Coffee Talk
The thing about “maternity leave” when you’re self-employed is that it doesn’t really exist. It’s just uber-prioritizing so you get what you HAVE to have done, don’t lose your sanity, and still get baby snuggles. So yeah. That’s where I’ve been – baby snuggling {and doing the work I really have to do…which is not this}. This actually started as Coffee Talk // March, but here it is May and I’m just getting back to it… I’ll try not to make it ALL baby-related.
// But might as well get the baby stuff out of the way. He’s 3 months 5 months old and just as sweet as can be. You can read the baby details over on tiny sneakers, but the main reason there hasn’t been any new recipe-related content here is that I had to do an elimination diet to help pinpoint babe #2’s food allergies. Luckily this wasn’t my first rodeo and I handled it much better this time. Needless to say though, my food was not share-worthy for awhile there. {Although I have been refreshingly reminded that sometimes simple is just as good, if not better, than elaborate when it comes to food.}
// Ok I said I wouldn’t make it all baby but now I’m realizing I pretty much don’t have anything else going on in my life…
// I’ve made it to a couple Pure Barre classes and some Burn Bootcamp pop-ups, but since I can only go on the weekends when I have childcare it’s not making for a very consistent work out routine. I keep saying I’m going to start doing Barre 3 and/or 21 Day Fix Extreme at home but I keep not doing it. There goes the fitness and the food of this food and fitness blog…
// KB is playing baseball for the first time this spring. He loves it and I love watching it. I thought it was crazy talk when I heard it was coach-pitch baseball even at the four-year-old level but you’d be amazed how often they can whack the ball. I wish it wasn’t over so soon.
// We went SWIMMING last week. As in outside. In APRIL. Ok, KB went swimming, I watched precariously from the edge holding a baby hoping he’d remember how to swim. The pool opened the first weekend of April then we had at least 3 freezes so the water temperature was less than stellar…but the 80 degree days were just calling us to dip our toes in the pool. {aaaand now it’s 48 degrees as I type and I’m wearing a hoodie…}
// One of the benefits of being self-employed is getting to control your own time. Last week we used that time to go tour a local brewery with out of town friends, and yeah, we brought the kids. {In our defense the brewery was closed and our friend is the brewer.} The beer was insanely good and KB thought the big brewing tanks were awesome. If you’re local, get your butt down to Brown Truck Brewery, you won’t be disappointed!
// I hated Snapchat when I first joined but I did it because you know, keeping up with the times and all. I eventually deleted it from my phone but I added it back now that you can actually chat back to people and it’s kind of my new favorite. Does that make me old? {Psst. Snapchat –> sideofsneakers} Also, I’m doing this month’s fitness and nutrition bootcamp using Snapchat and it’s going to be epic. Yeah, I said it.
// Tomorrow’s my birthday. I’m turning 27. *wink*
// Reading all that nothingness was totally worth your time this Saturday am, wasn’t it?
Coffee Talk
Long time no chat.
I’ve been busy doing that crazy dance that is balancing all things life: soaking up time with my three year old in his last weeks of being my only baby, trying to get ahead {or at least not behind} on work so I’m not panicking when baby gets here {35 weeks!}, attempting to get ready for said baby, and crossing my fingers that we can finish up renovating our basement before we have a newborn in the house {because it’s LOUD!}.
I guess I sort of summed up everything life right there, but here’s a mini-picture-dump to go along with it.
// First and foremost, Halloween. Holidays, like everything, are so much fun at this age. KB has been asking for Halloween since early September and was thrilled when it finally got here. He changed his mind on Halloween costumes umpteen thousand times and ended up going with a “superhero construction guy”, which turned out to be a generic superhero with lighting bolts and a “K”. {<—that’s what you get for giving a kid choices.}
We celebrated Thursday morning at school with the annual Halloween parade and that evening at a local farm “Tractor + Treat”, which really turned out to be mostly treat. But the tractors were KB’s fave.
