Tag: track

Posted in Friday Favorites, Kids, School

Friday Favorites {#261}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello Friday but let’s slow down summer!

How was your week? Ours was really good. Some mornings, the kids have slept in; some mornings they’ve gone to sports performance training. We’ve been to the pool a bit. Hadley had a sitting job, volleyball, and pool time. Hayden has power washed for a few people, gone golfing, and continues to run. So, every day has been different, but we’re settling into a bit of a routine.

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

With this first full week of summer under our belts, I have a lot of favorites to share:

Last Friday, we celebrated my niece’s birthday! She’s 8 and oh so cute. We had cake…

…and then kids swam in the pool for a bit. It was a lovely Friday night.

Saturday was the state track meet, and Hadley ran in the 4×200 relay and the 400m race. When the kids started this season, we truly had no clue what to expect. Of course, with every race, they do their best, but qualifying for state is different than qualifying in middle school. Hayden was a very supportive brother for both of Hadley’s races, and she also had a lot of family there cheering her on.

Her relay had a PR and placed 7th overall, and she ran a solid 400, placing 8th. She’d hoped to break 1:00 in the 400; she was close, but fell short of that. The top 8 receive medals, so I think earning a medal for both races eased her mind a bit. No matter what, it was such an amazing experience for her to run those races as a freshman coming out of one of the toughest regions. Hayden had an awesome season as well.

We were blessed with some amazing photos…a friend of my brother-in-law’s is a photographer for a local news outlet and took these photos of Hadley to share with us:

…and…one of the kids’ friends and teammates has some serious photography skills. She took these pics which I love.

Hadley with her bling:

It was a beautiful morning for a track meet…and then it was time for Railbird.

After the meet, we made a pit stop at Chipolte because my girl was hungry and she went home to shower and change for the Railbird music festival. She was gone from 3:00-11:00 hanging with friends and listening to some of her favorite country music artists.

Also, how brave is she? We ordered these boots last minute, and she wore them to the festival. Who breaks in new boots while on her feet for eight hours? This girl! haha

Oh the things we do when we’re young! Also, bonus — we wear the same shoe size!

Sunday was fun as we went to a graduation party…and the sweet graduate is headed to MIZZOU this fall. What a small world.

My mom came to visit, and we went to First Watch for breakfast before she headed out on Tuesday morning. The avocado toast I ordered was delish, but even better was the “Watermelon Wake Up” juice that I ordered. 10/10 recommend!

On Wednesday, Hayden caddied a round of golf for his friend who was playing in a tournament. It was a hot day, but I know he had so much fun.

While Hayden was on the course, Hadley was driving me around town. She drove me to Hobby Lobby, so I could check out their bulletin board paper selection. So, because of Tik Tok, I’m just now realizing that Hobby Lobby has quite a few school/teaching supplies! This roll of cute polka dot paper is exactly the width of the bulletin board. My mind is blown. I’ve always used the rolls of paper that we have at school, and you end up having to overlap the paper. Please know, that the last time I put up a bulletin board was five years ago…and I won’t do another one for a few years. High school teachers are very different than elementary teachers. haha!

I’m changing rooms for the upcoming school year, and Travis helped me move my stuff on Tuesday. After Hobby Lobby, Hadley drove us to Chipolte (she loves a burrito!) and then to school where she helped me put up my new bulletin board. My August self will thank me later! That being said, I’m finished thinking about school for now!

I added a few June reading trackers to my Instagram highlight. Please feel free to use them and tag me. I love sharing what others are reading.

I was out front watering my ferns and flowers, and noticed that I have two pretty blooms on my hydrangea bush. Hydrangeas and peonies are my fave flowers in the summer.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Hello, summer!

Share Our Lives:

It’s hard to believe but we’re almost halfway through 2025…and we have another Share Our Lives link up…We’re sharing unique things about where you live. I can’t wait to read those posts.

Weekly Recap:

This was a fun week of blogging for me:

Monthly Moments
Summer Reading List
Target Tuesday
Wednesday HOdgepodGe

I hope you have a lovely June weekend.

Posted in Friday Favorites, Home Updates, Kids

Friday Favorites {#255}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your week? I’m not going to lie…this one felt like a doozy…so I’m definitely feeling TGIF!

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

Here are some favorites from the week:

Easter fun!…

…and a lovely Easter church service.

…followed by a great Easter lunch!

