Memorial Day Weekend Recap!

Hi friends! How was everyone’s weekend?! Memorial Day weekend always seems to be busy one for most! Here’s how ours panned out!

Matthew and I took the twins out of town for the first time ever, two days and nights! We had my brother, David’s, wedding and went a day early for the rehearsal. To say we were nervous about how they would adjust would be an understatement! Ha! However, it went much more smoothly than expected so that’s a positive! As their mom, I was uneasy about what to pack and just overall being prepared. Here’s what we ended up bringing to make sure they were as comfortable and entertained as possible!

• Plenty of outfits (since they go through at least three a day)
• Two pack n’ plays
• Baby monitor (although we ended up not using this once)
• One bouncy
• Bottles
• Formula
• Baby food
• Can’t forget the Cheerios (they love this as a snack!)
• Diapers galore
• Wipes
• Zippa dee zips (lifesaver)
• iPad that we use to play white noise
• Toys/books
• Baby blankets

Friday:

We split up our two and a half hour drive by stopping at my in-laws to drop Stella off for the weekend! My mother-in-law happens to be a killer piano player, who also teaches lessons! Olivia was ready to learn a thing or two!

After our visit, we made our way forty minute drive to the hotel. Once we arrived our mission was to get everything set up (bouncy, pack n’ play’s, bottle making station) before the rehearsal and following dinner. That way when we came home we could get the babies straight to bed without running around like chickens with their heads cut off! Anyone else feels this way when you are not at your home where you have everything set a certain way? The rehearsal went wonderfully as well as dinner! We headed back to the hotel to get those babes to bed and get ready for the big day ahead!

Saturday:

Oliver and Olivia slept just like they sleep at home! It was kind of crazy we expected it to not go as smoothly. Phew! I started on my hair and makeup fairly early so then I could do my moms next!

We had an early riser this morning, aka Ollie! Olivia was still sleeping as I was getting ready so I quickly (and quietly) squeezed the bouncy into the bathroom so Oliver could hang out with me. This was exactly why I wanted to bring a bouncy! This happens often where one baby wakes before the other and sometimes I let up on the schedule and let our first riser be an only child for 15 minutes to half an hour.

Matthew was officially on baby duty as my sister and I made our way to see our soon to be sister-in-law. We could not wait to see her all dolled up and in her dress! Colleen looked beautiful! We are incredibly honored that we got to be a part of her and David’s big day!

 

How to stay on track with healthy eating? Let’s talk about it!

I’ve been asked multiple times how I stay on track with healthy eating during a wedding weekend, especially the day of because it’s pretty common to go a large part of the day not eating a dang thing! Then you just want to eat EVERYTHING at the reception! I packed a huge bag of snacks for our car ride and a little extra for Saturday. Here is the list of snacks that I packed for Matthew and myself.

• Skinny popcorn
• Pretzels
• Apples
• Banana’s
• Protein bars (Luna for me and Cliff for Matthew)
• La Croix

I snagged an apple, skinny pop, and protein bar for after the wedding ceremony when we would be on the party bus. These little snacks save me! I like to enjoy myself and have a few drinks. However, I do not allow myself to get to the point where I want to binge eat or highly indulge snacking on everything and anything. I pick and choose what I want to use calories on. This has always been how I have handled weddings or parties. Drinking for me is a rarity so I choose to splurge on drinks versus junk food. After making our entrance and starting dinner, I stacked my plate full of salad, chicken breast, and green beans. Making sure my plate is full of vegetables and some protein has also become a staple rule for me to stay on track and has been working for me for a few years now!  Avoid a bunch of starchy carbs and make lean meat and veggies priority! Seems fairly simple, am I right? Ultimately though, a huge part of staying on track is being somewhat prepared! Even if you slightly prepare ahead you are more likely to commit! I do not have time to pre-make a bunch of meals and bring them with us (personally seems kind of silly to me). I DO have time to throw a bunch of healthy (ish) options in a bag and call it a day though. That way Matthew and I stay fueled and satisfied during a few hour car drive and if we are desperate for something small in the hotel room. Past that it comes down to making smarter choices. We went out to eat several times and I personally strayed from anything super carb filled and focused on intaking greens and protein! Keep it simple, my friends!

