Weekend Recap + Furniture Steals

Ellie slept at my parents Friday night for the first time with her two cousins. She was so excited. Every time she talked about it she lit up. They went out to dinner and ice cream, watched a movie and had the best time. I love that the three of them are so close and that they love sleepovers at Grandmom and Pop Pop's house!

Ellie to Summer: "Summer, are you going to miss me? It's okay I will always be by your side."

 Unicorn Bag

Nick and I had plans to watch a movie together, but Summer didn't go down until 9:45. Nick was already asleep and I was tired myself. So, it was a pretty uneventful night. I did wake at 6:30 the next morning and went for a great 5 mile run before Summer even woke. It was nice to have a quiet house. However, we did miss Ellie even though she was only gone one night!

 I started before my watch did so it was exactly 5 miles!

I scored these chairs for $10 a pair. They were posted on Facebook and they even dropped them off to me. They need new paint and reupholstery. I just need to decide on the fabric. They are gorgeous and I absolutely love them!

Summer and I also bought this globe yesterday morning for only $20. I have been wanting to get one for the girls playroom and this was another great deal. I love the gold. I pointed out to Ellie where we live and she asked for me to show her where her Aunt Mia lives and other places I've been to.

Summer and I then met my Mom, Ellie and her cousins at a Fair. I used to go here when I was little and it's so fun I can now take my girls. Ellie was so tired from the sleepover that she fell asleep on the fire engine truck ride! We played some games and Ellie got a lemon stick. Two minutes later after this picture the candy stick got stuck in her hair. She continued to eat it without it (she loves lemons). It was a fun afternoon!

This morning I went to my Barre class, then reffed lacrosse tryouts in the afternoon (I ran 4 miles). Tonight we went out to dinner (kids eat free on Sundays). We had to stop for kids toothpaste on the way home and the girls and I walked home from there. It was a nice end to the weekend!

Friday Favorites

I've rounded up a few of my current favorites today:

Bracelets / Crochet Fringe Top / Sandals

One Piece / Fringe Bag / Ginger Jar Print

Snow Cone Maker / Roses Print / Toms

Bag / Grill Grids

I'm thinking of buying these two prints. The Roses one for our downstairs bathroom and the Ginger print for our living room. That snow cone maker reminds me of a Snoopy one I had growing up. It would be a special treat for the girls on hot days. These grill pans would get a lot of use since we've been using our grill a lot lately. It would be perfect for cooking veggies, sliced potatoes and shrimp.

Today Ellie has soccer and we usually get to the park early to play at the playground and have a picnic. Tomorrow Summer has a makeup Little Gym class and we are going to a fair so that will be fun for the girls. Sunday I'm doing my Barre class and I am working lacrosse tryouts later that afternoon. It's supposed be another weekend of hot weather! We skipped spring this year and went straight from very cold to very hot (80s). Hope you have a great weekend!

** Affliliate links are used in this post. These are all items I love and would like to purchase!

Mother's Day Recap

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and a Happy Mother's Day. I sure did! Every year is great, but it just gets better. I'm so thankful and blessed to be Ellie and Summer's Mommy and I think about it everyday. Having children was the best thing that has ever happened to me (I know I've said this before) and I couldn't imagine life any other way. 

My husband promised me that he would take care of the girls all day and I could do what I wanted. He told me to pamper myself with a massage and manicure and pedicure, which was so nice! The woman I prefer at 3000 BC wasn't working on Sunday so I didn't get a massage. I did get a manicure and pedicure and added the extra ten minute massage. I started my morning getting up early and was surprised with flowers, balloons, and cards. It was Ellie's idea to "make Mommy pumpkin muffins because she loves them." So, Nick and Ellie baked me muffins and they were delicious. I had it along with a cup of coffee on my way to run in Chestnut Hill. // Side note: I ended up dropping the top half of my iPhone in my coffee, but luckily it is still working after I put it in rice! Close call! // 

 

I had a short, but good, sweaty run before my favorite Barre class. Again, I had to remind myself not to run before Barre as my legs were burning on top of what I normally feel. My favorite teacher (and owner) was teaching so I knew it would be an amazing workout. I love this class. It's so worth the $$. She incorporates some yoga and pilates and not only is it a tough, strenuous workout, but it's relaxing, too. Thanks to my cousin for introducing me! 

After my nail appointment (I got pink because Ellie wanted me, too) we went to see Nick's Mom and stayed for an hour. Then, we had to get home to nap Summer. First, we did the hand prints for my Mom's terracotta pot. I remembered painting her a pot back in High School and she has kept it all these years! We did the hand prints, I wrote on it, and Ellie painted in a heart I drew. Summer is not a fan of getting paint on her hands so I had to bribe her with an M&M. 

