Category: thankfulness

birthday, blessings, family, foodie, fun, health, motherhood, motivation, quarantine, thankfulness

My Quarantined Birthday And A Baby Update

caffeinatedcarly

Hello, all!! This whole pandemic has been a whirlwind, and with a stay at home order, baby K and I have hunkered down. My husband and sister-in-law (who lives with us) are both considered essential, therefore are still working. My worries come in waves, but I am doing my best to stay calm, and enjoy time with my sweet baby.

Speaking of baby K, she has gained SO many new skills since her first birthday. She is pulling herself up on everything, and learned how to climb the stairs. There is no stopping her! She is chatty and now says “bye-bye” and “belly.” She knows her body parts and LOVES books. Her gym class has been doing Facebook live videos and we have been joining in! Watching her learn and grow is the greatest joy in my life.

Yesterday was my 31st birthday, and despite being in the middle of this crazy time, it was still very special!

My celebration started on Sunday with Starbucks of course! We had family time, and I took a bath during the baby’s nap.

Once she went to bed, my husband cooked a delicious dinner of salmon and vegetables. I also had a salad and my favorite wine!

My sweet husband made me brownies (which I got into before the picture haha). My sister-in-law got me wine and ice cream!

After dinner, we played a few games of Clue, then watched The Greatest Showman because I love that movie!

Monday was my actual birthday and baby K and I had fun at home! My mom sent me pretty flowers, and ordered me and baby lunch from my favorite place (Northstar Cafe). Curbside delivery for the win. I had the Thai burrito with broccoli and peanut sauce. YUM!

She also got me a tablet!! I LOVE IT! I definitely have the greatest mom!!!

My husband and in-laws got me a Shark vacuum and it is amazing! I have been wanting one for SO long. I cleaned the house during baby’s nap and enjoyed every second of it haha.

After dinner, we facetimed my mom, brother, and sister-in-law to play trivia. Even though we couldn’t be together in person, this was a perfect way to spend time with each other. We all had to come up with categories and mine was Friends (the TV show). We had a lot of fun!!

I also had my brownies and ice cream before bed. It was a great birthday!

Well friends, that is all for now. Stay safe and healthy!

With love,

Carly

blessings, family, fitness, food, foodie, health, healthy, motherhood, motivation, thankfulness, workout

Friday Favorites

caffeinatedcarly

Happy Friday, all! Things are finally setting down from baby K’s hospital stay, and it feels amazing to have our routine back. I never realized how much I take for granted our simple (wonderful) life.

I wanted a positive post today, so I thought I’d share some of my favorite things from the week.

1) BEING HOME:

Seeing our sweet baby hospitalized and so ill really took it’s toll on all of us. Now that we are home, she is getting better each day, and her sweet personality is coming back. She has been giving out extra hugs, giggles, and tons of smiles. I truly couldn’t ask for more.

2) WORKOUTS:

*RINGSIDE is a boxing inspired workout at my gym, and has become a new favorite of mine.

SPINNING- this is a staple, and I try to do it once a week.

FOOD:

The day after we left the hospital I was craving Starbucks! A coffee and spinach feta wrap hit the spot. This is my favorite breakfast from there.

*Cauliflower Crust Pizza- you can’t beat a healthier comfort food!

ENJOYING CHRISTMAS PRESENTS:

With the baby being sick, I didn’t really get to enjoy the wonderful gifts we received. Baby K finally is able to enjoy her toys, and my husband went all out for me this year, even though my little family is all I need.

A few favorites include: beats headphones, a bluetooth sleep mask, workout rings, and money to get my hair done.

Our families got us a lot as well. It was so sweet!

We got a bigger car seat for baby K, clothes, giftcards, snacks, and leg pillows from my in-laws.

My mom got us a zoo membership, another session of Bugs (mommy and me) class, wine, and coasters!

My brother got me new running shoes…yay!

My dear blogging friend, Hunida, from https://hunidasblog.com/ sent me this super sweet package! I can’t tell you how much it meant to me! I used the face mask tonight and loved it. She was one of my first blogging buddies and I have so enjoyed our friendship!

PJ SETS:

I have really into cozy pj sets lately!! I just got a new one from Victoria’s Secret and it is so cute.

PODCASTS:

I love true crime so my go to podcasts are My Favorite Murder, Crime Junkie, and Dateline NBC.

READING:

I read every single night to relax me before bed. It is one of my favorite things to do!

That’s about all of my favorites from the week! Thank you for reading.

Have a great weekend, all!

With love,

Carly

baby, fitness, food, health, healthy, motivation, thankfulness, update, workout

Diary Of An Exhausted, Blessed Mamma, And This Week In Food And Fitness

caffeinatedcarly

Hi, all!

