My Whole100 Meal Plan

[Bah!! My blog layout STILL sucks. Let's be honest though...until my laundry is done, my blog layout won't be fixed. So.. give me like 25 years.]

Heyo! For those of you unaware of my most recent undertaking: I AM DOING A WHOLE100. Here are the deets- I'm eating only whole foods for 100 days. (If you're wondering what that entails, click on the program link below). As i'm writing this, I am exactly 11 hours and 45 minutes into day 1 and I'm already craving sugar, so... go me! 

Okay, but seriously... It's really not that bad. After doing my first Whole30 I was so empowered and liberated and have never felt better in my life. NO JOKE! Those of you who talk to me regularly will know that I really like am obsessed with the Whole30 program. I think it is an incredible eating plan that has helped people overcome a whole slew of ailments. It's a nutritional reset program that really helps you to get in-sync with your entire system. It helps everything to work better and my favorite part is that it is designed to eliminate cravings. You say "no sugar cravings" and I'm in, because I am literally addicted to sugar. It's bad. 

I was introduced to Whole30 over a year ago (maybe even two!) by my sister-in-law. I will admit that at first I was skeptical. Because of past experiences and failures I am not at all a fan of "fad-dieting" (Hey there, carb-free and low-fat marketing schemes!) and I believe that the only way to have the body and mind you want is through good, old-fashioned, HARD WORK! (Not that this program is at all a fad diet, nor is there a lack of hard work. I was just naive and unwilling to commit). Jake eventually decided to try it out, with me only half committing--and of course failing--because this program doesn't work unless you commit 100%. You can't cut 95% of added sugars out and expect the symptoms to leave your system, just as you can't rid of 95% of the dog fur in your home and expect your allergies to go away. (I learned that from one of the program's co-creators, so you can thank her for the awesome analogy).

After seeing the amazing results that Jake had because of his Whole30 and watching how his relationship with food changed, I decided that I would finally commit. So after baby #2, being 30 lbs over my pre-baby weight and feeling incredibly lethargic (granted, I was nursing every two hours, but I can guarantee this lethargy was due to more than just lack of sleep), I decided it was time. I knew that if I did it though, I wanted to do it right, so I bought the Whole30 cookbook and did lots of research on the program. Through some of my social media explorations I found that some people out there were doing things like a Whole45 or a Whole60 or GASP a Whole100! I jokingly suggested to Jake that we should attempt a Whole100 after the holidays. 
Back in August, January seemed a LOT farther away...

I learned a lot of things on my go-around last time... like how I really don't want to cook a meal three times a day... which I was doing... for 30 days... with two babies. And I pretty much almost pulled my hair out on multiple occasions. (Good thing I didn't though, because thanks to post-baby hormone-loss, my body recently shed 95% of the hair on my head all on its own. *cry face*). Anyway, this time around I decided I would try to be more smart about meal planning and food prep, so I'm making a meal plan 30 days at a time and will share with you what I've got. Here's the only problem... some of my recipes are from cookbooks that I own. And in all honesty, I feel rotten about typing up the recipes that were meant to be sold in the book to make those people money. (Before you think I'm a saint, just know that I'm selfishly noting that Karma may one day have my back... If I ever write a book, I want the royalties, ya know?!) So anyway, I'll post as many recipes as I can, but if there's one that you really want that I haven't posted, lemme know! (Or just go buy the Whole30 book, because if you're actually going to use this meal plan, you'll use the book!!)

For ease of using the meal plan, I will link the recipe (if possible) and where I found the ingredients (but only if they're out of the ordinary--otherwise know that I just buy my ingredients at Smith's!) And if I remember to take pictures of my meals, I will periodically update the post with those! Oh, also keep in mind that on weekdays my meals for breakfasts and lunches are meant for just one person while dinners are meant for two.

Whole100 Meal Plan

Days 1-7

My fridge with almost everything Whole30 approved to make it easy to grab-and-go and avoid eating off plan!

Day 1
   Breakfast: Southwest Scrambled eggs (Scrambled eggs with salsa) with 1/2 avocado or guacamole packet (I buy single-serve guacamole packs at Costco-- they are great for on-the-go and can be frozen if you think you won't use them quickly enough)

   Lunch: Baked chicken (bake extra to have on hand for lunches) with carrots and almond butter (Costco sells a brand that is almonds only, but if you can foot the bill, Trader Joe's sells a salted almond butter that is delicious!) 

