Monday morning started with an early 4:30 AM alarm so I can get some coffee in and get 4 miles in on the treadmill. I did a slight progression run as I woke up while running and it felt good to speed up.

Then I got the family up and made breakfast.

I feel like I don’t have enough go to breakfast options. This is a staple for us, both kids like mushrooms so I added some baby portobellos to our eggs.

I took a quick shower before Cory “went” to work and came out to this cute scene, they love to read books together.

We spent the morning driving to a Target that was much further away than our normal Target. There was a great sale on a cute Frozen toy that I really wanted to get Emmy and this was the closest store that had it (on sale!). We also found a bunch of DVDs for the car that were less than $3 each! Worth the trip =)

Our car has a DVD system that we use on road trips.

After lunch the kiddos and I made cookies, Cannon’s favorite cookies are Grinch Cookies .

I had two amazing helpers/taste testers.

After we were done with cookies Cory was done with work, so he took the kids to go ride bikes.

Cannon loves to help pull the wagon to the park where there is a flat place to ride. Our street and driveway are too steep for learning to ride bikes.

They met a Great Dane that they wanted to bring home.

I stayed home so I could clean up the kitchen from our cookies but I fell asleep on the couch with a headache (whoops)! At least my headache was gone when I woke up.

We did veggie burgers for dinner then put the kiddos to bed. Later I read my email and found one from Cannon’s school inviting us to a (virtual) open house and countdown to Kindergarten.

I know it’s good for him to grow up and for him to learn and become more independent but I am just so sad thinking of him going to school for a full day. I try to remind myself that he loves school but I will always see him as my little baby.

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What are your favorite breakfasts?

Any tips for surviving sending your first off to Kindergarten? This isn’t until August but I am trying to prepare myself!

Way back in September I started a run streak in hopes of running every day for the rest of the year…exactly 100 days. I started on September 22 and failed on November 11. I let the streak fail when we learned that Cannon had been exposed to Covid-19 then fell sick. I was dealing with a lot of anxiety while waiting for his test results. It felt like with the timing that it couldn’t NOT be Covid. I was worried about how sick we might get and if we had passed it to anyone else (his results came back six days later negative for Covid). At the time my body and mind needed a break and I took it. I looked back in my Training Peaks account and I ran every day from September 22 to November 11th which is exactly 50 days. It was definitely not planned but at least it feels like a nice round number to end on.

But I always believe it is best to get right back up and try again. I have been able to do a couple 50 day run streaks now so I am going to keep trying for that 100 days streak! 100 days from now is in March, that seems to far away! If you are interested in trying your own streak Runners World does a holiday run streak from Thanksgiving to New Years. So fun to keep moving during the holidays with the hashtag #RWRunSteak.

I started my streak over with an easy three miles on the treadmill, it’s always a good idea to ease back into these things.

Cannon was my cheering section as usual, I love how supportive he is (Emmy was napping)

The basement playroom is the perfect place for him to hang out while I run on the treadmill.

Cory was climbing on the roof of the house putting up Christmas lights. Our neighborhood is doing a “light up the night” campaign and encouraging residents to put up lights early so we can enjoy the season longer.

The kids and I joined him later to “help”

At four Cannon actually is helpful….at two Emmy is mostly trouble, but she sure is cute!

Then it was time for hot chocolate for the kids and coffee for the adults.

For dinner we made clam chowder and enjoyed time together. The world feels smaller right now but I am just so grateful it is full of these amazing humans!

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Tell me something you are doing to make the season brighter!

Please watch this:

I want to thank all of the health care workers out there still fighting for our lives while risking theirs. I hope we remember the sacrifices they are all making and we make our own to keep each other safe. Be a human worth fighting for.

Today was a pretty good day for us, the kids and I got up early and started the day by watching The Grinch.

I was not originally a fan of this new version but now I think it’s the best. I love slow weekend mornings with the kids.

Cory was up late putting together a surprise for the kiddos so we let him sleep in. Once he was up we were ready to surprise the kids.

We decided to go ahead and give the kids the trampoline we bought for them. With the new restrictions, home learning and everything we thought they needed something fun to add to our play space. They have been jumping on everything lately so this was needed. They loved it and it was so fun to see them enjoying it.

