Grits in the City - discounts and faves
Hope you enjoy all these as much as I do!
It’s crazy that this year marks four years. Four years since I walked down the aisle in the back of the borrowed Brooklyn brownstone (how I like to instead think of the space now known as Madison May Vanderbilt) to say yes to a lifetime of adventures with T.
One thing I realized this year I’d yet to do is to document our 10 day adventure in Cinque Terre — the trip of a lifetime I’d always dreamed of and one that T so graciously allowed to become our honeymoon.
[Read more…]After Q was born, there was a brief period in which I couldn’t wear my “normal” clothes. I finally bought some super stretchy jeans a size up and half a year later, I was back into most of my wardrobe — though they were admittedly snug.
[Read more…]I typically watch very little television. Aside from my weekly episode of The Bachelor when it’s on air for our podcast and the associated live tweeting fun, my TV “diet” consists mostly of various food shows on the Food Network. However while I’ve been out on maternity leave, I’ve turned on a lot more TV in the background as I’ve been snuggled up with L. Here’s the scoop on what I’ve been watching on Netflix.
[Read more…]I’ll admit, I didn’t know the soundtrack to Hamilton super well when T turned it on in the delivery room. I knew it was a show I wanted to see at some point, that I find Lin Manuel-Miranda an inspiring unstoppable force and that the music was unique and catchy. That’s about it. I don’t remember the exact song that was playing (hello, epidural) but the musical’s soundtrack was totally in the room where it happened.
[Read more…]I haven’t been into the city since I started working from home before L’s arrival. I didn’t know about the new development at Hudson Yards until recently. My dad and I decided to make a day of it to go in and explore — and to introduce L to Manhattan at the same time! When we saw the forecast (finally no rain) we decided this past Monday was the day.
[Read more…]I’m in the final stretch on the way to so many things that are looming…
Less than a week until Mother’s Day, a holiday that’s become a mix of beautiful and sadness all rolled into one these past couple of years.
Less than a month until I have to leave Baby Girl and go back to work, with her starting daycare and me trying to maneuver the “fifth trimester” with the added stress of a NJ-to-NYC commute this time.
Less than half a year until I begin a new decade (AKA my birthday). I might not be feeling this one so much if it wasn’t for the silver strands that keep appearing around my part-line, reminding me it’s fast-approaching.
So much change, whether I like it or not.
For now, I’m enjoying every second of the “now”. Every cuddle I can get. While I could put her down to nap and go do the dishes or cleanup around the house, you’ll almost always find me curled up with her in my arms on the couch.
Just because I can.
Just because she loves it just as much as I do.
We are here again. Mother’s Day. This year, I’m really trying to focus on my kids and the honor of being their mother. And of course, I’m thinking extra about my mama.
I’ve been having a hard time really writing — whether that’s journaling or long-form writing. The main thing I have been doing is writing here, albeit sporadically. This week, I’m trying to pick back up journaling, using the below list of writing prompts to do so. Even if your loved one is still living, I’ve decided journals like this will be so wonderful to share with our children to get to know their family even better.
[Read more…]It has been a few weeks since we went, but I can’t stop thinking about our dinner at Summit House in Summit, New Jersey. A night out with just us two always feels like a treat but even more so when we are able to find a restaurant at Manhattan quality closer to home.
This is the first day I’m experiencing Earth Day from the comfort of my own home. Usually there’s an internal note as to what our offices are doing with some opting to celebrate Earth Hour by going lights off, others planting gardens either on or off property or volunteering locally with a park cleanup effort.
Nothing makes you think about waste than watching your household double in less than three years — meaning more trash along the way. Here are some easy things we have been doing that may help give you some ideas to consider.
[Read more…]Q was several weeks old (maybe a month or more) before I realized I’d never played him music. At all. Closest thing would have been the Gilmore Girls theme song due to the marathon I’d been doing in advance of the release of the new episodes. In the midst of those super sleep deprived early days, I hadn’t even thought about it. It was ironic, too, since music is so important to both myself and my husband.
I spent my early years in church musicals. I went to college on a music scholarship for flute and also play the piano and (once upon a time) the violin. T was in musicals over the years in both high school and college. We’ve gone to a number of musicals and concerts together over the years. I even worked doing social media promotions for concerts, both for several years as part of my day job. Music is clearly a big part of who we both are – and something that, if we had been more aware of it, we would have began introducing to Q starting with his time in the womb.
Once we became aware of it, we started to think about how we could add music into our routine with Q. We were super aware of avoiding screen time before he was born, so instead of turning on the TV for background noise, we started occasionally opting for Spotify or a CD instead. We even bought a record player so we can begin to make music more of a shared experience for our family. [Read more…]