      Dinner: Mustard Balsamic Chicken with green salad (prep salad for the week) (I use the leftover juices from my chicken as a dressing) 

(I throw all my veggies in the giant salad tub and then store it for easy salads all week long!)

and baked potato wedges (triple chicken recipe and freeze two batches)

Day 2

   Breakfast: Sausage and sweet potato frittata
   Lunch: Melissa's Chicken Hash (W30 cookbook)
    Dinner: Kielbasa (cook extra sausage to have on hand for breakfasts and lunches)

Day 3 
   Breakfast: Leftover frittata with grapes
   Lunch: Harvest grilled chicken salad (W30 cookbook)
      Dinner: Curry sauce (W30 cookbook) over white fish (I'm using Tilapia) and frozen veggies (anytime "frozen veggies" are on the menu you can assume that they are from a bag of frozen assorted vegetables and will be cooked before being eaten)

(let's talk about how appetizing curry sauce looks in a dimly-lit photo...)

Day 4 
   Breakfast: Over-easy eggs over a bed of wilted spinach with chicken/apple sausage

   Lunch: Leftover sausages with carrots and almond butter
      Dinner: Salsa verde chicken (double and freeze half) with zucchini and sweet potato latkes (double for breakfast tomorrow) (I realize zucchinis are not in season, but these were so delicious to me last time that I wanted to make them again!)

Day 5
   Breakfast:  Leftover sweet potato latkes with sausage link and over-easy egg 
   Lunch: Baked chicken or sausage with salad and vinegarette
      Dinner: Pork chops with garlic and thyme sauce with balsamic sweet potatoes (W30 cookbook)

Day 6
   Breakfast: Kitchen sink frittata (I generally always make this on Sunday--it's a great way to use up any extra veggie scraps from throughout the week--basically you just throw anything and everything into a frittata and find seasonings that match the flavor profile)
   Lunch: Leftover frittata with almonds
      Dinner: Chicken basted with ranch sauce (w30 cookbook) and roasted veggies with side salad

Day 7
   Breakfast: Southwest scrambled eggs and avocado
   Lunch: White fish basted with leftover ranch sauce and veggies
      Dinner: Crock pot pork carnitas (W30 cookbook) (triple roast and freeze two batches) with brussels sprouts slaw (if you think you don't like brussels sprouts, try this recipe! You might be surprised! Also, I buy my brussels sprouts at Costco--they've always been fresher there than when I've bought them at Smith's!)


Side note: As part of the program, "snacking" (just for the sake of snacking) is discouraged. I, however, am going to the gym and am nursing, so I eat whenever I feel hungry (assuming I've had enough to drink)! That being said, this is not an all-inclusive list of the things I eat during the week... throw in a few Larabars and a variety of fruit and it would be a bit more accurate.

Raising my kids, post-Y2K

I just gotta vent for a minute.

You ready?

 

Being a mom is tough! Especially in this day in age!

I feel like every time I get on the internet, I'm bombarded with ads, articles and opinions, telling me what's right and what's wrong when it comes to caring for my child.

 

Feeding:

 

You use store-bought baby food? Gasp! GMOs!!!

You make your own baby food? Ohemgee. Hipster much?

 

Bathing:

 

You should bathe your child daily, using soaps made only of the purest of materials, with all natural, all organic ingredients, no bleaches or dyes and absolutely no harsh chemicals. None.

(So... you mean, like, water, right?)

 

Americans bathe too much! By bathing your child daily, or even every other day, you are removing too many of the "good germs" that babies need in order to build their immune systems.

 

Sleeping:

 

Your child should sleep on their stomach.

Oh, your kid should definitely be sleeping on their back.

Maybe try their side?

 

Learning/Teaching:

 

You should be reading to your child X amount of minutes per day, while also engaging in one-on-one play to ensure that they learn to interact with others.

 

Let your kid do his own thayng...

if you don't, he's going to be super clingy!

 

Baby wearing:

 

Wearing your babies makes everything so much easier!

Wearing your babies causes them to be incapable of making their own decisions!

 

Circumcision:

 

Circumcise your child, because we said so.

What? You're circumcising?? Do you know what you're doing?

 

Oh the insanity!

 

And what is with not putting sunscreen on your newborns or only using bottled water to formula feed? I didn't even know those were a thing!!! Did you?