After playing on the trampoline for a while we cleaned up and played before lunch and naps. Cory kindly changed the oil in my car during nap time and put our snow tires on. We are ready for winter!

After nap time we went to a playground for the first time in weeks. Emmy still has some cold symptoms so we made sure to go to a playground that was empty. The kids were SO excited to go!

We had a great time, I really hope we can still enjoy playgrounds as winter rolls in and Covid numbers continue to rise.

It was a beautiful afternoon!

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I hope you are having a wonderful weekend and hanging in there!

Tell me something fun you did this weekend!

Our quarantine is finally over, hooray! The actual time went by quickly because the 14 days we needed to quarantine included the time we didn’t know. Cannon was exposed to Covid 19 on Friday the 6th, We didn’t find out about it until the evening of Wednesday the 11th. So even though we weren’t in quarantine during the time we didn’t know, it still counts towards the 14 days. Because Colorado is in such a bad place we won’t be doing much more anyway but it will be nice to visit playgrounds, run outside and going to Costco!

I started the day off with the morning line up with the kiddos.

Cory has a lot to do at work and has been up late working so we have been letting him sleep in and hanging out just the three of us in the mornings.

Cannon had his last day of online school before Thanksgiving break, they have the entire week off.

Hunphry stayed on neighborhood watch while we were in school. When asked what he was thankful for Cannon said his Mommy and his puppy {love}.

I started gathering holiday recipes, and getting things ready for Thanksgiving. I had the table set up for Christmas because we don’t normally have Thanksgiving here but now I think I should do something festive.

During nap time I ran to Costco to get food for next week. Cory had me freaked out that we might not be able to get a turkey but we were able to get one!

I also grabbed this gingerbread house as something fun to do together.

Cory and the kids went to ride bikes while I made dinner, I can’t wait until it’s safe for Cannon to go to bike camp.

After dinner and bedtime, I worked on the kids wish list for Santa. I really hope he brings them these personalized chairs, they are so cute!

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I saw an advertisement for WHOOP online and it seems really interesting.

It’s a wrist device you wear 24/7 and it tracks your recovery levels and helps you train smarter. Instead of buying the device outright you get a monthly membership. I think it seems really interesting, but I am a HUGE data geek!

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What is on your Christmas list?

Would you use the WHOOP?

Quarantine day 9, we are feeling ready to go to playgrounds and Costco when our quarantine is officially over tomorrow. (but that’s about all we will be adding back in). Our County has gone to level red for Covid which means we are at the level of community spread. We are not in complete lock down yet but if things don’t turn around we will be soon.

With level red covid spread personal gatherings are prohibited. So that means family Thanksgiving is cancelled. We were on the fence about if we felt it was safe to celebrate with family but now it has been decided for us. We missed last years Thanksgiving because we had the stomach flu. At least this year we will be able to make a turkey dinner at home for the four of us so that is at least an upgrade. But it’s sad to think that Emmy hasn’t been able to share a Thanksgiving with family since she was seven months old and Cannon was just two.

A lot has changed since then.

Cannon has been doing so well in online school that he earned his favorite treat, a cake pop!

It’s pretty nice that Cannon’s favorite treat is from Starbucks so Cory and I can get a treat for ourselves as well. Emmy got a pink cake pop, I got a chestnut praline latte and Cory got a peppermint mocha. We dropped Cory’s coffee off at the home office then drove to the library. We are loving the curbside pick-up and drive through drop off so we can still borrow books!

I am way late to the party but I finally figured out the Starbucks points deal, now that they opened a Starbucks about a mile from our house with a drive through we are in trouble….

After school and our library visit it was time for lunch and nap. I made the kids PB&J sandwiches….I really need some more lunch ideas! Maybe I will try some of Amber’s Bento Box Ideas.

25 healthy lunch box ideas (for kids)

After naps we went for a walk, I pushed them in the stroller while they ate snacks

Then they ran back while I tried to keep up.

On nights that I teach I want something super easy and fast for dinner.

Everything here is from Costco and cooks up super fast!

Then it was time to teach and for Cory to take over kids duty.

After class I wrote up a gift list for kids 2-4, I combined Cannon and Emerald’s list this year as they are playing with mostly the same things.

