Hello! Hello! Good morning! I’m so super psyched that it’s already Thursday…this week is just flyyyyin’ by!
Thankfully, this week has felt a lot less taxing than last week. I’m quickly learning that I can’t spread myself quite as thin as I’m used to; otherwise I wind up completely zonked. I love having something to do after work, because it gives me something to look forward to throughout the day. We’re so fortunate to have so many awesome friends, and our families, so close so opportunities present themselves rather easily.
However, I got talking about it with Jay the other night and we’ve decided that we should try to keep it to two weeknight plans per week. That way, we’ll still be able to be social with our pals, but we’ll also be able to have some much needed down time at home. (Plus, we’ve got lots of house projects coming up…not all of which are nursery related…so we’ll be busy).
We’ve actually already got two nights filled up for next week (seriously, busy bees!) and last night we had another fun evening, with our friends Seth and Nicole (you may remember them from their wedding back in September – you know, the one that looked like it could have walked off a page on Pinterest!). We had them over for dinner, but unfortunately, my hostess skills were severely lacking and we wound up ordering pizza.
I don’t know what happened with me. I knew they were coming over when I went grocery shopping, but never planned anything to make for when they came over. Since we were out Tuesday night, I didn’t have time to prepare/plan anything ahead of time, so I texted Nicole frantically, telling her I’m a horrible hostess and asking if she’d be cool with us ordering pizza. Thankfully, she was cool. ;)
So we ordered a couple of pizzas and I did have enough stuff on hand to make a big tossed salad, so we had some veggies thrown in there too. Everything tasted deeeeeeelicious, and as if dinner wasn’t already tasty enough, our pals brought over some serious dessert…
Ohhhh, cookie trays. How I adore you. For those of you in the area, these cookies are from Hannaford, and they are my jam. If you ever have a serious cookie fix, go to Hannaford. These things will not disappoint.
So the four of us snacked on our cookies while catching up on lots (even though I did just see Nicole for our lunch date a couple weeks ago) and watching some of our favorite shows, like Modern Family. Did anyone else watch and totally crack up over Cam and the “fish of gold” at the end? :)
*****
So here we are at Thursday. Breakfast is planned on being the same thing that it’s been the past three mornings (banana oat muffins with PB), but the lunch I know I have waiting for me is reeeeeally going to hit the spot.
As I was making the salad for dinner last night, I also whipped up a quick one to bring for lunch today. I went with a bit of a veggie + fruit combo on this one, including romaine, cucumbers, red onions, baby carrots, avocado, strawberries, green grapes, and dried cranberries. Unfortunately, we were out of feta (which would have made the salad) and it’s also lacking some protein, but I’ll squeeze in some extra peanut butter or something later.
I paired the salad with some Newman’s Own Lite Raspberry & Walnut dressing (SO good!) doing the ol’ salad dressing on the bottom trick.
Can’t. Wait. For. Lunch. Today.
On another note, stay tuned for a fun post + giveaway on the Baby Tooth page later this afternoon…
I cannot even begin to tell you guys how much I am in loooove with this adorable new tank I got from Two For Fitness. So stinkin’ cute!!
Questions for the Morning:
How often do you have plans after work during the work week?
Do you prefer to keep busy, or would you rather have more quiet time?
Andrea @ Andrea out loud! says
YUM! you make me want pizza… and fruit salad!
I am always busy, but I kind of like it that way (I am addicted to multi tasking haha) but i love some quiet time and try to get at least a little bit in every week to keep sane!
Lauren @ Berry Sweet Lauren says
I prefer keeping my nights open during the week, although one or two nights is still okay. I tend to be physically and mentally exhausted after a long day at work and I enjoy having down time to spend relaxing with my little family! Plus I’m back in school so some of those nights really aren’t ‘free’ since I’m either in class or doing homework/studying.
BTW, absolutely LOVE your shirt! So cute :)
Emily @ Maple Miles says
I am a local reader and have never had Hannaford’s cookies before! I will definitely be trying those Reese’s Pieces ones. :) Their cake is seriously awesome–very moist and delicious!
I like a nice balance of busy and downtime! Your two night a rule sounds like a good plan. :)
Ashley @ Life and Fitness says
I like to have a little bit of both during the week! I like having friends & family over during the week because it gives me an excuse to bake something :) Other times I just want to put my pjs on and watch some good reality tv.
Jana @ Happy Wife Healthy Life says
We try and limit after work activities to a couple times a week as well, but fri, Sat, and sun are up in the air! It is nice to he home at least a few days during the week just to breathe a little, relax, and catch up on things like dishes and laundry!
