currently // march

Warm weather means playground time!

watching: The Crown on Netflix and This is Us on NBC - both are SO GOOD.

eating: naan pizzas, BBQ chicken salads, and Mexican takeout that my mom brought over... yum!

saying: I wish we had gotten a bit more winter weather! Seems like spring is here to stay already, which is definitely good because outside time is awesome - we are loving spending time at the playground already! But I'm a winter baby and I do love my snow days, so I'm bummed that we got so little snow this year. Fingers crossed March brings one last blast of cold, but it doesn't look likely.

wearing: a new sweatshirt from Under Armour and my favorite Victoria Secret leggings, most of the time. Comfy clothes for life, y'all.

posting: lots on Instagram Stories and regular Instagram - it's definitely my favorite social media platform!

linking up with Anne at In Residence & her co-host!

A Day in the Life

I always think that "day in the life" posts are really fun to read - it's probably my super-nosy nature, but I just like to see glimpses of other peoples' "normal" ("crazy"?) and how they spend / manage / balance their time.

Last Thursday, I remembered to make some notes during the day, so I thought I'd share a current Day in the Life at our house. I'm sure this will be fun to look back on down the road!

For background, I work from an office in DC a few days a week, and from home a few days a week. This day was an office day, so there is a little more crazy to it than if it was one of my telework days. Maybe I'll share one of those some days for comparison's sake.

Here we go...

A Day in the Life: February 9, 2017

5:00 AM: wake up a few minutes before my alarm - the worst! Wind and rain is howling outside, and has been all night. 

5:20 AM: alarm goes off, so C and I both get up. Connor stays asleep generally while we get ready. I put in my contacts and go downstairs to do the normal morning stuff - make oatmeal, coffee, pack lunches, feed the cats, make bottles, etc.

5:50 AM: C leaves for work and I sit down to watch the news and eat breakfast. The news is all bad - both the weather and the information. Womp, womp.

6:00 AM: I go upstairs to do my hair and make up and pick out my clothes

6:16 AM: go downstairs to warm up Connor's bottle and put our bags in the car

6:19 AM: I realize the bottle warmer is on but not plugged in. Damn. Lose any spare minutes I may have had that morning!

6:23 AM: wake up Connor and feed him his bottle, then change his diaper and get him dressed

6:35 AM: I get dressed while chasing Connor around our bathroom. Save him from the ironing board. Search for black tights; none to be found. Save him from toilet lid x 4. Settle for regular nylons. Try to distract him with book and socks while I finish getting dressed. No luck.

6:48 AM: grab our coats and out the door - two minutes to spare before the school bus enters our neighborhood and we'd be stuck, so we win!

6:55 AM: daycare drop off on the way to the train. I spend a few minutes talking to the teachers about yesterday, because Connor had a fussy day - molars are the worst! I make googley-eyes at a new, tiny baby that just enrolled. She is precious!

7:25 AM: board my train for the city. I make some notes for this post, read blogs on my Feedly app, and watch an episode of The Crown on Netflix (it's so good!!)

8:40 AM: off the train and into my building - I have just enough time to get organized before the start of an all-day meeting with my team and our clients

9:00 AM: our meeting starts

9:50 AM: a coworker offers to make a Starbucks run. I love this person! 

10:00 AM: we have a meeting within our meeting, so do the conference room shuffle

11:05 AM: back to our regular meeting

11:45 AM: we decide on a working lunch, so I grab mine from upstairs while others go to get food to bring back. I have leftover crockpot baked potato soup - it's delicious!

12:45 PM: run up and down two flights of stairs about five times trying to print a document - who says you can't fit cardio into your day?? Ugh.

1:00 PM: another meeting within our meeting, more room shuffling

1:45 PM: back to our regular meeting for the rest of the afternoon

3:00 PM: meeting wraps up, so I say goodbye to our clients, debrief with my team, and help clean up the conference room

3:30 PM: I'm on the train home - made it on an earlier one than I expected, so that's awesome!

5:05 PM: get off the train and realize that all the car windshields are covered in ice - apparently the rain became snow at some point! I scrape ice off my windshield and the car of the girl parked next to me before heading home.

5:30 PM: walk through the door at home! C has picked Connor up from daycare so all my boys are waiting for my arrival. Best part of the day!