 

I sometimes just wish we could go back to simpler times. Before Facebook. Before Instagram. Before texting. Before cell phones. Before technology-based media overtook our world!

 

I am a firm believer in being honest with and standing true to yourself, regardless of how popular it might be. I am still swayed by others, but for the most part, I really just like to do things my own way. I guess I'm stubborn. Or just really conceited.

 

So in case you were wondering,

I plan to feed my babies store-bought food, because I don't enjoy making my own and I will breastfeed whenever possible, because I am blessed with the ability to do so. (Oh and I am 100% PRO public breast-feeding. Let's talk about the purpose of a woman's breasts sans the confusion of our sexualized society!) I will wash my children's clothes in Tide, because I like how it smells. My children will sleep however I find it easiest to get them to be comfortable. I will bathe my kids whenever I want (which is usually something like 3 days in a row, then not again for another 4 days. ha.) At this point in our lives, I will spend most of my child's awake time next to her side, because I LOVE being her mommy and don't want to miss any of it. Overprotective? I guess you could say that. Or you could just chalk it up to the fact that I'm a first-time mom who still has the time and luxury to sit next to my 1-year-old instead of attending to a crying baby or my older kids in an argument! I will wear my newborn in a carrier whenever I can, because hello... I have a 13-month-old who is just barely learning to walk and I will soon be birthing another tiny human (whom will be circumcised. TMI? Sorry.) I will use sunscreen on my newborn and I won't be using bottled water if we formula feed again, because formula is expensive enough in and of itself! Oh and another thing... I don't clean my house every day, because I would rather spend my free-time elsewhere. I like cooking, so I do it... not trying to out-do anyone, just going with what feels good. So, for the record, if you come over to hang out, chances are, it'll be a mess... but I'll offer you some good food, so I think it evens itself out.

 

Phew.

Glad I got that out.

Anything you want to vent about?

 

Child-rearing in all of its glory

Let's talk about how toddlers demand 99.9% of your time. I never used to understand when moms would say things like, they were "busy" or how they were spending their whole day picking up after their kids. I would think how on earth could you be busy? You stay home and you have X amount of kids? And what could you possibly have to clean up all day? If you just leave the toys out the whole day, you only have to clean them up once, right? *I'm cringing as I write this* Please forgive my naïve brain!! I GET IT NOW! I didn't even know it was possible for my house to get so messy. And I have ONE. CHILD. Like what the heck is up with peanut butter and jelly being crusted onto the legs of my table or squished along the panels of my blinds??? And clearly I had no idea that a one-year-olds idea of "playing with a toy" looks much less like pulling a doll out of a toy box and much more like finding old food crusted to the bottom of a dirty shoe, or shoving electrical cords into her slobbery mouth.

Next point. Nap time. At our house, nap time is indefinite. (And oh. so. precious.) Which means that every morning when I wake up to the sound of my daughter screaming at me to come and remove her from the prison which is her crib, I instantly have to decide which basic task of living is worth attempting and which ones can wait until nap time (which would also mean foregoing something else, like working on stuff for my book business, or fulfilling my calling, or writing in my neglected journal, or sending those thank you cards I've been meaning to send for weeks, or paying the bills that are stacked at the end of the counter, or making a grocery list, or working on our family photo albums, or... yeah... you get the picture).

For example... do I:

A) Stick her in the tub with me while I shower, trying to avoid soaking her in the face every time I move out of the way of the stream of water (because, how on earth do I shower otherwise???) or does the shower wait until nap time, which could, quite possibly be at 2 pm, which means anything I was trying to accomplish before the afternoon has already hit would have to be done with stringy hair and sweaty pits? Hmm.

B) Forego the shower and any attempt at leaving my house and attack the piles of laundry and get the dishwasher running while the babe is clawing at the back of my legs, or pulling every dish out of the washer just as I turn my back after putting it in?

Or, C) My personal go-to--get overwhelmed by the thought of even having to do ANY of these things and instead sit in my PJs with my hair tossed in a pile on top of my head while I sit and watch my child bulldoze through my living room and kitchen, demolishing everything in her path before moving on to continually climbing up the stairs that she can't climb down on her own, expecting me to come and get her while carrying this bowling ball err growing child I've got shoved inside my shirt?

This is the dilemma that I face every morning and we haven't even grazed the surface of meal time. (Or exercise... Is that a thing that moms do? I just remembered that even existed.) So if you, like pre-baby me, are thinking: I don't even get it. It's not that hard. Then please come to my house and I will enlighten you on the dysfunctional nature of my life right now!!!

