Monday already?! We are in the final countdown stage before summer. Just four more days of school. My daughter is more than ready to hang up her backpack after the homework load she’s had. It’s been a bit much for 6th grade so we are welcoming summer with open arms. This past weekend was a bit of a blur. Here is our Monday Morning Wrap-Up.
GIRL TIME
On Friday, I met up with one of my dear friends to enjoy a day outside at Lido Marina Village. This spot is right on the water and filled with darling shops and restaurants. It was a gorgeous day and a rare occasion for me lately. I rarely let the to-do list go and just spend time with friends. I think grief has created a bit of a hermit so I am making an effort to do a little more as it feels right. So thankful for my friend, Steph, and her friendship. We as women need our tribe and Steph is as genuine and real as they come.
If you are local and can pop into Zinqué, it’s really delicious. I am a sucker for the Apple Camembert Panini. So darn good. You can sit outside or inside by the charming fireplace. A great atmosphere and I highly recommend this spot. It also happens to be where I had coffee with Nate Berkus. Definitely a highlight that has come from this blogging adventure of mine.
A FAVORITE STOP
I also had the chance to walk around Serena & Lily this past week. The Newport Beach store is beautiful. I find myself wanting to sit down and just pretend the entire store is my home. One of these pretty pillows is landing in our master bedroom. Can you guess which one?
And isn’t this every child’s dream. These bunk beds are amazing. The gingham bedding was just released. So striking. I love everything about this. I am already dreaming of having a bunk room for the grandkids one day. Am I getting ahead of myself?! LOL. Just FYI, bedding is currently 20% off.
WORKING HARD
Saturday found us cheering on our favorite volleyball player. She’s the one about to pass the ball. We weren’t prepared for an 11 hour tournament. Let’s just say it was a crazy long day for these girls, but they played so well. So proud of them.
On top of the tournament we also had two hockey games. We were joking about how exhausted we were and yet the kids did all of the work. I don’t know if it’s because emotionally you are pulling for them the whole time or what, but mama was tired! Ha. Welcomed some time with this man to just relax and unwind. He is my partner in crime in this crazy world and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
MISSING MY DAD
I had to share this with all of you. My dad was the most organized man I’ve ever met. His pantry could give The Home Edit a run for their money! His garage is epic and this wall is my favorite. He hand wrote, “My tools, my rules!” and it makes me smile every time I see it. Of course his love of cars shines through here, too. Using this as inspiration to make our own garage more efficient.
IN THE DETAILS
top | overnight bag | chinos | sandals | cuff | handbag | heels
I lived in this blouse this past weekend (as you can tell from above). Really is my new favorite. Loving the details on all of these pieces. Thought this crossbody bag was adorable, too. The overnight bag is pretty darn great as well.
Calling all parents. I need advice. We were up in the middle of the night with our son because he had such excruciating growing pains in his shins. I know it’s most likely a right of passage, but if you have any tips, I am all ears. I am also exhausted.
Be sure to stop in tomorrow. I’ll be sharing plans for our master bedroom! Can’t wait to finally focus on our bedroom for a bit.
Looking for easy meals to make, check out our five go-to meals here. Have a wonderful Monday, my friends.
We are dealing with the growing pains as well with our second son. He was complaining of severe knee pain for about a week and used regular Advil and heat packs which he said helped a lot. He grew 2 inches in 1.5 weeks!! Poor guy. We just happened to have been getting passports and they had a height measurement on the wall where he clocked in at 5’11”. A week and a half later after all the complaints of pain I noticed he looked much taller. Grabbed a measuring tape and he had hit 6’1”. It doesn’t seem possible and definitely explains the pain.
Oh my! He did sprout up a ton in a short amount of time. It’s so hard to see them in pain. I will try the heat packs for sure. The funny thing is that he woke up in the best mood and had a ton of energy and meanwhile my husband and I are barely functioning. Ahhhh. . .to be young again. Thank you for the tips.
Hi Courtney. Sounds like a busy weekend. So remember those long days when our girl played volleyball. It is exhausting.
So sorry Grady is going through that. I still have vivid memories of leg cramps/pain I had growing as a child. Warm compresses help. Be sure he is getting enough potassium (bananas are a good source) and stays hydrated. Arnica gel or bio freeze help with pain. Also, stretching exercises are helpful.