5:45 PM: we feed the baby dinner, play in the basement for a while, and then give him a bath before getting his jammies on

6:35 PM: C goes upstairs to do Connor's bedtime story and give him his bottle, and I unpack lunchboxes and do a quick sweep of the main floor to put things away

6:59 PM: the baby is asleep, C orders Chinese food, wine is poured, and we settle in to watch the Capitals game - they are playing the Red Wings in DC tonight, and have really been on a roll lately, so it should be a good game!

7:15 PM: dinner arrives, so I load a plate with fried rice, beef & broccoli, and General Tso's chicken. We don't have Chinese very often but it sounded really good tonight.

9:40 PM: Caps win! 6-3, good guys. Wahoo! We switch to Food Network for a bit.

10:15 PM: I head upstairs to get ready for bed, then it's lights out!

And that's that! Whew. Makes me tired just to think about it :) Luckily, nothing too crazy or out of the ordinary happened... just our "usual," for right now! Any similarities to your own day?

currently // february

packing: baby clothes and gear! Here's how it goes: baby clothes / things that are outgrown or no longer used get piled up in our spare bedroom until they form a mountain higher than I am tall, and then when I can barely stand it any more, we take a weekend to pack it all away in plastic bins and put it up in the attic. This past weekend, my mom came to help with the current mountain, and we got a really good chunk of it packed up and stored. Whenever it comes time for baby #2, I'm pretty sure we won't need a THING. Yikes.

jonesing: truthfully, I've really wanted ice cream lately! Can't seem to pull the trigger at the grocery store, though, because none of the flavors seem juuuust right when I'm looking. I'm weird. It's fine.

texting: everyone, all the time. duh. Does anyone use their phone for phone calls anymore? I really don't!

reading: I have The Rosie Effect on my Overdrive app right now, and I'm reading The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto in paperback. Frankie Presto was one my mom passed on to me, and it's definitely outside my "norm," but I like it so far. It's narrated by "Music," which is weird and cool.

hearting: these banana mini-muffins from Siriously Delicious that I made last weekend - so yummy and the perfect little snack! (Until you eat like 12 of them... oops.)

linking up with Anne at In Residence & her co-host!

currently // december

doing: decorating, Christmas shopping, birthday shopping, birthday party planning... I am going to have a one-year-old in a few weeks!!! I am getting my very first taste of what it's like to have Christmas and two birthdays in the span of two weeks, and have a feeling life will always be a little crazy this time of year (as if it wasn't already)

enjoying: Christmas lights! Seriously, one of my very favorite parts of Christmas is twinkle lights - so I love it when we get our tree up and get a few strands up around the house. I like to keep the lights low and just enjoy the little sparkle lights in the evenings.

cooking: lots of comfort foods! We've had beef stew, spaghetti and meatballs, and macaroni and cheese in the last few weeks - heavy, satisfying meals as it starts to get colder. I am also preparing for my mom and I to have our annual cookie-baking day this Sunday - we are trying to tone it down a notch this year.... we'll see!

wrapping: nothing yet! Boxes and packages are piling up in a corner and not one thing is wrapped yet.

playing: holiday instrumental radio on Pandora. I adore the instrumental station - it's perfect for having on in the background of everyday life.

linking up with Anne at In Residence 

currently // july

toasting: to America, and to my mom on her recent retirement! After about a million years teaching public school, she is done for good. I am so excited for her and her next adventures!

going: not to the beach! Womp, womp. Our family beach trip, normally scheduled for mid-July, isn't taking place until September this year, so we actually have a bunch of free summer weekends. It's a nice change of pace. And I might actually get my car inspection done before the last day of July this year ;)

smelling: new candles! Went to my linen closet to get a fresh one last week and discovered, horror of all horrors, I was out of anything that wasn't "Autumn Leaves" or "Fresh Snow." While I love those, they just weren't cutting it while it's 100 degrees and soupy with humidity outside. I placed a BBW order, and fresh scents arrived on my doorstep yesterday. I've got "Endless Weekend" and "Beautiful Day" calling my name.

wearing: a lot of yoga pants and leggings, per usual. If I don't have to wear "real" clothes, I'm not doing it.

wishlisting: is it too early for fall clothes? Last year, I was semi-to-super pregnant, and skipped all the fall fashions. I'm looking forward to some new items this year.

linking up with In Residence and Gold & Bloom!

