Hey Friday!

Hey friends!!

Happy Friday!!!

How has your week been?

I had an out of routine week- but it involved all good things!

I had a dentist appointment- which honestly I just LOATHE. I really really really don't like the dentist- it's not the hygenist or the dentist fault- it's just laying down for an hour while your teeth get scraped, poked and cleaned is not my idea of a good time. HA! 

Also- I feel like I do a pretty good job of flossing, brushing, rinsing with Listerine...and it never fails- I always leave the dentist feeling SO self conscious of my dental health.  HA!

And then there's my husband -who barely flosses and always gets this GLOWING report! HA!

I have been a part of a search committee at our school for an administration position the school has open. We interviewed three candidates on Wednesday and it was a really awesome experience! It was a looonnnggg process- but it was really rewarding to collaborate with a few other people and give our hiring recommendations to our pastor!

Yesterday, I drove to Greenville, NC to get my hair done. Yes- I drive three hours round trip to get my hair done every 11 weeks. Yes- most people think this is crazy! HA!

I don't care! I love my hair stylist and she is incredibly affordable for the amazing job she does. Raleigh's salon prices are INSANE. So while it is a whole day ordeal to get my hair done- it's worth it!!

And now it's FriYAY. I am looking forward to getting back to my regularly scheduled programming..but this different kind of week was a nice change up!

Here's a few randoms that I wanted to share with ya'll!

These cookies were a random purchase from Aldi- and they ended up being a WINNER!

I liked that they were made out of fairly good ingredients and that they were a "mini" size. I like to put a little treat in my kids' lunches and these cookies are perfect for that!

They also make great little ice cream sandwiches!

My youngest child, Marshall, celebrated his 8th birthday earlier this week!!

We had a great time celebrating him over the weekend- and on his actual birthday- I made him chocolate chip waffles before school and we had pizza and cake for dinner. We don't do big birthday parties in our family- but I do go to a lot of effort to make the kids their favorite foods, decorate in their favorite colors and just make them feel SPECIAL. My kids always make each other homemade cards and we have a tradition of going around the dinner table, sharing specific things we love about the birthday girl/boy. 

It's hard to believe 8 years ago, I was getting ready to have our 5th baby!! Aaron and I always had the BEST time in the hospital while I was in labor. I always got an epidural- so we just hung out and would get so excited. I truly LOVED being pregnant, going into labor and having our babies. 

(Marshall's delivery ended up being a very emergent and scary c-section- but up until that point- I was happy as a clam! HA!)

If you are looking for an easy and delicious dish to meal prep for next week- or to add to your menu- check out my post from Wednesday! I shared a super simple "recipe" for a Mexican chili cornbread bake. It takes no time at all to put together and it's SO good!

I have a new obsession: getting ENOUGH sleep. 

I take really good care of myself....but one area that I have ALWAYS brushed aside is getting enough sleep. When I was in graduate school, I worked at a bar/restaurant- and would get home at 3 am. Then I would pull all nighters (literally) studying...and then I would go work 3-4 nights in a row at the bar. I survived on coffee, diet mountain dew and sugar free red bull. HA! 

Then we had 5 kids in 7 years- and I got VERY little sleep. 

Which was TOTALLY fine with me! I really can function on very little sleep.

And now I am in my mid 40's and I don't have a good reason why I am not going to bed earlier. 

I wake up pretty early- so I NEED to get to bed at a decent time. Over the past couple of weeks I have been incredibly focused on making sure I am going to sleep no later than 10 pm. And it has been GLORIOUS. It is definitely an effort for me as I have no problem staying up until 11:00-11:30 pm- but the benefit of waking up at 5:20 am (my wake up time) and feeling GOOD is highly motivating!!

This week, due to things I had going on, I had to do two early morning workouts from 5:15 am - 6:15 am. Which meant I got up at 4:20 am. I made sure I went to bed at 9:30 the nights before those workouts and I felt SO good. Who would have thought??! 

Getting ample amount of sleep really works! HA!

Ok. I am rambling now. I am just saying- I am really good at making excuses and justifying things that I need to work on. Sleep has been one of those things! 

On the flip side- I love to challenge myself! So forcing myself to get in bed earlier and get more sleep has been a GOOD challenge for me!

I am happy to be back to blogging after a kind of unintentional/intentional break. I am consistently inconsistent with blogging. HA! I shared a little bit of how I am feeling about being on Instagram in my post I wrote this past Monday. You can check it out HERE!

What do you have going on this weekend?

Our youngest son is making his First Holy Communion tomorrow- which is going to be so special! We are having a family dinner to celebrate tomorrow night. Marshall has asked for a "spaghetti bar." Given the busy week that I have had- I have NOTHING bought for the dinner or prepped. I will be headed to Aldi today and will definitely be working in the kitchen this afternoon!

I am signed up to get James Clear's newsletter every Thursday and he always has the best quotes and ideas. 

Here are some suggestions he gave to have a peaceful moment (they are all SO simple and SO good!)

- Close your eye and just breathe for two minutes. 

- Leave your phone in another room for an hour.

- Watch a cloud form and then dissolve.

- Stand in the sunshine and notice how it warms your skin.

- Light a candle and watch the flame dance.

Wishing the BEST Friday and a WONDERFUL weekend!

Linking up with from Andrea and Erica for Friday Favorites!!!