Hi, guys! Happy FRIDAY to you!
We had quite the fun day yesterday. It actually ended up being a double celebration since we had my sister’s and mom’s birthday to celebrate!
My morning began bright and early at 5:01 AM. I sort of panicked when I woke up because I was in such a deep sleep and had no idea what was happening, but I knew I needed to shut off my alarm immediately, so I didn’t wake up Quinn. See, I’m a hot mess at all times of the day! Ha!
Once I was semi-awake, I headed downstairs for tea. I know… you’re probably thinking what the hell?Ā And, truthfully, I can’t blame ya. I’m not much of a tea drinker (except Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride in the winter), but I definitely overdid it with caffeine last week. I’m not sure if it was travel, time zone changes, or having Blue Bottle so close, but a lot of caffeine was consumed and my body literally started to reject coffee to the point where it was making me feel ill and my skin started to break out. My body was trying to tell me something, so I decided to lay off for a bit. Well, for now. Iām sure Iāll be back to iced coffee soon enough (decaf, of course)! Anyway, this Harvest Blend from Trader Joe’s is awesome, and I’ve been drinking it non-stop this week! š
After that, I heated up some overnight oats and then got to work.
Behind my laptop: Presents for the birthday girls! š
Qman slept until almost 7:00 AM, so I got almost 2 hours of work in before he woke up. Not too shabby! Once he was awake, I fed him breakfast and got us ready for the gym. Before we left the house, he wanted to give Murphy a “hug kiss” and then told me that I had to do it too. So cute.
On the way out the door, I made sure to grab a bunch of DTFN flyers for the owners at Salt Shack CrossFit since they’re our #5 affiliate! Related: If you want DTFN at your gym, please drop me an email!
The class was fun – we started with some core work.
And then moved onto the WOD, which was short and sweet. Well, not sweet. It was really hard. I mean, heavy front squats + 24″ box jumps = legs on fire!
After class, Qman and I headed home. I quickly showered and then made a protein shake.
Shortly after that, Cousin Matthew arrived! As well as Grandma, Aunt Steph, and Cousin Karli. (Quinn is OBSESSED with Cousin Matthew and talks about him ALL the time, so he was especially excited for his visit!)
I found a pair of Sticky Wall Climbing Men at Target, and they were a HUGE hit with the kids!
My gosh, they had a great time with them and played with them forever!
When I texted my mom and sister to see what they wanted for their birthday lunch, my mom replied first with “apps and pizza.” My sister then said “sounds good,” so lunch was planned simple as that!
After lunch, we relaxed a little while the kiddos played together.
Then, it was time for presents. Of course, Murphy though everything was for him!
Grandma did buy him some dog treats!
Instead of a traditional birthday cake, I opted for some incredible-looking (the photo below does not do them justice) pecan sticky buns to celebrate. We sang “Happy Birthday” to my sister and mom, and the boys blew out the candles… a few different times!
We also had some adorable chocolate mousse pumpkins from Trader Joe’s! š
My family hung out for a little while longer, but we could tell nap time was upon us. We said goodbye and they hit the road home. It was so nice to see them – I wish we lived closer!
Question of the Day
Coffee or tea? Iced coffee or iced tea?Ā
21 Comments
The pumpkins are adorable! Did you make those?
Also to answer your question: tea all the way. I know Iām weird like that but I hate the smell of coffee. Black tea in the morning, green during the day, herb before sleep. I take most of those deteinated now that Iām pregnant.
They were so cute, I couldn’t pass them up – they’re from Trader Joe’s! š
@Nina: It’s so funny you mentioned smell — My hubby hates the taste of coffee but loves the smell — loves it! It’s so interesting to me because I think coffee tastes like it smells, but apparently hubby doesn’t agree!
Definitely coffee and iced coffee! But I love a good cup of hot tea at night after dinner or on a chilly afternoon. Have you ever checked out Teavana or David’s Tea? They have some amazing loose leaf teas. Pricy but really delicious!
