Finn left to spend the weekend with his dad at noon today and I proceeded to eat a donut and some turkey, cheese and avocado roll ups for lunch and then lounged in bed for three hours. I took a short nap and then worked on my laptop and phone for a bit. I love the afternoon sun in my room so it felt relaxing to just get super comfy and be in that space with the windows open.
Benji kept me good company and made a bed out of a pillow that was far too small for him. He’s a goofball.
I am up and feeling a bit more reenergized now. I am having a cup of ginger tea, writing this post and then I’m going to film a couple of yoga flows for my on demand page. I am filming an express 30-minute power flow and a deep stretch. I have had several requests for prenatal so I hope to get to that soon. Let me know if there is anything else you’d like to see!
And now for some Friday favorite kind of things!
MY GRANDMOTHER’S 90TH BIRTHDAY
Yesterday was my grandmother’s 90th birthday and it was a day of mixed emotions. I was feeling so much love and gratitude for her presence in our life but also sad that we were not able to be there to celebrate her. Thankfully, my parents are there with her and they cooked her the dinner and dessert that she requested and spent a lot of time with her.
I sent my grandmother some specialty ice cream sandwiches (they are apparently one of Oprah’s favorite things and my grandmother loves frozen treats!) and we were able to Facebook Messenger video chat with her for the first time ever!
I baked a mini chocolate cake for in her honor and spent a lot of time yesterday thinking about all of the ways that she’s impacted my life and the lessons that I have learned from her. Counting down the (unknown number) of days until we can celebrate in person.
EASTER FLOWERS FROM MY MEMA
Speaking of my sweet Mema, she sent me these gorgeous flowers for Easter. Although we’re also missing celebrating Easter with my family, I can’t help but think back and smile about our absolutely perfect Easter in Florida last year. It was a night and day difference from the previous Easter and I don’t think I’ll ever forget the extremes of how those two Easter holidays felt. I am grateful for where I am now.
NEW SHOES FOR FINN
My boy’s feet are growing so crazy fast! He has been busting out of his size 6 shoes so I ordered a couple of size 7s from Amazon. I got these Native slip ons and these ADIDAS sneakers.
Would love to hear recommendations for supportive sandals for toddlers. I want to get him some for the summer.
MY NEIGHBORS
I adore my neighborhood and feel so lucky to have friendly, kind and supportive neighbors. It’s been a lifesaver during these stay at home orders to go on walks and to chat from a distance. And I’ve had so many neighbors on my street stop me and ask if Finn and I need anything. It’s a great feeling to live in a place where people look out for each other like my neighbors do.
One of Finn’s preschool classmates lives a few houses down and his mom dropped these donuts off on our front porch this morning. What a sweet treat! 🙂
I think it was probably due to them witnessing a pretty epic fall that Finn took while we were playing outside yesterday. He face planted twice in 10 minutes and hit the same spot on his lip both times. The second fall did him in and I had a bloody, swollen lip to contend with. Luckily, after about 5 minutes of tears he was asking for milk and to watch Little Baby Bum and has ate, drank and played normally ever since. But you guys…this toddler mom stuff is not for the faint of heart. Finn pretty much has constantly scraped knees at this point and every day I feel like there’s a new bump, cut, scrape, etc somewhere.
One of Finn’s favorite things to say as of late is “I bump my head” every time he falls down in the sweetest, most pathetic little voice. Pretty much always guarantees him a quick snuggle and a kiss.
OPEN BOOK + MORE BOOKS
I listened to Jessica Simpson’s memoir, Open Book, on Audible lately and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I think it was a combination of three things. First, the fact that she was so relevant in pop-culture at the prime of my consumption of it. Second, the subject matter and how much detail and behind the scenes information that she shared (this was especially interesting as someone who was a die-hard John Mayer fan in my late teens and early 20s!). Third, her honestly and vulnerability. From the prologue all the way through the book, it felt that she didn’t hold back, sugar coat or filter things…even those that didn’t necessarily reflect well on her. I was entertained by this book but truly feel that I learned some things from it too.
I am now halfway through listening to Glennon Doyle’s new book, Untamed, and LOVING it as I do all of her books.
And I’m reading this book on my Kindle and thoroughly enjoying. My mom recommended it.
I am always listening to something on Audible (usually non-fiction unless I have a long drive and want to zone out to fiction) and reading something on my Kindle (almost always fiction). I don’t know why but I’ve always preferred to listen to non-fiction and read fiction. The problem with listening to non-fiction though is that I often wish I could highlight and bookmark so many things!
That does it for today. I hope you all have a nice Easter weekend.
QUESTIONS
Toddler sandal recommendations?
Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction? Do you mostly read or listen to books?
Has anyone read Jessica Simpson’s book? What did you think?
Do you live in a “neighborly” area/street/etc?
I just finished listening to Jessica’s book last night! I totally agree on everything. You could hear in her voice her emotion and vulnerability as she told each story. I totally fan girled her in the beginning – she was always one of my favorite growing up – so wholesome and real. Her honesty is a real eye opener to the pressures celebrities endure.
Awe, so sweet that you have great neighbors who leave doughnuts on your front porch! Where can I find some of those neighbors lol?! So glad Finn is okay! I’ve heard so much hype over the Jessica Simpson book. Sounds like I need to check it out.
I’m interested in knowing if he likes the Natives. I was considering them as well. They don’t look very comfy, but I know people love them! My guy had some great See Kai Run brand sandals when he was a new walker, so I was going to look up the selection (and sales!). I got some used classic Keens for him to try when the weather warms. I always enjoy your blog!
Finn is adorable! and HBD, Mema! For shoes. Definitely try keens, the rubber Birkenstock style from Target or Reef Little Ahi convertible sandal. My kids feet have all been shaped differently and so needed different styles but these have all been winners! I’ve found that one pair of quality shoes is sooo much better than several pairs of old navy/gap/etc more “stylish” shoes.
Thanks for the book recommendations! For kids sandals and shoes in general check out stride rite. They can be a bit pricey but they are such good quality and withstand a lot of use!
I love Bobux sandals (and really all their shoes) for little kids, they’re not cheap but they are well made. I also love Livie and Luca shoes, they are good quality and super cute ….and I just noticed that one of their sandal styles is called ‘Finn!’ 🙂
Hi Jen!
I highly recommend Keen sandals. They are a bit expensive but so worth it. We’ve been through two pairs with my almost 3 year old daughter. I hope you have a good weekend.
Liz
I also HIGHLY recommend Keen sandals.
I have never bought a new pair because there is typically a great selection of excellent condition on eBay or at consignment stores. Given the pandemic, you could buy brand new and always resell or hand down.
I swear by Stride Rite Phibian sandals for both of my kids (2 and almost 5). I used to do Keens but they are expensive, don’t dry super quickly, end up smelling SO BAD, and the velcro tends to wear out quickly. Phibians are amazing, very reasonably priced, and sry super fast when they get wet. This will be year 3 in them for my son and I just keep buying the next size. Amazon usually has them in lots of great colors.