My mom visited us for about a week, and she was able to see a couple of track meets and a couple of my nephew’s baseball games. Plus, it was Easter weekend. She also helped by taking Hadley to her PT appointment, and even took the kids to school a couple of the days. It was a nice visit.

While she was here, we played Play Nine, and then Hayden randomly wanted to play BINGO. I think he has a future at church halls and senior living centers! He was very good at calling out the numbers.

Hayden and I went to my nephew’s baseball game on Monday night. I miss the baseball days! It was a fun game to watch and my nephew did a great job.

We’re making progress on our hall bathroom! The guy doing the work is our neighbor, and the hold up isn’t him! We’ve done a bad job with our ordering timeline. The shower tile finally came in, and he got a start on it yesterday. Our vanity should be in soon, and we have someone coming to do the wallpaper (I think!) early next week.

The track season continues…The kids ran on Tuesday night, and both of them ran well. Hayden’s fastest 1600m time is 4:47, and he’s been chasing his 4:40 goal. I know he’s been frustrated, and Tuesday night, he ran lights out! I haven’t seen him run so confidently or so smoothly in quite a while…and he ran 4:40, placing 3rd! He had a big smile on his face.

Hadley ran the 200 and 400 and was close to her standard times, even winning her 400 heat and coming in 4th overall. She’s still going to PT for her calf, so I think she was pleased with her runs and it had been a couple of weeks since she’s raced.

Travis was excited to start this new Netflix docu-series about horse racing and the races leading up to the 2024 Derby. We’ve watched the first couple of episodes, and he knows/is acquaintances with some of the guys. One of his clients provided some commentary in the episodes we’ve watched. I’m sure we’ll keep watching this series when we have time.

Have you seen the “send later” feature on your texts?

Screenshot

This has come so handy for me. At 6:00, when I’m sipping my coffee, I usually try to get my day in order and often think about texting the carpool or other people I need to respond to, but don’t want to do so that early in the morning. So, I’ve been creating some of the texts and then scheduling them for 8 or 9 in the morning. I really appreciate this feature right now!

Favorite Mom Meme:

Ok, Hadley really isn’t a diva like this, but this one still seemed kind of relatable, and I did chuckle!

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts this week; I always appreciate my blog readers!

Easter Recap
Wednesday Hodgepodge
Monthly Musings

We have a busy weekend ahead filled with track and volleyball…and maybe a nap for me?! I will need it.

Have a great weekend,

Posted in Friday Favorites, Health and Fitness, Kids, Meals and Recipes

Friday Favorites {#251}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How is it already Friday? I feel like this week flew by which is actually just what I needed. After a busy weekend last weekend, this upcoming one isn’t too over-scheduled!

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

Here are some favorites from the week:

Track is in full swing, and Hayden had a race in Bardstown, KY last Friday night. We left as soon as we could after school to make it in time. While Hayden didn’t have a PR, he ran a fast race and placed 8th overall. It was SO windy that I think the runners felt like the were running into the wind no matter which direction they rean. The first lap around the track, I didn’t even recognize him. He looks so much older all of the sudden!

After his race, we drove to Louisville for the night, and stayed at Trav’s mom’s house. Hadley had to be at volleyball in Louisville at 7:30 AM. Her team played well overall and made it to the gold bracket on Sunday.

While the early call time was brutal, she was finished playing around noon. We went out to lunch with Trav’s mom and sisters before heading back to Lex. Boomtown Kitchen was good…the spinach artichoke dip was delish…so good that I ordered the grilled cheese that had the dip on it as well. I had half for lunch and then half for dinner that night.

Saturday night, Hayden and a friend went to he NCAA basketball games that were at Rupp. He saw Auburn play Creighton and then Tennessee played UCLA.

They had some good seat, and Travis picked them up at halftime of the second game which was close to 11:00. I was in bed. haha

After Hadley’s games on Sunday, we tried “Swig” in Louisville. I’d heard of it, but didn’t know all the details. They have lots of soda mixes. I had the “Texas Tab” which is Dr. Pepper + vanilla + coconut cream. It was delish.

Hadley slept most of the ride home on Sunday. We were all beat. It was a long but good weekend of volleyball.

Tuesday was the first outdoor track meet of the season. The kids looked nice in their new school warm-ups…but we needed a bit more clothing to stay warm once the sun went down.

They both had a great first meet. Hadley had a PR in the 400m, and Hayden’s 4×800 relay team placed first.

