Happy Monday you guys! We had such a great solid weekend. I can’t describe what makes me have that feeling by Sunday night, but I do think sunshine has something to do with it. And feeling productive – productive we were!!
On Friday my intern Emily and I hosted a fondue + wine happy hour for a few friends so Emily could give a presentation on facts and myths around dairy. (The presentation was a requirement for her internship.) We made it really fun, and my friends enjoyed the quiz. Everything about dairy is not as black and white as some of the cows that make the milk!
The fondue was delicious and we literally ate every drop of that yummy cheese. Our dippers covered three food groups: fruit, veg, bread! (Good because this was my dinner! I tried to go heavy on the broccoli 
)
Wines from my wine club + a few extras. The Zwicker white was so good – my favorite.
On Saturday morning Mazen helped me get Birch up for the day. It’s nice that the Lotus crib sits on the ground so Mazen (and I) can get in through the zipper side without fear of breaking it. (I have a longer post including more on the crib coming up!)
Mazen and I quickly got dressed and raced out the door and down the block to catch Matt running in the Charlottesville 10 miler race. He told us to be there at 8:15. We arrived at 8:03. We heard later that he ran by at 8:02! He was in race mode.
Mazey was sad to miss him, but we saw other friends of ours run by. It was a lovely day for a race! Maybe I’ll run it next year.
Back at home, Thomas and Birch were making us blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes! I cut mine up toddler-style to eat : )
I was actually SO excited to wake up on Saturday to tackle the messiest garage in America. We let the garage go all winter long, tossing this and that in there to deal with later. We were waiting for a mild, wide-open Saturday to tackle every nook and cranny and this was the day! (The bulk of the middle pile is boxes from our treadmill and rocking chairs waiting to be recycled.)
I actually love a good project! We put a lot of stuff (like old sporting chairs and umbrellas we were done with) at the curb with a sign “free” and most of them were gone by the end of the day. We relocated a few things to other storage areas in our house, and everything was removed from the shelves and not put back unless it was marked as an important garage item. Junk is now banned from this garage!
In the middle of the day we took a break from working to take Mazen to his soccer game! PB & J snack before we left.
B took a cozy nap on his dad.
Mazen did a great job on the field! I think he’s going to be a strong defender. He’s got a great kick and naturally gravitates towards a defensive mindset.
It was our day to bring snack. Have you ever seen 12 kiddos surround a cooler of snacks all at the same time!?
Panera was on our way home, and since our fridge was pretty empty, we picked lunch. App order + drive-thru FTW!
Thomas and I got back to work for a few hours while B napped.
I gave the boys an early brother bath because we had a babysitter on the way! Is there anything more delicious than a freshly bathed baby in jammies!?
Thomas and I took showers next and headed out for an early dinner at C&O! This week three years ago we had our first date there. (Just a drink that time.) We had no idea how much our lives were about to change <3
My opal ring finally fits! T gave me the family ring when Birch was born. My fingers are back to normal after pregnancy, and I had the size tweaked too.
C&O has a fancy, upscale upstairs and then a more casual bar on the bottom level so it’s almost like two restaurants in one. We love the atmosphere in the bar. And they have THE BEST BUTTER! We asked why it was so good, and he said it was triple cream butter topped with flakey sea salt. Must find some. I ate waaaay too much bread + butter at our dinner, but it was very much worth it.
We ordered a trio of apps and two vegetable sides for dinner. The best way to do it! + a glass of white wine.
Tuna + grapefruit + mint + jalapeno + olive oil drizzle
Scallops + raisins + cauliflower puree and artichoke hearts + greens + parmesan butter
Duck confit + butternut squash + ricotta gnocchi and roasted beets + citrus + greens + cheese + pumpkin seeds
And the climax of the night – sticky toffee pudding with ice cream and whip <3
We left early enough so that we could be home in time to tuck the boys in (and nurse Birch before bed.) I actually really like going to dinner at 5:30 – you have the whole evening ahead of you!
On Sunday we had sunshine and warm temps!! I tackled the winter clothes in my closet, donating anything I didn’t wear all season. And T and I had back-to-back soccer games.
Smoothie bowl with blueberries, granola, and coconut magic shell.
Hope you guys had a great one too.
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
I’m happy you enjoyed your weekend, Kath! Wish I was as productive as you (I ended up sleeping in until 4pm on Saturday – what!) 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
KathEats says
That’s a full day of sleep! 🙂
Kori says
What an awesome weekend! I’ve been the same way – so happy but not always able to pinpoint exactly why. Productivity, sunshine, & upholding a good attitude at work all sure have helped. I’ve been using a Pamera Bread giftcard the last few days, & Kaci & I enjoyed lunch there yesterday too. Then they told me I had a free coffee, so starting this rainy Monday with said free coffee has been wonderful! I hope you have a great day!
