Jimmy and I took Thursday and Friday off of work last week and sent Lola and Mavis to my parents’ so we could have a little staycation! We weren’t sure if we would be out of the house for long stretches of time, so we figured it’d be good to have the girls stay with my mom and dad. Plus dogs = extra responsibility and we wanted our time together to feel like a vacation.
I was definitely starting to feel burnt out from the busyness of life lately, so it was wonderful to take some time to relax and rejuvenate with my main man.
I missed the girls so much and literally felt guilty for having them stay with my parents (even though I knew they were having a blast and were in good hands). Jimmy and I had such a wonderful time, though!
At first, we had these grand plans to go to a hunting and fishing store in West Virginia, or to visit the National Aviary here in Pittsburgh, but we didn’t do much of anything and it was honestly perfect.
What we actually did
- Slept in until sometime between 7:30 and 8:30 each morning
- Got coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks each day
- Walked/rode bikes on a local trail
- Did a little Christmas shopping for Shiloh Christian Children’s Ranch
- Washed Jimmy’s truck
- Cooked HomeChef meals
I’m usually team Dunkin’ when it comes to plain coffee, but I tried the Starbucks Christmas Blonde Roast coffee and was a big fan. Jimmy got the salted caramel mocha and said he highly recommends it!
We had fun testing out three meals from HomeChef as part of our little experiment with meal delivery kits! Spoiler alert: we liked HelloFresh more than HomeChef. I’ll definitely blog more about this as we try other companies. We are looking into Plated and Sun Basket next!
I also grabbed some accessories for the planner I bought for 2018! Is anyone else obsessed with all things planner-related? For 2017, I had an Erin Condren planner and liked it, but wasn’t a fan of the price tag. I decided to go with a planner from Target for 2018 and bought some binder clips with tabs, washi tape, page flags, and color coding labels to gussy it up!
My sister and I always talk about how much we love looking for the perfect planner. My mom used to get annoyed with us during back to school shopping because we would spend at least 30 minutes looking at planners. We have yet to find the perfect planner and agree it’s because we are destined to create our own. Someday 😉
After a restful staycation, Jimmy and I met my parents to pick up Lola and Mavis this afternoon (Saturday) and we’re all back home. Mavis fell asleep on the way home and is currently crashed out on our bathroom rug (aka the only patch of carpet-like material in our all hardwood flooring house). It’s safe to say she and Lola had a great time with my parents and Jimmy and I had a great staycation!
Two questions today:
Living My Full Life 
A staycation sounds like a great way to relax before the busy holiday season really sets in!
It’s so funny you mention planners, I was just at Target yesterday and looked at them but wasn’t thrilled with them. I’m tempted to just buy a cute binder and print out sheets to add to it lol.
Yes! It was honestly just what we needed! I am feeling refreshed and more ready to tackle this busy season!
How funny you were just looking at planners! You have to let me know if you find one or if you go the binder route!
Sounds like a perfect staycation! I hope you feel recharged. 🙂
My mother in law introduced me to the planners at Gallery Leather and she buys me one each year. I use the Academic planner, even though I’m not in the slightest bit involved in academics. 🙂 I like that it has a full page for taking notes for each week so I can make to do lists, have plenty of room to jot down addresses for meetings and appointments that week, etc. I use it January – December, but since it’s academic it actually covers 18 months. I use July – December (of the previous year, if that makes sense) to take notes in meetings, make lists, and have available for Ava to entertain herself by drawing when we’re waiting places. Lots of Ava original art in my current planner. 🙂 This is the planner I use: https://www.galleryleather.com/planners/leather-academic-planner
It was amazing and so refreshing! I definitely feel recharged!
I had never heard of the planners at Gallery Leather until your comment but I just checked them out and now I’m kind of wishing I went with one of those, haha! They look perfect for taking notes and just keeping up with everything! Love that you have Ava art in your current planner–so cute!!
I love my Vera Bradley planner. My bday is in October so Clay gets me a new one each year. It works out perfectly. I feel like the Erin Condren ones are a little overpriced too.
