Hi from Florida. I booked a last-minute flight to spend a long weekend with my family. Our last visit was Thanksgiving and that seems like forever ago. I really don’t like to go more than 2-3 months without seeing everyone. We were supposed to visit in February but our trip got cancelled the day-of due to sickness. It was disappointing but a very good thing that we were able to avoid spreading germs.

I am here solo this trip. It’s always a little strange to be here without my sidekick but I’m also grateful for some one-on-one time with everyone along with an extra dose of rest and relaxation that you just don’t get with a kid at the beach, haha. I will be bringing Finn for Easter/Spring Break so it feels good to have that trip on the books. He keeps asking me when we’re going to go to Florida and telling me that he misses Mema. <3

I’ll share more about my time here after the weekend but for now…let’s backtrack to the last week of mom life because what a week we had! Lots of fun activities and good moments.

AN INDOOR POOL ADVENTURE AT THE NORTHERN REGIONAL RECREATION CENTER

Last Friday Finn and I trekked up to Huntersville to check out the leisure pool at the Northern Regional Recreation Center. The drive was about 40 minutes from southeast Charlotte but 100% worth it for what the pool had to offer!

The Northern Regional Recreation Center is owned by Mecklenburg County. It’s a huge, newer facility that features a lap pool, rec pool, gym, basketball courts, walking track, athletic fields, etc. It feels like a really nice Y. Day passes are available at $10 for adults, $8 for big kids and free for 3 and under.

Honestly, I was blown away by how clean and nice the center was. They had a whole hallway of family locker rooms where you had a private shower, changing area and bathrooms. There were also plenty of lockers available right outside of the pool area. We wore our clothes to the rec center, got changed in the locker rooms and then showered off and put our clothes back on after swimming.

In the pool area, there’s a general swimming area, a basketball hoop, a lazy river with a current that propels you around it, a three story waterslide and a 6-inch splash area with a wading pool, a big splashy water feature and a smaller water slide.

Finn swam for three hours and had a blast! I can’t tell you how many times he went down the big water slide and he loved the lazy river and the splash area. There were five lifeguards on duty at all times. Finn’s a pretty proficient swimmer at this point so I felt comfortable giving him free rein to play to his heart’s content. I did get in with him for a while and did the big waterslide and the lazy river with him.

We went on a Friday afternoon right when the leisure pool opened at 4p and it wasn’t crowded at all. I did ask the guards about Saturdays and Sundays and as I anticipated, he said they were pretty crazy – especially right around midday.

10/10 recommend a trip to the Northern Regional Recreation Center for some swimming fun if you live in the Charlotte area. It’s awesome for an off-season swim adventure! Just be sure to check the leisure pool hours before you go!

MY BEST WORKOUT BUDDY

After a snafu with lacrosse practice left us without plans last Saturday morning, we decided to hit up the gym for a workout since we were already out and about and ready for some activity. Finn did a mix of tablet time and “working out” with me. He loves helping to push and pull the sleds (or riding on them while I push and pull) and coming up with his own exercises and challenges.

We worked up a big appetite and headed from the gym to a lunch date.

LUNCH AT BOSSY BEULAH’S 

The team at Bossy Beulah’s invited us to come out for a meal. I had been wanting to check out this fast-casual chicken spot for a while and I knew Finn would love it. Bossy Beulah’s has locations in Charlotte, Fort Mill and Winston-Salem and create by the same group behind Rooster’s Noble Smoke, Copain and The King’s Kitchen (to name a few!).

Food and vibes were so good and we’ll definitely be back. Their signature item is a crispy chicken sandwich on a Copain Bakery bun (so fluffy) with Duke’s mayo and a house made pickle. Of course, I had to give “The Beaut” a try and it was a very tasty chicken sandwich. The Duke’s mayo and house made pickles just took it over the edge! Yum. I also sampled their quinoa salad which was so fresh and delicious. You also have the option to add chicken to the salad. Finn had the Bossy Bites and fries and OMG the fries. I sampled MANY of them.

Bossy Beulah’s focuses on quality ingredients and all of their chicken is local and all-natural from Joyce Farms. They also use as many other local ingredients as possible. Definitely don’t miss out on the homemade sauces because they are great.

Copain cookies and vanilla soft sere were a sweet ending to a fun lunch date. Big thanks to Bossy Beulah’s for hosting us and I know we’ll be back soon. I’m dying to try their hot thigh sandwich.

DR. SEUSS WEEK IN TK

A fun time was had by all in TK last week with a whole week of Dr. Seuss themes.

• Monday– Oh the Places You’ll Go- wear a future school or college shirt (a Georgia hat is the best we could do!)
• Tuesday– Fox in Socks- wear silly socks
• Wednesday– Whoville- come with crazy/silly hair (Finn did not want to participate in this, haha)
• Thursday– The Cat in the Hat- Wear a hat
• Friday– Green Eggs and Ham- Wear all green

I am thrilled that I have fully indoctrinated Finn into University of Georgia fandom!

BACK TO SWIM LESSONS

Spring swim lessons started last week and we’re so excited to be back at Charlotte Swim Academy. Finn has been coming here since he was two years old and we just love the staff. He has an amazing coach for this session and she’s really going to push him (but she does it in such a gentle way). She had him doing three breast strokes while kicking his legs and coming up to breathe while swimming across the pool in his first lesson. She said she’s starting freestyle with him next week. I think this will be the summer he puts all the pieces together and truly starts to swim strokes. He was all smiles through his whole lesson and my heart just melted that he came out of the water and looked straight at me to see if I was watching.

DINNER DATE AT MIDWOOD SMOKEHOUSE

Finn had been asking to go to “the hushpuppy restaurant” for weeks so on Thursday I surprised him with dinner out at Midwood Smokehouse. We started with a big basket of hushpuppies and played tic-tac-toe and colored together until our food came.

I had the Fixin’ to Chicken salad which is my go-to order at Midwood Smokehouse. It’s piled high with chopped romaine, pulled barbecue chicken, corn, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro, chipotle ranch, half an avocado and tortilla strips…for just $13! Finn had chicken fingers and fries and our total bill was less than $25 which feels like such a deal these days.

We don’t go out often so two meals out in a week was a lot for us but Finn’s at an age where going out is actually enjoyable. We chat a lot and he takes his time with his food and seems to really enjoy the experience.

WRAPPING IT UP

While being on the go is fun we also love downtime at home. We spent plenty of time at home cleaning, baking, hanging out, snuggling…all the good things. Side note, Finn is obsessed with these slippers. Only $10 and so cozy and cute.

Off to enjoy my weekend in Florida! Thanks for being here friends!