We’ve had quite a week around here. Last weekend was filled with houseguests and beach days and holiday weekend BBQs. Until Sunday night when I was knocked down by a stomach bug that kept me couch-ridden for 48 hours. It hit my husband next, right as I was coming out on the other side of the worst of it. We’ve been recovering, cleaning, and generally quarantining ourselves over here since mid-week. Between the great 2017 stomach virus and the holiday weekend, we blinked and the whole week passed us by. I’m telling myself we’ll catch up next week; Friday feels like we’re hitting the re-set button. Before I sign off though, I wanted to share my Friday download with a few fun links, products and recent blog posts worth sharing. Plus a cute picture of Janie, because after this week we all need to pop the bottle and have a drink!
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Is there any better way to kick off the official first day of summer than talking about the beach? Well, maybe actually being at the beach and drinking sip of rosé would be better — go ahead, pour yourself a cold glass of summer water before you read on! In mental preparation for the next few months of (hopefully) beach weather, I pulled my new beach bag out of the closet today. Just seeing it ready to go by the door makes me so happy. This year I’m using a giant Roberta Roller Rabbit tote that I screen printed with the name of our local beach.
I just looked at the calendar to write out the date for this week’s Friday Download post and almost fell off my chair when I realized that June is halfway over (and gasp! Jane turns 5 months in just a few days). Time if flying, and I know summer will be speeding by too (how come winter never zooms by as fast as these fun warm-weather months?). So I’ve got lots of summer ideas on the blog this week that I recapped below, plus a few other fun thoughts to wrap up the week. 
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This post was created in partnership with buybuy BABY. All opinions are my own.
I was having a conversation with a family member this past weekend about how I get nothing done with Jane around, because even when she’s sleeping or sitting and playing, I just want to watch her and see what she’s up to. My spying on her has only increased since she’s gotten a bit better at playing with her toys independently. I love to watch her examine them and carefully choose which one to pick up next. It’s fascinating to see her make those decisions and really start to engage and explore them.
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I shared my summer bucket list earlier this week and one of those tasks was to dive into my summer reading list! We have been making use of our local library and I’ve been keeping a running list of books to reserve as they become available. I am always on the hunt for book recommendations and thought it would be fun to share a few of the ones on my upcoming list, plus 12 of my favorite summer-reads from the past! I just picked up Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead after loving her book Seating Arrangements last year. Also on my to-read list is The Light We Lost, which seems to be popping up in every article I see about summer reads. Cork Dork is also on my radar, because wine and memoirs are a perfect combination in my opinion. The Futures and The Heirs both look like fun beach-reads. And my friend Alaina that I met through blogging in Boston is publishing her first book which I can’t wait to read called And Then Everything Changed. 
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I’ve got that post-Memorial Day energy where I’m so ready for real summer to start. Of course in New England, it may take a few more weeks for the weather to truly cooperate (we’re staring down the barrel of a rain-filled 7-day forecast, ugh). I am going to be prepared when that warm summer air rolls in though, and decided to write a little summer bucket list to get me inspired and excited! Here’s what I’m most looking forward to checking off the summer bucket list:
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I got a great response from this “download” style post last week and think I’m going to add them into the mix a few times a month now. It’s a great way to talk a little bit more about what’s going on in my life! Like this week, we’ve been busy starting some renovations on our house that I can’t wait to share with you. Miss Jane turned 4-Months old, knocked it out of the park at her check-up, and even started sleeping in her own crib (turns out it was way harder for me than it was for her, of course!). We’re also gearing up for a busy long-weekend packed with barbecues and get-togethers, and celebrating our 4-year wedding anniversary! Thus the peonies featured in this post — one of my favorite flowers because they remind me of our wedding day. Here’s what else is going on: 
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All right guys, we’re talking about something a little bit out of the ordinary here today: working out. This blog is usually a space for my latest adventures in putting donuts on things. I’m also the farthest thing from an expert in health and fitness. I do however love to share things here that are relevant to what’s going on in my life. Working out has been a new addition to my lifestyle, and I thought it would be fun to share a little bit about how I worked out before having Jane, and how I’ve found some ways to reintroduce it back into my routine post-baby.
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I’ve been thinking about starting a new weekly post series here for all of the little random thoughts I have that don’t always qualify for a full blog post. I love to share products I’m using, articles I’ve read, and recipes I’m trying out and this seems like the place to do it! I see other bloggers calling this their weekly round up, or their Friday links, but I think for me we’ll call it what it is – a download of all of the stuff in my brain that I can’t wait to tell you about! Let me know what you think of this and if you want to see more of it! Let’s give it a try: read more
In honor of Mother’s Day (my first!) my friends at Birdies Slippers are partnering with me on a really fun giveaway over on Instagram. I can’t say enough good things about these shoes, I’ve been living in them since Jane was born. They’re perfect for slipping on when I’m working at home so that I feel polished yet comfortable. And I love that they have a sturdy rubber sole since carrying around Jane can sometimes be a bit of a balancing act. Did I mention they come in the most adorable colors and styles? I think you just may need a pair too, so hop on over to my Instagram page and enter to win some of your own! 
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