I think my sister had a Vera Bradley planner one year and I thought it was cute that they had “holidays” like National Cupcake Day in there. Do they still do that? The Erin Condren planners are super nice, but man I cannot justify $55 on a planner, even if I use it daily, because there are so many other planners out there that are similar and just as good. I found a great Cyber Monday deal on an EC planner last year and was bummed they didn’t have a good deal this year, so Target planner it was!
I dont know what day National Cupcake Day is but I haven’t seen it yet. The Lilly Pulitzer one has Lilly’s birthday which is kinda odd, and they call Black Friday “colorful Friday”. That’s the one I have this year, it was like $30.
I have to be honest ~ I’ve never had a planner in my life~ surprise surprise 😂. Back in the old days, when I attended school, we just wrote our assignments on a piece of paper (well, I did anyway- maybe they had planners back then but I was never introduced to them). I’m still horrible at making lists and staying on task… probably the result of being deprived if a planner… (I’ll use that excuse for being unorganized for my entire life)
I don’t think I’ve had a stacation per se— not that I remember. I’m glad you and Jimmy had a nice relaxing time ~ you both deserve it!! It was so much fun having Lola and Mavis here!! Anytime you need a dog sitter– I’m here!!
Love you
That’s hilarious! I wonder if planners were a thing, or if they literally didn’t exist?! We may have to do some research! You should try a planner! I think you’d like it once you got used to it!
Thank you SO much for watching our baby girls! Jimmy and I really, really appreciate it!
Love you! ❤
I did a stay-cation in October! It was grand. For planners I use a calendar that I can find for cheap at Target. No loyalty here.
Staycations are where its at! I can’t wait to catch up on your vacation to ALASKA!! So jealous! Jimmy and I want to visit there in the next few years for sure!
Target planners for the win!
I’ve always been loyal to the Moleskine brand because they are the only ones I know that offer daily planners, with a page dedicated for each day of the year. Though I may look into a different style of planner for 2018 though!
I used to use Moleskine notebooks for journals and loved them! I bet their planners are amazing! You’ll have to let me know what you end up doing for a planner in 2018!
This looks like SUCH a nice weekend! Time to rejuvenate is the BEST. I am with you on the Hello Fresh.. Have you tried Blue Apron?! That one might be my favorite. I’m alsooo planner obsessed! I just can’t believe we are already buying them for the new year. I feel like I JUST purchased my 2017 one. Sheeeesh! I found one on Amazon this year that I love! I always get them from Target, but the one near me didn’t have the full selection in stock just yet (It’s a mini express Target). Love the one you found! Love reading your posts ALWAYS. I was having withdrawals lol. Have a great day,girl!
I really want to try Blue Apron! We were so impressed with HelloFresh, I have a feeling Blue Apron will be even better! Yay for a fellow planner junkie!I can’t believe we’re buying them for 2018 already, either. Crazyyyyy! Hope you have a great Christmas, Mackenzie! ❤
You too, girlie!
I love, love, love staycations. Even just taking a Friday off to relax makes all the difference the following week.
And I don’t use a planner–I actually use a bullet journal. Have you ever tried one of those? You essentially make your own planner, and you can organize it any way you want. Or not. Some months, I am perfectly organized and “pinterest”-like and other months, my bullet journal is literally just lists and scribbles.
Agreed, 100%! Staycations are the best!
I haven’t tried a bullet journal, but it sounds like it’s right up my alley! I need to give it a try 🙂 Thanks for your comment, Rachel!
I love that you guys did this! What a great idea! As for planners – I’ve always loved Sugar Paper, but Target just stopped carrying them this year so I had to find a new one. I ended up picking this one from Amazon and it’s perfect for next year! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072S6YCVZ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 🙂
I feel like I remember you posting about the Sugar Paper planners from Target! Such a bummer they stopped carrying them! I love the planner you did choose, though! Amazon for the win!
I love a staycation!! Walking and riding bikes sound like a great way to spend one too! X
Yeeees! Thanks for your comment Kathryn!
Looks like you had a great time! I’d love to do a staycation soon! Great post!
Alex@SoFitSoPretty.com
Thanks, Alex! I hope you get a chance to do a staycation soon!!
Staycations can be SO fun!! And I am OBSESSED with planners!!! 🙂
I agree 100%! I’m glad there’s another planner junkie out there!!