FFFF #193 – Bearizona, Fry’s Cooking School, & PP Pelvic Floor Eval

Happy FriYAY, friends!  

I know I’ve missed the last couple of Fridays, so I have a lot to share with you today!  It’s been a busy few weeks, so let’s dive into life! 

Flagstaff & Bearizona 

My Aunt and Uncle recently moved from Phoenix to Flagstaff, about 2.5 hours north of Phoenix.  For those of you who don’t live in AZ, Flagstaff is not a desert. It’s a high elevation and resembles Colorado.  It’s all forest, the temperature is cooler, it snows sometimes, and it’s basically a paradise escape from Phoenix.  We miss my Aunt and Uncle so much, especially since my Aunt has cared for KJ since he was a baby. 

However, visiting them in Flagstaff is creating so many memories and allowing us to explore that part of the state as a family.  One such memory is taking the kids (although the baby slept the whole time) to Bearizona.  Bearizona is both a drive-thru and walk-thru park and zoo.  It cost us $60 for entry, so although I wouldn’t go all the time, it was a really fun experience, and I’d totally go again! We also went hiking up near Sno Bowl! 

We cherish our time up there so much.  KJ really looks forward to seeing his Auntie and Papi every time we go, and he basically stays outside the whole time and never comes in.  He picks fresh tomatoes out of the garden, looks for squirrels on the walks, and builds car ramps on the deck.  I can’t wait for him to see snow this winter (and I can’t wait to see it myself since I haven’t seen any since college!)

Haircut

I cut off so much hair, so so so much hair.  I think I might have shared this?  But I went in to brighten things up since we cut off like all my blonde, haha And, I got some long-style bangs! I’m still learning how to create beachy waves with short hair best, but I’m getting it, slowly but surely!

Smoothies

So, my blender now lives on my bedroom floor! #momlife I realized I haven’t been drinking as many nutrient-packed smoothies recently when I had to keep pushing back my smoothie box order.  After some reflection, I realized my normal time for drinking them, after a walk in the AM or lunch, was baby’s nap time, and I was too lazy to move the blender to avoid waking him up.  So, I moved it and left it on our bedroom floor (we have a split floor plan – the kid’s bedrooms are on the opposite side of the house from ours.) Since then, I’ve been getting in smoothies almost every day!  I can’t wait to get through this box because Smoothiebox launched a new flavor, and I can’t wait to try it!

Fry’s Cooking School 

I posted this on Instagram but wanted to share it here as well!  Last week I was invited to the Fry’s cooking school for a taste of Italy using local ingredients experience. 

The experience was beyond my expectations! Chef O was incredibly engaging, funny, and an excellent teacher.  I definitely want to go back for a date night or other classes she might have.  I’m eyeing the wine tasting at the end of this month! (See the schedule on Facebook.) I learned that Fry’s Foods supports over 60 local businesses by stocking their shelves with their products.  That’s a lot of local products to chose from! They were kind enough to send us home with a gift basket of all local products as well!  KJ especially enjoyed the Daizen strawberry milk! 

Kiwi berries

I got these kiwi berries at Trader Joe’s last weekend, and they were amazing! They taste like a kiwi but are the size of a grape! I highly recommend you giving them a try!

Golden Gate Chinese Food

I paired Chinese food take-out from Golden Gate with a Dole chopped Asian salad kit!  #balance Mr. Hungry said Golden Gate was their go-to Chinese food restaurant growing up, and it did not disappoint! Bonus, the restaurant had a Koi pond and giant fish tanks, which KJ was immediately obsessed with! 

Matty G’s Burgers

Matty G’s Burgers is now officially my new favorite burger place.  I got a delicious burger that was amazing even without cheese!  It was slathered in a smokey barbecue sauce and topped with an onion ring. We will be going back! FYI My burger didn’t come lettuce wrapped (I didn’t ask because I knew I had some in the fridge.)  

Fitness & Pelvic Eval 

I’m still following the Expecting and Empowered Post Partum Guides for strength three times a week and running twice a week following a program on Aaptiv, although this past week I gave up on trying to get exercise in other than walking.  KK hasn’t been sleeping well and my week was jam-packed, I decided I needed sleep more than working out! I’m so ready to get back at though this weekend! 

And great timing because yesterday I went for a PT Eval on my pelvic floor.  Since starting the Expecting and Empowered program I’ve had almost no issues with incontinence or any of the other pesky symptoms that can linger post-birth.  However, I just wanted the eval to make sure I was doing everything I can to support my postpartum recovery.  She did both an external and internal assessment of my pelvic floor and ab muscles and said everything looked good, but I did have a little more laxity in my abdomen or ab separation (also known as diastasis recti) so she taught me to activate and zip up the core.  She called it “connecting” and I couldn’t explain it if I tried, but afterward there was a big difference in how I felt I was activating my core muscles.  

I’ll go back in a couple of weeks for likely or two more sessions.  

So, I think we are just about caught up now and I’ve got to run because I have another full day, and both the kids just woke up! Ready. Set. Go! Have a great weekend friends!