4 Hours in Asheville

Friday was the first day I mustered up the courage to take Thomas to daycare. We knew it was going to be hard so Matt played hooky from work and we took a quick day trip to one of my favorite places ever - Asheville! Upon arrival we had exactly 4 hours to cram in as much as possible before jumping back on the road to get back in time to get the kiddies. 

Although Asheville is full of amazing restaurants I always end up at Early Girl Eatery as my first stop of every trip. Normally you have to wait a solid hour or so to be seated but we got right in since we were there on a weekday for a change. This farm to table restaurant uses only the freshest, local ingredients and consistently delivers the most delicious meals!

A creature of habit, I get the Early Girl Benny every time. Grit cakes topped with tomato, spinach, poached eggs, tomato gravy and avocado and served with a biscuit! Matt got biscuits and gravy. 

After breakfast we drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway for about 30 minutes to Craggy Pinnacle Trail. Hiking is one of my favorite hobbies so this 1.4-miles roundtrip hike with beautiful panoramic mountain views was just what the doctor ordered. Totally my happy place.

 And we got a little carried away with our selfie stick.

After frolicking around the top of the mountain for awhile we made our trek back to the car. We still had a pretty good amount of time left so we visited the Grove Park Inn for a drink on the terrace.

Such a pretty place.

We thought we'd need to head back to Charlotte after this stop when we originally planned out our day but to our surprise we still had plenty of time to grab lunch too! We decided not to go to one of our usual spots and instead did a quick Yelp search to find an amazing new lunch spot, White Duck Taco Shop, in the River Arts District. Woah. The 466 rave reviews were spot on. 

With more than a dozen taco choices to pick from, Matt and I decided to each get different tacos and share. 

 Matt ordered the Thai Peanut taco and Lamb Gyro taco (top) and I ordered the two most popular choices, the Fish taco and Bangkok Shrimp taco. We both agreed the Bangkok Shrimp was the winner!

We finished our lunch exactly on time and jumped in the car to head to daycare. It was the very best day date ever and I'm so glad we got to sneak away together for a few hours one last time before I return to work.

First Week of School!

Last week was a big one for us! Caroline moved up to her new class at daycare on Monday and Thomas started (in Caroline's old class) on Friday!

 Obligatory first day of school picture. Thomas is such a champ.

 All packed and ready to go!

Caroline doesn't require bringing much to school anymore - just a lovey, a blanket, some backup clothes, sunscreen and diapers when she's out. Luckily most of these items stay at school so we don't have to cart them back and forth. However, she insists on wearing her backpack every day regardless of how empty it may be. She cracks me up.

Now Thomas is a whole different story! This little dude practically requires a rolly suitcase daily. For his first day we packed some backup clothes, a HALO sleep sack (which may or may not have his sister's name monogrammed on the chest), Dr. Browns Bottles with my favorite Orbit bottle labels, Triple Paste, diapers and wipes. Matt and I agreed to be the "room parents" this year for Thomas' class so I also threw in a short teacher questionnaire (thank you Pinterest) for his teachers to fill out.

Thomas did GREAT on his first day. There are only two babies in his class right now and he has three teachers (who we love!) so he is getting lots of love and attention. We receive lots of pictures throughout the day which make me so happy too. I missed this little man so much on Friday and am sad he's already in daycare. I return to work next week so I'm going to drop him off for a few hours each day this week so he (and me) can adjust to this new routine. And uh, maybe I can get an overdue hair cut.

Caroline's first week was R-O-U-G-H! Each morning at drop off she clung to our legs, bawled hysterically and didn't want us to leave. And as luck would have it, we ran into her favorite old teacher on accident every morning too and Caroline would melt down in the hall. It was the saddest sight ever. And to make matters worse, the "routine" in this new class is for the kids to wave goodbye to their parents from the big window overlooking the drop off circle as the parents wave back before driving away. Heart wrenching. Not sure who cries more - Caroline or me.

But it wasn't all bad! Twice per day Caroline and her friends enjoyed playing on the big playground (which her old class didn't do until the last few weeks of school), went on a buggy rides, enjoyed the water table and more. Also, I have no clue how they made this happen but on the first day of school Caroline's teachers sent me a picture of her napping on a MAT! I didn't believe that was my child at first. She has been a super napper in her little corner of the room. Crazy.

Now for week two!

Make Your Bed!

I rarely, and I mean rarely make my bed in the mornings (unless you call lazily pulling the sheets and comforter up to my pillows "making the bed"). With an alarm clock of two screaming kiddos, tucking my sheets in is the last thing on my mind at the crack of dawn as slide out of bed to whip up a bottle, scramble some eggs, brew coffee and dress the minis for school. 

However, there are all sorts of articles written on reasons why you should create the 30 second habit of making your bed - increased productivity and happiness, creates a gateway of good habits, prepares you for things you don't want to do, so on and so on. 

But you want to know what motivates me to make my bed? New bedding! 

I finally gave our master bedroom a little TLC and dressed our bed in new beautiful bedding. I couldn't be more excited about this space looking a little less like an IKEA catalog now.

BEFORE

AFTER

For my bedding refresh project I first started with The Ellis Grey Duvet Set, which is crafted from the finest 100% long-staple cotton and has a 300-thread count sateen weave from Crane & Canopy. 

Next I splurged on new 800 thread count white sheets, 3 white euro shams and 3 euro pillow inserts. Sadly, we only own one good set of sheets for our bed so I figured now was a good time to finally purchase a second set because really, there is nothing more frustrating than going to bed late on Sunday night only to remember your sheets are still in the washer. Ergh.

Then I added a new decorative pillow I fell in love with while perusing the Target aisles. It is on Labor Day sale too for only $23!

To top it off the look, I tossed my favorite soft blanket at the foot of the bed and voila, my bedding refresh was complete! I love it. Not only is this new look a step up from my original bedding, it's also a huge luxurious upgrade to softer, more comfortable bedding. I am collapsing into bed and dozing off to a blissful night's sleep a little quicker these days! And so is this guy...

Get the look: The Ellis Grey Duvet Set c/o Crane & Canopy / Egyptian Cotton 800 Thread Count Sheets / Euro Pillow Inserts / Euro Pillow Shams / Decorative Scalloped Pillow / Grey Throw Blanket (similar)

 

Crane & Canopy is an online bedding brand that has high-quality designer bedding without the department store markup. They design beautiful modern bedding, duvet covers and sheets and connect customers with world's most premium factories, saving customers up to 70% off department store prices. All of Crane & Canopy’s bedding, duvet covers and sheets use soft and breathable, extra-long staple cotton, woven in 300+ thread count, hand-picked by the team for comfort and quality. Also, a portion of all proceeds go towards Crane & Canopy’s cause initiative, “A Safe Night’s Sleep,” which benefits women and children affected by domestic violence.