The Most Productive Day of the Week

(sung to the tune of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year")

Happy Monday to you! I hope the week is off to a great start. I usually find Monday to be the most productive day of the week at home for me. Over the weekend I tend to make a mental list of stuff I need to get done, and on Monday I start plowing through. Today flew by as I tidied up around the house, cleaned out the car, worked on some Christmas present ideas, ran a few errands, and of course played with my little sidekick. Great start to the week.

I took a rest day today, because I'm finally taking a Stroller Strides class tomorrow with a few other local moms. Instead, we had more of this hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows.

I put up the lights on our tree today! We're really taking this whole decorating thing nice and slow this year. Marshall seriously sat watching me (and the lights) intently for about 45 minutes! 

Speaking of that little guy, we had a really great day today. He took two looooong naps and had a blast playing on his own while I took care of a few things around the house. It's pretty awesome to see him become increasingly independent!

I started making Marshall's baby purees tonight! We like the idea of baby-led weaning, but Marshall definitely does not seem ready for it. Instead, we're going to let him check out the tastes of some purees for a few weeks and then try finger foods again. We started with broccoli tonight. I steamed some broccoli florets, then threw 'em in the blender with some water and olive oil. I made sure it was all pureed pretty well before placing a spoonful on Marshall's tray (cooled down quite a bit, too). He played with it and I also fed him a little on a spoon. I'm guessing he actually ingested a teaspoon or less, but it's all fun (and messy) for now.

Once Terry got home tonight--and after our messy dinner--we started decorating the tree with our ornaments! It's one of my favorite parts of Christmas. I love reminiscing about when we got each ornament, especially all the ornaments we've gathered while traveling. Plus it's fun to remember all the ornaments we've received as gifts from friends and family. Usually we get stumped once or twice a night and can't remember where something came from, but that adds to the fun. 

I love this Buzzfeed article about Prince George.

I always find it fascinating to check out the most popular baby names each year. (Marshall hasn't cracked the top 100 in a while, if ever!)

Gina over at Fitnessista has arranged for a 15-day free trial of Barre3 online classes. I signed up and have tried out a few short classes. I'm not sure I would be up for paying for Barre3 classes, but I always love trying new things!

Have you seen that the Holderness family is back with another parody? It's a Thanksgiving one (um, I guess I'm out of the loop): All About that Baste. You're welcome.

Time for bed! In addition to the Stroller Strides class tomorrow, I'm also meeting Terry for lunch and attempting to run more Christmas errands. 

What traditions get you into the spirit this time of year?