I’m not much for body spray, but picked up this Sweetest Song scent when Hadley and I went to Bath and Body a couple of weeks ago. I keep it in my purse, and it’s been nice to have on hand if I feel like I need a refresh.

I’ve seen many influencers share Colleen Rothschild products, and when Jen Reed shared this tinted eye cream, I bought it. It’s reasonable priced, a little goes a long way, and I like the lightness of it. I’ve applied it after I finish up my make-up.

I had to order a few school supplies to get me through the rest of the school year, and these paper clips were just what I needed. How cute are they?

Speaking of cute, my new Easter towels from the Target dollar spot are super cute. I hope to put out the rest of my Easter decor (just a few things!) this weekend.

Yesterday was the opening day for baseball, and the Royals had their first game. Hayden has had this date “circled on the calendar” for quite some time. I hope the “boys in blue” have a better year than the outcome of yesterday’s game. Oh well…plenty of ball left in the season.

New Fave Influencer:

I’ve been following Athena (@lightandlifestyled) on Instagram for a few weeks, and she’s a fun one to follow. I love her day in the life reels and her outfits are too cute.

Favorite Recipe:

I tried this recipe this week and it was a 10/10 as they say. Bonus was that I had leftovers that I could take for lunch yesterday and today.

A few tweaks I made were:

  • I did two pounds of ground turkey because where does the ground turkey go when you cook it? I feel like a pound doesn’t amount to much. haha
  • I put the chopped zucchini in the skillet with the ground turkey for the last couple of minutes of sauteing.
  • I cooked some Trader Joe’s Jasmine rice and added that to the casserole dish when I added in the ground turkey and mixed everything together before the final amount of baking time.
  • Besides shredded Parm, I also added some shredded to Mozz to the top of the casserole too.

Enjoy!!

Favorite Mom Meme:

You know as soon as I sit down, someone says, “Moommm. Will you come here?!”

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

When a new season of Royals baseball starts, I always think of the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Winning the World Series in 2015 was so fun…and these kids were so little! Hopefully, they won’t have to wait too much longer for a World Series championship.

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week:

Monday Memes
March Books
What’s Up Wednesday

Typically, this would be our final day before spring break…but we still have one week left! I’m not sure why our calendar is different this year, but check on your teacher friends who haven’t had spring break yet! We’re barely hanging on.

Posted in Friday Favorites, Holidays

Friday Favorites {#249}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

I hope you’ve had a great week. Ours was good with the beautiful weather, and we seemed to have some downtime in the evenings which was appreciated!

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

Here are some favorites from the week…

Starting with this meme that made me laugh…and it definitely relatable!

It’s very rare that I actually go into Target as I often do Target pick-up. Last Saturday, Hadley and I ran some errands, and she needed a few things. The dollar spot immediately stopped me in my tracks. I saw these neutral ric rac place mats and thought they’d be just what I needed under our jute place mats. I was a bit behind, and just put away my winter dishes, and got back out my everyday dishes. These cute floral ones are almost twenty years old! They were on our wedding registry at Pier One. Man, I miss Pier One!

I was “influenced” and ordered this All in Motion “airy” fabric zip up jacket. For all the clothes I have, I do lack in light weight jackets. When I got it, it was on sale for $25, but I also think it’s worth the $35 price tag.

The fabric is so soft, and I like that it cinches at the waist.

Well, I’ve also been “influenced” by Hadley. She occasionally drinks an Alani, and that’s had me taking a few sips. I think she’s tried most of the flavors, but now it’s my turn. I took one to school this week, and the “orange kiss” flavor is good.

The kids’ track photos came in, and they are so good! I really appreciate the smiles!

I’d joked with the track coach that if they got a decent pic together, they’d be off the hook for Mother’s Day! They did get a couple of pics together, and this one is my fave.

My girl…right before her summer job interview on Wednesday. Not sure that I’ll look back and remember that this photo was right before that moment, but I’m sharing it anyway.

I’ve been loving my new candles from Antique Candle Co. My order arrived a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve been burning Almond Vanilla, and it’s so good.

I ordered two candles and got one free. These will last me the next couple of months. I’ve burned a bit of the lavender vanilla, and it’s so great for spring. Sweet lemon will be great for spring and summer.

I saw this pic on Instagram and X….twin fillies! Rare and precious! (FYI -these aren’t at Trav’s farm.)