Saturday we trick or treated for the first time in our new neighborhood.
// Basement. It’s rare for houses in NC to have basements because of the hard clay ground, so when you find one, you scoop it up. It was pretty much the deciding factor for us choosing this house. We thought about waiting awhile to finish it but ultimately thought it’d make more sense to do it pre-2-kids. Unfortunately we’re cutting it pretty close, but hopefully we’ll be able to wrap most of it up in time.
// Fun at three. You can strangle me for once again saying how much I love this age. I have to say it as much as possible before things change! While I have a thousand technically “more important” things to do {deadlines, etc.}, my truly most important thing is hanging out with this kid before he has to share his fill of the attention. He’s such a goofball.
// Eating lately. One day I will actually post a recipe again. If only that didn’t involve taking pictures – I’ve yet to figure out the terrible lighting in this house and we’ve been diving straight into dining before I can do more than snap a picture on my phone {which you can often find on Instagram.} Here’s a glimpse at what we’ve been chowing down on:
// New things. Speaking of eating, I love finding new dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free products! {It’s a tall order sometimes.} I haven’t tried these yet but I love knowing they exist and the product market is growing.
More {SoS} coffee talk. And find others to catch up with at the Ultimate Coffee Date.
Coffee Talk
Oh coffee how I love thee. In hindsight I probably should have started a blog about coffee instead of fitness because the coffee sure seems to be getting a lot more action these days. I miiiight be guilty of stopping by Starbucks for something ice cold a little too frequently lately.
Anyways, Coffee Date time! How did it get to be July already? I know it’s been 1000 degrees the past few weeks but seriously, where’d June get to?
// Pretty much everything is revolving around not melting in this crazy heat and getting our new house ready – hopefully we will be able to move in and get settled in a few weeks.
// We ended June by celebrating our EIGHTH wedding anniversary. We’ve been together for over a decade and no, I don’t feel old enough to have actualyl said that. We went to dinner at a local Thai place – not anything fancy but something we’ve talked about doing for years, only to be highly disappointed by the Pad Thai. Enter sad face here. They didn’t even have mangoes with sticky rice!
// I have been so, so terrible at getting to the gym since we’ve moved. More about that another time, but I finally caved and decided to succumb to the workout DVD and power of streaming. Barre3 and Piyo it is.
// We’ve been spending a lot of time on bikes. Or more accurately, KB has been on his bike and I’ve been chasing behind him. As in so much so that you may not see a picture of him without a helmet on for the rest of eternity. Most of the time it’s at dawn and in our PJs because, well, hotter than hot hot hot.
// Maybe I’m just old, but I don’t get Snapchat {I’m sideofseakers btw} I mean, I understand how it works but I seem to be missing the point. You can’t interact with anyone and stuff just goes away anyways. Periscope {oh hey, also sideofsneakers, shocker} on the other hand, I think could be a good one, even though I hate videos.
Annnnd today is the husband’s birthday, which means there are Funfetti cupcakes in my futre. Hope you all enjoy his fireworks. 
Coffee Talk
There are so many things I could write about right now, but what should be a coffee talk snippet and what should I save for a real post? Oh real post you say? Ha. Those are as rare as unicorns jumping over rainbows these days. So snippets it is.
//We moved. 6 weeks before we closed I was out of town at a baby shower when I got the call. It wasn’t on the market yet but somehow we’d managed to sell it. Fast forward a month and a half and our house belongs to someone else and my inlaws have graciously adopted us for the time being.
So house hunting and living out of boxes. That’s the theme of the month.
//Since it’s winter/almost spring in NC, it means snow one day, warm sunshine the next. Unpredictable yes, but I love it. The best way to have cold weather is to sprinkle it in with sunshine.
That being said, our last month included two weeks of missed school (and basically the entire city shut down because we don’t do snow in the south) peppered with a gorgeous, 70+ degree that makes up for all the gray skies everywhere.
//I haven’t been to a barre class in two weeks because of snow days and moving logistics and I can more than tell. Don’t tell anyone but I plan on cheating on our local studio with online barre3 classes.
