this week.

Sunday:

I made “special” green pancakes with Lucky Charms on Sunday as an early St. Patrick’s Day breakfast. These are always a favorite for the kids and…

Homer! I always make Homer a mini pancake when I serve those up from breakfast.

The kids in their spiffy church clothes is always a favorite. Hayden gets some great hand-me-downs from former neighbors, and I love Hadley’s new Matilda Jane dress.

It was chilly on Sunday, but cousin Wyatt came over for a session at the Travis White School of Baseball.

The best part was when Hayden pitched to him. Such a sweet moment…and made me realize how big Hayden is in comparison. I feel like it was just yesterday and he was just starting coach pitch like Wyatt is now.

Here he is in 2017:#sigh

Monday:

A highlight from Monday was that we finally have all the students back in the building! Grades 7, 8, 10, and 11 went back into their school buildings! It’s been fun to drive past schools and see the yard signs, lawn letters, and balloons with each school opening.

Tuesday:

Hayden has been asking about contacts for a few months. His annual eye exam is in mid-July, but we could tell his vision was worsening a bit. Travis had an appointment, so he scheduled one for Hayden. Hayden was pretty excited, but I know putting in contacts (and taking them out ) will take some time.

They were gone for almost two hours, and Travis texted, “This isn’t going well!” haha Right now, he’s still mostly wearing his glasses because we are lucky to get to school on time as is (and I joke that it’s a full time job getting Hadley away from the mirror in the morning let alone having him use it to put contacts in!)

With Spring Break right around the corner, he will have some slower mornings to practice getting those in. Right now, his fastest time is 25 minutes…and I’ve been taking them out for him.

While glasses can make you look distinguished, for some reason, without the glasses, he looks 16! Those blue eyes and big smile are always a favorite.

Wednesday:

St Patrick’s Day milkshakes were a favorite on Wednesday. I made the kids green milkshakes for their afternoon snack since we’d already had our St. Patrick’s Day meal a couple of weeks ago and the green pancakes on Sunday.

The kids will say their favorite part of the week was having the middle school counselors visit their classrooms. Hadley is so excited to have a locker, and Hayden seems pretty excited about middle school too. They heard all about classes, lockers, teachers, activities, and more! I can’t believe they will be in middle school next year. #Iamnotwell

Thursday:

Yesterday, my Happy Planner arrived. I love a planner but have not felt the need to have one since I rely pretty heavily on my phone calendar and my “to do” list note. Also, I write activities and meetings on my desk calendar at school. That being said, I saw the “Skinny Classic” planner was on sale (under $10!) because it goes July 2020-June 2021. I thought I’d try it out for the next couple of months before deciding if I’d like to purchase their “Classic” planner or even another “Skinny Classic” planner starting in July 2021. I just thought this would be a good place to jot down things I need to do, appointments, grocery necessities and more.

I feel like this planner is the perfect size for my purse….and you can purchase stickers to use in the planner! This Type A/Teacher/Mom was sold! I will let you know what I think about it soon!

Also, yesterday, was my monthly facial appointment. I always look forward to these appointments! Yesterday, I got dermaplane (my fave!) and a custom facial. She also used some kind of buzzy thing on my face to stimulate the collagen. I don’t ask any questions…I just say, “Whatever it takes to make me look 38 again!” #Im41 😉

Favorite Kid Quote:

Y’all, Hadley’s been giving me a run for my money since birth! The other night, I told her it was time to take a bath (I meant shower). She said, “Mom! Baths are for children. I’m a TWEEN!” 😂 Yes, yes she is!

Favorite Mom Meme:

Err’y day!

I dislike any kind of math…forward or backwards! I’ve mastered “backwards” math though…that’s for sure!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, here are the kids on St. Pat’s Day in 2015…

and…in 2018.(Let’s talk about the fact that Hadley was able to wear that shirt for 4 years!)

