Day in the Life

To follow-up my reintroduction to blogging, I thought it would be fun to do a Day in the Life post! I’ve never done one, and it’s been requested a few times, so here we go…!

6:00am

Little bubba wakes up and comes to our bed for a quick nurse and snuggle.

A little off from the usual routine, I jump in the shower right away and get myself ready.

7:00am

The whole family hops in the car for a coffee date near Tom’s office. My car is in the shop indefinitely, so why not have a little fun with just one vehicle for the next few days? It’s a beautiful morning and always fun to see the city before it’s bustling. We go to CREMA, which I’ve not been to yet, and share a muffin and have a relaxing chat over coffee and let Silas hold our fingers as he toddles around (SO close to walking!)

8:00am

We say goodbye to Dada, and Silas and I head back home where he eats a little more breakfast, Hondo gets the rest of his breakfast and we play for a little bit and have a little snuggle-time before nap.

9:00am

Silas goes down for a nap. I go to the basement to talk to my sister on the phone and start this blog post. Hondo follows me, as usual, because the basement is his favorite place.

10:00am

Silas is STILL sleeping! His naps have been short and difficult lately because of his new tooth, but maybe we’ve finally made it over the hump for now.

10:15am

Annnnd he’s up! Honestly for him, an hour and fifteen is a good nap. He woke up in a great mood and we’ll spend the next hour or so playing and maybe prepping some lunch. I realize I haven’t eaten anything besides a few very small pieces of a muffin, so I whip up two eggs with some green onions and scarf them down before I pass out - haha!

11:30am

We have a little lunch because Silas is getting grumpy and clingy. I make him a quesadilla and peaches while I heat up some Trader Joe’s frozen dinner thing. Mine is yuck so I throw it away, but I’m crazy hungry, so I eat some Doritos and graham crackers to get something in my system.

12:30pm

We play a little more and let Hondo outside. The outdoor area got wet from the rain last night, so it’s no good for us to play on until later. So instead, we make a run to Target for a hair dryer since a part of mine broke yesterday.

12:45pm

We get to Target and I realize Silas is poopy. Rarely does this happen, but I get him to the bathroom and take care of that before I shop. We’ve been working on saying “hi” and waving, but Silas is pretty shy (and sweet) with others, so he hasn’t actually been successful. Today, though, he kept randomly practicing his wave throughout the aisles, and promptly blushing and trying to hug me once I took notice. He is the sweetest little bug!

1:30pm

Back at home, a neighbor is getting a dead tree removed and shredded. We can’t miss the chance to watch that, so we sit in the yard for a while and Silas is mesmerized. Back inside, we clean up the toys we got out.

2:00pm

Nap time! Even with the noise of the tree shredding machinery, he goes down easy with a short nursing session. I sit down to rest because (full disclosure) my cramps are super bad and I’m tired and want a peanut butter cookie… or ten. I open up Amazon and add a few necessities to my cart, and by 2:40, he’s still sleeping, so I chance a little nap for myself.

3:05pm

He took a good nap! And so did I :) Honestly can’t remember the last time I napped in the day, but it feels good. We play with Hondo, spend a long while on the deck, have a snack, and watch a little bit of Peppa Pig when Silas starts getting clingy and needy for no reason.

4:20pm

We head to the train station and wait for Dada. While we wait, I get Silas out of his seat to sit on my lap so he can see a train up close. The train comes, Dada comes our way, and off it goes with a loud CHOO! Big smiles from Si!

4:45pm

At home, Silas and Tom play while I make dinner. Tonight it happened to be a recipe I’ve shared on the blog - a favorite in this house… veggie flatbread pizza!

6:00pm

Bath time! While I do bath, Tom cleans up dinner and makes something for dessert whiiiiich we will eat after bedtime.

6:30pm

Lotion, snuggles, jammies, books and trimming finger nails. Every night, when I pick him up after putting on lotion, he wraps his arms tight around my neck for the sweetest snuggle while he hums quietly. It’s the cutest thing.

7:00pm

Silas goes to bed, we finish cleaning up the kitchen, feed Hondo, and sit down to put on a show in the background while we talk and work and hang out. And eat chocolate peanut butter “pie.”