Such good advice. Thank you. My heart was breaking for him. He has a high threshold for pain so it was pretty bad. Thank you for sharing your experience, Lauren. xo
Knee and heel pain are often signs that the muscles are not growing as fast as the bones- hence “growing pains”! As a former orthopedic PT (now a stay at home mom to 4), lots of gentle/ prolonged stretching the affected areas can help! This does get better!
Hmmm. The pain is in his shins. I love that you have experience. Any tips or thoughts are much appreciated. xo And kudos to you for being a mom of four. xo
Courtney
I love following your blog and I’m so sorry for the loss of your Dad. The photo of his tools brought tears to my eyes. Keep cherishing those memories and I hope they can bring you some comfort.
My girls are 16 and 13 And both have had growing pains. My husband is 6’9” so I have two tall girls. My older daughter is 5’10”. She had very bad knee pain when she was going thru a growth spurt. She found it difficult to run during soccer. The pediatrician diagnosed her with Osgood-Schlatter’s.. This condition appears during Times of growth when your bones and tendons are growing at different rates. It requires rest from sports.
We found stretching also helped. Tight hamstrings make growing pains more intense. If your son feels pain in his knees or it is so intense he can’t sleep I would go see the pediatrician. Don’t overdue over the counter pain meds because they can have side effects on the digestive system and heart.
Rest, ice/heat, and stretching really helped both our girls.
Good luck mama, Erin
Hi Courtney,
When my son had growing pains, we had ihom soak in epson salt baths and used a magnesium spray, which really helped! Hope your son feels better!
A few points on pain from someone with a chronic illness… you can try standing on the edge of a step so that his heels are hanging off. Very gently let the heels lower, then rise up on to tip toe. Both very gently or you’ll damage the tendons. That helps stretch the calves. Some light Pilates moves should help too. Maybe ask one of the coaches at school to design a stretching regime.
Ibuprofen may be better than aspirin or paracetamol. Or you can alternate with ibuprofen and paracetamol so there is a dose of one or the other every two hours. But not for longer than 8 hours altogether without medical advice. Arnica as a previous person suggested and either hot or cold, both work for pain. You can also try a TENs machine. It works by running a light electrical pulse into the body through pads. There are different phases, a little bit like fairy lights, so the current goes in different waves depending on the setting. It basically makes the receptors busy recognising the TENs current, so that there is no capacity for recognising the pain. Some of the phases actively encourage the body to release endorphins. It’s a fantastic tool and can be used with all of the other remedies.
Could I also suggest bio oil or vitamin e (breaking open a capsule rather than the cream so it’s more concentrated) as these will help to reduce any stretch marks.
Not sure about knee pain in boys but sounds painful! I know my 14 yo daughter has friends on her club team that suffer from knee pain related to growth. Something your daughter might hear about in a couple years. Truly growing pains!
I love hearing about your weekends because we can relate. It can seem odd to spend so much time watching our kids play various sports (baseball, soccer, track, more soccer!) it really is family time especially when the siblings get to cheer each other on. Enjoy 🙂
My daughter experienced these a lot, always in the middle of the night, potassium is the key and the right balance of electrolytes/sodium. Bananas help a lot as they have lots of potassium. We try for one a day and since then she has been good. Stretching and heat compresses.
I think my kiddo was at the same vball location in Tustin … epic 11 hour day for her and my husband. I stayed behind in San Diego to attend PTA training, but if I’d known it was going to last past 5:00, I would have driven up that afternoon. Hope your kiddo did well, it’s hard for the season to come to an end but I know my daughter is excited for a few weeks off before starting maintenance. Your photos of Serena & L ily make me want to plan a day trip to Newport!
Hi Courtney,
Re: your son. It my be Osgood-Schlatter . My son had this is well. In his case it
Didn’t last long and as I remember he had to do a lot of stretching and ibuprofen for the pain.
I missed you by one day! I was just there on Thursday. I didn’t get to shop since my kids were with me, but we had a great time at Balboa Island. You’re so lucky to live in such a beautiful place!
Loved your dads garage and words on the wall – thinking of you and send extra big hugs this week. Especially as we approach Fathers Day x
A bit late with the comments…but a heating pad and massage always helped my growing pains when I was young. Mine were always in my quads. I remember my dad would rub them so hard to get in deep and the rubbing would hurt but the pain under would feel better. Good luck with Grady, poor baby. 🙁