Anywhooo, back to the wedding!

We stayed through until the speeches but Olivia surprised attacked us by pooping all over my bridesmaid dress! Matthew and I saw that as an opportune time to leave and get these babies to bed! They did amazing at the wedding ceremony and reception but being off their schedule was starting to get them slightly irritable. Maybe that was Olivia’s way of letting me know how she really felt?! haha touche Liv, touche! Not going to lie, we found it extremely comical. This will definitely be one of those moments that we will always look back and just laugh at!

Sunday:

Sunday was our day to hustle, get everything packed and then head to pick up our first baby, Stella! After picking up our pup we stopped to visit Mattews grandma, the twins great grandma! This was her first time meeting the babies and it was really sweet to watch everyone interact. Oliver and Olivia are at such a fun age that it really is hard to not enjoy their sweet company (minus a few tantrums here and there!) After our visit we made our way home and it was just nice to be back in our environment and get our life in order again! I headed to the grocery store to stock up for Memorial day/the week and Matthew started on the babies baths. Before leaving, I was craving iced coffee so I made a hot cup of coffee from our Keurig, poured it into a big mason jar and put a lot of ice in it! I topped it with this creamer that I’ve really been digging lately. I added some sweet drops and it tasted pretty darn good! Highly recommend trying this out!

I arrived home and we got Ollie and Liv down for their nap. My mom and I decided we would take the babies to the pool the next day but I was slightly unprepared for that as well. They needed sunhats and more sunscreen! Not going to lie, I also wanted to find a swimsuit that was baby friendly since I would be wrestling my babes more than laying out- Ha! I was between a one piece and two pieces. The one piece won! I”ll show the swimsuit on Things You Ask Thursday, so check back this Thursday to see that!

Leaving Target I was not bummed about swimsuit shopping but rather very motivated. I’m proud of where I am at post baby but I like having goals and striving for something greater and greater. Trying on swimsuits I was happy with my progress but it made me realize I could still do more! After arriving home and getting settled for the night I laid out my workout clothes and shoes on the table. This is something I have started doing in the past week just in case I get myself up before Matthew or the babies. My goal was to wake up early Memorial day, before my favorite humans, to get a quick two-mile run in along with body weight circuits!

Monday:

I woke up to Oliver at 5:15 a.m. He’s been teething pretty bad so I gave him a bottle and he went right back to bed. I looked at the clock and it was then 5:30 a.m. Whenever something like this happens I take it as a sign that I’m meant to be up so I might as well do something productive! Thank goodness I laid those clothes out the night before. Stella and I went on our two-mile run and ended it with some circuit training at a nearby park bench! I arrived home closer to 6:30 a.m. Matthew was starting to get ready for work and the babes were still fast asleep! I took the next half hour to make some coffee and have a little me time!

We headed to the pool later in the day and this is what I packed:

• Swim diapers (disposable)
• Swimsuits
• Cheerios
• Bottles
• Hats
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Clean outfits
• Apples and ICE drinks for my mom and myself!

Any recommendations on what else to pack along for a pool day with 8-month-old twins?! I am one of those moms who love hearing what other mommas do. I still consider myself a newbie, making it one day at a time! #fakingituntilImakeit

We had a blast and the babies loved the water! I went into this experience without any preconceived expectations. You just never know how they will like it! What if one baby loves the pool and the other absolutely despises it!? It was so fun to hang out with my sweet babies in the same pool that just last summer I was swimming with them in my big ol’ belly! So weird, and awesome, to think about!

 

After our pool fun, the babes went down for their nap and it was my work time! Matthew arrived home shortly after they woke up and we ended the day with a family walk and dinner over at my parents. I hope everyone had an amazing weekend, especially Memorial Day!

To our men and women in uniform, past, present, and future. God bless you and thank you!

As always, thank you for stopping by the blog! Stay lively!