Gift Guide For 2-4 Year Old Girls & Boys

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What are your Thanksgiving plans?

It’s that time of year to start thinking about gifts for our favorite little people!

We have and love many of the items listed below and some are on their list this year.

Tricycle – We have two trikes that the kids ride around inside and love to race!

Sharper Image Remote Control RC Cars – This is a great starter RC car, both kids love it, the large tires make it less of a problem when it runs into furniture. It also just flips over and keeps going, no frustration!

Little Tikes 7 foot Trampoline – The kids will be getting this trampoline this year. They love to jump so much I can’t wait to see them use it.

Magna-Tiles Set – Both Cannon and Emmy love playing with these sets.

Kids Fire Tablet – We have had ours for a couple years now and they are amazing for travel. The kids drop them all the time and the case has kept them safe. We like to watch movies and play educational games on them.

Ikea Table – We love and use this little table all the time. It’s great for crafts, coloring and eating lunch. I feel like Emmy spills less when she is at a table that is her size.

Toddler Chair – These are on our list this year too, I just think they are so cute!

Vtech go go Train – This train is so fun for little ones, both Cannon and Emerald love the set we have. This one has Mickey and friends.

Skip Hop Backpack – We have had a skip hop backpacks for years, they have held up well and are cute. Emmy loves to keep all her treasures in hers.

Step2 Roller Coaster – We have had this roller coaster for three years, it still looks new and the kids still love to play on it. It’s a huge hit when friends come over to play.

Ikea Kitchen – I love how simple and modern this play kitchen is.

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What is on your kids list this year?

Quarantine day 8, and things are not that exciting around here. The best news is that it has been really warm and sunny here so at least we aren’t stuck inside. We are still trying to spend more time outside, we aren’t going to make 1000 hours outside this year but we are going to do our best so just be out MORE.

I have been trying to let the kids have more unstructured time outside. Cannon doesn’t have school on Wednesdays so we spent a lot of time in the backyard.

Snacks are better eaten in the backyard!

It was even warm enough to get the water table out.

And open the windows in the house, fresh air is the best!

I am so so proud of Cannon, he has had to give up so much this year but always shows up everyday with a smile on his face. Emmy has lost out on experiences too but at two I feel like she doesn’t notice as much.

I think she is happy to have more time with Cannon. She is going to be devastated when Cannon starts going to school full time.

We had veggie burgers for dinner (we try to have meat free days at least once a week) and I went to bed not long after putting the kids down. I have been tired this week, probably fighting the cold Cannon has and just needed more rest.

Lynzy at Lynzy&Co has a gift guide based on the idea that we should be outside all year. She also has other great resources and is really cute and fun to follow!

Holiday Gift Guide | No Such Thing As Bad Weather

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Have you been enjoying time outside?

What is weather like where you are? I don’t think 70 degree days in November are normal for Colorado.

We Finally heard from Cannon’s doctor that his Covid test came back negative. NEGATIVE, we are so happy!

Cannon started not feeling well recently so we were almost certain he must have caught Covid when he was exposed at school. It was very stressful not knowing how sick we could all possibly get. Now with his negative test result we can be 95% sure that what he has is a simple cold. It took six days to get results that should have taken two….I feel for anyone else out there waiting for their results. We will still quarantine until Saturday like we are supposed to because it is *possible* that he could still have Covid and just didn’t have enough viral load when we had him tested.

Now that we can move on from our Covid scare we can focus on more fun things like routines =) I love a good routine and my kids thrive on them as well. With Cannon transitioning from in-person preschool to online learning we had to rework things a bit. The last two days have gone pretty well so we will see how this schedule holds up.

We basically do things in blocks of time and adjust as needed. For now our schedule looks like this:

4am-6:15 ish: This is my time to workout unless I sleep in and just get up with the kids. I have been running on the treadmill a lot but hope to get outside once our quarantine is over.

I would like to add in some cross-training with a spin bike. Has anyone used an Echelon spin bike before? I am thinking about this one:

Also thinking about getting the Pelaton app to use, so it kinds feels like a spin class. I miss them so much and my guess is that it could be 6-12 months before I see one again.

