Hi friends!
Over the long weekend last weekend, Matt took Riese up to Pittsburgh (his buddy was having a birthday bash with various festivities he wanted to attend, and Riese got to hang out with his parents so it was win/win) and Wes and I stayed home and did our own thing.
It’s funny – when Riese was this age/a baby, being left alone with her for a weekend felt stressful and exhausting, but now that we have two kids, being left alone with just one child actually feels kind of easy. I mean, it’s not like pre-kid weekend relaxing or anything, but compared to wrangling two children, and especially a 4 year old, just one child and especially a baby does not feel like a big deal anymore.
4 year olds are so much fun and I love getting to do more interesting/active things with Riese as she gets older, but man is that age a lot on my nervous system. It’s just completely nonstop – it’s always chaos and noise and requests and VERY big feelings that don’t easily calm and no breaks until they go to bed.
So, yeah. Having just Wes, who takes naps and for whom there are simpler/clearer solutions when he cries (aka he’s hungry, or wants to be held, or tired, etc.) feels a lot more manageable by comparison.
I intentionally kept our weekend together really chill – I find being a parent that I crave more and more chill downtime and quiet than I used to, and also less rushing around and trying to do all the things. I think that’s partly the pandemic, too – being used to not doing so much as I used to.
I was re-reading a Day in the Life blog post from when Riese was Wes’s current age (8 months, almost 9 months), and WOW did I pack a lot into a day back then.
I really appreciate embracing calmer days now and seeing where things lead us, but I also feel a lot of compassion for myself at that previous time in my life because it was such an adjustment going from no kids to having kids, and having those social outlets were huge for me then.
It’s just interesting to see how I’ve changed and grown over the years and become more comfortable being vs. always DOING.
Also, another note from that old blog post – WOW Riese was a short napper. Clearly we should have worked with a sleep consultant like we did with Wes because he’s such a good napper now and that’s huge to get those two decently long breaks in the day!
Anyway! Back to the weekend. Matt and Riese left on Thursday after dinner, so starting Friday it was just me and the little dude!
It was pretty cold but we did get out for a walk every day – that’s always huge for me to get some fresh air and a change of scenery.
I just aim to time it right after he’s woken up from a nap because otherwise he’ll fall asleep and do a short nap in the stroller vs. a long nap in the crib, which I definitely don’t want!
Other than the walks, we had a lot of time chilling at the house and playing! Wes has learned how to pull himself up to stand, and mostly does it in attempts to pet Zara – he’s still so obsessed with her and follows her all over the place!
And she still mostly tolerates it. 😉
I kept meals simple since although Wes is good at entertaining himself for decent stretches of time (much longer than Riese used to… mostly it’s personality I think but also the house where we live now is a better set up for it – more open so I can let him do his own thing but keep an eye on him still) it’s hit or miss, of course.
I ordered some Sweetgreen salads at the start of the weekend and had those for lunch a few of the days, which was nice and easy.
I tried a new to me one with tofu, mushrooms (still on a mushroom kick!), kale, rice, and a savory miso ginger dressing that was really delicious. Will definitely get it again.
The other two I had were usual favorites – kale caesar with chicken and a Mexican-themed one with chicken (“Guacamole Greens”).
Breakfast most days was my simple microwave banana oatmeal, which I shared with Wes, or a combination of eggs and toast and such. Wes likes eggs (he’s eating some here with some leftover squash).
One of my favorite snacks lately has been toast with nut butter, some sort of crunchy nut or seed topping (sprouted pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds are pictured here, but I like sliced almonds and chopped pecans lately too), and berries. So good!
For dinners, I did leftovers one of the nights, and then decided to treat myself and make a nice Blue Apron dinner the next night (FYI I’m continuing my sponsored partnership with Blue Apron).
It was a Sheet Pan Curry Salmon with Ponzu-Dressed Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli; it was perfect because most of the cooking was hands off so I could be tending to Wes – the only real time involved was a bit of prep for the vegetables.
My sous chef:
This meal was perfect because I was able to just dress the veggies in a little oil (I left off the salt) and share them with Wes, too!
He was super into the roasted sweet potato and broccoli, and I gave him some bites of the salmon (without the sauce which had a little kick) as well and he liked that, too.
Except for the fact that he throws food on the floor every 30 seconds (and always on the side farthest from me so I have to get up), he’s a pretty good dinner buddy. 🙂
Not having to think about what to make for dinner is always the best and one of the reasons we love Blue Apron so much and use it every single week. Wes and I enjoyed the leftovers the next night, too – always love cooking once and eating twice!
If you haven’t tried Blue Apron yet and want to (and I highly recommend it!), click here to use my affiliate link to sign up and get $110 off across 5 boxes, plus free shipping on your first box.
I especially love their Wellness meals (which are just extra nutrient-dense meals) – once you’re in, just look for the “wellness” label on their weekly menu to find those specifically.
I did have one big outing this weekend, though – part of the reason I stayed in town this weekend was because my best friend Jenny from high school was in town visiting!
My mom came over to babysit on Friday night so I could go out to dinner with her, her sister Gretchen, and our other high school friends Lara and Joy. It was SO great to see them all and to catch up!
Also, how cool is the wall in the restaurant? We went to Yume Sushi in Falls Church/Arlington (right on the border).
We actually went there for our last girl’s night and it was so good we decided to go back!
We ordered a ton of stuff and shared it. Their food is phenomenal – the sauces are amazing and the fish is so fresh. Highly recommend checking it out if you are local.
Such a fun treat to get to go out to dinner with some of my faves!
And that’s about all we got into this weekend!
I did take advantage of the quieter weekend to do some decluttering and organizing around the house which felt good, and every morning when Wes napped I did a Peloton yoga class via the app which was really nice, too.
Always feels good to stretch! I am really loving their “slow flow” classes where they hold the poses a little longer.
I hope you all had a nice week!
Matt and Riese came back on Monday evening and it has been nice to have them back, even though the house is 500 times louder and messier again. 😉
Have a great weekend and see you back here on Tuesday!