I need an intervention!

That being said, here are some pictures from my sweet Maisey girl's birthday party... Let's just say that I think this was my first and last attempt at throwing a Pinterest-inspired extravaganza. Time and money? I don't have enough.

 

Notice the really cool streamers in the background that looked more like a mess than a decoration...

 





At least all the food was on point!

Thanks to everyone for pitching in!!

 

Cake cred to my sis-in-law Torrey!

And the Macarons are from Sprinkle and Dash. Check 'em out!

Time spent making the tassel garland:

Embarrassing amounts of hours.

Time it lasted on that chair with her sitting in it:

5 minutes? Maybe?

The sun was not conducive to picture-taking,

but hey, it wasn't snowing!

Thanks everyone for all the great gifts!!

 



Anti-climactic cake smash

The ice cream intervention was much better

 

 

Until the brain-freeze

 

All tuckered out and loving her new baby!

That time I started a business

Remember last time I posted how I talked about being a mom

and it was light and playful and funny?

This time I want to mention the flip-side... the one where I get down on myself because I still have all my baby fat. And the one where I spend way more money than I should and feel guilty because I'm monetarily contributing nothing (I know. I shouldn't feel guilty. I've heard the lecture 1,000 times.) Or the one where I feel like a slob, because it's 3 in the afternoon and oh, I just showered, because my child hasn't stopped whining all day long and when I put her down, her whining turns into flat-out wailing. (Teething? I don't know.) Or the time when the phone rings and What? Did I do my visiting teaching? Umm.. no, because, holy crap! How has a whole month already gone by again??!! Or... to trump it all, the times when I run into people who I haven't talked to in a while and they ask the ever-dreaded question... "so... are you just a stay-at-home mom?"

Yeah.

I'm just a stay-at-home mom.

*Self-esteem plummeting to the ground at full speed.*

 

Don't get me wrong... I LOVE LOVE LOVE that I don't have to report to a boss in the morning and I LOVE LOVE LOVE that I can snuggle with my baby girl any time of the day that I want and I LOVE LOVE LOVE that I can set my schedule to fit in play dates and lunch-time get-togethers. I really love all of those things and I am so incredibly grateful to be blessed enough to do them. And for some people those things are enough. But for me, when I have to tell someone that I stay at home, for some reason, it just gets to me. At the core.

 

Thus, I decided I needed an intervention.

Enter, Usborne Books & More.

 

If any of you are friends with me on fb, you will see that I have bombarded my page with posts and messages to some of you about my new business. Please forgive the overload. It is with the best intentions. It's because I want to share with you the thing that has changed my life! I know, I know... that's a bold statement. But I mean it. Before I started this business a few weeks ago, I was on a steep downhill slope to losing myself and it wasn't fun to be inside my head. I felt worthless. And I've heard it all, "you're doing the best job in the world" "You're so lucky, though" "That's a hard thing being a stay-at-home mom, you shouldn't get down on yourself" all of which are true, but none of which mattered when I felt that I wasn't contributing to our family in any other way than keeping on top of piles of laundry (which I fail at... miserably. I'm 100% telling the truth when I tell you all of our clean laundry is currently in a giant pile at the foot of our bed. And it's okay.) or scrubbing scum off of dirty dishes while attending to the constant needs of my little human. I just really like the satisfaction of working. In the workplace. This is something I've learned about myself since becoming a stay-at-home mom.

 

So. When I ask you if you want to host a book party, if you're interested.. GREAT! You're going to receive tons of free books (especially if you host before Christmas, because I can offer you double the amount of free books since I'm a new hostess. For example, I earned $180 in free, HIGH-QUALITY children's books when I hosted my party... and all I did was invite friends to my house) and it will be a fun night in with your friends.

 

If you're not interested... please just tell me. I promise it won't hurt my feelings. You have to realize that if I am putting myself out there like this, I am expecting to receive some no's... and it really doesn't bother me at all, because one no means another yes somewhere else. And if you're not interested, you're not interested. I get it. I couldn't care less about buying Tupperware.

(So if you sell it, there's your answer.)

 

Usborne is unlike other companies where you have to meet monthly minimums or pester people into buying things they are super skeptical about. It's books. Plain and simple. I just throw parties to find people who want to buy them, because it's the easiest way to spread the word.