Coffee all the way, but I do love tea in the cooler months. The tea you have is delicious as is the cinnamon spice from Harney and Sons. So warming!
I’m a coffee girl – 100%
I’ll drink it hot or iced — usually iced in the summer and hot in the fall/winter.
If it’s super hot and humid out, I’ll order iced tea –just because it’s super refreshing — but I usually only drink tea hot if I’m starting to feel a sore throat or a bit congested, because I find is so soothing.
Hot coffee all the way! Although I do like the other options, first thing in the morning it is always hot coffee. Speaking of hot coffee…..it was be delicious with those pumpkins!
Have you tried Harney and Sons hot cinnamon spice/sunset? You can buy the sachets at Target or Barnes and Noble (and online of course). It’s soooo good! (Buy the sachets if you like strong cinnamon flavor- the teabags aren’t as flavorful.)
I love both coffee and tea… but last Christmas my husband bought me a nespresso and now every day starts with a mocha. I make a lungo cup of coffee and add 1/3 cup frothed milk, 1 TB collagen, and 1 TB hot chocolate mix. It’s 80 calories with 10 g of protein and I don’t even feel tempted to go to Starbucks!
Oh my gosh, I haven’t thought about that tea in years. When I worked at Harvard, they had that tea, and I loved it! I should definitely get some more. The Harvest Tea is similar, but not nearly as spicy. Thank you for the reminder! š
Your morning espresso drink sounds awesome!!
Apps and pizza sound perfect – we do appetizers for dinner all the time – so fun!
That WOD looks like it would be easy since it’s short, but I bet it was killer!
Enjoy your weekend š
Hot& cold , Coffee and Tea, I do not discriminate. Love it all. I bought Fred, the silicone tea infuser, you can find him on amazon. He is so cute and I always want to use it so it makes me drink more tea! Win win.
I am a coffee then tea kinda girl. Looks like a great celebration!
I’m mostly a coffee girl, but only one cup a day otherwise I’m a gasket case. I do love a good cup of green sprinkled in every now and then. Totally checking out that TJ’s one!
I LOVE that tea from TJ’s – and forgot to get some when I was there last night! Good thing it’s just down the road from me š I usually buy a couple of boxes since it’s seasonal. I usually drink coffee in the morning year-round (iced in the summer when it gets hot outside) but love to drink hot tea all day in the winter. My coworkers got me a box of teas and a mug warmer last year for Christmas, along with a ‘lid’ to put over my mug to keep the tea warm.
I love hot coffee, iced coffee, hot tea, and iced tea, it just depends on my mood. I love when the cooler months hit and I start finding myself craving hot tea more and more as it’s one of my favorite ways to end the evening or to warm up when my office gets ice cold! haha Trader Joes has some of the BEST teas, I love them!
I just yelled out loud, “CHOCOLATE MOUSSE PUMPKINS?!” I mean, wow. <3 This looks like a fun birthday get together. Anything with family involved is a great time, especially birthdays!
Also, I wanted to let you know that I've been a total creep and have been rereading your running posts and recaps for inspiration. I cried. I laughed. I cringed. But I just signed up for my first half in March, and I need ALL the inspiration I can get! I loved the posts!
http://www.poweredbysass.com
@Kaitlyn @ Powered by Sass: Oh, P.S. Iced coffee all the way. I make my own with a blend from TJ’s using my Toddy brew and it. is. heaven.
Frozen pizza for a birthday? š
The lululemon vinyasa scarf always comes with me when I travel! It keeps me warm on cold airplanes and is perfect to hide under during my plane nap!
Most tea makes me feel itchy but I can drink coffee all day long. I did get some of the TJs harvest tea though and I’m excited to try it!
I like the way you have managed everything perfectly. Body weight management is one of the toughest tasks for ladies who have kids and other family responsibilities but you have manged all very well. I am impressed and inspired.