KathEats says
Free anything always makes for a great Monday!
Kori says
That it does!
Andrea says
It’s a pet peeve of mine when a team sets a precedent that kids “need” a snack for an hour long soccer game … seriously?! Pretty sure they’d all be fine to do without. I feel like a grinch saying that but it just seems so unnecessary and negates the activity / calorie burn that some kids (aka mine) desperately need!! I sign her up for stuff to keep her active,, not to feed her… even if it’s a “healthy” snack I just wish they’d keep food out of sports and let parents be individually responsible for snacks if they feel their child needs it for an hour long activity.
KathEats says
I agree with you – and it can sometimes create even more problems “I didn’t get the flavor I wanted.” But when there is a snack sign up I feel the need to do my part.
Andrea says
Oh for sure, I do it too … just wish I didn’t have to!!
Taylor says
No joke – in the snack bag after my daughters soccer game (7 yo) were 2 dove chocolates, cheezits, juice, and 3 different packages of cookies! What?!?!
Liz says
My kids are only 4 and 6 so we haven’t really dealt with team sports yet, but as the mom of a child with a severe allergy, I totally agree with you about the snacks! They are not necessary and with all the different allergies kids can have these days it doesn’t even seem safe.
Sara says
I think it’s important to remember that kids burn calories differently than adults. And, more importantly, play is serious business for kids. What is a fun distracting activity for adults is an exercise in self regulation and interpersonal relationship building for kids. So their brains are in overdrive during activities.
Also, the group eating after the game builds the team. Like adult rec teams go for beer afterwards.
I sign my kids up for sports for so many reasons. And if having a snack from their friend’s mom makes them happy, then they should go for it.
Ttrockwood says
Decades ago when i was doing team sports in elementary school there was no such thing as a snack associated with the practice or competitions. We were required to bring a refillable water bottle and that was it.
Sydney says
Looooooooooooooooong time reader. This might be my first comment! Although I reply to your posts to myself out loud. That counts maybe?
Whoa your garage looks amazing!
You ordered Panera online and picked it up through the drive through? Did I read that right? It so you may have made my day! I always go inside to pick up my online order!
KathEats says
Out loud totally counts 🙂
Yes, the first time I did the online/app order I think it said to go inside, but I had a sleeping Birch in the car so I thought I’d go through the drive-thru just to see if they’d give me the order and if not I’d go in. I just said I was there to pick up at the first window and it went great! We just did it a second time. Maybe someone will correct me someday, but it’s SOOOOO convenient!!
Lindsay says
You have probably shared this before, but where is your houndtooth jacket from?
Great photos – beautiful family! Thanks for sharing your life with us.
KathEats says
It’s from Old Navy but appears sold out. This looks like the same one although no houndtooth 🙁
Lindsay says
Thank you! So nice of you to reply.
Taylor says
With 3 kids, my new favorite date night is to have the babysitter come from 4-8pm. We get to eat dinner around 5/5:30 at a restaurant and still have time left over to grab a drink/tea/dessert from another place. And the babysitter does all the work of bedtime but I get to enjoy an hour or two of wind down time when we get home. And I still go to bed at the usual time!
KathEats says
Yes!!!
Steph says
My husband and I are both UVa grads and, though we didn’t have our first date at C&O, it is where we went to dinner with our parents the first time THEY met each other. We’ve all come a long way since then, too! Great memories!!
KathEats says
Aww! It’s a classic
Theresa says
We just spent a few days in your lovely city. Had a great burger at Citizen Burger and a delicious meal at Bizou and yummy barbecue at The Whiskey jar. Caught a UVA baseball game and beers at Three Notch’d. We enjoyed everything! We will try C and O next time. You live in a great town! We will be back!
KathEats says
Oh yay! I’m so glad you had a good visit. You had some good spots!
Katie Toomey says
I don’t want to steal your thunder and step on your pride, but that must be the 2nd messiest garage in America – I could never post a pic of mine on the internet, too embarrassing! Good for you for organizing it in one day!
KathEats says
Haha!
Freddi says
Where is your blue jacket from? 🙂
KathEats says
Stitch fix 🙂
Ttrockwood says
What a stunning ring!
Please be very aware that opals are a delicate stone- don’t wear it when doing anything where it could get hurt (ie washing heavy pots or cleaning the garage), it’s fairly easy to crack the stone if not careful.