OIB Weekend

We took off on Thursday late afternoon to head to the beach for the weekend. Thursday was also Bella's last day before her family vacation and when she goes back to school. We will miss her so much! Year 3 in the books with Bella and Molly Anne. Next year will be different when they'll both be home from school!

Heading down in pajamas is always a good idea! Sunset was gorgeous. 

I got up early and walked and evidently Mills was not happy that I didn't take him so I went back and grabbed him after my peloton walking class. He was sooooooo thrilled to be on the beach prancing away! We sat and enjoyed the breeze together a little bit too. My buddy! Worth every penny in the world to get him feeling better. 

Our friends from our neighborhood were in OIB too so we had a big beach day with them! They acquired this raft from another family so they had a field day with that thing!

We even got to see their lot!


Of course we met back up for dinner and the concert too! 

Bunch of chaos and a ton of fun! Until next year!



Kevin took the kids to the arcade for a bit while I got stuff done around the house. I cleaned the entire front of the house and ceiling on the front porch. I love getting that place cleaned up. Beach houses take a lot of wear and tear so I do a lot more work on that house than in Charlotte! It's kinda funny actually!



My brother and SIL gave us this pawleys island hammock when we got married. We had it hung at our first home but never at the house we built. It's been fun to have it hung in Ocean Isle (thanks Dad for doing that!). 



We went to dinner at a new place called Maya which was good on Saturday night. Then we hit up Planet Fun for more arcade, bumper cars and bowling. Family fun at it's best! Kids loved it. 


We won't talk about who won...!!


Molly Anne built this lego tiger while we were there this time. She hasn't done many legos lately so this was fun for her to get back into. She's a lego machine!



We came back mid day Sunday for Molly Anne to have a play date with a friend at another pool and I took Grady to our pool to play with friends. Hi Neyland and Paisley!



I cleaned up my work email last night which always makes me feel better for the week ahead.

 
A big weekend indeed. I finally feel like we have less camps and more summer this month and I'm really looking forward to it. 

Cheers friends. Enjoy your week!

Getting Ready for the School Year

I have been on quite the mission getting ready for this school year. Here are some things I've done to make the last couple weeks of August and first of September much easier.

- ordering new running shoes for the kids which they won't wear until Native shoe season is over

- getting first day of school teacher gifts done (I always do these pens and a Starbucks gift card). I will even wrap these now so then when I know who their teachers are, I'll just put their names on the gift.

- printing out signs with our last name on them for car line.

- joining the PTO and getting our company sponsorship done.

- calling pediatrician's office to find out when they're putting flu shot clinic dates out then marking on my calendar.

- Grady's lunchbox monogrammed so he can find it with all of the other kid's PBK lunchboxes.

- making sure I'm stocked up on cards that I can use for teachers from the class.

- making sure I'm stocked up on wrapping materials (tissue, bags, ribbon, tags) for room mom duties.

- cleaned out all of their school work from last year and put it in their memory bins. 

 - print out pictures from mpix because you know you're going to need some family pictures for the beginning of the year.

These are just some things that I know will make my life easier later! 

Molly Anne's Favorite Basics

I'm not saying Molly Anne is specific about what she likes but she kinda is. She gets it honestly and I appreciate that she likes what she likes. Here are her favorite basics without too much information!! Perhaps this helps you as you get ready for a new school year. 

ONE - playground shorts for under her dresses. I always order a size up on these and underwear because no one wants tight stuff. I got her a Large in these and she wears an 8 these days. 

TWO - I know, so obvious but natives win with both of my kids every day all day. They wish they could wear them year round haha. 

THREE - favorite undies. Order size up. 


FOUR - shorts $10 - she has them in many colors. 




FIVE - her Fall and winter shoe and I know they're expensive but they last two years and they go with everything she wears. She likes that she doesn't have to put socks on as we run out the door. 

SIX - cutie skort - I get her this every year in navy and white. 

SEVEN - I just got her these and she loves them. She says she feel cool in them. Oh boy. 




EIGHT - she loves Lila and Hayes nightgowns and I order them from the website or JWills. 

NINE - this tank is cute and comfortable for her. Not too tight and stuffy!

Of course she still likes to wear Boden skorts, Lilly skorts and other dressier clothes for school. Be Elizabeth from Shutterbugs is another cute brand for this age. 

Mills Report

I wanted to wait until today to update on Mills. 