10:30pm

Bedtime for mom, dad, and Hondo.

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*Things I did NOT get done: 2 loads of laundry, a few dishes, some floors vacuumed, some items put away, enough snuggles for my Hondo

There you have it, friends! Nothing very exciting or extraordinary. Just an ordinary day with my little family. Being a mom. Picking up the little person who clings on my legs while I work in the kitchen because he just wants a hug. Teaching him how to say hi and give kisses and nod his head “yes.” I wouldn’t want my days to look any different than how they are now. And at 4:35pm, when Dada walks in the door, after someone has been hugging me all day, I get to hug him, and it feels so good. Well, and Hondo. But Hondo mostly spends the day laying down and getting up a thousand times. Thanks for coming along!

Did you like this post? Would you want see something similar to this in the future? Gauging things now that I’m back… blogging feels so foreign!

Where I've Been

Since Silas was born, I’ve posted ten times. Just ten.

Since 2019 began? Once.

In years past, I was posting anywhere from fifty to seventy-one over the course of the year. (not bad!)

You know what’s funny though? I don’t feel guilty. I don’t feel like I’ve let people down. I don’t feel like someone else’s world has come to screeching halt because I’ve set blogging aside.

Do I think some of my loyal followers miss me? Sure! But if I know them like I think I do, I know they understand. They know how much Tom and I have waited for this stage of life to happen, and now that we’ve been living it for the past while, we’re just loving soaking in every moment.

So no, I don’t feel guilty. Life behind the scenes has been pretty routine, and not always very exciting (wake, eat, play, nap, wake, eat, play, nap, wake, play, eat, bath, bed - - - repeat tomorrow), but it’s been such a complete joy to watch our sweet boy grow. He has been our bad napper since forever, he’s obsessed with his mama, and when he’s awake is super sweet, easy going, and engaging. He’s constantly cracking us up, and just popped his third tooth! I don’t feel an ounce of guilt for taking this time to “just” be a stay at home mom. It’s what I’ve always wanted.
And nah, I don’t feel like I’ve let people down. That insinuates that someone was counting on you. Maybe some have missed me (I’ve missed you all too! But I hope you’ve been hanging with me on the ‘Gram), but overall, I’ve not dropped out on any brands I could have been working with or left you all completely hanging (again, Instagram!).
Surely, NO ONE’S world came to a screeching halt without me. If it did, gosh I’m just so sorry, and I hope this post gives you some relief ;) haha… but basically what I’m saying is, I’ve been gone. I’ve been happy. Happier than I’ve probably EVER been. But more and more, as I squeeze-in needed moments away from my son, I find myself drawn back to my little blogging “home” on the internets. To the familiar editing page, and the sound and feel of a keyboard under my fingers. It feels good, friends. I think I’m ready.

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So in the old-school style of journal-blogging, let me tell you where I’ve been.

I have been…

changing diapers
rocking and bouncing
doing mountains of laundry
snuggling our bear-dog
getting trapped under a sleeping baby
nursing for a million hours (and still going, if you’re curious)
roadtripping to Asheville for a wedding
hosting at least seven different times
going to the zoo
roadtripping to Indiana
roadtripping to Iowa and Illinois
flying to Wisconsin
making 8 million trips to Target
falling more in love with my Thomas
loving life in Nashville
going on lunch dates
eating more veggies
enjoying nightly cookies
watching our baby learn to roll, crawl, walk, talk, pull-up, find his feet, find his tongue, wave hi and bye…
binging lots of The Office and Parks and Rec
navigating those sleepless nights with an infant
having full nights of beauty rest after 9.5 months
appreciating coffee
loving and speaking kindly to my body
giving baths
applying lotion and sunscreen and butt paste
taking temperatures and giving medicines
soothing a grumpy child
saying “no no, Silas” over and over
kissing bumped heads
telling Hondo “leave it” as he smothers his brother with licks
getting my first tan since moving south!
doing Weight Watchers
dancing in the kitchen and smooching my whole family
picking up toys
cleaning up the highchair
stealing away moments alone
missing my baby while he sleeps

LIVING LIFE

So here I am again. Ready to bring Joy Lynn Lifestyle back to life. I’m not entirely sure where to go from here, and I need to dust off my Canon and take a few practice shoots, but I think for a while I might just journal here like the old days of blogging.