6:30 – 7:30 – The kids get up around 6:30, although this week Cannon has thought 5:45 was a better wake up time =( This is when we get dressed have breakfast and get ready for our day.

7:30 – 9:30 – Before school we try to get some physical play in. Lately we have been playing in our basement but outside would be even better. Now that we have our negative Covid test we might start taking walks outside for fresh air and exercise.

9:30 – 10:30 – Cannon has his online zoom call with his teacher and classmates. Then we do any other activities he might have. I am so proud of how he is doing.

10:30 – 11:30 – After school work we take some down time/screen time where we have been cuddling and just hanging out. I think when we all feel better I will change this to “recess” time where we will go to a playground. But since both kids are fighting a cold they are getting extra down time.

Cannon grabbed my phone and was so excited to take pictures of his show. He took 65 pictures, I laughed so hard!

11:30 – 12:30 – Then it’s lunch time, we are so enjoying having Cory at home since he joins us for lunch every day.

12:30 – 2:30 – Emmy takes about a two hour nap a day (sometimes less, usually not more). While Emmy naps cannon gets to do his Homer App, or school work if he needs to or help me with a project. I love this one-on-one time with him. Now that Cannon isn’t going to school I don’t get much just Emmy time.

2:30 – 4:00 – This has been our open play time that the kids get to pick what to do. We play in the play loft or do a craft, really just whatever they want to do.

4:00 – 6:00 – Cory is usually done with work by 4 and we are excited to see him and start the dinner process. On nights that I teach I start class at 5:30 so Cory takes over kid/bed time on nights I don’t work we tend to go upstairs and do bedtime all together around 6 to 6:30. The kids take their baths or showers in the evening. We try to have the kids asleep by 7PM but we are often not leaving their rooms until 7:30

7:30 – Way too late! – After bed time is the magic time that we can actually get something done. We clean up, take care of chores, I write these posts and finish up any work I have to do. Cory always puts in more hours for work late at night. I pretty much always get to bed later than I want to but that’s life!

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What do your days currently look like?

I will definitely be looking for some new fun things to add to our days!

Day six of quarantine and a full five days of waiting for Cannon’s test results. Let me just say that this has been a very stressful few days. The results won’t change our behavior, we will still quarantine until our two weeks are up but we just want to know. When the test is supposed to take two days waiting this long feels extra painful.

We still had a good day with Cannon’s first day of “distance learning”

I have to admit that I like the slower morning schedule. We got up took our time getting ready and spent 45 minutes playing in the basement before Cannon had his first Zoom meeting with his class. It went much better than the spring when he was not into zoom calls and refused to participate.

We watched a squirrel eat one of the pumpkins we grew in our garden.

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He made a mess but was sure cute!

We watched the Polar Express after school and enjoyed cuddling, one of the perks of home schooling.

After naps we played in the toy loft, I will say that 2020 has been a lot of things but it has helped me focus on just being present with my kiddos.

The kids still seem to be having fun.

Cannon has been enjoying his train table in his room since we moved it to make room for their Christmas tree.

There is something magic about kids and Christmas lights.

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The jammies we love are on 50% off at Carters now!

If you want to feel happy you can read about Chris Nikic who became the first person with Down’s Syndrome to complete an Ironman.

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Read any happy news lately?

Day five of of quarantine and we are still surviving quite well. We are taking it easy and slow. Hopefully we will get good news about Cannon’s test today.

There was some good cuddles with Daddy.

Matching Christmas jammies (thanks Costco!)

It was an incredibly windy day but we really needed some fresh air.

Cannon was an awesome big brother and pushed Emmy around in her car while Cory and I cleaned up the yard.

Emmy has been treating anything she can like a trampoline so I think the Christmas shopping is going in this direction:

We then decorated the “kids Tree” in our play room.

This has only non-breakable decorations some from when I was a kid and some from my moms childhood!

My mom and grandma even painted some of them

I wish I had their talent.

I am actually really looking forward to running outside once our quarantine is over. Once I CAN’T do something I love, I miss it all that much more. Our mornings are slower now that we don’t have to rush off to school so maybe I can get up a little later and run as the sun is coming up. I actually love winter running.

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Now we wait for results and hope for the best.

How is everyone doing this Monday?

Which would you choose winter or summer running?