A Typical Summer Day

Hey, friends! I probably should have titled this post, “A Summer Day…” because I’m not sure that there’s any “typical” day right now. The past three months have been kind of crazy! Between travel, play dates, camps and other appointments, every day has been unpredictable and I feel like I never really found a rhythm to the season. While a lazier and more flexible schedule has been nice, we all appreciate the return of school and the routine that follows. That said, I thought that it would be fun to do another “Day In the Life” type of post as our summer winds down so that I can share everything that we do (and eat) on a “normal” day.

I remembered to snap photos of all of our adventures at the end of last week, so the pictures that you see here are from last Thursday — start to finish! Shall we jump right in?

5:00 a.m. My alarm goes off so that I can roll out of bed and get myself ready for the gym. I put out my clothes the night before, so I’m literally still half asleep as I get dressed and go downstairs. I grab an apple, some coffee, and my water bottle before heading to the gym at 5:30 to meet my friend Maggie for a sweaty 30-minute session on side-by-side ellipticals. Naturally, we talk the entire time and it flies by. Perfect way to start the day!

6:10 a.m. I return home and can hear the boys bouncing around their rooms upstairs. I get them dressed and then take care of some of the other morning chores: emptying the dishwasher, feeding the dog, and getting the kids settled with toys and entertainment. By 6:45 I’m starving, so I grab myself a piece of toast with almond butter,

and eat that while talking to the kids. I then go back to the kitchen to make my daily morning smoothie. I mix it up with different fruit and flavor combos, but on this particular morning I go with a standard favorite: the Skinny French Toast Frappe.

My version this morning isn’t nearly as photogenic, but it still hits the spot. I sit down at my computer to check my email and eat my shake, but I never actually get the computer turned on. Instead, Spence joins me and proceeds to try to devour my entire breakfast. He LOVES this, and I have to cut him off so that he doesn’t eat too much…the last thing that this 2-year-old needs is caffeine from a coffee-flavored smoothie!

6:55 a.m. I go upstairs to take a very speedy shower! We have guys coming to finish installing our new HVAC system today and they’re due to arrive between 7 and 7:30. Meanwhile, the boys head outside to play while Keith supervises before he has to leave for work. It’s never too early to ride around on your tractor…

7:20 a.m. The kids are hungry so it’s time to feed them breakfast. They have English muffins and toast + Green Monster Mini Muffins (recipe was in THIS post) + berries and grapes + milk.

Casey’s trying to smile, say “cheese,” and chew his food all at the same time!?

7:40 a.m. The kids are done eating, so they get down to go play while I clean up the kitchen. It turns out that the mechanics working on our air conditioning units are great entertainment and keep the boys interested for a looooooong time. Yessssss! It gives me a few minutes to jump on the computer and catch up on email, Facebook, and some blog stuff.

We also color and pull out (just about) every toy we own. Anyone else feel like they constantly clean up toys in a never-ending loop?!

9:00 a.m. I have some errands to take care of and the kids are getting restless, so we head out to the school playground. I know better than to try to drag 3 boys through a grocery store without giving them some exercise first!

After about 30 minutes it starts to rain on us, so we jump back in the car and make the short drive over to the grocery store for a week’s worth of food.

Shopping is one of my least favorite things to do with all of the boys along, but this particular trip is actually relatively smooth. Letting them pick out snacks in the store always helps!

10:45 a.m. By the time we get back from the store, I’m definitely hungry. I pull some Nectarine Overnight Oats out of the refrigerator and eat those while unpacking and putting away the groceries.

I also make a phone call to the pediatrician because Spence has experienced some major swelling on his leg after a recent bee sting. Since this is the second time he has blown up from a sting this summer, I figure it’s time to have him looked at. The nurse on the phone suspects a bee allergy, so she wants us to come to town that afternoon for an appointment. Again, my days are unpredictable…

12:00 p.m. I feed everyone lunch so that we can get out of the house in time for Spencer’s appointment. The kids request “ants on a log,”

which I serve with sandwich (turkey, tomato, and cheese) + yogurt.

I eat an Apple Harvest Mason Jar Salad (layers of chicken, apples, pecans, blue cheese, and lettuce in a Cider Vinaigrette), which I had ready to go in the refrigerator after photographing them for the blog a couple of days earlier. I eat it standing up while talking to the boys and cleaning up their dishes.

The drive to town is about 45 minutes, so we pile in the car shortly after lunch to get to the 1:30 appointment. I take an iced coffee with me for the road…I could use the energy!

1:30 p.m. At the doctor’s office, the older two watch the fish and horse around with Spence while we wait to be seen. Spence is overtired and in need of a nap, so the scene is NOT pretty.

But good news! He doesn’t have an allergy and doesn’t need an EpiPen. He just tends to swell up at the site of a sting more than some kids?! I’m glad that I made the effort to have him checked out so that I am not constantly worried about the next bite…

2:45 p.m. We’re back home from town and I dump dinner into the slow cooker. I had prepared a bunch of Crock Pot Freezer Meals the weekend before, so I thawed one of the bags in the refrigerator the night before because I knew that we would be gone most of the afternoon and I wouldn’t have much time to deal with dinner. That slow cooker is a lifesaver on busy days!

3:15 p.m. Spence is still napping in the car after the doctor’s appointment, but we have plans that afternoon to meet my friend Kerrin and her 3 kids at the pool. I get our pool bag packed and change the older two into their bathing suits so that we can head out. We all have the late afternoon munchies, so I’m glad that I packed some snacks in my purse. Never leave home without them!

While Spence snoozes, we eat! Casey adores the Sahale Honey Almond Glazed Mix,

while I reach for the Raspberry Crumble Cashew Mix. These individually-sized bags are the perfect portion for on-the-go snacking. So convenient! This particular mix has 200 calories, 5 grams of protein, and 3 grams of fiber in the bag, making it super-satisfying.

It’s full of whole buttery cashews and crunchy peanuts paired with dried sliced bananas, tart raspberries and cranberries. The perfect pre-swimming energy to get us through the rest of the afternoon!

Spence manages to wake up in time to swim with the rest of the kids,

and by the time we make it back in the car to go home he is starving. Since he missed his snack while napping earlier, I hand him a bag of Sahale Classic Fruit + Nut Trail Mix to munch on the way home. He keeps saying, “Mamma…these nuts are goooooood!” Officially toddler approved!

5:30 p.m. We’re back from the pool and Keith is on his way home from work, so it’s time to get dinner finished. The older boys are hungry again, so we all snack on carrots,

and I pour myself a glass of decaf iced tea.

I start a load of laundry, get the boys in their pajamas, and finish up the rest of dinner.

6:30 p.m. Keith is home and it’s time to EAT! We have Slow Cooker Korean Beef Tacos, plus rice and steamed broccoli on the side. Everyone cleans their plates…

After a busy day, the house is very quiet that evening! The boys are in bed by 8:00 p.m., Keith does some yard work while it’s still light out, and I grab myself a handful of dark chocolate chunks from my stash in the kitchen before sitting down at the computer to get started on this post! I always have to end the day with a little something sweet…

9:00 p.m. I am officially BEAT. I make my way upstairs to read my new book in bed while watching American Ninja Warrior in the background (what is it about that show that just sucks me in?!).

10:15 p.m. Lights OUT!

I’m sharing #SahaleSnackers in my life as part of a Sahale Snacks® sponsored series for Socialstars™. If you’d like to learn more about these tasty Grab and Go Snacks that my whole family LOVES, you can check out Sahale on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! As you can see from our “typical” day, Sahale Snacks®  bring a sense of adventure and discovery to everyday snacking!