During Summer's nap my Mom came over to work in our garden and Ellie helped her. I bought her child size gardening gloves from Target and she was excited she could help Grandmom. Seriously, it's the sweetest thing that Ellie enjoys working in the garden with her. Last week when we went to the plant store to buy the pot I pointed out the bulldozer working with the piles of mulch. Ellie said, "Did Grandmom put the mulch there?" I just love that she associates all flowers and gardens with my Mom. Ellie also put on her bathing suit to be sprayed with the hose so she had a fun time outside.

My Dad made dinner for my Mom, Nana, and my family. My brother and his family had other plans so we missed them, of course, but it was nice to have one on one time with my parents. My Dad made a delicious dinner of a watermelon salad and an amazing Shrimp Scampi entree with fresh pasta. I'm still thinking about it and have to make it soon. Ellie sang "You are My Sunshine" for everyone and the girls played in the field across the street for a while with my Mom. It was a great evening! 

 My parents and the girls. Definitely framing this one!

Weekend Recap + Broad Street Run

Saturday morning Ellie had a birthday party at a playground for her friend Amelie. I took the girls since Nick was working. I love this playground and had only been there once before (the first time Summer sat up by herself!). 

Afterwards I had to make a quick Target trip to return a dress from the Lilly line. I ended up buying the same dress I had gotten for Ellie in 18 months for Summer. They had a few things on the rack. Then, we went home and left soon after for the Union game. My sister was in town this weekend with her husband. She had planned this event for his birthday gift and our whole family went. It was a lot of fun. All the kids came, too. It was just so great to be all together. We won't see them for a while (except for Face Time). We will miss them!

After the game we all went to dinner, then home to bed since 3 of us had the Broad Street Run in the morning. I was undecided last week if I was even going to run it. I knew I could run 10 miles since last Tuesday I ran 9. But, with everything that had gone on the past few months I just didn't know if I should do it. Plus, I tweaked a glute muscle a few days before and didn't want to further injure it. Anyway, I decided to just persevere and do it. I just wanted to run it and not worry about the time. This was my Mom's 30th Broad Street Run and I wanted to do it with her. She is amazing!! She has only missed it 3 times since she started- her third pregnancy, a broken foot, and for Summer's birth. I hope I can keep up with the tradition. This year was my second Broad Street Run. My sister-in-law, Katie, also ran the race.

I really haven't been drinking much coffee lately, but had 2 K-cups that morning along with a little oatmeal. I made a peanut butter and honey sandwich (my pre-race staple) to eat on the way. And, lots of water. My Dad was nice enough to drive us to the race this year instead of trying to find parking. We got down at 7:10 and immediately got in the long bathroom line. Katie and I decided to go again before the race started (thank goodness we did!), but I missed my Mom at the start. 

The race started earlier this year at 8am; however, by the time we crossed the starting line it was about 8:45. And, it was so crowded at the beginning of the race it was tough to move through the crowd. I didn't start as fast as I would have liked. I kept the same pace throughout the whole race- 9 minute miles. At mile 2 my right hamstring started to hurt and I feared I'd have to stop because of it. But, I didn't stop and eventually it felt better. I remembered that I hadn't stretched really all week. It was something I had planned to do, but just didn't have the time (or didn't make it a priority). The first 5 miles were easy and I felt great. At mile 7 I thought to myself I could slow down and then bump out the last 2 miles. But, I really didn't slow down and just kept going. It was hot in the sun and I got water at every station- a couple sips then threw the rest on my body to cool me down.

My Mom and I finished within 2 minutes of each other. I finished around the same time as last year, maybe a minute later, at 1:35. I was extremely happy with my time since I hadn't been training for it, but really I was happier just to be able to run. It's such a great race. I love that the city comes out to cheer and really encourages everyone that passes by. It's such a great feeling! Makes me love Philadelphia even more. The Broad Street Run is such a great race.

Here are a couple pictures my husband took when I got home. Again, this year he tracked me as I ran the race, which is so cool that he can do that. You can see my race recap from last year here.

Shorts / Tank / Sneakers / Watch (similar)

I took a nap that afternoon when Summer napped. I was exhausted from the week and just not getting enough sleep. Then, of course from running in the heat. Nick and the girls took me to dinner to celebrate my race. I had shrimp stuffed with crab meat. The girls were so great at dinner coloring and doing crafts. Summer is finally at an age where she will sit still and keep herself occupied and Nick and I (for the most part) can have a conversation. I also ran into a friend from High School/College so it was nice to catch up with her!

Dress / Sandals / Necklace (similar) / Watch

 Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Today is the last day of Summer being a 1 year old. She turns 2 tomorrow!!