subscribe to receive my posts, special offers, recipes, and workouts.
≡ Menu

Fun Days with Finn

Morning and happy Tuesday. I am enjoying my first cup of coffee and eating a smoothie bowl while Finn watches his morning show and eats his breakfast (Dave’s Killer Bagel with cream cheese, scrambled eggs, fruit and a little bit of my smoothie in a cup). I’ll be heading out in a bit to teach a strength class and Finn will be heading out for a day of adventures with his nanny and will end up at his dad’s house.

I had another not so great night of sleep last night and tossed and turned starting at 3:45a. I decided to use some under eye hydrogels that I had in the fridge this morning and Finn was not a fan. He kept telling me to wipe that “peanut butter” off of my face. Haha.

I’ve had my sweet boy with me for the last five nights. Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to!

Matthews community farmers market

Saturday morning included a trip to the Matthews Community Farmers Market, the car wash and ALDI.

While we were at ALDI we picked up this Play-Doh kitchen creations set from the special buys section (always gets us in trouble!) but it was 100% worth whatever I paid for it. He played with it for over two hours straight on Saturday. I had to basically beg him to leave home to go to the pool that afternoon! It has remained a favorite activity ever since.

Also, he was playing in his big boy underwear because we are doing the potty training thing right now!

We spent the rest of the day at the pool. Trying to take full advantage as it’s only open for a few more weekends!

jeni's ice cream

This is how my Saturday night ended.

jen eddins peanut butter runner

I got Finn all dressed up on Sunday morning for brunch with his dad’s family.

summer running

While he was away I went for a run and holy moly…I am officially over the humidity that comes with summer running.

Apple Watch running

The run felt really hard but it also felt great to get it done.

dinosaur stroll review

Finn got home shortly after my run and after some quiet time and more Play-doh play, I took him to the Dino Stroll event that was in Charlotte over the weekend.

dinosaur stroll review

While we had an okay time at the Dino Stroll, I would hesitate to recommend it if it’s coming to your city. Here are a few things to know.

  1. It’s pricy. The full ticket price was $24.99 for ages 2 and up. With fees it was $62.
  2. At the venue we attended, the parking fee was $10.
  3. SO many upcharges/ticketed activities inside. They had multiple bounce houses set up in the middle of the event as well as photo opps, electronic dino rides, dinosaur toys, etc. Finn had a meltdown about wanting to do the bounce houses and he was so focused on the bounce houses that it made the dinosaurs secondary. I ended up buying tickets for the bounce activities. Honestly, I completely understand having the dinosaur rides, photos and toys but the bounce houses had nothing to do with dinosaurs and just created so much distraction/chaos with not just Finn but a lot of kids. Finn LOVES dinosaurs…like they are in his top 3 favorites…and it was a bummer.
  4. Overall, the dinosaurs were just okay. There weren’t a ton of them and the quality was eh.

I was able to directly compare this event to another traveling dinosaur show we did back in February, Jurassic Quest. The overall quality of that event was much better.

Dino Stroll review

So while the afternoon wasn’t a total bust by any means, it was an expensive outing for what it was.

villani's carrot cake

We put a sweet spin on things by stopping by Villani’s after the Dino Stroll. We were in the neighborhood so I surprised Finn with a bakery trip. He picked out a pink macaron and I got a slice of carrot cake. Sunday was Virginia’s birthday so I texted her a picture and told her I was eating cake for her birthday (she’s away at medical school).

Finn was back to having fun with his nanny and his BFF on Monday and I was back to teaching. I wrapped things up around 2p and spent the rest of the day with Finn. We had an evening date at the pool and then hung out at home. As I was putting Finn to bed last night, he said to me twice, “I love you mom. I’m going to dream about you tonight.” He’s just the best. 🙂

I hope you guys have a great day!

{ 0 comments }

Recent Posts…

Life Lately: Summer So Far

Life Lately: Summer So Far

I want to bottle up this summer and make it last forever (well, maybe minus the wildly hot and humid weather that makes running a big thumbs down). I mentioned this in my last post…but I am really enjoying the slower pace and the days that feel like they have more space. While I’m trying [...]

{ 6 comments }
So Many Dinner Ideas

So Many Dinner Ideas

Happy Friday! I hope this post finds you well and enjoying the summer. We are in the dog days of it over here in Charlotte – the heat and humidity is off the charts – but it’s something I’ll embrace because I deeply appreciate the massive slow down that summer has brought. A lot of [...]

{ 4 comments }
Big Bear Peaks + Pines Race Recap (3-Day Stage Race, My First 50k)

Big Bear Peaks + Pines Race Recap (3-Day Stage Race, My First 50k)

I recently traveled to Big Bear Lake, California for the inaugural Big Bear Peaks + Pines three-day stage race hosted by TransRockies Running. This was my third TransRockies event in 12 months (see also Colorado + Moab) and I’m here to tell you that they can do no wrong when it comes to race organization [...]

{ 4 comments }
Reading, Watching, Listening (Spring 2026 Edition)

Reading, Watching, Listening (Spring 2026 Edition)

Happy weekend! Another week in the books! I got three runs in (6.5 miles, 5.5 miles, 5.5 miles) and I have a trail run planned for tomorrow. Total weekly mileage will end up around 30-35 miles depending on if I go for 13 or 17 tomorrow! I’m 16 weeks out from the Golden Ultra so [...]

{ 7 comments }
Life Lately: 8 Years Old, A New Piercing, Trail Training and More

Life Lately: 8 Years Old, A New Piercing, Trail Training and More

Happy Memorial Day Weekend. It’s a very rainy one here in Charlotte and while I am a little bummed not to be spending the weekend in Florida with the fam or by the pool at our swim club (just opened for the season!), I’m also welcoming a slower pace and time at home. It’s been [...]

{ 2 comments }
24 Things I’ve Made for Lunch Recently

24 Things I’ve Made for Lunch Recently

Hi and happy May! As we roll into the first full week of a new month, I have almost a month’s worth of lunch ideas for you. It’s a great mix of sandwiches, bowls, salads and wraps. I hope you enjoy and find some inspiration for your midday meal! Open-faced chickpea salad sandwich on toasted [...]

{ 4 comments }
Charlotte Racefest Half Marathon (Race Recap + First Time Pacing + Update On My Hip)

Charlotte Racefest Half Marathon (Race Recap + First Time Pacing + Update On My Hip)

I ran the Charlotte Racefest Half Marathon on April 18 to pace a longtime client and friend in her first half marathon and had the best day out there! 2026 CHARLOTTE RACEFEST HALF MARATHON This was half marathon number 12 for me and a really fun, enjoyable and rewarding one! I started training my friend [...]

{ 1 comment }