Favorite Mom Meme:

Both my kids have had two rounds of braces, and let’s just say if there’s ever a third round, that’s on them!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

2015 was such a cute year!

Onion ring entertainment at dinner…

…and sweet little drawings…and booster seats!

St. Patrick’s Day:

Well, this weekend, I’ll make my traditional corned beef, cabbage, and Irish soda bread! We can’t wait.

Here are the recipes if you need an easy and delicious meal to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week:

Share Our Lives: Day in the Life
Let’s Look
Three Things

Have a great weekend, and thanks for reading.

Posted in Friday Favorites, Kids

Friday Favorites {#248}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your week? We had a good one with a couple of evenings with nothing on the agenda! What is this life?!

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

Here are some favorites from the week:

Hadley kicked off the weekend at a friend’s birthday party. Then, we all had an early wake-up call on Saturday morning for her volleyball tournament.

Our team mom and her daughter made these cute clothes pins that girls could use to clip on other players’ bags in the tournament. I thought this was such a cute idea and a great way to spread positivity.

The Kendrick Lamar one made me chuckle.

One of the dads brought his camera and took some awesome pics. I just love watching Hadley play, and these photos are priceless.

They are a sweet team who have fun playing together. They won their bracket on Sunday, so they ended the weekend on a high note.

On Saturday, Hayden went to the UK basketball game, and he had some time on the court before the game. So fun!

Remember my banana situation from last week?

While I was able to give a few bundles away, I did save one to make chocolate chip banana bread which was a nice mid-week treat.

Yesterday was a family affair in Louisville supporting Hadley at the indoor state meet. She qualified to run the 400m race, and we were there to cheer her on. She was one of three freshmen to qualify, and I know she was nervous. She ran a 2 second PR and had a smile on her face afterwards. We were so proud of her!

Yesterday, I shared all about what I’ve been wearing lately, and I love my new SSYS leggings.

I added a few new book trackers to my Instagram highlight. I really enjoy making those! If you use them, feel free to tag me. I’d love to see what you’re reading.

Favorite Recipe:

I tried a new dinner recipe this week: Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas…This recipe made enough for us to have them for dinner two nights! They were delish.

Favorite Mom Meme:

OMG! This is Hadley! After I shower, I can’t wait to put on my PJs…and she just sits around in her robe with her hair in a towel while scrolling her phone. It drives me crazy. haha

Weekly Recap:

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

Prime Purchases
February Books
Fashion Files

Share Our Lives:

We have our monthly Share Our Lives link up on Monday. This month’s topic is…day in the life…an average day. We’d love to have you join us.

Y’all…do you know what I have going on this weekend? Absolutely nothing! There are no kids’ activities and nothing else really on our schedule either. I’d love sleep in, binge watch a favorite show and get caught up with my life…haha! I might just have the time to do that this weekend.

Posted in Kids, What's up Wednesday

What’s Up Wednesday

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday!

Wow! It’s already the last Wednesday of the month! February sure has flown by!

It’s been a minute since I’ve linked up with Sheaffer and Shay, but that’s what I’m doing today for…

What We’re Eating This Week:

Here’s what we’re eating this week:

  • Sunday: We had frozen pizza and leftover Fazolis from the night before. We got home late from Louisville after Hadley’s volleyball tournament, so we just worked with what we had at home.
  • Monday: I made the Bubble Up Pizza again. This time, I added sausage to the pepperoni. This was a hit when I made it last week, and I just needed another quick meal on Monday. We had bagged salad and Cuties along with our pizza.
  • Tuesday: I tried this new Mexican Chicken Casserole recipe, and it was delish. The kids gave it two thumbs up. I served it over rice.
  • Wednesday: A tried and true fave is this Sausage Tortellini soup.
  • Thursday: We’ll see what we have leftover. If I need to make something, we’ll have a quick breakfast for dinner.
  • Friday and Saturday: We’ll probably eat out or order out.

And , apparently, lots of bananas this week…long story short is that I placed a delivery order for Sunday, so we’d have a few things to start the week. We were in Louisville for volleyball, so Hayden put the groceries away. When we got back, he said, “Mom, why did you buy so many bananas?” I turned around to see quite the banana haul!

When Hadley added bananas to the order, she didn’t choose six single bananas…Instead, we got six bundles of bananas! Of course, we’ll use some breakfast, snacks and smoothies, but this is still quite a lot of bananas.