Natalie @ Free Range Human says
I’m the exact opposite. I don’t like having evening plans during the week. I absolutely crave down time at home with just the hubs. We eat dinner, talk, watch our favorite shows, and go to bed early. That’s my idea of weeknight perfection!
Lauren says
Oh my that salad looks baller! Have a wonderful Thursday love! Miss you! XO
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says
Your top is adorable! I would be exhausted if I were going out all the time. One in a while is nice but I like my down time for sure. But you are fortunate to hav so many great friends. Moving far from home makes you realize how much you miss your friends!
Krisitn says
I would love to have a quite night once in awhile but considering my daughter plays every sport at there – I am constantly running around – I don’t mind it most of the time but having dinner at 9 and studying with her for school at 10 and then cleaning up the house and not being able to get to bed until almost 1 everynight to wake up at 6 for work… well sometimes a break or quite night would ne nice :) The joys of Motherhood!!!
Amanda @ .running with spoons. says
I try to keep my weekday plans limited as well because as much as I love seeing friends and family, sometimes I just want to come home after work and veg out; and if I go out too often I find I start putting off way too many things and end up with a mile long to-do list to catch up with on the weekend. So yeah… down time is a must.
Erin @Axell's Kitchen says
Used to I loved keeping busy on evenings, but now after having Levi I love being more low-key and having quieter nights at home..I’m always tired!!
And I LOVE that tank top..soo cute!!
Koryn @ High Heels & Healthy Alternatives says
Oh my, that salad looks SO good!!! Now, I want some green grapes asap. Lol! Me and the hubby are similar… we try to limit our evening activities to 2 to 3 times a week, otherwise we’re zonked in the mornings…kinda like today. We went to a church play last night which ended late, so my morning workout will have to be pushed to an evening workout. Ah well. We did enjoy the play! :)
Linz @ Itz Linz says
Mmm can’t go wrong with pizza & cookies! :) :) On Mondays I help with an after school running program, on Tuesdays I coach soccer, and on Wednesdays I lead a fitness class… Thursdays and Fridays I can only hope I don’t have plans!! :) :) I’ll be excited when a couple of these activities come to an end so I have more evening time!!
Nicole @ Fruit 'N' Fitness says
My plans after work and night class usually just include going to the gym and doing homework. I like this schedule and keeping busy.
Jennifer@knackfornutrition says
I love adding fruit to my salads. Especially with a tangy dressing. The flavor combo can’t be beat!
Jenny@thewellnessjourney says
We are complete home bodies! The only activities we have after work are either soccer for the kiddo, girl scouts for the kiddo, or something to do with building our home. We always say that once the house is finished (it’s PERFECT for entertaining) that we’ll have get togethers more often. We’ll see……… :-)
alyssa @ life a la wife says
The tank is so cute!
I don’t know how you even manage TWO weekdays out while pregnant! I can barely do one not pregnant — haha!
Meghan @ After the Ivy League says
If I had to choose…I’d definitely pick quiet time during the week over being busy and having a lot of plans. Working all day, going to the gym, making dinner, and blogging already take up so much of my time on a weekday, fitting in a trivia night or other activity with friends just spreads me too thin. And I also watched Modern Family last night, it was hilarious!! That show never disappoints.
Erica @ For the Sake of Cake says
I’d be super pumped to have pizza during the week! :-)
I try to rarely make plans during the work week because I’m usually so busy with OTHER stuff that it would just stress me out!
Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries says
You always impress me with how much you have going on throughout the week after work! We have church on Wednesday evenings and then Cody usually has a basketball game one other evening, but other than that we’re at home in the evenings. We usually plan our social stuff with friends for the weekends. If we did much more than we already do during the week, I think I’d go crazy!
Kelsey Y. says
I’m usually all about being busy, but have started to take a different approach to living life. Usually when I’m finding “stuff” to do to keep busy, it just piles and piles, and soon, I’m not even enjoying myself! After a weeklong vacation in Clearwater Beach, I decide I need to give myself that free time to relax (free meaning not planning ANYTHING until that moment comes). I found that I was much happier (and more positive!) on vacation, where I had no true obligations!
Sarah @PickyRunner says
Now I want to go to Hannaford’s to try those cookies. Too bad we don’t have them in Baltimore. Maybe I’ll make my mom send them to me…
Katie @ A Full Plate says
Oh my goodness…I am normally a busy bee myself. I LOVE being busy, but at the same time if I do too much it eventually catches up to me and I am in serious need of down time. So I do try to limit my weekday nightly activities and make sure to have one or two nights that I just sit at home and relax.
