Monday rolled around rather quickly and I have a busy day ahead of me. Luckily, I’m feeling well rested from the weekend and ready to tackle the day.

My weekend didn’t have too many exciting plans but here’s a quick recap for you:

Friday night was our low key night. We made dinner at home. I was in the mood for salmon so I went with it.

These pictures are blurry but Ava and Marc had a dance party. She thought it was hilarious.

Once Ava was asleep Marc and I watched Grey’s Anatomy from 2 weeks ago. I’m so behind from being sick!

I never get sick of that show.

Saturday we were up bright and early as usual. There’s no sleeping in anymore and I’m okay with it. I like getting the day started off early.

Rather then sit around and waste time I started doing some small house projects that were on my To-Do List. I cleaned out some drawers that had collected unnecessary clutter, sorted through papers and bills that have gotten pushed to the side and started organizing my life a little more.

I opted for a morning workout at home. I was feeling good but decided to keep it short & sweet and not push myself too hard. I did a cardio kickboxing workout for about 25 minutes. It’s my ultimate favorite on demand workout and it secretly gets me fired up!!!

We got a surprise visit from Marc’s parents who decided to drive down from Rhode island to see us. It was a nice surprise and I’m pretty sure Ava was jumping for joy when they arrived.

In the afternoon we went to the park and playground to let Cooper run around while Ava played on the slide.

It was fun.

Once again our night ended very low key and we made a delicious steak dinner, watched TV and relaxed!

Since Ava and I just recently got over the stomach flu relaxing was a huge part of the weekend. I didn’t want to push either of us and have one of us end up sick again!

Sunday morning was another early one for us. I drank a little coffee and ate breakfast… as tired as I was I decided to take on another project around the house. MY CLOSET & DRESSER DRAWERS... You guys, I’m not organized with my clothes and somehow I have too much! I got out some bins and put stuff away in our attic, I filled a bag for goodwill and man did it feel good to organize that part of my life.

It’s the small things that make you feel good sometimes!

In the afternoon we made another park & playground trip so that Cooper and Ava could have some fun.

The picture on the right is Cooper from a distance coming to find us at the playground once he realized we walked away from the field. He was in his GLORY.

All in all it was a productive but relaxing weekend. I couldn’t really ask for more

 Do you have a “To-Do List?”

If so, how often do you get to the things on those list?

I love saying that, it just feels good to know free-time awaits us at the end of the day.

Last weekend we made a trip to Trader Joe’s AKA my favorite grocery store ever. I wish there was one a little closer so that I could go every day, but there’s not. It really makes me look forward to our trips and of course all the good finds from the store.

THING’S I’M LOVING TRADER JOE’S STYLE: 

There’s nothing quite like fall and knowing there are so many good pumpkin products available. I’m a complete sucker for anything pumpkin and most of the time I need to turn my head due to the pure fact that most of the pumpkin products are loaded with sugar and other crap that I don’t need. I usually try to make my own pumpkin treats but sometimes its fun to try out new products and of course share them with my family & YOU.

I found these Pumpkin O’s in the cereal aisle… 1. They are crunchy 2. They are toddler approved 3. They are a sweet pumpkin treat for 110 calories.

I also stumbled upon these Pumpkin Bars. We have had their fig bars before and we are all a fan so when I tried these I nearly died. They do have a little more sugar then I would’ve liked but it beats having a slice of pumpkin pie. You can enjoy one of these bars for probably 1/3 of the calories as that slice of pie!

We love hummus in our house, this tomato & basil trader joe’s hummus is creamy and tasty. I enjoyed it with some whole grain tortilla chips, Ava enjoyed some with her fingers, and Marc spread some on his sandwiches this week. It’s great and it’s only $1.99 per container.

Sometimes eating veggies can be challenging and there’s always days that I’m just not feeling it. Having this Broccoli slaw on hand was an easy way to get a serving of veggies. I added a simple dressing and enjoyed it with my lunch and my dinners! Ava also ate some big spoonfuls of the broccoli slaw.

Last but not least.. Trader Joe’s chicken sausage is awesomely delicious, contains no preservatives, is high in protein, toddler approved, and tastes great as is, on a sandwich or mixed with some veggies & potatoes. Some Chicken Sausages aren’t that filling but these did the trick!

I am also LOVING this end of summer weather we are having. We have been enjoying the park a ton and I’m sure we will be going a lot more throughout the fall. I’m not gonna lie, I have fun going down the slides too.

What’s your favorite Trader Joe’s Product?

Any fun weekend plans?

I feel like I have so much to talk about but not a lot of time to write so this post is going to be short & sweet.

During the week I take note of some of my favorite things from food to drinks and everyday activities. I love sharing these favorite things with you all.

Here are a few “Things I’m Loving This Week”

Mamma Chia Seed Your Soul Bars

Last week I tried one of these Mamma Chia bars and I was surprised at the juiciness and taste. I had the blueberry & dark chocolate bar and it tasted like real fresh blueberries. I also loved that I was getting Omega’s from chia seeds with each bite.

21 Day Fix

On Monday I started a new 21 day challenge group with the fitness program 21 Day Fix & 21 Day Fix Extreme. I am really digging the new workouts. They are low impact and not as intense as Insanity Max30 but still give my muscles a great burn!

Oatmeal with Peanut Butter & Strawberries

Almost every day this week I have eaten Oatmeal with Peanut Butter & Strawberries for a mid-morning snack. It’s super tasty, filling & healthy!

Chocolate Protein Oat Bars

If you haven’t tried this recipe yet, I highly recommend these protein bars for a quick snack or a post workout treat. They are yummy and I really can’t get enough of them.

Playgrounds

We have made several trips to different playgrounds over the past couple weeks and the playground really doesn’t get old. The excitement on Ava’s face when we first get there is worth the trip. She starts yelling Weeeeeeeeee, like she’s going down the slide and we aren’t even out of the car. She also learns something new every time we go. This week she learned how to climb up the slide the wrong way. She thought she was on ninja warrior. After a few failed attempts she got it on her 4th try. I swear this girls determination is intense! I corrected her after and told her the right way to get to the slide was the stairs, I’m pretty sure she wasn’t happy about that.

We are heading to Bishop’s Orchards this Saturday for a fun father’s day outing with Marc’s family and we are so excited to see them.

I hope you have a great weekend and Happy Father’s Day to all the father figures out there

What are some things you are loving this week?

Do you have any fun father’s day weekend plans?