So, I took some to school and shared the wealth! Maybe someone will be banana bread and share a slice with me?!

Tuesday night dinner:

What I’m Reminiscing About:

Well, I’m not reminiscing too far back, but my kids are already choosing their classes for their sophomore year. I feel like they were just picking their freshman, and now they only have three months left of their freshman year!

They’ve really thrived this year, and it’s been so fun to watch.

What I’m Loving:

I always snag the body butter at Trader Joe’s in the summer, and then the candy cane one during the holiday months. When I was at TJ last week, I saw this one, and picked it up. It’s so good! I guess I’ll use body butter year round now.

What We’ve Been Up To:

Well, we had more snow, but not as much as in January!

I was fighting a sinus infection over Valentine’s Day, but the night before we had heart shaped chicken nuggets for dinner, and then we gave the kids a few things for Valentine’s Day.

Unfortunately, Hayden had the flu last week, but we had a couple of NTI days due to snow. So, while I hated that he was sick, he missed two online days and one day of school rather than three full days of school.

Last weekend, Hadley was a busy girl. Friday night, she ran her first race of the track season. Due to volleyball obligations, she missed the first couple of indoor meets, but she ran the 400m Friday night. She was so nervous leading up to the race….so nervous! This was her first 400m race of her high school career, and she won her heat!!…and came in 4th overall. When she was finished, she was so happy!

Saturday and Sunday we were in Louisville for her volleyball tournament. On Saturday, the girls played ok, but they did awesome on Sunday. They are a fun team to watch, and I’m glad they ended the tournament on a high note.

I’ve had “closet purge” on my to do list since after Christmas…and on a whim last week when I had a little bit of time at home, I purged enough to donate five bags of clothes! It was such a good feeling to get rid of what I haven’t been wearing and have a bit more space and organization in my closet.

What I’m Dreading:

Honestly, nothing comes to mind as something I dread. I guess that’s a good thing!

Actually, I take that back….I have an Old Navy return…and that place makes my blood boil. I swear it doesn’t matter if there are ten people in line or two, I’m always in line for twenty minutes.

What I’m Excited About:

Spring! This week, the sun has been shining, and we’ve had temps in the upper 50’s. I think today’s high is close to 70! It’s been so nice!

What I’m Watching/Reading:

Thanks to Amy‘s recommendation, I started watching Younger on Netflix. I’d heard of the show when it was originally on, but never watched it. I’m on season 3, and I really like it! The episodes are short, and it’s an easy show to binge.

I’m late sharing about the books I read in February, and I hope to share them next week. I’m currently reading The Underground Library, and I’m really enjoying it!

What I’m Listening To:

Three of the books I read in February were actually audio books. Again, I will share more next week.

This week, I did start listening to Brooke Shields’ latest book…and I’m not sure if I will continue. I guess I knew the book was about aging, but I don’t know…she’s already thrown a lot of stats my way, and I’m just not into math at the moment. haha

What I’m Wearing:

My favorite place to get my clothes continues to be SSYS. Amazon typically rounds out my closet these days.

The SSYS “shacket” is a popular piece that is an SSYS label piece and it’s been sold on and off the past couple of years. I purchased one, and when it first arrived, I wasn’t sure if it was for me. Well, I wore it once, and now it’s a “go to” item for me. I’ve worn it plenty with leggings, but I’ve also worn it to school with a black pants and a cute blouse.

Last week, I wore it with my favorite over-sized Amazon shirt…I have it in gray and blue!

What I’m Doing This Weekend:

This weekend, Hadley has another volleyball tournament, so that will take up most of our weekend.

I do hope to finish out my clothing purge as I need to go through my dresser drawers and make one more donate pile.

What I’m Looking Forward to Next Month:

It’s March which means spring break is right around the corner which leads to the downhill slide to summer!! Also, I’m looking forward to the outdoor track season for the kids. It will be fun to see what they accomplish!

Posted in Friday Favorites, Kids

Friday Favorites {#208}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your week? Overall, ours was pretty good. It helped having Tuesday off to regroup after a busy weekend.

That being said, the end of the school year activities are in full force, and the alarm clock is officially a nuisance.

Of course, I had some favorites this week, so I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are some favorites from the week:

Last Friday, was the end of season county championship track meet for our district. So, only middle schools in our district had teams running. Unfortunately, the first half of the meet was rainy. Hadley ran the 4×200 and 400 in the rain, and Hadey ran the 1600 in a steady rain as well.