Annette@FitnessPerks says
We do social activities 1-2x/week at night & it works for us! We also do every other weekend where it’s usually jam packed. I LIKE my downtime. :)
That salad for lunch does look delicious!
Taylor says
Love the tank, but holy cow that’s expensive for a top I can only wear for a few months! I think I’ll have to stick to my Lululemon tops which seem to stretch well through nine months.
Avery @ SBLW says
Your tank is adorable! I’m a fruit-veggie salad girl too!
Angela @ Health's Angel says
Normally, all that I want to do after work is relax. Lately…it hasn’t been the case. I was out late last night at an awesome show, but I am ZONKED out today. I’m just one of those people who needs downtime and an early bedtime during the week. :)
Melissa @ Freeing Imperfections says
Cookies are my all-time favorite dessert. Now I have to go to Hannaford’s and get a cookie tray! Thanks for recommending!
I prefer to have time to myself and with my hubby at night, but it doesn’t mean we WON’T go out on a weeknight. It’s just less likely.
Sara says
I coach a summer basketball team two nights a week w/ weekend tournaments & my husband is a high school lacrosse coach so our week nights are pretty full. Being 19 wks preggers I try and keep the other nights free for me — I need those days to recover for the travel and coaching on the weekends.
Raychel says
WHAT a cute shirt! I love it.
You definitely are fortunate you have so much family and friends around to always keep busy socially. During the work week, my husband and I have a bible study group on Thursday nights, but that’s about it.
I like quiet time, but I do wish we had more friends to get together with to make our weeks a little more exciting.
Lauren says
Modern Family was SO funny last night! I laughed so hard at the fish and I love their daughter. I think she totally makes their segments 10 times funnier. She’s so sarcastic and straight faced. I just love her witty comments! :-)
Ellie@Fit for the Soul says
I totally hear ya on having to keep things a bit more on the low down during pregnancy! I like to stay somewhat busy or have people to meet, but I can’t do it as often as I’d like to because even one night of eating out and hanging out with friends will wipe me out many times, so I’m trying to keep somewhat of a balance on that front.
Lindsay says
I can’t remember the last time I piled fruit on my salad – definitely doing it again. Thanks for reminding me! :D
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
You are one busy lady!! And trust me, I would totally be happy with eating that pizza!! It looks amazing.
LOVE your workout tank, by the way. How stinkin’ cute is that?? :)
Allison says
You shirt is so cute! This weeks episode of Modern Family literally had me laughing out loud.
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says
I like having things to do after work too, but I am always soooo stinking tired by the end of the day that I don’t even look forward to it unless it’s something like a massage or an acupuncture appointment. ;)
The funniest parts of modern family were seriously in the last three minutes – goldfish squirting out of a fountain and freaking Luke and Mitch at the end when he’s coaching him on handball? Oh my gosh. I was dying.
Jessica @ Prayers and Apples says
love that tank! so cute!! and that salad looks yummmy! ..i feel like i like quiet time mon- weds and then being busy the rest of the week after that :)
Don says
There is always room for pizza!! Add cookies and it is even better. Personally I prefer not to keep busy, I would rather relax at home than be on the go every night.
jennifer says
Seriously love that tank…can’t justify spending $50 on one right now with all the baby stuff I need to buy though! It’s adorable!
Sara @ fitcupcaker says
Love the tank, so cute!!
Audrey @ In Shape Cupcake says
oh my gosh, if i could have some of that pizza right now. YUM! Too bad I can’t :(
I prefer lots of quiet time and 1-2 nights a week filled with something with friends or a running group or something.
Stellina @ My Yogurt Addiction says
I love that top!! Adorable!! :)
Andrea @Pencils and Pancakes says
Oh gosh…..doing things during the week for me is usually out of the question. I like to get to bed early and love my routine!
Miranda @ Miranda Runs says
I’m SUCH a homebody. Don’t get me wrong, I love going out, but I definitely need my down time!
lyric says
I know this is kind of weird but I was looking through a couple of your old blog posts (Stalking your recipes) and I saw your egg scrambles. I wondering how the heck you make them because mine always turn out more like a scrambled egg with a side of spinach and tomatoes! HELP.
Brittany @ DulceVie says
I like to have a balance of down time/ me time and busy time.
Mary says
I love making plans and being busy but it also stresses me out too. I like your idea of just having two plans a week. I’m gonna steal this idea! My boyfriend and I always try to have a date night each week too. One where we don’t have phones or laptops on. Sometimes we go out, or if we’re tired we might just stay in and watch a movie together but that way we get at least one day each week properly together to keep our relationship good! :)
Danica @ It's Progression says
That salad looks so good! I forget how good fruit is mixed in a veggie salad!