Things I Might Be Embarrassed to Tell My Son

Right before the baby was born, I ran to Hallmark with a serious need for a baby book. I needed somewhere to put his foot prints when he was born and I was terrified he would come and I wouldn't have a book. (Spoiler alert: he was still a few weeks away!) Anyway, I found a relatively simple one without too many spaces for writing (who has time for novels when you have a newborn? Not this girl) and just enough spaces for pictures and mementos. I did remember to pack the book in the craziness that was "my water broke, we have to go!" And did get a really sweet nurse to put two-day-old foot prints in the book. I die a little every time I see those tiny feet!

So far, I have sat myself down to write in the book approximately every three months - yikes. But thank god for Instagram and Facebook because I can scroll back and remember what he was doing when, and write it under the appropriate month. Mom win!

Last night, I sat down to fill in the "when you were born..." Sections with headlines, prices, pop culture, etc. and... To be honest, I feel a little silly. I can't believe these are the things I will be telling him about 10 or 20 years from now!! What the heck are we doing? I actually had to write "Justin Beiber" in my son's baby book to save forever... Hopefully I'm not embarrassed to tell my son about these popular things later on in life. I can already see myself being 70 years old and trying to validate why the Kardashians were famous. I can't do it now, why will I be able to do it then?! Sigh.

I thought it might be fun to share what I wrote down, and see if anyone has any other suggestions. Here's what I have so far:

(He was born at the beginning of January, so I've tried to keep this answers to that time frame!)

The Cost of.... (we live in Northern Virginia, for reference!)

• A gallon of milk: $3.19
• A 2-liter of soda: $1.00
• A loaf of bread: $1.50
• A cup of coffee: $2.50 (regular grande at Starbucks)
• A gallon of gas: $1.95
• A First-Class stamp: $0.47
• A movie ticket: $10
• A newspaper: $2.00 (daily copy of the Washington Post)

The big news events: Joaquin Guzman was captured, President Obama visited Cuba, Zika virus outbreak began, David Bowie and Alan Rickman died

The big world leaders: Barack Obama, Justin Trudeau, Vladimir Putin, David Cameron, Pope Francis

Some popular songs: Hello (Adele), Sorry (Justin Bieber), Hotline Bling (Drake), Stitches (Shawn Mendes),  Die a Happy Man (Thomas Rhett), Burning House (Cam)

Movies on the big screen: The Jungle Book, Deadpool, Zootopia

Some favorite TV shows: The People vs. OJ Simpson, The Americans, The Night Manager, Game of Thrones

Some really famous people: Taylor Swift, the Kardashians, Caitlyn Jenner, Amy Schumer, Prince, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Shelton, Adam Levine

Some sports stars: Peyton Manning, Steph Curry, Alex Ovechkin, Bryce Harper, Lionel Messi

Best-selling books: The Obsession (Nora Roberts), The Last Mile (David Baldacci), The Lake House (Kate Morton)

Some trendy things (styles, gadgets, sayings): Flat screen smart TVs, new iPhones, Apple Watch and FitBit, Snapchat, Instagram

Any categories I should write in? What would you add to the categories above? Do you have a baby book for your child?

currently // may

[source]

celebrating: my first Mother's Day! C keeps asking me what I want to do, but I don't really have a good answer. Some quality family downtime will be nice, and maybe I can sneak away for a pedicure... that certainly wouldn't be terrible.

reading: "The Distant Hours" by Kate Morton. I discovered this author when C bought me "The Lake House" for Valentine's Day. I liked her writing style very well, so sought out another of her books to read next. It's taking me a long time to work my way through (new mom = not much time for reading!) but I am enjoying it.

pondering: what mamas did before swings - I can't imagine life without ours! It's been a consistent "happy place" for the baby since day one.

sipping: lots of water, Mother's Milk tea, and blue Gatorade. The first two for obvious reasons, the last because I read online that it's also good for milk production. Seems kind of silly, but a little bit can't hurt!