I’ll fill you in on what’s been keeping us busy (or not busy!), what things we’ve been loving, a house tour, a day in the life, struggles, joys, baking adventures… whatever I can think of. It feels like time to write and to hang out in this space again. I’ve spent mannnnny hours on Instagram over the last year, and while there are many uplifting and encouraging facets to that platform, there’s also a TON of BUY BUY BUY, GO GO GO, DO DO DO… and well, I’m not one that needs or thrives on constantly pushing myself towards things that, in the end, are just shallow. I like to simply live. Just be. Just love and appreciate all that I already have, not what I think might ‘be better.’ Do you feel that way? Am I just some crazy lady over here that sees people always going and am extremely content just to take in what’s right here?

Anyway. All that to say… hey guys. I missed ya. Thanks for coming back right now, and for understanding the happy reasons for my hiatus. It’s really been a swell first year of my baby’s life :) But mama needs some time to herself and to come back ‘home’ online.

And I hope you’ve all been doing well over the last year, too! Have I missed anything? Tell me all about it! What are some highlights I may have missed in YOUR lives?!

Joy's Nashville Favorites

Last update 5/8/19

Now that we’ve lived in Nashville a year, and many of my social media friends and followers are well aware that we live here, I regularly get asked for recommendations on places to eat and play and see. Since my list has grown over the last year, and I am still finding new places, I have a hard time fitting all my recommendations into one Instagram message. Sooooo I figured now is as good a time as any to put together my full list of Nashville favorites, which I will come back to regularly to update as I continue to find new favorites.

Now, keep in mind, we moved here when I was a pregnant sea cow, and then I had a baby and spent many months indoors… BUT we still explore as often as we get the chance. Bolded places are NOT as family friendly. Also, I’ll note if anything is dog-friendly.

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Coffee Shops

This is its own category since they’re all amazing. Keep in mind, a few of these have multiple locations, but they’re all great!

• Crema

• Barista Parlor

• Dose

• Caliber

• Steadfast

• 8th and Roast

• Cafe Roze (also, great food menu)

• Portland Brew

• Ugly Mugs

• Frothy Monkey

• Bowtie Barista

• Red Bicycle

Restaurants

• Mas Tacos Por Favor

• Joey’s House of Pizza

• Phat Bites

• Pinewood Social

• Nectar Urban Cantina - dog friendly and very family friendly with outdoor live music

• 5th & Taylor

• Oak Steakhouse

• Sindoore Indian

• Chauhan Ale & Masala House

• Chaatable

• Hemingway’s Bar and Hideaway

• Martin’s BBQ

• Mitchell Delicatessen

• Lockeland Table

• Tacos y Mariscos Lindo Mexico (hole in the wall in Madison - get the chicken)

• Burger Up

• Restoration Hardware Cafe

• Hattie B’s Hot Chicken

• Clawson’s Deli

• Hathorne

• Fat Bottom Brewing Co. (chicken salad)

• Coco’s Italian Market

Sweets

• Shipley’s Donuts

• Five Daughter’s Bakery (beware! overpriced and very sweet, but a good treat - just don’t go overboard!)

• Soda Parlor

• Olive and Sinclair (Chocolate Co.)

To Do

• Nashville Zoo

• Opryland

• State Museum

• Nashville Farmer’s Market

• Hill Center Mall (Green Hills area) - almost all stores are dog friendly!

• Broadway - touristy, but entertaining night life/live music if that’s what you’re looking for

• Germantown neighborhood - shops and restaurants

• The Green Hour (Thurs-Sat only - bar)

• Rudy’s Jazz Room

• Lane Motor Museum

• Two River’s Dog Park

• 12 South (food and shopping)

• The Gulch (if you’re into murals… haha oh boy)

• Any of the many breweries (Yazoo, Fat Bottom, Black Abbey, Nashville Brewing, Jackalope, etc..)