Hadley was battling some nerves, but both kids ran great. Hayden won the 1600 and 3200 while Hadley placed 6th in the 400 and 7th in the 200, and her relay teams placed 2nd in the 4×400 and 3rd in the 4×200. Her 4×400 relay is in the top 5 in the state.

For the second half of the meet, the rain stopped. Yay!

It was a long meet and a late night, but they collected their hardware before we left.

Hadley was up bright and early on Saturday for volleyball. She got to play libero again, and she was excited for that opportunity. This was the last tournament of club season. They went 3-0 on Saturday, and won their first two games on Sunday which put them in the championship game of the gold bracket.

While they did lose that game, they earned a medal for 2nd place, and went 5-1 on the weekend. It was a great way to end club season.

She’s had the best experience with great coaches and amazing teammates, so it was extra special to end on a high note.

In my Mother’s Day recap, I shared about the ferns we got for the front porch. Travis noticed there was a nest with an egg in one of them on Saturday, and then on Sunday when I took a peek, there were two eggs. Now, there are four eggs!

It wouldn’t be summer without a nest in my fern for a bit!

I’ve had a Sonic diet cherry limeade twice this week. Tuesday, we didn’t have school (definitely a favorite) for election day. It was nice to ease into the day, but we were pretty busy for the rest of the day.

The kids did a workout on my school’s track, and I went to vote. After the workout, we went to Sonic. They got lunch and slushies, and I got a Diet Cherry Limeade. It certainly hit the spot.

A local church brought Sonic drinks to us yesterday as a way to support our school, and we appreciated the love.

Yesterday, Hadley came home with her artwork and pieces from art class this semester. She drew Homer, and a self-portrait and made a cup and coaster as well. I love seeing her creations.

Favorite Clothes:

I’m officially trying to wear some of my favorite outfits the past couple of weeks of school.

I wore a cardigan with the dress below, but had taken it off for the pic.

I told you I’m loving my new Target sandals. I’ve been wearing them often (and see the above three pics as proof!)

Trader Joe’s:

Amy messaged me that Trader Joe’s has their Brazil Nut Body Butter out, and I missed out on it last summer. So, I headed to TJ after school on Wednesday and stocked up! (along with a few other items)

And…how cute is this little plant? It’s the perfect touch for the stand on my island tray.

Favorite Meal:

Well, I don’t have a picture of it, but we had chicken sandwiches the other night, and they were a hit.

It was basically Chick-fil-A dinner at home. I used these chicken patties from Aldi, and then put them on a brioche bun with pickles and CFA sauce. I made waffle fries in the air fryer. It was a quick and easy dinner that everyone loved.

Favorite Mom Meme:

This right here…

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

Well, in honor the kids having their 8th grade promotion ceremony next week, here’s a flashback to 5th grade graduation three years ago.

Where does the time go?

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week:

May Memes
Summer Sandals
Middle School Recap

*side note: When I shared my summer sandals post, I mentioned the Instagram Reel that Hadley helped me create. I said if it got 1,000 views, maybe I’d pay her $10 for her time and effort. Well, the reel gained a little traction with more than 1k views. This is a small feat for a small time blogger who rarely posts on Instagram. haha

I guess I better go find some cash!

What are your weekend plans? As I mentioned in Tuesday’s post, it’s been a hard couple of weeks at school. This week has felt really somber and even stressful sometimes as the school year wraps up.

I hope to find some time to relax a bit as we head into the week with 8th grade graduation (cue the tears!) and finish up the school year.

As always, thanks for reading.

Posted in Friday Favorites, Kids

Friday Favorites {#204}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your week? Ours was good, but I think the end of the school year fatigue is setting in!

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

Here are some favorites from the week:

Track meets!

Friday night, Hayden ran in a very competitive mile race in Louisville during the Eastern Relays meet.

Hayden came in 3rd with a PR for the mile.

Since I wasn’t there, and Travis is too busy cheering/coaching him, I loved seeing some professional photos of the race.

Hayden sent me this pic which made me smile.

While Travis was with Hayden in Louisville, Hadley was running in a meet in Lexington. She ran the 400 and had a PR as well as the 4×200 which had a state qualifying time. The Friday night track meets can go past 10:00, so we were happy she was finished running by 8:30.