 

That being said, if you or someone you know would be interested in hosting a party, let me know. If you would like to throw a party but don't want to clean your house or try your hand at baking, let's throw a fb party! And if you would rather not even see my face in any way shape or form, but you're still interested in maybe purchasing a book or two for some of the people on your Christmas list, check out my website. There is an online catalog and you can order directly and have the books shipped straight to your door.

 

And in addition to all that, for those of you who are actually still reading this (almost off my soap box here), if you, like me, would like to have your cake and to eat it, too, (stay home AND make money) then hit me up! I'd love for you to join my team! I drive to Lehi for trainings and sit at booths selling books at family events and boutiques and all of that would be much more fun with friends.

 

In parting, simply because I hate reading blog posts without pictures, here is one of my favorites as of late:

Even EAR MUFFS are made cute when you stick a baby in them!

Mom-isms

"MIA" would pretty-well sum up my blogging existence over the past couple years. And CLEARLY this place needs a serious makeover. Hang in there.

It will happen eventually.

 

Motherhood has come knocking at my door with full force and has completely taken over my life.

Completely. In every way. 

 

Let me give you a few examples using these mom-isms... to which I, for some reason, have corresponding pictures:

 

You know you're a new mom when you find it perfectly acceptable to rock the top knot every day of your life.

Even while shopping.

 

 

 You know you're a new mom when you venture out to find some small tents, excuse me--shirts, to fit over your breastfeeding beauties only to discover that you are loudly wearing "I'm a mom" on your sleeve. Err... crotch.

 

 

You know you're a new mom when you have to empty your sim card (twice) because it is filled with hundreds of snap shots of your new obsession that is your child. And it's totally okay.

 

 

 

 

 You know you're a new mom when this...

 

 

 doesn't even phase you.

 

You know you're a new mom when reaching a "milestone" no longer means knocking out another "long run" in your training for a half-marathon. But it feels like that and so much more.

 

 

You know you're a new mom when "an outing" equates to a 5-hour-long production of gathering every last supply you just might need for the baby (plus a feeding. And diaper change. And clothing change.) only to find that once you finally make it to said location, with your cart packed and ready to go, you've forgotten your wallet. Or phone. Or mind.

Okay, all three.

 

 

You know you're a new mom when your boob is nothing more to you than the lifeline to your baby's existence. But you're constantly having to remind yourself that to everyone else... it's still a sexualized boob.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bunmi-laditan/how-to-breastfeed-appropriately_b_5530806.html

 

You know you're a new mom when this...

 

 

 is your greatest accomplishment of the day.

 

You know you're a new mom when this guy

 

 

is no longer referred to as "husband," but "dad." You may even try calling him on the phone by asking Siri to call "Dad" instead of "[husband's actual name]"

 

You know you're a new mom when you consider "tummy time" an acceptable topic of conversation with your girlfriends.

 

 

You know you're a new mom when you take pictures like this

 

 

IN PUBLIC!

(Maisey didn't like this. But I obviously did. Look at that smile!!)

 

Best of all, you know you're a new mom when even after all the crying, and sleepless nights, and pooped on clothes, and spit-up spills, and never-ending piles of laundry, and feelings of loneliness, worthlessness, and loss-of-self...  you still can't get enough of this little lump of love that completely relies on you to live.

 

 

And that's exactly how it's supposed to be.

 

Being a mom ain't half bad.

In fact, I think it's my new favorite thing.

 

 

 

Normal Day

I read this poem this morning and thought it was worth sharing:

“Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.” ― poem by Mary Jean Irion

Source: A Cup of Jo

London Part 2

This day was a lot of fun, especially because Jake had completely surprised me with a 3 hour guided chocolate tour. The only downfall was that I had booked our Buckingham Palace tickets for this day and failed to add it to our itinerary and the chocolate tour got booked at the exact same time. When we called them to switch our Palace tickets, they refused to give us a refund or let us enter at a different time or day. It was really frustrating, but I got over it, because the chocolate tour was SO worth it.

We started off the tour by meeting our group of 8 and our guide outside of a random building that you never would have known held a fancy dining area. We then entered this Michelin starred restaurant (there were actually 3 restaurants, a different themed room on every level) and it had the most interesting themes. In the restaurant pictured below, not a single thing in the room matched, including every piece of silverware. It was awesome!

At one of the restaurants, crazy furniture was coming out of the walls and we were greeted by a woman with a shaved head--

Very "Zenon girl of the 21st century"esque.

