Morgan Manages Mommyhood

Hello everyone! Hope you’re all having an okay Monday. I was going to write “great” there, but then I thought, let’s be real, Monday. Even though I’m a SAHM Mondays usually look pretty rough in these parts. Sunday nights I put off my nightly routine in favor of hanging with the hubs before he leaves for the week. Add in a 3 am wake up for Alex and general confusion on behalf of Ryan and Cooper as to where Daddy is, it can get a little hectic.

We had a pretty fun weekend, considering we were originally supposed to do an anniversary beach weekend that was rained out. Womp. Saturday was very low key since there were thunderstorms in the area and we didn’t want to leave Cooper for long. He gets very scared during thunderstorms and basically spends the entire time trying to get in to Ryan’s room and shaking. (He’s not allowed in Ryan’s room and we keep the door shut after one too many diapers eaten and the pure fact that he eats wipes in one gulp.. Yellow Labs, people. Yellow Labs.)

There was some early morning Mickey Mouse and running out to buy some random Craigslist find for Alex.

Ryan’s first driving lesson. (you may have seen this on Instagram – if not, follow me! @morganmanages)

Sunday was no rain in the morning, so we went to the park for some swing time!

Then went to buy the essentials before heading to get lunch. Clearly the watermelon love is genetic.

Alex’s best friend from tech school was at the racetrack that’s almost the halfway point between us, so we grabbed some essentials and took the drive down. (Caramel Macchiato for the win. I usually get the skinny one or a Misto, but Alex ordered while I was in the bathroom and I was one.happy.lady. Whole milk all day.)

The track is pretty boring if you’re not into it, but the new girlfriend of Alex’s friend was there who was super nice and I love her, so that was fun. Ryan was VERY interested in the cars going by. (If you’re interested, which I wasn’t, it was Englishtown Raceway Park, imports and drag racing.) We weren’t sure how it would go because it can get a little loud, (we actually ordered him earmuffs last week and are waiting for them. Timing sucks sometimes) but he was SO good. In fact, the only time he cried was when we covered his ears a few times if a louder car was passing. He hates hats and sunglasses, so I have a feeling earmuffs wont last long either.. FYI: nothing was crazy loud, it was just a precaution. I’m not the worst mom.

We had an unpictured-because-I-spent-the-whole-meal-sharing-with-Ryan dinner out at our favorite Greek place, (Pithari Taverna is sit down, BYOB with a connected Greek liquor store, and so so good if you’re in Central Jersey. Start with the homemade loukaniko, get the chicken souvlaki, and ask for more of their hot, fresh pita every time you’re basket is empty. You are welcome.) and relaxing on the couch with my new favorite find. I don’t know where I saw this first, (maybe on Katie’s blog?) but I’m glad I did. If you’re not like my husband and like peanut butter, go now. I love cookie dough everything so this is a home run for me. I bought ti Friday and I plan to demolish it tonight. #sorryimnotsorry

How was your weekend? Did it rain near you? Let me know in the comments!

Linking up with Katie and Erin!

A break. It’s a beautiful thing, isn’t it? A chance to stop, relax, and pull yourself together? A chance to take a deep breath and stop thinking? Breaks shouldn’t be a luxury – they are needed things for your sanity! And can’t we all use a little break? In fact, 8 in 10 people admit that they are overwhelmed, exhausted, and stressed.

Recently, Chobani released their #BreakYouMake campaign, encouraging us all to share about the #BreakYouMake. I adore this campaign. The idea is to carve out a little “you” time each day. Make yourself a break, so to speak. I try to do this every night after I put Ryan to bed. I sit down on the couch with my nightly something sweet and watch 30 minutes of mindless TV. That 30 minutes often can make or break my night and even the next morning. If I skip it, I can definitely feel it! Lately I’ve been digging yogurt with some fruit as my nightly snack, and I’ve also been really loving Chobani’s Flips – yogurt and a yummy topping you can add at your own pleasure, like Almond Coco Loco, a coconut greek yogurt with chocolate and almonds.

In honor of National #BreakYouMake Day this month, Chobani wants everyone to nominate someone who deserves a break. Someone who deserves a little more “me” time.  Nominating just one person for this #BreakYouMake campaign was hard – so many people I know would qualify are truly in need of a break. But there was one person, as always, who shone in his need of a break.

