Hi friends. I hope your week is off to a solid start. I feel that lately my more personal posts have been very activity heavy between the holidays and our ski trip so I thought for this post it might be nice to share a very low-key five-day stretch with Finn that included a 2.5 day period where we didn’t even leave the house!

I had initially planned for us to travel to Florida this weekend to visit my family since we were unable to make it down there for the holidays. But then I had this nagging feeling that Finn was a little overtired/overstimulated from the holidays, our ski trip and getting back into the school groove and that it would be best to have a quiet weekend at home. I decided to postpone our Florida trip until the next weekend he’s with me and I’m glad that I did – definitely the right call.

One thing my mom instilled in my brother and I from a young age is that we didn’t need constant entertainment and that being bored was a GOOD thing sometimes! I find myself struggling with that at times as a single mom because I want to give Finn all the special adventures and fun when we are together but when I really pay attention to his cues – he loves downtime at home – and often chooses it when given options. His ability to articulate when he needs down/quality time is something that I really admire about him at his young age.

So here’s a look at a pretty low-key five days for us. We started out busier during the school/work week and tapered off as we made our way into the weekend.

WEDNESDAY

(obsessed with this Alo hoodie)

We’ll back this all the way up to when I picked Finn up on Wednesday after he’d been with his dad for five days. I was so excited to see his sweet face! We went straight from school pick up to the dentist for his six-month preventative cleaning appointment. He got a great report – no cavities! – but we did learn that an ortho consult may be in store for us due to a cross bite. We’re going to see how it does over the next year with hopes that it will resolve on its own. For my local readers, we go to Carolina Kids Dentistry. They have locations in Mint Hill and Waxhaw. My friend Bevin owns this practice and we love it there!

I started Finn with the dentist early and it definitely took him a few visits to get comfortable with the process. It’s been great to see him go from being fearful/crying at the start to confidently stretching out on the table and letting them work in his mouth. The team at CKD has been so accommodating and they never force anything. We were in and out of there in under 30 minutes!

After the dentist we had a quick lunch at home and then went to Finn’s Gym Ninjas class at Perfect Balance. He just got moved out of preschool gymnastics and into Gym Ninjas and it’s been a great change for him! This class blends gymnastics with Ninja Warrior skills and they have a whole area of the gym dedicated to Ninja Warrior training. His new later class time means the gym is much more crowded but I am so entertained by watching all of the competition team girls practice. They’re amazing!

THURSDAY

Thursdays are my favorite! I get to sleep in a bit and hang out with Finn before dropping him at school at 9a. I train a client at 9:30a, teach yoga at 10:45a and then get a short run in before school pickup at 1. It’s such a solid routine for me! I find that when I can set a routine like this during my work week, I really thrive. Definitely looking for more of this in my overall weekday schedule in 2024.

We had a meeting at the new MOTION space at 2:30p and then did a much needed carwash. It had been months since I gave my car a proper cleaning and it felt so good to get the outside and inside super clean and organized.

Back at home, Finn asked if we could work on the puzzle and what followed was two hours of puzzling and Play-Doh. I did FINALLY finish this puzzle I’ve been working on for way too long.

FRIDAY

I dropped Finn off at school at 9a and went straight to the gym where I trained four clients back-to-back and then drove right back to the school to pick him up.

It was a pretty, sunny day but cold and super windy. Luckily, I was able to convince Finn to bundle up and go for a walk. I let him choose ride, scooter or walk and he opted to ride. We went a little over three miles with the dogs in tow. We made a quick trip to ALDI after the walk for groceries for the weekend and then didn’t leave the house again until Monday!

The plan for Friday evening was popcorn and a movie. Finn chose the Baby Shark movie and while I can find something to enjoy about most kid movies – this one was pretty brainless. The snuggling make it 10/10 worth it though! 😉

SATURDAY

Finn had three little boys in his 4s class last year that he formed a quick and special bond with. They were inseparable the whole year. Sadly, they’re all at different schools this year but we try to get them together as much as we can. I texted the moms on a whim Friday night asking if anyone happened to be free Saturday for a play date and was thrilled when everyone was available!

We kicked off Saturday morning with one of Finn’s favorite breakfasts – cinnamon rolls, bacon and scrambled eggs. I made smoothies for us on the side even though it was only 19 degrees outside (I am who I am and love smoothies year round!). I also had plenty of coffee.

We settled on 1p for the playdate so Finn and I spent the rest of the morning getting the house tidied up and ready for his friends. Sometimes I find that last-minute plans like this really help my social anxiety because I don’t have weeks to think about it or to over-prepare. Finn was so sweet showing his friends around his house and they played for 3.5 hours with zero issues, altercations or tears. I’m telling you, these four have the most special bond.

Also, can we please talk about how Finn is FULLY in his stuffie era after not caring a bit about them for the first five years of his life? It’s so sweet.

Finn and I had planned to go out for dinner that night but by the time everyone left, we felt more like staying cozy at home. I made myself my favorite buffalo chicken chopped salad and started watching Beckham and I am hooked!

I also baked this fresh apple cake which is one of my favorite baked goods of all time. I had some apples that weren’t good for eating but prime for cooking/baking.

SUNDAY

A delicious Sunday brunch of scrambled eggs, apple cake and raspberries.

Sunday went a little off the rails. We had plans to run to Target (one of Finn’s favorite activities), organize the playroom and meet Virginia for a walk but instead Finn spent the day on the couch not feeling well. It’s truly crazy how fast these things hit kiddos (and how fast they leave!). He slept for three hours on Sunday afternoon and fell asleep easily at normal bedtime and slept through the night. We have been so blessed not to have a lot of sickness this year and I’m grateful this one came and went quickly.

He woke up around 5p and literally didn’t stop talking until he went to bed that night. It was so funny – batteries were recharged. I did keep him home from school today and I’m glad I did. He needed the extra day of rest.

I took advantage of our homebound day and did a bunch of laundry and cooking. I made a Mississippi Pot Roast for the first time. Recipe in my next post! 🙂

The evening ended with more Beckham documentary in bed.

QUESTIONS 

Was your weekend more out and about or low-key at home? 

Do you like last-minute plans or like to plan? 

Last slow cooker recipe you made? 

What are you watching right now?