I NEED THIS + Friday Favorites!!

I got out for a 4 mile walk with my sister.  The sun was shining and it was such a good way to start the day off.  I may not be running but I still LOVE having the routine of getting out for some fresh air and movement so so much.

I can’t tell you happy it made me that Beck made a special face for our selfie yesterday morning.

Christmas music is playing in my car at all times right now.

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A few hours later and Andrew asked us on a date (Beck was snoozing in his carseat next to me) to get some rice bowls and they were amazing.

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The owner of the restaurant (180 Tacos) brought us out some of their donuts for free afterwards and they were insanely good.

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And the rest of the day looked a lot like this.  Andrew is back to work today… this is going to be interesting!

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Let’s talk about a few of my favorite things this week!

*THE EASIEST WAY to keep all of your wrapping paper organized and it’s only $4—>  HERE!

*This melting snowman is a huge hit at our house… the kids play with it all of the time.

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*I earned cool points with the kids when I put on these rudolph antlers and nose on my car.

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*If you need an awesome Christmas playlist—> I am loving the one that my friend Lindsey put together on Spotify (search Lindsey Orton Christmas Jams).

*Don’t mind our ridiculously messy garage but this vest is definitely a favorite and I’ve already worn it a million times this fall/winter.  I love vests so much because they add so much warmth and I love the colors of this Patagonia vest.  PS if you live in Utah and shop at Al’s you should get on their VIP list because that saved me $70 on this vest!

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*Andrew brought these home from Costco for me.  My current obsession with the chocolate and peppermint combo is out of control right now.

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*This year we went with these Target Christmas PJs and we are very happy with them (I was very happy that Andrew agreed to join in on the matching fun too:)

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Knox was thrilled to have another matching outfit with Beck.

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Have any fun plans this weekend?  Fill me in!

Anybody else love the chocolate/peppermint combo?  What do you think is the best thing to combine with chocolate?

-I think peppermint/chocolate is my favorite and chocolate/caramel is my second favorite.

Do you love routines or not so much?

-Andrew does NOT like routines and I NEED routine.

Jobs that you have had in the past or that you have now—>  What is your work schedule like?  Ever work holidays or weekends?  

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37 comments

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Have you seen the melting hot chocolate snowman from TJs? We got them for my nieces and they loved! Did a December 1 gift of Target Christmas PJs (the dinosaur ones!), a Christmas book, and the hot chocolate snowman.

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Those are the cutest! I love that idea that you did for your nieces! Our melting snowmen sell out so fast, I need to go early. Have a great weekend Mariah!

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I NEED routine too!! Haha
The melting snowman is a huge hit in our house too!! I even got it for my daughters friends bday gift. I love your vest. I have been eyeing it in your posts this week :) love all your clothes!! What size did you go with in the vest? Have a great weekend!!

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Hey Ashley! Thank you! It’s a size small and I hope you love it too! Thanks and enjoy your Friday!

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Oh my goodness, Beck is a doll. I love the matching pjs and I have tried getting my husband to match with us but no go LOL. (Maybe if I find us Star Wars themed ones?)

Peppermint and chocolate is my second fave but number one is PB & chocolate! Sometimes I just sprinkle a few chocolate chips on a spoonful of peanut butter and I am in heaven.

Have a great weekend!

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Hahah let me know if the Star Wars themed pjs work out with your husband?. Isn’t it crazy how good those simple combos are? I’ll do that one today with the kids. Have a great weekend April!

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You got this Janae!! You can do hard things. I love this mantra. I remind myself that I , too, can do hard things, thanks to your blog. Beck’s little face is so adorable! I adore your matching Christmas pajamas! I really don’t like the chocolate and peppermint combo. My fave is the chocolate peanut butter combo. Can’t get enough Reese’s in my life lol.

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Thank you so much Kimberly and I will be using that mantra today! Have a great weekend and please have some Reese’s!

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Hi Janae,
Beck is so adorable! I think it is so amazing how quickly babies start showing their little personalities!