My husband, Alex, is honestly the most hardworking person I have ever met. Up until very recently, through our entire relationship he worked Monday through Saturday, having only Sunday off. For the vast majority of our relationship, we were together for one day a week. As a diesel mechanic, he is constantly doing hard, heavy labor in everything from the blazing sun on the side of the road, to 5 below weather in a bay with open doors.

A few months ago he started a new job. It was a lot more pay, a better position, and the ability to finally be recognized for his expertise and hard work. The only problem is that it’s 3 hours away. Each Monday he wakes up at 3:30, kisses me good-bye and drives off to work. He works 14-16 hour days, checks into his hotel room, calls me, goes to sleep and then wakes up at 5 to do it all over again. On Friday nights, I keep our son up a little late so that he can see Alex when he homes home at 8:30 or 9 before he goes to bed.

When he comes home, he is faced with a long list of things. Errands we have to run together, home improvement projects we need to finish, family we need to see  – all crammed into two days. We need to stuff everything he would do at home during the week into 48 small hours: dinners with parents, playing with Cooper, enjoying our son, allowing me some time to myself to get some things done, shopping, mowing the lawn, changing the oil on my car.. all while finding time to romance me and make me feel as loved as the day we got married. (Please note here, he does all of this willingly and without my asking. I truly married an amazing, selfless man.)

The man never stops. He never takes a minute for himself. Never just sits down and says, yeah, the next 30 minutes are about Alex. It’s all for me and our little family, all day, everyday. When I was pregnant with our son, we made the decision that I would stay home and raise Ryan while Alex supported us. It was at his insistence that I caved and accepted what I had really wanted in my heart, to be a stay-at-home mom. I thank him every single day for the sacrifices he willingly makes each day to allow me to stay home with our little boy.

The thing is, I can hear it in his voice everyday – how the commute, the long hours, the being away from his family are all taking their toll on him. He is exhausted, and stressed, and over worked. But all he wants to do is provide for his family, to make us as comfortable as he can, to give us everything we could ever want, so to him, none of the other stuff matters. Like I said, even when he comes home, he continues to work for his family, to do whatever he perceives us to need to make us minutely happier, even though him just being home with us is everything.

View this post on Instagram

#happyfathersday to the best, weirdest, smelliest, funniest, most amazing dad i've had the pleasure to raise a baby, a dog, and a cat with.

A post shared by Morgan Wieboldt (@morganmanages) on Jun 21, 2015 at 6:21am PDT

No one deserves a break more than this man. This hard working, non-stop, self-sacrificing, loving father and husband. A man who makes every being in our home light up when he walks in the door, a man who puts his family’s wants before his own each and every day.

So here’s to you, Alex. There is no one more deserving of a #BreakYouMake than you. And, if you don’t make one for yourself, I will make you take a break.

If you have a blog, Chobani wants YOU to write a post nominating someone for a #BreakYouMake. Don’t have a blog?  Nominate someone in the comments or on your social media channels! Don’t forget to use the hashtag #BreakYouMake to alert Chobani of your nomination!!

I’m linking up with the fabulous Amanda from Running with Spoons for Thinking Out Loud. Thanks for letting me wax (not so) poetically about the love of my life!

**I was not compensated in anyway for this post. I genuinely love the concept and wanted to share this campaign with all of you. I hope you love it just as much, and would love to see your nominations!

Happy Wednesday! I personally am pretty pumped that the week is halfway over, especially since we’re celebrating our anniversary this weekend! The original idea was to make a beach weekend out of it, but its supposed to be gloomy and cold, so I’m bummed. Either way, a weekend with my boys, relaxing, sounds pretty good right now.

As always, I’m posting my eats for a whole day for What I Ate Wednesday. If you’re new to What I Ate Wednesday, head over to Peas and Crayons to get the full scoop, where Jen hosts this lovely link-up each week. So here, you go!

Breakfast: Half(ish) of a bagel, and yogurt with honey, PB and chopped apple for me, and eggs, tomato, sweet potato, peas, carrots, and broccoli for the boy. Fruit is now given after the meal or else he won’t eat, so some strawberries and apple we eated later.

best husband ever. happy anniversary, babe. coop is also enjoying it!