On Monday night, she ran the 100m dash for the first time ever, and won her heat and came in 3rd overall. She was happy with that run.

Over the weekend, she had a volleyball tournament. Her coach had her play libero for the first time, and Hadley was excited for that opportunity. She typically plays back row, but the libero can be subbed in and out with more freedom and gets to play a bit more.

Her team saw some tough competition, but still made it to the gold bracket. They had a fun weekend.

I saw this on Facebook, and loved it. What a cute idea for a book display this time of the year.

My trusty slow cooker that I’ve had for years had to be replaced. The insert cracked quite a while ago, but it was finally time for a new one. I ordered this one for Drew Barrymore’s Walmart line, and so far I like it.

I drink a few protein shakes a week, and I usually stick with the Premier Protein brand. We’ve tried Core Power recently, and the kids like it too. Honestly, the chocolate tastes like chocolate milk…so good, so we ordered a couple of packs from Amazon since our Kroger doesn’t always have it.

Travis and I were able to get to Keeneland yesterday afternoon which was nice. The temps were cool, but the sun was shining…and he “broke even” on the day which is a win in my book. 😆

Remember the Lego flowers I gave Hadley for Valentine’s Day because she thought they’d be cute in her room?! Turns out…Hadley doesn’t like putting the Lego flowers together. My mom saved the day. The bouquet turned out really cute.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Well, this one doesn’t make me laugh…but it is relatable. *sigh*

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

This pic from 2014 has always been a fave. Hadley having no boundaries…and Hayden wishing she had some!

Weekly Recap:

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

ABC’s of Spring
Wednesday hodgePodge
Monthly Musings

What’s been the best part of your week? See you back here on Monday!

Posted in Holidays, Kids, Weekend Top 5

Hello Tuesday?

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! How was your weekend? Ours was busy…busier than normal. So busy that I started this post on Friday, and never had time to complete it over the weekend.

I had good intentions of linking up with Holly and Sarah for Hello Monday…but since it’s now Tuesday, let’s just consider this a…

The kids ran in the district championship track meet. Thankfully, the rain held off, and it was great running conditions.

Hadley ran the 4×800 relay, 4×200 relay, 400, and 200. Hayden ran the 4×800 relay, 1600, and 3200. Overall, they had great performances. Hadley improved the most on her 400, and she’s qualified for state in it and some relays. Hayden was still feeling under the weather, but he gave it his all. This season, he has qualified for state in the 800, 1600, 3200 and a relay.

We went straight from school to home for them to change, and then didn’t go home until after 10:00. Friday was just the start of our marathon weekend.

Hadley’s final dance competition of the season was in Louisville this weekend. She had her two large group (line and production) dances on Saturday afternoon, so we left for Louisville around 11:30.

We went straight to the convention center, and she finished getting ready.

They had awards after one of the dances, and then her other large group dance. Then, she had a couple of hours of free time before the other awards. Some family came to watch her dances, so she had time with them. Travis went to check in to our hotel, and Hadley and I grabbed a bite to eat at Qdoba.

We walked to our hotel and were there about an hour. One of her friends was also staying at the Embassy Suites, so they hung out. Then, the adults had time for a happy hour beverage (one of the reasons Travis likes an Embassy Suites!) before walking back to the venue for awards.

Before each dance competition, the girls receive goody bags with snacks and other odds and ends. For this competition, they received these sunglasses. Can you tell they loved them?

Another thing in their goody bag was a little rubber duck, and a note that said “good luck duck” and the studio name. They were to give it to a dancer from another studio as good luck. I thought that was the sweetest idea.

After the awards, it was getting late, so we grabbed some dinner at Mussel and Burger Bar before going back to the hotel. The dinner was good, but we were so tired. Some of the girls hung out for a bit, but the adults were extra tired. Anyway, we got to bed at a decent time.

Sunday morning, Travis went to his mom’s house for a bit. Hayden had spent the night there. The girls slept in, but another mom and I met for the buffet breakfast. We received a pink carnation which was a nice touch!

Hadley got up and started to get ready. It takes her about an hour to do hair and makeup along with getting organized for the day. We checked out and left the hotel and walked back to the convention center.

Hadley had her two small group dances (jazz and lyrical), and they did an awesome job. Her lyrical performance brought me to tears (I was in my feelings this weekend, I guess!)

I’m just always amazed by her. We have no clue where she got her rhythm and grace, but I love watching her shine on stage.