This weekend I am taking each of my kids on separate Holidates to take care of Christmas gifts and do acts of kindness. Definitely stopping by Sodadelicious here in Boise to get that peppermint cookie! Also, long run Sunday!

I live for a routine. The only time I don’t have one is over long holiday weekends (I don’t wear a watch, make lists or plans).

I worked retail for a long time -weekends and the holidays were “have to” work days. It made me so grateful for having evenings and weekends off now.
You are going to do great with Andrew back at work!

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HOLIDATES–> that is such a fabulous idea! I love that you are doing that and I might have to copy you (including the peppermint cookie part too). I hope you have a great long run tomorrow. I’m with you, working holidays/weekends all of the time made me so grateful to not have to now. Thank you so much and I hope you have a really great day!

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Super cute Christmas jammies!! I said to my family that I thought it would be fun to have matching jammies, and they all looked at me like I was crazy… Ha ha
I love chocolate and peppermint this time of year too! My favorite are the Andes mint cookies I mentioned the other day. ( I will email you the recipe)
I like routines too. I haven’t worked since the end of March, and all of my volunteer jobs stopped then too, so having some sort of routine kept me feeling like I still had a purpose. My volunteering came back in July, so that was so nice. Plus, I just way more organized and productive when I have a routine.
We had super strong winds again, and 2 new fires yesterday, so I’m hoping the air quality is ok for a quick run this morning ?
Oh, and I have Christmas music playing at all times in my car too!
Have a great Friday!

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Hahah well then you need to match with our family! I cannot wait for the recipe, thank you so much! TWO NEW FIRES, oh no! Keep me updated with how you guys are doing and enjoy the Christmas tunes. Thanks and you too!

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YESSSS peppermint chocolate! And caramel chocolate! And my third fav, chocolate, almond coconut! :) That vest is super cute!
I also need routine. I think that’s why virtual learning has thrown me off so much. I ALWAYS run at lunch, and now that I can’t (and have to schedule around my husband’s crazy schedule and work and school) I feel like my days are just crazy. I think it’s funny though because my husband doesn’t need routine, but he has to plan every last second of our vacations. Where day to day I need routine, but I like to go into vacations with no plans haha.

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I forgot about chocolate/coconut… that is such a good combine. I really hope that you are able to get back to your lunchtime runs again. That is so funny about how your husband loves to plan vacations perfectly when in real life he doesn’t… Andrew is a lot like that too! I hope you have the best weekend and get some relaxation!

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I love mint/chocolate but my all time favorite is orange/chocolate. However, there’s not a flavor combo with chocolate that I don’t like!
The matching PJs are so cute!
I am ALL about a routine but I’m trying to work in more flexibility :)

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Valid point… everything tastes good with chocolate ha. I hope you get some orange/chocolate soon and help me work more with flexibility too haha. Have a great weekend Samantha!

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The matching PJ’s are awesome!

I am a very routine person and so are my kids.

I had my MRI (left knee) yesterday. The appointment to go over the results is in a few hours. The anticipation is killing me!

Have a great weekend.

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Let me know what the doctor says about your mri results! ??Hoping for some good news and answers for you!

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We always have one other couple over for Christmas eve, and this year I ordered us, our kids, and the other couple all matching pajamas from Old Navy. We wives and my kids are more thrilled about it than the men :)

I’m not a big peppermint fan, but have to say that I am fully on the PB and Chocolate train

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What a fun Christmas Eve tradition and how fun that you got matching pjs for everyone. Hahah our poor husbands. I hope you have some pb/chocolate asap!

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Can you tell me what hoodie you are wearing under your vest? I like the vest/hoodie combination!