When we sat down, we were served the most amazing apple streudal known to man. It had more flaky, buttery layers of pastry than I ever thought possible.

And this was liquid heaven.

It was the richest, creamiest, 

most delicious dark hot chocolate there ever was.

 Mmm!

 As we sat and enjoyed our first healthy dose of chocolate, we learned all kinds of things about the history of chocolate.

Like, did you know that white chocolate is actually just the fat that has been squeezed from the cocoa bean?

Or, how about the fact that Mr. Nestle himself used to make and sell baby foods before hopping on the chocolate train?

Interesting!

And if you didn't know it already, I've got to break the news to you that the chocolate in America has wax in it and does not even begin to compare to the chocolate that they have in the UK.

If you need a comparison, stop on by... we've still got about one hundred candy bars sitting in our fridge...

After finishing up our chocolate drinks, our guide let us venture into the award winning bathrooms that were housed at these restaurants.

It was like we'd just entered a 21st century space station.

To use the toilets, you just pick a pod, any pod, and do your thing.

As you're sitting there, however, it gets crazy when you hear sounds of astronauts talking back and forth and ET kind of music playing in the background.

Quite the experience!

The rest of the tour was filled with walking around to different high end chocolatiers throughout London.

We tried everything, from white chocolate covered dried strawberries,

to chocolate covered cocoa beans and cinnamon flavored chocolate, to a cucumber, mint and strawberry flavored truffle!

At this place, we also could have tried chocolates in the following flavors:

Goat cheese, Rosemary and Lemon

Sichuan Pepper and Lemongrass

Blackberry and Elderflower

Cigar Leaf Caramel

Bloody Mary Truffle

 Mango and Lime Caramel

and my personal (least) favorite

Ginger Pig Black Pudding, Sourdough and Rye Whiskey

They had so many unique flavors and were well known for the fresh ingredients that they used. Their chocolates only had a shelf life of about one week, because they didn't use any preservatives and baked everything in the basement of their store!

 These brownie bites were the most amazing thing we tried while we were here. I wish we could have bought hundreds of them!

The next place we went had lots of chocolates

But also candied fruits

 and candied flowers!

(Which were surprisingly good...)

 Another cute chocolatier

with amazing truffles

And to finish up the tour, we ended at Burlington Arcade, which is an entire strip of shops built for a Queen (sorry, can't remember which one) by her husband, because she was tired of shopping with the "common folk." To this day, it is still guarded on both ends.

We entered a shop that has received the royal approval of the current Queen and houses her favorite chocolates:

Lavendar and Rose infused truffles

 

The entire thing was so much fun and such a cool "off the beaten path" experience in London, but we ate so much dang chocolate that this seriously may well have been me by the end of the tour..

I can officially relate to Augustus Gloop.

The next few days were filled with miles of walking, sore feet, mediocre food, and really iconic buildings... 

here comes the picture overload:

(I should explain that before we left for our trip, we bought a thing called "The London Pass" and we paid upfront for entry into all of the major attractions in London, plus we got access onto any form of transportation for the 3 days our pass was good. It was the best thing for convenience, because everything was already paid for and all you had to do was show them your pass and you'd get to cut (almost) every long line.)

 

At the very top of St. Paul's Cathedral

The Tower of London, which houses the Crown Jewels

The London Bridge

Jake offered to carry the girly bag the entire day. What a saint.

And why we didn't opt to use the backpack we'd brought for things like this is the biggest mystery of the entire trip.

One time when we were on the underground,

Jake learned a really important lesson

and

We were trying to get on at a really crowded stop and Jake squished his way onto the train, but I was having a harder time getting through.. he noticed the train was about to leave, so reached out his head to call me in and the door rammed right into his big noggin and shut with me yelling out, "I"ll meet you at the next station!"

  It was epic. Especially when the doors re-opened midway through my sentence and I was yelling, "...THE NEXT STATION!" into the train at a crowd of onlookers. Ha ha embarrassing much??

 The London Eye

Big Ben

Westminster Abbey

Buckingham Palace

(my pictures definitely don't do it justice)

There were so many other things we saw, but forgot to take pictures or they are on Jake's phone and my computer isn't letting me load them. Grr.

If you're not completely overloaded by pictures yet, the last day of our trip was spent at the Harry Potter Studio Tour. 

I haven't posted it yet, because it's going to take a long time to construct, but I will have it up soon!