//I keep calling my little guy a “toddler” but he’s not anymore. “Preschooler” just doesn’t roll off the tongue the same way.
//I finally jumped on yet another teenage bandwagon and started reading The Hunger Games. We caught the first movie on tv one night and it was actually really good. I like to read books before movies so this is a little backwards but I needed more details than the movie gave. Also, Katniss and I share a birthday. Word.
//That’s all I got. Can you tell what life is about right now? Snow. Moving. Snow. Moved.
Happy Weekend 
Coffee Talk
Some random thoughts I would throw out at you if we were having coffee this morning:
//I’m typing this on phone because that’s the only way things ever happen around here.
//Can it be fall yet please? I’m obsessed with fall whether and I’d like it to hurry up and get here so it can stick around awhile before winter rolls in.
//It’s almost consignment time at KB’s school. In order to prevent the last minute scramble that inevitably happens, I’ve been hanging, tagging, and sorting for what feels like weeks now. Can’t wait to get this stuff out if my house. Here’s to hoping I sell more than I end up buying.
//Looking at social media Saturday and Sunday mornings make me desperately wish I was training for a race. Unfortunately I’m in no shape to jump in that bandwagon right now. Maybe I should pick something to get me motivated…
//Girls weekend next week. #thankgoodness
//fave instagrams of the month:
Coffee Talk
I’m home alone without a child for the next hour.
For the first time in a month and a half.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF.
Actually, yes I do. EVERYTHING. Work, write, eat, shower, breathe, read, relax, work, what?
I’m mostly doing the responsible thing and working but my brain needed a little break, so I’m popping over here. Whoever thought it was a good idea not to send the toddler to summer school without cutting back on work was an idiot. And yeah, that was me.
It’s ok. We’re mostly having lots of fun. This week has been a little rough because I’m extra tired for whatever reason and most of our friends are gone for the holiday, but that just means today’s kid-free break is all the much more welcomed.
Anyways.
Do you know why I secretly love coffee talk days? It gives me an excuse to look at old Instagram pictures. 
It’s pretty much the only way I can remember what’s happened in the past month.
1// The Kynado discovered the existence of imposter Raffi the 2nd, a duplicate backup lovey in case he ever got so attached he couldn’t sleep without him and we lost the original. The world only slightly collapsed for a few minutes and then he put his first major life lesson behind him.
2// I made it to spin for the first time in, umm, a loooong time. A gym-hating toddler means I rarely make it to a class, but somehow, someway the stars aligned and he not only went into the childcare without tears, he managed to stay the whole time. If only I could bottle up the magic formula that made it happen and use it on repeat.
3// The fastest of fast, easy dinners. Zucchini ribbon noodles with shrimp, sundried tomatoes, oil, garlic, and white wine. I should probably write about my love affair with my spiralizer because every time I post a picture of zoodles I get questions about it. I’ll put that on my non-existent summer to-do list that never gets anything checked off of it.
4// Seriously. Babies and bubbles, what better entertainment can you ask for?
5// NACHOoooos. Seriously addicted. I think I went through a two-week phase where I ate them every.single.day for lunch. Black beans, roasted peppers, jalapenos, chipotle hot sauce, cilantro, and “cheese” made of either Daiya havarti and coconut milk, or blended cashews and red peppers. There’s a lot of things I’ve had to cut out of my diet but nachos will never be one of them.
6// The husband and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary this week. SEVEN years. That’s like almost an eternity. I can think of very few things I’ve liked consistently for seven years straight. Luckily, he’s one of them. This picture was from a friend’s wedding at the beach last year. I love that we share an anniversary. 
{Apparently when you have a child and aka no time, one of the arbitrary things to go is writing about your anniversary… 3 years // 4 years // 5&6 never happened.}
Stuff you might have missed: sweet potato chicken patties // summer cocktails // weaning woes
For more coffee talk: April // May // June
