I can't remember the last time I took a summer vacation. Usually my husband and I take a week-long early spring vacation (right when I've hit the peak of Seasonal Affective Disorder) and then we use the summer to do some long-weekend trips and whatnot.
This year, however, we've really thrown all caution to the wind and planned not one, but TWO, week-long summer vacations. The first was during the Fourth of July holiday (last week) and it was absolutely glorious. While we weathered some tumultuous uhhh...weather on our way up to the Adirondacks, once we got there it was nothing but blue skies and sunshine. Seriously, we lucked out with the most amazing weather ever--seven continuous days of sunshine and boating! I realize that this likely means our August beach vacation will be laden with precipitation, but whatever, I'm still riding on the high of my last trip.
Well we did it. We've survived another year. It was a wild one. Shall I dare say the wildest one yet?
New baby. Check.
New house. Check.
New job. Check.
Was it tough, you ask? Um, hell yes.
Would I go back and do anything differently? Hells to the no.
I am SO looking forward to 2016 for so many reasons. Lulu will be turning ONE soon, she's probably only a few weeks away from taking her first steps so, watch out everybody! I'm so excited for her first birthday. While she will have no recollection of the affair, I'm throwing her a birthday party. And if I'm being completely honest, it is really a party for me. To say, "Congratulations Marissa! You survived year one of parenting. Here's to many many more."
I am so excited for the spring and summer with a toddler (holy crap, I'm going to have a toddler.) I can't wait to see all of the fun things she learns and discovers and I can't wait to run around with her at the playground or on the beach. Fingers crossed she likes the ocean a little bit more than she did last year.
Well, I don't have any grand resolutions for the year. I have some little changes or priorities that I have been focusing on over the past few months. So I'll continue to work on those and soak in all of my wonderful baby cuddles while I can still get them. It sounds so cliché but the biggest change or "resolution" I'm making is to take some time to focus on me. I spent much of 2015 catering to the demands of a needy baby and in 2016 I need to free myself of some mom guilt and take some time to do the things that make me feel good about myself.
I want to wish you a fabulous 2016. I also want to thank you for reading this blog. Whether this is your first time or whether you read every post that I put up (do those people exist?) I appreciate you taking any time out of your busy life to tune into mine.
Cheers!
This holiday season has been a whirlwind. I would sit here an apologize to you about how I've been MIA but the truth is, it was kind of nice to put the blog on the back burner and focus on myself and my family during the holiday season. So to catch you up since Thanksgiving... we've spent the majority of our time mentally and physically preparing for this baby to come, expected in about four weeks time (maybe a little sooner, maybe a little later, who knows?)
BryGuy and I had a fabulous Christmas in Upstate New York and were incredibly blessed with lots of gifts from Santa, ridiculous amounts of family time, all the delicious treats and unhealthy food one can consume. We headed back to Philadelphia before the New Year to get all settled in and spent a nice night with friends on New Years Eve. We had a delicious dinner at a restaurant that I've always wanted to try and then got cozy in our PJ's and watched the ball drop and had a lot of laughs. Quite possibly the best part of my New Year's celebration was watching my dear friend Josh get engaged to the love of his life, Shayna. We are so happy for them and so excited to dance the night away at their wedding in September! 2015 is going to be an amazing year :)
Peep more photos from Christmas and New Year's Eve below.
1. Properly prep your tummy. You might be thinking it's a good idea to skip breakfast and save space for all that Thanksgiving deliciousness that is about to come. You're wrong. Dead wrong. While it might seem counter-intuitive, you're going to want to eat a hearty breakfast when you wake up. This is going to give your stomach the proper stretching and digestion time it needs to be ready for the big game (and I'm not talking about football.)
2. Your attire selection is of utmost importance. It is perfectly acceptable to wear your dad jeans with the elastic waistband at Thanksgiving, or make a trip to the storage unit for your old maternity pants. Thanksgiving is not a time to be a fashionista, it's a time to go HAM and give your food-pit a proper beating. I'm not saying you should look like a slob, but underneath your nice blouse or sweater vest, you can be hiding the most heinous of strechy waist-band pants. For goodness sake, you're about to be carrying a 10-lb food baby, give that puppy room to grow!
3. Portion control - no bigger than a golf ball! Don't make the rookie mistake of stocking up on mashed potatoes, turkey and stuffing and then realize that you still have 10 more things to add to your plate but only 2 sq. inches of space left. Stick to the golf ball rule, everything on your plate should be a portion no larger than a golf ball. I mean, I know green beans aren't the star of Thanksgiving but you owe it to yourself (and your host) to try a little of everything! After you finish your first plate of food go back for the things you loved and throw the golf ball rule out the window.
4. Lend a helping hand in your own way. We're not all master chefs, and that's okay. If you have no place in a kitchen, stay out of the kitchen. In fact, I advise everyone stay out of the kitchen except the host until clean up time (otherwise you're just going to get in the way.) But, you can still offer a helping hand in other ways -- offer to bring ice or pies from your neighborhood bakery, play bartender, help to clear plates after the meal, buy a flower arrangement or nice candle for your host. Just don't be a waste of space.