Weekly Recap:

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

Weekend Top 5

Tuesday Talk: Kids Easter Gift Ideas

Let’s Look

I hope you have a great weekend! Saturday is our action packed day! If you need me, I will be the one back stage figuring out costume changes, low buns, and bobby pins!

See you back here Monday for my favorite memes this month!

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#58}

Posted on March 12, 2021August 20, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hello! Well, we made it through a full week of school back in our buildings! Hayden and Hadley have been in school for a week and a half, and my school has had 9th and 12th graders back in the building this week. Next week, sophomores and juniors will be back, and we will just have two weeks until Spring Break.

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

Favorite Food:

Crepes! While my mom was visiting, she and Hadley made crepes, and we enjoyed them for dessert one night.

Favorite Pic:

GG with her grandkids! Both of my parents and my brother and sister-in-law are fully vaccinated. Travis has had his first dose, so we were able to start seeing out of town family again.

Favorite Moment:

The kids had their first (ever!) track meet on Sunday. The meet took place at an awesome facility in Louisville. The wake up time was early, but the meet was run so efficiently that we were home by early afternoon.

Of course, my kids are distance runners, but their coach encouraged them to try new events like shorter distances, and Hayden even tried the long jump! Hadley ran the 60m, the 200 and the 400. Hayden ran the 200, the 800, and did the long jump.

They did great overall and had fun! (and the grandmas were able to cheer them on!)

Another favorite moment was seeing school buses at my school on Monday! We’ve had a great week back. The 9th and 12th graders have been wearing their masks, arriving to class on time, and keeping their distance when they can.

Favorite Kid Quote:

At the track meet, Hayden and Hadley ran in the 11-12 year old age groups. So, there were some older kids (middle school!) running. After Hayden’s 800 race, he said, “Mom, I was running against ‘men’ with hair… ON their LEGS!” I couldn’t stop laughing.

Favorite Clothing Item:

I’ve had this long sleeve T-shirt on my Nordstrom list for quite some time. It arrived earlier this week, and I love it.

I ordered it in the Pink Paradise color. It’s perfect for wearing over my workout top, but I also think it will look cute front tucked with white denim! I love a shirt that’s versatile!

Favorite Mom Memes:

This was the first full week for Hayden and Hadley….and they had Read Across America dress up days….AND Wednesday was picture day. Thankfully the dress up days only entailed wearing a hat, stripes, and favorite color.

And…sigh! My kids are getting too old for these things, so I didn’t force the issue. On favorite color day, I laughed as they both got out of the car wearing head to toe gray and black. They take after their mother…haha

I enjoy cooking, and as I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I’ve relied on my slow cooker this week. Wednesday night’s “one pot” meal was really good, and I announced to everyone that they couldn’t have seconds because the leftovers were for dinner last night! I wanted to cook as few of days as possible.

A Couple More Faves:

Hadley teaching cousin Layla some ballet moves was very sweet!

No photo, but I was able to catch up with a good friend on Wednesday night. She brought over my (belated) birthday present which was so thoughtful, and we enjoyed some wine.

Lastly, Wednesday was Picture Day at school. I know it sounds silly, but I actually had the thought a few times while we were doing online learning that I’d be sad if there was no official 5th grade picture!

Hadley emailed me on Wednesday to tell me that 5th graders were the last students to get their pictures taken, and she hoped her hair would still be curly by the end of the day!

With St. Patrick’s Day next week, I thought I’d share my Corned beef and Cabbage recipe one more time. My favorite is actually the Irish Soda Bread I make. We already had this meal when my dad was visiting, so I doubt I will make it again even though it’s made in the slow cooker!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

I’m feeling nostalgic…This Read Across America Week photo from 2018 reminds me of when they were younger and all about the dress up days and activities.

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from this week!

Not Just a Mom: Fave Phone APPS

Currently

Thursday Thoughts

I think we have a somewhat low key weekend on tap which is just what we need after these last couple of busy weeks.