Again, she had family in attendance, so she saw them afterwards before they left. Then, she and I went with her friend and mom to Chipolte for a quick bite to eat before awards.

The girls had such a fun two days…and they really loved those sunglasses!

I can’t believe the competition season is over. This is Hadley’s third competition season, and it’s been my favorite one yet! I know she’s thinking about what she has time for next year. She loves dancing, so we will see.

After the awards, I called my mom (it was her birthday as well as Mother’s Day) as we drove to Trav’s sister’s house for a quick early dinner. Then, we headed back to Lexington. We got home around 7:00.

The kids obliged for one more photo which I appreciate. We’d had a long and busy weekend, but we got the photo.

We all unpacked, and Travis and Hayden went on a bike ride. Hadley went to a friend’s house for a bit.

In Louisville, they’d given me flowers and a card as well as a gift card for a massage and facial. That sounds like the perfect thing to use once school gets out.

I put my flowers in a vase and then spent about an hour on the front porch enjoying the weather and reading a book. It was a great day.

I feel blessed that I got to spend the weekend watching the kids do what they love…run and dance!

Well, today we are home for election day, and let’s just say I can definitely use this time to get caught up on life. Well, truth be told, I probably won’t be caught up on life until June. Eight more days of school! haha

Posted in Friday Favorites, Kids

Friday Favorites {#157}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your week? Ours was pretty good. The week started off less busy than how it ended, but it was nice to have a couple of free evenings. We only have two weeks left of school, and thankfully, starting next week, we’ll start having more downtime in the evenings.

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

Here are some favorites from the week:

Going all the way back to last Friday, one of my favorites was going to the Kentucky Oaks. It was such a beautiful day, and we had a great time.

Friday night, I was asleep by 10ish, and wide awake Saturday morning around 5. I decided to turn on King Charles’ coronation. I watched most of it but fell back to sleep around 8. I woke up at 11:30! Honestly, that threw my whole day off waking up that late, but I really needed the extra rest (obviously).

This made me LOL…

Hadley had a dance competition last week. The one they were supposed to attend in March was postponed due to the storms we had and no electricity. So, these girls hadn’t been on stage in a while, but they did awesome!

It’s so fun to watch the large and small groups perform.

The lyrical small group dance that Hadley is in earned a Judges’ Choice for best emotion, and Hadley accepted the award on stage.

Y’all know I’m pretty good about taking photos, but that’s too hard to do during her dance performances. I’d rather focus on watching her dance, and the quality of photos wouldn’t be great anyway…so I loved that this competition had the option to buy a photo package. There were so many amazing photos!

I started a new workout program this week. Another reason I love Bodi (Beachbody) is because I get to try programs that I don’t think I’d do outside of my own home.

This one has a bit of dancing, core, weights, and also some aspects that feel like Pure Barre.

The dancing combos would especially not be something I would do in public …but would certainly do in my own basement. (I do not have Hadley’s rhythm and grace!)

These workouts have been a good change in my routine.

Last Friday, when Travis and I were at the Oaks, the kids went with my brother and sister-in-law to watch Wyatt’s game. Hayden missed out the last time we went, so I’m sure Wyatt has excited to have both of his cousins there to cheer him on.

Track season is wrapping up, and can you tell that I don’t say “no” to a digital download! Hadley said the “action” shots were awkward…I think she’d prefer to smile. 😁

Favorite Kid Quote:

Hadley snagged this Olaf at a friend’s garage sale. She’s been calling him “her guy” 😆 How lucky is Olaf to get Hadley hugs?!

Favorite Clothing Item:

Sarah shared this Walmart dress recently (It’s less than $18!). I don’t go to Walmart often, but we were there a couple of weeks ago, and there was one in stock. I didn’t try it on until I got home, so I might have been able to do a medium, but the large is what they had.

On Monday, I wore it to school with one of my favorite cardigans.

Favorite Mom Meme:

The current state of our house right now…

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday

I probably share this every year, but here’s a throw back to my first Mother’s Day in 2010.

Weekly Recap:

I had a busy week of posting:

Not Just a Mom
Kentucky Oaks
Enneagram Mother’s Day Gifts
Day in the Life

What are your weekend plans? Y’all, this one will be a doozy. We have a track meet tonight followed by a weekend of Hadley’s last dance competition of the season.

Thanks so much for reading.