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Yessssssss to perppermint (& mint) w/ chocolate! besides chocolate and caramel, anything with mint and chocolate is the BEST! speaking of peppermint, my big plans are to buy and eat all the peppermint ice cream! Ha!
i thrive off of routines! Mon-Fri is literally the exact same and I love it! i need it! even when we go on vacation, i tend to stick to a daily routine; obviously it’s not as strict but it’s there!
i haven’t worked weekends since waitressing in college a few years ago (or maybe closer to 20!!!) :) i suppose i could count being a fitness instructor in my 20’s and early 30’s as work but it never felt like a job so i don’t really count it. i get all the major holidays off paid and then use paid time off to extend those holidays a day or so to squeeze in all the family time i can!
have a great day!

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I hope that you get some mint/chocolate asap! We need to start a routine lovers club ha. I love that you were a fitness instructor, wish I could have come to your classes. SO great that you get that option with your job now. Thank you and you too Jenny!

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Yesssssss chocolate and mint. Do you guys get get Frangos near you? We grew up with them in the midwest, they were sold at Marshall Fields during the holidays. SO GOOD.

Thinking of making some mint-chip chocolate cookies today. Hmmm.

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We don’t have one of those… I must try it someday though. Let me know how the cookies go.. that sounds so GOOD today. PS it’s been so interesting following the study you are in, I hope you are feeling well this morning!

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I’m a sucker for any seasonal flavor! Something about it not always being available makes me want it! My favorite peppermint/chocolate combos right now are the peppermint chocolate chip shake from chick fil a and the peppermint cookie milk chocolate Lindor truffles. (Oh.my.gosh) SO GOOD.

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How in the world did I forget about those shakes… thanks for the reminder! I’ll have to get one today. Have a great weekend, Karin!

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We are seeing Wild Lights at the Zoo tonight!! My husband and I got engaged 6 years ago while at Wild Lights so it’s a tradition for us to always go back (even if it’s a different zoo). We are also picking out a christmas tree this weekend and then decorating which is always fun! Going shopping in one of the mountain towns close by and then meeting with some friends for a book club (hopefully outside and in person, but might go zoom if the snow doesn’t melt soon).

I love Chocolate and peppermint!! I also love chocolate and PB, and White Chocolate and Oreos.

I prefer to have a routine, but I’m also a go with the flow and can adjust to schedules changing.

I’ve never had to work on holidays. In High School and breaks in college, I worked at the YMCA as a lifeguard and swim instructors, so they were closed on holidays and in college I was a tutor for the school, so we were closed anytime school was out. Now I work for an IT Consulting firm that has all the usual holidays and I usually take some time off during the holidays.

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Happy 6 year engagement anniversary and I love that you go back each year. Your weekend sounds perfect to me, enjoy every second and I hope you get some chocolate this weekend! I am so glad you get to take off some time during the holidays each year with your job. Have a beautiful day, Kathy!

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I love the chocolate peppermint. I also love chocolate / coconut combination. Hot chocolate with coconut creamer is SO good :) Have a great day!!

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My son and I both LOVE chocolate peppermint! This Christmas season, we are trying all the peppermint/chocolate milkshakes and having a taste test. Right now Chik-Fil-A is in first, with Steak n’ Shake a close second. Our out favorite treat is peppermint ice cream with hot fudge on top. Delicious!

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Janae,
You must try the Haagen Daaz peppermint bark ice cream. So good!

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I also LOVE a morning routine that involves some sort of movement. I feel off if I don’t have that! I have one of those melting snowmen on my desk at work. It’s so fun to watch it melt down flat!

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Long time reader/first time commenter! Fellow mom blogger. I just wanted to say congrats on the beautiful baby… I had my second baby in August. Also I’m just in awe how you continue to run through your pregnancy. I stopped at 14 weeks this time because it was too awkward. I’m now 14 weeks postpartum and finally ran a couple of very slow 10:30 pace miles.

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HEY LOGAN! Congrats on your second baby and congrats on your running postpartum! I am so excited for you and please keep in touch with all that is going on in your world. Thank you so much and I hope you are having a great weekend!

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I am a HUGE routine person.

I’m a CPA so technically, I never HAVE to work holidays, but I have to meet many deadlines. I often have to work on Easter and Labor Day and I work many weekends. Thankfully, I am usually able to get some time off at the end of the year.

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