going: to the lake at the end of the month! We have a wedding to attend that is closer to the lake house than our house, so we will stay there for the weekend. It will be the baby's third trip! We are loving exposing him to this fun aspect of our lives. There are so many memories to be made!

linking up with In Residence and Gold & Bloom!

currently // april

making: crockpot meals! All the meals I prepped before the baby came have REALLY come in handy, and it's so nice to be able to throw something in the crockpot once or twice a week and have dinner already taken care of.

wishlisting: some new work clothes. When I packed away my maternity clothes, I also cleaned out my closet of anything that was too old or just generally didn't fit well or make me feel good when I wore it, and that left me with surprisingly little in the work-wear department... Sigh.

cleaning: a little of everything. It's hard to get caught up, ever, with a baby around (shocker!) but we try to do a little here and there and keep up with things.

posting: more often, hopefully!

tasting: smoothies! I have been on a smoothie kick ever since having the baby, and have one almost every morning for breakfast. I include a scoop of Vega protein powder, and one smoothie holds me over til lunchtime (whenever that may be). Easy to make and easy to consume one-handed, which are basic requirements these days.

linking up with In Residence and Gold & Bloom!

currently // december

Don't you just wish you were curled up in there, enjoying that fire? I do!
[source]

wishing // honestly, that it would stop raining! It's been raining on and off and completely dreary around here since Sunday, and I'm over it. The only precipitation that should be allowed in December is snow.

remembering // uhh... not much. Pregnancy brain is in full force these days - it's completely normal for me to not be able to remember where I put something, why I walked into a room, how to write a "4" (yes, that really happened, and yes, C looked at me like I was crazy)... the list goes on.

wrapping // nothing yet, but the presents are starting to arrive! I ordered a few things from Amazon last week and picked up a few things over the weekend, so the pile of things to wrap is starting to form. Now, to find the wrapping paper I bought after Christmas last year...

baking // this weekend! My mom and I have our annual Christmas cookie baking day planned, and we are making our list of what to include. I know for sure there will be traditional sugar cookies - that recipe is a family tradition, and we can't have Christmas without them!

decorating // just a little this year. I can't bear the thought of the holidays without decorations, but I know I'm going to be a little busy when it comes time to "undecorate" in January, so I don't want to set myself up for failure too much. We are getting out a few of our favorite decorations, and leaving the rest for next year.

linking up with In Residence and Gold & Bloom!

currently // november

The view from atop the mountain while visiting Monticello

cooking: I haven't been making much lately - thank goodness for a husband who cooks and a the crock-pot! I did make an awesome dinner last night, though: meatloaf (a good one, not a blah one), mashed potatoes, and roasted broccoli. Totally hit the spot!

planning: Thanksgiving! We are hosting a very low-key event this year - I pretty much said, I'm not leaving the house, and anyone who wants to is welcome to come over. We are going to end up with a good-sized group of family members, and my mom and C are going to do the cooking. It's time to start thinking menus!

smelling: "Flannel" and "Pumpkin Pie" from Bath & Body Works - currently burning all day, every day, in our house!

appreciating: my healthy and relatively-easy pregnancy. It is cumbersome and I feel like a hippo most days, but there is nothing truly wrong. I have several friends who have not been so lucky during pregnancy, and so I am grateful for nothing to complain about!

anticipating: the holidays! Halloween - Christmas / my birthday is always my favorite time of year, and this year there is an obvious added layer of excitement because somewhere towards the end of that we will get a baby, too!

linking up with In Residence and Gold & Bloom!

currently // october

The most over-blogged image / quote of all time, probably.

eating: all the comfort food, carbs, and sweets. I'm trying really hard to maintain control as my pregnancy progresses but the only things that sound enticing are not healthy things, believe you me. 

exploring: fall activities near our house - we are looking for a good pumpkin patch to get some outdoor decorations

wearing: I don't want to talk about it. It's not cute new fall clothes, that's for sure. 

admiring: everyone else's cute fall clothes! At least my boots still fit. 

collecting: ideas for nursery decorations. We are just about ready to start putting things on the walls and getting some cute decorations, and I'm a little intimidated!

linking up with In Residence and Gold & Bloom!

currently // september

[source]