As always, thanks so much for stopping by. Have a great weekend.

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#57}

Posted on March 5, 2021August 20, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hello! Shew…this week has been exhausting. I’m so happy that it’s almost the weekend. I hope you’ve had a great first week of March. I saw this meme and thought it was very timely 😂

This week was nice with family visiting and beautiful weather, but with kids’ activities and return to in person learning, I feel like I usually feel those first few weeks of August! The “Back to School” exhaustion is real!

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

Today, I’m sharing a random assortment of favorites!

Travis made a “deal” with Hayden and and his friend that if they scored a combined 40 points in their four games last weekend, he’d buy them dinner. Their teams ended the weekend 3-1, and the boys scored a combined 43 points. Hayden was excited. The meal is still TBD, but it was fun to watch them play their games.

Sunday night, Hadley packed her lunch for the pod on Monday. I didn’t check on it until Monday morning, and saw that she’d packed Easter candy, a crumbled up chocolate Cliff bar, two Hawaiian rolls, pepperoni and…more pepperoni. The random assortment made me laugh.

The kids requested Air Fryer donuts on Tuesday morning. After I made them, I sat them on the counter with my coffee, and caught the sun light shining! So pretty…and the donuts were delish.

Homer had his yearly check up and shots this week. Pooks weighs almost 55 lbs…I honestly thought he’s weigh more than that. He’s certainly our favorite.

My dad usually visits around St. Patrick’s Day, so I typically make corned beef, cabbage, and Irish soda bread. While we still have a couple of weeks until March 17th, I went ahead and made our traditional feast on Tuesday since he was in town. Honestly, the Irish soda bread is my fave.

My dad visiting was a favorite of the week. He always asks for a pic with the kids all lined up on the front porch steps…and then my brother and I hopped in for a quick photo.

Due to Covid, we haven’t seen our Missouri family as often as we usually do. Now, it’s my mom’s turn to visit.

The final pod photo was also a favorite of the week. On Tuesday, the kids all had pizza for lunch, and then were sent home with fresh baked cookie and a sweet note from their pod teacher.

Our “Back to School” breakfast was a fave. Of course, that tradition is usually in August, but I decided to serve up donuts, yogurts, and juice boxes for their return to in person learning on Wednesday.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Hadley’s “Back to School” light up sign was so fun. She was definitely in the “back to school” spirit.

Hadley’s email to me on their first day back was the highlight of my week.

Then, I received the sweetest email from school with their photos! I missed them more than I thought I would on Wednesday. Of course, I was excited for them to get back to school, but we really have been together most days over the past year, so it felt odd not having them around.

My new New Balance shoes arrived this week, and they are definitely a favorite. I ordered them from Joe’s New Balance Outlet, and I’ve used that site before with great success. These are even cuter in person than I expected them to be…and I got them for a great price…(which is always a favorite!)

Favorite Mom Meme:

These memes cracked me up when I saw them this week…

This is SO true in my house!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday

This sweet pic of the kids playing at the park is from March 2013 is a favorite from the past. Hadley’s little pink Chucks are the best!

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from this week in case you missed one!

Girl Scout Cookies

March Prime Purchases

Return to In Person Learning

Monday is the Not Just a Mom link up, and the topic is Favorite Phone Apps. I hope you’ll link up if you’re a blogger!

This weekend, we have a few activities, my mom is visiting, and the weather looks very much like spring! See you back here on Monday.

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#56}

Posted on February 26, 2021August 20, 2021 by jgalvinwhite

Hey! Hey! We made it to Friday. I can’t get over the difference in weather in a matter of just one week. Last week, the kids were sledding and our streets were covered in ice and snow. This week, Hayden has been excited to wear shorts most days and both kids haven’t needed their winter coat!

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

As I occasionally do, I’m sharing the “little” moments as favorites this week. Here’s a look at some small, but meaningful, moments from the week: