Hi friends! I’m trying to get better at prioritizing Friday Favorites this year, which I often skip on busy weeks. But this weekly series is how I share what’s going on with the Shallal clan, things I love, and more! I love connecting with you guys beyond just sharing recipes, so I’m really trying to be more consistent with this series! So, I’m typing this up while I eat our Friday lunch treat, Chipotle!
School is in full swing, and I can’t believe it’s already time to enroll for next year. Thanks to some pretty cool programs Arizona has, we were able to keep KJ at the same school as KK, at least for the Kindergarten year so that’s exciting! The fate of those programs is unsure, but we will utilize them while they are there! I can’t believe it was time to enroll BOTH boys in school. KK will only go three days a week, but he will go full day, so I only have to do one pick-up! This weekend should be pretty relaxing and low-key. I love this time of the year in Arizona. It is perfect for bike riding and walking outdoors. (I know my East Coast friends are cursing me, but I’m cursing you when it’s 120F in the middle of the summer here.)
The biggest update is that I’ve been able to eat most dairy without any issues from the baby. (My kids all had some form of MSPI.) I’m still avoiding whey-based protein shakes, but everything else seems okay. I don’t know if I started eating it regularly, but so far, it’s been good. I even bought her some dairy to try. If it goes well, no more dairy-free! Fingers crossed! This would be the earliest I didn’t have to be dairy-free with any of the babies.
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Around the Blog:
What you may have missed this week:
Food
Maguro Sushi
Order Maguro this month! Post pregnancy this time, I’ve been into way more raw stuff than ever before, I think I would love some sashimi which never appealed to me before.
Freely Taproom/ Waymo Car Experience
I’m not a huge beer drinker but love trying beer flights. I had so much fun trying different beers on tap at Freely – a hidden gem on the Chandler/Tempe border. (PS We took a Waymo home, driverless Uber car, and the thing took us on a completely unnecessary detour and was full of trash from a previous rider. It’s not my favorite. I’ll probably stick to Uber with a real driver. However, I wish something like that had been available to me in high school/college. I would have been in far fewer sketchy situations, haha )
Waffle Eggs
I was messing around when meal prepping the kids healthy waffles and made some waffle eggs. The baby LOVED them! Mr. Hungry was confused by his waffle egg and waffle breakfast plate haha.
Friday Favorites
Kids Thank You Cards
I can’t believe I’ve never thought to share these before! These Thank You Cards are perfect for even the littlest of kids to start developing the habit and practice of sending thank you’s for gifts. The boys love coloring them, and now that KJ is learning to write, he is practicing writing his name. I’ve bought them three times already. I’m sure you could print your own for cheaper, but this is the kind of thing that I know I’ll forget to print out and have the kids do. Easier if I could pull some cards out, and they are sitting there to have the kids fill out whenever we get a moment.
Paw Patrol Undies – Potty Training
Ordered these undies for KK and didn’t realize they would come in this cool setup. I needed undies for him, so I ripped them out of the package, but if you have a new kid potty training, then this would be great! I think they would love getting a new pair of undies out of the advent-style calendar daily.
Hello Toothpaste
KK had a first this week. He went to the dentist! We got zero pictures because Mr. Hungry was holding the baby, and I was sitting with him as he was a bit scared. However, after sharing our concern that he sometimes still tries to eat the toothpaste, the dentist mentioned doing a fluoride-free toothpaste in the morning with him and fluoride at night. I was about to order some toothpaste for the baby anyway, now they will share! We have used the hello brand for years, which the kids love!
Dinosaur Electric Toothbrush
Speaking of teeth, KJ got this electric toothbrush set, and he loves it! It’s really increased his self-sufficiency in brushing ( we still help him), and he loves the timer. The dentist said it’s great, but make sure they don’t miss the gums or press too hard. Of note, we also got this super cute Paw Patrol toothbrush holder and cup for KK for Christmas, which has been a huge hit as well!
Fitness – 8 Months Post Partum
After Christmas, I finally finished the Expecting and Empowered Running Program and the Post Partum program! Currently, I’m down about 35lbs from my highest weight with this baby, and I’ve got 10lbs to lose till I’m at my normal size. I’m excited to start wearing some of my old clothes and feel like me.
Now that I’ve finished the E & E program, I’m doing a round of my friend Brandon’s Odyssey Health Program. I’ve shared those workouts before, and I’ll try to share them again, but it’s a phased program and, in the past has really really helped me get my strength back postpartum. My schedule looks something like this:
- 2 Strength Workouts
- 2 Metabolic Workouts
- 1 Run (still using the E & E app for these!)
These workouts aren’t exactly balls to the wall, but they are efficient and effective. I’ve found with the last two babies, it’s easier for me to lose weight with more strength and quicker workouts than trying to go balls to the wall. When I try to push with long hard workouts daily, my body shuts down and goes into stress mode, driving me to be more snacky. I’m currently not counting calories, but if I stop losing weight, then I’ll go back to it for a while, I’ll go to tracking a few days a week and focusing on protein.
Friday Flashback
How to Quit Late Night Snacking
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