Yesterday he went to the vet for his monthly bone strengthening infusion. This is to make his bone healthier/stronger where they did the stereotactic radiation back in February. He will continue these monthly infusions forever. 

Yesterday was also his first visit without having to do chemo. He had done that every 3 weeks since February (6 times). 

And we also had x rays done again yesterday and they were clear. This was huge news. The lungs look clear and the bone looks good. Evidently bone cancer in dogs spreads to the lungs quickly so that's why they check those throughout treatment. These x rays looked good in May and also now. We will continue to do these every 3 months. 

So all in all, very good news on the puppy. He continues to be wild and happy which is all we want. He almost pulled the technician down who brought him to us yesterday...he definitely has plenty of energy. The kids got to meet his oncologist and they thanked her for making Mills feel better! Onward and upward. Still monthly check ins but we will take it. Thank y'all for caring about our pup! 

Reasons I Work Out

Just got in from a fun tennis match late on this Monday night and thought it'd be fun to post why I work out. Ya know, other than the obvious of that it's good for your health now and long term. And know that I don't work out for an hour every day of the week. I honestly don't have time to do that with work, life etc. But I do have time to move my toosh however it looks for that day.

1. I want to be able to do whatever my kids want me to do with them. If they want me to run a 5k with them, I want to be able to do it. If they want me to play any sport with them, count me in. If they want me to teach them how to ride a bike...I want to do it (already taught one and working on the other)! You get the point but I want to be able to do it all!

2. Stress relief from work and life. Ain't gonna lie - it makes me feel like a new human in more ways than one. 

3. Makes me feel better physically. I do feel better when I've moved my body. 

4. Fun - I grew up running with my Dad. Those are some really good memories going mailbox to mailbox and I hope one of my kiddos likes to do it enough for us to do the same!

5. Good model for my kids. They see me taking care of myself in that way. They're always watching. Molly Anne has recently come into the gym with me in the evenings and lifted weights with me. I love it! 

New gear I'm excited about! Sweatshirt // Sports Bra // Leggings (with pockets and same material as my fav Lululemon but much cheaper) 

Asheville Wedding

We headed to Asheville on Saturday morning for Kevin's friend Benjy's wedding. We love he and Jessica and are so happy they finally tied the knot! This was our first time away since we went to Napa in 2021 so it was a big treat. Kevin's parents kept the kids. They're pretty easy now so that's a good thing. 

Before we left, Friday night we had dinner at zapatas. We used to go there all of the time but hadn't in forever. These two....so cute. 

Getting ready to take Mills to camp. Not by way of golf cart but Molly Anne said he hopped up there haha. 

We got into Asheville a bit early so we headed downtown and went to Wicked Weed Brewing for lunch. It was delicious then we walked around town. I must admit, I think I should stay on island time. I do love visiting the mountains for a night like this but I belong at the beach. Just being honest!

I wore my good ole navy dress and heels. I did not know it was on a farm so needless to say, my feet killed me from walking on the balls of my feet so I didn't aerate the ground! They still hurt!

They had their dogs Murphy and Lola there too!






It was gorgeous where they had it. 


Always love a sparkler exit!


You know it was a good wedding AND after party when the bus drops a ton of us back at the hotel and 8 of us walk to Waffle House (which was at the bottom of the hill by the hotel). Best food I have ever tasted at 12:30am!! And it also saved my life the next day!

We got up and came back by noon. We were excited to get the kids and the puppy!

Fun weekend! 

Six on Friday

ONE - last week I made pasta one night. I never make pasta for us but it sounded good to make pink sauce. Half a jar of marinara and a full bottle of garlic Alfredo sauce. I also added steamed broccoli to it. It was so good. 

TWO - this dressing. We got it at Sam's but I'm sure it's elsewhere. 

THREE - I've been on a cleaning out binge. This week I've cleaned out two drawers in my getting ready area, Grady's bookshelf and Molly Anne's disaster zone of a closet. Each night I've basically done something with regard to making my life simpler. I find when I'm in a spiral at work (which I am) that I have control by doing things I can control. If that makes sense. 

FOUR - I've played two nights of tennis this week and it's good for me. I love the girls I play with and it's a super nice break after hammering away all week at my desk or on the road. 