First things first... happiest of birthdays to my little sister! Hope you have a great day! xoxo

reading // after finishing Station Eleven, I've been in a bit of a book-funk - does that ever happen to you? Sometimes I just think story is so good that nothing sounds appealing as the next choice. But, I just checked out Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone from the library, so I think I'll give an old favorite a go for a while. PS: did you see J. K. Rowling's tweet yesterday about Harry's son starting school at Hogwarts?? So great.

making // I baked snickerdoodles on Sunday to take to work this week, and they were a huge hit - the entire batch was gone in one day! I did my fair share of helping out, but my co-workers had most of them :)

pinning // all things "baby boy nursery" - it's time to get started on the fun stuff!

anticipating // lots of fun activities in September: nursery work, lake time, all pumpkin everything... I'm so excited for the beginning of my favorite season! Now, if only it wasn't 90 degrees and disgusting outside today. Humph.

loving // hate to admit it, but I kind of love the Biebs's new song, What Do You Mean? I really can't stand him, but dang, that song is catchy. It'll get stuck in your head every time!

linking up with In Residence and Gold & Bloom!

currently // august

Sunset in Rodanthe, NC - July 2015

creating // a nursery! Or at least thinking about it - we are getting to the point where we will have to start making some real decisions, at least as far as paint and flooring go.

wishlisting // a baby registry... does that count? Talk about an overwhelming process - how the heck do you know where to begin?

hoping // that everything goes perfectly during our 20-week appointment next Thursday, and we can get a clear scan to tell us the sex of the baby!

eating // um, everything. I go from not-hungry-at-all to omg-I'm-starving in seconds. Bring on the snacks!

watching // SYTYCD - my favorite summer show! I still haven't decided if I really like the Team Street vs. Team Stage format yet, and I definitely don't have a favorite dancer yet, but I am tuning in each week to see the performances and listen to the judges.

linking up with In Residence and Gold & Bloom!

currently // july

[source]

craving // anything refreshing in this heat and humidity - watermelon, lemonade, an ice cold beer... wishful thinking but dang, if a summer shandy wouldn't hit the spot!

grilling // everything. Seriously, I think we grill dinner at least three nights a week during the summer. Last night, C made grilled buffalo chicken sandwiches that were absolutely delicious - grilling is such a versatile method of cooking.

listening // Honey, I'm Good radio on Pandora - I love that song, and the mix on the station is such a fun, upbeat mix of music. Great for cleaning the house or cooking to!

planning // our lake trip for the 4th of July! Absolutely cannot wait. There is some rain in the forecast, which is a bummer, but I know we will have fun regardless.

decorating // not the nursery, not quite yet - but starting to look at some paint colors and think about what we want to do. I've never really had the opportunity to do an entire room completely from scratch. It's a bit of a daunting task.


linking up with In Residence and Gold & Bloom!

currently // june

(the river, as seen on a walk with my mama last weekend)

playing // Candy Crush! I go through phases where I play it all the time for a week or two, then forget about it for a while. I am currently stuck on a hard level, and it's super frustrating! #firstworldproblems

going // to the West Coast, next week. I'll be in the Pacific Northwest for work, and will get to squeeze in a quick visit with my grandma, too. How's that for luck?

wearing // my rain coat. Womp, Womp. It has been a wet week around these parts, which is a bummer while commuting, but the temperature and humidity have dropped significantly, so that's a benefit. 

sipping // seltzer instead of soda. I don't drink a whole lot of soda to start with, but I've been consciously trying to drink none - so seltzer is a great substitute when I really want something other than regular, flat water. I like to mix in a splash of fruit juice, too - cran-grape is my current fave. 

reading // The Mapmaker's Children - historical fiction partly about John Brown, the famous abolitionist, which is not my usual time period at all. It's very interesting!

linking up with In Residence and Gold & Bloom!

currently // may

[source]

designing // not a lot... but making some mental plans for what needs to be painted / cleaned / replaced in the house this summer.

enjoying // Paul Simon radio on Pandora - a recent discovery that I really can't get enough of.

ordering // nothing fun! my Amazon Prime purchase this morning was new smoke detectors and a water filter for our refrigerator... see ya Friday.

celebrating // my mama's birthday last weekend, mother's day next weekend, a friend's graduation from DPT school the following weekend, and a wedding over Memorial Day weekend! whew.

tasting // spicy food! I fully partook in Cinco de Mayo yesterday with a guacamole and black bean burrito from a food truck for lunch and enchiladas for dinner. Homemade enchilada sauce is da bomb - although I have a few tweaks in mind for the recipe we used last night.

linking up with In Residence and Gold & Bloom!

currently // february

I fully intended to join the "currently" link-up with Anne and Jenna yesterday, but then I spent the morning at the dentist being traumatized (and scheduling myself for more trauma in two weeks!), and the day kind of got away from me after that. Ugh.