A post shared by Morgan Wieboldt (@morganmanages) on Jun 22, 2015 at 10:03am PDT

Snack: Alex sent this on Monday because he’s the sweetest husband ever and knows that food is the way to my heart, not flowers. As you can imagine, we’ve been snacking on this non-stop. The fruit is all perfectly ripe and delicious!! Ryan ate chunks of apple all day, leaving the chewed up, spit out peels all over the house. Thanks, bud.

Lunch: Salad with spinach, chopped turkey, apple, tomato, onion, broccoli, peas and corn, shredded carrot, shredded cheddar and lots of balsamic. Pretty much whatever was in the fridge. Ryan had the same, separated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfuDe1XYcEk

Snack: Have you ever tried cream top yogurt? It’s UNBELIEVABLE. I instantly regretted not buying more. This was my second cup, and the first day Ryan had his first few spoonfuls of yogurt (IE, he ate half) and, obviously he loved it. He cried when I took the spoon away.

Dinner: This was pretty similar to lunch, but a million times better. First, spinach, chopped with scissors and sprinkled with seasoning and a good amount of balsamic. Add veggies (I used tomato, onion, peas, carrots) and shredded parmesan and toss together. On top, add warm sweet potatoes (I had just finished roasting some sticks for ryan, so I chopped them and put ’em on top.) and some form of meat. Beans would also work. I used left over beef rib from lunch on Sunday, and OH MY GOD YOU GUYS. I can’t. I also tried this Zevia cola, which was pretty good, but no beloved Coke Zero. It tastes like a melted Coke Slurpee, which I’m okay with. Ryan had balsamic chicken and veggies!

Dessert: I can’t end my day without a tasty treat, so some of that delicious fruit and a big ol’ squirt of whipped cream were in order. Uhm, those chocolate covered strawberries? SO. GOOD.

How was your weekend? Mine was pretty fabulous, with a lazy, rainy Saturday and the perfect Father’s Day. Here are some highlights, as told by my phone’s gallery.

I made burrito bowls on Friday, and Ryan was being a fussy nudge. To keep him quiet, I gave him a big spoonful of guac, and the kid LOVED IT. I was shocked – we use red onion, lots of fresh garlic, lime, salt, and cilantro in ours, so I didn’t know if he’s be into it, but as you can see, he was DEFINITELY into it.

I started making cold brew coffee and oh my. SO GOOD. Also, I am loving Caladia almond milk – SO thick and creamy and awesome in coffee!

Father’s Day started with a present for the man of the hour. Alex isn’t a card person, so a bag of his favorite goodies from the ‘kids’ was a perfect present!

I recently introduced Alex to the wonder and beauty of Starbucks, and he’s been taking us every weekend. He’s seriously obsessed with coffee Frappuccinos. I usually get a skinny caramel macchiato, and even though it took WAY too long to get (literally the SLOWEST Starbucks I’ve ever seen..they made ONE drink at a time.) it was fabulous.

Alex’s favorite things is authentic Texas BBQ. When I was 8 weeks pregnant, we took a TWENTY SEVEN hour non stop road trip to Austin to go to the famous Franklin BBQ. (worth it.) HomeTown BBQ is the only place we’ve ever, ever found that comes close, so we trecked out to Brooklyn for Father’s Day. Insider tip – if you go, get there the SECOND it opens, even earlier if possible. The line gets very long, very fast. We went with my MIL, who’s birthday was also yesterday. We ended up giving Ryan his first pulled pork with a spicy, sweet sauce, pickles, collards, beef rib and brisket, and let’s just say that he is DEFINITELY his father’s son. He ate it all up!

We had planned to park and venture through the city, but the second we put Ryan in his car seat to drive to a parking garage, this happened. Rather than wake him and have a potentially cranky baby, we decided to head home and just chill. The rest of  day was great and not notable at all, except that we got to hang out as a little family and relax.

Today is also my wedding anniversary. 2 years ago, I was married in a very small ceremony in Virginia, consisting of 10 of our favorite people. The day couldn’t have been better, more beautiful or perfect, and I married the best man I could ever dreamed up. I could sit here and write for days about how much I love this man, how blessed I am that we found each other, what an amazing father and husband he is, but I’ll save you from it, and just tell you that I love him more than I can imagine.

Hope you guys have an amazing Monday and week! See you back here tomorrow!