5. Adhere to a schedule. You might have a few different obligations on Thanksgiving. You may have to spend some time with the in-laws, eat dinner with your own family, and potentially drop by to see some old friends that are in town for the holiday... make a schedule for your day and stick to it like an Army Ranger on a special ops mission. My schedule will go something like this (I'm still ironing out some of the details)
- 9:00 a.m. - arise to the aroma of herbs and turkey in the air
- 9:30 a.m. - indulge in a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast - consider eating a piece of fruit but go back for more bacon instead. (see tip 1 above)
- 10:00 a.m. - watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV while helping to prep food
- 12:00 p.m. - watch the beginning of The National Dog Show and pick out your favorite dog, continue to help mom prep appetizers and sides
- 12:30 p.m. - shower and put on real clothes (see tip 2 above)
- 1:50 p.m. - catch end of dog show, see if your dog won.
- 2:00 p.m. - drive to in-laws' house (limit yourself to 3-4 bites of appetizers, nothing enters your "pie hole" at in-laws after 3:00 p.m.)
- 3:30 p.m. - head back to parent's house, call and make sure they don't have any last minute grocery/errand needs
- 4:00 p.m. - indulge in some more appetizers
- 4:45 p.m. - help to put out food and get everyone seated, say grace and go around the table so everyone can share what they are thankful for
- 5:00 p.m. - begin to load up first plate of 2014 Thanksgiving meal (see tip 3 above)
- 5:20 p.m. - think about going back for seconds - pick one or two things you really want just a little more of and put them on your plate (panic because you realize you might not have room for dessert if you eat any more mashed potatoes but say, "eff it, I'll throw up if needed to make room for pie)
- 5:30 p.m. - enjoy the silence at the table and the sound of loosening belts
- 5:45 p.m. - remark how crazy it is that you cook for two full days but manage to eat in less than an hour
- 5:50 p.m. - help to clear the table and set out dessert.
- 6:00 p.m. - eat dessert
- 6:10 p.m. - men exit table and plop on the couch to watch football - women chit-chat and then clear rest of the table and start to clean up kitchen
- 6:30 p.m. - uncle starts snoring loudly while sitting on couch
- 7:00 p.m. - guests start to exit, you finally snag a seat on the couch
- 8:00 p.m. - change into pajamas
- 8:05 p.m. - pull out a game to play with family
- 9:00 p.m. - go to bed
6. Remember the big picture. Thanksgiving is a time for reflection and expression of gratitude. I know it can be stressful to be around your crazy family. I know your mom is bugging out because so and so is bringing a date and didn't tell her until the last minute and there's no room at the table. Just remember, no matter your life situation, you're luckier and more blessed than someone else out there. You have food to eat, a roof over your head, friends/family/acquaintances/frenemies to eat with. Hell, I think you're doing pretty good. Let Thanksgiving set the stage for your holiday season, keep your composure and try to stay worry-free and most importantly, thankful!
Happy Thanksgiving homies!
We spent the holiday in upstate New York with our families and it was such a wonderful and relaxing week. I love seeing my parent's house all decked out in Christmas decor and smelling the scents of delicious food cooking in the kitchen. We did a little ice skating, a lot of game playing and way too much eating! On Christmas morning we got all dolled up in our onesies and opened our presents while the fire was crackling and the french toast was baking. My bro always plays Santa's helper and doles out all of the gifts. Check out some of my favorite gifts I received this year.
Christmas was amazing this year. For one, we got to spend a full week with our families! It was so nice to be able to stay longer than a weekend and have some quality chill time with our parents and my siblings. I also am fully aware that I overindulged on life (and food and drink) over the past seven days and need to step away from the cookies for the next month or more. I'm so blessed to have such generous people in my life and I wanted to share some really cool stuff that I scored this holiday! Read on for details and links.
I met up with these crazy girls for a little reunion dinner at the The Ginger Man in Albany. This is the first time we've all been back in the area in a long time and we had a dinner filled with laughs, hilarious gift giving, alcoholic beverages, and a special announcement! The Ginger Man is nostalgic for our group and it didn't disappoint this time. The food was great and the atmosphere was perfect for a catch-up with my bffs.
So, you have seven days left to shop... don't panic. That won't help. I've got some tips for you if you have a few last-minute items to pick up or if you haven't even purchased one gift yet. Also, last week I put together a holiday gift guide if you still need some inspiration.
Are you in a panic looking for the perfect gift for someone on your list? I'm right there with you. Since I'm in full-fledged shopping mode for Christmas, I figured I would throw a little bit of my inspiration your way. I pulled together three gift lists that will hopefully help you find that special something for that special something. Let me know if there's any other must-buys this year that you've come across.