So, better late the never, here's a quick glimpse at life, lately!

[source]

Currently, I am...

hearting // spin class! I've been several times now, and it just grows on me a little more with every ride. I can't believe I held out this long before jumping on the wagon bike!

reading // I just checked out Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian from the library, and I'm looking forward to starting it. I have really enjoyed his other works, so I'm sure this one will be good, too.

pinning // Valentine's Day decor! After my post on Monday, I've been looking for other ways to decorate our home a little bit, for cheap!

eating // I had the biggest craving for taco salad the other night... we had a different dinner planned already, but I had to have my fix. A mixing bowl of salad did the trick!

anticipating // a long weekend! Anyone doing anything fun for President's Day? I so love three-day weekends.

Anyone else find the dentist traumatic? What are you reading right now? What's the best thing you've eaten this week?

currently // january

It's been a few months since I've joined the "currently" link-up with Anne and Jenna, but today seems like a great time to jump back in. Can you believe the first week of January is already over? And my birthday is tomorrow. Feels like it was Thanksgiving just yesterday... time flies, friends. It flies.

planning: a few fun winter activities for the upcoming months - a hockey game, a ski trip, a lake trip, who knows.

hoping: that being 28 doesn't feel as old as it sounds - 27 still seems young enough to not have it all together, but 28 sounds like the age of a real adult, and I'm not sure I'm ready to be one yet

baking: honestly, nothing - there was enough holiday baking to satiate any need I might have for a while

wearing: sweater tights, with all my dresses - the cold weather finally hit us here in VA and it is downright frozen outside

resolving: to stick with my better eating and better exercise habits - week one of January is off to a good start, and I'm determined to stick with it

currently // october

I took a mental health day yesterday and spent part of the afternoon sitting at a local coffee shop, drinking a latte and reading an actual, words on paper, book. Who does that?! It was glorious. Such a nice way to end September. I began October by running late this morning, wearing flip-flops in the rain and forgetting my jacket. Perfect!

Anywho. It's the first day of the month, and that means it's time for another "currently" link-up! I am greatly enjoying this one, because it's such a nice, simple way to transition into each month. September was not a great blogging month for me, so today I get a fresh start! Let's do it.

smelling: right this very second, coffee (thank heavens), but lately, fall candles from Yankee Candle - Pumpkin Buttercream and Autumn Leaves together, which makes for a delightful aroma.

loving: that I won't be traveling for work next week as originally planned, and suddenly have a weekend with very few plans ahead of me. Always a nice surprise!

planning: a very busy month. I keep looking at the calendar wondering how we are going to balance it all... but I know it'll come together somehow.

baking: funfetti cookies...yum. I made an amazing batch of treats last night, and I can't wait to share the recipe soon!

celebrating: October, of course. It is my favorite month, by far, and C and I will celebrate our third wedding anniversary this month, too!

linking up with Anne and Jenna  for currently - a monthly link up.

currently // september

writing: blog posts, and a lot of reports for work - I am up to my ears in technical documentation and I love and hate it all at the same time

anticipating: cooler weather, football games, crockpots of soup and chili, and several fun weekend activities in the weeks to come!

missing: the lake house - I was really sad to leave on Monday! I could have used at least a week if being disconnected and relaxed. 

wearing: ideally, nothing - sorry, but it has been hotter than blazes this week and I am not happy about it at all. Clothes make me feel gross and sticky the minute I step out the door. 

craving: Mexican food, per usual. I swear, I could eat it every day... I'm really stuck on burrito bowls and taco salads right now - homemade or from Chipotle, they just hit the spot!

linking up with Anne and Jenna  for currently - a monthly link up.