FIVE - Molly Anne did a softball camp this week and loved it! She loved a volleyball camp she did earlier this summer. Camps are such a great way to see if you like a sport before committing to a whole season. Highly recommend. So far this child likes every sport she's tried - soccer, softball, tennis, field hockey, lacrosse, swim, basketball. I'd say her top favorites are basketball and softball. Expose them to everything! They shouldn't have to pick their sport at age 8!!!

SIX -

He's such a good boy. 

Thursday Looks

ONE - high waisted black skinny jeans. $45. Will be glad to have these come this fall!

TWO - this color is so pretty and I wear this style of top all of the time for work and weekend. 

THREE - our tennis skirt for this Fall USTA season. Also on Amazon. Now I'm picky about skirts and don't like the Amazon ones because they don't have the stick strip that makes the shorts stay down on your leg. Just being honest!

FOUR - neutral everyday flats. 


FIVE - love these cropped raw hem jeans. 

Meal Plan Last Week

Here are our meals for the week:

Breakfast:

 - Sausage and egg "muffins" I made on Sunday

 - Honey greek yogurt with granola

 - Mini bagels with sausage patty 

 - Smoothies

Lunch:

 - Cracker cuts and pepperoni

 - Grilled cheese

 - PB&J, fruit

Dinner:

 - Steaks, baked potato and fresh green beans (sautéed in olive oil with garlic powder, minced onions and salt/pepper)

 - Shrimp fried rice

 - Lasagna, apple sauce and salad

 - Marinated chicken (old bay, apple cider vinegar and olive oil), sautéed spinach, sweet potato fries in the air fryer

 - Breakfast for dinner

Day In The Life - Summer Edition

Let's be honest - Summer is a CIRCUS for two working parents without a full time nanny. Hey maybe it's even a circus when you have a nanny, I don't know! It starts in February when you have to register for alllll of the camps. This Summer Grady is still at school until his school year ends in August. Then I have a gap of time before he starts Kindergarten. I also lose our college babysitter the last day of July because she has family vacation then goes back to college for sorority recruitment. I really wish public grade school and college schedules didn't vary by a month! TBD on what goes on in August in our world. I sorta have a plan...I think.

Anyway....here is Monday in a nutshell:

7am - everyone wakes up, gets dressed then comes downstairs. I lay their clothes out the night before. Shoes and socks are in the mudroom for an easy departure. Breakfast - mini bagel with sausage on them.

7:45am - out the door with both kids to take Grady first then Molly Anne. I had packed all of their things the night before - snack, water bottles were done, gear for camp packed etc. Actually I had Molly Anne pack her own bag!

8:25am - Grady has been dropped and then we went back towards home to Molly Anne's softball camp she is doing this week. 

8:45am - Molly Anne has been dropped then I went back up to Southpark to my office

work work work

12pm - Bella picked Molly Anne up from camp then they went to do their thing. Lunch, pool etc. They have a lot of fun together and Molly Anne LOVES Bella. It's really nice having her because Molly Anne still gets a taste of summer rather than being in an all day camp, which I know kids also love. But this works for us. 

3pm - Bella left and Kevin is home with her.

3:30pm or 4 or whenever I get to leave - I leave my office to go get Grady by 5 when they close then go home

5:30 - dinner via lasagna from the freezer that I made awhile ago

Showers 

6:45pm - I left to go play tennis. Very good for my mental (and physical) health! 

7pm - kids went up to read or play quietly

Grady has been going to bed closer to 7:30pm this summer. Molly Anne more like 8pm. 

10pm - I got home an hour ago and took a shower and now bed! 

Left a lot of details out but this is the gist! Always good times! Ahhh. Next week...a different camp in a different location at different times than this week! 

Two for Each

Thought it'd be fun to share two things for each person that I grabbed during THE sale!

For Mama #1 - I love this jacket because it'll go with every color this winter. Can also dress it up or wear with jeans. 

For Mama #2 - luxe leggings with pockets - yep! And the color is dark enough that hopefully my legs don't look like thick hot dogs! $49

5 year old Grady #1 - these pullovers are the best and Grady wears them constantly when it's chilly. $42

5 year old Grady #2 - these against my religion but I also realize he cannot wear khaki shorts on the soccer field. $17.99

8 year old Molly Anne #1 - she will feel so special wearing these booties with leggings or dresses at school. 

8 year old Molly Anne #2 - a flowy athletic top to pop on for her after school activities 

For Kevin #1 - performance material striped shirt 

For Kevin #2 - his favorite pants