This week has really tested me. Just when I thought I was on the mend from whatever illness that had creeped up on me, Monday proved otherwise. I felt bad all day, and my 2 month old has been extremely demanding lately. Usually, I’m able to keep up with her, but with not feeling well I was struggling. Monday evening was the worst of it, but I felt bad all the way through Thursday.

There were times I wanted to cry because she needed my attention, and I needed sleep.

Yes, her face is covered in milk. I cleaned her right after this haha.

Mom life doesn’t stop just because you aren’t 100 percent.

I powered through the week, and woke up today feeling SO much better. I have had so much fun playing with my busy baby today.

I guess this is just a reminder to myself that even when the days are long, that sweet face smiles at you and it makes everything worth it.

Sweet girl with her daddy (hence the hairy legs lol)!!!

As for a food a food and fitness update…

I felt good enough for normal food and some excercise by Wednesday. My mom watched the baby while I went to a barbell strength class and picked up lunch at Northstar Cafe.

My wonderful mom visits each Wednesday to hang out with us and lets me sneak off to the gym. She is moving here this summer and I can’t wait!!

The only other workouts this week have been the elliptical and bike. I’m hoping baby has a decent nap today so I can do a hiit workout.

Last night, the hubs and I had a frozen garlic chicken and pasta meal. Baby was bathed and in bed by 8. I am loving this bedtime. She has slept so well lately and I am praying it continues.

That’s about all for today! We have a super busy weekend.

Have a good one!

With love,

Carly

family, food, friendship, fun, marriage, motivation, new year, pictures, pregnancy, thankfulness

2018 Highlights And Pictures

caffeinatedcarly

Happy New Year, friends! I spent the evening eating ice cream, and watching a movie with my husband and kitties. We did not make it to midnight haha! 2018 was a great year for us, and we are excited to welcome our baby girl in 2019!!

Let’s recap this past year, shall we?

JANUARY:

We took a trip to Hocking Hills, stayed in a beautiful cabin, played games, and went hiking.

FEBRUARY:

We celebrated Valentine’s Day with a lovely ravioli dinner made by my hubby!

MARCH:

We celebrated my 29th birthday at Valley Vineyards with steak, salmon, wine, and family.

APRIL:

We visited my cousin in Nashville for Spring Break and had a blast!

MAY:

I had my procedure at the fertility clinic that would bring us the best news ever!

JUNE:

I had a positive pregnancy test and immediately called my husband because I couldn’t wait until he got home!

We saw Luke Bryan in concert with some friends!

We spent a week at the lake with my husband’s family where I experienced morning sickness for the first time.

JULY:

We spent a week enjoying the beach in North Carolina with my family!

AUGUST:

I went to Lake Michigan with my oldest brother and his family! It was fun spending time with my niece and nephews.

We had our gender reveal party!

SEPTEMBER:

We got to play bride and groom for a day! Our wedding photographer asked if we would do a photo shoot to help out a new venue! It was so fun.

OCTOBER:

We had our annual apple and pumpkin picking date.

NOVEMBER:

We celebrated my husband’s 30th birthday and took a trip to Chicago!

I had my baby shower!

I hit the third trimester on Thanksgiving Day.

DECEMBER:

I had baby shower #2.

We did some major baby prep, and celebrated Christmas with our families.

What a year it has been!

I hope you all had a blessed year!

With love,

Carly

family, fitness, food, health, healthy, motivation, pregnancy, thankfulness, weekend, workout

Weekend Wrap-Up (Food, Fitness, And Baby Prep)

caffeinatedcarly

Hello, all!! How was your weekend?! Ours was busy, but we have made so much progress on getting ready for our sweet baby girl.

Let’s recap:

FRIDAY:

After work, I hit up the gym for 30 minutes of cardio. It felt so good, especially after a long day.

Dinner was a tuna melt and sweet potato waffle fries. I also had 2 (or 3) fudge cookies for dessert lol!

After dinner, we watched Ozark until bed.

SATURDAY:

The day started early with online teaching before heading to the gym for a quick pregnancy strength workout.

By the time we got home, my in-laws were over and ready to help with the nursery. The boys got to work on the drywall, while the girls went to Lowe’s for paint!

I just love our color scheme.

We grabbed lunch to take home from Jimmy Johns.

After lunch, it was back to work! We got to cleaning and setting some items up.

By dinner time we were all tired so we ate lasagna and rented a movie.

I read a little before bed.

SUNDAY:

The day started with coffee before getting to work. My mom came over and had lunch with me at Zoup. It was so tasty!

After lunch, we went shopping for more baby items. When we got home, I did laundry and swooned over baby clothes.

Now, I am relaxing a bit before getting back to some cleaning and organizing! I feel a touch under the weather, so I’m hoping I can get a lot of sleep tonight!

Have a great week, everyone!

With love,

Carly